Ver. 7. the EpifLle to the Romans. ßo5 hearing or reading the word, unlels Gods good fpirit come to join with it to make iteffeEtuall. attributed here unto the Spirit? S t L.Becaule our new birth or change from evilI to good, is the work of the Spirit,which by regeneration refines us; firs{ in our body and foul, and then in our manners and converCation. T t ta. What is the doElrine from hence? St L. It teacheth Gods Ghildren,that whatfoever good is in them, it proceeds from the Spirit , by whole grace and ftrength it comes, that they can love God, and obey him. Gal.5 .22. John 3. T iM.Wbat afe it to be made of this point? S t L. It Both admoni(h them of hu- mility,becaufe we have nothing with- out gift ; of thankfulnefs, for fuch a free and great gift ; and of prayer : alto it reproves fuch as prelume to do good, or to refift evill, without the aid of the Spirit. T i M. Now tell ur what is meant here by the oie!nefs of the letter? St L. By oldnefs is meant the core ruption of ournature, and that courfe which was fhaped by it, which is called old, becaufe it cometh not from a will E,rJrrnam renued and changed, but fuch aswas in frlter.m qua ...t t.n- us before our new birth. Alto by [Letter] tam tats- is meant all Do &rive of the word what- .as affront.. Cohan, foever, outwardly let forth unto us, be- ing fevered from Chrift and his health- full grace : this is called the [Letter,]be- cauCe it is dead and of no" force to us, un- lefs it be to frame us to an outward obe- dience only, until the fpirit of thrift do joine with it, to martifie fin, and to work our renuing. T t M. What infiruPliont are we to gather from hence? Si L. Thefe two;Firft, that the whole word ofGod being fevered from the re- generating fpirit of Chrift, can effe& nothing in us towards newnefs of life. Secondly, whatfoever obedience men unregenerate, yeeld unto the word of God before their converfion, it is but corruption, and no part of that fervice which God will accept. For it is oldnefs ofletter,glorious in fhew,rotten within, not coming from an heart purified by faith, which is the foundation of every goodwork. Moreover, it admonifbeth us, not to look for any fruit upon our DIALOGue V. Vert, 7, What (hall wefay then? is the Lam fen? God forbid, nay I knew not fin but by the Law: for ! had not known luff except the Law had faid,Thou Jbalt not loft. TipeoTHEus. Hat is it that our Apofile now inten- detb, in the verfes following? S I L. Having (hewed in what mean- ing and fenf true beleevers are not un- der the Law; he Both now purpofe to avoid offence, and for larger inftru&ion to lay forth the true ufe of the Law,both in refpe& of men unregenerate and re- generate; the ufe of the Law touching men unregenerate, is threefold. Firft,the truc knowledge of fin, which is (hewed us by theLaw, this in the 7. verle. Se- condly, the encreafe or irritation of fin, in the 8. verfe. Thirdly, death or the fettle ofGods anger for fin, its the 9, ver. and other verts following. T IM. How doth the Apofile enter into this treatife, to extol) and commend the all of the Law? S i L. By a Prolepfis or prevention offome thing which might be objeEted or alledged againft his former do&rive in the 5. verfe, unto which in this verfe he doth make an anfwer;fo as the parts of this Text be two. The firft is an ob- je &ion moved by way ofqueftion, in thefe words: [What (ball we faytben? . li the Law fin ?]The fecond is a replication or anfwer, in the words following, [God forbid, rh'c.] T r at. T ell as now the fumme of this obje- Ifion, and from whence did it aril? S i L. The fumme is thus much. li the Law the caufe offin?For this is the mean- ing of thefe words [li the Law fin?] that is to fay, doth the Law beget it, bring it forth and lead us unto fin ? This obje- &ion arifeth from this, that Paul had taught that the affe &ions of fin were by the Law, verle 5. which torn adverfary (belike) 2 Part of the Chap. An Apolo. gy of the aw against certaine cavillations and flan. fiers. t Part: This phsafe', is like that in chap. 6. afro' 8. v.6. and ch. 17.11.;
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