unity of God; for as Chrift is one with the Father, in the Spirit, fo are we one with Christ in the Spirit: For he that is joyned to the Lord, is one Spirit; and he that is not one Spirit with the Lord, is not joyned to him. 1. their na ture. 4. All faithful Chriftians ftand in need of the They need the power power of the Spirit,as well as of the Spirit of power. of the Spi1. To change their nature, which is impoffible rit. to all power, but the power of the Spirit. It would be a great power, to change Clay into To change Gold, and a Pebble into a Diamond, but it is a greater Change that is wrought in a Chriftian, and requires a greater power. For the power of the Spirit, when it comes into our flesh, changes the nature of it. For it finds a man Carnal, it makes him Spiritual; it finds him Earthly, it makes him Heavenly; it finds him a Drunkard, it makes him Sober; an Adulterer, it makes him Chaft; a Swearer, it makes him fear an Oath; Proud,it makes him Humble; it finds him darkness, makes him light in the Lord; in a word,it finds him nothing but a lump of Sin, and makes him the Righteoufness of God in Chrift. Thus the power of the Spirit changes our whole corrupt nature, and makes it conformable to the Divine nature;. as Fire makes the Iron in which it prevails, like uato it felf, communicating its own nature to it. After this fort, the power of the Spirit changes our nature, and our nature cannot be changed without it. But without this power of the Spirit, we fhall always remain the fame we were born, without any Change at all. Yea, our Corruption will by daily use and exercise, encrease in us, till at last it quite cat out that common natural good, which God hath given to every one of us, for the common benefit of mankind. 2. All Chriftians have need of the power of the Spirit to work grace in them. For our Na tures 2. To work tures are wholly carnal and corrupt; and nothing can implant grace in them, but the mighty power of Gods Spirit. And it is as great a Miracle, to fee the grace of God dwelling in the corrupt nature of man, as to fee the Stars grow upon the Earth. And yet the power of the Spirit doth Pa 25. this, as it is written, Truth fhall fpring out of the 11. 3. To mor Earth; and again, great and precious promiles are made to us, that we should be partakers of the Divine nature; and again, he hath predeftinated us that we Should be conformable to the Image of his Son. That is,as in other things,fo alfo in all his Vertues. So that the power of the Spirit, implants Grace in our Nature; and each Grace, is fo much of the power of the Spirit in our Flefh, as was faid bcfore. Wherefore we must needs learn to know, whofe power, the power of Grace is. For thongh Grace be a power in our Flesh, it is not the power of our Flesh; for Paul faith, in me, that is in my flesh, dwells no good thing; but and if any good be in my flefh, it dwells not in my flesh, but in Gods Spirit which dwells in me. As Light, is in the Air, but dwells in the Sun, fo when Men are regenerate, good is in the Flesh, but dwells in the Spirit. For grace in the Soul,is nothing but fo much of the power of the Spirit immediately dwelling and working in us; and when the Spirit is gone, all grace goes along with him, as all light with the Sun; but it dwells in him, and is infeparable from him. 3. All Chriftians ftand in need of the power Le Sin. of the Spirit, to enable them to mortifie and deftroy fin. There is no power in our flesh against fin, but all the power of our flesh is for it; and therefore it must be another power, than the power of our flesh that must destroy fin, and that can be no other, than the power of Gods Spirit. And And the power of the Spirit deftroys the whole body of Sin, and each particular strong Corruption. I. The whole Bo feveral dy of S 1. The whole Body of Sin, in all the parts and members and branches of it: each feveral influence and operation of the Spirit, being a feveral deftruction of fome fin or other. For as the Spirit that is in us, lufts after envy, or pride, or vain-glory, or covetoufnefs, or uncleanness, or the like; fo the Spirit we have of God, according to its mighty power, deftroys all thofe finful works of our corrupt Spirit, and mortifies all the deeds of our flesh, according to that of Paul, if ye mortifie the deeds of the flesh by the Spirit ye shall live; the flesh will never mortifie its own deeds, but the Spirit must mortifie the deeds of the flesh; and this will mortifie them, according to the Whole Latitude of them. Romans 8. 13. ons. 2. 2. Again, as the power of the Spirit fubdues the whole body of Sin, fo alfo it over-powers each Particu particular ftrong Corruption, and keeps a Chri- lar ftrong ftian ftraight and upright in the ways of God. corrupti Every man hath fome one Corruption, to which by nature he is more inclined than to another, and this is the byas of a man; but the ftrength of the Spirit will over-power this. A Bowl, if it be thrown with ftrength, knows not its byas, but is carried on ftrait, as if it had no byas at all. So the Godly have ftill fome flesh in them which is their byas, and carries them from God to themfelves and the World, but the ftrength of the Spirit takes away this byas, and makes us take ftrait fteps to God. 4. 4. All Chriftians ftand in need of the power of the Spirit, to inable them to perform Duties, to To per perform them aright, that is, Spiritually. For form Du Spiritual Duties may be performed, for the out- tics.. ward work carnally; and in fuch Duties there is по no ftrength but weakness, because there is none of the Spirit in them. For there is no power in any Duty, except there be fomething of the Spirit in the Duty. There is no more power in praying, nor in preaching, nor in hearing, nor in meditation, nor in reading, nor in refifting evil, nor in doing good, nor in any Duty of fanétification, or of mortification, than there is of the Spirit in them. And according to the measure of the Spirit, in each Duty, is the meafure of power in the Duty. If there be none of the Spirit in a Mans Duties, there is no power at all in them, but only weakness and deadnefs, and coldness, and unprofitableness. If a little of the Spirit, there is a little power; if abundance of the Spirit, there is great power; and that Duty that is moft Spiritual, is the moft powerful. And therefore faith Paul, I will pray with the Spirit, and I will fing with the Spirit; and all the worship of the faithful is in the Spirit. Phil. 3. 3. We are the Circumcifion which worship God in the fpirit, and have no confidence in the flesh. So that there is no more power in any Duty, than there is of the Spirit in it; and there is no more acceptance of any Duty with God, than there is of power in it. To inable Fifthly, all Chriftians ftand in need of the powthem to er of the Spirit, to enable them to the use of the the word. Word, and that both in private, and in publick, aprivate as occafion ferves. the use of 1. In private, for no man can fay, that Jefus is the Chrift, but by the Holy Spirit. No Man can fpeak of Chrift fpiritually, but by the Spirit; and without this Spirit, which fearches the deep things of God, and reveals them to us, Chriftians are unable to give the fenfe of the word of God in their Families, and among their Friends and Acquaintance, and are alfo afhamed to do it. Whereas Whereas the Spirit of God gives both ability and boldness; as Aquila and Prifcilla his Wife, did A. 18. not only speak the word in their Family, but 26. alfo took Apollos a Minifter home, when they perceived him fomewhat ignorant in the mystery of Chrift, and inftructed him in the way of God more perfectly. lick. 2. They have need of the power of the Spirit In pubto inable them to fpeak the word of God in publick, as every Chriftian may do, if he come where People are ignorant of Gods Word, and there be no Minister to do it. This I fay in fuch a Cafe he may do by vertue of his anointing with the Spirit; and for this you may fee the practise of Stephen and Philip, who were but Deacons, and not Elders or Minifters, and yet published the Word, where the People were ignorant; yea you may fee Acts 8. how all the Disciples except the Apostles, were by reafon of a great perfecution fcattered throughout the Regions of Judea and Samaria, and they that were fo fcattered, went every where preaching the word, because the People among which they were, were ignorant, and there was no body else to do it. And God, having made known Chrift unto them, they could not but declare him unto others; the Love both of Chrift, and of their Brethren conftraining them. But this is in cafe of neceffity, and where other faithful Chriftians are abfent; otherwise when Chriftians are prefent, no man can take that to himself, without the confent of all, which belongs to all. Sixthly, all Chriftians ftand in need of this To inable power of the Spirit, to inable them to confefs the them to word before Kings, and Rulers, and Magiftrates, confefs when they are called thereunto. Whereas with the word. out this power they would tremble, and bite in the truth. In the 10th Chap. of Math. Chrift tells |