1 Lot would not have hastened out of Sodom, had not the Angels pulled him ••rth by the hand. Thus impossible is it for us, to free our selves from the bondage •f sin, unless theo Lord draw us. Through many gradual motions we are delivered from the wickedness of this world, as Lot was from Sodom. The Angels attained their end with one motion, one conversion to God; in the very instant of their creation blessed. But man may be compared to a Watch; he hath many gimmals ••rtaining to him, to move him; like a coach, he runs on many wheels. His head […] understanding is one principal wheel, his heart or will another, and that next the spring: his affections are the minutes, his memory the little recollective wheel ••t winds up the rest: his life is the hand of the dial, which shows how the day ••es with him: his conscience is the striking clock: only the Primum mobile, the ••ring that sets all a working, and keeps every wheel in due motion, is the grace of Christ. The string that unites the whole watch to the springs government, is faith. ••r est in peccatore, anima in cord, mens in anima, fides in mente, Christus in fide. There […] a heart in the sinner, a soul in his heart, a mind in his soul, faith in his mind, Christ in his faith. The act of his intellect gives him one motion, his sensitive appetite another, and that contrary for Caro concupiscit adversus spiritum: his own ••ll another motion, the eternal object another: so was Eve cozened with the forbidden fruit. God that hath the heart in his hand, and turns it as brooks of waters, ⟨p. 634⟩gives it another motion. Some of these be regular, some retrograde, some forward, other oblique: O what a doe there is to keep this watch in tune! it is no hard matter to tune the Virginals or Organs, though every string and pipe be out of frame. But man is a creature so proud, so subtle, so wedded to his own opinion, and rolling upon so many wheels: that to put all his strings and pipes in tune, to make all his motions consent in goodness; hic labour, this is a work for the finger of God only, a child can sooner conceive it self, than a man can convert himself: or we may say, This man made himself, as well as that he made himself good.
1 Lot would not have hastned out of Sodome, had not the Angels pulled him ••rth by the hand. Thus impossible is it for us, to free our selves from the bondage •f sinne, unlesse theo Lord draw us. Through many graduall motions we are deli•ered from the wickednesse of this world, as Lot was from Sodome. The Angels at••ined their end with one motion, one conversion to God; in the very instant of their ••eation blessed. But man may be compared to a Watch; he hath many gimmols ••rtaining to him, to move him; like a coach, he runs on many wheeles. His head 〈…〉 understanding is one principall wheele, his heart or will another, and that next the •pring: his affections are the minutes, his memorie the little recollective wheele ••t winds up the rest: his life is the hand of the dyall, which shewes how the day ••es with him: his conscience is the striking clocke: only the Primum mobile, the ••ring that sets all a working, and keepes every wheele in due motion, is the grace of •hrist. The string that unites the whole watch to the springs government, is faith. ••r est in peccatore, anima in corde, mens in anima, fides in mente, Christus in fide. There 〈…〉 a heart in the sinner, a soule in his heart, a mind in his soule, faith in his mind, •hrist in his faith. The act of his intellect gives him one motion, his sensitive ap•tite another, and that contrary for Caro concupiscit adversus spiritum: his owne ••ll another motion, the eternall object another: so was Eve coozend with the for••dden fruite. God that hath the heart in his hand, and turnes it as brookes of waters, ⟨p. 634⟩gives it another motion. Some of these be regular, some retrograde, some forward, other oblique: O what a doe there is to keepe this watch in tune! it is no hard matter to tune the Virginals or Organs, though every string and pipe bee out of frame. But man is a creature so proud, so subtle, so wedded to his owne opinion, and rolling upon so many wheeles: that to put all his strings and pipes in tune, to make all his motions concent in goodnesse; hic labor, this is a worke for the finger of God only, a child can sooner conceive it selfe, than a man can convert himselfe: or wee may say, This man made himselfe, as well as that hee made himselfe good.
- oJoh. 6.44.Ioh. 6.44.
