[3.] The Spirit of God dwelling in him, in all the fulness of his graces and gifts, gave him an understanding peculiar unto himself ; as above that of all creatures, so beneath the essential omniscience of the divine nature. Hence some things, as he was a man, he knew not, (Mark xiii. 32,) but as they were given him by revelation, Rev. L 1, But he is the prophet of the church in his whole entire person, and revealed the counsel of God, as he was in heaven in the bosom of the Father. Cursed be he that trusteth in man, that maketh flesh his ann, as to the revelations of the counsels of God. Here lies the safety, the security, the glory of the church. How deplorable is the darkness of mankind, in their ignorance of God and heavenly things ! In what ways of vanity and misery have the generality of them wandered ever since our first apostasy from God I Nothing but hell is more full of horror and confusion than the minds and ways of men destitute of heavenly light. How miserably did those among them who boasted themselves to be wise, wax foolish in their imaginations ! How wofuUy did aU their inquiries after the nature and will of God, their own state, duty, and happiness, issue in curiosity, uncertainty, vanity, and falsehood ! He who is infinitely good and compassionate, did from the beginning give some relief in this woful state, by such parcels of divine revelations as he thought meet to communicate unto them by the prophets of old — such as they were able to receive. By them he set up a light shining in a dark place, as the hght of stars in the night. But it was the rising of the
94 THE PERSON OF CHRIST,
Sun of Righteousness alone that dispelled the darkness that was on the earth, the thick darkness that was on the people, bringing life and immortality to light by the Gospel. The divine person of the Son of God, in whom were hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, who is in the bosom of the Father, hath now made known all things unto the church, giving us the perfect idea and certainty of all sacred truth, and the full assurance of things invisible and eternal.
Three things are necessary, that we may have the benefit and comfort of divine light or truth — 1st, The fulness of its revela- tion; 2dli/, The infallibility of it; and, Sdly, The authority from whence it doth proceed. If either of these be wanting, we cannot attain unto stability and assurance in the faith of it, or obedience unto it.
1st, Full it must be, to free us from all attempts of fear that any thing is detained or hidden from us that were needfal for us to know. Without this the mind of man can never come to rest in the kaowledge of tnith. All that he knows may be useless unto him, for the want of that which he neither doth nor can know, because not revealed.
2dly, And it must be infallible also. For this divine truth whereof we treat, being concerning thmgs unseen — heavenly, eternal mysteries, transcending the reach of human reason — -nothing but the absolute infallibility of the revealer can bring the mind of man to assurance and acquiescency. And whereas the same truth enjoins unto us duties, many of them contrary unto our inclinations and cross unto our several interests — the great guides of corrupted nature — the revelation of it must proceed from sovereign authority, that the will may comply with the mind in the embracement of it. All these are absolutely secured in the divine person of the great prophet of the chm'ch. His infinite wisdom, his infinite goodness, his essential veracity, his sovereign authority over all, give the highest assurance whereof a created understanding is capable, that nothing is detained from us — that there is no possibihty of error or mistake in what is declared unto us, nor any pretence left of declinmg obedience unto the commands of the truth that we do receive. This gives the soul assured rest and peace in the belief of things which " eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor can enter into the heart of man to conceive." Upon the assurance of this truth alone can it with joy prefer things invisible and eternal above all present satisfactions and desires. In the persuasion hereof can it forego the best of present enjoyments, and undergo the worst of present evils; namely, in the experience of its present efficacy, and choice of that future recompense which it doth secure. And he believes not the Gospel unto his own advantage, or
THE RELATION OF THE SPIRIT TO CHRIST AS PROPHET. 95
the glory of God, whose faith rests not in the divine person of Jesus Christ, the great prophet of the church. And he who there finds rest unto his soul, dares not admit of any copartnei'S with him as to instruction in the mind of God.
^cUy, It Avas requisite unto the office of this great prophet of the church, and the discharge thereof, that he should have power and authority to send the Holy Spirit to make his revelations of divine truth effectual unto the minds of men. For the church which he was to instruct, was not only in darkness, by reason of ignorance and want of objective light or divine revelations, but was incapacitated to re- ceive spiritual things ia a due manner when revealed. Wherefore, it Vv^as the work of this prophet, not only to make known and declare the doctrines of truth, which are our external directive light, but also to irradiate and illuminate our minds, so that we might savingly apprehend them. And it is no wonder if those who are otherwise minded, who suppose themselves able to receive spiritual things, the things of God, in a due manner, upon their external proposal unto them, are regardless of the divine person of Christ as the prophet of the church. But hereon they will never have experience of the hfe and power of the doctrine of the Gospel, if the apostle is to be be- lieved, 1 Cor. ii. 9-12. Now, this internal illumination of the minds of men unto the acknowledgment of the truth can be wrought in them only by the Holy Spirit of God, Eph. i. 17-19; 2 Cor. iii. 18. None, therefore, could be the prophet of the church, but he who had the power to send the Holy Spirit to enable it to receive his doctrine by the saving illumination of the minds of men. And this alone he could do, whose Spirit he is, proceeding from him; whom he there- fore frequently promised so to send.