280 THE POSITIVE WOR And this holiness, in the first place, doth not con- sist in any single acts of obedience unto God, though good in their own nature, and acceptable unto him: for such acts may be preformed, yea, many of them, by unholy persons, with examples whereof the scripture abounded). Cain's sacrifice, and Ahab's repentance, were signal single acts of obedience materially, yet no acts of holiness formally, nor did either make or deno- minate them holy. And our apostle tells us, that men may give all their goods to thepoor, and their" bodies to be burned, and yet be nothing, 1 Cor. xiii. yet, in single acts, who can go further? Such fruits may spring from seed that hath no root. Single acts may evidence holiness, as Abraham's obedience in sacrificing his son. but they constitute none holy; nor will a series, a course, a multiplication of acts and duties of obedience, either constitute or denominateany one so, Isa. i. 11, 12, 18, 14, 15. All the duties, a series and multiplication whereof, are there rejected for want of holiness, were good in themselves, and appointed of God. Nor doth it consist in an habitual disposition of mind unto any outward duties of piety, devotion, or obedience, how- ever obtained or acquired. Such habits there are, both intellectual and moral. Intellectual habits are arts and sciences. When men, by custom, usage, and frequent acts in the exercise of any science, art, or mystery do get a ready facility in and unto all the parts and du- ties of it, they have an intellectual habit therein. It is so in things moral, as to virtues and vices. There are some seeds and sparks of moral virtues remaining in the ruins of depraved nature, as of justice, temper- ance, fortitude, and the like. Hence Godcalls on pro- fligate sinners to remember and shew themselves men, or not to act contrary to the principlesand light of na- ture, which are inseparable from us as we are men, Isa. xlvi. 8. These principles may be so excited in the ex- ercise of natural light, and improved by education, in- struction, and example, until persons, by an assiduous diligent performance of the acts and duties of them, may attain such a readiness unto them and facility in them, as is not by any outward means easily changed or diverted; and this is a moral habit; in like manner, in theduties of piety and religion, in acts of outward obedience unto God, men, by the samemeans, may so accustom themselves unto them, as to have an habitual disposition unto their exercise. I doubt not but that it K OF THE SPIRIT is so unto an high degree with many superstitious per- sons. But in all these things, the acts do still precede the habits of the same nature in kind, which are pro- ducedby them, and not otherwise. But this holiness is such an habit or principle, as is antecedent unto all acts of the same kind, as we shall prove. There never was by any, nor ever can be, any act or duty of true holiness performed, where there was not in order of nature antecedentlyan habit of holiness in the persons by whom they are performed. Many acts and duties, for the substance of them good and approveable, may be performed without it, but no one that bath the pro- per formand nature of holiness can be so. And the rea- son is, because every act of true holiness must have something supernatural in it from an internal renewed principle of grace, and that which bath not so, be it o- therwise what it will, is no act or duty of true holiness. Sect. 9. And I call this principle of holiness an HABIT, not as though it were absolutely of the same kind with acquired habits, and would in all things an- swer to our conceptions and descriptions of them: but we only call it so, because, in its effects and manner of operation, it agreeth in sundry things with acquired in- tellectual or moral habits. But it hathmuch morecon. formity unto a natural unchangeable instinct, than unto any acquired habit. Wherefore God charged) it on men, that, in their obedience unto him, they did not answer that instinct which is in other creatures towards their lords and benefactors, Isa. i. S. and which they cordially observe, Jer. viii. 7. But herein God teacheth us more than the beasts ofthe earth, andmaketh us wiser than thefowls ofheaven, Job xxxv. 11. This, therefore, is that which I intend; a virtue, a power, a principle of spiritual life and grace, wrought, created, infused into our souls, and inlaid in all the fa- culties of them, constantly abiding, and unchangeably residing in them, which is antecedent unto, and thenext cause of all acts of true holiness whatever. And this is that, as was said, wherein the nature of holiness dots consist, and from which in those that are adult, theac- tual discharge of all duties and works of holiness is in- separable. This abideth always inandwith all that are sanctified, whence they are always holy, and not only so, when they are actually exercised in the duties of holiness. Hereby are they prepared, disposed, and enabled unto all duties of obedience, as we shall shew ,..._.
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