The 'Parable of the tinn#, yet there is no rarional foul, nor any wife man will bcb:vc that their Jets proceed from fuch a Principle : So there are lbadows of the po!V~r of grace in a cunal hcarr, and ret no Judicious Chntlim will fay they co:r.c fro'U an inwud fol}.l, or principle of life. ConGder therefore whether _rhe rc i.~ thi.; principle or no; you fee there is profeiiion, you luve a name to live in the judgement of all the Church, but fcarch your hems, and fee from what principle it pr0ceed>, for if this be wanting, all is naught: As he that had Beer P1ven htm, when Milk and Wine, and Sugar was put into it to meAd it, faid, The Wine is g<Jod, and - the Milk is good, but the Beer is naught : So Profeflion, ~ifeClion is good;, bur the heart, the man is naught, Ter.'-· 22. Tl011gh rhou wajh rhu with Nim, thy Jin umarktd before the L•rd. And that rhe Trial may be full and fair, I lhall lbew Negati, ely, the feveral forts of men·that act nor from an imvard Principle, yer carry it out as though rhe bitternefs of deuh was pa!t, and the Bridegroomtheirs. ' . I. When a mans Principle is nmhing but the power of created nature exprelling it felf, and feuing the bdl:faceforward, in the gilded rortennefs of fome moral performances, wherein aman faith, he cloth what he can; for there is this principle in mofl men, a deGre to be faved, nature faith fo, and according to the imen:ion of this deGre, fo according! y will men do more or lefs ; and hereupon foothup rhemfelves, when they fee they canmt do as others do , or as the Lord commands; I do as well as I can. Nay, whea~~mned by the Word which meets them, I do as well as I can, I beleeve, I repenr, I pray, I remember the Word, I do as well as l can, and fo they hope God accepts of that ; and though I beleeve no m :m but may be hired to do more than he doth, yec narure may do much; hence I heard an Arminian once fay, If faith will not work it, then fer reafon awork, and we know how men have been IGngs and Lords over their own paffions by improving reafon, and from fome experience of the power of nature, men have come to write large Volumes in defence of ic; and its known the ArminiAm though they afcribe fomewhat to grace, and in words all to grace, yet indeed they lay the main Href~ of the work Uf'On a mans own will, and the royal- / ry and foveraignty of the libertyof thac: But to leave [hem and come to our 1 fc:lves, Is it not a common thing for men to maize lin thtir rifuge, and to fay , I was in awoful condition once, and never looked after God, but pow I blelfe the I Lm'd 'tis otherwife with me. How? Now I beleeve,repent, &c. And fo I confefs all I do is full of weaknelfes, yet I do 1yhat I can; and thus theyare like to men . that have old garments new drelfed,rhey have made them as good as theycan;and \ like the young man, Lu'<! I 8.21. All thefe thing< btwe I d•ne from myyouth, yet •ne thing wM wantt 'n , which was to f•rfak$ all, and fo himfelf, that the Difciples faid, wk. theN can be aved : With m11n 'tit impojfitle, 6ut with God lf1l thit~g< are po!Jible. ( You fay you as much as you can; I fay do fo,but 'cis impof!iblewith man, from any Hrengrh of man, and you have no more yet; JohN I. I 3. 'Born again, not of the will of man, but •f God. There is in fome menabirth,like to the ne1v birth,which is of the will and power of man, but oh this is not this inward principle wbichrhe Almighty pmver of God creates; and therefore know it, if you get no other oyle in your Lamps, you !hall never meet the Bridegroom. z. When a mms principle is the powerofholyexample, whereby many a one is drawn to do more tbaft otberwife hewould. Many men chink for a while as rhar man fpake; Men calk of being worth rhoufmds,I would fain fee the men. Minitlers preach and others fpeak well,we mull do this & that, but I would fain fee the men tha~; do it. No1v it fomerime falls out that the Lord fees before mens eyes fome pattern-Chti!Hms, hereupon they think thus; here are tWo con·rary ways, they canoat: both lead to h«aven, their way is better thaa mine, and doubdefs leads to life, mine Eioch oot,and therefore let me live like them. And hence there ilia! Inor bemyFall,but they will be at it;nor aSermon near,bllt they will, go wet and dryto ' hear
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