Secondh/. Tlie necessity of this concurrence and co-operation, — 1. Of the Spirit with us. 2. We by the Spiiit.
1. Of the Spirit's work. We cannot, without the Spirit, mortify the deeds of the body.
[1.] From the state of the person who is to be renewed and healed. A sinner lying in a state of defection from God, one that hath lost original rigliteousuess, averse from God ; yea, an enemy to him, prone to all evil, weak, and dead to all spiritual good ; how can such an one renew and convert himself? There is no sound part left in us to mend the rest. It is true he hath reason left, and some confused notions and ujjprehensions of good and evil ; but the veiy apprehensions are maimed
VeR. 13.] SERMONS UPON ROMANS VIII. 77
and imperfect ; and we often call evil good, and put good for evil, Isa. V. 20. However to cliocse the one and leave the other, that is not iu our power. We may have some loose desires of spiritual favours, especially as apprehended under the quality of a felicity or natural good, and as separated from the means : Numb xxiii. 10, ' 0 that I might die the death of the rigliteous ! and my last end be like his.' They may long for the death of the righteous, though loath to live their life ; but these desires are neither truly spiritual, nor serious, nor constant, nor laborious ; so that if we consider what man is in his natural estate, blind in his mind, perverse in his will, rebellious in his affections ; this work can only be wrought by the Spirit of God. Will a nature that is wholly carual, ever resist and overcome the flesh ? But so we are by nature, John iii. 6. Can flesh destroy itself ? Can a man of himself be brought to abhor what he dearly loveth ; and he that drinketh in iniquity like water, be brought to loathe sin, and expel, and drive it from him ? On the other side, will he be brouglit to love what he abhorreth ? There is enmity to the law of God in a carnal heart, till grace remove it, Rom. viii. 7. Can we that are worldly, and wholly governed by sense, look for all our happiness in an unseen world, till we receive another .spirit ? The scripture will tell you, No : 1 Cor. ii. 12, 1-i, ' Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we may know the things that are freely given us of God ; but the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him ; neither can he know them, becau.se they are spiritually discerned.' And 2 Pet. i. 9, ' He that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off.' What man of his own accord will deny present things, and lay up his liopes in heaven .'' Can a stony heart of itself become tender, or a dead heart quicken itself, or a filthy heart cleanse itself, — bring a clean thing out of an unclean ? It cannot be.
[2.] The honour of our Redeemer requireth that our whole and entire recovery to God should be ascribed to him. Not part only, as our freedom from guilt, while the power of sin is subdued and broken by ourselves. Renewing grace is his gift, as well as reconciling grace ; and we can no more convert ourselves to God, than we can reconcile ourselves to him ; both go together ; both are obtained by the same merit ; and both are received from the same hand : Act v. 31, ' Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a prince and a saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins ; ' and 1 Cor. vi. 11, ' And such were some of you ; but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of our Loi-d Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.' As by the virtue of his blood and sufferings he reconciled us to God ; so by the almighty power of his grace, he doth cure and heal our natures, and imprint God's image upon our souls. The work of redemption would have ceased for ever if Christ had not paid our ransom for us, Ps. xlix. 8. So the work of renovation : Job. xiv. 4, ' Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean ? Not one.' Surely Christ hath purchased this grace, and purchased it into his own hands, not into another's ; and sendeth forth his conquering and prevailing Spirit to bring back the souls of men to God. This work must not be disparaged, or looked upon as a low, natural, common thing ; for this
78 SERMONS UPON ROMANS VIII. [SeR. XIX.
is to lessen the benefit of the new creation, which is so much magnified in scripture.
2. The necessity of our co-operation, 'If we by the Spirit.' [1.] We may : [2,] We must.
[1.] We may. God hath given us gifts wliifth are not in vain, the new nature or principle of grace infused into us, all which tend to weaken and mortify sin, Acts xv. 9, ' Purifying tlieir hearts by faith.' Hope : 1 John iii. 3, ' He tliat hath this hope in him, purifieth himself as Christ is pure.' Love, which looketh backward or forward, ' teachelh us to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts.' Tit. ii. 11-14. So that we may, or can, if we be not wanting to ourselves, do something to the crucifying of the flesh. Certainly after regeneration, we are or may be active ; otherwise there would be no difference between the renewed -and the carnal, and some of God's best gifts would be in vain. You are to improve the death of Christ to embitter sin to you by his sufferings ; to improve the grace received ; to pray for the supply of the Spirit ; to retrench the provisions of the flesh ; to walk ?.s in the sight of God, and prejiare for a better world ; to maintain a constant conflict with sin, and watch over all your ways. There are means of gi-ace appointed to weaken sin ; as the word, and sacraments, and many providences, which might be of great use to you if you did improve them.