truth, and shall assure 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 spiritual life infused 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 these commands which forbid fin; so he refolveth to fet against secret sins, "not to lay a stumbling-block before the blind:" little fins, which are judged fo by many, the least things of the law: "Whofoever shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the leaft in the king. dom of heaven :" spiritual fins, filthiness of the spirit; "Having, therefore, these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." Sins of omiffion as well as of commission, fince men are to be judged by these, " Then shall he say unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat, I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink." Yea, fins that are winded in into his natural humour and constitution, and so are as " a righteye 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, so far as not to allow peaceable abode to any known darkness; "What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness ? and what communion hath light with darkness ?" 2. As also he pointeth towards those commands which relate to duty, and the quickening of grace in man: it maketh a man " respect all God's known commands;" to "live godly, righteously, and foberly:" yea and to study a right and fincere way and manner of doing things, refolving not to give over this study of conformity to God's will, whilst he liveth on earth, but still to " press forward toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Chrift Jefus." This is true holiness, very becoming all those 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 these things high attainments, and very hard to be gained. 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 easy. The Lord hath engaged " to take away the stoney 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 cause them to keep it." He hath promifed " to fatisfy the priests with fatness," that the fouls of "the people may be fatiated with his goodness; and to keep and water them continually every moment." And if he muft be "enquired to do these things unto men," he engageth to "pour out the spirit 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 circumscribed and enlarged it, will not be found, in all the degrees of it, in every gracious person. But it is well if,

1st. There be a new man. We cannot grant less; "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature," and that is the new man, which all must put on who are favingly taught of Christ; " If so 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 righteousness and true holiness." There must be fome renewing after the image of God in a man's foul and body; there must be somewhat of every part of the man pointing towards God. Although I grant every one cannot instruct this to others, neither difcern it in himself, because many know not the diftinct parts of the foul, nor pieces of reformation competent to every part of the foul and body; yet it will be found there is some fuch thing in them, yea, they have a witness of it within them, if you make the thing plain and clear to them what it is.

2dly. There must be such a respect unto God's known commands, that a man do not allow peaceably any known iniquity to dwell in him; for "what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" He must not regard iniquity; "Then shall I not be ashamed when I have refpect unto all thy commandments." " If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." I grant men may be ignorant of many commands and many fins, and may imagine, in some cases, that fome fins are not hateful unto God; but supposing that they are instructed in these things, there can be no agreement between righteousness and unrighteousness.

3dly. Men must point towards all the law of God in their honest resolutions; for this is nothing else than to give up the heart unto God, to put his law in it without exception, which is a part of the covenant we are to make with God. "This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Ifrael-I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts." I grant many know not how to point towards God's law in all their ways; but if it be made manifest unto them how that should be done, they will point at it. And it is true, theywill many times fail of their refolutions in their practice; yet when they have failed, they can say, they did refolve otherwise, and will yet honestly, and without guile, refolve to do otherwise, and it will prove their affliction to have failed of their resolution, when the Lord discovereth it to them, which he will do in due time.

Athly. When we are to judge of our state by the new creature, we must do it at a convenient time, when we are in good cafe, at least, not when we are in the worst cafe; for "the flesh and spirit do lust and fight against other," and sometimes the one and sometimes the other doth prevail. Now, I say, we must chuse a convenient time, when the fpiritual part is not by fome tentation worsted and overpowered by the flesh; for in that cafe the new creature is recoiled back in its streams, and much returned to the fountain and the habits, except in some small things not easily difcernible, whereby it maketh oppofition to the flesh, according to the forefaid Scripture. For, now is it the time of winter in the soul, and we may not expect fruit, yea, not leaves, as in some other season; only here, lest profane Atheists should make advantage of this will, we will say, that the spirit doth often prevail over the flesh in a godly man, and yet the scope, aim, tenor, and main drift of his way is in the law of the Lord, that is his walk; whereas the pathway and ordinary course of the wicked is fin, as is often hinted in the book of the Proverbs of Solomon. And if it happen that a godly man be overmastered by any tranfgreffion, ordinarily it is his fad exercise; and we suppose he keeps it still in dependency before God to have it rectified, as David speaketh, "Wilt thou not deliver my feet from falling?"

Chapter VI.

The Difference betwixt a truly renewed Man who is in Chrift and Hypocrites.

Object. ATHEISTS and hypocrites may

have great changes and renovation wrought upon them, and in them, and I fear mine be fuch.

Anfw. I grant that Atheists and hypocrites have many things in them which do look like the new creature.

H

:

First. In regard of the parts of the man, they may, 1. Come to much knowledge, as "They are enlightened. 2. There may be a reel among their affections, as, "They receive the word with joy, as he that received the feed into ftony places." 3 They may reach a great deal of outward reformation in the outward man, both concerning freedom from fin, and engagement to pofitive duty, as that Pharifee did, "God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjuft, adulteterers, or even as this Publican: I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I poffefs." Yea, 4. In regard of their practical understanding, they may judge some things of God to be excellent; the officers faid, that " never man spake as Chrift."

Secondly. Hypocrites may have a great deal of profeffion. 1. They may talk of the law and gospel, and of the covenant, as the wicked do; "What haft thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldst take my covenant in thy mouth?" 2. They may confess fin openly to their own shame, as King Saul did. 3. They may humble themselves in fackcloth with Ahab. 4. They may inquire bufily after duty, and come cheerfully to receive it; " Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteoufnefs, and forfook not the ordinance of their God; they afk of me the ordinances of justice, they take delight in approaching to God." 5. They may join with God's interest in a hard and difficult time, as Demas and other hypocrites, in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, who afterwards fell off. 6. They may give much of their goods to God and to the faints, as Ananias, if not all their goods; "Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing." Yea, 7. It is not impoffible for fome fuch, being straitly engaged in their credit, to " give their bodies to be burned," as in the laft-cited place.

Thirdly. Hypocrites may advance far in the common and ordinary steps of a Christian work; fuch as the elect have when God leads them captive. As, 1. They may