A92141:320
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.
Now common grace, free will, and natural ability, at best is but a potency; the actual stirring of saving grace must extract, and (to speak so) milk out of the very saving habit, acts of sound believing, and repenting, or then the will and the habit must lie dead: far more is this true in natural powers and common graces.
Now in all this our Saviour answers well the whole doubt;1 he that is not faithful in little, can he be faithful in much? Luke 16. 11. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous Mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? Verse 12. And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another mans, who shall give you that which is your own? Our Saviour reasons most strongly, Joh. 3. 12. If I have told you earthly things and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? He that is not able to bear a burden of the weight of one pound, would he bear a burden of a thousand talents? So he, If the Lord had given me ten talents, I should have equalled David or Paul, or the beloved disciple John, in grace and holiness. Now ye have not improved two talents, but digged them in the Earth: For it is not here as in earthly things; mow a Meadow twelve times in one year, and after thrice mowing ye shall have but little: take continually away from a deep fountain, and draw water from it night and day, at length it shall be ebb or dry; but act and improve the habit of grace, and the more it shall grow, and increase: And its certain, grace can waken up sleeping free will, but free will cannot stir up grace; death cannot make use of life, but life can work upon deadness.
Now in all this our Saviour answers well the whole doubt;1 he that is not faithful in little, can he be faithful in much?