Doctrine of a Man in the Act of the New Birth, Treatise · Chapter 3
CHAP. III. The ſubſtantial parts of Preparation on Gods part; or his diſpenſations of his work on the Soul.
HItherto of the general Circumſtances of the ſouls preparing for Chriſt. Now the Subſtantial parts of this Preparation are generally two: The
Diſpenſation of Gods work on the ſoul.
Diſpoſition of the ſoul by Gods work.
The Diſpenſation of Gods work diſcovers it ſelf in drawing the ſoul
From ſin.
To himſelf.
But becauſe theſe two are made up by one action and motion, we ſhall therefore handle them together; and the ſum is this, That God by an holy kinde of violence (which is called Drawing, Iohn 6. 44.Joh. 6. 44.) doth pluck the ſoul from thoſe ſins that harbor in it unto himſelf: wherein we may conſider two things;
1. What the nature of this drawing is.
2. The means whereby God draws.
Firſt, for the nature of this drawing, it is of a double kinde: 1. There is a Moral drawing, when by Reaſons propounded, and good things offered to the Underſtanding and Will, a man comes thereby to have his minde illightened, and his will moved to embrace things offered: Thus was it with Paul, when he was conſtrained by Lydia to abide in her houſe, Acts 16. 15. 2. There is Acts 16. 15.a Phyſical drawing, when the Lord is pleaſed to put a new power into the ſoul of a ſinner, and withal to carry the will to the object propounded, that it may embrace it; when the Lord not onelyonly offers good things to the ſoul, but enables the ſoul to lay hold upon the things offered: And thus the Lord draws a ſinner from ſin unto himſelf.
Secondly, for the means whereby he draws, they are theſe four:
Firſt, the Lord lets in a light into the ſoul of a poor ſinner, 1 Means.and diſcovers unto him that he is in a wrong way: This the ſoul marvels at, becauſe uſually it comes on a ſudden, the ſinner perceiving nothing leſs, Iſa. 66. 1.Iſa. 66. 1.
Secondly, though a man would defeat the power of this light, yet God ſtill follows it with forcible Arguments, and draws 2 Means.with the cord of his Mercy; I taught Ephraim to go (ſaith God) taking them by the arms; I drew them by the cords of love, and Hoſea 11. 4.with the bonds of a man. This mercy conſiſts in theſe bonds, or this love is made up of four cords:
1. The Lord reveals himſelf to be ready to receive, and willing and eaſie to entertain poor ſinners when they come unto him: Let the wicked (ſaith the Prophet) forſake his way, and Iſa. 55. 7.the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and be will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon; the word in the Original is, He will multiply pardons: Haſt thou multiplied rebellions? the Lord will alſo multiply pardons: The bowels of compaſſion are ſtill open, and the arms of mercy are ſtill ſpread abroad; he pardoned Manaſſes, and Paul, and Peter, and ſo will he thee, his pardons are multiplied, there is yet mercy for thee alſo, and for a thouſand thouſand more.
2. The Lord is not onelyonly ready to forgive when men come to to him, but that they may come, he alſo calls and commands them: O but may I (ſaith a poor ſinner) ſhall I, dare I go unto the Lord God for mercy? may I be ſo bold to preſs in for favor at the hands of the Lord? I have been a grievous ſinner, and have heaped abomination upon abomination, I am afraid therefore to approach near unto the Lords preſence. Is it ſo? hear what the Lord ſaith, Come unto me, ye rebellious people, and I will heal Ier. 3. 22.your rebellions. You that never prayed, never came to hear, all Rebels, come unto me: and then the people anſwer, Behold, we come unto thee, for thou art our God. This is great encouragement to a poor ſinner, he begins now to wonder, and ſay, Lord, ſhall all my ſins be pardoned? ſhall all my oathes and abominations be forgiven? I that ſlighted ſo many mercies, and committed ſo many follies, ſhall I be entertained? Yes (ſaith the Lord) come unto me, and thou ſhalt be forgiven; come, I command you come.
3. The Lord doth not onelyonly command a poor ſinner to come in, but when he is nice in this caſe, ſaying, There is mercy with God, but not for me; the Lord then followeth him ſtill, and ſends another cord after him, that if it be poſſible he may win him, and woo him to receive mercy of him: If command therefore prevail not, he intreats and beſeeches him to come and receive mercy, and this (me thinks) ſhould move the hardeſt heart under heaven. We (ſaith the Apoſtle) are embaſſadors for Chriſt, as 2 Cor. 5. 20.though God did beſeech you by us, we pray you in Chriſts ſtead, be reconciled unto God: rather then you ſhould go away from Chriſt, even Mercy it ſelf will come and kneel down before you, and beſeech you, and intreat you, for the Lord Jeſus ſake to pity your poor ſouls, and to receive pardon for your ſins: A ſinner is not able to comprehend this, but he begins to be at a ſtand, and at amazement, What, that the Lord ſhould beſeech him! O that thou wouldst receive pardon for thy ſins, and be bleſſed for ever! Good Lord (ſaith the Soul) is this poſſible, that the great King of Heaven ſhould come and beſeech ſuch a Traytor, ſuch a Rebel as I am, to take pardon? That a King on Earth ſhould proclaim a pardon to ſome notorious Traytor, this were much; but that the King of Heaven ſhould lay down his Crown, and come creeping to me, and beſeech me (on his knee as it were) to take mercy; this is a thing beyond all expectation: What, ſhall Heaven ſtoop to earth? ſhall Majeſty ſtoop to miſery? ſhall the great God of Heaven and Earth, that might have condemned my ſoul, and if I had periſhed and been damned, might have took glory by my deſtruction—Is it poſſible, is it credible, that this God ſhould not onelyonly entertain me when I come, and command me for to come, but intreat and beſeech me to come and receive mercy from him? O the depth of the incomprehenſible love of God! Imagine you ſaw God the Father intreating you, and God the Son beſeeching you, as he doth this day, Come now, and forſake your ſins, and take mercy, which is prepared for you, and ſhall be beſtowed upon you: Would not this make a ſoul think thus with it ſelf, What, for a Rebel? not onelyonly to have mercy offered, but to be intreated to receive mercy, it were pity (if I will not take it) but I ſhould go to Hell and be damned for ever. The Lord he complains, Why will ye dye? as Ezek. 18. 31.I live, ſaith the Lord, I deſire not the death of a ſinner: Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye dye, ye ſinful Sons of men? Mercy is offered Ezek. 33. 11.you, the Lord Jeſus reacheth out his hand to you: fain would he pluck the Drunkard out of the Alehouſe, and the Adulterer from his Whore: O if you break this cord, I know not what to ſay to you, this is able to break a Mountain in pieces; Shake, O Mountains (ſaith the Prophet) Why? becauſe God hath redeemed Iſa. 44. 23.Jacob: The Redemption of Jacob was enough to break a Mountain, let his Mercy break our hearts; it is God that begs, the bleſſing is our own.
4. If yet all this prevail nothing at all, the Lord will then wait, and ſtay in long patience and ſuffering, to ſee if any time a ſinner will turn unto him. Our Savior follows poor ſinners from Alehouſe to Alehouſe, and ſays, I beſeech you, Drunkards, take mercy, and have your ſins pardoned: The Lord (as we may ſay) tires himſelf, and wearieth himſelf with waiting one day after another, and one week after another: It may be (ſaith Chriſt) this week, this Sabbath, this Sermon a ſinner will turn unto me; what, will it never be? Are you not aſhamed (my friends) that the Lord Jeſus ſhould thus wait your leiſure, and follow you from houſe to houſe, and from place to place; nay, that Chriſt ſhould every morning appear to your underſtanding, and every night come to your bed-ſide, ſaying, Let this be the laſt night of ſinning, and the next day the firſt day of your repentance: O when will you be humbled? when will you receive mercy, that it may go well with you, and with yours for ever! If none of the other will move you, yet for ſhame let this cord draw you to the Lord: Hear, hear his doleful pangs, O Jeruſalem, Jeruſalem, wilt thou not be made clean? O when will it once be? A Ier. 13. 27.woman that is in travel, O how ſhe expects and longs for her delivery I now a throb comes, and then ſhe cryes; anon comes a ſecond throb, and then ſhe cryes again, O when comes deliverance? Thus God the Father takes on him the perſon of a travelling woman; he travels and travels until he bring forth a ſon, until ſome ſoul be converted, and brought home unto him, O Jeruſalem, wilt thou not be made clean? when will it once be? I have waited one, ten, twenty, thirty, forty years long have I waited on this generation; when will it once be? The Lord thus travels in patience, looking when we will receive mercy, will never our proud hearts be humbled? will never our ſtubborn hearts be ſoftned? will never our prophane hearts be ſanctified? when will it once be? Chriſt hath waited this day, this week, this monethmonth, this quarter, this year, theſe ten, twenty, thirty, forty years on us: You old ſinners, that are gray-headed in your wickedneſs, how long hath the Lord waited on you? O for ſhame let him wait no longer, but turn, turn ye unto him, that ye may receive mercy from him.
Thirdly, if bonds of love move not, the Lord hath iron cords, that will pluck in pieces; to wit, the cords of Conſcience: which 3 Means.thus diſputes, He that being often reproved, doth ſtill harden his heart, ſhall periſh everlaſtingly:
But thou being often reproved, doſt ſtill harden thy heart, therefore thou ſhalt periſh everlaſtingly.
In this Syllogiſm are contained the
Monition
Accuſation
Condemnation
of Conſcience.
In the firſt Propoſition, Conſcience gives the ſinner a Monition, to come from ſin, upon pain of the heavieſt Judgement that can be inflicted. It is the Lord that ſends the Conſcience on this errand, Go to ſuch a man, and tell him, You have blaſphemed Gods Name, and you have ſpoken againſt Gods Saints, and you have broken Gods Sabbaths, and you have contemned Gods Ordinances; Be it known then unto thee (ſaith Conſcience when it delivers the Meſſage) That I have a command from Heaven, and from God, I charge you, as you will anſwer it at the dreadful day of Judgement, take heed of thoſe evils and ſinful practiſes that heretofore you have committed, leſt you damn your ſouls for ever. Will you queſtion his Commiſſion? ſee Prov. 29. 1. He that being Prov. 29. 1.often reproved, hardeneth his neck, ſhall ſuddenly be deſtroyed; if you be often reproved, and will not be bettered, then the Lord ſays, and Conſcience from the Lord tells you, Be it at your own peril, ye ſhall ſuddenly be deſtroyed. No ſooner Conſcience thus perks upon the crown, but the ſinner hangs the wing, and withdraws himſelf from his former lewd courſes. But now when wicked perſons ſee their companion is gone, they make after him amain, and then Conſcience plucks one way, and they pluck another way; at laſt, by carnal company, and curſed perſwaſions, the ſoul is drawn back again to his former wicked courſes, and ſo perhaps this twiſt is broken, and the ſinner is gone.
2. If ſo, then Conſcience, that was a Monitor, now turns Accuſer in the minor Propoſition; before it was onelyonly Gods Herald to forewarn him, but now it is become a Purſevant and Sergeant to Arreſt him: it follows him to the Alehouſe, and purſues him home, then takes him in his bed, and Arreſts him in his ſleep; there (by a Meditation) it hales the ſoul before the Tribunal ſeat of God, ſaying, Lo, Lord, this is the man, this is the Drunkard, Adulterer, Blasphemer, this is he, Lord; an enemy to thy Servants, an hater of thy Truth, a deſpiſer of thy Ordinances; at ſuch a time, in ſuch a place, with ſuch a company this man deſpiſed thy Truth, this is he, Lord, this is the man. And when Conſcience hath thus dragged him before God, and accuſed him, then Take him, Jaylor, take him, Devil (ſaith the Lord) and impriſon him; let vexation, and horror, and trouble, and anguiſh lie upon his ſoul, until he confeſs his ſins, and reſolve to forſake them. In this caſe was David, when he was forced to ſay, My bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long; for day and night thy hand was heavy upon me, my moiſture is turned into the Pſa. 32. 3, 4, 5.drought of ſummer: What then? O then (ſaith David) I acknowledged my ſin unto thee,—I confeſſed my tranſgreſſions unto thee, O Lord, and ſo thou forgaveſt the iniquity of my ſin. David he folded up his ſins at the firſt, and therefore his bones were conſumed, and he roared continually; when the Lord had him on the Rack, he made him roar again, and would never leave tormenting, till David came to confeſſing; but when he confeſſed this ſin, and the other ſin, then the Lord forgave him the iniquity of his ſin. Thus Conſcience brings the ſoul of a ſinner on the Rack (as Traytors are uſed, that will not confeſs otherwiſe) and makes him to confeſs his ſins, and then he cryes, O the abominations I have committed which the Sun never ſaw; in ſuch a place, at ſuch a time, O then I railed on Gods ſervants, & blasphemed Gods Name, I prophaned Gods Sabbaths, and contemned his Ordinances: what then? Conſcience will make him confeſs more yet, to the Rack again with him; and then he cryes and roars for anguiſh of ſpirit, then he confeſſes all, and reſolves to amend, then he will pray, and hear, and ſanctifie Gods Sabbaths, and lead a new life. Thus Conſcience receives ſome ſatisfaction, and begins to be quiet; and now having got ſome quiet, his curſed Companions ſet upon him again, Refreſh (ſay they) your ſoul with ſome of your ancient dalliance, &c. To this and the like Temptations of Satan, he liſtens again, and then he begins to follow his old ſins, perhaps with more violence and eagerneſs then ever he did before; and now is another twiſt broken likewiſe.
3. If ſo, then Conſcience that was a Monitor and Accuſer, now turns Executioner. The firſt Propoſition admoniſhed, the ſecond accuſed, if neither of theſe prevail, then Conſcience concludes, Thou muſt to execution, thou ſhalt periſh everlaſtingly. And now Conſcience cryes, Monitions or Accuſations could not prevail with this man; Come, come ye damned ghoſts, and take away this Drunkard, this Blasphemer, this Adulterer, and throw him headlong into the pit of Hell; he would not be amended, let him be condemned, he would not be humbled, therefore let him be damned. The man hearing this, then he is amazed, and thinks himſelf paſt hope, paſt help, paſt cure: Did you ever ſee or hear a tormented Conſcience in theſe pangs? Now he calls, then he cryes, Lo where Devils ſtand, the Heavens frown, God is incenſed, Hell-mouth is open: And now a Miniſter is ſent for, who diſplays to this deſpairing ſoul, the Mercy and Grace of God in Chriſt Jeſus; O (replies he) this is my bane, my damnation, if I had never heard of Mercy, if I had never lived under the Gospel, and the means of Salvation, then had I been an happy man: Alas! it is Mercy I have neglected, it is Salvation I have contemned, how then ſhould I be ſaved? O the perſwaſions of the Lord that I have had! the Lord hath even wept over me, as he did over Jeruſalem, O that thou hadst known the things belonging to thy peace! yet all theſe perſwaſions have I contemned, and therefore certainly to Hell I muſt go. The Miniſter replyes, Truth it is, you have done thus, but would you do ſo ſtill? is it good now to be drunk, or to blaſpheme, or to rail on Gods Saints, or contemn Gods Ordinances? O no, no (ſaith he) I now finde what the end of thoſe wicked courſes will be: Gods Word could not prevail with me, the Miniſter could not perſwade me; O the good Sermons that I have heard, the very flames of Hell have even flaſhed in my face, the Miniſter hath ſpent his pains, and would have ſpent his blood for the good of my poor ſoul! But alas, I despiſed the Word, and mocked the Miniſter: Wo, wo unto me for ever; now my Conſcience gnaws, and tears, and terrifies my ſoul here, and I ſhall to Hell hereafter, and periſh for ever and ever. The Miniſter replyes again, The truth is, you have done thus, but would you do ſo now? would you ſtill blaſpheme, and curſe, and be drunk, and riotous? or rather would you not now part with all theſe, and take mercy in ſtead of them? Then the poor ſoul cryes out, Now the Lord for his mercies ſake remove theſe ſins from me: O I had never ſo much delight in my ſins heretofore, as now I have wo, miſery and vexation for them; but (alas) it is not in my power to help my ſoul; if the Lord would do this, let him do what he will with it. What (ſaith the Miniſter) you are then willing and content to part with your ſins: O yes, (ſaith the ſoul) I would rather offend all the world then God; I had rather go to hell, then to the committing of a ſin; if it would pleaſe God to help me, I would forſake my ſins with all my heart. Why, now the poor ſoul is coming again, and God is drawing him again from his corruptions and ſinful diſtempers.
Fourthly, when the ſoul is thus looſened, the Lord then fully 4 Means.plucks it by the cord of his Spirit: with an Almighty hand he cuts the ſoul off from ſin, and takes it into his own hand, that he may govern him, and diſpoſe of him according to his own good will and pleaſure. Thus much of preparation for the ſubſtance of it on Gods part.