service in bearing the vessels of the Lord committed to them and they therefore should be clean which they cannot be unless they deny these worldly lusts Isa 52. 11 with ch 28. 8. This was a Complaint taken up and uttered forth against the leaders of the people in former times The Priest amd the Prophet have erred through Strong Drink they are swallowed up of Wine they are out of the way through Strong Drink c. Isa 28. 7. They are in their service brought higher unto the God of Israel than their Brethren And therefore he will most especially be sanctified in them And it greatly concerns them at all times to be temperate especially when they approach unto him lest through their insobriety they offer up strange fire instead of that of the Altar It may seem this evil of Intemperance was found with Nadab and Abihu and that it was the cause of their miscarriage Therefore for the future God gives a strict charge that those that come near to him should abstain from this occasion of evil For upon that occasion the Lord spake to Aaron and said Do not drink wine nor strong drink thou nor thy Sons with thee when ye go into the Tabernacle of the Congregation lest ye dye It shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy and between unclean and clean in which Nadab and Abihu sailed See Levit. 10. 1-3-8-10 Ezek. 44. 21-23 This may and will cause men to follow their own Spirit and to speak things to God which they ought not They are to be Gods mouth to the people in some sort and are to speak his words and make known and open his Doctrine to them And therefore it behoves them greatly to take heed and beware that they be not overcome of Wine that they may teach his Israel the Statutes of the Lord Levit. 10. 8-11 For by the excess of wine they will err in vision and stumble in judgment Isa 28. 7. They are to watch for the Souls of those which are committed to their charge their work is to be watch-men But alas how greatly will this Intemperance unfit them for it and dispose them to slothfulness and sleepiness This will unfil them for the service they are appointed to and faithfulness expected from them 1 Thes 5. 6-8 It will make them blind ignorant foolish-ones and render them altogether unmeet for the work of watch-men hence it is said His watch-men are blind they are all ignorant they are all dumb dogs they cannot bark sleeping lying down loving to slumber Come ye say they I will fetch wine and we will fill our selves with strong drink and to morrow shall be as this day and much more abundant Isa 56. 9-12 They should be reprovers of others and should admonish and warn them of every path of the Destroyer 2 Tim. 4. 2. Ezek. 3. 17-26 But if they themselves be guilty of Drunkenness how should they warn others of Intemperance or reprove them for it Thou that sayest another should not be Drunk or commit Fornication art thou thy self Intemperate and unclean Thou that teachest another teachest thou not thy self Ram. 2. 19-24 They should give themselves to reading the Scriptures of truth to Exhortation and Doctrine and to that end redeem the time that their profiting may appear to all 1 Tim. 4. 13-16 2 Tim. 4. 2. But alas How will this Swinish Iniquity unfit men for this and hinder them from exercising themselves to what is good and profitable to themselves and their Brethren And do not such sometimes complain they are so straitned by reason of their callings and imployments that they cannot be so oft with their Brethren as they would be when yet the same persons can too frequently find time to distemper themselves and abuse the good Creatures of God And thereby cause others to abhor the Ordinances and Appointments of the Lord Yea therefore as we have said God makes them base and contemptible before all the people And they are justly taken up in the lips of talkers Oh how provoking an Iniquity is this in such as these are And unto such the Lord also may speak and say What hast thou to do to declare my Statutes or that thou shouldest take my Covenant in thy mouth seeing thou hatest instruction and castest my words behind thee Psal 50. 16-20-22 And indeed the provokingness of this Iniquity in them is signified in Gods severity against them If that servant say in his heart my Lord delayeth his coming and shall begin to beat the men-servants and the maidens and to eat and drink with the drmnken or to be drunken The Lord of that Servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him and in an hour that he is not aware of and shall cut him in sunder and appoint him his portion with the Hypocrites and unbelievers there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth And that Servant which knew his Lords will and prepared not neither did according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes For unto whomsoever much is given of him shall much be required And to whom men have committed much of him they will ask the more Matth. 24. 48-51 and Luke 12. 45-48 Oh consider this ye that forget God and his Law Prov. 31. 5. lest he tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver Lest now spending your time in mirth and jollity and in the abuse of the good Creatures of God you hereafter howl for a drop of water to cool your tongues being tormented in that flame when you come to drink of the Wrath of the Almighty Job 21. 12-20 Luke 16. 19-24 You should especially have your conversation in Heaven and be minding the things above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God And if you should mind these earthly things and so dwell in your hearts and affections upon the earth how can you escape the snare which will come upon all the inhabitants of the earth Therefore take heed to your selves saith our Saviour to his Disciples and Apostles lest at any time your hearts be over-charged with surfeiting and drunkenness and cares of this life whereto Intemperance will necessarily lead you and so that day come upon you unawares for as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth as riotous persons and Drunkards do Watch ye therefore and pray alwayes c. Luke 21. 34 35 36. III. Considering the time when this dehortation and admonition was given to these Believers we may learn somewhat from thence which may be instructive to us from this circumstance And so as we may see it was given unto them When the dayes were evil Eph. 5. 16. Now they may be said to be evil in a double consideration whereto we shall here briefly speak and so note something for our learning As to say 1. The dayes or time may be said to be evil
of Wounds as appears Luk. 10. 34 So it is certainly true concerning this Spiritual Wine It is proper to wash us from all our pollution and defilements and to cleanse and heal the Spiritual Maladies of our Souls This is therefore called frequently the Holy Spirit not only to denote that he is so in himself but in his work also to sanctify us by bearing witness of and sprinkling and applying the Blood of the true Vine even of Christ unto us Hence the Apostle declaring what filthy and poluted creatures some of the Corinthians were he saith They were washed and sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God 1 Cor. 6. 9-11 And the Lord doth wash away the filth of the daughters of Zion and purge the blood of Jerusalem by the Spirit of judgment and by the Spirit of burning so that he that is left in Zion and he that remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called holy Isa 4. 3 4. And the Baptist doth declare unto us that this is the work of Jesus Christ to Baptize and wash men with the Holy Spirit Mar 1. 8. And the sanctifying men separating them from their polutions and dedicating them unto God is attributed to the Spirit as his proper work 2 Thes 2. 13. 1 Pet. 1. 1 2. And so also in and by the Gospel of Christ which is called Spirit as we have seen Christ doth give us an escape from the pollutions of the world And it is the power of God to salvation to every one that believeth even to save them from their sins Rom. 1. 16. Now are ye clean saith our Saviour through the word that I have spoken unto you Joh. 15. 1-3 And hereby may a young man who is most apt and inclinable to pollution cleanse his way his works walkings and garments Psal 119. 9 And they that are undefiled and sincere in the way who walk in the Law of the Lord they also do no iniquity Psal 119. 1-3 with Gal. 5. 16 17. Oh! this is Wine indeed to cleanse and rinse us from whatsoever is polluting and defiling to us to wash our Garments and make them white and therefore those who live in the Spirit are instructed to walk in it also whereby they shall be enabled to mortify the deeds of the body and as he who hath called them is holy so also to be holy in all manner of conversation Gal. 5. 25. Rom. 8. 13. 3. Wine moderately taken is proper to quench the thirst and so to allay and remove the torment and affliction thereby caused unto a man which is very great so as it causes their tongues to fail and cleave to the roof of their mouths Isa 41. 17. Lam. 4. 4. Thirst causes the youngest and strongest to faint Amos 8. 13. And even to die Exod. 17. 3. Judg. 15. 8. But now Wine is proper to asswage and quench it Hence it is given as one Branch of the description of Covetous worldly men that have no power to enjoy what God gives them they tread their Wine-presses and suffer thirst Intimating they refrain from and deny themselves that which would quench their thirst Job 24. 11. And the thirsty person is invited to buy Wine to quench his thirst and satisfy him Isa 55. 1 2. So we may say of the Spirit it is Wine in a most eminent consideration in this respect viz. to quench the thirst of the Soul and Spirit which no other Drink or Wine will do all other things are such as will not satisfy but herewith our Souls may delight themselves and be abundantly satisfied even every or any poor thirsty Soul Isa 55. 1 2 3. Hence our Saviour in the last day the great day of the Feast of Tabernacles stood and cried saying If any man thirst which he might do notwithstanding that Feast let him come unto me and drink But this spake he of the Spirit which they that believe on him should receive c. Joh. 7. 37-39 And indeed such is the excellency of this Heavenly and Spiritual Wine that it doth not simply quench the thirst of the Soul but so abundantly satisfy it as that in continually drinking in hereof a man shall be preserved from thirsting after any other Wine and he that cometh unto Christ continually unto whom God hath not given the Spirit by measure shall never thirst Joh. 6. 35. This will take off his desire and appetite from all stolen-waters of Wine of violence from lusting after such things as our natural Spirit is thirsting for As our Saviour saith in another Metaphor Whosoever drinketh of any other water shall thirst again But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him of this Aquavitoe this blessed Spirit Isa 44. 3. shall never thirst to wit after any other kind or number of Drink But the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of living water springing up to everlasting life Joh. 4. 10-13 14. Such shall be inebriated and fully satisfied with the fatness of his house and he will make them drink of the River of his pleasures for with him is the Fountain of life Psal 36. 7-9 Oh! Such a Feast hath God prepared for us in Christ such Wines on the Lees well refined whereto this Holy Spirit is directing us and which it is bringing nigh unto us in the Gospel that were we feeding on and drinking in hereof our Souls would be so contented and satisfied as that all excess in natural Wine or Strong Drink would be bitter to us and we should loath and not lust after perishing deceitful things which cannot profit nor satisfy us because they are vain In Christ whom this Holy Spirit glorifies and of whose things he receives and shews unto us it hath pleased the Father that all fulness should dwell and therefore there is an emptiness in all other things And in drinking in of this Spirit we should be helped to see and say and set our Seals to the truth of that saying of the Wisdom of God by the wisest of meer men Vanity of vanities vanity of vanities all is vanity and vexation of Spirit Eccles 1. 2. and 2. 1 II Colos 1. 19. 4. Because as Wine doth make one forget ones poverty and remember their misery no more Prov. 31. 7 and doth comfort chear and make merry the heart of man Judg. 9. 13. Plal. 104. 15. Eccles 10. 19. So eminently the Spirit is Wine indeed and answers to though it inconceivably excels all other Wine It is proper to heal the broken-hearted and bind up all their griefs and to comfort all that mourn and doth comfort them that drink it in with everlasting Consolations It gives unto them beauty for ashes the Oyl of joy for mourning the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness Isa 61. 1-3 Luk. 4. 18. Hence the Holy Spirit is called the Comforter because it is his work and office to comfort in all tribulations and trials and to make the
especially in any large measure will enflame the natural heart with love and lustings towards the proper object thereof And therefore David that he might cover his great evil and iniquity made Uriah to eat and drink yea he made him drunk As knowing this was the way to cause him to go down to his Wife and lye with her and though David's policy herein failed him yet therein is signified that this was a proper means to bring to pass his evil and naughty intendment 2 Sam. 11. 11-13 So we may say this Spirit is by way of eminency Wine that wherewith being filled we shall be enflamed with heavenly and Divine Love Hence this Spirit is called the Spirit of Love 2 Tim. 1. 7 and the Love effected in the Believers is called their love in the Spirit Colos 1. 8 and to move the Believers to walk in the Spirit the Apostle tells them The fruit of the Spirit is love This is that which the Holy Spirit doth produce in them in whom it is and abides Gal. 5. 16-22 And so this Spirit doth enflame the heart with love to Jesus Christ and God in him It doth discover make known and shed abroad the love of God in the heart of the Believer even that love that while we were yet without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly the Spirit causes to appear the kindness and love of God to man ward in sending his Son the Saviour of the world and of Christ in laying down his life for us and tasting death by the grace of God for every man That this love being seen known and believed by us we might love him who hath so testified love to us with all our hearts and hereby is their love made perfect who know and believe it and that God is love so as they love him because he first loved them Rom. 5. 5-8 Tit. 3. 4 5. 1 Joh. 4. 13-16 17-19 Hereby he makes them sick of love and helps them to cleave to him in love with full purpose of heart Cant. 2. 3 4 5. And in discovering of the excellency and comeliness of Christ of the plenteousness of Redemption in him by his blood even the forgiveness of our sins of the everlasting righteousness brought in by and treasured up in him of the treasures of wisdom and knowledg hid in him of that eternal life given us in him and all things pertaining to life and godliness of the favour of his good ointments wherewith he is anointed as the great Apostle and High-Priest yea of his compleat perfect and universal loveliness hereby the Spirit renders him as an object worthy to be delighted in by the Soul And therefore do the virgins love him He is the He whom their Souls love Cant. 1. 3 4. and 5. 8-16 And this Love is such as is clean and leads to the abhorring all that is evil even whatsoever is forbidden by the Lord and discovered by the light the Spirit in the Testimony to be displeasing and offensive to the beloved Hence whereas God in giving forth his Law at first saith Thou shalt have no other gods before me Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven Image c. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy c. all is summed up in this short saying elsewhere Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and soul and mind and strength Exod. 20. 3-11 with Deut. 6. 4 5. Matth. 22. 36 37. To signify that the love of the Spirit is such as is exercised in abstaining from and denying all ungodliness and in cleaving unto and following whatsoever is well-pleasing in the sight of the Lord and this Spirit is also purifying the heart from all unclean and filthy love in obeying the truth unto the unfeigned love of the Brethren that they might love one another with a pure heart fervently 1 Pet. 1. 22. 1 Joh. 3. 16-18 And this Love thus begotten even by the Spirit in commending Gods love in Christ worketh no ill to ones neighbour and so preserves from Murder Uncleanness Thest bearing False-witness Covetousness Rioting and Drunkenness or any other thing that is contrary to sound Doctrine Rom. 13. 8-13 And also this Spirit in discovering the greatness and extensiveness of the Love of Christ to wit that this One died for all constrains the Believers thereof to love all men even their enemies also Mat. 5. 44 45. 2 Cor. 5. 14 15. 8. Wine is proper to make men free to speak it causes them to be talkative to open their mouths freely in discoursing or speaking about any matter or business So Elihu saith Behold my belly is as Wine which hath no vent it is ready to burst like new bottles I will speak that I may be refreshed I will open my lips and answer And that which made him so free to speak was this Spiritual Wine we are speaking of He was full of matter and the Spirit within him did constrain him Job 32. 17-20 And thus it was with the Apostles and the residue of the Believers when the Holy Spirit was poured down from on high upon them They were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak c. They did freely declare the wonderful works of God And though some foolish ones mocking said These men are full of new wine because they were so free in speaking yet as Peter saith These were not drunken with Wine as they supposed But this was that which was spoken by the Prophet Joel It shall come to pass in the last dayes saith God I will pour out of my Spirit c. Act. 2. 1-4-11-13-17 18. This Spirit will apt and enable us to speak not as men filled with Wine do to wit vain and unprofitable things But it will help us to speak unto God and to pray unto him in Christs name for what we want And to give thanks unto him alwayes for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ Eph. 5. 18-20 The Spirit in opening the things of Christ unto us helpeth our Infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought But the Spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit because he maketh intercession according to God Rom. 8. 26 27. And this Spirit will apt and incline us to be speaking unto our selves in Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual songs Eph. 5. 18 19. To be teaching and admonishing one another Col. 3. 16. And to speak unto others even all men or any man we have opportunity to converse with that will hear To speak unto them and make mention of the sufferings of Christ and what he hath thereby done and obtained into himself for every poor sinful creature of mankind And the love of God manifested in Christ to man-ward And in all to make mention of Gods righteousness even of his
and not sin c. Eph. 4. 22-30 31. And when also they so drink in of this Wine as that they are filled with the fruit of the Spirit with love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance against which the Law is not The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth Gal. 5. 16-22 Eph. 5. 8 9. And have the righteousness of the Law fulfilling in them more and more Rom. 8. 3 4. And are seeking after and setting their affections upon things above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God having their conversation not on earth but in Heaven Col. 2. 12. and 3. 1-5 Philip. 3. 7-9-20 And when they are led by this Spirit and overcome thereby to speak unto and to be teaching and admonishing one another sounding forth Gods praises holding forth the word of life in word and conversation holding fast and holding forth the profession of their faith and hope without wavering without fear of men or their fear without fear of amazement speaking the word of Christ and walking in his way and as he hath left us an example with boldness and confidence and chearfully and confidently enduring whatever they may meet with and undergo taking joyfully the spoiling of their goods for Christ and his Gospel sake so as walking in the wisdom and humility of Christ not being moved by any thing they suffer nor counting their lives dear to themselves that they may finish their course with joy when they are so filled with Christ's Gospel as that it is a burning fire shut up in their bones and they are even constrained to speak what they have seen and heard Psal 39. 1-3 Jer. 20. 7-11 Act. 2. 11-13 The being filled with the Spirit is to be imboldned by it as Esth 7. 5. So of the Apostles and Believers it is said They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they spake the word of God with boldness And with great power gave the Apostles witness of the Resurection of the Lord Jesus c. Act. 4. 30 31 32. and vers 20. Mic. 3. 8. To which we shall not enlarge any further because we have spoken so largely in shewing the answerableness of the Spirit unto Wine before nor indeed am I in a meet capacity to speak any thing hereabout because I am not filled therewith my self and therefore do but darken Counsel by words without knowledg IV. We come in the last place briefly to note some Instructions from this Exhortation of the Apostle Be ye filled with the Spirit Namely I. That even the Believeres themselves which have received the Holy Spirit and have been sealed therewith unto the day of Redemption may not be filled or so filled with the Holy Spirit as God would have them to be as is before signified in what we have said These were Believers and had received this good Spirit in some measure and yet they are instructed and exhorted to be filled therewith and made more spiritual thereby The Believing Corinthians were Baptized into one body and made to drink into one Spirit and yet they were not filled with the Spirit For the Apostle could not speak unto them as unto spiritual ones but as carnal as unto Babes in Christ 1 Cor. 12. 13. with chap. 3. 1-3 The Believing Hebrews though in receiving the word of Christ they received his Spirit yet alas they still needed to be taught which were the first principles of the Oracles of God and were become such as had need of Milk and not of strong meat Through their dulness of hearing and slowness of heart to believe the first and great things of Gods Law the word of the begining of Christ the Apostle knew not well how to speak unto them of the High-Priesthood of Christ his Sacrifice which he had offered his Mediation in the Heavens and Advocation for Believers his coming again with the high acts and works of faith c. Heb. 5. 10-14 and 6. 1 2 c. The Thessalonian-Believers though they received the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Spirit yet there were wants found in their Faith and therefore the Apostle did pray night and day exceedingly that he migh see their face and might perfect that which was lacking in their faith 1 Thes 1. 2-6-10 and 2. 13. and 3. 10. There may be much or somewhat lacking in them that have received this good Spirit as to their being filled therewith there may be somewhat wanting in their knowledg faith establishment rejoycing confidence consolation in Christ conformity unto Christ conversation c. They may be and some of them are but little children And others though they be young men yet still they may receive and dirnk in more and more of this Spirit in the Testimony of Christ yea and the fullest may yet be fuller while they are here in mortal bodies For they receive here but some First fruits of the Spirit Rom. 8. 23. And this Instruction may be of usefulness unto us 1. To warn and admonish us all to take heed and beware of high-mindedness and that we should not think of our selves more highly than we ought to think but to think soberly as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith Rom. 12. 2. 3. A sad and dangerous thing it is for us all to think and say We are rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing This is the high-way so to provoke Christ as to cause him to spue us out of his mouth Rev. 3. 15-17 We have none of us yet attained nor are we already perfect as to attainment Philip. 3. 12 13. Alas how short are we in every thing We have cause continually to cry out and complain of and and bewail our leanness emptiness blindness instability in the faith inconformity to Christ Oh! be we not high-minded think we not more highly of our selves than is meet for that will hinder us from coming continually unto Christ who is the fountain of life and Spirit and all spiritual blessings 2. This instruction shews unto us and informs us that the receit of the Spirit is a gradual thing it is not wholly received at once But the Light and Spirit of Christ is received and shines more and more unto the perfect day Prov. 4. 18. They who have obtained like precious faith with the Apostles and know and are established in the word of truth the Gospel of our salvation may grow in grace and in the knowledg of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 1. 1-12 with chap. 3. 18. They who are in Christ go from strength to strength from one degree to another until every one of them appear before God in Zion Psal 84. 4-7 3. This Instruction may teach us that we should not conclude concerning any that they have not the Spirit of Christ because they are not so filled therewith as they should be for the former may be where the latter is wanting as we have