in the act of obedience Therefore God must be the cause of disobedience by this and render the non-obeyer guiltless and excusable Ans Though my dimness could not lose this Argument the validity and power of the grace of God should be no less and the guiltiness of man as much as it is But 1. He who withdraws such an influence and impression of grace from the reasonable creature constrained compelled and unwilling to want such an influence he is the cause of the disobedience and rendreth the non-obeyer guiltless and excusable The Proposition in that sense is true But now the assumption is most false For if the man should seek and desire the influence of God in that very act and the Lord deny it and withdraw it violently from the Will as if the Child a drowning should cry to the Father being obliged to help that he would reach help and the Father shall refuse then is the Father the cause of the Child's drowning and so should the holy Lord be the cause of our disobedience and render us guiltless and excusable if he were obliged not to withdraw But he who withdraws his influence from the creature who in the same act of wanting is most willing to want it and gives in the same act of disobedience his virtual consent to the same withdrawing he is the cause of the disobedience of the act and renders the non-obeyer guiltless and excusable The Proposition in this sense is false and the Assumption true God so withdraws his influence that in the same act the man is unexcusably willing to want it He is deservedly cold who joyfully and willingly yields to the pulling away of his coat Here that is true an injury is not done to a man who receives it as a favour Volenti non fit injuria as is clear in the Lord 's active hardning of Pharaoh's heart Exod. 7. 3. and Pharaoh's hardning of his own heart Exod. 8. 15. both in a material act 2. He who withdraws his influence in the same moment of time though first by order of nature from the creature who 2. is willing to want that influence and 3. is a withdrawer of his influence by no obligation at all to give it he is the cause of disobedience The Proposition so taken is false Only it follows that the withdrawing of the influence is the physical cause of non-obedience not the moral cause of disobedience For 1. The withdrawer of the influence is under no obligation by any binding law to bestow it 2. The man that wants the influence is willing to want it 3. The man is obliged who so wants the influence by an expresly binding law of God to perform the act commanded and to abstain from the contrary act forbidden and these three are the grounds why the Lord is not chargeable with the act of disobedience and man is guilty and chargeable therewith Hence man is the culpable cause of disobedience and he never wants the influence of God but his own sin interpretatively is the cause The withdrawing of Dew and Rain is the cause of barrennesse or non-fertility the Lord 's withdrawing is the physical cause of non-obedience but the will of man is the only formal vital subjective moral and as it were the material cause of sin yea the only formal and efficient cause of sin Obj. He that casts away his coat is deservedly cold for he doth it against deliberate reason except he be mad or in an extreme distemper of body But no man refuseth divine influences with deliberate reason and the law of nature 2. The law of nature lays bands upon men not to cast away their cloaths but to have or to want the influences of God falleth under no command of God laid upon man 3. No man by your way hath the influences of grace in his own power to receive or reject them as he that casteth away his garments in a cold day hath undeniably such a power Ans Every comparison in some thing halteth he who casts away his coat is deservedly cold true and with deliberate reason and foolishly so doth and that is false that no man with deliberate reason refuseth divine influences For willing or deliberate yielding to the sin either of omission or of commission which is conjoyned with the Lord 's withdrawing of his influences is both our formal sinning against the obligation of a command and a yielding virtual which is enough to make up guiltiness to the want of divine influences 2. True it is to have or to want the influence of God falleth under no command of God laid upon man as a man is by the law of nature forbidden to cast away his coat in a cold season but in virtual yielding to have influences of God conjoyned with doing evil and in virtual yielding to want influences conjoyned with other sins of omission or commission we sin and so are under a command as he who refuseth a Staff or a stronger man to lean upon in going thorow a water is guilty of drowning himself 3. Thus far we are deliberately to desire influences that we are to pray for them Draw me Cant. 1. 4. Lord teach me Psal 119. 33. Open mine eyes that I may behold the wonders of thy Law ver 18. Incline mine heart to thy testimonies and not to covetousness v. 36. As we are obliged to have a new heart and to have the image of God which we willingly lost in Adam and to be renewed in the spirit of our mind and to make to our selves a new heart and are commanded so to doe Ezech. 18 31. Ephes 4. 23. and yet the Lord 's omnipotent creating of a new heart in us cannot fall under a Commandement formally obliging us to create in our selves a new heart and so are we cammanded consequently to have the breathings and influences of grace 1. In the same act in the which we are commanded to obey 2. In that we are to pray for and to desire the breathings of God 3. In that there is a promise to him that hath it shall be given Matth. 25. 29. Matth. 13. 12. but how far the promise extends is after to be discussed 3. As touching influences natural they seem to be common to free and voluntary Agents and also to natural causes so the Lord commandeth the Sun to rise and it riseth Psal 104. 19. and he commandeth the Sun and it riseth not Job 9. 7. it rains because the Lord lifteth up his voice unto the clouds that abundance of rain may come he sendeth out lightnings Jerem. 14. 22. Psal 107. 33 34. God hunteth the prey for the Lyon and gives food to the Raven Job 38. 35. 36. v. 41. In all these the natural cause acts and yet hath not in its power the influences of God and when God withdraws his influences so as natural causes act not they find no positive violence offered to restrain them or by-way of any positive impediment to hinder them
of Soveraignty is dreadful 8. Opposing the operations of the Spirit 9. Dispairing 10. Reproaching proud disputing 11. Submission to want of influences 12. What way the Lord recompenseth desertions 13. Closing with influences of the Law-rebukes ELihu most gravely speaketh Job 33. 13. Why dost thou strive with him for he gives not an account of any of his matters The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to strive and contend in words only as Mercerus and Pagnin either in judgement or out of judgement jurgare And its strange that any dare chide or scold with the soveraign Lord. But 1. Jacob's striving and wrestling in a holy willful peremptoriness in praying the Lord being on Jacob the wrestlers side really to bear him up by his grace is a lawful striving 2. There is a difference betwixt a meer temptation and a threatning The woman of Canaan strives not against Christ's not answering her one word Matth. 15. what he is master of his own Answers When Christ says I came not but for the lost sheep of the house of Israel she strives not he is Master of his own journey from Heaven to Earth yet that Answer weakens her not in the duetie of praying and worshipping But when she is reproached as to her interest in Christ It s not meet to take the childrens bread and to give it to dogs she mildly yet in the boldness of faith contradicts Christ suppose Christ out of his own mouth should deny a child of God to be a child of God there is place for a holy striving and contradicting of him 3. It is a gracious behaviour in the man Christ that he is affected with grief for the Lord 's forsaking and expresseth it with tears and strong cries Heb. 5. Should not the child weep when the father is angry 2. The privation of the greatest good such as the overclouding of the Lord's favour is a due cause of sadness Woman why weepest thou saith the Angel to Magdalen why weep I they have taken away my Lord. 3. It wants not reason I weep for my father is dead there is my mothers grave she is very new buried therefore I weep all my goods are taken away and therefore I weep yet the Lord hath forsaken me and I weep not that is dreadful So Job Jeremiah David Hezekiah are sadly afflicted when the Lord seems angry 4. There is a soveraignty in hearing or not hearing of prayer against which we must not strive 1. Sometime the unwritten bill is answered Isa 65. 24. and the Lord yields to our blank papers and subscribes them 2. Some times he hears the dumb mans signs and his breathing instead of his praying Isa 38. 14 20. Lam. 3. 56. Psal 6. 8. Psal 102. 19 20. 3. Sometimes the Lord hears and sends the message of deliverance but we hear not nor doe we know or feel that he hears Psal 18. 4 5 6. compared with ver 16. Dan. 10. 12. one crying for comfort may be heard and not comforted Isa 66. 13 14. As one whom his mother comforts so will I comfort you and ye shall be comforted And when ye see this your heart shall rejoyce and your bones shall flourish like a green herb 5. The clays no and the great Potters ay and vain mans I will and the Almighties I will not are most unsutable Isa 29. 16. Shall the work say of him that made it He made me not or shall the thing framed say of hint that framed it He hath no understanding Rom. 9. 20. Who art thou O man that replyest against God Isa 45. 9. Woe to him that striveth with his Maker Let the potsheard strive with the potsheards of the earth shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it What makest thou or thy work He hath no hands Jer. 18. 6. O house of Israel cannot I doe with you as the potter saith the Lord behold as the clay is in the potters hand so are ye in my hand O house of Israel Humble speaking to God doth well become us Abraham excuses his contrary pleading with God Gen. 18. 27. Behold now I have taken upon me to speak who am but dust and ashes Ver. 30. Oh let not my Lord be angry and I will speak v. 32. Job 42. 3. Therefore have I uttered that I understood not things too wonderful for me that I knew not 3. Beware of murmuring and angry and fretting words against God Exod. 14. 11. Were there no graves in Egypt Exod. 15. 24. Exod. 16. 2. Numb 14. 2 27. and much more It s dreadful to contend with the Almighty and for so small a thing as a drink of water and for a piece of flesh should we fall a pleading with the soveraign Lord 4. Especially we should not counter-work the uncontroulable providence of God for that is to give the Lord battle and to lead an army against him as Isa 9. 10. The bricks are fallen down but we will build them with hewen stones the Sycamores are cut down but we will change them unto Cedars 5. There be divers kinds of striving with the Almighty such are they who blasphemously oppose the shining and convincing power of the Spirit in Christ casting out divels Matth. 12. such are they who gnash with the teeth and spit upon the shining beauty of godliness in Steven Acts 7. and kick against pricks as persecutors doe Acts 9. who if they had the Father and Spirit incarnate as the Son was would crucifie both and would were it in there blasphemous power crucifie the God-head whereas meek yielding to the actings and flowings of the Spirit in others says there must be much of the Spirit there for the Spirit cannot but love the Spirit 6. Despairing stoutly of mercy and the power of grace is of this sort when Cain Judas and others defie Omnipotency and infinite mercy to save them and spitefully hate the influences of saving grace and say mercy cannot save me the compleat ransome of the bloud of God cannot buy me from the second death To this we may reduce a lazie despairing what if I be never saved I can I will doe no more The people are bidden return nay there is no hope say they Jer. 18. 12. but we will walk after our own devices 7. There is here the fainter reproaching of Omnipotency as if God were weary and not able to bring back the captive people Isa 40. 27 28. Hence the Lord must prove his Omnipotency by that rare piece the curtain of Heaven stretched out and a measuring line drawn over the Earth Isa 51. 14 15. Isa 50. 2 2. 8. There is a proud disputing with God when we dare give in a bill against God 1. Ah he takes me for his enemy 2. He hath left off to be gracious An ungracious God is no God O the pride of a tempted mind that dare oppose the very existence of God 3. Some say God hath need to be instructed to govern the world better otherwise what needed
by the rod of God the Asyrians Job spoiled by the Caldeans and Sabeans Christ Jesus crucified by Herod Pilate and the Jews Otherwise the Lord could yield no comfort in his word to the godly when oppressed by the wicked but the like Comfort not your selves my dear people under persecutions from the wicked for I permitted these evils but these calamities befal you before I knew them contrary to my will and holy determination I cannot without forcing of wicked will hinder them or safely and indeclinably secure and save you therefore stay your prayers to me and believe not that I can avert these evils Here is a most cursed necessity which our adversaries lay on God while as they would eschew an holy harmless and most wise necessity of providence Ob. 2. But by the adversaries way it follows that there is a foregoing reason why the will of Adam made choice of that sinful act because God predeterminated the will thereunto and the reason of the first omission or not consideration in Adam or his sleepiness is ob defectum praedeterminationis divina because of the defect of divine praedetermination Therefore because 2. God withdrew his actual influence of praedetermination it was no more in the dependent power of Adam to obey that Eat not then the Sun can move when God draws away his actual influence so must the original of sin be reduced on God So strange Answ 1. A reason ratio why any man sins is in good Grammer a moral motive inducing a man to sin and that works by way of perswasion Let not the Reader be perswaded that we teach that the real influence of God or that his holy concourse any way is a moral motive of obedience or of sin as if Adam had been perswaded to sin because he saw and felt the Lord did first withdraw his concourse or influence whither it praedeterminate or move by praedetermination or collateral joyning therefore Adam was morally induced to sin this is a goodly dream 2. Ratio a reason here must be taken for a physical and a reall not a morall cause now the adversary abstained from the word cause And 1. we say Adam not through defect or want of the Lords holy praedetermination as if therefore ideo for that cause he sinned because the Lord did withdraw his influences but the adequate culpable moral cause of Adams sinning and of his chosing of a vitious action for Adam in sinning is only and properly a moral cause under a law is his own free-will freely declining from the rule there is no defect or moral want of Gods praedetermination because the soveraign Lord who is above a law was not obliged to joyn his praedeterminating influence to Adam but rather obliged to withdraw his praedetermination from the man who in the same moment of time was willing to want that praedetermination for God out of holy soveraignty withdraws in the same moment his influence in which Adam sinfully rejects the same influence 3. This Adversary if he would turne the word ratio reason into the word cause or concurrence would see himself at a loss it will follow that the cause why Adam sinned is because God denied his causative concurrence and so the Argument shall hurt his cause for the concurrence of God is causative then must the Lords withdrawing of his concurring influence be the collateral cause of Adams sinning except he say that man hath in his power the concurrence of God and if so Adam and all mens free-will must be Lord of omnipotency and omnipotent concurrences and then why but God must rather make prayers and requests to our free-will to incline and move his omnipotency to concur to acts of obedience then free-will should make prayers to God that he should by his grace incline our hearts to his testimonies 2. Must not the created free-will of man by this be placed in the royal seat and throne of divine providence to domineer over and dispose of all free acts of obedience and disobedience as it seems good to the Creature And 3. so must the soveraign King be Lord of all free acts at the second hand with the good leave of created free-will And 4. the number of all free actings of final obedience and disobedience and of the saved and damned must be in the hand of created free-will and that primarily and so in the creaâ—tures power must be the Book of Life first by way of free determination and with the Lord and the Lamb the Book of Life is but as a second copy and a conditional roll containing so many as the creature first determines 5. And so must our Immanuel God manifested in the flesh ere he can get entrance in the world have a pass subscribed by free-will and God shall come in the flesh and be Mediator and King absolutely as man will it 's not then eternal love who fore-ordained the medicine and the Physitian before ever the man was sick and if free-will had so pleased Christ God man should have been holden out of the world and the gates for ever closed on him so as knock as he pleaseth free-will might have refused to open and let him in 6. Experimental grace and pardoning mercy might have stood afar off and lost man never have tasted thereof yea such riches of grace should never have been in the world 7. Mans free-will if it be the only determiner of it self and his own free acts and if the strong dominion of grace for fear of strangling of liberty created had no determining power might well have sent that saving Redeemer back to heaven again to his Father and none of mankind should ever have received Christ tasted of his precious love his sweet promises and the offered salvation for created free-will is such as may nill will refuse let God decree and allure draw move determine as he can or will yet omnipotency of grace cannot ravish free-will 8. Yea such is free-wills nature that by its independent self-determination the holy Ghost in all his sweetest attractions in the emanations and flowings of love which is stronger then death his strong and powerful breathings and mighty drawings by a power not inferiour to that which raised Christ from the dead may be frustrate and broken for free-will may stand out as a rock of iron and adamant against the strong actings of omnipotent grace and be not a whit moved at the perfume and sweet smelling ointments of Christ his beauty the refreshments of the house of wine his tenderest consolations 9. For if free-will say not Amen though Christ work compleatly his work make his soul an offering for sin yet shall not Christ see his seed nor be satisfied with his wages for free-will may refuse to yield the redeemed over to God as captives overcomed by his soul delighting and powerful drawings 10. Nor shall it be in the power of the Almighty to be faithfull and true in fulfilling his promise of giving a new heart to the elect
106. 9. He rebuked the red Sea also and it was dried up God by the interposition of the faith of his own will not have strong walls to stand Heb. 11. 30. but they must fall nor Lions to eat the prey Verse 33. nor a violent fire to burn nor the sword to devour 34. As 2. They act at his command Psal 78. 26. He caused the East wind to blow in the Heavens and by his power he brought in the South wind whether this be by a strong terminating influence which displeaseth adversaries of grace and providence or some other way we contend not for words but if the Scripture hold forth as it doth that the Lord by his strong and invincible dominion doth indeclinably and without any possible failing bring forth his decreed effect some impulsion of God immanent transient or mixed which is terminate upon all second causes there must be for as he can and doth hinder naturall causes to work as the Sunne to move towards his down-going Josh 12. 13. Isa 38. 8. the Lyon to eat the man whereas he did fear the ass 1 Kings 13. 28. so he is the father and cause of all things that fall out Job 38. 28. Hath the rain a father or who hath begotten the drops of dew 29. Out of whose womb came the yce and the hoary-frost of Heaven who hath gendered it 31. Canst thou bind the sweet influences of the Pleiades or loose the bands of Orion This teacheth that Job cannot nor can any creature at his nod but the Lord can and he onely binds up or le ts out the influences of Pleiades the starres which rise in the Spring and bring forth flowers and hearbs and orders the course of Orion which bringeth Winter and order the starres that rise in the South and in the North. 34. Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds that abundance of waters may cover thee See his actings 3. His influences are in things small as in the falling of a Sparrow to the earth not one hair of the head but it is numbred by him Luke 21. 18. Matth. 10. 29 30 31. Not a gourd groweth nor a worm eats it but at his command Jonah 4. 6 7. Amos 4. 7 8 9. Joel 1. 1 2 3 4. Psal 105. 29 30 31 32 33. c. he hath an hand in the bird-nests building Psal 104. 17 18. And 4. The actings of the Lord are in great things as the translation of Kingdoms Dominions and Thrones Dan. 4. 32. Jer. 27. 5 6 7. In all the rises and fallings of Princes the Starres of whatever magnitude Isa 40. 21. 1 Sam. 2. 7 8. Psalm 76. 12. 5. His actings are in matter of lots that seem to be ruled by fortune and chance Prov. 16. 33. Genes 49. Deut. 33. compared with Josh 14. 1 2 3. 6. Especially in bowing the free will and determining all the actions of evil angels 1 Kings 22. 21 22 23. Job 1. 6 7 8. Job 2. 1 2 3. Gen. 3. 1 2 3 4 5. Matth. 8. 29 30 31. and good Luke 2. 9 13. Matth. 28. 1 2 3. Acts 1. 20. 2 Thes 1. 7. leading and determining the free will of all men the King Prov. 21. 1. the Prince Gen. 43. 13. Esther 4. 16 17. compared with Chap. 5. 2. c. 7. 2 3. he graciously enclines the will and hearts of men Deut. 30. 6. Jer. 32. 39 40. Ezek. 36. 27. as the Saints pray Psal 119. 33 34 36 88. Psal 86. 11. Cant. 1. 4. He hardneth the heart and blinds the mind as in his judgement he pleaseth Job 12. 16. Ezek. 14. 9. Exod. 14. 8. Deut. 2. 30. 2 Sam. 12. 11 12. Esay 6. 9 10. Matth. 13. 14 15. John 12. 37 38 39 40. Rom. 1. 24 25 26 27 28. Rom. 11. 8. And many such things are with him the more spiritually minded any is the more bent is the heart to follow and eye God in all his actings and he shall see how wise in heart the steeresman is who watcheth at the helm and it shall appeare what precious thoughts take up the believer who sees such millions and numberless numbers of influences with all the drops of rain hail dew falling between the creation and the dissolving of the world all which he binds in his garment Prov. 30. 2. and what numbers of influences he joyns to all the blasts of winds and storms which he gathers in is fists ibid. what influences of the Almighty must there be at all the actings stirrings and motions of Angels in Heaven of damned spirits of men elect and reprobate of birds beasts creeping things fishes in the wise connection of all these with the Lords intended end And if this be observed suppose the body of the Heavens which in its wide bosome contains all were broken and fell down in many thousand pieces Faith in the infinite wisdome goodnesse and power of God will bid the believer be silent and sleep and hope within his own garment God excellently rules all the best of created things next to that precious thing Christ man is the Church and the Lord will specially care for that and for me among the rest 3. No doubt we are brutish and look to all the stirrings with much Atheisme and little faith as if all stirrings in Nature Societies and Kingdoms were set on work by the sway of Nature and blind Fortune without God as a wheel rolling about with the mighty violence of a strong arm moves a long time after the arm of the mover is removed Or suppose a pair of Charet-wheels were letten loose in the top of a huge Mountain and should move down some hundred thousands of Millions of miles for hundreds of years after the man who set them first a work were dead So we fools believe that God gave a mighty strong shake or some Omnipotent impulsion to all causes natural free and contingent to Heaven and Earth Sea and Land to all Creatures in them Angels and Men and did bid them be a going for he must sleep and could not actually stir them any more Nor can we see God in all and that he contrived this that one should rise early and eat the bread of sorrow and yet be poor another should be wise admirably and want bread another fight valiantly and be foiled and a man run swiftly and lose the race Psal 127. 1 2 3. Eccles 9. 11. and that much sowing hath little reaping Hag. 1. 6. for Hab. 2. 13. Behold is it not of the Lord of hosts that the people should labour in the very fire and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity Chaldaea doth sweat and pine her self for the very wind and nothing We see not that nature miscarries and parts with child when his good providence who rules all is not Mid-wife and a barren-womb brings forth many births and she that is no Mother hath a rich issue when soveraignity pleases this is my faith and comfort CHAP. III. Hence to
what men have not and not to what they have and consider not what God may give them Matth. 19. 30. 3. Some see no good in Christ no good in John Baptist Luke 15. 1. Matth. 11. 18 19. Can any good come out of Nazareth no prophet ariseth from Galilee 4. We pity the sick though our enemy and extend not compassion to the sinner erring though the son of the same father 5. We see the spot in the face the crook in the nose but our own unseen boyls we overlook 6. We see not the secret good in some and their sincerity which is dear to Christ Luke 21. 3. Luke 7. 44 45 46. God hath so ordered that the infirmities of some of his children are ever visible in the streets O fairest among women Here the character of this heavenly disposition of love-sickness which is called savouriness the Spouse savours of the Spirit and speaks like one sick of love and the daughters of Jerusalem smell this savour and look on her as the fairest among women There is a savouriness of grace passive whereby words and behaviour cast a smell whether the children of God will or not and an active savouriness by which those who have any thing of Christ can smell the savouriness of grace in others Now a word of this savouriness as it is in the head in Christ the cause and fountain 2. In the Spouse 3. In the single members The sweet smell of the fountain suppose a well of rose-water is the cause of the sweet smell that is in the streams 1. There is dwelling in him all the fulness of the Godhead bodily John 1. 44. we beheld his glory as the glory of the only begotten Son of the Father 2. What a savoury lump and mass of grace must the man Christ be who is the publick channel of grace through him the savoury waters of the Sanctuary and the river of joy doth water all the indwellings of the City of God Psalm 46. 3. Christ God-man is anointed with the oyl of gladness above his fellows Psalm 45. 7. without measure John 3. 34. The fulness of anointing is upon him Isa 61. 1. Luke 4. 18. His name is as a precious oyntment poured out Cant. 1. 3. And the savour of the knowledge of his name in the preached Gospel is sweet and savours out heaven and life eternal 2 Cor. 2. 14 15 16. and the fulness of grace in him John 1. 16. out of which we all receive John 1. 16. makes him more nor savoury and natural men wonder at the gracious words that proceed out of his mouth Luke 4. 22. and enemies see some of the anointing and shining of God in him never man spake like him never man did like him never man lived like him never man died like him would we come neerer to Christ by faith and love we should smell more of Christ O what a savour hath his birth his life his precious oyntments his death his resurrection he is all savoury Cant. 1. 3. Psal 45. 7 8. Cant. 5. 13. his lips like lillies dropping sweet smelling myrrhe 2 Cor. 2. 15 16. His word a sweet savour of life His countenance is as Lebanon Cant. 5. 15. O what perfume is in his death the smell of Lebanon is delicious 2. There is much savouriness in the Spouse Cant. 3. 6. to the wondering of many Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoak perfumed with myrrhe and frankincense with all powders of the Merchants Cant. 4. 10. the smell of her oyntments is better then all spices v. 11. The smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon Now Lebanon was a field where grew odoriferous trees roses sweet smelling spices and herbs in abundance 3. Every particular professor hath received sweet smelling anointing 1 John 2. 20 27. of the Spirit and they that are after the Spirit savour of the Spirit Rom. 8. 5. 1. Vse If the savouriness of love-sickness be in any they shall use means for it bring the soul under the influences of the sun of righteousness for the sun-beams draw out sweet savours and the actings of love-sickness out of the habit of grace such smell as myrrhe and roses and odoriferous herbs and flowers and they have within such comes out ye cannot draw out sweet smells out of a dead carrion some plague themselves with the Gospel and the Gospel plagued them Satans influences for hating of Christ loathing of the Gospel persecuting the godly are mighty 2. To thrust the heart by acts of love upon Christ encreases love to lay him between the breast as a bundle of myrrhe all the night begets more love-sickness for him 3. Much praying changes the countenance of Christ and of his Jude 20. building up your selves in the most holy faith praying in the holy Ghost Much praying mnst be much edifying of our selves in the faith 4. Know the stink and corrupt breath of many professors rotten words corrupt sects speak disgracefully of Christ as of the man crucified at Jerusalem of the holy Scriptures at of Ink-forms their throat is an open sepulchre O the dead bones and the rotten smell in the heart which come out in words and actions CHAP. XII What may be done in the using of means hearing the word by us to fetch influences if there be any truth in that Deus facienti quod in se est non negat gratiam God denies not grace to the man who does what he can Whether doth God command all use of means external or internal in whole and part 2. Whether grace be above 1. The desire 2. The disposition 3. The prayer 4. The purchase of nature 3. No sufficient universal grace is due to Brasilians 4. Martinez de Ripalda abuseth many Scriptures to prove sufficient grace 5. No Gospel-promise no Gospel-threatning in Scripture concerning universal grace 6. Sinners are now interdited heirs 7. The connexion betwixt natural and supernatural acting in conversion 8. Of the natural providence of God Creator and the supernatural and Redemptory providence of God by which the chosen are converted 1. IT 's a question whether the Lord commands the only meer bulk of the duty to use means and hear and read whether we act in faith or no certain it is not the full and plenary intent sense or purpose of any command of God to enjoyn acts that are maimed lame hypocritical 1. It 's against the perfection of the command The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul Psalm 19. 7. Not only extensively but also intensively and arrests the whole man and all the thoughts and powers of the soul and the principles of the moral actions 2. The Lord forbids rather and rebukes such an use of means as includes sinful defects in the principles manner and end Psalm 50. 16. But unto the wicked God saith What hast thou to do to declare my statutes Isa 1. 12. Who required this thing at your hand that ye