2 46 Of Eleilion~ --~--------~~------- ~ belongi11g to Lij~, f§c. So fuitably, .all things become likewife new for aai11gr, BooK IV. even tile knowledge of the Perfon of Chnfi; and that not only m the point of ~Fanb jriflifying, or when put forth for jufiificaticin in him, but theknowledg . of h1s f>erfon and of. all in h1m; if I bavt know11 Cbrijl afttr tbe flt/b, he11ce· forth I know him fo 110 mort; all his knowledge of hirri, as he was the Mellias, was wholly new. My Explication of this firll ground is, that whereas yoti may think and judge that a Man that is favingly called, and a Man that Is otherwife wrought upon, they both believe that God i&, but only in common; from one and the fame principle, which ferves both alike to act fo far : For this, you'! fay is bur ameer Hillorical Faith, and the acts thereof are common to both ofrh~m. Bur give me leave to t~ll you, that tobeliev~ that God i<, this in a Mad truly and lpmrually called, IS a different act and tlung from the Fatth that 1s in the~ ther; and you have Heb. 11. 6. plainly for it, he that comes to God mujl be– lievt that he u, &c. Prom this I would infer, that to believe that God u · (which i• the A, B, C, of a Chrillian) he that is called, begins to believe i; anew: He begins even there anew, that is, he bath another kind of act of Faith about it, and upon another light and ground than another Man hath, be he never fo much enlightned, (if not favingly,) So likewife to believe tht~t God madt tht lforld, in which the Apofrle inllances alfo in the fame place,and my argument from that place is, that the Apollles fcope is there to give inllan– ces of faving Faith, and that as with difference from others: For to fpeak of fuch aFaith as isfaving, he had profdfed to do, and of no other in that fore– going fpeech, which leads en to that whole difcourfe of Faith, in Chap. I I. in thefe words, in the Iallver(e of Chap, 10. But we are 11ot of them who draw 6ackuntoperdztion, lmtof them that !Jelitve to the [aving of the Soul; he therefore fpeaks altogerher -of!aving Faith, and throughout in the following Chap. 1 r. and then all thofe io!lances which are there given , mull belong all of them umo faving Faith, flow from it: And faving Faith we are fure, is pro– per to them that are called: And then all the Acts of fuch a Faith mull differ in kindfromwhatrhefame are in others not faved; even as faving Faith it felfdiffers from Faith that is nor faving in others......,And thefe, to me, arc un– deniable things, that therefore from the very bottom or foundations of Faith, a true Believer begins a new. To inllance likewife in the Works of Humiliation forS in, and Sanctification of Nature, which we fay are preparatory for Faith, they are far different from what are wrought in any other. Brethren, Confider for this but what was the eminent effects of .!ohn the Baptill's Miniflry, -of whom 'tis faid, That he did turn mtn to the wzftlom of tht jujl, ~c. that is, he truly converted them: Yet what was the moll emi– nent effect of his Minillry ? Truly he did but point to Chrill, and in like man– ner unto Faith in Chrifl,as A[!s 19· 5· hathit, and as the Story of his preach– ing fhews : But the main bufinefs of his Preaching , and the above-ground Fruits of it in mens hearts was, That he but.prepartd the wqy for tht Lordin humbling and emptying men,which a Spirit gf Sanctification went along with, and Id! upon them. You find it prophefied of, Ij(,, 40. 3· Prtpare;-e tht way of the Lord, makt flrtight i11 tht 'Dt(art a high.way for ot•r God: Every Va/Jey fha/J bt exalttd, mzd evtry Moutttain mid Hz/J fha/J btmade low, &c. 1ht voiu {:1idcry: Andhe Jaid what jba/J I cry? A/Jflejh ugrafs, and a8 tht goodltne[J thereof uas theflower ofthtfttld. The grajJ withertth, tht jlowtr fadeth, becat~fe tht Spirit oftht Lord 6/owtth upooztt. Obferve what I tball fay hereupon: That which you call the Work of Humiliation and Re– pentance, which his Minillry fet their hearts on work upon, and which was the preparing the way for Chrifl, and which above gro~nd did more appear, and grow up highell in their fpirirs, were yet a~ true Ev1dences of an effellu~l Calling, as any of thofe allings that followed 10 thofe Converts upon Chnll s preaching that followed. As that all flefh was grafs, becaufe the Sptm of the Lord had blown upon it, and had withered the World, andall things in it; ye~, and all the fru its of He!h in a man's own heart that he trulled in, fo that he dtd then fee an emprinefs in Creature,, in legal Works, Duties, Abilities in aman · to
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