The under

ed to fee

the whole man; fo that there is nothing in the fanctified perfon, no part, no faculty, that remains untouched, or neglected, by the fanctifying fpirit, and unadorned with new habits. And as the citadel and throne of virtue ftands in the mind and inward parts; therefore Paul fpeaks of the inward man, Rom. 7. 22. and Peter, Pet. 3. 4. of the bidden man of the beart.

XXXII. A new and gracious light fhines upon standing the understanding. The eyes of the mind are enenlighten- lightened, Eph. 1. 18, by which he fees divine truths, not under false and confufed ideas, but in truths in their native form and beauty, as the truth is in Jefus, their na- Eph. 4. 21; fo that the fanctified perfon really betive form. holds, in thofe truths, the manifold wifdom of God,

divine

wants to

the depths of his perfections, and the unfearchable riches of Chrift; nor does he fee them only, but, in a manner not to be expreffed, feels them, penetrating themselves into his inmoft heart, embraces them with a glowing affection of piety, exults in them, and defires, that what is truth in Christ, may be also truth in him, and that he may be modelled to the likeness of thofe truths, and caft, as it were, into the very fhape of them. In fine, that knowledge of God, which flutters not in the brain only, but brings forth the fruit of every good work, from the day that he bath truely heard and known the grace of God, is a part of the new man, Col. 1. 6, 9, 10. Whereas that other knowledge, which puffs up and boasts itself, and charges the wifdom of God with folly, is vain; and the more boldly it counterfeits the new man, the more it appears to be earthly, fenfual, and devilis, Fam. 3. 15.

In which XXXIII. Among other things, the understandhe fees no ing of a fanctified perfon beholds fo much purity in thing he God, who is the patern, of the rational creature, so be altered. much equity in the law of God, which is the rule of every virtue, fo much holiness in Chrift Jefus, who exhibited himself to us as a living law, fo much beauty

beauty in virtue, or holinefs itself, which is, as it were, the native image of the Deity; that he reckons nothing more excellent than exactly to refemble that patern, that rule and that image. He fees nothing in any of thefe, that he would correct, nothing he would have otherwife appointed, neither does he imagine that any thing can be better framed: and thus be confenteth to the law, that it is good, Rom. 7. 16. This is, what Paul calls, a being filled with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual underStanding. Col. 1. 9.

which he

XXXIV. And as the eyes are with difficulty di- And with verted from a pleafing object, fo to him, whofe mind the mediis enlightened by the Holy Spirit, nothing can be tation of more defireable, nothing more pleasant, nothing is delightmore charming, than to dwell on the contemplation ed. of God, and the meditation of divine things. He Joves to join the night to the day, P. 1. 2, and then he entertains himself, then he is delighted, then he exults, and feems, by his earneftnefs, to enjoy heaven itself, for, when he is deeply engaged in this facred emeditation, and, at the fame time forgetting himself, is plunged, as it were, in the immenfe gulf of the divine perfections and mysteries.

XXXV. Nor is the enlightened mind fatisfied to Which it tafte things alone by itfelf, nor enviously to conceal its repeatedly prefents to treasure, but it discovers thofe facred truths to the the will. will, to which it frequently prefents them, as things moft precious, which are far more valuable than gold and filver, or even than pearls, which are still more highly esteemed, that the will alfo may be united to them by the indiffoluble band of love, and, with the utmost readiness, be in holy fubjection to them. This is the activity of the fanctified understanding,

XXXVI. Now the will cannot poffibly reject fo which is great a good, which is conftantly pointed out to it directly by the understanding as fuch. It is therefore ravish- charmed ed with the love of it, Pf. 119. 97. O! how love I

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tby

withthem

Whence a

ty to God.

thy law! Rom. 7. 22. It delights in the law of God. Pf. 40. 8. I delight to do thy will, O my God! For, what is truth in Chrift, becomes alio truth, in its order and degree, in thofe who are Chrit's. The will is never eafy, never fatisfied, when it finds, it has difpleafed God, and departed from his willin XXXVII. Hence arifeth a fteady and fixt purpofé purpose of of heart, to be conformable in all things to God, conformi- Pf. 119. 106. To whom the will wholly refigns itself up, to be swallowed up, as it were, in his will; eftablishing this into an inviolable and facred law for itself, to have the fame inclinations, the fame aver fions with God. And God himfelf declares, that the true reverence or fear of the Deity lies in this Prov. 8. 13. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogancy and the evil way, and the forward mouth do I bate: He that truly fears God, will hate what he knows to be hateful to God; and, on the contrary, love what God loves, P. 139. 21, 22.

And area

the other

XXXVIII. And feeing the will commands the indinefs of ferior faculties, as they are called, and, in its meafaculties fure, even the understanding itfelf; hence, with the for his fer- greatet alacrity, it makes all things to be ready at

vice.

intoorder.

the will and pleasure of God and of Chrift. So that the foul of one, who is fanctified, is like a well marshalled army, in which every individual will, in his place and order, directly move upon the first word or fign of command. This is that willing mind, by which we are acceptable to God, 2 Cor. 8. 12.

The affec. XXXIX. The understanding and will being thus tions alfo fet in order, the tumult of the wild affections grabrought dually comes to fubfide; which being forced into order, learn to wait the commands of reafon, before they take a fingle step; and in proportion to the object, act either more intenfely, or more remifsly; moreover, they exert themfelves in a right and proper manner, with refpect to fpiritual and heavenly things, with which before they were wont to be fcarcely, if at all, affected: In fhort, they calmly refign them

felves to be governed by the Holy Spirit, receiving. from him, with full fubmiffion, the law of motion and of reft. When formerly, furious luft held the reins; they were accuftomed to run mad after worldly, carnal, and vitious objects, now they fuffer themselves to be led, as circumftances require, and being fublimated to a higher pitch, and having ob. tained a more generous and noble guide, they strongly, by their native vehemence, excite or pufh forward, the mind, otherwise flow in its motion, to objects that are holy, heavenly and becoming a Christian.

filent fub

1. XL. In the mean time, this admonition is conti. And ennually inculcated upon them, that they must not joined a confult with their affections, whenever they are call- miffion to ed to comply with, or fubmit to, the will of God, the will of whether that of his decree, or that of his precept. God. In that cafe, they are enjoined to a perfect filent fubmiffion. He, who is fanctified, does not prefume, fo much as to wifh, that God would regulate, either his precepts or purposes from any regard to his defire, hope or fear. That felf-denial, which is the first leffon in Christ's school, commands all the affections to be filent, and unlimited obedience obliges them to be refign'd to God. It is not lawrful for a Chriftian, to wish, that any thing, that God has done, or spoken, should be otherwife, than it is; and whenever that foolish felf-love, which is, not yet quite rooted out, begins, thro' its unmortified lufts and vain anxiety, to go away from God to other things, then the fuperior faculty of the foul, under the conduct and direction of the fpirit, repeats that pious ejaculation, and thou, my foul be filent unto [wait thou only upon] God, Pfa. 62.5. This is to compofe the faul, and keep it in quiet; Pf. 131. 2, that it may look upon it as unlawful, either to with, or mutter any thing against the will of God.

XLI, Moreover, that holy difpofition of foul com- The body municates itself to the members of the body, which, itfelf allo being before inftruments of unrighteousness unto fin, are fanctified

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now

now inftruments of righteoufnefs unto God, Rom. 6. 13. In a fanctified perfon, the eyes, the tongue, the ears, the hands, and the feet, are not only restrained from giving the leaft occafion, to entice and difturb the mind, as Paul faid of himself, that he kept under bis body, and brought it into fubjection, 1 Cor.1927; but all of them are ready, and inclined to obey God, to whom they yield themselves, in order to the practice of righteoufnefs, and even as weapons, by which the kingdom of fin and Satan, may be strongly oppofed. For, fo long as the most eminenig virtues lie concealed in the inward recefs of the mind, they cannot edify our neighbour, and gain him overfrom fin to holiness; but when they are exercised by the members of the body, when the tongue lays itfelf out in the praises of God, and the commendation of virtue or holinefs; the hands and feet, in affifting his neighbour, and the other parts of the body, according to their feveral capacities, in the practice of religion: 'tis then he fights manfully, for extirpating vice, and promoting virtue. Nor can it be doubted, but the Apostle's expreffion imports all this.dynd romanOS Hence ap- XLII. From all this, it is now evident, that even the new man, no less than the old, poffeffes the univerfal whole man, both foul and body; according to the change command of Paul, 1 Cor. 6. 20. Glorify God in your made in body, and in your spirit, which are God's and his

pears,

there is an

man.

1

prayer, Theff. 5. 23. And the very God of peace fanctify you wholly, and your whole fpirit, and fout and body, be preferved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jefus Chrift. Interpreters differ with respect to the diftinction between fpirit and foul, and the fignification of each term. We agree with thofe, who, by Spirit, understand the mind, the you, or leading faculty of man, called, by Philo de Mundo, zíperer: ape épas, the select ornament of many in which his principal excellence above the other creatures confists; and elsewhere called by the Apostles, mind, Epb. 4. 17: but by foul, the inferior faculties; not as if