and apoftacy from God and the principles of God's creation, viz. the bolding truth in unrighteousness; Rom. i. 18. and turning the grace of God into wantonnefs. Jude 4. we cannot find a worfe character; nor that which doth denote a more degenerate, wicked and desperate condition than is expreßt in these two. For this excellent leaven of heavenly and divine knowledge, fhould leaven the whole lump. But knowledge is imprisoned, if it doth not produce goodness: for this is natural to it; and this judgment fhould go forth into victory, Matth. xii. 20. 'Tis obferved that those who were of fluggish dispositions, being enlightened by the knowledge of Chrift, how active they became; being mended in their parts, and became quite other perfons than before; being partakers of divine knowledge, they became ufeful in every good way; being enlarged in their hearts and fpirits. Whereas when men turn into the world, and mind the things of the earth, they grow less and less, and their hearts and fpirits are contracted and fhrivelled up. But those men that are illuminated, and that have received the knowledge of divine things, though before they were in an earthly and worldly fpirit, yet presently their language is, let us now mount up to heaven and bebold the face of God, and maintain converse with him. Let us not now lie groveling here below and tumbling in the duft. How do they now relifh, favour and taste the things that are above, and which they are not able to utter! As St. Paul faith, he faw things which were not lawful to utter, 2 Cor. xii. 4. or rather which was not in him to utter, i. e. He was not able to declar declare the fulness of it. But this in general. Now because generals do not fo much affect, therefore I will fhew you in particulars, what operation the divine knowledge of God in Chrift hath upon us in thefe four respects. 1. It doth correct, and regulate. 3. It doth cherish, and revive. 4. It doth and will both raife and advance. 1. It doth correct and regulate. And to this will adjoin the second, because in speaking to them elfe I fhould run into one another. 2. It doth heal and restore us by its regenerating and fanctifying virtue. It doth reform their hearts and lives, in whom it is; and alfo revive and heal, and ftrengthen their fpirits. We, faith the apostle, efcape the pollutions that are in the world, through the knowledge of Chrift Jefus, 2 Pet. ii. 20. For this teacheth us to walk honeftly, 1 Theff. iv. 12. but the word in the Greek is more fignificant, and may be rendred gracefully, decently, comely, in a lovely manner, fo as to credit the gofpel. And we find in St. Jude, that they which denied the Lord Jefus Chrift, turned the grace of God into lafcivioufnefs. The knowledge of Chrift, and lasciviousness will not ftand together. So we find, that they which apoftatize from Chrift Jefus, wax wanton, having damnation in themfelves, 1 Tim. v. 11, 12. For further proof, the apoftle fays, created in Chrift Jefus to good works, whereunto we were before appointed, Eph. ii. 10. When I 2 When appointed? viz. in the moment of creation, when God made the fpirit in man, the candle of the Lord. So that man, by a natural faculty, did fee what things are according to the nature of God; holy, pure, righteous and good from these we are departed, by the defection; but by Christ Jesus we are again restored to all those good works, to which we were before appointed. So that the knowledge of Chrift doth undo the whole work of the devil, the works of deformity, oppofition and contradiction to the principles of God's creation, to the light of this candle of the Lord put into us, in the moment that he made us. This is a full place, and fhews that a chriftian is a reftored man, according to the very plat-form of the primitive inftitution. He is created over again in Christ Jefus ; and the workmanfhip of God is recovered, and restored; and the workmanship of the devil is undone, and destroyed. See alfo that notable place to Titus, which place we may refer to, as a fummary of all neceflary divinity, viz. the grace of God that bringeth falvation, hath appeared to all men, teaching us, that denying ungodliness and worldly lufts, we should live soberly, righteous_ ly and godly in this prefent world, Titus ii. 11, 12. Here are the main foundations of chriftian religion; all that is neceflary is comprised in these two words. The first is this, that every one doth own and acknowledge his hope of falvation to be from the grace of God; not having our own righteousness for we are juftified freely by his grace, and'tis the grace of God that bringeth falvation. (2dly.) This grace that bringeth falvation, teacheth us to deny ungodliness, and worldly worldly lufts; and to live foberly, righteously, and godly in this prefent world. to worship and as the original, This is piety; Godly, i. e. in the fear and regard of God all day long to have reverence of the Deity in our minds, and to approve our fouls to him; adore him, to acknowledge him and to reft in him as the center. this is to live godly. And then righteously i. e. in our actions one with another; to do as we would' be done unto; not to do arbitrarily, selfishly, with refpect only to our own pleasure gain and advantage, but in all things to comply with the rule of right; confidering what is just and equal, fit and reasonable to be done. The third word is foberly, i. e. temperately, and this lies in two things, the first respects. the mind; the other the body. That a man have fober thoughts and apprehenfions of himself and then in respect of his body, not to suffer that to exceed, nor to abuse the foul; not to suffer the body to be a temptation, or provocation to the mind; but to govern paffion, and all those things that are. occafioned by the body, which may disturb or pre judice the mind. This is fo full a place, that I know not any thing neceffary to the falvation of men, that is not comprehended in it. It does declare that we are faved by the grace of God in Jefus Chrift; and that it is neceffary that we live in the fear of God, and approve ourselves to him; and do equally one with another, and not fet up our wills for a rule, nor act arbitrarily, but in all things do, as we would be done unto; and that we live in in a moderate use of the things of the body, and a fober fense of our perfections and attainments. If you would have other fcriptures (for this truth is abundantly confirmed by scripture,) see the apoftle, the old man is crucified with Chrift, that the body of fin may be destroyed, Rom. vi. 6. And by the gofpel and knowledge of Chrift (faith the apostle) we are freed from fin, and have our fruit unto righteoufnefs. Again, having thefe promifes (dearly beloved) let us cleanfe ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and Spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God, 2 Cor. vii. 1. The promises of God in the gospel, are a new principle of action; and we are doubly engaged, by nature, and grace, to obedience, if we believe any thing of God by Chrift, and lay hold of these promises that are made by him. I fay we are doubly engaged, to cleanse our felves from all filthiness of flesh and fpirit, and to perfect holiness in his fear. And that place of the apoftle is very clear to this purpose. Ye have not fo learned Chrift, if fo be ye have heard him, and been taught by him, as the truth is in Jefus, you have then learnt to put off concerning the former converfation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lufts, and to put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness, Eph. iv. 20, 21, 22. 'Tis not poffible for words to be plainer. So that you fee, the faith of the gofpel, faith in God by Jefus Chrift,, is a principle of divine action, and tranfformation. It tends to rectify that which is crook. ed, and to recover that which was loft; and tends to the repairing of us according to the image where |