shall finde rest unto our souls See Matth. 11.28,29,30 Whereunto his beloved Disciple bears witness out of his own experience saying For this is the love of God that we keep his Commandments and his Commandments are not grievous For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world and this is the victory that overcometh the world even our Faith Who is he that overcometh the world but he that believeth that Jesus is the Christ 1 John 5.3,4,5 There is then no bar or let to the keeping of Gods Commandments but the wicked world of sin which may be overcome by Faith in the Son of God and then Gods Commandments shall not be grievous but delightful unto us For what is easier or more delightful then to love and therefore this burden of Christs which he lays upon us is both light and sweet in general Psal 19.10 also 119.103 There is nothing that unites us more closely to God then love Rom. 8.35,36,37,38 Nothing is stronger and more victorious Cant. 8.6,7 Nothing is crowned with more vertues nor more omnipotent in the Lord see 1 Cor. 13. throughout Thus of the Duty to be done Perfecting holiness now concerning the way wherein it is to be accomplished or acquired 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the fear of God Which words may be three ways understood First Of that Obedience to Gods Commandments which is commonly called The fear of God Psal 111.10 112.1 Eccles 12.13 In which way the Lord hath promised to make us an holy people Deut. 26.17,18,19 Thou hast avouched the Lord this day to be thy God and to walk in his ways and to keep his Statutes and his Commandments and his Judgments and to hearken to his voice And the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people as he hath promised thee and that thou shouldst keep all his Commandments and to make thee high above all Nations which he hath made in praise in name and in honor that thou maist be an holy people unto the Lord thy God as he hath spoken Secondly The fear of God may be understood of a reverend and awful fear of Gods Righteousness and Judgments And so it is the posture we should always stand in while we are in our Christian race towards Perfection Phil. 2.12 Work out your Salvation with fear and trembling Which fear when perfect love is come is set aside 1 Joh. 4.17,18 For perfect love casteth out fear Thirdly It may be taken for a filial or conjugal fear of God and his goodness Hos 3.5 Afterward shall the children of Israel return and seek the Lord their God and David their King and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days And this fear as it is love in some good measure and degree so it is the way to that perfect love which is the fulfiling of the Law For the beginning augmenting and perfecting whereof I crave leave to speak a word or two to my Reverend Brethren of the Ministry by way of Avisa from this Proviso And I hope that I may say with Paul That I my self also am perswaded of you my Brethren that ye also are full of goodness filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another Nevertheless I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort as putting you in minde because of the Grace that is given to me of God Rom. 15.14,15 It is not unknown to you how Phineas the son of Eleazer that is as the name imports Confidence of face in or from Gods help obtained the Covenant of Peace and of the Everlasting Priesthood to wit by slaying Cozbi the lie or lying nature of Sin and Zimri or that disposition that rejoyceth therein Num. 25.6,7 Psal 106.30,31 Nor that if we will be Gods mouth we must take away the precious from the vile Jere. 15.19 Nor that we must stand in the Council of the Lord ere we can practise and hear his words Jere. 23.18 and much more before we can turn men from the evil way and from the evil of their doings Verse 22. Yea that the Law of Truth was in Levi's mouth and iniquity was not found in his lips and that he walked with God in peace and equity when he turned many away from iniquity Mal. 2.6 Onely mine earnest Prayer to God for my self and you is That whereas the Spies and Searchers out of the promised Land were of different mindes and did in conclusion run two contrary courses Joshuah and Caleb following the Lord fully as himself testifieth Numb 14.24 and encouraging the people to obey the Lord to stand firm in the Faith and so to set upon their enemies with courage and hope of victory but the other ten degenerating from the Faith and Obedience of God and drawing thousands after them by their pretence of difficulties yea of impossibility to subdue the Canaanites and to take possession of the promised Inheritance That none of us may be found in the number of the last named but all of us in the first though the smalest number for our Saviour saith That little of this Faith that God will avenge his elect on their spiritual enemies shall be found upon the Earth at his coming Luke 18.6,7,8 And mine humble suit unto you all is first That seeing God giveth some to be Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints and the edifying of the Body of Christ till we all come in the unity of the Faith and knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ that none of us discourage or retard the Saints in their progress by any pretended impossibility as those formerly did Eph. 4.10,11,12 Secondly Whereas Verse 14. the Apostle henceforth would have no men and muchless us to be children tossed too and fro with every wind of Doctrine by the cunning craftiness of men whereby they lie in wait to deceive That we take heed that we suffer not the Authors whom we read to impose upon us in this or any other kinde To the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to that it is because there is no light nor morning in them Isai 8.20 Thirdly To remember that the Apostle willeth that we speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things which is the Head even Christ from whom the whole Body fitly joyned together and compacted by that which every joynt supplieth according to the effectual working in the measure of every part maketh increase of the Body to the edifying of it self in love Ephes 4.15,16 For the end of the Law and Commandments is love out of a pure heart and a good conscience and of faith unfained 1 Tim. 1.15 Fourthly That with St Paul we preach Christ in the Saints the Hope of Glory warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus Colos 1.27,28 Fifthly That we pray earnestly under Hope for the perfecting of the Saints as the Apostles and holy Ministers of Christ did Eph. 3.14,21 Phil. 1.10 Colos 4.12 1 Thes 5.23 1 Pet. 5.10 Sixthly That neither the weak Brother may judge the strong nor the strong may despise the weak seeing we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ Rom. 14.10 Finally Let us all follow the counsel of St. Peter 1 Pet. 5.1,2,3,4 and pray for one another as the Apostle doth Heb. 13.20,21 for there are many Adversaries FINIS