In sinnes of infirmitie , Premit & vrget infirmos , Aug. qua supra . as the temptation is suddaine , so the consent not without some reluctation wrested from them , and ever there is more or lesse resistance before consent . p p 1. Ioh. 3 , 9. Hee that is borne of God sinneth not , nor can sinne . i. say some , not make a trade of sinning ; say others , not sin to death ; this I may adde , not with fulnesse of consent , not without some reluctation . And these sinnes thus striven against , are indeed infirmities in Gods children , how ever enormious in themselus . By the law of God , q q Deut 22.26 , 27. a Virgin found in the field , suddainely and violently assaulted , if according to strength shee make resistance , crying out , and none neere to help her , in such case is reputed guiltlesse of the crime of fornication . And if we by violent assaults be withdrawne , striving to the vtmost of power receaved , to withstand , & yet fal ; of such fals we may say as David , they are our infirmities . But if we shall wait for occasions , and bid welcome to opportunities ; as the strumpet in Salomon , to her adulterous copesmate , r r Prov 7.15 . I came forth to meete theo ; I haue sought thy face , and reioyce that I haue found thee : such sinnes dare any call infirmities ?

Sinnes of weaknesse , ( I speake still of notorious and grosse sinnes ) haue commonly for their ground , some strong passion in nature ; something that is with nature very prevalent ; as feare of death in Peter , of shame in David . That same which the Philosopher cals most terrible of all evils , prevailed with s s Mat. 26. Peter and overcame him ; t t Iob. 2.4 . skin for skin and all that a man hath , will hee giue for his life . and that shame , which ingenuous natures feare more then death , no marvaile , so prevalent with David . But what shall we say of sinnes abhorred of nature ? that same vnmeasurable and Dutchmanlike drinking ? Of this shall we say it is an infirmitie ?

4 Sinnes of infirmitie , as in their temptation they are suddaine and resisted : so in their loose , they giue farewell in bitternesse ; they ende in mourning . u u Mat. 26.27 . Peters bitter banning cost him bitter weeping : and Davids sweet sin was * * Psal. 51. sowerly sauced . x x Arist. Eth. 2.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 .

But when men y y Philip. 3 19. shall glory in their shame ; & as the buyer in Salomon , It is naught , It is naught ; but when hee is gone he boasteth : this I should never call a sinne of infirmitie .

5 Sinnes of infirmitie , are never sinnes of custome , Noesuit aliquae do ebrius , qudvis absit vt fuerit ebriosus . Aug. de peccat . merit & remis . l. 2. c. 10. yea seldome or never iterated ( I speake still of grosse sinnes , notoriously knowne to be enormious : ) but fortification is ever there planted , where the breach hath once beene made . Of Iudah his incest we read , but withall z z Gen. 38.26 . that he never came more neere Thamar . Now when men shall a a Isai. 5.11 . follow drunkennesse ; b b Prov. 23. vlt. seeke it yet still : howe shall we call these infirmities ?

And as , for sinnes , they haue strength to avoid them ; so for duties , they haue power to practise . The questions that Christ propounded to the sonnes of Zebedee , if it be moved to any of Gods children , will receaue the same answere with the same or more truth . c c Mat. 20.22 . Can you drinke of the cup that I shall drinke of ? and bee baptised with the baptisme that I shall be baptised with ? They answer , we can . Canst thou moderate thy affections ? refraine thy lips ? subdue thy thoughes to the obedience of Christ ? Surely these ( and what not ? ) can a child of God do in some measure . So that it is but hypocrisie , that pretends absolute disability . And of the blessing acknowledged thus farre .

See we now the extent of the blessing in the obiect . All things . Strangely is Paules voice changed . In one place he thus complaines , d d Rom. 7.18 . To will is present with me , but I finde no power to performe : yet here he triumphs ; I can doe all things . We may thus reconcile them . 1. It may bee , that is a negatiue by comparison , as such are obvious every where in Scripture . And the meaning may bee , not that hee had no power , but none answerable to his will : as else where ; c c Ioh. 9.41 . If yee were blind yee should haue no sin .i. as Augustine , none in comparison , not simply none . And surely as in men aliens from the life of God , there is an endlesse desire to sinne , ( which makes their punishment endlesse , ) though their power in execution be restrained : So in Gods children , though wee see some performances , more endeavours ; yet endlesse desires , & never satisfied with their measure of obedience : they will , but finde no power answerable to their desire . Or 2 thus : To will is present , but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , to goe through with the worke , Non ait facere , sed perficere bonum , dug . Cont. Iulian pelag. l. 3. cap. 26. they find not . God having reserved perfection of power , to the world to come . All things . Papists falling on this Scripture , infer presently a possibilitie by grace , to keepe the law to iustification : for what should he want to righteousnesse , that can all things inioined in the law of God ? Not to trouble you with that controversy at large , take only what may serue for loosing their hold on this Scripture .

Some here acknowledge vniversale accommodum ; the vniversall particle , restrained to the particulars mentioned . All things .i. all these things . And it is true , there are in Scriptures plentifull examples of such restrictions . But yet I see no great necessitie or warrant , in this place , to run to such limitation . This once I am sure of : the things here specified , are of as difficult performance as any , J knowe , in the whole circle of Christian duties . Aequabilitie in all states ; what hath Christianity harder ? Not to surfet of prosperitie ; what temperance ? Not to be deiected with abasures ; of how great fortitude ? And he that can these : may , without restraint , professe his power in all the rest .

Some therefore in this question thus distinguish performance of the law . It is of two sorts . One after legall rigour : another after Evangelicall mitigation . That is f f Rom. 8.3 . impossible : for when g g Gal 3.10 . one duty may not bee wanting , and h h Iac. 3.2 . in many things we sinne all , who can by the law expect iustification ? After Evangelicall mitigation , it 's possible to doe all things ; yet not so as to be iustified thereby .

As 1. it is possible to loue the law & the duties therein contained . i i Ps. 119.37 . Lord saith David , how doe I loue thy law .

2 Possible to purpose obedience . k k Ps. 119.106 . I haue sworne , and am stedfastly purposed , to keepe thy righteous iudgements .

3 Possible to desire obedience : l l Rom. 7.18 . To will is present with me .

4 Possible to endeavour obedience : m m Act 24 16. Phil. 3 , 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 : I striue and wrestle with my Corruptions that I may keepe a good conscience .

5 Possible in a measure to performe obedience : for we haue n n 2. Tim. 1.7 . a spirit of power .

6 Possible to o o 2. Cor. 7.11 . grieue for defects . And this is acceptable performance at the barre of mercy : though such as cannot but dread the censure of exact Iustice , to which they are all liable , that seek iustification by the law . p p Aug. de peccat . merit . & remiss . lib. 3. ad Calcem . Optandum est vt fiat , conandum est vt fiat , supplicandum est vt fiat : non tamen quasi factum fuerit confidendum est . Others thus ; Acceptably we may ; perfectly we cannot . And it is true there may bee acceptation where is not perfection ; q q 2. Cor. 8.12 . 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the ready minde is accepted : and that of the Lord by the Prophet ; r r Mal 3.17 . I will spare , as a father doth his sonne that serveth him .

To which if I may adde one thing for explanation , I thinke the answere wil be beyond exception . Consider we therefore in every christian duty , two things ; 1. Rem , 2. Modum : the substance of the duty , the manner of doing . The things are al possible in a measure : and yet impossible in that perfect , and full measure that the law requires . For s s Pro. 20.9 . whose hart is clean ? Or who dares t t Psal. 143.2 . present his best works to be iudged without mercy ? & rather subscribes not feelingly to that vae of a father ? Vae etiam laudabili vitae hominum , si remotâ misericordiâ discutias cam .

But yet for the duties , some measure there is of sincere , and hearty performance . Bernard blasphemed not when he saide , Christ makes beleevers omnipotent . u u Ser. in Cant. 85. There is nothing ( saith he ) wherein the omnipotency of the word more shines , then in this ; that he makes after a sort omnipotent , all that trust in him . All things are possible to a beleever . An non omnipotens cui omnia possibilia ? Surely so is every beleeving new borne christian , in his kinde , omnipotent : not as God , with a transcendent power beseeming the deity ; but with all sufficiency necessary to christianity . They can do all things .

Now brethren , if I had leaue , a little largely to apply this vniversality ; me thinks it would not be hard by it to discover the hypocrisie of many , pretending vnion and communion with Christ . * * Iud. 12.6 . Shibboleth never descryed so many Ephraimites , as this woulde hypocrites in the Church of God . x x Gell. Attic. noct. lib. 12. c. 1. Phauorinus in Gellius , seeing a nice mother willing to share her motherly offices betwixt her selfe and her nurse , thus angerly cries out ; Quod nam inquit , est hoc contra naturam imperfectum & dimidiatum matrum genus ? What a halfe kinde of mothers against nature is this ; that brings forth , and forthwith casts from her the birth of her owne wombe ? Such a dimidiatum Christianorum genus , a halfe kinde of Christians , ye shal every where see ; cut of shorter in their practise , then ever were the garmentes of Davids servantes by Hanun . y y Act. 26.28 . Agrippa , as now the rate of christians goes , nere worthy a prime place in the Church of God ; and z z Mar. 6.20 . Herods many things might iustly require a preachers connivence at his incest with Herodias . But yet by Paules rule , neither better then hypocrits . a a 2. Reg 5.18 . Naaman in one thing would be borne withall . And howsoever the Prophet speake peace vnto him , vpon hypothesis of his contrarie purpose : yet S. Iames is resolute ; that the b b Iac. 2.10 . willing bearing with our selues in one thing , argues a meere nullitie of sincere obedience . And what availes it , my brethren , whether covetousnes or prodigality , prophanenesse or hypocrisie raigne in vs ? whether on the right hand ; or on the left ; by overgoig , or vndergoing ; we be deprived of salvation ? There are many by-pathes misleading a christian : but they meere all in one terme ; the c c Prov. 16.25 . issues of them all are the issues of death . What profits it to fly precisenes , and incurre profanenes ? As if a man fled from a Lyon and a Beare met him , as the Prophet speakes in another case .

Yea this let me more say , could we go as farre in sincere practise , as the young man in the gospell went in prowde profession ; d d Mat. 19.20 . All these things haue I done , from my youth vp ; and yet one thing wanting : those other things should no whit availe vs . Grace breeds no monsters : as it is not redundant in superfluities , so neither defectiue in necessarijs . e e 1. Cor. 1.7 . You are behinde in no gift ; it is the generall description of every truely renued christian .

Wee haue many amongst vs in pretence new creatures : and yet well weighed , but monsters of new men . The good heart goes farre , when the whole outwarde man is vnreformed . I know it is true of the heart even in this second generation , it is primum vivens : but yet I could never finde a cleere fountaine , but the streames were also in some measure purged . f f Iac. 3.11 . Can a fountaine ? saith S. Iames ; and can g g Mat. 12.35 . a good man out of the good treasure of his good hart , but bring forth good things ? The waters of Bethel were naught & vnholesome ; & the ground by them made barren . What marvel ? whilst the springs were filthy . h h 2. Reg. 2.21 . But when Elisha had cast his salt into the springs ; Thus saith the Lord , I haue healed the waters , Death shall no more come therof , nor barrennes to the ground . The heart vnsanctified , is no better then a sinke of vncleanenes , alwaies foaming out shame and filthines . But when once the Lord hath seasoned the heart with grace , the streames that thence flow , are health and holines . i i Heb. 10.22 . When the heart is sprinkled from an evill conscience , the body is also washed with pure water . And how many ? alas , how many , bare tonguy Christians ? Linguists only , in religion ? k k Iac. 2.16 . Be warmed , be filled , is all their charity ; a little of the language of Canaan , all their sanctity . He is a monster in nature , that is bigger tongued then handed . And they are monsters in grace , whose tongues swel with prowd boastings of holinesse ; and their right hands are right hands of iniquity . Beloved , heare Peters exhortation : l l 2. Pet. 1.5 . Ioine to faith vertue , to vertue knowledge , to knowledge temperance ; &c: Virtutes christianae are Copulativae ; and so linked in amity each to other ; that as Nami speaks to Ruth ; m m Ruth 1.16 . Qui vnam virtutem habet , Aug. ep. 29. where thou goest , I go ; where thou dwellest , I dwell ; nothing but death can sever . So where one dwels , al dwell ; where one is wanting , no one is obtained . Passe we vnto the third member ; the fountaine of the blessing .

I can do all things through Christ , &c. These are magnifica that Paule speakes of himselfe ; and such speeches as these of himselfe , made Porphyrie charge him with the crime of boasting . But yet this shall ever be noted as the nature of thankfulnesse ; It is willing to draw out received benefits to the vtmost extent ; but still with reference to the praise of the bestower . I can do all things , but the fountaine of this power is Christ . So els where ; n n 1. Cor. 15.10 I haue laboured more then all : yet not I , but grace which is with me . And what if we say with Bernard , we are not only o o Bern. de grat . & lib. arbit. operis ministri per effectum , but operantis quodammodo socij per consensum . If this be withal acknowledged , that God Communicates the worke vnto vs , and that will and worke proceed from him .

p p Aug. de haeres . cap. 88. Pelagius in Austins old age , set this heresy on foot ; that man in nature , as now borne of Adam , hath power of himselfe , to keepe all the Commandements . From him it should seeme the Greekes tooke their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , and that naturall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , selfe abilitie and sufficiency , which they dreamed to be in nature , even to things supernaturall , as beliefe and repentance . My purpose is not to run out into the large discussing of that controversie ; this only , it will not be amisse to shew , how farre natures strength reacheth in moralities , and to what it extends not . This then I thinke may be granted to Pelagius , without any preiudice of truth . That naturall men haue some kind of command over the locomotiue facultie ; and may doe the externall workes of piety towards God , and iustice to men , without any more then the generall influence of providence , or the common worke of Gods spirit , which is vouchsafed to hypocrits in the Church , yea to some heathen out of it . The q q Rom. 2.14 . Gentiles by nature .i. by instinct , direction , power of nature , doe the things of the law . I say not all things ; I say not any thing in the right manner . Yet Seneca spake much , if performance were answerable : Si scirem Deos ignoscituros , homines ignoraturos : tamen propter peccati turpitudinem peccare dedignarer : Were J sure of pardon from God , and concealement from men ; yet for the turpitude sin hath in it , I would scorne to commit it . Magna sunt haec in homine Philosopho : and a saying as neere as any to christian sinceritie .

But yet if this be true , that principium & finis denominant actionem , the motiue and ende denominate the action : nature will never reach ; I say not ; to do al things , but not to doe any thing morally good , or acceptable to God . The principles of moral actions , that they may be acceptable according to the law , are two ; Loue , and Dutie . Loue inclining the affections ; Duty pressing the conscience . And how of loue to God we should do duties , that haue not had Gods loue shed abroad in our hearts , I know not : seeing Iohn saith , r r 1. Ioh. 4.19 . wee loue him because he loved vs first . And who ever could finde a naturall man so rectifyed ; as that he performed his religious or civil offices , for conscience of God ?

The end is s s Mat. 5.16 . Gods glory . And if ever heathen or vnsanctified men come thus farre , to such intention , Pelagius shall soone be acknowledged a teacher of truth . Dulce & decorum , honestum and honorificum ; Virtutes istae tali fine turpes & defermes . Aug. cont. Iulian. Pelag. lib. 4 cap 3. Non officiis sed sinibus a vitiis discernendae virtutes . Idem ibidem . vaine glory and eternitie of fame ; these were motiues heathenish . But for Gods glory , who so findes in nature a desire to advance it ; findes more then the Lord himselfe coulde finde in his most strict surview of man in his naturals : t t Psal. 14 2 3. There is none that vnderstandeth , none that seeketh after God . And what lacke Papists of Pelagianisme ; that allow to nature a power dispositiue , and ability to prepare it selfe to regeneration ? The Apostle , that u u Philip. 3.6 . in nature went as farre as any ; yet acknowledgeth all his power to proceed from Christ . And our Saviour himselfe , * * Ioh. 15.5 . Without me yee can doe nothing ; no , saith the Apostle , x x 2. Cor. 3.5 . not thinke a good thought . And howsoever it bee true , Gods children haue power to practise : yet is the fountaine of all power Christ Iesus . On him first rested y y Isai. 11.2 . the spirit of strength , and z z Ioh. 1 16. of his fulnesse wee all receaue grace for grace ; grace be it what it will bee ; a a Eph. 4.7 . according to the measure of the donation of Christ .

Now brethren beloved & longed for , what remains for vs : but b b Ps. 116.12 , 13 to take the cup of Salvation , and giue thankes vnto the Lord ? It is all the recompence the Lord expects from vs , for all the blessings he hath bestowed on vs . It may be , we can say , some of vs , that the bloody fluxe of naturall corruption is stopped in vs ; we shall be vnthakfull , if we acknowledge not c c Mark . 5.30 . the vertue to haue come from Christ . It may be , wee can say our lips are purged ; that we can now speake to the praise of the Lord : but Isai would acknowledge d d Isa. 6 6. that the coale came from this Altar . It may be that we haue receaved e e Isai. 50 4. a tongue of the learned but can we forget that the Lord hath given it ? It may be a spirit and power in prayer : but shall we not remember , that it is the f f Rom. 8.26 . spirit that helpes our infirmities ? Yea go over all the good things thou inioyost , thou shalt be forced to acknowledge Christ for the fountaine . And why may I not againe inferre ; that seeing our rivers flowe all from this sea , they should g g Ec. 1.7 . thether return , as tributaries , whence they first proceeded ? my meaning is , the guifts we haue receaved from Christ , we should vse all h h Rom. 11. vlt to the honour of him from whome we haue receaved them . It is good in Christianity , in some sense , to circulate : and if in the vse of our guifts receaved , we could make our whole life a circle , to close in the point whence it began , the motion were heavenly . This doe then . Marshall vp your graces that you haue receaved : set them as the Cherubims on the mercy seat , i i Exod. 25.20 . each facing another , all with their faces turned to Christ . Zeale and knowledge , faith and charity , let each looke to other : knowledge , to direct zeale ; zeale , to vse knowledge to the glory of him , that hath enlightned our eies to see , and enflamed our hearts to loue him in truth .

The last member remaines : the supply of the blessing in the description of Christ by his effect ; Christ which strengthneth .