Influences of the life of grace

3. The difference betwixt the Law and Gospel is, that the Law neither promises nor gives strength, but presupposeth that the man hath strength: but the Gospel promiseth a new heart, and the Law engraven in the heart; therefore Christ doth reign in the New Testament in the actual Omnipotency of grace, and men by a mere local motion of nature or some superadded morality good or bad, come in to wisdoms house of wine, and bring themselves in under the scattered fire coals of Gospel-administration, with no intention spiritual to believe and be saved; and so the coming in to hear, and the applying of the natural organ of hearing, the setting on work the unrenewed mind, judgment, conscience, heart and affections to the literal considering and weighing of the strong reasons that are in the Gospel casteth the man and his soul by a good and inevitable consequent under such heavenly flamings of quickening influences as convey the preached Gospel by an Ordinance of God, in due order, to cause such as are chosen of God believe: its in a mans free will to draw near to the fire, or not to draw near, but when he is come to the fire side, the fire can make him hot, whether he will or no. By a free election a man casts timber in the fire; but without any election, a strong fire cannot choose but burn dry fuel. Its true, the sea-man cannot create winds, nor change the blowing of the wind from East to West; yet he can prepare his vessel, hoist the sails, and fit the ship for receiving the winds. The husband-man hath no command of winds, of rain, of clouds, of summer Sun; yet may he dress, labour, and sit and prepare his rigs and garden to lie under the seasonable influences of such Summer air, rain, dew and impressions of the heaven and the clouds, as the Lord of nature shall afford. Now as all the Kings and ⟨p. 130⟩[…] ⟨p. 131⟩[…] ⟨p. 132⟩Powers on earth cannot command wind and rain; so is there no industry required of the husband-man to procure summer or calm seasons: nor can the Plough act upon the Sun and clouds; nor is the blame to be laid upon the Seamans sleepiness, that the wind is not fair for sailing, and that the Sea flows not so high; yet hath the Lord of purpose left to all unrenewed men born where the Gospel is preached, the gates and ports of wisdoms house open, that they may come and hear, and pass their judgement what they think of Emanuel's land, that runs with wine and milk;