Ver. i o. Fifth Chap.. ad Ep, to the CO R i N T H. lox are wrought in God A Godly man.cannot fatisfy himfelf in force external conformitÿ to the Law, but he muff know that the a&ions come from God, from his Grace and Spirit in us, and tend io him, that is, to his Glory and Honour, and are direéted according to his will, a little outfide holinefs; will not content Chrift. z. With re/pelt to the flare in which they are done. A juftified eftate,and a Hate of recon- ciliation toGod , for the Sacrifices of the wicked are ax abomination to the Lord. Gal. z. ry, Ithrough the Law am dead to the Law, that I might live unto God. And 'Rom. 7.4. Mat - ryed to Chrif, that I may bring forth fruit unto God. The Children born before marriage are not legitimate, z `Pet. 3. i i . What manner tf perfons ought ye to be ixall holy converfation andgodlinefs. We ought to look to the Qualification of our perfons, that we be reconciled with God through Chrift,daily renewing our friendfhip with him by forrow for fin, by fuing out our pardon and acceptance in the Mediatour; The apoftle loth not fay how holy ought our converfation to be, but-what manner ofperfons ought we to be. 3. They are confidered with refired to their correfpondency. No ma-n is judged by one Single aá, we cannot pafs judgment upon our eftate before God, whether good or evil, by a few particulars,but by our way, or the ordinaryftrain of our life and converfation, and our cotrrfe, Rom. 8. t. Who walk not after the Flefh but after the Spirit. A man may occafionally fet his foot in a Path which he meaneth not to walk in. God in reviewing his work confidered every days work, apart it was good, and confidered altogether, Gen. r. 3I. The whole frame, and all very good, all the work together was correfponder.t, and all fuitable to the reft in a due proportion ; fo fhould we endeavour to imitate God, that all our works, every one of them, and Our whole courte confidered together, may all appear to be good, anfwerableto one another in order and proportion, that our whole con- verfations may be a perfe&t frame of unblameable holinefs. There are force amongft men which dofome things well, to which their order and carriage is not fuitable. The difference between a godlymans work and an hypocrites lyeth in tIus,anHypocrites work is belt confidered apart, a good mans works are belt, and molt approved, when they are laid together. 4. Thefe works are confidered with refpefl to their Aim and Scope,Phil. a. 11, tz. That we may be fincere andwithout offence unto the day ofChrift, beingftlLed with the fruits of ..,righteoufnefs which are by Jefas Chrift unto the praife awl glory ofGod. As it is not the do- ing one good work, or force few which will Qualify a man for the day of Judgment, but being filled with the fruitsofrighteoufnefstSo'tis neceffary alfo that our aim be every way as good as our aftion, and Gods glory be propounded as our great fcope. An aecion in its feif good and Lawful may be reckoned unto the worker as fin orduty,as the end is, and the fcope which he propoundeth unto himfelf. ;. î hat none of our a&ionsare loft, but Rand upon record, that we may hear ofthem another day and tend to increafe the General fum, whether good or evil. An Impenitent man his account rifeth, Rom. z. g. He treafureth up wrath againft the day of wrath, like jehojadas theft, the longer it flood the more Treafure was in it. Sins that feem inconfide- rable in themfelves, yetare the ads of one that hath finned greatly before. A cipher put to a Sum that is fixed increafeth it,every drop helpeth to fill the Cup. So in t he fincere, Phil. 4. 17. Fruit abounding toyour account. Every fincere ahtion makes it abound more; force aûions are more inconfiderable than others, yet if done for Chrifts fake Mall be ta- ken notice of, though (mall in themfelves, Math. t o. 42. And whofoever (hall give to drink unto one of thefe little ones acupofcold Water only in the name of adifciple, verily Ifay unto you, he /ball in no wife lofe his reward. 3. What room and place thefe works have, with refpelt to punifbment and reward. There is a plain difference as appeareth, Rom. 6. a3. The wagesof fin is death, but thegift of God is eternal life. The works of the wicked have a proper, meritorious influence upon their ru ine and deftruhtion, wicked men (land upon their own bottom, and are left to them- felves; we do evil of our own accord, and by our own ftrength, but the good we do is neither our own, nor is it purely goed. Befides,thete is this difference between fin and obedience, that the heinoufnefs of fin is always aggravated and heightned by the propor- tion of its objet), but the merit and value of obedience is {till leffened, thereby fin and an offence is aggravated; as for an infante to ftrike an Officer is more than to firike a pri- vate man, a King more than an ordinary Officer; thence it cometh to pafs that a fin com- mitted againft God doth deferve an infinite punifltment, becaufe the Majefly of God is infinite, and therefore eternal. Death is the Wages of fin:But on the other fide, the grea- terGod is, and the more glorious, the Beater obligation lyeth upon us to love him, and ferve him, and fo that good which we do for his fake is the more due, and God is not bound
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=