94 The firfl Sign PART III. parent by viewing the whole Context. Again, Rom. 8. 6. re be car- nally minded is Death But to be fpiritually minded is Life and Peace. The Apoftle explains what he means by being carnally and fpiritually minded, in what follows in the 9th Verfe, and Thews that by being fpritually minded, he means a having the Indwelling and holy Influ- ences of the Spirit of God in the Heart. But ye are not in the Flefh, but in the Spirit, iffo be the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now ifany Man have not the Spirit of Chrift, he is none ofhis. The fame is evi- dent by all the Context. But Time would fail to produce all the Evidence there is of this, in the New-Teftamen. And it muff be here obferved, that altho' it is with Relation to tho Spirit of God and his Influences, that Perfons and Things are called fpiritual ; yet not all thofe Perfons who are fuhjea to any Kind of Influence of the Spirit of God, are ordinarily called fpiritual in the New- Teftament. They who have only the common Influences of God's Spirit, are not fo called, in the Places cited above, but only thofe, who have the fpecial, gracious and Paving Influences of God's Spirit : As is evident, becaufe it has been already proved, that by fpiritual Men is meant godly Men, in Oppofition to natural, carnal and unfanaify'd Men. And it is molt plain, that the Apoftle by fpi- ritually minded, Rom. 8. 6. means gracioufly minded. And tho' the extraordinary Gifts of theSpirit, which natural Men might have, are fometimes called fpiritual, becaufe they are from the Spirit ; yet na- tural Men, whatever Gifts of the Spirit they had, were not, in the ufual Language of the New-Teftament, called fpiritual Perfons. For it was not by Men's having the Gifts of the Spirit, but by their having the Vertues of the Spirit, that they were called fpiritual.; as is appa- rent, by Gal. 6. i. Brethren, ifany Man be overtaken in a Fault, ye which are fpiritual morefuch an one in the Spirit of Meeknefs. Meek- nefs is one of thofe Vertue which the Apoftle had juft fpoken of, in the Verfes next preceedir. ,, fhewing what are the Fruits of the Spirit. Thofe Qualifications are faid to be fpiritual in the Language of the New-Teftament, which are truly gracious and holy, and peculiar to the Saints. Thus when we read of fpiritual Wifdom and Underftanding ( as in Col. i. 9. We defire that ye may be filled with the Knowledge of his Chill, in all Wifdom and fpiritual Underftanding. ) Hereby is intend- ed that Wifdom which is gracious, and from the fanaifying Influ- ences of the Spirit of God. For doubtlefs, by fpiritual Wifdom, is *leant that which is oppofite to what. the Scripture calls natural Wif dóm ; 'as' the fpiritual Man is oppofed to . the natural Man. And therefore fpiritual- Wifdom is doubtlefs the fame with that Wifdom which is from above, that the Apoftle James fpeaks of, Jam. 3. 17. The Wifdom that is from above, isAll pure, then peaceable, gentle, &c. for this theApoftle oppofes to. natural. Wifdom, Ver. 15. nil' Wifdom
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