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faid, that whilft Peter yet fpake, the Holy Ghoft fell on all them that heard the word. And therefore alfo the Gospel is called the miniftration of the Spivit, because as it proceeds from the Spirit, and the Holy Spirit gives utterance, fo it also conveys the Spirit to the faithful. Now the gift of Tongues and Miracles, and other fuch like gifts are at the prefent ceafed in the Church; but the gift of the Spirit is not ceased; and this, the Lord ftill joyns with the Miniftry of the Gospel, that he may keep up in our hearts the due respect of this ordinance, and may preserve us from the ways of those men, who feek for the Spirit without the Word.

2. Means, is Faith in the word heard. For it is not every one that hears the word, that receives the Spirit, but only they, that hear with the hearing of Faith. For if thou hear the word of the Gospel a thousand times, and wantest Faith, thou-fhalt never receive the Spirit; for unbelief fhuts up the heart against the Spirit, and ever oppofes and refifts the Spirit, and never receives it. But Faith opens the Heart to receive the Spirit.

By Faith, we lay hold on Chrift in the word; and through our Union with Chrift, we obtain the Spirit. For we have not the Spirit immediately in it felf, but in the flesh of Chrift. And when we, by Faith are made the flesh of Chrift, then we partake of that Spirit, that dwells in the flesh of Christ.

Now through these two things, the Word and Faith, the Spirit communicates to us a new birth, it begets us unto God; and fo we partaking of the nature of God, partake alfo of the Spirit of God. They that are born of Men, have nothing in them but the Spirit of Men, but they that are born of God, have the Spirit of God. That which

2.

Faith.

is born of the flesh is flesh, and hath no Spirit in it; but that which is born of the fpirit, is fpirit, and hath Spirit in it. So that there is no means to partake of the Spirit of God, but by being born of God; and the means by which we are born of God, are the Word and Faith.

Prayer. Spirit is given to them that ask.

to in

3. Means is Prayer. For Chrift hath faid, the And the Difciples when they were to receive the promise of the Spirit, continued with one accord in prayer and fupplication, Acts 1. 14. For God who hath promifea to give us his Spirit, hath commanded us to ask it; and when God hath a mind to give us the Spirit, he puts us in mind to ask it; yea God gives us the Spirit, that by it we may ask the Spirit, fecing no man can ask the Spirit, but by the Spirit. Now in asking the Spirit, there is no difference, whether we ask it of the Father or of the Son, feeing the Spirit proceeds from both, and is the Spirit of both. And therefore Chrift promiseth the fending of the Spirit from both. From the Father, Joh. 14. The Spirit which the Father will fend in my name. From himfelf, Joh. 16. Except Igo, the Comforter will not come; but if 1 go, I will fend him to you. So that both the Father and the Son give the Spirit, and it is no matter whether we ask him, either of the Father, or of the Son, fo we ask him of the Father in the Son, or of the Son in the Father.

And thus you fee the way to obtain this power, is to obtain the Spirit, and alfo by what means

this is done.

1

2. The way to increase this Power, is to inThe Way creafe the Spirit. And therefore it is as needful for us, to know the means to increase the Spirit, as to receive it. And they among others, are

crease this power.

thefe :

As

1. To continue in the use of the Word. the Spirit is first given by the word, fo by the fame word it is increased; and the more any Christian is in the ufe of the word, the stronger and more vigorous and mighty is the Spirit in him; but the neglect of the word, is the quenching of the Spirit. Let a Chriftian that is ftrong in the Spirit, neglect the word a while, and he will foon become weak, and as a man without strength. For the Spirit is not beftowed on us, but through the word, neither doth it dwell in us, but by the word; and the more the word dwells in our hearts by Faith, the more the Spirit dwells in our hearts by the word. And according to the meafure of the word in us, is the measure of the Spirit.

2. To increase Faith. For the more we believe, the more we receive of Chrift; and the more we receive of Chrift, the more we receive of the Spirit in Chrift. For Faith doth not apprehend bare Chrift, but Chrift with his Spirit, because these are infeparable. Now always according to the measure of Chrift in us, is the measure of the Spirit; and according to the measure of Faith, is the measure of Chrift in us.

3. To be much in Prayer. For the Prayer of the Spirit, increases the Spirit. The more we have the Spirit, the more we Pray, and the more we Pray, the more we receive the Spirit. So that when we have the Spirit in truth, we fhall have daily a greater and greater increase of it, till we be filled with the Spirit. For the Spirit comes from Chrift, in whom is the fulness of the Spirit, and carries us back again to Chrift, that we may receive still more of the Spirit. And fo by the Spirit that is in our hearts, we lay hold on the Spirit that is in Chrift, and receive more and more of it.

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4. To turn our felves daily from the Creature to God. For the more we inlarge our hearts towards the Creature, the lefs capable are we of the Spirit of God. For to live much upon the Creature, is to live much according to the flesh, and this quenches and ftraitens the Spirit in us. And therefore we must live abstractedly from the Creatures, and fo use them, as if we did not use them; and fo mind them, as if we did not mind them; and abandon the contents and fatisfactions of ficfh and blood, and wean our felves from all things but the neceflities of nature. And the more free and loose we are from the Creature the more capable are we of Gods Spirit, and the operations of it. He that lives at greatest diftance from the World, and hath leaft communion with the things of it, hath always the greateft proportion of Gods Spirit. For as the Apostle faith, If any man love the world, the love of the Father (that is, the Holy Spirit) is not in him; fa, if any man love the Father, the love of the world is not in him; now the more any one loves the Father, the less he loves the world; and the less he loves the world, the more the Spirit dwells in him.

5. To ceafe daily from our own works. The more we act our felves, the lefs doth the Spirit act in us. And therefore we must from day to day, ceafe from our own works, from the operations of our own minds, and understandings, and wills, and affections, and must not be the Authors of our own actions. For we being flesh our felves, whatever we do is fleshly, feeing the effect cannot be better than the caufe. And if we mingle the works of our Flesh, with the works of Gods Spirit, he will ceafe from working in us. But the lefs we act in our felves, according to the Principles of our corrupt nature, the more

will the Spirit act in us, according to the Principles of the Divine Nature. But our own Works, are always a mighty impediment to the operations of the Spirit.

6. To increase the Spirit in us, we must give up our felves to the Spirit, that he only may work in us, without the least oppofition and refiftance from us. That, as the Soul acts all in the Body, and the Body doth nothing of it felf, but is fubject to the Soul in all things; fo the Spirit may do all in us, and we may do nothing of our felves without the Spirit, but be subject to the Spirit in all its operations. For the Spirit of God cannot work excellently in us, except it work all in all in us. And in fuch a man, in whom the Spirit hath full power, the Spirit works many wonderful things, that he according to humane fenfe is ignorant of. For as the Soul doth fecretly nourish, and cherish and refresh the Body, and difperfes Life and Spirits through it, even when the Body is afleep, and neither feels it, nor knows it, fo the Holy Spirit dwelling in the Soul, by a fecret kind of operation, works many things in it, for the quickning and renewing it, whilft it oftentimes for the prefent, is not fo much as fenfible

of it.

7. The feventh means to encrease the Spirit, is to attribute the works of the Spirit to the Spirit, and not to our felves. For if we attribute to the flesh, the works of the Spirit; and take from the Spirit the glory of his own works, he will work no longer in us. Wherefore we must afcribe unto the Spirit, the whole glory of his own Works, and acknowledge that we our felves are nothing, and can do nothing; and that it is he only, that is all in all, and works all in all; and we our felves, among all the excellent works of the Spirit in us, muft fo remain, as if we were and wrought

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