so8 The Nature afld Necej]ity of Regeneration: iength of time, or from the rage and malice. of Men or Devils. And !ill~ ~ath again wrote his Law upOn the Heait ·of f\{an in his new Creation and rh is CoPY is Eternally durable, but yet it is but as a writing upon linking and leaky Paper \vhich in this Life is very obfcure and full of blots. Now this writing of the La~ upon our Hearts i? a figurative Expre(ijon, and denotes nothing clfe but an Inclimtion joined with fome ability to fulfil the Commands of God contained in his Word :t ConformitYbetwixt the Commands of the Law and the Affections of the Heart' that wi1alever the Law enjoined, · the Heart alfo defired a,nd delights in. Thus Da~ vid explains i~ ,. Pfal. 40. 8. I delight to do thy will, 0 God, thy faro U within my heart. So that the :Heart of a Regenerate Perfon anfwers to every tittlc in the Law with fi nccre defires a.t-lcaft to P.erform it. And :is betwixt an Indenture and the CormterP._anc of i t, there is an exact Correfpondency word .t'or word; fuch an exact Corre:. fpondency i.s there betwixt the Law'ofGor:l and the H;eart, whatever the Law commands, the Heart r:adily embraceth, and endeavours to fulfil. This Harmony is cx prcrfeQ. by David·m P(al. 27. 8. When thou faidf!_, frek my face, my heart [aid, thy face, Lgrd, wiU I kek. . This is to have the Law of God written on the Heart, which is the proper wOrk of Regeneration. obtdimrJ Let us now therefore try whether our Conformity and Obedience to the Law and 1\v~foid, Will ofGod written in his \ :Vord, be fuch as may give us good ground to hope that Z.rfi{,:;r his Law i~ alfo written in our Hearts in our Regeneration. •~~r;,~ ' There is therefore a Twofold Obedience to God's Commandments;· firfr, Perfo£1; cm. . fecond ly, lmperfe8, but yet Sincere. Per!t fi 0 · Firft, There M a prr{r8 Obedience, {uch 41 carries in it an abjoiMtl Perfeilion both of ~:~:~\ Part~ and Dcgr~es. To make u~ this t~o things are required. Jl c,.. for Ftrft, 71uu tt be fuch an Obedtence IU u ftretched forth to the lltmoft. latitude of all GoJ's "it] to th~ Omzmands, fuch MU fuliycommmfurate to the fulleftboJUJds uf Dllty, foas to leave nothing u~mcft la- undanc that the Larv requires. 11111dej S~condly, That it be fuch an Obedience JU is wuund ,up to tht great eft intenfenefs offpiri- ~!:..0 s. tual Love and Delight in the performance of it, infom~~.ch M not t~_ltrmit in the leaft any c~tr 'IM11dt .and nal ends, any ftraglini thfughts, or any wavering and unftxed AJJeefiom At all {o much as to tr" D~<ty, breathe upon it. And thlS the Scripture calls a forving God with all our hearts, and minds, with the tmd {ouls , Deut. 10. I 2. This is Obedience that is abfolutely pcrfetl: and univerfal, ~;;;:;efs both in rcfpea: of the Obj:ct, and alfo in refpea of the Subject. Nmv here as to this of fpirittJazl JlJ:.l\1 lay down two Particulars. . Uve in Firft, That in the examining of our Regeneration we mttjf mt proceed by thU abfolute and tlu .pu·~..- per[c ft Obcdicnct, (o as to c.mclude we have tJO Grace, becat~~Jc we have fome remair;ing fin. ';"nut~ ObCdience tO God's Commandments is a fign of Regeneration, where it is not thus r e~.. confniT!.mate and blamelcfs; nay, indeed never any Man fince the fall did or can keep we mufl God's Commandments- i 1 this abfolute and perfea: manner, Chrifr only excepted: n~ttoncludt 'There is no mt!n that lives andJins nor, in I Kings 8. 46. It is true we are commanded in ..,e htMJe ~o Mat. )· 48. TIJ be perfeil, evm as our heavenly father M per[eff; but as foon may a clod Grau bt ofEJrth fhine as brigh t as the Sun, as we who have finful Natures ever attain to a ~:t fo:e finlefs ftate in this Life ; and yet fuch an excefs of Commands as thefe are, though mn11mmg they arc impoffible, yet arc they not unjuft, nor unufeful; they are not unjnft, be- (ul. caufe God commands nothing that is !imply in it felfimpoffible, but is equally proportioned to th.it llrength which he at firll gave us; and if we have wilfully loll our powerof.obcy ing, we have no reafon to complain of God as rigid and fevere becaufe he will not alfo lofc his Prerogative of commanding. Neither arc they nfelefs, bccaufe to command beyond what we are abJe to perform, proves a means to excite us to perform fo much at leaft as God will be plcafed to accept of, who always accepts of fincerity in the dcfires and endeavoms, where abfolute PerfeCtion is want11 u 2 : fi7,n ing and unattainable. If there be a 1viiling mind, fays the Apoflle, 2 Cor. S. 12. it ~s of~ w~1·k accepted tlcc;ording to what a Man bath, and not ~tccording to what he hat!' not. L<;t no~c t~f G•sm. therefore conclUde they have no Grace, becaufe tliey have many 1mperfeCl:IOns m wLm t heir Obedience. A weak Child is not therefore a Bafbrd, or Illegitimate; fo thy i th;u;h ~In' Grace m:ty be very weak and imperfeCt, and yet thou mayeft be truly Born again to ~eh';~. God, and be a genu ine Son and Heir ofHeaven. j t&, Jet Secondly, It is a good evidence of the work of Grace in our Obedimce, whm tho' our ObeJJ' t j lriv e dicnce be very imperfi.e£t, yet we reftlcjly afpire both in fervent Prayer, and in eameft Er.dell~ :{:: rz_ vours after t.he mojf abfol-ute Degree of PerfeYion : Both of thefc muft be co~ccrncd, for ,,c/frr,. Prayers Wlthout Endeavoun are but Jlyporr#iild; aJU1 .Eiideavours wlll ne~cr be 1,s,.J:_ wtthout
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=