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having faving uptakings of the gofpel, Paul mentions "the eyes of their underftanding being enlightened," Eph. i. 18. Whether as to the law or the gospel, this promife, illuftrated by fuch other fcriptures, fems to infinuate, that faith is properly and immediately feated in the understanding.

In the enjoyment of this promife, the eyes of finners fhall be opened as to themfelves: they fhall fee their natural and practical guilt, their original and actual fin, their total depravity, univerfal corruption, and abfolute difconformity to the image of God: they fhall fee the true demerit of their characters, as guilty finners; rendering them obnoxious to the divine difpleasure, expofing them, foul and body, for time and eternity, to the wrath of God: they fhall fee, not only that they are unworthy of any favour, but that they justly deferve every frown: fhall fee, that they cannot deliver or refcue their own fouls, cannot better their covenant ftate, cannot appeafe the divine wrath, nor acquire and procure the divine abfolution; and fee, that they are fpiritually, as well as legally dead; and that, as they have deftroyed, fo, they can do nothing but deftroy themselves. This much feems implied in what Paul faw of himfelf, after the grace of this promife took hold of his heart; "When "the commandment came, 'fin revived and I died," Rom. vii. 9.

Under the influence of this promife, their eyes fball likeways be opened, with refpect unto God. They fhall fee God as abfolute, and fhall fee him as gracious: as abfolute, finners fhall fee him, in the demands, penalty, threatenings and curfes of the law; fee him as angry with them, fpeaking words of terror to them, pouring wrath upon them, and pointing the fword of juftice against them; because of their breach of his law, and difconformity to it, in

heart

heart and life: they fhall fee him to be of fuch infinite perfection, excellence,-moral excellence, and glory, that he cannot but be angry with finners, as fuch; and angry with them every day; nor do otherways than act as a confuming fire to the workers of iniquity.

Was this the whole, their feeing God could only wound, diftrefs, diftract, and drive them to hopelesnefs and defpair: for none, in this fente, can fee God, and live. But the promife carries in it, their feeing him alfo as gracious. Accordingly, under the influence of it, finners fhall fee God as reconciling the world unto himself, in Jefus Chrift, not imputing to them their trefpaifes; as not only merciful, but juft, in justifying even the ungodly who believe; as acceffable by finners, the chief not excepted; and placable to-' ward them in the way of his appointment by the gospel they fhall fee him, as calling, warranting, encouraging, commanding them, whatever they have been, done, deferved, to return to him; as revealing, exhibiting and offering peace and pardon, life and falvation, grace and glory, to the hearers of the gofpel; and declaring his willingness they should be faved, his unwillingness they should perifh they fhall fee him as particularly exalted in the difpenfation of eternal life to finners, and wonderfully glorified in their enjoyment of it: they fhall fee him, as ufing every argument for prevailing with men to believe, and to make their calling and election fure: and, to crown all, they fhall fee him as exhibiting his free, gracious, abfolute promise, "to work in them the whole good pleafure of his goodness, and the work of faith "with power," 2 Theff. i. 11.

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SEC T. III.

Another bleffing here promised, is, "They "fhall fear." As the bleffing reprefented in the preceding fection refpects the finner's understanding, fo this has a regard to his affections, the proper feat of fear. Under the influence of this promife, finners fhall be made anxious and thoughtful about falvation; fhall dread the confequence of abiding in their natural state; fhall be apprehenfive of perifhing under the load of divine wrath; fhall become reflefs, as long as they are far from God, and his righteoufnefs; fhall not be eafy at a distance from Jefus Chrift, the only ordinance of heaven for faving finners; fhall forebode a peculiar degree of mifery, in the event of dying in their fins, after all the means, toward their recovery, they have enjoyed; fhall defpair of help from themselves, or other creatures; and may labour under fome degree of uncertainty, that ever the Lord will interpofe in their behalf, or come for their falvation. According to the degrees of this legal fear, they fhall read of no threatening, in the whole book of God, and shall hear of no terror, in the application of fcripture doctrine, without confidering the whole as addref fed to them. It is in this way that the arrows of the Almighty drink up their fpirits; that the terrors of the Lord make them afraid; that they feel the fentence of death in themfelves; that their confciences are wounded, their peace broken, their falfe hopes overturned, the foundations of their former reft entirely fapped, and all their wounds made to wear an incurable afpect. Thus far finners my fear, thus far numbers have feared, without going farther, without being faved.

But

But, where the Lord has gracious defigns upon the foul, he leaves them not in this lurch,-forfakes them not in this labyrinth; but makes an evangelical and faving exercise to follow this of a common and legal kind; and makes that law work conducive toward their future experience of gospel grace. Wherefore, under the influence of this promife, they shall be made to fear in a filial, as well as in a legal manner; they fhall be put among the children of God, as a neceffary pre-requifite to their having, and exercifing the temper of children; fhall, in confequence of their union to Jefus Chrift, have intereft in God as their Father, and in all the privileges and bleffings-arifing from that relation, connected with it, and infeparable from it. They fhall belong to his family, not only as creatures, but as renewed and redeemed creatures; not only, as he is the great Parent of mankind, but as he is a God of grace, and Father in Christ. This endearing relation, as to their enjoyment of the fruits and effects of it, commences at converfion, and continues to eternity: "Ye are all the "children of God (fays the apostle to the Galati"ans) by faith in Chrift Jefus," Gal. iii. 26 and, to the Romans, he fpeaks" of the glorious liberty "of the children of God," Rom viii. 21. Befides this tranflation into the family of God by conversion, they shall, under the influence of this promife, be animated with the Spirit,-the living Spirit of Jefus Chrift, as equally neceffary toward the fuitable exercise of this holy fear. For, when the Lor! promifes the effect, it implies his promiting likeways the caufe from whence fuch effect can only flow: "And because ye are fons (fays the apoftle, "to the believers at Galatia) God hath fent forth "the Spirit of his Son into your heart," Gal. iv. E 6

6.

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6. Moreover, under the influence of this promife, they fhall have a holy and confcientious refpect to the authority and law of God: "Then fhall I not "be afhamed (fays the pfalmift) when I have a refpect unto all thy commandments," Pfal. cxix. 6. They fhall, from a principle of love to God, be tender of offending him, at any time, in any way, to any degree. They fhall be as cautious of incur ring fatherly difpleasure, or fubjecting themselves to the difcipline of the new covenant, as, under the influence of legal fear, they were of falling under the divine wrath, and bearing the penalty of the covenant of works: they fhall entertain a holy jealoufy and fufpicion of themselves; and, convinced of the deceitfulness and defperate wickedness of their own hearts, ftudy a habitual watchfulness against backfliding from the Lord, in heart or way they fhall thence be particularly concerned, that the Lord would "hold up their goings in his paths, that their footsteps flip not," Pfal. xvii. 5. Thus, by Solomon, the holy Ghoft reprefents the man as "happy, that feareth alway," Prov. xxviii. 14. and the man as wretched, who is a stranger to that fear; "For he that trufteth to his own heart, " is a fool," Prov. xxviii. 26.

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SE C T. IV.

The laft bleffing mentioned in this promife is, that they "fhall truft in the Lord."-Upon gospel principles, the object of the finner's truft must be a God in Chrift; a God revealing himself to men, in the perfon of Chrift, "who is the brightness of "his glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon," Heb. i. 3. in fo much, that "he who hath feen "the Son, hath feen the Father." John xiv. 9.

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