Chapter II
That by spirit, John iii. 5, is not meant the indwelling of the Spirit. Nor
that, in the new birth, the Holy Ghost produceth in us the same nature which
himsel/ hath.
That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. JOHN III. 6.
You have here the thing begotten in us by the Spirit of God at the new
birth, set forth in the whole and the general nature of it, expressing what is most sublime in it. It is spirit, which denotes the supremest kind of being. I say in the whole nature of it, that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. It is all, and the whole of it, spiritual, and this gives us a general nature common to all the parts of the new birth. All, and every grace, though diversified by the special objects they are exercised about, yet agree in this common and general nature that they are spirit, or spiritual graces. Sor row for sin, and humiliation, is such a sight and sense of sin as is spiritual. And thus justifying faith is a spiritual faith in all the acts of it.
1. Let us inquire what is meant by spirit here, by considering what it
is not.
(1.) It is not the communication of the Holy Spirit himself which is here
meant, for though, indeed, he himself is given to us as the author of our
regeneration, and though himself dwelleth in us immediately, and not by his graces only (as I have before proved), yet the giving of and the indwell-
1 of the Holy Ghost in us, is in no wise to be termed our being born of
ino
the Spirit, nor is it anywhere in Scripture so styled. Our being born of
the Spirit notes out an effect or work of the Spirit in us, as that which is
born of another is, and as the conception of the human nature of Christ is
said to be of the Holy Ghost, Mat. i. 18, 19.
(2.) It is not the begetting of a nature or being, the same that the Spirit himself is of. It is not a communication of the Godhead to us, making us God of God (as some have blasphemed), nor Spirit of Spirit ; in which
sense Christ s Godhead is termed Spirit (Heb. ix. 14), and very God of
very God. But this spiritual nature in us is not a spark of the divine
nature struck or shot forth unto our souls. But it is, for the kind of it, a
creature which is for ever distinct from the Deity, as the apostle severs them, Rom. ix. 5, when he speaks of God as blessed for evermore. And
indeed the Godhead in the indivisible whole of it is eternal, Rom. i. 20, but this spirit, or spiritual nature (of which we are now speaking), is born
in time, for it is produced after a man s having been first born flesh. And
besides, it is not only styled a creature, but the new creature ; and there
fore if it were the divine nature, or God, there would be as many new gods as there are men regenerate.
CHAP. II.] IN OUE SALVATION. 159
2. We are now to consider what this spirit, which is born of the Spirit, is. One way and a sure one is to conceive of it by the opposite to it, and which is set by it on purpose to explain it : That which is born of the flesh
is flesh, saith Christ. Now, what is flesh in Scripture sense, as it is opposed unto the new creature ? It is plainly not the substance of a man s nature, or any other substance a man is transformed into, but the corruption, the natural sinfulness and defilement of man s nature. And therefore the spirit, or that which is born of the Spirit, is in its kind and proportion to be understood
in like manner. I shall not name many places, but only one which is appo site : in Gal. v. 17, The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit
against the flesh : and these are contrary the one to the other : so as you cannot do the things you would. That by flesh here, he means not the essence or substance of man s nature, much less as created by God, is evi
dent; because, in ver. 19-21, he says, The works of the flesh are mani
fest ; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, wantonness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, and suchlike : whereof I tell you, says he, that they which do such
things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. What is meant therefore,
is man s corrupt, degenerate nature : the old man which is said to be
* corrupt through deceitful lusts, Eph. iv. 22. And as all men are born
flesh, they are in the flesh (Rom. viii. 8) until born again. Now together with this he represents the contrary principle of spirit in a
regenerate man, whereof the one lusting after the spirit, the other after the
contrary, even before the consent of man s will, they distract the will of a man, so as he cannot do what he would. Now then hereby two inherent
principles in a regenerate man s nature must necessarily be denoted.
(1.) For as the flesh (which all acknowledge to be man s nature .by birth) lusts against the spirit ; so the spirit is in like manner said to lust
against the flesh. And this naturally, for it is before a consent of the will one way or other, as well as after such consent. Now to lust (one way or
other) is the proper and immediate product of the inward inclinations of a man s heart and nature. And from these principles, as inherent in our
nature, each of these lustings draw the will several, yea, contrary ways. They work a contrariety of will in us also : You cannot do what you would. And therefore spirit must be understood to be a principle in man s nature, as well as flesh or corruption is.
Neither must it be said that the Holy Ghost is that spirit that lusts in
us, in the like manner as the flesh doth lust against the spirit. He may be said to work in us indeed this lusting against the flesh, as he is said to make intercession for us in stirring up groans in us, &c., Rom. viii. 27,
yet so as we are said to groan and pray. So here to lust against the flesh
is our act, and not the Holy Ghost s ; and therefore is from a principle opposite to flesh in our souls, and inherent in us as flesh is, and so made a
contrary nature in us unto that flesh.
(2.) These two are said to be contrary, and therefore are as two con
trary qualities in man s nature. For qualities only, not substances, are
contrary. And if then flesh be such that lusts after evil, then spirit is also such that lusteth after good. These are as heat and cold, sickness and
health, in the same subject, stirring and acting one against the other.
(3.) They are to this purpose compared unto two roots or seminal prin
ciples seated in the soul, producing contrary effects and fruits. For he
says, ver. 22, But the fruit of the Spirit (mark that allusion)
* is love,
peace, joy, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temper-
160 THE WORK OF THE HOLY GHOST [BOOK IV.
ance; whenas he says on the contrary, The works of the flesh, the
* are envyings, murders, wrath, strife, &c. And this
fruits of the flesh,
place alone is sufficient to confute those that would have the Holy Ghost s
indwelling only, without his working, an inherent root or principle of grace, by which all acts of holiness should become properly ours subjectively, as
well as his sufficiently,* as he alone acteth that grace in us to bring forth
every good work.
Obj. Those of the forementioned high-flown persuasion will interpose
here, that flesh in Scripture is put for the whole of man s nature, substance, and excellencies of any kind ; yea, and the whole creation is denominated
flesh, and so even man s pure nature, as it was at first created in Adam, and all the glories of it are termed flesh. He was a fleshly, earthly man. And therefore not only corrupt nature, but all those holy qualities created
in Adam at first, or that is of the like created nature or rank, though never
so excellent above them, are here to be understood by spirit. For else that which you call s}nrit (say they) is still indeed but flesh, as the whole crea
tion, whether new or old, is to be accounted.
I thus answer the objection. Ans. 1. Be it so, that flesh imports in some scriptures all created excel
lencies in their utmost perfection ; yet in this text, and multitudes of others
throughout the New Testament, it is taken not in that general notion, but
strictly for the degeneration of man s nature by the fall, conveyed by gene ration fleshly ; out of which, if man s nature be not restored by a new birth
spiritual, he is eternally lost. Well then in this place, and the other places now cited, flesh is strictly taken for that corruption of man s nature, and
spirit likewise oppositely for the principle restored in it, contrary thereunto. For it is that flesh that is destroyed by this spirit, as it is contrary.
Ans. 2. It is true that the best and highest excellencies of Adam s nature were but flesh, taken as compared with the nature of God himself. I can
give you scriptures that even the human nature of Christ, which was the
glory, the head, the sum of the whole creation, old and new, is but flesh, with all its prerogatives ; yea, and profits nothing, as in opposition to the Godhead in him. What else is the meaning of John vi. 63, The flesh
profiteth nothing, it is the Spirit that quickeneth ? And further, that in
respect of glorying in God s presence, all the grace in a renewed man, termed spirit here, is but flesh in that respect, and comes within the com
pass of that saying, 1 Cor. i. 29, That no flesh should glory in his pre sence. For when he adds, For of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who is made
wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, redemption, he there instancing not
only in all the glorious graces that are wrought in us, as wisdom and sanctifi
cation, but also all the benefits bestowed upon us, as justification and the
glory of heaven itself, expressed by redemption, he doth thereby plainly call all
these flesh, as in themselves considered, and as they are excellencies for us
to glory in ; the glory of which God hath in that respect robbed them of and deflowered, forasmuch as God hath made Christ all these to us, which
otherwise in themselves would be but flesh in us, as the old creation at first
was. And God doth this that so we might in all these glory in the Lord
only, and not so much in them thus given us.
Our souls, by Christ s restauration of them, do remain created substances
still. He doth not transubstantiate them into the being of the divine nature. And when it is said, He brings things that are unto nought, or nothing,
his meaning is not that God destroys them in respect of their being or * Qu. efficiently ? ED.
CHAP. II.] IN OUB SALVATION. 161
existence ; they must have that still. For if by flesh were meant all that is
created by God, differing from himself, then the substance of the soul, yea, the whole of the man, would be destroyed by grace, so there would be no subject
left capable of having this spirit begotten in it; no, nor would salvation be the
salvation of our souls. If they say there is some new thing created in the room
thereof, which they would call spirit, yet still concerning that new thing I
ask (1.), Either it is a creature made by God, and distinct from him, and then I urge upon them it is flesh, even as well as the former soul ; for in
comparison unto God, so it is, and still within the same sphere and rank of
beings that are created. Or (2.) it is God and the Godhead. If that be
their meaning, let them but say so ; but then I will not argue it, but rend my garments. And the truth is, they can mean no other thing, if they will
speak otherwise, of these things than we do.
Ans. 3. The third answer to the objection made is this. I grant that
this new spirit, begotten of the Spirit, is of a more divine temper, genius, and aspirement than the image of God in Adam was, which though holy,
yet but in a natural way ; in knowing God in and by the creatures, and
by the covenant of works, and so only according unto what is naturally due unto a creature reasonable, as he first falls out of the hands of his maker. And I should not only grant that this new divine nature, born of
the Spirit, is supernatural, in comparison to corrupt nature and the dis
positions thereof, but also in comparison of pure nature. Insomuch as Adam was but an earthly, natural man, comparatively to that which is born
of the Spirit, which is the image of the heavenly, and is ordained in the end
to see God in himself, and will be raised up thereto ; and at present hath such a way of knowing and enjoying God, and such objects spiritual suited
to it, as Adam s state was not capable of. Now therefore, although all the
old and new creation are flesh to God, as was said, yet the new being of our highest aspirement may be termed spirit in comparison of its fellow-
creatures; and so this new creature, in regeneration wrought, may perhaps be styled, in comparison of Adam s image.
The me of all in brief is this, that men should take heed of being seduced and drawn into opinions, under the pretence and allurement of still more
spiritualness, and spiritualising still all that the Scripture says, or can be
said of true spiritualness, till they lose all spiritualness. It may be truly said that many that seemed to begin soberly in the Spirit, whilst they have
affected to go still a note higher than the gospel allots unto the creature, as
the portion of it, intruding into things they have not seen, they have in the end come round, and ended in the flesh, even where they were before they did begin. You must not think to spiritualise the soul of man beyond what can consist with its being a creature, and beyond what, in a lower rank of union with God, than Christ hath, it can bear. The nature of things must not be destroyed, God must alone be God, and that eternal Spirit. The
soul must be the soul, enjoying God as such, remaining distinct from him ; then attribute what spiritualness you can, lower than what Christ and the
eternal Spirit is said to have, as being God, and the Son of God. And
also withal stay but a while to have that addition of grace and glory, which our doctrine gives and proclaims to spirits made perfect in heaven, where God is all in all ; and yet still he and the creature are distinct, though the
glorified creature enjoys a fulness and immediateness of knowledge in him, as in himself, face to face, and in a love raised up and proportioned thereto. These distances being kept, let men urge what spiritualness they can, and our doctrine will rise as high as they can do ; yea (which is the glory of our VOL. VI. L
162 THE WORK OF THE HOLY GHOST [BOOK IY
doctrine), they cannot speak beyond it, but are forced to cant their own wild notes in our expressions. If men will go higher, it falls out here as with chemists, going about to seek further spirits out of spirits already ex
tracted, out of wine or metals sublimated as much as the things will bear. In seeking to sublimate them yet further, in the end they all vanish, and
all ends in smoke.
So then, that which is spirit here, is metaphrased elsewhere by Paul
1 Cor. ii. 15, and is all one as to say, That which is born of the Spirit is
spirit, and that the soul of a man born again is spiritualised 6 vvsvpaTixfa, that is, a spiritual man, and thereby fitted to receive and take in (as the word
v. 14 is), ra nvtvparr/.a, spiritual things, OTs-j^ar/xwj, spiritually, or as
spiritual.