The Ejfefl.ofthe Gofpd· hat~:,been aii!~rable to the Dejign• . One main ditf~reric~ ~· between the old and new Law, IS, that trie pld ga.ve .the know.ledge_. of;·Rules wttliout ~pap.19, Power to obferve them; the new that is<tttended with the Gra,ce ol Chrifl, . enable> us by~ a holy Love to perform that which the c;>ther made Men only to underrtand. Of this We! have the mort fenfible Evidence in the Primitive Church, that was -prcidut'd by the firfl: Beams of the Sun of Righteoufnefs, and had received the firrt Fruits of tli,e Spirit. ' Wh~t is more wonderful and worthy of oo<;l, than that per(el:t Lpve which made all the · firfl: Believers to have one Heart, and one_Soul? What greater .contempt of.the .World can be . imagined, than the voluntary parting with all their Goods, in confccrating them to Gael for the relief of the Poor? And the Churches of the Gentiles, while tl]e Blood of Chrifl: \vas warm, and his Actions freCh in the l!lemories of Meil, .were eXemplary in Holinefs. The) were as Stars ftJining in a perverfe Gqleration. There was fuch a b~ightnefs . in their Converfations, that it piere'd through the Darknefs of Pagani}l", and made a vifible.difference between them and all othe1s. Their Words and Actions were fo full of. Zeal for the Glory of God, ofChaftiry, Temperance, Jurtice, Charity, that the Heathens from the Holinefs of their Lives concluded the Ho!inefs of their Law, and that the Dol:trine thar produc'd fuch Fmits, could not be evil. The firrt Light that difcove_red the Truth of the Chriftian Faith to many, was from the Graces and Venues that .appear' cl ·in the Faithful. The Purity of their Lives , their Courage in Death, were as powerful to copverr the . World, as their Sermons, Difputations and Miracles (x). .;And ' thofe who "'"" ~ under ~~a Vi!I.. Chry'i ~~~~f.~~~gb~;?;~\~~s~~:\~~;~,;;~~~ 'l~~~:~;;~~~; ~a~~~h'b~e0tnt~~eG~~':J;rla~io~hiJLxt~ Cltriftians. They'efteem'd their Perfons from the good Qualities that were vifible in them when they hated the Chriflian Name tor the COI)Cea!'d Evil they unreafonably fufpetl:ed t~ , be under it. . This 'J'ert,.l/inn excelleml_v reprelents in his Apolof,J., The h10ft part are fo' prejudic'd againft.the Name, and are_pqlfert ,w'itp fuch a bliriq hatred to It, . that they make it a matter o(reproach even to thole whom _th~y ot~erwife ,_efl:eemed. Cai11r, they;!ay, : .· .' . . ! i~n~~~~dt~a~;o~:P.;;;;,'?et~"~~~;: }~~~·S:'~:,;~;~~~~afr~~flie~~u~e~i~s~xc~l~:n~ .H~: W.,~;;[1' But we are fallen froq.1 H~.lven, and mixc with ~he Du fr. . ou·r C~nverfation hath nO.. :~.CbriJ~t~Jo:. thing fingular in Holinefsto pift,inguilb us from the Wqrld,. The fame corrllpt Pafiions reign in Profelfors of Chrif\lanity, as in thofe who are Strangers from the facredCovenant. If we compare our felves with the Primitive Church, we Il)Ufl: confefs our.Unwo'iihinefs to be called their Succelfors. Sixteen hundred ye~rs are run out fince . the Son of .God ~~~;cf.:l~r~:~h~iR~n~~;;eai~hne. w ~~~~e~~~~;irnf~~ 'fr~~ ~!~efu'.fuhe~:~Yi~a~ "[~ Time. So univerfal and great is the <;qrruption, that 'tis a!moll is difficult to revive the dying Faith of Chriftians, and to reform r,beirLiv,es according to the Purity of their Pro- , feffion, as the Converfion of the World was from Heatbenifm to Chriflianity. ,· 'Tis true, in every Age there are fome Examples of the Virtue of the Go(peJ.that reflect, an Honour upon it.And this !art Age,which we may call the Winter of the World, inwhicli tht Holy Spirit bath foretold, That the love ofmanyjhallgrow cold, by a marvelous Antipcriflajis, bath inflamed the Hearts ot fomeexcellet]L~aints towarps God and Religion: 1\ut the great number of the Wicked, and the progrefs of Sin in their Lives, there is no meafure of Tears fufficient to lament. . Fourthly, I fhall prefs Chrirtians to walk._ as becomes the ,G;fpel ofChrif/, an[werably to the Holinefsand Purity of thatDivine!nftiturion, and to ,thofe great and ll:riCl: Obligations it.l~y~ upon us. The Gofpel requires an entire Holinefs in all.our Faculties, an e- ~!a1o}'We% :~da~p~~: ~oub~·~~ly~: :u'uz~~~~a~J~~~v~~j.:;:'f: "VIf~~ {~j~y~~;o{'::tt; perfe/Jing J:folinefs in the fear of God; to be holy, as He that bath caOcclus i< Holy~ . A cer- . tain meafure of Faith, and Love, and Obedience, a mediocrity in Venue, we muf\: not content our fel,ves with. 'Tis not a Counfel of perfel:tion given only to fame Chriflians o~ a peculiar O_rder and Elevation; but the Command of a Law that without exception ~mds all, Be perfeff a_s yo?r Heavenly Father is perfe/1, The Gofpei gives no Difi?enfa- , tiOn to any Perfon, nor m any Duty. The Dol:trine that alfem there are fome excellent Works to\vhich the lower fort of Chriftians is not obliged, is equa\Iy pernicious, both to thofe who do.them qy Prefumprion, as if they were not due, and were therefore meritori~IIS; and to th_ofe whq_ neglel:t them, by a blind Security, as if they might be faved wtthout !hiving,to reachthe higheft degrees of Obedience. 'Tis a weak pretence, that becaufe rhe confummatl' '1'eafure of Sanaification can .only be attained. in the .next Life, therefore we lbould not endeavour after it here. , For py finc~re an<) cqnrta~t e~~ deavours we make nearer approaches to it, and according to the degrees of our Progref~, Rhi fuili
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