Ch:4z. about theconflit,or combate between theflefh,andSpirit Thirdly; He cannot walk in the way of finners, but propounds to him- felfe CO ferve the Lord in holineffe, and ghteoufnefiè all his dayes ; and though fometimes he flips; and falls, yet the Spirit of God that dwells in him, corrvinceth him of his fins, and airs him, up to rife again, and to turn to the right way by renewing his repentance. And on the contrary, by reafon of this conflict, the regenerate man can- notdo thegood he would; and defirerh, Cfal. 5..17. 'Róm.7.1.5, 18. For when he would run his Chriflian race, fin encompáflèth, and preffeth him down, Hb. i z. I. and makes him either fit (hill, or move flowly: Hence it is that our belt obedience. is fo imperfeól, that were it not covered with Chrifls per- fed obedience; and our pollutions wafhed in his blood , 'we could never be accepted with God. The confideration whereof fhould move us to work our our falvaeion w.ich fear , and .trembling, i Cor.10. i a.. Phil. 2. 1 z. To keep a narrowwatch over our hearts, Prot,. I.. 33. Heb. 3. r 3. It fhould make us CO complain with Paul, Rom. 7. 2,3. and CO pray fervently for Gods allìflance, Prov.4.z3. ;kb.' 2.13. Quell, Bor feeing that in thecarnal man. there is a fight, er skirmifh, which hashfome appearanceofthefpiritreal conflia`i, howfhall we be able.to di1tinguifhb.- twiat=ttlena? Anf iv. They differ in many things : as Firtt, Ii1 their ground,and caufe from whencealley arife : For the fpirï.tual con- flialsarifeth.from the grace ofreeneration, and fan4`lification , whereby Gods gifts, and gracesbeing infufed into all our po,vers, and faculties , they make war againil our carnall corruptions; and flefhly hurts : But the confli,{,t which is in she unregenerate, arifes from the reli&s of Gods image defaced in us, oppafing ithe Image of Satan, and our flethly corruption. For the minde retains fome fmall the light of knowledge , which may be improved by ftudying the book ' ofthe creatures,hut much more by fludying thebook of Gods Word,whereby the mindeofa meer carnal! man may befa inlightned as tobe able to diflinguifh-be- tween good and'evill,truth, anderror, right and, wrong: andhereby the confci- ence alfobeingdireaed , it retains.a power toexcufe whenwe do well , and to accuf, terrifie, and condemn whenwe do evill, Rom. z.15. Thewill likcwifc re- tains a kind offreedom, notonly about things materially evill, but fuch alfo as arenatural,civill,and meerly morall,thoughherein alto it be very weak,& corrupt, and defe&ive : and thefe reliescommon to all, arein,fóinc, railed much higher by the commongifts ofthe firit , and civil( graces which are conferred more largely upon !same then uponothers; But therebeing mingled in all thefe facul- ties, abundanceofcorruptions allo, and many of then in the fpeciallkinds , one contraryto another, hence arifeth this war between,them_: Like thieves, who all agree together,to rob a trueman,butfall out among themfelves, when they come to divide the foil. Thus she underftanding enligbtned by nature ,ór, common grace, (liifcerns in particular actions what isgood, and to be chofen, and what is evill, and tobe fhunned, informs the confcience accordingly,and leaveth it to its cenfure, and determination either to approve for doinggood, or to condemn for doing evil, upon which cenfures fometimes the will is incited to embrace that which the confeience allows, and refute that 1ylaich it con- demneth , but other fometimes being tranfported with, its owne finfull corruption, and overfwayedwith rk violenceof the inferiour will , car- nail appetite , andunruly patfions it hearkens unto then), and flops the ears to reafon, and Confcience : So we fee inLaban, though reafon and confcience told him that he ought ro ufe 9areb well, and to reward him richly for his fervìce, becaufè for his Ake the Lordhad bled all that he had, yet his will be- ing corrupted, andhis afghanswholly carried awaywiththe love of the world, he changedhis wages ten times. So Pharaoh in his dealing with 'frae!, Exod. 9. 27. 407 I.
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