Thirdly, There is in the days wherein we live an anti-spirit set up and advanced against the Sjjirit of God, in his beijig and all his operations, in his whole work and use towards the church of God; for this new spirit takes upon him whatever is promised to be effected by the " good Spirit of God." This is that which some men call " the light within them,'' though indeed it be nothing but a dark product of Satan upon their own imaginations, or at best the natural light of conscience; which some of the heathens also call " a spirit."^ But hereunto do they trust, as to that which doth all for them, leaving no room for the " promise of the Spirit of God," nor any thing for him to do. This teacheth them, instructs them, enlightens them ; to this they attend as the Samaritans to Simon Magus, and, as they say, yield obedience unto it; and from hence, with the fruits of it, do they expect acceptation with God, justification and blessedness here- after. And one of these two things these deluded souls must fix upon, — namely, that this light whereof they speak is either the Holy Spirit of God, or it is not. If they say it is the Spirit, it will be
' " Ita dico, Lucili, sacer intra nos spii'itus sedet, malorum bonorumque nostrorum olbscrvator et custos : hie proutanobis tractatus est, ita nos ipse tractat." — Senec. Ep. xli.
CHAP. I.] THE HOLY SPIRIT AND HIS WORK. S7
easy to demonstrate liow by their so saying they utterly destroy the very nature and being of the Holy Ghost, as will evidently aj^pear in our explication of them. And if they say that it is not the Holy Spirit of God which they intend thereby, it will be no less manifest that they utterly exclude him, on the other side, from his whole work, and substitute another, yea, an enemy, in his room : for another God is a false god ; another Christ is a false Christ ; and another Spirit is a false spirit, — the spirit of antichrist. Now, because this is a growl- ing evil amongst us, many being led away and seduced, our duty unto Jesus Christ and compassion for the souls of men do require that our utmost endeavour, in the ways of Christ's appointment, should be used to obviate this evil, which eateth as doth a canker; which also is propagated by profane and vain babblings, increasing still unto more ungodliness. Some, I confess, do unduly rage against the persons of those who have imbibed these imaginations, falling upon them with violence and fury, as they do also on others; — the Lord lay it not unto their charge! Yet this hinders not but that, by those " weapons of our warfare which are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down such like imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought unto the obedience of Christ," we ought to attempt the destruction of their errors and the breaking of the snares of Satan, by whom they are taken captive alive at his pleasure. The course, indeed, of opposing errors and false spirits by praying, preaching, and writing, is despised by them in whose furious and haughty minds ure, seca, occicle, " burn, cut, and kill," are alone of any signification, — that think, " Arise, Peter, kill and eat," to be a precept of more use and advantage unto them than all the commands of Jesus Christ besides; but the way proposed unto us by the Lord Jesus Christ himself, walked in by his holy apostles, and all the ancient, holy, learned writers of the church, is that which, in these matters, we must and shall attend unto : and that course which is particularly suited to obviate the evil mentioned, is, to give a full, plain, evident declaration from the Scripture of the nature and operations of the Holy Spirit of God. Hence it will be undeniably manifest what a stranger this pretended light is unto the true Spirit of Christ; how far it is from being of any real use to the souls of men; yea, how it is set up in opposition unto him and his work, by whom and by which alone we become accepted with God, and are brought unto the enjoyment of him. Fourthly, There are, moreover, many hurtful and noxious opinions concerning the Holy Ghost gone abroad in the world, and entertained by many, to the subversion of the faith which they have professed.^
1 " Quoniam quidam temeritate potius quam recta via etiara in supcrna eriguntur, et hsec de Spiritu Sancto jactitant, quae neque in Scripturis Iccta, ncc a quoquam ecclesi-
S8 GENERAL PRINCIPLES CONCERNING [BOOK L
Such are those whereby his deity and personality aire denied. About these there have been many contests in the world: some endea- vouring with diUgence and subtilty to promote the perverse opi- nions mentioned ; otliers " contending," according to their duty, " for the faith once dehvered unto the saints." But these disputations are for the most part so managed, that although the truth be in some of them strenuously vindicated, yet the minds of believers generally are but little edified by them ; for the most are unacquainted with the v/ays and terms of arguing, which are suited to convince or " stop the mouths of gainsayers," rather than to direct the faith of others. Besides, our knowledge "of things is more by their operations and proper effects than from their own nature and formal reason. Espe- cially is it so in divine things, and particularly with respect imto God himself In his own glorious being he dwelleth in light, where- unto no creature can approach. In the revelation that he hath made of himself by the effects of his will, in his word and works, are we to seek after him. By them are the otherwise invisible things of God made known, his attributes declared, and we come to a better ac- quaintance with him than any we can attain by our most diligent speculations about his nature itself immediately. ) So is it with the Holy Ghost and his personality. He is in the Scripture^ proposed unto us to be known by his properties and works, adjuncts and ope- rations; by our duty towards him and our offences against him. The due consideration of these things is that which will lead us into that assured knowledge of his being and subsistence which is necessary for the guidance of our faith and obedience ; which is the end of all these inquiries. Col. ii. 2. Wherefore, although I shall by the way explain, confirm, and vindicate the testimonies that are given in the Scripture, or some of them, unto his deity and personality, yet the principal means that I shall insist on for the establishing of our faith in him is the due and just exposition and declaration of the adminis- trations and operations that are ascribed unto him in the Scriptures; Avhich also will give great light into the whole mystery and economy of God in the work of our salvation by Jesus Christ.