to the E PH ES I A N S. -·-· -~·- --~ 333 -th_e_i_r_p-ro_ft_e_lli_Jo_n_s_i_n_t~h-e_w_o_r-:ld-:,-an-d-;-y-e-tt-;1-le_r_e-:is_n_o_t_a_n_e_x_.c-:-e.-e~d-:i,.-,g-:-g-:-re-:a-: .l,-,.-j-;s-of:-p-ow-"---~ er put forth in workmg fuch ~orks. . . Sermo" tlhall need to inftance but m that place, H•b. 6. 4, 5, 6. for that IS the h1ghell: XXVI, in!lance. which I !hall open by and by. You may read hereof men enhghrned, ~ that are ~ade partakers of the Holy Gho!l, and have tailed ofthe Heavenly gift, have ta!led the good word of God and the powers oflhe world to come, if they flJOuld fall away it is impollible to renew them agam unto repentance. Here isyoufeeawork of the Spirit, forrhey are partakers of the Holy Gholl:, and ' how elfe do thefe men when they fall away, tin againft the Holy Gholl:? It is a work above nature, for it is a rafting oftheHeavenly gift. It isa work ofpow• er,for they tall of the powers of the world to come, and the thmgs of. another world which they are enhghrned to apprehend wh1ch have a powerlull lmprellion upon their hearts.. But though they be wo~ks of the Holy Gholl:, _yet you mull: know th~t the Holy Gho!l bath works ot feveral tizes, as all Art1!h have, they hav~ lhghier works and they have more exaCl: and cunous works. The Holy Glioll: IS no1 as a natural Agent that works ad ttltimum virit~m, to the uttermoll: he can work in all the works he p~ottteth forth in a man's heart, or as fire that burnerh as much as it can burn: But he is Agms Liber, he worketh freely, fo faith the Apollle, I Cor, 1 2. I 1. Thtre are diverjily of opi1tions, and alt theje thi11gs (faith he,) work– eth thot one a11dthe J'eljjame Sptrit, dzvidi11g to every maltfeverally as he wt!l. He worketh according as he will, and hence therefore he putteth forth more pow– er or lefs power as himfelf pleafeth. Now then the different proportion of power that the H0ly Gho!l putteth forth in thefe ilighter works, (as I il1all prove that in the Hebrews to be, but a flight– er work in comparifon of true grace,) and that not fo great a proportion ofpow– er is requiiite to work them as is to work true grace, convening faving grace, that is the thing which now I am to handle. And perhaps that may be one rea– fan why it is called the power if Godlmejs, 2 Tim. ~· 5· He cloth difference it from a Form, Why ? Becaufe there is a greater power from God that goetheffi– ciently to work it. So that as the Apollle faith of Miniflers, I Cor. 4· I 9· that feemed to be fomething but were flat, and yet took upon thcmfelves to be Apoll:– les, I wt/1 come (faith he,) a11d k11ow 1101 theJpeech if them th.tt art puffed up o11ly but thtpower. So now let us confider the power that goeth to the working upon the hearts of thefe men, and you lhall find that It doth not hold a proportion with that Excadi11ggrea111efs if power here fpoken o£ To explain this unto you yet a lmle more, that I may be underll:ood before I come to the point. You mull: know this, that man's nature being now corrupted and fain into tin and mifery, the Holy Gholl makes a trial of all forts of conclu– fions upon corrupt nature betides that of converlion. God propounde.rh this to himfelt; faith he, I will make trial how far corrupt nature, remaining fuch un· changed, without a principle of the Love of'God put into it, how far it will go how far it may be devated and raifed andyet not convened, how much fuperna: tural good and workmg toward falvanon tt IS capable of without making it a new Creature. I will guotebut a place for this, it is Gm. 6, ~· A11dthe Lordfa.id, My Spirit jhall11ot alwaus.flnve wtthman, for that he alfo tsJlrjb, yet his days jb.1!1 be"'' h11ndred andtwenly years. To open thefe words unto you; He fpea!<s thefe words,not of all mankind in the generallity.Mark but the words before, he faith thrtl the So11s of God Jaw the 'Daughters of MetJ thdt the;• were (rur, mtdthey_took tkem Wives of aUthat thq chofe; fnatched them away by force and vwlence, mmgled themfelves m unlawfull marriages. Who were they he fpeai<s of? Thofe that were the So11s of God. Whom meancth he by thoft? Not they that were his own Children by regeneration, for the Text exprcfly faith tn Peter, fpeaking of thofe th>t were drowned in the Flood, th,zt he {wept aw"y tht world of the tm~odly. Bur you mull: know this ; that there were' Cmts feed nnd Setbs feed. Thete were Cains feed, fpeaking of that generation, he calleth the Daughters of them the Daughters of men; C. till he was banilhcd from the V v 2 Ordi.
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