-- CHAPTER VII: The difference between unregenerate the regenerate knowledge of Spiritual things.
not this, says God, to know me? Thus he puts knowing for doing. And so there is a hearing and a learning which draws the heart to come unto Christ: John 6:44, 45, 'No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.' Every one that hath heard and learned of the Father, cometh unto me; and this hearing and learning is the Father's drawing. Such is the effect of true spiritual knowledge, which the knowledge of the unregenerate wants, and therefore is defective in the essential property of true knowledge.
CHAPTER VII:
The difference between the knowledge that an unregenerate man hath of spiritual things, and the knowledge of one regenerate.
That it doth not consist only in degrees, or in the addition of a greater measure of knowledge to one than to the other, nor in that the knowledge of the one is speculative, but of the other practical.—
Though this is some part, yet it is not the whole of the difference.— Reasons assigned for it Now, then, from all that hath been discoursed in the preceding chapter, it is apparent that there is a difference, and a great one too, between that knowledge which is in an unregenerate man, whose understanding and judgment hath not received any light from heaven, and that knowledge which is in a man whose whole spirit is sanctified; yea, and so great and vast a difference, as the one is said to be no knowledge in comparison of the other. That therefore which remains for me to do, is to shew you this their difference, and
wherein it lies; and this not only in the effects of them, which are more apparent, but in the causes, principles, and nature of them, which make them to differ, and from which you shall see how those differing effect flow. Let us a little inquire into them.
1. Some say that the difference between sanctifying knowledge, and that in the minds of men unregenerate, lies only in degrees of knowledge, and not at all in kind, i.e. that both are of the same nature, and have the same acts and objects, but the one is a greater knowledge, and the other less; as heat in water is the same kind of heat that heat in fire is, but hath not the same degree; for fire is more intensively hot. As therefore heat in water may be boiled up to so high a degree as to expel the form of water, and bring in the form of fire, so may, and is (say they) the knowledge in an unregenerate man, when converted, actuated so far, and made so intense, as it expels sin and darkness; and thus having attained to a certain degree, that proves sanctifying now, which was not so before. And so even in this sense, unregenerate men may be said to be blind, because they want that degree of knowledge which a man sanctified hath; as a man that can see, yet not very well, is called purblind, though not stone-blind.
And thus the apostle calls him blind, who is μυωπάζων, that neither doth nor can see afar off: 2 Peter 1:9, 'But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from all sins.' Now, indeed, this difference between them is true, but it is not all. It is true, indeed, because a regenerate man, when converted, knows all he did before, and, moreover, hath a farther degree of knowledge added; a more full, strong, intense degree of knowledge than he had before when unconverted; he hath now a more complete conviction of things, whereof himself was not, and no other man is, so fully persuaded. But yet this is not all; for if the difference lay only in adding more degrees of knowledge, then why is a man that hath many reasons in his mind to convince him of such a truth or practice, yet unconvinced and unconverted? Why is not his heart wrought on effectually, whenas one that hath perhaps one motive or consideration impressed on him, yet is wrought on powerfully by it? As is the case of many a poor Christian, who hath
not so many notions of the truths of the gospel, nor can discourse so readily of them, nor say so much for himself as the other mere speculative Christian, and yet his will is more moved by what he knows, and his heart affected more. Therefore certainly it is not simply an addition of more degrees that doth the business, as if it were the same case; as in physic, that though the taking of twenty grains of such a drug may not work, yet if one or two more be added, it will. There is a faith (Christ tells us), and so consequently a knowledge, that the least grain of it, even as small as a grain of mustard seed, is powerful to save: Mat. 13:31, 32, 'The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field: which indeed is the least of all seeds; but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.' Such is the nature of grace, and so of sanctifying knowledge too; and therefore the difference between that and common grace and knowledge consists not only in degrees; there is the smoking flax, which though it breaks not forth into fire, yet is true grace, and shall get the victory: Mat. 12:20, 'A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.' And there is a knowledge, which though it hath more light, yet it hath not heat answerable to cause a smoke, which the other hath, which argues a farther difference than what is merely gradual, and that difference to be in the nature of the knowledge itself.
2. A second difference assigned is taken from the several and differing seats and parts of the understanding, in which the knowledge of the one and the other is said to reside, and take possession of; so as the nature of their subjects being diverse, they are said in this respect also to be different. It is in short thus: the knowledge which unregenerate men have, though it be a habit in the mind, yet it is fixed only in the outwardmost and upper part of the understanding, into which all things knowable do come, and may come, whose office is barely to take a view of things, and contemplate them, and there is an end, and it hath no more to do. This we call the speculative understanding, or barely knowing knowledge. But, then,
besides this, there is another room or part of our understanding, whose office it is to judge of the goodness of all things, which you know so as to move your wills and affections to the things which you apprehend and esteem best for you, and to guide you in your actions.
This is called the practical understanding, or working and affecting knowledge. Now, they say, that into this part of the understanding in unregenerate men, the knowledge of spiritual things never enters, and it receives them not, but they are shut up only in the other. But now in a regenerate man the knowledge of spiritual things is chiefly seated in the practical understanding, whose office, privilege, prerogative, and place it is to guide and steer all. And this is the reason why the one barely knows these things, and the other knows them not so* as to be affected with them; for though an unregenerate man's speculative eye be opened, yet his practical eye is shut; and so seeing, he sees them not; but in a regenerate man God opens both eyes, that he sees them fully to all purposes. To dear this farther, I thus express it: in your judgments there are two several courts kept, and two judges in those courts. The office of the one, viz. that which sits in the speculative court, is barely to inquire into the truth of things, and their goodness, only in the general, and to examine this merely in comparing truth with truth, by notional principles of reason, and so to go no further. As an angel hath an understanding power to judge intemperance and uncleanness to be evil and sinful, as well as men do, or as they themselves do know pride to be so, but yet they barely know this, for they are uncapable of inclinations or affections to such vices; so a gentleman hath an understanding capable of knowing the mystery of a trade, as well as he who lives upon it; but yet this doth not direct him to work on it, or to live by it.
Now, besides this general court which takes all things knowable into consideration, there is another court kept by another judge, the practical understanding, whose office it is to inquire, what of all the things a man knows is best for him, on which to spend his chief intention and affections.
And that by which this judge measures things, and the rules by which he goes in examining them, is what is most profitable, or pleasant, or
fittest for me upon all occasions and actions, and accordingly passeth sentence; which sentence all the rest which is in a man stands unto, and puts in execution. Now, then, to apply this to the thing in hand: take an unregenerate man, and in him the judge of the first court, viz. his speculative understanding, or knowing knowledge, which inquires but into the truth of things, may be enlightened with much knowledge of those which are spiritual, and be informed of those notional rules of truth whereby to judge aright of the ways both of sin and grace, and to pass this sentence also, that the ways of grace are best, and that this is a certain truth, and that the ways of sin are worst; and that to swear and be profane, to steal or to be drunk, to lie or cheat, do deserve death, and bring damnation. But then when any particular practice of a sin, and a bill about it, comes to be read in the second court, where the practical understanding sits judge, whose office is to examine what is best for him to be done, whether to commit such a sin, or to practise such a duty; this judge being judge for the man (as the other was for the truth), and examining all by principles of pleasure, &c., self-love being the pleader and swayer of this judge, reverseth the sentence of the former court, and passeth one quite contrary. We have an instance of the judgment and sentence which the first judge and court pronounceth in Rom. 1:32,
'Who, knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.' We have an instance of the sentence of the other court in Rom. 2:1, 'Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest dost the same things.'
He that passed the former judgment and sentence against such wicked practices, yet doth the same things. Now, before he acts thus, there must first be a sentence passed, for the understanding must assent to every action of a man; and therefore now the other judge, or part of the understanding, being corrupt, gives a verdict clean contrary to the first, viz., that he may do those things which by his first speculative judgment he had condemned, and thinks he shall escape: Rom. 2:3, 'And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the
judgment of God?' So that by reason of these two several judges in a man he condemns himself in what he formerly allowed: Rom. 14:22,
'Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.' But now in a regenerate man here is the difference, that both these judges are enlightened and informed, and go one and the same way in their sentence, and an act passeth against every act of sin, and for the performance of every known duty in both courts; and so this man is affected and stirred, and hath the knowledge in the active and working, which the other hath not. Though often in an unregenerate man the judge of the practical court may pass a sentence to forbear a sin, or to do a good duty, yet it is extorted by the clamour and importunity of the conscience, which is the judge of the other court; as the unjust judge did the poor widow right in her cause, and pronounced sentence in her favour, being moved by her importunity, though otherwise he cared not for right or wrong: Luke 18:4, 5, 'And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself,
Though I fear not God, nor regard man; yet, because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.'
But though there be much use of this distinction, yet this is not all the difference between one and the causes other. There are indeed two such distinct acts and offices of man's understanding, though it is all but one faculty, insomuch as many who know things speculatively know them not practically at all; as many scholars.
They are like physicians, who know by the rules of physic that such meat is ill and unwholesome, and yet will follow the rule of pleasure, and eat it, if delicious, though hurtful to the health. So that indeed to have the mind and understanding practically enlightened, is a new and distinct work of the Holy Ghost, which all have not, who yet have much knowledge. But yet this is not all the difference between the knowledge of a regenerate and unregenerate man.
1. Because even unregenerate men have their understandings practically wrought on by spiritual things, i.e. they have a working