Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

Moreover, the spirit is in thy heart, and the spirit is in the Scripture, but where is it plainest and most obvious? where can it be most easily discerned to be the very spirit of God indeed? all that is in the Scripture is indubitably of the holy spirit, but all that is in thy heart is not so; it may be it is from thy own spirit, what thou didst suppose to have been from Gods: nay it may be it is from Satan transforming himself into an Angel of light. The Disciples would have called for fire from heaven as Elijah, but Christ tells them, ye know not of what spirit ye are, Luk. 9.55. as if he had said, you think this motion came from an extraordinary spirit, such as was in Elijah, but alas, it is but from your own spirit, nay from the gall and bitterness of it, that which you take for zeal, is indeed but revenge. When upon our Saviours discourse of his sufferings Peter said, be it far from thee Lord, this shall not be unto thee, no doubt he thought himself right in the thing, but our Saviour calls him Satan for it, Mat. 16.23. his meaning was pious, and as he might think, from the same holy spirit which a little before inspired him to make a glorious confession of Christ; but alas, the devil acted secretly therein. Of what I find in Scripture, I can immediately and without any more ado pronounce that it is the very voice of the holy spirit, but of what I find in my own heart I cannot do so. First, the ⟨p. 62⟩light must be divided from the darkness, Gods spirit must be distinguished from mans and Satans. And how such a piece of spiritual Chemistry should be done without the Scripture, I cannot imagine: There may be three different spirits in my heart, and unless I reduce them in a way of trial to the one pure spirit in the Scripture, I may be easily cheated by my heart: wherefore the Scripture, in which the characters of the spirit are more plain and legible then in my own heart, must needs be the rule.

Moreover, the spirit is in thy heart, and the spirit is in the Scripture, but where is it plainest and most obvious? where can it be most easily discerned to be the very spirit of God indeed? all that is in the Scripture is indubitably of the holy spirit, but all that is in thy heart is not so; it may be it is from thy own spirit, what thou didst suppose to have been from Gods: nay it may be it is from Satan transforming himself into an Angel of light. The Disciples would have called for fire from heaven as Elias, but Christ tells them, ye know not of what spirit ye are,