THE HOLY SPIRIT AND HIS WORE. S their souls and consciences, unto whom they owed all subjection, and performed all obedience, as Thomas did in his great confession, My Lord, and my God, John xx. 28. Now as he had before intimated, that those who disowned him and called him accursed, did speak by the instinct and instigation of the devil, by whom they were actuated; so he lets them know, on the other hand, that no man can thus own and confess Jesus to be the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. But it may be said that some, actuated by the unclean spirit, confesseth Christ to be the Lord. So did the man in the synagogue, who cried out I knces thee who thou art, the Holy one of God, Mark i. 22, 21. And ver. 3+. He suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him. And the damsel, possessed with a spirit of di- vination, cried after the apostle, saying, these raen are the servants of the most high God, Acts xvi. 17. So also did the man who abode in the tombs, possessed with an unclean spirit, who cried out unto him, What have Ito do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God, Mark v. 7. And other testimonies to the like purpose among the heathen, and from their oracles, might be produced. Ans. (1.) Our apostle speaks of such a saying of Jesus to be Lord, as is accompanied with faith in him, and subjection of soul unto him, which is from the Holy Ghost atone. Thus none ac- tuated by the unclean spirit can call him Lord. (2.) These acknowledgments were either, (1.) Wrested from the devil, and were no small part of his punish- ment and torment; or, (2.) Were designed by him with an intention to prejudice the glory of Christ, by his testimony, who was a liar from the beginning. And Malus bonum cumsimulat, tune est pessimus. " These things therefore can have here no place. Here- by then the apostle informs them wherein the founda- tion of all church-relation, order, and worship did con- sist. For whereas they had all respect unto the Lord- ship of Christ, and their acknowledgment thereof, this a T. a , IsSeg aas¡.ea, ore¡oais, vo, Oui; ax, ;, ?P,tcoof,n,s sT, o yr é aocpcsr n 55s ei i l's sa O,a; Ñx, rtaOTa b ayo, ,n o. Cr. OAO, 2,10. vb Osa vs i4esva loo; aTTs ¡eaav,ot,evo,,aSToarayzaA¡e,. vog faorr,s ds a, pa feas',yaysvcy &Sane.--ChrysOst. in Loc. A MN was not from themselves, but was a pure effect of the o- peration of the Holy Ghost in them, and towards them. And any thing of the like kind, which d,nh not proceed from the same cause and fountain, is of no use to the glory of God, nor of any advantage unto the souls of men. Sect. 8.Some think, that this saying of Jesus to be the Lord, is to be restrained unto the manner of speak- ingafterwards insisted on. For the apostle in the fol- lowing verses treatethof those extraordinary gifts, which many in that churchwere then endowed withal. None can, saith he, say Jesus is the Lord, in an extraordi- nary manner, with divers tongues, and in prophecy, but by the Holy Ghost. Without his especial assist- ance, none can _eminently and miraculously declare him so to be. And ifthis be so, it is likely that those before intended, who said Jesus was accursed, were some persons pretending to he actuated, or really actu- ated by an extraordinary spirit, which the apostle de- clares not to be the Spirit of God. And so Chrysostom interprets those words of them who were visibly and violently actuated by the devil. Many such instruments of his malice did Satan stir up in those days, to pre- serve, if it were possible, his tottering kingdom from ruin. But there is no necessity thus to restrain the words, or to affix this sense unto them. Yea, it seems to me to be inconsistent with the design of the apostle, and scope of the place. For, intending to instruct the Corinthians, as wassaid, in the nature, use, and exer- cise of spiritual gifts, he first lays down the spring and fountain of all saving profession of the gospel, which those gifts were designed to the furtherance and im- provement of. Hereupon, having minded them of their heathen state and condition before, he lets them know by what means they were brought into the profession of the gospel, and owning of Jesus to be the Lord, in opposition unto the dumb idols whom they had served. And this was by the author of those gifts, unto whóse consideration he was now addressing himself: The great change wrought in them, as to their religic-, and profession, was by the Holy Ghost. For no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, which is the sum and sub- stance of our Christian profession, but by him; though some think he bath little or no concern at all in this matter. But to say Christ is the Lord, includes two things; First, faith in him as Lord, and Savi .e.
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