Shepard - BT378 T4 S44 1660

Me;ms z. An[w. The 'Parable of t/:;e blind and harden him, andhe barb his diH:inB:ions ofinfirmiry,0'-c. that he Oe!ghrs rhem day by day, rill allht~ dayes are run our, or tf any gooJ, 'ris no more rhan Juda., or Cain, io:ne legal terrors , or other light flaf11esof co:nforr , bt:r ra be mare humble indeed , &c. this he finderh nor. Now is it nor fo wirh rhee? Dorh not thy we.tkneffe Hrengrhen thee with Paul ? Doth not rhy blindneffe make thee cry for Jiohr? and thofecrie; h.we been hetrd, out of dar~neffe, <;Jod harh brought light. Thou ha(Helt venocne and rifu1g1 of hem agamfl .Chrrit, and do they not make thee loath thy felf more? that thou tbinkelt ne~er any fo beho.ldin.g to Grace? ~o not thy falls into fin mal:e thee n;0 re weary oftt,watchful agam(t It,long to be nd of It? and fo fin abounds,but CrJce ~bounds: Why iliould this be fo ! for his NameAake, bec~ufe he wil11ove thee; hence"tis f~ great and unmarchable, r.h1t he will make thy poyfon [by Food, thy Death thy Ltfe, thy Damnanon Salvanon, thy very greateR Enemte> thy gre.uer Friends. And hence Mr. Fox faid, he thanked Go:l for his fins more rhan for his oood I works. I have ma1vailed at Gods dealing1 1vith his people , theydepart "and Ray long, and.care not for returning again; in that t~me a migh~y power.tea~heth, hucnbleth, bnngs back, when they never thought of tt. Oh rhe reafon is God will have his Name : now if rhus, your alfurance will be Rrong and conitan~, but if you build thus, I have done this, &c. I have rhar,your a!lur.mce will not fiand· therefore lookand fee if it be not rhus with you. ' Take heed you do nor build youralfurance from a mingled Covenant of Work; and Grace, for rhis is the frame of diver; when they lye under rhe fir(t Covenant 'only ofdoing, rheywlfi'nor take this as any evide:1ce, as they have na reafon foro do, Rom. 9· 3 r·: Nor when aman lie. under the Second Covenanrof Believino barely, and if it be adead Faith, they have no evidence or re.!fonfo to do. Henc~ they mingle the Covenants, and think rhus. If I can believe in ChriH, and perform univerfal obedience ro all rhe commands of God, I iliall be fafe ; hence fer upon the obfervance of both, and finding they can never do them, efpecially the latter, hence are ever troubled, and never have any fetid reace. Hence rhofe I Galatiam Paul writes to, pe•verting and mingling rhe Covenants , were troubled, Gal. I. 7· & 5· I 2. Not (beloved) but that whoeverbeleeve;and rerforms '. univerfllobedietKe Evangelically to rhe whole Law, he cannot but do well; and ;he that dorh it not, bur lives in any one fin, let him evidence his F.1irh if he can. 1 Bur IfJ:'eak when aman fubmir; to it, fub forma fttieru, if I can do ir, and becaufe I c,mnor do ir, hence doubt. Hence gather your evidence of Gods love primarily and chiefly from your fubjecl:ion to rhe Seond Covenant, Gal. 6. I6. Peace on tkem that walk_ according to this rule ; for A dams righreoufneffe that did rye him to God, ir br.1ke; hence no life, n'lr evidence fro:n thlt, but Faith is an ever! ailing invincible Grace, upheld by the mighty power of God, and hence heze will be everlaRing evidence and peKe, I Pet. I. 8. whom thou:,h we fee not, Jet belie~JI·ng we rejo7ce. Object. Is aChrijlian then free from the Law ? ! Yes, he is free from it as from a Covenant : hence though it be broken by him, he is norcail: our ofCovenant, or favour, hue he is nor free from it as a Rule, from which if he fwerves he is rocall himfelf, not Gods love into qudlion: Why? beT ' caufe it harh pleafcd the Father in another Covetum to otfer life, give life., and hence only eo evidence life. What-ever rhe Law require> I have, .u. rhat 111fl.mc I did believe,! perfonned it in a Saviour by Faith : and rhat I my felf may do every circle of ir, I corrie unco a Saviour for it by Faith; fo rhar when Satan objech you have no CbriH, nor love of aChriR,becaufe no Faith,and no Fairh becaufe you cannot do this orthar. Anfwer, I cannot do it inde"d,I never undertook it ro have life or love'rhus, bur I have done ir'in anorher, and I can do all things by Chriit, if he will helpme,undelwhofeGrlCe I lie, and hence will be fofar from doubting, that I will rejoyce in mine infirmiJ:ie; , ~hat I am a fir fubjeCl: for the power and Grace of Chrifl ro(new ir felfupon. Thus rerire r:.> the SecondCovename"'f~

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