and lays hold on all the Elect, and brings them through Faith, into the Unity of the Son and of the Father, and teaches them, and orders them, and governs them, and preferves them. And therefore you fee here, that the Promife of the Spirit is firtt performed, before the Church of God hath any Enlargement, or Government. And now from thefe general Things we proceed to the Words more particularly. Te fhall receive Power, when the Holy Ghost is come upon you. And here we may note two Things.

1. What he promises them, and that is Power, you Shall receive Power.

2. How they should be made Partakers of that Power, and that was, by the Holy Spirit's coming upon them.

The Point we will infift on from both, is this:

That the receiving of the Spirit, is the receiving of Power; till we receive the Spirit, we are altogether without Power; and when we receive the Spirit, then first of all, do we receive Power; Power from on high.

By Nature, we are all without ftrength, weak, impotent Creatures, utterly unable to do any Thing that is truly and spiritually righteous and good; for by Nafure, we are nothing but Flesh, for that which is born of Flesh is Flesh, and all Flesh is Grafs, a fading, withering and decaying Thing, together with all the Flower of it, that is, the Perfections and Excellencies of it. So that by Nature, we are all without Power, because we are nothing but Flesh, of which, weakness is an infeparable adjunct.

But when we receive the Spirit, we receive Power; for Power is an infeparable Adjunct of the Spirit, as weakness is of Flesh; yea the Spirit it felf which is given us, is Power, and that both effentially and operatively, in it felf, and in us.

1. The Spirit is Power effentially in it felf; for it is

one

one God with the Father and the Son, co-eifential, coequal, co-eternal; and fo as Chrift is the Power of God, fo alfo is the Spirit, the Power of God; yea the Spirit is the God of Power, as well as the Power of God. So that the Spirit is Power in himself effentially, and he that partakes of the Power of the Spirit, partakes of that Power, which is God, and no Creature.

2. The Spirit is Power operatively in us, by being

in us.

1. A Spirit of Knowledge; for the Holy Spirit teaches us to know the Things that are freely given to us of God; yea he teaches us to know, what Sin is, and what Righteousfness; what Death is, and what Life ; what Heaven is, and what Hell; what our Selves are, and what God is, and thefe Things he teaches us to know, otherwife than other Men know them. In a Word, the Spirit teaches a Chriftian to know all Things, that is, to know God, and the Kingdom of God, and all the Things of both, all other Things being nothing in comparison of thefe. Thus the Holy Spirit is a Spirit of Knowledge in us, and fo of Power; for Knowledge is the ftrength of a Man. Whereas an ignoranţ Man is a weak Man, you may carry him whither you will; but knowledge renders a Man ftrong and unmoveable. And in all Things, wherein the Holy Spirit is a Spirit of Knowledge in us, he is also a Spirit of Strength.

The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of Power in us, by being in us a Spirit of Truth. And fo the Spirit is, because it doth not only lead us unto the Truth (that is unto the Word which is the only Truth, as it is written: Sanctifie them through the Truth, thy Word is Truth, but alfo the Spirit leads us into the Truth; it leads us into the Truth, and the Truth into us, till we and it, become one by an infeparable Union, The Holy Spirit takes a Believer, and leads him into one Truth after another,

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till at last it leads him into all Truth. Now wherein the Spirit, is a Spirit of Truth to us, it is a Spirit of Power; for through the Truth we learn, from the Spirit of Truth, we are altogether ftedfaft and unmoveable, among variety of different and contrary Winds of Doctrine. And this is the very Caufe, that among fo many Divifions, and Factions, and Errors, and Herefies, which wofully prevail in these present Times of ours, the People of God are not feduced and overcome, to wit, because they are all taught of God, of God and not of Men, and have the Spirit of Truth, to lead them into Truth; the Spirit I fay, and not Men; and fo it is impoffible that they should fully and finally be deceived. For wherein we are taught by the Spirit of God, it is impoffible we should be perverted by Men: Whereas on the contrary, the true Ground why fo many are feduced and overcome by the Errors and Herefies of this Age, is because they have taken up their Religion only from Mans teaching, and have received their Öpinions or Doctrine from Men; and fo what one Man hath taught us, another Man can unteach; yea if we be led to the Truth it felf, only by Man, Man can again lead us from it. For all the World cannot lead any Man into the Truth, till the Spirit lead him into it; and when the Spirit doth lead us into the Truth, all the World cannot lead us out of it; but we are. fo fure of thofe Things. wherein the Spirit hath been a Teacher to us, that if all the Councels and Churches in the World, yea all the Angels of Heaven (hould teach us contrary, we would hold them accurfed. But a Man that hath not been taught of the Spirit, every Day you may win him into new Opinions, by the Power and Authority of Men, together with the ftrength of other Advantages: But he that hath been led into the Truth, is unmoveable and invincible among all Doctrines. And thus alfo the Holy Spirit by being a Spirit of Truth, is allo a Spirit of Power in us.

3 The

3 The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of Power in us, by being in us a Spirit of Wildom; and fo it is, because it makes us wife with the, Wifdom of God, wife upon Earth, after the rate of Heaven, wife to Salvation. There is no Man wife without the Spirit of God, for the Wisdom of carnal Men is but foolishness before God, yea before Angels and Saints; but the Wisdom of the Spirit is moft gracious and heavenly Wisdom. And this Wisdom of the Spirit, is the Strength of a Christian; the more he hath of it, the more mighty he is, both in all his Doings and Indurings. It is faid, Ecclef 9. 15. That there was a poor wife Man, delivered a Small City from the Power of a mighty King, and therefore Solomon concludes that Wisdom is better than Strength, for it can do greater Things than Strength can. When David carried himself wifely, Saul a great King was afraid of him; he thought himfelf too weak to deal with David, and David too mighty to deal with him, because of his Wifdom; and Solomon afked Wisdom of God above all Things, for the Strength of his Government; all Government without this, being bur weak and brittle. Thus Wisdom contributes Strength to us, whereas we fay of a Man that wants Wisdom, he is a weak Man; and fo the Holy Spirit being a Spirit of Wisdom in us, is alfo a Spirit of Power.

4. The Holy Spirit, is a Spirit of Power in us, by being in us a Spirit of Faith: For Faith is a Work of the Spirit of Power; and no lefs Power would work Faith in us, then that which raised up Chrift from the Dead, when he lay under all the Sin of Man, and all the Wrath of God, and all the Sorrows of Death, and all the Pains of Hell, it must be a mighty_Power indeed, that must raise Christ then, and that Power was the Power of the Spirit; and no lefs Power will work Faith. So that whoever truly believes by this Faith, of the Operation of God, is fenfible in his own Soul, of the (F) 4

felt

felf fame Power, that raised Christ up from the Dead. And thus the Holy Spirit is a Spirit of Faith in us, and fo of Power. For Unbelief keeps a Man in himself, but Faith carries a Man out to Chrift; now there is no Man weaker than he that refts on himself, and there is no Man stronger, than he that forfakes himself, and rests on Chrift. And fo a Man through the Power of Faith, is able both to do and endure the felf fame Things which himself did and endured.

1. He is able to do the fame Things that Chrift himself did, and therefore faith Chrift, all Things are poffible to bim that believeth; fo that a Believer hath a Kind of Omnipotency, and all Things are poffible to him; becaufe by Faith he lays hold upon the Power of God, and all Things are poffible to the Power of God, and fo all Things are poffible to a Believer, who is Partaker of that Power of God. And hence Paul faith: I can do all Things through Chrift that strengthneth me Phil. 4, 13. this Chrift that strengthned him, was the Power of God, and this Power of God, is not a finite Power, but an infinite, not a particular Power, but an univerfal; and fo can do, not fome Things only, but all Things; and fo alfo can all they, who are truly Partakers of it by Faith. Yea Chrift himfelf hath a greater expreffion than this, yea fuch an one, that I never durft have fspoken, if Chrift himself had not first spoken it, and that is this, John. 14, 12. He that believeth in me, the Works that I do, fhall be do, and greater Works than thefe, becaufe I go to the Father. Where Christ faith, a Believer fhall not only do the fame Works with himself, (which alfo had been a great Thing) but alfo greater Works than himself; and this indeed is altogether admirable and wonderful, that a Believer fhall do greater Works than Chrift: But how is this made good? Why thus ? Chrift he overcame the Law, and Sin, and Death, and Hell, and the whole Power of the Devil in a Body and

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