A92141:565
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.
They deny prevening grace, and in effect say, that nature prevenes grace, and men prevene God; and not grace prevenes nature: For if there be such a thing as prevening nature, this were to say the child is born before the mother, and the apple grows before the tree, and the bloom is before the herb. Nay, to pray for the spirit, and not to pray in the spirit, shall never be my Divinity; that were to buy Rubies and Jasper-stones with clay and common flints and rocks; nay nature cannot trade without grace. And while the Lord creates the rose-tree, the rose-tree cannot seed nor bring forth rose-trees. Oh but it concerns us much, Ministers and Professors, to have the spirit, and to have more of it. Too many Ministers in the Land cast never fire on the people; they never warm hearts but by hewing, and striking, and hammering upon the Letter; the fire of the Lord falls not down upon the sacrifice. Ah, our fleece is dry, and we are like the Land not rained upon. And let men speak, Can ye live without the Spirit and his influences, more then ye can live without God and without Christ in the world? And who cries, Lord, can my dry bones live?1 miss ye the anointing? The complaining of the suspending of influences, of the ebbing of the free manifestations, flowings, and out-lettings of free grace, speaks a spiritual disposition. For,
They deny prevening grace, and in effect say, that nature prevenes grace, and men prevene God; and not grace prevenes nature: For if there be such a thing as prevening nature, this were to say the child is born before the mother, and the apple growes before the tree, and the bloom is before the herb. Nay, to pray for the spirit, and not to pray in the spirit, shall never be my Divinity; that were to buy Rubies and Jasper-stones with clay and common flints and rocks; nay nature cannot trade without grace. And while the Lord creates the rose-tree, the rose-tree cannot seed nor bring forth rose-trees. Oh but it concernes us much, Ministers and Professors, to have the spirit, and to have more of it. Too many Ministers in the Land cast never fire on the people; they never warm hearts but by hewing, and striking, and hammering upon the Letter; the fire of the Lord falls not down upon the sacrifice. Ah, our fleece is dry, and we are like the Land not rained upon. And let men speak, Can ye live without the Spirit and his influences, more then ye can live without God and without Christ in the world? And who cries, Lord, can my dry bones live?1