The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• Introduction
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• The Divine Feudal Law Represented
• §1.
• §2.
• §3
• §4
• §5
• §6
• §7
• §8
• §9
• §10
• §11
• §12
• §13
• §14.
• §15
• §16
• §17
• §18
• §19
• §20
• §21
• §22
• §23
• §24.
• §25
• §26
• §27
• §28
• §29
• §30
• §31
• §32
• §33
• §34
• §35
• §36
• §37
• §38
• §39.
• §40
• §41
• §42
• §43
• §44
• §45
• §46
• §47
• §48
• §49
• §50
• §51
• §52
• §53
• §54
• §55
• §56
• §57
• §58
• §59
• §60
• §61
• §62
• §63
• §64
• §65
• §66
• §67
• §68
• §69
• §70
• §71
• §72
• §73
• §74
• §75
• §76
• §77
• §78
• §79
• §80
• §81
• §82
• §83
• §84
• §85
• §86
• §87
• §88
• §89
• §90
• §91
• §92
• §93
• §94

§55

The chief Heads of Holiness are to abstain from Evil.Holiness of Life consists of two Parts; which are the Abstaining from Evil, and the Performance of what is good, Psal. 34:15. For the Abstaining from Evil, is not only to be done in the beginning of Conversion, as by which a dirty and thorny Way is cleansed and clear’d, that there may be a free Access to the Saviour by Faith, Mat. 3:3. Mark 1:3. Luke 3:4, 5. from Isa. 40:2. He that sate at the Receipt of Custom must rise and depart thence, Mat. 11:9. Luke 19:8. But it must also be continued through the whole Life, Rom. 13:12, 13, 14. 1 Cor. 5:7, 8. 6:9, 10, 11. Gal. 5:19, 20, 21. Eph. 2:1, &c. 4:17, &c. 5:3, 4, 5, 11, &c. Col. 3:5, &c. 1 Thess. 1:9. 2 Tim. 2:19. Tit. 2:12. 1 Pet. 1:14, 15. 2:1, 2, 11, 12. 24:4, 2. Heb. 12:1. And this is to put off the old Man; that is to lay aside the former Vices, evil Habits, and evil Actions, proceeding from the Original Corruption, and afterwards confirm’d and made frequent by Custom. But as for those, who in their Infancy were dedicated to Christ by Baptism before they could commit actual Sins, and be sensible of their so doing, or could make any Reflections upon their Actions, and so cannot be possessed with any Grief for what they have done; with them Repentance takes place when they have wandred from the right way by gross and voluntary Sins, and have fallen from the Grace of the Covenant. And they must seek to return again to the Favour of the Covenant, by a Godly Sorrow for the Sins they have committed, by ceasing to commit them, and by a Reparation of the Loss and Damage which they have done to others by their Sin, and also by their trusting in the Merit of Christ, and renewal of their Desire and Endeavour after Holiness. But because even they who have once put off their former Filthiness, and are by Baptism and Faith ingrafted into Christ, are not so perfectly purg’d from their Original Pollution; but that by reason of this evil Desires, as Vapours from a filthy Lake, and Motions towards Sin will arise in them, and these may produce at least sudden slips, which yet may not throw a Man out of a State of Grace, 1 John 1:8, 9. Rom. 7:22, 23, 24. 8:1, 3, 4. Therefore the whole Life of Christians ought to be pass’d in perpetual Pennance and Strife against the evil Desires of the Flesh. Which Strife the Holy Scriptures every where express in most emphatical words, which imply partly the difficulty of suppressing these; partly the earnest Endeavour, and fervent Desire which should be imploy’d and concern’d herein. So Rom. 6:6. Our old Man is said to be crucified with Christ, that the body of sin might be destroy’d, and that we might not henceforth serve sin: So we are commanded to crucifie the flesh with the affections and lusts. So we are said to be dead unto sin, that it should not reign in our mortal body, to make us obey it in the lusts thereof, nor yield our members instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, Rom. 6:11, 12, 13, 14. But by the spirit we must mortifie the deeds of the body, Rom. 8:13. or our earthly members, Col. 3:5. and beat down the Body, and bring it into subjection, 1 Cor. 9:27.