of the Son but by the Spirit; or, That the revelation of the Son of God is by the Spirit. Where it is to be noted, that I always speak of the saving, certain, and necessary knowledge of God; which that it cannot be acquired otherways than by the Spirit, doth also appear from many clear scriptures. For Jesus Christ, in and by whom the Father is revealed, doth also reveal himself to his disciples and friends in and by his Spirit. As his manifestation was outward, when he testified and witnessed for the truth in this world, and approved himself faithful throughout, so being now withdrawn, as to the outward man, he doth teach and instruct mankind inwardly by his own Spirit; He standeth at the door and knocketh, and whoso heareth his voice and openeth, he comes in to such, Rev. iii. 20. Of this revelation of Christ in him Paul speaketh, Gal. i. 16; in which he placeth the excellency of his ministry, and the certainty of his calling. And the promise of Christ to his disciples, Lo, I am with you to the end of the world, confirmeth the same thing; for this is an inward and spiritual presence, as all acknowledge: but what relates hereto will again occur. I shall deduce the proof of this proposition from two manifest places of scripture: the first is, 1 Cor. ii. 11, 12. What man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man The things which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth of God are no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received the Spirit of not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of Proof I. known by God. God, that we might know the things which are freely given us of God. The apostle in the verses before, speaking of the wonderful things which are prepared for the saints, after he hath declared, that the natural man cannot reach them, adds, that they are revealed by the Spirit of God, ver. 9, 10; giving this reason, For the Spirit searcheth all things, even the deep things of God. And then he bringeth in the comparison, in the verses abovementioned, very apt, and answerable to our purpose and doctrine, that as the things of a man are only known by the spirit of man, so the things of God are only known by the Spirit of God; that is, that as nothing below the spirit of man (as the spirit of brutes, or any other creatures) can properly reach unto or comprehend the things of a man, as being of a nobler and higher nature, so neither can the spirit of man, or the natural man, as the apostle in the fourteenth verse subsumes, receive nor discern the things of God, or the things that are spiritual, as being also of a higher nature; which the apostle himself gives for the reason, saying, Neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. So that the apostle's words, being reduced to an argument, do very well prove the matter under debate, thus: If that which appertaineth properly to man cannot be discerned by any lower or baser principle than the spirit of man; then cannot those things, that properly relate unto God and Christ, be known or discerned by any lower or baser thing than the Spirit of God and Christ. But the first is true: therefore also the second. The whole strength of the argument is contained in the apostle's words before-mentioned; which therefore being granted, I shall proceed to deduce a second argument, thus: That which is spiritual can only be known and discerned by the Spirit of God. But the revelation of Jesus Christ, and the true and saving knowledge of him, is spiritual: Therefore the revelation of Jesus Christ, and the true and saving knowledge of him, can only be known and discerned by the Spirit of God. call Jesus The other scripture is also a saying of the same Proof II. apostle, 1 Cor. xii. 3. No man can say that Jesus No man can is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. This Scripture, Lord, &c. which is full of truth, and answereth full well to the enlightened understanding of the spiritual and real Christian, may perhaps prove very strange to the Spiritual lies spoken men. carnal and pretended follower of Christ, by whom perhaps it hath not been so diligently remarked. Here the apostle doth so much require the Holy Spirit in the things that relate to a Christian, that he positively avers, we cannot so much as affirm Jesus to be the Lord without it; which insinuates no less, than that the spiritual truths of the Gospel are as truths are lies in the mouths of carnal and unspiritual men; for though in themselves they be true, yet are they not true as to them, because not known nor uttered forth in and by that principle and spirit that ought to direct the mind and actuate it; in such things they are no better than the counterfeit representations of things in a comedy; neither can it be more truly and properly called a real and true knowledge of God and Christ, than the actions of Alexander the Great and Julius Cæsar, &c, if now transacted upon a stage, might be called truly and really their doings, or the persons representing them might be said truly and really to have conquered Asia, overcome Pompey, &c. a parrot. This knowledge then of Christ, which is not by the revelation of his own Spirit in the heart, is no more properly the knowledge of Christ, than the Like the prattling of a parrot, which has been taught a few prattling of words, may be said to be the voice of a man; for as that, or some other bird may be taught to sound or utter forth a rational sentence, as it hath learned it by the outward ear, and not from any living principle of reason actuating it; so just such is that knowledge of the things of God, which the natural and carnal man hath gathered from the words or writings of spiritual men, which are not true to him, because conceived in the natural spirit, and so brought forth by the wrong organ, and not proceeding from the spiritual principle; no more than the words of a man acquired by art, and brought forth by the mouth of a bird, not proceeding from a rational principle, are true with respect to the bird which utters them. Wherefore from this scripture I shall further add this argument: If no man can say Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost; then no man can know Jesus to be the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. But the first is true; therefore the second. From this argument there may be another deduced, concluding in the very terms of this assertion: thus, If no man can know Jesus to be the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost, then there can be no certain knowledge or revelation of him but by the Spirit. But the first is true: therefore the second. §. VII. The third thing affirmed is, That by the Assert. 3. Spirit God always revealed himself to his children. proved. For making the truth of this assertion appear, it will be but needful to consider God's manifesting himself towards and in relation to his creatures from the beginning, which resolves itself always herein. The first step of all is ascribed hereunto by Moses, Gen. i. 2. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. I think it will not be denied, that God's converse with man, all along from Adam That reveto Moses, was by the immediate manifestation of his lation is by Spirit and afterwards, through the whole tract of God. the law, he spake to his children no otherways; which, as it naturally followeth from the principles above proved, so it cannot be denied by such as acknowledge the Scriptures of truth to have been written by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost: for these writings, from Moses to Malachi, do declare, that during all that time God revealed himself to his children by his Spirit. the Spirit of But if any will object That, after the dispensation OBJECT. of the law, God's method of speaking was altered; I answer: First, That God spake always imme- ANsw. diately to the Jews, in that he spake always immediately to the High Priest from betwixt the Cherubims; who, when he entered into the Holy of Holies, Sanctum returning, did relate to the whole people the voice Sanctorum. and will of God, there immediately revealed. So that this immediate speaking never ceased in any age. Secondly, from this immediate fellowship were none shut out, who earnestly sought after and waited for it; in that many, besides the High Priest, who were not so much as of the kindred of Levi, nor of the prophets, did receive it and speak from it; as it is written, Numb. xi. 25; where the Spirit is said to None shut have rested upon the seventy elders; which Spirit also reached unto two that were not in the tabernacle, but in the camp; whom, when some would have forbidden, Moses would not, but rejoiced, wishing that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that he would put his Spirit upon them, ver. 29. ont from this imme diate fellowship. Assert. 4. Proved. This is also confirmed, Neh. ix. where the elders of the people, after their return from captivity, when they began to sanctify themselves by fasting and prayer, numbering up the many mercies of God towards their fathers, say, verse 20, Thou gavest also thy good Spirit to instruct them; and verse 30, Yet many years didst thou forbear, and testify against them by thy Spirit in thy prophets. Many are the sayings of spiritual David to this purpose, as Psalm li. 11, 12, Take not thy holy Spirit from me; uphold me with thy free Spirit. Psalm cxxxix. 7, Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Hereunto doth the prophet Isaiah ascribe the credit of his testimony, saying, chap. xlviii. 16, And now the Lord God and his Spirit hath sent me. And that God revealed himself to his children under the New Testament, to wit, to the apostles, evangelists, and primitive disciples, is confessed by all. How far now this yet continueth, and is to be expected, comes hereafter to be spoken to. §. VIII. The fourth thing affirmed is, That these revelations were the object of the saints' faith of old. This will easily appear by the definition of faith, and considering what its object is; for which we shall not dive into the curious and various notions of the school-men, but stay in the plain and positive words of the apostle Paul, who, Heb. xi. describes What faith it two ways. Faith (saith he) is the substance of is? |