The Almofl-Chriftta1t Difcovered. found forfak.ers of it. Some Men pleafe themfelves with a few idle conccirs of Grace, and the. New-birth C?mmunion "Yith God,_ and the like uninte!lig;ible notions, there IS_ no other differe!!ce between them and others, but what only their fancies make. 0 take heed therefore, that you do not blafpheme the ways of God, when you fee the Apoftacy of Profelfors: No, thcfe Men were never in thofe ways.. Had they been Chriftians indeed~ they would never have de{trted thofe holy way.s; their natures were nc1.m· changed, .tnd 1t is_ no wonder, that they are relap{ec{ and fallen back again into their old Cuftoms ; to fee the Swine that is cleanfed to return back agttin tq rhe mire, i-t is nothing ftrange. Had Chrifo chAnged the mtrurc of thefc Swine, ~tnd make them hi.s Sheep, then as they had Jirft efcaped the po!lutions of the World, fo they would have kept themfclv~s [ro1'1} ewr being intan_gled by them.. But this makes highly f9r the honour of Chnlhamty, and proves 1t to be a thtng fo excellent, that it c:innot be long counterfeited; Hypoc.rifie Ihall certainly betray it felf by its Apoftacy, that it had never any thing of true and faving Grace, although it carried far in a lbew and pretence of it. Thus much for the fit1t thing propounded, how far a Man may attain towards Chriftianity, and yet be in a natural finful State. The next thing is to Ihew you, whence it is that natural Men are inabled to make fo ·great a progrefs towards Chriftianity. I !hall give you a brief Refolution to this Quefl.ion, and that !hall be drawn, Firft, from the confideration of the Subject, and that is a natural Man himfelf. Secondly, from the confideration of the ObjeB:, and that is Holinefs or Chriftianity to which it tends. Firft~ if you look into the SubjeCt the natuYal Man himfelf; And fo you lhail find that Man, and that which is wrought upon him, which may carry him out poffibly to a very great progrcfs in Religion, and that may be twofold. (t.) The Power of NatuYe. (2.) The Elcvatiou and recruit ~hich that pow~r may receive ~rom a common work of tile Holy Ghoft, much helpmg nature, quiCkemng Confctence, and reformine the Life. . 735 Firrt, The Carnal Man ·may be carried very far towards Chriftianity, from the mecr ihength and power of Nature; for the meer power of corrupt Nature is of it fclf fufiicicnt to raife a Man to any attainment that is fhort of true faving Grace. A natural Man may fo prepare and difpofe his heart, as that the very next th ing to be wrought upon him fhould be Grace; lt may carry him out to the externals of Chriftianity, and it may be with more ))amp and grandurc than fame· times the power of Grace cloth carry out a Child of God. When the PoweY of NatuYe takes on ic the form of Godlinejs, it will mt~ke bright and glittering Profeffors; now thefe exter~a.ls of Ch.riftianity they ~ie in two things, the peyformr.nce of Duties, and che av01d1n~ of Sm: As for Duties they may fo far out-ftrip and out-lhine a Child of God, in the pomp and gaudinefs of them, as to be their emulation and example. And for Sin there is not any one particular Sin, fetting afide thofe common and unavoidable Infirmities, which are infeparahle from tbe frailty of humane Nacurc; but a carnal Man may keep himfelf from the Commiffion of it, · by the meer.Power of Nature: And there is fcarce any Sin, that is branded remarkably in the World, but fome wicked Man or other doth abfrain from it, and that meerly from the Power of Nature ; there are fame that by this Power abftain from this Sin, another from that, and a third from another Sin: And each of thefe. have Power to abftainlikcwifefrom all thefe Sins, becaufe what Power the one bath it may (poffibly) be found in the other, fince in. Nature s:here is nothing partial fo: a Man naturally is not fo. Secondly again, The Devil when he tempts, he cloth not force and conftrain · them ; he cloth not forcibly move the bldck To~.f.uel of the Swearey , eo curfc and blafpheme, nor cloth he skrew Uf'Oll the Drunkards mouth by force, to pour down intemperate Ct1ps, nor force ~he MurdeYa's han~ ~o Iheath ~is Sword in his Brother's Bowels whether he wtll or no, but he folltcttes the Wtlls, and infinuatcs into the AtfcCHons by hisTemptations, and makes thefe freely move the Engine to that which his defign tends;. and therefor: all his Triumphs aYe bu_t for Btoarly Victories ; he could not prevail over us, dtd not we prove Traitors to our own Souls ; did not we furrender up our felves, by the confent of our own Wills; elfe we could never be diftre!fed, much lefs taken by the violence of the Tempter. Secondly, As Men may proceed far toward Chril\ianity by the Power of Na. ture,
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