Chapter 3

CHAP. III.

A supernatural habit is a seed of influences. 2. We are to improve the habit of grace. 3. The habit of grace in order to the three persons brings a necessity of gracious influences. 4. The Lord is under divers necessities to confer influences. 5. Christ intercedes for the non-converted. 6. Christ's Office. 7. The Spirit's office, put both under a necessity of conferring of influences. 8. Divers uses result from the necessity that the Lord has brought himself under to confer influences. 9. How the habit of grace is acted upon, how it ceases not.

As to natural powers, the God of nature has prepared influences to seeds and plants apt to grow. There are prepared of God also influences for their actual growing: so to the Sun, fire, clouds, he has in readiness such influences, though he freely let them out; so to supernatural powers and habits he must let out and prepare supernatural influences.

The habit of grace is a sort of new nature, a heavenly power, a kind of seed of spiritual actings, and a weight that inclines the soul to acting, and by a sort of a pleasantly refreshing disposition sways and draws habitually the man to supernatural acting. In nature suitable influences are due to the powers; as the habit of music inclines the man to singing, and a natural instinct draws the bird to build its nest; and the Lord has ordained suitable influences for this instinct: so this habit of grace as a weight inclines the soul to act, not by any necessity of exercise, but by necessity of specification; it inclines not by determining to the act, but only habitually. Therefore influences suitable to this habit must be some way due; as in nature, so also in grace. A habit of grace in the renewed man, does not determine him continually to pray, believe, praise God, while the habit is in him. Hence

1. Because corruption is in David, though as a broken and subdued habit, he sins in numbering the people, he is violently carried to be avenged on Nabal, he commits adultery and murder, which do weaken the habit of grace.

2. If the habit of grace be strong, and much of the fullness of God in Steven, in John Baptist, in Paul, they act in the way of God accordingly.

3. If the habit of grace be qualified with a super-added disposition, heavenly and spiritual, there are boilings and stirrings in the heart; as in Paul to pray (Acts 20), after the spirit in him has been graciously and heavenly exhorting the Church of Ephesus, he kneels down and prays; and (Acts 17:16) while he is waiting for Silas and Timothy, there is upon his mind a burning fever, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. And there will be some sweet akings and gnawings of the heart pressing the man to pray, praise, and sing (Psalms 57:7), "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed, I will sing and give praise."

2. What are we to do in such a case then?

Answ. We are to pursue these warmings and flamings of the habits of grace with new spiritual actings and exercises of grace, as David verse 8, "Awake up my glory, awake Psaltery and Harp, I myself will awake early": and therefore know,

2. That a kindled habit of grace qualified with a heavenly disposition of grace, is a fire near the flaming, and the call of God to you to pray hic & nunc. Besides the command of God for praying continually, smite the iron while it is hot; throw the rod while it is green; sail while the Lord's wind and tide does call; stir up and blow upon the grace of God in you: happily we blow upon the gift of praying, when we should stir up the grace of praying.

Yes, 3. Suppose the habit of grace were not kindled, or in any near disposition to flame, but there were deadness on the soul, and the habit of grace lying deadened and covered with ashes; yet is there warrant to blow aside the ashes, to stir the fire, and to smite upon the flint seven times until it cast fire. David (Psalms 42 and Psalms 43) three times (Psalms 42:11 and Psalms 43:5) chides his cast-down and unbelieving soul, and wakens up, and puts upon the habit of faith; and (Psalms 103 and Psalms 104) four times he wakens up his soul to bless the Lord, and all that is within him to praise the Lord; (Psalms 116:7) he charges his soul to return to its rest. It is dreadful to smother and bear down these births of God, and to blast and wither such buddings of the Spirit, and also to yield to carnal deadness, and to lie down under it; but let us await at the pool, and when the Angel comes down and troubles the water, step in and be healed. As the Martyr condemned to die was under great deadness of spirit when he was in the prison, and going to the place of execution; yet coming to the place, a gale of the wind of the Spirit blew fair, and he cried out to his Christian friends, to whom he made known his former deadness, now he is come, he is come, and he rejoicingly triumphed over death. In a moment there may come in a carnal disposition, and drown and quench the smoking and flaming of a heavenly kindling. We might draw down rich influences and sweet actual breathings, which are connatural and suitable to spiritual and supernatural influences; the Lord (though his liberty in breathing when and where he will be admirable) yet should we more vigorously improve ordinances, and specially promises: for ordinarily the Lord would let out more of his breathings, did we more improve the habits of grace; and sure he that trades not at all with his stock, may become poorer: and we might make influences more near to us; for the habit of grace is nearest of kindred of any thing else to the actual breathings of the Lord, and the only culpable cause of our not growing in grace, and augmenting of the habit of grace, is our own sinful sluggishness.