Covenant of Grace We do now stand upon other terms with God through Christ in the New Covenant whereof we are partakers by faith in him But still the Precepts of the Moral Law abide on us as our Duty there never was any repeal of the Command nor indeed can they ever cease to be a Rule to man for the guiding of him in the right ordering of his Conversation inasmuch as they are every way suited to the nature of man considered as being made on purpose for the actual glorifying of God so that if we would actually glorify him as men we must do it in compliance with these precepts All that is contained in this rule is reduced to those two heads Mat. 22. 37 39. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind and thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self And this can never cease to be our duty so long as we are men nothing can discharge us from the obligation of loving God and our neighbour inasmuch as the Relation we bear to both cannot cease and the duty is inseparable from such a Relation It is also certain that all of these Duties are reinforced in the Gospel or under the dispensation of the Kingdom of Grace and may be all of them found on record in the preceptive part of the New-Testament required of Christians as they would walk worthy of the vocation with which they are called and are therefore called New Commands because they are there reinforced with arguments fetcht from the consideration of the Grace of God appearing to us we have this summarily commended to us in Tit. 2. 11 12. The Grace of God which brings Salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world Under which three heads are comprized all those duties which are required in and by the Moral Law 8. That all the Commands of the New-Covenant which are purely Evangelical are inclusively Comprehended in this Rule It is to be observed that there are some Duties introduced by the New Covenant and are enjoyned on all such unto whom it is promulgated which were not Duties incumbent on man whiles he continued in a state of Integrity such as Faith in Jesus Christ Repentance unto life and the several things that are contained in these as they point to us the way for fallen man to recover Gods favour and obtain eternal Salvation and indeed these Duties were inconsistent with that state Man had not forfeited himself to the Law and so needed not a Redeemer he stood in his uprightness and was defiled with no sin and had no occasion for Repentance These Duties therefore were not immediately comprized in the law of nature nor was man in Innocency able by the improvement of his reason to gather that there were any such Duties hypotheâ—ically belonging to his Rule Nor is it to be supposed that when God at first indented with man in the Covenant of Works and warned him a-against disobedience by shewing him the threatning that he made any discovery to him of an hope that in case of his miscarriage he might be saved or that he foretold a way of his recovery in case he ruined himself by trespassing against the command and bringing of himself under the threatning doubtless he reserved this for the Opening of the Covenant of Grace and till he so made it known man could not possibly so much as guess at such a thing However there is thus much contained in the Moral Law and the light of nature clearly discovered to man at first viz. that the rightful authority and supremacy that God hath over all men claims a liberty for him at any time to enjoyn man in any thing and make it his duty by vertue of his command to do it if it be within the power which he at first endowed him withal and consequently that he ows Obedience to God in whatsoever he shall at any time declare to be his will hereupon Positive Commands oblige men by the light of nature as well as Natural duties supposing there be a Revelation of them made to them We find therefore that God at first exerted this authority over our first Parents when he put them into the Garden by an arbitrary exempting the Tree of Knowledge from their eating of it under pain of death nor did they dispute but acknowledge his Soveraignty over them in that regard though afterwards the adversary used it as a snare to draw them into Sin And how many such positive Precepts did God give to Israel of which he renders 〈◊〉 other reason but this I am the Lord Hence there fore when God once reveals to fallen men that it is his will that they should repent and believe in order to their being made partakers in Pardon and Salvation it becomes their bounden duty by vertue of that Command that they so do and not only will they miss of Salvation if they neglect to comply with these terms on which it is offered but they will thereby Sin against God and so aggravate their Guilt and in this respect the Gospel may well be called the Law of Christ Hence we are told Acts 17. 30. Now God commandeth all men every where to repent i. e. Now when the Gospel is promulgated and 1 Joh. 3. 23. This is his Commandment that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ. 9 This being a perfect Rule requires every sort of personal perfection in us Our perfection must needs consist in our conformity to the Rule of it and if so we cannot be entirely perfect unless our conformity be as large as the duties which are required by it and that not only in all the parts of it by answering to every precept in it and having a respect to all the Commandments of God but also in the degrees of our compliance with it which must consist in such an Holiness as hath not the least mixture of the contrary in it that doth not only do the thing but doth it with that accuracy that there be nothing wanting in the matter of it with that diligence that we never fail either in omission or commission with that intenseness of love that hath no mixture of reluctancy or backwardness with that singleness of heart that hath no allay or mixture of any sinister aimes or ends and with that constancy that we hold on without wavering to the end which though none of the Children of God ever did or shall in this life attain unto yet it is the perfection which we are called to aspire after and not to rest in any thing short of it but to be in an earnest pursuit of it as long as we abide here and till we reach it in the Kingdom of Glory And that this is required of us will appear if we consider 1. That every thing short of this Perfection is
writâ—en be ye Holy for I am Holy Here is not an â—quality intended but a similitude together with such a measure as the Creature is capable â—f attaining unto for the greatest perfections â—f the most excellent Creatures are imperfeâ—â—ions compared with God Nor are all the Divine Perfections here intended there are â—hose that are by Divines called Incommunicable â—hich we are to admire but not to aspire afâ—er and there are those which are said to be Communicable Namely such whereof there may be an Image oâ—â—dark representation iâ— us and these aâ—â—here aimed at These perfections consist in that Holiness and Righteousness whiâ—â— are required in the Moral Law uâ—â— to which we are enabled by the Sanctificatioâ— of the Spirit the Graces whereof in us arâ— called the Image of God by which we imitate him in his Holiness and Righteousness That the Duty here required is Evangelical therein appears because Christ enjoynâ—th â—â— on his Disciples and such as can call God then Father by vertue of the Adoption which wâ— are told cometh in upon believing Gal. 3. 26 For we are the Children of God through faith iâ— Jesus Christ The only matter of difficulty before us is to know what is the perfection intended by Christ in this precept and which he requiretâ— and expecteth that all those who approvâ— themselves to be his Disciples should be alwayâ— aspiring after And that which makes it thâ— more difficult is because the word is variously used in the Scriptures and differently applieâ— by Expositors to this Text. The word signifyeth that which hath attained its end and because when a thing hath so done it haâ—â— reached its perfection according to its capacity it is Metonymically used for it and so one thaâ— is adult or grown up to his full Stature is said to be a perfect man Eph. 4. 13. And theâ— whose Grace is arrived to its fulness in Glory are called Just men made perfect Heb. 12. 23. Divines distinguish perfection into Legal and Evangelical which is a true distinction if taken in a sound sense but is warâ—â— to be understood They tell us also that there is a perfection of parts which is called Integrality and so an infant is a perfect man because he hath all the parts which belong to that Speciâ—â— and of Degrees when these parts are compleated and come to the just measure which nature aspired unto They speak also of a Relative or Comparative perfection when though a thing be in it self defective yet when it is compared with another of its own kind it doth very much exceed or go beyond it and that which is Absolute which is when it is improved to its utmost capacity they observe that perfection is sometimes used for Sincerity in opposition to Hypocrisy when a man not only professeth Godliness but is the man he pretends to be such an one is sound or perfect whereas the other is unsound and so imperfect Now all these distinctions have their foundation in the word of God nor without distinguishing can we be able to reconcile those Texts which assert the present perfection of the people of God even in this life with those that do deny any here to be perfect which would else be contradictions whereas we are assured that the spirit of God doth not contradict himself in his word Now though it be â—â—sily granted on all hands that Christ â—quires Sincerity or an Upright Heart of â—s yea and Integrity too or a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be expressed to all his Commands and he will accept of such sincerity and integrity at the hands of his people in these duties which they perform in faith seeking for their acceptance in Christ in which respect I suppose Evangelical Obedienâ—â— doth mainly differ from that which is Legaâ— and God is pleased with it when he rejects the other yet how far absolute perfection is comprized in the precept here given by Christ is a matter of doubt and debate among many There are and those not a few who with greatest confidence do assert that God doth not expect or require of his people under the Gospel Covenant that perfection in their Obedience to him which he did under the Covenant of Works but hath abated of the strictness of the Command and if we do our best there is no more required of us Which assertion though I believe that many who use it do mean well and intend nothing else in it than is acknowledged by all the Orthodox yet it is a very unsafe assertion in the letter of it and is one foundation on which the Papists do build their Doctrines of mens merits and works of supererogation yea and many Protestants do also introduce that absurd and dangerous notion of making our Obedience to be of the matter of our Justification because being upon a New Covenant account we do fulfil the Obedience that is in it required of us and so by that Covenant it bespeaks our Justification Loose Professors also are hurt by this opinion they think they are sincere and because of this indulgence are too negligent in their duty and fail in that true Repentance which they ought every day to be in the renewed exercises of It may then be of present use to discuss this Case viz. Quest Whether that Personal Perfection which God requires of his people under the Covenant of Grace be the same for kind and degree with that which was required in the Covenant of Works or any thing short of it A. For the more distinct opening and reâ—olving this important Case let these things â—e observed 1. That the question is not concerning Unconâ—erted Ones who are under the outward Dispensaâ—ion of the Gospel but those that are under Grace â— e. those that are truly Converted to God â—ouching the former of these it is to be well â—bserved that notwithstanding the offer they â—ave made to them and standing which they â—ave under the Covenant and Promises exhiâ—ited by the Gospel to men in which life and Salvation is hypothetically promised unto them and invitations are urged upon them to entertain it on the terms proposed yet before such time as they have actually embraced the offered Grace they are truly under the Law as a Covenant of Works and because they are so it demands of them personal perfection both habitual and actual and that on paiâ— of death for we are told in Gal. 3. 10. Aâ— many as are of the works of the Law are undâ—â— the Curse for it is written Cursed is every 〈◊〉 that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them Hence as of old God gave the Moral Law a new Sanction on Mount Sinai with thundrings and lightnings and great terrors as we are informed Exod. 19 20 So to make way foâ— the veiled Gospel which was afterwards giveâ— to Moses and by him to Israel in those Ordâ—nances or Ceremonial Institutions which werâ— delivered to him so under the Gospel tâ— those
that are partakers of the outward benâ—fits of it when he comes to Convert any Sinners among them to Christ and make theâ— to accept of him as a Saviour he lays theâ— under the terrors of the Law Moral by shewing them what is therein required of theâ— and what they are to expect at the hands â— a Righteous God if those demands be nâ— fully answered and by this he convinceâ— them of their misery and self impotency â— deliver themselves from it thereby making way for their hearkning after and giving the greatest welcome to a Redeemer On this account is the Law called our School-master â—nto Christ Gal. 3. 24. Because by it we are acquainted with our need of him and excited to seek after him There is then no doubt to be made but that the same perfection is required of them notwithstanding their being in the visible Kingdom of Christ Whereas true Converts or such as have believed in Christ are delivered from this Severity i. e. they are no longer under the Law as a Covenant pronouncing of them dead men if they fail of their Obedience in the least â—unctilio and the reason is because they are â—rought under the Covenant of Grace by which they are freed from the former according to Rom. 6. 14. Sin shall not have dominiâ— over you for ye are not under the Law but â—nder Grace 2. The question is not with respect to our Justiâ—ation before God The Justification of fallen â—an hath not the least regard to any persoâ—al Obedience of theirs as having an influâ—nce Causall into it and consequently it can â—ave no respect to any kind of perfection of â— Gospel Justification cometh altogether by â—e Imputation of the Righteousness of another â— us viz. that of Christ which was for that â—nd provided by God for us and is called his Righteousness Phil. 3 9. The Righteousness that is of God by faith and so it is not ours Personal or Inherent but by acceptation for us It is calâ—ed the Justification of a Sinner or of the Ungodly Rom. 4. 5. And therefore must needs have a respect to that Law in relation whereto the man is a Sinner which is the Moral Law under obligation whereto all men do stand as they derive from the first Adam to whom it was given for himself and his posterity and hence it must have a Righteousness to answer it every way as perfect as that Law required which no fallen man is able in himself to pay nor can any offer it for him but Christ only They wholly mistake the very nature of Gospel Justification who allow any Righteousness short of that to have any concernment in it and since by the fall man is become Guilâ—y and so subjected to the Curse of the Law if he had a personal Righteousness as broad as that which the Law required of mâ—n in integrity yet that would not satisfie for the removal of his Guilt without which he cannot be Justified So that whether it be perfect or imperfect it signifies nothing here 3. Nor is the question about what Obedience of ours will find acceptance with God through Christ It is certaâ—n that no Obedience of ours will be at all accepted of us out of him and it is also beyond doubt that the imperfection which attends the sincere Services of Gods Children will not procure that these Services of theirs should be rejected by him for if so it were impossible thaâ—â—ny of us in this imperfect state that abides us should ever please God in any thing that we do which must needs be an invincible discouragement to us in doing any duties that are required of us but then it is through Christ that they find acceptance with him In this respect it is that the sincerity which Godâ— Children do express in their Obedience is so often called perfection in the Scriptures Joh is said to be a perfect man and upright Joh 1. 1. by Reason that being â—ffered to God with Christs incense it finds favour with him and he smelleâ—h a sweet savour in it notwithstanding that according to the Law it would have been utterly rejected by reason of the concomitant defects So that the true Believer who serves God in integrity is not to be discouraged because he finds his best to come so far behind of that perfection which the Law prescribes to men but is to look to the gracious encouragement which is giâ—en to them who love God in sincerity 4. But it is with regard to the obligation to New Obedience that lies upon Justâ—fied Believers It presupposeth them to be in a state of Justification and looks upon them as under the Government of Christ and owing â— Service to him There are indeed those who deny that any such obligation lieth upon the Children of God and that the Law Moral no longer binds them under duty of conformity unto it but that upon their believing in Christ they are freed from any such engagement this is purely Antinomian and bespeaks all the precept given to the Children of God under the Gospel to be wholly in vain or only to concern such as are as yet unregenerate for the awakening them to betake themselves to Christ and seek an interest in him by faith and not at all to belong to those that are already partakers in the grace of God but why then have the Children of God that title of Obedient put upon them and are called upon to express it by this conformity 1 Pet. 1. 14. As obedient children not fashioning your selves according to the former lusts c. Supposing then such an Obedience as this to be our duty which prerequires a principle to be put into us impowring us to a compliance with it in order to our actual performance of it our enquiry is about the extensiveness of it or how far it is our duty to endeavour after perfection in it and for the clearing of this Case we may take the following Conclusions into Consideration 1. That the design of the New Covenant in which the Grace of it is to appear is to bring fallen man back to a state of blessedness It was because mankind were become wofully miserable by the Apostasy of Adam in which they all fell and there was no room left for any remedy to be afforded to them by the Covenant of Works inasmuch as the Law could no longer give life Gal. 3. 21. And God had a pity for some of that unhappy race would save them that he opened a New Covenant in which he makes the displays of his rich Grace to them Now as it was the glory of his Grace that God had a regard to ultimately in this Contrivance so the way in which he would exalt this Attribute and make it illustrious and for ever admirable was in their Salvation So that the Salvation of lost Sinners is inseparably connected with and nextly subordinated to this last end of God because in and by it he will accomplish it In
â— counsel and make choise of his way anâ— therefore it is only by his so doing that he caâ— reach the great end of his being in his miâ—sing of this he becomes Vain for what else â— vanity but the missing or falling short of one end That the man may attain this end it â— requisite that he have a power in him to Servâ— to it and what else is that power but Holiness Created Holiness in man is nothing else buâ— that rectitude in his whole nature and all thâ— powers of it whereby he is enabled enclineâ— to live be to the Glory of God in all things And from the exerting of this principle dâ— proceed all his holy actions Man in his lapseâ— estateis without this principle having lost it by his unhappy fall it must therefore be again restored to him in Sanctification else he cannot Serve God Now mans Well being is consequent upon the former God only is an adequate object for him or a sufficient portion for him to make him blessed he must theâ— enjoy him if ever it be well with him for iâ— this fruition his actual felicity must consist for could he obtain and have the full freedom oâ— using all that is in heaven and earth separatâ— from God he were still miserable the Psalmisâ— could say Psal 73. 25. Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is nothing on earth that I desire with thee and the only way for our enjoying of God is by glorifying in him It is sin that hath made the woful separation which hath procured our infelicity Isa 59. 2. Your iniquities have separated between you and your God And what is sin but a coming short of the glory of God Rom. 3. 23. God therefore hath fully declared that he will bestow this favour upon none but those that honour him 1 Sam. 2. 3â— Them that honour me I will honour and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed 5. That for this Active personal glorifying of God man must have a Rule It is not enough that he have an inward principle of Sanctification put into him whereby he is disposed unto this Service and empowred for the discharging of it though without it he must needs fall short of his great end but he must also have a directory to shew him his way in which this work is to be done As there must be an heart in us enclining of us to Glorify God else we cannot move one step towards it so there must be a way according to which we are to encline our selves hereunto It is certain that there are those things whereby God is dishonoured in the lives of the Children of men as well as those whereby they do honour him and how should the man be able either to avoid the one or rightly to prosecute the other except he have something to guide his steps and order his Conversation by for this therefore there must be a Rule laid before him hence God tells them Mic. 6 8. He hath shewn thee Oh man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to dâ— justice and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God the promise therefore is made to such as live conformably to this Rule Gal. 6. 16. As many as walk according to this Rule peace be on them and mercy and it is the alone prerogative of God not only to require Service of his Creature which it ows to him as he is its supream Lord and Owner but also to prescribe to it how and wherein he will be Served by it He who is our Lord and King is our Law giver too Isa 33. 22. And he must some way or other reveal this to them that are concerned in it how else should they know how to order their conversation aright so as to see his Salvation It is by this Rule that they are to square all their actions they must therefore look upon it and apply it to every step David saith Psal 119. 105. Thy word is a light to my feet and a lamp to my path but this it cannot be except they be acquainted with it so that they must receive it from him in order to their practising of it 1 Thes 4. 1. We exhort you by the Lord Jesus Christ that as ye have received of us how you ought to walk and to please God so ye would abound more and more 6. The Moral Law was at first given to man to be this Rule As there is a Common Government which God exerciseth over the Creation so there is a Special Government by which he leads Intelligent Rational Agents to the end they are appointed to Now this Law was the Rule of Gods special Government with respect to mankind This Law is by some made the same with and by others divers from the law of nature but if we reckon the law of nature to be that which was engraven on the heart of man at the first it may be well reckoned for the same This was every way suited to the nature of man it was fitted for the guiding of such a creature to its last end in all the things in which he was concerned The sanctified understanding in man during his state of integrity not only could read the inscriptions of it on his heart but saw and approved the reasonableness and equity of it yea the convictions of a natural Conscience in fallen man do prove that he cannot withstand the righteousness of it Rom. 2. 14 15. Man was to obey this Law in all things and to be happy in that Obedience Rom. 10. 5. The man that doth these things shall live by thèm see Jam. 1. 25. The threatning indeed was annexed to the Sacrament of that Covenant Gen. 2 17. In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely dy but every Article in it or precept of it being ratified by that Seal it so sealed up and confirmed the whole of it unto man and had a reference to every duty that was contained therein This was the same Law which had a new edition of it at Mount Sinai where God published it and registred it on Tables of Stone summed it up in ten Precepts which comprized in them the summe and substance of mans duty and wherein he was bound to Serve and Glorifie God in his whole course reaching both his heart and his life the matter manner end of all he did 7. Though the Sanctions of that Law as a Covenant be removed in respect to believers yet as a Rule it abides for ever Under the Covenant of Grace neither is the promise of bestowing a reward of life upon mens performing of perfect personal Obedience nor the threatning of punishing the least defect in that Obedience with death any longer of force in regard of the Children of God and the reason is because the Law of Works hath ceased to be a Covenant to them upon their accepting the terms of and being admitted into the
great mercies And for this reason the sense of these defects attending them makes them oftentimes to tremble at the thoughts of Gods displeasure Psal 119. 120. My flesh trembleth for fear of thee and I am afraid of thy Judgments 8. It is their duty dayly to Pray for Forgiveness Prayer is One part of Natural Worship and it is not appointed for a Complement but as a necessary duty for the upholding of Communion between God and men it being the way in which we are to seek and obtain the good we need and give him the due acknowledgments of it In the petitionary part of it then we are to ask him only for such things as we want And the apprehension of our want and his ability to succcour us is the motive of our so seeking to him Now there is such a Petition which Christ hath directed his Disciples and such as can call God their Father to present dayly to him Math. 6. 12. Forgive us our debts i. e. Our Sins And there is ever implied in such a petition a confession of our debts else we cannot in earnest ask the forgiveness of them We then daily want forgiveness not only a further confirmation of the pardon we received in our Justification but new forgiveness and there is none so holy in this life as to be discharged from the obligation of making this petition in prayer And yet there are many of Gods Children that are kept from precipitating themselves into atrocious sins nor do any truly gracious ones make a dayly trade of it This therefore plainly intimates that the very remaining imperfection which makes them in their whole lives to fall behind in regard of that absolute perfection which consists in a compleat conformiâ—y to the Rule hath that in it which needs forgiveness to be applied to it by the free Grace of God It therefore hath sinfulness in it otherwise it could noâ— stand in need of a pardon and whatsoâ—ever in us stands in need of that tells â—â— that we ought to labour indefatigably tâ— get it taken away as a thing which is evil and bitter 9. One great design that God aims at in his Ordinances and Providences which he dispenseth to his people is to purge away these imperfections to lead them on towards Perfection The Gospel Ordinances which Christ hath appointed to be dispensed to his people were not only designed for the bringing about the Conversion of Sinners though that also is purposed in them we are therefore said to be begotten by the word of truth Jam. 1. 18. And Paul was sent to open mens eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God Acts 26. 18. But God also aimed at the Edification of Saints by them They are therefore Christ's Ascension Gifts which he hath bestowed on his Church to help them forward to a sinless perfection till when they are not to cease Eph. 4. 10 c. There are also the many Afflictive Providences which God seeth meet to exercise his own Children withal in this world and among other purposes which he intends to bring about hereby we are told that this is one great thing that he aims at by them Isa 27. 9. By this shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged and this is all the fruit to take away his sin On this account the afflictions that the Children of God are visited withal are compared to a farnace and to a reâ—iners fire in which remaining dross is separated from the good metal to make it yet more pure This good effect Job encouraged himself that he should obtain by his afflictions Job 23 10. When he hath tried me I shall comâ— forth as gold And surely that which God useth such courses with us to take away from us must needs be a thing that we should endeavour the removal of Job was a perfect man as to integrity Chap. 1. 1. And yet he needed this trial 10 They must be fully perfected in order to their perfect Glorification Though the body of death attends them through the present life and giveth them no little molestation in it yet it shall be wholly put off with it and they shall no more be pestered with it for ever There shall be perfection of holiness enjoyed by us when we come to perfect glory nor indeed can our glory be perfect without it we are told how Christ will present his Church to himself at last Eph. 5. 27. A glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing None are admitted into the assembly above but Just men made perfect Heb. 12. 22 When we come there we shall sin no more nor have any dregs of pollution abiding in us but be entirely conformed to the Image of God now that which is the perfection which God will bring us to at last is that which we all ought to be aspiring after and restless in purâ—â—it of till we come to obtain it And truly Inchoate Holiness makeâ— us capable only of partaking in Inchoate Blessedness our vessels are not prepared to be filled with glory nor can we have that near Communion with God in Christ which is requisite to give us compleat and uninâ—â—rmixed satisfaction till we are compleatly holy in the highest degree which our natures are able to receive If then God hath appointed us to Salvation and there can be none without this it must needs be our duty not to take up with any thing short of this and consequently it must be that which is promised to us in the Covenant of Grace and we ought to pursue it and endeavour to go from â—â—rength to strength in it till we arrive at the fulness of it which is not to be expected till we get to the Eternal Kingdom USE Be we then Exhorted not to place our hope in God for the sake of any Righteousness of our own when we must confess our best so short of what it ought to be which needs a pardon and therefore cannot command his favour but let the sense of our duty and our defect pâ—t us upon relying on Christ alone and his Righteousness as the mâ—ritorious and material cause of our acquittance from the condemnation of the Law and being made the Owners of a title to eternâ— life Let us look hither for a sure foundatâ—on to build our hope upon to receive the reward of Eternal Glory and not to any thing of our own Let our dependence be here for the acceptance of our poor imperfect duties acknowledging that but for this they could not but be rejected Let us in sense of our own imperfection be ever bewailing of it and go to Christ to have it sprinkled with his blood Let us press hard all our lives after more Holiness prosecuting it with utmost reachings and let every new acquest by Divine help make us the more earnest after further degrees of it and more vigorous in the use of all means to reach them Nor let us tire and give in so long as we are any whit behind those who are now totally freed from sin and in whom Grace is arrived at its full stature in Glory THE END A Brief Account of principal matters contained in the foregoing Treatise DOCTRINE I. THat Jesus Christ is a Fountain of Saving Good page 7. How he came to be such a Fountain p. 13. DOCTRINE II. Jesus Christ is an Opened Fountain in the days of the Gospel p. 22. How this fountain comes to be Opened p. 28. In what peculiar respect it is said to be Opened in the days of the Gospel p. 32. DOCTRINE III. They are the Seed of Christ and the Church of God for whose sake this fountain is Opened p. 44 How the Opening of this Fountain had a peculiar respect to these p. 46. DOCTRINE IV. The great design of Opening this Fountain to Gods people is for sin and uncleanness p. 64. How mans sin and uncleanness gave occasion for this p. 65 Of what use this fouutain is for the taking it away p. 77 Trials of our interest in this fountain p. 95 DOCTRINE V. There will be a more peculiar Opening of Christ as a Fountain of life when the Jews are called p. 106 That there is such a Calling of the Jews yet to come ibid. The glorious state of those times p. 114 DOCTRINE VI. When God hath brought his Chosen to bewail their sins especially the affronts which they have offered to Christ and to pray for his mercy he will then make a gracious discovery of this Fountain to them p. 127 How God produceth a Spirit of mourning and supplication in men in order to his Opening of this Fountain to them p. 130 How to judge of the efficacy of the Gospel p. 140 Rules of Trial to know whether this Fountain hath been savingly Opened to us p. 146 In the Sermon annexed to the former Treatise This great question is discussed viz. Whether that personal perfection which God requires of his people under the Covenant of Grace be the same for kind and degree with that which was required in the Covenant of Works or any thing short of it ERRATA PAge 82. line 17. for parties r. parts p. 137. l. 25. dele and. p. 150. l 24. f. God by r. Godly p. 198. l. 17 add for