An Expojition of the EpifUe ~in a man's felf for to be a ground for it, there is nothing in a man's felf to give Sermo1l him ability. XXIX. And that I may conclude, It is the conclufion of the Aponie in the fecond ~Chapterof this EpiOle, wl1tre he makes up the companfon of the power of God in working Faith, Tbe fame tbat wrought in Chrtf/ wben be wM raifd from the drad, What doth he fay l Compare the 1,5,6,and 8tk verfes together. Whm we wn·e drad (faith he) in fins and trejpaffes,be hath quicknrd .u together with Chnj/,mtd raijed m 11p together; by GraCC)'' ar_e.faved,throttgh R2ith. And what faith he of that Faith? And that not of yottr ]elves, it is the gift of God, Here is all I have been fpeaking of all this while, No man , faith he, is able to raife himfelf, he is dead in fin, in the guilt of it, Is he raif'ed ttp ·with Chnfl? It is by Faith,fo he faith in Coloj{.Ln,Ij· How cometh he by this Faith ? Not . of )'OUr jt!vts, it i~ thegift of' God. lt is not I, faith he, lntt Chrtj/liveth 111 me: a11d thr hfeL~hsch I rsow live, I livr 6y the Faith of the So11 of God. Here is now a Refunctl:ion you fee clearly anoi plainly, for a poor Soul thut is thus killed and dead to be raifed up, to come nakedly to the Lord Jefus Chrifi. Now, my Brethren, let me fpeak a little, for it may be in defcribing the work thus in a high way , though the truth is, you may hav~ and may fpy fomething in you that is agreeing to it, yet to take off all doubts 10 your hearts, let me but add a Caution or two, and fo conclude. My Brethren, It is not as if God did alwaies at once work this Refurretl:ion in the Soul of a man that is fo, and fo; No, In many God goeth by degrees to kill him, to empty him, to !lay him. lt may be he had a greatdeath's·wound at firfi, when he was humbled ; he had a good knock,and was terrified,and his Soul began to think of Chri!l!and l?e reformed hislife. Now God leadet!J him on by degrees, and never leaves lum, ull he caufeth him to fee nothmg 10 lumfelf to help him to believe,and enableth him to lay hold upon Jefus Chri!l nakedly.Here is a work of Refurretl:ion. It may be wrought in thee by degrees,thou art emptied,firuck dead day after day , week after week , year after year; but fo, as God goeth on to perfetl: the work of Faith with power: and if thou belongell to him, he will never leave thee till he hath fully emptied thee of thy felf, and till thou canfi fay, Iti;rtot I, 11or any power in me, but the Faith of the gsft of God; and thelife ]ttow live u thelijr of the So11 of God, whtch zs by Fatth. My Brethren, Abraham, when he was grown a !lrong Chriflian, he lived by this Faith, for that place, To him that works 110t, 6ttt believeth 011 him that ju– Jisfieth the tmgodly, is fpoken upon occalion of .Abraham, God is teaching us this leffon all our life time: It is the great leffon of the Gofpel. And, my Bre· thren, leave not till you have gotten this Refurretl:ion; it is the great Refur– retl:ion of all the re!t, wherein the Power of God is moll feen. If I were asked, How I would define Faith ? Truly I would tell you, That it is the Power of Goddrawing a mall's hrart to.reflttpo11 thr Lord Jefus Chrij/ 11akedly andalone for ltje andjtt!vattoll. I fay, lt IS the Power of God drawing a man's heart, A man can tell no reafon, he hangeth upon Chri!l and knoweth not why; As many M are taught of God(faith he) comerwto me, msdthey come wbom the Father draweth. There is a drawing of the heart. A man cannot refi in bimfdf till he cometh unto Chrifi, and there he lieth, and the power of God holdeth him fa!t to ChriO, he cannot get off. Look upon Temptations, (a little to help you)when you come to be tempted. It is faid, 1 Prt.1.5· that we are kept by thr power of God, thl'ough Faith. Here you fee it is the Power of God that holdeth a man to Chrifl; and wherever Faith is, either ~rfi or !aft Godtemptetb, as it is verft 7· Now in Temptatio~ you {hall find, ( tf you were not thus laid dead at firfi, at fir!t humbling, ) et one time or other in Temptation you !hall be) that all the Grace in you will fiand you in no !tead. There are umes wherem, as Jefus Chrt!t was in the Garden alone with his Father, and the Difciplcs and all Comforters were alleep: fo your Graces will lie alleep, you can have no comfort from them, you are to deal with God alone. Now in fuch times as thefe are, to find your hearts drawn to Jefus ChriO nakedly and alone; to have quicknings from the confideration of what is in C::hrifi, and in him only, looking upon nothing in your felves. Here are fome fparl<s
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