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their Father, and will deal with them as with children, and confequently that the inheritance fhall be theirs. He fends his Spirit into our hearts, crying, Abba Father, Gal. iv. 6. and what is the inference of believers from hence, ver. 7. then we are not fervants, but fons, and if fons, then heirs of God; the fame apoftle again Rom. viii. 17. If children then heirs; heirs of God and joint heirs with Chrift. On that perfuafion of the Spirit, that we are children, the inference is, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Chrift. We have then a right to an inheritance and eviction of it. This is the use then we have of it; even the Spirit perfuading us of our fonfhip, and acceptation with God our Father. And what is this inheritance of glory? if we fuffer with him, we fhall be glorified together. And that the Spirit is given for this end is attefted, 1 John iii.. 24. Hereby we know, that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. The apostle is fpeaking of our union with God, which he ex-preffeth in the words foregoing. He that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him Of that union elfewhere: now this we know from hence, even by the Spirit which he hath given us.. The Spirit acquaints us with it; not that we have fuch an acquaintance, but that the argument is good and conclufive in itfelf; we have of the Spirit, therefore he dwells in us, and we in him; becaufe indeed his dwelling in us, is by that Spirit, and our intereft in him is from thence; a fenfe of this he giveth as he pleafeth.

2. The Spirit being given as an earneft, ac-quaints believers with their inheritance, 1 Cor. iii. 9, 10. As an earneft being part of the whole, gives

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knowlege of it, fo doth the Spirit as in fundry par ticulars might be demonstrated.

So is he in all refpects compleatly an earnest: given of God, received by us, as the beginning of our inheritance, and the affurance of it. So much as we have of the Spirit, so much we have of heaven, in perfect enjoyment, and fo much evidence of its future fullnefs. Under this apprehenfion of him in the difpenfation of grace, do believers receive him, and rejoice in him; every gracious felf evi-, dencing act of his in their hearts, they rejoice in, as a drop from heaven, and long for the ocean of it. Not to drive every effect of grace to this iffue, to neglect the work of the Holy Ghost in us, and towards us.

There remains only that a difference be in a few words affigned between believers receiving the Spirit, as an earnest of the whole inheritance; and hypocrites, tafting of the powers of the world to come, Heb. v. 6. A tafte of the powers of the world to come, feems to be the fame with the earnest of the inheritance. But,

1. That by the powers of the world to come in that place, is intended the joys of heaven, there is indeed no ground to imagine; they are no where fo called, nor doth it fuitably exprefs the glory that fhall be revealed, which we fhall be made partakers of. It is doubtlefs the miniftry of the ordinances and difpenfations of the times of the gofpel (there, called by the Hebrews according to their own idiom) the powers or great effectual things of the world to come; that is intended. But,

2. Suppofe that by the powers of the world to come the glory of heaven is intended; there is a wide difference between taking a vanishing tafte of it our

felves, and receiving an abiding earnest from God; to take a taste of the things of heaven, and to have them affured of God, as from his love differ greatly. A hypocrite may have his thoughts raised to a great deal of joy and contentment in the confideration of the good things of the kingdom of God for a feafon, confidering the things in themfelves, but the Spirit as he is an earneft gives us a pledge of them as provided for us in the love of God and purchase of his Son Jefus Chrift. This by the

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7. The Spirit anoints believers, We are anointed by the Spirit, 2 Cor. i. 21. we have an unction from the holy One, and we know all things, 1 John ii. 20. and ver. 27. I cannot intend to run this expreffion up to its rife and original; alfo I have done it elfewhere. The ufe of unctions in the Judaical church, the meaning and intendment of the types attended therewith. The offices that men were confecrated unto thereby, are at the bottom of this expreffion; nearer the unction of Jefus Chrift, from whence he is called Meffiah, and the Christ, the whole performance of his office of Mediatorfhip, being called his anointing, Dan. ix. As to his furnishment for it, concurs hereunto. Chrift is faid to be anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows, Heb. i. 9. which is the fame with that of

John iii. 34: God gave him not the Spirit by mea

Jure. We who have the Spirit by measure, are anointed with the oil of gladnefs; Chrift hath the fullness of the Spirit, whence our measure is communicated, fo he is anointed above us, that in all things he may have the pre-eminence. How Chrift was anointed with the Spirit to his threefold office, of King, Prieft and Prophet, how by

vertue of an unction with the fame Spirit dwelling in him, and us, we become to be interested in thefe offices of his, and are made alfo kings, priests, and prophets to God, is known, and would be matter of a long difcourfe to handle, and my design is only to communicate the things treated of.

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1 fhall only therefore fix on one place, where the communications of the Spirit in this unction of Christ are enumerated, of which in our measure from him, and with him, by this unction, we are made partakers: and that is Ifa. xi. 2, 3. The Spirit of the Lord fhall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of council and might, the Spirit of knowlege, and of the fear of the Lord, &c. Many of the endowments of Chrift, from the Spirit wherewith he was abundantly anointed, are here recounted. Principally thofe of wifdom, council, and understanding, are infifted on: on the account whereof, all the treafures of wisdom and knowlege are faid to be in him, Col. ii. 3. and though this be but fome part of the furniture of Jefus Chrift, for the difcharge of his office, yet it is fuch, as where our anointing to the fame purpose is mentioned, it is faid peculiarly on the effecting of fuch qualifications as thefe; fo John ii. 22, 27. the work of the anointing, is to teach us. The Spirit therein, is a Spirit of wisdom and understanding, of council, knowlege and quick underflanding in the fear of the Lord. So was the great promife of the Comforter, that he fhould teach us, John xiv. 26. that he fhould guide us into all truth, chap. xvi. This of teaching us the mind and will of God, in the manner wherein we are taught it by the Spirit, our Comforter, is an eminent part of our unction: by him, which only I fhall inftance in. Give me

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leave to fay there is a threefold teaching by the Spirit.

1. A teaching by the Spirit of conviction and illumination; fo the Spirit teacheth the world, that is, many in it, by the preaching of the word, as he is promised to do, John xvi. 8.

2. A teaching by the Spirit of fanctification, opening blind eyes, giving a new understanding fhining into our hearts, to give us a knowlege of the glory of God, in the face of Jefus Chrift, enabling us to receive fpiritual things in a fpiritual light, 1 Cor. ii. 8. giving a faving knowlege of the miftery of the gofpel; and this in feveral degrees is common to all believers..

3. A teaching by the Spirit of confolation, making fweet, ufeful, and joyful to the foul the difcoveries that are made of the mind and will of God in the light of the Spirit of fanctification. Here the oil of the Spirit is called the oil of gladuefs. That which brings joy and gladnefs with it; and the name of Chrift thereby discovered, is a fweet ointment poured forth, that caufeth fouls to run after him with joy and delight, Cant. i, 2. We fee it by daily experience, that very many have little tafle and fweetnefs and relifh in their fouls of thofe truths, which yet they favingly know and believe: but when we are taught by this unction, Oh how sweet is every thing we know of God? As we may fee in the place of John, where mention is made of the teaching of this unction, it refpects peculiarly, the Spirit teaching of us the love of God in Chrift, the fhining of his countenance, which as David fpeaks, puts gladnefs into our hearts, Pfal. iv. 6, 7.

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