,.Booce. Cafer of Confcience. ding in this Difcourfe,Come conuenicnt Stlb- A are fpcc.all graces ofthe Spirit, fanchfying& ic:Ctor Matter is to bepropoundcd,whcrcunrenewing the mindr,wiJJ,&atfeCt:ions.For cxloallthe~eflionsthat follow may 6rlybee ample, chafliryin lofophwasa grace ofGods leduced. Now of all other, the moll conue· Spirir,rmewing his heart; bur cha!lity in x,. nientfubiet!'m this kinde is.Pertru,and therenocrate;was acommongrace,feruing onely to . foreaccordrngtotheDitferencesof Vercuc, curbe& rdlrainethccorruption of his heart. weew1ll d11linguilh thcQ!!_efiions into three And thelzke may bdaid ot the iufizcc of Afeuerall forts. 6raham, aChriLlzan 1 and of Ariflides, a HcaBut before wee ptoceede to particulars, it then. (hall not beeam1lfe tofpeake fomewhat gcSecondly,Y.ddcthis claufe,to meete with -nerally o£ Vcrtue,fo farre forth as the knowan errour of fome learned Phdofophero,who ledge thereof may g1ue light to the things taught, that the very natureofVenue Hands that follow. in ameanc,or mcdiocritJcofaffection. Thu ·T 0uchingVertue, two things are brieAy that they lay i' truem parr, but not wholly. to beeremembred; 6rfi, what iris: and then For themediocriue, of wh~eh rhey fpcake, what bethe difiincHindes thereot withom rcnouation of alfecbons, isnothing: VertH< iugift oftheSpirit ofGod, And• part B and therefore all vcrtues, thar arenor ioyned of r(gmtration, whae6; aman i4 m11de 11pt to!tur wirh arenouation and change of rhe affedt~ weU~ ons,areno better then tinne~. Th1s point r.he Icallitfidl,•giftofth<SpiritofGod,becau[e Ph1lofophers neu"kBcw, and hence it was, inwhomfoeuer Jtls,whctherin Chrifiians)or ~~~rthcy lloodonclyvpon amediocrinc, de· in Hearbenmcn, it hach the nature of agift nnmga man robeerrueJy vecruous, that did chat Ruweth immediately from rhe Spiritof wr(ely obferue a mear.c berwe•ne two exGod. And this! purin the fie(! place to contreames. fute.thereceiued error of the w1fcll Heathen Lai!Jy,Ifay thatthis gifr of God, mal:." • Ph1lofophers,wh1eh call Vertue an hablte of ''""fit toliu•w•II.Inwh1ch claufe fiandeth the the minde, obrained and confirmed bycu· properctfeetofvcrtue;whzclm,tornakethofe ........ llome,vfe,and praCiife. 1nwhome it is, to leade their liue~well. And Secondly, I calli! fuch a gifr, as is alloa by thiS weare aduerrifed,ru rah hecdeof the par< ofrcgmer•tion: and this JSaddedfdrtwo opinion of Phllofophers, concernino Come caufes~ parricularverrues.For in their mural d~fcour· Ftdf,that we may put adifference between (es,rheygiue borh the name and thenature of Chnllian and Hearhen venues. For, how- C Vcrtuerothofcthings, which arc c1ther falfe bcic the fame vertues n kindeand name, are, and countcrfci rvcrrucs,or indeed none at all, and may bee found, both 10 them that pro· For example: Ariftorl<makes Vr6•nirJavcrfeile Chrill, and tholealfo that are ignoraot rue,which is indeed a fin ne, being norhir.g els, of thetrue God !Yet they are in rhem after a but a dextenty mmocking & dcfcanringvpdiuers·manner.For in Heathen men they arc on mens pcrfonsand names: and fo ir is rec.. the g1fcsof God, but not parts of regcncra· koncd by Paul among!! gricuousfinnes and tionand new birth: but in thofcchatbec true viccs,whichare to bcaumded, Epl1. s+ A· ChnCiians, they are indeed not only theg1fts game, th< Philofopher cah IMavnanimiri• ofGods Spmt,butalfo ciTenriallparts of re- (whereby a man zhinkcs himfelfe W'onh1e of generation. great ho_nours, and rhcreupon enterpnfeth · Thatwcemaythebetteryetconceiucthis greac thmgs) a Verruc, which notwi1hfian· ditfcrcnce,wcmufi vnderfiand, that thegrace IS robe holden a flat vice. For by the Law of of God in ruani• two-folde: rdfr,.,ning, and God, euery man IS 10 range himfelfewahin renmint~ rhc ltOllts of hbc41Iing,andnot to darc,once Rellraining is that,which bridleth and reto goe out oftt.Whereas onthe~onrrary,the llrainerh the corruption ofmens hearts,from D lcope and end of this verrue (as rhey tearme -breakingforthinro outward aCtions, for the •r) IS to make men to attempt high and great common good,rhatfodeties may bee prefermatters aboue their reach, and 10 to goe be· ued,and one man may Hue orderly with ano. yond their ca'Jlmg*· Bctjdcs, it is dircttJy op• thcr. Renuing graceisrhac,-whlChdorhnor poltretorhovertuc of hunulitic, which rcaoncly rellrainethecorruption, but alfo morcheth, that aman ought alwaiesro bee bafe, n6ethfinne,andrenewestheheorrdaily more vdc,and lowly in his ownecyes.The Prophet and more.The former ofthefm incident to D•uid cle.res himfelfe ofthiS linnc,Pfai.J31. Heathen men; :md the vertucswhich they l.whenhe[aitll,Lord,/llmnothighmindd,mm~ haue, ferueonely to reprctfe the aCl: of finne t]tlltr:twt haHty, 1haNenoOP.allz~din thinguhnt in their outward aCtions: butinChrill1ans, 6~ great,andabouem]reach. Furtbermore)no they aregracesofGod,notonlybndlingand Ve11ue mu(! makcvsro forfakegood life,but reGraining the alfeC!ion, but renewing the cucryoneferueth fortbisende,tomakevslit heart, and mortifying all corruption. And ro liue a godly life. though rhofe verruesof the Heathen begraThe next point to becccniidered is,What ccwt God,yet they arc butgeneral! and com. bethe kindes ofV<rtue. ~m:~o~n~to~al:::l:~w:::h"::er~e,~as::-t:.::h"::e:.V::Cr:_tu:::e:::'.::o~fC::':.h:.ri:.ll:.i•::;n:::s,,__,_ _,V~·~•:_:tu~c:..:i~s either in rhe Q: indc or rll31l,Of in K-3 -the
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