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tells his Disciples that they should be brought before Governors and Kings for his names fake. But faich he, ver. 19. When they shall deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak, for it shall be given you in that fame hour, what ye shall Speak. For it is not ye that Speak, but the Spirit of your Father that fpeaketh in you. Here Chrift tells his Difciples that they fhould be brought before great men, yea, before the greatcft in the world, to give teftimony to his truth. And furely, it is a very hard thing for a man not to be daunted then, but to be unmoveable, before all worldly power and glory, and all the terrible frowns and threats of mighty men. Now faith Christ at such a time, when you are to speak before the armed power of the World, be not troubled beforehand, how, or what to say. For if you have Chrift and his Spirit in your hearts, you cannot want words in your mouths. And the truth which you profess is most glorious, when it is most naked, and detitute of the garnishings of humane Eloquence and Wisdom. And therefore be not fearful before hand, no nor yet careful, touching what you fhall fay, for it fhall be given to you in that fame bour, in that fame monient; you shall have most prefent help. How fo? for it is not ye that Speak, but the Spirit of your Father that dwells in you. The Spirit of Truth that dwells in you, shall inable you to speak the words of truth, when you are called to it. And though you, it may be, are plain and mean men, and your lips would tremble, and be quite clofed up before fuch an Affembly of Power and Majefty, yet Gods Spirit fhall give you a mouth to speak, even then. And becaufe, if you were only fupplied with a mouth to fpeak at fuch a time, you would be ready to speak rafhly, and foolishly, to the great prejudice and difadvantage of the truth, therefore will he give

you

you not only a mouth but wisdom too, and he himfelf will manage his own caufe with your mouths. And you fhall fo fpeak, as all your Adverfaries fhall not be able to refift the truth that you speak, but fhall be fo convinced in their Confciences, that their Tongues fhall not know what to say. You fhall have a mouth, and wifdom, and they hall want both.

And thus, have many poor mean fimple Chriftians, when brought before Rulers and Magiftrates, been able to carry out the truth in that ftrength, that all their Adverfaries have been put to filence and fhame, as you may fee in a multitude of Examples, in the Book of Martyrs. And all this they did, by the Power of the Spirit Coming upon them.

7.

flictions

Seventhly, and laftly, all Chriftians stand in need of the power of the Spirit to overcome Af-To over fictions and Perfecutions, from which it is im- come afpoffible they fhould be free in this World, they and perbeing contrary to the World, and the whole fecutions. World to them. A natural man, who hath no ftrength in himself, but his own ftrength, faints and fails under affliction and perfecution; but the faithful have in them, ftrength above natural ftrength, ftrength above the ftrength of men, even the ftrength of the Spirit coming on them, and fo they indure and overcome. Our Spirits are weak Spirits, and are Conquered by every evil; but when they are strengthned by the power of Gods Spirit, they are, over all evils, more than Conquerors. And this is one thing obferveable, between Natural and Spiritual strength, in the overcoming of evil. Natural ftrength feeks always to throw off the evil, and fo it prevails; but Spiritual strength never feeks the removing of the evil, but let the evil be what it will, it ftands to it, and overcomes it. For the ftrength of the D

Spirit

Second

vje.

The way to

Spirit is easily able to overcome all evils that can happen to flesh and blood, whether they arise from Earth or Hell. And thus thofe blessed Martyrs, mention'd Heb. 11. and thousands and ten thousands of their Conforts fince, have overcome, cruel mockings and fcourgings, and bonds, and imprisonment, and toning, and fawing in funder, and flaying with the fword, and all the woes of poverty, and want, and banishment, and of living in wilderneffes and caves, and dens of the earth; these and all other evils, they have mightily overcome, by this only power, of the Spirit coming upon them. Thus we ftand in need of the power of the Spirit, to overcome affliction and perfecution; and how much power we have in affliction and perfecution, to indure them and overcome them, juft fo much of the power of the Spirit we have, and no more.

And thus alfo, have I declared unto you, what neceffity all Chriftians have, of the power of the Spirit, coming on them as well as Minifters. And this was to strengthen the Ufe of Exhortation.

The fecond Ufe is for Information and Inftru&ion, after this manner. If the receiving of the Spirit be the receiving of Power, then it clearly informs us, that the way to partake of this power, is to obtain this fpirit; and the way to increafe this power, is to increase this fpirit. I fhall endeavour to fpeak to both thefe things, and fo fhall conclude.

1. The way to obtain this Power, is to obtain get this pow- the Spirit.

er, is to get this Spirit.

To this end we must pre

Jelves.

And that we may obtain the Spirit, we must first prepare our felves to receive the Spirit.

Now this Preparation doth not stand (as Papare our pifts teach, and many ignorant Perfons among our felves think) in fweeping the Soul from Sin, Wherein and then ftrewing it with graces, that fo we may A be fit to receive the Spirit.

ration

For

For firft, the fweeping of the Soul from fin, is not a Work of our own, before the coming of the Spirit, but a work of the Spirit it felf, after it is come. For no flesh can clear the Soul of one Sin, it is the Spirit must do that.

And fecondly, for the ftrewing of the Soul with Grace, neither is this a work of our own, but a work of the Spirit it felf, after it is come. For the Spirit it felf brings all Grace with it, and before the coming of the Spirit, there is no Grace

at all.

So that we cannot, by any acts of our own, pre- Wherein pare our felves to receive the Spirit; but only by it doth. the Spirit we prepare our feives to receive the Spirit. For it is not any work of our own, upon our felves, but the immediate work of the Holy Spirit upon us, that can make us fit to receive himfelf. It lies wholly in his own power and goodnefs, first to prepare in us a place for himself, and then after to receive and entertain himself in that place he hath fo prepared. Now the Works of the Spirit, whereby he first prepares us for himself, and then entertains himself in us, are thefe two especially.

1. He empties us; and 2. he fills us with himfelf, whom he hath made empty.

1.

1. He empties us: And this emptying, is the firft and chief work of the Spirit upon the Elect, The Holy whereby he prepares them to receive himself. Spirit For the more empty a man is of other things, the empties us. more capable he is of the Spirit. If you would fil a Veffel with any other Liquor than it holds, you must first empty it, of all that is in it before; if you would fill it with Wine, you must first empty it of all that is in it before; if you would fill it with Wine, you must empty it of Beer or Water, if any 1uch Liquor be in it. For two material things cannot poffibly fubfift in the fame

D 2

place,

A Caution

2.

place, at the fame time, the fubftances of each being fafe and found. And fo if the Holy Spirit who is God, must come into us, all mortal and unstable Creatures, together with fin and our felves, and whatever elfe is in us, muft go forth. Humane reason, and humane wisdom, and righteousness, and power, and knowledge, cannot receive the Holy Spirit; but we must be emptied of thefe, if ever we would receive him.

We must thus fuffer our felves to be prepared by the Spirit, to receive the Spirit; but with this Caution, That when the Spirit of God hath wrought this in us, we do not attribute it to our felves, as our own work, nor think any thing of our felves, but defcend into our own meer nothing. Otherwife we shall be a hinderance to the Spirit, that he cannot work in us after a more excellent manner.

And when a Man is thus empty of himself, and Fills us. of other things, then he becomes Poor in Spirit, and fuch the Spirit always fills, and defcends into with a wonderful and unrefiftible power, and fills the outer and inner man, and all the fuperior and inferior faculties of the Soul with himself, and all the things of God.

The

means are.

1. The

And this is the fecond work of the Spirit, to fill those whom he hath emptied. Now the ufual and ordinary means, through which the Spirit doth this, are these three.

1. The hearing of the Word Preached. But hearing of here we muft diftinguish of the Word. For the the Word Law is the word of God, but St. Paul faith, that

by that word the Spirit is not given, but by the word of the Gospel. And therefore how beautiful are the feet of them that bring the Gospel of peace! for nothing is fo fweet and precious as the word of the Gospel, which brings with it the Holy Spirit. This you may fee acts 10. 44. where it is

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