384 The Souks Eluaacalent toChrifl, thing elfe ; aman will heare, and read, and pray, and doe any thing, and mourne, but tobeleeve it is that which a man fcarce confiders of; and this is the reafonof it, becaufe not onely carrup tion.oppofes theworke offaith, but even amans gifts, and felfe, and fufficiencywhichGod gives him, that now and then feemes to bee the hinde. rance of faith, its through our corruptions in- deed : in other things it is not fo;we would Paine get forrow,and therefore we labour for it;and we would have love, and thereforewe labour for it; But all this is outofour owne power or abilities; we would kcepc us in ourfelves, butFaith would have us goe out toChrifi andour parts would worke thi s inus ; but faith fayes wee muff goe to the Lord Jefus Chrift, or elfe wee are notable to doe that which he commands. Sonow you fee that a mans parts and abilities are fometimes great hinderances and barres to keep a manfrom beleevìng;and this is the reafon why, ifGod opens a mans eyes, and difcovers a mans corruptions, by nature we fall to doing, to repenting formally, and all this while never fee a needofaChriff, but refl. in our felves and our owne abilities, and will never goe to Chrifl Thoufands Roe to hell this ,way; the moil that - profeffe theGofpell, andperish ;they periïhupon this poinr.So then thework is more thannatural). Thirdly, if wee confider the mannerof Geds working upon the foule in beleeving, the Lord doth not concurre in an ordinary common kinde ofprovidence; asmeeting with Come power á n ablitie
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