A92141:228
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.
8. As touching gifts and graces much is to be seen of Sovereignty. Elihu saith, Job 32. 9. Great men are not always wise, neither do the aged understand judgement. Beauty is a debt that God owes not to pay to Absalom; nor wisdom to Ahithophel more then to a stark fool, or to any man who is born as a wild Ass colt. This Sovereignty gives faith to Abraham, to Moses meekness, to David sincerity, to Josiah zeal, to Job patience, to the man Christ the fullness of the Spirit above measure; there is more grace of godly painfulness given to Paul then to the daily eye-witnesses of Christ; I laboured more abundantly then they all, 1 Cor. 15. you might have had wisdom and used it, as Ahithophel; and yet saith one, God hath given me no more grace, therefore let God blame God that I do as I do; if he had given me more grace, I would have done better: and if I had a heart according to the heart of God, I would have been as holy, sincere, and zealous as David; but he denied it to me, out of his absolute Sovereignty, which is far above my will and my strength, influences of grace both for the obtaining of the habits and the acts of Sovereign grace.
8. As touching gifts and graces much is to be seen of Soveraignty. Elihu saith, Job 32. 9. Great men are not always wise, neither do the aged understand judgement. Beautie is a debt that God ows not to pay to Absalom; nor wisedom to Achitophel more then to a stark fool, or to any man who is born as a wild Ass colt. This Soveraignty gives faith to Abraham, to Moses meekness, to David sincerity, to Josiah zeal, to Job patience, to the man Christ the fulness of the Spirit above measure; there is more grace of godly painfulness given to Paul then to the dayly eye-witnesses of Christ; I laboured more abundantly then they all, 1 Cor. 15. you might have had wisedom and used it, as Achitophel; and yet saith one, God hath given me no more grace, therefore let God blame God that I doe as I doe; if he had given me more grace, I would have done better: and if I had a heart according to the heart of God, I would have been as holy, sincere, and zealous as David; but he denyed it to me, out of his absolute Soveraignty, which is far above my will and my strength, influences of grace both for the obtaining of the habits and the acts of Soveraign grace.