VeR. 14.] SERMONS UPON ROMANS VI. 279
But more closely consider — (1.) The necessity of the Spirit's concur- rence ; (2.) The encouragement we have thereby.
[1.] The necessity of the Spirit's concurrence; we cannot begin, carry on, and accomplish the work of mortification, without the oper- ation, help, and power of the Spirit.
(1.) That we cannot begin it is evident, because before conversion we were 'dead in trespasses and sins,' Eph. ii. 1, had only a life of resistance and enmity against God and the work of his grace left in us : Eom. viii, 7, ' The carnal mind is enmity against God ; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be ; ' and we were under the power of the devil, who holdeth the fallen creature in bondage till he be dispossessed : Luke xi. 21, 22, ' When a strong man armed keepeth the house, his goods are in peace ; but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.' There is no faculty in man that can work the cure. The understanding is dark, and blind, and weak ; if it warn us of our duty, it cannot break the force of sin, Rom. i. 18. The will is enslaved to corruption. Now nothing will seek to destroy itself, but rather to preserve that life that it hath ; therefore the heart of man, which is by nature corrupt, wedded to the interests and concernments of the flesh, will never seek to mortify and subdue the flesh ; for a thing will never be opposite to itself. The scripture saith, John iii. 6, ' That which is born of the flesh is flesh.' A man wholly addicts himself to sin while under the power of corrupt nature, and a sensual carnal heart cannot make itself holy and heavenly. But—
(2.) After conversion, when grace and the principles of a new life are put into us to weaken sin, yet still we need the help of the Spirit, partly because habitual grace is a creature, and therefore in itself mutable ; for all creatures depend, in esse, conservari, et operari, upon him that made them : Acts xvii. 26, ' In him we live, and move, and have our beings.' If God suspend the influence, the fire, which is a natural agent, burneth not, as in the instance of the three children who were cast into the fiery furnace ; if necessary agents, much more voluntary agents ; and if there be this dependence in natural things, much more in supernatural. Therefore grace still dependeth on God's influence, and there must be a concurrence of the Spirit to maintain what he hath wrought : Phil. i. 6, ' Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.' Partly because it doth not totally prevail in the heart, but there is opposition against it, there is flesh still : Gal. T. 12, ' The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary the one to the other, so that you cannot do the things that you would.' Habitual grace non totalile)' sanat, it worketh not a j)erfect but a partial cure upon the soul. Therefore there needeth new grace to act, and guide, and quicken us still, and to stir up the principles of grace in us. Partly because this grace, as it meeteth with opposition from within, so it is exposed to temptations from without, from Satan, who watcheth all advantages against us. Now when temptation cometh with new strength, we must have new grace to oppose it : Heb. iv. IG, ' Let us come boldly to the throne ot
280 SERMONS UPON ROMANS VI. [SeR. XIV.
grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need/ %«/5H' et? evKaipov ^orjOeiav. Adam had habitual grace, but he gave out at the first assault. When a city is besieged, the prince who would defend it doth not leave it to its ordinary strength, and the standing provisions which it had before, but sendeth in fresh supplies of soldiers, victuals, and ammunition, and such things as their present exigence calleth for. So doth God deal with his people ; his Spirit cometh in with a new supply, that they may the better avoid sin, and stand out in an hour of trial. So from the world, which is continually obtruding itself upon our embraces, and it is hard to ' escape the cor- ruption that is in the world through lust,' 2 Peter i. 4. The new nature was given us for that end, and also the Spirit of God is neces- sary : 1 John iv. 4, * Ye are of God, and have overcome the world ; for greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.' The Spirit is necessary, as against the terrors, so the delights of it : 1 Cor. ii. 12, ' We have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things which are freely given to us of God,' that so the world may not corrupt us, nor entice us to affect its riches, honours, and pleasures above God and the con- science of our duty to him.