The Saints Temptations, Sermons · Sermon 16
SERMON XVI.
Solomon's Song, 1.4.
Draw me, we will run after thee.
I Now proceed to the ſecond thing, and that is, to ſhew what the ſenſe is the Saints have of their need of divine grace.
I ſhall but touch upon this in a few words, and then come to the reaſons, to ſhew, How it comes to paſs that holy ſouls have this ſenſe of the need of Divine Grace.
1. What that ſenſe is that the Saints have of their need of Divine Grace.
1. They have an awakened and lively ſenſe of their need of Grace. The experience they have of their own hearts makes them to ſee their need of the Grace of God. They find by ſad experience that they are overtaken by many ſins contrary to the deliberate purpoſe of their wills; they find alſo they come very ſhort of doing and performing that good they have a mind to do and perform, To will is preſent with me, but how to perform that which is good, I find not, ſaies Paul, Rom. 7. Now this inſpection the Saints have into their hearts and lives, keeps up in them an awakened ſenſe of the need which they have of Divine Grace. The ſad experience of what they find and feel in themſelves, will not ſuffer them to be ignorant of the need of Divine Grace.
2. As they have an awakened and lively ſenſe of the need of Divine Grace, ſo they have a continued ſenſe of the need of Divine Grace. The ſenſe of the need they have of the help of Grace it runs throughout their whole lives; the elder any one grows in Chriſtianity, the more experience he hath attained unto, the more ſenſible he will be of his need of Divine Grace.De Bono Perſeverantiae. Auſtin after he had written many Books concerning the Grace of God, one of his laſt Books was concerning the good of perſeverance. The Saints after they have received much Grace from God, yet they are ſenſible they need this Grace alſo, that they may perſevere and hold out to the end.
We come now to the grounds of the Point.
How is it that the Saints have this ſenſe in themſelves, this awakened ſenſe, this continued ſenſe of the need of Divine Grace, what are the Reaſons of it?
There are three or four Reaſons to be given of it.
1. The Saints are ſenſible of a fountain of ſin within them,1. Reaſon the Saints have of the ſenſe of the need of Divine Grace. O wretched man that I am, who ſhall deliver me from the body of this death, and it is ſin that dwelleth in me, Rom. 7.20. Now the Saints being ſo ſenſible of original ſin that dwelleth in them, are alſo ſenſible that this evil root that is within them, is apt to betray them upon all occaſions. In me, that is, in my fleſh dwelleth no good thing, Rom. 7.18. Corrupt nature that is in us will never incline us to good: But it is prone enough to incline us to evil. When Temptations from without are wanting, our own hearts are prone enough to tempt us to evil, Jam. 1.14. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own luſt, and inticed. If there were no tempter from without, there is corruption enough in every one of our hearts to ſeduce us to ſin. Now the experience which the Saints have of the treachery and deceitfulneſs of their own hearts, this makes them to ſee the conſtant need which they have of Divine Grace.Jer. 17.9. The heart is deceitful above all things, and deſperately wicked. Wherein doth the deceitfulneſs of the heart diſcover it ſelf? Truely, among other things the deceitfulneſs of the heart diſcovers it ſelf in this, that when ſin ſeems to be faſt aſleep, when it doth not ſtir at all, when it ſeems to be as a thing dead and extinct, yet upon the leaſt occaſion it awakens and puts it ſelf forth again with freſh life and vigour. Now this proclivity and readineſs that is in the heart to ſin, that upon every occaſion the heart is apt to bend and incline towards ſin, this makes the Saints ſenſible of the conſtant need they have of Divine Grace.
2. As the Saints are ſenſible of a fountain of ſin in them,2. Reaſon the Saints have of the ſenſe of the need of Divine Grace. ſo they are ſenſible how unable they are to withſtand the impetuous motions of coruption that ariſe from the root of ſin in them. Oh do we not find oftentimes corrupt nature to bear us down like a mighty Torrent? When the Lord reproved Jonah for his peeviſhneſs and fretfulneſs becauſe of the gourd, Doſt thou well to be angry? what doth Jonah anſwer, I do well to be angry to the very death. Here was a Prophet, no leſs than a Prophet blown up by a paſſion, yea by a paſſion for a very little thing, as we would think, ſuch are we when we are left by Divine Grace. How often is it thus with us that ſome violent affection hurries us, and tranſports us beyond all bounds, a poor paſſion blows us up, and we know not how to withſtand it: this makes the Saints ſee their daily need of Divine Grace; unleſs Divine Grace ſet bounds to our paſſions and affections, whither will our paſſions and affections hurry us? Now the experience the Saints have of the impetuous motions of ſin within them, this makes them ſee their need of Divine Grace.
3. The Saints are ſenſible of their impotency and utter inability of themſelves to do any thing that is good, 3. Reaſon the Saints have of the ſenſe of the need of Divine Grace.2 Cor. 3.5. Not that we are ſufficient of our ſelves to think any thing, but our ſufficiency is of God. Holy ſouls find by experience that they cannot command good thoughts or holy affections. Is it not thus with you ſometimes? do not you ſay in the ſecret retirements of your ſouls, O that it were with me as in the daies of old, O that it were with me as ſometimes it was, O that I had ſuch apprehenſions of God, ſuch affections towards God as ſometimes I had! Now the Saints finding by experience that they cannot command holy thoughts and holy affections, nor perform any thing that is ſpiritually good, this ſenſe of their own impotency, makes them ſee their need of Divine Grace.
4. And laſtly,4. Reaſon the Saints have of the ſenſe of the need of Divine Grace. The Saints have experience of very different frames in themſelves, when they are acted by Divine Grace, and when they are left to themſelves.
When they are acted by Divine Grace, then they get above this world, then they can mount up aloft, then they can delight themſelves greatly in God, then they can take up their reſt and ſatiſfaction in God; But at other times when they are left to themſelves, and Divine Grace doth not ſo act them and aſſiſt them, they experience no ſuch thing, but on the contrary they find their hearts flat, dead, carnal, and too like to other men, groveling in this world: this is the difference holy ſouls find in themſelves, and all is according to the acceſſes and receſſes of Divine Grace. Now the Saints finding that it is not at all times alike with them, but that it is far otherwiſe with them when they are acted and aſſiſted by Divine Grace, and when they have not the ſame aſſiſtance of Divine Grace, this makes them ſee their conſtant need of the Grace of God.
And ſo I have done with the doctrinal part: I come now to the Uſe and Application.
This is matter of Reproof to us that we are no more ſenſible of the need of Divine Grace;Uſe 1. we have a ſelf-fulneſs, a ſelf-ſufficiency, we do not ſee the conſtant need we have of the Grace of God. Happy ſoul is he that ſeeth his conſtant need of Grace; but I am afraid there are few ſuch to be found. The Apoſtle tells the Corinthians, Ye are full, ye are rich, ye have reigned as Kings, 1 Cor. 4. that is, ye are ſo in your own conceits, and apprehenſions; it was not really ſo, but in their own opinion and conceit concerning themſelves. Thus it is with many Profeſſors, they are full, they are rich, they are Kings in their own apprehenſions, they are come to the top of Chriſtianity. But it is much to be feared that mens greateſt ſuppoſed perfection will be found to be their greateſt imperfection.
Certainly holy men that have walked with God, have counted it their greateſt perfection to ſee their need of the Grace of God. But alas we ſee no ſuch need of Grace; we think we are full, we are apt to think we have all that need be deſired. It was the charge which Chriſt brought againſt the Church of Laodicea, Rev. 3.17. Thou ſayeſt, I am rich and increaſed with good, and have need of nothing. O but it was but her ſaying ſo, it was not really ſo, for whereas ſhe ſaid ſhe was rich and increaſed with goods and wanted nothing, ſhe was indeed really poor, and blind, and wretched, and miſerable, and naked, ſo our Saviour tells her. Such is our pride and ſelf-conceit, that when we are moſt poor, we then think our ſelves to be moſt rich, and when we want all things, we think we abound in all things.
But how doth it appear that we have not a due ſenſe of the want of Divine Grace?
There are two or three demonſtrations that may evince and make it clear to us.
1. That we are apt to preſume much, and have high conceits of our own attainments, Gal. 6.3. If any man think himſelf ſomething, 1 Cor. 8.2. If a man think he knoweth any thing. We are apt to think that we have attained much, that we are very knowing perſons, that little more can be added to us than we do know, than what we have received. Now theſe high conceits of our ſelves, are a certain ſign of our ſelf-fulneſs, and that we do not ſee our need of Divine Grace. He that thinks that he is well ſtored already, he that thinks he hath proviſion enough of his own, will never be a beggar at the door of Grace.
2. A clearer demonſtration yet is this, that we feel ſo little of a ſpiritual hunger and thirſt in our ſouls after Grace. The ſenſe of want cauſeth hunger and begets thirſt. Hunger and thirſt do properly ariſe from the ſenſe of want. When nature is ſenſible of ſome want, this cauſeth hunger and thirſt. Now that we do not feel our ſouls prick'd with a ſpiritual hunger and thirſt after Grace, it is a ſign we are not ſo ſenſible of our want of Grace as we ought to be, Bleſſed are they that hunger and thirſt after righteouſneſs, for they ſhall be filled, Matth. 5.6. There muſt be a ſpiritual hunger and thirſt after Grace, as ever we expect to receive much Grace; but how little is it of this ſpiritual hunger that we feel in our ſelves? We are ſoon ſenſible of the want of other things. If our bodies be but a little diſtempered, we are ſoon ſenſible of the want of health; if we are in wants, ſtreights, and neceſſities, we are ſoon ſenſible of the want of ſupplies. O but how rarely are we ſenſible of the want of Divine Grace; of the want of Faith? Faith to believe in Chriſt, Faith to believe the Promiſes? How rare is it that we are ſenſible of the want of love to God, of the want of holy affections, of the want of brokenneſs of heart for ſin, hatred againſt ſin? and the like. We have a quick ſenſe of other wants; but is our ſenſe ſo quick when we are under ſpiritual wants? That our hunger and thirſt is no more vehement after Grace, that we feel no more keenneſs and ſharpneſs in our appetites after Divine Grace, it is a certain ſign we are not ſo ſenſible of our need of Grace as we ought to be.
3. Another ſign that we do not find the want of Grace, is, that we do not ſee a greater need of the ordinances and of the means of Grace. If we ſaw a need of Grace it ſelf, it is reaſonable to ſuppoſe, we ſhould ſee a greater need of the means by which God is wont to convey Grace. The ordinances are the conduit-pipes, the ordinary means, by which God is wont to convey grace to the ſouls of his people: For, Faith comes by hearing, and hearing is of the Word of God; Rom. 10.17.therefore that we are ſo indifferent as to our attendance on the Ordinances, and do not find that need of them in our own ſouls, it is a certain ſign we are not ſo ſenſible of the want of divine grace as we ought to be. The holieſt men who have had the greateſt ſenſe of their need of grace, have been moſt ſenſible of their need of the Ordinances to preſerve and keep alive grace within them. Hence is that of David, Pſal. 63.1. My ſoul thirſteth for thee, my ſoul longeth for thee in a dry and thirſty Land, why ſo? That I may ſee thy power and thy glory, ſo as I have ſeen thee in the Sanctuary. He had found the power of divine grace put forth in his ſoul, in the Ordinances, and that experience he had of the grace of God that had appeared to him in the Ordinances, cauhim the more to thirſt after them. Holy ſouls ſee a need not of one Ordinance only, but of every Ordinance, for they know that there is not any one means of grace appointed in vain. I take it for a certain Truth, that ſo far as a man comes up to ſpirituality and to any growth in Chriſtianity, the more he will ſee his need of every Ordinance. There is no Ordinance of God in vain. The infinitely wiſe God hath not appointed any one means of grace that our ſouls do not need; therefore holy ſouls ſee their need not only of ſome Ordinances, but of all the Ordinances; and as they ſee their need of every Ordinance, ſo they ſee their need of the frequent uſe of the Ordinances; and the reaſon is plainly this, the more grace a man hath, the more he is acquainted with the ſtate of his own ſoul, and the more a man is acquainted with the ſtate of his own ſoul, the more he ſees the great defects that are in himſelf, and the ſight of thoſe defects in himſelf makes him prize all the waies and means whereby God is wont to communicate grace to his people. This is the true reaſon why holy ſouls ſee their need of the Ordinances. Now that we do not find ſuch an appetite to the Ordinances, ſo as to bring us to them with that frequency, nor ſuch a reliſh and ſavour in them, when we are preſent at them, it is a certain ſign that we are not ſenſible of the want of grace, and it is our want of a ſenſe of our need of grace that makes us ſo regardleſs of the Ordinances as we are. It is far from an high attainment to ſit looſe to the Ordinances. They who do ſo, and do conſtantly neglect the Ordinances, give too great grounds of ſuſpicion, whether they have any grace or no; for the more grace any man hath, the more he ſeeth his need of all the means of grace.
The ſecond Uſe is by way of Exhortation, Uſe 2.to exhort us to maintain and keep up a deep and conſtant ſenſe of the need we have of divine grace. It is the counſel which Chriſt gives to the Church of Laodicea, Rev. 3.18. I counſel thee to buy of me Gold tried in the fire, that thou maiſt be rich, and white rayment, that thou maiſt be clothed, that the ſhame of thy nakedneſs do not appear, and anoint thine eye with eye ſalve that thou maiſt ſee. She thought ſhe was rich and increaſed with goods and wanted nothing, Chriſt tells her, it was not ſo as ſhe imagined, but that ſhe was poor, and wretched, and miſerable, and blind, and naked, therefore he exhorts her to keep up a ſenſe of her need of grace, I counſel thee to buy of me, &c. That is therefore to be the Exhortation unto us, that we would labour to keep up a conſtant ſenſe of our need of divine grace. Now for a few Motives to quicken us hereunto.
1. Conſider,Motive 1 This is the way to prepare us to receive moſt grace from God. The more ſenſible we are of the need of grace,Luke 1.53. the more are we prepared to receive grace from God. For, God fills the hungry with good things. Humility is,Vas Gratiarum. as one calls it, the Veſſel that receives and takes in all other grace; by humility we are prepared to receive all other grace at the hand of God. Now Humility ariſeth from a ſenſe of our own wants and indigency, the more ſenſible we are of our own wants and weakneſles, the more humble we ſhall be, and the more humble we are, the more are we prepared to receive divine grace, for God gives grace to the humble.
The ſecond Motive is this,Motive 2 Not to be ſenſible of the need of divine grace, is an argument of great ſecurity; for what is ſecurity? Security is when a man thiks himſelf free from danger; then is a man ſecure when he is apprehenſive of no danger; now, then is a man in the greateſt danger, when he is leaſt apprehenſive of danger. A man is never in greater danger of falling into ſome groſs and ſcandalous ſin, than when he is moſt ſecule. Our Saviour bids us to watch and pray that we enter not into temptation: this plainly intimates,Matth. 26.41. that if we do not watch and pray, we may ſoon fall into Temptation; now if we are not ſenſible of the need of divine grace, but are ſecure, and think all is well, we ſhall neither watch nor pray, and ſo, ſoon be ſurprized and overcome by Temptation.
The third Motive is this,Motive 3. Nothing will provoke God ſooner to deſert us in point of grace, and to leave us to our ſelves, than for us not to keep up a ſenſe of the need we have of his grace. If we think we have a ſelf-fulneſs, and a ſelf-ſufficiency, this cauſeth God to leave us to our ſelves, that ſo we may ſee what we are without his grace. We read how God left Hezekiah to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart; 2 Chron. 32 31.we we do not preſently ſee all that is in our hearts, till God withdraw his grace form us. Am I a Dog, ſaid he,2 Kings 8.13. that I ſhould do ſo and ſo? ſo are we apt to think within our ſelves, is it poſſible that ever I ſhould be inclined to ſuch a ſin and ſuch a corruption? Now when we preſume on our own ſtrength and ſufficiency, the Lord leaves us, and then we ſoon ſee that ſuperfiuity of naughtineſs that is in our hearts, we ſee that ſin in us that we little thought had been in us.
4. And laſtly, That we may keep up the ſenſe of our need of divine grace, Conſider, the more ſenſible we are of the need of grace, the more ſenſible we ſhall be of the help and aſſiſtance of divine grace when God affords it to us, and ſo God will have the glory of his own grace. Gods deſign is to have the glory of his grace in all things. Now the more ſenſible we are of the want of grace, the more ſenſible we ſhall be of the help and aſſiſtance of divine grace when God affords it to us.
But here it may be inquired, What ought we to do that we may keep up a conſtant ſenſe of the need of divine grace? I ſhall propound a few means to help us herein.
1. Would we ſee the need of divine grace, let us be much converſant in the ſtudy of our own hearts. The work of a Chriſtian lies mainly and principally in two things, In the ſtudy of Chriſt, and in the ſtudy of his own heart; the ſtudy of our own hearts will make us ſee the need we have of Chriſt and his grace. He that ſtudys his own heart, will ſee his conſtant need of Chriſt and divine grace; the more we ſtudy our own hearts and are acquainted with them, the more clearly ſhall we ſee the natural propenſion that is in us unto evil, we ſhall alſo ſee our impotency and inability to what is good, yea not only our impotency and inability to what is good, but our averſeneſs and indiſpoſition to what is good, alſo our inſtability and inconſtancy in what is good, and alſo a proneneſs and readineſs in us to comply with temptation upon all occaſions. All this will ſhew us the need of divine grace. The more we are acquainted with our own hearts, the more ſhall we ſee how hard and difficult a thing it is to get them into a ſpiritual frame, and when we have got them into that frame, to keep them in a ſpiritual frame. So unſuitable are our hearts to ſpiritual things, that it is hard to get them into a ſpiritual and heavenly frame, and when they are ſet a little right towards God, they are unſtable as water, and ſoon fly off again: theſe things plainly ſhew us the need of divine grace. Let us examine our own hearts, and ſee whether they cannot ſet their ſeal to the truth of theſe things, and if ſo, them may we ſee our conſtant need of divine grace.
2. We ought to conſider our frequent retuns and relapſes into the ſame ſins; yea into the ſame fins after repentance for them; for though a regenerate perſon doth not ordinarily relapſe into the ſame groſs ſins often, He that is born of God doth not commit ſin, 1 Joh. 3.10. that is, a regenerate perſon doth not ordinarily and familiarly fall into groſs ſins, he may be ſurprized and overtaken with a groſs ſin, ſo David and other Saints have been, but a regenerate ſon doth not often relapſe into the ſame groſs ſin; but a regenerate perſon may relapſe into ſins of infirmity and ſuch as we have reaſon to account great infirmities. How often do fits of Pride, of Paſſion, of Unbelief, of Murmuring, of Impatience return upon us, yea after we have been humbled for theſe things, and after theſe things have coſt us dear? this ſhews us the great corruption of our nature, and the conſtant need we have of the grace of God; for if we be ſo prone to fall, and ſo ready to be intangled and overcome with Temptation upon every occaſion, though we have mourned over, and prayed againſt the ſin we have been overtaken with, this ſhews us our conſtant need of divine grace.
3. To help us to ſee the need of divine grace, let us Conſider, That the leaſt ſuſpenſion of divine grace makes a preſent decay or withering in our ſouls. Let the Sun withdraw and abſent it ſelf, darkneſs and cold preſently ſucceeds: cut off the beam from the Sun, the beam cannot maintain it ſelf, the beam is maintained by a conſtant influx and ſupply of light from the Sun the fountain of light: ſo is it in this caſe, If divine grace withdraw it ſelf, our ſouls grow dark and dead immediately. Let the influences of divine grace be but ſuſpended, that activity and vigour of grace that was in our ſouls before, doth preſently vaniſh, Joh. 15.4. As the branch cannot bring forth fruit unleſs it abide in the Vine, no more can ye, unleſs ye abide in me. In the ſame moment that the branch is ſevered from the ſtock, it begins to wither and die immediately: No ſooner do we ſever our ſelves (as it were) from Chriſt, by neglecting our dependance on Chriſt, but we loſe our grecnneſs and freſhneſs immediately. It is true, the radical union, if I may ſo call it, which is between Chriſt and a ſoul, that alwaies remains, for once in Chriſt and ever in Chriſt, the radical and fundamental union that is between Chriſt and a true Believer is indiſſoluble; but if we do not maintain and keep up the life and ſpirit of this union (if I may ſo expreſs it) by actual dependance on Chriſt, preſent decays and witherings will certainly enſue. Obſerve it in your ſelves, and you will find it true, when you neglect to have recourſe to Chriſt, and have not that intimate dependance upon him for grace, you ſhall find that your fouls are not ſolively and vigorous in the waies of God, as when you dependance upon him is kept up high and ſtrong. The leaſt ſuſpenſion of actual grace from Chriſt laies us under preſent witherings and decaies.
The end of the Sixteenth Sermon.