The Covenant of Grace

p. 1Chap. I. Shewing the Light of the Law in the Spirit.

GOD is light, and in him there is no darknesse at all: All though its true, God is with his People under dark dispensations, upholding them in it, though many times they are ignorant p. 2of it; and although it's true, soules once gathered up, by the power of light; into its own fulnesse, where it beholds the purity, sweetnesse, and glory of the invisible God; being in some measure, through that fight, made conformable unto him, and partaker of that selfe same glory; the discovery of true light in Saints, being the right way of true enjoyment.

Now Saints when they have not only drunk of the bitter cup with Christ, (viz.) The cup of sufferings, and so have been made conformable to him in his death; but likewise have drunk new wine with him in his Fathers Kingdome, even that wine of the Spirit, which makes glad the heart of the City of God; hence the soul, being thus imbrac'd into the bosome of love, and at present come in the Kingdome of his dear Son, concludes with the Prophet, Thou hast made my mountain so strong I shall never be moved; but immediatly the Father withholding those manifestations and sweet imbracements in the bosome of Love, the soule is troubled; Thou didst but hide thy face, and I was troubled: This was Pauls condition, who was caught up into the third heaven, p. 3saw and heard things unutterable, yet the Father lets him down again under a cloud of flesh; which seems at present to eclipse and darken his former glory, which was his trouble and his burthen, desiring to be rid of it; but he was answered, My grace is sufficient for thee, my strength shall be perfected in thy weaknesse; this being the experienced condition of many a precious soul who, although they are sometimes taken up into the third heavens, and so have a tast given them of the heavenly glory, yet they are let down again under a cloud of flesh living upon grace, looking after, and hasting unto the glorious appearing of the great God; knowing, That when Christ who is our life shall appear, wee shall appear with him in Glory; that as wee suffer with him, wee shall raign with him.

p. 3Now there being false Light, which is indeed darknes it felfe, in the world, and a mystery of iniquity under the pretence of truth, by which many are deceived: I shall therefore in this insuing Treatise, according to the measure received, give a brief touch of the true Light, Liberty, Righteousnesse, p. 4Holines, Power and Glory of the Law in the Spirit, the Covenant of grace written in the heart, in opposition too and discovering of that law of darknes, sin and flesh, the one being the law of the new, the other the Law of the old man.

This Law in the Spirit, is the Spirit it selfe conforming souls to it selfe; and its first a Spirit, a law of light, even that true light, that lighteth every soule that comes to the Father; He is light, and in him there is no darknesse at all.

This Law of light, where it works powerfully, where it works savingly, it enlightens the understanding, in these ten particulars following.

First, It enlightneth the understanding, by which it comes to see the evill of sinne, the evil nature of it, the evill consequences of it.

1. The evil nature of it, the evill fountain from whence it flowes, even the fountain of flesh and devil, a bitter, and filthy root, which produceth fruit sutable unto such a tree, which is Death, the consequent or fruit of sinne, The wages of sinne is death; the soul is now taught to see the evil nature of sin, the p. 5contrariety of it unto the divine nature; the soul can see and say truly, that although sinne is nothing to God, although sin reacheth not God, yet it is absolutely contrary to those divine and heavenly discoveries of God made forth in the spirits of Christians; if you search the Scripture you shall finde this a manifest truth in the Spirits working; See Act. 2. 37. chap, 9. 3, 4, 5, 6. If you search your own experience, you shall finde it sutable; never any soule made partaker of grace, but first made sensible of the want of grace, by the enlightning power of the Spirit of grace in the discovery of a mans selfe unto himself, and so of the evill nature, of the evill consequence of sin, which is a sensiblenesse of an internal and spirituall death under darknesse, and a lake of fire; and this worke of discovery by this Law of light is effected, not only in soules at their first conversion; but all along while flesh and sinne remains, till death is swallowed up in life, and mortality hath put on immortality, till Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall we appear with him in glory.

p. 5Que. What is sinne? p. 6Ans. Sinne, is a transgression of, or turning aside from a righteous Law; if wee judge of sinne by a letter, a law without us, then it is a transgression of that Law, a turning aside from the Law; but if we judge of sin according to the light of the Law in the Spirit, then all turnings aside from, all motions and actings contrary unto that Spirit of life and light, are sinne; and indeed souls living in the light of this law are able to judge between the motions and actings of flesh and spirit, they are made able to judge truly of good and evill, and that not by eating of the forbidden fruit, but by being made partakers of the fruit of the Tree of Life.

So that now the Christians discovery of sinne is not so much after the law of the old, as after the law of the new man, that law of spirit and life in Christ, which is a sinne discovering law where it enlightens; so that a Christian in the light of this law, sces every motion to evill, every lust and corruption, the whole body of flesh, to be contrary to that divine & spirituall law, to that divine p. 7nature received; and hence is maintained a continuall warre against it, untill that warfare be accomplished in the ending of it.