OF THE ACTS AND ministry, and for the blessed success thereof: but he had no sooner expressed it, than he seems to be jealous least he should appear, to have assumed something to himself, in this work, or the trust he had for its suc- cess. This no man was ever more cautious against, and indeed it was incumbent on him so to be, because he was appointed to be the principal ministerand preach -. er of the grace of Jesus Christ. Therefore, I say, he adds a caution against any such apprehensions, and openly renounceth any such power, ability, or suffi- ciency in himself, as that, by virtue thereof, he could net so excellent a grace, or perform so great a duty. Not that tee are sufficient ofonrselves; and, in this mat- ter, he bath not only in places innumerable asserted the necessity and efficacy ofgrace, with our impotency sailboat it, but, in bis, own 'instance, be bath macle such a distinction between what was of himself; and what of grace, with such an open disclaimure of any interest of his own in what was spiritually good, elis. tinct from grace, as shoilld be sufficient, with all sober persons, to determine all differencies in this case. See - i. Cor. xv. 10. Gal. ii. 21. and this place. I assume no such thing to myself, I ascribe- no such thing unto anyother, as that. I, or they, should have in ourselves a sufficiencyunto any such purpose: for our apostle knew, nothingof any sufficiency that needed any other thing to . make it effectual -A And he doth not exclude such a suffi- ciency-in ourselves with respect unto eminent actings of grace, and greater duties, but with respect unto every good thought, or whatever may have a tendency unto any spiritual duty. We cannot conceive, wecannot en- gage in the beginning of any duty by our own suffici- ency: for it is the beginning of duties which the apostle expresseth by thinking; our thoughts and projections being naturally the first thing that belongs unto our ac- tions. And this he cloth, as it were, on purpose to ob- viate that Pelagian fiction, that the beginning of good was from ourselves, but we had the helpofgrace to per- fect it. But what then! ifwe havesso such sufficiency, to what purpose should we set about the thinking or doing of any thing that is good? Who will be so unwise as to attempt that which he bath no strength to accom- plish? And Both not the apostle herebydeny, that he himself had performed any holy- duties, or acted any grace, or done any thing that was good, seeing he had no sufficiency of himselfso to do? Toobviate thiscavil, 4K DUTIES OR HOLINESS. 515 he confines this denial of 'a sufficiency unto ourselves; we have it not of ourselves; but, saith he, our sufficiency is of God, that is, we have it by actual supplies ofgrace, necessary unto every duty; and how Godcommunicates this sufficiency, and how we receive it, he declares, chap. ix. ver. 8. ,e God is able to make all grace- a- .a bound towards you, that ye always having all suffi- ciency in all things, may abound to everygood work." God manifests the abounding of grace towards us, when . he works an effective sufficiency in us, which he Both so, as to enable us to abound in good works, or duties of holiness. These are those supplies of grace which God gives us unto all our duties, as he liad promised unto him in his own case, chap. xii. S. And this is the first demonstration of the truth proposed unto 'considera- tion, namely, the testimonies given in the scripture, that believers themselves cannot of themselves perform any acts or duties of holiness, any thing that is spiritually good. Therefore these things are effects of grace, and must be wrought in us by the Holy Ghost, who is the immediate author of all divine operations. Sect..-10.Secondly, All actings of grace, all good duties, are actually ascribed unto the operationof the Holy Ghost. The particular testimonies hereunto, are so multiplied in the scripture, as that it is not conve- nient nor indeed possible to call them over distinctly; some of them, in a way of instance, may be insisted on, and reduced unto three heads: Sect. 11. (1.) There are many places wherein we are said to be led, guided, actuatedby the Spirit, to live in the Spirit, to walkafter the Spirit, to do things by the Spirit that dwelleth in us: for nothing, in general, can be intended in these expressions, but the actings of the Holy Spirit of God upon our souls, in a compliance wherewith, as acting when we are actuated by him, our obedience unto God, according to thegospel, doth con- sist, Gal. v. 16. Walk in the Spirit. To walk, in the Spirit, is to walk in obedience unto God, according to the supplies ofgrace which the Holy Ghost administers unto us; for so it is added, that ice shall not then fulfil the lads of the,flesh, that is, weshall be kept up unto holy obedience and the avoidance of sin. So are we said to be led by the Spirit, ver. 18. being actuated by him, and not by the vicious depraved principles of our cor- rupted nature, Rom. viii. 4. Walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. To walk after the flesh, is to have
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