the prefumptuous felf-juftitiary, who thinks himself Chap. 6. not criminal at all. Thus ftood the Philofophers, all in Armor of Pride, opposing the Gospel, and the Grace of it. We fee here, to make men Christians, was an admirable work, a great deal of Power was to be laid out upon it. Such a Faith was to be raised up, as might render them victorious over all the Power and Wisdom of the World. Such a temper of mind veniant crux, was to be wrought, as might make them ready to ignis, offium welcom death in what fhape or terror foever it came, modo Chriftum confractiones, and to pour out their dearest blood and life for the habeam, Ignat. Golpel. Thofe fpirits, which before hung about Earth, and thefe lower things, were to be tuned for Heaven, and wound up to fo Divine a pitch, that the whole world fhould not be able to unbend them, to loosen them from Chrift, or let them down into earthly Vanities. The great Emperors, with all their Engines of Power and Cruelty, could not rent them off from the World to come, or piece them to the prefent evil one. The Philofophers, with all their Arts and Eloquence, could not decoy them from fupernatural Mysteries, or induce them to take up their repose in humane Learning or Wif dom. The whole World was annihilated to them, and they unto themselves; they became fools, that they might be wife, and Nothing that God might be All: the Ornaments and Self-excellencies were put off, that they might be compleat in Chrift. They lay at Gods feet for Mercy, and lived in a continual dependance upon the influences of his Spirit and Grace. In fuch a work as this the Arm of God muft needs be revealed in a very eminent Chap. 6. manner. Here we have just cause to say, What hath God wrought! The Divine Power will yet more appear, if we look upon the instruments in this Work. In making the World there were none at all, no Leavers or Engines to rear up the great Fabrick. An Almighty word abfolved it: in converting it instruments were used; but fuch, that by the no-proportion between them and the great effect, it might appear that the Power was of God only. He fent not the glorious Angels to Preach up a crucified Christ, but Men. The treasure was in Earthen-velfels, in poor frail Mortals, who carried about bodies of Clay, That the excellency of the power might be of God, 2 Cor. 4.7; that it might be clearly feen, that the great Work was Gods. Among men he fent not the Anfhe Shem, Perfons of Renown for Learning or Wisdom, but mean illiterate men. Hence the Apoftle faith, God hath chofen the foolish things of the world to confound the wife, and the weak things of the world to confound the mighty, 1 Cor. 1. 27, that the Divine Power might appear in the Work. Thefe mean men preached, not with excellency of speech or wif dom, 1 Cor. 2. 1, with the charms of Eloquence, or the pomp of humane Wisdom of humane Wisdom; but with plain words: their Preaching was look't upon as foolishnefs. That falvation should be by a crucified Christ seemed foolish; that it fhould be communicated by Selat in Pools Preaching, feemed more foolish; that it should be done by Preaching in a low, fimple, plain manner, feemed most foolish of all. Yet in this way it was that Christ would ride conquering, and to conquer the World to himself. The great fuccefs of their Synop Preaching, Preaching, was a fignal proof that God was with Chap. 6. them of a truth. At Peters first Sermon three thousand fouls were converted unto God, A&t. 2.41. and at his fecond they were encreased to five thousand, Act. 4. 4. multitudes of Believers came in to Christianity. In a little time the Gospel was propagated over a great part of the World; one Paul Spread it from Jerufalem to Illyricum: And what did all the rest of the Apostles, who carried about this Evangelical light, do? What did the feventy Difciples do, who, as Ecclefiaftical Writers fay, had their feveral Provinces to Preach the Gospel in? The word did then run, and was glorified; it paffed through many Countries with a Divine swiftness and fuccefs; at the found of the Gofpel the World was fpiritually turned upside down, and of Pagan became Chriftian. Tertullian enumerates divers Nations, and at last adds touching us, Britannorum inacceffa Romanis loca, Chrifto tamen fubdita funt; the Evangelical Power entred there where the Roman could not. By fuch weak means to produce fo great an effect, was a work worthy of Omnipotence. Moreover, the Divine Power will yet more appear, if we confider the things propofed in the Gofpel. Narces the Roman-General, discontented at the Empress Sophia, to invite the Lombards into Italy, fent them many forts of excellent fruits from thence. The Prefent being congruous to fenfe, the project took effect. The Gospel indeed pro poses very excellent things to us. But they are fo great, and fo far above humane Nature, that the propofal, if not accompanied with a Divine Power, would Chap. 6. would have been altogether ineffectual. I shall instance in two or three things: 1. It proposes fuper-rational Mysteries, such as the Doctrine of the Sacred Trinity. The Incarnation of the Son of God. The Satisfaction made to Juftice by his Blood. These are objects of Faith, and fo depend one upon another, that unless we believe the Trinity, we cannot believe the Incarnation; and unless we believe that, we cannot believe a Satisfaction; and without believing that, we cannot fulfil the condition of the Gofpel, which requires us to rest upon Chrift for falvation. These therefore are neceffary objects of Faith; but without an Act of Divine Power, Faith in these cannot be had. Two things evidence this: the one is ex parte objecti, the things are above Reason. As the things of Reason are above Sense, so the things of Faith are above Reafon : without a Revelation Reafon could not have found out these Mysteries, after it, Reason cannot comprehend them. It may fhadow them out by fimilitudes; but there is in them a light unapproachable, fuch as Reason cannot look into; an infinite Abyfs, fuch as Reafon cannot meafure. The other is ex parte fubjecti; man, who is to believe these things, is fallen, and in his fall not one or two faculties fell, but all of them ; and among the reft his intellectual and believing faculties fell alfo. The intellect hath loft its fubjection to God the Supreme Truth. The believing faculty centers in the Creature, and without the Power of Grace cannot lift up it felf to fupernatural Truths. A Divine Power is requifite, to captivate the understanding to the first Truth, to elevate the be lieving lieving faculty to fuper-rational Mysteries. Hence in Scripture Faith is called the Gift and Work of God, fuch an one as is the product of Divine Power: it is wrought by Power, Eph. 1. 19. it is fulfilled and confummated by Power, 1 Thef. 1. 11. it is - ftiled the Spirit of faith, 2 Cor. 4. 13. It is not from our own fpirit, but Gods outwardly revealing the mysterious object in Scripture, and inwardly inlightning and elevating the heart to entertain it. Hence Fulgentius compares the production of Faith in the carnem illam heart, with the conception of Chrift in the Virgins nec concipere Virgo poffet nec Womb; both are by one and the fame Spirit. Chrift parere, nifi eis no lefs formed in the heart by it, than his flesh jufdem carnis Spiritus Sanctus was in the Virgin. It is therefore a work of Power operaretur exorto raise up the mind of man to believe thofe fu- tum; in homipernatural Mysteries, which are far above it self. nis corde nec concipi fides poterit, nec au geri, nifi eam Spiritus Sanctus infundat & nutriat: ex eodem Spiritu renati fumus, ex · quo natus eft Chriftus, Fulg. de Incar. cap. 20. 2. It proposes fuper-moral Virtues. It would have us to be humble and deny our felves. To fanctifie the Lord in our hearts. To have a love for his Goodness; a fear for his Majesty and Great-nefs; a faith for his Truth and Mercy; a fincerity for his all-feeing eye; and fuch a pofture of foul, that the inward affections and motions may in an holy manner answer and correfpond to one Divine Attribute or other. It calls upon us to have internal purity, to indulge no luft, no, not in a thought; to baulk never an holy Duty, to love our very Enemies, and overcome evil with good. These I call fuper-moral, because they are above the Power of Nature. Meer Moral Virtues may spring out of the |