Secondly, The opening the heart fully to Jesus Christ, without which Christ can never be received, Rev. iii. 20. but this also is the effect of the quickening Spirit, the Spirit of life which is in Christ Jesus. Sooner may we expect to see the flowers and blossoms open without the influence of the sun, than the heart and will of a sinner open to receive Christ without a principle of spiritual life first de- rived from him : and this will be past doubt to all that consider, not only the impotence, but the ignorance, prejudice, and aversations of nature, by which the door of the heart is barred, and chained against Christ, John v. 40. So that nature hath nei- ther ability nor will, power nor desire, to come to Christ : if any have an heart opened to receive him, it is the Lord that opens it by his Almighty Power, and that in the way of an infused principle of life supernatural.
Quest. But here it may be doubted and objected, against this position. If we cannot believe till we are quickened with spiritual life, as you say, and cannot be justified till we believe, as all say, then it will follow, that a regenerate soul may be in the state of con- demnation for a time, and consequently perish, if death should befal him in that juncture.
Sol. To this I return, That when we speak of the priority of this quickening work of the Spirit to our actual believing, we rather understand it of the priority of nature, than of time, the nature and order of the work requiring it to be so : a vital principle must, in order of nature, be infused before a vital act can be exerted. First, Make the tree good, and then the fruit good : and admit we should grant some priority in time also to this quickening prin- ciple, before actual faith, yet the absurdity mentioned would be no way consequent upon that concession ; for as the vital act of faith quickly follows the regenerating principle, so the soul is abundantly secured against the danger objected : God never be- ginning any special work of grace upon the soul, and then leaving it and the soul with it in hazard, but preserves both to the finish- ing and completing of his gracious design, Phil. i. 6.
First Use of Information.
Infi 1. If such be the nature and necessity of this principle of
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divine life, as you have heard it opened in the foregoing discourse, then hence it follows, That unre 'generate men are no better than dead men. So the text represents them. " You hath he quickened " who were dead in trespasses and sins :" i. e. spiritually dead, though natually alive ; yea and lively too as any other persons in the world. There is a threefold consideration of objects, viz.
First, Naturally, To all those things that are natural, they are alive: they can understand, reason, discourse, project, and con- trive, as well as others ; they can eat, drink, and build, plant, and suck out the natural comfort of these things, as much as any others. So their life is described, Job xxi. 12. " They take the " timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ ; they " spend their days in wealth," &c. And James v. 5. " Ye have " lived in pleasure upon earth,'' as the fish lives in the water its natural element, and yet this natural sensual life is not allowed the name of life, 1 Tim. v. 9. such persons are dead whilst they live ; it is a base and ignoble life, to have a soul only to salt the body, or to enable a man for a few years to eat, and drink, and talk, and laugh, and then die.
Secondly, Objects maybe considered politically, and with respect to such things, they are alive also : they can buy and sell, and ma- nage all their worldly affairs with as much dexterity, skill, and policy as other men : yea, " the children of this world are wiser in their " generation than the children of light," Luke xvi. 8. The entire * stream of their thoughts, projects, and studies, running in that one channel ; having but one design to manage, they must needs excel in worldly wisdom : But then,
Thirdly, Theologically considered, they are dead ; without life, sense, or motion, towards God, and the things that are above : their understandings are dead, I Cor. ii. 14. and cannot receive the things that are of God ; their wills are dead, and cannot move towards Jesus Christ, John vi. 65. Their affections are dead, even to the most excellent and spiritual objects ; and all their duties are dead duties, without life or spirit. This is the sad case of the unre- generate world.
Inf. 2. This speaks encouragement to ministers and parents, to wait in hopes of success at last, even upon those that yet give them little hope of conversion at the present.
The work you see is the Lord's ; when the Spirit of life comes upon their dead souls, they shall believe, and be made willing ;
* May God free me from him who is a man only of one business. Bern. ^
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till then, we do but plough upon the rocks : yet let not our hand slack in duty, pray for them, and plead with them : you know not in which prayer, or exhortation, the Spirit of life may breathe upon them. Can these dry bones live ? Yes, if the Spirit of life from God breathe upon them, they can, and shall live : what though their dispositions be averse to all things that are spiritual and seri- ous, yet even such have been regenerated, when more sweet and promising natures have been passed by, and left under spiritual death.
It was the observation of Mr. Ward, upon his brother Mr. Da- niel Rogers, (who was a man of great gifts and eminent graces, yet of a very bad temper and constitution) Though my brother Rogers, saith he, hath grace enough for two men, yet not half enough for himself.
It may be you have prayed and striven long with your relations and to little purpose, yet be not discouraged. How often was Mr. John Rogers, that famous and successful divine, a grief of heart to his relations in his younger years, proving a wild and lewd young man, to the great discouragement of his pious friends ; yet, at last, the Lord graciously changed him, so that Mr. Richard Rogers would say, when he could exercise the utmost degree of charity or hope, for any that at present were vile and naught, / will neve?' despair of any man for John Rogers'* sake.