Chap.•.Sect.6. j!,(l)lting unto jjefn.s. Book Ill. Chrillian that bath but the fmallefl: meafure of Grace, he lhall_ never fall away; if the Law be written in our beans, it ll:ill remains there; Grace hal:iimal IS not removeable : fooner will the Sun difcard its own beams, than Chnil will deferr or defiroy the leaf!: meafure of true Groce , which is a Beam from·the Sun of R1glueoufnefs. 3 • It is faid to be written, that it might be as a thing legible to God, to others, and to ou'r felves. 1. To God, he writes it that be may read it, and take notice of it; he exceedingly delights himfdf in the graces_ of his own Spirit: and rh_erefore the Spoufe after this writing, after the pl-anung ef h1s grace m her, lhe ddires lun~ ro come mto hw Garden and eat hi; pteafant fruits; q. d. Come, read what thou hafl: wntten; come, and . delight rby felf in rbe graces o~ thy own Spirit: the only delight _rhat _G~d has in the Cant. 4• 6. world is in his Garden a granolis foul; and that he m1ght more de!tght 111 It, he makes it fruitful: and thofe fruits are precious fruits ; as growing from plants fer by his own hand, relilhing ofhis own Spirit,and fo fitted for his own tafl:e. 2. The Law is written that it might be legible to others, S<> Paul tells tbe C,orinthians, To" are mmtifejlly de2 cor.p,J• darrdto be the Epijlle of Chrijf: How mamfefl:ly nee!ared? why , fz!lmvn and red of allmen. AsweareabletoreadLetters graven in fl:<>ne, fo may others readandfeerhe fruits and elfecrs <>f this Law writrenjn our beans. And good reafon, for wherefoever God works the principles of grace within, it <annot but llrew it felf in the outward life and converfarion: it is Gods promife, firll I will pm my Spirit within ibem, and then I Ezck. ;6. '7; will cau(e them to walk.. in my ft,<tures ; and it is Gods truth, OM of the abundance of the Mar. 12. l4• heart the mouth fpcab.prh. What the mind thinketh , the hand worketh. 3. The Law is written that it may be legible to our felves; a gracious l:ean is privy to its own grace and lincerity, when it is in a righrremper: if others may read It by itsfruits, howmuch more we our felves, who both fee the fruits, and feel that habitual difpolition infufed into us? Nor is this without its blelfed ufe; for by this means we come tO have a comfortable evidence both of Gods Love to us, and of our Love tO Goa. You fee now what we mean by this writing of the Law within us. ' 5. How are we taught of God, fo as not to need any other kind of teaching comparatively? I anfwer.- .. I, God teacherh inwardly, In the hidden part rhou hajl m·adc me /z.now wifdom, faith Pfal. p; 6. David ; and again, I rhanlz. the Lordthat ga7Je me counfel, my reins a!fo injfru[/: me in Pfal, lo. 1 7', the night fe"[on. The reins are the mofl: inwar~ part of the Body, and the night-feafon the moll reured and private time; both exprefs the intimacy of divine teaching ; man may teach the brains, but God only teacherh the reins: the knowledge which man teacheth, is a fwimming knowledge; bur the knowledge which God teacheth, is a foaking Carhed-aml4· knowl~dge. God w_ho co_mmawded light to j11ine otet of dark...nefs, ha~h Jl.Jined into our hea1?s. b~~ :;.,;~~:cet Mans ltght may lhme toto the head, but Gods light doth flnne mto the heart : Hi; Lg. Chair i; in Heaven thatteachethhearts, faith A11jlin. 2. God reacherh clearly: Elihts olfering himfelf infiead of God to reafon with lob, herdlshim, .il.fywards]halt be ofthe uprit,hmefs of my heart, and my lips jhall utterfz!low· Job 3i· J~ ledge clearly. lf ever the Word come home to an heart, it comes with a convincing clearnefs. So the Ap01lle, Our Gojpel came tmtoyou, .not in u·vrd on0', b~tt in power, and Th r in rhe Holy Ghofl, and in mJJch full affurance. The word hath a tre!Jle Emphalis, ' e · '· ~. affurance, full alfurance, and much full alfurance; here is clear work. 3· Godteacheth experimentally; the foul that is taught of God can fpeakexperimemally of the truths it knows. I /z.now whom I h,l1Je believed, faith Paul · I have ex- . pe_rienced ~is faithfulnefs and all-fufficiency, I dare rruf!: my all with him, f am fure he • Trm t. 12 ' Will keep ttfafe to that day. Common knowledge reas in generals, but they that are taught of God , can fay, M we have heard; fo we have [em; they can go along with every truth,_ and fay, !tis(o indeed, I have experienced this and that warduponmy own heart. In rillS cafe the Scripture is the Original, and their Heart is the Copy of it, as you have hea~d; .they can read over the Promifes and Threarnings, and fay Probatum eft.. DAvrd m lu~ Pfalmes, and Paut in his Epifl:les fpeaks their very hearts, and feels their very temptations, and makes their very objedions: they can for to their feal that Juhn 3· 3:i. God utrue;. they can folemnly declare by their lives and converf)uions that God is true and faithful m Ius word and promifes. 4• . God teacherh fweet:y and comfortably: Thou hajl taught me, faith D«vid, and Pfai.1I9. io:; then lt follows, How [weer are thy words unto my taj/e? yea fweerer than the Honey tomy 101 ' momh? He rolled the word and promifes as Sugar under his Tongue, and fucked ftom thence more fwwnefs than Sam(on did from his Honey-comb : Lurhcr faid, he would
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=