The Spirit the soul of the soul
have it from him that is first spiritual, the Spirit himself; that is the principal* and fountain of all that is spiritual.
Thirdly, We are called ofttimes to do and suffer such things as are above nature; and therefore we must have a spirit above nature.
When we feel sin, to believe the forgiveness of sins; when we see death, to believe life everlasting; and when we are in extremity, to believe God present with us to deliver us, to believe contraries in contraries, is a strange almighty work of faith, by the work of the Spirit. It is above the work of nature to die, to end our days with comfort, and to resign up our souls, for nature sees nothing but darkness and desolation in the grave and destruction. Nothing can make a man comfortable in death, but that which raiseth him above nature, the Spirit of God.
The Spirit the soul of the soul Now these things, and many such like, we must do and suffer, if we be Christians; and therefore we must have the Spirit to enable us to do all. The Spirit is to the soul as the soul is to the body. What is the body without the soul? A carcase, a loathsome dead thing. What is the soul without the Spirit? A chaos of darkness and confusion.
Well, how shall we know whether we have the Spirit of Christ or no?
(1.) We may know it partly by that I said before. The Spirit is a vigorous working thing, and therefore all three persons take upon them the name of Spirit, but the Holy Ghost especially, because he is the spiritual vigour. The Spirit is an operative thing. The spirits are the quintessence and extraction of things, that is nothing but operation. God that is nothing but a pure act is said to be a spirit.
Those that have the Spirit of God are full of act and vigour. The spirits of dull creatures are active when they are extracted. Shall the spirits of bodies be vigorous, and shall not the Holy Ghost be
vigorous, that is a substantial vigour? Therefore, if a man have the Spirit of God in him, it will work in him; it is very operative.
Therefore it is compared to fire in divers respects, for, First, Fire it is of a working nature. It is the instrument of nature. If we had not fire, what could we work? All fabrics and all things are done by fire, especially metals; they are framed and made malleable by fire. So the Holy Ghost, it is a working thing and softeneth the heart, and makes us malleable; it makes us fit for the impression of all good.
Secondly, Fire, again, though bodies be dark, it makes them lightsome like itself. Iron is a dark body, but if the fire penetrate it, it makes it lightsome. We are dark creatures of ourselves: if we have the Spirit it makes us light.
Thirdly Again, fire it makes cheerful, and ascends upwards. If a man have the Spirit of God, his conversation will be upward, his conversation will be heavenly, he minds the things of God, he doth not grovel here below; so in divers such respects the Holy Ghost is compared to fire, and hath such effects in us. In some sort we find our understandings enlightened, and ourselves quickened, and carried up to the above nature, in holy and heavenly actions; and then it is a good sign that we have the Spirit of Christ. A part will follow the whole. As we see a part of the earth it falls to the centre, because all the earth is heavy, all the whole earth falls down to the centre, and therefore every little clod will do it; so Christ our head, that hath abundance of the Spirit, is in heaven, and if we have the Spirit we will follow him, and mind the things where Christ is.
(2.) Where the Spirit of Christ is likewise, it convinceth, as it is John 16:8, seq.; that is, it brings a clear evident conviction with it, that the truth of God is the truth of God. It is no doubtful thing. Therefore when a man staggers in the truth, in this and that course, whether he should do this or that, it is a sign he hath not the Spirit, or that he
hath it in a very little measure, because the Spirit is a convincing thing, as light it convinceth a man. He doth not doubt of that that he seeth at noon-day. So that that a man seeth by the Spirit, he is convinced of. When a man doubts and wavers, whether he should take a good course or a bad, and wavers, it is a sign he is carnal, and hath not the Spirit of God; for if he had not the Spirit* it would convince him, and set him down, You must take this course if you will be saved. That is said to convince, that saith more for a thing than anything can say against it. Now when a man hath the Spirit of God, he can say more for God and for good things and good ways, than all the devils in hell by discouragement can say against them.
Therefore, when a man cannot say anything for God, and for good causes to purpose, he hath not the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God would so convince him, that he should answer all cavils and objections. The argument is wondrous large. I give you but a taste, to know whether the Spirit of Christ be in you or no.
Directions how to get the Spirit (3.) In a word, if Christ be that Spirit, and have infused the Spirit into us, it will make us like him; it will transform us into his likeness, it will make us holy and humble and obedient as he was, even to the death. These things might be largely followed, but we have occasion to speak of these in other portions of Scripture. Therefore, that ye may get the Spirit of God, take these directions.
[1.] We must go to Christ, study Christ. If we will have the Spirit, study the gospel of Christ. What is the reason that before Christ there was so little Spirit in comparison? There was but a little measure of the knowledge of Christ. The more Christ is discovered, the more is the Spirit given; and according to the manifestation of Christ what he hath done for us, and what he hath, the more the riches of Christ is unfolded in the church, the more the Spirit goes along with them.
The more the free grace and love of God in Christ alone is made known to the church, the more Spirit there is; and again back again,
the more Spirit the more knowledge of Christ; for there is a reciprocal going of these two, the knowledge of Christ and the Spirit.
What is the reason, that in popery the schoolmen that were witty to distinguish, that there was little Spirit in them? They savoured not the gospel. They were wondrous quick in distinctions, but they savoured not the matters of grace, and of Christ. It was not fully discovered to them, but they attributed it to satisfaction, and to merits, and to the pope, the head of the church, &c. They divided
Christ, they knew him not; and dividing Christ, they wanted the Spirit of Christ; and wanting that Spirit, they taught not Christ as they should. They were dark times, as themselves confessed, especially about nine hundred and a thousand years after Christ, because Christ was veiled then in a world of idle ceremonies—to darken the gospel and the victory of Christ—that the pope made, who was the vicar of Satan. These were the doctors of the church then, and Christ was hid and wrapped in a company of idle traditions and ceremonies of men; and that was the reason that things were obscure.
[2.] Now when Christ, and all good things by Christ, and by Christ only, are discovered, the veil is taken off. Now of late for these hundred years, in the time of reformation, there hath been more spirit and more lightsomeness and comfort. Christians have lived and died more comfortably. Why? Because Christ hath been more known. And as it is with the church, so it is with particular
Christians, the more they study Christ, and the fulness that is in Christ, and all comfort in him alone to be had—'wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,' 1 Cor. 1:30—the more men grow up in the knowledge of Christ, the more they grow spiritually; and the more spiritually they grow, the more they grow in the knowledge of Christ. Therefore, if we would have the Spirit, let us come near to Christ, and labour to know him more, who is the fountain of all that is spiritual.
[3.] Then again, if we would be spiritual, let us take heed we trust not too much to dead things, without Christ; to have a kind of popery in
the work done; to think that reading, and hearing, and receiving the sacrament, and that the government of the church will do it, as if it were as man would have it. Put case there were all these, which are excellent good things; but what are all these without the Spirit of Christ! A man may be dead with all these. Though he hear never so much, and receive the sacrament never so often, if a man go not to Christ the quickening Spirit in this manner: Lord, these, and my soul too, are dead things without thy Spirit, therefore quicken me. Join
Christ with all our performances, without which all is nothing, and then he will be spiritual to us.
[4.] And when we go to Christ for the Spirit, as we must beg it if we will have it,—God will give the Holy Ghost to them that ask him,
Luke 11:13,—remember that we use the means carefully; reading, and hearing, and holy communion of saints, because though these without the Spirit can do nothing, yet the Spirit is not given but by these. These are the golden conduits of the Spirit of Christ. No man is ever spiritual but they are readers, and hearers, and conferrers of good things, and attenders upon the means of salvation, because God will work by his own tools and instruments. Therefore it is said, Rev.
1:9, that John was 'full of the Spirit upon the Lord's day.' Let a Christian sanctify the Sabbath as he should do, he will be in the Spirit on the Lord's day more than on other days. Why? Because then he is reading, and hearing, and conferring, and in some spiritual course; and the more a man on the Lord's day. is in a spiritual course, the more he is in the Spirit: 'John was in the Spirit on the Lord's day.' So much for these words, 'The Lord is that Spirit.'
'And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.'
We see here what the Spirit works where it is. 'Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.' I will name the instance that I gave before, that I may the better go on. We say the sun is heat and influence; not that it is so, for they be accidents, but the sun appears to us for our comfort in heat and influence, therefore we call it by that name. We say of a man, he is all spirit. So Christ is all Spirit. The