CHAPTER XIV. The Law discovereth the disease, but heals it not.
CHAPTER VII.
Of enlargedness of heart, Psal. 119:32. I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.
The words have no great difficulty. Running imports a cheerful, nimble, willing activeness, in giving obedience to God's commandments. Enlarging is a widening of the heart, and the Lord's giving of a wider capacity to run, by bestowing influences on David, in heavenly dispositions and actings for God. Hence the Text shall be cast into these questions.
Q. 1. Whether David was now under straitening, that he so speaks?
Q. 2. What the straitening is?
Q. 3. Whether David might promise and undertake to run, upon the supposal of an enlarged heart granted him of God?
Q. 4. Is there no running except the Lord give enlargement and new influences, and what we may here do?
Q. 2. What enlargedness of heart is, and the branches thereof?
To the first. The frequent complaints of David in the Psalm, seem to say some straitening was on him.
1. He complains of his soul cleaving to the dust, of his soul dropping away for heaviness.
2. He frequently seeks from God teaching, quickening, enlightening; which saith that some deadness, darkness, and narrowness of heart was on. He who is nearest heaven, and is (as it were) all prayer, misses many things. Psal. 119:11. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I may not sin against thee. He must then be well instructed, when the word is hid in his heart; yet saith he v. 12. Teach me thy statutes. v. 14. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. 24. Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors. 30. I have chosen the way of truth; thy judgments have I laid before me. 31. I have stuck unto thy testimonies. What wants David then that a glorified and perfected man hath? Yes, he wants more enlargedness of heart, v. 32, he wants more of God's teaching, v. 33. Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statues. He wants a bowed heart to the Law, 36. Incline my heart unto thy testimonies. He wants more life and spiritual vigorousness, 37. Quicken thou me in thy way. Begging and suiting supposeth need and want, at least a want of the degrees of grace. How sweet is it to be rich in missing and feeling of wants! And that is the dangerous state of Laodicea, Rev. 3:17. I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing.
2. Where there is much sinful complaining, and only complaining, there is less praying and praising. Satan can make use of bastard sense of unworthiness, and counterfeit letters from the Law to lay a man in prison, and weaken praying. David doth not so complain, but he misses, and also is rich in praying and praising.
To the second. Straitening is a sort of narrowness and scarcity of heartiness in the ways of God. It comes sometime from heinous sins; the runaway child blushes, and is straitened to speak to his father. Adultery and bloodshed brings on David sealed lips and a closed heart in praising, Psal. 51:15, while God enlarge both. Lord may I have leave to pray, to believe, to apply the promises, Psal. 51:12. Psal. 119:45. I will walk at liberty; for I seek thy precepts. Then casting aside the precepts brings straitening, restraint, and bands on the Christian in his walk, and in praying, praising, hearing, loving, running in the way of God's precepts. A fettered man can act little; hence drought of soul, and the rain of influences are withholden.
2. Heaviness of desertion brings on straitening, Psal. 77:4. Thou holdest mine eyes waking, I am so troubled that I cannot speak. Possibly from this Hezekiah is locked up in chattering like a crane instead of praying.
3. Satan may have leave as a fanged Pursuivant to imprison where he hath no Law. What hast thou to do to pray? Is not Joshua ragged, and clothed with filthy garments? And Satan stands before the Angel at his right hand to resist him in praying for Jerusalem; for he is not worthy to pray for himself. But the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebukes him, Zech. 3:1, 2, 3, 4.
4. There is a narrowness that comes from ignorance, until God give spiritual wisdom and largeness of heart, see 1 Kings 4:29, when we mistake God, and unbelief represents God as a lion or a bear, Lam. 3:10. Isa. 38:13, and Christ is represented as a terrifying Spirit, not as Christ, Matth. 14:26. Luke 4:37. How can the poor man pray to a lion, or a terrifying spirit? What weak influences are there in speaking to God covered with a cloud of anger.
5. The Lord out of the depth of holy sovereignty withdraws the breathings of the Spirit, and straitens the man, that he cannot speak with lively liberty, that he may depend upon the free out-goings of the Spirit: He who waters the garden, waters every plant of the garden every moment, Isa. 2:7, and when he waters not, there is a drying up.
6. Neglect of praying and fetching enlargement from the fountain may straiten, as appears from Paul's suiting of the prayers of the Lord's people, that God would grant him a door of utterance with holy liberty to preach the mystery of the Gospel, Eph. 6:19. Col. 4:3. For much of the anointing there is in the man Christ, that draws wondering at the gracious word spoken by Christ, Luke 4:18, 22. See also the Churches prayer, Acts 4:29. For it is a grant of grace to speak with enlargement.
7. If fear and dismayment be on the heart, Jer. 1:17, and Ezekiel may not speak at all, Ezek. 2:6. Self must be denied, and shamefastness before Kings, Psal. 119:46, see Psal. 39:1, 2, laid aside.
Q. What then shall be done to be free of the indisposition of straitening, and so to get influences of enlargement of heart?
Answ. 1. Get and entertain large apprehension of God. Who is a rock save our God? Psal. 18:30, 31. Be principled in the broad apprehensions of Christ, he is altogether lovely, all loves. Cant. 5:16. A touch of him can save.
2. Rid marches betwixt the Law and grace: some renewed ones must have their by past life and the strict law reconciled; otherwise they but walk in the flesh, and so live (as they imagine) in Law bondage, and are sick of the old diseases, and so weaken their faith. Hence straitening. Thou art under the Law, and having made a bargain with the Law to keep it, thou art in the flesh, thou canst not speak to a strange King in another land, a King of grace, since thou hast fled back again to the old prison; and if thou speak, it is with much straitening and doubting; thou art the Laws man, and not Christ's.
3. Keep near communion with God; keep the vessel free of leaking, and of under water; sin weakens faith, and saddens the spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty, 2 Cor. 3.
4. Improve much faith. Frequent believing shall come up to full assurance, and that makes strong and bold knocking: for a Son who hath right to come where his own flesh is within the veil, is vigorous; the servants knock is weak; unbelief knocks faintly. Yet mistake not heaviness, as if it were unbelief; Christ had much heaviness, even to death, in his suffering, but no weakness of faith. But Matth. 26, these, O my Father, O my Father; as that also, my God, my God, speak strong faith, much enlargement in his heaviest case. These four being observed, influences are near.
5. Grow in sonly love, as a child to cry Abba Father, a word of a child learning to speak, Rom. 8:26.
6. Get and cherish the inward witnessing of the Spirit, Rom. 8:16, 17, and the confirmed assurance of justification by faith: hence access and boldness, Rom. 5:1, 2, 3, 4. Eph. 3:16, 17, 18, 19.
The third question, How far David, or a child of God, may undertake to run, upon the supposal of an enlarged heart? Hence these.
Assert. 1. There is an undertaking, as if the child of God had influences at his hand. Of this nature in Scripture, Psal. 51:10. Create in me a clean heart. 11. Cast me not away from thy presence. 12. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with thy free Spirit. 13. Then will I teach sinners thy ways. So v. 15. O Lord open thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. Psal. 119:27. Make me to understand the way of thy precepts, so shall I talk of thy wondrous works. 88. Quicken me after thy loving kindness, so shall I keep the testimonies of thy mouth. In which he lays it for a ground, if God graciously give a new heart, he will graciously give influences of grace to teach sinners. If the Lord of free grace open the lips, he will also give influences to make him show forth the praises of God; not that dispositions of grace do necessarily determine us to gracious acts, or can determine the Lord to bestow influences of grace, but the Lord's free promise determines him. Where he opens one door, he opens a second, and then a third, until his child be in his bosom: when he gives one grace, he gives another; yea because he gives grace, he lays holy bands on himself to give more grace; the Lord of grace chooses some to salvation, and gives them to his son; and because he chooses them, he gives his Son to death for them; and because the Lord redeems them by his Son, therefore he gives to them strong faith; and because he gives to them saving faith, therefore he gives to them perseverance and glory, and so gives influences of graces in a golden link and chain, Rom. 8:29, 30. 2 Thess. 2:13. Acts 13:48. Eph. 1:4, 5. 1 Pet. 1:2, 3.
Assert. 2. A believer under the sense of mercy and deliverance, is to engage his soul to praise. David delivered in the cave, Psal. 58:7. I will sing and praise. Psal. 30. Thou hast turned from me my mourning into dancing. v. 12. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to thee forever. Psal. 116:8. Thou hast delivered my soul from death. 9. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living, out of the sense of the Lord's goodness to all. Psa. 104:33. I shall sing unto the Lord in my lives, or as long as I live. Psal. 63:3. Because thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee, thus will I bless thee while I live. Heb. in my lives.
Assert. 3. The man Christ may absolutely undertake, Psal. 22:22. I will declare thy name unto thy brethren, I will praise thee in the midst of the congregation. For he knows perfectly, he neither can sin, or come short of his vow; nor can the Lord withdraw influences of grace from the man Christ; but Peter had no assurance that under that particular temptation the Lord should not forsake him. The general, all the renewed have, that the Lord will not suffer his own to be tempted above their strength: Peter was obliged to watch and pray under all the particular temptations that could occur, and especially under the trial of his suffering Savior, of which he was fore-warned by the mouth of Christ, from that Prophecy Zech. 13:7. I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.
Obj. The faith of believers is to rely upon the promised help of Christ in every temptation. Then may the believer pray to be delivered, not in the general, but in every particular not to be tempted above his strength.
Answ. The promise of preserving the elect, and of giving promised perseverance Isa. 54:10. Jer. 31:25. & 32:40, to them now converted is absolute, that the Lord will put his fear in their hearts that they shall never depart from him.
2. That his grace shall fortify them against atrocious sins committed with the full strength of consent and inconsistent with the seed of God, and the inbiding of that seed in them with the holy anointing, 1 Joh. 2:20, 27, c. 3, v. 9. But there is not any promise in the New Covenant that David and Peter shall be delivered from particular sins, hic & nunc, such as may consist with the habit of grace and the seed of God. There faith is to rely upon God and his grace that he shall not lead them into temptation, hic & nunc, in such particular sins, not absolutely, but conditionally; so the Lord in his wisdom and holy sovereignty shall judge it fit for their humiliation and the promoting of the work of their salvation, and especially for the glory of holy Sovereignty: they are to believe that the Lord shall absolutely confer upon them fundamental, and amply necessary influences of grace, but not that he shall bestow on them absolutely non-fundamental influences.
Assert. 4. Its not lawful to engage to run the ways of the Lord's commandments, leaning to the habit of grace, and the stock within the Believer; Peter relied on this, I am ready (<H&G>) nothing habitual grace and faith) to go with thee to prison and to death, Luke 22:33, and John 13:37. Peter is angry because Christ lesseneth his stock and habit of grace and strength of faith; Lord, why can I not follow thee now? This habit of grace is not Christ, neither the Spirit; and therefore the enlarging of the heart, upon the supposal whereof David engageth to run the way of the Lord's commandments, is not the only habitual enlarging of the heart, but he supposeth also that the Lord must add his actual breathings and influences of grace, else he cannot run nor move at all in the way of God, John 15:5. 1. Cor. 12:2. 2 Cor. 3:3.
Assert. 5. Far less can we engage to run the way of the Lord upon our own strength. For
1. The Apostle James rebukes such as say they shall go to such a City and buy and sell, and say not if God will, James 4:10, 11, far less can we engage to spiritual duties on our own strength.
2. This is carnal presumption for men to lay wagers on their own strength, and to say with Peter and the Disciples, they'll do wonders.
3. Men believe not the wickedness of their own hearts, nor see they to the bottom of sovereignty, the depth of sin original.
4. Its contrary to godly watchfulness, and a hardening of the heart; as Prov. 28:14. Blessed is the man who fears always, but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.
5. Its atheism to suppose that influences of saving grace are as due and connatural to men now fallen in sin as influences natural are some way due to the falling of rain, the rising and going down of the Sun, the growing of trees, the ebbing and flowing of the sea, and that we have dominion of free-will over the saving breathings of the holy Ghost.
Whereas 6. The Gospel bids us pray, and by faith rely on the Lord for influences of grace, and give the glory and praise of the breathings of the Spirit to God.
7. Its against that humble self-denial, and godly trembling, and humble despairing of our own strength that should be in us in our undertakings of obedience.
So a huge deal of pride; 2. want of mortification to self must be lurking in our undertakings.
Assert. 6. Its not lawful to blame the Lord for our sinful omissions, for that is to father our sin upon the holy Lord; nor is that Isa. 63:17. O Lord, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our hearts from thy fear? A complaining against God.
Its 1. a tacit complaining of themselves, that they are gross matter, and the dunghill on which the Sun with his beams stirs up a stinking smell, which is not the Suns fault.
2. As God's active hardening of us is a punishment of sin, the Church may lawfully complain of it to God, and deprecate that and all the like sad evils of punishment; yet it shall never follow that God is the author or the cause of the sins of our being passively hardened of God, or of active hardening of ourselves.
3. Its a prayer for softening and grace not to err, return for thy servants sake. v. 16, thou, O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer, thy Name is from everlasting.
2. None of the Saints yielding to temptations do blame the Lord's withdrawing, but blame themselves and clear the Lord. Psalm 51. Against thee, thee only have I sinned; thou hast taught me wisdom in the inward parts: here is a clearing of the Lord. Isa. 64:6. We are all as an unclean thing; v. 4, since the beginning of the world—men have not perceived a God beside thee, 5, 8. So Lam. 3:34.
Assert. 7. A Believer may undertake in the strength of God, Psalm. 119:33. Cant. 14. Draw me, we will run. Grace and the Spirit in his sweet breathings being undertakers, one may undertake for a journey, when Christ engages for such a chariot, the midst whereof is paved with love. O be humble, and lay not great wagers upon self; ye know not sin original as a sin, but ye know it as a mere punishment. What? We are sinners by nature, and we can do no otherwise; Pharaoh and Judas knew it so.
CHAPTER VIII.
Q. 4. Is there no running except God enlarge the heart?
What then can we do?
Assert. 1. Without some enlargement of heart there is no running; the negative is true, none come to Christ except such as the father draws, John 6:44. John 15:5, and the affirmative is true, all that are drawn, and have heard and learned of the Father, do run and come apace, Cant. 1:4. John 6:44. There is a spiritual riches in heavenly and spiritual suppositions. O for more of Christ to ern his praises with a shout which might waken Angels and Men, all men in this side and in the other side of the Sun, and that all creatures might hear and put to their seal, and cry Amen to the Psalm.
Assert. 2. The use we are to make of our sinful weakness is not to sit still: he loves death who says, I cannot heal myself; art and skill must only do it, therefore I will seek to no Physician; if the Lord will not do it, let me die. The husbandman were mad who would say, my plowing, sowing, early rising, and late laboring can never make the corn to grow except God give the increase, therefore I will fold my hands and take the other sleep: and if another say, God only creates the wind, therefore I will never set my foot in a ship; so is it here, what can the dead and the sick sinner do if the Physician Christ will neither quicken nor cure? His influences of life are above my reach, therefore I will never make out to Christ, nor ask for the Gospel; if Christ will not heal us we must pine away in our sins; how then shall we live? This is to tempt Christ, and to bring him under a new miraculous way to heal and save the sinner in his dream, without hearing the Gospel; which is, that God should bring bread and clothing to the sleeping man's bed-side. The contrary is Phil. 2:13, work because he works. Cant. 1. Draw, and we will run; the Spouse saith not, Lord, draw that we may sleep.
2. Our impotency leads us to turn sinful wickedness in mournful confession and godly complaining, as the Saints do Psalm 51:5. Jer. 14:4. Isa. 64:8, 9. Dan. 9:5, 6, 11. Psalm 116:6, 7.
3. Cain, Pharaoh, Saul, Magus, never complain of themselves: Heathens complain of sin original, not as man's sin, but as Socinians and Pelagians complain of it, as man's misery, and the Lord's fault and sin (with reverence to his holiness) in that God and the step-mother nature have dealt worse with man in bringing him into the world naked, weeping, weak, sick, dying, then with bulls, that are born with thick skins, and have horns to defend them: Its a shameful accusing of God to deny original sin to be a transgression of the Law, such as deserveth death eternal. Ah, our pride, who dare bark against God when we should weep over our own wolfish and beastly nature.
Assert. 3. We do not so much in the use of means as our lameness doth permit. The Lord hath drawn a bill in the conscience, that the blind will not so much as open their eye-lids; we may be a law to ourselves, Rom. 1:14, 15, we know God (by nature) and glorify him not as God, Rom. 1:2. 15, we may go many miles farther toward God by Natures light, but we sit still.
2. Yea, we blow out the candle; and here the cripple and lame man breaks his own legs and arms the second time, and complains of the Physician Christ that he will not heal him against his will: he who adds to his sickness a poison drink, cannot father his death upon the Physician. Ah, we stir not broken legs and arms upon and towards the Physician Christ.
3. The cripple may move and creep toward the Physician. The motion of such as stepped in the pool immediately after the Angel troubled the water, John 5, was not a motion of perfect nature, nor a perfect motion, but yet a means of health it was; Christ rejects not cripple and sickly motions in using means towards himself.
Assert. 4. The motions of the Spirit (to come to the renewed man's case) serve as legs to bear the cripple-man, but not as eyes; for Psalm 119:105. Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and light to my path. Yea, a doubt it is if the motions of the Spirit, as the Spirit without the word, lay an obligation on us to follow these motions, except when the Spirit speaks to Paul and Barnabas to go to Macedonia, not to Bythinia; and then the word of the Spirit becomes formally the word of the Lord, as the word of Christ from his mouth is the word of God: but heed is to be taken in a special manner, when the bastard spirit speaks to Becold, to Hichol, and such wizards; for God speaks like God, and his own know his voice, and the children of the Devil know also their fathers voice; learn to go as far as you can in the way to Christ.
1. No violence but from your own heart stands in your way; the birth helps itself in the womb to come out, work with the tide or against it; he who rouse with oars in a manner helps the wind; they desire not to sail who will not stir a foot to the ship.
2. Hearing in Lydia, and the Gaoler reading, in the Eunuch diligent taking heed to the word of the Gospel preached by Phillip in the Samaritans, the woman of Samaria conferring with Christ, have in them, though they come not up to the nature of a perfect duty, somewhat of the ordinance of Christ, and Christ loves to be in his own ordinances pro tanto; its true, the unrenewed man cannot use the means formally as they are referred to Christ, and for Christ, until his will and intention be renewed, yet he is in the way to Christ, and materially he comes to Christ; nor is walking to the ship on dry land an act of sailing; nor the sick man's journeying to the Physician, or his simple receiving of medicine, an act of healing; its good to come to the work-house of the spirit, the preached Gospel, and to lie under the breathing of the Lord when the word is spoken; lend the letter of the Gospel, lodging in the outer house, the ear and literal understanding; go in to the Potters house, and stand beside the furnace, and behold what work the Lord hath.
3. Upon the wheels towards others, and how many he meets with in the way of his ordinances and frames the new creature in them, and makes a real change in them, that you wonder at them, knowing thy were blind, and now they see.
2. As for renewed ones these cases are considerable,
1. When the letter of the Law is granted, there is something, and a great something wanting, Psal. 119:29, remove from me the way of lying, be grace over thy Law to me; which is first a suit that deeper and deeper spiritual impressions of God in the Law may be engraven on him, till he be filled with all the fullness of God; and influences may amount to a strong habit, following of hearing, reading, conferring, meditating, with much praying for spiritual teaching from him (as all along through Psal. 119.) would make us rich in influences.
2. The natural man never misses life and quickening influences in the word, the spiritual doth, Psalm 119:50. This is my comfort in mine affliction, for thy word hath quickened me. Its not a bad property of the earth to gape and thirst for rain, there is no such gaping and thirsting in the rock; the stone is never parched for want of rain; but this parchedness is a nearest disposition for influences of soap and moisture from the clouds, and though the thirsty man pray not, yet thirst itself calls for watering influences; as the Lord disappoints not nature, so uses he not to frustrate gracious thirst of suitable influences of grace, and these are put together, and both are satisfied Psalm 145:15, 16, 19. So his way, Matth. 5:6. Luke 1:53, if thirsts for life, and not for the bare condemning letter.
3. There is something which we call fetching of the wind, and casting of a board again to wind to the right harbor, and it is a sort of courting the wind, and that is the case of the soul that would live upon influences, its fit to pant and gape, and carefully wait on for the holy breathings of the Lord; could we wait in the way that the Spirit uses to come, and attend him in ordinances, he must come that way, as Zacchaeus cast himself in that way of Christ; providence places two blind beggars in Christ's way, and the Lord thereby bestows the Son of David's mercy on them; and providence placed the woman of Samaria at the well of Jacob, and Christ must needs go thorough Samaria, and her way, she looked for water from Jacob's well, and looked not for the Messiah; yet she meets with him, and feels his influences before she goes hence: but we are with ordinances to lie at the tide, and wait for, and seek the flowing's of 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 and 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 quickening; 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 <H&G> 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 daily watching to cherish and keep in the fire which the Lord sent down from heaven, and to cast new fuel to it. So is that 1 Tim. 4:14. <H&G>, 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 sovereignty and deep wisdom) 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 labors the vineyard, purges out brambles, briars, stones, prunes the young vine-trees, that they may receive influences from Sun, 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 do 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 souls, 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 Evangelic 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 remains. 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, flaming's of love, which brought influences on her bowels.
CHAPTER IX.
The fifth Question is what is the enlarging of heart.
It is nothing but the wideness and fullness 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 forever, 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 ourselves 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 ourselves 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-show of grace when the heart is enlarged; I will do 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 flaming's, the dry timber and the warm hearth-stone, to receive flaming's. There is a near disposition in the Embryo, 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 Lord's righteousness in the great congregations are near other.
2. The enlarged heart is ripened to receive influences and quickening of grave for running. The God of nature, by a sort of necessity, must give influences to the egg so prepared to be a living bird: when the heart is boiling and seething with thoughts of the King, the tongue is the pen of a ready writer. When the heart is fixed, Psal. 57:7, as if he were master of influences, he humbly out of the abundance of the heart engageth to sing and give praise, I myself will awake early. There is here fire, therefore the Lord shall blow upon his own kindling; no question we may cast water on our own coals. The heart of the two disciples is burning like an oven, while Christ speaks to them by the way, Luke 24:31, yet they fortify themselves, and fetch reasons to strengthen unbelief; so as they seem to fetch unbelief, and unbelief comes not on them unsent for, ver. 21. We trusted that it was he who should have redeemed Israel, we are beguiled. This is the third day, the women said he was risen again, but none saw him. Strangle not heavenly dispositions, they shall break out.
Prop. 3. For the branches of enlargedness of heart; there is a fullness of the holy Ghost, in the Baptist, in Steven, which was not a transient disposition, but a permanent habit; but this breaks out in something more than a habit. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson in mighty influences, when he broke the cords, and carried away the ports of the City. Psal. 45:1. My heart is inditing a good matter; like a boiling and seething pot, and that puts him to speak of the King. Elihu, Job 32:18. I am full of matter, the spirit within me constraineth me. 19. Behold, my belly is as new wine which hath no vent; it is ready to burst like new bottles. There was a heavenly spring, a new fountain broken up in him, and excellently beyond all the friends he pleads for the Lord his sovereignty. O what fullness above measure above his fellows was in the man Christ! The law was in his heart, and the fullness of grace; and (as it were) to overtake the running over well, he takes whole nights to prayer; and for Preaching and working miracles, he hath not leisure to sleep or eat. If there be a fire in Jeremiah 's bowels, what wonder then prophesying flame out of his mouth, and he confess he was weary with forbearing, Jer. 20, and God obtains his holy end. The people are warned of their sin, when Micah saith in opposition to the empty Prophets, Micah 3:6. But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might; and that fullness fetches influences from heaven, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin. This condemns the cold, indifferent, and dead actions of many, who are far from that, whatsoever ye do, do from the heart or soul, which says some duties are soul-less actions, and actions dead without heart and soul. Isaiah would have us, if we fast aright, to give bread; and not that only, Isa. 58:10, but to draw out, or vomit out (so the word) the soul to the hungry. There is often great scarcity of the soul in our actions, every acting in God's way being an act of hypocrisy, and a dumb and dead action. When shall we lay the Lord's glory to heart, and do things from the soul? Ah, prayers without a soul! What influences of grace are here, hearing and no soul-hearing?
2. There is a wideness and an all-ness in regard of wisdom. Solomon had wisdom, and largeness of heart, as the sand that is on the Sea-shore, 1 Kings 4:29. So Paul Col. 1:9. We cease not to pray that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom. Eph. 1:8. Christ hath abounded, overflowed to us, in all wisdom and prudence. Col. 3:16. Let the word of God dwell in you, richly in all wisdom. Here is wideness of heart.
2. And Solomon was but a shadow, and the sand of the sea, which none can number, a shadow of a shadow in comparison of Christ, Col. 2:3. In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom. And therefore he went about doing good up and down, sowing good deeds to the world, Acts 10:38. Whom God anointed with the holy Ghost and with power. Here is wideness of heart, and abundance of influences, and acting of good night and day.
3. The wisdom of Angels is large. Hence that ( wise as an Angel of God ) and also the fullness of God in their affections teacheth us that wideness of heart is outed in continual acting, and so in multiplied breathings of God: and Angels do not walk and run only, but fly with wings, cheerfully to do the Lord's will: and what influences must be there, when each having six wings, they cease not night nor day to cry one to another, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts, Almighty, which was, and which is to come, the whole earth is filled with his glory, Rev. 48. Isa. 6:3.
4. The glorified see him face to face (that is wideness of heart) and they serve him night and day, and weary not, Rev. 14:2, 3, 4. Rev. 7:9.
5. The more the Prophets and Apostles saw of God, the more the heart is enlarged to teach and to warn every man, Col. 1.
3. There is an enlargement of heart in loving Christ, and in the experimental knowing and feeling thereof, and in godly fear and joy, Eph. 4:19. Paul prays that the Ephesians may comprehend the love in all the dimensions of it, That ye may be able to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled, not that it may be in you, but be filled 2. with fullness, that is a wide fill. 3. with the fullness of God, that is yet wider. 4. with all the fullness of God: and then follow influences above the prayers of the godly, v. 20. He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Of the latter, Isa. 60:5, when the Gentiles shall be brought in to the Church, Thou shalt see and flow together, thine heart shall fear and be enlarged. And hence wideness of heart in acting, the Church shall willingly receive them, and with joy also, and hold open their gates night and day, v. 11, and influences of grace and glory shall so be rained on the Church, that her Sun shall no more go down, nor her Moon withdraw itself. v. 20. All her people shall be righteous. 21. A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation. Nor shall they be weary in running, Psal. 92:14. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age, they shall be fat and flourishing. The oil burns, and the oil grows; for Isa. 40:31. They shall run, and not be weary. A glimmering of news come that Christ is risen, and John and Peter try their speed, who shall be first at the grave; and Magdalene outruns both, and seeks with tears, and stays about the grave until she find her Lord.
The Lord must be displeased with our narrowness. How little a portion of him do we see? We are not straitened in the Lord's heart, but in ourselves: He calls for wider hearts, Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it, Psal. 81:10, not the mouth, but the heart: our narrow heart, and narrow faith, is like the little hand of the child, who hath not fingers to hold the large and great apple.
2. The fool wants a heart, Hos. 7:11. Prov. 9:4. Then must the fools of this world know little of an enlarged and wide heart, as little as the horse or the mule that hath not the understanding of a man; nor have they the heart of the new man. Speak to the natural men of the fatness of the Lord's house, of all the fullness of God, and the showers of influences of grace, of the anointing of all wisdom, and ye speak to new weaned children.
3. Idlers and sleepers, that run not in the way of God's commandments, but are hot as fire, and mad, and run as the Galatians in a wrong way, are hence rebuked. Many run, and sleep little, after their corn, and wine, and oil, after their vineyards, honors, but not with enlarged hearts in the Lord's way: They run to set up themselves, and in place of Religion set up all the wicked religions of hell. Toleration is high, but he shall be laid hold on who prophecies and cries against the cursed Altar.
4. There is a Spirit of deadness on many professors, the judgment of the Church of Sardis, Rev. 3:1, 2, and hardly can sleepers waken themselves: we pray not as David, Psal. 119. Quicken me, quicken me. Unrenewed professors are painted men praying and hearing, men risen out of the grave, dead on their feet, preaching, praying, hearing, and yet dead.
CHAPTER X.
Of fixedness of heart.
2. Prayer begets a heavenly disposition, and a heavenly disposition again begetteth prayer. 3. Holy acts beget holy acts, and a heavenly disposition begets a holy disposition. 4. The Lord so frames his precepts and his promises, as our actings are suitably required to his influences. 5. These three are to be differenced. 1. The spiritual state. 2. The spiritual temper or constitution. 3. The spiritual condition. 6. The reason of doubling of sentences and words.
Psal. 57:7.
My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise. 8. Awake up my glory, awake psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.
My heart is fixed. Gen. My heart is prepared, my heart is confirmed, established. The doubling of the word, my heart is confirmed, noteth the vehemency of affection.
2. As also the speaking of it to God, O God my heart is fixed, declares the sincerity of it.
3. The speaking to his tongue to awake it, his calling it his glory, as Psal. 16:9. My glory rejoiceth, that is, my tongue expresseth joy, is an elegant fiction of a person, as speaking to his soul, Psal. 103:1. Psal. 116:7. Psal. 42:11, and noteth some dullness in tongue and heart to praise God: his bidding his psaltery and harp awake, is also an elegant prosopopeia; as if the harp could sleep and wake. And there is another figure; the instrument of music is put for the gift of music; he tacitly prayer God to waken up his gift and his grace of music to praise, and that God would awake himself to praise, being under the sense of the Lord's deliverance of him, when he fled into the cave for fear of Saul, and the Lord delivered him out of the hand of Saul, and put Saul's life in his reverence.
The words contain;
1. The disposition of fixedness of heart.
2. His vehemency of affection in doubling the expression.
3. His speaking of it prayer-wise, O God, my heart is fixed. His sincerity.
4. What the disposition wrought in him, a fixed resolution to praise; and a waking up of his gift of music, awake psaltery; and of himself, I myself will awake early.
The word, my heart is fixed, is rendered by Ainsworth, my heart is firmly prepared; Diodati, my heart is re-confirmed, or re-assured; Calvin in the French, my heart is well disposed; Geneva, prepared.
Q. How got David this heavenly disposition?
1. The occasion was 1 Sam. 24, as the title of the Psalm bears, Saul with three thousand men-persons, David in the rocks of the wild goats in the wilderness of Engedi; Saul went into the cave to cover his feet, and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave; and David went in and cut the lap of Saul's garment, and had in his power to kill Saul, and his men counseled him so to do; but instead of affrighting Saul and his army, the Lord suggests the fear and awe of God, he durst not kill him.
2. He trusted in God for deliverance another way then to put hands on the Prince, as Psal. 112:7. A good man is not afraid of evil tidings, his heart is fixed trusting in the Lord. This is the fixedness of faith, opposite to fear and unbelief, when another man would tremble, being compassed with three thousand instruments of death, as many men, as many deaths; yet his heart is fixed on God, both to believe and to pray. David by prayer, Be merciful to me, O God, and by faith gets this confident disposition, and this confident disposition brings forth acts of believing instead of trembling, and resolutions to praise and to sing, and give thanks. But if the question be moved how gets David grace to believe, and grace to pray? Certainly by influences of grace upon the occasion of the delivery: So that here acts of praying bring forth holy dispositions to pray and to praise, as is clear, Be merciful unto me, O God: and God both delivered him, and gives him fixedness of heart to pray and praise, when a natural man would tremble at the sight and fear of so many deaths. And again, a disposition and fixedness of heart brings forth a resolution to praise and give thanks. And 2. a stirring up of himself and his music to praise, yea and actual praising, v. 11. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens, let thy glory be above all the earth. As the herb brings forth the seed, and the seed again brings forth the herb, and so the herb brings forth the herb, and the seed the seed; and the apple brings forth the tree, and the grape the vine tree; and again the tree brings forth the apple, and the vine-tree the grape; the water is the maker of ice, and ice is dissolved into water; and again that water is turned into ice.
Q. What shall beget a holy disposition to pray?
A. Praying begets a holy disposition to pray. When David goes up the mount of Olives, fleeing from Absalom, he weeps and prays, Psal. 3, and that praying begets a fixedness to believe, and a disposition to pray, v. 6. I shall not be afraid of ten thousand of the people, that have set themselves round about me. Psal. 6, he prays, 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 a 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 and 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 courageous, 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 go 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 enjoins one for such a disease, strive to have your body and clothes to cast a good savor: does he not enjoin also that this sick man should carry about roses, precious ointments? Would we act more in God, and pray more, and haunt more in heaven, we should savor more of heaven: And when men complains 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 influences of life on me. That is the physical cause, and the Lord is free of your sinful deadness and unsavoriness in so doing: Why? Complain of the moral faulty cause, that is, complain of yourself; 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 wisdoms 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 multiplied 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 indivisibly; 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 less 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 deflower Bathsheba, to kill Uriah, 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 extreme dangers, to make Psalms, and yet David's spiritual temper and constitution is and may be bad and sickly; as Peter before our Savior's death is born again, and a believer, Matth. 16:16, 17, and by his much ignorance and frequent slips, as acting Satan's part in dissuading Christ from the necessary work of redemption, his carnal confidence in himself, in saying, he should never deny Christ, his smiting off Malchus ear, 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 disposition in these acts of his, and the rest of the believing Disciples, Luke 22:29, 30:3. The Lord's 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 always 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: its like this great deliverance left a strong impression on David's 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, its 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 David's condition; but being deserted of God, he was under a contrary disposition: but good it were always to keep the heart under such a fixedness. Ah, but we are up and down, out and in, as touching steadfastness and unmoveableness in the work of the Lord; the Galatians did run well a while; the ballasting 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 forsook 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 fervor of affection in David, as that My God, my God, notes the heat of faith; two gripes of faith is better than 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 forever, 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 than 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 smoking, and blows twice, and strikes the iron again and again when he finds it hot. So he awakes up tongue and voice, music 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 join with his soul to bless the Lord, v. 20, 21, 22.
3. It notes a fierceness 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 join 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 myself 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 rejoice in thee; we will remember thy love more than 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 savoriness 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 Jacob's 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 wresthng 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 Lord's 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, <H&G> Luke 23:47. <H&G>, 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 Christ's bosom.
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 heart 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 judgments 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 rejoicing 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 Physician: 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 Christ's transfiguration which he saw, except grace help (in a manner) glory, and the Lord enable 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 honeycomb, 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. Its not easy 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 Christ's 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 flowing's 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 shining's 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: its 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 its 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 quickening 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; its one growing tree, root, bulk and branch, one complete 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 the disposition of the heart, see what hearts ye can bring out before the Lord; its true, the repenting thief could not, as Hezekiah, say, Lord, I have walked before thee with a perfect heart; or as Paul, 2 Tim. 4:7, 8. I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; yet the crown is laid for love, and such as love his appearance, though all cannot wind up to be such fighting soldiers as Paul was: the repenting thief's flock was small, his race short, yet what he wanted of inherent grace that Hezekiah and Paul had, he had it of free righteousness, and Christ crucified was the gloriation of both. David brings not out his fixed heart in his extreme danger, as building his peace on it; the influence of works on justification and peace is not causative, no more than the poor bride can say she hath put a debt upon the bride-groom to love her with marriage love because she wears his golden chains, his bracelets and jewels; its the bridegrooms comeliness that he puts upon her: nor can roses and lilies say, our Creator is our debtor, oweth us love because we are subjects bearing his colors, smell, virtue, and beauty of the Creator: What would the rose be if the Creator should take all from it he gave to it? We know such a rock to be covered with water, therefore its full sea; here is smoke, therefore here is fire: And ah! What a heart in death can the unrenewed man bring forth before the Lord? Except he say, Lord, I was never in Christ; Lord, I never wept for sin; Lord, I never did a good work for Christ, but all for myself; Lord, I prophesied in thy name, but I was never born again, but hated all those that were born again.
2. How strongly may the believer argue who hath any heavenly fixedness of heart, or anything of Christ in him? Its a sort of holy obligation (with reverence) that he shall bring forth to acting all his own holy dispositions; it speaks an engaging of holy unchangeableness, that he shall perfect the good work he hath begun; but be not ye lazy, and do not ye sleep, and say, God shall do of all his grace; that is a strong argument that the man who habitually uses such logic hath nothing to do with Christ: Ah, the Spirit will do whether I will or not; and in the meantime thou livest a sensual beast; know that thou but foments lies of the holy Ghost. Jude puts these two together, v. 19, sensual, not having the Spirit: and before, v. 8. Likewise all these filthy dreamers defile the flesh: dreaming and filthiness are conjoined. Men dream the influences of grace shall go along with their dispositions for good, and they are but natural dispositions at the best; and the Lord never said he would perfect nature, and finish works of nature that are begun in swinish dreamers: woeful secure dreaming destroys external professors; men will not awake, neither are they afraid of that condition, but a trembling professor is the surest and safest professor.
— Verse 7. I will sing and give praise.
V. 8. Awake my glory, awake psaltery.
The fourth point in the text tells us what this fixedness of heart produced in David, I will sing; so we are led to the rest of the characters and properties of the heavenly disposition of fixedness, for it brought forth holy actings, as singing of praise, and awaking of his gift and grace, which flow from holy dispositions: hence the second property of holy dispositions.
1. Once grace brings forth another, and so holy dispositions holy actings; faith and trusting in God brings forth claiming of God as the man's own. Psalm 16:1. In thee do I put my trust: Hence v. 2. O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord. The disposition of believing brings forth speaking; Psalm 116:10. I believed, therefore I spake.
2. A disposition of loving God brings forth praying; Psalm 18:1. I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. 3. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised. Hannah, Jonah, Hezekiah, David the afflicted soul, Psalm 102, graciously sad and heavy, pray and call on God in that case.
3. The disposition of felt mercy brings forth praises; Psal. 30:5. O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave— v. 3. Hence that, Sing unto the Lord, O ye Saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
4. David 's joyful disposition to glory in the Lord brings forth his dancing before the Ark with all his might, and his constancy therein to be yet more vile before the Lord, whatever Michal said to the contrary; and this is most suitable to the nature of heavenly dispositions: motion comes kindly from the wheels, when they are oiled; the heavenly dispositions oils and anoints the soul, and renders the powers more active, as they anointed wrestlers of old to make them more nimble and active in wresthng.
2. The very intention and appointment of God speaks so much: God hath ordained heavenly dispositions for heavenly actings as he hath appointed the plant to be a tree, the seed to be growing corn and bread; the Lord sends a praying disposition on David, as a seed of praying; and a praising disposition that he must rise at midnight and praise, Psalm 119:62, and prevent the dawning and the night-watches to cry and pray, v. 147, 148. And an hoping disposition on Job, that when he is dead bones lying in a bed, he must profess his persuasion to see his living Redeemer stand the last man on the earth, and desires his words were printed in a book, and graven with a pen of iron and lead in the rock forever, Job 19:24, 25, 26, 27. And dispositions on Elihu to plead for the Lord's Sovereignty, so as if he should hold his tongue, he should give up the ghost, his belly should burst like new wine-bottles, Job 32:19. And Job must plead for God, and for his own integrity, that he was not a hypocrite, as his friends slanderously said, his disposition pressing him, so as he saith, Job 13:19. Who is he that will plead with me? For now if I hold my tongue, I shall give up the ghost. And the Lord gives such a disposition of zeal for God to Moses, though he was a man of a meek disposition, that he breaks the two Tables of stone containing the written law, when he heard of the people's worshipping of the golden calf; and such a heavenly self-denying disposition to prophecy on Jacob that in his testament he curses his two sons Simeon and Levi, for their unjust anger against the Shechemites; and there is such an impression of zeal, and a fever against Idolatry on Paul's spirit at Athens, Acts 17, that he must dispute against their false gods. Nor are we to think that holy dispositions are but as sails to the ship, and wings to the bird, which add no strength to the ship or bird: for they are such principles as do actively render the soul able for works of grace; and in nothing do we fail more than in not striking on the flint to bring out fire. We improve not heavenly dispositions, as the Prophet complains, Isa. 64:7. There is none that stirs up himself to take hold on thee.
Qu. But to act when the soul is under an indisposition, is as if the bird should fly without wings?
Answ. If we speak of the renewed ones that are in Christ, when dispositions heavenly seem to be a fire quenched out, and turned to cold ashes, we are to stir up and awake the habit of grace, and act thereby; for the instinct and nature of the new man hath in it virtually gracious acts, and we are to improve the habit of grace.
2. When one disposition is smothered with the down-casting of unbelief; yet is there a half of a contrary spiritual disposition alive, working contrary to unbelief, by reason whereof David chides his own soul, Psal. 42:5. Why art thou cast down, O my soul, and why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God, I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. Whether David's soul pleads against David's soul by the habit of grace, or by a heavenly disposition, or by both, it says something to this, that all dispositions spiritual are never so removed, but there is a seed of God which may be wakened up.
2. When the disposition is smoared with heaviness, there is another counterworking heavenly disposition, Psal. 119:28. My soul melteth for heaviness. Then there hath been some disposition of deadness on, yet behold a disposition to pray counterworking that disposition, Strengthen me according to thy word. v. 81. My soul fainteth for thy salvation. Fainting speaks some weakness, yet there is a disposition to hope, which counter-acts fainting, But I hope in thy word. v. 83. I am become like a bottle in the smoke; which is some disposition to deadness on the spirit; but see the counter-working disposition, but I do not forget thy statutes.
3. As the Spirit at length in the renewed prevails over the flesh, Rom. 7:23, 24, so the gracious disposition is victorious over, and hath the better of the sinful disposition: So whatsoever was David's doubting disposition at another time, or now, when he is forced to flee to the cave, and part with his few Soldiers, his faith and believing disposition prevails over his fears and doubting, as is clear v. 1. My soul trusteth in thee. 3. He shall send from heaven and save me. 7. My heart is fixed, I will sing and give praise. Else could a slain man buried in the cave sing and give praise? And let this be considered as the third property and character of heavenly dispositions.
Hence under indispositions we would do as those who would be over the water, if one ford be too deep, try another, and try every ford; there is an indisposition to believe, there may be a spiritual disposition to pray beside it set to praying; there is a deadness that hinders praying, that the Church cannot speak, Psal. 77:4, yet there is in the Church a disposition to praise in the same Psalm, v. 14. Thou art the God that dost wonders, thou hast declared thy strength among the people. 15. Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Then set about praising; there is nothing left but the habit of grace, dispositions, motions, experiences are all gone; turn over the promises, and act upon the habit, and blow upon the live coal, and strengthen that which remains: when one instrument is broken, the tradesman makes use of another.
2. Though sinful dispositions for a while and the flesh have the better, wait on the Lord, and trust to his strength, and act, the heavenly flaming's of God at length shall prevail. The Spouse is drowsy for a while, and refuses to open, and shifts Christ of lodging, Cant. 5:2, yet at length when Christ puts in his hand by the hole of the door, faith and heavenly dispositions are victorious, and she rises and opens, and misseth, and seeks, and prays, and becomes sick of love for him, v. 6, 7, 8, and bursts out in a high song of extolling her beloved, v. 10, 11, 12. Job is under much sadness of unbelief and dumpishness of spirit, Job 19:6. Know that God hath overthrown me, and hath compassed me with his net. 7. Behold I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard; I cry aloud, but there is no judgment. Hard words! If there be no judgment for an oppressed man crying to God, there is no providence, no governing God who rules the world; yet v. 25. I know that my Redeemer lives, I know I shall see him. Get any of the habit of grace and spiritual dispositions, and act with them, and ye shall not want victorious influences upon this ground, because greater is he that is in you, then he that is in the world, 1 John 4:4.
3. Get heavenly dispositions, and God shall act upon his own work, and bring forth all his own actings out of his own seed. Now the way to get heavenly dispositions is 1. to be much in perusing the word and promises: David's meditating. 2. Learning. 3. Observing, loving the testimonies of God, prove that David was a heavenly disposed man, Psal. 119.
2. Keep communion with God in praying, hearing, reading, conferring. He who is much and daily among the ointments of the Apothecaries, smells shall cleave to him whether he will or not, Luke 24:34. John 7:45, 46. Cant. 2:4, 5, 6, 7.
3. Mind much, seek much the things that are above, Col. 3:1, 2, 3.
4. Cherish the Spirit, obey him, grieve him not, work with him, be instrumental under his breathings, follow sweetly and willingly his drawings. See Ephes. 4:29, 30. 1 Thess. 5:19, 20. Cant. 3:4. Cant. 5:8, 9, 10, 11, 12, &c.
5. Beware of frequent smoaring divine light; deal tenderly with the light of the natural conscience, and tenderly with convictions and warnings; if so, you can hardly want divine dispositions and suitable influences, 1 Sam. 24:4, 5, 6. My heart is fixed, I will sing. Awake up my glory. See, the touch of the Spirit in his heavenly dispositions set afloat the tongue. 2. The Psaltery and Harp. 3. David. 4. David's heart to sing and praise: and though they were all sleeping, they are all awakened out of their sleep: As a great high Spring-tide set all the ships afloat though there were many hundreds of them. And this is the Fourth Character of heavenly dispositions, in which these are considerable.
1. Such as are the dispositions, such are the acts in their nature.
2. Strong and mighty dispositions have strong and mighty actings.
3. Smaller actings of dispositions waken up the soul to strong actings.
Sinful dispositions to the love of the world, to vain-glory, empty pleasures, bring forth sinful actings; the thorn-tree brings forth a thorn-tree, and the thistle-seed a thistle; it's clear in Cain, the Pharisees: So gracious dispositions produce acts of love, faith, hope, godly sorrow, works of righteousness and mercy. As wine-grapes grow out of the vine tree, and the Lord fits influences of grace for such dispositions: like sowing, like harvest; and here also men gather not figs of thistles: the vessel smells of good or sour wine: Some must foam out their own shame, and all wonder at the gracious words that proceed out of Christ's mouth. For dispositions in Christ were strong habits of grace; and the running-over fountain and fullness of the holy Ghost, the savor of the breath of the anointing, and the dispositions that accompany the fullness of the holy Ghost, is a very garden and a heaven: and here there is some truth in that, Cant. 2:13. The vines with the tender grapes give a good smell. Cant. 5:8, 9, 10, 11. Psal. 45:1, 2, 3, 4.
2. Psal. 119:136. Rivers of tears run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy Law. Some fountains that are less have small streams and ebb-brooks; other large fountains have mighty rivers and floods issuing from them: we may judge what a fountain both of habits and dispositions are within, where there comes out joy unspeakable and full of glory, leaping for joy, fullness of assurance, like a ship with full sails and full wind. As fullness of love and of all spiritual dispositions of tenderness must be in the bowels and heart of Christ, who sends out acts of enduring pain, blood, shame, death, horror of wrath, and the curse of a revenging God for sin. The love of Christ needs no exhortation to acts of love; nor is there need of earnest request and entreaties to the fire to cast out heat, and the Sun to give light: need you exhort an extreme pined-away sick man to be pained and weak, or request the Sun to shine? How mighty and strong are the acts of longing and languishing after Christ that flow from love-sickness? And then what suitable influences of grace must go along with these actings? What pulling's of strength to pluck up mighty cedars? What an influence of love in God to bear up all things, and so to bear mountains, to bear torments, to bear new deaths? O what a mighty arm of omnipotent grace, Col. 1:11. Strengthened with all might according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness. A power above all that we think or ask. Thoughts even of men can go far, and far in apprehending of power and strength, ever that can remove out of their place as many millions of mountains and whole earths, as Angels and men can write on the outmost and highest heavens, East, West, South, and North. Suppose they were all paper, and double, and treble, and multiply them again to millions of millions of heavens, and writ new figures of signs and excellencies on them; yet the power of grace, furnishing influences, is above these acts of thinking and counting; and yet the short thinkings of unbelief are at this, can he help me to spit at fame, glory, riches, and a whole earth of pleasures? Know ye his strength and his mighty pulls that have translated many?
3. When the disposition of grace is on, a small object brings forth suitable actings; Christ lets out one cast of his eye upon Peter, and he went out and wept bitterly; a small shake of the tree brings down ripe apples, they fall of their own accord: a gentle quiet gale of wind will cause a light swift vessel to make twice as much way as a huge ship: a rent in the garment of a deadly enemy seems a small transgression; but to David it hath a mighty smiting of heart. We are afraid to come under the pull of Christ's arm, as if it were pain and death to be loved and translated by Christ, John 5:40. Isa. 30:10. Jer. 51:9. Ezek. 24:13. Some will not be cured, and are averse from being drawn to come to Christ and be saved; and a hating of means is a virtual hating of the sweet and special alluring attractions of grace; and we value actings of grace at so low a rate, as if we could do all our alone by pure nature.
I myself will awake early.
What, was David sleeping, or his tongue sleeping, or his harp sleeping? Yea even when the heart is prepared and strongly fixed to praise, there is some sleepiness on the man. I insist not on this, that none run so swiftly for the price and wager of glory, but a cramp or a stitch may come on, so as they need a spur, and turn dull and slow.
But the 5th Property of a heavenly disposition is to cause the man reflect upon himself and his own sleepiness. 8— myself will awake early. What if tongue and voice awake? What if harp and the gift of music wake, if man's heart sleep? 1. Grace hath an immanent working, and a reflect acting on itself and the man's own heart as well as a transient, and a direct acting: the vessel of honor, or the chosen man purgeth himself, 2 Tim. 2:21. And every man that hath this hope purifies himself, even as he also is pure. 1 John 3:3. Jude exhorts so v. 10. Building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the holy Ghost. Some think if the holy Ghost act, pray, sigh, believe, praise in them, they need to do nothing, the holy Ghost prays in me, and in my stead. Nay but Jude wills you to edify yourself: the actings and influences of the holy Ghost are not given to this end, that we should sleep, and sport, and play. 21. Keep yourselves in the love of God. Will not the love of God keep the man in the love of God? Shall not Christ in you the hope of glory keep Christ himself in you? Nay what need were there then of watching? Watch thou in all things, 1 Tim. 4:16. Take heed to thyself and to thy doctrine. Then may one take heed to reading, and not take heed to himself, Acts 20:28. Paul to the Elders of Ephesus, Take heed to yourselves and to the flock. They shall not heedfully watch over the flock, who do not carefully watch over themselves. Is this right, that men should doubt of the influences of God, and fear that God forgets himself and his own begun work of grace, and never fear their own lazy back-drawing? Why but we should be on our wings, and waken ourselves, and crow more loudly. It's a gracious complaint, Cant. 1:6. My mothers children were angry with me, they made me the keeper of the vineyards, but mine own vineyard have I not kept. Ask hourly what your own heart does, how the husbandry at home thrives. The Spirit of the Lord was in Jehoshaphat without doubt; but 2 Chro. 20:3. When he heard of the host coming against him, he feared, and set himself to seek the Lord. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel, but he was not idle, but prophesied and stirred up himself to believe. Often it's said the Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson, yet so as Samson roused up himself, and shook himself, Judge. 16:20. Spirit-raptures, wherein we lie from duties, are but delusions: all the visions, raptures, and high actings of the Spirit set men on to duties of hearing, prophesying, praying. See all the Scripture for this.
CHAPTER XI.
Of the fourth disposition, which is Love-sickness.
1. Parts of the Text. 2. The meeting of Believers for godly conference is owned by the Lord. 3. Smaller means of grace, and short visits of Christ, are to be highly esteemed, especially when flowing's are neglected. 4. Sense is prouder than Faith. 5. Withdrawing's of Christ teach us profitably. 6. Except we find Christ, we cannot pray as becomes. 7. The real withdrawing's of Christ make no real change in moral or legal interests; four great interests stand entire and safe under desertion. 8. What lovesickness is. 9. The wisdom of God in suspended influences of grace. 10. The wisdom of Sovereignty therein, and how dependence on the Lord's guiding is best. 11. How we may deprecate the pain of love-sickness, and pray for comforts and influences, and 12. may contradict the Lord's permissive will. 13. We are to have peace as touching the satisfied for guilt of sin, when we have not peace with the inherent blot. 14. How Love-sickness rightly pains. 15. Pain of Love-sickness. 16. Sense above faith. 17. The Idol of moderation. 18. Of spiritual savoriness.
Cant. 5, v. 8. I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him that I am sick of love. 9. What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? What is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?
The charge by an oath is given to the daughters of Jerusalem, of whom the Holy Ghost, Cant. 2:7. Cant. 1:5. If you find my beloved in the Ordinances by hearing or prayer, tell him: what shall you tell him? A passionate kind of speech, that I am sick of love. Greek, wounded with love, pained for the want of Christ in his comfortable presence, who was now to her feeling absent. Here is a comfortable dialogue between the Spouse and her companions, who are less experienced with the way of Christ then she; there was a more comfortable dialogue betwixt Christ and the Spouse, but she slighted that, and therefore now is glad to speak with the servant when the Master is away.
In the words there is the Spouses speech, containing a charge, that the daughters of Jerusalem carry a message to Christ.
2. The particular message, I am sick of love.
3. The daughters of Jerusalem their reply and carnal disposition is noted, bewraying their ignorance of Christ, and finding fault with vehemency of words doubled, What is thy beloved? What is thy beloved more than another beloved?
2. Yet a feeling of some savoriness in the Spouse in her love-sickness, O thou fairest among women!
The Church did formerly of late confer with Christ, and refused to open to him when he was knocking and showring down influences of grace; now she is glad to confer,
1. With the smiting watchmen, where she found little of Christ.
2. Next with private Christians in Assemblies. This is a mean of the Lord's showring down of influences in the public and domestic, or less public meetings of his Saints; for ordinances of all sorts that are appointed of Christ, they drop down savory and seasonable dews. The Lord writes in his book the savory conferences of such as fear the Lord's name, Mal. 3:16, and three things follow.
1. The Lord owns such as are his.
2. His forbearance though there be faults in their service.
3. His making known to his the difference betwixt such as serve God, and such as serve him not: and Zech. 8, the inhabitants of one City encourage the inhabitants of another; and the fruits of it is 1. Praying. 2. Owning the Saints. And they take hold of the skirt of a Jew; and both say Christians meeting for prayer and conference want not God, who rains down impressions of grace upon them as his people, especially when they warm one another; as many coals in one heap make a great fire. Nor is the acting of the Spirit tied only to the public Ministry; the Saints take to their houses clusters of wine-grapes, which they feed upon at home. Let the Saints meet, and by conference and prayer draw down new influences of the spirit, Jude 20. Isa. 2:1, 2, 3. Jer. 50:4, 5. Col. 3:16. Heb. 3:13. & 10:24. 1 Thess. 5:14.
Tell him. Why did not you yourself tell him, when he knocked, and spake, and said, Open to me my Sister. She might have told him herself, when he lovingly knocked, and sweetly and comfortably spoke, open to me, my Sister: now she is glad, wanting his own presence, to send salutation to absent Christ, Ah, I cannot see him myself! But tell him, I charge you, that I am sick of love. What speaks such a dispensation, but 1. Saints be content to sail with a half-wind, or a side-wind, and improve it well. Husbandmen in the midst of a long continued drought, bless the Lord for twelve hours of Summer rain, that brings a comfortable reviving. A sight of the Lord in the wilderness of Judah, Psal. 63, when David cannot have Sanctuary-presence, is good. A prayer of the prisoner, or a groan, or Psal. 102:19, 20, tears by the rivers of Babylon, and a praying eye and heart looking out at Daniel's window, when all those are banished and exiled captives far from the Temple, are sweet: and we are to make use of these lesser dispensations: though the well be ebb in a drought, yet here the water is sweet. Fret not because it's (as Bernard saith) rara hora, brevis mora. His visits are but half-visits and short, yet they speak whole, rich, and everlasting mercy; little gold may arle a rich man's inheritance. Ah, I have seen showers of influences in plenty, and now feeds me with far off and half-bedewing's; did ye use them well when ye had them?
2. It says that sense is prouder than faith. Sense complains the breathings of the spirit are not strong, the wind is not fair: But faith is not content to look through the key-hole, and see the half of his face, and is humbler: Ah, may I but hear of him, or kiss his feet and weep over them, touch but the skirts or the hem of the garments of Christ, and it is good. Some must be feasted with the King, taken into his house of wine, embraced in his arms, or there is no peace, but fretting: But here faith was commended as great, Matth. 15, who would be well pleased with the crumbs that fall from the table; nay it was humble, and hungry, and yet lively faith, Luke 15:18, 19. Father; I have sinned, I am no more worthy to be called 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 cornerstone, and prepared in abundance for the building of the house, and was a man according to God's 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 swallow-nest 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 Lord's withdrawing, the stronger and more powerful in Christ?
1. The very withdrawing of Christ, as touching his end, is mercy, and requires strong missing: Christ's hard pulling to be away, suites strong holding on our part, I will not let thee go; 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 pathetic 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 itself, 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 showers; for Paul tells that the Lord's working in us to will and to do, which is showring of influences of grace, is the great teaching argument that lays bands on us to will and to do: and the Lord's teaching David wisdom 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 heightening his sin of adultery and murder; and he lays 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 Lord's 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 far-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 it is 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: David's 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 discernible 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 than 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 joins 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 oftener 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 Lord's 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, says she, he is my beloved. The interest in Christ is moral, or (in a manner) legal; the Father made him ours by free gift, the withdrawing of influences. 2. The shining and smiling. 3, the suspending of influences needful for the act of feeling is physical and real. The Lord's outward dispensations make no change of 1. Covenant-interest, the Covenant is eternal; the Lord's absence from his own is not eternal. Nor is there change in relation of interest; no distance of miles, no frowning or hiding of his face makes Christ leave off to be a husband, a head, a ransom-payer, a Father.
2. Faith lays hold on right and on propriety. When the heirs possession is suspended, and an out-lawed heir, here is an heir; the use of the breathings and influences is removed; the mill stands and grindeth not, the ground is plowed; yet the same Lord and heritor of mill and land remains. Hang not your rights, writs, and charters upon your sense, or upon the ups and downs of the Lord's dispensation; nor doth a believers heaven stand in the particular out-lettings of the Lord's free grace, or his withdrawing's, though the more of the Spirit any hath, the more doth their spiritual life and being depend upon the operations of grace; as all things that grow and have life depend upon the influences of the Sun and Heaven, trees; and plants, and flowers, and herbs, suffer a sort of death by the departure of the Sun from them, and they begin to live again when in the spring the Sun moves near toward them; so are the out-goings and gracious influences of the Sun of righteousness to the renewed ones, in whom is the life of Christ: for Christ keeps in being his own life, and cannot but keep it in being and operation, Rom. 8:10. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin: but the spirit is life because of righteousness. v. 11. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead, dwell in you; he that raised up Christ from the dead, shall also quicken your mortal bodies by the Spirit that dwelleth in you. See both the life of grace in this life is kept in being by the Spirit; and the life of the body, which shall be made spiritual in the resurrection, is restored again by the Spirit of Christ.
2. Deserted souls under the Lord's withdrawing would neither cast away their confidence, nor be too securely comforted when the Lord withdraws (to speak to the former) the right in Christ is entire.
2. The bargain of Redemption. Christ's act of buying, and dying, and paying a price for his own.
3. The care of the trust and charge of redeemed souls committed to Christ.
4. The act of Atonement made by Christ, accepted by God, by which justice and the law stands fully satisfied, are all whole and untouched under desertion: For our obedience is neither in whole nor in part, neither in toto nor in tanto any penny of satisfaction to the law, but paid upon another account. All these 4, stand entire, and the land and shore sail not, and move not, though the green Sailer judgeth so, because he and the vessel are in sail.
2. Nor is it safe to sleep, and lie and be secure, when the Spirit in his flowing's withdraws. It speaks some outcast, or out-lawry; and the child should not be quiet, when he knows the Father is displeased: nor would Ministers heal them with all Gospel and honey, and lay aside all Law; for what cures help the disease and the first fever, the same are good some way for the second fever and recidivation.
I am sick of love.
As Cant. 2. Greek, wounded of love, the Hebrew word imports weakness, Judge. 16:11. If they bind me with ropes, I shall be weak as another man.
Hence it implies languishing pain, through want of the feeling and enjoying of Christ's presence, Cant. 2:5. Cant. 3:1, 2, 3. Cant. 3:6, 8.
2. It implies sickness and weakening of the person, as in Amnons love to his sister Tamar, 2 Sam. 13:1, 2, 3, 4. It comes from apprehended wrath, and the curse of the Law, Psal. 90:8. Psal. 32:3, 4. Psal. 6:1. Psal. 38:1, 2, 3, 4, &c. Dan. 9:11. Rom. 7:24. Isa. 33:24. Job 13:24. Psal. 77:7, 8. Psal. 88. Psal. 80:7, 19.
3. It imports the feeling of that pain. The second act of sickness, Matth. 9:12, as to the pain through want of feeling and enjoying God. 1. Two things are here.
1. The want of the life, though the believer be still loved, chosen, redeemed, translated from death to life; but the Lord, who can put a check-lock and an iron bar on all our comforts, withdraws, and lets the Spouse swoon, and stays not the heart with flagons of wine and apples, that is, with the effectual applying of the word of promise, by which the heart is established or strengthened, Jam. 5:8. Rom. 1:11, and by which we stay and rest ourselves upon the word the Lord, 2 Chron. 32:6, 7, 8. Acts 14:21, 22.
2. There is here suspending and the want of the consolations of the Spirit the comforter, which is the other want. Now the Lord hath holy and necessary reasons why he suspends influences to the feeling and knowledge of these rich comforts.
1. His holy Sovereignty. Now sovereignty never acts separated from infinite wisdom, when it's most abstract from the object; as in making a world, or not creating anything; in ordaining of the same lump, some to be vessels of honor, and some of dishonor. There is a reason of the object, but never a reason concludent, or so objectively binding and limiting the Lord; but the contradicent, to wit, no created world, no ordaining of some to honor and some to dishonor, should be as good. As we see in thousands and millions of possible worlds of other men, other Angels, and other creatures which he can create.
2. Infinite wisdom judges it fitter that old Jacob weep and be not comforted that Joseph be sold into Egypt, then be a rejoicing free Patriarch at home; that the man Christ lie before him with tears and strong cries, then that it be otherwise.
3. To infinite wisdom it is clear, that a creature and a sinful creature cannot so measure out sense and comfort as the only wise God; as it is not so fit all the members of the house, servants, children, strangers should be their own stewards of the bread, wine, and dainties of the house, spices, ointments, myrrh, aloes, and cassia, as that there should be one wise and faithful servant over the family, that all and everyone hand over head run not to the heap. Therefore is the Lord to be adored in his wisdom, as much in withdrawing influences of sense and comforts, as in bestowing them: Judge if all the fatherless infants, and pupils, and minors of the earth were left to be fathers and tutors to themselves, how would it be with their inheritances? If all the sick on earth were their own only Physicians, whether old or young, should it not be ill with the health of many? Some cures are worse than the diseases: there is a sickly and unnatural thirst on some persons sick of a fever; it would be ill with them if either abundance of wine, or a fountain of water were at their bed-side: the choice and elective faculty of the sick man's mind, is often as sick as his body. Let me not then be my own comforter, but let the Spirit of infinite wisdom enjoy his own office, and be the other comforter, whom the Father sends in Christ's 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 bless 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 do 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 wisdom. 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 years health and life which followed? Look not on the holy Lord when he is acting as a Physician, 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 wisdom.
Obj. But whatever we pray for, we are to pray for it with submission, and a reserve to holy sovereignty, 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 do 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 go in the paths of thy commandments. 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 do 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 twofold contradicting of the Lord's 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 wresthng Jacob, when the Lord says, Let me go, 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 Prophecy 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 weakness 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 Lord's 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 Lord's name may be hallowed, his kingdom 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 conjoined a humble submitting to the Lord's 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-sickness 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. Psal. 38:2. Thine arrows stick fast in me, thine hand presseth me sore. 3. There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger, neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin. 4. For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. Psalm 90:7. We are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath we are troubled; thou hast set our iniquities before thee; our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. Therefore that Rom. 8:14. For ye have not received the Spirit of bondage again to fear, is all one with this, we ought not to receive it, or we have not received the habit, but are and may be under the temptation and actual assaults of that spirit of law-bondage. Now in this sickness in the renewed soul, this is wrong, that the conscience goes back to its old prison, and comes again under the spirit of bondage: for Christ having made our peace by the blood of atonement on the Cross, there is ground of peace with God, as touching the Law-debt of sin; otherwise we fail against the sufficiency of the paid ransom: but as touching the blot of sin, we are never to have peace that way, and so it is good that the soul is troubled that way; and that the world is whole and needs not the Physician Christ, is the death of the world and a worse disease.
Hence the third; it's also good that the soul is pained for the want of righteousness; those ingredients make love-sickness a spiritual disposition for Christ.
1. That the soul is sick and pained for the want of saving influences.
2. It is pained with a spiritual burden; a carnal man cannot be pained with a spiritual burden, no more than a horse or an Elephant can be sad for the want of a reasonable soul, or a sucking child weep because he hath not learning, and the knowledge of a Philosopher.
3. Sickness is a pain and distemper through want of health, and argues a constitution of life, and this sickness is a fainting and weakness of the soul for the want of Christ, he being the health and life of the soul; and that speaks an excellent soul-constitution, that the soul lives, breathes, enjoys its best being of life, and the most vigorous and strong life in Christ, and when Christ is away in his sweetest operations of felt love and intimate embracing's, flaming's and out-lettings of free grace, the soul is deadly sick, and there is no cool for this fever but the shining and lovely speaking of the Physician Christ: love hath killed some because they could not enjoy the party loved. Eli's daughter in Law not only is sick, but died because the glory was departed.
4. The fits of this Ague are strongest when the Lord is away; cold paineth most in the absence of heat; sickness in the want of ease and life: hence seeking him whom the soul loves in all means, and seeking him with care, Saw ye him (O watchmen) whom my soul loveth? So there is panting, as is in sickmen, or chased wild beasts dying a thirst; the flesh and the sensible soul crying out for the living God. Psalm 42:1, 2. My soul longeth, yea even fainteth for the courts of the Lord. In this love-sickness fainting and swooning are near to dying: the moisture turned into the drouth of Summer: leanness of body speaks sickness; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God; when the pain of the stone, and childbirth pain put some to shouting the sickness must be vehement; shouting and crying out of pain, O pain of pains, I want Jesus Christ, my soul is away; this causeth spiritual distempers and doubts; this sickness keepeth the sick person waking; there is no sleep, there is no rejoicing: The woman cannot sleep, but riseth early in the morning, and weeps on Angels and men, John 20:1, 12, 13. Ah, they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. It was a branch of this sickness in the man Christ, though of a far other kind, feeling God to forsake him, he with tears and strong cries bemoans himself to God.
It's a wicked disposition 1. to think we shall do well enough without influences, and the breathing of the Spirit. David is in the mist, and misses the way when he prays in his blindness, Lord, lead me; and misses life and some degrees of it, when he prays so often for quickening: the Artificer that wants his tools and instruments can work none.
2. When a soul can live contentedly and joyfully and wants God, and lives fat and rejoicingly 60, or 70, years without Christ, and never missed Christ; how few know this sickness? Especially 1. The pain of hunger and thirst which is destructive to life; the fruitful earths disease and pain in a manner is want of rain and long drouth; as Psal. 63:2. Psal. 14:4, 6. Lam. 2:20, this plague brings forth overwhelming of spirit, stretching out of the hands when one is a dying and cannot speak, the eating of young children; the hind for drouth and want of grass calves in the field, and forsakes her young ones, Jer. 14:5. Few are put to shifts of all sorts for want of Christ. 2. Few know the sorrow and sadness of an absent husband: every wind is blessed in the wife's thought that blows where he is; every ship that is thought to carry him home is a ship of desire; the earth is loved that he walks on; the house blessed that he lodges in; and when the husband is dead, what mourning does the wife of youth make over his grave? Ah, few know heart-breaking and sorrow because Christ is gone; this were a holy moral happiness in the damned in hell, if their sorrow for being banished and punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power, 2 Thess. 1:9, were for the want of the saving presence of Christ, which makes holy as well as happy. 3. Impatiency of desire is paining, how long shall the Lord hide his face? When shall I see him? Come, even so come; there is much paining impatience in that prayer for the marriage day in such as long for his appearance, Cant. 8:14. Make haste my beloved, and be thou like to a Roe, or a young Hart upon the mountains of spices. So as the song began with desire of Christ's first coming to kiss her with the kisses of his mouth, in Christ's more bright appearance in the Gospel, preached by himself in the flesh, and his Servants the Apostles, Pastors, and Teachers; so it endeth with a strong desire of his second coming, that he would come with speed, as the young harts, which flee for succor to the mountains where spices grow, Cant. 2:17, as there are divers words expressing this impatient desire, every hour seeming a day, and every day a year to love-sickness, longing for that day the dawning whereof is the eternal celebrating of the solemn marriage betwixt Christ and the Bride the Lambs wife without parting forever, Rev. 22:12. Behold I come quickly. 17. And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come. And let him that heareth, say, Come. And v. 20. Surely I come quickly, Amen: even so come, Lord Jesus. These five comes speak loves desire upon the Bridegrooms side, and upon the Brides side in love-sickness.
1. How sweet is it when pain itself makes prayers to Christ? And want speaks to riches, death and deadness to him who is the resurrection and the life.
2. Yet sense alone speaking often mistakes and chides, yea, impatient sense, mistaking the wise and holy dispensation of God; for Christ's absence is wise, but not unkind and void of love; he does not ever absent himself because he is angry, or hates such from whom he withdraws his influences, but to increase hunger and lively desire.
And 3. Holy missing of Christ.
2. Careful seeking, Cant. 3:1, 2, 3, 4. Cant. 5:6, 7, 8.
And 3. Strong desires of love-sickness are more solid and edifying graces then feeling, sense, and comfort of his presence as we use them; and these are often stronger when Christ is absent then present, and so the influences of the spirit that accompany missing of Christ.
2. Seeking of him.
3. And impatient longing for him are more useful then influences that accompanies sense. See how lively they are in David when he wants Sanctuary-presence, Psal. 42:1, 2. Psal. 63:1, 2. Psal. 84:1, 2, 3, 4. In the Spouse, Cant. 3:1, 2, 3, 4. Cant. 5:6, 7, 8, compared with v. 10, 11, 12, 13, &c. Sense never brings forth such a love-song, so highly extolling Christ, as faith under absence.
3. Strong believing and resting upon the promises when the Lord hides himself under love-sickness and apprehended wrath, fetch sweeter influences then sense of presence: as may be clear in the godly, who 1. move questions, yet so as love and faith incline most to the edifying conclusion, and to faiths side rather than to the judgment of sense. Psalm 71:7. Will the Lord cast off forever? Faith under a cloud believeth he will not cast off forever: and will he be favorable no more? 8. Is his mercy clean gone forever? Doth his promise fail for evermore? 9. Hath God forgotton to be gracious? Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? In these questions the flesh and unbelieving sense have a great hand; the question in sense includes this, Is the Lord the Lord? And pure faith never moves such a question as that, but the aim and scope of faith is to beat down such questions; and the sense of faith in these is, the Lord hath not cast off forever; the Lord will not leave off to be gracious forever and ever; his mercy is not clean gone; his promise and covenant is everlasting, and fails not.
2. Under the sense of wrath, faith eying the nature of God revealed in his word corrects sense. Lam. 3:8. When I cry and shout he shutteth out my prayers. Ah, no, v. 25. The Lord is good to them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him: that is a harbor in place of a rock. 2. He was unto me as a Bear lying in wait, and as a Lion in secret places. Ah, not so. v. 24. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul, therefore I will hope in him. These are strong and edifying influences of grace under absence.
9. What is thy beloved more than another beloved? This is not the speech of enemies, for they discern her to be the fairest among women, and see heavenly beauty and grace in the Spouse.
2. They are daughters of Jerusalem, professors, that seek the beloved with her, c. 6, v. 1, yet they are less spiritual, and more carnal than the Spouse.
For 1. They perceive her in a passion, and they meet her with a sort of passion, What is your Beloved? Whereof is your Christ made of more than ours? Either enemies or believers, in so far as they are carnal or apt to mistake a spiritual state; so must the world say of Noah, who was just in his time, sure the world thought him too just; he will build an Ark, and he will have all the world to be drowned but himself and his house. Hence Jeroboams word, 1 Kings 12:28. It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Why? And the Lord commanded them; doth God command too much? Is the Lord too strict? So Satan, Gen. 3:1, yea, hath God said ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? That is a strict Law-giver who lays bands on your eating of fruit which he hath created to be eaten. The believing disciples, Matth. 15:23. Send her away, she cries and troubles us with her prayers. Were there not some godly who might think Daniel needed not cry his prayers out at his window? He might pray and not blow a trumpet? There is an Idol called discretion and moderation, pray, profess Christ leisurely, we think to be saved and come to heaven as well as you. O what precise lips were David's! I will not name Baal with my lips, Psal. 16:4. It's too great Morosity for Moses to say to a King Not a hoof shall bide in Egypt. What matter of cows, if the Church of God be brought out of the house of bondage? What if there were not one Israelites four-footed beast breathing on earth, so the Church live?
And 1. Men that find fault with too much zeal, and cry, moderation, look to that; walk, Eph. 5:15, strictly, precisely, numbering all your foot-steps; then shall we be called heady, precise, fools. Nay, walk as wise men, not as fools.
2. Moderate professors stint themselves, this I will do, and no more; it shall do my business. Ah, speak of influences of grace, the ebbing and flowing of spirits, the breathings of Christ, the Kings chambers, the house of wine; these are imaginations: preach fundamentals, faith and repentance, what should more? Such truths as are beyond fundamentals are not necessary, obliterate them out of the Scripture; that eight souls were saved in the Ark sure it is not fundamental, many are saved who know it not; yet if any say its not necessary necessitate praecepti, he is like a man who pulls off the covering off the house, and saith, what aileth you? I touch not any foundation-stone of the house; I hurt not the building.
What is thy Beloved?
All professors see not with one measure of light: the Spouse is a wonder to many professors not so acquainted with Christ; some are led to heaven through much love-sickness and pain, and others with stronger influences of grace upon the soul then others; it rebukes such as are censorious and uncharitable to others, because they have not thronged through the same needle-eye with themselves.
Ah! 1. How many cast we out that Christ receives in? Rom. 14:3. Luke 7:39.
2. We look to what men have not, and not to what they have, and consider not what God may give them, Matth. 19:30.
3. Some see no good in Christ, no good in John the Baptist, Luke 15:1. Matth. 11:18, 19. Can any good come out of Nazareth? No prophet ariseth from Galilee.
4. We pity the sick though our enemy, and extend not compassion to the sinner erring, though the son of the same father.
5. We see the spot in the face, the crook in the nose, but our own unseen boils we overlook.
6. We see not the secret good in some, and their sincerity which is dear to Christ, Luke 21:3. Luke 7:44, 45, 46. God hath so ordered, that the infirmities of some of his children are ever visible in the streets.
O fairest among women.
Here the character of this heavenly disposition of love-sickness, which is called savoriness, the Spouse savors of the Spirit, and speaks like one sick of love, and the daughters of Jerusalem smell this savor, and look on her as the fairest among women. There is a savoriness of grace passive, whereby words and behavior cast a smell whether the children of God will or not; and an active savoriness by which those who have anything of Christ can smell the savoriness of grace in others.
Now a word of this savoriness as it is in the head, in Christ, the cause and fountain. 2. In the Spouse. 3. In the single members. The sweet smell of the fountain, suppose a well of rose-water, is the cause of the sweet smell that is in the streams.
1. There is dwelling in him all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. John 1:44, we beheld his glory as the glory of the only begotten Son of the Father.
2. What a savory lump and mass of grace must the man Christ be, who is the public channel of grace? Through him the savory waters of the Sanctuary, and the river of joy doth water all the indwelling's of the City of God, Psalm 46.
3. Christ, God-man, is anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows, Psalm 45:7, without measure, John 3:34. The fullness of anointing is upon him, Isa. 61:1. Luke 4:18. His name is as a precious ointment poured out, Cant. 1:3. And the savor of the knowledge of his name in the preached Gospel is sweet, and savors out heaven and life eternal, 2 Cor. 2:14, 15, 16, and the fullness of grace in him, John 1:16, out of which we all receive, John 1:16, makes him more, nor savory, and natural men wonder at the gracious words that proceed out of his mouth, Luke 4:22, and enemies see some of the anointing and shining of God in him; never man spake like him, never man did like him, never man lived like him, never man died like him: would we come nearer to Christ by faith and love, we should smell more of Christ. O what a savor hath his birth, his life, his precious ointments, his death, his resurrection? He is all savory, Cant. 1:3. Psal. 45:7, 8. Cant. 5:13, his lips, like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh. 2 Cor. 2:15, 16. His word a sweet savor of life; His countenance is as Lebanon, Cant. 5:15. O what perfume is in his death, the smell of Lebanon is delicious.
2. There is much savoriness in the Spouse, Cant. 3:6, to the wondering of many. Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the Merchants? Cant. 4:10, the smell of her ointments is better than all spices. v. 11. The smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon. Now Lebanon was a field where grew odoriferous trees, roses, sweet smelling spices, and herbs in abundance.
3. Every particular professor hath received sweet smelling anointing, 1 John 2:20, 27, of the Spirit; and they that are after the Spirit savor of the Spirit, Rom. 8:5.
1. Use. If the savoriness of love-sickness be in any, they shall use means for it; bring the soul under the influences of the sun of righteousness, for the sun-beams draw out sweet savors, and the actings of love-sickness out of the habit of grace; such smell as myrrh and roses, and odoriferous herbs and flowers, and they have within, such comes out; ye cannot draw out sweet smells out of a dead carrion; some plague themselves with the Gospel, and the Gospel plagued them: Satan's influences for hating of Christ, loathing of the Gospel, persecuting the godly, are mighty.
2. To thrust the heart by acts of love upon Christ increases love; to lay him between the breast as a bundle of myrrh all the night, begets more love-sickness for him.
3. Much praying changes the countenance of Christ and of his; Jude 20, building up yourselves in the most holy faith, praying in the holy Ghost. Much praying must be much edifying of ourselves in the faith.
4. Know the stink and corrupt breath of many professors, rotten words, corrupt sects speak disgracefully of Christ, as of the man crucified at Jerusalem, of the holy Scriptures at of Ink-forms; their throat is an open sepulcher. O the dead bones and the rotten smell in the heart which come out in words and actions.
CHAPTER XII.
What may be done in the using of means, hearing the word by us, to fetch influences, if there be any truth in that, Deus facienti quod in se est non negat gratiam.
God denies not grace to the man who does what he can. Whether doth God command all use of means external or internal, in whole and part? 2. Whether grace be above. 1. The desire. 2. The disposition. 3. The prayer. 4. The purchase of nature. 3. No sufficient universal grace is due to Brazilians. 4. Martinez de Ripalda abuseth many Scriptures to prove sufficient grace. 5. No Gospel-promise, no Gospel-threatening in Scripture concerning universal grace. 6. Sinners are now interdicted heirs. 7. The connection betwixt natural and supernatural acting in conversion. 8. Of the natural providence of God Creator, and the supernatural and Redemptory providence of God by which the chosen are converted.
1. It's a question whether the Lord commands the only mere bulk of the duty, to use means, and hear and read, whether we act in faith or no; certain it is not the full and plenary intent, sense or purpose of any command of God to enjoin acts that are maimed, lame, hypocritical.
1. It's against the perfection of the command; The Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul, Psalm 19:7. Not only extensively, but also intensively, and arrests the whole man, and all the thoughts and powers of the soul, and the principles of the moral actions.
2. The Lord forbids rather, and rebukes such a use of means, as includes sinful defects in the principles, manner and end. Psalm. 50:16. But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes? Isa. 1:12. Who required this thing at your hand, that ye should tread in my Courts in the way and manner that you do. So Christ rebukes the Pharisees praying and alms-giving with the blowing of a trumpet in so doing, and shows them they have no reward for such works, Matth. 6:1, 2, 3, therefore there was no reward promised to such works.
3. Hypocrites, as touching the manner of their doing, do counterwork their own work as touching the substance of the duty commanded: vain-glory, hypocrisy-like poison, and death in the pot pollutes the action as Ink and mire vitiates a cup of wine being mixed therewith; better it is comparative to do something of the bulk of the duty, then wholly to omit it, and do nothing less or more.
2. Assert. Both all the good action and every part of it, totae actio & totum actionis falls under the command of God: he who commands us to hear in faith, and read with believing, commands us also to walk and journey to the place of hearing, and commands us to incline our bodily ears to give attention of mind to the word, as we hear a moral oration without wandering of heart, though in these (hear the word of God, consider, hear diligently, incline your ears, lay to your heart what is spoken) God lays the obligation of a divine command on us, to the physical act of walking to the place of liberal hearing, as to the substance of the act, and a tie to far more, even to do the act with all the spiritual circumstances; he who commands his servant to go to such a City forty miles distant, he commands him to go ten miles of these forty miles also, and while the servant is moving ten miles towards the City, he gives obedience in part pro tanto, and in so far to his masters command: hence it must follow, that giving of alms in the substance of the act, is nearer in nature to the giving of alms in a spiritual Gospel-way, then not giving of alms at all, but a closing of both bowels and hand to the starving and famishing of the poor.
To the other question it may be inquired, 1. Whether grace be above the desire of nature?
Answ. Nature hath no power of getting supernatural gifts by the strength of nature; but nature hath a capacity, not such an actual desire, which supposeth use of reason and discourse to supernatural happiness; a capacity is an inclination to that which may perfect it; so man intends or inclines toward God, and is unquiet while he find him: but it's to abuse all Grammar to call a natural capacity an inbred appetite, and natural desire.
2. Whether grace be above the disposition of nature?
Answ. This receives the same answer almost: the habit of sin by which a man is dead in sin, Eph. 2, cannot consist with a sweet disposition of nature to get grace; the same wine cannot be both sweet and sour; nor is there any sweetness in sour and bitter or unrenewed nature.
3. Whether the grace of God be above the impetration, purchase and prayers of nature?
Answ. The Scripture teacheth us of no prayers by natures help, but by the Spirit interceding in the Saints, Rom. 8, nor of any purchase of grace that nature can make; grace prevenes nature, but nature prevenes not grace.
4. Whether grace be above natures merit?
Answ. It were strange to say that nature can of condignity merit grace, so as God should be unjust if he deny grace to nature: where is that written? And does not this make man and nature to make God a debtor? As for the other merit of congruity, if grace were not above this merit, we should teach that nature may so far act as to make God a debtor to the man's acting, as God should fail against decency, good manners, courtesy, if he should deny saving grace to Seneca, Cicero, Aristides, and such.
5. Whether to the man, who prepares himself by the works of nature to receive grace, any supernatural grace is necessarily due?
Martinez de Ripaldo saith, this opinion cannot be defended, sine scrupulo, without some scruple of conscience: but an opinion may be true, and yet by some weak conscience cannot be defended without some scruple of conscience; but it is the bottom and marrow of Pelagianism, as any versed in the doctrine of grace, and in Augustine, Hieronymus, Fulgentius, their works know.
6. Whether the Lord does infallibly tie grace to works done by the strength of nature, not as to a disposition or merit, but as to a condition by the law of God (saith Martinez) or by the law of grace, and covenant of grace, and purchase of the merit of Christ (as Alvarez. lib. Response. ascribes to divers School-men and Jesuits) which condition is conjoined with the gift of helping grace. This hath no shadow of ground in Scripture.
6. Whether Gabr. Vasquez. 1. part. disp. 91. q. 1.14. doth upon good grounds defend that rotten opinion of the School-men? Whether God doth confer such a help of grace, which is necessarium ad fidem & justificationem necessary and sufficient to saith and justification, to the man who doth what he can, ex viribus gratiae naturalis, by the help of natural grace? This also destroys itself.
Q. 7. Whether or not God useth to give sufficient grace, or not to deny sufficient grace, and other more abundant helps of grace, to him who does what he can by the strength of grace intrinsically supernatural?
This is not better than the rest; for it supposeth that free-will disposeth absolutely of, and determines this grace, and earns by its endeavors faith and justification; no man ever yet did what he can.
Q. 8. Whether Martinez de Ripalda, Tom. 1. de Ente supernaturali lib. 1. disp. 20. sect. 3, sect. 4, sect. 5, saith right, that God doth so ever confer helps of supernatural grace to all men, as he stands and knocks at the door, Rev. 3:20, and its in men's free-will, be they Jews, Christians, or Pagans, to open and believe; but grace, ex lege providentiae supernaturalis est necessaria, is necessary to excite and stir up free-will. Hence these Assertions.
1. Assert. This rotten principle of the School-men, that to the man in nature who does what he can, either by the strength of nature, or by the strength of some grace which is sufficient, universal, and common to all men, but yet determines not the will, but leaves it to its own indifferency to will or nill, God denies not saving grace for conversion, is not to be holden.
1. Because the places which speak of our natural inability prove the contrary.
Now if the natural man cannot know nor discern the things of God, but judges them foolishness 1 Cor. 2:13, 14. If his wisdom be enmity against God, and is neither subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can be, Rom. 8:7. If there be a necessity of the Spirit of revelation, that the eyes of the understanding being enlightened he may know what is the hope of his calling, and what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, Eph. 1:17, 18, 19, 20. And if as touching the will and the affections, he be wicked in all the frame and imaginations of the heart, Gen. 6:5. Gen. 8:21. Jer. 17:9. Ezech. 36:26. Ezech. 11:19, 20, and that he cannot believe or come to Christ mediately or immediately except it were given him of God, John 6:65. Phil. 1:29:1. Act. 5:31. 2 Tim. 2:25, and except the Father draw him, Joh. 6:44, 45. Eph. 2:1, 2, 3, 4. Tit. 3:3.
Why should the Masters of general grace tell us that Christ enlightens every man that comes in the world? Joh. 1:9, for men enlightened by Christ the true light, are no more blind than seeing men, and because this is actual illumination, give us a place of Scripture where it is said, that all the Brazilians, Indians, and other Gentiles are actually illuminated by Christ the true light even from the womb. If from the womb, when was that true Eph. 5:8. Sometimes ye were darkness, but now ye are light in the Lord? For such as are actually illuminated by Christ were never darkened: for the actual illumination denominates men as truly as the morning light names the air lightsome. And when did the Ephesians and other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their minds? Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart? And if Christ shall destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations, Isa. 25:7, then there is such a covering and veil over all faces: and if people be blind in darkness, and under the power of Satan, Acts 26:18, until the preached Gospel open their eyes: If Christ the true light do actually illuminate the Brazilians, Indians, Turks, those of China who never heard the Gospel, is a question.
2. If Christ stand at the door of the heart of Brazilians, Indians, and knock, and they have power of free-will to open, as Martinez saith, and the Lord every moment knock and awaken up the will by moral suasion, or preaching of the Gospel (the Pelagian grace) by inspiration, which adds no new strength to the will; then is there here a market for the buying of influences of saving grace: how comes it that never man in Brasilia, India, was ever converted to Christ, and professed Christ? The Scripture which saith, there is no name under heaven by which men are saved, but by the name of Jesus, Act. 4:12, is here silent; all stories of human writers are silent.
3. The place Rev. 3:20, is meant of the visible Church of Laodicea, v. 14, to the Angel of the Church of the Laodiceans, write, These things saith the Amen, &c. 18. I counsel thee to buy of me fine gold tried in the fire, &c. Did ever Christ by John or any other Apostle or Pastor write Gospel and command faith and repentance to the Angels of the Churches of Brasilia, India, and those who never heard any such Gospel-counsel to buy fine gold and white raiment, and eye-salve from Jesus Christ? As also the Jesuit with the same breath names this converting and saving Gospel grace; for he cites that of John 15, without me ye can do nothing: and the other texts hereafter, which our Savior clearly expones to be growing in Christ, as branches in the vine-tree, by faith drawing life from Christ, v. 4. Abide in me, and I in you; as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine, no more can ye except ye abide in me. 5. I am the vine. 8, for without me (the true vine) ye can do nothing, ye can bring forth no saving fruit. Now the bastard-grace which the Jesuit will have to be saving, and Christ knocking at the door is nothing, but cogitations & affections naturales honesti: and I should gladly know if Christ's meaning, John 15:5. Without me, ye Brazilians and Indians, and except by faith ye abide in me, as branches in the vine-tree, you exercise no acts of desiring or thinking on an honest object, nor can ye do what is in you to attain to natural thoughts of the same kind. Must the Jesuit have the Apostle to speak to the Brazilians and Indians, O ye Brazilians, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it's God that works in you to will and to do, Phil. 2, in all honest natural thoughts. And 2 Cor. 12:6. God is in you working all in all; that is, v. 11. All these worketh the same Spirit of God, giving to you Brazilians the spirit of wisdom, the gift of healing, the gift of working miracles, as v. 7, 8, 9, 10. And the God of peace (Heb. 13:20, 21.) make you Brazilians perfect in every good work to do his will revealed in the Gospel, working that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ. If this be not abusing of Scripture, what is it? For he cites these Scriptures. So Prov. 1. Wisdom cries without, she uttereth her voice in the streets. Christ, the eternal wisdom of the Father, never proclaimed the wisdom of the Gospel, which hath so many Gospel promises annexed to it, to the stupid Brazilians: read Prov. c. 2, c. 3, c. 4, c. 8, and the manifestation that God makes to the Gentiles, Rom. 1, is a natural, not a Gospel manifestation. But I cannot stay, see the Authors on the Margin.
3. He who loves persons and hates them e're they be born, or do good or ill, and hath mercy upon these same by softening and hardening their hearts, not because they run, or run not, or will, or will not, but because the Lord hath mercy on whom he will: then there is no purchasing by our endeavors of the work of conversion.
4. All Gospel-promises and all Gospel-threatening's are revealed in the Old and New Testament as well as the Gospel itself, and the Gospel-commandment; for an unwritten Law and Gospel binds not us. But neither in Old or New Testament is there such a promise. The nation and the person that doth such things shall be rewarded with the blessing of the preached Gospel. Nor is there any such threatening that the nation or person that commit such sins, and omit such duties, shall be punished with the want of the preached Gospel forever, and with the want of faith and repentance: only the latter suffers an exception in persons that sin against the holy Ghost: for of Nations that sin, and that before they hear the Gospel, we read not. It's true, the word of the Kingdom for great sins may be removed, Zech. 11:5, 6, 8, 9, v. 12, 13, 14. Amos 8:4, 5, 6, v. 11, 12. Matth. 21:33, 34, 35, 41, 42, 43. Acts 13:44, 45, 46, 47. Rev. 2:5. But that proves nothing, it's because the elect in that place do fail, and there be not any chosen thereto called.
5. Nor should the glory of conversion be due to the grace of God, but to our well-guiding free-will, and to the works of righteousness; that we had done contrary to 2 Tim. 1:9. Tit. 3:3. Eph. 2:4, 5, if we could procure by our good endeavors our own conversion.
6. But so much the man fallen in sin is under the state of enterditement; as the eldest Son of a King, who is a fool, is declared an idiot, and the government not committed to him. In the Gospel the Lord hath declared man a simple fool, and laid the Princedom of grace and glory upon the Catholic Tutor and chief heir Christ Jesus; yet we fools will needs be Masters and Free-men before we have served our apprenticeships. Gladly would we be from under the dominion of Christ and free grace, and be our own; yea even fools and mad men take it not well to be fettered and in bands.
7. Influences of free grace, and the gracious actings of the spirit, are paid for by the price of blood, Heb. 13:15. Let us by him (then) offer to God the sacrifice of praise continually, Phil. 4:18. Heb. 13:15, 20, 21. 2 Thess. 2:16. The budding and blooming of the branch in every act of growing, depends upon the immediate impulsions of life, and from the sap of life that is in the root, and the vine-tree Christ.
Assert. 2. But the habit and seed of God being within, though the indisposition be great, yet we would act, do well.
2. Because a natural heat in literal stirring doth pre-paratively work upon the soul (though not by way of any Gospel-promise) to make it ready to receive an influence of believing. Moses his wondering at the bushes burning, and it was not consumed, made him draw near to see more of God, and the acting of faith: and wondering ripened Christ's hearers for influences of believing; so Cant. 5:6. Moving of the bowels makes way for influences of opening to let the Beloved in, and of praying and seeking.
2. The very noise and literal stirrings in these actings, have far-off acting upon the dead habit to awake it up; so beating of the lump of perfume, wakens up the smell. The blowing of the wind on the garden of delicious flowers extracts sweet smelling: the first three or four throwing's of the iron bolt in the ship, brings not out water; but five or six causes the water to flow out apace. The two disciples conferring, Luke 24, concerning Christ crucified, seem cold and indifferent; yea there is much unbelief and deadness on the Spirit, v. 21. We trusted that it should have been he which should have restored Israel; though they say he was a Prophet mighty in word and deed before God and all the people, v. 19. Yet their speech saith their heart was very cold concerning his office as Redeemer, and concerning his Resurrection; but they go on in the conference, and pursue the duty, though literally, till he begun, v. 25, 26, 27, to open the Scriptures to them, and then the heart begins to burn with heat, v. 32. It's considerable that the woman of Samaria's is very literal at the beginning, and only concerning Jacob's well; yet she going on in the conference, there comes a warmness, and a liking, and a seeking of the water of life, and a discerning of Christ to be a Prophet; and at length a warmness, of faith in believing him to be Christ, and a leaving of the water-pot, and a running to the City to invite others to come to Christ.
Here it is that the first three or four steps bring not heat upon the man; but to walk a mile brings warmness. To strike the flint oftener then once brings out fire at length; and when there is a kindled and a fixed habit of grace, and gracious dispositions, flaming's of heavenly dispositions follow apace: because creation is a mids to the execution of the decree of predestination to life eternal, therefore he who in predestination to life giveth his own to Christ, John 17:2, 6, 11, 12, v. 6, hath established a new supernatural providence, or a providence of redemption different from that providence of God Creator, which should have been, if Adam had never sinned. Of this providence these Scriptures are to be understood. John 5:17. My Father worketh hitherto and I work. Col. 1:16. All things were created by him and for him. 17. He is before all things, and in him all things consist. Hence Rev. 3:14. He is the beginning of the Creation of God. Col. 1:15. Who is the image of the invisible God, the first born of every creature. Rev. 21:5. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold I make all things new. Heb. 1:3. Upholding all things by the word of his power.
1. As by the first fall all things fell. 2. The first Adam was the public catholic misguiding Tutor, who marred and destroyed all; and the Creation, and the workmanship of heaven and earth was made subject to vanity, because of man's sin, and is now as a woman travelling in birth, crying in pain under corruption and vanity, Rom. 8:20, 21, 22. So the second Adam coming to the throne, made a new heaven and a new earth; and as a Midwife to the travailing woman, brings forth the birth, the free sons of God, and carries on the work in bringing the man Christ in the world; for the man Christ is not created and brought in the world by God simply as Creator and Law-giver, by the covenant of works, but by God as now acting to redeem the world, and making a new Creation and a new world.
3. Hence the blessing of the creature, and of the earth, which was under a curse for man's sin, Gen. 3:17, 18, is now from Christ, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, Heb. 1:2, and by reason of Christ's reigning and sitting at the helm of the world, and governing all things, all the creatures because of this King are called to rejoice, as Psal. 96:11. Let the heaven rejoice, and the earth be glad; let the Sea roar, and the fullness thereof. 12. Let the field rejoice, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice. Psalm 98:8. Let the floods clap their hands, let the hills be joyful together. See Isa. 49:13. Isa. 65:7. Jer. 31:11, 12, 13.
4. And look, as when a Kings son and heir is married, all the servants and Courtiers are clothed in Scarlet and gorgeous apparel: So when Christ is declared Mediator, husband and head of the body the Church, the whole servants of the creation have a new right, through Christ the heir of all, to the liberty of the sons of God, and to be delivered from bondage. And hence the Saints have a right through Christ to the influences of this new providence, the chief of which are the influences of saving grace: and though there be no promise made to the chosen, do this and ye shall be converted; yet Christ hath by his blood merited conversion, and influences for conversion to them; and as in Christ all providences are redemptory providences, so hath the Lord ordained according to the decree of predestination and of redemption, that hearing, coming to such a place where Acts 2. Peter preaches, where the Gaoler hears Paul, Acts 16, to the well of Jacob, where the woman confers with Christ beyond her intention, are means of the conversion of such as are ordained to salvation; so as providences of themselves natural, are sometimes through the intention of God made redemptory providences for the conversion of the chosen.
3. There is no connection promissory betwixt natural or literal acting begun, and spiritual acting and heat of the life of Christ: As these actings are considered in themselves, they seem to be one web; but the one part of the web is course and gross cloth, the other is silk and cloth of gold; they depend one upon another as some providential and general means, and are intended of God.
2. There is a coexistence betwixt them by a practice of grace, not by a promise of grace.
3. There is an order of priority and posteriority betwixt them.
4. There is a vicinity material betwixt them; as five is a number nearer to seven then three; and yet three, five, seven, all differ among themselves in nature and essence: to hear is nearer to hearing in faith, then no hearing at all, or obstinate turning away the ear; they are knit together as a piece of institution watered (if I might so speak) with a command, and a heavenly acting of God; for as was said before, the literal acting some way falls under a commandment: he who commands hearing in faith, commands hearing also.
4. If there be a literal fixedness of consideration in looking to the duty, and some literal missing and sense of deadness: it puts the man in the borders of a spiritual duty, and hardly wants the soul so acting the saving flowing's of the Spirit: the very bulk and body of a promise may give some literal wakening to a dead soul; and the skaddings of a threatening man put the dead soul in some motion, 2 Sam. 12:1, 2, 3, 4. David gives a literal hearing by the light of a natural conscience to Nathan's general parable. At length, when the Spirit sets it on by application, thou art the man, David, v. 10, 11, 12, 13, comes to some life of confession, I have sinned; and there begin the spiritual seeds of Psalm 51. Indeed these two, the literal part, and the spiritual part, make (as it were) in gross one bulk or body of a work; but they are conjoined as the clay and the gold in Nebuchadnezzar's image; they are joined by God, not by congruity or decency on the Lord's part, but of free grace, not by promise, not by merit, nay, not as work and wages, but accidental, as touching their natures, yet the wise Lord intends the one or the other; it's therefore good to be about means: the waiting at the tide is not sailing, yet it makes way for sailing. What connection is there betwixt Saul 's journey in seeking his fathers asses, and Samuel 's anointing him King of Israel? None at all, but a providential union there is; but no man can say that there is here either a divine institution, or a gracious promise, yea, or a congruity of means and end, of work and wages: though there be something of a marred institution in dead and dull hearing tied to saving believing: here the same sweet breathing that falls on the rose, acts on the hemlock, which to me is some mystery, to others merit of congruity (which is detestable) to others a free promise (but it being examined well is but merit) to others half a promise: however the dispensation forbids laziness, and commands all, even though yet in nature, to go about duties as creatures rational covenanted externally with God.
CHAPTER XIII.
Q. 13. What the unrenewed and the renewed can do in the respective dead condition at the use of means?
2. Influences work as God sets them on. 3. A gracious heart reflects upon itself. 4. We may do more by the habit of grace then we do. 5. Divers cases of renewed and unrenewed. 7. No promise is made to using of external means only, yet a sad threatening is made to the not using of them. 8. The opposition by unbelief that reprobates make to the Gospel.
It is a matter of difficulty to determine, because of the various cases, what we may here do in the using of means. 1. Unrenewed men and renewed both can do less in using of means, when two mountains and two rivers are in the way, then when one only is before them; an unrenewed having both his natural corruption and a strong temptation against him can do no less. So Naaman by his office being obliged to go to the house of the Idol-God Rimmon, and not yet converted, could more hardly abstain from that outward Idolatry, then now when to natural corruption fear of offending his master the King of Assyria is added. No doubt Pilate naturally loathed and hated Christ, as Herod Acts 12, did the Apostles and the Gospel, but when Pilate is afraid to offend the people, and to seem an enemy to Caesar, and Herod willing to pleasure the Jews, it's no wonder then both be not only weakened in using the means to believe in Christ, but also positively oppose Christ and the Gospel, and if both had been engaged in a profession of Christ, as many now are, they might have used means more largely to believe, and preferred Christ not in their heart and real estimation of mind to men pleasing, but in some externals also; but that should be no concludent argument that they really loved Christ, because a name may put men to hazard court, and means, and life, rather than deny Christ.
2. This seems a considerable difference, the earth cannot plow and sow wheat of itself, yet when it is plowed and labored, and seeded, it can enlive and nourish the sown corn; but though we can do much more in the using of means then we do, yet means work upon us, if they be only external, by no necessity of nature, but according as he stirs, who hath mercy on whom he will, though men run and will: Nor can we deny but the child of God, endued with an habit of grace, hath actu primo, a power to draw life from the head, as the living members can draw nourishment from the stomach through the liver and veins; yet the Sun and heaven hath influence in all actings of nature; the necessity of actual grace doth not remove any of the virtue and power of the habit of grace: so doth the renewed heart lie fair to a Gospel-command: and as actions vital are immanent, and received often on themselves, so here, the heart renewed can work upon 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 itself, in its manner of working, in the way of God. 1 Tim. 5:22. Keep thyself pure. 2 Tim. 2:15. Study to show thyself approved unto God. Jude v. 21. Keep yourselves 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 itself of mire and dirt, and new wine casteth out the scum and refuse, and gold melted separates and casts out its dross, and the superfluity of the metal; far more doth the renewed heart keep itself by a lively power against every power contrary to itself: 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 a 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 wisdom, if David had improved it, should have kept him from adultery and murder. Psalm. 51:6. Behold, thou hast delighted in truth in the reins, and in the hidden part, thou makest me to know wisdom. 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 callings 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 God's heart was no shelter to his shedding of innocent blood. Now grace is not given to the child of God as a piece of overgilded 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 clothes 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 itself; 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 man's 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 judgments, 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 will 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 Christ's bosom 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 millstone, tied about every man's 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 say his other virtues satisfy 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 Physician, 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 than 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 bode 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 threatening of wrath to such as use no means; he that plows none, but sleeps in Summer, shall be clothed with rags: but there is no word that all who plow painfully shall be rich men, and clothed in scarlet, Prov. 28:7. He that turns away his ear from hearing the Law, even his prayer shall be abomination; but all that hear the Law are not converted; this shows that the Lord is provoked by the not using of means in natural men, as both the Lord's plea with the wicked cleareth, and their sinful neglect of not putting God to it, to see if God will not do more, when they have done but a little of their duty; the Lord is at the pains to charm them, and doth it wisely, they will be deaf as the adder; well then, Psal. 58, since they will keep the Serpents poison whether God, who useth means to the contrary, will or no. v. 4, 5, 6. Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth. 7. Let them melt away as waters which run continually. 8. As a snail which melteth, let everyone of them pass away. So plagued and melted away sinners, you might have been charmed by God and would not, can you blame God? Jer. 51:9. We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: well then, it follows, forsake her, let us go everyone into his own Country, for her judgment is reached up to heaven, and is lifted up unto the skies. So God is clear, and even Babylon's refusing to be healed, and to hear the Prophets, and her neglecting means is justly plagued, Prov. 1:20. What can wisdom do more but cry and utter her voice, and throw over the line to such as are in the Kingdom of darkness, the promises? 22. Behold, I will pour out my spirit to you. But v. 24. Ye refused, no man regarded. 25, ye set at naught all my counsel, and would have none of my reproof. 29. They hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord; and therefore the Lord laughs at their destruction, and mocks when their fear cometh. And Luke 14:16, 17, 18, many are bidden come to the Supper, and the Lord is cleared, an offer is made to them; they all with one consent refuse the use of other means, and the Lord saith, none of them who were bidden shall taste of his Supper. So the Lord's justice goes no farther than the obstinacy of men, who refuse to come in at the outer gate opposes him. Christ and reprobates so never come to wresthng, and to ay and no in the inner gate, or in the pains of the new birth: the sentence of a refused treaty with Christ, long e're it come to the out-breaking of the new birth cuts, them off: green corn is frost-slain long e're it come to the blade; and it's not the rotting of a white and ripe harvest that is the loss of it; it's just providence in the Gardener to cut down and throw over the hedge a plant that is withered while it is yet young, as it is right that he hew down a tree ready to bear fruit when it's barren and rotten. The Lord hath not set down in his word the degrees of transgression against the covenant of works; some in Adam might have been more, some less grievous transgressors (should all have been saved or damned by that only covenant;) and since it cannot be denied that multitudes within the visible Church perish for their sin against the Law, or the externally proposed Covenant of grace, and yet all these so perishing are not alike guilty; our Savior says some had greater guiltiness in his sufferings then Pilate had, John 19:11, holy and spotless justice doth cut off some in their sins for sinning against that Covenant, whether it be the Covenant of grace so called, or the Covenant of works, who even are many mile distant from sinning against the actings of the regenerating spirit, and some come nearer to the strangling of the new birth, and are cut off by holy justice also. When our Savior saith, John 3:18, 36. He that believeth not is condemned already, and the wrath of God abideth on him; his meaning shall not be, that all condemned within the visible Church perish, because the man coming to the nick of a gracious receiving of Christ, and having done all requisite to a professor until it come to the breaking forth of the new birth, he there only fails; for many sins and degrees of failing against that Covenant (however it be called) go before that, by reason whereof men are said not to believe in the Son of God, and upon which account they remain under wrath, and are condemned for non-believing: he who will not hear of the Physician, though he never come within reach of personal communing with him, dies of his disease deservedly, because he contemns the only Physician who can cure him, as well as he who sees the Physicians face, hears his words, and beats back on his face the saving cup which would cure his disease.
Yet withal here we would beware of Mr. Baxter 's order of setting repentance and works of new obedience before justification, which is indeed a new covenant of works, meriting the sprinkling of Christ's blood and washing in justification, and this blood payeth them back again; for by the merit of Christ's blood good works do justify and save.
2. How clean walkers in new obedience must men be? Washen e're they come near the fountain, redeemed before they be redeemed.
3. So must men sweet and repent of their life before they be justified completely, but of half or quarter remission and justification the Scripture is silent: it crushes joy, peace, hope, liberty spiritual, for if men earn not out their repentance, they may and do lose their labor and reward before the third part of the day be ended; nor does the man accept Christ as Lord in a naked intention to serve him; for so saving faith includes in its nature an intention of new obedience to God: but a man cannot be said to have his reward of pardon, because he hath wrought his work, or reformed his life only in his intention, or because he intends to work his work, Scripture should here speak.
4. Why doth not Mr. Baxter say right down, tacienti quod in se est Deus non denegat gratiam? The Lord hath made the covenant of grace with all mankind, Americans, Brazilians, with these of China, and it hath these two halfs: 1. Do and live the life of grace and of faith. 2. Do and live the life of glory. So that the Gospel and pardon, and the life of grace are promised to the Americans, so they trade well with nature, or a general grace of Christ crucified, they know not whom, and they never heard of; show such a covenant made in Scripture, and made with the Brazilians.
It's true, the Scripture saith, repent for remission, and repent, that your sins may be blotted out, Acts 2:37, 38. Acts 3:19. But truth suffers here. Antinomians to exclude strict walking, make repentance to be nothing but faith. So Mr. Den, Hobson. &c. Again, Socinians, and Mr. Baxter, a man of a strong wit, on the other extreme to exclude the loose faith of many, make Gospel-faith to be nothing but repentance and new obedience. But the place Acts 2, can no more prove that repentance, and a fixed walk in good works, is such a part of the new Covenant, as this, do and live the life of faith, and be pardoned, then that Baptism, which is in the text joined with repentance, is necessarily required before pardon; whereas both repentance, faith, baptism, new obedience, are the way to the possession of the crown; not causes, not the price, not the ransom of the right and title to the crown, and both as conditions of pardon and title to the crown and the place. Acts 3:19, speaks of repentance continued all the life (for such a repentance is commanded in both places, and all along in Scripture, Matth. 3:8, 11. Matth. 3:13. Acts 11:18. Acts 13:24. Acts 26:20. Ezech. 14:6. Matth. 4:17. Mark 1:15. Mark 6:12. Acts 17:30. Rev. 2:7. Rev. 3:19, as a work not of a day, but of all the life) also the words should bear, that sins were not pardoned until the time of refreshment, that is, till the day of the eternal happiness and rest from our labors of this life, in which day sins are only blotted out declaratively, saith Diodati. But let it stand, repent, that you may be pardoned; and that a turning to God is a condition and a way, and a means of remission of sins: it shall not hold up the fabric of Mr. Baxter's justification by inherent righteousness; for sure in concreto no man is pardoned who continues in his sinful way, but he that repents and so continues repenting that he may be pardoned to himself and to others, is the only justified man of all those that are adult and come to age. For the Apostles, Acts 2:3. John the Baptist, Matth. 3, having to do with loose professors and hypocrites, who sought righteousness by law-works, and yet slighted Law and all Law-works, do urge first repentance sincere. 2. Continuing to the end. 3. Visible to themselves and others; nor do we bid proud and whole Pharisees, and men going on securely, and workers of iniquity, as such, immediately lay hold on Christ as their Savior: and it's true, the motive of God's abundant pardoning, and so the faith of pardoning mercy leads to repentance, Isa. 55:6, 7, let the wicked return, for he will abundantly pardon; and therefore faith goeth before repentance as touching some acts. In these Matth. 6:14, 15. If ye forgive not, your father will not forgive you. Christ speaks not of the order, as if we must first love our neighbor and our enemies as ourselves before we be justified; nor is the holy Ghost upon order, 1 John 1:19. Prov. 28:13. Romans 10:8, 9, 10, 13, as if penitent confession of sin to Christ, forsaking of all sin, and sound and complete repentance, must go before justification and forgiveness: but the Lord designs the persons pardoned, that they must be such as forgive their enemies, forsake their sins; because men are ready to sooth themselves, as if haters of their brethren might be (while they habitually continue in such a wicked way) justified before God.
Mr. Baxter in his confession, c. 5. sect. 1. concl. 6. page 101. I believe that by the new law of grace, or the promise, God hath delivered all men (in the tenor of the promise the promulgation reaches not to all) from the guilt of sin, and as to the destructive punishment, on condition they will accept of Christ and life; and no man is accepted out of this promise (till they remedilessly reject it) but it is so general, that whosoever will have Christ, may have him (on his terms) though none will have him till God's special grace make them willing, yet whosoever will is called to drink of the water of life.
My doubts are shortly these, 1. What Scripture saith that Christ hath delivered all men, i. e. Brazilians, Indians, all the race of man from the guilt of sin, as to the destructive punishment, or from hell, why not from their vain conversation? 1 Pet. 1:18, the same ransom is paid to save from the one as well as the other.
2. How is it not a scenical and a poor delivery, and satisfaction and ransom paid to justice, if justice inflict eternal destructive punishment on all Brazilians, Indians: millions of this huge (all) must then be the covenanted people of God if they be saved conditionally; can a covenant-promise be made to all, if all be not the people of God by this covenant-promise?
3. Can a promise of God never promulgated, never by fame or sound of words reaching the ears of these to whom the promise is made, be either promise or obliging Law? The Lord's will to do good is but a mere decree, never a promise till it be spoken; was there such a thing from eternity as a promise of God to make the world? A decree there was, never a promise. God said never in Old or New Testament, if all the Brazilians, Indians, shall believe in Christ, they are saved: and to them come to age a promise conditional it cannot be; when not only never promulgated, but Apostles and others are expressly forbidden to promulgate it to the Gentiles, Matth. 10:5. Acts 16:6, as being no people of God, Lo-ammi, not obtained mercy in Christ, Hos. 1:10. 1 Pet. 3:10. Rom. 10:24, 25, and yet for all these Christ died, all these Christ saved conditionally; they are saved, and my people, and I promise to them life in my Son so they believe, but tell them not of it; what a Gospel is this?
4. How can the Brazilians be guilty of remediless rejecting of a Christ they never heard of? For how shall they believe in him of whom they never heard? Rom. 10:14, how have they sin in hating Christ; for Christ came never to them, either in proper person, or the Gospel, John 15:22, 23, preached?
5. How can this promise be so wide and general, as none are excepted? For either Christ died not for Infants, and so no Infants are redeemed, nor washed in the blood of Christ, no Infants are part of the world or mankind, or Infants are condemned for not actual accepting of Christ and life, and for willful and remediless rejecting of Christ, because they will not come to Christ and drink; as Rev. 22:17.
6. If whosoever will have Christ may have him, Brazilians and Indians, and grace be universal, as saith Mr. Baxter; Brazilians and all Mankind must be freeholders, and sovereigns of Heaven and Hell, of the Decrees of Election and Reprobation, of Effectual calling: it must then be in him that runs and wills, and not in God who shows mercy; nor doth the Lord have mercy on whom he will: It's but a mock to say, that God's special grace doth make men willing; for Americans and Brazilians are Lord's, having in their power both general and special grace; except Mr. Baxter yield to us a grace which doth predetermine or indeclinably bow, fix and set the free will the way the Lord decrees, and that the Lord must infuse a new supernatural power, and it is above us to have special saving grace, and that the Lord bestows on his chosen, because he hath freely chosen them; and then the matter is not in their may have, or may not have.
7. Mr. Baxter would have done well to have put one Scripture at least to this; For neither in that John 7:37, 38, nor Rev. 22:7, cries the Lord to Brazilians and Indians, Whosoever will, let him come and drink of the water of life; for that promise is made only to those within the visible Church, who are the called of God, and do, and may hear it. But the Brazilians and millions of that kind are not the called of God.
8. A remedying Law we acknowledge in the new Covenant; but it is remedying to clear the justice of God, and to make these within the visible Church the refusers of the Gospel more inexcusable than Sodom, Matth. 10:15, then Tyrus and Sidon, Matth. 11:23, 21, 22, 23, 24, then a people of an unknown language, Ezech. 3:5, 6, 7.
But 1. It should be proved from Scripture by Mr. Baxter before he had asserted with Mos. Amyrald and other Universalists, his new remedying Law, as remedying the justly deserved misery of Americans and Brazilians; For sure if Christ died for them, and hath stricken with all the savages on earth, Jews, and Gentiles for whom he died, and with all generations of men, a new Gospel-covenant of the greatest love among men, in Christ's dying for them; and yet this Covenant is never revealed to them by either revelation made by preachers, nor by the works of Creation and Providence, nor by the Law of the Gospel written in the hearts of these men,
There is 1. little Remedy for clearing the glory of divine justice, to make their furnace hotter in Hell for a Chimerical and imaginary sin of which their conscience cannot accuse them; for how can they be guilty in rejecting a Christ they never heard of, and by no superable providence could hear? In that the Gospel came neither by Angels, nor by Men gifted with tongues, nor by inspiration to their knowledge; and this darkens the glory of God's justice. Its true, Abimelech and Pharaoh and others may be plagued for sins they actually know not; but light of conscience teacheth that Adultery and Oppression of innocent strangers, deserve judgment. But read we ever that Brazilians, Indians, or the wisest of Heathen, Socrates, Plato, Cicero, and the most tender of them, die with any such challenge? Ah, we sinned against the blood of the Son of God shed for us! What, and shall the Lord write and speak to Israel in their hearing? I brought you out of Egypt, and yet he will not tell the millions of the Heathen Christ died for them, and saved them from the guilt of sin and everlasting wrath, as touching their everlasting destruction? Which love yet he expressed not to them.
2. Though it ill becomes us to censure the wisdom of God; if the Lord rebuke those within the visible Church for refusing offered mercy; as Jer. 3. John 5:40. John 8:21, how doth he not reprove the Brazilians for rejecting a promise of so much love?
3. As no reprobate can be guilty of love of Election to glory from eternity (suppose such a love had been in the heart of God towards them) because it was never revealed to them: So if there be such a law of grace and Covenant-promise, the Law-giver, the Mediator God-man was never revealed to the Brazilians.
2. Where is this wide promise and Covenant to be found in Scripture? Who are the parties?
3. What is the nature of the Covenant? Whether is it a Covenant of works (do this and live) or a Covenant of grace (believe this, and you have the reward of the Gospel preached, to wit, the restored image of God) and where is this in Scripture?
4. A remedying Law must bring a remedy to men: the remedy is either real; and so some real help must be conferred upon fallen man: show if there be one Brazilian healed and saved thereby: a real power of believing in Christ, and laying hold on the Gospel-promise remote or nearer, cannot be given to all in Christ, for anything we read in Scripture, since the Brazilians are heirs of wrath, cannot receive the things of God, 1 Cor. 2:14, cannot believe or come to Christ. John 6:44, cannot submit their wisdom to the Law of God. Rom. 8:7, cannot bring forth good fruit more than thistles or thorns can bring forth figs or wine grapes, Luke 6:43, 44. Matth. 7:16, 17, being dead in sins. Ephes. 2:2, 5. Walking in the vanity of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness that is in their hearts, Ephes. 4:17:18. Enemies in their minds by wicked works, Colos. 1:21. Foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers hearts, Tit. 1:3, having a heart of stone, Ezek. 36:26, uncircumcised, Deut, 30:6. Jer. 9:26, deceitful above all things, desperately wicked, Jer. 17:9, every imagination of man's heart only evil every day. Gen. 6:5, from his youth, Gen. 8:21. So that a Brazilian must be born over again, or he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God, John 3:3. Nor can flesh and blood, but the Father of Christ only cause us believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God, Matth. 16:16. Now this is but a moral work to Mr. Baxter, to cause a dead man live: and if there were no intrinsical wound, impotency and deadness in the soul, but only moral dimness of mind, so as the literal, clear, external and objective proposal of the Gospel, which wakens the stupid will, as Pelagians and Arminians say, perfects the whole work of the new-birth, and grace is nothing but the letter of the Gospel; and the strongest operation of this grace is only moral suasion and counsel: as if by Rhetoric, and good words, the mid-wife could bring forth the birth; and this remedy that Christ brings to Brazilians, is at best, the raising of man dead and rotten in the grave, by blowing a Trumpet beside him, and by making a persuasive oration over his dead corps: if so, the man so raised was never dead: Nor is the remedying Law so much; for a preaching of the Gospel comes never to the ears of millions, with whom this remedying Covenant is made: and it were a strong inducement, as any can be, to move Brazilians, Americans, those of China and Turkey, to receive the Gospel, to show them Christ by the blood of his Cross hath made peace between God and you: ye are all of you, old and young, bought with a price, ransomed by the blood of God: ye are not your own, Christ hath taken away your sins, and does now begin upon a new score; God hath expressed the greatest love imaginable, he hath redeemed you his enemies: this in the Old or New Testament is never told them; for then the Ministers of the Gospel should find all the Pagans a Church, bought with the blood of Christ, and the reality of a Church should be in all societies of the earth. But such glad news are preached to the chosen in the visible Church only; never to Brazilians: Paul preaches at Athens, Acts 17. Creation, not one word of Redemption: as also Aristotle, Plato, and others should beget over again to God Creator all their disciples, whom they find rude and ignorant, and infuse by moral suasion and teaching a new life of learning: and all rude and ignorant men before they be taught Metaphysic, Mathematics, should be dead in ignorance, enemies in their heart to knowledge and Philosophy: and the same ground should make Ministers suppose there were no learning, and teaching of the Father in drawing of men to Christ, by that Omnipotency, which raised Christ from the dead and created the world, John 6:44, 45. Ephes. 1:17, 18:19. 2 Cor. 4:4, as true real Fathers of the new-birth, by only the letter of the Gospel, as Aristotle and Plato are fathers to beget Philosophy in men. Now for any remedying Gospel-promise that is made to Brazilians to purchase by way of merit, we shall believe it, when Mr. Baxter shall prove that to Indians and Brazilians, who lived and died without the sound of the least notice, or rumor of the Gospel, Christ hath purchased and merited grace to believe the Gospel.
2. That Christ by the blood of his Cross hath made peace betwixt God and the Brazilians, who so lived and died without the Gospel; that Christ hath satisfied upon the Cross for their sins against the Law, and born their fins in his own body on the tree; that Brazilians being dead to sins should live unto righteousness, by whose stripes Brazilians are healed, 1 Pet. 2:24, that Christ suffered for Brazilians to bring them to God, 1 Pet. 3:18, that Christ bought Brazilians from their vain conversation with his blood, 1 Pet. 1:18, that Christ gave himself for wild Indians, that he might redeem them from all iniquity, and purify to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works, Tit. 2:14. And who so tell us of a general, dubious, and conditional intention in the Father giving his Son to death, and of the Son's giving himself to death for all these poor savages to whom he would never send the air of a rumor that he so loved them; and of a special intention going along with the free decree of Election to glory, that so many only should live unto righteousness, be redeemed from all iniquity, are holden to prove two such redemptions, two such loves of Christ dying, two such intentions and decrees, two such providences: one special redemption, one special greatest love, one special intention, one fatherly providence indeed toward the elect; we find John 10:10, 11. John 3:16. John. 11:51, 52. 2 Cor. 5:14, 15. Rev. 1:5, 6. Rev. 5:9, 10. 1 Pet. 2:24. 1 Pet. 3:18. 1 Pet. 1:18. Tit. 1:14. Gal. 1:4. John 15:13. Rom. 8:32, 33. Isa. 53:4, 5, 6. Rev. 14:4, all which places make the redeemed to be loved with the greatest love, sanctified, bought from their vain conversation, redeemed from among men, made Kings and Priests to God, delivered from this present evil world, redeemed from all iniquity, &c. we leave the other General, dubious love, intention, and reconciliation of Brazilians, to our Adversaries to be made out by Scripture.
And Q. What is the grace of Christ's meritorious blood if it be shed for all and everyone, if it put the nature and free will of all and everyone in a better condition, and if his merit restore not the image of God into a more firm and excellent condition then we had in the first Adam? And what healing of nature, and the restoring of the image of God is made to the savages who eat men as we do beefs, kill their aged fathers, use wives promiscuously, and never heard one word of the Gospel?
CHAPTER XIV.
The Law discovereth the disease, but heals it not.
2. How nature begins, and the spirit acts. 3. We, not God, in withdrawing his grace must be the culpable cause of non-conversion. 4. Some truth we must first physically hear and consider, before we believe.
Knowledge, or the commanding Law strengthens the wicked desire by forbidding it. A strong stream runs with more strength that a dike of stone and clay stands in its way: I know not (saith Augustine) epist. contra Hilarium 89, &c. de spir. & lit. 4, how that which is desired becomes more pleasant, because it is forbidden: Nescio quo enim modo hoc ipsum quod concupiscitur, fit jucundius, dum vetatur; the letter of the Law or bare knowledge meets with unrenewed nature, and then a severe master and a froward servant make no work betwixt them: the Law came in, that sin might abound, Rom. 5. Jubet (Lex) magis quam juvat, docet morbum esse, non sanat; imo ab eo quod non sanatur, augetur, ut attentius & sollicitius gratiae medicina quaeratur; The Law commands, but it helps not, it teacheth the disease to be there, but heals it not.
There are two extremities here we love on the one hand; the barbarous opus operatum, the literal deed done in praying; the charm of the external work is by hand, if God sell not the blessing: yet I have blown words of praying up to Heaven, and told down the price: It's heavenly wisdom to go about praying and other means not as acts of trading for our nighest ends, but as acts of serving and glorifying of God, though nothing should redound to us: but we use praying, and hearing, as a man doth his horse, or his ship, all for self-use and self-ends. Ah, can the man charm the blessing of the Holy Ghost with bare words, when scarce the literal attention goes along? And here our Idolatry saith, I buy, and God will not sell; I plow, and God binds up the clouds: the Lord pays not the reward of a rich harvest, to the merit of plowing on the other hand: let ordinances, reading, praying, and hearing of the Bible sleep until the spirit blow: and we forget it is not the Spirit of the Father, which works without the word and the testimonies, the tools of the Father; is this God's Spirit or a delusion? Plow not, sow not until it be first harvest; blow not at the fire until it first flame boldly: pray not until the Spirit breath strongly, but first give words, I pray you, to be a lodging to the spirit to breath in: Let nature stir first in the using of means; First bow the knee, stretch out the hands; should the Spirit from above first bow the knee? And first physically act upon the hands to lift them up? Nay, nature begins in its order before the heat and fire of the spirit come; flaming goes not before smoking, but contrarily smoking leads the way to flaming: the flaming of faith, of love, of paining desires in their spiritual vigor, go not before stirring of the lips, and lifting of the eyes to Heaven to pray: that is no more true than refreshing and cooling of the heart go before eating and drinking: will ye say, I will not pray, while first the spirit flame, I will not hear, while first I believe, and I will not lay up the promises in the heart, while first the heart burns in heat of love with the promises: You then say, I will not throw about the key until the door be first opened; I will not hear the word until the Lord give me faith; whereas the way of God is, that faith as the end, comes by hearing, as the means leading to the end; Rom. 10, and Gal. 3. Ye received the Spirit by the hearing of faith; then of necessity our hearing and lending attention to Christ, by the outer entry the ear, must go before faith as the mean before the end, whereas faith comes by hearing: as vital heat is stirred up by running, so it is true, some inward burnings and flamings of spirit begin like smoking before flaming, Psal. 39:1. Psal. 45:1. Acts 17, and then follows spiritual acting of praising, preaching, praying, in which case there is, as it were, in the soul a fever, and an inward boiling of a pot that must run over, or new wine that must break the vessel, and force vent, so that silence or no acting must torment and pain the poor man: but that is not ordinary; for the set way is that we set to acting, and the spirit strikes in as he thinks fit, and the believer is to blow and stir the fire under the ashes, as if he were seeking the wind, and must stir and dig some fire and warmness out of the letter, and let the spirit blow and flame as he will. If any say a preparing of the heart goes well before acting, that is true also; if any say God commands not simple hearing, but hearing mixed with faith, whatever truth were in that, as hearing without faith is sinful formality, yet he commands in a divine order, that we should hear to the end we may believe; and the Lord commands not that we may believe, that we may hear, as nature ordains not growing and nourishing, that the living creature may eat, and sleep; but by the contrary, nature appointeth eating and sleeping that we may grow, and be nourished. If any say the Lord commands not hearing as to the substance of the act, but saving, spiritual, and humble trembling at the Word, and hearing in faith; and this he commands to be done in believing and trembling at the Word, in the same act, in which he commands hearing. It shall be denied that in the order of begetting faith, this is necessary, that they ever be on and the same act: the Lord preached to Adam, Gen. 3:15, the seed of the woman shall break the head of the serpent: Adam by the Law of God, of nature, was first to hear and consider this first Gospel-truth, and then to believe it, and receive it in faith: he was a rational and moral agent in believing, and was not obliged in one and the same to hear and believe, but as a rational agent he was first to hear, and then to believe, after consideration of the Gospel now heard and received in the ear and mind. And the like may be said of Pagans at the first hearing of the Gospel, they must hear and literally consider the letter of the Gospel before they believe. As for the Lord's commanding to believe, to pray, to read, to praise, sure we are to begin our duty of natural stirring in these acts, though in another kind of cause, God must first act us thereunto: nor is the Lord's stirring of us by omnipotent grace, enjoined to us, but we are commanded to do our duty, and to pray for his drawing that we may run: but yet by order of nature, we are to do our parts first in our physical way before we feel the stirring of divine influences.
Obj. He cannot pray, he cannot believe, and yet God commands him to believe.
Answ. But his cannot (as Mr. Fenner saith) does not hinder. If a wicked man's cannot only did hinder him, he might excuse himself before the tribunal of Christ; Lord, thou knowest, I did my best, I would have been ruled by thy Word, but I could not; I would have been humbled and reformed better than I was, but I could not: For the culpable only hindering cause is, Prov. 1:29. They hated knowledge, the fear of the Lord they chose not. They would none of my counsel, they despised all my rebuke. These four acts of wicked will are set down, as the only faulty cause of their non-conversion, and their not hearkening to wisdoms cry. But if God had given efficacious grace, which he, out of his absolute liberty denied, certainly they would have been converted: true; and who denies that? All that have heard, and learned of the Father come to me, John 6:45. If all such come and none miscarry, then thou would have come also to Christ. Surely after I was turned, I repented, Jer. 31:19, but that is the cause of non-conversion physical, and leaves not the blame on the holy Lord; for the wicked (will not) yet remains, and the conscience lays not the blame there, but loves to have a physical bar of non-conversion, to block up the way of moral non-conversion, and four times subscribeth and consenteth to the absence and want of the Lord's saving influence; therefore except the unbeliever could say, I had a desire, hic & nunc, to abandon my lusts and to believe, only this hinders; God refused the sowing of a gracious power in me, to believe, pray, repent; and as an austere master, he reaps and exacts believing and praying from a man who doth his best, and all that in reason and justice can be craved of a man; lays upon me, threatening's, commandments, punishments, who am only fettered against my will from obeying.
Hence faithful Mr. Fenner pag. 8, the (moral and faulty) reason why the wicked do not repent, and come out of their sins, is not because they cannot (though they cannot) but because they will not. His reasons are,
1. The wicked think they have power, and yet they will not do according to their thoughts; what is the reason they hope to repent on their dead beds, but because they think they have power? Or at least they are able to beg power of Jesus Christ. Now by their own thoughts, God will convince them that they do not give over their sins.
2. Thou dost not so much as try whether thou canst do or not: when a Master bids a Servant carry a sack of corn to the Mill, I cannot, says he; but cannot you try, says his master, cannot you go about it? No, he will not try; why, then he is willful: if his master should see him sweating and striving to carry it, it were something, then he will say he stuck at a cannot; but when he will not be at the pains to try, he sticks at a will not; pag. 10. God offers the good motions of power, I will help thee, and I will enable thee, and thou wilt not be helped. Jer. 6:17. Hearken to the sound of the trumpet, but they said, they will not hearken.—O, sayest thou, I do hear the word, and I cannot hear it better; I do pray daily, and I cannot pray better; thus thou retortest upon God, as the unprofitable servant, Lo, here thou hast what is thine; lo, here is the best faith thy spirit helps me to, here is the best obedience, that thy power enabled me to do, &c. lo, there thou hast that is thine, thou helpest me with no more.
3. God gives thee a talent, a new power: hath God given thee eyes, thou hast more power to glorify him, then he that hath none—give account for thy wit; Lord I have contrived businesses and bargains with it, I have jested, quirped, been merry with it; but why wouldst thou not be witty for God, and for the good of thy soul?
4. The more power thou hast to repent, the more thy will is against it; —the more your righteousness should increase, it goes the more away: like the dew, the more the Sun riseth, the more it vanisheth away: like many, the more preaching the farther off.
5. Thy cannot is a voluntary cannot. I cannot give to the poor, sayest thou; yea, thou hadst once Lands, and Means, and comings in, but thou hast spent all at the Ale-house.
6. Thou art contented with thy cannot; thou canst not be holy, and thou art contented not to be; thou canst not crucify thy lust, and thou art contented with this cannot; nay, thou wouldst not be able—my people love to have it so, Jer. 5:31, &c. A man can do more good then then he does, though not in a gracious manner; yea, and there be degrees more or less in both matter and manner: yea, and this cannot is the natural cannot of a broken will; Lot preached to Sodom, and they repent not; Jonas preached to Nineveh, and they repent, though not soundly; Christ a greater then Jonah preacheth to the Pharisees, and they repent neither soundly, nor any other way. Sure more might be done in using of means, though not without some common grace: but so long as wicked will hath a nearest influence in all sinful omissions and transgressions, there is no place left to this; O God give me no power, nor habits, nor influences; but would ye have done all required to be done with power, habits, and influences, by your poor wicked wills? Nay, there is a wicked will not which is a pull-back, and a sinful obstruction to gracious actings. But to say nothing of this more; may not believers so far command influences of grace, as that they have in their power far off or near hand, in potentia proxima vel remota, sufficient grace to believe and be saved? See Cornelius Jansen, tom. 3. de grat. Chr. Salv. lib. 3. c. who citeth Vasquez. 1 part disp. 97. Suarez, lib. 4. de praedest. c. 3. num. 19, 20. But it is required that the party, non ponat obicem, lay not a block in the way of the Lord calling him: and if he do not, God shall undoubtedly convert him, say these men; For if God should deny sufficient help of grace, especially to Infants upon an intention to damn them, (saith Theo. Smizing. tom. 2. tract. 3. disp. 6. de provid. num. 179.) such a denial should be against the Covenant, that the Father hath made with the Son, that he hath accepted the death of the Son for the reconciliation of all mankind, and their redemption, none excepted; And therefore he should;
1. Do a wrong to Christ. And 2. to all mankind, and sin against the justice of his fidelity, if he should deny sufficient help of grace upon an intention of damning them for original sin.
3. Such a sufficient grace is due to us, not of ourselves, but in Christ; yea, but by this Christ hath merited sufficient grace to all; and why not pardon of original sin to all? And life eternal to all? Should it not be a wrong to all, and a wrong to Jesus Christ, and a wrong to free will, if such a meritorious purchase of grace be made to all? Why are they called by nature the heirs of wrath? For by this, all the Pagans, and Heathens by grace, are also the reconciled heirs of glory, the ransomed of the Lord.
2. Why do not the Apostles first reveal the drawing and heart-breaking motive of obedience? Christ hath died for you all, and reconciled you to God from the womb.
3. What news are these? You all are in that blessed Covenant, passed betwixt the Father and the Son, and Christ hath given a dear ransom of blood to purchase grace to carry you either to Heaven or Hell: but he hath purchased for you no glory, except by the sweating of free will you make it your actual purchase.
4. The Scripture tells us nowhere that Jesus Christ died to break the Decrees of Election and Reprobation; and that Christ hath obtained that no man should be damned for Original sin, as many as die in Adam, Rom. 5, as many are justified and live in Christ, both the life of grace and of glory.
5. This is the far more wide and broad covenant of grace, that the Gospel if men use the light of nature well, (who are, and ever hath been in all ages since the creation the greatest part of mankind) shall be sent to them, and all shall be put in such a capacity to be saved by Christ and justified in him, as Adam was in, to be justified and saved by the works of the Law.
6. Why doth sin original brook the name of sin, of iniquity, transgression, and a sin for which all die, as Psal. 51:5. Rom. 5. Rom. 7. Rom. 8. Heb. 12. &c. which indeed its no sin, but pardoned, taken away in all mankind, and which brings damnation to no man; for in justice, none can be condemned to death temporal more then to death eternal, for that which is no sin at all? And such is sin original, say they.
7. It is without all authority of Scripture, that the natural actings of Pagans are so washed in the blood of Christ that they never heard of, that they are in their actings meriting the Gospel either of congruity or decency, or of common justice, or of free promise, or by some infallible connection betwixt the one and the other, or by Christ's merits: True it is, the Gospel, and effectual calling in the Gospel and faith, and all spiritual blessings are bestowed on the Elect in Christ Jesus Ephes. 1:3. 2 Pet. 1:3.
2. God works in us what is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ, Heb. 13:2.
3. Grace and peace come from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus as the meritorious cause, 1 Cor. 1. Gal. 1. Frans. Cumel. disp. 2. ar. in primam 2. concl. 5. pag. 244, testifies that the best of them is like a sharp briar; for he with others holds, that grace is given to them who lay no impediment in the way of God's effectual calling, and he hath it in his power to lay no impediment, because he can eschew all sins against the Law of nature, and such sins are the only impediments that hinder the effectual calling of God.
But 1. he makes no mention of Christ, his death and merit, which is the only meritorious cause of effectual calling of the chosen. A spiritual soul loves the strongly prevailing power of Christ's calling, the more strongly that it is a work of saving grace, and of the grace of Christ, Rom. 3:14.
2. The man is equally Lord of heaven and hell who hath salvation in his power by this way, as men have by the Jesuits way; but all men by this way have in their power this prevening grace: for if they do what in them is, and eschew sins, against the law of nature, which Cumel saith they may do, (for such sins are the only impediment of grace) they may be saved; not by merit, as the Jesuits say, but by free grace, as Dominicans say: but as to the matter Cumel conspires with the Jesuits; call it merit, or give it another name, it's against the Scriptures to teach that all the Americans, Brazilians and Heathen have the prevening grace of God and salvation in their power.
And 2. That though all men may lay an impediment to the prevening grace of God, yet they may fulfil the law of nature, and eschew all mortal sin, which if they do, infallibly the Lord bestows prevening grace upon the Americans; for the Scripture saith, We are dead in sins and trespasses, Eph. 2, that we cannot come to Christ except the Father draw us, Joh. 6:44, that the wisdom of the flesh is neither subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can be, Rom. 8:7, and that we by nature cannot understand the things of God, 1 Cor. 2:13, 14. Matth. 16:16, 17, nor think a good thought, 2 Cor. 3, as of ourselves; nor speak a good word, 1 Cor. 12, nor bring forth good fruit, do any good, more than a branch can bring forth fruit being cut off the tree, John 15:4, 5, or than men can gather wine-grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles, Matth. 7:16, 17, 18. Luke 6:43, 44, and therefore far less can Heathens earn by their sweating and laboring effectual calling and salvation: Sure then salvation and prevening grace of God should be in him that wills and runs, and not in God that shows mercy; and it is but an oiling of Arminians and Pelagians to tell that salvation is not in him that runs by way of merit, yet it is in him, and shall infallibly be given to the runner and willer, who by free-will may purchase both; and all Americans have in them to run and will. Dominicans therefore in this darken free grace as much as Jesuits, when they tell us, men are saved not by the merit of free-will, yet it is in the power of the free-will of Heathens to purchase influences of saving grace; to put Heathens and Indians, and all men safe at heavens gates, what is this but to say, The King hath made no covenant that all his Courtiers shall be made Kings, yet he hath passed his royal word that if they bring him a flower in May (which they may easily do) they shall, vere, truly receive a Kingdom? This is as great an advancing of free will, and an abusing of free grace, as Pelagians ever dreamed of. For Prosper said the same of the Massilienses, Universis hominibus propitiationem, quae est in sanguine Christi, esse propositam, ut quicunque ad fidem & ad Baptismum accedere voluerint, salvi esse possunt. 16. Pro universo autem (dictitant Massilienses) humano genere mortuum esse, Dom. Nostrum Jesum Christum, & neminem prorsus à Redemptione sanguinis ipsius exceptum, etiamsi omnem hanc vitam alienissimâ ab eo mente pertranseat; quia ad homines pertineat divinae misericordiae sacramentum (Baptismus nempe) ut recte Cornelius Jansen, Tom. 1. de haeres. pelag. lib. 8. c. 3. &c.) itaque quantum ad Deum pertinet omnibus paratam vitam aeternam. Et Faustus, lib. 1. de gra. & lib. ar. cap. 16. Dominum Nostrum Jesum Christum aiunt (diceret si vixisset nostris temporibus Calvinistae, sed contrarium Jesuitae & Dominicani, Arminiani, Pelagiani, Sociniani) humanam carnem non pro omnibus sumpsisse, nec pro omnibus mortuum esse. See Cornelius Jansen, ib. to whose writings Jesuits and Dominicans shall never answer. The Massilienses cared not (as Corn. Janse. tom. 1. de haeres. pelag. l. 8. c. 17.) for the word of merit, if man's will went before God's grace. Epist. Prosper & Hilar. Ut ideo quis adjuvetur, quia voluit, non ideo quia adjuvatur, velit. And Cassianus denied all merit of condignity, and said, that the labor of our fasting, watching, &c. was not worthy of the grace of conversion and of salvation, and yet he held the merit of congruity to be as needful to go before our conversion. So Hilarius saith, that Cassianus taught, that by seeking or praying, and searching and knocking, we came to the grace of conversion; so that the Massilienses and Augustine, while he followed their error, thought faith not to be the gift of God, but that a merit of impetration, and of knocking and praying went before conversion, and that men obtained conversion and justification by prayer and faith, so that faith is not a gift of God, as Augustine thought, when he did yet stick in the errors of the Massilienses, hence under the name of an occasion or color they hide merit; for as Jansen saith, God hath by the good works and holy dispositions that go before grace, aliquam occasionem sive colorem, cur non irrationabiliter, some occasion or color by which, not without reason, and in no blind way, by a fatal decree without consulting man's will, he gives grace to one rather than to another; and this is the Jesuits and Arminians way. God shall not be a wise and rational agent, but act blindly (saith Cassianus) and unjustly (say our Arminians) if he give not saving grace, and influences of grace upon the dominion and disposing of man's free-will; now add to this, that the Massilienses said, as Hilarius and Prosper witness, God did predestinate to glory such only as he fore saw before the world was, should believe and persevere to the end; and that God will have all and everyone to be saved; and that God bestows grace upon all and every man; and Pelagians and Jesuits shall find a market for merits; and men shall be Lord's and carvers of heaven and hell, and stewards absolute, and sovereign of their own salvation and damnation. What more can be said to blow up and make proud silly free-will?