It is so as unto our spiritual life. We are, by the grace of God through Jesus Christ, furnished with a principle of it, in the way and for the ends before described. Hereby are we enabled and dis- posed to live unto God, in the exercise of spiritually vital acts, or the performance of duties of hohness. And he who hath not this principle of spiritual life is spiritually dead, as we have at large be- fore, manifested, and can do nothing at all that is spiritually good. He may be moved unto, and, as it were, compelled by the power of convictions, to do many things that are materially so; but that which is on all considerations spuitually good and accepted with God, he can do nothing of. The inquiry is, what believers them- selves, who have received this principle of spiritual life and are habitually sanctified, can do as to actual duties by virtue thereof, without a new immediate assistance and working of the Holy Spirit in them; and I say, they can no m.ore do any thing that is spiri- tually good, without the particular concurrence and assistance of the grace of God unto every act thereof, than a man can naturally act, or move, or do any thing in an absolute independency of God, his power and providence. And this proportion between the works of God's providence and of his grace the apostle expresseth, Eph. ii. 10, "We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." God at the beginning made all things by a creating power, producing them out of nothing, and left them not merely to tliem-
CHAP. VII.] OF THE ACTS AND DUTIES OF HOLINESS. 531
selves and their own jiowers when so created, but he upholds, sup- ports, sustains, and preserves them in the principles of their being and operations, acting powerfully in and by them, after their several kinds. Without his supportment of their being, by an actual in- cessant emanation of divine power, the whole fabric of nature would dissolve into confusion and nothing; and without his influence into and concurrence with their ability for operation by the same power, all things would be dead and deformed, and not one act of nature be exerted. So also is it in this work of the new creation of all things by Jesus Christ. "We are God's workmanshij);'' he hath formed and fashioned us for himself, by the renovation of his image in us. Hereby are we fitted for good works and the fruits of righteousness, which he appointed as the way of our living unto him. This new creature, this divine nature in us, he su23porteth and pre- serveth, so as that without his continual influential power, it would perish and come to nothing. But this is not all; he doth moreover act it, and effectually concur to every singular duty, by new supplies of actual grace. So, then, that which we are to prove is, that there is an actual operation of the Holy Ghost in us, necessary unto every act and duty of holiness whatever, without which none either will or can be produced or performed by us ; which is the second part of his work in our sanctification. And there are several ways wliereby this is confirmed unto us: —
[1.] The Scripture declares that we ourselves cannot, in and by ourselves, — that is, by virtue of any strength or potuer that we have received, — do any thing that is spiritually good. So our Saviour tells his apostles when they were sanctified believers, and in them all that are so, " Without me ye can do nothing," John xv. 5 ; — ^wp/'s s[/.o\J, so "without me;" seorsim a me, so "separated from me," as a branch may be from the vine. If a branch be so separated from the root and body of the vine as that it receives not continual sup- plies of noiuishment from them, if their influence into it be by any means intercepted, it proceeds not in its growth, it brings forth no fruit, but is immediately under decay. It is so, saith our Saviour, with believers in respect unto him. Unless they liave continual, im- interrupted influences of grace and spiritually vital nourishment from him, they can do nothing. "Without me," expresseth a denial of all the spiritual aid that we have from Christ. On supposition hereof "we can do nothing," — that is, by our own power, or by virtue of any habit or principle of grace we have received ; for when we have re- ceived it, what we can do thereby without farther actual assistance, we can do of ourselves. "Ye can do nothing," that is, which ap- pertains to fruit-bearing unto God. In things natural and civil we can do somewhat, and in things sinful too much ; we need no aid or
532 OF THE ACTS AND DUTIES QF HOLINESS. [BOOK IV.
assistance for any such purpose; — but in fruit-bearing unto God we can do nothing. Now, every act of faith and love, every motion of our minds or affections towards God, is a part of our fruit-bearing ; and so, unquestionably, are all external works and duties of holiness and obedience. Wherefore, our Saviour himself being judge, believers, who are really sanctified and made partakers of habitual grace, yet cannot of themselves, without new actual aid and assistance of grace from him, do any thing that is spiritually good or acceptable with God.