in believing his Gospel so as to yield a sincere obedience to his Laws This is that Regeneration which is necessary to Adult persons as Nicodemus was and as you may remember is one of those needful effects for the producing of which in our mindes God will give the Holy Spirit to us if we ask him Thus have I shewn what those Qualifications are for the effecting of which the Holy Spirit is promised in St. Luke 11.13 Now though I have not pretended to prove from this place that God will give the Holy Spirit to work faith and the beginnings of a good minde and good desires in us and there was good reason for it since the Spirit is here promised to Believers and such as desire to do the will of God yet I intended not to exclude them from being the effects of the Holy Spirit and I shall immediately prove that they are for I now proceed to shew what those several Graces are which the Scriptures particularly ascribe to the Operations of the Holy Spirit which was the second way propounded for the resolving of the first Question and will not onely confirm what has been offered for that end from St. Luke but fully satisfie the Question we are upon CHAP. IV. Concerning the several Graces of the Holy Spirit SECT I. IN the first place Faith it self as that signifies a firm perswasion of the truth of our Saviour's Doctrine is an effect in our Mindes which the Scripture frequently ascribes to the Operations of the Holy Spirit This is the first Grace of the Holy Spirit which I mention because an hearty belief of the Gospel is the foundation of all other Christian Virtues And I shall now shew that the Spirit of God is given to prepare our mindes as they ought to be prepared that we may become the true Disciples of Christ. To speak clearly to this matter we are to consider 1. That the Revelations of the Doctrines of the Gospel and sufficient testimonies that they are divinely revealed are presupposed to our obligation of believing them and 2. That teachableness and due attention is necessarily required to Faith or actual believing of those Doctrines Now that which I shall take upon me to prove is this That the Teachableness of Minde which is necessary to actual Believing is from the Holy Spirit And I onely say that Faith in this sence is an effect of his Operations upon the Mindes of men But I do not say that the Holy Spirit doth now reveal the Doctrines of the Gospel to men by immediate Inspiration or that he convinceth them of their truth by any immediate or any new testimony whatsoever that they may believe Not the First because we have them in the Scriptures As to the Doctrines of the Gospel themselves we may say with the Apostle God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit 1 Cor. 2.10 But not to us as he did to the Apostles to them by Inspiration to us by their Writings whereby we may be fully instructed in all necessary Truth Not the Second because the Doctrines of the Gospel have been sufficiently confirmed already even by the demonstration of the Spirit and Power in the Miracles and Resurrection of Christ and the supernatural Gifts which the Apostles and the primitive Believers had And there is not any one promise in the Scripture that I can finde that God will give unto us any further testimony of the Holy Ghost to the truth of the Gospel after that which was given to it by the Holy Ghost at first Wherefore we have no Warrant to look for any private Illumination and Conviction by the Holy Spirit to assure us of the truth of that Doctrine which hath been abundantly confirmed to our hands by so many divine Testimonies already It is the same light and the same evidence by which we discern the truth of the Gospel that those to whom Christ and his Apostles preached discerned it by i. e. the Testimonies by which they proved their Doctrines onely with this difference that they saw and heard them we know them by the tradition of the Scriptures Our Saviour saith Light is come into the world but men c. i. e. The Will of God was plainly revealed by him and he was clearly proved to be the Son of God by the testimony of his Works c. and yet many would not believe him Now this is that Light which still continues in the world viz. the Revelations of the Gospel and the Testimonies by which they were confirmed for we have them in the Scriptures which are delivered to us that we might believe the same Doctrines which Christ and his Apostles preached to the world and upon the same evidence whereby men were at first convinced of their truth Therefore I do not say that the Holy Spirit worketh Faith in us by illuminating our mindes with any new Revelation of the Christian Doctrine or any new Testimony of the truth thereof for this is more than needs to be done and I conceive more than any body can prove But he doth it by disposing our mindes to attention and teachableness or to that temper which whosoever is of will believe truths that are proposed to him with sufficient evidence It is true indeed that there is no more required to an understanding man's assent to a true propoâ—tion in Philosophy than to explain the meaning and represent the reasons of it to him intelligibly and clearly This ordinarily is sufficient in that case But there is more assistance required towards the belief of the Gospel though propounded with sufficient evidence of divine Revelation For there is this difference between the truths of Religion and conclusions in natural Philosophy and other Sciences that our sensual Appetites and worldly Interests are thwarted by those but not by these and therefore we are not so apt to rise up in contradiction to the latter as we are to the former though they may be both proved with equal evidence Religion is to govern our lives and bindeth us to deny the pleasures and advantages of sin under the penalty of God's high displeasure And no wonder if the Lusts of men influence their Judgements and blass their Understandings against the belief of those Doctrines which are so irreconcilable to a wicked life These are the things which do not onely so often spoil the virtue and efficacy of Faith where it is but do also cause uncertainty and unbelief where Faith is not but where in all reason it ought to be For they make men unwilling to believe and this unwillingness doth on the one hand hinder their attention to the force of those Arguments which prove the Gospel to be indeed the Word of God and inclines them on the other hand to lean to the weakest Objections that can be offered against it This was just the case of the great men amongst the Jews as is plain from that one instance in John 9. amongst many For when our Saviour had
not able to please thee mercifully grant that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our Hearts through Jesus Christ our Lord. THE END The Author's distance from London hath occasioned these Errata's which the Reader may correct PAge 33. In the Margin r. P. 260. p. 61. line 12 for these are the r. there are other p. 93. l. 18. for end r. kinde p. 105. l. 6. for to his r. to be p. 163. l. 30. for proportion r. proposition p. 191. l. 13. for there is r. there is said to be Ibid. l. 22. for inherent r. immediate p. 310. l. 28. for having by r. having p. 322. l. 10. for may r. my P. 44. P. 44. P. 52. P. 42. P. 46 47. P. 45. P. 44. P. 44. Philipp 2.12 13. Heb. 10.29 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or a Discourse c. J.O. Page 254. P. 228. P. 164. P. 262. P. 206. P. 206. P. 209. P. 236. P. 334. P. 401. P. 421. P. 336. P. 187. P. 432. P. 433. 1 Cor. 2.14 P. 222 223. P. 217 218. P. 224. Sect. 38. P. 218. Sect. 26. Sect. 29.30 Sect. 27. Sect. 26. Sect. 28. Sect. 42. Sect. 38 39 40 41. Sect. 31. Sect. 33. Sect. 38. Sect. 38. Thus St. Chrysostome upon the place Hom. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This happens not through the nature of the thing but their disease 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The wisdom that is without did not only not instruct men in the Mysteries of the Gospel but also hinder them Chrysost. in loc Hom. 7. But how it hindered them St. Chrysostome plainly tells us in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For these great men who rejected the Gospel were full of Pride Hom. 5. Sect. 39. Sect. 41. * This Text our Author produces in another place P. only to show his dislike of the sense thereof given in the Friendly Debate as any one may see by the impertinence of it to his design there For this is all he saies about it Some of late have put in faint and weak exceptions against this latter clause this Slanderer should have said against his interpretation of this clause viz. Demonstration of the Spirit c. as though not an evidence of the powerful presence of the Spirit of God in the dispensation of the Gospel was intended therein but the power of working Miracles contrary to the whole scope of the place and consent of the best Expositors Now unless the Doctor supposes that the Power of working Miracles was not an evidence of the powerful presence of the Spirit of God in the c. his exception is nonsense But I leave it to the Doctor 's second thoughts to consider with what modesty he could call that Authors apprehensions of the Demonstration c. faint and weak exceptions contrary to the whole scope of the place and consent of best Expositors after that excellent person hath vindicated them against his Adversary by such clear and solid Reasons and such pregnant Authorities as neither he nor any of his friends nor the Doctor for them have been able to say a wise word to But what can that man want a forehead to say who hath a face to pretend St. Chrysostome is for his turn in an interpretation of a place of Scripture wherein he is clearly contradicted by St. Chrysostome in three or four Homilies together out of one of which too he transcribes a passage in favour of his own sense as he pretends Now whether the Doctor be not guilty of this dishonesty I shall leave the Reader and him too to judge by the following marginal Notes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys. in loc Hom. 4. Who of those that are busied in Syllogismes who of those that are skilled in the Jewish matters have saved men and made known the truth to them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ibid. The Doctrine of the Cross being a discourse not about any ordinary mean things but concerning God and true Piety and the Evangelical way of living and the Judgment of the world to come hath made all Believers Philosophers even rusticks and private men themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hom. 6. For a demonstration by miraculous works and signs is much more clear and convincing than that by Philosophical Arguments 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hom. 7. Worldly wisdom was excelled not by foolishness but by a more perfect wisdome and that so much more perfect that it seemed foolishness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ibid. I hear that Christ was crucified and thereupon I admire his love to mankind He that calls this foolishness when he hears it thinks the death of Christ was an argument of his weakness and inability to save himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hom. 4. The Greeks require of us Oratory and Philosophical Arguments And this is that which St. Chrysost. calls so often the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the wisdom that is without which prejudiced the Philosophers against the Gospel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hom. 6. For the Apostle said I determined to know nothing in direct opposition to the wisdome that is without I came not forming Syllogisms and Sophisms nor saying any thing in that way to you but only that Christ was crucified 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For a Mystery a revealed Doctrine needs no Philosophical Argumentation but 't is enough that it be barely declared what it is Hom. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hom. 6. What should give men assurance of the truth of these things but the Demonstration of the Spirit for this is a clear demonstration for who I pray could see the dead raised and evil Spirits cast out and not receive Those Doctrines that were confirmed by these works That which the Apostles confirmed their Preaching withal were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Signs and Testimonies out of the old Scripture Ibid. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hom. 4. For if we should go about to prove by natural reasons how that God was made man and entred into the Virgins womb instead of leaving these revealed matters to faith i. e. instead of proving them by testimonies of divine Revelation they would laugh at us more than they do already 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hom. 7. This Honour has God done to us that by our means others should hear his Mysteries For to those whom we make our friends we give this testimony of our friendship that we communicate our secrets to them before to any else 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ibid. If the Prophets spake of these things why saith he Ear hath not heard nor have entred into the heart of man c This is yet true for he speaks concerning humane nature for they did not hear as men but as Prophets i. e. what they knew of these matters they knew by Revelation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hom. 7. When a Spiritual Doubt ariseth we bring testimonies from Spiritual things for instance I say that Christ arose from the dead that he was born of a Virgin then I produce these testimonies types
that they might be Witnesses c. and the promise of the Holy Ghost which Christ received from the Father Acts 2.23 peculiarly concerned the miraculous Gifts which were bestowed after Christs Ascension and this as I conceive the Doctor acknowledgeth by saying that Christ shed forth what they saw and heard in the miraculous operations and effects of it Now saith he In this promise viz. Acts 1. vers 4 8. the Lord Christ founded the Church it self and by it he builded it up And this is the Hinge whereon the whole weight of it doth turn and depend unto this day It is indeed certain that the faith of the Church is at this day founded upon the extraordinary testimonies that were given to the Gospel by the Spirit in the first ages of the Church But that which follows is absolutely false Take away this promise suppose it to cease as unto a continual Accomplishment and there will be an absolute end of the Church of Christ in this world For as he elsewhere confesses himself Miracles are ceased and yet there is a Church He proceeds thus No Dispensation of the Spirit no Church he that would utterly separate the Spirit from the Word had as good burn his Bible Be not so hasty for although this happens to be a truth yet 't is more than you have proved The Operations of the Spirit may now be utterly separated from the Word for all Acts 1.4 And although you very truely tell us that the bare Letter of the New Testament cannot ingenerate Faith and Obedience in the hearts of men yet for any thing you have here said it may For those Texts upon which you ground your confidence speak onely of the miraculous Gifts whereby the Gospel was confirmed Now these being recorded in the New Testament together with that Doctrine which was proved by them may be as able to assure men of the truth of the Gospel and make them obedient to the Law of Christ as they were when they were seen and heard and that of themselves too for any thing you have shewn to the contrary from Acts 1. though the contrary may well be shewn from other Scriptures Now I cannot see to what end these men when they are speaking of the Promise of the Spirit which will in all ages be accomplished should fly so often as they do to those Texts which mention those extraordinary gifts of the Spirit that were bestowed in the first unless it be to make their followers believe that the true Ministers of the Gospel are inspired as the Apostles were and that they preach in the demonstration of the Spirit and of Power as the Apostles did Which because we do not pretend to it is left to them who do so to be sole owners of the Priviledge Just as the Papists support their pretence to Miracles and Infallibility by drawing the promises peculiarly made to the Apostles and first Believers into consequence for the Church of Rome in every age And I fear by the like device our Author hath laid his Plot to unchurch us quite and clean who conform to the Laws For saith he Let men cast themselves into what order they please institute what forms of Government and religious Worship they please let them do it by an attendance according to the best of their Vnderstandings unto the Letter of the Scripture i. e. let their Government and Worship be as neer the rule of the Scripture as they can possibly frame it yet if the work of the Spirit of God be disowned or disclaimed by them if they disown those extravagant pretences to the Spirit which you set up to magnifie your selves withal If there be not in them and upon them such a work of his as is promised by our Lord Jesus Christ there is no Church-state amongst them nor as such is it to be owned and esteemed And is this that you have been driving at all this while you have now found out a new colour for your Schism and it seems the separation from the Church of England must go forward upon this pretence that the work of the Spirit promised by our Lord Jesus Christ is not in us and upon us which in many places of your Book also you spare not to say we reproach and disavow But I beseech you dare you say that you have that work of the Spirit in you and upon you which is signified by the fore-mentioned Texts If you say so we shall presently desire you to convince us of it by Miracles and such signes as the Apostles did If you dare not say it then it seems that work of the Spirit is no more in you and upon you than 't is in us and then I hope we are not unchurched for not pretending to it nor fit to be accounted Reprobates because we are not Liars I acknowledge that promise of our Saviour mentioned by you in your next Section Matth. 28.20 I am with you always even unto the end of the world proves the constant presence of Christ in his Church by his Spirit but then Sir it doth not prove nor I think are you able to prove that the fore-mentioned promise made to the Apostles is the same promise with that which is here made Now as to that work of the Spirit which will indeed continue through all ages of the Church God forbid that we should disown and disclaim it But we disown the proving it from such places of Scripture as you lay the great stress of your proof upon lest we should seem to pretend to those influences of the Holy Spirit which were poured forth upon the Church at her first appearance in the world to confirm the Christian Faith by signes and wonders and not being able to make good our pretence be laughed at for our pains It would not avail us to say that we pretend not to those measures of the Spirit those extraordinary Gifts which the Apostles and first Believers had for it would be unanswerably returned upon us that these Texts cannot be proved to speak of any but these and thus we should disparage a good cause by arguing no better for it Therefore Doctor if the whole work of the Spirit in and towards the Church it self be openly derided as you complain you may I doubt in great part thank your self and such as you who by imprudent Discourses upon this subject have given profane persons occasion to make a question whether now-a-days there be any work at all of Gods Spirit upon the hearts of men I shall now endeavour to shew that there is and that by laying together what the Holy Scriptures say concerning it All which I suppose may be reduced to these three heads 1. What those effects are for the producing of which in the mindes of men God will give the Holy Spirit in all ages of the Church 2. To whom this promise of the Holy Spirit is made 3. What is the manner and measure of his Operations By
not consist in a moral reformation of Life and Conversation let us suppose such a reformation to be extended to all known instances Suppose a man be changed from Sensuality unto Temperance from Rapine to Righteousness from Pride and the dominion of irregular Passions unto Humility and Moderation with all instances of the like nature which we can imagine or are prescribed in the rules of the strictest Moralists Suppose this change be laboured exact and accurate and so of great use in the world Suppose also that a man hath been brought and perswaded unto it through the preaching of the Gospel so escaping the pollutions that are in the world through Lust even by the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ or the directions of his Doctrine delivered in the Gospel yet I say ALL this and ALL this added unto Baptism accompanied with a profession of Faith and Repentance is NOT REGENERATION nor do they comprise it in them Is not ALL this Regeneration Not a change from sin in all known instances not a change to Virtue in all instances which we can imagine or are prescribed by the strictest Moralists not excepting our Saviour himself not to escape the pollutions that are in the world through Lust and to be perswaded hereunto through the faith of the Gospel What do these men make of Regeneration Where is that reverence which they pretend to have for the Word of God which they do thus openly and notoriously contradict Was it not true which I said that our difference with these men is this that we affirm Regeneration to consist in the faith and obedience of the Gospel and they deny it But let us hear Gods Word once more concerning this matter St. John saith He that believeth that Jesus is the Christ so believes it as to overcome the world is born of God Now does not this man contradict St. John when he saith Though a man hath escaped the pollutions that are in the world through Lust even by the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ he is yet not born of God St. John saith We know that every one that doth righteousness is born of God But quite contrary saith our Author Let a man be changed from Sensuality to Temperance from Rapine to Righteousness with all instances of the like nature which we can imagine he may yet not be born of God Doctor I challenge you here before your own Party and the world of contradicting the plain and express words of God and that in a matter of the highest moment to us wherein the eternal salvation of mens Souls is most nearly concerned which is enough to provoke the indignation of all good men against you Let us again suppose a man in that state which our Author hath well described but unchristianly reprobated and then I demand what lacketh he yet besides perseverance in that state Not to tarry for the Doctor 's Answer I shall prove from the words of our Blessed Saviour that he lacketh nothing else A certain Ruler asked our Saviour What shall I do to inherit eternal life Luke 18.18 And Jesus said unto him Thou knowest the Commandments Do no commit adultery c. And he said All these have I kept from my youth Jesus answered Yet lackest thou one thing sell all that thou hast and distribute unto the poor and thou shalt have treasure in heaven and come and follow me The Ruler then wanted nothing but a willing minde to part with his Estate when God required it and to become a follower of Jesus for had he done this we have our Saviour's word for it he should have had treasure in Heaven which none but the Renegerate shall have But our Authors moral man wants none of those Qualifications which this Ruler either had or wanted that were necessary in order to his inheriting eternal life he wants none of them which the other had being changed from Sin to Virtue in all instances he wants none of them which he lacked for he is a follower of Christ baptized professing Faith and Repentance and he is changed from Covetousness too which is one known instance of sin to a readiness of yielding up his Estate when God will have him do it which we may easily imagine to be an instance of Virtue Therefore the Doctor reprobates him whom Christ chuseth he condemneth him whom God justifieth It is the great discouragement which this Doctrine gives to true goodness and the dishonour which this Writer doth to the Gospel by pretending himself a Christian which makes it needful to prove these plain things against him SECT 7. Let him not think that he hath made himself whole by adding these words at last Whatsoever there may be of actual Righteousness in these things they do not express an inherent habitual Righteousness For this will not serve his turn since 1. Here he does no more than give a reason the best he has why he contradicts the Apostle who saith He that doth righteousness is born of God by saying that he is not born of God But then 2. His reason here is as false as his Doctrine and as contrary to Scripture Our Saviour saith An evil tree cannot bring forth good fruits but he hath the face to say that it can for he saith that a man who is not inherently and habitually righteous may bring forth all these good fruits even all instances of reformation of Life which can be imagined St. Paul likewise saith that the carnal minde is enmity against God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be And that you may not think that subjection to the Law of God which consists in universal amendment of Life not here to be meant observe that in the same Chapter Rom. 8. he saith There is no condemnation to them that walk after the Spirit and if ye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live So that if the carnal minde can be so far subject to the Law of God as that the carnal man may walk after the Spirit and mortifie the deeds of the body by the Spirit then it is possible for a carnal man so continuing to be saved which again contradicts the Apostle who saith that to be carnally minded is death But now our Author's Doctrine is this that the carnal man while he is such viz. one who wants inherent habitual Righteousness who is not regenerate may be subject to the Law of God and may mortifie the deeds of the body for he saith all that actual righteousness which he had before described and which does unavoidably imply mortifying the deeds of the body and walking uprightly according to the Gospel does not express an inherent habitual righteousness which is the same with being spiritually minded And does not he contradict the holy Apostle by so saying I know not what he can possibly say to save himself
the Minde unprofitable to man and dishonourable to God but then withal I cannot finde them any where in the Scripture and therefore whatever he fancies of a possibility to believe that to be divinely revealed which is not believed to be consistent with the divine Attributes c. I do not so much as believe them nor do I see any likelihood that I ever shall unless some irresistible Power makes another thing of me than I finde my self to be at present And if this will content the Doctor I have no quarrel with him But then if he pretends that the real Doctrines of our Saviour's Gospel viz. That the Son of God was crucified for us and that we must be saved by Faith in him and that God will give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him c. are as unintelligible and the usefulness of them as indiscernible as that of his new-fashion'd Principles I must beg his pardon if I cannot believe that neither but reckon on the contrary that the Doctor hath cast an horrible reproach upon the Christian Religion while he makes it impossible for a man that bends his Minde to consider the Doctrines thereof never so attentively and useth his reason never so modestly in the examination of them to assent to them as Doctrines worthy of God and profitable to man If that be true then this pernicious Consequence is unavoidable That it is to no purpose for a man to use any means to satisfie himself concerning the Truth of the Gospel and if it be yet pretended to him that he ought to be a right Believer he hath no way but to sit down in a lazy expectation of that Light which the Doctor saies must be created in his Minde by an Almighty Act of God before he can know and believe the Mysteries of the Gospel as they are and as they ought to be known This is the consequence of the Doctor 's interpretation of St. Paul's Text and let any man but himself judge whether it doth not infinitely disparage the whole Gospel of our Saviour and whether it do's not offer great wrong to the Souls of men by betraying them either into a contempt of Christianity or at least into a sluggish neglect of all that Consideration whereby they come to understand and believe it upon its proper grounds And this is the reason why I have been so punctual in finding out and so long in confuting his Notions of this Text which if they had not been altogether as pernicious as they are false I should have left them to perish in their own Nonsense SECT V. THe incoherence of his Interpretation with the scope of St. Paul in that and the former Chapter must be judged of by observing what St. Paul's design is in them which I now come to enquire into and thereby to lay a foundation for the true Interpretation of the Text. To allay those Contentions that were amongst the Corinthians about their Teachers whom they should follow Chap. 1. vers 11. St. Paul reminds them how he had preached the Gospel among them and by what arguments they had been won to receive it not with wisdom of words vers 17. and again not with enticing words of mans wisdom Chap. 2. vers 4. but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power i. e. not with Rhetorical Orations or Philosophical Discourses such as the wise men among the Gentiles made use of to put off their Opinions to the people withal he did not go about to perswade them in this manner but as it was fit to prove the truth of a divine Revelation which the Gospel was pretended to be he proved it to them by a divine Demonstration of the truth thereof viz. that of Supernatural Gifts bestowed now upon Believers of antient Prophesies of apparent Miracles wrought by Christ and his Apostles and such Testimonies of Gods owning the Gospel to be a Revelation from him as these are The consequence whereof was that their Faith did not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God i. e. that their Faith was not grounded upon the Eloquence or the subtle reasonings of men but upon the plain Testimony of God declared by Miracles c. And this was clearly a good consideration to take them off from contending about the persons of their Teachers who never went about to make Proselytes to themselves as vers 13. by the oftentation of Learning and Eloquence but to win them to the Christian Faith by the demonstration of the Spirit and of Power But hereupon the Apostle takes occasion to shew 1. The offence which they who were most in vogue for wisdom took at the Gospel and the way of preaching it and the prevalency of that way notwithstanding above all other methods to make men wise and good and this is the scope of chap. 1. from vers 18. to the end 2. To vindicate this way of preaching the Gospel against their pretences who rejected the Revelations of the Gospel which is the designe of chap. 2. That the former is the designe of the Apostles discourse in the first Chapter is plain from what he saith vers 18. and so forward For the preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness And who these were we learn from vers 20. Where is the Wise Where is the Scribe c. i. e. Let those men who are offended at the Preaching of Christ crucified come and compare the Religion they teach and the Reasons they bring for it and the Good they do by it with our Doctrine and the Testimonies we confirm it withal and the Advantages which it brings to them that believe it For it pleased God by the foolishness as they are pleased to call it of preaching to save them that believe vers 21. And the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness c. vers 25. i. e. Let it be consider'd and you will see a clear manifestation of Divine Wisdom and Power in the Death and Resurrection of Christ to the convincing of men that his Doctrine is true and the bringing of them to Salvation by it vers 24. You will see also what an infinite disparegement this wise contrivance of God will do to all the methods of human wisdom when they are compared with it For God hath chosen the foolish things of this world those waies of instructing and saving Mankinde which are so far above all the inventions and above the expectations of the wisest men that they now generally reckon them to be foolish to confound the wise to put down all that wisdom of theirs which they so much glory in and thereby to shew that God is infinitely wiser than men v. 27. That no flesh should glory in his presence vers 29. But the particular reasons why so few of those persons whose wisdome was in this manner baffled did embrace the Gospel of Christ for not many wise men after the flesh are called vers 26.
Literally and properly And I prove it thus 1. Because it is in it self absurd so to understand them 2. Because they cannot be so understood without contradicting the Scriptures 1. Because it is in itself absurd so to understand them The Reason is because these expressions of being Regenerated i. e. Born again and being Created do properly note divers things and yet our Author will confess that the same thing is to be understood by them when they are used to express the state of a man qualified for the Kingdom of Heaven or to note the Causes of that state wherefore to say also that they are properly to be understood is to say that the same thing is to be understood by them and not the same That they properly note divers things is plain for to be Born is one thing to be Created is another Adam by being Created could not properly be said to be Born nor when an Infant is Born can it be properly said to be Created Therefore to Create and Regenerate and to be Created and Regenerated cannot properly be understood when they are used to express the same thing as by all they are confessed to do in the case before us because properly they do not signifie one and the same but divers things This will farther appear if we consider what other expressions the Scripture useth to note our being Regenerated and Created anew It is called our being Drawn to Christ John 6.44 and our being Awakened 1 Cor. 15.34 and our being raised from the dead Col. 3.1 Ephes. 2.1 Now by the same reason as we shall see afterwards that being Regenerated and Created and having a new Heart and a new Spirit and Understanding must be properly understood all those other expressions must be properly understood too and then what monstrous absurdities do we charge upon the Scripture For no man can properly be said to be raised from the Dead that was not created before How can it then be properly said that a man is raised from the dead and created by the same act No man can be said properly to be awakened who is not alive How then is it possible that to give life and to awaken should be the same thing in the literal sence of those words Or how can all these things be properly drawing which in the literal sence is not akin to any of them But now according to a figurative use of these expressions they may be all used to express the same thing without any absurdity at all as any man may see that understands what is meant by them and which I shall ere-long endeavour to explain Wherefore to retort the Doctor 's charge upon himself which he hath laid against those who contend that these are Metaphorical expressions If it be so that they are as he saith proper expressions then our Lord Jesus was so far from bringing the Doctrine of Regeneration to more light by what he teacheth concerning it that he cast it thereby into more obscurity and darkness than ever it was delivered in before And again if all these expressions are properly to be understood the Scriptures must be granted to be obscure beyond those of any other Writers whatsoever always excepting our Author 's upon this subject 2. These expressions cannot be literally understood without contradicting the Scriptures which I thus prove If he that is regenerated be a new creature in the literal sence and hath properly a new nature then there must either be a removal of the former Nature and an introduction of a new one in the room of it or else the addition of a new Nature to the former But to affirm either of these things to be true in the proper sense is to contradict the Scriptures That the former Nature is properly renewed and another introduced into the room of it is contrary 1. To those texts which clearly affirm that the same persons who are now regenerate were once unregenerate as when St. Paul saith Such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified c. 1 Cor. 6.11 that is they were the same persons though now regenerate But if in Regeneration literally and properly one nature is taken away and another given Regeneration cannot be said to be a change of the same man but the Annihilation of one man and the Creation of another for to take away one Nature and to give another to take away one Understanding and Will and to put in another is properly to put one Soul into the Body after the destruction of another 2. 'T is contrary to those Scriptures which suppose sin to remain in the Regenerate as when St. James saith In many things we offend all James 3.2 And then they are much mistaken who tell us that those words in Rom. 7.14 But I am carnal sold under sin to be spoken in the person of a regenerate man For supposing the old Nature to be taken away which is the onely Nature wherein there is a principle of sin and the new Nature given which is the Divine Nature it is impossible that Corruption and Sin should remain behinde for there is no principle from whence it should proceed None in the new Nature for that is the Divine Nature None in the old for that is taken away But this seems not to be the notion in which the Doctor owns the Literal sence but those passages of his which we have already noted would encline a man to believe that he favours the other viz. that Regeneration doth signifie the addition of a new Nature to the old For the new creature according to him hath a being and subsistence of its own in the Soul and it is superinduced into the essential faculties of the Soul So that our former Souls do remain still and if the new creature be literally to be understood then according to our Author there is a new creature added to the old And indeed this is clearly the consequence of his arguing For when he undertakes to explain that Text of St. Paul 2 Cor. 5.17 If any man be in Christ he is a new creature he tells us that the new creature which he that is in Christ is hath a being and subsistence of its own in the Soul and is superinduced c. wherefore 1. The former creature remains i. e. the essential faculties of the Soul and 2. The new creature is a creature or being properly distinct from the essential faculties of the Soul i. e. from the former creature Wherefore the Regenerate man is properly two creatures he is the old creature because the essential faculties of his Soul remain he is the new creature as the Apostle himself saith i. e. according to the Doctor 's explication a creature that is superinduced into the old and hath a being and subsistence of its own Now besides the absurdity of making a regenerate man to be two creatures properly distinct from one another the Old and the New the literal sence this
way clearly contradicts what the Scripture saith concerning the state of Regeneration which is the thing I am concerned to prove for the Scripture makes the state of Regeneration to consist in having the Heart of stone taken away as well as the Heart of flesh given in putting off the Old man as well as in putting on the New and when St. Paul saith He that is in Christ is a new creature we are not to understand that he is the old creature too for he tells us all old things are pass'd away and all things are become new Now thus I argue If these expressions are to be understood literally then it is literally true that the old man the old creature is put off c. as well as the new man put on and therefore it is contrary to Scripture to affirm Regeneration to consist in the addition of a new creature literally understood to the old Lastly since the Scripture doth express the state of Regeneration by phrases which literally and properly taken do some of them signifie the addition of a new Nature to the old and others the removal of the old Nature with a substitution of the new it is impossible that the literal and proper sence should be intended Thus I have proved the literal sence of these expressions to be inconsistent with the Scriptures and having before proved the absurd consequences which understanding them in this manner is chargeable with I hope it is sufficiently proved that they are not so to be understood which was the first thing to be done The consequence of what hath been said is clear that if they are not to be understood literally and properly then are they to be understood figuratively and metaphorically and nothing can be reasonably desired for the farther clearing of this point but to answer our Author's arguments against it which was the second thing proposed SECT 3. All that he saith to the contrary which can pretend to 〈◊〉 arguing we have Sect. 7. where his Arguments against the Metaphorical use of these expressions are two though they are there jumbled together by him without any distinction whereof one lies against affirming Regeneration to be a metaphorical expression or rather such an expression of what he saith his Adversaries understand by it the other lies against the supposition of any metaphorical expressions whatsoever whereby the Scripture is said to represent the work of God's Spirit upon the Souls of men The former Argument is to this purpose If Regeneration be no more than a metaphorical expression of amendment of Life according to the rules of the Scripture then our Saviour proposed unto Nicodemus a thing which he knew perfectly well before onely under a new name and notion which he had never heard of before so to take an advantage of charging him of being ignorant of what indeed he full well knew and understood But this he saith is a blasphemous imagination therefore Regeneration is no metaphorical expression of c. The latter Argument if you will be so civil as to call it an Argument is designed against the opinion that the Scripture useth any Metaphors at all in this matter For thus he concludes Some judge the things of the Gospel to be deep and mysterious the words and expressions of it to be plain and proper Others think the words and expressions of it to be mystical and figurative but the things intended to be ordinary and obvious to the Natural Reason of every man Now that which he thinks is that the things are mysterious and the words proper His Argument to prove this is contained in these passages If there be not a secret mysterious work of the Spirit of God upon the Souls of men intended in the Writings of the New Testament they must be granted to be obscure beyond those of any other Writers whatsoever If they are the Word of God the things intended in them are clearly and properly expressed The difficulties which seem to be in them arising from the mysterious nature of the things themselves contained in them and the weakness of our minds in apprehending such things and not from any obscurity or intricacy in the declaration of them Therefore some do well to judge the things of the Gospel to be deep and mysterious and the words of it to be plain and proper If there be any coherence in this Arguing I think it would be this If there be a mysterious Work of the Spirit upon the Souls of men intended in the Scripture then the words and expressions of the Gospel concerning it are plain and proper and such a mysterious work there is otherwise the Scriptures are obscure beyond all other Writings because the words of the Gospel are proper expressions of such a mysterious work I begin with this latter Argument First of all let us consider the Doctor 's Conclusion that we may afterwards see whether it is to be found in the Premises If he concludes any thing against his Adversaries he concludes that the Scripture hath used no Metaphorical expressions at all of the things of the Gospel For he saith Herein indeed consists the main controversie whereunto things with the most are reduced viz. that he and his friends judge the things of the Gospel to be mysterious and the words and expressions proper that is ALL the words and expressions of it For if he concludes only that some or the greater part of them are proper and not figurative expressions he concludes what none of his Adversaries deny and unless he concludes universally he proves nothing Now by the way I shall convince our Author that he hath concluded amiss for himself by putting him in minde that he elsewhere acknowledgeth that very thing of the Gospel which is the subject of our Debate to be in the Scripture Metaphorically exprest The work of the Spirit is exprest there by Quickning from Death to Life it is also exprest by Turning from Darkness to Light Now as to the latter our Authors words are these The term of Darkness in this case is Metaphorical and borrowed from that which is Natural As to the former these There in is men a spiritual Death called so Metaphorically from the Analogie and proportion that it bears to Death Natural Let us see whether the Doctor 's Argument will not Vnmetaphor these expressions again If there be a secret mysterious work of the Spirit intended in these expressions then they are not Metaphorical if no such work be intended by them then are the Scriptures obscure beyond all other Writers If he can Answer his Argument for himself he can Answer it for us too and then Regeneration in particular will prove a Metaphorical expression for if Death be so then Life is so too and being Born into that Life will unavoidably be so likewise Some of the expressions of the Gospel concerning these matters the Doctor allows to be Metaphorical so that the controversie we have with him one would think should
the proper sence But I do not see how so learned a man as Dr. Owen can excuse himself from dishonesty for making this construction of it which must appear ridiculous to any considering man However I hope the Reader will acknowledge that I have given a plain and reasonable account of the use of these Metaphors by shewing wherein the Similitude lies between the proper and figurative significations of them And hereby I may have helped our Author to conceive it a very possible thing that the Scriptures mean nothing more by those grand and Hyperbolical expressions as he calls them of being Regenerate c. then becoming a sincere Disciple of Christ which is his Adversaries notion of a Regenerate man Thus also I have shewn how far we may argue from these Scripture metaphors If any man can go further and finde out more Similitudes between the Metaphors and that which is meant by them I shall not be his Adversary provided he keeps himself within the bounds of Sense and Reason But to argue from the proper signification of any one or all these Metaphors to conclude something parallel in the state of a Believer to every thing which can properly be affirmed of them is to run upon such wilde and absurd consequences as any wise man would be asham'd to own and any good man would be afraid to fasten upon the Scriptures How our Author argues from them we shall see hereafter In the mean time we have proceeded thus far as to state the true notion of Regeneration SECT 10. Though I have as I conceive sufficiently proved that to be born again is to become a true Disciple of Christ yet for further confirmation and because it may be of some use to the ordinary Reader I shall make it plain that this notion is agreeable to the scope and designe of our Saviour's discourse to Nicodemus Joh. 3. which is the most famous place in the whole New Testament where this phrase is used It is one of the best ways of interpreting any difficult passage in Divine or Humane Authors to observe the designe of that whole discourse to which it belongs and then to fix such a meaning upon that passage as is apparently suitable to the scope of the Author if the words will bear that meaning That the Phrase of being Regenerate will bear that sence which I have assigned to it I have shewn and that it is the true sence thereof I have proved by clear Arguments from other Scriptures wherefore if I shew also that this sence of the Phrase is consonant to the plain scope of our Saviour in that discourse where he made the first mention of it that we read of nothing can be further desired to demonstrate that this indeed is the true meaning thereof The designe of our Saviour's discourse may easily be gathered from the plain passages of it and then it will appear to be this 1. To shew that faith in Christ and obedience to him were the means by which God had appointed to bring men to eternal Happiness 2. To shew the unreasonableness of the Jews who would not believe in him The former we finde vers 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life i. e. this is the way by which God hath determined to save Mankinde viz. by faith in his Son who was to be lifted up upon the Cross as Moses lifted up the Serpent in the Wilderness a rude Salvage place and so fit to be the figure of that corrupt state of the World in which Christ came to die for us that whosoever believed in him should not perish but c. vers 14 15. Now this was so great a demonstration of God's Love to man thus to give his onely begotten Son that no man could hope to escape the anger of God who should refuse the benefit of this Sacrifice For though indeed God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved vers 17. yet he that believeth not is condemned already vers 18. is in a state to which condemnation belongs and that a more severe one for refusing so gratious an opportunity of Salvation as was now offered 2. Our Saviour shews the unreasonableness of those men that believed not and that by noting 1. The Evidence of that Truth which they disbelieved 2. The true cause of their unbelief The former he admonished Nicodemus of in these words Verily verily I say unto thee We speak that we do know and testifie that we have seen and ye receive not our testimony vers 11. i. e. Ye believe not my Doctrine concerning that onely way by which you must come to see the Kingdom of God although it be evidently true for this is that very Message which I bring you from God this is that Counsel and Decree of God which I come from him to testifie unto you that there is no other way but that Now this you acknowledge that I am a Teacher come from God for no man can do those Miracles that I do except God be with him v. 2. how strangely incredulous therefore are you that yet you will not believe me delivering that Doctrine which by these Testimonies of my coming from God I confirm For I prove that I have seen and known what I testifie I prove the truth of what I say by those Arguments that convince you that I am a Teacher come from God Hence we may probably gather the meaning of those words And no man hath ascended up to heaven but he that came down from heaven even the Son of Man which is in heaven vers 13. to be this No man hath known the secret purposes of God concerning the way of saving Mankinde viz. by the death of his Son No man hath thus ascended into Heaven but he that is come from Heaven whom God hath sent to reveal this to you even he who now speaketh to you who am in Heaven who know the purposes and intentions of my Father concerning the way of Salvation This I take to be a more probable interpretation of this difficult place than that which supposeth our Saviour to speak here of his local ascension into Heaven afterward because 1. The words themselves seem not well able to bear the notion of a future ascension 2. As Grotius hath well shewn the phrase of ascending into Heaven is in other places of Scripture to be taken in the former sence viz. of gaining knowledge from God as in Prov. 30.3 4. And 3. if thus it is understood in this place then what our Saviour saith here hath a clear connexion with vers 11. where he rebuketh the Jews for not believing his Revelations taxing them of unreasonableness for it since he delivered nothing but what he had seen and known from God and also with the precedent verse where by the heavenly things our Saviour
perswaded that it was the purpose of God from all eternity to bring a few men to eternal Life by an irresistible power and to leave the rest to unavoidable ruine he can no more hope to obtain the favour of God by doing what he can to please him than to reverse the Decrees of Heaven Wherefore if he understands his own principles he must needs be under a great Agony till he becomes assured that he is one of that happy number whom nothing no not sin it self can separate from the love of God But if we entertain honourable thoughts of God as we have great reason to do if we believe that he seriously calls upon us to repent and would have us to be saved and that he is ready to supply us with Grace sufficient 2 Cor. 12.9 then upon our care to please God in all things we shall never want so much comfort as we need i. e. the joy of well-doing which is the testimony of a good Conscience Wherefore since an absolute assurance that we shall be saved is needful neither as a condition of Salvation nor as a motive to Holiness nor as a means of Comfort I may conclude also that neither is this one of those Graces which our Saviour hath told us God will give to them that ask him SECT 3. Lastly that promise giveth us no reason to expect that the Holy Spirit will dictate extemporary Prayers to us For 1. Such Prayers themselves are not necessary to the obtaining of our requests for had that been so then certainly we should have been admonish'd in the Scriptures to pray Extempore as they call it as well as to pray at all and to beware of Book-prayers and the use of Forms as much as of neglecting the Duty altogether or performing it in a careless slothful manner And this the rather because Forms of Prayer and Thanksgiving were used in the Jewish Church and because also the modesty of many good Christians and the inabilities of many more would naturally prompt them to the use of so ready a help to devotion as pious and useful Forms of Prayer are But so far are we from finding any Command in Scripture to pray upon sudden invention that we finde no preference given to this way above the use of Forms but rather the contrary for when our Saviour taught his Disciples to pray he enjoyned them the use of a Form When ye pray say Our Father c. Luke 11. But 2. Not to contend for the usefulness of Forms of Prayer above leaving the performance of this duty to extemporary effusions but admitting the advantage lay on the side of the latter as some men perswade themselves I affirm that the suggestions of the Holy Spirit are not necessary to the conception or utterance of such Prayers For first they are not necessary to dictate what things we are to pray for since the Holy Scriptures may abundantly supply us with the knowledge of them Therefore I see no reason why Dr. Owen should say with so much anger that the Spirit of God let the proud carnal world despise it whilst they please and at their peril doth gratiously in the Prayers of Believers carry out and act their Souls and Mindes in Desires and Requests which for the matter of them are far above their natural contrivances and invention This is somewhat obscure but I would know what requests those are which for the matter of them are above your natural contrivance and invention If they be agreeable to the Word of God as I suppose you will say they are then either you knew them to be so before you pray'd or you knew it not If you did you have no reason to say that the matter of these requests was above your natural contrivance and invention if you mean thereby as I think you do that when you were praying you could not possibly have thought of those requests without a supernatural suggestion for you confess that you knew well enough before that you were to pray for such things as then come to your minde But if you knew them not then either you prayed for such things as you did not then know to be agreeable to God's Word or else you must suppose that the Holy Spirit which then gave you the first notice of them did immediately reveal to you that they were And yet you said just before I do not think that the Spirit worketh supplications in us by an immediate supernatural divine Afflatus so as he inspir'd the Prophets of old who oft-times understood not the things uttered by themselves Now that Revelation is as immediate and supernatural as the Inspiration of the Prophets was and to make all even you say elsewhere that let prophane and ignorant persons whilst they please deride what they understand not nor are able to disprove the Holy Spirit of God doth guide Believers in and by the working and experience of Faith to pray for those things the depths of whose mysteries they cannot comprehend So that if you neither know them before nor understand them afterward I think you may lay claim to the Afflatus of the old Prophets upon a double Title by your own account Now I shall be so far from deriding your pretence that I shall not go about to disprove it but onely tell you that we are not bound to believe you to be Inspired men unless you could prove it by some evident divine Testimony for want of which you again appeal to your Experiences and let us know withal that he who hath not experience hereof i. e. of having the matter of his Prayers suggested to him by the Spirit is a greater stranger to these things than will at length be unto his advantage which any man may say who speaks more than he understands All that I contend for is that the matter of our Prayers needs not to be dictated by Inspiration and that because the Spirit teacheth us by the written Word of God what we may and what we ought to pray for Nor 2. The words in which we pray for a ready use of our Mother-tongue will serve us with them freely enough so that a competent understanding of the chief Heads of Religion and the retaining in memory of a certain number of Scripture-phrases and Passages of holy Writ proper to be converted into Petitions together with a tolerable readiness of uttering ones thoughts in proper words will in some measure furnish a man with this gift and being thus qualified he shall not need to have the matter or the words of his Prayers dictated to him by the Holy Spirit any more than of an ordinary discourse with his Neighbour upon a subject which he is used to speak of But if he hath over and above a warm Invention and a voluble Tongue and a good share of Assurance in himself especially if he be apt to be heated with his own thoughts and expressions he is then qualified to excel in the way of
extemporary praying and to pass for one that hath a double measure of the Spirit with them who are apt to ascribe all Heat and Eloquence in matters of Religion to a divine Principle I do not speak this to undervalue any man's abilities in this kinde but onely to shew that they may be set too high As for them that do so they may undeceive themselves by observing the very Prayers of those persons whose gifts this way are most remarkable for although these men are sometimes pleased to decry the use of Forms as not savouring of the Spirit yet it is plain enough that their own Prayers as spiritual as they look may be as purely Humane as the Prayers of a Book are by them judged to be For it is evident that they tie up themselves to those usual Topicks of Prayer and Heads of Devotion according to which Book-prayers as they call them are framed They usually begin with the Invocation of God by the acknowledgement of his Attributes and then they run through the common places of Confession Petition and Thanksgiving which are the subjects that furnish set Forms of Prayer They confess the same Sins they beg the same Graces they praise God for the same Blessings in all their Prayers Now this is that which I suppose none of them will deny and then I think they must confess that their Prayers as to the matter of them are as formal as those of the Liturgy But further as the matter of their Prayers is confined to certain Heads so for the most part they use the same expressions onely with this condition that they are laid in with such good store of them that they need not use them all at once but may keep some against another time And thus indeed they do not tie up themselves to a form of Words because they have as many Forms to use as may be made by the shifting and transposing of those Phrases which they have in stock and so many Forms they have more or fewer according as that stock increases more or less And thus as we pray out of our Books so do they out of their Memories and the difference between their way and ours for I speak now of those that do not use to talk idly and extravagantly in their extemporary Prayers is this that ours hath the advantage of Safety and theirs of Popularity and Ostentation But I am not able to divine what that is in Extemporary praying as that is distinguish'd from using a set Form which must needs be ascribed to the immediate suggestion of the Spirit The matter of such Prayers is certainly the most considerable and the knowledge of that we see may come another way which seem'd to be the minde too of the late Assembly who although they threw aside the Book of Common-prayers to make way for Extemporary Performances yet thought fit to give the Minister a Directory for the Matter without leaving him to be guided in that by the suggestion of the Holy Ghost which made some men think they might e'ne as well have prescribed a set Form unless they intended to leave the meaner office of supplying him with words to the Holy Spirit But the words and phrases as I have shewn you may come from a more familiar Principle And then there is nothing left but that shifting and changing of places with them which makes the great show of variety But this is so unworthy to be ascribed to a divine principle that I may conclude extemporary Prayers allowing them to be never so useful and profitable need not to be dictated by Inspiration and therefore no such Inspiration was promised by our Saviour when be promised the Gift of the Holy Spirit to all his Disciples Thus have I shewn that neither of these three things come under the promise in St. Luke 11.13 For they are not Gifts of that kinde which are there promised to them that ask the Spirit And I adde it may be strongly presumed that they are promised nowhere else since they do not fall under this general promise of the Spirit which comprehends all the rest But because there are some men so vehemently perswaded that the Holy Spirit is given for these purposes that they reckon it little better than Blasphemy to gainsay it I shall proceed to those places of Scripture upon which such mighty confidence is grounded to see whether they afford any reason for it SECT 4. And first as to those testimonies which are alledged out of the Bible in favour of interpreting or understanding Scripture by the immediate revelation of the Spirit I refer the Reader wholly to Dr. Hammond's Postscript concerning New Light and divine Illumination annexed to his Paraphrase c. upon the New Testament where they are all considered and shewn to infer no such thing as is desired to be concluded from them But if after all any man should say that he knows by the Light of the Spirit that Interpretation which Dr. Hammond hath given of those Texts to be nothing better than carnal Reasoning and come over with Dr. Owen's talk of the Natural Man and the impossibility of understanding the spiritual sence of Gospel-truths without the Almighty Illumination of the Spirit I confess it will prove a matter of as great difficulty to reply to such a pretender as it is to finde out a way to convince a Quaker For what success can any man promise himself by replying to a confident Enthusiast who perpetually appeals from the most evident reasons the plainest testimonies of Scripture and the most rational inferences from them to the testimony of the Spirit However this I will venture to say that if it were granted impossible to understand these Texts without that New Light which the Papists call an Infallible Spirit and Dr. Owen and his party an Almighty work of the Holy Ghost for in effect they are both the same thing then it must be granted withal that these Texts are impertinently produced to convince us who do not pretend to this Infallible Spirit that there are a sort of men upon whom God bestows that priviledge For that theirs is the true sence cannot be proved to us but by rational means i. e. either by arguing from the original words or the Context or parallel places or the like or else by some clear divine testimony proper to convince us that they in particular are inspired such as real and undoubted Miracles This latter way is pretended to onely by the Papists and though the frauds they have been deprehended in sufficiently shew those amongst them that have raised the noise of their Miracles to be Impostors yet it is to be acknowledged that they pretend to offer a rational means of Conviction that their Church interprets the Scripture by an infallible Spirit which the men I am at present speaking of do not offer in the least As for the former way of convincing us by rational evidence from the Text it self it is that which we are
but according to a candid construction very true But this I think may at least be inferred from them That without Revelation we could not have known that the Spirit operates in the mindes of men in order to their Regeneration And consequently that his Operations are imperceptible by us now for if we were sensible that the Holy Spirit moves us we might argue from our own sense as well as from Revelation that the Spirit is given to us Wherefore the best rule we can have to know when we are moved by the Holy Spirit must be taken from the Nature and End of his Operations When we finde our selves inclined to that which is good when we are bent upon the doing of God's Will when we perform our Duty and govern our Actions by the Word of God then we may conclude that we are acted by a divine Spirit and that therefore we have occasion given us of humble and thankful Praises But if we forsake the steady rules of our duty written upon our Hearts in our Creation or in the Bible by the inspired Messengers of God and take every violent impulse that we feel within us for a suggestion of the Holy Spirit we may easily mistake a brutish Inclination or a suggestion of the Devil for divine direction since no sort of men are acted with a more sensible and impetuous zeal than they that are strongly led by the Devil and their own corrupt affections Therefore unless we will expose our selves to Fanatical and Diabolical delusions we must keep close to Reason and Scripture and try the nature of all the impulses and motions of our mindes by them We must not pretend that the Spirit inciteth us to such an action and therefore 't is warranted by the Scripture for the motions of the Spirit are in themselves imperceptible But we must first see what the Scripture would have us do and then if we have a minde to that we may conclude that the Spirit hath moved us to it for the Spirit inclineth us onely to what is good and the Scripture is a steady and unalterable rule of that These are very plain and evident truths and yet we can hardly say too much to possess the mindes of men with the apprehension of them since we can remember what infinite dishonours have been done to God in the late times by men professing Godliness and pretending to the special Guidance of the Spirit how they asked counsel of God whether they should commit Murder and Treason Rebellion and Sacriledge how they thought to justifie the most execrable Parricide as the Doctor knows who did that was ever heard of in these parts of the World and how blasphemously they pretended that the Lord had put these things into their Hearts God does not now give the Spirit to justifie the actions of men but to assist them in those that are good and he hath shewn us what is good partly by the light of Nature which is common to all men and compleatly by the publick revelation of his Will contained in the Scriptures Wherefore since the Operations of the Spirit are imperceptible by us and merely an object of our Faith we have no other way of assuring our selves that we follow the guidance of the Spirit but by following the rule of God's Word To this purpose it is observable that the word Spirit does sometimes signifie the Gospel as several Divines have proved and particularly when St. Paul does oppose the Spirit to the Flesh as in Gal. 3.3 We are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit and have no confidence in the flesh i. e. we are the true Children of Abraham who worship God according to the Gospel placing no confidence in the observation of Moses's Law And in Gal. 5.16 Walk in the spirit and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh i. e. walk according to that Law of Love vers 14. which the Gospel so strictly prescribes and do not yield to inclinations of Revenge Hatred Variance c. vers 20. But at least in these and the like places 't is indifferent whether by the word Spirit you understand the Gospel or the Holy Ghost because it is in effect the same thing to be led by the Spirit and to obey the Gospel Thus when the Apostle Rom. 8. so often notes the difference between those that walk after the Flesh and those that walk after the Spirit we may easily see that walking after the Spirit may indifferently be interpreted either by living according to the rules of the Gospel or by following the perswasion of a well-instructed Minde or Conscience or by obeying the motions of the Holy Spirit of God For to do one of these things is to do them all since they are the Precepts of the Gospel which the Conscience ought to be directed by and 't is the obedience of the Gospel to which the Holy Spirit doth move and incite us We may observe also that in this Chapter these following expressions are equivalent viz. To walk after the Spirit v. 1. To be freed from the law of sin v. 2. To minde the things of the Spirit v. 5. To be spiritually minded v. 6. To be subject to the law of God v. 7. To please God v. 8. To have the Spirit of Christ v. 9. Christ being in us v. 10. The Spirit of God dwelling in us v. 11. Mortifying the deeds of the body by the Spirit v. 13. And being led by the Spirit v. 14. These several Phrases I say do all express the same state viz. our being the true Disciples of Christ onely they conspire to express the same thing under different respects That of being subject to the Law of God respecting the rule of our Lives as that of minding the things of the Spirit regards that serious consideration of the Doctrines of the Gospel which disposeth us to walk according to that Rule To be freed from the Law of sin notes the same thing with respect to our former condition Not to be carnally but spiritually minded not to live after the flesh but to mortifie the deeds of the body the Spirit are expressions that principally regard the prevalency of our Conscience over our sensual Appetites The Spirit of God dwelling in us is an expression of that constant readiness in good men to do the Will of God which is cherished in them by the Holy Spirit as our having 〈◊〉 the Spirit of Christ seems principally to regard that likeness to him which we gain by becoming such persons Finally to walk after the Spirit or to be led by the Spirit are Phrases which seem to take in all these respects indifferently Now because it is really one and the same state and disposition that is signified by these Phrases there can be no dangerous mistake incurred if a man should understand any one of them under a respect which perhaps was not principally intended as for instance if by the Spirit of God dwelling in us he should
opened the Eyes of him that was born blinde the Pharisees would believe never the more that he was of God and yet all the pretence they could finde against him was because this cure was wrought on the Sabbath-day vers 16. For when they had strictly examined all circumstances of the Miracle and the healed person in conclusion talked such unanswerable reason against them Herein is a marvelous thing that ye know not whence he is c. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the Eyes of one that was born blinde If this man were not of God he could do nothing i. e. he could do no such works as these they were resolved to give him the hearing no longer but first bitterly reproached him and then cast him out Now our Saviour frequently told these men that their prejudice against him arose from their Lusts How saith he can ye believe who receive honour from one another and seek not the honour that cometh from God onely John 5.44 i. e. so long as your Hearts are set upon worldly greatness and the praise of men which if you can compass you care not in the mean while whether God approves of you or not it is no wonder that ye reject my Doctrine who came not to answer your ambitious and worldly expectations although I come with testimony from God and the works that I do bear witness of me vers 36. Thus the Apostle tells us That the God of this world blindeth the minds of them which believe not lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ who is the Image of God should shine unto them 2 Cor. 4.4 where we have a plain reason given us by the Apostle why some believed not who had the light of the Gospel shining about them i. e. who had it preached to them with its proper evidence viz. because the God of this world had blinded their Mindes i. e. because they were blinded with the prejudices of prevailing Lust and Passion by which the Devil rules in the Children of disobedience Wherefore as Faith is necessary to that more perfect victory over our Lusts which includes the universal doing of God's Will So on the other hand our mindes must in some degree be disengaged from the power of our Lusts before we can heartily believe viz. so far as that we may be ready to yield to the truth how contrary sover it proves to our sensual and worldly affections and consequently that they shall not hinder our attention and consideration when the Word of God is offered to be made known to us Of this teachable disposition we have a remarkable instance in Acts 16.14 The Lord opened Lydia 's heart that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul where we may observe 1. That her being qualified to hear which is here expressed by the opening of her Heart is ascribed to a divine operation which prevented even her attention to what she heard 2. That the immediate effect of the Lords opening her Heart was not her believing but her attending to those things which were spoken of Paul i. e. she heard him diligently without prejudice and passion and was willing to embrace the truth This was the effect of God's Spirit and whoever is thus disposed will believe the Gospel when it is made known to him because it is indeed the Word of God This is that temper of minde which was all that our Saviour desired to finde among men in order to the convincing of them that he was the true Prophet If any man will do his will he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God or whether I speak of my self Joh. 7.17 i. e. If a man be willing to do whatsoever shall appear to be the Will of God and so is not prejudiced against the truth by his Lusts such a one will easily be convinced that my Doctrine is of God And because this temper comes from the divine Spirit therefore he that is thus disposed is said to be of God For it is exactly to the same purpose what our Saviour saith John 8.47 He that is of God heareth God's Words ye therefore hear them not because ye are not of God For this was the Answer he made to that Question of his own If I say the truth why do ye not believe me He gives the reason himself Because ye are not of God The meaning whereof is plain from vers 44. Ye are of your Father the Devil and the lusts of your Father ye will do he was a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth c. So that to be of the Devil is to be wedded to our Lusts and enraged against the truth that contradicts them And therefore the contrary state or temper to be of God is plainly to be ready to perform all duty and to believe all truth and whoever was thus disposed would hear God's Words and believe them vers 47. Thus after our Saviour had appealed to the Miracles which he wrought before his Enemies Joh. 10.25 he tells them But ye believe not because ye are not of my sheep Where by Sheep cannot be meant actual Disciples for then the sence were Ye believe not because ye believe not But such as were by a teachable spirit disposed to be so and would hear his voice for such as these would follow him assoon as he called them because he was the true Shepherd Now that this preparedness of minde to embrace the truth was an effect of the divine Spirit is clearly implied in vers 29. My Father who gave them me i. e. who hath thus disposed and qualified them to hear my voice is greater than all and none is able to pluck them out of my Fathers hands to defeat them of that eternal Life which Christ had promised v. 28. All these places being compared with John 6.37 give a clear light to the true interpretation thereof All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me i. e. will believe in me and become my Disciples and then to be given of the Father is the same thing with being resolved to do the Will of God Joh. 7.17 and being of God Joh. 8.47 and being Christ's Sheep Joh. 10.26 All which Phrases signifie that humility and teachableness of minde whereby men are prepared to believe the truth Onely the Fathers giving such persons to Christ is an expression noting that divine Grace whereby their mindes are thus disposed for which reason being brought to this temper is called vers 44. being drawn by the Father No man can come to me except the Father who hath sent me draw him i. e. unless the grace of God hath so far prevailed over his Affections as to indue him with an impartial love to the truth and his Heart be thereby opened to attend to God's Word And in this sence we may use those words of the Apostle spoken upon another occasion No man can say that Jesus is the Lord
but by the Holy Ghost 1 Cor. 12.3 This is the substance of what I can finde in the Scripture concerning this matter and I suppose it is sufficiently shewn that faith or a firm perswasion that Jesus is the Son of God and that his Doctrine is the Word of God is an effect of a divine Operation upon our mindes and that the first preparations within us towards Regeneration are from the Holy Spirit And consequently that the Semipelagian opinion introduced by the Massilienses upon occasion of the Pelagian controversie viz. that there is no necessity of preventing Grace though Grace be necessary to make our Faith fruitful of good works but that Faith and the first inclinations of the Will to that which is good are merely from our selves is contrary to the Scriptures SECT 2. Now when we are once perswaded that Jesus is the Son of God that which still remains to be done by us is to overcome the world and keep the Commandments of God Indeed if we believe in Jesus we have entertained into our mindes such forcible and prevailing considerations as will not easily suffer us to disobey him in any thing and they have so much power to lead our Affections after them and to govern our practices that I always thought the Semipelagians might with more appearance of reason have questioned the Doctrine of the Church concerning those divine Operations by which the Faith of a Believer is crowned with all other Christian Virtues than concerning those which are preparatory to Faith it self for of the two he is a more unreasonable man who believing God's Word is yet so mad as to go on still in his sins than he who believes it not and since the Lusts of men make them so unwilling to attend to those truths which are against them we might think it were an easier matter to keep the Faith of Christ from entring into their Hearts than to resist the power of it when it is once admitted But now as the evidence of those Reasons by which the Gospel is proved to be a divine Revelation is far from excluding all need of a divine Influence upon our mindes to create a firm Faith in us So neither does the power of those motives which are contained in our Faith render the concurrence of the Holy Spirit needless to move our Wills to that which is good and upon good principles but still our sufficiency is of God without whose Grace the temptations of the World and the lusts of our corrupt Nature which make us unwilling to entertain the truth would always suppress the force and vertue of it afterwards Thus our Saviour told his Disciples Without me ye can do nothing John 15.5 but he did not suppose that they were incapable of doing any thing with him too but that they had power to bring forth fruit unto God and that it was from him Now that this power imparted to them was not merely the effect of the Revelation of his Doctrine to them is plain from hence that they already believed the Revelations he had made Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken to you vers 3. and yet he tells them that without him they can do nothing which must needs imply some grace distinct from the bare revelation of the Gospel by which they had already bore some fruit and were capable of bringing forth more vers 2 3. But that all those dispositions and vertues wherein our obedience to the Gospel doth consist are as well the graces of the Holy Spirit as the effects of our Faith is clearly and fully affirmed in those words of the Apostle Phil. 2.13 It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do which being again spoken to Believers manifestly suppose a divine Operation distinct from the Revelation of the Gospel which enabled them to will and to do i. e. to perform that obedience from their very souls which would qualifie them for eternal happiness For this is the motive by which the Apostle encourageth them to work out their Salvation vers 12. by universal obedience as hitherto they had done Now because the motive extends to engage us to every part of our duty therefore God worketh in us that we may be every way so disposed in minde and will and obedient in life as to become meet for the Kingdom of Heaven Wherefore the fear and love of God and godly Sorrow and true Repentance and the hope of eternal Life together with all Christian Virtues such as Righteousness Mercy Patience Love Peace Joy Long-suffering Gentleness Goodness Faith Meekness and Temperance are the Graces of the Spirit Wherefore Lastly our doing that which God requires and with that fear and love of him which he requires too are the effects of his Operations in us If any thing were yet wanting to satisfie us fully in this matter our being taught to pray that we may not enter into temptation and to pray always that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil would leave no room for doubting whether of our selves we need or by promise have this great encouragement to the study of Godliness and Virtue or not For these directions were unprofitable if we either needed no strength from the divine Spirit against our Temptations or if it were not to be gained by our Prayers Much less would those Prayers of St. Paul for other Christians which we so often meet withal have signified any thing to their advantage or encouragement if there were not a divine Grace obtainable by them for the producing of those effects which he so much desired to see in their conversation And these effects were no other than all kindes of Christian Virtue and Goodness as we may learn by the following places Wherefore also we pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness and the work of Faith with power 2 Thess. 1.11 i. e. that God would make their Faith fruitful of all good works acceptable to him that the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ might be glorified in them as he speaks in the following verse Again we do not cease to pray for you and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his Will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all well-pleasing being fruitful in every good work Col. 1.9 10. Thus in another place For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthned with might by his Spirit in the Inner man Now that which the Apostle prays for in these and many like places is plainly this That those Christians to whom he wrote might attain all those Qualifications which the Gospel requires in Believers And from hence it follows that God hath not left the success of the Gospel to