Apostle had exhorted them to unity of Spirit in the later part of the seventh Chapter he comes to shew the different success his Ministry had in reference to Jew and Gentile The preaching of the cross of Christ to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks soolishnese Hence Observe That the best and the most pretious Dectrine that is meeting With an unsanctified heart Note it is opposed and had in derision The Doctrine of the Cross of Christ a most pretious sweet and heavenly Doctrine a Doctrine full of comfort a Doctrine rending to the establishing of weak dejected sinners laden with the burden of their sinnes the most soul-comforting Doctrine that ever was delivered to the sons of men yet this Doctrine will not go down with the Jews and with the Greeks but to the Jews it is a stumbling block and to the Greeks soolishness What word more comfortable than a crucified Christ Joh. 1.14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Unigenitus Col. 1.15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Frimogenitus Heb 1.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 3.17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Filius ille meus dilectus in quo complacitus sum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 His most dear Son the Son that lay in his Fathers bosom from all eternity The Son of him who is the Ancient of daies Joh. 10.18 Heb. 1.1 a crucified Christ for a wretched forlorn sinner Gods greatest mercies have been the most a bused God had but one Son one only Son one only wellbeloved Sonne one only wellbeloved Son who was the express Image of his Fathers person who was full of grace and truth who was daily his delight the delight of God the Father in whom he was well pleased who was altogether lovely who was coequal with God the Father and thought it no robbery to be equal with God this beloved Sonne his only begotten Sonne God out of his infinite love to mankinde sent in the fulness of time into the world with a message of reconciliation to redeem sinners enemies rebels and a postates from the very womb and yet what hard measure did the Lord of Life who willingly came down from the bosom of his Father and freely offered himself a ransom for our souls being to deal with the hard-hearted and cruel Pharisees finde in the world as the History and Passion related by all the Evangelists do fully shew forth Yea how is the Gospel of Peace the Gospel of glad tidings brought to light by the appearance of Jesus Christ in the world How is it despised and rejected and counted as nothing Yea how are the pretious servants of Jesus Christ who bring the good tidings of peace to poor souls and the Olive branch of salvation in their lips how are they despised and made the off-scouring of the world in this present age God hath a controversie with the Jews at this day for spilling the blood of Jesus Christ for the curse is upon them when they said Mat. 27.25 Let his blood be upon us and upon our children And certainly God hath a controversie with this Nation for the injuries done to the faithfull servants of Jesus Christ and when God comes to reckon for blood the blood of Gods Ministers will lie the heaviest As one drop of Christs blood by how much he is more pretious than all the sons of Adam yea than all the Angels of heaven is of more worth than ten thousand worlds and will lie heavier upon the heads of them on whom it fals Mat. 21.38 As it was a hainous fault for the Husbandmen to whom the Vineyard was let out to slay the Master of the Vineyards own sonne and shall be more severely punished so next to Jesus Christ the blood of the faithfull Ministers of Christ will weigh the heaviest heavier than all the blood of the Prophets slain from the blood of Zacharias the son of Barakias Mat. 23.35 whom they slew between the Temple and the Altar Heb 8.6 2 Cor. 3.6 which Christ so much aggravates upon the Jews because they are the Ambassadours of a better Covenant and Ministers of the New Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit which Christ hath confirmed with his own blood O that this were not one of Englands giant sinnes which lies heapt up in Gods account and makes the inhabitants of the Land odious in his sight You must observe you do not only kill the Ministers when violently by the hatchet you sever their heads from their bodies but when by your unkindness towards them and your little regard you have to their labours their tears fastings watchings studies consuming of their bodies and their strength you break their hearts and kill them by your unchristian carriage There is the life of many a pretious Minister God hath to plead with as for whom the world little takes notice of Now as the preaching of a Christ crucified was to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness so it were to be wished that there were not many in this time who mock at the Cross of Christ Heb. 11.29 Which place some do apply to the sin against the holy Ghost and are guilty of that great sinne that the Apostle speaks of in the Hebrews of trampling under foot the pretious blood of the Sonne of God and counting it an unholy thing while they do not magnifie Christ Jesus in their hearts and in all things give him the preheminence Col. 1.18 and receive him for their Saviour and Redeemer Joh. 6.26 for Him hath God the Father sealed for this very purpose to reconeile us to God and to serve him as their Lord seeing he hath done so much for them and purchased them at so dear a rate When they will divide their hearts between Christ and their sinnes and give Christ one part and sinne another all the week Christ is not in their thoughts and on the Lords day they think to recompence God and to make even scores by an outward worship done unto him as if their present being good will fatisfie God and quiet their consciences for all their former evils which is a generall mistake in the hearts of men Or they will divide between Christ and their own righteousness which is unrighteousness and abomination in the sight of God There is no great Monarch can less endure a beggar standing in his presence in nothing but ragges and full of bruises and sores and running issues from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot from whence comes most noysom smels than God can endure a proud vaunting finner standing before him in his own righteousness Isa 64.6 for ail our righteousness is unrighteousnes it is filthy ragges and our best services unless they be tendered in Christs Name ☜ are an abomination to the Lord and a stink in his nostrils Choose whole Christ and Christ wholly and onely or else thou art an enemy to the Cross of Christ So in the sixth
for him It is not agreeable to the everlasting providence of such a Father who is Lord of heaven and earth to see his childe to be in want command therefore that these stones be made bread do a miracle that we may see thou art the Sonne of God God the Father will work a miracle before he will see his childe to want This the devil did to take away his minde from the love of God his Father and to drive him from his faith and confidence in God Besides it had been a sinne in Christ if he had obeyed the devil Christ had another sore conflict with the devil though not immediatly yet mediatly by Peter observe the subtilty of the devil seeing he could not prevail upon him in a publick way he comes upon him in a more covert way tempting him in a beloved Disciple Jesus Christ speaking of his sufferings that were to come to him at Jerusalem Peter disswades him from going up thither but what answer did Christ make him Get thee behinde me Satan Matth. 16.23 for thou savourest not the things which be of God but the things which are of men Christ presently espied out Satan in Peter though a beloved Disciple though a Saint though one that spoke out of a good will to Jesus Christ and out of a desire not to have his Master die ☜ O that we could so suddenly espie the devil tempting us in his wicked instruments and when they tempt us cry out Avoid Satan as Christ did So that Satan is Antichrist and he is called Satan because he is Christs and the Churches adversary Apoliyon the Destroyer the roaring Lion the subtill Serpent As the world hath a double evil spirit to wit Satan and that inbred wickedness that is in the world so the children of God have a double Spirit 1. The holy Spirit of God 2. The Regenerate part within them As appears by those two places Joh. 3.6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit The flesh lusteth against the Spirit By Spirit may be meant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 either the holy Spirit of God striving with us by his motions and impressions or the Regenerate part within us which is called a Spirit The unregenerate part the corrupt flesh is called a spirit saith James Jam. 4.5 The spirit within us lusteth to envy i.e. that fleshly part within us is full of envy Lusteth to envy the same word which is in the fore-mentioned place the flesh lusteth against the Spirit And it is observable that the same action that is applied to the flesh is applied to the Spirit the flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh i.e. lusteth against the Spirit Now if the same action is applied to both the principles to flesh and Spirit to wit lusteth which action is a proper action of spirits therefore the unregenerate part is a spirit And if the unregenerate much more the regenerate But you will say it is a contradiction to call the flesh a spirit Indeed to say naturall flesh were a spirit it were a contradiction in the very terms but to say flesh i.e. corrupt flesh is a spirit is no contradiction but an abuse of the word But you will say Analogum per se positum stat pro famosiore significatu therefore seeing flesh is put alone by it self it must not be meant of corrupt and sinfull flesh but of naturall flesh To this I answer That the unregenerate part is not Analogically but Aequivocally called flesh It is improperly so called because originall sin by naturall generation is propagated from the parents to the children according to the series of generation sin running continually in a direct line though it self be the only obliquity Fourthly We have a divine attribute noting the Deity of the blessed Spirit in this particle Which is of God We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God this phrase in that the holy Spirit is said to be of God imports three things 1. That the Spirit proceeded after an ineffable manner from God the Father Hic processus apud Graecos dicitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Abusivè tamen not excluding God the Sonne Agreeable to this is that axiom in the Schools Dius Pater est principium Sanctae Trinitatis non tamen causa Principium ordinis sive relationis non essentie seu Deitatis 2. Which is of God Per Hebraismum which is God But the Spirit which is of God i.e. but the Spirit which is God 3. Which is of God that is which came from God Saith Christ I will pray the Father and he shall send you another Comforter Joh. 14.16 Hence note these two Observations which I shall briefly discuss and so pass over 1. That the Spirit the third Person in the blessed Trinity proceedeth from the Father and the Son Not from the Father excluding the Son as the Eastern Churches say but from the Father and the Son joyntly considered From the Father and so 't is called the Spirit of God Rom. 8.11 If the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you i. e. the Spirit of God he also shall quicken your mortall bodies From the Sonne and so 't is called the Spirit of Christ If any man hath not the Spirit of Christ Rom. 8.9 i.e. which proceedeth from Christ he is none of his In that the holy Spirit is called the Spirit of God Sic Metaphrastes in Romanos Siquidem enim est spiritus Dei Patrīs non ipse pater sit necesse est tamen quia Dei Spiritus est verus Deus fit oportet and the Spirit of Christ is observed these three things 1. That the Spirit of God is God 2. That he is a distinct person from the Father and the Son 3. That he proceedeth from them both 2. That the Spirit of God is God Acts 5. Why hath Satan filled thy heart to lie to the holy Ghost thou hast not lied unto men but unto God 2 Sam. 23.2 3. The Spirit of the Lord spake by me and his word was in my tongue The God of Israel said the reck of Israel spake to me 1 Cor. 12.6 But there are diversities of gifts but the same God which worketh all in all 1 John 5.7 For there are three that bear record in heaven the Father the Word and the holy Ghost and these three are one 1. Consider the Scripture gives those attributes to the Spirit which are only proper to God 1. Eternity Heb. 9.14 How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternall Spirit c. 2. Omniscience 1 Cor. 2.10 The Spirit searcheth all things 3. Omnipresence Psal 139.7 Whither shall I go from thy Spirit 4. Almightiness 2 Tim. 2.7 Isa 11.2 2. Those works are applied to the Spirit which are onely proper to God 1. Creation Gen. 1.2 And the
the Spirit upon thee Besides dost thou know how long the Spirit will move upon thy heart how long the prosperous gales will laft which if thou hadst sailed along with would have brought thee to heaven Dost thou know how long the Spirit will strive with thy heart crying out Why sinner how long shall it be ere Christ shall be thy Lord and Saviour Beloved Christian though there be hope as long as the pool is open and thou art alive and livest under the Ordinances of grace that the Spirit may descend again upon thee yet seeing thou hast sinned so often against the pleadings of the Spirit and hast quenched the Spirit so long who can tell whether ever he will come down in mercy again upon thy soul for ever For God hath a time in this life to bid his Spirit to let sinners alone and never to strive with them more but let them be filthy if they will be filthy Though this time God hath reserved in his own wisdom secret from men that they should not know it The black book of reprobation is known only to God and none may say positively God hath rejected him unless he is certain he hath sinned against the holy Ghost as too many weak Christians under desertion are apt to say and how knowest thou thou hast sinned the sin against the holy Ghost if thou hast a desire to repent for thy sinnes if thou art willing to receive Jesus Christ for thy Lord and Saviour never fear it Christian all is well thou art in a good condition yet I beseech thee do not quench the motions of the Spirit upon thy heart XI The Spirit is put for a state or a condition or a calling as some interpret We have not received the spirit of bondage Rom. S. but the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father i. e. not a state or condition of bondage but a state of adoption so Ravanellus Likewise when Christ said to his Disciples You know not of what spirit ye are of Luk. 9.55 i. e. of what state of what calling of what condition ye are of It is not suitable to men of your profession of your coat to be so fiery and so impatient so Aretius Yet I rather follow the judgement of a judicious Divine in our daies who in the forementioned place in the Romans means by spirit not a state there but a person i. e. the third person in the blessed Trinity very judiciously explaining the words after this manner Shewing that when once the Spirit hath been the Spirit of adoption that Spirit is never after the spirit of bondage again unto us this in no waies hindering but that a childe of God after the Spirit of adoption may have the fears of bondage again for though the Spirit doth not contradict his testunony yet he may withdraw his rest mony for a time and leave us in the dark yea the devil may trouble and affright us and our own consciences may condemn us XII By Spirit may be meant a pretence and opinion of some revelation Dr. Goodwin in his excellent Book called A childe of light walking in darknels concerning something which a mans own private conceit or imagination inclined him so to think 2 Thess 2.1 Be not troubled neither by spirit nor by word to think the day of judgement is at hand By spirit i. e. if any pretend a revelation that the day of judgement is at hand do not beleeve him 1 John 4.1 Try the spirits i. e. those pretended revelations which men feign and see whether they are of God or no. Beleeve not every spirit because that many false Prophets are gone out into the world XIII The Spirit is taken for the graces of the Spirit in you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Revel 1. To the seven Spirits of the seven Churches i. e. to that Spirit which is seven-fold in respect of its graces to the seven Churches The Spirit of God dwelleth within you that is according to some not the Spirit it self but the graces of the Spirit Gal. 5. These are the fruits of the Spirit love joy peace meekness temperance patience c. XIV The Spirit is taken for those unclean lusts which the devil brings along with him in the hearts of those in whom he lodgeth Matth. 12.45 When the unclean spirit returneth he bringeth with him seven other spirits worse than the former i. e. many other filthy lusts more abominable than the former XV. Consule Pareum in Genesin na hunc locum interpretatur viz. Spiritum illic accipi pro vi seu officacia divina Cap. 1. Geneseos The Spirit is taken for Divine force and efficacy Judg. 14.19 And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him i. e. a Divine force from on high came upon Sampsons spirit whereby he set upon the enterprize of killing the Ashkelonites XVI The word Spirit fignifieth a new quality of holiness created and wrought in all the Elect by the Spirit of God whereby all the powers and faculties of the soul and body are renewed according to the Image of God in wisdom holiness and righteousness otherwise called the Regenerate part Rom. 8. The flesh lusteth against the Spirit XVII Spirit is taken for the chief and excellent faculties of the soul called reason and understanding 1 Cor. 2.11 XVIII The Spirit is taken for the vigour and efficacy of the understanding Be ye renewed in the spirit of your minde More particularly First The Angels are called spirits 1. Good Who maketh his Angels spirits and his Ministers a flame of fire Heb. 1. 2. Evil Mark 5.4 We reade of a man possessed with an unclean spirit and saith Christ What is thy name saith the unclean spirit again My name is Legion for we are many A Legion of devils in one poor man Secondly By way of eminency God is called a Spirit John 4.24 God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth God is a Spirit if you take God essentially for the Deity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or personally for the three persons Father Sonne and holy Ghost Thirdly More particularly the third Person in the blessed Trinity distinguished from the Father and the Sonne is called a Spirit Often times in Scripture he is called by the Name of the holy Ghost Matth. 3.16 I saw the holy Ghost descend upon him like a Dove Having done with the ambiguity of the word Spirit I come to shew what are the teachings of the Spirit upon the hearts of Beleevers In handling of this I shall premise That it is a very difficult thing to know what the teachings of the Spirit are As thou canst not tell how the bones grow in her that is with child or what properly be the influences of the starres Eccl. 11.5 or how-one spirit communicates its minde to another or the causes of naturall sympathy or antipathy as thou canst not tell whence the winde cometh John
unclean heart Besides the Spirit takes away those objections which are in carnall mens hearts against the purity of religion What needs this preciseness this Pharisaism muchness in duty to be alwaies praying and alwaies hearing and the like It is a wearisomness to the flesh it duls the spirit and makes one melancholy it is more then needs be required As long as our hearts are upright with God and we desire to glorifie him in all his waies and we have upright intentions this is sufficient for heaven though we are not so much in duty as the pharisaicall men are Now the Spirit setting home the love of Christ upon our hearts and shewing us what he hath done for us brings us off from this lure to a perfect resignation of body and soul to his service Moreover he sheweth us that we must be holy in all manner of conversation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That we must walk exactly and as much as in us lies keep every circumstance that is contained in the Law of God And truly there is not a more certain sign of an upright heart than to have an universall respect to all the Commandments of God When out of a conscience to the command of God we would not commit the least sin or omit the smallest duty When the enmity is removed and the prejudice taken out of our hearts and all our misgivings and misapprehensions rightly placed we can easily hearken to the voice of the Spirit What things more peculiarly the Spirit teacheth 1. Thou canst not know God aright without the Spirits teachings Malè vivitur ubi de Deo non benè creditur A childe of God may know more of God in one Chapter of the Book of God which is the minde of the Spirit than all the writings of all the men in the world are able to shew forth without this word of God It is the Spirit alone that can ravish our hearts to the love of God in Jesus Christ 1. Gods love That can make us see the heighth depth and breadth of Gods love unto us Who would ever have thought that apostates rebels enemies should ever have become the sonnes of God heirs joynt-heirs and coheirs with Jesus Christ but that the Spirit hath made it clear Behold with what manner of love hath the Father loved us that we should be called the sonnes of God Philosophers could tell you that the Being of beings the first mover the first Cause of all causes must be infinite just mercifull and the like but that God through Jesus Christ should finde out such a way of reconciliation that sinners should be called the sonnes of God and that they should be one with the Father and with the Son Jesus Christ and that they should have communion with him for ever and ever this only the Spirit teacheth It is the Spirit only which sheweth the most holy nature of God 2. The holy nature of God 1 Joh. 1.5 In God is light and in him there is no darkness He is holiness it self therefore saith God Be ye holy as I am holy We are apt to think that God is such an one as our selves that he mindes not our iniquities that he walks aloft in the heavens and cares not for the things which are done upon the earth but the Spirit hath declared unto us Hab. 1. That God is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity Psal 5. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight thou hatest all the workers of iniquity I have read of some Nations that because they have thought their Gods to have delighted in some vice therefore they have addicted themselves in the imitation of their Gods to the same vice Some have thought their Gods delighted in uncleanness some in drunkenness others in cruelty and therefore they have been drunken unclean and cruell but we have learned God otherwise by the mind of the Spirit that there is no iniquity in the God of Israel Mercy and truth goes before his face justice and judgement is the habitation of his Throne The Spirit alone hath shewed us the exact justice of God against every sinne 3. The exact justice of God that the least sinne unrepented of and not washed away by the blood of Christ though it be but an evil thought or an idle word shall be punished with everlasting destruction Origin with some others have thought that it could not stand with the mercy of God to punish a sinner everlastingly in hell and therefore they have jumpt in with the Popish purgatory thinking that after the soul hath been punished so many years in hell fire it shall be released and set at liberty But this is contrary to the Spirit of God in many places of Scripture 2. The mystery of the blessed Trinity The Spirit only hath shewed us the mystery of the blessed and incomprehensible Trinity That there should be three persons Father Sonne and holy Ghost and yet these three but one God There are three that bear record in heaven the Father the Word and the holy Ghost and these three are one All the great Rabbies of the world will never attain this mystery it is only the Spirit that teacheth it What Pla. to writes of the blessed Trinity it is supposed he had it out of Moses his writings or else some other way This doctrine of the Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity that there should be three persons and but one God and one God and yet three persons that the Father should be God the Son should be God and the holy Ghost should be God it is a doctrine of faith and not of reason a doctrine which ought to be beleeved because the Spirit hath revealed it and therefore not to be disputed of The Schoolmen whose foolish hearts are darkned have become vain in their imaginations concerning this transcendent and exceeding great mystery 3. It is the Spirit alone that teaches us the great mystery of the incarnation of Christ that there should be two natures the humane and the Divine united together and yet but one person The union or the two natures in Christ is 〈…〉 by a fiery flaming sword or rather by the similitude of a branch engrafted into a stock of another tree where there is not a mixture of the nature of these trees nor a constitution of a â—hird out of them but a drawing of one of them into the others subsistance Dr Field this is the mystery of mysteries And without controversie great is the mystery of godliness God manifested in the flesh justified in the Spirit seen of Angels beleeved on in the world and received up into glory John 1.14 The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us and we saw the glory as the glory of the only begotten Sonne full of grace and truth Was made flesh This destroys the Heresie of the Marcionists who said that Christ was not made flesh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Est articulus
of a dove upon our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Mat. 3.16 Were they ever truly affected with Gods distinguishing love and mercy in that his Spirit should teach them as they say and let others lie in darkness Did the spirit drive away from amongst them the dust and the chaff of their vain and frothy minds Did the spirit ever enable them to overcome the bent of their natural inclinations If Socrates by the help of moral instructions was able to bridle his loose disposition much more may they who are taught by the spirit Did the spirit ever make them of unwilling willing to receive Jesus Christ and to take his yoke upon them The Spirit is resembled by the wind which in its blowing is arbitrary Joh. 3.8 irresistible full of might and efficacy scattering the dust and dispolling the clouds Do their hearts burn within them at the hearing of the things of God as the two disciples hearts did with whom Christ had conference after his resurrection The Spirit of God came down upon the brethren in the form of fiery flaming tongues It is an easie thing for a man to say he is taught and enlightned by the Spirit of God but how few are they that are so indeed Beloved Christian I have given thee some light into this mystery concerning the teachings of the Spirit which if improved by thee will bring much comfort to thy precious soul and much joy to him who is thine and the truths friend I R. A Brief summary of those generall heads which are in this ensueing Treatise FIrst the readiest way to win dissenting brethren to the obedience of the truth is to deal with them in the spirit of meeknesse Under which head is containd the handling of those who are of a contumacious spirit still opposing the shinings forth of divine truth 1 Admonition which must be once again 2 Sharp reproof and that openly before many witnesses 3 A Disowning them and a rejecting them from being of the Church This admonition includes two things as 1 A demonstration of the absurdity of the things which they hold 2 A secret insinuating unto them the truth and the excellency of the opposite to which they hold 2 The best and the most precious doctrine that is meeting with an unsanctified heart is opposed and had in derision 3 That is the best preaching which works upon the affections stirring us up to our spirititual duty that we may serve God acceptably in reverence and godly fear all the daies of our life as well as informs our judgements 4 The Embassadors of Jesus Christ and of the Gospel of his grace must be men of peace and not study to make factions and parties in the Church of God 5 For believers to call themselves by the names of their spiritual guides be they never so holy and religious men or by strange names taken up by the contumelies of ungodly men is an unchristian thing and disagreeing to the minde of the spirit 6 The word of God considered absolutely in it self as the word of God ought to be the rule and ground of our faith 7 For men to preach their own inventions and new fangled notions and the fancies of their own intoxicated braines or for men to allegorize Scriptures according as their mind serves them neglecting the pure fountain of the word of God is to build mans faith upon humane wisedome and not upon the power of God 8 A servant of Jesus Christ must sute his style and matter according to the judgement and capacity of his hearers 9 There are secrets in Gods own keeping which all the learning in the world can never attain unto onely the spirit reveals them 10. Those that have the Spirit of God cannot but know the things of God 11 There is no other way but by the Spirit to know the things of God 12 Only the Saints have this priviledge to enjoy the Spirit which the world cannot receive 13 The Spirit of God comes by receiving as a free gift of God unto believers 14 The spirit of the world is acted with a divers spirit from the Spirit of God 15 The World hath a double evill spirit 1 Satan 2 That inbred spirit of wickednesse which is within it 16 Satan is a Spirit because of his working which is sutable to the nature of spirits He is the spirit of the world upon a double account 1 Because he acts in the world 2 Because the world is willingly acted by him A double Antichrist 1 Mystical sin 2 Personal That man of sin 17 Whatsoever opposeth Jesus Christ or sets it self up in the plaoe of Christ is Antichrist 1 Our own righteousness is Antichrist 2 The divel is Antichrist 3 The world is Antichrist 4 All moral wisdom and humane knowledge is Antichrist unless it be sanctified by the Spirit of God 18 The children of God are acted by a double spirit opposite to the spirit of the world 1 The Spirit of God 2 The regenerate part within them which is called a spirit 19 The Spirit the third person in the blessed Trinity proceedeth from the Father the Son 20 The Holy Spirit is God which is proved 1 By Scripture 2 By reason as 1 Because those attributes are applied to the Spirit which are only proper to God 2 Those works 3 That adoration and worship which only belongs to God 21 God gives all things freely in opposition to merit and in opposition to compulsion Under this conclusion is answered an objection arising from the death of Jesus Christ 22 None can know the things of God but those who have the teachings of the Spirit upon their hearts Vnder this Conclusion is shewed 1 The various acceptations of the word Spirit in Scripture 2 What the teachings of the Spirit are 1 By way of praemonition that it is very difficult to know them 2 Positively 3 How the teachings of the Spirit may be distinguished from the motions and from the impressions of the Spirit 4 How the Spirit teacheth 1 By enlightning our understandings that we may see the things of God 2 By removing the enmity that is in our wills against them 5 What things more especially the Spirit teacheth 1 To know God 1 His love to believers in Jesus Christ 2 His holy nature 3 The exact justice of God against every sin 2 The Spirit only hath shewed us the mysterie of the blessed and incomprehensible Trinity 3 The mysterie of the Incarnation of Christ 4 The evil nature of sin Where is proved that the first motions to sin are sin and an objection arising from them dissolved 5 To understand the word of God aright 6 Several other things the Spirit teacheth Many other practical duties the Spirit teacheth 6 What manner of teachings the Spirits teachings are 1 Infallible teachings Here is shewed the difference between the Divels revelations and the teachings of the spirit Wherein is answered an objection arising from the insallibility of the Spirit 2
of John our blessed Saviour having termed himself the Bread of Life vers 35. And Jesus said unto them I am that Bread of Life he that cometh to me shall not bunger and he that beleeveth in me shall not thirst Verse 41. the hard-hearted Jews they murmured at him because he said I am that bread which came down from heaven The Jews who had as yet the vail upon their hearts and whose minds by their own wilfulness and disobedience Satan had blinded lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ should shine in their hearts had no other apprehensions of bread When Manna which was the type of Christ came down upon the earth there was old wondering at it and it was called Manna because they said by way of admiration Ma-hu What is this And they were very greedy for a time after it But when Jesus Christ the true Bread the true Manna came down from heaven to feed our souls there was no minding of him because his Divinity was over-vaild in his humanity they did not admire at Gods goodness as they ought to have done they rejected him He came to his own and his own received him not Indeed they made him the laughing-stock of the world And so Christ may be said to be the wonder of the world as the Prophet Isaiab saith I and my children are set for signes and wonders Isa 8.18 i. c. We are made the maygames of the world at whom all do deride and wonder But they did not admire his excellency and acknowledge him and seek to him as it behoved them to have done but as it fed the belly But Christ Jesus hath a higher mystery in it to wit that he was the true Manna the true heavenly Bread that feedeth their souls unto everlasting life In the succeeding verses 48 49 50 51. when Christ proceeds in declaring himself to be the Bread of Life that his flesh is meat indeed and his blood is drink indeed Verse 52. the Jews strove amongst themselves saying How can this man give us his flesh to cat In the 60 Verse many of his Disciples when they heard this said This is a hard saying who can hear it Verse 66. From that time many of his Disciples went back and walked no more with him Hence you see what carnall reasonings and sinfull objections mens hearts do frame and invent to hinder and oppose the comfort of the sweetest and most comfortable Doctrine What more sweet to a hungry soul that longs after eternall life than to be fed and to be nourished with this Bread of Life It is an infallible sign that you are born of God ☜ and that your originall is from above and that God is your Father Christ is your Brother and that you have higher principles than the flesh and the world to walk by and that your life is hid with Christ in God if Jesus Christ the true Bread of Life doth nourish up your souls unto eternall Life For the axiom holds true in spirituall things as well as naturall A quo aliquid generatur ab eodem nutritur from the which any thing is begotten of the same it is nourished if you are born of God you will be nourished by the bread of God if your originall be heavenly your food will be heavenly if God were your Father Christ would be your nourishment and your food Therefore Christ tels the Jews who in the eighth of John vers 41. boasted that God was their Father vers 42. proved them not to be the children of God and that God was not their Father because they did not love him who was sent of God the Father If God were your Father then would you love me for I proceeded forth and came from God neither came I of my self but he sent me 1 Joh. 5.1 He that loves him that begets loves him also who is begotten and if we did love God the Father we should love Jesus Christ the only begotten Sonne of the Father and the Saints who are the spirituall sonnes of God begotten of the Spirit crying in their hearts Abba Father In the 44th vers he proves them positively to be the children of the devil because they serve him and do his works Christ turns all carnall things into spirituall uses and changes the nature of them and like a true Alchymist turneth brass into Gold but the Jews on the other side turned Gold into brass and of all those pretious spirituall truths which Christ had delivered unto them they had base carnall and low apprehensions of Blessed are they that by a lively faith feed heartily upon the spirituall Manna while others feed upon the husks with the swine they have bread in their fathers house In the beginning of the second Chapter the Apostle acquits himself in respect of those former contentions while one said he was of Paul another of Apollo another of Cephas another of Christ shewing there was nothing in himself or in his Ministry that could occasion such divisions Chap. 2. v. 1. I came not to you with excellency of speech or of wisdom declaring unto you the power of God that is my preaching unto you was not in lofty strains of eloquence and high notions or in a plausible and alluring style fitter to please the ear and to humour mens fancies and to make them giddy and unstable in the truth or in the high flown Rhetorick of the world which is more sutable to an Orator or a Comedian upon a Stage than for a Minister of Jesus Christ not with the enticing words of mens vanities but in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power that is he preacht plainly yet powerfully and effectually and feelingly to the conscience and to work upon their hearts and to inform their judgements If I seek to please men I am not the servant of Christ Gal. 1.10 That is the best preaching which stirres up the affections and desires ☜ and sets all the wheels a work and provokes us to duty and to the exercise of piety in our lives and conversations He is the best Preacher who by his powerfull delivering the Word of God can stirre up what affections he pleaseth in the hearts of his people as it is reported of excellent Bucholcer that though he were two hours in his Sermon yet none of the common people were aweary of him and that with such vehemency of spirit and earnest longing for the good of their souls he dispensed the Word unto them that he could stirre up what affection he pleased in the hearts of his hearers Neither was the matter he preacht so sublime as to make men to admire him and to cry him up Not Philosophicall notions or criticall points of Divinity or curious questions or needless Doctrines but the Lord Jesus Christ and him crucified For I have determined not to know any thing among you 1 Cor. 2.2 save Jesus Christ and him crucified Neither was his delivery and outward carriage
〈◊〉 that is who hast thy being of thy self which being is from all eternity ineluding all the differences of time past present and to come That thou art Elohim Almighty Elschaadai Alsufficient Elion High that thou art I am that I am Exo. 3.14 which implies that thou art only of thy self and art all things to thy creatures I am bread to the hungry drink to the thirsty cloathing to the naked health to the sick liberty to the captive comfort to the distressed I am all things to all men as they stand in need of me Is 43.11 Thou hast said that thou art and that there is none else besides thee that thou art but one God and yet distinguished into three Persons Father Son and Holy Ghost Lord let me beleeve and admire this truth rather than stand and question it And for thy Decrees which are as immutable as thy self for with the Lord is Yea and Amen for ever and ever I beseech thee grant that I may search no further than what is convenient for me as a creature to know and thy Word requires that I should search into These are mysteries lockt up in thy own breast from all eternity which though I cannot attain to in this life to know yet let me trace the foot-steps of thy everlasting providence in thy Word and admire thy goodness towards them who are elected in Jesus Christ and magnifie thy justice upon all the vessels of wrath to all eternity This I know that though thou did'st not pass by any in thy act of pretenition with reference to sinne as thou didst not elect the vessels of mercy with any respect to their future holiness yet thou never passest the sentence of condemnation upon any but for their sinnes past Yet God doth not condemn a man simply as a sinnes for then all should be condemned but at such and such a sinner a sinner against great light against great mercy a sinner under Gods judgement An unbeleeving sinner unbelief is the great condemning sin and receivest none into mercy but upon the account of Jesus Christ And O that there were a heart in me to seek above all things to know thee and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent to seek wisdom and spirituall understanding which will be unto me a tree of life to preserve me from the snares of death Thus Lord desireth every true and faithfull servant of Jesus Christ Now as these men have itching ears 2 Tim. 4.3 so they heap up to themselves such Pastors and Teachers as may serve their own fancies and it were to be desired that there were not too many amongst us who for preferment and for worldly honour would make the Word of God to stoop to the base lusts of carnall people and preaching the fictions of their own brain cause men to build their faith upon unsound and sandy foundations When men hold forth Jesus Christ to the people not as the Scripture holds him forth but according to their apprehensions of him they build wood hay and stubble upon this pretious foundation 1 Cor. 3.12 13 14. which when the day of the Lord shall come the fire of the Lord shall utterly consume when every mans work shall be made manifest Col. 2.23 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This will-worship when men will take upon them to prescribe Rules and Canons of Gods worship Mar. 15.3 Col. 2.8 Gal. 4.10 this worshipping of God after the tradition of our fathers this observing of times and seasons for the satisfying the lusts of the flesh and not for the service of God this mixing of our own Ceremonies and Superstitious waies is odious and abominable in his sight God cares not how little he hath to do with men in waies of his worship for whatsoever sacred things we handle we leave the print of our fingers behind us but hath reserved this to himself as one main part of his Soveraignty to prescribe Rules and give Laws according to which he requires that men should do him homage He is that great Law-giver who is able to kill and save alive Jam. 4.12 Now when men dare be so presumptuous and so highly impudent as to incroach upon Gods authority and to take upon them to assign waies and means of their own finding out to serve God by what do they but as it were condemn the Word of God for imperfection and God himself for want of wisdom as if he did not know how to govern his creatures Yea moreover God hath strictly commanded that we should not mingle our inventions with his worship Exod. 20.25 Thou shalt not lift up a tool upon my Altar lest it be defiled God in this place directly commands in the Antitype that we should worship him according to the way of his own choosing and that we should not adde the dross of our own corrupted fancies to the unspotted purity of his holy worship God hates a mixture of Religion at his very heart and could not endure that the Israelites should joyn themselves to the Canaanites left they should learn their evil way and be defiled Mens inventions and Gods worship will never agree together As there is but one God so the way of his worship is one therefore saith Paul Act. 24.14 according to the way which ye call heresie so worship I the God of my fathers But men of carnall mindes consulting with flesh and blood and not with the everlasting Word of God have sought out many waies to worship God by What a forged foppery of humane inventions and mans traditions is the Popish Religion What abundance of forms and outward worships have they as if God did look more at the outward man and externall behaviour than at the hidden man of the heart the sincerity of our actions and the purity of our intentions the Lord judgeth not according to the appearance 1 Sam. 16.7 but he judgeth righteous judgement Indeed they have a braver and more splendid Religion in outward beauty and worship as a Lady of Paris said when she saw the Pope going his Procession What a brave Religion is ours in respect of the Hugonites that is the Protestants they have richer Temples and more beautifull shrines but what is this in the sight of God as painted glass it rather darkens the light than adds more light though it seems more beautifull than plain glass so mens traditions though they may carry a beautifull pretence along with them they rather darken the minde of the Spirit than adde any further light unto the Word This foundation will melt as the wax before the Sun in the time of Gods pleading and contending with sinners Others are too extream on the other hand and care not for any decency and order in respect of outward worship and cry down all outward circumstances and conveniences because God chiefly regards the heart Let such know that God is the God of our bodies as well as of our souls and he requireth
with him pouring forth those desires which he suggesteth unto us the fire which God would have continually to burn upon his Altar came out from the Lord Rev. 9.24 If sacrifices were offered up with any other fire that fire was counted strange and the sacrifices no whit acceptable but abominable to the Lord the heavenly fire whereby our spirituall sacrifices of prayer must be offered up is that holy Spirit which cometh out from God he carrieth the very Image of God we must therefore give unto God that which is Gods A childe of God upon this ground may come with boldness to the throne of grace that God will accept his prayer because it is a fruit of his Spirit He may wrastle with God and never let him alone till he obtain the blessing or some gracious answer to his prayer though not in the same kind he petitioned for He can say I am thy childe thou art my father I am one with thee by thy Spirit I belong to thy family both in heaven and in earth I am one of them for whom Christ sweat drops of blood for I have thy Spirit interceding for me with sighs and groans which cannot be uttered and therefore Lord I know that thou canst not deny me my petition if it be for my good and for the glory of thy Name Now is it so that where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty is it not too too evident that the greatest part of professing Christians are void of the Spirit Are they not in bondage to some secret lust Doth not their speech bewray them in stead of speaking the language of Canaan do they not speak the language of Ashdod In stead of being led by the Spirit of God are they not led by the spirit of the world While they talk of the Spirit do they not walk after the flesh Have they not the Spirit to talk by and the world to walk by Are they not in love with the fashion of the world and intangled with the rudiments of it Can they pray in the Spirit can they sing in the Spirit can they restore a fallen brother in the evidence of their own spirit If they can What means these swarms of lusts in their hearts of pride envy self-love contempt of their poor weak brethren and little regard they have to the promoting the work of the Spirit in the hearts of others These with many others are true notes that the greatest part of Christians are void of the Spirit Secondly Is it so That none can know the things of God but they that have the teachings of the Spirit upon their hearts Then I beseech you to desire God to give you the teachings of his Spirit Pray earnestly for that wisdom which comes from above that St James speaks of Jam. 3.17 Which is first pure then gentle then easie to be intreated which is full of good works If any man lack wisdom let him ask it of God for he giveth liberally and upbraideth none He will not upbraid thy ignorance thy poverty thy former unwillingness and disrespect if thou wilt ask it of him If the Lord blessed Solomon so much for asking wisdom before riches 1 King 3.11 honour life that the Lord gave him a wise heart together with riches honour and life as an over-plus into the bargain how much more pleasant and wellcom will thy petition be to God if thou askest of him spirituall wisdom which is not to be compared with the most precious Rubies or with the finest Gold If thou would'st have spirituall wisdom desire God to give thee the Spirit of wisdom to give thee the grace of unction as well as the grace of union that as Jesus Christ had the Spirit of wisdom resting upon him so thou maiest have likewise To stirre thee up to this main duty Consider first of all Fidelis mater utra que praebet infautulo ubera Sic Deus pater non solum dedit filium sed ctiam dedit Spiritum sanctum Haec duo ubera vino sunt pulchriora That thou askest nothing but what is agreeable to the will of God Matth. 7.11 If ye being evil know how to give good things to your children how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Spirit to them that ask it of him 2. Thou askest nothing but what Christ hath promised Saith Christ when I go away the Comforter shall come unto you So likewise I will pray the Father and he shall fend you another Comforter If Christ who is the Amen of all the promises Rev. 1.5 who is the true and faithfull witness who is truth it self Saith he John 14. I am the way the truth and the life who hath sealed the Covenant with his own blood if he hath promised the Spirit he will not be worse than his word if thou ask it of him 3. Consider that Christ was anointed with the Spirit and received a more plentifull measure of it for our sakes that we might partake of his fulness he was filled with the Spirit that we might partake of the same Spirit with him Joh. 3.34 Non ad mensuram i. e siue mensurâ The Spirit was not given unto him by measure that we might have a measure of his Spirit 4 Consider that we are to ask nothing but what we are to expect at Gods hand under the Gospel It is said that the Spirit was not yet given because that Christ was not yet glorified Joh. 7.39 that is it was not poured forth in that measure and abundance as it was to be given after Christs ascension Now Christ being ascended and sitting at the right hand of God on high the Apostles long ago and the Saints in the primitive times having had the first-fruits of the Spirit When the holy Ghost descended in the form of cloven tongues we also may expect the gleanings of so plentifull a harvest Sicut unctio à capite Aaronis in ipsius membra descendebat fic à Christo capite vigor Spiritus sancti in omnia membra dimanat As the oyntment did runne down from Aarons head to the rest of his members So from Christ the Head the efficacy of the Spirit flows forth upon all the members To stirre you up to desire the Spirits teachings consider this that it is a singular mercy to be taught by the Spirit Blessed is the soul that heareth the Lord in or by his Spirit and that receiveth from his mouth the word of comfort If the Queen of Sheba 2 Châ—on 9.7 after she had made triall of Solomons wisdom cried out with admiration Happy are thy men and happy are these thy servants that stand continually before thee and that hear thy wisdom How much happier are they then that heard the gracious words which proceeded from the mouth of Christ when he was upon the earth and that have the teachings of the Spirit upon their hearts All other teachings besides the Spirits teachings will avail
in their infancy as it were till they arrive at heaven Ob. What do you say to that place in Joel Joel 2.28 where it is said that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh and your sonnes and your daughters shall prophesie c. And to that place in the Prophet Isaiah where it is said Isa 30.26 that the light of the Moon shall be as the light of the Sunne and the light of the Sunne seven fold And to that place in John 1 John 2.27 where it is said that you have rectived the unction of the holy one and you need not that any man teach you Ans I answer that in these places of Scripture is only held forth a more plentifull giving of the Spirit under Gospel-times than under the former dispensations Therefore it is said that the Spirit was not yet given because Christ was not yet ascended The performance of which prophesie was upon the Apostles together with other elected Saints Act. 2. Hence then is no place given for Enthusiasms because it is usuall with the Prophets of the old Testament when they did speak of the restauration or amplification of the Church of God to set it forth Tropically under figures and shadows Zach. 14. Mal. 1.11 with many other places For that place in the Epistle of St John it holds forth unto us this that for those fundamentall truths which the Saints had received from him from which the false Apostles did seek to remove them they needed not again to be re-established in these truths being set home upon their spirits by the Spirit of God but only words of exhortation to stirre them up to execute and to put in practice those fundamentall truths which they had received Ob. But what say you to that passage of Scripture in the 2 of Peter 1.19 where it is said We have also a more sure word of prophesie whereunto you do well that ye take herd as unto a light that shineth in a dark place untill the day dawn and the day starre arise in your hearts Ans The Apostle in these words doth not take away the use of the word and other means of grace but the scope of the place as I gather from the context rather tends to the establishing of the word and other means of grace till Christ who is the morning starre the day starre in the morning of the resurrection shall arise in the hearts of his elect ones after a more glorious manner than when they were in this body of flesh in this world which is rather a state of darkness than of the light in comparison of that light of knowledge of joy and of comfort which shall be to the Saints in heaven To explain the words The Apostle having before in the foregoing words declared the certainty of the doctrine of the Gospel both from his own experience and from the testimony of God the Father now in these words he confirms the certainty of it from the consent of the Prophets under the old Testament As if the Apostle should have said The Doctrine of the Gospel is confirmed by the Prophets of old therefore the Doctrine of the Gospel is most true and certain therefore if ye mistrust me in commending the Gospelunto you I remit you unto the Prophets of old whose doctrines are a more surer word than this testimony of mine in respect of your selves as yet unto which word of Prophesie you do well to attend as a light which shineth in a dark place as to that light which now under the state of non-conversion and of blindness may do you some good till the vail is taken off from your hearts and Christ the morning starre whom you so much despised arise upon you by his blessed Spirit to unfold this word of prophesie unto you which will then not be a light in a dark place but a true light unto you indeed Christ by his Spirit having unvaild your hearts that you may see that was the Messiah of the world that was the true Christ whom you have crucified and of which this more sure word of Prophesie or all the Prophets have spoken of How this interpretation and explanation of the words may take with many I cannot tell but as yet till God shall give in a further light upon my soul I think it most agreeable to the minde of the Spirit Aretius Lucifer est plena Christi cognitio postquam drsinet usus Propheticae doctrinae The day-starre is the full knowledge of Jesus Christ after the use of prophesying shall cease which is if it be meant of all believers then the words must be thus understood That when the time comes 1. When Ordinances shall cease and the means of grace shall cease which will not be till the end of the world till the dawning of the morning of the resurrection the day starre shall arise in our hearts that is a full and perfect knowledge and enjoyment of Christ 2. If in respect of the Jews to whom he wrote scattered up and down the Nations then the words may be thus interpreted That they do well to attend to the word of prophesie which speaks of Jesus Christ as unto a light in a dark place that is as yet though but a darkish dispensation till Christ the morning starre shall arise and take the vail from off their hearts that so they may see he was the very Messiah of the world whom they have crucified of whom the Prophets of old have foretold Qu. Whether are the teachings of the Spirit upon our hearts a sufficient call for us to undertake the Ecclesiasticall Function No. 1. Because then all elected converted persons should be Pastors of Churches 1 Cor. 12.17 And if all the body were an eye where is the ear for all true believers are taught of the Spirit 2. Because the Spirits teachings are not revelations of high mysteries of things to come a declaring of the whole minde and will of God in respect of every circumstance a furnishing a man in a generall way to know more than is meet for him as a private Christian to know but a writing of all those things in his heart which pertain to life and godliness and which are necessary for him to know as one that must be saved by Jesus Christ 3. Because a man may have the Spirits teachings upon his heart and yet be ignorant of many truths of God because the Spirit teacheth successively ut antea 4. Because we never reade in Scripture that any took upon them to be publick Pastors of Churches but only as it were auxiliaries and helps for the promoting of the work of the Lord in the planting of Churches in the Primitive times as Aquila Priscilla and Apollos were unless besides these teachings they had an immediate call from God or a mediate by man yea though they had extraordinary teachings upon their hearts 5. Because besides the inward call of Gods Spirit which is a secret testimony that