feet He saw a throne set in heaven and one sate on the throne and he that sate was to look upon like a Jasper and a Sardine-stone and there was a rainbow round about the throne and four and twenty seats round about the throne and four and twenty Elders who cast down their crowns before him that sate upon the throne c. 4. and the armies in heaven in earth and under the earth praising him He saw in the visions of God the seven Angels which poured the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth He saw Babylons fall the vision of the last Judgment the Bride the Lambs wife adorned with the glory of God He saw the new Jerusalem the golden structure of it the street of gold the twelve ports the wall the foundation of precious stones the river of water of life the tree of life Moses never saw such glory 3. Hence see we that there may be a sinful incapacity on our part and that the pure in spirit see God Mat. 5. and that grace keeps the soul like a calm sea without storm and wind and that if we would be near God we would keep the heart clean and pure We are to beware of grudging and act these three duties 1. Trust in the Lord. 2. Delight in the Lord. 3. Hope patiently for him Psalm 37. 1 2 3 4. There may be an earthquake in the zeal of a meekned Elias there was no godly men on earth left but himself as his angry zeal said to him and the Lord knew 7000. besides him The Lords way of appearing to Elias 1 Kin. 19. taught him some other thing for the Lord was neither in the strong wind that brake in pieces mountaines and rocks nor in the earthquake nor in the fire but in the still small voice v. 11 12. The Spirit was not of God which would call for fire from heaven in the disciples to burn villages and men women and children quick because they refuse lodging to Christ and his disciples for therefore meekly saith Christ and gravely Luke 9. 55. Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of 56. For the Son of man came not to destroy mens lives but to save them You know not that these flamings of the fleshes wild-fire came not from heaven for they smell not of the meek Son of man nor savour they of his saving message No doubt the disciples thought their sparks were kindled at a fire from heaven but that fire came not from God seldom does the Lords Spirit dwell and act in his saving influences in an angry fiery spirit grace meekens hell and hellish passions in the renewed Saints There are no passions in the glorified and perfectly meekned ones who stand before the throne but such as are pure and unmixed fire for the everlasting praises of God Hence showres of influences eternally rain on them night and day without ceasing Isa 6. 2 3 4 Rev. 4. 8. The 6th impediment of heavenly influences is from fear 2 Tim. 1. 7. We are to stir up the grace of God in us and his gifts not from a legal fear For God hath not given us the spirit of fear but of power of love and of a sound mind 2 Tim. 1. 7. Then we take up the Spirit of law-bondage and law-fear of our own will that spirit of fear is not of Gods giving or choosing but it is of our choosing Rom. 8. Such as are led by the spirit of God are willing followers v. 15. For we have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear but we have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father It 's like the devils are uncapable of influences of grace because of the horrour and slavish trembling fear that is upon their conscience they be ever under the law of works never under grace no not so much as in offer Matth. 8. 29. Jam. 2. 19. Faith and the spirit of adoption to pray to believe influences of grace is the remedy of this So are we to believe perseverance and that God shall give influences of grace to the end Psalm 23. We shall have waterings and the believers well shall never run dry Psal 104. 33. I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live Psal 104. 33. Psal 146. 1. Psal 52. 8 9. Then he knew of a stock and a new furniture in heaven suppose his own well should go dry CHAP. V. Some properties of Influences of grace 1. That they are invincible and irresistible 2. Of free grace 3. Done by the Lord with a principality of causality 4. Immediately both by the immediation of vertue and of the Lords own presence Influences are considered 1. In the first moment of conversion 2. In perseverance 2. God seeks not our consent to our first conversion 3. We are maried to Christ before we consent to the mariage 4. How the Lord determines free-wil without offering violence to free wil. 5. Gods dominion is equally over free-wil and all natural causes 6. God acts in all both by the immediate influence of his power and also of his person 7. The Lord most particularly leads his own 8. What is the right missing of Influences 9. We are more our own by the Law and less our own by the Gospel 10. Christs care and the members care IT is easier here to know what is not to be said as touching the irresistibility and strength of gracious influences above our free-will then what to say But Influences are considered two wayes 1. Moral'y 2. Physically 1. As they are common to all who hear the word in the visible Church 2. As influences are peculiar to the elect in the business of conversion Assert 1. Common moral influences that goes along with the word preached may be resisted for the Jewes alwayes resisted the holy Ghost speaking in the Prophets Acts 7. 51 52. Zech. 7. 11. But they refused to hearken and pulled away the shoulder and stopped the ear that they should not hear 12. Yea they made their hearts as an adamant-stone lest they should hear the Law and-the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his Spirit to the former Prophets Then the reprobate may and doe resist the immediately inspiring spirit in the men of God writing and speaking that word 1 Pet. 1. 20 21. and the assisting spirit also in the Pastors It 's dreadful in the lower actings of God in the word to despise the Spirit and to give him battel in his first approaches I called and ye refused Prov. 1. 24. Isa 65. 1 2 3. A contradicting of and a warring against the Spirit at the first face is much to be feared O tremble to speak against or to counter-work the Spirit at all 2. Influences proper to the Elect are so also to be looked on 1. In the first moment of conversion 2. In the work of perseverance In the first moment of conversion the sinner prevents not Christ none dead in sins and trespasses ever sent or
106. 9. He rebuked the red Sea also and it was dried up God by the interposition of the faith of his own will not have strong walls to stand Heb. 11. 30. but they must fall nor Lions to eat the prey Verse 33. nor a violent fire to burn nor the sword to devour 34. As 2. They act at his command Psal 78. 26. He caused the East wind to blow in the Heavens and by his power he brought in the South wind whether this be by a strong terminating influence which displeaseth adversaries of grace and providence or some other way we contend not for words but if the Scripture hold forth as it doth that the Lord by his strong and invincible dominion doth indeclinably and without any possible failing bring forth his decreed effect some impulsion of God immanent transient or mixed which is terminate upon all second causes there must be for as he can and doth hinder naturall causes to work as the Sunne to move towards his down-going Josh 12. 13. Isa 38. 8. the Lyon to eat the man whereas he did fear the ass 1 Kings 13. 28. so he is the father and cause of all things that fall out Job 38. 28. Hath the rain a father or who hath begotten the drops of dew 29. Out of whose womb came the yce and the hoary-frost of Heaven who hath gendered it 31. Canst thou bind the sweet influences of the Pleiades or loose the bands of Orion This teacheth that Job cannot nor can any creature at his nod but the Lord can and he onely binds up or le ts out the influences of Pleiades the starres which rise in the Spring and bring forth flowers and hearbs and orders the course of Orion which bringeth Winter and order the starres that rise in the South and in the North. 34. Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds that abundance of waters may cover thee See his actings 3. His influences are in things small as in the falling of a Sparrow to the earth not one hair of the head but it is numbred by him Luke 21. 18. Matth. 10. 29 30 31. Not a gourd groweth nor a worm eats it but at his command Jonah 4. 6 7. Amos 4. 7 8 9. Joel 1. 1 2 3 4. Psal 105. 29 30 31 32 33. c. he hath an hand in the bird-nests building Psal 104. 17 18. And 4. The actings of the Lord are in great things as the translation of Kingdoms Dominions and Thrones Dan. 4. 32. Jer. 27. 5 6 7. In all the rises and fallings of Princes the Starres of whatever magnitude Isa 40. 21. 1 Sam. 2. 7 8. Psalm 76. 12. 5. His actings are in matter of lots that seem to be ruled by fortune and chance Prov. 16. 33. Genes 49. Deut. 33. compared with Josh 14. 1 2 3. 6. Especially in bowing the free will and determining all the actions of evil angels 1 Kings 22. 21 22 23. Job 1. 6 7 8. Job 2. 1 2 3. Gen. 3. 1 2 3 4 5. Matth. 8. 29 30 31. and good Luke 2. 9 13. Matth. 28. 1 2 3. Acts 1. 20. 2 Thes 1. 7. leading and determining the free will of all men the King Prov. 21. 1. the Prince Gen. 43. 13. Esther 4. 16 17. compared with Chap. 5. 2. c. 7. 2 3. he graciously enclines the will and hearts of men Deut. 30. 6. Jer. 32. 39 40. Ezek. 36. 27. as the Saints pray Psal 119. 33 34 36 88. Psal 86. 11. Cant. 1. 4. He hardneth the heart and blinds the mind as in his judgement he pleaseth Job 12. 16. Ezek. 14. 9. Exod. 14. 8. Deut. 2. 30. 2 Sam. 12. 11 12. Esay 6. 9 10. Matth. 13. 14 15. John 12. 37 38 39 40. Rom. 1. 24 25 26 27 28. Rom. 11. 8. And many such things are with him the more spiritually minded any is the more bent is the heart to follow and eye God in all his actings and he shall see how wise in heart the steeresman is who watcheth at the helm and it shall appeare what precious thoughts take up the believer who sees such millions and numberless numbers of influences with all the drops of rain hail dew falling between the creation and the dissolving of the world all which he binds in his garment Prov. 30. 2. and what numbers of influences he joyns to all the blasts of winds and storms which he gathers in is fists ibid. what influences of the Almighty must there be at all the actings stirrings and motions of Angels in Heaven of damned spirits of men elect and reprobate of birds beasts creeping things fishes in the wise connection of all these with the Lords intended end And if this be observed suppose the body of the Heavens which in its wide bosome contains all were broken and fell down in many thousand pieces Faith in the infinite wisdome goodnesse and power of God will bid the believer be silent and sleep and hope within his own garment God excellently rules all the best of created things next to that precious thing Christ man is the Church and the Lord will specially care for that and for me among the rest 3. No doubt we are brutish and look to all the stirrings with much Atheisme and little faith as if all stirrings in Nature Societies and Kingdoms were set on work by the sway of Nature and blind Fortune without God as a wheel rolling about with the mighty violence of a strong arm moves a long time after the arm of the mover is removed Or suppose a pair of Charet-wheels were letten loose in the top of a huge Mountain and should move down some hundred thousands of Millions of miles for hundreds of years after the man who set them first a work were dead So we fools believe that God gave a mighty strong shake or some Omnipotent impulsion to all causes natural free and contingent to Heaven and Earth Sea and Land to all Creatures in them Angels and Men and did bid them be a going for he must sleep and could not actually stir them any more Nor can we see God in all and that he contrived this that one should rise early and eat the bread of sorrow and yet be poor another should be wise admirably and want bread another fight valiantly and be foiled and a man run swiftly and lose the race Psal 127. 1 2 3. Eccles 9. 11. and that much sowing hath little reaping Hag. 1. 6. for Hab. 2. 13. Behold is it not of the Lord of hosts that the people should labour in the very fire and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity Chaldaea doth sweat and pine her self for the very wind and nothing We see not that nature miscarries and parts with child when his good providence who rules all is not Mid-wife and a barren-womb brings forth many births and she that is no Mother hath a rich issue when soveraignity pleases this is my faith and comfort CHAP. III. Hence to
and holiness and to the habit of free actions for if God fixedly ordained persons to free acts he must have fixedly ordained these free acts and so there must be chains of necessity laid on free will and free acts as the Adversaries argue if the latter be said the decrees of election and reprobation must be fast and loose as the free-will of men best pleases and indeed this Author makes this a third necessity that overturns freedom for if reprobation saith he and the decree of declaring the Lords justice be before sin then is there a strong and unwarrantable necessity of sinning laid on men and Angels But Protestant Divines the soundest of Papists Augustine Prosper Hilarius Fulgentius and the soundest Fathers maintain a decree of passing by of non-election a purpose of denying such grace to multitudes as if it had been granted Esau Ismael Pharaoh Cain should have believed and been saved as well as David and Peter but this grace the Lord decreed to deny because the Potter doth and may dispose of the clay as pleaseth him Because it is not in him that wills and runs but in God that shews mercy 2. Because he hath mercy on whom he will and hardens whom he will and yet he is just and justly is angry at sin and that stands as the objection of the carnal Pelagian in Paul's time Rom. 9. 19. Thou wilt say why doth he yet find fault who hath resisted his will this is the very objection of this Author if the Lord decreed to deny effectually renewing grace to the masses of reprobates clay before they did good or ill and before they could run and will that is ante citra peccati provisione before any consideration of sin in them and decreed to give it to others because he will why should God complain for who hath who can resist his will for his will and decree must be necessarily fulfilled and executed and without the sin of men and Angels there could be no execution nor fulfiâ—ling of such a decree Our Divines with the Fathers say 1. The judgement and dispensation is hid and deep but not â—njust 2. Paul and they say none have resisted his will and the counsel of the Lord shall stand 3. The decree of God compels no man to sin nor lays on men any necessity destructive to liberty of sinning or obeying freely 4. Gods decree is the cause of no mans falling or sinning 5. The eternal ruine and final sinning of Angels and men fell out by order of nature and time before the decree and will of God how could he then help it here is a strong and a fatal necessity that God could not break but since a sparrow falls not to the earth and is snared without the will of the Father of Christ how can men and Angels fall eternally without his will O there is an absolute will of God and a conditional will without which sin fell not out say they but the conditional will is a name no more for God so should have decreed such things good and evil should be after they were and had being not to say that it must be as unjust that God should will sins existence after it falls out as before it falls out as to the Lords loving or any commanding or approving thereof or as to the point of straining of the will to act sin yea the holy Lord no more strains by decree and actual influence the will in acts of holy and supernatural obedience then in acts of sin and there is a door opened to fatal necessity in neither for the Lord trails violently no children to glory and compels by decree or praedetermination none to the entitative acts in sin nor violently drives he either divels or reprobate men to everlasting fire it is safer to believe holy providence for the want of the faith of an all-governing Lord must bring perpetual trepidation and anxity of conscience trembling and fainting of heart and destroy and sulvert all solid consolation lively hope conquering patience O that we could pray and believe more and curiously dispute less and sinfully fret not at all but say O the depth and pray thy Kingdome come even so come Lord Jesus OF INFLUENCES OF DIVINE GRACE CANTIC 1. 4. Draw me we will run Ch. 1. Mans dubious and tottering estate under the first his safer estate under the second Adam 2 True liberty 3 Grace loves to be restrained from doing of evil Adam was not to believe or pray for perseverance THere being in the Covenant of works no influences by which we may will and doe to the end promised to Adam and no predeterminating influences and no Gospel-fear of God by which we shall persevere and not depart from the Lord being promised in the new and everlasting covenant Jer. 32. 39. 4. This principall difference between the covenants remains to be discussed There must be in this point considerable differences between the Covenants as 1. God intended that no man should be saved by the Law for grace mercy forbearance and the patience of God towards sinners sould for eternity have been hid from sinfull man if righteousness and life had been by the Law But God intended that all men to be saved should be saved by the Covenant of grace 1 Cor. 1. 21. Rom. 3. 21 22. as Rom. 10. 5 6 7. compared with Rom. 3. 9 10 20. Gal. 3. 8 9 10. as both the Scripture and the issue of two dispensations of Law and Gospel do evidence 2. Man in the covenant of works was under no tutor but Adams free will but now man as an interdicted heir for former wasteries is disinherited so that he hath not the mastery of his own estate is put under another Lord even Jesus Christ as his tutor and since it is so the less our own the better the more we are under the law the less we are under grace as Rom. 7. the less freedom or rather physicall licence to sin the more true liberty Psal 119. 45. I will walk at liberty for I seek thy precepts Christ by his covenant layeth the aw of grace upon us whether grace be taken physically for an inward principle of grace or morally for a gracious fear to sin it s all one the more under Christ any is the less is he free to sin as the better and stronger the keeper is who is put upon a broken man and a prisoner who is a bankrupt the less can he take on new debt Rom. 6. 20 22. the less can he make a sinfull escape ungracious are they who say Ah if I had my will I would doe otherwise grace loves to be restrained from doing evil 1. Sam. 22. 23. Satan seeks leave or rather cursed licence if it were but to destroy the Gadarens swine and he reputes it his torment not to dwell with his Legions in the distracted man to torment him Matth. 8. Such cannot complain Would God breath on me with his influences of grace
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
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
Master who gives all the Kingdomes of the World to his Worshippers then God who denies Bread to his own wel-beloved Son thus doth Satan but in another kind fret So Gen. 3. it s a bad providence that Adam and Evah are not as knowing as God and Luke 5. 34. What have we to doe with Christ But may not conscience accuse providence in the Lord 's withdrawing of grace especially being wakened Ans The Conscience of Divels and the Damned is awakned either penally or sinfully these may be distinguished here the Conscience as penally wakned by the Judge primarily gnaws and torments it self for sin as punished I have sinned saith Judas and he casts down the seven pieces feeling the worm but as the Conscience is sinfully wakned by it self in blaspheming the God of Heaven Rev. 16. 9 11. because of pain it also frets against providence but is is not pain'd for the want of saving grace and holy influences which might have prevented sin yea their blasphemings of God eternally is a seal and a closeing with the state of unrenewed nature which is never moved for sin but wrestles against the providence which sometime did permit sin which now hath such tormenting consequences though the conscience in the mean time being taken with the Iustre and apparent good in sin did also close with the opportunity of sin and with providence opening the way to tentations Prov. 7. 15. and seek such a providence Gen. 39. 11 12. and embrace it Mark 14. 10 11. yet is there saving good in a regulated spiritual complaining of the want of saving influences So as 1. They be not looked on as misdeeds of providence and we say not the Lord might have lent me the influence to such a self-denying death as Abraham's journey in aiming to sacrifice his only son for God but he would not 2. It s good if there be a holy submissive complaining of the want of gracious influences as terminated upon duties Isa 63. 17. O Lord why hast thou made us to erre from thy ways and hardened our hearts from thy fear and not looked on as withdrawings of meer providence Though there be a holy claimbring to God ver 19. we are thine yet we are so thine as thy grace is Soveraign Thou never bearest rule over them they were not called by thy name and yet no praise or thanks to Israel that they were called by his Name rather then the Heathen 3. We may pray for and so earnestly suit and desire influences as Draw me quicken me encline my heart unto thy testimonies Therefore we may pray against withdrawings of influences as sad privations of dreadful consequents and so much is held forth in that Petition lead us not unto temptation 4. Yet so as there is no deserving in us of having eyes to see and spiritual influences to see to hear to perceive with a new heart Deut. 29. 2 3. as its not the merit of one part of the Earth the South that it lie nearer the Sun then another Northern part nor the good deserving of one Horse that he wear a golden Saddle and a silken Bridle rather than another this would be minded What am I Lord as it was Christ's mind to cry down works in point of salvation yet not to cry down all actings by way of duty in the New-covenant way Therefore 5. since grace may be desired and all gracious influences are grace so is there a conformity betwixt the believers will suiting influences and the revealed and approving will of God I say not his high decree and ordaining will for sure New-Testament or New-Covenant prayers new oyl and new supply of grace do import a fresh supply and watering of influences to be furnished to believers especially since we may pray Hallowed be thy Name in me thy Kingdome come to me thy will be done by me in the Earth is it is in Heaven 5. We may and ought to suit of God what the Lord promiseth in the Covenant of grace but the Lord promiseth to bestow predeterminating grace in this Covenant as after shall be cleared Now the faultiness of this I will not pray untill the Spirit act upon me and move me to pray is seen in that it importeth that the moral ground of praying is not the command of God pray continually and that command call upon me in the day of trouble which is most false for another warrant for all moral obedience then precept promise or practise can no man give yea it supposeth that the warrant of prayer is the influence of grace Now the influence of grace is the efficient helping cause not the rule not the objective cause of either our praying or any acts of our obedience Yea it is the way of Enthysiasts to make divine impulsions and not the word of precept the Rule of our obedience 2. This I will not pray untill the Spirit first act upon me must have either this sense I will not pray untill the Lord first give a praying disposition or untill the Lord first actually breath upon me This latter saith indeed I will not pray until I pray for the Lord 's actual influence includes praying The former cannot be said For there is no warrant to disobey the command pray continually untill I get a new disposition from Heaven for then might all praying of the renewed be shifted and the three Disciples in the garden might have said to Christ our Master bids us pray but we are heavy with sleep and indisposed and cannot pray and so must we be excused 2. Upon the same account Magus Acts 8. 21. and other unrenewed men should shift the command of praying for while we be translated out of nature to the Kingdome of grace we want the habit of grace and spirit of adoption by which only we can pray acceptably 3. How unsavoury shall this be a man falls over a Bridge and is a drowning another is going to the place of Execution to die another is sick to death all of them may by this shift say we must not pray lest we take the Name of God in vain untill the Spirit breath upon us heavenly impressions of speaking in the Spirit to God 4. This shift cannot stand to suspend praying until the Spirit breath from on high for we are to pray for the spirit 's breathing and for teaching quickning enlarging of heart that we may pray and praise Psal 51. 15. Psal 119. 36 37 40 48. Wind fetches wind here and fire begets fire as cold flint creates hot fire so the Atheists let them pray that can pray I 'me no Minister But it hath this I am ready to pray but the blame of my not praying is to be laid on the Spirit for the wind blows not but this is but witty laziness as when the Sea-man will sleep and attempt no Sea-voyage and lay the blame which is his fall upon the wind which blows not after his mind it appears he is but a sleeper
not a Husband-man who for bears plowing and sowing upon the account only that he finds not a season so desirable as he craves and that he is indisposed to plow spiritually as a Christian He who observes the wind shall not sow and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap Eccl. 11. 4. So are we to refer to his holy Soveraignty the flowings of the Spirit and to set about holy duties as if these flowings were in our power We are to know that the command and precept of spiritual duties is laid on us as we are reasonable creatures as hearers of the Gospel not under the reduplication as spiritually or not spiritually disposed as the Creditor and the Law charge men to pay their just debts not as they are poor or rich but as they are debters yea precepts from the Lord bind the creature as the creature and moral precepts bind Men and Angels as capable to obey though not fit and disposed Therefore must we here distinguish betwixt nature capable or having at any time power to obey and the real or as it were the physical aptitude and idoneous disposition to obey The latter takes not away the obligation to pray or believe David's being overclouded with a temptation is not an excuse of adultery and murther nor is he thereby freed from praying Lord lead me not into temptation As 1. Under indispositions moral we rejoyce that sinful indispositions do befriend us and smile upon us to promote sin as some love them well who counsel them and joyn with them in drunkenness and are their brethren in iniquity so do we foment indispositions and welcome and fatten them and do not violence to our corruption and deadness and heardness and some expone false light to be God's secret and virtual approving Will they should commit the sin as Evah saw the fruit that it was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree to be desired to make one wise Gen. 3. 6. Here Evah substitutes the tentation in place of the precept and false light fosters and cherisheth a sinful lust and a wicked disposition to sin It is a sort of tempting of the tempting disposition whereas is were good to complain under a sinful disposition as under the bondage of a part of the body of sin as Paul doth Rom. 7. for a sinful disposition is but a branch and bud of the body of sin which we are to wrestle against as a most dangerous opposite to spiritual obedience Indeed sometime a spiritual disposition to pray or praise or hope goes along with the command Now the obligation of the command to praise is ever one and its good when the man can say My heart is fixed I will praise Psal 5â— and the command to wait on the Lord lies ever on it is a rich mercy when the disposition goes along with the command as Psal 25. 15. Mine eyes are ever in the habit and holy disposition toward the Lord and Psal 130. 6. My soul waiteth for the Lord more then they that watch for the morning Farther not to pray till the Spirit move us and simply to abstain from praying or any other spiritual duty upon simple ignorance that we are not obliged to pray except the spirit move us is weakness in some godly who may be overtaken with that error but in knowing and judicious men who are Libertines it is wickedness and somewhat more then weakness for it is to abstain from spiritual duties though not considering or without religious weighing the Commandment pray continually and is a making of the Spirit 's acting our Bible and to confound the Scripture and the Spirit as Libertines did so Calvin saith of them and so do others 2. The sense of this pray continually cannot be pray assiduously at all occasions except the Spirit withdraw his influences for here three things are considerable If 1. The providential call of God to pray suppose that sickness incursions of Divels or extreme suffering be on If 2. A more special supernatural providence of a heavenly fervor and stirring of the Spirit be on If 3. Only the obligation of a command be on to pray upon all occasions Christian prudence directing to obey affirmative Precepts Now as to the First Ass 1. Suppose there be some seeming contradiction betwixt extreme pain and absence or withdrawings yet a seeming contradiction only and not real it is and the man is called to an habitual praying disposition because what commands obligeth us to be renewed in the spirit of our mind Ephes 4. 23. lays a tie on us to doe it without delay Isa 55. 6. Psal 55. 7 8. Joel 2. 12. and consequenter ever to be in a savoury disposition and to savour of the things of the Spirit whether the spirit actually heat the soul with such savoriness for otherwise our Saviour rebukes the disciples on no just ground when they were sleepy for want of an actual heavenly disposition to pray Could ye not watch with me one hour The physical indisposition to pray does not take away the moral obligation to pray then 2. Though pain and extreme soul-heaviness that the man cannot speak Psal 77. 4. and Hezekiah can but chatter as a crane or a swallow Isa 38. 14. and the Church can scarce breath out a word of prayer Lam. 3. 36. yet doth not the Lord in sending on a physical or judicial indisposition contradict his own moral tie which he hath laid on by his command to pray at all times Ass 2. If a more spiritual heat of Spirit enclining to pray or prophecy or preach or praise be on David Psal 39. 1 2 3. on Ezekiel chap. 3. 14. on Paul Acts 17. 16 17 22 c. on the same Royal Prophet Psal 57. 7 8 9 10. Psal 45. 1 2. then two fires being stirred should flame more vehemently when to this fire there is a command added now though Oars be laid aside as uselesse when the wind is fair and favourable on the Sayls and it be not possible that a man can both ride on a spirited nimble horse and also walk the same time on foot yet here by no means must the word or conscience of the command of God be laid aside For as the physical facility comes from the spirit 's holy impulsion and spiritual warmness that is on so the savoury and gracious morality flows from the considered and believed precept and the sanctified heart would close sweetly both with the one and the other for specially the moral or obediential part is from the command and the most genuine and kindly obedience comes from the Word It is the real and physical part that comes from the Spirit and that is onely so far good and morally lawful as the Spirit and Word goe along together Ass 3. It must be holden that duty as duty is a moral motive we are to be led withal and we to look with fear and trembling to the command what
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
to me And so hate men the Lord in his influences of the word rebuking them Isa 30. 11. Cause the holy One of Israel to cease from before us And so this Objector O that he would give me the double of David's grace is an empty wish as if hot fire would say O that I were quenched with cold water a lover of grace must be a gracious man As to the Objection it self 1. It is false If I had grace I should improve it to gracious actings For you improve not nature and the endowments and parts of nature to natural actings and upon the same account he who improves not grace of three degrees would not better improve grace of six degrees Natural wisedom is not used for Christ but against him and the Gospel and is mispended in plotting laying of snares for the godly in taking crafty counsel against the Israel of God in gathering and heaping together riches in painting and busking lies against the truth and a thousand ways of that kind whereas that wisedom might have been profitable for building of the house of God and in edifying a mans own soul and the souls of others 2. In relations of a Master a Head of a family a Parent the power hath been used against God not for him Would God I were Judge of the Land I would doe justice to every man And when Absalom was made a piece of a King he did no justice in lying with and defiling his own father's wives then Absalom if he had had triple more power he would not have used it better 3. In the matter of age Were I old and grave I would use the power of grace I have to repent walk softly and be holy Who told you that grace or parts not improved for God shall grow and suppose they grow who can promise except he give free will surety that he shall improve grace except by the help of grace and though grace help grace yet cannot free will engage for the time to come to set a dyet and term-day for turning to God the next year and when you are old when as ye are obliged while it is to day not to harden your heart and presently to repent this is to make repentance a tree which bears not fruit while some scores of years after its planting a holy heart doth fear and tremble under the present hardness and deadness 4. In the point of instruments of doing good If I had much riches I would build Churches Bridges Hospitals entertain many Poor erect Schools and Colledges Now have the loyns of the poor and naked blessed you for any you have cloathed even according to what you have God seeks of no man above that he hath or according to what he hath not and if you fail in what you have what can you say for what you have not the formal cause of the charity is the pouring or drawing out of the soul to the hungry Isa 58. 10. in faith in lending to God and casting your bread on the waters Eccles 11. 1 2. Prov. 19. 17. Psal 37. 26. Now a house full of Gold cannot add a dram-weight to your mercifulness and your trusting in God but you are so much the richer that you have a stock in Heaven then if thou hadst a great venture at Sea and so much Gold and so many Jewels comming home to you from West-India nor can plenty of gold give you more grace 5. Had I more grace I would not deny Christ for fear of men nor sell Christ for money as did Peter and Judas Now just so spake the Scribes and Pharisees Matth. 23. 30. If we had been in the days of our fathers we would not have been partakers with them in the bloud of the Prophets and yet they slew the Apostles and beat the Prophets and killed the precious heir Christ Matth. 21. 33 38 33. Would ye have washed Christ's feet with tears and wiped them with the hair of your head would ye have kissed his feet would ye have forsaken all and followed him your own heart must be dear and precious to you when you undertake so much in its name and yet many that so speak in our age persecute godliness and hate Christ in his members and many go off that way many miles on the North side and the South side of the Cross when the holy Ghost saith there is not a Bridge over this River but we mnst wade and swim through at the nearest and the road-way is that through much tribulation we must enter into the Kingdome of God Acts 14. 22. 6. Yet if I had the grace of David I would not do as many doe what is that ye would not have committed adultery and bloudshed could you have commanded the influences of God and warded off an evil hour of a sad desertion so vain men have their own middle science the new scientia media that Jesuits have put upon God the man foresees he could make a world of his own for they say as the men Jam. 4. 13 14 15. who eye not God in all their ways say if we go to such a City and buy and sell we shall get gain and say not if God will if we live so many had I a stronger habit of grace I would not use self and I and free will as Adam did but know it is a badder self and a more wicked I then was in Adam for the self so speaking is the flesh and the unrenewed part and there was no unrenewed self no such flesh in Adam while he was yet endued with the image of God So is this the ordinary discourse and language of this woulder and wisher by God's grace I should walk more closely with God then Noah sure more sincerely then he I would not have been drunken with wine as he but believe you that God who gave the habit of grace to Noah to Moses to Dauid to Hezekiah would have given you all the actual influences to eschew the slips of infirmities which these men committed and except you suppose this you must lean upon the habit of grace which is but a creature and so must not have the room of God Now if you have not any such habit your hope must be a broken Tree and you leaning on a Cypher and upon nothing 7. The affections of desire love joy sorrow fear faith hope anger which remain in unrenewed men lustered over with some remainders of the image of God are wasted profusely in the service of sin and these affections might serve much in a way of honouring God And it s a pity that woulding and wishing is the All of many mens religion had I more grace I would more honour God Which is retorted 1. Had I more habitual grace and a richer talent I would more dishonour God Some have a great stock and sin more terribly against the received mercy of habitual grace 2. It s retorted Had I more of nature and of natural
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
of Christ's arrow and under the smiting and stroke of the drawn sword of the Gospel for Christ puts forth his power in his Ministers and renewed and unrenewed may come and hear 3. The difference betwixt the Law and Gospel is that the Law neither promises nor gives strength but presupposeth that the man hath strength but the Gospel promiseth a new heart and the Law engraven in the heart therefore Christ doth reign in the New Testament in the actual Omnipotency of grace and men by a meer local motion of nature or some superadded morality good or bad come in to wisedoms house of wine and bring themselves in under the scattered fire coals of Gospel-administration with no intention spiritual to believe and be saved and so the coming in to hear and the applying of the natural organ of hearing the setting on work the unrenewed mind judgment conscience heart and affections to the literal considering and weighing of the strong reasons that are in the Gospel casteth the man and his soul by a good and inevitable consequent under such heavenly flamings of quickning influences as convey the preached Gospel by an Ordinance of God in due order to cause such as are chosen of God believe it s in a mans free will to draw near to the fire or not to draw near but when he is come to the fire side the fire can make him hot whether he will or no. By a free election a man casts timber in the fire but without any election a strong fire cannot choose but burn dry fewel It s true the sea-man cannot create winds nor change the blowing of the wind from East to West yet he can prepare his vessel hoise the sayls and fit the ship for receiving the winds The husband-man hath no command of winds of rain of clouds of summer Sun yet may he dress labour and sit and prepare his rigs and garden to lie under the seasonable influences of such Summer air rain dew and impressions of the heaven and the clouds as the Lord of nature shall afford Now as all the Kings and Powers on earth cannot command wind and rain so is there no industry required of the husband-man to procure summer or calm seasons nor can the Plough act upon the Sun and clouds nor is the blame to be laid upon the Seamans sleepiness that the wind is not fair for sayling and that the Sea flows not so high yet hath the Lord of purpose left to all unrenewed men born where the Gospel is preached the gates and ports of wisedoms house open that they may come and hear and pass their judgement what they think of Emanuel's land that runs with wine and milk yea and the entry to this house is feazable and accessible by natural strength to fools and ideots to learned and unlearned so that they need not say Who shall ascend up to heaven That is to bring Christ again from above Or who shall descend into the deep That is to bring up Christ again from the dead But the word is now near even in thy mouth and in thy heart that is the word of faith which we preach Rom. 10. 7 8 9 10. Deut. 13. 14. The preached Law leading pedagogically to Christ in Moses time and the plainly preached Gospel offered to all in Paul's time is an open door to all who love to come near to Christ and to be warmed by him in which consideration there is a key put in every mans hand 1. The unrenewed man turns away his ear from the Law and will not let the news of the Gospel lodge in his ear or the outer room of his soul ye set not a work the literal actings and cogitations of the heart to think whether Christ and Heaven and Hell conconcerns you or no. So 2. The believer under deadnesse and saddest desertion when he is at this All is but counterfeit work I had before Psal 31. 22. Jer. 2. 4. Job 13. 24. God reputes me as an enemy He may read the word hear the Gospel preached and cast himself in Christ's way and come in under the cast of his saving influences and so the fire may be kindled of new the sin is that the natural man useth wit judgment memory for a worldly bargain of gain but not for salvation 3. Christ is in his own ordinance never man before he be converted can savingly intend his own conversion Peter and John and Matthew when Christ spoke to them minded no saving work on their spirits nor did the three thousand Acts 2. nor the Jaylor Acts 16. mind so much as they met with Many came to Christ for bodily health and to be freed of Satan in a bodily possession yet when they see and hear Christ lying at wait in ambush in the preached Gospel they are beyond their intentions taken captives There is a great difference betwixt the doing of the bulk and body of an action and the action commanded by the highest authority of God even though the man perform not the action upon the account of a divine command Suppose Naaman had seven times and seventy seven times washed himself in Jordan some days before the Prophet of the Lord commanded him to wash it had been to no purpose he had not been cleansed from his Leprosie It were good we prize more that which men call the foolishness of preaching the Spirit breaths in and through his own ordinance when we know not Quest How can it stand with justice to command us to make our selves a new heart and a new Spirit since we are unable to make to our selves a new heart Ezech. 18. 51. for saith Pelagius inability to obey cannot be both a sin and a punishment of sin Ans 1. The commands of circumcising our selves to the Lord and of making a new heart which are laid upon us are materially Evangelick but as they are charged upon unrenewed men they are formally legal upon the Lord's intention also Evangelick to the chosen to fit them for Christ Nor can these commands have this sense I command and enjoyn to you the omnipotent infusion of a new heart 1. God lays no acts of the infinite and omnipotent God upon the finite creature 2. It is not his intention nay nor his will that reprobates create in themselves new vital principles of life since no such supernatural principles of the life of Christ was merited to them by the death of Christ 3. It s not physically possible to the Elect or to any to create a new heart to themselves from the very same principles in number which they lost in Adam for its a contradiction that what is done should not be done and what is lost should not be lost Nor can the Lord command the glorified in Heaven in whom the habit of holinesse is perfected to be now in glory justified by works for as its a contradiction that such as once broke the Law can be said never to have broken the Law so is it
the second death Infants then dying Infants are no debtors to the compleat ransome of blood that Christ gave to deliver them from the wrath And when our Saviour blessed Infants and said Of such is the kingdom of heaven his sense must be that infants departing this life in infancie hold heaven by no Charter of Christ the heir of all are not washed from sin are not delivered from wrath to come nor obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ as it is in 1 Thessal 5. 9. 3. What debt is this who of Angels or men can pay the hire of free love to Christ ye were born beasts Tigers Lions Dogs and broods of Satan and the Serpents seed and Christ hath made you sons of God Kings and Priests to God heirs of life co-heirs with Christ partakers of the divine nature the first-born of God written in heaven 4. Never dream that your own strength or good parts of nature can fit and spiritually capacitate you for receiving influences for spiritual duties nature cannot more prepare it self for grace and a gracious state then a Thistle can change it self into a Vine-tree Christ is good at all indispositions of deadnesse of a natural state whom he quickens that man and he only shall live who can help a dead heart but he that is the resurrection and the life and he who raises the dead only can quicken such dead ones 5. It s a bold and proud Pen that would plead and advocate for such a hellish nature and except Satan and his sons Pelagians what do they but depose Christ from his office of the Physician of sinners and bid him go back to Heaven with his Medicaments of free grace There be here no sick folks free will is strong enough new habits of grace are useless the letter and moral acting of the word can raise dead souls shall we thus requite Christ for his free grace 6. Though there be no merit in diligent seeking and hearing the preached Gospel its good to lie near the fountain for all that as motion begets and augments vital heat and activity to move frequent seeking brings home influences so we are here in using means compare Cant. 3. 1 2 3. with v. 4. and Psal 22. 2. with Psal 18. 6. Gen. 32. 26 27 28. But of this hereafter CHAP. III. The second particular of fetching influences is by supernatural actings by the word and spirit 1. It s a question whether justified ones perform any moral actions without any influence of the habit of grace 1. Some heat and warmness may arise materially from actings in duties though customary formal dead 3. The exercises of spiritual actions are the best preparations for spiritual actions 4. Influences of grace oyl the wheels of the soul for more spiritual acting 5. Natural and literal actings though void of grace because they are some way under the institution of a divine command are nearer to saving actings of grace then the contraries of these actions are 6. A practise of free grace in the Lord is to be differenced from a promise of grace 7. How the Lord is under a necessity of giving influences THere be some actings even in renewed men partly from the Spirit partly from nature custome or formality The question is thus framed because it is a disputable question Whether justified ones doe any actions morally good from an only principle natural without any influence of the indwelling spirit at all since their sins after their being in Christ are not committed with the full bensil of the will for the Spirit in some measure retards and weakens the motion of the flesh Rom. 7. and the habit of sin original is weakned and remitted or slacked in its strength in the regenerate and therefore it would seem if the spirit do weaken retard and blunt the actions of the flesh that far more there is in all moral actions that are good morally some influence of the Spirit less or more So the Question is whether or no the children of God may safely set to work though their actions proceed from conscience natural power custome or a meer office with little influence of habitual grace to works of grace that they may fetch influences of grace 1. It s not unlike it may be so for the godly who went to the morning and evening prayers and sacrifices as is clear Psal 141. 2. Acts 3. 1. Luke 1. 8 9. might go about these duties sometime upon meer custome and the children of God who know their own backdrawing hearts shall not denie this and they may pray from a natural conscience and not so much as is required and otherwise they do mind the duty as an Ordinance of God and yet be inflamed with spiritual duties ere they end this is confirmed by family praying at set times so may a Pastor by necessity of his office preach and pray at the beginning with much deadness and coldness and more then an ordinary straitning of spirit and yet a fire flaught of a heavenly kindling falls upon the spirit before the work be ended Any who believes that the wind blows where it lists and that the influences of the spirit are various as touching their degrees may see the truth of this 2. The children of God appear dead cold and unbelievingly to complain in the beginning of praying and of a Psalm as is clear in David Psal 22. 2. exponing that of him as some verity it hath in some points of him v. 2. and in Ezekiah in his song Isa 39. 10. in Jonah 2. 1 2 3. and in the same David Psal 6. Psal 38. in the Church Psal 77. 1 2 3 4 5 6 c. in the afflicted soul Psal 102. 1 2 3 4. and yet there is confidence of believing triumphing rejoycing in God and praising ere the Prayer and Psalm be ended 3. The prayers of the children of God Psal 22. Ps 6. Ps 38. Psal 116. Habak 1. 12. of Heman Psal 88. of Ezekiah Isa 38. of Jonah c. 2. of Moses Psal c. of the Church Psal 102. Psal 89. hold forth to us admirable variety of up-lifting and down-casting of joy of believing of sinking and doubting of hoping and legal fretting strong ebbing and flowing of faith and fainting of light and darknesse as Psal 22. 2. O my God I cry by day and thou hearest not and in the night season I am not silent yet arising ver 3. But thou art holy O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel Ver. 4. Our father 's trusted in thee they trusted and thou didst deliver them c. And again some fainting is in that v. 6. But I am a worm and no man a reproach of men and despised of the people Ver. 7. All they that see me laugh me to scorn c. At least this might brangle the faith of a sinful man such as David And again there is a rising v. 9 10. But thou art he that took me out of the womb thou didst make
Summer so discretion and moral walking in the Commandments of God by which the man is not far from the Kingdom of Heaven and nearer to it is nearer to conversion then the godlesse and slagitious conversation of a dissolute wretch as he who is at a distance from a City by twenty miles only is nearer to the City then he who is distant a hundred miles from it though both be distant from it and the one formally is out of the City as well as the other this is a wily comparison I assert no preparatory dispositions to conversion as Papists and Arminians teach 2. The man yet unplowed and never broken by the Law standing in a whole condition not caring for nor either needing or valuing Jesus Christ is farther from showers of saving influences then the law-humbled law-broken sinner who though he be but half sick like the woman with child who is under raw and far-off showres of child-birth pain not yet by some weeks near her time needs not yet the help of the midwife yet looks a far off to child-birth pain 3. Out of all question the proud gallant that feareth neither God nor reverenceth man and hath laid Atheistically his count and fixed his thoughts concerning Heaven and Hell hath something more to doe before Christ rain salvation on him then he who prays hears gives almes whores not roars not blasphemes not for he hath fewer miles between him and Christ's influences 4. Therefore though the natural man cannot pray in faith and the renewed man under a sad and deep deadness can doe little or nothing yet literal and natural acting at praying is not only better then nothing but is by way of command in genere mandati divini more near to praying in faith and fervour then either blaspheming or no praying at all even as literal and natural heat is nearer to spiritual and supernatural heat then extreme coldnesse and as fire-heat is nearer to life-heat or vital warmness for it may and doth often cherish and nourish vital heat then Ice-coldnesse though as touching the nature and kind fire-heat and vital heat may well be thought to differ in spece and nature and all the fire-heat on Earth cannot restore vital heat to a dead man and all the sweet moral qualifications discretion natural zeal civil vertues in their summer greennesse cannot put a man in a spiritual capacity to receive divine and supernatural influences yea many carry such bewitching lusters to hell with them and never promove a whit farther then to the state of a civil convert a saint of Satan and die so and by accident civil saints are a huge way farther from Christ then robbers It s true some of our Divines have said natural preparations are hurtful destructive and noxious to conversion I wish they speak not so their meaning is as they are trusted in men are by assed by them praying in the streets giving of alms with sound of Trumpet so circumstantiated in regard of 1. The subject proud Pharisees 2. In regard of the end to be seen of men not to glorifie the Lord. 3. In regard of the manner as self-righteousness trusted in to the loathing of Christ are destructive to sincere praying in faith and humble feeling and to true and sincere acts of charity But we speak of the acts commanded as to their substance God highly is provoked at disobedience when men will not put their finger to a duty and no doubt hypocrisie in the manner of doing duties deadens the heart and makes the soul unfit to receive influences But this hinders not but the unrenewed man and the deadned convert are to blow the fire and to go about duties and to fetch the wind in their kind and to cast aboard and turne about that they may sayl and fetch the harbour Yea and if there be not fire in the ship without doubt the striking of steel and flint may make fire If a dead child of God cannot pray cannot preach cannot believe he is to say and take with him words Lord I cannot pray I cannot preach I cannot believe Nor in all these is any thing said against these two 1. The rebukings of such as are in a dead state 2. The promises of more grace to such as use well what they have of both these in the following Chapter And all these some way ripen us for gracious influences CHAP. IIII. It 's required of the dead that they live and that we must not cease from running when the Lord ceases from drawing 2. Commands put on obligations to duties to such as are indisposed and unable 3. We are to pray under deadness 4. Deadness renders not men lawless 5. The wicked shift of such as pray not for the present because they are indisposed but promise they shall pray praise c. when a spiritual disposition comes on IF the meaning of some be by requiring a moral command to fit us for duties that such a command is enough because it 's a Gospel-command Then is it false that a moral command as such can fit or ripen us for duties For Eph. 5. 14. Wherefore he saith Awake thou that sleepest and itâ—s more then sleeping there being life in a sleeping man and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light Here is both precept and promise given to the dead who of themselves cannot live Yet it 's morally required that they live and John 5. 25. The dead in the graves are to hear the voice of the Son of man And the Lord binds the command on these that were as the men of Sodom Isa 1. 5. A sâ—nful nation a people laden with iniquity the seed of evil doers children that are corrupters v. 10. Wash you v. 16. Make you clean put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes Isa 42. 18. Hear ye deaf and look ye blind that ye may see So the Apostle Peter chargeth Simon Magus Acts 8. 22. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness and pray God if perhaps the thoughts of thy heart may be forgiven thee And Jeremiah speaking to a hardened Prince speaks as to the earth that hath no eares Jer. 22. 29. O earth earth earth hear the Word of the Lord. And it 's a vain thing to think that these are to be confounded the obligation to obey and the impotencie and indisposition to obey For mans wicked weaknesse cannot remove the obligation which the Lord in his holy Law layes on us For wasting that brings on inability to pay makes neither the debt to be unjust nor does it loose the creditor from his right to crave and pursue the broken man except we say that poverty may pay all the debts in the world 2. The Lord layes on rebukes where he knowes Cain cannot answer Gen. 4. 6. Why art thou wroth if thou doest well shalt thou not be accepted So the Lord speaks to Pharaoh Exod. 9. 17. As yet exaltest thou thy self against my people that
For the Spirit helps our infirmities And then praying is a mass of influences for faith for holy desires for sense of want yea and no man gets the spirit but the praying son Luke 11. 11. Only this shall bide a question How shall they pray for the Spirit that want the Spirit Answ Yea Magus though in the gall of bitternesse is commanded to pray Acts 8. 21. The Law commanded praying to God incarnate when he is revealed to be incarnate As the first command charges all to know the Lord practically in all the wayes of Law and Gospel by which he shal reveal himself and the Lord hath not abated a whit and come down from his holy rigorousnesse as if the Lord would make amends and give us as some Pelagians say a lower and milder Law which forbids not venials Et peccata quotidianae incursionis praecise sub periculo aeternae condemnationis Yea but there is not any Law nor Gospel which forbids not sin under the same penalty that the Law forbids and the Gospel forbids not adultery and murder in David but he is free from eternal punishment if he be humbled for these sins as he must be humbled for lesser and venial sins Psal 19. 12. Psal 51. 5. Psal 130. 3 4. God may strait all men to pay the very stock which he gave them in Adam 2. Are not men inexcusable when they will not await the wind and lie at the tide and use meanes but refuse to command body and legs to present themselves to the sea-side and the ship The body and legs have no influence on the winds so they declare that they hate the covenant and bargain of grace as well as the Law who refuse to stir in his ways 3. The first giving of the spirit is like the growing of lillies and flowers wilde on the mountaines plough or spade can do nothing to cause them so to grow in the garden and the infield Pelagians must not get their will their common universal grace is not the spirit of Adoption and those who say men can pray who never received the spirit of Adoption happily they may complement with the Lord in word but They deny prevening grace and in effect say that nature prevenes grace and men prevene God and not grace prevenes nature For if there be such a thing as prevening nature this were to say the child is born before the mother and the apple growes before the tree and the bloom is before the herb Nay to pray for the spirit and not to pray in the spirit shall never be my Divinity that were to buy Rubies and Jasper-stones with clay and common flints and rocks nay nature cannot trade without grace And while the Lord creates the rose-tree the rose-tree cannot seed nor bring forth rose-trees Oh but it concernes us much Ministers and Professors to have the spirit and to have more of it Too many Ministers in the Land cast never fire on the people they never warm hearts but by hewing and striking and hammering upon the Letter the fire of the Lord falls not down upon the sacrifice Ah our fleece is dry and we are like the Land not rained upon And let men speak Can ye live without the Spirit and his influences more then ye can live without God and without Christ in the world And who cries Lord can my dry bones live misse ye the anointing The complaining of the suspending of influences of the ebbing of the free manifestations flowings and out-lettings of free grace speaks a spiritual disposition For 1. The Church complains to God of it Isa 63. 17. 2. Yielding to a temptation is a pain to the Saints Psal 73. 21 22. 3. The Saints pray for influences of grace for teaching leading quickening inclining of the heart to the way of God uniting of the heart to fear the name of God then must the withdrawing of these be evil 4. When we pray against temptations to sin and not to be led into temptation 5. When we pray for the spirit of grace to be poured on us from on high we pray not for the giving of the bare habit for that could not hinder David Lot Peter Asa Iehoshaphat Aaron Hezekiah and others of the Saints to fall into sad and hainous transgressions but we suit also from the Lord the sanctified use and exercise of grace and so must suit influences 6. When we pray that God would not take his spirit from us Psal 51. 12. nor forsake us nor take the word of truth utterly out of our mouth Psal 119. 43. we then also pray that he would not withdraw gracious influences 7. A gracious finding how sweet safe and comfortable it is to be acted led moved guided by the sweet influences of the spirit cannot but be grieved at the departure of such a guide and counsellour 8. It 's lawful to seek sense of Gods loving countenance in joy in the Holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. 1 Pet. 1. 7 8. in delighting in God and in duties relating to him and our brethren and in the consolations of the Holy Ghost and in the spirits work of sanctifying us then we may and are to be grieved at the withdrawings of God that we see not his power and glory in the Sanctuary as we have sometimes done Psal 63. 5. The spirit that is of God goes along with the word if we 1. consider the spirits relation to the word My spirit and my words Isa 59. 21. For the Gospel is the chief chair and seat of the spirit Rom. 1. 16. Isa 53. 1. The word is as it were the work-house and shop and the spirit the worker the word the ship or chariot and the spirit drives and stirs the promises The spirit honours so the word the spirit moves and acts when the word moves and acts the spirit utters not a groan but according to the will of God in the word Rom. 8. 26 27. Acts 10. 44. While Peter yet spake these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Holy Ghost fell upon those that heard the word When the ship or the chariot moves the Pilot or Steers-man and the Coach-man are moved with them The poor Minister often drives an empty coach and carries but sounds and letters but when the spirit strikes in with the word and is steers-man in the ship the vessel is afloat and sayls gallantly before the wind 2. The word preached is the breathing of the spirit and the spirit speaks and breaths through the word and it is the word of the spirit the holy Ghost prophesied well of you c. 3. The spirit is referred to the word as the soul to the body the body is but a lump of dead clay if the soul be removed and the word is so many sounds syllables and letters if the spirit act not this is a similitude and would be well exponed There is a two-fold power one subjective and material which comes from the Author the holy Ghost
puts in his hand by the hole of the door if this follow my bowels were moved for him And it 's a spiritual condition when the soul fails and the spouse falls a swoon at these words Open to me my sister my love c. Cant. 5. 2 6. And these lesser feelings would be turned into consent and into fixed resolutions as the spouse I opened to my welbeloved I sought him but I found him not I called him but he answered me not And that came from the feeling of his hand put in by the hole of the door ver 4. compared with ver 6. For that word Quench not the spirit 1 Thes 5. 19. includes an affirmative that is cherish kindly and yield sweetly unto the flowings and sweet influences of the spirit 8. A watching condition is a spiritual condition The Spirit of God is much seen in keeping the soul watching Ephes 6. 18. Praying with all prayer and supplication in the spirit is joyned with watching For it 's added and watching thereunto with all perseverance and Jude conjoynes praying in the Holy Ghost with ver 21. looking for or watching after the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life The spirit is willing Matth. 26. 4. forward watchful so is the â—enewed part but the flesh is weak sleepy and lazy And as much as the man hath of the spirit so much holy watchfulnesse hath he and Matth. 25. 26. the evil servant that digged his Masters talent in the earth is called wicked and slothful 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sleepy in opposition to the watching and painful servant who ver 20. gained five talents to five talents Drowziness counter-works the knocking 's and gracious influences of the Spirit of Christ's calling Cant. 5. and answers Christ's piercing words Open to me my sister my love c. with a carnal excuse from drowzinesse it 's not time of night for Christ to seek lodging I have put off my coat how shall I put it on I have washed my feet how shall I defile them Cant. 5. 3. The flesh is a sleeping thing and a dead were we more diligent and painful we might be richer lesser motions closed with become the seed of larger motions The moving of the bowels at Christ's spiritual stirrings that he makes upon the heart grows to this I rose to open to my welbeloved Watching guards against sleeping and watchfulnesse puts the soul upon a resolution to watch sleeping guards no more against watching then then the privation fences off the habit or doth set a man to work against life We sit not watchfully upon the motions of the spirit to warm them and to draw life out of them as the Hen by careful sitting upon dead Eggs bringeth forth living birds Who would think a tree and a huge tree can come from a sorry plant or sixty or an hundred grains of wheat in harvest to be in one single grain cast in the earth in sowing time Can the flesh wait for the Lord is not hope an act of life Yea it 's lively hope opposite to a dead and rotten hope and waking is nearer to life and influences of life then sleeping which is the death of the man as touching the exercise of the sensitive life Then since the spirit is a spirit of life and a quickning and living spirit Rom. 8. 1 Cor. 15. the more watchfulnesse in any the more of the spirit For when the spirit enters in the dry bones they become an army of living men whereas before they were farther from life and spirit then sleeping bones Let us not sleep as do others but let us watch and be sober For they that sleep sleep in the night 2 Thes 5. 6 7. The night is far spent let us walk honestly as in the day not in rioting and drunkennesse not in chambering and wantonnesse nor in strife and in envying Rom. 13. 13. This is like the putting on of the Lord Jesus which is a work of the spirit for sleeping men put not on their garments Ministers especially are to watch yea to watch in all things then in sleeping they must watch 2 Tim. 4. 5. And hardly can fighting and enduring hardnesse as a good souldier of Jesus Christ commended to the Minister 1 Tim. 6. 12. 2 Tim. 2. 3. consist with sleeping if we know how near Satan the roaring Lion who sleeps not is to our quarters and camp 1 Pet. 5. 8. Who can sleep and be secure and resist Satan or stand against him stedfast and fixed in the faith ver 9. Christ is much upon this by Matthew Marke and Luke Watch Watch and pray and lest it slip them again I say to you Watch Matth. 26. 38 40 45. Matth. 24. 42. Matth. 25. 13. Mark 13. 23. Mark 14. 38. Luke 17. 26 27 c. Luke 21. 8 38. cap. 2. 2 46. How can sleeping men receive influences of grace doth the Lord cast influences upon sleeping mens bosomes So are we to act as our acting way be fathered on the spirit as the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon upon Sampson and they fight and the Spirit of the Lord upon Zechariah the son of Jehojadah and he prophecied 2 Chro. 24. 20. Luke 1. 64. the father of John Baptist was filled with the Holy Ghost and prophecied Simeon came by the spirit into the Temple This acting in the spirit is opposed to acting in the flesh and in the spirit of Satan as Bullinger of one brother who slew his brother and pretended the spirit and Pareus tels us the like As the Lord the Father and Son never spake to Abraham Moses to Patriarks or Prophets but he made them know it was the Lord so neither does the spirit act in any though the way seem violent as in Phineas and Samuel their executing of justice but the Spirit makes it known that it is the Spirit and that he is not in the mighty wind nor in the fire but in the calm voice So Samuel leisurely and advisedly convinceth Agag ere he kill him and gives a reason to his conscience from divine justice 1 Sam. 35. 32 33. though Samuel then had laid down the sword It 's an useful word Jude 20. Praying in the Holy Ghost and Ephes 6. 18. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit What is there a praying in the flesh yea if preaching may be from a principle of the flesh out of envy and strife Phil. 1. 15. so may praying be from some rotten principle of fleshly presumption Lord Lord open to us Which us to us workers of iniquity Matth. 25. 11. Luke 13. 25 26. And 2. some prayer flows from fleshly despair and not from the spirit Rev. 6. 16. Mountains and rocks fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne And 3. The enemies of David cry to the Lord out of fleshly fear and unbelief not in the spirit Psal 18. 41. There is a praying out of deadness and from the flesh
planted in Christ and committed to his husbandry 2. We could not in the other first providence which was before sin entred into the world have claimed to influences of glory from the fulness of the anointing that is in Christ for Christ then was not the publick good and communicable treasure of his redeemed he was not our God nor our Emmanuel nor our Goel or Kinsman-redeemer but a reserved and estranged God to be made our God by our own earning and law-merit 3. The Lord Jesus was infinite God and the fountain as large as now but he was not our own fountain nor the influences and waterings due to in our witherings as now 4. Christ is made the new great Lord Factor and publick Agent for his Church to rule all for their good and salvation and heaven and earth and the world and life and death and things present and things to come are put over in Christs hands the morrow the next years deliverance the believers outgoing in death are all made over to Christ and then in Christ all things are ours 1 Cor. 3. 21. and the watering of my witheredness and the quickning of my deadness hic nunc in this same moment of time is first Christs and I got it seasonably from him in a better time and way then according to my time and way Object Many things fall out which may be well otherwise Answ Not so one godly husbandman prayers for rain to his ground another godly husbandman prayes for drought as more useful for his field for he hath rain enough Now is it not good that there is a wise providence in Christ which fits both their prayers and does the business well A number of believers are to fail to such a land they pray for a North-east-wind another number of believers are to sail to another land they suit from the Lord a South-west-wind is it not best that Christ in his new spiritual providence take a course to hear both their prayers to deny both the winds they suit and to bring both in his own way to their desired harbours Object 2. It were better God should hear the prayers of his people in their straits Answ The Lord neither casteth off his foreknown people nor their prayers though visible Israel externally called be rejected 2. God heares wicked mens prayers and grants them not in a way of promise but in his wrath 1 Sam. 8. 22. 1 Sam. 12. 13. Hos 13. 11. Psal 78. 20 24 27 28 29 30. 3. God heares the prayers of his people in way of promise which is better then simple hearing See the judicious Treatise of the servant of God Mr. Gee Obj 3. Many wicked men are green and flourishing that they may swallow Jacob. Answ Nor is it evil that the Lords fire in Sion be hot and fierce that he may remove the dross though the coals that melt the gold be digged out of hell and their flaming against his people sinful and cruel it is not only in relation to him who is above his laws binding Angels and men not evil but equally done in wisedome and righteousness for as much may be said by carnal reason in the Lords efficacious permission of sin which he may hinder in the reprobate as well as some way he hindered it in the elect Angels and in chosen heirs of glory 1. Against the wisedome 2. goodness 3. soveraignty 4. righteousness 5. and love of God as Jesuits Arminians Socinians and others say against the holiness of God No earthly Father but he should fail both against natural love goodness and wisedome should he permit if he could hinder his children to commit sins which shall procure their eternal misery and woe Let all flesh be silent here is holy dominion 8. Divis Some influences of Christ are fundamental and simply necessarâ— and principally promised some not fundamental and less necessary As 1. The influences by which the Lord gives a circumcised Deut. 30. 6. an one and single Ezek. 11. 19 20. a soft and a new heart and spirit Ezek. 36. 26. Zech. 12. 10. Isa 54. 13. John 6. 45. Isa 44. 1 2 3. These are simply necessary 2. These inâ—uences are also fundamental in which the Lord promiseth and doth put in act the habit of grace for the persevering of believers Ezek. 36. 27. Isa 54. 10. Isa 59. 21. Psal 1. 3 4. Psal 89. 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35. John 10. 27 28 29. John 15. 1 2. If Christ plant his planting layes on him some necessity so far to give watering-influences as not to suffer his planted trees to dry up by the roots and to wither root and branch and Christ so builds on a rock his people and believers never to be prevailed against by the ports of hell as he must watch the city that it be not surprised nor the living stones hammered to nothing and removed off the rock and the foundation Christ Christ so buyes with a price his own that he carries them on to the purchased glory and bringeth them actually to the fruition of life eternal for Christ is an established high Priest to intercede for his own and the intercession of Christ is nothing but a continual showring down upon the redeemed ones new vigorous influences as the head so long as it lives night and day sleeping and waking sends down influences of life to the members ever-living and ever-interceding Christ is the fountain running along through the roots of the Lords planting so that they are ever green ever blooming and budding and in old age bring forth fruit John 14. 19. Isa 27. 3. Christ interceding is that live fire on the Altar Isa 6. ever sending forth live flamings and heat of life through his live coals to all his John 14. 19. Because I live ye shall live also Now there is no interruption of Christs living by sickness sleeping or death and so he lives alwayes Just as the Sun-beams and rayes of light and heat are kept in their being by the presence of the body of the Sun casting out these influences and the darting out of heat and warmness and light and the flamings are kept in being by the presence of the fire which by new fuel is continued still in the act of flaming so are the Saints kept still in a spiritual living being by Christ issuing out his influences upon them So sweet is the union of dependency daily and momently upon Christ that blessed root of Jesse Ah if we knew what it were to live in Christ to breath in Christ pray in him love in him rejoyce in him suffer and triumph in him praise in him wait in him for the Lord but our actings separated from Christ and his influences of life not known to be such through our unwatchfulness are dreadful Now there be some single influences hic nunc that the Saints may want and be saved as the influence necessary for Peters confessing of Christ when he denied him
a deluding conclusion we have eaten and drunken where Christ was present and his Saints present therefore the Lord should open to us and Christ hath preached and his faithful Prophets in our hearing in our streets therefore should we be admitted into the Bridegroomes chamber Luke 13. 25. What can then be builded on this I was at the Lords Supper where undoubtedly Christ was in his influences of life I did swear a covenant to God I preached the Gospel I heard ordinarily such a Preacher in whom undeniably the Spirit of God spoke and was intimately acquainted with him and loved him dearly and shall that man be saved and I thrust in hell The great errour is men try not their wayes principles motives and ends Now as touching influences of grace it is not as when the same hand smites upon the string of the harp well tuned and on another string of the harp that is mistuned it 's the same word that sounds in the ears of these in the visible Church but not the same spirit of grace in the same saving influences that act upon the heart yea the spirit leaves the heart of some to its own deadness and acts upon others to bring them to wonder to be amazed and astonished and leaves them there and acts upon a third sort to leave a strong conviction and a work of humiliation upon them but it does no good it 's nothing above a law-work mixt with some letter of the Gospel and the Spirit works in some a lively sound work of saving grace and the same word is the common instrument in all So our Saviours enumeration of four sorts of hearers takes in all Matth. 13. How many wonder and despise and persecute Luke 4. Mark 7. Mark 9. Matth. 12. John 11. Acts 3. Acts 4 c. 2. Influences of the spirit saving and lively are called by the names of the Fathers drawing of the Bridegroomes drawing John 6. 44. Cant. 1. 4. the Spirits leading Rom. 8. 14. the Lords teaching Isa 54. 13. John 6. 45. the blowing and breathing of the wind upon the garden Cant. 4. 16. the Lords quickening in his way Psal 119. 37. the Lords circumcising of the heart Deu. 30. 6. the Lords opening of the heart Acts 16. 14. the Lords instructing and speaking to men with a strong hand Isa 8. 11. the Lords power in believers not inferior to that by which he raised his Son from the dead and quickens the dead that are in the graves Eph. 1. 18 19 20. Joh. 5. 25. But no such showres of influences go along with a meer gift which is eminent in many exercised to the ful to the good of the Church yet such builders of the ark for saving of others perish themselves in the waters 3. If we consider the Lords intention this is clear Did ever the Lord decree or promise to bring any to heaven by the gift of prophecie of wisedome of learning and arts whether the men believe or not or does the husbandman so labour the ground for the growing of the bramble as for the growing and flourishing of the vine-tree or for the thistle and the briar as for the wheat What can Christ make out of a preaching Judas never given to him of the Father nothing he never believing but to send him to his place Assert 6. In one and the same spiritual acting of praying and believing the spirit and the flesh may concurre not as formal principles for the flesh and corrupt nature is no formal principle of praying in the spirit and of believing the holy Ghost useth no such tooles but the flesh concurres by way of retarding and weakening of the acts of praying for it is of the flesh onely that our praying is not with that deepness of humble sense of want with that strong desire with that fervour of believing that becomes So corruption concurs in the worke as the broken thigh or legge in the halting horse as halfe a tooth in eating not as a formal principle of motion Hence the influences of grace must be accommodate to our gracious actings that are mixt he is a meek Spirit who is willing to sigh in a Saint beside the body of sin which casts in something of our sinfull corruption to retard the work 2. In the same prayer the spirit and the flesh speak at once or by turnes Jer. 15. 15. prayes in the spirit O Lord thou knowest me remember me and visit me and revenge me of my persecuters take me not away in thy long-suffering know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke 16. Thy words weâ—e found and I did eat them and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoycing of my heart But in the same prayer the spirit in his suspended influences as it were resting lies by and the flesh mixes in it self v. 18. Why is my pain perpetual and my wound incurable which refuseth to be healed wilt thou be altogether to me as a lyar and as waters that fail Calvin saith we must distinguish betwixt the doctrine yea I adde the prayer that is from the spirit and the sinful complaint in the prayer from the flesh So Job complains spiritually 10. he acknowledgeth and adoreth the power of God which poured him out as milk and crudled him like cheese cloathed him with skin and flesh and fenced him with bones and sinews and gave him life and favour v. 9 10 11 12. Yet the flesh almost casts all down and makes him to lose his thanks v. 18. Wherefore hast thou saith he brought me forth out of the womb O that I had given up the ghost and no eye had seen me Compare Jobs sad complaint with his triumphing faith in looking through so many hundred years to his living Redeemer and Kinsman who shall stand the last man upon the earth v. 25 26. Then are we taught to difference betwixt influences from our sinful flesh and his holy Spirit and to beware of mixing our clay with the Lords pure fountain actings of his Spirit and not to adulterate and vitiate his wine with our rotten water It looked like the zeal of God in the disciples to desire to call for fire from heaven to burn the Samaritans old and young it was a cruel end merciless thing to refuse Christ and his disciples lodging O but saith Christ rebuking them Luke 9. 55. Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of Pray that God would rebuke the flesh while ye pray and try your own spirit and take heed to it 2. Rest not on a gift nor upon the literal stirring and bastard heat that comes from a gift or upon literal tears that often flow from a weakened fancy in prayer Esau both runs and was hot in his hunting for the blessing and sought the blessing with teares but there were here no influences of the spirit of grace Esau Heb. 12. was a prophane man Assert 7. It may be a child of God may be deluded in a particular thinking
been strong influences of grace when they refused deliverance and believed a better resurrection Heb. 11. 35. 2. When there is a strong habit of love and of soul-love to Christ there are strong and painful acts of diligent seeking as Cant. 3. There be three acts of seeking and not finding 1. In the bed 2. About the streets and the broad way 3. At the watchmen and yet no giving over until she find him whom her soul loves Cant. 3. 1 2 3 4. The habit of love even going on to love-sicknesse produces strong praying fervent adjuring of the daughters of Jerusalem to tel Christ that she is sick of love for him and a most pathetick song of praising of Christ in all his excellencies Cant. 5. 10. My beloved is white and ruddy and the chief among ten thousand v. 11. His head is as the most gold his locks are bushy and black as a raven 12. His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of water c. And there must be strong love within when such high expressions came out Psal 42. 1. As the Hart panteth after the water-brooks so panteth my soul after thee O God v. 2. My soul thirsteth for God for the living God Psal 84. 2. My soul longeth yea even fainteth for the courts of the Lord my heart and my flesh cryeth shouteth aloud out for the living God Now answerable to these must be the actual breathings of God strong impressions even until the soul be like the thirsty ground like the chased hart dying swooning and fainting and in a fever of love-sickness for Christ all which argue there must be valid and mighty influences upon the soul Ah little of the love of Christ is a feast that soon fills and satisfies us Dry faint and dead acts of praying and seeking speak weak influences and coldness of indifferency whether we have Christ or want him CHAP. III. A supernatural habit is a seed of influences 2. We are to improve the habit of grace 3. The habit of grace in order to the three persons brings a necessitie of gracious influences 4. The Lord is under divers necessities to confer influences 5. Christ intercedes for the non-converted 6. Christs Office 7. The Spirits office put both under a necessity of conferring of influences 8. Divers uses result from the necessity that the Lord hath brought himself under to confer influences 9. How the habit of grace is acted upon how it ceaseth not AS to natural powers the God of nature hath prepared influences to seeds and plants apt to grow There are prepared of God also influences for their actual growing So to the Sun fire clouds he hath in readinesse such influences though he freely let them out so to supernatural powers and habits he must let out and prepare supernatural influences The habit of grace is a sort of new nature a heavenly power a kind of seed of spiritual actings and a weight that inclines the soul to acting and by a sort of a pleasantly refreshing disposition swayes and drawes habitually the man to supernatural acting In nature suitable influences are due to the powers as the habit of musick inclines the man to singing and a natural instinct draws the bird to build its nest and the Lord hath ordained suitable influences for this instinct so this habit of grace as a weight inclines the soul to act not by any necessity of exercise but by necessity of specification it inclines not by determining to the act but only habitually Therefore influences suitable to this habit must be some way due as in nature so also in grace A habit of grace in the renewed man does not determine him continually to pray believe praise God while the habit is in him Hence 1. Because corruption is in David though as a broken and subdued habit he sins in numbring the people he is violently carried to be avenged on Nabal he commits adultery and murther which doe weaken the habit of grace 2. If the habit of grace be strong and much of the fulness of God in Steven in John Baptist in Paul they act in the way of God accordingly 3. If the habit of grace be qualified with a super-added disposition heavenly and spiritual there are boylings and stirrings in the heart as in Paul to pray Acts 20. after the spirit in him hath been graciously and heavenly exhorting the Church of Ephesus he kneels down and prayes and Acts 17. 16. while he is waiting for Silas and Timothy there is upon his mind a burning fever when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry And there will be some sweet akings and gnawings of the heart pressing the man to pray praise and sing Psal 57. 7. My heart is fixed O God my heart is fixed I will sing and give praise 2. What are we to doe in such a case then Answ We are to pursue these warmings and flamings of the habits of grace with new spiritual actings and exercises of grace as David verse 8. Awake up my glory awake Psaltery and Harp I my self will awake early And therefore know 2. That a kindled habit of grace qualified with an heavenly disposition of grace is a fire near the flaming and the call of God to you to pray hic nunc Besides the command of God for praying continually smite the iron while it is hot throw the rod while it is green sail while the Lords wind and tide doth call stir up and blow upon the grace of God in you happily we blow upon the gift of praying when we should stir up the grace of praying Yea 3. Suppose the habit of grace were not kindled or in any near disposition to flame but there were deadness on the soul and the habit of grace lying deadned and covered with ashes yet is there warrant to blow aside the ashes to stir the fire and to smite upon the flint seven times until it cast fire David Psal 42. and Psal 43. three times Ps 42. 11. and Ps 43. 5. chides his casten down and unbelieving soul and wakens up and puts upon the habit of faith and Psal 103. and Psal 104. four times he wakens up his soul to bless the Lord and all that is within him to praise the Lord Psal 1â—6 7. he charges his soul to return to its rest It is dreadful to smother and bear down these births of God and to blast and wither such buddings of the Spirit and also to yield to carnal deadness and to lie down under it but let us await at the pool and when the Angel comes down and troubles the water step in and be healed As the Martyr condemned to die was under great deadness of spirit when he was in the prison and going to the place of execution yet coming to the place a gale of the wind of the Spirit blew fair and he cryed out to his Christian friends to whom he made known his former deadness now he is come he is come
sometimes cold and sometimes hot lively or dead as the Lord is pleased to visit Q. May we not then say that dispositions are the affections heavenly disposed Answ Not so neither the affections are not the compleat and adequate subject of heavenly dispositions because there is often a heavenly disposition in the mind to know spiritual truths so Elihu Job 34. 32. That which I see not teach thou me An heavenly propension in the mind to be taught of God Psal 119. 18 26. There is a heavenly disposition of the spiritual mind to believe the Scriptures and in place of that there is a slowness to believe divine truths rebuked by our Saviour Luke 24. 25. 3. There is a spiritual disposition in the conscience of the Centurion Luke 23. 47. in Thomas John 20. 27. in Peter 5. 8. The contrary whereof was in the Pharisees and Rulers wrestling against the manifest light of God Matth. 12. 22 23 24. Matth. 21. 33 34. 45 46. Matth. 28. 11 12 13. John 9. 13 14 15 16 17 18 19. 34 35. John 42. 47 48. Acts 4. 13 14 15. Acts 13. 44 45. As also there is a heavenly disposition in the memory to retain the word Psal 119. 11. forbidden Heb. 2. 1. And gracious dispositions goe through the whole soul in order to all gracious actings in mind conscience will memory affections of love faith hope desire fear anger and order to all the spiritual duties that can be performed by men as sinful dispositions may be in all the powers of the soul if so the heart being so ticklesome a piece so ill to be guided it is of great concernment to see with what dispositions the heart is seasoned and who they be that lodge here as heat and cold come in the water by turnes as the summer is hot and the winter cold so the soule even of the child of God hath ebbings and flowings of dead and lively dispositions as the frequent triumphing and rejoycing and the ordinary and much repeated complaints of the Saints doe abundantly evidence Psal 22. Psal 31. Psal 77. Psal 89. Lam. 3. Jer. 20. There is a sinful disposition 2. The children of God may act spiritually under sinful dispositions 3. What acts they then put forth 4. The obedience performed under greatest indispositions upon the sole motive of the word is the most spiritual obedience 5. Sometimes the lesse sense the more spiritual is the obedience That there be sinful and gracious dispositions in men can hardly be denied 1. In all men by nature there is the habit of natural and original sin Hence an indisposition and a reluctancy to believe in Christ to love desire fear God 2. There is an acquired wicked disposition in Doeg he loves to lye a disposition satanical and and hellish in Saul when the evil spirit troubles him he is disposed to kill David But the special ill disposition here is the dead untowardness of the children of God to pray or praise or confess Christ c. Hence these considerations of this indisposition 1. That it may befal the children of God 2. That they may act under this indisposition 3. What acts they may and ought to performe under it As to the first it needs not much probation 1. A doubting disposition comes on the disciples Matth. 8. when the ship is a drowning and they in hazard of sinking Christ reproves not the act not so much as the root and disposition v. 26. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 why are ye fearful He sayes not why fear ye and he rebukes both in Peter Matth. 14. 31. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for what end shouldst thou doubt and both are clearly reproved when they were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 affrighted 37 38. why are ye troubled jumbled or put out of order or why doe dialogues or bounded or racketted thoughts ascend in your hearts 2. Job David and Jeremiah sadly complaining and challenging God as an enemy as fiery and a God burning with hoâ— displeasure and as lying waters and that sayes that hardly could they but be under a disposition and fretting impatience 3. Elâ—sha is so jumbled that the soul is made like muddy water with indignation at Jehoram that he is in no spiritual disposition or capacity to see the visions of God 2 Kings 13. 14 15. and Jonah is distempered at tender mercy in the Lord towards great Ninive and old and young in it a straw the withering of a gourd the renewed soul may be hammered and knocked to pieces like a broken crystal glass while the Lord be pleased to soldar the broken pieces of the soul together again As to the second under such dispositions there may be some stirring of the habit of grace and of the new creation the soul either under swooning or sleeping is still acting as the soul one way or other it 's not to be supposed that the life of God in a believer can more intermit all sort of lively and vital actings then the soul can live of breathing or to communicate vital heat to the body the unbroken and intense habit of sin in the unrenewed is the mother-indisposition that hinders influences of grace as cast sparkles of fire on cold iron it makes no flaming because of the density and coldness of the object the Lord does not bestow every the same Sun-influences on the thistle or nettle and on the vintry nor is it supposed that God more bestowes actual influence of saving grace upon a man dead in sinne until there be a new heart and the life of God first infused in him then the Lord bestowes moral or rational influences on a horse or a mule that hath no understanding Now cast sparkles of fire upon flax or tow though the sparkles be small and there is presently flaming if the Lord but blow upon the smallest measure of the spiritual life of God though under many ashes and a huge deal of indisposition and there is some work flaming which will beger more fire There is much deadnesse and dulnesse of life in the affections to act in duties when there is life and some quickness of spiritual light the life and warmness retiring in to the heart the fountain of life when there is palenesse and coldnesse in the external members and as fire within creates fire in the nearest dry fewel there is an act of renewed light consenting Rom. 7. to the good to be done and yet deadnesse in the affections to perform and lively light in the half sleeping Spouse discerning the knock voice and words of the beloved and assenting that it were just to open to Christ and give him lodging in his own house and yet a prevailing drowsâ—esse in the affections refusing to let him in As to the Third under indispositions there may be divers lively actings As 1. Terrors and distractions and all the waves of Gods displeasure Heman Psal 88. 1. O Lord God of my salvation I cry day and night before thee v.
to praise to submit to God to adore to walk humbly to walk circumspectly and tenderly and such like but most of them may be reduced to these NOw to speak of the burning of the heart the place Luke 24. 32. is clear The two disciples having parted with Christ now risen from the dead and not knowing him to be Christ 32. they say one to another Did not our hearts burn within us when he spake to us in the way and opened to us the Scriptures In which words the nature of heavenly heart-burning in the causes and properties thereof is laid open and the differences between the heat natural from natural influences from the lively heat spiritual In the words these particulars are to be observed 1. When the heat is gone and past 1. they perceive it they said one to another when he is gone our heart did burn in the past or preterite time 2. They accuse their own stupidity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 did not our heart burn were we sleeping when he burnt us 3. The Author speaking Christ while he spake to us in the way 4. The fewel that made the fire and the burning coals the Scripture opened by Christ 5. The object of the burning or the subject recipient our heart was burning as an oven or a furnace They said one to another The coal of fire which Christ cast into the heart and is now smoaking among the fire-wood and on the heart leaves two things behind it 1. Telling of their experiences one to another 2. The feeling and perceiving of the heavenly heart-burning better when it 's gone then when it was on Then the heart-working of Christ will leave histories behind it as what is much of Solomons Song but a Narration of the daughters and virgins one to another of Christs actings upon the soul or a chronicle of Christs love and the Spouses sin as 1. Of Christs dispensation in withdrawing Cant. 3. I sought him but I found him not Cant. 5. 6. I opened to my beloved and my beloved had withdrawn himself 2. She tells his saving actings upon the soule be like to the virgins Cant. 1. 4. The King hath brought me unto his chambers Cant. 2. 4. He brought me into his banquetting-house and love was his banner over me 3. She tells over songs of Christs loveliness and excellency Cant. 5. 10 11 12. of the savouriness of his name of the memory of his love Cant. 1. 3 4. of the seat and room that Christ hath in her heart and betwixt her breasts Cant. 1. 13. all the night 4. She tells of her carnal drowsiness of her sinful refusing to open and let in Christ to the heart So does Jeremiah tell a sad experience of his own he had quit the prophecying trade and would speak no more in the name of the Lord and he was burnt with a fire in his breast he could not get the word housed in his heart but it did come abroad This shall be the first difference betwixt spiritual heart-burnings and the influences that the Spirit leaves and the natural heat The literal burning leaves no work upon the heart nor any impression of heavenly experiences Jehu his heat against Achab and Baal left no impression of God on him to hate the golden calves or the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat who made Israel to sin He did cleave to that way 2 Kings 10. 28 30. Let fiery professors shew any influence of a gratious work in the heart the flaming of thorns under a pot and the flashes of heat from burning straw leave no fire but ashes and much cold behind them in the cold winter frost and the generality of dead professors can say nothing to one another but I have long heard the Gospel and yet am without God and without Christ 2. I am convinced of the excellence of Christ and there yet is no fire or coal of heart-love to Christ in me and it were good such a missing there were 2. Did not our hearts burn This is convinced to be a disposition spiritual rather then a habit it s a burning of heart while Christ speakes that had a cooling before though they were believing Disciples But here observe they feel not so the burning of heart in the mean time as afterward when v. 31. Christ was vanished out of their sight and gone now they take special notice in a feeling way of the warmness of heart they felt while he opened the Scriptures to them The Lord preaches in a ladder reaching from earth to heaven Jacob sleeps and can give no judgement in the mean time but Gen. 28. 16. when the sweet vision and preaching is eâ—ded Jacob awaked out of his sleep and he said Surely the Lord was in this place and I knew not A strong impression of the presence and glory of God sometimes comes on after the Lord is away David desires and thirsts Psalm 63. 2. saith he in the wilderness of Judah that I may see thy power and thy glory as I have seen thee The enjoying of Zion and Zions songs while the people is at home in their own land hath not such influence on their spirit as when the Sancturies glory is removed then Psalm 137. 1. By the rivers of Babel there we sate down yea we wept when we remembred Zion While one is in a fever they may be ignorant that they are in a fever but when the cooling of health comes then he well remembers he was sick of a fever When there is a fever of glory on Peter he speaks he knows not what Mark 9. 6. yet after 2 Pet. 1. 16 17. he makes sweet comfortable use of that glory of Christ on the mount when the Lord waters the sown seed and sends down new influences of grace then doth it appear what warming hath been in the soul this is a second difference betwixt literal heat and spiritual burning of heart literal heat hath most sense when it is a dowing there are no spiritual reflexions upon that burning when it is gone and over except the Lord give repentance and that is accidental to all sinful fairds and flaming of the flesh or of a moral gift it dies with its flaming as fired powder that endures not long whereas its useful to call to mind the gracious burnings of heart yea or any of the Lords ancient paths according to that Psalm 119. 52. I remembred thy judgement of old and have comforted my self and its good to receive and lay up influences of heart warmings of Christ Isa 42. 23. Who among you will â—ear this who will hearken and hear for the time to come Did not our hearts burn 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The godly reprove their not knowing and not discerning of Christ in his heart flamings of love godly and spiritual sense â—â—lengeth self-dulness Cant. 5. 6. I opened to my beâ—â—ved but my beloved had withdrawn himself and was gone This is a sense of Christs withdrawing
with a challenge of her refusing to open Ah! why did I not opâ—n while he did â—ovingly 〈…〉 knock and lovingly speak Open 〈…〉 my â—â—ster my love c. sense of Christ with chalâ—â—â—â—â—d good 〈◊〉 with tears for 〈◊〉 in the woman thâ—◠〈…〉 his feet with tears sense with faith going along 〈…〉 is commendable it s a spiritual case 〈…〉 up our recâ—nnings what we have profited spiritually by the heart-â—â—â—ingâ— wrought by Christ and this is a third diffrence The moral and 〈◊〉 man 〈◊〉 so â—â—prove his hear as to call himself to a reckoning nor 〈…〉 say wheâ— neere am I to God for my stirring 〈◊〉 reforming religion its kindly life-heat that makes the man more lively and vigorous While he spake The third particular who works burning of heart in these men speaking Jesus Christ when Christ takes the bellows and the fan and stirs up the fire it must needâ— burn boldly and when Christ casts in a coal in the soul it must make heart-flamings John 4. I am he that speaks to thee that made a fire in the womans heart then she leaves well and water-pot and runs to the City So Matth. 9. 9. Matth. 4. 20 21 22. with a word he kindles a fire in the brests of fisher-men who knew nothing of him before and hath an inward work upon the heart Cant. 5. He put in his hand by the hole of the door and my bowels were moved for him that was fire in the bowels and what did Christ here but speak words and this is the fourth difference with little pain but a word speaking he makes a fire There is a huge deal of violence in Esaus running sweating hunting Jacob stirred not after works but staid at home and believed and faith made him blessed the spirit drives not but by the words leading and perswading But is there no violence in the natural and literal heat Yea for Bâ—als priests to cut and bleed themselves with knives and cry till noon and to shout to a deaf God must have in it much violence and it s a very unnatural fire and its a most unnatural wild-fire heat to slay their young children to Molech A man who forces a sigh when a sigh forces not him is a sufferer but what violence is in the constraining Gospel-promise what compulsion is there in love or love-sickness when Christ makes love a key that opens all doors how strongly and how sweetly doth the word of promise carried on by the spirit of Christ force thy soul there is a huge deal of force and violence in fairâ—heed sickness as when a man makes and counterfeits distraction and madness and runs naked While he opened the Scriptures The fourth particular is the fewel that makes the fire the Scriptures opened and opened by Christs key Is not my word like a fire saith the Lord Jer. 23. 15. Yea in Christs baptizing there is fire John baptizeth with water and no more as a cold and watry seal but Christ Matth. â— 11. batizeth with the holy Ghost and with fire The word of prophesie was in Jeremiahs bowels as a fire shut up and this is the fift difference betwixt the literal and spiritual heat the heavenly heart-burning goes along with the Scriptures 2. With the Scriptures so opened and applied by the spirit of Jesus as by a strong power burning coals are cast into the heart As touching the former the difference betwixt this and the Libertines spirit or the Enthusiasts are to be observed and the spirit of the children of God 1. Christs spirit extols the Scriptures It is written saith Christ against Satan Have ye not read in the Scriptures saith Christ against the Sadduces Matth. 22. Search the Scriptures saith Christ they bear witness of me He taught the multitude and disciples as it s written in the Scriptures He rebukes them Luke 24. v. 25. as fools and slow of heart for not believing the Scriptures When he would carry in real influences of grace to the heart he carries them along by the Scripture and opens the understanding that they may understand the Scripture Luke 24. 45. that is the spirit of Satan in some who boast that they are beyond and above the word of the Kingdom and such must be beyond and on the other side of heaven 2. They who wait for the Lord and whose soul waits for God they hope in his word Psalm 130. 5 6. Libertines souls cannot wait for the Lord as the watch for the morning 3. It s a work of the spirit strongly to convince the conscience of not believing in Christ John 16. 7 8. now to believe in him is the sum of the Scriptures of the Gospel Enthusiasts extol perswasions by raptures according to which the brother killeth the brother as Bullinger relates in place of the Scripture-convictions of the spirit 4. The work of the spirit is to comfort for its the spirits office and the sound comfort is patience and comfort of the Scriptures bringing hope Rom. 15. 4. The spirit of Enthusiasts perswades men of peace and comfort without and beside the promises of the Gospel 5. The words of the book of the Law melt the heart of godly Josiah 2 Kings 19. 22. and the Lord looks to him that trembles at his word to dwell with him Isa 66. 2. The Enthusiasts boldly mock the word as an instrument of carnal and fleshly regeneration and seek a new birth from a spirit alone separated from the word 6. Deep humiliation is wrought by the word 2 Kings 22. 14. the pride of Satan reigns in the spirits of Enthusiasts who despise Scripture humility and reproach tears and the work of repentance as a work of the Law and the flesh 7. Strong and couragious fighting even to overcoming gets for a reward the hid manna the white stone and the new name written thereon which no man can read but he that receives it now fighting and overcoming is by the word of the spirit Rev. 2. 17. Eph. 6. 17. and faith in the word 1 John 5. 4. Enthusiasts tell us of a dumb and Scriptureless perswasion by which men are perswaded they are chosen to salvation and can know others by the face that are so chosen 8. The true spirit leads unto all truth John 16. 13 and opens the true sense of the Scriptures and leads no man by a new wild-fire light nor doth the spirit of God sway and determin a topick conjectural way while there is a speculative doubting as touching any light from Scripture whether the course be lawful or warranted by the word or not for the spirit of God leads by Scriptures infallibility Isa 59. 20 21. 9. The actings of the true spirit are gentle civil human and he bids us follow whatsoever is of good report whatsoever things are pure Phil. 4. 8 9. The spirit of Enthusiasts leaving Scripture licences men to abominations which Heathens abhor 10. The actings of the spirit of Christ are seasonable Matth. 10. 19.
both and seeks with teares and stayes about the grave until she find her Lord. The Lord must be displeased with our narrowness How little a portion of him doe we see We are not straitned in the Lords heart but in our selves He calls for wider hearts Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it Psal 81. 10. not the mouth but the heart our narrow heart and narrow faith is like the little hand of the child who hath not fingers to hold the large and great apple 2. The fool wants a heart Hos 7. 11. Prov. 9. 4. Then must the fooles of this world know little of an enlarged and wide heart as little as the horse or the mule that hath not the understanding of a man nor have they the heart of the new man Speak to the natural men of the fatness of the Lords house of all the fulness of God and the showers of influences of grace of the anointing of all wisedom and ye speak to new weaned children 3. Idlers and sleepers that run not in the way of Gods commandements but are hot as fire and mad and run as the Galatians in a wrong way are hence rebuked Many run and sleep little after their corn and wine and oyl after their vineyards honours but not with enlarged hearts in the Lords way They run to set up themselves and in place of Religion set up all the wicked religions of hell Toleration is high but he shall be laid hold on who prophecies and cries against the cursed Altar 4. There is a Spirit of deadness on many professors the judgment of the Church of Sardis Rev. 3. 1 2. and hardly can sleepers waken themselves we pray not as David Psal 119. Quicken me quicken me Unrenewed professors are painted men praying and hearing men risen out of the grave dead on their feet preaching praying hearing and yet dead CHAP. X. Of fixedness of heart 2. Prayer begets an heavenly disposition and an heavenly disposition again begetteth prayer 3. Holy acts beget holy acts and an heavenly disposition begets an holy disposition 4. The Lord so frames his precepts and his promises as our actings are suitably required to his influences 5. These three are to be differenced 1. The spiritual state 2. The spiritual temper or constitution 3. The spiritual condition 6. The reason of doubling of sentences and words Psal 57. v. 7. My heart is fixed O God my heart is fixed I will sing and give praise 8. Awake up my glory awake psaltery and harp I my self will awake early MY heart is fixed Gen. My heart is prepared my heart is confirmed established The doubling of the word my heart is confirmed noteth the vehemency of affection 2. As also the speaking of it to God O God my heart is fixed declares the sincerity of it 3. The speaking to his tongue to awake it his calling it his glory as Psal 16. 9. My glory rejoyceth that is my tongue expresseth joy is an elegant fiction of a person as speaking to his soul Psal 103. 1. Psal 116. 7. Psal 42. 11. and noteth some dulness in tongue and heart to praise God his bidding his psaltery and harp awake is also an elegant prosopopeia as if the harp could sleep and wake And there is another figure the instrument of musick is put for the gift of musick he tacitely prayer God to waken up his gift and his grace of musick to praise and that God would awake himself to praise being under the sense of the Lords deliverance of him when he fled into the cave for fear of Saul and the Lord delivered him out of the hand of Saul and put Sauls life in his reverence The words contain 1. The disposition of fixedness of heart 2. His vehemency of affection in doubling the expression 3. His speaking of it prayer-wise O God my heart is fixed His sincerity 4. What the disposition wrought in him a fixed resolution to praise and a waking up of his gift of musick awake psaltery and of himself I my self will awake early The word my heart is fixed is rendred by Amsworth my heart is firmly prepared Diodati my heart is re-confirmed or re-assured Calvin in the French my heart is well disposed Geneva prepared Q. How got David this heavenly disposition 1. The occasion was 1 Sam. 24. as the title of the Psalm bears Saul with three thousand men-persons David in the rocks of the wild goats in the wilderness of Engedi Saul went into the cave to cover his feet and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave and David went in and cut the lap of Sauls garment and had in his power to kill Saul and his men counselled him so to doe but in stead of arfrighting Saul and his army the Lord suggests the fear and awe of God he durst not kill him 2. He trusted in God for deliverance another way then to put hands on the Prince as Psal 112. 7. A good man is not afraid of evil tidings his heart is fixed trusting in the Lord. This is the fixedness of faith opposite to fear and unbelief when another man would tremble being compassed with three thousand instruments of death as many men as many deaths yet his heart is fixed on God both to believe and to pray David by prayer Be merciful to me O God and by faith gets this confident disposition and this confident disposition brings forth acts of believing in stead of trembling and resolutions to praise and to sing and give thanks But if the question be moved how gets David grace to believe and grace to pray Certainly by influences of grace upon the occasion of the delivery So that here acts of praying bring forth holy dispositions to pray and to praise as is clear Be merciful unto me O God and God both delivered him and gives him fixedness of heart to pray and praise when a natural man would tremble at the sight and fear of so many deaths And again a disposition and fixedness of heart brings forth a resolution to praise and give thanks And 2. a stirring up of himself and his musick to praise yea and actual praising v. 11. Be thou exalted O God above the heavens let thy glory be above all the earth As the herb brings forth the seed and the seed again brings forth the herb and so the herb brings forth the herb and the seed the seed and the apple brings forth the tree and the grape the vine tree and again the tree brings forth the apple and the vine-tree the grape the water is the maker of ice and ice is dissolved into water and again that water is turned into ice Q. What shall beget a holy disposition to pray A. Praying begets a holy disposition to pray When David goes up the mount of Olives fleeing from Absolom he weeps and prayes Psal 3. and that praying begets a fixedness to believe and a disposition to pray v. 6. I shall not be afraid of ten
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
sealing of the Spirit Eph. 4. 29 30. So singing Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs with making melody in the heart to the Lord is a proclaiming that there is some fulness of the Spirit if the Spirit could speak in the Saints the two native languages of the Spirit would be praying for that is the cry of the Spirit Rom. 8. 15 23 26. and singing praises Eph. 5. 18 19 20. The way to have influences of the Spirit is to pray continually and fervently and to give thanks always for all things unto God the father in the name of our Lord Jesus Eph. 5. 20. 5. A wicked hardening of the heart is as if ye would cast water on a weakly smoaking fire of green timber that cannot be a seat an office-house to the Spirit and his actings such are interdited of the spiritual seeing and of the Spirits hearing of the Spirit Rom. 11. 8. God hath given them the spirit of slumber eyes that they should not see and ears that they should not hear to this day It 's dreadful when Prophets preach some stark blind and dead one of the chief and noble operations of the Spirit is illumination and he is a seeing and an enlightning and a hearing spirit 1. Wink not before the shining beams of the Sun yield heartily to the convictions of the Spirit John 16. 7. such as waste away the light of conscience and the convictions of the Spirit are not entrusted again with new actings of the Spirits enlightning 2. Be tender and stand in awe of smaller sins it speaks much of the spirit in David to be smitten with the renting of the lap of Saul's garment 6. Some make themselves uncapable of the actings of the Spirit who seeing great temptations signs and miracles have plenty of means yet remain blind and hard-hearted and dull of hearing Deut. 29. 2 3 4. Heb. 5. 11 12. Joh. 12. 37 38 39 40. if we would improve the actings of the Spirit and delight in the Lords way we should have new influences to walk in his paths Psalm 119. 35. and God teacheth David good judgements for saith he I have believed thy commandments v. 66. So are they-far from new influences who abuse so many plagues and so many deliverances from these plagues as Pharaoh did and crush the motions of a trembling conscience as Felix did a doubt it may be if ever the like acting of a Law-spirit visit such men again 7. All such who remain in the state of unrenewed nature are uncapable of the actings of the Spirit nor does the Spirit lodge in sensual and beastly men Jude v. 19. nor can the world receive the Spirit of truth John 14. 17. no more then the spirit and breathing of a horse can lodge in aâ—pismire It 's true John Baptist was full of the holy Ghost from the womb Luke 1 15. and the Spirit acts him with joy v. 41. when Mary saluted her but John Baptists sin Original was both then pardoned as touching the damnation thereof and subdued as touching the dominion of it Otherwise another spirit acts and works by nature in the sons of disobedience Eph. 2. 2. and these two strong ones can remain and dwell both in one castle then seek translation and to be with Christ if ye would have the Spirit and his influences multitudes no more complain of the want of the influences of the Spirit then a dead mans corps complains of cold of hunger of thirst or of influences of life from the living soul nor complain they of sickness Oh it speaks life to be pained for the waâ— of the Spirit and his influences what wonder that ye cannot perswade a sleeping man that he sleeps 8. Some actings of bitterness wrath clamour anger and malice in the Saints may sadden the Spirit of God darken the evidence of the Spirits sealing unto the day of redemption Eph. 4. 30 31. It must be a sort of suffering to the Spirit and a casting water on the fire and a deadning to David as touching vigorous and lively operations that he acted adultery and murther which moves him to pray for the restoring to him again the joy of the Lords salvation and to be upholden by the Lords free spirit Psal 51. 12. Can a King dwell even in a palace when it is burning and smoaking about his ears therefore holy actings teaching of sinners praying praising Psalm 51. 13 14. 15. to be kind one to another and tender-hearted to forgive one another as Christ did Eph. 4. 32. and to act as the Spirit and to be holy and heavenly in one walk puts the Spirit in a sweet composed temper to act and breath abundantly in his flowings of love and grace 9. It would be observed that influences of the Spirit are contempered with the actings of grace with which they concur the spirit of adoption acts in the grammer of prayer to cry Abba Father and he comes down to the language of children learning to speak and to say Abba and the Spirit helps our infirmities O it must be great help that the Spirit yields it must be creating of new heavens or removing of mountains or dividing of the sea or something like say some nay the Spirit helps us with a groan his influences come down to sigh and weep and mourn like a dove in a Saint Rom. 8. 26. Cant. 2. 14. Ezech. 7. 16. and if so it 's no wonder that the Spirit breaths not on our wild fire anger Well does the Spirit breathe on Christs holy anger he was angry and grieved Mark 3. 5. and was saddened at the offending of God To be angry at the sin of offenders and yet so as to compassionate the soul of the offender this is to fix a fit seat for the influences of the spirit nor can we receive the influences of that spirit who applieth and intimateth pardon and forgiveness when our anger is such to these who injure us as we cannot forgive them and if anger lodge and take chamber in the bosome and brest of a fool can the Spirit breathe supplications in such a brest when the fountain is troubled and muddy with clay it gives no representation of the face and image to the beholder Psalm 119. 135. Make thy face to shine on thy servant but the soul is a dusty and muddy glasse most unfit to receive the irradiations and beams of such a transcendent sun of glory yea it 's some way fitted v. 136. rivers of water run down mine eyes because they keep not thy Law Then a soul mourning for sin is fit to be shined upon by the Lord when the man Christs soul is exceeding sorrowful even to the death Matth. 26. 38. then is his soul fit to receive dartings of the spirit to pray most humbly with his face on the ground v. 39. most believingly O my Father O my Father most fervently with tripple praying 44. more earnestly Luke 22. 44. or more bendedly then
the wound green the tender hand of Christ lovingly and compassionately binds up such broken ones Isa 61. 1. Psal 147. 3. He healeth the broken in heart and bindeth up their wounds and bones easily know their own place of bones when his hand puts them in place 4. Iron is the strongest and hardest of mettals yet being hot in the furnace receiveth any impression or figure and bones yield to the smiting of the hammer which it doth not when it 's cold and stiff when the cross hath graciously melted and softened the soul then it receives influences of grace and is ready to receive as Saul Act. 9. 6. trembling and aâ—tonished said Lord what wilt thou have me to doe The proud self arrogant spirit will not receive nor lodge impressions of grace from heaven be not then high-minded but fear otherways there shall be no rain on you and you shall not be ingraffed in Christ 9. Worldly mindedness and savouring of the things of the flesh keeps the soul both under deadness and distance from God the light of glory and the heart and conversation in heaven brings forth that which hath a strong influence of grace with it Phil. 3. 20 21. We look from heaven for our Saviour the Lord Jesus who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body when the soul is in heaven and we all 2 Cor. 3. 18. with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the spirit of the Lord we are neer to the receiving of the aspects of the glorified Redeemer But such as mind earthly things whose God is their belly Phil. 3. 19. can no more receive influences of grace then earth-worms or the Serpent that eateth the dust neither can heaven and the life to come have an impression in the gracious influences of God upon a wretched man who worships clay and hath no heaven but gold how can influences of God be received in the heart of an Idolater Heavens glory upon the soul is so transparent that bread and hunger had no influence upon Moses for forty days when he was in the mount with God and then rays and influences of glory could not but besweetly received on the soul it 's clear in such as stand and live before the throne who are under the eternally shining summer Sun and receive eternally influences of glory Rev. 7. 15. the Lamb leading them they serve God night and day in his Temple v. 16. and see his face Rev. 22. 4. and reign for ever and ever v. 5. and the Disciples forgot bread and garments yea and houses for themselves to dwell in for the three tabernacles were for Christ and Moses and Elias not to shelter them from frosts and rain and hail for they feared not the like injuries to glorified bodies the Disciples say It 's good for us to be here and so it 's good for us to part with houses with ships with fishing with nets with plucking of ears of corn or buying of bread yea it 's good to part with Ordinances preaching to the Jews or Gentiles with working of miracles healing the sick or casting out of divels influences of glory were as connaturally received in the soul that is neer God and heavenly minded as the Moon and Stars receive light from the Sun and dry fewel receives fire where clay and the earthy and drosy part of the Lords creation and his foot-stool can receive no light at all so if earthly mindedness have fixed a seat in the affections the spirit of grace and glory cannot shine through gross and earthy hearts give us corn wine and oyl and the influences of the lovely countenance of God say worldlings we do little value whereas it is night and winter and hell for a child of God when the Lord withdraws influences of faith and feeling loving rejoycing and neer communion with God worshippers of God never miss gracious influences when the soul is sick after Christ influences of God for the high praise of Christ abound Cant. 5. 6 7 8 9 10 11 c. and Psal 63. 1. when the soul thirsteth for God and the heart and flesh cry out for the living God Psal 88. 1 2. and the soul panteth as the hart for the water brooks for God Psal 42. 1. which are crying signs of a heart in heaven then influences of grace like an high spring-tyde and like a full river flow most abundantly even to the satisfying of the soul as with marrow and fatness and to the tongue praising of God with joyful lips and the remembring of God in the bed in the night-watches Psal 63. 4 5 6. and to the extolling of the Lord as God and King Psal 88. 1 2 3. and the breaking of the heart and bones when God is reproached Psal 42. 3 10. 10. Fiery zeal hinder influences burn the Samaritans with fire from heaven say the Disciples O Paul say fiery followers of the Law would destroy the Law of God and have Christ and grace all but received ye the spirit or his influences by the Law ye know not the wild-fire of revenge and the spirit of anger that leads you saith Christ to the Disciples even to the mild beloved disciple John Luke 9. 54. Come saith Jehu and see my zeal for the Lord liar come see my zeal for Jehu and for Jehu his new Kingdom but there were here no influences of the spirit of grace for 2 Kings 10. 31. Jehu took no heed to walk in the Law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam which made Israel to sin Therefore Jehu his fire in killing Baal's priests and Achab's seed being from false principles carnall and selfe ends and called by the holy Ghost Hos 1. 4. blood-shed and murder to be avenged of God must come from bastard influences And when our saviour rights the fire of zeale in John and James he condemnes the Spirit and the influences that made them so brutishly to startle Luke 9. 55. 2. He reduces them to the faith and sound believing of his coming in the world which was to save mens lives not to destroy them v. 56. it 's a notable healing of the too hot blood that is in fierie zeale to believe soundly the meekness of Christ therefore would hot and wild-fire influences be well tried whence they come from Heaven or from Hell for so some who kill the Lords Apostles judge then if sparkles of fire can come from heaven John 16. 2. when it is nothing so Ophni and Phinehas are publickly zealous for the Lord Moses meek in the injury done to him by Miriam and by Core and Dathan and his is fiery against the golden calf in the Lords cause hence influences from God set them a work and eat them up as zeal for the Lords house eat up David Psalm 69. 9. Psalm
of the Lord the husband act in a whorish spouse who grieves that spirit See Psalm 106. 39. Can refreshings come from the fountain of living waters to such as Jer. 2. 13. forsake the fountain and hew them out cisterns broken cisterns that can hold no waters or can the Spirit dwell and act in that soul which abhors God and the spirit of God and his operations no man will lodge in an Inne in which he knows they lie in wait for his life Isa 63. 10. They rebelled and vexed his holy Spirit 2. There are who say Job 21. 14. to God Depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways and who Prov. 1. 29. hate knowledge Now the spirit of the Lord is a spirit of knowledge and needs none to counsel him and teach him knowledge Isa 40. 13 40. And to one is given by the same spirit saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 12. 8. the word of wisedom to another a word of knowledge by the same spirit and he is Ephes 1. 17. the spirit of wisedom and revelation who gives the knowledge of Christ the Spirit then will not be a teacher to such as hate the master teacher and all his instructions Wil a man be an instructer to a Disciple or Apprentice who to his knowledge hates and flies from him and abhors him who abhors mocks and does despite to the Spirit and will the Spirits going forth be as the pleasant morning in such a man sure the Spirit teacheth not convinceth not guideth not in all truth any John 14. 26. John 16. 7 13. but such only as Christ sendeth him unto John 14. 16 17. 16. 7. I will send him unto you v. 13. He shall guide you He shall shew you things to come John 15. 26. And therefore he comes to this Psalm 73. 25. Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee What is such a man how is he known by another There be three notes by which he is known v. 23. 1. Nevertheless though I be a beast and a tempted fool doubting of a providence I am continually with thee O blessed company Then follow two observable actings and influences of the Spirit 1. The confirming and upholding influence the supernatural manutenentia upholding of the Spirit Thou wilt hold me fast by my right hand 2. There is the guiding John 16. 13. and leading of the Spirit Psal 143. 10. Psal 73. 14. Thou shalt guide me by thy counsel So every element acts and moves most connaturally in its own place the river moves most connaturally within its own channel it 's violent in its motion when it runs above and without its own banks the wind moves naturally in the air but most violently and unkindly in the bowels of the earth for there it causes earthquakes and swallows up houses and Cities The Spirit of the Lord acts and breaths sweetly in a believer but the spirit that moves in a possessed man is proven to be the spirit of the Divel not of God because he moves most connaturally and casteth the possessed one who is his house in fire and water Mark 9. he is not a gracious guest who sets on fire his own lodging Isa 26. 9. With my soul I have desired thee in the night yea with my spirit within me early will I seek thee and that is a work of the spirit to learn righteousness when the Lords judgements are on the earth v. 12. Lord thou wilt ordain peace for us for thou also hast wrought all our works in us The Spirit refers all acting on earth to God for the good of his Church and there follow many expressions of faith and liveliness to the end of the Chapter v. 13 14. the Lords that ruled over us beside thee are dead the people v. 16. prayed to thee in trouble v. 19. Our dead men buried in Babylon shall live and be delivered Could we desire and thirst after God the Spirit should act more abundantly in us 3. From our joy or delight and our sadness and sorrow arise impediments of spiritual influences As 1. Carnal sensual delights and the Spirit cannot be together Jude v. 19. sensual not having the spirit The more men are drowned in sensual lusts the less of the Spirit they have or nothing at all The Apostle Phil 3. makes an opposition betwixt such whose God is their belly and mind earthly things corn wine and oyl and mind not spiritual things and so benow nothing of the Spirit and himself and sound believers who have their conversation in heaven which must speak much spiritual mindedness and mighty influences of the Spirit by which the mind the apprehensions and thoughts the affections hope faith love delight haunt heaven and eternity much The Scripture calls some swine 2 Pet. 2. 22. some other dogs Rev. 22. 15. Does the holy Spirit dwell and breath in and through a prophane and unclean man such as are swine and dogs It 's strange that the preaching of the Gospel and Satan lodge together in Judas Have not I chosen you twelve and one of you is a devil John 6. 7. Matth. 10. 1. And when he had called the twelve disciples he gave them power against unclean Spirits to cast them out and to heal all manner of sickness v. 7. Goe and preach 2. Influences of grace spiritual joy persevering to the end can no more find good soil to grow in a rocky stony proud and graceless heart then corn can grow on stones and rocks Matth. 13. 20 21. though there be a receiving of the word with joy and delight that joy is but false mettal The only cure of this is if we would have our spiritual desires as touching grace and glory and other things annexed to this is to listen to that Psalm 37. 4. Delight thy self also in the Lord and he shall give thee the desires of thy heart What was spoken of love-sickness after Christ the same is true of soul-delighting in Christ that in any precious actings of the Spirit goes along with both Psalm 63. 7. The soules following hard after God Psalm 63. is a fruit of the other v. 6. When I remember thee upon my bed and meditate on thee in the night-watches then v. 5. My soul shall be satisfied with marrow and fatness my soul shall praise thee with joyful lips Psal 51. 11. Take not thy spirit of holiness from me Why what special fruit of that spirit doth he seek v. 12. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and firmly sustain me with thy free spirit a willing a princely ruling spirit Joy hath a strong impulsion and hath vehement expressions as clapping of the hands Psalm 47. 1. Shouting Psal 63. 7. In the shadow of thy wings I rejoyced Heb. I shouted And Matth. 5. 12. Rejoyce 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rejoyce and leap for joy as in a dance It 's excellent to strong impulsions of the Spirit to
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