A92141:517
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. We are hence led to consider the nature of God's promises, that they are much unlike to the promises and covenants between man and man: For it comes to this; such as have influences from the Lord to run, through his free grace, the Lord of the same free grace giveth new influences to them to run more. The Lord, because he makes some rich in grace, he makes them of rich in grace, yet more rich in grace; and whom he loves freely, he yet more freely loves. And the truth is, the Lord makes himself debtor to his own grace not to our industry. As ⟨p. 158⟩Augustine, 1the Lord gave being and milk to my Nurse to feed me, thou gavest me nilling and willing; where is my merit then?
- 1August. lib. 1. con. 6. Nec mater mea nec nutrices meae sibi ubera implebant, sed tu mihi, Domine, per eas dabas mihi alimentum infantiae secundum institutionem tuam & divitias usque ad fundum rerum dispositas; tu etiam dabas nolle amplius, quam dabas & nutrientibus me dare, mihi velle quod eis dabas dare enim mihi per ordinatum effectum volebant, quo ex te abundabant.
3. Free grace infused the first habit; so by infusion of grace he adds parcels to the first habit; so that the increase of the habit of grace, is as free grace as the first habit; and there is no earning nor hiring of grace, or engaging of the Lord, else grace should not be grace, and works should not be works.