here is no fiction but evident truth Adam in the very act of sinning deserved because he sinned that God should have withdrawn his influence but it was a virtual deserving and formally a sin Ob.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
in the act of obedience Therefore God must be the cause of disobedience by this and render the non-obeyer guiltless and excusable Ans Though my dimness could not lose this Argument the validity and power of the grace of God should be no less and the guiltiness of man as much as it is But 1. He who withdraws such an influence and impression of grace from the reasonable creature constrained compelled and unwilling to want such an influence he is the cause of the disobedience and rendreth the non-obeyer guiltless and excusable The Proposition in that sense is true But now the assumption is most false For if the man should seek and desire the influence of God in that very act and the Lord deny it and withdraw it violently from the Will as if the Child a drowning should cry to the Father being obliged to help that he would reach help and the Father shall refuse then is the Father the cause of the Child's drowning and so should the holy Lord be the cause of our disobedience and render us guiltless and excusable if he were obliged not to withdraw But he who withdraws his influence from the creature who in the same act of wanting is most willing to want it and gives in the same act of disobedience his virtual consent to the same withdrawing he is the cause of the disobedience of the act and renders the non-obeyer guiltless and excusable The Proposition in this sense is false and the Assumption true God so withdraws his influence that in the same act the man is unexcusably willing to want it He is deservedly cold who joyfully and willingly yields to the pulling away of his coat Here that is true an injury is not done to a man who receives it as a favour Volenti non fit injuria as is clear in the Lord 's active hardning of Pharaoh's heart Exod. 7. 3. and Pharaoh's hardning of his own heart Exod. 8. 15. both in a material act 2. He who withdraws his influence in the same moment of time though first by order of nature from the creature who 2. is willing to want that influence and 3. is a withdrawer of his influence by no obligation at all to give it he is the cause of disobedience The Proposition so taken is false Only it follows that the withdrawing of the influence is the physical cause of non-obedience not the moral cause of disobedience For 1. The withdrawer of the influence is under no obligation by any binding law to bestow it 2. The man that wants the influence is willing to want it 3. The man is obliged who so wants the influence by an expresly binding law of God to perform the act commanded and to abstain from the contrary act forbidden and these three are the grounds why the Lord is not chargeable with the act of disobedience and man is guilty and chargeable therewith Hence man is the culpable cause of disobedience and he never wants the influence of God but his own sin interpretatively is the cause The withdrawing of Dew and Rain is the cause of barrennesse or non-fertility the Lord 's withdrawing is the physical cause of non-obedience but the will of man is the only formal vital subjective moral and as it were the material cause of sin yea the only formal and efficient cause of sin Obj. He that casts away his coat is deservedly cold for he doth it against deliberate reason except he be mad or in an extreme distemper of body But no man refuseth divine influences with deliberate reason and the law of nature 2. The law of nature lays bands upon men not to cast away their cloaths but to have or to want the influences of God falleth under no command of God laid upon man 3. No man by your way hath the influences of grace in his own power to receive or reject them as he that casteth away his garments in a cold day hath undeniably such a power Ans Every comparison in some thing halteth he who casts away his coat is deservedly cold true and with deliberate reason and foolishly so doth and that is false that no man with deliberate reason refuseth divine influences For willing or deliberate yielding to the sin either of omission or of commission which is conjoyned with the Lord 's withdrawing of his influences is both our formal sinning against the obligation of a command and a yielding virtual which is enough to make up guiltiness to the want of divine influences 2. True it is to have or to want the influence of God falleth under no command of God laid upon man as a man is by the law of nature forbidden to cast away his coat in a cold season but in virtual yielding to have influences of God conjoyned with doing evil and in virtual yielding to want influences conjoyned with other sins of omission or commission we sin and so are under a command as he who refuseth a Staff or a stronger man to lean upon in going thorow a water is guilty of drowning himself 3. Thus far we are deliberately to desire influences that we are to pray for them Draw me Cant. 1. 4. Lord teach me Psal 119. 33. Open mine eyes that I may behold the wonders of thy Law ver 18. Incline mine heart to thy testimonies and not to covetousness v. 36. As we are obliged to have a new heart and to have the image of God which we willingly lost in Adam and to be renewed in the spirit of our mind and to make to our selves a new heart and are commanded so to doe Ezech. 18 31. Ephes 4. 23. and yet the Lord 's omnipotent creating of a new heart in us cannot fall under a Commandement formally obliging us to create in our selves a new heart and so are we cammanded consequently to have the breathings and influences of grace 1. In the same act in the which we are commanded to obey 2. In that we are to pray for and to desire the breathings of God 3. In that there is a promise to him that hath it shall be given Matth. 25. 29. Matth. 13. 12. but how far the promise extends is after to be discussed 3. As touching influences natural they seem to be common to free and voluntary Agents and also to natural causes so the Lord commandeth the Sun to rise and it riseth Psal 104. 19. and he commandeth the Sun and it riseth not Job 9. 7. it rains because the Lord lifteth up his voice unto the clouds that abundance of rain may come he sendeth out lightnings Jerem. 14. 22. Psal 107. 33 34. God hunteth the prey for the Lyon and gives food to the Raven Job 38. 35. 36. v. 41. In all these the natural cause acts and yet hath not in its power the influences of God and when God withdraws his influences so as natural causes act not they find no positive violence offered to restrain them or by-way of any positive impediment to hinder them
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
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
Jer. 31. 31. Ezech. 36. 26. Heb. 8. 8 9 10. for though the Lord of free grace give wicked free-will may refuse to receive the new heart 11. The faithfulness and power of God interposed in the promise of perseverance 1 Joh. 4. 4. Joh. 10. 27 28. 1 Pet. 1. 5. Jude v. 24. Eph. 5. 25 26 27. Isa 54. 10. Isa 59. 20 21. Jer. 32. 39 40. must be broken if free-will may resile from God and disanul and resist all the actings of God in bringing many sons to glory 12. There can be no place to infinite wisedome free grace pardoning mercy to the merits of Christ in dying to bring us to God 1 Pet. 3. 18. in delivering and redeeming us from a present evil world Gal. 1. 4. from all iniquity Tit. 2. 14. from our vain conversation 1 Pet. 1. 18. that we should live unto righteousness 1 Pet. 2. 24. as wisedome grace mercy are effectually experienced in sinners if it be in free-wills independent power to admit or reject the saving actings of God in these let any teach and shew a midst betwixt the Lords granting of effectual grace to any one rather then to another from his absolute dominion will and differencing grace and predeterminating grace 4. Since the Adversaries grant that the concurrence of God to the entitative act of sinning is causative they are obliged to roll away the stone and to clear to us how the Lord is not as well by their way the joynt and collateral cause of sin hallowed be his Name as he is the praedeterminating cause as is pretended by our way for Francis Silevias Lo. Meratins Schoolmen not to be despised with reason say If he be the cause of theft who concurs and consents and helps a man to climb in at a window to steal no less then he who praedetermines the man to steal by either command or counsel or then by reall efficiency then must the holy Lord be judged the cause of Adam's first act of sinning as it is an act both the one way and the other 5. Neither does the concurrence or non-concurrence either way hurt the natural way of free-wills working though the Author make out-crys O here be three necessities what if there be four or ten the Author well knows the learned of both ways teach there be divers necessities that hurt not freew ill 6. Neither is it to be forgotten that the Lords saving concurrence to bring the Elect to glory is of an higher and more excellent nature then the influence of God to Adam For that influence to Adam was 1. connatural and not the fruit of Christs merit as are saving influences in Christ 2. That influence to Adam was not given to Adam as praedestinated to obtain the Law-reward of life I judge Adam was not praedestinate to any such Law-life but to obtain life and pardon in the satisfactory death of Christ Nor 3. was that influence given to Adam in order to perseverance for perseverance was commanded indeed to Adam but it was neither promised of God to him nor was it ever in the purpose or decree of God to bestow it on him therefore Gods influence to Adam's obedience must be a far lower and weaker causality then the saving influences of Christ It was said by me that God withdrew his influence from Aâ—am who in the same moment was willing to want it not that Adam formally refused it but that materially interpretatively and in his actual consenting to sin he refused it The Adversary crys out but soft words and strong and hard Arguments were best It is questioned saith he whether Adam 's will to eat was before the Lords denial of his influence or posterior and later then the denial or at once it is of no moment whether they were at once in time they dare not say before because then Adam had sinned before he sinned if his will to eat be posterior to the want of God's influence there is manifestly an antecedent necessity therefore Dr. Tuiss saith they were coexistent in the same moment of nature and so the necessity yet stands Ans Armini in his collation with Junius could have made this Argument stronger But 1. The Lord by order of nature withdraws his influence and in the same moment of time which is of great moment Adam sins and refuses the influence And it follows not that Adam sins before he sins nor follows it that Adam sins by any necessity destructive to the liberty of the will yea it is a necessity helping and aiding freedome because the Lord withdraws no influence from Adam against his will but in the same moment of time that the Lord withdraws his influence from Adam to the act Adam withdraws his consent to the act virtually subscribes to the wanting of the influence of God The Adversary is most angry at the distinction as dark and not intelligible and says it cannot be taught the people why The want of the influence of God by order of nature is before the virtual and interpretative merit of wanting that influence if the virtual merit be an evil merit malum meritum or a sin so it must be posterior and later then the want of Gods influence and not before it but it is like a fiction that there be two demerits in Adams sin one culpable another unculpable Ans 1. It is still said by me that the want of divine influence by order of nature is before Adam's sin 2. It is not theologically spoken that the merit of sin reatris penae is sin or evil it 's a fiction that the merit of sin is either culpable or unculpable it 's rather good and an obligation to wrath and a consequent of sin and is not sin No merit of reward is either formally obedience but posterior to obedience nor is a merit or demerit of punishment is formally sin but posterior to sin Christ is liable to punishment for our sins and as an ingaged surety debet puniri ought to be punished for our sins that were laid on him Isa 53. 6. 2 Cor. 5. 21. Gal. 3. 13. but there was formally and inherently no sin in Christ nor any evill or any thing culpable in Christ 3. Adam's virtual consenting to want the influence of God was his very first sin formally he who refuses to stand and wilfully falls he virtually refuses a staff or a pillar to lean upon he who formally wanders he virtually hates his guide and leader he who formally loves darkness and practically walks therein he virtually hates light and desires virtually that the light should not have shined on him and so he who willingly falls and willingly shuâ—s his eyes virtually deserved the staff should have been taken from him and that the Sun should not have shined on him he who willingly wanders out of the way doth virtually deserve to be depraved of his guide and who so wanders are said to despise the word of the Lord their guide and rule So
nor receiving of a new heart is our sin The sowrness and naughtiness of the Earth in bringing forth poysonable weeds is the Earth's own indispotion the Sun and Clouds extract these poysonable herbs the natural driness of some rocky Earth and the not raining of the clouds meet both in one to wit the barrenness of the earth and this takes not away the faultiness of this earth so rocky 2. Our guiltiness that appears is evident in our eik which we make to original and natural malice for acquired pravity meets with natural and original corruption like two floods to make a Sea or a great River or as when a man forceth a wound to bleed which of it self would bleed And again what ever may be said of the result of the Lord 's withdrawing of influences we add an impulsion to his withdrawing as the adding of the heat of an Oven neer the root of a fruit tree to cause it to ripen adds something to the heat of the Sun and the Influences of the Heavens and when the heart walketh after the heart of our detestable things as it is Ezech. 11. 21. and with the intended bensil of the free-will we put our seal and consent to the Lord's withdrawing there is no ground to complain of his withdrawing Q. But does not the Lord 's withdrawing of his influences since without his concurrence of that kind our actings are impossible doe violence to free-will which must be indifferent to act or not to act to doe or not to doe Ans This is a weak reason for to our willing the influence of God is natural and so is it to our nilling the Lord â—akes his influences and the withdrawing thereof connatural to all our actions to both willing and to nilling driness and barrenness is as connatural to the tree as budding and fruit-bearing if God add his influences either to the one or to the other yea since the Lord's concurrence is sutable to the nature of second causes the fire leaves not off to be fire nor is its nature destroyed if the Lord withdraw his influence so that the fire burns not the three children nor is violence done to nature by the Lord 's joyning of his influence to the fire to burn in acts of righteousness or of sin there is still nilling and willing And suppose that the Martyr chose to die a violent death for the confirming of the truth there is no violence done to free will nay there is no miracle in the Lord 's concurring to the material acts of sin 2. To have dominion over the Soveraignty of God is no part of the creatures liberty but only it is free in order to its own actings nor is it essential to the free-will of Men or Angels or any creature to have the influences of God in its power or at hand As it is no part of the Sun's power of yielding light or of the fires quality of casting heat to have dominion and command over the influences of God the supreme and first cause but the Lord hath so a dominion over second causes both in acts natural and supernatural that his influence as Midwife ever attends saving his holy Soveraignty the bringing forth of all births and effects of second causes So as in the free-wills moral actings the not acting of free-will or the marring of the birth of new obedience to a law of God is never from the Lord 's physical withdrawing of his influence as from a culpable cause but the sinfulness of the action is ever from our own sinful withdrawing of our will from under the moral sway of the holy command of God and let it be a mystery how the Lord withdraws his concurrence as being above a law he is holy and spotless in so doing and how we are under a law and sinfully guilty in that we love to want his holy influence and it s our sin and he loves to withdraw his influence and it is his holy Soveraignty Both which are clear in Scripture if we confess that we are debters to the Lord and to his just Law and his holy Soveraignty in that he yieldeth his influences and in his having mercy on whom he will and in hardning whom he will in the Lord 's drawing of men or his not drawing of them to Christ in revealing the Gospel mystery savingly to whom he will Rom. 9. 18. John 6. 44 63. Matth 11. 26 27. nor can the Lord be a debter to the Creature in these And this mysterie is a clear revealed truth if we yield that the Lord 's active drawing calling inviting of sinners to come to Christ is his holy and sinless work and our passive not being drawn and not being effectually called and invited to come to Christ is our sin of unbelief and our refusing and rebellious rejecting of his call Isa 65. 1 2. Prov. 1. 24 25 26. John 5. 40. and that he so calleth and hath mercy on whom he will because he will as it is the flesh and carnal wisedom that objecteth But God so calling some as they must come because so he willeth and so calling other some as they must be hardened because he willeth gives a seeming ground to two great Objections 1. Why then doth God find fault and rebuke and eternally refuse the so called for if they were called with that drawing power that others are called with sure they would believe and come but they are not so called therefore God cannot blame us find the fault in unbelievers Rom. 18. 19. 2. If God so call some as they obey and others as they obey not because he will who can resist his will his will is as himself then do we reject God's calling and eternally perish because God so doth will Now not any ever breathing moved any such Objections but the carnal Jew in Paul's time and the Socinians Jesuits and Arminians in the age we now live in and stumblers at the word for all such enemies to grace turn the Objection into an argument against the absolute will and invincible grace of God and answer not with the holy Ghost who Rom. 9. calls it a bold fleshly replying unto God v. 20. for the holy Ghost asserts the Soveraignty of God as the potter over the clay the guiltiness of vessels of wrath Rom. 9. 22. and their disobedience in refusing the call of God v. 29. their following like Pharisees Law-righteousness by works and stumbling at Christ the stumbling stone laid in Sion Rom. 9. 31 32 33. wheras the Gentils were called of free grace v. 24. 25 26. therefore they must be of the same stamp with the fleshly Jews who thus object against us and such are the Patrons of universal grace and free-will Hence let that be discussed 1. Would God give me grace I would be a man according to God's heart as well as David But 2. I was born in sin and I cannot have more grace then God hath given me
peace between God and you ye are all of you old and young bought with a price ransomed by the blood of God ye are not your own Christ hath taken away your sins and does now begin upon a new score God hath exprest the greatest love imaginable he hath redeemed you his enemies this in the Old or New Testament is never told them for then the Ministers of the Gospel should find all the Pagans a Church bought with the blood of Christ and the reality of a Church should be in all societies of the earth But such glad news are preached to the chosen in the visible Church only never to Brasilians Paul preaches at Athens Acts 17. Creation not one word of Redemption as also Aristotle Plato and others should beget over again to God Creator all their disciples whom they find rude and ignorant and infuse by moral swasion and teaching a new life of learning and all rude and ignorant men before they be taught Methaphysick Mathematicks should be dead in ignorance enemies in their heart to knowledge and Philosophy and the same ground should make Ministers suppose there were no learning and teaching of the Father in drawing of men to Christ by that Omnipotency which raised Christ from the dead and created the world John 6. 44 45. Ephes 1. 17 18. 19. 2 Cor. 4. 4. as true real Fathers of the new-birth by only the letter of the Gospel as Aristotle and Plato are fathers to beget Philosophy in men Now for any remedying Gospel-promise that is made to Brasilians to purchase by way of merit we shall believe it when Mr. Baxter shall prove that to Indians and Brasilians who lived and dyed without the sound of the least notice or rumour of the Gospel Christ hath purchased and merited grace to believe the Gospel 2. That Christ by the blood of his Crosse hath made peace betwixt God and the Brasilians who so lived and dyed without the Gospel that Christ hath satisfied upon the Crosse for their sins against the Law and born their fins in his own body on the tree that Brasilians being dead to sins should live unto righteousness by whose stripes Brasilians are healed 1 Pet. 2. 24. that Christ suffered for Brasilians to bring them to God 1 Pet. 3. 18. that Christ bought Brasilians from their vain conversation with his blood 1 Pet. 1. 18. that Christ gave himself for wild Indians that he might redeem them from all iniquity and purifie to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Tit. 2. 14. And who so tell us of a general dubious and conditional intention in the Father giving his Son to death and of the Son's giving himself to death for all these poor savages to whom he would never send the air of a rumour that he so loved them and of a special intention going along with the free decree of Election to glory that so many only should live unto righteousnesse be redeemed from all iniquity are holden to prove two such redemptions two such loves of Christ dying two such intentions and decrees two such providences one special redemption one special greatest love one special intention one fatherly providence indeed toward the elect we find John 10. 10 11. John 3. 16. John 11. 51 52. 2 Cor. 5. 14 15. Rev. 1. 5 6. Rev. 5. 9 10. 1 Pet. 2. 24. 1 Pet. 3. 18. 1 Pet. 1. 18. Tit. 1. 14. Gal. 1. 4. John 15. 13. Rom. 8. 32 33. Isa 53. 4 5 6. Rev. 14. 4. all which places make the redeemed to be loved with the greatest love sanctified bought from their vain conversation redeemed from among men made Kings and Priests to God delivered from this present evil world redeemed from all iniquity c. we leave the other General dubious love intention and reconciliation of Brasilians to our Adversaries to be made out by Scripture And Q. What is the grace of Christ's meritorious blood if it be shed for all and every one if it put the nature and free will of all and every one in a better condition and if his merit restore not the image of God into a more firm and excellent condition then we had in the first Adam and what healing of nature and the restoring of the image of God is made to the savages who eat men as we do beevs kill their aged fathers use wives promiscuously and never heard one word of the Gospel CHAP. XIIII The Law discovereth the disease but heals it not 2. How nature begins and the spirit acts 3. We not God in withdrawing his grace must be the culpable cause of non conversion 4. Some truth we must first physically hear and consider before we believe KNowledge or the commanding Law strengthens the wicked desire by forbidding it A strong stream runs with more strength that a dike of stone and clay stands in its way I know not saith Augustine epist contra Hilarium 89 c. de spir lit 4. how that which is desired becomes more pleasant because it is forbidden Nescio quo enim modo hoc ipsum quod concupiscitur fit jucundius dum vetatur the letter of the Law or bare knowledge meets with unrenewed nature and then a severe master and a froward servant make no work betwixt them the Law came in that sin might abound Rom. 5. Jubet Lex magis quam juvat docet morbum esse non sanat imo ab eo quod non sanatur augetur ut attentius sollicitius gratiae medicina quaeratur The Law commands but it helps not it teacheth the disease to be there but heals it not There are two extremities here we love on the one hand the barbarous opus operatum the literal deed done in praying the charm of the external work is by hand if God sell not the blessing yet I have blown words of praying up to Heaven and told down the price It 's heavenly wisedom to go about praying and other means not as acts of trading for our nighest ends but as acts of serving and glorifying of God though no thing should redound to us but we use praying and hearing as a man doth his horse or his ship all for self-use and self-ends Ah can the man charm the blessing of the Holy Ghost with bare words when scarce the literal attention goes along and here our Idolatrry saith I buy and God will not sell I plow and God binds up the clouds the Lord pays not the reward of a rich harvest to the merit of plowing on the other hand let ordinances reading praying and hearing of the Bible sleep until the spirit blow and we forget it is not the Spirit of the Father which works without the word and the testimonies the tools of the Father is this God's Spirit or a delusion plow not sow not until it be first harvest blow not at the fire until it first flame boldly pray not until the Spirit breath strongly but first give words I pray you to be a
answered according to Scripture and sound reason disp Scholas de providentia Exercit. apolo pro gratai divian Christs dying and drawing Infinite almost influences of God We look not spiritually on influences What influences are Influences of God are suitable to Gods end Influences of God for nilling and willing most rare and excellent How Christ and the promised Spirit must be the causes of gracious influences We are to believe that he who purchased by his merit the habit of grace shall give suitable influences and to fear also our propension to fall The promise of influences in Christ Necessity of influences Reasons of renewed influences The first Adam might want influences the second cannot Satans actions always destitute of influences How God withdraws infâ—uences in particular acts hic nunc and yet hath promised to bestow influences on the regenerate by promise The Lord acts on us by his influences but we act not on him How we cannot pray away desertion and the trying withdrawings yet are we to pray submissively for the removal of desertion and are to pray against withdrawings The Lord 's withdrawing makes not the holy one the author of sin nor destroys liberty The cause why God is not chargeable with the act of disobedience and man is chargeable How we interpretatively yield to the want of influences of grace and sin formally in the same act Our interpretative wanting of influences and our formal sinning in the same act further clear'd The soveraignty of God is destroy'd by Pelagians to the end they may exa't mans Free-will Of our acts and spiritual duties under the spiritual withdrawings of God Something of the state of the question Our inability to do duties when the Spirit withdraws looseth us not from a moral obligation to perform the duties Aug. Epist 89. Jubet Deus continentiam dat continentia Jubet per Legem dat per Gratiam jubet per Literam dat per Spiritum Differences betwixt the command and the influences of the spirit clear that it is not formally sin to pray under withdrawings of influences of grace Vnder the ceasing of actual breathing we are to stir the remainders of the Seed of God We are to doe our part in duties under withdrawings Grace sweetens duties What Soveraignty is and how it differs from omnipotency Soveraignty is to be adored in the hardest conditions We storm more at permissive providences then at our own permitted sins 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They are most graciously active to doe the will of God who are most graciously passive to suffer his will and on the contrary The unsearchableness of the Lord's dispensation into the eternal standing and falling of Angels and Men. It s vain to determine that the providence of never sinning is choicer then the providence of the inbringing of Christ God-man to die for sinners As Mr. Baxter The rightousness of God through faith is incomparably above our inherent righteousness Isa 42. 1 2. Isa 53. 11. Matth. 3. 17. Matth. 17. 5. John 3. 16. John 15. 13. Tit. 3. 45. Isa 62. 2 3. Eph. 3. 10. 1 Pet. 1. 12. It s a more â—minently declarative glory which is brought forth in the second Adam nor possibly could have been in the full and final obedience of the first Adam Not to sin by no Scripture is choicer then to seek pardon in Christ's bloud By justification we are not only negatively freed from guilt wrath but also positively righteous Inherent righteousness in glory is not the compleat and adequate end of Gospel justification or of the Lord's Gospel-dispensation in commanding us to believe and be holy How spiritual service to doe all because of the holy will of the Lord. We are not to struggle with permissive providence it s not our Rule but to be low because of the deep results of that providence our own permitted sins The soul-humbling thoughts that should flow from holy Soveraignty The number of things possible and impossible that are to fall out or exist is under holy Soveraignty The connection of things of which the extremes never shall come to pass as also the existence and co-existence of things must be under the holy Soveraignty of God Soveraignty shines in means and end things of rare providence and justice in administration of means of salvation to some not to others Soveraignty is eminent in holding of possible evils and in determining the measure of sufferings The due timeing of things is from Soveraignty Q. Whether and in what sense God can create things in better or worse case 1 Sam. 2. 7. Psal 75. 6. The shift of complaining of want of influences is refuted Who ever flatteringly complain of the want of influences of grace hate these influences Nature cannot complain of the want of gracious influences We are not to seek Influences of life separated from the word Calvin Com. 119. v. 28. absque verbo nobis fuget dei potentia Omnipotency joyned with the Word saves Influences of God as Creator only cannot save us How we may lawfully complain of withdrawing of Influences of grace and how we may lawfully desire Influences The faultiness in not praying is not because the holy Spirit moves us not to pray but because we stir not up our selvs to pray This I will not pray untill the Lord first breath on me by his Spirit is a wide mistake The precept chargeth us to obey as rational creatures not as disposed or indisposed What a delusion there is in not praying till the Lord breath on us There is no contradiction betwixt our physical indisposition to pray or to other duties and our moral obligation to perform these duties Both a spiritual disposition may be on and a conscience of obedience to pray at one time We are to act duties before we feel the actings of the Spirit Preparation before prayer To wait upon the breathings of the Spirit how it is lawful how not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There is a wicked weaknesse and a sinfull Cannot as contradistinguished from sinful actings which the holy Ghost reproves and then must the indisposition to receive influences to pray be no excuse to shift the duty The Lord 's withdrawing of influences is conjoyned with our guiltiness and cannot found an honest excuse for not praying The Lord 's not giving a new heart is not our sin and yet our not having a new heart is our guiltiness The Lord's influences are connatural to all our actings and how Our actings have no dominion over the Lord's Soveraignty but contrarily The sin of the creature is not from the Lords withdrawing of his physical influences but from our withdrawing from his moral command Magnus D. Twissus contra Arnold Corvinum c. 13. sect 1â— p. 437. n. 2. col 1. Quare licet hominum malitiae tribuatur in solidum quod non credant tamen etiam defectui gratiae nihilominus tribuendum est quod non curetur mentis caecitas cordis insidelitas Nam si
affirmatio sit causa affirmationis etiam negatio erit causa negationis Sic Servator ipse Qui ex Deo est Vocem audit Dei vos autem propterea non auditis quia ex Deo non estis Joan. 8. 37. The objection of many if God would give me influences of grace as he did to David Moses c. I would be as holy as any discussed The non-sense of this had I more grace I should be more gracious If the â—bâ—ecto of this had I more grace I would 〈◊〉 gracious were a humble â—â—vert the objection should be more savoury yet not sounder O if I had more grace I would labour and run more is a contradictory speech in the sluggard One spece desires not to be turned into another nor does a natural man desire to be a convert Luke 14. 16 17 18 19. Natural men wish physical influences of God but they hate moral holiness Natural men love independency and hate to be under the Lord 's governing influences He that uses not a less power or gift of two degrees for God would not use a power of ten degrees for God as is cleared in instances of 1. Wisedom 2. Power of Magistracy 3. Of old age 4. Riches 5. Habit of grace c. Riches cannot add mercifulâ—ess to men The Objection opened If I had had the grace of David I would not have acted the wickedness which David acted The Objection had I more grace I would be more gracious may be retorted Faith and Grace doe not depend upon extraordinary means and teachers sent from hell and we are much deceived thinking Had we more grace we should be more gracious If free will be weak in the improving a natural power it will be so in the improving of supernatural grace Mr. Fenner's Wilful impenitency pag. 80. There is an extolling of nature in this had I more grace I would be more holy for I and self is separated from Christ The carnal Objection If God gave stronger influences I should be more holy is a sinful complaining against Soveraignty 2. Against infinite wisedom what a depth is here 3. The Objection is against the freedom of grace The Objection chargeth the holy Lord with envy The objection chargeth the holy Lord with unrighteousness It chargeth God with male-government It strives with holy providence in the point of original sin How we wish to be from under sin original and how not God ties us to his own way of removing of sin not to our empty wishing that it were removed What sort of influences we are to seek from God The using of means is an approved way of God How reformation of life goes not before remission as Mr. Baxter saith Some violently bâ—ought in to know Christ some more mildly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 John not under the same dispensation with Peter Jonah strong in his passions Eliah's temper The Old Testament dispensations and the New are compared together and their differences 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Various kinds of desertions Various kinds of desertions on the Lord 's redeemed Whether by prayer or any other way we may wrestle out from under God's desertions To deprecate the anger of God how laudable how not Influences are given of God to various temptations It is a gracious temper to weep when the Lord is absent or angry A soveraignty in the Lord 's hearing or not hearing Strive not with soveraignty Divers kinds of striving with soveraignty Deadness and desertion may be on one way and much of God in other actings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 impegit offendit pede Christs absence is sometimes as good as his presence We are not to strive with the Law Sometime we may pray against the decree of God but it s never lawful to resist his commanding will It s good to answer every impression of his word 1 Pet. 1. 23. The new-birth We may weep over our own dry hearts when we want influences but we cannot weep against the Lord because he gives not these influences We are to meet all conditions of life with closing with his holy dispensation Luke 21. 12 17. Now we cannot prevent God The Lord strongly bows free will We are to pray for our own prayers There is no warrant for us not to act because God is Lord of our actings How we are to doe though God only work in us to doe The Word is the rule of doing the Spirit the real efficient cause How the Lord can lay by a command supernatural duties on men impotent and dead in sin We may use the loco-motive faculty in hearing and God convert men beyond their intention Gospel-commands stand well with divine justice Pelagius to heighten this said if our inability to obey be a punishment it s not a sin and if a sin it s no punishment for punishment cures sin Augustin de natura gratia cap. 29. Quid amplius dicam inquit Pelagius non ipse Augustinus ut pessime Jesuitae nisi quia potest credi quod ignes ignibus extinquuntur si credi potest quod peccata peccatis curentur Now we may believe said the Pelagians that fire may be extinguished by fire if sin be cured by sin and if God command both obedience and our impotency to obey be both a sin and a punishment so Julianus a disciple grosser then the master August lib. 5. contra Julian c. 4. So Pelagians taught that the godly before Moses Law were saved by the law of nature Epist ad Demetrium Hac lege naturae verba Pelagii sunt usi sunt omnes quos inter Adamum atque Mosem sancte vixisse atque placuisse Deo Scriptura commemorat August l. 2. imperfect operis cont Julianum Quid timetis magnum populum Christi Judicium magnum non timetis aperte dicite justificari natura justificari lege possumus gratis mortuus est Christus lib. 2. cont Juli c. 8. Epistol 95. Serm. 36. de verbis Domini Non solum ad facienda verumetiam ad perficienda mandata divina per liberum arbitrium humana sufficit natura Tu nos fecisti homines justos autem ipsi nos fecimus Aug. l. de Gestis Pelag. c. 14. Lib. 4. ad Bonefac c. 11. l. 2. imperf operis l. de spiritu litera c. 1. Pelagius l. 2. de lib. arb apud August l. de grat Christi c. 4. Nos sic tria ista distinguimus certum velut in ordinem digesta partimur priâ—o loco posse Cornel Jansen tom 1. de haeresi Pelag. l. 4. c. 13. p. 87. esse sine peccato statuimus secundo velle tertio esse primum illud id est posse ad Deum proprie pertinet qui illud creaturae suae contulit Duo vero reliqua hoc est velle esse ad hominem referenda sunt quia de arbitrii fonte descendunt Q What power of believing we want In what sense the Lord may charge men to believe who now in Adam have losed power of believing
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
Lord had given me efficacious grace I should have been converted yet it followes not therefore I am not the culpable cause of my own non-conversion or that the Lord is to be blamed therefore p. 360 Our sinful will not the Lords refusal of power is the culpable cause of non-conversion ib School-men make conversion the purchase of free will p. 362 Sin original must be pardoned to pagans in Christ of whom they never heard p. 364 Domiuicans no less gross then Jesuits in the matter of grace free will ib There may be much seeking and using of means and no influences p. 4. c. 1. p. 369 Vsing of means would be in humility ib Influences not entertained breed loathing of the Gospel p. 370 We may mar influences ib The Lords order in conferring of influences p. 372 A confluence of influences at one time and at one work ib Resisting of the word hinders influences and so doth resisting of ordinances p. 373 Resisting of the operation of the spirit obstructs influences ib Praying and praising promote the influences of the spirit p. 374 Despising of the Prophets and persecuting of them obstruct influences ib Hardning of the heart not profitting by means obstruct influences p. 375. Remaining in nature bitternesse wrath malice rancor obstruct influences ib Influences of the spirit are contempered according to the habit of grace p. 4. c. 2. p. 276 Wordly sorrow obstructs influences p. 377 The spirits motions are swift ib Plenty of means sweet dispositions and yet scarcity of influences p. 4. c. 3. p. 379 These are often together prayer and actual influences and duties following thereupon the former according to the Lords will of precept the latter according to his will of pleasure see Psal 119. p. 381 The nearness betwixt the love of the word or the hiding of it in the heart and spiritual influences p. 382 Impediments and helps of influences ib Of the word hidden in the heart p. 383 Many evils of the heart reckoned out to the number of it which obstruct influences and the contrary promote them p. 384 As the light of faith and softness admit influences so rockiness obstruct the same p. 385 2 Vnbelief obstructs influences p. 386 Influences of grace do no violence to the rational power of â—illing and willing ib 3 Deadness 4 Security 5 Athisme p. 387 388 6 Vnconstancy of the heart 7 Deceitfulnesse and falsness of the heart p. 396 Obstruct influences p. 390. 391 TO THE GODLY READER THis Subject of Divine Influences Christian Reader is most obvious to dayly practise but a path untrodden I conceive to the travels of the pens of the godly and experienced Divines who have written practical Divinity That is called the pillar of predetermination which is indeed new and wilde Divinity to some But it 's no other way new then the new trust which the Lord hath put upon the Mediator Christ whose it is to lose none to bring many Children to Glory to cast none away who comes to him for grant an efficacious and strong but sweet and none compelling yet a mighty drawing and love-forcing violence and dominion to Christ Jesus over the proudest piece of the six days works of creation to wit over mans free-will so as insuperably and without a miss he must drive his flock to their eternal green pastours and overdrive none And modest spirits and such as are in love with truth need not contend for me I shall desire none to be farther in love with the Lords strong flection bowing and turning of mans will whithersoever God will then we may save the holy and strong dominion of the soveraign Lord that he may have a more powerful mastery over the entrance of the free and contingent acts of the will of men and Angels then the creatures themselves have And reason would say that soveraigne and independent former of all of whom through whom for whom are all things Rom. 11. should be above the clay Hence these introductory considerations by way of preface 1. There cannot be a knocking without but there must be hearing within Cant. 5. 1. for the Lords knocking internal whether at first or renewed conversion hath something peculiar as hearing and learning of the Father John 5. 45. hath something of which a natural man is not capable and so hath instructing with a strong hand Isa 8. 11. If Christ had spoken to the graves and corps neer to Lazarus corps Come forth as he speaks indefinitly to all in the Gospel Come to me believe in Christ and rebuke such as will not come John 5. 40. yet all should not be raised out of the grave as Lazarus 2. It 's the same letter and sound of gracious word that comes to all the hearers Acts 16. and to Lydia but the same heart opening of the spirit goes not along as many externally hear the noise of the report of Gospel-tidings to whom the arm of the Lord is not revealed Acts 16. 13 14. it 's better experiencedly to feel then literally to search how the word is the chariot the Spirit the driver of the chariot 2. Such as receive the ingraffed word or the word and Spirit shall not much dispute how or by what clift quâ rimâ the Lord came in here he is now the word is the instrument the blind mans word John 9. 25. one thing I know that whereas I was blind now I see is enough though some cannot write a chronicle or tell the history or aim how place manner of their conversion 3. Some are troubled how Soveraignty of quickning influences in the gratious Lord who quickens hic nunc in every duty and withdraws his soveraign concurrence as he best pleaseth can consist with our debt of duty It 's safest to look to duty and the commanding will to rise up and be doing and not to dazle the wit with disputing the soveraignty of God nor to enquire into his latent decreeing will 4. A gracious heart is so taken up with care to pay the rent of commanded duties as he hath no leasure to argue why and if the Lord had decreed to give me quickning influences I should not thus decline The thesis of an heart of unbelief is a more edifying them to dispute against and to weep over then to quarrel with and agitate the question concerning the Lords withdrawing of his congruous applying of the word to the heart or his praescience and permissive decrees duty is mine Soveraignty is his 5. Faith supposeth this truth though saving influences be wanting and holy Soveraignty withdraw them for reasons far above the reach of Angels and mens capacities yet it is my sin that I lay under unresisted deadness It may be asserted that it is a sinful inclination in us to make the high decree of God our Bible and to be unwilling to be ruled by the revealed will of God So Evah was lesse willing to believe the revealed threatning in the day thou eatest thou shalt die and most bent to
I would be as holy as David nay there is in the man a tormenting sorrow that he cannot have more power and stronger influences of hell to doe more evill and so he hates these influences of grace of which he speaks It may be doubted ere we speak of other differences whether perseverance was promised to Adam in a law-state or not for if prayer was a worship enjoyned to Adam before the fall no less then publick worship of praising for the workmanship of creation Gen. 2. 2 3. it may be said if Adam was to suit any thing in prayer to God then especially was he to pray that he might not sin and might not be led into temptation but might stand in obedience and so might have influences to determine his will to stand and continue therein and this the law of nature seems to say 2. If he was to trust in God for acts of providence for his standing in obedience then especially for acts of the Lords free predetermination to cause him to stand and so both praying and believing must relate to a promise and if so then must the Lord have promised in the first covenant of works perseverance and influences to persevere Ans It may be probably said Adam was to pray but the particulars he was to suit in prayer are as unknown to us as any thing he was to sanctifie a Sabbath and to praise and to exalt God in his works of creation but for praying for perseverance and predeterminating influences by which he might persevere while Scripture speaks we must doubt he was to desire to intend and purpose to persevere as he was obliged by the law of God to persevere but for instituted praying or believing that God should give to Adam perseverance either absolutely or upon condition that he should pray for perseverance and so upon condition that he should persevere in praying for or in believing of influences to persevere the Scripture is silent and we can say nothing where Scripture-light doth not lead the way its like that the onely means moral of persevering must be here a law without the image of God within and Adams free will in obeying but God having a purpose that the covenant of works should not be the fixed standing way of justification and life and that the elect Angels should be confirmed that they should not fall nor be able to fall yet have we no warrant to say that they came to that State either by praying or meriting or law obedience but of free grace or that Adam's first sin was neglect of praying for perseverance As to the other there is no doubt but the first command did engage Adam to rely upon God for strength and divine influence as promised by any covenant of works or grace is another thing Yea its unwritten that either Law or Gospel which then was not promised any such thing What a blessed condition are we in above that of Adam grace was given to Adam immediately from God but in a separated way from God the stream being as it were cut off from the fountain and was in Adam as a Winter well that in Summer may goe dry but grace is now given first to the second Adam as the head and fountain and to the Elect in a way of unseparable union of the stream with the fountain as he partakes of grace in Christ and mediately And the neerer the streams run to the fountain the stronger and the more unfailing is the emanation as may appear in the man Jesus united personally to God in the Angels now confirmed in Christ their head Col. 2. 10. in the glorified who act by an immediate influence from God in Christ immediately and at the well head enjoyed any distance from God may be neer some fall CHAP. II. Gods acting influences 2 His influences are in all creatures 3 The sweet safety of believers in possible calamities 4 Our atheism in reading the Book of providence c. 1. THat there are strong influences upon all causes from the Lord may be evinced 1 From the holy tongue the Hebrews use the verb in hiphil noting a double action when one causeth another to act to note influences Deut. 32. 39. I cause to die and I cause to live Hannah so sings 1 Sam. 2. 6. Jehovah causeth to die and causeth to live he causeth to goe down to the grave and to come vp again the Lord maketh poor and he maketh rich he maketh low and he maketh high so the passive verb is used Which perfection in short is in that language above others and when such actions are ascribed to God they shew that God hath an influence and impulsion as the first cause in all actions the Scripture herein abounds The Greek language comes short of this Joh. 5. 17. My Father 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worketh hitherto I work And though he work all works in all creatures yet in believers this is made true in Pauls sense Philipp 2. Work out your salvation in fear and trembling How but we may miscarry and fail True saith he if you you alone without the influence of grace did the work work out vers 13. For its God who is the worker in you to will and work alluding to the Hebrew word he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 how the connection is between our working and the effectual praedeterminating influences of God is to us dark but this argument of Paul saith they well agree and he infers this thesis they both physically and morally are to work out their salvation in whom God both by the habit and actual influence of grace worketh to will and to doe then must influences of grace so be at hand when the believers are to act as they are no less under a precept and a command to act believe pray then the husband-man is under a command to plow in Summer and to sow lest he be poor But the question is de modo how they are at hand whither so as the free will of man may command and have in its power the influences of God's grace or the Lord by the dominion of his strong influence sweetly and connaturally commands and hath in his power our free will according to his good pleasure Sure its safer that nature be under grace and the dominion thereof then grace be under nature as it must be better Divinity that God reign then man reign more of this after And that Jehovah be Lord of mans actings then man be lord of Jehovah's soveraignity 2. Beside that every being must be from the being of beings and so every action natural or supernatural must be attended with sutable influences from God so the Scripture is clear That 1. God can serve a sort of law-inhibition upon all creatures that they act not and what he takes from them except the withdrawing of his own influences we know not Job 9. 7. He commandeth the Sun and it riseth not and sealeth up the Stars Psal
descend more particularly to enquire 1. What influences are 2. Whencâ— they come 3. The necessity of influences 4. How they are above us and of the Soveraignty of him who best ows them 5. What we may doe to fetch them INfluences are acts of God concurring with created causes under him and a sort of continued Creation as God of nothing makes all things so in his providence he gives a day to all borrowed beings in their being preserved by him and they are the Lords debtors in being acted by him or then they could not stir nor move 2. The same free goodnesse which is a sort of grace which moved God to create the Sun and give it being so also â—â—ts him to give influences to the motions and actings of the Sun the end that moves the Man to make the Plough and the Cart moves him to draw the Plough and drivâ— the Cart by Beasts so that in reference to the end there is debâ—tum quoddam connaturale some connatural dueness of influences all Creatures are dead Cyphers which sigâ—ifie nothing except the influence of God add a figure to them and they lie dead if he stir them not Some Cows let not down their Milk but to their own Calves and the Creatures are as Pictures and Idols who let out no Efficacy no Vertue except the Lord act upon them Sometimes the Sea ebbs not the Wind blows not the Sun shines not the Fire burns not because this influence is as it were the Charm that is a wanting and he hath a sort of a checklock upon all second causes 3. Though God move and must act in all in causes natural and free so as in some sense he must concur in willing and nilling yet he out of Soveraignty of grace stands more aloofe in bestowing influences to gracious and supernatural nilling and willing for Predestination and free Election to glory here hath place for that he prepared in his eternal decree so many outlettings and emanations of free acts of grace to carry to glory so many selected Angels and Men and denyed these outgoings of free love to others he intending they should be to Angels and Men both their grace and song of praise he hath not given out such refined influences of free love to other Creatures to the motions of Sun and Moon to the Seas ebbing and flowing 4. Q. What then is the fountain cause of gracious influences and breathings of the Spirit Ans Sure Jesus Christ must be the meritorious and fountain cause of such influences For 1. We suppose that Christ is the head of the elect Angels God having purposed to save man of grace he gave this mighty separating influence distinguishing the Standing and Elect Angels from the falling and reprobate Angels else it cannot be said they are Elect Angels as 1 Tim. 5. 21. nor can their standing be of free grace for they could not stand except the Lord had chosen them to stand as the means as he chose them to glory as to the end except the Lord had joyned his predeterminating acting to cause them to stand and reconciled them Colos 1. 20. to himself giving to them medicinal confirming grace that they never should be sick Now the Elect Angels are the special Messengers and New Covenant Officers miniâ—tring Spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation Heb. 1. 14. And the Angels Ezek. 1. are acted in all their motions by that Jehovah whose glory Isaiah saw Isa 6. 1 2 3. John 12. 37. of which Jehovah also Ezekiel 1. v. 28. as v. 12. And the four living creatures went every one straight forward whither the Spirit was to go they went and they turned not when they went And also verse 20. They are then rightly called the Angels of the Lord Jesus 2 Thes 1. 7. for they cover their faces it is noâ— blushing for sin and their feet with wings Isa 6. while they stand before and see the face of their Soveraign and high Master and so its clear that the actings of special and supernatural providence toward and about the redeemed Church come from Christ as head of Angels and as the heir of all things who makes all things new Heb. 1. 2 3. Rev. 21. 5. and who works with the father Joh. 5. 17. in a new-covenant providence to make new Heavens and new Earth and to act all for the elects sake Colos 1. 16. 17. yea and this Spirit at whose direction the living creatures move and rest come and go Zech. 1. 12 20. is the same spirit promised and sent by Christ John 16. 7 13 14. of which Christ he shall receive of mine and give it to you by the influences of this Spirit sent by Christ are the Redeemed led Rom. 8. 14. directed Acts 16. 6 9 10 14. sealed and confirmed Eph. 4. 30. having received the earnest of the Spirit 2 Cor. 1. 22. taught guided the Word made effectual John 16. 13. convinced of sin and throughly rebuked vers 7 8 9. comforted Joh. 14. 16. and the memory sanctified and quickned to remember necessary truths Joh. 14. 26. and the whole man made able by the anointing for all things 1 John 2. 20 27. Hence these influences of grace are from the spirit not as from the third person of the blessed Trinity simply for so the spirit is the power of God sometimes as Judge sitting and by a Judicial power making tormenting convictions dreadfully effectual upon the consciences of Divels Matth. 8. 29. Luke 4. 34 35. of which the chains of darknesse may be a part 2 Pet. 2. 4. Jude v. 6. as also neither from the spirit as the power of God Creator Job 26. 13. Job 32. 8. in making and governing all Psal 104. 30. but from the Spirit as the fruit and purchase of Christs death and merits and as saving grace is from Christ the fountain so also the saving influences of Christ as Mediator and of stirring us up to will and do Phil. 2. 13. and to stand and persevere in the state of grace must be dispensed covenant ways Jerem. 32. 3 37 38 39 40. Isa 59. 20 21. Isa 54. 10 11 12. by his bloud So Christ speaketh to the spirit Cant. 4. 16. Stir up thou North wind come forth thou South blow upon my garden that the spice thereof may flow out Where Christ commands influences of the spirit of the North and South wind though of contrary qualities of cold and heat moist and dry both in sharp rebukes and sweet consolations to fall upon his Church and garden and it is his desire as Spouse and Mediator that the Spirit breath upon and make efficacious the word otherwise there is but deadnesse Ezech. 37. 9. Come from the four winds O wind How upon these slain that they may live John 3. 8. And the flowing of the spices is the souls being quickned revived comforted and the graces increased by the breathings of the spirit Hence 1. the
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
that or the woman whom thou gave to be with me she 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 she gave me of the tree There is an Emphasis in the Woman The or that Woman 2. An Emphasis in the Lord's liberality Thou gave her by way of goodness and liberality but I wish the Lord never had been good nor liberal in that kind 3. To be with me as an helper who now is a tempter 4. She as the chief cause gave me of the fruit and I did eat I repent says he in sense that thou was that graciously Good as to give me a tempter but I am not grieved for my own sin in eating So the common excuse woe to the Providence that God sent such an unhappy counseller to me oh what had I to do there So does Job repent in some respect in his weakness not that he came in the world an heir of wrath and a sinner but ah the fatal and wrathful Decree of God that ever I was born to such misery Job 3. 3. Let the day perish wherein I was born Jerem. 20. 14. But the Lord willeth the Crucifiers of Christ to mourn that they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with wicked hands crucified and slew Christ and yet Peter counsels them Acts 2. 23. to submit humbly to the determinate Counsel and Fore-knowledge of God Our deceitful hearts are readier to repent for the holy Events and Facts of divine Providence then for our own sins as if the holy Lord did erre in his permissive providence and we doe not amisse in transgressing of an holy Law But such as are most active to doe the will of God and esteem it their meat and drink to obey his will as Jesus Christ Jo◠4. 34. and go about doing good Acts 10. 38 39. are most passively savoury and graciously submissive to suffer the will of God as he was Matth. 26. Nevertheless not my will but thy will be done Isa 53. 7. He was oppressed and he was afflicted yet he opened not his mouth he as a Lamb to the slaughter and as a Sheep before her shearers is dumb so he opened not his mouth 1 Pet. 2. 23. Who when he was reviled reviled not again when he suffered he threatned not but committed himself to him that judgeth rightously And Jeremiah who mourned so for sin as he desired his head were waters and his eyes a fountain of tears that he might both be humbled for the judgements and the sins of the people Jer. 9. 1 2. hath said much in the book of the Lamentations for justifying God Lam. 1. 18. Lam. 3. 38 40 41 42. Lam. 4. 10 11 12 13. Lam. 5. 19 20. and was willing himself to be carried captive So was Daniel who mourns and confesseth and fasteth three full weeks Dan. 4. Dan. 10. 2 3. and ascribeth righteousness to God The more submission there is in Job there is the more spiritual frame of a gracious spirit in him Job 1. 21 22. 2 Sam. 16. 10. and they who fret most at suffering as Cain Gen. 4. 13. and Jehoram 2 Kings 6. 23. Shall I wait any longer upon the Lord are most froward and unwilling to doe or act the will of God And on the contrary such are most impatient and blasphemous in suffering as damned reprobates who are less active in doing God's will and denying it 2. The Lord requires unto holy Soveraignty a submission to that permissive providence of his he suspends his gracious influences and what can we doe but sin Say a milstone were tied with Chains in the Air if the Chain break the stone must fall Remove the Sun and it must be dark night The Lord knowingly and of purpose withdraws his influences and Angles or Men in their strength cannot stand Convene and summon the wittiest thoughts of Men and Angels who acknowledge a providence and answer to this suppose a master of a house excellent in goodness and of a deep reach of wisdome to let fall out of his hand two precious stones of incomparable worth Jewels of the price of the half of the Earth and he only can keep them safe yet he suffers them knowingly and purposely to fall and be broken The Lord who hangeth the Earth upon nothing and it s not moved might and could have kept Men and Angels in their integrity but of purpose he suffers them to fall and be broken upon a mighty rock 2. A husbandman hath a huge broad and vast plat of ground most fertile for wheat olive trees the most delicious and excellent vines in great abundance it s a wide land of honey of Milk of many gardens of incomparably fragrant herbs with meadows and grass for millions of flocks he sees a great River shall overflow all this land this husbandman only can fence off the river with a strong bank yet he knowingly suffers the Flood to overflow and drown all that nothing can more grow in it then the bottome of the Sea 3. A Governour of Ten rich and populous Cities knows of a train of fire which by degrees shall at length consume in one flame men women sucking children gold silver houses gardens he can quench the train if he please yet he suffers a strong wind to blow upon it withdraws not water from it which is a sort of fomenting thereof until all be consumed What can here be said to him who gives not account of any of his matters this is the free dispensation of the only wise God to standing and to falling Angels and Men and who can judge God or find him out in this It may seem needless curiosity to determine which of the two Providences and which of the two Wills in the holy Lord must be first or choicest Whether that by which Adam should have stood happy in perfect obedience without fall or sin given to the Covenant of works or that Providence and Will by which the Lord designed to bring in the wonder of mercy and grace Emanuel God manifest in the flesh the delight of Men and Angels it seems to say that the Lord's will is more set upon Adam's final dutie which never had being and which the Lord immutably from Eternity decreed should never be then his holy Will is fixed upon that wonder of the World of Heaven and Earth the riches of the glory of his grace and other attributed in that precious and incomparable mystery God manifested in the flesh It s true God wills us rather to obey and not to wound our selves by sin then put him to pardon our disobedience or to seek a Mediator or remedy for sin But the Lord by his commanding will in his Law chargeth us under the pain of condemnation to obey but the Lord by no commanding will in his Law chargeth himself to provide and seek a Satisfier and Mediator he provides a Redeemer by his will of purpose and holy decree nor willed he ever fallen Adam to solicite his author commanding or decreeing will to provide a
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
before and above God whereas the Rose warms not the Sun but the Sun warms and nourishes the Rose and the corn and herbs do not refresh the Heaven and the Clouds but Heaven and Clouds nourish and refresh the corn and grass and it must be untoward and froward divinity that the sick man heals the Physician It is the grace to speak so of the Lord 's free grace that the Lord prevents us not we him its impossible that nature can prevent grace Prop. 2. Though the Lord's promise and his free decree hath tyed himself in a manner to be prevented by a moral cause yet that moral cause even the praying man stirs not until God first prevent him to pray Hence the Lord moves and wheels about the heart and will of the man who is most free and most absolute among all the sons of men even the King Prov. 21. 1. and that not if the King will and say amen with his prior or former or collateral consent but whithersoever Jehovah will Hence our prayers that God would incline our hearts to his testimonies Psal 119. 36. Not incline the heart to any evil thing Psal 141. 4. Vnite the heart to fear his name Psal 86. 11. So Jacob prays the Lord would give his sons favour in the eyes of the Governour of Egypt a Heathen man as to him Esther and her maids pray for grace in the eyes of Ahasuerus see Gen. 43. 14. The Lord Almighty give you mercy before the man If God could not indecliuably bow the will to his own way side or end be it by antecedent predetermination or what way else you shall call it so the Lord be the more Master of willing and nilling then the creature but in so doing he should destroy free will we should in all such petitions pray for the destroying of free will where sure we pray for perfecting and the sanctified bowing of free will to obey God 2. If the dominion of free acts remain strongly in the creatures power we must in these suits incline my heart unto thy testimonies lead us not into temptation pray the Lord for that which is not in his power to give 3. If God do carry free will whithersoever he pleaseth then we must not defer the only praise of our obedience and of our victory over temptations to the grace of God but to free will which made the discriminating difference 1. Hence we are to commit our free will to the Lord's dominion of grace and not to believe that such a tottering Goddesse as free will which hath lost and destroyed Angels and the first man Adam can guide well enough Yea 2. we are to bless the Lord for that impotency if so it may be called that the soveraign Lord's heavenly influences are not in the creatures coffers to be husbanded by the creature how false is it that Christ hath bought free will to himself 3. How sweet is it that our head Christ and we in him are more masters of mens hatred and favour then they are themselves Prov. 3. 1 4. Psal 106. 46. for would enemies and haters shew us favour and love if they were absolute Masters and Lords of their own hatred and love not at all we must thank and blesse an higher hand then such men 4. Should we pray more we should be more rained upon in our withered condition by showrs of influences of grace Object By your way we cannot pray for influences except the Lord bestow on us other foregoing influences Answ What follows but that we are to pray that we may pray and that we are to pray for our own prayers that they may be steeled with faith and strength of grace And David prays for his own prayers Psal 5. 2. Psal 28. 2. Psal 88. 2. Psal 141. 2. 2. Would the Objector relish prayers without influences of grace can nature pray in the holy Ghost can Christ intercede for the accepting of natures work Prop. 3. Because God only is Lord and Master of free-will and of the actings of all creatures we are not to be idle and upon that account to act nothing for then should not the husband-man plow sow and labour for God only is Lord and Master of the actings of the husband-man and without the influences and blessing from on high the husband-mans labours from the beginning of the year to the end were no better then to plant Vine-trees in the bottom of the river Euphrates or to sow Barley or Wheat in the Ocean sea And so should the Sea-man never sayl for God only can create winds and tide and God only is Master of the ebbing and flowing of the Sea and of sayling and of right steering of the Vessel for since the Lord declares not his mind on the contrary by forbidding men to pray and others to plow and sayl 2. Since the Lord offers no positive violence to hinder these actings And 3. because he commandeth us to doe them it becomes us to set to work and to act with and under him and to commit the event and blessing to him Indeed if the Lord were so Lord of our actings as he did all and whole the work and we did act nothing at all in praying yea and in plowing but were meer dead and useless patients as Libertines dream something might follow to justifie our idleness but our corruption following Satan teacheth us either to sacrifice to our own net and say vainly either we doe all and God does nothing and so we darken his glory who works all our works in us and for us or then we say on the other extreme we doe nothing and God does all and therefore must we say let God pray labour the earth trade and sayl and put our hand in our bosome and sleep but the former is sacriledge and idolatry and robs the Lord of his glory and the latter is proclaimed disobedience Yea and whether the influence of God antecedently master the creatures actings or we joyntly and collaterally be mastered and determined by the creature we are in both cases to act and doe what is good and are not to make God's influence our rule of doing or not doing Prop. 4. Hence to have or not to have the influence of God is not commanded in the Word nor have we any physical power over the Lord's acts of Omnipotency for we do not formally love God and keep his Commandments in a way commendable if we speak of the moral cause of obedience because he works in us both to will and to doe but because he hath commanded us to love him and to keep his Commandments John 14. 15. Psal 119. 4 5 6. Hence 1. The Libertine is blasphemously wide the creature can doe says he nothing good or evil God worketh all sin all obedience immediately in us it s in vain to read pray hear the word meditate confer or go about works of reforming abuses in religion because all these are to no purpose without the
judge it fit for their humiliation and the promoting of the work of their salvation and especially for the glory of holy Soveraignty they are to believe that the Lord shall absolutely confer upon them fundamental and amply necessary influences of grace but not that he shall bestow on them absolutely non-fundamental influences Assert 4. It s not lawful to engage to run the ways of the Lords commandments leaning to the habit of grace and the stock within the Believer Peter relied on this I am ready 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nothing habitual grace and faith to go with thee to prison and to death Luke 22. 33. and John 13. 37. Peter is angry because Christ lesseneth his stock and habit of grace and strength of faith Lord why can I not follow thee now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This habit of grace is not Christ neither the Spirit and therefore the enlarging of the heart upon the supposal whereof David engageth to run the way of the Lords commandments is not the only habitual enlarging of the heart but he supposeth also that the Lord must add his actual breathings and influences of grace else he cannot run nor move at all in the way of God John 15. 5. 1. Cor. 12. 2. 2 Cor. 3. 3. Assert 5. Far less can we engage to run the way of the Lord upon our own strength For 1. The Apostle James rebukes such as say they shall go to such a City and buy and sell and say not if God will James 4. 10 11. far less can we engage to spiritual duties on our own strength 2. This is carnal presumption for men to lay wagers on their own strength and to say with Peter and the Disciples they 'l do wonders 3. Men believe not the wickedness of their own hearts nor see they to the bottome of soveraignty the depth of sin original 4. It s contrary to godly watchfulness and an hardning of the heart as Prov. 28. 14. Blessed is the man who fears always but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischiefe 5. It s atheism to suppose that influences of saving grace are as due and connatural to men now fallen in sin as influences natural are some way due to the falling of rain the rising and going down of the Sun the growing of trees the ebbing and flowing of the sea and that we have dominion of free-will over the saving breathings of the holy Ghost Whereas 6. The Gospel bids us pray and by faith rely on the Lord for influences of grace and give the glory and praise of the breathings of the Spirit to God 7. It s against that humble self-denial and godly trembling and humble despairing of our own strength that should be in us in our undertakings of obedience So an huge deal of pride 2. want of mortification to self must be lurking in our undertakings Assert 6. It s not lawful to blame the Lord for our sinful omissions for that is to father our sin upon the holy Lord nor is that Isa 63. 17. O Lord why hast thou made us to erre from thy ways and hardened our hearts from thy fear a complaining against God It s 1. a tacit complaining of themselves that they are grosse matter and the dunghil on which the Sun with his beams stirs up a stinking smell which is not the Suns fault 2. As Gods active hardning of us is a punishment of sin the Church may lawfully complain of it to God and deprecate that and all the like sad evils of punishment yet it shall never follow that God is the author or the cause of the sins of our being passively hardned of God or of active hardening of our selves 3. It s a prayer for softning and grace not to erre return for thy servants sake v. 16. thou O Lord art our Father our Redeemer thy Name is from everlasting 2. None of the Saints yielding to temptations do blame the Lords withdrawing but blame themselves and clear the Lord. Psalm 51. Against thee thee only have I sinned thou hast taught me wisedom in the inward parts here is a clearing of the Lord. Isa 64. 6. We are all as an unclean thing v. 4. since the beginning of the world men have not perceived a God beside thee 5 8. So Lam. 3. 34. Assert 7. A Believer may undertake in the strength of God Psalm 119. 33. Cant. 14. Draw me we will run Grace and the Spirit in his sweet breathings being undertakers one may undertake for a journey when Christ engages for such a chariot the midst whereof is paved with love O be humble and lay not great wagers upon self ye know not sin original as a sin but ye know it as a meer punishment What we are sinners by nature and we can do no otherwise Pharaoh and Judas knew it so CHAP. VIII Q. 4. Is there no running except God enlarge the heart what then can we do ASsert 1. Without some enlargement of heart there is no running the negative is true none come to Christ except such as the father draws John 6. 44. John 15. 5. and the affirmative is true all that are drawn and have heard and learned of the Father do run and come apace Cant. 1. 4. John 6. 44. There is a spiritual riches in heavenly and spiritual suppositions O for more of Christ to ern his praises with a shout which might waken Angels and Men all men in this side and in the other side of the Sun and that all creatures might hear and put to their seal and cry Amen to the Psalm Assert 2. The use we are to make of our sinful weakness is not to sit still he loves death who says I cannot heal my self art and skill must only do it therefore I le seek to no Physitian if the Lord will not do it let me die The husbandman were mad who would say my plowing sowing early rising and late labouring can never make the corn to grow except God give the increase therefore I le fold my hands and take the other sleep and if another say God only creates the wind therefore I le never set my foot in a ship so is it here what can the dead and the sick sinner do if the Physitian Christ will neither quicken nor cure his influences of life are above my reach therefore I le never make out to Christ nor ask for the Gospel if Christ will not heal us we must pine away in our sins how then shall we live this is to tempt Christ and to bring him under a new miraculous way to heal and save the sinner in his dream without hearing the Gospel which is that God should bring bread and cloathing to the sleeping mans bed-side The contrary is Phil. 2. 13. work because he works Cant. 1. Draw and we will run the Spouse saith not Lord draw that we may sleep 2. Our impotency leads us to turn sinful wickedness in mournful confession and godly complaining as the Saints
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
could send to heaven for the spirit and the influences of grace The Lord comes unsent for and here is found of them who never sought him Isa 65. 1. For as touching the Lords first love-visit when he comes upon the sinner dying in his blood in the infusion of the life of Christ there is no treaty no communing betwixt the foundling dying in the open field and Christ For 1. Our consent is not sought to the first Creation nor yet to the second the Lord does not as it were parly nor ask the question at the thirsty wilderness Shall I pour water on thee and flouds of rain house of David will ye yield your consent and good will that I pour upon you the spirit of grace and of supplication For the formal infusion of a new heart is not done by moral acting in that point of dispensation 2. Our Divines on strong grounds teach that the sinner is a meer patient habet se passivè in the formal moment of the Lords infusing of a new herat as the wildeness is a patient in receiving rain Isa 44. 4 5. the dead man a patient in receiving influences of life Eph. 2. 1. And you hath be quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins John 5. 25. The man is a passive subject under a creating power 2 Cor. 4. 6. Eph. 2. 10. So Ezek. 36. 26. Ezek. 11. 19. Zech. 12. 10. Yea if adversaries of grace yield an infusion of a new grace and natural and supernatural power to believe be that a remote or farther-off power in all and every man member of the Visible Church or Indian or Brasilian 1. They must prove it by Scripture 2. They must shew some covenant and promise like to that Jer. 31. 33. Ezek. 11. 19 20. betwixt Christ and the Americans and shew whether the offer be moral or not as well as we Or 3. they must say with Pelagians the power of believing was neither broken nor hurt nor taken away by the fall But we may see and read free grace here Christ leaves no room to our fencing and digladiation He said not to the foundling Wilt thou live or wilt thou not live but I said positively unto thee when thou wast in thy blood live And to make it sure Yea I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood live Ezek. 16. 6. Nor said he to the dry bone◠Shall I open your graves and bring you out loving and believing John 5. 25. Send me your hand-writ and consent out of the graves else I le not enlive you Nay he did the work first and first gave us life and then sought and obtained our after-consent As a Prince who by strong hand conquers a people never treats with them whether he shall be their King or not till he first subdue them take their forts and castles disarm the inhabitants and then he offers them good conditions and gains their after-good will that he rule over them And we are translated and in Christ's bounds and have laid down arms before ever we yield a spiritual vital lively and sincere amen and closing with Christ that he and none but he onely shall reign over us And it 's admirable what branches of freedome are here As 1. No husbandman can help the clouds no art of navigators can create fair winds nor can our seeking create influences of sensible and feeling finding of him whom the soul loves Cant. 1. 2. No excellency of meanes were it an Angel and the man Christ preaching so as all bear him witness and are astonished at the gracious words that proceed out of his mouth Luke 4. 22. can create saving influences but by the contrary influences of hell fill them with wrath that they would cast Christ over the hill and break his bones Luke 4. 28 29. 3. Fectless objects fetch influences from hell as King Herod and all Jerusalem with him are quaking for fear at the birth of a weeping babe in cradle Can an infant rise out of his swadling cloaths and cut the Kings throat Matth. 2. 9. and with fire and sword destroy all Jerusalem or can a dead corps in the grave rise and slay the souldiers Mat. 28. 4. For the external calling many are called and hear 40 50 60 70. yeares and yet no influences of grace fall on them as if men ah if it were not so were the cursed ground and blasted fig-tree yea contrary to influences he blasts the roses by withdrawing sap from them burnes the earth and turns hearts into iron by forbidding the clouds to rain on them 5. In a moment he sends flowing showrs upon the thief crucified with Christ and he preacheth Christ a King on the cross 6. Who knows not the celerity and swiftness of the love-visits of Christ coming leaping over the mountaines and skipping over the hills When the man is going down to the pit the influence that a found ransome it accepted for him makes him revive so that his flesh shall be fresher then a childs Job 33. 23 24 25. and v. 26. He shall pray unto God and he will be favourable unto him saith Elihu 6. There is a great difference here betwixt Sun-influences and the influences of grace The apple on the same tree which are nearest to the Suns shining are most cordial and delicious they are rawer and sourer though upon the same stock that are long in the morning ere the Sun-influences fall on them and are soon under the afternoon-shadow but the disciples shined upon by the influences of the glory of the transfiguration near Christ and Moses and Elias spake they knew not what and that carnally Mark 9. 5 6. And who can think there is heterodox Divinity so near heaven as now the Apostles were So doth John fall dead at the feet of Christ when he is in the Spirit Revel 1. 10 13 17. The well is damned at the head of the fountain 2. Hence the second Property is clear of it self it 's of free grace we are maried here before we spiritually yield that Christ be our husband We are created of new to be his holy frame and workmanship and then hardly can we but consent nor bought we his love-influences Yea nor is the Lord obliged to give the Sun-influences for shining and moving nor the fire for casting out heat He hath interposed his Soveraignty in the contrary when he pleased Josh 10. 13. Isa 38. 8. Dan. 3. 27. to teach that Heaven and Earth have their Charters and their Writs of both being and working from the free goodness and soveraignty of God 3. For the third Consideration the Lord is the cause of his own influences Of our actings 2. The efficacious domineering insuperable cause 3. How the effects are ascribed to him principally To prove the first I need not goe back to prove the necessity of divine influences and that he works all our works in us The second is more dubious but it 's spoken to before Christ is such a
cause 1. His strong decree of Predestination must carry him to it 2. The same power of God that raised Christ from the dead acts here Elsewhere this is proved by famous D. Tuisse by Learned Amesius and many of our worthy Divines Obj. He who gives an insuperable influence to a free and contingent effect must render that effect necessary and not free 2. He who with mans free-will does insuperably produce the effect must doe violence to mans free-will Answ He who with mans free-will doth insuperably produce the effect by his alone and only physical and real motion and no other way as the Lord causeth the Sun to rise and goe down and the fire to give heat â—e doth or must doe violence to mans free-will True But now the Assumption is false for the Lord doth not so and by such an only physical motion insuperably produce the effect He who with mans free-will does insuperably produce the effect with both an insuperable physical and real motion and also with a moral perswasive and legal motion flowing from a command he must doe violence to mans free-will This is most untrue for the physical and moral influences of God though both be insuperable yet neither the one exceeds the other in degrees of necessity nor doe they both joyntly exceed the necessity which free-will will impose on itself If any object He who insuperably moves free-wil to act he doth infer violence to free-wil But God doth insuperably move free-will Therefore Answ The proposition is false 1. The Lord by casting an ague of love-sickness in the soul moves the free-wil of the Spouse and of the Martyrs to die for Christ rather then deny him because love of it self considered as separated from the Lords physical motions on the soul works upon the will more strongly and insuperably then many floods upon a fire and is hard 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as hell or the place of the dead and marriage-love is cruel as the grave Cant. 8. 6. yet love infers no violence to the will 2. Commands the Sun and it riseth not Job 9. 7. and commandeth the Sun and it riseth Psalm 104. 19 22. And the Sun cannot but obey him for all creatures are his servants Psal 119. 91. and he moves all natural causes to act and so to act insuperably and yet he doth no violence to the natures of Sun fire and second causes in moving them He who contributes an insuperable influence with free-will if that influence be contemperated and sweetly accommodate to the nature and elective and rational way of working of free-wil acting out of judgment as our free-wil acts here He is not a cause inferring violence to free-will Should he indeed over-drive and over-act the free inclination contrary to the reason light and judgment of the mind and to the moral and free elective inclination of the will he should constrain and force free-will But this he does not but inclines the heart of David to the Lords testimonies sweetly strongly insuperably and this David prays for Psalm 119. Psalm 5. Psalm 19. and the Saints in many places and neither David nor the Saints in such prayers suit of God to destroy free-will also the Lords command and not the Lords influence is our rule of obedience But since we know not the Lords actual denying of his influence because we are willing he should deny it our sinful non-acting is no less our guiltiness then if we had the dominion and commandment of the Lords influences in our power A Master commands his servant to come to such a place where his Master useth to be yet neither is the Master obliged to be in the place hic nunc neither passes he any promise to be there if the servant come not to that place and willingly absent himself and willingly consent that the Master be not in the place the servants not coming is a manifest contravening of his Masters command So the Lord commanding me to pray though he concur not by his Spirit interceding to help me as he useth to doe my not praying is a contravening of his command who calls to me pray hic nunc under this trouble For 1. The Spirits helping or not helping me to pray is not my rule but the commandement is my rule 2. The Spirit is not obliged hic nunc 3. I pray not 4. My willing not praying is a sinful virtual consent to want the help of the Spirit Obj. Then should the Suns not moving but standing still in the firmament be a contravening of the command of God given in the Creation when he gave to the Sun a power to move Answ No ropes of Logick can draw the conclusion and antecedent together The Lords command to the Sun is not moral but natural 2. It 's not absolute The power of moving in the Sun is not to be acted but according to the soveraignty of God concurring or not concurring with the Sun so as the Sun is under onely to speak so a physical mandate of omnipotency not under an Ethical Moral Legal or obediential commandement to move or to shine under peril of sin and punishment as man is by the holy moral mandate and commandement of God Obj. A free cause hath more liberty not to act or to act then the Sunne hath to give light and the fire to give heat Therefore the Lord must have given to free-will a power of nilling and willing and must tie his influences to await and be ready concur or not concur as free-will shall think fit Answ The free will of Angels or men hath no more freedome and exemption from the dominion of providence then the Sun or the fire hath but all causes natural or free are equally under the Lords dominion 2. Free will hath no more a dominion over the Lords dominion and his influences that are given out or withdrawn according to this soveraign dominion then the Sun or the pismire Yea free-wil is under his dominion and also Prov. 21. 1. all the free actings of the creature as well as the necessary actings of Sun and fire as is proved Free-will hath indeed a more dominion over its own acts being a rational and free agent then the Sun over its acts 3. This is considerably comfortable that the Lord is chief Master of work Not ye but your Fathers Spirit speaketh in you Matth. 10. 19. Not I but the grace of God in me 1 Cor. 15. 10. I live not but Christ lives in me Gal. 2. 20. And yet Paul lives Paul labours but let God reign in us 4. The actings of God in all created effects especially his influences of grace are letten out immediately both immediatione virtutis immediatione suppositi by immeate concurring of his power and vertue and by the personal as it were concurrence of himself so the Lord works not in us to will and to doe by a Deputy or Lieutenant as a King rules and governs another Kingdome not by
himself in person but by a Deputy who represents his person and Princes being far distant the sea intervening transact matters of peace and warre with other Princes and States by their Ambassadors and Legates whom they send For God is said to be with Moses mouth not onely giving him eloquence and a tongue but the Lord spoke in him to Pharaoh Exod. 4. 15. I will be with thy mouth and with Aarons mouth and teach you what to doe Gen. 46. 4. Fear not Jacob to goe down to Egypt I will go down with thee into Egypt And I will surely bring thee up again my power shall be with thee to protect thee my wisedome to lead thee this had been much but he meets with Jacobs fear ah I goedown to Egypt God is not in that Idolatrous Land Fear not saith he I the Lord in person shall go with thee to bless thee to act in thee Jer. 1. 19. They shall fight against thee but they shall not prevail against thee Why For I am with thee to deliver thee Immediatione suppositi God was Jeremiah's immediate deliverer for v. 18. he had promised before to be with Jeremiah by the immediation of his power and grace For behold I have made thee this day a defenced city an iron pillar and brazen walls against the whole Land c. The Lord is present by the gracious mettal of zeal faith invincible courage he put in his Prophet So Christ Luke 24. 49. Behold I send the promise of my Father unto you What will he be away himself then No for he saith Matth. 28. 29. to the same disciples Loe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am with you alway even unto the end of the world 2. The Spirit acts in his own John 14. 17. He dwels with you and shall be in you v. 26. He shall teach you all things John 16. 13. He will guide you in all truth 3. Psal 73. 24. Thou wilt guide me with thy counsel He may doe that though absent by infusing into the Prophet the habit of wisedome nay he is nearer hand v. 2. Nevertheless I am continually with thee thou hast holden me by my right hand That is more then power 4. The action of leading that is ascribed to God is his only action Deut. 32. 12. So the Lord alone led Jacob and there was no strange God with him Now the eyes legs wisedome and will of the guide and leader are the travellers It 's true he led them by right hand of Moses but who then shall lead Moses for Moses needed a guide as they Isa 63. 12. Yea but he was leader in person himself He led them through the deep as an horse in the wilderness that they should not â—â—umble Now a horse is not led by giving him power to guide himself but the leader holds the bridle and directs the way to the horse So the Lords Christ's gentle driving of the ewes with lamb and Christ's carrying the lambs in his bosome Isa 40. 11. is an action immediate of Christ and his Spirit The warmness of life that comes from Christ's own bosom and from the Spirit spreading warm love abroad in the heart speaks the personal acting of the Son and Spirit So drawing John 6. 44. Cant. 1. 4. speaks the nearness of the Father of Christ and of Christ in his acting 5. This is to be considered There are two sorts of causes on in fieri another in facto esse The Creator in a manner is but half a cause the father begets a son the carpenter builds a ship the Mason raises up the frame of a goodly house But the son lives when the father is dead the ship sailes thousands of miles and the house stands hundreds of years when the carpenter and the mason are far from them for they are causes in fieri onely the making of houses and ships But there are some causes doe more The soul is a cause of the living man and when the soul is removed the man dies the face looking on the glass is the cause of the image both in its production and conservation remove the face and the image vanisheth away the Sunne is the cause of day-light which is transfused through the aire from the East to the West When the Sun goes down to another Horizon day-light vanisheth away because the Sun not by a deputy and by vertue communicated to another is the cause of the aires enlightning but is the cause of day-light both as touching the creating of it in fieri and as touching the preserving of it or in conservari facto esse So is God the cause of all creatures both as touching being and continuation being the Lord made all things and when they are made the house of heaven and earth should return to nothing if the Lord should withdraw his causative influence But in a special manner the Lord is every waâ— the cause of grace of our spiritual life and of all our actings of grace The new life should turn to nothing if Christ withdraw his gracious influence and it is that our poor little image and spiritual breaths are in his hand both touching production and conservation by his graces breathing Hence if the Angel of his presence goe with us his hand in our right hand Psal 73. 23. let us say 1. As Moses after the Lord had promised Exod. 33. 15. If thy presence goe not with me carry me not hence Ah who refuse a journey except God goe with him and be at his right hand and fixes the mind on this I will not goe to the pulpit as a Minister nor to the bench as a Judge nor to the field as a souldier except the Lord lead me and hold me by his right hand Doe ye misse influences of grace and the leading of the Spirit in a spiritual way of eating sleeping waking buying journeying It is good Obj. I cannot stir without God and his influences that I know Answ The sparrow and the raven the lyon and the wolf cannot stir without Gods influences of nature Ah that is poor and hungry Many have no more help of God to be lead in eating and drinking for God then the raven and the lyon Obj. I cannot pray nor hear without the influences of God Answ Ah you miss influences of God as concurring with a gift but ye miss not his gracious and saving influence to pray and hear in faith and feeling to concur with the Spirit of grace 2. Judas the traitor cannot preach and cast out devils without a common influence of a God with his gift and that is all your missing The renewed man misses that which in a manner is his due as a renewed man and that is the presence of the spirit of grace in his acting If a horse want a leg he shall soon miss it when he comes to running for four legs are due to him by nature but the horse in running misseth not the wings of an eagle for wings are not
due to him Gracious influences are not due to a Judas nor such a guide as the Spirit to any reprobate man therefore they cannot misse such a gracious guide 2. It teaches us to be willing to be led as to 1. Deny our will and wisedome as the blind man should not contend with his leader and guide as if he did see better then his guide Slack your high-bended will and deny it and cavil not with the Spirit this way I must goe whether my guide will or not Let your will be as dead and no will at all and let the Spirit in his will and wisedome reign in you 2. Spread out the sails and give them to the wind resign the heart to the Spirit obey that My son give me thy heart Give Christ your loves as Cant. 7. 12. Keep none of your heart or love to your self but quit fully both to the leading Spirit of Jesus Your love and your heart according to the Gospel-dispensation is not your own or at your disposing whatever property naturall by law you have over your self for the law buyes you not We are less our own and more Christs by the Gospel and more our own by the Law Many profess themselves sons and so to be led by the Spirit yet they have not given eyes wisedome will and love to the Spirit they keep a great piece of their heart and their love to themselves and have an inward reluctancy and wrestling against the wayes of the Spirit as yet remaining debtors to the flesh to pay the debt of service to the flesh Rom. 8. 12 13 14. 5. This is comfortable that Christ makes it the travail of his soul Isa 53. 11. and his soul-satisfaction to see his seed and to bring many children to glory Heb. 2. 10. So his soules work is upon keeping such as are given to him and guiding on his flock John 10. 3 4. in going before his own sheep in calling them by name and in leading them 2. He keeps such as come and raiseth them up at the last day John 6. 37 40. 3. He guides them with prayers John 14. 16. intercedes for them to reduce them when they goe out of the way Heb. 5. 1 2. and all this with soul-satisfaction and delight to get all his off-spring and children which the Lord hath given to him fairly landed and set in the other side of the sea beyond temptations and hazards beyond sin and death as he hath a fellow-feeling and compassion his bowels being moved even now in heaven with our infirmities Heb. 4. 14 15. so far as is suitable to his glorified state as our great High-Priest which hath passed into the heavens So his other affections of desire as our head and natural and kindly care to have all his members guided safe in at the gates of heaven and he must have much soul delight and satisfaction that his own be led with his holy arm and gathered in Isa 40. 10 11. We have a loose faith the head shall care and watch for us though we sleep that is Christ is graciously careful to give influences whether we sleep or wake pray or pray not our care can adde nothing to his care if he will fail in his trust and sleep and let us perish let him see to his own glory two cares one in the head and another in the members are needless nay but his love and care as head sends down influences of godly fear and trembling to the members that they may work with him Jer. 32. 40. 2. Our weakness of faith errs in the other extremity Ah can my deadness and hardness be ever subdued If Christ once sighed for the hardness of sinners hearts and wept over the slain of Jerusalem and counted it meat and drink to bring in the Samaritans to the Gospel John 4. 34. Now when Christ is glorified and the affections of love compassion care are perfected in glory not destroyed should our unbelief say he now cares not for the hard heart and obstinacy of his redeemed ones If thy unbelief must take all the care off Christ and our unbelieving care must doe all let Christ sleep 3. There is a proportion betwixt head and members the soul-travel of the head in heaven and the soul-travel of the members on earth in the use of all meanes hearing praâ—ing praising goe together Awaking head and sleeping members are unsutable He watches prays and watch ye with him and pray FINIS Joan. Strangius de voluntate actionibus dei circa peccatum l. 2. c. 9. p. 211. Sequitur dari priorem actionem cur voluntas Adam elegerit primum actum vitiosum quecunque ille sit nempe quia deus cum praemovit ac praedeterminavit ad istam electionem aut Actionem c. See Rivetn in Cath. orthodoxo tom 2. Q 6. tract 4. n 33. Meratins tom 1. tract de bonitate mal hum acta dispu 11. sc 7. n. 4. Strangius Stranguis ib. Strangius de vol. Act. dei circa p. l. 2. Strangius ib. Strangius de voluntate actio dei circa peccata l. 2. c. 9. p. 214. 2 2. cedit tertia necessitas ex eorum sententia qui dicunt prius ratione nam Deus decreverit condere ante citra peccati eorum praevisioneÌ„ aut considerationem Deum ad manifestandam gloriam justitiae misericordiae craedestinasse ex angelis hominibus alios ad faelicitatem aeternam alios autem improbasse aeternis poenis adjudicandos non potuit fieri ut hoc decretum ex equeretur ex equitur enim Deus quicquid decrevit Non Potuit autem exequi si nullum fuisset peccatum hominum aut Angelorum omnio enim decreta dei samâ— libera sed ex hypothesi unius decreti fit ut aliud necessario ponendum sit ex vi ergo hujus decreti necesse erat ut homo angeli aliqui peccarent God intended that no man should be saved by the law True liberty Grace loves to be restrained from doing evil That the first Adam was to pray for perseverance is not clear Adam was to rely on God for perseverance but as promised by the covenant of works Our grace in the second Adam choicer then that in the first The Lords influences in all Divers write and assert there is not such a thing imaginable as the Lord 's invincible predetermination of second causes but it s but a simple denial of the conclusion Let any man show me how the Lord 's soveraign dominion in procuring all the actings of Angels and Men and of natural causes to be or not to be as pleaseth the Soveraign Lord who doth what he will in Heaven and Earth can stand unhurt and stand it must if ye remove the Lords insuperable predeterminating thereof or some act like this by which all must come to passe or not come to passe as holy Soveraignity will and I shall be silent the arguments for his Dominion being
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
repentance before justification Doubts and reasons against Mr. Baxter 's new remedying Law of grace made to all mankind Vniversal Redemption extols nature and free will and makes a moral swasion which heals not nature all the grace that the Gospel owns 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 August lib. 1. ad Bonif. c. 15. Julian Sic nos dicimus liberum arbitrium in omnibus esse naturaliter nec Adae peccato peâ—ire poâ—uisse quod scripturarum omnium authoritate firmatur Lib 2. imperf oper fol. 133. Liberum arbitrium inquiunt Pelagâ—ani post peccaâ—a tam plenum est quam fuit ante peccata Pelagius lib. 1. de lib. a b. apud August c. 18. Habemus possibilitatem utrisuque partis à Deo insitam velut quandam ut ita dicam radicem fractiferam atque soecundam quae ex voluntate hominis diversa gigâ—at pariâ—t quae possit ad propâ—ium culto is arbitri un vâ—l nitere flore virtutum vel sentibus horrere vitiorum Lib. 1. impeâ—f oper fol. 381. Hanc voluntatem concupiscentium ante peccatum in Paradiso fuisse res illa declarat non potuit esse fructus peccati In Epist ad Demetr Pelagius Est enim in animis nostris quaedam ut ita dixerim sanctitas quae velut in arce animi praesidens exercet mali bonique judicium ut honestis rectisque artibus faver ita sinistra opera condemnat August de gratia Christi c 10. Pelag us operatur in nobis velle quod bonum est vâ—lâ—e quod sanctum est dum nos c. futurae gloriae magnitudine praemiorum pollicita ione succendit dum revelatione sapientiae in defiderium Dei stupentem su scitat voluntatem dum nobis suadet omne quod bonum est August Epist ad patres Milesitaâ—os tribuit Pelagianis quod ad omnia vitae perficienda mandata sola tantumodo libertate contenderemus August 9. 9. Veteris N. Test q. 3. Deus bonus qui fecit existere quod non exstiterat justus quia quaecunque fecit ut proficerent propriae libertatis arbitrio dimissa sunt quia tamen non tam perfecta sunt ut labi non possent seminaria his legis inesse decrevit naturaliter addens auxilia manifesia legis ut authoritas ejus perfecta esset hominibus Ja. Arm. disp priv 8. th 4. Sim. Episcop Remons in conf sua c 1. sect 14. Remon in Apol. c. 1. fo 33. Potest homo absque gratia Spiritus sancti sensus Scripturae quantum sufficit ad salutem intelligere nec opus est superinfusa potentia in intellectu sufficit sola literalis Evangelii oblatio Corvinus Arminii sectator con Til. c. 12. pa. 48. Diximus nos credere per renovationem spiritus praevia renovatione mentis affectuum voluntatem quoque mutari renovari ex mala bonam fieri Corv. con Moli c. 32. S. 23. 13. Primo itaque volumus per gratiam mentem illuminantem cor hoc est affectus reformantem effici bonos actus five fidei five conversionis per actus autem habitus acquiri per quos rursus cum fidei adjutorio actus eliciuntur Corvinus contra Tilenum c. 6. pag. 234. 235. Tria praecipue manserunt in homine post lapsum quae ipsum capacem novi foederis capacem faciunt 1. Reliquiae imaginis Dei quas Dens ex gratia in homine reliquit 2. Mansisse libertatem ad bonum malum prout intellectus monstraverit 3. Mansisse in illo affectum naturalem ad illud omne de siderandum quod sibi bouum esse intelligit Remon in scriptis Synod art 4. pag. 164. Cum homines irregeniti dicuntur caeci in tenebris positi nihil aliud denotat quam rerum divinarum voluntatis salvificae ignaros nescios ac proinde et am à Dei timore aliencs at ex eo nihil aliud concludi potest quam eos indigere clara veritatis propositione ut scientiam consequantur Remon in scrip Syn. art 3. 4. pag. 6. Ad voluntatem quod attinet de ea ita pronunciamus in statu irregenerationis non habere ad volendum â—llum bonum salutare Hoc confiâ—mant argumento Pelagio digno neque enim voluntas id velle potest quod in illo statu intellectus scire non potest unde fit ut affectus quoque dessituti speciali Spiritus sancti gratia renovatione bonum ullum quod vere salvificum appetere non possunt quare libertatem volendi indifferenter tam bonum salutare quam malum in statu lapsus voluntati ad esse negamus quia potius liberum arbitrium ad bona hujusmodi non modo vulneratum sauciatum infirmatum inclinatum attenuatum est sed raptivum perdiâ—um amissum ejusque vires non modo debilitatae cassae nisi restaurentut à gratia sed planae nullae hoc illi sed nihil sani Remon Synod art 3. 4. pag. 7. quare cum ante lapsum intellectus primorum parentem nosset quod bonum esset salutare quod malum in lapsu boni salutaris salvifici cognitione destituta mens nequaquam illud ut volendum voluntati monstrare potuit nec voluntas illud velle libertatem itaque potentiam volendi tam bonum salutare quam malum non habuit eam tamen libertatem quae homini essentialis est retinuit Nihil sani hic nulla est intrinseca laesio in voluntate per lapsum nulla ablatio potentiae bonum ab intellectu monstratum amplectendi Sic Jesuita Suarez tom de grat c. 8. prolog 4. n. 14. Per peccatum originale nulla ignorantia pravae dispositionis in nos transfunditur sed sola ignorantia negationis privationis quatenus nascimur sine fide sine ullo habitu vel per se vel per accidens infuso sine ulla specie vel principio cognoscendi praeter nudam potentiam intelligendi eam autem ignorantiam vel nescientiam haberet homo creatus in puris naturalibus Jesuita Martinez de Ripalda de ente supernaturali lib. 1. di p. 4. sect 3. 11. 21. Bonitas possibilitas objecti supernaturalis voluntati proposita sufficit excitare in voluntate desiderium ex se absolutum efficax quid desideraret hic Pelagius Nihil prorsus videat lector quaeso in 2. Thom. tract de graâ— q. 1. seq Gab. Vasq in 12. tom h. disp 91. c. 2. seq Phil. Gamach 12. q. 109. c. 4. Alphons Curiel 12. q. 189. art 2. dub ult The Law teacheth but healeth not Our formality in praying and in going about other means How nature begins and the spirit acteth on and with our literal acting Some truth we must first physically hear and consider before we believe Though it be true If God had given me efficacious grace I should have been converted yet doth it not follow therefore I am not the culpable cause of my non-conversion or
not from the spirit and often the meer office and the letter not the spirit prays and preacheth out of the man it 's far from that praying Rom. 8. 26. And learn to discern the literal fair influences in praying in the flesh and the sweet calm fiery also and spiritual paining influences of love-sicknesse Cant. 5. 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 c. 10. Conversing with spiritual men born of the spirit of the same Father John 5. John 3. 1 John 3. 14. Psal 119. 63. with Elias leaning on Christ's bosome in whom is fulnesse of the spirit declares a spiritual man None of the Disciples saw more spiritual and glorious visions then John in the book of the Revelation he would have desired to lean on and dwell in Christ's heart as in his bosome Brethren love one another the common nature and spirit of their Father dwels in them Fowls of the same feathers and colours haunt together Drunkards malignants swearers love to be together beware of wearying to haunt with the spirit and spiritual men and to loath a spiritual Ministery and to look upon spiritual doctrine as upon fancies If it be so with you you shall back to the flesh-pots of Egypt again it s a living near to the fountain to haunt much with the Saints and as the streams are one in the well so do the streams run in the same channel and love to stick together Natures of the same kind lambs with lambs love to live together Psal 119. 13. I am a companion of all them that fear thee and of them that keep thy Precepts A part of the Air keeps its being best in the whole Element whereas a part of the Air is corrupted in the bowels of the Earth where it is out of its own Element a part of water is best preserved in being in the element of water put it in a pit or hole of the earth it 's alone and it becomes rotten and unsavoury The Saints keep their spiritual being with the excellent ones in whom is all their delight Psal 16. 2. as being in their own element and no wonder if it be their woe to dwell long in Mesech and in Kedars tents with such as hate peace Psal 120. 5 6. Psal 57. 4 10. nor is this to flatter such as separate from Christ and his Ordinances nor to say Stand by thy self come not near me for I am holier then thou Isa 65. 5. and yet they themselves remain among the graves and lodge in the monuments Be rather frequenting Hospitals of sick ones making it your work to gain many it 's like to Christ Luke 16. 6 7 10. Matth. 9. 10 11 12 13. Luke 15. God ordinarily showers influences and promiseth influences to the flocking together of the godly and the pouring of his spirit on them Jer 50. 4 5 6. Zech. 8. 21 22 23. Mal. 3. 16. and two speaking of Christ Jesus himself comes in as third man Luke 24. 15 16 17 c. and as if they were the fit soyl he rains down influences of warmness and burning of heart on them while he opens the Scriptures to them v. 32. see Acts 2. 1 2 3 c. Joh. 20. 19. It 's a spiritual condition to talk of spiritual purposes when the well is full it must run over when there is a treasure and abundance in the heart the spirit comes to the tongue in Zachariah and Simeon Luke 2. 25 27. and grace seeths and boyls up to the tongue when the conceptions of the King Christ are the good matter indited by the heart Psal 45. 1. so to be filled with the spirit Ephes 5. 18 19. saith Paul speaking to your selves in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual songs Giving thanks always for all things to God is the spirit's work in his abundant influences There is a spirit in men seen in language the sea-man talks of winds the husband-man of oxen and plowing the souldier of battels and wounds and the shepherd of flocks and the spiritual man of Christ redemption imputed righteousness and as the pilgrims heart and the pilgrims tongue the pilgrims thoughts are all upon his way and his home so is the spiritual man much upon Eternity Heaven Christ for the three noble Conferrers the transfigured man Christ glorified Moses and Elias speak of the celebrious heavenly subject the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and out-going of Christ when he was to leave the world The man hath been full of God who could not refrain from speaking of the Lord's testimonies before Kings and Princes have no great list to hear but of State matters of conquering new Kingdoms Psal 119. 46. the rotten unsavoury worldly and carnal speeches of many bewray how little of the spirit is within them It was Christ who had the fulness of the anointing of the spirit within him Psal 48. 8. I delight to doe thy will O my God thy law is within my heart In Sea and Land and House and Field by the way side journeying at every table when he should have eaten he made good that word ver 9. I have preached righteousness in the great Congregation lo I have not refrained my lips thou knowest O Lord. 10. I have not hid thy righteousnesse within my heart I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation I have not concealed thy loving kindness from the great Congregation Influences of grace are required for this as pag. 45. PART III. Influences of Grace CHAP. I. Of divers sorts of Influences HAving formerly spoken of Influences of grace in general we are now to descend to more specials Hence these particulars 1. Some influences are from Satan some from God 2. The way of Satans influences 3. It s lawful to dispute with Hereticks instruments of Satan but not lawful to dispute with Satan 4. Christ sought neither the Tempter nor the temptation 5. Some influences are natural some supernatural 6. Some moral some Physical 7. Some Prophetical some not 8. Some publick on the Church some personal 9. Some influences are given for the habit of grace or gifts some for the act some for both 10. Some proper to the head Christ some for the members 11. Some influences are fundamental some not 12. Some influences are given for saving graces actings some for the actings of a gift 13. Differences between acting of grace and acting of gifts 14. Some influences are viatorum of such as are in the way to their countrey some are comprehensorum of perfected ones some of grace some of glory For the fuller opening of the Doctrine of Influences some influences are from Satan some from God Influences from God are both moral when he commands good and forbids evil and real and physical in that all move in him as the first cause and mover in operations of nature 2. of grace 3. of glory But Satan being no Master or Lord of providence hath no real stirring in second causes his actings upon angel or mens soules are not physical but
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