Fenner - Houston-Packer Collection BX5037 .F46 1651

the gold? Self-murder. 39 Thou canft not confer with grace,but thou cant} confer a- bout grace every day ; thou cant} not repeat the Word to thy Houthold in faith, but thou cant} repeat it in as good a manner as thou- art able, that is thy means. Now if thou wilt not ufethe means, thou ftickeft, at a will not ; and when thou doff perilh, thou muff thank thine own will,thou ttickft at a will not. The fiat quelhion Chrift asks thee is this, What cant} thou do ? As when the Cons of Zebedee begg'd to fit oneon the the right hand, and the other on the left, this they could not, except God did vouchfafe them a new gift. But what can ye do, fayes ChriJI? Are ye able to drinkof the Cop that I am to drinkp f , and be Baptized with the Baptifm that I am Baptized with ? We are able , fay they, (Mat. 2(7.12,23. 7e Jhall indeed drink ,&c. Marke;he puts them to do that which they can, and then bids them leave that which they cannot unto God. I fay, the firft queflion Chrift askes thee is, What cauft thou do ? I cannot be a Saint, Lord help me to mercy, &c. Yea, but what cants thou do ? Canft thou not ufe thefe and thefe means I appoint thee ? If thou wilt not do them, neither will I help thee. This is the nature of means, to be a means to that which one cannot; A child of God can pray in faith, but hee cannot mafter fuch a luft ; and therefore he prayeth in faith that he may. He can hear the word preached in faith, but he cannot get his heart to it as he would; and therefore he heareth, in faith that he may. Doing thefe in faith are the means : now this is not the means of the wicked, for they cannot do any thing in faith; but their means is to pet about them,at leaft that they may. I cannot pray in faith, fayft thou : yea, but thou cants pet up conftant Prayers in thy Family though , fuch as they are ; thou cants not caft off thy fins in faith, thou mayft caft them off though ; a godly man may do thefe things in faith, and there- fore that is his means. But that which is his can, is thy cannot.: and that Which is his means ,thou mn(t rife means onto Note.

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