Word of God, the

The Word of God
180. The Word from the mouth of God is more ancient than the Scripture, for the first word of Scripture was the promise, "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel" (Genesis 3:15). The Scripture is but the mode, the manner of conveying the Word of God. This Scripture is the rule whereby we must walk and the judge also of all controversies of religion, and in spite of the church of Rome it will judge them. Augustine has an excellent remark;
"When there is contention betwixt brethren, witnesses are brought, but in the end, the words, the will of the dead man is brought forth, and these words determine. Now shall the words of a dead man be of force, and shall not the word of Christ determine? Therefore look to the Scripture."
181. Those that care not for the Word of God reject their comfort; all comfort must be drawn out of the Scriptures, which are the breasts of consolation; many are bred up by education to know the truth and are able to discourse of it, but they lack the Spirit of truth, arid that is the reason why all their knowledge vanishes away in time of trial and temptation.
182. A man may know that the Word has wrought upon his conscience when he comes to hear and learn and reform. A man that has an heart without guile is glad to hear the sharpest reproofs because he knows that sin is his greatest enemy. But if we live in a course that we are loath should be reproved it is a sign our hearts are full of guile. Corrupt men mould their teachers and fashion them to their lusts, but a good and upright heart is willing that divine truths should have their full authority in the soul, and continues in the way of duty, though never so contrary to flesh and blood.
183. He that attends to the Word of God, not only knows the words (which are but the shell) but he knows the things. He has spiritual light to know what faith and repentance are. There is at that time a spiritual echo in the soul. "When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek" (Psalms 27:8). Therefore must men judge of their profiting by the Word, not by carrying it in their memories, but by being made able by it to bear crosses and to resist temptations.
184. It may be asked, how shall we know the Scriptures to be the Word of God? For answer, grant first, that there is a God, it will follow then that He must be worshipped and served, and that this service must be discovered to us, that we may know what He requires; and then let it be considered what Word of God can be different from this. Besides, God has blessed the superstition of the Jews (who were very strict to every letter) to preserve it for us; and the heretics, since the primitive church, have so observed one another that there can be no other than this Word. But we must further know that we must have something in our souls suitable to the truths contained in it before we can truly and savingly believe it to be the Word of God, so that we find it has a power in working upon our hearts and affections: "Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?" (Luke 24:32). Again, it has a divine operation to warm and pacify the soul, and power to make a I Felix tremble; it has a searching quality to divide between the marrow and the bone. We do not therefore only believe the Scriptures to be the Word of God because any man says so, or because the church says so, but also and principally, because we find it by experience working the same effects in us, that it speaks of itself. Therefore let us never rest till when we hear a promise, we may find something in us by the sanctifying Spirit that may be suitable to it, and so assuring us, that it is this Word alone that informs us of the good pleasure of God to us and of our duty towards Him.
185. The Word of God dwells in our hearts when it rules in the soul, when it directs our thoughts, affections and conversations, so that we dare not do anything contrary thereunto. but we shall be checked. Who shall get out that which God's finger has written in our hearts? No fire nor faggot, no temptation whatever.
86. When the Word dwells as a familiar friend in the heart to direct, counsel and comfort us, then it is a sign it abides there. The devil knows good and hates it, therefore knowledge alone is nothing; but when the promise alters the temper of the heart itself, then it is engrafted there.
187. Those that have eyes dazzled with the false luster of the world lack spiritual light; Christ Himself when here on earth lived a concealed life; only at certain times some beams broke out. So let it comfort us that our glory is hid in Christ; now it is clouded with the malice of wicked men and with our own infirmities, but let us comfort ourselves that we are glorious in the eyes of God and His holy angels.
188. Nature cannot work above its own powers, as vapors cannot ascend higher than the sun draws them. Our hearts are naturally shut, and God opens them by His Spirit in the use of means. The children of Israel in the wilderness saw wonders upon wonders, and yet when they came to be proved, they would not believe.
189. There should not be intimate familiarities except where we judge men true Christians; and towards those whom upon good grounds we judge to be such, we must be gentle and easy to be entreated. We therefore wrong them if we show ourselves strange to them.
190. There are many things to hinder the grace of waiting.
There is a great deal of tedious time and many crosses to meet with, such as the scorn and reproach of this world, and many other trials. God seems also to do nothing less than to perform His promise; but let us comfort ourselves that He waits to do them good that wait upon Him.
191. In a combat a man indeed is never overcome (let him be never so vexed in the world) till his conscience be cracked; if his conscience be good and his cause stand upright, he conquers, and shall be more than a conqueror in Christ's strength.
192. A Christian in his right temper is compared to the best of everything; if to a lily, the fairest; if to a cedar, the tallest; if to an olive tree, the most fruitful; "And his smell shall be as Lebanon." We should therefore make use of natural things and apply them to spiritual things. If we see a lily, think of God's promise and our duty, then we shall grow as lilies; when we see a tall tree, then think "I must grow higher in grace," and when we see a vine, think "I must grow in fruitfulness;" when we go into our orchards or gardens, let a sight of these things raise our thoughts higher, to a consideration of what is required and of what is promised.
193. When we come to be religious, we lose not our pleasure, but transform it; perhaps before we fed upon profane authors, now we feed upon holy truths. A Christian never knows what comfort is in religion till he comes to say with Augustine, "Lord, I have long lacked the true manna, all my former food was nothing but husks."
194. God takes care of poor weak Christians that are struggling with temptations and corruptions; Christ carries them in His arms. All Christ's sheep are diseased, and therefore He will have a tender care of them (Isaiah 40:11).
195. As we receive all from God, so we should lay all at His feet and say, I will not live in a course of sin, that will not stand with the favor of my God; for He will not lodge in the heart that has a purpose to sin.
196. There is no true zeal for God's glory unless it is joined with true love to men: therefore let men that are violent, injurious and insolent, never talk of glorifying God so long as they despise the lowest of men.
197. What is the reason that God's children sink not to hell when troubles are upon them? Because they have an inward presence strengthening them; for the Holy Ghost helps our infirmities, not only to pray, but to bear crosses, lightening them with some views of God's gracious countenance; for what supports our faith in prayer but inward strength from God?
198. It is as foolish an idea to think that we can fit ourselves for grace as if a child in the womb could forward its natural birth: if God has made us men, let us not make ourselves gods.
199. What we are afraid to speak before men, and to do for fear of danger, let us be much more afraid to think before God;
therefore we should stifle all evil ideas in the very conception, in their very rising: let them be used as rebels and traitors, be smothered at the very first.
200. God's children are hindered in good duties by an inevitable weakness in nature, as after labor with drowsiness; therefore the spirit may be willing when the flesh is weak. If we strive therefore against this deadness and dullness, Christ is ready to make excuse for us (if the heart be right) as He did for His disciples.
201. That which we drew from the first Adam was the displeasure of God; but we draw from the second Adam the favor of God; from the first Adam we drew corruption, from the second Adam we draw grace; from the first Adam we derive misery and death, and all the miseries that follow death; we draw from the second Adam life and happiness; whatsoever we had from the first Adam we have it repaired more abundantly in the second.
202. Grace makes us glorious because it puts glory upon the soul, carries the soul above all earthly things, tramples the world under her feet; it prevails against corruptions that foil ordinary men.
203. Christ is our pattern whom we must strive to imitate; it is necessary that our pattern should be exact so that we might see our imperfections and be humbled for them, and live by faith for our sanctification.
204. This life is a life of faith, for God will try the truth of our faith, so that the world may see that God has such servants as will depend upon His bare word; it were nothing to be a Christian if we should see all here; but God will have His children to live by faith, and take the promise upon His word.

Originally titled Divine Meditations. Updated.