Chapter 4

CHAP. IIII.

Of other impediments of influences in particular coming from the mind, will, and some other considerable affections, and their cures. 1. False and heretical light. 2. A corrupt will. 3 From hatred of Christ.

1. The corrupt wisdom and the wicked learning of men, who are carnal and destitute of the truth, can produce nothing, but doting about questions, and strife of words; whereof cometh envy, strife, railing, or blasphemies, evil-surmisings, [illegible] perverse disputing: these are the genuine fruits of the heretical spirit (1 Timothy 6:3, 4, 5), and of the wisdom of men, which neither is subject to the law of God and his truth, [illegible], neither can be subject (Romans 8:7, &c.), of the carnal man, who neither receives the things of the Spirit of God, [illegible], neither can he know them: and observe that the Holy Ghost in both places denies both the act and the possibility of the mind's subjection to the truth where the judgement is rotten. Now as we may well say, the rock has no natural power to receive an influence from God, for the growing of wheat on it; nor a thorn-tree to bring forth wine grapes, as our Savior speaks (Matthew 7:16), so neither can the corrupt, and heretical mind produce sound truths; nor can the Lord give influences, in a natural way, to a thistle to bring forth figs: indeed by a miracle, the Lord caused Aaron's dead withered rod to blossom and bring forth almonds: And Caiphas (I say not by a miracle) but in an extraordinary way, [illegible] (John 11:51), not of himself, but by the Spirit, prophesied: and so did Balaam. But they did not spiritually, and with the light of faith, know what they prophesied; yes, I would crave leave to doubt, whether they literally knew that Christ God-man was the star of Jacob, the light of the Gentiles, and to die for the elect: as many heretics, yes, and the devils literally know and believe these things with an historical faith. If you would have breathings of the Spirit to know savingly and to assent to divine truths, motes and dirt and scales must be removed, and the mind renewed: then divine illumination is absolutely needful.

2. Nor acts the Spirit in the polluted mind, and conscience of the world, which cannot receive the Spirit. Now that power of receiving the Spirit, denied of the world (John 14:17), must be both a power natural, and a power acquired by wicked actings; for the elect and redeemed world by a natural power cannot receive the Spirit of truth.

2. If the will be corrupt, that it will not come to Christ (John 5:40), and will not have Christ to reign (Luke 19:14), the man cannot lend a seat to the Spirit and his actings to obey and follow God, until the fallow-ground of the rocky will be plowed and broken, otherwise the man sows among thorns, and labours a husbandry to the flesh, and not to the Spirit; as Paul speaks (Galatians 6:8), and the harvest must be corruption and rotten fruit; judge then if the Spirit labours and tills a plot of ground to the flesh; and if the Spirit from on high can send down influences and divine impressions of dew and warm sun-beams upon the flesh's plowed earth: or if nature intend that rain and sun-heat shall make the rocks bring forth wheat. O how needful is a denied will, when Saul speaks of no will, but Christ's, and commits all to Christ's will, as if his own will were annihilated, though it was perfected (Acts 9), the man is fallen to the earth; and he trembling, and astonished, says, [illegible] Lord, what will you have me to do? There is a strong emphasis in Lord, and in the word will; his own wicked will was playing the king or the tyrant over the saints; and when his will is down, and the will of Christ up, and the man has been three days in this condition fasting and praying, then comes the Spirit to take his own place and to act in Paul. V. 17. Ananias says, Brother Saul, the Lord (even Jesus that appeared to you in the way, as you came) has sent me to you, that you may receive your sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost; a humble broken will, deadened to self, and to all things shall be rained on, and such as is rebellious shall be a land of drought (Zechariah 14:16), and it shall come to pass that whoever will not come up, of all the families of the earth to Jerusalem, to worship the king the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.

3. There be strong impediments that obstruct influences of the Spirit of grace from all the affections, if the heart be not with all watching watched over.

1. The world that hates Christ (John 15:18, 20), and persecutes him and his servants is the same world which cannot receive the Spirit of truth (John 14:17); if you hate Christ and the godly, no influences of grace for you. You shall hew all your days, be you minister, or professor, upon hard timber without the Spirit's tools; you shall pray, preach, profess, hear, sing, praise in the letter, without the Spirit and his influences; for you cannot receive the Spirit of truth (John 14:17), and then must you be dry and withered in all your actings: whereas influences, and manifestations are promised to the lovers of Christ (John 14:21), he that has my commandments, and keeps them; he it is that loves me, and he that loves me, shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and manifest myself to him.

These sure are the revelations and manifestations of the Spirit (John 15:24).

Christ puts a strong wall of difference between the hating world and the disciples, v. 24, now they have both seen and hated both me, and my Father, but not so you, v. 26, when the Comforter is come, whom I will send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father, he shall testify of me. V. 27, and you also shall bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning. Here are actings of the Spirit in the disciples who love the Father, and Christ, that the Spirit actings them to bear witness of him to the world upon all hazards, even to death and torment. We see what works and actings of the Spirit is in the Spouse sick of love for Christ, which are in that song of songs to be seen, comparing (Canticles 2:5; Canticles 5:8) with other places of the song: these works of the Spirit are seen,

1. A desire to be kissed with the kisses of his mouth (Canticles 1:2).

2. A spiritual smelling of his good ointments (Cant. 1:3).

3. A prayer to be drawn, and a vow to run being drawn (Cant. 1:4).

4. A resolution to rejoice in his love, with all the virgins and chaste followers of Christ (Cant. 1:4), to rejoice more in his love than in wine.

5. A desire to be where Christ dwells in the tents of the Shepherds, a sound ministry (Cant. 1:7).

6. A profession of intimate love to Christ, so as he lies as a bundle of myrrh between her breasts all the night (Cant. 1:13, 16), an extolling of Christ as the apple-tree among all the trees of the forest (Cant. 2:3), and a delighting to taste the fruits of his love.

7. A spiritual feeling in being taken into his cellar-house of wine (Cant. 2:4), a desire to be refreshed and established with the promises and comforts of the preached Gospel (Cant. 2:5): Stay me with flagons, and comfort me with apples, for I am sick of love.

8. The feeling of his love-embracements when they are on (v. 6): His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me.

9. Because the whole song is a song of love, there is a charge given not to offend Christ (v. 7).

10. An eying of him by faith, in his approaches in the delivery of his people in his coming in the flesh to save the world in the preached Gospel, in all which his coming, leaping over the mountains, and skipping over the hills, says, that no impediment of the enemies, and the powers of hell, and no evil deserving of sin can obstruct his gracious motions to save and comfort his own (v. 8, 9).

11. The discerning of Christ's calling us in the Gospel (v. 10, 11, 12): My Beloved spoke and said to me, Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away.

12. The discerning of his desire of our worship of the Churches praying, doctrine and discipline (v. 14, 15): O my dove — let me see your countenance, let me hear your voice; for sweet is your voice, &c.

13. The Churches claiming of interest mutual between Christ and his Spouse (v. 16): My Beloved is mine, and I am his.

14. The observing where Christ is, his feeding among the lilies in his Church, which is clean and comely by his beauty (v. 16): He feeds among the lilies (v. 17), until the day break, &c.

15. The Spouse's desire of his company (v. 17): Turn my Beloved, and be you like a Roe or a young Hart upon the mountains of Bether: a desire of being with him for ever in glory, as (Revelation 22:17, 20).

16. The Spouse's careful seeking of Christ, and spiritual restlessness till she find him (Cant. 3:1, 2, 3, 4): I sought him whom my soul loved, I sought him, but I found him not, &c.

17. The sweet spiritual smell of the so loved Church (v. 6, &c.).

18. Chapter 5. The Spouse's discerning of his knock and voice though she sleep (v. 2). The acknowledging of her sinful denying to let him in (v. 3). The Spirit of Christ's acting upon her heart, till the bowels of love were stirred in her (v. 4). The opening to him (v. 5). The smell of her obedience, which she felt, like dropping myrrh (v. 5).

19. The Spouse's swooning and falling dead at his departure.

20. The Spouse's praying and seeking him, when now he had withdrawn himself, and the missing of the sweet actings of the spirit to her sense (v. 6).

21. Her seeking of him at the watchmen (v. 1, 6, 7).

22. Her desire that other professors, the daughters of Jerusalem, may in prayer hold forth to Christ her spiritual state of love-sickness (v. 8).

23. Her preferring of Christ to all other beloveds in Heaven or Earth (v. 9).

14. The Spouse's high exalting of Christ in all his parts, endowments, graces and lowliness: My Beloved is white and ruddy (v. 10, 11, 12, &c.); all these, and many others the like teach that the spirit in such excellent operations and graces, has his dwelling and seat in a heart strongly filled with the love of Christ.

But who hates Christ?

1. All persecutors of his members (John 15:18): If the world hate you, you know that it hated me before you; and it is expounded (v. 20): If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. And whoever loves not the Brethren are not translated (1 John 3:14), and they who love them not hate them (1 John 3:14), compared with v. 15; how carnal lust and the love of glory from men hinders influences of the Spirit to love Christ; see (John 8:42): If God were your father, you would love me (v. 44): You are of your father the Devil, the lusts of your father [illegible] you will do; he was a murderer from the beginning (v. 50): I seek not my own glory. The strong love of Christ in the heart is a chamber and a house for the Spirit to act in.

2. Not desiring of God, but an abhorring, or a soul abhorring of God hinders influences of the Spirit.

1. Are there any who abhor God? such a sad word is spoken of the Jews (Zech. 11:8): Three Shepherds also I cut off in one month, and my soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me. Departing from God, as a whorish woman forsakes her husband, is charged upon the confederate people, harlotry upon every high hill, and under every green tree (Jer. 2:20), even when they said, We will not transgress. (Hos. 4:12): The spirit of whoredom has caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God (v. 13). And can the holy spirit of the Lord, the husband, act in a whorish spouse, who grieves that spirit? See (Psalm 106:39). Can refreshings come from the fountain of living waters, to such as (Jer. 2:13) forsake the fountain, and hew them out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no waters? Or can the Spirit dwell and act in that soul which abhors God and the spirit of God and his operations? No man will lodge in an inn in which he knows they lie in wait for his life (Isa. 63:10): They rebelled and vexed his holy Spirit.

2. There are who say (Job 21:14) to God, Depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of your ways; and who (Proverbs 1:29) hate knowledge. Now the Spirit of the Lord is a spirit of knowledge, and needs none to counsel him and teach him knowledge (Isaiah 40:13, 40). And to one is given by the same Spirit (says the Apostle, 1 Corinthians 12:8) the word of wisdom, to another a word of knowledge by the same Spirit; and he is (Ephesians 1:17) the spirit of wisdom and revelation, who gives the knowledge of Christ. The Spirit then will not be a teacher to such as hate the master teacher and all his instructions. Will a man be an instructor to a disciple or apprentice, who (to his knowledge) hates and flies from him, and abhors him? Who abhors, mocks, and does despite to the Spirit? And will the Spirit's going forth be as the pleasant morning in such a man? Sure the Spirit teaches not, convinces not, guides not in all truth any (John 14:26; John 16:7, 13) but such only as Christ sends him to (John 14:16, 17; John 16:7): I will send him to you, v. 13. He shall guide you — He shall show you things to come (John 15:26). And therefore he comes to this (Psalm 73:25): Whom have I in heaven but you? and (there is) none upon earth that I desire besides you. What is such a man? How is he known by another? There be three notes by which he is known, v. 23. 1. Nevertheless (though I be a beast and a tempted fool doubting of a providence) I am continually with you. O blessed company! Then follow two observable actings and influences of the Spirit. 1. The confirming and upholding influence, the supernatural manutenentia, upholding of the Spirit: You will hold me fast by my right hand. 2. There is the guiding (John 16:13) and leading of the Spirit (Psalm 143:10; Psalm 73:14): You shall guide me by your counsel. So every element acts and moves most connaturally in its own place; the river moves most connaturally within its own channel; it's violent in its motion when it runs above and without its own banks: the wind moves naturally in the air, but most violently and unkindly in the bowels of the earth, for there it causes earthquakes, and swallows up houses and cities. The Spirit of the Lord acts and breathes sweetly in a believer; but the spirit that moves in a possessed man is proven to be the spirit of the Devil, not of God, because he moves most connaturally, and casts the possessed one, who is his house, in fire and water (Mark 9). He is not a gracious guest who sets on fire his own lodging. With my soul I have desired you in the night; yea, with my spirit within me early will I seek you: and that is a work of the Spirit to learn righteousness, when the Lord's judgments are on the earth (Isaiah 26:9). v. 12. Lord, you will ordain peace for us; for you also has wrought all our works in us. The Spirit refers all acting on earth to God, for the good of his Church; and there follow many expressions of faith and liveliness to the end of the chapter. v. 13, 14. The lords that ruled over us besides you are dead: the people (v. 16) prayed to you in trouble. v. 19. Our dead men buried in Babylon shall live and be delivered. Could we desire and thirst after God, the Spirit should act more abundantly in us.

3. From our joy or delight, and our sadness and sorrow, arise impediments of spiritual influences. As

1. Carnal sensual delights and the Spirit cannot be together (Jude v. 19): sensual, not having the Spirit. The more men are drowned in sensual lusts, the less of the Spirit they have, or nothing at all. The Apostle (Philippians 3) makes an opposition between such whose God is their belly, and mind earthly things, corn, wine, and oil, and mind not spiritual things, and so know nothing of the Spirit; and himself and sound believers, who have their conversation in heaven, which must speak much spiritual mindedness, and mighty influences of the Spirit, by which the mind, the apprehensions and thoughts, the affections, hope, faith, love, delight, haunt heaven and eternity much. The Scripture calls some swine (2 Peter 2:22), some other dogs (Revelation 22:15). Does the Holy Spirit dwell and breathe in and through a profane and unclean man, such as are swine and dogs? It's strange that the preaching of the Gospel and Satan lodge together in Judas; Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? (John 6:7). Matthew 10:1. And when he had called the twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness. v. 7. Go and preach.

2. Influences of grace, spiritual joy, persevering to the end, can no more find good soil to grow in a rocky, stony, proud, and graceless heart, than corn can grow on stones and rocks (Matthew 13:20, 21), though there be a receiving of the word with joy and delight, that joy is but false metal. The only cure of this is, if we would have our spiritual desires as touching grace, and glory, and other things annexed to this, is to listen to that (Psalm 37:4): Delight yourself also in the Lord, and he shall give you the desires of your heart. What was spoken of love-sickness after Christ, the same is true of soul-delighting in Christ, that in any precious actings of the Spirit goes along with both (Psalm 63:7). The soul's following hard after God (Psalm 63) is a fruit of the other v. 6. When I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the night-watches, then v. 5. My soul shall be satisfied with marrow and fatness; my soul shall praise you with joyful lips. Psalm 51:11. Take not your Spirit of holiness from me. Why? What special fruit of that Spirit does he seek? v. 12. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and firmly sustain me with (your) free spirit, a willing, a princely ruling spirit.

Joy has a strong impulsion, and has vehement expressions; as clapping of the hands (Psalm 47:1). Shouting, (Psalm 63:7). In the shadow of your wings I rejoiced. Heb. I shouted. And (Matthew 5:12) rejoice, rejoice and leap for joy, as in a dance. It's excellent to strong impulsions of the Spirit, to join strong and vehement actings of ours. High-bended and fervent acts of obedience come not but from strong habits of grace; but here I speak of mighty stirrings of influences; here we would beware of straining affectation of shouting, and expression of delight; some bring more out than is within, when literal crying and shouting does exceed the inward impulsion of the Spirit; it's dreadful to lie of the Holy Ghost, and of his impulsions: but to the point. Our actings would be proportioned to the Spirit's stirring: mighty rivers come from a huge arm of the Sea: some streams flowing from little small fountains run scarce the fourth part of a mile. Strong labouring comes from strong and abundant grace (1 Corinthians 15:10). I laboured more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. A strong influence of the Spirit calls for a strong virtual consent, especially when the Spirit's impulsion of joy is strong (Canticles 1:12). While the King sits at his table, and feasts the Spouse with quickening influences, and satisfies her soul as with marrow and fatness, my spikenard sends forth the smell thereof. The spikenard is here the precious oil or ointment of spikenard (John 12:1, 2, 3), that is, the smell of her actings of joy, delight, love, were strong and exceeding savoury, as his table was a King's table and fat, and the actings of his spirit strong, then follows a suitable strong expression of delight (v. 13). A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me, he shall lie (or lodge) all night between my breasts. And (Canticles 2:4) the King brought me into his house of wine, that is, into the chamber of the most spiritual and soul-delighting consolations of the Gospel, that rejoice and cheer the heart as excellent wine does one that is fainting, as (Psalm 104:15; Proverbs 31:6, 7) compared with (2 Corinthians 1:6; 2 Thessalonians 2:18, 19). And the Spouse joins to this a most vehement disposition of soul-sickness of love for Christ (v. 5). Stay me with flagons, and comfort me with apples, for I am sick of love. As also godly sorrow for sin (2 Corinthians 7:10, 11, 15), a special work of the Spirit, and princely and kingly gift of his Spirit who was raised from the dead to act this sorrow in us (Acts 5:31), as also swooning and dying at the absence and withdrawing of Christ the beloved (Canticles 5:6), is a fruit of the Spirit; and to sleep, and eat, and drink, and rejoice when the holy Spirit is saddened, and when he withdraws his actings, is a dismal and sad token, though there may some influence of corruption be in sorrowing, because the Spirit's actings are suspended as they are our comforts or apples to delight children, and not as duties that we owe for Christ's love to us, and conscience of his command, which says (Philippians 4:4) rejoice always in the Lord, &c. And here we would beware of worldly sorrow that causes death. Sorrow and heart-breaking because of the breaking of created comforts, as if God were not the soul's portion and the Saints' all in all, should be eschewed; this sorrow blunts and deadens the soul from drinking in influences of glory as far (Luke 9:32). Also Law-sadness, dumpish servile down-casting, because it deadens and kills as the Law does, must be eschewed: indeed sadness that evangelically mortifies and deadens to created spiritual comforts, may quicken the believer to a more vigorous delighting in Christ himself, who is more than comfort (Psalm 119). My soul drops away for heaviness; and that puts fire in the soul to pray. Strengthen you me according to your word. It appears to be spiritual sorrow that breaks out in prayer (Matthew 26:38, 39; Psalm 18:4, 5, 6; Psalm 61:2; Psalm 102).

4. There are in the fourth class two affections, hope and audacity, or fool-hardiness, which would be taken heed to.

Now with hope, which looks to good to come and hardly attained, we must take in faith, one of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Sometimes one affection in its carnality will counterwork another (Luke 24:41). The disciples believe not for joy and wondering. But the special ground is unbelief: the wide desire of unbelief thinks God cannot be so abundantly good as to restore to them Christ from the dead, and the carnal reasoning of wondering contradicts a possibility of the resurrection; over-acting of one affection, to wit, of joy, when it's literal, counter-works the actings of the Spirit in the faith of the promises. Hence must Christ soften the heart with persuasory actings, before the man believe and consider what Christ does morally (Luke 24). He opens the Scriptures to the two disciples (Luke 24:27). He rebukes their unbelief (v. 25), and as to his own disciples, he sent them word with eye-witnesses who saw him, that he was risen again, but their words seem idle tales to them (Luke 24:11). And he upbraided them for their unbelief and hardness of heart (Mark 16:14). 3. He appeared and spoke to them. 4. He made their senses witnesses, by causing them see and touch his hands and feet. 5. He did eat with them, which was an action of life. 6. He wrought a miracle, of bringing multitudes of fish to their net, but all is to little purpose until he take a real and effectual way, by the working of the Spirit (Luke 24:45). Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures. Then the opening of the Scriptures, though in the mouth of Christ, avail little to faith, except the Spirit of Christ open another lock, even the heart. This is one of the first works of the Spirit, to convince the conscience of unbelief (John 16:8, 9), and when the Spirit has taken that castle, and brought the soul to be sensible of unbelief, he can easily take in the rest of the works; frequent casting to of new oil to the lamp, keeps it shining, and new fuel causes the fire to flame. Frequent repeated acts of believing bring the disciples to get the grace to do greater works than Christ did, because Christ went to the Father (John 14:14). Believe influences of grace, and have influences of grace abundantly furnished to you: ask the Spirit in faith, and the Father is as willing to give the Spirit, as a Father is to give bread to his hungry child; so here faith makes a fair wind (Luke 11:9, 10, 11, 12, 13). It is not so in nature, the husbandman's natural faith, that it shall be a sweet, warm, fruitful summer, makes not a fruitful summer: the seaman's natural faith, believing fair winds, and no storms at all, makes it not to be so; for often faith here is but fancy, but faith acting daily upon the precious promises of the word, brings strong gales, and summer-influences of heart warmness of the Spirit, and in a manner creates new blowings of the North and South-wind, fainting under the breathings and knockings of the Spirit of Christ, makes him withdraw (Canticles 5:2, 6). Here unbelief binds up the wind and breathings of the Spirit, as it does the mighty actings of Christ (Matthew 13). An unbeliever, as touching his state is a pagan, and does the holy Spirit dwell in a heathen? Lively hope (for there is a dead and withered hope) is no less a fruit of the Spirit than faith. This is a specific difference between an unconverted pagan who wants the Spirit, and a convert who has the Spirit. The former is one who has no hope, and so is without God, and without Christ, and without the Spirit of God in the world, and so is not capable of influences (Ephesians 2:12, 13, 14), and one whom the Lord according to his abundant mercy has begotten again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3). For in such a man there be many actings of the Spirit. As Faith. 2. Perseverance therein (v. 4, 5). Rejoicing in God (v. 6). Patient believing in the furnace (v. 7). Love (v. 8), all which are fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). And hope under deadness spreads abroad the sails, and hoists them up to receive and gather in the wind: it brings home influences of grace to lie at the tide and wait until the wind blow sweetly and fairly from the Spirit's earth. Hope is the on-waiter, expecting showers of influences in the conscientious using of the means. The hope of him who purifies not himself (1 John 3:3) shall wither; hope to the end still flourishing, grows on the right tree, and speaks a communion with the Spirit, which has conjoined with it the obedience of children, the not fashioning ourselves to former lusts, and holiness like to God who has called us (1 Peter 1:13, 14, 15, 16). Otherwise the hope shall be a broken tree, and has nothing to do with the Spirit. Many say they hope well, and it's good to hope well, and live upon thoughts that they shall be saved, yet are profane and godless, walking after their lusts; this is sinful boldness, and the Spirit dwells in none such. There is a boldness of faith in access to God, and in approaching to the throne of grace (Romans 5:1, 2, 3, 4; Hebrews 4:16), by which David's soul makes her boast in the Lord (Psalm 34:2). It has these undoubted graces of the Spirit, faith, praying, glorying in tribulation, patience, the love of God spread abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost, which is given to us (Romans 5:1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

5. The fifth class of impediments come from these two. 1. Despair and anger.

What workings and saving impulsions in the Spirit can be in Cain, Saul, and Judas, is not conceivable. Hope that makes not ashamed (Romans 5), as is said, dwells sweetly with the Spirit.

2. The violence of the passion of anger overclouds the soul, so that Elisha is not capable to receive prophetical influences, and to prophesie, he was so incensed against wicked Jehoram (2 Kings 3). But when the minstrel played, the hand of the Lord came upon him, and he prophesied. Theodoret says, with the sweetness of the harmony of the Psalms the mind of Elisha was calmed and composed from the storm of anger. The sound of music (says Cajetan) makes an inward contracting and gathering together of the actings of the mind, and so an elevating of the heart to God. Here it is, as when blood runs out at mouth or nose, the cutting of a vein in the arm makes a diversion of the blood, and causes it run in its right channel. The sweetness of music draws the soul to a bended attention to consider the harmony, that it may the more greedily drink in delectation. Peter Martyr on the place says, As David by singing a spiritual song chased away the evil spirit from Saul, so would Elisha waken up the good spirit by heavenly Psalms, as the sounding of a Trumpet has influences upon the mind of soldiers to valorous and heroic acts in war. Now music spiritual, the matter being Psalms to God (and it's like Elisha called for some of the Levites who could sing psalms on the harp, as they were used in public worship) can withdraw the soul in anger from acts of revenge to acts of spiritual attention to music.

2. That being done, the soul is settled, and the blood; for the physical definition of anger is a kindling of the blood about the heart, the moral description of it being a desire of revenge to hold off a contrary, and to preserve nature; and when the blood is settled and fallen from the heart, the organs of prophesying are in a little better frame than when the soul and heart is boiling like a pot in heat and flaming of anger.

3. By bending of the mind to a spiritual object the sweet music in praising of God, the foam of anger is removed, and a spiritual disposition to praise, which is nearer by nature to spiritual prophetical influences, than the flamings of sinful carnal anger, as aer insitus, the air that is within in the ear fits the organs to receive the sound, and lumen insitum fits the eye to receive the species and images of colours, and so to see by the contrary the foaming of anger within hinders the incoming of prophetical influences; as a contrary holds out a contrary. Intus apparens prohibet extraneum. So the Apostle wills us to put away anger if we would pray rightly (1 Timothy 2:1, 8): I will therefore that men pray every where lifting up holy hands, [in non-Latin alphabet], without wrath and doubting or contending. Anger drowns the soul, and renders it like green wet timber, unfit to receive the flaming and soul-warming influences of the spirit of adoption.

2. A meek quiet spirit, like that of Christ's, is the fittest work-house of heavenly influences. Christ the most lovely and meek of men, and an infallible copy thereof (Matthew 11:29; Isaiah 53:6; Isaiah 40:11; Isaiah 42:2, 3), had the most frequent influences of the in-dwelling Godhead, as (Isaiah 61:1, 2; Psalm 45:7; John 3:34).

2. Moses was the meekest man on the earth, and much of the actings of the spirit were on his soul, and he had the most near manifestations of God. The Lord spake to him mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches, he beheld the similitude of the Lord (Numbers 12:8; Deuteronomy 34:10; Exodus 34:5, 6).

Q. What Prophet was forty days in the mount with the Lord, and ate not, but Moses (Exodus 33:11)? There arose not a Prophet like to Moses, &c.

3. John the disciple of love, called the beloved disciple, gets the name of divine, and he saw more glory and more of the visions of God than Peter, who is the pretended Vicar of Christ, and Head of the Catholic Church (so do Papists dream of a headship). For John saw Christ in his glory (Revelation 1), which made him fall dead at his feet. He saw a throne set in heaven, and one sat on the throne, and he that sat, was to look upon, like a Jasper and a Sardine-stone, and there was a rainbow round about the throne, and four and twenty seats round about the throne, and four and twenty Elders, who cast down their crowns before him that sat upon the throne, c. 4. and the armies in heaven, in earth, and under the earth praising him. He saw in the visions of God the seven Angels which poured the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. He saw Babylon's fall, the vision of the last judgment, the Bride the Lamb's wife adorned with the glory of God. He saw the new Jerusalem, the golden structure of it, the street of gold, the twelve ports, the wall, the foundation of precious stones, the river of water of life, the tree of life. Moses never saw such glory.

3. Hence see we that there may be a sinful incapacity on our part, and that the pure in spirit see God (Matthew 5), and that grace keeps the soul like a calm sea, without storm and wind; and that if we would be near God, we would keep the heart clean and pure. We are to beware of grudging, and act these three duties: 1. Trust in the Lord. 2. Delight in the Lord. 3. Hope patiently for him (Psalm 37:1, 2, 3, 4). There may be an earthquake in the zeal of a meekened Elias; there was no godly men on earth left but himself, as his angry zeal said to him, and the Lord knew 7000 besides him.

The Lords way of appearing to Elias (1 Kings 19) taught him some other thing; for the Lord was neither in the strong wind that brake in pieces mountains and rocks, nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire, but in the still small voice (vv. 11, 12). The Spirit was not of God which would call for fire from heaven in the disciples to burn villages, and men women and children quick, because they refuse lodging to Christ and his disciples: for therefore meekly, says Christ, and gravely (Luke 9:55), "You know not what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of man came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them." You know not that these flamings of the flesh's wild-fire came not from heaven; for they smell not of the meek Son of man, nor savour they of his saving message. No doubt the disciples thought their sparks were kindled at a fire from heaven; but that fire came not from God: seldom does the Lord's Spirit dwell and act in his saving influences in an angry fiery spirit: grace meekens hell and hellish passions in the renewed saints. There are no passions in the glorified and perfectly meekened ones, who stand before the throne, but such as are pure and unmixed fire for the everlasting praises of God. Hence showers of influences eternally rain on them night and day without ceasing (Isaiah 6:2, 3, 4; Revelation 4:8).

The 6th impediment of heavenly influences is from fear (2 Timothy 1:7). We are to stir up the grace of God in us, and his gifts not from a legal fear: for God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). Then we take up the spirit of law-bondage and law-fear of our own will: that spirit of fear is not of God's giving or choosing, but it is of our choosing (Romans 8). Such as are led by the Spirit of God are willing followers (v. 15): for we have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but we have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. It's like the devils are incapable of influences of grace, because of the horror and slavish trembling fear that is upon their conscience: they be ever under the law of works, never under grace, no not so much as in offer (Matthew 8:29; James 2:19). Faith and the spirit of adoption to pray, to believe, influences of grace is the remedy of this. So are we to believe perseverance, and that God shall give influences of grace to the end (Psalm 23). We shall have waterings, and the believer's well shall never run dry (Psalm 104:33). I will sing to the Lord as long as I live (Psalm 104:33; Psalm 146:1; Psalm 52:8, 9). Then he knew of a stock and a new furniture in heaven, suppose his own well should go dry.