But it may be said, " Why did not the Holy Ghost dispose of all things so plainly in the Scripture that every individual person might have attained the knowledge of them without the use of this minis- try?" I answer, — It is a proud and foolish thing to inquire for any reasons of the ways and works of God antecedent unto his own will. " He worketh all things according to the counsel of his own will/' Eph. i. 11 ; and therein are we to acquiesce. Yet we may see the wis- dom of what he hath done; as herein, — 1. He would glorify his own power, in working great effects by vile, weak means, 1 Cor. iii. 7;
2 Cor. iv. 7. 2. He did it to magnify his Son Jesus Christ in the communication of spiritual gifts, Acts ii. 33; Eph. iv. 8, 11, 12. 3. To show that in and by the work of his grace he designed not to de- stroy or contradict the faculties of our nature, which at first he created. He would work on them, and work a change in them, by means suited unto their constitution and nature ; which is done in the mi- nistry of the word, 2 Cor. v. 18-20.
(2.) The disposition of the Scripture respects the duty of all be- lievers in the exercise of their faith and obedience. They know that all their light and direction, all their springs of spiritual strength and consolation, are treasured up in the Scripture; but, in the un- speakable variety of their occasions, they know not where every par- ticular provision for these ends is stored. Hence it is their duty to meditate upon the word day and night; to "seek for wisdom as silver, and to search for it as for hid treasures," that they may " understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God/' Prov. ii. 3-5. And this being a duty whereunto the exercise of all graces is required, they are all improved thereby. The soul which is hereby engaged unto constant converse with God will thrive moro
192 CAUSES, WAYS, AND MEANS, ETC. [BOOK VI., PART II.
in that which is the proper end of the Scripture, — namely, " the fear of the Lord/' — than it could do under any other kind of teaching.
(3.) A continual search into the whole Scripture, without a ne- glect of any part of it, is hereby rendered necessary. And hereby are our souls prepared on all occasions, and influenced in the whole course of our obedience ; for the whole and every part of the word is blessed unto our good, according to the prayer of our Saviour, " Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth," John xvii. 17. There is power put forth in and by every part and parcel of it unto our sanctification ; and there is such a distribution of useful truths through the whole, that everywhere we may meet with what is pre- pared for us and suited unto our condition. It is to me no small argument of the divine original of the Scripture, and of the presence of God in it, that there is no thought of our hearts with respect unto the proper end of the Scripture, — that is, our living unto God so as to come unto the enjoyment of him, — but that we shall find, at one time or other, a due adjustment of it therein, in one place or other.
There can no frame befall the hearts of believers as unto spiritual things, whether it be as unto their thriving or decay, but there is a disposition of spiritual provision for it; and ofttimes we shall find it then opening itself when we least look for it. Powerful instruc- tions, as unto our practice, do often arise out of circumstances, occa- sional words and expressions; all arguing an infinite wisdom in their provision, whereunto every future occurrence was in open view from eternity, and a present divine efficacy in the word's application of itself unto our souls. How often in the reading of it do we meet with, and are as it were surprised with, gracious words, that en- lighten, quicken, comfort, endear, and engage our souls! How often do we find sin wounded, grace encouraged, faith excited, love in- flamed, and this in that endless variety of inward frames and out- Avard occasions which we are liable unto ! I shall say with confidence, that he never was acquainted with the excellency of the Scripture, with its power and efficacy, in any holy experience, who is capable of fancying that divine revelations might have been disposed unto more advantage with respect unto our living unto God. And these things are sufficient for the removal of the objection before men- tioned.
Secondly, The Holy Spirit hath so disposed of the Scripture that the mind of God in all things concerning our faith and obedi- ence, in the knowledge whereof our illumination doth consist, is clearly revealed therein. There needs no other argument to prove an}7 thing not to belong unto our religion than that it is not revealed or appointed in the Scripture; no other to prove any truth not to be
CHAP. VI.] THE SPIRIT'S WORK IN THE COMPOSING OF SCRIPTURE. 193
indispensably necessary unto our faith or obedience than that it is not clearly revealed in the Scripture. But in this assertion we must take along with us these two suppositions: —