Planted by the Heavenly Father. t 213 keep it out, and defires the Lord to depart from him, for he de- fireth not the knowledge of his wages: and with the Gergefens rather then they will part with their fwinifhnefle and th-at mire wherein they wallow , they will meet Chrift and define himnot to come ncere them, but todepart out of their coats ? fo well do . all men out of Chrift love him and leek after him, or ufe meanes to come to him. But to anfwer more particularly, I do not, nor never did deny the ufe of the meanes in the bandof the Father ; for the meanes do nothing,but the Fathers hand only ; And God never intended a carnal meanes should effe& afpiritnal work: He is afpirit , and thofe that worfhip bim , muff worfhip him'in fpirit and truthTheweapons ofour warfare, are not carnal,but fpiritual; And they are mighty in the hand of God, not in the hand of man ; not in ourfelves but in him. That which is borne of theflefh isflefh, but that which is borne ofthefpirit is fpirit.Andwhat is it that men makeout about this Obje&ian but this,that men muff do, and men mufffirive, and men muff watch ? 'tis true , what meanes foever Godpleafeth to ufe /hallprevaile: but ifufed by man, it does nothing at all ; can afpiritual thingcome out ofa carnal ? can a cleane thing come out ofan uncleane ? And therefore 'tis cleare to me and to all the people of God, and to their experience, That the Lord makes noufe ofmans power, orfirength, or wifdome, or watch- fulneffe, or induflry: but what is done in man,'tis purely the hand andpower oftheLord. If HE fay the word , Let there be light in filcha foul, 'tis done; if he fay to the Lepers, beye cleane,'tis done : If he fay to the eares,EPHPHATHA, be ye opened, And, young man Ifay unto thee Arife, And to the fick, Arije, take up thy bed and walk, then the work is done; But men not knowing theworland power ofGod, they are alwayes Harping on this flring,on manspower, acing, working, flriving, and the like. I, but they obje& further ; I, but muff not man ufe exter- nal meanes, as Preaching, and hearing, and'reading the Scrip- ture and the like ? Anfw. Although he do, yet what doth all this do,except thepower of God be in it ? The Lord is pleafed, in thisBook of theBible , to fpeak out the things belònging job 21.14. Mat. 8.34 John 4.24 2 Cor. i os- John 3.6. Gen,1.3. Luke 5.12 & 17.17. Mark 7,34 & & Chap, 5,24, Objet3. Anfw.
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