Chapter 10

CHAP. X.

Of fixedness of heart. 2. Prayer begets an heavenly disposition, and an heavenly disposition again begetteth prayer. 3. Holy acts beget holy acts, and an heavenly disposition begets an holy disposition. 4. The Lord so frames his precepts and his promises, as our actings are suitably required to his influences. 5. These three are to be differenced. 1. The spiritual state. 2. The spiritual temper or constitution. 3. The spiritual condition. 6. The reason of doubling of sentences and words.

Psal. 57. v. 7. My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise. 8. Awake up my glory, awake psaltery and harp: I my self will awake early.

MY heart is fixed. Gen. My heart is prepared, my heart is confirmed, established. The doubling of the word, my heart is confirmed, noteth the vehemency of affection.

2. As also the speaking of it to God, O God my heart is fixed, declares the sincerity of it.

3. The speaking to his tongue to awake it, his calling it his glory, as (Psalm 16:9) My glory rejoyceth, that is, my tongue expresseth joy, is an elegant fiction of a person, as speaking to his soul (Psalm 103:1; Psalm 116:7; Psalm 42:11), and noteth some dulness in tongue and heart to praise God: his bidding his psaltery and harp awake, is also an elegant prosopopeia; as if the harp could sleep and wake. And there is another figure; the instrument of music is put for the gift of music; he tacitely prayer God to waken up his gift and his grace of music to praise, and that God would awake himself to praise, being under the sense of the Lord's deliverance of him, when he fled into the cave for fear of Saul, and the Lord delivered him out of the hand of Saul, and put Saul's life in his reverence.

The words contain

1. The disposition of fixedness of heart.

2. His vehemency of affection in doubling the expression.

3. His speaking of it prayer-wise, O God, my heart is fixed. His sincerity.

4. What the disposition wrought in him, a fixed resolution to praise; and a waking up of his gift of music, awake psaltery; and of himself, I my self will awake early.

The word, my heart is fixed, is rendred by Amsworth, my heart is firmly prepared; Diodati, my heart is re-confirmed, or re-assured; Calvin in the French, my heart is well disposed; Geneva, prepared.

Q. How got David this heavenly disposition?

1. The occasion was (1 Samuel 24) as the title of the Psalm bears, Saul with three thousand men-persons, David in the rocks of the wild goats in the wilderness of Engedi; Saul went into the cave to cover his feet, and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave; and David went in and cut the lap of Saul's garment, and had in his power to kill Saul, and his men counselled him so to doe; but in stead of [illegible] Saul and his army, the Lord suggests the fear and awe of God, he durst not kill him.

2. He trusted in God for deliverance another way then to put hands on the Prince, as (Psalm 112:7) A good man is not afraid of evil tidings, his heart is fixed trusting in the Lord. This is the fixedness of faith, opposite to fear and unbelief, when another man would tremble, being compassed with three thousand instruments of death, as many men, as many deaths; yet his heart is fixed on God, both to believe and to pray. David by prayer, Be merciful to me, O God, and by faith gets this confident disposition, and this confident disposition brings forth acts of believing in stead of trembling, and resolutions to praise and to sing, and give thanks. But if the question be moved how gets David grace to believe, and grace to pray? Certainly by influences of grace upon the occasion of the delivery: So that here acts of praying bring forth holy dispositions to pray and to praise, as is clear, Be merciful to me, O God: and God both delivered him, and gives him fixedness of heart to pray and praise, when a natural man would tremble at the sight and fear of so many deaths. And again, a disposition and fixedness of heart brings forth a resolution to praise and give thanks. And 2. a stirring up of himself and his music to praise, yes and actual praising, v. 11. Be you exalted, O God, above the heavens, let your glory be above all the earth. As the herb brings forth the seed, and the seed again brings forth the herb, and so the herb brings forth the herb, and the seed the seed; and the apple brings forth the tree, and the grape the vine tree; and again the tree brings forth the apple, and the vine-tree the grape; the water is the maker of ice, and ice is dissolved into water; and again that water is turned into ice.

Q. What shall beget a holy disposition to pray?

A. Praying begets a holy disposition to pray. When David goes up the mount of Olives, fleeing from Absolom, he weeps and prayes (Psalm 3), and that praying begets a fixedness to believe, and a disposition to pray, v. 6. I shall not be afraid of ten thousand of the people, that have set themselves round about me. Psalm 6. he prayes, Lord, rebuke me not in your wrath, have mercy on me; return again, O Lord, deliver my soul. That prayer is heard, and the result is an heavenly disposition to part with wicked men, 6. Depart from me you workers of iniquity, and a new disposition of assurance, The Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. And assurance that God heard the man, is a new seed of praying to him again (Psalm 116:3, 4, 5, 6; Psalm 18:3, 4, 5, 6). So Psalm 31. after complaints and heavenly petitions, v. 4. Pull me out of the net. 9. Have mercy upon me, O Lord — make your face to shine upon your servant, &c. follow heavenly dispositions.

1. Of commending the seeking of God, v. 19. O how great is your goodness which you have laid up for them that fear you. A disposition to encourage others to seek God, v. 23. O love the Lord all you his Saints, &c. A disposition to encourage fainters, v. 24. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart. How shall I get praying? Praying helps to praying. How shall I get holy dispositions? Holy dispositions beget holy dispositions? How shall I get courage and spiritual strength? Psalm 31:24. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart; that is, be strong in the Lord, and he shall make you strong in him. So Psalm 27:14. Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart; wait I say on the Lord. The courage of faith is commanded, and the argument is, God shall strengthen your heart, and give you courage. As if we were the beginners of the good work: so does the Lord frame his precepts & promises to shake us out of our laziness, that we abuse not his grace and gracious influences to wanton idleness. So the Apostle, Be strong in the faith, and courageous, and God shall strengthen your heart, and furnish you. So the Father speaks to his child, lift at this burden, I will lift your arms, and strengthen them to lift the burden, and to bear it.

2. They are refuted hence who say, The Lord bids us be of good courage, and he knows courage and strength is from himself; yes, but so as you are to go about acts of courage. He bids us pray, and he knows prayer is his own gift, and the work of his Spirit. It's so here; but he bids you pray, that you may pray; believe, that you may believe. So he commands heavenly dispositions, and he only can give them. So he commands heavenly habits, and heavenly dispositions; but yet so as you act. When a physician enjoins one for such a disease, strive to have your body and clothes to cast a good savor: does he not enjoin also that this sick man should carry about roses, precious ointments? Would we act more in God, and pray more, and haunt more in heaven, we should savor more of heaven: and when men complain of deadness, it is with reflection on God; he quickens me not, and therefore I am dead; his Son is the resurrection and the life, and he sends no influences of life on me. That is the physical cause, and the Lord is free of your sinful deadness and unsavoriness in so doing: Why? Complain of the moral faulty cause, that is, complain of yourself; complain that you lie not among the roses; you are not much meditating and drawing life out of the precious promises; you are not often in wisdom's house; you are not much with the King at his banquet; you draw not near to his house of wine: habits and heavenly dispositions grow from multiplied spiritual acts; and spiritual acts come kindly from heavenly dispositions.

My heart is fixed.

What is the particular disposition here aimed at: for clearing of this, know a disposition in general (of which I spoke above) is one thing, and this disposition is another.

These three must be differenced.

1. The state.

2. The temper and constitution.

3. The disposition.

The state is to be renewed in Christ, or in nature born of the spirit, or yet remaining and walking in the flesh, acted by the prince of the air, that rules in the children of disobedience: the birth and state of living is neither up nor down to the temper and constitution, which is either strong and vigorous, or weakly and sickly; or between these, the state of living or birth consists in indivisibili; if the man breathe and live in nature, or in Christ, being now a translated person, he has a natural or a spiritual life: but howbeit some be born again; some are fathers and experienced, radicated, and confirmed Christians; others are young men strong in the faith, and both these are of a good spiritual temper and constitution. But there are a third sort that are babes in Christ, and though born again, yet weakly and sickly, frequent out-breakings, much doubting, liable to strong unmortified passions (1 John 2:12, 13, 14). And to be born of God is common to all the three sorts, and the essence and nature of the new birth agrees equally and univocally to them all: all have their own influences finished to them from Christ; but the spiritual tempers may differ, as weak and strong, healthy or sickly, good or bad, at least less good.

But as for dispositions of the regenerate, they are qualities that go and come, now & anon. I judge you will say the new-birth and the heavenly disposition are all one; for David was born of God, while he was under a wicked disposition to deflower Bathsheba, to kill Uriah, to be avenged on Nabal; all which were bad dispositions, when the new-birth is the new-birth and saving work of the Spirit.

And again, the spiritual disposition differs not a little from the spiritual temper.

1. The spiritual temper is permanent; as one is a weak man until he come out of his childhood; for so many years or months he is infant, so long a child, so long a youth: so one is so long a babe in Christ, and grows to be stronger in the faith, and at length comes to be a father in Christ; but even while the same babes age in Christ continues, and the same weakly and sickly temper and inclination to yield to temptations; in David new born and a babe, good dispositions may be on to pray, to praise, to commit his life to God in extreme dangers, to make Psalms, and yet David's spiritual temper and constitution is and may be bad and sickly; as Peter before our Savior's death is born again, and a believer (Matthew 16:16, 17), and by his much ignorance and frequent slips, as acting Satan's part in dissuading Christ from the necessary work of redemption, his carnal confidence in himself, in saying, he should never deny Christ, his smiting off Malchus's ear, his denial of Christ with an oath, it appears that the spiritual temper was weak and much carnal: nor can it be denied all that time when Peter's temper was weak; but when he gave a confession of Christ (Matthew 16), he was under a gracious disposition; and Peter's continuing with Christ in his temptations did suppose a gracious disposition in these acts of his, and the rest of the believing Disciples (Luke 22:29, 30). 3. The Lord's Disciples are all born again (Judas excepted) but it were hard to say that John, the beloved Disciple, was of the same temper, before the death of Christ, with Peter, who proved more sinfully rash in many things than John.

A disposition is a transient impression that may be left upon the spirit by an occurrence of providence, which though it sometime continue long, is not necessarily alway so. Upon the supposed death of Joseph, Jacob refused to be comforted; upon the departure of the Ark, Phineas daughter in law is disposed to die for sorrow; which in a great part was a gracious disposition: its like this great deliverance left a strong impression on David's spirit, and brought out praising of God.

But to the particular: this disposition is a fixedness of resolution to believe, pray, praise, having its rise from this present merciful deliverance, its opposed to the trepidation and doubting of unbelief, which made him say elsewhere, One day or other I shall perish by the hand of Saul; which also says, that this was not ever David's condition; but being deserted of God, he was under a contrary disposition: but good it were alway to keep the heart under such a fixedness. Ah, but we are up and down, out and in, as touching stedfastness and unmoveableness in the work of the Lord; the Galatians did run well a while; the ballasting of saving grace is most necessary: it was a sad word, 2 Timothy 1:15. This you know, that all they which are in Asia are turned away from me. John 6:66. from that time, many of his disciples [illegible] took them to things behind, went backward, and walked no more with him: they left both Christ and the profession of Christ. It was a sad suspending of influences when all the disciples forsook him and fled (Matthew 26).

My heart is fixed, my heart is fixed.

The second particular is the doubling of the words. In this and in the following words we have divers considerable characters and properties of heavenly dispositions.

1. The doubling noteth the heat and fervor of affection in David, as that My God, my God, notes the heat of faith; two gripes of faith is better then one: so says the tripling of that prayer, O my Father, O my Father, remove this cup (Matthew 26). There is fire in the desire (Psalm 57:1). Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me: and twice in this Psalm, v. 5. Be you exalted, O God, &c. and again v. 11. Be you exalted, O God, Psalm 46. that is doubled, the Lord of hosts is with us, v. 7, 11. for his mercy endureth for ever, is repeated twenty six times in one Psalm.

1. In sinners (in Christ it could not be) it notes a sort of distrusting of the Spirit; they will not believe the heart at the first word: Not to us, O Lord; that is not enough, the heart is ready to steal the Lord's glory; therefore he addeth, not to us, but to your name give the glory: therefore the doubling of it speaks the certainty (Genesis 41:32).

2. It notes that we are to make an eik to our assurance; my heart is fixed, O God; therefore two witnesses are better then one, he says it over again, my heart is fixed; for we shall deny that any such heavenly disposition was in the hour of temptation, and say all is but false work; in so doing he blows the coal when he finds it smoaking, and blows twice, and strikes the iron again and again when he finds it hot. So he awakes up tongue and voice, music and harp, gift and grace, to praise the Lord; as when he finds his heart in a praising disposition, he desires an eik of all creatures in heaven and earth (Psalm 103), all the Angels, all his hosts, all his works in all places of his dominion to joyne with his soule to blesse the Lord, v. 20, 21, 22.

3. It notes a fiercenesse and a strong flaming of the affection, and a sort of violence of assenting to the influences of grace which brought on that holy disposition; which teacheth us when holy dispositions offer a divine violence to the soul to joyn our violence to his violence: we will run, that is our violence; Draw me, that is his violence. Psalm 119:32. I will run the way of your commandments, and press my self to willing and hot obedience if you shall, or when you shall, enlarge my heart.

2. To this purpose we are to meet his actings of love (Canticles 1:4). The King brought me into his chambers, with extolling and praising his love: we will be glad and rejoyce in you; we will remember your love more then wine; the upright love you.

3. Let us intend and enlarge the acting of our heart to him. Christ puts in his hand by the hole of the door, which was a strong inward stirring of the Spirit of Jesus; and the Spouse meets this with bended and mighty acts of loving obedience.

1. My bowels were moved for him. For whom? for him, my Beloved, who did stand and knock, while his head was full of dew, and his locks (wet) with the drops of the night, v. 2.

2. I rose up to open to my Beloved, and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh upon the handles of the lock. Here are both repentance in rising to open, whereas she excused and shifted the business before, and sense of the savouriness and heavenly feeling as of a sweet smell of myrrh, joy, sense of joy and delight in obedience to him.

4. There is a formal holy violence offered to him, the Angel Christ wrestles with Jacob, which is a sort of fighting and opposing his strength to Jacob's strength, and he opposeth trying and tempting reason to Jacob, Let me go, for its dawning; and Jacob opposeth his violence on the contrary, I will not let you go until you bless me. And the Beloved is wrestling to win away, after long absence and much painful seeking (Canticles 3:1, 2, 3), but the Spouse offers violence on the contrary with all her strength, I held him, and would not let him go, until I brought him to my mother's house, and to the chambers of her that conceived me.

5. Its fit to meet a thirst of the Lord's Spirit in a flowing of feeling with a thirst of faith; when Christ says to Thomas (John 20:27), Reach here your finger, and behold my hand; and reach here your hand and thrust it into my side; this was a great condescension of Christ in bestowing on him a flowing of feeling; and Thomas answers it with a strong act of the application of faith, My Lord, and my God.

6. When strong convictions come upon the spirit we are to yield our hearty assent to him. Matthew 27:54, the Centurion and the watchers of Christ seeing the earthquake and other wonders from heaven, say, [in non-Latin alphabet] Luke 23:47, [in non-Latin alphabet] true, certainly, undoubtedly this was the Son of God: this was a righteous man: but ah, he calls and we answer not; we love to be wrought on as stones and blocks, and could wish to be carried sleeping to heaven in Christ's bosom.

2. We often suffer the heart to cool and obey not the Spirit in his heavenly disposition, and let the fire die out, and the furnace cool.

3. It were good if we did not counter-work heavenly dispositions by refusing and shifting (Canticles 5:3) of God, and the actings of his Spirit (Canticles 5:2), open to me; no, (says the Spouse) how can I open?

The third particular is, that David speaks this prayer-ways to God: there may be so heavenly a disposition upon the child of God, as he dare lay it before God in point of sincerity, that it is not rotten. David prayer-ways lays before God the fervor of his desire of God (Psalm 42:1): As the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after you, O God. Psalm 63:1: My soul thirsteth for you, my flesh longeth for you. Psalm 73:25: Whom have I in heaven but you? Psalm 119:103: How sweet are your words to my mouth! v. 97: O how love I your law. Psalm 139:17: How precious are your thoughts to me. And the Church says (Isaiah 26:8): Yea, in the way of your judgements we have waited for you, O Lord, the desire of our soul is to your name. Jeremiah 15:16: Your words were found, and I did eat them, and your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by your name, O Lord God of hosts.

Q. 1. May we not lay out rotten and unclean hearts before God?

A. No doubt the pained man may lay out his boils before the physician: and confession of sins and of the evil of our ways make way to making of a new creation in us (Psalm 51:5, 10).

Q. To what end should we speak to God of the sincerity of heavenly dispositions and fixedness of heart?

A. 1. Because neither David nor any of the Saints can order their own hearts under heavenly dispositions, therefore the telling of this to God is a seeking help from him to improve these dispositions. Peter cannot make use of the glory of Christ's transfiguration which he saw, except grace help (in a manner) glory, and the Lord enable Peter to make the right use of it, as he does (2 Peter 1:16, 17) and not as he does (Mark 9:5, 6, 7). The Spouse banqueting with Christ in his garden, eating honey and the honeycomb, is in greater danger to miscarry, and turn sleepy and carnally secure, as it fell out (Canticles 1:2, 3) than when she wants his presence (Canticles 3:1, 2, 3). It is not easy to guide a new heart, or to guide and use well the heaven of a fixed heart and such heavenly disposition at the King's banquet of wine, when he gives the hidden manna and the white stone; when Christ's banner over you is love, and his left hand under the head, and the right embracing you, there is then, if ever, need to pray; and Christ is our precedent in this when he was transfigured, and in that heaven, so as he seemed to be beyond praying, in a state of praising, yet he prays (Luke 9:29) and then there is need of watching; yes, a believer is to pray, in a good sense, to be delivered from the evil of our prayers, and from the sinful abusing of spiritual acts of a renewed heart from the evil of the flowings of free grace and heavenly dispositions, so to speak, and therefore should we tremble for fear that our sinful abuse of the impressions of the Spirit and heavenly dispositions move not the Lord to hide his face from his own shinings of grace, and darken his own Sun, and overcloud his noon-day beams, and rays of light and love; and who knows that God may mar his own feast, and remove the table before the believer eat, because he was sinfully wanton at the sight of dainties, and prayed not humbly that Christ would bless his coming down to his garden, and his banqueting with his Spouse. Psalm 141: David prays for his own prayers: it is a great art to carry equally the running over cup of consolation, or to guide the comforts of the Spirit: when the man is high, the head is giddy. Psalm 77:6, 7: I will offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of praise, I will sing, yea I will sing praises to the Lord: this has been a warmly condition of his spirit, therefore he follows it with prayer, v. 7: Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice. The body being warm and sweating, there is need to take heed that cold get not into the heart.

2. To tell the Lord of our fixedness of heart is a sort of engaging of him to perfect his own new building, and to send rain and summer warmness on his own sowing, and to perfect what he has begun; and it is a secret praying that God would make an eik to his own work, that he would give influences of grace, and would be pleased to milk out holy actings, willing and doing out of holy dispositions. Psalm 119:35: Make me to go in the path of your precepts, for therein do I delight. If the Lord give freely of grace a disposition to delight in his precepts, he will also give grace to walk in his paths: he that made the plant, creates the tree and the fruit; he who made the vine-tree, makes the summer-sun to nourish it. v. 159: Consider how I love your precepts; quicken me, O Lord, according to your loving kindness. The Lord who gives the life of love, and a warmly disposition of heart to the precepts of God, must also give more quickening to that life: he that brings the sown corn to a blade, brings it to an ear of corn, and to be bread: the saving work of grace is one piece, one building, foundation, walls, and covering; it is one growing tree, root, bulk and branch, one complete new man: Does the Lord of free grace create half a new man, or rear up half a new building? No; grace is grace going on and advancing, till it be reaped grace, and so glory.

He tells the Lord of his fixed heart by way of thanksgiving and praise, as Psalm 131. Lord, my heart is not haughty: he lays before the Lord the depth of the mercy of heavenly dispositions, and of a fixed and prepared heart, though he was at the mouth and entry of death; the cave was like to be his burial place, being chased for his life into it, yet he tells the Lord he feared no evil in the valley of death.

Hence 1. Try the disposition of the heart, see what hearts you can bring out before the Lord; its true, the repenting thief could not, as Hezekiah, say, Lord, I have walked before you with a perfect heart; or as Paul (2 Timothy 4:7, 8), I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; yet the crown is laid for love, and such as love his appearance, though all cannot wind up to be such fighting soldiers as Paul was: the repenting thief's flock was small, his race short, yet what he wanted of inherent grace that Hezekiah and Paul had, he had it of free righteousness, and Christ crucified was the gloriation of both. David brings not out his fixed heart in his extreme danger, as building his peace on it; the influence of works on justification and peace is not causative, no more than the poor bride can say she has put a debt upon the bridegroom to love her with marriage love because she wears his golden chains, his bracelets and jewels; its the bridegroom's comeliness that he puts upon her: nor can roses and lilies say, our Creator is our debtor, owes us love because we are subjects bearing his colors, smell, virtue, and beauty of the Creator: What would the rose be if the Creator should take all from it he gave to it? We know such a rock to be covered with water, therefore its full sea; here is smoke, therefore here is fire: And ah! what a heart in death can the unrenewed man bring forth before the Lord? Except he say, Lord, I was never in Christ; Lord, I never wept for sin; Lord, I never did a good work for Christ, but all for myself; Lord, I prophesied in your name, but I was never born again, but hated all those that were born again.

2. How strongly may the believer argue who has any heavenly fixedness of heart, or any thing of Christ in him? Its a sort of holy obligation (with reverence) that he shall bring forth to acting all his own holy dispositions; it speaks an engaging of holy unchangeableness, that he shall perfect the good work he has begun; but be not you lazy, and do not you sleep, and say, God shall do of all his grace; that is a strong argument that the man who habitually uses such logic has nothing to do with Christ. Ah, the Spirit will do whether I will or not; and in the mean time you live a sensual beast; know that you but foment lies of the Holy Ghost. Jude puts these two together (v. 19), sensual, not having the Spirit: and before (v. 8), Likewise all these filthy dreamers defile the flesh: dreaming and filthiness are conjoined. Men dream the influences of grace shall go along with their dispositions for good, and they are but natural dispositions at the best; and the Lord never said he would perfect nature, and finish works of nature that are begun in swinish dreamers: woeful secure dreaming destroys external professors; men will not awake, neither are they afraid of that condition, but a trembling professor is the surest and safest professor.

—Verse 7. I will sing and give praise. V. 8. Awake my glory, awake psaltery.

The fourth point in the text tells us what this fixedness of heart produced in David, I will sing; so we are led to the rest of the characters and properties of the heavenly disposition of fixedness, for it brought forth holy actings, as singing of praise, and awaking of his gift and grace, which flow from holy dispositions: hence the second property of holy dispositions.

1. Once grace brings forth another, and so holy dispositions holy actings; faith and trusting in God brings forth claiming of God as the man's own. Psalm 16:1. In you do I put my trust: Hence v. 2. O my soul, you have said to the Lord, You are my Lord. The disposition of believing brings forth speaking; Psalm 116:10. I believed, therefore I spoke.

2. A disposition of loving God brings forth praying; Psalm 18:1. I will love you, O Lord, my strength. 3. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised. Hannah, Jonah, Hezekiah, David the afflicted soul (Psalm 102), graciously sad and heavy, pray and call on God in that case.

3. The disposition of felt mercy brings forth praises; Psalm 30:5. O Lord, you have brought up my soul from the grave— v. 3. Hence that, Sing to the Lord, O you Saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

4. David's joyful disposition to glory in the Lord brings forth his dancing before the Ark with all his might, and his constancy therein to be yet more vile before the Lord, whatever Michal said to the contrary; and this is most suitable to the nature of heavenly dispositions: motion comes kindly from the wheels, when they are oiled; the heavenly dispositions oils and anoints the soul, and renders the powers more active, as they anointed wrestlers of old to make them more nimble and active in wrestling.

2. The very intention & appointment of God speaks so much: God has ordained heavenly dispositions for heavenly actings as he has appointed the plant to be a tree, the seed to be growing corn & bread. The Lord sends a praying disposition on David, as a seed of praying; & a praising disposition that he must rise at midnight and praise (Psalm 119:62), and prevent the dawning and the night-watches to cry and pray (v. 147, 148). And an hoping disposition on Job, that when he is dead bones lying in a bed, he must profess his persuasion to see his living Redeemer stand the last man on the earth, and desires his words were printed in a book, and graven with a pen of iron and lead in the rock for ever (Job 19:24, 25, 26, 27). And dispositions on Elihu to plead for the Lord's sovereignty, so as if he should hold his tongue, he should give up the ghost, his belly should burst like new wine-bottles (Job 32:19). And Job must plead for God, and for his own integrity, that he was not a hypocrite, as his friends slanderously said, his disposition pressing him, so as he says (Job 13:19), Who is he that will plead with me? for now if I hold my tongue, I shall give up the ghost. And the Lord gives such a disposition of zeal for God to Moses, though he was a man of a meek disposition, that he breaks the two tables of stone containing the written law, when he heard of the people's worshipping of the golden calf; and such a heavenly self-denying disposition to prophesy on Jacob that in his testament he curses his two sons Simeon and Levi, for their unjust anger against the Shechemites; and there is such an impression of zeal, and a fever against idolatry on Paul's spirit at Athens (Acts 17), that he must dispute against their false gods. Nor are we to think that holy dispositions are but as sails to the ship, and wings to the bird, which add no strength to the ship or bird: for they are such principles as do actively render the soul able for works of grace; and in nothing do we fail more than in not striking on the flint to bring out fire. We improve not heavenly dispositions, as the Prophet complains (Isaiah 64:7), There is none that stirs up himself to take hold on you.

Qu. But to act when the soul is under an indisposition, is as if the bird should fly without wings?

Answ. If we speak of the renewed ones that are in Christ, when dispositions heavenly seem to be a fire quenched out, and turned to cold ashes, we are to stir up and awake the habit of grace, and act thereby; for the instinct and nature of the new man has in it virtually gracious acts, and we are to improve the habit of grace.

2. When one disposition is smothered with the downcasting of unbelief; yet is there a half of a contrary spiritual disposition alive, working contrary to unbelief, by reason whereof David chides his own soul (Psalm 42:5), Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope you in God, I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. Whether David's soul pleads against David's soul by the habit of grace, or by a heavenly disposition, or by both, it says something to this, that all dispositions spiritual are never so removed, but there is a seed of God which may be wakened up.

2. When the disposition is smothered with heaviness, there is another counterworking heavenly disposition (Psalm 119:28), My soul melts for heaviness. Then there has been some disposition of deadness on, yet behold a disposition to pray counterworking that disposition, Strengthen me according to your word. V. 81, My soul faints for your salvation. Fainting speaks some weakness, yet there is a disposition to hope, which counter-acts fainting, But I hope in your word. V. 83, I am become like a bottle in the smoke; which is some disposition to deadness on the spirit; but see the counter-working disposition, but I do not forget your statutes.

3. As the Spirit at length in the renewed prevails over the flesh (Romans 7:23, 24), so the gracious disposition is victorious over, and has the better of the sinful disposition: so whatever was David's doubting disposition at another time, or now, when he is forced to flee to the cave, and part with his few soldiers, his faith and believing disposition prevails over his fears and doubting, as is clear v. 1, My soul trusts in you. V. 3, He shall send from heaven and save me. V. 7, My heart is fixed, I will sing and give praise. Else could a slain man buried in the cave sing and give praise? And let this be considered as the third property and character of heavenly dispositions.

Hence under indispositions we would do as those who would be over the water, if one ford be too deep, try another, and try every ford; there is an indisposition to believe, there may be a spiritual disposition to pray beside it set to praying; there is a deadness that hinders praying, that the Church cannot speak (Psalm 77:4), yet there is in the Church a disposition to praise in the same Psalm (v. 14), You are the God that does wonders, you have declared your strength among the people. V. 15, You have with your arm redeemed your people the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Then set about praising; there is nothing left but the habit of grace, dispositions, motions, experiences are all gone; turn over the promises, and act upon the habit, and blow upon the live coal, and strengthen that which remains: when one instrument is broken, the tradesman makes use of another.

Though sinful dispositions for a while and the flesh have the better, wait on the Lord, and trust to his strength, and act, the heavenly flamings of God at length shall prevail. The Spouse is drowsy for a while, and refuses to open, and shifts Christ of lodging (Canticles 5:2), yet at length when Christ puts in his hand by the hole of the door, faith and heavenly dispositions are victorious, and she rises and opens, and misses, and seeks, and prays, and becomes sick of love for him (v. 6, 7, 8), and bursts out in a high song of extolling her beloved (v. 10, 11, 12). Job is under much sadness of unbelief and dumpishness of spirit (Job 19:6): "Know that God has overthrown me, and has compassed me with his net. Behold I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard; I cry aloud, but there is no judgment." Hard words! if there be no judgment for an oppressed man crying to God, there is no providence, no governing God who rules the world; yet v. 25: "I know that my Redeemer lives, I know I shall see him." Get any of the habit of grace and spiritual dispositions, and act with them, and you shall not want victorious influences upon this ground, because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4).

Get heavenly dispositions, and God shall act upon his own work, and bring forth all his own actings out of his own seed. Now the way to get heavenly dispositions is 1. to be much in perusing the word and promises: David's meditating. 2. Learning. 3. Observing, loving the testimonies of God, prove that David was a heavenly disposed man (Psalm 119).

Keep communion with God in praying, hearing, reading, conferring. He who is much and daily among the ointments of the apothecaries, smells shall cleave to him whether he will or not (Luke 24:34; John 7:45, 46; Canticles 2:4, 5, 6, 7).

Mind much, seek much the things that are above (Colossians 3:1, 2, 3).

Cherish the Spirit, obey him, grieve him not, work with him, be instrumental under his breathings, follow sweetly and willingly his drawings. See Ephesians 4:29, 30; 1 Thessalonians 5:19, 20; Canticles 3:4; Canticles 5:8, 9, 10, 11, 12, &c.

Beware of frequent smothering divine light; deal tenderly with the light of the natural conscience, and tenderly with convictions and warnings; if so, you can hardly want divine dispositions and suitable influences (1 Samuel 24:4, 5, 6). "My heart is fixed, I will sing. Awake up my glory." See, the touch of the Spirit in his heavenly dispositions set afloat the tongue. 2. The Psaltery and Harp. 3. David. 4. David's heart to sing and praise: and though they were all sleeping, they are all awakened out of their sleep: as a great high spring-tide set all the ships afloat though there were many hundreds of them. And this is the Fourth Character of heavenly dispositions, in which these are considerable.

- 1. Such as are the dispositions, such are the acts in their nature. - 2. Strong and mighty dispositions have strong and mighty actings. - 3. Smaller actings of dispositions waken up the soul to strong actings.

Sinful dispositions to the love of the world, to vain-glory, empty pleasures, bring forth sinful actings; the thorn-tree brings forth a thorn-tree, and the thistle-seed a thistle; it's clear in Cain, the Pharisees: so gracious dispositions produce acts of love, faith, hope, godly sorrow, works of righteousness and mercy. As wine-grapes grow out of the vine-tree, and the Lord fits influences of grace for such dispositions: like sowing, like harvest; and here also men gather not figs of thistles: the vessel smells of good or sour wine: some must foam out their own shame, and all wonder at the gracious words that proceed out of Christ's mouth. For dispositions in Christ were strong habits of grace; and the running-over fountain and fullness of the Holy Ghost, the savor of the breath of the anointing, and the dispositions that accompany the fullness of the Holy Ghost, is a very garden and a heaven: and here there is some truth in that (Canticles 2:13): "The vines with the tender grapes give a good smell." See also Canticles 5:8, 9, 10, 11; Psalm 45:1, 2, 3, 4.

Psalm 119:136: "Rivers of tears run down mine eyes, because they keep not your Law." Some fountains that are less have small streams and ebb-brooks; other large fountains have mighty rivers and floods issuing from them: we may judge what a fountain both of habits and dispositions are within, where there comes out joy unspeakable and full of glory, leaping for joy, fullness of assurance, like a ship with full sails and full wind. As fullness of love and of all spiritual dispositions of tenderness must be in the bowels and heart of Christ, who sends out acts of enduring pain, blood, shame, death, horror of wrath, and the curse of a revenging God for sin. The love of Christ needs no exhortation to acts of love; nor is there need of earnest request and entreaties to the fire to cast out heat, and the Sun to give light: need you exhort an extreme pined-away sick man to be pained and weak, or request the Sun to shine? How mighty and strong are the acts of longing and languishing after Christ that flow from love-sickness? and then what suitable influences of grace must go along with these actings? What pullings of strength to pluck up mighty cedars? What an influence of love in God to bear up all things, and so to bear mountains, to bear torments, to bear new deaths? O what a mighty arm of omnipotent grace (Colossians 1:11): "Strengthened with all might according to his glorious power, to all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness." A power above all that we think or ask. Thoughts even of men can go far, and far in apprehending of power and strength, ever that can remove out of their place as many millions of mountains and whole earths, as Angels and men can write on the outmost and highest heavens, East, West, South, and North. Suppose they were all paper, and double, and treble, and multiply them again to millions of millions of heavens, and write new figures of signs and excellencies on them; yet the power of grace, furnishing influences, is above these acts of thinking and counting; and yet the short thinkings of unbelief are at this, can he help me to spit at fame, glory, riches, and a whole earth of pleasures? Know you his strength and his mighty pulls that have translated many?

When the disposition of grace is on, a small object brings forth suitable actings; Christ lets out one cast of his eye upon Peter, and he went out and wept bitterly; a small shake of the tree brings down ripe apples, they fall of their own accord: a gentle quiet gale of wind will cause a light swift vessel to make twice as much way as a huge ship: a rent in the garment of a deadly enemy seems a small transgression; but to David it has a mighty smiting of heart. We are afraid to come under the pull of Christ's arm, as if it were pain and death to be loved and translated by Christ (John 5:40; Isaiah 30:10; Jeremiah 51:9; Ezekiel 24:13). Some will not be cured, and are averse from being drawn to come to Christ and be saved; and a hating of means is a virtual hating of the sweet and special alluring attractions of grace; and we value actings of grace at so low a rate, as if we could do all our alone by pure nature.

I my self will awake early.

What, was David sleeping, or his tongue sleeping, or his harp sleeping? Yes, even when the heart is prepared and strongly fixed to praise, there is some sleepiness on the man. I insist not on this, that none run so swiftly for the price and wager of glory, but a cramp or a stitch may come on, so as they need a spur, and turn dull and slow.

But the 5th property of a heavenly disposition is to cause the man reflect upon himself and his own sleepiness. 8 — my self will awake early. What if tongue and voice awake? What if harp and the gift of music wake, if man's heart sleep? Grace has an immanent working, and a reflect acting on itself and the man's own heart as well as a transient, and a direct acting: the vessel of honor, or the chosen man purges himself (2 Timothy 2:21). And every man that has this hope purifies himself, even as he also is pure (1 John 3:3). Jude exhorts so (v. 10): Building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the holy Ghost. Some think if the holy Ghost act, pray, sigh, believe, praise in them, they need to do nothing, the holy Ghost prays in me, and in my stead. No, but Jude wills you to edify yourself: the actings and influences of the holy Ghost are not given to this end, that we should sleep, and sport, and play. Keep yourselves in the love of God. Will not the love of God keep the man in the love of God? Shall not Christ in you the hope of glory keep Christ himself in you? No, what need were there then of watching? Watch you in all things (1 Timothy 4:16). Take heed to yourself and to your doctrine. Then may one take heed to reading, and not take heed to himself (Acts 20:28). Paul to the Elders of Ephesus: Take heed to yourselves and to the flock. They shall not heedfully watch over the flock, who do not carefully watch over themselves. Is this right, that men should doubt of the influences of God, and fear that God forgets himself and his own begun work of grace, and never fear their own lazy back-drawing? Why but we should be on our wings, and waken ourselves, and crow more loudly. It's a gracious complaint (Canticles 1:6): My mother's children were angry with me, they made me the keeper of the vineyards, but mine own vineyard have I not kept. Ask hourly what your own heart does, how the husbandry at home thrives. The Spirit of the Lord was in Jehoshaphat without doubt; but (2 Chronicles 20:3) when he heard of the host coming against him, he feared, and set himself to seek the Lord. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel, but he was not idle, but prophesied and stirred up himself to believe. Often it's said the Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson, yet so as Samson roused up himself, and shook himself (Judges 16:20). Spirit-raptures, wherein we lie from duties, are but delusions: all the visions, raptures, and high actings of the Spirit set men on to duties of hearing, prophesying, praying. See all the Scripture for this.