A92141:291
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.
2. To have dominion over the Sovereignty of God is no part of the creatures liberty,1 but only it is free in order to its own actings; nor is it essential to the free-will of Men or Angels, or any creature to have the influences of God in its power or at hand; As it is no part of the Sun's power of yielding light, or of the fires quality of casting heat to have dominion and command over the influences of God the supreme and first cause: but the Lord hath so a dominion over second causes, both in acts natural and supernatural, that his influence as Midwife ever attends (saving his holy Sovereignty) the bringing forth of all births, and effects of second causes. So as in the free-wills moral actings the not acting of free-will, or the marring of the birth of new obedience to a law of God is never from the Lord's physical withdrawing of his influence, as from a culpable cause; but the sinfulness of the action is ever from our own sinful withdrawing of our will from under the moral sway of the holy command of God: 2and let it be a mystery how the Lord withdraws his concurrence, as being above a law, & he is holy and spotless in so doing, and how we are under a law and sinfully guilty in that we love to want his holy influence, and its our sin, and he loves to withdraw his influence; and it is his holy Sovereignty. Both which are clear in Scripture, if we confess that we are debtors to the Lord, and to his just Law, and his holy Sovereignty, in that he yieldeth his influences, and in his having mercy on ⟨p. 77⟩whom he will, and in hardening whom he will, in the Lord's drawing of men or his not drawing of them to Christ; in revealing the Gospel mystery savingly to whom he will, Rom. 9. 18. John 6. 44, 63. Matth, 11. 26, 27. nor can the Lord be a debtor to the Creature in these. And this mystery is a clear revealed truth,3 if we yield that the Lord's active drawing, calling, inviting of sinners to come to Christ is his holy and sinless work; and our passive not being drawn, and not being effectually called and invited to come to Christ is our sin of unbelief and our refusing and rebellious rejecting of his call,