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16

(

épbefians,Chap.><,

V

E

R.

z.

Doll.

5.

Obferve further from this,

he firft

nameth Grace, then

Peace,

as

fpringing

from the former

:

Obferve

hence

that

all

true Peace

is

that

which

is

bred

in

us

from

the knowledge

of

Gods love towards

us.

Would

we know true Peacee

if

we finde

that

Gods

love

doth

caufe in

us

this

Grace here

fpoken

of, we

may be

fure

our

peace

is

found.

To

open

this,

you

muff

know

that Gods

grace

or love,dorh

prove it felf

in

com-

mon to all, or more fpecially toforce, and may be called

a

common or

a

fpeciall

Grace.

Now

the

Peace which

is

grounded

upon conceit

of

a

common goodneffe

of

God towards

us,

is

not

found

Peace, for

even

the beans enjoy common favour from their

Creator:

God

faveth

manand

bea/I

;

he

openet

h his

hand andfilleth

them

shit

mercy

is

over all bit

works ;

this more

common

or

univerfall

mercy,

as

I may

call

it.

But

here

arifeth

a

necefl'ary

queftion,

vit.

How I

may difcerne Gods

fpeciall

grace from this more

common

e

vinjw.

Firft, this

fpeciall

grace fpringeth from another

fountain

:

common grace commeth

hence ; God

is

a

faithfull

Creator,

patient

and kinde

toward the

un-

kindeft

veffels

of

wrath

:

Henceit

is

that

he

Both

them good, that

his

goodnefl'e may

not want

a

witneffe in

their own

confcience,

Aas

14.17.

but

this fpeciall Grace

commethfrom

hence,

that

he

is

reconciled

to

us

in

his Sonne, Grace and

truth through Chrift

Jefus

;

he hath

made

us

beloved

in his

well

-

beloved,

/oh»

1.

Ephef. 1.7.

Secondly, hence

commeth

a

difference

in

the

benefits, for

that

common favour giveth

benefits

to the prefervation

of

this naturali life,

but

this love

in

Chrift'

giveth

fupernaturall

benefits

of

repentance, faith, hope, inward

change

of

heart

and

affedtions.

Hence followeth

a

third

difference:

for

common Grace

is

acknowledged fometimes while the

benefits

of

this

life

areafforded men,

but they neither

feel

nor

confefFe

Grace,

when thefe

are

bereaved; but

this fpirituall

Grace which

commeth

from

Chrift,

and

ftandeth chiefly

in

fupernaturall gifts , this

is

felt

often moft abundantly

in

of

liáions,

Romans

5.

A1Hidtions

breed

pati-

ence, patience experience, experience hope,

the

love

of

God being

fhed

into the

heart;

for

as

the

darkneffe

of

the

night

hindereth not

the brightfhine

of

the

ftarre,

no more

doth the

darkneffe

of

of

lit

i

-j

ons obfcure

the bright

-fhine

of

this

Grace toward us.Yea,

we (hall

finde

this

in

experience,

if

before our troubles we doe not overtly

skin

our

foares,

(paring our felves

in

our fins, partly

by

not

provoking

our'.

(elves

to

due repentance, partly

by not

feeking

to get the roots

of

re-

bellion

throughly mortified, partly bynot

endeavouring to weane

our!

(elves

from

all

inordinate earthly delight

in

the creature

:

for our fuper.

ficiall

fleighting

in

matter

of

repentance, our boyfterous proud

impati-

ence

not well fubdued,

our unweanedneffe

to force thing or

other;

thefe three doe make

an

eclipfeof the

light

of

Gods

countenance,when

now

weare

afHit

ed

:

This

by

the

a,ay.

A fourth

difference in

thefegra-

ces, may be taken from

the

effedt

of

them

in

the heart

;

for

the grace

a

carnall naturali man

feeleth,

never maketh

his

heart

flye up

from

all

earthly things,

and rejoyce

in

God, whom

he

feeth favourable, but

even as a

harlot, her love

is

more

to

rings, bracelets, or gold

fent

her.