in the whole courfe of its obedience exercise itself by faith to thoughts hereof, and lay due weight upon it. The Holy Ghost in his infinite love and kindness towards me, hath condefcended to be my Comforter; he doth it willingly, freely, powerfully; what have I received from him? In the multitude of my perplexities how hath he refreshed my foul? Can I live one day without his confolations?? And fhall I be regardless of him in that wherein he is concerned? Shall I grieve him by negligence, fin and folly? Shall not his love constrain me to walk before him to all well-pleafing? So have we in general, fellowship with him.

The fecond is that of the 1 Theff. v. 19. Quench not the Spirit. There are various thoughts about the fenfe of thefe words. The Spirit in others, that is, their fpiritual gifts fay fome. But then it falls in with what follows, ver. 20. defpfe not prophefying. The light that God hath fet up in our hearts, fay others. But where is that called abfolutely to pneuma the Spirit. It is the Holy Ghoft himself that is here intended. Not immediately, in respect of his perfon, in which regard he is faid to be grieved, which is a perfonal affection; but in refpect of his motions, actings, and operations. The Holy Ghost was typified by the fire, that was always kept alive on the altar. He is also called a Spirit of burning. The reafons of that allufion are manifold, not now to be infifted on. Now the oppofition that is made to fire in its actings, is by quenching. Hence the oppofition made to the actings of the Holy Ghoft are called, Quenching of the Spirit, as fome kind of wet wood will do, when it is caft into the fire. Thence are we faid in purfuance of the fame metaphor, to stir up with new fire the

gifts that are in us. The Holy Ghost is striving with us, moving variously for our growth in grace, and bringing forth fruit meet for the principle he hath indued us withal. Take heed, faith the apostle, left by the power of your lufts and temptations, you attend not to his workings, but hinder him in his good will towards you; that is what in you lyeth.

This then is the fecond general rule for our communion with the Holy Ghoft. It refpects his gracious operations in us, and by us. There are feveral and various ways, whereby the Holy Ghost is faid to act, exert, and put forth his power in us: partly by moving upon and ftirring up the grace we have received: partly by new fupplies of grace from Jefus Chrift, falling in with occafions for their exercise, raifing good motions immediately, or occasionally within us, all tending to our furtherance in obedience, and walking with God. All these are we carefully to obferve and take notice of. Confider the fountain whence they come, and the'end which they lead us unto: hence have we commmnion with the Holy Ghoft, when we can confider him by faith, as the immediate Author of all fupplies, affistances, and the whole relief we have by grace, of all good acting, rifings, motions in our hearts, of all ftrivings and contendings against fin; when we confider I fay all these his actings, and workings in their tendencies to our confolation, and on that account are careful and watchful to improve them all to the end aimed at, as coming from him, who is fo loving and kind, and tender to us, we have communion with him..

This is that which is intended. Every gracious acting of the bleffed Spirit in and towards our fouls

is conftantly by faith to be confidered as coming from him in a peculiar manner: his mind, his good will, is to be obferved therein. Hence care and diligence for the improvement of every motion of his will arife, thence reverence of his prefence with us, with due fpiritual regard to his holiness doth enfue, and our fouls are wonted to entercourfe with him.

3. The third caution concerns him, and his work, in the difpenfation of that great ordinance of the word. Stephen tells the Jews, Acts vii. 51. that they refifted the Holy Ghoft; how did they do it? why as their father did it, As your fathers did, fo do ye, How did their fathers refift the Holy Ghoft? ver. 52. They perfecuted the prophets and flew them their oppofition to the prophets in preaching the gospel, or their fhewing of the coming of the juft one, was their refifting of the Holy Ghost. Now the Holy Ghost is faid to be refifted in the contempt of the preaching of the word, becaufe the gift of preaching of it is from him. The manifeftation of the Spirit is given to profit. Hence when our Saviour promifeth the Spirit to his difciples, to be present with them for the conviction of the world; he tells them he will give them a mouth and wisdom, which their adverfaries fhall not be able to gainfay nor refift, Luke xx. 16. concerning which in the accomplishment of it in Stephen, it is faid, that they were not able to refift the Spirit by which he fpake, Acts vi. 10. The Holy Ghost then fetting up a miniftry in the church, feparating men thereto, furnishing them with gifts and abilities for the difpenfation of the word; the rot obeying of that word, oppofing of it, not falling down before it, is called refifting of the Holy Ghoft. This in

the

the examples of the wickedness of others are we 'Cautioned againft. And this enwraps the third general rule of our communion with the Holy Ghoft; in the difpenfation of the word of the gospel, the authority, wisdom and goodness of the Holy Ghoft, in furishing men with gifts for that end, and purpose, and his prefence with them, as to the vertue thereof, is to be eyed; and fubjection given unto it on that account. On this reafon, I fay, on this ground, is obedience to be yielded to the word, in the minifterial difpenfation thereof; because the Holy Ghost and he alone doth furnish with gifts to that end and purpose. When this confideration causeth us to fall low before the word, then have we communion with the Holy Ghoft in that ordinance. But this is commonly fpoken unto.

CHAP. VIII.

Particular directions for communion with the Holy

B

Ghost.

Efore I name particular directions for our communion with the Holy Ghoft, 1 must premise fome cautions, as far as the directions to be given concern his worship.

First, The divine nature is the reason, and caufe of all worship, fo that it is impoffible to worfhip any one perfon, and not worship the whole Trinity. It is (and that not without ground) denied by the schoolmen, that the formal reafon and object of divine worfhip, is in the perfons precifely confidered; that is under the formally conftitutive reafon of their perfonality, which is their relation

to

to each other: but this belongs to the divine nature and effence, and to their diftin&t perfons as they are identified with the effence itself. Hence is that way of praying to the Trinity, by the repetition of the fame petition, to the feveral perfons (as in the Litany) groundless, if not impious. It fuppofeth that one perfon is worshipped, and not another, when each perfon is worshipped as God, and each perfon is fo. As though we first fhould defire one thing of the Father, and be heard and granted by him, then ask the fame thing of the Son, and fo of the Holy Ghoft; and fo act as to the fame thing three diftinct acts of worship, and expect to be heard, and have the fame thing granted three times diftinctly, when all the works of the Trinity ad extra, are indivifible.

The proper, and peculiar object of divine worfhip, and invocation, is the effence of God in its infinite excellency, dignity, majefty, and its caufality as the first foveraign caufe of all things: now this is common to all the three perfons, and is proper to each of them; not formally, as a perfon, but as God bleffed for ever. All adoration refpects that which is common to all: fo that in each act of adoration and worship, all are adored, and worshipped. The creatures worship their Creator; and a man him in whofe image he was created, viz. him from whom defcendeth every good and perfect gift; all this defcribing God, as God. Hence,

Secondly, When we begin our prayers to God the Father, and end them in the name of Jefus Chrift; yet the Son is no lefs invocated, and worfhipped in the beginning than the Father, though he be peculiarly mentioned as Mediator in the clofe; not as Son to himfelf, but as Mediator to

the