That the work of Grace is a deep, powerfull, and inward affecting of the whole man. And how far Grace may be tendred or received, and yet not be put effectually into our Inwards. Also what this inward, deep work of Grace is, with the signs and effects of it.
EZEK. 36. 27.
THe grace promised in this Text hath been dispatched, viz. The putting of Gods Spirit in the converted. The next thing considerable is, The subject recipient; The subject wherein this grace is put, and that is briefly but very emphatically expressed, Within you. And indeed the English doth not rise up to the efficacy of the Hebrew, which is, in the midst, or the inward deep parts of you. Hence it’s translated in intimo vestri: So that there is a great deal of weight lieth upon this Hebrew phrase, for it supposeth the work of grace to go deep into a man. Its an hearty rooted work, it excludeth all superficiall, formall or notionall, and meer brain-work in godlinesse: And its good to observe, how in parallel places this promise doth still relate to that intimate deep working of grace upon the heart, Ezek. 11. 19. there is the same promise repeated, with this Emphasis; so that you may see the excellency of this promise for conversion to God, in the repetition of it, as if the Prophet delighted to mention nothing but this. The Prophet Jeremiah also doth twice or thrice declare this grace here promised in the Text; and Chap. 31. 33. with this Emphaticall description, I will put my law in their inward parts. Oh this is the main thing; All outward profession, all parts, all notions, all inlargements, if these be not accompanied with grace in the inward parts of a man, they are but a blaze: they are a tinkling cymball. Such mens Religion is like Davids great men in the world, compared to grasse upon the house top, with which the mower filleth not his hand.
Observ. That the work of grace is a deep, powerfull and inward affecting of the whole man.
The Spirit of God is put into their inwards; the law of God is written in their inwards; and therefore the spirit of man as sanctified and renewed, is called often the inward man, Rom. 7. 22. 2 Cor. 4. 16. Alas, we may say of many, It’s the outward man of their godlinesse, not the inward; because it consists only in the tongue, and in expressions, and transient affections at farthest, but as for the deep, constant and solid working of grace, that is a mystery they understand not. Now that the work of grace is such an inward deep changing of a man; is also plain, in that its called so often, life. Now we know life is not the external motion, or speaking, or eating, or working; but the inward fountain of these. Life is the actus primus, the first act, or fountain, or rise of all other motions. The Painter he can give external lineaments, and outward representations; but he cannot give this actus primus, this life. And the hypocrite or unsound man, he can give many outward colours, and glorious representations of grace, so that he may be admirable in the eies of others, and confident in his own goodnesse, but yet not at all acquainted with this grace in the inward parts. This point deserveth a powerfull opening, to go to the inwards of it, as well as that must go to our inwards. And first, Let us shew how farre this grace may be either tendered or received,1 and yet not put into our inwards.
And first, it’s easily granted by all, That as long as the word of God sounds only in the ear, and it pierceth no further, here is no descending of it into the bowels: and yet are not the greatest part of our auditors no further wrought upon, then as to the ear! They come and hear, they sit and hear, it may be; but still here is no work of the Spirit upon the heart. Our Saviour in his parable compareth such to the high-way ground; the seed fell upon it, and presently the devil, like the birds of the air, fetcheth it away. Oh that men should judge it a great sin if they did not come and hear, and not also think it a greater sin to hear, and not inwardly to receive the power of the word. For the end of hearing is to let the word fall down into the very bottom of thy soul. Physick in the mouth, not received into the stomack, cannot do any good. R[…]in upon the surface of the ground, and not soaking to the root, will never make the plant grow; and thus it is here, Though thou hearest a thousand sermons, thou that neglectest not any Sabbath day; yet if thou hearest and hearest, and only hearest; the word doth not like Aarons oil go from thy ear, thy head, but to thy heart, thy inferiour deep parts of thy soul; thou goest home as ignorant, as prophane, as obstinate as thou camest hither. Know then that the perfection and fulnesse of every action lieth in accomplishing its end, without which it is in vain. Eating without digestion doth not nourish, but breed diseases; so the end of hearing, is to have a potent and divine operation upon the very bowels of thy soul. As Saul when he was among the Prophets, the spirit came on him, and he also prophesied. Thus while the word of God, the instrument of the spirit, is displayed before thee, what a mighty change and deep alteration should come upon thee! Thou shouldst go home praying as others, repenting as others, fearing God as others: Do not then give the ear only, but the heart also; otherwise Christ only stands at the door and knocks, thou doest not let him in.