Jer. 31. 31. Ezech. 36. 26. Heb. 8. 8 9 10. for though the Lord of free grace give wicked free-will may refuse to receive the new heart 11. The faithfulness and power of God interposed in the promise of perseverance 1 Joh. 4. 4. Joh. 10. 27 28. 1 Pet. 1. 5. Jude v. 24. Eph. 5. 25 26 27. Isa 54. 10. Isa 59. 20 21. Jer. 32. 39 40. must be broken if free-will may resile from God and disanul and resist all the actings of God in bringing many sons to glory 12. There can be no place to infinite wisedome free grace pardoning mercy to the merits of Christ in dying to bring us to God 1 Pet. 3. 18. in delivering and redeeming us from a present evil world Gal. 1. 4. from all iniquity Tit. 2. 14. from our vain conversation 1 Pet. 1. 18. that we should live unto righteousness 1 Pet. 2. 24. as wisedome grace mercy are effectually experienced in sinners if it be in free-wills independent power to admit or reject the saving actings of God in these let any teach and shew a midst betwixt the Lords granting of effectual grace to any one rather then to another from his absolute dominion will and differencing grace and predeterminating grace 4. Since the Adversaries grant that the concurrence of God to the entitative act of sinning is causative they are obliged to roll away the stone and to clear to us how the Lord is not as well by their way the joynt and collateral cause of sin hallowed be his Name as he is the praedeterminating cause as is pretended by our way for Francis Silevias Lo. Meratins Schoolmen not to be despised with reason say If he be the cause of theft who concurs and consents and helps a man to climb in at a window to steal no less then he who praedetermines the man to steal by either command or counsel or then by reall efficiency then must the holy Lord be judged the cause of Adam's first act of sinning as it is an act both the one way and the other 5. Neither does the concurrence or non-concurrence either way hurt the natural way of free-wills working though the Author make out-crys O here be three necessities what if there be four or ten the Author well knows the learned of both ways teach there be divers necessities that hurt not freew ill 6. Neither is it to be forgotten that the Lords saving concurrence to bring the Elect to glory is of an higher and more excellent nature then the influence of God to Adam For that influence to Adam was 1. connatural and not the fruit of Christs merit as are saving influences in Christ 2. That influence to Adam was not given to Adam as praedestinated to obtain the Law-reward of life I judge Adam was not praedestinate to any such Law-life but to obtain life and pardon in the satisfactory death of Christ Nor 3. was that influence given to Adam in order to perseverance for perseverance was commanded indeed to Adam but it was neither promised of God to him nor was it ever in the purpose or decree of God to bestow it on him therefore Gods influence to Adam's obedience must be a far lower and weaker causality then the saving influences of Christ It was said by me that God withdrew his influence from Aâ—am who in the same moment was willing to want it not that Adam formally refused it but that materially interpretatively and in his actual consenting to sin he refused it The Adversary crys out but soft words and strong and hard Arguments were best It is questioned saith he whether Adam 's will to eat was before the Lords denial of his influence or posterior and later then the denial or at once it is of no moment whether they were at once in time they dare not say before because then Adam had sinned before he sinned if his will to eat be posterior to the want of God's influence there is manifestly an antecedent necessity therefore Dr. Tuiss saith they were coexistent in the same moment of nature and so the necessity yet stands Ans Armini in his collation with Junius could have made this Argument stronger But 1. The Lord by order of nature withdraws his influence and in the same moment of time which is of great moment Adam sins and refuses the influence And it follows not that Adam sins before he sins nor follows it that Adam sins by any necessity destructive to the liberty of the will yea it is a necessity helping and aiding freedome because the Lord withdraws no influence from Adam against his will but in the same moment of time that the Lord withdraws his influence from Adam to the act Adam withdraws his consent to the act virtually subscribes to the wanting of the influence of God The Adversary is most angry at the distinction as dark and not intelligible and says it cannot be taught the people why The want of the influence of God by order of nature is before the virtual and interpretative merit of wanting that influence if the virtual merit be an evil merit malum meritum or a sin so it must be posterior and later then the want of Gods influence and not before it but it is like a fiction that there be two demerits in Adams sin one culpable another unculpable Ans 1. It is still said by me that the want of divine influence by order of nature is before Adam's sin 2. It is not theologically spoken that the merit of sin reatris penae is sin or evil it 's a fiction that the merit of sin is either culpable or unculpable it 's rather good and an obligation to wrath and a consequent of sin and is not sin No merit of reward is either formally obedience but posterior to obedience nor is a merit or demerit of punishment is formally sin but posterior to sin Christ is liable to punishment for our sins and as an ingaged surety debet puniri ought to be punished for our sins that were laid on him Isa 53. 6. 2 Cor. 5. 21. Gal. 3. 13. but there was formally and inherently no sin in Christ nor any evill or any thing culpable in Christ 3. Adam's virtual consenting to want the influence of God was his very first sin formally he who refuses to stand and wilfully falls he virtually refuses a staff or a pillar to lean upon he who formally wanders he virtually hates his guide and leader he who formally loves darkness and practically walks therein he virtually hates light and desires virtually that the light should not have shined on him and so he who willingly falls and willingly shuâ—s his eyes virtually deserved the staff should have been taken from him and that the Sun should not have shined on him he who willingly wanders out of the way doth virtually deserve to be depraved of his guide and who so wanders are said to despise the word of the Lord their guide and rule So
complaint of the very malignant servant as also the rich Gluttons divinity reflects upon the gracious dispensation of God Luke 16. 30. Nay father Abraham but if one went unto them from the dead they will repent Which is as much as God is to be blamed that his five brethren repent not for he bestows not sufficient helps of salvation on them Q. 1. What is the book of Moses and the Prophets but a paper roll of letters and syllables would he send a Preacher from Hell and a Messenger from Heaven to give them sufficient warning and instruction of a Heaven and a Hell it were good but that he does not he then is to be blamed not my five brethren 2. He who shews mercy on whom he will and hardneth whom he will and that by a strong mighty will which no man can resist he can find fault with no man though he sin and harden his own heart For his absolute Soveraign will is far above me and my strength but so doth the Lord saith the carnal man Rom. 4. 18. 19. and the holy Ghost saith such an Objection is unworthy to be moved or answered nor becomes it base clay and the clay pot so to argue with the great potter and former of all things 2. Influences for getting of the habits or performing the acts of saving grace are the Lord 's own therefore Soveraignty is his Law he may bestow them or withhold them as he pleaseth especially if the Creature be willing to want these influences and if the Sun rejoyce with all his heart at the influences and concurring providences of God to the contrary sinful actings as he doth Exod. 5. 2 8 16 17 18. Psal 14. 4. Psal 10. 6 7 8. 4. 10 11. Psal 36. 3 4. Psal 84. 5 6 7 8. Prov. 1. 11 12. Prov. 2. 14. Prov. 4. 16. 17. Prov. 10. 23. Prov. 14. 9. Prov. 7. 18. Prov. 9. 17. Psal 49. 11. Luke 11. 39. Psal 5. 9. Psal 64. 6. 3. Though we could not conceal the Lord's concluding of all under unbelief and their guiltiness who are so concluded and the mystery of the Lord 's rejecting the Jews and calling the Gentiles with the free obedience of the one and free disobedience of the other and the Lord 's having mercy on whom he will and hardning whom he will with their willing running in ways of disobedience and rebellion and say as Paul Rom. 11. 33. O the depth c. yet adversaries have no cause of objecting this to us more then to the Scriptures of God 4. Prop. Gracelesness is satisfied with gracelesness and is no more desirous and thirsty for grace nor darkness after the Sun light or coldness desireth the fires heat yea as Satan cannot destroy Satan the body of sin cannot love to be subdued by grace and the man hating both Christ and his Father John 15. 24. and pleasing himself in that way who yet complains that God doth withdraw his grace and so cannot command us or exhort us to repentance is like to him who lies still in the furnace and loves to be burnt and complains that he is scorched and tormented and the Lord will not lift him out of the furnace 5. What a proud Pelagian nature is this for any to say had he the habit of grace which was in David he could act as David and could secure himself from adultery and murther but how did David who had David's heart fall in these horrid crimes can any interpose himself surety and put grace which he hath not or nature which he cannot command to undertake to obey God in all things were it not safer to be pained with the bondage of sin and be sick for Christ and his grace and never to interpose self to be surety for self but to be strong in free grace only Ephes 6. 10. CHAP. X. 1. Soveraignty in actings of grace 2. We are not to seek influences but such as are suitable to the Word 3. Of divers influences 4. How we complain of want of influences and how we may suit them 5. We are to act under indispositions 6. How we are to pray continualy 7. Not to act duties while we feel breathings of the Spirit is an unsafe Rule 8. Preparations before Duties 9. To wait on breathings before we act Duties how lawful how not LEt it be futher considered in these Particulars how unjust we are and how free the Lord is 1. Who ever complains of the want of grace and yet remains in the state of nature doth close with his want of grace For 1. The renewed mans complaining of the want of grace is neither in sense or godly feeling nor in faith and humble believing Nature can no more complain of the want of grace with any spiritual and godly sense then a sucking child can weep because he is not an understanding man of thirty years old for darkness cannot seek after the Sun light for so it should desire its own destruction nor can cold desire heat nor Satan be divided against Satan and therefore these are but feigned and counterfeit bemonings For the actings of sinful nature with delight say that the man hates grace which he professeth he so much desires for only grace can thirst after and long for grace Joh. 15. 24. If I had not done among them the works which no other man did they had not had sin but now they have both seen and hated both me and my Father Such a hatred of the fulness of grace Jesus Christ cannot consist with a lively desire of grace Prop. 2. It is a right Rule not to separate Soveraignty from the Word or the Omnipotency of grace from the Promise otherwise we make a sort of Idol of Omnipotency seek we them and pray for influences of grace not peremptorily hic nunc to every single acting Psal 119. 2. My soul cleaveth to the dust quicken thou me according to thy word Ver. 28. My soul melteth for heaviness strengthen thou me according to thy word Ver. 107. I am afficted very much quicken thou me according to thy word v. 154. For 1. A gracious heart seeks no other out-lettings of grace to this or that duty but according to the promise Now the promise is not contrary to the Soveraign dispensation and there is no such Soveraignty but that there are many withdrawings of God whence follows deadness and the souls melting for heaviness Nor is there either promise or dispensation that the belever shall in every moment of time be lively and vigorous and have the heart lifted up in the ways of God except we would say Earth is Heaven and we are not for a time in heaviness if need be 2. There is a bastard literal heat and vigor of going about duties that comes not from the Word no bastardheat comes from the Word but by accident for the Spirit that speaks in the Word speaks his own spiritual and lively comforts and actings not that which may flow from a
their faces with wings as blushing before infinite holiness why bestows he not as much saving influences on me as on David Moses Noah Job and Daniel why not as much grace and of the fulness of the anointing as upon the man Christ that holy thing Jesus 4. And is not free goodness here complained of God knowingly and wittingly saith the lying Divel envying you should be gods forbids you to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil Envy is contrary to communicative goodness free goodness gives freely in measure in weight and number as best pleaseth him now God gives not grace enough 5. His holiness and righteousness is arraigned 1. He did not from eternity shew mercy nor provide a new heart for me then that I serve not as he deserves let him blame himself not me 2. He created me a slippery clay vessel which he saw should fall upon stones and be broken he might have made me brass and iron that could not be broken And 3. that I sin wanting the fulness of the anointing and influences in a personal union as in the man Christ is a defect in God not in man and all the sins I commit he could have prevented them and either would not or could not 6. It s repugnant to the Lord 's holy charge in governing the world I would be holy and run but he withdraws influences What is this but I doe my part but the Lord is wanting in his part I am willing to run but he draws not I follow but he refuses to lead me I answer but he calleth not a holy meekned soul sees all the blame in it self and mercy and inviting kindness in God 7. I would doe otherwise but ah my sinful nature I was born in sin this is a blaming of providence 1. God denies influences and the fulness of the holy Ghost from the womb to me and all mankind which he gave to the man Christ But 1. The flowing of sin original is a work of holy justice who so punished the first fall and you carp not at the indwelling of sin original by which the poyson of the sinful nature is hateful to God Gen. 6. 5. Gen. 8. 21. but at the Lord 's righteous smiting of our nature Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it what makest thou Isa 45. 9. and as if he were a patient under sin original Ah I would be from under a body of sin but I am captive sold under sin This is a lye every man is in this sense a captive under sin original in that nill he will he he is born in sin and the flux of justice so determined ere the man was born but the unrenewed Objector is not so a captive he that was never humbled for sin original as David confesseth it his plagne and sore Psal 51. 5. and Job 14. 4. is not a captive but a consenter to sin original 2. He that willingly lends lodging and a furnace and a warm hearth-stone to sin original and remains willingly in the state of unrenewed nature is not a patient under sin original the man is not a captive and a prisoner against his will to him who hath the power of life and death and to him who sends a writ of grace and bids him come out and casts ope the prison doors yet he remains there eats drinks sleeps sports Christ the Lord of life hath sent the Gospel which is a bill of free grace he bids you come out of cursed nature be renewed in the spirit of your mind come to me and I will ease you yet ye will not change your life this 20 30 40 years since the Gospel of grace came to you you eat drink sleep wake laugh rejoyce in a state of distance from Christ and refuse to come out of that prison 3. I would I were without original sin ye say and yet when you willingly lye swear whore you put seal subscription and consent to Adam's first sin He that delights in the streams and drinks with delight does he not love the water of the fountain then to say I would be without sin original is as much as I would be without sin and I would not be without sin does not this man allow Adam's deed and serve himself heir to Adam his father's sin twenty times in one day and in such a man sin original is not diminished and brought down to a sin of infirmity as in Paul Rom. 7. 15. For that which I doe I allow not for what I would that I doe not but what I hate that I doe That is a sanctified would a renewed hatred of one entering a protestation against sin but original sin lives in its vigour and reign of the Law in this man and where this sin hath the full consent and bensil of the will the Law in its condemning power is on its side Hence that excuse the man brings as in Fenner's Wilfull impenitency page 95. 96. which proves that he is not humbled thou excusest thy self for thy original sin too Lord I would be without original sin but I cannot if I could I would Belike then if it had been thy case as it was Adam 's thou wouldest not have eaten of the forbidden fruit and therefore it was his fault and not thine and thou wouldest not have sinned if thou couldst have otherwise chused David confesseth this sin as his personal as well as his natural sin Psal 51. 5. Behold in iniquity that is the highest of sin I was formed and in sin did my mother warme me or conceive me He names the person twice and the holy Ghost blacks all faces with this sin Rom. 5. 12. All 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 have sinned and yet this Objector is more innocent then Adam Verse 18. By the offence of one judgement came upon all men unto condemnation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Verse 19. By one mans disobedience many were made sinners that is all except the man Christ and this man must be free of sin and condemnation as the second Adam 4. He would have original sin removed in an extraordinary way and not in the Lord 's own way and so tempts God as Satan tempted Christ to work miracles for bread and to cast himself down over the pinacle of the Temple 1. Now this Lord I would be without sin original but I cannot thou hast so ordained my nature to be but it is against my will and my heart for my heart hates it its double dealing and an untruth for then the will must be clean then the Objector must be cleaner and holier then God says in Scripture the unrenewed man is 2. Then must the will be by nature free of sin original whereas the frame of the heart is only evil from the womb and deceitful and desperately wicked Gen. 6. 5. Gen. 8. 21. Jer. 17. 9. 3. Then must the holy Lord be in the fault who might give influences of grace and a whole nature
Peters temper was weak but when he gave a confession of Christ Matth. 16. he was under a gracious disposition and Peters continuing with Christ in his temptations did suppose a gracious dispoâ—â—tion in these acts of his and the rest of the believing Disciples Luke 22. 29 30. 3. The Lords 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 then John 2. 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 it s like this great deliverance left a strong impression on Davids 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 it s 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 saith that this was not ever Davids 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 balasting of saving grace is most necessary it was a sad word 2 Tim. 1. 15. This thou knowest that all they which are in Asia are turned away from me John 6. 66. from that time many 2. of his disciples 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 took them to things behind went backward and 4. 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 forsooke him and fled Matth. 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 fervour of affection in David as that My God my God notes the heat of faith two gripes of faith is better then one so saith the tripling of that prayer O my Father O my Father remove this cup Matth. 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 thou exalted O God c. and again v. 11. Be thou 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 unto us O Lord that is not enough the heart is ready to steal the Lord's glory therefore he addeth not unto us but unto thy name give the glory therefore the doubling of it speaks the certainty Gen. 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 musick 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 thy commandments and press my self to willing and hot obedience if thou shall or when thou shall enlarge my heart 2. To this purpose we are to meet his actings of love Cant. 1. 4. The King brought me into his chambers with extolling and praising his love we will be glad and rejoyce in thee we will remember thy love more then wine the upright love thee 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 As 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 Jacobs 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 thee go until thou bless me And the Beloved is wrestling to win away after long absence and much painful seeking Cant. 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 mothers house and unto the chambers of her that conceived me 5. Its sit to meet a thirst of the Lords Spirit in a flowing of feeling with a thirst of faith when Christ saith to Thomas John 20. 27. Reach hither thy finger and behold my hand and reach hither thy 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
the disposition of the heart see what hearts ye can bring out before the Lord its true the repenting thief could not as Hezekiah say Lord I have walked before thee with a perfect heart or as Paul 2 Tim. 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 souldiers as Paul was the repenting thiefs 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 extream danger as building his peace on it the influence of works on justification and peace is not causative no more then the poor bride can say she hath put a debt upon the bride-groom to love her with marriage love because she wears his golden chains his bracelets and jewels it s the bridegrooms comliness that he puts upon her nor can roses and lillies say our Creator is our debtor oweth us love because we are subjects bearing his colours smell vertue 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 my self Lord I prophesied in thy name but I was never born again but hated all those that were born again 2. How strongly may the believer argue who hath any heavenly fixedness of heart or any thing of Christ in him It s a sort of holy obligation with reverence that he shall bring forth to acting all his own holy dispositions it speaks an ingaging of holy unchangeableness that he shall perfect the good work he hath begun but be not ye lazy and do not ye sleep and say God shall do of all his grace that is a strong argument that the man who habitually uses such logick hath nothing to do with Christ Ah the Spirit will do whether I will or not and in the mean time thou livest a sensual beast know that thou but foments 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 conjoyned 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 woful 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 mans own Psalm 16. 1. In thee do I put my trust Hence v. 2. O my soul thou hast said unto the Lord Thou art my Lord. The disposition of believing brings forth speaking Psalm 116. 10. I believed therefore I spake 2. A disposition of loving God brings forth praying Psalm 18. 1. I will love thee 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 Psal 30. 5. O Lord thou hast brought up my soul from the grave v. 3. Hence that Sing unto the Lord O ye 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 what ever Michol said to the contrary and this is most sutable to the nature of heavenly dispositions motion comes kindly from the wheels when they are oyled the heavenly dispositions oyles 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 apointment of God speaks so much God hath ordained heavenly dispositions for heavenly actings as he hath 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 perswasion 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 Lords Soveraignty 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 an hypocrite as his friends slanderously said his disposition pressing him so as he saith 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 peoples worshipping of the golden calfe and such a heavenly self-denying disposition to prophecie on Jacob that in his testament he curses his two sons Simeon and Levi for their unjust anger against the Sichemites and there is such an impression of zeal and a feaver against Idolatry on Pauls spirit at Athens Acts 17. that he must dispute against their false gods Nor are we to think that holy dispositions are but as sailes to the ship and wings to the bird which adde no strength to the
and holiness and to the habit of free actions for if God fixedly ordained persons to free acts he must have fixedly ordained these free acts and so there must be chains of necessity laid on free will and free acts as the Adversaries argue if the latter be said the decrees of election and reprobation must be fast and loose as the free-will of men best pleases and indeed this Author makes this a third necessity that overturns freedom for if reprobation saith he and the decree of declaring the Lords justice be before sin then is there a strong and unwarrantable necessity of sinning laid on men and Angels But Protestant Divines the soundest of Papists Augustine Prosper Hilarius Fulgentius and the soundest Fathers maintain a decree of passing by of non-election a purpose of denying such grace to multitudes as if it had been granted Esau Ismael Pharaoh Cain should have believed and been saved as well as David and Peter but this grace the Lord decreed to deny because the Potter doth and may dispose of the clay as pleaseth him Because it is not in him that wills and runs but in God that shews mercy 2. Because he hath mercy on whom he will and hardens whom he will and yet he is just and justly is angry at sin and that stands as the objection of the carnal Pelagian in Paul's time Rom. 9. 19. Thou wilt say why doth he yet find fault who hath resisted his will this is the very objection of this Author if the Lord decreed to deny effectually renewing grace to the masses of reprobates clay before they did good or ill and before they could run and will that is ante citra peccati provisione before any consideration of sin in them and decreed to give it to others because he will why should God complain for who hath who can resist his will for his will and decree must be necessarily fulfilled and executed and without the sin of men and Angels there could be no execution nor fulfiâ—ling of such a decree Our Divines with the Fathers say 1. The judgement and dispensation is hid and deep but not â—njust 2. Paul and they say none have resisted his will and the counsel of the Lord shall stand 3. The decree of God compels no man to sin nor lays on men any necessity destructive to liberty of sinning or obeying freely 4. Gods decree is the cause of no mans falling or sinning 5. The eternal ruine and final sinning of Angels and men fell out by order of nature and time before the decree and will of God how could he then help it here is a strong and a fatal necessity that God could not break but since a sparrow falls not to the earth and is snared without the will of the Father of Christ how can men and Angels fall eternally without his will O there is an absolute will of God and a conditional will without which sin fell not out say they but the conditional will is a name no more for God so should have decreed such things good and evil should be after they were and had being not to say that it must be as unjust that God should will sins existence after it falls out as before it falls out as to the Lords loving or any commanding or approving thereof or as to the point of straining of the will to act sin yea the holy Lord no more strains by decree and actual influence the will in acts of holy and supernatural obedience then in acts of sin and there is a door opened to fatal necessity in neither for the Lord trails violently no children to glory and compels by decree or praedetermination none to the entitative acts in sin nor violently drives he either divels or reprobate men to everlasting fire it is safer to believe holy providence for the want of the faith of an all-governing Lord must bring perpetual trepidation and anxity of conscience trembling and fainting of heart and destroy and sulvert all solid consolation lively hope conquering patience O that we could pray and believe more and curiously dispute less and sinfully fret not at all but say O the depth and pray thy Kingdome come even so come Lord Jesus OF INFLUENCES OF DIVINE GRACE CANTIC 1. 4. Draw me we will run Ch. 1. Mans dubious and tottering estate under the first his safer estate under the second Adam 2 True liberty 3 Grace loves to be restrained from doing of evil Adam was not to believe or pray for perseverance THere being in the Covenant of works no influences by which we may will and doe to the end promised to Adam and no predeterminating influences and no Gospel-fear of God by which we shall persevere and not depart from the Lord being promised in the new and everlasting covenant Jer. 32. 39. 4. This principall difference between the covenants remains to be discussed There must be in this point considerable differences between the Covenants as 1. God intended that no man should be saved by the Law for grace mercy forbearance and the patience of God towards sinners sould for eternity have been hid from sinfull man if righteousness and life had been by the Law But God intended that all men to be saved should be saved by the Covenant of grace 1 Cor. 1. 21. Rom. 3. 21 22. as Rom. 10. 5 6 7. compared with Rom. 3. 9 10 20. Gal. 3. 8 9 10. as both the Scripture and the issue of two dispensations of Law and Gospel do evidence 2. Man in the covenant of works was under no tutor but Adams free will but now man as an interdicted heir for former wasteries is disinherited so that he hath not the mastery of his own estate is put under another Lord even Jesus Christ as his tutor and since it is so the less our own the better the more we are under the law the less we are under grace as Rom. 7. the less freedom or rather physicall licence to sin the more true liberty Psal 119. 45. I will walk at liberty for I seek thy precepts Christ by his covenant layeth the aw of grace upon us whether grace be taken physically for an inward principle of grace or morally for a gracious fear to sin it s all one the more under Christ any is the less is he free to sin as the better and stronger the keeper is who is put upon a broken man and a prisoner who is a bankrupt the less can he take on new debt Rom. 6. 20 22. the less can he make a sinfull escape ungracious are they who say Ah if I had my will I would doe otherwise grace loves to be restrained from doing evil 1. Sam. 22. 23. Satan seeks leave or rather cursed licence if it were but to destroy the Gadarens swine and he reputes it his torment not to dwell with his Legions in the distracted man to torment him Matth. 8. Such cannot complain Would God breath on me with his influences of grace
nor receiving of a new heart is our sin The sowrness and naughtiness of the Earth in bringing forth poysonable weeds is the Earth's own indispotion the Sun and Clouds extract these poysonable herbs the natural driness of some rocky Earth and the not raining of the clouds meet both in one to wit the barrenness of the earth and this takes not away the faultiness of this earth so rocky 2. Our guiltiness that appears is evident in our eik which we make to original and natural malice for acquired pravity meets with natural and original corruption like two floods to make a Sea or a great River or as when a man forceth a wound to bleed which of it self would bleed And again what ever may be said of the result of the Lord 's withdrawing of influences we add an impulsion to his withdrawing as the adding of the heat of an Oven neer the root of a fruit tree to cause it to ripen adds something to the heat of the Sun and the Influences of the Heavens and when the heart walketh after the heart of our detestable things as it is Ezech. 11. 21. and with the intended bensil of the free-will we put our seal and consent to the Lord's withdrawing there is no ground to complain of his withdrawing Q. But does not the Lord 's withdrawing of his influences since without his concurrence of that kind our actings are impossible doe violence to free-will which must be indifferent to act or not to act to doe or not to doe Ans This is a weak reason for to our willing the influence of God is natural and so is it to our nilling the Lord â—akes his influences and the withdrawing thereof connatural to all our actions to both willing and to nilling driness and barrenness is as connatural to the tree as budding and fruit-bearing if God add his influences either to the one or to the other yea since the Lord's concurrence is sutable to the nature of second causes the fire leaves not off to be fire nor is its nature destroyed if the Lord withdraw his influence so that the fire burns not the three children nor is violence done to nature by the Lord 's joyning of his influence to the fire to burn in acts of righteousness or of sin there is still nilling and willing And suppose that the Martyr chose to die a violent death for the confirming of the truth there is no violence done to free will nay there is no miracle in the Lord 's concurring to the material acts of sin 2. To have dominion over the Soveraignty of God is no part of the creatures liberty but only it is free in order to its own actings nor is it essential to the free-will of Men or Angels or any creature to have the influences of God in its power or at hand As it is no part of the Sun's power of yielding light or of the fires quality of casting heat to have dominion and command over the influences of God the supreme and first cause but the Lord hath so a dominion over second causes both in acts natural and supernatural that his influence as Midwife ever attends saving his holy Soveraignty the bringing forth of all births and effects of second causes So as in the free-wills moral actings the not acting of free-will or the marring of the birth of new obedience to a law of God is never from the Lord 's physical withdrawing of his influence as from a culpable cause but the sinfulness of the action is ever from our own sinful withdrawing of our will from under the moral sway of the holy command of God and let it be a mystery how the Lord withdraws his concurrence as being above a law he is holy and spotless in so doing and how we are under a law and sinfully guilty in that we love to want his holy influence and it s our sin and he loves to withdraw his influence and it is his holy Soveraignty Both which are clear in Scripture if we confess that we are debters to the Lord and to his just Law and his holy Soveraignty in that he yieldeth his influences and in his having mercy on whom he will and in hardning whom he will in the Lord 's drawing of men or his not drawing of them to Christ in revealing the Gospel mystery savingly to whom he will Rom. 9. 18. John 6. 44 63. Matth 11. 26 27. nor can the Lord be a debter to the Creature in these And this mysterie is a clear revealed truth if we yield that the Lord 's active drawing calling inviting of sinners to come to Christ is his holy and sinless work and our passive not being drawn and not being effectually called and invited to come to Christ is our sin of unbelief and our refusing and rebellious rejecting of his call Isa 65. 1 2. Prov. 1. 24 25 26. John 5. 40. and that he so calleth and hath mercy on whom he will because he will as it is the flesh and carnal wisedom that objecteth But God so calling some as they must come because so he willeth and so calling other some as they must be hardened because he willeth gives a seeming ground to two great Objections 1. Why then doth God find fault and rebuke and eternally refuse the so called for if they were called with that drawing power that others are called with sure they would believe and come but they are not so called therefore God cannot blame us find the fault in unbelievers Rom. 18. 19. 2. If God so call some as they obey and others as they obey not because he will who can resist his will his will is as himself then do we reject God's calling and eternally perish because God so doth will Now not any ever breathing moved any such Objections but the carnal Jew in Paul's time and the Socinians Jesuits and Arminians in the age we now live in and stumblers at the word for all such enemies to grace turn the Objection into an argument against the absolute will and invincible grace of God and answer not with the holy Ghost who Rom. 9. calls it a bold fleshly replying unto God v. 20. for the holy Ghost asserts the Soveraignty of God as the potter over the clay the guiltiness of vessels of wrath Rom. 9. 22. and their disobedience in refusing the call of God v. 29. their following like Pharisees Law-righteousness by works and stumbling at Christ the stumbling stone laid in Sion Rom. 9. 31 32 33. wheras the Gentils were called of free grace v. 24. 25 26. therefore they must be of the same stamp with the fleshly Jews who thus object against us and such are the Patrons of universal grace and free-will Hence let that be discussed 1. Would God give me grace I would be a man according to God's heart as well as David But 2. I was born in sin and I cannot have more grace then God hath given me