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but take it grievously: but many times I have played fast and loofe in the prefence of the all-fecing God, pretending his fervice, when I have done mine own will; offering him the body, when the foule hath been let loofe after vanity. I have too long wandered and gone aftray like a loft sheep, but now I will keep the teftim monies of my God: For the Commandement is a lamp, and the Law is light, and reproofes of inftruction are the way of life. The Comman→ dements leade directly to that life, which deferves the name of life, eternall life. The Traveller takes the next way to his Journeyes end: No wife man will willingly step one foot out of the way to Heaven. If our limmes be crooked, we omit nothing that Art or Exercise can doc to fet them ftrait: and fhall not I take care to rectific my foul,and bring it into right order? Deceit and falfhood is the Image of Satan, who abode not in the truth, most unmeet to be borne by him that is by adoption the fonne of God. The charge of God is, Be ye holy, for I am holy; be ye perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect: and hereby may we allure our hearts that we are the children of God,if we be true, as he is true, Truth is the Image of God tamped upon their hearts whom the Lord hath called to be his peculiar people. What foundnesse is to the body, that is fincerity to the foule: a grace of fingular excel lency, and excellent ufe, pleafing to God, and profitable to man. Wife men delight in found and faithfull friends: the Lord takes pleasure in them that be true hearted to his glory. A found body is fit for labour: a true heart is ready prepared for any fervice that God requires. The way is not tedious to men, they halt not in it,but through weakneffe and imperfection: O my foule, the way of life would be most pleasant and delightfull, croffes cafie to be borne, the comforts of grace most sweet and admirable, were it not that corrupt humours caufing diftempers, did ftill breed in thee. Earthly defires, vain delights, unruly lufts are great impediments to the quicke and eafie difpatch of the Chriftian Pilgrimage. Sincerity is the girdle of the mind to truffe up thefe, ftrengthen our loynes, and tie the heart to the work commanded. We buy girdles for the body, and if coftly ones we keepe them charily: I will feek to Heaven for this girdle of grace, for it is woven there, no shop can ferve me with it but that only. O Lord, thou that delighteft in the fimple and true hearted that cleave unfainedly unto thy teftimonies, create in me a true heart

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and fincere fpirit, that without guile I may ftick unto thy teftimonies, and doc.what is acceptable in thy fight. Naturally I am full of falfhood and guile, oh thou that art the God of truth, who at the first didft create me after thine Image, make me every day more and more like unto thy felf in true holineffe and righteouf neffe. Then shall I be true indeed, when Chrift the giver of truth dwelleth in my heart: Lord Atrengthen my faith, that being knit unto Chrift the way, the truth, and the life more and more, I may partake of his fulneff, grace for grace.

I

CHAP. I.

of the New Testament or Covenant, and how God
bath revealed him felf therein.

N Scriptures New is put for admirable, unusuall, not before heard of; as fer.31.22. The Lord hath created a new thing in the earth. Ifai 42.9. Behold, the former things are come to passe, and new things doe I declare. Ifai.48.6. I have shewed thee new things. And for neceffary, noble, illuftrious, excellent to admiration or aftcnishment; as new doctrine, Mark 1.27. is wonderfull, excellent doctrine; a new Commandement,Joh. 13.34. that is, a neceflary and excellent Commandement; new wine, Matth.26.29.that is, wine,which by reafon of its excellency is had in admiration. And fo we reade, a new Name,Rev.2.17. Ifai.63.2.and my new name, Rev.3.12. and a new fong, Pfal.33, 1. (which by fome is interpreted an excellent fong) and a new work, or a new thing, Ifai. 43.19. Behold, I will doe a new thing. The Apostle John faith, I Write no new Commandement unto you, I fob.2:7. but that hinders not the former interpretation of the word new; because it is ufuall with that Apoftle,to use the fame word in divers manners. That is faid to be new alfo, which is another or divers from that which was before Chrift came into the world, or which was granted to no former age of the world, but to thefe laft times only: as 2 Cor. 5.17. If any man be in Chrift he is a new creature: old things are passed away, behold all things are made new. And fo a new fong, is a fong, wherein the name of God is celebrated for fome new and admirable benefit of deliverance by the comming of Chrift; as Ifa.42.10.

Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth. Pfal.96.1. O fing unto the Lord a new fong, fing unto the Lord all the earth. Rev.5.9. And they fung a new fong, faying, Thou art Worthy to take the booke. Rev. 14. 3. And they fung as it were a new fong before the throne, and before the foure beasts. Though now and then that is called a new fong, wherein the name of God is celebrated for fome new benefit of deliverance at what time foever vouchfafed; as Pfal.40.3. And he hath put a new fong in my mouth, even praife to our God. Againe, that is new, which is perpetuall, fhall never wax old,or vanifh away; Heb.8. 13. In that he faith, A new Covenant, he hath made the firft old, Now that which decayeth, and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. And in this fence may that of the Apostle, 1 John 2. 8. well be understood, Againe, a new Commandement I write unto you, which thing is true in him, and in you.

In the Covenant of grace God promifeth to put a new spirit into his people. Ezek.11.19. not new for the matter, not for the inward forme or kind, but the frame and fashion: a new fpi- Ezck.18.31. rit renewed in qualities, not changed in fubftance. And fo the faithfull are faid to put on the new man, which after God is created in holineffe and righteoufneffe, Ephef.4.24. Col 3.10. And in Chrift neither (ircumcifion availeth any thing, nor uncircumcifion, but a new creature, Gal 6.15. that is, a new man refined, reformed, Eph.2.15. and renewed by God in Chrift Jefus. And it may be,the renewed foule is called the new man,or new creature, because it is noble, beautifull, fresh and vigorous, never to wither or decay with age. And whatsoever we must understand by the new heavens and the new earth promised, Ifai. 65.17. and 66. 22. Revel,21.1. the title new feemeth to import the admirable excellencie and continuance thereof, never to alter or decay, but to remaine before the Lord.

In all these refpe&s the Covenant of Grace is fitly called the new Covenant or Teftament, fer.31.31. Heb.8.8. 2 Cor.3.6. for it is divers from that which God made with the Fathers before Chrift, moft neceffary and excellent, never to wax old, or to decay. By it a new light of the doctrine of the Gofpell shined to the world, it had new worship, new adoration, a new forme of the Church, new witneffes, new tables, new Sacraments and Ordinances, and thefe never to be abrogated or difanulled, never

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to

Heb.9.16.

to wax old. Heb.8.13.and it was established after a new manner, by the bloud of the Mediatour. It is called a Covenant of peace, an everlafting Covenant, which shall not be removed: the Covenant of my peace, Ezek 36.27. and 34.25. Ifai.54.10. and 55.3. Heb.13.10. Ifai.61.8. It is called a Covenant and a l'eftament. A Covenant in refpe&t of the manner of agreement; a Teftament in refpect of the manner of confirming. A Covenant in respect of God; a Teftament in refpect of Christ, who being appointed of the Father Lord and Prince, with full poffeflion of all things ne ceffary to Salvation, died as Teftatour, and confirmed by his death the teftamentary promife before made, ef obtaining the eternall inheritance by the remiffion of finnes. John the Baptist by the light of preaching was greater then the Prophets, that had gone before him: but properly he was not a Minifter of the new Teftament,as it differed from the old: wherefore a middle place Matth... is rightly affigned to him, being the forerunner of Chrift to prepare the way before him. From the birth of Chrift, the things foretold in the old Teftament pertaining to the conftitution of the new, began to be fulfilled; and that first by his comming in the flesh, afterwards by his administration, and then by his death: by whofe death the old Teftament was abolished, and the new did fucceed in the roome thereof. The old Teftament was abolithed by the death of Chrift in right, but not in act. For before. the promulgation of that innovation by the found of the Gofpell, they amongst the Jewes that did beleeve in Chrift were true be leevers, though they were zealous for the Law: but after the doArine of grace was fufficiently publifhed, they that obftinately did cleave to the shadowes and Ceremonies of the Law, did rejea the promise and Covenant in Chrift. So that properly the beginning of the new Covenant is to be fetched from that time, wherein Chrift hath fulfilled all things, which were shadowed of him in the Law, or foretold in the Prophets, that is, after that Chrift was corporally afcended into Heaven, and had fent downe the holy Spirit in the vifible fhape of fiery tongues upon his Apoftles, at the folemne feaft of Pentecoft; For the famme of the Gofpell or new Teftament is this, that the Ceremoniall Law is ceased, and the use of the Law (whereby we were kept in bondage untill faith was revealed) abolished: and that Chrift being already crucified,dead,buried, and received into Heaven,remiffion

A&.20.21.

Heb.13.20,

A 2:3,4

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offinnes in his bloud is clearly, plainly and openly propounded, offered and given to all them that by true and lively faith doe beleeve that he is Chrift the Lord and Saviour, and that the Spirit of Adoption is fent into their hearts, who by firme affiance and confidence doc reft in the Redeemer, that being taught of God they ftand not in need of the legall pedagogie. Surely, that doctrine concerning faith in Chrift, cannot strictly be called the Gospell, which did take place, the Mofaicall worship as yet in force, and that by the approbation of Chrift, thofe things not being fullfilled as yet, which were preached in the Gofpell. For the Gofpell is a meffage of good tidings or things paft, which affect the heart with fingular joy and chearefulneffe. And as the old Covenant was not promulgated without great pompe upon Mount Sinai, the people of Ifrael hearing and beholding, and fwearing unto it, Exod.19.18. and 20. fo it was meet that the New Testament, fhould be published on a folemne fet day, in the affembly almoft of all Nations, with great fplendour and glory, as it was on the feaft day of Pentecoft. And before that time the doctrine concersing faith was of that fort, that men were rather called to the fu ture Kingdome of God, then commanded to reft in the prefentftate of things. John the Baptift put over his hearers to Chrift, Job.1.26,27. Luke 3.16. Mark 1.7,8. Matth.3. 11,12, Chrift invites men to the Kingdome of Heaven,that is, the Evangelicall Government of the Church,as future at hand, but not yet prefent. Matth.4.17, Mark 1.15. Nay, after he was rifen from the dead, although he profeffe openly and plainly to his Difciples, that all power was given unto him in Heaven and earth, and he cominand them to preach the Gofpeil to every crcature, Matth. 28. 18,19. yet he gives them a charge to tarry at Jerufalem, to waite for the accomplishment of the promise concerning the folemne fending of the holy Ghoft, and to be endued with power from above,Luk. 24.49. as if they were defigned before,but then to be inaugurated, and by extraordinary gifts, many hearing and beholding, openly to be approved. The dayes immediately following the death and refurrection of Chrift, were the dayes of the Churches widow hood, wherein the fate (for a while) deftitute and comfortleffe, and barren, having neither power to beare,ner to bring forth children. But within ten dayes after Christ, the Lord, the Bridegroome of the Church, had afcended from earth to Heaven in

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