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Show HOw the voice of chrifl is to be difcmted, our duty, efpecially confidering circumfiances: for though fome aClions be in ,.au fignato indifferent, yet in .,a,. exercit•, there is nothing indifferent, as. Divines fpeak. But r~t there is another difficulty. ·.· Will fome fay, There are many thi11g1, concerning which prob• ble Text! are· produced on both fidntK in tb~ point/· !~ difference betwixt the A.rminian1 a1td U<, and in [.me po1n11 tn uifJerence ketwtxt the Papi/fs and 111: both parties urr,e Scripture for themfilvn : How now in thefe thing1 jhaU a Chrij!ian difcern who Jpeal{! the voice •f hi< Beloved? Here indeed is the great diffiq.tlty of a Chrifiians Judgment, yet here God hath not left underfianding Chrifiians without fome help. r. The firfi is the confidering the .A.nakgy of f aith, I mean other more clear and certain truths, and comparing the things in quefiion with them, and· con!idering their agreement or difagree ·ment. For certain it is, that no truth of God contradiCts another, the Chrifiian therefore mull co"!part ffiiritualthings wit/; jpiritual, 1 Cor.~. 13. For example, Suppofe the matter in quelllon be Gods Eldlton; One man teacheth, that God from all Eternity knew who lhou!d be faved, and dld determine the Souls that lhould be faved both to the End and to the Means: Another· comes and rails at ·the DoCtrine- of Eledion, am! he quotes SCii· pture too, and puts another fenfe upon Ele!lion where it is men-tioned in Scripture. Here now the Ch!ifiian is at a loiS ; How !hall he know what is the Voice of his Beloved? Le! him confider how the latter DoCtrines agree with known and undoubted Truths, For example, It is undoubtedly true, That there if" God, and thai this God from aU Eternity-did k,.non> what jhoHid ceme to pa[t to E· tmtity, and fo mufi know every particular Soul that !hall be fa· ved : How could he know it but becaufe he willed it ? if they fay, He willed from all Eternity the faivation of every particular Soul , this is all is a~ked, then there is an Ele!lio11 of per[on1. Thus I might inftance in many more, that then is the firfi Rule. If there be a doubt in any point which is the voice of Chrifi, it may be thus determined , That which agreeth with the other voices of Chrift;that if his Voice: God doth not-, qnnot eontfldid himkif. Secondly, 2· Thofe Dol!trines which tend 'moil to the debafing of nature, and tbwulting ofCbrift and frre·Grm, are.the l!oice of Chrifr'r. I . . ,ay I fay very probably, amongfl differing voices, both pretending to be fiom Chrifl ; that which mofl dcbafeth nature and llelh and Blood, and mofl exalteth Chrifl-, and free Grace, is the voice of Chrill, The ground of this rule is, becaufe the Scripture feemeth in the whole fcope of it to do thefe two things, viz. To take away from man all Righteou{ne{r, all glorying and boafting in him[elf, all foif-trujl aHd confidence ; and to make the Lord our Righteo~<Ji1fjJ, our Confidence, our aU in aU; and it fcems to be Gods high and great de(ign to advance Chrifl and his own Grace. One man !aith th•t we are born in pHri< naturalibU< , as righteous as Adamwas; that we have a power of our (elves ad bouum[piritrule, to ,that which is Spiritually good; and pretends fome Scripture for ~t. And an other Preacheth, that we are bor>t in a loft undone finJNI {tate, that we have no power to d" a•y thing which is good, th•t with-out Chri{t we c•n d• nothing ,that aU our Righteoufitefi is i11 Chrift,&t. and this the Scripture fa ith. It may be he that judgeth otherwife, doth likewife produce fome !hew of Scripture for what he faith;. and he hath fome (hew of diflinClions and anfwers, to the Scrip· .tures on this fide. But now the Chriflian in judging confiders that ehe whole fcope oft he Scriptures, is to debafe Nature, and to exalt Gidce ;-and that in the Oeconomy of the Gofpel, the Lord ' hath ordered all things in this tendency, to make the Creature nothing and Chrifl all in all. Hence he reafonably concludes, that that p pchine which doth.fo is the voice ojChrij!. • .. :3, A rbtrd rule is this, Thofe DoElrinn which give leaft liberty to thefiefh anJtbe natural motion! of it, are the voice ofChri/l: Tho[e which giv~ .moft liberty, to the fi,fh are· nol the voice ,f Chrifl. The truth of this rule depends upon this cer tain trutn : That be who ,.iU be Chrtfts di[cip/e mttjl deny bimfelf, T here is no Dodrine of' Chrirt that gratifies flefh and' Blood. T he voiee of Chrift never . p:lj:ads (ar Loofnefs a.nd Liberty ; but for a Cfudli-xioD (o the . -wprld, fot a ~uping under the 'b~dy; for a mMifyi"g the deedr •f th~. body, for a mortifying of our Members, for a new heart an<L. the like. Hence· let who will plead for Liberty\ in thoughts, words or actions, contrary to the Law of God, he fpeaks not the voice of Chrift ; ye3, hereby I will know his Do&rine is f!Ot of• God, though he hath wrefled fome Scripture ,to \1is pur pofe, and devi[ed fome . jejune interpretation of otherS> to-take off their edg llgainfl him l beeaufe his Dodr·ine is contrary to the whole fcope of the Gofpel, aHo the ordering of mens ~onYcrfations. By· B b the fa. |