ten Virgins Opened andApplied. humor , and fo a man dye; at lall ; fo rhe power of lin in Nature being more ' powerful rhan any Grace which by common work is given ir , ever turns tha r Grace into it !elf, and le.lds it inro c.apriviry, bondage, and fervire of it felf; fo char there is never a G~>ace but 'cis made to ferve fome lull, as in Jehu, in ]14dM, &c. and God co:nplains, !fai. 43. '+ So this I fay is the cafe of thoufands unrc:- generate, who can do many good things, blltfrom rhemfelves, which Clod lmh wrought to : ~nd hence many a child of God harh been long hindred from converlion, and others not converted at all , becaufe they have thought wicked men who:n God minds tod~mn, are fuch as have no good, nor do no good, or ifrhey do, they luve ir not froinGod; but 'ris nor fo with me , for I have and do many good rbings, 1yhich I ac~nowledg come from God, and I thank God I am ·not as other men. Now mark, 'cis rrue, nakedly conlidered no good could come from un~egeperare men, bur yer rhe Lord gives power to many to do, fo the Lord hath done ro thee, and rhou lull been thankful for ir. And this iS' common, many account themlelve' gre1t !inner;, but yet they can believe: many fay they can do lirde, but their defire and will at w0rl~ is to do: tell them yhefe are nor right, unle[e they co!l1e from the Lord, rhey will fav theLord dotH all, and theyackno\Vledg ir, and fo I believe, and 'ris true, bu~·ris not fuch a work of the.Lord as is peculiar ro the EleCt , becaufe 1vhen the Lord hath wroughc· rhefe, you,a& only from the:n,and hence never feel a want of there, for the Lord never yet wrought any Grace in hispeople , but afrer they have had it, and tafled of ir, he harh more or le!fe deferred them , and fo hath made them feel awanr ofir, and made them ferch ir again with fighs, and groans, and tears ; now it harh never been fd wirh rhee. · . ~ i SECT. III. ?-f) --·-- THat it's moft ple~<fng to mAn, and ttgreeable to hit tMture to.~ dn'J fmn Co11t/. 3< himfolf: As it was with rhe Prodigal, he delired his Srock in his,own hands, and while any rhing lafied, he would never come home; and hen~ethofe,1ohn~. 28. Wh.zt fhailwe do to worf(_thnPork.Jof God: and when Chrill fpakeofFairn, rhey I were !l:umbled rhere, infornuch rhat divers did forfake him. .., ' r. Becaufe mans acting from himfelf is bell able to attain his own~nds,to which Y?u knmv a man is gencly andnece!farilycarricd: for no man out of Chrif.l:, but hts own ends draw him ; nowChrill cro!ferh a mans own ends,anGI to live on him I . i; ro live on him that will confound them of rheir own ends, or elfe no life there .: Hence they live from rhemfelves. As 'tis wirh a Crafts-man, or Artificer, pro-- pounding rhe gain or credit they may get by being excellent in·their Ttade, may I by rhe1r own ttudy and frequency of acts, grow dexterous, and very ski)tul at lafl-~ and hence delighr in it, fo here, profeffion and praCl:ife of Religion may be a mans , rr .1de wbich he may drive for his own ends and gain , and hence may defire ro be ! excellenr,and by endeavour be excellent, and profit exceedingly in many excellent endowments : hence he acts and works for himfelf, Rom, I , 14. · 2. Becaufe a man naturally knows not how to fereh it from Ci)rill from Heaven; Rom. ro. 3· Hence 'tis with them aswirh aChildca!loffby the Father, and pur r? Come h,1rd Maller, bec'aufe they have no Father to maintain them, rhey mull; hve as they are , and do as well as they can. A man comes eo pray , .kpows nor how to fetch ihengrh from Chrill, and he mutt pray, and hence prayC!s as well ash~can. -:; .. I 3 Becau!eit'sfohardarhingtolive uponanother, it's ealie and fWee't -to a ;fpiritual hem, bur mol~ difficu\~ ro any carnal heart , John 6. Chri!l: . tells them I they muft ear his f!e(h, they fay, who then can be faved, ·and m~ny depart~ d. Me11 h.1d rather make holes, and keep water in their own houte , than have, l:t ,far to ' E 3 . fetch,
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