Chap.2..SeEt.~. "our corruptCcl hearts and wills, as fair water that runnes through a dirty Channel. If h' b r. that our belt recompenceto Chnfl: for h1s loves be unprofitable t<;>l111u, and }.;ful:s Jone by man ; What fhalli fay? how mufl: I carry my !Clf (faith the foul) td my Redeemer ? sEcT. 3; Of the healing af Duties. l Dare not but obey; though all the Duties in the world arc infufficient t'? recompcnce' thofe bowels of Gods mercies. m Chru1, I muft not thcrt;fore cafl: away Duttes. ·It IS true I cannot but fin in all I do, my bcfl: Dut1es (nakedly and barely confidercd m thcm– felv~s) are tainted, poyfoned, and mingle:! with fin : But will it follow, that,becaufe_I cannot be more clean, therefore I mufl: be more filthy than needs? Nay, 0 my foul, 1~ thou art married to that Bridegroom Chrifl:, Dmies and all thmgs elfe are clean to the~. . The whole filth and dimg ofour JVorkf, through faith in Chrijf, is extraCI:ed by Chrift, ad, ~riCrr[p 8 "R heprt{cnting the fame, purgedby himfelf al?nc,'they are accepted with God:Jln thisrefpcCl: 1 11 · 3 · there is an healing of Duties, ,r we be m Chnit. Certamly that fru1t wh1ch com~th. from a root of Faith, muit needs be good fru1t. I belecve, thercfvre I fpcak._, fa1th the Pr.I. "" · "· Pfalmiit: 0 my foul, canfl: thou fay thus? I believe,thmfore 1pray; f~eliev.~,therrfwel 1far.CI:ifie the Lords _day;! bclieve,therefore1 do all duttcs of obedun~e: Thy o9dlence then is the fruit of Parad1fe,for it grows on the very Tree of L1fe. Chnit IS The_ .<,;m ofnuhteoufnejfe, that ari{eth with hedli11g inhis wings :Chrifl: is that S~o, that by h1s heat 6Flove M•l. 4· :. extracts ·all the filth of fin out of thy D~tties performed; and to thy Dmies are healed,the fpiritual part of them being prcfented_byt~e interceflion of Chrifl:,and the 'ij:paldcfeCl:s covered by the righteoufndfe of Chnit, m whom the Father 1S always wel\-pleafed. Seer. r. Of the manner of healing ottr D11ties. NOw the manner (0 my foul) how Chriit heals our Duties; It is thus: : ·- I. Hetakes onrpcrfons, ~ndcarriesthem into God the Fath~r, inamolt. unperceivable way to us ; he knows, thatlfour perfons, b~ not firit accepted, our puties cannot be accepted; Love me, and love my Dmy ; hate me, and hate my Dmy. It Js true, that in the Covenant ofWorks God fir/l: accepted ofthe work, and then of the perfon: but in the Covenant of Grace, God firit accepts of the perfon, an,4 then ofthe work: Now therefore, that our works (our Duties) may be accepted, Chrifl: Jefus our great High Prieit, firit takes our perfons, and carries them into the Prcf~nce of Goq the Father; This was plainly lhadowed out to us by that of the High Priclr, whp went into the holy ofholieft, with the names ofall the tribes upon ~is brcaft. . · ' · ' · 2. As Chrifl: takes our perfons, and cmics them in to God the Father i fo \irhen we Exod. •!! 6. performDuty, heobferves what evil or failing there is in that Duty, and draws it out, before he prefents it io God the Father: As a childe t'hat would prefent his father with a pofie, he goes into the garden, and gathers flowers and weeds together; but coming to his mother, lhe picks ont the weeds, and bindes up the flowers by themfelves, and fo Jt 1s prefented to th~ Father. Thus ':"ego to Dmy, and we gather weeds and flowers together ; but Chnit comes and piCks out the weeds, and fo prefents nothing but flowers to God the Father ; Who may abide the day ofhis coming (foid the Prophet of Mal. 3· •.314l.' Chnit) and who jhalljfand when he appeareth f for he is l>ks a refiners fire, and !ikgf~tileu ' fope .' andhe}halljit M a refiner andpurifier offtlver, and fnall p1«ijic theJonsof Lem, and purge them as gold andjilver, that they may offer 11nto the Lord an offering in righreottfncffi' then fl!a/1 the ~fferings o(Judah and Jmtfalem be pie11[ant unto the Lord: mark, TiJe~ }hallthe.r offerings be pleafant: then? when? Whm he had purged lhemfelves, rhe;r Ja- ~rifi<es, andthm offmngs. Thus 1t was m the days of his fl e01 a11d much more now. .3· As Chnfl: takes away the iniq_uity of our holy things, fo he obferves \Vhat good t 1 here IS m any of our Dm.er, and w1th that he mingles h1s own Prayers, Inrerceffionsj ncenfe, andPrefents, allasoneworkmingled together unto God the Father: And anothet Angel (viz.. the Angel of the Covenant) came andflood at the Altar, having a • . ~ulden Cenfer ; . and there was given to him' m~tch incenfe, rhat he jho 11 /d offer it with the Rev, 7 • ~' 4· M 2 Prn,ym
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