Use 2. To represent to us the necessity of being in a state of faith, or else neither person nor work can please God ; there must be a change of our state, as well as doing our duties. It is in vain to persuade people to change their actions, while their state is unchanged. If the person be not in favour, the works are hated ; duties may further our delusion, but cannot further our happiness. Many heap up duty upon duty, as if they thought to please God that way. I do not blame men for using means, but for neglecting an interest in Christ. "Who will look for grapes upon thorns ? Xo man can offer a sacrifice to God till he be first made a priest ; first, there must be a consecration of their persons : Mai. iii. 3, ' He shall purify the sons of Levi, then they shall offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness ; ' Heb. ix. 14, ' How much more shall the blood of Christ purge your consciences from dead works, to serve the living God.' First, the christian must be con- secrated before he can minister before the Lord in holy things : 1 Peter i. 2-5, ' Ye are a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ' Men must be kings and priests to God before they ofter sacrifice to God. A natural man is a bad priest, and his own evil heart is an ill altar. Our persons must be reconciled to God, and under grace by Christ, and received into the number of those God approves, and whom he delights to be worshipped by. Under the law, the priests, when they went to sacrifice, were washed in the great laver of water, Exod. xxix. 4 ; so must a christian in the laver of regeneration, Tit. iii. 5, and then come and worship ; they must change their state, then the Lord will accept of their offer- ing in Christ.
Use 3. We learn hence, that the opinion which makes God to bestow grace upon the preceding works and merit of man is false. We have not only to do with the Papists here, but Arminians, who establish an
96 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. [SeR. XXVI.
infallible attendance of grace on natural endeavours. They say, if a man do use well his natural strength and abilities; if he do as much as he can, God will certainly help him to supernatural grace. If they stir themselves in good earnest to seek the grace of conversion, they shall infallibly and without miscarrying find it made good to them ; so Arminius, Faciunt quod in se est, daninr a deo infallibiliter, et ex certd lege auxilia irroevenientis gratia:. It is true, we hold that it is the ordinary practice of free grace. God is seldom wanting to them that are not wanting to themselves ; but to hold such an infallibility, and to lay an obligation upon God, this is a i\ilsehood, contrary to the canon of the apostle — ' Without faith it is impossible to please God ; ' without faith all our actions are sins, therefore they cannot oblige God to give more grace. But say they, Without faith it is impossible to please him, so as their persons should Ije accepted to life and salvation ; but it is not impossible to please him, and so to be accepted as to receive more grace. Bat I answer, that the text excludes both ; it is impos- sible to please God in any sense. Besides, pleasing God is all one with walking with God ; for what is in the original ? — ' Enoch walked with God '--is in the Septuagint, 'Enocli pleased God ;' and it signifies an established communion of comfort and grace between God and the creature ; it is meant of acceptation to grace as well as glory. But to handle the argument more fully, I shall show —
1. The inconveniency and falsehood of this doctrine.
2. Handle some objections.
First, Tlie inconvenience of this doctrine, that if men would do their utmost, God will necessarily come in with grace.
1. That never a natural man did his utmo.st.
2. If they did so, God is not obliged to come in infallibly with supplies of grace.
[1.] Never a natural man did his utmost. See the character of such kind of men, that they do not act their abilities — ' But w^hat they know naturally, in those things they corrupt themselves,' Jude ver. 10. It is but a fancy to sup])Ose that any do improve nature to the uttermost. The scripture generally sets out natural men as unfaithful. He that had but one talent hid it in the earth, Mat. xxv. 18 ; and God seems to plead against them upon this issue, that they are unfaithful in com- mon gifts: Luke xvi. 11, ' If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches ? ' Earnestness in the use of means is the first impression of the efficacy of the Holy Ghost, and proceeds from the seed of grace, which God hath cast into the heart.
[2.] If he did do his utmost, yet God is not bound ; for if God be obliged and bound, it must either be by the merit of the creature, or by some promise he hath made ; there is no other obligation upon God. Now, no man can engage the grace of Christ, and there is no promise on God"s part.