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Show 326 'the Spoufe o/ it felf hath no power to allionr,&c. 3 . Conduf. Lallly, For thofe s.ouls who are regenerated, Chrifl n114l alfo JP••It to.thtm by hu Spmt btfm they wiU or Wt arifl from tbtir fiatt if Jecrmty and carnality, or from their mort imperfd1 ft•te to a mort p~rfdl {tate, and mo~e ptrfrllallings of Holiltifi, He hath indeed gtv~n to th~m to.w.tll, but he mull alfo give unto them to do. lt was to Chntls Dtfctples that he faid, Withdut me you can · do 110• tbing, John 15. 5· Paul faith no more; than I c•n do aU thing1 tbrout.h Chrt~ that ftrmgtheneth me. lt is Aug·uf!int's Glofs,Non di· <tl fine me parum pou(lu [IIC<rt, ~~c pote{lif .•rdui aliquid {int me face~ e, vtl difficulm fine me potmtts ;fed mhilfine me perficere poteJh<. He doth not fay, you can do little without me nor you can d~ no di.fficult thing without me; nor you can h'ardly do any th!n~ without me ; but you ca~ do nothing without me. Our wtllts not llbtra nifi qtrantum ltberata, faith Aug. No otherwife free than as the S~n hath made it free; bur it is nor by the Son fo ma?e free,as that It no longer wanteth orif fui alllxilio,his fpeaking t~ It, Bern~rd tells tls tbat fame of his Monks found fault with htm, that bemg renewed and fanCl:ified, he fiill begged tlie affiftance ~fGod; he to!d them that Paul faith, not when Godbat.bt~ n bu good "'"'~Y"" (haD fini(h il, but be who hath bega11 11 good ,.,~,be jhaUfinifh it. The wounded man that fell amongfi thieves Lu~e 10. 3 5· was not left alfoon as his wounds were bound up' b~t under a continual care. The unregenerate Soul moves no~· wuho~t preparing and exciting grase; he doth nothing fpiritually wuh?ut grace working mig~tily in him, giving him to will. The gracrous Sou~moveth not without co-operating grace without a foUo,.,ingand~tf!iftinggrace. Indeed upon renovation ':to wiU if prtflnt ,.,ith them ; ( this is the principle of fpirituallife;) but they have no firengrh to perform: they confmt to the L6w ofGod,Rom. 7· 22 • .'17".Y •pprove it, but fiill they have need of God to ttach them hu WzU, and to lead them i.,to the land ofRighteoujnej1, Pfalm 143• 10. tof/rengthm, toftablijh tiJtm,and efpeclally to raife them when they are bowed down; for this is the Lords work,Pfal. 146. ~.Let me conclude this with a Note of a learned Author,2 Coro~2. ,. When Paul had prayed for the removal of the thorn In his flelh he retei~ed this anfwer? My grace {haU be (nfficirntfo1'1hre, for mj. ftrengtb u made ptr[ell m wea~nefi. 'l:herefore (faith this grave Author,) •wbofoever If be after hH reNovation doth not arktto.,.ledgfocb weak,.nefi,for wbic,he hat.b daily neeeloftbe grace of God, Gods ftrength !'I!Y.kbtg•n til b~m, ~~ ~~ it no.t m~deperfel1 in him; for it is nevrr madt made perfdl b11t in our wea~nefi. Thus much lhall ferve to have opened to you, what_fpeaking of~hrifi to his Spoufe in her.feveral Rates is necelfary Ill order to hrs Spoufes Arijing and eommg a,.,~ y in the fenfes before explained. I come now to the Application, which will be fitted not fo firiCl:ly to the Propofitiou as to the body of my Difcourfe upon it, which ( as you have heard) hath been concerning the power of man in his motions towards that which is good : and what infiuence of God upon him is necelfary in order to all fuch motions. Hence obCerve, 'nai tbm i1 none (rfPecially living under tlupreaching of the Go- Vfl. r. {pel ) bul may do more good than be doth, and avoid mort fin th•n , . ie doth avoid. There i~ a Common grace ":hich God denieth unto ~;~;:f;.•;::U. none afwell as a fpecral effee\ua.\ grace whtch he grants not to all. nat homi""" 44 Whe~ I name Good, l mean fuch things as are materi411J good malur,nondlcommanded in the Word of God. Thus to read and hear the tmoin~t. Word to pray, to do jufily, to live foberly, to be charitable, arc all go~d things, and fuch as men may do without fpecial difiin-guilhing grace. Yea, and as under the Gofpel there Is a greater grace difpenfed, I m~a~ common .grace fiill, and fmtbe~Jight lhi-ning forth: So men hvmg under It may yet do more, they rnay_.get a further knowledg both of God, Qnd Sin :they are more ad van-taged, being often called upon to fit alone to confider their ways, and to be humbled for their fin. I am not of their mind , who think that ,.,here tht Gojpel if preached, it if attended ,.,ith (ucb 11 powtrful znfiurncr of grace, that if men wiU but ufe the power of their o"'n willsthJy m~y repent, believe and be faved; (I want one place of Scripture to prove that.) I am of their mind ~ho think, that befides tl1e preaching of the Gofpel, a powerful influx upon the heart changing it is neceffary ; b.ut unquefiionably all men , and efpecially fuch as are under the preaching of the Gofpel, have a power ro <lo much more than they do, both in declining fin, and doing good. It •is an excellent palfage of AugNf!ine, Firmiffi,.e A•t· Jzfidt a~ teHe & nuUate11111 d,t<biteJ poffi quiderr. homi'!em quem nee igHorantt~ Pttrom. c.p. literar~<rn Htc aliqua prahibet imbeciUitM uel adverjitM verb• Legi1 & Evangelii fioe let.ere, jive ex ore pr~dtcatoris •udire : fed ul quod audit corpore cor de eltam percipial & velit & poffit, neminem pojfo -nifi'l•emgrati.a Dei pr~vmerit. Hold it, faith he, for a firm truth and by no means doubt but that a man who can but read , (and that is a thing may be learned you know;) or that is not weak and lick, may read the Word, or hear ir pre~ch'd, but he cannot un-derfiand |