18. Perfect loue casteth out feare Å¿ Iam. 1. 4. That yee may bee perfect and wholly sound wanting in nothing By perfect it meaneth not the exact performance of legall Righteousnesse but the whole and totall change of all the man which yet in this life is euermore imperfect And so doth Iames in that place last before mentioned expound it So that there is a Legall and an Euangelicall perfection which rather and more properly is termed integritie I call it totall first in respect that the whole man and all our parts and powers both of the soule and bodie are renewed as the Apostle to the t 1. Thess 5. 23. Thessalonians prayeth that their Spirit soule and bodie may be kept vnblameable in the comming of Iesus Christ First our mind and euen the Spirit of our mind whereof it is said u Rom. 12. 2. Bee transformed in the renewing of your minde x Ephe. 4. 23. Be renewed in the Spirit of your mind I y Ezech. 36. 26. wil put a new Spirit in the midst of you Againe both our Knowledge and Iudgement are reformed that now z 1. Cor. 2. 15. the spirituall man discerneth all things And our Memorie and Consciences purged for the Memorie that serueth where the Apostle doth commend the a 1. Thess 3. 6. Thessalonians for hauing a good memory of him alwayes And to the b 1. Cor. 11. 2. Corinths That they remembred all his matters or remembred him in all things Of the Conscience it is said c Heb. 9. 4. That the bloud of Christ purgeth our Consciences from dead works to serue the liuing God And d Heb. 10. 22. Hebrewes the tenth Hauing your hearts sprinkled from an euill Conscience This Renewing reacheth to the heart also that is to the Soule the seate of the Desire Will Affection which e Ezech. 36. 26 Ezechiel addeth to that of the Spirit I will giue you a new heart And f Deut. 10. 16. Moses saith Circumcise the fore-skin of your heart Of the Desire we reade The g Gal. 5. 17. Spirit or part regenerate lusteth against the flesh Of the Will that h Phil. 2. 3. God worketh this grace in vs to will according to his owne good pleasure And of the Affections They that i Gal. 5. 24. are Christs haue crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts of it Lastly The Bodie it selfe and all the members are made anew not in substance but in qualitie by putting off the sinfull body of the flesh as the Apostle speaketh k Col. 2. 11. Colossians the second Whereupon he doth exhort vs l Rom. 6. 12. Let not sinne raigne in your mortall bodies m Col. 3. 5. Mortifie your earthly members fornication and vncleannesse c. For as there is a n Rom. 7. 25. law of the members that rebelleth against the Law of the minde so there are o 1. Cor. 12. 27. members that are by Regeneration the members of CHRIST which fight against that Law of the old man Secondly It is totall in respect that it maketh a change not in our p Ier. 7. 3. wayes and actions only but in our very nature the perfect and all-sufficient Sanctification Esay 1. 16 17. of our nature in the person of Christ himselfe freeing vs from that naturall corruption which as the Law of the members is inherent in vs. This the Apostle speaketh Romanes q Rom. 8. 2. the eighth The Law of the Spirit of life which is in Christ Iesus hath freed mee from the Law of sin and of death that is from that inherent corruption which as the Law of the members sticketh to our nature the perfect Sanctification of his humane nature beginning a Sanctification here in vs euen in our very nature ouer and besides the Righteousnesse of our wayes Thirdly It is totall in regard of both the parts of Righteousnesse which wee are renewed into Holinesse and true Iustice for both these the Scripture noteth Ephes 4. 24. Put on the new man which according to God is created in Holinesse and true Iustice Marke 6. 20. Herod reuerenced IOHN BAPTIST knowing he was a iust and a holy man Luke 1. 74. That wee being deliuered from the hands of our enemies may serue him in true Iustice and Holinesse Titus 2. 11 12. The grace of God hath appeared c. instructing vs to liue wisely and iustly and godly in this present World Yet we must obserue that there are degrees in the imperfection which we speake of for First Some are weake ones and euen Babes in Christ weake in Faith weake in Knowledge weake in all kind of practice of spirituall Graces whom the Apostle calleth carnall that is to say rude Of the weake in Faith the Apostle speaketh Romanes 14. 1. And our Sauiour many times vpbraydeth his Disciples O yee of little faith Of weake in knowledge and capacitie of heauenly things it is said Rom. 6. 19. I spake vnto you after the manner of men that is by Similitudes taken from the common course of mans life For the infirmitie of your flesh And Heb. 5. 12. For when through the time yee ought to haue beene Teachers yea haue need to bee taught anew what are the elements of the beginning of the words of Christ and are become those that haue need of Milke and not of strong meate So our Sauiour Christ telleth his Disciples r Iohn 16. 12. I haue many things to say vnto you but you are not able to beare them now Of weake in practice we reade 1. Cor. 3. 1. I Brethren could not speake vnto you as spirituall but as carnall as Infants in CHRIST I gaue you Milke to drinke and not strong meate for you were not able to beare it Secondly There is a further step which Christians of the better sort commonly attayne vnto standing in a sufficient furniture of all graces needfull for the performance of euery good dutie in soule good manner and a blamelesse and vndefiled life whereof the Scripture giueth testimonie to many particular Christians And the Apostles in their Epistles partly Å¿ 1. Cor. 1. 1. 1. Thes 5 c. witnesse of diuers Churches and partly t Phil. 2. 15. 2. Pet. 3. 14 c. pray for them to be such Thirdly Vpon some few in respect of his ordinarie dealing it pleaseth GOD to powre a more aboundant measure of grace and higher degree of perfection filling and inriching their hearts with an exceeding increase of Faith of Knowledge of Loue of Hope of Patience and of the Gifts of the Holy Ghost These the Apostle calleth u Heb. 5. 14. perfect men who through a habit haue their sences exercised to the discerning of good and euill Phil. 3. 15. As many of vs as are perfect let vs bee thus minded and if ye thinke any thing otherwise that also will God reueale Thus x Rom. 4. 20 21 it is said of Abraham that hee was
haue set an euerlasting people that the signes and things to come might bee vttered vnto them Haue not I from that time vttered it vnto thee and declared it and you are my Witnesses Is there any God but mee 2. Strength Strength Comelinesse and beautie Graciousnes or an amiable and louely nature A complete furniture of riches honor and of all kind of pleasures delights 3. Comelinesse and beautie 4. Graciousnesse or an amiable and louely nature 5. A complete furniture of Riches and of all kinde of pleasures and delights God thus garnished and beset with whatsoeuer perfections the heart of man can thinke yea infinitely aboue that that men or Angels are able to conceiue is alone happy and blessed as the a 1. Tim. 6. 15. Apostle calleth him That blessed and onely Potentate Foolish men place happinesse in the good things as they terme them of body mind and fortune In all these how doth the Lord excell but after his owne that is a heauenly and vnspeakable sort A Body is commended by these two qualities if it bee strong and faire b Psal 93. 1. Iehouah saith the Psalmist is clothed with glory he hath girt himselfe with strength Againe c Psal 96. 6. Glory and comelinesse is before him strength and ornament in his Sanctuary In another d Psal 104. 1. place he cryeth out O IEHOVAH thou art exceeding great thou hast clothed thy selfe with comelinesse and beautie couering thy selfe with light as with a garment If any thing in the World be glorious and beautifull the Sunne the Moone the Starres and heauenly Planets are so without comparison But Looke vp saith e Iob 25. 5. Bildad in the Booke of IOB euen vnto the Moone and it doth not shine yea the Planets are not pure in his eyes that is are exceeding darke if they bee compared with him Notable is that of ELIHV f Iob 37. 20 21. Men cannot abide to looke vpon the Sunne when the golden light commeth from the North but in God there is a more reuerend kind of glory To conclude he is g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the strong God who h 1. Tim. 6. 16. alone hath immortality and onely is i Rom. 1. 23. 1. Tim. 1. 17. incorruptible or not subiect to decay A thing that falleth not into any Body or nature besides by it selfe and of it selfe What of the goods of Fortune fondly so called where Honour and Riches haue the preeminence k Phil. 2. 6. He is rich l Gen. 17. 1. all-sufficient the possessor m Gen. 14. 22. of Heauen and Earth needing nothing but hauing all things ministring abundantly vnto those that need n Psal 24. 1. The Earth is the Lords and all that doth replenish it Mine saith o Hag. 2. â— he is Gold and Siluer is mine p Ps 50. 10 11. Mine is euery beast of the Forrest and the Cattell vpon a thousand Hils I know all the Birds of the Mountaines and the wilde Beasts of the field are mine This is hee whom men and Angels honour worship adore yea the Deuils themselues with trembling are forced against their wils to magnifie and the proud q Psal 66. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 enemie counterfeits a subiection Therefore also his Name is great and he is famous throughout the World And if pleasures come into this account the r Psal â—8 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 triumphall Chariot whereon hee rideth is sweetnesse and delight it selfe comelinesse Å¿ Psal 96. 9. carryeth the Mace before him and t Psal 16. 11. at his right hand are pleasures for euermore Yea what u Psal 17. 5. is our blessednesse else but to see him face to face And when as ioy x Esay 35. 10. and gladnesse mirth and singing are the portion of his Children What shall wee thinke his fulnesse to bee But in the vertues of the minde how hee glittereth and shineth Theoricke practike Morall Intellectuall of the vnderstanding and of the will No ignorance can mis-lead him no affection can disquiet him no passion can lay hold vpon him with y Prou. 8. 14. Iob. 12. 13. him is counsell and wisedome his is knowledge and vnderstanding hee is wise in aduising iust in decreeing mighty in the executing of his counsels As for Holinesse Mercy Truth Kindnesse they take vp their dwelling in him yea his very nature is nothing else but the perfection of them all But doth this blessednesse of God rest onely in himselfe and reacheth it no farther Yes verily hee is not onely in himselfe and of himselfe and by nature blessed but he is the Fountaine of blessednesse to other Hee z Psal 32. 1 2. maketh blessed by giuing righteousnesse forgiuing sinnes through his Sonne purging the conscience sanctifying the heart vnto obedience Finally by making men and Angels partakers of his most gracious and blessed presence in Heauen To him bee honour and prayse for euer Wee haue hitherto spoken of the good and perfect These are the perfect things themselues His perfect incommunicable manner of hauing of them is Infinitenesse and Eternitie Infinitenesse whereby he is without circumscription things that are in God His perfect and incommunicable manner of hauing of them standeth in infinitenesse and eternitie Both of them such as no man nor Angell is capable of nor can be communicated to any creature By infinitenesse I meane an vnmeasureable Power Wisedome and Glory Goodnesse Greatnesse filling Heauen and Earth and being euery-where present within and without the World whereof there bee many euident testimonies in the Scripture Ieremy 23. 25. Doe not I fill Heauen and Earth saith IEHOVAH Psal 139. 7. Whither should I go from thy Spirit or whither should I flye from thy presence If I should climbe the Heauens thou art there or lay my bed in the Graue behold thou art present If I should take the wings of the Morning and dwell in the vttermost part of the Earth euen thither should thy hand lead me and thy right hand lay hold vpon mee Esay 66. 1. Heauen is my Throne and the Earth is my Footstoole As for those places of Scripture where God is said to remooue from one place vnto another as Genes 11. 5. IEHOVAH went downe to see the Citie and the Towre which the sonnes of men had built and Genes 18. 21. IEHOVAH said vnto ABRAHAM Because the cry of Sodome and Gomorrah is very much and because their sinne is very great I will go downe to see whether according to the cry that is come vp vnto mee they haue done things worthy of destruction if not that I may know This and whatsoeuer like is spoken after the manner of men to discend to our capacitie not that truely and properly there is any change of place in God GOD therefore is is all places at once not onely by his vertue and power but in his whole infinite essence yet wee must not imagine
5. Surely in the fire of mine indignation haue I spoken against the remnant of the Nations and against all Edom which haue taken my Land for their Possession with the ioy of all their heart with spoyling from their soule To the latter it is contrarie When men runne x Rom. 3. 15. vnto euill and their feet are swift to sheade bloud when the Tongue becommeth a fire y Iam. 3. 6 7. the ornament of iniquitie for our wickednesse and filthinesse of heart to vaunt and set out it selfe by defiling the whole bodie and setting on fire the whole course of nature it selfe being first set on fire of Hell Thus did Pharaoh foame out with his mouth his blasphemous thoughts and scorning of God in his heart Who z Exod. 5. 2. is IEHOVAH that I should let Israel goe And a 2. Kin. 18. 28 Rabshake that standing still cryed out with a loud voice in the Iewish laÌ„guage to the end that all the people might heare and vnderstand his Blasphemies An Example of them both together we haue Ezechiel 25. 6. Because thou speaking of the Ammonites clappest the hand and stampest with the foot and art glad from the soule of all the spoyling vpon the Land of Israel therefore behold I will stretch out my hand against thee From this strength of the soule and bodie ioyned together arise foure speciall Vertues which are to concurre in all duties both to God and to our Brethren First Sinceritie or vprightnesse of heart noting a singlensse smâ—â—â—â—y without any mixture which Etymologie the Apostle doth not obscurely giue in one or two places For b 2 Cor. 1. 12. this is our reioycing the testimonie of our conscience that in singlenesse and sinceritie of God we haue beene conuersant in the World For c 2. Cor. 2. 17. wee are not as the rest those which play the Huxters with the Word of God but sincerely but as it came from God in the sight of God doe we speake of Christ where sincere dealing is opposed as you see to that of Huxters which mingle their Wine and other commodities to deceiue men for their gaine For this vertue of being an vpright man IOB d Iob 1. 2. is highly commended By the same e 2. Pet. 3. 2. Peter commendeth those to whom hee wrote I stirre vp your sincere minde And the Apostle prayeth for the Philippians that f Philip. 1. 10. they may be sincere and without offence vnto the Day of Christ as 1. Cor. 5. 8. hee doth exhort vs to it Wherefore let vs keep holiday with the vnleauened bread of sincerity truth Where this sinceritie he termeth also truth as Ephes 4. 24. he calleth that true Righteousnesse and Holinesse which is sincere and vnfayned The Apostle g 1. Pet. 1. 22. Peter noteth it out by puritie when commending brotherly loue hee willeth that from a pure that is a sincere heart we loue one another For this purpose the infinite knowledge of God being euerie where present and sounding the bottome of our hearts and reines ought to bee alwayes before our eyes to hold vs in all integritie If our heart should but turne backward saith the Church h Psal 44. 19 21 22. Psalme 44. that wee had forgotten God though it were in secret should not God search this out seeing hee knoweth the hidden things of the minde And Dauid in the 139. i Psal 139. 2 4 13. Psalme Thou knowest my sitting and my rising thou vnderstandest my thoughts a far off long before I thinke them or before a word is in my mouth Yea thou possessest my reyns thy Knowledge is more woÌ„derfull then that I am able to discerne Therefore saith he k Verse 18. afterwards I watch continually to be with thee that is night and day it is my care in all sinceritie and vprightnesse of a good Conscience to cleaue vnto thee To this singlenesse of heart the Apostle Peter in the place before alleaged opposeth hypocrisie Purifie your hearts vnto brotherly loue without hypocrisie And Paul to the l Rom. 12. 9. Romanes Let Loue be without Hypocrisie Hypocrisie is when the heart inward affection is wanting either in the seruice of God or in dealing with our Brethren as our Sauiour doth define it Mat. 15. 7. Hypocrites well hath ESATAS prophesied of you saying This people draw neere vnto mee with their lips but their heart is farre from mee And of this sort is outward Abstinence from meates without any care and conscience thereby to serue God more feruently or to be better strengthened against sin m Esay 58. 4 5 6. Yee fast not as these times are to haue your voice to be heard on high Is this such a fast as I haue chosen that a man should afflict his soule for a day bow down his head like a Bull-rush and lye downe in sackcloth and ashes callest thou this a fasting or an acceptable day to the Lord Is not this the fasting that I haue chosen To loose the bands of wickednesse to take away the heauie burdens and let the oppressed go free and that yee take off euery yoke So of the outward obseruing of the Sabbath not regarding the true pietie of the heart Therefore n Esay 1. 14 15 the Lord telleth the Iewes My soule hateth your new Moones and your appointed Feasts they are a burden vnto me I am wearie to beare them And when you shall stretch out your hands I will hide mine eyes from you and though you make many Prayers I will not heare for your hands are full of bloud The Pophet Psal 12. 3. expresseth this Hypocrisie in flattering and deceitfull dealing with our Brethren by the Phrase of a heart and a heart that is a double heart contrary to that singlenesse without all mixture spoken of before when our heart in outward pretence seemeth to runne one way but indeed and in truth is carryed another Our Sauiour o Mat. 23. 13. telling the Pharises they deuoured Widdowes houses vnder a shew of long Prayer calleth it a shew onely without any truth or substance for so are truth and shew opposed Phil. 1. 8. The Notes of Hypocrisie are specially these First To rest in outward obseruances to presse them strictly and seuerely letting passe those things wherein true Pietie standeth Woe bee p Mal. 23. 23 24. to you Scribes and Pharises Hypocrites for yee tithe Mint and Annise and Cummin and leaue the waightie matters of the Law as Iudgement and Mercie and Fidelitie These ought yee to haue done and not to haue left the other yee blinde guides that straine out a Gnat and swallow a Cammell Hence come those speeches and rebukes of Christ Yee q Mat. 23. 25. clense the outside of the Cup and Platter but within they are full of extortion and iniustice Also where hee compareth r Mat. 23. 27. them to whited Tombes that without appeare beautifull but within are
not able to discerne of the Godhead of Christ lying hid vnder the vaile of his flesh not of euery one in particular for some wittingly and willingly and contrarie to their owne conscience went against him knowing what hee i Iohn 7. 28. was and wherâ—e he came which gaue our Sauiour occasion to handle this Argument Matthew 12. Marke 3. Luke 12. Fourthly It is a sinne not simply against knowledge but against the light of the Spirit or that sweetnesse and comfort which once they felt in Christ And so it appeareth that many of the Iewes offended of whom our k Iohn 5. 36. Sauiour saith that they did with cheerfulnesse reioyce for a time in the Ministerie of Iohn Baptist preaching Christ vnto them and yet afterwards l Iohn 5. 38. fell backe and had no m Iohn 5. 40. list to come vnto Christ This inlightening is n Mat. 12. 43. 2. Pet. 2. 20 23. Heb. 6. 5. 10. 29. a diuine and supernaturall worke of GODS Spirit changing a mans corruption and entring him into the high-way that leadeth to Regeneration So that I cannot thinke that either the sinne of Angels if you consider their first fall though then they were most glorious Creatures and Children of Light and their fall presumptuous or yet their sinne being now become Deuils though they o Mat. 8. 29. know Christ to bee the true Messias the Son and the Holy One of God and he of whom they must bee iudged and yet with all their might and mayne oppugne him can bee said properly the sinne against the Holy Ghost in that sence which the Scripture speaketh of it though I denie not but it is at the least equiualent or rather much beyond it for both at the first they sinned against that naturall light onely that they had by their first Creation which also was immediatly bent against the Maiestie of God without the respect of a Redeemer and since that time they are not vouchsafed grace to haue any taste at all of the sweetnesse in CHRIST nor possibly can haue seeing he p Heb. 2. 16. came not for a Sauiour vnto them Fiftly It is a witting and q Heb. 10. 2. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 voluntarie sin freely without compulsion or other not cause onely but colour or shew of cause Sixtly It is of meere malice against that which their owne conscience telleth them to be so good and against Christ the Authour of it r Heb. 6. 6. crucifying him in their hearts and making a mocke of him because if they will be his they see they cannot enioy those Pleasures Profits or Preferments which they dote vpon and are resolued to hold though they lose their owne soules for it whereof commeth a persecuting and blaspheming of things they haue beleeued and of all that doe professe the same an vtter Å¿ Heb. 6. 6. 10. 29. reuolt from Christ and open warre against him It seemeth the Holy Ghost noteth this sinne to haue beene in Saul 1. Sam. 22. 17. Kill the Priests of IEHOVA He saith not simply Kill the Priests but the Priests of IEHOVAH as if hee should haue said I Hath Christ indeed serued me so not onely to turne me out of my Kingdome and to giue it to my seruant but will he now by his answeres and Oracles teach him how to rise vp and lye in waite against mee Well though my malice cannot reach to him who is in Heauen yet I will wracke it vpon his Darlings the Priests Goe kill me all his Priests c. It is not a falling of frailtie and infirmitie though wittingly as that of Peters was By all which may appeare that this being a hidden and a secret sinne lurking in the heart is most hard to bee discerned saue when it pleaseth God himselfe as it were from Heauen to reueale it which in the time of the Apostles to whom the extraordinarie Graces of his Spirit were more plenteous hee did now and then as appeareth in those that seduced the Galatians and further by that alleaged out of Paul and Iohn before but in the succeeding Ages more rarely whereof notwithstanding Iulian the Apostata may bee an example against whom the Prayers of the Church were simply to cut him off Seuenthly It is an vtter reuolt not from Christ or any good thing wee haue in him vpon which Rocke whosoeuer is firmely built the gates of Hell cannot preuaile against him though they may sorely shake him but from a loue and t Mat. 13. 20 21 ioy in some sweet thing which yet neuer had roote in their heart Therefore they that once beleeue in Christ and by faith are rooted in him can neuer come within the compasse of this sinne With this sinne against the Holy Ghost a u Heb. 6. 6. finall can neuer bee repayred vnrepentance is vnseparably ioyned so that they which commit it can neuer come to Faith and Repentance nor euer be in Christ which maketh it x Mat. 12. 32. vnpardonable CHAP. V. Of the Church vnder the Law And CHAP. VI. Of the Church in the time of the Gospell THE Church is one and cannot bee diuided The Church is one and cannot be deuided but hauing regard to the diuersitie of Gods dispensation it may be distinguished into the Church vnder the Old Testament and the Church in the New That vnder the Old Testament had diuers Rites Ceremonies and Sacrifices Figures of Christ and of the good things we haue in him Especially among the Iewes his then peculiar people whereby the dispensation of those times was more obscure and lesse accompanied with Knowledge and other Graces But of all these things as also of their Sacraments which in regard of the outward Signes were a part of the Legall Paedagogie and likewise of the Ministeries that were among them both that of Prophets inspired by whom were written the Bookes of the Old Testament and of other I haue written at large in a Treatise entituled The Old Testament or The Promise To the Church of the New Testament the dispensation is in all cleernesse and perfection But according to the difference of times it is to bee distinguished into the Church vnder the Law I meane the Ceremoniall Law whilest the promise was afoot and the Church in the time of the Gospell differing onely by the diuersitie of dispensation before and since his comming God saith the Apostle to the Hebrewes in many pieces y Heb. 1. 1 2. and after diuers fashions of old spake to the Fathers by the Prophets but in these latter dayes he hath spoken vnto vs by his Sonne The manner therefore and the measure of the Reuelation of Christ did differ First For the manner it was vnto them in diuers Rites Ceremonies Types and Figures and therefore darke and obscure To vs all things are plainly without any shaddowes the bodie being come which is Christ Secondly Though the substance of the doctrine it selfe was alwayes
strong in Faith and had full assurance of the promise of God And of the y 1. Thes 1. 3. Thessalonians that their Faith did increase exceedingly or aboue the common or ordinarie measure and the 〈◊〉 did abound In another z 1. Thes 1. 3. place hee commendeth not onely the vertues themselueâ— but the fruit which they shewed of them Remembring the worke of your faith your laborious loue and patient hope c. And the * Iames 5. 11. Scripture setteth before vs the Patience of Iob and the Vertues and Perfections of other men of God as mirrours and glasses for vs to looke into for the reforming of our wayes and that we might become like vnto them Not that such a one hath attayned to perfection or may now set downe and rest as being come to his iournies end but the more graces he hath the more fruitfully he ought to labour for an increase of them and not so much to thinke what hee hath as what he doth yet want following the example of the a Phil. 3. 13 14 15. Apostle PAVL Brethren I count not that I haue attayned vnto the marke that is to say perfection But one thing I doe I forget that which is behind and endeuour my selfe to that which is before As many of vs therefore as are perfect let vs bee thus minded Wherein wee haue the b Mat. 25. 29. promise of our Sauiour Christ to giue vs comfort that to him that hath that is carefully imployeth and vseth to Gods Glorie the good things hee hath receiued more shall bee giuen and hee shall haue abundance Our Sanctification being so imperfect as we haue said it is a noble and necessarie piece of seruice to informe our selues how wee may bee able to discerne it I will point out such notes and markes as I hold to be the principall First is by those common affections noted before which generally belong to all holy Duties and are heere certaine markes of renewed Holinesse As first A loue of the Truth and of the Word c Iohn 17. 17. Thy Word is Truth for the Truths sake for to be of the Truth that is a louer and imbracer of the Truth is all one as to be of God And so our Sauiour Christ expoundeth it when saying in d Iohn 18. 37. one place Euery one that is of the Truth heareth my voyce hee rendreth it in e Iohn 8. 47. another place by this as all one in waight and substance Hee that is of God heareth the words of God O how I loue thy Law saith f Psal 119. 91. DAVID All the day long it is my Meditation The contrarie whereof is an euident signe of an euill and wicked heart and draweth after it many heauie Iudgements fore-runners of destruction for g 2. Thes 2. 11 12. Because saith the Apostle they receiue not the loue of the Truth that they might be saued therefore GOD will send vnto them effectuall errors to beleeue lyes that all may be condemned that beleeue not the Truth but take pleasure in iniquitie Secondly Cheerefulnesse in well-doing Wherevpon the Children of God are euery-where called h Psal 110. 3. Cant. 6. 9. c. A free-hearted people Thirdly A feare of offending in any thing which Salomon maketh the Badge of Gods Children Blessed is the man that feareth alwayes Fourthly Sinceritie and singlenesse of heart which one thing in the middest of many difficulties held vp the Apostle Paul insomuch as he professeth of himselfe This i 2. Cor. 1. 12. is our reioycing the testimonie of our conscience that in singlenesse and sinceritie of God we haue beene conuersant in the World Fiftly Zeale when not onely wee loue God and his Truth but our loue is hot vehement feruent that k Cant. 7. 11. much water cannot quench it no nor the flouds drowne it And if a man should giue all the substance of his house for this loue it should vtterly be contemned PHINEAS for this grace obtayned a great Mercie Numb 25. 12 13. Therefore behold I giue vnto him my Couenant of Peace for he and his seed after him shall haue an euerlasting Priesthood by couenant because he was zealous for his God Sixtly Watchfulnesse ouer our wayes which our Sauiour so often doth beate vpon l Mat. 26. 14. Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation Seuenthly A constant resolution to cleaue vnseparably vnto Christ So Acts 11. 23 24. BAâ—NABAS exhorted all with purpose of heart to cleaue vnto the Lord for he was saith the Text a good man and full of the Holy Ghost and Faith Eightly To performe whatsoeuer wee doe of conscience to God Working it from the heart as to the Lord and not to man Col. 3. 23. Ninthly To seeke his glorie in all things which generall rule the Apostle setteth downe 1. Cor. 10. 31. Whether ye eat or drinke or whatsoeuer ye doe doe all to the glory of God Tenthly That the greater and more holy the duties are and the more they doe excell the more excellent our Loue Zeale Cheerfulnesse and Sinceritie bee in the performance of them This Commandement wee haue Matthew 22. 37. Thou shalt loue the Lord with all thy heart The eleuenth and last which yet is so farre from being least that in a manner it carryeth the prayse from all the rest is an entire obedience when we labour to keepe whatsoeuer God hath commanded and to please him in all things being holy as hee is holy Ezechiel in his eighteenth Chapter in one word expresseth it If he keepe all mine Ordinances and then n Ezech. 18. 11 12 c. amplifying it by the contrarie beateth vpon it as his manner is with a heape and multitude of inforcing speeches If he doe to his Brother other then any one of those things and he do not all these things c. For the practice of this Lesson good Cornelius and the rest with him assembled are highly commended Acts 10. 33. We all are here present before God to heare all things that are commanded thee of God And of Dauid the Holy Ghost beareth o Acts 13. 22. witnesse I haue found out DAVID the sonne of IESSE according to my heart that will p 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doe all my will in all things Not like to Saul q 1. Sam. 1. 15. who serued GOD but by halues for the which r Marke 6. 20. Herod is also braâ—ded that he did many things but not all that he heard of Iohn Baptist And Å¿ Iames 3. 2. the more to incourage vs to this dutie the Scripture teacheth that though in many things we faile all God accepteth the desire for the thing it selfe that if our heart and purpose be to forsake euery euill path and to cleaue vnto God without being drawne away it is in his sight all one as if we had done it so t Iames 2. 22. Iames saith that ABRAHAM offered his Sonne