12. Chapter V.
Chapter V. The general work of the Holy Spirit in the new creation with respect to the members of that body of which Christ is the head.
Christ the head of the new creation — Things premised in general to the remaining work of the Spirit — Things presupposed to the work of the Spirit towards the church — The love and grace of Father and Son — The whole work of the building of the church committed to the Holy Spirit — Acts 2:33 explained — The foundation of the church in the promise of the Spirit, and its building by him alone — -Christ is present with his church only by his Spirit — Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:9-10; Acts 3:21; Matthew 18:19-20; 2 Corinthians 6:16; 1 Corinthians 3:16, compared — The Holy Spirit works the work of Christ — John 16:13-15 explained — The Holy Spirit is the particular author of all grace — The Holy Spirit works all this according to his own will — 1. His will and pleasure is in all his works 2. He works variously as to the kinds and degrees of his operations — How the Spirit may be resisted, how not to resist him — How the same work is ascribed to the Spirit distinctly, and to others with him — The general heads of his operations towards the church.
We have considered the work of the Spirit of God in laying the foundation of the church of the New Testament, by his dispensations towards the head of it, our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the foundation-stone of this building, with seven eyes engraven on him— that is, he is filled with an absolute perfection of all the gifts and graces of the Spirit, Zec 3.9.416 And when he is exalted also as "the headstone of the corner," there are shouts in heaven and earth, crying, "Grace, grace unto him!" Zec 4.7.417 Upon laying the foundation and placing the corner-stone of the earth in the old creation, "the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy," Job 38:6-7. So too, upon laying this foundation, and placing this corner-stone in the new creation, all things sing together and cry, "Grace, grace unto it!" The same hand which laid this foundation also finishes the building. The same Spirit which was given to Christ "not by measure," John 3:34, gives grace to every one of us, "according to the measure of the gift of Christ," Ephesians 4:7. And this now falls under our consideration — namely, perfecting the work of the new creation by the effectual operation and distributions of the Spirit of God. And this belongs to the establishment of our faith: that the one who prepared, sanctified, and glorified the human nature, the natural body of Jesus Christ, the head of the church, has also undertaken to prepare, sanctify, and glorify his mystical body, or all the elect given to him by the Father. Concerning this, and before we come to consider particular instances of it, some things in general must be premised, which are these that follow:
First, as to the work of the Holy Spirit towards the church, some things are supposed from which the church proceeds, things which it is built on and resolved into. It is not an original but a perfecting work. Some things it supposes, and all things it brings to perfection; and these are —
1. The love, grace, counsel, and eternal purpose of the Father;
2. The whole work of the mediation of Jesus Christ (which I have handled elsewhere)418 — for it is the particular work of the Holy Spirit to make those things of the Father and Son effectual to the souls of the elect, to the praise of the glory of the grace of God.
God does all things for himself, and his supreme end is the manifestation of his own glory. In the old or first creation, he seems principally, or firstly, to intend the demonstration and exaltation of the glorious and essential properties of his nature: his goodness, power, wisdom, and the like, as in Psalms 19:1-4, Romans 1:19-21, Acts 14.15-17, 17.24-28.419 He leaves on the works of his hands only some obscure impressions of the distinction of persons in the Godhead, subsisting in the unity of that Being whose properties he had displayed and glorified. But in the work of the new creation, God firstly and principally intends the special revelation of each person of the whole Trinity distinctly, in their particular distinct operations; all of which also tend ultimately to manifest the glory of his nature. And in this consists the principal advantage of the New Testament above the Old. For though the work of the new creation was begun and carried on secretly and virtually under the Old Testament, they did not have a full disclosure of the economy of the holy Trinity in it. This was not evidently manifested until the whole work was illustriously brought to light by the gospel. Hence, under the Old Testament, although a vigorous acting of faith is apparent, and there is an ardent affection in the approaches of the saints to God, we hear nothing of having clear access to the Father through the Son by the Spirit, as we do in Ephesians 2:18. Yet, the life and comfort of our communion with God consists in this very access. In this, therefore, God plainly declares that the foundation of the whole was laid in the counsel, will, and grace of the Father, Eph 1.3-6.420 Then, the way that is made to accomplish his counsel, so that it might be to the praise of his glory, is by the mediation of the Son. God designed in this work, to bring things about in such a way, that "all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father," John 5:23.
There yet remains the actual application of all this to the souls of men, so they may be partakers of the grace designed in the counsel of the Father, and prepared in the mediation of the Son. And in this, the Holy Spirit is to be manifested and glorified, so that he also, together with the Father and the Son, may be known, adored, and worshipped, according to his own will. This is the work that he has undertaken. And on this, upon the solemn initiation of any person into the covenant of God, in response to this design and work, that person is baptized into "the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," Matthew 28:19. These things have been discussed before, but they are necessarily recalled here again.
Secondly, It is from the nature and order of this work of God that — after the Son was actually exhibited in the flesh according to the promise, and after he had fulfilled what he had taken upon himself to do in his own person — the great promise of carrying on and finishing the whole work of the grace of God in our salvation, concerns sending the Holy Spirit to do and perform what he too had undertaken.421 Thus, when our Lord Jesus Christ had ascended into heaven, and began to conspicuously and gloriously carry on building his church upon himself, its rock and foundation, it is said that, "being exalted by the right hand of God, he received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit," Acts 2:33. This must be explained a little:
1. Before he departed from his disciples, as mentioned on several occasions, he comforted and cheered their drooping spirits with the promise of sending the Spirit to them, which he often repeated and inculcated on their minds, John 14:15-17. And,
2. When he was actually leaving them, after his resurrection, he orders them to sit still, and not to engage in the public work of building the church, which he designed them to do, until that promise was actually accomplished towards them:
Acts 1:4, "Being assembled together with them, he commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father;" and verse 8,
"You will receive power, after the Holy Ghost has come upon you; and you will be witnesses to me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the utmost part of the earth."
He would have them look neither for assistance in their work, nor success in it, except from the promised Spirit alone. He also lets them know that, by the Spirit’s aid, they would be enabled to carry their testimony of him to the uttermost parts of the earth. And in this lay, and still lies, the foundation of the ministry of the church, as well as its continuance and efficacy. The kingdom of Christ is spiritual; and in its animating principles, it is invisible. If we fix our minds only on outward order, we lose the rise and power of the whole. It is not an outward visible ordination by men — though that is necessary by rule and precept — but Christ’s communication of that Spirit, the everlasting promise of which he received from the Father, that gives being, life, usefulness, and success to the ministry. This is also why,
3. Upon Christ’s ascension, in accomplishing the great promises given to the church under the Old Testament, Isaiah 44:3, Joel 2.28-29,422 and also his own promise, newly given to his disciples, he poured forth his Spirit on them. The apostle Peter declares this here: "Being exalted by the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he poured out what you now see and hear," Acts 2:33 in the miraculous operations and effects of the Spirit. He is said to receive the promise of the Father, because he then received the thing promised. The promise was not then first given to him, nor did he then receive it for himself — for the promise was given long before, so that he had received the fullness of the Spirit from his incarnation, as it has been declared. But now he had power given to him to actually to fulfil and accomplish the promise in the conferring of the thing promised; and he is therefore said to "receive" the promise. Thus in Hebrews 11:13; Hebrews 11:39, it is said of all believers under the Old Testament, that they "died in faith, not having received the promise;" that is, the thing promised was not actually exhibited in their days, even though they had the promise of it, as it is expressly said of Abraham in Hebrews 7:6. Therefore, the promise itself was given to the Lord Christ, and actually received by him in the covenant of the mediator, when he undertook the great work of the restoration of all things, to the glory of God. For he had the engagement of the Father in this: that the Holy Spirit should be poured out on the sons of men, to make effectual to their souls the whole work of his mediation. This is why he is now said to "receive this promise," because on his account, and by him being exalted, it was now solemnly accomplished in and towards the church. The same thing is described the same way in Psalms 68:18, "You have ascended on high, you have led captivity captive; you have received gifts for men." In Ephesians 4:8, this is rendered "You have given gifts to men;" for Christ received the promise at this time only to give out the Spirit and his gifts to men. And if any are so fond423 as to expect strength and assistance in the work of the ministry without him, or such success in their labors that it will find acceptance with God, they only deceive their own souls and others.
Here lay the foundation of the Christian church: The Lord Christ had called his apostles to the great work of building his church and propagating his gospel in the world. By themselves, they were plainly and openly defective in all the qualifications and abilities that might contribute anything to this. But whatever is lacking in themselves — whether it is light, wisdom, authority, knowledge, utterance, or courage — he promises to supply them with. And this he would not do, nor did he do it, in any other way than by sending the Holy Spirit to them; the whole success of their ministry in the world depended on his presence and assistance alone. It was "through the Holy Ghost that he gave commandments to them," Acts 1:2. Those commandments concern the whole work in preaching the gospel and founding the church; and Christ gives these to them through the actings of divine wisdom in the human nature, by the Holy Ghost. And on their part, without the assistance of the Spirit, Christ forbids them to attempt anything, Acts 1:4; Acts 1:8. In this promise, then, the Lord Christ founded the church itself, and by this promise he built it up. And this is the hinge on which the whole weight of it turns and depends to this day. Take it away, or suppose it ceases as to the continual accomplishment, and there will be an absolute end of the church of Christ in this world — there will be no dispensation of the Spirit, and no church. Whoever would utterly separate the Spirit from the word might as well burn his Bible. The bare letter of the New Testament will no more ingenerate faith and obedience in the souls of men, it will no more constitute a church-state among those who enjoy it, than the letter of the Old Testament does at this day among the Jews, 2Cor 3.6, 8.424 But blessed be God, who has knit these things together towards his elect, in the bond of an everlasting covenant! Isa 59.21.425 Let men, therefore, cast themselves into whatever order they please, institute whatever forms of government and religious worship they think is good; let them do it either by attending to or according to their best understanding of the letter of Scripture, or in an exercise of their own wills, wisdom, and invention. If the work of the Spirit of God is disowned or disclaimed by them, if there is not in them and upon them, such a work of his and for which he is promised by our Lord Jesus Christ, then there is no church-state among them;426 nor is it to be owned or esteemed as such. All ordinary communications of grace from God depend on the ministry, and on the church.
Thirdly, It is the Holy Spirit who supplies the bodily absence of Christ; and by him Christ accomplishes all his promises to the church. Hence, some of the ancients call the Spirit "Vicarium Christi," "The vicar of Christ,"427 or the one who represents his person, and discharges his promised work: Operam navat Christo vicariam. When our Lord Jesus was leaving the world, he gave his disciples the command to "preach the gospel," Mark 16:15, and to "disciple all nations" into the faith and profession of this gospel, Matthew 28:19. For their encouragement in this, he promises his own presence with them in their whole work, wherever any of them should be called to it; and that was all during the time he would have the gospel preached on the earth. So he says, "I am with you always, even to the end of the world," or the consummation of all things, verse 20. Immediately after he said this to them, "while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight," and they "looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up," Acts 1:9-10. Where now is the accomplishment of his promise that he would be with them to the end of all things, which was the sole encouragement that he gave them for their great undertaking? Maybe after his triumphant ascension into heaven to take possession of his kingdom and glory, he came to them again, and made his abode with them. "No," says Peter; "heaven must receive him until the times of restitution of all things," Acts 3:21. How then is this promise made good, which had such a specific respect to the ministry and ministers of the gospel — so that without it, none can ever honestly or conscientiously engage in its dispensation, or expect the least success in doing so? Besides, he promised the church itself that "wherever two or three were gathered together in his name, he would be in the midst of them," Matthew 18:19-20. All their comforts and all their acceptance by God depend on this.
I say, all these promises are perfectly fulfilled by his sending the Holy Spirit. In and by the Spirit, Christ is present with his disciples in their ministry and their assemblies. And whenever Christ leaves the world, the church must leave too; for it is his presence alone which puts men into that condition, or invests them with that privilege. For he says, "I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they will be my people," 2 Corinthians 6:16; Leviticus 26:12. Being the "people of God," so as to be "the temple of the living God" — that is, to be brought into a sacred church-state for his worship — depends on his "dwelling in them and walking in them." And he does this by his Spirit alone: for "Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" 1 Corinthians 3:16. The Spirit therefore so far represents the person, and supplies the bodily absence of Christ, that the being of the church, the success of the ministry, and the edification of the whole, absolutely depend on his presence. And this, if anything in the whole gospel, deserves our serious consideration; for —
1. The Lord Jesus has told us that his presence with us by his Spirit is better and more expedient for us than the continuance of his bodily presence. Now, who is there that has any affection for Christ, who does not think that the carnal presence of the human nature of Christ would be of unspeakable advantage to him? And so it would, no doubt, if any such thing had been designed or appointed in the wisdom and love of God. But it is not so; and on the other side, we are commanded to look for more advantage and benefit by his spiritual presence with us, that is, his presence with us by the Holy Ghost. It is therefore certainly incumbent on us to inquire diligently as to what value and benefit we have by it. For if we find that we do not really receive grace, assistance, and consolation from this presence of Christ with us, then we have no benefit at all by him nor from him. For he now has no other way for these ends with anyone, except by his Spirit. And those whose profession is made up of such a senseless contradiction as to avow honoring Jesus Christ, while blaspheming his Spirit in all his holy operations, will one day find this out.
2. The Lord Christ having expressly promised to be present with us to the end of all things, there are great inquiries how that promise is accomplished. Some say he is present with us by his ministers and ordinances; but how then is he present with those ministers themselves, to whom the promise of his presence is made in a special manner? The Papists would have him carnally and bodily present in the sacrament; but he himself has told us that "the flesh," in such a sense, "profits nothing," John 6:63; it is the "Spirit alone that quickens." The Lutherans fancy an omnipresence, or ubiquity of his human nature, by virtue of its personal union. But this is destructive of that nature itself; for if it is made to be everywhere, as such a nature, it is truly nowhere — and the most learned among them are ashamed of this imagination.428
Fourthly, As he represents the person and supplies the stead and place of Jesus Christ, so the Spirit works and effects whatever the Lord Christ has taken upon himself to work and effect towards his disciples. This is why, just as the work of the Son was not his own work, but rather the "work of the Father who sent him," John 5:36 and in whose name he performed it, so the work of the Holy Spirit is not his own work, but rather the work of the Son, by whom he is sent, and in whose name he accomplishes it:
John 16:13-15, "However, when the Spirit of truth has come, he will guide you into all truth: for he will not speak on his own; but whatever he hears, that he will speak: and he will show you things to come. He will glorify me: for he will receive of mine, and show it to you. All things that the Father has are mine: therefore I said, he will take of mine, and show it to you."
He comes to reveal and communicate truth and grace to the disciples of Christ; and in doing so, he "does not speak on his own," that is, of himself only. He does not come with any absolute new dispensation of truth or grace, distinct or different from that which is in and by the Lord Christ, and which they had heard from him. The Holy Spirit being promised to the disciples, and all their work and duty being suspended on the accomplishment of that promise (because he is God), they might suppose that he would come with some absolute new dispensation of truth; so that what they had learned and received from Christ would pass away and be of no use to them. To prevent any such apprehension, Christ lets them know that the work he had to do was only to carry on and build on the foundation which was laid in his person or doctrine,1 Corinthians 3:11 or the truth which he had revealed from the heart of the Father. And —
1. This I take to be the meaning of that expression, "He will not speak on his own;" — "He will reveal no other truth, communicate no other grace, except what is in, from, and by myself." This is what the Holy Spirit was to do; and this is what he did. And hereby we may try every spirit, whether it is of God.1 John 4:1 That spirit which reveals anything, or pretends to reveal anything, any doctrine, any grace, any truth, that is contrary to, that is not consistent with, indeed, that is not the doctrine, grace, or truth of Christ as now revealed in the word; that brings anything new, his own, or of himself; that spirit is not of God. And so it is added —
2. "Whatever he hears, that he will speak." What he hears is the whole counsel of the Father and the Son concerning the salvation of the church. And how is he said to "hear" it? This word, in its proper meaning, has no place in the mutual internal actings of the divine persons of the holy Trinity. Being the Spirit of the Father and the Son, proceeding from both, he is equally a participant of their counsels. So the outward act of hearing is mentioned as the sign of his infinite knowledge of the eternal counsels of the Father and Son; he is no stranger to them. And this is a general rule — that those words which (with respect to us) express the means of anything, as applied to God, intend no more than the signs of it. Hearing is the means by which we come to know the mind of another who is distinct from us; and when God is said to hearken or hear, it is a sign of his knowledge, not the means of it. So the Holy Spirit is said to "hear" those things, because he knows them; on that same account, he is also said to "search the deep things of God." Add to this that the counsel of these things is originally particular to the Father, and it is particularly ascribed to him everywhere. Therefore the participation of the Spirit in this, as a distinct person, is called hearing.
3. His great work is subjoined to this: "He will glorify me," says Christ. This is the design that he is sent upon; this is the work that he comes to do; even as it was the design and work of Jesus Christ to glorify the Father, by whom Christ was sent. And those who stand in need of, or pray for his assistance in their work or office in the church of God, are always to bear this in mind: He is given to them, so that through him they may give and bring glory to Jesus Christ. And,
4. How the Holy Spirit glorifies the Lord Christ is also declared: "He will receive of mine, and will show it to you." Here the communication of spiritual things from Christ, by the Spirit, is called "his receiving" them; just as the communication of the Spirit from the Father, by the Lord Christ to his disciples, is called "his receiving the promise."Acts 2:33 The Spirit cannot receive anything subjectively which he did not have, as an addition to him; it is therefore the economy of these things that is intended here.
He is not said to receive them, as though he did not have them before; for what can the one who is God receive? Only, when he begins to give them to us, because they are particularly the things of Christ, he is said to receive them; for we can give nothing of another’s except what we receive from him. Good things are given to us from Christ by the Spirit; for so it is added, "And will show them to you;" — "He will make them known to you; he will so declare and manifestly evidence them to you, and in you, that you will understand and experience them in yourselves. He will show them to you by revelation, instructing you in them, imparting them to you by communication." And what are those things that the Spirit will so declare? They are "my things," says our Savior. The things of Christ may be referred to two heads — his truth and his grace, John 1.17.429 The first he shows by revelation; the latter by effectual communication. He showed his truth to them by revelation, as we declared the Spirit to be the immediate author of all divine revelations. He did this to the apostles by his inspirations, enabling them to infallibly receive, understand, and declare the whole counsel of God in Christ; for according to the promise, he led them into all truth.John 16:13 And he showed his grace to them in pouring out both his sanctifying graces and his extraordinary gifts upon them in an abundant measure. And he still continues to show the truth and grace of Christ to all believers, though not in the same manner as the former, nor to the same degree as the latter: for he shows us the "truth of Christ," or the truth that "came by Jesus Christ," by the word as written and preached — instructing us in it, and enlightening our minds to spiritually and savingly understand the mind of God in this. And he imparts his grace to us in our sanctification, our consolation, and the communication of spiritual gifts, according to the measure of the gift of Christ to every one of us,Ephesians 4:7 as the present use of the church requires. These things must be declared afterward.
5. And the reason for the assertion is added in the last place: "All things that the Father has are mine; therefore I said, that he will take of mine, and will show it to you." Two things may be observed in these words:
(1.) The extent of the things of Christ, to be shown to believers by the Spirit, are "All the things that the Father has." "They are mine," says our Savior. And "all things" may be taken either absolutely and personally, or as restricted to his office.
[1.] All things that the Father has absolutely were the Son’s also; for receiving his personality from the Father by the communication of the whole divine nature, all the Father’s things must necessarily be his. Thus, "as the Father has life in himself, so he has given the Son to have life in himself," John 5:26. And the same may be said of all other essential properties of the Godhead.
[2.] But these do not seem to be the "all things" intended here. They are not "all things" of the divine nature which he had by eternal generation, but "all things" of spiritual grace and power which he had by voluntary donation, Mat 11.27;430 John 3:35, "The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand." That is, all the effects of the love, grace, and will of the Father, whatever he had purposed in himself from eternity, and whatever his infinite power and goodness would produce in pursuit of this, were all given and committed to Jesus Christ. So all things that the Father has were his.
(2.) That these things may be rightly understood and apprehended, we must consider a twofold operation of God as three-in-one. The first of these is absolute in all divine works whatever; the other respects the economy of the operations of God in our salvation. In those of the first sort, both the working and the work, belong to and proceed from each person in common and undividedly. And the reason for this is because they are all effects of the essential properties of the same divine nature which is in them all, or rather, which is the one nature of them all. Yet, just as they have one nature, so there is an order of subsistence in that nature; and the distinct persons work in the order of their subsistence:
John 5:19-20, "Truly, truly, I say to you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do: for whatever things he does, these the Son also does likewise." The Father does not work first in order of time, and then the Son seeing it, works another work like it; rather, the Son does the same work that the Father does. This is absolutely necessary, because of their union in nature. Yet in the order of their subsistence, the person of the Father is the origin of all divine works in the principle and beginning of them; and that is antecedent to the operation of the Son in order of nature. Hence the Son is said to "see" what the Father does. According to our former rule in the exposition of those expressions which are ascribed to the divine nature, seeing is the sign and evidence of his knowledge, and not the means. He sees what the Father does, as he is his eternal Wisdom. The same must be said of the Holy Spirit with respect both to the Father and Son. This order of operation in the Holy Trinity is not voluntary, but natural and necessary from the one essence and distinct subsistences of this.
Secondly, There are those operations which (with respect to our salvation) the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit graciously condescend to, which are those things addressed in this passage from John. Now, supposing that the designing of this work was absolutely voluntary, yet the order of its accomplishment was made necessary from the order of the subsistence of the distinct persons in the Deity; and that is what is declared here. Thus,
[1.] The things to be declared to us and bestowed on us are originally the Father’s things. He is the specific fountain of them all. His love, his grace, his wisdom, his goodness, his counsel, his will, are their supreme cause and spring. Hence are they said to be the "things that the Father has."
[2.] They are made the things of the Son — that is, they are given and granted in and to his disposal — on account of his mediation; for thereby they were to be prepared for us and given out to us, to the glory of God. In agreement with this, because the Lord Christ is mediator, all the things of grace are originally the Father’s, and then given to him.
[3.] They are actually communicated to us by the Holy Spirit: "Therefore I said, he will take of mine and show it to you." He does not communicate them to us immediately from the Father. Thus we do not receive any grace from God — that is, the Father; nor do we thus make any return of praise or obedience to God. We have nothing to do with the person of the Father immediately. It is the Son alone by whom we have access to him, and it is by the Son alone that the Father gives out of his grace and bounty to us. He that does not have the Son, does not have the Father. With Him, the great treasurer of heavenly things, all grace and mercy are entrusted. The Holy Spirit, therefore, shows them to us, works them in us, and bestows them on us, as they are the fruits of the mediation of Christ, and not merely as effects of the divine love and bounty of the Father — and this is required from the order of subsistence mentioned before. Thus the Holy Spirit supplies the bodily absence of Jesus Christ, and he effects what he has to do and accomplish towards his own in the world. So that whatever is done by the Spirit, it is the same as if it were worked immediately by the Lord Christ himself in his own person, by which all his holy promises are fully accomplished towards those who believe. This instructs us in the way and manner of that communion which we have with God by the gospel. For the life, power, and freedom of our evangelical state consist in this; and so an acquaintance with it gives us our translation "out of darkness into the marvellous light of God." The person of the Father, in his wisdom, will, and love, is the origin of all grace and glory. But nothing of this is communicated immediately to us from him. It is from the Son whom he loves; and he has given all things into the Son’s hand. He has made way for the communication of these things to us, to the glory of God; and he does it immediately by the Spirit, as it has been declared. All our responses to God are to be regulated by this. The Father, who is the origin of all grace and glory, is ultimately intended by us in our faith, thankfulness, and obedience; yet not unless the Son and Spirit are considered as one God with him. But we cannot address ourselves, with any of them, immediately to him. "There is no going to the Father," says Christ, "but by me," John 14:6. "By him we believe in God," 1 Peter 1:21. Yet neither can we do so unless we are enabled to do this by the Spirit, who is the author in us of faith, prayer, praise, obedience, and whatever our souls incline toward God by. Just as the descending of God towards us in love and grace issues or ends in the work of the Spirit in us and upon us, so all our ascending towards him begins in this too. And just as the first instance of the proceeding of grace and love towards us from the Father is in and by the Son, so the first step that we take towards God, specifically the Father, is in and by the Son.
These things ought to be explicitly attended to by us, if we intend that our faith, love, and duties of obedience should be evangelical.431 Take an instance of the prayers of wicked men under their convictions, or their fears, troubles, and dangers, and the prayers of believers. The former is merely an outcry that distressed nature makes to its God 432 — and it is as such alone, that it considers him. But the other is the voice of the Spirit of adoption addressing itself in the hearts of believers, to God as a Father.433 And a due attendance to this order of things, gives life and spirit to all that we have to do with God. Woe to professors of the gospel who would be seduced to believe that all they have to do with God, consists in attending to moral virtue! It is fitting for someone to do so, if being weary of Christianity, they have a mind to become Pagans. But "our fellowship," in the way described, "is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." It is, therefore of the highest importance to us to inquire into and secure for ourselves the promised workings of the Holy Spirit. For by them alone are the love of the Father and the fruits of the mediation of the Son communicated to us, without which we have no interest in them.434 It is by His workings alone that we are enabled to make any acceptable returns of obedience to God.435 It is foolish ignorance and infidelity to suppose that, under the gospel, there is no communication between God and us except what is communicated, on his part, in laws, commands, and promises; and on our part, by obedience performed in our own strength, and upon our convictions of these. To exclude from this the real internal operations of the Holy Ghost, is to destroy the gospel. And as we will see further afterward, this is the true ground and reason why there is a sin against the Holy Spirit that is irremissible: for in his coming to us to apply the love of the Father and the grace of the Son to our souls, contempt of him is contempt of the whole actings of God towards us by way of grace; for which there can be no remedy.
Fifthly, Because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of grace, and because he is the immediate and efficient cause of all grace and gracious effects in men, wherever mention is made of these graces or any fruits of them, it is to be looked at as part of his work, even if he is not expressly named, or it is not specifically attributed to him. I do not well know, or well understand, what some men mean when they begin to talk about moral virtue. Something that they seem to aim at (once they abandon the old Pelagian ambiguous expressions, and learn to speak clearly and intelligibly) is that such moral virtue is in their own power to attain; and so consequently, it is in the power of all other men; at least, it is so with an ordinary blessing on their own endeavors. We must inquire into these things afterward. But as for grace, I think all men will grant that, as to our participation in it, it is of the Holy Spirit, and of him alone.
Now, grace is taken two ways in the Scripture:
1. For the gracious free love and favor of God towards us; and, 2. For gracious, free, effectual operations in us and upon us by God. In both senses, the Holy Spirit is the author of God’s grace to us. In the first (God’s free love and favor), it regards its manifestation and application. In the latter (God’s operation in and upon us), it regards the operation itself. For although the Spirit is not the principal cause or procurer of grace in the first sense (which is the free act of the Father), its knowledge, sense, and comfort, and all its fruits, are communicated to us by him alone, as we will see afterward; and the latter is the Spirit’s proper and particular work. Therefore this must be taken for granted: that wherever any gracious actings of God in or towards men are mentioned, it is the Holy Spirit who is particularly and principally intended.
Sixthly, It must be duly considered, with reference to the whole work of the Holy Spirit, that in whatever he does, he acts, works, and distributes according to his own will. Our apostle expressly affirms this. And various things of great moment depend on this in our walking before God; such as these —
1. That the will and pleasure of the Holy Spirit is in all the goodness, grace, love, and power, that he either communicates to us or works in us. He is not a mere instrument or servant, disposing of things in which he has no concern, or over which he has no power; but in all things he works towards us according to his own will. We are therefore, in what we receive from him and by him, no less to acknowledge his love, kindness, and sovereign grace, than we acknowledge those of the Father and the Son.
2. That he does not work, as a natural agent, ad ultimum virium, to the utmost of his power — as though in all he did, he came and did what he could. He moderates all his operations by his will and wisdom. Therefore, because some are said to "resist the Holy Ghost," Acts 7:51, and thus to frustrate his work towards them, it is not because they can do so absolutely, but only that they can do so as to some way, kind, or degree of his operations.
Men may resist some sort or kind of means that he uses, as to some certain end and purpose; but they cannot resist him as to his purpose and the end he aims at; for he is God, and "who has resisted his will?" Romans 9:19. This is why, in any work of his, two things are to be considered: (1.) What the means which he makes use of, tend toward in their own nature; and (2.) What he intends by it. The first may be resisted and frustrated, but the latter cannot be. Sometimes in and by that word which, in its own nature, tends toward the conversion of sinners, he intends by it only their hardening, Isaiah 6:9-10; John 12:40-41; Acts 28:26-27; Romans 11:8. And he can, when he pleases, exert that power and efficacy in working, which will take away all resistance. Sometimes he will only order the preaching and dispensation of the word to men; for this also is his work, Acts 13.2.436 Men may resist his work in this, and reject his counsel concerning themselves. But when he exerts his power in and by the word, to create a new heart in men, and to open the eyes of those who are blind, he so takes away the principle of resistance in this, that he is not, and cannot be, resisted.
3. Hence it also follows that his works may be of various kinds, and that those which are of the same kind may still be carried on unequally as to their degrees. It is so in the operations of all voluntary agents, who work by choice and judgment. They are not confined to one sort of works, nor to the production of the same kind of effects; and where they design to do so, they moderate them as to degrees, according to their power and pleasure. Thus we find some of the works of the Holy Spirit are such that they may be perfect in their kind, and men may be made partakers of their whole end and intention, and yet no saving grace is worked in them. Such are his works of illumination, conviction, and various others. Men, I say, may have a work of the Holy Spirit on their hearts and minds, and yet not be sanctified and converted to God; for the nature and kind of his works are regulated by his own will and purpose. If he intends no more than their conviction and illumination, then no more will be effected — for he does not work by a necessity of nature; for then all his operations would be of the same kind, and have their special form from his nature, and not from his will. So too, where he does work the same effect in the souls of men (I mean the same kind of effect), as he does in their regeneration, he does it by various means, and he carries it on unequally to a great extent, as to the strengthening of its principle, and the increase of its fruits unto holiness. From this comes that great difference as to light, holiness, and fruitfulness which we find among believers, even though all alike are partakers of the same grace, as to this kind of effect. The Holy Spirit works in all these things according to his own will, of which there is not (nor can there be) any other rule than his own infinite wisdom. This is what the apostle reminds the Corinthians of, to take away all emulation and envy about their spiritual gifts, so that everyone would make use of what he received in an orderly way, to the profit and edification of others. "They are," he says, "given and distributed by the same Spirit, according to his own will, to one in one way, to another in another way;" 1 Corinthians 12:11 so that it is unreasonable for any to contend about them. But it may be said that, "If not only the working of grace in us, but also its effects and fruits, in all its various degrees, are to be ascribed to the Holy Spirit and his operations in us according to his own will, then we signify nothing ourselves. There is no need for us to use our endeavors and diligence; nor to take any care at all about the furtherance or growth of holiness in us; nor attend to any duties of obedience. To what end and purpose then, do all the commands, threatenings, promises, and exhortations of the Scripture serve, which are openly designed to excite and draw out our own endeavors?" This is indeed the principal difficulty with which some men seek to entangle and perplex the grace of God. But I answer —
1. Let men imagine whatever absurd consequences they please, the Spirit of God is still the author and worker of all grace in us, in all its degrees, and of all that is spiritually good in us. This is a truth which we must not forego, unless we intend to part with our Bible also. For in it we are taught that "in us, that is, in our flesh, nothing good dwells" (Romans 7:18); that "we are not sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God" (2 Corinthians 3:5) "who is able to make all grace abound toward us, that we may always have all sufficiency in all things, abounding to every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:8); that "without Christ we can do nothing," John 15:5, "for it is God who works in us both to will and to do for his good pleasure," Php 2:13.
Therefore, to grant that there is any spiritual good in us, or any degree of it, that is not worked in us by the Spirit of God, is to overthrow the grace of the gospel. It is to deny that God is the only, first, supreme, and highest good, and also the immediate cause of whatever is so — which would be to deny his very being. It is therefore certain (whatever any may pretend otherwise) that nothing can ensue from this, except what is true and good and useful to the souls of men; for from truth — especially from such great and important truths — nothing else will follow.
2. It is brutish ignorance in anyone, to argue in the things of God, from the effectual operations of the Spirit, to sloth and negligence of our own duty. Someone who does not know that God has promised to "work in us" by way of grace, that which he requires from us as our duty, has either never read the Bible or else he does not believe it; either he has never prayed or else he never took notice of what he prayed for. He is a heathen — he has nothing of the Christian in him — who does not pray that God would work in him what God requires of him. This we know: that what God commands and prescribes to us, what he encourages us to do, we ought to attend to and comply with, with all diligence and earnestness, as we value our souls and eternal welfare. We know that whatever God has promised, he will do in us, towards us, and upon us; and it is our duty to believe that he will do so. To fancy an inconsistency between these things, is to charge God foolishly.
3. If there is an opposition between these things, it is either because the nature of man is not fit to be commanded, or because it does not need to be assisted. But it will afterward be declared that both of these are false and vain suppositions. The Holy Spirit so works in us, what he works by us; and what he does in us, is done by us. It is our duty to apply ourselves to his commands, according to the conviction of our minds; and it is his work to enable us to perform them.
4. Someone who would, or can, indulge sloth and negligence in himself, on account of the promised working of the Spirit of grace, may look at it as evidence that he has no interest or concern in this [work of the Spirit] — for the Spirit does not ordinarily give his aids and assistances anywhere except where he prepares the soul with diligence in duty. And because he moves us only in and by the faculties of our own minds, it is ridiculous and it implies a contradiction, for a man to say that he will do nothing, because the Spirit of God does it all. For where he does nothing, the Spirit of God does nothing, unless it is merely in the infusion of the first habit or principle of grace, which we will treat afterward.
5. The degrees of grace and holiness which are inquired after, are unique to believers. Now, they are furnished with an ability and power to attend to and perform those duties on which the increase of grace and holiness depends. For although there is no grace (or degree of grace) or holiness in believers, that is not worked in them by the Spirit of God, yet ordinarily and regularly, the increase and growth of grace in them, and their thriving in holiness and righteousness, depend on the use and improvement of the grace received by a diligent attendance to all those duties of obedience which are required of us, 2Pet 1.5-7.437 I think it is the most unreasonable and foolish thing in the world, for a man to be slothful and negligent in attending to those duties which God requires of him — on which all his spiritual growth depends, and with which the eternal welfare of his soul is concerned — on some pretense of the efficacious aids of the Spirit, without which he can do nothing, and which he neither has, nor can have, so long as he does do nothing.438
Here lies the ground and foundation of our exercising faith in particular towards him, and of acting out our faith in supplications and thanksgivings. His participation in the divine nature is the formal reason for our yielding divine and religious worship to him in general; but his acting towards us according to the sovereignty of his own will, is the special reason for our particular addresses to the Spirit in the exercise of grace; for we are baptized into his name also.
Seventhly, We may observe that in the actings and works of the Holy Spirit, some things are distinctly and separately ascribed to him, even though some things of the same kind are worked by the person in whom and by whom the Spirit acts. Or the Spirit is said to distinctly act or work the same thing, at the same time, by himself and also in and by others. So it is in John 15:26-27 : "I will," our Savior says, "send the Spirit of truth, and he will testify of me, and you also will bear witness." Thus the witness of the Spirit to Christ, is proposed as distinct and separate from the witness given by the apostles: "He will testify of me, and you also will bear witness." And yet the apostles were also enabled to give their witness by the Spirit alone. This is expressly declared in Acts 1:8, "You will receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon you; and you will be witnesses to me." Their witnessing to Christ was the effect of the power of the Holy Spirit upon them, and the effect of his work in them; and the Spirit himself gave no other testimony except in and by them. What then is the distinct testimony ascribed to him? It must be something that (in or by whomever it was worked, and of its own nature), revealed its relation to him as being his work. So it was in this matter; for it was nothing else than those signs and wonders, or miraculous effects, which he worked in confirming the testimony given by the apostles, all of which clearly evidenced their origin. So our apostle says in Hebrews 2:3-4 : the word was "confirmed — God co-witnessing by signs and wonders." He enabled the apostles to bear witness to Christ by their preaching, sufferings, holiness, and constant testimony which they gave of his resurrection. But the Spirit did not appear in this; he did not evidence himself to the world; though he did so in and by those in whom he worked. But moreover, he worked such visible, miraculous works by the apostles, that these works evidenced the effects of his power, and were his distinct witness to Christ. So our apostle tells us in Romans 8:16, "The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." The witness which our own spirits give to our adoption, is the work and effect of the Holy Spirit in us.
If it were not, it would be a false witness, and not confirmed by the testimony of the Spirit himself, who is the Spirit of truth; none "knows the things of God but the Spirit of God," 1 Corinthians 2:11. If he does not declare our sonship in us and to us, then we cannot know it. How then does he bear witness with our spirits? What is his distinct testimony in this matter? It must be some act of his which evidences itself to be from him, given immediately to those who are concerned in it — that is, those to whom it is given. What this is in particular, and what it consists in, we will inquire into afterward. So Revelation 22:17 says, "The Spirit and the Bride say, Come." The bride is the church, and she prays for the coming of Christ. She does this by the aid and assistance of the one who is the Spirit of grace and supplications. And yet distinctly and separately the Spirit says, "Come;" that is, he displays such earnest and fervent desires, that they have an impression of his immediate efficiency upon them. Thus verse 20 carries the sense of this verse — namely, that it is Christ himself to whom she says "Come;" or they pray for the hastening of his coming; or they say "Come" to others, in inviting them to Christ, as the end of verse 17 seems to apply it.439 So then, it is the prayers and preaching of the church for the conversion of souls that is meant; and with both, the Spirit works eminently to make them effectual. Or it may be that in this verse, "the Spirit" is taken for the Spirit in the guides and leaders of the church. Praying by his special guidance and assistance, they say, "Come;" or the preachers say to others, "Come;" and "the bride," or the body of the church, moved by the same Spirit, joins with them in this great request and supplication. And all believers are invited to this in the following words: "And let him who hears say, Come."
It was necessary to premise all these things in general, as giving some insight into the nature of the operations of the Holy Spirit in us and towards us; and hereby we have made our way plain to consider his special works, in the calling, building, and carrying on of the church to perfection. Now, all his works of this kind may be reduced to three heads:
1. Sanctifying grace;
2. Especial gifts;
3. Particular evangelical privileges.
Only, we must observe that these things are not so distinguished as to be negatively contradistinct from each other. For the same thing, under several considerations, may be all of three of these — it may be a grace, a gift, and a privilege. All I intend, is to reduce the operations of the Holy Spirit to these three heads, casting each of them under what is most eminent in it, and which is most directly proposed to us. And I will begin with his work of grace.