Influences of the Life of Grace, Part 2 · Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
The ſecond particular of fetching influences is by ſupernatural actings by the word and ſpirit. 1. Its a queſtion whether juſtified ones perform any moral actions without any influence of the habit of grace. 1. Some heat and warmneſs may ariſe materially from actings in duties though cuſtomary, formal, dead. 3. The exerciſes of ſpiritual actions are the beſt preparations for ſpiritual actions. 4. Influences of grace oyl the wheels of the ſoul for more ſpiritual acting. 5. Natural and literal actings, though void of grace, becauſe they are ſome way under the inſtitution of a divine command are nearer to ſaving actings of grace, then the contraries of theſe actions are. 6. A practiſe of free grace in the Lord, is to be differenced from a promiſe of grace. 7. How the Lord is under a neceſſity of giving influences.
THere be ſome actings even in renewed men,How to fetch influences. partly from the Spirit, partly from nature, cuſtome or formality. The queſtion is thus framed, becauſe it is a diſputable queſtion; Whether juſtified ones doe any actions morally good from an only principle natural, without any influence of the indwelling ſpirit at all, ſince their ſins, after their being in Chriſt, are not committed with the full benſil of the will; for the Spirit in ſome meaſure retards and weakens the motion of the fleſh, Rom. 7. and the habit of ſin original is weakned and remitted or ſlacked in its ſtrength in the regenerate; and therefore it would ſeem, if the ſpirit do weaken, retard and blunt the actions of the fleſh, that far more there is in all moral actions that are good morally, ſome influence of the Spirit leſs or more. So the Queſtion is, whether or no the children of God may ſafely ſet to work, though their actions proceed from conſcience, natural power, cuſtome or a meer office, with little influence of habitual grace, to works of grace that they may fetch influences of grace.
1.The Spirit of grace hath his own influence in actions which the regenerate perform out of cuſtome and formality at leaſt in the progreſs of theſe actions. Its not unlike it may be ſo for the godly who went to the morning and evening prayers and ſacrifices, as is clear, Pſal. 141. 2. Acts 3. 1. Luke 1. 8, 9. might go about theſe duties ſometime upon meer cuſtome (and the children of God who know their own backdrawing hearts ſhall not denie this) and they may pray from a natural conſcience, and not ſo much as is required, and otherwiſe they do mind the duty as an Ordinance of God, and yet be inflamed with ſpiritual duties ere they end; this is confirmed by family praying at ſet times; ſo may a Paſtor by neceſſity of his office, preach and pray at the beginning with much deadneſs and coldneſs, and more then an ordinary ſtraitning of ſpirit, and yet a fire flaught of a heavenly kindling falls upon the ſpirit before the work be ended. Any who believes that the wind blows where it liſts, and that the influences of the ſpirit are various as touching their degrees may ſee the truth of this.
2. The children of God appear dead, cold, and unbelievingly to complain in the beginning of praying, and of a Pſalm, as is clear in David, Pſal. 22. 2. exponing that of him (as ſome verity it hath in ſome points of him, v. 2.) and in Ezekiah in his ſong, Iſa. 39. 10. in Jonah 2. 1, 2, 3. and in the ſame David, Pſal. 6. Pſal. 38. in the Church, Pſal. 77. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, &c. in the afflicted ſoul, Pſal. 102. 1, 2, 3, 4. and yet there is confidence of believing, triumphing, rejoycing in God and praiſing, ere the Prayer and Pſalm be ended.
3. The prayers of the children of God, Pſal. 22. Pſ. 6. Pſ. 38. Pſal. 116. Habak. 1. 12. of Heman, Pſal. 88. of Ezekiah, Iſa. 38. of Jonah. c. 2. of Moſes, Pſal. &c. of the Church, Pſal. 102. Pſal. 89. hold forth to us admirable variety of up-lifting and down-caſting, of joy, of believing, of ſinking and doubting, of hoping, and legal fretting, ſtrong ebbing and flowing of faith, and fainting, of light and darkneſſe; as Pſal. 22. 2. O my God, I cry by day, and thou heareſt not; and in the night ſeaſon, I am not ſilent; yet ariſing, ver. 3. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabiteſt the praiſes of Iſrael! Ver. 4. Our fathers truſted in thee; they truſted and thou didſt deliver them, &c. And again, ſome fainting is in that, v. 6. But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men and deſpiſed of the people. Ver. 7. All they that ſee me, laugh me to ſcorn, &c. At leaſt this might brangle the faith of a ſinful man, ſuch as David; And again, there is a riſing, v. 9, 10. But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didſt make me hope when I was on my mothers breſt, &c. So is there Pſal. 102. fainting, ver. 3. My bones are conſumed like ſmoke: and my bones are burnt as an hearth. Ver. 4. My heart is ſmitten and withered like graſs. And ver. 12. there is a riſing of faith; But thou, O Lord, ſhalt endure for ever; and thy remembrance to all generations. Ver. 13. Thou ſhalt ariſe and have mercy upon Sion. Pſal. 77. 4. Thou holdeſt mine eyes waking; I am ſo troubled that I cannot ſpeak. Ver. 7. Will the Lord caſt off for ever? Its low enough now, and yet how doth the Church lift up her head? Ver. 13. Thy way, O God, is in the ſanctuary; who is ſo great a Lord, as our God? So Lam. 1. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 7, 8, &c. compared with ver. 2, 22, 23. in which actings under unbelief and cuſtomary formality with ſome glimmering of fainting faith eying the command of God, in the darkneſſe, when there is no light, Iſa. 60. 10, 11, &c. there go along ſome farther actings of the ſpirit: not that we think there is any truth of that of the School-men; To him who doth what he can, by the ſtrength of nature, God denies not helps and influences of grace. Yet in theſe we ſee God comes along with his influences.
But if we ſay 4. That there are in the renewed child of God, ſome ſtirrings of the ſpirit in all theſe acts, we go about under deadneſs, then one act of praying, and the influence of grace makes way phyſically to another, and that to a third; for to ſay nothing of the promiſe, To him that hath it ſhall be given, (of which hereafter) I do but provoke to the experience of the Saints, if here the ſecond pull of prayer be not ſtronger then the firſt, and the third then the ſecond, and the fourth above the third; for when the wheels are a going, the Organs of the ſpirit do not weary: And there is a reſerve of freſh ſtrength and a ſtronger recruit, and ſupply in Jacobs wreſtling until the dawning reſerved, and more ſtrength of heavenly violence to prevail with God, then in his wreſtling all the night, Gen. 32. 26. Let me go (ſaith the Angel of the Covenant, Chriſt) for the day breaketh: And he ſaid, I will not let thee go, except thou bleſſe me. 28. As a Prince thou haſt power with God, ſaith the Lord to him. And we ſee one throwing about of the key when the lock of the door is ruſted, maketh the ſecond throwing obout more eaſie, and the third throw does yet more, and the ſeventh or the tenth throw makes the paſſage of the iron bolt yet moſt eaſie, and the door at length, with little violence, is opened, when now the ruſt and ſtraitneſſe is removed: And a flaming of the fire prevailing over a dry tree, makes eaſie way to a ſecond flaming, and that to a third, and ſo to all the reſt, till the timber be conſumed, and the fire be fully victorious. Believing adds to believing; praying begets more praying; and we ſee motion breeds warmneſſe, and that ſtronger motion, and cold hearts that are dead, and almoſt frozen, by one ſmiting of influences grow hotter, and by two or three or ſeven actings of the ſpirit, grow yet hotter, and yet more …ot. And there is ſomething in that Cant. 6. 11. I went down to the garden of nuts. 12. Or ever I was aware, my ſoul made me like the chariot of Aminadab, or of my wil…ing people. There is ſome ſtiffneſſe upon the living man when he firſt begins to move, but a little motion makes him more agile. Dr. Preſton may aim at the like truth.2. Sermon on Pray continually, pag. 35. If a man (ſaith he) were to run a race, if he were to doe any bodily exerciſe, there muſt be ſtrength of body, he muſt be fed well, that he may have ability; but the uſe of the very exerciſe it ſelf, the very particular act, which is of the ſame kinde with the exerciſe, is the beſt thing to fit him for it. So in this dutie of prayer; it's true, to be ſtrong in the inner man, to have much knowledge, to have much grace, makes a man fit and able for the duty: But if you ſpeak of the immediate preparation for it, I ſay, the beſt way to prepare us for it, is the very duty it ſelf, as all actions of the ſame kind increaſe the habits, ſo prayer makes us fit for prayer: and that is a rule. The way to godlineſſe is the compaſs of godlineſſe it ſelf; that is, the way to grow in grace, is the exerciſe of that grace. I wiſh this man of God, and others more experienced then I, had ſaid more of this unknown ſubject; and that the Lord would ſit builders in both Kingdomes to draw up a body of Theologia practica, that Divinity were more in our hearts, its too much in the heads of many; only I ſpeak here of preparation to receive influences, D. Preſton of the preparation to duties, to praying under indiſpoſition. But I would not be underſtood ſo, as if I thought acts of influences, which are acts of Omnipotency, might be ſharpened and facilitated by our actings; Only my meaning is that the paſſive capacity of the ſoul may be widened and enlarged to receive ſhowres of quickening influences from the Lord by frequent acts. Experience, in my weak apprehenſion, may ſpeak influence of grace oyls the wheels of the ſoul. Prov. 1. 5. A wiſe man will hear, and encreaſe learning: and a man of underſtanding, ſhall attain unto wiſe counſels. We grow hot, like hot iron redded in the fire, by praying, and are ſoftned and macerated like dry and parched ground, by frequent ſhowres; and though the heart be frozen and cold, when we begin to duties of praying, praiſing, meditating, conferring of the word, hearing, yet incaleſcimus, we grow warm by acting: the riſing of the Sun cauſeth the Ice to drop off the houſes. Its a naughty heart that is in the ſame caſe after frequent prayer, that it was in before; It ſays that the man hath been ſweating at the letter and bark of the duty; little of the bark or letter of the duty takes glewing with the heart, but hardly can the grace of the duty go along with the heart, but there is much that cleaves to the heart; ſo that influences thaw the heart. Luke 24. 32. Did not (ſay the Diſciples) our hearts burn within us while he talked with us by the way, and while the opened to us the Scriptures? Cant. 1. 4. When the King brought me into his chambers: we will be glad & rejoyce in thee, and remember thy love more then wine. Sure when the influences of Chriſt are fiery and live coals, it is no wonder they leave lively warmings upon the heart. Cant. 4. 16. Awake, O North wind, and come thou South, and blow vponupon my garden that the ſpices thereof may flow out. It muſt be a ſpeech to the Spirit to breath upon the Saints that they may ſmel and flow more in the actings of the ſpirit. Pſal. 119. 32. I ſhall run the ways of thy Commandments, when thou ſhalt enlarge my heart. Running ſpeaks more of a ſpiritual capacity to receive drawing influences either actual or habitual; and the enlarging notes ſtraitning, and that influences find us dead and bring vigourouſneſs with them.
Though in this or that act of breathing there ſhine abſolute liberty; for who hired the Lord to moiſten the withered tree? yet there is place for that Queſtion, Whether the Lord hath not brought himſelf under a holy neceſſity of giving influences? to which its anſwered in theſe.
1. As there is a neceſſity of a Decree relating to means and end,How the Lord brings himſelf under a ſort of neceſſity of conferring gracious influences. ſo is there a neceſſity of a promiſe, as to the former. The Lord created the firſt Vine-tree, and the firſt Roſe, and they ſeeded and brought forth other Roſes and Vine-trees; the Lord firſt prevenes ſavingly the dead ſinner & by an infuſed habit (as we ſhall hear) puts the ſinner under an obligation to duties, and puts himſelf, becauſe of his intended end, to ſave loſt ſinners (as it were) under an obligation of beſtowing influences of grace, (though in another conſideration they be given through ſoveraignty of grace) becauſe his holy decree carries him not to be wanting to his own ſeed, nor to forſake the work of his hands. Nature giving hunger, and the holy and ſupreme Lord of nature giving appetite to eat and drink, gives us alſo a power of concoction. The Bird by an intended end lays one ſtraw and one feather in the neſt, and ſo it muſt lay another and a third and a fourth; for the Lord of nature intends a compleat houſe for the Eggs and the young birds: and in like manner the Lord of grace hath a deſign of grace in his heart to bring many ſons to glory. And he muſt upon the like intention proceed, to make the ſeed a tree; but firſt he muſt make it a plant, and ripen the grape and boyl it more with the heat of the Sun, until he make it ripe for the wine-preſſe and the fat: So muſt he add influences dayly of free grace for the perfecting of the work he hath begun, in his holy decree as well as in the execution, until he perfect it unto the day of the Lord Jeſus.
But 2.A practiſe of grace, and a promiſe of grace in God. There is need to diſtinguiſh betwixt a practiſe of free grace in the Lord, (ſome call it half a promiſe) & a promiſe of free grace: And theſe muſt be cleared. As to the former; the Lord doth many things of meer grace relating to his free goodneſs. 2. To his free decree of grace. 3. To his holy order of working, which he hath not promiſed to do: As of his free goodneſs, he creates the world, he feeds the Ravens, he preſerves wicked Sodom from the ſword, and curſed Cham from being drowned, when the whole world in godly Noah's time periſhed in the waters; yet hath he engaged himſelf by promiſe to none of his creatures, Angels or Men that he ſhall create the World, that he ſhall feed the Ravens, that he ſhall preſerve Sodom.
2. According to his free decree of grace he intends from eternity to ſave Jacob; For he loved him, before he had done good or evil; and he ordains all the choſen to life eternal. But becauſe he decrees to bring Jacob and ſuch to glory, it follows not that he engaged by promiſe becauſe of his eternal decree, to bring Jacob to glory, except we ſhould ſay what ever God decrees to doe, that alſo he promiſes to doe; which were not good divinity.
3. As to his order of working; the Lord ordinarily from much labouring and painful ſowing brings a rich harveſt; from careful watching he makes a ſafe City; Yet there is not any promiſe in the word that from the ſimply careful uſe of means, the deſired end ſhall follow; for the City is often well watched, and yet ſurprized: ſome ſow much, and reap little, Pſal. 127. 1, 2. Hag. 1. 6, 9.
Yet is there a practiſe of free grace in this order;A Conſiderable difference betwixt the Lord's promiſe of grace and his practiſe o… grace. that the blind men cry, Son of David, have mercy on us; (yet they poſſiby intend only by the way ſide to beg) and Chriſt of free grace gives them ſeeing eyes. There is no promiſe of grace that Chriſt ſhall heal all blind men begging by the way, who ſhall pray to the Son of David for ſeeing eyes, or that the Lord Jeſus who is as mighty now as ever, ſhall ſend out influences to heal all the blind ſo crying: for ſeeing eyes the Eunuch reads Acts 8. the Lord falls on him, with influences of grace to reveal Chriſt in a ſaving manner, to him; not becauſe he reads, or becauſe there is a promiſe made to ſave all who read the word. Upon ſinful ends, the multitude, Acts 2. come to hear the word; their intention of hearing, being mocking enemies, was naught; Yet by a practiſe of grace, not by any promiſe of grace they are converted. Now in this it may be ſaid, that the natural yea and faithleſs uſe of means hath ſome influence ex natura rei upon the effect, not by promiſe, yet by the decree of God; and ſo by no merit, becauſe by no promiſe (for another merit, then what is founded upon free promiſe, and not upon the worth and condignity of work and wages, I hope never to acknowledge, by his grace, whom I deſire to be my inward teacher) and to me reading, hearing, uſe of means, have a material influence as to the practiſe, not to the promiſe of grace; For according to the Philoſophy I learned; ſix is materially a number nearer of blood and kindred to eight, then four is; yet ſix and eight are numbers in ſpece and nature no leſs different then eight and four, or then eight and two which are materially farther different then ſix and eight, which are different only by two. So the Embrio before life, and the birth now quickened by life differ in nature and ſpece, as living and not living differ: Yet the Embrio the ſhaped organized body void of life is materially nearer to a living birth, then the ſeed is to a living birth. So I ſhall never teach that hearing, reading, literal conſidering of the weight of reaſons in the Goſpel from Heaven, from the beauty and preciouſneſs of Chriſt,Civil profeſſors are nearer to converſion and to Chriſt then the openly profane and flagitious, and how they are alſo farther diſtant. the excellency of free grace, the happy condition of a communion with the Father and the Son Jeſus Chriſt, the ſweetneſs of the love of Chriſt, the torment of Hell, though there be no acting of grace mixed therewith, are unprofitable and hinder us from cloſing with Chriſt, and that they confer not ſome influence (materially) of help in promoving towards Chriſt; What theſe truſted in may doe as in another thing. Hence though there be no promiſe, no moral connection betwixt ſimple uſing of means and influences of Chriſt, for ſaving grace and the incoming of the new creation into the ſoul; yet comparatively a connection there is, in this ſenſe.
1. As painful tilling, ſowing and labouring is nearer to a plentiful harveſt then lazy ſleeping in Summer; ſo diſcretion and moral walking in the Commandments of God, by which the man is not far from the Kingdom of Heaven, and nearer to it, is nearer to converſion then the godleſſe and ſlagitious converſation of a diſſolute wretch; as he, who is at a diſtance from a City, by twenty miles only, is nearer to the City, then he who is diſtant a hundred miles from it; though both be diſtant from it, and the one formally is out of the City as well as the other; this is a wily compariſon. I aſſert no preparatory diſpoſitions to converſion, as Papiſts and Arminians teach.
2. The man yet unplowed and never broken by the Law, ſtanding in a whole condition, not caring for, nor either needing, or valuing Jeſus Chriſt is farther from ſhowers of ſaving influences, then the law-humbled & law-broken ſinner, who, though he be but half ſick, like the woman with child, who is under raw and far-off ſhowres of child-birth pain, not yet, by ſome weeks, near her time, needs not yet the help of the midwife, yet looks a far off to child-birth pain.
3. Out of all queſtion the proud gallant that feareth neither God nor reverenceth man, and hath laid Atheiſtically his count and fixed his thoughts concerning Heaven and Hell, hath ſomething more to doe, before Chriſt rain ſalvation on him, then he who prays, hears, gives almes, whores not, roars not, blaſphemes not; for he hath fewer miles between him and Chriſt's influences.
4. Therefore though the natural man cannot pray in faith, and the renewed man under a ſad and deep deadneſs, can doe little or nothing, yet literal and natural acting at praying is not only better then nothing, but is by way of command in genere mandati divini, External uſe of means is to be gone about, as nearer to converſion then no uſe of means, or extreme prophaneneſs.more near to praying in faith and fervour then either blaſpheming, or no praying at all; even as literal and natural heat is nearer to ſpiritual and ſupernatural heat, then extreme coldneſſe; and as fire-heat is nearer to life-heat or vital warmneſs (for it may and doth often cheriſh and nouriſh vital heat) then Ice-coldneſſe; though as touching the nature and kind, fire-heat and vital heat may well be thought to differ in ſpece and nature, and all the fire-heat on Earth cannot reſtore vital heat to a dead man; and all the ſweet moral qualifications, diſcretion, natural zeal, civil vertues in their ſummer greenneſſe cannot put a man in a ſpiritual capacity to receive divine and ſupernatural influences; yea, many carry ſuch bewitching luſters to hell with them, and never promove a whit farther then to the ſtate of a civil convert, a ſaint of Satan, and die ſo; and by accident civil ſaints are a huge way farther from Chriſt, then robbers. Its true, ſome of our Divines have ſaid natural preparations are hurtful, deſtructive and noxious to converſion. I wiſh they ſpeak not ſo; their meaning is as they are truſted in, & men are by aſſed by them, praying in the ſtreets & giving of alms with ſound of Trumpet ſo circumſtantiated in regard of, 1. The ſubject, proud Phariſees. 2. In regard of the end, to be ſeen of men, not to glorifie the Lord. 3. In regard of the manner, as ſelf-righteouſneſs truſted in, to the loathing of Chriſt, are deſtructive to ſincere praying in faith and humble feeling, and to true and ſincere acts of charity. But we ſpeak of the acts commanded as to their ſubſtance; God highly is provoked at diſobedience, when men will not put their finger to a duty: and no doubt hypocriſie, in the manner of doing duties, deadens the heart, and makes the ſoul unfit to receive influences; But this hinders not but the unrenewed man, and the deadned convert, are to blow the fire, and to go about duties, and to fetch the wind in their kind, and to caſt aboard and turne about, that they may ſayl and fetch the harbour; Yea, and if there be not fire in the ſhip, without doubt the ſtriking of ſteel and flint may make fire. If a dead child of God cannot pray, cannot preach, cannot believe, he is to ſay and take with him words, Lord, I cannot pray, I cannot preach, I cannot believe: Nor in all theſe is any thing ſaid againſt theſe two, 1. The rebukings of ſuch as are in a dead ſtate. 2. The promiſes of more grace to ſuch as uſe well what they have: of both theſe in the following Chapter. And all theſe ſome way ripen us for gracious influences.