The Almofl-Cbriftian Difcovered. 725 Srcondly, He may bavc that which ver~ much refcm.bles a~d c~~nterfeits Grace, fo that as to outward appearance there IS but very little DiffimJhtude difccrnible between them. Now that which is like another, may be fa id not to be far from that which it is like. 11Jirdly, He r~1ay be faid not to b_: fa.r from G_race, becaufc (as I told yon be.. fore) in the ordinary Works of the ;,ptnt up~n his Soul, be ma-y: have thofc preparations and difpofitions laid in them, whtch nft1ally arc prcvtous and antecedent to Grace becaufe thefc are wrought ufually before Grace; and therefore the perfon that h;th thefe w~ought upon him may be faid not to he ~ar from_ Grace, :Fourti,Jy, He may be fa1d nnt to. be far ft:om Grace, bccaufc tf he d1d proceed but a little farther, he would pofhbly attam to true Grace. Had fuch but improved their natural power to fuch a degree farther, God wou~d hav: c?me in with power fupernatural, and have wrought that true and favmg Prmc1ple in their lives which would have been fure to have brought them to eternal Life. Grace ind~ed bath fuch a kind of dep~ndance upon that which is naturat; and that de pendance is not fo much of G_au(aluy, as of Order and Confequence, which tho11gh it be ant ncceffary,· yet tt 1s commonly granted on all Hands . Thus then in the e,encral 1 have fhcwn you that u~r~generate Men may go far., ¥ea very far towards. A Man may be Almoft a Chnfban, and yet be out of Chnft; be near the Kingdom of Heaven, and yet not in it; and, poffibly, be for ever excluded and fhut out of it. 11. 1 fha!l proceed to the next thing propounded. As we have r~en in the general, fa now let us confider in part-icular What.Progrefs a natural Man may make towards Grace; and that I fhall do, by confidermg the fevcral fteps and degrees by which they may arife up to a great heig~tt and glory of out~ard Profeffion: And this we cannot better do, than by Jhewmg, 1. What Grace ts. 2. Wh.,t re.. femblance that which is wrought by -a meer carnal Man may carry in it like true Grace; by comparing thefe together, we may fee how near an unregenerate, carnal Man may come to true and faving Grace. Firft, What Glace is. I need not tell you that I fpeak not now of an Objeilive Grr1cc inherent in God ; but terminated on us, whereby a change is wrought in our relation to him. And this Objcilive Grace is nothing elfe but the divine Love, Favour, and good Will of God exprelfed in us. But 1 fpeak of a Subjc£live Glace in... herent in us ; whereby a real change is made in our Lives and Natures.. And in brief you may take this Defcription of fubjeCl:ive or inherent Grace : It is a fupernatural Habit immediately infufed into the Soul by the Holy Ghoft, refiding in every Power and Faculty of the Soul as a Principle of holy and fpiritual Operation. And there is a fivefOld change wrought by it. 1. Upon the 'Judgment, or the direil Vnderftanding, b~l)forming and cnli ghtning it. · 2. Upon the Confcience in the reflex Underftanding, by awakening and pacifying it. • 3· Upon the Ajfeftions, by fpiritualiz ing them. 4 . Upon the ~v,o, by converting it. )· Upon rhe Life and Convel[ation, by reforming it. This fivefold change is wrought upon the whole Soul by the true and fanCl:ifying Grace. Now in the next place I Jhall Jhew ,how far a natural Man may attain to thcfe, fo as to be Almoft a Chriflian. . Firft, As for his Mind or Vndcrftanding, he may be irradiated with 4 clear mid fparkling knowledge of dit~ine and fpiritual Objects, when yet the Soul is not truly Converted to God. It is true as in the Creation of the World, the Light is number'd and reckon'd amongrt the firft of God's Works: So likewife in this new Creation, the firil: work of the Spirit of God is to fhed abroad his heavenly Light in the Vndcrftanding; and therefOre we have this firft in order, in that Commiffion which ou:' Saviour Jefus Chrift gives to St. Paul, AEls 26. r8. He fcnt him to the Gentiles, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darlmefs to light ; and then it follows, from thi power of s~narl to God.. But yet notwithftanding, there is aR Illumination about [piritual Things, which may gild and beautijie the Underftanding of a natural Man, who like a Toad may be full Poifon, though he bath a precious Stone in his Head. The Apoftlc, he lays down this as one of thofc Attainments that an 11nregencrate Man
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