These two Concessions being laid down, the main Quaere is touching the production of gracious Principles, Whether as to that, the Word may not be an Instrument in God's Hand? Many learned Divines speak of the Word as operating only morally and objectively. Mr. Pemble distinguishes thus; Instruments are either cooperative or passive, and the Word must be one of the two; cooperative it is not, moving or working on the Soul by ⟨p. 421⟩any inward force of it self, it is therefore in it self a passive instrument working only per modum objecti; now no Object whatsoever hath any power per se to work any thing on the Organ, but is only an occasion of working. And a little after, he saith thus, I cannot better express the manner how the holy Ghost useth the Word in the work of Sanctification, than by a similitude; Christ meeting a dead Coarse in the City of Nain, touches the Bier and utters these words, Young man, I say unto thee, arise; but could these words do any thing to raise him? No, 'twas Christ's invisible power that quickened the dead, not his words which only declared what he meant to do by his power: So in this matter of Conversion, Christ bids us believe and repent, but these Commands work nothing of themselves, but take effect by the only power of God working upon the Heart. Thus that learned man. But methinks this is too low; the Word of it self operates morally and objectively, and shall it do no more as clothed and accompanied by the holy Spirit? Surely the Scripture-strains touching the Words Efficacy are so high, that it cannot be nudum signum, no not as to the production of gracious ⟨p. 422⟩Principles; St. James is express, of his own will begat he us, [Greek or Hebrew], with the word of truth, Jam. 1. 18. and St. Paul is more emphatical; In Christ Jesus. I have begotten you [Greek or Hebrew], by or through the Gospel, 1 Cor. 4. 15. 'tis not [Greek or Hebrew], according to the Gospel, but [Greek or Hebrew], by or through the Gospel, as pointing out the Instrumentality of it in the Generation of the new Creature. And St. Peter is yet in a higher strain; We are born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible, [Greek or Hebrew], by the word of God which liveth and abideth for ever, 1 Pet. 1. 23. where, besides the emphatical [Greek or Hebrew], the Word is styled no less than the incorruptible Seed;
These two Concessions being laid down, the main Quaere is touching the production of gracious Principles, Whether as to that, the Word may not be an Instrument in God's Hand? Many learned Divines speak of the Word as operating only morally and objectively. Mr. Pemble distinguishes thus; Instruments are either cooperative or passive, and the Word must be one of the two; cooperative it is not, moving or working on the Soul by ⟨p. 421⟩any inward force of it self, it is therefore in it self a passive instrument working only per modum objecti; now no Object whatsoever hath any power per se to work any thing on the Organ, but is only an occasion of working. And a little after, he saith thus, I cannot better express the manner how the holy Ghost useth the Word in the work of Sanctification, than by a similitude; Christ meeting a dead Coarse in the City of Nain, touches the Bier and utters these words, Young man, I say unto thee, arise; but could these words do any thing to raise him? No, 'twas Christ's invisible power that quickned the dead, not his words which only declared what he meant to do by his power: So in this matter of Conversion, Christ bids us believe and repent, but these Commands work nothing of themselves, but take effect by the only power of God working upon the Heart. Thus that learned man. But methinks this is too low; the Word of it self operates morally and objectively, and shall it do no more as clothed and accompanied by the holy Spirit? Surely the Scripture-strains touching the Words Efficacy are so high, that it cannot be nudum signum, no not as to the production of gracious ⟨p. 422⟩Principles; St. James is express, of his own will begat he us, 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, with the word of truth, Jam. 1. 18. and St. Paul is more emphatical; In Christ Jesus. I have begotten you 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, by or through the Gospel, 1 Cor. 4. 15. 'tis not 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, according to the Gospel, but 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, by or through the Gospel, as pointing out the Instrumentality of it in the Generation of the new Creature. And St. Peter is yet in a higher strain; We are born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible, 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, by the word of God which liveth and abideth for ever,
