Houston-Packer Collection BV4253 .B85 1649 .B85 1649

raceand Lovebeyond ts fpeak,are a dead grace-,and grace is a living gift;dead men are free among the dead, & living men love to converfe with the living ; grace is a living quality, & therefore it prizeth living Saints,& things are molt favory that corn from a living hand; but gifts in comparifon are a dead thing, and therfore prizeth dead notions,and dead perfons ; and things relilh belt which corn from a dead hand,as boOks and the like ; why ? becaufe gifts being dead, themfelves are free among the dead. 3 Again,They differ alfo in their difpofition,for Grace and Holineffe is contented with the firnplicity of theGofpel,Gifts are not contented therewithal, and therfore you Thal obferve that the Corinthians, who excelled in gifts, adulterated the Gofpel with t heir fwelling words, the Go/orb/ant adulterated the Doarine of the Gofpel, and mingled the Do&rine of the Gofpel with Juftification by Works, & the Corinthians ming- led the words of theGofpel with their own fwelling languag,% they had gifts,& they were not contented with the fimplicity of the Gofpel, I but grace is. You fee how it is with a Child that corns into a corn field, he is mightily taken with the blue or red weeds, or a company of dairies ; but nowwhen a man coms,the Husbandman toms, he looks at the corn, and is not for much taken with the blue or the red weeds, or the dailies that grow there,but heis takenwith the corn it felf : So now take a man that hath gifts only , and bring him to a Sermon, or to a Prayer,and if there be any fine expreffions,any dailies lie is much taken with them, he prizeth and magnifieth them, and he hangs on them ; but now bring a man that hath grace to Prayer, or to a Sermon, and he looks at the corn, he cloth not look at the dailies fo much but at the fpirituallity and the power of thofe things that are there delivered : They differ in their difpofition. 4 Again, They differ alfo in their effe&s Grace hath a good hand at fuffering,as wel as at doing : Gifts have a very good hand at doing, but they havean ill hand at fuffering ;, they are given to profit withal , they are given to a61, and to do with ; But when you come to fuller, gifts (I fay ) though they have a good hand at doing, they have a very ill hand at. fuf-

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