that in the Wisdom of God the World by Wisdom knew not God it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe 1 Cor. 2.9 10 11. The whole of Supernatural Revelation that is needful for us to know believe and practise is contained in the Sacred Scripture 2. Tim. 3.14 15 16 17. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for instruction in Righteousness that the Man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all Good Works And we have no ground to look for any gracious Acts and Operations of the Spirit on us but by the Scripture Joh. 16.13 14. When the Spirit of Truth is come he will guide you into all truth For he shall not speak of himself but whatsoever he shall hear that he shall speak He shall glorifie me he shall receive of mine and shall shew it unto you Joh. 14.26 But the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my Name he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your Remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you The Spirit brings no new unscriptural Revelations only makes us to understand Scripture-Truths which we understood not before and as there is occasion brings such Scripture-Truths to our remembrance as we had forgotten VIII When Man is told what God hath done in order to his Recovery and what he is to do in order to his reaping the benefit and advantage of the Redemption wrought for him by the Messiah such is the blindness of his Mind and perverseness of his Will that if left to himself he chuses rather to continue in Sin than to be saved from it and to rest upon his own poor Services Sacrifices and Duties for Justification and Salvation than upon the Righteousness of Christ Let this or some such Doctrine as this be preached to the Apostate Posterity of Adam Great was the Breach that Sin had made between God and you If you had stretch'd your Intellectuals to the utmost you could never have found out a way how an Accommodation could have been accomplished between the Most High and you a Law being established with a Sanction threatning Death Temporal Spiritual and Eternal to the Transgressors He being Just and Righteous how could Mercy be shewed to them without impeachment to Justice No Created Being was able to make satisfaction for the Wrong and Injury that was done therefore a Sacrifice would not have been accepted from Angels nor from Man who having Guilt upon him could not have stood before the Wrath of the Almighty who when Angry but a little tears in pieces and there is no delivering out of his Hand And if neither Angels nor Men can make Atonement for Sin much less can the rest of the Creation A Thousand of Rams and Ten thousand Rivers of Oil signifie nothing in this Case The offended Party finds out a Ransom and accepts of the same Rom. 3.25 26. 1 Joh. 2.2 Matth. 3.17 2 Cor. 5.19 Eph. 1.6 Col. 1.20 21 22. Tell them that in and through Christ there is Grace and Mercy with God for the greatest of Sinners if they are found truly repenting of Sin and believing on the Lord Jesus Isa 1.16 17 18. and 55.7 1 Joh. 1.9 Joh. 3.16 1 Tim. 1.15 Act. 3.19 and 10.43 and 13.38 39. Tell them if they say they have no power to repent or believe Act. 5.31 God hath exalted his Son to be a Prince and a Saviour to give Repentance and Remission of Sin and Faith is the Gift of God Eph 2.8 Phil. 1.29 Heb. 12.2 Isa 45.22 Look unto me all the Ends of the Earth and be saved Grace is in your offer be not so foolish as to refuse your own Mercies this is the accepted time this is the day of Salvation 2 Cor. 6.2 Consider the things that belong to your Peace while your day of Grace lasts least afterwards it be too late Luk. 19.42 Who would think but rational Beings indued with immortal Souls which will be eternally miserable or happy will effectually mind that which is indisputably both their Duty and Interest having all this and much more laid before them Sure they will now for ever abandon every known Sin and resign up themselves entirely to the Conduct of Christ But alas alas here is matter of Lamentation the King of Glory knocks at our Door Rev. 3.20 but who opens for him to come in He stretches out his Hand all day long to a rebellious stiff-necked People Isa 65.1 Rom. 10.21 Isa 49.4 and 53.1 Cant. 5.2 3. Prov. 9.1 2 3 4 5 6 Matth. 22.2 3 4 5. Joh. 5.40 2 Cor. 4.3 4. IX When Sinners are left to the Corruptions of their own Hearts they are not only so foolish as to slight the offers of Grace but also so desperately wicked as to set themselves with all their might against the Gospel and the propagation of it They will by no means admit that Christ should reign over themselves Luke 19.14 As far as in them lies he shall not reign in others They enter not into the Kingdom of Heaven themselves they suffer not others to enter Matth. 23.13 They persecute them that preach profess and practise the Gospel with any Seriousness Act. 7.51 52 57 58 59. Act. 8.1 2 3. Act. 9.1 Act. 17.1 2 3 4 5. 1 Thes 2.14 15 16. X. Nature is now so deeply depraved in all that nothing short of an effectual Work of the Holy Ghost can renew sanctifie and change it This is a Work too high for Nature improved to the utmost Nature cannot produce a Supernatural Effect Joh. 3.6 Art and Education can considerably accomplish Nature but they cannot new make it When there is no more than mere Humane Institution and Instruction they cannot cause all old things to pass away and all things to become new This is too high for the most refined Philosophy ancient or modern taught by Socrates Pythagoras Plato or Aristotle It is not Academical Learning can reach this It is not being under the most powerful and Spiritual Ministry It is not the most Argumentative Moral Swasions made use of by Men It is not a Man 's own Desires Endeavours Resolutions Promises Vows Covenants and Engagements to forsake all and every Sin It is not being in the external Practice of all Religious Duties It is not being of this or t'other Persuasion submitting to this or t'other Ordinance being of this or t'other Church and receiving the Sacrament that changes Nature For all these things may be where there is no Heart-Renovation Joh. 3.3 Verily Verily I say unto thee except a Man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God The Jews especially the Pharisees had a Notion Vniverso Israeli est portio in mundo futuro hoc est in fruitione Messiae nec omnino necessariam esse animi renovationem They thought their being the Children of Abraham without being renewed in the Spirit of their mind would
but in God if we may so phrase it Quicquid est in Deo est Deus It is God himself freely communicating the choicest of his Blessings to those that are less than the least of Mercies Gen. 32.10 There is Gratia gratis data or Donum quodvis quod ex gratuito Dei amore liberalitate in nos confertur Any Gift that is bestowed on us of the Love Favour and Bounty of God Heb. 12.15 28. Let us have Grace whereby we may serve God acceptably Act. 11.23 and 13.43 Eph. 4.7 2 Cor. 8.7 and 9.8 The Question is of Grace in this latter Sence not of Grace in the former Sence That which is in all Men is the Saving Grace of God says J. E. and an increated Being That which is in all Men is not Grace say I nor an Increated Being yea that which is true Saving Grace in Believers is not an Increated Being Thus I have done with the Preliminaries It is needful in the next place that some Definition be given of Grace inherent in Believers for there is nothing else in others that deserves the Denomination of Grace or is so to be called That Grace which hath Man for its Subject of Inhesion may be thus described It is a Supernatural and Special Gift of God bestowed upon some in and through Christ as Mediator of the New Covenant I call it a Supernatural Gift because it proceeds not neither can it proceed from Nature as now in its lapsed State A special Gift because not given to all Faith is one of these Graces and 2 Thess 3.2 All Men have not Faith A Free Gift to shew that God in dispensing inherent Grace to Sinners is not acted by necessity of Nature but is a voluntary Agent he might have chused whether he would have bestowed it on one or another herein he acts according to the good Pleasure of his Will Eph. 1.5 and according to the Riches of his Grace Eph. 1.7 1 Cor. 4.7 Who maketh thee to differ from another or What hast thou that thou hast not received When I say bestowed upon some this implies that Grace in this and the other Man was a little while ago a n â—â—ens that which had no Existence Hence the Argument runs thus That which a liâ—â—â—e while ago was a non-entity cannot be an Increated Being such was Grace inherent in this and the other Man Therefore When I say bestowed in and through Christ it is to distinguish it from the Blessings of a General and Common Providence Psal 33.5 and 119.64 and 145.14 15 16. The Whole Earth is full of the Goodness of the Lord and his tender Mercies are over all his Works But this is a Speciality of Divine Favour given only to the Elect in and through Christ Eph. 1.3 4 5. and there are none actually possess'd thereof but they that are Members of that Mystical Body whereof Christ is Head Eph. 4.16 Another Description of Inherent Grace is this It is an eminent Work of the Spirit of God upon the Souls of Sinners or the preaching of the Gospel whereby nature is so far renewed in them in respect of Qualities that all old things are done away and all things are made new in order to their being in a Capacity to glorifie God here and their being glorified with him to all Eternity hereafter It is a Work of the Holy Ghost Joh. 3.3 5. Tit. 3.5 Hence I argue thus That which hath the Holy Ghost for its Efficient is no Increated but a Created Being Such is Grace in Believers Therefore I call it an Eminent Work of the Holy Ghost to distinguish from other more inferior Works of his All the Works of Creation and Providence are the Works of Father Son and Spirit according to that Saying Opera Trinitatis ad extra sunt indivisa What is done by one is done by all Three But when Grace is wrought in the Soul of a Sinner that is an eminent Work The Works of Creation have the Father for their Efficient 1 Cor. 8.6 Of him are all things The Son 1 Cor. 8.6 By him are all things Joh. 1.10 The Holy Ghost Gen. 1.2 Psal 33.6 By the Word of the Lord were the Heavens made and all the Host of them by the Spirit of his Mouth The Works of Providence have the Father for their Efficient He that feeds the Ravens and cloaths the Lâ—â—â—es Matth. 6.26 Luke 12.24 Psal 145.13 14 15 16. The Son Heb. 1.3 He upholds all things by the Word of his Power Col. 1.17 By him all things consist The Holy Ghost the qualifying and accomplishing of Zerubbabel for building and finishing the Second Temple was a Work of Providence and the Holy Ghost had a Hand therein Zech. 4.6 7. Not by Might nor by Power but by my Spirit saith the Lord of Hosts Who art thou great Mountain before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a Plain and he shall bring forth the Head-stone thereof with Shoutings crying Grace Grace unto it Vpon the Souls of Sinners This denotes the Objects on which the Grace-working Acts and Operations of the Holy Ghost are terminated considered antecedently to his Working this Work in and upon them they are Sinneâ—s not Saints whatever their Gifts and Endowments may be natural or acquired they are void and destitute of Saving Grace 1 Cor. 6.9 10. Know ye not that the Vnrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God 1 Tim. 1.13 14. Who was before a Blasphemer and a Persecuor and Injurious but I obtained Mercy and the Grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with Faith and Love which is in Christ Jesus If they that have Grace in them to Day had it not Yesterday then the Grace which is in them to Day is no Increated but a Created Being But so it is with them that are Saints to Day and were Sinners Yesterday Therefore By the preaching of the Gospel Though Children are capable both of Grace Luke 1.15 and of Glory Matth. 19.14 and God hath ways to work Grace in them beyond what we can think of Joh. 3.8 his Gracious Acts and Operations are many times imperceptible and not to be discerned by us what I now assert is to be understood of them that are Adult ordinarily the Spirit works Grace in them by the preaching of the Gospel 1 Pet. 1.23 24 25. Being born again not of corruptible Seed but of incorruptible by the Word of God which liveth and abideth for ever And this is the Word which by the Gospel is preached unto you Rom. 10.14 15 16 17. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God Act. 11.21 22. and 13 44. -- 48. and 10.33 42 43 44. 1 Thess 2.13 Psal 110.2 3 1 Cor. 4.15 In Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel That which is a Spiritual Procreation by the instrumentality of
After he hath drawn out your Affections to be in a Holy Flame of servent Love to the Lord Jesus you have thrown Water upon this Fire that he hath kindled in you Is it not matter of humbling to you That you have so often sinned against light and Knowledge That you have acted contrary to the Dictates and Convictions of your own Consciences Is it not matter of humbling That you have so often silenced Conscience and lulled it asleep when it was about to lay your Sin before you in all the Aggravations thereof You have been but little in that All in that necessary Duty of Seâ—â—-examination and when you have gone about it you have not been so thorough therein as you should have been when Conscience hath been ready to bring in an impartial Verdict as to the present State of your Souls have ye not flattered your selves as if all might go well enough with you notwithstanding of your living in the neglect and omission of some Duties and your taking too much Latitude as to some Sins It is not matter of humbling That you Hearts have so often deceived you Have you not often and often thought that such a particular Lust had been so mortified that you should never have heard of it any more and yet ye have been mistaken Is it not matter of humbling That the Sin which doth so easily beset you hath given you so much disturbance that it hath taken you off from so many a good Work which otherwise ye would have been about It hath distracted your Spirits when you have been in Duties it hath led you into many a sinful Snare out of which ye have not been able to extricate your selves without difficulty it hath set you back in your way to Heaven and hath hindred your growing in Grace it hath much interrupted your Communion with God and caused an eclipse of the Light of his Countenance so that you have not had the bright Shinings thereof as otherwise you might have had May it not be matter of humbling That your Humiliation hath not been proportioned to your Sins and Provocations You have had a long time of sinning but your Sorrow hath been of a short continuance You have sinned greatly and have sorrowed but little It is but seldom ye have offered up to God that excellent Sacrifice of a broken Heart and a contrite Spirit Is it not matter of humbling That ye have mis-spent so much precious time Some part of it hath been spent in Idleness doing nothing some in sinning some in doing that which signifies little for Soul-advantage Is it not matter of humbling That ye have prosited so little by all the Ordinances that have been administred to you time after time and by all the Providences of this day in general and towards your selves in particular Is there not cause to say Ab our leanness our leanness notwithstanding of the many Soul-fructifying Seasons of Grace we have had See Luke 13.7 8. Isa 5.69 Is it not matter of humbling that you have lived so long in the World and have been so little serviceable to the Son of God who gave himself unto death for you and that you have been so little useful unto others in the places where you have been set Is it not matter of humbling That your Ignorance of Divine things is so great and your Knowledge so small that ye have been for so long a time Learners in the School of Christ and yet the things whereof ye are ignorant are more than the things you know Heb. 5.12 Is it not matter of humbling That ye have manifested so much imprudence and indiscretion in managing your secular Concerns Have ye not in many things leaned too much to your own Understanding whereby your Wisdom hath appeared to be Folly Have ye hearkned to Prov. 3.6 7 Is it not matter of humbling That notwithstanding of all your Gifts and Graces Piety and Prudence you cannot prevent Disappointments Crosses Losses Troubles and Tryals in the World neither can you give Success to your Undertakings or Actings The Race is not to the Swift nor the Battle to the Strong neither yet Bread to the Wise nor yet Riches to Men of Vnderstanding but time and chance happeneth to them all Eccles 9.11 Is it not matter of humbling That notwithstanding all the Grace ye have you are so often put to a non-plus in your own Thought that you know not what to do When ye have consulted your selves considered all Circumstances hearkned to whatsoever that within you can suggest yet ye find cause enough still for your going unto others for Counsel and Advice and when ye have been with them and have all they can say unto you you come away as wise as ye went Is it not matter of humbling that ye are so variable sickle uncertain and inconstant One hour seemingly fix'd in your Resolves to do so and so next hour unresolved again Love to day hate to morrow One Week on the Mount with the most High If all forsake thee I never will next Week at the Foot of the Mount Grace at as low an Ebb as well it can be Psal 30.6 7. Is it not matter of humbling That ye have so often administred occasion to the Ignorant and Wicked to speak evil of the pure Religion which ye profess and of those Holy Ways in which ye Walk that ye have no more adorned the Doctrine of God our Saviour with a Conversation in all things according to the Gospel and that ye have so often sadned the Spirits of those whom God would not have sadned Rom. 2.24 Is it not matter of humbling That ye are no more humbled for the Sins of others among whom ye live God is dishonoured at a high rate every where Prophaneness is countenanced and encouraged in most places all seriousness in Religion is ridiculed They whose Work it should be to take People off their Sins and to put them in a fair Way for Heaven and Glory are so far from minding the Conversion of Sinners and the Salvation of Souls that they do what in them lies to obstruct whatever hath a Tendency hereunto They neither enter into the Kingdom of Heaven themselves nor suffer others to enter They that should impartially execute Justice and Righteousness between Man and Man do no such thing but rather the contrary they patronize Impiety and are a Terrour to them that do well and yet ah How few are there who lay these things to Heart Ezek. 9.4 Psal 119.136 2 Pet. 2.7 8. Is it not matter of humbling That there is so little of a truly publick Spirit in this day of ours even among those that profess themselves Followers of the Lamb the Lord Jesus Every one minds his own things few or none the things of Christ Phil. 2.21 There is little of a true Zeal for God and his Glory and against Sin as such Is it not matter of humbling That you have so little of a true hearty Love for