294 OfGads Workmanfhip. felves: God bath ordained that way to Heaven, wherein he (hall have all the Glory, and man.take only flume and confufion to himfelfi How can Pride and Vain-glory ever lodge in ourhearts, whenGod onely makes us to differ fromothers, and we have nothing but what we have received?,Hence the Apoftlecloth fooften put the converted Saints in minde, what they were once, how they walked inall their groffewales of fins and hainous crimes, as others did, till God had mercy on them, and this he doth to return all into grace. The remembrance ofwhat thou welt once, how full of fin , what an enemy to that which is good, may make thee cryour, Not Hato in Lord, not urto xi:, but unto thy Name belongs all glory. 4. The fourth end, whyGod yo4besfucha glorious change upon his people, is to ingage them to more Service andObedience, Thatas they have yeelded r he.ufelves fervants to finne, now fervants to Righteoufneffe : Men of great fins when converted, become men of great fervices. Thus David, who finned above others, howaltive is he for Gods glory above others? Pahl who theChurch more then all, when converted labours more then-they- ail. This is fharp good to be more then an ordinary Saint, when a man bath been more tiren an ordinary firmer. Ptier that three times denied theiff, is three times balled upon tofeed Chrifls Al. The ground that was fruitful of weeds, when well ordered, becomes excellent for corn. 5, A fifth end is, HerebyGodWould provoke others togodline ffe ; For when we fee that byGods grace men of defperate lives, and hopeleffe converfations, are be- comeloversof God and Godlineffe, then what a fhame will this be ro others; who did not teem farre from the Krngdome of Heaven ! . Thus God is laid to provoke the peopleof Ifrael to jealouliie, for when they faw the Gentiles, who knçw not God, and lived in all darkneffe andwickedneffe, tobecome.imbracers of Gods Worfhip; This wasenough to firm upJealouge;in them. :Thus alfo theP,harifees might have blufhed to fee the Publicans and Harlots entring the Kingdomof Heaven before them. Oh what a provocation fhould this be to men, when they fee men who were formerly averfe and contrary to what is good, now to refoyce in it ! When a Mary Magdalen forfaketh her luns, and cleaved] toChrift, what Harlots thenwill any longer Rand out? When Paul an enemy makesmuch ofthat way he fo hated once, How might this turn alf the Pharifees ? When therefore you fee God working fuch .grit things upon any man, fay, The Lord dotb this toprovoke me, Shall limb .nd not I? Shall fuch amend their wares,and I (land out Rill ? Having thus explained the Doctrine, let us confider what ufe may be made of this, Z ie. And Grit, Is it thus ufual with God, To raifeflanes to bechildren to ti`Gr<éam, to makea barrenWildernefe a pleafant garden ? then what Encouragement may the Minifters of God have, where they fee die greaten: oppoution and averfe- neffe ? Alas God doth not finde men with a natural propenfity to g. od things, but he creates them.Godcloth not find men Lambs,but he makesWolces Lambs; fometimes where Paul had aminde to goe, hoping to doe good the Spirit of God did prohibit him to goe, and at other timeshe is fent to a people, that was not likely. This made the Prophet fay, He Was found of chafe that fought him.. not. We are with m lbraham not to look to the dead womb of the Creatures, but to the mighty Power of God, who calleth things that are not, as if they were. It was Mofes his finneof unbelief, and for whichonly he was hindered from entring in Canaan, that when God bad him finite thei Rock, to have cra- ter gulp out, hewas unwilling, and doubted whether God could doe it or no. Let not the Minifters of God finne through unbelief, asif to God, the conver- lion of men were not poffible, betaute its impoffible to men. When *e Dif ciples had been fifhing all night, and catched nothing, Chrift afterwards bids them SHCr.VI.
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