Clarke - BV4500_C46_1659_v1

chap. I i aboutform e of the iintinonlianErrourr. (i. e. otherwife, or after another manner of way then the Spirit taught them) but as the anointing teacheth you al/ things, and is truth. For if Minifters arc to preach in demonPration of the Spirit, then they that hear them, and are taughr by them , need noman to reach them otherwife, then as the fame fpirit in the farne demonflration teacheth them all things. As therefore the Spirit leads us to theWord, fo the Word leads us to the Spirit, but never to a fpirit without or beyond the Word, whereby the outward adminifiration in the Word, or letter fhould ceafe,, when the inward adminifiration of Chrif} in the Spirit comes. ob. 3Y.: arenot to be led orguided by any outward commands in our obedience unto God, becaufe God is to work.allour works far us, andwe are not to live, but Chrifi is to live in au ? Anfv.' Its vain to think that we are not to look at any Proniifes, becaufe Chrif} is toaccompüfh all Promifes for us : If the queftion therefore be, by what we are to live ? the Apoftlesanfwer isfull, Gal. z, 59, 20. Weare ro live by thefaith of the Son of God : But if the queftion be, According to what rule arewe to live ; the anfwer is given by David, Tjtl. fig. 4, 5. Thou haft commanded us re k ep tíy Prte_pts diligently, &c. So v. 57. 77. If any de- mand what is the rule of faith by which we-live ? iInfs. The Gofpel, Thil. 3. 16. But ifyoudemand, what is the rule of life it felf? Anfw. The Moral Law, and of this is ch. controverfie. ob. but we are neither fubjeft to the Law, nor to 17n: Betaufe all things both good and evil coa;e from Gods VVi/t, andall thing., that are done are wrought by him, amid that he Both is good, and thereforeall fnful ahlions are good, be- caufe he works the ? Anfv. The commanding, Will of God, called Voluntas mandati, is tobe our Rule, and not the working Will of God, called Voluntas decreti ; For we cannot fin by fulfillingthe one, but we may fin in fulfilling theother : Gods fe- crer, andworking Will was fulfilled when fofephs brethren fold him into lî_ gypt, and when theBabylonians afliicled Ifrael feventy years, and when the ewes caufed Chtifi robe crucified, yet in all thefe they finned, and provoked God againft them, Bits 4. 28. Gods Will is his own rule to work by, not ours : and therefore Samuelconvinced Saul, when he fpared Agag, that his difobedientee againti Gods command, was rebellion, and as thefin ofwitchcraft, though therein he fulfilled the decree of God, I Sam. I .z3 Fourthly, a fourth Argument to prove that the Law is our tule, is this : If the love of Chrif} is to lead us, then the commands of Chrif} (wherein he dif- covets one chief part of his love) are toguide us, and tobe a rule oflife to us; He that believes that a Chtifiian under the rule of the Law , is under bondage may juftly be£card that himfelfis Pull under the bondageoffin, and Saran , and never knew what the true love ofChrif} is : For it's a great part ofthe love of Chrif} tocommand us to do any thingfor him. A poor humbled Prodigal will account it great love tobe made an hired fervant, Object. The Law indeed requires doing but not the Goilpell, and there- fore Believers that are under the Gofpel are under no Law ofdoing ? Anfw. As the Gofpel requires no doing that therebywe may be juft , foit re- quires doing alfowhen byChritl Jefuswe aremade jut(: For itcommands us to be holy as God u holy , s Pet. t.l S. andperfeít Ai our heavenly Father is perfeiil , Mat. S. 48. The Law and Gofpel require the fame perfection of holineflè onelyhere is the difference,theLaw requires it that therebywe may be made jufi, and therefore accepts ofnothing but perfeCtion:but theGofpel requires it,becaufe weare alreadyperfeAly raft in Chrifi : Hence though it commandsas much as theLaw, yet it acceptsof lefíe,'eventhe 'earl meafureoffincerity, though mixed with the greateft meafure ofimperfebtion. N. 2 Object Iv.

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