Exposition of Ezekiel 30-48, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 36 · Verses 21-24 · Textual commentary 29
What doth the ſpirit being within us?
Firſt, It unites the Lord Chriſt and the ſoul together, it makes an happy union between them two. The Corinthians were eſpouſed to Chriſt, 2 Cor. 11.2. not only by the Miniſtry of Paul, but by the ſpirit, 1 Cor. 12.13. By one ſpirit are we all baptized into one body; that is, the Church, the body of Chriſt; the ſpirit is the great Agent in this work.
Secondly, The ſpirit gives out divine Oracles and Truths unto the ſoul: As in the Temple God gave out his mind, made known his will, ſo doth the ſpirit in the heart of man; Mat. 10.20. The ſpirit of the Father ſpeaks in Believers; 1 John 2.20. Ye have an anction from the holy One, and ye know all things. That unction is the ſpirit which makes known all needful things unto thoſe it dwells in; its needful to be inſtructed, and armed againſt Antichriſt and his ſeducements, its needful to be directed in the way to Heaven, they had the ſpirit which did teach them how to avoid the one, and how to proceed in the other; and ſo were foreign, taught of God; and who teacheth like him? Job 36.22. He teacheth inwardly, infallibly, powerfully.
Thirdly, It conquers and drives out the enemies that had poſſeſſion of, and quartered in us. There is no man the Lord puts his ſpirit into, but the ſpirit finds the Devil there, he hath poſſeſſion of mens hearts, and labours to keep the ſame; there be alſo a multitude of baſe and ungodly luſts which fight for the Devils intereſt, theſe the ſpirit ſets upon, ſubdues and caſts out. When Chriſt came into the Temple, he whipt out all the money-changers; when Joſhua came into Canaan, he drove out the Canaanites and other Nations; and when the ſpirit comes into a man it beats down ſtrong holds, drives out Satan and his Troops; 1 John 4.4. Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. The Devil had been in them before, but was now driven out of them into the world by the ſpirit which was in them, and their luſts were mortified by the ſame ſpirit, Rom: 8.13.
Fourthly, The Spirit put into man, takes the rule and government of that man into his own hand; he muſt no longer be under the dominion of ſin or Satan, but under the conduct of the ſpirit, he, and all in him, muſt bow to that great Perſon. When a great man cometh into the Countrey to dwell, he looks for all about him to bow unto him, and to be at his command; hence men that have ſtout and ſtubborn ſpirits which cannot bow uſe to ſay, Magnum vicinum nolumus, We care not for a great Neighbour. The ſpirit is greater than all men, and when he is put into men, it's to rule; he is there not to be checked, controled, oppoſed, but to bear ſway, to have the Keyes of every Room delivered up unto him, he muſt be, and will be Soveraign in the ſoul, before him every Mountain and Hill muſt be brought low, yea every creature muſt ſwear fealty unto him, Rom: 8.14. They are lead by the ſpirit of God. The ſpirit is the Commander and Leader of thoſe it dwells in, they follow him and not others; whereas thoſe that are without the ſpirit are led away with diverſe luſts, 2 Tim: 3.6. or drawn away with their own luſt, James 1.14. and ſo follow Satan, 1 Tim: 5.15. It's not ſo with thoſe that have the ſpirit that is call'd A Guide, John 16.13. and ſuch a Guide, as guides into all truth, and orders them ſo, as that they ſhall not miſcarry, for its a ſpirit of wiſdome, Epheſ. 1.17. of counſell, Iſa: 11.2. of power, 2 Tim: 1.7. ſo that he muſt rule, and where he rules, he doth it wiſely.
Fifthly, He frames them to his own mind, and transforms them into his own likeneſſe: as a Graft put into a Stock, turns the ſap of the Stock, and aſſimilates it and the Stock to it ſelf; ſo doth the ſpirit in the parties where it is, 2 Cor: 3.18. We are changed into the ſame Image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord, or by the Lord the Spirit, ſo the Greek will bear it; we are ſelfiſh, ſinfull, natural, morall, and the ſpirit makes us ſpiritual. The husband frames the mind of his wiſe ſuitable unto his own; when a man comes into an old houſe, he pulls down, and ſets up, he takes away and adds what he pleaſes, and fits the houſe to his own mind; ſo doth the ſpirit being in our earthly Tabernacles, it abrogates the Laws of the fleſh, it throws out the Principles of Satan, and the world, it ſets up new Laws, and works new Principles, Rom: 3.27. Chap: 8.2.
Sixthly, The ſpirit being put into man, and man becoming his Temple, he doth beautifie and adorn that Temple, and make it glorious. Solomon over-laid the Temple with pure gold, 1 Kings 6.21. the inſide was very glorious; and the ſpirit trims up its Temple with pure graces, with love, joy, peace, long-ſuffering, gentleneſs, goodneſs, faith, meekneſs, temperance, &c. Gal: 5.22, 23. Epheſ. 5.9. The ſpirit garniſhed the Heavens with thoſe greater and leſſer Lights, Job 26.13. which fill this lower world with their glory: Its the ſpirit which reneweth the face of the earth, Pſal: 104.30. and makes it beautifull, and its the ſpirit reneweth and garniſheth the ſoul, making it glorious and beautifull with all graces, Pſal. 45.13. The Kings daughter is all glorious within; and the ſpirits Temple is no leſſe glorious: If Solomons Temple were call'd The holy and beautifull houſe, Iſa. 64.11. much more may the Temple of the ſpirit be ſo called.
Seventhly, It being in man enables him to do many things, it ſtrengthens him with might to do that which otherwiſe he could not do, Eph: 3.16. As
Firſt, To diſcern between the things of men, and the things of God, between the things of Chriſt, and thoſe of Antichriſt, between true and counterfeit graces, 1 Cor. 2.15. He that is ſpiritual judgeth all things. He hath the ſpirit enabling him to make a difference, and to ſee the reallity, beauty and excellency of ſome things above others: The High Prieſts, Scribes & Phariſees, ſaw no beauty in Chriſt that they ſhould deſire him, but the Apoſtles who had the ſpirit in them did, John 1.14. We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father: and Paul ſaw ſo much in Chriſt, and the knowledge of him, That he counted all things but laſſe for the excellency of the knowledge of Chriſt, Phil. 3.8.
Secondly, It enables them to pray ſpiritually, Rom. 8.26. The ſpirit helpeth our infirmities, for we know not what we ſhould pray for as we ought. The ſpirit tells us what to pray for, and helps us to bring forth thoſe Petitions it hath formed in us; Zech: 12.10. its call'd The ſpirit of ſupplication, becauſe it teaches us what to ſupplicate God for, and aſſiſts us in ſupplicating. Both Paul and Jude exhorts thoſe they write unto, To pray in the ſpirit, Epheſ. 6.18. Jude 20. That is, in the ſtrength and help of the ſpirit, not in their own ſtrength.
Thirdly, It enables to ſtand in time of trouble, perſecution and ſufferings: The ſpirit prompts anſwers unto thoſe that are queſtioned for truths ſake, and helps them againſt all their oppoſers, ſee Mark 13.11. Matth: 10.19, 20. Luke 12.11, 12. When they were lead before Magiſtrates and Powers, they muſt take no thought before hand what to ſpeak, nor premeditate, the ſpirit ſhould help them, encourage, and uphold them, not an Angel, but the ſpirit; Acts 6.10. Stephen was ſo mightily aſſiſted by the ſpirit, that his oppoſers, viz: the Libertines, Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and others were not able to withſtand him.
Fourthly, It enables to bring forth good fruit. If there be no ſap in a Vine, it will bear no fruit; if there be only our own ſap, it will yeeld ſowre fruit; but if the ſap of the ſpirit be there, then it will afford good fruit, ſpeciall fruit, Acts 10.38. Chriſt being anointed with the holy ſpirit, and with power, he went about doing good; ſo the Apoſtles, Acts 1.8. Ye ſhall receive power after the holy ſpirit is come upon you, and ye ſhall be witneſſes unto me, both in Jeruſalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermoſt parts of the earth. The ſpirit impowered them to walk up and down in the world, to preach the Goſpel, convert ſouls, plant Churches, and to do them good; ſo did Paul, Rom. 15.19. Where the ſpirit is, it enables, and provokes unto good, John 7.38, 39.
Fifthly, The ſpirit enables men to keep the Word of God, and yeeld obedience unto it; 2 Tim. 1.14. That good thing which was committed unto thee, keep by the holy ſpirit which dwelleth in us. Timothy, ſaith Paul, thou haſt that which is of great concernment committed to thy keeping, viz: the Goſpel, the form of ſound words, and thou haſt a great helper to enable thee thereunto, even the ſpirit of God which dwells in thee; ſee therefore that thou keep it by the enabling power of the ſpirit, which helps not only to remember truth, but alſo to obey truth; for Peter aſſures us, That the beleeving Jews did obey the truth through the ſpirit; that is, through the aſſiſtance of the ſpirit: This is that which follows in the next words to be opened.