The wells of salvation opened, or, Words whereby we may be saved

5. If you would attain this grace of faith in Jesus Christ, you must labour to act it, looking up to God for help herein; endeavour to cast and roll your selves upon Christ, to apply Christ and his merits, and to rely upon him and his righteousness: It is in your endeavour that God doth work; and h•re you must endeavour again and again against all opposition which you find from the Devil and your own evil heart of unbelief, which will be ready to carry you away from Christ. So much for the 4th. Direction.

5. If you would attain this grace of faith in Jesus Christ, you must labour to act it, looking up to God for help herein; endeavour to cast and roll your selves upon Christ, to apply Christ and his merits, and to rely upon him and his righteousness: It is in your endeavour that God doth work; and h•re you must endeavour again and again against all opposition which you find from the D•vil and your own evil heart of unbelief, which will be ready to carry you away from Christ. So much for the 4th. Direction.

Direction 5. You must get a new Nature, if you would be saved: You must be made partakers of the Divine Nature, if you would be made partakers of this salvation: You have brought unholy and impure natures into the world with you, which must be changed and renewed after the Image of God, in knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness, before you can be in a state of salvation, and see the Kingdom ⟨p. 142⟩of God: This new nature, which is absolutely necessary un•o salvation, is begun in the work of regeneration, and carried on in the work of sanctification: In regeneration the work of grace is begun, the habits of grace are infused; a new principle of spiritual life is put into the soul; and sin (which before l•ved, and had dominion over the man, employing all his members as instruments of unrighteousness, to make provision for the satisfaction of its affections and lsts) doth receive its deaths wound, and loseth its ce and reigning power: In sanctification, the work of grace is crid on, the habits of grace are strengthened and increased; the nw man doth grow, and the old man doth decline and deay; there is a vivification or quickening more and more of grace, by the influence of the Word and Spirit, and a mortification or subduing more and mor of emning iniquity. What our Saviour tells Ndemus, h. 3.3. Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God: I may tell you, that unless ye be born again, unless ye be regenerated, ye cannot be saved, no possibility of entering into the Kingdom of Haven, without yo get this new nature: A man must be born the first time, before he can possess a temporal inheritan; and a mn mst be born again, before he can possess the eternal inheritance: You mst be children bore you can be heirs,