J INDWELLING SIN.. -479 to flop the progrefs of fin. So he tells Abimelech, Gen. xx. 6. Ihave witheld thee from finning agaitf me. Now this cou{d not be done by anyof the arguments which we have infifted on, becaufe Alimeleeh knew not that the thing which he intended was fin ; and therefore he pleads that in the integrity of his heart, and innocency of his hands he did it, "ver. 5. God turned about his will and thoughts, that he fliould not ac- complifh his intention, but by what ways or means is not revealed. Nor is it evident what courfe he took in the change of Efau's heart, when he carne out againft his brother to deftroy him, Gen. xxxiii. 4. whether he ftire'd up in him a frefh fpringof natural affe&ions, for caned him to con- fider what grief by this means he fhould bring to his aged father, who loved him fo tenderly ; or whether being now grown great and wealthy, he more and more defpifed the matter of difference between him and his brother, and fo utterly flighted it, it is not known. It may be God did it by an immediate powerful ad ofhis fpirit upon his heart, without the actual intervening of any of thefe or the like confiderations. . Now, thoughthe thingsmentioned are in themfelves at other times feeble and weak, yet when they aremanagedby the fpirit of God to fuch an end andpurpofe, they cer- tainlybecome effectual, andarethematter of his preventing grace. a.) Godprevents the bringing forth of conceived fin by real fpiritual faxing grace, and that either, (a. In the firft convertion of (inners. Or, (a. The following fupplies of it. (t.This is onepart of themyftery ofhis graceand love. Hemeeis menCome- times in their higheft refolutious forfin, with thehigheft efficacyofhis grace. Herebyhe manifefts thepower of his own grace, andgives the foul a farther 'experienceofthe lawoffin, when it takes filch a farewel of it, as tobe changed In the midft of its refolutions to ferve the lulls thereof. By this he melts down the lulls ofmen, caufeth them to wither at the root, that they(hall no more ftrive to bring forth what they have conceived, but be filled with fhame andfurrow at their conception. An example and inflame of this proceeding of God, for theufe and inftrudion of all generations we have an Paul. His heart was full of wickednefs, blafphemy, and perfecution; his conception of them was come unto rage and madnefs, and a full pur- pofeof exercifing them all to the utmofl ; fo the Rory relates it, Alls ix. fo himfelf declares the Ilote to have been with him, All: xxvi. 9, so, 1t, 12.. I Tim. i. 13. In the midit of all this violent parfait of fin, a voice from heaven !huts up the womb, and dries the breafts of it; and he cries, Lord, what wilt thou have one to do ? Ads ix. 6. The fame perfon feems to intimate, that this is the way of God's procedure with others, even to meet themwithhis converting grace in the heighth of their fin and folly, I Tim. i. 16. For lie Unfelt-, he fays, was a pattern of God's dealing with others; as he dealt with him, foalfo would he do with force fach like fin- ners. For this caufe I obtainedmercy, that in me firfl yeti's aryl might flew forth all longfúffering, as a pattern to them which fïould hereafter believe on him to life everlafling. And we have not a few examples of it in our own days. Sundry perlons on fet purpofe going to this or that place, to deride and fcoff at the difpenfation of theword, have been met withal in the very place wherein they defigned to ferve their lufts and fatan, and have been raft down at the foot of God. This wayof God's dealing with finners is at large let forth, Job xxxiii. 15,16,17,19. Dionyfius the Ares- pagite is another inflame of this work of God's grace and love. Paul is dragged either by him, or before him, to plead for his life, as a fetter forth offtrange gods, whichat Athens was death by the law. In the miditof this frame
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