316 An Expofition of the Epiftle ~----~~~~-----~ ~ -- ---- ---------- ,...,._,..._,., fidl I willlhew to y<lu 1 becaufe thofe that make th<: power of God to be·only Sermon external,alli!ling,do detrael from the power of God, lt ~1eth m creanng new dif• XXIV, pofuions in the heart, and then alli!lmg, and then workmg upon them, I will ~ name a Scripture or tw<l. 1have !hewed you what goeth to de!lroy the old,! will (hew ) ou then what power alfo goeth to the creating and rearing up of tl!e new, Fidl 1 will !hew ybu that there mull be a new Pnnc1ple created : Sauh he Job. ,.' 6. That w!Jirh u 6om of the Flefb u Flrjh, that wb1ch 6om of the Spiri; "Spirit. See howl argue out of thefe words•. Here_y?u fee there IS Flelli and Corruption, wh1~h IS by one bmh; here IS Spmt, a d1fimtl: tlung from the Ho. ly Gho!l, that is a fruit of a Second birth. fllow m~ Brethren 1 take a man in his fir!\ birth, all the world y1eldeth that there are hab1tual Pnnc1ples and d1fpoliti• ons unto evil, there is an habitual aver!ion from God, and converfion to the Crea. ture; there are difpo!itions and inclinations only to what is evil. Now then in the fecond birth, anfwerably the Spirit that is made and born by the Holy Ghoft muft be oppo!itelyl~oly, and have difpofitions to the _contrary; forotherwife, Nature is not healed 1fthe Holy Ghoft only Works AC!:s 10 a man,and d1d not work Habits ; the fccond Adamdid not anfwer the fidl : And therefore you thalllind Gal. 5'· 17. the Apofile faith, Thr Flejh lttf/eth again[/ thr Spirit, m1dthe Spirit again[I the Flejb; for thr(r are co11lrfiY)'· I appeal; Dare any man fay the Holy Gho!l lufieth in us again{t the Flelh l No, it IS the Spit it, an habitual frame of Heart that lufteth in us againft corruption. So now there is a N:w Spirit wrought, that is, there are d1fpo!iuons that are contrary unto !in, as !in IS unto Grace: As there are habitual difjJO!itions to fin, both through Nature and Cuftom; fo there are habitual difpofitions to good that do luft againft the Fle!h in a man. There– fore he comparetl1 this Spirit in that sth. to the Gatatians, to a Root, The fruit of the Spirt& i6 Love, _7oy, Peace, Long-ji1{fering, Gmt!mejs, Goodnejs, Faith, (!)c. He comparcth the Spmtor frame of Grace, begotten by the Holy Ghofi, unto a Root; now mark you, ( to follow th1s) mMatt,r ~.u. fpeakmg of thofc that arc temporizers, what doth he fay of them? he faith they wanted a Root in themfelves ;. that is, they had not habitual difpo!itions of Grace created in their hearts, that might be a Root to the fruit ofthe Spirit; for you•know the Root and Fruits anfwer one another. Nay, if you ask me what that Root is? the Parable there explaineth it, agood a11dhonefl mm1, a heart made Holy; therefore our Sa– viour Chri!l faith, Matt. 7· 17, compared with Matt.12. 24. make the Tree good a11d the Fruit wi//'6r good,. butthe Tree muft be good lirft. Therfore you may read in Mtltt. 2). the Footijh V~rgms they had Lamps, they had alliftan~ from the Holy Gho!l for prefent pertormances; but the Wife Virgins rook Oyl in their velfels with their Lamps, when themfeves were alleep, and their Lamps were out, yet they bad a Holy difpo!ition, a Spirit of Grace, they had Oyl re· maining in their hearts. I will not ftand to open this; It u the Law written i11 their hearts. I could thew you that the written Law in the heart is not the Ho– ly Ghoft, forheisthewriter, as it is 2 Cor.~-~· It is called the ln11erman re• newed daily. It is thcrHoly Ghoft that jlrmgtheneth the i11ner ma11 ; it is not the Soul that is the in'ncr man properly'• but the inner man is that which is oppo– f•te to corruptiOn, and he faith, Ephef. 3· They werejlre11gthmrdwithmight 6y the Spirit ilz rhe imur man. Well, here therefore is an inner man to be wrought, to be created: Now if there be an inner man 10 be created, and Holy and Gratious difpo!itions; hereis an A]mighty power to do it. . My Brethren,',-ou know that .7ohn Baptif1 was fanelified in the Womb, he had not the Holy Gho!l only workingupon him in way of Aels; for he did not aelually believe and actually repent; Children do nor. If you take away habits of Grace, you muft take away all Grace from Infants, from that pure part of the Cl:urch as one calleth them, Puriflima Eccleji£, for fo they are. Now for the Creation of thefe habits of Grace,all Holy difpo!itions,there mull be an Almighty power go to do it. I will give you a Scripture for ir, it is 2 Prt. 1. ~· Accordi>rg tU hu 'Divinr Power hathgivrn 1111tow all thi11gs thtlt pertain to L1je and Godlinefs, through the lmowlrdge of him thut hath cafJed w to Golry tmd Vertue;whtrr6y arrgivmtmto Uf e:xceuli11g~real andpreciou.rPromifes,thllt 6y thefr.rou rnigbt 6t partakrrs of tbt 'Divi11r Nature, having rftaped the cor· r11ption th,11 u i111he WQrldthr.oughluj/. Here
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