. I.gtfoeattce of the Laws fpirituall exa@neflé. Faire Signs ofGràce. S a c ì. "y blood, andgadmightnot fiy untome iorny blend, live , as hedid to theChnrclg bet todie,and be damned : Wouldeft thou therefore no longer be tick of r is d; r getout furfet and fullneffe ? fludy more, and meditate mote of ori ;tiral' iorrupti. on, how univetfall and diffufive it is how contagious and intcélirñ of every thing that we do, fo that although wecould ¡peaksith the tongue ie ,{rgrl., and workwittr the hands of Angels, yet we being in our naturali eondit.on, all chat would be abominable : Withoutfaithit ie impofble to plea Cod, a,.J the treemutft begood beforeehe Posit; 7o thedefiled, all thing, are de Pd. t htrifore is ex,. terra!" righeeoufrreffe, moral!juftice, form all piety,as long as we >bi:+e it carat old bitter flockof nature ? Pray therefore, Lord giveme to undetfland wk,t I am by nature, make me to know how finfull and lothfosne it is, and let not this bea ge- neti1l,fptcuiative, barren knowledge, but let it be a dole, particular applicative, andpradicall knowledge, whereby the wholeheart may be let on fire, and pow- erfully wrought upon, even tobidall creatures, all comforts, all bafinetf;s hand aloof till thou be redeemed from this thraldome. a. Another caufe of this bold perfwafton is, An ignorance ofthefpiritetall ez- ailnejfeand obligation of the Law. 'It was the received opinion of than Jews, and lirePharifees they foexplained it,as appeareth,+-Mat.5. that the Lawcommand- ed only external'ads, and that we fatisfied it, if we did keep it in theoutward man. Therefore our Saviour teemed to bring newde Brine into the world, when he explained the Law of heart -fins, and (hewed that men might be adulterers,' murderets,t5&c. though they nevercommitted thofeexternal! ads. Thiswas fo pa- radoxall to the receiveddoctrine at that time, that men were amazed at it. Now howfoever (it may be) people will acknowledge thedoctrine true, yet in pre- dice they are as greffe and fecure as ever Jews and Pharifeeswere. Neither did they ever make their works a refuge, and a bulwark, more then people now adaies do. And nowonder, for 'Paul fo great a proficient in the knowledge of the Lawof God, yet conftffeth his great blindenellt and mifake herein, Rom. 7. infomuch that when he cometh to undedland how Ipirituall the law is, and howcarnan he is, he cryethout of himsfëlfas muttmiferable. TheLaw u 1JirituaN, faithPaul, that is, it reacheth to the (tones of the fpirir, it forbiddeth all inordinateinotions there, is prohibits all their fecret irregularities : fo that as God id thefather of {faits, thus the Law is theLaw of fpirits, and thoumardi become anhorrid rranfgreflour of this in thy heart when thy outward life feeruerh pore and innocent; TheLaw is comparedby ?amet to a glare ; now it's no woe.. der that a Mad never abhorreth the toulneffe of (pots and dirt upon hisface, as long as he looketh not in there. No man can bewail the ebliquiry and crooked- mileof his adiöns, that doth not diligently apply them to the f raightntff of the rule, Oh then fay, This juftice, this horsefly,thisfreedome from grofie finne is highly éfteemea amongmen : but what is. ittoGods kitty? how foul a teanlgref= fot'hall I be convinced tobe, if I compare my fell with thatrule I Hence there- fore arifeth all that felbrighteoulneffe, in that men do no more underhand how holy andeked that rule is by which they ought to walk. There is a world of unseen, and unknown ftlthinetfe in thee, and if thy eyes were opened tobehold it thou couldllno longer abide thy felf. But it is no wonder, that unregenerate men Who haVt rrtílife at elfin them, feel none of thefe diflempers, when the godly themflvesasappeareth,'Pfal.t9. cry out, Who LAX underhand bra errears, eleanfe usefromfecretfiat : By thatDavid implyeth,thac there is more corruption in his heart then he is awareof.lvluchunknown pride,hyp'ocrifie,earthlinefs dwels in theirhearts, and they perceive itnot. If therefore itbe that Withthe godly, that they are not able to undetfand how lothfomeand wretched they are, is it any wonder if men deadwholly in finne, feel not any burthen, though mountains lie Capon them ? Soon therefore wouldeft thoudepofe thole lofty imaginations, if fo be thou wouldefl on purpofe confider howexact the Law is, forbidding cheroot, as Well as thebranches of finne, 'making every inordinate motion, (thoufands of which
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