The Combat Between the Flesh and Spirit, Sermon 9
SERMON IX. At Lawrence Jury, London, Decemb. 8. 1650.
GAL. 5. verſe 16.
This I ſay then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye ſhall not fulfil the luſts of the fleſh.
A third Querie. I Proceed now to a third thing to be enquired into, and that is, How we may know the difference between thoſe common motions of the Spirit in the wicked, and the ſaving motions of the Spirit in the regenerate?
Anſw. The reaſon why I ſhall diſcuſſe this queſtion is, Heb. 6.4.becauſe the Scripture ſaith, that wicked men may be partakers of the holy Ghoſt; and therefore to anſwer the queſtion, you muſt know that there is a twofold difference between the wicked and the godly their partaking of the Spirit.
1. About the meaſure.
2. About the manner.
1. In the meaſure; though a Reprobate partakes of the motions of the Spirit, yet he hath not ſuch a meaſure of the Spirit as a regenerate man hath. Forbes in that practical Tract of his concerning this doubt, gives you this exemplification. Summis tuntam labris pitiſſare.Wicked men (ſayes he) partake of the Spirit, as Coocks do of the meat; they dreſſe, they taſte of as much as will reliſh their palates, but do not take ſo much as to make a meal of, which may refreſh nature and ſtrengthen it: But the regenerate are as the invited gueſts, and they not only taſte the meat prepared, but alſo make a meale thereof. Wicked men they have but a taſte, and therefore ſayes the Apoſtle of them, They have taſted of the heavenly gift. Heb. 6.3.They are juſt like unto men going by an Apothecaries ſhoppe, who may ſmell the ſweet ſents of his pots, but only the ſick patient gets benefit by his cordials: Thus it is with the wicked, God he may and doth give them taſtes of his Spirit, but they have not ſo much as will do their ſouls good. It is only the godly who have ſaving participations of grace. As there were many of the Iſraelites who had a taſte of the fruit of the land of Canaan, who yet never came to heaven; ſo ſome may taſte of the heavenly gift, who ſhall never come to heaven.
2. They differ, as in the meaſure of their receiving the Spirit, ſo alſo in the manner.
1. Motions of the Spirit in the reprobate they are tranſient, and gliding, not laſting motions; they paſſe like a ſhadow. And therefore ſaith the Lord by the Prophet Hoſea, ſpeaking of Ephraim, Your goodneſſe is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it paſſeth away. Hoſea 6.4.As the riſing Sunne diſſipates the clouds, and dries up the dew; ſo do the motions of the Spirit in Reprobates ſoon vaniſh and paſſe away. But the motions of the Spirit in the godly, they are like an old inhabitant, they dwell with him; and therefore ſaith our Saviour, If my words abide in you, ye ſhall aske what ye will, and it ſhall be done unto you. John 15.7.The words of Chriſt are tranſient, and as ſojourners in the wicked, but abiding in the godly; they ſtay with a godly man all his life-time; he is one that hath alwayes a conſcience void of offence, Acts 24.16. My ſoul breaketh for the longing it hath to thy judgements at all times, Pſal. 119.20. Pſal. 27.4.ſaith David; And that I might dwell in the houſe of the Lord all my dayes, Pſal. 23.6. The motions of Gods Spirit in the godly, they are not by fits and ſtarts, but they are abiding and laſting motions.
2. They are rare and ſeldome, not ordinary and uſual; as they ſtay but a while, ſo they come but ſeldome, now and then upon ſome extraordinary emergencies. It is in this caſe with the Reprobate, in regard of good motions. As it is with a man in a lottery, to one prize he may draw a hundred blankes: ſo wicked men they have a hundred Satanical motions to evil, for one motion of Gods Spirit to good, they are as rare and ſeldome, as it is to ſee a Swallow in Winter. While a wicked man is thinking evil thoughts, he is in his own element, and he as familiarly doth that as breath; but good thoughts are but as ſtrangers in his heart.
3. The Spirits motions in wicked men, they are conſtrained, not voluntary; they are not in them as water which proceeds from a fountaine, but as water coming from a ſtill, forced by reaſon of the fire underneath it.—The Spirits motions in wicked men they are conſtrained upon a double ground.—Firſt, either from natural conſcience, which tells them they muſt not be ſuch devils incarnate, as never have any good motions. Balaam he had a deſire to curſe the people of Iſrael, yet natural conſcience prevaiſed with him to the contrary; Numb. 23.12.and ſayes he, Muſt I not take heed to ſpeak that which the Lord hath put into my mouth?—Or ſecondly, this may proceed from the ſenſe of outward judgements, this may occaſion the entertainment of good thoughts. When their fear cometh as deſolation, and deſtructions as a whirlewinde, then ſhall they call upon me. Prov. 1.27.28.It muſt be a whirlewinde of feare which drives them to call upon the name of the Lord, agreeable to that of the Prophet Hoſea, In their affliction they will ſeek me early. Hoſe 5.15.When the Iſraelites were afraid of the thunder and the lightening, They ſaid unto Moſes, Speak unto us all that the Lord our God ſhall ſpeak unto thee, and we will do it, Deut. 5.26,27.
4. Motions of the Spirit in the Reprobate, they are caſual and accidental, not ſtudied, and conſidered; ſuch which fall in by the by without preparation, or meditation; motions which tumble in they know not how. The wicked man he conſulteth evil thoughts, therefore (ſayes the wiſe man) He ſhutteth his eyes to deviſe froward things. Prov. 16.30.Shutting of the eyes it is a poſture which argues intentions of minde; thus wicked men they contrive how to bring about a miſchievous device, and are ſtudents in ſinne; and to this purpoſe ſaith the Apoſtle Paul, 1 Cor. 4.5. foreign.that God will make manifeſt the counſels of the heart. Deliberate thoughts about ſinne they are called the councels or conſultations of the heart, and theſe will God lay open. The wicked are ſaid to plot againſt the juſt, but they never ſtudy to have good thoughts; when they come they fall in accidentally, and paſſe away without conſideration.
5. Good motions in wicked men they are partial not univerſal, as moving them not to good at all times, ſo neither to all good. They may have motions to move them to the doing of outward good things, ſuch whereby their names may become to be ſpoken of with applauſe, but not to the doing of all good; their motions to good put them not upon the mortifying of ſtrong luſts, and keeping under ſin; whereas the Spirits motions to good in the godly they are univerſal, to one good thing as well as another. Heb. 13.18.We truſt (ſaith the Apoſtle Paul) that we have a good conſcience in all things willing to live honeſtly: Acts 24.16.and as the ſame Apoſtle in another place, Vniverſalitas objecti & ſubjecti.Herein do I exerciſe my ſelf to have alwayes a good conſcience void of offence, toward God, and toward men. There is a univerſality in the motions of Gods Spirit upon the hearts of the godly. The whole heart being moved unto all good, and that alwayes.
6. Motions of the Spirit in the wicked, they are fruitleſſe motions, which have no influence upon their lives. One ſaith, that the heart of a fool is like unto a cartwheel, & his thoughts like a roving a xletree, as a cartwheel it goes round and round all the day, 2 Cor. 1.17 Iſa. 51.1. Daniel 1.8yet ſtill abides where it uſed to be: ſo wicked men it may be ſometimes they have good thoughts, and good motions, but yet theſe have not an influence upon his life, his motions to good are fruitleſſe motions. But motions to good in the godly are joyned with practice, and holy purpoſes joyned with prayer, Pſal. 119.2.
7. The motions of Gods Spirit in Reprobates, they are for good things done in publick, not in private; thou wilt do good, that thy name may be cryed up. The winde of vaine glory may blow the ſaile of thy heart, and fill it with good motions. Simile. Wicked men may be compared to a nightingal; they ſay of that bird, if it ſees a man liſten to her, it will ſing the more ſweetly: thus it is with wicked men, they are better to men, then they are unto God, and better in the Church then they are in the cloſet. It is reported of one that could faſt ſeveral dayes in a Monaſtery, but not halfe a day in the Wilderneſſe; and being asked the reaſon, he gave this anſwer. When I faſt in the Monaſtery, I feed upon vain glory and the praiſe of men, but not ſo in the Wilderneſſe: It is ſo with formal profeſſors; their motions are ſuch which put them upon outward and viſible good, but never upon inward and ſecret duties to examine their hearts, to watch over them, to keep cloſe communion with God in ſecret; if thou comeſt ſhort of this, thou comeſt ſhort of the effectual and ſaving motions of the Spirit.
The uſe I ſhall make of this point ſhall be twofold.—Firſt of humiliation. Uſe of humiliation.Secondly, by way of inſtruction, to draw out ſome practical inferences from the point. If it be the duty of Gods people to walk after the guidance and motions of the Spirit of God; then,
Ʋſe 1 Be humbled for that inobſervancy that is in us of the Spirits motions. As it is with the winde to which the Spirit is compared, Joh. 3.8.The winde it bloweth where it liſteth; but who takes notice of the winde? How often do men walk in the ſtreets, and yet obſerve not which way the winde blowes? as it is with the winde, ſo is it with the Spirit, the Spirit comes with many a ſweet gale, and yet we do not obſerve it. That as Job ſaid of the Lord, He paſſed by, and he ſaw him not, Job 9.11ſo may we ſay of the Spirit of God, It was nigh me, and I perceived it not. Thus our Saviour ſpeaks of the world, that they cannot receive the Spirit of truth; Becauſe they neither ſee him, nor know him. The meaning is not, John 14.17.as if they could ſee the Spirit with a bodily eye, for the Spirit is not a bodily ſubſtance, but they neither ſee him nor know him, that is, they ſee not his motions, neither have any experimental knowledge of the Spirits workings. Natural men are unacquainted with their own Spirits, and much more with the motions of Gods Spirit. We cannot ſee the Sunne but by its own light, nor obſerve the Spirit without the Spirit. There are many in the world like unto that Ruler of the feaſt, when Chriſt turned the water into wine, Joh. 2.9.it is ſaid He knew not whence it was. I may allude to this Scripture thus; there are many men whoſe water the Spirit would turne unto wine, that is, their corrupt motions into holy and gracious motions, yet they do not know it, neither will they ſee it.
2. If you are not guilty of inobſervancy of the Spirits motions, yet be humbled for the infirmity of the fleſh, that you cannot alwayes imbrace the Spirits motions when you know them. You read in Joh. 14. where Chriſt ſpeaks concerning the ſending of the Spirit, That the world cannot receive him. He doth not ſay, John 14.17.the world doth not receive him; but the world cannot receive him, to note a debility in the fleſh, that men cannot entertaine holy motions. Rolloc on this place compares the heart of natural men unto wet wood, 1 Cor. 2.14.which is not ſo eaſily ſet one fire. The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are fooliſhneſſe unto him, neither can he know them, becauſe they are Spirit…ally diſcerned.—And the carnal minde is enmity againſt God, for it is not ſubject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Rom. 8.7.There is not onelyonly a meer ſuſpenſion of the act, but a diſability in the ſoul; this is our infirmity that we cannot imbrace the Spirits motions in the fleſh, though we know them.
3. Be humbled, though knowing them, yet becauſe you cannot bring theſe motions into holy practice; there are many men who entertaine the Spirits motions, but alas they act not theſe gracious motions. The Spirit moves to pray better, to heare better, to live more holily, and yet ſtill they remain as they were, and though ſometimes they may reſolve to live better, yet how ſoon are theſe reſolutions forgotten; ſuch may complaine with Job in this caſe, Job 17.11.My purpoſes are broken off, even the thoughts of my heart. Doubtleſſe theſe were good thoughts, as if he ſhould have ſaid, I have purpoſed to live thus and thus, if God had kept me in proſperity, but now they are broken off, and I am diſappointed in my own thoughts; many of us may take up this complaint, that our purpoſes are diſappointed, many a good motions hath the Spirit… ſtirred up in thy heart, and yet thou couldeſt not bring that holy motion into action. But it will become every childe of God to ſay and hold to purpoſe and practice, and with David to ſay, I will confeſſe my ſinne, and ſo to confeſſe then, Pſalme 32.2,3.
4. Be humbled for that receptiveneſſe that is in our natures to imbrace all ſinful motions. How unlike are we unto our Saviour; John 14.30.the Tempter came unto him, but found nothing in him, he found no matter for his temptation to faſten upon; but the Tempter comes to thee, and he findes ſomething in thee, he findes in thee a receptive nature to cloſe with the temptation he ſuggeſts unto thee. Chriſts nature it was like unto a Cryſtalglaſſe filled with pure water, the devil ſhook the glaſſe, but it was ſtill clear; but when the devil comes to us he findes us as a puddle of water, and he doth but take into this puddle, and how doth the mudde appear? A dunghill may have herbes and flowers grow upon it, but if you rake, and digge into it, how quickly will the ſtench thereof take away the ſweetneſſe of the flowers? though our natures ſeem not to be ſo bad as they are, yet if the devil do but rake into them, then will it appear what we are. The heart of man may be compared to a tinder-box, the corruption of nature to the tinder in this box; now let but the devil ſtrike flint and ſteele together, that is, ſuite a temptation to our corruption, and how ſoone are we ſet on fire? Chriſts nature it was like Iron, it would not take with the ſparks, but the devil he tempts, us and our natures are like tinder to the temptation; What cauſe have we therefore to be humbled and greatly to be abaſed in the rememberance of the receptiveneſſe of our natures to take in the devils ſuggeſtions.
5. Be humbled for that antipathy that is in our natures againſt the Spirits motions. Our natures in innocency they were like the rivers of Egypt, before they were turned into blood, they were then the proper element for fiſh to live in; but being once turned into blood all the fiſh die. In innocency thy nature it was the proper element for the motions of the Spirit of God to be in; but when thy nature was turned into blood by degeneration, then the Spirits motions depart. The words following my Text ſet out the contrariety of our natures, Gal. 5.17.The fleſh luſteth againſt the Spirit, by Spirit is not meant the regenerate part, but the motions of Gods Spirit; corrupt nature warres againſt Gods Spirit in its motions and workings.—There are three expreſſions in Scripture which ſet out the enmity of mans nature againſt the Spirit of God; AsIſa. 63.10. Acts 7.51. Heb. 10.29.
1. A vexing of the Spirit.
2. A reſiſting of the Spirit.—And
3. A doing deſpight to the spirit of grace.
Now all theſe expreſſiotions, they denote the very height of enmity, and that the nature of man it carries a deadly enmity to the Spirits motions.
Ʋſe 2 I come now by way of inſtruction to lay down ſome inferences that may be drawn from this Doctrine, and they ſhall be of two ſorts.—Firſt, I ſhall lay down ſome general poſitions.—Secondly, ſome particular directions about the Spirits motions.
Poſition 1 That the motions of the Spirit they are free and voluntary; they are in whom and in what meaſure the Spirit pleaſes. John 3.8.The winde blowes where it listeth; that is, the Spirits motions are imparted to whom God pleaſes. The Spirit of God it is called a free Spirit; Pſal. 51.12.it is a holy Spirit, if you regard the effects of it; but a free Spirit, if you regard the grounds of its working. And therefore the Apoſtle James (ſayes he) Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth. James 1.18.The Spirit of God it is a free agent.
Poſition 2 No man doth enjoy the Spirits motions alwayes alike. That as the Sunne in the firmament, though it be alwayes there, yet it hath not alwayes the ſame influence: ſo the ſame Spirit it is not alwayes in the ſame meaſure in regenerate men. As it is with the winde in the aire, ſometimes it is calme, at other times it is boyſterous: thus it is with the Spirit in the hearts of the godly, they have it not alwayes in the ſame meaſure.
Poſit. 3 That men do more walke after the motions of the evil ſpirit, then after the motions of the good Spirit. It is a note which Divines commonly gather from Verſe 19. and 22. following my Text where it is ſaid, that the works of the fleſh are manifeſt, Gal. 5.19,22and there he layes down a catalogue of them. But when he comes to ſpeak of the works of the Spirit, he doth not give them that name, but calls them the fruits of the Spirit; to let us know that men do more walke after the fleſh, then after the Spirit. The wayes of moſt men are rather to follow manifeſtly the guidance of the fleſh then of the Spirit. Eph. 2.2And ſo the Apoſtle ſpeaks of men, Who walk after the courſe of this world, and according to the Spirit which worketh in the children of diſobedience; not according to the motions and ſuggeſtions of the holy Spirit of God.
Poſit. 4 That there is more fruit and profit to be found in walking after the motions of Gods Spirit, then after the ſinful motions of the evil ſpirit. And this I gather from the variation of the phraſe, when the Apoſtle makes a catalogue of the workes of the fleſh and of the Spirit, ſayes he, The works of the fleſh are manifeſt, but the fruits of the Spirit are, &c. Gal. 5.19,22.—To let you know, that there is no fruit nor profit in ſinne, and therefore ſayes the Apoſtle elſewhere, Rom. 6.21.What fruit had ye then in thoſe things, whereof yee are now aſhamed? for the end of thoſe things is death. Sinne brings forth no fruit but ſorrow and ſhame; ſinne it is a work of the fleſh, it is the devils drudgery; ſinne is a work, and it is a work of the fleſh, and there is no profit in it; but there is fruit in the Spirit, to let you know that if you imbrace the Spirits motions, there will fruit and profit redound unto you thereby. He that ſoweth to his fleſh, ſhall of the fleſh reap corruption; but he that ſoweth to the Spirit, ſhall of the Spirit reap life everlaſting. Gal. 6.8.There is no profit in following the fleſh, but much in following the Spirit. Luther hath a good gloſſe upon that of Paul, Let us caſt off the work of darkneſſe, and put on the armour of light. Rom. 13.12.Sinne is called a work of darkneſſe, and if you regard the antitheſis; grace ſhould be called the work of light, but it is not called ſo; it is called the armour of light; not the garment, but the armour of light; now why is the oppoſition carried on ſo unevenly? it is (ſayes Luther) for this reaſon; ſinne is called a work of darkneſſe, not armour, to note that there is no force in it againſt the wrath of God; but grace it is called the …rmour of light, that as armour is for ornament and defence; ſo grace it is that which beautifies the ſoul, and keeps you from the wrath which is to come. I ſhall conclude this particular with that of the Apoſtle Paul, to be carnally minded is death, but to be ſpiritually minded is life and peace, there is peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, much profit to a man which walkes after the Spirits guidance here, but everlaſting life and happineſſe hereafter.