complaint of the very malignant servant as also the rich Gluttons divinity reflects upon the gracious dispensation of God Luke 16. 30. Nay father Abraham but if one went unto them from the dead they will repent Which is as much as God is to be blamed that his five brethren repent not for he bestows not sufficient helps of salvation on them Q. 1. What is the book of Moses and the Prophets but a paper roll of letters and syllables would he send a Preacher from Hell and a Messenger from Heaven to give them sufficient warning and instruction of a Heaven and a Hell it were good but that he does not he then is to be blamed not my five brethren 2. He who shews mercy on whom he will and hardneth whom he will and that by a strong mighty will which no man can resist he can find fault with no man though he sin and harden his own heart For his absolute Soveraign will is far above me and my strength but so doth the Lord saith the carnal man Rom. 4. 18. 19. and the holy Ghost saith such an Objection is unworthy to be moved or answered nor becomes it base clay and the clay pot so to argue with the great potter and former of all things 2. Influences for getting of the habits or performing the acts of saving grace are the Lord 's own therefore Soveraignty is his Law he may bestow them or withhold them as he pleaseth especially if the Creature be willing to want these influences and if the Sun rejoyce with all his heart at the influences and concurring providences of God to the contrary sinful actings as he doth Exod. 5. 2 8 16 17 18. Psal 14. 4. Psal 10. 6 7 8. 4. 10 11. Psal 36. 3 4. Psal 84. 5 6 7 8. Prov. 1. 11 12. Prov. 2. 14. Prov. 4. 16. 17. Prov. 10. 23. Prov. 14. 9. Prov. 7. 18. Prov. 9. 17. Psal 49. 11. Luke 11. 39. Psal 5. 9. Psal 64. 6. 3. Though we could not conceal the Lord's concluding of all under unbelief and their guiltiness who are so concluded and the mystery of the Lord 's rejecting the Jews and calling the Gentiles with the free obedience of the one and free disobedience of the other and the Lord 's having mercy on whom he will and hardning whom he will with their willing running in ways of disobedience and rebellion and say as Paul Rom. 11. 33. O the depth c. yet adversaries have no cause of objecting this to us more then to the Scriptures of God 4. Prop. Gracelesness is satisfied with gracelesness and is no more desirous and thirsty for grace nor darkness after the Sun light or coldness desireth the fires heat yea as Satan cannot destroy Satan the body of sin cannot love to be subdued by grace and the man hating both Christ and his Father John 15. 24. and pleasing himself in that way who yet complains that God doth withdraw his grace and so cannot command us or exhort us to repentance is like to him who lies still in the furnace and loves to be burnt and complains that he is scorched and tormented and the Lord will not lift him out of the furnace 5. What a proud Pelagian nature is this for any to say had he the habit of grace which was in David he could act as David and could secure himself from adultery and murther but how did David who had David's heart fall in these horrid crimes can any interpose himself surety and put grace which he hath not or nature which he cannot command to undertake to obey God in all things were it not safer to be pained with the bondage of sin and be sick for Christ and his grace and never to interpose self to be surety for self but to be strong in free grace only Ephes 6. 10. CHAP. X. 1. Soveraignty in actings of grace 2. We are not to seek influences but such as are suitable to the Word 3. Of divers influences 4. How we complain of want of influences and how we may suit them 5. We are to act under indispositions 6. How we are to pray continualy 7. Not to act duties while we feel breathings of the Spirit is an unsafe Rule 8. Preparations before Duties 9. To wait on breathings before we act Duties how lawful how not LEt it be futher considered in these Particulars how unjust we are and how free the Lord is 1. Who ever complains of the want of grace and yet remains in the state of nature doth close with his want of grace For 1. The renewed mans complaining of the want of grace is neither in sense or godly feeling nor in faith and humble believing Nature can no more complain of the want of grace with any spiritual and godly sense then a sucking child can weep because he is not an understanding man of thirty years old for darkness cannot seek after the Sun light for so it should desire its own destruction nor can cold desire heat nor Satan be divided against Satan and therefore these are but feigned and counterfeit bemonings For the actings of sinful nature with delight say that the man hates grace which he professeth he so much desires for only grace can thirst after and long for grace Joh. 15. 24. If I had not done among them the works which no other man did they had not had sin but now they have both seen and hated both me and my Father Such a hatred of the fulness of grace Jesus Christ cannot consist with a lively desire of grace Prop. 2. It is a right Rule not to separate Soveraignty from the Word or the Omnipotency of grace from the Promise otherwise we make a sort of Idol of Omnipotency seek we them and pray for influences of grace not peremptorily hic nunc to every single acting Psal 119. 2. My soul cleaveth to the dust quicken thou me according to thy word Ver. 28. My soul melteth for heaviness strengthen thou me according to thy word Ver. 107. I am afficted very much quicken thou me according to thy word v. 154. For 1. A gracious heart seeks no other out-lettings of grace to this or that duty but according to the promise Now the promise is not contrary to the Soveraign dispensation and there is no such Soveraignty but that there are many withdrawings of God whence follows deadness and the souls melting for heaviness Nor is there either promise or dispensation that the belever shall in every moment of time be lively and vigorous and have the heart lifted up in the ways of God except we would say Earth is Heaven and we are not for a time in heaviness if need be 2. There is a bastard literal heat and vigor of going about duties that comes not from the Word no bastardheat comes from the Word but by accident for the Spirit that speaks in the Word speaks his own spiritual and lively comforts and actings not that which may flow from a
that the Lord is to be blamed for my non-conversion Our sinfull will not not the Lord's refusal of a power is the culpable cause of our non-conversion The sinful cannot School-men make conversion to Christ the purchase of free will the absurdity thereof Sin original must be pardoned to Pagans in Christs blood of which they never heard say Dominicans Dominicans gross as Jesuits in the matter of grace and free will Cumel dico quinto Deus quantum in se paratus est aâ— dandum omnibus gratiam suam ad vocandum omnes adultos juxta illud Deus vult omnes salfâ—eri ac proinde dicitur communiter quod in potestate cujusvis hominis est salvari quia potest habere per divinum auxilium non quidem ex merito aut dispositione sua aut quia ex innatis viribus aut naturae conatibus ex lege obligetur Deus ad danda auxilia gratiae primam vocationem seu gratiam proveniâ—â—tem sed ex liberali magnisica largitione dei providentis Mat. 11. venite ad me omnes Ib. Qua-propter si homo peccator ita se gereret vitamtra duceret ut nullum novum impedimentum gratiae adhiberet aut obicem nullumque obstaculum tunc auxilium gratiae verè reciperet â—on quidem ex debito sed ex dei largitione qua ipse est ad omnium ostium pulsat unde non ponenti obicem cernimus Deum dare gratiam Conc. trid sess 6. 11. 13. Deus neminem deserit nisi prius deseratur ab ipso sed per hoc nihil tribuitur homini sed tantum quod possit illam gratiam impedire per peccatum vel quod possit vitare peccatum contra legem naturae quo possit illum impedire Prosper epist ad Aug. de Massiliensibus vide Jansenium cap. 18. ib. lib. 12. just c. 13. ad capessenda tam magnifica tamque praecelsa paritatis integritatis praemia quantuslibet jejuniorum vigiliarum lectionis solitudinis ac remotionis labor fuerit impensus condignus esse non poterit qui hoc industriae suae merito vel laboris obtineat Hilarius Epist dicunt hominem ad hanc gratiam qua in Christo renascimur pervenire posse per naturalem scilicet facultatem petendo quaerndo pulsando ut ideo accipiat ideo inveniat ideo introeat quia bono naturae bene usus ad istaÌ„ salvanteÌ„ gratiam initialis gratiae ope meruerit per venire Corn. Jans de haeres pela l. 8. c. 18. Item posse hominem exterrita supplici voluntate velle sanari supplex enim illa voluntas nihil est aliud quam voluntas ex fide supplicans deo pro sanitate et siquid fides non justificatorum petendo mereatur impetrationis quam meriti potius rationem habet unde cum in errore Massiliensium haereret Augustinus frequenter meriti rationem quam in fide oratione collocabat per impetrationem exponit putans inquit Augustinus lib. de praed 5. 5. c 3. fidem non esse donum dei sed à nobis esse in nobis per illam nos impetrare dei dona item ut per illam daretur quod posceremus utiliter Jansen in Aug. tom 1. lib. 8. c. 18. Vnde possit ratio reddi electorum rejectorum sive cur unus prae alio assumatur deo viz. sic habente occasionem sive colorem cur non irrationabiliter ut Cassilianus Coll. 13. loquitur sive caeco quasi modo irrefragabili aliqua constitutione inconsulta hominis voluntate gratiam salvantem uni prae aliis largiretur Hilarius in Epist ad August Prosp Epist ad August Qui autem credituri sunt quive in ea fide quae deinceps per dei gratiam sit juvanda mansuri sunt praestitisse ante mundi constitutionem There may be much seeking and using of mâ—ans and no influences Using of means would be in humility Influences not entertained breed loathâ—ng of the Gospel We may maâ—â—e influences of grace The order of the Lord in conferring of influences A confluence of heavenly influences at one time and in one work Resisting of the Word hinders not influences Refusing of Ordinances hâ—nders not influences Despising and persecuting of the Prophets obstruct influences Resisting of the operations of the Spirit is â—o obstruct influenences Praying and praising promove the Spirits influences Hardning of the heart obstructs influences Not profiting by means obstructs influences Remaining in nature obstructs influences Actings of bitterness wrath malice â—ancor sadden the spirit Influences of the spirit are contempered according to the habit of grace Sorrow worldly obstruct influences 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We cannot expeditely change our spirit from carnal dispositions to spiritual but the Spirit can go and come with great celerity How the soul is under plenty of means and possibly sweet dispositions and yet under scarcity of influences These are together often praying and actual influences and dâ—ties and influences the former according to the Lord's will of precept the latter according to his will of pleasure are interwoven all along Psal 119. Of the sweet nearness betwixt love of the word and the word hid in the heart Psalm 119. v. 11. and spiritual influences Of the word hidden in the heart Felt deliverance wants not influences As the light of faith and softness easily admits an influence of grace so hardnessâ—s and rockineâ—s hardly receive any such impression 2. Vnbelief obstructs influences Influences of grace do no violence to the rational power of nilling and willing 3. Deadness hinders influences 4. Security obstructs influences 5. Atheism obstructs influences 6. The hearts unconstancy doth much obstruct the influences of God 7. Heart-deceitfulness obstructs influences 8. Pride obstructs influences humility capacitates to receive them 9 Worldly mindedness obstructs influences and heavenly mindedness promoves it 10. Fiery bastard zeal hinder influences 11. An unclean heart cannot receive influences of the Spirit 12. Malice and bitterness obstructs the influences of God 13. Worldy sorrow obstructs influences 14. False joy obstructs influences 15. Self-love obstructs influences 16. Ignorance of the Gospel and hatred of Christ obstruct the influences of the Spirit 17. Wrestling against providence obstruct the influences of God God by his influences first acts and we in the same moment of time follow him and act under him and no violence is here 18. Heavenly thoughts and spiritual consideration draw along heavenly influences as earthly and unclean thoughts extinguish influences All actings of grace go thorow the channel of a sanctified judgement which wants not influences of grace Our drawing on of sinful dispositions Keep the oyl of the Spirit clean if you would have heavenly influences to fall on the Spirit We are to act both morally and physically with the Spirit Pâ—ayers conclude not Soveraignty Heretical light hinders the spirits breathings A corrupt will hinders the spirits breathings Hating of grace and of Christ hinders influences Divers actings of the spirit in the spouse sick of love for Christ in Solomon's song of songs speak and hold forth influences of the spirit Hating of Christ Soul-loathing of God obstructs influences The Spirit gives influences where there is no knowledge Influences of the spirit are connatural to the spiritual man Where there is soul-desiring of God there be many influences Sensuality and influences of the spirit cannot be together Spiritual joy speaks strong influences Literal crying should not exceed the impulsion of the spirit within Godly sorrow may help influences How hope and audacity promove or hinder influences One affection counter-works another and hinders faith Moral acting cannot avail us without real influences of the spirit Frequent acts of faith promove influences of the spirit Hope promoves influences Sinful boldness obstructs influences Anger hindereth influences How Elisha could not prophesie by reason of anger A meek spirit is a fit work-house of influences instanced in the man Christ in Meses John Vnbelieving fear an impediment of influences The Lord seekâ— not our consent to the first infusion of a new heart We are maried to Christ before we câ—â—sent to the mariage The Lord determines free-will and does no violence to it We are inexcusable in not doing our duty though the Lord deny his necessary influence God acts in all both by the immediate influence of his power and of his peâ—son The Lord particularly leads his own Two sorts of causes one in fieri for the producing of and giving being to a thing another in facto esse for the preserving of the same thing in being God is both wayes the cause of gracious actings The right missing of influences is to miss influences special The giving of the heart to God We are more our own by law and lesse our own by the Gospel Christ cares more for his own body then the members care for themselves Christs care is now rather more when he is glorified then less
climb up to a knowing state with God which the Lord in his â—atent purpose and decree did deny to man So the divels quarrel is not with their own apostasie but with the holy Lords dispensation art thou come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to torment us and which is another fault before the time Matth. 8. 29. nor can we move questions concerning the decrees and deep dispensations of God but we must fall upon the Almighty to defend our own sin the damned in hell eternally rail against the decrees of holy and spotless justice and his decrees of giving to them life and being and denying to them the benefit of death Rev. 6. 15 16. but as they blaspheme the God of heaven because of their pains so they never repent of their deeds Rev. 16. 11. 6. It 's safe sailing in declining of rocks when we adore the Lords withdrawing of influences and justifie him and bewail our own sinful choice and condemn our selves in the Psal 51. David and in the confession Daniel c. 9. Ezra 9. the humbled people of God do not hint at any heart wrestling with the decree of God but only bewail their own rebellion and not hearkening to the voice of the prophets and desire to sit patiently and in silence in their lot of suffering and reproach and shame It is true they complain Lam. 3. 13. He hath caused the arrow of his quiver to enter into my reins but yet they believe 24. the Lord is my portion saith my soul therefore will I hope in him And 2. they check unbelieving complaining 39. Wherefore doth a living man complain a man for the punishment of his sinne 7. It cannot be conceived how a soul in guiltiness must be in a case of invincibly necessitated despair if he conceive and believe the Lord gave me a power to will or not to will free from all divine determination and before any act of his foreknowledge or decree I was finaly and wilfully to reject the Physitian Christ and this the Lord did foreknow but could not efficaciously hinder what place can be left for consolation in God or submission to the holy will of God for this was invincibly to come to pass before any act of his will or praescience 8. Nor can I pray in faith Lord encline my heart unto thy testimonies if the voluntary determination of my own heart to his holy testimonies or the wicked vital refusing to yield unto or to be led by his testimonies go before the act of the Lords knowledge or will or before any efficacious congruous internal and victorious drawing of me to Jesus Christ 9. It cannot be denied but this very way which the Lord hath taken in denying of his influences to the eternal standing of Adam and to law-doing and law-living is the most excellent course and that flesh and blood dare not to appear to countermand herein either infinite wisedom or admirable soveraignty For 1. The Law-heaven the Garland the crown and reward of Law-merit should have been a paradise where there is no tree of life as Rev. 2. 7. no river of water of life no Lamb which is in the midst of the throne to feed and to lead them to the fountain of living waters as Rev. 7. 17. yea it should be darker and a less glorious heaven then the Gospel-heaven For 2. There should have been there no new heaven nor new earth no chair of estate no high lifted up throne for the power of the Kings of the earth who hath loved us and washen in his blood Nor 3. Should there have been any new song nor any such redeemed Musitians who sing with a loud voice as Rev. 5. 12. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisedom and strength and honour and glory and blessing and what an heaven should that be that wants the fairest rose in that garden it should be only the heaven of God Creator which though glorious yet not so kindly nor so desirable to us wanting the savour and delicious smell of the man Christ head of men and Angels 4. Nor can there be more lovely Christians then that great and fair mystical body of the ransomed of the Lord the lovely company that are before the throne cloathed in white with palms in their hands in sign of eternal victory who have come out of great tribulation and have washen their garments and made them white in the blood of the Lamb and with them their glorious head so that here shall be compleated and perfected Christ mystical It is boldness to weave a web of carnal difficulties against the Lords holy providence he hated the first sin as he doth all sin but to say he was weak and impatient about its entrance in the world blames his omnipotency to say the watchman of Israel was as to all care and vigilance of holy providence sleeping or slumbring and was thoughtless and drowsie not valuing whether his noble Sons of creation Angels and men should fall and irrecoverably and eternally be broken and become fewel for everlasting fire or stand and be eternally happy is injurious to infinite wisedom and the perfection of his holy will to say that the Lord loved such a guest as sin must blame his spotless holiness but if any say Obj. But did man by any necessity of a divine decree sin Answ A compelling necessity everting the creatures liberty there was none but a necessity by which the man was determined to one distinctively to stand or fall not copulatively both to stand and not to stand to obey and disobey there was in created free-will if we suppone there had been no decree Now the holy decree brought no necessity 1. Compelling such as is of a man bound hand and foot 2. No natural necessity such as that of the Sun to give light the fire to cast out heat Nor 3. No bruitish necessity void of a discoursing faculty such as that of the swallow building her nest the Bee making honey but we must say there was some eminent holy and spotless necessity of decree in Christs thrice rather then seven times praying why King Joash smites the ground thrice and stays and smites it not six times 2 Kings 13. 19. why the Lord writes in his booke Psal 139. 16. such a number of drops of rain such a number of drops of snow to make up such a treasure and God determined Job 38. 22. such a number of pound weights of mountains Isa 40. 12. and it was necessary the Lord should determine the names and number of the Stars Psal 147. 4. and why ten acres of a vineyard should yield one bath not two why every mans number of his months should be determined by the statute of a divine decree Job 14. 4 5. 2. Nor wrong we the Lord or free-will either to say God decreed that Joseph should be sold by his brethren David cursed and reproached by Shimei Judah carried away captive by the Babylonians Israel oppressed
have been no Saviour no Emanuel no declared free grace no gracious design in God to open experimentally to Men and Angels the wonder of Christ and free grace but that must come upon the Soveraign Lord by some bide-by design of nature and created free will 3. Were influences at our disposal we might make our prayers only to our own free will who only can by this way hear and help but we pray to God only for quickning determining leading and stirring up influences and for effectual teaching and influences are in a good hand when the matter is so 4. The unregenerate as in Shepherd's select Cases page 96. pag. 102. are not within the compass of any conditional promise though in Baxter's Append. to Aphor. to Obj. 10. 11. p. 28. he puts a note of censure on it for if the new heart were in the power of Cain and Judas and this were holden forth to all and every one of mankind run well and win the crown of conversion and of the life of grace and of glory For 1. You have sufficient grace to win it 2. You have the influences of grace at your own disposal and power be you Brasilian Indian or what else Then were all men made independent Lords of salvation and damnation and of the holy and deep decrees of Election and Reprobation And if so there were not such a thing as a decree of Reprobation but as a sort of over-birth and a decree of some after-wit in the holy Majesty of God after he were disappointed of his former Gospel-decree of choosing all to glory who wisely yea out of his manifold wisedom willed and decreed all to be saved so they would use the universal power and the influences of grace well as they might and could but unto what God should such make their prayers whether to God the Father of our Lord Jesus or to themselves I cannot divine 5. If so be influences be at mans disposal could he kisse the Mediator stoop to free grace and adore it praise and sing his glory who sits upon the Throne and commend the Lamb who redeemed sinners out from among lost sinners 6. In reason we can no more time and dispose of the measure manner and kind of our own comforts and of the kind and measure of the Lord's influences then the Earth can dispose of the quantity of rain and dew and herbs corn or growing trees can determine of the influences of the Sun Moon and Heavens The third Classe of Answers to the Lord 's restrained way of giving of grace and to him who says Had I more grace I should be more holy must be taken from the holy attributes of God for this quarrel why would not the Lord make me holier and let out richer influences of grace is a reproaching of his Soveraignty He makes not all the lumps of the great masse of clay vessels of honour that is true Nor have they all alike nearness to the Throne of glory or the like measure of glory that are in Heaven nor alike measure of gifts all are not Apostles nor alike measure of grace and holiness nor are they all equally poor or equally rich or equally wise and learned or equally believing in the same measure of assurance the same measure of joy For when Paul disputes thus he hath mercy on whom he will and hardens whom he will it comes to this Why doth he then find fault it is not in him that runs and wills if the Lord would effectually call us Jews we should run and will and obey as vigorously as the Gentiles doe But the Lord doth not so call us therefore he cannot rebuke us or find fault with us that we believe not and receive not the Messiah and the righteousnesse of God through faith which is the very Objection in hand 2. As the Objection is against the Soveraignty of God so it is against the infinite wisedom of God Why should the infinitely wise Lord knowing if Judas and all the disobedient refusers of Christ had the same grace and influences of grace bestowed upon them which he freely bestowed on his own they would have obeyed deny that grace and these influences he knowingly denies them After the Apostle in three Chapters hath discussed this Rom. 11. 33. he acknowledges there is a deep in it O the depth of the riches both of the wisedom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements and his ways past finding out No wonder it be a depth to me but there is no more deep in it if all have universal sufficient grace and if all have the influences of grace in their power then this is no depth He that believes shall be saved he that believes not shall be condemned and God rewards those who seek him I deny not there is a depth in all God's ways in the industry of a Pismire of a Coney of a Locust yea how the bones grow in the womb of her that is with child But because the Apostle having discoursed of Election and Reprobation and of the Righteousness of Faith and of the Law Rom. cap. 9. c. 10. and of the casting off the Jews for a time and the incomming of the Gentiles Rom. 11. and then concludes ver 33. O the depth both of the riches and knowledge of God c. there must be another sort of profundity in the words to humane reason then that wisedom of God shining in the works of Creation and providence Rom. 1. 19 20. Psal 92. 5 6 7. Psal 107. 43. Psal 58. 10 11 c. Now the Doctors of universal grace and such as submit election and reprobation obedience to the call of God and disobedience and all the influences of grace to the determination of free will arise no higher then the depths of mans willing and nilling As also the Objector in this saith God might have more honour and service of me if so it had pleased him and what is this but God would be wiser should he bestow grace and the influences of grace on me and all mankind for even such Arminians who cannot deny but God foresees what motions and influences shall prevail with free will what not are burthened with this doubt as we are if mans carnal wisedom be judge 3. This is a complaining against the free grace of God there is a sort of grace of Creation and a Comet or a Star is here left to complain why made not the Lord me a shining Sun and the Thistle must challenge God why made he not me a Fig-tree or a Vine-tree are not here beggars at the Lord's door boasting the Lord because they get not an Almes of begged and borrowed being after their own carnal will So here what ebness of grace was this that the Lord would not bestow the same influences of grace on Beelzebub the prince of divels before he fell as upon the Angel Gabriel and the Seraphims who flie with wings to doe his will and cover
that be said by Isa 40. 13. Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord or being his counsellour hath taught him Ver. 14. With whom took he counsell who instructed him and taught him in the path of judgement and taught him knowledge and shewed him the way of understanding Or what needs that Job 21. 22. Shall any teach God knowledge seeing he judgeth things that are high What a God is an unknowing God who needs a lesson from the creature or from some higher God and then who taught that other God who is supposed to be higher then the most high what a carnal mind is this that chaseth the Almighty God out of the world 4. What doe they who curse the day the stars the twilight the birth as Job chap. 3. A gracious heart saith let the Lord be the Lord and closes with all the attributes of God and with all the influences of Omnipotency wisedome goodness and justice on men and of love mercy grace bounty forbearance to the Saints and to their own soul this is to sing mercy and to sing judgement whereas its a note of Atheisme to wish and vote out of the world God his attributes and all the acting and influences of mercy justice truth grace soveraignty and to say It s not the Lord the Lord can neither doe good neither can be doe evil Zeph. 1. 8. So would we beware to fight with the Lord's dispensations of grace he is Lord and Soveraign disposer of his own comforts whether we look upon comforts as duties commanded 2 Thes 5. 17. Jer. 31. 15. or as a reward of duties from the Lord Rom. 15. 4. Psal 27. 14. 2 Thes 2. 16. Isa 66. 13 14. he is the Lord of all influences to work in us to will and to doe and Master of his own rewards The Lord is Master of his own love-visits and is neither debtor to the man Christ nor to the elect Angels yea the Lord 's saving influences go along with his free decree of Election and look as the Lord of nature preserves the speces of Roses of Vine-trees though this or that individual rose or vine-tree may wither and be blasted so he holds on the work of believing praying of hoping and persevering to the end though there may be a miscarrying in this or that particular act of faith and some deadness in praying hic nunc And as in a great work of a water-mill some one of the wheels may be broken and yet the Mill is kept a going and the Ship still under sayl though some instrument or other be wanting and laid aside for a while So when there is a withdrawing of feeling of a presence in praying as Cantic 5. 6. I called him but he answered me not yet influences flow in another duty of praising ver 10. My Beloved is white and ruddy and the chief among ten thousand And when there are withdraw-drawings of God as touching vigourousness of believing Why art thou disquieted O my soul c. yet are there very large outlettings of God in love-sickness and strong desires after the Lord Psal 42. 2. My soul thirsteth for God for the living God So is it that some River which floweth a far other way in a new cutted out Channel the former being dried up So the bloud runs in another vein and still furnisheth strength to the body nor is there cause to complain as if all strength were gone for when the afflicted man eats ashes for bread and drinks tears the heart is withered as grass and the mans bones are burnt as an hearth Psal 102. the flood breaks out in another corner Ver. 12. But thou O Lord shalt endure for ever and thy remembrance unto all generations V. 19. He looks down from Heaven 20. To hear the groaning of the Prisoner to loose them that are appointed for death There is some spiritual compensation in the Lord 's forbidding the wind to blow in one earth when it strongly blows in another Some deadned deserted ones are much meekned and made to speak out of the dust and fed and fatned also with hunger yea if it were but lying at the gate of Christ and knocking though no answer at all be returned it hath much of Christ in it in other considerations deadness may be on and want of holy vigorous acting of faith and yet spiritual complainings yea and with the complainings fervent praying Psal 119. 25. My soul cleaveth unto the dust quicken thou me according to thy word Ver. 28. My soul melteth for heaviness strengthen me according to thy word Ye would judge righteously of the Lord and see whether or no ye complain without cause for though there be fainting yet there is hoping Psal 119. 81. My soul fainteth for thy salvation but I hope in thy word Some children are always malecontent and still weeping nothing in the house can please them it s the fault of some greedy wretches who have abundance and yet still complain of want It were good to turn our censuring of the Lord's providence into complaining of our own evil hearts it follows humble and diligent obedience that hath sweetness of submission Psal 119. 165. Great peace have they that keep thy Law and nothing shall offend or as the word is stumble their feet There is a heart-covenanting with God when the man saith God shall doe nothing that shall stumble me his killing of me his casting me out of his presence into hell shall not offend me Job 1. 22. 2 Sam. 16. 10. The man Christ could be broken or offended at nothing whether the traytor sell him or the disciples forsake him or the Jews apprehend him or the souldiers spit on his face or Pilate condemn him or the people nod the head shoot out the lip and mock him there is nothing can break Christ but the Scriptures must be fulfilled in Christ's sufferings If the Lord slay Aaron's sons Aaron holds his peace Let me be rained upon with showres of influences from Heaven or let my fleece be dry and let me be a bottle in the smoke yet there is no unrighteousness with God and in him is no darkness Ah I am dead but the Lord guides well ah he is a Lion to me and a Leopard but the Lord is good to the soul that waits for him The man that stumbles least at the sins of others and their falls is the man nearest to God's heart Psal 18. 18. They prevented me in the day of my calamity They wronged me ver 25. But I kept my self from my iniquity and what can ye say against his withdrawings will ye make it a quarrel that he hides his face there is a deep of soveraignty between the Lord 's withdrawing from Hezekiah and Hezekiah's pride God hardens Pharaoh's heart and Pharaoh hardens his own heart Joshua 11. 19 20. Isaiah 57. 17. Psalm 81. 11 12. Qu. But what shall be done under deadness Ans 1. If there be any life life helps life the one
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
and he rejoycingly triumphed over death In a moment there may come in a carnal disposition and drown and quench the smoaking and flaming of an heavenly kindling We might draw down rich influences and sweet actual breathings which are connatural and suitable to spiritual and supernatural influences the Lord though his liberty in breathing when and where he will be admirable yet should we more vigorously improve ordinances and specially promises for ordinarily the Lord would let out more of his breathings did we more improve the habits of grace and sure he that trades not at all with his stock may become poorer and we might make influences more near to us for the habit of grace is nearest of kindred of any thing else to the actual breathings of the Lord and the only culpable cause of our not growing in grace and augmenting of the habit of grace is our own sinful sluggishness CHAP. IV. Now the third particular we proposed to speak to was the connexion between the habits of grace and actual breathings and how we may by using habits fetch home the breathings of the Spirit The habit of grace is to be considered two ways 1. In order to God 2. In its own nature In order to God 1. The Father 2. The Son 3. The Spirit 1. IN order to God and his holy decree if the Lord ordain a certain number to glory and upon that account bestow the habit of grace upon these so chosen then God who doth nothing in vain when he creates powers and habits must intend to send influences to act upon these powers and habits as when God creates the Sun a heavenly body which is apt to move to send forth heat and light he must intend by constant law and decree to joyn his influences to the moving and shining of the Sun otherwise if he had created these heavenly bodies never to be acted upon for the sending forth of their vertues of light heat motion he had created Sun and Stars in vaiâ— â—o if the husbandman make a plough and never make use of it for tilling the ground and make a sickle and never put it in act for reaping he must have made the plougâ— and the sickle in vain If the Lord pour the habit of grace and supplication upon the house of David then have the inhabitants of Jerusalem who have received that gâ—ace ground of faith and hope that the Lord shall suitâ—bly to his intended end and begun work bestow saving influences on them to believe and repent to look on him by faith whom they have pierced and mourn over Christ whom they have slain by their sins as a man mournes and is in bitterness for his first-born Zech. 12. 10. otherwise the Lord bestowes that habit of grace in vain which we are not to imagine of the only wise Lord Psal 89. 47. If the Lord pour water upon the thirsty ground and his Spirit upon the seed of Jacob the nature of husbandry which joyns end and meanes requireth that he joyn to the new heart and new spirit influences for the growing of the seed of Jacob as the willows by the water courses and that he lead the trembling hand at the pen and give influences of grace to swear and subscribe that they shall be the Lords maried land joyned to him in a perpetual covenant Isa 44. 3 4 5. 2. The graciousness of the Lords holy nature revealed Exod. 34. 6. The Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth to fallen man for he hath revealed no pardoning grace and mercy to fallen Angels nor is that the scope of Moses Exo. 34. or of the Scripture any where Now if so he as the Lord is under some necessity upon supposal that he created men and Angels to declare his pure immixed justice in the fallen Angels so by some necessity of decency suitable to his goodnesse and holy nature he must choose some to glory and give them inherent habits of grace that he may carry them to heaven in a way of voluntary obedience so that upon supposal he hath so declared himself to Angels and men there must be glorious emanations and out-goings of free grace both to ordain some to glory and beautifie them with the habit of faith to believe in him that justifies the sinner and habits of sanctification I say upon supposal he so reveal himself in his word otherwise absolutely and simply the the contrary order that he had placed fallen Angels in mans room and men in the place of fallen Angels had been as just and good as that which now is 3. The holy Lord gives some to Christ and his enduing them with grace to come and giving to them of his free grace the habit of faith it 's an engaging of the holy Lord to give influences suitable to the habit upon the very account that the Lord make over a man to Christ and create his own image in him he intends to make him an honourable vessel in his house and to adorn the man so gifted to Christ as when the Lord builds a house he minds that some shall dwell in it And 2. the great designe of free grace in Christ must in these two bring him under a holy necessity to bring his many children to glory for the decree of election is an act of the three persons John 10. 16. Other sheep I have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and they are not yet in his actual possession but he hath an actual right to them I have paid a ransome for them them also I must bring in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christ is under a necessity of driving them in then is Christ under a necessity of a decree common to him with the Father and the Spirit to breath upon and cherish the habit of grace that his great designe of free grace in the work of redemption may stand sure and attain its graciously designed end as also he is 2. Under an official and mediatory necessity to the chosen to bestow on them the freely given habit of grace and so I judge with reverence of the judgment of others that Christ hath an advocation and office of intercession for the elect even such as are not yet actually converted not that he extends the same acts of advocation to the chosen converted and to the chosen not yet converted 1. Because Christ as Mediator and high Priest prayes for them and so that habits of grace and influences may be bestowed on them John 17. 20. Neither pray I for these alone but for them also which shall believe on me through their word Nor can it be said that Christ intends not they should reap any mediatory fruit of his prayer till they be born and actually believe for he prayes and intercedes for their conversion and faith they yet being in nature and unrenewed for that is true in some sense Christ prays for their faith actual when it is in being and shall actually
mildly p. 1 c. 12. p. 101 Whether by prayer or any other way we may wrestle out from under Gods desertions p. 1. c. 12. p. 109 Influences are given of God to various temptation p. 1 c. 12. p. 110 It s a gracious temper to weep when the Lord is absent or angry p. 1. c. 13. p. 113 Christs absence is sometimes as good as his presence p. 1 c. 13. p. 118 Sâ—metimes we may pray again the degree of God but it s not lawfull to resist his commanding will p. 1. c. 13. p. 120 We may weep over our own dry hearts when we want Influences but we cannot weep against the Lord because he gives not those Influences p 1. c. 13. p. 121 We are to meet all conditions of life with cloasing with Gods holy dispensations p. 2. c. 1. p. 123 The word is the rule of doing the spirit the real efficient cause p. 2. c. 1. p. 127. How the Lord can lay by a command supernatural duties on men impotent and dead in sin p. 2. c. 2. p 129. God in creating man is both a Creator and also a law giver p. 2 c 2. p. 138 We are to be humbled for sin original p. 2. c. 2. p. 140 How to fetch Influences p. 2. c. 3. p. 142 The fetching of Influences is by supernatural actings by the word and spirit idem How the Lord brings himself under a sort of necessity of conferring gracious Influences p. 1. c. 2. p. 147 A considerable difference betwixt the Lords promise of grace and his practise of grace p. 2. c. 3. p. 148 Civil professors are nearer to conversion and to Christ then the openly profane and flagitious p. 2. c. 3. p. 149 It requires of the dead that they live and that we must not cease from running when the Lord ceases from drawing p. 2. c. 3. p. 152 It s a sinful shift to put away duties because of indisposition p. 2. c. 3. p. 154 We are to pray away indisposition as a great affliction p. 2. c. 3. p. 155 Influence of grace are due to the saints by promise p. 156 The Lord hath given Influences by necessity of a promise idem The three persons the Father the Son and Spirit give Influences p. 2. c. 5. p. 159 The fulnesse of Influences on the man Christ ib. fluences p. 2. c. 5. 159 Christ hath the dispensing of prederminating Influences by office and covenant p. 2. c. 5. p. 161 The Influences in the Son are all for our use and good p. 2. c. 5. p. 163 The Influences of the spirit are mainely to be eyed if any have the spirit he cannot want the Influences of God p. 2. c. 6. p. 164 The glorious things which the spirit of God shews p. 2. c. 6. p. 165 The Spirit prevents nature nature prevents not the Spirit p. 2. c. 6. p. 169 We are to pray for Influences p. 2. c. 6. p. 170 Obedience is to be yeilded to the Spirit as to the Father and the Son p 2. c. 7. p. 173 Much renewal will is a note of a spiritual disposition idem There is four expressions in Scripture of wrongs we do to the Spirit 1 Vexing 2. Quenching 3 Tempting 4. Resisting p. 2. c. 7. p. 176 How to improve spiritual feelings p. 2. c. 7. p. 183 Watching is a spiritual condition and near to receive gracious Influences p. 2. c. 7. p. 184 To converse with the Saints is a mark of a spiritual condition p. 2. c. 7. p. 186 Spiritual conference frequently used speaks a spiritual condition p. 2. c. 7. p. 189 The Contents of the third part SOme influences are from God some from Satan Part 3. Ch. 1. Pag. 189 Satan keeps correspondence with the heart p. 191 It s not lawful to dispute with Satan yet with his instrument we may p. 192 Christ sought neither the temptation nor the tempter p. 193 Difference betwixt Satans instruments and these of the Lord p. 194 Christ under a necessitie of giving sanctifying influences ib. Moral and physical influences 195 Moral influences that are only moral are weak ib. Ordinary and extraordinary influences 296 Prophetical influences ib. It is dangerous to resist strong light and the influences thereof p. 197 Private and publick Church-influences ib. Strong influences under the Messiah in the New Testament p. 199 Gospel-influences are strong p. 200 Some influences are for the habit some for the actings of grace some for both p. 201 Influences proper to the head Christ and influences on the members p. 202 Mediatory influences are some way due to the broken in heart and what sort they of right have thereto A four-fold right to influences is considerable p. 203 Strong and mighty influences in Christ p. 204 Gospel-providence how far above the Law-providence of Adam p. 205 Mr Gee treats of prayer Sect. 4. p. 187 188 195. p. 207 Influences of Christ fundamental and not fundamental ib. The comfortable necessity that lies on Christ to confer influences of grace p. 208 Influences not fundamental not simply necessary p. 209 Influences of grace for the habit of saving grace and influences for a gift p. 210 How we may know when we act pray or hear c. from a gift and when we act from a grace p. 210 Some pray from a meer gift when they mistakingly imagine they pray from the saving habit of grace the mistake is habitual in hypocrites only actual hic nunc to sound believers p. 211 Grace sanctifies the gift used in all due and spiritual circumstances but the gift can never sanctifie the grace p. 213 The same word but not the same influences act upon all within the visible Church p. 214 We are not to rest upon the actings from a gift but watchfully to try when we act from a gift and when from a grace ib. Differences from the influences of grace and these of glory p. 221 The habit of grace is a permanent disposition ch 2. p. 222 The habit of grace is given through the merit and grace of Christ p. 223 From the habit of grace we perform suitable actings p. 224 Vital actions flow from supernatural habits p. 225 The difference of the habit of grace from other habits p. 226 We are to follow holy resolutions with prayer 2 godly trembling 3 faith 227 The falshood of â—owes ib. A strong habit of grace produces easie and connatural and strong actings of grace p. 229 Actions supernatural and influences suitable are some way due to the habit of grace cap. 3. p. 232 Sometimes the habit of grace is qualified with heavenly dispositions p. 233 We should pursue the dispositions of grace when they are added to the habit with spiritual actings p. 234 We are to stir up the habit of grace though deadned ib. The Lord by infusing the habit of grace comes under some necessitie to give suitable influences thereunto cap. 4. p. 235 Divers necessities under which the Lord is to confer influences of grace p. 236 Christ advocates
Jer. 31. 31. Ezech. 36. 26. Heb. 8. 8 9 10. for though the Lord of free grace give wicked free-will may refuse to receive the new heart 11. The faithfulness and power of God interposed in the promise of perseverance 1 Joh. 4. 4. Joh. 10. 27 28. 1 Pet. 1. 5. Jude v. 24. Eph. 5. 25 26 27. Isa 54. 10. Isa 59. 20 21. Jer. 32. 39 40. must be broken if free-will may resile from God and disanul and resist all the actings of God in bringing many sons to glory 12. There can be no place to infinite wisedome free grace pardoning mercy to the merits of Christ in dying to bring us to God 1 Pet. 3. 18. in delivering and redeeming us from a present evil world Gal. 1. 4. from all iniquity Tit. 2. 14. from our vain conversation 1 Pet. 1. 18. that we should live unto righteousness 1 Pet. 2. 24. as wisedome grace mercy are effectually experienced in sinners if it be in free-wills independent power to admit or reject the saving actings of God in these let any teach and shew a midst betwixt the Lords granting of effectual grace to any one rather then to another from his absolute dominion will and differencing grace and predeterminating grace 4. Since the Adversaries grant that the concurrence of God to the entitative act of sinning is causative they are obliged to roll away the stone and to clear to us how the Lord is not as well by their way the joynt and collateral cause of sin hallowed be his Name as he is the praedeterminating cause as is pretended by our way for Francis Silevias Lo. Meratins Schoolmen not to be despised with reason say If he be the cause of theft who concurs and consents and helps a man to climb in at a window to steal no less then he who praedetermines the man to steal by either command or counsel or then by reall efficiency then must the holy Lord be judged the cause of Adam's first act of sinning as it is an act both the one way and the other 5. Neither does the concurrence or non-concurrence either way hurt the natural way of free-wills working though the Author make out-crys O here be three necessities what if there be four or ten the Author well knows the learned of both ways teach there be divers necessities that hurt not freew ill 6. Neither is it to be forgotten that the Lords saving concurrence to bring the Elect to glory is of an higher and more excellent nature then the influence of God to Adam For that influence to Adam was 1. connatural and not the fruit of Christs merit as are saving influences in Christ 2. That influence to Adam was not given to Adam as praedestinated to obtain the Law-reward of life I judge Adam was not praedestinate to any such Law-life but to obtain life and pardon in the satisfactory death of Christ Nor 3. was that influence given to Adam in order to perseverance for perseverance was commanded indeed to Adam but it was neither promised of God to him nor was it ever in the purpose or decree of God to bestow it on him therefore Gods influence to Adam's obedience must be a far lower and weaker causality then the saving influences of Christ It was said by me that God withdrew his influence from Aâ—am who in the same moment was willing to want it not that Adam formally refused it but that materially interpretatively and in his actual consenting to sin he refused it The Adversary crys out but soft words and strong and hard Arguments were best It is questioned saith he whether Adam 's will to eat was before the Lords denial of his influence or posterior and later then the denial or at once it is of no moment whether they were at once in time they dare not say before because then Adam had sinned before he sinned if his will to eat be posterior to the want of God's influence there is manifestly an antecedent necessity therefore Dr. Tuiss saith they were coexistent in the same moment of nature and so the necessity yet stands Ans Armini in his collation with Junius could have made this Argument stronger But 1. The Lord by order of nature withdraws his influence and in the same moment of time which is of great moment Adam sins and refuses the influence And it follows not that Adam sins before he sins nor follows it that Adam sins by any necessity destructive to the liberty of the will yea it is a necessity helping and aiding freedome because the Lord withdraws no influence from Adam against his will but in the same moment of time that the Lord withdraws his influence from Adam to the act Adam withdraws his consent to the act virtually subscribes to the wanting of the influence of God The Adversary is most angry at the distinction as dark and not intelligible and says it cannot be taught the people why The want of the influence of God by order of nature is before the virtual and interpretative merit of wanting that influence if the virtual merit be an evil merit malum meritum or a sin so it must be posterior and later then the want of Gods influence and not before it but it is like a fiction that there be two demerits in Adams sin one culpable another unculpable Ans 1. It is still said by me that the want of divine influence by order of nature is before Adam's sin 2. It is not theologically spoken that the merit of sin reatris penae is sin or evil it 's a fiction that the merit of sin is either culpable or unculpable it 's rather good and an obligation to wrath and a consequent of sin and is not sin No merit of reward is either formally obedience but posterior to obedience nor is a merit or demerit of punishment is formally sin but posterior to sin Christ is liable to punishment for our sins and as an ingaged surety debet puniri ought to be punished for our sins that were laid on him Isa 53. 6. 2 Cor. 5. 21. Gal. 3. 13. but there was formally and inherently no sin in Christ nor any evill or any thing culpable in Christ 3. Adam's virtual consenting to want the influence of God was his very first sin formally he who refuses to stand and wilfully falls he virtually refuses a staff or a pillar to lean upon he who formally wanders he virtually hates his guide and leader he who formally loves darkness and practically walks therein he virtually hates light and desires virtually that the light should not have shined on him and so he who willingly falls and willingly shuâ—s his eyes virtually deserved the staff should have been taken from him and that the Sun should not have shined on him he who willingly wanders out of the way doth virtually deserve to be depraved of his guide and who so wanders are said to despise the word of the Lord their guide and rule So
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
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
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
Soveraignty dispose of hearts to harden them but his outgoings of soveraignty are not always to destroy 2. Our great ones are so far above the bloud the cries and sufferings of the needy let the poor die in the pit they have an higher imployment then to lend their heart to lodge thoughts of compassion toward the afflicted Amos 6. 1 2 3 4. greatness dispises the desolation of the poor but Job 36. 5. Behold God is mighty and dispiseth not any saith Elihu Psal 69. 33. The Lord despiseth not his prisoners why and is he not above their tears yea 34. let Heaven and Earth praise him then must he be great and high above the mourners yet he owns their tears Psal 102. 19 20. 3. And the Lord's Soveraignty hinders him not to give a sort of reckoning of his doings Isa 5. Judge between me and my vineyard Mich. 6. 3. O my people what have I done to thee often pride hindereth sinful soveraigns to ease the heart of the oppressed with a reason of their deeds 2. What is Soveraignty its his superexcellent Highness by which his holy Will essentially wise and just is a Law and Rule to himself to doe what he pleaseth holily wisely most freely But why doth the Lord drive Cart-wheels over the bones of his people let alone he will not doe it always and say it were so This cometh forth from the Lord of hosts which is wonderful in counsel and excellent in working Isa 28. 29. a godly heart is smitten with the wisdome and authority of holy soveraignty why is Jerusalem spoiled and why are the Nations at ease holy Soveraignty should meeken and silence all men Zech. 2. 13. Be silent O all flesh before the Lord supreme Soveraignty cannot erre and the faith of this quiets the heart under all sufferings Hezekiah Isa 38. 15. What shall I say he hath spoken to me and himself hath done it Divels and Men are to be looked on as passive rods there is no principle of life in the Rod in the Sword to lift up themselves against us they are Wheels rolled about by holy Soveraignty Ah the Physician slew my child the wicked enemy slew the father and the son the malicious rail against me but not any of these dumb Rods did move themselves the Lord bids Shimei curse David the Lord sends the Assyrians against the Nation of his fury Consider the Copy holy Jesus Matth. 26. puts three Seals three Subscriptions to one blanck and sad bill of Wrath Nevertheless not my will but thy will be done How was he the formost in the journey to Jerusalem to suffer as willing that his Bloud be Ink and his Soul and Body sheets of Paper on which might be written as it were to be read by Men and Angels for all Eternity the Glory and Justice of spotless Soveraignty and he who said Amen to the Curse teacheth us if God should say I have no delight in thee to consent 2 Sam. 15. 26. and say here am I let him doe to me as seemeth good to him The wishes of Moses and Paul who desire their parts in the Book of Life and of Christ to be laid in pawn for the shining of the glory of the Lord in saving of many and that expression of David saith that a gracious submission to Soveraignty will bring the man to this Let him doe to me what seems good in his eyes if he say he hath no delight in me well let Angels and Men Read and Sing the Glory of the Lord in the flamings of the holy Soveraignty and spotless Justice of God in my torment and it becomes me consentingly to lay my soul as a threshing floor under his eternal smitings and to judge I owe a spirit to be eternal oyl and fire-wood to eternally revenging wrath The Children of God know how hardly Faith can command Sense to come up to the obligation of receiving in the bosome with kissing and adoring the firie indignation of the Lord. Yet are we to drink with Christ the Cup of sad absence and his holy withdrawings Heman hath come near this and David and Jonah all thy waves have gone over me thy wrath lies hard upon me and yet hear savoury prayers speaking the rejoycing and kissing of soveraignty and prayers comming out of the furnace of Hell Ps 88. 1. O Lord God of my salvation I cry day and night before thee What cries of Faith out of the bowels of a Sea of wrath Jonah 2. 2. Out of the belly of Hell I cryed saith Jonah and waves of wrath all the waves all the waves of thy wrath are gone over me saith David Psal 45. 8. Yet the Lord will command his loving kindness in the day time and in the night his song shall be with me and my prayer unto the God of my life O how sweet are these tormenting pain and godly patience pining pain and sweet praises and psalms of Saveraignty The tormented man sings his own Hell in a Psalm sounding up to Heaven Psal 6. Psal 42. Psal 38. God smites me and I love God Psal 42. 7. All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me yet this Sea and all the waves of this Hell cannot quench heavenly love and the fire of thirsting after God v. 1. As the Hart panteth after the water brooks so panteth my soul after thee O God When fiery wrath is in its outgoing the Lord sends out wrath and Arrows that stick fast in the soul but David prays to an angry God he roars and burns in wrath I pray Psal 38. he casts on me waves of Hell I send up tears and cries to him Psal 6 1 6. he breaks me with breach upon breach and sore vexes my soul I believe and trust in his salvation Psal 18. 4 5 6. Thus its possible for a Saint to love his own fiery hell and receive the coals of flaming wrath in his arms for his holy Soveraign and glorious Name who is pleased so to deal with him and upon the Consideration that so it seem good to the only wise and soveraign Lord. But oh how unlike are we to a people in the furnace adoring the Lord in the outgoings of soveraign Justice when the Lord smites some murmure others swear lie whore oppress many mock godliness and hate it all go on to break the marriage-faith of a Land once betrothed to God and ah if the watchmen had not been guides to these who highly wronged Jesus Christ From the former follows patient silence and an use of our submission to his Soveraignty who withdraws his influences from us so as sinning follows thereupon Hence there is a great abuse of repentance which is bastard-repentance We grieve at the fair work of the Lord 's holy permissive providence and are not humbled at our foul sinning resulting by our own fault from such a providence See a Copy of a Law-sorrow repentance I call it not in Adam before any Gospel was heard of Gen. 3. 12.
Physician for sick sinners But except we seek a knot in a Rush 1. It s Adam's duty and all mankinds in him to stand obey and never sin and God wills this obligation to lie upon man as an eternally obliging duty And this is true even now and eternally Adam ought never to have sinned 2. God never willed Adam nor commanded him in Law or Gospel either absolutely or comparatively to put the Lord to seek a remedy or a Saviour to satisfie for us or to pardon sin we read of no such will 3. Nor is it fit to say that the Lord had rather David committed adultery and murther by God's permission and be pardoned for it then not to commit it for if this be meant of the commanding will of God no man can justly charge us with putting such contradictory wills upon God as also its unpossible that God can will the adultery of David to be by any other will then his will of purpose and hloy decree And then 4. The righteous Lord loves righteousnesse yet the Lord absolutely and simply willed rather the holy free submissive obedience of the second Adam to be then he wills the final obedience of the first Adam and he wills more the manifestation of the glory of his free grace pardoning mercy revenging justice in that excellent of the most excellent our Emanuel then the legislative glory of Adam and all his possible final obedience and the Lord wills no end rather then his own glory but the Lord never commands us to will but what he approveth and its needless to enquire whether a more eminent declarative glory could be then that which is the delight of the Lord's soul the pleasure of the Lord love greater then any man hath the rejoycing of the Lord loved and desired to be read looked unto with wondring and adoring by the holy Angels nor can any inherent righteousness of man please the Lord in any imaginable measure and manner as the obedience of Christ in offering himself to God through the eternal Spirit Heb. 4. 14. And if it be true that lost man gains more in the second Adam Christ Jesus then he lost in the first Adam clear it is that there is no comparison between the declarative glory of the Gospel to wit the glory of the humble willing and eminently and admirably excellent obedience of Christ God-man in dying tali modo and the declarative glory of the Law 2 Cor. 3. or between the glory of the righteousnesse of God through saith and the glory of the inherent righteousness through the grace of God for the righteousness of God through faith must be more excellent then the righteousness of man or then all the acts of man by grace believing hoping lovering repenting praying praising eternally in Heaven suffering of martyrdome and therefore it cannot be said that God would rather in an antecedent and principal intention have us to forbear sin and Adam to stand in Law-obedience then to put him to remedy sin and out of the greatest love of God to man to send his Son in the World to save sinners as if the intention and heart-purpose of God had been principally that the first Adam should stand and all in him and the Court of the Law of Works should be for ever and that the Lord in a second intention and as if it were compelled by a cross wind must sail into a next best and second harbour which yet undoubtedly is the excellentest and highest declarative glory of the Lord which the conceptions of Angels or Men can reach and was if I may so speak the eternal delight of the Lord while as yet he had not made the earth or the fields Pro. 8. 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31. though I am far from thinking that any thing without God doth conclude his holy Soveraignty yet the Lord's soul delighting in the holy obedience of Christ and the eternal declarative glory thereof shall be highest to me and in the hearts I conceive of the godly the most eminent revealed end and to Scripture 4. Neither is it better pleasing to God not to sin then when the man hath sinned to seek pardon for sin in the bloud of Christ I know not what Scripture so speaks or so teacheth both the one and the other is the approving and commanding will of God and if the Gospel be more glorious and excellent then the Law 2 Cor. 3. as it must be the seeking of a pardon is a duty commanded in the Gospel and Covenant of grace and not sinning is as such an act commanded in the poor and simple Covenant of works given to Adam I shall heartily yield to sin upon hope of pardon if any intelligent pure and only Antinomians so teach is utterly unlawful but upon supposition that the person is a sinner it is a more gracious act of obedience yea more glorious if I may so speak to fly to our Sanctuary and Citie of refuge Jesus Christ upon Gospel-principles then upon Law-principles not to sin And thus must the comparison of betterness and excellency be made But the arguing seems to infer that it is our mind that God willeth us to desire and practically to will rather that Christ the Physician should appear in the declarative glory of grace mercy pardoning punishing justice then that we should practically will our own Law-odedience but this is forced on us and is not our mind but a wicked Principle of Libertines for we ought rather to obey the Law and practically to will final obedience to the Law of works and eschew sinning as Hell rather then desire and with a more intense and a stronger practical will seek the incarnation of God for that practical will can never be in us without sinning Yea 4. It is a shame to compare together the righteousness of God and we are in Christ made this righteousness of God 2 Cor. 5. 21. and the inherent mixt imperfect righteousness of a renewed man for the one needs no pardon and the other is sinful and as menstruous cloaths without a pardon Isa 64. 6. I mean not that the believing praying c. of the regenerate are formally and in the substance of the act sins but by accident they are sinful and polluted but even in the substance of the act they are nothing comparable to the acts of obedience in Christ which are every way complete and perfect according to the strictest rule of the Law of works Yea 5. It s a false ground to say that by justification or remission of sins as some say but they are not every way the same only the guilt of sin is removed or only deliverance from eternal punishment for Christ's dying and satisfying is ours he dying in our stead and place and we dying in him legally not physically and so are we not only by his satisfaction which is made ours and by faith applyed to us negatively freed from Hell but positively righteous
the body of the World or great All and the highest Heaven round about Isa 40. 12 17. the number of Angels good and evil of men of beasts birds fishes creeping things he tells the number of the Stars whether odd or even and calleth them by their names Psal 147. 4. and Soveraignty could have made their number greater by seventy seven Millions so he knows the number of trees herbs flowers leaves of trees piles or threds of grass the number of actions motions intentions purposes of Men and Angels actual and only possible and impossible but never to fall out all the stirrings in Heaven and Earth Great is our Lord and of great power his understanding is infinite Psal 147. 5. 2. He decreed twelve thousand of every Tribe to be sealed a certain number for an uncertain he wrote so many not one more nor fewer Why are many called and few chosen the blessed number of Persons by Country House Head Name to be bought by the ransome of Christ's bloud is agreed upon between the Father and the Son not one more paid for and ransomed not one fewer the number of the Citizens were agreed upon they are not moveable Tenants the Lord loves not to put out or to put in none can take your chair and Crown in Heaven it s a deep to consider how millions of millions of influences and stirrings the Soveraign Lord laid up beside himself from eternity to let out upon his hosts of Creatures and especially Men and Angels and a treasure of influences of grace are with him would we bring our witherednesse under these eternal dewings we should have more of the anointing 3. The Lord's Soveraignty decreed not things only but the connexion of things as between Bread and Wine used according to the Lord's Institution and the broken Body and shed bloud of Christ they suit not together of their own Nature and Essentially therefore by the intervening will of God 2. In things of remote nature this is seen 2 Kings 13. 19. If thou had smitten the ground five or six times then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou had consumed it whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice The connexion of the Kings smiting of the ground and of smiting of the Syrians is not from the nature of the things themselves but from the free appointment of God if Christ talk with the woman of Samaria and ask of her a Drink of water he shall convert her and the Samaritans before he leave her If Job be spoiled he shall humbly submit himself to God and bless him There may be more or less conveniency between the things but all the connection of things in this kind might in their contraries have been as true if so holy Soveraignty had appointed 3. He who decrees the existence of things in time and place he decrees the co-existence of the same things Now that Joseph should be the subject matter of killing or selling when the Ishmalites came by and that Ahasuerus cannot sleep in the night when that very passage of the Persian Chronicle must be read in the which is the story of Mordecai's loyal revealing the treason was from him and they were tied together by no nature of things by no influences of Planets and Stars but by the Soveraign will of God now the co-existence of things is a real event of providence as is clear It s from the Lord that Peter and Paul lived together in the same age and time and Abraham and David lived not together and from the holy decree of God that Jezebels body be cast out when there is none willing to bury her and from the holy decree of God that the Souldiers came with Spears to break the Legs of Christ and that they find him dead and so break not one bone of him yea the existence and living and acting of all things and the co-existence living and working together of them are from the same providence of God or then from nature or from the blind fortune neither of which we can say and who appoints the meeting of two Seas or the meeting of two Rivers or of two Men at the same place or that the new Star should be in Cassiopeia rather then in another part of the Firmament doth not David bless the Lord who sent Abigail to meet him with a counsel of peace then must these confluences and co-existences of things be written in the Lord's book and so decreed Psal 139. 16. and from the Creator God as the efficient and for God and his glory as the end Rom. 11. 36. Rev. 4. 11. Prov. 16. 4. 5. The wisedom of God so appoints as means for his end that black and white should be in the same body for beauty the poor and the rich the full and the hungry to try the charity of the rich and patience of the poor that some should weep some sing and rejoyce at the laying of the foundation of the second Temple Ezra 3 6. Some of these are acts of mercy Jesus cometh by the way and two blind men sit by the way Matthew Zacheus are in such places and Christ comes by and saves both the one and the other 7. Some are acts of justice as the falling of a piece of a milstone by a womans hand and Abimelech's near approaching to the Tower that a woman might kill him who might twenty other ways have died if the Lord did not rule all the going of Achab to the war 2. The arrow at a venture shot at Achab and passing by hundreds 3. The arrow directed to the one only naked part of his body 4 The washing of the wounds in such a Pool in the field of Jezreel 5. The Dogs licking of the bloud of Achab are all so linked together by the Lord 's holy and just Decree as this is clear if Achab go to the War against the Syrians the Dogs shall lick his bloud and he shall die in the battel 8. The administration of the means of salvation to Capernaum not to Tyrus and Sidon which would rather have repented then Capernaum does prove this is from the Lord if Peter hear the Lord shall effectually perswade him to believe if Cain Pharaoh Judas hear the Lord shall not effectually perswade them to believe The Lord commands reprobates to repent and believe if they would be saved yet did he never decree the belief repentance or salvation of any of them does not Soveraignty here shine who decrees the non-salvation of Judas and the non-effectual drawing of Judas to Christ which saith there be no property so called and bands of conditions lying upon the Lord if Judas repent he shall be saved as if a father promise to his son an hundreth Acres of land upon condition that the son pay him one hundreth shillings if the father only can and must furnish to the son the hundreth shillings and in the mean time deny the purpose in his heart to deny to furnish the hundreth shillings it
cannot be so strictly said that there is the tie and band of a proper condition lying upon the father though it doth lie upon the son And however the ways of the holy Lord be equal yet are they far above our ways and we are to be silenced at the bottomless depth of holy Soveraignty he lays obligations to duties upon us and is free from the debt of paying or bestowing the sum of gracious influences without which we willingly cannot perform these duties upon us and he may justly crave what we cannot pay when our impotency to pay is both our own and also goes along with our elective free chusing and hearty willingness and rejoycing not to pay and to want the sum which only the Lord can of free grace give us O the depth of the riches both of the wisedome and knowledge of God how unsearchable are his judgements and his ways past finding out Rom. 11. 33. To this head also I refer 4. That Soveraignty which hath place in chusing and calling Nations as Israel because he freely loves Deut 7. 7. Israel and their seed not other Nations Deut. 10. 7. he saith preach to Macedonia not to Bithynia and though afterward the Gospel came to Bithynia many deservedly perished old and young ere it came 5. It is admirable Soveraignty how many thousand possible plagues and evils he holds off such as millions of pests and diseases of Egypt and evil beasts Deut. 7. 15. Lev. 26. 6. why the Bones of Christ are not broken why a Dog stirs not a tongue against Israel why one only World not athousand worlds were created he appoints how long what number of minuts hours or years his own shall be in the Furnace the Lord stands beside as Master of the work eyes the melting what quantity of Hony or of Gall shal be in the Cup how many hours ye shall weep how many days or hours the Candle of the Almighty shall shine on your Tabernacle Then be humble when he shines and submissive at the time and measure of sufferings the evils that are holden off us before in their causes they be prepared when we know not should teach us to adore Soveraignty A friend that takes our defence when we are absent and an Advocate who answers for the sick and far distant client and not knowing that his cause is called and debated yea for an heir sucking the Breasts does call for much love and esteem Christ's care shines for Peter and the winnowed believers when he prays and intercedes that their faith fail not when they know not any such thing for a hid love moves much The Lord fences us we not knowing any such thing from drowning and our children in floods deep wells from burning quick from a Hell of torment in every tooth finger bone sinew artery lith member of the body of our selves of father mother son daughter and from spoyling captivity imprisonment gravels guts botches convulsions palsies possessions by Divels madness terror and agony of mind as many children drowned be not quick killed in the womb and perished in the first world and hundreds and millions of the like possible destructions are decreed to pass by me and you and do fall upon others by holy Soveraignties appointment 6. The due timing of the worlds Creation and of all things of time is from admirable Soveraignty why the world had not being ten thousand millions of imaginary ages sooner or so many ages later and from whence came this In the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth is a depth of Soveraignty its wonderful Angels and souls of Men are created eternal time cannot wast them the body of man though a creature drawn out of the same nothing is not so There is a Plant that grows a year only there is a Flower that smiles a moneth another three moneths some Roses are green in March some in May some in June only and there is a Tree that grows an hundred years The like disparity there is of the life of Beasts and Birds He hath appointed a time for every purpose under Heaven a time to be born a time to die and accordingly are there several outgoings and influences of the Lord. As 1. He will not have all the four Monarchies flourish at once in there rose and bloom but one to be greater another lesser as all Rivers are not alike nor can all Conquerors be victors at one time 2. The Lord lands some children after three moneths sucking laughing weeping others live some days in the Womb and the Womb is their grave yet often eternity is a recompence for want of time and that is Gold for Iron and Copper others sail fourscore and a hundred years and never find a gracious harbour We fret because the wicked live long and prosper because we forget that Soveraignty hath determined how many hours wicked men shall laugh how many talents or stone weights of the Earth they shall have and because the Bride weeps when shall the night be gone and the day dawn and the King come there is a sort of account rendred of this by John who had been prophecying of all the Vials of wrath to be poured on the Earth especially under the Anti-Christs reign Behold he comes quickly Rev. 1. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3. We complain of circumstances which are well timed by infinite wisedone should sickness and botches come upon Job when poverty had gone before Doth the Lord give an account of the substance or of the circumstances of his actions Job 33. 11. this ounce of Gall must be in or nothing the Child must be drowned in a Fountain and River when there are none to help Job was absent when God laid the corner stone of the Earth 4. The Lord times his actions of deliverance well when our strength is gone Deut. 32. 36. Gal. 4. 4. Exod. 12. 42. Jer. 29. 10. but we do badly time our sins They tempted him and provoked him but when at the red Sea and in the Wilderness Psal 78. 17. Exod. 14. Psal 106. 7. It was untimous sinning in such straits when their very moneth was come so as they could not fly from his hand CHAP. IX Of the Soveraignty of God in the works of Creation and Providence in other considerations 1. IN regard of the Lord's manner of working 2. And of his end of working 3. And of his omnipotent arm 4. Of his holiness he could not in greater wisedom have created things for nothing can be added to infinite wisedom and goodness so infinitenesse was at the creating of a worm as at the creating of the Angel Gabriel but in regard of things created he could have made a more perfect world then this and the Angel-nature mans nature the Sun Birds Beasts of more excellency as touching perfection both of nature and accidents then these that now are But here Soveraignty hath place 2. The foot should not complain why made he not me the head
they were born There is a temper of solid walkers by faith enjoying much peace yet not acquainted with great Spring-tydes nor with extreme low ebbs of the outlettings of the holy Ghost I speak not of Moses as a Prophet who saw God and whom the Lord knew face to face Deut 34. 10. 3. Some are led through fewer slips and fals as John the disciple who leaned on Jesus bosome excepting his fall of Angel-worship and some other few he seems not to be so high bended as Peter who in Satans place disswaded Christ from the working of our Redemption denyed the Lord with cursing did fouly Judaize Gal. 2. 4. And it were hard to make all the Prophets of Jonah's mould whose fear to preach to great Niniveh was extreme and yet his courage of faith and patience to be cast in the Sea with his own advise and consent was as great and his cruel selfishness to desire that all Niniveh old and young should be destroyed rather then his prophetical honour should be darkned in the least shews what a piece of man he was and his justifying his anger against God for a blast of wind on his head and the withering of a poor herb a gourd do all hold forth that God leads some in a way of influences beside the rest O how is our meek Lord troubled and to speak so cumbred to bear all our manners sinful tempers and humours 5. Nor are all Saints of the altitude of Elias his zeal a man much and wholly for God and fervent in prayer yet he seems to challenge more zeal to himself for the slain Prophets digged down Altars broken Covenant then was in the holy Lord himself and so prays that God would take away his life as if he were the last man of the true Church of God living on Earth and yet we read in all his sufferings no apprehension of the anger and indignation of God such as was in others 6. None are so trailed through Hell and fiery indignation as Job David Jeremiah Heman there appear in them some habitual mistakes of the love of God or rather because sinful acquired habits are scarcely to be found in the renewed more fixed inclinations to apprehend wrathfulness and Law-dispensation in God and few are led this way and the outlettings of influences of grace must be various here 7. Neither should it be strange if we might place Isaiah Ezekiel Daniel and others in a seventh class who had their own complainings One saying my leanness my leanness another fasting and walking in sackcloth for the sanctuaries desolation and yet most submissive to the holy dispensations of God In all which another mans compasse is not our rule of sayling nor is the Lord 's various dispensation to his children which is ordered by his decree and will of pleasure not by his commanding and approving will the Scripture rule that we are to follow in looking after Influences Every one would submit to be ordered of God he hath almost a various way of leading his own if the same compleat ransome the same Promises the same Guide and Steersman to Heaven be mine and the same hope of glory yet the manifestations of God the love visits the influences of grace are hardly the same It s then a faulty ground of some never one was like me none of my condition in the world since the Creation Every one thinks their own hell on earth the only hell 2. Nor should Christians be unwilling to know the spiritual condition one of another you may fall upon some in your very course and kind It s like David Psal 71. 7. Heman Psal 88. 15. the suffering Church Lam. 1. 12. Psal 102. 6 7. Elias 1 King 19. 10. Isaiah and Christ and the children of Christ who were wonders and signs Isa 8. 18. Heb. 2. 13. who were there alone as worlds wonders might judge themselves like no other though the man Christ could not mistake his own spiritual estate as to their case spiritual and God's dispensation towards them 8. The Soveraignty of God's dealing with consciences in the Old and in the New Testament is to be observed It is not 1. To be denyed but the desertions under the Law in some respect were more fiery and legal the typical dimness and darkness made them to see less love and more Law and lesse of Christ the seat of mercy and more of the curse and of wrath as the night darkness renders spirits and dreadful things more terrible 2. It was the purpose of God to awe generally that people more with Law-fear and bondage then his people under the New Testament But it is a wicked doctrine of some Anabaptists and others that all desertions are under the N. Testament cried down and gone and it is our legal mistake say they that works trouble of conscience under the N. Testament and an exercise of such as are under the Covenant of works though it may be said law-sorrow pursued these of the Old Testament but the Saints now are less passive and more active in pursuing sorrow according to God yet in another respect because of greatness of light and Gospel experiences and a higher measure of illuminations and spiritual presence in more abundance is promised and prophecied As that all shall be taught of God the Earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord the light of the Moon shall be as the light of the Sun and the light of the Sun as the light of seven days Jer. 31. 31 32 33. Isa 54. 11 12 13. Isa 11. 6 9. Ezec. 36. 26 27. Isa 44. 1 2 3 4. Joel 2. 28. Zech. 12. 10. under the New Testament therefore the desertion is the sadder Thirst near to the fountain is more intollerable so we read not in the N. Testament of one like unto Job chap. 3. c. 6. c. 16. c. 19 nor of such as David Psal 6. Psal 38. nor of Heman Psal 88. nor of the Church Psal 77. Psal 102. yet is there nothing harder then that of Paul 2 Cor. 1. we cannot say whether it was his persecution at Ephesus or some great sickness yet it is a most sad tryal ver 8. 9. 1. We was pressed out of measure 2. Above strength 3. In so much that we dispaired even of life 4. But we had the sentence of death in our selves and what ever be the kind for even Christ had so much the more sorrow at the withdrawing influences of the comforts that immediately flowed from the God-head personally united and this was Christ's hell in part therefore we are to look upon desertions in the song of Solomon as prophetical and relating to the desertions in the New Testament in the which the rise of the grief is not so much from the apprehension of sin legally tormenting as from the sense of the want of the sweet comforting presence of God and of the wel-beloved Christ yet there is as much in that of pain as in
of Soveraignty is dreadful 8. Opposing the operations of the Spirit 9. Dispairing 10. Reproaching proud disputing 11. Submission to want of influences 12. What way the Lord recompenseth desertions 13. Closing with influences of the Law-rebukes ELihu most gravely speaketh Job 33. 13. Why dost thou strive with him for he gives not an account of any of his matters The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to strive and contend in words only as Mercerus and Pagnin either in judgement or out of judgement jurgare And its strange that any dare chide or scold with the soveraign Lord. But 1. Jacob's striving and wrestling in a holy willful peremptoriness in praying the Lord being on Jacob the wrestlers side really to bear him up by his grace is a lawful striving 2. There is a difference betwixt a meer temptation and a threatning The woman of Canaan strives not against Christ's not answering her one word Matth. 15. what he is master of his own Answers When Christ says I came not but for the lost sheep of the house of Israel she strives not he is Master of his own journey from Heaven to Earth yet that Answer weakens her not in the duetie of praying and worshipping But when she is reproached as to her interest in Christ It s not meet to take the childrens bread and to give it to dogs she mildly yet in the boldness of faith contradicts Christ suppose Christ out of his own mouth should deny a child of God to be a child of God there is place for a holy striving and contradicting of him 3. It is a gracious behaviour in the man Christ that he is affected with grief for the Lord 's forsaking and expresseth it with tears and strong cries Heb. 5. Should not the child weep when the father is angry 2. The privation of the greatest good such as the overclouding of the Lord's favour is a due cause of sadness Woman why weepest thou saith the Angel to Magdalen why weep I they have taken away my Lord. 3. It wants not reason I weep for my father is dead there is my mothers grave she is very new buried therefore I weep all my goods are taken away and therefore I weep yet the Lord hath forsaken me and I weep not that is dreadful So Job Jeremiah David Hezekiah are sadly afflicted when the Lord seems angry 4. There is a soveraignty in hearing or not hearing of prayer against which we must not strive 1. Sometime the unwritten bill is answered Isa 65. 24. and the Lord yields to our blank papers and subscribes them 2. Some times he hears the dumb mans signs and his breathing instead of his praying Isa 38. 14 20. Lam. 3. 56. Psal 6. 8. Psal 102. 19 20. 3. Sometimes the Lord hears and sends the message of deliverance but we hear not nor doe we know or feel that he hears Psal 18. 4 5 6. compared with ver 16. Dan. 10. 12. one crying for comfort may be heard and not comforted Isa 66. 13 14. As one whom his mother comforts so will I comfort you and ye shall be comforted And when ye see this your heart shall rejoyce and your bones shall flourish like a green herb 5. The clays no and the great Potters ay and vain mans I will and the Almighties I will not are most unsutable Isa 29. 16. Shall the work say of him that made it He made me not or shall the thing framed say of hint that framed it He hath no understanding Rom. 9. 20. Who art thou O man that replyest against God Isa 45. 9. Woe to him that striveth with his Maker Let the potsheard strive with the potsheards of the earth shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it What makest thou or thy work He hath no hands Jer. 18. 6. O house of Israel cannot I doe with you as the potter saith the Lord behold as the clay is in the potters hand so are ye in my hand O house of Israel Humble speaking to God doth well become us Abraham excuses his contrary pleading with God Gen. 18. 27. Behold now I have taken upon me to speak who am but dust and ashes Ver. 30. Oh let not my Lord be angry and I will speak v. 32. Job 42. 3. Therefore have I uttered that I understood not things too wonderful for me that I knew not 3. Beware of murmuring and angry and fretting words against God Exod. 14. 11. Were there no graves in Egypt Exod. 15. 24. Exod. 16. 2. Numb 14. 2 27. and much more It s dreadful to contend with the Almighty and for so small a thing as a drink of water and for a piece of flesh should we fall a pleading with the soveraign Lord 4. Especially we should not counter-work the uncontroulable providence of God for that is to give the Lord battle and to lead an army against him as Isa 9. 10. The bricks are fallen down but we will build them with hewen stones the Sycamores are cut down but we will change them unto Cedars 5. There be divers kinds of striving with the Almighty such are they who blasphemously oppose the shining and convincing power of the Spirit in Christ casting out divels Matth. 12. such are they who gnash with the teeth and spit upon the shining beauty of godliness in Steven Acts 7. and kick against pricks as persecutors doe Acts 9. who if they had the Father and Spirit incarnate as the Son was would crucifie both and would were it in there blasphemous power crucifie the God-head whereas meek yielding to the actings and flowings of the Spirit in others says there must be much of the Spirit there for the Spirit cannot but love the Spirit 6. Despairing stoutly of mercy and the power of grace is of this sort when Cain Judas and others defie Omnipotency and infinite mercy to save them and spitefully hate the influences of saving grace and say mercy cannot save me the compleat ransome of the bloud of God cannot buy me from the second death To this we may reduce a lazie despairing what if I be never saved I can I will doe no more The people are bidden return nay there is no hope say they Jer. 18. 12. but we will walk after our own devices 7. There is here the fainter reproaching of Omnipotency as if God were weary and not able to bring back the captive people Isa 40. 27 28. Hence the Lord must prove his Omnipotency by that rare piece the curtain of Heaven stretched out and a measuring line drawn over the Earth Isa 51. 14 15. Isa 50. 2 2. 8. There is a proud disputing with God when we dare give in a bill against God 1. Ah he takes me for his enemy 2. He hath left off to be gracious An ungracious God is no God O the pride of a tempted mind that dare oppose the very existence of God 3. Some say God hath need to be instructed to govern the world better otherwise what needed
spirit 2. We are not to do any thing because God in his word hath commanded us to doe it but because the Spirit immediately acts in us to doe and immediate impulsion of the Spirit is now instead of the Law and of the word of God either written or preached but this is a wicked confounding of the efficient real cause and the strength of which we obey with the objective cause and morally directing commanding and perswading rule according to which we are to regulate and order our obedience yea and children can contradict this who know that the Mason who imploys his strength to build must be differenced from the Masons Rule and the Art plummet and line according to which he works for otherwise it s all one as to say the power or faculty visive of seeing were light were colours that are seen and the souldiers force and strength of apprehending a man and Law and justice according to which they do it were all one a gracious soul doth all acts of obedience upon the account of a command of God and fetcheth his moral and godly delight from the command of God the facility and strength of doing is indeed from the Spirit for whose help he desires to be thankful and to whom he desires to give all the praise and glory 2. It s a false Spirit which is so contrary to the word of precept and command 3. It s fit to subscribe to that Psal 127. 1. Except the Lord build the house they build in vain that build except the Lord watch the City the watchman waketh but in vain 1 Cor. 3. 7. So then neither is he that planteth nor he that watereth any thing but God that giveth increase But the holy Ghost never dreamed of such an inference therefore let builders watchmen and Ministers of the Gospel go to bed and sleep for God he alone shall build Cities and Houses and watch over men and all societies and bring all souls to Christ yea he hath commanded us to act and to help the Lord so he speaketh Judges 5. 23. 1 Cor. 3. 9. 1 Cor. 4. 1. and it hath a real truth though he needs no help from the creature and we are for his holy commands sake to act and to eye and trust in him who in all the acts of nature and oeconomy and art leads the way and in all the acts of grace yea we are to rejoyce that the Lord Jesus is Master of work and only Steersman CHAP. II. 1. What the natural man can doe to get influences the natural man can doe more then he does and can exercise the natural powers to come within the bosome of the net though he cannot hale himself to land 2. How the Lord can command the naturally blind to see and believe 3. How sin original deserves eternal wrath 4. It s such a sin in infants 5. The want of original righteousnesse and a power of believing is a sin in us 5. How the Lord commands impotent men THe greater doubt is how the Lord can command supernatural acts to a man drowned in nature but it s not here as when a Tyrant commands a child to wheel about the first heaven else he shall kill him for the so moving of the heaven is neither a moral duty nor was it ever a duty compassible by the physical power of the arm of a child or a strong man But the main intent of our Lord in laying on supernatural commands upon man unable to believe is that men may know what they can pay and what they owe and can never pay but not of their own pay the debt of faith the precept is not unrational where the end is rational 2. Not that the natural man may satisfie but that he may come and compone and acquiesce to a friendly Gospel treaty for nothing heightneth the price and worth of Christ more in the shining of free grace nothing kills and renders self-condemned the man more then a seen necessity of forgiving love yea the reading of the writ of the Law-debt with tears when this is holden out to us the Lord gave a bill of grace to those who had nothing to pay and he forgave them frankly is a strongly convincing dispensation 2. Something which is really little or nothing a natural man may doe to fetch the wind when he cannot command it and cannot sayl he may and often doth exercise the natural faculty of moving from place to place and comes as a meer natural man upon a meer natural motive sinfull curiosity and a purpose violently to apprehend Christ as the souldiers doe John 7. 45 46 47. yea with bloudy hearts and a purpose to persecute as the hearers of Peter doe Acts 2. and yet beside and contrary to the will and intent the man is wrought upon and converted before he go away as some go to Sea and sayl to India poor with no intention to be enriched with gold but only to get bread and yet they come again from India rich with Indian gold and many precious stones far beside their intention A man rude and ignorant goes to Athens upon no purpose to become learned yet providence so disposeth that he falls in love with learning and studying many years he returns from Athens a most learned man Now no man can say that either the Indian gold or the learning of Athens did contribute any real or physical strength to his loco-motive and natural faculty of journeying to India or Athens so neither can it be said the Spirit of grace or the Gospel of grace did add any new real and physical strength to Peter's hearers to cause them to come in under the stroke of the preached Gospel Now the Gospel is the power of God to salvation the Apostle useth such spiritual weapons of warefare to cast down strong holds it s the arm of the Lord Rom. 1. 16. 2 Cor. 10. 56. Isa 53. 1. and the preached Gospel is the triumphing chariot of Christ conquering Christ's office-house of free grace Now a man on his own feet and by his own strength though sick may come to the Physicians office-house where all his medicine boxes and helps and remedies of health are and be cured ere he goe a way and may go away with perfect strength and health yet he came to the Physicians house in no strength nor health which he received from his art and medicine The Word is the net the Fish may come in its own natural motion within the bosome of the net but it s the strength of the arms of the Fisher that hales the Fish to land the Fish catcheth not it self The word of God is a sharp two-edged sword and doth the work by the Spiriâ—â— Heb. 4. 12. The mouth of Christ is like a sharp sword Isa 49. 2. His arrows are sharp in the heart of the Kings enemies whereby the people fall under him Isa 45. 5. A man may in his own natural strength come in within the shoot
me hope when I was on my mothers brest c. So is there Psal 102. fainting ver 3. My bones are consumed like smoke and my bones are burnt as an hearth Ver. 4. My heart is smitten and withered like grass And ver 12. there is a rising of faith But thou O Lord shalt endure for ever and thy remembrance to all generations Ver. 13. Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Sion Psal 77. 4. Thou holdest mine eyes waking I am so troubled that I cannot speak Ver. 7. Will the Lord cast off for ever It s low enough now and yet how doth the Church lift up her head Ver. 13. Thy way O God is in the sanctuary who is so great a Lord as our God So Lam. 1. 2 3 4 5 6. 7 8 c. compared with ver 2 22 23. in which actings under unbelief and customary formality with some glimmering of fainting faith eying the command of God in the darknesse when there is no light Isa 60. 10 11 c. there go along some farther actings of the spirit not that we think there is any truth of that of the School-men To him who doth what he can by the strength of nature God denies not helps and influences of grace Yet in these we see God comes along with his influences But if we say 4. That there are in the renewed child of God some stirrings of the spirit in all these acts we go about under deadness then one act of praying and the influence of grace makes way physically to another and that to a third for to say nothing of the promise To him that hath it shall be given of which hereafter I do but provoke to the experience of the Saints if here the second pull of prayer be not stronger then the first and the third then the second and the fourth above the third for when the wheels are a going the Organs of the spirit do not weary And there is a reserve of fresh strength and a stronger recruit and supply in Jacobs wrestling until the dawning reserved and more strength of heavenly violence to prevail with God then in his wrestling all the night Gen. 32. 26. Let me go saith the Angel of the Covenant Christ for the day breaketh And he said I will not let thee go except thou blesse me 28. As a Prince thou hast power with God saith the Lord to him And we see one throwing about of the key when the lock of the door is rusted maketh the second throwing obout more easie and the third throw does yet more and the seventh or the tenth throw makes the passage of the iron bolt yet most easie and the door at length with little violence is opened when now the rust and straitnesse is removed And a flaming of the fire prevailing over a dry tree makes easie way to a second flaming and that to a third and so to all the rest till the timber be consumed and the fire be fully victorious Believing adds to believing praying begets more praying and we see motion breeds warmnesse and that stronger motion and cold hearts that are dead and almost frozen by one smiting of influences grow hotter and by two or three or seven actings of the spirit grow yet hotter and yet more â—ot And there is something in that Cant. 6. 11. I went down to the garden of nuts 12. Or ever I was aware my soul made me like the chariot of Aminadab or of my wilâ—ing people There is some stiffnesse upon the living man when he first begins to move but a little motion makes him more agile Dr. Preston may aim at the like truth If a man saith he were to run a race if he were to doe any bodily exercise there must be strength of body he must be fed well that he may have ability but the use of the very exercise it self the very particular act which is of the same kinde with the exercise is the best thing to fit him for it So in this dutie of prayer it 's true to be strong in the inner man to have much knowledge to have much grace makes a man fit and able for the duty But if you speak of the immediate preparation for it I say the best way to prepare us for it is the very duty it self as all actions of the same kind increase the habits so prayer makes us fit for prayer and that is a rule The way to godlinesse is the compass of godlinesse it self that is the way to grow in grace is the exercise of that grace I wish this man of God and others more experienced then I had said more of this unknown subject and that the Lord would sit builders in both Kingdomes to draw up a body of Theologia practica that Divinity were more in our hearts it s too much in the heads of many only I speak here of preparation to receive influences D. Preston of the preparation to duties to praying under indisposition But I would not be understood so as if I thought acts of influences which are acts of Omnipotency might be sharpened and facilitated by our actings Only my meaning is that the passive capacity of the soul may be widened and enlarged to receive showres of quickening influences from the Lord by frequent acts Experience in my weak apprehension may speak influence of grace oyls the wheels of the soul Prov. 1. 5. A wise man will hear and encrease learning and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels We grow hot like hot iron redded in the fire by praying and are softned and macerated like dry and parched ground by frequent showres and though the heart be frozen and cold when we begin to duties of praying praising meditating conferring of the word hearing yet incalescimus we grow warm by acting the rising of the Sun causeth the Ice to drop off the houses It s a naughty heart that is in the same case after frequent prayer that it was in before It says that the man hath been sweating at the letter and bark of the duty little of the bark or letter of the duty takes glewing with the heart but hardly can the grace of the duty go along with the heart but there is much that cleaves to the heart so that influences thaw the heart Luke 24. 32. Did not say the Disciples our hearts burn within us while he talked with us by the way and while the opened to us the Scriptures Cant. 1. 4. When the King brought me into his chambers we will be glad rejoyce in thee and remember thy love more then wine Sure when the influences of Christ are fiery and live coals it is no wonder they leave lively warmings upon the heart Cant. 4. 16. Awake O North wind and come thou South and blow vpon my garden that the spices thereof may flow out It must be a speech to the Spirit to breath upon the Saints that they may smel and flow more in the actings of
thou wilt not let them goe Deut. 32. 6. Doe ye thus requite the Lord O foolish people and unwise Psal 95. 10. Forty years long have I been grieved with this generation it 's a people that do erre in heart they have not known my wayes So saith Elias to Ahab 1 King 21. 20. Thou hast sold thy self to work evil in the sight of the Lord. Psal 4. 2. O ye sons of men how long will ye turn my glory into shame how long will ye follow vanity and seek leasing Psal 58. 4. They are like the deaf adder which stoppeth her eare 5. which will not hearken to the voice of the charmer And because we are ready to excuse our selves from our impotencie the holy Ghost beares this upon them as a charge Jerem. 13. 23. Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the Leopard his spots then may ye do good that are accustomed to do evil 2 Pet. 2. 14. Having eyes full of adultery that cannot cease to sin Deut. 29. 2 3. 3. Threatnings and curses are charged upon every one who abides not in all that is written in the book of the Law to do it Deut. 27. 26. And yet it 's beyond controversie that no flesh can keep the Law so as it requires else Jesus Christ died in vain Gal. 3. See Deut. 28. 4. We are not freed from an obligation to obey and run even we who are renewed in the spirit of our mind because the Lord drawes not For charges and commands are layed upon us under indispositions yea the Lord speaks to such as lived in suffering times who could not choose but they must be in much heavinesse Phil. 4. 4. Rejoyce in the Lord alwayes again I say rejoyce So speaks he to weak ones Eph. 6. 10. My brethren be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might So speakes Christ to fainting John when in a swoon he could not command himself Rev. 1. 17. Fear not I am the first and the last And to the perishing disciples Mat. 8. 26. Why are ye fearful O ye of little faith And the mourner is most indisposed to believe Isa 50. 10. He that walkes in darknesse and hath no light let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay on his God We are bidden be upon the wing and ready though we be dumpish and indisposed 1 Thess 5. 17. To obey that pray without ceasing in all things give thanks Yea under all contrary dispositions and habits of unbelief we are to act Isa 41. 14. Fear not worm Jacob. 2. Our very graves owe living to God our sinful deadness ought to yield to Christ living in us our heaviness ows rejoycing to him as the night is to remove at the dawning of the day and the cloud is to dis-appear and vanish at the out-breaking of the Sun-light 3. We are to pray under deadnesse as David doth Psal 119. Quicken me in thy way quicken me in thy righteousness quicken me according to thy word c. v. 37 40 88 107 156 159. Deadnesse when David had much of the fulnesse of God hath been creeping on seven times and he seven times prays for quickening like one that is every hour in a swoon out of one swoon he falls in another he makes signs to such as are neer by to be comforted with wine and apples as the Spouse Cant. 2. 5. And therefore this is but a childish shift I am dead and indisposed and therefore will not pray nor believe nor hear nor goe about any such duties Because you are dead and indisposed are you therefore lawlesse and freed of all debt of duties which are imposed by either the Law of God or 2. the constraining love of Christ or 3. bonds and ties laid on you by the free grace of Christ and the state you are in being now translated from death to life Object I le goe about duties when I am free and spiritually disposed Answ 1. What warrant from the Word to delay duties that by present obligation of the Law of God are to be done while it is to day lest hardness of heart come on 2. What assurance can any man have tomorrow or the next hour more then the present hour when deadnesse is on that he shall be master of the Spirits breathing on him to fetch spiritual dispositions Now omission of praying and of other duties is a hainous sin Can sin be a hire to purchase or buy the breathings of the Holy Ghost Did ever man get sweet accesse to God through the Mediator Christ in prayer who delayes praying because he wants a praying disposition And can the Lord welcome in the Mediator Christ the man who fathers the sinful omission of prayer and other duties upon the holy Spirit of God Loose Professors delay their repentance upon this when they are old and a dying they shall be more fit for repentance 3. An indisposition to pray is a great affliction to a godly soul and the so afflicted is to pray to remove that indisposition and to seek in prayer a spiritual disposition to pray and that pray continually is not pray only when a spiritual disposition to pray is on for that should be far from praying continually and that Psal 50. Call upon me in the day of trouble suffereth no such exception Pray to me in trouble but not except ye be spiritually disposed For it hath this good sense call and pray in the day of trouble and in the hour when the spirit is under the soul-trouble of desertion and indisposition and when the Lord hides his face and shines not So the want of a spiritual disposition is the frowning of God upon the soul and it 's an ungracious heart which will not pray when the Spirit in his shining influences withdraws And therefore 4. It 's not the Spirit of the Lord but the spirit of Satan which suggests any such carnal arguing I have no heavenly disposition for the present therefore I will not pray for the Spirit of the Lord quickens men to duties and that is known to be a spirit from hell that weakens men in praying or in any duties CHAP. V. Influences of grace are due to the Saints by promise 2. Some are plagued with plenty of means 3. The scope of the place Deut. 29. 3. The great temptations which thine eyes have seen c. opened 4. The nature of the Lord's promise of influences 5. The efficient causes of influences from the Father and from the Son influences on the Man Christ 6. Influences from the Father how they are ours 7. Influences from the Son Christ which are promised to us how they are ours THere is another way of fetching influences of grace when we carefully use former grace as our Saviour saith to him that hath shall be given And so grace shall bring more grace Sowen wheat brings forth more wheat Psal 119. 1. Blessed are they that walk in the law of the Lord they shall doe no
not from the spirit and often the meer office and the letter not the spirit prays and preacheth out of the man it 's far from that praying Rom. 8. 26. And learn to discern the literal fair influences in praying in the flesh and the sweet calm fiery also and spiritual paining influences of love-sicknesse Cant. 5. 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 c. 10. Conversing with spiritual men born of the spirit of the same Father John 5. John 3. 1 John 3. 14. Psal 119. 63. with Elias leaning on Christ's bosome in whom is fulnesse of the spirit declares a spiritual man None of the Disciples saw more spiritual and glorious visions then John in the book of the Revelation he would have desired to lean on and dwell in Christ's heart as in his bosome Brethren love one another the common nature and spirit of their Father dwels in them Fowls of the same feathers and colours haunt together Drunkards malignants swearers love to be together beware of wearying to haunt with the spirit and spiritual men and to loath a spiritual Ministery and to look upon spiritual doctrine as upon fancies If it be so with you you shall back to the flesh-pots of Egypt again it s a living near to the fountain to haunt much with the Saints and as the streams are one in the well so do the streams run in the same channel and love to stick together Natures of the same kind lambs with lambs love to live together Psal 119. 13. I am a companion of all them that fear thee and of them that keep thy Precepts A part of the Air keeps its being best in the whole Element whereas a part of the Air is corrupted in the bowels of the Earth where it is out of its own Element a part of water is best preserved in being in the element of water put it in a pit or hole of the earth it 's alone and it becomes rotten and unsavoury The Saints keep their spiritual being with the excellent ones in whom is all their delight Psal 16. 2. as being in their own element and no wonder if it be their woe to dwell long in Mesech and in Kedars tents with such as hate peace Psal 120. 5 6. Psal 57. 4 10. nor is this to flatter such as separate from Christ and his Ordinances nor to say Stand by thy self come not near me for I am holier then thou Isa 65. 5. and yet they themselves remain among the graves and lodge in the monuments Be rather frequenting Hospitals of sick ones making it your work to gain many it 's like to Christ Luke 16. 6 7 10. Matth. 9. 10 11 12 13. Luke 15. God ordinarily showers influences and promiseth influences to the flocking together of the godly and the pouring of his spirit on them Jer 50. 4 5 6. Zech. 8. 21 22 23. Mal. 3. 16. and two speaking of Christ Jesus himself comes in as third man Luke 24. 15 16 17 c. and as if they were the fit soyl he rains down influences of warmness and burning of heart on them while he opens the Scriptures to them v. 32. see Acts 2. 1 2 3 c. Joh. 20. 19. It 's a spiritual condition to talk of spiritual purposes when the well is full it must run over when there is a treasure and abundance in the heart the spirit comes to the tongue in Zachariah and Simeon Luke 2. 25 27. and grace seeths and boyls up to the tongue when the conceptions of the King Christ are the good matter indited by the heart Psal 45. 1. so to be filled with the spirit Ephes 5. 18 19. saith Paul speaking to your selves in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual songs Giving thanks always for all things to God is the spirit's work in his abundant influences There is a spirit in men seen in language the sea-man talks of winds the husband-man of oxen and plowing the souldier of battels and wounds and the shepherd of flocks and the spiritual man of Christ redemption imputed righteousness and as the pilgrims heart and the pilgrims tongue the pilgrims thoughts are all upon his way and his home so is the spiritual man much upon Eternity Heaven Christ for the three noble Conferrers the transfigured man Christ glorified Moses and Elias speak of the celebrious heavenly subject the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and out-going of Christ when he was to leave the world The man hath been full of God who could not refrain from speaking of the Lord's testimonies before Kings and Princes have no great list to hear but of State matters of conquering new Kingdoms Psal 119. 46. the rotten unsavoury worldly and carnal speeches of many bewray how little of the spirit is within them It was Christ who had the fulness of the anointing of the spirit within him Psal 48. 8. I delight to doe thy will O my God thy law is within my heart In Sea and Land and House and Field by the way side journeying at every table when he should have eaten he made good that word ver 9. I have preached righteousness in the great Congregation lo I have not refrained my lips thou knowest O Lord. 10. I have not hid thy righteousnesse within my heart I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation I have not concealed thy loving kindness from the great Congregation Influences of grace are required for this as pag. 45. PART III. Influences of Grace CHAP. I. Of divers sorts of Influences HAving formerly spoken of Influences of grace in general we are now to descend to more specials Hence these particulars 1. Some influences are from Satan some from God 2. The way of Satans influences 3. It s lawful to dispute with Hereticks instruments of Satan but not lawful to dispute with Satan 4. Christ sought neither the Tempter nor the temptation 5. Some influences are natural some supernatural 6. Some moral some Physical 7. Some Prophetical some not 8. Some publick on the Church some personal 9. Some influences are given for the habit of grace or gifts some for the act some for both 10. Some proper to the head Christ some for the members 11. Some influences are fundamental some not 12. Some influences are given for saving graces actings some for the actings of a gift 13. Differences between acting of grace and acting of gifts 14. Some influences are viatorum of such as are in the way to their countrey some are comprehensorum of perfected ones some of grace some of glory For the fuller opening of the Doctrine of Influences some influences are from Satan some from God Influences from God are both moral when he commands good and forbids evil and real and physical in that all move in him as the first cause and mover in operations of nature 2. of grace 3. of glory But Satan being no Master or Lord of providence hath no real stirring in second causes his actings upon angel or mens soules are not physical but
no such sleeping but the heart is waking and breaks out in these acts first and misses him he knocks and says Open then she knew he was without They have taken away my Lord and I know not where they have laid him John 20. I sought him but I found him not Cant. 3. 2. there is a discerning that it was his knock and breathing And 2. his voice My heart waked at the voice of my Beloved 3. She knew his very words and repeats them Open to me my sister my love my dove c. though then sleeping 4. There is a spiritual wishing O! if I could open and overcome the temptation of carnal drowsiness this appears in the Spouses confession of the excuse he knocked and spake lovely and I refused rudely to open I have cast off my coat this is told by her by way of confession of sin I have put off my coat how shall I put it on for there may from the habit of grace arise an habitual and a conditional desire that the temptation had never assaulted and yet there is an absolute consent to the temptation and a wish that this sinful pleasure were not astray to the Law which is in effect a labouring to reconcile my carnal lust and the Lord 's holy Law and it is as if I should say Ah if I might enjoy my lawless pleasure and yet the Lord not be displeased some sick mans lusts after contradictions that in his fever he might drink wine and yet be free of a further pain of fever but all this is but a virtual fretting against God that ever he made such a Law Evah desired that the falsly supposed Godhead which Satan said should be the reward of eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge should have been really and truly in eating that fruit and that was a clear fretting against the wisedom of God who made such a law as laies bands upon men and forbids them to eat of all fruit Gen. 3. 2 3. yet would difference be made betwixt the carnal mans wish that he might enjoy his sweet lusts and not feel the smart of the evil of punishment and the spiritual mans woulding not to do the evil that he hates Rom. 7. 15 16. and yet he does it and so virtually desires there were nothing offensive and displeasing to God in it 4. From this habit it is that the Spouse sends commendation to absent Christ to speak so and desires the daughters of Jerusalem to tell him that she is sick of love for him Cant. 5. 8. 5. There are checks and soul-sorrow at the thoughts of the words he once spake Cant. 5. 6. my soul failed when he spake hence there are godly reluctancies and spiritual propensions of the spirit and renewed man entering dissent and protestations on the contrary Rom. 7. 15. For that which I do I allow not for what I would that I do not but what I hate that I do Hence the spirits spiritual counter-workings contrary to the flesh and the gracious pleadings in favours of Christ What do you is not this against free love Ah will you grieve such a beloved hence the inward prickings and cuttings of the heart like the wane-rest of the Horologue ever stirring and checking the conscience if experience say nothing of this thorn in the soul and of the weakness of the bones little is known of the work of the spirit 6. There is ever an holy apology and clearing of the renewed part that the spirit doth his part Rom. 7. 22. I delight in the Law of God after the inward man v. 9. The renewed man would do good v. 16. consents to the Law that it is good and laies the blame upon the fleshly will and sin dwelling in the man v. 17. now it s no more I that do it but sin dwelling in me 7. From this habit it is that the renewed man is a captive a sufferer a complainer Rom. 7. 23 24. O wretched man that I am c. 8. The spirit is contrary to the flesh Gal. 5. 17. and when fire and water yoake in the cloud there is thunder and nature suffers pain and there are actions and passions and reactions on both sides and finally the habit of grace so far never rests as the flesh cannot get sin perfected without a battle and some thunder in the soul Hence we see did we improve the habit of grace how many spiritual actions we may set about and what wind and breathings we might fetch if we shouldâ—hoise up all the sails the very setting out to sea and laying all the sails open in their bredth and length to the heaven should create some wind we lay not open our affections in their length and bredth in the use of all the ordinances before the Lord Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it Psal 81. nor do we improve the stock of habitual grace the not improving of the stock in trading brings on poverty CHAP. V. The fourth particular by which we fetch influences of grace is by heavenly and spiritual dispositions hence in this we speak 1. Of heavenly dispositions in order to heavenly influences 2. Of our actings to come under the influences of grace 3. Of the obstructions and impediments of heavenly influences and the contrary cures AS touching dispositions 1. What dispositions are and how differenced 2. Of the division of good and evil dispositions 3. Get heavenly dispositions and influences connaturally follow 4. Evidences that dispositions go and come 5. Spiritual dispositions are different from the affections 6. There are heavenly dispositions through all the powers and affections of the soul 7. Sinful dispositions are in all and they latently creep in 8. Actings and life under deadness 9. Many sweet actings there are under deadness 10. It 's fit to go about duties under deadness 11. Less of strong real influences and more of moral influence prove the obedience to be more perfect 1. Dispositions are moveable qualities of the soul beyond and above the habit inabling us to act graciously and to perform actions suitable to those dispositions I speak now of gracious dispositions for there are wicked and sinful dispositions added to the habit of sin original 2. Gracious dispositions are moveable qualities this differenceth the disposition from the habit of grace and therefore know wherein spiritual dispositions and spiritual habits agree and 2. wherein they differ 1. Both are above nature for we being born in sin mind conscience will and affections being polluted and corrupt in such heirs of wrath no man is born with habits of grace or gracious disposition 2. Through the want of both all are alike unfit by nature to be the work-house of the holy Ghost 3. Both the habit of grace as it is proved Book 2. and much more gracious dispensations are the purchase of the merit of Christ 4. Both are the supernatural gifts of God infused from above and neither of them acquired or purchased by natural actings
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
the Spirit in one and the same work the sounding of the word and the breathing of the Spirit may be attended Psalm 130. 5. I wait for the Lord my soul doth wait Whether in his real helping and hearing my crying out of the deeps or on his saving actings upon the dead heart and in his word do I hope there may be a casting of the goods in the sea to help the ship to land there is failing of the eyes in waiting for God Psalm 69. 3. Psalm 119. 8. My soul fainteth for thy salvation 13. I opened my mouth panted for I longed for thy salvation I cannot create breathings But the man in a pit or dungeon though he can make no help to himself yet he can cry and make use of arms and legs when a rope is cast down to him 4. Blowing of the bellows adds nothing to the fire yet it removes the ashes it fans away the earthy part and rarifies it and acts upon the smoke and adds quickning it 's fit to blow upon the habit of grace and heavenly disposition yea to blow in a sanctified way in a gift so Paul 2 Tim. 1. 6. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance to stir up the gift of God which is in thee by the laying on of my hands Erasmus saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is an elegant metaphor from such as care for the fire which is as it were buried under ashes they blow with the bellows and revive and stir up the fire like to die out others think it an allusion to the Priests dayly watching to cherish and keep in the fire which the Lord sent down from heaven and to cast new fewel to it So is that 1 Tim. 4. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 neglect not the gift that is in thee let it not rust self-sharping and self-impulsion upon the heart and acting upon the habit which is in worse case because it lodges in a lazy heart is required we may deaden and neglect both our souls and the new habit whereas that prayer Lord increase our faith teacheth that we by diligent acting add to the habit to the gift talent and dispensation and the improving of these are forcible means to draw down fresh influences of life the Lord of his grace having brought himself reserving actings of soveraignty and deep wisedom under a sort of promissory necessity to bestow influences and to give one talent to him who makes five talents ten idleness and sleeping then must be no small obstruction to new quickening influences 5. As the husbandman is a fellow-worker in his way with industry and art with the Lord and nature to fit his ridges by plowing and sowing to receive influences of dew and rain and impression from heaven and he works with God and nature who labours the vineyard purges out brambles briars stones prunes the young vine-trees that they may receive influences from Sunne Moon Heavens and Clouds Yet no husbandman no vinedresser can be Lord of the influences of heaven so hath the Lord commanded us to plow up the fallow-ground of our hearts and not to sow among thorns to lie under the husbandry of Ministers sent of God to frequent ordinances to yield up our hearts by willing consent to be acted on by God to resign them and put the heart out of our possession and yield to that suit My son give me thy heart else we mock God in suiting from him enlargedness of heart in a sort of compromising that we shall run if he shall draw and enlarge But we keep fast possession of our own hearts and doe not resign them to God Hence a word of wakening to cry to harp and psaltery to our gift and to our tongue and to our sleepy hearts Psal 57. 8. is requisite as also 2. that we chide with our unbelieving soules Psal 42. 5 11. and command the renewed part to act upon the heart to accuse and convince and rebuke the heart 1 Sam. 24. 5. 1 John 3. 20. 6. The soul can be in no such dead case but it 's capable of an Evangelick command Sardis hath a name they are living and yet are dead then is it useless to speak to Sardis now dead no Rev. 3. 2. Strengthen that which remaines There fly sparkles of fire from the red hot iron of the smith upon those about whether they will or no. From that charge Open to me my sister my love c. there came upon her whether she would or not flamings of love which brought influences on her bowels CHAP. IX The fifth Question is what is the enlarging of heart It is nothing but the wideness and fulness of the soul and powers thereof in its actings Hence these Propositions concerning enlargedness of heart Prop. 1. WHen the soul is widened and stretched out in its actings we are ready to say I shall never be moved Psal 30. I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever Psal 23. 6. which though true when he was banished from the Tabernacle Psal 42. Psal 84. Psal 63. he had uttered thoughts of his state Some say Shall I ever again be dead Shall I ever again doubt as a down-casting soul no I shall believe and hope under temptations to the end But we are no more to judge of our selves by our present enlargedness then we are to pass sentence of the multitude of people of a City by a solemn fair or great market the town is not every day so peopled nor are we to esteem of a river by its swelling and running over banks after a mighty long continued rain 2. Nor are we to judge of our selves according to our ebbing and deadness of disposition that we shall ever again believe Saith the doubting soul Shall I ever again see the beauty and glory of his power as sometimes I did in the Sanctuary Psal 63. The birds reason not so they say not in winter shall ever the Spring and the season of building our nests come again shall birds ever have Summer-singing again And we are ready to make a weapon-shew of grace when the heart is enlarged I 'le doe wonders as if the man were the Father who begat grace and the Lord of his own believing as some believe the horses swiftness is the swiftness of the rider Be humble and pull down the sail when the heart is enlarged Prop. 2. See in the Text enlargedness of heart and running are near of kindred and blood The disposition and the gracious acting by divine influences are near other as the powder and flamings the dry timber and the warm harth-stone to receive flamings There is a near disposition in the Embrio in the framed mass of the birth to receive by the Creators influences a living soul Psal 38. 1 2 3 4. So in Christ Psal 40. the law in the heart and preaching the Lords righteousness in the great congregations are near other 2. The enlarged heart is ripened to receive influences and quickening of grave for running The
thousand of the people that have set themselves round about me Psal 6. he prayes Lord rebuke me not in thy wrath have mercy on me return again O Lord deliver my soul That prayer is heard and the result is an heavenly disposition to part with wicked men 6. Depart from me ye workers of iniquity and a new disposition of assurance The Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping And assurance that God heard the man is a new seed of praying to him again Psal 116. 3 4 5 6. Psal 18. 3 4 5 6. So Psal 31. after complaints and heavenly petitions v. 4. Pull me out of the net 9. Have mercy upon me O Lord make thy face to shine upon thy servant c. follow heavenly dispositions 1. Of commending the seeking of God v. 19. O bow great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee A disposition to encourage others to seek God v. 23. O love the Lord all ye his Saints c. A disposition to encourage fainters v. 24. Be of good courage and he shall strengthen your heart How shall I get praying Praying helps to praying How shall I get holy dispositions Holy dispositions beget holy dispositions How shall I get courage and spiritual strength Psal 31. 24. Be of good courage and he shall strengthen your heart that is be strong in the Lord and he shall make you strong in him So Psal 27. 14. Wait on the Lord be of good courage and he shall strengthen thy heart wait I say on the Lord. The courage of faith is commanded and the argument is God shall strengthen thy heart and give thee courage As if we were the beginners of the good work so does the Lord frame his precepts promises to shake us out of our laziness that we abuse not his grace and gracious influences to wanton idleness So the Apostle Be strong in the faith and couragious and God shall strengthen your heart and furnish you So the Father speaks to his child lift at this burden I will lift your arms and strengthen them to lift the burden and to bear it 2. They are refuted hence who say The Lord bids us be of good courage and he knows courage and strength is from himself yea but so as you are to goe about acts of courage He bids us pray and he knows prayer is his own gift and the work of his Spirit It 's so here but he bids you pray that you may pray believe that you may believe So he commands heavenly dispositions and he only can give them So he commands heavenly habits and heavenly dispositions but yet so as ye act When a Physician enjoyns one for such a disease strive to have your body and cloathes to cast a good savour does he not enjoyn also that this sick man should carry about roses precious oyntments Would we act more in God and pray more and haunt more in heaven we should savour more of heaven And when men complaines of deadness it is with reflection on God he quickens me not and therefore I am dead his Son is the resurrection and the life and he sends no inflnences of life on me That is the physical cause and the Lord is free of your sinful deadness and unsavouriness in so doing Why complain of the moral faulty cause that is complain of your self complain that ye lie not among the roses ye are not much meditating and drawing life out of the precious promises ye are not often in wisedomes house ye are not much with the King at his banquet ye draw not near to his house of wine habits and heavenly dispositions grow from multiplyed spiritual acts and spiritual acts come kindly from heavenly dispositions My heart is fixed What is the particular disposition here aimed at For clearing of this know a disposition in general of which I spake above is one thing and this disposition is another These three must be differenced 1. The state 2. The temper and constitution 3. The disposition The state is to be renewed in Christ or in nature born of the spirit or yet remaining and walking in the flesh acted by the prince of the air that rules in the children of disobedience the birth and state of living is neither up nor down to the temper and constitution which is either strong and vigorous or weakly and sickly or betwixt these the state of living or birth consists in indivisibili if the man breath and live in nature or in Christ being now a translated person he hath a natural or a spiritual life but howbeit some be born again some are fathers and experienced radicated and confirmed Christians others are young men strong in the faith and both these are of a good spiritual temper and constitution But there are a third sort that are babes in Christ and though born again yet weakly and sickly frequent out-breakings much doubting liable to strong unmortified passions 1 John 2. 12 13 14. And to be born of God is common to all the three sorts and the essence and nature of the new birth agrees equally and univocally to them all all have their own influences finished to them from Christ but the spiritual tempers may differ as weak and strong healthy or sickly good or bad at least lesse good But as for dispositions of the regenerate they are qualities that go and come now anon I judge you will say the new-birth and the heavenly disposition are all one For David was born of God while he was under a wicked disposition to deflour Bathsheba to kill Vriah to be avenged no Nabal all which were bad dispositions when the new-birth is the new-birth and saving work of the spirit And again the spiritual disposition differs not a little from the spiritual temper 1. The spiritual temper is permanent as one is a weak man until he come out of his childhood for so many years or months he is Infant so long a child so long a youth So one is so long a babe in Christ and grows to be stronger in the faith and at length comes to be a father in Christ but even while the same babes age in Christ continues and the same weakly and sickly temper and inclination to yield to temptations in David new born and a babe good dispositions may be on to pray to praise to commit his life to God in extream dangers to make Psalms and yet Davids spiritual temper and constitution is and may be bad and sickly as Peter before our Saviours death is born again and a believer Matth. 16. 16 17. and by his much ignorance and frequent slips as acting Satans part in disswading Christ from the necessary work of redemption his carnal confidence in himself in saying he should never deny Christ his smiting off Malchus eaâ— his denial of Christ with an oath it appears that the spiritual temper was weak and much carnal nor can it be denied all that time when
Peters temper was weak but when he gave a confession of Christ Matth. 16. he was under a gracious disposition and Peters continuing with Christ in his temptations did suppose a gracious dispoâ—â—tion in these acts of his and the rest of the believing Disciples Luke 22. 29 30. 3. The Lords Disciples are all born again Judas excepted but it were hard to say that John the beloved Disciple was of the same temper before the death of Christ with Peter who proved more sinfully rash in many things then John 2. A disposition is a transient impression that may be left upon the spirit by an occurrence of providence which though it sometime continue long is not necessarily alway so Upon the supposed death of Joseph Jacob refused to be comforted upon the departure of the Ark Phineas daughter in law is disposed to die for sorrow which in a great part was a gracious disposition it s like this great deliverance left a strong impression on Davids spirit and brought out praising of God But to the particular this disposition is a fixedness of resolution to believe pray praise having its rise from this present merciful deliverance it s opposed to the trepidation and doubting of unbelief which made him say elsewhere One day or other I shall perish by the hand of Saul which also saith that this was not ever Davids condition but being deserted of God he was under a contrary disposition but good it were alway to keep the heart under such a fixedness Ah but we are up and down out and in as touching stedfastness and unmoveableness in the work of the Lord the Galatians did run well a while the balasting of saving grace is most necessary it was a sad word 2 Tim. 1. 15. This thou knowest that all they which are in Asia are turned away from me John 6. 66. from that time many 2. of his disciples 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 took them to things behind went backward and 4. walked no more with him they left both Christ and the profession of Christ It was a sad suspending of influences when all the Disciples forsooke him and fled Matth. 26. My heart is fixed my heart is fixed The second particular is the doubling of the words In this and in the following words we have divers considerable characters and properties of heavenly dispositions 1. The doubling noteth the heat and fervour of affection in David as that My God my God notes the heat of faith two gripes of faith is better then one so saith the tripling of that prayer O my Father O my Father remove this cup Matth. 26. There is fire in the desire Psalm 57. 1. Be merciful to me O God be merciful to me and twice in this Psalm v. 5. Be thou exalted O God c. and again v. 11. Be thou exalted O God Psalm 46. that is doubled the Lord of hosts is with us v. 7 11. for his mercy endureth for ever is repeated twenty six times in one Psalm 1. In sinners in Christ it could not be it notes a sort of distrusting of the Spirit they will not believe the heart at the first word Not unto us O Lord that is not enough the heart is ready to steal the Lord's glory therefore he addeth not unto us but unto thy name give the glory therefore the doubling of it speaks the certainty Gen. 41. 32. 2. It notes that we are to make an eik to our assurance my heart is fixed O God therefore two witnesses are better then one he says it over again my heart is fixed for we shall deny that any such heavenly disposition was in the hour of temptation and say all is but false work in so doing he blows the coal when he finds it smoaking and blows twice and strikes the iron again and again when he finds it hot So he awakes up tongue and voice musick and harp gift and grace to praise the Lord as when he finds his heart in a praising disposition he desires an eik of all creatures in heaven and earth Psalm 103. all the Angels all his hosts all his works in all places of his dominion to joyne with his soule to blesse the Lord v. 20 21 22. 3. It notes a fiercenesse and a strong flaming of the affection and a sort of violence of assenting to the influences of grace which brought on that holy disposition which teacheth us when holy dispositions offer a divine violence to the soul to joyn our violence to his violence we will run that is our violence Draw me that is his violence Psalm 119. 32. I will run the way of thy commandments and press my self to willing and hot obedience if thou shall or when thou shall enlarge my heart 2. To this purpose we are to meet his actings of love Cant. 1. 4. The King brought me into his chambers with extolling and praising his love we will be glad and rejoyce in thee we will remember thy love more then wine the upright love thee 3. Let us intend and enlarge the acting of our heart to him Christ puts in his hand by the hole of the door which was a strong inward stirring of the Spirit of Jesus and the Spouse meets this with bended and mighty acts of loving obedience As 1. My bowels were moved for him For whom for him my Beloved who did stand and knock while his head was full of dew and his locks wet with the drops of the night v. 2. 2. I rose up to open to my Beloved and my hands dropped with myrrh and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh upon the handles of the lock Here are both repentance in rising to open whereas she excused and shifted the business before and sense of the savouriness and heavenly feeling as of a sweet smell of myrrh joy sense of joy and delight in obedience to him 4. There is a formal holy violence offered to him the Angel Christ wrestles with Jacob which is a sort of fighting and opposing his strength to Jacobs strength and he opposeth trying and tempting reason to Jacob Let me go for its dawning and Jacob opposeth his violence on the contrary I will not let thee go until thou bless me And the Beloved is wrestling to win away after long absence and much painful seeking Cant. 3. 1 2 3. but the Spouse offers violence on the contrary with all her strength I held him and would not let him go until I brought him to my mothers house and unto the chambers of her that conceived me 5. Its sit to meet a thirst of the Lords Spirit in a flowing of feeling with a thirst of faith when Christ saith to Thomas John 20. 27. Reach hither thy finger and behold my hand and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side this was a great condescension of Christ in bestowing on him a flowing of feeling and Thomas answers it with a strong act of the application of faith My Lord and my God 6. When
strong convictions come upon the spirit we are to yield our hearty assent to him Matth. 27. 54. the Centurion and the watchers of Christ seeing the earth-quake and other wonders from heaven say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luke 23. 47. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 true certainly undoubtedly this was the Son of God this was a righteous man but ah he calls and we answer not we love to be wrought on as stones and blocks and could wish to be carried sleeping to heaven in Christs bosome 2. We often suffer the heart to cool and obey not the Spirit in his heavenly disposition and let the fire die out and the furnace cool 3. It were good if we did not counter-work heavenly dispositions by refusing and shifting Cant. 5. 3. of God and the actings of his Spirit Cant. 5. 2. open to me nay saith the Spouse how can I open The third particular is that David speaketh this prayer-ways to God there may be so heavenly a disposition upon the child of God as he dare lay it before God in point of sincerity that it is not rotten David prayer-ways lays before God the fervor of his desire of God Psalm 42. 1. As the hart panteth after the water-brooks so panteth my soul after thee O God Psalm 63. 1. My soul thirsteth for thee my flesh longeth for thee Psalm 73. 25. Whom have I in heaven but thee Psalm 119. 103. How sweet are thy words unto my mouth v. 97. O how love I thy law Psalm 139. 17. How precious are thy thoughts to me And the Church saith Isa 26. 8. Yea in the way of thy judgements we have waited for thee O Lord the desire of our soul is to thy name Jer. 15. 16. Thy words were found and I did eat them and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoycing of my heart for I am called by thy name O Lord God of hosts Q. 1. May we not lay out rotten and unclean hearts before God A. No doubt the pained man may lay out his boils before the Physitian and confession of sins and of the evil of our ways make way to making of a new creation in us Psalm 51. 5 10. Q. To what end should we speak to God of the sincerity of heavenly dispositions and fixedness of heart A. 1. Because neither David nor any of the Saints can order their own hearts under heavenly dispositions therefore the telling of this to God is a seeking help from him to improve these dispositions Peter cannot make use of the glory of Christs transfiguration which he saw except grace help in a manner glory and the Lord inable Peter to make the right use of it as he doth 2 Pet. 1. 16 17. and not as he doth Mark 9. 5 6 7. The Spouse banqueting with Christ in his garden eating honey and the honey-comb is in greater danger to miscarry and turn sleepy and carnally secure as it fell out Cant. 1. 2 3. then when she wants his presence Cant. 3. 1 2 3. It s not easie to guide a new heart or to guide and use well the heaven of a fixed heart and such heavenly disposition at the Kings banquet of wine when he gives the hidden manna and the white stone when Christs banner over you is love and his left hand under the head and the right embracing you there is then if ever need to pray and Christ is our precedent in this when he was transfigured and in that heaven so as he seemed to be beyond praying in a state of praising yet he prays Luke 9. 29. and then there is need of watching yea a believer is to pray in a good sense to be delivered from the evil of our prayers and from the sinful abusing of spiritual acts of a renewed heart from the evil of the flowings of free grace and heavenly dispositions so to speak and therefore should we tremble for fear that our sinful abuse of the impressions of the Spirit and heavenly dispositions move not the Lord to hide his face from his own shinings of grace and darken his own Sun and overcloud his noon-day beams and rays of light and love and who knows that God may mar his own feast and remove the table before the believer eat because he was sinfully wanton at the sight of dainties and prayed not humbly that Christ would bless his coming down to his garden and his banqueting with his Spouse Psalm 141. David prays for his own prayers it s a great art to carry equally the running over cup of consolation or to guide the comforts of the Spirit when the man is high the head is giddy Psalm 77. 6 7. I will offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of praise I will sing yea I will sing praises to the Lord this hath been a warmly condition of his spirit therefore he follows it with prayer v. 7. Hear O Lord when I cry with my voice The body being warm and sweating there 's need to take heed that cold get not into the heart 2. To tell the Lord of our fixedness of heart is a sort of in aging of him to perfect his own new building and to send rain and summer warmness on his own sowing and to perfect what he hath begun and it s a secret praying that God would make an eik to his own work that he would give influences of grace and would be pleased to milk out holy actings willing and doing out of holy dispositions Psalm 119. 35. Make me to go in the path of thy precepts for therein do I delight If the Lord give freely of grace a disposition to delight in his precepts he will also give grace to walk in his paths he that made the plant creates the tree and the fruit he who made the vine-tree makes the Summer-sun to nourish it v. 159. Consider how I love thy precepts quicken me O Lord according to thy loving kindness The Lord who gives the life of love and a warmly disposition of heart to the precepts of God must also give more quickning to that life he that brings the sown corn to a blade brings it to an ear of corn and to be bread the saving work of grace is one piece one building foundation walls and covering it s one growing tree root bulk and branch one compleat new man Doth the Lord of free grace create half a new man or rear up half a new building No grace is grace is grace going on and advancing till it be reaped grace and so glory 3. He tells the Lord of his fixed heart by way of thanksgiving and praise as Psalm 131. Lord my heart is not haughty he lays before the Lord the depth of the mercy of heavenly dispositions and of a fixed and prepared heart though he was at the mouth and entry of death the cave was like to be his burial place being chased for his life into it yet he tells the Lord he feared no evil in the valley of death Hence 1. Try
thy son make me as one of thy hired servants 3. Is not spiritual hunger humble David had a great room in the house and was a type of the chief cornerston and prepared in abundance for the building of the house and was a man according to Gods heart but when he was banished ah how happy was a door keeper in his house Psal 84. 3. The room of a sparrow or a swallownest beside his Altar is a Kings inheritance v. 4. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house they will be still praising thee saith David at such a time Qu. But are not love-dispositions now under desertion and the Lords withdrawing the stronger and more powerful in Christ 1. The very withdrawing of Christ as touching his end is mercy and requires strong missing Christs hard pulling to be away suites strong holding on our part I will not let thee goe for there is strength and bones in love to resist a contrary 2. Dispositions heavenly in the affections make a huge deal of noise and tumult as here there is pathetick charging to tell Christ her love-sickness under desertion and it 's good when desires for Christ under absence are strongest that faith humbly and submissively waiting on in hope is stronger also when it makes least noise and tumult as the deepest river without rumbling runs quietly down the banks But 1. Learn to husband well love-feasts of nearer and sweeter presence believe for the time to come pray for the time to come hear and observe for the time to come lay up love in store for times of spiritual scarcity Ah we waste dispensations of the love of Christ and swallow them over without humble believing and godly watching and fear and waste prodigally feasts of love we then learn to grow in experimental knowledge in solidity of believing sense is wanton and feeds it self and we neglect faith and the growth thereof 2. Be submissive when influences are withdrawn examine whether they have been abused and if you might not have made five ten and had a richer stock if you had been spiritually diligent and if so mourn for the abuse of these showres for Paul tells that the Lords working in us to will and to doe which is showring of influences of grace is the great teaching argument that lays bands on us to will and to doe and the Lords teaching David wisdome in the hidden part Psal 51. 6. which was holy breathings and inspirations of the spirit to make the letter of the word effectual is an argument of heightning his sin of adultery and murther and he layes bonds on his own heart to improve influences Psal 119. 33 Teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes and I shall keep it to the end Certainly the Lords sending the first and latter rain on his garden of red wine and watering it every moment must lay bands on his people to be plants of righteousness and his blowing with the North and South wind of his spirit upon his garden requires the duty of the flowing of the spices and their thriving and the spirit of the Fathers purging calls for bringing forth of more fruit and the spirits leading requires that we should willingly follow such a guide and the Spirits teaching requires that we be docile and spiritual and the Spirits convincing that we bow and yield to his conviction The Spouse then under the withdrawing of Christ v. 6. is here put to see her poverty and speak by others her case to Christ when she neglected to speak to Christ when he was nearer to her then now If you find him tell him There is then some spiritual capacity without which the daughters of Jerusalem cannot pray and that is if they find him not Christ cannot be prayed unto and if the faith meet not with him as Immanuel Paul saith well Rom. 10. 13. How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed 2. Can one call on God or cry to him Abba Father who never laid hold on him as a Father Know then that unbelief is an iron door betwixt Christ and many who pray or rather cry to him for many pray to an unknown Christ Could Jacob wrestle with an unfound and farre-off God Hos 12. 4. He wept and made supplication to him he found him in Bethel and there he spake with us Can any knock and neither find the right door nor 2. know the King and the Lord of the house within ye never went into the Kings chamber nor to his house of wine and how can ye speak to him Obj. 1. You lay much weight on the quality and worth of prayer when you say we must first find Christ before we can pray to him Answ Praying must have some spiritual quality in it since itâ—s a work of the Spirit for speaking of words is not praying The legion of devils in the possessed man Mat. 8. spake words and made a suit to Christ but they prayed not Davids enemies cry even to the Lord Psal 18. 41. but pray not The damned in hell speak words to God but they blaspheme and quarrel with holy justice but pray not 2. The lowest discernable breathing out of a sigh through the holy Ghost hath as well the nature of prayer as an eighth part of an ounce of gold partaketh of the nature of gold no less then a mountain of gold 3. The groaning of the Spirit of the Lord is in every praying and therefore let none be beguiled who are destitute of the Spirit for no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the holy Ghost 1 Cor. 12. 3. It 's not want of charity nor unnecessary discouraging of any to say a thistle is a thistle and not a rose a thorn is a thorn and not a vine-tree Where the spirit of grace joynes no influences of saving grace can you call that speaking to God a work of saving grace It were good men were not permitted to treasure up pieces of brass and copper and suffered to dream they have a treasure of gold 4. Sense of deadness in prayer oftner speaks the life of prayer and a godly sense of blindness is a large measure of seeing John 9. 41. Obj. 2. Then must we not pray till me first find Christ Answ Not so neither for praying fitteth for praying Stirring of the birth brings and increaseth lively heat better mar praying especially if you dare not dissemble then restrain or omit praying Obj. 3. I cry and I am not heard Answ The godly man may move the same doubt Job 19. 7. Psal 22. 2. 2. There are degrees of discerning an answer and degrees of the Lords opening to the knocking of faith it were sit yet Magus prayed more Acts 8. 22. and that he went about means with more sense of deadness If you find my beloved The Spouses withdrawing beloved v. 6. is her beloved Christ is a seeking yet sayes she he is my beloved The interest in Christ is moral or in
young should it not be ill with the health of many Some cures are worse then the diseases there is a sickly and unnatural thirst on some persons sick of a feaver it would be ill with them if either abundance of wine or a fountain of water were at their bed-side the choise and elective faculty of the sick mans mind is often as sick as his body Let me not then be my own comforter but let the Spirit of infinite wisedome enjoy his own office and be the other comforter whom the Father sends in Christs name Q. May not such as are sick of love pray for sense and comfort Answ There are some relative mercies that the Saints may pray for and if they be denied praise and blesse the Lord for the denial of them because we often pray for sense comfort full assurance not as they are acts of gracious duties which were good but as they are taking and alluring rewards and wages before we doe our work Q. 2. Is not languishing pain in love-sickness after Christ an evil to be prayed against Answ No question we may pray against swooning and fainting of the life of God and may pray for the contrary comfort but with submission to infinite wisedom Some diseases are so diseases as some fluxes and some fevers as they are also medicinal helps of health and healthy and lively diseases The Lord and nature under the Lord gives excellent medicine who knows but Hezekiah's running botch which was otherwise deadly was a natural help to his fifteen yeares health and life which followed Look not on the holy Lord when he is acting as a Physitian as if he were acting as a Judge Want with good will the sense and comfort that the Lord would have you want in his infinite wisedome Obj. But whatever we pray for we are to pray for it with submission and a reserve to holy soveraignty as well as we are to pray for sense and comfort Answ It is a doubt and a great one whether with alike submission we are to pray for that which is bonum honestum and a gracious duty as we are to pray for bonum jucundum that which is pleasant or the reward of a duty Hence the question Whether it be lawful to pray for saving influences of grace and how far whether conditionally or absolutely Hence the first Assertion Assert 1. Whatever the clay suites from the potter it should be suited 1. With that general submission or rather subjection which all creatures as creatures owe to their Creator Hence the clay cannot contradict the potter though but a sinful man and say why hast thou made me thus Rom. 9. 20. 2. A negative submission is far required as the contrary to wit a chiding and contending with the Lord in any case whether he give or deny influences is unlawful it 's sin to reply on the contrary to judge or misjudge God v. 20. Isa 45. 9. Woe to him that strives with his Maker See the word in the Hebrew Assert 2. It is most lawful to seek influences of grace for duties at all times 1. The Saints doe pray for influences Psalm 119. 25. Quicken me according to thy word 27. Make me understand the way of thy precepts 29. Grant me thy law graciously 33. Teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes 35. Make me to goe in the paths of thy commandements Cant. 1. 4. Draw me 2. We may pray that God would withdraw his influences from sinful actings Psalm 119. 29. Remove from me the way of lying Psalm 141. 4. Incline not my heart to any evil thing to practice wicked works with men that work iniquity Matth. 6. 13. Lead us not into temptation 3. Influences to will and to doe are promised in the covenant of grace Deut. 30. 6. Jer. 32. 39 40. Ezek. 36. 27. and so doth Christ promise the Spirit and his teaching John 14. 26. convincing John 16. 7. guiding v. 13. Then we may suit from God what he promises to give 4. Our will is to be conform to the holy will of God in his law Rom. 12. 2. 1 Thess 4. 3. 1 Pet. 2. 5. Then may we seek necessary helps for these actings 5. Christ commends praying for the Spirit Luke 11. 13. Matth. 6. 9. John 16. 23. and James is clear in it Jam. 16. 6. and therefore he commands also praying for the saving operations of the Spirit and his influences Assert 3. There is a two-fold contradicting of the Lords will One by way of replying striving and challenging the Lord as doing unequally This is condemned in the cited places Rom. 9. 10. Isa 45. 9. There is another humble contradicting in the woman of Canaan Matth. 15. 26 27. In wrestling Jacob when the Lord sayes Let me goe Gen. 32. 26. In Moses interceding Exod. 32. 10 11 12. Yea when Christ commands the disciples to watch and in order to watching citeth the Prophecie of Zechariah c. 13. who foretold that the flock should be scattered and that they should sinfully forsake and deny their Master he also charges them to contradict that permissive will and decree of God by which it was ordained that the Lord shall withdraw his influences from Peter and the rest of the disciples that their sinful weaknesse might appear therefore suppose the Lord say it 's my decree and will to deny influences of grace to us in such particular actings it 's the Lords mind that we should humbly contradict that holy will and desire and pray in the contrary nor can the Lord command the reasonable creature to will or not to desire saving grace for so the holy Lord should command sin yea to desire and pray for grace is our duty commanded in the Law and by Christ Matth. 6. 12 13. Luke 11. 13. even when we pray that the Lords name may be hallowed his kingdome come and his will to be done by us and others cheerfully Matth. 6. 9 10 11 12. we desire to be kept from sin and to have grace in all things to obey the Lord though we know that he denies his saving influences to us and to many others Assert 4. With this holy contradicting of the Lord will is conjoyned an humble submitting to the Lords denying of saving influences without a sinful counter-working of his holy will now revealed or without charging folly or unequal dealing upon the Lord. For 1. His own grace is his own grace and he is free of all debt and obligation to give gracious influences to Angels or men as also grace to use the measure of grace given is rather to be sought then a large measure 2. There is in love-sicknesse for Christ a weakness of the soul and a fainting for the want of Christ and this may come from the apprehended curse and anger of God for sin which is a disease after conversion that the child of God may be sick of So David Psal 6. 1. Lord rebuke me not in thine anger
the heart Prov. 23. 19. Hear thou my son and be wise and guide thine heart in the way it 's grace that guides the heart in the way but the graced heart also guides it self in its manner of working in the way of God 1 Tim. 5. 22. Keep thy self pure 2 Tim. 2. 15. Study to shew thy self approved unto God Jude v. 21. Keep your selves in the love of God So 1 Joh. 3. 3. Every man that hath this hope purifieth himself even as he is pure The sea purgeth it self of mire and dirt and new wine casteth out the scum and refuse and gold melted seperates and casts out its dross and the superfluity of the mettal far more doth the renewed heart keep it self by a lively power against every power contrary to it self only the heart cannot plow the heart and remove its rockiness the Lord by an omnipotent infusion of a new spirit doth that Ezech. 36. 26. I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh Now 2. The renewed man does not so much as the renewed heart would carry him to do it 's clear saving wisedom if David had improved it should have kept him from adultery and murther Psalm 51. 6. Behâ—ld thou hast delighted in truth in the reins and in the hidden part thou makest me to know wisedom So is fornication against the price of redemption that Christ hath given for us 1 Cor. 6. 19 20. 3. The renewed man may and doth forget that the habit of grace is given to him to trade withal and for promoving of acts of sanctification he thinks as Papists do it 's given to be his justification and pardon and that it may compense his other sins this I may do because I am a renewed man and the gifts and caâ—ings of God are without repentance and God will dispense with it I being in a state of grace But the Scripture saith 1 Kings 15. 5. David did that which was right in the sight of the Lord save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite and so David's being a man according to Gods heart was no shelter to his shedding of innocent blood Now grace is not given to the child of God as a piece of overguilded copper to a child to play withal as if he needed not to trade with it nor to put it to the bank 3. The unrenewed man is under the debt of Gospel-obedience to Christ a deep habitual sleepiness on the sluggard frees him neither from an obligation to the duty of plowing nor from that justice of God which cloathes the sleeper with rags Now the shift that the natural man hath is No man can come to the Son except the Father of Christ draw him it 's true and Scripture-truth of it self But it 's told 1. By the proud and the lawless bankrupt as a shift 2. It is told also by the humble and broken diver In the former mans sense the meaning is I cannot believe I can do no more he denies me grace blame himself hence he must keep his lusts But 1. Nature and acting of nature must be before the acting of grace he hath not denied to you the grace of using external means to come to the assembly of the Saints to lend the ear and not to turn the ear away from the law and this you refuse 2. Proud fools would cashier both Law and Gospel but that eminent preacher Mr. Will. Fenner God will not help that man to go that hath legs to go and will not 2. God is to be waited for in the way of his judgements Isa 26. 8. so thou must not look to fetch God out of his walk the means of grace and salvation 3. Heaven is an end and an end can never be gotten without means 4. God will not set up another door to heaven for any man in the world he 'll never make another Bible either be ruled by this or by none the drunkards way shall never be his the worldlings way shall never be his The truth is the carnal man would be carried sleeping with his lusts and filthiness in Christs bosome in heaven as an eagle flies over a river and never wets one feather he would be over word reading hearing of Sermons learning knowledge repenting mortification self-denial there be no Bibles nor Ordinances in heaven and by a miracle he would be over all these otherwise I hear I pray I whore not but the way of doing I cannot reach and if I cannot get this way chalked out let me lie saith he where I am God can do this and he will not but he will have the Gospel like a milstone tied about every mans neck that shall be saved Even among men this is no excuse ah you must pity him say ye it 's his natural temper he is mad in a prevailing habit of malice he is kind and loving otherwise will ye judge and law-absolve him from the guilt of man-slaughter and spare his life for that Another acts a prank of covetousness and goes along in an act of treason ah say some he is a simple man and short-witted but otherwise not wicked in that he hath been foolish we saâ— his other virtness satisfie not the Law he hath wit to act mischief and is a greedy fool 2. This same tale is said by the humbled man Ah I cannot believe and I look upon this weakness as afflictive paining wickedness and he weeps over his wounds and weeps over his Physitian and this complaining is good and hath good in it But another doubt there is there is no promise of rewarding natural acting with faith true what then will ye go no farther then on natures leading because there is no promise of grace made to natures acting 2. We are obliged to obey God in the covenant of works and believe in Christ in the covenant of grace suppose there had been no hire of life eternal in the one or the other the Lord might stand on his points and command as Law-giver and never come down as a Covenanter to hire and to bude us as children to embrace a great and large Kingdom on a low condition a poor farthing or half penny of faith 3. There is no promise of a rich harvest made to all who plow painfully but often the contrary the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong Eccles 9. 10. nor have they ever riches who rise early and go late to bed and eat the bread of sorrow Psal 127. and for that shall the husbandman hang up the plow and till none there is not a promise made that all that sail shall bring home rich ships full of gold what then are all the Merchants in the earth loosed from the duty of trading and sailing cried down then all shipping must be laid aside 4. There is not a promise made to using of means but there is a sad threatning of
unrenewed and full and extream at only that which is a worldly good thing the spirit is yet carnal and no saving influences can be there in the regenerate the affections are like two contrary rivers when the one river is full at the flowing in of the sea the river in the contrary coast is low and ebb so joy sorrow love desire c. as the Spirit prevails Rom. 7. as the flesh prevails in its motion so are they up in their fleshly exorbitancies and low in their motions and flowings toward God v. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24. but the joy spiritual at the coming and receiving of the Gospel Acts 8. 5 6 7 8. the joy of believing Rom. 15. 13. the joy of the hope of glory Rom. 5. 2. Matth. 5. 12. the Joy in the midest of heaviness if need be for a season which is unspeakeable and full of glory 1. Pet. 1. 6 7 8. the joy in suffering under reproaches and the spoyling of our goods Heb. 10. 33 34. Acts 5. 41. 1 Thes 3. 9. the Joyingin Christian walking Phil. 4. 4. the joy of the holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. and the like are all fruits of the spirit and have necessarily conjoyned with them heavenly influences to receive the Gospel Acts 8. to beleive with peace of mind Rom. 15. 13. to hope for glory Rom. 5. 2. Matth. 5. 12. to be comforted under heaviness even to love the holy afflicter 1 Pet. 1. 5 8. to all patience in suffering Heb. 10. 33 34. Acts 5. 41. to walke chearfully in our Christian course Phil. 4. 4 5. all which must be wanting in the false and bastard joy of the world and the like may be said of desire the more men waste their desires in worldly objects the less of the Spirit have they as these two are excellently conjoyned Psalm 73. 24. Thou shalt guide me by thy counsels and afterward receive me to glory Influences in perseverance in the way of God by Gods counselling and leading are here insinuated and beside that a spiritual desire v. 25. Whom have I in Heaven but thee and in the Earth there is none I desire beside thee 15. Self-love is a note of Apostates in the last days 2 Tim. 3. 2. and of men in the state of nature where self-love prevails above the love of God for natural men make themselves the god of gods and the god of their false gods Exod. 20. 4. Judg. 2. 19. Psalm 81. 8. Amos 5. 26. Hos 13. 2. there be men who make themselves their last end it 's contrary to all true holiness and sanctification and so to all acts and influences of the Spirit for it is the proper work of the Spirit to make us holy and he bears the name of the holy Ghost and of the spirit of sanctification upon that reason and therefore where self is the mans god what room is left to holiness and to the influences of grace and where the love of God is spread abroad in the heart by the holy Ghost which is given Rom. 5. 5. and hath a seat in the heart John 21. 15. John 14. 15. Deut. 10. 12. Deut. 6. 4 5 6. Deut. 30. 6. as the habitual fear of God hath also what doubt is there but the Lord shall joyn actual influences of grace to his owne spiritual habits which should put us to self-denial and to be less wedded to the love of our selves and more to love the Lords Word Law and Testimonies Psalm 119. 11 47 72 97 127 128 c. to love Jesus Christ his cause and Gospel more then our own life Matth. 16. 25 26. then houses brethren sisters father mother wife children or lands Matth. 19. 29. Matth. 10. 37. Luke 14. 26. and where this habit of love prevailing in the heart is the Lord denies not actual influences to his own sincere followers and strength of grace to seal his truth with their blood Rev. 12. 10 11. Heb. 11. 33 34 35. Heb. 10. 32 33 34. and when self-confidence and self-love and carnal fear of losing life present prevails by reason of a temptation as is clear in Peter and the Disciples who deny and forsake Christ contrary to their undertaking Matth. 26. 31 32 33 34 35 v. 56 69 70 71 c. the Lord justly withdraws the influences of his spirit 16. The ignorance of the Gospel and the loathing of Christ renders all Pagans who hear the rumour of Christ but receive him not and all Reprobates within the visible Church in a worse condition then rocks and desarts are in for Sun clouds and rain send influences in them but the malignity and driness and coldness of the soil is the cause why they do not spring and blossome as the gardens and meddows but though the Lord send common helps to such Pagans and unbelievers yet it is justice that the Spirit in his influences should be a stranger to such as live strangers to the Son of God for the Son and Spirit go not contrary ways to their operations Carnal professors who study only a form of godliness and aim not at the power of godliness and do but bear the bare letters and outward bulk of baptism and the sound of the word preached and hate Christ and persecute the godly that are chosen by him out of the world come under the name of the world who cannot receive the Spirit nor his influences John 14. 17. and have a spirit of their own the spirit of the world 1 Cor. 2. 12. this spirit is their tutor and guide and such as are out of Christ are led by the prince of the power of the air the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience Ephes 2. 2. and are taken captive by him at his will 2 Tim. 2. 26. Now can these two spirits the Spirit of God and the Divel lodge in one and the same dwelling and exercise their several operation on the same soul No. 17. The sad freatings and wrestlings at the providence of God incapacitates men for influences of grace thrice Psalm 78. the people are said to tempt the Lord and especially in asking meat for their lust v. 18. can he provide flesh for his people v. 20. and the Spirit of the Lord so tempted le ts not out his sweet and saving influences upon such as wrestle with his holy dispensations was there more of the Spirit letten out to Israel for murmuring at the red sea or less yea less Exod. 15. for after that they murmured again at Morat Exod. 14. and in the wilderness of Sin Exod. 16. 1. yea forty years in the wilderness Psal 95. 9 10. They tempted God and did erre in heart and that with their first murmuring in Egypt was a provoking cause of Gods withdrawing his Spirit all these forty years is called v. 8. The day of temptation for to tempt God is a great wickedness he who welcomes all dispensations with godly submission and can bow to his Lords will
affirmatio sit causa affirmationis etiam negatio erit causa negationis Sic Servator ipse Qui ex Deo est Vocem audit Dei vos autem propterea non auditis quia ex Deo non estis Joan. 8. 37. The objection of many if God would give me influences of grace as he did to David Moses c. I would be as holy as any discussed The non-sense of this had I more grace I should be more gracious If the â—bâ—ecto of this had I more grace I would 〈◊〉 gracious were a humble â—â—vert the objection should be more savoury yet not sounder O if I had more grace I would labour and run more is a contradictory speech in the sluggard One spece desires not to be turned into another nor does a natural man desire to be a convert Luke 14. 16 17 18 19. Natural men wish physical influences of God but they hate moral holiness Natural men love independency and hate to be under the Lord 's governing influences He that uses not a less power or gift of two degrees for God would not use a power of ten degrees for God as is cleared in instances of 1. Wisedom 2. Power of Magistracy 3. Of old age 4. Riches 5. Habit of grace c. Riches cannot add mercifulâ—ess to men The Objection opened If I had had the grace of David I would not have acted the wickedness which David acted The Objection had I more grace I would be more gracious may be retorted Faith and Grace doe not depend upon extraordinary means and teachers sent from hell and we are much deceived thinking Had we more grace we should be more gracious If free will be weak in the improving a natural power it will be so in the improving of supernatural grace Mr. Fenner's Wilful impenitency pag. 80. There is an extolling of nature in this had I more grace I would be more holy for I and self is separated from Christ The carnal Objection If God gave stronger influences I should be more holy is a sinful complaining against Soveraignty 2. Against infinite wisedom what a depth is here 3. The Objection is against the freedom of grace The Objection chargeth the holy Lord with envy The objection chargeth the holy Lord with unrighteousness It chargeth God with male-government It strives with holy providence in the point of original sin How we wish to be from under sin original and how not God ties us to his own way of removing of sin not to our empty wishing that it were removed What sort of influences we are to seek from God The using of means is an approved way of God How reformation of life goes not before remission as Mr. Baxter saith Some violently bâ—ought in to know Christ some more mildly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 John not under the same dispensation with Peter Jonah strong in his passions Eliah's temper The Old Testament dispensations and the New are compared together and their differences 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Various kinds of desertions Various kinds of desertions on the Lord 's redeemed Whether by prayer or any other way we may wrestle out from under God's desertions To deprecate the anger of God how laudable how not Influences are given of God to various temptations It is a gracious temper to weep when the Lord is absent or angry A soveraignty in the Lord 's hearing or not hearing Strive not with soveraignty Divers kinds of striving with soveraignty Deadness and desertion may be on one way and much of God in other actings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 impegit offendit pede Christs absence is sometimes as good as his presence We are not to strive with the Law Sometime we may pray against the decree of God but it s never lawful to resist his commanding will It s good to answer every impression of his word 1 Pet. 1. 23. The new-birth We may weep over our own dry hearts when we want influences but we cannot weep against the Lord because he gives not these influences We are to meet all conditions of life with closing with his holy dispensation Luke 21. 12 17. Now we cannot prevent God The Lord strongly bows free will We are to pray for our own prayers There is no warrant for us not to act because God is Lord of our actings How we are to doe though God only work in us to doe The Word is the rule of doing the Spirit the real efficient cause How the Lord can lay by a command supernatural duties on men impotent and dead in sin We may use the loco-motive faculty in hearing and God convert men beyond their intention Gospel-commands stand well with divine justice Pelagius to heighten this said if our inability to obey be a punishment it s not a sin and if a sin it s no punishment for punishment cures sin Augustin de natura gratia cap. 29. Quid amplius dicam inquit Pelagius non ipse Augustinus ut pessime Jesuitae nisi quia potest credi quod ignes ignibus extinquuntur si credi potest quod peccata peccatis curentur Now we may believe said the Pelagians that fire may be extinguished by fire if sin be cured by sin and if God command both obedience and our impotency to obey be both a sin and a punishment so Julianus a disciple grosser then the master August lib. 5. contra Julian c. 4. So Pelagians taught that the godly before Moses Law were saved by the law of nature Epist ad Demetrium Hac lege naturae verba Pelagii sunt usi sunt omnes quos inter Adamum atque Mosem sancte vixisse atque placuisse Deo Scriptura commemorat August l. 2. imperfect operis cont Julianum Quid timetis magnum populum Christi Judicium magnum non timetis aperte dicite justificari natura justificari lege possumus gratis mortuus est Christus lib. 2. cont Juli c. 8. Epistol 95. Serm. 36. de verbis Domini Non solum ad facienda verumetiam ad perficienda mandata divina per liberum arbitrium humana sufficit natura Tu nos fecisti homines justos autem ipsi nos fecimus Aug. l. de Gestis Pelag. c. 14. Lib. 4. ad Bonefac c. 11. l. 2. imperf operis l. de spiritu litera c. 1. Pelagius l. 2. de lib. arb apud August l. de grat Christi c. 4. Nos sic tria ista distinguimus certum velut in ordinem digesta partimur priâ—o loco posse Cornel Jansen tom 1. de haeresi Pelag. l. 4. c. 13. p. 87. esse sine peccato statuimus secundo velle tertio esse primum illud id est posse ad Deum proprie pertinet qui illud creaturae suae contulit Duo vero reliqua hoc est velle esse ad hominem referenda sunt quia de arbitrii fonte descendunt Q What power of believing we want In what sense the Lord may charge men to believe who now in Adam have losed power of believing
Original sin is sin properly so called Author Imperf operis l. 1. cont Julianum nihil esse peccati in homine si nihil est propriae voluntais vel assensionis hoc mihi hominum genus quod vel leviter sapit sine dubitatatione consentit Lib. Imperfec operis 2. Quod admoneri non potest ut caveatur imputari non potest ut puniatur nunquam autem Legislator ad hanc venit amentiam ut praeceperit cuiquam noli ita vel ita nasci Lib. de peccato merit remis c. 9. c. 26. si peccator genuit peccatorem justum quoque justum gignere debuisse Item Deum qui propria peccata remittit aliena non imputare item parvulis melius esse ex parentibus non nasci Vt jure damnabiles esse imo comparari parricidis in quibus sit causa ut filii nascantur ad damnationem Vide l. 3. cont Julian c. ultimo Item lib. 5. cont Julian c. 11. lib. 5. 1. oper imperfec lib. 1. cae Mr. Baxter 's Preface to his Confession God will judge none on the meer terms of the law of nature nor condemn them only for original sin They that say otherwise do too injuriously extenuate both the grace of God and the sin of man Are not Infants condemned to death and condemned heirs of wrath Rom. 5. Eph. 2. 1 2. 3. 2. Where hath the grace of God made original sin to be no sin or pardoned sinne Hath Christ washed all Infants in his blood Is that a supposed wrath Eph. 2. Insants are not washed in Christs blood according to Pelagians and Arminians but must be saved by some other name then by the name of Jesus Infants are not washed in Christ's bloud according to Pelagians and Arminians but must be saved by some other name then by the name of Jesus God in creating man is both a creator and also a law-giver We are to be humbled for sin original No man can bring himself in a spiritual capacity to receive grace How to fetch influences The Spirit of grace hath his own influence in actions which the regenerate perform out of custome and formality at least in the progress of these actions 2. Sermon on Pray continually pag. 35. How the Lord brings himself under a sort of necessity of conferring gracious influences A practise of grace and a promise of grace in God A Considerable difference betwixt the Lord's promise of grace and his practise oâ— grace Civil professors are nearer to conversion and to Christ then the openly profane and flagitious and how they are also farther distant External use of means is to be gone about as nearer to conversion then no use of means or extreme prophaneness All even the most indisposed are under a command It s a sinful shift to put away duties because of indisposition We are to pray away indispositions as a great affliction The Lord hath given influences by necessity of a promise A clearing of the place Deu. 29. 3. the great temptations c. August lib. 1. con 6. Nec mater mea nec nutrices meae sibi ubera implebant sed tu mihi Domine per eas dabas mihi alimentum infantiae secundum institutionem tuam divitias usque ad fundum rerum dispositas tu etiam dabas nolle amplius quam dabas nutrientibus me dare mihi velle quod eis dabas dare enim mihi per ordinatum effectum volebant quo ex te abundabant Ripening of guiltinesse makes way to ripening of free grace The three persons the Father Son and Spirit give influences The fulness of influences on the man Christ Influences of the Father upon his own The Lord's beginning of a good work in us brings the Lord under a necessity of conferring influences to the end How shall our short arm reach these influences Christ hath the dispensing of predeterminating influences by office and covenant The influences in the Son are all for our use and good The spirit of the world The glorious things which the spirit of God shews How the spirit of God dwels in his own The spirit of the world in the Antichrist and divers other spirits lead the world Liberty of stirring follows the spirit Praying is proper to the spirit Baron de peccato mort veniali The spirit prevenes nature nature prevenes not the spirit Characters of a spiritual soul We are to pray for influences The spirit conveys the word the spirit's relations to the word A two-fold power of the word Of the power of the word and the power of the spirit and how they are differenced Speaking in the spirit is not ever saving to the hearers The spirit's convictions In the spirit's conviction there is some new strength added to the word A state of pure spirit and of all spirit beyond the word in this life is a fancy Obedience is to be yielded to the spirit as to the Father and the Son Much renewd will is a note of a spiritual disposition Four expressions in Scripture of wrongs we doe to the spirit Vexing of the spirit and violence done to his actings Saduing of the spirit and the signs of it Quenching of the spirit We are to make a sort of eike to the spirit Tempting of the spirit 4 Resisting of the spirit and persecuting of godliness The spirit above self speaks a spiritual one he who is least his own is most God's To doubt as a bewildered man of all ways and to desire to be led of God is a spiritual character Spiritual facility is a spiritual character A publick spirit declares a spiritual man How to improve spiritual feelings Watching is a spiritual condition and near to receive gracious influences To converse with the Saints is a mark of a spiritual condition Spiritual conference frequently used speaks a spiritual condition How Satan knows the actings of the heart Satan keeps correspondence with the heart It 's lawful to dispute with Satans instruments not with Satan Christ sought not the tempter nor the temptation but in a sort a patient in being tempted Differences between Satans influences and these of the Lord. Christ under a necessity of giving sanctifying influences Moral and physical influences Moral influences that are only moral are weak Ordinary and extraordinary influences Prophetical influences It 's dangerous to resist strong light and the influences thereof Private and publick Church influences Strong influences under the Messiah in the New Testament Gospel-influences are strong Some influences are for the habit some for the actings of grace some for both Influences proper to the head Christ and influences on the members Mediatory influences are some way due to the broken in heart and what sort of right they have thereunto A four-fold right to influences is considerable Strong and mighty influences in Christ Gospel-providence how far above the law-providence of Adam Mr Gee treats of prayer Sect. p. 187 188 195. Influences of Christ fundamental and not fundamental The
and cashier and lay aside his own as the man Christ nevertheless not my will but thy will be done Matth. 26. 39. under the greatest suffering that possibly could be on created flesh as he who is most holily passive to suffer the will of God is most holily capacitate to receive the holy spotless active influences of grace as was the holy thing Jesus a wide and capacious vessel as the wisedom of Angels and men can imagine in whom was all fulness of grace be then humble and submissively flexible and bowable to the Lords will in his decrees and revealed will and the Lord shall dwell with you and look toward you Isa 57. 15. Isa 66. 2. But what are all these to fetch the wind of the Spirits breathings for you must have a wind to fetch this wind a new predetermination and influence of grace to all these duties of heavenly softness 2. Faith 3. Liveliness 4. Watchfulness c. opposite to hardness of heart 2. To unbelief 3. To deadness 4. To security c. and so we give say the adversaries nothing that we can rest on for the acquiring and purchasing of influences of grace but we must lie dead as passive lumpes say the Libertines and Calvinists what they please on the contrary that influences begin and we follow is most necessary For 1. The Lord bows moves draws and then in the same moment of time the will follows runs inclines it self as Psalm 119. v. 36. compared with v. 112. Cant. 1. 4. draw me we will run it 's here first the wind blows and the tyde flows and then we sail 2. If grace prevene nature and nature prevene not grace so we must say 3. If we pray for the influences of grace as every page almost of Scripture teacheth us so we must teach 4. Otherways salvation and stirrings in the ways of God must begin at nature and at us so shall we say against all sense the corn grows to the end the Sun may shine and warm the earth and the dew and the rain may fall on the grass and corn and the sea-men sail to the end that the wind may blow whereas the contrary is true the Sun must send influences that the corn may grow Answ We shall be most unwilling to side with cursed Libertines for what can be in strength of reason said against us comes to this If God first before we stir must bow and predetermine our souls to good before we can act and stir then are all influences of grace above our reach absolutely and then fare well free-will for he who bows irresistibly our free-will and firstly to that point of contradiction to willing rather then nilling chosing rather then refusing he must domineer over free-will and make it a meer passive lump Answ If God first by order of nature but in the same moment of time must stir and bow our souls to holy duties before our souls can act and stir themselves then must God domineer over free-will and make it a meer passive lump in acting it it 's palpably false For first by order of nature though together in order of time prius tempore simul natura the Lord stirs and determines the Sun to rise and go down Psalm 104. 19 20. Job 9. 7 8. Send an East-wind to blow in heaven and by his power bring a South-wind Psalm 78. 26. Loose the bands of the wild Ass and cause him to dwell in the barren wilderness Job 39. 5 6. Causes the Hawke by his wisedome to stretch his wings toward the North rather then the South and commands the Eagle to mount up at his command and make her nest in the rocke v. 27 28. And say to the snow be thou on the earth Job 37. 6. and stir and determine all causes naturall before they stir themselves yet the Sun in moving the Wind in blowing the Eagle in flying the Snow in falling on the earth are not for that meer patients or passive lumps in acting but have their own activity in their motion the holy Lords dominion over the operations of second causes natural or free neither strains nor doth violence to the one sort of cause nor to the other but it belongeth to the perfection of the Lords holy dominion and perfect providence to master and rule all causes and creatures in being and working 2. Therefore as the Lords dominion determines the Sun to rise and move rather then not to rise and the Hawke and Eagle to flie toward the North rather then not to flie toward the North he destroys not the nature of necessary and natural causes so we must not bid farewel to the natural operation of the one kind of causes rather then the other 3. If God first before we stir and bow our souls as Ethical moral knowing and considering causes must move stir and determine our souls to good then are all influences of grace above our reach absolutely and then farewel free-will there is no necessity of the one connexion more then the other for the Lords first bowing of our souls by order of nature before our souls bow themselves to good the soul being a moral knowing and considering cause as not one but many Scriptures Psal 119. 59 30 55 52 92. Hag. 1. 5. Hos 7. 2. Psalm 41. 1. Prov. 6. 6. Prov. 24. 32 c. prove shall never conclude that for the Lord so bows and determines our souls in all our moral actings as that he leaves the soul to judge know consider esteem ponder and weigh in the action right and lawful wrong and unlawful what is acceptable to God what is displeasing to God and what is the consequent of the action whether reward or punishment Heaven or Hell and if so the soul hath virtually and in the consequent in its power the foregoing influences of grace to have them or want them willingly and delightfully 4. If the Lord must stir and determine the soul to holy and free actings so as except he turn move and incline the will we can do nothing Prov. 21. 1. Ezech. 11. 19 20. Isa 44. 1 2 3 4 5. Ezech. 36. 26 27. John 15. 1 2 3 4 5 6. Philip. 2. 13. And 2. if we must pray that God would effectually by his grace draw the will and heart Cant. 1. 4. incline it Psalm 119. 36. teach us open our eyes Psalm 119. 18 33 34 29 66. not lead us into temptation but quicken us lead us in his way Matth. 6. 13. Psalm 25. 4 5. Psalm 5. 8. Psalm 86. 11. Psalm 143. 10. Psalm 119. 40 88 156. and that by foregoing knowledge then doe we willingly run at the same time though there be an order of nature here the ways of the Lords commandments and that not compelled with joy and delight without violence connaturally as is clear Cant. 1. 4. Psalm 119. 32 60 33 34 43 44 106. Psalm 122. 1. as infinite Scriptures prove now how Gods grace makes us both necessarily and willingly to