look all his days on it, and yet not be
changed, but the Spirit within, transforms and changes a man's soul to
more and more conformity to that pattern, by beholding it. If a man shall
shut his eyes on the pattern, he cannot know what he is, and ought to be.
If he look only on the Spirit's work within, and make that his rule, he
takes an imperfect rule, and an incomplete copy. And yet this is the
highest attainment of these aspirers to new light. They have forsaken the
word as their rule, and instead of it, have another law within them, as
much as is already written on their hearts, which is in substance this, as
they suppose,--I am bound to do no more than I have already power to do; I
am not to endeavour more holiness than I have already. These men are
indeed perfect here in their own apprehension, and do not know in part,
and believe in part, and obey in part, because they are advanced the
length of their own law and rule, their rule being of no perfection. Paul
was not so, but forgetting what he had attained, he followed on to what
was before him, and was still reaching forward. Let not us, my brethren,
believe every spirit, and every doctrine that comes out under that
name,--Christ hath forewarned us. Pray for more of that Spirit, which may
quicken the word to us, and quicken us to obey the word. There must be a
mutual enlivening. The word must be made the ministration of life by the
Spirit of Jesus, which can use it as a sword to divide the soul and
spirit; and we must be quickened to the obedience of the truth in the
word. The word is the seed incorruptible; but it cannot beget us, or be a
principle of new life within us, except a living spirit come along to our
hearts. Know that the word is your pattern and rule; the Spirit your
leader and helper, whose virtue and power must conform you to that rule, 1
Pet. i. 22. Peter joins these two,--the purification and cleansing the
soul, which Christ attributes to the word, "Ye are clean through the word
which I have spoken," John xv. 3. Peter attributes it to the Spirit
working according to the pattern of truth. It is true the Spirit of God
needs no pattern to look to; nay, but we must have it, and eye it, else we
know not the Spirit of truth from a lie and delusion. We cannot try the
spirits but by this rule; and it is by making us steadfastly look on this
glorious pattern in the word, and the example of Christ Jesus' life, that
we are conformed unto Christ, as by the Spi