the prevalency of the body, they are unable to act and live conformable to their reafon. Their understanding has indeed light, but not authority: it confents to the law of God, but it has no power, no force to make it be obeyed: it produces indeed fome good inclinations, purposes. and efforts; but they prove weak and ineffectual ones, and unable to grapple with the stronger paffion raised by the body. And as bondage, fo liberty is of different degrees, and different ftrength. For though liberty may be able to fubfift, where there is much oppofition from the body; yet 'tis plain that liberty is moft abfolute and compleat, where the oppofition is leaft, where the body is reduced to an entire fubmiffion and obfequioufness, and the spirit reigns with an uncontrouled and unlimited authority. And this latter is that liberty which I would have my perfect man poffeffed of. I know very well 'tis commonly taught by fome, that there is no fuch ftate: But, I think, this doctrine, if it be throughly confidered, has neither fcripture, reafon, nor experience to fupport it. For as to thofe places, Rom. vii. and Gal. v. urged in favour of an almost inceffant, strong, and too frequently prevalent lufting of the flesh against the spirit; it has been often anfwered, and proved too, that they are fo far from belonging to the perfect, that they belong not to P 3

the

the regenerate. But, on the contrary, those texts that reprefent the yoke of Chrift eafy, and his burthen light; which affirm the commandments of Chrift not to be grievous to fuch as are made perfect in love; do all bear witness to that liberty which I contend for. Nor does reafon favour my opinion less than fcripture. For if the perfect man be a new creature; if he be tranf formed into a new nature; if his body be dead to fin, and his spirit live to righteousness; in one word, if the world be as much crucified to him, as he to it; I cannot fee why it fhould not be easy for him to ac confonant to his nature; why he fhould not with pleasure and readiness follow that spirit, and obey thofe affections, which reign and rule in him. Nor can I fee why a habit of righteoufnefs fhould not have the fame properties with other habits; that is, be attended with eafe and pleasure in its operations and actions. 'Tis true, I can eafily fee why the habits of righteousness are acquired with more difficulty than thofe of any other kind: but, I fay, I cannot fee, when they are acquired, why they fhould not be as natural and delightful to us as any other. Laftly, How degenerate foever ages past have been, or the present is, I dare not fo far diftruft the goodness of my caufe, or the virtue of mankind, as not to refer myself willingly, in this point,

to

to the decifion of experience. I am very well affured, that truth and justice, devotion and charity, honour and integrity, are to a great many fo dear and delightful, fo natural, fo eafy, that it is hard to determine, whether they are more strongly moved by a sense of duty, or the inftigations of love and inclination; and that they cannot do a bafe thing without the utmost mortification and violence to their nature. Nor is all this to be wondered at, if we again reflect on what I just now intimated, that the perfect man is a new creature, transformed daily from glory to glory that he is moved by new affections, raised and fortified by new principles: that he is animated by a divine energy, and fees all things by a truer and brighter light; through which the things of God appear lovely and beautiful, the things of the world deformed and worthless; juft as to him who views them through a microscope, the works of God appear exact and elegant ; but thofe of man, coarfe, and bungling, and ugly. My opinion then, which afferts the abfolute liberty of the perfect man, is fufficiently proved here, and in chapter the first. And if I thought it were not, I could easily reinforce it with fresh recruits. For the glorious characters that are given us in fcripture, of the liberty of the children of God, and the bleffed fruit of it, peace P 4

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and joy in the Holy Ghoft, would easily furnish me with invincible arguments: nor would the contrary opinion ever have been able to have kept the field fo long as it has done, had it not been favoured by a weak and decayed piety; by the fondnelles of men for themfelves, in fpight of their fins and frailties; and by many mistaken

texts.

But that this matter may, if poffible, be freed from all objections. 1. I here di ftinguish between inordinate and natural affections. By inordinate affections, I mean the tendencies of the foul towards that which is unlawful: by natural, its propenfion to the body with which it is investted; the defire of its health and ease, and the conveniencies and neceffaries of life for this end. Now when religion enjoyns repugnances to the former appetites, the obedience of the perfect man has no reluctancy in it but when it enjoyns things, as fometimes occafionally it does, which thwart and cross the latter; here the obedience even of Chrift himfelf could not be exempt from conflict; for our natural appetites, in this fenfe of them, will never be put off till our bodies be. I think this is fo clear, it needs not be illuftrated by inftances or elfe 'twere eafy to fhew, that tho' good men have practifed temperance, chafity, charity, and other vir

tues

tues of this kind with ease and pleasure too; yet has nature fhrunk and startled at perfecution and martyrdom: tho' even here too the courage and refolution of Jome hath appeared to be much above what human nature ever feemed capable of. 2. I do not in the least fuppofe that nature is fo changed, but that the inclinations to finful pleasure, or profit, or any other forbidden object, will foon revive again, even in the perfect man, unless he keep a watch and guard upon himself, and pass the time of his fojourning here in fear, Not to be fubject to diforderly defires, not to be liable to irregular motions, is the privilege of fouls when ftripped of a mortal body, or cloathed with an immortal one. Till then, the conjunction of flesh and blood will ever render the poor foul obnoxious to carnal and worldly appetites: and the natural appetites of the body do fo eafily pass those bounds that divide them from finful ones, that the best of men can never be fecure, but when the mind is taken up in contemplation, devotion, good works, or engaged in the profecution of fome juft and honeft defign, or amufed by fome innocent recreation for in thefe cafes the body is either made the inftrument of righteousness; or at leaftwife, 'tis innocently bufied and diverted from thofe objects, to which it has too impetuous a tendency. I have

now,