The Success of the Ministry of the Gospel,

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The Success of the Ministry of the Gospel, Owing to a Divine Influence

Samuel Davies, November 19, 1757
"I planted the seed, Apollo's watered it—but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything—but onlyGod, who makes things grow." 1 Corinthians 3:6-7

The design of God in all his works of creation, providence, and grace—is to advance and secure the glory of his own name; and, therefore, though he makes use of secondary causes as the instruments of his operations, yet their efficacy depends upon his superintending influence. It is his hand that sustains the great chain of causes and effects, and his agency pervades and animates the worlds of nature and of grace.

In the natural world, he makes use of the instrumentality of the gardener to cultivate the ground, to sow the seed, and water it. But it is he who commands the clouds to drop down fatness upon it, and the sun to diffuse its vital influence. It is he who continues to the earth, and the other principles of vegetation, their respective virtues; and without this influence of his—the gardener's planting and watering would be in vain; and after all his labour, he must acknowledge, that it is God who gives the increase.

Just so, in the world of grace: God uses a variety of suitable means to form degenerate sinners into his image, and fit them for a happy eternity. All the institutions of the gospel are intended for this purpose, and particularly the preaching ministry. Ministers are sowers sent out into the wild field of the world, with the precious seed of the Word. It is the grand business of their life to cultivate this barren soil, to plant trees of righteousness, and water them that they may bring forth the fruits of holiness. It is by the use of painful industry, that they can expect to improve this wilderness into a fruitful field; and the Lord is pleased to pour out his Spirit from on high, at times, to render their labours successful; so that they who went forth bearing precious seed with sorrow and tears, return, bringing their sheaves with joy.

But alas, they meet with disappointments enough to convince them that all their labours will be in vain—if a sovereign God denies the influence of his grace. The agency of his Holy Spirit is as necessary to fructify the Word, and make it the seed of conversion, as the influences of heaven are to fructify the earth and promote vegetation! A zealous Paul may plant the Word, and an eloquent Apollo's may water it; one may attempt to convert sinners to Christianity, and the other to build them up in faith—but they are both nothing, as to the success of their labours—unless God gives the increase! That is, unless he affords the influence of his grace to render their attempts successful in be-getting and nourishing living religion in the hearts of men.

This is the great truth contained in my text: "I planted the seed, Apollo's watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow." The Corinthians had been blessed with the labours of several ministers, particularly of the Apostle Paul, who had been the happy instrument of turning them from their native heathenism, and planting the gospel among them; and of Apollo's, who succeeded him, and watered the good seed which Paul had planted among them.

But the Corinthians, instead of peaceably and thankfully improving the different gifts of different ministers for their spiritual and everlasting benefit, fell into factions, through a partial admiration of the one, in opposition to the other. Some of them were for Paul, as an universal scholar, and a strong reasoner; others were all for Apollo's, as an accomplished orator. And thus they considered these ministers of Christ, rather as the ringleaders of factions than as unanimous promoters of the same gospel message. To suppress this party spirit, the apostle asks them, "Who, then, is Paul, or who is Apollo's?" What mighty beings would you make us in your idolatrous attachment to us? Alas! what are we, more than feeble ministers of Christ, by whom you believed? We were not the authors of your faith—but the humble instruments of it in the divine hand! And the success that either of us has had, has not been from our own power—but just as God has been pleased to give to every man, (verse 5.) I first planted the gospel among you; Apollo's afterwards watered it. This was all we could do: but we could not make it bear the fruits of holiness in one soul. It was God alone who gave the increase, and made our respective labours successful, (verse 6.)

Therefore turn your regard to him alone! "Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?" Isaiah 2:22. Do not idolatrously share the honour of your conversion between God the efficient cause, and us, the humble instruments of it; but ascribe it to him alone: "I planted the seed, Apollo's watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow." He is all in all.

When we see a people enjoy the frequent cultivations of the gospel, and the means of spiritual fruitfulness, and yet few new trees of righteousness planted, and those that have been planted seemingly withering and unfruitful, we cannot but conclude that something is lacking: without which all the means they enjoy will be of no service. We should naturally turn our thoughts to an inquiry as to what was lacking—had we cultivated our lands from year to year without a crop. And since we find at present, that notwithstanding all the labors bestowed upon us, we lie in a deep spiritual lethargy, and hardly know what it is of late, to be animated with the news of some careless sinner here and there awakened to serious concern about his eternal state—it is high time to inquire: what is lacking?

There is certainly something lacking, which is of greater consequence than anything we have. Here are the gospel, and its ordinances, which at times have done great things, and sinners have yielded to their resist-less energy; here is a minister, who, however weak, has sometimes been the happy instrument of giving a sinner an alarm, and speaking a word in season to those who were weary; here are hearers that crowd our sanctuary, hearers of the same kind with those whom we have seen before now fall under the power of the Word. And what, then, is lacking? Why God, who alone can give the increase, is not here by the influences of his grace! And in his absence, "neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything" together, they are all nothing! We may labour until doomsday, and never convert one soul. "Where is the Lord God of Elijah?" Where is he who can do more execution with one feeble sentence, than we can with a thousand of our most powerful sermons? Why, he has hidden his face; and hence there is none who calls upon his name, and stirs up himself to take hold of him. Isaiah 65:7. And until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high—nothing but briers and thorns will come up among us! Chapter 32:13, 15.

Let your thoughts, therefore, with eager attention now follow me, while I am proving, illustrating, and making remarks pertinent to our case, from this affecting truth contained in the text: that the success of the ministry of the gospel with respect to saints and sinners, entirely depends upon the concurring influences of divine grace! Or, that without the divine agency to render the gospel successful, all the labours of its ministers will be in vain.

This truth can give us no surprise as a new discovery, if we have any acquaintance with the present degeneracy of human nature—with the declarations and promises of the Word of God—with the accounts of the different success of the means of grace in various periods of the church—or with matters that might have come within the compass of our own experience and observation.

1. Such is the present degeneracy of human nature, that all the ministrations of the gospel cannot remedy it, without the concurring efficacy of divine grace.

So barren is the soil, that the seed of the Word falls upon it and dies, and never grows up; as though it had never been sown there, until it is fructified by divine grace. It is a soil fruitful only of briers and thorns, which grow up, and choke the Word; so that it becomes unfruitful until divine grace roots them up. Or it may be represented by a rocky or stony soil, where the Word of God can take no deep root, and therefore withers—until it be modified by influences from heaven. Thus our Lord represents the matter in the famous parable of the sowers. Matthew 13.

The metaphors used in sacred Scripture to illustrate this case, sufficiently prove the degeneracy of mankind, and their entire opposition to the gospel. They are represented as spiritually DEAD, Ephesians 2:1; John 5:25; that is, though they are still capable of the exercises of reason and animal actions, yet they are really destitute of a supernatural principle of spiritual life, and incapable of suitable exercises towards God. And can a Paul or an Apollo's quicken the dead with convictive arguments, with strong persuasions, or tender and passionate expostulations? No! None but He can do it—whose Almighty voice bade Lazarus come forth.

Sinners are also represented as BLIND. 2. Corinthians 4:4. Now what can feeble mortals do to give sight to the blind? We can exhibit divine things before them; we can expose the horrid deformity of sin, and its tremendous consequences; we can display the glories of God, the beauty of holiness, and the allurements of redeeming love. But, alas! all this is but like showing pictures to the blind. We cannot open their blind eyes; we cannot communicate such views of things to their minds as are in any measure adequate to the things themselves. What can tender arguments avail—to break hearts of stone? What can the best reasoning do—to overcome headstrong obstinacy to the Gospel? What can hearty persuasions do—to extirpate inveterate, implacable enmity towards God? Romans 8:7. What can the greatest eloquence do—to charm deaf adders that stop their ears? Psalm 58:4. The Israelites might as well pretend to overthrow the walls of Jericho with the sound of rams' horns, as we with our feeble breath to overthrow the strongholds of Satan in the hearts of sinners! It is the divine agency alone—which gives the success in both cases. Clay cannot open the eyes of the blind, except in his Almighty hands, who could form a world out of nothing—and who can work without or against means as easily as with them.

The Scripture representations of the degeneracy of mankind are confirmed by universal experience. If we form any observations of ourselves or others, we find that the whole bent of our souls by nature is diametrically contrary to the gospel. The gospel is designed to reclaim men from sin; but they are obstinately set upon it. The gospel is designed to make sin bitter to them, and to dissolve their hearts into tender sorrows for it; but we naturally delight in sin, and our hearts are hard as the nether millstone. The gospel is intended to bring apostate rebels back to God, and the universal practice of holiness; but we love estrangement from him, and have no inclination to return. We abhor the ways of strict holiness, and choose to walk in the evil imaginations of our own hearts. The gospel is calculated to advance the divine glory, and abash the pride of all flesh, in the scheme of salvation which it reveals; but this is directly contrary to the disposition of the sinner, who is all for his own glory. This requires no tedious arguments to prove it. Look in upon your own hearts; look back on your own conduct; look round you on the world—and there the evidences of it will glare upon you!

Now, since the innate dispositions of men are thus averse to the gospel, it is evident that nothing but divine power can make it effectual for their salvation and sanctification! Instructions may furnish the head with notions and correct speculative mistakes—but they have no power to sway the will and sweetly allure it to holiness. Persuasions may bring men to practice what they had omitted through mistake, carelessness, or a transient dislike—but they will have no effect where the heart is full of innate enmity against the things recommended. In this case, he who plants, and he who waters, are nothing; it is God alone who can give the increase; as is more than intimated by,

2. The promises and declarations of the Word of God, which appropriate all the success of the gospel—to God alone.

Jehovah is not fond of ostentation and parade, nor wasteful in throwing away his blessings where they are not needed; and therefore if the means of grace were sufficient of themselves to convert sinners and edify believers—he would not make such magnificent promises of the supernatural aids of his grace, nor claim the efficacy of them as his own. He would not assert theinsufficiency of them without his influence, nor assign the withdrawment of his grace as one cause of their unsuccessfulness. But all this he does in his Word.

Notwithstanding all the miraculous as well as ordinary means of grace which the Israelites enjoyed, there was need of this divine promise. "The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants—so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live." Deuteronomy 30:6. And this promise was not peculiar to the Mosaic dispensation of the covenant of grace, which was less clear and efficacious; but we find that one superior excellency of the gospel dispensation is, that it is more abundant in such promises. It is to the gospel church that this promise is more particularly made; "Behold the days come, says the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, etc., not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand, to bring them out of the land of Egypt, etc.—but this shall be the covenant that I will make with them; I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts." Jer. 31:31, 33; Hebrews 8:8, etc.

This is a promise of so much importance, that it is frequently repeated with some circumstantial alteration, as the very life of the New Testament church. "I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever; and I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me." Jer. 32:39, 40. Ezekiel echoes back the same language by the inspiration of the same Spirit, "I will give them one heart; and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh; and I will give them a heart of flesh; and they shall walk in my statutes, and keep my ordinances, and do them." Ezekiel 11:19, 20. See also chapter 36:26, 27.

What was the success of Peter's sermon (Acts 2) in the conversion of 3,000 but the accomplishment of those promises in Joel and Zechariah? "I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh." (Joel 2:28, 29.) "I will pour out upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, and they shall look," etc. Zech. 12:10. These promises were substantially renewed by Christ, to encourage the drooping apostles, John 16:8-10. "I will send the Spirit; and when he has come—he will convince the world," etc. All their miraculous powers were not sufficient for the conviction of mankind, without the agency of the divine Spirit; but by this, that promise of the Father to his Son was accomplished: "Your people shall be willing in the day of your power." Psalm 110:3.

I might subjoin many other promises of the same kind; but these are sufficient to show the absolute necessity of divine influence, or the utter insufficiency of the best means without it. And what further time might be allotted to this particular, I shall lay out upon this pertinent and useful remark, which, if rightly attended to, would rectify mistakes, and remove many scruples and controversies upon this point.

The remark is this: That the promises of God to bestow blessings upon us, do not render needless our most vigorous endeavours to obtain them. And, on the other hand, that our most vigorous endeavours do not supersede the influences of the Spirit to work in us the dispositions we are labouring after! Or, that that may be consistently enjoined upon us as a duty, which is promised by God's free favour; and vice versa. This may be illustrated by various instances.

God commands us as strictly to circumcise our hearts, to make ourselves new hearts and new spirits, (Jer. 4:4,) and to cleanse ourselves from moral pollution, (Isaiah 1:16,) as if this were wholly our work, and he had no efficiency in it. In the meantime, he promises as absolutely to circumcise our hearts to love him, to give us new hearts, and to purge us from all our filthiness, and from all our abominations; as though he performed all the work without our using means!

Now we are sure these things are consistent; for the sacred oracles are not a heap of contradictions. And how does their consistency appear?

Why, thus: it is our duty to use the most vigorous endeavours to obtain those graces promised, because it is only in the use of vigorous endeavours, that we have reason to expect divine influences. And yet these endeavours of ours do not in the least work those graces in us, and therefore there is certainly as much need of the promised agency of divine grace to effect the work—as if we should do nothing at all. Our utmost endeavours fall entirely short of it, and do not entitle us to divine assistance; and this we must have a humble sense of, before we can receive the accomplishments of such promises as the effect of free grace alone. But we should continue in these endeavours, because we have no reason to hope for the accomplishment of the promises, in a course of sloth and negligence.

This point may be illustrated by the consistency of the use of the means and the agency of providence in the natural world. God has peremptorily promised, that "while earth remains, seed-time and harvest shall not cease," Genesis 8:22. But this promise does not render it needless for us to cultivate the earth. Nor does all our cultivation render this promise needless; for all our labour would be in vain without the influence of divine providence; and this influence is to be expected only in the use of labour.

Thus, in the spiritual world: the efficacy belongs to God—as much as if we made no use of means at all. And the most vigorous endeavours are as much our duty—as if we could effect the work ourselves, and God had no special hand in it. Were this remark attended to, it would guard us against the pernicious extremes of turning the grace of God into wantonness, and pleading it as an excuse for our idleness; and of self-righteousness, and depending upon our own endeavours. In this guarded manner does Paul handle this point: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." Phil. 2:12, 13. But to return:

As we may infer the necessity of divine influences from the promises of God—so we may infer the same thing from the many passages of sacred Writ ascribing the success of the gospel upon sinners, and even upon believers—to the agency of divine grace. If even a well-disposed Lydia gives a believing attention to the things spoken by Paul, it is because the Lord has opened her heart. Acts 16:14. Thus the Philippians believed, because, says the apostle, to you it is given on the behalf of Christ, to believe, Phil. 1:29. Thus the Ephesians were spiritually alive, because, says he, "you has he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins." Ephesians 2:1. Faith is not from ourselves; but is expressly said to be the gift of God, Ephesians 2:8.

Nay the implantation of FAITH is represented as a work of Omnipotence, like that of the resurrection of Christ. Hence the apostle prays, Ephesians 1:19, 20, that the Ephesians might be made deeply sensible of the "exceeding greatness of his power to us who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead."

REPENTANCE is also the gift of God: Christ is exalted to bestow it. Acts 5:31. When the Jewish Christians heard of the success of the gospel among the Gentiles, they unanimously ascribed it to God: "then has God also granted to the Gentiles repentance unto life," Acts 11:18; and it is upon this encouragement that Paul recommends the use of the proper means to reclaim the obstinate: "if God, perhaps, will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth," 2 Tim. 2:25.

REGENERATION also, in which faith and repentance, and other graces are implanted, is always ascribed to God. If all things are made new, all these things are of God. 2 Corinthians 5:17, 18. If, while others reject Christ, some receive him, and so are honoured with the privilege of becoming the sons of God, it is not owing to themselves—but to God. "They are born, not of blood, nor of the will of man, nor of the will of the flesh—but of God." John 1:11-13. He be-gets such of his own sovereign will by the Word of truth, James 1:18; and every good and perfect gift with which they are endowed, is not from themselves—but from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, who is the great origin of all moral excellency, as the sun is of light, ver. 17.

Hence this change is expressed by such terms as denote the divine agency, and exclude that of the creature; as a new birth, John 3:3; a new creation, 2 Corinthians 5:17; Col. 3:10; the workmanship of God created in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 2:10; aresurrection from the dead, John 5:25; Ephesians 2:1; Col. 3:1. Now it is the greatest absurdity to speak of a man's be getting or creating himself, or raising himself from the dead. Thus we find that the first implantation of grace in the heart of a sinner—is entirely the work of God!

And, lest we should suppose that, when it is once implanted, it can flourish and grow without the influence of God, we find that the progress of sanctification in believers is ascribed to God, as well as their first conversion! David was sensible after all his attainments, that he could not run the way of God's commandments, unless God should enlarge his heart. Psalm 119:32. All the hopes of Paul concerning his promising converts at Philippi depended upon his persuasion, that "he who had begun a good work in them, would carry it out it until the day of Christ." Phil. 1:6. Nay, it was upon this he placed his own entire dependence. "We are not sufficient of ourselves," says he, "to think anything as of ourselves—but our sufficiency is from God." 2 Corinthians 3:5. "If I am faithful, it is because I have obtained mercy of the Lord to make me so." 1 Corinthians 7:25. "By the grace of God I am what I am; and if I have laboured more abundantly than others, it is not I—but the grace of God that was with me!" 1 Corinthians 15:10. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil. 4:13. He was relieved under his despondencies by this answer, "My grace is sufficient for you, and my strength is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9.

This is more than intimated in his prayers for himself and others: for example, "May the God of peace make you perfect in every good work, to do his will; working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ!" Hebrews 13:21. And indeed all the prayers of the saints for the aids of divine grace, imply the necessity of them; for they would not pray for superfluities, or for what they already have in a sufficient measure. It is the Spirit who helps our infirmities in prayer, and other exercises of devotion, Romans 8:24, and all our preparation for the heavenly state and aspirations after it, are of God. "He who has wrought us for the self-same thing is God." 2 Corinthians 5:5. In a word, it is God who "works all our works in us," Isaiah 26:12; "it is he who works in us both to will and to do, of his own good pleasure." Phil. 2:13. Now the actual communication of divine influence, implies their necessity.

Accordingly we find: that the necessity of divine influences is stated in the plainest terms in Scripture. No man, says Christ, can come unto me, unless the Father draws him, John 6:44. He who has heard and learned of the Father—and he only—will come to him, verse 45. And this influence is not purchased by our endeavours —but it is the free gift of grace. Hence Christ varies his former declarations into this form; no man can come unto me—unless it is given unto him by my Father, verse 65.

And the agency of divine grace is necessary, not only to draw sinners to Christ at first—but also to make them fruitful afterwards. Hence Christ represents even the apostles as dependent upon him—as the branch upon the vine; and tells them plainly, that without him they can do nothing. John 15:4, 5. Through all the stages of the Christian life, we depend entirely upon him! Without his influences, we would wither and die like a blasted flower, however blooming and fruitful we were before. Hence says God to his people, "in me is your fruit found," Hosea 14. 8. Since then this is the case, it will follow that when God is pleased to withhold his influences—all the means of grace will be unsuccessful.

Accordingly we find: The unsuccessfulness of the gospel is often resolved into the withholding or withdrawing of the influences of divine grace, as one cause of it. Thus Moses resolves the obstinacy of the Israelites under all the profusion of wonders that had attended them, into this, as one cause of it: "The Lord has not given you a heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day." Deuteronomy 29:2-4. If none believe the report of the gospel, it is because the arm of the Lord is not revealed, Isaiah 53:1. If the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven are hidden from the wise and prudent, while they are revealed to babes—it is because God in his righteous judgement and sovereign pleasure, hides them from the one, and reveals them to the other! Matthew 11:25, 26.

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