Word of God - Whitby's Argument Five
VII. ARGUMENT FIVE
If such a divine, unfrustrable operation is necessary to the conversion of a sinner, then the word read or preached can be no instrument of their conversion without this divine and unfruslrable impulse, because that only acts by moral suasion. Whereas 'it pleased God,' says the apostle, ' by the foolishness of preaching to sate them that believe.'(1 Corinthians 1:21)
And St. James, by saying, 'we are begotten anew by the word of truth,'(James 1:18) plainly informs us, that this word of God is the ordinary means of our regeneration, it being the word preached, the word we are to hear, (verse 19, 22,) and to 'receive with meekness,' by which God works this new birth in us and ' which,' says the apostle, 'is able to save our souls' (Verse 21)
And it is surely a great disparagement to the word of God, to think that his persuasions, admonitions, exhortations, attended with the highest promises and threats, should be all insufficient to prevail with men to turn from the known evil of their ways, and turn to him; when all men who do use these methods towards their children, servants, friends, and relations, do it in hope that they shall be successful by these means.
Only this is not so to be understood as to exclude the co-operation of God with his word, or the assistance of his Holy Spirit setting it home upon our hearts; provided this be not by "way of physical but moral operation, by that illumination of the understanding from the word which produces that renovation in the spirit of the mind, by which we are enabled to discern and to ' approve the good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God,' (Romans 12;2 Ephesians 4:23) to discern 'what is acceptable to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:10), to understand what the will of the Lord is.' (Verse 17)
And if the word of God be a perfect rule, ' able to make us wise unto salvation, and furnish us to every good work,'(2 Timothy 3:17) sure the good Spirit may, by his Suggestion of the truths delivered in it, by ' bringing them to our remembrance,' and opening our understanding to perceive the scriptures, remove that darkness which is in our minds either by natural corruption, or by the mist which Satan casts upon them; whence the apostle does inform us, that ' if the gospel be hid from any to whom it is preached, it is because the God of this world hath blinded the conceptions of their minds, that the light of the glorious gospel should' not shine into them.' (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).
And, secondly, by making deep impressions on the mind of the advantages and rewards promised to our conversion and sincere obedience, and the tremendous evils threatened to the disobedient, and bringing these things often to our remembrance, which, in the scripture phrase, is 'putting these laws in our minds, and writing them in our hearts, that we may not depart from him.' (Hebrews 8:10. See the note there.)
For what reason can be given, why the Spirit of wisdom having thus enlightened the eyes of our understanding ' to know what is the hope of our calling, and the glorious riches of the inheritance of the saints,' (Ephesians 1:18) and made these things, firmly believed, thus present to our minds, they should not have greater prevalence on our wills to obedience than any temporal concernments to induce us to yield obedience to the laws of sin?
If, beyond this, there be some physical and irresistible operation, on God's part, necessary to make us know the things which do belong to our peace, and, knowing them, to chose the good and refuse the evil, this being not wrought in them who are not born anew, why is the want of this new birth, and this spiritual renovation, so often imputed to men's want of consideration and laying to heart the 'things propounded to them, to their not inclining their ear to wisdom and applying their heart to understanding, to their rejecting the counsel of God and not choosing the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:24-30). Why is it said, that they continue thus unreformed, because 'they would have none of God's counsels, but despised all his reproof, or because they could not frame their doings to return unto the Lord.
This also St. Peter teaches, by saying, 'We are born again of incorruptible seed, by the word of God;' (1 Peter 1:23) and St. Paul by letting us know, that 'faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God,'(Romans 10:17) and by saying to his Corinthians, 'in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.' (1 Corinthians 4:15) For if conversion is only wrought by an irresistible operation of the Holy Spirit, and cannot be wrought in us by the word without it, then the word contributes no more to our conversion than the throwing of a pebble doth to the fall of a strong wall blown down by the fury of a tempest.
Since then it can on be the effect of that unfrustrable power, and not at all of any motives and persuasions offered from the word; and why then is it said 'to be quick and lively in its operation. (Hebrews 4;12)
To say that "conversion, at the same time, may be the work of that word which sinners cannot but resist, till this infrustrable operation comes," and yet " of that operation and the word," is to speak things plainly inconsistent with truth, and with the nature of a moral instrument, which if it does not move, does nothing; and if it does, as far as it does so, is not resisted.
Moreover, where an effect does so entirely depend upon two causes, that, without the concurrence of them both, it will not be produced, he that hath it always in his power to resist, that is, to hinder the operation of the one upon him, must also frustrate the other, and consequently hinder the effect: So that it being certain that the sinner may, and too often doth resist the most powerful persuasions of the word, he may resist the concurrence of the Spirit with it, and then that operation cannot be unfrustrable or irresistible.
Moreover, if conversion be wrought irresistibly by the operation of the Spirit, then the word which may be resisted is unnecessary thereunto, since an irresistible operation must do its work as well without it; and if the word cannot but be resisted, till the effect is wrought by another power which is irresistible, it is evident the effect is owing only to that power, and then the whole ministry of the word must be unnecessary. And what is this but in effect to say, what in express terms would be offensive to tell Christian ears, viz. "the word of God is of no use towards the conversion or reformation of a sinner?"
If such a divine, unfrustrable operation is necessary to the conversion of a sinner, then the word read or preached can be no instrument of their conversion without this divine and unfruslrable impulse, because that only acts by moral suasion. Whereas 'it pleased God,' says the apostle, ' by the foolishness of preaching to sate them that believe.'(1 Corinthians 1:21)
And St. James, by saying, 'we are begotten anew by the word of truth,'(James 1:18) plainly informs us, that this word of God is the ordinary means of our regeneration, it being the word preached, the word we are to hear, (verse 19, 22,) and to 'receive with meekness,' by which God works this new birth in us and ' which,' says the apostle, 'is able to save our souls' (Verse 21)
And it is surely a great disparagement to the word of God, to think that his persuasions, admonitions, exhortations, attended with the highest promises and threats, should be all insufficient to prevail with men to turn from the known evil of their ways, and turn to him; when all men who do use these methods towards their children, servants, friends, and relations, do it in hope that they shall be successful by these means.
Only this is not so to be understood as to exclude the co-operation of God with his word, or the assistance of his Holy Spirit setting it home upon our hearts; provided this be not by "way of physical but moral operation, by that illumination of the understanding from the word which produces that renovation in the spirit of the mind, by which we are enabled to discern and to ' approve the good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God,' (Romans 12;2 Ephesians 4:23) to discern 'what is acceptable to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:10), to understand what the will of the Lord is.' (Verse 17)
And if the word of God be a perfect rule, ' able to make us wise unto salvation, and furnish us to every good work,'(2 Timothy 3:17) sure the good Spirit may, by his Suggestion of the truths delivered in it, by ' bringing them to our remembrance,' and opening our understanding to perceive the scriptures, remove that darkness which is in our minds either by natural corruption, or by the mist which Satan casts upon them; whence the apostle does inform us, that ' if the gospel be hid from any to whom it is preached, it is because the God of this world hath blinded the conceptions of their minds, that the light of the glorious gospel should' not shine into them.' (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).
And, secondly, by making deep impressions on the mind of the advantages and rewards promised to our conversion and sincere obedience, and the tremendous evils threatened to the disobedient, and bringing these things often to our remembrance, which, in the scripture phrase, is 'putting these laws in our minds, and writing them in our hearts, that we may not depart from him.' (Hebrews 8:10. See the note there.)
For what reason can be given, why the Spirit of wisdom having thus enlightened the eyes of our understanding ' to know what is the hope of our calling, and the glorious riches of the inheritance of the saints,' (Ephesians 1:18) and made these things, firmly believed, thus present to our minds, they should not have greater prevalence on our wills to obedience than any temporal concernments to induce us to yield obedience to the laws of sin?
If, beyond this, there be some physical and irresistible operation, on God's part, necessary to make us know the things which do belong to our peace, and, knowing them, to chose the good and refuse the evil, this being not wrought in them who are not born anew, why is the want of this new birth, and this spiritual renovation, so often imputed to men's want of consideration and laying to heart the 'things propounded to them, to their not inclining their ear to wisdom and applying their heart to understanding, to their rejecting the counsel of God and not choosing the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:24-30). Why is it said, that they continue thus unreformed, because 'they would have none of God's counsels, but despised all his reproof, or because they could not frame their doings to return unto the Lord.
This also St. Peter teaches, by saying, 'We are born again of incorruptible seed, by the word of God;' (1 Peter 1:23) and St. Paul by letting us know, that 'faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God,'(Romans 10:17) and by saying to his Corinthians, 'in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.' (1 Corinthians 4:15) For if conversion is only wrought by an irresistible operation of the Holy Spirit, and cannot be wrought in us by the word without it, then the word contributes no more to our conversion than the throwing of a pebble doth to the fall of a strong wall blown down by the fury of a tempest.
Since then it can on be the effect of that unfrustrable power, and not at all of any motives and persuasions offered from the word; and why then is it said 'to be quick and lively in its operation. (Hebrews 4;12)
To say that "conversion, at the same time, may be the work of that word which sinners cannot but resist, till this infrustrable operation comes," and yet " of that operation and the word," is to speak things plainly inconsistent with truth, and with the nature of a moral instrument, which if it does not move, does nothing; and if it does, as far as it does so, is not resisted.
Moreover, where an effect does so entirely depend upon two causes, that, without the concurrence of them both, it will not be produced, he that hath it always in his power to resist, that is, to hinder the operation of the one upon him, must also frustrate the other, and consequently hinder the effect: So that it being certain that the sinner may, and too often doth resist the most powerful persuasions of the word, he may resist the concurrence of the Spirit with it, and then that operation cannot be unfrustrable or irresistible.
Moreover, if conversion be wrought irresistibly by the operation of the Spirit, then the word which may be resisted is unnecessary thereunto, since an irresistible operation must do its work as well without it; and if the word cannot but be resisted, till the effect is wrought by another power which is irresistible, it is evident the effect is owing only to that power, and then the whole ministry of the word must be unnecessary. And what is this but in effect to say, what in express terms would be offensive to tell Christian ears, viz. "the word of God is of no use towards the conversion or reformation of a sinner?"
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