The Spirits Touchstone, Part 3
It is a very difficult thing to tell what the Spirits teachings are.
Firſt, Becauſe they are teachings abſtracted from ſenſe. And as the Philoſopher ſaies, by how much things are abſtracted from ſenſe, the higher they are, and the more difficult to be underſtood. By how much things are more ſpirituall, by ſo much the more hard it is to have a ſpecies or an apprehenſion of them. We can conceive of things but under groſs and materiall apprehenſions, becauſe the Phantaſm which is transferred from the active intellect to the paſſive is materiall. That they be abſtracted teachings appears,
1. Becauſe they are immediatly upon the ſoul, and not barely upon the ſoul, but upon the inmoſt parts of the ſoul, Jer. 31. I will write my Law in their inward parts, i. e. in the moſt retired part of the ſoul I will write my Law. So likewiſe the Apoſtle,Eph. 4.23. Be ye renewed in the ſpirit of your minde. Not only in your minde, but in the ſpirit of your minde. What is meant by the ſpirit of the minde? i. e. in the inmoſt and moſt ſpirituall part of your minde. Grace hath its foundation laid deep in the ſoul by the Spirit of God (now you know that is the beſt foundation which is laid the deepeſt) the Spirit ſearcheth into the bottom of the ſoul, and laies the ſeeds of grace as deep rooted as he can. As God when he wrote the Law,Exod. 32.15. he wrote it upon the two Tables of ſtone, he wrote within and without upon the Tables, noting thereby that there was no place left for man to adde any thing to the perfect Law of God: So the Spirit writes within and without upon the ſoul. The Spirit in converſion ploughs up the fallow ground of our hearts, and ſows the ſeeds of grace within us, which becauſe of the deepneſs of the ſoil, cannot be at firſt diſcerned by us, but when the ſeed begins to grow up, then we ſee evidently what the Spirit hath been doing. And as Chriſt ſaid to Peter, Joh. 13.7.What I am doing thou doſt not know as yet, but thou ſhalt underſtand hereafter, ſo thou maieſt not know for the preſent what the Spirit means when it teacheth thee. The Spirits foundation is in the dark, but when he comes to rear the building (for beleevers are a ſpirituall houſe of the Spirits own building) and to beautifie the work,1 Pet. 2.5. and to raiſe it higher and higher, then thou ſhalt ſee the teachings of the Spirit. The firſt leſſons of the Spirit may be ſomewhat myſterious, but when the Spirit ſhall comment upon them, then nothing will be more plain unto them.
2. Becauſe they are ſpirituall teachings, and therefore abſtracted teachings. They are ſpirituall teachings, becauſe the Spirit teacheth them. A ſpirit cannot communicate it ſelf to our ſpirit, no otherwiſe then a ſpirit can. Now as it is a very difficult thing, and much controverted with the Schoolmen, to know how the Angels impart their conceptions, and expreſs their mindes one to another, whether intuitivè by viewing one another, or by ſomething analogcall to ſpeech, which we ſhall know when we come to heaven: So it is as difficult, if not more difficult, to know how the Spirit communicates it ſelf unto our hearts. Satan is ſaid to put evil things into our hearts.Joh. 13.2. Satan put it into Judas his heart to betray his Maſter; but what this putting is we cannot tell. So the Spirit of God is ſaid to put the things of God into our hearts (I will put my Law into their hearts) but what this putting is we cannot tell.Jer. 31.33.
Secondly, The Spirits teachings are very myſterious, becauſe they are ſet forth in Scripture by various ſignificant acts,John 16.13. as if the teaching of the Spirit was not one numericall act,Rom. 8.16. but as it were a complex act, including many particular acts in it.Col. 2.2. Job 33.31 Rom. 12.2. Sometimes the guiding act, the witneſſing act, the aſſuring act, the inlightning act, the transforming act, the helping act,2 Cor. 3.18. and in a word, the teaching act is mentioned in Scripture. The Spirits teaching includes many particular acts,Rom. 8.26. when it teacheth us to be holy, it makes us holy;John 14.26. when it teacheth us aſſurance, it aſſures; when it teacheth us what juſtification is, it juſtifies; when it teacheth us to pray, it is ſaid to pray along with us. Now multiplicity of acts breeds diſtraction of minde; eſpecially when the ſingle acts of the Spirit are in themſelves myſterious. Who can tell me what the witneſſing act of the Spirit is, whereby he witneſſeth with our ſpirits that we are the ſonnes of God? I am certain none can know what it is, but he that feels the effect of it upon his own ſpirit, and that not at all times, but when he feels the ſpirit witneſſing. Who can tell me what the ſealing act of the Spirit is, that ſeal of the Spirit by which we are ſealed unto the day of redemption? This art is better felt than taught. Who can tell me what the aſſuring act of the Spirit is, when it begets that plerophory,Heb. 10.22. that full aſſurance of faith? Saith John in his Revelation, Rev. 2.17.No man knoweth what that white ſtone of abſolution is, but he that hath it. He ſhall have a white ſtone, and a new name, which none ſhall know but him that hath it. The acts of the Spirit are better felt than expreſſed, known only to thoſe that have them, not to others.
Having done with the premonition, I come now to ſhew what the teachings of the Spirit be. Herein I ſhall obſerve the words of the Covenant made to beleevers in Jeſus Chriſt under the Goſpel, whereof one main part is the teachings of beleevers by his Spirit.