Herld HI. o;'j·tc?iow ctnjwered. I 47 f~urther, tho' unregenerate men have no gracious abilities; yet they want net natural abiliiics, which neverthdefs tbey \vill not improve. Tlrere are many things they cl'!n do, which tberdo nul; tltey will net do them, and therefore their damnation will be jufl. Nay, all their inability to good is voluntary ; they will not come ta· Chrifl, John v. 4·0. They 'wiH not repent, they will die, Ezek. xviii. jl. So they will be juitl ycondemned, becaufe theywill not tu-rn to God. nor come to Chrit1 ; but love>their chains better tha:l. their hbeny, and darlu:ejs rath~r thaJJ fight. John iii. 19. Objefl. (2 .)' lf1hJ do you then preach Chtijl to tu~· C£i!l 1U to COme t o him, to f.,·/ieVe, repent, aJid r~(e the mr:a;U o.fj~Jvalioti? ./h;j~ Becaufe it is your duty fo to do. It is your duty to ac,ept of Chrifi,as he is offeaed in the .goi~)el, to repent of yo~r fins, and to be 'hoiy in aH lll<HH1U. of con.~ ve1 farion : thefe things are commanded yon of God; a nd h!s command, not ·your ability) is the me.~fnre of y<J ur Ju– ty. Moreover, thefe caBs and exhortations, olre the me;.r.s that God is pleafed to mak~ ufe ofb for converting his ele~., Itad working gra~e in their h•.:!arts : to them 1 f aith <.'OJJi~J/j ~Y heari11g, Rom. x. i7. while they .. ne 0\S unable to help themfdvcs as the rdt of mankind ;u e. U}•on very goul gl'ounds may we) at the command of God) "'~-dx; :·dift t:) d~ tbad, g-o to their graves, :wd cty in his name, /Jr;J..iirle· t h&Jl that jleepefi, tmd.arifi·liont. tl,,~ dead, mu/ Ch;i.flf/.:idigft'~ i/ue light, Eph. v. 14. And feeing the ele& was nn to b-e known and diitingui{hed fror11 oihers before cor,n:rfion : as tjle fl~n fhin~s on the blind man's face, and the rain falls on the rocks as weil as on t~le fruitful plains; fo we preacli 'Chrifl to all, and fhcot the anow at a vei1-ture which God ' ~1imfelf diretis, as he fees meet. Moteover, thefe calls and . exhortations are nol altogether in vaio, even to rhofe that ar~ not converted by them. Suchperfons may be convinced, tho' they be not converted : altho' they be not fanttified by thefe means ; yet they <may be re11rained by them, frortl running into ·that exlefs of widcednefs, which other– wife they would arrive at. The means of grace ferve, as it were, to embalm many dead fouls which are never quick·' ~ed by them : tho' they do not reHore them to life 6 ; yet they keep them from fmelling fo rank as othenvife they vou-ld do. Fina!IJ, Tho' ye cannot recover yourfelves ~ ·N 2 nor
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=