33o Life of grace front Christ. The ground Gods childret know that of themfelves,lley are dead infins here:,é', and trlaffesk, 'and thatChriit is the authpur of fpirituall life ,unto them ; they know that of thenifelves they are empty of allfpirituall good, and that Chrift is the"fountaine -fit- ling them; they know that in their naturali "eftate they are theflaves ofSatan,the bond-menoftheworld, thefervants of corruption, anetthat Chrift alone is the worker of their 'frcedome,th* beginning and the end of their falvation. The life of, grace and holineffe is no ofmanfut"ofChriffe 'mansHE a no child in the couife of' nature can beget it felfe, but is holines of begotten. of another Parent ; nó' child of God in the way hrí} ofgrace is the authour ofhis owne regeneration and new birth, bat is r begotten again by the refitrrec`lion of7eftts Grifi,, t P.et.a,;. the Spirit ofCod perfwading themofthe truth; informing -them in the virtue, and applying to them the poi ter and efficacy of thrifts refurreaion, be etterh them againc un- to a lively 'hope mans receiving of Chrift-is the recei- ving of fpirituall life and new-birth ; eifs ma»y (faith the Evangelift) as received him, to them ° gave he power to be- u I ln.-s, a s,a;. come .thefennel of god,, which were borne not of blood, not by the Nobility and dignity of their Parents, according to the fleflt ; nor of the will ofthe flefh , not by the ability and ftrength of nature., not by any activity, liberty or freedomeof their owne nor of the will ofman, not by the art or induftry education or inftruftionof man, Oat of God It is not m the pówer of man to regenerate man, God ufethman 'ashistnflrument, but God himfelfe ac- wEp{, 4,19; complilheth the worke, as a fupreme and free agent, when and where he picafeth, 'Mattis an alien to the life,of God, x aCor,Y 17 and can no more rage himfelfe to a fptrituall life, then Lazartes could raife- himfelfe to a natural! life Mans con- veriìon is a new X 'creatio'n, which is as farre beyond the y c Cor.g.G, power carman, as the formingofhimfelfe ofnothing. All the initruments of fpirituall life are Y dependant, no -more' able to -quicken the foule of man, then °Gehazi with his Matters flaffe was able to raife the woman of Shu>vemt 'tonne to Life witiout elfis himfeliè ; the life of the route, is hidden in Chrift,'and he that ltada not Chrift is farre from all fpirituall fifes Sgch
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