The Way to Heaven Discovered, Religious treatise · Stumbling block 20
XX.
The twentieth ſtumbling block, is this, O ſir, I have no power to doe any of thoſe things which you have laid before me; is not God all in all? will you put the creature upon acting? doth not the Prophet J…remiah ſay, Jer. 10. 23. The way of man is not in himſelf, it is not in man that walketh to direct his ſteps. Doth not the Scripture ſay there is no power but of God? now ſure as you have laid before me my duty in all the forementioned things, lay now before me, or if you can, give unto me a power to doe the thing or things required, or elſe. I ſhall ſit ſtill and not attempt to goe over this ſtumbling block.
Anſ. Shall we make account that God is like unto Pharaoh, to command the full tale of brick, and give no ſtraw? No, farre be it from all men that have their eyes in their heads, to have ſuch hard thoughts of God, the juſt and righteous Lord God: to unfold this a little, let us conſider,
1. That there is no power but of God.
2. In a ſenſe warily underſtood, there is a power in every creature.
1. There is no power but of God, eſſentially, originally, or habitually.
2. There is a power in every creature, diſtributively, and virtually, by way of participation.
Now there is no power in any beneath God himſelf, eſſentially, and originally; in this ſenſe, all creatures are powerleſſe and ſtrengthleſſe: but then in the ſecond place, as God in whom all power is, hath impowered man, ſo farre man hath a power: and although this talent, or talents was given him by the Lord, and was the Lords; yet it being given man, it becomes his, and is called mans, and God at the laſt commends or condemns the party for improving, or not improving this power beſtowed on him, to ſpeak after the manner of men: let us then conſider, the moſt inconſiderable creatures, as the Swallow, the Piſmire, the Crane, and the Sparrow; all theſe have received a power from God, and hath God given no power to man, whom he hath made Lord of all theſe creatures? Man hath a great power over the beaſts; for man is a ſuperiour: but the beaſts themſelves have a great deal of power over the graſſe and hearbs, for the beaſt is the ſuperiour. In a word, if the Scriptures ſhall be our rule, and the Spirit our guide, and the glory of God our aime, then the Scripture holds forth a twofold power that is diſtributed or given forth to the creature: the firſt is common to all, the ſecond is proper only to ſome. The firſt is naturall, the ſecond is ſpirituall. The naturall power is given forth univerſally to every mothers ſonne and daughter of us, as one talent which we ought not to hide in a napkin: ſo Pilat had received power, as Chriſt tels him, Joh. 19. 10, 11. Again, have any of us done ſo much good, or refrained ſo much evill, as we might have done? See Heb. 5. 12. ſee Jer. 35. 6. 18, 19. Yea the worſt of all created creatures, the Devill himſelf hath a power: Firſt, he hath the power of conqueſt; for in Adams fall, Satan conquered the whole world, all mankinde, they were the Devils conqueſt upon the fall; ſo that when a man is converted, then he is ſaid to come out of the Kingdome of Satan; but ſince this head doth begin to be bruiſed, he cannot doe all things without leave. There was a ſpeciall temptation upon the countrey in his running their heard of ſwine into the ſea, and he had leave for that before he did it: there was a ſpeciall temptation upon Ahab in the lying ſpirit of the Prophets, and he had a ſpeciall leave and permiſſion from God: there was a ſpeciall temptation coming down upon the Diſciples, and he would have had leave for that; Simon, Simon, Satan hath deſired you: he was fain to aske leave, before he can execute his power; he is called in Scripture, The Prince of the power of the aire; the ſame words that are given unto God for good in Scripture, are given alſo unto Satan for evill, the Holy Ghoſt is ſaid to enlighten a man, Satan is ſaid for to blinde him; The god of this world hath blinded their eyes, ſaith the Apoſtle: the Spirit is ſaid to rule in us, Satan is ſaid to rule in the children of diſobedience: the Holy Ghoſt is ſaid to work in us mightily; the ſame word is uſed for him; alſo the Holy Ghoſt is ſaid to fill the hearts of beleevers, they were filled with the Holy Ghoſt; ſo are mens hearts ſaid to be filled with Satan. Sayes Peter to Ananias, Why hath Satan filled thine heart? Now doth God impower Fowls, and Fiſhes, and Beaſts of the earth, and every one to act in his kinde, and is man left powerleſſe? Nay, hath the Devill himſelf a power, and man none? this is the errour of men, not the language of the Scripture; for the Lord is ſo juſt, and his waies ſo equall, that he never requires impoſſible things of his creatures: Only take notice of this by the way, although I doe affirme that all men have a naturall power, yet I doe not ſay that every man naturally hath it in the ſame meaſure; neither doe I ſay or affirme that naturall power can act in ſupernaturall things, no more then a bird can live in the ſea, or a fiſh in the air. See Rom. 1. 19, 20.
2. There is a ſpirituall power, and this is not given forth to all univerſally, as the other is, but only to thoſe that are new born: by this power according to the meaſure of the gift of Chriſt, they can pray in the Spirit, rejoyce in the Spirit, and worſhip God in the Spirit; by this power they pull down ſtrong houſes, and caſt down imaginations, by this power they can keep down their corruptible body, as Paul, 2 Cor. 9. 27.
Now if any body ſhould ſay, that a new creature hath no ſpirituall power, I will aske him, to what end is there ſo many precepts, exhortations, and perſwaſions to theſe people? If no power in theſe men (ceaſe to teach man) as good goe teach the Sunne, Moon and Stars which way they ſhall goe, the winde to blow, or the ſea to ebbe and flow; goe teach the fiſh to ſwim, the bird to flie; for they have power, but by their opinion, man hath none: and indeed if man ſpiritually ſhould have no power to act, goe and raſe out theſe and the like enſuing Scriptures, as requiring that of man, which he hath no power to doe, Luk. 13. 24. Rom. 15. 30. Heb. 12. 4. Heb. 12. 1. & 2 Pet. 1. 5, 6, 7. & 2 Pet. 1. 10. Phil. 2. 12. Jer. 4. 14. Mat. 11. 28. Jer. 3. 13. Let no man therefore ſay, that he hath no power in any ſenſe, leſt he make God the author of all his omiſſions, which ſhould be charged upon the creature, not upon the Creator; for he gives to every man ſome talent, or talents, (as to ſome worldly and naturall talents, as wiſdome, wealth, and art, &c.) and to others ſpirituall talents or gifts, as to propheſie, interpret, work miracles, &c. Queſtionleſſe there is no man that improves his talent ſo well as he ought and might improve it: and God may, upon the non-improvement of what we have, deny us more, and where he finds us faithleſſe in a little, it's but meet that he ſhould deny us much: alſo God may very juſtly damn men for not improving what he gives them, and call them to an account as a Lord doth his faithleſſe and unprofitable ſervant and ſteward; therefore the very Heathens that had but the very light of nature, will be inexcuſable at the day of Judgement, for not walking and acting according to that light and inſtinct in them, though they never heard Scripture, Law, nor Goſpell. So that to ſinne againſt the law of nature onelyonly, is enough to damn men: if the improving of the law of nature is not ſufficient to ſave men, for there is a knowledge of Chriſt, faith in him, obedience to him, required as abſolutely neceſſary to ſalvation, Joh. 17. 3. Joh. 3. 36. 8. 24. Pſal. 2. 12. Luk. 19. 27. So that election and reprobation, are not in any ſenſe, cauſes of ſalvation and damnation, but Chriſt is the proper and meritorious cauſe of ſalvation, and ſin the proper and meritorious cauſe of damnation; ſo that election and reprobation, they are but precedent acts or decrees, and the cauſes of ſalvation and damnation, they come in between the decrees and the execution thereof. So then if we conſider men in themſelves, and without Chriſt, they are dead in their ſins, without any ſpirituall ſtrength, and having neither will nor ſpirituall power, neither in themſelves, nor of themſelves either to beleeve, or to doe any good work from any true principle, or for any good end; therefore Gods grace prepareth us before we can be able, and worketh in us that we may be able: nay, the Lord doth work all our works in (or for) us, as well after beleeving, as before beleeving. Take a man that is quickned, inlightned, converted, and impowered by the Spirit of God in the inward man, this man hath need of a continuall ſupply, Phil. 1. 19. of the Spirit of God, of renewed ſtrength; for we read of Peter, that he reſted upon ſome old received ſtrength, and ſo fals before a new temptation. So again Paul, I can doe all things through Chriſt enabling me; he knew he muſt not reſt upon what he was inabled to doe, but expect a continuall enabling by the ſame Spirit that at firſt enabled him, Eph. 6. 10. Be ſtrong in the Lord: that is, be ye ſtrengthned daily more and more by the power of the Lord; that is, be ye encouraged to doe the thing required of the Lord by that union ye have with him, by faith drawing from him, all the ſtrength ye ſtand in need of.
1. Conſider thou haſt a power already given thee, by which thou art able to doe the thing required.
2. Or elſe with the command the Lord conveyes a power to inable thee to do the thing commanded.
Thirdly, when thou lookeſt upon the command on thy left hand, then look upon the promiſes on thy right hand, wherein the Lord God hath promiſed to inable thee, and not, not, not faile thee, nor, nor forſake thee, Heb. 13. 5. It is obſerved that there are five Negatives in theſe words, although our Tranſlation doth expreſſe but one: but for more carefull practiſing, doing and obſerving all the commands of our God, conſider theſe few things as incouragements.
1. He requires no more of us then he hath inabled us to doe, (or at leaſt promiſed to inable us to doe.)
2. For our encouragement, he hath promiſed to reward us for doing our duty, ſo that to every precept there are two Promiſes; the one to reward us, the other to inable us, and both to encourage us.
And in caſe of ſlothfulneſſe, and negligence, in leaving undone what we ought and might have done: Firſt he complains on us, Secondly he exhorts us, Thirdly he threatens us, Fourthly he tells us that he did put a prize into our hands, but we, like fools, had no heart to it; and ſo our cloudings, eclipſings, miſ-givings▪ and doubtings, are but the effects of our negligence. See Iſa. 59. 2. Iſa. 1. 15. Jer. 5. 25. Pſal. 107. 17. 34. The Lord doth proteſt we are not ſtraitned in him, he is not wanting to us, what could I, ſaith the Lord, have done more for my Vineyard? Iſa. 5. 4. And when I looked for Grapes it brought forth wilde Grapes: wherefore judge, are not my wayes equall, and yours unequall? Heare O Heavens, and give eare O Earth, be aſtoniſhed, I have furniſhed a people with ſtrength to obey me, and they have rebelled againſt me: What, will no man believe me? did I ever ſay, ſeeke mee in vaine? did not your Fathers truſt in me, and were ſaved? are not my wayes equall, and yours unequall? do I reap where I have not ſown? do I require much where I have given little? is not my promiſe before you, and my preſence with you? is not my bleſſing upon you, and my Angels guarding you? doſt thou want ſtrength? ask of me; doſt thou want wiſdome? ask of me. Have not I ſaid in my Word that I do give liberally and upbraide not? have I not ſaid I will withhold no good thing from thee? and have I not promiſed to work faith in thee, and proteſted I will never faile, nor forſake thee? Why doſt thou not take hold of my Covenant, and aſſure thy ſelf I will never faile thee?
The ſoul having all its ſtumbling-blocks removed, it begins to clear up and ſolace it ſelf in the apprehenſion of Chriſt, and application of his promiſes, and ſo breaks forth into theſe or the like words, Ever bleſſed be the name of God that hath removed theſe terrible ſtumbling-blocks that lay in my way; now I ſee that I never ſaw, now I know that I never knew, he hath anoynted mine eyes, he hath ſcattered all my doubts, he is my God, and I will prepare him a habitation in my ſoule, and the chiefeſt roome in my heart: God told Moſes he could not ſee his face and live: If I cannot ſee his face and live, then let me dye, that I may behold him as he is, and have full injoyment of him; O I am ſick for the love of him, that dyed for the love of me; I was ignorant as a beaſt before him, but now I know him and have experience of him, he hath avouched himſelfe to be mine, and I have avouched my ſelfe to be his; Jacobs life was bound up in Benjamins, but my ſoule is bound up in the bundle of life with the Lord my God, ſo that for me to live is Chriſt, and to dye is gaine, he hath overcome me with his love, he hath made knowne his minde to me, in removing theſe ſtumbling-blocks from me, I am overcome with admiration, and repleniſhed with exceeding conſolation.