It was the want of the assistance of this Spirit, that made _Nicodemus_, a teacher of _Israel_, and a ruler of the _Jews_, so utterly ignorant in the doctrine of regeneration: for being only a natural man, he could not tell how that thing could be; it was the want of this Spirit that made our Saviour’s disciples, though he so frequently conversed with them, daily mistake the nature of the doctrines he delivered; and it is because the natural veil is not taken off from their hearts, that so many who now pretend to search the scriptures, yet see no farther than into the bare letter of them, and continue entire strangers to the spiritual meaning couched under every parable, and contained in almost all the precepts of the book of GOD.
Indeed, how should it be otherwise, for GOD being a spirit, he cannot communicate himself any otherwise than in a spiritual manner to the hearts of men; and consequently if we are strangers to his Spirit, we must continue strangers to his word, because it is altogether like himself, spiritual. Labour, therefore, earnestly for to attain this blessed Spirit; otherwise, your understandings will never be opened to understand the scriptures aright: and remember, prayer is one of the most immediate means to get this Holy Spirit. Therefore,
_Sixthly_, Let me advise you, before you read the scriptures, to pray, that CHRIST, according to his promise, would send his Spirit to guide you into all truth; intersperse short ejaculations whilst you are engaged in reading; pray over every word and verse, if possible; and when you close up the book, most earnestly beseech GOD, that the words which you have read, may be inwardly engrafted into your hearts, and bring forth in you the fruits of a good life.
Do this, and you will, with a holy violence, draw down GOD’s Holy Spirit into your hearts; you will experience his gracious influence, and feel him enlightening, quickening, and inflaming your souls by the word of GOD; you will then not only read, but mark, learn, and inwardly digest what you read: and the word of GOD will be meat indeed, and drink indeed unto your souls; you then will be as _Apollos_ was, powerful in the scriptures; be scribes ready instructed to the kingdom of GOD, and bring out of the good treasures of your heart, things both from the Old and New Testament, to entertain all you converse with. One
Direction more, which shall be the last, _Seventhly_, Read the scripture constantly, or, to use our Saviour’s expression in the text, “search the scriptures;” dig in them as for hid treasure; for here is a manifest allusion to those who dig in mines; and our Saviour would thereby teach us, that we must take as much pains in constantly reading his word, if we would grow wise thereby, as those who dig for gold and silver. The scriptures contain the deep things of GOD, and therefore, can never be sufficiently searched into by a careless, superficial, cursory way of reading them, but by an industrious, close, and humble application.
The Psalmist makes it the characteristic of a good man, that he “meditates on GOD’s law day and night.” And “this book of the law, (says GOD to _Joshua_) shall not go out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night;” for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and thou shalt have good success. Search, therefore, the scriptures, not only devoutly but daily, for in them are the words of eternal life; wait constantly at wisdom’s gate, and she will then, and not till then, display and lay open to you her heavenly treasures. You that are rich, are without excuse if you do not; and you that are poor, ought to take heed and improve that little time you have: for by the scriptures you are to be acquitted, and by the scriptures you are to be condemned at the last day.