man refolveth to walk with God, and "fet him always before him," wherein I deny not he faileth often.

4thly. He becometh new in the way of his relations; he becometh a more dutiful hufband, father, brother, mafter, fervant, neighbor." Herein doth he exercife himfelf to keep a confcience void of offence towards men as well as towards God, becoming all things to all men.” 5thly. He becometh new in the way of lawful liberties; he ftudieth to make ufe of meat, drink, fleep, recreations, apparel, with an eye to God, laboring not to come under the power of any lawful thing; "All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient; all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any;" nor to give offence to others in the ufe of these things. "For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification; not ufing liberty as an occafion to the flesh." Yea, he laboreth to ufe all these things as a stranger on earth, fo as his moderation may appear; "Let your moderation be known unto all men." And fome way he doth eye God as the laft end in thefe things; "doing all to the glory of God:" fo as we may fay of that man, "Old things are much paffed away, all things are," in fome meafure, "become new." He that is fo a new creature is undoubtedly in Chrift.

This renovation of a man in all manner of converfation, and this being under law to God in all things, is that "holinefs, without which no man fhall fee the Lord." Men may fancy things to themfelves, but unless they ftudy to approve themfelves unto God in all well-pleafing, and reach fome inward teftimony of fincerity that way, they fhall not affure their hearts before him. teftimony of men's confcience is their rejoicing. By this we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. And hereby we know that we are of the

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truth, and fhall affure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence towards God," No confidence if the heart condemn. This is the new creature, having a principle of new fpiritual life infufed by God into the heart, whereby it becometh new, and putteth forth acts of new life throughout the whole man, as we have faid, fo as he pointeth towards the whole law. 1. Towards thefe commands which forbid fin; fo he refolveth to fet against fecret fins, "not to lay a ftumbling-block before the blind :" little fins, which are judged fo by many, the leaft things of the law: "Whofoever fhall break one of thefe leaft commandments, and fhall teach men fo, he fhall be called the leaft in the kingdom of heaven :" fpiritual fins, filthinefs of the spirit; "Having, therefore, these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanfe ourselves from all filthinefs of the flesh and fpirit, perfecting holinefs in the fear of God."

Sins of omiffion as well as of commiffion, fince men are to be judged by these, "Then fhall he fay unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye curfed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat, I was thirfty, and ye gave me no drink." Yea, fins that are winded in into his natural humour and conftitution, and fo are as “a right eye or hand" to him; " If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee," &c. This new principle of life, by the good hand of God, maketh the man fet against every known fin, fo far as not to allow peaceable abode to any known darkness lowfhip hath righteoufnefs with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness ?" 2. As alfo he pointeth towards thofe commands which relate to duty, and the quickening of grace in man: it maketh a man refpect all God's known commands;" to "live godly, righteously, and foberly :" yea and to ftudy a right and fincere way and manner of doing things, refolving not to give over this ftudy of conformity to

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"What fel

God's will, whilft he liveth on earth, but ftill to '' preis forward toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Chrift Jefus." This is true holinefs, very becoming all thofe who pretend to be heirs of that holy habitation, in the immediate company and fellowship of a holy God; "We know that when he shall appear, we fhall be like him."

Some may think thefe things high attainments, and very hard to be gained. I grant it is true. I grant it is true. But, first Remember that there is a very large allowance in the covenant promised to his people, which maketh things more eafy. The Lord hath engaged" to take away the ftoney heart, to give a heart of flesh, a new heart, a heart to fear him forever;" he hath engaged to "put his law in men's heart to put his fear in their heart to make them keep that law; to put his Spirit in them to caufe them to keep it." He hath promised "to fatisfy the priests with fatnefs," that the fouls of "the people may be fatiated with his goodness; and to keep and water them continually every moment." And if he must be "enquired to do thefe things unto men," he engageth to "pour out the fpirit of grace and fupplication on them," and fo to learn them how to feek these things, how to put him to it, to do all for them.

Secondly, For the fatisfaction of the weaker, I grant this new creature, as we have circumfcribed and enlarged it, will not be found, in all the degrees of it, in every gracious perfon. But it is well if,

ift. There be a new man. We cannot grant lefs; "If any man be in Chrift, he is a new creature," and that is the new man, which all muft put on who are favingly taught of Chrift; "If fo be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jefus: That ye put off concerning the former converfation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lufts and be renewed in the fpirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteoufnefs and true holinefs." There muft be fome renewing after the image of God in a man's foul

pen out in breadth and length for him; yea, when the fame and report of him goeth abroad in his truth, altho' faith feeth not much, yet it "believeth on his name," upon the very fame he hath fent abroad of himself, John

i. 12.

But here, for avoiding of miftakes, confider, (1.) That although juftifying faith acteth fo varioufly, yet every believer who hath a good title to Chrift Jefus hath not all thefe various actings and exercises of faith: for his condition craveth them not; and alfo the Master is pleafed not to lead out the faith of fome perfons, at fome times, in fome of thefe ways, for reafons known to himfelf, even when their neceffity (to their apprehenfion) calleth for fuch acting of faith. Surely, every one dare not fay, "Though he kill me, yet will I truft in him." Many would not have gone up with the woman of Canaan I fpake of, but would have been difcouraged, and have quit the purfuit. It is on this account that Chrift doth highly commend the faith of fome beyond the faith of others; of the centurion; of the woman of Canaan. Many good people are much difquieted concerning their faith, because it goeth not out in all those ways we find recorded in Scripture; but there is hardly any man will be found whofe faith hath acted all thefe ways.

(2.) Many of thefe actings of faith are much intended and remitted. They are fometimes ftrong and vigorous, and difcernible; and fometimes they fail, and mifbelief doth prevail, fo as it were an uncertain thing to judge of a man's ftate by thefe. We find the faints very different from themfelves in regard of the actings of faith fometimes, as we fhewed before.

(3.) Each one of these actings of faith speaketh good to the perfon in whom it is, and hath promises annexed unto it, as we have faid. Yet,

(4.) Although thefe actings of faith have promifes annexed unto them, they are not, for that, the condition of the new covenant; for then every one behoved to have each one of them, which is not true, as we said before. A promife is made to him who overcometh; but perfe

verance is not the condition of the new covenant, but doth fuppofe it. There are promifes made to the exercife of all graces in Scripture; but only faith is the condition of the covenant. I fay then, thefe promises are made to these actings of faith, not as fuch, but as they do fuppofe juftifying faith, which is the condition of the covenant, All these are actings of faith, but not as it is juftifying. Therefore,

(5.) There is fomewhat common to all gracious perfons, which may be fuppofed by all the forefaid actings of faith, wherein the nature and effence of juftifying faith ftandeth. And this is the heart's fatisfaction concerning God's device of falvation by Chrift; when man pleaseth God's invention of fatisfaction to juftice, through Chrift Jefus, in whom all fulness doth dwell now by the Father's pleasure; when the foul and heart of man acquiefceth in that, then it believeth unto falvation. As at firft the Lord made man fuitable to the covenant of works, by creating him perfect, and fo putting him in a capacity to perform his will in that covenant; fo, under the new covenant, when God giveth the new heart to man, he fetteth the idea and ftamp of all his device in the new covenant upon the man, fo as there is a confonancy to God's will there: thus he beareth the image of the fecond Adam, Chrift Jefus, on him. This is a great part of the new heart, and is most opposed to works; fince now the man abfolutely falleth off works, " becoming dead to the law, as to the point of juftification, by the body of Christ.” Man perceiving that God hath devifed a way of fatisfying divine juftice, and recovering loft man by the incarnation of Chrift, he thinks this fo good and fure a way, that he abfolutely giveth up with the law, as I faid before, and clofeth with this device; and this is believing or faith, very oppofite to works, and all refting thereupon. This cannot fail to be in all gracious perfons, in whom many of the actings of faith are not to be found. This doth clearly fuppofe known distress in a man, without all relief in himself; this fuppofeth known fulness in Christ, as the alone fufficient re