perfect obedience Gal. 3.10 gives no power at all to obey and therefore called the Letter 2 Cor. 3.6 yea causeth accidentally the abounding of disobedience Rom. 5.10 and therefore compared to an husband and a sinful heart to a wife Rom. 7.4 5. But now being under the Covenant of Grace God is engaged to forgive your transgressions Jer. 31.34 and to accept your imperfect obedience Mal. 3.17 yea to give you power and strength to do what is required and to abstain from what is forbidden 2 Cor. 3.6 Mica 7.19 O! What an obligation is this upon you to see to circumspect walking Verily Gods promising in the Covenant of Grace to enable you to walk in his Statutes doth not shut out your endeavour but engage you to endeavour for God only promiseth to help you if you endeavour in the use of the means whereof Prayer is one Ezek. 36.27 compared with Verse 37. 3 The grace of God in your justification bindeth you hereunto Tit. 2.11 12. Rom. 6.12 13 14. Hereby God hath done more for you then others and therefore you should do more for him then others Matth. 5.47 Considering how great things he hath done for you 1 Sam. 12.24 4 Your relations upon your Justification bind you hereunto Being justified you are Christs and Gods and therefore should see to it that you live to God and Christ 1 Cor. 6.20 Others are not under your bonds they may indeed be more under the bond of slavish fear but you are more under the bond of love and the bond of love is stronger then that of fear Motive 3. You have upon this account more encouragements then others to live this life For 1 There are some motives more cogent upon you then upon others To instance onely in two That the grace of God teacheth souls to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly Tit. 2.11 12. And that not to live this life is to turn the grace of God into wantonness Jude 4. cannot but have greater influence upon your souls then upon others 2 You are more assured of help to live this life then others and that upon a double account Both because the more a man doth forsake any thing of his own for Christ the more Christ is engaged to give of his good things to that man And therefore seeing when you become justified by faith you lay down all your own righteousness Christ is engaged to give you his righteousness that righteousness which he worketh in souls And because upon your believing for Justification you are estated in the Covenant of Grace and so God is engaged to enable you to live this holy life as you heard under the former particular Motive 4. If you will not be perswaded to follow this exhortation your sin is upon this account greater then the sin of others For 1 Hereby you cross Gods grand design in his decree of election in his sending his Son into the World in Justification in all his Ordinances and Providences more then others What ever others are if you be indeed justified you are predestinated to live this life Rom. 8.29 30. Christ came not only to redeem you from the guilt of all iniquity but to purifie you from the filth of sin and to make you peculiar people to himself zealous of good works Tit. 2.14 In your Justification you are therefore delivered out of the hands of all your enemies that you might serve God without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all your days Luke 1.74 75. The design of God in all his Ordinances and Providences is your good that you may live better and better Rom. 8.28 And what Is it nothing to you even to you to cross Gods grand design in the World 2 Hereby you gratifie the Devil more then others Though he is against holiness in any yet he is not so much rejoyced that others will not live this holy life as he is if he can but perswade a Justified person to be unwilling thereunto and that appears in his rage against such as will not be perswaded by him he will by some means or other stir up sharp Persecution against them 2 Tim. 3.12 3 Hereby you turn the grace of God into wantonness more then others Jude 4. Others turn the Doctrine of Free-grace in â—ustification into wantonness but you turn the Grace of Justification it self into wantonness and therefore your sin is against more mercy and by consequence doth more grieve the Spirit then others unperswadableness 4 Hereby your unperswadableness becomes more inexcusable It is not indeed unpardonable for you are not under the Law but under Grace Rom. 6.14 But yet it is altogether unexcusable even because you are under Grace and by consequence if you would be perswaded to set upon living this life you should find God coming in to your help according to his Promise in the Covenant of Grace Motive 5. If you will not be perswaded to live this holy life you cannot have assurance that you are indeed justified And is that nothing to you yea you cannot but conclude that you are mistaken in thinking that you are justified Are not the Apostles words plain If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lye and do not the truth 1 John 1.6 Chap. 3. Motives from their Sanctification SEcondly See that ye walk circumspectly seeing ye are children of the light i. e. Seeing ye are made partakers not only of the life of righteousness but of the life of holiness You partake of the Divine nature Christ is formed in your hearts you are made habitually holy all the Commandements of God are writ in your inward parts the Holy Ghost dwells within you is an abiding principle of holiness See therefore that you walk circumspectly c. And good reason there is why you should even upon this account upon the account of your Regeneration Conversion Sanctification Being made new creatures c. For Motive 1. Hereby another great hinderance of this holy life is removed and that is the want of an inward principle We cannot live a natural life without an inward principle without a natural heat with the fountain thereof by which the body is made operative Hence in living creatures the heart first liveth because it is the forge of spirits and the fountain of heat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist de respir c. 8. No more possible is it to live this spiritual life without an inward principle If the watch be not of the right make it will never go true Till you were converted the Flesh was predominant and therefore it was impossible for you to live any other then a flesbly life for every thing will act according to its predominant principle But now the Spirit is the predominant principle within you Should not you therefore live a spiritual life Should not the Law of God written in your hearts be legible in your lives Should not your lives be according to
the tendency of your hearts Motive 2. Hereby your obligation to live this holy life is increased For this is the very end why the principle of this life is infused into your soules that so you may live this life for you are his workmanship his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his curious and exact piece created in Christ Jesus unto good works by an almighty power of unfit and indisposed you are polished and inclined of impotent you are made able of averse you are made willing to good works and the end is that you may be wholly imployed in good works If you be not you make inherent grace a meer vanity Frustra est potentia quae non educitur in actum Motive 3. You have upon this account also more encouragements then others to live this life For 1 Hereby many Scripture motives to holy living become cogent upon your soules that are not upon others Though others be not you cannot but be prevailed with to live an holy life By the pleasure God takes therein John 8.29 Col. 1.9 10. By the honour that redounds unto God thereby Matth. 5.16 where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be taken 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 noting the event and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 noting the scope By the influence of an holy life to stop the mouth of blasphemy 1 Pet. 3 16. to convince gainsayers and blasphemers 1 Pet. 2.12 15. to convert sinners 1 Pet. 2.12 3.1 2. and to rejoyce and edifie the souls of Saints 2 Cor. 1.14 1 Thes 5.11 2 Hereby you are intended inclined yea fitted for this holy life for the Law is writ in your hearts your hearts are already subjected to the Law of God your wills are already melted into the will of God And what Will ye cross your own inclination as well as Gods grand design in the new Creation 3 Hereby you come under the promise of fresh influences from the Holy Ghost continually I will put my spirit saith God Ezek. 36.27 within you i.e. my spirit shall be an indwelling principle of holiness within you and then it followeth and cause you to walk in my statutes c. i.e. the spirit shall quicken and actuate that grace that is infused Motive 4. If you will not be perswaded to see to it that ye live this life you will upon this account also be more unexcusable then others For you cannot plead that it is impossible for you to live this life yea you cannot plead that it is so difficult for you as it is for others to live this life The principle of this life is infused into your soules in your Regeneration and you are delivered from the raigning power of the Devil the World and the Flesh Luke 11.21 Those great enemies and hinderers of so strict a life have received their mortal wound And will ye be hindred yea overcome by a conquered Foe Though the commandments of God be impossible to others yet they are not grievous to you 1 John 5.3 This holy life is a thing correspondent to your new nature and any other kind of life a bruitish sensual worldly life is repugnant to your vital principle Are any of Gods commandments grievous to you when he commands you nothing but what he promiseth to make you able to do so far as shall be needful for acceptance so you will endeavour your selves Motive 5. If you will not be perswaded to live so strict a life you cannot be assured that you are regenerated and converted yea you cannot but conclude that you are still dead in trespasses and sins The Apostle is peremptory He that doth righteousness i. e. He that lives according to the whole word of God evangelically though not legally he is righteous i. e. he is not onely interested in righteousness imputed but inherent He that doth not righteousness is not of God i.e. he is not regenerated he is not born of God 1 John 3.7 10. A child is known by his doing saith Solomon and the tree by his fruit saith Christ and every gracious soul by this walk Where God changeth the nature there he makes the person change his course of life And is this nothing to you Would you not be glad to be assured that you are converted and truly gracious Are not all Gods Promises to godliness exceeding great and precious in your eye And would you not rejoyce to be assured that they do all belong to you Would you not live comfortably in the saddest dayes And would you not be assured that you shall die comfortably and give up you account with joy See then that you walk thus circumspectly 1 Tim. 4.8 2 Cor. 1.12 2 Kings 20.3 Isa 38.3 And now what shall I say for The Conclusion Is it not evident from the former hints that this holy life is rational more expected from you then from others Are not more eyes upon you then upon others Do not the eyes of Devils infernal and incarnate watch more for your haltings then for the haltings of others Are not the eyes of God Angels and Saints mostly upon you looking that you should walk worthy of your state and profession Are not wise actions rationally more expected from wise men then from fools James 3.13 You are through grace made wise unto salvation others are left in their natural folly and madness See then that ye walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise c. What! Will you even you deceive all the expectations of Saints and Angels yea of God himself Doth not God himself make his boast of you Surely they are my people children that will not lie Isa 63.8 i.e. they will not deal perfidiously with me Gen. 21.23 Psal 44.17 Hab. 3.17 At your first believing you have covenanted with God that you would never more live a worldly sensual life and that you would make it your main business to live this holy and strict life And will you break Covenant with God VVill you thus be found liars Shall God even your God be made ashamed of his boast of you God forbid But so much concerning this Text as A Serious Exhortation to Sinners and Saints to live an holy life here as ever they would avoid eternal death and enjoy eternal life hereafter FINIS
more hopeful All the weapons of this Apostles warfare and therefore this Exhortation back'd with such motives are not carnal but mighty through God for the pulling down strong holds casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts it self against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ 1 Cor. 10.4 5. I shall therefore once more beseech you for the Lords sake for your souls sake to suffer the words of the Apostles Exhortation See that ye walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise redeeming the time because the days are evil But still remember that of Christ Without separated from not united to me ye can do nothing John 15.5 and that of the Apostle It is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his own good pleasure Phil. 2.12 13. Work out therefore your salvation with fear and trembling i. e. Shake off sloth and unite all the powers of your souls that you may intend this business as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth Do not only work at it but work it out work while it is day John 9.4 whilst the Spirit breathes fearing lest if the present gale be neglected you never have a gale more PART I. The Exhortation to Saints SEcondly to Saints Having addressed the Apostles Exhortation to Sinners in the former Chapter I shall in this desire you who come not under the former member of the distribution to suffer the words of his Exhortation See then that ye walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise c. And indeed to you in an especial manner is this Exhortation directed There is an emphasis in the word ye See that ye c. q. d. Though others be careless how they live yet so be not you but be sure that you see to it that you live this provident active voluntary habitual growing Evangelically though not legally perfect wise and thrifty life There is also besides the motives mentioned in the former Chapter one more in the Text peculiarly belonging to you whereby it is evident that the former motives do as much concern you as any yea more and that is taken from your estate What that is you may see by retiring to verse 8. Ye were sometimes darkness not only in darkness but darkness it self ye were sometimes altogether in the darkness of ignorance and unbelief of guilt and misery of sin and enmity But now you are children of the light you are persons enlightned and enlivened yea you are light in the Lord you are persons full of the light of knowledge and faith of the love of God and peace of grace and holiness See then that ye walk circumspectly c. This is a comprehensive motive as you will see in the following particulars Chap. I. Motives thereunto from their knowledge FIrst See that ye walk circumspectly c. seeing ye are enlightned with saving knowledge That is part of the meaning of being children of the light and light in the Lord. Sometimes light is in Scripture because of its discovering quality Eph. 5.13 put for knowledge as Dan. 5.11.12 where it is said that Daniel had light understanding and wisdom found in him Thus you are children of the light yea light in the Lord See then that ye walk circumspectly c. And good reason there is why you what ever others do should live this holy life even upon the account of your knowledge Motive 1. Hereby one great hinderance of living this life is removed out of your souls and that is ignorance and blindness Ignorant souls are indeed alienated from the life of God Eph. 4.18 they cannot endure to live such a life as God lives or as he commands them to live they cannot endure to be holy as God is holy or as he calls them to be holy viz. to be holy in all manner of conversation But will you also be alienated thus alienated from the life of God Shall your alienation continue though your ignorance doth not continue Motive 2. Hereby you are more than others obliged to live this life Others are indeed bound to live this life though they do not know it to be their duty but you much more seeing you know the nature necessity and excellency of this life and that not only notionaly but intuitively and experimentally Your very knowledge is an obligation upon you you are bound not only by the law without but by the law within you you are bound in your spirits Acts 20.22 your light doth lovingly constrain you 2 Cor. 5.14 necessity is laid upon you thereby 1 Cor. 9.16 and you can do no other unless you will offer violence to your own consciences then live this life which you know God chargeth upon you as your duty Acts 4.20 Motive 3. Hereby you are helped to live this life for 1 Hereby you see the reasonableness of the Scripture motives to live thus circumspectly which others do not at least have not such a sight thereof as you have I shall instance only in those two mentioned in the Text and briefly spoken to in the former Chapter You see both what folly and madness it is not to live this life and how much it is your concernment and therefore wisdom thus to live as also what cogent motives there are in the days being evil thereunto You know the folly and madness of following any course or way of life short of this holy life you know that calamity and destruction are in all such ways Rom. 3.16 yea and damnation too 2 Pet. 2.2 you know that you will not be gainers but losers though you should gain the whole world thereby because thereby your souls will be lost Mat. 16.26 you know that it is your main concernment and therefore wisdom to live this holy life You know that in the way of righteousness is life and it tends to life Prov. 11.19 and in the path-way thereof there is no death Prov. 12.28 you know that this holy life is the best life the most excellent life Prov. 12.26 the most rational life Prov. 14.8 the safest life Prov. 1.33.3.23 Psal 50.23 the honestest and most truly virtuous life Luke 8.15 2 Tim 2.2 the most prositable and useful life 1 Tim. 4.8 the most honourable life Isa 43.4 the most sweet and pleasant life Prov. 3.17 Psal 36.8 God saith all this and you believe it yea you know it by experience See therefore that ye walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise c. You are also convinced that the Apostles second motive taken from the days being evil is very cogent Though others looking on it with a carnal eye think it is inconsequent and better able to bear a contrary conclusion viz. The times are bad therefore there is no living in the world unless we yield a little the Oak is rent to pieces with the fury of the wind when the Willow by bowing and bending is secure Yet you see that it is very reasonable that you