An expository comment, doctrinal, controversial, and practical upon the whole first chapter to the…An expository comment, doctrinal, controversal, and practical upon the whole first chapter to the…

If you say, Seeing they are all animated by the same Spirit, which is a Comforter, then it would follow, they are all comforted alike, all have joy alike, but experience confuteth that: Two have the Spirit of God, and one is comforted, the other is dejected, walking in darkness; so that you would say, certainly the same Spirit is not in both.

If you say, Seeing they are all animated by the same Spirit, which is a Comforter, then it would follow, they are all comforted alike, all have joy alike, but experience confuteth that: Two have the Spirit of God, and one is comforted, the other is dejected, walking in darknesse; so that you would say, certainly the same Spirit is not in both.

The answer is, Though the Spirit of God, which is a Comforter be in all the godly, yet it is a free agent, he dispenseth this voluntarily as he pleaseth. And again, Though the Spirit of God in the godly incline to comfort, yet it is in an ordered and appointed way. If thou art unbelieving, froward, then thou resistest the Spirit of God within thee. The Jews have a Proverb, Super maestum non cadit Spiritus Sanctus, which in a good sense may be true. As it is in matter of Doctrine, so it is also ⟨p. 195⟩in respect of Consolation. All the godly have the same Spirit, whose work it is to lead into truth; yet what wonderful differences in judgement may be amongst them that have the same Spirit, yet they all hold the foundation, because the Spirit of God doth communicate it self by degrees, and in measure, to one more, to another less. Thus it is also in respect of Consolation; though they have the same Spirit of comfort, yet the out-goings of this, are in one more than the other. And why should it seem a strange thing, for all the godly under the Gospel to have the same Spirit, seeing the holy ones under the Old Testament, and those under the New are led by the same Spirit? Whatsoever Marcionites of old, and Socinians of late say to the contrary, as appeareth notably, 2 Cor. 4. 13. We having the same Spirit of faith, as it is written, I believe, and therefore have spoken, we also believe, and therefore speak, so we also believe, and therefore rejoice.