Ch. r. Purity andSincerity Ja tufts, or not to oppofe them; and fo, by thefe luirs, Satan, the greater tempter, doth his work, which he could not do without them. And when their lofts or carnal affeêions have bribed the underftanding to be erroneous or remits, and have drawn the will to a finful yielding or content, this fin conceiv'd by luit in the beast, Both bring forth the fruits of a finful pra&ice in the life, and . then God'sJu- ftice punifaeth it with Death, when it bath re- fitted and driven away his offer'd grace. 16,17. Donot err, my beloved bre- thren. Every good gift, and every perfeft gift is from above,and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whim is no variablenefs, neitherfha- dow of turning. 16, 17. Be not deceiv'd about the<caufes of good and evil, Sin and Death are f om our Selves, but every goodand perfetding Gift isof God's free Grace and Donation, even from :above, from the Fatherof Lights, (who as the Sun is the fame in its nature ind a&ion, though Earth and Clouds, oft interpofing, makeit teem to us as varying by its riling and fetting, and turning away its light into Shadows, when the change is not in it, fo) God is unchangeable, and our changesand Shadows are not from any mutability, or Shadowy alteration, in him, but Born our (elves. 18. Of his owlt will begat he its with the word of truth, that we Should be a kind of firft-fruits of his crea- tures. as. It was of his own good Will and Grace that he hath regenerated as by the true Word ofthe Gofpe! {and not ofany Defersof ours) and hath made us as the Firftfruits fanáified to him (fothat all good is ofGod, and all evil ofour (elves and the Devil.) 19. Wherefore, my beloved bre- thren, let every man be ftvift to hear, flow to fpeak, flow to wrath. 19. Therefore watch over your felves, if you would be fafè, and particularly obferve three threeRules : a. Be ferift tohear as hum- ble Learners, while proud men are forward to be Teachers, before they wereever profitable Learners. 2. Be flow to (peak, and not as proud men, full ofwords, becaufeof feif -con- ceit, readier to reach than to learn, telling _What they think theyknow,while the humble are learning to knowmore ; and when in mul- titude of words there is feldom innocency, but the rafh and talkative Say that which mutt be repented of. i. Be flow to wrath. 20. For the wrath of man worketh not the tighteoufnefs ofGod. mes., of 1Zeligion. Ch. r'.' 2e: For a wrathfid Mind is very unfit for that righteoufhefs which God requireth inand ofus: It puts the Mind out ofa compofed holy frame, and unfits it for communionwith God. It blindeth and perverteth the Judgment, and detroyeth holy loye and peace. A wrathful man Scarce lovethhis Neighbour as himfelf,uor doth as he would be done by. 21. Wherefore lay apart all filthi- nefs, and fuperfiuity of naughtinefs, and receive with meeknefs the .en- grafted word, which is able to fave your fouls. 21. Alto calf away all filthinefs out ofyour thoughts, affeftions, fpeech and pratice, and all excrementitious naughtinefs, (or that duper_ fluky which is but provifon for the flelis, to fatisue its lull) and with humble tra&able meeknefs, receive God's Word, nut only opi- nionatively, but as the Graff is taken into the Tree, or your Food, when it is digefted into Blood and Flefh, thus made an innaturaliz'd Word ; and fo rceeiv'd and. digefted, it will Pave your Souls. 22. Eut be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your ownSelves. - e2. But to thick that bear hearing the 'Word will lave you, is but felf- deceit : There mutt be inward-prat-liceby meditation, andoutward praáke in true obedience. 23. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glafs: 24.. For he beholdeth himfelf and gceth his way, and llraightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. - 20, 24. An unprofitable cullonsofbare hea- ring, and not-doing, is but 'like a man's look- ing his face in a giaf', whofo goeth away, and minds it no more, or forgen it, which neither feedeth nor clortheth him, nor cureth his difèa- fes; fuck are their cuftomary, dull Specula- tots. 2 fi. But whofo looketh into the per- feCt law of liberty, and continueth therein, he beingnot a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man fhal beblefled in his deed. 93. But"he that well confidereth the Cove: nant ofGrace, or the Gofpei, which is Chrift's Lawof Liberty, or Liberation, givingus del;. veranee front the Jewillt Law, and from Sin, and Guilt, andWrath, andDeath; and dwel- leth in the ftudyy of it, till it turn to .a fpiritual life digefted and ingraffed in him, and is not a O o 4 far-
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