for ever. Neither did the death of my Saviour reach only to the condemning, but likewise to the commanding power of sin; it did not only pluck out its sting, but likewise deprive it of its strength, so that He did not only merit by His death. that I should never die for sin, but likewise that I should die to it. Neither did He only merit by His life that I should be accounted righteous in Him before God, but likewise that I should be made righteous in myself by God. Yea, I believe that Christ, by His death, hath so fully discharged the debt I owe to God, that now, for the remission of my sins, and the accepting of my person, (if I perform the conditions He requires in His covenant), I may not only appeal to the throne of grace, but likewise to the judgment-seat of God : I may not only cry, Mercy, mercy, O Gracious Father!' but Justice, justice, my Righteous God!' I may not only say, Lord, be gracious and merciful,' but 'Be just and faithful to acquit me from that debt, and cancel that bond which my Surety hath paid for me, and which Thou hast 1 John 1. 9. promised to accept of;' being "not only gracious and merciful, but just and faithful to forgive me my sins, and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness."

ARTICLE VII.

I believe that Christ rose from the grave, that I might rise from sin; and that He is ascended into Heaven, that I may come unto Him.

As Christ came from Heaven to earth, so I believe He went from earth to Heaven, and all for the accomplishment of my salvation; that after He had lived a most holy life, He died a most cruel death; that He was apprehended, arraigned, accused, and condemned, by such as could not pronounce the sentence against Him, did not Himself at the same time vouchsafe them breath to do it; and that He that came into the world to take away the sins of it, to bring sinners to the joys of life, was Himself by those very sinners brought into the pangs of death. But yet, as it was not in the power of

death long to detain the Lord of life, so, though worms had power to send Him to the grave, yet I believe they had not power or time to feed upon Him there; for He rose again from the dead the third day: He lay three days, that I might believe He was not alive, but dead: He arose the third day, that I might believe He is not dead, but lives: He descended down into Hell, that He might make full satisfaction to God's justice for my sins; but He is now ascended up into Heaven, that He may make intercession to God's mercy for my soul: thither I believe He is gone, and there I believe He is, not as a private person, but as the Head and Saviour of His Church. And under this capacity, as I believe that Christ is there for me, so I am there in Him: "for where the Head is, there must the members be also;" that is, I am as really there in Him my representative now, as I shall be in my own proper person hereafter; and He is as really preparing my mansion for me there, as I am preparing myself for that mansion here. Nay, I believe that He is not only preparing a mansion for me in Heaven, but that Himself is likewise preparing me for this mansion upon earth; continually sending down and issuing forth from Himself fresh supplies and influences of His grace and Spirit; and all to qualify me for His service, and "make meet to be Col. 1. 12. partaker of His inheritance with the Saints in light."

Which inheritance I believe He doth not so much desire His Father to bestow upon me, as claims it for me, Himself having purchased it with the price of His Own blood. And as He hath purchased the inheritance itself, so likewise the way unto it for me; and therefore sues out for the pardon of those sins, and subduing those corruptions, which would make me unworthy of it: and for the conveyance of those graces to me whereby I may walk directly to it: not only saying to His Father concerning me, as Paul said to Philemon concerning Onesimus, "If this Thy servant oweth Thee any Philem. ver. thing, set it upon My account, I will repay it;" but, 'What 19. this Thy servant oweth Thee, see, it is set upon My score already, and I have paid it; what punishments he is indebted to Thee, for all the offences he hath committed against Thee, behold I have borne them already; see how I have been

Isa. 53. 5.

"wounded for his transgressions, and bruised for his inquities, the chastisement of his peace was upon Me, with My stripes, therefore, let him be healed." And thus, as He once shed His blood for me amongst men, He now pleads it for me before God; and that not only for the washing out the guilt of my transgressions, but likewise for the washing away the filth of my corruptions, Himself having purchased the donation of the Spirit from the Father, He there claims the communication of it unto me. And that He hath thus undertaken to plead my cause for me, I have it under His Own hand and seal; Himself, by His Spirit, assuring me, 1 John 2. 1. that if I "sin, I have an Advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ the Righteous;" so that I believe He is not so much my Solicitor at the mercy-seat, as my Advocate at the judgment-seat of God, there pleading my right and title to the crown of glory, and to every step of the way that I must go through the Kingdom of grace unto it. In a word, I believe that Christ, upon promise and engagement to pay such a price for it in time, did purchase this inheritance for me from eternity; whereupon I was even then immediately chosen and elected unto it, and had by this means a place in Heaven before I had any being upon earth: and when the time appointed by covenant was come, I believe Christ, according to His promise, paid the purchase-money, even laid down His life for me; and then forthwith went up and took possession of this my kingdom, not for Himself, but for me, as my proxy and representative: so that whilst I am in my infancy, under age, I am in possession, though I have not the enjoyment of this my inheritance; but that is reserved for me till I come at age. And, howsoever, though I do not enjoy the whole as yet, my Father allows me as much of it as He sees convenient, so much grace and so much comfort as He thinks best; which are as a pledge of what He hath laid up for me in His Kingdom which is above.

ARTICLE VIII.

1 believe that my person is only justified by the merit of Christ imputed to me; and that my nature is only sanctified by the Spirit of Christ implanted in me.

AND thus I do not only believe Christ to be my Saviour, but I believe only Christ to be my Saviour. It was He alone that "trod the wine-press of His Father's wrath," filled with Rev. 19. 15. the sour and bitter grapes of my sins. It was He that carried on the great work of my Salvation, being Himself both the "Author and Finisher" of it. I say, it was He, and He Heb. 12. 2. alone; for what person or persons in the world could do it besides Himself? The Angels could not if they would, the devils would not if they could; and as for my fellow-creatures, I may as well satisfy for their sins as they for mine; and how little able even the best of us are to do either, that is, to atone either for our own transgressions or those of others, every man's experience will sufficiently inform him. For how should we poor worms of the earth ever hope, by the slime and mortar (if I may so speak) of our own natural abilities, to raise up a tower "whose top may reach to Gen. 11. 4. Heaven?" Can we expect, by the strength of our own hands, to take Heaven by violence? or by the price of our works to purchase eternal glory? It is a matter of admiration to me how any one, that pretends to the use of his reason, can imagine that he should be accepted before God for what comes from himself: for how is it possible that I should be justified by good works, when I can do no good works at all before I be first justified? My works cannot be accepted as good till my person be so; nor can my person be accepted by God till first engrafted into Christ; before which engrafting into the True Vine it is impossible I should bring forth good fruit: for "the plowing of the wicked is sin," Prov. 21. 4. says Solomon; yea, "the sacrifices of the wicked are an ch. 15. 8. abomination to the Lord." And if both the civil and spiritual actions of the wicked be sin, which of all their actions

N

shall have the honour to justify them before God? I know not how it is with others, but for my own part I do not remember, neither do I believe, that I ever prayed in all my lifetime with that reverence, or heard with that attention, or received the sacrament with that faith, or did any other work whatsoever with that pure heart and single eye as I ought to have done. Insomuch, that I look upon all my Isa. 64. 6. righteousnesses "but as filthy rags;" and it is in the robes only of the righteousness of the Son of God that I dare appear before the Majesty of Heaven. Nay, suppose I could at length attain to that perfection as to do good works, works exactly conformable to the will of God, yet they must have better eyes than I, that can see how my obedience in one kind can satisfy for my disobedience in another; or how, that which God commands from me should merit any thing from Him.

No, I believe there is no person can merit any thing from God, but he that can do more than is required of Him, which it is impossible any creature should do. For in that it is a creature, it continually depends upon God, and therefore is bound to do every thing it can by any means possibly do for Him; especially considering that the creature's dependence upon God is such, that it is beholden to Him even for every action that issues from it; without Whom, as it is impossible any thing should be, so likewise that any thing should act, especially what is good. So that to say a man of himself can merit any thing from God, is as much as to say that he can merit by that which of himself he doth not do, or that one person can merit by that which another performs, which is a plain contradiction. For in that it merits, it is necessarily implied that itself acts that by which it is said to merit; but in that it doth not depend upon itself, but upon another in what it acts, it is as necessarily implied that itself doth not do that by which it is said to merit. Upon this account I shall never be induced to believe that any creature, by any thing it doeth or can do, can merit or deserve any thing at the hand of God, till it can be proved that a creature can merit by that which God doeth; or that God can be bound to bestow any thing upon us, for that which Himself alone is pleased to work in us and by us; which,