death another that deserves eternal death we cannot believe Mr. Baxter 3. It makes us children of wrath Eph. 2. 3. by nature as others are If it be temporary wrath only and Infants be free of sin that condemnes to the second death Christ bare in his body the sin of no Infants Christ died for sinners only the just for the unjust 1 Pet. 3. 18. Rom. 4. 25. Isa 53. 6 10. Infants are not sinners nor are sucking Infants laved and washed in his blood as others Rev. 1. 5. Nor are they sinners whom Christ came to save 1 Tim. 1. 15. Nor are Infants any of the many or of the all for whom Christ gave himself a ransome Mat. 20. 28. 1 Tim. 2. 6. And since the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to Infants and they are to be baptized Act. 2. 38 39. there must be some other name by which Infants must be saved then by the name of Jesus Christ contrary to Act. 4. 12. For what need is there of Christ's righteousnesse and of remission of sins and redemption in Christ's blood Rom. 3. 25. Ephes 1. 7. Col. 1. 13 14. to Infants if sin original be no sin 4. Heathens ignorant of sin original are still left by such masters to accuse Justice If Infants be free of sin why is nature called by them a step-dame which hath brought forth men in such misery when they enter in the world Why do Infants suffer death burning drowning ripping up and wounding in the wombe Why suffer they such wrath of pining sicknesse incursions of Devils if all these be free of sin Some say these are temporary evils but it proves not any sin deserving eternal burning to be in Infants The Lord needs not my lye but let any man answer me in point of holy spotlesse justice how a punishment of ten degrees can more be inflicted for that which is no sin nor any transgression of a Law then a punishment of a thousand degrees See how Mr. Baxter with Arminians and Pelagians can from Scripture teach us of whole sins and half sins whole wrath and hell and half wrath and half condemnation or half hell Q. But what Law is there that we should have the power of believing or the image of God The covenant of works doth presuppose that image to be in man otherwise he is not in a capacitie to be in covenant with God therefore it could not be injoyned and commanded in the covenant of works that Adam should have this Image of God And if so the want of it must be a meer punishment not a sin Ans The Lord in creating Adam must necessarily have a two-fold Consideration One 1. of a Creator 2. Another of a Law-giver In the first the Lord creates Being but in the latter he is such a special Creator to wit a Law-giving Creator who while he creates Being does concreate these noble Principles and write and by nature ingrave the Law of the Image of God the natural knowledge of God his holinesse justice mercie c. and of right and wrong and a natural holinesse and innate conformitie of the heart to the eternal Law of God in mans soul A Painter drawes the portraict of a living beautiful heroick King according to the living man the Painter both gives being to the painted image and such a being according to the law and art of painting he followes exactly and accurately his copie and living samplar and so gives a law to his own acts of painting And therefore God in one and the same act both creates man and gives him a being even holinesse his image and holy being and in creating of man gives and concreates and ingraves the image of GOD sound knowledge right inclinations and while the Lord creates he gives and ingraves a Law and while he gives and ingraves a Law he creates man And therefore it follows not that the covenant of works does not presuppose the image of God in man and it does not follow but the very act of God in stamping and ingraving his image in Adam is also a giving of him a Law Yea God in creating any creature of nothing does also concreate as a sort of Law-giver such a natural Law Every creature Sun Moon Heaven Earth Sea Man Angel ought to be subject as a creature to God Creator in being and operation Here is both the act of a Creator and also the act of a Law-giver Now the eternal Law of God requires that mans soul should be by creation indued with the image of God and Adam and Evah by that image said Amen to that Law for a time Eat not lest ye die They knew the Law was just and they knew it was their natural obligation to obey and how can it be denied but this knowledge was a part of the mans natural goodnesse and holinesse and so agreeable to the eternal Law of God and that the contrary of this to doubt of the truth of this as Satan induced them to doe Gen. 3. was a blacking of that fair image and contrary to the law of nature 2. The more of this image that is left in the soules of men by nature as the more knowledge natural justice and vertue remain in Aristides Regulus Seneca Tullius c. the more lovely they are and so must their souls have a more natural conformitie with the law of nature then other Heathens who kil'd their aged Fathers sacrificed their sons to Devils used wives promiscuously Then what God condemnes in us that we should condemn in our selves and therefore are to be humbled for our state we are in by nature For we are dead in sins and trespasses by nature the children of wrath as well as others Eph. 2. 1 4 We our selves were sometimes foolish disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hateful and hating one another Psal 51. 5. Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother warm me Upon this account the Lord suffers his own to fall and lye in the dust and to know what beasts they are as the godly confesse Psal 73. 23. Prov. 30. 2. themselves to be Nothing men are more ashamed of then that they are descended of a traiterous and bloody Family that sucked the paps of the bear or the wolfe that the father and mother were dogs and swine and they born of leprous parents the house of sinful Adam that we lay claim unto is a botch-house and leper-house and worse And this is more vile then if there were none of the world that we could claim kindred unto but serpents dogs swine and wolves 2. How proud and shamelesse are we to deny this running botch of sin original and say it is no sin would it cure a man of a raging pest-boile to say it was no pest to give it another name It 's a part of original sin in our Atheism to belye the Lord and say it is soul-sicknesse but it is not sin it deserves not
the heart Prov. 23. 19. Hear thou my son and be wise and guide thine heart in the way it 's grace that guides the heart in the way but the graced heart also guides it self in its manner of working in the way of God 1 Tim. 5. 22. Keep thy self pure 2 Tim. 2. 15. Study to shew thy self approved unto God Jude v. 21. Keep your selves in the love of God So 1 Joh. 3. 3. Every man that hath this hope purifieth himself even as he is pure The sea purgeth it self of mire and dirt and new wine casteth out the scum and refuse and gold melted seperates and casts out its dross and the superfluity of the mettal far more doth the renewed heart keep it self by a lively power against every power contrary to it self only the heart cannot plow the heart and remove its rockiness the Lord by an omnipotent infusion of a new spirit doth that Ezech. 36. 26. I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh Now 2. The renewed man does not so much as the renewed heart would carry him to do it 's clear saving wisedom if David had improved it should have kept him from adultery and murther Psalm 51. 6. Behâ—ld thou hast delighted in truth in the reins and in the hidden part thou makest me to know wisedom So is fornication against the price of redemption that Christ hath given for us 1 Cor. 6. 19 20. 3. The renewed man may and doth forget that the habit of grace is given to him to trade withal and for promoving of acts of sanctification he thinks as Papists do it 's given to be his justification and pardon and that it may compense his other sins this I may do because I am a renewed man and the gifts and caâ—ings of God are without repentance and God will dispense with it I being in a state of grace But the Scripture saith 1 Kings 15. 5. David did that which was right in the sight of the Lord save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite and so David's being a man according to Gods heart was no shelter to his shedding of innocent blood Now grace is not given to the child of God as a piece of overguilded copper to a child to play withal as if he needed not to trade with it nor to put it to the bank 3. The unrenewed man is under the debt of Gospel-obedience to Christ a deep habitual sleepiness on the sluggard frees him neither from an obligation to the duty of plowing nor from that justice of God which cloathes the sleeper with rags Now the shift that the natural man hath is No man can come to the Son except the Father of Christ draw him it 's true and Scripture-truth of it self But it 's told 1. By the proud and the lawless bankrupt as a shift 2. It is told also by the humble and broken diver In the former mans sense the meaning is I cannot believe I can do no more he denies me grace blame himself hence he must keep his lusts But 1. Nature and acting of nature must be before the acting of grace he hath not denied to you the grace of using external means to come to the assembly of the Saints to lend the ear and not to turn the ear away from the law and this you refuse 2. Proud fools would cashier both Law and Gospel but that eminent preacher Mr. Will. Fenner God will not help that man to go that hath legs to go and will not 2. God is to be waited for in the way of his judgements Isa 26. 8. so thou must not look to fetch God out of his walk the means of grace and salvation 3. Heaven is an end and an end can never be gotten without means 4. God will not set up another door to heaven for any man in the world he 'll never make another Bible either be ruled by this or by none the drunkards way shall never be his the worldlings way shall never be his The truth is the carnal man would be carried sleeping with his lusts and filthiness in Christs bosome in heaven as an eagle flies over a river and never wets one feather he would be over word reading hearing of Sermons learning knowledge repenting mortification self-denial there be no Bibles nor Ordinances in heaven and by a miracle he would be over all these otherwise I hear I pray I whore not but the way of doing I cannot reach and if I cannot get this way chalked out let me lie saith he where I am God can do this and he will not but he will have the Gospel like a milstone tied about every mans neck that shall be saved Even among men this is no excuse ah you must pity him say ye it 's his natural temper he is mad in a prevailing habit of malice he is kind and loving otherwise will ye judge and law-absolve him from the guilt of man-slaughter and spare his life for that Another acts a prank of covetousness and goes along in an act of treason ah say some he is a simple man and short-witted but otherwise not wicked in that he hath been foolish we saâ— his other virtness satisfie not the Law he hath wit to act mischief and is a greedy fool 2. This same tale is said by the humbled man Ah I cannot believe and I look upon this weakness as afflictive paining wickedness and he weeps over his wounds and weeps over his Physitian and this complaining is good and hath good in it But another doubt there is there is no promise of rewarding natural acting with faith true what then will ye go no farther then on natures leading because there is no promise of grace made to natures acting 2. We are obliged to obey God in the covenant of works and believe in Christ in the covenant of grace suppose there had been no hire of life eternal in the one or the other the Lord might stand on his points and command as Law-giver and never come down as a Covenanter to hire and to bude us as children to embrace a great and large Kingdom on a low condition a poor farthing or half penny of faith 3. There is no promise of a rich harvest made to all who plow painfully but often the contrary the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong Eccles 9. 10. nor have they ever riches who rise early and go late to bed and eat the bread of sorrow Psal 127. and for that shall the husbandman hang up the plow and till none there is not a promise made that all that sail shall bring home rich ships full of gold what then are all the Merchants in the earth loosed from the duty of trading and sailing cried down then all shipping must be laid aside 4. There is not a promise made to using of means but there is a sad threatning of
by the rod of God the Asyrians Job spoiled by the Caldeans and Sabeans Christ Jesus crucified by Herod Pilate and the Jews Otherwise the Lord could yield no comfort in his word to the godly when oppressed by the wicked but the like Comfort not your selves my dear people under persecutions from the wicked for I permitted these evils but these calamities befal you before I knew them contrary to my will and holy determination I cannot without forcing of wicked will hinder them or safely and indeclinably secure and save you therefore stay your prayers to me and believe not that I can avert these evils Here is a most cursed necessity which our adversaries lay on God while as they would eschew an holy harmless and most wise necessity of providence Ob. 2. But by the adversaries way it follows that there is a foregoing reason why the will of Adam made choice of that sinful act because God predeterminated the will thereunto and the reason of the first omission or not consideration in Adam or his sleepiness is ob defectum praedeterminationis divina because of the defect of divine praedetermination Therefore because 2. God withdrew his actual influence of praedetermination it was no more in the dependent power of Adam to obey that Eat not then the Sun can move when God draws away his actual influence so must the original of sin be reduced on God So strange Answ 1. A reason ratio why any man sins is in good Grammer a moral motive inducing a man to sin and that works by way of perswasion Let not the Reader be perswaded that we teach that the real influence of God or that his holy concourse any way is a moral motive of obedience or of sin as if Adam had been perswaded to sin because he saw and felt the Lord did first withdraw his concourse or influence whither it praedeterminate or move by praedetermination or collateral joyning therefore Adam was morally induced to sin this is a goodly dream 2. Ratio a reason here must be taken for a physical and a reall not a morall cause now the adversary abstained from the word cause And 1. we say Adam not through defect or want of the Lords holy praedetermination as if therefore ideo for that cause he sinned because the Lord did withdraw his influences but the adequate culpable moral cause of Adams sinning and of his chosing of a vitious action for Adam in sinning is only and properly a moral cause under a law is his own free-will freely declining from the rule there is no defect or moral want of Gods praedetermination because the soveraign Lord who is above a law was not obliged to joyn his praedeterminating influence to Adam but rather obliged to withdraw his praedetermination from the man who in the same moment of time was willing to want that praedetermination for God out of holy soveraignty withdraws in the same moment his influence in which Adam sinfully rejects the same influence 3. This Adversary if he would turne the word ratio reason into the word cause or concurrence would see himself at a loss it will follow that the cause why Adam sinned is because God denied his causative concurrence and so the Argument shall hurt his cause for the concurrence of God is causative then must the Lords withdrawing of his concurring influence be the collateral cause of Adams sinning except he say that man hath in his power the concurrence of God and if so Adam and all mens free-will must be Lord of omnipotency and omnipotent concurrences and then why but God must rather make prayers and requests to our free-will to incline and move his omnipotency to concur to acts of obedience then free-will should make prayers to God that he should by his grace incline our hearts to his testimonies 2. Must not the created free-will of man by this be placed in the royal seat and throne of divine providence to domineer over and dispose of all free acts of obedience and disobedience as it seems good to the Creature And 3. so must the soveraign King be Lord of all free acts at the second hand with the good leave of created free-will And 4. the number of all free actings of final obedience and disobedience and of the saved and damned must be in the hand of created free-will and that primarily and so in the creaâ—tures power must be the Book of Life first by way of free determination and with the Lord and the Lamb the Book of Life is but as a second copy and a conditional roll containing so many as the creature first determines 5. And so must our Immanuel God manifested in the flesh ere he can get entrance in the world have a pass subscribed by free-will and God shall come in the flesh and be Mediator and King absolutely as man will it 's not then eternal love who fore-ordained the medicine and the Physitian before ever the man was sick and if free-will had so pleased Christ God man should have been holden out of the world and the gates for ever closed on him so as knock as he pleaseth free-will might have refused to open and let him in 6. Experimental grace and pardoning mercy might have stood afar off and lost man never have tasted thereof yea such riches of grace should never have been in the world 7. Mans free-will if it be the only determiner of it self and his own free acts and if the strong dominion of grace for fear of strangling of liberty created had no determining power might well have sent that saving Redeemer back to heaven again to his Father and none of mankind should ever have received Christ tasted of his precious love his sweet promises and the offered salvation for created free-will is such as may nill will refuse let God decree and allure draw move determine as he can or will yet omnipotency of grace cannot ravish free-will 8. Yea such is free-wills nature that by its independent self-determination the holy Ghost in all his sweetest attractions in the emanations and flowings of love which is stronger then death his strong and powerful breathings and mighty drawings by a power not inferiour to that which raised Christ from the dead may be frustrate and broken for free-will may stand out as a rock of iron and adamant against the strong actings of omnipotent grace and be not a whit moved at the perfume and sweet smelling ointments of Christ his beauty the refreshments of the house of wine his tenderest consolations 9. For if free-will say not Amen though Christ work compleatly his work make his soul an offering for sin yet shall not Christ see his seed nor be satisfied with his wages for free-will may refuse to yield the redeemed over to God as captives overcomed by his soul delighting and powerful drawings 10. Nor shall it be in the power of the Almighty to be faithfull and true in fulfilling his promise of giving a new heart to the elect
fear that Christ shall be wanting in bestowing influences so do many weak ones is a broken half faith looking upon Christ as half a Saviour what he that died to purchase the spirit shall he not carry on the work of redemption by applying it and carrying on of what he hath begun Indeed among men he who made the Ship by art hath neither art nor power to command wind and tide for sailing for they are done by diverse powers the one by a created the other by an uncreated power but here the same merit of bloud which purchased grace habitual did also make due and connatural in its own kind actual influences of saving grace to carry on the work hence a case of Christian and supernatural prudence it is so to fear our own sinful weaknesse and to be humbled and cast down for our propension to fall away as to believe that constant and everlasting love shall work to will and to do to the end Then 1. tormenting Popish fear Ah I shall I may fall away 2. And the weak practical doubting of this it may be I shall perish I cannot stand out And 3. the law spirit of bondage I cannot be saved who am so sinfully weak and wicked have all three this in commune an undervaluing of the power of the free love and an overvaluing of the strength of corruption as if wickednesse and he that in the world were greater then he that is in these who are born of God 1 John 4. 4. and stronger then grace for its natural to be of that opinion that grace worketh not irresistibly prevailingly and with all might according to his glorious power Collos 1. 11. and according to that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exceeding great power by which he raised Christ from the dead Ephes 1 18 19. and so while legally we distrust and fear our own weaknesse we do unbelievingly doubt of the mighty power of grace though we see it not for to see unbelief it is so spiritual a sin is almost to overcome it among all sins it is most invisible and best seen with the light of the Spirit faith sees well unbelief but unbelief can neither see faith nor it self 2. There is required of believers the exercise of faith in laying hold on the promises of actual influences from Christ the Mediator John 15. 2. Every branch that leareth fruit in me for that must be repeated the Father purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit He that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit Ephes 1. 3. Blessed be God who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Chriâ—t but to cause us will and do is a spiritual blessing Ephes 2. 13. But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made neer not by Redemption only but actual believing in the bloud of Christ. 2. Ephes 6. 18. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit By the influences of that spirit whom Christ sent in his own name John 14. 26. 3. If the spirit glorifie Christ by receiving of Christ and shewing it to Christs own Disciples John 16. 14. then all the influences of the spirit in acts gracious when the spirit teacheth and bringeth to remembrance all things John 14. 26. convinceth of sin John 16. 8. guideth and leadeth John 16. 13. Rom. 8. 14. mortifieth Rom. 8. 13. quickneth Rom. 8. 10 11. comforteth and sealeth and confirmeth John 14. 16. Ephes 4. 30. 2 Cor. 1. 22. must be done by influences of the spirit received from Christ For saith Christ He shall receive of mine Heb. 13. 13. By Christ therefore let us offer to God the sacrifice of praise continually 4. Also what we suit from God in the name of Christ that we suit from Christs merits and death But we ask all which we ask in Christs name John 14. 14. John 15. 17. And therefore do obtain from God for Christs sake and the merits of his death the inclining of the heart to his testimonies to be led in his way not to be led into temptations to persevere to the end to be taught his way and if there were any grace such as all gracious influences are which comes not from Christ in whom it is and from whose fulnesse it is it must be referred to another cause then to Christ 5. All the promises are yea and amen in Christ 2 Cor. 1. and so must the promise of perseverance be Jer. 31. 39 40. Isa 54. 10. Isa 59. 21. and so the promise of influences of grace to persevere 6. Christs undertaking as High Priest Advocate and Intercessor is to carry on and perfect as Mediator all that are given to him of the Father and to lose none but to raise them up at the last day and to give them life eternal John 17. 1 2. 11. 12. John 6. 37 38 39 40. 1 Cor. 1. 7 8. 1 John 2. 1 2. Heb. 7. 22 23 24 25. Heb. 9. 13 14 15 16 17 24 25 26 27 28. Heb. 10. 10. John 14. 16. Luke 22. 31 32. Rev. 8. 3 4 5. 7. Christ as head by the influence of life and saving grace acts upon all the members by quickening them to will and to doe Ephes 4. 16. Eph. 2. 21 22. Eph. 1. 21. 22. Eph. 2. 1 2 3 4 5. 8. Christ as King gives repentance and remission Acts 5. 31 32. Then must he by that power royal give influences to acts of repentance and of faith 9. As Prophet he opens the heart to understand the Scriptures Luke 24. 45. Act. 9. 17. and so must give influences for that effect Hence are we to look for the watering of the garden of red wine every moment from Christ the fountain of life and to know that we should wither from the root if Christ withdraw his influence and so grace puts us under a necessity of grace to carry on the work of salvation 2. Yea it is to believe Christ is but an imperfect and half a Saviour and wanting in his Office if we doubt he shall give influences to perfect to the end what he hath begun then branches out of Christ and cut off from him must wither 1. Make sure union with the Vine-tree if you would be sure of growing to the end 2. Know the way to the well of life be much with Christ and lie and be neer to the well if you would have influences every moment 3. The most glorious and shining Professors that are not in Christ shall turn Apostates a plant above the earth with borrowed earth on the top of an house may grow for a short space but shall wither 4. Heathen influences from a Creator without Christ shall not bear you out the vertues of Tully of Seneca Regulus are of that nature that they may dry up 5. Yea weak Believers doubting that Christ shall give influences to work in you to will and to doe is 1. To question whether Christ shall
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
of Christ's arrow and under the smiting and stroke of the drawn sword of the Gospel for Christ puts forth his power in his Ministers and renewed and unrenewed may come and hear 3. The difference betwixt the Law and Gospel is that the Law neither promises nor gives strength but presupposeth that the man hath strength but the Gospel promiseth a new heart and the Law engraven in the heart therefore Christ doth reign in the New Testament in the actual Omnipotency of grace and men by a meer local motion of nature or some superadded morality good or bad come in to wisedoms house of wine and bring themselves in under the scattered fire coals of Gospel-administration with no intention spiritual to believe and be saved and so the coming in to hear and the applying of the natural organ of hearing the setting on work the unrenewed mind judgment conscience heart and affections to the literal considering and weighing of the strong reasons that are in the Gospel casteth the man and his soul by a good and inevitable consequent under such heavenly flamings of quickning influences as convey the preached Gospel by an Ordinance of God in due order to cause such as are chosen of God believe it s in a mans free will to draw near to the fire or not to draw near but when he is come to the fire side the fire can make him hot whether he will or no. By a free election a man casts timber in the fire but without any election a strong fire cannot choose but burn dry fewel It s true the sea-man cannot create winds nor change the blowing of the wind from East to West yet he can prepare his vessel hoise the sayls and fit the ship for receiving the winds The husband-man hath no command of winds of rain of clouds of summer Sun yet may he dress labour and sit and prepare his rigs and garden to lie under the seasonable influences of such Summer air rain dew and impressions of the heaven and the clouds as the Lord of nature shall afford Now as all the Kings and Powers on earth cannot command wind and rain so is there no industry required of the husband-man to procure summer or calm seasons nor can the Plough act upon the Sun and clouds nor is the blame to be laid upon the Seamans sleepiness that the wind is not fair for sayling and that the Sea flows not so high yet hath the Lord of purpose left to all unrenewed men born where the Gospel is preached the gates and ports of wisedoms house open that they may come and hear and pass their judgement what they think of Emanuel's land that runs with wine and milk yea and the entry to this house is feazable and accessible by natural strength to fools and ideots to learned and unlearned so that they need not say Who shall ascend up to heaven That is to bring Christ again from above Or who shall descend into the deep That is to bring up Christ again from the dead But the word is now near even in thy mouth and in thy heart that is the word of faith which we preach Rom. 10. 7 8 9 10. Deut. 13. 14. The preached Law leading pedagogically to Christ in Moses time and the plainly preached Gospel offered to all in Paul's time is an open door to all who love to come near to Christ and to be warmed by him in which consideration there is a key put in every mans hand 1. The unrenewed man turns away his ear from the Law and will not let the news of the Gospel lodge in his ear or the outer room of his soul ye set not a work the literal actings and cogitations of the heart to think whether Christ and Heaven and Hell conconcerns you or no. So 2. The believer under deadnesse and saddest desertion when he is at this All is but counterfeit work I had before Psal 31. 22. Jer. 2. 4. Job 13. 24. God reputes me as an enemy He may read the word hear the Gospel preached and cast himself in Christ's way and come in under the cast of his saving influences and so the fire may be kindled of new the sin is that the natural man useth wit judgment memory for a worldly bargain of gain but not for salvation 3. Christ is in his own ordinance never man before he be converted can savingly intend his own conversion Peter and John and Matthew when Christ spoke to them minded no saving work on their spirits nor did the three thousand Acts 2. nor the Jaylor Acts 16. mind so much as they met with Many came to Christ for bodily health and to be freed of Satan in a bodily possession yet when they see and hear Christ lying at wait in ambush in the preached Gospel they are beyond their intentions taken captives There is a great difference betwixt the doing of the bulk and body of an action and the action commanded by the highest authority of God even though the man perform not the action upon the account of a divine command Suppose Naaman had seven times and seventy seven times washed himself in Jordan some days before the Prophet of the Lord commanded him to wash it had been to no purpose he had not been cleansed from his Leprosie It were good we prize more that which men call the foolishness of preaching the Spirit breaths in and through his own ordinance when we know not Quest How can it stand with justice to command us to make our selves a new heart and a new Spirit since we are unable to make to our selves a new heart Ezech. 18. 51. for saith Pelagius inability to obey cannot be both a sin and a punishment of sin Ans 1. The commands of circumcising our selves to the Lord and of making a new heart which are laid upon us are materially Evangelick but as they are charged upon unrenewed men they are formally legal upon the Lord's intention also Evangelick to the chosen to fit them for Christ Nor can these commands have this sense I command and enjoyn to you the omnipotent infusion of a new heart 1. God lays no acts of the infinite and omnipotent God upon the finite creature 2. It is not his intention nay nor his will that reprobates create in themselves new vital principles of life since no such supernatural principles of the life of Christ was merited to them by the death of Christ 3. It s not physically possible to the Elect or to any to create a new heart to themselves from the very same principles in number which they lost in Adam for its a contradiction that what is done should not be done and what is lost should not be lost Nor can the Lord command the glorified in Heaven in whom the habit of holinesse is perfected to be now in glory justified by works for as its a contradiction that such as once broke the Law can be said never to have broken the Law so is it
forth opposing of the spirit 3. We are to acknowledge and adore the spirit in his actings and joyn hearty consent thereto 4. Self-denial 5. In a bewildered condition to desire to be led by the spirit 6. Spiritual facility in acting 7. To act much in publick works in the spirit 8. Much watching and praying 9. To converse with spiritual men 10. To be much in spiritual conference are all characters of a spiritual disposition THe third particular is what speaks a spiritual man and spiritual influences Ans He who puts himself under the guidance of the spirit is a spiritual man the will of the Guide should be master of the journey The Prophets Acts 13. Paul and Silas Acts 16. Philip Acts 8. accurately observe the command of the spirit as being as binding as the command of the Father and the Son The commands of God to the men of God were more legal in the Old Testament but the commands of the spirit now in the New Testament have more of free grace and perswasive leading Acts 10. 19. Acts 11. 12. Acts 18. 9 10 11. John 14. 16 26. John 16. 13. We shall speak hereafter of the lying under and obedient receiving of the breathings and influences of the spirit only here where there is a strong bensil of will and much freedom in obedience there is much of the spirit backdrawing in spiritual works proclaims much carnality but who had the anointing above measure was all will and all heart and all spirit to obey and suffer John 10. 17 18. Psal 40. 8 9. 2. The leading and drawing of the spirit when it bringeth forth running and is strongly closed with speaks a spiritual man Cant. 1. 4. Psal 119. 32. Cant. 3. 4. I held him and would not let him go Is not this violence sweet feelings and high commending of him follows when the spirits violence in drawing and the spouses violence in running meet there is a spiritual closing Cant. 1. 4. The King hath brought me into his chambers and what follows we will be glad and rejoyce in thee we will remember thy love more then wine See ver 12 13. Cant. 2. 3. I sate down under his shadow and his fruit was sweet in my mouth Delighting in him is followed with his delighting in the Spouse ver 6. His left hand is under mine head and his right hand doth embrace me 2. Here if in any it 's true to him that hath shall be given he that is willing to be led shall be led and keeping of the Commandments of Christ makes room for the Father and the Son to come hither and dwel fire makes more fire 3. A state of translation is to be gone about The man hath not the spirit till he be once over the water translated to the Kingdome of the dear Son of God Christ is not owner of the man that hath not the spirit If any have not the spirit he is none of Christ's Rom. 8. 9. Christ and the Spirit cannot be sever'd the spirit that is in the first heir is in all the rest and we should take it hard to be called or to be none of Christ's 3. Heed must be carefully taken that none of the Organs or parts of the new creation be broken A spiritual man cherisheth the spirit in all his operations he loves and honours his guide and leader The Scripture notes in four words the wrongs we doe to the spirit Isa 63. 10. They vexed his spirit of holiness the word is Psal 56. 6. they painfully wrested as they gave another figure or fashion to my words Ephes 4. 30. Grieve not the holy spirit The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to sadden rather then to anger Matth. 14. 9. Matth. 17. 23. Matth. 26. 22. Can a friend lodge in a house where he is every hour sadned is not this to chase him away and especially to sadden the King in the act of sealing your Writs and Evidences of Heaven is not this dreadful Ye shall know the spirit to be sadned when he acts deadly and lently as the man who rides on a lame and halting horse advances little in the way the fault is not in the Rider So when the man is straitned in praying and he knocks faintly life and liberty and godly boldnesse is away the tools of the worker being broken how unhandsome is the work 2. There should be an eike made to the working of the spirit there is needful a sort of helping of the spirit by widening opening and enlarging the heart the extending of love desires faith fear to their outmost borders there is an opening of the mouth wide commanded Psal 8. 10. Psal 24. 7. Lift up your heads and be ye lift up ye everlasting doors Cant. 5. 2. Open to me my sister my love my dove c. And this is needful under the actings of the spirit that we stretch the soul beyond it self and make an eike to the spirit of his own Hence that charge 1 Thes 5. 19. Quench not the spirit The word is Matth. 12. 20. Matth. 25. 8. Our lamps are out or quenched Mark 9. 44 46. Some cast water upon the fire and holy flamings of the spirit this makes a cold hearth-stone and mightily obstructs the working of God whereas we should adde new fewel to his fire and blow away the ashes and wrestle against deadnesse dulnesse faintnesse and stir up the grace of God 2 Tim. 1. 6. as smiths with the bellows blow up and quicken the flame do not quench it in your self by unbelief and uncheerful walking and break not one another know that so doe the enemies of Christ He trusted in the Lord that he would deliver him Let him deliver him since he delighted in him Psal 22. 8. That is to act Satans office when men cast water on the flamings of the spirit and crush the spirit and his actings in others 3. Acknowledge and adore the holy spirit as God and follow not Ananias to play the divel to the Holy Ghost to try if the holy Spirit shall find out hypocrisie Acts 5. Satan is the great 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 4. 3. who tempted the Son And a man may ride so neer the rotten margin on the bank of a mighty River as he will try the highest of free grace why but I may doe this and be pardoned Nay the holy Spirit never said Sin at will with greediness thou wast once a believer It 's dreadful to put a tryal upon the worth of an infinite ransome 2. Upon the most noble and transcendent actings of the spirit this God hath done in me therefore I have liberty to sin Tempted free grace is a transgression with so loud a cry it s heard all Heaven over 4. Joyn hearty consent to all the actings and influences moral or physical of the Holy Ghost and be not beaten from that There is an anger outed in the Father as the offended Law-giver
only moral or tempting actings or hellish inspirations inductive to sin and it 's no small mercy that the Prince and God of a lost world who by permission acteth really on the air earth and waters yet hath no power of immediate real or physical acting upon minde will affection and conscience he having only a borrowed key and at the second hand power to suit the heart by fancy senses and outward objects 1 Kings 22. 22. John 13. Acts 5. 3. Some one way or other the court-gate of Achabs heart of Judas of Ananias and Sapphira lie open to Satans scout-watches It were safer to watch and fear then to dispute how that subtle Spirit can blow up the lock and get in for he knows not what is in a mans spirit The spirit of a man is under God the onely keeper of this castle and knows rooms doors and what is within 1 Cor. 2. 11. But devils lying about the out-works the senses the fancie and the imagination which is a material house and hath doors windows and entries passible to devils he can here blow the bellows and kindle iron works There be two wayes to know the secrets that are done in a cabinet-camber 1. Satan can send in posts with letters and write his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his wiles to the heart This is one way of putting it in the heart of Judas to betray Christ by sending his mind and will through the fancie to the heart and the fancy being set on work by the will and understanding can carry the missive letter else how could the Lord rebuke the sin of actual imaginations as he doth Jer. 9. 4. Jer. 13. 10. Jer. 18. 11 12. Nah. 2. 11. 2. The heart can write back an answer of the missive letters and print it on the fancy We know there is fire in the house by the smoke that comes out at the chimney A man may speak out at a window to another Satan conveyed by the serpents tongue and by Evahs eyes the living thoughts of a Godhead growing on the tree and can send in a word of a message to the heart All these will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me And thou shalt have thirty pieces of silver if thou wilt deliver up the Lord to us and from the sons of disobedience he gets a return he knew what Achab should answer to the 400 Prophets and heard that Thou shalt goe and also prevail And reason would say since all Satans prevailings have these two 1. A commission sought and obtained to tempt Job c. 1. and as particular as if written as is clear v. 12. Or a sentence of the great Judge to punish sin 1 Kings 22. 20 21 22 23. 2 Sam. 24. 1. It may appear that the lictor and executioner though he know not the heart and the thoughts of the Judge directly yet he knows his own written commission and what sentence he is to execute and what mischief he shall doe 1 Kings 22. 22. as the executioner knows whether the sentence bear heading or hanging 2. Ananias is blamed for Satans lye that he put in his heart Why hath Satan filled thy heart it's like there were a good many seeming arguments moved by Satan to promote the work in Ananias to lye to the holy Ghost Then though Satans knocking and active tempting be not our sin for our Saviour was tempted by Satan yet without sin yet he hath so access to to the heart as our yielding and being passively tempted with any degree of inclination to the tempation is our sin 3. Neither may we dispute or racket arguments with Satan Object We may dispute with Hereticks and convince them though they be Satans instruments Tit. 1. 9. Tit. 3. 10. and the blind man John 9. hold up a dispute in defence of Christ against the Pharisees therefore we may dispute with Satan himself Answ Men to whose ears the Gospel comes are to be gained by the power of the truth 2 Tim. 2. 24 25. We are commanded to confess Christ before men not before devils This end is not attainable in the fallen Angels therefore Christ rebukes Satans confessing of him Luke 4. 34 35. Obj. Christ holds up dispute with Satan Matth. 4. Answ We are to follow what is ordinary in Christs disputing that is to reject Satans temptations not brutishly and irrationally that is not victory over Satan by the light of faith but by evidence of Scripture and must refuse to yield to the temptation and refuse in faith 2. There is something extraordinary in this which we cannot follow for the second Adam here as Mediator carries the person of all the tempted ones as the first Adam did represent all his and gives a proof that he is Michael stronger then the Dragon and that all the tempted seed are by faith to rely on the strength of the tempted Saviour 3. Nor did Christ hold up or entertain the dispute with Satan he only gave one simple answer to every temptation It is written Nor had the dispute 1. It s rise from Christ Christ is rather a patient for our instruction then an agent as touching the rise of the temptation for Matthew saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the tempter came unto him then Christ fetched neither the tempter nor the temptation or dispute 2. Satan brought him to the holy city Matth. 4. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Satan set him on a pinacle of the Temple v. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Devil took him unto an exceeding high mountain and shewed him all the kingdomes of the world Then did not the man Christ goe as from himself to the pinacle of the Temple nor to the exceeding high mountain to fetch and bring on himself the temptation or the dispute See Luke 4. 5 6 7 8. Yea Divines think he submitted that his holy body should be so far acted upon by Satan So Mark 1. 12. the Spirit drives him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 casteth him violently to the desart Evah entertains a dialogue with Satan 1. Speaks by way of complaining of God 2. And doubtingly of the Lords word of threatning Gen. 3. Saul the 1 Sam. 28. seeketh after Satan and makes a journey to him Some influences of God are 1. upon the act yet so as they are willingly received by us 2. Though they be terminated upon the material act under trangression yet is there neither moral warrant nor perswasion to the sinfulness from the Lord but the contrary But when the influence is to gracious acts there are many strong allurements from precept promise threatning to move us to close with the gracious act and virtually with the real influence 3. Satans influences are to shameful acts to walking naked 2. To bloody delusions to kill the children to Molech 3. To unwarrantable delusions to lay aside Scripture and walk in the dark attending on unwritten dreams 2 Divis Some influences of God are ordinis
thousand of the people that have set themselves round about me Psal 6. he prayes Lord rebuke me not in thy wrath have mercy on me return again O Lord deliver my soul That prayer is heard and the result is an heavenly disposition to part with wicked men 6. Depart from me ye workers of iniquity and a new disposition of assurance The Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping And assurance that God heard the man is a new seed of praying to him again Psal 116. 3 4 5 6. Psal 18. 3 4 5 6. So Psal 31. after complaints and heavenly petitions v. 4. Pull me out of the net 9. Have mercy upon me O Lord make thy face to shine upon thy servant c. follow heavenly dispositions 1. Of commending the seeking of God v. 19. O bow great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee A disposition to encourage others to seek God v. 23. O love the Lord all ye his Saints c. A disposition to encourage fainters v. 24. Be of good courage and he shall strengthen your heart How shall I get praying Praying helps to praying How shall I get holy dispositions Holy dispositions beget holy dispositions How shall I get courage and spiritual strength Psal 31. 24. Be of good courage and he shall strengthen your heart that is be strong in the Lord and he shall make you strong in him So Psal 27. 14. Wait on the Lord be of good courage and he shall strengthen thy heart wait I say on the Lord. The courage of faith is commanded and the argument is God shall strengthen thy heart and give thee courage As if we were the beginners of the good work so does the Lord frame his precepts promises to shake us out of our laziness that we abuse not his grace and gracious influences to wanton idleness So the Apostle Be strong in the faith and couragious and God shall strengthen your heart and furnish you So the Father speaks to his child lift at this burden I will lift your arms and strengthen them to lift the burden and to bear it 2. They are refuted hence who say The Lord bids us be of good courage and he knows courage and strength is from himself yea but so as you are to goe about acts of courage He bids us pray and he knows prayer is his own gift and the work of his Spirit It 's so here but he bids you pray that you may pray believe that you may believe So he commands heavenly dispositions and he only can give them So he commands heavenly habits and heavenly dispositions but yet so as ye act When a Physician enjoyns one for such a disease strive to have your body and cloathes to cast a good savour does he not enjoyn also that this sick man should carry about roses precious oyntments Would we act more in God and pray more and haunt more in heaven we should savour more of heaven And when men complaines of deadness it is with reflection on God he quickens me not and therefore I am dead his Son is the resurrection and the life and he sends no inflnences of life on me That is the physical cause and the Lord is free of your sinful deadness and unsavouriness in so doing Why complain of the moral faulty cause that is complain of your self complain that ye lie not among the roses ye are not much meditating and drawing life out of the precious promises ye are not often in wisedomes house ye are not much with the King at his banquet ye draw not near to his house of wine habits and heavenly dispositions grow from multiplyed spiritual acts and spiritual acts come kindly from heavenly dispositions My heart is fixed What is the particular disposition here aimed at For clearing of this know a disposition in general of which I spake above is one thing and this disposition is another These three must be differenced 1. The state 2. The temper and constitution 3. The disposition The state is to be renewed in Christ or in nature born of the spirit or yet remaining and walking in the flesh acted by the prince of the air that rules in the children of disobedience the birth and state of living is neither up nor down to the temper and constitution which is either strong and vigorous or weakly and sickly or betwixt these the state of living or birth consists in indivisibili if the man breath and live in nature or in Christ being now a translated person he hath a natural or a spiritual life but howbeit some be born again some are fathers and experienced radicated and confirmed Christians others are young men strong in the faith and both these are of a good spiritual temper and constitution But there are a third sort that are babes in Christ and though born again yet weakly and sickly frequent out-breakings much doubting liable to strong unmortified passions 1 John 2. 12 13 14. And to be born of God is common to all the three sorts and the essence and nature of the new birth agrees equally and univocally to them all all have their own influences finished to them from Christ but the spiritual tempers may differ as weak and strong healthy or sickly good or bad at least lesse good But as for dispositions of the regenerate they are qualities that go and come now anon I judge you will say the new-birth and the heavenly disposition are all one For David was born of God while he was under a wicked disposition to deflour Bathsheba to kill Vriah to be avenged no Nabal all which were bad dispositions when the new-birth is the new-birth and saving work of the spirit And again the spiritual disposition differs not a little from the spiritual temper 1. The spiritual temper is permanent as one is a weak man until he come out of his childhood for so many years or months he is Infant so long a child so long a youth So one is so long a babe in Christ and grows to be stronger in the faith and at length comes to be a father in Christ but even while the same babes age in Christ continues and the same weakly and sickly temper and inclination to yield to temptations in David new born and a babe good dispositions may be on to pray to praise to commit his life to God in extream dangers to make Psalms and yet Davids spiritual temper and constitution is and may be bad and sickly as Peter before our Saviours death is born again and a believer Matth. 16. 16 17. and by his much ignorance and frequent slips as acting Satans part in disswading Christ from the necessary work of redemption his carnal confidence in himself in saying he should never deny Christ his smiting off Malchus eaâ— his denial of Christ with an oath it appears that the spiritual temper was weak and much carnal nor can it be denied all that time when
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
sealing of the Spirit Eph. 4. 29 30. So singing Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs with making melody in the heart to the Lord is a proclaiming that there is some fulness of the Spirit if the Spirit could speak in the Saints the two native languages of the Spirit would be praying for that is the cry of the Spirit Rom. 8. 15 23 26. and singing praises Eph. 5. 18 19 20. The way to have influences of the Spirit is to pray continually and fervently and to give thanks always for all things unto God the father in the name of our Lord Jesus Eph. 5. 20. 5. A wicked hardening of the heart is as if ye would cast water on a weakly smoaking fire of green timber that cannot be a seat an office-house to the Spirit and his actings such are interdited of the spiritual seeing and of the Spirits hearing of the Spirit Rom. 11. 8. God hath given them the spirit of slumber eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear to this day It 's dreadful when Prophets preach some stark blind and dead one of the chief and noble operations of the Spirit is illumination and he is a seeing and an enlightning and a hearing spirit 1. Wink not before the shining beams of the Sun yield heartily to the convictions of the Spirit John 16. 7. such as waste away the light of conscience and the convictions of the Spirit are not entrusted again with new actings of the Spirits enlightning 2. Be tender and stand in awe of smaller sins it speaks much of the spirit in David to be smitten with the renting of the lap of Saul's garment 6. Some make themselves uncapable of the actings of the Spirit who seeing great temptations signs and miracles have plenty of means yet remain blind and hard-hearted and dull of hearing Deut. 29. 2 3 4. Heb. 5. 11 12. Joh. 12. 37 38 39 40. if we would improve the actings of the Spirit and delight in the Lords way we should have new influences to walk in his paths Psalm 119. 35. and God teacheth David good judgements for saith he I have believed thy commandments v. 66. So are they-far from new influences who abuse so many plagues and so many deliverances from these plagues as Pharaoh did and crush the motions of a trembling conscience as Felix did a doubt it may be if ever the like acting of a Law-spirit visit such men again 7. All such who remain in the state of unrenewed nature are uncapable of the actings of the Spirit nor does the Spirit lodge in sensual and beastly men Jude v. 19. nor can the world receive the Spirit of truth John 14. 17. no more then the spirit and breathing of a horse can lodge in aâ—pismire It 's true John Baptist was full of the holy Ghost from the womb Luke 1 15. and the Spirit acts him with joy v. 41. when Mary saluted her but John Baptists sin Original was both then pardoned as touching the damnation thereof and subdued as touching the dominion of it Otherwise another spirit acts and works by nature in the sons of disobedience Eph. 2. 2. and these two strong ones can remain and dwell both in one castle then seek translation and to be with Christ if ye would have the Spirit and his influences multitudes no more complain of the want of the influences of the Spirit then a dead mans corps complains of cold of hunger of thirst or of influences of life from the living soul nor complain they of sickness Oh it speaks life to be pained for the waâ— of the Spirit and his influences what wonder that ye cannot perswade a sleeping man that he sleeps 8. Some actings of bitterness wrath clamour anger and malice in the Saints may sadden the Spirit of God darken the evidence of the Spirits sealing unto the day of redemption Eph. 4. 30 31. It must be a sort of suffering to the Spirit and a casting water on the fire and a deadning to David as touching vigorous and lively operations that he acted adultery and murther which moves him to pray for the restoring to him again the joy of the Lords salvation and to be upholden by the Lords free spirit Psal 51. 12. Can a King dwell even in a palace when it is burning and smoaking about his ears therefore holy actings teaching of sinners praying praising Psalm 51. 13 14. 15. to be kind one to another and tender-hearted to forgive one another as Christ did Eph. 4. 32. and to act as the Spirit and to be holy and heavenly in one walk puts the Spirit in a sweet composed temper to act and breath abundantly in his flowings of love and grace 9. It would be observed that influences of the Spirit are contempered with the actings of grace with which they concur the spirit of adoption acts in the grammer of prayer to cry Abba Father and he comes down to the language of children learning to speak and to say Abba and the Spirit helps our infirmities O it must be great help that the Spirit yields it must be creating of new heavens or removing of mountains or dividing of the sea or something like say some nay the Spirit helps us with a groan his influences come down to sigh and weep and mourn like a dove in a Saint Rom. 8. 26. Cant. 2. 14. Ezech. 7. 16. and if so it 's no wonder that the Spirit breaths not on our wild fire anger Well does the Spirit breathe on Christs holy anger he was angry and grieved Mark 3. 5. and was saddened at the offending of God To be angry at the sin of offenders and yet so as to compassionate the soul of the offender this is to fix a fit seat for the influences of the spirit nor can we receive the influences of that spirit who applieth and intimateth pardon and forgiveness when our anger is such to these who injure us as we cannot forgive them and if anger lodge and take chamber in the bosome and brest of a fool can the Spirit breathe supplications in such a brest when the fountain is troubled and muddy with clay it gives no representation of the face and image to the beholder Psalm 119. 135. Make thy face to shine on thy servant but the soul is a dusty and muddy glasse most unfit to receive the irradiations and beams of such a transcendent sun of glory yea it 's some way fitted v. 136. rivers of water run down mine eyes because they keep not thy Law Then a soul mourning for sin is fit to be shined upon by the Lord when the man Christs soul is exceeding sorrowful even to the death Matth. 26. 38. then is his soul fit to receive dartings of the spirit to pray most humbly with his face on the ground v. 39. most believingly O my Father O my Father most fervently with tripple praying 44. more earnestly Luke 22. 44. or more bendedly then
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
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