Chap, 3 3. An Expofition upon the Book of J o Verf, 4. 173 ences, the teachingsand güidings_ of the Spirit of God, are the life of our lives. We candoe nothing of our (elves, till the Al- mighty bellows a new life upon us ; and as we can doe nothing at all in fpiritualls,till he gives us anew life, fo wecando nothing ropurpofetill the Spirit acts & ftirres up that life in us.,It is the Spirit who tìrft be(tows;Secondly,encrea(eth;Thirdly,excires our fpiricuall life, & puts the new creature into motion.Ailour good thoughts and holy acîings, all our uprightnethe and fincerity., all our itrength and ability flow from theSpirit ; until! the holy Spi- rit wotkes iri us,we fit ilia; and when the Spirit worketh, we muff not fit bill ; I ( faith the Apoftle, Ram: 15. 13. ) will not dare to#eakofanyofthofe things, whichChrißloath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient by word, anddeed ; As if he had layd, My ovine workes are not worth the naming, 1 will not fo much as mention any thing that Chri ft bath not wrought in me by the Spi- rit ; That was a mighty worke which he was enabled to doe, tomake the Gentiles obedient in word, and deed. Chrift did not leave him to doe it in his ovine power. The breath of the Almighty enabled him ; and fohe doth all thofe that are able and willing, ready for and fucceffef 'in any fuch holy worker Let us therefore afcribe all tò his working and quickening ; let us fet dôwn our feverall Items of receit in our account-books, -confellingthat we have nothing ofour own. This gift,that grace; that ability todoe, to fpeake, to fuffer,to auk, we 'have received fromhim. Let the whole Inventory of our foules riches , hase Gods name written upon ir., and afcribed to his praife alone. And ifwe thus uncloath our felves, by giving God the glory of all, we (hall loofe nothingby ir, for Godwill apparrell and fur- nish us, deck and adorne us better everyday. The poorer we are in our felves, the richer will he_naake us. to thus dimini(h''tis the bell way to our encreafe. 'Tis the breath of the Almighty that teacheth-us, anct if we canbut humbly enough, that is, hear tily acknowledge ir, we 1110 be taught and learne enough. So much of thefe words as they are a dire& a(l'ertion. I (hall confider them a littlein, their conneaicji'7, and- reference both to what went before, and to that which follows after ; which was the fecond con deration of this verfe at firifpropofed, F'irft , This verfe may. be conneçìed with the three former verfes, and then the fence appeareth thus ; As ifEaihuhad fayd,
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