- - 34 2 An Expofttion of the Epiftle ~~----~~---~~~~ ---------– ~ In ]times 1.17.'he faith, that Every good mzdperfeC! gift cometb from above. Sermo1l He fpeaks of the work of Grace, of Regeneration , that is plain, for it foi– XXVI. loweth, 0/ his owll wtll begat he U<. I quoted this place in the lafi difcourfe, ~ a~d it is n.lw full for my purpofe. I told you then, that the phrafe From above is applied to none but to Chrifi, whofe birtb was altogether Heavenly, and unt~ Grace, in the whole Scnpture. lt!s applted to Chnlt Joh1l 5. 5r. He that com– etb from above, i; above all. And here he faith, EveryperftC!gifi (fpeaking of Grace) i; from above. Evrry perfrC!gift, why cloth he put in the word, Per– fef1? My Brethren, you mufl know there are gifts that do come partly from above, that are not perfect. Look intoHe6.6+ He fpeaks of men that are en- · lightned, that h,,ve tajied of the heavmly gift. Here is a gift you fee from Heaven, and )'Ct he plainly fait h, that a little Love of God is worth all thefe thing1he fpeaks of; for fo he faith Verfe 9· We are perjwtJded bttttr thi11gs of y•tt, a~td rbi11gs that accornpmp•jatvatiotJ, Better than what? Better than all thefe Enlighrnings (that IS Ius meanmg plamly.) There are Graces, fatth he, that the Holy Ghofi works, that have falvation in them, ( fo the word fignifieth.) And what are they? R.ead Verfe w.God is not tmrigbteou. toforget ;•our work a11d labour of Love,wh;chyotl havej!Jewedtoward his Name.Meo defpife Signs altogether; you fee the Holy Ghofi mentioneth Love to God and 06edieHce fpringing from that Love, to be better than all thofe enlightnings and tafiings of the powers of the World to come, whicl1 corrupt nature is capable of. Now then, The one is an Heavenly gift as well as the other; why? Beeaufe that corrupt nature could not have any fuch thing in it, if the Holy Ghofi .from heaven did not work it; but yet it is not wholly from above, it is partly from Heaven and partly from Earth. I may fay of it, as .7oh11 faith of himfelf com– paratively, to Chrifi, .1ohlt l·l r. He that cometh from a6ove(faith he, fpeak– ing of Chrift,) he i; above a/J, His coming is wholly from above, He is the Lordfrom Heavm, he came not from the Earth , as other men ; the Spirit of God made his Body in the Womb of the Virgin, and put in his Sool; 6rtt he thatuof' the Eartbisearthy, a11d jpeaksof the Earth. All other me11, (and he includeth himfelf too) they are perfectly from Heaven; their Souls are from thence, but their Bodies are made after the ordinary fort of mens Bo– dies. Thefe inferiour Gifts, they are partly from above and partly from below, that is, they partly arife from the principles of corrupt nature, improved by the Holy Ghofi; hence now they are not perfect, but Every perfeC! gift cometh from a6ove, wholly from above. But compare with this Lttke 8, where he fpeal<s of thefe inferiour work• ings, in the Parable of the Sower, and be faith of the {lo111 grou11d , that they did not 6ri11gforth fruit to perfeC!ion. Thefe are perfect gifts, and wholly from above; tho(e other works are imperfect, becaufe not wholly from above, only the Holy Ghofi takes the fame old corrupt heart, and works upon principles already in it. I could give you many Similitudes, which I omit, as that of the Chymifi : The Chymifi will fetch Salt out of any body, out of a man's Arm, give him but leave to ufc his Art, to put fire to tt, he will extract and draw Spirits out of it. You would think here were a mighty alteration. Here is no great altera· tion, no alteration like the Creation ; why? Becaufe he works but upon what is in it alre•dy, only he draws it out. So it is here. T he Holy Ghofi falleth upon a Carnal heart, he would extract joy in the Word, make an affection tafle of the powers of the World to come; it is but an elevating , it is but a raifing and boiling up principles that are there already. Now to make this plain unto you. I fl1all do it by thcfe Three things. The work of Grace, as I told you, is wholly new, all bccometl1 new ; it is not a working upon the old. Indeed, there is the old Nature, I mean there is the fame fubftance of nature, the Underfianding, and Will, and Affections, that were before. A man could not love God if they were not in him; but, I fay, here
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