Chapter 12

CHAP. XII.

What may be done in the using of means, hearing the word by us, to fetch influences, if there be any truth in that, Deus facienti quod in se est non negat gratiam. God denies not grace to the man who does what he can. Whether does God command all use of means external or internal, in whole and part? 2. Whether grace be above. 1. The desire. 2. The disposition. 3. The prayer. 4. The purchase of nature. 3. No sufficient universal grace is due to Brasilians. 4. Martinez de Ripalda abuseth many Scriptures to prove sufficient grace. 5. No Gospel-promise, no Gospel-threatning in Scripture concerning universal grace. 6. Sinners are now interdited heirs. 7. The connexion between natural and supernatural acting in conversion. 8. Of the natural providence of God Creator, and the supernatural and Redemptory providence of God by which the chosen are converted.

1. It's a question whether the Lord commands the only meer bulk of the duty, to use means, and hear and read, whether we act in faith or no; certain it is not the full and plenary intent, sense or purpose of any command of God to enjoyn acts that are maimed, lame, hypocritical.

1. It's against the perfection of the command; the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul (Psalm 19:7). Not only extensively, but also intensively, and arrests the whole man, and all the thoughts and powers of the soul, and the principles of the moral actions.

2. The Lord forbids rather, and rebukes such an use of means, as includes sinful defects in the principles, manner and end. Psalm 50:16. But to the wicked God says, What have you to do to declare my statutes? Isa. 1:12. Who required this thing at your hand, that you should tread in my Courts in the way and manner that you do. So Christ rebukes the Pharisees praying and alms-giving with the blowing of a trumpet in so doing, and shews them they have no reward for such works (Matthew 6:1, 2, 3); therefore there was no reward promised to such works.

3. Hypocrites, as touching the manner of their doing, do counterwork their own work as touching the substance of the duty commanded: vain-glory, hypocrisie-like poison, and death in the pot pollutes the action as ink and mire vitiates a cup of wine being mixed therewith; better it is comparative to do something of the bulk of the duty, than wholly to omit it, and do nothing less or more.

2. Ass. Both all the good action and every part of it, totae actio & totum actionis falls under the command of God: he who commands us to hear in faith, and read with believing, commands us also to walk and journey to the place of hearing, and commands us to encline our bodily ears to give attention of mind to the word, as we hear a moral oration without wandring of heart, though in these (hear the word of God, consider, hear diligently, encline your ears, lay to your heart what is spoken) God laies the obligation of a divine command on us, to the physical act of walking to the place of liberal hearing, as to the substance of the act, and a tie to far more, even to do the act with all the spiritual circumstances; he who commands his servant to go to such a city fourty miles distant, he commands him to go ten miles of these fourty miles also, and while the servant is moving ten miles towards the city, he gives obedience in part pro tanto, and in so far to his masters command: hence it must follow, that giving of alms in the substance of the act, is neerer in nature to the giving of alms in a spiritual Gospel-way, than not giving of alms at all, but a closing of both bowels and hand to the starving and famishing of the poor.

To the other question it may be enquired, 1. Whether grace be above the desire of nature?

Answ. Nature has no power of getting supernatural gifts by the strength of nature; but nature has a capacity, not such an actual desire, which supposeth use of reason and discourse to supernatural happiness; a capacity is an inclination to that which may perfect it; so man intends or enclines toward God, and is unquiet while he find him: but it's to abuse all grammar to call a natural capacity an inbred appetite, and natural desire.

2. Whether grace be above the disposition of nature?

Answ. This receives the same answer almost: the habit of sin by which a man is dead in sin (Ephesians 2) cannot consist with a sweet disposition of nature to get grace; the same wine cannot be both sweet and sour; nor is there any sweetness in sour and bitter or unrenewed nature.

3. Whether the grace of God be above the impetration, purchase and prayers of nature?

Answ. The Scripture teacheth us of no prayers by nature's help, but by the Spirit interceeding in the Saints (Romans 8), nor of any purchase of grace that nature can make; grace prevenes nature, but nature prevenes not grace.

4. Whether grace be above nature's merit?

Answ. It were strange to say that nature can of condignity merit grace, so as God should be unjust if he deny grace to nature: where is that written? And does not this make man and nature to make God a debtor? As for the other merit of congruity, if grace were not above this merit, we should teach that nature may so far act as to make God a debtor to the mans acting, as God should fail against decency, good manners, courtesie, if he should deny saving grace to Seneca, Cicero, Aristides, and such.

5. Whether to the man, who prepares himself by the works of nature to receive grace, any supernatural grace is necessarily due?

Martinez de Ripaldo says, this opinion cannot be defended, sine scrupulo, without some scruple of conscience: but an opinion may be true, and yet by some weak conscience cannot be defended without some scruple of conscience; but it is the bottom and marrow of Pelagianism, as any versed in the doctrine of grace, and in Augustine, Hieronymus, Fulgentius, their works know.

6. Whether the Lord does infallibly tie grace to works done by the strength of nature, not as to a disposition or merit, but as to a condition by the law of God (says Martinez) or by the law of grace, and covenant of grace, and purchase of the merit of Christ (as Alvarez. lib. Respons. ascribes to divers school-men and Jesuits) which condition is conjoyned with the gift of helping grace. This has no shadow of ground in Scripture.

6. Whether Gabr. Vasquez. 1. part. disp. 91. q. 1. 14. does upon good grounds defend that rotten opinion of the School-men? Whether God does confer such an help of grace, which is necessarium ad fidem & justificationem necessary and sufficient to faith and justification, to the man who does what he can, ex viribus gratiae naturalis, by the help of natural grace? This also destroys itself.

Q. 7. Whether or not God uses to give sufficient grace, or not to deny sufficient grace, and other more abundant helps of grace, to him who does what he can by the strength of grace intrinsecally supernatural?

This is not better than the rest; for it supposes that free-will disposes absolutely of, and determines this grace, and earns by its endeavours faith and justification; no man ever yet did what he can.

Q. 8. Whether Martinez de Ripalda, Tom. 1. de Ente supernaturali lib. 1. disp. 20. sect. 3. sect. 4. sect. 5. says right, that God does so ever confer helps of supernatural grace to all men, as he stands and knocks at the door (Revelation 3:20), and it is in men's free-will, be they Jews, Christians, or Pagans, to open and believe; but grace, ex lege providentiae supernaturalis est necessaria, is necessary to excite and stir up free-will. Hence these Assertions.

1. Assert. This rotten principle of the School-men, that to the man in nature who does what he can, either by the strength of nature, or by the strength of some grace which is sufficient, universal, and common to all men, but yet determines not the will, but leaves it to its own indifferency to will or nill, God denies not saving grace for conversion, is not to be holden.

1. Because the places which speak of our natural inability prove the contrary.

Now if the natural man cannot know nor discern the things of God, but judges them foolishness (1 Corinthians 2:13, 14), if his wisdom be enmity against God, and is neither subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can be (Romans 8:7), if there be a necessity of the Spirit of revelation, that the eyes of the understanding being enlightened he may know what is the hope of his calling, and what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe (Ephesians 1:17, 18, 19, 20), and if as touching the will and the affections, he be wicked in all the frame and imaginations of the heart (Genesis 6:5; Genesis 8:21; Jeremiah 17:9; Ezekiel 36:26; Ezekiel 11:19, 20), and that he cannot believe or come to Christ mediately or immediately except it were given him of God (John 6:65; Philippians 1:29; Acts 5:31; 2 Timothy 2:25), and except the Father draw him (John 6:44, 45; Ephesians 2:1, 2, 3, 4; Titus 3:3).

Why should the masters of general grace tell us that Christ enlightens every man that comes in the world (John 1:9)? For men enlightened by Christ the true light, are no more blind than seeing men, and because this is actual illumination, give us a place of Scripture where it is said, that all the Brasilians, Indians, and other Gentiles are actually illuminated by Christ the true light even from the womb. If from the womb, when was that true (Ephesians 5:8): 'Sometimes you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord'? For such as are actually illuminated by Christ were never darkened: for the actual illumination denominates men as truly as the morning light names the air lightsome. And when did the Ephesians and other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their minds, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart? And if Christ shall destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations (Isaiah 25:7), then there is such a covering and veil over all faces: and if people be blind in darkness, and under the power of Satan (Acts 26:18), until the preached Gospel open their eyes: whether Christ the true light does actually illuminate the Brasilians, Indians, Turks, those of China who never heard the Gospel, is a question.

2. If Christ stand at the door of the heart of Brasilians, Indians, and knock, and they have power of free-will to open, as Martinez says, and the Lord every moment knock and awaken up the will by moral persuasion, or preaching of the Gospel (the Pelagian grace) by inspiration, which adds no new strength to the will; then is there here a market for the buying of influences of saving grace: how comes it that never man in Brasilia, India, was ever converted to Christ, and professed Christ? The Scripture which says, there is no name under heaven by which men are saved, but by the name of Jesus (Acts 4:12), is here silent; all stories of human writers are silent.

3. The place (Revelation 3:20) is meant of the visible Church of Laodicea, v. 14. to the Angel of the Church of the Laodiceans, write, These things says the Amen, &c. 18. I counsel you to buy of me fine gold tried in the fire, &c. Did ever Christ by John or any other Apostle or Pastor write Gospel and command faith and repentance to the Angels of the Churches of Brasilia, India, and those who never heard any such Gospel-counsel to buy fine gold and white raiment, and eye-salve from Jesus Christ? As also the Jesuit with the same breath names this converting and saving Gospel grace; for he cites that of (John 15) without me you can do nothing: and the other texts hereafter, which our Savior clearly expones to be growing in Christ, as branches in the vine-tree, by faith drawing life from Christ, v. 4. Abide in me, and I in you; as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine, no more can you except you abide in me. 5. I am the vine. 8. for without me (the true vine) you can do nothing, you can bring forth no saving fruit. Now the bastard-grace which the Jesuit will have to be saving, and Christ knocking at the door is nothing, but cogitationes & affectiones naturales honesti: and I should gladly know if Christ's meaning, (John 15:5) Without me, you Brasilians and Indians, and except by faith you abide in me, as branches in the vine-tree, you exercise no acts of desiring or thinking on an honest object, nor can you do what is in you to attain to natural thoughts of the same kind. Must the Jesuit have the Apostle to speak to the Brasilians and Indians, O you Brasilians, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it's God that works in you to will and to do (Philippians 2) in all honest natural thoughts. And (2 Corinthians 12:6) God is in you working all in all; that is, v. 11. All these worketh the same Spirit of God, giving to you Brasilians the spirit of wisdom, the gift of healing, the gift of working miracles, as v. 7, 8, 9, 10. And the God of peace (Hebrews 13:20, 21) make you Brasilians perfect in every good work to do his will revealed in the Gospel, working that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ. If this be not abusing of Scripture, what is it? For he cites these Scriptures. So (Proverbs 1) Wisdom crys without, she uttereth her voice in the streets. Christ, the eternal wisdom of the Father, never proclaimed the wisdom of the Gospel, which has so many Gospel-promises annexed to it, to the stupid Brasilians: read Proverbs c. 2. c. 3. c. 4. c. 8. and the manifestation that God makes to the Gentiles (Romans 1) is a natural, not a Gospel manifestation. But I cannot stay, see the Authors on the Margin.

3. He who loves persons and hates them ere they be born, or do good or ill, and has mercy upon these same by softening and hardening their hearts, not because they run, or run not, or will, or will not, but because the Lord has mercy on whom he will: then there is no purchasing by our endeavours of the work of conversion.

4. All Gospel-promises and all Gospel-threatenings are revealed in the Old and New Testament as well as the Gospel itself, and the Gospel-commandment; for an unwritten Law and Gospel binds not us. But neither in Old or New Testament is there such a promise. The nation and the person that does such things shall be rewarded with the blessing of the preached Gospel. Nor is there any such threatening that the nation or person that commit such sins, and omit such duties, shall be punished with the want of the preached Gospel for ever, and with the want of faith and repentance: only the latter suffers an exception in persons that sin against the holy Ghost: for of nations that sin, and that before they hear the Gospel, we read not. It's true, the word of the Kingdom for great sins may be removed (Zechariah 11:5, 6, 8, 9. v. 12, 13, 14. Amos 8:4, 5, 6. v. 11, 12. Matthew 21. 33, 34, 35, 41, 42, 43. Acts 13:44, 45, 46, 47. Revelation 2:5). But that proves nothing, it's because the elect in that place do fail, and there be not any chosen thereto called.

5. Nor should the glory of conversion be due to the grace of God, but to our well-guiding free-will, and to the works of righteousness; that we had done contrary to (2 Timothy 1:9. Titus 3:3. Ephesians 2:4, 5) if we could procure by our good endeavours our own conversion.

6. But so much the man fallen in sin is under the state of interditement; as the eldest Son of a King, who is a fool, is declared an idiot, and the government not committed to him. In the Gospel the Lord has declared man a simple fool, and laid the Princedom of grace and glory upon the Catholic Tutor and chief heir Christ Jesus; yet we fools will needs be Masters and Free-men before we have served our apprenticeships. Gladly would we be from under the dominion of Christ and free grace, and be our own; yes, even fools and mad men take it not well to be fettered and in bands.

7. Influences of free grace, and the gracious actings of the Spirit, are paid for by the price of blood (Hebrews 13:15). Let us by him (then) offer to God the sacrifice of praise continually (Philippians 4:18. Hebrews 13:15, 20, 21. 2 Thessalonians 2:16). The budding and blooming of the branch in every act of growing, depends upon the immediate impulsions of life, and from the sap of life that is in the root, and the vine-tree Christ.

Assert. 2. But the habit and seed of God being within, though the indisposition be great, yet we would act, do well.

2. Because a natural heat in literal stirring does preparatively work upon the soul (though not by way of any Gospel-promise) to make it ready to receive an influence of believing. Moses his wondering at the bushes burning, and it was not consumed, made him draw near to see more of God, and the acting of faith: and wondering ripened Christ's hearers for influences of believing; so (Canticles 5:6) Moving of the bowels makes way for influences of opening to let the Beloved in, and of praying and seeking.

The very noise and literal stirrings in these actings, have far-off acting upon the dead habit to awake it up; so beating of the lump of perfume, wakens up the smell. The blowing of the wind on the garden of delicious flowers extracts sweet smelling: the first three or four throwings of the iron bolt in the ship, brings not out water; but five or six causes the water to flow out apace. The two disciples conferring (Luke 24) concerning Christ crucified, seem cold and indifferent; yes there is much unbelief and deadness on the Spirit, v. 21. We trusted that it should have been he which should have restored Israel; though they say he was a Prophet mighty in word and deed before God and all the people, v. 19. Yet their speech says their heart was very cold concerning his office as Redeemer, and concerning his Resurrection; but they go on in the conference, and pursue the duty, though literally, till he begun, v. 25, 26, 27. to open the Scriptures to them, and then the heart begins to burn with heat, v. 32. It's considerable that the woman of Samaria's is very literal at the beginning, and only concerning Jacob's well; yet she going on in the conference, there comes a warmness, and a liking, and a seeking of the water of life, and a discerning of Christ to be a Prophet; and at length a warmness, of faith in believing him to be Christ, and a leaving of the water-pot, and a running to the City to invite others to come to Christ.

Here it is that the first three or four steps bring not heat upon the man; but to walk a mile brings warmness. To strike the flint oftener than once brings out fire at length; and when there is a kindled and a fixed habit of grace, and gracious dispositions, flamings of heavenly dispositions follow apace: because creation is a means to the execution of the decree of predestination to life eternal, therefore he who in predestination to life gives his own to Christ (John 17:2, 6, 11, 12, v. 6) has established a new supernatural providence, or a providence of redemption different from that providence of God Creator, which should have been, if Adam had never sinned. Of this providence these Scriptures are to be understood. John 5:17. My Father works hitherto and I work. Colossians 1:16. All things were created by him and for him. 17. He is before all things, and in him all things consist. Hence Revelation 3:14. He is the beginning of the Creation of God. Colossians 1:15. Who is the image of the invisible God, the first born of every creature. Revelation 21:5. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold I make all things new. Hebrews 1:3. Upholding all things by the word of his power.

As by the first fall all things fell. The first Adam was the public catholic misguiding Tutor, who marred and destroyed all; and the Creation, and the workmanship of heaven and earth was made subject to vanity, because of man's sin, and is now as a woman travelling in birth, crying in pain under corruption and vanity (Romans 8:20, 21, 22). So the second Adam coming to the throne, made a new heaven and a new earth; and as a Midwife to the travailing woman, brings forth the birth, the free sons of God, and carries on the work in bringing the man Christ in the world; for the man Christ is not created and brought in the world by God simply as Creator and Law-giver, by the covenant of works, but by God as now acting to redeem the world, and making a new Creation and a new world.

Hence the blessing of the creature, and of the earth, which was under a curse for man's sin (Genesis 3:17, 18) is now from Christ, whom he has appointed heir of all things (Hebrews 1:2) and by reason of Christ's reigning and sitting at the helm of the world, and governing all things, all the creatures because of this King are called to rejoice, as Psalm 96:11. Let the heaven rejoice, and the earth be glad; let the Sea roar, and the fulness thereof. 12. Let the field rejoice, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice. Psalm 98:8. Let the floods clap their hands, let the hills be joyful together. See Isaiah 49:13. Isaiah 65:7. Jeremiah 31:11, 12, 13.

And look, as when a King's son and heir is married, all the servants and Courtiers are clothed in Scarlet and gorgeous apparel: So when Christ is declared Mediator, husband and head of the body the Church, the whole servants of the creation have a new right, through Christ the heir of all, to the liberty of the sons of God, and to be delivered from bondage. And hence the Saints have a right through Christ to the influences of this new providence, the chief of which are the influences of saving grace: and though there be no promise made to the chosen, do this and you shall be converted; yet Christ has by his blood merited conversion, and influences for conversion to them; and as in Christ all providences are redemptory providences, so has the Lord ordained according to the decree of predestination and of redemption, that hearing, coming to such a place where (Acts 2) Peter preaches, where the Gaoler hears Paul (Acts 16) to the well of Jacob, where the woman confers with Christ beyond her intention, are means of the conversion of such as are ordained to salvation; so as providences of themselves natural, are sometimes through the intention of God made redemptory providences for the conversion of the chosen.

There is no connexion promissory between natural or literal acting begun, and spiritual acting and heat of the life of Christ: As these actings are considered in themselves, they seem to be one web; but the one part of the web is course and gross cloth, the other is silk and cloth of gold; they depend one upon another as some providential and general means, and are intended of God.

There is a coexistence between them by a practice of grace, not by a promise of grace.

There is an order of priority and posteriority between them.

There is a vicinity material between them; as five is a number nearer to seven than three; and yet three, five, seven, all differ among themselves in nature and essence: to hear is nearer to hearing in faith, than no hearing at all, or obstinate turning away the ear; they are knit together as a piece of institution watered (if I might so speak) with a command, and a heavenly acting of God; for as was said before, the literal acting some way falls under a commandment: he who commands hearing in faith, commands hearing also.

4. If there be a literal fixedness of consideration in looking to the duty, and some literal missing and sense of deadness: it puts the man in the borders of a spiritual duty, and hardly wants the soul so acting the saving flowings of the Spirit: the very bulk and body of a promise may give some literal wakening to a dead soul; and the skaddings of a threatning may put the dead soul in some motion (2 Samuel 12:1, 2, 3, 4). David gives a literal hearing by the light of a natural conscience to Nathan's general parable. At length, when the Spirit sets it on by application, 'you are the man,' David (v. 10, 11, 12, 13) comes to some life of confession, 'I have sinned;' and there begin the spiritual seeds of Psalm 51. Indeed these two, the literal part, and the spiritual part, make (as it were) in gross one bulk or body of a work; but they are conjoined as the clay and the gold in Nebuchadnezzar's image; they are joined by God, not by congruity or decency on the Lord's part, but of free grace, not by promise, not by merit, no, not as work and wages, but accidental, as touching their natures, yet the wise Lord intends the one for the other; it's therefore good to be about means: the waiting at the tide is not sailing, yet it makes way for sailing. What connexion is there between Saul's journey in seeking his father's asses, and Samuel's anointing him King of Israel? None at all, but a providential union there is; but no man can say that there is here either a divine institution, or a gracious promise, yes, or a congruity of means and end, of work and wages: though there be something of a marred institution in dead and dull hearing tied to saving believing: here the same sweet breathing that falls on the rose, acts on the hemlock, which to me is some mystery, to others merit of congruity (which is detestable) to others a free promise (but it being examined well is but merit) to others half a promise: however the dispensation forbids laziness, and commands all, even though yet in nature, to go about duties as creatures rational covenanted externally with God.