Ver. 2. the 8th Chapter of the ROM ANS.' If 5 all thefe things by his Spirit, to whom but him alone is our Salvation to be afcribed ? as the Scripture doth frequently mention. My fecond Argument is taken, from our incapa, city to help our felves, and recover our felves from the Devil, theWorld and the Flefh, to God ; fo blind are our minds, fo depraved are our hearts, fo thong are our Lulls, and fo many are our Temptations, and fo inveterate are our evil Culloms, that nothing will ferve the turn but the Spirit of God, who doth open the eyes of our mind, Eph. r.18: Change our hearts, Titus 3. g. reconcile our alienated and eftranged affeítions to God; that we may return to.his Love, and live in Obedience to him ; and finally, be prefent- ed before him, as fit to live for ever in his Pretence, t Cor. 21- 22. And you that were fometimes alienated, and enemies in yourminds by wicked works, yet now bath he reconciled in the body of his flefh through death, toprefentyou holy and unblameable, and unreprovable in his fight: All this doth the powerful and All conquering Spirit of God, by vertue of the meritorious purchafe ofChrifl. In fhort, he findeth in us fuch addiflednefs to Sin, Each a love to the prefent World, fach indulgence to the Flefb, as beareth down both reafon and the authority of God,that no lets Agent can do the work. My third reafon,is taken from thefubfequent effeas. If this lifebe firengthned by the fpirit,"( is much more wrought and infufedby the fpirit at firft, when all is againft it. Now the Scripture is copious in affecting the fupply of the Spirit ofChrift, as neceffary to do and fuffer the Will of God; Eph. 3. 16. Strengthned with all might in the inner man, from the fpirit. r Per. 4.14. The fpi- rit of God and ofglory refleth uponyou.Surely be thatmufl help us when we are living, mui quicken us when we are dead; and he that is neceffary to break the force of our carnal affections, fiill after they have received their Deaths Wound, was abfolutely neceffary to overcome them at firth, when in full ftrength 5 the neceffiry of flrengthning grace,- Both much more thew the neceffity of renewing grace;for thereneeds much more power to over- come the corruptions of nature, than to heal or prevent the infirmities of the Saints. 2. The new nature is the produft of the Holy Ghofi, John 3. 6. That which is born of thefpirit is fpirit. Men become fpiritual in theirdifpofitions, inclinations;allions and aims, from the effells of the fpirit of Degeneration, which tray be confidered with re- fpeCt to God, or to man. Firth, How the converted Perfon or new Creature flandeth affeâed to God, feemeth to be Pet forth by the Apofile in that place, 2 Tim. I. 7. For we have not received the fpirit of fear, but of love and power, and a found mind. I (hall explain it. Obferve in the negative defcription, but one part only of Mortification is mentioned, deadnefs to the fears of theWorld but that defe t may be fupplied from another Scripture ; The fpirit lufieth againfl the flefh, Gal. 5. n7. he deadneth us to the delights and hopes of the world, as well as the fears and farrows ; but the one is underflood in the other..; for this fpirit caufeth us to prepare for (offerings in the world, and to look for no great mat- ters here, but to expelt croffes, loffes, wants, perfecutions, injuries, painful lickneffes, and death, and doth fortifie us againft all bodily difreffes, that we are not greatly mo- ved by them, confidering our relation to God, and Interefl in blellednefs to come, which doth weigh down all, fo'ris not a fpirit of fear : But then you mull enlarge it by confi dering the main work of the fpirit, which is to fubdue the Infle of the flefh, that the go- vernment of God may be fer up in our Hearts; for the flefh is the great rebel againft God and Can &ified reafon. Therefore we mutt obey the fpirit, and take part with it in thefe Rrivings ; yea, we mull ftrive againft the flefh, and overcome it, fo as to prevent all wilful reigning 6n. For they that have the fpirit,live in no fin, but only frnaller hie, mane frailties; Purely where the fpitit prevaileth, it crucifieth the flefh, and caufeth men to live above all the glory, riches, and pleafures of the world, and mortifreth our fenfuality more and more, and doth conquer and call down our flrongeft, fweeteft, deareft lets, that they may not hinder our love and obedience to God in Jefus Chrift. But then for the pofitive part of the defcription : 'Tis a fpirit of love, power, and a found mind, that is, the three effeûs of it, are life, light, and love, there is a new vital power called there thefpirit of power,and then he poffeffeth our hearts with predominant love to God, cal- led there the fpirit of a found minds fo that by thefe threeeffeas, doth the fpirit renew- ing and fanflifying the fouls of men, difcover its felf in inlightning their minds, and opening their hearts, and fortifying their refolutions for God and the world to come; and thefe three effeûs do anfwer the nature of God, whom we apprehend under the notions of Wifdom, Goodnefe and Power ; to his Wifdom there anfwereth the fpirit of a found mind ; wins goodnefs, the fpirit of love; and the fpirit of power, to the power of God ; fo that by thefe Graces we are madepartakers of the divine nature, 2 Pet. 1. ¢. and do in Tome fort referable God; and thefc fait with the word of God, which is fometimes re-
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