27. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

The apostle proceeds to reassure the minds of the believers, who might possibly be overpowered with dismay, in the view of the warfare in which they were engaged. And, let us observe in the first place, that he contrasts the anointing which they had already received from Christ, with the new doctrine which their false teachers proposed to them. Already, says John, you have received an anointing, already you are taught of God. Christ has been your teacher, the Holy Ghost your guide into all truth. Now, seeing that it is so, (and your own experience testifies to the fact) "ye need not that any man teach you." You may safely dispense with the aid of those who would fain, as they say, instruct you in the way of peace and righteousness. Had you been up to this hour in darkness, had no light of truth as yet dawned upon your mind, it would seem reasonable, that you should accept of any teaching that professed to lead you to the knowledge of God. But to what end should you now be taught by man, in a matter clearly revealed to you by the Lord himself? rely therefore on the instruction which you have already received, and abide by its guidance. And what says "the same anointing; what is the lesson that it teaches you? A very simple one; and it is this, "ye shall abide in him." It is delightful to find our apostle always reiterating the same point, and simply, again and again, fixing the believer's hope in Christ. He seems to know of nothing

but abiding in Christ. Union with Jesus is his oft repeated theme. If he insisted upon what the anointing had previously taught the disciples, it was only for the purpose of eliciting the main point in that teaching, viz. that they should abide in Christ. All tends, with him, to the same end: nor let us ever forget, that this is the cardinal point in our gospel theology. Much error may overtake the mind; we may be sorely harassed, nay, we may be circumvented by false teachers, but if we abide in Christ, we are still secure. Then whatever else we may do, or may leave undone, whatever we may believe, or not believe, let us "abide in him." Let us obey the anointing in this particular, for its guidance is most unequivocal. Whatever else of doubt there may be, there is no doubt here. The anointing excludes all doubt, it compels the believer's unqualified assent. It does indeed happen sometimes, that the Spirit appears to teach different lessons to different believers, on such matters of faith as are not obviously of vital importance. We find different individuals aver, that such and such particular portions of scripture do not convey the same meaning to their minds. One, as he affirms, is taught of the Spirit to interpret particular scriptures in one way, another in another way. But where do we find persons in whose hearts Christ has been revealed, who do not agree in that teaching of the Spirit which directs, to both alike, that they should abide in him? anointing speaks the same language to all the saints. To all it says" Christ is your life, your hope of glory;" "abide in him." But what is the anointing to which the apostle refers, and in what does it consist? It has been described in its operation of teaching, but it may properly be asked, what is the nature of the power, capable of affording such a guidance? The anointing

The

spoken of by John may be defined to be, the revelation of Christ in the believer's heart; the manifestation of his divine, all-glorious, and all-lovely person, in the soul now entered upon as his dwelling-place. This anointing then, is a something differing from faith, or the teaching of the word of God, and its mode of teaching is peculiar to itself. It is in harmony with faith, and the word, but it is not identical with either. Truly it may be defined to be, an instinct of that new life, which the soul has received by the revelation of Christ within it, so that its language is necessarily and instinctively, "abide in him." The newly-formed tie impels to union with Jesus. It binds the Spirit's life to his. And the believer would do cruel violence to his renewed heart and life, were he to indulge for a moment the idea of not abiding in Jesus. The thought is despair and death; it comes from hell; the Devil is its author. But the instinct of the new life, rejects all such overtures of the father of lies, should there be any such rising in the carnal mind. "Abide in him," is the never-ceasing whisper of the renewed spirit to itself. The whisper and dictate of that spirit of man, to which the person of the God-man has been revealed, and united by faith.

Should any object to the view which has now been given of the nature of the anointing spoken of by John, on the ground that the scripture is the only well-authenticated teacher of the saints, and that it would be dangerous to follow any guide save the word of God, the peril of fanaticism being confessedly so great, if that word is departed from even for an instant; it may be replied, that the anointing mentioned in the text, although it is confessedly the voice of the Spirit of Christ, rather than of the scripture, is yet in exact unison with the letter of the word of God. For the self-instinctive

admonitions of the new creature in regard to its abiding union with the Lord, do not, all must know, clash with the guidance of the scripture, which is ever inculcating the same lesson. But John was pleased on the present occasion, (or rather the Holy Ghost by John was pleased here) to direct believers, to follow the guidance of the instinct of their new life, instead of commending them to the teaching of the word of God. It must be borne in mind however, that John had already appealed to the guidance of that word in a former verse. And we have already considered his powerful exhortation, (verse 24.) in which he refers so strongly, to the words or doctrine delivered to the church, on the important matter of union with Jesus. We are therefore reminded, and no doubt, intentionally reminded by John, that there is a twofold teaching, to which the believer does well to take heed. The most obvious method of his instruction is the one first mentioned; that of the word. The least obvious mode, but one equally well authenticated, and as much to be followed, is that of the Spirit's instinct in the heart of the new creature; an instinct which is analogous with the conscience of the natural man, and as much to be obeyed by the spiritual man, as conscience is to be obeyed by the rational creatures of God. Nor is there any thing of enthusiasm in this. Most certainly if the natural man has a moral sense, and woe be to those who deny him such a faculty, the spiritual man has a spiritual sense, by which he discerns spiritual good and evil. True it is, that as conscience is not sufficient for the guidance of the natural man, without the more particular instruction of the law of God, so the spiritual sense in the heart of the new creature, does not supersede the necessity of the more accurate teaching of the evangelical scriptures. The very heathen,

consequently all natural men, have a law written in the heart, by means of which they have a consciousness of sin and of moral righteousness. (Rom. ii. 14, 15.) But still they need a more accurate instruction in the law of God, because they are under very grievous blinding influences, which tend to harden the conscience, and darken the eyes of the mind. And so in like manner, the believer, who is now born of the Spirit, and who possesses a faculty of discerning spiritual things, as he is only in part renewed, needs a continual guidance from without, as well as from within. The instinct of his new nature, does indeed impel him heavenward, and his affections tend necessarily to Jesus. He has also intuitive perceptions of spiritual truth, but yet he needs the explicit and accurate guidance of the word. He cannot do without the detailed direction of the evangelical scriptures. Every precept, every line, every word, is important to his full and perfect instruction in righteousness. For the life of the new creature, is not a mere spiritual instinct, however excellent, and blessed, and even divine that instinct may be, (and truly it is all this,) but the life of the new born soul, is also the life of the reasonable creature man. The heart then of the renewed man obeys the dictates of his new spiritual instinct of love to God, to Jesus, to his brethren, to holiness, whilst his understanding is submitted to the word of God, and inquires there, what it is that the Lord appoints, and what his holy will may be. And in this course, it may be repeated, there is no enthusiasm, no danger of fanatical delusion. The heart is sound, renewed by grace, and led by the Spirit. The mind is sound, renewed also by grace, and taking continual counsel from the word of God. Nor let any vainly God has joined to

imagine they can separate what