82 / 504
C
A
P.
1.
ß:
41.
The
vanity
of
MG'S
Ground
of
Pcrfeverance
difcovercd.
6
ble
to
their
Confiderations,
I (hall
(
in
a
word
)
confider
them apart.
1.
Firft
the
Confiderations
mentioned,
of
Evil/
to
be avoided, and
Good
to
be attained,
(I
meane
that
which
may
put
men upon Creating thofe
ftrong inclinations:For fuch
confederations
may be
without
any
fuch
Conf
-
quence
as
in
her
that
cryed
video rzeliora proboq;
deteriorafequor)are
either
If-
fues
and produ
&s
of
mens owne naturall
faculties, and deduced
out
of
the
power
of
them,
fo
that,
as
men, they
may
put
themfelves upon them at
any
time;
or
they are Fruits
of
the Spirit
of
his
Grace, who
zvorketh
in
us to
.2
Pet.[.
3,4.
will and
to
doe
of
his
owne good Pleafure.
If
they be the
latter,
I
afke, feeing all
Grace
is
of
Promife, whether bath God promifed
to
give
and
continue
this
Grace offelfe-
confederation
unto
Believers
or
noe
?
If
he hath, whether
abfo-
lntely,or
conditionally?
If
ab
fo!utely,then
he
bath
promifed
abfolutely
to
conti-
nue
force Grace in
them,
which
is
all we defire.
If
Conditionally,then
would
I
know what
that
Condition is,
on which
God
bath
promifed
that
Believers
(hall
fo
confider things mentioned? And
ofthe
condition which
(hall
be ex-
preffed,it may
farther be enquired,whether
it
be
any
Grace
of
God,
or
only
a
meer
A&
of
the
Rationall
Creature as
fuch,
without
any
immediate Inworking
of
the
W ill
and Deed
by
God
c
Whatfoever
is
anfwered, the
Queftion will
not
goe
to
Rell,untill
it
be granted that,either
it
is
a Grace Abfolutely
promifed
of
God,
which
is
all we delire,
or
a
pure
Ad
of
the
Creature
contra-
diftinft
thereunto,
which Anfwers
the
firft
inquiry: Let
it
then
be granted,that the
Confiderations
intimated
are
no
other,
but
fuch
as a
Rationall man,who
is
in-
lightenedto
an
aflènt
to
the
Truth
of
God,may
fo exert
and
exercife,
as
he
pleafeth
;then
is
here
a
Foundation layd
of
all
the Ground
of
Perfeverance
that
is
allowed
the
Saints, in
their
owne indeavours,
as
men
without the
Af-
fiftanceofany Grace
of
God;
Now thefe
C
onfiderat,
ons
,be
they what they
will,muft
needs
be
beneath
one tingle
good
thought,
(for
as
for
that
we have
2
cor.3,3.
no
fufficieucy
of
our
felves
f
yea
Vanity and nothing
(for
without
Gen
i8,
21.
Chrift,we
can
doe
nothing) yea evill and
difpleafìng
to God,
as
are all
the
thoughts
and imaginations
of
our
Hearts,that are only
fuch. I
had fuppofed
that
no man,in the
leaf}
acquainted with what it
is
toJerve
God
underTempta-
tions,
and what
the
worke
of
Saving Smiles
is,
but
had been
fufficiently
con-
vinced
of
utter the
infufficiency
of
fuch
Rationall Conóderations,flowing
only
from
Conviîlion,to
be
a
folid
Foundation
of
abiding with
God unto the
end.
If
mens
Houles
of
profeffion
are built on
fuch
sands
as
thefe, we need
not
wonder to
fee
them
fo
frequently falling
to the ground.
2.
Secondly,fuppofe thefe
Confiderations
to
ad
their parts upon the
frage
rai-
§' 41'
fed for
them,to the
Greateff
Applaufe
that
can
be
expe&ed
or defired,yet
that,
which comes
next upon
the
Theater,
will,I feare,foully mifcarry, and fpoyle
the
whole
Plot
of
the Play:
That
is, mens vigorous
inclination
of
their
hearts
to
the
good
things pondered
on,
to
what
height
they
pleafe :
For
betides
that
i.
Firft,
it
is
liable
to
the
fame Examinations,that paffed upon it's
Affoci-
ate
before,
or an
inquiry from
whence he comes,
whether from
Heaven
or
Men?
upon
which
I
doubt not, but
hemay
eafily
be difcovered
to
be
a Vaga-
bond
upon the
earth, to
have no Pafe from Heaven, and
fo
be rendred liable
to the
Law
of
God.
2.
Secondly,
it would be
inquired,
whether
it
bath
a
Confif}ency
with
the
whole defigne
of
the
Apoftle
Rona.
7.
and therefore,
3.
Thirdly, it
is
utterly denied,
that
Men,
the
Bell
of
Men,
have
in them-
felves
and
of themfelves,
arifing
upon the account
of
any
Confiderations
whatfoever,
a
Power, Ability, or Strength,
vigoroufly
or at
all
acceptably to
God,
to
incline
their Hearts
to the
performance of.any thing
that
is
fpiritual-
ly good, or
in a
Gofpell
tendency
to
walking
with
God ;
All
the
Prom
fes
of
God