CHAPTER VI.
The work of the Holy Spirit in the composing and disposal of the Scripture as a means of sacred illumination — The perspicuity of the Scripture unto the un- derstanding of the mind of God declared and vindicated.
There is yet another part of the work of the Holy Spirit with respect unto the illumination of our minds, which must also be in- quired into, and this concerneth the Scripture itself; for this he hath so given out and so disposed of as that it should be a moral way or means for the communication of divine revelations unto the minds of men ; for this also is an effect of his infinite wisdom and care of the church. Designing to enlighten our minds with the know- ledge of God, he prepared apt instruments for that end. That, there- fore, which we shall declare on this head of our discourse is, That the Holy Spirit of God hath prepared and disposed of the Scripture so as it might be a most sufficient and absolutely perfect way and means of communicating unto our minds that saving knowledge of God and his will which is needful that ive may live unto him, and come unto the enjoyment of him in his glory. And here sundry things must be observed.
188 CAUSES, WAYS, AND MEANS, ETC. [BOOK VI., PART II.
First, The Holy Spirit hath not in the Scripture reduced and disposed its doctrines or supernatural truths into any system, order, or method. Into such a method are the principal of them disposed in our catechisms and systems of divinity, creeds, and confessions of faith; for whereas the doctrinal truths of the Scripture have a mutual respect unto and dependence on one another, they may be disposed into such an order, to help the understandings and the memories of men. There is, indeed, in some of the epistles of Paul, especially that unto the Romans, a methodical disposition of the most important doctrines of the gospel, and from thence are the best methods of our teaching borrowed ; but in the whole Scripture there is no such thing aimed at. It is not distributed into common-places, nor are all things concerning the same truth methodically disposed under the same head, but its contexture and frame are quite of another nature. From this consideration some think they have an advan- tage to charge the Scripture with obscurity, and do thereon main- tain that it was never intended to be such a revelation of doctrines as should be the rule of our faith. " Had it been so, the truths to be believed would have been proposed in some order unto us, as a creed or confession of faith, that we might at once have had a view of them and been acquainted with them ; but whereas they are now left to be gathered out of a collection of histories, prophecies, prayers, songs, letters or epistles, such as the Bible is composed of, they are difficult to be found, hard to be understood, and never perfectly to be learned." And, doubtless, the way fancied would have been excel- lent had God designed to effect in us only an artificial or metho- dical faith and obedience. But if we have a due regard unto the use of the Scripture and the ends of God therein, there is no weight in this objection ; for, —
1. It is evident that the whole of it consists in the advancement of men's own apprehensions and imaginations against the will and wisdom of God. It is a sufficient reason to prove this the absolutely best way for the disposal of divine revelations, because God hath made use of this and no other. One, indeed, is reported to have said that had he been present at the creation of the universe, he would have disposed some things into a better order than what they are in! for "vain man would be wise, though he be born like the wild ass's colt." And no wiser or better are the thoughts that the revelations of supernatural truths might have been otherwise disposed of with respect unto the end of God, than as they are in the Scripture. God puts not such value upon men's accurate methods as they may ima- gine them to deserve, nor are they so subservient unto his ends in the revelation of himself as they are apt to fancy ; yea, ofttimes when, as they suppose, they have brought truths unto the strictest pro-
CHAP. VI.] THE SPIRIT'S WORK IN THE COMPOSING OF SCRIPTURE. 189
priety of expression, they lose both their power and their glory. Hence is the world filled with so many lifeless, sapless, graceless, artificial declarations of divine truth in the schoolmen and others. We may sooner squeeze water out of a pumice-stone than one drop of spiritual nourishment out of them. But how many millions of souls have received divine light and consolation, suited unto their condition, in those occasional occurrences of truth which they meet withal in the Scripture, which they would never have obtained in those wise, artificial disposals of them which some men would fancy ! Truths have their power and efficacy upon our minds, not only from themselves, but from their posture in the Scripture. There are they placed in such aspects towards, in such conjunctions one with another, as that their influences on our minds do greatly depend thereon. He is no wise man, nor exercised in those things, who would part with any one truth out of its proper place where the Holy Spirit hath disposed and fixed it. The psalmist saith of God's testimonies they are T1^ *#?S, " the men of my counsel," Ps. cxix. 24; and no man will make choice of a counsellor all whose wisdom consists in sayings and rules cast into a certain order and method. He alone is a good counsellor who, out of the largeness and wisdom of his own heart and mind, can give advice according unto all present occasions and circumstances. Such counsellors are the testimonies of God. Artificial methodizing of spiritual truths may make men ready in notions, cunning and subtile in disputations ; but it is the Scripture itself that is able to " make us wise unto salvation."