Burgess - Houston-Packer Collection BT715 .B85 1652

:s 6 c T X f. i? Geds Statutes, and keepinghis yuddements. s ;9 him after his own image,in righteoufne(feand true holinelfe : So that his foul be- ingfurnifhedwith allgraces, asthe heavens are adorned with feveral Etars,he might have continued in all holyaftions fumble to hisoriginal perfc&ion. Adams finlul difobedience, did not as ours; flow from a polluted unclean nature, but from the meet libertyof his will : and when he had thus actually tranfgre(fed, then that aft- mall fn infcfted, and poifoned his wholenature. Thus you fee the aftions of Clone were beforethe habits, and principles offin : there was a branch before a root; there was a fweet fountain, and yet a bitter areaco : but God in converting and changing of us , doch take thecontrary courfe ; he frlt fanftifeth our Natures, all the facultiesof the foul; layeth a fpiritual lifeas afoundation, and then being thus inwardlyenlivened and eitablifhed, We are carried out to all holy a&ions : So that all the glorious outward ai1ions ofreligion,that arevifble to theeyes attic world, ifthey be built without this inward foundation theywill prove but a B,bcl : Tney are but like Sodom apples,glorious for thew, but indeed dull and Miles. Ic is good to obferve, How that God w the Creationof the world, both in vegetative , and fenftive creatures, (till created the principlesfiat, and thatin perfr$bon, Seenina- tive, able tobeget andpropagate others ; and thús it isalto inconvet fon,he work. eth their holyand excellent principles,, whichafterwards areoperative and vigor rous. Secondly , God working thus a newNature, and thereby enabling to new aeti- ons, takes afar othercaxrfe tomake holy,thenMoral Pbllefophy teacbeth: Forif We God raked readalltheedoralPhilolophers, perfwading us to be temperate, juft, or prudent, prher kind of if you ask them, How (hall wecome to have the habits of thefe things? They tonti', tomalls will tell you,by frequent aftions,jnfla agendo fumesjufii, by doing many righteous holy, then hh aftionsfrequently, fo we come tohave habits. Thus they know noother way,and reaches. there is nò better Divinity inmolt people; for they think by doing godly aftions, they arc madegodly : and fo they think by walking inGods commandments, no get a new fpirit, which is the clear inverted order tothe Text; for Godfin giveth thisNew fpxic, and thencaufeth to walk in hisLaw ; we indeed are commanded tobediligent in the ate of the means . we muttattend to theOrdinances ofgrace; but till this fpiritual life be infuled, there is not one good aftion done by us in a goodmanner : All that thou doit till this new principle be put in thee, bath butt he bodyof a good aftìon, not the foul of it. Nothing thou dolt is pleafing to. God , Heb. f a.6. God is-angrywith thee all the dayIong,e4llthinga are biome pothered; andtenclean to thee. Tic. r . a 5. Ohwerenot men hardened in their f.ws, and led ca. peine by thkDuel according to hispleafure: they could never cat, Ordrink, or take angrelt till they gor out of that damnable citate, wherein all the day long they were treafuring up wrath againit theday of wrath. Belfhazzar law but one hand-writing to the wail againfl him, and he knewnot what it was; yet it (tropic himwith terror and trembling : But now thouhaft many hand-writings, andOr. dinances againil thee, even the wholeword ofGod ; and thou canit not bot know whatthey are, yet thou arenot afteftedwith fear. What waswritten of Tse ,lhae. zar, Thou are weighed,andfound ton light; Thefame Gods word faith of all thy Duties,performances, andTeeming religion, It is weighed, and it is found too light: And the reafonis,becaufeall thy religious duties are like leaves fallen from the tree dried,and without fap or moyiture. Thirdly , This work,efgrace is imafar other manner then Pelagian' of old, or Papi/ls, andArmenians of late, do confidently aver; forthey attendnot to this Or- Thework o: der in the Text,. But they fay, that manby the power of Freewill, doch joyn With Grace far o- the grace of God, and co-operate with that; and To partly fromfree-wills part- tberwife then ly from Gods grace, comes thisnew fpirit,this new grace. But this doch directly P ûs;or A I; contradift many placesof Scripture, which makes Regeneration. and a New- birth teach'. necelfarily togo beforeall holy aftions ; and ifa man cannot. make himfelf a man, much lefik like God, as grace death: But fay they, Ezek,a8.3r. there the Scripture faith, Make), anewbear:, anew fßirits Therefore we byour working obtái Zzz á d

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