Thesouks ecíiaaa-ll ca'lirigtoChriít. knowhim,then he muff chute thee ; and this we kuuow, that bee cbufeth the weake and nieane things of the world ; nay all thefe excellences are fo farre from intereffing a man in the Lord Jefus Chrift,that it is agreat fufp:tion, I doenot fay, it is alwayes certaine, but I fay, it is a great fufpition, that the Lord Jefus Chriff will never reveale himfelfe to thee,becaufe he revealeshim- felfe to thepoore and wF ake, therefore thy parts cannot make thee beleeve, ifthou hadít all that ever any fcholer under heaven had, becaufe it is theworke of grace : Secondly, all thy privileges are weake, andcannot reach theworke; as Saint Paul by experience proves it, Philip, 3. verfes, The thingsthat Iaccountedgaine, theymere leeunto me; Ifanymin niipht be confident in the flefh,much mere what foule could fay any thing for any outward excellencie but Paul could fay much more ? were they circumcifed? fo he vras ; were they Hebrewes? fo was he; were they zealous? fo was he ; did they live unblamably ? fo didhe : nowwerenot all thefe able to carry him to heap ven ? no,fiith he, I thought my felfe tobe upon a good bottome, but I foundthem all to be lofi'e; that is, they were all caufes andhinderances,why he did not come untoChriff ; fo farre were they frombeingan incouragenient to come toChriff, that they were barres to keepe him from refting uponaSaviour : if this could not profit Paul, no more will they profit thee, thou mayft heare,and faft, and pray, and real, and come to the flipper ofthe Lord, which are appointed as a meanes to nourifh
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