The Bowels of Tender Mercy Sealed in the Everlasting Covenant, Religious treatise · Part 2 · Chapter 15 · Section 2
SECT. II.
2 Uſe. DOth the Lord God himſelf undertake to cauſe his people to walk Take heed of ſelf-confidence.in his Statutes, and to do them? This may ſerve for caution unto all the people of God, (eſpecially unto ſtrong Chriſtians) that they take heed of all ſelf-confidence. Beware of all ſelf-confidence, when you are to do any duty, or any work which the Lord requires from you; ſee that you do not attempt it, or ſet upon it in the power of ſelf.
There are many ſorts of a mans ſelf; there is
1. His Natural ſelf, the ſtrength of natural knowledge, and judgement, and will, How many ſorts of ſelf there be.and reſolution.
2. His Learned ſelf, the ſtrength of acquired parts and abilities, of underſtanding, of wiſdom, of tongues, of utterance and of other gifts.
3. His Gracious ſelf, the ſtrength of a renewed minde, and of a renewed will, and of renewed affections.
Now hear my advice; When you are to do any work for God, beware that you reſt not on any of theſe ſelf ſtrengths. Jer. 9. 23. Let not the wiſe man glory in his wiſdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, neither let the rich man glory in his riches. So ſay I, let not the prudent Chriſtian reſt on his wiſdom, and let not the knowing Chriſtian reſt upon his parts, and let not the renewed Chriſtian reſt upon his graces, and let not the forward Chriſtian reſt on his reſolutions, and let not the experienced Chriſtian reſt on his comforts, as if thoſe were able and enough to furniſh and enable him to do the work or works which God requires of him.
There are three Reaſons why I would ſeriouſly preſs this caution upon you that fear God.
Firſt, The exceeding aptneſs and propenſion in the beſt, to be and to do ſomething All are proue to truſt too much in ſelf.of themſelves; there is ſcarce any thing concerns us, but ſelf is inte…mixed with it, and juſtles in it ſelf; and we are hardly taken off from it, until by woeful experience we finde much miſchief and miſery in it. Take us in any ſpiritual work, why ſomething of ſelf is appearing; in repentance, men will not forſake their own ſtrength; in the work of faith, men will undertake to believe by their own ſtrength; in the work of juſtification, men are apt to look upon their own righteouſneſs; in active duties, men are many times of their minde in Jeremiah, The Lord be a faithful witneſs between us, if we do not according to all things which the Lord thy God ſhall ſend thee to us. Jer. 42. 5. And in paſſive duties, there alſo we preſume many times too much upon our own ſelf ſtrength; Lord (ſaid Peter,) I am ready to go with thee, both into priſon and to death. Luk. 22. 33. And although all ſhall be offended, yet will not I, Mar. 14. 29.
Secondly, The exceeding greatneſs of this ſin: ſelf-confidence, or a truſting Truſting in ſelf is a great ſin.and relying upon our own ſtrength and ſufficiency, it is a very great ſin; which thus appears.
1. It is the pride and unbeliefe in departing from God: that man who makes not God his whole confidence, departs from him. P…ide of heart, and (which is worſe) the ſpiritual pride of heart, which God abhors, and is utterly contrary unto; but humility of heart is that which God doth much value and regard.
2. It is a kind of Atheiſm: the creature which would be a ſelf-ſufficiency unto it ſelf, denies God in his Al-ſufficiency; it is proper to God as God to be a being of himſelf, and to give being unto all beſides himſelf; to be independing on any for being and working.
3. At leaſt you take the work of God out of the hand of God; his work it is to make us good, by his preventing grace; and his work it is to enable us to good, by his ſubſequent grace; and yet you will undertake by your own ſtrength and by your own arme to conquer ſins, to reſiſt temptations, to perform acts of obedience.
4. You take the courſe to ſet up your ſelves, and to lay aſide your God; to magnify your ſelves, and to nullify him; to glory in your ſelves, and to take glory from God; if you will be the efficient cauſes of doing good without God, you will make your ſelves the final cauſe of good.
Thirdly, The exceeding great danger of ſelf-confidence to do any good: and The danger of ſelf-confidence.there are three dangers which will befal you.
1. You will be but poor and barren, and inſufficient, ſo as to do nothing at all: as the ſhip lies ſtill if the winde ſtirs not; (without me you can do nothing) you will be weaker then the weakeſt Chriſtian; the weakeſt Chriſtian truſting on Chriſt, and the promiſe, will be able to do much, when you relying on your ſelf-ability, will be able to do nothing.
There are two ſorts of being.Two ſorts of being.
One is abſolute and of it ſelf, as God is who is of himſelf, and can work alone by and from himſelf.
Another is depending; ſuch a being is every creature, yea and every created grace, which as it is by virtue of Gods grace, ſo it acts in virtue of his aſſiſtance: As a beam of the ſun is made alive by the ſun, and it gives light by the continued influence of the ſun: part it and the ſun; it is nothing ſo, &c.
2 God will leave you (at leaſt a while) unto your ſelves, that you may be aſhamed of your confidence, and ſee your ſelves to be but vanity, that you are indeed without ſtrength, and utterly inſufficient of your ſelves; and that you ſtand only, and work only in the preſence of his might.
You read that God hath left his ſervants in four caſes.In what caſes God leaves his ſervants.
One when they have been idle and careleſs, and venturing upon the occaſions of ſin; this was Davids caſe:
A ſecond, when they have not ſtedfaſtly believed his word, but have given credit to Satan; upon this he left Adam and Eve unto themſelves.
A third, when they have ventured upon evil company; in this caſe he left Sampſon.
A fourth when they have preſumed upon their own ſtrength and ſufficiency; and in this he left Peter.
3. And now you will not be able to do any good, nay not able to withſtand the greateſt ſins; Satan will be too hard for you, and ſo will ſin; we ſhall quickly hear you complaining of hardneſs of heart, and of deadneſs of heart, and of unbelief of heart; and I wiſh theſe were the worſt. God doth ſome times cure the proud ſelf-confidence, and the proud ſelf-ſufficiencies of his people, by leaving them to ſome groſs and vile falls, as David, and Peter, &c.
Fourthly, There is indeed no ſelf-ſufficiency in you, although ſometimes Wherein our weakneſs appears.you veryly imagine and fancy it; and I would convince you of this by your own experience.
1. You cannot pull down any one ſin that troubles you by your own ſtrength, it will move, and ſtrive, and tempt, and follow you; and do what you can, (by all your own ſtrength) it doth many times captivate you.
2. You cannot riſe out of any ſinful fall, unleſs the Lord gives you his hand to lift you up; there your feet ſtick in the mire, and every grace that you have is nonpluſſed; repentance will not ſtir, and ſorrow will not melt, and faith will not take hold, unleſs the Lord himſelf comes in with new ſtrength and aſſiſtance, you cannot deliver your ſelves.
3. You cannot (many times) act any one grace when your deſires are ſo to do; you finde your hearts many times hard, but you cannot ſoften them; dull, and you cannot quicken them; ſtraitened, and you cannot enlarge them; you would mourn, but cannot fetch up your tears? you would believe, but you cannot ſtretch forth one act of faith; all that comes from you, is, Lord help my unbeliefe; you would pray, but are not able, &c.
4. If it were in your power and ſelf-ſtrength to act, and to do any good works, and to walk in Gods Statutes, then
1. Why do you make your prayers to God for his help?
2. Why have the people of God acknowledged their own inability? It is not in man that walketh to direct his ſteps.
3. Why do the works of obedience ſtick and go on ſo heavily, when they reſt on our hands?
4. Why is it that they go on ſo freely and eaſily, when God is pleaſed to put out his aſſiſtance? I will run the way of thy Commandements, when thou ſhalt enlarge my heart, ſaith David. Pſal. 119. 32.