SERMON XIV.*

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Am now to shew

you,

[2.] That a communication of spiritual power is also necessary that we may be capable of walking in the Spirit. It is said that they who shall walk in such a course as this is "without weariness," must in order thereto "renew their strength," and this strength is to be from a divine communication, because it is that which we are to wait upon the Lord for, Isa. xl. 31. We hear of a strength in the inner man given and sought for, which implies it capable of being given, for this purpose. The Psalmist speaks his experience of its being given in psalm 138. 3. In the day when I cried, thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul. And the apostle prays that it might be given unto the Ephesians, (chap. 3. 16.) that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, &c. You will never be able to act that faith wherewith to keep up any converse with Christ, or by which he can have any commodious reception in your souls, so as to dwell there, if you are not strengthened according to the riches of his glory with might by his Spirit in the inner man, in order thereunto. That we may speak a little more distinctly to this, it will

Preached March 20th, 1677. at Cordwainer's Hall.

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be requisite to shew you,-what kind of influence, or communication of power will not be sufficient in this case: and then, what is, over and beside that, necessary, as what will suffice for this purpose.

First, What will not suffice. It is requisite that you have a right, and as clear an account as is possible of this.

For first, It will not be sufficient to have only that common power afforded to us, which doth suffice for common, natural action: whether by that power we understand the faculties belonging to the reasonable nature, or whether you do also comprehend therewith the promptitude and aptitude of those faculties for common actions. This will not suffice for spiritual actions, so that we may be said to walk in the Spirit. Which may easily be made to appear from such considerations as these. Namely,

If only such a communication of power were sufficient, then no more influence is afforded unto regenerate persons than to the rest of men. For they have a power which doth enable them to the common actions which belongs to them as men, as reasonable creatures; which doth enable them, not which doth constrain them; or make them do many actions which yet they do. And again,

Then there were as much power and influence afforded and given forth, in order to sinful and forbidden actions, as in order to good and holy, and commanded ones, which it were very unreasonable and horrid to think, as we shall have occasion to shew you by and by. In reference to the latter, such an influence goes forth, as by which God doth procure that they shall be done, or makes them to be; but sure we will not dare to say concerning forbidden actions, that he makes them to be done, though he gives such a power as by which they may, and can be done; otherwise indeed it were impossible they should be done, namely, if power were not derived from him. Further,

Otherwise it might be possible that no good action should ever be done; and consequently that no person should be saved, or finally happy. Of so great concernment it is carefully to distinguish between that common power, by which such and such actions may be done, and that power by which, such and such actions must, and shall be done, or shall be procured to be done. And again,

Otherwise it were not only possible that no spiritual and holy actions might be done, but impossible that any should. For it is not only impossible that any action should be done without power, but it is impossible also that any action should be done without a power proportionable to the kind and nature of

that action. And since merely natural power is altogether unproportionable unto the kind of holy and spiritual actions, it would be equally absurd to say that such actions could be done by so improper a power, as to say, that an action can be done by no power at all. If you assign au unproportionable power to any action, it is a perfect equivalence to no power; for it is no power as to this purpose. As a power to walk is no power proportionable unto the offices and functions of a reasonable soul, so that common power by which such and such natural actions may be done, is no way proportionable unto spiritual actions, which it is undertaken shall be done, which must be done, in order to their blessedness in the other world, and their glorifying God in this, who are designed at length, even of the Spirit, to receive life everlasting, Gal. 6. 8.

And in the last place, If common natural power were all that is requisite in this case, then no exercise of grace, or no actual grace could be said to be the gift of God, and consequently, it must be denied to be grace: for what is grace but a divine gift? Common natural power in reference unto these actions whereunto it is adequate, never infers that those actions are to be referred to God as given by him. And it may very easily be made to appear to you, that the supposition of a power only for spiritual actions, (that is, the natural faculty) though you suppose never so much promptitude for common action, which is to be made use of even in these, could not leave us ground whereupon to call such and such exercises of grace divine gifts. For it would be very absurd to give the name of the thing done, or to be done, to the power that must be used in the doing of it. If we might suppose that at all tolerable, then we must suppose that, because all men have natural faculties which must be made use of in believing, and have a promptitude for many other actions, which are some way congenerous, or of like kind, all men are believers. If it can be enough to say that God is the giver of faith, because he gives the natural faculties which are to be made use of in believing, then we must say that he hath given faith to all the world, and consequently since all believers shall be saved, we must say too, that all the world shall be saved. Yea, if there were not an aversion unto this same work of faith, for instance, which is to be otherwise overcome, it were yet altogether improper so to speak, namely, that the power of believing is believing, that is, the natural power to be used for a purpose, which the spiritual power doth suppose. For you might every whit as well say, that the power of building a house, is a house; and the power, which is to be used in fighting, is a battle; the absurdity of which

phrases, or forms of speech is obvious to every one at the first view.

And if this were sufficient to say, that such and such acts or exercises are, the gifts of God, because that natural power, which is presupposed in order thereto, and must be used therein, is given by him, then we might as well call the fruits of the flesh the gifts of God, as the fruits of the Spirit. For (as hath been intimated before) that power by which any sinful or fleshly act can be done, must be supposed to have had a divine original, or else no such act could have been done, God And all acts ad being the fountain of all power whatsoever. extra, all operations that are any where put forth towards the creature are common to the persons of the Trinity, and are indeed expressly attributed to the Spirit of God. By his Spirit he hath garnished the heavens, (Job 26. 13.) and renewUpon this supeth the face of the earth, Psalm. 104. 30. position therefore the very distinction would be taken away between the fruits of the flesh and the fruits of the Spirit, which we see the text hath an express reference to; and those who do the most vile of those fleshly acts might all that while be said to walk in the Spirit as those who do the best actions imaginable. That natural power therefore which is sufficient for actions in common is not sufficient there.

Nor secondly, is the addition of gracious habits sufficient to our walking in the Spirit, or our doing spiritual actions. There must be an influence beyond that by which such habits are given and infused. For,

Those habits themselves could not subsist without a continual influence: especially, it being considered, they that are in the souls of sinful, corrupt, degenerate men even at the best. They are in soils which are not natural to them. They are foreign plants, and do so much the more need a continual preservative influence. As heat which is introduced into water, because it is not natural unto that water, therefore needs to be continually cherished by a fire maintained and kept under it; and if the influence of the external agent, the fire without, were not continued to maintain the heat within, it would soon vanish, and the coldness, which is natural to the water, would recover itself. Which argues that that quality which is foreign, and from without, needs a continual influence from without to maintain it. But that is not all, for

Beside the influence which is necessary to maintain such habits, there is an influence necessary to act them in a renewed soul; otherwise they would not be acted. For these habits are in conjunction with contrary habits which would impede the other from going forth into act: which we do not need to

reason with you much about, because we find the matter so expressly asserted in Scripture, even this very Gal. 5. 17. Ye cannot do the things that ye would. And why? because the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and these two, saith the apostle, are contrary the one to the other. And here it seems more reasonable to understand by Spirit, the new nature, the new creature, which you have heard is called Spirit, in John 3. 6. And for that very reason is the injunction given in the 16 verse of this chapter, to walk in the Spirit. "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, &c." He speaks to those whom he supposes to be furnished with the habits of grace, and yet they could not act for all that, unless they did walk in the Spirit; and therefore walking in the Spirit must import more on the Spirit's part, than only its furnishing the soul, with gracious habits added to natural powers. And for my part, I dare not venture to say, what many do, that the apostle speaks of himself, in Rom. 7. as in a state wherein he was destitute of grace, when he so expressly says, that how to perform that which is good he did not find. Sure he was not without the habits of grace when he said this, yet though he had the habits of grace, there were times in which he could not find to do the things that were good. Such habits therefore do need farther influence than what doth infuse and maintain them, by which they may be capable of being brought forth into act. And therefore

Secondly, We shall next lay down what is necessary and will be sufficient in this case that spiritual actions may be done, and so that we may be truly said to walk in the Spirit. And such an influence is necessary, and would be sufficient for this purpose as will be so efficacious as to direct and determine and over-rule the heart into the doing of this and that particular action, so that it may not only be said, as concerning common actions, such an action may be done by such a natural power put forth, but this action shall be done. In short, such an

influence, as by which a person is not only enabled to do such an action, but is made to do it; or by which the action is procured to be done: so that the very production of the action is referable unto the divine influence in this case, as that whereunto it doth actually enable and determine the doer. And that so much is necessary unto every spiritual and holy action we shall prove to you from several scripture-considerations.

We remark first, holy souls are wont to disclaim any sufficient ability to do a good action. They say that it is not in them that if a good action be done, it is not they that have done it by any power that was either natural to them, or superadded diverse and distinct from that, but by the issue and

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