' He that stablisheth us with you,' &c. In the words you h^YQ, first, a gracious act of building, or stablishing.
Secondhj, the basis, the foundation of that stablishing or building, and that is Christ.
Thinlhj, the author of this stablishing — God.
Lasthj, the persons who are built and stablished on that foundation * with you.' ' He that stablisheth us with you in Christ is God.' The first thing is the act ' stablishing.' The point is this, first, that, Obs. StahHshi)i(j, settUng grace is necessary.
It is necessary that there be a stablishing, confirming grace. It is not sufficient that we be brought out of the kingdom of Satan ; for when we are gotten out of his hands and strength, he pursues us with continual malice. Therefore there must be the same power to stablish us still in grace, that first brought us into the state of grace. For as providence is a continual creation, so stablishing grace is the continuance of the new creature ; the same grace that sets us in the state of the new creation in Christ, the same staLlisheth us. Stablishing grace is necessary. It is necessary many ways. Man of himself is an unstable creature. Take him at the best, but a creature. God found no stability in the angels. Take the best of creatures, even as creatures they are unstable. For God will have a creature as a creature to be a dependent thing upon the Creator, who is a being of himself, Jehovah. There is no stability in any creature. Man in his best estate was an un- stable creature. Since, we are very unstable, ready to be carried away in our judgment to the wind of any false doctrine, ready to be blown over with every little temptation. Nay, now in the state of grace, in ourselves we are very unstable, ready to fly ofl" presently ; and therefore we have need to be established of God.
Reason 1. It is necessary in regard of the indisposition of our nature to supernatural truths. We are an unprepared subject for them in ourselves. The law indeed, we have some principles of it ; but of the gospel there are in us no seeds at all of it ; and that is the reason there are so many heresies against the gospel : there are none against the law. And therefore divine truths being contrary to our disposition, as there must be a supernatural beginner, so there must be a supernatural strengthener. He that is Alpha must be Omega. As there must be a mighty subduing of the heart to be a vessel to receive these truths, an almighty power to lay the soul on this foundation, because of the contrariety of the truth to the natural heart of * Cf. Mark v. 25-34.— G.
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, %^R. 21. 423
man, so there is need of no less than of a divine and supernatural stablishing. Our natures are very inconstant, and unsettled, and wayward. Take us at the best, before the fall, you see how soon we fell, being left to our- selves, and having no stablishing grace. Much more now since the fall is there a necessity of divine stablishing. When we come to know the truth, we are subject to fall away. Like little children, that are ready to sink, if they be not upheld by their parents or nurse, God must uphold and prop us, and shore us up: we presently sink else. Moses was but in the mount a while, and we see how soon the Israelites fell to idolatry. Paul did but leave the Galatians a little, and they were removed presently from Christ to false teachers. Gal. iii. 1. The nature of man is wonderful unstable, very loose and unsettled. Divine truths are supernatural. We have need of stablishing therefore.
2. Again, stablishing grace is necessary, in regard of those, oppositions that are made against us after once we he in Christ. For with what malice doth Satan pursue a Christian, when he is once taken out of his kingdom ! And the world runs a clean contrary bias in the several examples thereof. How many scandals do there arise daily even in the very church itself ! How many things are in our natural disposition joining with them ! All which will make a man fly ofl", and unsettle him, if he be not stablished in grace.
And indeed what is the diiierence between one Christian and another that lives in the bosom of the church ? between a temporiser and an- other ? The diff'erence is but in their radication, in their stablishing. For all have the general knowledge of the truth. But here is the difference, — the true Christian is radicated and rooted in the truth, a false Christian is not. And thereupon when temptations come, either from within, from conscience, or from without, from Satan and the world, he falls away, because he is not rooted ; but the other holds on, because he is estabhshed.
3. And the best of us all have need of stablishing ; for there he degrees of truths, degrees of faith, in all the parts of faith. There is conjecture, a cer- tain suspicious knowledge ; and there is opinion, which is with fear of the contrary; and there is knowledge; and there is faith, w^hich is founded upon the authority of the speaker : and yet this faith, though it be founded upon the word of God, it may receive further and further strength in all the parts of it. In assent, there may be a higher degree ; in afliance, there may be a higher degree, &c. ; and therefore the best of us all have need of strengthening.