Chapter 3

CHAP. III.

Hence to descend more particularly to enquire 1. What influences are. 2. From where they come. 3. The necessity of influences. 4. How they are above us, and of the sovereignty of him who bestows them. 5. What we may do to fetch them.

Influences are acts of God concurring with created causes under him, and a sort of continued creation; as God of nothing makes all things, so in his providence he gives a day to all borrowed beings, in their being preserved by him, and they are the Lord's debtors, in being acted by him, or then they could not stir nor move.

The same free goodness (which is a sort of grace) which moved God to create the Sun and give it being, so also fits him to give influences to the motions and actings of the Sun; the end that moves the man to make the plough and the cart, moves him to draw the plough and drive the cart by beasts; so that in reference to the end, there is debitum quoddam connaturale, some connatural dueness of influences. All creatures are dead cyphers which signify nothing, except the influence of God add a figure to them; and they lie dead, if he stir them not. Some cows let not down their milk but to their own calves; and the creatures are as pictures and idols who let out no efficacy, no virtue, except the Lord act upon them. Sometimes the sea ebbs not, the wind blows not, the sun shines not, the fire burns not, because this influence is (as it were) the charm that is a-wanting, and he has a sort of a checklock upon all second causes.

Though God move and must act in all, in causes natural and free, so as, in some sense, he must concur in willing and nilling; yet he out of sovereignty of grace, stands more aloof in bestowing influences to gracious and supernatural nilling and willing, (for Predestination and free Election to glory here has place;) for that he prepared in his eternal decree; so many outlettings and emanations of free acts of grace to carry to glory so many selected angels and men, and denied these outgoings of free love to others, he intending they should be to angels and men, both their grace and song of praise; he has not given out such refined influences of free love to other creatures, to the motions of sun and moon to the sea's ebbing and flowing.

Q. What then is the fountain cause of gracious influences and breathings of the Spirit?

Ans. Sure, Jesus Christ must be the meritorious and fountain cause of such influences.

For 1. We suppose that Christ is the head of the elect Angels: God having purposed to save man of grace, he gave this mighty separating influence distinguishing the standing and elect Angels from the falling and reprobate Angels, else it cannot be said they are elect Angels, as (1 Timothy 5:21). Nor can their standing be of free grace (for they could not stand, except the Lord had chosen them to stand as the means; as he chose them to glory as to the end) except the Lord had joined his predeterminating acting to cause them to stand, and reconciled them (Colossians 1:20) to himself, giving to them medicinal confirming grace that they never should be sick. Now the elect Angels are the special messengers, and New Covenant officers, ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation (Hebrews 1:14). And the Angels (Ezekiel 1) are acted in all their motions by that Jehovah, whose glory Isaiah saw (Isaiah 6:1, 2, 3; John 12:37), of which Jehovah also Ezekiel 1, v. 28, as v. 12, "And the four living creatures went, every one straight forward: whither the Spirit was to go they went, and they turned not when they went." And also verse 20. They are then rightly called the Angels of the Lord Jesus (2 Thessalonians 1:7), for they cover their faces (it is no blushing for sin) and their feet with wings (Isaiah 6) while they stand before and see the face of their sovereign and high Master; and so it is clear that the actings of special and supernatural providence toward and about the redeemed Church come from Christ, as head of Angels, and as the heir of all things, who makes all things new (Hebrews 1:2, 3; Revelation 21:5), and who works with the Father (John 5:17) in a new-covenant providence to make new heavens and new earth, and to act all for the elect's sake (Colossians 1:16, 17). Yes, and this Spirit at whose direction the living creatures move and rest, come and go (Zechariah 1:12, 20), is the same spirit promised and sent by Christ (John 16:7, 13, 14), of which Christ, "he shall receive of mine and give it to you." By the influences of this Spirit sent by Christ, are the redeemed led (Romans 8:14), directed (Acts 16:6, 9, 10, 14), sealed and confirmed (Ephesians 4:30), having received the earnest of the Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:22), taught, guided, and the Word made effectual (John 16:13), convinced of sin, and thoroughly rebuked (verses 7, 8, 9), comforted (John 14:16), and the memory sanctified and quickened to remember necessary truths (John 14:26), and the whole man made able by the anointing for all things (1 John 2:20, 27). Hence these influences of grace are from the Spirit, not as from the third person of the blessed Trinity simply; for so the Spirit is the power of God, sometimes as Judge sitting, and by a judicial power, making tormenting convictions dreadfully effectual upon the consciences of devils (Matthew 8:29; Luke 4:34, 35), of which the chains of darkness may be a part (2 Peter 2:4; Jude v. 6); as also neither from the Spirit, as the power of God Creator (Job 26:13; Job 32:8) in making and governing all (Psalm 104:30); but from the Spirit, as the fruit and purchase of Christ's death and merits. And as saving grace is from Christ the fountain, so also the saving influences of Christ as Mediator, and of stirring us up to will and do (Philippians 2:13), and to stand and persevere in the state of grace, must be dispensed covenant ways (Jeremiah 32:3, 37, 38, 39, 40; Isaiah 59:20, 21; Isaiah 54:10, 11, 12) by his blood. So Christ speaks to the Spirit (Song of Solomon 4:16), "Stir up you North wind, come forth you South, blow upon my garden, that the spice thereof may flow out." Where Christ commands influences of the Spirit of the North and South wind, though of contrary qualities, of cold and heat, moist and dry; both in sharp rebukes, and sweet consolations, to fall upon his Church and garden; and it is his desire, as Spouse and Mediator, that the Spirit breathe upon, and make efficacious the word, otherwise there is but deadness (Ezekiel 37:9), "Come from the four winds, O wind, blow upon these slain, that they may live" (John 3:8). And the flowing of the spices, is the soul's being quickened, revived, comforted, and the graces increased by the breathings of the Spirit.

Hence 1. the fear that Christ shall be wanting in bestowing influences, (so do many weak ones) is a broken half faith, looking upon Christ as half a Savior; what? He that died to purchase the spirit, shall he not carry on the work of redemption, by applying it, and carrying on of what he has begun? Indeed among men, he who made the Ship by art, has neither art nor power to command wind and tide for sailing, for they are done by diverse powers, the one by a created, the other by an uncreated power; but here the same merit of blood which purchased grace habitual, did also make due and connatural (in its own kind) actual influences of saving grace to carry on the work. Hence a case of Christian and supernatural prudence, it is so to fear our own sinful weakness, and to be humbled and cast down for our propension to fall away, as to believe that constant and everlasting love shall work to will and to do to the end. Then 1. tormenting Popish fear, Ah I shall, I may fall away. (2.) And the weak practical doubting of this, it may be, I shall perish, I cannot stand out. And 3. the law, spirit of bondage, I cannot be saved, who am so sinfully weak and wicked, have all three this, in commune; an undervaluing of the power of the free love, and an overvaluing of the strength of corruption; as if wickedness, and he that in the world, were greater than he that is in these who are born of God (1 John 4:4), and stronger than grace. For its natural to be of that opinion, that grace works not irresistibly, prevailingly, and with all might, according to his glorious power (Colossians 1:11), and according to that [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] exceeding great power, by which he raised Christ from the dead (Ephesians 1:18, 19). And so while legally we distrust and fear our own weakness, we do unbelievingly doubt of the mighty power of grace, though we see it not. For to see unbelief, (it is so spiritual a sin) is almost to overcome it; among all sins it is most invisible, and best seen with the light of the Spirit. Faith sees well unbelief, but unbelief can neither see faith nor itself. 2. There is required of believers the exercise of faith, in laying hold on the promises of actual influences from Christ the Mediator. John 15:2. Every branch that bears fruit (in me, for that must be repeated) the Father purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit. He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit. Ephesians 1:3. Blessed be God, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places, in Christ; but to cause us will, and do, is a spiritual blessing. Ephesians 2:13. But now in Christ Jesus, you who sometimes were far off, are made near (not by redemption only, but actual believing) in the blood of Christ.

2. Ephesians 6:18. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, by the influences of that spirit, whom Christ sent in his own name (John 14:26).

3. If the spirit glorifies Christ by receiving of Christ, and showing it to Christ's own disciples (John 16:14), then all the influences of the spirit in acts gracious, when the spirit teaches, and brings to remembrance all things (John 14:26), convinces of sin (John 16:8), guides and leads (John 16:13; Romans 8:14), mortifies (Romans 8:13), quickens (Romans 8:10, 11), comforts, and seals, and confirms (John 14:16; Ephesians 4:30; 2 Corinthians 1:22), must be done by influences of the spirit, received from Christ. For (says Christ) He shall receive of mine. Hebrews 13:13. By Christ therefore let us offer to God the sacrifice of praise continually.

4. Also what we suit from God in the name of Christ, that we suit from Christ's merits and death. But we ask all which we ask in Christ's name (John 14:14; John 15:17), and therefore do obtain from God, for Christ's sake and the merits of his death, the inclining of the heart to his testimonies, to be led in his way, not to be led into temptations; to persevere to the end, to be taught his way. And if there were any grace, such as all gracious influences are, which comes not from Christ, in whom it is, and from whose fullness it is, it must be referred to another cause than to Christ.

5. All the promises are yea and amen in Christ (2 Corinthians 1), and so must the promise of perseverance be (Jeremiah 31:39, 40; Isaiah 54:10; Isaiah 59:21), and so the promise of influences of grace to persevere.

6. Christ's undertaking as High Priest, Advocate, and Intercessor, is to carry on, and perfect as Mediator, all that are given to him of the Father, and to lose none, but to raise them up at the last day, and to give them life eternal (John 17:1, 2, & 11, 12; John 6:37, 38, 39, 40; 1 Corinthians 1:7, 8; 1 John 2:1, 2; Hebrews 7:22, 23, 24, 25; Hebrews 9:13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28; Hebrews 10:10; John 14:16; Luke 22:31, 32; Revelation 8:3, 4, 5).

7. Christ as head by the influence of life and saving grace, acts upon all the members, by quickening them to will and to do (Ephesians 4:16; Ephesians 2:21, 22; Ephesians 1:21, 22; Ephesians 2:1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

8. Christ as King gives repentance and remission (Acts 5:31, 32), and therefore must he by that royal power give influences to acts of repentance and of faith.

9. As Prophet he opens the heart to understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:45; Acts 9:17), and so must give influences for that effect.

Hence are we to look for the watering of the garden of red wine every moment, from Christ the fountain of life, and to know that we should wither from the root, if Christ withdraw his influence; and so grace puts us under a necessity of grace, to carry on the work of salvation. 2. Yes, it is to believe Christ is but an imperfect and half a Savior, and wanting in his office, if we doubt he shall give influences to perfect to the end what he has begun; then branches out of Christ, and cut off from him, must wither. 1. Make sure union with the Vine-tree, if you would be sure of growing to the end. 2. Know the way to the well of life, be much with Christ, and lie, and be near to the well, if you would have influences every moment. 3. The most glorious and shining professors that are not in Christ, shall turn apostates; a plant above the earth, with borrowed earth on the top of a house, may grow for a short space, but shall wither. 4. Heathen influences from a Creator without Christ shall not bear you out; the virtues of Tully, of Seneca, Regulus, are of that nature that they may dry up. 5. Yes, weak believers, doubting that Christ shall give influences to work in you to will and to do, is 1. To question whether Christ shall faithfully acquit himself in the duty of his office; for by office he confers influences. 2. It is to question his nature, whether the Head shall enliven its members.