The Works of Jeremiah Burroughs 9-11, Treatise 2 · Chapter 12
CHAP. XII.
Of the Saints purging themselves from sin. First, An Objection answered. The Saints after conversion have, 1 A principle contrary to sin. 2 It's an Active Principle. 3 It's a powerful Principle against sin.
THat the Saints though they have sin in them, yet they do purge themselves, he doth purifie himself: thus in 2 Tim. 2. 21. If a man purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified and meet for the Masters use, and prepared unto every good work. The vessels of Honor that are in Gods House, that God delights to make any use of, they are such as purge themselves, not only such as are made clean, but purge themselves. In Gods House, the vessels that God takes delight in, that comes to his table, must not be filthy nasty vessels, God would not have such come to him, but vessels that are fit for the Masters use, are such as are purged, yea, they purge themselves, [purifies himself.]
Object. Can a man purifie himself? Is it not God that must clense and sanctifie us? In Isaiah, 1. about verse 25. I'le purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin: I'le purifie them, saith God, that's his Promise: It's fulfilled spiritually to the hearts of the Saints; the Lord comes, and he purely purges away the dross, and takes away their tin from them, but here it is in the text, He purifies himself.
Answ. For the Answer to that, we are to know that the Acts of God upon the hearts of his Saints are in such a manner, as though they be Gods Acts, yet God is pleased to have them be acted as the actions of his people; so gracious is God to his people, as those things that he is fain to help them to do, he will have them accounted their actions: In that known place in Phil. 2. the latter end of the 12, and 13. verses, Work out your salvation with fear and trembling (for saith he) it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure: Do you work, for it is God that worketh in you; though God do work in you, yet it's you that work too; the Saints are said to work: and this may be noted as very profitable and useful to us, to take away that lazy kind of reasoning that is in many people, they sit still and do nothing, and they can do nothing without God, what can they do, it's God that must do all? can they get power over their sins, it must be God that must do it? and so upon that they sit still and do nothing: Mark here, my text saith that he purgeth himself, Oh do not stand reasoning, God calls thee to do it as if thou wert to do it alone thy self, he doth purifie himself; and if thou belongest to God, God doth put a principle into thee that thou art able to do it: Not without God: that's true, you cannot put a bit of meat into your mouthes without God: Now though it's God that doth all, yet God doth put a Principle into the new Creature, that the new Creature is able to stir and live sutable to the Nature of a new Creature: what's the difference between a live thing, and a dead thing? a dead thing is that which hath no moving in its self at all (but to its Center) as the Earth and the Water only move to their Center, but let a heavy thing lie upon the Earth, and it stirs not, you may take your hand and stir it up and down, but it hath no principle within its self to move: That's the difference between life and no life, one hath a spirit in its self to move, and the other hath not: So where there is no life of Grace, there such a one by external things may be put upon this thing or that; but one that hath life, hath received a principle in its self to move: Your Jacks, and Clocks, and such kind of things that move by weight, have no principle within, but only the weights that hang down without that moves them: but now your Watches, they have a Spring within to move them. So the Saints, they have a Principle in them, that they are able to purifie themselves; it's true, God at first comes upon them, and they are meerly passive; at first God comes and shews to them the evil of their sin, and holds over them the wrath that is due for their sins, and causes sin to be bitter and terrible to them, shews it in the dreadful visage of it; Look here's your sin that you take such del…ght and content in, …ee what it brings you to, and so God doth by degrees make men weary of their sin; but that doth not do the work: Afterwards the Lord comes by his Almighty Power, and doth dead that bitter root that was in the soul, mortifies it, and so puts a Principle of Grace into the soul that now it's able to live to himself; at first we are meerly passive, but when God hath done that first work of his, then he puts a principle into us to act; It's true, we have need of continual supply, but observe, all the assistance that the Saints have from God to help them against their sin, it's not to put new principles into them, it's but to stir up those principles that God puts into them at their first conversion; as soon as ever God doth convert any soul, he puts a Principle of Grace contrary to every sin in them, there is no sin that the soul is inclinable to, but at the very first moment of conversion there is a principle of Grace put into the soul contrary to every sin, and therefore he doth purifie himself upon these three Considerations.
First, Because it's a Principle contrary to sin, and one contrary will seek to get out another: in wicked and ungodly men, sin is with them as their Nature, as poyson is in a Toad; but the Saints though they have sin in them, yet it is in them as their sickness, and they have a contrary Nature besides their sinful Nature, they have a sinful nature, but they are partakers of the Divine Nature, and that doth oppose the sinful Nature as fire doth water▪ the Saints having that Principle contrary to sin as fire to water, it's impo…sible but that Principle within them, must be consuming their sin, and so purifying them.
Secondly, As it is contrary to sin, so it is an active Principle, or Grace, for it's the Divine Nature, and the Divine Nature is a pure Act; God is a pure Act, and the Divine Nature that we have doth partake much of God, there's the Image of God, and so it comes neer, and it's very like God, therefore must needs be very active and stirring; and things that are active, stirring, and clensing, as water i… it runs, though filth comes into it, yet it's quickly cleer again because it's running: If all the filth that runs into the Th…mes should continue there, and the water in the Thames should stand still but two or three daies, it would be ready to poyson us all; but because it is running, it is in some measure clensed, and it is not so noysom as otherwise it would be. Now the wicked and ungodly, when they have sin in them, it comes into them as filthy water, and there it putrifies: but now the Saints sin is as a running water, the principle that they have is stirring in them, and so comes to be clensing; and indeed the more active Christians are, the more clean. Christians, if you would be clean, let Grace be active, if Grace be stirring and active, you will be clean; as a man that is most active and stirring, usually hath the most clean body, and people that stir but little, diseases grow upon them: Grace makes the Saints so active and stirring, and so by that means they purifie themselves.
Thirdly, The Principle is a powerful Principle, it's contrary and active, and very strong in them, for it's the Divine Nature, and that must needs be very powerful. If a man hath poyson in his body, yet if he hath a strong heart, he may work out his poyson; as if a man hath had some poyson, and hath escaped, we say, if such a one had not had a very strong heart, certainly he would have been a dead man; some that have the sickness, yet having strong Natures, do work out the venom that was within them: So the Saints, though they be weak (that is in comparison with others) and have not so much strength as others of the Saints have, yet take them considered in themselves, there is not the weakest Saint but hath the Divine Nature in them, and therefore hath that in them that is stronger than corruptions, and it will work out corruptions in time; it is the Divine Nature, there…ore surely the children of God do purifie themselves; for first it is contrary to sin, and so active, and …o strong; and then having the assistance of God with them, and the strength of the Covenant of Grace to go along with them, so they must needs be able to purifie themselves.