Burgess - Houston-Packer Collection BT715 .B85 1652

:0 Thepro,nifè of the Spirit, of walking SBCr.XI. move : This isexcellently exnreff'ed by the Church ,D rawus,a edWe Willrsnafter thee, cant.1.4. The Churchwas iiftlefs, unprepared, therefore fhe defireth the graceof God todraw her,andthen the wouldrun after him. Draw a dead man, and for all that he cannot run; but theChurch had the life of grace in her, onely the wanted thisquickning, exciting grace. Thirdly, Whenwe fay, ThatGod doth not only Werkthe principles, but alto the ails of grace, that is to be underflood as an efficient, not as a fubjel1: So that although we fay, God worketh inus our Faith, our Repentance, yet we can- not fay God bclieveth, and God repenteth ; for they came from him as an efficient meerly, but from us as fubjedis in a vital formal manner, Drug nonporefl fnapplerevicem formslis ant materialiscaufe e So that we are the formal eaulés, as well as the efficient. Even as God in theorder of nature worketh all natural adtions for us, Inhim he We live and move, faith the Apoftle ; yet we cannot fsy, God liveth, or God mover:, or God eateth orGodwalketh; becaufe he is the efficient caufeof thefeonely, not the formal. Grounds of Thus you have the fence of the Dodtrine; let us obferve the grounds : And the Do brine. Firff, Itsclear, that God dash not onely give a new heart, bat cattle au al o to Walk t' in the Wzrs of hclinefs, becaufe theft are two diflin'ti mercies, and are veryfe- parable onefrom the other: I t maybe, and experience tells us, it doth toooften fall out, that where the former mercy is of Gods (pint, and a new heartin his people, yetthe latter may not be. Davidyou heard, evenwhile he committed thofefoul and grofs fins,yet had not the principle and feeds ofGrace quite dead within him ; no more themthe tree in winter, that is firiptof all its ornaments, isdead at the root ; yet hewas far from this latter mercy-in theText, To Walls, in thefluentes of God : And foat any time, when the children of God fall into finsof lofts, or carelefnefs andnegligence, they are not fallen from the Root Chrift ; but yet this exciting and quirking grace they have loft for theprefent. Seeing therefore, that this latter is feparate from the former, and you may fee even oneof Chrifts fheep for the time, wallowing like theSwine in filthymire, it is neceffary that God fhould not onelydothe one, but the other allo for us : Therefore the people of God are to confider this pleafe not your felves that you have had the experience of converfionupon your 'foals ; you can tell,that God bath made a wonderful change inyou ; for how doth God accompany you with thisexciting, ailing grace? Areye not all overrutty, as it were, areyou not very often unit for holy duties,unprepared to hear, to pray ? Are not your hearts like a barrenmountain, yea, like a noifom dunghill fometimcs ? Do you not refúfeto open the door, that Chrift may come in, who bath ftood all night knocking at the door, while hislocks are full of dew? Is it not thus, and far worfe with you many times, who yet hope ofyour converfion to God ? And whence is all this ? you havenot thisailing, this exciting grace, and fo thou art like one ina deep fleep. Secondly, Thepeople of -Godhave earneflly begged rar this ailing grace, as not thinking theprinciples ofgrace enough: Thus D,.codoften, ickenmy heart, in- clinemy heart (faith he) to keep thy teflimonies : That man prayed, That Chri/I would increafe hisfaith; yea, all theprayers that you read any godly men have madefor theails of grace, that they might repent, believe, walk holily, all thefe do plainly convince, that God doth not onely give the life ofgrace, but the conitant motions of that life afterward: So that if God did not work thefe exercifes of grace forus alto, it would be a vain thing to importune God in prayer for them. 3 Thirdly, God doth this latter, as well as the former, Becanfe he enconrageth the godly to fee `upon the exereife of grace, becaufe he -will inable- them., andafft them therein:' ThustheApcftle,Workout yourfalvationWithfear, randt rembliug: rhil. s,14. 'Why'? becaufe its God that Worketh inyo_úao Will andto do: This argument may teem very ftrange, Work,. braau /e GodWatteth in you; but ¡itsahe,greateft tea- ton

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