The anatomie of a Christian man VVherein is plainelie shewed out of the VVord of God, what manner of man a true Christian is in all his conuersation, both inward, and outward. ... By M. William Covvper, minister of Gods Word.

CHAPTER III. Of his New Will.

The Lords Command.

FRom henceforth as long as yee remaine in the flesh, walke not after the lusts of men, but after the will of God: 1. Pet. 4. 2. for the lusts of the flesh fight against the Soule, 1. Pet. 2. therefore proue yee what is the good and acceptable will of God. Rom. 12. And honour me not by doing your owne will, Esay. 58. 13. going a whoring after your owne ab∣hominations: Num. 15. 39. for vnto them who do so, I will lay their way vpon their owne head. Ezech. 11. 21.

The Christians Prayer for Grace to obay this Command.

O Lord a I know that thou tryest the heart, and hast pleasure in righteousnesse, and that thou b art he who dost worke in thy children both the will and the deed, c teach me therefore O Lord to doe thy will, for thou art my God: d let me not be giuen ouer to the lust of mine aduersary, e nor to mine owne hearts desire, f that iniquitie should haue dominion ouer me, g but make me perfect to euery manner of good worke, to doe thy will, wor∣king in mee that which is pleasant in thy sight through Iesus Christ.

The Christians Practise of this Command.

I Had my conuersation in times past, among the Children of disobedience, fulfilling the

will of my flesh, but now the Lord who is rich in mercy, through his great loue, wherewith he lo∣ued me hath sanctified me to do his will, so that now I haue begun both to will and to do, 2 Cor. 8 lamenting that I cannot doe the good, which faine I would, Rom. 7. for in all things I desire to doe thy will O my God, Psal. 40. 8.

THE OBSERVATIONS.

THere is no question betweene God and man but this one, whose will should be done, whether Gods will or ours: for all our trans∣gressions proceeds from this, that against all reason we preferre our will before the most holy will of the Lord our God.

For naturally the will of man is neither right∣ly affected toward his owne minde, nor yet to∣ward the Lord his God. The will should be di∣rected and gouerned by the minde, but as if the Cart should draw the Horse, such misorder is there, when the will enthralles the light of the minde to her peruerse and inordinate de∣sires.

The will of man vnregenerate exerciseth a perpetuall inimitie against God: for first it re∣fuses subiection to God, albeit many manner of wayes it be obliged to giue it. And next, as if that were too little, it vsurpes a dominion, and commandement ouer all the creatures of God.

An intollerable rebellion that the will of man refusing subiection to God, who is his superior, should require subiection to himselfe of all the Creatures of God: He will haue the Sunne and Moone to serue him with their light: Hee will haue the clouds of the Aire to serue him with their raine, hee will haue the earth to serue him with her fruits, and yet with his will, he will not giue seruice to God who made both him and them.

Yea, let be his vsurpation ouer vnreasonable creatures, the man vnregenerate doth also what he can to draw the will of all other men in sub∣iection vnto his: the adulterer craues that same •…•…ilthy will in another that is in himself; the mur∣therer craues the same cruell will in another, that is in himselfe, and so become guilty both of their owne and other mens damnation so far as they can get them to serue their will.

It proceedeth yet further to an insurrection against the creator himselfe, and albeit no ma∣lice of man can impaire his eternall Maiestie, yet mans cursed and corrupted will doth what

it can to make him not to be: for either the vn∣regenerate man wisheth that God knew not his sinne, or else if hee knew it, had no power to punish it, or else were iniust to ouersee it: exe∣cranda plane & crudelis malitia quae d•…•…i potenti∣am, 〈◊〉〈◊〉, iustitiam perire desiderat.

Therefore also is it, that the Lord is an ene∣mie to mans selfe-will: for in all his present plagues which hee layes vpon man, his strokes especially is vpon his corrupted will, compelling him to suffer that euill of punishment which is •…•…ore against his will. And in Hell the will shall be punished with stripes proportionall to her innumerable sinfull desires. A iust recompence of mans rebellion, who intends his will against God, that God should also intend and prepare his plagues against him, laying that wrath vp∣on man which hee is no way willing to beare: Cesset itaque voluntas propria & infernus non erit.

But albeit these two, the holy will of God, and corrupted will of man, fight together, yet the losse and hurt euer befalles to man, neuer to the Lord: for man doth no other thing but rash his heele against the pricke: which as our Lord said to Saul is very hard: durum calcitranti, non stimulo. Vae ita{que} oppositis voluntatibus solam suae auersionis ref•…•…rentibus poenam: Woe there∣fore to all wils contrary to Gods will, who reape

no other fruit, but the punishment of their a∣uersion from God.

For what more miserable estate then this, Semper velle quod nunquam erit, & semper nolle quod nunquam non erit: in aeternum non obti∣nebit quod vult, & in aeternum •…•…ustinebit quod non vult: euer to will that which neuer shall be, and alwaies not to will that which alwayes shall be? for the wicked shall neuer obtaine that which hee would haue, and hee shall for euer sustaine that which hee would not; this is the vnhappy condition of him that liues after his corrupted will.

But beside all this, mans will is now at vari∣ance with it selfe; if hee had kept true light in his minde, hee should neuer haue had but one will, and all his affections, with one harmonie had beene carryed to that which his will had willed: but now it is strange to see how within himselfe, his will is rent asunder, that what one way hee willeth, another way he willeth not, as is euident in the example of any proud coue∣tous worldling, who as hee is a proud man hath a will, which as a couetous man hee will not.

So that in these three now by Nature is mans will exercised: first, in the dishonouring of God: secondly, in the disquieting of him∣selfe: thirdly, in the abusing of the creature,

which corruption of will, man by transgression brought vpon himselfe: libero arbitrio male v∣tens homo & se perdidit, & illud: Againe, voluntas cum esset libera seruum se fecit pec∣cati.

So that now it is, as saith Augustine, a won∣derfull great blindnesse not to see the inabili∣tie of our naturall will to any good; vulnera∣ta, sanciata, vexata, perdita est: vera confessio∣ne, non falsa defensione opus habet. Hee that saith, that Man, per Naturae vigorem, may thinke, or make choise of any good pertay∣ning to eternall life, hee is deceiued with the spirit of Herisie: Quod amissum nisi, à quo po∣tuit dari, non potest reddi, vnde ipsa Veritas dicit, Si vos Filius liberauit, tunc vere liberi e∣ritis.

But most clearely doth the Apostle decide this controuersie, by declaring our naturall inabilitie to any good, when hee saith, the na∣turall man hath such a minde as cannot vn∣derstand the things of God; and such a will as is not subiect to the Law of God, nor yet can be, to wit, so long as it abideth a natu∣rall will, not renued by the grace of Regene∣ration.

And hereunto these words of Bernard may serue for a cleare commentarie: Nescio quo prauo & miro modo, ipsa sibi voluntas, peccato in

deterius mutata necessitatem facit, vt nee necessi∣tas, cum voluntaria sit, excusare valeat volunta∣tem, nec voluntas cum sit illecta excludere necessi∣tatem: I cannot tell by what meruailous and wicked manner it is come to passe, that the will being changed to the worse, hath brought vpon herselfe a necessitie of euill, doing in such sort, that neither the necessitie, seeing it is vo∣luntarily brought on, can excuse the will, nor yet the will seeing it is snared and allured can exclude the necessitie.

And againe in the same place: Ita anima miro quodam, & malo modo, sub hac volunta∣ria quadam, & male libera necessitate, & ancil∣la tenetur, & libera: ancilla propter necessitatem, libera propter voluntatem; & quod magis mi∣rum, magis{que} miserum est, eo ipso rea quo libera, eo{que} ancilla, quo rea, ac per hoc, eo ancilla, quo libera.

But this cursed corruption of our will, which by nature is contrary both to Gods will and our weale, is cured by the renuing grace of Christ in the regeneration.

For the first lesson Christ Iesus doth teach his Disciples that enter into his Schoole, is to denie themselues, to captiue their will, and to submit themselues in all things to the will of God. As the Christian carefully keepes the light of God, as a heauenly Oracle in his mind,

so in all his resolutions and actions, he will not conclude, farre lesse enterprise, till first hee en∣quire what is the will of God.

The Censure.

But now the great multitude of professors, who liue so addicted to their owne will as if they had not a superiour in heauen, euidently proues, they are not all Christians indeed, who now vsurpe the Christian name.

Notes

• If we renounce not our owne will, we cannot be the seruants of God.
• a

  1. Chron. 29.
• b

  Phil. 2. 13.
• c

  Psal. 143. 10.
• d

  Psal. 27.
• e

  Rom. 1.
• f

  Psal. 119. 103.
• g

  Heb. 13. 21.
• The perfection of a Christian in this life is in a willing of good, rather then doing of it.
• 1 The onely questi∣on betweene God and man is whose wil should be done.
• 2 Mans will by na∣ture how far dis∣ordered▪
• 3 It is not subiect to God & yet vsurpes dominion ouer his creatures.
• 4 An intollerable re∣bellion to seeke ser∣uice from Gods creatures, and giue none to himselfe.
• 5 The will of man would haue the wils of all men sub∣iect vnto it.
• 6 It riseth also into a plaine opposition to the Creator himselfe.
• Bern. d•…•… r•…•…sur. Se•…•…. 3.
• 7 For this cause God is an enemie to mans will, for in all his plagues he 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of seth the will.
• 8 Thus in resisting God man receiues the worst.
• Bern. de consid•…•…. lib. 5.
• 9 For he willeth that which shall neuer be, but be the con∣trary.
• 10 Mans will iustly at variance with it selfe.
• 11 A three-fold disor∣der of the will of man.
• Aug. enchirid. cap. 30.
• Ber. in Cant. Serm. 81.
• 12 In mans nature no free-will to good.
• Aug. cont. Pelag. lib. 2. c. 48. & 53
• Concil. Arausi. acanum. can. 7. an. 445.
• Can. 13.
• 13 The naturall man hath a minde that cannot vnderstand, a will that cannot be subiect to God till it be regenerate.
• 14 Necessitie of sinne lying on the will excuseth it not, and why.
• Bern. in. Cant. Serm. 81.
• 15 How the will is both bound & free.
• Ibid.
• 16 The will is renued in the regeneration
• 17 For the first lesson a Christian learnes is to renounce his owne will.