Our hearts misgive us, when we are guilty of some sins, as always there is guilt on the soul, — so much guilt, so much doubt. Till the soul be free from guilt, it will never but be casting of doubts ; and therefore there is always resistance in us, and there must be a higher power than the heart and soul of a man to set the heart down and quiet it ; it is always in conflict.
4.* And the graces and comforts of the Spirit wrought by the Spirit, are * In margin, ' By supernatural obedience.' — G.
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, XY^H. 22. 479
always in the use of means, holy means ; and it carries a man above the strenf/th of nature, it carries a man to the practice of that which he could not do by nature, to pardon his enemies, to pray for them, to overcome revenge, and to enjoy prosperity without pride, in a comfortable measure ; and it enables him to practise the last commandment, that he shall be content with his estate, and not lust after others ; and the first commandment. The graces of the Holy Spirit enables a man to love God, and to rejoice in him above all as his best portion. It makes his joy spiritual, and iit makes him delight in all connatural things that are like the Spirit ; as whatsoever is spiritual is connatm'al to the Spirit.
If a man have the graces of the Spirit, he joys in spiritual company, he joys in the presence of God, he hates sin as being contrary to the ' earnest of the Spirit,' he hates terror of conscience, and the way unto it. He will look on good things as God looks on them, and as the Spirit looks on them, and everything that is spiritual he relisheth, ' he favours the things of the Spirit,' Mark viii. 33.
Now because I will not detract •'= j^our thoughts, there are some six or seven properties of the Spirit in one chapter, that you may have them all together in Rom. viii. I will not name all, but such as are easy.
5. First of all, it is said in the 9th verse, that the Spirit where it is, it dwells as in a house. Now, wheresoever the Spirit is, he is dwelling and ruling ; for the Holy Ghost will not be an underling to lusts, and he repairs and makes up the breaches of the soul. Where the Spirit dwells, all the breaches are made up. Ignorance to knowledge, he begets knowledge, and aflfection, and love ; he prepares all, he prepares his own dwelling, and it is familiar and constant to the Spirit. A dwelling implies familiarity and constancy. He is not in us, as he is in wicked men that ha%'e the Spirit. As Austin saith, ' The Spirit of God knocks at their hearts, but he doth not dwell there' (hhhh).
To go on, that is the first. The Spirit dwells in us, if we have the Spirit,
6. And then the Spirit doth subdue the contrary ; for the Spirit, when it comes into a man, it pulls down all the ' strongholds,' it makes way for itself; and, therefore, it is said to ' mortify the deeds of the flesh,' ver. 18. If you mortify the deeds of the flesh by the Spirit, you are led by the Spirit. Those, therefore, that by the help of the Spuit, by spiritual reasons, subdue their corruptions, they are led by the Spirit ; those that cherish corruptions, or mortify them, not by spiritual reasons, but out of civil respect, to carry authority among men, and, therefore, they would be free from aspersions, as might disable their reputation, they have not the Spirit.
7. Thirdly, as many as are led by the Spirit, are the sons of God ; the Spirit leads them. As the angel that went before the Israelites from Egypt unto Canaan ; so the Spirit of God, like the angel, goes before us, and leads us the way, and removes the lets.t It doth lead us, I say, sweetly, and not violently, as the devil leads his that are possessed with his spirit. So that those that have the Spirit working gi*ace and comfort in them, sweetly he leads them, and yet strongly too ; for it is strongly, because it is against corruption and opposition from without ; but yet sweetly, preserv- ing the liberty and freedom of the soul. "We by nature are like children or blind men ; we cannot lead ourselves, and, therefoi-e, the Spirit leads us. Those therefore that have the Spirit, it leads them, they submit them- selves to the guidance and leading of the Spirit. That is another evidence.
*" Qu. ' distract ' ? or perhaps = divert, turn aside. — G. t That is, hindrances. Cf. note d, vol. I. p. 101. — G,
480 COMMENTARY ON
8. A fourth is this, That it is a spirit of adoption . It assures us that we are the sons of God ; it gives us assurance of our adoption, that wo are the sons of God. The same Spirit that sanctifieth us, it witucsseth to us, it makes us holy. It witnesseth to us that wc are the sons of God.