A Manual of Practical Divinity, Treatise · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII. The ſaving work of Gods Spirit upon the Heart.
ITs a mighty work of God to make a man a New Creature, and he alone can do it; we are his workmanſhip. Epheſ. 2.10. foreign, his Artificial work, a work wherein the Lord hath ſhewn ſingular skil: and God when he makes a man a Saint works very powerfully: therefore Converſion is compared to making children of ſtones, Mat. 3. to raiſing the dead, Eph. 2.1. To make our rebellious hearts to ſtoop to Chriſt; to turn Satan out of doors, requires Omnipotency How doth God in Converſion arm ſome word to turn a ſinners heart? the ſame word that he hath heard often before, and it took no impreſſion upon him. Is not thy word as an Hammer that breaks the rocks in pieces? Jer. 23.29. But then the Lord muſt ſtrike with it. A blow of this Hammer with his hand will break a rocky heart in pieces; one blow of his hand; though we ſtrike and ſtrike again, ſinners hearts are not broken.
God works very myſteriouſly in the Converſion of a ſoul, that the ſoul it ſelf we ſee is able to give but a poor account of it. Gods workings are compared to the wind. Joh. 3.8. The wind bloweth where it liſteth, and thou heareſt the ſound thereof, but thou knoweſt not whence it cometh, nor whether it goeth, ſo it is with every one that is born of the Spirit: the wind as it blows freely, ſo is it a myſterious thing; we ſee nothing but the Trees ſhake and tremble.
And Gods workings are compared to the way of the Spirit, which is a very myſterious thing. Eccl. 11.5. If thou knoweſt the way of the Spirit, and how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child, then mayeſt thou know the works of God, who worketh all: and what a Myſtery is this! the way of the Spirit, if we underſtand it of the Angels, or if we underſtand it of the Spirits of men, children, how the Spirit comes into the child in the womb, and whetherin the Spirit be formed of ſome matter and of what, and how the Spirit and Life ſhould be in the child ſo long, and it not to be ſtifled in the womb, Theſe are myſterious things, and ſo ſaith he, is it to know the works of God.
Again, the workings of God in Converſion are compared to the ſecret Influences of Leaven, Matth. 13.33. The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a woman that hid a piece of Leaven in three meaſures of meal until the whole was leavened. A myſterious thing how a little leaven ſpreads it ſelf and leavens the whole Lump: and ſo how God ſpeaks but a word to the Heart, doth but ſay to Matthew Follow me, and the ſoul leaves all and follows Chriſt: this is a myſterious thing. It is Infinite Grace that God ſheweth in the Converſion of a ſoul, that he ſhould put forth his Almighty power to convert us, which he might put forth to damn us and torment us for ever: that he ſhould work Grace when he was not deſired, when we ſought him not: God firſt calls, and not the creature: and O that he ſhould work though the creature reſiſt and hang back; we linger in our natural Eſtate as Lot did in Sodom, and we ſhould tarry in our natural eſtate till God raigned down fire and brimſtone upon us as he did upon Sodom: and now as the Angel while Lot lingred, pulled him forcibly out, ſo doth the Lord pull us forcibly out, Col. 1.13. He ſnatcht us out of the power of darkneſs, ſo the word ſignifies: and O how doth God work Grace oftentimes upon the moſt croſs and crabbed natured men, that if they had not Grace, there were no living with them!
In Converſion the Spirit convinceth the ſoul of ſin, as John 16.9. ſtops it in its ſinful courſe, and the ſoul ſeeth the Law meet him many times, as the Angel met Balaam in the way with a drawn ſword in his hand, and convinces the ſoul of Righteouſneſs in Chriſts perfect Righteouſneſs, and draws the ſoul abandoning all other Refuges to pitch upon Chriſt for Life and Acceptance with God: that the ſoul now it ſeeth its wound, doth not go to the Law but to the blood of Chriſt; that the ſoul ſaith, Lord, thou providedſt me a Garment of Righteouſneſs in Adam, one that is worn out, and is all menſtruous rags; and now Lord, thou haſt provided me a new Garment of Righteouſneſs, the Righteouſneſs of thine own Son, a Garment that will never wax old: Lord, I accept of this Righteouſneſs, I put on this garment of mine elder Brother to come to thee in.
When the ſoul is converted, Chriſt becomes the ſouls all in all for Juſtification, Sanctification, Conſolation: Whom have I in Heaven but thee, and what do I deſire in the earth but thee! all but dung, all but droſs in compariſon of Chriſt. Communion with God becomes the greateſt nouriſhment and refreſhment to the ſoul: Lord, lift up the light of thy countenance upon me, for thou art my exceeding Joy; this is the language of a true Saint.
Sin grows irkſom and a tedious burthen to the ſoul, and not ſo much for fear of Hell, as from the Love we have to God and Chriſt, our dear Redeemer. Now the ſoul thinks that much that God doth for him, and that nothing that he doth for God: he thinks as Solomon, when he dedidated the temple, The Heaven of Heavens is not able to contain thee; What is my poor prayers and preaching, and ſervice? I with all my duties am leſs then the leaſt of all the Mercics and kindneſs that thou haſt ſhown to thy ſervant.
The ſoul now is much in the admiration of of Gods love and in deſires after it, and in thankfulneſs for it: Thy loving kindneſs is better then Life, Pſal. 63,3. though skin for skin, and all that a man hath, will he give for his Life. Life is ſo dear, yet thy loving kindneſs is better then Life. If a ſoul that is converted were going to die for Chriſts ſake, that the Grace of God in him coſts him his Life, yet he cannot but bleſs God that ever he had Grace wrought in him.
The ſoul that is converted, miſſeth God ſoon, and cannot miſs him long. Pſal. 63.1,2. My ſoul thirſteth to ſee God as I have ſeen him in ſuch an Ordinance, in praying, hearing, meditating, breaking of bread, and I long to ſee him as I have ſeen him in ſuch a Promiſe in which he hath ſometimes ſtrengthned me, quickned me, and revived me when I walkt in trouble.
And the nature of a ſoul that is converted, is to fear ſin moſt when he fears ſin leaſt; that is, to fear to commit ſin moſt when he through the aſſurance of Gods pardoning mercy to him fears ſin leaſt for damning of him.
In Regeneration the Lord infuſeth a new life; the ſeed and habit of Grace, wherein in the Soul is paſſive at firſt: God by a Work of his own plucks up all other foundations, and laies down Chriſt for a foundation in the heart. Iſa. 28.16. Thus ſaith the Lord, Behold, I lay in Zinn for a foundation Stone, a tryed Stone, &c. which tryed ſtone and ſure foundation is the Lord Jeſus. Now its God that laies in Zion (that is, in the heaſts of his people) this Foundation, behold I lay, Its my work ſaith the Lord: no man himſelf can lay this Foundation right. O, This is the ſaving work of Gods Spirit, when as God hath laid Chriſt for the Foundation in a Soul, that the ſoul builds all upon. Chriſt, he beareth the ſtreſs and weight of all, as the foundation bears the weight of the building that all our comfort and peace and ſtrength is built upon Chriſt, and there is now an union between Chriſt and the ſoul, as there is between the foundation and the reſt of the building; and this union the Lord makes by the Spirit, and by the faith whereby the ſoul is glued and cemented for ever unto Chriſt.