er promife, neither in refpect of their own good, nor of carrying on the work which he had committed to them, than this of giving them the Holy Ghoft. Him, he inftructeth them to pray for of the Father, as that which is needful for them, as bread for children, Luke xi. 13. him he promiseth them, as a well of water springing up in them, for their refreshment ftrengthning and confolation, unto everlasting life, John vii. 37, 38, 39. as also to carry on, and accomplish the whole work of the miniftry to them committed, John xvi. 8, 9, 10. with all thofe eminent works and privileges before mentioned. And upon his afcenfion this is laid as the bottom of that glorious communications of gifts and graces in his plentiful effufion mentioned, Eph. iv. 8, 11, 12. namely, that he had received of the Father the promife of the Holy Ghost, Acts ii. 33. and that in fuch an eminent manner, as thereby to make the greatest and most glorious difference between the administration of the new covenant and old. Especially doth the whole work of the miniftry relate to the Holy Ghoft; though that be not my prefent bufinefs to evince. He calls men to that work, and they are feparated unto him, As xiii. 2. he furnisheth them with gifts, and abilities for that employment, 1 Cor. xii. 7, 8, 9, 10. So that the whole religion we profefs without this adminiftration of the Spirit, is nothing: nor is there any fruit without it of the refurrection of Chrift from the dead.

This being the ftate of things, that in our worfhip of, and obedience to God, in our own confo lation, fan&tification, and minifterial employ ment, the Spirit being the principle, the life, foul, the all of the whole; yet fo defperate hath been the malice

of

of Satan, and wickedness of men; that their great endeavour hath been, to shut him quite out of all gospel administrations.

Firft his gifts and graces were not only decryed, but almost excluded from the publick worship of the church, by the impofition of an operous form of fervice, to be read by the minifter; which to do, is neither a peculiar gift of the Holy Ghost to any; nor of the miniftry at all. It is marvellous to confider what pleas and pretences were invented, and ufed by learned men, from its antiquity, its compofure or approbation by martyrs, the beauty of uniformity in the worship of God established, and presfed thereby, &c. for the defence and maintainance of it. But the main argument they infifted on, and the chief field wherein they expatiated, and laid out all their eloquence was, the vain babling repititions and folly of men praying by the Spirit. When once this was fallen upon, all (at least as they fuppofed) was carried away before them, and their adverfaries rendered fufficiently ridiculous. So great is the cunning of Satan, and fo unfearchable are the follies of the hearts of men. The fum of all thefe reafonings amount to no more but this: though the Lord Jefus Chrift hath promised the Holy Ghoft to be with his church to the end of the world, to fit and furnish men with gifts and abilities, for the carrying on of that worship which he requires, and accepteth at our hands, yet the work is not done to the purpose; the gifts he bestows, are not sufficient to that end neither as to invocation, nor doctrine, and therefore we will not only help men by our directions but exclude them from their exercife. This I fay was the fum of all, as I could undeniably evidence. Were that my prefent business. What in

nume

numerable evils enfue on this principle, in a formal fetting a part of men to the miniftry, who had never once tafted of the powers of the world to come, nor received any gifts from the Holy Ghost to that purpose; of crying up, and growing in, an outside pompous worship, wholly foreign to the power and fimplicity of the gofpel; of filencing, destroying, banishing men, whofe ministry was accompanied with the evidence, and demonftration of the Spirit, I fhall not need to declare. This is that I aim at, to point out the publick contempt of the Holy Ghoft; his gifts and graces with their adminiftration in the church of God, that hath been found even where the gospel hath been profeffed.

Again, it is a thing of moft fad confideration, once to call to mind, the improvement of that principle of contempt of the Spirit in private men, and their ways. The name of the Spirit was grown a term of reproach. To plead for, or pretend to pray by the Spirit, was enough to render a man the object of fcorn and reproach, from all forts of men, from the pulpit to the ftage. What? you are full of the Spirit, you will pray by the Spirit, you have the gift, come let us hear your nonfenfe; and yet perhaps these men would think themfelves wronged, not to be accounted Christians. Chriftians, yea have not fome, pretending themselves to be leaders of the flock; yea, mounted a story or two above their brethren, and claiming a rule and government over them, made it their business to fcoff at, and reproach the gifts of the Spirit of God. And if this were the frame of their fpirit, what might be expected from others of profeffed profaneness? It is not imaginable to what height of blafphemy the procefs in this kind amounted. The Lord

grant

grant there be nothing of this curfed leaven ftill remaining amongst us. Some bleatings of ill importance are fometimes heard. Is this the fellowfhip of the Holy Ghoft that believers are called unto? Is this the due entertainment of him whom our Saviour promifed to fend for the supply of his bodily abfence, fo as we might be no loofers thereby? Is it not enough that many should be contented with fuch a ftupid blindness, as being called Chriftians, to look no farther for this comfort aud confolation, than moral confiderations common to heathens, would lead them, when one infinitely holy and blessed person of the Trinity, hath taken this office upon him to be our Comforter, but they muft oppofe and defpife him alfo; nothing more discovers how few there are in the world, that have intereft in that bleffed name whereby we are all called. But this is no place to pursue this difcourfe. The aim of this difcourfe is to evince the folly and madness of men in general, who profess to own the gospel of Christ, and yet contemn and despise his Spirit, in whomfoever he is manifefted. Let us be zealous of the gifts of the Spirit, not envious at them.

From what hath been difcourfed we may also try the spirits that are gone abroad in the world; and which have been exercifing themselves at several feafons, ever fince the afcenfion of Chrift. The iniquity of the generation that is past, and paffing away, lay in open curfed oppofition to the Holy Ghost. God hath been above them wherein they behaved themselves prefumptuously. Satan, whofe defign, as he is god of this world, is to be uppermoft, not to dwell wholly in any form caft down by the providence of God, hath now transformed

himfelf into an angel of light, and he will pretend the Spirit alfo, and only. But there are feducing fpirits, 1 Tim. iv. 1. And we have a command not to believe every spirit, but try the fpirits, 1 John iv. 16. And the reafon added is, because many falfe fpirits are gone abroad in the world, that is, men pretending to the revelation of new doctrines by the Spirit, whofe deceits in the first church Paul intimateth, 2 Theff. ii. 2. Calling on men not to be fhaken in mind by fpirit. The truth is, the spirits of these days are so grofs, that a man of very easy difcerning may find them out: and yet their delufion fo ftrong that not a few are deceived. This is one thing that lies evident to every eye; that according to his wonted course, Satan with his delufions is run into an extream to his former actings.

Not long fince, his great defign (as I manifefted,) was to cry up ordinances without the Spirit, cafting all the reproaches that he could upon him; now to cry up a Spirit without and againft ordinances, cafting all reproach, and contempt poffible upon them. Then he would have a miniftry without the Spirit: now a Spirit without a ministry. Then the reading of the word might fuffice without either preaching, or praying by the Spirit: now the Spirit is enough without reading or studying the word at all. Then he allowed a literal embracing of what Chrift had done in the flesh, now he talks of Christ in the Spirit only, and denies him to be come in the flesh, the proper character of the false spirit, we are warned of, 1 John i. 3. Now because it is most certain, that the Spirit which we are to hear and embrace, is the Spirit promifed by Chrift which is fo clear, that him the Montanifts Paraclete, yea and Mahomet pretended himself to be, and those

of