not "walk" acceptably to God, but by the Spirit*: he could " not even pray as he ought" :" he could " not so much as call the Lord Jesus Christ his Lord, but by the Holy Ghost*." To this divine unction he is indebted for the very existence of life in his soul : and the man who has it not, is even dead before God y. And hence he may affirm, without the remotest danger of mistake, that, " if any man be led by the Spirit of God, he is a Son of Godz ;" and, on the contrary, that " if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his a."]
To estimate aright this high privilege, we must further consider,
II. The benefit they derive from it —
When it is said, that " they know all things," we must of course not so interpret the words as to include the knowledge of arts and sciences, or even a scientific knowledge of religion itself. The Apostle means only, that by this divine unction the Christian attains an acquaintance with all things that are necessary,
1. For his preservation from error —
[Human wisdom is not sufficient for this : and the more it is relied upon, the more likely it will be to deceive and ruin us. To be " wise in our own conceit," and to " lean to our own understanding," are marks of extreme weakness and folly ; and those who habitually indulge these evils, are sure, at last, to fall : for God, who has promised to guide and instruct the humble b, has declared, that " he will take the wise in their own craftiness0." That we may see what a preservative this divine unction is, let us bear in mind, that he who has it, " has in himself the witness" of all the most important truths of Chris- tianity d ; so that, when a deceiver endeavours to subvert his faith, he has in his own bosom a conviction which nothing can shake. He may not be able to answer the arguments that are brought against him, any more than he could maintain a dis- putation with one who should assert, as some have done, that there is no heat in fire : but he can no more be turned from his persuasion, than he could be made to believe that there is no sun in the firmament, or that he could subsist without food. An adversary might dilate upon the dignity of human nature till his voice failed him : but he could never persuade a Chris- tian that the heart is any other than what God has declared it
* Gal. v. 1G. u Rom. viii. 26. * 1 Cor. xii. 3.
y Eph. ii. 1. z Rom. viii. 14. a Rom. viii. 9.
b Ps. xxv. 9. " 1 Cor. hi. 9. d 1 John v. 10.
ill 1 JOHN, II. 20. [2440.
to be — "deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked'." 1 [e might expatiate upon the sufficiency of man's righteousness to justify him before God: but he could never induce a true penitent to rely on any thing but the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, " the righteousness which is of God by faith*." He might assert, as confidently as he would, the ability of man to fulfil the will of God : but the man that has this divine unction knows " that without Christ he can do nothings." Thus he has, if I may so speak, a compass whereby to steer even in the dark, and can traverse the seas in safety ; whilst those who have only the dictates of human wisdom for their guide, are left to run on rocks and shoals, to their eternal ruin'1.]
2. For his final salvation —
[This divine unction, duly improved, shall be sufficient for every thing to which the Christian is called. By it, he shall mortify the whole body of sin". By it, he shall be able to sustain every affliction that can come upon himk. By it, he shall be changed into the perfect image of his God1.