398 Chap. 2,8. An Expofition upon the Bookof J o n. VerI.2 3. forth good fruir, and fo to be con-pleat in all the will of God. All Eile negative cot tnandements of God include their affi ma- tives, ''When God faith (Exod. to. 2.) Thom fhalt haw no other Gods before me, he (aiaì, thou (halt have me for thy God, thou (halt lose me, and fear m r , and truíf upon me. And when God faith, Thou[halt not make to thyPelf any graven image ; that is, thou (halt nor ure any derifed worthip; he faith, thou (halt war- flip we according t omy own appointments. As we muff depart from al ill worfhip, fo we muff apply our reIves to God in that worfhip, which is according to his will. When God faith,Thoa (halt not (¿ill ; Than Jb tit not commit adultery ; Than (halt not flea!; Thou fhalt not bear falfe with fi ; thou [halt not covet ; a departure from all thete evils is not the keeping of there lawes,unlefs we per- form the contrary ac`ls of love and duty to our neighbours, with refpe& to the fafety of the it lives, the purity of their perlons, the profperiry of their elate, and the prefe,vation of their credit. For though not to do evil is todo good, becaufe we are forbid- den to do it ; yet there is a good which we are commanded to do, betides the not doing of evil forbidden ; and that departure from evil workes which is our undertlanding, is alwayes attended and fruited with thofe good workes. Thirdly, It may be queflioned , How it is oar underflanding to depart from evil ? I anfwer ;Fitt}, it is Co formally ; that is, the thing it felf is an ate of undertianding. Every rational at is an a& of the under- flanding, much more every fpiritual a&. Though grace be above nature, yet it is an a& in nature, and exerts or puts forth it fell, fometimes in the will, fometimes in the affe&ions, fometimes in the memory, fometimes in the confcience, and alwayes in the un- derflanding..The peaceofCogpap') all underflanding (Phil.4, 7. ) that is, our underflanding is coo narrow to compafs it, or to con- ceive what it is ; and the grace of God pattech through our underUanding, that is, whatfoever we do gracìoufly, we do it un- derflandingly, or in the light of our underflanding. Secondly, To depart from evil is underftanding, evidentially, or declaratively ; char is, he declareth himfelf to be an under- ¡landing man who departeth from evil. Nor know I how a man can give a fairer proof of his unde rfianding then this, and that tWe bet} undertlanding, of fpirituai underllanding. For as it was !hared
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