A92141:184
Influences of the life of grace
Influences of the life of grace. Or, A practical treatise concerning the way, manner, and means of having and improving of spiritual dispositions, and quickening influences from Christ the resurrection and the life. By Samuel Rutherfurd, Professor of Divinity in the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.Influences of the life of grace. Or, A practical treatise concerning the way, manner, and means of having and improving of spiritual dispositions, and quickning influences from Christ the resurrection and the life. By Samuel Rutherfurd, Professor of Divinity in the Vniversity of St. Andrews in Scotland.
London: printed by T.C. for Andrew Crook, 1659
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
4. Neither is it better pleasing to God, not to sin, then when the man hath sinned, to seek pardon for sin in the blood of Christ.1 I know not what Scripture so speaks or so teacheth both the one and the other is the approving and commanding will of God; and if the Gospel be more glorious and excellent then the Law, 2 Cor. 3. as it must be; the seeking of a pardon is a duty commanded in the Gospel and Covenant of grace, and not sinning, is as such an act commanded in the poor and simple Covenant of works given to Adam. I shall heartily yield to sin upon hope of pardon (if any intelligent pure and only Antinomians so teach) is utterly unlawful; but upon supposition that the person is a sinner, it is a more gracious act of obedience (yea more glorious if I may so speak) to fly to our Sanctuary and City of refuge Jesus Christ upon Gospel-principles, then upon Law-principles not to sin; And thus must the comparison of betterness and excellency be made. But the arguing seems to infer, that it is our mind, that God willeth us to desire and practically to will rather that Christ the Physician should appear in the declarative glory of grace, mercy, pardoning, punishing, justice, then that we should practically will our own Law-obedience; but this is forced on us and is not our mind, but a wicked Principle of Libertines; for we ought rather to obey the Law and practically to will final obedience to the Law of works and eschew sinning as Hell, rather then desire and with a more intense and a stronger practical will seek the incarnation of God; for that practical will can never be in us without sinning.
4. Neither is it better pleasing to God, not to sin, then when the man hath sinned, to seek pardon for sin in the bloud of Christ.1 I know not what Scripture so speaks or so teacheth both the one and the other is the approving and commanding will of God; and if the Gospel be more glorious and excellent then the Law, 2 Cor. 3. as it must be; the seeking of a pardon is a duty commanded in the Gospel and Covenant of grace, and not sinning, is as such an act commanded in the poor and simple Covenant of works given to Adam. I shall heartily yield to sin upon hope of pardon (if any intelligent pure and only Antinomians so teach) is utterly unlawful; but upon supposition that the person is a sinner, it is a more gracious act of obedience (yea more glorious if I may so speak) to fly to our Sanctuary and Citie of refuge Jesus Christ upon Gospel-principles, then upon Law-principles not to sin; And thus must the comparison of betterness and excellency be made. But the arguing seems to infer, that it is our mind, that God willeth us to desire and practically to will rather that Christ the Physician should appear in the declarative glory of grace, mercy, pardoning, punishing, justice, then that we should practically will our own Law-odedience; but this is forced on us and is not our mind, but a wicked Principle of Libertines; for we ought rather to obey the Law and practically to will final obedience to the Law of works and eschew sinning as Hell, rather then desire and with a more intense and a stronger practical will seek the incarnation of God; for that practical will can never be in us without sinning.