SÉrlll.2. towardstheir own Con4/erfion ? 37 dettruaion, 22Chro.I2.I2. Ahabs humiliation did adjr,urn the judge- o ent, 17Ctng21.27,29. The Ninivites found favour with God upon their fai wgand rerentance, 3on.3.8,9,10. 7. Corcluf. All the ABeings andendeavour of men whatfoever they be, arenot f rmstliter diCpoutions or preparations to converGon, fo that conver- tìon muff neceffarily follow upon them : For there is no neçeffary con- nexion between the a&ings of Men,and divine Grace. TheLord hash no where laid, if you adt fo fir, or be fo difpofed, qualified, or. prepared, I will convert you. If Gods grace did depend upon mess Accings, then thofe that are mo(1 Civil and Moral muff be taken, and thofe who are profane and rebellious mu(U be left; bu. Pharifees we:e excluded, when Publicans and Harlots were admitted. Gres. (inners fotnetimes are brought in, who did nothing towards their conver- fion,when thole that did much are (hut out. Mary Magdalen a great and infamous finn.er is taken, when the foclifh Virgins were refuted they were Vi gins free from the (pots and pollutions of theworld, they had Lamps, Profelfons, they did much, they went our. co meet the Bride-groom, they gat o)l into their lamps, they went.to thedoor, and they cried, Lard, Lord, open to ata, and there was no opening to, x.fcjlst op rn them.What preparations had Patel to this work of converGon ? he was: prcpz,aror,a a blafphemer, a perfecuter, and an injurious perCon, thefe were his dif- 2 «tb4S f pofitions and preparatory works the had towards his conv,.rfion, Pat,1,4 Junin 1 Tim. I.13 . locum. 8. ('oncluf. Thole that liveunder themeans of grace,the admini(lrarions of Law and Gofpel,shave Tome operations and gifts of the Spirit ( which fore call common preventing and exciting Grace) whereby they are ina- bled to do many things towards, and in order to converGon. The Scribe that was teachable, and anfwered Chrifi difcreetl , was not far from the Kingdom of God, Mark,i2.32,34.. H,: wIs reirer unto it, than thole had not the means. ï he preaching of the Gofpd is to make the converted meet for Glorv,and the unconverted me._c for Grace,to prepare and bring them to regeneration. I have begotten yogi through the preaching of the Gofpel, Lich Paul to the C'orìnthians, z Epift.4.1 g.The preaching of it wrought much in then, before con verlion it felf was wrought. Bzlaan living under the Law, and amonga or nigh the people of God, was nmch inlightned, and greatly convinced, iñfornuch that he defired to die the death of the righ- taow. y.Con-
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=