Serra.LXIX. aid its confifience with free Grace. 503 I. That we are not fufficient of our felves, and by any power in us, to per- form theConditionof the Gofpel. 2. That the Grace of God is ready to enable and afrft us to the Performance of thefe Conditions, if we be not wanting toour felves. 3. That what the Grace of God is ready to enableus to do, if we be not want- ing to our felves, that may properly be laid to be potible to us, and, in fome fenfe, in our Power. r. That we arenot fufficient of our [elves, and by any Powerin us to perform the Conditionof theGofpel. TheGrace ofGod doth clearly appear in the whole bufinefs of our Salvation By Grace ye are faved (fays the Apoflle) and that not ofyour (elves, it is the Gift of God. Faith is the Gift of God, and fo is ffepen- tance. It is God that works in ùs both to willand to do of his own goodnef ; that is, who both inclines and excites us to that which is good, and enables us to do it. Without me ( faysChrift ) ye' can do nothing; And through Chrift flrengthning me ( faith St. Paul) I amable to do all things; all things which God requires of us, and expefts to be done by us in order to our Salvation. Without the Grace of Chrift, we are withoutflrength; and are notfufficient ofourfelves, as of our felves; to think a good thought ; that is, we are not fufficient of our felves todefign or re- folveupon any thing that is good ; but ourfuficiency is ofGod. The Depravationof our Nature hath brought a great Impotency andDifibility upon us to that which is good ; and we have made our felves much weaker by evil Pra&ice ; by thePower of evilHabits, we are enflaved to our Lofts, and fold under Sin. So that if at any timewe are convinced of our Duty, and 'from that Convi- ílionhave an Inclination to that which is good, evil is prefent to em. When the Lawof God gives us the knowledge of our Duty, and flares our Confciences in theFace, there is anotherLaw in our Members, warring againfi the Law ofour Minds, and bringing us into Captivity to the Law of Sin, whichis in our Members. Sin brings us under thePower of Satan, and gives himdominion over ns. For his Servants ye are whomye obey ; fo that he rulesand bears fway in us, and we are led Captive by hint at his pleafure. Evil and vicious Habits are a kind of fecond' Náture fuperin- duced uponus, which takes away our Power and Liberty to that which is good, awl renders it impofiïble to us to raife and refcue ourfelves ; fo that we are Prifo- vers and Captives, 'till theSonofGodfet usfree and dead in Trefpaffes and Sins, 'till he gives ris Life. And therefore theProphet reprefents the Recovery of our felves from the Bondageof Sin, by fuch things as are naturally impoffable, to Ihèw how great ourWeaknefs and Impotency is Jer. r3. 3.Can the Ethiopiancleanfe his Skin, or the Leopard his Spots? Then may ye alfo do good, who are accuflomed to do evil. And by how much ftronger the Chains of our .Sins are, and the more unable we are to break loofe from them; by fo much the greater and more evident is the ne- ceflityof the DivineAffìftance, and of thePower of God's Grace, to knock off thofe Fetters, and to refcue us from this Bondage and Slavery. 2. TheGrace of God is ready to aftft andenable us to the Performance of thefe Conditions, that is, to Faith and Repentance, and all the purpofes of Obedience and a Holy Life; if we be not wanting to our felves, and do not reject or neglect to make ufe of that Grace, which God offers us, and is ready to afford to us in a very plentiful Manner. And this is that which renders all the Mercies of the Go- fpel effectual (if it benot our own fault, andwilful Neglect) to the great End and Detgn of our Salvation; and without this, all the gracious offers of the Go- fpel would fignify nothing at all to our Advantage. And this likewife is that,,which renders the Unbelief and Impenitency and Difobedience of Men utterly inexcufable; becaufe nothing of all this does pro- ceed from want of Power, but of Will to do better. And therefore this is fo neceffary an Encouragement to all the endeavours of Obedience and a good Life, that Men Ihould be affured of God's readinefs to of&fl and help them in the doing of their duty, that without this the revelation of the Gofpel, though never fo clear, would fignify nothing tous, all the Precepts and Dire&ions fora good Life, and the molt vehement Perfuafions and Exhortations to Obedience, would have
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