Ver.17, the 17th Chapter of St. JOHN. 231 tween the rational and the fenfual Part, and f6 carnal Affections are gratified with car; nal Doctrines. g. Every true Light will not ferve the turn, but it mutt be the Light of the Word: God hath referved this honour of fanctifying the Heart to the Doctrine of the Scrip- tures, to evidence their Divine Original. James r. 18. Of his own Will begat he a With the Word of Truth. The great change that is wrought in the Heart of Man, is by the Word; a Moral Lecture may make a Man change his Life, but the Word of God maketh a Man change his Heart, as Xenocrater's Moral Lectures made Pollemo leave hill vitious and fenfual courfe of Life. But Regeneration is only found in the School of Chrift, He path begotten as by the Word of Truth. And the Ordinance of preaching the Word, is confecrated to this purpofe 5 Ephef 5.26. That he might fanllify them by the wafhing of Water through the Word. There are other Occafional Helps, but this is thé Inflituted Means. God will work no other way in his ordinary and revealed courfe, and will accept no other Obedience and Sanctification but by the Word. Holinefs, or that Piety which is proper and genuine, is wrought by a Divine Truth, ótherwife it i3 Superftition, not Godlinefs 5 Civility, not Holinefs of Convert tion. Tho Men have never fo good an Inclination, yet becaufe they have not a DivineRevelation for their Warrant, it is but a Baltard Religion, Superftition, or framing a ftrictnefs of our own, accompanied with oppofition againft the Truth. The Word and Spirit are in Con - jun &ion. Ifa. 59. 2 I. My Spirit that it upon thee, and myWords which I have pat in thy Mouth, fhall not depart out of thy Mouth, &c. Thefe a& in Conjun &ion, and it is for the honour of the Scriptures that God hath annexed them. t Theff. 5. 19, 20. wench not the Spirit. Deffüfe not Prophefying. Preaching of the Word, and pouring out of the Spirit, go together. 4. Every part of the Truth worketh not, but only the Gofpel; which is the Truth, sa-r' ifoy. The Law fheweth us our Spots, and the Gofpel cleanfeth and wafheth them away. The Work of the Law is Preparation, but that which hath a fpecial and dire& influence upon Sanctification, is the Gofpel. John r5. 3. Now ye are clean through the Word which 1 have fpoken to you ; and that was the Gofpel- Privi- le e. This pulleth in the Heart to God, that we may be partakers of his Grace: ofer brought them to the Borders, but J°Ana brought them into the Land of Ca- naan. The Apofile appealeth to the Experience of Believers. Gal. 3.2. This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the liVorks of the Law, or by the hearing of Faith d Tho the Spirit may be received by the preaching of any part of Canonical Scripture, yet molt ufually by the preaching of the Gofpel. The Lord would give us this fenflble and authentick Proof of the Truth and Excellency of the Gofpel,that we receive the Spirit of Regeneration by it, and not by the Law. It is the Inftrument by which God ufeth to confer the Spirit. So, 2 Pets.¢. Terri are given exceeding great and precious Promifes, that by thefe we may be made partakers of the Divine Nature. What part of the Word worketh the Heart to a conformity to God ? likeneth us in Holineß to God ? the great and precious Promifes. It is not by moral Strains, not by terrible- Threatnings ; there have their ufe in their place, but by the great and precious Pro= mifes, as God was in the flîll Voice. 5. The Gofpel worketh not, unlefs it be accompanied with the Spirit. There is a great deal of difference between feeing things in theLight of Keafon, and Peeing things ih the Light of the Spirit. Truth reprefented in the Light of REafon, begets but an humane Faith, leaveth a weak impreffion, and bath but a weak operation upon the Soul : but things reprefented in the light of the Spirit, worketh quite otherwife, there is not only a notional Irradiation, but an experimental Feeling; they fee another man- ner of Beauty and Excellency in Chrift, a vanity in worldly Delights, which they ne- ver law before. Running-water, and Strong - water, differ not in colour, but in tafle and virtue. John 16. 13. When he the Spirit of Truth it come, be Will guide you into all Truth. t John 2. 27. The Anointing which ye have received of him, abideth in you; and ye need not that any Man teach you, but as the fame Anointing' teacheth you of all things. Mott Men content themfelves with a fuperficial Belief; they have but a humane know- ledg of Divine Things, and therefore their Souls are not carried out to Holinefs, Love; Fear, Trutt, Obedience, they have á cold and naked apprehenfion ; literal Knowledg; is wafhy and weak, it worketh not. r Pet. I. 22, Seeing ye have purified your Souls, hi obeying the Truth through the Spirit. 6. This muft not only be reprefented in th "e Power and Demonftration of the Spirit, but received andapplied by Faith. Sanctification is fometimes afcribed to the Gofpel, G g g g and
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