A30238:561
An expository comment, doctrinal, controversial, and practical upon the whole first chapter to the…An expository comment, doctrinal, controversal, and practical upon the whole first chapter to the…
An expository comment, doctrinal, controversial, and practical upon the whole first chapter to the second epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians by Anthony Burgess ...An expository comment, doctrinal, controversal, and practical upon the whole first chapter to the second epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians by Anthony Burgesse ...
London: printed by A.M. for Abel Roper, 1661
AN EXPOSITION WITH Practical Observations UPON THE First Chapter of… › Sermon 24
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Therefore in the second place, take this Rule, That we must not exalt grace according to our own fancies and opinions, making such a grace as we would have, and then go to the Scripture to confirm it; but the word of God must be the alone Rule in this case. So that by the Scripture alone, we shall not give too little, nor on the other side attribute too much to it, making Gods grace to be such a thing not indeed as it is, but such as we would have. It is good therefore to attend to the Scripture, and to lay all our own thoughts and all humane Authorities aside, that so the Scripture grace of God may be found out.
Now these Characters we may have of that grace the Scripture commends 1in God:
- 1The Scripture characters of the grace of God.
1. That the Scripture-grace doth begin all the good in us. We do not prevent God, but he prevents us. Thus our Saviour, You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you: We love him, because he loved us first. So that the word of God doth still resolve the original of all we have into this grace of God, as Rom. 9. and Rom. 11. Ephes. 1. Whosoever therefore makes something in us to begin, and then Gods grace to be subsequent; he setteth not up grace in a Scripture-way. Therefore there are no antecedent merits or dispositions in us, for which God doth afterwards bestow his grace upon us. The very first desire, inspiration, and least unfeigned groans after Christ is from this grace of God. Therefore the beginnings of what is good; is attributed to God, as well as the progressives, yea the initials most of all, because then we were dead in sin, and in a state of enmity against God.