94 THE REASON OF FAITH. [BOOK VI., PART I.
word also, in its place and use, " pierceth even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner," or passeth a critical judgment on " the thoughts and intents of the heart," or makes manifest the secrets of men's hearts, as it is here expressed. Hereby, then, doth the Holy Ghost so evidence the divine authority of the word, namely, by that divine power which it hath upon our souls and consciences, that we do assuredly acquiesce in it to be from God. So the Thessalonians are commended that they " received the word not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh in them that believe," 1 Thess. ii. 13. It distinguish eth itself from the word of men, and evidences itself to be indeed the word of God, by its effectual opera- tion in them that believe. And he who hath this testimony in him- self hath a higher and more firm assurance of the truth than what can be attained by the force of external arguments or the credit of human testimony. Wherefore, I say in general, that the Holy Spirit giveth testimony unto and evinceth the divine authority of the word by its powerful operations and divine effects on the souls of them that do believe; so that although it be weakness and fool- ishness unto others, yet, as is Christ himself unto them that are called, it is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
And I must say, that although a man be furnished with external arguments of all sorts concerning the divine original and authority of the Scriptures, although he esteem his motives of credibility to be effectually persuasive, and have the authority of any or all the churches in the world to confirm his persuasion, yet if he have no experience in himself of its divine power, authority, and efficacy, he neither doth nor can believe it to be the word of God in a due man- ner,— with faith divine and supernatural. But he that hath this ex- perience hath that testimony in himself which will never fail.
This will be the more manifest if we consider some few of those many instances wherein it exerts its power, or the effects which are produced thereby.
The principal divine effect of the word of God is in the conversion of the souls of sinners unto God. The greatness and glory of this work we have elsewhere declared at large. And all those who are acquainted with it, as it is declared in the Scripture, and have any experience of it in their own hearts, do constantly give it as an in- stance of the exceeding greatness of the power of God. It may be they speak not improperly who prefer the work of the new creation before the work of the old, for the express evidences of almighty power contained in it, as some of the ancients do. Now, of this great and glorious effect the word is the only instrumental cause, whereby the divine power operates and is expressive of itself: for we are
CHAP. VI.] THE NATURE OF DIVINE REVELATIONS. 95
" born again/' born of God, " not of corruptible seed, but of incorrup- tible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever," 1 Pet. i. 23 ; for " of his own will doth God beget us with the word of truth," James i. 18. The word is the seed of the new creature in us, that whereby our whole natures, our souls and all their faculties, are changed and renewed into the image and likeness of God; and by the same word is this new nature kept and preserved, 1 Pet. ii. 2, and the whole soul carried on unto the enjoyment of God. It is unto believers " an ingrafted word, which is able to save their souls," James i. 21 ; the " word of God's grace, which is able to build us up, and give us an inheritance among all them which are sanctified," Acts xx. 32 ; and that because it is the " power of God unto salvation unto every one that belie veth," Rom. i. 16. All the power which God puts forth and exerts, in the communication of that grace and mercy unto believers whereby they are gradually carried on and prepared unto salvation, he doth it by the word. Therein, in an especial manner, is the divine authority of the word evidenced, by the divine power and efficacy given unto it by the Holy Ghost. The work which is effected by it, in the regeneration, conversion, and sanctification of the souls of believers, doth evidence infallibly unto their consciences that it is not the word of man, but of God. It will be said, " This testimony is private in the minds only of them on whom this work is wrought," and therefore do I press it no farther, but " he that believeth hath the witness in himself," 1 John v. 10. Let it be granted that all who are really converted unto God by the power of the word have that infallible evidence and testimony of its divine original, authority, and power in their own souls and con- sciences, that they thereon believe it with faith divine and super- natural, in conjunction with the other evidences before mentioned, as parts of the same divine testimony, and it is all I aim at herein.