AS man's, so God's Husbandry is sometimes out of case, not by yielding too many crops, but too few. The mystical Husbandman hath some fields (I mean particular societies and persons) who were once fragrant and fruitful like a field which God had blessed, but are now decayed and grown barren; whose gleanings formerly, were more than their vintage now; the things that are in them are ready to dye, Rev. 3. 3. 'Tis possible, yea, too common for gracious souls to be reduced to a very low ebb, both of graces and comforts; how low I will not say: Our British Divines tell us, That grace indeed cannot be totally intermitted;1 nor finally lost; but there may be an omission of the act, though not an amission of the habit: the act may be perverted, though the faith cannot be subverted; it may be shaken in, though not shaken out; its fruits may fall, but its sap lies hid in its root; they demerit the loss of the kingdom, but lose it not effectively; the effect of justification may be suspended, but the state of the justified cannot be dissolved.
AS man's, so God's Husbandry is sometimes out of case, not by yielding too many crops, but too few. The mystical Husbandman hath some fields (I mean particular societies and persons) who were once fragrant and fruitful like a field which God had blessed, but are now decayed and grown barren; whose gleanings formerly, were more than their vintage now; the things that are in them are ready to dye, Rev. 3. 3. 'Tispossible, yea, too common for gracious souls to be reduced to a very low ebb, both of graces and comforts; how low I will not say: Our Brittish Divines tell us, That grace indeed cannot be totally intermitted;1 nor finally lost; but there may be an omission of the act, though not an amission of the habit: the act may be perverted, though the faith cannot be subverted; it may be shaken in, though not shaken out; its fruits may fall, but its sap lyes hid in its root; they demerit the loss of the kingdom, but lose it not effectively; the effect of justification may be suspended, but the state of the justified cannot be dissloved.
- 1Gratia nec totaliter intermittitur, nec finalitur amittit•r. How far true grace in a believer may fail. Actus omittitur, habit•s non amittitur. Actio pervertitur, sides non subvertitur. Concutitur, non excutitur. De•luit fructus, latet succus. Jus ad regnum amittunt demeritorie, non effective. Effectus justificationis suspenditur, at status justificati non dissolvitur,. Suff. Britt.Gratia nec totaliter intermittitur, nec finalitur amittit•r. How far true grace in a believer may fail. Actus omittitur, habit•s non amittitur. Actio pervertitur, sides non subvertitur. Concutitur, non excutitur. De•luit fructus, latet succus. Ius ad regnum amittunt demeritorie, non effective. Effectus justificationis suspenditur, at status justificati non dissolvitur,. Suff. Britt.
