Use 2. Of exhortation. Beloved, let us labour by all means therefore to have this spiritual life ; to have a frame, to have the divine nature stamped upon our nature, the frame of grace ; and let us not rest on that, but labour for a perpetual and continual stream of life from Christ, the fountain and the spring.
I speak of this the rather, because there is a main defect in this, and the cause of many foils.* But our hearts be good, and we trust to the frame of life and grace that is in us, without looking to the supernatural spring and fountain of all grace out of ourselves ; and we think to-morrow shall be as to-day, and by the same strength we do to-day, we shall stand against temptations to-morrow. Beloved, it will not be. There must be supplies not only of new strength, but also of greater strength, to new conflicts, to new oppositions, and new temptations. For as that strength will not carry a gi'eat burden that carrieth a little, they that carry burdens put forth greater strength to carry more than others. So in Christianity, when we meet with a strong temptation, we must not think to overcome it without setting upon * That is, ' falls.'— G.
d24 COMMENTARY ON
it with spirituiil strength. Lord, I need divine strength, else I shall sink under this temptation ; this cross is too hcav}' for nae, and so not going ahout to o])pose any extraordinary thing with strength of nature, for nature will do nothing in great matters. It will make us do things comely to the outward eye. Nor common grace will not make us ahle to set upon great matters, but we must have a supply from grace, from heaven. And there- fore a Christian is a depending creature. Nono is so dependent or inde- pendent. Certainly none so independent on the creature as a Christian, especially when he carrieth Christ in his heart by faith ; but then he is continually depending upon Christ the head, who is the treasure and spring of all spiritual life, to convey to us on all occasions. ' Without mc you can do nothing,' John xv. 5, much less suflfer without me. And therefore, I beseech you, let it be a rule for us in our ordinary course, when we set upon any duty, withstand any temptation, conllict with any corruption, when we are to enjoy any prosperity above the common model of grace, to enjoy it without surfeiting of pride, security, or the sins that accompany prosperity. Consider with ourselves. Have I a frame of grace enough to set upon this ? No, I have not. Surely that must be, there must be a power from Christ, a perpetual drawing of strength from Christ to master this, to meet with this, to bring it under. As a Christian is lord of all conditions, of prosperity and adversity, but not by an ordinary frame of grace, but that together with a divine strength and power, which is here called the life of Jesus, specially manifested by dependency. So let the life of a Christian be continually dependent. Peter by his ordinary graces could say, ' Though all forsake thee, yet will not I,' Mark xiv. 81. But that he may see he stands by his own strength, he falls foully. And why do so many fall foully, but because they undertake things with their own strength, with former strength, and not with dependenc_y, or a supply suit- able to present necessity, and thereby they learn to stand by falling ? God sanctifieth their slips and falls, to teach them better dependency for time to come.
I beseech you, therefore, let this be a direction how to guide our lives ; and that we may depend on Christ for strength in all courses, take heed of offend- ing him, and grieving his Spirit, [take heed] that he suspendeth not his divine power.'^ That strength obstructs this life, to call it home to himself, and then to leave us to our own principles, and then we fall presently. The life of a Christian is perpetually watchful, ' to work out faith with fear and trembling,' Philip, ii. 12. How? Not doubting of your salvation, but fear for offending Christ, ' for he giveth the will and the deed;' he giveth will to supply, and the deed to perform. And it is ' according to his good pleasure,' Phihp. ii. 13. You stand upon your good behaviour. If you work not your salvation with a holy jealousy OA'er your corruptions, and with a holy trembling, ho may suffer you to fall. Therefore consider our dependency is not in ourselves. Now, since the fall, God will not trust us with our own strength, but will lay up all in Christ. Therefore take occa- sion to go to Christ, and that he may be our friend, and have his Spirit, as he doth all by his Spirit as the sun doth all by his beams ; take heed of grieving the Spirit, and giving it occasion to suspend its influency of grace and influence of comfort. For it is another thing than it is taken, to be lively Christians. We should not only labour to have lives, but to be lively, to have the life of Christ manifested in us, and not only for crosses ; in that time God preserveth great comforts ; but labour in time of pros- perity for the life of Jesus. There is IlttJe life of Jesus in times of peace.