458 Of the Teftimony of the Spirit, &c. Vol. IL worketh a good Inclination in us, yet it is fafe to follow the Phrafe of Scripture, and to afcribe all good to God, as in Tome way or other the Author of it. II. This doth not excufe the Infidelity of Men, that Faith is the Gift of Got! For tho' no Man doth believe without force influence of the Divine Spirit upon his Heart, yet this does by no means excufe chore who believe not, any more than it is an Excufe to the infidelity of Men, that the Scripture attributes it to the Devil, as in tome fort the Caufe of it. He is raid to Hind the eyes of them that believe not, left the light of the glorious Gofpel of Chrifl AmidJhine into them. But the unbelief of Men is a fault for all this ; becaufe the Devil cannot blind our Minds, unlefs we confent to it : he can only fuggeftfalle Principles to us ; but we may chute whether we will entertain them or not : he can only tempt us to reject the truth; but we may chufewheiiertve will do fo or not. In this we are faulty, becaufe we may refift the Devil, and quench or repel thofe fiery Darts which he carts into our Minds : but if we will confent to his Temptations, and fuffer our felves to be blinded by him, the fault of our unbelief is our own, 'as well as his; and we are guilty of the Infidelity which we fuffer him to tempt us to. So on the other band rho' Faith be, the Gift of God ; yet thofe that believe not are faulty upon this account, that they quench and refift the bleffed Motions of God's Spirit, and the Influence and Operation of the Spirit of God, which accompany the Truth of the Gofpel to the Minds of Men, and produce their Effeet wherever they are not oppofed and rejeíted by the Prejudice and Petverlenefs of Men. III. Let us depend upon God for every good Gift ; and earneftly beg the Aflitlancc and Influence of his Holy Spirit, which is fo neceflary to us to beget Faith in us,. and to preferve, and to make it efFeaual upon our Hearts and Lives. Bread is not more neceflary to the fupport of our natural Life, than the Holy Spirit of God to our Spiritual Life. For our encouragement to ask this Giftof God's Holy Spirit, our Saviour lath told us, that God is very ready to beftow him upon us. No Father upon Earth is more ready to give Bread to his Children that cry after him, than God is ro give his Spirit to thofe that heartily and earneftly beg it of him. So our Saviour afl'ures us, Luke is. rt, 12, 13, If a Son (hall ask Breadof any of you that is a' Father, will he give him 'a Stone 1 or if he ask a Fifh, will he for a Fifhgive him a:Serpent ? or if he (hall ask an Egg, will he offer Ulm a Scorpion ? Ifye then, being evil, know how togive good Gifts unto yourChildren : how much more /hall ¡air Rea- Verily Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him? And now I have done with the_Oft thing that I propounded, which was to open the Nature of Faith to you in general. T have been the longer upon this becaufe I thought it very material, and important to the fettlingof right Apprehen7 fions in us-concerning Religion, and Divine things; and I have all along endea- voured to make things as eafieand plain as the nature of the Subje& would per- mit. And rho' probably many things that I have Paid, might not be within the full reach and comprehenfion of all Capacities, yet bepaufe I hoped they might be ufeful and beneficial to force at leaft, 'I could not think the other Confideration a fufficient reafon why Iihould wholly omit them, and pafs them by ; remembring what St. Paul lays, that he was a debter to the wife, as well as the unwire. And St. Peter tells us, that St. Paulin his Epiftles wrote many things which were bard to be underllood by force Perlons ; yet becaufe thofe things might be of ufe to others, the Spirit of God did not think fit to omit thewriting of them. What remains I (hall referee for another Diifcourfe, with which I Ihall conclude this Subjefk. S HR-
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