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ther feemingly or really oppofite to the other, unto fome fcrip tural text, one or more, for evincing the truth thereof: by which means the weakest that is willing, may come to un derftand the moft difficult paradox, or mystery, mentioned in this work at least fo far as to fee, that every part of it is founded on the word of God, either directly, or by plain and neceffary confequence. Only this general rule is to be obferved, namely, That the reader always confider what is the fubject treated in every fection or stanza; and this, for-thefake of the more illiterate, I fhall illuftrate by two examples,. the one concerning the law, the other concerning the believers. The former you fee Part. 111. fect. vi. line 25.

I'm not oblig'd to keep it more;

Yet more oblig'd than e'er before.

Here you are to remark, that as the fubject fpoke of, is the LAW; fo the law in fcripture is confidered two ways, viz.. both as a covenant of works, and as a rule of duty. Now, that the believer is under no obligation to the law, as it is a cove nant of works, or to perform obedience to it as a ground of jaftification, (which is alfo the fubject treated in that fection), is confirmed in the foot notes by the following fcriptures, to which you are directed by the letter (s), Rom. vi. 14. Gal. V, 1, 1, 3, 4- Where you may fee the believers are said to be not under the law, but under grace; and exhorted to stand faft in the liberty wherewith Chrift hath made them free; and aflured, that Chrift is become of no effe to them, whosoever of them are juftified by the law; they are fallen from grace. -Again, that the believer is under more obligation than ever before he was juftified, to yield obedience to the law as it is a rule of life, (which is the other branch of that paradox), is confirmed by thefe following texts of fcripture, to which you. are directed by the letter (t), Rom. vi. 1, 2, 15. where it is faid, Shall we continue in fin, that grace may abound? God. forbid: how shall we that are dead to fin, live any longer therein? What then? fhall we fin, because we are not un der the law but under grace? God forbid.-From which texts, together with their contexts, it is evident, that the believer's freedom from the law as a covenant, does not at all free him from obligation to it as a rule, but fuperadds to the atural obligation, that of grace, which both argumentatively and

effectively teaches what the law does authoritatively and preceptively, namely, to deny ungodliness and worldly lufts, and to live foberly, righteously, and godly in this prefent world, Titii. 11, 12.

The other example I adduce, you may read, Part III. fect. x. line 43. where the words are,

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Here the reader may notice, that the fubject fpoken of, is the BELIEVER, or the faint's old and new man defcribed, (which is part of the title of that fection), or confidered as to his unregenerate and regenerate part; in which view he is frequently spoke of in fcripture; ex gr. 1 John iii. 6, 9. it is faid of the believer, or the perfon born of God, that he finneth ct, and that he cannot fin, because he is born of God: there he is fpoken of as to his new nature, or regenerate part. But,. 1 John i. 8. the words are, If we fay that we have no fin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in use where the apoftle fpeaks of believers unregenerate and corrupt part. Now, this being the fcriptural reprefentation of the believer, the forefaid paradox is easily proven from scripture.

to evil.

The first branch is, That he is equally bent to good and For the proof of this, you are directed in the footnote to Rom. vii. 21. where the apoflle Paul, fpeaking both of his corrupt and renewed part, fays, I find a law, that when I would do good, evil is prefent with me. And, if you read the preceding and following context, you will find him complaining how corruption bends him as far one way as grace another.

The other part of the fame paradox is, That the believer is, on thefe accounts, both a devil and a faint. Now, that the believer is by nature and corruption a devil, is one branch of this pofition here to be confirmed. That he is fo by nature, is proven by the following fcriptures in the forecited page at the bottom, John vi. 70. and viii. 44. compared; where Chrift, fpeaking of fome that were in a natural state, viz. of Judas and the Jews, difcovers what is the state of all men by nature, that they are of their father the devil, fince the lufts of their father they will do and therefore may be

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called c'evils, as our Lord calls Judas, faying, I have cha. fen you twelve, and one of you is a devil. And fuch are. believers alfo naturally, as defcendants of the first Adam, being, chi dren of disobedience, and children of wrath by nature, even as others, Eph. ii. 2, 3. And that the believer is fo, not only by nature, but alsa by reafon of remaining corruption, is proven at the foot of the fame page, from James iii. 5. where that apoftle, fpeaking of ftrife and envy, that may be even among the children of God, (which indeed has too much taken place in all ages), fays, This wisdom des fcendeth not from above, but is earthly, fenfual, devilish Again, that though the believer be by nature and corruption. a devil, yet he is, by grace and regeneration, a faint, is documented alfo, in the fame page, from 1 Cor. vi. 11. Such were fome of you; but ye are fanctified, &c.

In this manner, you may eafily go over all the rest of the paradoxes, riddles, or myfleries, contained in this book, and. find them evidently confirmed by the fcriptures of truth, the: word of God. This might be no unprofitable exercife, but tend to lead you into the true knowledge of the Gofpel, to. which myfteries are fo effential, that it is defigned by them, and called the wisdom of God in a mystery, 1 Cor. ii. 7. ; and the knowledge of which is fo effential to Christianity, and fo abfolutely neceffary to falvation, that the fame apostle declares that if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are. loft; in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds. of them which believe not, left the light of the glorious gospel of Chrift, who is the image of God, fhould shine unto them.. 2 Cor. vi. 3.

Again, if you fearch the foriptures, you will fee many more! proofs for every point than I have adduced, and perhaps many much more appofite; for these only are fet down at the bottom of the page that firft occured to me: yet, I fuppofe, though fometimes but one, and fometimes more feriptures are, pointed out, they are fuch as fufficiently. confirm the pofitions, they relate to. But that other fcriptures might have been adduced in plenty, I fhall give one inftance, in the paradox juft now mentioned, viz. That every believer, while in this world,. is both a devil and a faint, The latter claufe is what none, will deny, namely, That every true believer is a faint; for further proof of which, you might fee Acts xv. 9. and xxvi.. 18, &c. But becaufe the firft claufe may feem more harsh,

it may by fcripture be alfo further evinced two ways: 1ft, In refpect of the daily commiflion of fin he has to challenge himfelf with; for the fcripture fays, Eccl. vii. 20. There is not a juft man upon earth, that doeth good and finneth not. And with this compare John iii. 8. He that committeth fn, is of the devil. Hence it is plain, there is not a juft man upon earth, but may, in refpect of the commiffion of fin, be called a devil." adly, In refpe&t of prevalent temptations, by which he may be hurried into those things that favour not of God, but of men; on which account Chrift fays to Peter, Matth. xvi. 3. Get thee behind me, Satan. And if Chrift calls Peter a devil, whom he had defcribed as a faint of the firft magnitude, ver. 17. One divinely bleffed and enlight ened; what occafion may every believer have to call himself a devil! Yea, it is a part of his faith and fanctity, to fee and acknowledge, with fhame before the Lord, his own devilish and defperately wicked heart and nature; which a blind,, felfconceited world are ignorant of, being neither acquainted with themselves, nor with God and his word. However, fo it is that the more any hall fearch the fcripture, the more, I hope, will they difcern, not only by the texts I have quot ed, but from many others alfo, the truth. and evidence of eve ry part of this book, however myfterious fome paffages of it may feem to many.

Though fome of thefe lines may want the politenefs that can please the curious age, yet, while they ftand firm upon a feriptural foundatio, none of them want authority, and that of the highest nature, except in the account of mockers, and thofe of (whom there are too many in our day) that are either Deifts, who undervalue the fcripture, or Atheists, who deride it and it is fadly to be regretted, that thofe people are hardened in their wicked principles and practices, by fome that perhaps have a higher profeffion. For, I have seen two prints, one called the Groan and another the Laugh, wherein fome lines, picked out among others, have been exposed to ridicule but however fuch gentlemen may laugh at their own fport, and wickedly divert themfelves with ferious matters for a time, I fear their laughing will iffue in weeping for ever; if God, by giving them repentance do not make them groan to purpofe, for the evidence they thus give of either their grievous ignorance of the fcripture, or their grofs profanity, and of their readiness to yield themselves inftruments

of the devil, to promote the Atheistical spirit of the age, which is bent enough (without any fuch provocations) to laugh at every thing ferious, facred, and fcriptural. This is fo palpable, without my obfervation upon it, and fo felf-evident to all that fear God, and have had the patience to read fuch prints, that I would not have thought them worth my noticing fo far, as to make this bare mention of them, had not Providence put the pen in my hand to preface this edition, wherein fcriptural proofs are added to that part of the book.

Reader, It gives me fatisfaction enough to understand, that this book has already been useful and edifying to fome, however it is entertained by others. The gofpel itfelf is to fome the favour of life, to others the favour of death; to fome wifdom, to others foolishness; to fome matter of faith, love, and comfort, to others matter of mockery and fcorn. I shall be far from thinking it any difcredit or difparagement to this book, if it meet with the like entertainment.-May the Lord of heaven and earth, who over-rules all things, accompany it, in its journies abroad or at home, with his blefling to many fouls; and to his care I commend it, in the words of a fa mous Scots poet, upon Pfalm xxxv. 1.

Rerum fante Opefex, ades,

Et patrocinio protege me tus.

Which may be adapted to the matter in hand thus ;
The truth which hell may criticife,

Great God, be near to patronize.

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