But yet, all the preaching in the world can never effect this union with Christ in itself, and in its own virtue, except a supernatural and mighty power go forth with it for that end and purpose. Let Boanerges and Barnabas try their strength, let the angels of heaven be the preachers ; till God draw, the soul cannot come to Christ.
No saving benefit is to be had by Christ, without union with his person, no union with his person without faith, no faith ordinarily wrought without the preaching of the gospel by Christ's ambassa- dors, their preaching hath no saving efficacy without God's draw- ings, as will evidently appear by considering these words and the occasion of them.
The occasion of these words is found (as learned * Cameron well observes) in the 42d verse, " And they said, is not this Jesus " the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?" Christ had been pressing upon them in his ministry, the great and neces- sary duty of faith ; but notwithstanding the authority of the preach- er; the holiness of his life; the miracles by which he confirmed his doctrine ; they still objected against him, " is not this the carpen- " ter's son ?*" From whence Christ takes occasion for these words ; " No man can come unto me, except my Father which hath sent " me, draw him," q. d. In vain is the authority of my person urged ; in vain are all the miracles wrought in your sight, to con- firm the doctrine preached to you ; till that secret, almighty power of the Spirit be put forth upon your hearts, you will not, you cannot, come unto me.
The words are a negative proposition,
In which the author, and powerful manner of divine operation in working faith, are contained: there must be drawing before
* Camcronis Mumthec. p. 139.
68 THE METHOD OF GRACE, SERM. IV.
believing, and that drawing must be the drawing of God : every word hath its weight : we will consider them in the order they lie in the text.
Ovdeig, No Man] not one, let his natural qualifications be
what they will, let his external advantages, in respect of means and helps, be never so great : it is not in the power of any man ; all persons, in all ages, need the same power of God, one as well as another ; every man is alike dead, impotent, and averse to faith in his natural capacity. No man, or — not one, among all the sons of men.
A-jvara/, Caii\ or is able : he speaks of impotency to special
and saving actions, such as believing in Christ is: no act that is saving can be done without the concurrence of special grace. Other acts that have a remote tendency to it, are performed by a more general concourse and common assistance; so men may come to the word, and attend to what is spoken, remember and consider what the word tells them ; but as to believing or coming to Christ, that no man can do of himself, or by a general and common assist- ance. No man can.
E^£/i/ Kgo$ //,£, Come unto me,] i. e. believe in me unto salvation.
Coming to Christ, and believing in him, are terms equipollent, and are indifferently used to express the nature of saving faith, as is plain, ver. 35. " He that cometh to me shall never hunger, " and he that believeth on me shall never thirst :" it notes the terms from which and to which the soul moves, and the voluntari- ness of the motion, notwithstanding that divine power by which the will is drawn to Christ.
Eay /Ay o IlarrjO, — Except my Father] not excluding the other two Persons; for every work of God relating to the creatures is com- mon to all the three Persons ; nor only to note that the Father is the first in order of working : but the reason is hinted in the next words.
O rrz/x^ag ,m, — ivho hath sent me,] God hath entered into covenant with the Son, and sent him, stands obliged thereby, to bring the promised seed to him, and that he he doth by drawing them to Christ by faith : so the next words tell us the Father doth,
EXxvtf?) avrov. Draw him.] That is, powerfully and effectually
incline his will to come to Christ : " * Not by a violent co-action, " but by a benevolent bending of the will which was averse ;" and as it is not in the way of force and compulsion, so neither is it by a simple moral suasion, by the bare proposal of an object to the will, and so leaving the sinner to his own election ; but it is such a per-
* Non violenla cnactio immediata, sed voluntatis a Deo averscc benevolo Jleclio. Glas. Rhot. Sacra, p. 250'.
THE METHOD OF GRACE* 69
suasion, as hath a mighty overcoming efficacy accompanying it : of which more anon.
The words thus opened, the observation will be this :
Doet. That it is utterly impossible Jbr any man to come to Jesus Christ, unless he be drawn unto him by the special and mighty power of' God.
No man is compelled to come to Christ against his will, he that cometh, comes willingly, but even that will and desire to come is the effect of grace, Phil. ii. 13. " It is God that worketh in you, ;i both to will and to do of his own good pleasure."
" If we desire the help and assistance of grace, (saith * Fulgen- " tius) even the desire is of grace ; grace must first be shed forth " upon us, before we can begin to desire it." " By grace are ye " saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of " God," Eph. ii. 8. Suppose the utmost degree of natural ability ; let a man be as much disposed and prepared as nature can dispose or prepare him, and to all this, add the proposal of the greatest arguments and motives to induce him to come ; let all these have the advantage of the fittest season to work upon his heart ; yet no man can come till God draw him : we move as we are moved : as Christ's coming to us, so our coming to him are the pure effects of grace.
Three things require explication in this point before us.
First, What tlie drawing of the Father imports.
Secondly, In what manner he draws men to Christ,
Thirdly, How it appears that none can come till they be so drawn.
First, What the drawing of the Father imports.
To open this, let it be considered, that drawing is usually dis- tinguished into physical and moral. The former is either by co- action, force, and compulsion ; or, by a sweet congruous efficacy upon the will. As to violence and compulsion, it is none of God's way and method, it being both against the nature of the will of man, which cannot be forced, and against the will of Jesus Christ, who loves to reign over a free and willing people, Psal. ex. 5. " Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power." Or, as that word may be rendered, they shall be voluntarinesses, as willing as willingness itself. It is not then by a forcible co-action, but in a moral way of persuasion, that God the Father draws men to Jesus Christ : He draws with the bands of a man, as they are called, Hos.
* Ut ergo desideremus arfjulorium, hoc quotpuc e&t gratice ; ipsa nnmque incijrit effundi ut incipit posci. Fulgen. Epist; 6. ad Tlieod.
^0 THE METHOD OF GRACE.