N34404:509
Human nature in its fourfold state ... In several practical discourses. / By Mr. Thomas Boston, late Minister of the Gospel at Etterick.
United States : s.n. Printed for the booksellers., M,DCC,LXXXVII. 1787
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Secondly, Hereupon the man forsake his former profane courses; his lying, swearing, Sabbath-breaking, stealing, and such like practices, though they be dear to him as right eyes, he will rather quit them, than ruin his soul. The ship is like to sink, and therefore he throweth his goods over-board, that he himself may not perish. And now he begins to bless himself in his heart, and look joyfully on his evidences for heaven; thinking himself a better servant to God than many others, Luke xviii. 11. God, I thank that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, &c. But he soon gets another stroke with the axe of the law, showing him that it is only he that doth what is written in the law, who can be saved by […]; and that his negative holiness is too scanty a cover from the storm of God's wrath. And thus, although his sins of commission only were heavy on him before: his sins of omission now crowd into his thought•, attended with a train of law-curses and vengeance. And c•th o• the ter• commands discharges thunder-claps of wrath against him, for his omitting required duties.
Secondly, Hereupon the man forsake his former profane courses; his lying, swearing, Sabbath-breaking, stealing, and such like practices, though they be dear to him as right eyes, he will rather quit them, than ruin his soul. The ship is like to sink, and therefore he throweth his goods over-board, that he himself may not perish. And now he begins to bless himself in his heart, and look joyfully on his evidences for heaven; thinking himself a better servant to God than many others, Luke xviii. 11. God, I thank that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, &c. But he soon gets another stroke with the ax of the law, shewing him that it is only he that doth what is written in the law, who can be saved by 〈…〉; and that his negative holiness is too scanty a cover from the storm of God's wrath. And thus, although his sins of commission only were heavy on him before: his sins of omission now crowd into his thought•, attended with a train of law-curses and vengeance. And c•th o• the ter• commands discharges thunder-claps of wrath against him, for his omitting required duties.
Thirdly, Upon this he turns to a positively holy course of life. He not only is not profane, but he performs religious duties: he prays, seeks the knowledge of the principles of religion, strictly observes the Lord's day, and, like Herod, does away things, and ••ars sermons gladly. In one word, there is a great conformity in his •••ard conversation, to the letter of both tables of the law. And now there is a mighty change upon the man, that his neighbours cannot miss to take notice of. Hence he is cheerfully admitted by the godly into their society, as a praying person, and can confer with them about religious matters, yea, and about soul-exercise, which some are not acquainted with. And their good opinion of him confirms his good ⟨p. 177⟩opinion of himself. This step in religion is fatal to many, who never get beyond it. But here the Lord reacheth the elect-branch a farther stroke. Conscience flies in the man's face, for some wrong steps in his conversation: the neglect of some duty, or commission of some sin, which is a blot in his conversation: and then the flaming sword of the law appears again over his head: and the curse rings in his ears, for cursed is he that continueth not in all things written in the law to do them, Gal. iii. 10.
Fourthly, On this account he is obliged to seek another salve for his sore. He goes to God, confesseth his sin; seeks the pardon of it, promising to watch against it for the time to come; and so finds ease, and thinks he may very well take it, seeing the scripture saith, If we confess our sins▪ he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, 1 John i. 9. not considering that he grasps at a privilege, which is theirs only who are ingrafted into Christ, and under the covenant of grace; and which the branches yet growing on the old stock cannot plead. And here sometimes there are formal and express vows made against such and such sins, and binding to such and such duties. Thus many go on all their days; knowing no other religion but to do duties, and to confess, and pray for pardon of that wherein they fail; promising themselves eternal happiness, though they are utter strangers to Christ. Here many elect ones have been cast down wounded, and many reprobates have been slain; while the wounds of neither of them have been deep enough, to cut them off from their natural stock. But the Spirit of the Lord gives yet a deeper stroke to the branch which is to be cut off; showing him, that, as yet, he is but an out-side saint; and discovering to him the filthy lusts lodged in his heart, which he took no notice of before, Rom vii. 9. When the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. Then he sees his heart a dung-hill of hellish lusts; filled with covetousness, pride, malice, filthiness, and the like. Now, as soon as the door of the chambers of his imagery is thus opened to him, and he sees what they do there in the dark, his out-side religion is blown up as insufficient; and he learns a new lesson in religion; namely, That he is not a Jew which is one outwardly, Rom. ii. 28.
Fourthly, On this account he is obliged to seek another salve for his sore. He goes to God, confesseth his sin; seeks the pardon of it, promising to watch against it for the time to come; and so finds ease, and thinks he may very well take it, seeing the scripture saith, If we confess our sins▪ he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, 1 John i. 9. not considering that he grasps at a privilege, which is theirs only who are ingrafted into Christ, and under the covenant of grace; and which the branches yet growing on the old stock cannot plead. And here sometimes there are formal and express vows made against such and such sins, and binding to such and such duties. Thus many go on all their days; knowing no other religion but to do duties, and to confess, and pray for pardon of that wherein they fail; promising themselves eternal happiness, though they are utter strangers to Christ. Here many elect ones have been cast down wounded, and many reprobates have been slain; while the wounds of neither of them have been deep enough, to cut them off from their natural stock. But the Spirit of the Lord gives yet a deeper stroke to the branch which is to be cut off; shewing him, that, as yet, he is but an out-side saint; and discovering to him the filthy lusts lodged in his heart, which he took no notice of before, Rom vii. 9. When the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. Then he sees his heart a dung-hill of hellish lusts; filled with covetousness, pride, malice, filthiness, and the like. Now, as soon as the door of the chambers of his imagery is thus opened to him, and he sees what they do there in the dark, his out-side religion is blown up as insufficient; and he learns a new lesson in religion; namely, That he is not a Jew which is one outwardly,
Fifthly, Upon this he goes further, even to in side religion; sets to work more vigorously than ever, mourns over the evils of his heart, and strives to bear down the weeds he finds growing in that neglected garden. He labours to curb his pride and passion; and to banish speculative impurities; prays more fervently, hears attentively, and strives to get his heart affected in every religious duty he performs; and thus he comes to think himself not only an outside, but an in-side Christian. Wonder not at this: for there is nothing in it beyond the power of nature, or what one may attain to under a vigorous influence of the covenant of works. Therefore another yet deeper stroke is reached. The law chargeth home on the man's conscience, that he was a transgressor from the womb; that he came into the world a guilty creature: and that, in […] ••ints of his ignorance, […] ⟨p. 178⟩even since his eyes were opened, he has been guilty of many actual sins, either altogether overlooked by him, or not sufficiently mourned over: (For spiritual sores, not healed by the blood of Christ, but skinned over some other way, are easily ruffled, and as soon break out again.) And therefore the law takes him by the throat, saying, Pay what thou owest.
Fifthly, Upon this he goes further, even to in side religion; sets to work more vigorously than ever, mourns over the evils of his heart, and strives to bear down the weeds he finds growing in that neglected garden. He labours to curb his pride and passion; and to banish speculative impurities; prays more fervently, hears attentively, and strives to get his heart affected in every religious duty he performs; and thus he comes to think himself not only an outside, but an in-side Christian. Wonder not at this: for there is nothing in it beyond the power of nature, or what one may attain to under a vigorous influence of the covenant of works. Therefore another yet deeper stroke is reached. The law chargeth home on the man's conscience, thal he was a transgressor from the womb; that he came into the world a guilty creature: and that, in ints of his ignorance,
Sixthly, Then the sinner says in his heart, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all: and so falls to work to pacify an offended God, and to atone for these sins. He renews his repentance, such as it is; bears patiently the afflictions laid upon him; yea, he afflicts himself, denies himself the use of his lawful comforts, sighs deeply, mourns bitterly, cries with tears for a pardon, till he hath wrought up his heart to a conceit of having obtained it; having thus done penance for what is past, and resolving to be a good servant to God, and to hold on in outward and inward obedience, for the time to come. But the stroke must go nearer the heart yet, ere the branch fall off. The Lord discovers to him, in the glass of the law, how he sinneth in all he does, even when he does the best he can; and therefore the dreadful sound returns to his ears, Gal. iii. 10. Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things, &c. When ye fasted and mourned, saith the Lord, Did ye at all fast unto me, even to me? Will muddy water make clean clothes? Will you satisfy for one sin with another? Did not your thoughts wander in such a duty? Were not your affections flat in another? Did not your heart give a whorish look to such an idol? And did it not rise in a fit of impatience under such an affliction? Should I accept this of your hands? Cursed be the deceiver, which sacrificeth to the Lord a corrupt thing, Mal. i. 13, 14. And thus he becomes so far broke off, that he sees he is not able to satisfy the demands of the law.
Seventhly, Hence, like a broken man, who finds he is not able to pay all his debts, he goes about to compound with his creditor. And being in pursuit of ease and comfort, he does what he can to fulfil the law; and wherein he fails, he looks that God will accept the will for the deed. Thus doing his duty, and having a will to do better, he cheats himself in a persuasion of the goodness of his state: and hereby thousands are ruined. But the elect get another stroke, which looseth their hold in this case. The doctrine of the law is born in on their consciences; demonstrating to them, that exact and perfect obedience is required by it, under pain of the curse: and that it is doing, and not wishing to do, which will avail. Wishing to do better will not answer the law's demands: and therefore the curse sounds again, Cursed is every one that continueth not—to do them; that is, actually to do them. In vain is wishing then.
Eighthly, Being broken off from hopes of compounding with the l•w, he falls a borrowing. He sees that all he can do to obey the law, and all his desires to be, and to do better, will not save his soul: therefore he goes to Christ, entreating, that his righteousness may ⟨p. 179⟩make up what is wanting in his own, and cover all the defects of his doings and sufferings; that so God, for Christ's sake, may accept them, and thereupon be reconciled. Thus doing what he can to fulfil the law, and looking to Christ to make up all his defects, he comes at length, again to sleep in a sound skin. Many persons are ruined this way. This was the error of the Galatians, which Paul, in his epistle to them, disputes against. But the Spirit of God breaks off the sinner from this hold also: by bearing in on his conscience that great truth, Gal. iii. 12. The law is not of faith; but the man that doth them shall live in them. There is no mixing of the law and faith in this business; the sinner must hold by one of them, and let the other go: the way of the law, and the way of faith, are so far different, that it is not possible for a sinner to walk in the one, but he must •o•e off from the other: and if he be for doing, he must do all alone; Christ will not do a part for him, if he do not all. A garment pieced up of sundry sorts of righteousness, is not a garment meet for the court of heaven. Thus the man, who was in a dream, and thought he was eating, is awakened by the stroke, and behold his soul is faint; his heart sinks in him like a stone; while he finds he can neither bear his burden himself alone, nor can he get help under it.
Eighthly, Being broken off from hopes of compounding with the l•w, he falls a borrowing. He sees that all he can do to obey the law, and all his desires to be, and to do better, will not save his soul: therefore he goes to Christ, intreating, that his righteousness may ⟨p. 179⟩make up what is wanting in his own, and cover all the defects of his doings and sufferings; that so God, for Christ's sake, may accept them, and thereupon be reconciled. Thus doing what he can to fulfil the law, and looking to Christ to make up all his defects, he comes at length, again to sleep in a sound skin. Many persons are ruined this way. This was the error of the Galatians, which Paul, in his epistle to them, disputes against. But the Spirit of God breaks off the sinner from this hold also: by bearing in on his consience that great truth,
Ninthly, What can one do, who must needs pay, and yet neither has as much of his own as will bring him out of debt, nor can he get as much to borrow; and to beg he is ashamed? What can such a one do, I say, but sell himself, as the man under the law, that was waxen poor? Lev. xxv. 47. Therefore the sinner beat off from so many holds, goes about to make a bargain with Christ, and to sell himself to the Son of God, (if I may so speak) solemnly promising and vowing, that he will be a servant to Christ, as long as he lives, if he will save his soul. And here oft-times the sinner makes a personal covenant with Christ, resigning himself to him on these terms; yea, and takes the sacrament, to make the bargain sure. Hereupon the man's great care is, how to obey Christ, keep his commands, and so fulfil his bargain. And, in this the soul finds a false, unsound peace, for a while; till the Spirit of the Lord fetch another stroke, to cut off the man from this refuge of lies likewise. And that happens in this manner: When he fails of the duties he engaged to, and falls again into the sin he covenanted against; it is powerfully carried home on his conscience, that his covenant is broken: so all his comfort goes, and terrors afresh seize on his soul, as one that has broken covenant with Christ, and commonly the man, to help himself, renews his covenant but breaks again as before. And how is it possible it should be otherwise, seeing he is still upon the old stock? Thus the work of many, all their days, as to their souls, is nothing but a making and breaking such covenants, over and over again.
Ninthly, What can one do, who must needs pay, and yet neither has as much of his own as will bring him out of debt, nor can he get as much to borrow; and to beg he is ashamed? What can such a one do, I say, but sell himself, as the man under the law, that was waxen poor? Lev. xxv. 47. Therefore the sinner beat off from so many holds, goes about to make a bargain with Christ, and to sell himself to the Son of God, (if I may so speak) solemnly promising and vowing, that he will be a servant to Christ, as long as he lives, if he will save his soul. And here oft-times the sinner makes a personal covenant with Christ, resigning himself to him on these terms; yea, and takes the sacrament, to make the bargain sure. Hereupon the man's great care is, how to obey Christ, keep his commands, and so fulfil his bargain. And, in this the soul finds a false, unfound peace, for a while; till the Spirit of the Lord fetch another stroke, to cut off the man from this refuge of lies likewise. And that happens in this manner: When he fails of the duties he engaged to, and falls again into the sin he covenanted against; it is powerfully carried home on his conscience, that his covenant is broken: so all his comfort goes, and terrors afresh seize on his soul, as one that has broken covenant with Christ, and commonly the man, to help himself, renews his covenant but breaks again as before. And how is it possible it should be otherwise, seeing he is still upon the old stock? Thus the work of many, all their days, as to their souls, is nothing but a making and breaking such covenants, over and over again.
Objects Some, perhaps, will say, Who liveth and sinneth not? Who is there that faileth not of the duties he is engaged to?If you reject this way as unsound, who then can be saved? — ⟨p. 180⟩Answ. True believers will be saved; namely, all who do, by faith, take hold of God's covenant. But this kind […] govenant is men's own covenant, devised of their own heart; not God'• covenant revealed in the gospel of his grace• and the maki•• of it is nothing else, but the making of a covenant of works with Christ, confounding the law and the gospel; a covenant he will never subscribe to, though we should sign it with our heart's blood. Rom. iv 14. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect. Ver. •6 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace, to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed. Chap. xi. 6. And if by grace, then it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work God's covenant is everlasting: once in, never out of it again; and the mercies of it are sure mercies, Isa. lv. 3. But that covenant of ••urs is a tottering covenant, never sure, but broken every day. […] is a mere servile covenant, giving Christ service for salvation: but God's covenant is a filial covenant, in which the sinner takes Christ, and his salvation freely offered, and so becomes a son, John i. 12. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the ••ns of God: and being become a son, he serves his Father, not that […] inheritance may become his, but because it is his, through Jesus Christ. See Gal. iv. 24. and downward. To enter into that spurious covenant, is to buy from Christ with money; but to take hold of God's covenant is to buy of him without money, and without price, Isa. l•. 1. that is to say, to beg of him. In that covenant men work for life; in God's covenant they come to Christ for life, and work from life. When a person under that covenant fails in his duty, all is gone: the covenant must be made over again. But under God's covenant, although the man fail in his duty, and for his failures fall under the discipline of the covenant, and lies under the weight of it, till such time as he has recourse anew to the blood of Christ for pardon, and renew his repentance;
yet all that he trusted to for life and salvation, namely, the righteousness of Christ, still stands entire, and the covenant remains firm. See Rom. vii. 24, 25. and viii. 1.
Now, though […] lives in making and breaking such covenants of their own […] upon […] reeking o• them wearing weake• and weake• by degree […] it creates them little or no uneasiness: at the man […] the good work is carried on, till it be accomplished in […] off from the old stock, ti••; these covenants to be […] every touch; and the terror of God, being […] upon […] spirit, and the waters at every […], getting […] cease from catching •old of such covenants […] other way.
Now, though 〈…〉 lives in making and breaking such covenants of their own 〈…〉 upon 〈…〉 re•king o• them wearing weake• and weake• by degree 〈…〉 it creates them little or no uneasiness: at the man 〈…〉 the good work is carried on, till it be accomplished in 〈…〉 off from the old stock, ti••; these covenants to be 〈…〉 every touch; and the terro• of God, being 〈…〉 upon 〈…〉 spirit, and the waters at every 〈…〉, getting 〈…〉 cease from catching •old of such covenants 〈…〉 other way.
Tenthly, Therefore the […] at C•rt••'s •••r for mercy: but, yet he is […] on his personal worth. For, as the […] ⟨p. 181⟩the one only Mediator; so the branches of the old stock, have always something to produce, which they think may commend them to Christ, and engage him to take their cause in hand. They cannot think of coming to the spiritual market, without money in their hand They are like persons, who have once had an estate of their own, but are reduced to extreme poverty, and forced to b•g When they come to beg, they still remember their former character; and though they have lost their substance, yet they retain much of their former spirit, therefore they cannot think they ought to be treated as ordinary beggars; but deserve a particular regard; and, if that be not given them, their spirits rise against him to whom they ad••• themselves for supply. Thus God gives the unhumbled sinner many com••• mercies: and shuts him not up in the pit, according to his deserving• but all this is nothing in his eyes. He must be set down at the children's table, otherwise he reckons himself hardly dealt with, and wronged▪ for he is not yet brought so low, as to think, God may be justified when he speaketh, (against him) and clear from all iniqui••, when he judgeth him, according to his real demerit, Psal. li. 4 He thinks, perhaps, that even before he was enlightened, he was better than many others; he considers his reformation of life, his repentance, and grief and tears his sin has cost him, his earnest desires after Christ, his prayers, and wrestlings for mercy; and useth all these now, as bribes for mercy, laying no small weight upon them, in his addresses to the throne of grace. But here the Spirit of the Lord shoots a sheaf of arrows into the man's heart, whereby his confidence in these things is sunk and destroyed; and instead of thinking himself better than many, he is made to see himself worse than any. The naughtiness of his reformation of life is discovered. His repentance appears to him no better than the repentance of Judas; his tears like Esau's, and his desires after Christ to be selfish and loathsome, like theirs who sought Christ because of the loaves.
He seems to look sternly on him, for his slighting of Jesus Christ by unbelief, which is a sin he fierce discerned before. But now, […] length, he beholds it in its crimson colours; and is pierced to the heart, as with a thousand darts, while he sees how i• has been going on blindly, sinning against the remedy of sin, and in the whole coarse of his life, trampling on the blood of the Son of God. And now he is, in his own eyes, the miserable object of law-vengeance, yea, and gospel-vengeance too.
He seems to look sternly on him, for his slighting of Jesus Christ by unbelief, which is a sin he fearce discerned before. But now, 〈…〉 length, he beholds it in its crimson colours; and is pierced to the heart, as with a thousand darts, while he sees how i• has been going on blindly, sinning against the remedy of sin, and in the whole coarse of his life, trampling on the blood of the Son of God. And now he is, in his own eyes, the miserable object of law-vengeance, yea, and gospel-vengeance too.
Eleventhly, The man being thus far humbled, will no more plead, he is worthy for wh•m Christ should do this thing: but, on the contrary, looks on himself as unworthy of Christ, and unworthy of the favour of God. We may compare him, in this case, to the young man who followed Christ, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body […] on whom, when the young men laid hold, he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked, Mark xiv. 51, 52. Even so the man had been ⟨p. 182⟩following Christ, in the thin and coldrise garment of his own personal worthiness; but by it, even by it, which he so much trusted to, the law catcheth hold of him, to make him prisoner; and then he is fain to leave it, and flees away naked; yet not to Christ, but from him. If you now tell him, he is welcome to Christ, if he will come to him; he is apt to say, Can such a vile and unworthy wretch as I, be welcome to the holy Jesus? If a plaster be applied to his wounded soul, it will not stick He says, Depart from m•, for I am a sinful man, O Lord, Luke v. 8. No man needs speak to him of his repentance, for his comfort; he can quickly espy such faults in it as makes it naught: nor of his tears, for he is assured, they have never come into the Lord's bottle. He dispute himself away from Christ; and concludes, now that he has been such a slighter of Christ, and is such an unholy and vile creature, he cannot, he will not, he ought nor, to come to Christ; and that he must either be in better case, or else he'll never believe. And hence, he now makes his strongest efforts, to amend what was amiss in his way before: He prays more earnestly than ever, mourns more bitterly, strives against sin in heart and life, more vigorously, and watcheth more diligently; if by any means he may, at length be fit to come to Christ. One would think the man is well humbled now: But ah! devilish pride lurks under the veil of all this seeming humility. Like a kindly br•nch of the old stock; he adheres still; and will not submit to the righteousness •f God, Rom. x 3. He will not come to the market of free-grace, without money. He is bidden to the marriage of the King's Son, where the bridegroom himself furnisheth all the guests with wedding garments, stripping them of their own: but he will not come, because he wants a wedding-garment; howbeit he is very busy making one ready. This is sad work;
and therefore he must have a deeper stroke yet; else he is ruined. This stroke is reached him with the axe of the law, in its irritating power. Thus the law girding the soul with cords of death, and holding it in with the rigorous commands of obedience, under the pain of the curse; and God, in his holy and wise conduct, withdrawing his restraining grace; corruption is irritated, lusts become violent, and the more they are striven against, the more they rage, like a furious horse checked with the b••. Then do corruptions set up their heads, which he never saw in himself before. Here oft-times atheism, blasphemy, and, in one word, horrible things concerning God, terrible thoughts concerning the faith, arise in his breast: so that his heart is a very hell within him. Thus, while he is sweeping the house of his heart, not yet watered with gospel-grace, these corruptions which lay quiet before in neglected corners, sly up and down in it like dust. He is as one who is mending a dam, and while he's repairing breaches in it, and strengthening every part of it, a mighty flood comes down, overturns his work, and drives all away before it, as well what was newly laid, as what was laid before. Read, Rom. vii. 8, 9, 10, 13. This ⟨p. 183⟩is a stroke which goes to the heart: and, by it, his hope of getting himself nore sit to come to Christ, is cut off.
and therefore he must have a deeper stroke yet; else he is ruined. This stroke is reached him with the ax of the law, in its irritating power. Thus the law girding the soul with cords of death, and holding it in with the rigorous commands of obedience, under the pain of the curse; and God, in his holy and wise conduct, withdrawing his restraining grace; corruption is irritated, lusts become violent, and the more they are striven against, the more they rage, like a furious horse checked with the b••. Then do corruptions set up their heads, which he never saw in himself before. Here oft-times atheism, blasphemy, and, in one word, horrible things concerning God, terrible thoughts concerning the faith, arise in his breast: so that his heart is a very hell within him. Thus, while he is sweeping the house of his heart, not yet watered with gospel-grace, these corruptions which lay quiet before in neglected corners, sly up and down in it like dust. He is as one who is mending a dam, and while he's repairing breaches in it, and strengthening every part of it, a mighty flood comes down, overturns his work, and drives all away before it, as well what was newly laid, as what was laid before. Read,
Lastly, Now the time is come when the man betwixt hope and despair, resolves to go to Christ as he is: and therefore, like a dying man stretching himself, just before his breath goes out, he rallies the broken forces of his soul; tries to believe, and in some sort lays hold on Jesus Christ. And now the branch hangs on the old stock, by one single tack of a natural faith, produced by the natural vigour of one's own spirit, under a most pressing necessity, Psal. lxxxviii. 34, 35. When he slew them, then they sought him, and they returned and enquired early after God. And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their Redeemer. Hos. viii. 2. Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee. But the Lord minding to perfect his work, fetches yet another stroke, whereby the branch falls quite off. The Spirit of God convincingly discovers to the sinner, his utter inability to do any thing that is good: and so he dieth, Rom. vii. 9. That voice powerfully strikes through his soul, How can ye believe? John v. 44. Thou canst no more believe, than thou canst reach up thine hand to heaven, and bring Christ down from thence. And thus at length he sees, he can neither help himself by working, nor by believing: and having no more to hang by on the old stock, he therefore falls off. And while he is distressed thus, seeing himself like to be swept away with the flood of God's wrath; and yet unable so much as to stretch forth a hand to lay hold of a twig of the tree of life, growing on the banks of the river; he is taken up, and ingrafted into the true Vine, the Lord Jesus Christ giving him the spirit of faith.
Lastly, Now the time is come when the man betwixt hope and despair, resolves to go to Christ as he is: and therefore, like a dying man stretching himself, just before his breath goes out, he rallies the broken forces of his soul; tries to believe, and in some sort lays hold on Jesus Christ. And now the branch hangs on the old stock, by one single tack of a natural faith, produced by the natural vigour of one's own spirit, under a most pressing necessity, Psal. lxxxviii. 34, 35. When he slew them, then they sought him, and they returned and enquired early after God. And they remembred that God was their rock, and the high God their Redeemer. Hos. viii. 2
Objects Some, perhaps, will say, Who liveth and sinneth not? Who is there that faileth not of the duties he is engaged to?If you reject this way as unsound, who then can be saved? — ⟨p. 180⟩Answ. True believers will be saved; namely, all who do, by faith, take hold of God's covenant. But this kind 〈…〉 govenant is men's own covenant, devised of their own heart; not God'• covenant revealed in the gospel of his grace• and the maki•• of it is nothing else, but the making of a covenant of works with Christ, confounding the law and the gospel; a covenant he will never subscribe to, though we should sign it with our heart's blood. Rom. iv 14. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect. Ver. •6 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace, to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed. Chap. xi. 6. And if by grace, then it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work God's covenant is everlasting: once in, never out of it again; and the mercies of it are sure mercies, Isa. lv. 3. But that covenant of ••urs is a tottering covenant, never sure, but broken every day. 〈…〉 is a mere servile covenant, giving Christ service for salvation: but God's covenant is a filial covenant, in which the sinner takes Christ, and his salvation freely offered, and so becomes a son, John i. 12. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the ••ns of God: and being become a son, he serves his Father, not that 〈…〉 inheritance may become his, but because it is his, through Jesus Christ. See Gal. iv. 24. and downward. To enter into that spurious covenant, is to buy from Christ with money; but to take hold of God's covenant is to buy of him without money, and without price, Isa. l•. 1. that is to say, to beg of him. In that covenant men work for life; in God's covenant they come to Christ for life, and work from life. When a person under that covenant fails in his duty, all is gone: the covenant must be made over again. But under God's covenant, although the man fail in his duty, and for his failures fall under the discipline of the covenant, and lies under the weight of it, till such time as he has recourse anew to the blood of Christ for pardon, and renew his repentance;
Tenthly, Therefore the 〈…〉 at C•rt••'s •••r for mercy: but, yet he is 〈…〉 on his personal worth. For, as the 〈…〉 ⟨p. 181⟩the one only Mediator; so the branches of the old stock, have always something to produce, which they think may commend them to Christ, and engage him to take their cause in hand. They cannot think of coming to the spiritual market, without money in their hand They are like persons, who have once had an estate of their own, but are reduced to extreme poverty, and forced to b•g When they come to beg, they still remember their former character; and though they have lost their substance, yet they retain much of their former spirit, therefore they cannot think they ought to be treated as ordinary beggars; but deserve a particular regard; and, if that be not given them, their spirits rise against him to whom they ad••• themselves for supply. Thus God gives the unhumbled sinner many com••• mercies: and shuts him not up in the pit, according to his deserving• but all this is nothing in his eyes. He must be set down at the children's table, otherwise he reckons himself hardly dealt with, and wronged▪ for he is not yet brought so low, as to think, God may be justified when he speaketh, (against him) and clear from all iniqui••, when he judgeth him, according to his real demerit, Psal. li. 4 He thinks, perhaps, that even before he was enlightned, he was better than many others; he considers his reformation of life, his repentance, and grief and tears his sin has cost him, his earnest desires after Christ, his prayers, and wrestlings for mercy; and useth all these now, as bribes for mercy, laying no small weight upon them, in his addresses to the throne of grace. But here the Spirit of the Lord shoots a sheaf of arrows into the man's heart, whereby his confidence in these things is sunk and destroyed; and instead of thinking himself better than many, he is made to see himself worse than any. The naughtiness of his reformation of life is discovered. His repentance appears to him no better than the repentance of Judas; his tears like Esau's, and his desires after Christ to be selfish and loathsome, like theirs who sought Christ because of the loaves. John vi. 26. His answer from God seems now to be, Away proud beggar, How shall I put thee among the children?
Eleventhly, The man being thus far humbled, will no more plead, he is worthy for wh•m Christ should do this thing: but, on the contrary, looks on himself as unworthy of Christ, and unworthy of the favour of God. We may compare him, in this case, to the young man who followed Christ, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body 〈…〉 on whom, when the young men laid hold, he left the linen cloth, and fied from them naked, Mark xiv. 51, 52. Even so the man had been ⟨p. 182⟩following Christ, in the thin and coldrise garment of his own personal worthiness; but by it, even by it, which he so much trusted to, the law catcheth hold of him, to make him prisoner; and then he is fain to leave it, and flees away naked; yet not to Christ, but from him. If you now tell him, he is welcome to Christ, if he will come to him; he is apt to say, Can such a vile and unworthy wretch as I, be welcome to the holy Jesus? If a plaister be applied to his wounded soul, it will not stick He says, Depart from m•, for I am a sinful man, O Lord, Luke v. 8. No man needs speak to him of his repentance, for his comfort; he can quickly espy such faults in it as makes it naught: nor of his tears, for he is assured, they have never come into the Lord's bottle. He dispute himself away from Christ; and concludes, now that he has been such a slighter of Christ, and is such an unholy and vile creature, he cannot, he will not, he ought nor, to come to Christ; and that he must either be in better case, or else he'll never believe. And hence, he now makes his strongest efforts, to amend what was amiss in his way before: He prays more earnestly than ever, mourns more bitterly, strives against sin in heart and life, more vigorously, and watcheth more diligently; if by any means he may, at length be fit to come to Christ. One would think the man is well humbled now: But ah! devilish pride lurks under the veil of all this seeming humility. Like a kindly br•nch of the old stock; he adheres still; and will not submit to the righteousness •f God, Rom. x 3. He will not come to the market of free-grace, without money. He is bidden to the marriage of the King's Son, where the bridegroom himself furnisheth all the guests with wedding garments, stripping them of their own: but he will not come, because he wants a wedding-garment; howbeit he is very busy making one ready. This is sad work;
