unless the Lord come in with his immediate power above the power of any Ordinance all that you have received amounteth not to the faith of Gods elect and unless it be the Spirit of God that enlighteneth we have received no saving light and when he doth come to seal up Jesus Christ unto our souls he ever speaketh in some promise of the free grace of God for the Lord justifieth no man upon an imperfect righteousness but in that work doth ever declare himself to be just and a justifier of him that is of the faith of Jesus Rom. 3.26 therefore seeing in this work he sitteth upon a throne to declare his own righteousness there is no place now for our righteousness to appear hence it is that if he justifie it is freely by his grace Rom. 3.23 thus God dealt with Abraham when he shewed him the innumerable stars of heaven and told him So shall thy seed be He believed God and it was imputed to him for righteousness Gen. 15.5 it was the free grace of God which he mentioneth unto him But suppose the Lord should reveal a work unto you as a work there is in every soul that is justified if you should see any work in your soul yet unless the Spirit of God should above the power of the work breathe in it it is not possible that it should beget a Divine Faith it is only the work of the Spirit of God it is he also that shews you your acceptance with God and that manifesteth your sanctification and makes it a sign unto you of your justification otherwise neither word nor work can set on a promise with power upon the soul until the Holy Ghost confirm it it is his immediate work What then Object doth the Spirit do this immediately without the word No Answ if he speak peace unto the soul he ever doth it in some word of promise and if he testifie our acceptance it is in some word and in that respect it is mediate but he doth set on a power above the word and in that respect I call it immediate and therefore if a man shall seek to hammer out any thing by his own knowledge though he may add to his knowledge yet he can do nothing to the begetting of faith unless the Lord come in by a power above the word and when he doth speak in any word of his grace he doth not in the first place speak to you of your own righteousness but first convinceth you that you are a chief sinner as when he said to Saul Why persecutest thou me when he sends his Spirit it is first to convince the world of sin Joh. 16.8 9 c. and what of your sanctification next no of your justification next he will convince the world of righteousness that is of his righteousness and afterward of judgement and that is sometimes put for sanctification Mat. 12.20 A bruised reed shall he not break and smoaking flax shall he not quench until he bring forth judgement into victory But it is the Spirit that doth all this and therefore let not men deceive themselves in any conclusions that they can make for their enlightened conscience is but a creature and unless the Lord come in with a greater light then your conscience will afford you all will be but lost work unto your souls you will build but castles in the air which in time of temptation will vanish away In the third place Use 3 this may teach all the servants of God that have received in any measure the first fruits of the Spirit to know that they have received an earnest of an everlasting possession that Spirit will never leave you till you become a full vessel and running over if he have given you one promise he will give you more and if he have given you Christ he will with him give you all things else In the fourth and last place Use 4 it may teach us That if we have received Christ and our hope be in him never to rest until we do more fully and clearly see that the Lord is our God until the Holy Ghost do fill your hearts with more power and stamp more of the image of Christ in you grow more and more sensible how dead and insufficient you are unto any thing that is good be meek and lowly in heart think meanly of your selves you cannot pray you cannot preach you cannot of your selves perform any Christian duty it is Christ that must work all our works for us know therefore that if you be lively and active it is because your life is hid with Christ in God he it is that stirreth up your faith to look up unto Christ to expect all help from his hand Sometimes you must look to be severed from the world and the more clear the truths of God are unto you the more they are hidden from the world for if a man cannot look upon a candle how shall he look upon a torch and much less upon the shining Sun Therefore it behoveth all the servants of God to grow up in the power of God and the strength of his might not holding forth insolency of Spirit nor uncharitable censoriousness such things are far off from expressing the Spirit of Christ but it is the part of the servants of Christ to be faithful meck lowly humble and couragious in the waies of the Lord and when you have done all be contented to be counted the off-scouring of the world as 1 Cor. 4.9 for it must be the part of all that fear God to take heed that you give none occasion to any to speak evil of us for if we do consider the great hope of our calling how should it cast holy shame upon our faces that we walk so unworthy of our calling for if there be any work of God upon our hearts it is no transient work if God begin He will perfect until the day of Christ the work of grace is an uncessant work but as in the first creation the Spirit of God hatched upon the face of the waters till the work of Creation was perfected so doth the Lord by his Spirit in his Saints he doth not leave hatching in their hearts till he hath separated light from darkness and made every thing fruitful in the soul We must not rest therefore in former weak beginnings but if we be born of God and under a Covenant of grace we must look to grow up in all well pleasing unto God that we may not be strangers to any of all the heavenly works of the grace of God but that we may grow up to abound in fruitfulness in them all Thus having explained Second Branch of the Doctrine how the Lord gives himself in a Covenant of grace unto Abraham and to his seed we now come unto the second part of the Doctrine which is that he received Abraham and his seed to be a peculiar people unto himself which although we have spoken somewhat unto in
had done they wrought from themselves and for themselves and so those many that were called Mat. 20 they had denied father and mother and wife and children and therefore they looked for great reward having borne the burden and heat of the day and this is the proper character of an hypocrite he doth challenge his reward out of the worth of his work whereas the chosen ones of God are taught to say When we have done all that is commanded us we are unprofitable servants Luk. 17.10 this is one difference in the rise of the work Again there is a difference in the work it self Gods chosen ones work the will of Christ and not their own though their will also goeth along with it others work the will of Christ as far as it will stand with their own Jebu's zeal did root out Baal and the house of Abab freely he drove on furiously for it was an act of his own ambitious heart to settle his own Kingdom this he aimed at no further would he go from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat he departed not And Lastly Hypocrites will out-shoot Christ in his own bow they will aim at their own ends in Christs works Jehu will root out Ahab and Baal but it is to establish his own Kingdom to walk in all the Lords Commandments he did not regard while Gods will accomplisheth his will he goeth along with it but no farther Thus we see there is a work of sanctification under a Covenant of works such as whereby men have another heart and many gifts of courage and wisdom and zeal and power come upon them for the service of the Church and yet you will find that they will work from themselves and for themselves and for God they will not work beyond their own ends and though they seem to walk with him for a while yet you shall soon see the Lord will take one course and they will take another 3. We now come unto a third work of the Holy Ghost in which he doth give himself as God unto his people for in all these works he doth work as God and so expresseth himself this work is Divine revelation he doth reveal himself like a God in the soul that so you may acknowledge his presence power and truth a very clear place we have for it Eph. 1.17 18. c. I cease not to make mention of you in my prayers that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of glory may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him c. mark how the Apostle doth consider God in regard of his most eminent glory and power as he is the God of Jesus Christ and the Father of glory That he might give us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him that is of the Father Son and Spirit That the eyes of your understanding being enlightened ye may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints c. minde what Divine revelation here is see how gloriously God is set forth that giveth it and also the gift that is given and these things the Apostle prayeth not only for glorious and transcendent Christians men of renown but for all the Ephesians for all ordinary Christians among them he would have none of them destitute of a Spirit of wisdom and revelation and what should this Spirit do it should enlighten the organ even the eyes of their understanding otherwise it is beyond the power of created gifts to reach the clear discerning of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God as they are dispensed in the Gospel of Christ and as in all sight there is the Organ and the Medium and the Object the eye is the organ the air is the medium the thing seen is the object so doth the Apostle here pray that the eyes of their understanding might be enlightened far above the capacity of Reason yea above the capacity of the spiritual gifts which they had received for he desires that a spirit of wisdom and revelation might be given them though the Lord had blessed them with all spiritual blessings already they had believed and had been sealed yet here is something more to be attained they want a further enlightening by the clearing of the word of God which is the medium by which we discern all things therein and for the Object he doth express what it is that you may know what is the hope of his calling and the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward which believe c. these things the Apostle prayeth that the Spirit would reveal even the hope that God hath laid up for his Saints glorious things are spoken of the church of God great and glorious hopes are prepared for them and they are begotten unto them even to an inheritance incorruptable and undefiled that by vertue of our calling we might have fellowship with God the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ 1 Joh. 1.2 3. some degree of fellowship we have already but the hope of that which is to come is beyond all our comprehension and beyond what any created understanding can search into the depth of and yet we may see much in the hope of preservation and quickening to that which is good in the hope of God's turning all things to the best for us we may see much of the rich and plenteous redemption which God hath wrought for us and what goodness of God is reserved to every poor servant of his and what is the riches of his glorious inheritance in his Saints and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe even that mighty power which he did put forth to bring us to believe that ever he should bring such hearts as ours were to be enlightened to see the blessings of his heavenly calling to be called unto fellowship with the Father and with the Son and with the Spirit and with the Church of God in all the promises of God and gifts of grace and duties of sanctification our calling is to be exercised in them all until at length all their enemies be subdued and death at length swallowed up in victory This the Apostle prayeth for that their eyes might be opened to behold all these mysteries And thus doth the Holy Ghost clear up our understandings and the Scriptures whereby we understand and the objects which are to be understood by us even the riches of grace here bestowed upon us and laid up in heaven for us But how doth the Holy Ghost work these things Quest indeed they are unconceivable mysteries better felt then told The Spirit doth reveal himself partly in witnessing unto our spiritual estate Answ and partly by revealing all other counsels of his truth needful for us to know in this our age and time wherein any Christian man
work so great redemption for those that never knew what it meant nay first he will teach them their bondage ver 34. He that committeth sin is the servant of sin therefore if the Son make us free we shall be free indeed but otherwise we cannot be free Secondly Use 2 It may teach all those that are under bondage where your liberty and hope and spiritual redemption lies Isai 45.22 Look unto me and be you saved all the ends of the earth look unto him Object But may I not look at such good desires and hungrings and thirstings and mournings after Christ as are in me to satisfie my self with them Answ Alas you may look long and it may be much ado to kindle a spark of comfort it may be you may get out a spark but then it is but a sparkling light neither will the Lord suffer his servants to fasten the satisfaction of their souls there shall a man that is hungry look to his hungring and thirsting will that satisfie him It is indeed a sign of health but it will not satisfie him so neither will spiritual hungring and thirsting therefore he saith Come unto me if you mean to finde rest it is not a mans weariness that doth set his bones at rest but Come unto me all you that are weary and heavy laden Mat. 11.28 there hath he laid up our peace in coming to him we shall find ease even a certain secret refocilation at least that will strengthen us to bear temptation so as that you may see the Fathers love and you may also see your own hungrings and thirstings for unto such the Lord calleth us and that puts a great deal of difference between a great deal of common work and such as is wrought by Gods efficacious drawing of us home to Jesus Christ Take you an hypocrite and if he begin to mourn for Christ and the like he satisfieth himself in these things but is this the way of the working of Gods almighty power to bring men unto something that is in themselves Is it not his effectual calling of us unto Christ doth not Christ say If any man thirst let him come to me and drink Otherwise all is but unprofitable work until you come unto Christ so far as Christ is there so far there is life if we be drawn unto him that as he beginneth the work so he is the end of it in us and the soul cannot rest but in cleaving unto him then is there something more then flesh and bloud hath revealed So that this is the way that God calleth his servants to walk in namely to look unto Christ to turn unto this strong hold Zach. 9.12 By his bloud he hath delivered his prisoners out of the pit wherein there it no water our strength lieth not in our own hungring and thirsting and poverty though there be truth in these and everlasting truth by reason of the Spirit that wrought them and the bloud that bought them yet your strong hold is not in them but in the rock of Israel he is the horn of salvation to his people so that I would advise every poor soul in whom is wrought any mourning after Christ through sence of your need of him make the Lord Jesus your strong hold And this is the true work and way of the Son of God to bring you to the Father and the more you find the Lord Jesus the more you shall discern the gifts that are given unto you and the comfort and power of them not that I deny that Jesus Christ doth open unto the soul what he hath done for him Joh. 6.69 We believe and are sure that thou art Christ the Son of the living God so Joh. 16.30 but he doth not shew them for this end that you should satisfie your selves in them but still come unto him what though you have many gracious promises that promise many future consolations it is that you should seek unto the Lord in whom they are laid up and unto the Father of Jesus Christ that promised them in whose hand it is to make them all good unto us thus in all this doth the Lord train up his servants unto an heavenly and Christian frame and if the soul should rest in any work he doth or gift he hath received it is a strong jealousie the work is not sound for if it be of the grace of God and in truth it will still lead the soul to look up unto Christ and the soul cannot quench his thirst in it but comes to the Father and earnestly beggeth that out of his Fatherly love he would give him Jesus Christ this is the spirit and way of a true-hearted Christian Thirdly Use 3 This may teach Christians that are in such a way as this to hold on in that way for truly it is a way of comfort through the grace of God Isai 43.1 Fear not O Israel for I have redeemed thee none of the redeemed of God need to fear Luk. 1.74 We are delivered that we might serve him without fear It is in the Lord Jesus that the Apostle doth so triumph Rom. 8.31 c. Who can be against us who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died c. and hereupon he triumpheth saying Who shall separate us from the love of God c. and though we may say That he was grown to a greater measure of strength then we now speak of yet this is the work of all the Israel of God to hope in the Lord in whom is plenteous redemption Psal 130.7 Fourthly Use 4 This may serve to teach us to wait upon the Lord for this his plenteous redemption and to bless his name for it when we find it Psal 103.4 Bless the Lord O my soul who redeemeth thy life from destruction c. Let us learn to serve him with thankfulness and to grow up therein for this is the great redemption wherewith the Lord hath redeemed us to himself he that hath thus redeemed us will still redeem and deliver us 2 Cor. 1.10 he that hath done this will not leave us until he hath finished all his thoughts of peace towards us In the Fifth and last place Use 5 let it exhort us to stand fast in all our Christian liberties they cost dear and we are redeemed from the Covenant and curse of the Law of God from the Laws of men much more that are not according to God be not therefore servants to lusts and passions to the world and to the Devil let us tread the world under foot seeing God hath redeemed us let us walk as his redeemed ones redeemed from all errours of mind and judgement standing fast in all that liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free Gal. 5.1 and be not again entangled with the yoke of bondage it was a bondage that we were in before and a bondage greater then either we or our fathers were able to bear let
us therefore stand fast in our liberty We now come to the tenth Question Quest 10 How God the Holy Ghost gives himself to Abraham and his elect seed in the Covenant of Grace For if God give himself he doth not onely give his nature but his persons God the Father gives himself and God the Son gives himself and God the Holy Ghost gives himself unto the people of God Joh. 14.16 17. I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever even the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not neither knows him but ye know him for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you if then the Holy Ghost be given as well as the Father and the Son How is he given Or how doth he give himself unto the Church and unto all the Israel of God Answ There be four several Acts or works whereby the Holy Ghost is given to the Church and to his people for though the Lord Jesus pray the Father for him and the Father sendeth him and the Son also sendeth him Joh. 15.26 yet the Holy Ghost himself doth comes upon his people Act. 2.2 c. and He comes by a fourfold act 1. First by indwelling or inhabitation in the Church 2. Secondly by an act of Sanctification 3. Thirdly by an act of Revelation and therefore he is called a Spirit of Revelation and that is proper to the Holy Ghost 4. Fourthly by an act of Consolation and therefore he is called the Comforter 1. First for Inhabitation so saith the Apostle Ephes 2.22 You are builded together in Christ for an habitation of God through the Spirit in this respect also it is the Apostle demandeth of the Corinthians 1 Cor. 3.16 Know you not that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you so in the place fore-alledged Joh. 14.16 17. and when he saith dwell in you it noteth the constancy of his being in them he will abide in his dwelling place so 1 Joh. 2.27 the anointing there promised is the Spirit great is the necessity of his in-dwelling in us for two principal reasons The first is taken from the necessity of our union into one mystical spiritual body with the Lord Jesus Reas 1 which by this means is firmly and inviolably wrought 1 Cor. 6.17 He that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit in as much as that one Spirit who dwelleth in Christ without measure dwelleth in us according to our measure and so we are all one mystical body and I cannot tell how better to compare it then to a musical Instrument wherein though there be many pipes yet one blast of the bellowes puts breath into them all so that all of them at once break forth into a kinde of melody and give a pleasant sound to the ears of those that stand by all of them do make but one Instrument and one sound and yet variety of musick So is this very case look at all the living members of Christ they are all compacted together and set into one stock and root by which means it comes to pass that though they be many thousands yet they all make a melodious harmony in the ears of the Lord of Hosts therefore for the combining of us into the unity of one Spirit necessary it is that the same Spirit that breathes in the humane nature of Christ should breath in us all and though the divine Nature of Christ be God the humane Nature is finite and yet hath the Spirit above the capacity of the creature and this same Spirit doth act and guide and move all our affairs in him and which is wonderful it comes to pass that the same Spirit breathing in Christ and in us we have not only a measure of the Spirit to do one duty but he doth concur with us in all spiritual duties which we undertake according to him for without him we can do nothing Joh. 15.5 This is the first reason of the inhabitation of the Spirit to keep alive spiritual union between Christ and us therefore is there one Spirit in us all Secondly Reas 2 another end of this inhabitation of the Spirit is to keep possession for the Lord in our hearts against all adversary power for if the Lord should leave his gifts only to keep possession there the devil would make very hard work with the best gifts that we have received he blasted all the precious gifts that Adam had received which were more perfect in degrees than any we receive and yet when all the powers of darkness and gates of hell are banded together against Jesus Christ and his servants there is not the least of the servants of God that falleth away finally and the Apostle John gives the reason of it 1 Joh. 4.4 Ye are of God little children and have overcome them because greater is he that is in you then he that is in the world Neither are we preserved by faith only but by the mighty power of God 1 Pet. 1.5 The Spirit it is that setteth Faith awork and Christ it is that setteth the Spirit awork to keep us unto his heavenly kingdom And from this possession of the Spirit there comes a garison as it were to be kept in our hearts whereby our souls are kept alive so that the Spirit doth not only shed abroad his gifts into our hearts but he keeps our hearts in a sweet frame of sanctification 2 Tim. 1.14 That good thing which was committed to thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us that goodly depositum his Evangelistical Gift that did accompany his own salvation and the salvation of the Church he must keep it by the Holy Ghost that dwelleth in us otherwise our gifts would soon vapour out into smoak and ashes whether it be faith hope zeal patience courage or whatsoever else is requisite for the salvation of Gods people the Spirit by his power dwelling in us acteth and preserveth them the sons of God are led by the Spirit Rom. 8.14 nor is this a confining of the Spirit of God unto poor houses of clay Solomons Temple could not contain him no not the heaven of heavens he dwelleth above all heavens unmeasurably yet he dwelleth also with him that is of an humble and contrite spirit Isa 57.15 though it were a poor kitchin-boy that hath such a spirit he dwelleth there to revive the spirit of the humble As those that dwell in earthly houses there they take up their rest and lay up their treasure and there they delight to converse even thus doth the Spirit of God and it is a wonderful Indulgence of the most High that dwels in temples made without hands so to be pleased to dwell in the sons and daughters of men to make good his own eternal counsel for their salvation There is I confess also some kinde of presence of the Spirit of God even in hypocrites that