The especial work of the Holy Spirit in the illumination of our minds unto the understanding of the Scripture declared and vindicated — Objections proposed and answered — The nature of the work asserted — Ps. cxix. 18; Eph. i. 18; Luke xxiv. 45, 1 Pet. ii. 9; Col. i. 13, 1 John v. 20, opened and vindicated.
We have, as I suppose, sufficiently confirmed our first general assertion, concerning the necessity of an especial Work of the Holy Ghost in the illumination of our minds, to make us understand the mind of God as revealed in the Scripture.
That which we proceed unto is, to show the especial nature of his work herein; and I shall take occasion thereunto from the consideration of an objection that is laid against the whole of what we affirm, which was touched on before.
For it is said that there is no need of this endeavour. “All men do acknowledge that the aid of the Spirit of God is necessary unto the study and interpretation of the Scripture; and so it is unto all other undertakings that are good and lawful. And herein consists the blessing of God upon man’s own diligence and endeavours. If this be that which is intended, namely, the blessing of God upon our endeavours in the use of means, it is granted; but if any thing else be designed, it is nothing but to take off all industry in the use of means, to reject all helps of reason and learning, which is in the end to reduce into perfect enthusiasms.”
Ans. 1. Whether, by the assignation of his own work unto the Spirit of God, we take away or weaken the use of the other means for the right interpretation of the Scriptures, will be tried when we come unto the examination of those ways and means. At present I shall only say that we establish them; for by assigning unto them their proper place and use, we do manifest their worth and necessity. But those by whom they or any of them are advanced into the place and unto the exclusion of the operation of the Holy Spirit, do destroy them, or render them unacceptable unto God, and useless unto the souls of men. We shall, therefore, manifest that the assignations which we make in this matter unto the Holy Spirit do render all our use of proper means for the fight interpretation of the Scripture in a way of duty indispensably necessary; and the principal reason, so far as I can understand, why some deny the necessity of the work of the Holy Spirit herein is, because they like not those means whose necessary use doth arise from an admission thereof.
But thus it hath fallen out in other things. Those who have declared any thing either of the doctrine or of the power of the grace of the gospel have been traduced, as opposing the principles of morality and reason; whereas on their grounds alone their true value can be discovered and their proper use directed. So the apostle, preaching faith in Christ, with righteousness and justification thereby, was accused to have made void the law, whereas without his doctrine the law would have been void, or of no use to the souls of men. So he pleads, Rom. iii. 31, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” So to this day, justification by the imputation of the righteousness of Christ, and the necessity of our own obedience; the efficacy of divine grace in conversion, and the liberty of our own wills; the stability of God’s promises, and our diligent use of means, — are supposed inconsistent. So it is here also: the necessity of the communication of spiritual light unto our minds to enable us to understand the Scriptures, and the exercise of our own reason in the use of external means, are looked on as irreconcilable. But, as the apostle saith, “Do we make void the law through faith? yea, we establish it;” though he did it not in that place, nor unto those ends that the Jews would have had and used it. So we may say, Do we, by asserting the righteousness of Christ, make void our own obedience; by the efficacy of grace, destroy the liberty of our wills; by the necessity of spiritual illumination, take away the use of reason? yea, we establish them. We do it not, it may be, in such a way or in such a manner as some would fancy, and which would render them all on our part really useless, but in a clear consistency with and proper subserviency unto the work of God’s Spirit and grace.
2. That in particular which lieth before us is, to remove that pretence of some, that we need no other assistance of the Spirit of God for the right understanding of the Scripture but only his blessing in general on our own endeavours. To this end two things are to be inquired into:— (1.) What description is given of this work in the Scripture, and what are the effects of it in our minds in general; (2.) What is the nature of it in particular.
(1.) The work itself is variously expressed in the Scripture; and it is that which, whether we will or no, we must be determined by in things of this kind. And the variety of expression serves both unto the confirmation of its truth and illustration of its nature.