A desire to do the will of GOD is the only way to know it; if any man will do my will, says JESUS CHRIST, “He shall know of my doctrine, whether it be of GOD, or whether I speak of myself.” As he also speaks in another place to his disciples, “To you, (who are willing to practise your duty) it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of GOD, but to those that are without, (who only want to raise cavils against my doctrine) all these things are spoken in parables, that seeing they may see and not understand, and hearing they may hear and not perceive.”
For it is but just in GOD to send those strong delusions, that they may believe a lie, and to conceal the knowledge of himself from all such as do not seek him with a single intention.
JESUS CHRIST is the same now, as formerly, to those who desire to know from his word, who he is that they may believe on, and live by; and to him he will reveal himself as clearly as he did to the woman of _Samaria_, when he said, “I that speak to thee am he,” or as he did to the man that was born blind, whom the _Jews_ had cast out for his name’s sake, “He that talketh with thee, is he.” But to those who consult his word with a desire neither to know him, nor keep his commandments, but either merely for their entertainment, or to scoff at the simplicity of the manner in which he is revealed, to those, I say, he never will reveal himself, though they should search the scriptures to all eternity. As he never would tell those whether he was the _Messiah_ or not, who put that question to him either out of curiosity, or that they might have whereof to accuse him.
_Fourthly_, In order to search the scriptures still more effectually, make an application of every thing you read to your own hearts.
For whatever was written in the book of GOD, was written for our learning. And what CHRIST said unto those aforetime, we must look upon as spoken to us also: for since the holy scriptures are nothing but a revelation from GOD, how fallen man is to be restored by JESUS CHRIST: all the precepts, threats, and promises, belong to us and to our children, as well as to those, to whom they were immediately made known.
Thus the Apostle, when he tells us that he lived by the faith of the Son of GOD, adds, “who died and gave himself for me.” It is this application of JESUS CHRIST to our hearts, that makes his redemption effectual to each of us.
And it is this application of all the doctrinal and historical parts of scripture, when we are reading them over, that must render them profitable to us, as they were designed for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, and to make every child of GOD perfect, thoroughly furnished to every good work.
I dare appeal to the experience of every spiritual reader of holy writ, whether or not, if he consulted the word of GOD in this manner, he was not at all times and at all seasons, as plainly directed how to act, as though he had consulted the Urim and Thummim, which was upon the high-priest’s breast. For this is the way GOD now reveals himself to man: not by making new revelations, but by applying general things that are revealed already to every sincere reader’s heart.
And this, by the way, answers an objection made by those who say, “The word of GOD is not a perfect rule of action, because it cannot direct us how to act or how to determine in particular cases, or what place to go to, when we are in doubt, and therefore, the Spirit, and not the word, is to be our rule of action.”
But this I deny, and affirm on the contrary, that GOD at all times, circumstances, and places, though never so minute, never so particular, will, if we diligently seek the assistance of his Holy Spirit, apply general things to our hearts, and thereby, to use the words of the holy JESUS, will lead us into all truth, and give us the particular assistance we want: But this leads me to a
_Fifth_ direction how to search the scriptures with profit: Labour to attain that Spirit by which they were written.
For the natural man discerneth not the words of the Spirit of GOD, because they are spiritually discerned; the words that CHRIST hath spoken, they are spirit, and they are life, and can be no more understood as to the true sense and meaning of them, by the mere natural man, than a person who never had learned a language can understand another speaking in it. The scriptures, therefore, have not unfitly been compared, by some, to the cloud which went before the _Israelites_, they are dark and hard to be understood by the natural man, as the cloud appeared dark to the _Egyptians_; but they are light, they are life to christians indeed, as that same cloud which seemed dark to _Pharaoh_ and his house, appeared bright and altogether glorious to the _Israel_ of GOD.