The Souls Conflict With Itself, Chapter 23
CHAP. XXIII.
Other spirituall causes of the soules trouble, discovered, and removed: and object… ons answered.
ANother thing that disquiets and That the great conflict in us betwixt grace and corruption doth also much cast us downe. Proximorum odiae sunt acerbissima.casts downe the soule very much, is, that inward conflict betwixt gr… and corruption: this makes us most worke, and puts us to most disquietment. It is the trouble of troubles, … have two inhabitants so neare in one soule, and these to strive one against another, in every action, and at … times in every part and power in …e the one carying us upward, higher …d higher still, till we come to God: the …er, pulling us lower and lower, fur…r from him. This cannot but breed a …t disquiet, when a Christian shall bee Rom. 7.… on to that which he would not, and hin…d from that which hee would doe, or …led in the performance of it. The …re light there is to discerne, and life …f Orace to be sensible hereof; and the …re love of Christ, and desire from …ove to be like to him, the more irkesome will this be: no wonder then that … Apostle cryed out, O wretched man Rom. 7.… lam, &c.
Here is a speciall use of Trust, in the That the sight and sense of this sharpe conflict, should cause us to trust the more in God.…e mercy of God in justification, (con…ing all is stained that comes from …) it is one maine end of Gods leaving … in this conflicting condition, that … may live and die by faith in the per…st righteousnesse of Christ, whereby … God more, then if wee had … righteousnesse of our owne. … by likewise, wee are driven to …e use of all the promises of Grace, …d to trust in God for the perfor…ce of them, in strengthening his owne party in us, and not only to trus… in God for particular graces, but for hi… Spirit which is the spring of all grac… which we have through and fr… Christ: who will helpe us in this fight, untill hee hath made us like himselfe. We are under the government of Grace, sinne is deposed from the rule it had; and shall never recover the right it had againe; It is left in … for matter of exeroise, and ground of triumph.
Oh (say some) I shall never hold out, as good give over at first as at last, I … Object. Of pe…severance to the end, answered.such strong inclinations to sinne in me, and such weaknesse to resist temptation, that I feare) I shall but shame the cause; I … one day perish by the hand of Satan, stre… thening my corruption.
Why art thou thus troubled? Trust Answ.in God, Grace will be above Nature, God above the devill, the Spirit … the flesh. Be strong in the Lord, the battell is his, and the victory ou… before hand. If wee fought in our … cause and strength; and with our weapons, it were something: but as … fight in the power of God, so are … … by that mighty power through faith … salvation. It lyes upon the faithful…e Pet. 2.of Christ, to put us into that pos…on of glory which he hath purcha… for us: therefore charge the soule …ake use of the promises, and rely …n God for perfecting the good …ke that he hath begun in thee.
Corruptions be strong, but stronger … that is in us, then that corruption … is in us. When wee are weake in …owne sense, then are we strong in …, who perfecteth strength in our …nesse fel… and acknowledged. Our …ptions are Gods enemies as well …rs, and therefore in trusting to … and fighting against them, wee … bee sure hee will take our part a…st them.
But I have great impediments, and ma… discouragements in my Christian course.Object.
What is our impediments be Moun…s, faith is able to remove them; Who Answ.…hou O Mountaine (saith the Pro…t.) What a world of impediments Zach. 4. 7.…t there betwixt Egypt and the land … Canaan, betwixt the returne out of Babylon and Ierusalem, yet faith removed all, by looking to Gods power and truth in his promise. The looking too much to the Anakims and Grants, and too little to Gods omnipotency, s… the Israelites out of Canaan, and p… God to his oath, that they should never enter into his rest, and it will exclude o… Psal 95.soules from happinesse at length, if looking too much upon these Anakims within us and without us, wee basely despaire and give over the field, considering all our enemies are not onelyonly conquered for us by our Head, but shall be conquered in us, so that in strength of assistance we fight against them. God gave the Israelites enemies into their hands, but yet they must fight it o…r, and what coward will not fight wh… he is sure of help and victory.
But I cary continually about mee a … Object.rupt heart, if that were once changed, I could have some comfort.
A new heart is Gods creature, a… Answ.hee hath promised to create it in us. A creating power cannot only bring somthing out of nothing, but contrary … of contrary. Where we are sure of Gods …h, let us never question that power … which all things are possible. If our …rts were as ill, as God is powerfull …d good, there were some ground of …scouragement. In what measure we …e up our hearts to God, in that mea… wee are sure to receive them bet…. That Grace which inlargeth the …art to desire good, is therefore given, …hat God may encrease it, being both a …rt and a pledge of further grace. There is a promise of powring cleane …er upon us, which faith must sue out. Christ hath taken upō him to purge his …se, and make her fit for himselfe.Ephes. 5.
But I have many wants and defects to Object.…supplyed.
It pleaseth him, that in Christ all ful…sse Answ.shall dwell, from whose fulnesse …ce sufficient is dispensed to us, an…erable to the measure of our faith, …hereby we fetch it from the fountain. The more we trust, the more we have. When we looke therefore to our owne …nt, we should look withall to Christs …nesse, and his neernesse to us, and take advantage from our misery, to re… upon his al sufficiencie, whose fulnesse ours, as himselfe is. Our fulnesse wi… our life is hid in Christ, and distille… into us, in such measure as his wisdo… thinketh fit, and as sheweth him to b… a free agent, and yet so as the blame f… want of grace lyeth upon us, seeing h… is before hand with us in his offers o… grace, and our owne consciences will tell us, that our failings are more from cherishing of some lust, then from unwillingnesse in him to supply us with grace.
But God is of pure eyes, and cannot endure such sinfull services as I performe.Object.
Though God be of pure eyes, y… he looks upon us in him, who is blame Answ.lesse and without spot, who by vertue of his sweet smelling sacrifice, appear… for us in heaven, and mingles his o… with our services, and in him will God be known to us by the name of a kind… Father, not onelyonly in pardoning our defects, but accepting our endeavou… Wee offer our services to God, not … our owne name, but in the name of o… high Priest, who takes them from us, & …ents them to his Father, as stirred … by his spirit, and perfumed by his …dience. Ionas his prayer was min…d with a great deale of passion and …perfection, yet God could discerne …ething of his owne in it, and pitty … pardon the rest.