The Mystery and Marrow of the Bible

I Question. What is here meant by [Mind and Hearts?]

Answer. For Resolution herein, Note; I. That, what Paul calls 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Mind, Jeremiah calls 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Kereb, Inwardpart. The Hebrew word properly signifies, The Middle of anything: that which is most near, most intimate, most inward; As the Heart, Intrals, Bowels, &c. And thence its Metaphorically translated to signify, The Mind, Thought, Reason or Understanding of man, which is most intimate and inward to him: and so here Paul renders it, according to the meaning of the Holy Ghost, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Mind. This word, Mind, in Scripture hath Many various Acceptations. It is used; 1. For the Soul. — Gird up the loins of your Mind. —That is, Let your Souls be in a fitted and prepared posture to walk on in ways of grace to glory. 2. For the intellective faculty, The Reason, the Understanding, &c. whereby we think, know, reason, discourse, &c. The peace of God—shall keep your Hearts and Minds through Christ Jesus. That is, that ye think not, reason not anything unfitly against God's justice and providential dispensations. So; He opened their Mind, to understand the Scriptures. And in this sense (to mention no more acceptations of the word Mind in Scripture) the Lord here saith; I will give my Laws into their Mind, and write them in their Minds. For, Mind is here contradistinct from their Hearts, and therefore imports the whole intellective faculty, The Superior Powers in the Turret of the Soul. II. That, The word [ Heart ] also is used in Scripture in many several senses. As, 1. Sometimes, Properly for the corporal Heart, that fountain of vital Spirits, That first lives and last dies; — Wine that maketh glad the Heart of man,—And bread which strengheneth man's Heart. 2. Sometimes, Metonymically, for the Soul, which (according to some) is principally seated in the Heart. — The hidden man of the Heart—Even the Ornament of a meek and quiet Spirit. — Which is an honest and good Heart having heard the word, keep it. That is, keep it in an honest and good Soul. — Circumcise the fore-skin of your heart, i. e. Of your Soul. 3. Sometimes, for the Mind and Understanding. As, — The eyes of the Heart being illuminated, &c. — That every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 4. Sometimes, for the Conscience; As, David's Heart smote him, viz. His Conscience checked him, &c. — If our Heart ( viz. our Conscience) condemn us, God is greater then our heart, and knoweth all things. 5. Sometimes, for the Memory, which is as the treasury of the Soul where we lay up and keep things that we would not forget. — But his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. 6. Sometimes, for the will and affections: because the Heart is the Special Seat and Receptacle of the affections. As, — Whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul: That is, whose will and affections the Lord efficaciously bowed, moved, inclined, &c. to hear and believe. And in this sense the word ( Heart ) is often used in Scripture. Now, As The Mind takes in the Understanding and all the Superior Faculties of the Soul: So The Heart, here contradistinguished from it, takes in the will and affections, and all the inferior Faculties. But both Mind and Heart are here mentioned, because God by this his New Covenant intends the whole Soul and all the Faculties, Powers, Affections and Capacities thereof to be the Subject or Receptacle of his Laws. All of them, according to their manner and measure of Receiving, shall have the characters, impressions, image, portraiture, and counter-pane of God's Laws within them. III. That, Probably all the Faculties, Powers and Affections of the Soul are here reduced to two Heads, Mind and Heart, in allusion to the former Tables wherein the Law was written: That as under the Old Covenant, God's Laws were literally written in Two Tables of stone, so under this New Covenant God's Laws shall be Spiritually written in Two new Tables of flesh, The Mind and Heart.

II. Question. What Laws of God are here intended to be written in their Mind and Heart?

Answ. For Resolution herein, Note; I. That, The Law of God hath many several Acceptations in Holy Scriptures, (as I have heretofore at large manifested,) But as to our present purpose, Consider some few, 1. Generally, it is used for any or all Divine Doctrine or Instruction Revealed by God, especially in his written word, As Psal. 1. 2. & 19. 8, 9. & 119. 70, 72, 77, &c. Rom. 3. 27. Isa. 2. 3. & 42. 4. Gal. 2. 20. 2. Particularly, It is taken, ( ¹ ) Sometimes, for the whole Law given by Moses, Morals, Ceremonials and Judicials. As, Exod. 24. 12. Deut. 33. 2, 4. & 4. 44, 45. ( ² ) Sometimes, More strictly for the Moral Law which God wrote in Two Tables of stone; — I will give thee Tables of Stone, and a Law, and Commandments which I have written. Now God thus wrote only the Moral Law, the ten Commandments, Deut. 4. 13. Thus, Law, in Malachi contradistinguished from Statutes and Judgments, denotes the Moral Law, Mal. 4. 4. But of these and other acceptations of the Law of God, I have spoken more fully in the place fore-mentioned, whither I refer the Reader for his fuller Satisfaction. II. That, By God's Law, or Laws here promised in the New Covenant to be written in the hearts of God's New Covenant-Federates, God's Moral Law or Laws seem (in my judgment) most especially to be intended. I will not exclude God's whole Doctrine and Instruction revealed in his written word, which is a large Commentary upon God's Moral Law that Abstract Epitome and Abridgement of the Holy Scriptures: But more specially and peculiarly the Moral Law seems here to be intended by the Holy Ghost. And this I judge for these Reasons.

1. Because, This Promise here, I will give my Laws, or Law: and— I will write them, &c. doth not import any New, Strange, Unknown, Unheard of, or obscure Law of God; but some Ancient, Familiar, Well-known, Noted and Famous Law of God. And what Law or Laws of God, were ever more Famous, Eminent, Noted, Known, &c. among the people of God, then his Moral Laws? Calvin hath well observed; He saith afterwards, I will put my Law into their inwards. By these words he confirms what I have said, namely that the Newness which he before mentioned is not placed in the Substance, but only in the Form, For God doth not here say, I will give another Law; But, I will write my Law: namely the same which was anciently delivered to the Fathers.

2. Because, This writing of his Laws in their hearts, cannot have reference either to God's Ceremonial or Judicial Laws: but to his Moral Laws. Forasmuch as this writing of his Laws here Promised, was to be performed to the House of Israel after those days, Heb. 8. 10. & 10. 16. Jer. 31. 33. viz. After those days of the Old Covenant: for this New Covenant was not to be according to that Old, but to succeed, supersede and vacate that Old Covenant; which was done at the Death of Jesus Christ, whereby he stablished this New Covenant in his own blood. Now after the Death of Jesus Christ, and the Commencing of the New Covenant, The Ceremonials vanished, and the Judicials, together with the Jewish Common-wealth ceased: And therefore these dying and vanishing Laws of God could never be intended to be written in their hearts, but some other Law that was not vanishing and decaying; and what Law is that, but the Moral Law?

3. Because, This writing of God's Laws in their minds and hearts, is here laid down as one Great Difference and Preheminency of the New Covenant, from and above the Old: viz. Not in essence or substance, that there should be a New Law given under the New Covenant; but in Accidents, and Circumstance, that there should be New Tables for this Old Law to be written in, and a New Form or Manner of writing this Law therein; Then, God's Law was written Literally in two dead and hard Tables of Stone; but Now, this Law should be written Spiritually in two Living and fleshy Tables of the mind and heart. Herein this New Covenant should not be according to that Old Covenant which they brake, but far differing and far excelling.

4. Because, God's writing of his Moral Law in his people's minds and hearts by Christ the Second Adam, recovers them nearest to the Perfection which they at first had, but speedily lost in the first Adam. The First Adam was made in the image of God, upright and straight, every way conform and answering to his will & Law, without any crookedness or deviation: So that the Moral Law for substance was written in his heart perfectly; as appears by the imperfect remains and relics thereof written in the very hearts of Pagan •… , who never had God's written Law imparted to them. Now God recovering lapsed man out of his lost condition in Adam, raises him up to as good and a better condition in Christ; who as man's Surety, hath God's Law perfectly written in his heart, which he perfectly fulfilled in his whole life, and satisfied the penalty of the Law by his Death for our breach thereof; so redeeming us from it; and who conforms his Elect unto himself, writing this Law effectually in their Hearts by his Spirit, that the righteousness of the Law may (in integrity and uprightness) be fulfilled also in them, not walking after the flesh but after the Spirit, Rom. 8. 2, 3, 4.

III. Question. What sort of writing this is, whereby God writes his Laws in the Mind and Hearts of his Federates: And how he writes his Laws therein?

Answ. God's writing of his Laws in their minds and hearts that are his Covenant-people, is an excellent Mystery, and worthy of most diligent Consideration. For, this is a Primary Blessing of the New Covenant, and one excellent way whereby we may certainly discover, that we are God's New Covenant-people. God's writing his Laws in our minds and hearts is an improper, Metaphorical form of Speech, borrowed from men's writing of their Laws and Edicts in Books or upon Tables, or from God's writing his Laws of old in Tables of Stone. Now for the clearing and opening hereof more particularly, Note these things, viz.

1. That, God here in his New Covenant useth two expressions to one and the same effect: I will give my Laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts. He contents not himself to say only, I will give my Laws, or only, I will write my Laws: but he useth both words, I will give, and I will write. Hereby he seems to denote unto us The Difficulty, Efficacy and Excellency of this work. 1. The Difficulty of this work of bringing man's heart and life to be conform to his Law and Will. God's Law is so razed out of man's heart by the Fall, The prints thereof are so obliterated, dimmed and defaced, and so few relics thereof remaining; yea Naturally theres so much enmity, contrariety and repugnancy in man's heart against the Law of God, The 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 the wisdom of the flesh, the highexcellency of the flesh, is Enmity against God, and is not subject to the Law of God, nor indeed can be, Rom. 8. 6, 7. That its a very great and hard work to bring man's refractory heart to agree with God's Law. God must give his Law into his heart; yea, thats not enough, God must write it in his heart, printing and fixing it there: or else this work will not be done. 2. The Efficacy and Excellency of this work. God himself will give it, and he will write it: God will both convey his Law into their minds and hearts, thats his giving; and confirm, root and stablish his Law in their hearts, thats his writing of it. Heres power and divine efficacy indeed, that brings mind and heart into sweet conformity to the Law of God. This is an excellent work, beyond the creatures activity: and as Calvin saith, its a kind of Renovation of the world, when men suffer themselves to be governed of God. They cannot give or write God's Laws in their own hearts by any Power or Free will of their own: But God alone will do all, this belongs only to him.

2. That, God, by this giving and writing his Laws in their minds and hearts here promised, intends a far better and more excellent Inscription of his Laws now under the New Covenant, then he had ever made before under any Covenant fore-going, Heb. 8. 8, 9, 10. Ier. 31. 31, 32, 33. The New Covenant is the last and most excellent of all Covenants: Therefore God's writing of his Laws for his Federates under this New Covenant must answerably be the most excellent writing. The Scriptures signify to us God's threefold writing of his Moral Laws, viz. 1. In the Soul of Adam by his creation, under the Covenant of Works. For if Pagans since the Fall, that never had the written Law of God made known to them, do by Nature the things contained in the Law, thereby showing the work of the Law written in their hearts: how much more had Adam before the Fall this Law perfectly written in his heart? 2. In two Tables of stone at Mo •… nt Sinai, under the Old Covenant, or Old Testament. 3. In two Spiritual Tables of the ( ^h ) Mind and Heart now under the New Covenant: The First writing was Natural, or Connatural. The Second writing was Literal: This Third writing s Spiritual and supernatural. The First writing was, to enable Adam to keep the Covenant of Works: The Second writing was, to enable Israel to keep the Old Covenant: The third witing is to enable the spiritual Israel of Jews and Gentiles to keep the New Covenant. The First writing was in the heart of man, without Christ: The Second was in Tables of stone, without man, but leading to Christ: The third is in the Spiritual Tables of their Mind and Heart that are brought to Christ, and actually partakers of him. The First writing was not continuing, but quickly obliterated by the Fall: The Second writing was not Effectual, but only discovered their Sin and Duty, yet neither enabling them against the one nor unto the other: The Third writing is both effectual and continuing; Effectual in furnishing with ability for Duty discovered; and continuing, in enabling them to persevere in well-doing continually. So that this last Inscription of God's Laws in the Minds and Hearts of the New Covenant Federates, doth far excel all that went before.

3. That God's most excellent Giving and Writing of his Laws in his Peoples Minds and Hearts according to this New Covenant, compriseth in it divers things: viz. ^1. God's Preparing of their Minds and Hearts for this writing; ^2. God's Manner and Way of Writing his Laws in the Mind and Heart so prepared; ^3. The Consequents and Effects upon the Mind and Heart, when God's Laws shall be thus written upon them.

(1) God's Preparing of Men's Minds and hearts, for his giving and writing his Laws in them. When God would write his Law Naturally in Adam's heart, there was first a king of Preparation for it▪ A divine Consultation to create man in God's own image: And when God was about to write his Law, his Ten words in the two Tables of stone, he first Prepared the Tables by his own immediate workmanship, he made them apt and fit for that purpose, and then wrote his Laws upon them with his own finger: So proportionably, when God doth actually go about the writing of his laws in the Minds and Hearts of his New Covenant-people, he first previously prepares, fits & disposes their minds and hearts for such inscription. Now God Prepares and Fits their Minds and hearts for his own writing of his Laws in them: By Hewing them, By Razing all other writings out of them, and By Mollifying them to receive this better writing of his holy Laws. I. God Hews these Tables of Mind and Heart by the Spirit of Bondage working fear and terror. Men's minds and hearts are Naturally like stones in the Quarry, rough, rugged, uneven, crooked, &c. very unfit to have anything engraven or written upon them, till they be hewn, squared, polished and their ruggedness be taken away. God therefore comes with his spirit of Bondage, which lays their Sins and the agrravations thereof before their naked Consciences: Lays the Curse, the wrath of God, and the wages of sin, death, before their eyes: Hereupon their hearts are pricked, and punctually wounded in every part, like the hearts of Peters hearers, Acts 2. 35, 36. They are full of fear, horror, trembling and astonishment, like the Jailor▪ Acts 16. 29. and like Saul, Acts 9. 5, 9. They are in excessive bitterness for their Sins against God and Jesus Christ, like those, Zech. 12. 10. to the end. Thus this Spirit of bondage rough-hews their minds and hearts, takes down their pride and exalting imaginations, takes off the knobbedness, ruggedness and crookedness of their Spirits, and brings them unto some more smoothness, eveness and fi •… tedness for this writing then Naturally they had. Thus God hews the Tables. II. God obliterateth and razeth all other Laws and writings out of their minds and hearts, repugnant to, and inconsistent with his Laws, As the Law of Sin in their members, The lusts of Satan, The lusts and wills of the flesh, Selfopinion, self-love, self-righteousness, and all manner of self-fullness: All these vile law & writings wherewith the Mind & heart is naturally blotted and blurred, God wipes out by a Spirit of self-denial, as men wipe out the old writings in their Table-books, or pare off the Old Letters in a stone before they can write New therein. Without this self-emptying, self-denial none can be Christ's Disciple, as Christ himself hath often intimated: This is a Primary Preparative unto Christianity. Thus the disciples left all, for Christ, Mark 10. 28, 29, 30. Thus Paul suffered the loss of all things which were formerly gain to him, accounting all things but loss and dung that he might win Christ, Phil. 3. 4. to 10. When a man's mind and heart is thus razed, when Contrary laws and writings are thus expunged and defaced out of them, then these Tables are in an excellent degree of preparedness for God's writing of his Laws therein. For till this be done, theres no room for God's Laws: divers Laws, contrary Laws cannot both at once be there written. This is that which God notably intimates in his excellent Promise; — And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy Seed, To love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayst live. Mark, God will first Circumcise the heart of them and their seed, that is, He will raze out all other Laws of sin, the world and Satan, he will pare off the old blots and blurs of corruption, he will wipe out and deface the old writing, &c. And then they shall love the LORD with all their heart, and with all their Soul: That is, when the heart shall be thus Circumcised, thus razed, then it will be prepared for the Inscription of the Law therein, then the sincere and entire Love of God which is the great Commandment of the Law shall be graven there, shall be acting there, and shall have dominion there. III. Finally, God 〈◊〉 and softeneth the mind and heart, he makes them pliant and flexible to receive this better writing of his L •… ws upon them. God turns the hearts stoniness into fleshiness. A stony heart will take no impression of God's Laws: A fleshy heart will receive any. Now God most kindly melts and thaws the heart of a Sinner by his Covenant of Faith, and especially by his New Covenant, through the co-operation of his Spirit applying it. For, The Covenant of Faith, lets him See, The Riches of God's freegrace in Jesus Christ as the Sinners Surety, enduring the Curse, Appeasing God's Wrath, Fulfilling all righteousness, &c. for the Sinner, that the Sinner may be adopted into God's family in the right of Christ, may be justified in the sight of God by Christ's righteousness through Faith, and may be eternally saved by Christ's merits. The Covenant of Faith tells him, God will inwardly frame his heart with Grace, to observe all his Laws; will supernaturally instruct him in the knowledge of the Lord; will in Christ be pacified towards all sorts and degrees of his Sins, so as to remember them no more, but forgive and forget them forever; yea that he will be his God, and he shall be one of his people. Now when the poor Sinner perceives such a door of hope opened for him, such a flood of mercy and grace flowing in upon him, that God will do all this because he will, because it is his mere pleasure; Oh how this in finite goodness of God in Christ, laid to heart by the Spirits assistance, melts, softens and even overcomes the Soul. Now his mind and heart, his Opinion, his Affection, his Disposition is wonderfully altered towards God, towards Christ, towards his Law, towards all his ways. Now he counts not God, as formerly, an enemy or an hard Master, but a friend indeed, a most gracious and compassionate God, not only requiring Duty, but giving Ability: not only discovering Misery, but assuring of the eternal and all-sufficient Remedy against it. Now he looks not upon the Law of God, as a rigorous, harsh and heavy yoke: but as holy just and good, as a sweet and easy yoke in Christ, and as a Comforrable Rule of life and obedience. Now when the Mind and Heart are thus prepare by Hewing, by Razing, by softening them: Then comes the Spirit of God and gives his Laws into their Minds, writes them in their Hearts. This is very observable, if we compare this clause of this New Covenant: I will give my Laws into their Mind, and write them upon their hearts, together with that passage of Paul elsewhere: ye are our Epistle, written in our Hearts, known and read of all men. Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the Epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with Ink, but with the Spirit of the living God: Not in Tables of stone, but in fleshly Tables of the heart. Hereby he intimates to us. ^1. That the heart must first be prepared as Tables to write on: ^2. That These Tables of the heart are then especially prepared for this writing, when they are not hard, stony, but soft fleshly Tables: Then the Spirit writes God's Laws there, then they become Christ's own Epistle. Thus of God's preparing their Minds and Hearts, for writing his Laws therein. This is the First thing.

(2) God's way and Manner of writing his Laws in their Minds and Hearts thus prepared for it. The Apostle Alluding (as Calvin well observes) to the Promise of the New Covenant in Jeremiah, I will give my Law into their inwards, and write it in their hearts: and to the Promise in Ezekiel, I will take away their heart of stone, and will give them an heart of flesh, shows that this New Covenant-Promise was fulfilled upon the Corinthians by means of his Ministry among them, and that therefore, he was a Minister of the New Testament, not of the old; of the Spirit, not of the Letter unto them: saying: Ye are our Epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men. Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the Epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with Ink, but with the Spirit of the living God: Not in Tables of stone, but in fleshly Tables of the heart. In which words also he tacitly gives us to understand, God's ordinary way and manner of writing his Laws in his Peoples hearts, now under this New Covenant, viz. 1. That, The Tables whereon this Law is written, are not Tables of stone, but fleshly Tables of the heart. The Epithet ( Fleshly ) is not here taken in a bad but in a good sense, and signifies a soft, flexible, tractable heart, here opposed to stony, that is, an hard, stubborn, contumacious heart, as man's heart by Nature is till it be subdued by the Spirit of God. Mans heart must first become fleshly and flexible before God's Law can be written therein. 2. That, The Pen or Instrument wherewith usually God's Law is written in the Heart, is the Minister of Christ. The Epistle of Christ, ministered by us. Ministers are the Instrumental Mean, the Pen in the hand of God, in the hand of Christ, in this writing: They can do nothing of themselves, they cannot print this writing upon the Mind and Heart, but as Christ guides them, acts them, uses them, & accompanies their Ministry by his Spirit to make it pierce into the heart, and render it effectual there. 3. That, The Spiritual Ink wherewith▪ this writing is immediately drawn, is the Spirit of the living God. What Ink doth upon the Paper: That the Spirit of God doth upon the mind and Heart. Its Ink that makes the Characters, the lines, the words, the writing: and leaves them remaining upon the Paper that they may be read: if there be no Ink in the Pen, there can be no writing, though the Pen be used never so much. Its the Spirit of God that effectually writes the Prints and characters of God's Laws upon the mind and heart: without this Spirit the Ministry of man can write nothing there, not one law there: They are but Ministers by whom men believe, but its God only that gives the increase. The instruments in this point are nothing: All the power, virtue and efficacy thereof is only of God by his Spirit. 4. That, The writer, the efficient of this writing, is God in Christ by his Spirit. They are all three here mentioned: The writing is the Epistle of Christ, written by the Spirit of the living God; They all three co-operate, and Ministers co-operate with them all, and all to produce this great work of writing God's Laws in these fleshly Tables. Whensoever therefore this blessed writing is delineated upon any man's heart, he is to look upon it as a Mighty work of God, and not as the work of man upon his heart: He cannot write these Laws upon his own heart; Nor can the most excellent Ministers in the world, no not Apostles themselves, do it without God; And Ordinarily God will not do it without his Ministers. Hence, Ministers are Necessary Instruments, as Pens in the hand of Christ, for this writing: To despise them, will be to deprive ourselves of this Inscription, and to despise God's way of giving his Laws into our Minds and Hearts. Thus, The Laws of God, are the writing: Fleshly hearts, are the Tables: Ministers of the Gospel, are the Pens: The Spirit of God, is as the Ink: and God in Christ the writer. Theres much of Christ in the Mind and Heart when the Laws of God are written there. This is God's usual way.

(3) The Consequents and effects of this writing of God's Laws upon the Mind and heart, are divers, and very considerable. As, ^1. The universal Answerableness of the Heart within, to God's Law without. ^2. The Renovation of the whole Soul. ^3. True knowledge of the will and all the ways of God, and Unfeigned Love to God and man. ^4. Sincerity of Obedience from right Principles. ^5. A cheerful delight in the Law of God. ^6. Legibleness of the writing. ^7. Firmness and durableness of the Impression. Let me open these Particulars a little. I. An universal answerableness of the Mind and Heart within, to God's Laws without. Mark, he doth not say, I will write this Law, or that Law, this Table, or that Table: but indefinitely, I will give and write my Laws: that is, All my Laws, heres none excepted. Again, he doth not say, I will write them in their Minds alone, or Wills alone, or Affections alone: but in their Mind and Hearts: that is, in their whole Souls and all the Powers or Faculties thereof. As under the Old Covenant, when God's Laws were written on Tables of stone, The Tables were written on both their Sides, on the one side and on the other were they written: The Tables were written all over▪ they were all full of the Law, there was no vacant space: So here under the New Covenant, the Spiritual Tables shall be written on every side, on every faculty and affection, the whole Law shall be written all over them, the mind and heart shall be full of the Law. Before this writing, there was an universal Contrariety: but since, theres an universal Correspondency, betwixt God's Laws and their Hearts. Now theres a Spiritual Law within, called The Law of the Mind, answering in every point to the Literal Law without: As the Counterpain answers to the Original Deed, as the Print answers to the Stamps, As the impression in the wax answers to the Seal, as the Image in the glass answers to the Face, eye for eye, part for part, proportion for proportion, color for color. There is such a general conformity, compliancy, and tendency of the mind and heart to and with the Laws of God, that they have a sweet aptness and disposedness to have respect to them all. Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect to all thy Commandments. II. The Renovation of the Mind and heart, even of the whole Soul by the Holy Ghost, according to the image of God in knowledge, righteousness, and true Holiness. This is another consequent or concomitant of God's writing his Law in the Heart. Whilst Adam had the Law of God in his heart, he retained the Image of God in his heart wherein he was created: and when man receives the Law of God supernaturally written in his heart, he Receives the image of God also into his heart, wherein he is New-created. There cannot be a supernatural writing of the Law in the Heart, and conformity of the Heart to the Law, but withal there must needs be the Image of God renewed there, wherein this Conformity consists. Holiness conforms the Heart to the whole First Table, Righteousness conforms it to the whole Second Table, and Knowledge completes this conformity to both. This Renewing of the whole Soul, Mind and heart after the Image of God, is (as I said) another Consequent following, or a concomitant accompanying God's writing of his Law in the mind and heart. It may be accounted a Consequent following upon it, forasmuch as this Inscription of God's Laws in the heart leaves this renewed state behind it upon the heart, the Image of God remains there, and abides there ever after: It may also be counted a Concomitant accompanying it, forasmuch as God's writing his Law in the Heart and Mind, and his Renewing the whole Soul, are effects of divine Grace wrought both at once in the Soul; yea for substance they are both one, This Renewing of the Holy Ghost being the hearts Conformity to the Law of God. By this its evident, that this promised Blessing of writing God's Laws in their Minds and Hearts, is very comprehensive, It compriseth in it, ^1. God's giving of his Spirit into their hearts, whereby this writing of the Law shall be delineated there: ^2. The Supernatural Principles and Habits of saving Grace infused into the Soul: which are called The Image of God, Ephes. 4. 24. Col. 3. 10. The New man, Eph. 4. 24. The Law of their mind, Rom. 7. 23. The Life of God, Eph. 4. 18. The Divine Nature, 2 Pet. 1. 4. The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ, Rom. 8. 2. 3. As also the original and fundamental actings of the Spirit to the Infusion of these Principles, which acts are styled, Renovation, Tit. 3. 5. Regeneration, Tit. 3. 5. John 3. 3, 5. & 1. 12. New-Creation, 2 Cor. 5. 17. Vocation, viz. Effectual vocation, Rom. 8. 30. 1 Pet. 2. 9. Sanctification, 1 Pet. 1. 2. 1 Cor. 6. 11. All these and such like particulars are comprehended in this sweet Promise of God's writing his Laws in his people's Minds and hearts. So that this is a very pregnant, full and rich Promise. III. True knowledge of God's will and all his ways, in Christ: and Unfeigned love to God and man. 1. God's Laws are given into their Mind: Hence, the Mind must needs have a true knowledge of God's will and all his ways, in Christ. For, God's Laws do summarily comprize in them the will and ways of God wherein we should walk; viz. All his ways of Religion towards God, in the First Table; and all his ways of Righteousness towards man, in the Second Table; When the Laws of God are within the mind, theres a true, inward, radical and infallible principle of Knowledge there: and this a Knowledge in Christ; forasmuch as, when men have the Laws of God thus written in their Minds and hearts, they are the Epistle of Christ, this writing there is the special work of Christ by his Spirit, this is part of Christ's New Covenant-work. This knowledge is an excellent inlet into Obedience, and consequently unto happiness. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. 2. God's Laws are written in their hearts: Hence, Unfeigned love to God and man (which is the very Summ and abstract of all God's Laws) must needs be deeply engraven in their hearts also. For Love is the life of the Law, the end of the Law, The fulfilling of the Law, The Substance and abridgement of the whole Law: Love to God with all the heart, soul, mind and might, is the First and great Commandment, viz. The Summ of the First Table; And love to our neighbor as to ourselves is the second like unto it, viz. The Summ of the Second Table. So that the Law of God cannot be written in any heart: but consequently the Love of God and Man must needs be deeply engraven upon that heart. Now this twofold love must be Unfeigned: for what is written in the mind and heart, is real, cordial, unfeigned, without dissimulation, formality or hypocrisy. By the sincerity of this Love in the heart, we may notably discover that the Laws of God are written there also. IV. Sincerity of Obedience from right principles of true knowledge and unfeigned Love. This is another excellent effect of God's writing his Law in the mind and heart: It makes him sincerely obedient from right Principles. Before God's Law be written in the heart, a man may perform many acts of Obedience to the Law; As, Herod did many things; So the Pharisees performed many things; and Paul before his Conversion, was touching the Law a Pharisee, touching the righteousness of the Law blameless, but all that they did was from wrong principles, from fear of men, hope of popular applause, carnal expectation of justification by the work done, &c. these are but odd accidental and carnal principles to act upon; and all such actions are but forced and violent Motions, as of a stone cast upwards, which is contrary to its Natural Motion and inward principle, they are unsound & hypocritical, therefore God disregards and abhors them. But after the Law of God is written in a man's heart, then he obeys sincerely from a right inward and cordial Principle which is in his heart. The Law of God is within, therefore he cordially, inwardly, connaturally obeys this Law. His motion is not a violent and forced, but a Natural Motion. His obedience springs out of his heart, He obeys in knowledge, He knows, and then does: He obeys in love, out of a pure heart and a good Conscience, and faith unfeigned, here are right principles: such obedience is sincere, the heart and the act, the inward principle and the outward Practice do agree, heres no hypocrisy, no counterfeit deportment in such Obedience. That's the purest honey that drops from the comb freely without squeezing, thats the purest and most generous wine that flows from the grape freely with the least pressing, thats the purest and most genuine Motion that comes from an innate inward principle of Nature, without external forcing: So thats the most sincere pure obedience to God, that naturally flows from the Principle of the Law within, from the image of God, true Grace, and love within the heart and Soul: These principles breed an aptness, a proneness, a familiar, habitual, connatural disposedness in the Soul to obey, and it cannot choose but incline to such obedience from this supernatural Byas that is set upon the Heart. V. A cheerful delight in the Law of God, and in the Obedience thereof. This is another effect of God's Law in the Heart: it makes a man delight exceedingly in it, delight to know it, delight to Meditate in it, delight to be conform to it, delight to do it, and perform the will of God in it. Paul said: I delight in the Law of God after the inward man. The truly Godly and blessed man hath this Property: His delight is in the Law of the LORD, and in that Law will he miditate day and night. David also acknowledged that from God's Law written within, he had a delight to do God's will; I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea thy Law is in the midst of my bowels, or within my heart. Herein David was a special Type of Jesus Christ, whose meat was to do the will of him that sent him, and to finish his work. When God's Law is in the heart, Then the very bent, disposition, inclination, tendency, and whole Stream of the heart and affections is towards this Law of God, and the observance of it, and that cheerfully, pleasantly, delightfully. Whatsoever a man doth from this inward Principle of God's Law and engraffed Propensity of the heart, he doth not only in uprightness, but also with great alacrity and delightfulness: Its his meat and drink to be doing it, and beyond his appointed food: He delights in it, as the fish in the water, as the foul in the air, which is their proper Element: So the Law of God is his Element, he would still be and live in this Element: He delights to know God, to believe in him, to love him, to observe him, to worship him according to his will, to honor his name, to sanctify his Sabbaths, to be doing all good to his brother: He is never well, but when he is dutifully walking with God, and using Means to further his Obedience. If there were no heaven to reward obedience, no hell to punish disobedience, yet he would Fear the LORD, and delight greatly in his Commandments. Oh what high esteem had David of the Laws of God, beyond honey and honey-comb, beyond rich spoils, beyond thousands of gold and silver, beyond all riches; he counted them his Counselors, his heritage forever, and the rejoicing of his heart; His spirit was endeared to them, and ravished with them exceedingly, I love them exceedingly.—Oh how love I thy Law, it is my Meditation all the day,—My Soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times. But now on the contrary when God's Law is not written in the heart, there is an extreme antipathy, averseness and enmity to it, a man counts it an hard rigorous Law, an intolerable yoke, could wish there never had been any such Law to chain him up, and restrain him from his lusts and corruptions; he hates it, and the obedience thereof, it is very bitter, burden some and gravaminous to his Spirit. VI. The Legibleness of this writing. When God writes his Laws in men's hearts, he makes them Legible and discernible there; they may be seen and read there: As when he wrote the Law upon the two Tables of stone, it was Legible there, Moses was able to read it. Now this Law written in their Hearts is Legible, of God, of Themselves, and of Others. 1. Legible of God. The Lord exactly discerns and reads his own writings in the Heart. He fully knows what is in man, he searcheth the reigns and hearts of all men, but he specially beholds with favorable acceptation such persons hearts as have his Law in them, his image, his graces, his sanctifying endowments, &c. to such will he look; such are men after his own heart, (as David was) to fulfill all his will. 2. Legible of themselves. They that have the Law of God written in their hearts, can Read it and discern it there. As David did: Thy Law is within my heart: Hebr. Thy Law is in the midst of my bowels, There is a white stone given by Christ to some, and in the stone a New name written, which no man knoweth (viz. certainly and infallibly) but he that receiveth it. Now a man may discover the Law of God thats written in his Heart, Partly, by the Apprehensiveness of his own Spirit and Conscience. What man knoweth the things of a man, save the Spirit of man which is in him? Partly, by the Evidence and Discoveries thereof by the Spirit of God. Now we have Received, not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Partly, By the light of the Law written in the heart. The Law put in the heart brings a spiritual light with it, whereby it may be discovered: as a Diamond set in gold brings an orient sparkling with it, whereby it may be discerned. The Commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. — The entrance of thy words giveth light, it giveth understanding unto the simple. When the Sun or a star ariseth, they bring their natural light with them, and thereby discover themselves to the world: so when the day-star of grace and Law of God arise in a man's heart, they bring their spiritual light with them, and so manifest themselves unto the Soul. Partly, By the great and wonderful alteration which is made in the he art and Soul by the writing of the Law therein. It was stony, it is fleshly: It was rebellious, it is obsequious: It was full of hatred and enmity against God, it is full of Amity and love to God, &c. Theres a mighty change. Now great Alterations of State, are great Demonstrations: A passage from one contrary State to another is very conspicuous. 3. Legible also to others. Though others cannot infallibly read the Law of God written in their hearts, yet charitatively and probably they may read it, by the Preparatives, Properties and Consequents of such writing. Hence said Paul to his Corinthians: — Ye are our Epistle, written in our hearts, seen and read of all men; forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the Epistle of Christ ministered by us, &c. Thus the Law of God written in the heart is Legible. And yet its true, It is not always alike Legible to ourselves and others: Sometimes, as in infancy of Grace, the characters are very small: Sometimes, they are so blured and rubbed off by lapses and Infirmities, that its much ado to discover the writing, although there be a true writing there. VII. Finally, The Firmness and durableness of the Laws impression upon the Mind and Heart. God gives it, God writes it in mind and heart. By these two expressions he intimates how firmly and strongly he conveys his Laws into the Mind and heart, that they may never be oblitered or worn out. Writings in the dust may be blown out with a puff of wind, writings in Paper may be fetched out by art, yea writings in Marble or dead Materials may wear away: but God will write his Laws in lasting Tables, in Mind and heart, there they shall be engraven deeply and indelibly, more deeply then any acquired Habits; they shall become connatural to the heart, they shall be incorporated into the very frame of the Soul, they shall make such impression as shall never out, nay death itself shall not be able to deface this Record, but the Laws of God once written by God upon the Mind and heart, shall remain as long as those spiritual Tables shall remain, that is, for evermore. These are the excellent fruits, effects or Consequents of God's writing his Laws in his Federates minds and hearts.

IV. Question. Whether God's Laws were not written in his Peoples Minds and Hearts before the time of this New Covenant?

The Reason of this Question is, because this New Covenant is here said to be not according to the Covenant made with the Fathers, &c. and this is laid down as the first particular point wherein the New Covenant should differ from the Old, viz. That now God would give his Laws into their Mind, and write them in their hearts, which seems to import that his Laws were never so written in the heart before. Which to assert, seems very strange; especially seeing the New Covenant is substantially one and the same with former Covenants: And God's Federates of Old were Partakers of Renonation in and after the image of God, as well as since the New Covenant.

Answ. For clear Resolution to this Question, these two things are to be heedfully Considered, viz.

1. That, Before the time of this New Covenant there was some kind and manner of God's writing his Laws in the Hearts of his People. As, 1. A Natural writing of the Substance of his Moral Laws in the Heart of Adam in his innocence, under the Covenant of Works. This is evident, Partly by the integrity and uprightness of man in his first Creation in the image of God: which was his conformity to God's Law. Partly, by the Work of the Law in some measure written upon the hearts of Pagans, who never had the written Law. If so much of the Law remain in man's corrupt Nature; how completely was it written in man's perfect Nature? Now this writing of the Law in Adams heart, was only Natural, and Concreated; it was such a writing as belonged and was agreeable to the pure primitive state and constitution of man in his very Creation, he had it only naturally from God as Creator, not supernaturally from God as Redeemer. 2. A Supernatural writing of God's Moral Law, for the Substance of it in the hearts of his people, after the Fall, under the Covenant of Faith. This is evident; Partly, because God's people under the Covenant of Faith, and before the time of the New Covenant, had in effect some such thing Promised to them, as God's circumcising their hearts to love him; His putting his fear into their hearts that they should not depart from him; His giving of his Spirit into their hearts, together with many excellent Influences of the Spirit, formerly explained. What were these supernatural blessings, but principles of Grace conforming them to the Law of God, and the writing of God's Laws in their Hearts. Partly, Because before the time of the New Covenant God's people experimentally received such an Inscription of God's Laws upon their hearts, as appears by their Renovation, their inward Principles, their holy Practises, and sometimes their express acknowledgements hereof. Thus ( ¹ ) Under God's Covenant with Adam; Abel was a believer, and his works righteous. Enoch a believer, and walked with God. ( ² ) Under God's Covenant with Noah; Noah was a believer, upright in his Generations, walked with God, and moved with fear, by God's warning obediently made an Ark. (3) Under God's Covenant with Abraham; Abraham believed in the Lord; walked before God, was perfect; most obedient to God's call and commands, to follow him (even ad coecam obedientiam ) although he knew not whither; and commanded his children and household after him to keep the way of the Lord. So Isaac a believer, Feared God. Jacob a believer, wrestled with God in prayer and prevailed, &c. (4) Under God's Sinai-Covenant with Israel; Moses an eminent believer, and an excellent Self-denyer. Caleb and Joshua, men of another spirit, followed the Lord fully. Gideon, Barack, Jephtha, Sampson, &c. were also renowned believers. (5) Under God's Covenant with David; David himself was a man after God's own heart: and himself confesseth; I delight to do thy will, O my God, yea thy Law is within my Heart, Hebr. in the midst of my bowels. ( ⁶ ) Finally, Under God's Covenant with the Captives; God assured them of a New heart and a New Spirit, promising to take away their heart of stone, and to give them an heart of flesh, that they might walk in his Statutes, and keep his Ordinances, and do them. By all which its very evident, that in some sort God did supernaturally write his Laws in the Minds and Hearts of his people, before the time of this New Covenant. I say, Supernaturally; Because whatsoever writing of this sort is savingly printed upon any man's heart since the Fall under the Covenant of Faith in any Administration thereof, is wrought by Christ the Redeemer, by the supernatural efficacy of his Spirit. Every such writing is the Epistle of Christ: his Grace, his Spirit, his efficacy, his image, is illustriously evident therein. This is the first thing to be considered, by way of Concession.

2. That, Notwithstanding all this, thus granted, till the time of this New Covenant God's Laws were not so written in his people's hearts, as since they have been. This is very evident; If we take notice how far The Manner, Efficacy and Extent of this New Covenant-Administration, differed from, and transcended all Federal Administrations that went before it: Answerable unto which is God's Manner, Efficacy and Extent of writing of his Laws, especially under the Old & New Testament. 1. The Manner of God's former Covenant-Administations was more Carnal and External, and ran for the most part upon Carnal and outward blessings, as to the Letter of them. As, Bruising the Serpents Head by the Seed of the woman; Preservation in the Ark from the flood of waters that drowned all the world; The Inheritance of Canaan, long life and Prosperity there; The Continuance and Glory of David's throne and Kingdom to his Seed; The Redemption of the Captives out of Babylon and Restitution of them into their own land, &c. And proportionably God's Manner of writing his Laws, was more Carnal and External; viz. In two Tables of stone, Deut. 4. 13. 2 Cor. 3. 3, 7. But the manner of God's New Covenant Administration, is more Spiritual and Internal, mostly consisting of Inward Spiritual Blessings. Yea as to the Letter of the Covenant it wholly runs upon Spirituals altogether, Ier. 31. 31, 32, 33, 34. Heb. 8. 8. to 13. And proportionably God's manner of writing his Laws is Spiritual and Inward; not in Tables of stone, but in the soft fleshly Tables of the Mind and Heart, Jer. 31. 33. Heb. 8▪ 10 2 Cor. 3. 3. This different Form and Manner of the Old and New Covenants administration is much to be noted, which eminently holds forth such a different writing of God's Laws: That, in Literal Tables of stones, This, in spiritual Tables of the mind and heart. 2. The Efficacy of former administrations, was very weak and small, in Comparison of this New Covenant-Administration which is great and powerful. Under those The, Holy Spirit was but as it were sparingly sprinkled upon them; Their knowledge and love of God was dark, feeble childlike; Their hearts were very stony hard and inflexible, as God intimated to them in writing his Laws upon stones, &c. But under this, The Holy Spirit is plentifully poured forth as in Streams & Rivers upon them; and into them; Their knowledge and love of God is clear, strong, ripe, man like: Their Hearts very fleshy and flexible to God and his will, &c. Hence, The Old Testament-Ministration is called The Ministration of the Letter, that condemns and kills, viz. An ineffectual Ministration, showing the Letter of the Duty and Death in case of Non-performance, but affording no Ability for that Duty: But the New Testament-Ministration is called the Ministrationn of the Spirit that quickeneth, and is a Ministration of righteousness, viz. An effectual and powerful Ministration, that affords sufficiency of ability for the Duty which it requireth. Hence, The Spirit is said not to be given, till Christ was glorified: Not as if it had not been given at all; but because it was bestowed so sparingly and slenderly, in comparison to what is now, that it might seem not to be given at all. 3. The extent of former Covenant-Administrations, was but to Particular Familes, as of Adam, Noah, Abraham, David; or to some Particular Tribes, as to the Captives of Judah and Benjamen; ar to a Select Nation, as to the Jews at Mount-Sinai: Alas, how few, what a small handful were all these to the rest of the world! And yet of this small number, how few were there that had any saving inscription of God's Laws upon their hearts at all? And we say, Minimum in magne nihil, a small thing in that which is great is as nothing; a drop is as nothing in the Sea, a grain of sand is as nothing in the Earth: so the writing of God's Laws in the hearts of so few, is as nothing in the world But the extent of this New Covenant-Administration is universal, To all Nations in the whole world; and consequently God's writing of his Laws in men's hearts is proportionably extended to all God's people in all those Nations: to many thousands and ten thousands more then under all former Covenant-Expressures.

Thus the Lord under this New Covenant writes his Laws in his Peoples hearts; (1) Not Naturally, as at First in Adams heart in his state of creation, under the Covenant of Works; But Supernaturally, by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, restoring them from their State of corruption under the Covenant of Faith: And this (2) Not so imperfectly as under foregoing Covenant-Administrations, but much more perfectly and completely in Efficaciousness and Extensiveness. The chiefest of former Covenants, the Old Covenant holding forth, in the public and open Administration of it, only a writing of God's Laws in stones: This New Covenant, in the open and manifest Administration of it, revealing only a writing of God's Laws in the Minds and Hearts of God's Federates.

V. Question. Why will the Lord write his Laws in the Minds and Hearts of his Federates, Now under the New Covenant? And why doth God Covenant thus to do?

Answ. The Lord doth Covenant this, and will accordingly thus write his Laws in the Minds and hearts of his Covenant-people now under the New Covenant;

1. Because, He will. The mere good pleasure of his will, and his free Commiserating Grace, is the only original Moving Cause inclining him hereunto. I will give my Laws into their Mind, and I will write them in their hearts. God's Federates cannot deserve this blessing of themselves, more then others: but God will peculiarly confer it upon them of the riches of his mere Grace, which he now under the New Covenant displaies more eminently and gloriously then ever, Ephes. 2. 4. to 11.

2. Because God intended this New Covenant to be a far more perfect and excellent Expressure then the Ola Covenant. Behold—I will make a new Covenant—not according to the Covenant which I made with their Fathers. Why? wherein shall this New Covenant excel and be more Perfect? Herein saith God; My Old Covenant was but written in Tables of stone: but my New Covenant shall be engraven upon better Tables, upon the Mind and Heart. This better writing, these better Tables, will make this a better Covenant. God's Covenants were so ordered in their Revealing, that the later was still better then the former; and the last, this New Covenant, the best of all.

3. Because, God would more effectually provide against his Peoples breach of Covenant, then formerly. God brought all Israel into an Excellent Covenant at Mount Sinai that Old Covenant, and after he had published it to them by his own immediate voice, he wrote it upon two Tables of stone: but presently they brake this Covenant by their Idolatry in Aaron's calf, as Moses signified by breaking the Tables before their eyes. Why did they so soon break this Old Covenant? Because it was not written in their Minds and Hearts, but only upon Tables of stone: They had an Outward Rule, but they had not the inward Principle of obedience, therefore they brake it. Which my Covenant they brake, Jer. 31. 32. Because they continued not in my Covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days saith the Lord: I will give my Laws into their Mind, and write them upon their Hearts. As if he had said; I will take a more effectual Course in my New Covenant, to prevent their breach of Covenant; their inconstancy and unsteadfastness in, and their Apostasy from my Covenant is very offensive to me: therefore I will give them inward Principles and Abilities for performance of, and perseverance in my Covenant, I will not engraven my Laws anymore in Stones without them, but upon their Minds and Hearts within them, so that they shall be no more able to forget and forsake my Laws and Covenant, then they can forget and forsake their own Minds and Hearts; Thus they shall be Constant, Steady, and Stedfast in my New Covenant.

4. Because, God had reserved the most plenary and efficacious Donation of his Spirit, and all his gracious influences, till the days of Christ, and times of the New Covenant: As the Scriptures often intimate. Hence, God's most eminent, excellent, efficacious, complete and extensive writing of his Laws in the minds and hearts of his Federates, (which is the immediate and special work of his Spirit, and hath in it Complexively very many of the gracious Influences, Endowments, Effects and Operations of the Spirit of God, as I have already manifested,) is also reserved till these days of Christ and of his New Covenant. The Plenary donation of the Spirit, is the fruit of Christ's actual Exaltation and Glorification, then he himself received of the Father, the Promise of the Holy-ghost, that is, The Promised Holy-ghost, and upon that Receit shed forth the same upon his people: Answerably the Spirits most Plenary and perfect Inscription of God's Laws in his people's hearts, is the proper fruit of the Spirits plenary Donation. Both these, are the gloririous Trophies of Christ's triumphant ascension into heaven, and Exaltation at God's right hand: and by both these Christ is exceedingly extolled and magnified in his Church.

5. Finally, God will under his New Covenant write his Laws in his Peoples Minds and Hearts, that the Spiritual Consequents and Effects of such his writing of his Laws therein may rest upon them, and really make them God's Covenant-people indeed. This is eminently intimated in the Connection of those two Promises together; I will put my Laws into their mind, and write them upon their hearts: And I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. As if he had said; Hereby I will effectually declare and demonstrate myself to be their God in Covenant, and will effectually make them my Covenant people indeed: even by Giving my Laws into their Minds, and writing them upon their Hearts. Till this writing be drawn upon their Souls, I and the sons of men are at a distance, there is no saving Covenant-Relation, nor Covenant-interest between us, &c. but when this shall be once actually done upon the Minds and Hearts of any, then all this distance shall be removed from between me and them, then I will be theirs, and they shall be mine effectually and savingly, according to my New Covenant.

VI. Question. How we may know, Whether God hath Given his Laws into our Minds, and written them upon our Hearts?

Answ. We may know this, 1. By the Antecedents, 2. By the Manner, 3. By the Consequents of God's writing his Laws in our minds and hearts, as hath already been explained.

1. By the Antecedents foregoing and preparing the Mind and Heart for God's writing his Laws there. As,

(1) Hath God hewn the Tables of mind and heart by his Spirit of Bondage? Rom. 8. 15.

(2) Hath God razed and obliterated out of the mind and heart all other Laws, Writings, and Impressions which are inconsistent with these Laws of God? Hath he Circumcised thine heart, cutting off thy Natural Corruptions? Hath he taken away the Stone out of thy heart? Hath he stripped thee Naked, and emptied thee of thyself by Self-Denial?

(3) Hath God mollified and softened these Tables of thy mind and heart to receive the impression of his Laws, by the heart-melting discoveries of the Gospel, laying open the riches of divine Wisdom, Grace and Mercy in Christ for saving of Sinners?

2. By the Way and Manner of God's writing his Laws in mind and heart, viz. 1. By Christ, as his hand, his writer; 2. By his Ministers, as his Pens in the hand of Christ; 3. By the Holy Spirit, as his Ink that immediately makes the characters; 4. And in fleshly, soft, flexible Tables of Mind and Heart.

(1) Hath Christ made his supernatural draught upon Mind and Heart? Is he the writer? Is the Epistle Christ's; or another's, Sin's, The World's, Satan's? Whose Image and superscription is it, thats upon the heart? Are you New-creatures in Christ Jesus? Are you the workmanship of God created in Christ unto good works, &c? Have ye put on the Lord Jesus? Rom. 13. 14. Gal. 3. 26, 27. Christ is close at work in the Soul, when God's Laws are a writing there.

(2) Are the Ministers of Christ, his Pens to delineate God's Laws in your minds and Hearts? Do you prize, love, obey, and submit to them in the Lord in their Ministrations, as Instruments in the hand of Christ? 1 Thes. 5. 12, 13. Heb. 13. 17. 1 Thes. 1. 5, 6. Gal. 4. 14, 15. 1 Cor. 4. 1. The Corinthians overvalued their Ministers, 1 Cor. 1. 12, 13. & 3. 4, 5, 6. The Galatians removed from theirs, and undervalued them, Gal. 1. 6, &c. Those, by accounting them above Instruments: these by debasing them below Instruments, and rejecting them for false Teachers; (The Epidemical disease of these our times,) But then we shall rightly value them, when we shall account them as Ministers, as Instruments, as Pens in the hand of Christ. Are they Ministers of the Spirit, or only of the Letter, to you? Hath their Gospel come unto you, not in word only; but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance?

(3) Hath the Holy Ghost been the blessed Ink that hath immediately written God's Laws upon your Minds and Hearts? Hath this Ink been put by Christ into his Pens, hath this Spirit co-operated with his Ministers, hath he left his marks, his characters behind him upon your Souls, or no?

(4) Have your minds and hearts been found Fleshly, not Stony Tables, when Christ by his Spirit and Ministers was going to write God's Laws upon them? Have they rejected, or received his impressions? Have they yielded to, or rebelled against his Inscriptions? Have they been like melted metal, ready to run into the mould of God's Laws, and to receive any impression thereof?

3. By the Consequents and Effects, resulting from, and remaining after God's writing his Laws in the Mind and Heart. After writing, there are Characters and Words remaining, wherein the Mind, Meaning, and Will of the Writer is represented: So after God's writing his Laws in the heart, God's Mind and Will remain upon the heart, in many particulars. As, In

(1) An Universal Answerableness of the Heart, to God's Laws. Have you a Law within, fully answering to God's Laws without? Is there an universal Counterpain of God's Laws delineated in your hearts? Is there an Entire Conformity to all his Laws? where God savingly writes one, he writes all his Laws in the heart: His Laws of Religion, his Laws of Righteousness. Theres nothing God Prescribes, but the heart is disposed to do it: nothing God Prohibits, but the heart is careful to decline it. Herod, Pharisees, Hypocrites, Pagans, may have some partial Conformity to God's Laws in some things: but because it is only in some things, or in many things, and not in all things, God's Laws are not savingly written there.

(2) A Renovation of the whole Soul according to God's image. There cannot be in the Mind and Heart an Entire Conformity to the Law of God, but by a Transformed Renovation of the whole Soul according to the Image of God in Knowledge, Righteousness, and true Holiness. The Old frame is so full of Pravity, Malignity and Enmity against God and his Laws: That there must be a Renovation, Regeneration, New-creation, Conversion, Sanctification, &c. or else there can be no Conformity to God's Laws. Are you thus Renewed, Regenerated, &c? where is this image of God in the Soul?

(3) True Knowledge of the will and all the ways of God, and unfeigned Love both to God and man. Gross ignorance cannot remain in the Soul, when the Law of God comes to be written there: no more then gross midnight-darkness can remain in the hemisphear when the sun appears in the sky. Nor can true Love to God and man be absent from the heart, wherein the Law is present: because such Love is the Law of God, and the Law of God is Love. What light now of true knowledge of all God's will and ways shines in your Minds? what life and holy flames of true Love to God and man burn in your hearts?

(4) Sincere, Cordial and Entire Obedience to God's Laws from right Principles of Knowledge and Love. Where God's Laws are in the heart, the Soul is strongly bowed, inclined, disposed and persuaded to all cordial, sincere, entire Obebience: because it knows what is to be done; because it loves to do what it knows. Dost thou obey knowingly, understandingly? Dost thou obey lovingly? then thou canst not choose but obey Cordially, sincerely, entirely. For, Knowledge saith, Every thing is to be done that God requires: and Love saith, I am heartily willing to do everything that is to be done.

(5) Chearful delight in the Law of God. Such as is the Inscription in the heart, whether of the Law of sin, or Law of God, &c. such is the Disposition and genuine temper of the Heart: Now such as is the temper and Disposition of the heart, such is the delight of the Heart. The heart delights most in that which is most homogeneal and connatural to it: So when the Law of God is made homogeneal and connatural to the Heart, by being written therein, the heart cannot choose but delight therein exceedingly. What delight now hath thine inner man in the Law of God, to meditate therein and do it? are the Commandments of God joyous, or grievous? Read David's affections to, and delights in God's Law, Psal. 119. and see if thine be parallel.

(6) The Legibleness of this writing, not only by God, but also by themselves, and others. Is God's Law so written in thy mind and heart, That thyself canst read it within, in thy Constitution; That both thyself and others can read it, without, in thy Conversation; That both thyself and others can see and read a General Conformity and Answerableness of thine Heart and Life to God's whole Law? If there be nothing, or Nothing to the purpose, to be read of God's Law in thine inward Principles and outward Practises; but rather the Laws of Sin and Satan, heaps of unmortified Corruptions, Scandals, and abominable Offences; how can it be imagined that God's Law is written in thy mind or heart? If thine own Conscience and others observation can behold, No saving Knowledge, but gross ignorance; No faith, but infidelity; No Repentance, but impenitency; No Fear of God, but audacious impiety; No Love to God, but utter enmity; No true Obedience, but notorious rebellion; No Spiritualness at all, but mere carnality; No Regeneration, Renovation and Sanctification, &c. but an old, unregenerate, sinful state: The Law of God hath as yet made no saving impression at all upon thy Soul.

(7) Finally, The Permanency and durableness of this Impression. What's written by God in mind and heart will never out. No Time, No Temptation, No Tribulation, No Persecution, no not Natures dissolution, can utterly obliterate or expunge the same. The writing may be slurred, dimmed, defaced, and obscured by these things: but can never be totally razed and blotted out. Is the impression of God's Law upon thy heart vanishing, or Continuing; fading or flourishing: dying, or living? Is the tincture of thine heart in grain? Doth thy Soul break for the longing that it hath unto God's judgments at all times? Is thy delight in the Law of the LORD, and dost thou meditate therein day and night?

Inferences, Will the LORD thus give his Laws into their Minds, and write them upon their Hearts; as hath been explained and evidenced? Then, Hence these things follow: viz.

I. That, God's Moral Law is the Law of Christ. How doth this appear from what hath been spoken? Thus; The Law which God promiseth here to write in their hearts, is God's Moral Law formerly written upon Tables of stone, as I have already proved. Now God writes this Moral Law in their Hearts by Christ and his Spirit, as I have also manifested: whereupon they that have God's Laws written in their hearts, are called The Epistle of Christ, written not with Ink, but with the Spirit of the Living God. Forasmuch then as it is Christ, who by his Spirit writes God's Moral Laws in his people's hearts, These Moral Laws may justly be denominated the Laws of Christ. Christ is the Author, and effectual writer of them in their hearts by his Spirit: therefore they are his. If the Moral Law be called The Law of Moses, because Moses was the Instrument by whom God gave and revealed it: How much more may it be called The Law of God, because God gave it, published it on Mount Sinai, and wrote it with his own finger on Tables of stone: and The Law of Christ and of his Spirit, because by them its written upon the fleshly Tables of the Mind and Heart. So that Jesus Christ, and the Moral Law are not (as some weakly imagine) 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , inconsistent, incompatible and irreconcilable: but most consistent, suitable and sweetly agreeable one to another. Since Mans Fall, God never gave his Moral Law but in his Covenant of Faith in Christ: In Christ typified and promised under the Old Covenant, it was given in Tables of stone; In Christ Performed and Exhibited under the New Covenant, it is given in fleshly Tables of Mind and Heart; but in both there's much of Christ, much of his Wisdom, much of his Merit, much of his Justice, much of his Goodness, Mercy, Free-grace, and Love, much of his Power, much of his Spirit, &c. Christ in both predominates. Hence, 1. The more of God's Moral Law is supernaturally engraven in the Mind and Heart, the more of Christ is in the Mind and Heart. When Christ comes into the soul, he brings this Law with him thither. If this Law be effectually there, Christ is actually there also. 2. Christ came not to destroy the Law, but to fulfil it. To fulfil it in his own Person, Actively doing for his elect all the Duty required in it, which they could not do; Passively enduring for them all the Curse and Penalty threatened in it to the transgressors thereof, which otherwise they could not avoid nor endure. To fulfil it also in his Members, by writing it in their hearts, that they might be able in sincerity a •… d integrity to observe it. 3. They that set Christ and the Moral Law at odds irreconcilably, do neither understand the mystery of Jesus Christ, nor of the Moral Law solidly.

II. That, God's Moral Law is not abolished, but established by his New Covenant. Why? Because God's writing of his Laws in the hearts of his Federates, is a primary Promise, yea the very First Article of his New Covenant; — I will give my Laws into their Mind, and write them in their hearts. Had God intended by his New Covenant to have abolished his Moral Law, he would not have New written it, but utterly have expunged it. But in that God undertakes to write his Laws again, and to write them more durably and indelibly then they were written before, Not in the long-lasting Tables of stone, but in the Everlasting Tables of Mind and Heart: Hereby he eminently confirms and establishes the Moral Law, as that which shall never be reversed or repealed till the end of this world, yea the Substance and Soul thereof in lov •… to God and man shall continue forever in the world to come. Hence,

1. That grand Antinomian Error touching the utter abrogation of the Moral Law, (That the Law given by Moses at Mount Sinai is of no use at all for Matter or Form to Christians now under the New Testament:) is to be abhorred and abandoned, as repugnant and destructive to the very substance and Nature of this New Covenant. But I have already spoken at large to this effect, 1. In handling that intricate Question, Whether the Law of God, given by Moses on Mount Sinai to Israel, be abrogated to us now under the New Testament or no? And how far it concerns or obligeth us, if not abrogated? 2. In unfolding In General, How useful it is to all sorts: In Particular, of what use it is to Carnal persons. Of what use it is to the Regenerate. 3. In answering such Material Objections from Scriptures wrested and misunderstood, as Antinomians make against the establishment and use of the Moral Law now under the New Covenant. And therefore for satisfaction in all these Particulars, I refer the Reader to the places here alleged in the Margin, that I may not go over the same things again.

2. All Detractive and reproachful speeches derogatory from the continued obligation Force and use of the Moral Law to Believers and regenerate persons now under the New Covenant, ought by all intelligent and conscientious Christians, especially Ministers, to he utterly forborne and avoided. As those ignorant and unsavory expressions of some:— Legal Preachers, Legal Christians;—Literal-Duty-men—Old Testament Spirits;—Mosaical Iustitiaries, &c. For by such rotten, railing and reviling language as this, they not only discover their gross ignorance in the mysteries of Old and New Covenant, and of the Moral Law; but also blasphemously traduce and Calumniate both Jesus Christ and his New Covanant, and the infinite wisdom of God, who in them both hath contrived to establish and perpetuate the use of his most perfect Moral Law to all his Old and New Covenant people.

III. That, The New Covenant agrees with the Old in Matter and Substance, although they differ in Manner and Circumstance. For, 1. The Matter and Substance of them both, is God's Moral Law, and that Moral Law written, and that writing made only by the Lord himself: Herein these two Covenants do plainly agree, and are Materially one. 2. The Manner and Circumstance of writing this Moral Law by God is very different under these two Covenants. In the Old Covenant God wrote it in Tables of Stone: In the New Covenant he writes in the fleshly Tables of Mind and Heart. In the Old Covenant it was written, without: In the New, within. In the Old Covenant it was written more imperfectly, weakly, Literally, ineffectually: though the people's hearts had some impression thereof upon them, yet they remained very stony, stubborn, intractable notwithstanding: but in the New Covenant it is written more perfectly, strongly, spiritually, effectually; the Peoples hearts are more Mollified, Flexible, Tractable and transformed into the image of the Law of God.

IV. That, The Moral Law is a most excellent Law. This is evident, by the singular Care that God hath taken in this his most excellent Covenant, the New Covenant, to hide, treasure up, and fixedly engrave his Moral Law upon the Minds and Hearts of his People. These are Holy, Heavenly, Spiritual, Lasting, Everlasting Treasuries: Consequently God's Moral Laws written and laid up there, are choice, rich and precious jewels, and so to be accounted by us. Oh what an invaluable estimate did Holy David (that man after God's own heart, who had the Law of God in his heart ) set upon them! and most deservedly. Read, and mark, and imitate his affections and estimations of the Laws of God.

It is very observable; That the Lord hath taken care to write his Moral Law, for the Perpetuating thereof, three several ways, viz. 1. Naturally, in the heart of Adam before his fall, under the Covenant of Nature, or of Works. 2. Literally, upon Tables of stone, and that twice under the Old Covenant given at Mount Sinai. 3. Spiritually and most efficaciously, upon the Spiritual fleshly Tables of his Peoples Minds and Hearts, under the New Covenant. The First writing was perfect, but not durable: The Second was complete, but ineffectual: The Third is entire, efficacious, and permanent. Now how high and excellent is this Moral Law of the Lord, which God hath so often written with his own finger upon so many Tables, before and Since the Fall, before and after Christ!

V. That, Naturally, since and by the Fall of Adam, The Laws of God are ob •… terated or blotted out of men's minds and hearts. God's new writing his Laws in the Mind and Heart supernaturally, shows that his old writing of his Laws is blotted out of all men's hearts naturally. God's Laws were once in man's heart before the Fall so perfectly, that he was able fully in every point to keep it, and by his own actual keeping of it, completely to have wrought out and completed his own righteousness and life eternal in the sight of God: but by man's Fall and sin (which makes havoc of all blessings and mercies) God's Law was so extremely wiped out of the Heart of Adam and of all his posterity, that nothing at all thereof remains sufficient for man's Justification, but only so much as to leave him without excuse and aggravate his condemnation. Hereupon God provides for lapsed man a Savior, a Surety Jesus Christ, (in whose heart God's Laws should be perfectly written, and in whose Death the penalty of the Law broken by man's Sin should be perfectly Satisfied,) by and in whom The obliterated Law should, First be revived and recorded in Tables of stone under the Old Covenant, that hereby man might behold, ( ¹ ) What integrity he once had before he Fell, ( ² ) What Sin and misery he was now naturally enwrapped in by his Fall (3) What exact righteousness and satisfaction according to this Law is required in and from man's Surety Jesus Christ for lapsed Sinners Restauration to Life and Righteousness, ( ⁴ ) As also What entire, sincere and cordial Conformity of heart and life to the Law of God is expected from those that accept Jesus Christ for their Surety and Savior. Secondly, be given and written in spiritual Tables of mind and heart under the New Covenant, That by this supernatural Efficacy, The heart might be furnished with Ability, for the performance of all Duty which the Law requires. So then, Sin hath expunged God's Law out of all men's hearts and minds by Nature, till God again inscribe and engrave it there. Hence flows all the impiety and irreligion of man's heart and life against God, all his unrighteousness ageinst man, all his intemperance and insob •… iety against himself; even from this, That God's Law is razed and expunged out of his mind and heart by nature. Whereupon carnal man is naturally become the most savage, wild, brutish, unruly, rebellions, malicious, mischievous, and miserable creature that is on Earth. Ah! how cursed and abominable is the Nature of Sin, that so woefully robs and despoyles the hearts of the sons of Adam of this blessed and perfect Law of God!

VI. That, The Renewing of the Mind and Heart, even of of the whole soul, according to God's image, by effectual Uocation, Conversion, Regeneration, New creation and Sanctification, is not a Natural, but a mere Supernatural work, is not at all from man himself, but wholly from God alone. Why? Because, Its not man, but God alone that gives his Laws into their Midns; not man, but God alone that writes his Laws in their hearts: Now this Effectual Vocation, Conversion, Regeneration, New-creation, Sanctification, &c. is that wherein this his writing his Laws in their Minds and Hearts according to the image of God, especially consists. The carnal mind is nothing but darkness, blindness, ignorance and sottishness; The carnal heart is hardness, stoniness, impenitency, unbelief, deadness, senselessness; and both of them, even the whole Soul is Enmity and Malignity against God and his Laws: So that there remains nothing at all in mere carnal man that may contribute the least saving influence, efficacy or assistance to the writing of God's Laws in Mind or Heart. This must be let alone, and wholly left to God forever. He alone prepared the first Tables of Stone, and he alone wrote thereon, the whole Workmanship was his: So here, He alone Prepares the Mind and Hearts, He alone in Christ by his Spirit makes the Inscription of his Laws on the Heart so prepared, and he alone leaves the effectual fruits and consequents of this Inscription upon the Soul: The Preparatives, Acts, and Effects of this writing are all his. Man could obliterate God's Laws out of his heart, but its the peculiar and proper work of God only to write them again in the Heart. This thing in effect I have formerly cleared, in Answernig that Question; Whether God alone can give A New Heart, and put a New Spirit into us? There See.

VII. That, God First gives his Laws into the Mind, and then writes them in the Heart. In this New Covenant-Promise, the Mind is still put before the Heart. Naturally the Mind must first be informed with the light of Truth, and knowledge of Duty, before the Heart can be conformed to the love of truth and performance of Duty. Natural light was the first particular distinct creature which God made, when he created the world: And Supernatural light is the first particular Grace which God infuseth into the soul, when he New-creates the Heart. — To turn them from darkness to light, theres God's first work upon the Mind, viz. illumination: And from the power of Satan unto God, theres his next work upon the Heart, will and affections, viz. effectual Liberation, or Actual Restitution out of bondage into spiritual Liberty: In both their Conversion, Effectual-vocation, Regeneration, &c. Sanctification. Though God's Acts of Grace be supernatural, yet are they not contranatural, or unnatural: they excel Nature, but do not destroy Nature. The Mind must still precede, to direct and guide the Heart: and then the Heart, the will and affections, will orderly follow and obey. The Will doth Naturally follow the ultimate Direction and command of the Understanding: as the rest of the body follows the Guidance of the Eye. If God have illuminated thy Mind: theres good hopes he will bend and bow thine heart. But if thy mind be darkness, thy will and affections can be nothing but crookedness.

VIII. That, God's giving his Laws into our Minds, and writing them in our hearts, is an Eminent and manifold Privilege. Forasmuch as every Article of the New Covenant (and consequently this First ) contains an eniment and manifold Privilege for God's New Covenant-people above all other people in the world: viz. Not only above all Pagans and Heathens whatsoever, that are mere strangers to this, and to all God's Covenants of Faith; but also above all God's Covenant-people under all former Covenant-Expressures whatsoever, this New Covenant in many regards far excelling and transcending them all, as hereafter in the General Inferences will appear. Now the Eminency and multiplicity of this Privilege, of God's giving his Laws into our Minds, and writing them upon our hearts, herein particularly appears: viz.

1. In the Eminent Preparation of Mind and heart to be fit spiritual Tables for the writing of God's Laws therein. The very preparing of the Heart hereunto is an eminent and Manifold Privilege. For,

• (1) Hereby, The stony Mind and heart are Hewed away by the Spirit of Bondage, filling them with fear and terror, because of Sin, the wrath and Curse of God.
• (2) Hereby, The contrary Laws and writings of sin, world and Satan are obliterated and razed out of the Mind and Heart, to make way for the better inscription of the Laws of God therein.
• (3) Hereby, The mind and Heart are sweetly Mollified and softened, at the Evangelical discovery of God's rich Grace, Mercy, Loving-kindness, Compassions, Goodness, wisdom and Justice whereby the Sinners Salvation by Jesus Christ through Faith is so admirably and all-sufficiently contrived and tendered. Now these spiritual Tables of Mind and heart are prepared.

2. In the Eminent and joint operation of Father, Son and Holy Ghost to this Inscription of his Laws in the Mind and Heart by the Instrumental subserviency of his New Testament Ministers thereunto. This is his ordinary way. So Infinite, Glorious and excellent an Agent, as God blessed forever, denominates this Act most excellent. What manner of Privilege also is this, that the everliving God should stoop so low as to write his Laws in the Minds and Hearts of poor sinful dust and ashes! what Familiar Condescention to our Frailty: That God should make use of the ministration of weak mortal men as instruments in this writing?

3. In the Eminency and transcendent excellency of God's Laws, viz. his Moral Laws, which he writes in mind and heart. No Laws in the world can compare with God's Laws: And no Laws of God can compare with his Moral Laws, for all manner of excellency. How high an advantage then must it needs be to have so choice, rich, and precious a treasure as these Laws put so effectually into these mean and despised Cabinets!

4. In the Eminent and intensive efficacy of God's Giving his Laws into our Minds, and writing them in our hearts. The Divine efficacy of this operation shines forth most illustriously in all those Perfective alterations, which thereby are wrought upon the Minds and hearts of God's sincere New Covenant-people, viz.

• (1) An universal Answerableness of the Mind and Heart within, to God's Laws without.
• (2) The Renovation of the whole Soul according to the image of God in Knowledge, Righteousness and true holiness.
• (3) True Knowledge of the will and all the ways of God, and unfeigned Love to God and man.
• (4) Sincerity of Obedience from right inward Principles.
• (5) A cheerful delight and pleasure of Soul in the Laws of God.
• (6) The Legibleness of this writing, and the impressions thereof; Not only to the Omniscient eye of God, and charitative eye of man, but also to the experimental and discerning eye of every particular Soul in some good measure, upon whose mind and heart God's Laws shall be effectually and supernaturally written.
• (7) The Firmness and Durableness of this Sacred Impression of God's Laws upon the Soul: against all danger of its backsliding from God, or from his ways.

5. In the sweet and comfortable Provision which hereby God lays in, for bruised Sinners and distressed Saints, against Sundry of their puzzling and perplexing Doubts and Scruples, especially about the Blindness of their Minds, vileness of their Hearts, and extreme Inability to do anything in Spirituals as God requires. His Law given into their Mind, removes the Blindness and gross ignorance of their Mind: His Law written in their Hearts, cures the abominable vileness, badness and viciousness of their Hearts: His Laws engraven in both, supplies them with a sufficiency of Ability sincerely to act what God expects.

6. Finally, In the extensiveness of this Promise, which is exceeding large and broad; even of God's writing, ^1. His whole Law, not only some part of it; ^2. In the whole Soul, Mind and Heart, not Mind, or Heart alone; ^3. And that of all his true Federates in all Nations of the world, and not only (as under the Old Covenant ) in the Jewish Nation.

Thus, God's giving his Laws into our Minds, and writing them in our hearts, is a very eminent and Manifold Privilege.

IX. That, All such as would know, whether they be God's New Covenant-people indeed, inwardly as well as outwardly, in power as well as in profession: should diligently examine, whether God hath given his Laws into their Minds, and written them upon their hearts, or no? For all those, and those only, that have God's Laws thus effectually planted within them by the Spirit of the living God, are savingly partakers of an inward New Covenant-state and interest in God through Jesus Christ. But how may we know this, That God hath given his Laws into our minds, and written them in our Hearts? Answ. This I have discovered already, in Answering the VI ^th . Question: There See.

X. Finally, That God's sincere New Covenant-People have above all other people in the world greatest cause to live and walk according to the Laws, the Moral Laws of God: in that the LORD hath more excellently and obligatorily given and written his Laws for them, then for any other.

For, ^1. His Moral Law was written in Adams heart under the Covenant of works, Naturally: but now it is written in his Peoples hearts, under the New Covenant, Supernaturally. ^2. The work of his Moral Laws, remains written upon the very hearts of Pagans and Heathens that have not the Law by other writing or Preaching revealed to them, brokenly, maimedly, confusedly; those characters of the Law being only some dark, dim, shattered, broken, confused, maimed relics and remains of the Law which was naturally written in Adams heart at his first creation: But now it is written upon the minds and hearts of God's people under the New Covenant, distinctly, clearly, integrally, in all the Parts and integral perfections thereof, so that they have an universal answerableness to all, and an entire respect to all the Commandments of God. 3. The Moral Law, under the Old Covenant, as to the Apparant visible Administration thereof, was written only in dead Tables of stone Literally; and as to the inward application and operation thereof, it was written in the hearts of the truly believing Jews more obscurely, weakly and imperfectly, according to the Minority of the Church in those times: But now under the New Testament, as to the very administration thereof, its Promised to be written in the living Tables of Mind and heart, Spiritually; and as to the application and operation thereof, it is written in the hearts of all believers Jews and Gentiles much more clearly, powerfully, efficaciously and perfectly, according to the Maturity of the Church in those times. Thus God's Laws are given and written for his People now under this New Covenant, every way more excellently, then ever they were before for any other: Not Naturally, but Supernaturally; Not maimedly, but integrally; Not Literally, but Spiritually; Not more weakly and imperfectly, but more powerfully and perfectly.

Now the more excellently God hath given and written his Laws for his sincere New Covenant people, the more strongly hath he thereby laid his Obligations upon them to live and walk according to those Laws. The Greater the Mercy is, received from God: the greater and stronger is the tie for all answerable Duty to God. Pagans are bound much, Jews much more, but Christians most of all, to the observance of God's Laws: for Christians have, not only the Natural relics of the Law in them, which Pagans have; not only the very Letter of the Law, which the Jews had; but also the Spirit of the Law more then either of them had. If therefore the Christian walk contrary to God's Laws, his sins will of all other be most heinous, and his condemnation will of all other deserve to be most grievous. Certainly their Error is very gross, that think their Christianity absolves them from the observance of the Moral Law of God: for true Christianity, in the power of it, most forcibly obligeth, and even compels them above anything else to the observance of God's moral Laws. Therefore O thou regenerate Soul, thou Israelite indeed, thou sincere Christian, think seriously; How strong an Obligation God hath laid upon thy Soul and Conscience to live and walk uprightly according to all his Moral Laws, by giving them effectually into thy mind, and writing them powerfully upon thine heart. Thou, of all other oughtest to be a Law to thyself: Thou of all other oughtest to delight in the Law of God in thine inward man, and meditate therein day and night: Thou, of all other, shouldst forbare what God forbids, and perform what God prescribes in his holy Laws, &c. For furtherance and encouragement of every true hearted Nathaniel herein, let these two things be heedfully considered: viz.

1. Gospel-Directions for Christians right Observing, Performing and walking according to the Moral Law. These I have at large heretofore Proposed.

2. Gospel-grounds or Motives inciting to this Evangelical observance of the Moral Law. These also I have already abundantly urged. And if Antinomians themselves, whether in Opinion or in Practice, will but lay aside Prejudice against the Law of God so far, as deliberately, advisedly and seriously to read, consider and weigh (as in the presence of the living God, and great Law giver of Israel) Those Gospel-Directions for walking according to the Moral Law; And those Gospel Motives inciting thereunto: I hope through the blessing of the Heart-Ruling God, who alone can effectually give and write his Laws in his people's hearts, they may be a convincing, persuading and prevailing Means, to reduce the one from the Error of his opinion, unto Truth; and to reclaim the other from the error of his Way, unto Godliness and righteousness.

I. Question. Wherein the Nature of this New Covenant-Knowledge more specially Consists?

Answ. This New Covenant Promise in Jer. 31. 34. Heb. 8. 11. And they shall not teach every man his brother, and every man his neighbor, saying; Know the LORD: For All shall Know me, &c. doth evidently state this New Covenant-Knowledge of God in these two Particulars especially, viz. 1. In the Excellency of the Knowledge. 2. In the extensiveness and universality thereof.

1. In the Excellency of the New Covenant-Knowledge of the LORD, beyond that which was vouchsafed under the Old Covenant. This I collect thus, viz. 1. Partly, From the Nature of this New Covenant laid down more Generally, by way of Negation; I will make a New Covenant with the House of Israel and with the House of Judah: Not according to the Covenant which I made with their Fathers, &c. that is, I will make a New Covenant, but very unlike to, and different from, and excelling above my Old Covenant. 2. Partly, From the Nature of this New Covenant laid down more Particularly, by way of Affirmation and Explication; But this shall be the Covenant which I will make with the House of Israel, after those days, saith the LORD; I will give my Law, &c. And they shall teach no more every man his brother, and every man his neighbor, saying; Know the LORD: for they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them, saith the LORD. That is, My People, under the Old Covenant made with their Fathers, had many of them, some sort, some measure, of the Knowledge of the Lord; they did teach one another every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, to know the Lord, according to their Capacity: But my People under the New Covenant shall all of them Generally have a far other and more excellent Knowledge of the Lord, a knowledge far surpassing and transcending man's Teaching, for I myself will instruct them, I will teach them to know the Lord. Thus, there shall be An excellency in the New-Covenant-Knowledge of the Lord, beyond the Old Covenant-Knowledge. 3. Partly, From such Scriptures, as Explicating the nature of that Knowledge of God and his ways, which God vouchsafes his Covenant-people under the New Covenant, declare: That, in many regards, it is a knowledge far excelling and out-stripping the Knowledge which his people formerly had of him under the Old Covenant. As is evident, ( ¹ ) In the Old Testament-Promises. As, in Joel And it shall come to pass afterwards, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophecy; your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants, and upon the handmaids in those days, will I pour out my Spirit, &c. In that Evangelical Isaiah, — I will pour out water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring, &c. And elsewhere, And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD. (2) In the New Testament-Performances, witnessed by the Apostles. As, By John; But ye have an Unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. — But the Anointing (viz. The Holy Ghost; compare Acts 10. 38. with 2 Cor. 1. 21, 22. John. 16. 13.) which ye have received of him, abideth in you: and ye need not that any man teach you: But as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is Truth, and is no Lye: and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. By Paul; The Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have Received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. And elsewhere he prefers the New Covenant-Ministration far before the Old, upon this very point, Of the excellency of the New Covenant-knowledge beyond that of the Old, saying; — We use great plainness of speech. And not as Moses which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished. But their minds were blinded: For until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away, in the reading of the Old Testament: which veil is done away in Christ.—But we all with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. In these and like passages, The excellencies and extensiveness of New Covenant-Knowledge, above that of the Old, is highly magnified, and particularly expounded: which may give much light to this New Covenant-Promise, touching the Federates Knowledge of the Lord.

Particularly, The Excellency of this New Covenant-knowledge of the Lord, beyond that under the Old Covenant, doth many ways appear and manifest itself. And especially in that the Federates Knowledge of God, under the New Covenant is, ^1. More Divine; ^2. More Spiritual; ^3. More Clear; ^4. More Evidential; ^5. More Compleat; ^6. More Efficacious; ^7. More Glorious.

(1) More Divine. The Knowledge which the Federates had of God under the Old Covenant, was More Human; there was more of man appeared in it when it was taught them: The Parents taught their children, and their children taught the succeeding Generation; Moses and the Prophets taught them in extraordinary, The Priests and Levites in ordinary; The Priests lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the Law at his mouth, for he is the Messenger of the Lord of Hosts. They had very much of this Teaching which was more Outward and Human, as this New Covenant Promise intimateth, And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying; Know the LORD: for they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them, Jer. 31. 34. Heb. 8 11. Hereby God intimates; That under his Old Covenant, His people were taught to know him, by Human Instruction for the most part, they had comparatively very little of his immediate Divine Instruction, because his Spirit was very sparingly given till Christ's glorification: But under his New Covenant, the Knowledge which his Federates should have of God should be more Divine, God himself would more immediately Teach them, All their children should be taught of God. Not, that God ever intended by this Promise to lay aside all Human teaching, Public or Private, under his New Covenant; For God commands & calls for such teaching frequently & vehemently now under his New Covenant-administration; Ministers must teach the Church and people of God, Publikely, Mat. 28. 18, 19, 20. Eph. 4. 11, 12, 13. 1 Tim. 5. 17. 2 Tim. 4. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Parents must teach their children, and Christians must teach one another, Privately, Ephes 6. 4. Col. 3. 16. Heb. 3. 13. But under the New Covenant his People should have more of the Spirit of God poured forth upon them, and more teaching immediately from God, then under the Old Covenant: Under the New Covenant God's own immediate Teaching should so predominate and bear sway, that all Human Teaching should comparatively be eclipsed and become as nothing. To this effect that of the Apostle is very observable, God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. In these words Paul sets forth the Light of the Knowledge of God under that New Covenant-Ministration, as far surpassing that of the old: 1. By the Author of it, God. God that at first commanded light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, in his Ministers dark hearts. 2. By the Instrumental means which God makes use of for imparting the knowledge of God to men, viz. his Ministers, to give the light, &c. that is, God hath illuminated his Ministers, that they may give light to others that they may teach others to know God in Christ: Not in his own immediate essence, that they cannot endure; not only in the Creature, that is not salvifical; but in the face of Christ, thats most saving and comfortable. Christ's face is open, unveiled: Moses face was veiled.

(2) More Spiritual. Under the Old Covenant the Knowledge which God's people had of God and of the things of God, was more Literal and Carnal. God, Christ, and Divine Mysteries were made known to them in the Letter of the Ten Commandments written in two Table of stone, in the Letter of the Ceremonial Law, &c. Thus God was revealed to them as a God, that made Heaven and Earth in six days, resting the seventh; That brought them out of a Literal Egypt; That Promised them a Literal and Earthly Canaan; That sat between the Earthly Cherubims, &c. And so Christ was represented Literally, under the Tabernacle, Altar, Table of show-bread, Ark, Mercy-seat, manifold Sacrifices, and such like Carnal Ordinances: So Spiritual Mysteries were taught that People by weak and Carnal Elements; As, Redemption, by Deliverance out of Egypt; Justification, by the sprinkling of blood: Sanctification, by many Ceremonial washings: Communion with God in Christ, by the Shew-bread on the Holy Table before the Lord continually: Pardon of sin, by the Mercy-seat covering the Tables in the Ark: The Eternal Rest in Heaven, by Canaan's Rest, and the Holy of Holies, &c. All this was a kind of Literal and Carnal Teaching, and for the most part raised up that people to a kind of Carnal apprehension and Literal knowledge of God, Christ, and Spirituals, they generally resting in the Letter and Carnality of the Ordinances. But under the New Covenant, The Knowledge which God's People have of God, Christ, and the things of God, is more Spiritual and Heavenly. ^1. They have the Spiritual Mysteries themselves, which were dimly represented in those Earthly and Carnal Ordinances: they have not only the Patterns of the things in the Heavens, but the Heavenly things themselves. ^2. They have not a Ministration of the Letter, but of the Spirit: abundance of Spirit being now poured forth, which was but sprinkled heretofore under the Law. ^3. Hereby, Their knowledge and apprehensions of God, Christ, and things Spiritual are elevated unto an high pitch of Spirituality. They rest not in the Letter, the Shell, the Carnality of Manifestations: but they penetrate and dive into the Spirit, Life, Kernel, and Mystery of things. He that is Spiritual discerneth all things.—The Spirit searcheth all things, even the deep things of God.

(3) More clear. Under the Old Testament, though the Federates had a true and saving Knowledge of God, &c. yet it was very dim, dark, obscure; They were taught by Types and shadows of good things to come, by Prophecies and Promises which were to have a future accomplishment. All things were very remote and at a great distance from them. Now Prophecies and promises of future blessings, are usually very dim and dark, in Comparison of Performances: And Types are very obscure in comparison of the Truth and Substance of those shadows: And all things at a great distance are beheld darkly, in comparison of things at hand. Hence, Moses spake to the People with a veil upon his face: which denoted, Partly The darkness of the Old Covenants Ministration; Partly The darkness and blindness of the Peoples hearts, the veil of ignorance and unbelief predominating exceedingly there. The Ministration was veiled: And their Apprehensions veiled: All was under a dark veil. But now under the New Covenant, Prophecies and Promises are accomplished: Types and Shadows are fulfilled; The veil is done away in Christ: All that remote distance is removed: And we all with (unveiled) open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Now the shadows of the night are over, and the day is at hand, and the Sun of Righteousness is risen with healing in his wings, as Malachi prophesied; Jews (as Calvin notes) had some light, but we have the Sun himself. They had Sky-light, Star-light, Moon-light as it were, but we have Sun-light. They had the Morning, we the Noon-tide of Light. Notable is that of our Savior's; Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: For I tell you, that many Prophets and Kings have desired to see those things that ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them, Luke 10. 23, 24. Hereby (as Calvin observes) Christ intimates, That God hath shined out more fully by the Doctrine of the Gospel then formerly. In like sort Christ saith, He thats least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater then John the Baptist, Mat. 11. 11. who yet excelled all the Prophets. John the Baptist in his Office was more excellent then all the Prophets, and surpassed them in understanding, and yet saith Christ, the least Professor and witness of the Gospel is greater then he. This is not only referred to their Persons, nor ought only to be restrained to them, but rather to the clear and plain manner of teaching, which is found in the Gospel. Now he that's least among the faithful, much more clearly understands whatsoever belongs to the Summ of Salvation, then those which were not vulgar among the Jews: as Calvin expresseth himself.

(4) More Evidential and Ensuring, both in regard of itself, of Spirituals, and consequently of our State towards God. This Evidentialness of New Testament-Knowledge, beyond that of the old, necessarily follows from the former surpassing Clearness thereof. That which is most clear, resplendent and perspicuous, is most Evidential, and best discovers both itself and other things unto us. Whatsoever maketh manifest, is Light. As in the coelestial bodies, the more light any of them have in themselves, the more clear they are, the more do they discover, evidence and manifest themselves and all visibles to us; The