things in their spiritual nature; else a man cannot know them spiritually, as the Apostle saith, 1 Cor. ii. 14, 15. And this will require no less than a creation, for which I quoted 2 Cor. v. 16, 17.

Secondly, in the will; to put in a new and great principle, to put a new spring into the watch, that shall turn all the wheels another way naturally; to put in love to God. And, my brethren, God will be loved more than yourselves, or he will not be loved at all. To touch the heart with this is more than to create heaven and earth. This I shewed, and gave you proof for it.

So, now, you see what it is in the work of conversion that doth draw out this exceeding greatness of his power. Two things, then, are despatched. First, to clear it, that it is the meaning of the place. And then, secondly, what it is that draweth forth the almighty power.

There is a third thing, and that is this, What it is that occasioned this great controversy and mistake, that there is not so great a power as this spoken of that goes to the converting of men. That is the third thing, I say, which yet remaineth to be spoken to, which some have denied that there is so great a power as this needful to conversion. I do not say what occasioneth the mistake of their interpretation of this place, that is not my meaning; but of the thing that doth misguide men in interpreting this place. There would never have been so great a stir concerning the manner of conversion, and the work of it, and about the power of God put forth in it, had not there been such workings upon the hearts of men as have less power than this here spoken of.

I have, ever since I discerned into matters of this nature, judged the occasion of the mistake in this controversy, as likewise in that other of falling away from grace, that the ground of the mistake in both hath been this, to speak plainly, that there are certain inferior and lower sorts of works of the Holy Ghost upon men's hearts, movings of the Spirit of God upon men's hearts, which do not hold proportion with this exceeding greatness of power here spoken of, which yet are works above nature, are works of power indeed; but they do not come up to this exceeding greatness of power here spoken of. There are workings of the Spirit of God upon men that hold proportion with the doctrines of those men that hold there is not such a power put forth.

In handling of this point, which will conduce much to the clearing of all, my scope is not to shew you exact differences between these inferior and lower workings of the Spirit of God, which men take for grace, and true grace itself; but my main scope is to shew that there is a different proportion of power requisite to the producing of inferior works of the Spirit of God upon men's hearts, and that effectual saving work which puts men into the state of grace. To those embryos that never have a reasonable soul in them, as we express it, there is less power goes to those false births that do miscarry than to a perfect conception, which putteth a man into the rank of mankind. There goeth this exceeding greatness of power, here spoken of, to the one, but to the other a lesser power serveth.

You may remember I observed out of the words, according to the working of his mighty power,' that God had several proportions of working; he putteth forth more power in some works than in others. Why doth he say else, this work holdeth proportion with the exceeding greatness of power which he shewed when he raised Christ from the dead? In some actions God putteth forth more power, and in some less. to the producing of some things than of others.

There is less power needed
Now, that this exceeding

greatness of power is not needful in working in these lower ways, inferior works of the Spirit, is the main thing I am now to handle.

That I may proceed the more clearly in it, you must know this, that there are workings of the Spirit of God, by the word, upon men's hearts under the gospel, which are above nature, which are works of a great power, make a great deal of bustle in the hearts of men, and cause men to make a great noise in their professions in the world, and yet there is not an 'exceeding greatness of power' put forth in working such works.

I shall need to instance but in that place, Heb. vi. 4-6, for that is the highest instance; which I shall open by and by. You may read here of men enlightened, that are made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come, if they should fall away it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance. Here is you see a work of the Spirit; for they are partakers of the Holy Ghost, and how else do these men, when they fall away, sin against the Holy Ghost? It is a work above nature, for it is a tasting of the heavenly gift. It is a work of power, for they taste of the powers of the world to come, and the things of another world which they are enlightened to apprehend have a powerful impression upon their hearts.

But though they be works of the Holy Ghost, yet you must know that the Holy Ghost hath works of several sizes, as all artists have; they have slighter works, and they have more exact and curious works. The Holy Ghost is not as a natural agent that works ad ultimum virium, to the uttermost he can work, in all the works he putteth forth in a man's heart, or as fire that burneth as much as it can burn. But he is agens liber, he worketh freely, so saith the Apostle, 1 Cor. xii. 11. There are diversities of operations, and all these,' saith he, 'worketh that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.' He worketh according as he will, and hence therefore he putteth forth more power or less power as himself pleaseth.

Now then, the different proportion of power that the Holy Ghost putteth forth in these slighter works,-as I shall prove that in the Hebrews to be, but a slighter work in comparison of true grace,—and that not so great a proportion of power is requisite to work them as is to work true grace, converting, saving grace; that is the thing which now I am to handle. And perhaps that may be one reason why it is called the 'power of godliness,' 2 Tim. iii. 5. He doth difference it from a form. Why? Because there is a greater power from God that goeth efficiently to work it. So that as the Apostle saith of ministers, 1 Cor. iv. 19, that seemed to be something, but were flat, and yet took upon themselves to be apostles; 'I will come,' saith he, 'and know, not the speech of them that are puffed up only, but the power.' So now let us consider the power that goeth to the working upon the hearts of these men, and you shall find that it doth not hold a proportion with that exceeding greatness of power here spoken of.

To explain this unto you yet a little more, that I may be understood before I come to the point. You must know this, that man's nature being now corrupted and fallen into sin and misery, the Holy Ghost makes a trial of all sorts of conclusions upon corrupt nature, besides that of conversion. God propoundeth this to himself; saith he, I will make trial how far corrupt nature, remaining such, unchanged, without a principle of the love of God put into it, how far it will go, how far it may be elevated and raised and yet not converted, how much supernatural good and working toward salvation it is capable of, without making it a new creature.

I will quote but a place for this; it is Gen. vi. 3, ' And the Lord said, My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh; yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.'

To open these words unto you

He speaks these words not of all mankind in the generality.

Mark but

the words before; he saith that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair, and they took them wives of all that they chose; snatched them away by force and violence; mingled themselves in unlawful marriages. Who were they he speaks of? Those that were the sons of God. Whom meaneth he by those? Not they that were his own children by regeneration, for the text expressly saith in Peter, speaking of those that were drowned in the flood, that he swept away the world of the ungodly.' But you must know this, that there were Cain's seed and Seth's seed. There were Cain's seed; speaking of that generation, he calleth the daughters of them the daughters of men. Cain was banished from the ordinances, Gen. iv. 14, cast out from the presence of the Lord; and so was his posterity, and therefore they are called men; that is, men left wholly to the swing of their natural corruption, without ordinances, without the enjoyment thereof, to work upon them or restrain them, and to convey the Spirit to that end. Then there were the sons of Seth; those that lived in the church, enjoyed the means of grace, the preachings of Noah and other of the patriarchs; and those were the sons of God; for so, you know, they that do so are called the sons of God, 'I have brought up sons, and they have rebelled against me;' and 'ye are the children of the Lord your God,' Isa. i. 2, Deut. xiv. 1; for God had taken them into the bosom of the visible church. Now then, those sons of God, living under outward means and in a sort the gospel,-I may call it so, for they lived under the preaching of Noah, a preacher of sure righteousness, Christ namely, and under the preaching of other patriarchs, -it is said the Spirit of God did strive with them, the Spirit of God going home to their hearts with the word.

Compare therefore with this 1 Peter iii. 18. It is a difficult place, and it is opened by this. Speaking of Christ there, saith he, 'He was put to death in the flesh, and quickened by the Spirit; that is, quickened by the Holy Ghost and by the Godhead; by which also he went and preached to the spirits in prison, who sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing.' I say these words in Genesis open those in Peter. Our Saviour Christ after his death was raised by the Spirit, by the Holy Ghost; for that Spirit that raiseth up our bodies dwelt in him and raised up his, as it is Rom. viii. This Spirit of his, saith he, went with the ministry of Noah, who preached the same gospel we do, and preached in the days of the old world. Moses saith here, that his Spirit contended or strove with them; and Peter alludeth to it that this Spirit by which Christ was raised had formerly preached to these men, who were now but spirits; for that was their estate, they were now dead, they were in hell; the spirits that now are in prison,' that is his meaning. And as Moses here saith, that God gave them a hundred and twenty years' warning to repent, 'The days of man,' saith he, shall yet be a hundred and twenty years;' so Peter saith, he was long-suffering, and that he waited; 'when once the long-suffering of God,' saith he,' waited in the days of Noah,' waited a hundred and twenty years, 'while the ark was a preparing.'

Now then, that which I quote this place for is this, to come to it: that this Spirit of God contended or strove with these sons of God that lived in

the church. It did strive, that is all his phrase; he put forth so much strength as to try whether he should overcome corrupt nature, or corrupt nature overcome him; he put forth only a striving strength; as in wrestling, you know, if a man only strive, he doth, as it were, feel the strength of another. There is a striving strength that the Holy Ghost putteth forth upon the hearts of men, and there is an overcoming strength. There is a striving strength, as here; there is an overcoming strength, as in 1 John iv. 4, ' He that believeth overcometh the world; for greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.' But here he putteth forth so much power as shall be a striving, and yet they remain flesh still, (mark that ;) that is, he doth not put forth so much strength or power as doth alter corrupt nature, they shall remain flesh still; for so you know it followeth, he also is flesh;' and so the Septuagint puts an emphasis upon it, 'he also is but flesh.' These sons of God that had all this means, saith he, I have tried how far it will go, and I see they are but flesh still, they are corrupt still; and while I deal with them thus in a lower way, it will not overcome their corrupt nature, they remain flesh for all that; therefore Peter saith, they were disobedient, and are now in hell. And upon this, what conclusion doth God make? I have tried, saith he, all conclusions with corrupt nature, all but one, fully to overcome it; I have given it all helps, I have striven, I have contended, I have wrought thus far, I have given them a hundred and twenty years yet longer, and the conclusion of all is in the 5th verse: 6 God saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually;' and that corrupt nature would be corrupt nature still, would be flesh still, unless he put forth an almighty power, beyond striving, to change it.

To clear this yet a little more unto you, because it is the foundation of what I shall afterwards proceed in: you may observe that God hath tried all sorts of conclusions with the hearts of men, according to several sizes. He afforded corrupt nature a little light of truth, which the Apostle speaks of, Rom. i.; a light that shined in a dark place, whereby they knew many things of the law, as that there was a God, and that that God must be worshipped; this the heathens and all men more or less have in their hearts. He tried what corrupt nature would do with this, and he finds that generally they did imprison it in unrighteousness, they put this prophet of God into prison; that is, they went against their knowledge, they slighted it. The light of conscience, then, will not do it. Yea, he went so far with one man, he gave instance of one man in the world that went so far as to die for this, that there was but one God, and yet knew nothing of the Scripture. So Socrates was the highest instance how far the light of nature would go. God tried this conclusion first with the heathens.

I will give you a scripture for that. It is 1 Cor. i. 21, 'After that in the wisdom of God, the world'—that is the world of the Gentiles, for he speaks of them there-by wisdom knew not God;' then when he had tried this conclusion, that all the light of nature, which he calleth the 'wisdom of God,' yet because of that corrupt carnal wisdom in men's hearts, would not turn them; then he sendeth preaching to convert them. After this, saith he, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.' This was trying a conclusion, you see; for after that he saw that this light of nature would do no good, then he sendeth Christ into the world, and by the preaching of the gospel to convert them.

Well, having tried the light of nature, and seen that will do no good, he cometh to the light of the law, and tries that with the Jews. He gave the

law to them; he dealt not the knowledge of his law.' other was.

so with any nation, neither have the heathen This was but trying a conclusion too, as the He would see how far the light of nature, improved by the light of the law added to it, would go. Now what saith the Apostle in Rom. viii. 3? What the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh.' He would try what the law would do; he gave them a perfect rule, they had the same help for the external means that Adam himself had, (mark it,) for they had the same law. How cometh it to pass that the law could do no good, could not work upon men's hearts, though a Spirit went with it? For so the law had, Neh. ix. 20. Saith he, it was weakened through the flesh; corrupt nature weakened all the power of it, it was too hard for that light of the law. He tried that conclusion too; and for that, as he gave Socrates the highest instance under the light of nature, so he gave Paul the highest instance under the law; a man that never sinned against his conscience in his life, but was concerning the law blameless till his conversion. 'I have kept a good conscience,' saith he, 'to this day;' he speaks it to the Pharisees that knew him before.

Well, he hath given us the gospel; he will try how far corrupt nature will go there too, will be wrought upon by the gospel, which hath a power of the Spirit accompanying it, as all these had; for certainly they were all supernatural, that must be acknowledged; it was more than corrupt nature of itself would have done. He makes a trial, I say, with the gospel too; for that you have that eminent instance in the 6th of the Hebrews, of men that are enlightened, and partake of the heavenly gift,' &c., and yet the Apostle tells us plainly, at the 9th verse, that there are better things than these which God works in men's hearts when he saveth them. We are persuaded,' saith he, 'better things of you, and such as accompany salvation.' The Holy Ghost elevateth and raiseth and works upon corrupt nature, to see how far it will go under the gospel.

And here he hath several sizes of working too. That parable in Luke viii. and Matt. xiii. sheweth it. The stony ground receiveth the word with joy, but falleth off in persecution. The thorny ground holdeth out in persecution, but cares, and riches, and pleasures grew up with it and choked the word. God hath several works upon nature, and trieth these conclusions with it.

And what is the reason he doth it?

In one word the reason is this: because he would shew, by a comparison of the work of grace with other lower workings of his upon men's hearts, what an excellent thing grace is; that it is 'precious faith' indeed, which is the faith of God's elect, as the apostle Peter calleth it, 2 Peter i. 1. There is nothing in nature but hath a counterfeit. Go up to the heavens, there you see the beams of the sun, and you have streams in the air; you have stars, you shall have falling stars and comets. Go down to the earth, you have precious stones, and you have the counterfeit of them, Bristol stones like to diamonds; and the excellency of the one is set off by the other. And God endeareth his children so much the more to him by this. Saith he, I have wrought so far upon another man's heart, but it was not grace; I might have done so with you, but I overcame you, I stretched forth the exceeding greatness of my power to you.

And he doth do it too for this end, that all may see their own weakness, that as the Apostle saith the law was 'weak through the flesh,' so the gospel shall be weak through the flesh, and all sorts of assistances, but what doth the deed, shall all be weak through the flesh too. God may strive with