ten: or, finally, it may produce in us a more earnest and steddy application to the truth of God. Thirdly, I see no reafon why the Spirit may not vouchsafe us particular impulfes, directions, and intimations upon extraordinary occafions and fudden emergencies; where holy writ affords us no light, and human prudence is at a lofs. Nor does any thing, that I attribute to the Spirit in all this, detract or derogate from the dignity or the efficacy of thefcripture. This then, I conceive, is what the Spirit does in the work of Illumination. But how it does it, is not neceffary, nor, I doubt, possible to be determined. Nor ought our ignorance of this to be objected against the truth of divine Illumination. We are fure we understand and remember, and exercise a freedom or liberty of will, in our choices, resolutions and actions: but the manner how we do this, is an enquiry that does hitherto, for ought I can fee, wholly furpass and transcend our philoJophy. I will here close this chapter with a prayer of Fulgentius, lib. 1. cap. 4. After he has in the beginning of the chapter difclaimed all pretences to the setting up himself a master, doctor, or dictator to his brethren, he breaks out into these devout and pious words I will not cease to pray, that our true Master and Doctor • Christ Jesus, either by the oracles of his gospel, or by the conversation of my bre'thren or joint-difciples; or else by the fe'cret and delightful instruction of divine 'inspiration, in which, without the ele ، ments of letters, or the found of speech, ' truth speaks with fo much the sweeter, as ' the stiller and softer voice; would vouch• safe to teach me those things, which I may 'fo propose, and so affert, that in all my ex'positions and assertions, I may be ever ' found conformable, and obedient, and 'firm to that truth, which can neither deceive, nor be deceived. For it is truth ' itself that enlightens, confirms, and aids me, that I may always obey and affent ' to the truth. By truth Idefire to be 'informed of those many more things ' which I am ignorant of, from whom I ' have received the few I know. Of truth 'I beg, through preventing and affifting ، grace, to be instructed in whatever I ' yet know not, which conduces to the 'interest of my virtue and happiness; 'to be preserved and kept stedfaft in those ' truths which I know; to be reformed ' and rectified in those points, in which, 'as is common to man, I am mistaken; ' to be confirmed and established in those ' truths wherein Iwaver; and to be de• livered from those opinions that are erroneous or hurtful. I beg, lastly, that ' truth truth may ever find, both in my thoughts and speeches, all that found and wholefome doctrine I have received from its gift; and that it would always cause me to utter those things which are agreeable to itself in the first place; and confequently acceptable to all faithful Christians in the ' next. CHAP. III. Of liberty in general. The notion of it truly stated, and guarded. The fruits of this liberty. I. Sin being a great evil, deliverance from it is great happiness. 2. A freedom and pleasure in the acts of righteousness and good works. 3. The near relation it creates between God andus. 4. The great fruit of all, eternal life; with a brief exhortation to endeavour after deliverance from fin. A Perfection FTER Illumination, which is the Perfection of the understanding, follows liberty, which is the Perfection of the will. In treating of which, I shall, first, give an account of liberty in general: and then discourse of the several parts of it; as it regards wickedness, unfruitfulness, human infirmities, and original corruption. §. 1. What §. 1. What liberty is. There have beeri several mistakes about this matter: but these have been so abfurd or extravagant, so designing or fenfual, that they need not, I think, a serious refutation. However, 'tis neceffary in a word or two to remove this rubbish and lumber out of my way, that I may build up and establish the truth more easily and regularly. Some then have placed Christian liberty in deliverance from the Mosaic yoke. But this is to make our liberty consist in freedom from a yoke to which we were never fubject; and to make our glorious Redemption, from the tyranny of fin and the misery that attends it, dwindle into an immunity from external rites and observances. true, the Mofaic institution, as far as it confifted in outward obfervances and typical rites, is now diffolved; the Meffias being come, who was the fubstance of those Shadows; and the beauty of holiness being unfolded and displayed, without any veil upon her face. But what is this to erclefiaftical authority? or to those ecclefiaftical institutions, which are no part of the Mofaic yoke? from the abrogation indeed, or abolition of ritual and typical religion, one may infer, first, That Chriftianity must be a rational worship, a moral spiritual service. And therefore, fecond ly, That human institutions, when they enjoyn joyn any thing as a neceffary and effential part of religion, which God has not made To, or when they impose such rites, as, thro the number or nature of them, cherish fuperftition, obscure the gospel, weaken its force, or prove burthensome to us, are to be rejected and not complied with. Thus much is plain, and nothing farther. There have been others, who have run into more intolerable errors. For fome have placed Christian liberty in exemption from the laws of man: and others, advancing higher, in exemption even from the moral and immutable laws of God. But the folly and wickedness of these opinions sufficiently confute them: since 'tis notorious to every one, that disobedience and anarchy is as flat a contradiction to the peaceableness, as voluptuousness and luxury is to the purity of that wisdom which is from above. But how absurd and wicked foever these notions are, yet do we find them greedily embraced and industrioufly propagated at this day; and behold, with amazement, the baffled and despicable Gnosticks, Prifcilianists, Libertines, and I know not what other spawn of hell, reviving in deists and atheists. These indeed do not advance their errors under a pretence of Chriftian liberty; but, which is more ingenuous, and less scandalous of the two, in open defiance and confeffed opposition to Christianity. They tell 1 |