and title that will held plesin the courts of men, but not a right that will hold in the court of God, and in their own confcience. It will one day be fad with them when they fhall come to give an account of their enjoyments. They fhall not only be reckoned withal for the abuse of that they have poffeffed, that they have not used, and laid it out for the glory of him whose it is, but also that they have ever laid their hands upon the creatures of God, and kept them from them for whose fakes alone they are preferved from destruction. When the God of glory fhall come home to any of them, either in their confciences here, or in the judgment that is for to come, and speak with the terror of a revengeful Judge: I have fuffered you to enjoy corn, wine, and oil, a great portion of my creatures; you have rolled yourselves in wealth and profperity, when the right heirs of these things lived poor, and low, and mean at the next door; give in now an answer, what and how you have used thele things? What have you laid out for the service and advancement of the gospel? What have you given unto them for whom nothing was provided? What contribution have you made for the poor faints? Have you had a ready hand, and willing mind to lay down all for my fake? When they shall be compelled to answer as the truth is, Lord, we had indeed a large portion in the world, but we took it to be our own, and thought we might have done what we would with our own, we have eat the fat, and drank the fweet, and left the rest of our subflance for our babes; we have spent fomewhat upon our lufts, fomewhat upon our friends, but the truth is, we cannot fay that we have made friends of thi unrighteous mammon, that we used it to the ad Gg vance vancement of the gofpel or for miniftring unto thy poor faints, and now behold we muft die, &c. So alfo when the Lord fhall proceed further, and question not only the use of these things, but also their title to them, and tell them, the earth is mine and the fulness thereof: I did indeed make an original grant of these things to man, but that is loft by fin; I have restored it only for my faints, why have you laid then your fingers of prey upon that which was not yours? why have you compelled my creatures to ferve you, and your lufts, which I had fet at loose from under your dominion: give me my flax, my wine and wool, I will fet you naked as in the day of your birth, and revenge upon you your rapine, and unjust poffeffion of that which was not yours. I fay, at fuch a time what will men do? 3. Boldness with God by Christ is another privilege of our adoption; but hereof I have spoke at large before, in treating of the excellency of Christ in refpect of our approach to God by him; fo that I fhall not reaffume the confideration of it. 4. Affliction alfo as proceeding from love, as leading to fpiritual advantages, as conforming unto Christ, as sweetened with his prefence is the privilege of children, Heb. xii. 3, 4, 5, 6. but on these particulars I must not insist. This I fay is the head and fourfe of all the privileges, which Chrift hath purchased for us, wherein alfo we have fellowship with him: fellowship in name, we are, as he is, fons of God; fellowship in title and right, we are heirs, co-heirs with Chrift; fellowship in likenefs and conformity, we are predeftinated to be like the first-born of the family; fellowship in honour; he is not ashamed to call us brethren; fellowship in fufferings, he learned obe dience by what he fuffered; and every fon is to be fcourged that is received; fellowship in his kingdom, we shall reign with him; of all which I must speak peculiarly in another place, and fo fhall not here draw out the difcourfe concerning them any farther. Of Communion with the Holy Ghoft. The foundation of our communion with the Holy Ghost, John xvi. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. opened at large. Purakletos, a Comforter, who he is. The Holy Ghost, his own will in his coming to us, fent alfo by Chrift. The Spirit fent as a Sanctifier, and as a Comforter. The adjuncts of his miffion confidered. The foundation of his mifion, John xv. 26. His proceffion from the Father, twofold; as to perfonality, or to office. Things confiderable in his proceffion as to office. The manner of his collation, he is given freely, fent autho ritatively. The fin against the Holy Ghost, whence unpardonable. How we ask the Spirit of the Father. To grieve the Spirit, what. Poured out. How the Holy Ghoft is received by faith. Faith's actings in receiving the Holy Ghost. His abode with us how declared. How we may lofe our comfort, whilst the Comforter abides with us. T HE foundation of all our communion with the Holy Ghost, confisting in his mission, of fending to be our Comforter by Jefus Chrift; the Gg 2 whol whole matter of that oeconomy or difpenfation is firftly to be proposed and confidered, that fo we may have a right understanding of the truth enquired after. Now the main promife hereof, and the chief confiderations of it, with the good received, and evil prevented thereby, being given and declared in the beginning of the fixteenth chapter of John, 1 fhall take a view of the state of it, as there propofed. Our bleffed Saviour being to leave the world, having acquainted his difciples among other things, what entertainment in general they were like to find in it, and meet withal, gives the reason why he now gave them the doleful tidings of it,confidering how fad and difpirited they were upon the mention of his departure from them, ver. 1. These things have I faid unto you, that you should not be offended. I have, faith he, given you an acquaintance with these things, (that is the things which will come upon you, which you are to fuffer before hand, least you, (poor fouls) who have entertained expectations of another state of affairs, fhould be furprized, fo as to be offended at me, and my doctrine, and fall away from me. You are now forewarned, and know what you have to look for. Yea, faith he, ver. 2. having acquainted you in general, that` you fhall be perfecuted, I tell you plainly, that there fhall be a combination of all men against you, and and all forts of men will put forth their power for your ruin. They shall caft you out of the fynagogue, and the time hall come, that whosoever killeth you, will think that he doth God good fervice. The ecclefiaftical power fhall excommunicate you, they fhall put you out of their fynagogues; and that you may not expect relief from the power of the magiftrate giftate against their perversity, they will kill you; and that you may know that they will do it to the purpose, without check or control, they will think that in killing you, they do God good fervice, which will cause them to act rigorously, and to, the utmost. But this is a fhaking trial, might they reply; is our condition fuch, that men in killing us, will think to approve their confciences to God? Yea they will, faith our Saviour, but yet that you be not mistaken, nor trouble your confciences about their confidences, know that their blind and defperate ignorance is the caufe of their fury and perfuafion, ver. 3. Tiefe things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father nor me. This then was to be the state with the difciples; but why did our Saviour tell it them at this feafon, to add fear and perplexities to their grief and forrow? What advantage should they obtain thereby? faith their bleffed Mafter, ver. 4. There are weighty reasons why I fhould tell you these things;; chiefly, that as you may be provided for them, fo when they do befal you, you may be fupported with the confideration of my deity and omnifcience, who told you all thefe things before they came to pafs, ver. 4. but these things have I told you, that when the time fall come, you may remember I told' you of them. But if they be fo neceffary, whence is: it, that thou haft not acquainted us with it, all this while? why not in the beginning, at our firft cal-ling? Even, faith our Saviour, because there was no need of any fuch thing; for, whilft I was with you, you had protection and direction at hand. And thefe things I faid not at the beginning, because I was prefent with you; but now the ftate of things is al Gg. 3 tored |