CHAPTER XI.—Signs of smoking flax which Christ will not quench
The law is sweetened by the gospel, and becometh delightful to the inner man, Rom. 7:22. Under this gracious covenant sincerity is perfection, This is the death in the pot in the Roman religion,† that they confound two covenants; and it deads the comfort of drooping ones, that they cannot distinguish them. And thus they suffer themselves to be held under pondage,' Isa. 61:1, 2, when Christ hath set them free; and stay themselves in the prison, when Christ hath set open the doors before them.
5. Grace sometimes is so little as is undiscernible to us; the Spirit sometimes hath secret operations in us, which we know not for the present; but Christ knoweth. Sometimes in bitterness of temptation, when the Spirit struggles with sense of God's anger, we are apt to think God an enemy; and a troubled soul is like troubled water,‡ we can see nothing in it; and so far as it is not cleansed, it will cast up mire and dirt. It is full of objections against itself, yet for the most part we may discern something of the hidden life, and of these smothered sparks.
In a gloomy day there is so much light whereby we may know it to be day, and not night; so there is something in a Christian under a cloud, whereby he may be discerned to be a true believer, and not a hypocrite. There is no mere darkness in the state of grace, but some beam of light, whereby the kingdom of darkness wholly prevaileth not.
CHAPTER XI.
Signs of smoking flax which Christ will not quench
These things premised, let us know for a trial, 1. First, if there be any holy fire in us, it is kindled from heaven by the 'Father of lights, who commandeth light to shine out of darkness,' 2 Cor. 4:6. As it is kindled in the use of means, so it is fed. The light in us, and the light in the word, spring one from the other, and both from one Holy
Spirit; and, therefore, those that regard not the word, it is because there 'is no light in them,' Isa. 8:20. Heavenly truths must have a heavenly light to discern them. Natural men see heavenly things, but not in their own proper light, but by an inferior light. God in every converted man putteth a light into the eye of his soul, proportionable to the light of truths revealed unto him. A carnal eye will never see spiritual things.
2. Secondly, the least divine light hath heat with it in some measure; light in the understanding breedeth heat of love in the affections.
Claritas in intellectu parit ardorem in affectu. In what measure the sanctified understanding seeth a thing to be true, or good, in that measure the will embraces it. Weak light breeds weak inclinations; a strong light, strong inclinations. A little spiritual light is of strength enough to answer strong objections of flesh and blood, and to look through all earthly allurements and opposing§ hindrances, presenting them as far inferior to those heavenly objects it eyeth.
All light that is not spiritual, because it wanteth the strength of sanctifying grace, yieldeth* to every little temptation, especially when it is fitted and suited to personal inclinations. This is the reason why Christians that have light little for quantity, but yet heavenly for quality, hold out, when men of larger apprehensions sink.
This prevailing of light in the soul is because, together with the spirit of illumination, there goeth, in the godly, a spirit of power, 2 Tim.
1:7, to subdue the heart to truth revealed, and to put a taste and relish into the will, suitable to the sweetness of the truths; else a mere natural will will rise against supernatural truths, as having an antipathy and enmity against them. In the godly, holy truths are conveyed by way of a taste; gracious men have a spiritual palate as well as a spiritual eye. Grace altereth the relish.
3. Thirdly, where this heavenly light is kindled, it directeth in the right way. For it is given for that use, to shew us the best way, and to guide in the particular passages of life; if otherwise, it is but common light, given only for the good of others. Some have light of knowledge, yet follow not that light, but are guided by carnal reason and policy; such as the prophet speaks of,' All you that kindle a fire, walk in the light of your own fire, and in the sparks that you have kindled; but this you shall have of mine hand, ye shall lie down in sorrow,' Isa. 50:11. God delights to confound carnal wisdom, as enmity to him, and robbing him of his prerogative, who is God only wise. We must, therefore, walk by his light, and not the blaze of our own fire. God must light our candle, Ps. 18:28, or else we are like to abide in darkness. Those sparks that are not kindled from heaven, are not strong enough to keep us from lying down in sorrow, though they make a greater blaze and show than the light from above, as madmen do greater things than sober, but by a false strength: so the excess of these men's joy ariseth from a false light, 'the candle of the wicked shall be put out,' Job 18:6.
The light that some men have, it is like lightning, which after a sudden flash leaveth them more in darkness. They can love the light as it shines, but hate it as it discovers and directs. A little holy light will enable to keep the word, and not betray religion, and deny
Christ's name, as Christ speaketh of the church of Philadelphia, Rev.
3:8.
4. Fourthly, where this fire is, it will sever things of diverse natures, and shew a difference between things, as gold and dross. It will sever between flesh and spirit, and shew that this is of nature, this of grace.
All is not ill in a bad action, or good in a good action. There is gold in ore, which God and his Spirit in us can distinguish. A carnal man's heart is like a dungeon, wherein is nothing to be seen but horror and confusion; this light maketh us judicious and humble, upon clearer sight of God's purity, and our own uncleanness; and maketh us able to discern of the work of the Spirit in another.
5. Fifthly, so far as a man is spiritual, so far is light delightful unto him, as willing to see anything amiss, that he may reform, and any further service discovered that he may perform, because he truly hateth ill and loveth good; if he goeth against light discovered, he will soon be reclaimed, because light hath a friendly party within him.
Whereupon, at a little sight of his error he is soon counselable, as David in his intendment to kill Nabal, and blessed God afterwards, when he is stopped in an ill way, 1 Sam. 25:32.
In a carnal man, the light breaks in upon him, but he labours to shut the passages, he hath no delight to come to the light. It is impossible before the Spirit of grace hath subdued the heart, but that it should sin against the light, either by resisting of it, or keeping it prisoner under base lusts, and burying it, as it were, in the earth; or perverting of it, and so making it an agent and factor for the flesh, in searching out arguments to plead for it, or abusing that little measure of light they have, to keep out a greater, higher, and more heavenly light; and so, at length, make that light they have a misleading guide to utter darkness. And the reason is, because it hath no friend within, the soul is in a contrary frame; and light always hindereth that sinful peace that men are willing to speak to themselves: whence we see it oft enrages men the more, as the sun in the spring breedeth aguish
distempers, because it stirreth humours, and doth not waste them.
There is nothing in the world more unquiet than the heart of a wicked man, that sitteth under means of knowledge, until, like a thief, he hath put out the candle, that he may sin with the less check.
Spiritual light is distinct, it seeth spiritual good, with application to ourselves; but common light is confused, and lets sin lie quiet. Where fire is in any degree, it will fight against the contrary matter. God hath put irreconcilable hatred between light and darkness at first, so between good and ill, flesh and spirit, Gal. 5:17; grace will never join with sin, no more than fire with water. Fire will mingle with no contrary, but preserveth its own purity, and is never corrupted as other elements are. Therefore, those that plead and plot for liberties of the flesh, shew themselves strangers from the life of God. Upon this strife, gracious men oft complain that they have no grace, but they contradict themselves in their complaints; as if a man that seeth should complain he cannot see, or complain that he is asleep, when the very complaint, springing from a displeasure against sin, sheweth that there is something in him opposite to sin. Can a dead man complain? Some things, though bad in themselves, yet discover good; as smoke discovers some fire. Breaking out in the body shews strength of nature. Some infirmities discover more good than some seeming beautiful actions. Excess of passion in opposing evil, though not to be justified, yet sheweth a better spirit than a calm temper, where there is just cause of being moved. Better it is that the water should run something muddily, than not at all. Job had more grace in his distempers, than his friends in their seeming wise carriage.
Actions soiled with some weaknesses, are more accepted than complemental performances.
6. Sixthly, fire, where it is in the least measure, is in some degree active; so the least measure of grace is working, as springing from the Spirit of God, which, from the working nature of it, is compared to
fire. Nay, in sins, when there seemeth nothing active, but corruption, yet there is a contrary principle, which breaks the force of sin, so that it is not out of measure sinful, as in those that are carnal, Rom. 7:13.
7. Seventhly, fire maketh metals pliable and malleable, so doth grace, where it is begun; it worketh the heart to be pliable and ready for all good impressions. Untractable spirits shew that they are not so much as smoking flax.
8. Eighthly, fire turneth all, as much as it can, to fire; so grace laboureth to breed the like impression in others, and make as many good as it can. Grace likewise maketh a gracious use even of natural and civil things, and doth spiritualise them. What another man doth only civilly, a gracious man will do holily. Whether he eateth or drinketh, or whatsoever he doth, he doth all to the glory of God, 1
Cor. 10:31, making everything serviceable to the last end.
9. Ninthly, sparks by nature fly upwards; so the Spirit of grace carrieth the soul heaven-ward, and setteth before us holy and heavenly aims. As it was kindled from heaven, so it carries us back to heaven. The part followeth the whole: fire mounteth upward, so every spark to its own element. Where the aim and bent of the soul is
God-wards, there is grace, though opposed. The least measure of it is holy desires springing from faith and love, for we cannot desire anything which we do not believe first to be, and the desire of it issues from love. Hence desires are counted a part of the thing desired, in some measure; but then they must be, first, constant, for constancy shews that they are supernaturally natural, and not enforced; secondly, they must be carried to spiritual things, as to believe, to love God, &c.: not out of a special exigent, because, if now they had grace, they think they might escape some danger, but as a loving heart is carried to the thing loved for some excellency in itself;