Of Fundamentals, Treatise · Chapter 17
CHAP. XVII. Of the Spirits acting all things within the man.
§. 1. WHat hath been ſaid of the doctrine of God's decrees, fatally paſſed upon our perſons, or our actions, will be farther extended to the pretenſions of the Spirit, and the opinion, that of late begins to diffuſe it ſelf among ſome, that all that is deſigned or done by them, is the dictate and motion of the Spirit in them.
§. 2. Of this it is evident, that either that man, which thus pretends, never commits any act prohibited by the Word of God, and vulgarly called ſin, after the minute of ſuch pretenſion (and then that were a rare charm indeed to render him impeccable) or that this is the means of conſecrating every ſin of his, and ſo the opinion being imbibed by one that lives in rebellion, murther, adulterie, pride, or ſchiſme, or any other (one or more) groſſeſt ſins, the effect muſt be, that he believe every one of theſe to be infuſions of the Spirit of God, and ſo no more fit to be reſiſted before, nor repented for after the Commiſſion of them, then the moſt eminent acts of piety ſhould be; And when it is thus become impious to reſiſt any temptation of our own fleſh, which ſollicites within us, or of Satan that ſuggeſts and whiſpers within us too, i. e. to omit the acting of any ſin, that we are any way inclined to, what place can be left for exhortation to Chriſtian life, as long as I have any temptation againſt it?
§. 3. This is a doctrine which a man would think ſhould not finde admiſſion with any conſiderable ſort of men, and therefore it will be leſſe pertinent for this Diſcourſe to take any larger notice of it, yet for the preventing and intercepting any farther growth of it, where it may unhappily have found any reception, It will not be amiſſe to adde, and evidence theſe few things:
§. 4. Firſt concerning the Spirit, Concerning the deſcent of the Spirit.which is thus pretended to, That the Deſcent of the Spirit of God was principally for three ends, 1. to give Teſtimony, that Chriſt was the Son of God, ſent with authority to reveal his will, and to command our faith and obedience, and (conſequently to this) to give the world aſſurance that the Apoſtles were ſent by him, and to ſigne the Commiſſion of preaching to all Nations, to propagate what he had taught, 2dly, to aſſure all men, that the Rules which Chriſt gave us, are abſolutely neceſſary to be obſerved, to render us capable of thoſe Promiſes made, thoſe benefits purchaſed by him, And 3dly, that, we being ſo corrupt by nature, ſo farre from prone, or inclinable, in our Fleſh, to obey thoſe Rules; the Graces of his holy Spirit, accompanying the Revelation, or preaching of his will and word, ſhould incline our corrupt hearts to keep his laws.
§. 5. Secondly, that after the miſſion of the Spirit, God was pleaſed, for poſterity, Gods method in his Church.otherwiſe to expreſſe his care, and love to mankinde, viz: in giving, and conſigning to them his written word for a Rule, and conſtant directer of life, not leaving him to the duct of his own Inclinations.
§. 6. Thirdly, that God hath made (and continued, through all ages, both of Jewes and Chriſtians) one ſort of men to teach another to learn;Teachers and learners. Among the Jewes one to preſerve knowledge in his lips, and with the ſame to diſpenſe it, the other to enquire, and ſeek the Law at his mouth, and under the Goſpel, Paſtors, and Teachers ▪ and foreign Rulers ſet over men for their good; Which is a viſible prejudice to the pretended guidance of the Spirit, For if that, by the voice within me, be the ſtanding guide of all my actions, what uſe of forein teachers, or guides, or neceſſity of obeying the Apoſtle when he commands me to obey thoſe that are ſet over me?
§. 7. Fourthly, that every thing that comes out of the heart of man,All that comes out of the heart is not from God. is not infuſed into it, or placed there by God. For beſides that from thence proceed many aerial fictions, and phaſmes, and Chym…raes, created by the vanity of our own hearts, or ſeduction of evil ſpirits, and not planted in them by God or nature, or the duct of God's Spirit, motions and emiſſions of our phanſie, and not of our reaſon, of our ſenſitive, not humane nature (and to this all the Idolatrie of the antient heathens, and the new phanſiful divinity of ſome preſent Chriſtians, and the whole religion of the Mahomedanes is viſibly imputable) beſides this, I ſay, it is affirmed by the Apoſtle, Jam. 5.15.17.Jam. 3.15, 17. that there is a wiſdome (and that muſt ſignifie ſome Codex of directions for practiſe, ſome law in the members, oppoſite to that in the minde) that cometh not from above, as well as a wiſdome that cometh from above, and in plain terms, that it is earthly, ſenſual, and deviliſh, as that Law in the members is ſaid to lead the man into captivity to the law of ſin which is in the members.
Mat. 15.18, 19.§. 8. So again, ſaith Chriſt, out of the heart proceed all the things that defile a man, evil machinations, foreign, all the moſt miſchievous deſignments, by name, murthers, adulteries, fornications, (inceſtuous and unnatural commiſſions contained under the word foreign fornication, 1 Cor. 5.1.) thefts, falſe-witneſſes, evil ſpeakings, i. e. (as by thoſe few inſtances is intimated and muſt be ſupplied by parity of reaſon) all the contradictions to the ſeveral branches (and degrees of thoſe branches) of the divine or moral law.
§. 9. Secondly, that to impoſe on our ſelves or others by this fallacie,The belief of it a very noxious error. to believe or pretend that whatever our own hearts incite us to doe, what they ſuggeſt, or dictate, is the Spirit, or word, or revelation of the will of God within us, is the principle of all villanie (the ſame that hath alwaies acted in the children of diſobedience) inhaunſed and improved with circumſtances of greater boldneſs and impudence, then ever the moſt abominable heathens were guilty of, either in their Oracles or in their myſteries.
§. 10. In their Oracles, Worſe then the fallacie of the heathen Oracles.though their Idol-prieſts (who had the incloſure of this cheat) gave reſponſes out of the Caverns of the earth, and ſet up the devil (by the advantage of his foreſeeing ſome things in their cauſes, and conjecturing at others) above the omniſcient God of heaven, yet they affixed not the anſwers of their devils to the true God. They worſhipped Idols, and diſclaimed any portion in the true God, turned all knowledge or profeſſion of him out of their hearts, according to that reaſonable propoſition of S. Paul, 2 Cor. 6.14, 15. that there is no poſſible agreement to be had betwixt light and darkneſs. But theſe by their refined pretenſion, doe (in effect, and by way of neceſſary conſequence, and direct interpretation) turn the God of heaven into that accurſed Spirit, affix on him (receive and deliver as the effata and oracles of God) whatſoever the devil ▪ or their own luſt, or revenge, or pride, or ambition, or covetouſneſs (ſo many foreign, ſpontaneous devils) can infuſe into them, and out of their black hearts, as out of the moſt noyſome caverns and dens of the earth (holding intercourſe with hell) breath out, and deliver to the world.
Or idolatrous Myſteries.§. 8. So again in their myſteries, and moſt ſecret receſſes, and adyta of their religion, their heathen Prieſts were wont to betray and lead their ſilly votaries into all the moſt horrid unnatural ſins, as into a ſpecial part of the devotions and worſhips required of them by the Gods, whom they had undertaken to ſerve, But yet never thought fit to let them out of the dark, out of the retirement, but by baniſhing the eyes of men gave witneſs againſt themſelves, accuſed thoſe facts, which were not able to bear the light, (to which the Apoſtle ſeems to referre Epheſ: 5.13.) and ſo had the excuſe of ſome baſhfulneſs and ſelf-accuſation, and care not to ſcandalize other men; whilſt theſe that make their own luſt, their own malice and revenge the voice of the true God, the Spirit within them, are thereby qualified to act the horrid'ſt ſins avowedly & ſhameleſly, and have no checks left, (no coldneſs, but where they have no temptations) no diſlikes, no ſhame, no objections to any thing, but to tenderneſs, to ſcrupuloſity, to fear of offending, to the doing what they doe in bondage, as they call it, i. e. to all the reliques or embers of conſcience remaining in them, and if they can but utterly and finally caſt out this fear, they are hereby delivered up really to the evil ſpirit, while they moſt pretend to the guidance of the good. The pretended Spirit of God within them, by ſuggeſting ſins, gives a full confidence and ſecurity to commit them▪ and then Scripture and conſcience and temper, and a tolerable degree of good nature, any thing lower then the utmoſt evil, is the thing only to be mortified, the one piece of criminous carnality to be burnt up.
§. 12. Thus by turning one pin in the machine, the whole ſcene is ſhifted, and this voice (as if an foreign) that comes out of our own bellies, being miſtaken for the ſtill language, in which God was once heard, a congregation of Chriſtians may be ſoon inſpired into a legion of Demoniacks, and onelyonly one (but that a teeming fruitful) error be committed all this while, the miſtaking our own motions for the incitation of the Spirit of God, which till it be reformed or retracted, it muſt be a ſhortneſs of diſcourſe to think ſtrange, and an injuſtice to charge of any new crime, the infallible conſequences of it, and ſuch are all the barefaced villanies in the world.
§. 13. For as he that is ſo ſure and confident of his particular election, as to reſolve he can never fall, if he commit thoſe acts, or live in thoſe habits, againſt which the words of Scripture are plain, that they that doe them ſhall not inherit eternal life, muſt neceſſarily reſolve, that what were drunkenneſs or adultery in another, is not ſo in him, and nothing but the removing his Fundamental error can reſcue him from the ſuperſtructive, be it never ſo groſſe, So to this one grand miſtake (the judging of God's will by the bent of our own ſpirits) all vicious enormous practiſes (even to the taking away of all differences between good and evil) are regularly conſequent, and cannot ſeem ſtrange to attend daily, where the other hath taken up the lodging.