Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

will be as dew (says the Lord, in the xivth of Hosea) unto Israel:" and then follows fruitfulness.

Again, The rain cometh by special appointment from God, with a kind of discrimination. "He maketh the rain to fall upon one city (saith the prophet) and not upon another," Amos iv. 7. As we read concerning Gideon's fleece, Judges vi. 38,39, 40, the dew fell upon the fleece, when all the earth was dry round about it; and then the dew fell upon the ground, when the fleece was dry. And this was a type of the grace of Christ. When the Jews were bedewed with the grace of Christ, then all the nations round about, they were dry; and then when God bedewed the Gentiles, the nations round about, with his grace, then the Jews were dry, and they are dry to this day.

Again, the rain falleth, it is the Scripture phrase, the rain falleth, and falleth upon the earth, and the earth is a recipient to receive it. It is mere recipient at the first, and then brings forth its fruit. The rain falleth, and so doth the grace of Christ; the grace of Christ falls upon the souls of men and women. Saith the text here," He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass. So doth the grace of Jesus Christ, it comes down upon a poor soul, all in a way of receiving, all in a way of receiving; whatever grace or holiness a man hath on this side heaven, it is all in a way of receiving.

وو

And this will appear further to you, if you consider the insufficiency of nature, the supernaturality of grace, the shortness of all means that are appointed thereunto, the work and nature of faith, and the posture and true behaviour of prayer.

First of all, There is a natural inability in a man unto what is good, truly, spiritually good.

I. A man is unable by nature to overcome any sin, though it be never so small. A man by nature, he may abstain from vices, from a sin, but overcome it he cannot. Sin may be satisfied and not mortified. Mark, sin may be satisfied and not mortified. As in the dropsy, there is a great deal of difference between the satisfying of a man's thirst, and the healing of the disease. Many men think that their sin is certainly healed, when it is only satisfied. Whereas a beggar, when he is competently served, he will beg no more.

And sin, beggar-like, when it is well served it will not beg again presently, not in the same temptation. Sin itself, will cease to sin, that it may gather strength to sin. But now, a man by nature he cannot overcome it. And therefore in the 1 Cor. xv. 57, the apostle says thus: "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ." Victories, and all victories is through our Lord Jesus Christ. And if in the Old Testament, all victories were given from God, all outward victories were given from him. Then much more in the New Testament, are all our spiritual victories, the former being but types of these, much more are all our spiritual victories, then to be given to God. Now ye see how it was with David, in the xviiith Psalm, concerning outward victories; he gives all to God. Says he there, at the 32nd verse," It is God that girdeth me with strength. He maketh my feet like hind's feet: he teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms." And at the 2nd verse, says he, "The Lord is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer: my God, my strength in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and mine high tower." As if all his warlike strength and skill were from God. And is not much more our spiritual strength which we have in our christian warfare from Jesus Christ? "I have set the Lord always at my right hand, therefore I shall not fall," says the Psalmist, Ps. xvi. 8. Naturally then, a man is utterly unable to overcome any sin, or temptation, though it be never so small.

II. As a man is unable to overcome any sin: so also, if he be fallen, he is unable to rise again. Peter himself must have a look from Christ before he could repent. As if Jesus Christ had said to him; Peter, thou art now down in the dirt, and know thou canst not arise, unless I give forth my hand unto thee: then here is my hand; and so he did heave him up. Every sin that a man does commit, he is taken captive by it, more or less: sin is a captivity. Now, Voluntas nm est libera, nisi liberata: a man is not free, unless freed. If the Son make you free, you are free indeed; but else not at all. Every sin that a man does commit, it is a mortal wound, a death of the soul, sin is. A man may be able to kill himself; but being killed he cannot raise himself. The ship having his rudder broken, cannot go where it will, but must

go where the tempest pleases. And beloved, there is never a sin that a man commits, but he does strike upon his rudder, he does strike upon the earth withal; and he does lose his rudder. A poor sheep is able for to lose itself, and to wander: but being lost is not able to come home again. Yea, our Saviour says, in the parable of the lost sheep, meaning lost man, the lost sheep is taken by the shepherd, or the good man that finds it, and is laid upon his shoulder, and so brought back again. What is this shoulder, but the strength of Christ? And indeed, if a poor soul, if a wandering, poor, lost soul, be not laid on the shoulder of Jesus Christ; he will lose, and wander unto all eternity, will lose himself, and wander for ever. This is well expressed, as an ancient does observe in the example of Adam: when Adam had sinned, and fallen; Adam was not able to return again. Let us mark it the rather, because Adam, he was our great common father; and in his example we may all see our own faces. Says he, Adam being fallen, he could not rise again: but when Adam was fallen, what does he? Then he sets himself, for to make himself clothes of fig-leaves, that so he might be freed from the injury of the weather: he could mind his clothes, and do something to take away his shame; but not one thought of God, not one word of God whom he had lost. And so now man, man having sinned; what does he do? He can mind his clothes, he can mind the affairs of the world; those things that concern this life, and his body: oh! but not one word, not one thought of God, until the voice of the Lord be heard: and what then? Then Adamlike he may be ashamed, and may be afraid; but yet no repentance till Christ comes. Naturally a man being fallen, he is unable to rise again.

III. As he is unable to rise again: so he is unable to stand, to hold, to continue: though he should rise up again, he is unable to stand, he is unable to hold, to continue. And therefore David seeing his people in a good frame, he prays, That the Lord would continue that good in the thoughts of their heart, and that for ever, 1 Chron. xxvi. 18. And so the apostle, in the 1 Peter v. 10, " But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after ye have suffered awhile, make ye perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." Pray mark the words,

"the God of all grace, stablish, strengthen, settle you." He does not say, The God of nature settle you. Oh, it is an act of grace, of great grace, of rich grace to be settled, it is an act of great grace to be truly settled, as Hierom excellently notes, God is always a giver, God is always a bestower. It shall not suffice me that God hath once given, unless he would always give. You know the parable concerning the strong man that ye read of in Matt. xii. being cast out by a stronger than he, and yet returns again. The devil is this strong man in some great, and gross sin; now, though he be cast out; yet notwithstanding the room being emptied, though it be garnished with moral virtues, and evangelical gifts; yet the room being left empty of Jesus Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ not keeping the house: says the devil, the house is mine still; and therefore, says he, I will return to mine house, he calls it his house all this while; though the strong man were cast out, and though the room were swept and garnished, yet he calls it his house still, because Jesus Christ did not keep there, and continue there. So that the Lord Jesus Christ must have the keeping of the house, as well as the sweeping of the house. Naturally, a man is unble to hold, to stand, and continue, though he do rise.

IV. Pray mark it, that you may see what an insufficiency there is unto what is good, that so we may be brought unto more dependance on Christ. As a man is unable to stand, and persevere so also, he is unable to any one good work; spiritually, evangelically good. "We are not able (says the apostle) as of ourselves, to think a good thought, to speak a good word; but all our sufficiency is of God," 2 Cor. iii. 5. And Bradwardine, he reasons the case very well: says he thus: If that a man bestow good breeding upon his child: the father gives the natural being to the child, he brings him up in military affairs, and the child grows very skilful, and the father furnishes him with all kind of armour: yet notwithstanding, if the child hath the prowess, and the valour of the action from himself he may boast in himself, and he may say, True indeed, I had my being from my father, I had, indeed, my skill from my father, I had my arms from my father: but the action is my own, the valour my own, the strength of the action is my own. So, says he, if God should give habitual grace to a man, if the strength for the action

should not be from God, he might boast; true indeed, I had the habit from God, the habitual grace from God, but the action is my own, the spirit of the action is my own: he had now wherein to boast. But all boasting is cut off, as you shall hear by and by. And therefore naturally a man is unable to every work: not only the habit is received; but strength for the action also, it is all received.

V. As a man is unable to every action: so also, he is naturally unable to prepare himself unto what is good, spiritually good. Good people, mark it, I say, a man is also unable to prepare himself unto what is good. Not only unable to do good, but unable to prepare himself unto what is good, spiritually good: not only unable to overcome the enemy, but unable to draw out his forces: not only unable to receive the enemy's charge, but he is unable to draw out his forces. "Ho, ho, every one that thirsteth, come and buy wine and milk, without money, or money's worth." Isa. lv. 1. If a man could prepare, here is money, here is money's worth. As one observes well, Then a man might say, the first beginning of my salvation was of myself, yea, in truth a man may say, The greatest part is from myself; for it is more to begin, and more to prepare; so the greatest part of our salvation should be from ourselves. Ye know what the Apostle says, and I pray consider it, in Ephesians ii. 1. "And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins. Even you," at the 5th verse, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ: by grace ye are saved." Mark, twice the Apostle brings in that sentence: he brings it in again at the 8th verse, "For by grace ye are saved." Why twice? not only to show that the progress of a Christian is by grace, but the very first beginning and setting out, it is all of grace: "By grace ye are saved." It is a good speech of Austin, Grace is no way grace, unless it be every way free. Now can a poor dead man prepare himself unto life? Did Lazarus prepare himself to life? Could he do it? Could Lazarus do it? There is, saith the philosopher, a proportion always between the action and the term of the action. Now what proportion is there between nature and grace? "No man," says our Saviour, " comes unto the Son, but whom the Father draws," John vi. 44. Thus says our Saviour. Oh! but says Pelagius, I can go unto Jesus Christ by my own preparation,

« AnteriorContinuar »