A fourth volume containing one hundred and fifty sermons on several texts of Scripture…

2. Grace goes to work by way of Opposition, it planteth opposite Principles in the Heart, and maketh Use of an opposite Power. It planteth opposite Principles. We have a new Divine Nature, and so escape the Corruptions of the World through Lust; 2 Pet. 1.4. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious Promises, that by these ye might be Partakers of the Divine Nature, having escaped the Corruptions that are in the World through Lust. Lusts follow the Nature: as the Nature is, so are the Desires. The Old Man is full of deceitful and carnal Lusts; and the New Man is full of spiritual and heavenly Desires: then it makes Use of an opposite Power, of the Help and Supply of the Spirit of God; Gal. 5.16. Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfil the Lust of the Flesh. There are two Principles, Flesh ⟨p. 50⟩and Spirit, that are always warring one upon another, and that weaken one another. The Spirit, as a never-failing Spring of holy Thoughts, Desires and Endeavours, doth dry up the contrary Issue and Spring of Corruption: So Rom. 8.13. If ye through the Spirit mortify the Deeds of the Body, ye shall live. The mortifying of the Body of Sin must be done through the Spirit: a natural Man may see better, but without the Spirit's Help he can do nothing. All the Reason in the World will not tame Lust: We may declaim against it, but nothing in Heaven or Earth will change our Dispositions, or work out our Corruptions, but only the Spirit of God. We have by the Spirit not only Direction, but a continued Influence and Supply of Power.

3. Grace goes to work by way of Argument and Persuasion: Grace out-reasons and out-pleads Lust, and so it cannot obtain a Grant from the Soul, but is denied. The chief Argument which Grace urgeth, is the Unsuitableness of Lust to our Condition, that so it may shame the Soul. Those things that become us while we are Children, as Toys and Rattles, will not become us when we are Men: so certainly those things that suited well enough with us while we were mere Men, become us not when we are Christians;