(2.) God by his Spirit "worketh in us both to will and to do of his own good pleasure." All vital actions are from him. It may be said of graces and gracious operations as well as gifts, "All these
312 DOCTRINE OF THE SAINTS* PERSEVERANCE. [CHAP.
worketh in us that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to every one as he Avill." But this is not now to be insisted on.
S. The Spirit as indwelhng gives guidance and direction to them in whom he is as to the way wlierein they ought to walk : Rom. viii. 14, " As many as are led by the Spirit of God." The Spirit leads them in wliom it is. And verse 1, they are said to " walk after the Spirit." Now, there is a twofold leading, guidance, or direction: — (1.) Mo7^al and extj'insical, the leading of a rule; (2.) Internal and ejicient, the leading of a principle.
Of these, the one lays forth the way, the other directs and carries along in it. The first is the Word, giving us the direction of a way, of a rule; the latter is the Spirit, effectually guiding and leading us in all the paths thereof. Without this the other's direction will be of no saving use ; it may be " line upon line, precept upon precept," yet men go backward and are ensnared. David, notwithstanding the rule of the Word, yea the Spirit of prophecy, for the inditing of more of the mind of God for the use of the church, when moved thereunto, yet in one psalm cries out four times, " Oh ! give me un- derstanding, that I may learn thy commandments," concluding that hence would be his life, that therein it lay: "Oh! give me," saith he, "understanding, and I shall live," Ps. cxix. 144. So Paul bidding Timothy consider the word of the Scripture, that he might know Avhence it is that this will be of use unto him, he adds, " The Lord give thee understanding in all things," 2 Tim. ii. 7. How this understanding is given the same apostle informs us, Eph. i. 17, 18, " The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him : the eyes of your understanding being" thereby " enlightened ;" 1 Cor. ii. 1 ] , 12. It is the " Spirit of wisdom and revelation," the Holy Spirit of God, from whom is all spiritual wisdom, and all revelation of the will of God, who being given unto us by the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our God in him, " enlightens our understanding, that we may know," etc. And on this account is the Son of God said to '' come and give us an understanding to know him that is true," that is, himself by his Spirit, 1 John v. 2).
Now, there be two ways whereby the Spirit gives us guidance to walk according to the rule of the word: —
(1.) By giving us "the knowledge of the will of God, in all wis- dom and spiritual understanding," Col. i. 9, carrying us on " unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ," chap. ii. 2. This is that spiritual, habitual, saving illumination, which he gives to the souls of them to whom he is given : "He who commanded light to shine out of darkness, by him shineth into their hearts, to give them the light of the knowledge of his glory in the face of Jesus Christ,"
VIII.] THE INDWELLING OF THE SPIIIIT. 343
2 Cor. iv. 6. This is elsewhere termed "translating from darkness to liglit, opening blind eyes, giving light to them that are in darkness, freeincf us from the condition of natural men, who discern not the things that are of God."^ This the apostle makes it his design to clear up and manifest, 1 Cor. ii. He tells you the things of the gospel are "the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory," verse 7; and then proves that an acquaintance herewith is not to be attained by any natural means or abilities whatsoever, verse 9, " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him;" and thence, unto the end of the chapter, variously manifests how this is given to be- lievers and wrought in them by the Spirit alone, from whom it is that they know the mind of Christ. "But," saith he, "God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, even the deep things of God. For who knoweth the things of a man but the spirit of a man ? and who knoweth the things of God but the Spirit of God? And we have received the spirit, not of this world, but the Spirit which is of God ; that we may know the things which are freely given us of God."
The word is as the way whereby we go; yea, as an external light, as " a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path," Ps. cxix. 105; yea, as the sun in the firmament, sending forth its beams of light abundantly. But what will this profit if a man have no eyes in his head ? There must not only be light in the object and in the me- dium, but in the subject, in our hearts and minds ; and this is of the operation of the Spirit of light and truth given to us, as the apostle tells us, 2 Cor. iii. 18, "We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord."