foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himselfe being the Corner stone Now the Apostles and Prophets are the foundation of the whole building as in their daies so in our daies and now what have we to doe but to build on the same foundation Againe Consider what saith the Scripture Math. 16. 18. And I say also unto thee that thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevaile against it Now the Church of Christ were a company of Disciples baptized professing the doctrine of the Gospell as I shall shew more clearly afterwards Now against this Church the gates of hell should not prevaile because it was built upon a Rock Many thinke the meaning of that Rock to be Christ others judg it to be Peter but for my part I believe it to be meant of neither excluding the other but of both for Christ is the true foundation For no other foundation can any man lay then that which is already laid even the Lord Jesus Yet I say also Christ is not called a foundation but in reference to his doctrine given to Peter and the Apostles preached by them first who are also said to be the foundation they as instruments in Christs hand Christ as the fountaine and fulnesse that fils all in all so that however behold a Church built That the gates of hell shall not prevaile against it But may some say The gates of hell did prevaile against many Object Churches It is not said the gates of hell shall not prevaile against any Sol. Church in particular but against the Church that is to say the whole body of Christ in all ages And though wee cannot see a Church successively from the Apostles yet I shall prove there hath beene a Church in all ages Ephes 3. 21. Vnto him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages world without end Amen Behold here a Church in all ages the Churches and so the Ordinances of the Churches were not to abide onely in the Apostles dayes but to the end of the world in all ages But yet to evince this more fully consider that the word preached by the Apostles is the onely word to be preached for faith and obedience in all generations therefore saith Christ Neither pray I for these onely but for them also which shall believe on me also through their word John 17. 20. The word of God preached by them and not their persons is expressed by Christ to be the ground of our faith that believe now to whom and to all that shall believe afterwards his prayer extends Againe saith Paul As we have said before so say I now againe If any man preach any other Gospell unto you then that we have preached and you have received though it be an Angell from heaven let him be accursed Galath 1. 8 9. Therefore is the Gospell called The everlasting Gospell Rev. 14. 6. Now the word that the Apostles preached is that which was given to them by Christ Goe preach the Gospell he that believeth and is baptized this is to be held forth as the word of God To the end of the world The time from Christ to the end of the world is The last daies wherein Christ himselfe hath spoken to us Heb. 1. 2. Who by this dispensation changed the old Priesthood and Law Heb. 7. 12. Now he did not destroy them as evill but changed them for the Priesthood of Aaron he established his own by death for the law of Ceremonies pointing out a Christ to come he established baptisme and breaking of bread to hold forth the establishment of his Priesthood in his death who is already come dead and risen againe Now as long as the Priesthood of Christ remaines so long must the Law remaine for there is no Priesthood without a Law The life of obedience is required till Christ coming therfore saith Christ Yee know not in what houre your Lord shall come therefore watchâ— But lest any should say the exhortation concernes not us Christ saith What I say unto you I say unto all Watch As Paul saith speaking of the judgments of God to Israel Now all these things hapned to them for ensamples and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come 1 Cor. 10 11. So are they for our admonition and the Apostles doctrine our rule therefore he saith to Timothy And the things that thou hast heard of mee among many witnesses the same commit thou to faithfull men who shall be able to teach others also 2 Tim. 2. 2. Let those that thinke the commands of the Apostles onely concerne that generation consider this Scripture Yea Baptisme is so farre from being ceased that it is called One of the first principles of Religion Heb. 6. 2. Now surely if you take away that you may as well take away Religion also and how you may wave that without bringing in another Religion with other Principles I understand not But if any say yet all this satisfies not then I shall demand what ground have any to prove its removall out of the way for this is certaine no dispensation given by Christ was ever removed but by the bringing in of some other And Christ hath now given out his lawes and will give out no other but it is high time to hear what is said against it which I shall willingly doe Chap. VII Answereth severall Objections SOme say John baptized with water but Christ with the Holy Ghost and Object fire So that John saith I must decrease but he must encrease from whence they conclude that water Baptisme must decrease and He viz. Christ and his Baptisme of the spirit must encrease Iohn 3. 30. This objection is grounded upon a meere mistake conceiving Sol. the Baptisme of water to be onely Johns and not Christs So that when John saith I must decrease they can understand nothing to be meant but water Baptisme when it is not Johns intention but John shewes his glory his honour and ministry must give way to and be swallowed up in Christ and decreased in this respect that he must dye and cease but Christ encreases by his death through which he gives new institutions I have already shewed the difference and agreement of Christs and Johns Baptisme wherein I have proved the Baptisme of water to be the Baptisme of Christ But Christ saith to the woman of Samaria Woman believe me the houre cometh when you shall neither in this mountaine nor yet at Jerusalem worship Object 2 the Father But the houre cometh and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth which is an argument that Baptism of water is no part of the worship of God for that is outward and God will be worshipped in spirit Iohn 4. 22 23. In answer to this I desire you to minde that Christ doth not at Sol. all destroy the Baptisme of water but
takes her off from Jerusalem that Mountaine wherein they worshipped confining themselves to places therefore saith he Neither at Jerusalem nor at this Mountaine Now Christ doth not simply deny the worshipping of God at Jerusalem for we know the Churches worshipped God in their spirits at Jerusalem after Christs death but prophecyes of the abolishing of that legall and ceremoniall worship of the Jewes which was tyed to one place above another and indeed the worship of God under the Old Testament was in comparison of the worship of the Gospell fleshly or carnall not sinfull whereby they were tyed to many sacrifices and weary journies in going up to Jerusalem to worship But now there is great liberty and freedome wherein they professe God in ipirit So that to worship God in spirit and truth is to worship him after a spirituall manner from a spirituall principle in opposition to that legall state wherefore Paul cals himselfe a minister of the spirit and not of the letter Neither doth that place at all deny outward Baptisme for Christ saith The houre is already come when those that worship God worship him in spirit and truth When you will not deny Baptisme of water to be in use neither can a man truly worship God in any ordinance without he worship God in the spirit But Baptisme of water is a fleshly thing an outward thing which cannot be Object 3 admitted into the Kingdome of heaven for the Apostle saith the Kingdome of God is not meat and drinke but righteousnesse and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. Consider I pray thee the Apostle there meddles not with Baptisme Sol. but disswading them from offending one another in meate and drinke for some would eate flesh and some could not He tels them The Kingdome of God is not meate and drinke For those things were not commanded to be eaten or forbidded so that we should sinne if we doe or doe not eate But righteousnesse c. Now righteousnesse is the performance of all the commands of God to which Baptisme of water is a part as Christ saith Suffer me for thus it becometh me to fulfill all righteousnesse Christ did all things commanded and that as one of the commands of God So that this is no Argument at all except you can prove Baptisme of water to be the meate and drinke he there speakes of which can never be made manifest so that for thee to call Baptisme of water a fleshly thing it argues a carnall understanding of the commands of God But Paul cals it a fleshly thing for he saith We are the Circumcision Object which worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh So that Paul relinquishes all outward things as Baptism and the like as fleshly worshipping God in the spirit Philip. 3. 3. This Objection is like the first where Paul points not at all at Sol. Baptisme but at his Jewish priviledges which he enumerates verse 5 and 6. Which very things he tels us be they which he meanes by flesh and hath not confidence in them Surely were we able to see how that we are commanded to glorifie God in soule body and spirit we should leave such carnall reasoning and not take Paulâ— arguing against Jewish outward Ceremonies abolished by Christs death as a ground against Baptisme of water which is grounded upon his death But water Baptisme ceased when spirit Baptisme came in and was not to Object continue after that for fire Baptisme devoures water Baptisme Behold into how great mistakes men run when they endeavour Sol. to vanquish the truth it selfe The Scripture expresly tels us Acts 10. That the Apostle Peter seeing Cornelius and those that were with him baptized with the Holy Ghost for the Holy Ghost fell on them as on the Apostles Acts 11. makes use of this as a ground to prove nothing could hinder him from being baptized with water Oh the subtilty of Antichrist who makes wise men even as it were mad to forge their owne reasons endeavouring to make that a ground of destroying water Baptisme which the Apostle used as an argument for the establishment of it But some say The Baptisme of water was onely used in the minority or infancy of the Church therefore when the Church grew higher in the knowledge of God they laid aside these things Therefore is it said in the Hebrewes We must leave the principles of the doctrines of Christ and go on unto perfection of which principles Baptisme is one which we ought now to leave Hebr. 6. 1. c. Whoever thou art that thus arguest against Baptisme by the same Sol. argument thou mayst leave faith toward Christ and the resurrection of the dead That I may clearly shew thee thy mistake of the Scripture consider the Apostle speaks to those who did owne those principles and reproved them not for owning them for Ch. 5. he tels them They had need to have them taught againe But for not encreasing in the knowledge of God Therefore he tels them For their time they had need to have beene teachers of others And so from these principles he drawes their thoughts higher into the mysteries of Christ So that the Apostle saith Leaving them we presse forward that is to say leaving now or at present to speake of them which yee know and owne already we will goe forward to speake of higher things which higher things destroy not the other which is evident if you consider the other to be the principles or beginnings of the doctrine of Christ Now the building destroyes not the foundation these beginnings and the other more perfect things are at perfect unity I but say some The Apostle saith He forgets those things that are behind Object and reached forth to those things that are before So that we must not onely leave them but forget them Phil. 3. 13. To which I answer The word forgetting is not to be taken Sol. for an absolute forgetfulnesse of all things he had before done for this Paul did not but in reference to the glory of perfection hee had in his eye he did as a man in a race running towards the prize he doth as it were forget all things behind him in respect of his continuall motion So in the things of God we ought day by day to presse forward till we come to the marke to the enjoyment of perfection So that there is no good ground for such an Objection for the Apostle James Commends them that are not forgetfull hearers but doers of the word But notwithstanding surely to be baptized is to know Christ after the Object flesh therefore saith Paul Though we have knowne Christ himselfe after the flesh yet henceforth know we no man after the flesh no not Christ himselfe 2 Cor. 5. 16. That we know not Christ after the flesh is true and yet it is as Sol. true that to be baptized is not to know Christ after the flesh this
Gospel-Glory PROCLAIMED BEFORE THE SONNES OF MEN In the Visible and Invisible Worship of GOD. WHEREIN THE MYSTERY of God in Christ and his royall spirituall Government over the soules and bodies of his Saints is clearly discovered plainly asserted and faithfully vindicated against the Deceiver and his Servants who endeavour the Cessation thereof upon what pretence soever By EDWARD DRAPES an unworthy Servant in the Gospell of Christ I am he that liveth was dead behold I am alive for evermore Amen and have the keyes of hell and death Rev. 1. 18. Take heed brethren lest there be in any of you an evill heart of unbeliefe in departing from the Living God But exhort one another daily while it is called to day lest any of you be hardned through the deceitfulnesse of sinne Heb. 3. 12 13. London Printed for Francis Tyton and are to be sold at his shop at the three Daggers nigh the Inner Temple Gate Fleetstreet 1649. TO THE CHVRCHES OF CHRIST in London and in all other places who worship the Lord in Spirit and Truth according to the Commandements of the everlasting God especially to that particular Society of whom I am a Member Grace mercy truth and peace be multiplyed from the Lord Jesus Precious and dearly beloved Brethren IN these perillous times when ungodlinesse ranges from place to place and blasphemy against the God of Truth and Children of righteousnesse spreads it selfe like an overflowing streame or contagious disease whereby Truth seemes to be fallen in the street and many who formerly esteemed it their glory to be professors therof According to the prophesyes which went before of them have departed from it and abandoned the profession of it my spirit was exceedingly moved within me to publish this Discourse as to the consideration of these who have already shooke of Christs easy yo ake from their shoulders that they may see From whence they are fallen repent and doe their first works So especially to your view who through grace Have followed the Lamb in all his righteous paths that You may continue to the end that no man may take your Crown from you My owne infirmities and many sinister Considerations did strongly importune my silence yet notwithstanding them all and those lying prophesies which some ignorantly divulged of my renouncing or disclaiming this worke before it came to light through the sufficiency of the Lord Jesus I have now made it publicke being well assured The gates of hel shal never prevail against the truth herein contained I do professe had I seen the Lord carrying forth any of my brethren whose abilities in judgment and clearness of expression far exceed mine to have undertaken a work of this nature I should have rejoyced in my owne silence But hitherto have I not known any to stand up in this cause and surely if all should be silent The Stones would speake The daily objections and loud out-cryes against the truth of Jesus which God directs us to walk in as if a compleat victory was gained against the commands of the Lord extraordinarily moved my spirit To cast my mite into the Treasury To expose my talent for your service which I have according to the measure given me performed Not with entising words of mans wisedome to please itching ears but with plainnesse and simplicity of spirit and words to the understanding of the meanest capacities And wherever you find any words you understand not which I am perswaded will not be many necessity not my owne desire enforced their use lest any seeming materiall objections that I have yet heard of should passe unanswered What through pretence to God Spirit Mystery power light revelations and perfection and the crying down of the plain simple and righteous commands of a crucified and yet exalted Jesus as legall beggarly fleshly formall traditionall carnall The power of godlinesse is trampled under foot Delusions notions and impostures being lifted up to the subversion of many souls who forsake Christs easy yoake light burthen and strait paths for Antichrists dangerous licentiousnesse carnall security and broad destructive roads who like the man that was possessed with a Legion of Devils that dwelt among the tombes whom no bands nor fetters could hold but he brake them all and was driven of the Devil into the wildernes wil not endure Christs laws but break them all neither Scriptures nor Ordinances can hold them who often times cry out with him What have we to doe with thee O Jesus A wildernesse of unconstancy barrennesse and unprofitable shrubs will be their portion the Tombes the painted outsides of things will be their habitation till Jesus the true Son of God command this uncleane spirit to depart from them And then shal we again see them who before in truth were naked to be cloathed and in their right minds Let not mens boastings or shoutings Lo here is Christ and there is Christ subvert you for know assuredly those who now say in their hearts They will ascend into heaven and exalt their Throne above the Stars of God and will sit upon the mount of the Congregation and ascend above the heights of the Clouds and be like the Most High Yet they shall be brought down to hel to the sides of the pit be cast forth as an abhominable branch And you precious ones Who by patient continuance in wel doing seek for glory honor and immortality shall be crowned with eternall life their mountains shall be abased and your valleys exalted Behold in this ensuing Treatise Power Light Mystery God Christ and Perfection unveiled and advanced Ordinances duties and visible worship in their proper places and spheres also established Christ is here represented to you as your King Priest and Prophet purchasing your happiness commanding your obedience discovering your duty rewarding your faithfulnesse to death with a crown of life I did intend in this Treatise to have presented to you a discovery of the wiles snares stratagems and devices of the man of sin whereby he subtilly attaines to to a high degree of Lordlinesse over his poore Captives whom he takes alive at his pleasure and wherewith he invades the Tents Tabernacles of the Saints of the most High God and likewise to have laid open the severall officers and offices in the true Church of Christ with their nature use end but fearing the Reader through its tediousnes should be wearied or by the greatnesse of its price the world abounding with so many Bookes already be discouraged I purposely deferred that work till the Lord shall vouchsafe me another opportunity Whoever shall peruse this Booke and finde in the words or sense mis-pointing or other faults escaped in the printing I desire they would in love amend them the most materiall being already corrected to their hands at the end of the Booke and that they would seriously reade what is contained in it before they censure and then Let them judge righteous judgement To you my brethren and fellow companions
of their Authority If the Scriptures were not to be believed above their words why doe they seeke to prove their matter from them Nay which seemes a wonder to me these very bruits for I can give them no fitter name that deny the Scriptures doe often times bring Scripture to prove their deniall of them Sometimes they object to us the seeming Contradictions that are in them telling us the Word of God cannot contradict it selfe and for this they alleadge the Scriptures that say God cannot lye and the like by which doe they not set to their seales that God is true and the Scriptures his word Yet a little further let them set aside the Scriptures and bid them reason of any thing and what will they then say How will they prove what they say Will they prove their assertions from some undeniable principles From whence I pray you fetch they their principles It is either from nature or from grace If from nature that is corrupted Who can bring a cleane thing out of an uncleane thing Nature teaches not the true Worship of God If from grace Where is this grace made manifest And if it be not manifest who will believe them For the proving of doubtfull things is alwaies by things more known If it be made manifest surely then t is in the Scriptures Well To conclude this Consider that heavenly stile faithfulnesse in reproving as well great and small that sweet unity that is there that majesty and authority that is to be found there and in no writing else that almost all men that have ever seene them stand in admiration of them which are an evident demonstration of the excellency of them But there are many things in the Scripture that seeme incredible as Sampsons staying so many with the Jaw-bone of an Asse and Christs being Object borne of a Virgin and Noahs Arke and many more To whom doe these seeme incredible Dost thou believe there Sol. is a God If thou dost Why shouldest thou thinke it impossible for him to bring to passe these things And if he tels us these things are so why shall we not believe them But it may be though mayst say there are many things that seeme to contradict each other What then Are they not true because thy narrow foolish and shallow heart cannot comprehend it There are many things in nature which thou canst give no reason of Why quarrellest thou not with them also and with that God that made them If thou understandingly didst but reade them I dare say thou wouldst say there is not one thing in the whole Scriptures needlesse nor any Contradictions Some things in them are figures some histories some lawes which all hold forth the majesty soveraignty and excellency of the Lord. I shall for the present say no more of the rule of discovery but this That he that shall deny the Scriptures to be the Word of God is a bruit beast without any bounds yea he is but an Atheist that cannot chuse but deny God himselfe The fourth thing is the manner of discovery The light of God The manner of discovery reveales the mysteries of God And this is 1. Ministerially God discovers himselfe by his Ministers but Ministerially more of this hereafter 2. Plainly The Lord Jesus delights to speake after a familiar Plainly manner to the soule teaching it by wordes easy to be understood Christ spake in Parables how say you then he speakes plainly Object Sol. To that I answer It is true there was a time when Christ spake in Parables but yet it is worth our observing that he used such parables that the very Jewes that heard him knew whom and what he meant by his Parables But further I say likewise that Christ spake afterwards to his Disciples plainly not in parables which the Disciples acknowledged saying So now thou speakest plainly If you looke to the manner of Christs speaking it is most plain making use of the plainest similitudes that could be Thus did the Apostles preach not with entising words of mans wisedome but with plainesse of speech in demonstration of the spirit and power Which when I consider I cannot but wonder at the imposters deceivers and deceived of this generation who come with high swelling words and uncouth language that in truth their words are harder to be understood then their matter who speake as if they desired rather to have their persons wit eloquence and elocution advanced then the Gospell of Jesus He is not now among many wanton Christians thought worthy of hearing that hath not an art of copying some new expressions to paint and indeed adulterate and counterfeit the truth Well I am sure Paul was of another minde that said He had rather speake five words which he understood then ten thousand in an unknowne tongue These men to my understanding doe as if a man minding to shew forth the excellent proportion of a beautifull man should build a faire and beautifull Turret or Scaffold very high and sets the man upon it which indeed Eclipses the beauty of a man and fixes their eyes on the beautifull structure he stands upon They pretend to hold forth Christ but in truth t is their owne words not Christ that is so much doted or admired by these Disciples of whom through their faire words they have made merchandise for Satan Lastly Christ teaches the soule infallibly there is no guile in his mouth his words are not yea and nay but the truth of God the unquestionable truths of God he speakes not at peradventure I thinke this is true I suppose it to be true and the like doubtfull phrases but saith This is the voice of the God of the Lord of him that cannot lye Oh blessed are all that are thus taught of Jesus Christ his words are the sure words of prophecy whereto wee doe well to give heed Lastly A word or two to the subjects to whom this light reveales The subjects to whom this light is discovered the matter I have before showne to be the substance revealed and they are two fold according to the diversity of the matter revealed Now the matter revealed is either the mysteries of the Fathers love to a poore soule which is hidden from the wise men of the world and this the true light discovers onely to the children of the Kingdome Or else 2. The matter revealed is the truth of God barely and nakedly as it is in it selfe without the soules interest in it to whom it is revealed And in this sense Saul was among the Prophets and the Spirit of God was upon Balaam whereby he knew Israel to be blessed though himselfe partook not of that blessing In this sense the spirit gives gifts to the rebellious this is a receiving truth but not in the love of it from which a man may utterly fall away Though a man hath all knowledge yet if he be not a chosen vessell of the Father and have not the
from Christ or a command for it and yet doth it as an ordinance of Christ his worship is will-will-worship his service is not regarded by the Lord. Lastly As he must have a principle of knowledge faith and life so must he performe it in love to Christ he that receiveth truth and not in the love of truth will soone fall from the truth which truly I conceive to be the ground why so many Professors deny it it is because they were byassed with some carnall principle and were not in love with the truth from the true understanding of the truth Having briefly spoken to the principle I shall now handle the The true power of Conformity to this Ordinance power whereby we are to conforme to it which is a spirituall divine supernaturall power whereby the soule is enabled to perform the commands of God therefore saith Christ without me you can doe nothing and again saith Paul I can doe all things through Christ that strengtheneth me All Power saith Christ is given to me therefore goe yee The power that is in Christs hand is communicated unto poor creaures whereby they become conformable unto himself i confesse may a man say 't is the power of Christ that neables us to do of his Quest good pleasure but I desire to know whether every Saint at all times hath not a power to doe every thing commanded by God That I may as cleerly as possibly I can present the truth of this to Sol. thee as it is presented to my understanding I desire thou wouldest mind that power is twofold either essentiall to the first Adam and his generation or to the second Adam the Lord from heaven and his generation now power in the first Adam or indeed in the whole creation is that faculty whereby every thing is enabled to perform its severall office or worke so that there is a naturall power in the Sun to move and to shine and in the fire to burne so in man there is a naturall power to move or sit or eat or drink or fast and the like which power in the first man admits also of a double consideration either as in innocency or since his fall while he lies in sin in his first created state he had a pure naturall power given him of doing what he would so that mans will missed his power for power is guided naturally by will in man but this power enabled him to serve God in the first creation which power was the power of God in him But man notwithstanding this power was through the subtilty of the deceiver beguiled therefore it is said the Devil beguiled Eve so that he fell and his power was now lost to any thing which was good and confined to things naturall where in its force is much abated and its vigour eclipsed but now is a man dead by nature or corruption to the things of God thus much of power in the first man Now power in the second man is that ability where by we are able to serve God fear him rejoyce in or conforme to him now this power is so essentiall to a Saint that take it away you destroy his being a man is not a man any longer then he hath the power of a man so a Saint is not a Saint without this power a Saint is an old man renewed in power life light and spirit though let me tell you this worke is but in part here so that I say a Saint as a Saint hath power it is his life his portion whose power is the very power of the Almighty for what the Father hath is given to Christ and what Christ hath is given to a Saint If this be true how comes it to passe that so many Saints complaine for Object want of power to doe the things that are good as Paul saith to will is present with me but how to performe I know not and againe the good that I would doe that I doe not and the evill that I would not doe that doe I That the first is true notwithstanding this to me is apparent Sol. and the reason of mans complaining thus I say is not so much for want of power in him as a Saint as for the strength of corruption that encounters him which I shall set forth plainly by this similitude A man while he is well is able to eate and drink and sleepe and walke and speake but being set upon with some violent distemper suppose a feaver the stone or the gout now the man cryes out for sleep but his pains are so great he cannot sleep or fain would walke but the gout prevents him now I say the proper reason why he cannot walke is not because he hath not as a man a power to walke but because his naturall power is obstructed through the violency of his disease yet thus far 't is true that a man hath not a power as considered diseased but this disease is preternaturall or contrary to nature so I say it fares with a Saint as a Saint in his right temper he can move and run the wayes of Gods commands but meeting with the opposition of a body of sin or death he cryes out with Paul who shall deliver me Through the violence of temptation a Saint may slip or fal he may be for a time led captive but this is not properly for want of power as a Saint but because of his temptations or enemies which makes them complain of the strength of the wicked one But further I say the reason of Saints complaining or being sometimes overcome for a time is not for want of power for all the power that Christ hath is theirs but for want of faith in that power for by faith we lay hold on that power by which we overcome the world our strength is to lay hold on the Lord did we know our strength it would appeare to be no other but the strength of Christ when Paul had beene in a long conflict Rom. 7. with the flesh he cryed out till he lookt to Christ then sayes he thanks be to God who hath delivered me To this I have already said I shall adde this that though power is essentiall to the being of a man or any creature or a Saint yet without a constant supply of power or influence or virtue from the Lord it soone Loseth or forgoeth its course the Sun though naturally it is in continuall motion yet at Gods command it stands still without a continual supply from Christ we can doe nothing if God doe not vouchsafe a continuall influence of his presence and his power to the naturall man he dies so if God withdrawes the sweet influence of his power upon us or in us how soone doe we fall a Saint hath power but knowes not how to exercise it he hath power as he is a new creature but somtimes cannot exercise it through a distemper But doe you judge that the reason why men in our dayes doe not