A92141:445
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. Something which is really little or nothing, a natural man may do to fetch the wind when he cannot command ⟨p. 130⟩it, and cannot sail, he may and often doth exercise the natural faculty of moving from place to place, and comes as a mere natural man, upon a mere natural motive, sinful curiosity,1 and a purpose violently to apprehend Christ, as the soldiers do, John 7. 45, 46, 47. yea, with bloody hearts and a purpose to persecute as the hearers of Peter do, Acts 2. and yet beside and contrary to the will and intent, the man is wrought upon, and converted before he go away; as some go to Sea and sail to India poor with no intention to be enriched with gold, but only to get bread, and yet they come again from India rich with Indian gold, and many precious stones far beside their intention. A man rude and ignorant goes to Athens upon no purpose to become learned, yet providence so disposeth that he falls in love with learning, and studying many years, he returns from Athens a most learned man. Now no man can say that either the Indian gold, or the learning of Athens did contribute any real or physical strength to his loco-motive and natural faculty of journeying to India or Athens: so neither can it be said the Spirit of grace or the Gospel of grace did add any new real and physical strength to Peter's hearers to cause them to come in under the stroke of the preached Gospel. Now the Gospel is the power of God to salvation; the Apostle useth such spiritual weapons of warfare to cast down strong holds; its the arm of the Lord, Rom. 1. 16. 2 Cor. 10. 56. Isa. 53. 1. and the preached Gospel is the triumphing chariot of Christ conquering, Christ's office-house of free grace. Now a man on his own feet, and by his own strength, though sick, may come to the Physicians office-house where all his medicine boxes and helps and remedies of health are, and be cured ere he go a way, and may go away with perfect strength and health; yet he came to the Physicians house in no strength nor health, which he received from his art and medicine. The Word is the net, the Fish may come in its own natural motion within the bosom of the net; but its the strength of the arms of the Fisher, that hales the Fish to land; the Fish catcheth not it self. The word of God is a sharp two-edged sword, and doth the work by the Spiri