Influences of the life of grace

5. Beware of frequent smoaring divine light; deal tenderly with the light of the natural conscience, and tenderly with convictions and warnings; if so, you can hardly want divine dispositions and suitable influences, 1 Sam. 24. 4, 5, 6. My heart is fixed, I will sing. Awake up my glory. See, the touch of the Spirit in his heavenly dispositions set afloat the tongue. 2. The Psaltery and Harp. 3. David. 4. Davids heart to sing and praise: and though they were all sleeping, they are all awakened out of their sleep: As a great high Spring-tide set all the ships afloat though there were many hundreds of them. And this is the Fourth Character of heavenly dispositions, in which these are considerable.

1. Such as are the dispositions, such are the acts in their nature. 2. Strong and mighty dispositions have strong and mighty actings. 3. Smaller actings of dispositions waken up the soul to strong actings.

Sinful dispositions to the love of the world, to vain-glory, empty pleasures, bring forth sinful actings; the thorn-tree brings forth a thorn-tree, and the thistle-seed a thistle; it's clear in Cain, the Pharisees: So gracious dispositions produce acts of love, faith, hope, godly sorrow, works of righteousness and mercy. As wine-grapes grow out of the ⟨p. 303⟩vinetree, and the Lord fits influences of grace for such dispositions: like sowing, like harvest; and here also men gather not figs of thistles: the vessel smells of good or sour wine: Some must foam out their own shame, and all wonder at the gracious words that proceed out of Christs mouth. For dispositions in Christ were strong habits of grace; and the running-over fountain and fullness of the holy Ghost, the savour of the breath of the anointing, and the dispositions that accompany the fullness of the holy Ghost, is a very garden and a heaven: and here there is some truth in that,