alone and his righteoufnefs for thofe ends and purpofes. But the works we do after we have received Chrift, are of another confideration. Indeed they are, acceptable to God; it pleafeth him that we fhould walk in thein. But as to that end for which we receive Christ, of no other account than the former, Eph. ii. 8, 9, 10. Even the works we do after believing, thofe which we are created unto in Chrift Jefus, thofe that God hath ordained that believers fhould walk in them, as to juftification and acceptance with God here called falvation, are excluded. It will one day appear that Christ abhorrs the janglings of men, about the place of their own works and obedience, in the bufinefs of their acceptation with God. Nor will the faints find any peace in adulterous thoughts of that kind. The chastity we owe unto him, requires another frame. The neceffity, usefulness, and excellency of gofpel obedience thall be afterward declared. It is marvelous to fee, how hard it is to keep fome profeffors to any faithfulness with Chrift in this thing. How many difputes have been managed, how many dif tinctions invented, how many shifts and evasions ftudied, to keep up fomething in fome place or other to fome purpose or other, that they may dally, withal. Thofe that love him indeed, are otherwise minded. Herein then of all things, do the faints endeavour to keep their affections chaste and loyal to Jefus Chrift. He is made unto them of God righteoufnefs, and they will own nothing else to that purpose: yea fometimes they know not whether they have any intereft in him or no; he abfents and withdraws himself, they ftill continue folitary in a state of widowhood, refusing to be comforted, though many things U is not. things offer themselves to that purpose, because he When Chrift is at any time absent from the foul, when it cannot fee that it hath any intereft in him, many lovers offer themselves to it, manywooe. its affections to get it to reft on this or that thing for relief and fuccour; but though it go mourning never fo long it will have nothing but Chrift to leanupon. When ever the foul is in the wilderness, in the faddeft condition, there it will ftay until Chrift come for to take it up; until it can come forth leaning upon him, Cant. viii. 5. The many inftances of this that the book of Canticles affords us, we have in part fpoken of before. This doth he who hath communion with Chrift; he watcheth diligently over his own heart, that nothing creep into its affections to give it any peace or establishment before God, but Christ only. When ever that. queftion is to be answered, wherewith fhall I come before the Lord, and appear before the high God? he doth not gather up, this. or that I will do, or here and there I will watch and amend my ways; but inftantly he cries in the Lord Jefus, have I righteoufnefs? all my desire is to be found in him, not having on my own righte-. oufnefs. 2. In cherishing that Spirit, that holy Comforter which Chrift fends to us; to abide with us in his room, and flead: he tells us that he fends him to that purpose, John xvi. 7. he gives him to us, Vicariam navare operam, faith Tertullian, to abide with us for ever, for all thofe ends and purposes. which he hath to fulfil towards us, and upon us; he gives him to dwell in us, to keep us and preserve us blameless for himself; his name is in him, and with him; and it is upon his account that whatever is done to any of Chrift's, is done to him, becaufe it is done to them in whom he is and dwells by his fpirit. Now herein do the faints preferve their conjugal affections entire to Chrift, that they labour by all means not to grieve his holy Spirit, which he hath fent in his flead to abide with them. This the apoftle puts them in mind of, Eph. iv. 30. Grieve not the holy Spirit. There be two main ends for which Chrift fends his Spirit to believers. 1. For their fanctification. 2. For their confofation: to which two all the particular acts of purging, teaching, anointing, and the reft that are afcribed to him may be referred. So there be two ways whereby we may grieve him. 1. In refpect of fanctification. 2. In refpect of confolation.. 1. In refpect of fanctification; he is the Spirit of holinefs; holy in himself, and the Author of holinefs in us, he works it in us, Tit. iii. 5. and he perfwades us to it, by thofe motions of his which are not to be quenched. Now this in the first place grieves the Spirit, when he is carrying on in us, and for us, a work fo infinitely for our advantage, and without which we cannot fee Cod, that we fhould run crofs to him in ways of unholinefs, polJution, and defilement. So the connexion of the words in the place before mentioned manifefts, Eph. iv. 28, 29, 30, 31. and thence doth Paul bottom his powerful and most effectual perfuafion unto holinefs, even from the abode and indwelling of this holy Spirit with us, 1 Cor. iii. 16, 17. Indeed what can grieve a loving and tender friend more than to oppose him and flight him, when he is moft intent about our good; and that a good of the greatest confequence to us? In this then believers make i U 2 thei their bufinefs to keep their hearts loyal and their affections chafte to Jefus Chrift. They labour inftantly not to grieve the holy Spirit by loose and foolish, by carelefs and negligent walking, which he hath fent to dwell and abide with them. Therefore fhall no anger, wrath, malice, envy dwell in their hearts, becaufe they are contrary to the holy meek fpirit of Chrift, which he hath given to dwell with them. They attend to his motions, make ufe of his affiftance, improve his gifts, and nothing lyes more upon their spirits than that they may walk worthy of the prefence of his holy fubftitute of the Lord Jefus Chrift. 2. As to confolation; this is the fecond great end for which Chrift gives and fends his Spirit to us, who from thence by the way of eminency is called the Comforter: to this end he feals us, anoints us, establishes us, and gives us peace and joy of all which I fhall afterwards fpeak at large. Now there be two ways, whereby he may be grieved as to this end of his miffion, and our chastity to Jefus Chrift thereby violated. 1. By placing our comforts and joys in other things, and not being filled with joy in the holy Ghoft. When we make creatures or creature comforts, any thing whatever, but what we receive by the fpirit of Chrift, to be our joy and our delight, we are falfe with Chrift. So was it with Demaswho loved the prefent world. When the ways of the Spirit of God are grievous and burdenfome to us, when we fay when will the Sabbath be past that we may exactall our labours? when our delight and refreshment lyes in earthly things, we are unfuitable to Christ. May not his Spirit fay, why do I still abide with thefe poor fouls? I provide them joys joys unfpeakable and glorious, but they refuse them for perifling things; I provide them fpiritual, eternal, abiding confolations, and it is all rejected for a thing of nought. This Chrift cannot bear! wherefore believers are exceeding careful in this, not to place their joy and confolation in any thing but what is adminiftred by the Spirit. Their daily work is. to get their hearts crucified to the world and the things of it; and the world to their hearts, that they may not have living affections to dying things; they would fain look on the world as a crucified dead thing, that hath neither form nor beauty; and if at any times they have been intangled with creatures: and inferior contentments, and have loft their better joys, they cry out to Chrift, O reftore to us the joys of thy Spirit! 2. He is grieved when through darkness, and unbelief we will not, do not receive those confolations which he tenders to us, and which he is abundantly willing that we fhould receive; but of this I fhall have occafion to fpeak afterward in handling our communion with the holy Ghost. 3. In his inftitutions or matter and manner of His worship, Chrift. marrying his church to himself, taking it to that relation, ftill expreffeth the main of their chafte and choice affections to him, to lye in their keeping his inftitutions and his worfhip ac-cording to his appointment. The breach of this he calls adultery every where, and whoredom; he is a jealous God, and he gives himself that title only in refpect of his inftitutions. And the whole anof tacy of the Chriftian church unro falfe worship is: lead the o-thers to falfe worship, the mother of barfots.. On this account thofe believers who really attend to U 3 called fornication, and the church te com |