call this Exposition of St. Paul's Text which I have offered carnal Reasoning and the Wisdom of the Flesh and perhaps he will finde little else to say against it there will be small hope left of doing any good upon him nor is any thing to be done with him but to turn him over to the Quakers and with them at present I leave him PART 1. An Account of what we are taught in the Holy Scriptures concerning the Operations of the Holy Spirit CHAP. I. The General Subject of the following Discourse stated § 1. THrough the Assistance of that Holy Spirit whose Operations I intend to treat of I shall endeavour the performance of these two things First to lay down as clearly and methodically as I can what I finde the Holy Scriptures have taught us concerning his Operations and as I go along to remove those erroneous and as I am yet perswaded dangerous Opinions of Dr. Owen and his Brethren concerning this matter which may seem needful to be debated in order to the present clearing of the Truth and this shall be the work of the First Part. Secondly to confute some other pernicious Doctrines of his relating to the same subject the consideration whereof may be fitly enough reserved till we have concluded what the Holy Scriptures affirm in this matter and that will be my designe in the Second Part of this Discourse I shall begin the First part with stating the general Subject of my intended Discourse as plainly as I can Amongst other significations of the word Spirit that may be met with in the Scripture it will be sufficient for my present designe to take notice of these that follow 1. It is sometimes used to signifie the Minde of man as in Joh. 4.24 to worship God in Spirit is to worship him with our Souls and in Gal. 6.18 and Col. 2.5 and in divers other places This is so plain that it needs onely to be mentioned for where the word is used in that sence the Context does easily lead a man to the right understanding of it 2. It sometimes signifies the Temper and Disposition of a man's minde Thus we are to understand that spirit of Faith mentioned by St. Paul 2 Cor. 4.13 which the Christians and God's Servants also in former times had viz. the same pious temper of Minde in bearing Afflictions for Gods sake and looking for deliverance and reward from him So likewise God hath not given us the spirit of Fear but of Power of Love c. 2 Tim. 1.7 contrary to that timorous cowardly temper of being afraid to endure Persecution for Righteousness sake Hereby saith St. John we know that we dwell in him and he in us because he hath given us of his Spirit And what that spirit is we see plainly by the former words Chap. 4. vers 12. If we love one another God dwelleth in us It is that spirit of Love that Benignity and charitableness of minde whereby we become like unto God 3. By the Spirit we are frequently to understand the Holy Spirit of God the third person in the blessed Trinity as in 1 Joh. 5.7 There are three that bear record in Heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost or Spirit So also when St. Paul saith There are diversities of gifts but the same Spirit 1 Cor. 12.4 we are by Spirit to understand the Holy Ghost for vers 6. he saith it is the same God which worketh all in all which compared with vers 11. But all these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit dividing to every man severally as he will makes it plain that by the Spirit here St. Paul understands God the Holy Ghost This is the sence wherein I understand the word Spirit when I speak of the operations of the Holy Spirit in us I mean the person of the Holy Ghost But we must observe 4. That the Holy Spirit is frequently used to signifie his Operations or those Effects which are wrought by his Operations Thus the pouring out of the Spirit mentioned Acts 2. plainly signifies his bestowing supernatural gifts in great measures upon the Apostles and Disciples of Christ. So Received ye the Spirit i. e. the gifts of the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith Gal. 3.2 Thus also are we to understand that promise made to the Apostles of sending the Holy Ghost Joh. 14.26 For this being the promise of the Father mentioned Acts 1.4 which was foretold in these words I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh Acts 2.16 17. must needs signifie the same thing with pouring out of the Spirit which phrase as Dr. Owen truely notes hath respect unto his Gifts and Graces So likewise the phrase of giving the Spirit Luke 11.13 is explained in Matth. by giving good things i. e. such good things as the Spirit of God is the Author of to Believers Indeed nothing can properly be said to be given to us but what is capable of becoming our own therefore when the Holy Spirit is said to be given some spiritual good or benefit is meant which accrues to us by the Operation of the Holy Spirit But the Doctor tells us that where the Spirit is given he is given absolutely and as to himself not more or less but his Gifts and Graces may be more plentifully and abundantly given at one time than at another to some persons than to others So that he makes two different things of having the Spirit of God given to us and our being partakers of his Gifts and Graces for according to him a man may have these limitedly That he must have absolutely These more or less That not so And this is a mystery which he hath found out in that expression of giving the Spirit Whatever he intends by this conceit it is plainly contrary to the use of that Phrase in the Scripture for John 3.34 it is said of our Saviour that God gave not the Spirit by measure unto him from whence it is evident that the Spirit may be given in measure Wherefore this Phrase doth not necessarily imply that the person of the Spirit is properly given as the Doctor pretends for he confesseth that as to himself he is not given more or less Nay those words of St. John Baptist imply that the Spirit was given to all other Prophets and Righteous men in measure and consequently the giving of the Spirit unto men cannot signifie the giving of his Person or the giving of him absolutely neither more nor less for he is alwaies given to them in measure i. e. in the same measure wherein his Gifts and Graces are communicated to them The same thing is otherwise exprest Matth. 12.18 I will put my Spirit upon him which being spoken concerning our Saviour Christ is parallel to Gods giving the Spirit to him mentioned John 3.34 Indeed there is little difference in the expressions if it be observed that the passage in St Matthew is cited out of
Isai. 42.1 where the words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have given my Spirit upon him which is almost the same expression with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in St. John only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 upon Him makes the former to allude to the Descent of that visible Glory upon our Saviour when he was consecrated to his Office by the Holy Ghost But the Doctor hath met with an unexpected Secret in the Phrase of putting on for he doth not only pretend that it is the person of the Spirit which God is said to put upon men but he thinks something more is meant by it than by Giving the Spirit He saith God doth not only give and send his Spirit unto them to whom he designes so great a benefit and privilege but he actually collates and bestows him upon them He doth not send him unto them and leave it in their wills and power whether they will receive him or no but he so effectually collates and puts him in them or upon them as that they shall be actually made partakers of him And again As to some Gifts and Graces God doth bestow his Spirit where there is some preparation and cooperation on our part but wherever he designes to put or place him he doth it effectually This is too serious a subject to be pleasant withal otherwise here would be occasion enough The Doctor it seems hath discovered that the person of the Spirit is bestowed upon those that are converted and that their Conversion is by an irresistible work and all this in the Phrase of putting the Spirit upon a man or in him Now what a goodly Argument is here lost if this Phrase should signifie the same thing with that of giving the Spirit as I have shewn that it doth unless our Authour is subtle enough to shew some real difference betwen the meaning of these Phrases in Matth. 12.18 and John 3.34 where they are used concerning Christ. But perhaps the force of his Argument lies in the only word Put and therefore he produces that Text Isai. 63.11 where indeed the Verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is made use of which properly signifies to Put. The words are Where is he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that put his Holy Spirit in the midst of them i. e. whose Spirit was present with the Israelites to save them from their enemies For the Context plainly shews this to be the meaning Where is he that brought them up out of the Sea where is he that put c. that led them by the right hand of Moses c. vers 12. Now certainly this work of the Spirit in saving the Israelites from the Aegyptians doth not imply that the very person of the Spirit was put upon them and without all question 't is of a very forreign nature from that work for which as he pretends to prove from this place the Spirit is irresistibly put upon men And therefore this Text is every way impertinent to his purpose To conclude The Reason of these and the like expressions may be easily understood by comparing them with that plain Text of St Paul 1 Cor. 12.4 There are diversities of Gifts but the same Spirit for to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom to another c. All these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit dividing to every one severally as he will vers 11. For because it is the person of the Holy Spirit that bestowed these several gifts therefore by an usual Metonymy they who received these gifts were said to receive the Holy Spirit 1 Cor. 2.12 And in like manner the Spirit of God is said to be given and sent and poured forth and administred and put upon those in whom his Operations are and upon whom his Blessings and Benefits his Gifts and Graces are bestowed These are 〈◊〉 significations of this word Spirit in the Holy Scriptures which I have not noted as being too â—â—â—rain to my present purpose of stating the subject of this Discourse to which I now proceed SECT 2. First of all by the Operations of the Holy Ghost I understand those which the Minde of man is the object of and therefore I do not intend to say any thing of the work of the Spirit in the creation of Man in the forming of his Body and his Soul and in enduing him with Intellectual and Moral Abilities much less in the Creation of the World the Heavens and the Earth c. which Dr. Owen hath taken great pains about But I cannot think this needful to the designe which I have of discoursing about the Actions and Operations of the Holy Spirit upon our mindes for they are hereby supposed to have been created and to be what they are Thus the first signification of the word Spirit is proper to the object about which those Operations of the Holy Ghost that I mean are conversant Secondly I intend those Actions of the Holy Ghost upon our mindes which are proper to cause certain Qualities in them whereof they are capable subjects for instance such as are contained under the second signification of the word Spirit viz. Faith and Charity and Meekness and the like But I do not mean nor is it requisite for me to say any thing of the Operation of the Spirit whereby our mindes or any other created beings are sustained in their Natures especially because the Doctor hath taken care not to omit that Subject Thirdly I mean those Operations of the Holy Spirit onely the promise whereof is contained in the Gospel of our Saviour by which limitation of the Subject you see I am not like to trouble you with any enquiry concerning the Operations of the Spirit upon the minde of Man before the Fall for the promise of the Holy Spirit in the Gospel is made to Faln creatures and what his Operations upon our mindes are since the Fall cannot be known but by Revelation because it depended altogether upon God's free Will and Pleasure to bestow the Spirit upon us Neither shall I discourse of the nature and degrees of the Spirit of Prophecy as it was communicated before the coming of the Messias nor shall I at present examine our Author's learning in that point because I intend to confine my self to those promises of the Spirit which may be met withal in the Gospel For the same reason I shall altogether omit to take notice how by the Operations of the Spirit men grow skilful Politicians in which matter if any one hath a minde to be informed he may consult Dr. Owen Nor lastly do I think my self concerned to say any thing of the work of the Holy Spirit in and upon the humane nature of Christ which the Doctor hath likewise spent above a long Chapter upon for that is not the work of the Spirit upon our mindes which Christ hath promised to us and which we can have no other knowledge of than by his Word i. e. by
ready to submit to and then I desire Dr. Hammond's interpretation may be considered But if they neither use this way nor the other nor any like it it is an absurd thing to produce those testimonies of Scripture at all to convince us by them because upon these terms it is utterly impossible they should convince us till we have received that New Light which they themselves pretend to And this is all that I can hope to bring them to viz. to confess their own impertinency in offering any testimony of Scripture for the justifying of their pretence and that when all is done they have nothing to say but the Spirit tells them this is the true sence and meaning of Scripture without enabling them to make it appear to any body else And so we are to let them go either for errant Hypocrites or rank Enthusiasts whom the State hath reason to be jealous of lest they should have some dangerous design against the Government or be prompted to Sedition and Rebellion by the heats of their own fancies or the suggestions of the Devil which by an Enthusiast may be so easily mistaken for the Impulses of the Holy Ghost If last of all it should be said that although God hath not promised this Inspiration we are speaking of yet for ought we know he may do more than he hath promised and reveal the true sence of what passages in Scripture he pleaseth to whom he pleaseth I answer that as I am no way obliged to contradict this supposition so withal I must adde 1. That supposing a man to be thus inspired he cannot prove to another that he is so otherwise than by Miracles which if he doth not neither can he justly expect to convince another that the sence revealed to him is the true sence otherwise than by such rational means as he must have used if it had not been revealed and 2. That therefore if one man hath nothing to say in conclusion for his interpretation of a place of Scripture but that the Spirit led him to it and that to put any other sence upon it is the fruit of carnal reasoning and of the wisdom of the flesh and a signe of Vnregeneracy and the state of a natural man that hath not the Spirit of God which is always Dr. Owen's last refuge and another plainly shews either by the words themselves or by the designe of the discourse to which they belong or by some other way apt to convince a rational man that the foresaid meaning does not belong to them but one that is different from it In this case I say the former is convinced to pretend falsly to Inspiration and in plain English he must be a very Fool that will prefer his interpretation before the other And so much for that matter SECT 5. 2. The principal passages of Scripture which seem to imply Assurance to be a gift bestowed upon the regenerate by the Holy Spirit are two The first I shall mention is that of St. Paul to the Ephesians Grieve not the holy Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption Eph. 4.30 Now by the Believers being sealed c. some have thought that a testimony of the Spirit whereby they are absolutely assured that they shall be saved must needs be meant But first the words are fairly capable of another meaning viz. that the gifts of the Holy Spirit bestowed upon Believers were an evidence that God was now preparing them for the Kingdom of Heaven since upon their believing he had blest them with so many advantages in order thereunto and therefore that he had now a peculiar right to their obedience For this we know is one use of sealing to distinguish that which of right belongs to our selves from what is common Thus are all Believers marked out for God's portion and peculiar by the eminent advantages of the Gospel which he hath made them partakers of and therefore are they said to be sealed by the Holy Spirit because the Gospel is a divine Revelation and the ministration of the Gospel is the ministration of the Spirit Thus when it is said that God the Father hath sealed Christ John 6.27 the meaning is that by the descent of the Holy Ghost upon him he owned him to be his Son that great Prophet who was to declare the will and pleasure of God to men In like manner God's giving his Holy Spirit to them that believe in Christ is as St. Chrisostome speaks excellently upon this place his marking them out to be a Royal Flock it is a token of their peculiar designation to the service and obedience of God and a pledge of that Inheritance 2 Cor. 1.22 they shall be rewarded with if they walk as becomes the Gospel But all this is very far from inferring an absolute assurance in them who are thus marked out for God's people that they shall infallibly persevere in that duty which belongs to their peculiar relation to God and the performance whereof is the condition of receiving the Inheritance And therefore such assurance cannot be proved to be spoken of in this place But 2. The words are not onely capable of that sence which I have offered but their coherence with the foregoing and following verses and the force and reason of St. Paul's Exhortation requires it Let him saith he that stole steal no more and let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth c. Let all bitterness and wrath c. be put away The Argument wherewith he enforceth these Exhortations is this that otherwise they would grieve the Holy Spirit by which they were sealed c. i. e. they would plainly contradict the end for which God had bestowed the gifts of the Spirit upon them who were thus marked out to be his Servants and Children This would be to grieve the Holy Spirit i. e. to bereave themselves of his gracious presence and to come in danger of being excluded for ever out of the Rest of God as it was with the Israelites in the Wilderness with whom God was grieved forty years and he swore in his wrath that they should not enter into his rest Heb. 3. And the note which the Apostle makes thereupon is this that we are made partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end vers 14. i. e. if we hold on resolvedly and patiently in the course of a Christian life It is the like Argument which the Apostle useth more concisely to the Ephesians when he disswades them from impure and evil courses lest they grieve the Holy Spirit of God and by consequence never enter into that Rest God had designed for them But this consideration could have been of no force at all if they had been absolutely sure of their Inheritance as some from these words have pretended they were whereas it must be granted to be very prevailing on supposition that by sealing is here meant their being as it were
understood which is this That although Faith be an effect of divine Grace yet there is an higher measure of Grace promised to us if we believe and a greater than that if we sincerely obey the Gospel The greater promises of Grace are made to those that are in a good way already and the better that way is in which they are the more plentiful communications of the divine Spirit are they capable of It is indeed impossible to assigne the several degrees of that Grace which is bestowed upon men under such qualifications as the Gospel requires because we know not the degrees by which men are more or less qualified The Scripture hath onely acquainted us that believers and good men have promises of special Grace As for the particular degrees of it it is not necessary we should know them and therefore our Saviour hath told us onely in general To him that hath shall be given that is as the Parable to which these words belong clearly imports greater measures of Grace shall be bestowed upon them who best improve the Grace they have already received And this is a very weighty encouragement to make us all careful to be better SECT 2. I come now to speak directly to the Argument of this Chapter viz. who are the Object of Grace or the Operations of the Holy Spirit and that by laying down two or three plain Propositions which being proved the Question will be sufficiently and truely answered 1. God will give special Grace to all those that perform the conditions upon which it is promised which I hope stands in need of no other medium to prove it by than that God is faithful and true and will perform his promise Dr. Owen truely observes that the same Grace in nature and kinde is communicated unto several persons in various degrees and is by them used or improved with more or less care and diligence I shall adde that this special Grace for of that he speaks is communicated unto them in those degrees according as the Grace they had formerly received was improved with more or less diligence for that is plainly the meaning of those words now mentioned To him that hath it shall be given a saying so often repeated in the Evangelists but as neer as I can remember not once taken notice of by our Author throughout his great Book though it be as material and necessary a passage for any Christian Writer that undertakes this subject to guide himself by as any is in all the Scripture For what reason he slipt over this Text though it lay so plainly before him in the Bible he knows best himself He could not but know it was very pertinent to the subject though it was impertinent to his manner of handling it I am sure it is a sufficient confutation of his designe in the Chapter concerning works preparatory to Regeneration where as I shall in due place manifest he makes all the preparatory works that one can well think of to signifie nothing at all in effect towards the obtaining of that Grace whereby we are Regenerated which besides that it confutes the Title of the Chapter is nothing less than to make the communication of that Grace an arbitrary act that depends not upon the performance of any conditions required on our part and consequently to destroy all the encouragement we have from the promise of Christ to pray for the Holy Spirit that we may become the sincere Disciples of Christ. Indeed he is now and then pleased to mince the matter as where he tells us Sometimes as to some gifts and graces God doth bestow his Spirit where there is some preparation and co-operation on our part Sometimes and some Graces and some Preparation are uncertain words But I would know what he means by those Graces which he supposeth will not be bestowed though there be never so much preparation on our part for that is also clearly supposed in his words For instance If through the grace of God a man believes the Gospel and heartily desires to live according to it praying as our Saviour hath taught him for the Holy Spirit in order to that end I would know whether upon this preparation and co-operation on his part God will not enable him so to do If our Author denies it let him answer our Saviour's saying How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him And so upon the like preparation for any special Grace that we need If he should deny that God will bestow it I would also desire him to give us his thoughts upon that other saying of our Saviour which seems to conclude against him in all instances of this nature viz. That unto every one which hath it shall be given Luke 19.26 2. On the other hand the Gospel giveth us no ground to expect any special Grace or such Operations of the Spirit as are promised to qualified persons if we do not perform the conditions upon which the promise depends But on the contrary we have reason to believe that God will withdraw that Grace which he hath already given from those slothful persons that refuse to make any good use of it Indeed how long God will extend his patience towards them and bear with their obstinacy is concealed from us and depends upon his Soveraign pleasure But our Saviour plainly told us that from him that hath i. e. improveth not even that he hath shall be taken away from him So little reason hath any such person to expect any new accession of Grace to that which he hath forfeited by receiving it altogether in vain Wherefore I am far from contradicting those men that say the promises of regenerating Grace belong not to all who have the Gospel preached to them though I take my leave of them when they tell us that these promises are restrained to a few men whom God hath personally chosen and by an absolute Decree fore-appointed to salvation but instead thereof I affirm that the restriction of these promises to certain persons is measured onely by the conditions upon which they are made i. e. that they belong onely to those by whom these conditions are performed My reason is this because there is not one promise in the whole Covenant that is made absolutely to this or that man's person but they are all made with respect to mens qualifications Now the New Covenant is the onely means by which we can know any thing of God's Councils and Decrees concerning our salvation Wherefore if the promises of the Covenant be not absolute but conditional then the reason why every man cannot claim the benefit of them is not because this man's person was absolutely excluded and that man's benefit absolutely intended by them but because some are qualified as they ought to receive the promises and others are not Thus I cannot but subscribe to the Title of our Author's third Chapter in his fourth Book viz. That Believers are
was with me 1 Cor. 15.10 But because they are our own free acts therefore He is not the onely cause of them The Holy Spirit doth not regenerate us in that manner as to do all himself and leave nothing for us to do in order to our regeneration but we are as much concerned to use all proper means of Regeneration as if the whole matter depended upon our single endeavours as I shewed Sect. 4. and that which I say of Regeneration is equally true of every particular Grace of the Holy Ghost It is this Supposition viz. that the Operations of the Spirit are Aids and Helps to our natural Faculties which makes the ascribing of all Christian Virtues to his Grace consistent with leaving the use of our Reason and those duties which depend thereupon necessary to the attainment of them Which our Author understood so well that in his Preface where he complains so tragically of the Reproaches that are cast upon those that dare take upon them to defend the work of the Spirit he pretends to plead for nothing else but the Aids and Assistances of the Spirit very well knowing that they do not impugn the use of reason in Religion as his Phrase is and withal that this Objection is produced by his Adversaries against nothing but his opinion of the irresistible manner of the Spirit 's Operations which very wisely he says not one word of through his whole Preface The onely inconvenience saith he wherewith our Doctrine is pressed is the pretended difficulty in reconciling the nature and necessity of our Duty with the efficacy of the Grace of the Spirit and I have been so far from waving the consideration of it as that I have embraced every opportunity to examine it in all particular instances wherein it may be urged with most appearance of probability And it is I hope at length made to appear that not onely the necessity of our duty is consistent with the efficacy of God's Grace but also that as on the one hand we can perform no duty to God as we ought without its AID and ASSISTANCE nor have any encouragement to attempt a course of obedience without a just expectation thereof So on the other that the work of Grace it self is no way effectual but in our compliance with it in a way of duty onely with the leave of some persons or whether they will or no we give the Preeminence in all unto Grace and not unto our selves And now who would not believe that there are some amongst us who do not give the Pre-eminence in all unto Grace nay and think that if we cannot perform our duty as we ought without the Aid and Assistance of the Spirit that the nature of Duty and the use of Reason in it is destroyed and withal that this man has spent a Folio of railing upon us because we denied the Aids of Grace and the internal Operations of the Holy Ghost Why any man saith he should be discouraged from the exercise of that industry which God requires of him by the consideration of the AID and ASSISTANCE which he hath promised unto him I cannot understand No truely nor I neither nor any man that has common sense For is it possible that a man should be discouraged from industry because he is promised that help without which his industry would not prevail But what is the reason that we hear nothing at all now but of Aids and Assistances when the Operations of the Spirit are mentioned Did the Doctor 's Adversaries ever urge any Objections against them Was the inconvenience wherewith his Doctrine of irresistible Grace is pressed ever charged by them upon the Aids of the Spirit When and where did any of them with or without whose leave he was resolved to write his Book pretend that the Supposition of the Aids of Grace was liable to the inconvenience he promiseth to remove Or rather what can this man say to palliate so foul an Imposture Let others as he goes on do what they please I shall endeavour to comply with the Apostles advice upon the enforcement which he gives unto it Work out your own salvation c. for it is God which worketh c. By all means Sir endeavour it but do not endeavour to perswade the World that the reason why you persecute us with bitter words is because we are not like to be pleased with you for taking the Apostles reason to follow his advice Or if you continue to insinuate this belief of us and to make folks think that the principal cause and occasion of your present undertaking was the open and horrible Opposition that is made unto the Spirit of God and his work in the World since as you go on there is no concernment of his that is not by many derided exploded and blasphemed and that your Adversaries of the Church of England whom you are so angry with for saying that you make a Buz and a Noise and trouble the mindes of men with unintelligible notions are such Scoffers that if any one shall plead the necessity of the Assistance of the Spirit for the due performance of Duties he shall hardly escape from being notably derided by them I say if you go on in this manner surely you must forget all the while that there is a day coming when you must appear before the Tribunal of the Great God to give an account of your Writings But as for our selves to use your own words I shall not trouble my self about an accusation which is laden with as many Convictions of Forgery as there are persons against whom you level these your uncharitable and malicious suggestions Let any indifferent man read your Preface where you pretend to give a Summary Account of your Book and say if the principal designe of it were not to possess your Readers with an opinion that it is our blaspheming the Doctrine of the Aids of the Holy Spirit which enkindled your zeal against us and that you have bestirred your self in the Book principally to make it good against all our opposition that we cannot do the Will of God without them But now if you light upon a Reader so unfortunate to your self as will take the pains to compare you and your self together your Preface with the greatest part of your Book he will soon finde that your Preface was but the Copy of your Countenance and not of your Heart For when you come to give us your opinion concerning the Operations of Grace in good earnest it plainly appears that 't is you that deny them to be Assistances and Helps and that your true quarrel against us is because we say they are Assistances not the onely Causes of Regeneration For you labour as I shall shew you further in the second Part with abundance of words and with all your might to prove that mere Assistance how great soever is utterly insufficient to the conversion of a Sinner and that Conversion is impossible to
thereof p. 277. An instance of his excessive boldness in this matter p. 280. The manner of the holy Spirit 's Operations suitable to the rational nature of Mankinde p. 282. which is in words granted but in effect denied by Dr. Owen p. 283. His vain endeavours to reconcile this Proposition with his Physical immediate Operation p. 286. Isa. 5.4 discoursed upon p. 290. The holy Spirit operates in that manner as to leave our diligence necessary to attain the end of his Operations p. 292. What is meant by God's working in us to will and to do p. 293. And by giving a new Heart p. 296. The Operations of the Spirit suited to our spiritual estate p. 298. That his Graces are wrought gradually is an useful consideration p. 302. That the Operations of the holy Spirit are in themselves imperceptible and known onely by their effects p. 305. That to be guided by the Holy Spirit and by the Gospel and by a good Conscience is one and the same thing p. 309. That men resist the Holy Spirit when they think of nothing less p. 312. That the Operations of the Holy Spirit are Assistances p. 314. Dr. Owen falsly pretends that his Adversaries deny the Assistances of Grace p. 315. That his errour is more justly chargeable upon himself p. 318. The promise of the Holy Spirit a forcible motive to Godliness shewn from the general Heads of the whole Discourse p. 324. The Conclusion of the First Part p. 326. THE INTRODUCTION SECT I. FRom what St. Paul saith Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure it is evident that the consideration of that Divine Assistance whereof the Apostle speaks is a pregnant motive to excite our greatest care and endeavour to do the will of God For I suppose no Christian will say that St. Paul pretended to enforce his Exhortation with an Argument that had little or no force in it to perswade The forcibleness of this Motive lies principally in this Supposition that as they upon whom the aids of the Holy Spirit which are promised in the Gospel are bestowed may fulfil the conditions of obtaining Eternal Life so withal they may miscarry through their own negligence and then their sin becomes more inexcusable and their punishment will be more heavy And this is a clear reason why even those in whom God worketh both to will and to do are yet exhorted to work out their Salvation with fear and trembling Upon this Supposition the Author to the Hebrews doth earnestly exhort Christians to perseverance in the profession and practice of the Gospel For saith he of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who hath done despite to the spirit of grace which he saith plainly for this end to excite them to an effectual care in improving those Spiritual Aids whereby they were able to persevere This I think will easily be granted unless we can imagine that the Apostle talks at as strange a rate as Dr. John Owen frequently doth in his Book concerning the Holy Spirit where he often threatens them with the day of Judgement that look upon him and divers of his notions in Divinity to be senseless and fanatical For we shall see that his threatnings have not that charitable meaning in them which the admonitions of the Apostle have He tells us that Those by whom Regeneration i. e. his notion of it is exposed to scorn will one day understand the necessity of it although it may be not before 't is too late to obtain any advantage by it Now one would think it to be the Doctor 's opinion that those who shall one day be damned might by a timely care have prevented it and that he intended this warning to make them careful to understand the necessity of Regeneration before it be too late But if you think so you are much mistaken and you do not yet understand this man's Principles for throughout his whole Book he supposes a certain powerful illumination of the Holy Ghost given to none but those that shall certainly be saved to be necessary in order to a saving knowledge of Regeneration And as for the rest the darkness that is in them is no less effectual to binde them in a state of Sin than it is in the Devils themselves Now I do not understand how the Doctor 's Warnings could be of any use to the Devils themselves And I do as little understand why he makes such frequent excursions as he doth to threaten his Adversaries with the day of Judgement unless as one would be tempted to believe by the insulting language that goes along with it it be some refreshing to a man so naturally vindictive to think he shall one day see 'em damn'd This is one great exception I have against this Man's Book that whereas he contends so fiercely for his Opinions as he doth all along pretending in particular That it is of the highest importance to us to enquire into and secure unto our selves the promised workings of the Spirit yet supposing his notions thereof to be true it is no matter whether they be enquired into or no for neither can we have a true understanding what they are nor if we could would that excite our endeavours to secure them for according to him it is impossible for a man to understand a spiritual truth or do any thing that is spiritually good unless he be enabled by such an Almighty Power as leaves it on the other hand impossible for him to be spiritually blinde and dead any longer For this power he saith is irresistible and he affirmeth it to be false that the Will can make use of that Grace for Conversion which it can refuse Now the Doctor confesses that this kinde of blindness and deadness with respect unto spiritual things is a matter which the World cannot endure to hear of and is ready to fall into a tumult upon the mention of it And if he says true I am very glad on 't because if the World could not endure to hear such Doctrines as these are we might hope to see a great many men wiser and better than they are for he hath stated the Doctrine of the operations of the Spirit in that manner that instead of exciting men thereby to hearty endeavours after true goodness he hath laid down Principles that will excuse them if they be never so careless and so hath betray'd this great encouragement of the Gospel into the hands of lazy and wicked men I shall therefore endeavour to give a better account of what the Holy Scripture teacheth us in this matter then I think he hath done and I shall withal examine those Arguments wherewith he pretends so to demonstrate his notions that the proudest and most petulant of his Adversaries shall not be able to return any thing of a solid answer
Miracles Prophecies c. The true difference between Dr. H. and Dr. O. in this matter is not whether the manner or the means of receiving spiritual things be signified by the word spiritually but whether it is designed to express those means which Dr. H. affirms viz. external Testimonies of divine Revelation or those which Dr. O. contends for viz. the internal and irresistible operations of the Spirit upon a mans minde But 2. I have shewn by the clear scope of the Apostle that the outward means are here to be understood This I see is our Author 's great trouble that Dr. H. supposes the true cause why the Natural man cannot know the things of the Spirit is because he will onely be led by his natural Reason and will not attend to Revelation and the outward means whereby revealed Doctrines may be proved whereas J. Owen's meaning is that he cannot receive them because the New Light is not yet created in his minde by an almighty act of the Spirit The truth of Dr. Hammond's sence and the absurdity of Dr. Owen's I have already shewn and shall onely adde this to help our Authors understanding viz. That the proposal of the external evidences of a divine Revelation made equally to those who rejected the Gospel with them who received it is no argument that they who rejected it could not receive it because their mindes were not enlightned by an omnipotent act of the Spirit For another reason may be given why they could not viz. the Apostles reason because they sought after mans Wisdom and would not admit of that for truth which was not proved by Philosophical discourse By the Authorities he brings to confirm his own exposition and to confront Dr. Hammond's we may guess how pertinent the rest are that his Book is stuffed withal He produceth that saying of St. Chrysostome A natural man is he who lives by the flesh and hath not his minde yet enlightned by the Spirit but only hath that connatural humane understanding which the Creator of all things hath endued the mindes of men withal This Exposition which he calls better than Dr. Hammond's is clearly to the same purpose with it for here is not a word about that irresistible Light which J. O. contends for and to be led only by the Light of humane Reason which are Dr. Hammond's words is perfectly the same with having only the connatural humane understanding c. The following passage of Chrysostome which he quotes is to the same effect I shall only adde that citation out of the same Writer which he brings in at the beginning of his Exposition The natural man is one that ascribes all to the reasonings of his own minde and doth not think that he stands in need of aid from above which is madness for God hath given the Soul that it should learn and receive what he bestows or what is from him and not suppose that it is sufficient to it self Eyes are beautiful and profitable but if they would see without light this beauty and power will not profit but hurt them and the Minde if it would see without the Spirit of God it doth but entangle it self This is clearly against him For that which God is here said to bestow is not that irresistible Light the Doctor speaks of but the Light of Revelation which I have been discoursing of i. e. revealed truths which St. Chrysostome saith the Soul is to learn but to learn that Light he talks of is nonsence St. Chrysostome is so far from supposing that it is impossible for a man to receive what Revelations God bestows unless the Almighty Power of God necessitateth him to do it that he saies God hath given the Soul that it might receive them when they are bestowed And he reckons it madness for a man to think he needs no divine Revelations and consequently to reject them when they are offered with sufficient evidence Now the only reason according to J. O. why he rejects them is because the Almighty work hath not been yet upon his minde If St. Chrysostome had thought so too he had been a mad man himself for accusing them of Madness that fail'd of doing what no Power less than almighty could enable them to do which is in effect to accuse them of Madness because they were not Almighty themselves St. Chrysostome's Similitude is very pertinent For as Light is to bodily Eyes so is Revelation to the Minde in respect of revealed Truths which are such as none but the Spirit of God could discover And therefore whoever refuseth to attend to his revelation of them must needs be ignorant of them and will finde himself entangled in many difficulties which he might have understood by hearkning to Revelation This Similitude St. Chrysostome useth elsewhere to the same purpose for he saith As no man with his naked eyes can learn the appearances in the heavens so the Soul alone cannot learn the things of the Spirit i. e. they are not to be learned by meer Natural Reason without the aid of Revelation I now leave the Reader to judge with what conscience this man could pretend the Authority of St. Chrysostome to countenance his own Exposition of this Text of St. Paul and this is all I shall say to the Doctor 's Authorities which any one may see are as convincing as his Reasons And now at length I desire him to take notice that it will be to no purpose for him to reject what I have to say concerning spiritual things contrary to his notions of them under pretence that I am a natural man for I thank God I am a Christian and so long as I have the Scriptures by me I enjoy the means of understanding what Revelations God hath made known to us by his Son For they contain those Doctrines which were proved by the demonstration of the Spirit and of Power These Doctrines are so far from being foolishness to me or rejected by me because they are not knowable by meer natural Reason that I should be guilty of inexcusable madness if I should not surrender up my belief unto them Though I could not possibly finde them out nor have known them unless they had been revealed yet being revealed I discern the great Wisdom and Goodness of God towards us in them still acknowledging that I know but in part and that there is a depth of Wisdom in the Mysteries of the Gospel which my understanding cannot reach But the truth of these Revelations I learn principally from the testimonies given to them and the sence of them not excluding other subordinate helps by comparing one Divine Revelation with another and the Doctor hath no other means to qualifie him for the discerning of these things aright but that new light which he pretends to but which the Apostle speaks never a word of and let him make his best advantage of it But if the Doctor be resolved to Cant on still in his own defence and
that they might be Witnesses c. and the promise of the Holy Ghost which Christ received from the Father Acts 2.23 peculiarly concerned the miraculous Gifts which were bestowed after Christs Ascension and this as I conceive the Doctor acknowledgeth by saying that Christ shed forth what they saw and heard in the miraculous operations and effects of it Now saith he In this promise viz. Acts 1. vers 4 8. the Lord Christ founded the Church it self and by it he builded it up And this is the Hinge whereon the whole weight of it doth turn and depend unto this day It is indeed certain that the faith of the Church is at this day founded upon the extraordinary testimonies that were given to the Gospel by the Spirit in the first ages of the Church But that which follows is absolutely false Take away this promise suppose it to cease as unto a continual Accomplishment and there will be an absolute end of the Church of Christ in this world For as he elsewhere confesses himself Miracles are ceased and yet there is a Church He proceeds thus No Dispensation of the Spirit no Church he that would utterly separate the Spirit from the Word had as good burn his Bible Be not so hasty for although this happens to be a truth yet 't is more than you have proved The Operations of the Spirit may now be utterly separated from the Word for all Acts 1.4 And although you very truely tell us that the bare Letter of the New Testament cannot ingenerate Faith and Obedience in the hearts of men yet for any thing you have here said it may For those Texts upon which you ground your confidence speak onely of the miraculous Gifts whereby the Gospel was confirmed Now these being recorded in the New Testament together with that Doctrine which was proved by them may be as able to assure men of the truth of the Gospel and make them obedient to the Law of Christ as they were when they were seen and heard and that of themselves too for any thing you have shewn to the contrary from Acts 1. though the contrary may well be shewn from other Scriptures Now I cannot see to what end these men when they are speaking of the Promise of the Spirit which will in all ages be accomplished should fly so often as they do to those Texts which mention those extraordinary gifts of the Spirit that were bestowed in the first unless it be to make their followers believe that the true Ministers of the Gospel are inspired as the Apostles were and that they preach in the demonstration of the Spirit and of Power as the Apostles did Which because we do not pretend to it is left to them who do so to be sole owners of the Priviledge Just as the Papists support their pretence to Miracles and Infallibility by drawing the promises peculiarly made to the Apostles and first Believers into consequence for the Church of Rome in every age And I fear by the like device our Author hath laid his Plot to unchurch us quite and clean who conform to the Laws For saith he Let men cast themselves into what order they please institute what forms of Government and religious Worship they please let them do it by an attendance according to the best of their Vnderstandings unto the Letter of the Scripture i. e. let their Government and Worship be as neer the rule of the Scripture as they can possibly frame it yet if the work of the Spirit of God be disowned or disclaimed by them if they disown those extravagant pretences to the Spirit which you set up to magnifie your selves withal If there be not in them and upon them such a work of his as is promised by our Lord Jesus Christ there is no Church-state amongst them nor as such is it to be owned and esteemed And is this that you have been driving at all this while you have now found out a new colour for your Schism and it seems the separation from the Church of England must go forward upon this pretence that the work of the Spirit promised by our Lord Jesus Christ is not in us and upon us which in many places of your Book also you spare not to say we reproach and disavow But I beseech you dare you say that you have that work of the Spirit in you and upon you which is signified by the fore-mentioned Texts If you say so we shall presently desire you to convince us of it by Miracles and such signes as the Apostles did If you dare not say it then it seems that work of the Spirit is no more in you and upon you than 't is in us and then I hope we are not unchurched for not pretending to it nor fit to be accounted Reprobates because we are not Liars I acknowledge that promise of our Saviour mentioned by you in your next Section Matth. 28.20 I am with you always even unto the end of the world proves the constant presence of Christ in his Church by his Spirit but then Sir it doth not prove nor I think are you able to prove that the fore-mentioned promise made to the Apostles is the same promise with that which is here made Now as to that work of the Spirit which will indeed continue through all ages of the Church God forbid that we should disown and disclaim it But we disown the proving it from such places of Scripture as you lay the great stress of your proof upon lest we should seem to pretend to those influences of the Holy Spirit which were poured forth upon the Church at her first appearance in the world to confirm the Christian Faith by signes and wonders and not being able to make good our pretence be laughed at for our pains It would not avail us to say that we pretend not to those measures of the Spirit those extraordinary Gifts which the Apostles and first Believers had for it would be unanswerably returned upon us that these Texts cannot be proved to speak of any but these and thus we should disparage a good cause by arguing no better for it Therefore Doctor if the whole work of the Spirit in and towards the Church it self be openly derided as you complain you may I doubt in great part thank your self and such as you who by imprudent Discourses upon this subject have given profane persons occasion to make a question whether now-a-days there be any work at all of Gods Spirit upon the hearts of men I shall now endeavour to shew that there is and that by laying together what the Holy Scriptures say concerning it All which I suppose may be reduced to these three heads 1. What those effects are for the producing of which in the mindes of men God will give the Holy Spirit in all ages of the Church 2. To whom this promise of the Holy Spirit is made 3. What is the manner and measure of his Operations By
opened the Eyes of him that was born blinde the Pharisees would believe never the more that he was of God and yet all the pretence they could finde against him was because this cure was wrought on the Sabbath-day vers 16. For when they had strictly examined all circumstances of the Miracle and the healed person in conclusion talked such unanswerable reason against them Herein is a marvelous thing that ye know not whence he is c. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the Eyes of one that was born blinde If this man were not of God he could do nothing i. e. he could do no such works as these they were resolved to give him the hearing no longer but first bitterly reproached him and then cast him out Now our Saviour frequently told these men that their prejudice against him arose from their Lusts How saith he can ye believe who receive honour from one another and seek not the honour that cometh from God onely John 5.44 i. e. so long as your Hearts are set upon worldly greatness and the praise of men which if you can compass you care not in the mean while whether God approves of you or not it is no wonder that ye reject my Doctrine who came not to answer your ambitious and worldly expectations although I come with testimony from God and the works that I do bear witness of me vers 36. Thus the Apostle tells us That the God of this world blindeth the minds of them which believe not lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ who is the Image of God should shine unto them 2 Cor. 4.4 where we have a plain reason given us by the Apostle why some believed not who had the light of the Gospel shining about them i. e. who had it preached to them with its proper evidence viz. because the God of this world had blinded their Mindes i. e. because they were blinded with the prejudices of prevailing Lust and Passion by which the Devil rules in the Children of disobedience Wherefore as Faith is necessary to that more perfect victory over our Lusts which includes the universal doing of God's Will So on the other hand our mindes must in some degree be disengaged from the power of our Lusts before we can heartily believe viz. so far as that we may be ready to yield to the truth how contrary sover it proves to our sensual and worldly affections and consequently that they shall not hinder our attention and consideration when the Word of God is offered to be made known to us Of this teachable disposition we have a remarkable instance in Acts 16.14 The Lord opened Lydia 's heart that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul where we may observe 1. That her being qualified to hear which is here expressed by the opening of her Heart is ascribed to a divine operation which prevented even her attention to what she heard 2. That the immediate effect of the Lords opening her Heart was not her believing but her attending to those things which were spoken of Paul i. e. she heard him diligently without prejudice and passion and was willing to embrace the truth This was the effect of God's Spirit and whoever is thus disposed will believe the Gospel when it is made known to him because it is indeed the Word of God This is that temper of minde which was all that our Saviour desired to finde among men in order to the convincing of them that he was the true Prophet If any man will do his will he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God or whether I speak of my self Joh. 7.17 i. e. If a man be willing to do whatsoever shall appear to be the Will of God and so is not prejudiced against the truth by his Lusts such a one will easily be convinced that my Doctrine is of God And because this temper comes from the divine Spirit therefore he that is thus disposed is said to be of God For it is exactly to the same purpose what our Saviour saith John 8.47 He that is of God heareth God's Words ye therefore hear them not because ye are not of God For this was the Answer he made to that Question of his own If I say the truth why do ye not believe me He gives the reason himself Because ye are not of God The meaning whereof is plain from vers 44. Ye are of your Father the Devil and the lusts of your Father ye will do he was a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth c. So that to be of the Devil is to be wedded to our Lusts and enraged against the truth that contradicts them And therefore the contrary state or temper to be of God is plainly to be ready to perform all duty and to believe all truth and whoever was thus disposed would hear God's Words and believe them vers 47. Thus after our Saviour had appealed to the Miracles which he wrought before his Enemies Joh. 10.25 he tells them But ye believe not because ye are not of my sheep Where by Sheep cannot be meant actual Disciples for then the sence were Ye believe not because ye believe not But such as were by a teachable spirit disposed to be so and would hear his voice for such as these would follow him assoon as he called them because he was the true Shepherd Now that this preparedness of minde to embrace the truth was an effect of the divine Spirit is clearly implied in vers 29. My Father who gave them me i. e. who hath thus disposed and qualified them to hear my voice is greater than all and none is able to pluck them out of my Fathers hands to defeat them of that eternal Life which Christ had promised v. 28. All these places being compared with John 6.37 give a clear light to the true interpretation thereof All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me i. e. will believe in me and become my Disciples and then to be given of the Father is the same thing with being resolved to do the Will of God Joh. 7.17 and being of God Joh. 8.47 and being Christ's Sheep Joh. 10.26 All which Phrases signifie that humility and teachableness of minde whereby men are prepared to believe the truth Onely the Fathers giving such persons to Christ is an expression noting that divine Grace whereby their mindes are thus disposed for which reason being brought to this temper is called vers 44. being drawn by the Father No man can come to me except the Father who hath sent me draw him i. e. unless the grace of God hath so far prevailed over his Affections as to indue him with an impartial love to the truth and his Heart be thereby opened to attend to God's Word And in this sence we may use those words of the Apostle spoken upon another occasion No man can say that Jesus is the Lord
signified too by that his dwelling in us which is mentioned in the New Testament but this in order to that more eminent blessing of an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for us who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation 1 Pet. 1.4 5. I shall onely adde that as this presence of God still denotes his goodness and mercy as was proved by St. Paul's interpretation of it 2 Cor. 6.16 so dwelling does according to the propriety of the word signifie that this grace and goodness shall not be transitory but abiding while the condition abides upon which it is promised and that condition is no other than this that we be careful to keep the Commandments of God which is the second thing I am now to discourse of but before I attempt it I must confess that I am now falling upon a subject which belongs to the second Question viz. Who they are to whom the promise of the Holy Spirit is made which I shall fully treat of in the sixth Chapter But there is this excuse to be made for preventing some part of the designe of that Chapter that the consideration of the several ends and degrees of the Holy Spirit 's Operations is so neerly related to that which concerns the Objects of those Operations and so often interwoven with it that they cannot be so fully separated and distinctly treated of as we could wish Wherefore 2. I come to shew that they are onely good and holy men in whom God is said to dwell And this I think is not obscurely intimated by the Ark's being call'd peculiarly the Ark of his presence for as the Cherubims were the Symbols or visible Tokens of the divine presence in the most Holy place as the Mercy-seat signified the end of God's presence there viz. to dispense his blessings and graces amongst his people So the Ark being the peculiar place of his presence seems clearly to note upon what condition he would be thus gratious to them viz. if they would keep his Commandments the Tables whereof you know were laid up in that place How probably it might be inferred from hence that God dwells onely in good men I shall not say at present but sure I am that there is a true harmony between this explication of those Types and Figures and between the clear and evident Doctrines of the New Testament concerning this matter which I lay the greatest stress upon and which you may finde in such passages as these He that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him and he in him and hereby we know that he abideth in us by the Spirit which he hath given us 1 John 3.24 and the same is repeated Chap. 4. vers 13. Now doubtless he speaketh here of such a priviledge as those who kept not the Commandments of God had no reason to pretend to Again vers 14. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God i. e. who is not afraid of suffering for him vers 18. and hath overcome the world Chap. 5. vers 5. God dwelleth in him But in that place of St. Paul to the Corinthians which we have already noted it is observable that obedience and true holiness is made the condition of God's dwelling in us God hath said I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate saith the Lord and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you i. e. I will then dwell in you as I have promised And this is yet more clear from the beginning of the next Chapter Having therefore these promises that God will dwell in us c. let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit that it may be unto us as God hath promised Now whereas the Apostle tells them vers 16. Ye are the temple of the living God as God hath said I will dwell in you c. we must observe that their being God's Temple signifies the right he had to their service but by his dwelling in them that peculiar favour and grace wherewith he would reward their obedience so that the Apostle useth a double Argument to perswade them to cleanse themselves 1. From their duty they ought so to do being God's Temple and this Argument he elsewhere more largely insists upon What! know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost in you the outward Court as it were of the Lord's house and that here especially noted because he was warning them to flee Fornication which is a sin that defiles the Body which ye have of God and ye are not your own for ye are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your body and in your spirit which are Gods 1 Cor. 6.19 20. In which words it is plain that he principally urgeth them to consider the right by which their serving God by an holy use of themselves was due 2. From the reward of so doing for then as God hath said He will dwell in them and walk in them as in his Temple but not upon other terms Thus although the House of Israel was God's peculiar by vertue of that Covenant which he had made with them and his particular right to their service grounded thereupon which remained even when they rebelled against him yet when they did so he dwelt not amongst them he did not come unto them and bless them but forsook them and departed from his house although the Ark of his presence was still amongst them In like manner we who have been admitted into God's Covenant by Baptism and thereby consecrated to his use and service are become his Temple and peculiar and we cannot alienate his right to us But if we profane our selves if we defile the Temple of God if our Mindes be unholy and our Actions wicked God dwelleth not in us for what fellowship hath Righteousness with Unrighteousness What communion hath Light with Darkness They are those Virtues by which we grow like to God that make us capable of those Communications of the divine Spirit which are signified by his dwelling in us And the nearer we ascend to God by righteousness and true goodness which is a participation of the divine Nature the more freely and plentifully we receive the emanations of his grace and love It is the minde of a good Christian wherein God delighteth to dwell and to shew himself gratiously present For this is a Temple to speak in the language of the Metaphor where his glory is indeed spoken of Here his Name is honoured and his great Perfections adored his immense Presence his infinite Power Wisdom and Goodness effectually acknowledged not onely by a bare confession that there is a Being absolutely perfect but by affections suitable to the Divine Attributes his Goodness being here loved his Justice feared his Power and Wisdom reverenced his Fidelity and Truth
perswasion which it may resist but it is forced by that Physical Operation which it cannot resist and which does not leave any room either for accepting or refusing so that because Conversion thus wrought is not an act of our own choice therefore no violence is offered to the Will when it is so converted which is as much as to say that because Conversion thus wrought is not chosen by the Will therefore it is chosen by it This Answer was so apparently absurd that I thought fit to transcribe the whole Paragraph lest they who have not the Doctor 's Book at hand might suspect that I had wronged him The substance of his second Answer is this That at the same instant of time wherein the Will is acted it acts it self and by so doing preserves its own liberty in its Exercise To which I reply 1. That it cannot be said that the Will or the Soul considered as a free Agent does as such act any thing at that instant of time when 't is immediately and irresistibly converted by the Physical Act. If he means indeed that the Soul acts as my Pen does when I am writing or as an Engine does when 't is set a going I grant it but 't is plain that no such action can properly be said to be an act of the Will or a free action 2. Yet further whatever act you ascribe to the Will at that time it cannot be truely pretended that by this act the Liberty of the Will is preserved The Reason is because there is none to preserve about this matter of Conversion since all the liberty which the Soul had before that Instantaneous Act as he elsewhere calls it is utterly destroyed by it For such is the nature of this Act that it converts by a greater necessity of the same kinde than that whereby Mechanical Causes produce their Effects for it leaves it naturally impossible for the Soul not to be converted Now if such an act be the immediate cause of Conversion I do not see that there is the least regard had to the Souls being a free Agent in this manner of Conversion But on the contrary it seems plain that the Soul is utterly deprived of all kinde of liberty in this matter And if she has no liberty left to exercise she has none to preserve by any act you would have to be contemporary with the irresistible Operation Wherefore our Author 's saying that the Grace he speaks of so acts our Wills as that they also act themselves and that freely is a mere begging of the Question instead of an Answer to the Objection propounded For Whether it be possible for the Soul that is thus acted to act freely at the same time is the very thing in question Perhaps he lays some stress upon those words used by him that there is herein an Inward Almighty Secret act of the power of the Holy Ghost For 't is usual when men contend for inexplicable and unintelligible notions in Divinity to pretend they are Mysteries and fly to God's omnipotence to fetch themselves off Now I think no man denies that God can convert the greatest Sinner in a moment into a Saint or if he pleases into an Angel by such a Physical act as this man speaks of But then 1. This could not be reconciled with supposing the rational use of our Faculties in being converted to God Conversion would onely be a necessary effect of God's power but no free act of our own 2. It does not follow that because God Almighty can convert a Sinner this way therefore he will do it But 3. If it be granted that God always converts men in an intellectual manner and that the Operations of the Spirit produce their effects in our mindes in a way suitable to the rational nature of Mankinde it will follow that God never converts men in that manner which our Author contends for because so to do is inconsistent with a rational way of Conversion and therefore unsuitable to the nature and the natural Operations of our mindes Lastly since he grants that the Holy Spirit operateth in our mindes no otherwise than they are meet to be moved according to their own nature and power it is clear from the premises that by this concession he overthrows his own Hypothesis of Conversion by the immediate Physical and irresistible work I shall conclude this matter with considering that remarkable Expostulation of Almighty God with the Jews which we finde in Isa. 5.4 What could have been done more to my vineyard that I have not done in it By comparing the Parable with the Explication of it vers 7. you may observe 1. That it was in their power to have turned to God and therefore God had given them all that internal Grace which was necessary to Conversion otherwise he had not expected their conversion nor complained of their obstinacy much less punished them with that severity threatned vers 5. 2. That they had not onely all necessary means and helps but even such as were moreover profitable and advantageous in the way of conversion so that it was not onely possible but considering what God had done for them it was very likely they would turn and this is clearly signified by that greatness of expectation exprest by the making of a Wine-press in the Vineyard v. 2. Nay 3. God asks them what could be done more than had been done for them already And yet 4. They were all this while unconverted and as bad as ever v. 4 7. Now lay all these things together and it follows 1. That men may be converted without that measure of Grace which makes it impossible for a man not to be so for if as the Doctor tells us the Will cannot make use of that Grace which it can refuse then God had not given these men that measure of Grace which was necessary to Conversion for they refused that is they were not converted by that Grace which was imparted to them Now if he had not done what was necessary for their Conversion what reason had he to expect it how could it be said sincerely What could have been done more what justice had there been in punishing them with so much severity 2. It follows also that 't is possible for men not to be converted when God hath done the utmost for his part that is meet to be done in order to their Conversion For those words What could have been done more to my vineyard that I have not done in it strongly imply that he had done all to make it fruitful that was any way proper for him to do and that the Jews could not reply with truth that God had ever done more for the conversion of those that had actually repented than he had done for them Indeed if God pleased he could have converted these obstinate creatures by such an irresistible power as the Doctor ascribes Conversion to and therefore those words What could have been done more or as it