a Prieft of Grace, for offering up to God conti- CHAP. nually his private Praife, Thanks, and Joy in the XV. Lord, for his Redemption by his Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift. No Layman then should malign the diftinction of publick Priest, ordained to offer up the publick Sacrifice of Praife and Thankf giving for that and all God's Mercies. THOSE prefent extraordinary Gifts of Chrift's Spirit, after his bodily Departure, were a plain Earneft, and first Fruits to the then Chriftians, that Chrift had actually taken Poffeffion of that heavenly Inheritance he had promised his Followers; and likewife of his indifputable Power of giving Life, and quickening whom he would, by a Refurrection from the Dead, to Life eternal. AND after the extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit ceafed, when their End ceafed, i. e. when the external Evidence from the Teftimony of Miracles, was finally feal'd and fhut up: Such as the *Word of extraordinary Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Gifts of Healing, working Miracles, Prophecy, difcerning of Spirits, divers kinds of Tongues, and the Interpretation thereof; the Ufe and Design of them being, as it is affirmed, for Signs † not to them that believe, but to them that believe not; the miraculous Operations of the Spirit are principally called his Gifts, and every Receiver, was to minifter according to the Analogy or Proportion of that particular Gift, Faith, or Talent in the Recipient in the first Days of Christianity; whilft his ordinary permanent Operations are called Fruits, growing in that Soil of These are always diftinguish'd by the Name queiouata, οι τα πνευματικά, very different from and not to laftingly valuable as the ordinary Fruits of the Spirit, i. e. moral Vir1 Cor. xii. 8, &c. + xiv. 22. tues. 2 * moral XV. CHAP. moral Virtues and Difpofitions which are the Cooperation on Man's part. There remain'd, and remains, his ordinary Gifts and Aids, for the perpetual Edification of the Church in the Spirit of Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Knowledge, of a found Mind, of practical Faith, and Fear of the Lord, of Adoption, and Love, in exclufion to the Spirit of fervile Fear and Bondage; Joy in the Holy Ghost; his Fellowship or Communion, his Comforts in Trouble; his bringing things to Remembrance; our Santification, and Regeneration by Water and Renewal of the Holy Ghost, and every good and perfect Gift defcending from above... ALL thefe rest upon the Members of the Church as a Right and Privilege, conferrable and improveable at the Requeft of their own Prayers in Chrift's Name for the Spirit ; and their Improvement and Growth in thefe Graces depends upon the fructifying Ufe of their own Endeayours. And this feems to be the Reason, why we are never faluted with Grace and Peace in any of the Epistles, in the Name of the Holy Spi rit, except perhaps that from the feven Spirits, Rev. i. 4. as we are in that of the Father, and the Son; because the Spirit confers thofe Gifts and Graces as an actual Right, in virtue of a Promife perform'd, given, and derived from the Father, and the Son; but we are divinely bleffed in the Communion of the Holy Ghoft at the End of 2 Cor. And that Communication or Participation with the Spirit we are obliged to cultivate, and refpect with fuch a Deference and Decency. of Behaviour becoming the Gofpel, as not to grieve † or vex, but obey and be led by him, ↑ Eph. iv. 30. who who is the best Comforter and Advocate we have CHAP. upon Earth. For though we have the written Word (originally infpired by the Spirit) which is able to make wife unto Salvation; and the Facts and Arguments of the endearing Mercy, Goodness, and Love of God, and of our Lord Jefus Chrift, are enough, as one would think, to warm our natural cold Hearts, and quicken our dead Powers, and be unto us externally a fupernatural Affiftance that comes from God, for leading our Feet into the Way of Peace. Though Faith in the true Mediator, that new Medium, which the Reason of Man could never, of itself, have difcover'd for affuring him of Acceptance with God, as being fupplied from Heaven, and convey'd in Scriptures wrote by Inspiration, may be called the standing Infpiration of the Chriftian's Reafon for that Affurance, Confidence, Hope, and Truft. And though by natural Liberty of our Will we are free to Good as well as Evil: Yet we are fo carried away with the Stream, and affected with the Griefs and Joys of prefent Things; and willingly follow the Fafhions and falfe Maxims of the World; and the Biafs of our own ill Habits, contracted from too much Indulgence to bodily Affections, and the hurry of worldly Affairs, the bewitching of Naughtiness does obfcure things that are honeft, and the wandring of Concupifcence undermine the Simple of Mind. Wifd. iv.12. that we generally remain irrefolute and unconftant, forgetful and indolent to fpiritual Things, and heavenly Attainments. NOR fhould we ordinarily attain them, if the we XV. CHAP. we know in Holy Scripture that accompany SalXV. vation, and yet don't know them, because we don't duly confider, and transcribe them into Action as we ought, nor draw the proper, i. c. practical Confequences from them? After we have look'd into the perfect Law of Liberty, how often are we, forgetful Creatures, like the Man beholding his natural Face in a Glass, who, after he is gone from it, ftraitway forgets what manner of Man he was? *THEREFORE is the Holy Spirit fo ready and friendly to the Mind preffed down by the Body to bring things to Remembrance, to make its heedleffness more attentive, and its difpofition to mufe upon many things more ferious and confiderate of the one thing needful; holding the glafs of Reflection up in the Memory, for the Understanding to look into again and again, till it has perused the whole Man; and fo making the Rule of Duty inwardly present to the Mind, may literally be faid to put thofe Laws of the new Covenant inwardly in our Minds, and write them on our Hearts, Heb. viii. 10. NOT that the Spirit infpires new Truths, or Motives; but fets the Light of the Truth of Scripture for Doctrine, for Reproof, for Correction, for Inftruction in Righteoufnefs more clearly and convincingly before the Understanding; and the Motives to Duty more cogently and engagingly before the Will, to practical Purposes, as an Advocate of Virtue and Salvation; and fo helps and affifts the Client, the Servant of God and Chrift, to make good his Caufe of God and Christ, *Plenus fum rimarum, is a claffical and natural Defcription of the Mind of Man; and that of a Fool is, bis inward Parts are like a broken Vessel, Ecclus, xxi. 14. and XV. and his own Happiness, against the Sophiftry CHA P. and Temptations of the World, the Flesh, and the Devil. AND as he is indeed our Fellow-Labourer in that Defign of the Gofpel, and no more than an Affiftant in that Work of Regeneration, Sanctification, and Righteoufnefs, that fhews that he does not do the whole Work; but that our Endeavours are equally neceffary to affift him to effect all that he undertakes for us. Therefore are we commanded to work out our Salvation with fear and trembling, from that very confideration that Affiftance from him is present, because it is he that worketh in us both to will and do of his good Pleasure. He argues and debates with us from our own Conceffions, from the Faith we have embraced; what manner of Perfons it obliges us to be; and fo by means of our Faith in Chrift (whom God appointed Mediator of his Will and Pleasure) worketh in us to will and do according to the Gofpel, which is the Law of the Spirit of Life: Thus he purifies the Heart through Faith, and through Obedience to the Truth. He recals Vows and Refolutions for better living, the Will's own Acts and Deeds; and pleads them afresh before that Regent (advocating with us below, whilst Christ advocates for us above) to fix its natural Instability and Incon ftancy. THERE is the Inspiration of Truth, and the Infpiration of Lies; one from the Father of Truth, the other from the Father of Lies: the firft through the Medium of right Reason, the right Mediator; the latter thro' the Medium of Inconfideration, Senfuality, and worldly Love. Thus the Understanding of Chriftians in general may, by asking it of God, be faid to be enlightC 2 en'dy |