I Answer, The Inference is the quite contrary way: 1All is in God and his good pleasure, attend therefore upon him in his own means, that thou mayest receive all from him. If a man should reason thus: I can do nothing for my self, therefore I will take a course that no man shall do any thing for me; it were not a weakness, but a kind of madness; but rather in common sense a man would be provoked to press his own heart thus; I can do nothing of my self, therefore I must attend upon God in those means which he useth to do for all those he useth to do good unto. So the Disciples to our Saviour when he would arm them against his departure, Will ye also go away? John, 6. 68. They answer, Lord, whither should we go? thou only hast the words of eternal life. Christ only can humble and convert, Christ only hath peace and pardon, therefore only go to him. We are so wise for our bodies, where one is most like to speed, every man is most willing to go, especially considering as nothing can purchase his favour, […] nothing can […] the expression of his good pleasure when he will, ⟨p. 321⟩go therefore what ever thy condition is. When thou art at the weakest, here is supply: As he said, Why 2stand you gazing, fainting, and famishing? get ye into Egypt for Corn, that we may live, and not die: though thou livest in the height of the perverseness of thy heart, in the out-rage of thy rebellion, though thou carriest a scornful contemptuous spirit with thee, yet go; who knows when is Gods time, what he may do? bring your own souls, your rebellious Servants, and disobedient Children, fall down at the foot of Christ in his Ordinances, and say, Here are a company of Hellish, Traitorous hearts, which bring proud, stubborn, scornful, rebellious distempers, like so many bloody weapons, even to wound thy good Majesty withal; Oh pluck these weapons out of our hands, these treasons out of our hearts, that would pluck us to thee, and so to destruction. As we cannot deserve any thing, so our wretchedness cannot hinder thy Work.
I Answer, The Inference is the quite contrary way: 1All is in God and his good pleasure, attend therefore upon him in his own means, that thou mayest receive al from him. If a man should reason thus: I can do nothing for my self, therefore I wil take a course that no man shall do any thing for me; it were not a weakness, but a kind of madness; but rather in common sence a man would be provoked to press his own heart thus; I can do nothing of my self, therefore I must attend upon God in those means which he useth to do for all those he useth to do good unto. So the Disciples to our Savior when he would arm them against his departure, Will ye also go away? John, 6. 68. They answer, Lord, whither should we go? thou only hast the words of eternal life. Christ only can humble and convert, Christ only hath peace and pardon, therefore only go to him. We are so wise for our bodies, where one is most like to speed, every man is most willing to go, especially considering as nothing can purchase his favor, 〈…〉 nothing can 〈…〉 the expression of his good pleasure when he wil, ⟨p. 321⟩go therefore what ever thy condition is. When thou art at the weakest, here is supply: As he said, Why 2stand you gazing, fainting, and famishing? get ye into Egypt for Corn, that we may live, and not die: though thou livest in the height of the perversness of thy heart, in the out-rage of thy rebellion, though thou carriest a scornful contemptuous spirit with thee, yet go; who knows when is Gods time, what he may do? bring your own souls, your rebellious Servants, and disobedient Children, fall down at the foot of Christ in his Ordinances, and say, Here are a company of Hellish, Traitrous hearts, which bring proud, stubborn, scornful, rebellious distempers, like so many bloody weapons, even to wound thy good Majesty withal; Oh pluck these weapons out of our hands, these treasons out of our hearts, that would pluck us to thee, and so to destruction. As we cannot deserve any thing, so our wretchedness cannot hinder thy Work.
- 1Answ.
- 2Gen. 42. 1, 2.
