74 A DISPLAY of (r.) Our conversionis wrought by a divine almighty action, which the will pf man will not, and therefore cannot refill ; the impotency thereof ought not to be oppofed to thisomnipotent grace, which will certainly effect the whole work, for which it is ordained -: being an action not inferiour to the groaners of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ robot he railed him from the dead, Ephef. i. 19, zo. and (hall at that power which could overcome hell, and loofe the bonds of death, be effeftual for the raiffng ofa firmer, from the death of fin, whenby God's intention it is appointed unto that work ? He aecompl fheth the work of faithwith power, 2 Thel i. i 1. It is his divine power, thatgives unto as dl things that appertain to life andgodlinefs, 2 Pet. i. 3. furelya . moral refifible pert afion would not be thus often termed the power pfGod, which denoteth anactual efficacy, to which no creature is able to refs. (z.) That whicheonfrfeth ina real efficiency, and is not at all, but when and where itactually worketh, what it intendeth, cannot without a contradiction be faid to be fo refired that it lhould notwork, thewhole nature thereofconfifing in fach a real opera- tion. Nosythat thevery effence ofdivine grace confifteth in such a formal act, may be prevedby all thofe places of fcripture, that affirmGod by his grace, or the grace of God, actually to accomplifh our co serlOo, as Deut. xxx. 6. And the Loral thy God mill cireumcfe thyheart, and the heart a thy ed, to lave the Lord thyGod with all thyheart, and all thyfoul that thou mayeft live. The circumcifon of our hearts, that we may love theLord with all our hearts, and with all our fouls, is our converson, which the Lord affrmethhere, that he himfelf will do: not only enable us to do it, bue he himfelf really and effeftualiy will accomplish it. And again, I will put my law into them, and write it in their hearts, Jerem. xxxi. 33 'will put my fear in their hearts, that they fhall not depart from me, Chap. xxxii. 39. he will not offer his fear unto them, but actually put it into them, and moll clearly, Ezek. xxxvi. 26. A new heart alb will 7 g:'veyou, a new fpirit will Iput within you, and caufe you to walk inmy ffatas a. Are there exprefions ofa moral perfuafioir only? Doth God affirm here he will do, what he intends only to perfuade us to, and whichwe may eefufe to do if we...1W--Is is in the power of á stony heart to remove it Pelf? What an altiveGone is this in mounting upwards? What doth it at all differ from that heart of flesh that Godpromifeth ? Shall a foray heart be raid to have a power tochange it fell into fach a heart of flesh,' as shall cause us to walls in God's fatutes? Surely, unlefs men were wilfully blind, they mills needs here perceive filch an actionofGod denoted, as effe$ually, folely, and infalliblyworketh our cower. fide, opening our hearts that we may attend unto the ward, Acts xvii. 14. Granting us on thé behalfofChrist to believe in him, Phil. i. 29'i now there and the like places prove, both the nature ofGod's grace to confls in a real efficiency, and theoperation thereof to be certainly effectual. (3.) Our cöhberfion is a new creation, a refurreElien; a new birth. Now he that e e- ateth a man, dothnot perfuade him to create himfel , neither can he if he should, nor bath he any power to refillhim that will create him, that is, as we now take it, tranfare him from fumething thathe is, to what he is not. What arguments do you thinkwere fufcieñtto perfuade a dead man to rife ? Or what great aid can he contribute to his own refurrection? Neither doth a man beget himfelf, a new real form was never yet introduced into any matter byfubdearguments. Thefe are 'the terms the fcripture is pleafed touse concerning our conversion If any was, be ín-Cln f he is anew creature, z Cor. v. tg. The new man after God is created in rigbteoufnefs and holinefs, Ephef iv. 24. it is our new birth, Except a man beborn again, he cannot fee the kingdom of God, John iii. 3. Ofhis two will begat be us with the word oftruth, Jam. i. 18. and fowe become born again, Not ofcorruptiblefeed, but ofincorruptible, by theword ofGod which hveth and abideth forever, r Pet. i. z3_it is our vivification and refarrefion, The f n quickeneth'Thant hé will, John v. xi. even thofe dead who hear his voice and live, verse z5. When me were dead in fin, we were quickned togetherwithChr f bygrace, Ephef. ii. 5. For being burred' with him by Paptifm, roe are alfe rifen with him through .the faith of the operation ofGod, Color.. ü. r2. andbelled, andholy is he that hath-part in that firs refùrreftiou, on filch the fecunddeath bath no power, but theylhallbe priers ofGod and ofChrifi, and fhall reign with himathou- fandyears. T i Oaf ápiseinn r4 Sf(a. F I ÏiT I S.
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