SECT. IV. How far God useth Means.

§. 1. CHrist who is the chief means is used in all the Conveyances of Grace, to any one in the world.

§. 2. God hath a double work in Illuminating and Converting souls: One by activity of exteriour appulsive causes: The other within us on the *faculties of the soul, without those causes. I cannot better illustrate it, than by the causing of sight, hearing, &c. The Light without us, is not only a terminating object (as some dream,) but an Active thing, or Action, which operateth by appulse upon the eye: And the Sun and Aire are the causes of it. The eye is not only a passive Receiver (as some dream,) but an Organ where the visive spirits, and soul are Active: And God work∣eth internally on this visive faculty by his influx, to sustain it in its acti∣vity. And by a congress of these two fires or Active causes, the sensitive soul doth see. Now we all know that God giveth the external light on∣ly per media, by the Sun, &c. But how he sustaineth and actuateth the Visive faculty is more difficult. His own influx or Causation is un∣doubted: And that the same Sun ut causa universalis cherisheth and mo∣veth the visive spirits: But whether God move the sensitive faculty or soul it self, by any superiour spirit, or mediate cause▪ in its motion or acti∣on towards and on the exteriour light, is past our knowledge: (Though the order observed in other cases, maketh it not improbable.)

Even so in the Illumination of the mind, and conversion of the will, we are sure that beside the terminative object, there is an external motion which by the foresaid means is made at least on the senses, and imagina∣tion, whatever it do further on the Intellect: But in the superiour Influx on the soul it self, what use God may make of Angels or other superiour spirits or causes, we cannot tell. We are sure (as is said) that if there be a second cause, yet as to proximity it is never the less neerly from God: And souls being Intellectual, and for ought we know of the highest nature of Creatures, though not the highest Degree, neither is improbable, that God moveth us by a second cause, or that he doth it without.

§. 3. But as Christs fore-described mediate Causality is still supposed, so it is certain that God doth not only work (as some think) concomitantly with the word, but by it as his Instrument. Though his wayes of co-ope∣ration are past the reach of man: yet this much is sure, 1. That he adap•∣eth the means to do their work, both word, Minister, &c. 2. And that his concurse maketh the due Impression on the sense and imagination. 3. And though no Philosopher certainly know whether the Images in the phantasie be meerly passive as to the Intellect, or what use is made of them and the pas∣sions to Intellection and Volition; yet such use as is naturally to be made of them for these ends, God maketh, and manageth them accordingly by skill and power.

§. 4. But here MOTION the effect of Active force, and ORDER of motion, as the effect of GOVERNMENT, must be well distinguish∣ed: For it is not so much the second Causes of the souls Action, as such, that we are now enquiring after: But of the ORDER and Rectitude of its Actions, which is done by Government.

§. 5. That God doth work Grace on man by means, ordinarily, (as or∣dinarily he causeth natural effects by means; and Miracles are rare) may be proved by all these following evidences.

Page  17 §. 6. 1. In that he hath made so large provision of means, and that in an admirable frame, which is as it were, a Moral world. Which he would never do in vain; nor if he ordinarily workt without them that work which he hath appointed them to do. It is the reason of the Brittish Di∣vines in their suffrages at Dort. Had not God decreed to work Grace by means, he could have done it with a fiat.

§. 7. 2. The Glory of this Kingdom or Sapiential Rule, which is so con∣stantly and largely given him in the Scripture, Psal. 103. 10. and 145. and 119. throughout; and Matth. 25. As the Ship▪master or Pilot is praised who by a Helm can turn about the Ship as he will, Jam. 3. 4.

§. 8. 3. God worketh on all things according to their nature: And this is suitable to the nature of man: And the Causation is answerable to the effect: And ORDER is a moral effect, which needeth not a Crea∣tion but a moral ordering Causation.

§. 9. 4. Experience telleth us that those prosper best in grace that most faithfully and diligently use the means: And we never knew of any man * in the world, that came to Actual knowledge, faith, or Love, without means; but all by the causality of them.

§. 10. 5. We find that the greatest neglecters and despisers of means, are every where most graceless, and the worst of men.

§. 11. 6. We have (Ministers and people) frequent and strict com∣mands, to use means most diligently, constantly and carefully.

§. 12. 7. We have abundance of promises of Gods blessing upon the * use of means: Act. 26. 17. I send thee to open their eyes and turn them. Rom. 10. How shall they hear without a Preacher, &c. Isa. 55. 2, 3. Hear and your souls shall live. Matth. 28. 20. I am with you alwayes, &c. Luke 10. 16. He that heareth you, heareth me. Psal. 19. 7, &c. The Law of the Lord is pure—Converting the soul. 1 Pet. 1. It is the incorruptible Seed that regenerateth us. Heb. 4. The word is powerful—and a searcher of the heart, &c.

§. 13. 8. When God will save a people he sends them the Gospel, and * when he will forsake them he taketh it away.

§. 14. 9. The Devil sheweth his malice to souls and grace, by oppo∣sing the means, depriving men of them, or keeping them from them, or from the faithful using of them.

§. 15. But it is none of my meaning that the bare means of it self doth change the soul, or that it is the principal cause: But only that God operateth Moral effects by Moral means, as he doth Natural by Natural means, being still the prime Cause of all himself.

§. 16. If we thus conjoyn all Causes and separate not what God hath conjoyned, it will help us the better to escape errour in this matter. But if men will dream that all the honour or action that is ascribed to second causes, is a derogation from God and a dishonouring of him, they forsake the truth and injure him.

§. 17. For if this were true, that to honour the means or acknowledge * second Causes, and their aptitude and efficacy, is to dishonour God, then God should be the greatest dishonourer of himself, by making and using such causes and means; And so many Creatures as there be in the world, so many dishonours are cast on God; and the excellentest Creatures would dishonour him most: which sottish conceit must needs be joyned with Ma∣nichaeism, that an ill God was the Maker of the World. God is Glorious in all his works, and shineth to us in them all.