character Us, is a fcripture character of the elect of GOD, called by grace out of darkness into marvellous light, by which they know, that they are of the family of heaven, and of the houthhold of faith; but the character by which they are known to GOD, as having grace and glory fettled upon them, is, elect according to the foreknowledge of GOD the FATHER, 1 Pet. i. 2. Having this feal, the LORD knoweth them that are bis. 2 Tim. ii. 19. As heirs of the grace of life, as heirs with GOD, and as joint-heirs with CHRIST; well known to GOD as his jewels, as his portion, his inheritance, his royal diadem and crown of glory, Ifa. Ixii. 3. Known to CHRIST as his choice, his father's gift, his spouse, his bride, as the purchase of his blood, and as the travail of his foul; for whom he lived, died, and now ever liveth to make interceffion for us. Known to the HOLY GHOST as his workmanship, the formation of his power, the habitation of his prefence. 1 Cor. vi. 19. Know ye not that your body is the Temple of the HOLY GHOST, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you, John xiv. 17. By thefe diftinguishing characters you fee that it is the church of GoD, the members of CHRIST, the heirs of falvation, the feed according to the promife, who have grace and glory fettled upon them for perpetuity.

Friendly. But if grace and glory extend to none but the elect, then there will be but few happy in another world?

Truth. This objection, my dear Friendly, is owing to you and others, having too narrow and contracted ideas of the election of grace, as though there would be but few faved, which is true comparatively, but not fo few as thousands feem to imagine, for the word of GOD declares them to be, a number that no man can number, Rev. vii. 9. As the hairs of our head, or the fands upon the fea fhore, cannot be numbered neither can the elect of GOD out of every tongue, people, nation and language, who are redeemed to GOD by the blood of the LAMB, be numbered. They shall come from the Eaft, from the Weft, from the North, and from the South, and shall fit down with Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of GOD. Luke xiii. 29 For if almoft eighteen hundred years ago there was a number saved (befides the hundred and forty and four thoufand) that no man could number, Rev. vii. 9. What muft there be now? and what will there be to the end of time, when a nation fhall be born at once? when from the womb of the morning CHRIST fhall have the dew of his youth? when the Jews, with the fulness of the

Gentiles, fhall be gathered in, and all fhall know the LORD? and when his knowledge fhall cover the earth as the waters cover the fea: Though I do not believe that grace and glory will extend to a fingle foul, beyond the line of electing love; yet I believe that the line of electing love will extend in its communications to millions of fouls beyond our conception of it. Friendly. If grace and glory extend to none but the elect, why is the word preached to all?

Truth. I anfwer, fuppofing you had fome rich jewels, pre cious pearls, and brilliant diamonds, blended and mixed among a mountain of common pebbles; would you not search, and move the mountain of common pebbles, to find the pearls and jewels mixed amongst them? The Elect are by nature the children of wrath, even as others; but diftinguishing love makes them jewels in GoD's esteem, Mal. iii. 17. Therefore he fearches for them among the promifcuous multitude of mankind, externally by his word, and internally and effectually by his fpirit, as his peculiar treasure. You likewife know that dews and fruitful showers from Heaven drop as plentifully upon the barren defert, as upon the fertile field; yet is not the barren defert made fruitful thereby, but the fertile field is bleffed with a rich encrease; because there is feed fown upon it, which waited for the fruitful fhowers that it might grow thereby. So the Elect of GOD are as a field which the LORD hath bleffed with the feed of divine grace in their minds; they wait at the post of his doors for fhowers of bleffings in the miniftration of the word, that they may grow in grace, and in the knowledge of their LORD and SAVIOUR CHRIST. Though a barren defert may join a fertile field, and receive the fame watering from Heaven, yet thefe waterings are never intended to make the barren defert like the fruitful field. So the fruitful showers of bleffings in the miniftration of the word, are never defigned by God to make the ftrangers grow in grace; but the children who are heirs of the bleffings, according to the promise, whom he hath chefen unto himself as a special people, above all people that are upon the face of the earth, Deut vii. 6. and the reason is given in verfe 8. Because the LORD loved them. From hence I would obferve, that no foul need be dejected on account of God's election of grace; because it lays a fure foundation for prefent comfort and future happiness. Therefore, dear reader, if thou are defirous of knowing thy intereft in the election of grace; it is a proof of thy being chofen in CHRIST before the foundation of the world, for never was a foul defirous of being faved

by electing love (in God's way) that was ever loft for want of it. As the arms of electing love are open to embrace, its language is, Whosoever will, let him come, and him that cometh I will in no wife caft out. But this leads me to obferve, where the Church's Treasure of Grace and Glory is fettled. The Apoftle declares, it is in heavenly places in CHRIST JESUS, according to his purpose and grace which was given to us in CHRIST, 2 Tim. i. 9. Here it may be worth noticing that the angels of GOD were bleffed in themselves, that their blessedness depended upon the perfection of their obedience to their great CREATOR, and Author of their happiness; but they finned, and thereby loft their felicity, and left, as the fcripture fays, their firft habitation. So Adam, in his ftate of innocency, was endowed with every bleffing that rendered him compleatly happy; but the continuation of his bleffings, and the enjoyment of his happiness, depended upon the perfection of his obedience to the law of GOD; therefore, when Adam finned, and violated the law of his GoD, he loft the enjoyment of his happiness both for foul and body, for himself and his pofterity. Rom. v. 19. For by one man's difobedience many were made finners. As he was the head of nature, all mankind fprung from him, and were confidered in his loins, therefore they finned in him, and fell with him, in his firft tranfgreffion. Rom. v. 12. whom all have finned.

Friendly. What did they fall from?

In

Truth. They fell from a ftate of purity and innocence, to a ftate of defilement and guiltinefs before GoD: from a state of freedom and friendship with GoD, to a ftate of eftrangement from, and enmity to him; from a ftate of favour, to a state of wrath, Eph. ii. 3. from Paradife, to a ftate of poverty; in fhort, from a heaven of enjoyment, to a hell of difquietude and difcontent. Thus the Elect of GOD funk, and were loft in Adam, by virtue of their union to him, as the head of their naturé; nevertheless from grace and glory-bleffings they never fell. For Adam, as their head and reprefentative, was never entrufted with them, confequently could not lofe them when he fell; for GOD foreknew the mutability and changeableness of the creature; therefore would never entrust the designs of his love, the accomplishment of his glory, the falvation-bleffings of his grace, in the hands of a creature; but fixed them in the hands of Him whose power is Almighty to keep; whofe nature and perfections are unchangeable to preferve; whofe heart is love to bestow them; therefore, faith the Apoftle, whe hath bleffed us with all fpiritual bleffings in heavenly places in

CHRIST JESUS, Epb. i. 3. The bleffings of grace and glory, the promises of life and falvation, were all fettled in CHRIST; in whom all the promises are yea and amen, according to his grace ank purpose, which was given to us in CHRIST, 2 Tim. i. 9. For CHRIST is the center of every bleffing, the fixation of love, the fountain of grace and communications of glory. As Adam was the head of our nature, fo CHRIST is our head of grace, our fpiritual and life-giving head of temporal glory; when all our bleffings were loft in Adam, our spiritual and eternal bleffings were fecure in CHRIST JESUS; for Adam's fall made no change in JEHOVAH's love to his people, nor altered any defign, or counfel concerning them. For glorybleffings were immoveably fixed in CHRIST by promife, counfel, and oath, before fin or time took place, according, faith the Apoftle, as he hath chofen us in him before the foundation of the world, Eph. i. 4.

'Ere time began, or man was made,
The bafis of my blifs was laid,

Fix'd by the facred Three;

In councils of eternal love,

Firm as his throne, 'tis there I prove
His paradife for me.

This grace unchanging I adore,
I long to know it more and more,
And all its glories fee ;

To feel its power for ever fhine,

To melt my heart in thanks divine,

For love fo rich to me.

You'll obferve, my dear Friendly, the nature and extent of the bleffings wherewith we were bleffed in CHRIST; the nature of them is Spiritual; the extent of them is all Spiritual Blings; if Spiritual, then unchangeable; if all Spiritual Blefings, then it includes the fixation of love in election, our adoption as children by grace, our predeftination to glory, our juftification by CHRIST's righteousness, the pardon of our fins by his blood, redemption by his power, fpiritual meekness by his grace, for the confummate enjoyment of himself in glory.

But this leads me to the laft thing propofed ;-when this grace and glory were fettled. I anfwer, as the thoughts of grace and the beftawing of glory are immanent acts in Gon, acts of kindness in his own mind, it must be from eternity;

therefore, fays GOD to his Church, Jer. xxxi. 3. I have loved thee with an everlasting love. And when the Apostle fixes the foundation of our falvation, he lays it thus: According to his grace and purpose, which was given us in CHRIST before the world began, 2 Tim. i. 9. GOD forefaw what fin and Satan would do to deftroy us, but infinite wisdom was beforehand with them, in laying a fure foundation to fave us; to prepare a remedy against our disease, that whatsoever we enjoy in time, is but the opening of his eternal treasures, laid up for us in CHRIST before the world began, or his communicating the bleffings through CHRIST which he has bestowed upon us in CHRIST, in whom it hath pleafed the FATHER fhould all fulnefs dwell, that he may be head over all things to his church. John i. 16. Out of his fulness we receive, and that grace for

grace.

If you enquire, Friendly, by whom it was fettled, I answer, it was by him that had a plenty, a redundancy of grace and glory, to fettle upon his people: it was by him that had a right to fettle it, power to maintain the fettlement, love to beftow it, and whose delight was in bestowing it. Bleffed be the Gon and FATHER of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, who hath bleffed us. If the bleffings fpring from GOD they never can fail, if he hath bleffed, who fhall reverfe it? It is Heaven's charter to the citizens of Zion, and who shall overthrow it? The legacy of divine love, and who fhall make it void? All the power, tears, and prayers of Efau, could not make void Ifaac's bleffing to Jacob: I have blefied him, and he shall be bleffed, fays he. So nothing fhall make void the promises of God, the fettlements of his love, for he hath bleffed them, faid Balaam, and I cannot reverse it.

Friendly. But Truth, what is the motive and caufe of all this fecurity, fafety of this grace, and glory for God's people? Truth. I anfwer, the motive to thefe is the great love of GOD flowing from his fovereign pleasure, Eph. I. 5. Having predeftinated us to the adoption of children, by JESUS CHRIST to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, and in verse 11, In whom alfo ye have obtained an inheritance, being predeftinated according to the purpose of him, who worketh all things according to the counsel of his own will.

Friendly. Give me leave, my dear Truth, to enquire of you, in the fourth place, what I am to understand by the covenant of grace, or the divine tranfaction between the Eternal Three, concerning the falvation of loft finners?

Truth. My dear Friendly, it will be necessary for you first