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them that diligently feek him.' I Cor. x. 31. Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.' Wherefore, no Works whatsoever of an unfanctified Man, are truly good, or pleafing in the Sight of God: John xv. 5. I am the vine, ye are the branches: 'He that abideth in me, and I in him, the fame bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. Tit. i. 15. Unto them that are defiled and unbelieving, is nothing pures but even their mind and confcience is defiled.' Rom. viii. 7. The carnal mind is enmity against 'God: for it is not fubject to the law of God,

neither indeed can be.' And that, becaufe though the Matter of them may be good, yet they are not done in a right Manner, nor to a right End: 1 Cor. xiii. 3. Though I bestow, all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Matth. vi. 2. Therefore, when thou doft thine alms, do not found a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do, in the fynagogues, and in the streets, that they may have glory of men.' Zech. vii, 5. 6. When ye fafted and mourned in the fifth and feventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all faft unto me, even to me? And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?' The good Works of fanctified Perfons are none of them perfectly good, or free from finful Mixture: . Ixiv. 6. All our righteoufneffes are as filthy rags.' Gal. v. 17. The flesh lufteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flefh: and thefe are contrary the one to the other; fo that ye cannot do the

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things that ye would. Howbeit, they are ac cepted of God, for the fake of Chrift, being Fruits of the Branches in him: 1 Pet. ii. 5. Ye alfo, as lively ftones, are built up a fpiritual house, an holy priesthood to offer up fpiritual facrifices, acceptable to God by Jefus Chrift. Gen. iv. 4. And the Lord had refpect unto Abel, and to his offering.' Compared with Heb. xi. 4. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent facrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witnefs, that he was righteous, God teftifying of his gifts. 2 Cor. ii. 15. For we are unto God a fweet favour of Christ, in them that are faved, and in them that perifh.? There is a Difference then between the two Covenants, in the Point of Acceptance with God. The Method of Acceptance with God in the Covenant of Works, is, that first the Work be accepted for its own Perfection, and then the Perfon for his Work's fake: Gal. iii. 12. And the law is not ' of faith: but, The man that doth them, fhall live in them.' The Method of Acceptance in the Covenant of Grace, is, that firft the Perfon be accepted for Chrift's fake, in Juftification, and then his Work, for Chrift's fake too, in point of Sanctification: Eph. i. 6. He hath made us accepted in the beloved.' Heb. xi. 4. forecited. Rev. vii. 14. And he faid to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Wherefore God's accepting the Will for the Deed, or any Work that is not perfect, is the peculiar Privilege of those who are in the Covenant of Grace, by true Faith: 2 Cor. viii. 12. 'If there be firft a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according

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to that he hath not.' Compared with verf. 7. Therefore as ye abound in every thing, in faith, in utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us; fee that ye abound in this grace alfo. And God will accept of no Work at the Hand of an Unbeliever; and that because he is under the Covenant of Works, and his Work is not perfect: Gal. iii. 10. For as many as are of the works of the law, are under the curfe: for it is written, Curfed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.' Compared with Rom. iii. 19. Now we know that what things foever the law faith, it faith to them who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God."

Our Ability for Acts of Mortification, and Obedience, wherein we die unto Sin, and live unto Righteoufnefs, is not at all of ourfelves: John xv. 4. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itfelf, except it abide in the vine no more can ye, except ye abide in me.' When we are put into a State of Death unto Sin, and Life unto Righteoufnefs, through the Habits of Grace infufed into us by the Spirit, even then we are not able, of ourselves, for Acts of Mortification or Obedience: 2 Cor. iii. 4. 5. And fuch truft we have through Chrift to God-ward. Not that we are fufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves: but our fufficiency is of "God.' Even of our gracious felves we can do nothing, or bring forth no Fruit of Grace: John xv. 4. above cited. verf. 5. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the fame bringeth forth much fruit for ' without

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without me ye can do nothing.' But we are enabled to the feveral Acts of Mortification and Obedience, by the Spirit: Rom. viii. 13. If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye fhall live. Philip. ii. 13. It is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure. The Spirit enables us to Acts of Mortification and Obedience, by exciting, increafing, and ftrengthening our inherent Graces thereto: Cant. v. 4. My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him. Col. i. 10. That ye might walk wor thy of the Lord unto all pleafing, being fruitful in every good work, and increafing in the knowledge of God.' Eph. iii. 16. That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be ftrengthened with might, by his Spirit in the inner man.' The Spirit excites, increafes, and ftrengthens our inherent Graces, to Acts of Mortification and Obedience, by communicating new Supplies of Grace to us, from Chrift our Head Col. ii. 19. And not holding the head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.' 2 Cor. xii. "My grace is fufficient for thee: for my ftrength is made perfect in weakness. Philip. i. 19. ' I know that this fhall turn to my falvation through your prayer, and the fupply of the Spirit of Je, fus Chrift.' verf. 1 1. Being filled with the fruits of righteoufnefs, which are by Jefus Chrift unto the glory and praife of God. Compared with John xv. 4. 5. forecited. Wherefore every gracious Act, or good Work, done by us, is a Fruit of the Spirit, produced by him in us: Gal. v. 22. 23. The

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fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, ' gentleness,goodnefs, faith, meeknefs, temperance.' Eph. v. 9. The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, and righteoufnefs, and truth.' Gal. v. 17. The Spi'rit lufteth against the flesh.' Compared with verf. 16. Walk in the Spirit, and ye fhall not fulfil the luft of the flesh.' verf. 18. If ye be led by the Spirit, ye are not under the law.' And Rom. viii. 26. Likewife the Spirit helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itfelf maketh interceffion for us with gronings which cannot be uttered.' And the Way how we derive Supplies of Grace from Chrift, through the Spirit, is, by Faith trufting on him, in the Word of Promife: Gal. ii. 20. I am crucified with Chrift: Neverthelefs I live; yet not I, but Chrift liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh,I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.' Jer. xvii. 7. 8. Bleffed is the man that trufteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he fhall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and fhall not fee when heat cometh, but her leaf fhall be green, and fhall not be careful in the year of drought, neither fhall ceafe from yielding fruit. Pfal. xxviii. 7. The Lord is my ftrength and my fhield, my heart trusted in him, and I am helped.' 2 Pet. i. 4. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promifes; that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature.'

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The Spring of all Grace to us, from Christ, for our Sanctification habitual and actual, is, our Communion with Chrift, in his Death and Resurrection,

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