There is not anything that befalls a Christian in his life, but there is a rule or pattern for it in Scripture. If w-e were skilful to bring the places and rules together, we should see a ground in Scripture for everything, both for all duties and all things to be believed. And there be not only rules in Scripture, but also rules quickening by example ; for divinity is of practical knowledge, and therefore it is enlivened and interlaced with examples, as here he makes use of the example of David. God doth not write us laws, and leave them barely in our possession as commands ; but God quickens and enlivens all the rules and promises with the practice of some of the blessed saints. None can read David's psalms but he shall read himself in them. He cannot undergo a trouble, but he shall find David under the same trouble ; he shall not need a comfort, but he shall see David comforted with the same comfort ; so that he is a pattern for them. It is a comfortable thing to read the Scriptures, because there we shall find whatsoever is useful for us. They that go into a garden that is beset with flowers, they cannot but receive a sweet spirit and breath from the flowers in the very walks ; and so there is such a spirit in Scripture, that we cannot read the Scriptures with reverence but there is a sweet savour that springeth from them, which both delights and strengthens at\ once. No walk is so comfortable as the walk of Scripture ; therefore, take our solace there, and we shall see the promises, and those enlivened with examples and patterns, and the Spirit of God bringing the like sweetness and the like strength into ourselves. Oh that we would be more in love * Qu. ' whatsoever ' ? — Ed.
2 coniNTniANS chap, iv, vkr. 13. 419
with reading of Scripture. "We see the apostle Paul, as great a man as he was, encourageth himself aud strengthens himself with the pattern of holy David : ' David believes and speaks, and I believe and speak.' So that you see how you may make benefit of the Scripture.
From hence you have a rule of enlargement of the Scripture to you, and a rule likewise of application, that when we read the Scriptures we may enlarge them, and apply them to ourselves in particular. And so much for that point, we have faith, the spirit of faith. 'And the same spirit of faith, according as it is written.'
The next thing observable is this, that after the spirit of faith, he names belief; and after belief, he names qmiking ; whence observe the connection and knitting together of these things by God, the coherence that God hath made betwixt. First, there is the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The Spirit is the agent that works all in the church, it being Christ's vicar on earth, and that Spirit works a spirit of grace in us, in particular a spirit of fiiith. When the Holy Ghost hath framed our hearts to believe, then we believe ; and when we believe, then we speak. So that these go together, the Spirit of God, begetting in us a spirit of faith, and an act of believing answerable to the frame proceeding from a spirit of faith ; and then, because faith is the spring aud foundation of all other graces, ' we believe, therefore we speak.'
First of all, the Spirit of God works a blessed frame in our hearts, here called the ' Spirit of God.'* The Holy Ghost doth not only work by a Christian as an instrument, but works in him as a subject. Our soul is altogether out of frame. The Holy Ghost, therefore, puts us in frame by a spirit of fixith, infusing a spirit of knowledge into the understanding, a Bpirit of obedience into the will. He draweth the will and enlighteneth the understanding, and then we believe. All actions come from a fountain, and spring, and life, and frame within ; the Holy Ghost worketh a holy frame, and then we act. We must not think of believing without a spirit of faith first, for that is to conceive of a river without a spring head, or a beam without a sun, or a branch without a root. And therefore, as faith cannot be without the Holy Ghost, so belief cannot be without the spirit of faith, which is only for the clear conceiving of the point. We shall make use of it afterwards.
First, a spirit of faith, aud then we believe. So that the grace of faith Cometh from the Spirit, but the act is ours, and comes immediately from us, which serveth to answer an idle objection against those that be all for grace. If we do all by the help of the Spiiit, and we have no liberty, then the Holy Ghost believeth, and the Holy Ghost speaketh, and the Holy Ghost loveth, and not we. The objection is [not] idle against those that be all for free grace.
It is true, the grace is from the Spirit, but when the grace is received, the act is from ourselves, not only from ourselves, but immediately jfrom oui'selves. We cannot but confess it so.