Lesson 4. Fourthly, The Lord teaches the soul that is coming to Christ, that though it he their duty to strive to the uttermost for sal- vation ; yet all strivings, in their own strength, are insufficient to obtain it. This work is quite above the power of nature : u It is " not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God " that sheweth mercy." The soul is brought to a full conviction of this, by the discovery of the heinous nature of sin, and of the rigour and severity of the law of God. No repentance nor reforma- tion can possibly amount unto a just satisfaction, nor are they within the compass and power of our will. It was a saying that Dr. Hill often used to his friends, speaking about the power of man's will ; he would lay his hand upon his breast, and say, " Every man hath something here to confute the Arminian doc- " trine."1 This fully takes off the soul from all expectations of deliverance that way ; it cannot but strive, that is its duty ; but to expect deliverance, as the purchase of its own strivings, that would be its sin.
Lesson 5. Fifthly, The soul that is coming to Christ by faith, is taught of God, that though the case it is in be sad, yet it is not des- perate and remediless : There is a door of hope, a way of escape for poor sinners, how black and fearful soever their own thoughts and apprehensions are ; there is usually at this time a dawning light of hope in the soul that is under the Father's teachings ; and this com-
SERM. XXn. THE METHOD OF GRACE. 31 S
monly arises from the general and indefinite encouragements and promises of the gospel, which, though they do not presently secure the soul from danger, yet they prop and mightily support it against despair : For though they be not certain that deliverance shall be the event of their trouble ; yet the possibilities, and much more the probabilities of deliverance are a great stay to a sinking soul. The troubled soul cannot but acknowledge itself to be in a far better case than the damned are, whose hopes are perished from the Lord, and a death-pang of despair hath seized their consciences. And herein the merciful and compassionate nature of God is eminently discovered, in hasting to open the door of hope, almost as soon as the evil of sin is opened. It was not long after Adam's eyes were opened to see his misery, that God opened Christ, his remedy, in that first promise, Gen. iii. 15. And the same method of grace is still continued to his elect offspring, Gal. iii. 21, 22. Rom. iii. 21, 22. These supporting hopes the Lord sees necessary to encourage industry in the use of means ; it is hope that sets all the world awork ; if all hope were cut off, every soul would sit down in a sullen despair, yielding itself for hell.
Lesson 6. Sixthly, The Lord teaches those that come to Christ, that there is a fulness of saving power in him, whereby any soul that duly receives him, may be perfectly delivered from all its sin and misery, Heb. vii. 25. Col i. 19. Matth. xxviii. 18. This is a great and ne- cessary point for every believer to learn and hear from the Father ; for unless the soul be satisfied of the fulness of Christ's savi no- power, it will never move forward towards him ; and herein also the goodness of God is most sweetly and seasonably manifested ; for, at this time, it is the great design of Satan to fill the soul with despairing thoughts of a pardon ; but all those black and heart-sinking thoughts vanish before the discovery of Christ's all- sufficiency. Now the sin-sick soul saith with that woman, Matth. ix. 21. " If I may but touch the hem of his garment, I shall be " healed." How deep soever the guilt and stain of sin be, yet the soul which acknowledges the infinite dignity of the blood o£ Christ, the offering it Up to God in our room, and God's declared satis- faction in it, must needs be satisfied that Christ is " able to save, " to the uttermost, all that come unto God by him ;" which is the sixth lesson believers are taught of God.
Lesson 7. Seventhly, Every man that cometh to Christ is taught of God, that he can never reap any benefit by the blood of Christ, ex- cept he have union with the person of Christ, 1 John v. 12. Eph. iv. 16. Time was when men fondly thought nothing was necessary to their salvation but the death of Christ ; but now the Lord shews them that their union with Christ by faith is as necessary, in the place of an applying cause, as the death of Christ is, in the place of
314 THE METHOD OF GRACE. SERM. XXII.
a meritorious cause : The purchase of salvation is an act of Christ without us, whilst we are yet sinners ; the application thereof is by a work wrought icWrin us, when we are believers, Col. i. 27. In the purchase all the elect are redeemed together by way of price ; in the application they are actually redeemed, each person, by way of power. Look, as the sin of the first Adam could never hurt us, unless he had been our head by way of generation ; so the righteousness of Christ can never benefit us, unless he be our head by way of regeneration. In teaching this lesson, the Lord, in mercy, unteaches and blots out that dangerous principle, by which the greatest part of the christianized world do perish, viz. that the death of Christ is, in itself, effectual to salvation, though a man be never regenerated or united to him by saving faith.
Lesson 8. Eighthly, God teaches the soul, whom he is bringing' to Christ, that whatever is necessary to be wrought in us, or done by us, in order to our union with Christ, is to be obtained from him in the way of prayer, Ezek. xxxvi. 37. And it is observable, that the soul no sooner comes under the effectual teachings of God, but the Spi- rit of prayer begins to breathe in it, Acts ix. 8. " Behold, he pray- " eth.v Those that were taught to pray by men before, are now taught of the Lord to pray : To pray did I say ? yea, and to pray fervently too, as men concerned for their eternal happiness ; to pray not only with others, but to pour out our souls before the Lord in secret ; for their hearts are as bottles full of new wine, which must vent or break. Now the soul returns upon its God often in the same day ; now it can express its burdens and wants, in words and groans which the Spirit teacheth. They pray, and will not give over praying, till Christ come with complete salvation.