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and have been able in the Courfe of our Lives CHA P. to follow her true and uncorrupted Directions; this alone might have been fufficient, and there would bave been little need of Teaching and InftruEtion. But now Nature has given us only fome Small Sparks of right Reafon, which we so quickly extinguish with corrupt Opinions, and evil PraEtices, that the true Light of Nature no where appears: As foon as we are brought into the World, immediately we dwell in the midst of all Wickedness, and are furrounded with a number of most perverfe and foolish Opinions; fo that we feem to fuck in Error even with our Nurfes Milk: Afterwards when we return to our Parents and are committed to Tutors; then we are further stocked with fuch variety of Errors, that Truth becomes perfectly overwhelm'd with Vanity; and the most natural Sentiments of our Minds are entirely stifled with confirm'd Follies: But when after all this we enter into the World, and make the Multitude, confpiring every where in Wickedness, our great Guide and Example; then our very Nature itself is wholly transform'd, as it were, into corrupt Opinions.

Now this Divine Affiftance is vouchfafed to "Men under the Chriftian Difpenfation in fuch

a manner, as appears to be undeniably agree"able to the natural Expectations of right Rea"fon, and fuitable to the beft and worthiest "Notions, that Men have ever by the Light of "Nature been able to frame to themselves con"cerning the Attributes and Perfections of God. If ye, fays our Saviour, being evil, know how to give good Gifts unto your Children, how much ' more fhall your heavenly Father give the Holy "Spirit to them that afk him? Luke xi. 13. The

CHAP." Effects of this Divine Affiftance evidenced XV. "itself in a very visible and remarkable manner "in the primitive Times, by the fudden, won❝derful and total Reformation of far greater "Numbers of wicked Men, than ever were "brought to Repentance by the Teaching and "Exhortation of all the Philofophers in the "World *"

'I PRODUCE One Authority more, Mr. Locke. "I am far, fays he, from denying, that God 66 can or doth fometimes enlighten Mens Minds "in the apprehending of certain Truths; or "excite them to good Actions, by the immediate "Influence and Affiftance of the Holy Spirit." And on Rom. viii. 8. " 'Tis the Spirit of God "alone that enlivens Men, so as to enable them ❝ to caft off the Dominion of their Lufts."

And on v. 11. "Here he [the Apoftle] fhews,

"that Chriftians are deliver'd from their carnal "finful Lufts, by the Spirit of God, that is "given to them, and dwells in them as a new "quickening Principle and Power, by which "they are put into a State of Spiritual Life, "wherein their Members are made capable of

being made Inftruments of Righteousness." "To thefe I muft add one Advantage more "we have by Jefus Chrift, and that is the Pro" mife of Affiftance. If we do what we can, "he will give us his Spirit to help us to do "what, and how we fhould. 'Twill be idle for us, who know not how our own Spirits move "and act us, to afk in what manner the Spirit

As appears by that of Orig. adver. Celf. Lib. I. Hae Hèv Tois "Exanovens, &c. And that of Lactant. Lib. III. Ďa mihi virum, qui fit iracundus, maledicus, effrænatus; pauciffimis Dei verbis tam placidum, quam ovem reddam. Da libidinofum, &c. " of

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"of God fhall work upon us. The Wisdom CHAP. "that accompanies that Spirit knows better than we how we are made, and how to work upon 66 us. If a wife Man knows how to prevail on "his Child, to bring him to what he defires; "can we fufpect that the Spirit and Wisdom of "God fhould fail in it, though we perceive or' "comprehend not the Ways of his Operations? "Chrift has promifed who is faithful and juft, "and we cannot doubt of the Performance*"

THAT Spirits act upon Spirits there can be as little doubt, as that Bodies act upon Bodies: And that there are certain ways of filent Communication, Infinuation, or Suggeftion of Thoughts or Ideas, the Spring of Alteration, and proper Spheres of giving or receiving Impreffion, according to the Rank and Capacity of the Spirit giving, or receiving it; as there are Laws of Motion with refpect to Bodies, and their Sphere: And that the fupreme Governor fuperintends them both. And, as in his Government of the natural World every thing depends upon his immediate Influence, and the conftant Renewal of that Influence, for the Prefervation and Direction of their Motion, according to their Nature; fo, in his Government of the moral World, it is confonant to natural Faith to believe, that moral Agents depend upon the Influence of his regular Concurrence, and ordinary Affiftance in a way fuitable to their Nature and Faculties, and the Liberty they are invested with. Confequently, that the HOLY SPIRIT may imprefs our Spirits with fuch Thoughts and Cogitations as are the Seeds of good Aations; as certainly, as the evil Spirit

XV.

CHA P. infinuates and injects fuch Motions and Ideas, as are the certain Beginning of Sin and Wickedness, if not timely refifted and fupprefs'd; and fo become an Aider, Advocate, and Comforter to us against the Vigilance of evil Spirits, the Importunity of Temptations, and the Unreadiness of our own moral Powers. It is reasonable to believe, whereas they who chufe evil Courses, and fide themselves in Oppofition, don't want a fuperior Power, Spiritual Wickedness in high Places, to animate and carry them on to all Vice and Depravity; that they who follow God, and prefer his ways of Virtue, Truth, and Liberty, moft certainly have an Encourager and Promoter of their Caufe, fuperior to the other, for carrying them on in Virtue unto Glory. As the evil Spirit is vigilant and intent upon deceiving the Understanding, corrupting the Will, and tempting the Affections; fo the Holy Spirit is more careful and prefent than the Damon of Socrates, to check and diffuade all thofe who defire his Aids and cultivate his Affiftance, from what is wrong and unhappy in the Event. And if Chriftians would be faithful to that heavenly. Monitor against Evil and Advocate for Good, it wou'd be equivalent to the original Strength and, Genius of Man's Understanding, Will, and Affections, which have feverally faulter'd, and been weaken'd with Sin.

MOREOVER, the Mediator helps and honours Worm Man, whom he ftoop'd to vifit and redeem, with the Miniftration of elect Angels, Fellow Servants of a fuperior Order, upon occafional Guards and Services. We are fure, tho' we need none to help us to offend God, from Matter of Fact of fad Experience, that there are fuddenly and imperceptibly, ftrangely, and

ftrongly

ftrongly darted into the Thoughts of Chriftians, CHAP. whilft they are exercised in Prayer and other XV. holy Things, fuch foreign improper Things, as are the too frequent Occafion of Wanderings and Coldness, as if defigned to intercept prevailing Fervency, and fufpend any Impreffion upon us for Good: Which can be refolv'd into no Caufe, but the Efforts and Agency of the evil Spirit. And Experience attefts further, that Thoughts which favour of Impurity, or Blafphemy, or other Iniquity, are irrefiftible as to their first Entrance and Beginning in the Mind, therefore not imputable to us as Sin, before they have gain'd a Continuance there by our Confent and Approbation.

AND we are as certain from Revelation, that the Devil is indefatigably vigilant in laying Snares for our Ruin, and ftrangely fubtle in his Devices + and Temptations, which we are chargedto be aware of; and to pray, as well as watch that we enter not into them, for this Reason, because the Spirit is willing, but the Flesh weak; we fhould in Prayer apply to and attend upon conftant Aid from above, that the willing Spirit may be made ftronger to restrain the yielding Flesh. Though we delight in the Law of God after the inward Man, which shews the Law to be fpiritual in that Senfe, ver. 14. and alfo that every Man has that Teftimony within himself of the original Uprightness of his State and Nature, yet the Law of the Members, which wars against the Law of the Mind, would always bring it into Captivity to the Law of Sin, if fupervening Affiftance did not turn the Scale.

* 1 Pet. v. 8. Mat. xxvi. 41.