not to do any good thing by our own Power: which made the Apoftle ask the Queftion, Who is fufficient for thefe things implying our natural Impotence and Inability to every good Word or Work. This is evident from many Paffages in Holy Scripture, and likewife from many Examples of human Frailty recorded therein to which we may add our own woful Experience for a Proof and Confirmation of this fad Truth.

The Holy Scriptures abound with Expreffions that fet forth this our great Impotence and Inability. Without me (faith our Saviour) ye can do nothing; John 15.5. I can do nothing of my felf, faith the great Apoftle St. Paul: And if that great Champion of the Faith were fo fenfible of his own Weakness, how much more ought we to own and lament our greater Impotence? We can call nothing our own, but our Infirmities and Imperfections: all the reft is freely given us of God, in whom we live, move, and have our Being; and who worketh in us both to will and to do, according to his good Pleasure.

Moreover, The many Inftances of human Frailty recorded in Scripture may abundantly convince us of this Infufficiency. David, when left to himself, fell into great Enormities, even to the committing the crying Sins of Murder and Adultery, which coft him a fore and fad Repen tance. St. Peter fhamefully deny'd his Mafter after many Promises and Proteftations to the contrary, which made him weep very bitterly; and may be a warning to all, that think of standing, to take heed left they fall. St. Paul confefs'd that in him, that is, in his Flesh, there dwelt no good thing. And if we confult our own fad Experience, we shall find, that we are not fufficient of our felves fo much as to think a good Thought, and much less to perform any good Action.

But whence comes this utter Impotence and Inability to all Good? Why, this proceeds partly from the original Corruption and Depravedness of our Nature, contracted by the Fall of our firft Parents; and partly from the evil Suggeftions and Temptations of our ghoftly Enemies.

Firft, I fay, this proceeds from the original Corruption and Depravedness of our Nature, contracted by the Fall of our firft Parents. This is the first and great Cause of all the Impiety and Imbecility of Mankind; How weak is thine Heart (faith God) feeing thou haft done these things? Ezek.

16.30°

16.30. Indeed God made Man at firft upright, and endow'd him with Faculties fufficient to enable him to do his Will, but he hath perverted his Way, and fought out many Inventions: Ecclef. 7. 29. Our firft Parents, by difobeying their Maker, loft both their Strength and their Innocence together, and have deriv'd down Weakness and Mifery to their Pofterity ever fince. This brought Darknefs into our Minds, Crookedness into our Wills, Disorder into our Affections, and thereby an Impotence upon the whole Man: And hence it comes to pafs, that we are not fufficient of our felves to think any thing that is good; the Imaginations of the Heart, in this degenerate State, being evil, only evil, and that continually. Again,

Secondly, This proceeds partly from the evil Suggeftions and Temptations of our fpiritual Enemies; who, working upon the Corruption of our Nature, encrease our Weak nefs, and render us both unwilling and unable to do any thing as we ought: Thefe daily affault and follicit us to Sin, plying us with their Temptations, whereby they impair our Strength, and create this Impotence. Satan, the great Enemy of Mankind, hath his Wiles, his Devices, and his fiery Darts to wound and weaken us. The World hath Baits and Snares to allure and entrap us; both which are too apt to prevail upon us, and render us too feeble to refift or conquer them. Befide which, we have an Enemy in our Bofom that is ftill ready to join iffue with the two former, the Flesh lufting against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the Flesh: by which our Strength is mightily wea ken'd and impair'd in the Combat; infomuch that we may all fay with St. Paul, The Good that we would do, we do not, and the Evil that we would not, that we do: which is fufficient to convince us of our utter Inability to think or do any thing that is good of our felves.

But what Remedy have we in this Cafe, or how may we be reliev'd under this Impotence? Why, that the next words tell us, Our Sufficiency is of God. We are not left helpless, to fink under the Burden of our Infirmities, but we have a Door of Hope open'd for us, and are fuccour'd by a Divine Hand: for tho we are infufficient of our felves, yet our Sufficiency is of God; and we are affifted by him who is all-fufficient, and can do more than we can ask or think. Of this Sufficiency we have abundant Proof from Scripture, from Example, and from our own Experience. The

Lord

Lord himself told St. Paul, that his Grace was fufficient for him, and that his Strength was made perfect in Weakness; 2 Cor. 12.9. This made him tell the Corinthians, that God was able fo to make all Grace abound towards them, that they always having all Sufficiency in all things, might abound to every good Work; 2 Cor. 9. 8. Hence we find the Apostle de claring, that tho he could do nothing of himself, yet he could do all things through Chrift that ftrengthned him; Phil. 4. 13. And though he could do nothing against the Truth, yet he could do or fuffer any thing for it; 2 Cor. 13.8. His Weakness was turn'd into Strength; and he who was not fufficient to think or do a good thing, was able to perform the hardest Task, and nothing was impoffible to him. And to this the Experience of good Chriftians can fet their Seals, who have found greatest Affiftance in times of greatest Exigence, and have been thereby enabled to act not only above their Hopes, but beyond their Strength.

But whence is this Sufficiency? Why, the Text tell us, 'tis of God; 'tis not of our felves, who have nothing but Impotence and Infirmities to boast of: but 'tis of God, who hath All-fufficiency in himself, and is willing to impart what is fufficient for us. All our natural Powers, whereby we perform any natural Action, are wholly from him, for he giveth us Life, and Breath, and all things. And all the fupernatural Aids and Affiftances of Divine Grace, whereby we do any fpiritual and acceptable Service to him, are more especially and entirely his which is the Sufficiency here principally intended, whereby our natural Parts and Powers are rais'd to higher degrees of fpiritual Strength in God's Service, than of themselves they could arrive to.

And to this the Apoftle here chiefly refers, in faying, Our Sufficiency is of God, who hath made us able Minifters of the New Testament: meaning, that by the Power of Divine Grace they were affifted in the Work of the Miniftry, and enabled to do greater things for the Converfion of Souls, than could be done without it. 'Tis this that makes the Man of God perfect, and thorowly furnifh'd for every good Word and Work: by which we likewise are made able Minifters of the New Teftament; that is, of the New Covenant made with us in Chrift, in contradiftinction to the Legal Covenant deliver'd by Mofes: of which New Covenant we are, by the Ability that God hath given us, the Preachers and Difpenfers; not of the Letter, which confifts only in the Words or Writing, without any inward Vol. IV. Part 2

Virtue

Virtue or Efficacy upon the Soul; but of the Spirit, which is attended with the Influence of the Holy Ghoft, imprinting it upon the Heart, and working in the Soul all the Grace and Vertue propounded and promifed in it. For the Letter killeth (faith he) that is, the firft Covenant, that was written on Tables of Stone, cannot fave a Sinner, but rather denounces Wrath, and ferves to aggravate his Condemnation. The Law worketh Death (faith St. Paul) and by it no Flesh living can be juftified. But the Spirit giveth Life, that is, the New Covenant, by the Aids and Afliftances of God's Holy Spirit, giveth Life, and not only fo, but preferves and maintains it by the continual Comfort and Communication of Divine Grace.

From hence the Apostle takes occafion to fhew the difference between the Legal and Evangelical Difpenfation, together with the Glory and Excellency of the latter above the former; calling the one, The Miniftration of Death and Condemnation; the other, The Miniftration of the Spirit and Righteoufnefs: advancing the Glory of the one above the other as far as Life exceeds Death, and the Confolations of the Spirit the Miferies of Condemnation. If the Miniftration of Death (faith he) that was written and engraven in Stones, was glorious, fo that the Children of Ifrael could not ftedfaftly behold the Face of Mofes, for the Glory of his Countenance, which Glory was to be done away; how shall not the Miniftration of the Spirit be rather glorious? Where he allows fome fort of Glory, and that in no fmall degree, to the Delivery of the Law, which brought nothing but Death with it for its being engraven on Tables of Stone by the Finger of God himself, and adorn'd with the Ap pearance of Angels at the Delivery of it, and likewife with fuch a bright fhining Light, which caft fuch a Splendor on Mofes's Face, that dazzled the Eyes of the Beholders, could not but add a Glory to it; tho that Glory was but tranfient, and to be done away. From whence the Apostle juftly infers, that if that lower Difpenfation, which was only written on Stone, and externally reprefented good things, without affording any inward Grace or Strength to attain to them, had yet fuch a Glory attending the pubfishing of it; how much more glorious and illuftrious muft the Difpenfation of the Gospel be, which is establish'd upon better Promifes, with an additional Strength to perform the Conditions, and to obtain the Mercy granted in them? For, as he goes on,

If the Adminiftration of Condemnation be Glory, much more doth the Miniftration of Righteousness exceed in Glory: meaning, that if the Law, which miniftred only to Condemnation and Death, had fuch an outward Glory to ufher it in, and to fet it off; how much more doth the Gospel, which miniftreth to Life and Salvation, furpafs it in true and permanent Glory?

This is briefly the Sum and Senfe of this Day's Epiftle; which we may eafily improve into the following Leffons.

1. Our great Weaknefs and Inability to do any thing of our felves, may ferve to check all Pride and Prefumption, and to keep us from trusting too much to our own Strength. He that relies upon his own Power, leans but upon a broken Reed, which will certainly fail and deceive him. David, a Man after God's own Heart, and Peter, the chiefeft of the Apoftles, found the Truth hereof by fad Experience; for both prefuming too far upon their own Strength, betray'd their own Weaknefs, and fhamefully fell into foul Enormities. Which great Examples may teach us to beware of too much Confidence in our felves, or relying too far upon our own Sufficiency: efpecially we of the Miniftry 'fhould take heed of depending too much upon our own Parts in the Discharge of our Office, but rather implore the Affiftance of God's Holy Spirit; and instead of running before we are fent, to fay with the Apostle, Who is fufficient for these things?

2. As the Senfe of our Infufficiency fhould keep us froni Prefumption; fo fhould the Senfe of the Sufficiency we have from God preferve us from Defpair: for tho we are unable to think or do any thing of our felves, yet his Grace is fufficient for us; and we can do all things through Chrift that ftrengthens us; who is never wanting to the hearty Defires and Endeavours of his People: for he is ever more ready to hear us, than we are to pray to him; and the Returns of his Goodness far exceed both our Defires and Deferts. So that as we may not prefume upon our own Power, which is no better than Weakness; fo neither are we to defpair of Divine Grace and Affiftance, which is abundantly able to fupply all Defects, and to help all our Infirmities, and confequently may at all times, in the Ufe of good Means, be fafely trufted to, and rely'd upon.

3. This Difcourfe may teach us to banish all vain Conteit of Merit, and to afcribe all that we have, are, or can

U 2

do,