Sac T. VI. ofGodsWorkman;hip. zqt and unpreparedneffe ofpeople to become godly, how univerfal is it ? Though many -Yohn Baptifls , are A voicecrying , Prepare a way for the Lord, yet the .Measntains arenot'made low, ór thévklleys exalted to make aneven and plain 1 {say, till God prepare all. That Orpheus fo much celebrated by the Heathens for his mulicalHarp, therebytaming thewilde and favage Creattfres; as alto making Trees andBufhes to runne after him as ravifhed with his.10lufick, isnothingbut a wile Magifirate,,by wholfomeand goodLaws making abarbarous people, ci- vil and righteous. But how much rather maytheWord of'God be called that Harp whichchangeth Beafls intoAngels and makes rude and fotrifh people holy ? And certainly all people generally are filch a barren wilderneffe, that if we dolook to mans power meerly, we fhoulddefpair ofevèr feeing them made pleafant Gardens. And as all newPlantations" findinga peopleuncivilized, and theground unhusbanded, need a world of pains and diligence to bring theta into good order ; fo the leveral Difpenfations of Gods Word;in divers places, which are like fpiritual Plantations, need much labour, preaching, infiruftion andexhortations, ere they are fitted for heavenlyoperations. Let us therefore makeyou look up unto Heaven, imploring that omnipotent power of God ; Oh fay, Lord, bid thefe dry bones live I Thefe crooked Trees to become flraight: fay,Lord, I have no fitneffe in me to pray, to bear, to do what is god); O do thou prepare and fit the heart 1 Secondly, Ofa people wholly impotent and unable,Godin this Ipirittaal Reaovatiara hemakesable and f rot,g io fomemeaftie to ds thingspleating to him, That wombof the foul which was fo barren thät nohumane power could Open it, God makes fruitful. Our impotency is fuppofed in that we are dead in finite and not able of our (elves to think one good thought ; What can be leffe then this we arenot ableofour felves to entertain the leaff good thought howwe may be fa- ved, how wemay leave andforfake our fins. Neither doth chis difcovery of our impotency mule us, and make us the leffe finful, or tobe the let e pitied ; for it with us, aswith a man, who had a great flock given him, and he hath prodi- gally (pent all. This voluntary inability of his dochnot excufe him frompaying his debts, but makes him more faulty, who might have done well and would not. Thus God gave us a rich and plentiful portion, and wequickly fpent all ; and now the Lawof God cals upon us for good aelions, as fo many debts we owe, and we arenot able to difcharge any. But when this renewing grace of God is vouchfafed tous, then the lame can *alb, , the blinde can fee, the dead Lazarus can come out ofthegrave, andhave thegrave cloaths untied, in which he was bound ; So that we Minders in preaching, and you people in hearing are to call upon God fervently and earneffly, that he would take away all our ina- bility and infufficiency. Oh pray that he wouldgive thee good thoughts, good of eElions, and fo good operations I fay, Oh that God who made fo many _Ro mans, Corinthians , Ephefans, of weeds to become flowers,, that he would vouchfafe the likegracious power to us 1 fay, Oh Lord, thy arm is not fhorten- edourhearts are nomorecoo flrong for thee, then theirs were. Thirdly, In this fpiritualchange, God ofa froward, contrary and irreconcilable. people, makes a loving and willingpeople to Vehat is good. Take ali men till faflaion- ed by grace, they are enemies to God and godlinelfe. The wifdoure of the Beth is not fubjeet to God, neither can it he. As the Wolfcannot love the Lamb, nor the Hawk the Dove; fo neithercan wicked men love thofe things that are holy. What a wofull experience have all the wicked men in the world in their feveral ages, givenof their curled venom, and cankered malice againf godlineffe, in all the oppofitions they have raifed againfl the faithful Mellengers of God, reproving them for finne, and informing them ofduty ! Oh but when Godmakes their waterst. go back, when he roucheth there mountains and theymelt like wax, then what imbruing and loving is there ofehát whichOnce P p a they
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