notice before-hand that he was a man full of the Holy Ghost Acts 6.5 And they chose Stephen a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost lâ—st otherwise the greatness of the Actions might prejudice the belief of them in those that should read them Whereas the Reader taking notice that Stephen was a man endued with more than ordinary Power and Wisdom from on High full of the Holy Ghost they might upon this account look upon it as a thing no waies incredible that Stephen should do and speak and suffer for both 〈◊〉 did So likewise when Paul Acts 13.9 in the Condition of a stranger undertook the bold and high Contest against Elimas the Sorcerer as he is called a false Prophet being a great Favourite as it seemeth to Sergiue Paulus the chief Ruler of the Country in the Isle of Cyprus there is express mention made before-hand of his being full of the Holy Ghost Then Saul who also is called Paul filled with the Holy Ghost set his eyes upon him and said c. Implying that such a thing as this would hardly have been undertaken by Paul unless he had been carried on by the Spirit of God within him and that by some considerable fulness of him And this Paul we now speak of laboured we know in the work of the Lord more abundantly than they all he was as we may say the Lord Christ's right hand upon the Earth he drove Sathan the God of this World before him from place to place and triumphed over him every where where he came he was too hard for him and cast him down from heaven like lightning and turned the affairs of his Kingdom upside down and laid wast his power made havock and desolation in all the Territories which he had amongst the generality of men But how came it about what was the reason why this Apostle so much and to such an high degree over acted the Line of the Labours Zeal and Faithfulness of all his Follows Questionless the reason was he had a richer and fuller anointing of the Spirit than they the Sails of his soul were filled with a stronger gale of the Spirit of God than theirs himself doth in effect give this account of his heroick and high Actings for Jesus Christ in the World Col. 1.28 29. Whom we preach saith he warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus whereunto I also labour striving according to his working which worketh in me mightily he laboured for this very purpose to present every man perfect in Christ and he did it according to his working namely the Spirit of Christ which did work in him mightily or with power Where observe by the way that the Apostle saith that he did labour in conformity unto the mighty working of the grace of God or of the Spirit of God in him the meaning seems to be this that the Spirit of God that put him on and Paul were both agreed Paul as ready to go as the Spirit was to send By this means Paul went on in all those Heroick Actions which he did and made great havock and desolation among the powers of sin and darkness and unbelief in the World By means I say of the Spirit Paul submitting himself unto him and receiving his impressions and going along with them he was enabled to many great atchievements and to labour more abundantly in the Gospel and for the interest of God and his glory in the World and the good of men also than any nay all the rest of the Apostles though they were men who were also very serviceable in their Generation To instance no father the Lord Christ himself who was the Worthy of all Worthies that ever the great God of Heaven and Earth imployed in any service upon Earth who was the first-born Servant of God and Elder Brother to Paul himself who kindled a fire that never was yet quenched nor ever shall be until it hath consumed all his Enemies and laid a foundation in his own bloud to build up the Name of God in the greatest glory amongst Angels and Men to the daies of Eternity He I say was a man of these high and most transcendent Atchievements by the advantage he had of all other men in being filled with the Spirit above them all according to that of Joh. 3.34 where it is said that God gave him the Spirit without measure he was not only filled with the Spirit but had the over flowing of the Spirit never did any man attain unto his pitch of zeal and faithfulness to the service of God So that there is no question but that he that is filled with the Spirit is in a capacity to Act and cannot lightly but Act at a very high rate for God if be do but follow the motions of the Spirit of God and will go along with them then he cannot I say but be great in the sight of God great in the services of Christ and of his Saints If you desire to know the reason hereof it is because as the higher the wind bloweth that Ship whose Sails are duly trimmed runneth so much the faster and riddeth the more way upon the Seas Even so when the heart and soul of a man shall be full of the Spirit of God such a person must needs be acted and carried on with more power and vigour in a swifter manner or course and be enabled to do twice as much as another in the same compass of time who hath but a scanty presence of the Spirit of God with him You know it is our Saviours Expression Joh. 3.6 That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit I suppose he maketh mention of being born of the flesh only to shew and make things more passable to the understanding of Nicodomus to make way for that which he spake in the latter Now saith he that which is born of the flesh is flesh that thou and every man knows as the Parent that begetteth a Child is of a fleshly nature so that which is born must needs be flesh also And dost thou not know how a man shall be born again of the Spirit It is even as it is with those that be born of the flesh they partake of the same nature and receive the impressions of the flesh So it is with the Spirit that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit Such as is the nature of the Spirit of God such also is that which is born or begotten of it that is those Principles whatsoever they are that he who is born of the Spirit doth receive by means of the Spirit of God must answer and be like unto those which the Spirit of God himself hath of which he is born or begotten Now you know that the Spirit of God is full of the Love of God and full of Zeal for God and set upon the magnifying of him in the World and promoting his Interest in the
to the Argument last propounded That the Saints at least a great part of them do verily judge or think that all things considered as the weakness of their Faith their undergrowth in knowledge the unruliness and unsubduedness of their flesh and the intolerable burthen it would be unto it to be compelled to keep them company in the severe Exercises of Mortification and high acts of Self-denial c. which must be performed by those that look to lift up their heads in glory above other their Brethren the Saints in Heaven and withal how full of joy and blessed contentment it will be unto them if they shall be counted meet to enjoy be it the meanest place amongst those that are saved these things I say haply with many more considered they may conclude that it is best for them to content themselves with designing nothing higher than Salvation simply or the scantest entrance into Heaven and not to lift up their desires unto the heights of glory there Therefore the consideration mentioned doth not put them to rebuke although they do not desire part and fellowship in the highest advancements in Heaven To this I answer That it is an Objection or Plea savouring of the Flesh though it may express the case of persons in some degree spiriritual It is somewhat of kin to that award of the sluggard who as Solomon informeth us is wont to be wise in his own conceit Prov. 26.16 between one handful and two when one may be had with ease and quietness but two not without labour and trouble Better saith the Wiseman speaking of the spirit of such a fool as he here calls him is an handful with quietness than both the hands full with travel and vexation of spirit Eccles 4.6 For he that judgeth it best for him to pitch his desires upon getting into Heaven only and not to strain or raise them to the best and greatest of the enjoyments here let this his judgment proceed upon what Reasons or Considerations soever yet will it be found Erronious and therefore cannot acquit him from sin that shall build or act upon it For the Circumstances mentioned in the Objection weakness in Faith under-growth in Knowledge unsubduedness of the Flesh c. these being all sinful defects and imperfections cannot justifie such an act which under due Circumstances would be sinful But enough if not more than so hath been argued to evince it not simply lawful but even necessary as Duty makes Actions necessary for the Saints and Servants of God to kindle a spirit of this holy and heavenly Ambition even to desire to be as great in the Kingdom of Heaven as the greatest of them all I mean of the greatest of those whom the Grace and Spirit of Jesus Christ shall bring thither And thus I trust we have made good the second thing supposed in the fift and last reason of our Doctrine viz. That the Saints are under an Obligation of Duty to put themselves into a capacity of the most sublime investitures with glory which God hath prepared for the Children of men That which was assertively laid down Sect. 20 and affirmed in this Reason was that unless men shall be filled with the Spirit in the sense declared towards the beginning they are never like to be in any capacity of putting themselves into a capacity of such investitures or of sitting in any of the uppermost seats at that Table at which the Saints shall eat bread with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of God But for the proof and confirmation of this we shall not need to add any thing to what we have so largely argued from the Scriptures in our demonstration of the fourth ground and reason of the Doctrine It must not be a sparing or a thin but a very rich anointing with the Spirit that will prepare and strengthen men so to wrestle against principalities against powers against the Rulers of the darkness of this World against spiritual wickedness in high places or heavenly things yea and against their own flesh and bloud also for thâ—se are their enemies likewise in their spiritual warfare that God may judge their Victories and Conquest over them worthy the greatest Triumphs in Heaven that are designed and granted here to the chief of the Worthies of Christ But for your satisfaction in this if you desire more than you have you are desired to repair with your minds and memories to what hath been upon the same or like account formerly delivered We shall now proceed to the Use and Application of the Doctrine Only there are two or three Questions relating to the Doctrine delivered that being cleared will I conceive give some further light into it CHAP. VII Three Questions propounded to give further light into the Doctrine The first of them enquired into namely who or what this Spirit mentioned in the Tex is viz. Whether he be an increated Spirit even God blessed for ever or whether a created Spirit Several Scriptures opened and argued both from the Old and New Testament proving that the Spirit spoken of in the Text is none other than Jehovah or the most high God The several Pleas brought against these Scriptures by persons contrary minded taken off and rendered invalid As also some Grounds in Reason propounded and argued to prove that the Holy Ghost is very God THe first of these Questions being occasioned by some unhappy importune spirits of Error lately gotten abroad amongst us shall be this Sect. 1 Who or what this Spirit mentioned in the Text and much spoken of in the Doctrine is Or more particularly whether he be an infinite and increated Spirit one of the Three which the Apostle John saith are one 1 Joh. 5.7 commonly known amongst us by the name of Three Persons some weaker Judgments do not like the expression Or whether he be some excellent Creature some high-born Angel or the like who is near unto God This is the first Question which we shall a little search into Whether the Spirit of God sometimes yea oft in Scripture called the Holy Ghost be truly God or a Creature The second shall be this How or in what respect and when a person man or woman may be said to be filled with the Spirit and so may be said to have obeyed the voice of the Exhortation of the Apostle The third and last shall be How a man or woman that is indeed filled with the Spirit of God may be known from a person which is filled with another spirit viz. a spirit of Vanity and Delusion There is a fourth Question every whit as necessary and edifying as any of these which we shall have occasion to speak somewhat unto afterwards when we come to the Exhortation The Tenour of which Question will be this How and by what means men and women may come to be filled with the Spirit Concerning the Question first propounded Who or what this Spirit or the Spirit of God should be whether God an
and be able to draw inferences from them and to follow their guidance as far as they will lead them into many particulars concerning God This is the nature of Principles and general Grounds As there was a Wheel within a Wheel in Ezekiels Vision so there may be many Considerations many Propositions concerning God that may be wound up in one Expression or one direct Saying in Scripture For there are very many things requisite to be known and understood concerning God for the investing men and women with that capacity we speak of of enjoying a large Communion with God which are not literâ tenus or in so many words expressed in the Scriptures and yet they may be plainly enough delivered and held forth here For that may be truly and properly enough said to be plainly taught and delivered which with competent diligence study and meditation may be gathered from those things which are plainly and expresly taught and delivered As Solomon Prov. 8.9 speaketh concerning Instructions end Precepts of Wisdem as the former Translation reads the place They are all plain to him that will understand i. e. whose heart is set within him to understand them who is not negligent and loose minded to such things but is willing to enquire and find out the mind of God as Lavater well expoundeth the place so may it be said of those things concerning God which are necessary to be known and understood in order to that end and purpose we speak of And that of Solomon is true That the diligent hand maketh rich Prov. 10.4 as well in Spirituals as Temporals Now all these things of God which being known put a man into a capacity of a large Communion with God are not upon any such terms laid down in the Scriptures that if we shall but spare any small time or labour we may be as fully satisfied in them as if we had seen them face to face It is no where said in the Scripture in so many words that God in these operations and workings upon the hearts and souls of men by his Word and Spirit by which he intendeth to work Faith and Conversion is resistible resistible I mean in such a sense which imports a possibility in men so wrought upon never to be actually converted or brought to believe these operations of God notwithstanding This I say is not in these words nor any other Grammatically equipollent to them to be found in the Scriptures yet it is plainly enough taught and delivered there and this in several places from whence it may be duly and clearly collected as we have heretofore made apparent unto you So again that Christ died for me in particular for the Attonement of my sin or that God intended that Christ should die for me such Positions as these though they are no where in so many words delivered yet they are delivered plainly enough in Scripture and to much satisfaction so that every man may with a little consideration see them Thus then you see what manner of knowledge of God and of his Attributes and Counsels it is as well for the nature as for the Extent Compass or Degree which is required to qualifie men and women for this large Communion with God for the nature and quality of it it must be a knowledge accompanied with a through belief of God and his Attributes for the extent or compass a knowledge which is somewhat comprehensive both concerning God his Nature Counsels and Decrees c. Now that such a knowledge of God as this must needs prepare and make men capable of a large Communion with him is evident upon this consideration viz. Communion cannot well extend further than there is a mutual knowledge of the one and of the other How can two walk together unless there be some agreement in Principles It was the Saying of Achish King of the Philistines 1 Sam. 21.15 Have I any need of mad men When his Servant brought David before him his meaning was that he could not tell well what to do with him or how to speak to him or what to imploy him about And Solomon Eccl. 5.4 speaking to the same purpose concerning God saith That he hath no delight in Fools Men that have no knowledge of God nor of his Attributes c. are like unto stocks and stones they are not at all capable of that Communion which we now speak of So likewise men and women who have but a scant knowledge of God it may be ten parts of twelve dark and but two light so far as they are ignorant their Communion with God will be obstructed and hindred and consequently their Communion with God if any at all will be very narrow and contracted I suppose we shall not need to spend time in proving Sect. 22 that those who are filled with the Spirit must needs be enlarged in the knowledge of God and much more in the belief of the truth and certainty of those things which being truly apprehended and known concerning him render them capable of this large Communion with him Where the Spirit abideth with such a fulness of his Presence he will enlighten and open the darkness of the hearts of men and will scatter that ignorance which otherwise is likely to darken them Therefore we shall pass by that enough having been argued already only a word or two to open unto you the rich and glorious accommodation which the capacity of such a free and large Communion with God as we have insisted on must needs be conceived to be unto those that are invested with it or made partakers of it although the truth is that the transcendent worth and excellency of the Priviledge we speak of is near enough at hand to be apprehended and understood by all men without the help of any discourse For shall not the joy which the Apostle Peter dignifieth with those two high Titles Unspeakable and Glorious shall not this attend a free and large Communion with God It is mentioned by our Saviour as one of the richest strains of felicity that the Elect Angels are partakers of that they stand before their heavenly Father and behold his face continually i. e. they stand before him like unto Princes undaunted unappaled they have a free and large Communion with God But that flesh and bloud the poor Children of men should arrive unto such a state and condition as to have part and fellowship with them in this their happiness and felicity is certainly a transcendent priviledge unto them It was a Reply that an old Philosopher made to a Tyrant a great Prince who asked him what good he had gotten by the study of Philosophy Why saith he I have gotten this that I can talk with the greatest Tyrant in the World without being afraid of him Now if this be a desirable thing that a man can look the greatest and proudest man in the face without being dismayed or afraid What is it for a poor Creature cloathed with flesh and
bloud to be able to stand with an untroubled and undaunted spirit before the great and mighty God of Heaven and Earth to come freely and boldly into his Presence So again to be able to stand and contemplate the inestimable and incomprehensible Majesty of the great God of Heaven and Earth to be able I say to bear the weight of this Majesty and Glory without any trouble or burthen to the mind or spirit of a man how great and how rich a glory must this needs be It was the Saying of another Philosopher who was greatly taken with that Creature the Sun he professed that if he might be permitted to stand near the Sun were it but for one day so as that he might but understand what nature the Sun was of he would be content to die at Evening so much did he prize the knowledge and contemplation of this glorious Creature We read of a whole Sect of Philosophers 〈◊〉 would fix their eye upon the Sun when it appeared and so stand looking upon it and never give over looking till it went down out of their sight My Brethen all created things are but slight resemblances and shadows What is the glory of them all if we shall but compare them with the glorious loveliness and splendour that is in God What is the beauty of the Sun in comparison of him and his beauty c. We all saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 3.18 as in a glass behold the glory of the Lord. The Angels do not see nor behold any other glory but that which is presented unto us in the glass of the Gospel they indeed see it more clearly even face to face we more darkly and yet notwithstanding that Glass of the Gospel wherein we behold the glory of the Lord is so clear and transparent that there is little difference between beholding his glory face to face and the beholding of it there every Lineament of his face being here represented to the eyes of our minds or understandings so that we can sustain little loss hereby So that if men and women would but draw near unto this Glass wherein the Face of Jesus Christ is thus represented or to be seen they might behold any thing that the Angels in heaven do and live in the same contemplation with them For here is the Power and here is the Glory and here is every thing in this Glass This doth contain the whole extent of the Face of Christ if I may so speak It holds out all the perfections of him whose face it representeth By the way As men are known by their faces so all which God is known by is called the face of God As the Mercy of God the Power of God and the Goodness of God they all make the Face of God Now then to be able to bear the weight of all this blessedness and glory without losing the use of a mans understanding without being confounded or troubled in his Intellectuals without being like a dead man cannot but be an exceeding great Priviledge I beseech you consider what other exercise or engagement of your selves or of the noble powers of your Souls can you imagine should produce any thing of a like filling and satisfying nature One thing have I desired of the Lord saith David Psal 27.4 that will I seek after that I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the daies of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his holy Temple He thought this not only a thing desirable but he was resolved to seek after it he would first commend this his desire unto the Lord and then seek after it he would try this way and that and any way that would do This one thing which he had singled out amongst all his other requests was that he might dwell in the House of the Lord all the daies of his life to behold the beauty of the Lord. My Brethren we generally are but dull Spectators of his glory it may be many of us are more taken with other objects which seem to be of a more desirable import unto us but if we did but see with David's eyes if we had judgment within us to estimate beauty indeed this would be our One thing the thing which we would chiefly desire to behold the beauty of the Lord especially inasmuch as we have liberty to behold it without being dismayed So again that was another thing in our large and free Communion with God to pray unto God with assurance that we shall be heard They that are large in the knowledge of God that understand much of his Will they that have a large Communion with God in Prayer they can pray with assurance that they shall be accepted and that their request shall be granted unto them Now then if we shall weigh this Royal Priviledge also in the balance of the Sanctuary we shall find it to weigh down Silver and Gold all these things will be but as the Dust in the Balance in comparison of it To call upon the Majesty of the great God of Heaven and Earth and to have an opportunity to make your request unto him for all things you desire not only all that at present you desire but all things that can come into your hearts to desire and that you may upon occasion or emergency from day to day desire of him and to be supplied accordingly by the hand of your Angel I mean by your Prayer If this great Priviledge be but considered and laid to heart and measured by the measure of God it will be found to amount to as considerable a matter as any that we have presented you with And thus we have done with the third particular which we formerly signified unto you must needs in conjunction with the other three render the Life and Estate of a man in this World desirable in the highest as desirable I mean as this World will afford desirableness of condition unto the Sons and Daughters of men CHAP. XIX The Eighth Motive further opened in the fourth particular a being filled with the Spirit doth interest men with a rich and large Interest in God How this Interest doth arise by being filled with the Spirit of God Reasons why so little is done by Prayer now in comparison of what was done in the Primitive times Without being filled with the Spirit none of the great blessings formerly mentioned and which render a mans Condition so desirable in this World are to be obtained The Reasons whence it comes to pass And the equitableness of God's proceeding with men therein The difference between a fearless and dreadless frame of spirit that is counterfeit and that which is raised upon good Grounds A being filled with the Spirit is the only way to cause the Crown of glory to flourish on the head of a man And that with a greater measure of glory in the World which is to come THe Fourth and last particular was this Sect. 1 They that are