A92141:267
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.
Ass. 3. It must be holden that duty as duty is a moral motive we are to be led withal, and we to look with fear and trembling to the command, what ever withdrawing of the Spirit or of his influences there be;1 its true, what promises of a richer dispensation of grace are made in the Messiah, Zech. 12. 10. Ezech. 11. 19, 20. Isa. 55. 11, 12. Isa. 44. 1, 2, 3, 4, &c. are to be considered by us; but yet so, no Scripture saith, Stand still and act no duties until the Spirit of grace first strongly breath upon the heart; that is, to say no obeying of God is to be gone about, until feeling of the breathings of the Spirit go before faith, and praying, and all duties: and what is this but a tying of the spirit to our spiritual senses? men then cannot be accused nor ⟨p. 69⟩condemned for not calling upon God, and not believing, because natural men truly can say, we could not walk before on• Guide, nor sail without our Steers-man the Spirit. Now the Spirit's drawings we never felt, and this were to render the Word of God useless; its enough to us, the command cries to the conscience, the voice of the Lord sounds in the Word, and none can allege any contrary actings of the Spirit; As also how shall the feelings of the Spirit be known but by the Word? and the Spirit not simply, but the spirit with the word is the only Guide, since we are bidden, try the spirits whether they are of God, or not, 1 John 4. 1. and as hard it were to put converted ones to such a method; it were to render Duties suspicious and dangerous, and to condemn Scripture-light, as guilty of darkness.
Ass. 3. It must be holden that duty as duty is a moral motive we are to be led withal, and we to look with fear and trembling to the command, what ever withdrawing of the Spirit or of his influences there be;