it to those that it is made to, and not to others. Indeed there is a common encouragement and comfort, which all men, even the worst, may take from the universal, conditional promise: and there is much abatement of our fears and troubles that may be fetched from probabilities and uncertain hopes of our own sincerity and interest in the promise. But to expect any other assurance or comfort from the Spirit, without evidence, is but to expect immediate revelations or inspirations to do the work, which the Word of promise and faith should do. The soul's consent to the covenant of grace, and fiducial acceptance of an offered Christ, is justifying, saving faith: every man hath an object in the promise and offer of the Gospel for this act, and therefore may rationally perform it. (Though all have not hearts to do it.) This may well be called, faith of adherence: and is itself our evidence, from which we must conclude, that we are true believers; the discerning of this evidence, called by some, 'the reflex act of faith,' is no act of faith at all, it being no believing of another, but the act of conscience, knowing what is in ourselves. The discerning and concluding that we are the children of God, participateth of faith and conscientious knowledge, which gave us the premises of such a conclusion.

3. You may hence perceive also how we are said to be "sealed" by the Spirit': even as a man's seal doth signify the sealed to be his own: so the "Spirit of holiness in us, is God's seal upon us, signifying that we are his3. Every one that "hath the Spirit," is sealed by having it: and this is his evidence, which, if he discern, he may know that he is thus sealed.

4. Hereby also you may see what the "earnest and first fruits of the Spirit" is: the Spirit is given to us by God, as the earnest of the glory which he will give us. To whomsoever he giveth the spirit of faith, and love, and holiness, he giveth the seed of life eternal, and an inclination thereto, which is his earnest of it.

5. Hereby also you may see how the Spirit witnesseth that we are the children of God: the word 'witness' is put here principally for evidence: if any one question our adop tion, the witness or evidence which we must produce to r Eph. i. 13. Rom. viii. 9. Eph. iv, 30. • 2 Tim. ii, 19. * 2 Cor. i. 22.

prove it, is the "Spirit of Jesus sanctifying us," and dwelling in us this is the chief part (at least) of the sense of the text, Rom. viii. 16. Though it is true, that the same Spirit witnesseth by (1.) Shewing us the grace which he hath given us; (2.) And by shewing us the truth of the promise made to all believers: (3.) And by helping us from those promises to conclude with boldness, that we are the children of God: (4.) And by helping us to rejoice therein.

II. I have been the longer (though too short) in acquainting you with the office of the Holy Ghost (supposing your belief that he is the third person in the Trinity) because it is an article of grand importance, neglected by many that profess it, and because there are so many and dangerous errors in the world about it. Your great care now must be, 1. To find this Spirit in you, as the principle of your operations: and, 2. To obey it, and follow its motions, as it leadeth you to communion with God. Of the first I have spoken in the first chapter. For the second, observe these few Directions.

Direct. 1. Be sure you mistake not the Spirit of God and its motions, nor receive, instead of them, the motions of satan, or of your passions, pride, or fleshly wisdom.'-It is easy to think you are obeying the Spirit, when you are obeying satan and your own corruptions against the Spirit. By these fruits the Spirit of God is known. 1. The Spirit of God is for heavenly Wisdom, and neither for foolishness nor treacherous craftiness". The Spirit of God is a spirit of Love, delighting to do good; its doctrine and motions are for love, and tend to good; abhorring both selfishness and hurtfulness to others. 3. He is a Spirit of Concord, and is ever for the unity of all believers; abhorring both divisions among the saints, and carnal compliances and confederacies with the wicked", 4. He is a Spirit of Humility and selfdenial, making us, and our knowledge, and gifts, and worth, to be very little in our own eyes; abhorring pride, ambition, self-exalting, boasting, as also the actual debasing of ourselves by earthliness or other sin. 5. He is a Spirit "Psal. xix. 7, xciv. 8. Jer. iv. 22. 1 Cor. ii. 4-7. 1 Cor. xii. Eph. iv. 3-6. 13. 1 Cor. i. 10. iii. 3. Nemo igitur vir magnus sine aliquo afflatu Divino D. ii. 166.

* Gal. v. 21, 22. Rom. vi. 17, 18. unquam fuit.

a Matt. xviii 3.

Ephes. iv. 2.

Cic. Nat.

of Meekness, and patience, and forbearance; abhorring stupidity, and inordinate passion, boisterousness, tumult, envy, contention, reviling, and revenge". 6. He is a Spirit of Zeal for God, resolving men against known sin, and for known truth and duty; abhorring a furious, destroying zeal, and also an indifferency in the cause of God, and a yielding compliance with that which is against it. 7. He is a Spirit of Mortification, crucifying the flesh, and still contending against it, and causing men to live above all the glory, and riches, and pleasures of the world: abhorring both carnal licentiousness and sensuality, and also the destroying and disabling of the body, under the pretence of true mortification. 8. The Spirit of Christ contradicteth not. the doctrine of Christ in the holy Scripture, but moveth us to an exact conformity thereto. This is the sure rule to try pretences and motions of every spirit by: for we are sure that the Spirit of Christ is the author of that Word; and we are sure he is not contrary to himself. 9. The motions of the Spirit do all tend to our good, and are neither ludicrous, impertinent, or hurtful finally: they are all for the perfecting of sanctification, obedience, and for our salvation. Therefore unprofitable trifles, or despair, and hurtful distractions and disturbances of mind, which drive from God, unfit for duty, and hinder salvation, are not the motions of the Spirit of God. 10. Lastly, The Spirit of God subjecteth all to God, and raiseth the heart to him, and maketh us spiritual and divine, and is ever for God's glory. Examine the texts here cited, and you will find that by all these fruits the Spirit of God is known from all seducing spirits, and from the fancies or passions of self-conceited

men.

Direct. 11. Quench not the Spirit, either by wilful sin

b Matt. xi. 28, 29.

Eph. iv. 2. James iii. 1 Pet. ii. 20-23. Gal. v. 20. Rom. xii. 18-20. Ephes. iv. 31. Col. iii. 8.

Gal. iv. 18. Numb. xxv. 11, 13. Titus ii. 14. James iii. 15. 17. Luke ix. 55, Rev. iii. 16.

d Rom. viii. 1. 13. Gal. v. 17. Rom. xiii. 13, 14. 1 Cor. ix. 27. 2 Pet. ii. 19. Col. ii. 18. 21. 23. e Isa. viii. 20.

f 2 Tim. i. 7. Rom. viii. 15. Isa. xi. 2.

14. 2 Cor. iii. 6.

Gal. v. 22. Zech. xii. 10. 1 Pet. iv.

Phil. iii. 3. 19,

8 1 John iv. 5, 6. 1 Cor. vi. 11. 17. 20. Ephes. ii. 18. 22. 20. 1 Pet. i. 2. iv. 6.

or by your neglecting of its offered help.'-It is as the spring to all your spiritual motions; as the wind to your sails: you can do nothing without it. Therefore reverence and regard its help, and pray for it, and obey it, and neglect it not. When you are sure it is the Spirit of God indeed, that is knocking at the door, behave not yourselves as if you heard not. 1. Obey him speedily delay is a present, unthankful refusal, and a kind of denial. 2. Obey him thoroughly: a half obedience is disobedience. Put him not off with Ananias and Sapphira's gift; the half of that which he requireth of you. 3. Obey him constantly: not sometime hearkening to him, and more frequently neglecting him; but attending him in a learning, obediential course of life. Direct. III. Neglect not those means which the Spirit hath appointed you to use, for the receiving of its help, and which he useth in all his holy operations.'-If you will meet with him, attend him in his own way, and expect him not in by-ways where he useth not to go. Pray, and meditate, and hear, and read, and do your best, and expect his blessing. Though your ploughing and sowing will not give you a plentiful harvest without the sun, and rain, and the blessing of God, yet these will not do it neither, unless you plough and sow. God hath not appointed a course of means in nature or morality in vain, nor will he use to meet you in any other way.

Direct. IV. 6 Do most when the Spirit helpeth you most.'-Neglect not the extraordinary measures of his assistance: if he extraordinarily help you in prayer, or meditation, improve that help, and break not off so soon as at other times (without necessity): not that you should omit duty till you feel his help: for he useth to come in with help in the performance, and not in the neglect of duty: but tire not yourself with affected length, when you want the life.

Direct.v. Be not unthankful for the assistance he hath given you.'-Deny not his grace: ascribe it not to nature: remember it to encourage your future expectations: upthankfulness and neglect are the way to be denied further help.

Quest. But how shall I know whether good effects be

from the means, or from my reason and endeavour, and when from the Spirit of God?'

Ans. It is as if you should ask, How shall I know whether my harvest be from the earth, or sun, or rain, or God, or from my labour? I will tell you how. They are all concauses if the effect be there, they all concur: if the effect be wanting, some of them are wanting. It is foolish to ask, which is the cause, when the effect is not produced but by the concurrence of them all. If you had asked, which cause did fail, when the effect faileth? there were reason in that question but there is none in this. The more to blame those foolish atheists, that think God or the Spirit is not the cause, if they can but find that reason and means are in the effect. Your reason, and conscience, and means would fall short of the effect, if the Spirit put not life into all.

Obj. But I am exceedingly troubled and confounded with continual doubts about every motion that is in my mind, whether it be from the Spirit of God, or not.'

Answ. The more is your ignorance, or the malice of satan causing your disquiet. In one word, you have sufficient direction to resolve those doubts, and end those troubles. Is it good, or evil, or indifferent, that you are moved to? This question must be resolved from the Word of God, which is the rule of duty. If it be good, in matter, and manner, and circumstances, it is from the Spirit of God, (either its common or special operation): if it be evil or indifferent, you cannot ascribe it to the Spirit. Remember that the Spirit cometh not to you, to make you new duty which the Scripture never made your duty, and so bring an additional law; but to move and help you in that which was your duty before. (Only it may give the matter, while Scripture giveth the obligation by its general command.) If you know not what is your duty, and what not, it is your ignorance of Scripture that must be oured: interpret Scripture well, and you may interpret the Spirit's motions easily. If any new duty be motioned to you, which Scripture commandeth not, take such motions as not from God: (unless it were by extraordinary, confirmed revelation.)