[3.] Thirdly, I am convinced that it is not in angels or men to de- liver me out of my lost, miserable, and undone condition. I know provoked justice must be satisfied, divine wrath pacified, my sins par- doned, my heart renewed, my state changed, &c., or my soul can never be saved ; and I know it is not in angels or men to do any of these things for me.
[4.] Fourthly, I find that I stand in absolute need of a Saviour to save me from ivrath to come, 1 Thes. i. 10, ' to save me from the curse of the law,' Gal. iii, 10, 13, * and to save me from infernal flames,' Isa. xxxiii. 14 \ so that I inay well cry out with those in Acts ii. 37, ' Men and brethren, what shall we do ? ' and with the jailer, Acts xvi. 36, ' Sirs, what shall I do to be saved ? '
[5.] Fifthly, / see and knoiu, th7'ough grace, that there is an utter impossibility of obtaining salvation by anything, or by any person, but by Christ alone, according to that of the apostle : Acts iv. 12, 'Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name ' that is, no other person, ' under heaven, given among men, by which we must be saved.' I know there is no saviour that can deliver me from eternal death, and bring me to eternal life and glory, but that Jesus, of whom it is said, 'that he shall save his people from their sins,' Luke i. 21 ; and therefore I must conclude that there is an utter impossibility of obtaining salvation by any other person or things, &c. But,
[6.] Sixthly, I see and knoiu, through grace, that Jesus Christ is an all-sufficient Saviour, that he is a mighty, yea, an almighty Saviour, a Saviour thai is able to save to the utmost all them that come to him,, as the Scripture speaks, Ps. Ixxxix. 19, ' I have laid help upon one that is mighty;' Isa. Ixiii. 1, ' I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save ; ' Heb. vii. 25, ' Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost, that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.' I know that the Lord Jesus is mighty to save me from that wrath, and from that curse, and from that hell, and from that damnation that is due to me, by reason of my sins ; and that he is mighty to justify me, and mighty to pardon me, and mighty
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to reconcile me to Grocl the Father, and mighty to bring me to glory, as the Scripture does everywhere testify. But,
[7.] Seventhly, I know, through grace, that Jesus Christ is the only person anointed, appointed, fitted, and furnished hy the Father, for that great and blessed work or office, of saving sinners ^ souls; as these scriptures, amongst others, do clearly testify, Isa. Ixi. 1-4 ; Luke iv. 18-21 ; Mat. i. 20, 21 ; John vi. 27. Certainly were Jesus Christ never so able and mighty to save, yet if he were not anointed, appointed, fitted, and furnished by the Father for that great office of saving poor lost sinners, I know no reason why I should expect salvation by him. But,
[8.] Eighthly, I know through grace that the Lord Jesus Christ hath sufficiently satisfied, as mediator, the justice of God, and paAiified his wrath, and fulfilled all righteousness, and procured the favour of God and the pardon of sin, &c.,for all them that close loith him, that accept of him, as he is offered in the gospel of grace. Gal. iii. 19, 20 ; 1 Tim. ii. 5; Heb. viii. 6; Heb. ix. 14, 15, and xii. 24; Heb. x. 12, 14; Mat. iii. 15 ; Kom. viii. 1-4, 33, 34, and v. 8-10 ; • Acts xiii. 39.
[9.] Ninthly, I find that Jesus Christ is freely offered in the gospel to poor, lost, undone sinners, such as I am. I find that the ministers of the gospel are commanded by Christ to proclaim in his name a general pardon, and to make a general offer of him to all to whom they preach the everlasting gospel, without excluding any : Mark xvi. 15, ' And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel unto every creature.' And what is it to preach the gospel unto every creature, but to say unto them, as the angels did to the shep- herds, Luke x. 11, 'I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people ; for unto you is bom this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord' ? &c.
[10.] Tentlily, I know, through graxie, that all sorts of sinners are invited to come to Christ, to receive Christ, to accept of Christ, and to close ivith Christ, Isa. Iv. 1, 2 ; Mat. xi. 28, 29 ; Jolm vii. 37 ; Kev. iii. 20, and xxii. 17, &c. But,
[11.] Eleventhly, Through grace, I do in my understanding really assent to that blessed record and report that God the Father, in the blessed Scriptures, has given concerning Christ, 1 John v. 10-12. The report that God the Father has made concerning the person of Christ, and concerning the offices of Christ, and concerning the work of re- demption by Christ, I do really and cordially assent unto, as most true and certain, upon the authority of God's testimony, who is truth itself, and cannot lie. Now, though this assent alone is not enough to make a saving reception of Christ, yet it is in saving faith, and that without which it is impossible that there should be any saving faith. But,
[12.] Twelfthly, lean say, throitgh grace, that in my judgment I do approve of the Lord Jesus Christ, not only as a good, but as the greatest good, as a universal good, as a matchless good, as an incomparable good, as an infinite good, as an eternal good, and as the most suitable good in heaven and earth to my poor soul ; as these scriptures do evi- dence, Ps. Ixxiii. 25, 26 ; Cant. v. 10, 45 ; Ps. i. 2 ; Phil. iii. 7-10 ; 1 Tim. i. 15. I know there is everything in Christ that may suit the
CLEARLY AND SATISFACTORILY ANSWERED. 51
state, case, necessities, and wants of my poor soul. There is mercy in him to pardon me, and power in him to save me, and wisdom in him to counsel me, and grace in him to enrich me, and righteousness in him to clothe me, &c., and therefore I cannot but approve of the Lord Jesus, as such a good as exceeds all the good that is to be found in angels and men. The good that I see in Christ doth not only counterpoise, but also excel all that real or imaginary good that ever I have met with in anything below Christ. Christ must come into the will, he must be received there, else he is never savingly received. Now before the will will receive him, the will must be certainly in- formed that he is good, yea, the best and greatest good, or else he shall never be admitted there. Let the understanding assent never so much to all propositions concerning Christ as true, if the judgment doth not approve of them as good, yea, as the best good, Christ will never be truly received. God in his working maintains the faculties of the soul in their actings, as he made them.