God's bestowing special spiritual mercies

 

Nor do I think that they go upon sure ground that conclude that they have not been in an error in their conduct, because that at the time of their doing a thing, for which they have been blamed and reproached by others, they were favored with special comforts of God's Spirit. 

God's bestowing special spiritual mercies on a person at such a time, is no sign that he approves of everything that he sees in him at that time. David had very much of the presence of God while he lived in polygamy: and Solomon had some very high favors and peculiar smiles of heaven, and particularly at the dedication of the temple, while he greatly multiplied wives to himself, and horses, and silver and gold; all contrary to the most express command of God to the king, in the law of Moses, Deuteronomy 17:16–17. 

We can't tell how far God may hide his eyes from beholding iniquity in Jacob, and seeing perverseness in Israel [Numbers 23:21]. We can't tell what are the reasons of God's actions any further than he interprets for himself. 

God sometimes gave some of the primitive Christians the extraordinary influence of his Spirit, when they were out of the way of their duty; and continued it while they were abusing it; as is plainly implied, 1 Corinthians 14:31–33.

Yea, if a person has done a thing for which he is reproached, and that reproach be an occasion of his feeling sweet exercises of grace in his soul, and that from time to time, I don't think that is a certain evidence that God approves of the thing he is blamed for. 

For undoubtedly a mistake may be the occasion of stirring up the exercise of grace, in a man that has grace. 

If a person, through mistake, thinks he has received some particular great mercy, that mistake may be the occasion of stirring up the sweet exercises of love to God, and true thankfulness and joy in God. As for instance, if one that is full of love to God should hear credible tidings concerning a remarkable deliverance of a child or other dear friend, or of some glorious thing done for the City of God, no wonder if, on such an occasion, the sweet actings of love to God and delight in God should be excited, though indeed afterwards it should prove a false report that he heard. 

So if one that loves God is much maligned and reproached for doing that which he thinks God required and approves, no wonder that it is sweet to such an one to think that God is his friend, though men are his enemies; no wonder at all, that this is an occasion of his, as it were, leaving the world, and sweetly betaking himself to God as his sure friend, and finding sweet complacence in God; though he be indeed in a mistake concerning that which he thought was agreeable to God's will. 

As I have before shewn that the exercise of a truly good affection may be the occasion of error, and may indirectly incline a person to that which is wrong; 2 so on the other hand, error, or a doing that which is wrong, may be an occasion of the exercise of a truly good affection. 

The reason of it is this, that however all exercises of grace be from the Spirit of God, yet the Spirit of God dwells and acts in the hearts of the saints, in some measure after the manner of a vital, natural principle, a principle of new nature in them; whose exercises are excited by means, in some measure as other natural principles are. 

Though grace ben't in the saints as a mere natural principle, but as a sovereign agent, and so its exercises are not tied to means by an immutable law of nature, as in mere natural principles; yet God has so constituted that grace should dwell so in the hearts of the saints, that its exercises should have some degree of connection with means, after the manner of a principle of nature.