'LT d r11 Ob'J;f[tiom an:;f...JJercd. ! 49 • 1 ea 1 • • ' you can do : ye will ·be condemned, not only for your want of grace, but for your defpifiog of it. Objefl. (3,) But all thi~ i.r needlef:, Je~in,g •we are ut~ ter/y unable to f,efp omfe;ves out of the flate of)in a11"" ~rath . Anf pive no place to that dell!lfion, which puts a{uoder what God bath joined, namely, the ufe oft .eans, and a fenfe of our own impotency~ If ev~r the Spirit of Gcd ~raciouDy influence your fouls, ye will become tbroughly feofible of your abfolute inabi~ity, 2nd yet enter upon a · , ,igo·rous ufe of means. Ye will d0 for yourfelves, as if ye were to do all ; and yet overlook all ye do, ::~s if ye had done nothing. Will ye do nothing for yourfdves, becaufe ye cannot do all ? lay down no fuch impious conclu!ion a- . gain!t your own fouls. Do what you can ; and it may be, while ye are cluing what ye can for yourfelves, God will do for you what ye cann.ot.. Under.fiandefl thou 'What tFou r.eadefl· ? faid Philip to the Eunuch : H O".JJ can I, fa id he, except Jome ma11 jhould guide me? ACts viii ..30, 3 1. He could not uoderfl:and the fcripture he read ; yet he coul~ read it : he did what be could, he read ; and while he was reading·, God fent him an·interpreter. The lfraeiites were in a great Hr ait at the Red·fea :, and how could they help themfdves, ·when upon the 'one hai!ld' were mountains, and on the otl1er,, the enemies garrifon ; when Pharaoh and · l!is hofl were behind· them, arrd the Red·fea befo1·e them .? \Vhat could they do ? Speak tt1!to the children of ij,~"l!el, f-aith the Lord to Mofe!, tkat they go for<Ward, Exod. xiv . F5 ~ For what end fhould they go forward ? Can they make a paffage to themfelves through the fea? No ; but let them go;_forward, faith the Lord : tho' they cannot turn fea to dry land, . yet they can go forward to the f};ore ; and fo they did : a-nd when they did wbat tht!y could; God ·did for them what they could not do. · ~tefl. Has Codpromifod to convert andJave them, who, in the ufi of mea?Js, do what they can toward! their own relief? An[. \Ve may not tpeak wickedly for God : na-· tural men beiog fira.ngers to the covenant I ofpromife, F.ph. ii. 12. have no fuch promife made to them. Neverthelefs _they do , not atl rationally , t,tnfefs they. ex-ert the powers t-hey have, and clo what they can. For, ('I.) It is poffible: th1s. courfe may fuccced with them. lf ,I-~ do what ye can, N 3· "' i't
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