51 o Tbe Nature and Necejfi~ of Regeneration: entirely unto him, your Bodies upon the Altar of your Soul and A-ffcOions, iind both Soul and Body upon that Altar _that alone can make both acceptable even t he Lord Jefus Chrift ? This is a good evtdence that you do fo keep the Com,~a ndmcn ts ofGod, as that it may be a ground of Aflhrance to you that you do know him and are in him ; and fo much for the firft Branch. ' Obedicntc Secondly, Obedience is a gtJod and infalLible ~n of our Regeneration, when it U univrr~ :.~~rfo~ :~;/~1, .u in r~fpcEl- of the fubjcE~, the whale .~an, oul and Bodl, fo alfo in refpeff of _the Obrefptl! of Jef!, tht}t u? the rpholc L~1w m every P.arttcular_comma~Jd of 1t· TJ;e whole Law IS conthe rDhqle tamed ll1 two thmgs, m thofc Dunes t hat Immed~.ately concern God1 and in thofe Lnw of Dut ies that do immediately concern Men. . Now if thy Obedience be fincere thou Gcd. wil t have a general refped ,unto all God's Commands; to thofe that concern thy Lord and Maftcr, and to thofe alfo that concern thy· FelloW-fervants. Bri ng this alfo to the Trial; art thon juft and upright in thy dc.11ing with Men? Art thou loving and helpful to thy Neighbours? lt is well: But what then is thy Rtligion to God? Is not that a dull and formal thing? Is not this the beft Charetl:er that can he given of thee, that thou art a good Neighbour, better to Men than thou art to God? Again, if thou haft taken up a glorious Profeffion of Religion, and art frequent in th0fe Duries of it that concern God, what art than then as to Men? Religion bath of late fufiCrcd upon this very account, while the Profe!Tors of it have acted high things in a way of Duty, and pretended to high things in a way of Enjoyment, bu~ yet ~.1ve been as unjuft, opp;effive, felf-fee~ing, covetous, and over-reaching, as tf ~h etr. on~y reward were to. live upon the fpoil of oth~rs. T~y Religitm _to God ccrtamly IS no fign of Grace tf thou art not alfo confctonablc m thy Deahngs towards Men. Herein do I exercift my [elf, fays the Apoftl~, to kttp in all t~ing1 a Con- {cttttee wid of offence both to God and Mtn: But more particularly the Duties that re. fpc8:s others arc either general, as th~:m ~rt a Man to Men, or particular, as thy Relation in which thou ftandeft, Relative Duties. Now how is it that you perform thcfc Duties that belong to thy fpecial Relation, for herein the Life of Chr iftianity is fcen ? How daft thou deQlean thy felf in the place were thou Hveft as a Magi· ftratc in checking of Sin, and in puniJbing of Vice? How as a Miniftcr? How as a Parent? HowasaYoke-fel1 ow? Howasa Child, and howasaServant? What. ever a Man doth as to the general Duties of Chrifrianity, yet if he be negligent and carelefs in thefe particular Relative Duties, he hath great caufe to Ii.1fpct't himfclf; it argues truth ofGrace when we are careful in the fulfilling thefe particular Rcl:ttions and Stations that we ftand in toWards others. I !hall clofe up this note of Trial with that of the Apoftle, in James 2. 10, I I. l-Ie that ojfcndtth iu one he is (uilty of all: If there be a willing and in_du lging Oath in the neglecting of any one Duty that God hath commanded, how dtfficult., and how oppofite focver it be unto Flefh and Blood, that Man hath ground to fhfpea that whatever other Duties he performs, be they never fo many, and never fo .admirable, -yet they are not fuchas maniteft finccry, and may give him a good ev~clence of a good Eftate. 4 . Fourthly, Another Jign of Rq,eneratian, which M the laft.rhat I ]hall mention, iJ that NQt ~~ which St. John fpcakJ of in hi! firft Epiftle, chap. 3· ver. 9, to. WhofoC'Ver ;1 born of God eQ?»rni: S1ndo1h not commit fin, for hU feed remaineth in hjm, and he canvot fin bccau{e he M bom~{God; ~ fign of in thU the Children of God arc manifeff, and the children of the Dc'l.lil. This place may , 4 ;;mtrn· perhaps be among the number Of thofe that had been more clear if they had been · lcfs expounded. I fua \1 only give you the genuine nat;.ive fence of the words, and then proceed to manage them tO my prefent purpofe. Whofo i1 bom of God finnnh not; fome from hence have concluded a poffibility at lcaft of a linlefs ftate in this Life, others the infall ible certa inty of it, ' not only t hat a Child of God might attain to filCh:~ Perfe.Ct ion as is cxclufive of all Sin, but that whoever is a Child of God can~ not upon that very a!=coun,t be g~t il ty of any fin; fa like arc Errors to Precipices, that if a Man lofe his firm footing ufually he falls headlong, nor doth he flop till hedalh himfelf againfl the b,attom and foundation of all Religion and Piety. fud dtcfe Men but ferioufly pondered what the fame .Apojlle faith in his firft Chapter, ver. 7, 8; 10. If we fay we have no fin we deceive our [elves, and the truth is 11ot in m; and if we fay we have nor Jitmed we m11ke God a Liar.. Had they but pondered this they wo~!d not have entertained fuch an over-weaning conceit of a fpotlefs perfection of L1fe here, whereof the greateft part is no better than ft.n, and the beft of it but too to much defiled with it. Others interpret it thns, fo long as we arc the Children of God, fo long we cannot fin, and. fa the Pttpifts go; but thefe go upon :to crrone.ous. fuppofinon,
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