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able to do of myself, ftill justify and accept what his Spirit and holy power hath done in me. They are not of the fame nature in themselves; nor are they fo accounted of in the eye of the Lord. For the Lord diftinguisheth between root and root: and what fpringeth from the holy roct, he juftifieth as holy; and what arifeth from the unholy root, he condemneth as unholy.

Seventhly, That by the law of faith all boafting is excluded, in the whole work both of juftification and fanétification. What is the law of faith? Is not this its law, to fetch all from the Son, to do all in the Son? to quit felf, and its own ability, and to perform all in the newness of the Spirit, in the ability which is of God, given and continued, in and through his grace and mercy, to the foul in the Lord Jefus Chrift; all the veins of life, all the streams of the new covenant run here. Here is no boafting of the here can be no boasting: for all its ability and ftrength is shut out; and that which is given of God to it, is all and doth all. Yet every Jew here hath praife of God. His faith is commended, his love is commended, his faithfulness is commended, his zeal for the Lord, his obedience to the Lord, his patience in fuffering, is commended, &c. But the praise and honour of all redounds not to his flesh, but to the Spirit and grace of God in him. So that here flesh is laid low, and kept in the dust for ever, and God alone exalted in this day of his pure power in the heart. He that truly believeth, entereth into reft. How into reft? From what doth he reft? Why, from his own works, from the works of the flesh; yea, from the works of the old covenant; from the works that arife from his own ability, from the works wherein he can never be justified with the gofpel-juftification. But doth he ceafe from the works of faith? Doth he ceafe from the labour of love? Doth he ceafe from obedience to any thing that God requires? Nay: then furely he rather beginneth to work and labour in the vineyard, and his labour is not in vain in the Lord.

VII. Concerning Faith.

Several things I have experienced, both concerning the nature, virtue, and operations of it; fome whereof (as I feel them fpring up livingly in my heart) I may mention at this time.

First, This I have often experienced; that it is an hard thing truly and rightly to believe. It is an eafy matter to believe notions concerning God, and concerning Chrift: but to believe in God, to believe in Chrift, to believe in him that raised up Jefus, to believe in the light, life, and power, which flows from Jefus; this indeed is hard, by reafon of the great darknefs and ignorance which man is fallen into through tranfgreffion.

Secondly, I have experienced this alfo; that faith is God's gift, and that it flows from the power of his life. There is firft a quickening, first a touching of the heart, by the holy pure power of the Lord; and when a

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man is touched and quickened, then in and by and through that virtue which flows into him, he can believe in that which toucheth and quickeneth him..

Thirdly, That Faith never ftands in a man's own power, but always in the virtue and power of the life of the Son. So that he that will believe aright, muft wait to feel the life of the Son revealed in him, and faith flowing therefrom. For the true belief fprings from the life of the holy root; and from the flowing up and fpringing up of that life, faith receives its nourishment and daily virtue.

Fourthly, I have obferved this in my travels; that the earthly wisdom, and notions therefrom got into the mind, and held in the mind out of the fense of life, are a great lett to faith. For these strengthen and nourish that in man, which is to be weakened and die; that life, and the birth of life, may be all in the heart. Man is to die; man is to be ceased from; his understanding, his wisdom, is to be brought to nought. But after it hath had a stroke and wound from God's Holy Spirit and power (even the very wound which tends to death) yet it will be getting life again (getting its deadly wound healed) and nourishing its life by thofe very notions, which came from that life and power, which in measure flew it. And thus the Jew outward hath his life in the outwardness of knowledge, in the outwardness of the law, in the letter which killeth: for the relation and outward knowledge of things killeth and deadeneth more and more, unless man come into the inward life and virtue, and daily feel them quickened there. If ye live in the Spirit, walk in the Spirit, faid the apoftle. A man cannot live in an outwardness of knowledge concerning the Spirit and power of the endless life; but he that would truly live, muft live in the Spirit itself; and he that would rightly walk on in his way, muft walk in that Spirit wherein he received life, and wherein he that abideth lives before the Lord.

Fifthly, This I have also obferved; that all notional faith, wherein is not the living virtue (as concerning Chrift, his fufferings, death, refurrection, afcenfion, interceffion; and concerning juftification by him, &c.), the enemy will let the foul alone with, and let him enjoy peace in; but his war is defperately against the true faith, against faith in the true power, against faith in the light of life. Oh! how many fore and sharp affaults doth he make against the faith which receives its virtue from God, and caufeth the foul to live to God! And how fore is it with the foul, when faith is weak, and the enemy comes on against it with the ftrength of his affaults and temptations. Lord increase our faith, faid the fenfible difciples.

Sixthly, It is a precious thing to feel faith quickened by God, and helped by God, against the enemy. For then the enemy cannot prevail againft the foul, but the foul, through the virtue and power of life, prevails over the enemy in the faith. And this is the great work of a Christian, not only to wrestle and fight, but to learn fo to wreftle, and fo to fight, as to

overcome.

Seventhly,

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Seventhly, That in the pure fear (not that which is taught by the by the precepts of men, but which God puts into the heart) faith hath its ftrength, and exerciseth its ftrength. Oh! who knows the preciousness of this fear! The power of faith, the power of life, the power of falvation, and everlafting prefervation is revealed in it. Therefore, faith the Lord, when he fpeaketh of providing for his children in the new covenant, that they fhall abide with him for ever, and not depart any more from him, as the children of the old covenant did; I will put my fear in their hearts, and they fhall not depart from me. And when the angel preached the everlasting gofpel, how did he preach it? Fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour of bis judgments is come, &c. Rev. xiv. When the pure fear is felt, when that which is contrary to God is judged; then the gofpel is known, and the work thereof experienced in the heart. And how eafy is it, when the pure fear is felt, to distrust and deny one's felf, and truft in the Lord! Oh! how weak are the reasonings and imaginations then, and how ftrong is the which scatters them, and lifts up the head over them!

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Now it concerns every one deeply to confider, of what nature his faith is, and what virtue is in it, and what it can do in and through the power of the Lord for him; how it fetcheth in the true living nourishment every day, how it delivers the foul, and gives it victory over that which faith was appointed to deliver from. For he who through the faith overcometh that which is contrary to God, fhall inherit; and he that fights the good fight of faith, fhall overcome: but he that overcomes not his enemies, which stand in his way, shall be sure to be hindered by them from attaining to his journey's end.

VIII. Concerning Obedience, fome Experiences also.

First, True obedience, gospel-obedience, flows from life, flows from the living faith. If I could obey in all things that God requires of me, yet that would not fatisfy me, unless I felt my obedience flow from the birth of his life in me. My Father doth all in me, faith Chrift. This was Chrift's comfort. And to feel Chrift do all in the foul, is the comfort of every one that truly believes in him.

Secondly, True obedience, gofpel obedience, is natural to the birth which is born of God. It is unnatural to the flesh, to man's wisdom, to deny himself, and take up the crofs; but it is natural to the birth which is born of God's Spirit. That which is born of the Spirit, is Spirit; and it is natural to it to be converfant in, and exercised about, that which is fpiri

tual.

Thirdly, That honouring and pleafing, and anfwering the will of the Lord, is the proper aim of the truly obedient. Oh! how do they delight to do the will of God! I have meat, faith Chrift, that ye know not of. To do the will was his meat and drink and it is meat and drink to all that are

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of his nature and Spirit. If I fhould never have any other reward, but the pleasure of obedience; yet I could not but say and teftify, that in answering the law of the pure life, in keeping the holy ftatutes and commandments of God's Spirit, there is great reward. But yet there is a crown alfo, and a reaping after this life of every thing that is fown to the Spirit: and the crown is weighty and everlastingly glorious.

Fourthly, Gospel obedience is exceeding neceffary in and to the gofpelftate. Mark! The Lamb is the leader: and can any be faved by him, but they that follow him? When Chrift calls out of the world, must not the foul come to him, who is the Shepherd? And must not the sheep daily learn to know his voice, and follow him; even till they come to be acquainted with every moving, drawing, and leading of his Spirit; and fa come to follow the Lamb whitherfoever he goes? Mark! what a weight Chrift layeth upon doing. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. Why then the difciple cannot come to happiness, but in the doing, in the obeying of the will of Chrift, his Lord and Master. And be that beareth thefe fayings of mine, and doth them, I will liken him to a wife man, that built his boufe upon a rock. But the believer, without doing the will, is the foolish builder, whofe building will not ftand. Again faith Chrift, As the Father bath loved me, fo have I loved you; continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. The difciples whom he most dearly loved, must keep his commandments, if they will continue in his love. And his apoftles taught the fame, even the working out of the falvation, and the purifying of the heart, through the obedience of the truth. For mark! There is a covenant of life, a way of life: and how can life be reaped, how can the work of life go on, but in fubjection and obedience thereto ?

Oh! bleffed is he, who meets with the power of life, which enables to obey; and who is obedient and fubject to that power. For he that truly believes in Chrift, is turned by him to his light, and to the power of his Father; and the peace, growth, joy, bleffedness, &c. is witneffed in fubjection thereto.

IX. Concerning the Cross of Chrift.

This I have experienced concerning the cross of our Lord Jefus Chrift; that it is an inward and spiritual thing, producing inward and fpiritual effects in the mind; and that this is it, even that which flays the enmity in the mind, and crucifies to the world, and the affections thereof. God forbid, faid the apostle, that I should glory, fave in the cross of our Lord Jefus Chrift, whereby the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Now mark; That which is contrary to the world, and crucifies to the world, that is the cross. The cross hath this power, and nothing else; and so there is VOL. II. nothing

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nothing else to glory in. The flesh lufteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary one to the other. Mind, here is the crofs the Spirit which is contrary to the flesh, which mortifies the flesh, thro’ the obedience whereof the flesh is crucified. If ye, through the Spirit, mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. Whatfoever is of and in the Spirit, is contrary to the flefh. The light of the Spirit is contrary to the darknefs of the flesh. The holiness of the Spirit is contrary to the unholiness of the corrupt heart. The life of the Spirit is contrary to the life (or rather death) that is in fin. The power of the Spirit is contrary to the power that is in Satan, and his kingdom. The wifdom of God is contrary, and a foolish thing, to the wifdom of man. Yea, the new creature, which fprings from God's Holy Spirit, is contrary and death to the old. Now he that comes hither, out of his own wisdom, out of his own will, out of his own thoughts, out of his own reafonings; and comes to a difcerning of God's Spirit, and to the feeling of his begetting of life in his heart, and his ftirrings and movings in the life which he hath begotten; and waits here, and receives counfel here; he is taught to deny himself, and to join to and take up that, by which Chrift daily croffeth and fubdueth in him that which is contrary to God.

And here is the fight of faith, and the good travel under the cross, whereby the holy journey is gone, and the enemies (which rise up to oppofe in the way) vanquished and overcome. For here is the power revealed; the preferving power, the leading power, the conquering power of him, who rideth on conquering and to conquer his fpiritual enemies in the hearts of his children, who know his voice, and are fubject to him; who daily denying themselves, and taking up his cross, follow him. Woe is to them that are at eafe in Sion, under any thing that is contrary to God; but bleffings are upon them whofe dwelling is under the crofs, and who know no ease but what it allows. It will make truth, life, holinefs, righteousness, faith, obedience, meeknefs, patience, love, feparation from fin, communion with the Lord, and all the fruits of the Spirit, as natural to them in the renewed ftate, as ever fin was in the corrupt ftate. And in that ftate they shall be able to fay with Paul; who once complained of his captivity, and that he did what he hated; yet after he had known the power of the cross, and was crucified with Chrift, he could then do nothing against the truth, but for the truth; yea, then being a conqueror, having overcome the enemies which ftood in his way, he could do all things through Chrift that ftrengthened him. The cause of fo many complaints and bowings down of the head, and going mourning because of the prevailings of the enemy, through temptations, fin, and corruption, is because the cross of Chrift, which is the power of God (which is his ordinance against the strength of the enemy) is either not known, or not taken up. And this is the reafon that many that make a fair fhew for a while, yet afterwards come to nothing (but are like untimely figs, or like corn upon the houfe-tops, which

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