Grace: (faies the Text, in the 6. verfe:) He fball come down like rain upon the mowin graß. Like rain: rain (you know) is that that does make the earth fruitful. Non ager fed annus facit fructum: 'Tis not the fowing, but 'tis the Yeer that caufes Fruit: 'tis the rain that caufeth Fruit: And fo, 'tis the Grace of Jefus Chrift that does make us fruitful; His Grace the caule of our Grace. I will be as dew (faies the Lord, in the 14.of Hofea) unto Ifrael: and then follows fruitfulneffe.

Again, The rain cometh by fpecial appointment from God; with a kind of difcrimination. He maketh the rain to fall upon one City (faith the Prophet) and not upon another. As we reade concerning Gideons Fleece; the dew fell upon the Fleece, when all the earth was dry round about it: And then the dew fell upon the ground, when the Fleece was dry. And this was a Type of the Grace of Chrift: when the Jews were bedewed with the Grace of Chrift, then all the Nations round about, they were dry: And then, when God bedewed the Gentiles, the Nations round about with His Grace; then the Jews were dry, and they are dry to this day.

Again, The rain, falletb ('tis the Scripture phrase) the rain falleth; and falleth upon the earth: and the earth is a recipient to receive it: it is meer recipient at the first, and then brings forth its fruit: the Rain falleth. And fo doth the Grace of Chrift: the Grace of Chrift falls upon the fouls of men and women. (faiah the Text here) He fhall come down like the rain upon the mowen graf. So doth the Grace of Jefus Chrift, it comes down upon a poor foul: All in a way of receiving, all in a way of receiving; whatever Grace, or Holinesse a man bath on this fide Heaven, it is all in a way of Receiving.

And this will appear further to you, if you confider: The Infufficiency of Nature. The Supernaturallity of Grace. The Shortneffe of all means that are appointed thereunto. The work and nature of Faith. And the pofture, and true behaviour of Prayer.

First of all, There is a Natural inability in a man unto what is good, truly, Spiritually good.

First, A man is unable by Nature, to overcome any fin, though it be never fo fmall. A man by Nature, he may abstain from vices, from a fin; but overcome it he cannot. Sin may be Satisfied, and not Mortified. (Mark) fin may be Satisfied, and not Mortified. As in the dropfie: There is a great deal of difference between the fatisfying of a mans thirit, and the healing of the difeafe. Many men think that their fin is certainly Healed, when 'tis only Satisfied. Whereas a Beggar, when he is competently ferved, he will beg no more: And fin, beggar like, when 'tis well ferved it will not beg again prefently, not in the fame temptation. Sin it felf, will cease to fin, that it may gather ftrength to fin. But now, a man by nature he cannot overcome it. And therefore in the 1 Cor. 15.57. the Apoftle faies thus: But thanks be to God, which giveth us the Victory, through our Lord Jefus Chrift. Victories, and all Victories is through our Lord Jefus Chrift. And if in the old Teftament, all Victories were given from God, all outward Victories were given from Him: Then much more in the new Teftament, are all our Spiritual Vi&ories, (the former being but Types of thefe) much more are all our Spiritual Vi&ories, then to be given to God. Now ye fee how it was with David, in the 18. Ffalm, concerning ourward Victories, he gives all to God. Saies he there (at the 32. verfe) It is God that girdeth me with frength: He maketh my feet, like Hindes feet: He reacheth my bands to war, fo that a Bow of steel is broken by mine Arms. And at the 2. verfe (faies he) The Lord is my Rock, my Fortreß, my Deliverer: my God, my ftrength in whom 1 wil truft; my Buckler, and the born of my Salvation, & mine bigh Tower. Asif all his War-like ftrength and skill were from God. And is not much more our Spiritual strength, which we have in our Christian warfare from Jeius Chrift? I have Pfal. 16, fet the Lord alwaies at my right band, therefore I shall not fall: 8. (faies the Pfalmift.) Naturally then, a man is utterly onable to overcome any fin, or temptation, though it be never fo fmall.

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Secondly,

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Secondly, As a man is unable to overcome any fin: So alle, if be be fallen, be is unable to rife again. Peter himself muft have a look trom Chrift before he could repent. As if Jefus Chrift had faid to him: Peter, thou art now down in the dirt, and know thou canst not rife, unless I give forth My hand unto thee: then here is my hand; and fo He did heave him up. Every fin that a man does commit, he is taken captive by it, more or leffe: fin is a captivity. Now, Voluntas non eft libera, nifi liberata: A man is not free,unleffe freed. If the Son make you free, you are free indeed; bat elfe not at al. Every fin that a man does commit,it is a mortal wound, a death of the foul, fin is. A man may be a ble to kill himself; but being kill'd he cannot raise him felf. The Ship having his rudder broken, cannot go where it wil,but must go where the Tempest pleases. And beloved, there is never a fin that a man commits, but he does tike upon his rudder, he does ftrike upon the earth withal; and he does lofe his rudder. A poor fheep is able for to lofe it felf, & to wander but being loft,is not able to come home a gain. Yea, our Savior faies, in the Parable of the loft sheep, (meaning loft man) The loft fheep is taken by the fhepherd, or the good man that finds it, and is laid upon his shoul der, and fo brought back again. What is this fhoulder, but the frength of Chrift? And indeed, if a poor foul, if a wanding, poor, loft foul be not laid on the fhoulder of Jefus Chrift; he will lofe, and wander unto all Eternity, will lofe himself, and wander for ever. This is well expreft (as an Ancient does obferve)in the example of Adam: when Adam had finned, and fallen; Adam was not able to return again. Let us mark it the rather, because Adam,he was our Great Common-father; and in his example we may all fee our own faces) Sates he, Adam being fallen, he could not rife again but when Adam was fallen, What does he? Then he fets himself, for to make himself cloaths of figleaves, that fo he might be freed from the injury of the weather he could mind his cloathes, and do fomething to take away his fhame; but not one thought of God, not

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one word of God whom he had loft. And fo now man, man having finned; What does he do? He can mind his cloathes, he can mind the affairs of the world; thofe things that concern this life, and his body: Oh! but not one word, not one thought of God, until the Voice of the Lord be heard: And what then? Then Adam-like he may be afhamed, and may be afraid; but yet no Repentance till Christ comes. Naturally a man being fallen, he is unable to rife again.

Thirdly, As be is unable to rife again: So be is unable to ftand, to hold, to continue: though he should rise up again, be is unable to ftand, he is unable to bold, to continue.. And therefore David feeing his people in a good frame, he prayes That the Lord would continue that good in the thoughts of their beart, and that for ever. And fo the Apofile in the 1 Peter, 5. 10. But the God of all Grace, who hath called us unto His eternal Glory by Chrift Jefus, after ye have suffered a while, make ye perfect, ftablish, frengthen, fettle you. (Pray mark the words) The God of all Grace, ftablish, ftrengthen, fettle you. He does not fay, The God of Nature fettle you: Oh! 'tis an act of Grace, of great Grace, of rich Grace to be fettled, it is an a&t of great Grace to be truly fettled, As Hierom excellently notes God is alwaies a giver, God is alwaies a bestower: It fhal not fuffice me that God hath once given,unless He would alwaies give. You know the Parable concerning the ftrong man that ye reade of in Mat. 12. being caft out by a ftronger than he, and yet returns again. The Devil is this ftrong man in fome great, and groffe fin: now, though he be caft out; yet notwithstanding the room being emptied, though it be garnifht with moral vertues, and Evangelical Gifts; yet the room being left empty of Jefus Chrift, the Lord Jefus Chrift not keeping the houfe: faies the Devil, the house is mine ftill: and therefore (laies he) I will return to mine house, he calls it his houfe all this while; Though the ftrong man were caft out, and though the room were swept, and garnisht, yet he calls it his houfe fill, because Jefus Chrift did not keep there, and continue

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1 Chron.

26.18.

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there. So that, the Lord Jefus Chrift must have the Keeping of the houfe, as well as the Sweeping of the houfe. Naturally, a man is unable to hold, to ftand, and continue, though he do rife.

Fourthly, (Pray mark it, that you may fee, what an infufficiency there is unto what is good, that fo we may be brought unto more dependance on Chrift.) As a man is unable to ftand, and perfevere: So alfo, he is unable to any one good work; Spiritually, Evangelically good. We are not able (laies 2 Cor. 3. the Apostle, as of our felves, to think a good thought, to speak a 5. good word, but all our fufficiency is of God. And Bradwardin, he reafons the cafe very well: (Saies he thus :) If that a man bestow good breeding upon his child: the father gives the natural being to the child, he brings him up in Military affairs,and the child grows very skilful, and the father furnishes him with al kind of Armor: yet notwithstanding, if the child hath the proweft,and the valor of the action from himself, he may boaft in himself, and he may fay, True indeed, Thad my being from my father, I had (indeed) my Skill from my father, I had my Arms from my father: But the Action is my own, the Valor my own, the firength of the action is my own. So (faies he) if God fhould give habitual Grace to a man, if the ftrength for the action fhould not be from God, he might boast; True indeed, I had the habit from God, the habitual Grace from God, but the action is my own,the fpirit of the action is my own: he had now wherein to boaft. But all boafting is cut off, as you fhall hear by and by. And therefore Naturally a man is unable to every work: Not only the habit is recei ved; but ftrength for the action alfo, 'tis all received.

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Fifely, As a man is unable to every action: So alfo, he is Na turally unable to prepare himself unto what is good, fpiritually good. (Good people mark it) I fay, a man is alfo unableto Prepare himfelfunto what is good. Not only unable to do good; but unable to Prepare himfelf unto what is good, Spiritually good: not only unable to Overcome the enemy, but unable to draw out his forces: not only unable to Re