10. The simple negative often implies, conversely, the positive. This is a very simple canon of exegesis, yet one to which the attention of the young student needs to be called. A negative statement is, of course, one where something is denied or where the absence of its opposite is supposed. In common speech the reverse of a negative usually holds good, as when we declare, "I hope it will not rain today," it is the same as saying, "I trust it will remain fine." That this rule obtains in Scripture is clear from the numerous instances where the antithesis is stated. "Thou wilt not suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption" is explained in "Thou wilt show Me the path of life" (Ps. 16:10, 11). "I have not refrained My lips, O Lord, Thou knowest. I have not hid Thy righteousness within My heart," and then the positive side at once follows: "I have declared Thy faithfulness and Thy salvation" (Ps. 40:9, 10). "Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor . . . Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor," (Eph. 4:25, 28). Many other examples might be given, but these are sufficient to establish the rule we are here treating of.

Now the Holy Spirit has by no means always formally drawn the antithesis, but rather has in many instances—that we might exercise our minds upon His Word—left us to do so. Thus, "A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench" (Matthew 12:20) signifies that He will tenderly care for and nourish the same. "The scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35) is the equivalent of, It must be, it most certainly will he, fulfilled. "Without Me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5) implies that in union and communion with Him we "can do all things" (Phil. 4:13)—incidentally note how the former serves to define the latter: it is not that I shall then be able to perform miracles, but fitted to bring forth fruit! "Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers" (2 Cor. 6:14) has the force of "Come out from among them and be ye separate," as verse 17 shows. "Let us not be desirous of vain glory" (Gal. 5:26) imports Be lowly in mind and esteem others better than yourself (Phil. 2:3). "These things write I unto you, that ye sin not" (1 John 2:1) equals My design is to inculcate and promote the practice of holiness, as all that follows clearly shows.

Negative commandments enjoin the opposite good: "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain" (Ex. 20:7) implies that we are to hold His name in the utmost reverence and hallow it in our hearts. Negative threatenings are tacit affirmations: "The Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain": rather will He condemn and punish him. Negative promises contain positive assurances: "A broken and contrite heart O God, Thou wilt not despise" (Ps. 51:17) means that such a heart is acceptable to Him. "No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly" (Ps. 84:11) is tantamount to saying that everything which is truly good for such will certainly be bestowed upon them. Negative conclusions involve their opposites: "The father of the fool hath no joy" (Prov. 17:21) purports that he will suffer much sorrow and anguish because of him—oh, that wayward children would make conscience of the grief which they occasion their parents. "To have respect of persons is not good" (Prov. 28:21), but evil. Negative statements carry with them strong assertives: "Yea, surely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment" (Job 34:12): rather will He act holily and govern righteously.

11. In sharp contrast with the above, it should be pointed out that in many cases statements put in the interrogative form have the force of an emphatic negative. This is another simple rule which all expositors should keep in mind. "Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?" (Job 11:7)—indeed no. "Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?" (Matthew 6:27)—none can do so by any such means. "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Matthew 16:26)—nothing whatever, nay, he is immeasurably, worse off. "Ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?" (Matthew 23:33)—they cannot. "How can ye believe, which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only?" (John 5:44)—such is morally impossible. "How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?" (Rom. 10:14)—they will not. On the other hand, the question of Matthew 6:30, is a strong affirmation; while that of Matthew 6:28, is a prohibition.

12. The right use of reason in connection with the things of God. This is another rule of exegesis which is of considerable importance, yet one that requires to be used with holy care and caution, and by one of mature judgment and thorough acquaintance with the Word. For that reason it is not to be employed by the novice or inexperienced. The Christian, like the non-Christian, is endowed with rationality, and the sanctified exercise thereof certainly has its most fitting sphere in the realm of spiritual things. Before considering the application of reason to the expounding of the Truth, let us point out its more general province. Two examples thereof may be selected from the teaching of our Lord. "Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?" (Matthew 6:30). Here we find Christ demonstrating, by a simple process of logic, the utter unreasonableness of distrustful anxiety in connection with the supply of temporal necessities. His argument is drawn from the consideration of Divine providence. If God cares for the field, much more will He for His dear people: He evidences His care for the field by clothing it with grass, therefore much more will He provide clothing for us.

"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?" (Matthew 7:11). Here again the Lord shows us how this faculty is to be employed by a process of holy reasoning. He was speaking on the subject of prayer, and presented an argument for assuring His disciples of their being heard at the throne of grace. The argument is based on a comparison of inequalities and the reason drawn from the less to the greater. It may be framed thus: If earthly parents, though sinful, are inclined to listen to the appeals of their little ones, most certainly our heavenly Father will not close His ears to the cries of His children: natural parents do, in fact, respond to and grant the requests of their little one, therefore much more will our Father deal graciously and generously with His. It is said of Abraham that he accounted or reckoned thus within himself: There is nothing impossible with God. Likewise the apostle, "For I reckon [convince myself by logical reasoning] that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Rom. 8:18). Other illustrations of Paul’s inspired reasoning are found in Romans 5:9, 10; 8:31, 32. In all of these instances we are taught the legitimacy and right use of reasoning.

The Lord Jesus often argued, both with His disciples and with His adversaries, as with rational men, according to the principles of sound reasoning He did so from prophecy and the conformity of the event to the prediction (Luke 24:25, 26; John 5:39, 46). He did so from the miracles which He performed (John 10:25, 37, 38; 14:10, 11) as being incontrovertible evidence that He was sent of God, and reproved His despisers for failing to identify Him as the Messiah. His "Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time? Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?" (Luke 12:56, 57) was a direct and scathing rebuke because—on its lowest ground—they had failed to use properly their reasoning powers, as Nicodemus did: "We know that Thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that Thou doest, except God be with him" (John 3:2). So, too, the apostle when exhorting believers to flee from idolatry added: "I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say" (1 Cor. 10:15).

In his masterly exposition of Hebrews 4:3, Owen pointed out that the apostle’s argument there rested upon the logical rule that "unto immediate contraries contrary attributes may certainly be ascribed, so that he who affirms the one at the same time denies the other; and on the contrary, he that denies the one affirms the other. He that saith it is day, doth as really say it is not night, as if he had used those formal words." His whole design in 4:1-11, was to demonstrate by various testimonies and examples that unbelief cuts off from the rest of God, whereas faith gives an entrance thereinto. In verse 3 he affirms, "For we which have believed do enter into rest," in substantiation of which he adds, "as He said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into My rest." There the apostle again quoted from Psalm 95 (see Heb. 3:7, 11, 15, 18). From the sad experience of Israel’s failure to enter into God’s rest because of their unbelief and disobedience Paul drew the obvious and inescapable conclusion that believers "do enter" therein.

We repeat, it is only by that principle of logic that the apostle’s argument in Hebrews 4:3, can be understood. If any of our readers be inclined to take issue with that statement, then we would respectfully urge them to turn to and carefully ponder that verse, and see if they can perceive how the proof-text cited supplies any confirmation of the proposition laid down in its opening clause. From that exposition Owen pointed out, "And here by the way we may take notice of the use of reason, or logical deductions, in the proposing, handling and confirming of sacred supernatural truths and articles of faith. For the validity of the apostle’s proof in this place depends upon the certainty of the logical maxim before mentioned, the consideration of which removes the whole difficulty. And to deny this liberty of deducing consequences, or one thing from another, according to the just rules of ratiocination, is quite to take away the use of the Scripture, and to banish reason from those things wherein it ought to be principally employed."

In Hebrews 8:13, is found another and yet much simpler example of reasoning upon Scripture. "In that He saith, A new covenant, He hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away." The apostle’s design in this epistle was to exhibit the immeasurable superiority of Christianity over Judaism, and exhort Hebrew believers to cleave steadfastly unto Christ, the true light and substance, and not to return to the shadows and symbols of a system which had then served its purpose. Among other reasons, he had appealed to the promise of a "new covenant" made by Jehovah in Jeremiah 31:31-34. This he had cited in Hebrews 8:8-12, and then he drew a logical inference from the word "new"—God’s calling this better economy a new one clearly implied that the previous one had become obsolete: just as the Psalmist (102:25, 26), when affirming that the present earth and heavens would perish, added as proof that they should "wax old like a garment." Thus the declaration made in Hebrews 8:13, is (by way of logical deduction) adduced as a proof of the proposition stated in 8:7, "For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second."

In Ephesians 4:8, Paul quotes from Psalm 68:18, and then shows us how we are to make a right use of reason or to exercise the intellectual and moral faculties: "Now that He ascended, what is it but that He also descended?": the exaltation of Christ presupposed a previous humiliation. Again, "Do you think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?" (Jam. 4:5). But as Thomas Manton pointed out in his exposition of that verse, such a statement is nowhere found in the Bible in those particular terms, adding "The Scripture ‘saith’ that which may be inferred from the scope of it by just consequence. Immediate inferences are as valid as express words. Christ proved the resurrection not by direct testimony, but by argument (Matthew 22:32). What the Scripture doth import therefore by good consequence should be received as if it were expressed." Still another of the apostles had recourse to reasoning when he said, "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater" (1 John 5:9), and infinitely more dependable; hence the excuselessness of those who reject it.

Those who are familiar with the writings of Augustine and Calvin will have observed how frequently they drew the inference that whatever be freely bestowed by God is something of which fallen man, considered in himself, is destitute. It is an obvious deduction of reason, and a sure canon of exegesis, which is of simple and universal application, that everything which is graciously supplied in and by Christ is wanting in our natural condition. Thus, every verse which speaks of eternal life as a Divine gift, or which makes promise of it to those who believe, necessarily presupposes that we are without it, and therefore spiritually dead. So, too, the Christian’s receiving of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; Gal. 3:2; 4:6) takes it for granted that in their unregenerate condition they were without Him, having forfeited His indwelling presence by sin; the same being graciously restored to us by the mediation of Christ (John 7:39; Gal. 3:14). As the result of the fall, the Holy Spirit was—in the exercise of Divine justice—withdrawn from the human heart, and in consequence it was left not only without a Divine inhabitant, but a prey of all those influences—natural, worldly, satanic—which, in the absence of the Holy Spirit, inevitably draw the affections away from God; but at regeneration the Spirit is again given (Ezek. 34:27).

While the faculty of reason is vastly superior to our bodily senses (distinguishing man from and elevating him above the animals), it is greatly inferior to faith (the gift of God to His people), and that, in turn, to the Holy Spirit —upon whom we are dependent for the directing of the one and the strengthening of the other. There is much confusion of mind and not a little wrong thinking on the part of the saints concerning the place and extent which reason may and should have in connection with the Scriptures. Assuredly God has not subordinated His word to our reason for us to accept only what commends itself to our judgment. Nevertheless, He has furnished His people with this faculty, and though insufficient of itself it is a valuable aid in the understanding of Truth. While reason is not to be made the measurer of our belief, yet it is to be used as the handmaid of faith, by comparing passage with passage, deducing inferences and drawing consequences according to the legitimate laws of logic. Never is the faculty of reason so worthily employed as in endeavoring to understand Holy Writ. If on the one hand we are forbidden to lean unto our own understanding (Prov. 3:5), on the other we are exhorted to apply our hearts to understanding (Prov. 2:2).

God has supplied us with an unerring standard by which we may test every exercise of our reason upon His Word, namely the Analogy of Faith. And it is there that we have a sure safeguard against the wrong use of this faculty. Though it be true that very often more is implied by the words of Scripture than is actually expressed, yet reason is not a law unto itself to make any supplement it pleases. Any deduction we make, however logical it seems, any consequence we draw, no matter how plausible it be, is erroneous if it be repugnant to other passages. For example, when we read "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48), we may conclude that sinless perfection is attainable in this life, but if we do so we err, as Philippians 3:12, and 1 John 1:8, show. Again, should I draw the inference from Christ’s words "no man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him" (John 6:44) that therefore I am in no wise responsible to come unto Him, that my inability excuses me, then I certainly err, as John 5:40, and other passages make clear.