chasten me in thy hot displeasure. For thine arrows stick fast ia me, and thy hand presseth me sore. There is no soundness in my flesh, because of thine anger: neither is there any rest in my bones, because of my sin. For mine iniquities are gone over my head; as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me; My wounds stink and are corrupt, because of my foolishness. I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly: I go mourning all the day long. For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease; and there is no soundness in my flesh. I am feeble, and sore broken; I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart. O Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee. My heart panteth; my strength faileth me; as for the light of mine eyes it has departed.

Endure sorrow and distress: according to James 4, 9. Be afflicted and mourn and weep: Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Paul says (2 Cor, 7, 9:) Ye were made sorry after a godly manner to repentance: For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of; but the sorrow of the world worketh death: seeing that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, what clearing of yourselves, yea what indignation, what fear, vehement desire, revenge, &c.

Behold, thus we have to die with Christ unto sin, if we would be made alive with him; (1Tim. 2,) for none can rejoice with Christ, unless he first suffer with him; for this is a sure word, says Paul: If we died with him, we shall also live with him, if we suffer with him, we shall also reign with him.

This resurrection includes the new creature, the spiritual birth, sanctification without which none shall see the Lord, (Heb. 12,) this Paul testifies in few words, saying: In Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumsision availeth but a new creature. Again: If any one is in Christ Jesus he is a new creature, old things have passed away, all things have become new, &c. (Gal. 6; 2 Cor. 5,) and this is the first ressurrection; for if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, (Rom. 6,) that is through mortifying the sinful nature of earthly Adam, (Col, 3,) with all his members or wicked Justs, we then shall also be made partakers of his ressurrection, (Rom. 6,) and know that our old man is crucified with him, that the sinful body is destroyed, (Col. 2,) and keep the true sabbath in Christ, by putting off the sinful body in the flesh, ⚫ circumcised with the circumcision of Christ, which is done

without hands, (Gal. 5,) buried through baptism, in which we have also risen with him through faith, which is the operation of God, (Col. 2,) we cease from all works of the flesh, (Rom. 6; 1 Pet, 4,) are led by the spirit, bring forth the fruits of the spirit, henceforth, not serve sin; let it suffice that we spent our former days after the manner of the heathens, when we walked in vanity, wantonness, drunkenness, eating and drinking, and in abominable idolatry, and that we spend the remainder of our days not after the lusts of men, but live according to the will of God, that we may say with Paul: I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live! yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me, (Gal. 2,) therefore, died he for all, so that those who live, should not live unto themselves, but unto him who died for them, and rose again. (2 Cor. 5.)

To have a more correct knowledge of this ressurrection and regeneration, we must bear in mind that all creatures, (1 Gen. 1,) bring forth after their kind, and every creature partakes of the properties, propensities, and dispositions of that which brought it forth, as Christ says: That which is born of flesh, is flesh, and cannot see eternal life; and that which is born of spirit, is spirit, life and peace, which is eternal life, (John 3; Rom. 8,) that which is born of flesh, out of the earth through corruptible seed, is carnally minded, that is, earthly and speaks of earthly things, is desirous after costly and perishable things; all the thoughts, the whole seeking, all the desires, are directed towards earthly, temporal, or visible things, such things as those of which it is born, or from which it proceeds. That which is born of flesh and blood, is flesh and blood, and is carnally minded; but the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. (Rom. 8.) Therefore, those, who are carnal cannot please God; for such are altogether deaf, blind and ignorant in divine things. For a carnal man cannot apprehend or comprehend divine things, for by nature he has not that discernment; but on the contrary his mind is depraved-God is not in his mind. A carnal man cannot understand spiritual things, for he is by nature a child of the devil, and is not spiritually minded, (Rom. 8; 1 Cor. 2,) hence, he comprehends nothing spiritual; for by nature he is a stranger to God; has nothing of a divine nature, dwelling in him, nor has communion with

God, but is much rather at enmity with Cod; he is, unmerciful, unjust, unclean, not peaceable, impatient, without understanding and unhappy, &c. So are all men by nature according to their birth and origin after the flesh. This is the first, or old Adam, and is called in the scriptures ungodly, that is, without God, a stranger and destitute of the divine nature. (Rom. 5; Eph. 2; Col. 1.)

This is the nature and property of the earthly and devilish seed; for as the seed is, so is the fruit; for what a man sows, he shall also reap. For he that sows to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption, (Gal..6,) and bring forth fruit unto death: he sins like his father, of whom and through whose seed he is born, for he is the father of lies and sinned from the beginning and did not abide in the truth, (Rom. 8; Wis. 2; John 8; Gen. 8,) he, therefore, that sins is of the devil, for sin is not of God, but of the devil, and he that sins has not seen God, nor knew him; and we know that the son of God was made mani. fest to take away sins and destroy the works of the devil, (1 John 3,) and through His death deprive him of power, who had the power of death, that is the devil, (Heb. 2,) and deliver them, who through fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage, (Rom, 5; John 8,) for by the sin of one man all were made sinners. He that sins is the servant of sin; and does the will and works of him whose servant he is, and whose spirit leads him; for every one is a servant to him whom he serves, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness; (Rom. 6,) for he that does unjustly shall receive according to his works. To them Paul speaks, that they should awaken from the sleep of sin and death, so that the second death shall have no power over them; saying: Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. (Eph. 5, 14.)

On the other hand, all those, who are born from above out of God, through the living word, (John 1; James 1; Pet. 1,) and are renewed, they are also minded, and have a disposition and propensity for good as he has who has begotten them and of whom they are born. And what the nature and disposition of God and Christ are, we may readily perceive through the instruction of the sacred scriptures; for Christ has expressly set forth himself in his word; namely, after his human nature, that we are to know apprehend, and follow him, and shall be like him not according to his divine nature; for he is the

true image of the invisible God, the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, who dwells in ineffable light whom none can approach or see, (Col. 1; Heb. 1; 1 Tim. 3; Exod. 33; John 1,) but after his life and walk here upon earth, as he testified and showed among men in words, deed, and example, for us to follow and conform thereto, in order that we may become partakers of his nature in the spirit. (Matt. 11; Ps. 54, 85.) Christ is every where in the scriptures, represented to us as being humble, meek, merciful, just, holy, wise, spiritual, long suffering, patient, peaceable, salvation, love, obedience, and good; as the perfection of all things; for in him there is sincerity, (Acts 3; Heb. 7; 1 Pet. 1; 1 Cor. 1; John 4; Matt. 5; Col. 3; 2 Cor. 4.) Behold, this is the image of God, or Christ in the spirit, whose example we shall follow, till we become like it in nature, and evidence it by our lives, all the regenerated children of God, are thus minded, for they take after him of whom they are begotten; and those are like the others comprised in one word, namely, godly, or godly persons, as those who have communion with him, are one mind, and disposition, and who have the image of God in them, as the scriptures, both of the old and New Testament, abundantly show, especially in the epistle to the Collossians, in the III. Chap. where he says: Put off the old man with his deeds, and put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him who created him; Put on, therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long suffering, forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also, do ye; and above all things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness; and let the peace of God rule in your hearts to the which ye are called in one body and be ye thankful, &c. (Gal. 4; Phil. 2.) My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, for Christ is the image of God to whom we must conform. (Heb. 1.) For whom he did foreknow, he did also predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son. (Rom. 8.) Those, therefore, who have conformed to the image of Christ Jesus, they are the truly regenerated children of God, and have put off the old man, and put on the new which is created after God, in true righteousness and holiness.

These, when they have conformed to the image of God, and have been born of God, and afterwards continue in God, will not commit sin, for the seed of God remains in them; and they have overcome the world, (Gal. 6; 1 John 3) they are crucified to the world and the world unto them; (Rom. 6) have mortified their flesh, and buried their sinful body with . Christ in baptism, with all their lusts and desires, and no longer serve sin unto unrighteousness, but much more righteousness. unto salvation; for they have put on Christ, and are purified through the Holy Ghost, in their consciences, from dead works to serve the living God; bringing forth through the spirit the fruits of the spirit, whose end is eternal life. (Gal. 5; Heb. 9.) When these (as above said) have renounced the devil, flesh, and world and the service of sin, no nrore to serve sin, they have voluntarily obligated themselves with David,as faithful servants of God, and henceforth live according to his blessed will all their days. (Ps. 118.) And on the other hand the devil with his adherents, is mightily enraged, is waging war against them; because they are deadly enemies; (Rev. 12) and they are enemies to sin and the devil, and have enlisted under the banner of the red cross of their prince, and have taken the field against all their enemies-they are armed with the armor of God, and surrounded with angels of the Lord, (Acts 3; Heb. 12; Ps. 33) always watching with great solicitude, lest they be overcome by their enemies, who do not slumber, but are always going about like roaring lions seeking whom they may devour, and although they receive occasionally a wound and are overtaken by their enemies, still their souls remain uninjured, and this wound is not unto death; for they have the unction of God, (1 John 5) the true Samaritan and the true physician with them, who binds up and heals their wounds; for he has compassion over our weakness and sickness. Through his stripes and wounds we are made whole. (Luke 10; Isa 6, 53; Rom. 6.) Nor are they so overcome that they will cast from them their weapons, and thus surrender, again to become servants of sin, (Eph. 6; Phil. 4) which should again acquire the ascendency over them and rule them; but they are encouraged anew of the Lord, and in the strength of his power, they persevere valiantly in battle, till they through him, by whom they can do all things, have conquered their enemy, and gloriously say to their enemy: O death,