on the Lord's Prayer. deed God by ir deals in a fecrer Way wirh rhe very Hearr o f a Sinner ; and rhO' be dorh not change rbe habitual, yet he changerh t he prefenr aCtual, 9ifpofition of it, fo as nor only by External Checks laid upon Mens Lulls, bur by Internal Perfwafions, Motives and Argumems, they are taken off the P rofecurion of rbofe very Sins which yet remain in them unmonified and reigning. Thus .Efau ~omes out againfi his Brother Jacob with a Troop of Two Hundred Ru.ffions, mtendmg doubrlefs to take Revenge upon him for his Birthright and Blej]ing; but ar their firft _Meerin~ G~ by a fecrcr Work fo mollifies his Heart, that mt lead of fallmg upon hrm to ktll hrm, he falls upon his Neck and ki!fes him. Here God retl rained Efau from. that Bloody Sin offtlurder, nor in a Way of External PrtrrJJdencc only, bur wuh h1s own Hand he immediately turns about his Heart, and b y feeing fuch a Company of Catt~! bl_eariog and bellowing, timerous ~Vomen, and helplefs Children, bowmg and fupplu;;anng to him , he turns his Revenge into Compafilon, and with much urging receives a_ Prefem from him who he thought to have made a Prey. The fame powerful Rellrarnt God laid upon the Heart of Jlbime!ech, a Heathen King, Gen. 20. 6. where God tells him, 1 witbbeld thee from ./inning again{11!1t, and t berejore Juffired I thee not to touch her. Here was nothing vifible that might hinder Abi"mt!ech, but God invifibly wrought upon his Heart, and unhing'd his finful Defire s. And from rhefe Two lnllances ofE[au and Abimeltcb we may clearly colleEI how Rtj/raining Grace differs both from Refiraining Pruvidence, and from Sanflifying Grace: From Providence it differs~ becaufe ufually wheo God Pri7Uidentially re/lrains from Sio, he dorh it by fome vifible appa· rem Means, which do not reach to work any Change or Alteration upon the Hear t, but ooly lays an External Check upon Mens fioful AEiions. Bur by Rej/raining Grace God deals in a fecret Way with the very Heart of a Sinner ; and altho' he doth not change the N 1ture of it, yet he alcers the prefent Inclination of it, and takes away the Defin:: of commi,ning thofe Sins which yet he doth not monifie. And from Sanllrfying Grace it differs alfo, in that God vquchfafes it to wickedMen, andReprobates, to the end that their Lhres may be more plaufible, their Gifis more fervi ceable, and their Condemnation more intolerable. llnd indeed the Efficacy of this Reflraining Grace may be iO great, that there may appear but very little Di fference between the Converfation of a true Chrifiian, whom Special Grace SanElifies, and the Converfation of one in a Stare of Nature, whom common Grace only reftrains: They may both live outwardly without Blame or Offence, avoiding the grofs Pollutions ofthe World, and fhine in a Sphere above the or{iinary Sort ofMen, and ye t the one be a Star, and the other but a .Meteor. The Highway may be as dry and as fair in a Frolly Winter as in a Warm Summer, but there is a great deal of difference in rhe Caufe of ic: In Sllmmer the Sun dries up ·rhe Moifture, in Winter the Froft hinds it in. So the Ways of rhofe who have only a fl.ej/raint laid upon them may be as fair and clear as the Ways of rhofe who are truly San8ijied; but the Caufe is villlly diJferenr, Grace bath dried up the- Filth of the one, bur only bound in the Filth of the other. , Now God dorh rhus by his Reflraining Grace preferve Men from Sin, by propound, ing to them fuch Gonfiderations and Arguments as may be fufficient to engage Con· fcience agaioll Jr, when yet the Will and llffeEiions are !till bent towards it. Re· ftrnining Grate thunders the Curfe of the Law, and brandifbeth the Sword of Juftice in the Face of a Sinner, reports nothing but Hell and Everlafling Tormenu, and fuch terrible Things which may fcare Men from their Sins, though !!ill they love them. le is indeed a great Mercy of God to keep us from S in, even by legal Terrors, and u~ fually rhefe are a gll(X! Preparation and Inrr oduE\ion for Saving Grace. Doubdefs the Thoughts and Fears of Hell have with very good Succefs been made U!e of to keep Men from thofe Sins that lead unto Hell. But yet if in our Conf!iEis agaioft Tempt•· zions we can draw Arguments from no other Topicks bur Hell, and Eternal Death, and DeftruElion ; if w:e cannot as well quench the Fiery Darts of [be Devil in the Blood of Jefus Chri/1, as in the Lake of Fire and Brim[!one; it is much ro be doubted whether our abftaining from Sin be from any hi~her Principle tban what is comct1on; only for fear of Punilhment, arid nor ·for lov e of God or Goodoefs. Thirdly, God harh another Merhod of keepiog Men from Sin, and that is by his Special aod San8ifying Grau. And this is proper only to rhe Children of God, who are really SanEiified,and made Gracious. Now whatever Sin Goddorh rhus preferve any from, he doth it by exciting the inward Principle and Habit of Grace to tbe aau~ al life and Exercife of it. There is a Twofold Grace always nece!f.ry to keep the
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