Ghost whom the Father will send in my Name He shall teach you all things So that the Comforter himself as distinguished from his teaching is promised here And Ioh 15.26 He is also promised as contradistinguished from his Operations and testifying oâ— Christ. 4. The Believer is said to have the Spirit So that they belong not to Christ who have not have the Spirit of Christ Rom 8.9 He is said to dwell in them Rom 8.11 1 Cor 3.16 2 Tim 1.14 To be with them Ioh 14.17 And to be in them Rom 8.11 By his Spirit that dwelleth in you 5. Not only doth the Spirit help our infirmities which is through Grace But the Spirit himself is said to make intercession for us with groaninos which cannot be uttered which aÌ„pears to be somewhat other that is given them then the meer Graces of the Spirit And that because there immediately follows And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit Rom 8.27 6. The Believer is said to be sealled with the holy Spirit oâ— promise And he is the earnest of our Inheritance Eph 1.13 14. And given as a seal and Pledge Eph 4.30 The earnest of the Spirit is given in their hearts 2 Cor 1.22 So also 2. Cor 5.5 which seems to hold out more than his Fruits 7. Therefore the Believer is commanded not only not to quench the Spirit Ephes 5. 19. which may have respect to his Operations and Indrawings of Grace in the Soul But also not to grieve the Spirit Ephes 4.30 Which seems to import the dwelling of the Spirit in them 8. It is by vertue of this Union betwixt the Spirit and the believer that their very dust is raised up in the last day so that God by the Spirit that dwelleth in them shall quicken their mortal bodies Rom 8.11 This Spirit then that dwelleth in them must be somewhat else then his Graces for by these the mortal bodies are not quickened And he is called the Spirit of Him that raised up Iesus from the dead 9. He is said to be sent forth into their Heaâ—ts crying Abba Father Gal 4.6 10. David prayeth expresly Psal 51.11 That the LORD would not take his Holy Spirit from him Vse 1. This is a noble point of Truth and full of many grounds oâ— Comfort And how could Believers other wayes then rejoyce providing this Union betwixt Christ and them were believed Did they know that Christ were in them keeping house in them dweling with them with joy and satisfaction would it not make them sing under all adversity And that upon a four fold account 1. Upon the account of the great Honour which iâ— brought to them thereby even to them who formerly were meer cages of unclean spirits and yet still have much coorruption abiding in them That the King of Zion who is King of kings LORD of Lords Heir of all the Brightness oâ— his Fathers Glory and the express Image of his Person Heb 1.3 Who is the Image of the invisible GOD the first borne of every Creature Col 1.15 That he I say should come and loege with them lodge in their Heart within their Soul That he whom the Heaven of heavens cannot contain that is High and Lofty who dwells in Eternity should live with such a One and be united with such O what incomprehensible Honour is this Elizabeth cryed once with great admiration And whence is this to me that the Mother of my Lord should come to me Luke 1.43 And may not the Believer with much more admiration cry out And whence is this to me that my Lord himself should come to me And not only so but come to me and dwell and abide with me 2. Here is great comfort on the account of profit and advantage Have they the Heir of all things so near to them and with them living in them what can they then want For if Christ be theirs all things are theirs life death â—hings present and things to come 1 Cor 3.22 23. Hath GOD given Christ and shall he not with him also freely give us all things Rom â— 32 And what can they lack that have all things what can they want who have Him in them in whom dwells all the fullness of the God head bodily Col 2.9 What want they who have Heaven And can they want Heaven within them who have Christ within them They are compleat in him Col 2.10 Which is â—he Head of all principality and power 3. Here is comfor upon the account of safety Who or what can harm them who have preservation or salvation wiâ—hin them Christ the Author of Eternal Salvation within them O what security for them in whom he is What can tribulation or distress or famine or nâ—kedness or peril or sword do to such can they separate him who is become a Habitation for Christ from the love of GOD which is in Christ Jesus No no can the ship drown wherein Christ is Can fire or water harm a Soul who is a Habitation for Christ What can satan do against Christs lodging Can he or dare he cast it down 4. Here is Comfort upon the account of security and tranquility For who can weaken and endamage their right to Glory that allready have begun Glory in the soul to wit Christ the hope of Glory can satan or the world make such an one miserable No surely greater is He that is in them then he that is in the world 1 Ioh 4.4 What surer pledge of Heaven and Salvation can the soul have then a begun possession What is Heaven other then a life of Communion with GOD in the nearest and strictest degreâ— And 〈◊〉 stricteâ— Union can any have with Christ than to have him in them Vse 2 Unbelievers and strangers â—o Christ may hence gather these princâ—pal Points for their better improvement oâ—â—he â—oresaid Truths 1. Have nâ— mean â—houghâ—s â—f â—he life and state of Bâ—lievâ—rs You sâ—e to what they are â—xâ—lâ—ed hâ—wever contempâ—able in the eyes of â—he World despise you such an incomprehensiâ—le â—â—ch advantage Iâ— is no such despicâ—ble and mean Life as you phansie Have then a higher esteem thereof if you would be truely Wise. 2. Again on the other hand ponder seriously what a fearful and mâ—serable condiâ—ion iâ— is wherâ—in ye are who are strangeâ—s to Christ And in place of Christ in you the Hâ—pe of Glory ye have satan â—n you working thâ— wâ—â—ks of darkness blinding the mind left the light of the glorious Gospel â—f Christ who is the Image of God shouuld shine unto you 2 Cor 4 4. Beâ—ng without Christ â—o ye have no hope strangers from the Covenants â—f promise and without God Ephes 2 21. Without a Leader and Commander Isa 55. Without Protectâ—on or â—oy and wâ—thout â—ll that â—s good 3 Do noâ— only think on it â—ut dwell on the thoughts of it until that your â—earts be wroughâ— up to a real sorrow and â—rief that ye have been so long in such a conâ—ition
notwithstanding of opposition in the way Hope will never suffer the heart to sink it will be a cork to the poor Soul which wiâ—l make it swime through the jaws and gulfs of the greatest opposition and most insupperable like difficulties When other â—hings as so many weights and heavy loads would bear down the Soul Hope will draw and hold it up that it go not to the ground Or in case the Soul is at any time over charged and brought under water as it were to the â—rink of hell Hope notwithstanding will recover again the Soul out of the very womb of â—ell and will it make it look out towards the Temple 3. Hope hardens a man and makes him prooff against the day of battel It encourageth and strengtheneth the Soul Thereâ—y he can run through a troop for he knows â—hat his head is secured well covered and guarded with the helmet of Hope the Helmet of Salvation 1 Theâ— 5.8 Eph 6.17.4 Hope â—s a strong guard against temptations What values a man the great offers of the World who has a Lively Hope of Heaven The fear of death worldly losses and the greatest of â—ufferings will not once shake him who hath the Hope of Eternal Life The hope of a betâ—er Resurrection will make them refuse to accept of a deliverance upon unworthy or base â—erms 5. Hope assures us of Heaven whereâ—ore we find that Heaven is often laid out to us by Hope Eph 1.18 4.4 Col 1.5 Tit 2.13 Heb 6.18 It is The Anchor of â—he Soul both sure and stedfast and which entereth into that within the vail whether the forerunner is for us entered Heb 6.19 20.6 Hereto should these words encourage us Psal 147 11. The LORD taketh pleasure in them thaâ— fear him in those that hope in his mercy 7. Aâ— hope is needful necessary and useful whilâ— passing through the valley of sorrow and tearâ—â— so also when drawing near the end of our journey and when pale death comes to look us iâ— the face For the Righteous hath hope in his death Pro 14.32 When the hope of the Hypocrite and unrighteous person giveth up the Ghost and foresaketh him in his greatest straiâ— even then will the Hope of the Righteous comfort and bear up his head Yea when death the king of terrors hath done its worst anâ— conveyed the Soul into Eternity Hope thoâ— may take its leave of the Soul as having no more service to do it 1 Cor 13.13 Yet wiâ—â— attend the corps of the Believer to the grave and be a bed unto his dust Psal 16.9 Uâ—til the morning of the Resurrection dawn Again as to those who really have thâ— Hope and yet cannot be convinced thereoâ— I would say these few things 1. It is not strange that such who are begotten again into a Lively Hope be now anâ— then brought to doubtings through these 〈◊〉 such like grounds As 1. Because sad noâ— strange like dispensations are measured out unto them by GOD this makes the Church 〈◊〉 out Lam 3.18 And I said my strength anâ— my hope is perished from the Lord See v. 1.2 This occasioned Iob also to say that his hope was removed like a tree or rooted out of the ground Iob 19 8.9 10.2 Because there is â—ant of growth in Grace and Mortificaâ—ion for â—hey hear that hope is a purifying Grace and â—hey can find no advancing in that work 3. Because they miss the other above mentioned Fruits of a Lively Hope But 2. Hope is like to other Graces not alwayes alike visible sometimes so clouded and â—id that it cannot be easily seen or discovered And in a very little it may appear again when the cloud and â—hick mist is over as we â—ee Lam 3.18 There the Church comâ—lains that her strength and hope was perishâ—d from the Lord yet she sayeth a little after This I recal to my mind therefore have I hope And again v. 26. It is good that a man should â—oth hope and quietly wait for the Salvation of the â—ord The holy Man Iob cryâ—th out as one â—hat hath no hope He hath destroyed me on every â—â—de and I am gone and mine hope hath he reâ—oved like a tree And nevertheless before all is â—one and he end his reckonings he getâ—eth his head lifted up on high and hope brings â—im so above that he triumphs Chap 19. â— 25.26 27. For I know that my Reâ—eemer liveth and though after my skin worms â—estroy this body yet in my flâ—sh shall I see God c. 3. Hope as have other Graces hath its degrees There is a full assurance of hope Heb. 6.11 And there is a weak Hope that cannot see farr being accompanied with many doubtings discouragements fears c Nevertheless a weak hope may be a true hope being on an Evangelical ground Hope may be lively in respect of its root yet weak and sickly in respect of its present frame and operations 4. It is not therefore safe â—o conclude that there is no hope because there is no full assurance of Hope or Actual Lively Vigorouâ— or stronge Hope 5. It were better to make an impartial enquiry according to the forementioned Marks And search and see if ever you had any thing of a True and Lively Hope of Glory through CHRIST And providing you have ever had it you may then be confident that the root remains for the Gifts and Calling of GOD are without repentance Rom. 11 29. Question But what shall he do who is brought to suspect all what formerly has been wrought in his Soul looking on it all as false work How I say shall such win to any clearness concerning their Hope or what shall they do for strengthening of the same Answer Such would lay to heart and well improve these following Considerations As 1. As Hope it self is the Gift of GOD and not their own work So is also the clear discovery of this Hope in the Soul his Gift and a new Gift The observation whereof should make the Soul fix its eye on the Soveraignity and Freeness of God who may bestow His Gifts as He will and depend on God for Light to â—ee and discern things which are given him of GOD 2 As the first lively Acting of Hope is a fruit of the Spirit of Life and floweth from the Spirit of Life in them So all the after actings depend on continual influences from Heaven These considerations should humble them under the impression of an absolute and Soveraign Lord And should stir them up to search and see wherein they have provoked GOD â—o hold in his Influences in the continual out-goings of Hope and withdraw his Light whereby they might be in case to discern the being of Hope in the Soul even when but wâ—ak in its operations 3. Such are to humble themselves before â—he LORD in the sense of their naturall frailty and inability As likewayes of their unrighteousness and transgressions whereby they have provoked the LORD to leave them in the dark 4.
according to my Gospel and the preaching of Iesus Christ according to the Revelation of the Mystery which was kept secret since the World began be Glory Rom 16 25 27.5 The Gospel hath a transâ—oâ—ming and changing power cloathing the Heirs of Hell with begun Glory and changing them into the Image of GOD 2 Cor. 3 18. But we all with open face beholding as in â— glass the Glory of the Lord are changed into thâ— same Image from Glory to Glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 6. In a word it is the Instrument of Salvation and therefore called the Gospel of Salvation Ephes 1.13 It is the savour of Life unto Life 2 Cor. 2.16 Before we â—pply this we shall speak a litle to the other part to wit The Riches of Glory Of the Riches of Glory There is not only a Glory to be seen in the Gospel but thereis an exceeding great Excellency of Glory which points forth the singularness and excellency thereof And this will appear First Providing we compare this Glory with other things which either are but such in the esteem of Men or that really have Gloâ—y in muâ—â— less than that Glory which shineth forth â—ere 1. Compare it with that which the Men of this World ordinarly esteem Glorious as greatness of Power and Authority stately Buildings many Servants great and multiplied Titles oâ— Honour and such like Alas what a poor spectacle is all â—he glittering Glory of this World which hath no realiâ—y in it but consists in a meer imagination and the meer blossomings of a â—oving Fancy and fruit of a light and creazie Brain Alas how lean sober and empty is this so called and fancied Glory wherewith the Children of this World are so bewitched taken up with childâ—sh admiration eager gaping and hot pursuing after the same What is it in comparison of this Glory which shineth in the Gospel What is here that should take up the Soul of Man that knoweth what real Glory is What can these ouâ—ward borrowed imaginary Garnishinâ—s do to the real amending and feliciâ—ating of a poor immortal Soul What is here â—or quieâ—ing a raging and disordered Conscience What is here which can make the poor Creature sing when pale Death looks him in the face and when wrestling with the King of Terrors Yea will not the thoughts of all these things wherein the Soul formerly boasted but add to his sorrow and augment his grief now when he seeth he must forsâ—ke all and live in darkness eternally For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away his Glory shall noâ— descend after him Psal. 49.17 What signifiâ—â—h â—hen the Glory of his House how great soâ—ver it be What is the Glory of Great Ones when the Lord kindleâ—h under the same a burning like the burning of a fire Isa. 10.16 Nebuchadnezzar had a Kingdom and Majesty and Glory and Honour so that all People Nations and Languages trembled and fearrd before him whom he would he slew and whom he would he kept alive and whom he would he set up and whom he would be put down Dan 5 18 19. But a poor lamentable Glory was it that could not desend him from the greaâ—est Misery that ever a King or Prince was brought unto Vers. 20 21. But when his heart waes lifted up and his mind hardened in pride he was deposed from his Kingly throne and they took his Glory from him And he was driven from the â—ons of Men and his Heart was made like the Beasts and his dwelling was With thr wild Asses they fed him with gross like Oxen and his Body was wet with the dew of Heaven till he knew that the Most high GOD ruled in the Kingdom of Men and that He appointeth over it whomsoever He will See also Isa. 5.14 Therefore Hell or the Grave hath inlarged hee self and opened her mouth without measure and their glory and their multitude and their pomp and he that rejoiceth shall descend into it How vain and empty then â—ust that Glory be which thus dieth out with a fiâ— by stink How far inferiour to this rich and excellent Glory 2. Compare the Gospel Glory with the great and real Glory of Heaven and Earth this piece of Work of the only wise Creator And it will very far surmount these in Glory The noble Fabrick of Heaven and Earth replinished with such variety of Creatures carries clear evidences of the glorious Wisdom Power of Him who hath made the same out of Nothing and sustaineth them continually by the Word of His Power For He spake and it was done He commanded and it stood fast Psal. 33.9 For the Pillars of thâ— Earth are the Lords and He hath set the World upon them 1 Sam. 2.8 He hath established them Psal 89.2 And formed them Psal 90 2. Who can once look upon this Fabrick being so curious in all its points and proportions without observing singular Glory whâ—ch hold forth the Glory of the great Master Builder Who can look upon the Heavens and observe how admirably they are garnished and indented with so many glorious shining Creatures and not fall a wondering at the rare Building and its excellent Contrivance Who can behold the Sea that terrible and vast Creature the dry Land the Hills the Valleys with their pleasant Rivers and watery Rivolets with all their fair and fruitful Inclosures the spacious vast and bowling VVilderness with all their various different and numerous Inhabitants the VVater with its Fishes the Air above with its Fowls And not behold I say a special ravishing Glory therein But O! what is all â—his Glory in comparison to that Glory which shineth in the Gospel The Flowers springs out of â—he Earth and spreads forâ—h â—ts Glory but suddenly it is cut down and withereth so shall the Heavens and the Earth pass away they shall perish yea all of them shall wax old like a Garment and as a Vesture shaâ—l they be changed Psal. 102.26 But this Glory which shines forth in the Gospel is an eveâ—lasting Glory Great was the VVisdom of GOD which shined forth in creating all things of nothing but in the Gâ—spel The manifold Wisdom of God is maâ—e known Ephes. 3 10. 3. Compare the Glory of the Gospel with the first Covenant made with Adam in the state of Innocency so shall there appear here a singular Glory I confess it was a Glorious Business to see that rational Creature Man in a Covenant of Friendship wiâ—h his Maker For there was wonderful Condescendency on GOD's part in that He came under the Bond of the Covenant and under Obligations of a rich Promise unto the Creature in case of Obedience which otherwayes he was indebted to his Creator by vertue of His Creation And pleasant was it to behold the Wheels of the Soul of Man besmeered with the promise of the rich Recompense of Reward But the Glory of the Gospel Covenant daâ—kens that as the rising of the Sun darkeneth the sparkling light of the