A92141:598
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.
6.1 There is a spiritual facility in the spiritual actings of a spiritual man. 1. The acting is connatural and easy when it comes from an inward principle; the stream naturally without violence flows from the fountain, and so doth heat from the fire: nor is it any pain to the earth to fall down and descend, or for the light bodies, fire and air to ascend; it's neither toil nor labour to the Sun to give light: for all these come from principles internal. There is violence in the motion of an Horologue, and therefore the wheels shall be worn out by time; but the actings of the spirit are sweet and facile; grace makes the Commandments not grievous; its no pain but easy to a gracious pastor to love Christ; it breaks neither leg nor arm to desire Christ and be sick for him, and to feed his flock for love to the chief shepherd. 2. Psal. 25. 9. The meek will he guide in ⟨p. 182⟩judgement, the meek will he teach is ways. It's easy for God, to guide any man, to guide and lead Lions and Unicorns; but in the very object there is a facility to counsel a broken and daunted spirit. If a man be in his flower and prime, and rich and mighty, healthy and prosperous, readily he will do but what he will; but if the man be in chains and broken and meekened with the rod of God, he is easily bowed and counselled to what is good; as iron red hot will bow and yield to the smitings of the hammer: it's hard to lead a Lion. The Lord speaks like the Lord to Job, cap. 39. 9. Will the Unicorn be willing to serve thee? or abide by thy cribs? Canst thou bind the Unicorn with his band in the furrows? or will he harrow the valleys after thee? but it is easy to bind a lamb. Meekness is easily led and drawn: when the spirit comes in, the man is made pliable for counsel; he is a ploughed and a broken man, who saith, Acts 9. [Greek or Hebrew], Lord what wilt thou have me to do? There was no pride in him, but the fullness of the spirit of the anointing above all his fellows and all mankind, who said, not my will, but thy will be done. And if any living man should have had his will or a piece of his will, it was a man whose holy will could never crook; and it was now when sinless, holy, harmless nature was debating the greatest question that ever Heaven or Angels knew. But the fullness of the spirit bids him quit his will, and so he did.