#18 God the Inspiration

[Pryr-1.2-14] Still, the Goodness of God would not leave Man in this sad Condition.

A Redemption from it was immediately granted, and the Bruiser [Thug]  of the Serpent brought the Light and Spirit of Heaven once more into the human Nature, not as it was in its first State, when Man was in Paradise, but as a Treasure hidden in the Centre of our Souls, where it could discover, and open itself by Degrees, in such Proportion, as the Faith and Desires of our Hearts were turned to it. 

It is this Light and Spirit of God thus freely restored again to the Soul, and lying in it as a secret Source of Heaven, is called Grace, Free Grace, or the Supernatural Gift, or Power of God in the Soul, because it was something that the Natural Powers of the Soul could no more obtain. Hence it is, that in the greatest Truth, and highest Reality, every stirring of the Soul, every Tendency of the Heart towards God and Goodness, is justly and necessarily ascribed to the Holy Spirit, or the Grace of God.

 It is because this first Seed of Life, which is sown into the Soul, as the Gift or Grace of God to fallen Man, is itself the Light and Spirit of God, and therefore every Stirring, or Opening of this Seed of Life, every awakened Thought or Desire that arises from it, must be called the Moving, or the Quickening of the Spirit of God; and therefore that new Man which arises from it, must of all Necessity be said to be solely the Work and Operation of God.

 Hence also we have an easy and plain Declaration of the true Meaning, solid Sense, and certain Truth, of all those Scriptures, which speak of the Inspiration of God, the Operation of the Holy Spirit, the Power of the Divine Light, as the sole and necessary Agents in the Renewal and Sanctification of our Souls, and also as being Things common to all Men.

 It is because this Seed of Life, or Bruiser of the Serpent, is common to all Men, and has in all Men a Degree of Life, which is in itself so much of the Inspiration, or Life of God, the Spirit of God, the Light of God, which is in every Soul, and is its Power of becoming born again of God. Hence also it is, that all Men are exhorted not to quench, or resist, or grieve the Spirit, that is, this Seed of the Spirit and Light of God that is in all Men, as the only Source of Good.

By Flesh and its Lust, are what a mere human Nature, or natural Man, is by the Fall; by the Spirit is the Bruiser of the Serpent, the Seed of the Light and Spirit of God, which lies dormant like Treasure hid deep in the Soul.

Just as Flesh has its Life, so does it has Lust and from that all sorts of Evil are truly said to be inspired, quickened, and stirred up in us.  So too the Spirit has its Inspiration, its Breathing, its Moving, its Quickening, and from that alone the Divine Life, or the Angel that died in Adam, is born again in us.

[Pryr-1.2-15] When this Seed of the Spirit, common in all Men, is not resisted, grieved, and quenched, but its Inspirations and Motions are allowed to grow and increase in us, it will allow us to reunite with God, and allow us  Power over all the Lusts of the Flesh,  so then we can be born again, & the Nature, Spirit, and Tempers of Jesus Christ can be  opened in our Souls.  

Then the Kingdom of God is found within us. 

On the other Hand, when the Flesh, or the Natural Man has resisted and quenched this Spirit or Seed of Life within us, then the works of the Flesh, Adultery, Fornication, Murders, Lying, Hatred, Envy, Wrath, Pride, Foolishness, worldly Wisdom, carnal Prudence, false Religion, hypocritical Holiness, and serpentine Subtlety, have set up their Kingdom within us.