A Touch-Stone of Grace, Treatise · Part 5
A third Euidence of Grace.
NOw I come to the third Euidence of trueSubduing of our Luſts. Grace, and that is the ſubduing of our Luſts, and the conquering of our corruptions. This is meant by thoſe words of Paul, 1 Cor. 9. 27I beat downe my body, and bring it into ſubiection. By body the Apoſtle doth mean the old mā,Gal. 5. 17. ſin & corruptiō, which doth luſt againſt the ſpirit. All ſuch as are truly regenerate, by the quickning power of the Spirit, are ſanctified (as was ſaid before) in all the faculties of their ſoules, & members of their bodies: not only inlightned in their iudgements to diſlike that which is euill, but their hearts alſo are ſet againſt it. They know that all fleſhly luſts doe fight againſt their ſoules, and therefore they maintaine open warre with them, and will not yeeld any voluntary obedience or ſubiection vntounto them. Grace cānot ſtād with the regiment of ſin. For as Paul ſaith,Rom. 6. 14. Sinne ſhall not hauehave dominion ouer you, for yee are not vnderunder the Law, but vnderunder Grace. Howſoeuer the Lord (to checke the ſecurity, preſumption, pride, ſelfe-conceitedneſſe, & vnthankfulneſſe of his children) may for a while leaue them vntounto themſelues, and with-draw (as it were) the powerfull preſence of his grace, wherby corruption may buſtle, ſwell, yea and breake forth alſo; yet by the power of grace, they ſhall bee brought againe to miſlike, and condemn themſelues for thoſe euils wherewith they hauehave beene ouer-taken, and crie out with Paul, Rom. 7. 24.O wretched man that I am, who ſhall deliuer me from the body of this death! Therefore the Anabaptiſts and others are foully miſtaken, who hold that after the work of grace is once truly wrought in a man, ſinne hath no being in him that is regenerate: for you muſt know that in eueryevery one that is regenerate, there is fleſh as well as the Spirit: in eueryevery faculty there is grace inclining the heart to goodnes; and there is corruption like a backbyas, drawing it the contrary way. For grace and corruptiō in eueryevery regenerate perſon (as Iacob and Eſau did ſtriue in Rebeccaes womb) are euermore ſtrugling and ſtriuing one with the other: yea, there is a cō tinuall war betwixt them, as was between the Houſe of Dauid and the Houſe of Saul; 2 Sam. 3. 1.but as the Houſe of Dauid waxed ſtronger, and the Houſe of Saul weaker: So fares it betweene Grace & corruptiō; the fleſh may ſtriue, but the Spirit ouercomes: for by vertue of habituall grace infuſed, the will is ſo ſanctified, the affections are ſo rectified, the heart is ſo purified, as the whole man reſignes vp himſelfe to be at Gods ſeruice, imbraceth a holy and a heauenly life, as the only true comfort and ſound happineſſe, and deſires and reſolues ſo to hold on, euen vntounto the end. Therefore they are groſſely deceiued, who hold that after the work of grace is wrought in the heart of Gods children, the will hangs like a beame vponupon the ballance, equally inclining to one hand as well as to the other: A foggie and a miſtie errour contrary to the current of the Scriptures, which teach vsus that a regenerate perſon labours to keepe a good Conſcience in all things; Heb. 13. 18deſiring to liue honeſtly, as Heb. 13. 18. That perſon in whom the work of grace is wrought, deſires and endeuours to be euermore furniſhed with the Panoply, the compleat armour of God, that ſo he may ſtand faſt, reſiſt the Deuil, & be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked: The ſtrength and bent of his wil and affections are for God and goodneſſe; he chuſeth holineſſe with a full purpoſe and reſolution to walke in it; he turnes from his former euils with a deteſtation of them, he leaues them with a reſolution neuer to take them vp againe. As Ephraim ſaid, Hoſ. 14. 8. What hauehave I to doe any more with Idols? Hoſ. 14. 8.So ſaith he of his old courſes and companions, Away from mee, and as Chriſt to Peter, Matth. 16. 23.Get thee behinde me, thou art an offence vntounto me, Matth. 16. 23. He daily prayes, and cries earneſtly to God for ſtrength againſt corruption,Pſa. 119. 5. and wiſheth, O that my wayes were ſo directed to keep thy Statues continually! Pſa. 119. 5. He is not for God to day, and the Deuill to morrow, he is no morning Saint, and euening Deuill: but deſires and endeuours to walke before the Lord in all pleaſing, and to ſerue him in holineſſe and righteouſneſſe all the daies of his life. Well then, if the caſe ſo ſtandeth, conſider with thy ſelfe, what combate thou doeſt daily maintaine againſt thy corruptions.Rom. 7. 22. Doeſt thou delight in the Law of God, concerning the inner man? as Rom. 7. 22. though thou ſeeſt another law in thy members rebelling againſt the law of thy minde. Are thy failings matter of daily humiliation vntounto thy ſoule? Doſt thou finde and feele that nothing vnderunder the Sun doth more ſting and pierce thy heart, than to be at any time ouertaken with paſſions, or carried away with the ſwinge of any corruptions, againſt thy godly purpoſe and holy reſolutions? Why then, cheere vp thy drooping ſpirits; the Lord by the power of his grace hath takē poſſeſſiō of thee: for nothing but grace is able to keepe the louelove of ſin out of the heart, though peraduenture (as was touched in the beginning) ſome other thing may for a while keepe it out of thy hand: Ciuility and hypocriſie may a little ſnib ſin, or bid it for a while to ſtand aſide and giuegive way to better things, but it is only grace that ſtrikes this Goliah dead, and takes off his head. It is only grace which cures a ſoule-ſick ſinner of thoſe diſeaſes, which by ſinne hee hath contracted vntounto himſelfe; as only Iordan, aboue al other waters, could heale Naaman of his leproſie. Now leſt any one ſhould bring himſelfe into a fooles paradiſe, and pleaſe himſelfe with an opinion of his owne goodneſſe, becauſe of the abating of ſome ſinne, or the laying downe of ſome baſe carriage, which formerly hee had taken vp: let him know that there is a maine difference between the forſaking of ſin, in & through the ſtrength of grace, and any other by-reſpect whatſoeuer.
Corruption is kept vnderunder in a gracious heart, meerely in louelove to God, and hatred of ſinne, as Hoſea ſpeakes of thoſe that ſhall bee conuerted vntounto God,Hoſea 3. 5. They ſhall feare the Lord and his goodneſſe, Hoſ. 3. 5. Though naturally thou mayeſt louelove this or that ſinne more than ordinary, yet grace will helpe thee to abhor and loath it: a better euidence of grace cannot be, then when the heart is ſet againſt its old louelove; for it muſt needs be a ſupernaturall power, and the worke of grace, which moues any to diſlike and loath that euill which naturally he loues. Whereas in the hypocrite ſinne is ſomtime forſaken, becauſe ſinne hath left him, he hath no meanes of committing it; or elſe he forbeares ſin, as many a fearful dog doth meat in the platter, becauſe of the whippe or cudgell that is held ouer him: So the hypocrite loues his credit, loues his purſe, loues his skin, it may may bee; and therfore, leſt the committing of ſome ſin, which hee lingers after, ſhould make a flaw, or a hole or rent in him, hee forbeares the committing of it. Examine thy heart therefore in this particular, what mooues thee to forbeare thy ſin? what is the ground of that diuorce vvhichwhich ſeemes to be betwixt thee and thine old louer? If any thing in the world but grace, thou art in a bad condition, whatſoeuer is become of thy ſinne.
Art thou one whoſe heart likes well of ſinne, though thou canſt not, or dareſt not commit it? Art thou one, who when thou art conuinced of, or reproued for any failings, thy heart riſeth againſt the rebuke, though for thy credit or profit ſake thou ſeemeſt to welcome, & thankfully to entertaine that reproofe? I tel thee, thou art in a dangerous condition: thou haſt but weake and ſlender euidence of grace, if any at all. For where true grace is, there (howſoeuer, (as was ſaid before) for a time in a paſſion or tentation, corruption may preuaile) will be a welcomming of the meanes, and helpes that may keepe vsus from falling into ſin, as appeares in Dauid, who bleſſed the Lord and Abigail, for the good coūſel which ſhe gaue him; there alſo the heart will bleed, & the tongue will freely againſt it ſelfe acknowledge the fouleneſſe of thoſe ſins he hath committed.
Know moreouer, that the nature of grace is to ſtrike at all ſinne, great and ſmall, whether more or leſſe profitable & pleaſing, as Pſal. 119. 104. Pſa. 119. 104.Therefore I hate all the wayes of falſhood. A gracious heart is ſet for the glory of God in all things, in all places, at all times: he labours to ſhun all things diſpleaſing to God, or grieuous to his Spirit, makes conſcience not only of open, but ſecret ſinnes, not onelyonly of groſſe and foule, but of the leaſt euils, not onelyonly murder, but heart-burning or enuie, not only of blaſphemie and periury, foulemouthed ſins, but of thoſe that ſeeme more faire, as faith and troth, &c. So that as ſome Phyſicians hauehave their Catholicon for the purging out of eueryevery peccant humour: ſo grace is a Catholike expeller & purger of all knowne ſinnes, whereas hypocrites and double-minded men repreſſe ſinne but in part, and that very partially too; not out of any hatred they beare to ſinne, but becauſe of ſome euill conſequent which waits vponupon ſin. He keepes one ſinne or other cloſe, one hole in his heart for ſome baſe luſt or other, one Dalila or darling ſinne he hath, from which he will not be diuorced, as if God and men muſt giuegive him leaue in ſome thing to take his libertie; hee hath one ſin which al the world ſhall not bring him out of louelove withall, much leſſe to leaue, and to forſake it. But let al ſuch know, that God will none of their patcht holineſſe and piece-meale reformation; as good neuer a whit, as neuer the better. All ſuch will one day bee confounded, vvhichwhich hauehave not a reſpect vntounto all Gods Commandements, Pſal. 119. 6.