Chap.12:. and the Covenant ofGrace. 73 luke -warme or cold in the faith ; es touching the righteouf e ffe that H of the Law blamele fr therefore of a converfation exac`lr ; walk up to his principles : After converfion, he knew nothing by 'him. felf, r Cor. 4.4. His heart condemned him not Fie exercifed him felf continually to have a confeience void of of e 'ice , both to God and man, Ads 24. 16. Yet he durft reff in none of thefe, lam not (faith he) hereby jnflifted, x Cor. 4. 4. What things were gain to me, thole I counted loffe for Chrifi ; y ea doubtle ffe, and I count all things but lo ire f for the excellency of the knowledge of Çh,,rill 7e fig my Lord; for whom I have fuffered the Joffe of all things , and do count them but dung that 1 may win Chrifl , and be found in him, not having my own righteoufneffe, which i1 of the Lan); but that which ás through faith of the righteoufne ffe Which is of God by faith, í Philip. 3.7, 8, 9. The ignorance of this, was the bane of the body of the Jewifh Nation. The Gentiles which followed not after righteoufne ffe, have attained to righteoufne ffe, even, the r ghteouf_ -, neffe which ï1 of faith. But Ifrael Which followed after the LaW of rightecufnefj"e, hath` not attained to the Lazy of righteoufneffe; wherefore ? becaufe they fought it not by faith , but as it were by the works of the Law, Rom. 9. 30, 31, 32. For they being ignorant of Godsrighteoufne ffe , and going about to effabl:Jh their own righteouf- Kelp , have not fubmitted themfelves unto the righteoufne f fe of God, IRom. to. 3. And ítill it is the undoing of a great part of the world ; man being naturally inclined to look after a righteouf- neffe of his own, and extreamely oppofite to this rigbteoufneffe, which in the Covenant of Grace is tendered ; and by which in a Gofpel -way he muff be faved. The righteoufneffe of the former Covenant, was wrote in the heart by nature; and fuch remain- ders left, that man that mindes any righteoufneffe , alone looks after it. But this is only of Revelation he muff have light without him to lead to this righteoufneffe, which is not his own nor inherent in him : What naturally he did not know , he is naturally ready to oppofe and refufe, Men know not how, till they be taught of God to fee a reafon of it or to un- derffand that it is of any ufe. A man may be wife with an- other mans wit , ftrong with another mans ftrength , learn - ed by another mans knowledge, as well as righteous(as they conceived) by another mans righteoufneffe : hence are the fcornes that are put upon it, and the Treatifes that are wrote L a aìnft
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=