THE COMMA no change in it by sin, nor did God require more or harder things of us than before? But to us it became impossible, for we had lost the strength by which alone we were enabled to observe it. And so the command- ment which was ordained to life, wefind to be untodeath, Rom. vii. io. Towards all therefore that remain in that state, we say, the commandment is still just and holy, but it is neither easy nor possible. Hereon God brings in the covenant ofgrace by Christ, and renews therein the commands for holy obedience, as was before declar- ed. And here it is, that men trouble themselves and others about the power, ability, and free -will that men have as yet under the first covenant, and the impotency that ensued on the transgression of it to fulfil the condi- tion of thenew covenant; and yield the obedience requir- ed in it. For this is the place where men make their great contests about the power of free-will, and the possibility of God's command. Let them but grant, that it is the mere work of God's sovereign and almighty grace effectually to instate men in the new covenant, and we shall contend with them or against them, that by virtue thereof, they have that spiritual strength and grace administered unto them, as render all the com- mands of it to be not only possible, but easy also, yea pleasant, and every way suited unto the principle of an holy life wherewith they are endued. And this we make an argument for the necessity of holiness. The argu- ment we have under consideration, is that whereby we prove the necessity of holiness with respect unto God's command requiring it, because it is a fruit of infinite wisdom and goodness. It is so in an especial manner, as it belongs unto the new covenant: and therefore, by our disobedience, or living in sin, unto the contempt of God's authority, weadd that of his wisdom and good- ness also. Now, that it is so a fruit of them, appears, in the first place, from hence, that it is proportioned to the strength and ability which we have to obey. Hence obedience in holiness becomes equal, easy, and pleasant unto all believers who sincerely attend unto it. And this fully evinceth the necessity of it, from the folly and ingratitude of the contrary. That these things, and in them the force of the present argument, may the better beapprehended, I shall dispose them into the ensuing observations: Sect. 22. (1.) Wedo not say, that any one bath this power and ability in himself, or from himself: God NDI Or GOD. 567 hath not, in the new covenant, brought down his com- mand to the power of man, but, by his grace, he raiseth the power of man unto his command: the former were only a compliance with the sin of our nature, which God abhors; the latter is-the exaltation of his own grace, which he aimeth at. It is not men's strength in and of themselves, the power of nature, but the grace which is administered in the covenant, that we intend: for men to trust to themselves herein, as though they could do any thing of themselves, is a renunciation of all the aids of grace, without which we can do nothing. We can have no power front Christ, unless we live in a persuasion that we have none of our own. Our whole spiritual life is a life of faith, and that is, a life of dependanceon Christ for what we have not of ourselves. This is that which ruins the attempt of many for holiness, and renders what they do, (though it be like unto the acts and duties of it,) not at all to belong unto its For, what we do inour own strength, is no part of holiness, as is evident front the preceding description of it: neither doth the scrip. ture abound in any thing more, than in testifying that the power and ability we have to fulfil the commands of God, as given in the new covenant, is not our own, nor from ourselves, but merely from the grace of God administered inthat covenant, as Johnxv, 5. Phil. 6. '13. 2 Cor. iii. 5.. It will be said, then, where lies the differ- ence? Because it is the mere work of grace to instate us in the covenant, you conclude that we have no power of our own to that purpose. And if, when we are in co- venant, all our strength and power is still from grace, we are, as to any ability of our own to fulfil the com- mand of God, asremote fromit as ever. I answer: The first work of grace is merely uponus. Hereby the image of God is renewed, our hearts are changed, and a prin- ciple ofspiritual life is bestowed on us. But this latter work ofgrace is in us, and by us; and the strength or ability which we have thereby, is as truly our own, as Adam's was his which he had in the state pf innocency: for he had his immediately from God, and so we have ours, though in a different way. Sect. 23.(2.) There is no such provision of spiri- tual strength for any man, enabling him to comply with the command of God for holiness, as to countenance him in the least carnal security, or the least neglect of the diligent use of all those means which God bath ap- pointed for the communication thereof unto us, with Z . 33
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