Burgess - Houston-Packer Collection BT715 .B85 1652

331 of sheHeart' Èftablipinetst by Grace. S s r. Vlt, ens of'the Devil reigning in thee, thanChriff by grace. Obferve Pool, a man in. dued withmuch grace, and who fo magnifying grace as he ? All the [tramsof his fanftifying gracerun backagain,and empty themfelves into jullifging grace, the O. cean and Fountain whence they flow. S. Eightly, Grace, wkere iris,makes a mandiligent, fervent andconfcientiom in all the means ofgrace. God kooweth that grace in oar hearts is like fmoaking flax quick- ly put our ; he therefore ha,happointed feverall Ordinances to quicken and in- flameas thereunto, fuch as prayer, hearing of theWord, and Sabbaths a now a gra- cious heart makesmuch of thetc, they are food and nourifhment of the foul ; how dothDavid long fot them 2 Therefore men that livewithout the publickOrdinan- ces, or private and family duties, what argument can they have to conclude for grace in their hearts ? for if that were in them and abounded, oh the zeal inall ho- ly duties that would difcovet it ]elf, knowing that the heart would grow cold, if thefecoales of fire were not powred on it. Thofe Plants would not grow, if there- were not continual watering, Is the next place, confider theexcellent, and precious advantagesor properties The precious of grace. As, advantages or properties of MT, ¡t o ekeooly truenobility oed perfeIlion of the foul. If the Poet laid of grace. Moral virtue, that it wasJala & unica nobilitae animi,the foie nobilityofthemind: I. howmuch more mutt grace be ? for this is indole, divina non hmrnana, We are by it born of God, and fo refemble not man but God. TheBertas: for fearching in. tomatters of Religion are Paid to bemore noble than others : foras finne makesa man bafe,unworhy,and therefore like unto the bruit heals, fo grace innobles a man, exateth him, and makeshim likean Angel, yea like God. The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour, faith Solomon, Pro, 12,36. wherfore the godly are compared to valets ofhonor in the houle, & thewicked to vefíels ofdilhonor, a Tiro. 2.20. Ohthen why do men clean themfelves according to their birth, greatneffe,worldly advantages: Alas, its grace that is the glory of' a man: wick- edneffe in great men, honouted men, rich men, is but a noilome dunghill covered with Scarlet. Secondly, Grace onely bath thepramifesof Odd life, and thelife to come made to a. it. So faith the the Apoffle, r Tim. 4. 8. Heavenand Salvation is promifed not to men of parts,moralìty; but tomenof grace. Look overany promife in theScrip. tare for pardonof finne, for joy and happineffe, this is given onely to thofe that have grace in them. Now to bea man without a promife , is to be like one in the old world, without inArk, when the Deluge did oyerflow : Let thy Gnnes lye like fo many mountains uponthee, thou haft no incooragement tocall GodFather, till this gracebath made thee achild to him. Why is it, that men doe not confider this now ? Who can tell thee all the woe and mifery that belongs to thee, while God lets a fiery (word tokeep thee from every promife, as once hedid Adam from the 'Tree oflife ? and for the thingsof this life, they are promifed oncly to grace by way of mercy. Wickedmen they have temporal], worldlymercies, but it is by Gods Providence,not by hispromife ; and therefore theyare not mercies to them, but inftruments to draw out and exercife their impietiesthe more r wicked men, if they have health and tftength, they are more imboldened is theirwicked - fo hattt tthegracio n anod duce thee to get grace than this, Toconfider that hereby every thingwill be a mercy to thee, all comforts, all afflictions, allrelations ; thisgrace turneth all Waters into wine, this is the true Philofophers lone, that makes every thing gold ; fo that ws aretocall things good or bad according to their operations in a way of grace, or finne. if thegreat things of this' world make thee more vain, tinfoil, ddfolute, then they are bad things ; if the fad and miferable things of this world make thee full offaith,heavenly- mindedneffe and zeal, then they are good things; if thou arc gracious, God will with -hold no good thing from thee ; All things

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