Human nature in its fourfold state ... In several practical discourses

Object. (3.) But all this is needless, seeing we are utterly unable to keep ourselves out of the state of sin and wrath. Ans. Give no place to that delusion, which puts asunder what God hath joined, namely, the use of means, and a sense of our own impotency. If ever the Spirit of God graciously influence your souls, ye will become throughly sensible of your absolute inability, and yet enter upon a vigorous use of means. Ye will do for yourselves, as if ye were to do all; and yet overlook all ye do, as if ye had done nothing. Will ye do nothing for yourselves, because ye cannot do all? Lay down no such impious conclusion against your own souls. Do what you can; and it may be, while ye are doing what ye can for yourselves, God will do for you what ye cannot. Understandest thou what thou readest? said Philip to the eunuch: How can I, said he, except some man should guide me, Acts viii. 30, 31. He could not understand the scripture he read: yet he could read it: he did what he could, he read; and while he was reading, God sent him an interpreter. The Israelites were in a great strait at the red-sea: and how could they help themselves, when upon the one hand were mountains, and on the other, the enemies garrison; when Pharaoh and his host were behind them, and the red-sea before them? What could they do? Speak unto the children of Israel, saith the LORD to Moses, that they go forward, Exod. xiv. 15. For what end should they go forward? Can they make a passage to themselves through the sea? No: but let them go forward, saith the Lord: tho' they cannot turn sea to dry land, yet they can go forward to the shore: and so they did: and when they did what they could, God did for them what they could not do.

Quest. Has God promised to convert and save them, who in the use of means, do what they can towards their own relief? Ans. We may not speak wickedly for God: natural men being strangers to the covenants of promise, Eph. ii. 12. have no such promise made to them Nevertheless they do not act rationally, unless they exert the powers they have, and do what they can. For, (1.) It is possible this course may succeed with them. If ye do what ye can, it may be, God will do for you what you cannot do for yourselves. This is sufficient to determine a man, in a matter of the utmost importance, such as this is,