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<DATE>2010-03-30</DATE>
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<NAME>Alexis Jakobson</NAME>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>The Glorious EXCELLENCIE OF THE <HI>Spirit of Adoption;</HI> OR, Of the Spirit of the Sonne of God, derived to the Sonnes of GOD.</P>
<P>Wherein are many precious truths held forth, which are pre&s;ented to all the children of Truth, who are and &s;hall be &s;anctified through the truth.</P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>ISAIAH, 44.3.</HI></BIBL> I will powr water upon him that is thir&s;ty, and flouds upon the dry gro<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">nd: I will p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">r my Spirit upon thy &s;eed, and my ble&s;&s;ing upon thine off-&s;pring.</Q>
<Q><BIBL><HI>GAL. 4.6.</HI></BIBL> And becau&s;e ye are Sonnes God hath &s;ent forth the &s;pirit of his Sonne into your hearts, crying <HI>Abba Father.</HI></Q>
<P>By <HI>M. G.</HI> Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pell.</P>
<P><HI>London, printed by</HI> Jane Coe, <HI>for</HI> HENRY OUERTON. 1645.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>To the Reader.</HEAD>
<P>_THou art heere pre&s;ented with a rich Cabinet of precious Jew|els, the which if thou doe&s;t unlock by the Key of the Spirit, thou maye&s;t both inrich thy inner, and a|dorne thy outer man with|all: for they are not ap|pointed for Swine nor Dogs; who will trample them under their feet, and turn again and rent tho&s;e that pre&s;ent them: but for
<PB REF="3">the man who by the key of the &s;pirit is able to un|lock them (to wit the man of which PAUL &s;peaks, the &s;pirituall man that is able to di&s;cern &s;pirituall things) and that by faith is able to eloath and adorn him&s;elfe with them; to the&s;e and no other &s;hall it be advanta|gious: for as the talent wrapt up in a Naptkin, and the precious oyntment kept &s;till in a clo&s;e boxe, and the trea&s;ure hid in the earth can do good to none untill it be opened and ap|plyed unto the &s;everall u&s;es for which they are ap|pointed; &s;o, neither can a
<PB REF="3">Cabinet of &s;pirituall Jew|els and perals, be any way profitable to any until they are opened, and unlockt by the &s;pirit, who can lay open every truth is it is in its &s;elf, and cau&s;e the &s;imple to under&s;tand the &s;weet, the high, and the glorious mi&s;teries of it; whereas be|fore it is meerly fooli&s;hnes unto him, and he cannot di&s;cern it. And therefore to you that have the &s;pirit, to you it is commended; but this let me &s;ay, that even you are to beware how you come with a key of carnalitie to open it; for in the be&s;t there is carnality,
<PB REF="4">as appears 1 Cor. 3.3. and Rom. 7.14.15. Oh therefore ca&s;t away that key, for it is a fal&s;e key, and can never unlock it; I mean the key of the love of the world, which is contrary to the love of the Father, the key of Pride, of covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, of &s;elf-conceitedne&s;&s;e, of &s;trength of Parts, or mans wi&s;dome, and of any other thing that is contrary unto the fruits of the Spirit; and let the &s;pirit of Chri&s;t Je|&s;us that is in thee, unlock it for thee, and open it to thee, that &s;o by faith thou maye&s;t (by the help of the &s;ame &s;pirit) pertake of the
<PB REF="4">&s;weetne&s;&s;e, and the benefit of it, and be gloriou&s;ly a|dorned with it, that thou maye&s;t I &s;ay pertake of the benefit of it; for he that is made a Pertaker of the&s;e glorious Priviledges, and Prerogatives that is herein held forth, is unconceiva|bly rich, and he that is a|dorned with the orna|ments herein pre&s;ented, is all glorious within, &amp;c.</P>
<P>But let no perticular per&s;on who&s;oever he be, think that he is hereby ac|counted either a dog, or a &s;wine, or is excluded from a participation of the&s;e Jewels and Pearles. Al|though
<PB REF="5">in thine own ap|prehen&s;ion, and the ap|prehen&s;ions of others, tho<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> art in as bad a condition a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> can be imagined; yet I am a&s;&s;ured that God hath gi|ven his ble&s;&s;ed &s;pirit, even the &s;pirit of Adoption, un|to tho&s;e that have former|ly been apprehended, to be as bad as thou art; and who knowes but in the reading of, or meditating on tho&s;e lines, the holy &s;pirit may be given in unto thee, and then (though it be other|wi&s;e a dead letter) it may prove a quickening word; As in the very reading of the Word in former times,
<PB REF="5">nay and in this pre&s;ent time, it hath proved &s;o to others. Now that all that &s;hall read, and meditate on this piece, may if they be|long to the Election of Grace, behold and &s;ee the vi&s;ions of the glory of the Lord, that are either here or any where di&s;covered, and in beholding of them may be more and more changed into the &s;ame I|mage, from glory to glory, even by the Spirit of the Lord: Is the fervent de|&s;ire of</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>The Servant of Je&s;us</HI> CHRIST: <HI>M. C.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="table of contents">
<PB REF="6">
<HEAD>THE CONTENTS.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<ITEM>TWo parts in the text. p. <HI>2.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Three queries in the text.
<LIST>
<ITEM>Fir&s;t, How the Spirit may be &s;aid to be a Law? <HI>An&s;wered.</HI> p. <HI>4.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Secondly, How the Spirit of life may be &s;aid to be in Chri&s;t? <HI>An&s;wered.</HI> p. <HI>11.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Thirdly, What doth the Apo&s;tle meane by the Law of &s;inne and death? <HI>An&s;wered.</HI> p. <HI>14.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM>The Generall ob&s;ervation. p. <HI>21.</HI></ITEM>
<PB REF="6">
<ITEM>Two things laid open.
<LIST>
<ITEM>Fir&s;t, that the Spirt of life in Chri&s;t frees us from the Law.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Secondly, the rea&s;ons of it, and <HI>ibid.</HI>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Fir&s;t, that the Spirit of life in Chri&s;t &s;ets us free, as the Spirit is all in all in Chri&s;t, in all his &s;uf|ferings &amp; actions, is &s;hewed. <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>And &s;econdly, as the Spirit is all in all in his death. p. <HI>23.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>And thirdly, as the Spirit is all in all in his Re&s;urrection. <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM>Now this Spirit in Chri&s;t &s;ets us free from the Law,
<LIST>
<ITEM>fir&s;t, as Chri&s;t fulfilled the law for us. p. <HI>24.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Secondly, as Chri&s;t adiudged all our &s;ins again&s;t the law, to death upon the cro&s;&s;e. p. <HI>26.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Thirdly, As Chri&s;t is the end of the Law for Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e. p. <HI>30</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM>But &s;econdly, The Spirit of life derived from Chri&s;t to us frees us;
<LIST>
<ITEM>Fir&s;t, declaratively. p. <HI>32.</HI></ITEM>
<PB REF="7">
<ITEM>Secondly, operatively. p. <HI>33.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM>The nece&s;sitie of our freedome from the law by the &s;pirit of life in Chri&s;t, is &s;hewed, 
<LIST>
<ITEM>fir&s;t becau&s;e el&s;e no fle&s;h could be &s;aved. p. <HI>36.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Secondly, that the righteo&s;ne&s;&s;e of it might be fulfilled in us by the &s;pirit. p. <HI>37.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>And thirdly, that God might be all in all, and the Creature nothing at all. p. <HI>38.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM>Three queeries more, 
<LIST>
<ITEM>Fir&s;t, whether the law is &s;in? <HI>An&s;wered.</HI> p. <HI>39.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Secondly, Wherefore &s;erveth the law? <HI>An&s;wered.</HI> p. <HI>40.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Thirdly, whither the law were given for a rule of life to the peo|ple of God? <HI>An&s;wered.</HI> p. <HI>44.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM>The u&s;es are.
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>1.</HI> To rebuke and admoni&s;h tho&s;e that really are Antinomians, and again&s;t the law, who goe about to make voyde the law. p. <HI>56.</HI></ITEM>
<PB REF="7">
<ITEM><HI>2.</HI> To di&s;cover the &s;ad condi|tion of all that walke after the fle&s;h. p. <HI>60.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>3.</HI> To invite poore &s;inners to come to Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. p. <HI>65.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>4.</HI> To di&s;cover the fondne&s;se of tho&s;e that &s;eek to be iu&s;tified by works; as all Papi&s;t and Papi&s;ticall &s;pirits doe. p. <HI>69.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>5.</HI> To cleere the Saints from that calumnious a&s;per&s;ion ca&s;t upon them of being Aminomians, who <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">n the contrary are &s;uch as e&s;tabli&s;h the law. p. <HI>72.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>6.</HI> To informe the Saints of their priviledges. p. <HI>76.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>7.</HI> To exhort the Saints to walke in the &s;ight of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, and in the light, the purity, and the joyes of the Spirit. p. <HI>83.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="imprimatur">
<P>Imprimatur.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>John Downham</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="errata">
<PB REF="8">
<HEAD>Errata.</HEAD>
<P>PAge 64. line 16. for they read thy, l. 23. f. the r. their, l. 26. f. condi|tion, r. condition, l. 29. f. wait, r. weight, p. 68. l. 6. f. ceife&s;t, r. chie|fe&s;t, l. 22. dele into, l. 26. f. livig, r. living, p. 69. l. 2. f. befre. r. before, l. 9. f. free, r. freed, l. 12. dele by the. p. 17. l. 15 f. was ju&s;tified, r. was not ju&s;tified, p. 73. l. 19. dele by, p. 62. l. 7. dele mi&s;. p. 63. l. 4. f. cour&s;e, r. cur&s;e. l. 20. for man crucified, r. man is crucified, l. 26. f. Goo&s;t, r. Gho&s;t, l. 29. f. trough, r. through.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="1" REF="8">
<HEAD>THE GLORIOVS Excellencies of the Spirit of Adoption.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL><HI>Rom. 8.2.</HI></BIBL>
<Q>For the law of the Spirit of life, in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, hath made me free from the law of &s;in and Death.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_THis ble&s;&s;ed Apo&s;tle, (not inferiour unto any of the re&s;t of the Apo&s;tles) &s;eems to bee carried up alwaies into Heaven (as once hee was) while hee was upon earth, &s;o that hee tryumphs over all things as having the victorie and is not mo|ved, nor in the lea&s;t troubled for any of the &s;ufferings he underwent in the body, but glories in tribula|tion, and de&s;pi&s;es the world, for he is crucified to it, and is as having
<PB N="2" REF="9">nothing, yet po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ing all things. Pe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">ution, and Pro&s;perity, Penu|rie and Plentie are alike, (welcome) to him; no Mutation and Change of &s;ublunarie things can trouble his &s;pirit, in a word; his whole Conver&s;ation is in Heaven, though his per&s;on be one earth, and no wonder; for he is fild with the Heavenly manife&s;tations, the &s;weete di&s;coveries, and the glorious makings out of the minde of God and Chri&s;t, (through the Spirit) unto him; as appears in all his Epi|&s;tles (and e&s;pecially in this) where|in hee holds forth the glorious Mi&s;teries of the Go&s;pell, which in other ages was not made known unto the &s;ons of men (as he him &s;elfe &s;aies, Ephe&s;ians. 3.5.) but now is made knowne unto the Apo&s;tles and Prophets through the Spirit. Of which mi&s;terieis this Text holds forth a very ble&s;&s;ed one: where he tells us, that the law of the Spirit of life in Chri&s;t Je|&s;us, hath made him &amp; all the Saints free from the Law of &s;in and death.</P>
<P>Now in the words, heere are two things contained, a Propo&s;iti|on,
<PB N="3" REF="9">and a &s;uppo&s;ition, Something by way of propo&s;all, and &s;ome|thing by way of &s;uppo&s;all. The propo&s;ition is this, that the law of the Spirit of life in Chri&s;t Je&s;us hath &s;et the Saints free. The &s;uppo|&s;ition is this, that the law of &s;in and death had brought us into bondage, from which this Spirit of life in Chri&s;t hath &s;et us free, in which the&s;e two things are to be taken notice of.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1"> Fir&s;t, the ground, or cau&s;e, or foundation of our freedome; and that is the law of the &s;pirit.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="2"> Secondly, The method, or way by which we are &s;et free: and that is, as the &s;pirit its &s;elfe workes in Chri&s;t, he doth not &s;ay, that the &s;pi|rit of life in us hath &s;et us free: but the &s;pirit of life in Chri&s;t hath &s;et us free, from the law of &s;in and death. And here there might be many pro|fitable ob&s;ervations drawn from the words: but I &s;hall &s;um up all in one, but before I fall upon it, there are three queries (ari&s;ing from &s;ome difficulties in the words) to be an|&s;wered.</P>
<P N="1">1. <MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Quere."> How the &s;pirit may be &s;aid to
<PB N="4" REF="10">be a law; or what is meant by the law of the &s;pirit. </P>
<P N="2">2. <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Queree."> How the &s;pirit of life is in Chri&s;t.</P>
<P N="3">3. <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Queree."> What is meant by the law of &s;in and death; from which the law of the &s;pirit of life in Chri&s;t, hath &s;et us free; But fir&s;t, if the Law of the Spirit of life in Chri&s;t, doth &s;et us free from the law of &s;in and death; then it &s;eemes the &s;pirit hath a law, for as there was a law given by God, in the hand of Mo&s;es the Mediatour, in the Olde te&s;tament; &s;o there is a law in the new Te&s;tament. The law of the Spirit, which it &s;eemes is the more powerfull and glorious law. The law that brings ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e, and joy un|to a Saint; for its this law that brings life, whereas the other brings death: for the Spirit mu&s;t bring life through its owne law.</P>
<P><MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="Queree."> But then the Queerie is, How the Spirit may be &s;aid to be a law, or to have law?</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> To which I an&s;wer. The law of &s;pirit, may bee Con&s;idered in the&s;e three things.</P>
<P N="1">1. In the Authoritie of the Spirit.</P>
<PB N="5" REF="10">
<P N="2">2. In the operations or work|ings of the Spirit.</P>
<P N="3">3. In the guidance of the &s;pirit.</P>
<P N="1"><MILESTONE N="1"> 1. Con&s;ider we the Authoritie of the Spirit, that royall and giorious authoritie that the Spirit hath. Now the &s;pirit hath a double autority.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. As it comes from God.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. As it is equall with God in the fir&s;t &s;ence, the &s;pirit and the Law are one, but in the &s;econd, the &s;pirit and the law differs.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>But I &s;ay, the fir&s;t part or peece of the Authoritie of the Spirit is this; that it comes forth from the Father and the Son, and is &s;ent forth from the Father &amp; the Son by way of emba&s;&s;age: &amp; &s;o our Saviour &s;aies; I will &s;end the Comforter: He is a me&s;&s;enger &s;ent from the Father, and the Sonne; and &s;o hath mighty Au|thority. Hitherto the father works, and I worke: but if the Father workes, hee workes by the Spirit, and &s;o if the Son workes he workes by the &s;ame &s;pirit. Its the &s;ame Spi|rit comes from them both. And thus the Spirit hath Authority, and thus the law hath al&s;o authority, (I meane the Law given of God by
<PB N="6" REF="11" MS="y"><HI>Mo&s;es</HI>) for the law hath all its An|thority as it comes from God, and as it is &s;ent &s;orth by God; &s;o the law hath true authority, and in this Con&s;ideration they both agree; the &s;pirit and the law, both have Autho|rity as they come from God, but then;</P>
<P N="2">2. The &s;pirit hath another Autho|rity, which the law &s;imply con&s;ide|red hath not, that is this, the &s;pirit hath authority in its &s;elf, and from its &s;elfe: for the Spirit hath as great authority as him that &s;ent him. God is the Spirit, &amp; the Spirit is God, and the Spirit comming from the bo|&s;ome of God, is God him&s;elfe; and the Spirit hath equall Authority with the Father, and the Son, and hath power to work out of his own plea&s;ure, and out of his owne will; So &s;aies the Scripture; The winde bloweth where it li&s;teth, &s;o is every man that is borne of the Spirit. The winde is &s;ometimes in the Ea&s;t, &s;ometime in the We&s;t; no man commands it hither or thither, no man bids it goe here or there, but it goes where it will. It is even &s;o with the &s;pirit; He hath
<PB N="7" REF="11">authority to lay hold of one man, and not another, to chu&s;e this man, and to give life to that per&s;on, and &s;o &s;uffer another to lie under death and mi&s;erie: for the &s;pirit hath that pre|rogative, wherin he is not onely as a me&s;&s;enger, but is equall with the Fa|ther and the Son. And &s;o the royall Authoritie of the Spirit, exceeding|ly &s;urpa&s;&s;es the law; though the law have al&s;o authority from God, but then;</P>
<P N="2"><MILESTONE N="2"> 2. The Spirit may be &s;aid to have a law, or to be a law in regard of his mighty operation in the Soule: it brings downe light, and truth, and life, and power, into the &s;oule, and workes exceeding &s;trongly in the &s;oule; and when it comes, what is able to with&s;tand the Spirit? What is greater then the Spirit? What is &s;tronger then the Spirit? If the &s;pi|rit comes it bears down all oppo&s;iti|on: Though the fle&s;h lu&s;t again&s;t the &s;pirit, yet the &s;pirit is two &s;trong for the fle&s;h, &s;o that it divides the ve|ry jonts and marrow; So that the Spirit is a law above the law; the law is weake and cannot take place in the hearts of men: But when the
<PB N="8" REF="12">&s;pirit comes with its law, it prevails again&s;t all, and takes place. The fle&s;h profiteth nothing &s;aith our Saviour, it is the Spirit that quickneth. If the &s;pirit quickneth, it hath life in it; and where life is, it is full of activity, for life is manife&s;ted in this, in that it is full of motion, quickne&s;&s;e, and agi|litie, and in beating off every thing that doeth offende it, or anoy it. So the &s;pirit being a &s;pirit of life, it hath a mighty power in it. Although the &s;oule be filled with &s;in, and guilt, and in that condition cloathed al&s;o with ignorance, which doth &s;o in|viron the foule, as it cannot &s;tir in any other way, nor hath the lea&s;t motion of good in it; yet when the &s;pirit comes he beares downe all, he de&s;troyes all; and therefore it is called the &s;pirit of burning in the &s;cripture. And when Chri&s;t comes to Bapti&s;e, he is &s;aid to Bapti&s;e with the holy Gho&s;t, and with fire; &s;o that when the &s;pirit comes, no|thing can &s;tand before him, and he brings both light, and heate, and motion in him; and is mo&s;t pow|erfull in operation, But then;</P>
<P N="3">3. The &s;pirit may be &s;aide to be
<PB N="9" REF="12">a law, or to have a law in it, as it is a &s;ure, and true guide, and as it leades every &s;oule in a right and true way. And therefore our Saviour tells vs, The &s;pirit of truth &s;hall leade you into all truth. And indeed the Spirit guides &s;ecurely, and guides &s;afely, guides &s;urely, and guides, Purely, for the &s;pirit cannot erre and he that hath the &s;pirit knowes the minde of God, and is guided to fullfill the minde of God, as farr as he hath the &s;pirit: for the &s;pirit is a ble&s;&s;ed guide, and a ble&s;&s;ed rule, and about the law: for although the law, its true is righteous, holy and good, yet alas, it Cannot bring forth power, to inable the Creature, to walke &s;uteable to its &s;elfe. It is onely the Spirit hath that power; and not the law. Therefore the Spi|rit he is the law of the Saints he &s;hews them the truth, teaches, them the truth, and leades them in the truth, and gives them power to walke according to the truth, for its the &s;pirit that guides the Saints to Chri&s;t, who is the truth its &s;elfe, and &s;o: The &s;pirit guides the Saints, in the waies of holyne&s;&s;e, through
<PB N="10" REF="13">the Spirit they mortifie the deeds of the body, and live through the &s;pirit they are guided to denie them|&s;elves, to abandon their owne parts, and their own indowments, and their owne righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and to &s;ee all in, and to fetch all from a Chri&s;t. Through the Spirit, the Saints put away the garment &s;potted by the fle&s;h; and for&s;ake their vaine conver&s;ation, wherein in times pa&s;t they walked through the &s;pirit, the Saints are guided to deny all vngod|lyne&s;&s;e, and worldly lu&s;ts, and to live &s;oberly, and holy, and Godly in the pre&s;ent evill world; through the &s;pirit they are taught to love with an vnfained love the hou&s;hold of faith: puting away malice and envie, and the leaven of di&s;cention, and wickedne&s;&s;e. through the &s;pirit, the Saints are guided &s;o to walke, as to &s;hine as lights amid&s;t a crooked and perver&s;e generation. In a word: through the &s;pirit, the Saints are guided (having di&s;cliamed all their owne righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e) to doe that, which the Jewes, could not doe, by the light of the law; even to &s;ub|mit to the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t,
<PB N="11" REF="13">that is, to cloath them&s;elves through faith, with the glorious robes of the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of the Lord Je&s;us; whereby they &s;ee them&s;elves, com|pleat in him, and thus the &s;pirit is a pure, and a &s;ure guide, and in the&s;e three re&s;pects, the Spirit may be &s;aid to have a law, and &s;o much may &s;uffice for an&s;wer to the fir&s;t queree. But;</P>
<P N="2">2. <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Queree."> In that the Apo&s;tle here tells us, of the &s;pirit of life in Chri&s;t Je&s;us, and doth not &s;ay the &s;pirit of life in us, but the &s;pirit of life in Chri&s;t. The queree will be: how the &s;pirit of life, is &s;aid to be in Chri&s;t?</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;wer."> To which I an&s;wer; The &s;pirit of life is &s;aid to be in Chri&s;t, under two con&s;iderations.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. As hee is the Fountaine of life.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. As he communicates the &s;pirit of life, unto all his people.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P N="1">1. As the Lord le&s;us Chri&s;t is the fountaine of life; as the fulne&s;&s;e of all life dwells in him: for &s;o &s;ayes the Apo&s;tle, It plea&s;ed the Father, that in him &s;hould all fulne&s;&s;e dwell,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 15.47, 45.</NOTE> and the &s;ame Apo&s;tle al&s;o &s;aies, he is the Lord from Heaven, and that the
<PB N="12" REF="14">fir&s;t Adam was made a living &s;oule, but the &s;econd Adam was made a quickning &s;pirit: and therefore our Saviour tells us, the fle&s;h profiteth nothing; but it is the &s;pirit that quickens; and the words that I &s;peak unto you, they are &s;pirit, and they are life. There is &s;uch a fulne&s;&s;e of the &s;pirit in Chri&s;t, that what&s;oever Chri&s;t &s;peakes is &s;pirituall, and car|ries a &s;pirituall &s;ignification along with it: for indeed the &s;pirit was in him without mea&s;ure; &s;o that in him is life originally, or he is the fountaine of Life; but then,</P>
<P N="2">2. The Spirit of life is in him by way of communication, all that of the &s;pirit that is communicated un|to us; is communicated unto us in and by the Lord Ie&s;us. Have wee any life, any &s;trength, any beautie upon us, any grace conveyed unto us? It is all conveyed in and through the Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. And there|fore our Saviour tells the Jewes, that he was the bread of life, the bread of Heaven, that came down from Hea|ven: And who&s;oever did eate of his fle&s;h, and drink of his blood, &s;hould live for ever: &amp; he breathed the Holy
<PB N="13" REF="14">Gho&s;t on his di&s;ciples; and poures upon every one that beleeves on him, rivers of living water, rivers of his &s;pirit; for he conveies fulne&s;&s;e of &s;pirituallitie, and divine &s;trength into them. That man therefore that hath the &s;pirit of life in Chri&s;t, conveyed into him: through the &s;pirit of life in Chri&s;t living in him, is the mo&s;t beautifull creature in the world: for he carries divine &s;weet|ne&s;&s;e, and beautie upon his &s;pirit. And he that hath this &s;pirit, derived from Chri&s;t, hath true life in him: other men may be alive, and yet dead: but that man, that hath the life of Chri&s;t, through his &s;pirit that works in him; &s;uch a &s;oul &s;hall live for ever, &s;uch a &s;oule &s;hall never die; but it &s;hall be in him, a well of wa|ter, &s;pringing up unto everla&s;ting life. It is impo&s;&s;ible that &s;uch a man &s;hould die; for this rea&s;on. He that receives the life of Chri&s;t, through the &s;pirit of Chri&s;t; he re|ceives a true being, a divine nature and it is unpo&s;&s;ible, that one drop of the divine nature &s;hould peri&s;h. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> very per&s;on that hath the divine na|ture, he hath the &s;pirit of Chri&s;t, he
<PB N="14" REF="15">hath Chri&s;t as he rai&s;es per&s;ons from the dead; and as hee delivers them from the power of &s;in; and as hee quickens them, as him&s;elf is a quick|ning &s;pirit. And &s;o much for an|&s;wer of the &s;econd querie; but,</P>
<P N="3">3. <MILESTONE UNIT="Queree."> What doth the Apo&s;tle meane heere by the law of &s;inne and death, from which the &s;pirit of life in Chri&s;t &s;ets us free?</P>
<P>T <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> o which I an&s;wer; His meaning is either one, or both of the&s;e two things; either,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. By the law of &s;in and death, he mu&s;t meane the power of &s;in; or,</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. By the law of &s;in and death, he means that law which gives &s;inne a being, and gives it power to de&s;troy;</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>Now though the fir&s;t of the&s;e may be heere included; yet hee mainly intends the &s;econd in this place, as I &s;hall &s;hew by and by: but if he doe here any thing ayme at the fir&s;t, in this place, it is, as &s;in is a law; and &s;in may be &s;aid to be a law, under the&s;e two &s;ignifications.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. As it hath a mighty power in <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word">, or,</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. As it hath a certaine kinde of confu&s;ed rule.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<PB N="15" REF="15">
<P N="1">1. It hath a mighty power: for &s;o &s;aies the Scripture; the fle&s;h lu&s;t|eth again&s;t the &s;pirit; and where there is lu&s;t, there is love, and love is as &s;trong as death, either in good things or in evill: and &s;o &s;in hath its power; but,</P>
<P N="2">2. It hath a kinde of uncertaine rule, and method: for there is a me|thod in plea&s;ure, and lu&s;t, and &s;infull joy; after a carnall manner: and &s;o &s;inne is a law; but that which the Apo&s;tle here means is.</P>
<P N="2">2. The law which is the Law that occa&s;ions &s;inne: which the law of the &s;pirit freeth us from, to this pur|po&s;e ob&s;erve but the 23. ver&s;e of the 7th. Chapter, which runs thus. <HI>But I &s;ee another law in my membrs, war|ring again&s;t the law of my minde, and bringing me into captivity, unto the law of &s;in,</HI> Where we &s;ee, the Apo&s;tle &s;peakes of three lawes.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. The law of the &s;pirit; which he calls the law of his minde.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The law of Concupi&s;cence: which he calls the law in his mem|bers; which he &s;aies brings him into Captivitie to the third law;</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>Which he calls the Law of &s;inne:
<PB N="13" REF="16">and is the law which occa&s;ions &s;inne.</P>
<P>For here is law, again&s;t law; bringing into Captivitie, to law. The law of &s;in in his members, rebelling again&s;t the law of the &s;pirit in his minde; or his inward man, for &s;aies <HI>Paul,</HI> I doe &s;ee another law, in my members: and this law in his mem|bers, was the power of &s;in, working through concupi&s;cence and lu&s;t; carrying him contrary to God: re|belling &s;aies he again&s;t the law of my minde; meaning again&s;t the law of the &s;pirit in his heart, or the &s;pirit in his heart as a law. And &s;o as he &s;aies in ano|ther place, <HI>The fle&s;h lu&s;teth again&s;t the Spirit, leading me captive to the law of &s;inne;</HI> Meaning by the law of &s;in, here in the la&s;t place: that law of which he &s;peakes in the Text. The law of &s;inne and death; which is the Law that occa&s;ions &s;inne, and death: or the Law of Command|ments, and this appears in the ver&s;e following the Text: For the Apo&s;tle having &s;aid in the Text, that the &s;aints are free from the Law of &s;inne and death; in the next ver&s;e hee
<PB N="17" REF="16">&s;hewes what that law is; in the&s;e Words.</P>
<P>For what the law could not do, in that it was weake through the fle&s;h; God &s;ending his owne Sonne, &amp;c. What was that which the law could not do, that the Sonne of God did for us?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;wer,</HI> 1. the Law could not make us holy.</P>
<P N="2">2. The Law could not free us from &s;inne.</P>
<P N="3">3. The law could not free us from condemnation.</P>
<P>But one the contrary; it brought under guilt, brought us under the cur&s;e.</P>
<P>Now what law did this?</P>
<P>The law of Comandments, which (&s;aies the Apo&s;tle) was weake through the fle&s;h. And it may bee &s;aid to bee weake through the fle&s;h, thus.</P>
<P N="1">1. In that wee are weake, and through the fle&s;hare not able to walk exactly to the law; nor to come up to the Rule of it in our conver&s;ati|on. And &s;o are not able to obtain life by it. Therefore God hath given
<PB N="18" REF="17">us life in another way, even through his Son. or,</P>
<P N="2">2 In that the law as it is written upon tables of Stone (though it be holy ju&s;t and good) hath no power as it is in the Letter to convay its &s;elfe into us; to inable us to walke according to the rule it pre&s;cribes unto us. And this law is &s;tiled the law of &s;inne and death, in the&s;e three re&s;pect, which the Scripture holds forth unto us.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. In that it di&s;covers &s;inne.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. In that it is the &s;trength of &s;inne.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. In that it brings men under the cur&s;e: and &s;o lyable to death.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P N="1">1. It di&s;covers &s;inne; For the Apo&s;tle tells us, Rom. 7.7. I had not known &s;in, but by the law: For I had not knowne lu&s;t, except the law had &s;aid; <HI>Thou &s;halt not covet,</HI> and he tells us further: that where no law is, there is no tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion. The law is holy, and therefore it di&s;co|uers unto men their unholine&s;&s;e. And,</P>
<P N="2">2. As the law di&s;covers &s;inne, and makes &s;in to be exceeding &s;in|full, &s;o it is the &s;trength of &s;in. The
<PB N="19" REF="17">&s;ting of death is &s;inne; and the &s;trength of &s;in, is the law, 1 Cor. 15.56. where were the &s;trength of &s;in, were in not for the Law? and,</P>
<P N="3">3 It brings men under the cur&s;e, and under death. For &s;o &s;aves the Apo&s;tle, it is written; Cur&s;ed is every one that continueth not in all things, that is written in the Book of the Law to do them: And &s;o being under the cur&s;e, the effect of the cur&s;e is death. and therefore &s;aies the Apo&s;tle; if you walke after the fle&s;h ye &s;hall dye, and it is the very title thats giuen to the law as though there were nothing el&s;e in it. The mini&s;teration of condemna|tion: and the mini&s;teration of death. 2. Cor. 3.7.9. In the 7 ver&s;e the Apo&s;tle cales it the mini&s;teration of death, ingraven in &s;tones and in the 9. ver&s;e, the mini&s;teration of con|demnation. Thus you &s;ee how the lawis held forh in &s;cripture to be the law of &s;inne and death, now what this law being weake through the fle&s;h could not doe: God hath &s;ent Ie&s;us Chri&s;t to doe for us, and in us, and therefore he hath freed us from that law, and given us another law,
<PB N="20" REF="18">even the law of the Spirit: that the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of the law might be fullfilled, by the &s;pirit in us, as apears ver&s;e 4th. And now being freed from this law, &s;inne &s;hall not have dominion over us; for we are not vnder the law, but under grace; but againe it further apeares, that the Apo&s;tle in the text meanes the law of Condemnation: by comparing it with the precedent ver&s;e; where the Apo&s;tle &s;aies their is no con|demnation to them that are in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us; now lea&s;t any man &s;hould object again&s;t that truth, hee gives this text as a rea&s;on, as if he &s;hould &s;ay thus, There is no condemnation to us, that are in Chri&s;t Je&s;us, becau&s;e we through the law of the &s;pirit, that is in him; are freed from the law of &s;in, and death: and therefore there is no condemna|tion to us, although others that are out of Chri&s;t, are under the law, and &s;hall be condemned by the law. We are under another law: the law of the &s;pirit, which is not the law of death, but the law of life: which is not the mini&s;tration of condemna|tion: but of Salvation. And thus
<PB N="21" REF="18">much for an&s;wer to tho&s;e thre quee|ries. I &s;hall now proceede to that one ob&s;ervation which is as it were the &s;um of the whole ver&s;e, and thats this.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>The gene|rall ob&s;er|vation. That the Saints have obtained a free|dome from the law, by the law of the Spirit of life in Chri&s;t.</HEAD>
<P>IN the pro&s;ecution of this point I &s;hall;
<LIST>
<ITEM>1 Shew how the Spirit of life in Chri&s;t freeth us from the law.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. I &s;hall &s;hew the nece&s;&s;itie of it.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P N="1">1. I &s;hall &s;hew how the Spirit of life in Chri&s;t &s;ets us free from the law: and this I &s;hall doe under a double con&s;ideration.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Shewing how the Spirit of life as it is in Chri&s;t &s;ets us free.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 The Spi|rit of life as it is in Chri&s;t &s;ets us free as this &s;pirit is all in all in Chri&s;t in all his actions.</NOTE></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. How the Spirit of life as it is in us, derived from Chri&s;t &s;ets us free but;</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>Fir&s;t, as it is in Chri&s;t. Its the Spirit in Chri&s;t, is all in all. In his &s;ufferings, in his death, and in his re&s;urrection. I &s;ay the Spirit of life in the Lord Je&s;us is all in all in
<PB N="22" REF="19">every thing he did, in the ju&s;tifying of &s;inners. Without the Spirit, he could doe nothing: for the fle&s;h is weake and Profiteth not: but the Spirit is all in all therefore when the Apo&s;tle tells us, that by the righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e of one man; the free gift of God came upon al unto ju&s;tification of life. Rom. 5.18. but becau&s;e this could not have beene, unle&s;&s;e the Lord Je&s;us had been ju&s;tified in the Spirit: he therefore tells us, 2. Tim. 3.16 that without controver&s;ie this is the my&s;terie of Godline&s;&s;e, GOD manife&s;t in the fle&s;h, ju&s;tified in the Spirit; &s;eene of Angels &amp;c. So that the Lord Je&s;us, was ju&s;tified in the Spirit. Now Chri&s;t is &s;aid, to be ju&s;tified in the Spirit two waies,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. As he is iu&s;tified in his per&s;on: as hee was found to be without all &s;pot; and without all &s;taine, as he was innocent and holy. And,</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. As hee was ju&s;tified in his workes: as they were all compleat, and perfect before God.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>And &s;o Chri&s;t is ju&s;tified in the &s;pirit, the &s;pirit is all in all in him in all his actions: and in all his &s;uffer|ings. And,</P>
<PB N="23" REF="19">
<P N="2">2.<NOTE PLACE="marg">As the Spirit is all in all in Chri&s;ts in his death.</NOTE> The Spirit is all in all in his death. He offered him&s;elf (&s;aies the Apo&s;tle Heb. 9.14.) through the Eternall Spirit without fault to God, he pre&s;ented him&s;elf as a com|pleate &s;acrifice to God, through the Eternall Spirit: and this indeede is the my&s;tery of Godlyne&s;&s;e: that the Spirit doth all in all in Chri&s;t; in that he is ju&s;tifyed in the Spirit, and through the Eternall Spirit he pre|&s;ented him&s;elf a compleate Sacrifice, without &s;pot to God, fle&s;h and blood could never have done it: no it was the Eternall Spirit in Chri&s;t, is all in all, and therefore we know the Spirit was poured upon Chri&s;t, without mea&s;ure. And,</P>
<P N="3">3. As the &s;pirit in his death,<NOTE PLACE="marg">As the Spirit is all in all in his Re|&s;urrection</NOTE> &s;o in his Re&s;urrection was all in all. Therefore the Apo&s;tle, Rom. 1.3, 4 &s;peaking of Chri&s;t, &s;ayes hee was made of the &s;eed of <HI>David,</HI> accor|ding to the fle&s;h: but declared to be the Son of God, with power, ac|cording unto the &s;pirit of holine&s;&s;e, by the Refurrection from the dead, by the Spirit of holine&s;&s;e. The Lord Je&s;us was gloriou&s;ly di&s;covered to be the Sonne of God: being rai&s;ed
<PB N="24" REF="20">from the dead by the &s;pirit of holi|ne&s;&s;e. The Lord Ie&s;us was gloriou&s;ly di&s;covered to be the Son of God: be|ing rai&s;ed from the dead by the &s;pi|rit of holine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Indeed, had it not been for the &s;pirit he might have layne for ever in the grav, and never have, beene di&s;covered: but the Eternall &s;pirit wrought gloriou&s;ly in him, in the re&s;urrection from the dead.</P>
<P>Thus you &s;ee the Spirit is all in Chri&s;t.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Now this &s;pirit in Chri&s;t &s;ets us free from the law.</NOTE> But now I &s;hall &s;hew you how the &s;pirit of life being thus in Chri&s;t all in all, &s;ets us free from the Law. And thus,</P>
<P N="1">1. As Chri&s;t him&s;elfe was &s;ub|ject to the Law for us,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. As Chri&s;t ful|filled the Law for us. Mat. 3.</NOTE> and thus we &s;hall finde he fulfilled all the law for this end, Gal. 4 4, 5. He was made of a woman, made under the law: for what end? To redeem them that were under the law. And indeed he fulfilled the law, to the very utter|mo&s;t. When he comes to <HI>Iohn</HI> to be Baptized; he &s;aies, (<HI>Iohn</HI> re&s;u|&s;ing to Baptize him) Suffer it to be &s;o now; for thus it becomes us to fulfill all righteo&s;ne&s;&s;e. The truth is, it is not po&s;&s;ible, that any per&s;on,
<PB N="25" REF="20">that could not fulfill the whole law &s;hould have bin a Saviour of &s;inners, from the cur&s;e of the law. Therefore &s;aies the Apo&s;tles, Heb. 7.26. For &s;uch an High Prie&s;t became us, who is holy harmele&s;&s;e, &s;eparate from fins. And &s;aies he, ver&s;e 28. The law ma|keth men high Prie&s;ts which have infirmity: But the word of the oath which is &s;ince the law, maketh the Son a high prie&s;t, who is per|fected for evermore, for &s;o the word is in the Originall, though it be o|ther waies rendered, in our ordinary Tran&s;lation, &s;o that the Son, the Lord Je&s;us he is perfected for evermore&punc; he hath no infirmity as tho&s;e Prie&s;ts had, no failing, no &s;pot, but is per|fected for evermore, and therefore he &s;aies to the Jewes, which of you convinceth me of &s;in? Although he was a friend of publicanes, and &s;in|ners, yet he could not be convicted of &s;in, for hee actually never &s;inned: but was a Lambe without &s;pot, and that is the fir&s;t con&s;ideration, where|in Chri&s;t hath &s;et us free from the law, in that he hath fulfilled the law for us. But,</P>
<P N="2">2. The Lord Ie&s;us hatht &s;et us
<PB N="26" REF="21">free from the law,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. As Chri&s;t adiuged all our &s;ins again&s;t the Law, to death upon the Cro&s;&s;e.</NOTE> in that he through the &s;pirit, adjuudged the of|fences committed by us, again&s;t the law, unto finall and fatall ruine. He upon his Cro&s;&s;e, adjudged all our &s;ins to death, that they &s;hould bee caried all away, into the land o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> forgetfulne&s;&s;e; never any more to be remembred. Now take away the offence; and the law hath no|thing to do with you, take away the breaches, and you are free from all the Cur&s;es of the Law. There|fore the Apo&s;tle tels us, that in Chri&s;t, &s;in was condemned in the fle&s;h. Chri&s;t did thus condemne &s;in as he tooke away the power of &s;in, and as he took away &s;inne it &s;elfe: &s;o that it could have no voice a|gain&s;t us. Now the offence being taken away, of what force is the law? As &s;uppo&s;e a man &s;hould live in a Kingdom, wherein there &s;hould be a law made, that who&s;oever &s;hould doe &s;uch a particular thing, (let it be what it will) &s;hould &s;nf|fer &s;uch a heavie puni&s;hmnnt, onely the law maker, hath power over the law, to pardon &s;uch particular per&s;ons, as he plea&s;es: Which if he
<PB N="27" REF="21">doe, the law hath no voyce at all again&s;t them. They are free from the law. The law hath nothing to doe with them, though all others are under the power of it, yet they are not under the power of it for the law maker having pardoned the&s;e perticuler per&s;ons; the law hath no voice at all again&s;t them, and though the law be powerfull again&s;t others, yet it cannot again&s;t them: they then are free from the law: the law may bee a law to others to condemn them, but not to the&s;e: their offence being pardoned. So the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t taking away the offence, takes away con|demning power of the law from us: and &s;o we are not under the law, but under grace, the law being ta|ken away by Chri&s;t: for in that Chri&s;t upon the Cro&s;&s;e, adjudged all the breaches and tre&s;pa&s;&s;es of us, committed by us, contrary unto the law to death, and de&s;truction: we are free from that Law, God &s;end|ing his owne Sonne in the fle&s;h, condemned &s;inne in the fle&s;h. How did the Lord Je&s;us Condemne &s;in in the fle&s;h? Thus, The Lord Je|&s;us
<PB N="28" REF="22">Chri&s;t coming in our nature, and taking our &s;inne upon him; he con|demned &s;in, and &s;uffered for it, in the fle&s;h: and &s;o tooke away the voice of &s;in, and the power of &s;inne, &s;o that &s;inne is as a condemned man, judged to death, &amp; to be de&s;troyed. And if &s;inne be taken away, I pray what is become of the law, the &s;trength of &s;inne? The Apo&s;tle tells us that is (in the &s;ame manner that &s;inne is) taken away too, Rom. 7.4. we are dead to the law, by the body of Chri&s;t; that we &s;hould be mar|ried unto another, even to him who is rai&s;ed from the dead, &amp;c. So then we are dead to the Law. For thus, They that live unto the law, have either life from it, or death from it.</P>
<P N="1">1. Life from it: but that we have not; for there is no life from it, but in the fulfilling of it: but Chri&s;t is our life and we are ju&s;tified freely by grace, for by the works of the law, &s;hall no man living be iu&s;tified. Or in the next Place, they that live to the law, have death from it; for the breach of it, but we are free from the condemnation of it al&s;o: and &s;hall not be de&s;troyed by the Law:
<PB N="29" REF="22">&s;o that we do not live unto the law, but are dead unto the law. And if you &s;hall ask how? The Apo&s;tle an|&s;wers by the body of Chri&s;t. How is that? Thus. The Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t taking our nature upon him, in that body a&s;cending upon the Cro&s;&s;e, hee there blotted out the hand-writing of ordinances, that was again&s;t us, that was contrary to us, that &s;tood cur&s;ing of us; he took it out of the way, nayling it to his Cro&s;&s;e. And this is a precious mi|&s;terie, which affords the Saints abundant con&s;olation. Again in that the Apo&s;tle &s;aies in the aforementi|oned place, that we are dead to the law by the body of Chri&s;t: it is &s;aies he that we &s;hould live unto another: as if he had &s;aid, we are not now to live any longer to the law; but Chri&s;t hath therefore freed us from living to the Law, that we &s;hould live unto him&s;elf: live as by him, and through him; &s;o to him as our fir&s;t Husband being dead, we are no longer to live to him: but being married to another, We are to live unto him; and there|fore &s;aies the Apo&s;tle we are dead to
<PB N="30" REF="23">the law, our fir&s;t husbnd, (to what end) that we might be maried to another; even to him who is rai&s;ed from the dead. And this is the fur|ther illu&s;trated in the next ver&s;e, for &s;aies the Apo&s;tle, Now being delive|red from the law; that being dead wherein we were held; It is that we &s;hould &s;erve in the newne&s;&s;e of the &s;pirit, and not in the oldne&s;&s;e of the latter. So now here we &s;ee cleerly, Chri&s;t having adjudged all our &s;ins to death upon the Cro&s;&s;e in his owne body; hath al&s;o by the &s;ame way freed us from the Law. But,</P>
<P N="3">3.<NOTE PLACE="marg">3. As Chri&s;t is the end of the law for righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e. Rom. 10.4</NOTE> And la&s;tly, wee are free from the law, by the law of the Spirit of life in Chri&s;t, as Chri&s;t is the end of the law; for Chri&s;t is the end of the law for righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, unto eve|ry one that beleeveth. He is the end of the law for righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e. Righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e could not be by the law, therefore the Lord Je&s;us became the end of the law, to bring righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e to us.</P>
<P>No man can performe the law or walke equivolent to it, and therefore Chri&s;t mu&s;t be the end of the Law,
<PB N="31" REF="23">to bring in everla&s;ting righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e; that is &s;uch a glorious righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e; that is &s;uch a glorious righ|ne&s;&s;e, as abides for ever. The whole law is &s;ummed up in Chri&s;t, whatever beauty, or glory, or excel|lencie appeares in the law; It gives it all up <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">o Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>As when many &s;mall &s;ums, are gathered up into into one &s;um, they looze their number and names in it: So the law, and the beauties of it, being as Severall &s;mall &s;ums gathe|red up into Chri&s;t, they looze their name in him, and he is their perfe|ction. When the Gentiles do bring in their glory into the New Jeru&s;a|lem, they &s;hall looze their glory in the New Jeru&s;alem, and New Je|ru&s;alem &s;hall be their glory, &s;o is it with the Law, Chri&s;t is the glory of it, and as the beams of the Sun, end, and are &s;ummed up in the Sunne; &s;o the law is a beame of God, and Sha|dowes out &s;omething of Chri&s;t and of God: But when Chri&s;t came, and took our nature upon him, it was &s;ummed up in him, and ends in him, and in him it appers gloriou&s;ly: So Chri&s;t frees us from the law, as he
<PB N="32" REF="24">&s;ums up the law wholly in him&s;elfe. If there be any beauty in the law, it is beautifull as it is in Chri&s;t. The truth is, Chri&s;t is the &s;ub&s;tance of it all, and &s;o a beleever &s;ees all the beauty and glory of the law, as it is in Chri&s;t for him; he having ful|filled all righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and &s;o for righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e he is become the end of it, to every beleever, and he is not to have his righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e in the Law, but in Chrii&s;t. And thus now wee &s;ee in the&s;e three particulars, how Chri&s;t by the Spirit of life in him hath freed us from the law.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Now in the Second place,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. The &s;pirit of life de|rived from Clri&s;t to us frees us.</NOTE> we may &s;ee, how the &s;pirit of life as it is in us derived from Chri&s;t, frees us from the Law, and that is onely in the&s;e two waies.</HEAD>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Declaratively.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Operatively.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P N="1">1.<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Declara|tively.</NOTE> The Spirit of life in us, frees us from the law declaratively: that is as the Spirit of Chri&s;t in us de|clares us to bee free from the law, and no more under the law but un|der grace. For as our &s;aviour &s;aies, John 15.14. &s;peaking of the &s;pirit: He &s;hall re&s;erve of mine and &s;hew
<PB N="33" REF="24">it unto you: and John 16.16. The Spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father, &s;hall te&s;tifie of me&punc; &s;o the Spirit of Chri&s;t, as it is in the Saints, declares to the Saints the things that are freely given to them of God, and te&s;tifies to them of the Lord JESVS, that hee hath taken away the hand writing of Ordinances, that was again&s;t us, that was contrarie to us, nailing it to his Cro&s;&s;e, and declares how the Lord JESVS hath freed us from all our &s;innes, and pre&s;ented us holy, and unblameable, and unreproveable, without &s;pot or wrinckle in the &s;ight of God. It is he that declares to us that the Lord Je&s;us hath fulfilled all righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e for us: and in a word is become the end of the Law for righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e to every one that beleeveth. I &s;ay its the Spiirit in us that declares the&s;e things, and many others unto us, and without the Spirit, no man can comfortably and truly know the things that are freely given to us of God. But then;</P>
<P N="2">2. As the law of the Spirit of life in Chri&s;t, &s;ets us free from the
<PB N="34" REF="25">law declaratively; &s;o the Law of the &s;pirit of life in Chri&s;t, as it is in us, &s;ets us free from the Law operative|ly, or by way of operation, therefore the Apo&s;tle, Rom. 8.11. tells us, that if the &s;pirit of him that rai&s;ed up Ie|&s;us from the dead dwell in you, he, that rai&s;ed up Chri&s;t from the dead, &s;hall al&s;o quicken your mortall bodies by his &s;pirit that dwelleth in you Now if any man have not the Spirit of Chri&s;t, he is none of his, but if he be Chri&s;ts, you have the Spirit of Chri&s;t, and if you have the Spirit of Chri&s;t, it will not be idle, it will notly &s;till, it will quicken your mortall bodies; yea it will mortifie the deeds of the body, it will burne up all your corruptions, It will through the declarations of the love of Chri&s;t and the grace of God, con|&s;traine you to walk holily, and to deny all ungodline&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>In a word, the Spirit of Chri&s;t works in the Saints mightily, and by its operations in us &s;ets us free from the Law: and &s;o &s;ayes the Apo&s;tle, <HI>Rom.</HI> 7.6. <HI>We are dead to the law,</HI> &s;ayes he, <HI>to this end, that we &s;hould &s;erve in the newne&s;&s;e of the
<PB N="35" REF="25">Spirit, and not in the Oldne&s;&s;e of the Letter,</HI> after a more &s;pirituall and glorious manner then they of old could (being under the law) doe; for the Law was weake, but what the law could not doe, the Spirit can <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word">, having more abundant glory then ever the law had. The Spirit being able to convey power into the creature to fulfill all that he requires of it; For it brings life along with it, whereas the letter killeth, Rom. 3.6. Now the Spirit freeth, us from the letter, in carrying us forth to wor&s;hip God in the &s;pirit. In a word which is the mi&s;terie of the law of the Spirit, through the Spirituall fulfilling of the law in us, it frees us from the law, which the Apo&s;tle further makes cleer Rom. 8. When in the &s;econd ver&s;e, hee had &s;aid we were freed from the law, in the fourth ver&s;e he &s;aies, it is that the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walke not after the fie&s;h but after the Spirit: So the Spirit in fulfiling the law, frees us from the law, and freeing us from the law, fulfils the law in us. And thus we have &s;eene how the Spi|rit of life in Chri&s;t hath &s;ett us free from the law.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="36" REF="26">
<HEAD>And now am I come to &s;hew the ne|ce&s;sitie of the Spirits freeing <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> from the Law:<NOTE PLACE="marg">The ne|ce&s;&s;itie of our free|dom from the law by the &s;pirit of life in Chri&s;t for the&s;e rea|&s;ons.</NOTE> Nece&s;&s;arie it was;</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. BEcau&s;e if there had been no freedome from the Law by Chri&s;tie then no fle&s;h could be &s;a|ved;<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Becau&s;e el&s;e no fle&s;h could be &s;aved.</NOTE> for the Law brings us under the cur&s;e: But now God &s;ends his Sonne, and puts his Spirit without mea&s;ure upon him, that he might free us from the cur&s;e of the Law. In what a wofull ca&s;e, and in what a mi&s;erable condition had we been in, every one of us, had not the Lord Je&s;us come and freed us from the cur&s;e of the Law? But now, God hath created Chri&s;t Je&s;us to be a ble&s;&s;ing to the world, to take away the old Covenant, and to make a new Covenant; el&s;e no fle&s;h could be &s;aved, and it was impo&s;&s;ible any man &s;hould have eternall life; for the voice of the Law is, he that &s;in|neth &s;hall die. Now (as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith) all have &s;inned, and it being &s;o, that what the Law &s;ayes, it &s;ayes to them that are under it, then
<PB N="37" REF="26">a&s;&s;uredly unle&s;&s;e we be freed from being under it, all mu&s;t die: &s;o that we &s;ee a nece&s;&s;itie of being freed from the Law, becau&s;e el&s;e no fle&s;h could be &s;aved. But then;</P>
<P N="2">2 We are by the Law of the Spi|rit freed from the Law, for this end, that the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of the law might be fulfilled and wrought in us through the Spirit: And there|fore the Saints are &s;aid to have the Law of God written in their hearts, and to bee all taught of God; and having the &s;pirit, they are &s;aid to grow up in the &s;pirit, and to increa&s;e with the increa&s;e of God; and &s;o <HI>Paul</HI> tels us, he pre&s;&s;es for|ward toward the mark: And the &s;pirit is given to the Saints, that they may all come to be perfect, even to the mea&s;ure of the &s;tature of the fulne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t: And though it be true, the Saints have not yet obtained perfection (to which they pre&s;&s;e) while they are here (as <HI>Paul</HI> profe&s;&s;es of him&s;elf, <HI>Phil.</HI> 3.12.) Yet the time &s;hall come, when in the &s;pirit they &s;hall be all pre&s;ented perfect, and with|out &s;pot in the &s;ight of God: Not
<PB N="38" REF="27">but that we are &s;o already, as God lookes upon us all wa&s;hed in the bloud of Chri&s;t; and though it be true that the fle&s;h lu&s;teth again&s;t the Spirit now, yet I &s;ay, we &s;hall never cau&s;e growing up unto perfe|ction, untill we do attain unto per|fection; and therefore &s;ayes the A|po&s;tle, when he who is our life &s;hall appear,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Ioh. 3.2.</NOTE> then &s;hall we uppear with him in glory, and &s;hall be like him, as he is; for then &s;hall we attaine unto a full perfection, when that which is in part &s;hal be done away, being then perfect. This was the glorious de&s;igne of God, to make per&s;ons righteous in Chri&s;t, as Chri&s;t had gathered up all truth and righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e in him&s;elf. So he being our Head &s;hould fulfill righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e and truth in us, by the Spirit. And thats the &s;econd rea&s;on of the point. But then;</P>
<P N="3">3.<NOTE PLACE="marg">3. That God might be all in all, and the creature nothing at all.</NOTE> The third rea&s;on why we are freed from the law, through the Spirt, is this, that God might be all in all, and the creature nothing at all. God hath gathered up all into Chri&s;t, that we might not be &s;aved by fulfilling the law, or by any other
<PB N="39" REF="27">way, that he alone might be all in all, that the Creature may not have whereof to boa&s;t; therefore he doth all freely by his grace and by the law &s;hall no man living be ju&s;tified; for if righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e were by the law, then might men have whereof to glory, but the great de&s;igne of God is his owne glory, which he will not give to another, and therefore hath he freed us from the Law, and glo|rified the riches of his grace towards us that beleeve, in that we through the &s;pirit are freed from the law, which brought us under the cur&s;e, that wee &s;hould not bee under the oldne&s;&s;e of the letter, but be of the Circumci&s;ion which wor&s;hip God in the &s;pirit, and rejoyce in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, and have no confidence in the fle&s;h.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>I &s;hould here come to the u&s;es of all, but there two or three queeries fir&s;t to be an&s;wered.</HEAD>
<P>The fir&s;t is, that which Saint <HI>Paul</HI> both makes and an&s;wers; having (Rom. 7.5, 6.) declared this truth here hold forth in the Text, that we
<PB N="40" REF="28">are dead unto the law; and freed from the oldne&s;&s;e of the letter, that we migot &s;erve in the newne&s;&s;e of the Spirit; this queree he makes to prevent it in others.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Is the Law &s;in then?</HEAD>
<P>To which the An&s;wer may be in the Apo&s;tles words, God forbid? I &s;ay God forbid that any man &s;hould &s;o conceive, that that which was given immediately from God is &s;in: No &s;aies the Apo&s;tle, the law, is Holy, and the Commandment ho|ly, ju&s;t and good; It &s;peakes nothing but holine&s;&s;e, and there is nothing but puritie in it. I need &s;tand no longer in this to confirme the truth of the puritie of the law it is &s;o ap|parent. But,</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD><HI>2.</HI> <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Queerie"> The next queerie will be that which the &s;ame Apo&s;tle in another <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Gal. 3.19.</NOTE> place al&s;o makes, and that is this, Wherefore then &s;erveth the law?</HEAD>
<P><LABEL>An&s;we.</LABEL> <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> The Go&s;pell holds forth this to be the u&s;e of the Law, <HI>viz.</HI> To convince every man, and wo|man, of their mi&s;erable condition
<PB N="41" REF="28">out of Chri&s;t, and this it doth as will appear if you con&s;ider this. That no man can come into the pre&s;ence of God, or be advanced to the bea|tifical vi&s;ion, but tho&s;e that are pure, tho&s;e that are holy; For (as the A|po&s;tle tels us) without holine&s;&s;e, no man &s;hall &s;ee God, &s;o that no un|clean thing &s;hall &s;tand in the pre|&s;ence of the mo&s;t holy God, for he is of purer eyes then to behold ini|quitie, and therefore he hath given forth this Law as a rule for all to walk by in generall, (it being a ho|ly Law) and hath declared that in it he &s;ets before men, life, and death, ble&s;&s;ings, and cur&s;ings; but man having in him by nature, the &s;eed and root of all corruption; hath therefore a will to do evill, but none to do good, and having fir&s;t lo&s;t his fir&s;t image, can never keep this law, for all have &s;inned, and all come &s;hort by nature of the glory of God, held forth in this Law; and there|fore being in this condition, mu&s;t (at la&s;t) needes &s;inke into the bottom|le&s;&s;e pit, and the burning Lake, where the Worme dyeth not, and the fire is not quenched; if there
<PB N="42" REF="29">be not a Mediator &s;tepping in be|tweene, to bring in everla&s;ting righteou&s;nes, in which &s;inners may &s;tand compleat before God, and to redeem them from this Law, which becau&s;e of &s;inne puts them into this deplorable condition: So that now all do &s;ee, may &s;ee, or &s;hall &s;ee, their mi&s;erable condition by the Law not having a Saviour; and that is now the u&s;e of the Law: And &s;o much in effect the Apo&s;tle holds forth, 1 Tim. 1.9, 10. Having &s;poken in the former ver&s;es of &s;ome that would be Teachers of the Law, and turning from the Go&s;pell, he bids <HI>Timothy</HI> to change them to teach no other doctrine, then the doctrine of the Go&s;pell. Now &s;ayes he, the end of the commandement is purity and love; the Law holds forth puritie: But &s;ome (&s;ayes he) that would be Teachers of the Law know not what they &s;ay, nor whereof they affirm: It &s;eems they either did (as the Phari&s;ees) &s;eek righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e in the Law, or went it may be a little further, mixing law and Go&s;|pell, preaching that men mu&s;t be &s;aved partly by the Law, and part|ly,
<PB N="43" REF="29">by Chri&s;t, or &s;ome &s;uch like doctrine. But po&s;itively to &s;ay what it was I cannot, nor is it much materiall to our purpo&s;e. But &s;ayes the Apo&s;tle, though they know not what they do, yet we know what we do, and what the u&s;e and end of the Law is; we know it is pure, and holds forth purity to all; and all that come &s;hort of the purity there|of, are under the cur&s;e thereof, be|ing out of Chri&s;t, and not pure in him, and righteous in him, knowing that the Law is good, if a man u&s;e it lawfully; that is, if it be rightly applyed, if we preach the Law and all the terrors thereof unto all that are out of Chri&s;t, and are not righ|teous by him: Knowing (&s;ayes he) that the Law was not made for a righteous man, but for the lawle&s;&s;e and di&s;obedient, for ungodly, and prophane, &amp;c. the law is made for the&s;e, and &s;o it di&s;covers their mi&s;e|rable condition unto them; And &s;o <HI>Paul</HI> &s;ayes, the Law di&s;covered &s;in to him, and he never knew &s;in be|fore the Law di&s;covered &s;inne him, and made i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> to be exceeding &s;infull. So that this is now the u&s;e of the
<PB N="44" REF="30">Law, it makes all the world to be|come guilety before God, and de|clares to altheir mi&s;erable condition out of Chri&s;t. And &s;o much for an&s;wer of the &s;econd quaerie. But then,</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD><HI>3.</HI> <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Queere."> Another quaerie will be this? Was not then Law given for a Rule of Life unto the people of GOD, when it was delivered upon Mount <HI>Sinai?</HI></HEAD>
<P><LABEL>An&s;w.</LABEL> <MILESTONE UNIT="An&s;w."> Yes, the Law was given for a rule unto his people I&s;raell, who were then the peculiar people of God and this the Apo&s;tle cleerly holds forth, Gal. 3.24. where he tels us plainly, the Law was a Tu|tor or a Schoole-ma&s;ter, untill CHRIST. For the Law was our Schoolema&s;ter untill Chri&s;t. And &s;o the word runs in the Originall, and not as it is in our ordinary Tran&s;la|tion; The Law was our Schoole|ma&s;ter to bring us to Chri&s;t; For this is not the &s;en&s;e of it, but is con|tradictorie to what the Apo&s;tle had before delivered in the 12. ver&s;e, where he &s;ayes. <HI>The Law is not of Faith:</HI> That is, Ju&s;tification by
<PB N="45" REF="30">Faith in the Lord Je&s;us, is not held forth in the Law, for the law is not of faith. Life by Chri&s;t Je&s;us is not held forth in the law, but the man that doth it &s;hall live in them: So that the law is not able to bring us to CHRIST, but the law was our Schoolema&s;ter untill CHRIST; And therefore (&s;ayes the Apo&s;tle) before CHRIST came, the Saints were under the law, as under a Tutor or Governour; but when the fulne&s;&s;e of time was come, God &s;ent forth his Son made of a woman made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of &s;ons; and being &s;onnes, he hath &s;ent forth the &s;pirit of his Sonne, &amp;c. So that CHRIST being come, we are no longer under a Schoolema&s;ter, but being &s;onnes have the &s;pirit of CHRIST JESUS now to be our guide: Whereas before, the Saints were under the Law as a guide, as a Schoolema&s;ter untill <HI>Chri&s;t.</HI> But this will more cleerly appear, if you looke upon the Covenant that GOD made with them of old.</P>
<PB N="46" REF="31">
<P>And this was the Covenant that God made with them, that they &s;hould ob&s;erve all the lawes, and all the Statutes, and judgements that God had given them, which are &s;et downe in the 20.21.22. and 23. Chapters of Exodus, in which i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;et downe, be&s;ides the ten precepts, that were afterward written upon tables of &s;tone, Divers other Lawes and Ordinances, and then in the 3. ver&s;. of the 24 chapter, it is &s;aid; Mo&s;es came and told the people, all the Words of the LORD and all the judgements, and all the people an&s;wered with one voice, and &s;aid: all that the Lord hath &s;aid, we will doe, and then ver&s;e 4. it is &s;aid, <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> wrote all the&s;e words of the Lord, and <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> offered burnt offerings, and &s;acrificed peace-offe|rings, and took the Booke of the Covenant, and read in the audience of the people, and they &s;aid, all that the Lord hath &s;poken will we doe, and be obedient. And <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> took the blood and &s;prinked on the peo|ple, and &s;aid, behold the blood of the Covenant, which the Lord hath made with us concerning all the&s;e
<PB N="47" REF="31">words, &s;o that this was the Cove|ant that God then made with his people, as appeares al&s;o, Exod. 34.27, 28. Where the fir&s;t Tables be|ing broken, <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> goes up againe to mount Sinai, &amp; the Lord there ma|king a recapitulation of tho&s;e things, in the forementioned Chapters; he &s;aies againe to Mo&s;es, after the te|nor of the&s;e words, I have made a Covenant with I&s;rael: and <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> wrote upon the Tables the Words of the Covenant, the ten Command|ments, which <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> the man of God (who al&s;o faithfull in all his hou&s;e) againe pre&s;&s;es upon the people all along his whole fifth Book, called <HI>Deuteronomie:</HI> declaring from the Lord, the ble&s;&s;ings, and cur&s;ings, that did attend the fulfilling and breaking of it. So that this was the Covenant, and this was the rule by which they were to walke: but mo&s;t Peculiarly the ten precepts are &s;aid to be the covenant,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 34.28.</NOTE> as in the foremen|tioned place; though yet the re&s;t of the &s;tatutes, and laws, and judge|ments were not excluded: &s;o that this is evident that this is the cove|nant, that God made with his peo|ple,
<PB N="48" REF="32">when he tooke them by the hand, and led them out of E<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">pt and according to this rule they were to walke, in which was &s;ett before them, life, and death, ble&s;&s;ings, and cur&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ings. But this letme adde; that though the Saints were under this covenant vntill Chri&s;t, yet be&s;ides this they were under a covenant or a promi&s;e of free grace too, which way given to Abraham; in that pro|mi&s;e. In thy &s;eede &s;hall all the nati|ons of the earth be ble&s;&s;ed: which all the Saints, vnder the law belee|ved: for &s;aies the Apo&s;tle. The law which was four hundered and thirtie yeers after could not di&s;anull it. And therefore the Saints, vnder their Ceremonies, &s;aw a Chri&s;t then, al|though but darkly, and in a figure, (as Heb. 9.9) yet all the Saints, had an eye vnto the Lord Ie&s;us, though yet vntill the coming of Chri&s;t, they were &s;till held vnder the law, being then vnder that cove|nant, though now the Lord hath made a new covenant with his peo|ple, &s;ince the comming of Chir&s;t in the fle&s;h, as we find Ier: 31.32.33.34. which is quoted by the Apo&s;tle.
<PB N="49" REF="32">Hob. 8. Behold, the dayes come &s;aith the Lord, that I will make a new Covenant with the Hou&s;e of I&s;rael; not according to the Cove|nant I made with their fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand, to leade them out of Egypt: (to wit the Covenant before men|tioned) which my Covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, &s;aith the Lord; but this &s;hall be the Covenant, that I will make with them (&s;aith the Lord.) And &s;urely this is a new Covenant; not according to the tenor of the old Covenant, but a new Covenant, e&s;tabli&s;hed upon better promi&s;es:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 7.11. and 8.6.</NOTE> and therefore &s;ayes the Author to the Hebrewes, God finding fault, he &s;ayes behold the dayes come wherein I will make a new cove|nant, with the hou&s;e of I&s;rael. Heb. 8.8. And ver&s;e 13. In that he &s;aith a new covenant, he hath made the fir&s;t old: Now that which decay|eth and waxeth old, is ready to va|ni&s;h away: So then it is not accor|ding to the old covenant; But this &s;hall be the covenant, that I will make with the hou&s;e of I&s;rael, after
<PB N="50" REF="33">tho&s;e dayes faith the Lord: I will put my Law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and will be their God, and they &s;hall be my people, and they &s;hall teach no more every man his brother, and every man his neighbour, &s;aying, know the Lord, for they &s;hall all know me, from the lea&s;t of them unto the greate&s;t of them, &s;aith the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquities, and I will remember their &s;in no more. This is the new covenant, and this is a glorious new covenant indeed: And &s;hould I here go about to hold forth the glory of it, though but in &s;ome perticulars, and &s;hew where|in it excels the former covenant, having that in it, which never any former covenant had, this beings new covenant: It would &s;well in|to a large volume; but becau&s;e I am but an&s;wering of this quaeric, Whe|ther the Law were given for a Rule? I &s;hall here &s;peak but to that onely thus, that it was unto the I&s;raelites before the comming of Chri&s;t: for they were then under that cove|nant, though now, God hath made 3 new covenant with his people;
<PB N="51" REF="33">and they are not under the old, that being (as the Holy Gho&s;t &s;ayes) va|ni&s;hed away: and &s;o all that are in Chri&s;t Je&s;us, are under a new cove|nant, according to which they are to walk, which comes nothing &s;hort of, but farre exceeds in holine&s;&s;e and &s;piritualitie, the old covenant; and as many as walk according to this rule, of the new covenant in Chri&s;t Je&s;us, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon all the I&s;rael of God.</P>
<P>But this let me adde: That though the Saints be now freed from that Law, yet they being &s;pirituall, &s;ee a &s;pirituall beautie and glory in it, they &s;ee it is holy, and ju&s;t, and pure; they &s;ee the Characters of the glo|ry of God upon it, and cannot have &s;light and undervalewing thoughts of it, as the manner of &s;ome is, though they are not to have over|valewing thoughts, as to think to be ju&s;tified thereby, or to think they are to walk no further then that rule for ju&s;tification; this I &s;ay they can|not do, for the &s;pirit in the Go&s;pell, leades them further then the Law; yea, it leades them to &s;erve, in the
<PB N="52" REF="34">newne&s;&s;e of the &s;pirit, and not in the oldne&s;&s;e of the Letter: that the Law might be fulfilled in a &s;pirituall (maner though they are not to tye them&s;elves to that only; but to go further) yet what is there in the law, that the Spirit in the Go&s;pell doth not &s;piritually hold forth? Either in the ten Commandements, or all tho&s;e other Statutes, and judgments and ordinances, given to them of old? I &s;ay what is there which is not &s;piritually held forth in the Go|&s;pell? Though not in the outward Letter. Although the Saints do not now, nor are now, to fulfill it in the Letter, as I might in&s;tance in circumci&s;ion and many other things yet all the&s;e things are to be full|fild &s;piritually in them. And thus, though the Saints are freed from the Law, yet they are to walk by a higher rule, and a higher Law; the Law of the Spirit, and he is a pure and a &s;ure guide. And he that hath not the Spirit for his guide, he knowes not what it is to be united to the Lord Je&s;us: for he that hath not the &s;pirit of Chri&s;t, is none of his, and as many as are led by the
<PB N="53" REF="34">&s;pirit of God, are the &s;onnes of God, and i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> is the &s;pirit of God indeed, that leades the Saints into all truth. That Spirit that comes from God, leades them up to God. And thus have I briefly an&s;wered this quaery, and &s;howed by comparing the two covenants together, that the Saints are free from the Law, and that they are not under that covenant; for for that is made old. &amp;c. So that they are not,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, under the condemning power.</P>
<P>Nor &s;econdly, are they to &s;eek to be ju&s;tified by the workes of it.</P>
<P>Nor thirdly, are they to take the Law as it lyeth in the Letter,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7.</NOTE> in all the parts of it, as a rule to walk by.</P>
<P>But heer, le&s;t I &s;hould be mi&s;ta|ken by any &s;light or vain &s;pirits, who may be apt to conclude, that the Law is utterly to be ca&s;t a&s;ide now, and is no more to be lookt upon, but they may live as they li&s;t: I mu&s;t further declare, that though beleevers are now free from the condemnation of the Law, and though they are not to take the whole Law as it lyeth in the Letter
<PB N="54" REF="35">of it, to be the rule of life (as was the Phari&s;aicall, and now is the Po|pi&s;h manner) yet this Law is &s;till to be taken as a rule as it is in the &s;pirit: or as it is held forth in the Go&s;pell. For as I &s;aid before, the Law is &s;piritually held forth in the Go&s;pell: And &s;o, not onely the ten Precepts is to be taken as a Rule, and is morall, but other Lawes be|&s;ides them (which were given with the ten Precepts) are rules for Saints now, and are morall al&s;o; becau&s;e the Go&s;pel holds them forth al&s;o. As for in&s;tance, that Law of doing good to our Enemies, Exod. 23.4, 5. and that Law that forbids oppre&s;|&s;ion of the poore, and of the Wid|dow, the fatherle&s;&s;e children, and of the &s;tranger, Exod. 22.22, 23, 24 and 23.9. As al&s;o that of keeping ju&s;t weights, and ju&s;t ballances, and that of reverencing the ancient and the gray head, &amp;c. The&s;e and o|thers, are I &s;ay morall as well as the ten Precepts, becau&s;e they are hel<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> forth in the Go&s;pell, and therefore are they rules by which Saints are &s;trictly injoyned to walk by. In a word, all that which is written in
<PB N="55" REF="35">the Law and the Prophets, is freely, and fully, and &s;weetly to be embra|ced, and practi&s;ed by all beleevers, as the Go&s;pell holds it forth: And doubtle&s;&s;e the Spirit of Chri&s;t doth lead tho&s;e that are his &s;o to do; what|&s;oever the practi&s;es of others are.</P>
<P>But now on the other &s;ide, I would not have any to think that tho&s;e other lawes which are aboli|&s;hed in the Go&s;pell (I mean in the outward litterall ob&s;ervation of them) as tho&s;e typicall Ceremo|niall, and Leviticall lawes, are to be in the lea&s;t practi&s;ed by Beleevers now; but we are to receive all laws from the hand of Chri&s;t now, and not from the hand of <HI>Mo&s;es:</HI> As the Lord Ie&s;us now hath explained them him&s;elf, and by his &s;pirit in his &s;ervants in the Go&s;pell; and not as <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> laid them down.</P>
<P>And thus much in an&s;wer, &amp;c.</P>
<P>Now by this time wee &s;ee this truth cleere. That the Saints have obtained a freedome from the Law, by the law of the Spirit of life that is in Chri&s;t Je&s;us. And it comes now to bee applied in &s;everall u&s;es: and it is of u&s;e to both tho&s;e two
<PB N="56" REF="36">&s;orts of people, which doe divide the world. Tho&s;e that walke after the fle&s;h, and tho&s;e that walke after the Spirit: Fir&s;t, tho&s;e that walke after the fle&s;h: And,</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="application">
<HEAD><HI>1.</HI> V&s;e. To rebuke and ad|moni&s;h tho&s;e which re|ally are Antino|mians a|gain&s;t the Law and would make voide the Law.</HEAD>
<P><MILESTONE N="1" UNIT="V&s;e."> IN the fir&s;t here is a word of re|prehen&s;ion, to tho&s;e that having a loo&s;e and carnall &s;pirit do con|temne, and de&s;pi&s;e the Law, upon this con&s;ideration; becau&s;e they heare that in the Go&s;pel, it is the priviledge of the Saints, that they are not under the Law, but under Grace: therefore doe the&s;e men turne the Grace of God into wantonnes, &amp; take libertie in waies of licenciou&s;ne&s;&s;e; as though they might live as they li&s;t: turning the Glory of God, again&s;t the Glory of God: The Glory of his Grace again&s;t the Glory of his Holine&s;&s;e, and of &s;uch the Apo&s;tele &s;peakes, (for there were &s;uch al&s;o in his time) Jude 1.4. And he &s;aies, they are ungodly men, turning the grace of God into wantonne&s;&s;e, and de|nying (&s;aies he) the onely Lord God, and our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t.
<PB N="57" REF="36">And truely they may well be &s;aid to denie the Lord Je&s;us; For were the Spirit of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t within, it would fulfill in them the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of the Law: and they would now &s;erve (though not in the oldne&s;&s;e of the letter, yet) in the newne&s;&s;e of the Spirit. Their &s;pirits would be carried out into a conformitie to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and the Glorious Image of God would b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">- renewed in them: in a word, they would be a new creature; If any man be in Chri&s;t, he is a new cra|ture. A new creature; What is a new creature? You may the better know it if you look upon its contra|ry; The old man: which the Apo&s;tle de&s;cribes, Ephes, 4.22. Put off the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitfull lu&s;ts. Now if the Old man be corrupt, and deceitfull, the new creature, or the new man is holy, and pure, and &s;enceare: Ye, the Apo&s;tle tells us, ver&s;e 24. it is Created according to the Image of God, in Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and true ho|line&s;&s;e. Let tho&s;e therefore that thus de&s;pi&s;e the law, and therefore take libertie to walke after the fle&s;h, to
<PB N="58" REF="37">fulfill the deceitfull lu&s;ts of the old man; know that they deny the on|ly Lord God, and our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and if they &s;o continue, they have no part in him. There|fore I would be&s;eech the&s;e per&s;ons, &s;eriou&s;ly to con&s;ider, and deeply to pen&s;itrate in their thoughts.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. That the Law is an expre&s;&s;e character of the Glory of God: It had &s;uch a glory in it, as made <HI>Me|&s;es</HI> the mini&s;ter thereof, his face to &s;hine, even by rea&s;on of that glory that is in it: and can you have low thoughts of it?</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The law is Holy, Ju&s;t, and and good: and dare you &s;lightly to e&s;teeme of it?</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. It was the delight of all the Saints &s;ince God gave it by the hand of Mo&s;es; It was their meditation day and night, and &s;weete as honey unto them, yee &s;weeter then the hony combe, and how then can you undervalue it? And,</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>La&s;tly, it is that that &s;hines glo|riou&s;ly in the Lord Je&s;us, and that which he fulfilled in every tittle of it: For he came not to de&s;troy the Law, but to perfect it, to fulfill it
<PB N="59" REF="37">perfectly; that in his Righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e who fulfilled the Righteous law, all tho&s;e that doe belong unto him, and are drawne by a &s;uperna|turall worke of God in their &s;pirits, to beleeve in him, may be pre&s;en|ted without &s;pot and wrincle before God! O therefore have high thoughts of it, and &s;et it up in your hearts, and let it be the &s;weet &s;ub|ject of your meditations day and night, as it is in the Lord Ie&s;us, as it is in him fulfilled for you, if you doe belong unto him, and as it &s;hall be &s;ati&s;&s;ied al&s;o (by the Spirit) who are his. And though you cannot now attaine to walke in the puritie of it, and the perfection of it here; yet you &s;hall be perfect in the &s;pirit, when you are unclothed of this earthly hou&s;e, and cloathed up|on with the hou&s;e which is from heaven: when that which is perfect is come, and that which is in part, &s;hall bee done away; So leaving the&s;e men, in the&s;e contemplations, I come to the next u&s;e; And,</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="application">
<PB N="60" REF="38">
<HEAD><HI>2.</HI> V&s;e. To di&s;co|ver the &s;ad condi|tion of all that wal<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">e after the fle&s;h.</HEAD>
<P><MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="V&s;e."> IT &s;erves to di&s;cover, and lay open the &s;ad condition of tho&s;e that walk after the fle&s;h, that &s;pend their daies in vanity &amp; their yeers in fol|ly. I &s;ay in folly, for &s;o I may call the be&s;t actions, greate&s;t wi&s;dome, and accute&s;t parts of naturall men: For it is all fooli&s;hne&s;&s;e with God. This point I &s;ay informes them of their &s;ad condition: and truely it is very &s;ad and dolefull; of what de|grees &s;oever they are, but before I declare it, let me Characterize &s;ome few particular degrees of them, that they may behold their owne image, and be afraid, that &s;o if it may be, they may bee wonne to come to the Lord Je&s;us, that they may walke after the Spirit. The &s;everall de|grees are the&s;e.</P>
<P N="1">1. Art thou &s;uch a one as walk|e&s;t in &s;uch practi&s;es as the&s;e, adul|tery, fornication, uncleanne&s;&s;e, la|civiou&s;ne&s;&s;e, idolatrie, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulation, wrath, &s;trife, &s;edition, here&s;ies, envyings, murder, Drunkenne&s;&s;e, revellings, &amp; &s;uch like, and wallowe&s;t in the&s;e
<PB N="61" REF="38">practi&s;es, as Swine wallowes in the mire, with a kinde of plea&s;ing contentment? Then thou art one that walke&s;t after the fle&s;h. But,</P>
<P N="2">2. Some may plea&s;e them&s;elves and think, that becau&s;e they are not notoriou&s;ly &s;uch per&s;ons, there|fore they are not &s;uch as walk after the fle&s;h: but again, Do&s;t thou minde the things of the fle&s;h? Art thou taken up with carnal content|ments, and carnall plea&s;ures? And though thou &s;corne&s;t the vile and filthy practi&s;es of &s;ome, and do&s;t not walk in tho&s;e wayas that are notoriou&s;ly evill, and ba&s;e in the eyes of men; yet if thou delighte&s;t altogether in carnall things, and when thou ha&s;t thy honours, and a high e&s;teem among&s;t men, and deli|cious fare, and pompous apparell, and fle&s;hly plea&s;ures, and things &s;ucceed according to thy minde, then thou art where thou woulde&s;t be, and art like a worm alwayes craw<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ing upon the earth, and creep|ing upon dunghils, never mounting up higher, nor having all thy de|lights and thy joyes; nor placing thy affections on the things above,
<PB N="62" REF="39">nor do&s;t by faiths Eagle-eye pierce the heavens, and &s;ee him that is in|vi&s;ible, as <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> did, and do&s;t not behold the Lord Je&s;us, as thy trea|&s;ure there, that there thine heart might be al&s;o: do&s;t not behold him there, as having taken thy nature upon him, and having in it by cru|cifying of it, and &s;hedding his blood wa&s;hed away thy &s;ins, and is rai&s;ed up again, that thou mighte&s;t be rai&s;ed al&s;o unto newne&s;&s;e of life, and to live together with him in glory. Now I &s;ay if this be thy condition, that thou do&s;t not behold the&s;e glories to the joy of thy &s;oul, and place&s;t not thy delights here, but minde&s;t the things of the fle&s;h only: then thou &s;till walke&s;t after the fle&s;h. Rom. 8.5. For they (&s;ayes the Apo&s;tle) that are after the fle&s;h, do minde the things of the fle&s;h; but they that are after the &s;pirit, the things of the &s;pirit. But then;</P>
<P N="3">3. But do&s;t thou go yet further? And do&s;t not onely de&s;pi&s;e fouler and gro&s;&s;er &s;innes? But do&s;t in &s;ome &s;ort &s;ee a vanitie in all the creatures under heaven, and can&s;t finde no contentment in them, and there|fore
<PB N="63" REF="39">laboure&s;t and &s;eeke&s;t by thine own &s;trength, to finde out a way to plea&s;e God; that &s;o thou maye&s;t obtain the favour of God; and therefore endeavoure&s;t to walk in|nocently towards all men, and though thou faile&s;t in many things, yet thou thinke&s;t by thy good mea|nings to plea&s;e God: &s;o though thou can&s;t not do as others do; yet thou plea&s;e&s;t thy &s;elf in this e&s;tate, and thinke&s;t it is good. But this is &s;till to walk after the fle&s;h: for heres no Chri&s;t, no &s;pirit in all this. Again;</P>
<P N="4">4. Although thou goe&s;t further then all this, and do&s;t not onely mean well but as thou maye&s;t think do well too; and art &s;trict in ob|&s;erving the Law to thy power, and art frequent in performing of du|ties, and ob&s;erving fa&s;ts and in gi|ving largely to the poore: yet all the&s;e things, and many more maye&s;t thou do, and that out of a zeale to|ward God, and yet thou &s;till walk|e&s;t after the fle&s;h. For Matth. 5, 20. our Saviour tels them; That except their righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e exceed the righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e of the Scribes and Phari|&s;ees;
<PB N="64" REF="40">they &s;hould not enter into the Kingdome of Heaven. Though the Phari&s;ees did &s;trictly ob&s;erve the law, were frequent in performance of duties, made long prayers, fa&s;ted twice a weeke, and were liberall to the poore, &amp;c. And the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul,</HI> Rom. 10.4. tells us, of the of the Iewes that hee could beare them record, and they had a zeall of of God; Though not according to knowledge for (&s;aies he) they be|ing ingnorant of the Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of God; and going about to &s;et up their owne righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, which is by the Law, have not &s;ubmitted to to the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of God, &amp;c. And &s;o though they had a zeale of God, in the fulfilling of the Law; Yet being without a Chri&s;t, they are without a &s;pirit, and walke after the fle&s;h.</P>
<P>Thus you have &s;eene the Caract|ers of the men that walke after the fle&s;h: and they are next to be in|formed, of their wofull, and mi&s;e|rable condition from this point, and the fir&s;t word it &s;peakes to them, is no le&s;&s;e then this; They &s;hall die, die Eternally, it is the direct word
<PB N="63" REF="40">of the Apo&s;tle Rom: 8.13. for if yee live after the fle&s;h, yee &s;hall die eternally for they that walke after the fle&s;h, &s;hall not inherite the Kingdome of God and of Chri&s;t Gal: 5.2. &s;o that your condition is deplorable; and the rea&s;on is: be|cau&s;e you are vnder the law, and all the cur&s;es thereof, &s;o that fearfull is your condition, for you are gone no further (being but after the fle&s;h) then, Agar, then mount, Sinai, then mount, Ebal. you are no further then Agar, which is in bondage with her children, you are &s;till in bondage, and if their be any &s;pirit in you, it is a &s;pirit of bondage, a &s;pirit vnder which you may lie bound, till you drop into hell. Againe, you are no further then mount Sinai: the mount of feare, and trembling, and you heare nothing but a fearfull noy&s;e: &s;o that horrour and trembling lights upon you, and fearfullne&s;&s;e &s;urpri&s;es you, and no wonder, you are no further then mount Ebal. all the cur&s;es of the law are thundering again&s;t you: for what &s;aies it. Cur&s;ed is every one that continueth not in all that is
<PB N="64" REF="41">written in the Booke of the law to doe them. So that Dredfull, fearfull, and lamentable is thy condition, whoever thou art, and wherever thou art, that walke&s;t after the fle&s;h. To be carnally minded is death, death while alive for thou art but as a dead carka&s;e while thou walke&s;t up and downe: thou ha&s;te no &s;piri|tuall life in thee, no &s;pirituall joy in thee, no &s;pirituall peace, no true contentment nor joy in the holy Gho&s;t: thy plea&s;ures are dead plea|&s;ures, thy comforts are dead com|forts, thy life is a dead life for if thou looke upon thoy be&s;t com|forts, and plea&s;ures, thou &s;halt find bitterne&s;&s;e, and &s;orrow in them a &s;ecret inward angui&s;h in them: &s;o that, they are not to be compared with tho&s;e living plea&s;ures, and that glorious &s;weetne&s;&s;e, and peace, that Saints have in the &s;pirits. And &s;o may I &s;ay of all that thou inioye&s;t. Ah poore creature; h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">w &s;ad is thy condition! If it be bitterne&s;&s;e in the be gining, it will much more be bitter in the latter end. And how &s;earfull will that wait of vergence be, when it &s;hall fully &s;e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">e upon thee?</P>
<P>And now I cannot but bewaile, and pity thy condition, and thy deplora|ble e&s;tate: nor can I leave thee heere in it. But,</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="application">
<PB N="65" REF="41">
<HEAD><HI>3.</HI> V&s;e. To invite poore &s;in|ners to come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HEAD>
<P><MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="V&s;e."> IN the next u&s;e; with yerning bowels, and melting affections (being &s;o deeply affected with thy mi&s;erable condition) de&s;ire to fall a wooing of thee, to come over un|to the Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, that through his &s;pirit thou maye&s;t be freed from this condition: and a be|&s;eeching of thee, to be marryed to the Lord Ie&s;us, that thou Maye&s;t be dead to the law. What can&s;t thou object again&s;t him, that thou &s;hould|e&s;t not imbrace him? I know that thou wilt an&s;wer, that thou can&s;t not object again&s;t him but again&s;t thy &s;elfe, thou art a great &s;inner. But what though thou art?<NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 5.20.</NOTE> Yet he woes thee, and &s;ends his me&s;&s;engers to wee thee: And wilt thou not be wood; And why? O hearken to his voice, and thy &s;oule &s;hall live! Why what &s;aies he? Truly faith|full &s;ayings, and thus, I am come
<PB N="66" REF="42">into the world to &s;ave &s;inners, &amp; dy|ed for the ungodly, What can&s;t thou now &s;ay? Though thou art a &s;inner; yet thou art not exempted from him; Nay though thou art the chie|fe&s;t of &s;inners; and thy &s;inns be of the deepe&s;t dye, though they bee Scarlet, and red like Crim&s;on: yet is the Blood of the LORD JESUS able to make thee as white as Wooll, ye whiter then the Snow. I&s;a. 1.18. And now, why wilt thou not accept of the LORD JESUS? O imbrace him for thy Saviour! But thou &s;aye&s;t, How &s;hall I dare to come to Chri&s;t, &s;ince I have nothing to bring him, no|righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, nor holy perform|ances, nor good actions? But hee will not be put off &s;o; but conti|nues &s;till to woe thee, and an&s;wers that Objection too, and &s;aies, <HI>Let him that is a thir&s;t come, and take of the Water of life freely,</HI> Revel. 22.17. <HI>Yea without money and without price,</HI> I&s;a. 55.1. So that he tells thee plain|ly, he expects nothing from thee hee re&s;olves to be free, and t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;hew the riches of his free grac<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> unto thee.</P>
<PB N="67" REF="42">
<P>And now behold he &s;tands at the doore, and knockes, and waites to be Gracious: and now what can&s;t thou &s;ay, that thou do&s;t not hearken unto his &s;weete voice? And why is not thine heart ravi&s;hed with his love, and overcome with his &s;weetne&s;&s;e?</P>
<P>Can&s;t thou yet refu&s;e to be mar|ried to the Lord Je&s;us? And to receive him into thy bo&s;ome, that he may free thee out of thy mi&s;era|ble condition, and adorne thee with glory? O receive the Lord Je&s;us, that he may take thee out of thy ragges, and filthyne&s;&s;e, and aray thee with royall robes, and put a crowne upon thine head.</P>
<P>But me thinkes I &s;hould heare thee &s;ay. How is it that I mu&s;t re|ceive him, that &s;o I may become his Spou&s;e, and may bee married unto him, and be his for ever?</P>
<P>I An&s;wer, Doth his &s;weetne&s;&s;e prevaile upon thine heartt? and doth his love con&s;traine thee indeed: and art thou &s;o inamored with his beau|teous excellencie, that now thy heart doth thir&s;t for him? And art thou as it were ca&s;t into pangs of
<PB N="68" REF="43">love for him, and longe&s;t thou to enjoy him, above any be&s;ides him? Then be leeve that he is the Lambe of God that taketh away the &s;innes of the World: Beleeve he came to &s;ave the ciefe&s;t of &s;inners, and that he came to &s;ave thee, and to free thee from under the Law, beleeve that he hath wa&s;hed away thy &s;inns in his blood: and beleeve that hee loves thee, and delights in thee for his owne &s;ake: And this is all he de&s;ires: For if thou can&s;t but thus beleeve thou art in a mo&s;t glo|rious, and a mo&s;t happie condition: for thou ha&s;t formerly had nothing that is good in thee; yet in belle|ving (if thou do&s;t by the &s;weet workings of the Spirit in thy &s;oul, truely beleeve) thou ha&s;t put on the Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, and ha&s;t the Spirit of Chri&s;t, powred into into thee, as the Lord Ie&s;us him&s;elfe hath &s;aide, Iohn 7.38, 39. <HI>Hee that beleeveth one me, one of his belly &s;hall flow ri|vers of livig waters.</HI> And this &s;aith the Text, he &s;pake of the Spirit; and indeede, he that beleeveth on the Son, is at once po&s;&s;e&s;t of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit; and then,
<PB N="69" REF="43">though thou coulde&s;t doe nothing befre, yet thou maye&s;t bee able to &s;ay with <HI>Paul, I can doe all things through Chri&s;t which &s;trengtheneth mee.</HI></P>
<P>And &s;o much for this u&s;e, I come now to the next: And,</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="4" TYPE="application">
<HEAD><HI>4.</HI> V&s;e. To di&s;co|ver the fondne&s;&s;e of tho&s;e that &s;eek to be in|&s;tified by his works, as Papi&s;t and Pa|pi&s;ticall &s;pirits.</HEAD>
<P><MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="V&s;e."> IS it &s;o, that the Spirit of life in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, hath free us from the Law? Then this di&s;covers the fondne&s;&s;e of tho&s;e, that &s;eeke to be Iu&s;tified by the by the Workes of the Law. Let tho&s;e Phari&s;ees but to &s;ider, that unle&s;&s;e the Lord Ie&s;us had come into the world; to free men from the cur&s;e of the Law, no fle&s;h could have been &s;aved: unle&s;&s;e Chri&s;t him&s;elfe, through the eternall &s;pirit, had fulfilled the Law for us; all men mu&s;t have peri&s;hed for ever, for there is no life to be obtain|ed by the Law; but in the perfect fulfilling of the Law:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 2 17. Rom. 3.20</NOTE> but &s;aies the Apo&s;tle, by the workes of the Law &s;hall no man living be ju&s;tified. And therefore when the young man in Go&s;pel; that thought to be ju&s;tified by his doings, came to our Savious,
<PB N="70" REF="44">and &s;aid, what mu&s;t I doe to inhe|herite eternall life? Our Saviour an&s;wers to his que&s;tion, (becau&s;e hee que&s;tions whither he might be &s;aved by doing) and tells him what he mu&s;t doe, and againe &s;aies our Saviour if thou wilt bee perfect, meaning, if thou by thine owne &s;trength &s;eekes to bee perfect, I will tell thee what thou mu&s;t doe: having before told him that hee mu&s;t do all the workes of the Se|cond Table towards his brother; Our Saviour tells him further, he mu&s;t goe, and &s;ell that he had, and he &s;hould have trea&s;ure in heaven, and come and follow the Lord Je|&s;us: but that ca&s;t him into a &s;ad fit, as being utterly unable &s;o to do. And certainly, unle&s;&s;e men bee able to fulfill the Law to the uttermo&s;t, is no obtaining &s;alvation by it. If thou faile&s;t but in one point, thou art guilty of all, for there is no hope for thee (I meane) in the Law. How vaine is it therefore for any man to &s;eek life by that which &s;peakes nothing but death to all, &s;ince all have &s;inned, and all come &s;hort of it.</P>
<PB N="71" REF="44">
<P>Aagaine, con&s;ider that no man can come unto the Father, but by the Lord Je&s;us: He is the way, the truth, and the life. God hath de|termined to glorifie and magnifie his free grace, that all might be of grace, that the Creature might not have whereof to boa&s;t, and there|fore, wee are ju&s;tified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in CHRIST JESUS Romancs. 3.34. That the crea|ture might not have whereof to glory, and therefore the Scrip|ture &s;aies that <HI>Abraham</HI> was iu|&s;tified by workes; but <HI>Abraham</HI> beleeved God, and it was ac|counted unto him, for righteou&s;nes.</P>
<P>And therefore &s;aies the Apo&s;tle, to him that worketh not, but belee|veth on him that ju&s;tifieth the un|godly, his faith is accounted unto him for righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, Rom 4.3.5. And in the 23. and 24. ver&s;es the A|po&s;tle tells us againe, that <HI>Abra|hams</HI> faith being imputed unto him for rigteou&s;ne&s;&s;e: It was not written for his &s;ake alone, that it was im|puted, unto him; but for us al&s;o, to whom it &s;hall bee imputed for
<PB N="72" REF="45">righteou&s;ne; if we beleeve on him that rai&s;ed up Ie&s;us our Lord from the dead. Be a&s;hamed there|fore of thy vanity, thou that goe&s;t about to e&s;tabli&s;h thine owne righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e, being ignorant of the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of God: and be now informed, there is no other name under heaven, by which thou can&s;t be &s;aved, but by the name of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. And,</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="5" TYPE="application">
<HEAD><HI>5.</HI> V&s;e. To cleere the Saints of that odious nickname of Anti+nomians.</HEAD>
<P><MILESTONE N="5" UNIT="V&s;e."> THe fifth u&s;e is this. If it be &s;o, that the Saints have the Law of God written in their hearts, and the law of the Spirit of life be with|in them, then in the next place, this point is of u&s;e to cleere the Saints, from that nick-name of Antinomi|an, which &s;ome doe indeavour to fa&s;ten upon them. But herein I would not be mi&s;taken, as though I hereby Intended, to &s;ooth up tho&s;e that are really &s;uch, in their lawle&s;&s;e practi&s;es; for to &s;uch I have &s;poken already in the fir&s;t u&s;e: but I &s;peake now of tho&s;e, that have the law of God written in their hearts, through the Spirit; Who yet are
<PB N="73" REF="45">branded with this contemtible title of Antinomians, or per&s;ons again&s;t the law, by &s;candalous and wicked per&s;ons, and that (as it &s;eemes) up|on this ground; Becau&s;e they pro|fe&s;&s;e they are &s;aved by free grace, and not by the workes of the law, and in&s;tified in beleeving the pro|mi&s;e of free grace, without the deeds of the Law. That which I &s;hall &s;ay for them in this particular is this, that in this they doe not make voide the Law, but e&s;tabli&s;h the Law. And doe I &s;ay &s;o, or doth not rather the Spirit of God by the A|po&s;tle, Rom. 3.31. &s;ay &s;o: for the Apo&s;tle having been in the former ver. di&s;cour&s;ing, that no fle&s;h &s;hould be ju&s;tified by by the Law, but by free grace, through the redemption that is in Chri&s;t Je&s;us; and that the Law is nothing in point of ju&s;tifica|tion, but it is all imputed to faith: &s;aies the Apo&s;tle, do we then make voide the Law through faith? God forbid; Yea we e&s;tabli&s;h the Law. And now you that ca&s;t the&s;e fal&s;e a&s;per&s;ions on the Saints: How will you an&s;wer the Apo&s;tle heere? For you ca&s;t not this a&s;per&s;ion upon
<PB N="74" REF="46">tho&s;e that are in the&s;e times only; but upon all that are &s;aved by free grace, through the redemption that is in the Lord Je&s;us, in all ages, and places. Now &s;aies the Apo|&s;tle they doe not make voide the Law, but they e&s;tabli&s;h it. And now friend who&s;oever thou art, that ca&s;te&s;t this title upon the Saints know, that if thou do&s;t not &s;ee, that they e&s;tabli&s;h the Law, it is through thine owne ignorance thy ignorance of the workings of the Spirit of JESUS CHRST, in tho&s;e that beleeve: for though the Saints now are redeemed from the Law, that they might not &s;erve in the oldne&s;&s;e of the Let|ter: yet they now &s;erve in the new|ne&s;&s;e of the Spirit: and though they be free from the Law; yet it is that the Law of the Spirit might be put into them: for the Spirit of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t worketh in them migh|tily, both to will, and to doe: and they are led by the Spirit of God, in the waies of God. They are led by the Spirit in the waies of holy|ne&s;&s;e, and puritie. And further they are led by the Spirit to doe
<PB N="75" REF="46">that which is above the Law, and which the Law doth not teach them al&s;o: as to beleeve in the Lord Ie&s;us, and to &s;ee them|&s;elves compleate in him, and to behold the things that are freely given to them of God; even that the Lord Ie&s;us is made unto them of God, wi&s;edome, Righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, Sanctification, and Re|demption: not that they can po&s;&s;ibly &s;light the Law; (al|though they are carried in the Spirit beyond it) as it holds forth any holine&s;&s;e, no, &s;o it is their delight, &s;o it is &s;weete un|to them. Although they &s;eeke not righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e by it, but by the Lord Ie&s;us, who hath ful|fild it for them: which the Lord teach thee by his Spirit to do, who|ever thou art, that brande&s;t any Saint with this title. And thus I thinke I neede not &s;ay more in this particular, to take off men, from ca&s;ting this A&s;per&s;ion up|on the Saints: and that for this rea&s;on: Becau&s;e I doe not here &s;peake unto tho&s;e who have given up their names to Ie&s;us Chri&s;t,
<PB N="62" REF="47">who ever they are, for they are not I hope to bee charged herewith, nor are they &s;o much out of their way, as to give out &s;uch expre&s;&s;i|ons of their brethren, in whom the Spirit of the Lord Ie&s;us is: or if they have through weakene&s;&s;e, or mi&s;|mi&s;information, herein failled, a word is enough for them; Their &s;pirits are &s;o tender, and as for o|thers, it is not much materiall, if they &s;o breake out &s;till; For the &s;eed of the Bondwoman, be al|waies enemies to the children of the Freewoman: Onely heere they may &s;ee, though they ca&s;t this a&s;|per&s;ion upon them, it is but fal&s;e.</P>
<TRAILER>And &s;o much therefore &s;hall &s;uf|fice for that u&s;e. But,</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD><HI>6.</HI> V&s;e. To in|forme the &s;aints of their pri|viledges.</HEAD>
<P><MILESTONE N="6" UNIT="V&s;e."> IS is &s;o, that the Saints through the Spirit of life in Chri&s;t Je&s;us, are freed from the Law? From the Cur&s;e of the Law; and from the oldne&s;&s;e of the Letter, &amp;c. Then let the Saints be heere informed of their priviledges, and their u&s;peak|able happine&s;&s;e.</P>
<LIST>
<PB N="63" REF="47">
<ITEM>1. You that walke afer the Spi|rit, this you &s;ee now is your pri|viledge, that though you were by nature under the cour&s;e, and chil|dren of Wrath even as others, be|ing under the Law; Yet now you are free from the cur&s;e, and from wroath. And,</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. That though you were once darkne&s;&s;e; yet now are you light in the Lord. And,</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Though you were once &s;tran|gers, and alians in your mindes by wicked workes; yet now are you drawne nigh to God, by the death of his Sonne. And,</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. Though you were once al|together defiled with pollution, and corruption; yet now your old man crucified, and the deedes of the body are mortified through the Spi|rit. And,</ITEM>
<ITEM>5. Though you were once in fear continuaily; yet now have you continuall peace (in &s;ome mea&s;ure) and joy in the Holy Goo&s;t, and why all this, and much more? But,</ITEM>
<ITEM>6. Trough that priviledge, which &s;ummes up all others in it. In
<PB N="78" REF="48">that you are tran&s;lated out of the kingdome and the power of dark|ne&s;&s;e, into the glorious light and li|bertie, and Kingdome of the Sons of God, in Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P N="1">1. I &s;ay your priviledge and glo|rious prerogative is: that though you were by nature under the cur&s;e, and Children of wrath, even as others: Yet now you are free from the Cur&s;e, and from wrath, for the Lord Je&s;us was made a cur&s;e for you, to free you from the cur&s;e of the Law. The Lord Je&s;us lay under the Wrath of the Father, that you might lye downe in the love of the Father; And that the time of your blood might be a time of love to him: &s;o though the Law may cur&s;e others; yet it cannot cur&s;e you. For there is no con|demnation to them that are in Chri&s;t Je&s;us. Who can lay any thing to thy charge, &s;o as to con|demne thee? Surely none can: Nei|ther Satan, nor wicked men, nor good men, nor thine owne con&s;ci|ence, nor Angels, Nay God him|&s;elfe will not, for it is he that ju&s;tifi|eth thee; or rather Chri&s;t that died,
<PB N="79" REF="48">and now being free from every cur&s;e, and every condemnation. O how ble&s;|&s;ed is thy condition. But,</P>
<P N="2">2. Looke yet further upon thy pri|viledges, and &s;ee that though thou wert once darkene&s;&s;e; yet now art thou light in the Lord: though thou wert in a &s;tate of blindene&s;&s;e, and ignorance, even as other gentiles walked, taking thy &s;winge in the workes of Darkene&s;&s;e, yet now the Lord Je&s;us by his Spirit hath been a light unto thee; Who is a light to light|en the Gentiles, as well as others: &s;o that though thou wert altogether kept under, and coulde&s;t not look up unto God, being in darkne&s;&s;e; yet now by the light of the Spirit, thou art able to behold God in the face of Je&s;us Chri&s;t: to know the minde of God, and what is the acceptable will of God, in &s;ome mea&s;ure: and now thou &s;ee&s;t, and and di&s;cerne&s;t &s;pirituall things; for thou ha&s;t now the Spirit, to teach thee to know the things that are freely given to thee of God. So that,</P>
<P N="3">3. Though thou wert a &s;tranger and an alian in thy minde, by wicked workes, workes of darkene&s;&s;e; yet now art thou drawn nigh to God by the death of his Son, and though thou wert
<PB N="80" REF="49">once a &s;tranger, yet now thou art of the common wealth of I&s;rael, Though thou wert once a &s;tranger, now thou art a fellow Citizen with the Saints in Sion, though thou wert once a &s;tranger, and an alian; yet now thou art of the Family of God, of the Hou&s;hold of God. And what, a &s;ervant there? I and more: A Son, an adopted Son. Nay a fellow heire with Je&s;us Chri&s;t: Nay more thou art a Spou&s;e, a Bride, the Lambes wife. Thou art married to the Lord Je&s;us. Now all the &s;weetne&s;&s;es that are to be found in the&s;e relations, are thine. Is it a great priviledge to be a Servant to the Kings per&s;on? Thou art &s;o mo&s;t eminently: Nay he makes thee his friend too. But it is more to be a Sonne? Why; thou art &s;o. It is more to be an heire? That is thy priviledge too. But is it more to bee a Spou&s;e, a Bride, a Wife? This is thy Royall Pre|rogative. Be&s;ides many other relations, in which thou &s;tande&s;t through Ie&s;us Chri&s;t: as to be Kings, and Prie&s;ts be|fore God, &amp;c.</P>
<P>And all this though thou wert once a &s;tranger unto God, and an Alian unto thy Fathers hou&s;e: and wert de|filed with wicked workes, &s;o as thy per|&s;on
<PB N="81" REF="49">was loath&s;ome, yet even then wa&s;t thou received into love, and hadde&s;t the&s;e priviledges conferred upon thee: and all through the Lord Je&s;us, and the Spirit of life working in him. But,</P>
<P N="4">4. Thou that wert once altogether daubed all over with black and bloody &s;taines of Corruption; yet ha&s;t thou now that old man Crucified, and the&s;e deeds of the body mortified through the Spirit, and although thy life were as a &s;inke, continually &s;ending forth abomi|nable corruption, that did even infect the very ayre where thou did&s;t breath; Yet now, through the Spirit of Holi|ne&s;&s;e given forth unto thee, by the Lord Ie&s;us; thou art &s;till mortifying the deeds of the body; and &s;till crucifying the&s;e Corruptions. And that &s;pirit that is in thee, will never cea&s;e, untill he hath to|tally gotten the victory, over all thy coruptions, and hath &s;et thee in a per|fect State: even when thou &s;halt lay downe this fle&s;hly body, and this earth|ly tabernacle, &s;o that &s;till in the meane time thou do&s;t increa&s;e with the increa&s;e of God and &s;o thou &s;halt grow in the Spirit and decrea&s;e in the fle&s;h. As John mu&s;t decrea&s;e but Chri&s;t mu&s;t increa&s;e. So thine inperfections mu&s;t decrea&s;e,
<PB N="82" REF="50">and thy Chri&s;t in thee mu&s;t increa&s;e. And as the hou&s;e of David mu&s;t growe &s;tronger and &s;tronger, and the hou&s;e of Saul weaker and weaker. So in thee the Spirit mu&s;t grow &s;tronger and &s;tronger but the fle&s;h mu&s;t grow weaker &amp; wea|ker, even till the fle&s;h be utterly over|come, and mortalitie be &s;wallowed up of life. But then,</P>
<P N="5">5. Though you were once in continu|all feare, and under a Spirit of bondage, yet now have you continuall peace and joy in the Holy Gho&s;t: for you have not received the Spirit of bondage, un|der which you were, while you were in the bonds of Satan, &amp; chains of darknes, I &s;ay you have not received that &s;pirit of bondage, to fear again: but you have received the Spirit of Son-&s;hip, wherby you &s;eeing God as a reconciled Father, do now &s;erve him without fear (I mean) &s;lavi&s;h feare &s;uch feare as may in the lea&s;t trouble or di&s;tract your hearts with terrour, or horrour: for that is contrary to the Spirit of Son-&s;hip. And Low can you now feare, that in the Spi|rit behold the Fathers countenance, as being reconciled by the Lord Je&s;us un|to him? no, you cannot, for,</P>
<P N="6">6. You that were all your life time
<PB N="83" REF="50">&s;ubject to bondage, even to the law, and &s;inne, and Satan; before the comming of the Lord Ie&s;us into your &s;oules, are now freed from it, and are now in the glorious light, and libertie of the Sons of God, in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t: and now feare, I meane &s;lavi&s;h, is ca&s;t away; not but that there remains &s;till a &s;weet feare, a filiall feare, a feare of love: but this is not a trouble but a &s;olace to your &s;ouls: for it proceeds from &s;weetne&s;&s;e, and ends in &s;weetnes; it proceeds from love, and ends in love. The di&s;coveries of love to thee, draw it as an effect of love from thee; &s;o all &s;lavi&s;h or perplexing feare is bani&s;hed now that thou art in the glorious Kingdom of God in Ie&s;us Chri&s;t:<NOTE PLACE="marg">7 <HI>V&s;e</HI> An ex|horta<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ion to the Saints to walke in the &s;ight of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t and in the light in the purity in joy of the Spirit.</NOTE> for thou art brought into a king|dome of glory, being brought unto the Lord Ie&s;us: and in this, thou ha&s;t all the priviledges, that the mo&s;t inlarged heart can thinke upon, and the&s;e are your happine&s;&s;es, who are dead to the Law, and married to the Lord Ie&s;us. And now,</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="7" TYPE="application">
<HEAD><HI>7.</HI> V&s;e.</HEAD>
<P>ANd la&s;tly, Is it &s;o, that the Saints by the Spirit of life in Chri&s;t Ie|&s;us, have obtained this glorious free|dom, &amp; the&s;e glorious priviledges, &amp; is it
<PB N="84" REF="51">thus, that the Saints of God have the Spirit of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t? then here may be a u&s;e of &s;weete exhortation, unto them: a four fold exhortation.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Alwayes to be taking &s;weet views of the Lord Ie&s;us.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. To walke in the glorious light of the Spirit.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. To walke in the puritie of the Spirit, and to be fruitfull through the Spirit.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. To walke in the joyes of the Spi|rit, and to rejoyce evermore. But,</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P N="1">1. You that are Saints &s;eeing you have obtained this freedome, the text holds forth by Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, in whom you have &s;uch glorious priviledges: Be exhorted to be alwayes taking a view of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, and contemplating of that which Chri&s;t hath done for you, and though yet, you know but little, be exhorted to know more, and to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savi|our Ie&s;us Chri&s;t. <HI>Paul</HI> counts all things but dro&s;&s;e, and dung for the excellencie of the knowledge of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t: &s;o do you. It is your onely happine&s;&s;e. It is life eternall; and therefore hee that knowes mo&s;t of Chri&s;t; let him improve all the &s;trength of Chri&s;t that is given
<PB N="85" REF="51">unto him, in the u&s;e of all the meanes God hath for that end given to us, to know more. O let it be your continu|all exerci&s;e, to &s;tudy the Lord Ie&s;us, and to meditate of the Lord Ie&s;us: let him be your meditation day and night. Let the Lord Ie&s;us alway be in your heart: when you lie downe, and when you ri&s;e up, in your going out, and comming in. In all your di&s;cour&s;es, let the Lord Ie|&s;us be held forth; when ever you have opportunitie. e&s;pecially tho&s;e which are cald to the mini&s;terie, and have op|portunities according to their calling to &s;peake in publicke, being made over|&s;eers of a flocke: be alwayes I &s;ay hold|ing forth the Lord Ie&s;us Chri&s;t, and the knowledge of the Lord Ie&s;us unto the people, for how are they &s;aid to be mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel, and mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t that are not continually prea|ching Chri&s;t? but (as too many doe) &s;pend the time in which they &s;hould preach Chri&s;t, in di&s;cour&s;ing of points of controver&s;ie, and of the Civil Law, and di&s;cour&s;ing of the lawfullne&s;&s;e of war, and the like never holding forth the knowledge of Chri&s;t; or but &s;el|dome. I doe not nor cannot object again&s;t the lawfulne&s;&s;e of &s;uch di&s;cour|&s;es:
<PB N="86" REF="52">but I covet to have more of Chri&s;t held forth, and to have the Lord Je&s;us &s;et up in the hearts of all. And there|fore let this exhortation be acceptable to all, &s;trive to know more of the Lord Je&s;us: to know him in every particu|lar. Dive into and take a view of all his glories, and as you have opportuni|tie, hold them forth to others; but e&s;pecially his death. <HI>Paul</HI> makes that, as if it were the &s;umme of all the Go|&s;pel he was to hold forth: Chri&s;t cruci|fied, and therefore he tells us that he de&s;ires to know nothing, and glory in nothing, but a crucified Chri&s;t. 1 Cor: 2.2. Gal. 6.14. And O how many, and how &s;weet are the benefits of the Cro&s;&s;e, and death of Chri&s;t? take a veiw of this in the text: how upon the cro&s;&s;e, he took away the hand-writing of ordinances, that was again&s;t us, and freed us from the cur&s;e of the law; be|ing made a cur&s;e upon the Cro&s;&s;e for us. Oh therefore grow in the know|ledge of a Chri&s;t crucified! And in a word, grow in all the knowledge of of Chri&s;t know him in his death, and the fellow&s;hip of his &s;uffering, and the power of his re&s;urrection: know him in his union with thee, and relations to
<PB N="87" REF="52">thee, &amp;c. And &s;till &s;o prefer the know|ledge of Chri&s;t above all other know|ledge; as with the holy Apo&s;tle and the holy martyr to cry out: I de&s;ire to know none but Chri&s;t, none but Chri&s;t. And,</P>
<P N="2">2. As you that are Saints, are to be exhorted to be alwayes veiwing of your Saviour and to grow in the know|ledge of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t: &s;o ha|ving his Spirit poured upon you: you are now to walk in the glorious light of the Spirit, that it may appear, that you are children of the light: for this is your priviledge, that ye are now light in the Lord; the Lord Ie&s;us is your light, and your Sun. Oh therefore let your light &s;o &s;hine before men, that they may &s;ee your good works, and glorifie your Father which is in heaven, &s;hine you amid&s;t a crooked, and perver&s;e ge|neration, although the blinde world walkes in darkne&s;&s;e, yet do you walke in the light; in the light of the Spirit, in the light of the Lord, and as in the day, being children of the light: bring all your actions into the light, and let them all be according to the light. Let the light of the Spirit in the Word, bee the rule of all your
<PB N="88" REF="53">actions, and of all your holy perform|ances, in every thing you doe, &s;earch the Scriptures whither it be &s;o or no; try all things by the light of the Spirit, and hold fa&s;t that which is good. Take up nothing upon tru&s;t from others, but be &s;ure to have a light from the Spirit, for what you doe. And,</P>
<P N="3">3. As you are alway to be viewing the Lord Ie&s;us and to walke in the light of the Spirit: you are &s;o al&s;o, to walke in the Spirit as to walke in the puritie of the Spirit: bringing forth the fruits of the Spirit. Let your conver&s;ation be as in heaven, while you are upon earth, walke in the Spirit, and be fruitfull in every good word, and worke, &amp; quench not the Spirit, but be fervent in &s;pirit, &s;erving the Lord. Let all your de&s;ires be, to be ever in the performance of all holy duties. Let it be your meate and drinke to be in&s;tant in prayer, to Pray continually, to Pray without cea&s;ing, to be continually offering up &s;piritual &s;acrifices to your God in the Spirit; to hate the garment &s;potted by the fle&s;h, to contemn and de&s;pi&s;e the worlds vanities; love not the world, nor the things thereof as they are in them&s;elves, but &s;et your affections upon the things
<PB N="89" REF="53">which are above. Thus Saints, walke you in the &s;pirit, that a &s;weete frame and di&s;po&s;ition alwayes may appeare in you, in doing good unto all, loving your enemies, ble&s;&s;ing them that cur&s;e you, doing good unto them that de|&s;pightfully u&s;e you, and if it be po&s;&s;ible, live peaceable with all men, walke in|offen&s;ively towards them that are with|out, and tho&s;e within: yeeld to all men their due; be &s;ubject to the higher powers, even the powers that are or|dained of God, both Kings and Magi|&s;trates, as farre as the word warrants, being &s;ubject to the ordinances of men for the Lords &s;ake, &s;o farre as they are not contrary to the minde of God; and yeeld tribute to whom tribute is due, honour to whom honour, and feare to whom feare is due. Be of a meeke and quiet &s;pirit in every pa&s;&s;age of your con|ver&s;ation. Let the love of the brethren be in you abundantly, be as ready to do a brother good, as to do thy &s;elfe good, in honour preferring one another; &s;im|pathi&s;ing with the condition of others, and rejoyce with them that do rejoyce, and weepe with them that weepe, be|ing tender hearted, and bearing one another burdens, forgiving one another,
<PB N="90" REF="54">even as God, for Chri&s;ts &s;ake forgave you; and though there may be diffe|rences in judgement among brethren; yet let there be a union in affection, Con&s;idering that there are &s;everall de|grees of light given out to &s;everall &s;aints: &s;ome have higher mea&s;ures of light then others have. And what if thou ha&s;t more light then thy brother? do not de&s;pi&s;e him, becau&s;e he is more ignorant, for what ha&s;t thou that thou ha&s;t not received? but con&s;ider, that though he be now other wayes mind|ed, God &s;hall reveale it to &s;uch a one in his owne time: and be&s;ides it may be, thy brother which &s;eems to be much inferiour to thee, in &s;ome things, may exceede thee in the knowledge of the mi&s;teries of Chri&s;t in &s;ome particulars. And againe, though thy brother &s;eeme to be in darkene&s;&s;e unto thee, in &s;ome particulars; yet it may be, it is through thy ignorance that do&s;t not &s;ee that light, that doth appeare to him: and though it doth not now appeare unto thee; yet it may appeare, though now it &s;eeme an errour to thee There|fore in the meane time, though you differ in iudgment, yet be one in afecti|tion; and be followers of God as deere
<PB N="91" REF="54">Chidren, and walke in love as Chri&s;t al&s;o hath loued us, and hath given him|&s;elfe for us, an offering and a &s;acrifice to God, for a &s;weete &s;melling Sauour re|member how the Lord Je&s;us hath &s;aide: hereby &s;hall men know that you are my di&s;ciples, if you love one another. Oh therfore let the &s;pirit of love &s;weetly ap|pear in you, and dwell in love. And let al&s;o humblene&s;&s;e, and lowlyne&s;&s;e of minde, appeare in you, and conde&s;end to men of low e&s;tate; and &s;o walke in the frvtes of holyne&s;&s;e, in the &s;pirit: that it may apeere to all, that the Spirit of God, and of glory re&s;teth upon you, and in the Apo&s;tles words, what&s;oe|ver things are true, what&s;oever things are hone&s;t, what&s;oever things are ju&s;t, what&s;oever things are pure, what|&s;oever things are of good report, what|&s;oever, things are lovely, thinke one the&s;e things; for the &s;pirit is powered upon you, now (&s;aies the Apo&s;tle 1. Cor. 3.17, 18. the Lord is that Spi|rit, and where the &s;pirit, of the lord is there is libertie; and therefore you all, with open face, beholding as in a gla&s;&s;e the glory of the Lord, are changed into the &s;ame image, from glory, to glory: even as by the Spirit of the Lord.</P>
<PB N="91" REF="55">
<P>La&s;tly the la&s;t exhortation to the Saints, is: to walke in the joyes of the Spirit. The Spirit is your comforter and have you the comforter? why the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;hould you be &s;ad? why &s;hould thy heart be troubled? bani&s;h therefore <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> &s;infull &s;orrow, and &s;adne&s;&s;e from your hearts; you that are &s;aints. Reioyce in the Lord ye righteous, and let all the Children of Zion be joyfull in their kings yea reioyce evermore, and againe I &s;ay reioyce, your God, hath given you the comforter for this very end: there|fore be filled with joy in the Holy gho&s;t.</P>
<P>Indeed had you not the &s;pirit, you might be commanded to rejoyce long enough, &amp; yet never be able to rejoyce, but now the Comforter is come, now the Spirit is given unto thee: What wante&s;t thou now, to make thee joyfull? doth he not take of the things of the fa|ther, and of Chri&s;t, and &s;how it unto thee? doth he not reveal to thee even the bo&s;ome thoughts of thy God? No man hath feene, or can reveale the Father; but the &s;onne which came from the bo|&s;ome of the Father: and he by his &s;pirit reveales the thoughts, of the love of your God vnto you, from all eternity
<PB N="92" REF="55">ye, and the exceeding love where with he hath loved you: he reveales the glori|ous de&s;ignes of God in the Lord Je&s;us for thee; and the vn&s;earchable riches of his grace. And if &s;o, how comes it to pa&s;&s;e, that you that are Saints, &s;ome of you are &s;o di&s;quieted, and &s;added in your &s;pirits? Walk|ing as though you had &s;till the &s;pirit of bondage; which we have not now re|ceived and your hearts are &s;o filled with &s;orrow? Certainly this is not the minde of your God; This is not a fruite of the Spirit, but of the fle&s;h: for the fruits of the Spirit, are love, joy, peace, &amp;c. But the&s;e di&s;tempering &s;adne&s;&s;es, and feares come from the fle&s;h: as you may ob&s;erve it in your &s;elves, when you give way to the fle&s;h, and live below, (and not a bove in the &s;pirit) as to the plea&s;ures of the world, and upon creature com|forts: &s;orrow hath &s;eazed upon you, and your hearts have bin fild with feare; for fear &amp; &s;orrow is natural to the fle&s;h: but you have the Spirit, therfore reioyce ever more, walking a bove the fle&s;h; &amp; al|waies hearken you to the &s;weet voice of the Spirit; and be you alwaies &s;inging, and making melodie in your hearts to the Lord, being fild with joy un|&s;peakable,
<GAP DESC="missing" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="94" REF="56">and full of glory. Which the Lord (<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> the&s;e times of horror, and feare to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> godly men) giue in abundantly vn<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters"> all them that love our Lord Je&s;us Chri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters"> and his apearing and coming.</P>
<CLOSER>Now vnto the King Immortall all In|vi&s;ible and the onely wi&s;e God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. AMEN.</CLOSER>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FJNJS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
