A PRACTICAL EXPOSITION of the Second Part of the ChurchCatechifm.

Not that we are fufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves, but our Sufficiency is of God.

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FTER the Rehearsal of the Ten Commandments, together with a brief Account of our Duty to God and our Neighbour contain'd in them, the Catechift is directed in the next words thus to befpeak the Catechumen; My good Child, know this, that thou art not able to do these things of thyself, nor to walk in the Commandments of God, or to ferve him without his Special Grace, which you must therefore learn to call for by diligent Prayer. In which words the Party catechiz'd is inftructed in three great and important Leffons.

ift, His utter Inability of himself to keep the Law of God: Know this, that thou art not able to do these things of thyself.

2dly, The Neceffity of God's Grace to affift him in the Performance of it, in those words, Nor to walk in the Commandments of God, or ferve him, without his special Grace.

3dly, The proper way and means of obtaining this Divine Grace, which you must learn always to call for by diligent Prayer. All which being weighty and neceffary Truths, must be particularly handled. And,

1. I must begin with the Acknowledgment of our utter Impotence and Inability of ourselves to keep the Law of God: Know this, &c. Of this I fhall treat from thefe words of the Apostle, Not that we are fufficient of our felves to think any thing as of ourselves: Where the Apoftle tells us, that we are fo far from being able of ourselves to keep the Law of God, that we cannot fo much as think any thing of ourselves. And certainly if we cannot think a good Thought, we must be more unable to do a good Action; and if we cannot by our own Strength do one good Action, how much lefs can we keep the whole Law?

In treating therefore of thefe words, it will be neceffary,

First, To convince Men of this their utter Impotence and Inability to keep the Commandments of God.

Secondly, To inquire whence this Inability proceeds: And,

Laftly, To confider what ufe we are to make of it.

First, To convince us of this Inability, we have not only the exprefs Teftimony of Holy Scripture, but likewife many Examples of the Failings and Infirmities of the best Men recorded in it; all which are back'd and confirm'd to us by our own fad and woeful Experience. The holy Scriptures in fundry Places hold forth this great and fad Truth: Our Bleffed Saviour told the Jews, that tho Mofes gave them the Law, yet none of them ever kept it, John 7. 19. Solomon declares, that the Righteous Man falleth feven times a day, Prov. 24. 16. And elsewhere checks all vain Boafts and Pretences to Innocency, Prov. 20. 9. Who can fay, I bave made my Heart clean, I am pure from my Sin? St. Fames tells us, that in many things we offend all, Jam. 3. 2. And St. John, that if we fay we have no Sin, we deceive ourfelves and the Truth is not in us, 1 John 1. 8. St. Paul affures us, that the Law concludes all Men under Sin ing, that none ever came up to the Exactnefs of its Precepts, but that all have finned, and come bort of the Glory

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of God, Rom. 3. 23. All which, and many more Places to this purpose, plainly prove our Impotence and Inability to keep the Law of God.

But befide thefe exprefs Teftimonies of Scripture, we have many Examples of human Frailty recorded in it, that may eafily convince us of the Shortnefs and Imperfection of our Obedience. David, a Man after God's own Heart, is recorded for the Breach of two great Commandments, by Adultery and Murder: both which we find him often confeffing and bewailing before God, and thereby wafh'd away the Guilt of them with the Tears of Repentance. Solomon, who is juftly fam'd for the greatest and wifeft of Men, was fo far from keeping the Law of God, that he fell into Idolatry, which is in effect the breaking of all the Commandments. In the New Teftament we find St. Peter, who was the firft and chiefeft of the Apostles, fo far fhort of Perfection, that he fell into great and grievous Enormities, denying his Mafter three times with bitter Oaths and Execrations; which likewife coft him many a Tear, and made him weep bitterly, Mat. 26. 74, 75. Paul too, who was one of the greatest of Saints, acknowledges himself the greateft of Sinners, frequently confef fing his Weakness, and faying, that of himself he could do nothing: for in me, (faith he) that is, in my Flefh, dwells no good thing; and when I would do good, evil is prefent with me: Rom. 7. 18. And if thefe great and eminent Saints were fo fenfible of their Inability to do the Will of God, how much more ought we to own and lament our greater Impotence ?

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But if we fhould think or judge otherwife of ourselves, our daily Failings and Mifcarriages would apparently confute us; for in many things we offend all, omitting what we ought to do, and doing what fhould be left undone; for which reafon our Church hath taught us every day to confefs, That that we have err'd and stray'd from God's way like loft Sheep, following too much the Devices and Defires of our own Hearts, continually offending against his Holy Laws; from thence acknowledging that we have not Health or Strength enough in us to keep God's Commandments. But,

Secondly, Whence comes this Impotence or Inability to do the Will of God? Why this proceeds,

Partly, from the original Corruption and Depravednefs of our Nature contracted by the Fall of our firft Parents. And, Partly,

Partly, likewife from the Evil Suggestions and Temptations of our ghoftly Enemies.

(1.) I fay, this proceeds from the original Corruption of our Nature, contracted by the Fall of our first Parents: This is the prime fundamental Caufe of all Sin and Wickednefs, and particularly of that Averfenefs to Good, and Proneness to Evil, that is vifible in all the Sons of Men. Indeed God made Man at first in his own Image, which confifted in Knowledge, Righteousness, and true Holiness he endow'd him with Faculties fuited to the Work for which he defign'd him, making him in fome measure Partaker of the Divine Nature, and in all things conformable to the Divine Will. In this State of Purity and Perfection, in which he came out of God's hand, he was able to keep the whole Law, and had Strength enough to do all that was requir'd of him.

But tho God made Man upright (faith Solomon) yet be perverted his way, and found out many Inventions, Ecclef. 7. 29. Our first Parents, by disobeying their Maker, lost both their Strength and Innocence together, they craz'd all their Faculties, and deriv'd down Mifery and Weakness to their Pofterity ever fince: How weak is thine Heart (faith God) Seeing thou hast done these things? Ezek. 16. 30. The firft Tranfgreffion hath brought a Weakness upon Mankind, and enfeebled all their Powers: The Understanding, that was once fill'd with Light and Knowledge, is now overfpread with Darkness and Ignorance; the Will that was upright and conformable to the Will of God, is become crooked and perverfe, and bent only upon what is evil ; the Affections that were all orderly, and plac'd upon right Objects, are now mifplac'd and disorder'd, being eagerly carry'd where they should not. In a word, the whole Man is corrupt, and the very Heart and Confcience defil'd: which hath brought an Impotence upon the Soul, and difabled it to every good Work. Hence it comes to pafs, that we are not fufficient of ourselves to think any thing that is good; the Imaginations of the Heart, in this degenerate State, being evil, only evil, and that continually. Which Corruption of Nature is the first and great Cause of this Inability.

(2.) This proceeds partly from the evil Suggestions and Temptations of our Spiritual Enemies; who, working upon the Corruption of our Nature, encrease our Weakness, and render us both unwilling and unable to do the Will of God.

Thefe

Thefe daily affault and follicit us to Evil, plying us with their Temptations, whereby they impair our Strength, and create this Impotence. Satan, the great Enemy of Mankind, is ftill importuning and labouring to circumvent us; he hath his Wiles, his Devices, and his fiery Darts to wound and weaken us: this fubtle Serpent beguil'd our first Parents even in Paradife, and if he prevail'd fo far upon them in their State of Innocence, how much greater advantage hath he now upon us in this State of Impotence?

us;

The World too is very bufy in laying Baits and Snares for that hath Smiles to allure, and Frowns to affright us from our Duty: both which muft mightily encreafe the difficulty of Obedience, and render us very feeble and unable to perform it. But befide these,

We have an Enemy in our own Bofom; the Flesh is daily ftruggling and tempting us to evil: In me, that is, in my Flefb (faith the Apoftle) there dwelleth no good thing: for the Flesh lufteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the Flefb; fo that when I would do good, evil is still prefent with me: Rom. 7. And if that great Apoftle ftruggled with thofe Difficulties, that made him cry out, O wretched Man that I am, who shall deliver me from this Body of Sin! how much more may we groan under the Sense of our greater Impotence? This may fuffice to convince us of our own Infufficiency, and to learn us this Leffon of the Catechifm, that we can do nothing of ourselves, and much less walk in the ways of God's Commandments by our own natural Strength.

But are the Laws of God impoffible to be kept? To what purpose then are all the Exhortations to keep the Commandments? Does not Solomon bid us to fear God and keep his Commandments? And does not a greater than Solomon make this the great Mark and Touchstone of all true Love to him? If ye love me, keep my Commandments. And have both these put us upon an impoffible Task? Yea, to fhow this not to be impracticable, do we not read that Zachary and Elizabeth walk'd in all the Commandments of the Lord blameless? And how can this confift with that utter Inability which the Catechifm here charges upon human Nature?

In answer to this, I fay, That tho we cannot keep the Commandments in a strict legal Senfe, or come up to that perfect and exact Obedience they require from us; yet we may and ought to keep them in that qualify'd evangelical

Senfe,