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bleffings of an indulgent providence," that they might be "eminently useful, " and extensively happy ;" which, by the help of tranfpofition, would make a beautiful fentence; and that, "at laft," they might "receive a diftinguishing "crown:" but whether he means one different from that in the text, I cannot fay. I fubjoin to this, that I apprehend it would not have been amifs, if he had had the ingenuity to have acknowledged, that the character which he gave in his fermon of the deceased lady, was drawn up by this gentleman to whom the dedication is made; whereas, he has published it to the world as his own, without giving the leaft hint of it.

And now, Sir, I fhall detain you no longer; excufe the freedom I have taken with you. If the reading thefe lines gives you any fatisfaction, or the publishing of them may be a means to reform this vain man, I fhall heartily rejoice: only I defire you would obferve, that Mr Richardson is entirely ignorant of the contents of this letter, that he knows nothing of my writing to you on this fubject, nor of my defign to do fo; nor has he in the leaft inftigated me to it.

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Read and affented to at the Admiffion of MEMBERS.

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AVING been enabled, through divine grace, to give up ourselves to the Lord, and likewise to one another by the will of God; we account it a duty incumbent upon us, to make a declaration of our faith and practice, to the honour of Christ, and the glory of his name; knowing, that as with the beart man believeth unto righteousness, fo with the mouth confeffion is made unto falvation; which declaration is as follows, namely,

a Rom. 10. 10.

I. We

I. We believe, That the Scriptures of the Old and New Teftament, are the word of God, and the only rule of faith and practice.

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II. We believe, That there is but one only living and true God: that there are three perfons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, who are equal in nature, power, and glory; and that the Son and the Holy Ghost are as truly and properly God as the Father. These three divine perfons are diftinguished from each other, by peculiar relative properties: The distinguishing character and relative property of the first person is begetting; he has begotten a Son of the fame nature with him, and who is the exprefs image of his perfon; and therefore is with great propriety called the Father: The diftinguishing character and relative property of the fecond perfon is that he is begotten; and he is called the only begotten of the Father, and his own proper Soni; not a Son by creation, as angels and men are, nor by adoption, as faints are, nor by office, as civil magiftrates are; but by nature, by the Father's eternal generation of him in the divine nature; and therefore he is truly called the Son: The diftinguishing character and relative property of the third perfon is to be breathed by the Father and the Son, and to proceed from both', and is very properly called the Spirit, or breath of both. These three diftinct divine persons,, we profefs to reverence, ferve, and worfhip as the one true God ".

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III. We believe, That before the world began, God did elect a certain number of men unto everlasting falvation; whom he did predeftinate to the adoption of children by Jefus Chrift of his own free grace, and according to the good pleasure of his will; and that in pursuance of this gracious defign, he did contrive and make a covenant of grace and peace with his fon Jefus Christ, on the behalf of those perfons; wherein a Saviour

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John 5. 39. Acts 17. 11. 1 Cor. 8. 6. 1 Tim. 2. 5. Jer. 10. 10.

Matt. 28. 19.

Phil, 2. 6.

Rom. 9. 5. 1 John 5. 20.

1 Cor. 3. 16, 17. 2 Cor. 3. 17, 18.

Rom. 8. 3,.32.

* Pfal. 2. 7.

was appointed,

a Pet. 1. 19, 20.

and

Pfal. 2. 7. Heb. 1. 3.

Gal. 4. 6.

Pfal. 33. 6. John 15. 26. & chap, 20. 26. & chap. 20. 22.

1 John 3. 1.

2 Sam. 23, 5.

Matt: 4. 10.

1 Theff. 1. 4. and chap. 5. 9.

Gal. 4. 4, 5. John 1. 12.

2.Theff. 2. 13. Rom. 8. 30. Eph. 1. 5.

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and all spiritual blessings provided for them; as alfo that their perfons, with all their grace and glory, were put into the hands of Chrift, and made his care and charge.

IV. We believe, That God created the first man, Adam, after his image, and in his likeness, an upright, holy, and innocent creature, capable of ferving and glorifying him: but he finning, all his pofterity finned in him, and came fhort of the glory of God"; the guilt of whofe fin is imputed; and a corrupt nature derived to all his off fpring defcending from him by ordinary and natural generation: that they are by their first birth carnal and unclean; averfe to all that is good, incapable of doing any, and prone to every fin: and are also by nature children of wrath, and under a sentence of condemnation; and so are subject, not only to a corporal death, and involved in a moral one, commonly called fpiritual; but are alfo liable to an eternal death, as confidered in the first Adam, fallen and finners; from all which there is no deliverance, but by Chrift, the fecond Adam.

V. We believe, That the Lord Jefus Chrift, being fet up from 'everlasting as the Mediator of the covenant, and he having engaged to be the Surety of his people, did in the fulness of time really affume human nature, and not before, neither in whole, nor in part; his human foul being a creature, exifted not from eternity, but was created and formed in his body by him that forms the spirit of man within him, when that was conceived in the womb of the virgin; and fo his human nature confifts of a true body and a reasonable foul; both which, together and at once the Son of God affumed into union with his divine perfon, when made of a woman, and not before; in which

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d Rom. 5. 18.

• Rom. 6. 23.

and chap. 6. 23. Eph. 2. 3.

Gen. 2. 17. Rom. 5: 12, 14. Heb. 9. 27.

and chap. 7. 24, 25. and chap. 8. 2. 2 Tim. 1. 10. ■ Cor. 15. 45, 57?

* Prov. 8. 22, 23. Heb. 126 24

Pfal, 40, 6-8. Heb. 7. 22.

John 5. 25. Eph. 2. 1.

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nature he really fuffered, and died as the fubftitute of his people, in their room and stead; whereby he made all that fatisfaction for their fins, which the law and justice of God could require; as well as made way for all those bleffings' which are needful for them both for time and eternity,

VI. We believe, That that eternal Redemption which Chrift has obtained by the fhedding of his blood" is fpecial and particular: that is to fay, that it was only intentionally defigned for the elect of God, and sheep of Christ, who only fhare the fpecial and peculiar bleffings of it.

VII. We believe, That the juftification of God's elect, is only by the righteousness" of Chrift imputed to them, without the confideration of any works of righteoufnefs done by them, and that the full and free pardon of all their fins and tranfgreffions, paft, prefent, and to come, is only through the blood of Christ, according to the riches of his grace.

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VIII. We believe, That the work of regeneration, converfion, fanctification, and faith, is not an act of man's free-will and power, but of the mighty, efficacious, and irrefiftable grace of God.

IX. We believe, That all thofe, who are chofen by the Father, redeemed by the Son, and fanctified by the Spirit, fhall certainly and finally perfevere; so that not one of them shall ever perish, but shall have everlasting life.

X. We believe, That there will be a refurrection of the dead', both of the just and unjust; and that Chrift will come a fecond time to judge both quick

i Rom. 4. 25. 1 Cor. 15. 3. Eph. 5. 2. 1 Pet. 3, 18.
* Rom. 8. 3, 4. and chap. 10. 4. Isa. 42, 21. Rom. 8. 1, 33, 34,
- Matt. 20. 28. John 10. 11, 15. Rev. 5. 9. Rom. 8. 30.

Rom 3. 28. • Rom. 3. 25. John 1. 13. ¶ Phil. 2 13. Matt. 24 24. 1 Pet. 1. 5.

• A&s 24. 15.

Heb. 9. 28.

and chap. 4.
Eph. 1. 7.
Rom. 9. 16.
Tim. 1. 9.
John 6. 39,
Jude 24.

2.

6. and chap. 5. 16-19.
Col. 2. 13. 1 John 1, 7, 9.
and chap, 8. 7.

James i. 18. 1 Pet. 1. 3.
40. and chap. 10. 28, 29.
Heb. 2. 13. Rom.18. 30.
John 5. 28, 29. Dan. 12. 2.

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Eph. 1. 19. Ifa. 43: 13, Matt. 16. 18. Pfal. 125. 1, 2

A&ts 17. 81. 2 Tim. 4. 1. 2 Theff. 1. 7-10. 1 Theff. 4. 457

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