Ephe/ians,Chap. I. V B It.3. itdothmake him bothgladand thankfull, Romans 1.8.1 Corinth. r.4 ROMANS 6.17. The Vfe ofwhichconfideration,isto let us fee what kindofcreatures we are:Ifwe be rifenwith Chrift,we will affeá thingsfpirituall;forgive- neffeof (inne, the gift of faith, fanûification, and fuch like; fo as tobe thankfull for them,joyfull of them:yea,ifwe have any fellow-feeling,as members knit together in the famebad y,we (hall not be able to fee thefe benefits in any,but they will move us tobe thankful!. Obferve thirdly;In regard ofGod,what kinde ofbenefits hedoth give his children;to wir,fuchasare fpiriruall;everything in nature dothcom- municate with that which is begotten ofit, fuch a like nature as it felfe retaineth : Thus it is alto with civil! men, for they leave their children Gold and Silver, Houfe and Land, and fuch likeother goodcivil! bene- fits :Thus our heavenly father,he is a fpirit, hc,erge, maketh us partakers ofa divine nature, who are his children, and bleffeth us with fpirituail bleffings. Now ableffing is fpiritualin two regards. s.In refpectofthe nature,whé it is a thing wrought,not by anypower ofnature,or meanesnaturall;but by thevertue ofGods fpirit, and meanes fupernaturall, fuch as is Gods word. z. Thingsare then in fome fort fpirituail, when though for their Effence and being, they exceedenot nature, yet they aredirected by a fupernaturall providence, to worke unto an end above nature, evento bringus unto happineffe with God,fuch as is fpirituall and fupernaturall. Now God doth thus give hischildren manybleffings fpirituall, for na- ture; and doth fo guide all things, health, wealth, fickneffe, poverty, thattheyworke togetherunto the fpirituall and fupernaturáil falvation ofthofe who arehis.Ifthenone fhould object, and fay,Why, thegodly have thebenefits ofthis life, naturali and civil!, as well as thofe belong- ingto another, ergo, are not b!efi'edonely with fpirituall bleffings. Ian- rwer.That even thefe benefits are in fome fort fpirituall, while by Gods providence they are elevated and guided to a higher end then is the fer- vice ofthis life onely.Hence wemaymake a rule,whereby we may know whether we be Gods true children,whether we have the childrenblef- fing.Let us enter into our felves,and looke ifwefind thefe fpirituall blef- fings, then we may fecureour felves, that we are the Lords : Thefe are all of them appurtenances to the matter of inheritances. Now we know,though Parentsgive Legacies tomany ufes,to many perfons,who are no kinneto them, yet they conveigh the matterof inheritance onely to children ; So doth our God give many bleffings to men devoid of grace, to caft-awaies; but thefe fpiriruall bleffings offound faith,repen- tance,&c.which ferve to enter us intothe inheritanceof that everiafting kingdome, he beftoweth thefe on none but children. Let not men deceive themfelves, becaufe they have thefe outward things: Efts' got the bleffing, which the dewof heaven, and the fatneffe of the earth might yeeld him : Wuhan, gave gifts to the children ofhis Concubines, though not /flak, bleffing. Thou canft not know thy felfe bleffedofGod, byoutward things, unitlfe thou findeft them to
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