Influences of the Life of Grace, Part 1 · Chapter 9
CHAP. IX.
Of the Soveraignty of God in the works of Creation and Providence, in other conſiderations.
1. IN regard of the Lord's manner of working. 2. And of his end of working. 3. And of his omnipotent arm. 4. Of his holineſs, he could not in greater wiſedom have created things (for nothing can be added to infinite wiſedom and goodneſs) ſo infiniteneſſe was at the creating of a worm,Q. Whether, and in what ſenſe God can create things in better or worſe caſe. as at the creating of the Angel Gabriel: but in regard of things created, he could have made a more perfect world, then this and the Angel-nature, mans nature, the Sun, Birds, Beaſts of more excellency, as touching perfection both of nature and accidents, then theſe that now are; But here Soveraignty hath place.
2. The foot ſhould not complain, why made he not me the head? and the leaſt of. Stars, why made he me not the Sun? nor the Earth ſay out of the lump of poor Nothing out of the which I came, he might have made me the Globe of the Heaven of Heavens, or an Angel, but he would not.
3. Why made not God the firſt Adam as perfect as the ſecond Adam? a houſe that can ſtand alone, is better then an old houſe that needs aprop. O quarrel not, the Vine tree is a more noble plant then the thorn, and the one muſt be propped elſe it grows not. 2. The man Chriſt needs influences of graces as well, as another man. 3. The Angels and glorified Spirits need the like; Man a houſe of clay needs a pillar of excellent matter of the gold of free-grace to hold him up in his actings.
4. Why made he me not as holy as the man Chriſt? why was this man born blind? O ceaſe, he who gives not an account of any of his matters, when he made you a man might have made you a ſnake or a ſtone; he is debter, of two eyes, or of half an eye, of the loweſt gift or grace imaginable to no man; cloſe with all he does. That is an evil wit that diſputes with God; Submiſſion, ſilent ſubmiſſion to the hardeſt diſpenſation makes the child of God victorious; we are above all things in conquering, when we are below all things, in ſubmitting for the Lord.
2. Job or any anſwer, Job 38. 8. Who ſhut up the Sea with doors, as if it had iſſued out of the womb? Ver. 9. When I made the cloud the garments thereof, and thick darkneſs a ſwadling band for it. Job 26. 7. He ſtretcheth out the North over the empty place, and hangeth the Earth upon nothing; give a reaſon of Eaſt and Weſt.
3. The Lord puts forth Soveraignty on Jeroboam's arm to dry it up, on Mephiboſheth's feet, upon the mans eye-holes, Joh. 9. that they ſhould be empty of eyes, on Judas his bowels, on Job's body ſmitten with boyls, his outgoings of Soveraignty appear on the Fig-tree which he curſeth, on the Gourd of Jonah, for he blaſts it, on the Fig-tree and Vine-tree,1 Sam. 2. 7. Pſal. 75. 6. for he marrs them, Joel 1. 4. As it pleaſeth him he ſetteth one piece of clay on the Throne, to gliſter, another bit of clay behind the mill, where he ſweats and is hungry; Zeph. 3. 12. I will leave in the midſt thereof an afflicted and a poor people, or ſick; yea dryed up, as Fiſh-ponds and Brooks uſe to be when the reſt are ſwept away. Joſeph is rich and all the Corn of Egypt is his, and his brethren want bread, and are low like Carriers, driving horſes with loads on them.
5. Job gets no leave to ſwallow his ſpittle, Job 7. 19. Precious Iſrael is plowed, Pſal. 129. 1. and her back made a field of bloud; like two legs and a piece of an ear of a devoured ſheep, plucked out of the mouth of a Lion, Amos 3. 12. the man Chriſt a man of ſorrows and acquainted with grief, a worm and not a man; and all the Earth ſitteth ſtill and is at reſt, Zech. 1. 11. the wicked ſhine, are fat, their breaſts are full of milk; and you ſtumble at this, Shall any teach the Almighty knowledge, Job 21. 22, 23, 24. Amos 6. 1, 2, 3. Pſal. 73. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, &c.
6. Except Soveraignty, what can ſilence the mind of one who ſtumbles and doubts, and weeps, becauſe ſo many Infants are burnt in Sodom with fire, ſo many in the old World are drowned with waters in the mothers womb and the cradle, the young ſucking children of the Amalekites, & of Babylon, who never drew a ſword againſt the people of God, could never bow their knee to the Idol God Pel, nor ſtretch out their hands to him, periſh by the ſword, and their heads daſht againſt ſtones? O they were guilty of ſin original, yea and ſo were Moſes, David, Samuel, Noah, Job, and Daniel when they were in the womb and weeping on the breaſts.
7. Soveraignty determines what is juſt; righteous Abel dies in bloud, godly Joſiah in war, many bloody men ſmile out their ſoul in peace; I took Sodom away (ſaith the Lord, Ezech. 16. 50.) as I ſaw good; a wall falls upon twenty ſeven thouſand and kills them, 1 Kings 20. the Lord ſhoots an arrow of the Peſtilence at the camp of the Aſſyrians, and without a miſſe takes away, in one night, an hundred and fourſcore and five thouſand choſen men, Iſa. 37. 36. 2 Chro. 13, 18. there fell of Iſrael at once five hundered thouſand; how many graves muſt be there? Pharaoh and his Princes are drowned in the Sea, Herod killed with worms; then ſimple judgements as divided from ſin, prove nothing; but how are we to ſtoop and tremble at holy Soveraignty?
8. As touching gifts and graces much is to be ſeen of Soveraignty. Elihu ſaith, Job 32. 9. Great men are not always wiſe, neither do the aged underſtand judgement. Beautie is a debt that God ows not to pay to Abſalom; nor wiſedom to Achitophel more then to a ſtark fool, or to any man who is born as a wild Aſs colt. This Soveraignty gives faith to Abraham, to Moſes meekneſs, to David ſincerity, to Joſiah zeal, to Job patience, to the man Chriſt the fulneſs of the Spirit above meaſure; there is more grace of godly painfulneſs given to Paul then to the dayly eye-witneſſes of Chriſt; I laboured more abundantly then they all, 1 Cor. 15. you might have had wiſedom and uſed it, as Achitophel; and yet ſaith one, God hath given me no more grace, therefore let God blame God that I doe as I doe; if he had given me more grace, I would have done better: and if I had a heart according to the heart of God, I would have been as holy, ſincere, and zealous as David; but he denyed it to me, out of his abſolute Soveraignty, which is far above my will and my ſtrength, influences of grace both for the obtaining of the habits and the acts of Soveraign grace.
Anſ. Theſe practical Propoſitions are to be conſidered,The ſhift of complaining of want of influences is refuted. 1. Prop. 1. It is proud nature which ſaith, God is to be blamed; for whether the Lord give, or withhold more grace; holineſs and ſpotleſneſs doth eſſentially convey his Soveraignty. Matth. 20. 15. Is it not lawful for me to doe, what I will, with mine own, ſaith he who is Almighty; For he who is in an unſearchable way, above all law that binds the Creature, can be ſubject to no blame. Suppoſe the evil ſervant ſay, Matth. 25. 24. Lord, I knew thee, that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou haſt not ſown, and gathering where thou haſt not ſtrowed; That is, thou ſeekeſt much obedience, and a large harveſt, and ſoweſt upon my heart little grace, and gave me but one talent; if thou hadſt given me five talents, or two talents, I ſhould have done as well as the ſervant who received five or two: but thou didſt not any ſuch thing, therefore blame thy ſelf: and ſo it is the very complaint of the very malignant ſervant; as alſo the rich Gluttons divinity reflects upon the gracious diſpenſation of God, Luke 16. 30. Nay father Abraham, but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent; Which is, as much, as God is to be blamed, that his five brethren repent not; for he beſtows not ſufficient helps of ſalvation on them.
Q. 1. What is the book of Moſes and the Prophets but a paper roll of letters and ſyllables; would he ſend a Preacher from Hell, and a Meſſenger from Heaven to give them ſufficient warning and inſtruction of a Heaven and a Hell, it were good, but that he does not, he then is to be blamed; not my five brethren. 2. He who ſhews mercy on whom he will, and hardneth whom he will, and that by a ſtrong mighty will which no man can reſiſt, he can find fault with no man, though he ſin and harden his own heart; For his abſolute Soveraign will is far above me and my ſtrength; but ſo doth the Lord, ſaith the carnal man, Rom. 4. 18. 19. and the holy Ghoſt ſaith, ſuch an Objection is unworthy to be moved or anſwered; nor becomes it baſe clay and the clay pot ſo to argue with the great potter and former of all things.
2. Influences for getting of the habits or performing the acts of ſaving grace, are the Lord's own; therefore Soveraignty is his Law, he may beſtow them, or withhold them, as he pleaſeth; eſpecially if the Creature be willing to want theſe influences, and if the Sun rejoyce with all his heart at the influences and concurring providences of God to the contrary ſinful actings, as he doth; Exod. 5. 2, 8, 16, 17, 18. Pſal. 14. 4. Pſal. 10. 6, 7, 8. 4. 10, 11. Pſal. 36. 3, 4. Pſal. 84. 5, 6, 7, 8. Prov. 1. 11, 12. Prov. 2. 14. Prov. 4. 16. 17. Prov. 10. 23. Prov. 14. 9. Prov. 7. 18. Prov. 9. 17. Pſal. 49. 11. Luke 11. 39. Pſal. 5. 9. Pſal. 64. 6.
3. Though we could not conceal the Lord's concluding of all under unbelief, and their guiltineſs, who are ſo concluded, and the myſtery of the Lord's rejecting the Jews and calling the Gentiles, with the free obedience of the one and free diſobedience of the other, and the Lord's having mercy on whom he will, and hardning whom he will, with their willing running in ways of diſobedience and rebellion, and ſay as Paul, Rom. 11. 33. O the depth, &c. yet adverſaries have no cauſe of objecting this to us more then to the Scriptures of God.
4. Prop. Graceleſneſs is ſatisfied with graceleſneſs, and is no more deſirous and thirſty for grace nor darkneſs after the Sun light,Who ever flatteringly complain of the want of influences of grace, hate theſe influences. or coldneſs deſireth the fires heat; yea as Satan cannot deſtroy Satan, the body of ſin cannot love to be ſubdued by grace; and the man hating both Chriſt and his Father, John 15. 24. and pleaſing himſelf in that way, who yet complains that God doth withdraw his grace, and ſo cannot command us, or exhort us to repentance, is like to him who lies ſtill in the furnace, and loves to be burnt, and complains that he is ſcorched and tormented, and the Lord will not lift him out of the furnace.
5. What a proud Pelagian nature is this, for any to ſay had he the habit of grace which was in David, he could act as David, and could ſecure himſelf from adultery and murther; but how did David, who had David's heart, fall in theſe horrid crimes? can any interpoſe himſelf ſurety, and put grace which he hath not, or nature which he cannot command, to undertake to obey God in all things; were it not ſafer to be pained with the bondage of ſin, and be ſick for Chriſt and his grace, and never to interpoſe ſelf to be ſurety for ſelf, but to be ſtrong in free grace only, Epheſ. 6. 10.