Gods not onely infusing the inward Principles of Grace, but also vouchsafing his Quickning, Actuating, Assisting Grace unto his people, inabling them to walk in his Statutes; maintained against Pelagians, Arminians and Papists; Also, the happy condition of those who have this latter grace, as well as the former.
EZEK. 36. 27.
THe method that the Spirit of God useth in promising these great mercies, hath afforded us profitable observations.
In the next place you may remember, that in the general division of this Text, there was the grace of God vouchsafed in the root, and in the fruit; in the principles or habits, and in the actual exercise of grace. We have already dispatched grace in the root, in the principles, which is called A new heart, and, Gods spirit put into us: Let us now admire the goodness of God in the fruit; for the Text beareth both an holy root, and holy fruit; and this is expressed in this promise, I will cause them to walk in my statutes: This is a further d[…]finct mercy of God; it is the first and principal mercy indeed, To put his Spirit in us; and its the second, and no less necessary mercy, when this is done, To cause us to walk in his statutes: So that the former part of the promise, is for the principles of grace; this latter part, for the acts and exercise of grace. We read in Scripture, that David, Peter, and others, who had the inward principles of grace, yet for want of the actual exercise of them, did grievously wound their own souls, and sadly dishonor the name of God: So that here we have a special remarkable point afforded us, viz.
Observ. That God doth not onely at first infuse the principles of grace in his children, but its necessary he should also inable them to act and improve those principles.
He doth not onely give us power to holy actions, but he works also the holy actions themselves: So that not onely the principles of Believing, Repentance, &c. are the gift of God, but the very acts also of these graces: Thus the Apostle saith, That God worketh in us, not onely to will, but to do, Phil. 2. 13. not onely the power, but the action it self. This point in the explication of it, will much manifest and exalt the grace of God as all in all; and then it will set forth the exact duty of Christianity, whose glory lieth in the daily exercise of grace, not in the principles or root of it: And
First, We will open the sense of the Dostrine, and then prove it by several Arguments;1 for Pelagians, Arminians, and several Papists, are against this excellent and glorious truth, attributing indeed the sufficiency and power of doing a good action, to Gods grace, but the actual efficacy of it to a mans will.
In the first place therefore, consider, that there is a twofold grace of God, as to2 our matter in hand; There is grace Regenerating, or Converting; whereby of men dead in sin, and wholly senseless, we come to have a life of Grace, and a Divine Nature we are made partakers of.
Secondly, There is after this a quicking, preventing or exciting grace; whereby3 that former principle of grace is stirred up, and provoked to action. I shall not strictly attend to the School distinctions of grace, Prevenient, Concomitant, and Subsequent, of grace operant, and co-operant: I shall use the Scripture phrase, Quickning Grace; which is not onely at first of men dead in sin, and giving life unto them, in which sense Paul useth it, Ephes. 2. but also for the exciting and stirring up those principles of grace in us, both to act, and also to increase; as David, Psal. 119. prayeth many times, especially verse 88. Quicken me after thy loving kindeness, so shall I keep thy testimonies: This is a blessed temper, and happy are those who do not by negligence, or any other sin, provoke God to withdraw this exciting grace; for although a godly man loose not his principles of grace, yet if he loose this quickning, this acting of grace, he is for the present like a barren wilderness: So then you see, God hath a twofold grace, Initial and Converting, Exciting and Quickning, which we need every hour, every moment, and must pray for more earnestly, then we would for our daily bread.
Secondly, You must know, that there is a great difference in man, while he receiveth4 the one, and while God enableth him to the other: These are not speculative notional points, that tend not to edification, but are exceeding profitable; for if we consider man as the subject of that first converting grace, so he is meerly passive, he doth not at all co-operate or work with the grace of God; for you heard, he had A stony heart, and he is dead in sin; and grace converting, is compared to the Resurrection: So that as Lazarus, when he was raised to life, did not contribute any help thereunto of himself, but was wholly passive; so it is in every man that is at first converted to God, he doth not further this great work, he doth not desire, he doth not set it on; yea, he useth all the power and resistance he can against it, till God conquer the heart by his Omnipotent power; but it is otherwise in this exciting and quickning grace, for there being the supernatural principles of grace before, when he is stirred up, he is not meerly passive; but being first acted by the grace of God, we then act & move also; so that we are voluntary and free in those exercises of grace; though grace moves, yet we also move: This is excellently expressed by the Church, Draw us, and we will run after thee, Cant. 1. 4. The Church was listless, unprepared; therefore she desireth the grace of God to draw her, and then she would run after him. Draw a dead man, and for all that he cannot run; but the Church had the life of grace in her, onely she wanted this quickning, exciting grace.