Book I.] a treatise of self-denial. 229
present, but how to perform that which is good, I find not.' The new nature may purpose and will, but we cannot perform a good work without a new concurrence.
[2d] Because the habit of grace is but a creature, it is not an in- dependent thing, like the iSpirit of God himself. If we rest in it, we may make grace an idol. There is need of the concurrence of grace, to strengthen the habit and produce the act, without which the habits will be but dead and useless. This is that the apostle intimates when he saith in the 2 Thes. i. 11, ' We pray always that God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his good- ness, and the work of faith with power.' Grace is a creature, therefore depending, as all other creatures, upon God, and cannot stir or move without God. The apostle saith. Acts xvii. 18, ' That in him we live, and move, and have our being ; ' we are moved and acted by him. If God should but suspend his influence, the creature cannot move, nor stir a joint or arm. If God should but ' let loose his hand,' as it is expressed, Job vi. 9, all creatures would fall into nothing. There is a provi- dential assistance that is necessary to all created agents ; as the fire could not burn the three children, though the property was not destroyed, but because God's influence was suspended ; all things would fall into nothing if he should let loose his hand. I produce these things for demonstration ; for in the exercise of every grace God doth not only ■work by a general concurrence, as a universal cause, but by special aid and assistance. Every act is from God, as the author of nature, and graciousness of the act is also from God, as the author of grace. There is a great deal of difference between the natural elevation of the faculty and the gracious exercise of it. As the apostle saith, 2 Cor. iii. 5, ' Not that we are sufiicient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God.' As the apostle saith, 2 Cor. iii. 5, ' Of our- selves we are not able to think a good thought.' We are so far from a good work that we cannot so much as think without an influence of providence. Nor can we think graciously without the influence of grace. Therefore to the resistance of any sin, or to the performance of any holy duty, there must be some concurrence from God. We can- not rest in any creature or created thing, but still look up to him as the independent cause that sends forth his influence. Nay, this holds in the very angels ; grace is always necessary every moment to the angels, to prevent possible sins, and to stir up actual rejoicing in God ; they had need of a continual influence from their creator, so have we.
[3d!.] Because of the several indispositions of the saints. We are always weak, but sometimes we lie more wind-bound and suspended than at other times, and are not able to move and stir. The children of God find a great many corruptions, a loathness and shyness of God's presence, especially after long guilt, and there needs a ' day of power to make them willing,' Ps. ex. 3. So also they find deadness ; when they have given content to the flesh, their hearts are apt to grow flat and dead, and they lose the savoui-iness of their spirits ; therefore David begs for quickening : Ps. cxix. 37, ' Turn away mine eyes from behold- ing vanity, and quicken thou me in thy way.' And sometimes they are in straits, they are bound up and suspended. The mind is like the eye, which is a very tender part, soon offended and out of temper Men, you know, are very seldom indisposed for bodily labour ; but now
230 A TREATISE OF SELF-DENIAL. [BoOK I.
the aflairs of the christian hfe, being wliolly spiritual, there will be much unfitness and distemper as to them ; the soul will soon be indisposed.
[4:th.] A fourth reason is the sovereignty of God, who keepeth grace in ills own hand, and gives it out at pleasure, that he may make the creature beholden to him. God delights to have men and angels to be his debtors, and therefore he exerciseth all his dispensations to them with a liberty and freedom — ' He giveth the will and the deed, accord- ing to his good pleasure,' Phil. ii. 3. He gives the power and the faculty, and the act ; he suspends and enlargeth the acts of the under- standings and affections of men according to his own pleasure. We cannot be masters of auv one jrood act without s^race. He will be master of iiis mercies, that he may keep the power in his own hands, that we might wait upon him by a humble and actual trust.
[oth.] The necessity of a continued influence from Christ. Grace is in his keeping : 2 Tim. ii. 1. ' Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace tljat is in Christ Jesus.' That grace which makes us to work strongly in duty, and with good effect, it is in Christ not in our- selves : John XV. 5, ' Without me you can do nothing ; ' separated from Christ, we can act nothing. Members divided from their head, they cannot live ; so out of our mystical head we cannot live and act. There is not one individual act of grace but Christ is interested in it, as the soul is in the motion of every member. There must not only be a constant union, but a continual animation and influence: Phil. iv. 13, ' I can do all things, through Christ that strengtheneth me,' not only hath strengthened, but strengtheneth by a constant influence. You saw Adam was an ill keeper of his best jewels; and because Christ is a good steward, he knows the value of spiritual privileges; therefore all is put in his keeping ; it is put into safe hands, that we may be sure to find it when we have need. But you will say, If we can do nothing without Christ, what diff"erence is there then between the state of nature and the state of grace ? I answer. By grace we have new faculties, which have some small power, though we can be confident of little success. Before conversion we were wholly passive, there was no co-operation ; but now we have renewed faculties, there is a sub-opera- tion ; we act as instruments, in the virtue of the principal agent ; we have a will to close with the things of God, and an understanding to judge aright of them as moved by God ; how we may carry out the work of God, and act as instruments in his hand, by virtue of the prin- cipal and supreme cause.