151 / 808
V
E
R.I;.
Ephefiauf,Ghap. t.
139
The
Vfe
of
it
is,to
flirre us up earneftly
to
defire
this
fincere milke
of
wo
,
the
Gofpell
:
Even
as
there goeth out naturali
fpirits
with the
milke
the
babe draweth
from
the mother
;
fo
the Lord doth
accompany this
word
of
his, which
the Church
miniftreth
as
milk,with
that
fupernatu-
rall
fpirit, which giveth quicknance
to
life
everlafting
:
Even
as
we
doe
renew
our feeding, to
repaire
the
decay
of
naturall fpirits
in
us
:
fo mutt
we never
be
weary
of
renewing and encreafiug
that
fupernaturall
life
and
fpirit which we have
received
from
Chrift.
If
thou
haft
the
fpirit,
heare
that thou
maift keepe it ;
if
thou wouldeft
have
it,and wanteft
it,
attend
on hearing,
remembring how the Eunuch received the fpirit,
Ads 8.
and
how while
Cornelius
and
his
friends heard
Peter
opening
the good word
of
falvation,the holy Ghoft did
fall
on
them,to
the won-
der
of
the beleeving
Jews,who
accompanied Peter.
And
here, before we
paffe
to the
generali Doctrine
,
note from
this, Dott
that
the Gofpell
is
called
the word
of
truth;
that
all
Gods
promifes
made
in
Calif},
are
true
and
faithfull
;
They
are Tea, and Amen.2
Cor
t.
They
are
true, and
worthy
all
entertainment,
t
Tim.
15.
The
whole word
is
true
:
For
like
as
the
witneffe is, like is
the
teftimony or
depofition
which commeth from him
:
Now
God
is
faithfull and cannot lye ;
but
this
is
attributed to the
Doctrine
of
the Gofpell,
as
agreeing
to it, with
a
certaine excellency
beforeother
parcels
ofthe
word
:
For
the Gofpell
is
fometime called
by generali
names,as
a
doctrine
of
godlineffe,a
Law,
a
Teftimony
;
Sometime
it
is
dcfcribed
by the
author,
the
Gofpell
of
God;
fometime from the
object, the Gofpell
afChrift, of
the
King
-
dome;
fometime from the property,as
an
eternall
Gofpell,a good word,
a
true word,
as
here
;
fometime from
effeets,as in
the next words,a Gof-
pell
of
falvation.
Now
it
is
teftified
to
be
a
word
of
truth,after
an
emi.
nent manner,for three
caufes.
Firft,
it
is
occupied
about
Chrift, who
`f
is
the truth
and Jubilance
of
all
the
fhadowes legal!,
which now
are
va-
nifhed.
Secondly,the truth
of
this
word
is
further
confirmed
to
us
then
the truth
of
any
other, by word,
by oath,by the teftimony
of
the
great
Apoftle
Chrift
Jefus,
by
a
Jury
of
folemne witneffes, chof
en
for
this
purpofe,by
a
multitude
of
miracles.Thirdiy
; this
property
is
the
rather
annexed
to
this DoEtrine
of
the Gofpell,that
thus our unbeleefe
might
be holpen;for our mind
is
corrupted with errour,prone
to
any unbeleef,
but hard to beleeve thefe points
fo
high above
the
naturall reach and
apprehenlion
of
it.
Now
as
a
Phyfitian doth
fay
of
his
medicine, that it
is
excellent,not
that
it needeth
commendations, bur.that
he
may induce
his
Patient
thebetter to
take
it;So
God
and his Embaffadours doe teftifie
of
thefe things,
that they
are
true,
that
we might
thus be
brought to
yeeld them beleefe.
But it may
be
objected, that
word which biddeth
many repro-
bates
beleevethe
forgiveneffc
of
their
fines,
and life everlafting,
that
is
not
a
word
of
truth
;
but the Gofpelldoth
fo.
The
reafon
of
the for-
mer propofition is,becaufe
that which biddeth
me beleeve
a
lye,
cannot
be
true
;
but tobid
a
reprobate
beleeve his finnesare forgiven, is
to
bid
him beleeve
a
lye.
The
fumme put
together, commeth to
this
,That
word