3. In the moral way the word hath a double operation. First, it prepareth to receive the gracious principle ; secondly, it exciteth the gracious principle newly infused to actual believing and turning to God. The one is ordinarily done by the law, the other by the gospel. Moses may bring to the borders, but Joshua leadeth into the land of Canaan. It is true, God may make use of any part of christian doctrine to strike the first blow, but the work issueth itself into this method, that first a man is sensible of his misery, and then cometh to God by Christ for a remedy. A sense of wrath is the effect of the law : Rom. iv. 15, ' Because the law worketh wrath.' And hope of grace is the fruit of the gospel. Therefore I say, he maketh use of the law to prepare us to begin the pangs of the new birth ; and of the gospel to excite and allure the soul into his bosom. Because this is of great consequence, I shall a little enlarge upon it.
[1.] The word doth prepare the heart to receive the gracious prin- ciple, as it informeth us of our duty, and so taketh from us the pretence of ignorance ; and showeth our guilt in the neglect of duty, and so taketh from us the conceit of our own righteousness ; as it convinceth us of our impotency to satisfy the law, and free ourselves from this estate whenever we get out of it, and so taketh away the presumption of our own sufficiency ; so that the sinner is laid at the feet of' God as a lost and undone creature. As ground is ploughed up to receive the seed, so by this preparative work is the heart of man ploughed up, Jer. iv. 3, broken, and humbled, and perplexed, and rendered capable to receive the immortal seed. When the sinner is cast down with the sight of sin, and a sense of God's wrath due to him, he is broken and fitted to receive the new birth.
[2.] It exciteth the gracious principle, newly infused, to actual believ- ing and turning to God. This is done by the gospel revealing the way of reconciliation, peace, and life, as tendered by God himself to self- condemning and penitent sinners through the mediation of Jesus Christ. Fur the understanding of this, know that when we are acted by God, we act under him: Cant. i. 4, 'Draw me, we will run after thee;' Phil. iii. 12, 'We apprehend that for which we are apprehended by Christ.' When his grace layeth hold upon us in effectual calling, we having the principles of a new life infused into us, do bestir ourselves in a way of holiness ; for as there is a passive reception of Christ by
328 SERMONS UPON 1 PETER I. 23. [SeR. TV.
the Spirit, so an active by faith. The acts on our part are made three, with respect to the trinity of persons in the Godhead — a turning from the creature to God, from self to Christ, and from sin to holiness, or a free and cheerful subjection to God, that we may be happy in the enjoy- ment of him. Now to all this the Avord serveth to quicken and excite this voluntary act on our part ; for the gospel showing the possibility of grace by Christ, yea, his readiness to give life and righteousness to every one that cometh to God by him, yea, by powerful arguments and sweet invitations calling upon us to look after Christ for these things, the renewed heart is excited earnestly to seek after Christ, and doth vehemently desire to be united to him, and doth cheerfully receive him, and embrace him as offered in the gospel, and wholly give him- self to seek and serve him by the Spirit in the way of new obedience ; so that in all this part of the work of conversion wherein we are active, the word is of great use.
4. This word that has such an use is not only the word written, but the word preached, as the context here will inform us : ' He hath be- gotten us, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible, which is the word of God;' ver. 25, 'And this is the word which by the gospel is preached to you.' It is not enough to look upon the written word as the seed and principle of our spiritual being, and accordingly to esteem it, but also we ought to have the same good esteem of the particular messages from and according to that word by the Lord's servants, or those portions of truth which the Lord carveth out to them by the messengers that he sendeth to them ; for the word preached hath a singular efficacy, and ministerial subserviency, over and besides the word written, to explain, apply, and excite the hearts of men to their duty. And therefore we are called avvep'yoi, ' Labourers together with God,' 1 Cor. iii. 9 ; and 2 Cor. vi. 1, ' We then, as workers together with him, do beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.' We are workers together with God, not by an immediate producing of spiritual effects, but by the external application and inculcation of the counsels and doctrines of the word, which being solidly explained, forcibly pressed, and closely applied, have a notable subserviency to God's work of grace upon the hearts of his people ; and therefore our ministry is called the ministration of the Spirit unto life, 2 Cor. iii. 6, 8.