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IV.

True Believers may have the affurance of their falvation divers ways fhaken diminished and intermitted, as by negligence in preferving of it, by falling into fome fpecial fin, which woundeth the Confcience, and grieveth the Spirit by fome fudden or Vehement Temptation, by God's withdrawing the light of his Countenance, fuffering even fuch as fear, him to walk in darkness, and to have no light; yet are they neither utterly deftitute of that feed of God, and life of Faith, that love of Chrift and the Brethren, that fincerity of heart and Confcience of duty, out of which by the operation of the Spirit, this affurance may in due time be revived, 9 and by the which in the mean time they are fupported from utter despair. r Cant 5. 2, 3,6, Pfal 51. 8. 12, 14 Epb 4.30, 31. Pfa. 77.1 to 10. Mat. 26 69, 70, 71, 72. Ffa. 31. 22. & 88. per tot Ifa 51. 10. 1 John 3 9. Luke 22. 32. Job 13. 15. Pfal. 73. 15.& 51. 8, 12. Isa 50.10 Mic. 7. 8, 9. Jer. 32. 40. Isa. 54• 7, 8, 9, 10. Pja. 22. 1. & 88. per tot.

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OD gave to Adam a Law of univerfal
Obedience written in his heart, and a

particular precept of not cating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, as a Covenant of Works, by which he bound him and all his pofterity to perfonal, entire, exact and perpetual obedience, promifed life upon the fulfilling, and threatned death upon the breach of it, and indued him with power and ability to keep it. Gen. 1. 26, 27. & 2. 17, Rom. 2, 14, 15. & 10. 5. & 5. 12, 19. Gal 3. 10, 12. Eccl. 7, 29. Job 28. 28

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II.

This Law fo written in the heart, continued to be a perfect Rule of Righteoufnefs after the fall of Man, and was delivered by God on Mount Sinai in ten Commandments, & written in two Tables, the four firft Commandments containing our duty towards God, and the other fix our duty to Man. b Jam 1.25 2. 8, 10, 11, 12 Rom. 13 8, 9. Deut. 5. 3 10. 4. Exod. 34.1. Mat. 22.37,38,39.40

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III.

Befides this Law commonly called Morral God was pleafed to give the people of Ifrael, as a Church under age, Ceremonial Laws, con taining foveral Tipical Ordinances, partly of Worshiping, prefiguring Chrift, his Graces, Actions, Sufferings and Benefits, and partly holding forth diverfe Inftructions of moral

Duties: All which Ceremonial Laws being appointed only to the time of Reformation, are by Jefus Chrift the true Meffiah and only Law-giver, who was furnished with power from the Father for that end, abrogated, and taken away. Heb. 9. Chap. Heb.10. 1. Gal 4. 1, 2, 3. Col. 2. 17. 1 Cor. 5. 7. 2 Cor. 6. 17. Jude v. 23 Heb. 9. 10, 11 Jam. 4 12. Heb. 7. 12 Col. 2. 14, 16, 17 Dan. 9. 27. Eph.

2. 15, 16.

IV.

To them alfo he gave fundry Judicial Laws, which expired together with the fate of that People, not obliging any now by virtue of that Institution, their general equity only being ftill of moral ufe. Exod. 21. chap Exod.22 1. to 29. Gen. 49. 10 with 1 Pet. 2. 13, 14. Mat 5. 17 with v. 38, 39. 1 Cor. 9. 8, 9, 19

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The Moral Law doth forever bind all, as well juflified perfons as others, to the Obedience thereof; and that not only in regard of the matter contained in it, but alfo in refpect of the Authority of God the Creator, who gave it neither doth Chrift in the : i Gospel any way diffolve, but much strengthen this obligation. Rom : 38,9, 10. Er

i

6.1, 2. 1 John 2. 3, 4, 7, 8. Jam. 2. 10, 11. Mat. 5. 17, 18, 19. James 2. 8

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Although true Believers be not under the Law, as a Covenant of Works, to be thereby juftified or condemned, yet it is of great use to them as well as to others, in that, as a Rule of Life, informing them of the will of God, and their duty, and directs and binds them to walk accordingly, m difccvering alfo the finful pollutions of their nature, hearts and lives, # 1o as examining themfelves thereby, they may come to further conviction of, humiliati on for, and hatred against fin, together with a clearer fight of the need they have of Chrift, and the perfection of his Obedience. It is likewife of ufe to the Regenerate, to reftrain their Corruptions, in that it forbids fin, q and the Threatnings of it ferve to fhew what even their fins delerve, and what Afflictions in this Life they may expect from them, although freed from the curfe thereof threatned in the Law. The Promifes of it in like manner fhew them God's approbation of Obedience, and what Bleffings they may expect upon the performance thereof, altho not as due to them by the Law, as a Covenant of Works, to as a Mans doing good, &, ref dining from Evil, becaufe the Law enourageth to the one, and deterreth from the

others, is no evidence of his heing under the Law, and not under Grace.1 Rom. 6. 14. Gal. 2. 16.&3.13 & 4. 4, 5. Alts 13. 39 Rom.

8. I.'

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Rom. 7. 12, 22, 25. Pfalm 119 4, 5;6. 1 Cor. 7.19 Gal. 5.14,16,18,19,20,21,22,23. * Rom. 7. 7. & 3. 20. Jam. 1. 23, 24, 25. Rom. 7. 9,14,24 Gal. 3 24. Rom 7:24,25. ·& 8. 3.4 Jam. 2. 11. Pfal. 119. 101, 104, 128. Ezra 9. 13, 14. Pfal. 89. 39, to 35. "Lev. 26 3,10 14. with 2 Cor. 6. 16. E pb 6.2,3 Pfa. 37. 11. Mat. 5. 5 Pfa, 19 11. Gal. 2. 16 Luke 17. 10. Rom 6. 12,14. 1 Pet.. 3.8, 9, 10. 11,12, with Pfa. 34. 12,10 16 Heb. 12.28,29.

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VII.

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Neither are the forementioned ufes of the Law contrary to the grace of the Gospel, but do fweetly comply with it, the Spirit of Chrift fubduing and enabling the will of man to do that freely and chearfully, which the will of God revealed in the Law required to be done. * "Gal. 3. 21. * Ezek. 36. 26, 27. Heb. 8. 10. Jer. 31. 33.

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Of the Gospel and of the extent of the Graces

thereof.

HE Covenant of Works being broken by fin, & made unprofitable unto lite

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