Two Treatises, Treatise 1 · Section 14 – Section 15
SECT. 14.
He like I may ſay for all … other Graces (unto …ich Life is promiſed) …d works all, So in other graces: As more eſpecially, humility and meekeneſſe which God requireth: Iames 2.6. 1 Pet. 5.5, 6as the feare God; Ier. 32.40. Know…ge of God, which is re…red, as in the Text: if know theſe things; pro…ſed. Ier. 31.34. Given Mat. 27, 28. So for humility & …ekeneſſe, which makes …argues) men bleſſed; Bleſ… are the meeke; Mat. 5.5. …. It is required, and Gods promiſes are made to … God giveth grace (1. mo… grace) to the humble. A… elſwhere. Humble yo… ſelves therefore under… mighty hang of God, th… hee may exalt you in d… time. And ſee Iſa. 57.… and 66.2. Mat. 18.3.
2. It is promiſed: Promiſeth Iſa. 11.6 & 65.25,T… Wolf ſhall dwell with … Lamb, and the Leopa… ſhall lye downe with … Kidd; and the Calfe a… the yong Lyon, and … Fatling together; Yea a… a little Child ſhall … them; (thus ſhal the ſto… bee brought downe by … Miniſtery and Miniſte… (otherwiſe but weake c… dren, in compariſo… thoſe who are humbled their Miniſtery.)
3. Worketh.Yet it is Gods Wo… …nd gift, as are all good …ings elſe: Iames 1.17.Every good and very perfect gift is from a…ve; &c. Now if it be not perfect gift, yet its a good …ft, and therefore from the other of Lights, and given … from without; being a …od giving, yea a good …ft; its not called a habit, if we had it of our ſelves, …d from our owne indu…y, foreign, not foreign.as Philoſophy calls ver…es, which it aſcribes to …ns own power.
…o generally it is ſaid (and …y moſt truly be applied … this differencing grace … Humility, as ſome would …ke it) who maketh thee … differ from another? and …at haſt thou that thou didſt … receive? 1 Cor. 4.7.And for this …ekeneſſe the Apoſtle …kes it with love, joy, peace, long ſuffring, gentlenes, goodnes, Faith and temperance, a fruit of Gods ſaving and Sanctifying Spir… (as theſe graces are oppoſe… to the workes of the fleſh Gal. 5.22.23. 1 Pet. 5.6.Yea it is ma… the worke of Gods migh… Hand, and a gift of Go… power, Phil. 4.12.(not of mans) … when Paul ſaith, I kn… how to be abaſed, that … how to carry my ſelfe, humbly, and meekely, un… Gods Hand: When I a… want, when I am hungry, … ſuffer need, this is no other… effect then that, 1 Peter▪ … Humble your ſelves un… the mighty Hand of God.
But could Paul doe… of himſelfe; Verſe. 13No, there… he addes concerning … (and by occaſion of … concerning all things … ſides,) ſaying: I can doe all …ings through Chriſt that …engthens me. Nay I wil ad, is meekeneſſe and humi…y is a grace flowing from …ection, (not preceding … going before it,) which …erefore we as the Elect of …d are bid to put on with …er graces; For ſo Paul, put … therefore as the Elect of …d holy and beloved bow…ls …nercy, kindneſſe, humble…ſſe of minde, meekeneſſe, &c. …nd ſo wee will conclude …is point, and ſay, that not …ely humility and thoſe …aces mentioned, even …w out of Col. 3.12.13. Col. 3.12. foreign.…t all other gifts, graces, …d bleſſings (which have, …d ſo farre as they have …eceſſary connexion, with …ernall life, as being ni…ſſary meanes and con…dtions of life, Yea all graces given us in time, are according to Gods Election of us before time. Eph. 1.3, 4. Iohn 15.16.&c.) which doe come to us, and are given to us in time, are according to Gods Election of us before time, as it is ſaid, Eph. 1.3, 4. That Ge… hath bleſſed us with all Spirituall bleſſings in Heavenly places in Chriſt, (1. with Faith, Juſtification, Sanctification, Adoption, Saving Knowledge, &c.) according … he hath choſen us in hi… before the foundation of t… World, that we ſhould be Holy and without blame before hi… in love; Particularly; ability to doe good, and to bring forth good Fruit… conſtantly, For ſo ſaith our Saviour: Yee have not choſen mee, but I have choſen you, and ordained you that you ſhould goe, and bring forth Fruit, and that your Fruit ſhould remaine.
Hence we are ſaid to be praedeſtinated, according to the purpoſe of him, Eph. 1.11.who worketh all things according to the counſell of his own will, and thus God fulfills all the good pleaſure of his goodneſſe, 2 Theſ. 1…and the worke of Faith with power. For it it is God (ſaith Paul) which worketh in you, Phil. 2.13.hath to will and to doe of his good pleaſure.
SECT. 15.
ANd this leads the way to (and in part reſolves) the ſecond Objection or queſtion propounded, The ſecond main doubt reſolved and it firſt ſhewed.whether it be in our power to performe what God commands and exhorts to, and duplicate page duplicate page if not, whether ſuch commands and exhortations be in vaine, or no. Seeing then this bleſſedneſſe here is urged as a motive to weldoing; It would (a little further) be conſidered, whether the doing of theſe things (ſuch as is named) be in our power or no; and whether ſuch bare motives, be enough to enable us hereunto, and to cauſe us to doe that which is ou… duty in believing, Converting, Obeying, and Perſevering? It may ſeem… to be in our power thus to doe, ſeeing the doing of theſe things is aſcribed to us: Happy are yee if yee doe them.
I anſwer: That it is not in mās power as of himſelfe to doe well, and Convert, &c.No, iis not i… our power to doe ſuch things as yet God requires of us by way of command and exhortation: hee requires, That wee ſhould believe in God, and in Chriſt, and that we love one another, 1 Iohn 3.23. That we turne unto him, Ioel. 2.12.13. Iere. 4.1. That wee mortifie the fleſh Col. 3.5. That we ceaſe to doe evill, and learne to doe well, Iſa. 1.16, 17. and that we worke out our Salvation, Phil. 2.12. But yet wee have no power as of our ſelves to doe any of theſe things; where yee ſee I ſpeake not of actions civill, or morall only, according to man; Concerning which, though the bare doing of them be in the power of mans will; yet to doe them well in reſpect of all circumſtances required, eſpecially in regard of the end Gods glory (ſeeing all things, 1 Cor. 10.31.even our eating, ſleeping, recreations muſt be done to that end (it may be doubted whether that they may be without ſinne, and accepted of God, more then common providence and generall aſſiſtance be not required.
Thus I may grant, What power hee hath in civill Actions.it is in mans power to goe to Church, or not, and when the Bell rings to a Sermon or Service, whether he will repaire to the Church upon that Summons, or goe to a Taverne, or walke in the Fields, taking his going to the place of Gods worſhip or Temple, as a meere naturall action, and as it may bee a removall from one place to another; But to goe to the Church, as to the Church, that is, to that place where God hath appointed us to meete him, to heare our prayers, and to give us inſtructions and directions for the health of our Soules, and to goe w… a deſire, hope, and intent thus to be inſtructed, and to get good; This I ſay muſt come from more ſpeciall grace; So that if two or more being together, one of them when the Bell alike calls and ſummons all, ſhould leave the Company, and goe to Church, as to Gods Houſe, (as it is ſaid) this muſt proceed from more then his owne naturall power of will, even from ſuch ſpeciall grace as was denyed to thoſe others.
But we ſpeake of morall actions, according to God, and grace, and of actions ſupernaturall, ſuch as have reference to Gods glory, and to our Heavenly life of grace and glory.