A57963:768
Christ Dying and Drawing Sinners to Himself
Christ dying and drawing sinners to himself, or, A survey of our Saviour in his soul-suffering, his loveliness in his death, and the efficacy thereof in which some cases of soul-trouble in week believers ... are opened ... delivered in sermons on the Evangel according to S. John Chap. XII, vers. 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 ... / by Samuel Rutherford.Christ dying and drawing sinners to himself, or, A survey of our Saviour in his soule-suffering, his lovelynesse in his death, and the efficacie thereof in which some cases of soule-trouble in weeke beleevers ... are opened ... delivered in sermons on the Evangel according to S. John Chap. XII, vers. 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 ... / by Samuel Rutherford.
London: printed by J.D. for Andrew Crooke, 1647
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.
1A second Question is, How far the Law can draw a sinner to Christ? Antinomians tell us of a Legal drawing and conversion, and of an Evangelic drawing; the Legal drawing, they say, is ours; the latter theirs.
1A second Question is, How farre the Law can draw a sinner to Christ? Antinomians tell us of a Legall drawing and conversion, and of an Evangelike drawing; the Legall drawing, they say, is ours; the latter theirs.
- 1How far the Law draweth a sinner to Christ.How farre the Law draweth a sinner to Christ.
Asser. 1. The difference between the letter of the Law, and the Gospel,1 is not in the manner of working; for the letter of either Law or Gospel, is alike uneffectuall and fruitless to draw any to Christ. Christ preached the Gospel to hard-hearted Pharisees, it moved them not. Moses preached the Law and the curses thereof to the stiff-necked Jews, and they were as little humbled. Sounds and syllables of ten hells, of twenty heavens and Gospels, without the Spirits working, are alike fruitless. And we grant the Law is a sleepy Keeper of a captive sinner; he may either steal away from his Keeper, or if he be awed with his Keeper, he is not kept from any spiritual, internal breach of the Law, nor moved thereby to sincere and spiritual ⟨p. 273⟩walking. But the difference between Law and Gospel, is not in the internal manner of working, but in two other things. 1. In the matter contained in Law and Gospel: because nature is refractory to violence,2 and the Law can do nothing but curse sinners, therefore it can draw no man to Christ. The Gospel again contains sweet and glorious promises of giving a new heart, to the elect; of admitting to the Prince of peace, laden and broken-hearted mourners in Zion; and in conferring on them a free imputed righteousness; and this is in it self a taking-way; but without the Gospel-spirit utterly ineffectual. 2. To the Gospel there is a Spirit added, which worketh as God doth, with an omnipotent pull; and this Spirit doth also use the Law to prepare and humble; though this be by an higher power then goeth along with the Law, as the Law.