The Spirit of Bondage and Adoption, Treatise 1 · Chapter 28
CHAP. XXVIII. A few Objections removed; and thereby a cloſe put to this Treatiſe.
BUt me thinks I hear ſome one objecting.
Object. But why muſt I ſeek for ſuch conviction, and eſpecially labour in Ordinances and duties to come under the work of a Spirit of bondage? God can if he will, ſave me in another way. And that you ſeemed at the entrance into this point to grant, when you call this the ordinary way; and are tender of denying a poſſibility of an extraordiry, and different courſe!
Anſw. 1. God can if he will, but God will not do all he can do. God could of ſtones raiſe up children to Abraham, but he would not: Chriſt could have converted the Scribes and Phariſees by a ſign from heaven when they asked it, and have ſent Dives from hell to convert his brethren, but becauſe they would not ſubmit to, and were undiſpoſed to profit by the ordinary means, he would not, but calls the firſt, Tempters of Mat. 16. 1.God for deſiring an extraordinary ſigne, when they had ordinary means, ſearch the Scriptures, &c. John. 5. 39. And tells the laſt, that extraordinary means will not work on men without the grace of God to back them, more then ordinary; and that 'tis unlikely, if God do not bleſſe the ordinary way unto us that he will the extraordinary. They have Moſes and the Prophets (ſaith Abraham to Dives in the Parable) if they will not hear them, neither would they believe if Luk. 16. 3one ſhould riſe from the dead.
2. What reaſon haſt thou to expect, that God ſhall go out of his ordinary rode way to meet thee in thy by-paths? Hath God made thee any promiſe more then to others? Hath he excepted thee by name in thoſe commands in which he hath required attendance on his Ordinances? Haſt thou obliged him by any courteſie to take extraordinary pains with thee? If thou canſt plead nothing more then another; then think rather, if God have left thouſands to periſh without calling them in an extraordinary way, for their contempt of the ordinary, why not me?
3. Take this for a certain rule, God never condeſcended to do an extraordinary work for the conviction and converſion of thoſe, who out of deſigne break themſelves off from the ordinary, that they may put him to the coſt of it.
Indeed 'tis thought by ſome, that the Jews ſhall be converted by a ſigne from heaven, but if ſo, yet conſider they are in ſuch a diſperſed condition, that they are not capable of means in an ordinary way, and ſo totally prejudiced againſt the truth, that they do not out of deſigne reject that which they are convinced is Gods ordinary way of converſion, to put God to the expence of a miracle, but they really think they are in the true way, and Ordinances profane, and truth errour.
And Laſtly, Though ſignes may occaſion their conviction of the truth of Chriſtian Religion, yet without all doubt their ſaving converſion in and by it, ſhall be in the ordinary way.
This extraordinary ſigne ſhall ſet home the light of the propheſies, and hiſtory of Chriſt crucified, and ſo be the occaſion, not the cauſe of their converſion. For they ſhall be convinced of their murthering, and piercing the Lord of glory, and they ſhall upon the fight of him mourne. Zech. 12. 10. It is all one as if he ſhould ſay, they ſhall bee convinced of ſinne, and cloſe with Chriſt as a Saviour, and their Saviour, and then mourn that they have pierced him.
4. 'Tis contrary to thy principles of common prudence in other things. The market is the ordinary way to get food, thou wilt not neglect that on this ground: and ſo phiſick of health, &c. Thou wilt not ſay, I need not go to the market to buy or ſell proviſion this weeke, thou wilt not open ſhop, &c. becauſe God can provide for thy ſelfe and thy family in an extraordinary way. And no man when he is ſick will (except in a phrenſy) refuſe to admit the phyſician, becauſe God can cure in a miraculous way, yea and raiſe the very dead. Why ſhould any man adventure his ſoul upon thoſe principles upon which he will not hazard his body or eſtate?
5. When men will not wait upon God in his ordinary way of converſion, it is juſt with him to give them up to pleaſe themſelves with a falſe and unſound converſion, under ſome extraordinary deluſive energy of Satan, and to miſtake that very extraordinarineſſe of deluſion, for an extraordinary work of Gods Spirit. 2 Theſ. 2. 11, 12.
Object. But if I bring my ſelfe under ſuch ſad and melancholy apprehenſions, as accompany a Spirit of Bondage, I fear, leſt Gods terrors ſhould even diſtract me, as Heman complains, and we ſee by experience that many out of ſuch ſpiritual troubles arrive Pſal. 8. 15.at downright madneſſe at laſt.
Anſw. 1. It is Gods uſual way; and the way he puts any man upon he is engaged to protect them in. If our Saviour Chriſt had a warrant from God, to caſt himſelfe down from the pinnacle, had there been no other way down, he would not have ſtood ſo much upon it, as he did, the promiſe of angelical protection would have ſecured him being in his way, which was Gods way. A man may adventure to caſt himſelfe into Hell it ſelfe, as Peter leapt into the Sea at Chriſts command, when God bids him, and yet come off as untouched by the fire and brimſtone, as the three children were in the fiery furnace. See Iſa 43. 2.
2. If the cure be dangerous, yet the diſeaſe is deſperate. Better adventure diſtraction, then damnation. God can ſave a diſtracted man, but he cannot an unconverted man; becauſe he hath no where ſaid the contrary to the former, but he hath to the later.
A man in a gangrene adventures the cutting off of a legge or an arme, and thinks it ſafer to adventure his life in a way of cure, then under the power of a certainly-mortal diſeaſe.
3. The longer thou continueſt out of this way, the more art thou endangered hereunto. The greater weight of ſinne thou contracteſt by continuance, the greater terrors thou layeſt up in ſtore againſt the day of evil; and if the terrours of God be diſtracting, the fewer, the better.
4 'Tis the ill managery of perſons under ſuch terrors, that occaſion ſuch diſtractions many times, either their owne keeping the Divels and their owne hearts wicked counſel, or indiſcreet handling by others, &c.
5 Seldom or never hath it been ſeen but ſuch diſtempers as are meerly ſymptomatical (as Phyſicians ſpeak) are removed with the removal of the principal Diſeaſe, that occaſioned them. A frenzie gotten by a fever, departs with it. And ſo ſuppoſe the like procured by ſoul troubles, the removal of them in Gods time, will remove it again.
Queſt. But how ſhall perſons under deep troubles be managed, ſo as ſuch miſchief from over-great oppreſſion of ſpirits may be prevented?
Anſw. Hereunto (in a word to conclude this Treatiſe, eſpecially becauſe much hath been ſaid before, and more will be ſaid in the next point to this purpoſe.)
1 If thou have a child or other friend under the terrours of God, enquire what was the ground and cauſe of it, what Miniſtry ſuch a party hath frequented, whence 'tis likely the wound was received.
2 If the wound were made by a ſtanding Miniſter of the neighbourhood, go to him principally and acquaint him with it. He who made the wound is moſt likely to heal it. If it were made by any other unknown hand, acquaint the next godly and experienced Miniſter with it, and diſcover what you obſerve of that kind in your friends, though perhaps they be unwilling to it themſelves.
3 Let other Chriſtians be ſent for who have been under the ſame condition, and let them be communicative.
4 And laſtly, Keep them from erroneous and unſound company.
But all of theſe I ſhall ſpeak more fully in the ſecond Treatiſe.