320 The twelfth Sign PART III. be fufficient to Phew to any one, that this is ten times more infiffed on as a Note of true Piety, throughout the Scripture, from the Beginning of Genefis to the End of Revelations, than any Thing elle. And in the newTeftament, where Chrift and his Apoftles do exprefly, and of declared Purpofe, lay down Signs of true Godlinefs, this is almoft wholly infiffed on. It may he obferved, that Chriff and his Apoftles do not only often fay thofe Things, in their Difcourfing on the great Doctrines ofReligion,which do Phew what theature of trueGodbnefs muff be, or from whence the Nature and Signs of it may be inferr'd by juft Confequence, and often occafionally mention many Things which do appertain to Godlinefs ; but they do alto often, of fet Pur- pofe, give Signs and Marks for the Trial of Profeffors, putting them upon trying themfelves by the Signs they give, introducing what they fay with fuch like Expreflions as thefe' ; By this you 'hall know that you know God ; By this are maniffi the Children of Godand the Children of the Devil ; He that bath this, builds on agood Foundation; He that bath it not, builds on the Sand ; Hereby we'hall'ajTure ourHearts ; He is the Alan that laveth Chrift, &c. But I can find no Place, where either Chrift or his Apoftles do in this Manner give Signs of Godlinefs, (tho' the Places are many) but where chriftian Practice is almoff the only Thing infifted on. Indeed in many of thefe Places, Love to the Bre- thren is fpoken of as a Sign of Godlinefs ; and (as I have obferved be- fore) there is no one vertuous Affection or Difpofition fo often ex- pray fpoken of as a Sign of true Grace, as our having Love one to another : But then the Scriptures explain themfelves to intend chiefly this Love as exercis'd and exprefs'd in Practice, or in Deeds of Love. So does the Apoftie 7obn (who above all others infiffs on Love to the Brethren as a Sign of Godlinefs) moft exprefly explain himfeif, in that 1 John 3. id., &c ; ' We know that we have paffed fromDeath to Life, becaufe we love the Brethren. He that loveth not his Brother abideth in Death. Whofo hath this World's Good, and feeth his Brother have Need, and fhutteth up his Bowels of Compaffion from him, how dwelleth the Love ofGod in him ? My little Children, let us love, not inWord, neither in Tongue, but in Deed (i. e. in Deeds of Love) and in Truth, and hereby we know that we are oftheTruth, and shall affure our Hearts before him.' So that when the Scripture fo much infifts onour Loving one another, as a greatSign ofGodlinefs, we are not thereby to underftand the immanent Workings of Affec- tionwhich Men feel one to another, fo much as the Soul's practifing all the Duties of. the Second Table of the Law ; all which the new Teftament tells us again and again, a true Love one to another com- prehends ; Ram. 13. 8, and io. Gal. 5. 14. Matth. 22. 39, 4o. So that really, there is no Place in the new Teftament, where the declared Defign is to give Signs of Godlinefs, but that holy Prac- tice, and keeping Chrift's Commandments, is the Mark chofen out from
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=