without Prayers, or at leaft they will never be fbccefsful. , I/ we pray with unfeigned defires that God's \:V ill may be done by us.on Eart~ With the fame fixednefs, delight, conftancy, and perfcverance, as it is done by the Saints and Ange!J in Heaven, if we n:ft not in our prefent atta inments, and fit down contented with what we have already, thinking th.at fufficient to ~efray Our. ~ha~ge~, and to,bring us. fafc toH~ivcn at !all', if we thmk we hlVe attained nofhmg, whtle there IS any thmg defeCl:n•e in us if we ftrain every Sinew, and bend every Faculty of our. Sou ls, prcillng forward' to the Mark for the Prize of our high .calling, and with a holy impatience breathe after farther meafhres of Grace, frill ftrengthning our felves againft Lufts and Temptations, and !hiving after the fpiritual performance of Duties : While we thus endeavour and fl::rive, it may be a good ~Vidence to us of our fincerity; and in God's acconnt fincerity palfeth for perfection. Tlu,ts . m~1ch concerning the .firl1 fort of Obedience which is abfolute_ly perfect; it is_r.ot att:li.nablc by ~~rill:ians in this Life , and therefore the want of tt fhould not deJea us wtth a fufp1c1encr of the want ofGrace; yet muft we pray for it, and aim at it, and if we do fo, it may be a good evidence of Sincerity, which is Evangelical PerfeCtion. . Secondly, As f or that D_bui.ience that U attainable in thU,Life.in imperfeCt mca.(ures and 1. Jegrees, it becomed an evidence to us of our Regeneration m thefe followmg Par~ l>~~p,jt!1 ticulars. f!lmlirnu • Firft, IVhm it i~ Vniver(dl in refpeEf of .the fobjeEf; that U, there muft be an obedient ~r:~-: ~1 fri!mt and rtElitude of the lVIJOie Man, both tn.ward and outward. . 1 • Firft, Siucert and evidencing Obedjmct muft b~ internal of the i11'J'Pard Man, fuch as may Whm !·1 ; 1 regulate the Heart and Conf~i~ncc it folf. The Law .is fpirirual, fays the Apoftlc, and ~i'IJtr) .. l rcacheth the Saul and Sp1nt of a Man; ·and hence,. f:tys St. Paul, I dcli~ht in rhc'"rtfptf!•f law ofGod 4w· the .inward Man . There is a fpiritual force in the Law qfGod, that thtjub;ea. in a true Regenerate Soul checks all finful thoughts, and quenches and damps the L l" . flames of fcnft1al Affi:Cl:ions and Defires; it judgeth thofe fecrct and retired moti~ ::~~:" ~1~: : ons of the Soul, .over which humane L1ws have no Command or Prerogative. Now examine your felvcs by this: Do the Commands ofGod pierce and infinuate into your inward Man: Do they conform that to Obedience? Dare you not chcrifh thofe fins in your Souls that poffibly you dare not commit in your PraCtices? Do you not dandle them in your Thoughts, and hover and flutter over them in your Affetti.. ons? Arc you not content with a fair and plaufible appearance towards Man ? But do you labour alfo to approve your Hearts unto God, and to bring every Thought unto Obed ience to Jcfus Chrift? This internal Obedience is a good evidence of the truth of that Grace which always begins with the Heart, and from thence infl.uenc.. cth the Life. · Secondl y, Sincere Obedimct muff be external. I t is a vain ?lea to pretend, as many r 11 the flit· ignorant Peopl e do, that their Hearts are good, when their Lives abound with un~ -;:;,ard Man1 . gOdly Practices? The Life is the Index of the Heart; and as the Hand of a Di.tl never goes amifs but the fu.nlt is in the Wheels that moves it; fo the Life would ·ne~ ver be diCrmlerly, hut the fault lies in the He:irt and in the Affections that arc the Wheels and Springs that move it. An evil Man, faith our Saviour, out of the evil treafure ofhiJ-heart·bringeth fortiJ evil thinss· True Grace feafoneth the whole Man, and makes a thorough change both in the mward Difpolition, and alfo in the outward Deportment: As it makes the Thoughts holy, fo it alfo makes the Difcourfcs fa ~ voury, and the Affect-ions and Converfation heavenly; both muft be conjoined in a Regenerate Perfon ; for in the tendering unto God only an exterll.ll conformity of the Life~ when the Heart is required, is but only to mock God, and to think that 1-ye pleafe God with good AffeCHons, when we take no care ofour Lives and PraCHccs, is but to mock our fdves. · Now try your felves by this; Is your whole Man, both Soul and Body, formed to the Will of God? Do you ferve him with your ~nward, and with your outward Ma11? Chrill: calls his Law a Yoke, and certainly it is a Yoke wherein both muft be coupled: Do you dcfire and endeavour to yield the Obedience of the Heart, and the Obedience of the Life alfo, as he requires, neither contenting your felves with a fli ght and overly performance of Duties, where the Lips out-rnn the Heart, and the Heart gives the Lie to the Lips; nor yet Oighting that outward reverence that· is neceffary to tefrifie the due fenfc you have of his glorious prefence, and that care you have to ferVe him both in Soul and i11 Body that are his: Do you fo live as not to defraud God of any part of his Service, or of his Servant, but Sacrifice your felves· T t" t t 2 ent irel y'
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