PART 3 22 The twelfth Sign III. whether they were fincerely'Godly or not, with fuch emphatical Ex- prefions as thefe; The Man that has fuch a Qualification or Mark, That is the ,sedan that is a true Saint, that is the veryMan,by thisyou may know, this is the Thing by which it is manif who are Saints and who are Sinners, fuch Alen as thefe are Saints indeed ; Should not we look upon it as a Thing beyond Doubt, that this was given as a fpecial, and eminently diftinguifhing Note of true Godlinefs :? But this is the very Cafe; with Refpc& to the Sign of Grace I àm fpeaking of; God has again and again utter'd himfelf in his Word in this -very Manner, concerning chriflian Practice ; as John 14. He that bath my' Com- mandments and keepeth them, HE IT IS THAT Lo v ETH ME. This Chrift in thisPlace gives to the Difciples, not fo much to guide 'em in judging of others, but to apply to themfelves for their on Com- fort after his:Departure, as appears by every Word of the Context. And by the Way I would obterve, that not only the Emphafis with whichChrifl utters himfelf is remarkable, but alto his fo much infiffing on, and repeating the Matter, as he does in the Context ; Ver. 15. If ye love me, keep my Commandments.' Ver. 23. ' If a Man love me, he will keep my Words.' And Ver. 24. ' He that lov- eth me not, keepeth not my Sayings.' And in the next Chapter o- ver and over ; Ver. 2. ' Every Branch in me that beareth not Fruit, he taketh away ; and every Branch that beareth Fruit, he purgeth.' Ver. 8. ' Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much Fruit, fo fhall ye be my Difciples.' Ver. 1¢. ' Ye are my Friends, if ye do whatfover I command you.' We have this Mark laid down with the fame Emphafis again John 8. -3I. ' If ye continue in my Word, THEN are ye my Difciples I.N-DEED.' Find again, I John 2. ' HEREBY we do know that we know him, if we keep his Commandments.' And Ver.5. 'WVhofo keep6E hisWord, IN HIM VERILY is theLove of God perfected ; 'HEREBY know we that we are in him. And Chap. 3. 18, 19. ' Let us love in Deed and in Truth, HEREBY we know that we are of the Truth.' What is tranflated hereby, would have been a little more -erphatical, if it had been render'd more literally from the Original, BY THIS we do know-- . And how evidently is holy Practice fpoken of as the grand Note of D;flinction between the Children of God and the Children of the Devil, in Ver. io. of the fame Chapter ? ' IN THIS the Children of God are manifef}, and the Children of the Devil.' Speaking of a holy, and a wicked Practice, as may be Teen in all the Context : as Ver. 3. 'Every Man that hath this Hope in him, purifi eth himfelf, even as he is pure.' Ver. 6, 7, 8, 9, Io. ' Whofo- ever abideth in him finneth not ; whofoever finneth bath not Peen him nor known him. Little.Children, let no Man deceive you ; he that loth Righteaufnefs is righteous, even as he is righteous; he tharcom- Initteth Sin is of the Devil,- --Whofoever is born of God finneth not. ----Whofoever
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