9+ Rom. tz.2. Eph.s.•7· Rom. t. 9· "'Hence the Scripmre fomcdmcs ~f l!r>uttes tn<!Penefal. Chap. '2 .Sect.8. to God. In all Dmies rightly performed, there mull: be a knowledge of, and an eye to thew1llof ourGod, Rom. rz. z. Eph. 5· 17. ~ Through the Spirit, who cloth Spirituali:z:e them. -z. Through God (1.) Through Chril1:, who prefents them and makes them acceptable to God. 1 . Through the Spirit of God: Now the Spirit works on our Spirits, flirs up the regenerate part to the performance of our Duties: and therefore look how much there is ofthe Inner man, of the regenerate part, of the holy Spirit in Duty, fo far it is fancrified, fo for it is accepted, and no further, God is my J>itnejfc (faith l'a11l) wh,m i ftr'11e J>ith my Spirit in the Gofpel ofhis Son: In every fervice we perform, *our Spirit /tirred up by Gods Spirit mul1: needs have a hand in it, or it is but the body and carcafe of a right fervice: The foul, will, and affections mull go together with our Duties, adds the 1 • word{pirit ~~Duties: baving tht {ttrne {pirtr off.•irh ; z Cor. 4· 13. Suntlica~ion in the (pirit: Ephef. 6. 18. Which worfhil' God in rhe[pmr, Phil· 3· 3· ToHr law in t/Je [pirir, CoJ. 1. 18. 'Ihis impltes, thu uolcffc thcfc actions be dooc in the fpi~ rit, they lfC UDacceptablc with God. .~ John 4· 24· (that I ;,ean by Oltr fpirit; ) or the vitals are wanting. Ex. gr. If a man come to confeffe his fins, and yet flights them inwardly in his heart; if a man pray for reconci– liation with God, and yet have no longing, and fighing in hii heart after it ; if he earnelHy ask grace, or the Spirit ofMortification, and yet his heart cloth not inwardly feek it, Now he prays not in the Spirit, and therefore God will not accept it; For God u a Spirit, and they that worjhip him, mtefl ~>orfhiphim in Spirit and in truth: In Spirit (i.) not only in the underftanding and minde (Prayer is not a work of wit, or of memory) but alfo in will and affection: When all within us is opened, and explicate, and cxpofed to the view of the Lord ; when we call in all our thoughts and affections, and recollect them together, as the lines in the Centre, or as the Sun-beans In a burning-glaffe, That •The fpirit or makes prayer to be* hot and fervent; whereas otherwjk it is but a cold and dillipated God appeared thing, that bath no ll:rength or efficacy in it. in fire, lltui in . tt mighty ~r~fbing wind: 1nd wherefoevcr this fp Irit it, the:re is Ztal, fervency, altivity ;aformal cuf\Qlllary, fupcrficia:J: pc:rfolmtog ofholy dllties is cxrrcamly oppofitc to a fpiritual dcponm~ot in rllcm. {0efl. hfw. lfthufpiritualnejfein Duties be fo nmjJary, how u it that the St!JntJ have fo 11111ch of earth andjlefh ordinarily in their Duties? I anfwer, In every regenerate man there is both P/efh and Spirit; It may be the Flefh lies uppermoll:, and the Spirit lies in the bottom, fo that a man, though a Saint, may hear carnally, receive carnally, pray carnally, that is, when the f!efh hath gotten · the upper hand, as in fome fits it may, when the minde is filled with worldly forrow, worldly rejoycing, and worldly defires; fuch Duties the Lord regards not, be the man never fo holy: But if the regenerate part be acted and /tirred up by Gods Spirit, and the Flejh, that alwayes hin~ers, be removed by the fame Spirit, then ~re the Saints able to do their Duties to God in Chrifl Jefus Spiritually. • I. . ,·· 2. Through Chrift: For Chril1: perfects, perfumes, and prefent• our Dmies to his heavenly Father: as Duties come from us, they favor offlefh, but the Angel of the CoveRant mingleth much Incenft with them, and fo he offers them upon thegolden Altar, which u before the Throne. Here is fweet comfort (0 my foul) What tho1tjh thy Duties llre weak., and cold, and confufed, full ofdiflempers, and dampes? yet through Chrift they t~refortified, and enlivened, with his pacifying perfcElion, and imen"ej{ory Spnit. Through Chrifl they are perfumed with the preciom odOJ<rJ ofhu frefh-bleeding Merits, and hlejfed Mediation, and fo they are madc acceptable to God, that he may receive thrm, that he may 4'/UI refufe and rejefl them, ' l One is the Spirit, that ,helps our in: Obferve here a double firmities. · • ,.; :· ·, · Interceffor ; The other is Chrifl, that n'iakes them acceptable to God. . · · · .• , .J:' ·3· To God: (i.)tofet forth his glory,and Free-grace; for as his Name isblafphemed when we walk in wickcdnclfe,fo it is glorified in doing our D111ies .- This is the end~~
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