84 Book Ill. Chap.I.Sect.Z heart ;tnd with all my foul; no": w_hen this promife is fu._l_fi_ll_ed- ,-._w_h_e_n -6~d~~; affechon~ and grace of Love wuhm our hearts, when _the habJt of Love is within, an' fwerable m all tlungs to the command Without, then IS the Law put into our in 1 d Deut. 'l· 4 • pans. Again, this is the Law without, Thou Jhalt fear the Lord, and k[ephis O~d·var Jer. ,,_ 40 • ces, andhis Statutes, and his Commandmtnts to do them: to anfwer which there is aman– , ·r . 1 b. . h • pro– mue ; I ws l ma'\f a Covenant wtt )'ou> and I will not turn Away from you to do )'oug d but I ;vil!pittmy f.a; intoyour hearts, and )'ou (hall not depart from ""; now wheno;hi; prom1fe 1s accomp!tlhed, when God hath ~ut the affedion and grace of fearwidtin ~earrs, when the habit of fear is. within, a~f~erable to that Comm~nd_ without, t~~~ ts the Law put Into our hearts. Surely thts IS _Mercy that God fanh m his Covenant, I ;vtfl put my Latv m thetr mward parts; many a time a poor Soul cnes out, it is troubled w:th fuch and fuch a luft, and he cannot keep this and that Commandment, he cann t o~t-w~eftle [uch and fuchllrong inclinations to evil, 0 but then go to God, and pre~s h1mWith thts, Lo;d, tt u a part of thy Covenant, thou hajl: [aid thot< wilt circumcife my heart; thou haftfatd thou Wtlt put thy Lawmmy mward parts; thonhajf [aid thou wiltdif– Jolve the{el~jfs, Lord, Ibefeech thee do it for thy Covenants [akt---But here's another Quelhon. , How may we know this inward work of Grace, rhis Law in our inward parrs? rhe belt way to fatisfie our doubt_s in this, is to look within; open we rhe d0or and clofet o~ our hearts, and fee_what lies nearefi and clofeft there; that we fay is imimate and Mot, ro. 37: Wlthtn a man, which ltes next to his heart: He that loveth Father or Mother more than me (faith Chrill) is not worthy of me: We know the love of Father and M{)ther is a mofi natural thing; it comes not by teaching, but it is in-bred in U> afToon as we are born. and yet if we love not Chrill: more than rhefe, if Chri(\ lie not clofer ro our" hearrs tha~ father or motl1er, we are not worthy of Cbrift; our narural life is a moll: inward and Job. 2• 4 • deep thing in a man, it lies near the heart; skin for skjn (faith rhe Devil once truly)and Luke ~~- 16. dll that a m11n hath will heKivefor his Life; but hethat hates not Father and Mother– Gal. >.to. yea,.ndhisoi!Pnlife a!fo, (faid Chrifr) he cannot be my Difciple. Hence the Apoftle, ro exprefs this intimate, inward life of grace, he faith, I live, yet not ! , bm Chrijf livetbin me; the life which I norv live in thefofh, I live by the faith of the SOil of God, who lovtd me andgave himftl{for me. What an empharicalftrange expreffion is this? !live, yet not I, but Chrift livethin me; q. d. I live not the life of fenfe, I breath not bodily breath, that is, comparatively to the life of fait11; his very narural life, though inward, is faid not to belived, in refped of his life of grace, which is n1ore inward. And !er this fem for refolution to that quefiion. 4. What is it to have the Law written in our hearts? This writing comains the for– mer, and is fomething more; the Metaphor is expreifed in thefe Paniculars.-- I. It is faid to be written, that there might be fomething within, anfwerable to the Law without; it was written without, and fo it is written within. This writing is the very fame withtopying or tranfcribing. Ifhe writing within is ~very way anfwerable to the writing without: Oh what a mercy is this, that the fame God who writ the Law with his own finger in the Tables of Stone, flwuld alfo wrire the fame Law w1rh the lin– ger of his Spirit in the Tables of our hearts! as you fee. in a Seal, when you have put the Seal on the Wax , and you take it off again, you find tn the Wax the fame Jmpref. fion that was on the Seal: So it is in the hearts of the farthful, when rhe Splnt bath once fofmed them, then be writes the Law (i.) he ll:amps an inward apmefs, an inward difpofition on the heart anfwering to every panicular of the Law; this is rhat which rhe Apoftle calls the Law of the mind, I fee another La_w in my membtrs _warrmg _agamfl the Rom. 7· ,3, Law •f my mind : Nowwhat is this Law in the mm~ but a drfpofinon _wnhm, _ro keep in fome meafure every Commandment o{ the Law. wtthour? and. th~s 1s the wrmng of the Law (or if youwill) the copying?rtranfcnbmg of theLaw Wl_thm us. . .2. Iris faid to be wnrten tharlt m1°ht be rooted and nvenedm the heart, a~ whe~ ' ] r · bh f G d · · ·f G d nre lt Lerrers are engraven in Marb e; 10 1s t e manner .o o s wrmng: 1 o w • can never be obliterated or blotted our : Letters mMarble are not eafi!y worn our a– gain. no mo(e are the writings of Gods Spirit : Some indeed would have rhem as writi~gs in dull: bUt ifPi/ate could fay, what I ha"ootWritten, I have written; how mud; mQre may God? Hence are all thofe promifes of perfeverance ; My Covenant J!MI ftJtnd ~'all-with him Pfal 89. •8. and Thcrootoftheri•hteousfhall notbcmovtd, Pr 1 o:· J ''J' ' • ,_ '· " . 11 I •oil ,a 12 3 and EventoyouroldAue[amht•· and even to hoary hairs wi carry) ' 11:' • • ' • · <> • • b c . 1 1 1e poore 46, 4· I deny not but men o~ glorious g1fts may fall away ; ut ,me Y 1 Chriltian
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=