created him, they receive a new ftamp and impreffion, from this great exemplar Chrift Jefus, the true image of the invifible God. 2. The fecond analogy is to the ordinary generation of mankind; wherein as a little, but powerful, vital principle, which we call the foul, forms and moulds the foetus according to the special nature of man in all his lineaments and proportions, and never gives over its operation till it hath compleated that bodily mafs into its full complement of parts, and afterwards gradually augments and perfects it in his organs and faculties: fo by a vital principle derived from God, through Chrift, into the foul, the fame is moulded, fashioned, formed, increased and perfected according to this new principle of life which is ufually called grace: whereby it comes to pass (that) as the foul is the vital and conforming principle of the body, fo this grace is the very life, and vital and conforming principle of the foul and hence this formative principle is called the life of the foul, the quickening fpirit; and the conformation of the foul unto the will of God thereby is called the forming of Chrift in them, the life of Chrift, the indwelling of Chrift in the heart by faith. And this new principle exerciseth in the foul all the acts analo gical to that natural vital principle in the body, giving to it as it were the image, lineaments, proportion, increafe conformable to the image of God in Chrift, as true wisdom, righteousness, justice, holiness, integrity, love of God, fubmiffion to his will, dependance upon him, and tranflates them into all the communicable relations that Chrift himself had, and invests them in his communicable privileges. If he be a Son of God by nature, fo are they by interpretation, by adoption and participation of the divine nature 2. Is he an heir of heaven? fo are they co-heirs with him. Is he acceptable of God? fo are they. Is he an heir of glory fo are they. And as this conformation of the

1 Colos. iii. 10.

22 Pet. i. 4.

body

body by this vital principle is performed by a feminal principle (at leaft as the inftrument of its activity) derived from the parent, fo the analogy holds here: we find a double feminal principle in this conformation, and both derived from Christ our head, viz. one external, another internal. 1. The external feminal principle is the word and meffage of the divine doctrine, exemplary and holy life, fingular love of Chrift and of God through him to mankind, whereby we understand what he would have us do, the danger if we do otherwife; the bleffed reward obedience, the great engagements of the love of God in fend ing his Son to die for us, the plain, familiar eafy way of attaining of happiness; and because we often learn better by example than by precept, the fame word exhibits to us a lively picture of his holy converfation, his humility, meeknefs, obedience, love, patience, goodness. And this the external means is in itself a great moral means to conform our wills and lives thereunto: and therefore it is called the in corruptible feed of the word of God, whereby we are born again. The internal feed is that fpirit of grace fent out from Chrift, which doth drive a quickening. lively power to the word and to the foul, whereby it makes it effectual to its end, and therefore called a fpirit of life and power, a quickening fpirit: and this, not by transfufing a new fubftance or fubftantial nature, which before it had not, but by its lively, yet fecret, operations, changing and moulding it fuitable to the image of him whofe fpirit it is, and adding. energy and efficacy of that other feed of the word, as the fun doth to the feminal principles of vegetables and animals.

III. Touching the thing upon which this victory is obtained and conqueft made, it is the world; which comprehends in its latitude a double world; the world, within us and the world without us,

The world within us, which may therefore be fo called principally in this refpect, that a greater part of its relation and tendency is toward the world, which is for the most part the object upon which it fixeth, the fubject after which it reacheth, and the business upon which it fafteneth and exercifeth. And hence it is, that the Apofile St. John divides the world without us with relation to the world within us, viz. The luft of the flesh, the luft of the eyes, and the pride of life.' The world that is within us taketh in the two great faculties or powers, viz. 1. The paffions of the foul; and 2. The fenfual apPetite; both thefe are in their own nature good, placed in us by the wife God of nature, for moft excellent ends and ufes. Our bufinefs therefore is to keep in order and fubjection, and to extirpate and root them out for they are radicated 2 in our nature by the God of nature. But of this more particularly.

i. Our paffions: fuch as are love, hatred, anger, hope, fear, joy, forrow; thefe and the like paffions of the human foul, are not fimply in themfelves evil; nay, being rightly placed, and duly ordered and regulated, they become ferviceable to excellent ends and uses; and therefore fimply in themselves they are not the fubject of Chriftian's victory: but then they become fuch when they become the world in the text, and that is principally in thefe cafes. 1. When they are misplaced; as when we love the things we fhould hate, hope for the things we fhould fear, rejoice in that we should grieve, &c. or è converso, 2. when they are immoderate or exceffive about their proper objects; which comes to pafs, when in thofe things about which we may exercife our paffions lawfully, we exceed that measure or proportion that is due to them. For inftance, I may lawfully love a competency of worldly fubfiftence, but I exceed in

J

'John ii. 16.

2 rooted.

this, that I love it too much and beyond the worth that is truly in it: I may lawfully be angry with him that injures me, but I exceed in the meafure, or degree, or time, or duration, and become implacable. 3. When my affections or paflions are not acted to that height they ought to be: All finite objects of our paffions require a proportionate degree of our paffions; but where the object is infinite, my affections may err in being too remifs, but not in the excefs: I cannot love God too much, for I am to love him with all my might, but I may love him too little, and then my affection errs: I cannot hate fin too much, becaufe I cannot love God too much, but I may hate it too little. 4. When my affections or paílions are acted unfeasonably, either in refpect of the competition between objects of feveral values: I may, nay I must love my Father; but if I love my Father more than my Saviour, my Saviour hath pronounced me unworthy of him, 5. When my paflions degenerate into vices and corruptions, and fo become not fo much powers or faculties, as difeafes and fickneffes of the foul: As when anger degenerates into malice, revenge; when felf-love degenerates into envy; when defire of, or delight in, the profits or honours of the world degenerates into covetoufnefs or ambition, and the like. 6. When my paffions are not under the managen ent, guidance or conduct of my fuperior faculties, my reafon and judgment; but either go before they are fent, or go beyond for what they are fent, or return not and fubfide when recalled: And then they breed infinite perturbation in the foul, invert the order of nature, and become furies and tempefts, and imprifon and captivate the mind and understanding, and become a worfe part of the world than that whi h is without us. Under these conditions our paffions and affections are part of that world which is the object of a Chriftian's warfare and victory.

2. The other part of this world within us are the motions and tendencies of our fenfual appetite. This fenfual appetite is in itfelf good, placed in us by the God of nature for excellent ends, viz. for the prefervation of the individual nature, as eating and drinking, and those invitations of fenfe, fubfervient thereunto; or for the preservation of the fpecies, as the defires of fexes. But they then become a finful part of this inferior world: 1. When they become inordinate; 2. Or exceflive; 3. Or unfeasonable, or improper; 4. When they are not fubordinate in their actings to the government of reafon enlightened by moral or religious light. A Chriftian hath no fuch enemies without him, as unruly and undifciplined lufts and paffions within him; and it is a vain thing to think of overcoming the world without us, until ths world within us be brought into fubje&tion; for without the corruptions and lufts within, the world and the evil men of the world, and the evil one of the world, could not hurt us.

Non vulnus adactis

Debetur gladiis, percussum est pectore ferrum '.

The wedge of gold was an innocent thing, but Achan's covetous heart within gave it ftrength to do harm. We come into the world, as into a great shop full of variety of wares accommodated to our fenfes, lufts and affections; and were it not for thefe, thofe wares would lie long enough upon the hands of the prince of the world, before they could get within us or corrupt us.

2. The world without us is of three kinds; 1. The natural world, which is the work of Almighty God, is most certainly in itself good; and only evil accidentally, by man's abufe of himself or it. It doth contain a general fupply of objects anfwerable to the defires of our vegetable and fenfible nature, and the

The wound is not owing to the sword, but to the breast which strikes against the sword.

exigencies