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spirit_n ghost_n holy_a soul_n 13,711 5 5.0030 4 true
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A41745 Three sermons preached at the cathedral in Norwich, and a fourth at a parochial church in Norfolk humbly recommending I. True reformation of our selves, II. Pious reverence toward God and the King, III. Just abhorrence of usurping republicans, and, IV. Due affection to the monarchy / by John Graile ... Graile, John. 1685 (1685) Wing G1479; ESTC R38763 64,056 194

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their Vicious Practices and obey the Holy Commandments But he means that through the Love of Sin and Hatred of the Div●ne Law they cannot obtain of themselves to be willing to renounce the one and submit to the other For he saith in the same Place that the carnal mind is Enmity to God and this is the chief Reason why it cannot be subject to his Law The Man that heads an intestine Rebellion cannot pretend that he hath no Ability to serve his Prince He hath Strength and Forces at his command if they were not misemployed by his disloyal Affection And every Sinner hath Faculties and Powers which he might call off from the Service of Sin to the Service of God were it not for the Naughtiness of his Heart If it be objected That although Men have the Power to repent and amend yet the Want of a willing Mind will certainly hinder them from it neither can they obtain a Willingness of Mind without the Grace of God renewing their Wills and effectually inclining them to better Ways and Doings All this I readily acknowledge but this should not discourage any from endeavouring to repent and reform themselues Because the Divine Grace and Assistance is never denied to mens sincere and earnest Endeavours our Blessed Saviour having assured us that God will give his holy Spirit to them that ask him Luk. 11. 13. No man therefore is so far void of Power to repent and amend but he might do it if he were willing and he shall also by Degrees be made willing if he heartily pray for the Grace of the Holy Spirit and with his Prayers joyn his constant Endeavours to bring his Will to some complyance with the Will of God Whoever takes this course and perseveres in it let him not be afraid he shall not miscarry If any shall still contend that men cannot so much as pray for the Grace of God with any degree of Sincerity nor use any sincere Endeavour to reform themselves except God enable them so to pray and so to endeavour and therefore that they have no Power at all and can do nothing in the least towards these Effects this Sequel is to be denied For although no man hath any Power in and from himself either of Repenting or of Fraying to God for his Grace yet all even the worst of Men have some Power towards it given them from God and those that use the Power given them shall still receive more and more Is there not such a Thing as the Preventing Grace of God whereby he is aforehand with us and most freely begins to dispose and incline us to Repentance and Reformation before we do in the least either desire it or endeavour it The Beginning of such a good Disposition and Inclination is I conceive at some time or other generally wrought by the most just and merciful God in all the Children of Men. He finds a Time to awaken the Natural Conscience of every Sinner to raise in him a Sense of his Guilt and a Fear of his Danger which Apprehensions if they be not obliterated or suppressed will put him upon Endeavours to provide for his own Safety And upon such Awakenings of Conscience there are none but might begin to amend their Doings and to become less sinful by leaving off some of their ill Practices Although they cannot arrive at a Mature State of Piety and Vertue all on a sudden yet they might look and make towards it with some desires and Endeavours to attain it They have Power doubtless to reform in part which if they do God will supply them with more Power and if they proceed in improving the Divine Grace and Assistance as it is afforded them they shall still receive larger and larger Measures thereof until the Work of Reformation be perfected He that hath that is he that improves what he hath to him more shall be given but he that hath not that is he that doth not improve what he hath from him shall be taken away even that which he hath Mark 4. 25. In short The Holy Spirit of God doth sooner or later come home to all our Souls in some measure communicating the Aids of his Grace to every one of us Now when men quench the Spirit and resist the holy Ghost as often as he strives with them when they stifle his Convictions reject his Motions and put off all serious and awakning Considerations working in them when they endeavour to drown the Voice of Conscience which is the Voice of God either by the continual Noise and Throng of Worldly Business or by constant Diversions to false Pleasures and vain Entertainments of Fancy which so possess their Imaginations that they quickly expel all pious Thoughts it is no Wonder that the Holy Spirit being often resisted doth at least leave such men to walk on still in their evil ways and to die and perish in their Sins But if we be willing and obedient under the Power and Conduct of Gods Spirit working in us if we hearken to his Dictates and comply with his Motions he will still come in to our Assistance with greater and greater Aids and we may be assured that our Labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. If we will cooperate with the Grace of God his Grace shall be sufficient for us If we will do our Parts towards the making us holy and happy God will certainly do His. If we use our sincere endeavour that is if we do what we can towards it and none can say that they cannot do that God will infallibly bless our Endeavours and make them prosperous and successful So great is our Encouragement to work out our Salvation although we are to do it with fear and trembling when it is God that worketh in us both to Will and to Do of his good pleasure But because there are not so many of those who are kept off from Repentance and Reformation through despair of Success as there are of those who continually delay this necessary Work upon a bold Presumption that they can do it at any Time when they will the Remainder of my Discourse shall be spent in the Consideration of the proper Season for it which was my last Observable Return ye now every man The onely Time for Repentance and Reformation is Now the Present Time and 't is of infinite Concern that we enter upon it without delay lest we for ever lose the Opportunity of Doing it Now is the accepted Time Now is the Day of Salvation to day while it is called to day No other Time is ours but the present We can no more command the future than recal what is past And therefore it was good Advice which a Jewish Doctor gave his Scholar that he should repent one day before he died meaning that he should do it that very day because he had no Assurance of another He that doth not presently return from the Paths of Sin may