p. 270 How men naturally complain of sin original 271 We do not so much as by strength of nature we may do and we adde to our own lameness and then we unjustly complain of God for our sinful impotencie ib. That spirit as the spirit lays no obligation on us but to move in Scriptural duties 276 No violence but from our selves hinders us to believe ib. God loves using of external means pro tanto ib. How far we may act to fetch the wind and to get influences ib. We are not to judge of our selves by occasional enlargednesse or deadning of the heart for the time cap. 9. p. 280 Enlargedness of heart and influences are near of kin 281 Branches of enlargedness of heart ib. Influences on the Angels and the glorified ones 283 Many straitned and dead ones reproved 284 Prayer begets holy dispositions to pray and heavenly dispositions to pray begets prayer and faith c. cap. 10. p. 287 Holy acts begets holy acts and holy dispositions beget holy dispositions ib. The Lord so frames his precepts and promises as our actings are suitably required to his influences 288 The differences of the 1. spiritual estate 2. of the temper 3. of the condition 289 What Davids present disposition was 291 The doubling of words noteth 1. certainty 2. addition of assurance 3. fieriness of affection ib. It s fit to make an eike to the holinesse of influences which the Lord offers to us 292 We may speak to God and professe in prayer the sincerity of our heart to God and the causes why 294 Its hard to guide well grace and glory so long as sin dwelleth in us ib. The Lords giving of grace layes bands on him to give more grace and to adde new influences to old 296 What a heart the repenting thief and what a heart Hezekiah brought out before the Lord in his dying ib. â— properties of holy dispositions 298 Dispositions spiritual are seeds of holy actings ib. Zeal bringeth forth holy actings 299 Heavenly dispositions are real helps to holy actings ib. Properties of heavenly dispositions to act under indispositions ib. A disposition counterworking a disposition 300 The spirit in an heavenly disposition at length prevaileth ib. 8 Pride and 9 Wordly mindedness hinder influences of grace lovelinesse and heavenly mindedness promote the same p. 362. c 10 Bastard zeal 11 Vncleanness 12 Malice 13 Wordly sorrow hinders the contrary graces promote influences p. 395 c. 14 Wordly and false joy 15 False love p. 398 c 16 Ignorance and hatred of the Gospel p. 400 17 Wrestling against providences obstruct the influences of God p. 402 God by his influences first acts and stirs by order of nature and in the same moment of time we act and stir without any violence p. 404 18 Heavenly and spiritual thoughts and considerations draw along heavenly influences as unclean thoughts do the contrary p. 405 Keep the oyl of the spirit clean if you would have heavenly influences to fall on the spirit p. 407 We are to act both morally and physically with the spirit p. 408 Prayers conclude not soveraignity ib Other impediments of influences from the mind will and affections p. 4. c. 4. p. 409 Heritical light ib A corrupt will p. 410 Hating of Christ and his grace obstruct influences p. 411 Diverse actings of the spirit in the Spouse sick of love for Christ hold forth influences the spirit as is cleared by the song of Solomon p. 412 Hating of Christ p. 414 The soul loathing of God ib The spirit gives no influences where there is no knowledg p. 415 Influences of the spirit are connatural to the spiritual man ib Sensuality and influence of the spirit are inconsistent ib Soul desires after God have sweet influences p. 416 Spiritual joy speak strong influences p. 417 Literal crying should not exceed the impulsion of the spirit within ib How hope and audacity hinder or promote influences p. 419 Moral acting cannot avail us whithout real influences of the spirit p. 420 Frequent acts of faith promote influences of the spirit ib Hope promotes influences p. 421 Sinful boldness obstructs influences ib Anger hindereth influences p. 422 How Elisha could not prophesie by reason of anger The influences of Musick therein ib A meek spirit is a fit work-house for influences of grace and high revelations instanced in Mosâ—s the man Christ John the beloved disciple p. 423 Horror and unbelieving fear an impediment of influences p. 425 Influences are considered two waies 1. Physically 2. Morally how men resisted the spirit p. 4. c. 5. p. 426 The Lord seeks not our consent to the first infusion of a new heart p. 427 We are married to Christ before we consent to be married p. 430 The Lord determines free will and doth no violence ib We are unexcusable in not doing our duty though the Lord deny his necessary influence p. 432 God acts in all both by the immediate influence of his power and of his person p. 433 The Lord most particularly leads his own p. 435 Two sort of causes one in fieri for the producing of and giving being to a thing another in facto esse for the preserving of the same in being God is both waies the cause of gracious actings ib. The right missing is to misse influences not of gifts and of common grace only but of special grace p. 436 A reprobate can no more miss the special guidance of the sanctifying spirit then a horse can miss the wings of an eagle that are not due to him ib Of the giving of the heart of God p. 437 We are more our own by law and less our own by Gospel ib Christ cares more for his own body then the members care for themselves p. 438 Christ care is rather now more when he is glorified then lesse ib. We vainly think that the habit of grace is given to be our justification and that as a dispensation from sin ib Inability to do without grace is pretented both by the lawless bankrupt and by the humble convert but for divers ends ib The unrenewed man would have come down to his way p. 343 There is a sad threatning against not using of outward means though no promise be made to the using of only outward means p. 344 The opposition made by hypocrites is only in the outward gate p. 345 Reprobates resist not the formal acts of regeneration p. 346 Mr. Baxters order of repentance p. 347 Doubts and reasons against Mr. Baxters new remedying law of grace made to all mankind p. 349 Vniversal redemption extols nature and free will and makes a moral season which heals not nature all the graces that the Gospel owns p. 352 The law teacheth but healeth not p. 357 Our formality in praying ib How nature beginneth and the spirit acteth on and with our literal acting p. 3. c. 14. p. 358 Some truth we must first physically hear and consider before we believe p. 359 Though it be true if the
climb up to a knowing state with God which the Lord in his â—atent purpose and decree did deny to man So the divels quarrel is not with their own apostasie but with the holy Lords dispensation art thou come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to torment us and which is another fault before the time Matth. 8. 29. nor can we move questions concerning the decrees and deep dispensations of God but we must fall upon the Almighty to defend our own sin the damned in hell eternally rail against the decrees of holy and spotless justice and his decrees of giving to them life and being and denying to them the benefit of death Rev. 6. 15 16. but as they blaspheme the God of heaven because of their pains so they never repent of their deeds Rev. 16. 11. 6. It 's safe sailing in declining of rocks when we adore the Lords withdrawing of influences and justifie him and bewail our own sinful choice and condemn our selves in the Psal 51. David and in the confession Daniel c. 9. Ezra 9. the humbled people of God do not hint at any heart wrestling with the decree of God but only bewail their own rebellion and not hearkening to the voice of the prophets and desire to sit patiently and in silence in their lot of suffering and reproach and shame It is true they complain Lam. 3. 13. He hath caused the arrow of his quiver to enter into my reins but yet they believe 24. the Lord is my portion saith my soul therefore will I hope in him And 2. they check unbelieving complaining 39. Wherefore doth a living man complain a man for the punishment of his sinne 7. It cannot be conceived how a soul in guiltiness must be in a case of invincibly necessitated despair if he conceive and believe the Lord gave me a power to will or not to will free from all divine determination and before any act of his foreknowledge or decree I was finaly and wilfully to reject the Physitian Christ and this the Lord did foreknow but could not efficaciously hinder what place can be left for consolation in God or submission to the holy will of God for this was invincibly to come to pass before any act of his will or praescience 8. Nor can I pray in faith Lord encline my heart unto thy testimonies if the voluntary determination of my own heart to his holy testimonies or the wicked vital refusing to yield unto or to be led by his testimonies go before the act of the Lords knowledge or will or before any efficacious congruous internal and victorious drawing of me to Jesus Christ 9. It cannot be denied but this very way which the Lord hath taken in denying of his influences to the eternal standing of Adam and to law-doing and law-living is the most excellent course and that flesh and blood dare not to appear to countermand herein either infinite wisedom or admirable soveraignty For 1. The Law-heaven the Garland the crown and reward of Law-merit should have been a paradise where there is no tree of life as Rev. 2. 7. no river of water of life no Lamb which is in the midst of the throne to feed and to lead them to the fountain of living waters as Rev. 7. 17. yea it should be darker and a less glorious heaven then the Gospel-heaven For 2. There should have been there no new heaven nor new earth no chair of estate no high lifted up throne for the power of the Kings of the earth who hath loved us and washen in his blood Nor 3. Should there have been any new song nor any such redeemed Musitians who sing with a loud voice as Rev. 5. 12. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisedom and strength and honour and glory and blessing and what an heaven should that be that wants the fairest rose in that garden it should be only the heaven of God Creator which though glorious yet not so kindly nor so desirable to us wanting the savour and delicious smell of the man Christ head of men and Angels 4. Nor can there be more lovely Christians then that great and fair mystical body of the ransomed of the Lord the lovely company that are before the throne cloathed in white with palms in their hands in sign of eternal victory who have come out of great tribulation and have washen their garments and made them white in the blood of the Lamb and with them their glorious head so that here shall be compleated and perfected Christ mystical It is boldness to weave a web of carnal difficulties against the Lords holy providence he hated the first sin as he doth all sin but to say he was weak and impatient about its entrance in the world blames his omnipotency to say the watchman of Israel was as to all care and vigilance of holy providence sleeping or slumbring and was thoughtless and drowsie not valuing whether his noble Sons of creation Angels and men should fall and irrecoverably and eternally be broken and become fewel for everlasting fire or stand and be eternally happy is injurious to infinite wisedom and the perfection of his holy will to say that the Lord loved such a guest as sin must blame his spotless holiness but if any say Obj. But did man by any necessity of a divine decree sin Answ A compelling necessity everting the creatures liberty there was none but a necessity by which the man was determined to one distinctively to stand or fall not copulatively both to stand and not to stand to obey and disobey there was in created free-will if we suppone there had been no decree Now the holy decree brought no necessity 1. Compelling such as is of a man bound hand and foot 2. No natural necessity such as that of the Sun to give light the fire to cast out heat Nor 3. No bruitish necessity void of a discoursing faculty such as that of the swallow building her nest the Bee making honey but we must say there was some eminent holy and spotless necessity of decree in Christs thrice rather then seven times praying why King Joash smites the ground thrice and stays and smites it not six times 2 Kings 13. 19. why the Lord writes in his booke Psal 139. 16. such a number of drops of rain such a number of drops of snow to make up such a treasure and God determined Job 38. 22. such a number of pound weights of mountains Isa 40. 12. and it was necessary the Lord should determine the names and number of the Stars Psal 147. 4. and why ten acres of a vineyard should yield one bath not two why every mans number of his months should be determined by the statute of a divine decree Job 14. 4 5. 2. Nor wrong we the Lord or free-will either to say God decreed that Joseph should be sold by his brethren David cursed and reproached by Shimei Judah carried away captive by the Babylonians Israel oppressed
the Spirit in one and the same work the sounding of the word and the breathing of the Spirit may be attended Psalm 130. 5. I wait for the Lord my soul doth wait Whether in his real helping and hearing my crying out of the deeps or on his saving actings upon the dead heart and in his word do I hope there may be a casting of the goods in the sea to help the ship to land there is failing of the eyes in waiting for God Psalm 69. 3. Psalm 119. 8. My soul fainteth for thy salvation 13. I opened my mouth panted for I longed for thy salvation I cannot create breathings But the man in a pit or dungeon though he can make no help to himself yet he can cry and make use of arms and legs when a rope is cast down to him 4. Blowing of the bellows adds nothing to the fire yet it removes the ashes it fans away the earthy part and rarifies it and acts upon the smoke and adds quickning it 's fit to blow upon the habit of grace and heavenly disposition yea to blow in a sanctified way in a gift so Paul 2 Tim. 1. 6. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance to stir up the gift of God which is in thee by the laying on of my hands Erasmus saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is an elegant metaphor from such as care for the fire which is as it were buried under ashes they blow with the bellows and revive and stir up the fire like to die out others think it an allusion to the Priests dayly watching to cherish and keep in the fire which the Lord sent down from heaven and to cast new fewel to it So is that 1 Tim. 4. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 neglect not the gift that is in thee let it not rust self-sharping and self-impulsion upon the heart and acting upon the habit which is in worse case because it lodges in a lazy heart is required we may deaden and neglect both our souls and the new habit whereas that prayer Lord increase our faith teacheth that we by diligent acting add to the habit to the gift talent and dispensation and the improving of these are forcible means to draw down fresh influences of life the Lord of his grace having brought himself reserving actings of soveraignty and deep wisedom under a sort of promissory necessity to bestow influences and to give one talent to him who makes five talents ten idleness and sleeping then must be no small obstruction to new quickening influences 5. As the husbandman is a fellow-worker in his way with industry and art with the Lord and nature to fit his ridges by plowing and sowing to receive influences of dew and rain and impression from heaven and he works with God and nature who labours the vineyard purges out brambles briars stones prunes the young vine-trees that they may receive influences from Sunne Moon Heavens and Clouds Yet no husbandman no vinedresser can be Lord of the influences of heaven so hath the Lord commanded us to plow up the fallow-ground of our hearts and not to sow among thorns to lie under the husbandry of Ministers sent of God to frequent ordinances to yield up our hearts by willing consent to be acted on by God to resign them and put the heart out of our possession and yield to that suit My son give me thy heart else we mock God in suiting from him enlargedness of heart in a sort of compromising that we shall run if he shall draw and enlarge But we keep fast possession of our own hearts and doe not resign them to God Hence a word of wakening to cry to harp and psaltery to our gift and to our tongue and to our sleepy hearts Psal 57. 8. is requisite as also 2. that we chide with our unbelieving soules Psal 42. 5 11. and command the renewed part to act upon the heart to accuse and convince and rebuke the heart 1 Sam. 24. 5. 1 John 3. 20. 6. The soul can be in no such dead case but it 's capable of an Evangelick command Sardis hath a name they are living and yet are dead then is it useless to speak to Sardis now dead no Rev. 3. 2. Strengthen that which remaines There fly sparkles of fire from the red hot iron of the smith upon those about whether they will or no. From that charge Open to me my sister my love c. there came upon her whether she would or not flamings of love which brought influences on her bowels CHAP. IX The fifth Question is what is the enlarging of heart It is nothing but the wideness and fulness of the soul and powers thereof in its actings Hence these Propositions concerning enlargedness of heart Prop. 1. WHen the soul is widened and stretched out in its actings we are ready to say I shall never be moved Psal 30. I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever Psal 23. 6. which though true when he was banished from the Tabernacle Psal 42. Psal 84. Psal 63. he had uttered thoughts of his state Some say Shall I ever again be dead Shall I ever again doubt as a down-casting soul no I shall believe and hope under temptations to the end But we are no more to judge of our selves by our present enlargedness then we are to pass sentence of the multitude of people of a City by a solemn fair or great market the town is not every day so peopled nor are we to esteem of a river by its swelling and running over banks after a mighty long continued rain 2. Nor are we to judge of our selves according to our ebbing and deadness of disposition that we shall ever again believe Saith the doubting soul Shall I ever again see the beauty and glory of his power as sometimes I did in the Sanctuary Psal 63. The birds reason not so they say not in winter shall ever the Spring and the season of building our nests come again shall birds ever have Summer-singing again And we are ready to make a weapon-shew of grace when the heart is enlarged I 'le doe wonders as if the man were the Father who begat grace and the Lord of his own believing as some believe the horses swiftness is the swiftness of the rider Be humble and pull down the sail when the heart is enlarged Prop. 2. See in the Text enlargedness of heart and running are near of kindred and blood The disposition and the gracious acting by divine influences are near other as the powder and flamings the dry timber and the warm harth-stone to receive flamings There is a near disposition in the Embrio in the framed mass of the birth to receive by the Creators influences a living soul Psal 38. 1 2 3 4. So in Christ Psal 40. the law in the heart and preaching the Lords righteousness in the great congregations are near other 2. The enlarged heart is ripened to receive influences and quickening of grave for running The
both and seeks with teares and stayes about the grave until she find her Lord. The Lord must be displeased with our narrowness How little a portion of him doe we see We are not straitned in the Lords heart but in our selves He calls for wider hearts Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it Psal 81. 10. not the mouth but the heart our narrow heart and narrow faith is like the little hand of the child who hath not fingers to hold the large and great apple 2. The fool wants a heart Hos 7. 11. Prov. 9. 4. Then must the fooles of this world know little of an enlarged and wide heart as little as the horse or the mule that hath not the understanding of a man nor have they the heart of the new man Speak to the natural men of the fatness of the Lords house of all the fulness of God and the showers of influences of grace of the anointing of all wisedom and ye speak to new weaned children 3. Idlers and sleepers that run not in the way of Gods commandements but are hot as fire and mad and run as the Galatians in a wrong way are hence rebuked Many run and sleep little after their corn and wine and oyl after their vineyards honours but not with enlarged hearts in the Lords way They run to set up themselves and in place of Religion set up all the wicked religions of hell Toleration is high but he shall be laid hold on who prophecies and cries against the cursed Altar 4. There is a Spirit of deadness on many professors the judgment of the Church of Sardis Rev. 3. 1 2. and hardly can sleepers waken themselves we pray not as David Psal 119. Quicken me quicken me Unrenewed professors are painted men praying and hearing men risen out of the grave dead on their feet preaching praying hearing and yet dead CHAP. X. Of fixedness of heart 2. Prayer begets an heavenly disposition and an heavenly disposition again begetteth prayer 3. Holy acts beget holy acts and an heavenly disposition begets an holy disposition 4. The Lord so frames his precepts and his promises as our actings are suitably required to his influences 5. These three are to be differenced 1. The spiritual state 2. The spiritual temper or constitution 3. The spiritual condition 6. The reason of doubling of sentences and words Psal 57. v. 7. My heart is fixed O God my heart is fixed I will sing and give praise 8. Awake up my glory awake psaltery and harp I my self will awake early MY heart is fixed Gen. My heart is prepared my heart is confirmed established The doubling of the word my heart is confirmed noteth the vehemency of affection 2. As also the speaking of it to God O God my heart is fixed declares the sincerity of it 3. The speaking to his tongue to awake it his calling it his glory as Psal 16. 9. My glory rejoyceth that is my tongue expresseth joy is an elegant fiction of a person as speaking to his soul Psal 103. 1. Psal 116. 7. Psal 42. 11. and noteth some dulness in tongue and heart to praise God his bidding his psaltery and harp awake is also an elegant prosopopeia as if the harp could sleep and wake And there is another figure the instrument of musick is put for the gift of musick he tacitely prayer God to waken up his gift and his grace of musick to praise and that God would awake himself to praise being under the sense of the Lords deliverance of him when he fled into the cave for fear of Saul and the Lord delivered him out of the hand of Saul and put Sauls life in his reverence The words contain 1. The disposition of fixedness of heart 2. His vehemency of affection in doubling the expression 3. His speaking of it prayer-wise O God my heart is fixed His sincerity 4. What the disposition wrought in him a fixed resolution to praise and a waking up of his gift of musick awake psaltery and of himself I my self will awake early The word my heart is fixed is rendred by Amsworth my heart is firmly prepared Diodati my heart is re-confirmed or re-assured Calvin in the French my heart is well disposed Geneva prepared Q. How got David this heavenly disposition 1. The occasion was 1 Sam. 24. as the title of the Psalm bears Saul with three thousand men-persons David in the rocks of the wild goats in the wilderness of Engedi Saul went into the cave to cover his feet and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave and David went in and cut the lap of Sauls garment and had in his power to kill Saul and his men counselled him so to doe but in stead of arfrighting Saul and his army the Lord suggests the fear and awe of God he durst not kill him 2. He trusted in God for deliverance another way then to put hands on the Prince as Psal 112. 7. A good man is not afraid of evil tidings his heart is fixed trusting in the Lord. This is the fixedness of faith opposite to fear and unbelief when another man would tremble being compassed with three thousand instruments of death as many men as many deaths yet his heart is fixed on God both to believe and to pray David by prayer Be merciful to me O God and by faith gets this confident disposition and this confident disposition brings forth acts of believing in stead of trembling and resolutions to praise and to sing and give thanks But if the question be moved how gets David grace to believe and grace to pray Certainly by influences of grace upon the occasion of the delivery So that here acts of praying bring forth holy dispositions to pray and to praise as is clear Be merciful unto me O God and God both delivered him and gives him fixedness of heart to pray and praise when a natural man would tremble at the sight and fear of so many deaths And again a disposition and fixedness of heart brings forth a resolution to praise and give thanks And 2. a stirring up of himself and his musick to praise yea and actual praising v. 11. Be thou exalted O God above the heavens let thy glory be above all the earth As the herb brings forth the seed and the seed again brings forth the herb and so the herb brings forth the herb and the seed the seed and the apple brings forth the tree and the grape the vine tree and again the tree brings forth the apple and the vine-tree the grape the water is the maker of ice and ice is dissolved into water and again that water is turned into ice Q. What shall beget a holy disposition to pray A. Praying begets a holy disposition to pray When David goes up the mount of Olives fleeing from Absolom he weeps and prayes Psal 3. and that praying begets a fixedness to believe and a disposition to pray v. 6. I shall not be afraid of ten
thorn-tree brings forth a thorn-tree and the thistle-seed a thistle it 's clear in Cain the Pharisees So gracious dispositions produce acts of love faith hope godly sorrow works of righteousnesse and mercy As wine-grapes grow out of the vinetree and the Lord fits influences of grace for such dispositions like sowing like harvest and here also men gather not figs of thistles the vessel smells of good or sour wine Some must foam out their own shame and all wonder at the gracious words that proceed out of Christs mouth For dispositions in Christ were strong habits of grace and the running-over fountain and fulnesse of the holy Ghost the savour of the breath of the anointing and the dispositions that accompany the fulnesse of the holy Ghost is a very garden and a heaven and here there is some truth in that Cant. 2. 13. The vines with the tender grapes give a good smell Cant. 5. 8 9 10 11. Psal 45. 1 2 3 4. 2. Psal 119. 136. Rivers of teares run down mine eyes because they keep not thy Law Some fountaines that are lesse have small streams and ebb-brooks other large fountains have mighty rivers and floods issuing from them we may judg what a fountain both of habits dispositions are within where there comes out joy unspeakable and full of glory leaping for joy fulness of assurance like a ship with full sails and full wind As fulnesse of love and of all spiritual dispositions of tendernesse must be in the bowels and heart of Christ who sends out acts of enduring pain blood shame death horrour of wrath and the curse of a revenging God for sin The love of Christ needs no exhortation to acts of love nor is there need of earnest request and intreaties to the fire to cast out heat and the Sun to give light need you exhort an extreme pined-away sick man to be pained and weak or request the Sunne to shine How mighty and strong are the acts of longing and languishing after Christ that flow from love-sicknesse and then what suitable influences of grace must goe along with these actings what pullings of strength to pluck up mighty cedars what an influence of love in God to bear up all things and so to bear mountaines to bear torments to bear new deaths O what a mighty arm of omnipotent grace Col. 1. 11. Strengthened with all might according to his glorious power unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness A power above all that we think or ask Thoughts even of men can goe far and far in apprehending of power and strength ever that can remove out of their place as many millions of mountains and whole earths as Angels and men can write on the outmost and highest heavens East West South and North. Suppose they were all paper and double and treble and multiply them again to millions of millions of heavens and writ new figures of signes and excellencies on them yet the power of grace furnishing influences is above these acts of thinking and counting and yet the short thinkings of unbelief are at this can he help me to spit at fame glory riches and a whole earth of pleasures know ye his strength and his mighty puls that have translated many 3. When the disposition of grace is on a small object brings forth suitable actings Christ lets out one cast of his eye upon Peter and he went out and wept bitterly a small shake of the tree brings down ripe apples they fall of their own accord a gentle quiet gale of wind will cause a light swift vessel to make twice as much way as a huge ship a rent in the garment of a deadly enemy seemes a small transgression but to David it hath a mighty smiting of heart We are afraid to come under the pull of Christs arm as if it were pain and death to be loved and translated by Christ John 5. 40. Isa 30. 10. Jer. 51. 9. Ezek. 24. 13. Some will not be cured and are averse from being drawn to come to Christ and be saved and an hating of meanes is a virtual hating of the sweet and special alluring attractions of grace and we value actings of grace at so low a rate as if we could doe all our alone by pure nature I my self will awake early What was David sleeping or his tongue sleeping or his harp sleeping yea even when the heart is prepared and strongly fixed to praise there is some sleepinesse on the man I insist not on this that none run so swiftly for the price and wager of glory but a cramp or a stitch may come on so as they need a spur and turn dull and slow But the 5th Property of a heavenly disposition is to cause the man reflect upon himself and his own sleepinesse 8 my self will awake early What if tongue and voice awake what if harp and the gift of musick wake if mans heart sleep 1. Grace hath an immanent working and a reflect acting on it self and the mans own heart as well as a transient and a direct acting the vessel of honour or the chosen man purgeth himself 2 Tim. 2. 21. And every man that hath this hope purifies himself even as he also is pure 1 John 3. 3. Jude exhorts so v. 10. Building up your selves on your most holy faith praying in the holy Ghost Some think if the holy Ghost act pray sigh believe praise in them they need to doe nothing the holy Ghost prayes in me and in my stead Nay but Jude wills you to edifie your self the actings and influences of the holy Ghost are not given to this end that we should sleep and sport and play 21. Keep your selves in the love of God Will not the love of God keep the man in the love of God Shall not Christ in you the hope of glory keep Christ himself in you nay what need were there then of watching Watch thou in all things 1 Tim. 4. 16. Take heed to thy self and to thy doctrine Then may one take heed to reading and not take heed to himself Acts 20. 28. Paul to the Elders of Ephesus Take heed to your selves and to the flock They shall not heedfully watch over the flock who doe not carefully watch over themselves Is this right that men should doubt of the influences of God and fear that God forgets himself and his own begun work of grace and never fear their own lazy back-drawing Why but we should be on our wings and waken our selves and crow more loudly It 's a gracious complaint Cant. 1. 6. My mothers children were angry with me they made me the keeper of the vineyards but mine own vineyard have I not kept Ask hourly what your own heart does how the husbandry at home thrives The Spirit of the Lord was in Jehoshaphat without doubt but 2 Chro. 20. 3. When he heard of the host coming against him he feared and set himself to seek the Lord. The Spirit of the Lord came
meet with the Lord 's wrathful rebuke then with his softening and pitying mercy CHAP. II. The Lord keeps an order in sending influences 2. He maketh short work on some 3. There is a confluence of influences at one time and in one work 4. Despising of the Word 5. Refusing of Ordinances 6. Persecuting of the Prophets 7. Resisting of the operations of the spirit do all obstruct influences 8. Praying and praising promove influences 9. Hardening of the heart 10. Not profiting by means 11. Remaining in nature 12. Actings in wrath rancor malice bitternesse and inordinate passion obstruct influences 13. Keep the oyl of the spirit clean if ye would have influences 14. We are to act morally and physically with the spirit 15. Prayers obstruct not soveraigntys acting THe Lord 's ordinary way of working is here to be observing the spirit confers not upon Peter's hearers Acts 2. influences of faith and of gladly receiving of the word v. 41. at the first before he bestow influences to the pricking of the heart for sin v. 37. nor does the spirit act upon Saul Acts 9. and the Jayler Acts 16. for their rejoycing in the Holy Ghost and believing and applying Christ and the promises at the first until first a law-spirit humble and make the proud to tremble Then the spirit must use divers instruments and shoot arrowes and influences of law and wrath and wound the heart with arrows of love as the Artist the Carpenter useth sundry tools according to the diversity of timber that he works on and the Lord here accommodates his influences according to the nature of the soyl It 's like Christs spirit made shorter and more expedite work on the hearts of James John for when Christ said unto them Follow me Matth. 4. 19 22. they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 straigthway or immediately leave their nets and their father and follow him It 's as little time betwixt Christs word to the man sick of the palsie Arise take up thy bed and walk and his walking Mark 2. 12. for immediately 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he took up his bed and went forth before them all It 's like Matthew's conversion is of the same nature Matth. 9. 9. Luke 5. 27 28. in which the Lord gives proof that as some Castles fall at the first shooting of the Canon so there is no standing out nor resisting of Christ for when he adds strength of omnipotency the work of humiliation of conviction of saving faith or repenting are all quickly done as if tilling sowing and harvest were all in one day or one hour 2. We see also that gracious influences are threeded as it were upon gracious influences every beating of the smiths hammer brings forth at once many sparkles of fire and a shour of rain is the falling of millions and hosts of drops of rain at once So in fervent prayer there must be a cluster of gracious influences in every sigh and groan there is an acting of the spirit Rom. 8. 26. The work of the spirit must be maimed imperfect if godly watching 2. Prayer 3 Fervent desire 4. Humble sense of unworthiness 5. Faith on the promise 6. Love to our Father have not every one their several influences of grace When the seven stars arise above the Horizon if six ascend the seventh must also ascend in all which the poor sinner is far below the influences of grace they are sent out as soveraignty thinks fit and here the Lord rains down showrs of grace and a showre is made up of a multitude of drops yet in the general may sinners counter-work and restrain as it were the influences of grace they may resist the word Zech. 7. 12. They made their hearts like an Adamant stone lest they should hear the Law Now the Lord cannot give influences out with the preached word where men turn away their ears from the Law Prov. 28. 9. and Act. 7. 57. they stop their ears Wicked men cannot be avenged on the Spirit in his person or in his several operations of saving grace yet they avenge themselves on the message and break in pieces the chariot that carries the Spirits operations and trample upon his word be in love with the word to count it your heritage Sweeter then the honey and the honey-comb and you as David upon suit shall have influences to be kept from presumptuous sins Psal 19. 7 8 9. compared with v. 13. and Psalm 119. 40. Behold I have longed after thy precepts therefore Quicken me in thy righteousness 2. Men can refuse to come and partake of Ordinances and to be Baptized as the Pharisees do Luke 7. 29 30. and so reject the counsel of God and refusing to be among the golden Candlesticks and the Assembly of his Saints comes neer to trampling on the blood of the Covenant doing despite to the Spirit of grace Heb. 10. 25 26 29. Rejoyce to stand within Jerusalem Psal 122. for the Church is his vineyard love a room in his Church for it lies neer to the Sun and is under the watering and showres of grace So Christ speaks to the Spirit Cant. 4. 16. Awake O North-wind and come thou South blow upon my garden that the spices thereof may flow out So there is a commission given that the Spirit in its efficacy blow upon the plants and flowers that grow there the Church is also his garden of red wine which he waters every moment Isa 27. 3. Acts 7. 51. Ye do alway resist the holy Ghost then must they obstruct the gracious actings of the holy Ghost this proves it to be true that Steven said that they resisted the holy Ghost Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of that just one of whom ye are murtherers saith he they who cast down the lodging they injure the indweller the godly prophet is the house and lodging of the holy Ghost 2 Chro. 36. 12. Zedekiah humbled not himself before Jeremiah the Prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord. Now the Spirit acted on the Prophets when they spoke 2 Pet. 1. 12. then esteem the feet of the messengers of God to be pleasant upon the mountains for they bring glad tidings of peace and that they only do who have these gifts of the Spirit to pray and believe Rom. 10. 14 15. 4. The speaking against the manifest operations of the Spirit of the Lord by which Christ cast out divels draws so deep as the sin against the holy Ghost Matth. 12. and such are deprived of pardon of faith to lay hold on pardon and such having done despite to the spirit of grace must indite war against the Spirit and all his operations therefore cherish and obey the Spirits actings be willing to be led by him close with the counsels and breathings of the Spirit speak to edification that which ministers grace to the hearers and that cherishes the
joyn strong and vehement actings of ours High-bended and fervent acts of obedience come not but from strong habits of grace but here I speak of mighty stirrings of influences here we would beware of straining affectation of shouting and expression of delight some bring more out then is within when literal crying and shouting does exceed the inward impulsion of the Spirit it 's dreadful to lye of the Holy Ghost and of his impulsions but to the point Our actings would be proportioned to the Spirits stirring Mighty rivers come from a huge arm of the Sea some streams flowing from little small fountaines run scarce the fourth part of a mile 1 Cor. 15. 10. Strong labouring câ—mes from strong and abundant grace I laboured more abundantly then they all yet not I but the grace of God which was with me A strong influence of the Spirit calls for a strong virtual consent especially when the Spirits impulsion of joy is strong Cant. 1. 12. While the King sitteth at his table and feasts the Spouse with quickening influences and satisfies her soul as with marrow and fatness my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof The spikenard is here the precious oyl or oyntment of spikenard John 12. 1 2 3. that is the smell of her actings of joy delight love were strong and exceeding savoury as his table was a Kings table and fat and the actings of his spirit strong then followes a suitable strong expression of delight v. 13. A bundle of myrrhe is my beloved unto me he shall lie or lodge all night betwixt my breasts And Cant. 2. 4. the King brought me into his house of wine that is into the chamber of the most spiritual and soul-delighting consolations of the Gospel that rejoyce and cheer the heart as excellent wine doth one that is fainting as Psal 104. 15. Prov. 31. 6 7. compared with 2 Cor. 1. 6. 2 Thess 2. 18 19. And the Spouse joynes to this a most vehement disposition of soul-sickness of love for Christ v. 5. Stay me with flagons and comfort me with apples for I am sick of love As also godly sorrow for sinne 2 Cor. 7. 10 11 15. a special work of the Spirit and princely and kingly gift of his Spirit who was raised from the dead to act this sorrow in us Acts 5. 31. as also swoooning and dying at the absence and withdrawing of Christ the beloved Cant. 5. 6. is a fruit of the Spirit and to sleep and eat and drink and rejoyce when the holy Spirit is saâ—ned and when he withdraws his actings is a dismal and sad token though there may some influence of corruption be in sorrowing because the Spirits actings are suspended as they are our comforts or apples to delight children and not as duties that we owe for Christs love to us and conscience of his command which saith Phil. 4. 4. Rejoyce alwayes in the Lord c. and here we would beware of worldly sorrow that causeth death Sorrow and heart-breaking because of the breaking of created comforts as if God were not the soules portion and the Saints all in all should be eschewed this sorrow blunts and deadens the soul from drinking in influences of glory as far Luke 9. v. 32. also Law-sadness dumpish servile down-casting because it deadens and kills as the Law doth must be eschewed indeed sadness that Evangelically mortifies and deadens to created spiritual comforts may quicken the believer to a more vigorous delighting in Christ himself who is more then comfort Psal 119. My soul droppeth away for heaviness and that puts fire in the soul to pray Strengthen thou me according to thy word It appears to be spiritual sorrow that breaks out in prayer Matth. 26. 38 39. Psal 18. 4 5 6. Psal 61. 2. Psal 102. 4. There are in the fourth Class two affections hope and audacity or fool-hardiness which would be taken heed unto Now with hope which looks to good to come and hardly attained we must take in faith one of the fruits of the Spirit Gal. 5. 22. Sometimes one affection in its carnality will counterwork another Luke 24. 41. The disciples believe not for joy and wondering But the special ground is unbelief the wide desire of unbelief thinks God cannot be so abundantly good as to restore to them Christ from the dead and the carnal reasoning of wondring contradicts a possibility of the resurrection over-acting of one affection to wit of joy when it 's literal counter-works the actings of the Spirit in the faith of the promises Hence must Christ soften the heart with swasory actings before the man believe and consider what Christ does morally Luke 24. He opens the Scriptures to the two disciples Luke 24. 27. He rebukes their unbelief v. 25. and as to his own disciples he sent them word with eye-witnesses who saw him that he was risen again but their words seem idle tales to them Luke 24. 11. And he upbraided them for their unbelief and hardness of heart Mark 16. 14. 3. He appeared and spake to them 4. He made their senses witnesses by causing them see and touch his hands and feet 5. He did eat with them which was an action of life 6. He wrought a miracle of bringing multitudes of fish to their net but all is to little purpose until he take a real and effectual way by the working of the Spirit Luke 24. 45. Then opened he their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures Then the opening of the Scriptures though in the mouth of Christ avail little to faith except the Spirit of Christ open another lock even the heart This is one of the first works of the Spirit to convincethe conscience of unbelief John 16. 8 9. and when the Spirit hath taken that castle and brought the soul to be sensible of unbelief he can easily take in the rest of the works frequent casting to of new oyl to the lamp keeps it shining and new fewel causes the fire to flame Frequent repeated acts of believing bring the disciples to get the grace to doe greater works then Christ did because Christ went to the Father John 14. 14. Believe influences of grace and have influences of grace abundantly furnished to you ask the Spirit in faith and the Father is as willing to give the Spirit as a Father is to give bread to his hungry child so here faith makes a fair wind Luke 11. 9 10 11 12 13. It is not so in nature the husbandmans natural faith that it shall be a sweet warm fruitful Summer makes not a fruitful Summer The Sea-mans natural faith believing fair winds and no storms at all makes it not to be so for often faith here is but fancy but faith acting dayly upon the precious promises of the word brings strong gales and summer-influences of heart warmness of the Spirit and in a manner creates new blowings of the North and South-wind fainting under the breathings and knocking 's of
mildly p. 1 c. 12. p. 101 Whether by prayer or any other way we may wrestle out from under Gods desertions p. 1. c. 12. p. 109 Influences are given of God to various temptation p. 1 c. 12. p. 110 It s a gracious temper to weep when the Lord is absent or angry p. 1. c. 13. p. 113 Christs absence is sometimes as good as his presence p. 1 c. 13. p. 118 Sâ—metimes we may pray again the degree of God but it s not lawfull to resist his commanding will p. 1. c. 13. p. 120 We may weep over our own dry hearts when we want Influences but we cannot weep against the Lord because he gives not those Influences p 1. c. 13. p. 121 We are to meet all conditions of life with cloasing with Gods holy dispensations p. 2. c. 1. p. 123 The word is the rule of doing the spirit the real efficient cause p. 2. c. 1. p. 127. How the Lord can lay by a command supernatural duties on men impotent and dead in sin p. 2. c. 2. p 129. God in creating man is both a Creator and also a law giver p. 2 c 2. p. 138 We are to be humbled for sin original p. 2. c. 2. p. 140 How to fetch Influences p. 2. c. 3. p. 142 The fetching of Influences is by supernatural actings by the word and spirit idem How the Lord brings himself under a sort of necessity of conferring gracious Influences p. 1. c. 2. p. 147 A considerable difference betwixt the Lords promise of grace and his practise of grace p. 2. c. 3. p. 148 Civil professors are nearer to conversion and to Christ then the openly profane and flagitious p. 2. c. 3. p. 149 It requires of the dead that they live and that we must not cease from running when the Lord ceases from drawing p. 2. c. 3. p. 152 It s a sinful shift to put away duties because of indisposition p. 2. c. 3. p. 154 We are to pray away indisposition as a great affliction p. 2. c. 3. p. 155 Influence of grace are due to the saints by promise p. 156 The Lord hath given Influences by necessity of a promise idem The three persons the Father the Son and Spirit give Influences p. 2. c. 5. p. 159 The fulnesse of Influences on the man Christ ib. fluences p. 2. c. 5. 159 Christ hath the dispensing of prederminating Influences by office and covenant p. 2. c. 5. p. 161 The Influences in the Son are all for our use and good p. 2. c. 5. p. 163 The Influences of the spirit are mainely to be eyed if any have the spirit he cannot want the Influences of God p. 2. c. 6. p. 164 The glorious things which the spirit of God shews p. 2. c. 6. p. 165 The Spirit prevents nature nature prevents not the Spirit p. 2. c. 6. p. 169 We are to pray for Influences p. 2. c. 6. p. 170 Obedience is to be yeilded to the Spirit as to the Father and the Son p 2. c. 7. p. 173 Much renewal will is a note of a spiritual disposition idem There is four expressions in Scripture of wrongs we do to the Spirit 1 Vexing 2. Quenching 3 Tempting 4. Resisting p. 2. c. 7. p. 176 How to improve spiritual feelings p. 2. c. 7. p. 183 Watching is a spiritual condition and near to receive gracious Influences p. 2. c. 7. p. 184 To converse with the Saints is a mark of a spiritual condition p. 2. c. 7. p. 186 Spiritual conference frequently used speaks a spiritual condition p. 2. c. 7. p. 189 The Contents of the third part SOme influences are from God some from Satan Part 3. Ch. 1. Pag. 189 Satan keeps correspondence with the heart p. 191 It s not lawful to dispute with Satan yet with his instrument we may p. 192 Christ sought neither the temptation nor the tempter p. 193 Difference betwixt Satans instruments and these of the Lord p. 194 Christ under a necessitie of giving sanctifying influences ib. Moral and physical influences 195 Moral influences that are only moral are weak ib. Ordinary and extraordinary influences 296 Prophetical influences ib. It is dangerous to resist strong light and the influences thereof p. 197 Private and publick Church-influences ib. Strong influences under the Messiah in the New Testament p. 199 Gospel-influences are strong p. 200 Some influences are for the habit some for the actings of grace some for both p. 201 Influences proper to the head Christ and influences on the members p. 202 Mediatory influences are some way due to the broken in heart and what sort they of right have thereto A four-fold right to influences is considerable p. 203 Strong and mighty influences in Christ p. 204 Gospel-providence how far above the Law-providence of Adam p. 205 Mr Gee treats of prayer Sect. 4. p. 187 188 195. p. 207 Influences of Christ fundamental and not fundamental ib. The comfortable necessity that lies on Christ to confer influences of grace p. 208 Influences not fundamental not simply necessary p. 209 Influences of grace for the habit of saving grace and influences for a gift p. 210 How we may know when we act pray or hear c. from a gift and when we act from a grace p. 210 Some pray from a meer gift when they mistakingly imagine they pray from the saving habit of grace the mistake is habitual in hypocrites only actual hic nunc to sound believers p. 211 Grace sanctifies the gift used in all due and spiritual circumstances but the gift can never sanctifie the grace p. 213 The same word but not the same influences act upon all within the visible Church p. 214 We are not to rest upon the actings from a gift but watchfully to try when we act from a gift and when from a grace ib. Differences from the influences of grace and these of glory p. 221 The habit of grace is a permanent disposition ch 2. p. 222 The habit of grace is given through the merit and grace of Christ p. 223 From the habit of grace we perform suitable actings p. 224 Vital actions flow from supernatural habits p. 225 The difference of the habit of grace from other habits p. 226 We are to follow holy resolutions with prayer 2 godly trembling 3 faith 227 The falshood of â—owes ib. A strong habit of grace produces easie and connatural and strong actings of grace p. 229 Actions supernatural and influences suitable are some way due to the habit of grace cap. 3. p. 232 Sometimes the habit of grace is qualified with heavenly dispositions p. 233 We should pursue the dispositions of grace when they are added to the habit with spiritual actings p. 234 We are to stir up the habit of grace though deadned ib. The Lord by infusing the habit of grace comes under some necessitie to give suitable influences thereunto cap. 4. p. 235 Divers necessities under which the Lord is to confer influences of grace p. 236 Christ advocates
106. 9. He rebuked the red Sea also and it was dried up God by the interposition of the faith of his own will not have strong walls to stand Heb. 11. 30. but they must fall nor Lions to eat the prey Verse 33. nor a violent fire to burn nor the sword to devour 34. As 2. They act at his command Psal 78. 26. He caused the East wind to blow in the Heavens and by his power he brought in the South wind whether this be by a strong terminating influence which displeaseth adversaries of grace and providence or some other way we contend not for words but if the Scripture hold forth as it doth that the Lord by his strong and invincible dominion doth indeclinably and without any possible failing bring forth his decreed effect some impulsion of God immanent transient or mixed which is terminate upon all second causes there must be for as he can and doth hinder naturall causes to work as the Sunne to move towards his down-going Josh 12. 13. Isa 38. 8. the Lyon to eat the man whereas he did fear the ass 1 Kings 13. 28. so he is the father and cause of all things that fall out Job 38. 28. Hath the rain a father or who hath begotten the drops of dew 29. Out of whose womb came the yce and the hoary-frost of Heaven who hath gendered it 31. Canst thou bind the sweet influences of the Pleiades or loose the bands of Orion This teacheth that Job cannot nor can any creature at his nod but the Lord can and he onely binds up or le ts out the influences of Pleiades the starres which rise in the Spring and bring forth flowers and hearbs and orders the course of Orion which bringeth Winter and order the starres that rise in the South and in the North. 34. Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds that abundance of waters may cover thee See his actings 3. His influences are in things small as in the falling of a Sparrow to the earth not one hair of the head but it is numbred by him Luke 21. 18. Matth. 10. 29 30 31. Not a gourd groweth nor a worm eats it but at his command Jonah 4. 6 7. Amos 4. 7 8 9. Joel 1. 1 2 3 4. Psal 105. 29 30 31 32 33. c. he hath an hand in the bird-nests building Psal 104. 17 18. And 4. The actings of the Lord are in great things as the translation of Kingdoms Dominions and Thrones Dan. 4. 32. Jer. 27. 5 6 7. In all the rises and fallings of Princes the Starres of whatever magnitude Isa 40. 21. 1 Sam. 2. 7 8. Psalm 76. 12. 5. His actings are in matter of lots that seem to be ruled by fortune and chance Prov. 16. 33. Genes 49. Deut. 33. compared with Josh 14. 1 2 3. 6. Especially in bowing the free will and determining all the actions of evil angels 1 Kings 22. 21 22 23. Job 1. 6 7 8. Job 2. 1 2 3. Gen. 3. 1 2 3 4 5. Matth. 8. 29 30 31. and good Luke 2. 9 13. Matth. 28. 1 2 3. Acts 1. 20. 2 Thes 1. 7. leading and determining the free will of all men the King Prov. 21. 1. the Prince Gen. 43. 13. Esther 4. 16 17. compared with Chap. 5. 2. c. 7. 2 3. he graciously enclines the will and hearts of men Deut. 30. 6. Jer. 32. 39 40. Ezek. 36. 27. as the Saints pray Psal 119. 33 34 36 88. Psal 86. 11. Cant. 1. 4. He hardneth the heart and blinds the mind as in his judgement he pleaseth Job 12. 16. Ezek. 14. 9. Exod. 14. 8. Deut. 2. 30. 2 Sam. 12. 11 12. Esay 6. 9 10. Matth. 13. 14 15. John 12. 37 38 39 40. Rom. 1. 24 25 26 27 28. Rom. 11. 8. And many such things are with him the more spiritually minded any is the more bent is the heart to follow and eye God in all his actings and he shall see how wise in heart the steeresman is who watcheth at the helm and it shall appeare what precious thoughts take up the believer who sees such millions and numberless numbers of influences with all the drops of rain hail dew falling between the creation and the dissolving of the world all which he binds in his garment Prov. 30. 2. and what numbers of influences he joyns to all the blasts of winds and storms which he gathers in is fists ibid. what influences of the Almighty must there be at all the actings stirrings and motions of Angels in Heaven of damned spirits of men elect and reprobate of birds beasts creeping things fishes in the wise connection of all these with the Lords intended end And if this be observed suppose the body of the Heavens which in its wide bosome contains all were broken and fell down in many thousand pieces Faith in the infinite wisdome goodnesse and power of God will bid the believer be silent and sleep and hope within his own garment God excellently rules all the best of created things next to that precious thing Christ man is the Church and the Lord will specially care for that and for me among the rest 3. No doubt we are brutish and look to all the stirrings with much Atheisme and little faith as if all stirrings in Nature Societies and Kingdoms were set on work by the sway of Nature and blind Fortune without God as a wheel rolling about with the mighty violence of a strong arm moves a long time after the arm of the mover is removed Or suppose a pair of Charet-wheels were letten loose in the top of a huge Mountain and should move down some hundred thousands of Millions of miles for hundreds of years after the man who set them first a work were dead So we fools believe that God gave a mighty strong shake or some Omnipotent impulsion to all causes natural free and contingent to Heaven and Earth Sea and Land to all Creatures in them Angels and Men and did bid them be a going for he must sleep and could not actually stir them any more Nor can we see God in all and that he contrived this that one should rise early and eat the bread of sorrow and yet be poor another should be wise admirably and want bread another fight valiantly and be foiled and a man run swiftly and lose the race Psal 127. 1 2 3. Eccles 9. 11. and that much sowing hath little reaping Hag. 1. 6. for Hab. 2. 13. Behold is it not of the Lord of hosts that the people should labour in the very fire and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity Chaldaea doth sweat and pine her self for the very wind and nothing We see not that nature miscarries and parts with child when his good providence who rules all is not Mid-wife and a barren-womb brings forth many births and she that is no Mother hath a rich issue when soveraignity pleases this is my faith and comfort CHAP. III. Hence to
faithfully acquit himself in the duty of his Office for by office he conferrs influences 2. It s to question his nature whether the Head shall inlive its members CHAP. IV. The necessity of influences of Grace Of the Soveraignty of God in dispensing influences IT is easie to determine that there is a sort of necessity of the Lords bestowing influences upon all natural causes of this before In so far as willing and nilling are acts of second causes in the same sphere with natural causes there seems to be no more reason for denying influences to nilling and willing simply yea or for literal hearing and praying then for plowing and sowing except that here God acts in a dreadful way of Justice toward Pharaoh and other reprobates in leaving them to the actings of their own heart only it may be said that God finding his child under deadness and acting in a dead and literal way as he hath bowels of compassion toward his chosen under the evil of sin that are ready to be drowned he joynes his help of influences seeing his own goe about duties with wrestling and pain since he knows some one way or other they must be over the water and helped otherwise they cannot stir 2. As there are some saving graces from the Mediator so must there be some mediatory influences bestowed covenant wayes upon the chosen of God But 1. Free goodness and not natural necessity made the world and that same freedome intervenes in continuing being and acting in creatures which act by nature Fire casteth heat the Sun light and influences the Sea ebeth and floweth by nature yet there must also be a free new commission sealed from eternity to every acting of nature he commandeth the Sun and it riseth not forbideth the fire to cast out heat and it obeyeth Job 9. 7. Heb. 11. 34. Dan. 3. 27. and it is an obliging and an indearing of the heart to God to come dayly under new debt and multiplied free gifts and it renews acts of love in us as fresh actings of salvation flow whether it be new deliverances Psal 18. 1 2 6 7. Psal 116. 1 2 3 4. or new acts of keeping faith from drying up in the fire 1 Pet. 1. 3 4. so as you being tried as gold verse 8. y◠love having not seen him 2. It extracts acts of praying sense of spiritual slownesse seems to pray Cant. 1. 4. Draw me we will run and sense of spiritual dulnesse Psal 119. 33. Teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes 3. Hence comes humble relying upon God when faith is put to believe that at every stirring of the members and at every lifting of the foot for a new step the head must stir in heaven and let down new influences of life and the bottles of Heaven and well of life must let down new flowings of rain every moment upon the withered garden if as much rain fell in one day as would suffice the earth for seven years and a man might eat so much at one meal as he should neither be hungry nor thirsty for five years there should not be such dayly dependance upon new influences for rain and dew dayly and for our dayly bread this day We can but 4. hence but believe the infinite wisedome of the Lord who well knows how to husband and steward his showres for in the man Christ they are continual John 8. 29. He that sent me is with me the Father hath not left me alone 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nor dismissed me for I do always 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the thing that please him When ever we do what is displeasing to God the Father of Christ leaves us out of the depth of his soveraignty of dispensing influences Christ was never so morally deserted 1. As the Lord would have a falling law Adam to whom he denied influences that nature might be nature so he also would have a standing and never sinning-Adam that grace might appear to be grace 2. Upon supposition that the second Adam is God man it was impossible but the man Christ in all his actions moral should want influences or ever sin or be left alone of the Father but he must always do the thing that pleaseth the Father nor is there any murmuring to be against the dispensation of deepest wisdom why we have not at our pleasure influences of grace that we should never sin as the man Christ never sinned 3. Say we could see no reason the thing is notire the Lord acts in the first elect Angels that they never sin he denied in the first fall influences to the reprobate Angels and since the Lord hath condemned them and tied them with chains of darknesse that their whole actions except the acts of intellectual being and living and the acts of knowing believing desiring fearing c. in the substance of the act should be only moral and only sin in all the substantial circumstances John 8. 44. Satan was a man-slayer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and stood not in the truth being created in the first truth adhering to God 1 John 3. 8. the Divel sinned from the beginning hence he is called 1 Peter 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the contrary party in law and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 goes about like a roaring Lion seeking whom he may drink over So that though there be in men actions of the phansie as to claw the head rub the beard actions of the vegetative life to grow to age to decline in old age senescere pubescere adolescere that are under no Law and so no sins yet all Satans actions are moral these excepted of which we spoke and influences to moral actions granted to reprobate men as to gives alms to go and hear the word visit the sick and imprisoned are denied to Satan Some men are also 2. Reprobate to good works Tit. 1. 16. and cannot believe and here is soveraignty that God works in some vessels of mercy to will and to do not in others 3. As touching the measure of grace and the degrees of saving influences the Lord walketh in a latitude of freedome all men have not alike measure of saving grace and faith 4. His freedome shines in the work of conversion John Baptist is filled with the holy Ghost from the womb Luke 1. 15. but 2. the woman of Samaria Matthew Zachaeus Magdalen Abraham Saul go on in a wretched state of nature for some considerable tract of years and then are visited with influences of life and 3. the Thief that was crucified with Christ upon the Cross in his outgoing is converted and not till then except the soveraign liberty of God silence us no other reason can occur of these things to mans understanding 4. In the Saints this liberty is clear fewer falls in Joseph then in David and so he must be nearer to dayly influences to the one then the other So the Lord left Hezekiah to try him that he might know all that
was in his heart 2 Chron. 32. 31. Thus much Noah his drunkennesse Lot his incest David his adultery and murdering of Vriah Peter his denying of Christ and his Judaizing Gal. 2. proclame to us that though Saints are to believe perseverance and so that in Christ there shall be furnished to them out-lettings of life from the fountain to bring them to glory as touching the habitual tract of their journey to Heaven yet hath the Lord reserved a liberty hic nunc to let out and withdraw influences and the faith of believers is to rest upon the promise upon this condition that they fret not at his dispensation who by sad falls on Ice and slidery way must correct our sinful rashness and teach children godly wariness nor is there any thing in our folly to be seen but his wisdome 5. And sinful slips in us and freedome of withdrawing in the Lord bring us to be the engaged debtors of grace and this sets the higher price upon our Advocate 's intercession when we sin 1 Joh. 2. 1 2. his withdrawings usher the way to his own outlettings of grace he knows how to dry us up that we may being withered come under the debt of new watering more of this hereafter There is here no creating of clouds or rain by King or Husbandman or Hosts of men the Husbandmans faith and prayer in extreme drought may fetch rain but we have in these actings in which God must joyn his gracious influence no real influence upon the Lord's influences the Rose acts not upon the Sun by influences but the Sun acts upon the Rose though we may pray for influences of grace Nor can tears and wrestling extort influences when the Lord is upon aâ— act of declaring his soveraignty in trying us there is praying and yet heaviness and dropping away of soul bids on and the Petitioner remains like a bottle on the smoak the Glass set must run out so many hours ere the Sea flow again the Sea-man weeps and prays but the storm continues and the wind hears him not and he that creates the wind suspends his acting God hath not said that the husband-man may pray away Winter while the season be over nor that the Traveller when the Sun is set and darkness come should pray away the night while the hours be over So here God hath fixed a time for a winter season of heaviness and trying deadness The Lord's mind is to pray for the right melting of the metal and not for the quenching and removing of the fire he must do his work its wisdom to know who orders our prayers and to pray for something about his withdrawing and not for the removal of the withdrawing it self Paul three times prays 2 Cor. 12. for the removal of the Messenger of Satan But prayer stirs not right then in all points he should have prayed for sufficiency of grace our gracious Lord laying aside the dross of our prayer hears us not in granting what we suit but what we ought to suit in prayer and in granting what we suit not formally but what the Spirit suits internally in us The man in a Feaver cries for a Drink the Physitian forbids to give him drink and yet gives to quench the thirst some other thing then drink so the sick mans suit is profitably heard Yet my meaning is not that the Lord cannot or will not at all take off an arrestment of disertion at the praying of his children the Lord cannot repeal that Psal 50. 15. Call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me therefore he repeals it not under withdrawings which are amongst the greatest of such troubles as put us to call upon God 2. Christ under the Lord's withdrawings in point of comfort and enjoyment of the felt favour of God prayed and was heard Heb. 5. 7. Matth. 26. 38 39. Luke 22. 42 43. therefore by the like he doth hear us in such a case I fetch the Argument a proportion for Christ in whom Satan finds nothing is not capable of the withdrawings of God in point of duty If any say it was Christ's duty always to rejoyce in God I answer It was an affirmative Precept which did not oblige the man Christ actually in every moment of time and in radice it did habitu it did habitually it did oblige him for that rejoyce evermore obligeth not ever to actual rejoycing but to a savory habit of rejoycing nor did that pray continually oblige the man Christ to pray actually and to speak to God when he was preaching and speaking to men at one time nor was actually rejoycing in God physically consistent with actual sorrow in suffering 3. The praying to be led of God in his way not to be led into temptation must include a suit that God would send influences and not forsake us in the way of his obedience under our defections therefore there is need of a special submission and a reserve of time to sail when his flowings set the soul a float Hence may a child of God submit to his deep soveraignty in withdrawings and stoop humbly to the Lord 's holy decree his holy will be done upon clay and yet also desire presently the removal of sinful deadness and pray against our sinful omission which necessarily follows upon the Lord's withdrawing and we are to nill and hate sinning which results from the withdrawing therefore both pray and forget that ye have prayed and adore soveraignty Pray under withdrawing for influences yet trust not on the act of praying and though he still withdraw pray but without fainting under and fretting against soveraignty The habit being of the nature of a power cannot actuate itself nor can we actuate and make use of the power of grace now as the God of nature is he in whom we live and move and so we are acted by him in our natural stirrings so in Christ Redeemer Emanuel in whom is the fulness and fountain of grace we live spiritually Neither have we the use and exercise of our grace in our own hand nor can we believe when we will as a Musitian can sing when he will CHAP. V. Whether or not the Lord 's withdrawing of his influences and impressions of grace doth acquit and free us of guiltiness objections removed WE are not a little slandered by Jesuits and Arminians as such who by the device of forbowing and predeterminating influences of grace do destroy the nature of Free-will and voluntary obedience to God in this Argument He who withdraws such an influence and impression of grace without which the act of obedience is physically impossible he is the cause of disobedience and he renders the non-obeyer guiltless and excusable But God according to the way of Calvin and his withdraws such an influence and impression of grace because without his impression of grace its impossible physically that the Will can be bowed to obey it being essentially requisite
only there is a negative withdrawing of influences upon the Lord's part which they want with a sort of natural yielding to the want thereof and yet they have and keep still their natural power to act actu primo as the first cause shall set them on work And the very like may be said of moral Agents God withdraws his influence they sin but find no positive violence comming from the Lord 's withdrawing to restrain them or impose upon them and they connaturally and with a virtual willingness yield to such withdrawings and keep an inferiour dominion over their own actings Hence 1. Moral Agents are to set to work to doe duties not to wait upon God's acts of influences but they are to act as if the influences of God were in their power for the influence from Heaven to the duty belongs to God he does not lay formal commands upon us to have or to want his influences and the duty is ours but we love more to look to God and judge anxiously his providence of withdrawing of influences then upon our own duty It s strange I judge his holy withdrawings and not my own sinful omissions 2. No man is to complain of the Lord 's withdrawing of influences You are joyful and well content to want them Men put out their own eyes and yet complain God hath made them blind Of this more hereafter But this Argument may be retorted and unpossible it is to defend the Dominion and Soveraignty of God by these Principles so if it be not in the dominion and soveraignty of God to procure or hinder the acts of final obedience or disobedience he cannot be Master of salvation and of the certain number of the saved but the free-will of man must be absolute ever here and the salvation of any must be physically impossible to the soveraign Lord. But by the Adversaries way it s not in the dominion and soveraignty of God to procure or to hinder the acts of final obedience or disobedience of any but it must be absolutely in the power of created free-will all things needful to be done both upon the part of the Lord's Decree and of the Lord's Influences being done to nill or will obey or disobey And 2. its in the power of created free-will to doe or obey and to refuse or disobey And 3. to have the strongest influences of God in its dominion and created power or to want them 4. Created freewill first stirs and concurs by order of nature before the soveraign Lord joyn his influence all these be the Principles of Pelagians Jesuits Arminians so shall created free-will have the dominion above and before the soveraign Lord of all the acts of obedience of all the chosen of God as to their number who shall be saved who not how many how few CHAP. VI. Q. Whether or no are we to believe pray praise read confer only then when the Spirit actually moves us to believe pray praise c. and not otherwise 1. Duties are to be done under spiritual withdrawings 2. The precept and the influence differ 3. We are and may pray at fixed hours THe Question is the same of elicite acts of love fear hope faith and of imperate acts of praying hearing praising only the difference is hardly can we set a time to believing the object sometime wakens us Psal 56. 3. What time I am afraid I le trust in thee otherwise that binds ever which is Psal 62. 8. Trust in him at all times The Lord hath more fixed a time for praying continually and for praising the Lord always 1 Thes 5. Psal 146. 1. 2. The question is alike in all actions and in spiritual and supernatural actions as whether the Husbandman may Plow and Sow at fit seasons or only when the Lord the cause of causes joyns his influence for these and the like are no less impossible without the connatural influences of God then the acts of praying believing without the supernatural influences of grace Now we would think it ridiculous should the Husbandman never plow but only when he is disposed to plow suppose he sleep longer in the morning then he should 3. The actual Influence cannot be a Rule for we cannot know or feel the actual influence of God Creator or of Grace but only when we are aworking 4. The question of the obligation is one thing and the question of ability to pray is another for Magus yet in the Gall of bitterness is under the obligation of a Commandement Acts 8. 22. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness and pray God if perhaps the thoughts of thine heart may be forgiven thee And in a state of nature he is most unable and so far more indisposed to pray and repent And the believing Thessalonians are under a command to pray continually 1 Thes 5. 17. to praise to rejoyce ver 16. 18. what ever their indisposition be Now though the man fal'n in Adam be unable to keep and do the Law and natural men living in the visible Church be unable indisposed to believe in Christ and to pray yet except we say that such are under neither Law nor Gospel we cannot say that men because of their wretched estate are not obliged to pray believe love Christ walk with God Libertines say its unlawful and a taking of the Name of God in vain to aym at praying when the Spirit withdraws Suppose we could not reconcile our inability and our indisposition to pray nor the acting of strong grace and of weak will yet when God hath undeniably commanded duties and promised in the new Covenant grace and gives the new heart and the habit of grace no man hath warrant upon the account of the Lord 's denying influence to abstain from duties for upon the same account one might cast himself in the Fire and another in the Water why it may be the Lord shall deny his influence to the fire and water to burn or consume us and so the water shall not overwhelme me nor the fire consume me though I wickedly cast my self in fire and water Now what Familists and Libertines may object on the contrary should be heard Obj. 1. We are never to take the Name of God in vain but to pray without the acting of the Spirit is to take the Name of God in vain Ans The Antecedent is true we are never to take the Name of God in vain nor obliged to any sin but the Consequence is naught therefore we are not to pray nor obliged to pray except the Spirit either by disposition facilitate us or actually move us For the disposition or actual moâ—ion of the Spirit is neither our Rule nor a part of our rule For 1. The command to pray is the common obligiâ—g Rule to both Elect and Reprobate and obligeth all equally but neither the spiritual disposition nor the saving acting of the Spirit so equal to all is our Rule 2. The command is exposed to every one to
make use of it as he pleaseth but the saving acting of the Spirit is not in every mans power 3. The command is a Rule and Object of our Faith and gives me not strength to obey but the heavenly disposition and saving acting are not the object but the efficient cause which addeth strength to obey the command craves the debt its true its impossible to pray in faith without the acting of the Spirit it follows only that it s so impossible that we are also guilty and unexcusable in our virtual desiring that it may be so We are wounded but we love to shed our own bloud As also in the Regenerate there is never an utter withdrawing the habit of grace keeps the heart warm and loves to be blown upon and stirred even under actual ceasing of breathings Obj. 2. When there is an utter ceasing of the spirit it would appear that the spirit forbids us to lift at his work until the Spirit the only Master of work be there himself Ans One of the three is ever a work either the Father is waiting till the Son pray John 14. or the Son is commanding the breathings of the Spirit It is some casual work that the sinner is the passive object of the Spirit there is never an utter ceasing of the Spirit There are some habitual stirrings of the Seed of God under the ceasing of actual influence as the ripe Apple enclines to fall off the Tree when there is no shaking of it the Ship is a mending in the Shore when she sails not and if it were no more but one of the three is a working about a Child of God it s not to be despised For who knows the thoughts of Christ and his pleading in Heaven for such as suffer the evil of affliction for Christ And if a believer wrestle under deadnesse Christ much more is a work to help a more spiritual sufferer to wit one that is as it were a patient under sin and flesh and the withdrawing of God Obj. 3. There is no Commandment in the New Testament for the doing of half a Duty to wit to pray and not to pray in Faith and Fervour therefore we cannot be commanded to pray when the Spirit withdraws his influence without which the Duty of necessity must be lame and broken Ans It follows not for there is less of the Gospel in the command as a command for in either Law-command or in Gospel-precept the Lord commands whole and unbroken obedience and in it God seeks somewhat which he lost in Adam which we are obliged to doe and he is under no Law to give us grace to obey And as is said we are willing to want his help where the command should put us to a humble missing and mourning for our wants and a distrusting of our own strength and a weeping over our broken condition and a high prizing of our surety and his strength 2. It s a part of command that we go about the bulk or body of the duty and gather together the dry bones and wait humbly until he command the Wind and Spirit to blow on them and we sin in omitting of half a command Obj. 4. His yoak is easie and his Commandments are not grievous but if it be not in our power to pray when he withdraws his Commandments shall be unpossible and his yoak heavy Ans His command is easie by the grace of God and love of Christ the Wheels move sweetly when Grace and Love oyls the Soul and yet it no more hinders that we cannot pray when he withdraws then the burning of the Fire and the rising of the Sun which are works of Nature most easie and sweet are possible when the Lord forbids the Fire to burn and the Sun to rise his Gospel commands actu primo of themselves are sweet but under withdrawings hard and legal Obj. 5. Praying and seeking of God at set and fixed hours were not lawful For if we cannot pray but when the Spirit moves us we cannot say we shall pray at any hour for we cannot tie the Spirit 's joyning to our hours and again if we are to pray at any hour we please we use the habit of grace and supplication when and as we will as a Musitian may sing when he will or not sing Ans 1. We have not any question now about religious set hours such as the morning and evening Sacrifice or the three hours of prayer used by David Morning Evening and at Noon Psal 55. 17. and Daniel chap. 6. 10 11. Acts 3. 1. Acts 10. 3 9 10. and the godly Jews for by no divine Precept are we tied to such hours Papists abuse the Scripture to Canonick hours But in Christian prudence we may fix a time to reading praying conferring on the Word and to other sacred duties yet do we not tie the Spirit 's joyning to our hour the man Christ set a night apart for praying and so did Jacob for wrestling by tears with the great Angel Genes 32. 24. Hos 12. 3 4. without limitting the Spirit in his influences to any time nor yet will it follow that we use the habit or spirit of grace and supplication when we will for sanctified will is to set the time and to actuate it self by the habit of grace And the same Argument shall conclude that the Husbandman who sets a time for plowing and sowing must limit the Lord to joyn his influences For except the Lord build the house they labour in vain who build it though they set days to the hired Masons Except the Lord keep the City the Watch-man watcheth but in vain though times be set to the hired Watchers It s in vain to rise up early Psal 127. 1 2. and it s as impossible to plow build watch rise early without the common influence of God the first cause as it is to pray in Faith without the special breathing of the Spirit of grace Yet Libertines and Antinomians will not say that they sin in setting a time for building plowing watching these seem considerable about hours of praying 1. Though we fix an hour it becomes Faith to await the Angels moving of the water and when the Lord adds his influences to step in and joyn our strength cheerfully and with humble praises to him who draws 2. When there is a bentness of heart such a day or such a fixed hour to pray build not too much upon the appointment and promises of our own heart to say to morrow I le do wonders by prayer remove mountains 1. It s good here as in a purpose of going to a City to continue there a year and buy and sell and get gain to say in a trembling subordination to God as James counselleth chap. 4. 13 15. If the Lord will we shall live so to say if the holy soveraignty of grace breath fairly and strongly I le do well in praying yet not I but his grace and if the wind of
the Lord blow not ah I cannot sail 2. As in the case of James his Merchant and of Peter's undertaking I le die with thee rather or I deny thee So here 1. The man sows broad hopes upon his own praying and the harvest is thin and nothing 2. Such a Preacher shall set the Ship a float and all shall be well if such an Instrument act and then the Lord is away and the Reed is broken and the Sea flows not 3. At the Death of such an Eminent Christian O there must be strange manifestations and the poor man is taken away under a cloud and in a huge deal of darkness The faith of our reposing upon our selves and the creature and our not reposing on the Lord 's acting in us to will and to do in these set times does disappoint us A godly jealousie and despair of our selves a relying wholy upon the Lords actings is good and seldom can we difference between presumptuous confidence on our selves with a godly trembling and a pure and spiritual relying upon God in his breathings of grace 3. We stumble that when the impetuous faird of resolving is on and possibly the Lord effectually acting us yet when it comes to the time of praying the whole spirit is a lump of deadness and the Comforter is away and the flesh saith I covenanted a meeting with Christ and he covenanted with me but I kept the appointed time and he failed and came not according to his promise And we do not remember that there is a promise that he will work in us to will and to doe but for a Covenant that the Spirit shall keep your fixed hour where is that for the Spirit even the hour before blows sweetly and the hour after but he is absent at your fixed hour In a word we may limit a time for your Duty for the obligation to pray continally is perpetual but we cannot limit a time or an hour to his breathing It s ever true John 3. 8. The Wind bloweth where it listeth 4. The more Angel-like and the more spiritual pride is such as is Angel-haughtiness in the damned spirits who were not content with their own station and in Evah the more sinful guiltiness is in it Pride resulting from acts common to men as that of the King of Assyria Isa 37. and that of the King of Babylon Hab. 2. Isa 14. 13 14. is nothing so damnable as the proud fathering of holiness and grace upon our vain nature and here we think we can command the ebbing and flowing of the Sea and have the breathings of the Spirit at our will and if we be humble it should especially be in stooping to the most poor and holy actings of the Soveraign Lord and presumptuous relying on self here is the first samplar pride Neither do we consider that most of the Arguments if we may act when and where we will Salvation and Damnation and all the high actings of gracious Soveraignty must be under our power if we may or can act without the habit and influence of grace and must be here as when one great higher Wheel moves and turns about many Wheels and the first moves the second and second the third and the third the fourth and so forth so must the habits of Grace and the influences of the Spirit and all the outgoings of God be subject to mans Free-will as the first mover if we can pray and praise under the withdrawings of God Hence the 6. Argument may be removed that though we cannot pray but when and as the Spirit moves us it follows both that we are not loosed from our obligation to pray nor can we pray more or less fervently but as the grace of Christ in whom is all fulness qualifies us in the habit and actings because the gracious acts depend not upon our Free-will simply but upon our Free-will as instructed with the supernatural habit infused nor do the more intense and stronger actings of love of faith of prayer depend upon our Free-will but as instructed with the stronger habit and actual influences of God But more hereafter of this CHAP. VII Of the Soveraignty of God in his actings and especially in influences And 2. what Soveraignty is BEcause the influence of the Lord's grace depends most upon the Soveraignty of God so far above us as is spoken in the fourth Article its needful we speak of these 1. What Soveraignty is 2. In how many particulars the soveraignty of God doth appear 3. What submission we owe and how we are to stoop thereunto 4. Such as are most active in doing God's will are most submissively patient in suffering his will contra 5. We are to give submission of pain to God 6. Providence of the Gospel is above Law-providence 7. The righteousness of God is incomparably above our righteousness 8. Our Justification is not negative only 9. The Law requires sinless suffering 10. Inherent righteousness is not the adequate end of the Gospel 1. To know what Soveraignty is 1. Let us see what it is not 1. Omnipotency and Soveraignty thus differ Omnipotency looks simply to effects physically what the Lord can doe he can of stones make sons to Abraham he can create millions of Worlds his Soveraignty is not only his holy Nature what he can doe and so supposeth his Omnipoteucy but also what he doth freely or doth not freely and doth by no natural necessity and so it includes his holy supreme Liberty and also what the Lord may doe as it were Jure he may doe all things and as Elihu saith gives not an account of his matters to any Job 33. 13. by his holy soveraign Will as above all Laws that bind the rational Creatures he does as he pleaseth and what he pleaseth and none can say What dost thou Hence 1. It s graciousness of holy Soveraignty that because he is Soveraign he does not crush us the flesh speaks that in Job 10. 3. to the Lord Is it good to thee that thou shouldest oppress and because he is soveraign upon the account of his soveraignty he crusheth not under his feet all the prisoners of the earth to turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High Lam. 3. 33 34. whereas to sinful soveraigns power is a Law many take by violence fields and houses because it s in the power of their haâ—ds to doe it Micah 2. the Law of the Lion and the great Fish to devour the Lamb and swallow the lesser Fish is only power and strength Satan and his never stays in this side of their power but doth all the evil they can Jerem. 3. 5. Behold thou hast spoken and done evill as thou could the soveraignty of God saith he may withdraw influences of grace from Angels and Men as pleaseth him best he may let this Ground wither and dry up as a Rock and make the other Plot of Ground near by like a fruitful Paradice and why may not
Physician for sick sinners But except we seek a knot in a Rush 1. It s Adam's duty and all mankinds in him to stand obey and never sin and God wills this obligation to lie upon man as an eternally obliging duty And this is true even now and eternally Adam ought never to have sinned 2. God never willed Adam nor commanded him in Law or Gospel either absolutely or comparatively to put the Lord to seek a remedy or a Saviour to satisfie for us or to pardon sin we read of no such will 3. Nor is it fit to say that the Lord had rather David committed adultery and murther by God's permission and be pardoned for it then not to commit it for if this be meant of the commanding will of God no man can justly charge us with putting such contradictory wills upon God as also its unpossible that God can will the adultery of David to be by any other will then his will of purpose and hloy decree And then 4. The righteous Lord loves righteousnesse yet the Lord absolutely and simply willed rather the holy free submissive obedience of the second Adam to be then he wills the final obedience of the first Adam and he wills more the manifestation of the glory of his free grace pardoning mercy revenging justice in that excellent of the most excellent our Emanuel then the legislative glory of Adam and all his possible final obedience and the Lord wills no end rather then his own glory but the Lord never commands us to will but what he approveth and its needless to enquire whether a more eminent declarative glory could be then that which is the delight of the Lord's soul the pleasure of the Lord love greater then any man hath the rejoycing of the Lord loved and desired to be read looked unto with wondring and adoring by the holy Angels nor can any inherent righteousness of man please the Lord in any imaginable measure and manner as the obedience of Christ in offering himself to God through the eternal Spirit Heb. 4. 14. And if it be true that lost man gains more in the second Adam Christ Jesus then he lost in the first Adam clear it is that there is no comparison between the declarative glory of the Gospel to wit the glory of the humble willing and eminently and admirably excellent obedience of Christ God-man in dying tali modo and the declarative glory of the Law 2 Cor. 3. or between the glory of the righteousnesse of God through saith and the glory of the inherent righteousness through the grace of God for the righteousness of God through faith must be more excellent then the righteousness of man or then all the acts of man by grace believing hoping lovering repenting praying praising eternally in Heaven suffering of martyrdome and therefore it cannot be said that God would rather in an antecedent and principal intention have us to forbear sin and Adam to stand in Law-obedience then to put him to remedy sin and out of the greatest love of God to man to send his Son in the World to save sinners as if the intention and heart-purpose of God had been principally that the first Adam should stand and all in him and the Court of the Law of Works should be for ever and that the Lord in a second intention and as if it were compelled by a cross wind must sail into a next best and second harbour which yet undoubtedly is the excellentest and highest declarative glory of the Lord which the conceptions of Angels or Men can reach and was if I may so speak the eternal delight of the Lord while as yet he had not made the earth or the fields Pro. 8. 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31. though I am far from thinking that any thing without God doth conclude his holy Soveraignty yet the Lord's soul delighting in the holy obedience of Christ and the eternal declarative glory thereof shall be highest to me and in the hearts I conceive of the godly the most eminent revealed end and to Scripture 4. Neither is it better pleasing to God not to sin then when the man hath sinned to seek pardon for sin in the bloud of Christ I know not what Scripture so speaks or so teacheth both the one and the other is the approving and commanding will of God and if the Gospel be more glorious and excellent then the Law 2 Cor. 3. as it must be the seeking of a pardon is a duty commanded in the Gospel and Covenant of grace and not sinning is as such an act commanded in the poor and simple Covenant of works given to Adam I shall heartily yield to sin upon hope of pardon if any intelligent pure and only Antinomians so teach is utterly unlawful but upon supposition that the person is a sinner it is a more gracious act of obedience yea more glorious if I may so speak to fly to our Sanctuary and Citie of refuge Jesus Christ upon Gospel-principles then upon Law-principles not to sin And thus must the comparison of betterness and excellency be made But the arguing seems to infer that it is our mind that God willeth us to desire and practically to will rather that Christ the Physician should appear in the declarative glory of grace mercy pardoning punishing justice then that we should practically will our own Law-odedience but this is forced on us and is not our mind but a wicked Principle of Libertines for we ought rather to obey the Law and practically to will final obedience to the Law of works and eschew sinning as Hell rather then desire and with a more intense and a stronger practical will seek the incarnation of God for that practical will can never be in us without sinning Yea 4. It is a shame to compare together the righteousness of God and we are in Christ made this righteousness of God 2 Cor. 5. 21. and the inherent mixt imperfect righteousness of a renewed man for the one needs no pardon and the other is sinful and as menstruous cloaths without a pardon Isa 64. 6. I mean not that the believing praying c. of the regenerate are formally and in the substance of the act sins but by accident they are sinful and polluted but even in the substance of the act they are nothing comparable to the acts of obedience in Christ which are every way complete and perfect according to the strictest rule of the Law of works Yea 5. It s a false ground to say that by justification or remission of sins as some say but they are not every way the same only the guilt of sin is removed or only deliverance from eternal punishment for Christ's dying and satisfying is ours he dying in our stead and place and we dying in him legally not physically and so are we not only by his satisfaction which is made ours and by faith applyed to us negatively freed from Hell but positively righteous
any we read Cant. 5. 6. I rose up to open to my beloved my beloved had withdrawn himself and had passed away my soul went forth because of his speech Ainsworth My soul was gone and departed that is failed fainted I was even a dead woman through fear and grief for death is the departing of the soul from the body Gen. 33. 18. This though an Evangelical desertion is as much as David saith my moisture is turned into the drought of Summer and as the waves of the Lord's wrath comming over Heman yea and it is more painful to be thrust out of Heaven and to be deprived of an high measure of enjoyed and felt love and is a sadder torment then all the law-burnings though they have in David and others some such love-sickness which was ordinary to the Old Testament-dispensation and these and the like the soul is more able to bear that the habit and stock is rich as Christ from the personally indwelling God-head was strong in his desertions peculiar to him and the richer the habit of grace be the more able is the soul to stand out the strong ship is more able to endure the storm then the crazy and rotten vessel a Giant is fitter for a battle with a Giant then a Child is 9. Some are kept in perfect peace whose minds are staid on the Lord and being justifyed by faith have peace with God Isa 26. 2. Rom. 5. 1. There are two sorts of dispensations one fundamental another not fundamental the former is the Lord 's carrying on his begun work which is to will and doe to the end in his ordinary course the dispensation which is not fundamental respects the Lord's way of doing hic nunc in such circumstances and the degrees of grace given or infused which do not vary the spece and nature of the work We read not of Daniel's cursing the day he was born in as Jeremy and Job doe nor is there any shaddow of it in Joseph yet nothing hinders but Job and Jeremy may and did at other times enjoy sweet presence and nearness to God But 1. We would not take extraordinary feasts to be dayly food nor should we much wonder when a change cometh but how do we chide quarrel complain because it is not always so Nor 2. Should we be rough but compassionate to sick ones it s the Lord's way that all in the house should not be sick at once but some are sick and some whole to wait on the sick and all to bear one anothers burthens all the diseases of the house are not the same in kind and degree 2. Some do all their life dwell in the borders of hell and never have fair sayling nor fulness of assurance until they be upon the shoar such have only Star-light and are called to pure living by faith Isa 50. 10. 3. Some once in all their life have one only remarkable night of wrestling with God and prevail as Jacob did and some love so their prison that they take a sentence à non judice à non habente potestatem the Law severed from Christ is no judge at all to believers the Law speaks to its own that are under the Law Rom. 3. 19. the Jaylor can command none but his own prisoners 4. Some are frequently taken into the house of Wine and to the Kings Chamber And what changes there be Cant. 2. cap. 3. c. 4 5 9. 1. v. 6. may be seen its cleer and he that runs may read felt love is not heritage to any There is a huge difference between Cant. 2. 6. His left hand is under mine head and his right hand doth embrace me And that I sought him but I found him not chap. 3. And that is a joyful feast Cant. 5. 1. I am come unto my garden my sister my spouse I have gathered my myrrhe with my spice eat O friends drink yea drink abundantly O beloved And that again is a sad song ver 6. My beloved had withdrawn himself I sought him but I found him not I called him but he answered me not 5. Some are all their life creeping children yet saved a sincere affection in Nicodemus consists with much ignorance yet is not the faith rotten 6. It belongs to soveraignty that the little vessels of small quantity hang upon Christ as well as the great Isa 22. 24. and that the lambs as well as the stronger of the flock are cared for by him Isa 40. 11. and that the bruised reeds have their dependence on him 7. To this head of soveraignty belong the various kinds of desertions As 1. None are so deserted as the fallen Angels they have done for ever and ever with all influences of grace and are eternally outlaws from the Court of the King who is head of principalities and powers Jude ver 6. reserved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in everlasting chains c. 2 Pet. 2. 4. O but the chains of Divels are fiery and hellish 2. Next to them are reprobate men who cast off Christ and turn into Satans camp No saving influences are due to such as are reprobate to good works Ah beware of habitual hating of Christ and his house dependers and seed yet are there here degrees for none are in that measure deserted or blasphemers of the holy Ghost 3. Christ's desertion was extremely penal and brought out tears and strong cries mixt with a curse and only influences were suspended as touching vision and enjoyment or fruition and the actual comforts of God the crown in a manner was laid aside out of the eye and sight of the man Christ yet wanted he never influences 1. For acts of love Father remove 2. For acts of faith O my father remove 3. For acts of praying more earnestly Luk. 23. 44. O my father remove this cup. 4. For acts of witnessing a good confession before Pontius Pilate 5. For acts of preaching the confessing man to Paradise with him none are eternally and cursedly deserted who can pray and hope and believe in the furnace as Christ 4. The redeemed of God are not all one and the same way deserted 1. Some are extremely at under as Job who apprehended that God did pursue him as an enemy Job 13. 20. though Job and every believer be the friend of God Jam. 2. 23. 2. The Spouses desertions are less being conveyed with love-sickness Magdalen hath no wakenings of conscience for sin nor any positive agony or law-challenges but only love desertion she says with tears They have taken away my Lord and I know not where they have laid him 3. Some are meer desertions as to the act of sin God is angry at David when God withdraws so as he numbers the people and commits adultery and murther and Christ is angry at Peter's pride when he suffers him to deny his Master but neither David and Peter feels any anger from the Lord in such withdrawings of gracious influences but it s so much the worse the man is
the Pharisees meets the words of rebuke in Christ's mouth and bitterness in Herod resounds when John Baptist does rebuke his incest and adultery Take it for a sad condition when there is a practical contrariety and hatred betwixt the heart and the word of the Lord a heart loathing of the word and a rejecting thereof is dreadful whereas the esteeming of the word sweeter then the honey or the honey comb more then thousands of silver and gold the mans treasure his heritage his souls delight and love night and day his work meditation study wisedom do proclaim much of the new creation the word being the seed of the new birth and new creations must love the mother seed it s own native beginning as the streams are of the same nature and likeness with the fountain the Word tries all mens hearts see Joh. 7. 40 41 42 43 44 45 46. Luk. 4. 21 22 23 24 25 28 29. Acts 2. 12 13 37 38 39. Acts 7. 54 55 c. Acts 13. 38 42 43 44 45 46. Acts 14. 1 2 3 4 5 c. Acts 17. 34 35 36. Some believe some mock the natural man cannot close with the word Now Christ is given as a Leader and Commander to the people Isa 55. 4. charge him not as a misleading and a rash guide because he carries you through a wildernesse where there is neither flood nor fountain on the Earth nor dew or rain from Heaven you are withered and no influences come from him let faith complain of the barrenness of the Earth but justifie the driness of the clouds it s the wisedom of God that teacheth the believer to weep because he wants rain and moistness and is sinfully dry and yet to submit to him who denies rain and dew for he gives not here upon just grounds and holily I want deservedly for my just demerit Part. II CHAP. I. 1. God acts upon the creature first and not the creature first upon God 2. The Lord's dominion of influences on free will 3. Nor are we to be idle and sleep because the Lord is Master of his own influences 4. The Lord commands not us to have or want influences 5. Influences are not our warrant to act but the efficient cause thereof HItherto much hath been said of the Soveraignty of the Lord in divine influences Now are we to speak of the way of getting these influences and of the necessity of them and how we may fetch the wind 1. By natural actings 2. By supernatural actings by the word and promise 3. By the efficient causes of influences especially by the Spirit Hence the division of influences 1. By the infused habit of grace 2. By spiritual dispositions In all which our faith praying using of grace have their several influences What we may doe to fetch heavenly influences from God is above my reach to determine only let these Propositions be considered Prop. 1. God by order of nature first acts upon the creature and gives his stirring up influence to it We cannot in genere causae physicae first breath upon God he prevenes the Sun and the Sun riseth or riseth not as the Lord pleaseth to act upon it but no second causes do prevene the first or universal cause the Sun and Heaven do act first upon the Rose but the Rose doth not first act upon the Sun and Heaven Job 37. 7. He sealeth up the hand of every man that all men may know his works c. By the breath of God frost is given this shows that the host of creatures in Heaven and in Earth and the Sea are all dead passive sleepy cyphers and can do nothing if the Lord do not stir them God must be Father Lord and Author of all created actings and faith would without carefulness or unbelief commit all to so wise a Steersman though Phil. 4. 6. the Sea shall drown me the Fire consume me the Air suffocate me yet I desire to hear and obey that Be careful in nothing but pray Matth. 6. I shall perish for want ver 25. Take no thought They will kill me if I confess Christ Fear not Matth. 10. 28 29. your Father cares for two sparrows and for every hair of your head O but the Ship I am in is a sinking Matth. 8. 26. Why are ye fearful waken Christ by praying ah my little daughter is dead Fear not only believe Mark 5. 36. ah they shall deliver us to synagogues and prisons and bring us before Kings and all men shall hate us for Christ's sake True But there shall not one hair of your head perish it s but our unbelief which sees God suffering all to roll and reel as Fortune Nature and Devils will which makes us sinfully care For the Lord and Father of Christ cannot vace and Christ's not working is contrary to John 5. 17. but all are in a good hand Obj. But Heman saith Psal 88. 13. In the morning shall my prayer prevent thee So the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in piel antecessit antevert it praeoccupavit anticipavit it s to go before in time in earliness Psal 119. 148. Mine eyes prevent the night watch Deut. 23. 4. The Amalekites prevented you not with bread it s to go before in place Psal 68. 26. The singers went before its strange that any prayer could prevent God Ans Not properly he saith himself JOb 41. 11. Who hath prevented me the same word that I should repay him then our preventing of God should lay some debt upon God which is unpossible and as Paul observes Rom. 11. 35. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who gave him first Therefore 1. He speaks Psal 88. of God after the manner of men as if Heman in a manner were more early up in the morning to pray then the Lord were ready to hear the contrary whereof is true as if Heman's early praying wakened God Psal 44. 23. Awake why sleepest thou 2. There is a preventing of God as a Deliverer and a Comforter God's order is that our praying makes an impulsion and stirring on the Lord first and then he delivers and comforts Psal 24. 6. Psal 18. 6 7 16. and so in order to comfort and deliverance in genere mediorum moralium prayer wakens Heaven and puts the Lord a working but as touching the order of real and physical actings the Lord prevents us the string of the Harp or Viol is not said to touch the hand of the Musician but the Musician's hand toucheth the string hence is Musick Nor does the Axe stir and lift up the arm of the Carpenter but the Carpenter's arm lifts up the Axe therefore they who teach that our prayer and the actings of our free will can and may prevent grace in place of preventing grace give us nature and the creature preventing God we read of the Father drawing us and the Son with the odour of his ointments drawing sinners but to teach that nature prevents grace is to say we are
me hope when I was on my mothers brest c. So is there Psal 102. fainting ver 3. My bones are consumed like smoke and my bones are burnt as an hearth Ver. 4. My heart is smitten and withered like grass And ver 12. there is a rising of faith But thou O Lord shalt endure for ever and thy remembrance to all generations Ver. 13. Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Sion Psal 77. 4. Thou holdest mine eyes waking I am so troubled that I cannot speak Ver. 7. Will the Lord cast off for ever It s low enough now and yet how doth the Church lift up her head Ver. 13. Thy way O God is in the sanctuary who is so great a Lord as our God So Lam. 1. 2 3 4 5 6. 7 8 c. compared with ver 2 22 23. in which actings under unbelief and customary formality with some glimmering of fainting faith eying the command of God in the darknesse when there is no light Isa 60. 10 11 c. there go along some farther actings of the spirit not that we think there is any truth of that of the School-men To him who doth what he can by the strength of nature God denies not helps and influences of grace Yet in these we see God comes along with his influences But if we say 4. That there are in the renewed child of God some stirrings of the spirit in all these acts we go about under deadness then one act of praying and the influence of grace makes way physically to another and that to a third for to say nothing of the promise To him that hath it shall be given of which hereafter I do but provoke to the experience of the Saints if here the second pull of prayer be not stronger then the first and the third then the second and the fourth above the third for when the wheels are a going the Organs of the spirit do not weary And there is a reserve of fresh strength and a stronger recruit and supply in Jacobs wrestling until the dawning reserved and more strength of heavenly violence to prevail with God then in his wrestling all the night Gen. 32. 26. Let me go saith the Angel of the Covenant Christ for the day breaketh And he said I will not let thee go except thou blesse me 28. As a Prince thou hast power with God saith the Lord to him And we see one throwing about of the key when the lock of the door is rusted maketh the second throwing obout more easie and the third throw does yet more and the seventh or the tenth throw makes the passage of the iron bolt yet most easie and the door at length with little violence is opened when now the rust and straitnesse is removed And a flaming of the fire prevailing over a dry tree makes easie way to a second flaming and that to a third and so to all the rest till the timber be consumed and the fire be fully victorious Believing adds to believing praying begets more praying and we see motion breeds warmnesse and that stronger motion and cold hearts that are dead and almost frozen by one smiting of influences grow hotter and by two or three or seven actings of the spirit grow yet hotter and yet more â—ot And there is something in that Cant. 6. 11. I went down to the garden of nuts 12. Or ever I was aware my soul made me like the chariot of Aminadab or of my wilâ—ing people There is some stiffnesse upon the living man when he first begins to move but a little motion makes him more agile Dr. Preston may aim at the like truth If a man saith he were to run a race if he were to doe any bodily exercise there must be strength of body he must be fed well that he may have ability but the use of the very exercise it self the very particular act which is of the same kinde with the exercise is the best thing to fit him for it So in this dutie of prayer it 's true to be strong in the inner man to have much knowledge to have much grace makes a man fit and able for the duty But if you speak of the immediate preparation for it I say the best way to prepare us for it is the very duty it self as all actions of the same kind increase the habits so prayer makes us fit for prayer and that is a rule The way to godlinesse is the compass of godlinesse it self that is the way to grow in grace is the exercise of that grace I wish this man of God and others more experienced then I had said more of this unknown subject and that the Lord would sit builders in both Kingdomes to draw up a body of Theologia practica that Divinity were more in our hearts it s too much in the heads of many only I speak here of preparation to receive influences D. Preston of the preparation to duties to praying under indisposition But I would not be understood so as if I thought acts of influences which are acts of Omnipotency might be sharpened and facilitated by our actings Only my meaning is that the passive capacity of the soul may be widened and enlarged to receive showres of quickening influences from the Lord by frequent acts Experience in my weak apprehension may speak influence of grace oyls the wheels of the soul Prov. 1. 5. A wise man will hear and encrease learning and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels We grow hot like hot iron redded in the fire by praying and are softned and macerated like dry and parched ground by frequent showres and though the heart be frozen and cold when we begin to duties of praying praising meditating conferring of the word hearing yet incalescimus we grow warm by acting the rising of the Sun causeth the Ice to drop off the houses It s a naughty heart that is in the same case after frequent prayer that it was in before It says that the man hath been sweating at the letter and bark of the duty little of the bark or letter of the duty takes glewing with the heart but hardly can the grace of the duty go along with the heart but there is much that cleaves to the heart so that influences thaw the heart Luke 24. 32. Did not say the Disciples our hearts burn within us while he talked with us by the way and while the opened to us the Scriptures Cant. 1. 4. When the King brought me into his chambers we will be glad rejoyce in thee and remember thy love more then wine Sure when the influences of Christ are fiery and live coals it is no wonder they leave lively warmings upon the heart Cant. 4. 16. Awake O North wind and come thou South and blow vpon my garden that the spices thereof may flow out It must be a speech to the Spirit to breath upon the Saints that they may smel and flow more in the actings of
Summer so discretion and moral walking in the Commandments of God by which the man is not far from the Kingdom of Heaven and nearer to it is nearer to conversion then the godlesse and slagitious conversation of a dissolute wretch as he who is at a distance from a City by twenty miles only is nearer to the City then he who is distant a hundred miles from it though both be distant from it and the one formally is out of the City as well as the other this is a wily comparison I assert no preparatory dispositions to conversion as Papists and Arminians teach 2. The man yet unplowed and never broken by the Law standing in a whole condition not caring for nor either needing or valuing Jesus Christ is farther from showers of saving influences then the law-humbled law-broken sinner who though he be but half sick like the woman with child who is under raw and far-off showres of child-birth pain not yet by some weeks near her time needs not yet the help of the midwife yet looks a far off to child-birth pain 3. Out of all question the proud gallant that feareth neither God nor reverenceth man and hath laid Atheistically his count and fixed his thoughts concerning Heaven and Hell hath something more to doe before Christ rain salvation on him then he who prays hears gives almes whores not roars not blasphemes not for he hath fewer miles between him and Christ's influences 4. Therefore though the natural man cannot pray in faith and the renewed man under a sad and deep deadness can doe little or nothing yet literal and natural acting at praying is not only better then nothing but is by way of command in genere mandati divini more near to praying in faith and fervour then either blaspheming or no praying at all even as literal and natural heat is nearer to spiritual and supernatural heat then extreme coldnesse and as fire-heat is nearer to life-heat or vital warmness for it may and doth often cherish and nourish vital heat then Ice-coldnesse though as touching the nature and kind fire-heat and vital heat may well be thought to differ in spece and nature and all the fire-heat on Earth cannot restore vital heat to a dead man and all the sweet moral qualifications discretion natural zeal civil vertues in their summer greennesse cannot put a man in a spiritual capacity to receive divine and supernatural influences yea many carry such bewitching lusters to hell with them and never promove a whit farther then to the state of a civil convert a saint of Satan and die so and by accident civil saints are a huge way farther from Christ then robbers It s true some of our Divines have said natural preparations are hurtful destructive and noxious to conversion I wish they speak not so their meaning is as they are trusted in men are by assed by them praying in the streets giving of alms with sound of Trumpet so circumstantiated in regard of 1. The subject proud Pharisees 2. In regard of the end to be seen of men not to glorifie the Lord. 3. In regard of the manner as self-righteousness trusted in to the loathing of Christ are destructive to sincere praying in faith and humble feeling and to true and sincere acts of charity But we speak of the acts commanded as to their substance God highly is provoked at disobedience when men will not put their finger to a duty and no doubt hypocrisie in the manner of doing duties deadens the heart and makes the soul unfit to receive influences But this hinders not but the unrenewed man and the deadned convert are to blow the fire and to go about duties and to fetch the wind in their kind and to cast aboard and turne about that they may sayl and fetch the harbour Yea and if there be not fire in the ship without doubt the striking of steel and flint may make fire If a dead child of God cannot pray cannot preach cannot believe he is to say and take with him words Lord I cannot pray I cannot preach I cannot believe Nor in all these is any thing said against these two 1. The rebukings of such as are in a dead state 2. The promises of more grace to such as use well what they have of both these in the following Chapter And all these some way ripen us for gracious influences CHAP. IIII. It 's required of the dead that they live and that we must not cease from running when the Lord ceases from drawing 2. Commands put on obligations to duties to such as are indisposed and unable 3. We are to pray under deadness 4. Deadness renders not men lawless 5. The wicked shift of such as pray not for the present because they are indisposed but promise they shall pray praise c. when a spiritual disposition comes on IF the meaning of some be by requiring a moral command to fit us for duties that such a command is enough because it 's a Gospel-command Then is it false that a moral command as such can fit or ripen us for duties For Eph. 5. 14. Wherefore he saith Awake thou that sleepest and itâ—s more then sleeping there being life in a sleeping man and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light Here is both precept and promise given to the dead who of themselves cannot live Yet it 's morally required that they live and John 5. 25. The dead in the graves are to hear the voice of the Son of man And the Lord binds the command on these that were as the men of Sodom Isa 1. 5. A sâ—nful nation a people laden with iniquity the seed of evil doers children that are corrupters v. 10. Wash you v. 16. Make you clean put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes Isa 42. 18. Hear ye deaf and look ye blind that ye may see So the Apostle Peter chargeth Simon Magus Acts 8. 22. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness and pray God if perhaps the thoughts of thy heart may be forgiven thee And Jeremiah speaking to a hardened Prince speaks as to the earth that hath no eares Jer. 22. 29. O earth earth earth hear the Word of the Lord. And it 's a vain thing to think that these are to be confounded the obligation to obey and the impotencie and indisposition to obey For mans wicked weaknesse cannot remove the obligation which the Lord in his holy Law layes on us For wasting that brings on inability to pay makes neither the debt to be unjust nor does it loose the creditor from his right to crave and pursue the broken man except we say that poverty may pay all the debts in the world 2. The Lord layes on rebukes where he knowes Cain cannot answer Gen. 4. 6. Why art thou wroth if thou doest well shalt thou not be accepted So the Lord speaks to Pharaoh Exod. 9. 17. As yet exaltest thou thy self against my people that
the influence by which David should have been guarded against the tempration to adultery and murder the Lord may withdraw such influences that the fallen Saints may know that they stand by grace and therefore from the Lords withdrawings hic nunc let us not conclude we are out of Christ yet we are not to be slack but in trembling and godly fear to keep near to Christ and censure not the Lord for withdrawing of his influences since he stands obliged by his holy covenant not to deny the substantial and fundamental influences by which we shall be saved and persevere to the end 9. Divis There be some influences in which the Lord concurrs with the actings of saving grace as of faith love hope and other influences in which the Lord concurres with the actings of a meer gift or other principles possibly the flesh custome c. and it were good to know the difference betwixt the one and the other Psal 57. 8. Awake my glory awake psaltery and harp and so he speaks to the gift of musick to awake and be concurrent in the praising of God and stirs up the grace of God in himself to praise when he sayes I my self will awake early he teacheth that gift and grace should concur and be stirred up in spiritual duties of praying and praising hence how we may know when we act from a gift and when we act from saving grace these Assertions following Assert 1. Some sinful sleepiness of the flesh may concur in both the acting of the gift and of the grace for David bidding both his harp and so the gift of musick awake and himself awake teacheth some sinful dulness was upon both one and the other So when David excites his soul and all that is within him to bless the Lord Psal 103. 1. he insinuates that in praising of God fleshly dulness may come upon all that is within him both the powers of the soul and the habit of grace and gift and the skill of singing it 's much to get the fountain made clean in our actings 2. How condescending is his mercy who denies not his influences of grace to us though the flesh be acting often and retarding the spirit in our actings Assert 2. We are to take heed that we knock not at the wrong door we may pray and preach from a gift of praying and humane eloquence and a civilized and well-skilled fancy and a literal mind versed in the letter of the Scripture when we think that we are praying from the spirit of adoption and the gracious habit of praying So the like may be said of Preaching and singing praises how many prophecied and cast out Devils from a meer gift and die in that deluded condition and are possessed with that habitual mistake which is never tried that they prophecied and cast out Devils from a sanctified principle read Matth. 7. 22 23 24. Luke 13. 25. Matth. 25. 11 12. If any say May not sound believers also blow at the wrong harthstone and think the like Answ There may be a particular mistake in this or that act but not an habitual deluded condition all their life as sometimes the believer may pray from meer custome when there is little stirring of the spirit Assert 3. It 's not enough to doe the same that heathens doe for if ye love them that love you what reward have ye and if ye salute your brethren only not your enemies also what do ye more then others So Christ Matth. 5. to the multitude and to the disciples Matth. 5. 1 46. Believers then should not stint themselves to only publicans and heathens duties Samuel speaks as a man as Samuel when he calls Eliah the Lords anointed 1 Sam. 16. and supposeth that he speaks as a Prophet so doth Nathan 1 Sam. 16. 6 7. 2 Sam. 7. 3. There is a vast difference betwixt thus saith the Prophet by the Lord and thus saith the man and therefore where are we when our righteousness does not exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees The devils believe there is one God and they doe well James 2. 19. and we fooles say in our hearts there is no God Psal 14. 1. and do we well in so saying The devils do tremble when they believe there is one God ah Satan believes in sad earnest when he believes We sport yea doe not we laugh and mock at a Godhead or at the word of a hell The faith conveyed with godly trembling were good Ah that we know not the influences of God conjoyned with the out-lettings of a gift and of a temporary faith and the influences that goe along with the out-letting of saving grace as touching the matter Assert 4. Hardly can the use of a gift ascend above it self to intend God and his glory for the glory of God is graces end not gifts end Zech. 7. 5. When ye fasted did ye at all fast unto me 6. And when ye did eat and when ye did drink did ye not eat for your selves and did not ye drink for your selves Heb. did not ye your selves eat as carnal men did ye not eat and drink and feast and fast He meanes the spirit of grace in them did not keep these religious fasts and feasts but their own spirit and custome and self and did ye fast for me at all and he doubles the word that so he may the more convince them even for me So the Lord might say to the Pharisees who prayed in the streets Did ye at all pray to me even to me or did the gift and vain-glory in you or the spirit in you So he may say to us Doe ye preach hear swear a covenant for me at all Saving grace must sanctifie the gift in its use and end that it be for God but a gift can never sanctifie saving grace in its use and end As grace which is above nature sanctifies nature and heightens nature in its actings principles and end but nature that is below grace can never sanctisie and heighten grace in its actings principles and ends Assert 5. The same sun the same air and heaven send the same influences on the true and natural olive and on the wild olive the same clouds and rain act upon the vine-tree and the thorn-tree upon the rose and the briar and the nettle and so the same word comes to the ears of both elect and reprobate but not the same quickning influences of grace upon both Saul governes and leads the Armies of the Lord by a gift and David governes feeds and leads the Armies of the Lord by the grace of God and the same word of command layes an obligation upon both false Apostles preach Christ from a gift and labour by a gift but Paul labours not as Paul but the grace of God in him The virgins are drawn and run Cant. 1. and John is drawn and runneth but the same lively influences act not upon the one and other it is
his actings from a gift to be actings from grace but 1. An habitual delusion such as was in the five foolish virgins all their life and until the market of buying oyle was spent and over cannot fall into a regenerate man for the Lord reveals his state to him 2. A child of God may all his life not put a distinct difference between the gift of preaching in Judas and the grace of preaching for there is no certainty of faith of the saving grace of others as touching particular men 3. There is in the Saints a spiritual sense of discerning Christs voice and here two things are to be distinguished 1. The actings of sense 2. The objects of sense and spiritual discerning the acts of sense in order to others are not infallible either in the habit or the act the eleven may all their life mistake Judas But as touching the object the saving influences and actings of God have them in some singular and peculiar thing by which actu primo and in themselves they may be discerned As Christs preaching had such grace in it never man spake like him Pauls preaching in the evidence and demonstration and power of the Spirit 1 Cor. 2. had something that a spiritual discerning might take up the garden flower and the wild flower that grows in the mountains are like other yet the senses of seeing and smelling find a difference It 's dreadful when Christs preaching and the Apostles speaking and praying in the holy Ghost brings forth mocking and persecution and the miracles of Christ that were done by the power of God are fathered upon the Prince of devils it 's hard to perswade men of the naughtiness of their own heart What comes from self comes from grace the heart because it is the mans own is good to God the prayers are the mans own and good the lamps they are our own and they shine and therefore the shining is from the oyl of grace within and yet the lamp is empty 2. As to others hardly see we what condition they are in and because the smell of dead bones comes not through marble-stones in the Tomb therefore the paintry of a profession satisfies us yet it was not want of charity that made Micah 7. 2. say The good man is perished out of the earth and there is none upright among men they lie in wait for blood As now it 's called morosity rash judgment to say that the generality of Ministers and too many time-covenanters know little of any work of the Spirit on their hearts 10 Divis There are influences proper to the way to the Country and influences proper to the end and to the Country or influences of grace and influences of glory Influences for the way though they come from Christ our life yet for the most part they come by some meanes the word the seals prayer faith in the promises what influences they have who never heard the Gospel but have the law of nature within and book of creation and of providence without by which they may read and spell a Godhead and duties they owe to God Creator is harder to determine But they shall be witnesses to judge us and shall justifie Sodom Matth. 10. 15. But did we read more meditate more the covenant of grace we should have more of the influences of grace the influences of glory are the immediate and eternal out-lettings of God without word or faith or praying The tree of life hath growing on it apples of life all the moments of the year that is a long summer and a long year the tree is ever green ever blossoming eternally bearing fruit and the inhabitants eternally feasting on the fruit The river of life runnes for ever and ever flowes eternally and never ebbs they eternally drink in life and joy from him which sits upon the Throne and the Lamb. So many millions of glorified ones as there are so many eternal and immediate dependencies and living beames of glory united to the Son of righteousness because Christ is our life Col. 3. 4. therefore must heaven be a life of immediate influences of grace in the first glorious conserving power of God in preserving bodies of clay in a being of 1. Incorruption and immortality beyond sickness cold pain old age and death 2. In a state of glory free of shame 3. In a state of bodily strength power and activity free of weakness 4. In a state of spirituality free of a necessity of earthly helps eating drinking sleeping 1 Cor. 15. 42 43 44. 2. It must be an immediate out-letting of God in the fourth life of eternal blessedness and glory above the life of nature 2. The life intellectual of reason 3. The life of grace in the vision of the face of God 1 John 3. 2. Rev. 22. 4. Job 19. 26. knowing him 4. In the influences of fulness of joy and delights or pleasures and that so long as Christ-God shall live for evermore Now these three 1. Fruition of God as the last end and satisfaction in him onely seeking no other lover but God in Christ 2. Loving and adhering to God there being no room for faith and hope 1 Cor. 13. 13. whence comes filling of the concupiscible part desire delight 3. Praising him eternally and the Lamb. These three I say have both the consideration of duties and of a reward in both considerations the Lord lets out his immediate influences on that blessed company in all these 1. We are sick of love after our prison here rather then for our choisest life 2. We seek not the earnest and first fruits of this life CHAP. II. The nature of the habit of grace that there is 2. Such a habit is clear in the word 3. It 's purchased by Christs merit 4. Hath supernatural actings flowing from it 5. Influences without this habit are but delusions 6. Differences betwixt the habit of grace and other habits 7. Resolutions must be followed with prayer 2. Godly trembling 3. Faith 8. The stronger the habit of grace is the stronger and and more connatural are the acts flowing from it THe third particular is how the Saints may fetch the holy breathings of the Spirit by supernatural habits And touching this we shall speak to these 1. What the habit of grace is 2. How it is the seed of influences of grace 1. What necessity there is of the connexion betwixt the habit of grace and how we may fetch breathings of the Spirit from the habit of grace As to the first The habit of grace is a fixed disposition infused in the soul by the Lord purchased by Christs merit of his death by which we perform supernatural duties 1. A habit is a heavenly disposition or quality gracious by which the man even sleeping is denominated a convert a believer a translated man from darkness to light Col. 1. 13. Acts 2. 44. Acts 4. 4. 1 John 3. 14. 2. It is a fixed quality different from a spiritual disposition as
leave their name in the earth for a curse Be not satisfied while the wind breaths out of the right air even from a life of Christ and from the head Christ Christ lives in me Gal. 2. and the actual influences of grace from above are suitable having Christ living in you Christ shall furnish wind and sweet breathings of the Spirit to his own life it 's a cursed case of conscience when the man hath peace and so much quietness as to be satisfied with and to thank God for his formal fasting and paying of his debts to all Luke 18. 11. and such counterfeit influences please him all his life 2. How doe they undervalue Christ and his blood who father all influences of praying and seeking of God upon their own industry and nature in this the mouth may kisse the hand we kisse not the Son It speaks grace when every sincere sigh and every good word and thought is referred to the price and ransome of blood when the soule is at this O I would kiss Jesus Christ for this loosing and melting of heart and I am the endeared debtor of Jesus Christ for this lively breathing upon the heart This keeps from murmuring and fretting at other times when the man weeps over his deadness ah it 's saith the complainer long since I saw him 2. The differences betwixt the habit of grace and other habits of arts and sciences would be considered 1. In the rise industry and free-wills trading may purchase the habits of sciences and arts this is infused from heaven I will pour water on the thirsty ground saith the Lord for mine own sake do I this Isa 44. Ezek. 36. 32. This habit is indeed Christs trading and the fruit of the travel of his soul and stands Christ at a high price 2. Other habits may be forgotten and lost this is a part of the believers stock of Christs buying and so in Christs keeping Christ keeps his own purchase from wasting in shipwrack It 's the immortal seed the well that springs up to life eternal John 4. 14. the remaining anointing 1 John 2. 20. the imbiding seed of God 1 John 3. 9. 3. The lesse excellent the habit is the more it is under the dominion of free-wil the Musician may sing when he will he needs no influences of grace to stir up his habit the natural man from himself may blow upon the natural habits of arts and sciences and the remanents of the image of God and he may do much from common honesty but the more excellent and spiritual the infused habit is the further it is from being under the dominion of free-will only the North and South-wind of the Spirit can act upon this habit supernatural nor can we pray simply at the nod and stirring of free-will only the Spirit of Jesus is steeres-man here and this is to be holden that the Spirit so withdrawes as we are guilty consenters to his withdrawing and in the sinful omission of calling upon the Lord and when the Spirit acts upon the free-will and the habit of grace we are willing consenters to that blessed breathing and willing joyners in the work of praying and some commendation and praise the holy Ghost gives to his Saints in all holy actings Num. 14. 24. Gen. 22. 16. Gen. 32. 28. Num. 12. 7. Rev. 2. 3 13 19. Rev. 2. 4 8 9 10. So we are 1. not to engage in the strength of free-will and let us know thus much that when resolutions of relying upon the grace of Christ are taking and we say this we shall do by the grace of Christ we but use the name of grace but there is within 1. A fixedness of relying on nature and we follow not our resolution with prayer as David Psal 119. 106. I have sworn and will perform that I will keep thy righteous judgments He seconds his vow with prayer v. 108. Accept I beseech thee the free-will offering of my mouth O Lord and teach me thy judgments In praying for any mercy as for grace to keep the way of God which we have vowed to keep we are to interpose Christ as Surety for the performing of the vow 2. There is not godly fear and trembling in distrusting our selves David after the Lord makes a covenant with him and David by the Lords grace had accepted and engaged to stand to it he casts himself down to the dust 2 Sam. 7. 18. Who am I O Lord God and what is my house that thou hast brought me hitherto If we did but consider how cozening and unstable as water our hearts are we should fear our own bentness to backsliding when we so vow It speaks honest ingenuity after a man hath borrowed money and given word and writ to pay it when he is anxious how to answer the day and be acquit of the debt 3. Faith should rely upon the promise of God for influences of grace and look away from nature and cease from the breathings of free-will especially since they are involved in the promises of perseverance and in the promises of the covenant Isa 54. 10. Isa 59. 21. Jer. 31. 35. Ezek. 36. 27. For among men he who engageth for a good harvest doth also engage to labour to harrow and sow He that covenants to bring home to a Prince a ships loading of gold from India he must also engage to prepare a ship and sea-men and provision for them and to set out to the Sea for sailing and to take the opportunity of the winds Now since the Lord hath promised to bring many children to glory this puts on Christ a sort of engagement especially if we add to this the trust that the Father hath put on him John 17. 2. chap. 6. 37. to work in them to will and to doe and when they fall to raise them again and as faith relies upon the promise of glory so is faith to rely upon Christ for grace and influences and new breathings of the Spirit without which perseverance promised even undeclinable attaining to glory is impossible 3. The stronger and the more intense the habit is the more connatural and kindly and the more signal bended and strong are the acts that flow from the habit 1. Rain and sweet showres poured upon the dry ground make the growing the more easie and connatural and when a strong habit of the love of Christ stronger then death and the grave which many waters cannot quench was fixed and rooted in the heart of the Martyrs the acts of suffering even the torments of the rack of burning quick of the teeth of wild beasts of exquisite and long-enduring tortures were exceeding both easie and rejoycing and refreshing to themselves and others and they had answerable strong acts of influences and a mighty presence of God as the three children have the fourth man the Son of man walking in the fiery oven with them Daniel hath the increated Angel to stop the mouths of the lyons and there must have
speak at all Ezek. 2. 6. Self must be denied and shamefastness before Kings Psal 119. 46. see Psal 39. 1 2. laid aside Q. What then shall be done to be free of the indisposition of straitning and so to get influences of enlargement of heart Answ 1. Get and entertain large apprehension of God Who is a rock save our God Psal 18. 30 31. Be principled in the broad apprehensions of Christ he is altogether lovely all loves Cant. 5. 16. A touch of him can save 2. Rid marches betwixt the Law and grace some renewed ones must have their by past life and the strict law reconciled otherwise they but walk in the flesh and so live as they imagine in Law bondage and are sick of the old diseases and so weaken their faith Hence straitning Thou art under the Law and having made a bargain with the Law to keep it thou art in the flesh thou canst not speak to a strange King in another land a King of grace since thou hast fled back again to the old prison and if thou speak it is with much straitning and doubting thou art the Lawes man and not Christs 3. Keep near communion with God keep the vessel free of leaking and of under water sin weakens faith and saddens the spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty 2 Cor. 3. 4. Improve much faith Frequent believing shall come up to full assurance and that makes strong and bold knocking for a Son who hath right to come where his own flesh is within the vail is vigorous the servants knock is weak unbelief knocks faintly Yet mistake not heaviness as if it were unbelief Christ had much heaviness even to death in his suffering but no weaknesse of faith But Matth. 26. these O my Father O my Father as that also my God my God speak strong faith much enlargement in his heaviest case These four being observed influences are near 5. Grow in sonly love as a child to cry Abba Father a word of a child learning to speak Rom. 8. 26. 6. Get and cherish the inward witnessing of the Spirit Rom. 8. 16 17. and the confirmed assurance of justification by faith hence access and boldness Rom. 5. 1 2 3 4. Eph. 3. 16 17 18 19. The third question How far David or a child of God may undertake to run upon the supposal of an enlarged heart Hence these Assert 1. There is an undertaking as if the child of God had influences at his hand Of this nature in Scripture Psal 51. 10. Create in me a clean heart 11. Cast me not away from thy presence 12. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and uphold me with thy free Spirit 13. Then will I teach sinners thy ways So v. 15. O Lord open thou my lips and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise Psal 119. 27. Make me to understand the way of thy precepts so shall I talk of thy wondrous works 88. Quicken me after thy loving kindness so shall I keep the testimonies of thy mouth In which he lays it for a ground if God graciously give a new heart he will graciously give influences of grace to teach sinners If the Lord of free grace open the lips he will also give influences to make him shew forth the praises of God not that dispositions of grace doe necessarily determine us to gracious acts or can determine the Lord to bestow influences of grace but the Lords free promise determines him Where he opens one door he opens a second and then a third until his child be in his bosome when he gives one grace he gives another yea because he gives grace he layes holy bands on himself to give more grace the Lord of grace chooses some to savation and gives them to his son and because he chooses them he gives his Son to death for them and because the Lord redeems them by his Son therefore he gives to them strong faith and because he gives to them saving faith therefore he gives to them perseverance and glory and so gives influences of graces in a golden link and chain Rom. 8. 29 30. 2 Thess 2. 13. Acts 13. 48. Eph. 1. 4 5. 1 Pet. 1. 2 3. Assert 2. A believer under the sense of mercy and deliverance is to engage his soul to praise David delivered in the cave Psal 58. 7. I will sing and praise Psal 30. Thou hast turned from me my mourning into dancing v. 12. O Lord my God I will give thanks to thee for ever Psal 116. 8. Thou hast delivered my soul from death 9. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living out of the sense of the Lords goodness to all Psa 104. 33. I shall sing unto the Lord in my lives or as long as I live Psal 63. 3. Because thy loving kindness is better then life my lips shall praise thee thus will I bless thee while I live Heb. in my lives Assert 3. The man Christ may absolutely undertake Psal 22. 22. I will declare thy name unto thy brethren I will praise thee in the midst of the congregation For he knows perfectly he neither can sin or come short of his vow nor can the Lord withdraw influences of grace from the man Christ but Peter had no assurance that under that particular temptation the Lord should not forsake him The general all the renewed have that the Lord will not suffer his own to be tempted above their strength Peter was obliged to watch and pray under all the particular temptations that could occur and especially under the trial of his suffering Saviour of which he was fore-warned by the mouth of Christ from that Prophecie Zech. 13. 7. I will smite the shepherd and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered Obj. The faith of believers is to rely upon the promised help of Christ in every temptation Then may the believer pray to be delivered not in the general but in every particular not to be tempted above his strength Answ The promise of preserving the elect and of giving promised perseverance Isa 54. 10. Jer. 31. 25. 32. 40. to them now converted is absolute that the Lord will put his fear in their hearts that they shall never depart from him 2. That his grace shall fortifie them against attrocious sins committed with the full strength of consent and inconsistent with the seed of God and the inbiding of that seed in them with the holy anointing 1 Joh. 2. 20 27. c. 3. v. 9. But there is not any promise in the New Covenant that David and Peter shall be delivered from particular sins hic nunc such as may consist with the habit of grace and the seed of God There faith is to relie upon God and his grace that he shall not lead them into temptation hic nunc in such particular sins not absolutely but conditionally so the Lord in his wisedom and holy soveraignty shall
Peters temper was weak but when he gave a confession of Christ Matth. 16. he was under a gracious disposition and Peters continuing with Christ in his temptations did suppose a gracious dispoâ—â—tion in these acts of his and the rest of the believing Disciples Luke 22. 29 30. 3. The Lords Disciples are all born again Judas excepted but it were hard to say that John the beloved Disciple was of the same temper before the death of Christ with Peter who proved more sinfully rash in many things then John 2. A disposition is a transient impression that may be left upon the spirit by an occurrence of providence which though it sometime continue long is not necessarily alway so Upon the supposed death of Joseph Jacob refused to be comforted upon the departure of the Ark Phineas daughter in law is disposed to die for sorrow which in a great part was a gracious disposition it s like this great deliverance left a strong impression on Davids spirit and brought out praising of God But to the particular this disposition is a fixedness of resolution to believe pray praise having its rise from this present merciful deliverance it s opposed to the trepidation and doubting of unbelief which made him say elsewhere One day or other I shall perish by the hand of Saul which also saith that this was not ever Davids condition but being deserted of God he was under a contrary disposition but good it were alway to keep the heart under such a fixedness Ah but we are up and down out and in as touching stedfastness and unmoveableness in the work of the Lord the Galatians did run well a while the balasting of saving grace is most necessary it was a sad word 2 Tim. 1. 15. This thou knowest that all they which are in Asia are turned away from me John 6. 66. from that time many 2. of his disciples 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 took them to things behind went backward and 4. walked no more with him they left both Christ and the profession of Christ It was a sad suspending of influences when all the Disciples forsooke him and fled Matth. 26. My heart is fixed my heart is fixed The second particular is the doubling of the words In this and in the following words we have divers considerable characters and properties of heavenly dispositions 1. The doubling noteth the heat and fervour of affection in David as that My God my God notes the heat of faith two gripes of faith is better then one so saith the tripling of that prayer O my Father O my Father remove this cup Matth. 26. There is fire in the desire Psalm 57. 1. Be merciful to me O God be merciful to me and twice in this Psalm v. 5. Be thou exalted O God c. and again v. 11. Be thou exalted O God Psalm 46. that is doubled the Lord of hosts is with us v. 7 11. for his mercy endureth for ever is repeated twenty six times in one Psalm 1. In sinners in Christ it could not be it notes a sort of distrusting of the Spirit they will not believe the heart at the first word Not unto us O Lord that is not enough the heart is ready to steal the Lord's glory therefore he addeth not unto us but unto thy name give the glory therefore the doubling of it speaks the certainty Gen. 41. 32. 2. It notes that we are to make an eik to our assurance my heart is fixed O God therefore two witnesses are better then one he says it over again my heart is fixed for we shall deny that any such heavenly disposition was in the hour of temptation and say all is but false work in so doing he blows the coal when he finds it smoaking and blows twice and strikes the iron again and again when he finds it hot So he awakes up tongue and voice musick and harp gift and grace to praise the Lord as when he finds his heart in a praising disposition he desires an eik of all creatures in heaven and earth Psalm 103. all the Angels all his hosts all his works in all places of his dominion to joyne with his soule to blesse the Lord v. 20 21 22. 3. It notes a fiercenesse and a strong flaming of the affection and a sort of violence of assenting to the influences of grace which brought on that holy disposition which teacheth us when holy dispositions offer a divine violence to the soul to joyn our violence to his violence we will run that is our violence Draw me that is his violence Psalm 119. 32. I will run the way of thy commandments and press my self to willing and hot obedience if thou shall or when thou shall enlarge my heart 2. To this purpose we are to meet his actings of love Cant. 1. 4. The King brought me into his chambers with extolling and praising his love we will be glad and rejoyce in thee we will remember thy love more then wine the upright love thee 3. Let us intend and enlarge the acting of our heart to him Christ puts in his hand by the hole of the door which was a strong inward stirring of the Spirit of Jesus and the Spouse meets this with bended and mighty acts of loving obedience As 1. My bowels were moved for him For whom for him my Beloved who did stand and knock while his head was full of dew and his locks wet with the drops of the night v. 2. 2. I rose up to open to my Beloved and my hands dropped with myrrh and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh upon the handles of the lock Here are both repentance in rising to open whereas she excused and shifted the business before and sense of the savouriness and heavenly feeling as of a sweet smell of myrrh joy sense of joy and delight in obedience to him 4. There is a formal holy violence offered to him the Angel Christ wrestles with Jacob which is a sort of fighting and opposing his strength to Jacobs strength and he opposeth trying and tempting reason to Jacob Let me go for its dawning and Jacob opposeth his violence on the contrary I will not let thee go until thou bless me And the Beloved is wrestling to win away after long absence and much painful seeking Cant. 3. 1 2 3. but the Spouse offers violence on the contrary with all her strength I held him and would not let him go until I brought him to my mothers house and unto the chambers of her that conceived me 5. Its sit to meet a thirst of the Lords Spirit in a flowing of feeling with a thirst of faith when Christ saith to Thomas John 20. 27. Reach hither thy finger and behold my hand and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side this was a great condescension of Christ in bestowing on him a flowing of feeling and Thomas answers it with a strong act of the application of faith My Lord and my God 6. When
what men have not and not to what they have and consider not what God may give them Matth. 19. 30. 3. Some see no good in Christ no good in John Baptist Luke 15. 1. Matth. 11. 18 19. Can any good come out of Nazareth no prophet ariseth from Galilee 4. We pity the sick though our enemy and extend not compassion to the sinner erring though the son of the same father 5. We see the spot in the face the crook in the nose but our own unseen boyls we overlook 6. We see not the secret good in some and their sincerity which is dear to Christ Luke 21. 3. Luke 7. 44 45 46. God hath so ordered that the infirmities of some of his children are ever visible in the streets O fairest among women Here the character of this heavenly disposition of love-sickness which is called savouriness the Spouse savours of the Spirit and speaks like one sick of love and the daughters of Jerusalem smell this savour and look on her as the fairest among women There is a savouriness of grace passive whereby words and behaviour cast a smell whether the children of God will or not and an active savouriness by which those who have any thing of Christ can smell the savouriness of grace in others Now a word of this savouriness as it is in the head in Christ the cause and fountain 2. In the Spouse 3. In the single members The sweet smell of the fountain suppose a well of rose-water is the cause of the sweet smell that is in the streams 1. There is dwelling in him all the fulness of the Godhead bodily John 1. 44. we beheld his glory as the glory of the only begotten Son of the Father 2. What a savoury lump and mass of grace must the man Christ be who is the publick channel of grace through him the savoury waters of the Sanctuary and the river of joy doth water all the indwellings of the City of God Psalm 46. 3. Christ God-man is anointed with the oyl of gladness above his fellows Psalm 45. 7. without measure John 3. 34. The fulness of anointing is upon him Isa 61. 1. Luke 4. 18. His name is as a precious oyntment poured out Cant. 1. 3. And the savour of the knowledge of his name in the preached Gospel is sweet and savours out heaven and life eternal 2 Cor. 2. 14 15 16. and the fulness of grace in him John 1. 16. out of which we all receive John 1. 16. makes him more nor savoury and natural men wonder at the gracious words that proceed out of his mouth Luke 4. 22. and enemies see some of the anointing and shining of God in him never man spake like him never man did like him never man lived like him never man died like him would we come neerer to Christ by faith and love we should smell more of Christ O what a savour hath his birth his life his precious oyntments his death his resurrection he is all savoury Cant. 1. 3. Psal 45. 7 8. Cant. 5. 13. his lips like lillies dropping sweet smelling myrrhe 2 Cor. 2. 15 16. His word a sweet savour of life His countenance is as Lebanon Cant. 5. 15. O what perfume is in his death the smell of Lebanon is delicious 2. There is much savouriness in the Spouse Cant. 3. 6. to the wondering of many Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoak perfumed with myrrhe and frankincense with all powders of the Merchants Cant. 4. 10. the smell of her oyntments is better then all spices v. 11. The smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon Now Lebanon was a field where grew odoriferous trees roses sweet smelling spices and herbs in abundance 3. Every particular professor hath received sweet smelling anointing 1 John 2. 20 27. of the Spirit and they that are after the Spirit savour of the Spirit Rom. 8. 5. 1. Vse If the savouriness of love-sickness be in any they shall use means for it bring the soul under the influences of the sun of righteousness for the sun-beams draw out sweet savours and the actings of love-sickness out of the habit of grace such smell as myrrhe and roses and odoriferous herbs and flowers and they have within such comes out ye cannot draw out sweet smells out of a dead carrion some plague themselves with the Gospel and the Gospel plagued them Satans influences for hating of Christ loathing of the Gospel persecuting the godly are mighty 2. To thrust the heart by acts of love upon Christ encreases love to lay him between the breast as a bundle of myrrhe all the night begets more love-sickness for him 3. Much praying changes the countenance of Christ and of his Jude 20. building up your selves in the most holy faith praying in the holy Ghost Much praying mnst be much edifying of our selves in the faith 4. Know the stink and corrupt breath of many professors rotten words corrupt sects speak disgracefully of Christ as of the man crucified at Jerusalem of the holy Scriptures at of Ink-forms their throat is an open sepulchre O the dead bones and the rotten smell in the heart which come out in words and actions CHAP. XII What may be done in the using of means hearing the word by us to fetch influences if there be any truth in that Deus facienti quod in se est non negat gratiam God denies not grace to the man who does what he can Whether doth God command all use of means external or internal in whole and part 2. Whether grace be above 1. The desire 2. The disposition 3. The prayer 4. The purchase of nature 3. No sufficient universal grace is due to Brasilians 4. Martinez de Ripalda abuseth many Scriptures to prove sufficient grace 5. No Gospel-promise no Gospel-threatning in Scripture concerning universal grace 6. Sinners are now interdited heirs 7. The connexion betwixt natural and supernatural acting in conversion 8. Of the natural providence of God Creator and the supernatural and Redemptory providence of God by which the chosen are converted 1. IT 's a question whether the Lord commands the only meer bulk of the duty to use means and hear and read whether we act in faith or no certain it is not the full and plenary intent sense or purpose of any command of God to enjoyn acts that are maimed lame hypocritical 1. It 's against the perfection of the command The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul Psalm 19. 7. Not only extensively but also intensively and arrests the whole man and all the thoughts and powers of the soul and the principles of the moral actions 2. The Lord forbids rather and rebukes such an use of means as includes sinful defects in the principles manner and end Psalm 50. 16. But unto the wicked God saith What hast thou to do to declare my statutes Isa 1. 12. Who required this thing at your hand that ye
calling and what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe Eph. 1. 17 18 19 20. And if as touching the will and the affections he be wicked in all the frame and imaginations of the heart Gen. 6. 5. Gen. 8 21. Jer. 17. 9. Ezech. 36. 26. Ezech. 11. 19 20. and that he cannot believe or come to Christ mediatly or immediatly except it were given him of God John 6. 65. Phil. 1. 29. 1. Act. 5. 31. 2 Tim. 2. 25. and except the Father draw him Joh. 6. 44 45. Eph. 2. 1 2 3 4. Tit. 3. 3. Why should the Masters of general grace tell us that Christ enlightens every man that comes in the world Joh. 1. 9. for men enlightned by Christ the true light are no more blind then seeing men and because this is actual illumination give us a place of Scripture where it is said that all the Brasilians Indians and other Gentiles are actually illuminated by Christ the true light even from the womb If from the womb when was that true Eph. 5. 8. Sometimes ye were darkness but now ye are light in the Lord for such as are actually illuminated by Christ were never darkned for the actual illumination denominates men as truly as the morning light names the air lightsome And when did the Ephesians and other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their minds having the understanding darkned being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart And if Christ shall destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people and the vail that is spread over all nations Isa 25. 7. then there is such a covering and vail over all faces and if people be blind in darkness and under the power of Satan Acts 26. 18. untill the preached Gospel open their eyes If Christ the true light do actually illuminate the Brasilians Indians Turks those of China who never heard the Gospel is a question 2. If Christ stand at the door of the heart of Brasilians Indians and knock and they have power of free-will to open as Martinez saith and the Lord every moment knock and awaken up the will by moral swasion or preaching of the Gospel the Pelagian grace by inspiration which adds no new strength to the will then is there here a market for the buying of influences of saving grace how comes it that never man in Brasilia India was ever converted to Christ and professed Christ The Scripture which saith there is no name under heaven by which men are saved but by the name of Jesus Act. 4. 12. is here silent all stories of human writers are silent 3. The place Rev. 3. 20. is meant of the visible Church of Laodicea v. 14. to the Angel of the Church of the Laodiceans write These things saith the Amen c. 18. I counsel thee to buy of me fine gold tried in the fire c. Did ever Christ by John or any other Apostle or Pastor write Gospel and command faith and repentance to the Angels of the Churches of Brasilia India and those who never heard any such Gospel-counsel to buy fine gold and white raiment and eye-salve from Jesus Christ as also the Jesuit with the same breath names this converting and saving Gospel grace for he cites that of John 15. without me ye can do nothing and the other texts hereafter which our Saviour clearly expones to be growing in Christ as branches in the vine-tree by faith drawing life from Christ v. 4. Abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit of it self except it abide in the vine no more can ye except ye abide in me 5. I am the vine 8. for without me the true vine ye can do nothing ye can bring forth no saving fruit Now the bastard-grace which the Jesuit will have to be saving and Christ knocking at the door is nothing but cogitationes affectiones naturales honesti and I should gladly know if Christs meaning John 15. 5. Without me ye Brasilians and Indians and except by faith ye abide in me as branches in the vine-tree you exercise no acts of desiring or thinking on an honest object nor can ye do what is in you to attain to natural thoughts of the same kind Must the Jesuit have the Apostle to speak to the Brasilians and Indians O ye Brasilians work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it 's God that works in you to will and to do Phil. 2. in all honest natural thoughts And 2 Cor. 12. 6. God is in you working all in all that is v. 11. All these worketh the same Spirit of God giving to you Brasilians the spirit of wisedom the gift of healing the gift of working miracles as v. 7 8 9 10. And the God of peace Heb. 13. 20 21. make you Brasilians perfect in every good work to do his will revealed in the Gospel working that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ If this be not abusing of Scripture what is it for he cites these Scriptures So Prov. 1. Wisedom crys without she uttereth her voice in the streets Christ the eternal wisedom of the Father never proclaimed the wisedom of the Gospel which hath so many Gospel-promises annexed to it to the stupid Brasilians read Prov. c. 2. c. 3. c. 4. c. 8. and the manifestation that God makes to the Gentiles Rom. 1. is a natural not a Gospel manifestation But I cannot stay see the Authors on the Margin 3. He who loves persons and hates them e're they be born or do good or ill and hath mercy upon these same by softning and hardning their hearts not because they run or run not or will or will not but because the Lord hath mercy on whom he will then there is no purchasing by our endeavours of the work of conversion 4. All Gospel-promises and all Gospel-threatnings are revealed in the Old and New Testament as well as the Gospel it self and the Gospel-commandment for an unwritten Law and Gospel binds not us But neither in Old or New Testament is there such a promise The nation and the person that doth such things shall be rewarded with the blessing of the preached Gospel Nor is there any such threatning that the nation or person that commit such sinnes and omit such duties shall be punished with the want of the preached Gospel for ever and with the want of faith and repentance only the latter suffers an exception in persons that sin against the holy Ghost for of Nations that sin and that before they hear the Gospel we read not It 's true the word of the Kingdome for great sins may be removed Zech. 11. 5 6 8 9. v. 12 13 14. Amos 8. 4 5 6. v. 11 12. Matth. 21. 33 34 35 41 42 43. Acts 13. 44 45 46 47.
Rev. 2. 5. But that proves nothing it 's because the elect in that place doe fail and there be not any chosen thereto called 5. Nor should the glory of conversion be due to the grace of God but to our well-guiding free-will and to the works of righteousnesse that we had done contrary to 2 Tim. 1. 9. Tit. 3. 3. Eph. 2. 4 5. if we could procure by our good endeavours our own conversion 6. But so much the man fallen in sin is under the state of enterditement as the eldest Son of a King who is a fool is declared an idiot and the government not committed to him In the Gospel the Lord hath declared man a simple fool and laid the Princedome of grace and glory upon the Catholick Tutor and chief heir Christ Jesus yet we fools will needs be Masters and Free-men before we have served our apprenticeships Gladly would we be from under the dominion of Christ and free grace and be our own yea even fools and mad men take it not well to be fettered and in bands 7. Influences of free grace and the gracious actings of the spirit are paid for by the price of blood Heb. 13. 15. Let us by him then offer to God the sacrifice of praise continually Phil. 4. 18. Heb. 13. 15 20 21. 2 Thess 2. 16. The budding and blooming of the branch in every act of growing depends upon the immediate impulsions of life and from the sap of life that is in the root and the vine-tree Christ Assert 2. But the habit and seed of God being within though the indisposition be great yet we would act doe well 2. Because a natural heat in literal stirring doth pre-paratively work upon the soul though not by way of any Gospel-promise to make it ready to receive an influence of believing Moses his wondering at the bushes burning and it was not consumed made him draw near to see more of God and the acting of faith and wondering ripened Christs hearers for influences of believing so Cant. 5. 6. Moving of the bowels makes way for influences of opening to let the Beloved in and of praying and seeking 2. The very noise and literal stirrings in these actings have far-off acting upon the dead habit to awake it up so beating of the lump of perfume wakens up the smell The blowing of the wind on the garden of delicious flowers extracts sweet smelling the first three or four throwings of the iron bolt in the ship brings not out water but five or six causes the water to flow out apace The two disciples conferring Luke 24. concerning Christ crucified seem cold and indifferent yea there is much unbelief and deadnesse on the Spirit v. 21. We trusted that it should have been he which should have restored Israel though they say he was a Prophet mighty in word and deed before God and all the people v. 19. Yet their speech saith their heart was very cold concerning his office as Redeemer and concerning his Resurrection but they goe on in the conference and pursue the duty though literally till he begun v. 25 26 27. to open the Scriptures to them and then the heart begins to burn with heat v. 32. It 's considerable that the woman of Samaria's is very literal at the beginning and only concerning Jacobs well yet she going on in the conference there comes a warmnesse and a liking and a seeking of the water of life and a discerning of Christ to be a Prophet and at length a warmnesse of faith in believing him to be Christ and a leaving of the water-pot and a running to the City to invite others to come to Christ Here it is that the first three or four steps bring not heat upon the man but to walk a mile brings warmnesse To strike the flint oftner then once brings out fire at length and when there is a kindled and a fixed habit of grace and gracious dispositions flamings of heavenly dispositions follow apace because creation is a mids to the execution of the decree of predestination to life eternal therefore he who in predestination to life giveth his own to Christ John 17. 2 6 11 12. v. 6. hath established a new supernataral providence or a providence of redemption different from that providence of God Creator which should have been if Adam had never sinned Of this providence these Scriptures are to be understood John 5. 17. My Father worketh hitherto and I work Col. 1. 16. All things were created by him and for him 17. He is before all things and in him all things consist Hence Rev. 3. 14. He is the beginning of the Creation of God Col. 1. 15. Who is the image of the invisible God the first born of every creature Rev. 21. 5. And he that sate upon the throne said Behold I make all things new Heb. 1. 3. Vpholding all things by the word of his power 1. As by the first fall all things fell 2. The first Adam was the publick catholick misguiding Tutor who marred and destroyed all and the Creation and the workmanship of heaven and earth was made subject to vanity because of mans sin and is now as a woman travelling in birth crying in pain under corruption and vanitie Rom. 8. 20 21 22. So the second Adam coming to the throne made a new heaven and a new earth and as a Midwife to the travailing woman brings forth the birth the free sons of God carries on the work in bringing the man Christ in the world for the man Christ is not created and brought in the world by God simply as Creator and Law-giver by the covenant of works but by God as now acting to redeem the world and making a new Creation and a new world 3. Hence the blessing of the creature and of the earth which was under a curse for mans sin Gen. 3. 17 18. is now from Christ whom he hath appointed heir of all things Heb. 1. 2. and by reason of Christs reigning and sitting at the helm of the world and governing all things all the creatures because of this King are called to rejoyce as Psal 96. 11. Let the heaven rejoyce aâ—d the earth be glad let the Sea roar and the fulness thereof 12. Let the field rejoyce and all that is therein then shall all the trees of the wood rejoyce Psalm 98. 8. Let the floods clap their hands let the hills be joyful together See Isa 49. 13. Isa 65. 7. Jer. 31. 11 12 13. 4. And look as when a Kings son and heir is married all the servants and Courtiers are cloathed in Scarlet and gorgeous apparel So when Christ is declared Mediator husband and head of the body the Church the whole servants of the creation have a new right through Christ the heir of all to the liberty of the sons of God and to be delivered from bondage And hence the Saints have a right through Christ to the influences of this new providence the chief of which
are the influences of saving grace and though there be no promise made to the chosen do this and ye shall be converted yet Christ hath by his blood merited conversion and influences for conversion to them and as in Christ all providences are redemptory providences so hath the Lord ordained according to the decree of predestination and of redemption that hearing coming to such a place where Acts 2. Peter preaches where the Gaoler heares Paul Acts 16. to the well of Jacob where the woman confers with Christ beyond her intention are means of the conversion of such as are ordained to salvation so as providences of themselves natural are sometimes through the intention of God made redemptory providences for the conversion of the chosen 3. There is no connexion promissory betwixt natural or literal acting begun and spiritual acting and heat of the life of Christ As these actings are considered in themselves they seem to be one web but the one part of the web is course and grosse cloth the other is silk and cloth of gold they depend one upon another as some providential and general means and are intended of God 2. there is a coevistence betwixt them by a practise of grace not by a promise of grace 3. There is an order of priority and posteriority betwixt them 4. There is a vicinity material betwixt them as five is a number nearer to seven then three and yet three five seven all differ among themselves in nature and essence to hear is nearer to hearing in faith then no hearing at all or obstinate turning away the ear they are knit together as a piece of institution watered if I might so speak with a command and a heavenly acting of God for as was said before the literal acting some way falls under a commandmâ—nt he who commands hearing in faith commands hearing also 4. If there be a literal fixedness of consideration in looking to the duty and some literal missing and sense of deadness it puts the man in the borders of a spiritual duty and hardly wants the soul so acting the saving flowings of the Spirit the very bulk and body of a promise may give some literal wakening to a dead soul and the skaddings of a threatning maâ— put the dead soul in some motion 2 Sam. 12. 1 2 3 4. David gives a literal hearing by the light of a natural conscience to Nathans general parable At length when the Spirit sets it on by application thou art the man David v. 10 11 12 13. comes to some life of confession I â—ave sinned and there begin the spiritual seeds of Psalm 51. Indeed these two the literal part and the spiritual part make as it were in gross one bulk or body of a work but they are conjoyned as the clay and the gold in Nebuchadnezzars image they are joyned by God not by congruiâ—y or decency on the Lords part but of free grace not by promise not by merit nay not as work and wages but accidentall as touching their natures yet the wise Lord intends the one â—or the other it 's therefore good to be about means the waiting at the tyde is not sailing yet it makes way for sailing What connexion is there betwixt Saul's journey in seeking his fathers asses and Samuel's anointing him King of Israel none at all but a providential union there is but no man can say that there is here either a divine institution or a gracious promise yea or a congruity of means and end of work and wages though there be something of a marred institution in dead and dull hearing tied to saving believing here the same sweet breathing that falls on the rose acts on the hemlock which to me is some mystery to others merit of congruity which is detestable to others a free promise but it being examined well is but merit to others half a promise however the dispensation forbids laziness and commands all even though yet in nature to go about duties as creatures rational covenanted externally with God CHAP. XIII Q. 13. What the unrenewed and the renewed can do in the respective dead condition at the use of means 2. Influences work as God sets them on 3. A gracious heart reflects upon it self 4. We may do more by the habit of grace then we do 5. Divers cases of renewed and unrenewed 7. No promise is made to using of external means only yet a sad threatning is made to the not using of them 8. The opposition by unbelief that reprobates make to the Gospel IT is a matter of difficulty to determine because of the various cases what we may here do in the using of means 1. Unrenewed men and renewed both can do less in using of means when two mountains and two rivers are in the way then when one only is before them an unrenewed having both his natural corruption and a strong temptation against him can do no less So Naaman by his office being obliged to go to the house of the Idol-God Rimmon and not yet converted could more hardly abstain from that outward Idolatry then now when to natural corruption fear of offending his master the King of Assyria is added No doubt Pilate naturally loathed and hated Christ as Herod Acts 12. did the Apostles and the Gospel but when Pilate is afraid to offend the people and to seem an enemy to Caesar and Herod willing to pleasure the Jews it 's no wonder then both be not only weakned in using the means to believe in Christ but also positively oppose Christ and the Gospel and if both had been engaged in a profession of Christ as many now are they might have used means more largely to believe and preferred Christ not in their heart and real estimation of mind to men pleasing but in some externals also but that should be no concludent argument that they really loved Christ because a name may put men to hazard court and means and life rather then deny Christ 2. This seems a considerable difference the earth cannot plow and sow wheat of it self yet when it is plowed and laboured and seeded it can enlive and nourish the sown corn but though we can do much more in the using of means then we do yet means work upon us if they be only external by no necessity of nature but according as he stirs who hath mercy on whom he will though men run and will Nor can we deny but the child of God indued with an habit of grace hath actu primo a power to draw life from the head as the living members can draw nourishment from the stomach through the liver and veins yet the Sun and heaven hath influence in all actings of nature the necessity of actual grace doth not remove any of the vertue and power of the habit of grace so doth the renewed heart lie fair to a Gospel-command and as actions vital are immanent and received often on themselves so here the heart renewed can work upon
Antinomians to exclude strict walking make repentance to be nothing but faith So Mr. Denne Hobson c. Again Socinians and Mr. Baxter a man of a strong wit on the other extream to exclude the loose faith of many make Gospel-faith to be nothing but repentance and new obedience But the place Acts 2. can no more prove that repentance and a fixed walk in good works is such a part of the new Covenant as this do and live the life of faith and be pardoned then that Baptism which is in the text joyned with repentance is necessarily required before pardon whereas both repentance faith baptism new obedience are the way to the possession of the crown not causes not the price not the ransome of the right and title to the crown and both as conditions of pardon and title to the crown and the place Acts 3. 19. speaks of repentance continued all the life for such a repentance is commanded in both places and all along in Scripture Matth. 3. 8 11. Matth. 3. 13. Acts 11. 18. Acts 13. 24. Acts 26. 20. Ezech. 14. 6. Matth. 4. 17. Mark 1. 15. Mark 6. 12. Acts 17. 30. Rev. 2. 7. Rev. 3. 19. as a work not of a day but of all the life also the words should bear that sins were not pardoned until the time of refreshment that is till the day of the eternal happiness and rest from our labours of this life in which day sins are only blotted out declaratively saith Diodati But let it stand repent that you may be pardoned and that a turning to God is a condition and a way and a means of remission of sins it shall not hold up the fabrick of Mr. Baxters justification by inherent righteousness for sure in concreto no man is pardoned who continues in his sinful way but he that repents and so continues repenting that he may be pardoned to himself and to others is the only justified man of all those that are adult and come to age For the Apostles Acts 2. 3. John Baptist Matth. 3. having to do with loose professors and hypocrites who sought righteousness by law-works and yet slighted Law and all Law-works do urge first repentance sincere 2. Continuing to the end 3. Visible to themselves and others nor do we bid proud and whole Pharisees and men going on securely and workers of iniquity as such immediately lay hold on Christ as their Saviour and it 's true the motive of Gods abundant pardoning and so the faith of pardoning mercy leads to repentance Isa 55. 6 7. let the wicked return for he will abundantly pardon and therefore faith goeth before repentance as touching some acts In these Matth. 6. 14 15. If ye forgive not your father will not forgive you Christ speaks not of the order as if we must first love our neighbour and our enemies as our selves before we be justified nor is the holy Ghost upon order 1 John 1. 19. Prov. 28. 13. Romans 10. 8 9 10 13. as if penitent confession of sin to Christ forsaking of all sin and sound and compleat repentance must go before justification and forgiveness but the Lord designs the persons pardoned that they must be such as forgive their enemies forsake their sins because men are ready to sooth themselves as if haters of their brethren might be while they habitually continue in such a wicked way justified before God Mr. Baxter in his confession c. 5. sect 1. concl 6. page 101. I believe that by the new law of grace or the promise God hath delivered all men in the tenour of the promise the promulgation reaches not to all from the guilt of sin and as to the destructive punishment on condition they will accept of Christ and life and no man is accepted out of this promise till they remediesly reject it but it is so general that whosoever will have Christ may have him on his terms though none will have him till Gods special grace make them willing yet whosoever will is called to drink of the water of life My doubts are shortly these 1. What Scripture saith that Christ hath delivered all men i. e. Brasilians Indians all the race of man from the guilt of sin as to the destructive punishment or from hell why not from their vain conversation 1 Pet. 1. 18. the same ransome is payed to save from the one as well as the other 2. How is it not a scenical and a poor delivery and satisfaction and ransome paid to justice if justice inflict eternal destructive punishment on all Brasilians Indians millions of this huge all must then be the covenanted people of God if they be saved conditionally can a covenant-promise be made to all if all be not the people of God by this covenant-promise 3. Can a promise of God never promulgated never by fame or sound of words reaching the ears of these to whom the promise is made be either promise or obliging Law the Lord's will to do good is but a meer decree never a promise till it be spoken was there such a thing from eternity as a promise of God to make the world a decree there was never a promise God said never in Old or New Testament if all the Brasilians Indians shall believe in Christ they are saved and to them come to age a promise conditional it cannot be when not only never promulgated but Apostles and others are expresly forbidden to promulgate it to the Gentiles Matth. 10. 5. Acts 16. 6. as being no people of God Lo-ammi not obtained mercy in Christ Hos 1. 10. 1 Pet. 3. 10. Rom. 10. 24 25. and yet for all these Christ died all these Christ saved conditionally they are saved and my people and I promise to them life in my Son so they believe but tell them not of it what a Gospel is this 4. How can the Brasilians be guilty of remedylesse rejecting of a Christ they never heard of for how shall they believe in him of whom they never heard Rom. 10. 14. how have they sin in hating Christ for Christ came never to them either in proper person or the Gospel John 15. 22 23. preached 5. How can this promise be so wide and general as none are excepted for either Christ dyed not for Infants and so no Infants are redeemed nor washed in the blood of Christ no Infants are part of the world or mankind or Infants are condemned for not actual accepting of Christ and life and for wilful and remedilesse rejecting of Christ because they will not come to Christ and drink as Rev. 22. 17. 6. If whosoever will have Christ may have him Brasilians and Indians and grace be universal as saith Mr. Baxter Brasilians and all Mankind must be freeholders and soveraigns of Heaven and Hell of the Decrees of Election and Reprobation of Effectual calling it must then be in him that runs and wills and not in God who shews mercy nor doth the Lord have mercy on whom he will It 's
lodging to the spirit to breath in Let nature stir first in the using of means First bow the knee stretch out the hands should the Spirit from above first bow the knee and first physically act upon the hands to lift them up nay nature begins in its order before the heat and fire of the spirit come flaming goes not before smoking but contrarily smoking leads the way to flaming the flaming of faith of love of paining desires in their spiritual vigour go not before stirring of the lips and lifting of the eyes to Heaven to pray that is no more true then refreshing and cooling of the heart go before eating and drinking will ye say I will not pray while first the spirit flame I will not hear while first I believe and I will not lay up the promises in the heart while first the heart burns in heat of love with the promises You then say I will not throw about the key until the door be first opened I will not hear the word until the Lord give me faith whereas the way of God is that faith as the end comes by hearing as the means leading to the end Rom. 10. and Gal. 3. Ye received the Spirit by the hearing of faith then of necessity our hearing and lending attention to Christ by the outer entry the ear must go before faith as the mean before the end whereas faith comes by hearing as vital heat is stirred up by running so it is true some inward burnings and flamings of spirit begin like smoking before flaming Psal 39. 1. Psal 45. 1. Acts 17. and then follows spiritual acting of praising preaching praying in which case there is as it were in the soul a fever and an inward boyling of a pot that must run over or new wine that must break the vessel and force vent so that silence or no acting must torment and pain the poor man but that is not ordinary for the set way is that we set to acting and the spirit strikes in as he thinks fit and the believer is to blow and stir the fire under the ashes as if he were seeking the wind and must stir and dig some fire and warmnesse out of the letter and let the spirit blow and flame as he will If any say a preparing of the heart goes well before acting that is true also if any say God commands not simple hearing but hearing mixt with faith what ever truth were in that as hearing without faith is sinful formality yet he commands in a divine order that we should hear to the end we may believe and the Lord commands not that we may believe that we may hear as nature ordains not growing and nourishing that the living creature may eat and sleep but by the contrary nature appointeth eating and sleeping that we may grow and be nourished If any say the Lord commands not hearing as to the substance of the act but saving spiritual and humble trembling at the Word and hearing in faith and this he commands to be done in believing and trembling at the Word in the same act in which he commands hearing It shall be denyed that in the order of begetting faith this is necessary that they ever be on and the same act the Lord preached to Adam Gen. 3. 15. the seed of the woman shall break the head of the serpent Adam by the Law of God of nature was first to hear and consider this first Gospel-truth and then to believe it and receive it in faith he was a rational and moral agent in believing and was not obliged in one and the same to hear and believe but as a rational agent he was first to hear and then to believe after consideration of the Gospel now heard and received in the ear and mind And the like may be said of Pagans at the first hearing of the Gospel they must hear and literally consider the letter of the Gospel before they believe As for the Lord 's commanding to believe to pray to read to praise sure we are to begin our duty of natural stirring in these acts though in another kind of cause God must first act us thereunto nor is the Lord 's stirâ—ing of us by omnipotent grace enjoyned to us but we are commanded to doe our duty and to pray for his drawing that we may run but yet by order of nature we are to doe our parts first in our physical way before we feel the stirring of divine influences Obj. He cannot pray he cannot believe and yet God commands him to believe Answ But his cannot as Mr. Fenner saith does not hinder If a wicked mans cannot only did hinder him he might excuse himself before the tribunal of Christ Lord thou knowest I did my best I would have been ruled by thy Word but I could not I would have been humbled and reformed better then I was but I could not For the culpable only hindering cause is Prov. 1. 29. They hated knowledge the fear of the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they chused not They would none of my counsel they despised all my rebuke These four acts of wicked will are set down as the only faulty cause of their non-conversion and their not hearkning to wisedoms cry But if God had given efficacious grace which he out of his absolute liberty denyed certainly they would have been converted true and who denyes that All that have heard and learned of the Father come to me John 6. 45. If all such come and none miscarry then thou would have come also to Christ Surely after I was turned I repented Jer. 31. 19. but that is the cause of non-conversion physical and leaves not the blame on the holy Lord for the wicked will not yet remains and the conscience lays not the blame there but loves to have a physical bar of non-conversion to block up the way of moral non-conversion and four times subscribeth and consenteth to the absence and want of the Lord 's saving influence therefore except the unbeliever could say I had a desire hic nunc to abandon my lusts and to believe only this hinders God refâ—sed the sowing of a gracious power in me to believe pray repent and as an austere master he reaps and exacts believing and praying from a man who doth his best and all that in reason and justice can be craved of a man lays upon me threatnings commandments punishments who am only fettered against my will from obeying Hence faithful Mr. Fenner pag. 8. the moral and faulty reason why the wicked do not repent and come out of their sins is not because they cannot though they cannot but because they will not His reasons are 1. The wicked think they have power and yet they will not doe according to their thoughts what is the reason they hope to repent on their dead beds but because they think they have power or at least they are able to beg power of Jesus Christ Now by their
but influences to keep from sin go along with that word so hidden in the heart that look as the heavens clouds sun fail not to joyn their influences to the seed of vine-trees roses plants of fig-trees and nature goes along with birds to cherish and to warm eggs for the bringing forth of young birds so in some infallible way by promise God concurs with the so hidden word to produce faith and love and all acts of obedience how much then does it concern these that move the question what shall we doe to fetch the wind and to purchase influences of grace to read hear consider love praise believe and chose the Word as a treasure 8. Overcomed temptations have influences sutable to graces victory Psal 119. 23. Princes also did sit and speak against me but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes v. 83 69 161 141. 9. Felt deliverances from the oppression of man v. 134. sense of the loveliness and excellency of God want not influences v. 68 132 133. 3 As the earth and the things that grow thereon receive the Sun's influences so doth the heart qualified with the habit of grace lodge heavenly influences and the well-tuned string of the Harp and Viol closes sweetly with the smiting of the pulse or hand of the Musician but the mistuned string stricken on makes discord and receives no concord of musick the savoury and gracious heart welcomes the breathings of God when the Spirit can no more act by his influences on a gracelesse spirit then a Musician can play harmoniously on a broken Harp or a mistuned Reed Hence these evils of the heart obstruct the influences of grace 1. Hardness and blindness 2. Vnbelief 3. Deadnesse 4. Security 5. Irreligious prophaneness and Atheisme 6. Vnconstancy 7. Deceitfulnesse 8. Pride 9. Worldly-mindednesse 10. Fiery zeal 11. Vncleanenesse 12. Malice and hatred 13. Worldly sorrow 14. False joy 15. Self-love 16. Wilfull ignorance of the Gospel hatred of Christ 17. Impatient fretting against Providence 18. Disordered thoughts and ignorance of God in Christ 1. Blindness and hardening of the heart and Pharaoh's not setting his heart Exod. 7. 23. on the miracle of turning the water of the river to blood so that the fish in the river dyed and the river stank hinders influences of obedience to let the people go Exod. 8. 1 2 3. Matth. 13. 15. Their eyes have they closed lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and should understand with their heart and should be converted and I should heal them as if they were afraid for the saving influences of the saving grace of conversion so men keep strong forts and imaginations against God besieging them by the preached Gospel 2 Cor. 10. 5. 6. and will not have their thoughts led captives to the obedience of Christ Whereas softnesse and tendernesse in Josiah 2 Kings 22. 19 20. brings stooping and self-humiliation and receives influences for repenting weeping and renting the cloths before God for what impressions of grace can the stone or rock and such is the heart hardened Ezech. 36. 26. or the Adamant receive Zech. 7. 12 temptations signs and wonders do nothing at all to bring down the heart Deut. 29. 3. keep thy heart in some softnesse and tendernesse and then shall it receive smitings from God for the very renting of the lap of the garment of an enemy the not despising of the cause of a servant whom the master may easily bear down or the not warming of the loyns of the fatherlesse with the fleece of the flock Job 31. 13 20. in David and in Job have abundant influences of grace going along with them and this seems an innocent negative and when such small fins so they appear to men leave an impression of remorse the heart is like melted wax that easily admits a figure and the print of an image of a man or a Lion Influences are some way due to softness of heart as grace to the lowly rain and dew to meadows in the valley Jam. 4. 6. 1 Pet. 5. 5. Psal 25. 9. 2. As the light of faith leads every thought captive to the obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10. 5 6. so doth unbelief dull the heart The news of Christ risen again are idle tales to the Apostles Luke 24. 11. Unbelievers are men who cannot be perswaded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Gospel leaves as little impression on the heart as a ship on the Sea or an Eagle in the Air where the light of faith leaves not a spiritual capacity for receiving the impressions of the Spirit of grace and where unbelief reigns and since unbelief hath conjoyned softnesse and a fainting at the face of great affliction so as the heart is moved as the trees of the wood Isa 7. 2. there is not a seat in it under such softness to receive influences for the noble and high actings of the courage of faith in withstanding Kings and Princes Priests Prophets and People in subduing of Kingdoms and in the believers godly hardening of himself as a wall of brasse and a fenced City against all these yea against death and the grave Jer. 1. 18. Cant. 8. 6 7. Ezech. 3. 8 9. Rom. 8. 35. This is carefully to be observed that the influence of actual grace finds either in the habit of grace or frames and makes in the heart a gracious aptnesse and capacity to receive actual influences sutable to the duties in hand either of believing patient and joyful suffering for the Lord and such like As the Lord in his common influences with the Sun rising and going down the wind blowing the Sea ebbing and flowing straineth not nor forceth the nature of second causes nor draws them as passive lumps to act against the particular inclination of nature but carrieth along the natural active principles of the Sun Wind Sea and such like natural causes so neither doth the Spirit of grace by his actual influences carry along the rational powers of knowing believing willing as meer dead and passive blocks as the Carpenter hewing lifteth an Axe and shaketh and moveth the Saw but the Lord makes the sutable active concurrences of sinlesse nature and of grace stirring in its influences to joyn together and accord friendly connaturally and without jarring or violence done to nature and so carries on the supernatural and gracious actings of obedience And therefore as this point with all getting get wisedom Prov. 4. 5 6. Prov. 2. Incline the ear apply the heart cry lift up the voice for knowledge dig for wisedom as for silver and hid treasures and then look for influences v. 9. then shalt thou understand by way of practise which cannot want influences of grace righteousness and judgement and equity yea every good path And there is much in the walking by faith the light of faith being the star-light and the day-light ordering the motion and beside which no objective light can doe it
obey the Scripture is clear and though we cannot give a natural and philosophick reason no matter 18. If we should distinguish betwixt thoughts and conquering and victorious thoughts 2. Betwixt fixed and wanton carelesly feeling thoughts 3. Betwixt guarded and well watched hearts and masterless hearts we should know that we hinder and obstruct influences though Soveraignty dispense gracious influences by sinful thoughts the thoughts being the wings of the soul can influences have a seat on thoughts marred by us surely no more then a bird can flie with broken wings and the God of nature doth not joyn his influences with causes impossible to act he concurs not with the bird to flie when the wings are broken nor the running of a dead horse though one should ride on a carrion and use spur and rod. But when the thoughts are seasoned with the heavenly disposition of a renewed heart as the buds and blossoms of the vine-tree are in a neerest way to receive influences from the God of nature to become excellent wine-berries and the most refined earth neer to be turned into gold and to receive influences for that effect so a heart gratified with heavenly dispositions must be a subject for heavenly thoughts and if there be a holy heart heavenly meditations come out in the night Psal 63. 6 7. Psalm 139. 17. Phil. 3. 19 20. 2. The Lord contempereth the actings of the spirit to the subject being a moral agent and all our gracious actings run through the channel of a spiritual judgement as running the race in Christ came from known and well considered joy set before him Heb. 12. 1. Moses chose Saints suffering more then Court-honour for heaven or the recompense of reward looked with another face and representation on the understanding then a poor time Court of clay did the superexcellent knowledge of Jesus Christ is so praised by Paul as his heavenly understanding looks on it as his all yea his only all and his all things beside are stated to his mind as loss and dung So to Abraham's mind a tent that shepheards sleep in is judged good enough and the world a bottomless lodging because there stands in the eye of his mind a rightly considered City that hath a foundation whose maker and builder is God Heb. 11. 18. And the cause of Christs bearing patiently the cross was his sanctified judgement of injuries and spitting 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he under-judged and in his mind under-prised shame and reproach Heb. 12. 2. as a-very shaddow of a shaddow and as nothing and the glory of his Father in a redeemed and ransomed people looked braid and fair and great on his understanding Know and consider well 1. God an infinite fair transcendent God and the silly poor nothing and kindless nature 2. Judge rightly of time and how nothing yesterday and the last year is and weigh in your understanding vast high and braid and deep and long eternity if you have ballance with scales that can bear eternity 3. Understand well obedience faith the weight of the love of Christ never quenched with many floods and sin hatred of Christ and the horror thereof 4. Take a right view of heaven how it lies in length and bredth and a right impression of the fire that is never quenched and the habitual knowledge of the Lords name wants not influences for trusting in God Psalm 9. 10. knowledge where to find God in Christ hath actings of the Spirit to live and dwell with him to hold him Cant. 1. 7. Cant. 3. 1 2 3 4. Joh. 4. 10. to pray to come to him Joh. 6. 45. a soâ—l in darkness and the gross ignorance of God is not capable of influences of grace as the centre and bowels of the earth and deep pits receive no Sun-light We can draw on sinful dispositions yea we created these dry clouds that are above our withered hearts by making our inordinate affections Stewards and Caterers to lay in provision for our flesh Rom. 13. 14. 2. We can ask leave at our flesh to take a little sleep and excuse it Prov. 6. 10. Yet a little flumber 3. Under drowsiness and security we can refuse to open and let Christ in Cant. 5. 3. and that brings on sad withdrawings of the actings of the Spirit v. 6. 4. Violence done to sweet dispositions when they give warning of our debt may draw to a wronging of the holy Ghost who is dreadfully jealous if we counter-work the actings and breathings of the spirit and react against the out-lettings and flowings of the anointing and of the well within springing up to eternal life he puts in his hand by the hole of the door the Spouse is convinced that it is Christ the beloveds voice and his knock and his very words and no other yet he is not yielded unto but resisted 2. We keep not the oyl clean that it may shine more clearly in the lamp inky blackness defaces the beauty of the white rose and the lilly the dustiness and filth of lusts dimness darkens the precious stone that it loseth lustre and colour when a judicial darkness even on a believer it covereth the habit of grace and darkens the spiritual strain the sin of the spirit is out of measure sinful the spirit judicially sleeping sees and hears less in the Prophet Jonah then carnal reason in the Heathen Mariners for Jonah sleeps the Heathen men do wake and fear when wrath from Heaven blows on their ship the lesser habit of grace that is young and green in the repenting theif doth more in adhering to Christ because actual breathing of the spirit is stronger and more vigorous then the more rooted and experienced habit of grace in the Apostles when it is now overwhelmed with the base fear of suffering for he confesses him to be a King on the Cross the Disciples fleeing forsake him and the Lord preaches that we are more debtors to the Spirit of Christ then to the habit of grace praying praising believing hoping loving joying as acts of kin to the Spirit gladden the Spirit what should we then do to fetch the wind grieve not the Spirit but keep the fountain pure and clean from the muddiness of lusts for in the light of the Spirit you see your own spots 1 Joh. 3. 3. He that hath this hope in him purifies himself as he also is pure 2. Yield not to indispositions complain of them to God and pray them away as Psalm 61. 2. Psalm 31. 22. Psalm 102. 3 4 5. Lam. 1. 2 3 4 5 c. 22 23. Obj. But it is easie so to say Be strong in the Lord I am at huge distance from the Lord Answ 1. The Lord speaks to believers as to moral agents the actings of faith is in us both moral and also physical or real though moral acting in some sense be real and not imaginary as the fowler with sweet songs works in a manner morally or by way of
comfortable necessity which lies on Christ to confer influences of grace Influences not fundamental not simply necessary Influences of grace for the habit of saving grace and influences for a gift How we may know when we act pray or hear c. from a gift and when we act from a grace Some pray from a meer gift when they mistakingly imagine they pray from the saving habit of grace the mistake is habitual in hypocrites only actual hic nunc in sound Believers Grace sanctifies the gift used in all due and spiritual circumstances but the gift can never fanctifie grace The same word but not the same influences act upon all within the visible Church We are not to rest upon the actings from a gift but watchfully to try when we act from a gift and when we act from a grace Calvin praelect in Jerem. 15. 18. distinguendum inter ipsam doctrinam quae pura fuit inter ipsos homines prophetas nunc autem dum in seipsum descendit propheta fatetur se agitari multis cogitationibus quae carnis infirmitatem redoleant nec careant omni vitio Differences betwixt the influences of grace and these of glory The habit of grace is a permanent disposition The habit of grace is given through the merit and grace of Christ From the habit of grace we perform suitable actings Vital actions flow from supernatural habits The differences of the habit of grace from other habits We are to follow holy resolutions with prayer 2. Godly trembling and 3. Faith The falshood of vowes A strong habit of grace produces easy and connatural and strong acts of grace Actions supernatural and influences suitable are some way due to the habit of grace Sometimes the habit of grace is qualified with heavenly dispositions We should pursue the dispositions of grace when they are added to the habit with spiritual actings We are to stir up the habit of grace thoughâ— deadned The Lord by insusing the habit of grace comes under some necessity to give suitable influences thereunto Divers necessities under which the Lord is to confer influences of grace Christ advocates for the elect yet not converted to bring them in to himself John 17. 6 9 10. The Spirits office puts him under a necessity of giving influences Vses from the Lords necessity of giving gracious influences First to frame doubts about predestination tâ— life and to miss eternall love before we miss inherent saving grace is Satans method Whether the habit of grace may cease in the regenerate from all its operations The habit of grace is not eternal The habit of grace ceaseth not How many acts we may bring out of the habit of grace There is a consenting to the temptation which is a wishing that our lust and Gods Law might both stand and a virtual wishing that the Law of God had never had being Eight evidences that in the regenerate the saving habit of grace never ceaseth from omitting some influences What dispositions spiritual are and how they differ from the habits of grace Get heavenly dispositions and influences follow connaturally Dispositions are not ever alike but various and changeable Evidences that dispositions goe and come Spiritual dispositions are different from the affections There are heaven'y dispositions in the as well as in the affections Bad spiritual dispositions creep on on the children of God There is some acting and life under much deadness in the â—egenerate Many sweet spiritual actings may be under indispositions No agreement betwixt these two champions the flesh and the Spirit It 's fit to go about duties under indispositions Less of sweet real influences and more of moral influences from the word makes obedience the more perfect We can tell the actings of the spirit when they are on and after they are over and gone Differences betwixt spiritual heart-burnings of the love of Christ and literal heat 1. Difference Feeling may be stronger after actings of the spirit are gone 〈◊〉 Difference Spiritual â—arning of heart leaves some impression◠〈◊〉 which literal heat 〈…〉 〈…〉 4. Difference There is sweet leading no violence spiritual in heart-burnings for Christ it s not so in the literaâ— heart 5. Difference The heavenly beat goes along with the Scriptures open and applied not so the literal heat Hence considerable differences betwixt motions of the Spirit and loose Ensiasms Literal heat is all upon the letter and forms not so as the spiritual heat David was Ps 119. and a believer may be under some straitning A true and a false missing What straitning is and whence it is Divers sorts of straitnings Rules to be free of straitning and to get enlargement of spirit Every heaviness is not weakness of faith How far we may undertake obedience upon supposal of grace How dispositions necessarily fetch influences We have not assurance to be delivered from sin hic nunc How we are to rely on God for influences What enlarging of heart David speaks of Psal 119. 32. We cannot engage in our strength or habitual grace to run in the ways of the Lord. Isa 63. 17. O Lord why hast thou made us to erre c. opened What use we are to make of our inability to run except God enlarge the heart How men naturally complain of sin original We do not so much as by strength of nature we may do and we add to our own lameness and unjustly complain of God for our sinful impotency The Spirit as the Spirit lays no obligation on us but to move in Scriptural duties No violence but from our selves hinders us to believe God loves using of external meanes pro tanto How farre we may act to fetch the wind and to get influences Branches of enlargedness of heart Mr. Leigh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 active eructare evomere tanquam ebrium Metaph. depromere producere Influences on Angels and the glorified ones Many straitned and dead ones reproved Prayer begets heavenly dispositions to pray and heavenâ—y dispositions to pray beget prayer and faith c. Holy acts beget holy acts and holy dispositions beget holy dispositions The Lord so frames his precepts and promises as our actings are suitably required to his influences The differences of the 1 Spiritual state 2 Of the temper 3 Of the condition What Davids present disposition was The doubling of words or sentences noteth certainty 2. Addition of assurance 3. Freeness of affection It 's fit to make an eike to the holiness of influences which the Lord offerâ— to us We may speak to God and profess in prayer the sincerity of our heart to God and the causes why It 's hard to guide well grace and glory so long as sin dwells in us The Lords giving of grace laies bands on him to give more grace and to add new influences to old What a heart the repenting thief and what an heart Hezekiah brought out before the Lord in his dying 2. Property of holy dispositions Dispositions spiritual are seeds of holy actings Zeal
that the Lord is to be blamed for my non-conversion Our sinfull will not not the Lord's refusal of a power is the culpable cause of our non-conversion The sinful cannot School-men make conversion to Christ the purchase of free will the absurdity thereof Sin original must be pardoned to Pagans in Christs blood of which they never heard say Dominicans Dominicans gross as Jesuits in the matter of grace and free will Cumel dico quinto Deus quantum in se paratus est aâ— dandum omnibus gratiam suam ad vocandum omnes adultos juxta illud Deus vult omnes salfâ—eri ac proinde dicitur communiter quod in potestate cujusvis hominis est salvari quia potest habere per divinum auxilium non quidem ex merito aut dispositione sua aut quia ex innatis viribus aut naturae conatibus ex lege obligetur Deus ad danda auxilia gratiae primam vocationem seu gratiam proveniâ—â—tem sed ex liberali magnisica largitione dei providentis Mat. 11. venite ad me omnes Ib. Qua-propter si homo peccator ita se gereret vitamtra duceret ut nullum novum impedimentum gratiae adhiberet aut obicem nullumque obstaculum tunc auxilium gratiae verè reciperet â—on quidem ex debito sed ex dei largitione qua ipse est ad omnium ostium pulsat unde non ponenti obicem cernimus Deum dare gratiam Conc. trid sess 6. 11. 13. Deus neminem deserit nisi prius deseratur ab ipso sed per hoc nihil tribuitur homini sed tantum quod possit illam gratiam impedire per peccatum vel quod possit vitare peccatum contra legem naturae quo possit illum impedire Prosper epist ad Aug. de Massiliensibus vide Jansenium cap. 18. ib. lib. 12. just c. 13. ad capessenda tam magnifica tamque praecelsa paritatis integritatis praemia quantuslibet jejuniorum vigiliarum lectionis solitudinis ac remotionis labor fuerit impensus condignus esse non poterit qui hoc industriae suae merito vel laboris obtineat Hilarius Epist dicunt hominem ad hanc gratiam qua in Christo renascimur pervenire posse per naturalem scilicet facultatem petendo quaerndo pulsando ut ideo accipiat ideo inveniat ideo introeat quia bono naturae bene usus ad istaÌ„ salvanteÌ„ gratiam initialis gratiae ope meruerit per venire Corn. Jans de haeres pela l. 8. c. 18. Item posse hominem exterrita supplici voluntate velle sanari supplex enim illa voluntas nihil est aliud quam voluntas ex fide supplicans deo pro sanitate et siquid fides non justificatorum petendo mereatur impetrationis quam meriti potius rationem habet unde cum in errore Massiliensium haereret Augustinus frequenter meriti rationem quam in fide oratione collocabat per impetrationem exponit putans inquit Augustinus lib. de praed 5. 5. c 3. fidem non esse donum dei sed à nobis esse in nobis per illam nos impetrare dei dona item ut per illam daretur quod posceremus utiliter Jansen in Aug. tom 1. lib. 8. c. 18. Vnde possit ratio reddi electorum rejectorum sive cur unus prae alio assumatur deo viz. sic habente occasionem sive colorem cur non irrationabiliter ut Cassilianus Coll. 13. loquitur sive caeco quasi modo irrefragabili aliqua constitutione inconsulta hominis voluntate gratiam salvantem uni prae aliis largiretur Hilarius in Epist ad August Prosp Epist ad August Qui autem credituri sunt quive in ea fide quae deinceps per dei gratiam sit juvanda mansuri sunt praestitisse ante mundi constitutionem There may be much seeking and using of mâ—ans and no influences Using of means would be in humility Influences not entertained breed loathâ—ng of the Gospel We may maâ—â—e influences of grace The order of the Lord in conferring of influences A confluence of heavenly influences at one time and in one work Resisting of the Word hinders not influences Refusing of Ordinances hâ—nders not influences Despising and persecuting of the Prophets obstruct influences Resisting of the operations of the Spirit is â—o obstruct influenences Praying and praising promove the Spirits influences Hardning of the heart obstructs influences Not profiting by means obstructs influences Remaining in nature obstructs influences Actings of bitterness wrath malice â—ancor sadden the spirit Influences of the spirit are contempered according to the habit of grace Sorrow worldly obstruct influences 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We cannot expeditely change our spirit from carnal dispositions to spiritual but the Spirit can go and come with great celerity How the soul is under plenty of means and possibly sweet dispositions and yet under scarcity of influences These are together often praying and actual influences and dâ—ties and influences the former according to the Lord's will of precept the latter according to his will of pleasure are interwoven all along Psal 119. Of the sweet nearness betwixt love of the word and the word hid in the heart Psalm 119. v. 11. and spiritual influences Of the word hidden in the heart Felt deliverance wants not influences As the light of faith and softness easily admits an influence of grace so hardnessâ—s and rockineâ—s hardly receive any such impression 2. Vnbelief obstructs influences Influences of grace do no violence to the rational power of nilling and willing 3. Deadness hinders influences 4. Security obstructs influences 5. Atheism obstructs influences 6. The hearts unconstancy doth much obstruct the influences of God 7. Heart-deceitfulness obstructs influences 8. Pride obstructs influences humility capacitates to receive them 9 Worldly mindedness obstructs influences and heavenly mindedness promoves it 10. Fiery bastard zeal hinder influences 11. An unclean heart cannot receive influences of the Spirit 12. Malice and bitterness obstructs the influences of God 13. Worldy sorrow obstructs influences 14. False joy obstructs influences 15. Self-love obstructs influences 16. Ignorance of the Gospel and hatred of Christ obstruct the influences of the Spirit 17. Wrestling against providence obstruct the influences of God God by his influences first acts and we in the same moment of time follow him and act under him and no violence is here 18. Heavenly thoughts and spiritual consideration draw along heavenly influences as earthly and unclean thoughts extinguish influences All actings of grace go thorow the channel of a sanctified judgement which wants not influences of grace Our drawing on of sinful dispositions Keep the oyl of the Spirit clean if you would have heavenly influences to fall on the Spirit We are to act both morally and physically with the Spirit Pâ—ayers conclude not Soveraignty Heretical light hinders the spirits breathings A corrupt will hinders the spirits breathings Hating of grace and of Christ hinders influences Divers actings of the spirit in the spouse sick of love for Christ in Solomon's song of songs speak and hold forth influences of the spirit Hating of Christ Soul-loathing of God obstructs influences The Spirit gives influences where there is no knowledge Influences of the spirit are connatural to the spiritual man Where there is soul-desiring of God there be many influences Sensuality and influences of the spirit cannot be together Spiritual joy speaks strong influences Literal crying should not exceed the impulsion of the spirit within Godly sorrow may help influences How hope and audacity promove or hinder influences One affection counter-works another and hinders faith Moral acting cannot avail us without real influences of the spirit Frequent acts of faith promove influences of the spirit Hope promoves influences Sinful boldness obstructs influences Anger hindereth influences How Elisha could not prophesie by reason of anger A meek spirit is a fit work-house of influences instanced in the man Christ in Meses John Vnbelieving fear an impediment of influences The Lord seekâ— not our consent to the first infusion of a new heart We are maried to Christ before we câ—â—sent to the mariage The Lord determines free-will and does no violence to it We are inexcusable in not doing our duty though the Lord deny his necessary influence God acts in all both by the immediate influence of his power and of his peâ—son The Lord particularly leads his own Two sorts of causes one in fieri for the producing of and giving being to a thing another in facto esse for the preserving of the same thing in being God is both wayes the cause of gracious actings The right missing of influences is to miss influences special The giving of the heart to God We are more our own by law and lesse our own by the Gospel Christ cares more for his own body then the members care for themselves Christs care is now rather more when he is glorified then less
here is no fiction but evident truth Adam in the very act of sinning deserved because he sinned that God should have withdrawn his influence but it was a virtual deserving and formally a sin Ob. If for this reason Adam interpretatively put away divine influence so that the fault is imputed to him not to God it would seem by that same reason Adam should interpretatively will and desire the predeterminating influence of God to a godly act of obedience and so a godly and pious work should be ascribed to man and not to God Ans 1. The virtual demerit is not the adequate cause why the sin is ascribed to Adam but the actual crooking and deviating of the mind will and affections from God as the true neerest cause especially since Adam is under a Law not to sin nor to refuse virtually the Lords influence and because the Lord is under no Law to give influences his free withdrawing can never make the sin to be imputed to God for God doth nothing contra debitum in withdrawing his influence but Adam against a law virtually rejects the influence and formally sins So there is no reason why the good work should not be ascribed to God for power to act to wit the image of God and actual acting are his free gift but a power of sin and actual sin are wholly from us only not from God at all I speak of the power formal to sins which is a crookedness of power such as is a power to blindness Ob. Whereas they say that Adam materially and interpretatively in the effect wants the praedeterminating influence of God I ask whether they understand the effect and material and interpretative consent or the formal and direct actual consent if the former be said it is a ridiculous clavering for they say that Adam desired interpretatively and materially to want the influence of God quatenus in se as he desired to want the influence of God if the latter be said the necessity of sinning stands for if God deny his influence to one of the opposites and giveth it to the other it is a necessitâ— the strength of our argument is that that is not to be imputed to Adam as sin which was both necessary and inevitable Ans 1. The argument is weake for one and the same voluntary act of consenting to eat in Adam is referred to 1. Directly to the Law thou shalt not eat Gen. 2. 17. and it is formaly a sinful act contrary to the commandment 2. Adam in this sinful act of consenting to eat did also interpretatively and virtually and indirectly not in an other formal and distinct act will and desire to want the influence of God now no precept or law is laid upon Adam or upon any man to have or to want the influence of God whether it be predeterminative or collateral only in acts of obedience which cannot be performed without that influence in sinful acts we are to want the influence of God requisite to the entitative act 2. No necessity is or can be inferred from Gods determining either in his decree or in his actual bowing and praedetermining of the will to one of the opposites but such whereby the holy praedetermination of God insinuates it self sweetly and connaturally in the bosome of the elective power without any straining or forcing of the light of the mind and its indifferency or compelling the will to be carried to any other of the opposites then the will it self doth connaturally embrace 3. The way of Adversaries destroys all eternal decrees in God under pretence of eschewing a necessity for by this from eternity the will of God was loose lubrick potential disjunctive and fixed neither upon the breaking or not breaking the legs of Christ that was left to the free-will and decree of the Souldiers So God from eternity neither decreed nor determined the selling of Joseph or the not selling of him nor the crucifying of Christ or the not crucifying of him nor the believing of Jews and Gentiles or the free not believing for had he put a necessity of a decree on one of the opposites on believing rather then on none-believing he should say the Adversaries have fixed all free action under a fatal and Adamantine Law of eternal and inexorable necessity and so destroyed free-will but so God should determine and order nothing in free and contingent events but commit all to free-will and to contingently working causes 2. All Gods wise decrees of free and contingent events in every page almost of the Scripture must be utterly destroyed 3. He could foretel nothing by free agents prophesies and predictions must perish for God could not say from eternity I shall afflict my people Judah by the Babylonians I shall impoverish Job and spoil him by the Sabeans I will deliver to death my Son to the death of the Crosâ— by Herod Pilate and the Jews for that necessity should destroy all contingency of second causes for God cannot saith Strangius deny his influence to one of the opposites and give it to the other but he must destroy freedom then must he decree to give his influences to both opposites and so should nothing be determined from eternity which comes to pass in time ah providence or fortune rather 4. God should will and decree one of the opposites in time de novo and every day and he should will and do in time many things which he decreed not to do from eternity because say they his will and decree was from eternity fixed upon no contingent acts 5. No wise man governs so his family no General his Army no Prince his Subjects if he be wise and knowing as the holy Lord is alknowing he taketh no counsel in Arena but he forecasteth and decreeth things within the compass of power to do before he doth things for to will all of hand and of new without eternal fore-fixing of the will casts all the contingent acts of men and Angels upon loose uncertainties 2. Make the only wise God rash and dubious 3. Puts him to learn by experience new things to day and to will and decree them fixedly in time concerning which yesterday and before the world was he was not fixed in his will to do determinatly any thing for fear of fatal necessity For 4. God had either fixed a decree concerning all things as written in a book before they were as it is Psal 139. 16. and of certain persons loved to salvation and healed Rom. 9. 11. 12. and written in the book of life Ex. 32. 32. Psal 69. 28. Rev. 3. 5. Rev. 13. 8. Rev. 17. 8. Rev. 20. 15. Luke 10. 20. and by head and name predestinate to glory or then the will and decree of God was tottering dubious and indifferent toward things and persons if the former be said the Lord wrote and ordained fixedly all single contingent things and actions to their ends and he must have foreordained persons to glory and to free acts of faith
and holiness and to the habit of free actions for if God fixedly ordained persons to free acts he must have fixedly ordained these free acts and so there must be chains of necessity laid on free will and free acts as the Adversaries argue if the latter be said the decrees of election and reprobation must be fast and loose as the free-will of men best pleases and indeed this Author makes this a third necessity that overturns freedom for if reprobation saith he and the decree of declaring the Lords justice be before sin then is there a strong and unwarrantable necessity of sinning laid on men and Angels But Protestant Divines the soundest of Papists Augustine Prosper Hilarius Fulgentius and the soundest Fathers maintain a decree of passing by of non-election a purpose of denying such grace to multitudes as if it had been granted Esau Ismael Pharaoh Cain should have believed and been saved as well as David and Peter but this grace the Lord decreed to deny because the Potter doth and may dispose of the clay as pleaseth him Because it is not in him that wills and runs but in God that shews mercy 2. Because he hath mercy on whom he will and hardens whom he will and yet he is just and justly is angry at sin and that stands as the objection of the carnal Pelagian in Paul's time Rom. 9. 19. Thou wilt say why doth he yet find fault who hath resisted his will this is the very objection of this Author if the Lord decreed to deny effectually renewing grace to the masses of reprobates clay before they did good or ill and before they could run and will that is ante citra peccati provisione before any consideration of sin in them and decreed to give it to others because he will why should God complain for who hath who can resist his will for his will and decree must be necessarily fulfilled and executed and without the sin of men and Angels there could be no execution nor fulfiâ—ling of such a decree Our Divines with the Fathers say 1. The judgement and dispensation is hid and deep but not â—njust 2. Paul and they say none have resisted his will and the counsel of the Lord shall stand 3. The decree of God compels no man to sin nor lays on men any necessity destructive to liberty of sinning or obeying freely 4. Gods decree is the cause of no mans falling or sinning 5. The eternal ruine and final sinning of Angels and men fell out by order of nature and time before the decree and will of God how could he then help it here is a strong and a fatal necessity that God could not break but since a sparrow falls not to the earth and is snared without the will of the Father of Christ how can men and Angels fall eternally without his will O there is an absolute will of God and a conditional will without which sin fell not out say they but the conditional will is a name no more for God so should have decreed such things good and evil should be after they were and had being not to say that it must be as unjust that God should will sins existence after it falls out as before it falls out as to the Lords loving or any commanding or approving thereof or as to the point of straining of the will to act sin yea the holy Lord no more strains by decree and actual influence the will in acts of holy and supernatural obedience then in acts of sin and there is a door opened to fatal necessity in neither for the Lord trails violently no children to glory and compels by decree or praedetermination none to the entitative acts in sin nor violently drives he either divels or reprobate men to everlasting fire it is safer to believe holy providence for the want of the faith of an all-governing Lord must bring perpetual trepidation and anxity of conscience trembling and fainting of heart and destroy and sulvert all solid consolation lively hope conquering patience O that we could pray and believe more and curiously dispute less and sinfully fret not at all but say O the depth and pray thy Kingdome come even so come Lord Jesus OF INFLUENCES OF DIVINE GRACE CANTIC 1. 4. Draw me we will run Ch. 1. Mans dubious and tottering estate under the first his safer estate under the second Adam 2 True liberty 3 Grace loves to be restrained from doing of evil Adam was not to believe or pray for perseverance THere being in the Covenant of works no influences by which we may will and doe to the end promised to Adam and no predeterminating influences and no Gospel-fear of God by which we shall persevere and not depart from the Lord being promised in the new and everlasting covenant Jer. 32. 39. 4. This principall difference between the covenants remains to be discussed There must be in this point considerable differences between the Covenants as 1. God intended that no man should be saved by the Law for grace mercy forbearance and the patience of God towards sinners sould for eternity have been hid from sinfull man if righteousness and life had been by the Law But God intended that all men to be saved should be saved by the Covenant of grace 1 Cor. 1. 21. Rom. 3. 21 22. as Rom. 10. 5 6 7. compared with Rom. 3. 9 10 20. Gal. 3. 8 9 10. as both the Scripture and the issue of two dispensations of Law and Gospel do evidence 2. Man in the covenant of works was under no tutor but Adams free will but now man as an interdicted heir for former wasteries is disinherited so that he hath not the mastery of his own estate is put under another Lord even Jesus Christ as his tutor and since it is so the less our own the better the more we are under the law the less we are under grace as Rom. 7. the less freedom or rather physicall licence to sin the more true liberty Psal 119. 45. I will walk at liberty for I seek thy precepts Christ by his covenant layeth the aw of grace upon us whether grace be taken physically for an inward principle of grace or morally for a gracious fear to sin it s all one the more under Christ any is the less is he free to sin as the better and stronger the keeper is who is put upon a broken man and a prisoner who is a bankrupt the less can he take on new debt Rom. 6. 20 22. the less can he make a sinfull escape ungracious are they who say Ah if I had my will I would doe otherwise grace loves to be restrained from doing evil 1. Sam. 22. 23. Satan seeks leave or rather cursed licence if it were but to destroy the Gadarens swine and he reputes it his torment not to dwell with his Legions in the distracted man to torment him Matth. 8. Such cannot complain Would God breath on me with his influences of grace
inclines and weighs the soul to spiritual acting and the Spirit must attend the stirring of saving light so inclining the heart with gracious influences 3. When we give way to deadnesse and act literally and carry on the bulk of praying hearing as willing to get the body of the work over and wrestle not for life and power in praying and blow not upon the dead heart to stir up the habit of grace the Spirit withdraws and acts not on deadnesse as the Sun moves not vital spirits in a dead carrion or dead corps for there are none in it the naked name of living professours in the Church of Sardis when it was but a name is plagued with deadness and so with withdrawing of influences Revel 3. 1. the Cocks clapping with the wings adds strength to the crowing should we if the iron be blunt and the edge not whet add and put too more strength Eccles 10. 10. and seek life by stirring as sea-men by sayling about seek and fetch wind we should increase warmnesse of life and hoised up sails should receive wind for humble sense of coldnesse and deadnesse and missing of life is a good sign when it brings forth Psal 119. the prayer so frequent Quicken me Quicken me prayers used as Matins and Vespers and wandering of heart and whorish gadding of the thoughts in private praying brings on deadnesse and as a Smith blows not the bellows on cold iron and cold fewel where there is no sparkle of kindling of fire at all neither doth the North or the South-wind in heavenly influences blow upon such hearts Would ye have God to be more serious in his influences when you are formal and not serious at all in the work 4. Security obstructs actings of grace the Spouse sleeps and Cant. 5. 2. the Spirit withdraws influences to open to the beloved the Disciples sleep when Matth. 26. Christ exhorts them to watch and pray and can the Spirit breath upon a lying and sleeping sluggard there is godly fear on the heart but Peter and the rest of the Disciples in their shameful flight and stumbling at the sufferings of Christ after their fearlesse and fleshly undertaking saying that they should rather die then forsake him prove that the spirits withdrawing by which they fell in that sin goes along with security we would watch and fear always and the contrary of fearing alwayes is hardening of the heart Prov. 28. 14. which infers a withdrawing of that enlightning and softening grace Where there is rising at midnight to praise Psal 119. 62. a preventing of the dawning of the morning to cry to God Psal 119. 147. there must be a continued showr of outlettings of influences of grace for the lengthening out of hoping all the day long as when Christ cannot sleep but watches and prays when others sleep the life of this must hold forth a sea of flowing in continued actings of grace in him 5. A prophane heart void of God and filled with Atheisme also obstructs the flowings of the Spirit so the wicked Psal 14. 4. call not upon the Lord there is not an owning of a God to be worshipped Psal 14. 4. and the thing that goes along with that is oppression they eat up my people as they eat bread and what gracious influences can there be there especially when the Lord complains They are corrupt they have done abominable works 3. They are all gone aside they are altogether become filthy c. and the root is Atheisme The fool hath said in his heart There is not a God God breathes not in his influences on such as deny there is a God till he first blow away the influences of Satan who would darken and blot out the ingraven notions of a Godhead because Satan cannot be an Atheist himself he would make the world speculative Atheists but because he cannot do this he fills the world with practical Atheists it can neither be blotted out of the heart of damned men nor divels but a God and Judge there is but men live without God as if there were not a God and these two species of Atheism are dreadful 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Atheists without God creator 1. When men laugh at a God-head that created all and live by Policy as State-Atheists Or 2. By Reason as moral Atheists or by Nature as many Philosophers and some Physitians such are dead and dry rocks never rained on by influences seldome while the skaddings of the river and streams of brimstone waken them are they out of a sleep for influences on the creature in all its operations especially in these of grace are most proper actings of holy providence he who denies there is such a thing in the world as fire or a Sun must deny that there is heat and light in the world But the other sort of Atheists without Christ God Immanuel are more inexcusable as a Gospel-Atheist is farther from influences of grace then a Pagan-Atheist as is clear from Matth. 10. 15. Matth. 11. 22 23 24. Matth. 12. 41 42. because farther from salvation how few have been converted who were first temporary hypocrites and long despisers of the Gospel 2. who have been long moral naturalists and 3. long bitter and virulent enemies to the Gospel and the godly though otherways grave and civil Be much in believing that God is Heb. 11. that leads the way to the noble actings of faith in Abel v. 4. Enoch v. 5. Noah v. 7. Abraham v. 8. c. and the faith that God is and rules and is good to Israel and that he punisheth wicked men though he make them rich leads the Prophet to the faith of God his gracious providence in guiding the godly by his counsel in holding them by the right hand Psam 73. 1 2 3 c. 23 24 25. 6. The inconstancy of affections obstruct influences even now Martha believed and then Lord he stinketh for he hath lain four days John 11. 27 39. The ebbing and flowing of the Sea the waxing of the Moon the full Moon the declining of it the article of the change have all divers and contrary influences on our bodies on diseases on living dying birth and health and so may we judge of influences from the suddain changes of the heart As 1. It may be taken away Hos 4. 11. stollen away 2 Sam. 15. 6. and as moveables can be stollen away and hid though lands legally by fraud may be stollen away yet physically they cannot be hid so the love and bensil of the heart may and can be stollen away and when hearts are from under the possession of the right owner the Lord our God they are not under his influences when they are not in his world and Kingdom of grace but in Satans power hearts benighted are from under the influence of the Sun and therefore cannot receive the rays and beams of the Sun in the night 2. Except the Lord pursue even renewed hearts they are not the same