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Show the heart; if its fip{{ i!~elin•ti•ns to g•od; if its openings to him mull be from him, he mull be on the forehand with the Soul, not the Soul with him, he mufl firfl by thefe workings lhew himfelf brrs, befor.e 01e can lhew her felf to be hli, for the will is the great wberl of our Souls: till it move, the Soul moves not; if that move not ti!Lthis divine Hand moves it, God mufllirfl give unto che Soul, and nor the Soul unto him. If the Will did lid! move it fclf to God, chen indeed it lhould give firfi unto God,and might exp<Cl: a recompence from him: but if the will muft be firfi moved if that Iron-door will nor (like that of Petrr's Prifon) fly ope~ of it [elf: but the Lord mull not only ufe his voice but as c~nt. 5· 4· mufl alfo ufe the hand, putting it ill by the ho!e of the dour, (as he fpeaketh) it is manifeft that Go.d hath th7 ti~fi, yea, .the great part in the C:ouva~lion _of. a Smner, and )bnngmg of a Soulinto conjugal Umon with lumfelf. · 2. It is plain from the Scriptures exp~dlion of ~he ~ea~t of man to be fuch as is not capable of {pmtual 11zotron ttl! 1t firfl be moved. I remember I ·fpake fomething fully co this .before and therefore flJall but !hortly mind-you, That ihe Scripture [peaks of us as dead in fin_; from dead bod_ics no motion can be ex· peCl:ed till the brea'h ofh(e be·breached Into them. ~· As rv_•a_k.. and impotent, which denieth any Power a_nd flrengch In us unul1t be put into us. 3· As brz11g at enntlly wztb God. . . 3. This appeareth from this, -That the very afJs of belrevmg 4nd repenting art in Saupture ma~e the gift ~fG~d: not only _rhe po~ver and ability of the Soul to -beheve, which 1s wrought 1n che Soul by Gods influence upon the will inclining to him; ~u~ I fay, r)le afJ of brlieving, its CO{Iling to Chrill, aCl:ually r:CCivmg of lum _and clo!ing with him, Phil. '· 2-9. To Y_ou tt H gtvm ontbe behalf 0f Chrijf to believe, not to be able co beh:v~ and ~o have a po.wer, but to exert and put forth the act ; tbJs IS a g1ft, a free gtft of God, 'fohn6. 65. tiJfrt/i!re I [aid tt!lto yo~t, 'Ih•t 110 man .can come unto me except it n-ere given him of my Father. Comwg,!ign.'ficc_h ~{ lual believing ; This rnuft be gi von us of our Father wh1ch 1s_ In Heaven and foconcerniog Repentanc€, 2 T11n. 2. 5· If God gtve them R;pentance, to the ackn~wledgment .of ~be truth. If God ~ill give them Repentance: not a me~r power to repent tf they Will, but Repwtanu that is ma~e the gift of God. fllrther yet, . ' 4· Give me leave co t~fe the fame argument in the cafe, wluch the ApoJlle ufeth io the bu!ioefs of the jl#,~iftcation of-a Soul he- . fore • • f ~ • • y ..... f,m God: As he faith of thac,fo I f•y of effefluf.l Vbcation;ifGad had not, if we have,in lt t,lle firll parts, then n>< fnigpt bave fomrtbing whor"f to glory and boafr, which we ca11not have before God. That the Lord hath a ddign in the whole manager~ and accomplill1· menc of the bu!inefs of mans Salvation 'to cake away all caufe or occalion of boa/ling from m,an, fo as he lhaJJ, have no.ching co do but to cry, Grace, Gr~ct,is exceeding evident. Ih the contrive· menc ofic, man C')Uld have no concern; The Decree of Elr&iOJZ, the Coven.,tt of R-edemption, che Fathers Donation were a~s of Eternity, in which it was impollible chat the Creatqre (made long Iince) fl10uld have any concern, other chan co reap the benefic of - chem. Nor would it be dreamed till the Popijh and Arminian Jidiculous dream offt#lth & rr>orkf forefeen,which lhould move God co eleCl:,&c. Wa$ publi!hed.to the World. In the bufinefs ofRedemp· tion he hat)l told us Efay 63-3- I have trodden. the TYinepreji alone, andoftht pCDpl-ertlme rr>_IH non• with me: T,o excludnhe Popilh pen• nce and]ll!,isfaflions, he faid upon th~ Crofs: AH is jinijh,d. For t~e doCl:r,ine of'fi1lification the,I).Ro(lle fpeal~tth plain, Rom. 3 .l; •. ~:/(bert is b•aftiJtg_tbm l it is exc{!lded ;. liy wbat>Law? of war~s? no, but by th& law of. Faith. ;'\jl~in, Rom, 4· 2. lf Abraham rr>m jN/1-ijied by rr>JJrkf, he hath whm•f to glory, but not before God. The Apoflle cdlsus; r-Cor.1.27. Tlw Godbath:bofl~ the fiolifhthi~tgf of the rr><Jrl4toco•fwnd tlu wife, a!f.d ,tbewrak things of the world to co~nfpJind thofi' tha.t.are,mig{11J>i&,; verfo 2'9- that no flefh fhould. g,i¥ry,iH-his'pre[<'tlc~; 1 <;ox; 4· 7-•· (,'l(bich:~ex~ mdre.particularly r,efqrech t~ VGcatiOJ1: ,), Wi<o rna/{rth thq lo differ from anotlm l and,wbat -ha{t thou which thotulidfhtot r.eccive l '.if thou didjl rcqeive it, . w[Jy d.e/1 tho, glory.tH iftliou, hadflnot receivtd it? Plainlyr the ~mflo.of ScripturP rend~c.h; tQ t})isl, T.bac God hath fo contri·· v,qd,, a11d fo. m~nagcd:the bLifine(5 qf.rll-t<$ Salvarion, both as to. th~,prepnacitm and ~plij:ation qf jc,_.a~ltlta,~ himfelf.llJa]J ha.v.e all ~e h9a.our of ic; I~ fl1~1r ~t<!ll,qf g-ra"·,Jilnd ma!' lhall have no• rhing to do, but by faith to a>cepr it, allll by holim[r co lhew hisgritli~ llde for it: ~ur IJP.w $)11> cq~ldrnor .poffibly be, if Gods grace djp,not,pre,ve~t eli-~; S9~1J, :J\fte Soullhou)d glory,over Gods_ aCl:s frotp Eterpttly, and< f~y,I h~d r nevi:{ beentclwfen.to Sall>allon, Chrill had never.cMenanfcd\with his-Father, for me; the Father had neve.r given me co Ghrifi, Chrifl,had never died mwe fcrc me chan for any Reproqace, but that ,God from all Ecerni'cy forefaw a goodncfs in my ,nature more lh'ah others: thoLJgh others - had ' 479 |
