11. He is the sole author and fountain of all grace; It's not the gifts or parts of Men and Angels that remove the stone of the heart, that can make the withered dry bones to live again, unless the Spirit of God breathe upon us, Jam. 1. Every good and perfect gift is said to come from above, That as the natural Philosophers say, The Sun and Stars are the cause of all the life and perfection which is in these things below, insomuch that without them all things would be destroyed; This is much more true in heavenly and supernatural ⟨p. 3⟩effects, therefore he is called the God of all grace, and the God of all consolations, 2 Cor. 1.3. There is no godliness, no comfort can stream in the heart, but from this Fountain; we lie like so many lumps of earth, like so many noisome Lazarusses in the grave, till God bid us Come forth; So then to have any doctrine or truth enter into thy heart, to have the Ministry effectual and powerful to thee, is of greater consequence then thou art aware of. There must be much struggling and striving with God ere thou canst behold him in his glory in the Ordinances; Thou must be Jacob ere thou canst be Israel, as an Ancient said; Wonder not, if you see men living in the same lusts, and roving in their former excess of riot, though the clouds drop upon them daily, yet they are a barren wilderness; Alas, all the rain in the world would not make the Earth spring forth and increase, had not God at first commanded the earth to do so, and certainly if God can by his Word make the dull, dead earth so glorious, that Solomon is in his greatest state not like the glory thereof, how much rather can he make a heavy, dull, earthly, carnal people, glorious and admirable in variety of graces, he can make them a Paradise who were a parched heath; Prayer therefore is necessary because God only hath the command over all Ordinances to bless as he pleaseth.
11. He is the sole author and fountain of all grace; It's not the gifts or parts of Men and Angels that remove the stone of the heart, that can make the withered dry bones to live again, unlesse the Spirit of God breathe upon us, Jam. 1. Every good and perfect gift is said to come from above, That as the naturall Philosophers say, The Sun and Stars are the cause of all the life and perfection which is in these things below, insomuch that without them all things would be destroyed; This is much more true in heavenly and supernaturall ⟨p. 3⟩effects, therefore he is called the God of all grace, and the God of all consolations, 2 Cor. 1.3. There is no godlinesse, no comfort can stream in the heart, but from this Fountain; we lie like so many lumps of earth, like so many noisome Lazarusses in the grave, till God bid us Come forth; So then to have any doctrine or truth enter into thy heart, to have the Ministry effectuall and powerful to thee, is of greater consequence then thou art aware of. There must be much strugling and striving with God ere thou canst behold him in his glory in the Ordinances; Thou must be Jacob ere thou canst be Israel, as an Ancient said; Wonder not, if you see men living in the same lusts, and roving in their former excesse of riot, though the clouds drop upon them daily, yet they are a barren wildernesse; Alas, all the rain in the world would not make the Earth spring forth and encrease, had not God at first commanded the earth to doe so, and certainly if God can by his Word make the dull, dead earth so glorious, that Solomon is in his greatest state not like the glory thereof, how much rather can he make a heavy, dull, earthly, carnall people, glorious and admirable in variety of graces, he can make them a Paradise who were a parched heath; Praier therefore is necessary because God onely hath the command over all Ordinances to blesse as he pleaseth.
- 11. God is the sole fountain and author of all grace.1. God is the sole fountain and authour of all grace.
