SERMON X. >vere they jiu{faji in his CO'!Jenant. How many open Rebels have been awaken'd by h fear ofDeath? and when thev~1ave tailed and feen the T~rtors of the L-ord 1 .; e Addrclfes, what Submiflions," ,what Promi{f.> have they mape to God? but.aftc~ th;:: Reprieve, how loon have they-forgot the paft 'rerro~s, and.broke .all the Bars ofRca- -~,';ry :"l.o~fi:l:e~o~~~~';:~nd'h;";::~. ~~~~e~: ~~;~~~~.~~:~:;:~~ }~;~~ife Man tells us, · Nay, Miracles without the Application of them by Grace to the fpirits of men a ineffectual t.o work Faith and Repentance. The End of them is by the Eviden~e ~~- ~~%ea~~h';~'~~f~~~'~I~~~ ~~3:C~ebe'~~n~~n~~;t~~t if~~~~i~~;J~· ye~u:h~;~,~'{ ~~ permanent Operation upon the Hearts of the Spectators. Mofes charges the ([raelites Deur. ,,_ 4 _ that !lOtwithfianding they had feen all the miraculous firokcs of God's Power upon - ;:J:e:o!:;~;~: ;:~:~~:~~ {Z~ 'j~~or~~:~hr~7:' §~~'"Jo~~:i ~;;::z:;~;,~~,:~dtf{;~ nefs, and did fuch numerous and confpicuous Miracles that compell'd the mofi fiub. born Devils to a~knowledg his Deity,yet the Pharifees remained obfrinate and incomrin- ~~~!d· toT;:.~~~~I~~~~ fi~/a;e~l~~n:ii~~~j':,~3~~~~eai~dt~~i~rf~fi~~lfty~vere almo!l frighJoh. o. H· Our Saviour affures us, No Man can come to him, except the Fatber wbich hath {ent me. draw him. The Words are fuU of Emphalis, No Man : the Negation is univerfal; no; only the Ad lS demed, No Man comes, but the Power, can come; no lefs th:'ln Omni. potent Grace draws him. _ A carnal man will not come to Cbrifl for Life: and he can. ;,~;;~:l'if ~~~ ~~~ it~t~~~~d: ,;f~1h:l1~~v~ i~rfi~·~r:l~~~dh~i~~n~~~~~~:;ef;~ ';l:li;:i~oi5b~0fe~ef~;:: Every delightlullin is like a charm'd Circle out of which the /inner cannot move. We are not to conceive of this Difability, as if finners had not deliberative and ele. ctive Faculti~s to confider and choofe what is bell: fuch a Difabi!ity would be an Argu. ment for their Innocence and Julltficauon : Nmher as If men l1ad a WIIJ to forf.1l<e Jin, h~~v;a;;~~r;~w~~J ;,~l~ep~r~~~fea~~l51~~~~,'~~:~g~~B~~~a~:~e:;{ry }::.v:s,tJ~~~n1,~ andPleafures, and delight in their fetters.. 'T.is a voluntary. culpable Impotencejoin,d with a firong Reluctancy to Grace : 'tis ·the tmpudent impenous Weakneji of the Wborifh Woman charged upon •the 1/raelites, and admits of no Apc~ogy and Defence : Nay, it aggravates the fin and fentence of fuch depraved Creatures. As there is in Vertue and Holinefs a Divine Degree of Perfection, that makes Perfons not capable of departing from their Duty: fo there is a Diabolical Degree in fin, when the foul is fo depraved, that it cannot abfiain from doing Evil. And as conrummate Venue is mofi worthy of Efieem and Praife; to when a vicious Habit contracted by long Cufiom in Sin, abfolutely polfelfes the fou l, 'tis mofi worthy of Abhorrence. Now only Divwe Grace compels Sinners to come tO Chrij}, and to partake offaving Mercies : that is, changes the Biafs of the Will, and makes it obedient to the Heavenly Call. God is the fupream Mover, and turns all Occurrences in the World to his Purpofe and Pr.ife : and the Hearts of Men are not exempt from his Dominion, but he turns them m the Rivers of Waters. The effectual OperatiOn of Grace does not vwJare the native Freedom of the WiJJ, but is congruous to it. Goers drawing is by teaching: Every one that batb h~arcl and learned of tbe Father, comes to me, When the Author of the Gofpel is the Teacher of it, the mofi fiupid and obfiinate finners Jhall be convinc'd and Obedient. To make this more clear, I will briefly confider the Intellectual Frame of Man, and the natural Subordination of the Faculties in their various Operatiorn. As the Spring in a Watch, fo the Underfianding is the firfi Mover in the reafonable Creature: the Underfianclmg has a double Faculty; the Apprehenfive, to difcover the Good and Evil in Objects prefented to it; and the Judicative, to compare and ponder rhe Good and Evil difcern'd in things; and accordingly to efieem or difvalue, to approve or diflike. The Will choofes what the Underfiandmg commends, and rejeCts what the Judgment condemns. The Affections of Defire and Delight are from the Choice of the Will, the Affections of Averfation and Flight are from the Rejection of the Will. The Purfilit or Neglect of Things, the Application or Oppofition we make m our Ad10ns and Practice to them, is from the Delight or Difiafie of Things in our Affechons. But when Lufi cnrer'd into the Soul, it perverted this Order. As the firong Tide of the Sea pouring into Rivers, turns them back to their Springs, in ~ Courfc cont~ary to ~he~r natural Motion : thus the Heart overflowing with a ftrong T1de of Corruptwn,e~pttes Jt felf into the Head the Spring ofActions : the unholy Affections work upon the Will tor:- ject the Offers ofGrace in the Gofpel; and the corrupt Will works upon the Mmd to 1 y[j'-
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