Why The Saint's Strength Is Laid Up In God

'That the Christian's strength is in the Lord.’  Now we shall give some demonstrations [or reasons].

[Why the saint's strength is laid up in God.]

            

 Reason First.  The first reason may be taken from the nature of the saints and their grace.  Both are creatures, they and their grace also.  Now  it is in the very nature of the creature to depend on God its Maker,’ both for being and operation.  Can you con­ceive and accident to be out of its subject, whiteness out of the wall, or some other subject?  It is impos­sible that the creature should be, or act without strength from God.  This to be, act in and of himself, is so incommunicable a property of the Deity, that he cannot impart it to his creature.  God is, and there is none besides him.  When God made the world, it is said indeed he ended his work, that is, of creation: he made no new species and kinds of creatures more; but to this day he hath not ended his work of providence: 'My Father worketh hitherto,’ saith Christ, John 5:17, that is, in preserving and empowering what he hath made with strength to be and act, that therefore he is said to hold our souls in life.  Works of art, which man makes, when finished, may stand some time without the workman's help, as the house, when the carpenter that made it is dead; but God's works, both of nature and grace, are never off his hand, and therefore as the Father is said to work hitherto for the preservation of the works of nature, so the Son, to whom is committed the work of redemption, he tells us, worketh also.  Neither ended he his work when he rose again, any otherwise than his Father did in the work of creation.  God made an end of making, so Christ made an end of purchasing mercy, grace, and glory for believers, by once dying; and as God rested at the end of creation, so he, when he had wrought eternal redemption, and 'by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high,’ Heb. 1:3.  But he ceaseth not to work by his intercession with God for us, and by his Spirit in us for God, whereby he upholds his saints, their graces, and comforts his life, without which they would run to ruin.  Thus we see as grace is a creature, the Christian depends on God for his strength.  But further,

             

Reason Second. The Christian's grace is not only a creature, but a weak creature, conflicting with enemies stronger than itself, and therefore cannot keep the field without an auxiliary strength from heaven.  The weakest goes to the wall, if no succour comes in.  Grace in this life is but weak, like a king in the cradle, which gives advantage to Satan to carry on his plots more strongly to the disturbance of this young king's reign in the soul, yea, he would soon make an end of the war in the ruin of the believer's grace, did not Heaven take the Christian into protection.  It is true indeed, grace, wherever it is, hath a principle in itself that makes it desire and endeavour to preserve itself according to its strength, but being overpowered must perish, except assisted by God, as fire in green wood, which deads and damps the part kindled, will in time go out, except blown up, or more fire put to that little; so will grace in the heart.  God brings his grace into the heart by conquest. 

Now, as in a conquered city, though some yield and become true subjects to the conqueror, yet others plot how they may shake off this yoke; and therefore it requires the same power to keep, as was to win it at first.  The Christian hath an unregenerate part, that is discounted at this new change in the heart, and disdains as much to come under the sweet government of Christ's sceptre, as the Sodomites that Lot should judge them.  What, this fellow, a stranger, control us!  And Satan heads this mutinous rout against the Christian, so that if God should not continually reinforce this new planted colony in the heart, the very natives (I mean corruptions) that are left, would come out of their dens and holes where they lie lur­king, and eat up the little grace the holiest on earth hath; it would be as bread to these devourers.

Again, Consider The Christians Addressing Himself To Any Duty Of God's Worship, Still His Strength Is In The Lord

Again Consider The Christians Addressing Himself To Any Duty Of God's Worship Still His Strength Is In The Lord.

             [1. Prayer.]  Would he pray?  Where will he find materials for his prayer?  Alas, he 'knows not what he should pray for as we ought,’ Rom. 8:26.  Let him alone, and he will soon pray himself into some temptations or other, and cry for that which [it] were cruelty in God to give; and therefore God puts words in our mouths: 'Take with you words and say,’ Hosea 14:2.  Well, now he hath words put into his mouth.  Alas, they will freeze in his very lips, if he hath not some heart-heating affections to thaw the tap.  And where shall this fire be had?  Not a spark to found on his own hearth, except it be some strange fire of natural desires, which will not serve.  Whence then must the fire come to thaw the iciness of the heart, but from heaven?  The Spirit, he must stretch himself upon the soul, as the prophet on the child, and then the soul will come to some kindly warmth and heavenly heat in its affections.  The Spirit must groan, and then the soul will groan.  He helps us to these sighs and groans which turn the sails of prayer.  He dissolves the heart and then it [i.e. prayer] bursts out of the heart by groans of the lips by heavenly rhetoric, out of the eyes as from a flood-gate with tears.  Yet further, now the creature is enabled to wrestle with God in prayer, what will he get by all this?  Suppose he be weak in grace, is he able to pray himself strong, or corruption weak?  No, this is not to be found in prayer, as an act of the creature; this drops from heaven also: 'In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul,’ Ps. 138:3.  David received it in duty, but had it not from his duty, but from his God.  He did not pray himself strong, but God strengthened him in his prayer.

             [2. Hearing the Word.]  Well, cast your eyes once more upon the Christian, as engaging in another ordinance of hearing the word preached.  The soul's strength to hear the Word is from God.  He opens the heart to attend, Acts 16:14, yea, he opens the un­derstanding of the saint to receive the Word, so as to conceive what it means.  It is like Samson's riddle, which we cannot unfold without his heifer.  He opens the womb of the soul to conceive by it, as the understanding to conceive of it, that the barren soul becomes a 'joyful mother of children.’  David sat for half a year under the public lectures of the law, and the womb of his heart shut up, till Nathan comes, and God with him, and now is the time of life.  He conceives presently, yea, and brings forth the same day, falls presently into the bitter pangs of sorrow for his sins, which went not over till he had cast them forth in that sweet 51^st Psalm.  Why should this one word work more than all the former, but that now God struck in with his word, which he did not before?  He is therefore said to 'teach his people to profit,’ Isa. 48:17.  He sits in heaven that teacheth hearts.  When God's Spirit, who is the headmaster, shall call a soul from his usher to himself, and say, —Soul, you have not gone the way to receive by hearing the word.  Thus and thus conceive of such a truth, improve such a promise —presently the eyes of his understanding open, and his heart burns within him while he speaks to him.  Thus you see the truth of this point, 'That the Christian's strength is in the Lord.’  Now we shall give some demonstrations [or reasons].