A92141:476
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.
3. What debt is this; who of Angels or men can pay the hire of free love to Christ? ye were born beasts, Tigers, Lions, Dogs, and broods of Satan and the Serpents seed, and Christ hath made you sons of God, Kings and Priests to God, heirs of life, co-heirs with Christ, partakers of the divine nature, the first-born of God written in heaven.
4.1 Never dream that your own strength, or good parts of nature can fit and spiritually capacitate you for receiving influences for spiritual duties; nature cannot more prepare it self for grace, and a gracious state, then a Thistle can change it self into a Vine-tree: Christ is good at all indispositions of deadness, of a natural state; whom he quickens that man and he only shall live; who can help a dead heart, but he that is the resurrection and the life, and he who raises the dead only can quicken such dead ones.
4.1 Never dream that your own strength, or good parts of nature can fit and spiritually capacitate you for receiving influences for spiritual duties; nature cannot more prepare it self for grace, and a gracious state, then a Thistle can change it self into a Vine-tree: Christ is good at all indispositions of deadnesse, of a natural state; whom he quickens that man and he only shall live; who can help a dead heart, but he that is the resurrection and the life, and he who raises the dead only can quicken such dead ones.
- 1No man can bring himself in a spiritual capacity to receive grace.
5. Its a bold and proud Pen that would plead and advocate for such a hellish nature, and except Satan and his sons Pelagians; what do they but depose Christ from his office of the Physician of sinners, and bid him go back to Heaven with his Medicaments of free grace? There be here no sick folks, free will is strong enough, new habits of grace are useless, the letter and moral acting of the word can raise dead souls? shall we thus requite Christ for his free grace.