Indeed all things are wrought by the Spirit in gi-ace for application ; the desert* is from the Son, originally from the Father ; but in regard of appli- cation of what is wrought by the Son, all is by the Holy Ghost, Both graces and comforts the Holy Ghost takes from Christ ; for if grace be wrought, it is with divine reasons from the love of God in Christ. If grace be wrought, it is from the wondrous love of God reconciled in Christ, wherein heaven is opened, hell is vanquished. It is by reasons fetched from Christ ; and so ' he takes of mine,' as Christ saith, ' He shall take of mine, and give to you,' John xvi. 15. He takes reasons from Christ, — the Holy Ghost, t — whereby he makes all. The application is alto- gether by the Spirit.
(2.) And it must be by the Spirit again, because the Spirit of God, and no less than the Spirit, can quiet our sjnrits. For when the soul is distem- pered, it is Uke a distempered lock that no key can open : so when the con- science is troubled, what creature can settle the troubled conscience ? can open the ambages \ of a troubled conscience in such perplexity and confu- sion ? and therefore to settle the troubled conscience aright, it must be somewhat above conscience ; and that which must quiet the spirit, must be such a Spirit as is above our spirits. This is excellently set down in this epistle, in the third chapter, the work of the Holy Ghost in this kind. But I cannot stand upon it now at this time. I go on.
* That is, ' merit.'— Ed.
t That is, ' He, the Holy Ghost, takes reasons from Christ.' — G.
% That is, 'winding- passages,' = subterfuges, evasions. — G.
478 COMMENTARY ON
Likewise in the first Epistle to the Corinthians, the second chapter, and 11th verse, that one place shall stand instead of all. ' What man knows the things of a man, but the spirit of a man that is in him ? So the things of God no man knows but the Spirit.'
Now, ' We have received the spirit, not of the world, but the Spirit of God, to know the things that are freely given us of God.' If our spirits were in the heart and soul of another man, in the breast of another man, we should know what another man thinks. If a man had a spirit in another man's spirit, surely he would know all his thoughts and all his affections.
Now the Holy Spirit of God is in the breast of the Father, and the Son, and he knows our spirits better than we know our own spirits ; he searcheth, he is a ' searcher,' as the word is in the original (gnfjff). The Spirit is a searcher. He searcheth our own hearts, and he searcheth the secret love of God to us, that is, the Spirit must stablish us.
Well then, if the Spirit doth all, how shall we know then that we have this Spirit ? A note or two, and so go on.
1. If we have this Spirit of God to seal us, and to be an earnest (I will not speak all that may be, but a little ; for indeed all comes from the Spirit), even as in our souls, how may a man know that he hath a soul ? b>/ living and moviiiff, hy actions vital, &c., so we may know a man hath the Spirit of God by those actions that come only from the Spirit, which is to the soul, as the soul is in the body : for as all beauty and motion comes fi'om the soul to the body, so to the soul from the Spirit, all comes of the Spirit, and therefore every saving grace is a sign that the Spirit is in us.
2. In a word, the Spirit is in us in the nature of fire, as in other things, so in this, i)i transfonning. Wheresoever the Spirit dwells, he transforms the soul, he transforms the party like himself holy and gi'acious. Those there- fore that find the Spirit transforming and changing them in the use of the ordinance of the word, they may know that they have the Spirit sealing them, and being an earnest to them.
3. They may know likewise, that they have it wrought by the Spirit, for every one grace, you may know spiritual graces are ivith conflict; for what is true, is with a great deal of resistance of that which is counterfeit.
Comforts and graces that are not the earnest of the Spirit, are with little conflict ; but where there are true comforts and graces of the Spirit wrought by the Spirit, it is with much conflict with Satan and with himself; for there is a great deal of envy in the devil against the man that walks in the Spirit. Thinks he, what ! such a base creature as this is to have the ' earnest ' of heaven, to walk here as if he were in heaven already, and to defy all opposite powers ! Nay, I will trouble his peace, he shall go mourning to heaven, if he go there. This is the reasoning of the cursed spirit, and hereupon he labours to shake the assurance and persuasion ; and the grace and comfort of a Christian, — it is with much conflict and tempta- tion, not only with Satan, but with his own heart.