and ceremonies of Rome. Our Protestantism securely built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Himself being the chief corner stone, has nothing to fear so long as we continue to rest it upon that sure foundation, but it has much to fear from its professed friends, when by a false criticism the inspiration and authority of the Bible are called in question. As we look back with gratitude on all it has accomplished in the past, and as we look forward in faith and hope to all it must accomplish in the future, let us take courage, and daily thank God for our Bible. Notwithstanding the darkness of unbelief by which many in our Protestant land are unwilling to receive it, it is in truth that glorious revelation of the Divine One which gave its light to those great minds of an earlier age—the Morning Stars of the Reformation. INFLUENCES OF THE LIFE OF GRACE. CHAPTER XI.-Continued. THE third class of answers to the Lord's restrained way of giving of grace, and to him who says: "Had I more grace, I should be more holy"—must be taken from the holy attributes of God. For this quarrel-"Why would not the Lord make me holier, and let out richer influences of grace?"-is a reproaching of His Sovereignty. He makes not all the lumps of the great mass of clay, vessels of honour. That is true. Nor have they all alike nearness to the throne of glory, nor the like measure of glory, that are in heaven; nor a like measure of gifts; all are not apostles; nor a like measure of grace and holiness: nor are they all equally poor or equally rich, or equally wise and learned, or equally believing in the same measure of assurance, the same measure of joy. For when Paul disputes thus: "He hath mercy on whom He will, and hardens whom He will," it comes to this: "Why doth He then find fault?" It is not in him that runs and wills. 2. As the objection is against the Sovereignty of God, so it is against the infinite wisdom of God. After the Apostle in three chapters hath discussed this, he acknowledges there is a deep in it (Rom. xi. 33)—“ Oh the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!" No wonder it be a depth to me: but there no more a deep in it, if all have universal, sufficient grace, and if all have the influence of grace in their power, then this is no depth. I is deny not there is a depth in all God's ways,-in the industry of an ant, of a coney, of a locust; yea, how the bones grow in the womb of her that is with child. But because the Apostle hath discoursed of election, and reprobation, and of the righteousness of faith, and of the law, Rom. ix. x., and of the casting off the Jews for a time, and the in-coming of the Gentiles, Rom. xi., and then concludes v. 33, "Oh the depth, both of the riches and knowledge of God," &c., there must be another sort of profundity in the words, to human reason, than that wisdom of God shining in the works of creation and providence. Now the Doctors of universal grace, and such as submit election and reprobation, obedience to the call of God, and disobedience, and all the influences of grace, to the determination of freewill, arise no higher than the depths of man's willing and ruling. 3. This is a complaining against the free grace of God. There is a sort of grace of creation, and a comet or a star is here left to complain: "Why made not the Lord me a shining sun?" And the thistle must challenge God: "Why made He not me a fig-tree, or a vine-tree?" 4. And is not free goodness here complained of? "God knowingly and wittingly (saith the lying Devil) 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, say they, God gives not grace enough. 5. His holiness and righteousness are arraigned. 1. "He did not from eternity show 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 is 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 do 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, meekened soul sees all the blame in itself, and mercy and inviting kindness in God. 7. "I would do otherwise, but, ah, my sinful nature! I was born in sin." This is a blaming of providence: "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." 66 But, 1. The flowing of sin original is a work of His holy justice, who so punished the first fall. And you carp not at the indwelling of sin original, by which the poison of the sinful nature is hateful to God, (Gen. vi. 5; viii. 21,) but at the Lord's righteous smiting of our nature. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou?" Isa. xlv. 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 lie. Every man is in this sense a captive under sin original, in that, nil he, will he, he is born in sin. But the unrenewed objector is not so a captive, in that he was never humbled for sin original, as David confesseth it his plague and sore, Ps. li. 5; Job xiv. 4. He is not a captive but a consenter to sin original. 2. He that willingly lends lodging, and a furnace, and a warm hearthstone 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 sends a writ of grace and bids him come out, and casts open 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. "Come to me, and I will ease you :" yet ye will not; and this 20, 30, 40 years since the gospel of grace came to you, you eat, drink, sleep, wake, laugh, rejoice 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 sin, 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. vii. 15:-"For that which I do, I allow not for what I would, that I do not, but what I hate, that I do." 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. David confesseth this sin as his personal, as well as his natural sin, Ps. li. 5: "Behold in iniquity" (that is the highest of sin), "I was formed, and in sin did my mother conceive me." He names the person twice; and the Holy Ghost blacks all faces with this sin, Rom. v. 12. "All have sinned." 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 pinnacle of the temple. So we should consider well this sinful case of conscience. When, 1, the man wishes to be free of the inherency of sin, because something that is penal in lust, torments and hinders sleep; some bodily pain goes along with night drinking, but yet he sticks strongly to the sinful acting thereof. 2. When the man should repent and mourn for his sinful delighting in sin, he murmurs that God would not counter-work the being of it, and that He so permitted it to be, and so disposed of the place and strength of temptation, since He could have made it never to have been. And 3, the man frets that God will not take it away while he sleeps, but withal he refuses :— 1. All sorrowing according to God, and in loathing it. 2. All challenging himself, Prov. v., "How have I hated instruction." 3. Any godly improving of Jesus Christ, as the Ransom-payer, and believing in Him, for the Lord's way of the removing of sin, by the pardoning thereof. Jer. 1. 20. But this is also a tempting of God. 1. We are not to pray for influences physical, simply and absolutely to work miracles, but we are to pray for influences, such as are suitable to the word, Ps. cxix. 36: "Incline my heart unto Thy testimonies, and not to covetousness;" verse 133: "Order my heart in Thy steps and let not any iniquity have dominion over me." David seeks such quickening influences. Ps. cxix. 25, "Quicken Thou me according to Thy word:" verse 156, 116, "Uphold me according to Thy word, that I may live.” Quakers and Familists seek after the furious wildfire of hell, skaddings and flamings of a spirit abstracted from the Word. railing, bitter speaking, blaspheming have been laid upon the Spirit. 2. A spirit that suggests neglect of ordinances, and means of salvation, is not the Spirit of God. "Would God put forth more power, and stronger influences, I should be holy indeed:" in the meantime the man sleeps. So, would the Lord put forth stronger influences, corn, and wheat, and vine-trees should grow without husbandry and sowing. Shall the husbandman plough not, and pray for such a harvest? So may the man say, "I'll eat not,—God can nourish me without bread." Influences in the fixed and ordinary providence of God, are neither promised, nor to be expected, but in God's way of using means: "the hand of the diligent makes rich.” Should one step out of the ship, and attempt to walk on the sea, having no warrant, but a spirit divided from the use of means, and from hearing, reading, meditating, praying: were not this a proud tempting of God? 3. Do not all the wretched and profane practically contradict God? The drunkard will desire influences to his drunken prayers: the swearer, the oppressor, and the loose liver will force influences for his empty faith, "I believe, and am saved:" and there must be influences at these golden words, James ii. 16, spoken to the naked and hungry : "Depart in peace; be thou warmed and filled." There is some carnal fire and heat in their formalities, and they look upon these as influences of God, and thank God for them; when as these influences are rather wrathful plagues of God, joining with our sinful acting of hypocrisy, than favours and gracious concurrences of God. But as to the lazy despairing: 1. It was the people's way, when they are exhorted to repent, Jer. xviii. 12, "There is no hope, but we will walk after our own devices." They were stealing, murdering, whoring, following false gods night and day, Jer. vii. 9; and yet they said they came to the Temple to pray and sacrifice night and day, verse 10. 2. Is it not dreadful that when God refuses to rain down influences on sleepers, and the Spirit breathes not upon dreamers, and men are resolved to do no more, not to add a farthing more for the field and the precious pearl Christ, saying, if they perish, they must submit themselves to the will of God? They cannot force the Lord, nil He, will He, to save them. True, all the reprobates that cry to hills and mountains to cover them, whether they will or no, they must refer themselves to the will of God. And this is a wicked chiding with God. "If God will not save me by such actings as may stand with mine ease and pleasure, let Him destroy me, for I'll do no more than I do." 3. This is a murmuring at the very marrow and flower of the Gospel; John vi. 43, 44, "Murmur not among yourselves: No man can come to me except the Father that sent me, draw him." Then are we inclined to make war with God, because He will not give us drawing influences, and bestows them upon some. Hence these disciples gave over all use of means; verse 66, "Went back, and walked no more with Jesus." What then shall they do? They cannot force God to draw them. "If the Lord will save us, it is good; if not, we cannot mend it: we will follow Christ and His new gospel no more." 4. Is it to you, fools so approved a course, to give over means so blessed of God? Neglect of means is dreadfully punished of God, Prov. i. 24-27; Luke xiv. 16-19. Hence the killing of the prophets |
