Influences of the Life of Grace, Part 1 · Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
Gods acting influences. 2 His influences are in all creatures. 3 The ſweet ſafety of believers in poſſible calamities. 4 Our atheiſm in reading the Book of providence, &c.
1. THat there are ſtrong influences upon all cauſes from the Lord, may be evinced. 1 From the holy tongue; the Hebrews uſe the verb in hiphil noting a double action; when one cauſeth another to act, to note influences, Deut. 32. 39. I cauſe to die, and I cauſe to live. Hannah ſo ſings, 1 Sam. 2. 6. Jehovah cauſeth to die, and cauſeth to live; he cauſeth to goe down to the grave, and to come vp again; the Lord maketh poor, The Lords influences in all.and he maketh rich; he maketh low, and he maketh high; ſo the paſſive verb is uſed. Which perfection, in ſhort, is in that language above others, and when ſuch actions are aſcribed to God, they ſhew that God hath an influence and impulſion, as the firſt cauſe in all actions; the Scripture herein abounds. The Greek language comes ſhort of this, Joh. 5. 17. My Father, foreign worketh hitherto, & I work. And though he work all works in all creatures, yet in believers this is made true in Pauls ſenſe, Philipp. 2. Work out your ſalvation in fear and trembling. How? but we may miſcarry and fail. True, ſaith he, if you, you alone, without the influence of grace did the work; work out, verſ. 13. For its God who is the worker in you to will and work; alluding to the Hebrew word, he ſaith, foreign. how the connection is between our working and the effectual praedeterminating influences of God, is to us dark, but this argument of Paul ſaith they well agree, and he infers this theſis, they both phyſically and morally are to work out their ſalvation, in whom God both by the habit and actual influence of grace worketh to will and to doe, then muſt influences of grace ſo be at hand when the believers are to act, as they are no leſs under a precept, and a command to act, believe, pray, then the husband-man is under a command to plow in Summer, and to ſow, leſt he be poor; But the queſtion is de modo, how they are at hand, whither ſo as the free will of man may command, and have in its power the influences of God's grace, or the Lord by the dominion of his ſtrong influence, ſweetly and connaturally commands and hath in his power our free will, according to his good pleaſure; Sure its ſafer that nature be under grace and the dominion thereof, then grace be under nature, as it muſt be better Divinity that God reign, then man reign; more of this after; And that Jehovah be Lord of mans actings, then man be lord of Jehovah's ſoveraignity.
2. Beſide that, every being muſt be from the being of beings, and ſo every action natural or ſupernatural muſt be attended with ſutable influences from God; ſo the Scripture is clear,
That 1. God can ſerve a ſort of law-inhibition upon all creatures, that they act not; and what he takes from them, except the withdrawing of his own influences, we know not; Job 9. 7. He commandeth the Sun and it riſeth not, and ſealeth up the Stars. Pſal. 106. 9. He rebuked the red Sea alſo, and it was dried up. God, by the interpoſition of the faith of his own, will not have ſtrong walls to ſtand, Heb. 11. 30. but they muſt fall; nor Lions to eat the prey, Verſe 33. nor a violent fire to burn, nor the ſword to devour, 34.
As 2. They act at his command, Pſal. 78. 26. He cauſed the Eaſt wind to blow in the Heavens, and by his power he brought in the South wind; whether this be by a ſtrong terminating influence,Divers write, and aſſert, there is not ſuch a thing imaginable as the Lord's invincible predetermination of ſecond cauſes; but its but a ſimple denial of the concluſion. Let any man ſhow me how the Lord's ſoveraign dominion in procuring all the actings of Angels, and Men, and of natural cauſes to be, or not to be as pleaſeth the Soveraign Lord, who doth what he will in Heaven and Earth, can ſtand unhurt, (and ſtand it muſt) if ye remove the Lords inſuperable predeterminating thereof, or ſome act like this by which all muſt come to paſſe or not come to paſſe, as holy Soveraignity will, and I ſhall be ſilent; the arguments for his Dominion being anſwered according to Scripture and ſound reaſon diſp. Scholaſ. de providentia. Exercit. apolo. pro gratai divian. Chriſts dying and drawing. which diſpleaſeth adverſaries of grace and providence, or ſome other way, we contend not for words; but if the Scripture hold forth, as it doth, that the Lord by his ſtrong and invincible dominion doth indeclinably, and without any poſſible failing bring forth his decreed effect, ſome impulſion of God immanent, tranſient, or mixed, which is terminate upon all ſecond cauſes there muſt be; for as he can and doth hinder naturall cauſes to work, as the Sunne to move towards his downgoing, Joſh. 12. 13. Iſa. 38. 8. the Lyon to eat the man, whereas he did fear the aſs, 1 Kings 13. 28. ſo he is the father and cauſe of all things that fall out, Job 38. 28. Hath the rain a father, or who hath begotten the drops of dew? 29. Out of whoſe womb came the yce? and the hoary-froſt of Heaven, who hath gendered it? 31. Canſt thou bind the ſweet influences of the Pleiades? or looſe the bands of Orion? This teacheth that Job cannot, nor can any creature at his nod; but the Lord can, and he onelyonly binds up or lets out the influences of Pleiades, the ſtarres which riſe in the Spring, and bring forth flowers and hearbs; and orders the courſe of Orion which bringeth Winter; and order the ſtarres that riſe in the South, and in the North. 34. Canſt thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee? See his actings.
3. His influences are in things ſmall, as in the falling of a Sparrow to the earth; not one hair of the head but it is numbred by him, Luke 21. 18. Matth. 10. 29, 30, 31. Not a gourd groweth, nor a worm eats it, but at his command. Jonah. 4. 6, 7. Amos 4. 7, 8, 9. Joel 1. 1, 2, 3, 4. Pſal. 105. 29, 30, 31, 32, 33. &c. he hath an hand in the bird-neſts building. Pſal. 104. 17, 18. And
4. The actings of the Lord are in great things, as the tranſlation of Kingdoms, Dominions, and Thrones, Dan. 4. 32. Jer. 27. 5, 6, 7. In all the riſes and fallings of Princes, the Starres of whatever magnitude, Iſa. 40. 21. 1 Sam. 2. 7, 8. Pſalm. 76. 12.
5. His actings are in matter of lots that ſeem to be ruled by fortune and chance. Prov. 16. 33. Geneſ. 49. Deut. 33. compared with Joſh. 14. 1, 2, 3.
6. Eſpecially in bowing the free will, and determining all the actions of evil angels. 1 Kings 22. 21, 22, 23. Job 1. 6, 7, 8. Job 2. 1, 2, 3. Gen. 3. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Matth. 8. 29, 30, 31. and good, Luke 2. 9, 13. Matth. 28. 1, 2, 3. Acts 1. 20. 2 Theſ. 1. 7. leading and determining the free will of all men, the King, Prov. 21. 1. the Prince, Gen. 43. 13. Eſther 4. 16, 17. compared with Chap. 5. & 2. c. 7. 2, 3. he graciouſly enclines the will and hearts of men, Deut. 30. 6. Jer. 32. 39, 40. Ezek. 36. 27. as the Saints pray, Pſal. 119. 33, 34, 36, 88. Pſal. 86. 11. Cant. 1. & 4.
He hardneth the heart, and blinds the mind, as in his judgement he pleaſeth, Job 12. 16. Ezek. 14. 9. Exod. 14. 8. Deut. Infinite almoſt influences of God.2. 30. 2 Sam. 12. 11, 12. Eſay 6. 9, 10. Matth. 13. 14, 15. John 12. 37, 38, 39, 40. Rom. 1. 24, 25, 26, 27, 28. Rom. 11. 8. And many ſuch things are with him, the more ſpiritually minded any is, the more bent is the heart to follow and eye God in all his actings; and he ſhall ſee how wiſe in heart the ſteereſman is, who watcheth at the helm; and it ſhall appeare what precious thoughts take up the believer, who ſees ſuch millions and numberleſs numbers of influences with all the drops of rain, hail, dew falling between the creation and the diſſolving of the world: all which he binds in his garment, Prov. 30. 2. and what numbers of influences he joyns to all the blaſts of winds and ſtorms which he gathers in is fiſts, ibid. what influences of the Almighty muſt there be at all the actings, ſtirrings, and motions of Angels in Heaven, of damned ſpirits, of men, elect and reprobate, of birds, beaſts, creeping things, fiſhes, in the wiſe connection of all theſe with the Lords intended end?
And if this be obſerved, ſuppoſe the body of the Heavens, which in its wide boſome contains all, were broken and fell down in many thouſand pieces, Faith in the infinite wiſdome, goodneſſe and power of God will bid the believer be ſilent, and ſleep and hope within his own garment. God excellently rules all; the beſt of created things next to that precious thing Chriſt man, is the Church, and the Lord will ſpecially care for that, and for me among the reſt.
3. No doubt we are brutiſh and look to all the ſtirrings with much Atheiſme and little faith, as if all ſtirrings in Nature,We look not ſpiritually on influences. Societies and Kingdoms, were ſet on work by the ſway of Nature, and blind Fortune, without God, as a wheel rolling about with the mighty violence of a ſtrong arm, moves a long time, after the arm of the mover is removed: Or ſuppoſe a pair of Charet-wheels were letten looſe in the top of a huge Mountain, and ſhould move down ſome hundred thouſands of Millions of miles for hundreds of years after the man who ſet them firſt a work, were dead; So we fools believe that God gave a mighty ſtrong ſhake or ſome Omnipotent impulſion to all cauſes natural, free and contingent, to Heaven and Earth, Sea and Land, to all Creatures in them, Angels and Men, and did bid them be a going; for he muſt ſleep, and could not actually ſtir them any more. Nor can we ſee God in all, and that he contrived this, that one ſhould riſe early and eat the bread of ſorrow, and yet be poor: another ſhould be wiſe admirably, and want bread; another fight valiantly and be foiled, and a man run ſwiftly, and loſe the race. Pſal. 127. 1, 2, 3. Eccleſ. 9. 11. and that much ſowing, hath little reaping, Hag. 1. 6. for Hab. 2. 13. Behold is it not of the Lord of hoſts that the people ſhould labour in the very fire, and the people ſhall weary themſelves for very vanity? Chaldaea doth ſweat and pine her ſelf for the very wind and nothing: We ſee not that nature miſcarries and parts with child, when his good providence who rules all is not Mid-wife; and a barren-womb brings forth many births, and ſhe that is no Mother hath a rich iſſue, when ſoveraignity pleaſes; this is my faith and comfort.