138. A Christian will not do common things, but, first, he sanctifies them, and dedicates himself, his person, and his actions to God, and so he sees God in all things. Whereas a carnal man sees reason only in all that he doth; but a Christian sees God in crosses to humble him, and every- thing he makes spiritual. Yet because there is a double principle in him, there will be some stirring of the flesh in bis actions, and sometimes the worser part will appear most. But here is the excellency of a Christian's estate, that the Spirit will work it out at last. It will never let his heart and conscience alone till it be wrought out by little and little.
139. The Spirit of God may be known to be in weak Christians. As the soul is known to be in the body by the pulses, even so the Spirit discovers itself in them by pulses, by groaning, sighing, complaining, that it is so with them, and that they are no better; so that they are out of love with themselves. This is a good sign that the Spirit is there in some measure.
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140. Where the Spirit dwells largely in any man, there is boldness in God's cause, a contempt of the world : * He can do all things through Christ that strengthens him,' Philip, iv. 13. His mind is content and settled. He can bear with the infirmities of others and not be offended, for it is the weak in spirit that are offended. He is ready in his desires to say, ' Come, Lord Jesus ; come quickly,' llev. xxii. 20. But where corruption bears sway there is, ' Oh stay a little, that I may recover my strength,' Ps. xxxix. 13; that is, stay a while that I may repent. For the soul is not fit to appear before God but where the Spirit dwells in grace and comfort.
141. AVhen we are young carnal delights lead us, and when we are old covetousness drowns us ; so that if our knowledge be not spiritual, we shall never hold out. And the reason why at the hour of death so many despair, is because they had knowledge without the Spirit.
142. God gives comforts in the exercise and practice of grace. We must not therefore snatch comforts before we be fit for them. When we perform precejits, then God performs comforts. If w^e will make it good indeed that we love God, we must keep his commandments. We must not keep one, but all. It must be universal obedience fetched from the heart root, and that out of love.
143. It is a true rule in divinity, that God never takes away any bless- ing from his people but he gives them a better. When Elijah was taken from Elisha into heaven, God doubled his Spirit upon Elisha. If God take away wife or children, he gives better things for them. The disciples parted with Christ's bodily presence, but he sent them the Holy Ghost.
144. God will be known of us in those things wherein it is our comfort to know him. In all our devotions, the whole counsel of heaven comforts us jointly. The second person prays to the Father, and he sends the third, and as they have several titles, so they all agree in their love and care to comfort.
145. In trouble, we are prone to forget all that we have heard and read that makes for our comfort. Now, what is the reason that a man comes to think of that which otherwise he should never have called to mind? The Holy Ghost brings it to his remembrance. He is a comforter, bringing to mind useful things at such times when we have most need of them.
14G. Those that care not for the word of God, reject their comfort. All comfort must be drawn out of the Scriptures, which are the breasts of conso- lation. Many are bred up by education that they know the truth and are able to discourse of it, but they want the Spirit of truth ; and that is the rea- son why all their knowledge vanisheth away in time of trial and temptation.
147. No man is a true divine but the child of God. He only knows holy things by a holy light and life. Other men, though they speak of these things, yet they know them not. Take the mysticallest points in religion, as justification, adoption, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, the sweet benefit of communion of saints, the excellent estate of a Christian in extremity, to know what is to be done upon all occasions, inward sight and sorrow for sin, they know not what those things mean. For howsoever they may discourse of them, yet the things themselves are mysteries. Re- pentance is a mystery, joy in the Holy Ghost is a mystery. No natural man, though he be never so great a scholar, knows these things experi- mentally; but he knows them as physicians know physic, by their books, but not as a sick man by experience.
148. It is a great scandal to religion that men of great learning and parts
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are wicked men. Hereupon the world comes to think that religion is nothing but an empty name ; so that, without this inward anointing, they never see spiritual things experimentally; but though they know these things in the brain, yet secretly in their hearts thoy make a scorn of con- version and mortification; and though for his calling he may speak of these things excellentl}', and with admiration, yet in particular he hath no power of them in his heart.