174 The Trial ofa faving Perfonal Jmy performed, not out of love to God and holinefs but out of love to themfelves. Believers are acted by __ tJ:e Spirit of adoption, fuitable to their e1late ofadop– tzon, under the covenant·of grace, ver.26. God istheir Father; and tpey ferve him as .fons, not as jlaves, Mal. , iii. 17~ ChriH is their elder brother, who loved them, and. gave himfclf f9rrhem; and his love confrrains thtm, 2 Cor .v . 14. The holy Spirit dwells in them; hath,quick-. ned them, renewed them; making them partakers efthe Divine nature, 2 Pet. i. 4· So fin is avoided as contra'ry to their new natme, duty purfued as a- _greeable to it. ,Their faith of the love of God in ChriLl: hath begotten in 'them loye to .God again, for a new principle of obcdiense, 1 Tim. i. 5· By fi1i,th they trufr on Chrifr, and on him alone for life and fal– vation : apd this at once undermines in thim the fla– vifh fear of hell, and the fervile hope of heave'n; fo · that thefe are fo far from oeing their only motives to obedience, that they cannot be their predominate mo– t1ves; nay they cannot be at all in them, but as ene· mies to their faith and love, 2 Tim. i. 7. 1 John iv. 18. ' Yet withal, it is to be remembred 1 that it is not flavifh forfaintstofearGod'sfatherJy anger, and there– by. be fiir'd up to duty, Pfalm cxix. 120. Heb. xi. 7. Nor to hold the way to duty, in hope of the enjoy– ment ofGod in that way, and the tokens. of his fa– voar, John xiv. 21. and in the end perfeCt happinefs iq heaven; all through Jefus .Chrifi alone, I Cor. xv. 58. Our need of thele things f9r incitements to duty, do indeed argue our childifh fiate, for there; will be 110 nee.d of thefe fears and hopes in heaven ; but byno rrteans a flaviih frate. Neither is it · at all flavifu, to have tl1e heart filled with a· reverential fear and dread v--.. ·ofGod upon the confideration of his tremenduous jufiice; and wr.1th in hell, againfr the miferableobjecrs thereof; and to be fiir'd up to duty thereby, Mat. . x. 28. Heb. xii. 28, 29. To look thereunto, and move away towards God ip the way of duty, with .fear · - and
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