received the Spirit, were of one heart and of one mind. And this Unity of Believers is their ftrength; and when God fhall take away all thofe prejudices, and fufpicions, and jealoufies, and particular ends and interests, and divifions, and feparations, and Schifms, that are among his own People, and the People of God fhall be reduced iato this bleffed Unity among themselves, and the Lord be one, and his Name one, among them all, then shall the Church also be of admirable and invincible power. So that all they that ftrive with it, fhall perish; and all they that war against it, shall be as nothing; yea then fhall the Lord make the Church Efa.41.15. as a new sharp threshing inftrument, having teeth, and it shall thresh the Mountains (that is the Kingdoms of the world) and shall beat them small, and shall make the hills, (that is, the lesser Commonwealths) as chaffe. But till the Church of God attain to this Unity, it fhall not do any excellent thing, it fhall not work any notable deliverance in the Earth, neither shall the Inhabitants of the World fall. When the Spirit of God fhall be a Spirit of Unity in the faithful, and fhall heal all the fad differences and diffentions that are now between them, then alfo fhall it be a Spirit of admirable Power in them.

1. Use.

And thus much for the explication of the Point.
The Ufe is two-fold.

1. The first is, to exhort all Men, every where, to endeavour to partake of this Supernatural, Spiritual and Divine Power of the Holy Spirit, which is certainly communicated to all the Faithful, and Elect in Christ Jefus. And let no Man think it is a thing indifferent, whether he have this Power or no, but know, that the having of this Power of the Spirit, is of abfolute neceffity, and that A neceffity both for Minifters, and for all other Chriftians. for Minifters 1. There is a neceflity of this Power of the Holy power of the Spirit for Minifters, and to them, this prefent Spirit; place doth chiefly relate.

to have the

1. For

have no

1. For first, if they have not this power of the 1. Holy Spirit, they have no power at all. For OtherChrift fent them, only as his Father sent him; wise they and fo Chrift never gave unto them any Earthly Power at or Humane or Secular Power, no Power of Swords all. or Prifons, no Power of outward constraint and violence. Chrift gave them no fuch outward and worldly Power, for the inlargement of his Kingdom, as not being at all fuitable to it. For his Kingdom is Spiritual, and what can Carnal Power do in a Spiritual Kingdom? His Kingdom is Heaverly, and what can Earthly Power do in a Heavenly Kingdom? His Kingdom is not of this World, and what can Worldly Power do, in a Kingdom that is not of the World? and though Antichrift and his Minifters, have arrogated and ufurped fuch a Carnal and Earthly and Worldly Power to themselves, in their pretended managing the Kingdom of Christ, yet the faithful Minifters of Chrift cannot.

And therefore feeing the Ministers of the Gofpel have no Power from beneath, they mnft needs have Power from on high; feeing they have no Fleshly Power, they must needs have Spiritual Power; feeing they have no Power from Earth. and from Men, they muft needs have Power from Heaven, and from God; that is, the Power of the Holy Spirit coming on them, or else they have no Power at all.

2. The Ministers of the Gospel muft needs have 2. this Power of the Holy Spirit, because other wife Without this they they are not fufficient for the Miniftry. For no Man areinfuffiis fufficient for the Work of the Miniftry, by any cient for natural Parts and Abilities of his own, nor yet the work by any acquifite parts of Humane Learning and of the MiKnowledge, but only by this Power of the Holy niftry. Spirit; and till he be indowed with this, notwithstanding all his other Accomplishments, he is

altogether

I.

unable to

altogether infufficient. And therefore the very Apoftles were to keep filence, till they were indued with this Power; they were to wait at Jerufalem, till they had received the promise of the Spirit, and not to Preach till then. Yea, Chrift himself did not betake himself to the Work of the Ministry, till firft the Spirit of God came upon him, and anointed him to Preach. And there

fore for thirty years together, he did not Preach Publickly and Ordinarily till at Johns Baptifm, he received this Power of the Spirit coming on him. Now if Chrift himfelf and his Apoftles were not fufficient for the Miniftry till they had received this Power from on high, no more are any other Minifters whatsoever. For as I faid, it is not Natural Parts and Abilities, and Gifts, and Learning, and Eloquence, and Accomplishments, that make any Man fufficient for the Miniftry, but only the Power of the Holy Spirit coming upon him. So that who ever is deftitute of the Spirit of Power, is infufficient for the Work of the Miniftry, and that in thefe regards.

1. Without this Power of the Spirit, Ministers They are are utterly unable to preach the Word; that is, Preach the true, fpiritual and living Word of God. For theWord. to preach this Word of God, requires the Power of

God. One may speak the word of Man,by the power of Man, but he cannot speak the word of God, but by the Power of God. And Chrift himself, in all his Miniftry, fpake nothing of himself in the ftrength of his Humane Nature, but he spake all he fpake, by the Power of God; and without this Power of God, he could not have spoken one word of God. And fo in like manner, no Man is able to preach Chrift but by the Holy Spirit, which is the Power of God. For Chrift is the Power of God, and can never be reprefented but by the Holy Spirit, which is the Power of God. For as we fce Light in his Light, that is, the Fa

ther

ther who is Light, in the Son who is Light; or elfe the Son who is Light, in the Holy Spirit who is Light; fo we know Power in his Power, that is, the Son who is Power, in the Holy Spirit who is Power. And Chrift who is the power of God, can never be made known to the Church, but by the miniftration of the Spirit, which is the power of God. So that it is not an ea fie thing to preach Chrift the power of God; yea none can do it aright, but by the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon him.

2.

Unable to

2. Without this power of the Spirit, Minifters are unable to preach the Word powerfully. They preach it may, it may be, happen upon the outward word, powerfulyet there is no power in their Miniftry, till they ly. have received this power of the Spirit coming upon them. Otherwife, their Miniftry is cold, and there is no heat in it; it is weak, and there is no ftrength in it.

1. It is cold, and there is no heat in it. With- I. out Men have received the power of the Spirit, The Miniftery there is no fire in their Preaching. Their Mini- cold withftry, is unlike the Miniftry of Elias, whofe Mini- out this ftry was as fire; and unlike John Baptifts, who in Power. his Miniftry was a burning and fhining light; and unlike Chrifts, whofe Miniftry made the Disciples hearts burn within them; and unlike the Apoftles, who having received this Spirit, were as Men made all of fire, running through the World and burning it up. Without this Spirit a Man's Miniftry is cold, it warms the hearts of none, it inflames the Spirit of none, but leaves Men ftill frozen in their Sins.

2.

2. It is weak and hath no might in it. There is no ftrength in a Miniftry where there is no Weak. Spirit. Whereas when Men have received the Spirit, then their Ministry is a powerful Ministry, as Paul, 1 Thef. 1. 5. The Gospel came to you not in

word

word only, but in power and in the Holy Ghoft; and therefore in power, because in the Holy Spirit. And again, I Cor. 2. 4. My Speech and preaching was not with the entifing words of mans wifdem, but in demonftration of the Spirit and Power. Where you fee the Spirit and Power in the Work of the Miniftry, are always conjoyned, as the Sun and Light are; and that Miniftry that is in the Spirit, is always in power. And being in power, it is always effectual, either to Convert Men, or to inrage them; and the inraging of men, is as evident a fign of the Spirit of power in a mans miniftry, as the Converfion of men. Whereas a cold

and dead miniftry, that is deftitute of this power, doth (as we use to fay) neither good nor harm, neither converts nor inrages, neither brings in Righteonfness, nor deftroys Sin, neither kills nor quickens any, but leaves men in their old temper, for many years together, and never ftirs them. But the ministration of the Spirit and power, is operative and mighty, and carries all before it. And though evil and carnal men will ever be murmuring and wrangling, and oppofing, and contending against fuch a miniftry, yet they are never able to refift the wisdom and Spirit of it; Acts 6. 10 as the Libertines, Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, were not able to refift the Wisdom and Spirit by which Stephen fpake. And therefore let them that will needs be striving against fuch a ministry, know, that they strive against more than a meer man, they strive against Power from on high, against the greatest power that ever God put forth; against the power of Chrift himself, and his Eternal Spirit, and fo they shall never be able to prevail againft this power, but shall furely fink under it. But to return from whence we have a little digressed.

3. Witha