SERM. Spirit, which dwells not in us but doth tarry guest-wise, is that which is from us but not of us.

I.

Lu. 24. 38.

Our Saviour saith, "Why do thoughts arise in your hearts?" Such thoughts are from us and of us; but those thoughts that Jas. 1. 17. come from "the Father of lights," are from ourselves but not of us.

All that we have by the strength of nature, is said to be of ourselves and from ourselves, but the power wherewith we are endued from above to the doing of heavenly and spiritual things, is of ourselves but not from ourselves. Perditio tua ex Hos. 13. 9. te, Israel—that is from us and of us: Tantummodo salus ex Me -that is neither of us nor from us.

1 Cor. 15. 9, 10.

Aug.

[2 Cor. 2. 16.]

The Apostle saith, "I persecuted the Church:" that was from himself and of himself; but when he saith, "yet I laboured more than they all," he correcteth that and saith, "yet not I, but the grace of God with me;" because that was of himself, but not from himself but from the grace of God which did co-operate with him.

Sins are of ourselves and from ourselves, but not good actions. Hoc piarum mentium est, ut nihil sibi tribuant, ‘This is the part of godly souls, that they attribute nothing to themselves.' It is dangerous to ascribe too little to the grace of God for then we rob Him of His glory, but if we ascribe too little to ourselves there is no danger; for whatsoever we take from ourselves, it cannot hinder us from being true Christians; but if we ascribe that to the strength of our own nature which is the proper work of grace, then do we blemish God's glory.

The affirmative part is, "Our sufficiency is of God." So that albeit in regard of themselves he said, "Who is sufficient to these things?" yet having ability from God he is bold to say, Phil. 4. 13. Omnia possum in Eo Qui me confortat.

Tit. 1. 9.

The Apostle willeth Titus to choose sufficient men, such as were "able to exhort with wholesome doctrine," that is, such as God hath made able: so he speaks of all in general, that Col. 1. 12. “God the Father hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light."

As none are meet but such as are made meet, so there are Lu. 20. 35. none ǎğioi, 'worthy,' but ağıwlévтes, "such as are made worthy." 2 Cor. 1.15. The Apostle saith, I was indeed to come to you,

that ye

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might receive a second grace." Whereby he sheweth that to be true which St. Paul affirmeth, "That the grace of God is Tit. 2. 11. manifested." And so much we are to understand by the words (1 Joh. 4. 9.] of the Evangelist, when he saith, "That from the fulness of Joh. 1. 16. Christ we received grace for grace."

As Noah is reported to have "found grace in the sight of Gen. 6. 8. God," so many do find grace with God. First, He worketh

12.

grace in men by the means of His word, when before they were void of grace: "The grace of God hath appeared to all, Tit. 2. 11, teaching them." Also by the means of the cross, and by that Job 3. IIe worketh a second grace that is inherent, whereby they are enabled to do the duties of holiness.

[27, 28.] Ps. 119. [67.]

In which respect as He is said to give grace, Humilibus dat Prov. 3.34. gratiam, so we receive grace. After God by His Spirit hath 2 Cor. 6. 1. thus enabled us, we are said to be able and meet to do those things which we are commanded, so that though our righteousness be but menstrualis justitia, He will not reject it; though Isa. 64. 6. our zeal in godliness be but as "smoking flax" or the "bruised reed," He will not quench nor break it; and though the mea- Isa. 42. 3. sure of our charity exceed not the " cup of cold water," yet we Mat. 10. 42. shall not "lose our reward." And though And though "the afflictions of this life" which we suffer for

Christ's sake "be not worthy of Lu. 21.36. the glory that is to be revealed," yet as the Evangelist speaks KATAŽIWOŃσOVTAL, "for if we suffer together with Christ, we Rom. 8.17, shall be glorified with Him."

18.

So then, the sum of all cometh to this: Where the Apostle exhorteth, "Let us have grace," the question is, from whence Heb.12.28. we may have it? It is certain we have it not of ourselves, for it is a divine thing, therefore we must have it from Him That is the well of grace. If we come to Him, "out of His Joh. 1. 16. fulness we shall receive grace for grace."

He is not a well locked up, but such an one as standeth open that all may draw out of it. Therefore the Apostle 1Pet. 1.13. saith that the grace of God is xápis pepoμévn. And as Solo- Prov. 12. 2. χάρις φερομένη. mon saith, Bonus vir haurit gratiam.

The means to obtain this grace at the hands of God is by

prayer. For He hath promised to "give His Holy Spirit to them Lu. 11. 13. that ask it." And having received grace from God, we shall likewise have bonam spem per gratiam. He hath promised 2 Thess.

that "those that seek shall find."

2. 16.
Mat. 7. 7.

SERM.

L.

If in humility we seek for grace from God, knowing that we have it not of ourselves, we shall receive it from God, for 1 Pet. 5. 5. He "giveth grace to the humble."

Seeing then that in us there is no ability, no not so much as "to think any thing," and all ability cometh from God, we are Lam. 5. 21. to learn from hence that if God say, Turn to Me, and I will turn to you, we must pray, Convert Thou us, O Lord, and Ezek. 18. we shall be converted. If He say to us, “Make you clean Ps. 51. 10. hearts," because that is not in us we must pray, "Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit in me.”

31.

Joh. 11. 26.

When Christ saith, "Believest thou this?" forasmuch as Eph. 2. 8. faith" is the gift of God," we are to pray with the disciples, Lu. 17. 5. Domine, adde nobis fidem. When the Apostle exhorteth, 1Pet. 1.13. Perfecte sperate, we should say with the Prophet, "Lord my Ps. 39. 7. hope is even in Thee." And where our duty is to love with all our hearts, because we cannot perform this without the Rom. 5. 5. assistance of God's Spirit, we are to pray that "the love of God may be shed in our hearts by the Holy Ghost."

A

PREPARATION TO PRAYER.

SERMON II.

JAMES i. 16, 17.

Err not, my dear brethren.

Every good giving and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

[Nolite itaque errare, fratres mei dilectissimi.

Omne datum optimum et omne donum perfectum desursum est, descendens a Patre luminum, apud Quem non est transmutatio, nec vicissitudinis obumbratio. Lat. Vulg.]

[Do not err, my beloved brethren.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Eng. Trans.]

As St. Paul tells us, "that we are not sufficient to think" a 2 Cor. 3.5. good thought, " but our sufficiency is of God;" so the Apostle saith, It is God only from Whom "every good giving and every perfect gift" cometh; and that we shall err if we either think that any good thing which we enjoy cometh from any other but from God, or that any thing else but good proceedeth from Him; so that as well the ability which man had by nature, as our enabling in the state of grace, is from God. He is the fountain out of Whom, as the Wise Man saith, we must [Prov. 12. draw grace by prayer, which is situla gratiæ, the conduit or bucket of grace.' Therefore He promiseth in the Old Testament to pour upon His Church both "the Spirit of grace z ch. 12. and of prayer," that as they sue for grace by the one, so they may receive it in by the other. Unto this doctrine of the

2.]

10.

II.

SERM. Apostle in this place, even those that otherwise have no care of grace do subscribe, when they confess themselves to be destitute of the good things of this life, and therefore cry, Quis ostendet nobis bona?

Ps. 4. 6.

As before the Apostle shewed that God is not the cause of any evil, so in this verse he teacheth there is no good thing but God is the author of it; if He be the fountain of every Jas. 3. 11. good thing, then He cannot be the cause of evil, for "no one fountain" doth out of the same hole "yield sweet and bitter water."

Secondly, if every good thing be of God only, then have we need to sue to Him by prayer, that from Him we may receive that which we have not of ourselves. Wherefore as this Scripture serves to kindle in us the love of God, forasmuch as He contains all good things that we can desire, so it is a special means to provoke us to the duty of prayer.

This proposition hath two parts: first, an universal affirmative in these words, "Every good giving;" secondly, a prevention; for where it may be objected, that howsoever some good things come of God yet evil things also may successively come from Him, even as the heathens say that Jupiter hath divers boxes out of which he doth pour both good and evil, the Apostle preventeth that objection and saith, "that with God there is no variableness nor shadow of changing." So that as the meaning of these words in the Hos 13. 9. Prophet Osec, Salus tua tantummodo ex Me, is both that salvation is only of God, and that nothing else but salvation cometh from Him; so the Apostle's meaning in these words is, both that God is only the cause of good, and that He is the cause of nothing else but good, lest when we are tempted unto evil, we should make God the author of all such temptations.

The former part of the proposition called subjectum is, "Every good giving, &c." The latter part called prædicatum is, "descendeth from above."

Where the heathen call all virtues and good qualities which they have, ëceis, of having, the Apostle calleth them Sóσets Kaì doρýμaтa, of giving, to teach us that whatsoever good quality is in any man, he hath it not as a quality within himself, but he receiveth it from without as it is a gift.

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