ephefianl,Chap.><, VEx,lp, come a&uaily to convert ; for that Gods power put forth toworke good for us, is a helpe given from his freegrace, or his free favour to- ward us cannot be doubted, when the Scripture every where maketh him our helper, from his meere grace. If we lend our arme or hand tohelpe one, being no way tyed to it, it is a helpe given from our free favour. That his call , inward or outward , and habit of grace, wrought in us, may be fitly called grace effe&ually helpfull to the a is brought forth bythem, none denieth, though all will not have habit needful! to our firft converfion. And this firft thing is well to benoted; for from hence we may gather in what ftandeth the efficacie ofGrace, effe&uall toconverfion, viz. In Gods effe&uall power, put forth to ex- ecute his intention which he hath of converting Tome aétually before otherfome ; it doth not ftand inany congruity or temperature of Grace, correfpondent to our Nature; for this Both argue that there is inward- ly an incorrupted , a connaturall difpofition to receive grace. This maketh the effe& ofconverfion to depend as much on the active ca- pacityof the will, as on the Grace of God ; nay more : forkmaketh the Graceof God worke it morally and externally, and the will of man from apower withinit felfe, which doth more inwardlyenterthe effe&of converfion then the other; as he who perfwadeth me togive an acmes, isthe caufe of it fo effentially as I am, who out of my plea- fure give it upon his firft motion. To the fecond I anfwer, that God doth ufe fo to worke our corn- ming to him by beliefe, that he doth firft for the moft part prepareus thereunto : As before we engraffeaSience we cut itand fen it for loci- Gon; and if a timber logge lye funkeinto mudde, men fet to their tack-' lings firft todraw it out ofthemire, before they lay it in onCart tocar- ry it away : Thus God dothby his power oftenworke fome prepara- tive change in a finner,beforehe doth by hispower and wordworke the fpirit of faith in them, and make them come to him. Thus God by of h lions is faid to boare the Bare, and toprepareto converfion. When cJtanaffes was humbled in great mifery, he fought the Lord ; Thus by convi&ion of finne they were pricked in heart, and Paid, What fholl wee doe to befaved? and then fpeedily received the Gofpell beleeving: fometimes by extraordinary terrors, riling from external! accidents,yea, hidden naturali caufes; thus the Jaylor was prepared, and Paul him- felfe by an extraordinary vifion was brought to great aftonifhment : fometime by reftraining,giving commongifts which make men forde- gree neerer, that is, in their kinde and ftate not fo much removed, as o- thers in the fame flateand kinde withthem:ThusChrift faid to the young man, whowas rich and unconverted, that he was nerve the kingdeme: Nay, God may by giving a man up to the height offorce finne, or fins, prepare one to Converfion, as Pex1 and Manaffes, the one left to perfe- cuttng, the other tothofe horribleoutrages; that lookeas Phyfitiansby ripening difeafes make way to heale them ; for ficke matter is never more ea9ly brought away,thenwhen it in ripenefs andquantity exceed- eth. Concerning this matter, for our better underítanding,let there con- clufi«ns be remembred. Firft,
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