Chapter 3

CHAP. III.

The second particular of fetching influences is by supernatural actings by the word and spirit. 1. It's 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 oil 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, than the contraries of these actions are. 6. A practice 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, partly from the Spirit, partly from nature, custom or formality. The question is thus framed, because it is a disputable question; whether justified ones do 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 (Romans 7), and the habit of sin original is weakened and remitted or slacked in its strength in the regenerate; and therefore it would seem, if the Spirit does 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, custom or a mere office, with little influence of habitual grace, to works of grace that they may fetch influences of grace.

1. It's not unlike it may be so for the godly who went to the morning and evening prayers and sacrifices, as is clear (Psalm 141:2; Acts 3:1; Luke 1:8, 9), might go about these duties sometime upon mere custom (and the children of God who know their own backdrawing hearts shall not deny 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 than an ordinary straitening 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 (Psalm 22:2, expounding that of him, as some verify it has in some points of him, verse 2), and in Hezekiah in his song (Isaiah 39:10), in Jonah (Jonah 2:1, 2, 3), and in the same David (Psalm 6; Psalm 38), in the Church (Psalm 77:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, &c.), in the afflicted soul (Psalm 102:1, 2, 3, 4), and yet there is confidence of believing, triumphing, rejoicing in God and praising, ere the prayer and Psalm be ended.

3. The prayers of the children of God — Psalm 22; Psalm 6; Psalm 38; Psalm 116; Habakkuk 1:12; of Heman, Psalm 88; of Hezekiah, Isaiah 38; of Jonah, chapter 2; of Moses, Psalm &c.; of the Church, Psalm 102; Psalm 89 — hold forth to us admirable variety of uplifting and downcasting, of joy, of believing, of sinking and doubting, of hoping, and legal fretting, strong ebbing and flowing of faith, and fainting, of light and darkness; as Psalm 22:2, "O my God, I cry by day, and you hear not; and in the night season, I am not silent;" yet arising, verse 3, "But you are holy, O you that inhabits the praises of Israel!" Verse 4, "Our fathers trusted in you; they trusted and you did deliver them," &c. And again, some fainting is in that, verse 6, "But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men and despised of the people." Verse 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, verses 9, 10, "But you are he that took me out of the womb: you did make me hope when I was on my mother's breast," &c. So is there Psalm 102, fainting, verse 3, "My bones are consumed like smoke: and my bones are burnt as an hearth." Verse 4, "My heart is smitten and withered like grass." And verse 12, there is a rising of faith; "But you, O Lord, shall endure for ever; and your remembrance to all generations." Verse 13, "You shall arise and have mercy upon Zion." Psalm 77:4, "You hold my eyes waking; I am so troubled that I cannot speak." Verse 7, "Will the Lord cast off for ever?" It's low enough now, and yet how does the Church lift up her head? Verse 13, "Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary; who is so great a Lord, as our God?" So Lamentations 1:2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, &c. compared with verses 2, 22, 23, in which actings under unbelief and customary formality with some glimmering of fainting faith eyeing the command of God, in the darkness, when there is no light (Isaiah 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 Schoolmen; "To him who does 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 has 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 (Genesis 32:26). Let me go (says the Angel of the Covenant, Christ) for the day breaketh: And he said, I will not let you go, except you blesse me. 28. As a Prince you have power with God, says 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 [illegible]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[illegible]ing people. There is some stiffnesse upon the living man when he first begins to move, but a little motion makes him more agile. Doctor Preston may aim at the like truth. If a man (says 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, Doctor 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 to 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 has 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 you, and remember your 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 you South, and blow upon 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 your Commandments, when you shall 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 has not brought himself under a holy necessity of giving influences? To which its answered in these.

As there is a necessity of a Decree relating to means and end, 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 and 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 sovereignty 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 complete house for the Eggs and the young birds: and in like manner the Lord of grace has 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 boil it more with the heat of the Sun, until he make it ripe for the wine-press and the fat: So must he add influences daily of free grace for the perfecting of the work he has begun, in his holy decree as well as in the execution, until he perfect it to the day of the Lord Jesus.

But 2. There is need to distinguish between a practice of free grace in the Lord, (some call it half a promise) and a promise of free grace: And these must be cleared. As to the former; the Lord does many things of mere grace relating to his free goodness. 2. To his free decree of grace. 3. To his holy order of working, which he has 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 has 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 whatever God decrees to do, that also he promises to do; 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 surprised: some sow much, and reap little (Psalms 127:1, 2; Haggai 1:6, 9).

Yet is there a practice of free grace in this order; that the blind men cry, Son of David, have mercy on us; (yet they possibly 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 practice of grace, not by any promise of grace they are converted. Now in this it may be said, that the natural yes and faithless use of means has 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, than 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 practice, 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, than four is; yet six and eight are numbers in spece and nature no less different than eight and four, or than eight and two which are materially farther different than six and eight, which are different only by two. So the Embryo before life, and the birth now quickened by life differ in nature and spece, as living and not living differ: Yet the Embryo the shaped organized body void of life is materially nearer to a living birth, than 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, 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 do as in another thing. Hence though there be no promise, no moral connection between 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.

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 godless and flagitious 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.

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 showers 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.

Out of all question the proud gallant that fears neither God nor reverences man, and has laid Atheistically his count and fixed his thoughts concerning Heaven and Hell, has something more to do, before Christ rain salvation on him, then he who prays, hears, gives alms, whores not, roars not, blasphemes not; for he has fewer miles between him and Christ's influences.

Therefore though the natural man cannot pray in faith, and the renewed man under a sad and deep deadness, can do 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, more near to praying in faith and fervor then either blaspheming, or no praying at all; even as literal and natural heat is nearer to spiritual and supernatural heat, then extreme coldness; and as fire-heat is nearer to life-heat or vital warmness (for it may and does often cherish and nourish vital heat) then Ice-coldness; 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 virtues in their summer greenness cannot put a man in a spiritual capacity to receive divine and supernatural influences. Yes, 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 glorify 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 hypocrisy, 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 deadened convert, are to blow the fire, and to go about duties, and to fetch the wind in their kind, and to cast abroad and turn about, that they may sail and fetch the harbour. Yes, 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.