239 / 808
V
it
R.
5.
Epbefiáns,
Chap
.2.
7
y
and yet
the
one can no more
hclpe himfelte
w lit:
then
the
or;tcr. So
a Fox and
an
Affc,the one may be
bid
neercr
to
reafon
then
the
other,
becaufe in degree
of
unreafonableneffe,
he
is
not
fo
much removed
;
yet
in kind
they
are
both
one,and
can
do nothing which might change
their
kind. So
here,
they
are
faid
neercr
refpeétively,in
regard
of
others
"inners
more remote, not that abfolutely they
are
neercr
;
as
an
Ape may be
faid
Comparatively to
be reafonable.
This
confuteth the
enemies
of Gods grace; Papifis,and
Lutheranes:
Who
make
man
have
Tome
reliques
of
ftrength, whereby being cxci-
ted,and prefented,and fhowed
a
fit
object,
he
can
of
himfelfc turne
to
God.
But
what
were it availeable
to
come to
a blind man and
fhow
him the
funne and tell him
of
it
e
till he have an
in
fight given
him,
all
is vaine.
So here needeth
a
Creating, renewing
grace,
not
a
bare
men-
ding,
or
repairing,
what
is
amiffe.
But
if
wecannot at
all
difpofe
our
felves
to
life,
why
are we called
upon
a
why
fhould we
hear:
the
word!
&c.
Becaufe
thefe things are
good,
fuch as
God
requireth
,
which we
muff not leave off, becaufe we
cannot
do
them pleafingly,but
labourto
atraine
the right manner.
Secondly,that
we may not let
our
felves
further off falvation,which
we may, though we cannot doe that which may helpe forward
our
calling.
It
is
forlornc defperate
folly, when we are
in
force degrees
of
evil!,
to
thinke the crow
can
be
no
blacker then her wing ; and
fo
throw down our
felves
deeper into
tnifchief.Though
as
we
ufe
them,
thefe prepare
us
nor,
yet
as
God doeth
ufe
them they doe
prepare
As;
as
when
one ftriketh
a
knife
into his lungs,
God
may
fo
guid
it,
as
to beak
an
impofthume;
A
man taking drinke intemperately, and
fin
-
in9,God
may
heale
a
frckneffc
by ir.
Hence
!carne
we
to
deceit
thofe
workes
of
Congruity,
and
con
-
feffe
we can
doe nothing
;
cry to God
,Turn
thou
us,
and
we
Ad(
be
turned.
A mother
will
not
caft
away her
child&
for
an
Itch
,
or
the
riling
of
pimples, which for the prefent
deforme;
fhe
bought it too
dcarc
to
part with it fo lightly. So
our God
will not
for
infirmities
caft
us off,
he
bath bought
us at
too
deare
a
rate,
fo to
part with
us.
,9
ickned
us
in
Chsif
.
]
o6f.
What
is
the
flare
to
which the belee.
ver
is
brought
he
is
made partaker
of
the
life
of
God.
It
may be
faid
of
him which
is
fpoken
of
the
prodigal! child,
who
though
he
had
hung
dead, yet
is
now
alive.
So thefe
brought untothe
Faith
,
though
before dead,
yet now
are
brought to
life:
the Apoftle
deadin trefpafes
and fanner,
as
the
reff,
came
to
have
Chrift
living in him ; being fet in-
to Chrift,
he had
fellow/hip
in
the death
and ref
rreCtion
of
Chriji.
The
Colofsians,
dead
in
the
uncircumcifion
ofhearts,
came
to be
brought
to
life
with
Chrift,
their
fanner being
forgiven
them.
We
have
experience
of
is
who were
blind, uncircumcifed
in
heart , favouring
earthly
things,
walking from
trefpaffe
to
trefpafl'e,
utterly
unac-
quainted with
the
life
of
God,
now
light
in
the
Lord,
now our hearts
pricked for
fine
,
trembling at the word
,
preft
to
obedience
,
now
affecting
Vfe
t;
Confutation
of
the patrons
of
nature.
objetl.
zinf
j.
2.
yfe:
Got
out
of
thy felfand
fly
ro
God.
Lam.
f.a
L.
Doti.
Beleeyers par-
take
of
the life
of God.
Luke
15.
;a.
Gal.
a.aa.
Phil.
;.to.
Col.
;.
;.
Eph.ça8.