Chap. 34 An Expofition upon the Book,of J o E. Verf. 37. text, not as a charge of natural! but feared rebellion againll God ; As if he had fayd, I fee the mans fpirit is fo entangled,that if he be not well andwifely dealt with, poffibly he may come to adde even rebelli,n unto his fn ; and whereas he finned before out of ignorance or imprudence,he may fhortly finout of contumacyand perverfenefs. Hence Note. Fira , There are fins of feverall degrees. Every man finneth, he that faith he hath no fir, or doth not fin, there is no truth in him (r Phn r. 8.) But everymans fin is nor rebellion,every man dothnor rife up to that height and degree of finning. If any shall enquire, when is a mans fin rebellion ? I an- fiver. Firfl, That mans fin grows tobe rebel(ion,whofe will is much in it. He that will fin rebells. The Apoflle Paul faith ( Rom: 7. 19. ) The evill which Iwould not, that I doe. This is the cafe of every godly man at his bell, he doth chore evills which he would not ; this is not rebellion, becaufe the will ofa godly man is chan- ged and turned off from fin ; he can fay, the evil( which I would not doe, that doe I. Rebellion is the doing of that evil! which we would. Secondly , In rebellion, or in rebellious a&s of fin , there is much of the underllanding as well as of the.will ; that is, a man feeth cleerely what he Both is fin, or that the rule is againil him ; to rebel! is to fin againfl the light. It is fayd in the 24th` Chap- ter of this booke, The wickedare of them that rebell aging the light ; that is, they cannot abide the light ; he means it there of the natural( light ; the adulterer and the thiefe cannot indure Sun or daylight : it is much more true of myflicall light, if he hath any light of knowledge, he refills and rebells againtl it. Its great rebellion to refill the receiving of light offered , but 'tis greater rebellion to refill light received ; fins againfi knowledge are re- bellious fins. Thirdly , A rebellious fin is a fin againfl reproofé, admonition and warning ; when we have been often told of fuch a fin,and ad- monished of fuch an evil! courfe , and yet we will goe on in it, here is rebellion ; fuclt a man bath not only light in his under- flanding, that what he doth is finfull , but this light hath been Rrrrr b:ought 857
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