Ver.a3. the 8th Chapter to the R. OMAN S. I47 generation; firtt, we are born of the Spirit, before we are moved and guided by the Spirit : The Spirit firft infufeth the gracious habits, Ezek. 36. 26.. A new heart will I give yon, and a new fpirit will I put intoyou.. Secondly, He exciteth the foul to aft, and afiifteth the new creature in a&ing according to thefe habits and principles, Phil. 2. 13. He worketh in us both to will and to do according to his own pleafore.. Gal. 5. 25. If we live in the fpirit, let no walkin the fpirit. Thirdly, He direeteth.our actions: by inlightning our underftandings, and governing and guiding our inclinations, to do that which is pleating to God ; this is that which I am to fpeak of; and here I (hall thew you; that this Dire &ion is promifed, Ifa. 30. 2 I. And thine earsbhall hear a word behind thee, baying, This is the way, walkin it,nshen ye turn to the right band, and when ye turn to the left. God guideth his people in all their ways to Heaven and happinefs ; not only by general Di re &ions, but particular Motions and Excitations, Pfal. 25. 9. The mee/ will he guide in judgment, and themeekwill he teach his way. This is the priviledg of poor, meek, and humble fouls, that they (hall not want a guide to dire& them in the wary to, Heaven 5 fo v. 12. What man is he that feareth God ? him will he teach in the way that he 'hall choofe. An humble believer, that would not difpleafe God for all the world, and counts the lean fin a greater evil than the greaten temporal lofs, may be encouraged to expert light and dire &ion from God to order all his a &ions fo, as he may ben pleafe God, Ifa. 48..17. Thus faith theLord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Ifrael, I am the Lord thy God, which teacheth thee to profit, that leadeth thee by the way thou'bouldefi go. So 'cis begged by the Saints, as a great and neceffiry blefting, Pfal. 25.4, 5. Shea, me thy ways, O God, teach me thy paths, lead me in thy truth, and teach me, for thou art the God of my falvation,on thee do I wait all the day long. Mark how earners he is, 'hew me, teach me, lead me ; as if he could never enough exprefs his delire, and value of this benefit : Mark his Argument, Thou art the God of my falvation 5 in Covenant with us; and the God,of our Salvation ; fo he bath undertaken in the Covenant to fave.us 5 as God isour God, fo he bath under- taken to be our Guide to teach and lead us, and doth not lay afide_this relation, till our Salvation be accomplifhed ; and mark his continual neceflity,on thee do I wait all the day long : As if he would not be left for a moment in the hand of his own counfel; fo Pfal. r r g. 33. Teach me, 0 God, the way of thy (larder, and I fbiall keep it unto the end:. The wayto Heaven is a narrow way, hard to be found, hardly to be kept, and eafily fniftaken, except God teach us daily by his Spirit: There are innumerable by -paths from terrors and allurements without, and we of our felves are weak and fubje& to errors within ; fo Pfal. i43. l0. Teach me to do thy; will, for thou art rimy God, shy fpirit is good,: lead me in the land i f upreghtne (s. They that would walk circumfpe&ly, and incur no' God, and hazzard to their fouls , need ever to feek direftion from God ac- cording to his Covenant 5 we need fuch teaching,as bath with it leading; and fuch di-, retnion, as bath with it (lrengthning unto obedience ; fuch as will not only help usto underhand the general rule, but alto how to 'apply it to particular allions, that no part, of our duty may be left upon our retires and this only can we have from the Spirit of God, who direð and leadeth us in all our choices and altions : Well then, whofoever,, would walk in a regular courfe of life, in an exa& obedience to all the commands of God, and do nothing but what is all perfe&ly good and acceptable in Gods fight, mutt thus beg for the leading of his gracious and fan&ifying Spirit, who is the only Fountain of all Goodnefs arid Holinefs, to dire& him and afíilt him in every turn and motion of his life. g. The Neceffity of it; becaufe we are inabled to guide our felves ; the way of man is not in hiinfelf, Jer. 1o. 23. It is not in man that walketh to dire¿I bis ileps. The Meta- phor of leading is taken from the blind or the weak; the blind who cannot fee their way, mutt have one fo lead them; and the lame, who rho they can fee, yet cannot walk of themlelves, but mutt have one to help them ; the ignorant Traveller needs a guide, and the weak Child a Nude to attend upon him: 'Tis true, the Children of God are light in the Lord; beides their natural Reafón, they have fome Underttanding of the Way of Godlinefs ; but yet to a heady confiant courf of Obedience, all ftri& and righteous. living, we need to be dire&ed by the good Spirit to make that light which we have, both dire'ttive and perfwabive. r. Direflive: Tho we have a. general onderftanding of our duty, yet to make life of it in allparticular cafes needeth new Grace fromGod ; the Heathens were wife in gene- rals, Rom. 1. 20. They became vain ivd4aray,rsuTr ira their imaginations, and their prac- tical inferences from thefe general truths ; theist fooljfh heart was darkned, and ptofef- 8T2 hug
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