144 VE R s.18. An Expojition, with No-tes CHA!t.I. , . - - ... ,...... ... .... . - ·~ ··• - 1 . P ·uritf 'C{Precepts : -In the Chrifiian Religion all Morat ·duties are ai:lvanced and heightned to·th€ir greatefi perfection; P fa.· 1 19· 96. The (ommandtnent u exceeding broad, of avair extent and-latitude, comprifing every motion, thought and circttnfrance: The H~them cont~med themfelves with a lhadow ofduty; the ApofHe faith, Rom. 2· I 4· Tha~ ~f)'OI' vop:t5, the Work.,of theLllw \\?.u ·written upon their hearts; that is, they had a fenfe of the outward work, and a fight of the furface of the Commandment~ They made confcience to abfiain fromgrofs aas of fin, and to per.. form outward 11Els of Piety and Devotion ,. as Sacr.ifice, and babling ofHymns and Prayers to their gods; all their wifdom was to maKe the life plaufible, to refrllin themfelves, as · ds faid of Haman when his heart boyled with rancor ·and ·malice againft Mordecai, Efth. 5· 10. Haman refr.ainedhimfelf: ·soLaflan-. timpr.ovet·hagainihhem, that th~y had not a true way of Morti– fication, and were nGt fpiritual enough in thdr apprehenfions of the Law; Sapentia eorum pler1mque abfcondit vitia, non abfcin· ait; al~ their wifdom was to hide a lull:, not to quench a lufr, or rather to prevent the (in, not to check the lHft : But now our holy Religion doth not onely.forbidfins, but tufts, I Pet. z: 11. Dear– ly beloved, I befeech you M ftrangers and pilgrims abftain from flefbly tufts: B.zbylons brats ,(as wdhewed before) by an hofJ murther mull: bedajbedagainft the flones: The Precepts are ex· act, .commanding love, not onely to friends, but enemies; The Law is (pJirimal, ar.d ·therefore in all .points perfect, P[al.I9· 7• The Law of the Lor.d is perfeEl.., converting t.he Soul:; .that is, not onely guiding the offices of the exterior man, but piercing to the thoughts, the firfi motions of the heart, we have aperfeel Law. 3· The Sarenefs of the Principles of Truft : One of the choycefi: refpects of the Creature to the God.head is Trufi and De· pendance; And Trufi, beiag the Refi and quiet of the,Soul, muft have a fure bottom and foundation; Nowft~nd upon the WaJs, and furvey all the Religions in the World~ and you will finde no foundation for Trufi:, but ·in the Gofpel, refer it to any object, milling in God for acommon mercy, trufiing in God for a[11.ving mercy. . I · For ·acommon.mercy·: .There are no fuch repre(entations of G-Gd to ,the Soul;.as !n .the,GofpeL; The .Gentiles had but l?ofe and dark thoughts of God~ and .therefore are ·generally defcnbed ...._----- - -· ---..-- ·--- -----·- ---- --·- -- . by
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