31S of thebearerBfiablifhme,t dy Grace. S .VII. thoughwe be not thofe worthies that went before us: an excellent point ofcom- fort. In the next place be dehorts from the contrary finne. Be not carried about with diversand ftrangeDoftrines; carriedabout, as light, empty chaff is witheverywinde ; divers, that is, differentDodrines one with another, for all errours difagree among themfelves, as well as with the truth ; (!range Do- drines, becaufebrought in againft the fenfe and meaning ofthe.Scripture : now to make this Dehorcation prevalent, he declareth that grace in the heart is farte better then any learning inthe head, by thePropofition in the Text, it is good, the pofitive is for the comparative, it is better to eftablifh , or have the heart eflablifhed(the word is in the middlevoice)bygrace, that is, the inward works and gifts of Gods fancîifying Spirit, then with meats, that is , difpute= and controyerlies ablaut the difference of meats : you know how that Queflion troubled the Church of God in her infancy. Some indeed expound meats of the Legal Sacrifices, for theJews thought themfelves made more holy by eat- ing thereof. Infonruch that Come are brought in pleading this at the day of Judgement, Have wexot tat in thy pretence ? Others relate it to chafe banquets, and dainty feaflings, the Nicolaitanr entertained their Difciples with : but the fiat expohtion is CO bepreferred. Bi grace alto fome underftand the Do- étrine of faith ; others the graceof the Gofpel, and the fenfe of it in our hearts. But the ph rare, E/Ial 1117, oh heart withgrace, dothcarry it for fame gift of God wrought in the foul, confirming and felling it in the truths and commandments of pod, by faith and obedience, which we call fanftifying grace; fo that as I base handled the work ofgodlineff, under the notions of regeneration and a New t:reature; fo 1 fiaaH out of this rext (peak of ir, under that ufual and fre- quenuname of grace, theworkofgrace its a mans heart; burthere is one pro- fitable and necetfary Doftrine lieth in the way, beforeweenter into the bowels of that Point. That whereas the Apotle dehortingfrom following ftrange and divers Doòlrines, doth urgeas a fpecial help and remedy hereunto, to get grace in our hearts, whereas inprobability we Ihouldhave thought, he would have Ssrefcribed, tofiudycontroverlies, tofpendour time in Difputes, that fo we may finde out the truth, he advifeth not to firth a courfe, but to ftudy the ea- mire ofgrace, and to have our hearts eftablifhedwith praetical godlinelfe, as if ao heart bulledand diligent in the prullical power ofgrace, werethe bet bul- wark in the worldagaint all falfe Doftrines. Obferve then, Thatits farbetter to have the heart filled with the power of grace, then the head Withdi/fates and contraverfies in Religion. Its,( enter tohave faith felling thy heart upon Chrit, then to difputewhether faithfatifie. Its more comfortable to be a Saint, then CO argue, Whether Saintsonly are membersofa vifble Church. For opening this,Ilhallirnlhew, What it is to havegraceeffablith the heart, and thengive the grounds ofthePoint.Only you muffknow,that asgrace is here laid to etablifh the hearc;fo in other places thiseffeft is attributed toGod,' Pet. 5, r o.TheAponte there prayeththat Godwould ftablith,trengthen,fettle them: there Goddoth ir,and here Grace;for its ufual in Scripture to attribute thefame effeft to theintrumentaland principal caufe ; Grace doch only etablilh the heart ofa man formally, as the inftrument of GodsSpirit; and indeed grace in theheart being alfoa creature, though ofa fupernatural excellency, needeth it felt a daily trengthning and prefervation fromGod. Hencethe Apoftiewhen he exhortethus topar on the whale armor .f Chrifi ; when all this is done, he concludeth, Prayingalwayet, Ephef.5.nS. AChriftianin all his fpiritualftrength I,° wtut k "f` muft as ifhe h as ad rneffl , and dependas folelyuponthepower and mightof God, i°h`reen se'r` This premifed, let us fenfe grace beraid to to- cal lifiteth P g may ets kaart, blifhand fettle theheart : Andthis it doch feveralwaies, lFirR,
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