The Spirit in the Covenant
God hath put his Spirit into the covenant; the Almighty, the Eternal Spirit; the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of glory, and of God.
This Holy and Eternal Spirit is first poured forth on our Head, the Lord Jesus; to anoint him our Redeemer, to furnish and qualify him for that great undertaking, “‘ The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek,” &c. Isa. lxi. 1. Isa, xi, 2 — 4. “The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, and of the fear of the Lord,” Isa. xi. 2.
And he is promised to each member, “I will put my Spirit within you,” Ezek. xxxvi.27 To all these he is granted,
I. As a Spirit of wisdom and revelation.
TI. As a Spirit of holiness and sanctification.
III. As a Spirit of truth and direction.
TV. As a Spirit of comfort and consolation,
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, As a “Spirit of wisdom and revelation,”
Eph. i. 17, 18. To enlighten them, to open their ‘blind eyes, and to shine into their hearts; to give them the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, that they may know what the hope
of his calling is, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. To counterwork the spirit of this world, whose work is to blind men’s
‘eyes, “lest the light of the glorious gospel should
shine unto them,” 2 Cor. iv. 4 — 6. This is he by whom the Father hath ‘‘ called us
out of darkness into his marvellous light,” 1 Pet.
ii. 9. The light that the Spirit brings in is a marvellous light, and that in three respects:
1. It is a marvellous thing that ever light should come into such dark souls. That those who were
born blind, and upon whom the god of this world
had, for many years together, been trying his skill
to thicken their darkness, to increase and seal them up under it; that ever such eyes should be opened, and the light of life should shine in upon such hearts; this is a marvellous thing. When our Lord Jesus in the days of his flesh, opened the eyes of those who had been born blind, the people ran
together, and wondered at the sight. If you should
see stones live, if you should see dead stocks, or dry bones walk up and down the streets, if you
- should see trees, or houses, or mountains fuil of
eyes, this were not more full of wonder, than to behold blind sinners receiving their sight. Thou wert once darkness; art thou now light in the Lord? stand and wonder at thy cure.
2. They are marvellous things which this light
discovers. It is a wonder that such eyes should ever
see, and they see wonders. The gospel is a D mystery full of wonders: there are heights, and depths, and lengths, and breadths. We have seen strange things to-day. Strange love, strange grace, wonderful wisdom, wonderful pity, patience, mercy; wonderful providences, wonderful deliverances, incomprehensible excellences, unspeakable joy and glory. It is a wonder there should be such things every day before our eyes, and yet we could not see them till now; and it is a wonder, that when we did not see them before, we should ever see them now; that those things which we despised, derided, mocked at, stumbled at, as mere foolishness and fancy, we should now see and admire, even to astonishment; that that Jesus who was to the Jews a stumbling-block, to the Greeks foolishness, should be to the same men when called, the wisdom of God, and the power of God, Oh the deep things of God! Oh the unsearchable riches of Christ! which he that searcheth all things, reveals unto the saints! Oh the hidden treasures they now discover in this deep mine! To you that believe he is precious, a praise, an honour; all fair, all glorious; and you have seen his glory, as the glory of the only begotten Son of God, full of grace and truth.
Again, there are marvellous evils, as well as good things, which by this light are brought to light. Sin with all the hidden things of darkness, that lie below in those chambers of death; the secrets of the evil heart of man. Sin appears a wonder to the savingly enlightened soul; exceeding sinful, a
- world of wickedness.
There is death, and hell, and the devil, in every sin; unkindness, unthankfulness, folly, enmity, rebellion, spite, and the blackness of darkness. What once appeared as a pleasure, a delight, a
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{HE SPIRIT IN THE COVENANT. 39
beauty; or at least if an evil, yet but a trifle, a
matter of nothing; is become a plague, a terror, a
burden, a bondage, bitterness, shame, sorrow; and such a high provocation, that whereas once he
swelled and murmured, and cried out of rigour, severity, cruelty in the least punishment of it; now
he wonders at the clemency, and patience, and forbearance of God, that such an affront and provocation, had not long since turned the whole earth into a hell.
Christian, thou complainest thou canst not see,
thou canst not feel, thou canst not mourn, thou canst
not break under all the guilt that hes upon thee; thine heart is hard, thine eyes are dry, not a tear, not a groan, scarce a sigh, will all this evil fetch out from thee. Oh this blind and sottish mind! Oh this dead and senseless heart! what shall I do? what would I not do to get me a melting, mourning, broken spirit! but I cannot, I cannot; I can- “not see, I cannot bleed, nor break. O beg the light of this Holy Spirit! and if the sight he will present ‘thee with, of this wonderful evil, do not rend thy heart, and turn thee, and open all thy sluices, and let out thy soul in sighs and groans, in shame and sorrow, thou mayest then well be a wonder to
thyself. But be not discouraged, be not dismayed;
do not say, This rock will never break, this iron will never melt; I may go sighing for sighs, mourning after tears, groaning after groans, but all in vain, it will never be; past feeling, past feeling, sorrow flies still from me, repentance is hid from mine eyes. Do not thus discourage thyself; wait for this Spirit, open to it and thou shalt see flowing in
“guch streams of self-shaming, self-confounding light,
D2 as shall flow forth in self-abasing, self-abhorring streams of tears.;;
3. These marvellous things are revealed with marvellous clearness; that is, in comparison of what they are to the purblind world, and in comparison of what they themselves once saw. They come to see the glory, and the beauty, and the reality of the wonderful things of God. ‘“We have seen his glory,’ saith the apostle, John i. 14. The kindness of God our Saviour appeared, “‘ but we all, with open face, behold, as in a glass, the glory of the Lord,” 2 Cor. iii. 18. Out of Zion hath he appeared in perfect beauty.
It is prophesied, Isa. lili. 2. of the unbelieving world, that when they should see Christ, they should see no beauty in him. Strange! though he were all beauty, yet they should see him, and yet see no beauty; that is, they shall see him, and yet not sec him. They see not wood for trees. What is thy beloved more than other beloveds? What is Christ more than an ordinary man? What is the gospel more than an ordinary story? What is the Spirit? What is truth? What is there in this faith and love, in this holiness and righteousness, in this peace of conscience, and joy of the Holy Ghost? What substance is there in them? Where is the glory, and wherein is the excellency of them? Which way came the Spirit of the Lord from me to thee? Thou shalt know in that day, when thou shalt call to the mountains to fall on thee, and the rocks to hide thee, from the face of God and the Lamb. We know whom we have believed. We know that we know him. We speak that which we know, and testify what we
THE SPIRIT IN THE COVENANT. Al
have seen. We have an unction from the Holy
One, we know all things, God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit, for the Spirit searcheth all
things, even the deep things of God. Now we have
received not the spirit of this world, but the Spirit
which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. We have a
’ clear and certain sight. We do not see men as
trees walking; with our eyes half open: we see men as men, Christ as Christ, truth as truth, in its full lustre and evidence. This we have seen, and do testify, neither deceiving, nor being deceived. We thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
And as they see truth, and holiness, and goodness, in their wonderful glory and beauty; so also
folly, and falsehood, and sin, in its wonderful ugliness and deformity. Sin appears to be sin, to
them, Rom. vii. Folly to be folly, falsehood to be falsehood; they see men as men, Christ as Christ,
truth as truth, holiness as holiness; and they see
beasts as beasts, fools as fools, sin as sin, devils as devils, hell as hell. They see all things as they are, temptations as they are, delusions as they are; they see what is under them, the hook under the bait, the sting in the locust’s tail, the war in the devil’s heart,
carried on under his fawning face; we are not
ignorant of his devices. ‘Sinners, cease your wondering at the saints, let
them be no longer for signs and for wonders in
Israel; cease your wondering at the saints, and
come and wonder with them. Wonder not that
they say not as you, live not as you, run not with
you after the same follies and vanities; Oh! if ye Do once come to see what they see, you will be a wonder to yourselves. Mock not at their blessedness; blessed are their eyes, for they see. The blind envy, but do not disdain the seeing. Say not, These men are in a dream, or drunk, or mad; take heed, blaspheme not the Holy Spirit, call not his light darkness, put not your darkness for light. Would you know, when these men testify what they have seen and heard, whether they are sober or beside themselves? Come and see; I say not, stand and see, you cannot see at that distance you stand; come near, come in and you shall see; see your blindness first, if ever you will see the light. Oh! bewail your darkness, and seek light, seek and you shall see it. ‘ Son of David, have mercy. on me!” Why, what wilt thou man? “Lord, that I may receive my sight.” Shall that be thy cry? O pity thy blind soul! O pray for eyes. They that see, pity the blind; we have a little sister that hath no breasts, we have a poor brother, yea a world of them, that have no eyes. What shall we do for our poor brethren, in the day that they shall be spoken for? Oh! be eyes to thy blind, be a light to thy dark souls; let them that dwell in darkness see thy great light. Sinners, those whom you persecute, do thus pity, do thus pray for you, “Lord, that their eyes might be opened.” Will you say, Amen, to their prayers? or will you say, Lord, regard not their word, we desire not the knowledge of thy ways?
Christians, be marvels. You that have seen marvellous things be marvellous persons, set the world a wondering for something. Let your light shine, let the light which hath shined imto your hearts, shine forth in all your paths: let the Spirit
P of light within you be a Spirit of glory resting upon you. Once you were darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord; walk as children of the light. Be ye holy, harmless, the children of God, without rebuke in the midst of a crooked generation, amongst whom ye shine as lights in the world. Beclouded christian, thou goest on bemoaning and bewailing thyself, complaining that thou art still blind; the light hath shined into thy darkness, but thy darkness comprehendeth it not; thine eye is yet but tender, at least, and thou canst see but little; but little of Christ, the sun is but as a spark to thee; but little of sin, that mountain looks yet but asa -molehill; it is neither clear nor dark, neither night nor perfect day. Thou didst hope that long ere this, thy scales would have fallen off, the vail would have been removed, but they abide upon thee; thou waitest for light, but behold obscurity! for brightness, but thou walkest m darkness; thou goest on, adding darkness to darkness, the darkness of sorrow to the dimness of sight. Thou fearest that the gospel is «hid from thee, thou doubtest it is still night, because it is not yet noon with thee. But hearken; as little as thou seest of Christ, dost thou see so much, that thou prizest, and lovest, and cleavest to him above all? as little as thou seest of sin, dost thou see so much that thou loathest and shunnest it-above all things? dost thou walk in that little light thou hast? dost thou love, long, wait, cry for the light? “* Send forth thy light and thy truth, lift up the light of thy countenance; Sun of righteousness shine upon me; why are the wheels of thy chariot so long a coming? when Lord? Make haste my beloved, O might I once see thy face, as the ‘sun, looking over the mountains.” Is this thy voice? are these the breathings of thy soul? be of good comfort, these are the glimmerings and groanings of that Holy Spirit within thee, who hath already delivered thee from darkness, and will bring thee forth into his marvellous light; thou shalt know, if thou follow on to know the Lord. ‘“Arise, shine, thy light is come, the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.” Though yet, as, to thy sense, it be neither clear nor dark, neither night nor perfect day, in the evening there shall be light.
IL. As a Spirit of holiness and sanctification. He is given as a Holy Spirit, and as a sanctifying Spirit ;- therefore sanctification is called the ‘“sanctification of the Spirit,” 2 Thess. ii. 13. He comes to change us into his own nature, to make us partakers of his holiness; he is a refiner’s fire, and fuller’s soap, Mal. iii. 2. to purge, and work, and wash off the filth and corruption of our natures; what it is said he shall be to the church, Isa. iv. 4. “‘ a Spirit of judgment, and a Spirit of burning,”’ to wash away the filth of the daughters of Sion and to purge the blood of Jerusalem, from the midst thereof, ‘“A Spirit of judgment,” that is, in the rulers of Israel; stirring them up to do justice, and execute judgment, that so the guilt of blood may be taken away, Isa. xxxii. 15, 16. and, “a Spirit of burning,” that is, in the hearts of the people of Israel, to consume and destroy the inward lusts of their hearts, that no more such wickedness be committed amongst them. This he is to every saint; a Spirit of judgment, to give sentence against their lusts, to condemn them to the fire: these must be cast out; to the fire with them; away with them, get ye hence ye sons of the bond-woman, ye may not be heirs with the sons of the free-woman. The Spirit of the Lord first discovers and convinces of sin, judges betwixt light
and darkness, grace and sin, and then gives sentence, — Away with these lusts, they may not be
suffered to live. A Spirit of burning, to execute the sentence, to consume them in the fire. The Spirit of sanctification is a Spirit of mortification. “If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body,” Rom.
viii. 13. It is the Spirit that kills, the flesh profiteth nothing. The Spirit implants the soul into Christ, gives it
an interest in his death, brings it under the influence of his death. It is the death of Christ, that is the
death of sin; these thieves are crucified with him; “(ur old man is crucified with Christ, that the body
of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we
‘should no longer serve sin,” Rom. vi. 6. Hell
knew ‘not what they did when they crucified Christ;
death with all its armies were put to death with
him.
The Spirit raises up another party in the soul, a party against a party, an army against an army; brings grace in to take up arms against sin. Grace doth not only fight against sin, but is in the very nature of it the death of sin; as the generation of a
new, is the corruption of the old form. Humility
is pride dead; meekness is sinful passion and frowardness dead; patience is impatience slain.
The Spirit excites and stirs up the soul against sin, sets it a praying against it; the Spirit of grace
is a Spirit of supplication, fetches down hail-stones
and thunder-bolts from heaven to destroy these Amorites; sets a watch against it, presses the soul to deal wisely with it to keep it low, by cutting off all
provision from the flesh, restraining and keeping it short of all those fleshly objects, which would keep it in heart, and so it is starved to death. It is true, our own greatest wisdom, watchfulness, abstinence, self-denial, and all external meansalone, will fall short of killing one lust; it is the Spirit who killeth, without it the flesh profiteth nothing. All externai attempts for the mortification of the flesh, are but a fleshly mortification. But if ye, through the Spirit, do mortify the flesh, pray in the Spirit, watch in the Spirit, curb and keep short and keep under this body, still taking in the assistance of the Spirit, then it shall die.
Christian, thou livest in a weary land, and thou hast but a weary life of it, briers and thorns are with thee, the Canaanite is yet in the land, thou sojournest in Mesech, and hast thine habitation in the tents of Kedar; and thou hast a Mesech and Kedar within thee; thou hast armies within thee of fleshly lusts which fight against thy soul. Thou goest mourning daily, because of the oppressor, those spiritual wickednesses which lie in thine heart, and war in thy members. Thou often groanest and criest out to thy God, “Liberty, liberty; redemption, redemption, Oh this proud heart! Oh this vain heart! Oh this earthliness! Oh this fleshliness, this slothfulness, this enmity and rebellion against the law of my mind, and my God! When I would do good, evil is present with me. I cannot,
I cannot do the things that I would. I can with no peace serve or enjoy my God and my soul: my duties are either prevented or polluted, my comforts are either wasted or made quite to vanish and disappear. When I would serve my God, i must away to serving my belly, or my back, or my friends; when my soul is a little gotten upon the wing, and” soaring in the upper region, it is presently checked,
a a)
pulled down again to the earth. Oh my pinioned, imprisoned soul! Wo is me, wretched man that I
‘am, who shall deliver me from the body of this
death?” Why, yet comfort thine heart, the enemy flies upon thee as a flood, but the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. Thou
. complainest thy gold is become dross, thy wine is
mixed with water, yea with mud and dirt, yet he will turn his hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin. Though
these briers and thorns be set in battle against
thee, yea, and against him also, yet he will “go through them, he will burn them together,” Isa. xxvii. 4. Thou complainest that thy garments are defiled, thy glory is stained, thy beauty is marred,
“the image of thy God is so defaced, that there is but
here and there a spot of it left upon thee. Thou art black but not comely; while thy Lord says,
«Thou art all fair, O my love;” thou cryest out,
‘
“Tam all foul, O my Lord:” thou wouldst be
holiness to thy Lord, but thou art an offence to him; holiness is still thy love, and thy desire, and thy longing, but it flies from thee; it is rather thy wish
than thy hope; thou canst weep over, but thou canst
/ not weep out thy deformity; thine iniquity is still marked before the Lord. If there be a little grace in thee, yet there is such a weakness in its sinews,
such a paleness in its face, that it is not like to live;
or if it live, Oh! how little hope that ever it should ‘thrive or flourish, Thus thou complainest, thus
thou goest mourning, and sighing, and sinking, and fainting in thy mind, and now and then venturest out a desponding prayer: “Lord, pity; Lord, look upon my sorrow, and my sin; Lord, wash me -
Lord, help me.’’ Why, the Lord God hath sent thee his help out of his sanctuary, and his strength out of Zion. The eternal Spirit is come down on purpose to give battle to the flesh, to subdue thine iniquities, and bring all those that rise up within thee, under thy feet. Thou mistakest thyself and thine enemies, if thou thinkest they will be conquered by one blow of thine arm, this kind goeth not out so; not by might nor by power, much less by weakness and by flesh, by any weak attempts of thine own, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord. It is work for a God to relieve and cleanse such a heart, to turn such a hell into a heaven, What thou canst not do, being weak through the flesh, behold! he comes down to do it for thee; thou hast proved thine own weakness, now try everlasting strength; He stands at the door and knocks, hear his voice at the door; “Wilt thou be made clean? Wilt thou be made whole? Wilt thou be delivered?” Open to him, and with him deliverance comes in, he stands at the pool, stirring
the waters for thee; put in thy cripple-soul, and be
healed of all thy diseases; say to him, “Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean;” and thou shalt soon have this answer, “I will, be thou clean.”
III. As a Spirit of truth and direction, John xvi. 13. He shall guide them by his counsel, he shall lead them in the way that they shall go. “They shall hear a word behind them, saying, This is the
‘way, walk ye in it, when they are turning to the
right hand, or to the left,” Isa. xxx. 21. He shall lead them into all truth, to prevent mistakes; and into all righteousness, to prevent miscarriages. Nay more, he shall not be only their star, but their strength too; he shall guide them on and help them on, they shall be led ‘by the Spirit, bound in the Spirit, pressed in Spirit; they shall be excited, assisted, carried on in the power of the Spirit, in the way that they should go; he will cause them to walk in the statutes of the Lord. Whatsoever’ thy waywardness and thy wanderings have been, whatever thy feebleness and fickleness be, whatever false lights and false ways are before thee, whatever temptations thou meetest with to turn thee aside out of the right way, whatever doubts hence arise in thine heart, ‘I shall one day or other perish from the way, and be a lost sheep at last;” yet his conduct shall be prosperous, and the event shall be sure; he shall so guide thee by his counsel, that he shall bring thee to glory. He shall gather his lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.
TV. Asa Spirit of comfort and consolation; he is so called, John xvi. 7. The Comforter; “If lL go not away the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” [He - shall come unto them, and abide with them, to suply the absence of their Redeemer, to support them under their affliction, to witness their adoption, to seal them up unto the day of redemption, and tu be the earnest of their inheritance, Eph. i. 13, 14. pe Ete shall take of mine, and show it unto yeu,”
John xvi. 14. “He shall take of mine,” that is, not only of the truths, those treasures of wisdom that are in me, though that be specially intended, but of my ‘Jove, my righteousness, my holiness, and all those treasures of grace and mercy that are laid up in me; whatever there is in me, that may stand you in any stead, yield you any relief or support, the Comforter which I will send you, shall bring it down to you;, & he shall take my blood, arfd the pardons it hath purchased for you; my compassions that are working ‘im me towards you; my prayers and intercessions I am offering up for you; he shall take of all those treasures of grace, and everlasting consolations which are laid up for you with me: he shall take of mine, and show it unto you. .As much as you have in the world to afflict and amaze you, as little as you have of your own to comfort you, either in your hearts, or in your houses, or among your friends, he shall show what I have for you to refresh you.:
O christians, a sight of Christ in our sorrows, in our fears, in our thickest darkness, what day-light would it bring in! When thou lookest into the heart, and art astonished and confounded at what thou findest there, at the blindness and the hardness, the poverty and the emptiness, the guilt and the guile, the pride and the peevishness, the evil thoughts, the vile affections, the filthy lusts, that are swarming and working in thee; when thou lookest into the world, and tremblest at what thou beholdest. there; the malice, the craft, the power, that is engaged against thee; the furious spirits, the fiery tongues, the fierce looks, the violent hands, that are flying upon thee, and the little relief the earth will afford thee, when thy heart faints and dies within thee, at the sense of this thy woful and forlorn state; a sight of what thou hast in thy Lord presented to thee by his Spirit; look thee here, soul, what thy Jesus hath sent thee down, a glance from his eye, a drop from his heart, a mess from his table; and all to tell thee, Yet do I not forget thee; behold the care I take of thee, the treasures I have for thee, to encourage thy love, and reward thy faithfulness,
Oh! how will this make all thy darkness to depart,
- and turn the shadow of death into the morning?
Thus is the Holy Spirit given to the saints, to be
the light of their eyes, the death of their sins, the
guide of their ways, the stay of their hearts; to uphold their grace, and to maintain their peace; to subdue their enemies or their fears; to secure them from temptations, or succour them when tempted; to wipe off their reproach, or make it their crown; to heal their diseases, or make them their cure; to help their infirmities, to work their works, to make their yoke easy, and their burdens light; to turn their sighs into songs, to form their groans into prayers, to send them up to their Lord, and. bring down their returns; to comfort their hearts, to establish, strengthen, settle them, that they be neither offended at the chain, nor moved from the hope
of the gospel.