A30242:697
The Scripture directory for church-officers and people, or, A practical commentary upon the whole…
The Scripture directory for church-officers and people, or, A practical commentary upon the whole third chapter of the first Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians to which is annexed The godly and the natural mans choice, upon Psal. 4, vers. 6, 7, 8 / by Anthony Burgess ...The Scripture directory for church-officers and people, or, A practical commentary upon the whole third chapter of the first Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians to which is annexed The godly and the natural mans choice, upon Psal. 4, vers. 6, 7, 8 / by Anthony Burgesse ...
London: printed by Abraham Miller for T.U., 1659
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.
Thirdly, This acknowledging it must be from an inward sense of our own sin and unworthiness, how ill we have deserved at Gods hand. No man can ever praise grace, that hath not felt the sting of sin, the power of the Law. When Paul had discovered the spiritual and accurate nature of the Law; how impossible it was to keep it; how grievous the Curses are; this made him so much magnify grace. Therefore all those, that preach up free grace, and cry down the preaching of the Law, and the convincing of men of their sin, in all the aggravations of it, do indeed destroy grace. None do esteem the dead Serpent, but he that hath been stung with a live Serpent.
Thirdly, This acknowledging it must be from an inward sense of our own sinne and unworthiness, how ill we have deserved at Gods hand. No man can ever praise grace, that hath not felt the sting of sinne, the power of the Law. When Paul had discovered the spiritual and accurate nature of the Law; how impossible it was to keep it; how grievous the Curses are; this made him so much magnifie grace. Therefore all those, that preach up free grace, and cry downe the preaching of the Law, and the convincing of men of their sinne, in all the aggravations of it, do indeed destroy grace. None do esteem the dead Serpent, but he that hath been stung with a live Serpent.
Fourthly, He must wholly and solely acknowledge grace. He must not give some piece to grace, and the rest to his own free-will: He must not by grace, mean the outward manifestation and revelation of it, but the inward efficacy of it. Pelagius was an Heretic, that denied grace, yet being often convinced by the Orthodox, at last he granted grace; and grace necessary for every good work: but all this while he called nature grace; or, the mere revelation of the Gospel. And so now, the Arminians and Papists, they do exceedingly (in a seeming appearance) acknowledge grace, but when it comes to a secret scanning, it's but a partial grace, not a total grace. It's a grace that requireth thy free-will, as well as thy free-will grace. It was well said of Bonaventure the Schoolman, That if a man must err, it's ⟨p. 123⟩