A92141:491
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.
But 2.1 There is need to distinguish betwixt a practise of free grace in the Lord, (some call it half a promise) & a promise of free grace: And these must be cleared. As to the former; the Lord doth many things of mere grace relating to his free goodness. 2. To his free decree of grace. 3. To his holy order of working, which he hath not promised to do: As of his free goodness, he creates the world, he feeds the Ravens, he preserves wicked Sodom from the sword, and cursed Ham from being drowned, when the whole world in godly Noah's time perished in the waters; yet hath he engaged himself by promise to none of his creatures, Angels or Men that he shall create the World, that he shall feed the Ravens, that he shall preserve Sodom.
But 2.1 There is need to distinguish betwixt a practise of free grace in the Lord, (some call it half a promise) & a promise of free grace: And these must be cleared. As to the former; the Lord doth many things of meer grace relating to his free goodness. 2. To his free decree of grace. 3. To his holy order of working, which he hath not promised to do: As of his free goodness, he creates the world, he feeds the Ravens, he preserves wicked Sodom from the sword, and cursed Cham from being drowned, when the whole world in godly Noah's time perished in the waters; yet hath he engaged himself by promise to none of his creatures, Angels or Men that he shall create the World, that he shall feed the Ravens, that he shall preserve Sodom.
- 1A practise of grace, and a promise of grace in God.
2. According to his free decree of grace he intends from eternity to save Jacob; For he loved him, before he had done good or evil; and he ordains all the chosen to life eternal. But because he decrees to bring Jacob and such to glory, it follows not that he engaged by promise because of his eternal decree, to bring Jacob to glory, except we should say what ever God decrees to do, that also he promises to do; which were not good divinity.