to the E P H E S I A N S. 337 .firft, That all lower ~orking of the·Holy Ohoft upon the hearts of men, are~ but a reftraint of corruption m the~?, .and an Elevatu:n of corrupt nature. A StrmoiS reftraint and an elevation, that Is,1t IS not a deftroymg corruption'· b?t a re- XXVC. !!raining corruption, Nature remameth corrupt fhll as It was.. And It IS .not a. VV'J changing of corrupt nature mto Its contrary, mto Grace; but It IS an alliftmg _of ·t an elevating of it, a ftrengthnmg of It to go fo far as he IS pleafed to carry zt, ~;maining corrupt, and the fame it was before. And then the Second thing that will demo':lftrate, that notthe fame powc;r is needful is this That there is not a puttmg m of newpnnc1ples of Grace mto the hea~t, fuch as Love to God, that was not ther~ before; a new fp!ritual dif· pofition in the underflanding, to _rake mSpmtual thmgs, as I ~ewed m the la!l: d"fcourfe · but it is only workmg upon the old pnnc1ples, 1mprovwg them. A 1 nd to bdth thefe, there is not fo great power requ,red as is there mentioned to Converlion, For the firft Head, you foe it con:tfteth of two parts: There is firfl, but a re– flraining of Corruption, not a killing of it. You know when I !hewed you what power lay in working .of Grace, I told you it was.a p11tthtg ~fl theOld mmt, it was a palling a~ay ot all thmgs that were old, It was a Czrcumclfion made without hands; It was a deflroyzng of the 6ody of jin, a depoling of that corrupt principle of Selflovt; and let me tell you this, t:ll that be d7pofe.d a man is an unregenerate man. Now you ihall fee, that m all thefe mfenour workings of the Spiri.t, thefe flrivings of the Spitit; there is.not a taking away of Corruption, there ts but a reflrammg of tt, the heart rcmameth the fame that it was. Toma~e this plain ?nto you: I will but give you one Scripture, which fpeaks of thefekindof workmgs. ltis:t'Pet.:<.:<o. He fpeaks of men that have been enlighrned and wrought upon by the knowledge of Chrifl. Saith he, If afur thry hav~ efcaped the poUutions of the world, through the knowtrdg~ of o11r Lordand Savtour JefUJ Chrt[/, they ar~ again enta11gled therein and ovtrcom~, th~ latt~r md is worft with them than the beginnilzg. This is a place that is mightily alledged for falling away from Grace; whereas fay we, the work here mentioned, namely ;he efcapmg of the polttlttons of the world through the knowltdgr of Chrifl, did not rife up 10 true Grace. You will fay tome, Howdoyou prove our of this place, that here is only a re!lraining of Corruption , or a driving of it in ? As I remember he faid of A6imelech, Gen. :<o.6, I kept thee in, a11d(u/ferrd thee not to.touch hrr, fpeaking of Sarah, A6raham's wife; he reftrained his luft. I prove it thus, By the fimilitude that the Apoftle ufeth in the following words, It u happmed rmto them accordil~,g to thflr11e Provrr6,The 'Dogu turned to hu own vomit again, and the Sow th,1t was wajhed to her wallowitJg in the mire. Here is efcaping of the pollutions of the World, here is a walhing of the Sow, a walhing off .her dirt; here is a keeping of her from gojng into the Mire again, for a while after ihe is waihed; but here is not a changing of the Swine's nature, here is a Swioiih difpolition flil!; For, faith he, thr Swme ure· tur11tdagain to waUow ht tht mire, To confirm it yet more unto you, you lhall fin~ in 2 'Prt.1.4• that I may fpeak pertinently to the point in hand, and compare that place ~ith this in the fecond Chapter, verfe 20. and fa to the end; he fpeaks there of the work of Grace in· deed, and what faith he of it? Accordi11g (faith he) as hu divin~ powrr hlfth givm us allthi11gs th,zt pertain to lzfe andgodli11e(s, where/;y ar~ givm 11nto UJ rxctedltlg great andpreooUJ 'Promifer, that 6y thefe you might 6e partaktrs of the V ivlnr naturr, h.tvi1;g efcaped the corruptio11 that is i11 the world through Ju,1. I confefs, I wa. much puzzled at this a long while (for he ufeth in ap– pearance the fame phrafe here, that he doth in 1 'Pet. 2. •o. If after they have t[c,;pedthe poUruions of the world through the k11ow/edge of Chrifl, they rerum O!(ain; here is one work. Having e(caped the corr~tpttoJt th.ll u i11 the world tbrongh l11{1; here is another.) till this reconciled it; and I pray confider ir) Here IS a work upon mens heart• which makes them efcape; Bur what? The pqUut;ons of thr world, the word in the Greek is ~'"'~"'-"'"• fignifying the grofs defile.
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