saving and effectual to our renovation, are the fruits and products of this internal illumination of the Spirit.

Secondly, Another of these ordinary operations of the Spirit is sanctification; which consists in the purifying our wills and affections from those wicked inclinations and inordinate lusts, which countermand God's will in us, and set us at enmity against him; and this also the scripture attributes to the Holy Spirit. So Tit. iii. 5. For according to his mercy he saveth us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; and in 1 Cor. vi. 11. But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of our Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. And this is the meaning of our being sealed by the Spirit, so often mentioned in the New Testament, viz. our receiving his image or impression from him; which consists in holiness and righteousness; and by this image or impression we are discriminated and set apart from the rest of the world, as a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, and a peculiar people, 1 Pet. ii. 9. and made kings and priests unto God, Rev. i. 6. upon which account we are said to be anointed by the Spirit, 1 John ii. 20. and by the same image, we are also entitled to, and secured of, all the blessings of the new covenant; upon which account it is called the earnest of the Spirit, and the first-fruits of the Spirit. And this image of himself the Holy Ghost produces in us, by suggesting to our minds the powerful motives and arguments of religion; and by often reiterating, imprints them upon us with all their native force and efficacy, in the most lively and affecting characters; and by these his blessed

suggestions he by degrees persuades and bends our stubborn wills, melts and mollifies our hard hearts, reduces and tempers our wild affections to a willing compliance with the will of God; and at length to a hearty complacency in all those instances of piety and virtue, wherein our sanctification, or this image of himself, consists; which operation of the Spirit we frequently experience in ourselves. For how often do we find good thoughts injected into our minds, we know not how nor whence; which are many times improved into such strong and vehement convictions of the folly and danger of our sin, as, even in the midst of our loose mirth and jollity, and in despite of all our endeavours to chase them from our minds, and rock ourselves into a deep security, cease not to follow, and hunt, and importune us, till they have scared us into wise and sober resolutions. And though we, like ungrateful creatures, do oftentimes stifle the good motions of the Spirit, and turn a deaf ear to his calls and gracious invitations, yet doth he not presently give us over, but still, as we are running away from him, we hear a voice behind us calling after us to return; and though we still run on, yet still he follows us with his importunities through the whole course of our sinful life, till either he hath brought us back, or sees us past all hope of recovery. And indeed such is the degeneracy of our natures, the vanity of our minds, and the prejudice of our wills and affections against God and goodness, that, without this sanctifying influence of the Holy Ghost, it is certain no man ever was or ever will be reclaimed to a state of piety and virtue. For though our religion furnishes with such motives as are infinitely sufficient to persuade us, and though

our minds and wills are not so depraved, but that still we are naturally capable to consider, and natually free to follow those motives; yet so vain and roving are our minds, so averse to all serious and spiritual thoughts, so stubborn and inflexible are our wills to those spiritual duties which those motives persuade to, so cankered and prejudiced against them, that, did not the Holy Ghost frequently impress them on our minds, and pathetically urge and apply them to our wills and affections, we should never of ourselves so throughly consider them, as to be conquered and persuaded by them; but either our thoughts would presently fly away from them, and rove into sensual cares or pleasures, or our wills and affections, by objecting their prejudice and the interest of their lusts against them, would infallibly baffle and defeat them. So that it is to this sanctifying influence of the Holy Ghost, that all the graces and good dispositions of our minds are owing.

Thirdly, Another of these ordinary operations of the Spirit is, quickening or exciting us in the ways of piety and virtue. For as by his sanctifying influence he first inspired us with spiritual life, so he still proceeds to cherish and invigorate it, and to quicken it up into activity and motion, whenever he perceives it droop or languish. Hence the apostle, Gal. v. 25. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit; i. e. if we have received spiritual life from him, let us move and act by him; and hence also we are said to be led by the Spirit of God, i. e. to be moved and conducted in our motion by him, Rom. viii. 14. And this he also doth, partly by admonishing and putting us in mind of our duty, which, in the crowd and hurry of our worldly occasions, we

are too prone to forget, and partly by suggesting to our minds such considerations of religion as are most apt to quicken our sluggish endeavour, to allure our hope, or alarm our fear, or affect our ingenuity; and by these to excite our zeal, and render us more active and vigorous in the ways of piety and virtue : and of this operation of the Holy Spirit there is no good man but hath frequent experience. For thus, when our thoughts are squandered abroad among our worldly cares and pleasures, we are many times assaulted with unexpected temptations, which finding our minds in a careless, forgetful, and incogitant posture, are apt to surprise and hurry us into sinful actions before we are aware, in which nick of time a good thought is suddenly shot into our minds to warn and admonish us of the precipice of sin and guilt we are falling into; by which, if we are not wilfully deaf and inadvertent to it, the temptation is discovered, and baffled, and defeated: and thus also, when through the many temptations that do here surround us, our zeal for God and goodness doth at any time languish, and we begin to grow cold and indifferent in religion; we find a world of good thoughts pressing so hard upon our minds, as that without doing violence to ourselves we cannot avoid listening and attending to them; and when they have almost forced themselves into our attention, there they do so vigorously struggle with our reluctant wills, so pathetically address to our listless affections, that, without equal violence to ourselves, we cannot avoid being moved by their persuasions, and at last conquered by their powerful importunities. Now these good thoughts are many times the immediate inspirations and whispers of the Holy

Spirit to our minds, which he very often imprints on us with that life and vigour, and repeats and urges with that efficacious ardour and restless importunity, that, unless we are strangely obstinate, we cannot find in our hearts to repel or resist them.

Fourthly, Another of these ordinary operations of the Holy Spirit on men's minds is comforting and supporting them, or inspiring their minds with such joys and refreshments, as are necessary to support them under the difficulties and temptations they are here exposed to. For this operation of the Spirit is a standing provision against such difficulties and temptations as are too great for an ordinary patience and courage to contest with, and is not ordinarily vouchsafed to us, but only at such times when we are called to do or suffer something beyond ourselves, and above our own strength and ability; in which cases we are secured of this supporting influence of the Spirit by that promise, 1 Cor. x. 13. God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above what ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. For thus we read of the primitive church, that they walked in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, Acts ix. 31. i. e. had the constant supporting influence of the Spirit of God, to strengthen and bear up their minds under that mighty work and those grievous persecutions they were to undergo; and the apostle makes it his earnest prayer to God for his Christian Romans, that he would fill them with all joy and peace in believing; that is, in their profession of the Christian faith, and that they might abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost, Rom. xv. 13. And accordingly we find the