Obj. Now, we will answer some cases and objections that may be made, and so proceed. WJuj is it not so poirerfnl in so)ne, say many, as in others f The apostle Paul telleth them, Heb. iv. 2.
Ans. 1. They do not ' mimjle the vonl with faith.' You know physic must have nature to work with it. Physic will do no good to a dead man. No. They do not 'mingle the word with faith,' and therefore they feel not the virtue of it. They lift up their own conceits against the word, and hear it, and know it, but yield not their hearts to believe and assent certainly to it, and therefore it worketh not. And,
Ans. 2. Then they Jet it not into the heart and affeetinns. They give it room in the mouth to talk of it, but the word is never powerful till it hath its own seat and throne, till it getteth into the heart and afiections, and alters the frame of the inward man. When it is not engrafted into the heart, it yieldeth not forth its virtue and power
Ans. 3. Again, there is a great deal of opposition. What is the hin- drance of the power of the word ? A foolish conceitedness and presumption. Men think they have enough already, and think they have a divinity point when they can talk of it. But, beloved, we know no more of religion than we love, and we love no more than we do. He that doth not, knoweth nothing as he ought to know. He may prate and talk for ostentation sake, and to satisfy conscience. But this conceit, that people have divinity when they can talk of it, it is a very destructive conceit that hiudereth all the work- ing of the word. Religion standeth not upon words, but it is a matter of power. Religion is not matter of fancj and imagination, foith is another thing.
You have many, especially great scholars, they think they have all they
2 COKINTHIANS CHAP. IV, VER. 7. 377
know, but they have nothing but what they love, and obey, and subject their hearts to. What they have more, it tendeth to damnation. ' Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou faithless servant,' Luke xix. 22 ; thou kuowest this, and thy courses are contrary. Therefore, take heed of this conccitcdness, I beseech you, for it overthroweth all.
But I would not have such absent from the word ; for the word is able to remove all the obstacles and hindrances between the heart and it. Physic will not do a dead man good, but this physic will give life to dead men ; for the power of the word is such, that it hath a quickening power, and a raising power, and a directing power; and therefore, though there be never such mountains of oppositions between the heart and divine truths, as indeed they that be given to a profane course of life, there is much opposition between their hearts and divine truths.* . , . They that be practisers of any profession called to great employments, they should be so far from absenting themselves from the means of salvation, that they should offer themselves the more carefully and diligently, that whatsoever is be- tween their hearts and divine truths may do them good. When all other things will fail, this may be removed ; and therefore the main thing hinder- ing from doing them good. The word is able to make way for itself, by removing the hindrances upon the word by a careful and continual attend- ance upon it. There is an excellent place in this Epistle, chap. x. ver. 4, ' The weapons of our warfare are not weak, but mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds, and every thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.' It is an excellent portion of Scripture. There be three things in a man which much hinder and indispose a man from taking good.
(1) There be Xoy/ff/xoi)?, ' reasonings of flesh,' as. Is not reading as good as preaching ? which men that have much wisdom in them think. Then,
(2.) There be u^/w/xaT-a ; that is, ' exaltations of the heart.' AVhat ! shall I stoop ? Shall I be so base-minded as to regard what common persons do ? I ever judged it more for my credit and reputation not to stoop than to yield up myself to be obedient to what they say. And when divine truths are propounded, seeming to be contrary to reason, though no truth be contrary to reason, but above it, as the great matters of predesti- nation, and election, and free will, the pride of man's heart seeing no great reason for this, being above reason, it riseth, and will not yield, but the divine truths beat down these, u-^u/juara, XoyiS'jM;. There is,
(3.) A word, that is, vo7]iJja.TOL, 'actions of the flesh against divine truths.' As when a man is exhorted to be liberal, it suggesteth, I shall want myself, and it is good to look to a man's self; and for suflering, it is good to sleep in a whole skin. Whatsoever the disputes or reasonings of flesh and blood there be, let a man attend upon the word, it will subject and subdue all in time, if a man belong to God ; therefore it is powerfully said to make way for itself. For God will let himself and his Spirit into the heart in spite of corruption, and in spite of Satan. Never despair of a man that hath care of God's ordinances.