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children's bread, and caft it to dogs: And fhe faid, Truth, Lord, but the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their mafter's table, verfe 28. Then Jefus answered and faid unto her, O woman, great is thy faith, be it unto thee even as thou wilt.

Friendly. If this be the cafe, that CHRIST is fuch a merciful and faithful HIGH PRIEST, then what a fweet fupport does this afford me when I am weak in faith, and feeble in duty?

Truth. Yes, my dear Friendly, there is nothing fo exhilarating to a drooping foul that is weak in faith, as the view of that mercy, grace, and tenderness, in CHRIST. How weak was Peter's faith, when he began to fink, and cried, Lord, fave, or elfe I perish; and immediately JESUS stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said, Ó ye of little faith, wherefore did ye doubt and, Oh! how rich was his mercy towards him, when Peter had denied him so notoriously, John xxi. 15. Jefus faid unto Simon Peter, Simon fon of Jonas, loveft thou me more than thefe? Not, Simon fon of Jonas, thou haft denied me more than these, but tenderly faith, Loveft thou me more than these? And to Paul he faith, My grace is fufficient for thee; my ftrength shall be made perfect in thy weakness. We find David faying, I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul; yet having feen the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living, and enjoying repeated teftimonies of the LORD's mercies, to exhilarated his mind, that he breaks forth in a kind of rapture, Pfal. ciii. 2, 3, 4, 5. Blefs the Lord, O my foul; and forget not all his benefits; who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy difeafes; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies; who fatisfeth thy mouth with good things; fo that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. Now thefe cords of love draw the foul to duty and obedience; the love of CHRIST, conftrains that we should not live unto ourfelves, but unto him that died and rofe again. Such is his mercy, that he pities us amidst all our weak performances; and his faithfulness to his promifes, that he fupports us amidst the debility of our minds; if not, faith Mr. Worden, he would have carried but few to Heaven." I add, no, not a fingle foul; for a Chriftian cannot walk, but in his ftrength; nor be happy, but in his happiness; nor glorified, but in his glorification, Heb. iv. 14, 15, 16. Seeing "then we have fuch a great High Prieft, that is paffed into the Heavens, Jefus the fon of God, let us hold fast our profeffion; for we have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted as we are

yet without fin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Friendly. But I find I am fo weak in faith, and fo backward to duty, that if I ever had any grace, I fometimes fear I am fallen therefrom, or, fure it would not be thus with me?

Truth. I anfwer, The grace of GoD in the foul may be exceeding low, as to its life and exercife, yet the truth and reality of it, may be in the heart; as there may be fire in the grate, when there is little appearance thereof, it being hid and covered with afhes. So the grace of Gon, the root of the matter, may be in the heart, when there is no appearance of it, either to themfelves or others; it is with them, at times, as it is with the earth in the winter feafon, when at a remote diftance from the fun; the trees and vegetables wear the afpect of death, yet they have life in the root: So it may be with the Chriftian, he may wear the afpect of death to himfelf and others, infomuch that he may write bitter things against himfelf, and yet have the life of grace in his foul; the cause of the Chriftian's diftrefs may be owing entirely to his looking for that joy and life in himself, that are only to be in CHRIST, who faith, Hof. xiv. 8. I am like a green fir-tree, from me is thy fruit found.

Friendly. But may not a foul fall from grace by its careless walk and behaviour?

Truth. Understand, my dear Friendly, what the grace of GoD is, that it is nothing less than the communication of his nature, the refolve of his eternal mind to do you good; his engagement of himself in all the perfections of his nature, by oath, by covenant, and by promile, to delight in you, and fave you with an everlasting falvation; and this refolve is ratified in his word, and fealed with the precious blood of CHRIST. So that before a Chriftian Believer can fall from grace, God muft recede from his word, his oath, his promife; and faithfulness; for it is God that keeps the Chriftian, and fecures his intereft in his favour; union with CHRIST, the covenant of grace, the immutability of his counfels, the unchangeablenets of his love, are the facred bands which hold the Chriftian firm to GOD.

Note, The Chriftian is environed in GoD, encastled in his favour, refides within the walls of falvation, whofe gates are kept, not by Angels, no, but by the perfections of Omnipetence and Omniprefence; GOD has taken the Chriftian into himfelf, he dwells in the bofom of his love, I John iv. 16.

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We have known and believed the love that God hath towards us,
God is love; and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and
God in him; which is an inconteftible proof, that the Chriftian's
fecurity for Heaven and happinefs, is as firm as JEHOVAH'S
nature, as fecure as his throne, and as durable as eternity.
My blifs is fure, nor can it move,
Fix'd by his counfel and his love,
Unfhaken as his throne;
For ever firm, in JESUS' hands,
Replete with love, behold it ftands,
Eternal, like his own.

Yet, I acknowledge, the Chriftian may fall (by his careles walk and fupineness concerning the honour of GoD, in obedience to his way) from his firft love, from that life, zeal, and liberty, he was wont to enjoy, in the ways of Gon; from that fweet frame of foul, and fpiritual joy, he was wont to find in communion with the FATHER, and with his fon CHRIST JESUS; he may, by a fupine frame of foul, fall into fuch a fpirit of lethargy, ftupidity, and infentibility, as to have, as it were, no heart to the things of GoD ; and all this may take place upon the mind, without any notorious crime, before man, but infenfibly, by degrees, the affections of a real Chriftian, may be alienated from GOD.

Second, A Chriftian may likewife fall foully to the difhonour of GOD, the breaking of his own peace, and the marring of all his fpiritual comfort, by fome notorious crime that is apparent unto the world, the which perhaps may render him uncom fortable and dejected all the days of his life, yet be a real Chriflian, a child of GoD, and an heir of Heaven. This was David's, Solomon's, and Peter's cafe, who were the Secretaries of Heaven, and the Amanuenfes of the HOLY GHOST.

Third, A Chriftian may fall repeatedly by fome prevailing Corruption of his nature, which is his heart's grief, and daily forrow, yet it triumphs over him; he falls frequently (it may be to the dishonour of religion) nay, perhaps he is cut off from the church for it, yet he cannot conquer it; knows the evil, but cannot remove it; mourns over it, yet again it overtakes him; O wretched man, (faith he) that I am, who fhall deliver me from this body of fin and death? And, what adds to his forrow, perhaps the brethren of his church, to which he once belonge, and others, whom he esteems as Chriftians, look cold upon him, and flight him, yet he may, (I humbly believe) have the truth of grace in his foul, notwithstanding fuch strong

torruptions; and, who can tell, but it will be an addition to our joy in Heaven, to meet fuch there, whom we fo little expected, it is poffible that our fecret fins may appear of as heinous, and aggravating a nature in the fight of GOD, as their open ones; and if GOD forgives us, may he not, according to the riches of bis grace, forgive them? Some may be ready to think that I open the door of charity too wide, yet, I cannot help believing, that I fhall meet fome of thefe mournful captives in glory; and my reason for it is, That, if Solomon, to whom the LORD manifefted himself wonderfully, who fhewed fuch a continuation of zeal for GOD in building the temple, fuch love and profound humility in the dedication of it, fuch reverence and affection in the worship of GoD, 1 Kings viii. yet, after all, we find, (O amazing! be aft,nished, ye Heavens at this) his heart cleaved to Idol Gods; he builds high places for them, worships them, and followed after them; See 1 Kings xi. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. ver. 5. For Solomon went after Ahtoreth the Goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites; yet, I make no doubt, but Solomon was faved by faith in the Meffiah to come; and, if the LORD faved Solomon, notwithstanding his repeated idolatry, backfliding, and breach of his law, may he not fave many of those who were once zealous for GOD, yet afterwards grievously backflided from him?

Friendly. If it be agreeable, before we enter upon the High Prieft's office and employment, I thould be glad of your thoughts of the Leprofy, as to the nature of it, and what it might typically point out?

Truth. Friendly, with regard to the Leprofy, the Hebrew Doctors fay, "That there were four appearances of it, or "forts of Leprofies in the fkin of the flesh, which are thefe, "First, An exceeding whiteness, than which there is no greater; which appeareth in the fkin of the flesh like fnow, "and it is called Rabereth, a bright spot. Second, A white"nefs, which is a little inferior to that, which appeareth like "clean wool of a lamb, the first day it was born, and it is "called Seeth, a fwelling. Third, A whitenefs, little in"ferior to the fwelling, which appeareth like the plaifter of "the wall of an houfe, it groweth of a bright fpot, and is "called Sepachath, a fcab. Fourth, a whitenefs, little in"ferior to the plaifter of the wall, which is like the film of an egg, and groweth of a fwelling, and is alfo called a fcab." Leprofy, which we borrow from the Greek, Lepra, in the

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Hebrew it is named Ifragnath, which is a fretting foreness, or piercing infectious fcabbinefs.

First, The Leprofy was of an expanding, fpreading, and diffufive nature, Lev. xiii. 27. in which refpect it might point, the spreading and diffufive nature of fin; for as this difeafe is to the body, fo is fin to the mind; it spreads and diffufes itself through every power and faculty of our fouls, the affections are alienated by it, the will is become stubborn, the understanding is darkened, the judgment is corrupted, Ifa. i. 5, 6. The whole head is fick, and the whole heart is faint; from the fole of the foot, even to the head, there is no foundnefs in it, but wounds, and bruifes, and putrifying fores. Sin diffeminates and fpreads itself throughout all our thoughts, words, and actions; our thoughts are often a complication of that which is evil, for out of the heart proceedeth evil thoughts, Gen. vi. 5. And all the imagination of the thoughts of his heart were only evil, and that continually; and our affections, by nature being placed upon finful objects, and pursuing finful enjoyments, prove the plague of the leprofy of fin there, which fpreads itself through the actings of the mind, breaks forth in unclean defires, and prompts to unclean actions. Our words are the portraiture and evident image of our hearts; and when we hear perfons ufe filthy, obfcene language, whose words have all the contamination of the luft of the flesh in them, it evidently proves, that fin, as a leprofy, has diffufed its poifonous power. And, thefe finful thoughts not only break forth in obfcene words, but evidence themfelves in a gratification of the luft of the flefh, of the luft of the eye, and the pride of life, which demonftrates that body and foul are unclean before GOD; that the leprofy of fin has diffused itself throughout the whole man, Rom. iii. 12. They are all gone out of the way; they are together become unprofitable, there is none that doeth good, no

not one.

Second, The Leprofy was a very painful and fore disease, as appears from Mofes's praying for his fifter Miriam, Numb. xii. 13. And Mofes cried unto the Lord, faying, heal her now, O God, I beseech thee; and it is likewife called a burning, Lev. xiii. 25. which proves it to be a painful one, in which refpect it might be typical of the painful fenfation of fin upon the mind, when brought home and applied with power by the hand of the eternal spirit to the foul, fetting the tranfgreflor's fins, in alt their aggravation, guilt, and condemnation, in order before his eyes. This will make him to cry out, against thee, and thee only, have I finned, and done this evil in thy fight. Pardan

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