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affift us to the performance of these conditions, if we be not wanting to ourselves.'

3. That what the grace of God is ready to enable us to do, if we be not wanting to ourselves, that may properly be faid to be poffible to us, and, in fome fenfe, in our power.

1. That we are not fufficient of ourselves, and by any power in us, to perform the condition of the gofpel. The grace of God doth clearly appear in the whole bufinefs of our falvation: By grace ye are faved, (fays the Apoftle) and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Faith is the gift of God, and fo is repentance. It is God that works in us both to will and to do, of his own goodness; that is, who both inclines and excites us to that which is good, and enables us to do it. Without me (fays Chrift) ye can do nothing; and through Chrift ftrengthening me (faith St. Paul) I am able to do all things; all things which God requires of us, and expects to be done by us in order to our falvation. Without the grace of Chrift, we are without ftrength; and are not fufficient of ourselves, as of ourselves, to think a good thought; that is, we are not fufficient of ourfelves to defign or refolve upon any thing that is good; but our fufficiency is of God...

The depravation of our nature hath brought a great impotency and difability upon us to that which is good; and we have made ourselves much weaker by evil practice; by the power of evil habits we are enflaved to our lufts, and fold under fin. So that if atany time we are convinced of our duty, and from that conviction have an inclination to that which is good, evil is prefent to us. When the law of God gives us the knowledge of our duty, and ftares our confciences in the face, there is another law in our members, warring against the law of our minds, and bringing us into captivity to the law of fin, which is in our members. Sin brings us under the power of Satan, and gives him dominion over us. For his fervants ye are whom ye obey; fo that he rules and bears fway in us, and we are led captive by him at his pleasure. Evil and vicious habits are a kind of fecond nature

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fuperinduced upon us, which takes away our power and liberty to that which is good, and renders it impoffible to us to raise and refcue ourselves; fo that we are prisoners and captives, till the Son of God fets us free; and dead in trefpaffes and fins, till he gives us life. And therefore the Prophet reprefents the recovery of ourselves from the bondage of fin, by fuch things as are naturally impoffible, to fhew how great our weakness and impotency is; Jer. xiii. 23. Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his fpots ? Then may ye alfo do good, who are accustomed to do evil. And by how much stronger the chains of our fins are, and the more unable, we are to break loofe from them; by fo much the greater and more evident is the neceffity of the divine affiftance, and of the power of God's grace, to knock off thofe fetters, and to rescue us from this bondage and flavery.

2. The grace of God is ready to affift and enable us to the performance of thefe conditions, that is, to faith and repentance, and all the purposes of obedience and a holy life; if we be not wanting to our felves, and do not reject or neglect to make use of that grace, which God offers us, and is ready to afford to us in a very plentiful manner. And this is that which renders all the mercies of the gospel effectual (if it be not our own fault and wilful neglect) to the great end and defign of our falvation; and without this, all the gracious offers of the gofpel would fignify nothing at all to our advantage.

And this likewise is that which renders the unbelief and impenitency and disobedience of men utterly inexcufable, because nothing of all this does proceed from want of power, but of will to do better. And therefore this is fo neceffary an encouragement to all the endeavours of obedience and a good life, that men fhould be affured of God's readiness to affift and help them in the doing of their duty; that without this the revelation of the gofpel, though never fo clear, would fignify nothing to us, all the precepts and directions for a good life, and the most vehement perfuafions and exhortations to obedience, would

have no force and life in them; for what fignifies it to direct the dead, and fpeak to them that cannot hear, and to perfuade men, though it were with all the earnestnefs in the world, to those things which it is impoffible for them to do?

Therefore our blefied Saviour, when he had laid down, and explained the precepts of holiness and virtue in his fermon upon the mount, to encourage them to what he had been directing and propofing to them, he affures them that God is ready to afford his grace and affiftance to all thofe that are fincerely defirous to do his will, and do earnestly implore his grace and affiftance to that purpofe. Matth. vii. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. Ask (faith he) and it shall be given you; feek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that feeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it fhall be opened. So that if any man want the grace and affiftance of God's Holy Spirit, it is his own fault; it is either for want of feeking, or for want of earneftness in asking; for our Saviour exprefly af fures us, that he denies it to none; for every one that asketh, receiveth.

And to give us a more lively and fenfible affurance of this, he represents the care and kindness of God to men, by the affections of earthly parents to their children, who though they be many times evil themselves, yet are not wont to deny their children neceffary good things, when they decently and dutifully beg them at their hands; what man is there of you, whom if his fon ask bread, will he give him a ftone? Or if he ask a fish, will be give him a ferpent? If ye then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven, give good things to them that ask him? Here is a general promife and declaration, that upon our humble and earnest prayer to God, he will grant us whatever is good and neceffary; by which is certainly intended in the first place, fpiritual good things, because these are the best and most neceffary; and to fatisfy us that our Saviour did in the first place, and more especially mean these, St. Luke does particular

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ly inftance in the grace and affistance of God's Holy Spirit, Luke xi. 13. How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them ask him? The Holy Spirit; that is, the continual prefence and influence of it to all the purposes of guidance and direction, of grace and affiftance, of comfort and fupport in our Chriftian courfe..

And what else is the meaning of that parable of our Saviour's concerning the talents entrusted with every man, according to his capacity and opportunities, Matth. xxv. I fay, what else can be the meaning of it but this; that God is before-hand with every man, by affording the advantages and opportunities of being happy, and fuch a meafure of grace and affiftance to that end, which it he faithfully improve, he fhall be admitted into the joy of his Lord ?

And upon this confideration of the gracious promifes of the gospel to this purpofe, it is, that the Apoftle St. Paul doth fo earnestly exhort Chriftians to endeavour after the highest degree of univerfal holiness and purity, that we are capable of in this life, 2 Cor. vii. 1. Having therefore thefe promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. And fo likewife Phil. ii. 12, 13. Wherefore, my beloved, work out your own falvation with fear and trembling; (that is, with great care and concernment, left you should fall fhort of it) for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do, of his good pleasure. The confideration of God's readiness to affift us, and of his grace, which is always at hand to ftir up our wills to that which is good, and to ftrengthen us in the doing of it, ought to be a great argument and encouragement to us, to put forth our utmost endeavours, and fo co-operate with the grace of God toward our own falva

tion.

And the Apostle St. Peter ufeth the fame argument to prefs men to use their utmost diligence, to make their calling and election fure, by abounding in all the virtues of a good life, 2 Pet. i. 3, 4. According as his divine power hath given unto us all things

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that pertain unto life and godliness, (that is, hath fo plentifully furnished us with all the requifites to a godly life) through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue; (that is, by knowledge of the gospel, and the grace therein offered to us) whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promifes, that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having efcaped the corruption that is in the world through luft. And then from the confideration of this divine power, conveyed to us by the gofpel, and the promises of it, he exhorts men to give all diligence, to add to their faith virtue, and knowledge, and temperance, and patience, and godliness, and brotherly love and charity.

And indeed the fcripture every where afcribes our regeneration and fanctification, the beginning, and progrefs, and perfeverance of our obedience, to the powerful grace and affiftance of God's Holy Spirit ; we are faid to be regenerated and born again of the Spirit, to be renewed and fanctified by the Holy Ghoft, to be led by the Spirit, and by the Spirit to mortify the deeds of the flesh, and in a word, to be kept by the mighty power of God through faith unto falvation.

3. What the grace of God is ready to enable us to do, if we be not wanting to ourfelves, may properly be faid to be poffible to us, and in fome fenfe, in our power. That may be faid to be poffible to us, which though we cannot do of ourselves, as of ourselves, (that is, by our own natural power) yet we can do by the help and affiftance of another, if that affiftance be ready to be afforded to us; as we are fure the grace of God's Holy Spirit is, because he hath promised it to them that feek it, and he is faithful who hath promised.

That cannot be faid to be wholly out of any man's power, which he may have for asking; that which we are able to do by the ftrength and affiftance of another, is not impoffible for us. Surely St. Paul did no ways derogate from the grace of God when he faid, I am able to do all things through Chrift ftrengthening me; he reckons himself able to do all that

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