in prayer makes men utterly to seeke in prayer when theiâ— necessities are most urgent Many aâ— their death beds and upon other urgent occasions would faine pray and alas when they try to drive they drawâ— heavily they want Charriot wheeles they never wheeled their Charriots nor oyled their Charriots As therefore men would keepe up a Spirit of prayer so let them be often and frequent in the exercise of it 4. Fourthly in the ability and power of giving God obedience The more we obey God the more able we shall bee to obey God our ability to obedience is from the spirit Eze. 36. I will put my Spirit into you and cause you to walke in my Statutes When a man hath got some ability to walke in Gods Statutes his care should be to maintaine and increase that ability The way to doe that is to set our ability on worke and to exercise it That will both keepe and increase in us a spirit of obedience Psal 119.55 56. I have kept thy Law How came he by this ability This I had because I kept thy precepts A strange reason one would thinke I kept it because I kept it And yet a true reason for every new act of obedience fits for a following act and the use of spirituall strength increases spirituall strength Rom. 6.19 As in sinne so in grace Mar. 4.24 Certainely the not exercising and putting forth of our ability and power of obedience quenches the power we had and so enfeebles it that when we would at another time doe it we cannot Samson when his lockes were cut off thought he would goe out and doe as at other times but the Spirit was quenched and the Lord was departed from him and therefore he could not doe as he had done at other times So when God calls us to doe duties of obedience and hath given us his Spirit and some ability from it to doe such duties as we have formerly done and when God calls us to it we will not put forth our ability hee hath given us then wee quench his Spirit and when at another time we thinke to doe such duties we cannot doe them because by not exercising our ability we lose our ability I kept not thy precepts This J had because I kept not thy precepts 3. Third meanes to kindle and keep from quenching is the use of those holy ordinances that God hath appointed for this end They are these Hearing the word a speciall meanes to keepe the spirit froÌ„ dying 1. First Hearing the Word and attendance upon the Ministry thereof They that would keepe alive and increase the fire of the Spirit must waite upon the Ministry of the Word The Ministry of the Word is fire fuell and bellowes and all It is fire Jer. 23. Is not my word as a fire As the Spirit is fire so the Word is fire and one fire kindles another Pro. 26.21 As coales are to burning coales c. so the Word is coales to burning coales these laid together make the fire greater And the fire of the Word kindles the fire of the Spirit in our hearts and when it is kindled kindles it more and makes it flame the more Did not our hearts burne within us Luc. 24. There was a fire kindled and burning in their hearts I but how came it to kindle and when did it burne Did not our hearts burn within us whilest he opened the scriptures unto us He kindled that fire in their hearts by the preaching of the Word As Ieremy speakes of the Word in another case Ier. 20.9 His Word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones So it is true of the Word preached in the hearts of the godly it is a burning fire in their hearts that kindles in them the fire of the Spirit There is no grace of God that is not wrought and increased in the hearts of Gods people by the Ministery of the Word The Holy Ghost falles downe from heaven upon men in the Ministry of the word Acts 10.44 It is said of the Manna Numbers 11.9 that it fell with the dew in the night My doctrine saies Moses shall drop as the raine and my speech distill as the dew The Ministry of the word is a dew that distills from heaven Now in the dew of the word and with it this Manna Christ and his Spirit falls downe from heaven according to that 1 Pet. 1.22 by them that preached the Gospell unto you with the Holy Ghost sent downe from heaven See then that Manna came downe from heaven in the dewes of the Ministry of the Gospel So much doth Pauls question to the Galathians implie Gal. 3.2 This onely would I learne of you Received ye the Spirit by the workes of the Law or by the hearing of faith therefore by hearing the doctrine of faith preached in the Gospel the spirit is received not onely for the beginning but for the increase and continuance of it The Ministry of the word that is the fire that kindles this fire in our hearts It is also the fewell that feedes this fire The Lamps of the Temple must burne alwaies Exod. 27.20 But then there must be somewhat to feede and maintaine it burning therefore see what is commanded Command the children of Israel to bring their pure oyle olive to cause the Lampe to burne alwaies There must bee oyle to feede the fire and to cause it to burne The word is the oyle olive that causes the Lampe of the Spirit to burne alwaies that feedes and maintaines it that it quench not The fire upon the Altar must ever burne and not bee put out Levit. 6.12 13. but verse 12. middle And the Priest shall burne wood on it every morning There must bee a care had that there should bee fuell to keepe the fire burning Prov. 29.26 where no wood is though there be no water the fire goes out but verse 21. wood kindles fire As coales are to burning coales â—nd wood to fire so is a contentious man to kindle strife so is the word to â—indle the spirit and to keepe it from Quenching The word is the wood and the fuell that keepes the Spirit from quenching Therefore marke here the Apostle having said quench not the spirit they might happily aske what must wee doe that wee may not quench the Spirit see what the next words are Despise not prophecying the preaching of the word as if he should say the way not to quench the spirit but to kindle it and to keepe it alive in you is to make much of and to attend upon the Ministy of the word If once you despise and sligt that ye wil quickly quench the Spirit And to the same purpose is that Isa 30.20 31. Thine eyes shall see thy teachers and thine eares shall heare a voyce behind thee saying c. The way then to have our eares open to heare the words behinde us is to have our eyes open to see our teachers before us If
moves and excites thee to Doe as thâ— at Bethesda they not onely watchâ— when the Angel moved but every oâ— laboured to step in and step in preseâ—â— â—y into the waters whilest the motiâ—n was on foot So soone as the Spirit â—trikes these sparkes into our hearts to â—ave our hearts as tinder to catch those â—parkes and to have them take fire in â—ur hearts Sparkes smitten into tinâ—er the tinder takes fire and by it a â—andle is lighted and so a greater fire A little spark that lyes in the ashes if it â—e let alone it soone dies and goes out â—ut if other small coales or small sticks â—e layed to it and it be gently and softâ—y blown it at length will kindle to a â—reat fire So deale with the motions of the spirit suffer them not to dye in â—he ashes but foster and cherish them till by little and little they grow from â—otions to actions and from many Actions to an Habit. The motions of â—he spirit are the knocking 's and rappings at the doore of the heart I stand at the doore and rap Now when one â—aps at the doore wee doe not onely take notice that one knockes but wee command the doore to be opened we are angry with our servants if they goe not presently and open the doore So that is it wee should doe when tâ—â— spirit knockes suffer him not to staâ— knocking too long but make haste open the doore and give him eâ—trance The motions of the spirit are tâ— strivings of the spirit Gen. 6. My sâ—â—rit shall no longer strive with man 〈◊〉 strives in them to bring us to soâ— good or to know some evill Nâ— when wee finde him striving with we should not strive against those mâ—tions we should strive with our selâ— to let the spirit of God overcome in his strivings We should close wâ— him and doe what hee calles for aâ— second his counsells by our obeâ—â—ence Wee see Marriners at sea if tâ—â— wind serves not how they are lookiâ—â— at their top saile to see and watâ— when the winde turnes and blowes fâ—â— them And when the winde blowâ— from the point they desire they prâ—sently take notice of it Now say thâ— the winde blowes faire but yet that not all so soone as they see they haâ— a faire gaile of winde they presentâ—â— get every man to his tackling and as fast as they can hoyse up their sayles So when the Spirit blowes in the motions of it we should not onely take notice of the blasts and faire gailes but presently hoyse up sayle set upon that thing the motion calls for Doe as God commands David 1 Chron. 14 15. The motions of the Spirit are the sound of his goings the footsteps of his anointed Psal 89. verse 51. The motions of the Spirit sometimes are for direction Isa 30.20 The Spirit sollicites a man to beleeve to repent to pray to good duties this is a good duty doe it Sometimes they are for correction and reproofe Jon. 4. Then said the Lord Doest thou well to be angry Doest thou well to sweare Doest thou well to break the Sabbath Doest thou well to neglect prayer in thy family c. Now then where motions are for direction take that good way they point to wheÌ„ they are for correction avoid that evill way they plucke from thus hearken to them and this will kindle and keep alive the Spirit in thine heart If I see a man will follow my counsels and reproofes I will follow him with counsels and reproofes still he encourages me to be forward to doe him that good office So here follow the motions of the Spirit and the Spirit will delight to follow thee with good motions still I stand at the doore and knocke if any will open What then I will come in to him and sup with him and he with me As if he should say if any will hearken to these motions of the Spirit he shall have the sweet worke and the sweet consolations of the Spirit in him the Spirit shall come in shall cheere and refresh him He that will make much of these sparkes shall have a comfortable fire kindled at which hee shall warme and comfortably refresh himselfe See how the cherishing of the motious of the Spirit keepes it from quenching and causes it to flame and burne But on the contrary when a man neglects the knockes of the Spirit and yeelds not obedience to them opens not the doore that causes a sad quenching of the Spirit See an example Cant. 5.2 It is the voyce of my Beloved that knocks saying open to mee my sister There be the motions of the spirit of Christ And she takes notice of them therein she did aright It is the voyce of my beloved that knocks But she failed in the second thing she doth not arise presently and open but shee shuckes and shuffles vers 3. and hath her put offs I have put off my coat c. Well what is the issue vers 5. she arose to open to her beloved after her heart smote her for not opening before I but it was too late for vers 6. See how for want of obedience to the motions of the spirit she quenched the coÌ„forts and joy of the spirit Therefore take heed of this How to save the Spirit froÌ„ quenching if we would save the spirit from quenching Have a care of these two things The neglect of these will quench the Spirit It is with the Spirit of God as with the Spirit of Satan It should be our care and endeavour to quench the spirit of the Divell Ephes 6.16 Wherewith ye shall be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked The darts of the Divell are fiery ones we must looke to quench them Now how may one quench the fiery darts of Satan The onely way to quench them is to quench them in the first motions when the first motions come minde them not dis-regard them slight them yeeld no obedience to them and then that fire of Hell will goe out and dye Just so is the spirit of grace also quenched Therefore the way to keepe it from quenching is to cherish it in the first motions 2. Second meanes to kindle and keepe alive this fire and to keepe it from quenching is to keep the graces and gifts of the spirit in action and exercise The gifts and graces of the spirit kept in action and exercise kindles and increases the fire of the spirit in us it so keepes the flame from quenching that it increases and blowes it up It is as with our naturall spirits when a man sits still and stirres not walkes not workes not is not in action his naturall spirits dampe and hee growes lumpish and livelesse But let a man in such a case be in action be in exercise let him walke or worke and that raises and recovers and increases his spirits in him So in this case the setting grace on worke the exercising of it doth so keepe it from
therefore from the dread and apprehension of Gods anger and displeasure the onely thing that can ease the conscience is the hope and sense of Gods favour let but God give a man a good looke but smile lovingly upon him and that favor of God eases the conscience of all trouble Prov. 16.14 15. The wrath of a King is as the messengers of death so Gods wrath much more and when messengers of death come how is a mans heart troubled and disquieted But a wise man will pacifie it And what if it be pacified Then in the light of the Kings countenance is life So when God lifts up the light of his countenance then there is life and then the conscience is full of peace and ease I but when is it that the light and Sun-shine of Gods face breakes out thus That is done in the pardon of sinne When sinne is pardoned then comes peace and comfort Matth. 9. Be of good comfort thy sinnes are forgiven thee That is the onely thing that can comfort the conscience and ease it because that is an infallible evidence of Gods favour Pardon of sinne never comes but out of love and favour Outward mercies a man may receive from an angry God but pardon of sinne never comes but from favour and love And therefore pardon of sinne being the evidence of a God reconciled shewing a man the light of Gods countenance is the onely thing that can ease the trouble of conscience Thirdly sinnes are debts And a man that is in his guilt is in his debt and so in danger before God Now a man that is deepely in debt cannot be without much trouble of heart It may be he may make a shift and set a face upon it before men I but yet the thoughts of his debts give him many a secret nip many a close pinch He may set up an high sayle and brave it out in apparell but yet for all this his debts vex him and many a night hee takes but little rest because still the thoughts of his debts trouble him Now when a man is in this trouble of heart and disquiet of spirit with his debts there is no way for a man to have his heart eased but either to get his debts paid or to get his debts pardoned And if they be such as hee is never able to pay then no way to ease him of his cares and feares but to have his debts pardoned Now a sinner is in debt to God and when conscience is troubled about these debts what ever face a man may set upon it yet his heart will be miserably troubled about his debts hee will live in a continuall feare of being arrested by Gods anger of being drag'd by the throat to hell For such debts they are as a man can never pay Luc. 7. Two debtors that had nothing to pay So therefore there is no other way to give a mans conscience ease but by the pardon of his sinnes because that is the pardoning of his debts Therefore pardon of sinne is called blotting out iniquity Psal 51. It is the drawing crosse lines over all our debts it is the blurring out all our sinnes in Gods debt-booke Pardon of debts is the onely way to ease a disquieted debtor pardon of sinne is the pardon of debts and therefore the onely way to ease our consciences To teach us in trouble of Conscience and under the smitings of heart what course to take for ease and peace viz. to make out presently as David does for pardon of sin make hast to God and sue for pardon and give God and thy selfe no rest till thou hast got thy pardon If thine heart smite thee and thy conscience pinch thee fall presently to this course I beseech thee O Lord take away the iniquitie of thy servant As Solomon speakes in the case of suretieship Prov. 6.1 5. So doe thou If thou hast sinned and thy conscience have stricken thee with the hand doe this now my son and deliver thy selfe from the painful and smarting buffetings of thy conscience So humble thy selfe and make sure thy friend see and humble thy selfe by confession and by begging and getting thy pardon make God thy friend and make him thy sure friend and do this quickly as verse 4 5. This is the onely way to get ease this is the only way to get rest in thy bones It is strange how men in paine of Conscience will sharke for ease and try all conclusions before they will take the right course to come and sue to God for ease by pardon The Prodigall was in want Luke 15. why doth hee not so soone as he is pincht goe to his Father no hee will try other conclusions first Hee joynes to a citizen it may bee he may finde helpe that way Hee will keepe swine it may be he may fil his belly with the huskes But when he hath done all that will give him no ease hee must come to this at last I will goe to my Father I will goe beg mercy And he never finds ease till he be in his fathers Armes in his Fathers house till his Father kisses him and cloathes him So men in trouble of conscience are loth to make out to Gods pardoning mercy Some will try what company will doe some will try what pleasures will doe it may bee they may drinke away their trouble and drowne it that way it may bee they card and dice it away it may be they may it may bee they may hauke and hunt it away it may be superstitious penance a pilgrimage a Popes pardon will doe the deede it may be multitude and variety of imploymēt may take off the heart so that it shal not beat leasure to trouble them with accusations and torments How vaine are all these This is nothing but arrand sharking All such courses will not doe It is in that case as in that Hos 5.13 When Ephraim saw his sicknesse and Juda saw his wound then went Ephraim to the Assyrian and sent to King Jareb yet could hee not heale you not cure you of your wound So when men see their spirituall sicknesse and feele the wounds of conscience the smart and the anguish of them then go they to this shift and that to this sharking course and that they go to their merriments companions sports plaies imployments superstitions and yet can they not heale them nor cure them of their wounds their wounds bleed still smart still their consciences throb with anguish still and for all this as with them there vers 14. Conscience is as a Lion unto them and roares and teares still Men must come to God for pardon at last if they wil have ease And were not a man as good come at first and save so much lost labour Had not the Prodigall as good have come to his father at first as to goe the furthest away about Sin leaves a sting in the conscience When a man is stung with an Hornet it afflicts the place
here to be defective J shall desire your honour to understand that though the author had otherwise finished this worke yet this accomplishment as a thing lesse necessary he did procrastinate and so by immature death was of his purpose herein frustrate I know that to your Ladiship or any other iudicious reader it will be neverthelesse welcome because it wants this lace Who that is wise would refuse to see his face in a glasse because the verges are not guilded or the sides painted The arguments that induced mee to make that publike which I might have ingrossed for mine owne private good whether they are more or more perswasive I know not The intention of the authour and the necessity of the duties herein handled gave me not only a toleration but a command to print it it treates of the purchase of the most precious commodity the truth Of the Digestion of the most salubrious foode the word Of the suite for the most soveraigne balme pardon of sin And lastly of not quenching the spirit and if it be the duty of every man to cherish this holy flame in his owne soule for mee not to kindle it in others as farre as in me lay I held it piacular Jt is true indeede Philosophy tells us that elementary fire needs no fewell but that culinary doth experience informeth us The spirit of God consider it in it selfe is so far from needing any helpes to cherish the heate thereof that it is the originall of all both health and life in the soule but consider it as it worketh in the frigid soule of corrupted man So though the spirit of God neede no auxiliary excitations yet our deadnesse and coldnesse doth which considerations with a kinde of command enforced mee to bring this worke to the presse beeing nothing else but the fiery language of those Cloven Tongues which did rest on the head of that apostolicall divine the authour hereof which I hope being perused will cause your Ladiship to say it had beene pitty at the least if not impiety to have deprived the altars of so many Christian hearts of this sacred fewell Many other inducements J had to publish these Treatises and among many this not the least to testifie my readinesse to acknowledge your Honours noble love and favours to my selfe that J might not be of the ungratefull number of those that Seneca Quidam furtiué gratias agunt in angulo in aurem non est ista verecundia sed inficiandi genus Sen. de benef lib. 2. cap. 23. speakes of that love to conceale received benefits by private acknowledgements to acquit my selfe of which sinne I have thought fit to tell the world that I was never so sensible of my owne poverty as since your Honour brought me so farre in debt that when I thinke of repayment I finde a bottomlesse sea to fathom Madam with your leave J shall say to your Honour as Hanc unam habeo injuriam tuam effecisti ut viverem morerer ingratus Sen. de benef lib. 2. Cap. 21. Furnius to Augustus this is the onely wrong you have done me that I must live and die unthankefull and yet that my good will might bee seene I was glad to snatch this occasion to testifie both my thankes and duty to your Honour and since J finde not any thing to present unto you by way of retribution as Aeskines said to Socrates that one thing which I have I give you even my selfe to be your servant and sollicitour in the Court of Heaven not so much that I think my selfe worthy as bound to pray for your Honour and all your most noble Family that as God hath made you an exemplary peece of piety heere so hee would long and long continue you an encourager of Christianity a comfort of Christians a refresher of the members of Christ till the time of your refreshing shall come when triumph shall bee your recompence glory your reward Angels your company God your glory Which shall be the dayly prayer of your Honours humble and devoted servant DANIEL DIKE OF QVENCHING AND NOT QVENCHING OF THE SPIRIT By IER DYKE Minister of Epping in Essex REVEL 2.4 5. I have somewhat against thee because thou hast left thy first love Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen and repent and doe thy first workes Dicit Apostolus Spiritum nolite extinguere non quia ille extingui potest sed quantum in ipsis est extinctores merito dicuntur qui sic agunt ut extinctum velint August Epistol Lib. Epistol 23. Interea partes nostrae sunt petere a domino ut lampadi accensae oleum suppeditet servet purum Ellychnium atque etiam promoveat Calv. in Epistol Pauli ad Thess 1. LONDON Printed by Tho Paine for John Rothwell and are to be sold at the signe of the Sun in Pauls Church-yard 1640. OF QVENCHING AND NOT QVENCHING OF THE SPIRIT 1 THES 1.19 Quench not the Spirit IN the 16. Vers the Apostle had exhorted the Thessalonians to rejoyce evermore That is that they should carry themselves so holily circumspectly they should walke so closely with God that they might have continuall joy in the Holy Ghost from the sence of Gods love and favour For it is a sure thing that a Christian so demeaning himselfe as his rule guides him may live the most comfortable life of any man in the world He may keepe a continuall feast and a feast is made for laughter Eccl. 10. Dayes of feasting are dayes of joy and so a Christian may make all his dayes festivall and joyfull like the dayes of the Jewes Purim Ester 9. dayes of feasting and of joy If it be not so with a Christian it is most what his owne fault and comes from some fayling and miscarriage in himselfe that hee doth not that which he should to maintaine his heart in this happie frame The Apostle therefore having advised hereto he layes downe some rules and meanes in certaine precepts for the procuring and preserving of this spirituall joy 1. The First Precept vers 17. pray continually He that would rejoyce continually must pray continually he that would rejoyce evermore must pray evermore As is our conscience of and constancy in the duty of prayer such is the constancie of our joy Prayer neglected intermitted brings an Eclips an Intermission and Interruption of our joy Seldome praying and constant rejoycing will never stand together 2. The second Precept is this vers 18. In al things give thankes He that would rejoyce in all estates and conditions must be thankefull in all estates and conditions He that would rejoyce 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whether in every thing or in every time must be thankefull 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The more thankefull wee are to God the more cause of joy we shall have in God 3. The third Precept is this verse 19. Quench not the spirit He that would rejoyce evermore must keepe the spirit unquench'd The way to keep ones self warme
is to keepe the fire burning It is a fond thing for a man to quench his fire and then thinke to keepe himselfe still warme It is no wonder that this man complaines of cold that hath let his fire goe out or hath himselfe quench'd and extinguisht it And thus we have the coherence of these words with the former Now for the words Quench not the spirit In them there is a Metaphor and a Metonymie The metaphor in the word Quench Quenching properly is of fire when the light and heate of fire is abated and put out wee use to say it is quenched And hence is this word borrowed to signifie the abating decaying or extinguishing of the spirit The Metonymie is in the word Spirit Spirit is taken I. For the essence of the Deity So John 4. God is a Spirit It is not so taken here II. For the third person in the Trinity the Holy Ghost 1 John 5.7 The Father the Word and the holy Spirit This is not meant here III. For the gifts of the Spirit And thus it is here meant Quench not the gifts and graces of the Spirit Now the Spirit in this sense is taken diversly 1. First for the gift of Prophesie 1 Sam. 10.6.10 Then the Spirit of the Lord shall come upon thee And the spirit of the Lord came upon him viz. upon Saul 2. For Gifts and Abilities to discharge any calling whether it bee extraordinary or heroicall and this is called the Spirit of fortitude and courage Judg. 14.6 The spirit of the Lord came upon Sampson Judg. 3.10 Vpon Othniel and upon Saul against Nahash 1 Sam. 11.6 Or whether it bee ordinary gifts of government by which a man is fitted for Magistracy 1 Sam. 10.6 or for Ministeriall gifts Or for art and skill in any mechanicall trade Exod. 31.3 Bezaliel was filled with the Spirit of God to finde out curious workes to worke in gold 3. For the gifts and common graces of Illumination as knowledge of the doctrine of religion understanding of the truthes of the Gospel and other such common graces as Reprobates may have Thus it is taken Heb. 4.6 have tasted of the heavenly gift and made partakers of the holy Ghost That is if they had their understandings inlightned their judgemēts convinced of the Gospel if they were inlightned by the work of the Spirit of God 4. Fourthly It is taken for the graces of sanctification for the sanctifying gifts of the spirit And therefore it is that the name of the spirit is given to diverse graces as Isa 11.2 The spirit of meeknesse Ephes 1.17 The spirit of faith 1 Cor. 4.13 And the spirit of love 2 Tim. 1.17 that is the gift of meeknesse faith love infused by the Holy Ghost Now concerning these graces of sanctification we must remember two Distinctions Distinct 1. Some sanctifying graces are radicall originall fundamentall graces primary graces as they may be called which are the immediate worke of the spirit as faith hope love others are secondary graces issuing and flowing from these which though the Spirit workes too yet it workes by these such is joy which arises from faith Rom. 14. Fill your hearts with joy in all beleeving such is confidence arising from hope such is zeale and fervour of spirit arising from love These are as it were the lustre the shine the radiancy of the radicall fundamentall graces They are the flame of them There is a difference between the coales of fire that lye on the harth and the flame of the fire which is kindled from the coals on the harth When a mans faith causes joy then faith flames when his hope breedes confidence then hope flames and when a mans love makes him zealous then his love flames and burnes out They are like the body of the Sunne and the beames of the Sunne Faith Hope Love they the body Joy Confidence Zeale they the beames of the Sunne 2. Distinct Wee must consider in the sanctifying graces of the Spirit 3. things 1. There are the gifts themselves the habits infused the habits of faith hope and love 2. There is the use and exercise and act of them 3. There are the degrees and severall measures of them 4. The Spirit of God signifies the motions and holy suggestions of the spirit those gracious excitements to dutie The Spirit blowes where it listeth The motions of the spirit are the breathings and the blasts of it And this is also here meant Now seeing what Spirit signifies we are to inquire in what sense and after what sort the Spirit may be quenched Quenched it may be or else the counsell is in vaine not to quench it And againe if it may be quenched it may be an uncomfortable thing what comfort can a man have in having Gods Spirit if it may be lost what comfort to have this fire kindled in our hearts if so be it be a quenchable fire Therefore for the clearing of this point wee must know 1. First take the Spirit for the spirit of prophecie that may be quencht and lost and so for the gifts of government Ministery c. This Spirit may be quenched A man may have such gifts much decayed and abated yea a man may wholly lose such gifts As it is said of Saul that the spirit of the Lord came upon him so it is said of him that ihe Spirit of the Lord departed from him 1 Sam. 16.14 Secondly Take the Spirit for the gifts common graces of illumination and so the spirit may be quencht and utterly extinguished so as such may quite lose that grace that look'd like grace and came very neere a saving grace If they fall away Heb. 6. Therefore men may have all that there is spoken of which fall away Thirdly take the Spirit for the sanctifying Spirit and then make use of this first distinction And according to it the radicall and fundamentall graces of the spirit such as faith hope love cannot be wholly totally extinguished where once they are wrought in the heart but yet their lustre their radiancie their shine and flame may bee quenched A man though he cannot lose his faith yet he may lose and want and quench his joy A man though he cannot lose his hope yet may lose his comfort and confidence A man though he cannot lose his love yet may coole his zeale and fervour Wee see in a fire the wood may bee burnt out and so the flame abated and quite quenched but yet there remains still an heap of coales on the harth and there may be a good fire still though the flame be quenched The beames of the Sunne doe not alwayes shine out a cloud may be interposed that may intercept the beames of the Sun and the bright and comfortable radicie and splendour of them but yet the body of the Sunne is in heaven still though the beames be intercepted So joy confidence zeale may for a time be quenched lost abated but though the flame of these be downe and the
beames of these be hindred yet there are coales of fire in the heart and the body of these is there The flame of the spirit the feeling sense of it may be quenched for a time in the seconda-graces thereof but yet the spirit it selfe and the cardinall graces thereof remaine still in the heart It may bee in this as in that case Isa 6.13 As a Teyle Tree and as an Oake whose substance is in them when they cast their leaves An Oake may be greene and flourishing all the Summer but when Winter comes it casts and loseth the leaves but yet when the leaves are gone the life is not gone the substance and the sap is in it still though the leafe be gone Faith Hope Love these are the sap and substance of a Christian joy confidence zeale these are his leaves There may come a Winter when a Christian may cast his leaves may lose his joy c. but yet even then his substance and his sap of faith hope and love is in him It is one thing to lose life another thing to lose a leafe A Christian may be a Teyle Tree or an Oke without a leafe but not without life This we shall see plaine in Davids case Psal 51.11 12. Take not away thine holy spirit from me Restore to me the joy salvation It is cleer therefore that though David had the joy of the spirit quenched yet the spirit still unquenched The spirit quenched in regard of the joy of the flame but not quenched in regard of the fundamentall graces thereof not in regard of the fire of it The flame was downe but the fire was alive That the flame was quenched it appeares because he prayes Restore to me the joy of thy salvation as if he should say Lord kindle this flame againe therefore the flame was quencht But yet the spirit was not taken away in the fundamentall graces thereof for he saith Take not away thy spirit from me If that had beene taken away he would have said Restore to me thy spirit againe as he doth his joy which his sin had quencht but saying Take not away that argues that hee still had the spirit though the joy was gone He was still as an Oake which had cast her leafe he had his substance in him he had lost his leafe his joy was gone but hee had not lost his life Gods Spirit was still in him untaken from him Object But this may be a Doctrine of security what care I for quenching the flame so long as the fire goes not out what care I for my joy if I lose not my faith c. Answ This Doctrine is no ground at all for security For 1. it must be a mans care not onely to maintaine fire but to maintaine flame not only to have substance but to have his leafe greene The righteous must be a tree not only bringing forth fruit but a Tree also whose leafe must not wither Psal 1.3 2. There is little comfort in life when there wants a leafe little comfort in faith when by sinne we quench our joy A man when he is a colde takes no pleasure in a fire that burnes not flames not it does him no good to see the coales lye smothering under green wood Though a man have the radicall graces yet little comfort in them during the want of the other Because whilst these secondary grace are wanting it brings the conscience to question the presence and truth of the primary ones The want of the leafe makes the conscience question the life of grace If there were any comfort in such a case what needed David having the spirit beg to have his Joy restored And what makes afflicted consciences in time of tentation call into question the truth of their fundamentall graces but the want of their flame of their leafe So that this gives no way at all to carnall securitie 2. According to the second Distinction First there are the infused habits of Faith Hope Love these habits cannot be lost and so in regard of these habits the spirit cannot be quencht Secondly there is the act use and exercise of them In that regard the spirit may be quenched For though the habit of faith cannot be killed yet the act use and exercise of it may bee deaded so as it may not for the present act and worke and a man not use it A man in his drunkennesse loseth the use but not the faculty of Reason A man in his sleepe loseth the use but not the faculty of his sense Sinne and temptation may as much distemper the soule as Wine and strong drinke may doe the braine 3. For the measure and degree in that regard the spirit may be quencht A man may come to have a lesse degree of faith hope love a lesse degree of joy and zeale The degrees of these may be abated and yet the things themselves remaine Apoc. 2.4 It is laid to the charge of the Angel of Ephesus That he had lost his first love he sayes not he had lost his love or all his love but his first love that degree of love he had at first he had love still but it was not so fervent as before it was abated in the degree of it and so the spirit was quenched in degree So then looke upon the habits of grace and in regard of the habit there is no amission of grace Looke upon the act and in regard of the act there may bee an intermission of it Looke upon the degree and in regard of the degree there may be a remission A remission of degrees an intermission of acts but no utter amission of habits of fundamentall saving sanctifying grace And thus having opened and cleared the Text come wee now to some observations And here first begin with the metaphor Quench not the spirit And out of it learne The nature of the Spirit of God and spirit of grace That the spirit of God is of the nature of fire so much the word quench implyes for nothing is properly quenched but fire Quench not the spirit is as much as quench not the fire of the spirit The Spirit of God then is of the nature of fire Mat. 3.11 He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire that is with the Holy Spirit which is as fire Mar. 9.49 Every man shall be salted with fire what fire As the fire of afflictions and the the fire of the word so the fire of the spirit Act. 2.3 4. There appeared to them cloven tongues with fire and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost Sometimes the Spirit is compared to water Isa 44.3 And sometimes againe to fire As the Word of God is a fire Jer. 23. Is not my Word a fire so is his Spirit a fire Is not my Spirit a fire And the Spirit is compared to fire in these regards 1. First Fire it gives light And therefore in the want of the light of the Sunne we make use of fire
to afford us light for doing our workes The Sunne was not created till the fourth day and yet there was light all the three first dayes which some conceive to have beene from the element of fire under the sphere of the Moone which gave light unto the world So Exod. 13.21 They had a piller of fire by night to give them light Fire and light goe together So is it with the Spirit of God It is a Spirit of light Ephes 1.17 18. All spirituall illumination comes from this fire Gods Spirit is an inlightning spirit 1 Cor. 2.14 The naturall man perceiveth not the things of God neither can he because they be spiritually discerned viz. by the light of the Spirit which Spirit a naturall man wanting hee is in the darke for the want of light that should shew unto him divine truths The Spirit of God is fire that brings light with it wheresoever Gods Spirit comes there comes light 2. Secondly fire as it gives light so it also gives heate fire and heate are inseparable when our bodies are pinched with cold in the winter comming to the fire wee are warmed and heated fire warmes and heates that which is cold and by the heat of it thawes and melts that which is frozen Thus is it with the Spirit of God it is an heating warming Spirit it warmes and heates the affections our hearts that are frozen and cold in prayer hearing it heates and warmes them it melts and inlarges them It kindles both affections of love zeale Joy The Spirit of God will make a mans heart burne within in the hearing of the Word Luke 24. Did not our hearts burne within us when he opened the Scriptures It will make a mans heart glow and flame in prayer it will melt a mans heart and make it drop at a mans eyes as Ice thawes and drops against the fire 3. Thirdly Fire as it heates and warmes so it also burnes and consumes whatever combustible matter it lights and layes hold upon It feedes upon combustible matter and leaves not till it have brought it into ashes Prov. 30.16 Fire is one of the foure things that never sayes it is enough A little sparke of fire burnes downe and consumes whole houses and Townes It is ever in action and eating up and consuming what it lights upon So is it with the Spirit of God and the graces of it When the Spirit of God comes once into a mans heart looke what combustible matter it findes there it consumes and eates it up it will consume and burne up our lusts and corruptions It will doe with the body of sinne as the King of Moab did with the King of Edom Am. 2.1 He burnt the bones of the King of Edom into lyme as the Papists did with Gods servants in Queen Maries dayes burnes the body thereof into ashes It is like the fire that came downe from Heaven at the firâ— sacrifice in the Tabernacle that turne the sacrifices into ashes Like the firâ— that came downe upon Elias sacrifice it burnt not onely the Sacrifice bâ— licked up all the water in the ditch â—bout the Alter The Spirit of Goâ— when it is kindled in a mans heart makes sore worke amongst a mans coâ—ruptions It eates and lickes theâ— up strangely A man may see theâ— hath beene fire by the cinders anâ— ashes 4. Fourthly Fire is a purging pâ—rifying refining element It purgâ— water of the scum it separates drosseâ— baggage from the metals And as theâ— is a naturall purifying property in firâ— so there was a ceremoniall purificatioâ— by fire Numb 31.23 Thus is it witâ— the Spirit of Grace And that whicâ— is said of prayer is true of the Spiriâ— Malach. 3.2 3. For prayer purifies bâ— his spirit therefore faith is said to pâ—rifie the heart Act. 9. and hope is saiâ— to purge 1 John 3. Gods Spirit is purging purifying fire that fetcheâ— drosse and scum out of a mans soule The fire of the Spirit this is the true Purgatory fire and the Purgatory fire that every one must passe that ever meanes to come to heaven By all this may men try themselves whether they have the Spirit of God in them or not If any man have not the Spirit of prayer the same is none of his Rom. 8. Therefore it concernes us as much to know whether we have the Spirit as to know whether we be Christs If men have the spirit of grace in them their understandings are enlightned they have a piller of fire that lights them in their way to Canaan Is the spirit in them they have their hearts warmed and heated in holy duties of prayer c. inlarged hearts in ordinances They have their lusts consumed turned into ashes they have their scum and drosse of earthlinesse covetousnesse purged out If thus it is a signe of these effects of fire that they have the Spirit of God But these things shew that men are generally fleshly not having the Spirit Jude 19. If thou have Gods Spirit in thee hoâ— is it thou hast no more light of knowledge in thee Thou art in the dark therfore no fire in thee for then woulâ— there be light in thee How cold an formall and frozen is thine heart a Prayer Sermon Sacrament Certainely if there were fire in thee therâ— would be heate in thee also no heatâ— therefore no fire All thy lusts anâ— the body of sinne is untouch'd unhurâ— thy lusts as strong thy corruptions a potent as ever Alas it may be said oâ— thee as of the three children Dan. 3 when they came out of the fiery furnace not an haire of their head was singed not the smell of fire upon their garments Just so with thee Alas whaâ— dost thou talke of having the Spirit oâ— God in thee See Prov. 6.27 28 Can a man take fire in his bosome and hâ— clothes not be burnt Can one goe upoâ— hot coales and his feet not be burnt So in this case It were impossiblâ— but if this fire were in thee but thy corruptions should be burnt and consumed And what purity of heart oâ— life is wrought in thee The drosse and scum of thine oaths thy rotten speech is still in thy mouth the drosse of the world is still in thine hands By this it appeares that men doe but vainely boast of having the spirit of Grace in their hearts when they have neither light in their hands nor heat in their hearts nor mortification and holinesse in their lives Their fire is a fire without light blinde darke fire a fire without heat cold fire a fire that doth not burne that doth not flame It is but false fire it is but a painted fire It is a signe Gods Spirit and that fire from heaven is not come downe into their hearts Now to come to the maine point of the Text The lesson it teaches is that it must be the speciall care of a Christian that Gods Spirit and the graces thereof be not quenched nor damped in him The Spirit of
God is of a fiery nature and is as fire in a man Now a mans care must be to keepe this fire alwayes burning and flaming and to take heed that he doe nothing that may extinguish and put out either the flame or the fire either the light or the heat of it It is a rule in the exposition of the Commandements that alwayes the negative includes the contrary affirmative as when we are forbidden to kill wee are also by all meanes commanded to preserve our neighbors life So here when we are forbidden to quench the spirit we are not onely forbidden the quenching but we are commanded withall to kindle and keepe it alive to keepe it flaming and burning in us This negative comprehends that affirmative 2 Tim. 1.6 stirre up the grace of God in the. He puts him in minde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to blow up and to kindle and keepe alive the grace of God in him It must be with the Spirit of God and the fire of it as it was with the Lamps of the Sanctuary Ex. 27.20 they shall bring oyle for the light to cause the Lampe to burne alwayes It must alwayes be kept burning This fire must not sometime be burning and somtimes out but a mā must have a care to keep it burning alwayes See what the Canon was for the fire on the Alter Levit. 6.12.13 And the Jewes say that he that quenched the fire of the Altar was to be beaten yea though he quenched but one coale yea if he quenched but one coale that was downe from upon the Altar yet hee was to be beaten Thus should it bee with us in our care for preserving the fire of the Spirit in our hearts alive This fire should be alwayes burning it should not be put out and men should have a care that not one coale of it no not one sparke of it should be quencht It should burne and never bee put out Quench not the spirit Quench not the flame the coales the sparkes That which is the good huswifes commendation in one kinde Prov. 31.18 that her candle goes not out by night should in this kinde be the praise of a Christian that his fire and candle goe not out but are ever kept burning Lu◠12.35 let the lights be burning The participle notes the continuance that is alwayes burning We know who they were that said Give us of your oyle for our Lampes are quenched they were none of the wisest Matth. 25.8 The foolish Virgins said unto the wise c. They bee foolish Virgins that suffer their Lampes to quench The wise Virgins slept but yet their Lampes were burning But the foolish Virgins they had their eyes and their Lampes out And wee see that Hezekiah reckons this amongst other transgressions of their fathers 2 Chron. 29.6 7. Our Fathers have trespassed and have done that which is evill in the sight of the Lord. And what was that trespasse and what was one evill they had done in the eyes of the Lord They have put out or quenched the Lampes To quench the Lampes of the Temple was a trespasse and a thing evill in the eyes of the Lord. And so is it no lesse a trespasse a thing no lesse evill in the eyes of the Lord to quench this Lamp and to put out this fire of our Spirit Now for the further prosecution of this point consider 3. things 1. First The meanes and wayes to keep it from quenching to keepe it kindled burning and flaming in our hearts 2. Secondly The things that doe quench it which must be avoided 3. Thirdly The danger of quenching the Spirit that may make us afraid to quench it 1. First The meanes to keepe us from quenching and to kindle and keepe it alive and burning in us are these I. First to be carefull and watchfull not to quench it but to cherish it in the first motions thereof Quench not the Spirit Quench not the first motions thereof Quench not the spirit that is foster cherish and make much of the first motions of the Spirit In the first creation Gen. 1.2 it is said the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the water or was moving Incubabat aquis sayes Junius viz. as Birds upon their egges or young They sit and are moving upon them to hatch them and bring them forth and when they are hatcht they still sit and move upon them to cherish and sustaine them with their heate and warmth till they bring them to perfection So the Spirit of God did sit or move upon that face of the deepe by his motion or incubation to hatch and bring forth out of that vast masse the severall kinds of creatures he by an effectuall and comfortable motion cherished that matter till he brought forth the severall creatures till hee hatcht them and brought them to perfection Now looke as the Spirit in the creation moved upon the waters just in the same manner the Spirit moves in mens hearts that by the gracious motions of his Spirit hee may hatch and bring forth graces and good workes in us and may bring them to perfection The same word is used of God againe Deut. 32.11 As the Eagle flutters over her young so the Lord alone c. The Lord as an Eagle over her young flutter'd over his people or moves As the Eagle stirres up her nest that is her young ones The Eagle shee stirres up her young ones and rowses them up with her cry and not onely sits upon them but flutters over them with her wings to awaken them So did God stirre up Israel to goe out of the land of Aegypt Ezek. 20.5 6 7. So that before God brought them out of Aegypt he first stirred them up to be gone He said unto them Cast away every man his abomination Now how did God stirre them up Not onely by Moses and Aaron in their Ministery but by the gracious motions and sollicitations of his Spirit and those motions by which hee stirred them up and called upon them to bee gone and to cast away their abominations those were the Eagles stirrings of her nest these were the Eagles flutterings with her wings As the Eagle stirres up her nest how stirres she up her nest her young ones She rowses them by her cry So the Spirit rowses excites and stirres up men by his voyce in the motions thereof And therefore those motions are called a voyce though not a voyce audible to the bodily eare yet audible and sensible to the soule Isa 30.20 Thine eares shall heare a word behind thee Behind thee as Iohn Apoc. 1.10 I heard a voyce behind me not before me as implying that the Spirit of God comes and calls upon us being secure passing by and not regarding those things it calls for It is a voyce that many times comes all on a sudden Cant. 2.8 The voyce of my Beloved behold hee comes It is a secret whispering voyce breathing holy motions into our hearts stirring us up to some good But
decaying and dying as that it increases and addes to it Gal. 5.25 If we live in the spirit let us also walke in the spirit That 's sure that the life of the spirit is to be evidenced by the workes of the spirit the life of grace by the workes of grace And what if a man doe so Then it may be said as truly If we walke in the spirit we shall also live in the spirit and the spirit live in us Walking in the spirit acting and exercising the gifts and graces of it will cause the spirit to live and keepe it from quenching in the gifts and graces of it And this is that which Paul wishes Timothy to doe 2 Tim. 1.6 to stirre up the gift of God that was in him Hee speakes of his Ministeriall gifts Now how are they to bee stirred up and to be kindled and increased Amongst other wayes this is one to be in action in exercise of them and not out of sloth or out of feare vers 7. to let his gifts lye idle Vse legges sayes our Proverbe and have legges and use gifts and graces and have gifts and graces Wee shall see it true in particulars The way to keepe the gifts of the spirit from dying and decaying 1. First for the gifts of the Spirit in knowledge and utterance The way to keep them from dying and decaying is to be in action in the exercise and communication of them It heates keepes them alive and increases them See Deut. 4.9 Take heed to thy selfe c. as if he should say Take heed of quenching the Spirit When a man forgets that which God hath taught him and knowledge of God departs from a mans heart that 's a flat quenching of the spirit It is the putting out of the light of the fire of the Spirit Take heed of that sayes God Well but what course may be taken to keepe these gifts to keepe a man from decaying in his knowlege Teach them thy sonnes and thy sonnes sonnes The exercising of those gifts in teaching others should keepe alive their gifts in themselves Hee that in that kinde endeavours to kindle Gods Spirit in others doth at the same time and in the same action kindle it in himselfe There be lippes that Salomon calls Lippes of knowledge Prov. 20.15 and he sayes that they are a precious Jewell Now a man if hee have such lippes should be as carefull to keep them as he would be to keepe a precious Jewell How carefull is a man to keepe a precious Jewell hee would not by any meanes lose such a Jewell As carefull should a man be to keepe the lippes of knowledge And what are lippes of knowledge when they are such as Prov. 5.2 that thy lippes may keepe knowledge Those lippes are lippes of knowledge those lippes are a precious Jewell that keepe knowledge Well but how should a man come to have his lippes keepe knowledge When he doth as Prov. 10.21 The lippes of the righteous feede many When a man uses and exercises his gifts of knowledge and communicates them to others by feeding others with the knowledge he hath his feeding lippes shall prove keeping lippes Communication of knowledge and truth is the preservation and our keeping of it and the keeping our selves from losing it It is in this as in that case Gen. 22.16 17. Because thou hast done this thing and hast not with held thy sonne in blessing I will blesse thee and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed So if men withhold not their gifts but use and exercise them in instructing others and teaching others God will in blessing blesse our gifts God will in multiplying multiply our gifts and exceedingly increase them The loaves did not multiply whilst they were in the basket nor whilst they were whole but when they were breaking and distributing under the breaking and distribution it was they multiplyed Gifts of knowledge are not spent in distribution but increase and multiply thereby It is true here which Salomon speakes Pro. 11.24.25 The scattering of knowledge makes it increase and watering others with those waters will but make way for the more abundant watering of himselfe The gifts that God gives men are pounds he gives them And hee gives a pound to a man not to be put into his purse but to be put into the banke He gives men a pound with a command to trade Luke 19.12 Trade till I come And what was the issue Lord thy pound hath gained ten pounds Lord thy pound hath gained five pounds Trading therefore with the gifts of Gods spirit is the increasing of the gifts of the spirit On the contrary the want of exercise of gifts the not imploying them in coÌ„municating our knowledge decayes them quenches the Spirit In the former parable wee finde some servants trading with their pounds and another servant layes up his pound in a napkin Now one would thinke that this servant had tooke the onely sure course to have kept his pound Trading we see often proves hazardous and uncertaine and many a maâ— trades away his stocke and loseth alâ— hee hath by trading but when a maâ—ties his money up in a napkin bindeâ— it he seemes to take a sure course foâ— keeping of it But yet not so in thiâ— trading in the gifts of the spirit They that traded gained more pounds kepâ— and increased their gifts he that tradeâ— not he lost his gifts verse 24. Takâ— from him the pound Hee hath quench the Spirit he lost his gifts And how comes he to lose them because heâ— imployed them not because hee lapâ— his pound in a napkin We see 2 King 4. that the oyle ceased and stayd not till for want of vessels the widdow powred not out It is not powring out but want of powring out thaâ— dries up the streames and fountaines oâ— grace And the oyle stayed saies thâ— text verse 6. When stayed the oyleâ— not when she was powring but wheâ— shee stayed powring shee first stayeâ— powring before the oyle stayed running No man when a candle is light puts it under a bushell The putting of a candle under a close bushell or any other close vessell may quench the â—ight and put out the candle which would have continued burning if it had beene set upon the table The Mothers milke dries not up with drawing out her brest and giving suck but it dryes up with being kept up with not giving suck quench not the spirit Fire is quencht not onely by water but by want of vent If fyre bee shut close up â—n an oven or a still it dies and goes â—ut but if it hath ayre and vent then â—t lives and burnes And what is it that more quenches the spirit in this kinde then our not using and exercising of mens gifts No man when he lights a candle puts it under a bed or under a bushell The spirit of God â—ights many a mans candle gives him much light hee hath a faire burning lampe and yet the same things
befalles him that 's threatned to him that curses Father and Mother Prov. 20.20 His lampe or his candle is put out in obscâ—â— darkenes His lamp go out and then fâ—lowes not only darkenesse but obscâ—â— darkenesse He not onely growes igâ—â—rant but sottishly grosely ignoraâ—â— But how come this candle this laâ— to bee quenched and to bee put ouâ— obscure darkenesse Hee hath puâ— under a bed or under a bushell 〈◊〉 hath had more minde of his bed aâ— his bushell of his ease and profits thâ— of giving and communicating his ligâ— to others Sloth and coveteousnesse haâ— made him neglect the use and exerâ—â— of his gifts and so the bed and the 〈◊〉 shell have put out his lampe in obscâ—â— darkenesse these put out their canâ— and make them goe out like the snuâ—â— of the candle with a stinke and anâ— savour A candle may bee put 〈◊〉 though it be not blowne out thouâ— water not cat cast into it by the pâ—ting of an extinguisher over it Negligence and slothfulnesse in not excâ—cising the gifts of the spirit is an eâ—tinguisher put upon the candle aâ— flame of the spirit that quenches aâ— puts it out Zech. 11.17 Woe to the Idole shepheards And who is the Idole shepheard That leaves his flocke Therefore an Idle shepheard that doth not exercise his gifts with his flocke hee is an Idol shepheard And what is the woe that shall befall him A sword upon his Arme and upon his right eye Hee did not stretch out his arme all the day long to gather in his flocke therefore his arme shall bee withered He did not use his eye would not bee a seer to instruct his people therefore his right eye shall not be dimmed but utterly darkened The spirit should bee quenched in him Hee had made himselfe an Idle shepheard and therfore God makes him an Idoll shepheard Of Idols it is said Psalme 115. Mouthes they have and speake not eyes they have and see not Hee made himselfe an Idoll a mouth hee had and spake not gifts he had and used them not hee leaves his flocke and therefore God will make an Idoll of him too eyes he shall have and not see his right eye shall be utterly darkened He leaves his flocke and Gods giftâ— leave him So dangerous a quencheâ— of the Spirit is the not using of gifts whether by Ministers or others 2. Secondly in the gift and grace of faith The way to keepe faith in vigour in life to keepe it from quenching in the desire to make it grow and increase is to put faith to it to keepe it in action to keepe it in exercise and to make it put forth it selfe in frequent acts So long as faith is on the increasing hand so long no feare of its quenching or decaying so long as faith is acted and in exercise so long it is on the increasing hand every new and fresh act of faith adds growth and increase to it the use of faith increases faith and the more fresh acts of beleeving the more the habit of beleeving is increased Many acts strengthen and increase habits Marke how that man speakes Mark 9. Christ tells him if hee can beleeve hee can heale his childe Lord sayes he helpe my unbeliefe as if hee should say Lord I would faine beleeve I finde much unbeliefe helpe me to overcome it I but first sayes he Lord I beleeve helpe my unbeliefe That act of his in putting forth his faith to beleeve as he could was the way to overcome his unbeliefe and to come to beleeve as he would The way to have the faith we would have is to use and set on worke the faith we already have See John 1.48 49 50 51. as if he should say Since thou art so ready to beleeve upon so small a ground therefore thou shalt see greater things then these Great matters shall be revealed unto thee that shall set thy faith on worke in a great measure The way then to keepe faith in vigour and in life is to set faith frequently on worke and to have it ready and forward to beleeve Take the promises and set them before thee and put thy faith on worke upon them and stirre up thine heart to beleeve them strive to act thy faith in beleeving them and this will keepe thy faith lively and vigorous When faith is not exercised and set and kept to work it breeds a spiritual torpor in ouâ— faith and so quenches it that when wâ— may have most need of it it can doe uâ— no service nor comfort Lu. 24. O foole and slow of heart to beleeve God woulâ— have men quicke and ready forwarâ— to beleeve Now when faith is noâ— held to it and kept in action then is 〈◊〉 slow and backward to doe that worlâ— which God requires of it 3. Thirdly in the gift of prayeâ— The gift of prayer when a man câ—â— powre out his heart to God it is aâ— excellent gift and grace of the spirit And a man once having obtained thâ— grace should have a care to keepe up and increase it and no better waâ— to doe it then to be frequent in the â—â—ercise of it and to be often in tâ—â— worke Hezekiahs phrase to Isaiah 〈◊〉 that he should lift up a prayer Isa 3â— 4. A man that would be good at liâ—ting must often use himselfe to liftinâ— and the oftner he lifts the easilier heâ— lifts Lift up a prayer sayes Hezekiah lift up mine heart or my soule unâ—â— thee sayes David A man that doâ— not use to lift heavy burdens how hardly doth he lift what adoe hath he to get up an heavie burden when he comes to it But he that uses every day to be exercised in lifting it is an easie thing to him hee hath by his frequent use gotten a dexterity an handinesse at the worke To lift up a mans soule to God to lift up a mans heart so high as heaven is from the earth is an hard matter Oh how heavie a mans heart is by nature and how hard to lift it up to lift it up so high If a man be not practised and daily exercised in it a man will as soone lift up a mil-stone yea a mountaine unto Heaven But a man that is every day and upon every occasion at the worke he will finde the worke thereby facilitated and will get up his heart with much readinesse Prayer is a running to God A man that is to run must be in breath have his winde at command He that runs every day is every day the fitter to run yesterdayes running prepares for to day to dayes running for to morrow But put a man to run that hath not done for many yeeres he is so pursey and so presently out oâ— breath that hee is faine presently tâ— give out There is nothing so quenches thâ— Spirit of prayer as dis-use of the duty I cannot goe in these sayes David foâ— I am not accustomed to them And sâ— want of accustoming and exercising oâ— themselves
of the fire dies and quenches presently A dead cole cast into the fire amongst coales that are alive presently is on fire And this very thing Salomon intends Eccl. 4.11 If two ly together then they have heat There is a mutuall contribution and communication of heate from each to other One gives heate to another Alter caelidus alter frigidus Calidus frigidum accendat qui parum ardet optet augmentu Aug. de divino serm ser 87. and one receives heate from another each are the better and the warmer by the others society But how can one be warme alone especially if hee be naturally cold and withall the weather and the time be cold A man that is then alone must needs be cold Wee see when David grew old his naturall heate abated and decayed and hee grew cold withall 1 Reg. 1.1 And they used meanes to make him hot they covered him with clothes but yet he gat no heate clothes must bee first heated from a principle of heate in the body before they can heat and warme the body But vers 2.3 Abishag lying in Davids bosome hee gat heate and warmth Cloathes were dead cherishers they could not warm David but Abishag having naturall and living heat this helpt David to warmth So here if men doe use meanes in private by themselves and have not exercise nor communion with others all meanes so used will be but covering with clothes by which wee shall neither get nor keepe heate Holy conference a duty of this communion It kindles and stirres up the spirit it refreshes it cheeres the spirit in us Ephes 4.29.30 Corrupt communication grieves him And whatsoever grieves doth quench the Spirit Now as evill speech and communication grieves and quenches so holy speech and conference it cheeres and so kindles the Spirit in us But if a man have communion with such as have spirituall life in them the fire of the Spirit in them the vigour and warmth of Grace in them have society with them in prayer conference mutuall excitations unto God this will be an excellent meanes to keepe our heate from cooling and quenching yea to increase and adde to it Me thinkes there is somewhat in that Act. 2. If wee consider when the Holy Ghost came upon them and that there were cloven tongues of fire upon them And when was it vers 1. they were all with one accord in one place met together in an holy communion and about duties of holy communion And then followed that vers 2 3 4. How much mutuall communion of Saints quickens the life of Grace and the heate of it we may see in one particular 2 John 12. That our joy may be full An Apostles graces furthered and quickned by the graces of a woman When such Grandies in grace have benefit by communion of Saints how much more may they whose measures are lesse It is certaine that the neglect of this communion and the duties of it is a great quencher of the Spirit When men fall off by Apostacie that is a quenching of the Spirit The highest degree of quenching the Spirit is in the great sinne against the Holy Ghost And it is a cleere case that the letting fall of this communion and the neglect of that is one of the first steps to Apostacie and the sinne against the Holy Ghost Heb. 10.23 24 25 26. By which he implyes that as a speciall meanes to keep men from such a quenching of the Spirit as makes way to the sinne against the Holy Ghost is to uphold the practise of the duties of the communion of Saints so a speciall cause of such quenching as makes way unto that sinne is the neglect and throwing up of the practise of the duties of the communion of Saints 3. Thirdly the duty of meditation Though there be wood and fire yet if they be not laid one to another there will be no flame nor heate but when they are laid and applyed each to other that kindles and makes the fire burne especially when the fire is blowne upon the wood being laid on Meditation layes wood and fire together it blowes the fire also and raises the flame All the prodigall sonnes graces began at this I will arise said hee he said it in his heart in his thoughts in his meditations and goe to my Father He was in serious meditation what a great man his Father was what an excellent house he kept what a miserable case he himselfe was in and this meditation quickned his heart to this I will arise and goe to my Father So mens bethinking themselves is made an excellent helpe unto repentance 1 Reg. 8.47 That is when men seriously use to meditate and use to thinke with themselves what they have done how God is offended with them how great their misery is where remedy is to be had c. This is an excellent helpe to make way for the spirit of repentance It is a great measure of grace the godly man attaines to Psal 1.3 But marke what is a great meanes conducing to these measures of grace and the spirit verse 2. To bee spiritually minded is life Rom. 8.6 This is in one sense to be spiritually minded when the mind is imployed in spirituall meditations and this is life also in this sense in that it breedes and maintaines the life of grace and the spirit in us The want and neglect of this duty doth exceedingly chill and coole and danger the graces of the Spirit in us therefore as we would not quench but keepe alive the graces of God in us so exercise we our hearts often in the duty of meditation Prayer a meanes to keepe the spirit from quenching 4. Fourthly the duty of prayer It is a speciall meanes to keepe the Spirit from quenching ye to cause the spirit to kindle and increase in us to bee frequent and feruent in prayer It is that by which we get the Spirit encreased in us Luke 11.17 how much more shall your heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that aske him which is not to bee understood so much of the first infusion and gift of the Spirit as of the increases of the graces of this Spirit For a man to speake properly cannot pray till he have the Spirit and then when a man hath the Spirit and sets that Spirit on worke in the duty of prayer then the spirit which was given before is given in a larger measure in greater abundance in the graces thereof The Apostles had the spirit of God in them before Christs death and after his resurrection Iohn 20. he breathed upon them and sayd Receive ye the Holy Ghost And yet after this it is said that they were filled with the Holy Ghost that is at that time the Holy Ghost came upon them afresh But when was it that they were afresh filled with the Holy Ghost Prayer brought downe a fulnesse of the Spirit That speech Cant. 4.16 is conceived to bee the speech of
Christ as if he should say oh my spirit blow upon the hearts of my people that their graces may abound in them and increase in them worke abundance of grace in them It is sure that the spirit of God must blow upon the garden before the spices thereof can flow out before the graces can increase and abound But yet there must bee somewhat done before the North winde doth awake and this South winde blowes Not only the voyce of Christ must stirre up and raise this winde but the voyce of prayer on our parts must raise the winde The spirit blowes where it lists but yet there is a way to raise this winde so to blow that spices may flow out Then when we are frequent and earnest in prayer then when our hearts are enlarged in prayer then Christ stirres up his spirit to blow then hee raises that winde to make the spices flow out If spices flow not out if graces abound not it is because the North and South winde blowes not If they blow not it is because Christ stirres not nor awakens them As hee rebuked the windes and they were still Mar. 4. so when hee commandes these windes they blowe And if Christ awake not this wind it is because wee awake not him by prayer when they awakened him Mar. 4. hee stilled those windes and when we awaken him hee will Awaken and stirre up this winde to blow so as the sweet spices of his graces may flow out All rises to this that the more wee have our hearts enlarged in prayer the more will the Lord enlarge his hands in the graces of the Spirit Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it Psal 81.10 The wide mouth proves the full mouth the wider the fuller The more our hearts and desires are enlarged in prayer the fuller of the graces of the spirit shall our hearts bee Prayer will helpe us to every grace and cause every grace to increase in us It will helpe us to a spirit of knowledge and understanding Dan. 9.21.22 Iohn 16.25 26. It helpes to a spirit of Repentance and godly sorrow Zech. 12.10 11. They should powre out their soules in mourning for their sinnes There should be a great mourning great measures of the grace of the spirit but how should they come to such measures of the spirit of Repentance I will powre upon them the spirit of grace and supplication Hee would powre a spirit of prayer upon them and then should that spirit kindle and increase the spirit of Repentance It is that which helpes to spirituall wisdome James 1.5 and to the increase of faith The Apostles Luke 17. tooke a right way for the increase of faith whilest they prayed Lord increase our faith It was wee saw before a great meanes of kindling and keeping the Spirit from quenching to keepe the graces of the spirit in action Now prayer that keepes grace in action it sets the graces of the spirit on worke exercises them and so keepes them in vigour It sets faith on worke love on worke humility on worke hope on worke and so keepes and increases life in them all As therefore wee would keepe the spirit from quenching as wee would keepe it alive and increase it so we must be frequent diligent fervent in the duty of prayer grace cānot abate nor decay or dye so long as we keepe alive a spirit of prayer The neglecting and letting fall this duty hath beene it that hath quenched many a mans graces that lets them dye and come to nothing lay the seventeenth and the ninteenth verses together Pray without ceasing Quench not the Spirit As the way to pray without ceasing is not to quench the spirit so the way not to quench the spirit is to pray without ceasing As when the spirit ceases burning men cease praying so when men cease praying the spirit ceases burning 2. Point Such things as quench the Spirit wee must be carefull to avoide And they are these 1. First Sinne in generall Sinne a meanes to quench the spirit the committing of sinne against knowledge and light this quenches the Spirit as water quenches fire There is a quenching of fire by subduction of fuell Prov. 26.20 But it is a worse quenching of fire by casting on water it is a more sudden and a more sure quenching and such a quenching as gives not way so soone to kindling againe Fowle sins committed against conscience they are like the casting of water upon the fire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sayes Chrysostome upon this place and he illustrates it by a similitude taken from the Lampe that he was preaching by As sayes hee if a man should take water or earth and put upon the light of this Lampe hee quenches the light thereof c. His similitude is so much the more worth noting because it lets us see that it was Chrysostomes practise to preach in the afternoone and by candle light though he were a great Bishop It is no new thing to have afternoone Sermons it was an ancient and great Bishops practice Well then sinne to the Spirit of God is as water cast on fire It quenches the Spirit Sin committed against conscience quenches the Spirit in the sparkes of it A man hath had many motions and sollicitations against a sinne from the Spirit of God a man against these commits the sin The Spirit of God upon this is sadded and grieved yea quenched hee lets a man alone and leaves him a long time ere he shall heare of him againe No question but when David was in that tentation to adultery but Gods Spirit did his part and plyed him with many sollicitations to the contrary yet David does it And what followed but a long and a sad silence of the Spirit and a suspension of that worke he lyes almost a yeere in that sinne till Nathan comes to him and never heares more of the Spirit of God no sollicitations nor motions to repentance for surely had the Spirit of God followed him he would have beene awakened ere that time And therefore no marvell that David not onely prayes Psal 51. Restore unto me the joy of thy Spirit but Lord take not thine holy spirit from me Lord uphold me with thy free spirit vers 11 12. Hee had found so long a silence of the spirit after his sinne that hee began to feare the losse of the spirit it selfe and that God would take it quite away It quenches the flame of the Spirit So David after his sinne twice prayes vers 8.12 Make mee to heare joy and gladnesse Restore unto me the joy of thy Spirit Before his sinne the Spirit flamed in him O what joy and peace what sence and assurance of Gods love but now that he had adventured to commit that foule sinne he had cast water on this fire had put out the flame Now his joy was gone his peace was gone his assurance of Gods love was gone now he felt no other flame nor fire burning in him
for want of stirring the fire formality quenches the fire and lets it goe out if it puts it not out There be two severall paces in Religion and performance of religious duties and we finde them both together Prov. 4.12 When thou goest thy steps shall not be straightned and when thou runnest thou shalt not stumble There is a going pace and there is a running pace A man must first goe before hee can run and when a man begins with a going pace and rises to a running pace that 's commendable When a man begins to practise and performe duties it is a going but when he comes to be zealous and fervent in duties of obedience and service that 's running running is the pace of zeale Now so long as a man keepes running so long he keepes warmth and heate in him though it be cold weather So long as a man is zealous in the profession of Religion and performance of duties so long the fire of the spirit burnes and is not quenched But if a man leave running and slacks his pace and contents himselfe with a going pace his spirituall heate abates and is cooled and quenched And when a man hath beene zealous in profession and zealous in performances and afterwards falls to formality that 's to turne running into going and that 's the way to coole and quench the spirit It is formality in Religion that undoes men that 's the cause the spirit kindles not in some that the spirit is quenched in others Men content themselves with a forme of godlinesse but deny the power thereof men come to Church heare pray receive but there is no life no zeale no heate in their profession and performances and therefore the spirit kindles not and therefore the spirit is quenched We know what Isaac said to his Father as he was going to mount Moriah Gen. 12.7 My father behold the fire and the wood but where is the Lambe for the burnt offering But we may say to many Behold the wood and the Lambe but where is the fire Here is profession and here is praying and hearing and receiving but where is the fire where is the zeale the heat the life that these duties should bee done withall God was displeased with Nadab and Abihu because they offered with strange fire It is a provocation to God to offer with no fire as well as with strange fire And because men come to offer without fire because they performe duties formally Et solent non de pietate De diversis Serm. 120. sed de solennitate concurrere as Austin speakes therefore is the spirit of God not kindled therefore is the spirit of God quenched As therefore we would feare to quench the spirit so take we heed of formality in holy performances bring fire with your offerings bring fire with your incense what is fire without incense and what is incense without fire If you professe professe powerfully If you pray pray earnestly pray with your whole heart If we doe performe holy duties stirre we up our selves to doe them with all our might But if we doe holy duties onely for forme and satisfie our selves in the bare ceremony of the worke done wee shall never kindle the Spirit if it be not kindled and we shall quench the spirit if it be kindled He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire Matth. 3. We are all baptized with water but yet a Christian should looke to it that hee be not onely baptized with water but with fire also And all that are truely baptized are baptized with fire as well as with water How many are baptized with water that were never baptized with fire Their coldnesse and formality in Religion shewes that they were baptized with water alone that there was not a sparke of fire in their baptisme Nay were it that men were baptized with fire yet coldnesse and formality in Religion and holy performances would make their baptisme a meere watry baptisme nay it would prove water to quench and put out that fire with which they had beene baptized Formality is water that will quench the fire of the Holy Ghost 3. Thirdly An opinion of sufficiency of grace is a quencher of the Spirit a conceit and an opinion of sufficiencie of grace and godlinesse When men once say of grace Religion and godlinesse as Esau said of his goods and wealth Gen. 33.9 And Esau said I have enough my brother c. As profane a person as hee was there be but a few that are of his minde and that can tell when they have enough It was well said of Esau in that kinde But when men come to say so of grace and godlinesse I have enough and entertaine a conceit of a sufficiencie of grace that they have knowledge enough they have faith enough zeale enough and that they need trouble themselves no more to increase their knowledge faith zeale they are in a direct and a dangerous course of quenching the spirit The next way to quench the spirit is to quench a mans cares desires and endeavours after more grace When a man desires no more grace than hee hath endeavours and labours for no more than he hath grace will dye and decay and so the spirit will quench Now there is nothing so quenches a mans cares desires and endeavours after grace as the conceit and opinion that a man is well that hee hath enough and that more is more than needes If a man have a good estate yet if he thinks that he hath not yet enough but hee yet wants so much and so much that very opinion that he hath not enough quickens his cares for his desires of his endeavours after more and so makes him ply his trading ply his Markets yet to get more And his desires and endeavours quickned by that opinion makes the mans estate grow makes him thrive and increase his wealth So a man that hath good measures of grace already yet if hee thinke that hee is short of that hee should be and have he hath not yet those measures of knowledge faith zeale c. he should have that very thought quickens his cares desires and endaavours to get more and these endeavours increase his stocke Paul Phil. 3. pressed hard forward to the marke that was set before him and so runne on still desired yet to goe further in grace and Religion But what made him doe it I forget the things which are behinde Hee did not looke at what he had already done as if hee had done enough hee did not thinke he had enough or had done enough and therefore he desired to have more to doe more When a man thinkes hee hath enough goods and riches enough for him and his he cares not for any more he will not ride and runne about and be early up and late downe hee will not be so eager in his trading but give it quite up Soule thou hast much goods laid up for many yeeres take thine
had knocked by his Spirit vers 2. It is the voyce of my Wel-beloved that knocks open unto me Christ knocks and she opened not the Spirit is quencht upon it and now she knocks and Christ opens not Shee is paid with her owne coyne served in her owne kinde She shal be taught to her smart and sorrow what a dangerous thing it is to quench the Spirit she shall finde to her griefe that being quenched it will not so easely be kindled againe It shall cost her seeking and calling much paines much prayer and yet not presently recover it neither They that do not open when the Spirit knocks and so quench the Spirit They shall knocke and knocke hard and knocke long before they recover the Spirit if ever they doe recover him I sought him but I could not finde him I called but hee gave me no answer Here was a deepe silence no answer Nay that 's not all but vers 7. shee is yet brought into further straits she is smitten and she is wounded by the Watch-men and her veyle taken from her by the Keepers of the Walls Thus though at last she recovered the presence of Christ and his Spirit againe yet wee see after her quenching the Spirit with what adoe with what toyle and difficulty it is recovered Such a danger is there in quenching the Spirit in the motions of it Take heed of it The Spirit quencht in the motions thereof is not recovered without much tugging and toyling it may make every veyne in thine heart ake againe or ever thou recover it many a bitter teare many a wrestling prayer many a sad sigh many a strong cry many a drooping day many a disconsolate night may it cost thee before thou mayst recover that gratious worke of the Spirit againe This is sad but there is a more sad thing yet behind Therefore 2. Secondly The Spirit quēcht in the motions thereof may bee quenched for ever the Spirit of God quencht in the motions thereof may be quencht for ever The Spirit of God moves in thine heart and sollicites thee to beleeve to repent c. Thou putst him off as Foelix did Paul When thou hast more convenient leasure thou wilt heare more of him thou neglectest and disregardest his counsels and motions and so thou hast quenched the Spirit Well what canst thou tell whether ever he will come to thee any more whether ever thou shalt heare that voyce behinde thee any more It may be that he will never sollicite thee more A neglected motion may be the last motion that ever he will make The Angel moved at a certaine season Joh. 5.4 and whosoever tooke the advantage of the motion was healed of his disease hee that stept in presently upon the Angels motion of the water had cure infallibly Now suppose a man had neglected to take the advantage of the present motion and had said with himselfe Now indeed the Angel moves the waters but yet I will not step in now he will move againe ere long it may be to morrow he will move againe and I will come againe to morrow and I will step into the water then when he moves next time Now how could such a man tell whether ever the Angel would move againe or no There was a time when that miracle ceased there was a motion of the Angel which was his last motion There was a motion after which there was never any motion more Now then how could such a man tell but that motion which hee neglected might be the last For ought he could tell the Angel might never descend into the Poole more might never make a motion in the waters more So when we neglect and quench the Spirit of God in the motions thereof who can tell whether ever the Spirit of God will doe him that favour any more whether he will ever dart any of those sparkes of that heavenly fire into his heart or no when he hath so foolishly quencht them The quenching of the spirit may justly provoke him to cease his worke and to stirre no more It is a sure thing that the Spirit of God unkindly used will forbeare and will be gone Isa 30. Yee shall heare a word behind you c. The stopping of our eares against his motions will at last prove the stopping of his mouth As in the case of the Ministry so God deales in this case Eze. 3.26 J will make thy tongue cleave to the roofe of thy mouth that thou shalt be dumb shalt not be to them a reproofe for they are a rebellious house Deafe hearts make Ministers dumbe and rather then disobedient people shall have the Ministry of the Word God himselfe will silence his Ministers as in Jeremies case God did not onely forbid him to pray for that people but he forbad him to preach to that people Jer. 36.5 Just so will God deale in this case When hee sends his Spirit to direct us reprove us and he comes and woes us allures us urges us to this and that duty and we slight his motions dis-regard and disobey them God when he sees us deaf he will make his Spirit dumb and hee will stop his Spirits mouth when wee stop our eares Hee shall no longer instruct us direct us reprove us but hee will suspend and silence his Spirit from doing these offices It suites just with that Gen. 6.3 My Spirit shall not alwayes strive with man As if he should say My Spirit hath striven with them for a long time hath striven in the motions thereof to bring them to repentance but he shall not alwayes strive with them there shall come a time that he shall strive no longer So then God would have his Spirit at last to forbeare striving And what was the cause of it That wee shall see by that place 1 Pet. 3.19 20. The Spirit of Christ went along then with the Ministry of Noah and seconded it by his sollicitations How were his sollicitations entertained They were disobedient They listened not to the gracious motions of the Spirit and so they quenched the Spirit And how did they quench it My Spirit shall not alwayes strive They so quenched it that it should not onely cease striving but it should cease for ever hee should never strive more with them but give them up for ever goe your wayes doe as you will yee shall never have a good motion from my Spirit more See how Christ speakes to the Pharisees Joh. 7.33.34 Yet a little while J am with you and then I goe unto him that sent me And what then Yee shall seeke me and shall not finde mee Christ was with them a little while striving with them to doe them good But they rejected the counsell of God and would none of him Well sayes Christ I am a little while with you and then I goe c. and then ye shall seek c. yee shall not finde me though ye would never so faine though ye would give all the world
no assurance that God accepts his prayers alas what a comfortlesse service is that from such prayers may a man rise with a sad Spirit Goe and eate thy bread with sorrow and drinke thy wine with a sad heart for God accepts not thy prayer God answers not with fire Now what is it that brings a man into this condition This is nothing else but a sad fruit of quenching the Spirit of Grace Because men quench the spirit therefore the Spirit burnes not in prayer and so gives no assurance of Gods acceptance What wonder that fire burns not when it is quencht Thou hast quenched it in the graces and degrees of it and therefore it is quenched in the comfort of it and now it gives thee no testimony of acceptance As therfore wee would feare to want fire to give us assurance of Gods acceptance so take wee heed that we before-hand doe not quench the fire 3. The Spirit makes our prayers accepabe The Spirit of God doth us this good office to make our prayers acceptable Prayer is not acceptable unlesse it be fervent Jam. 5. It is fervent prayer that prevailes therefore it is fervent prayer that is acceptable There is a phrase Am. 5.21 I will not smell in your solemne assemblies What that meanes see vers 22. I will not accept When incense was offered upon the Golden Altar if the Priest had layed incense upon it upon the cold Altar if there had been no fire there had beene no smell it must burne before it could smell For as in that case Ex. 29.41 For a sweet savor an offering made by fire unto the Lord so this it must be fire that must make an offering of sweet savour So all our prayers if there be no fire they have no smell they have no acceptance Now if we quench the spirit we quench the acceptance of our prayers our incense is not accepted if it doe not smell it cannot smell unlesse it burne and how can wee thinke it should burne when wee have quencht the fire of the Spirit by which our incense should burne The Spirit gives us a comfortable assurance of our good condition before God 4. Fourthly the Spirit of God doth us this good office to give us a comfortable assurance of our good condition before God Rom. 8.16 The same spirit beareth witnesse c. yea it seales to us our adoption 2 Cor. 1.21 ye were sealed with the spirit But now if the spirit be quenched where is that comfort of Adoption Can a quenched spirit be a witnessing spirit Can a quenched spirit be a sealing spirit Can a quenched spirit be an assuring spirit Can a quenched spirit be a spirit of consolation It is a dangerous thing to quench the spirit it is the quenching of his witnesse it is the blurring and defacing of his seale it is the quenching of a mans own comfort 5. Fifthly The Spirit guides us in the way of truth the Spirit of God doth us this good office to leade and guide us in the wayes of truth and life Joh. 16.13 The Spirit will leade you into all truth and 1 Cor. 12.3 No man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Spirit It is he that by his light guides us and shewes us what is truth Hee is as the pillar of fire Exod. 30.11 to give light to goe by day and by night Wee live here in the darke and if we have not the light of the Spirit wee cannot but wander and goe amisse And this is a danger of quenching the spirit that it being quenched wee are in danger of being in the darke and being in the darke of miscarrying of falling into dangerous and foule errours It seemes that sometimes Israel did travell by night by that place Exod 30.21 and there was no danger of going out of their way or falling into pits c. because they had the pillar of fire to give them light to goe by night If they had gone by night and had not had the pillar of fire in what danger had they gone They had been in danger of being wilderd of losing their way of falling into holes and pits into which they might have broken their neckes So here so long as wee have the light of the Spirit to guide us we are safe from such danger but if once wee quench the spirit wee quench the light of it and then are in danger of being wilderd and losing our way of falling into this and that dangerous errour Experience lets us see the truth of it Wee see some that have beene very forward in godlinesse and Religion very Zealous and active and who but they But after they have abated their zeale and fervour fallen off from good society and duties they have quenched the Spirit And what hath become of them Why not one odde opinion stirring in a Country not any dangerous errour abroach but they fall presently into it and are ensnared And no wonder that such fall into the ditch for the light of the Spirit is quencht And thus the Spirit is quenched in the offices thereof when quenched in the graces 2. Secondly To quēch Gods Spirit kindles the divels a second danger of quenching the spirit in the graces thereof is this The quenching of Gods Spirit is oftentimes the kindling of the spirit of the Divell Saving and sanctifying graces though they cannot bee quenched in their habits yet wee saw before that they may bee quencht in their acts and operations may be quencht in their measures and degrees And the quenching of sanctifying grace though but in the act and degree yet it makes way for the kindling of the fire of the spirit of satan Wee are counselled Ephes 6. to quench the fiery darts of satan Now when wee quench the spirit of God in the acts and degrees of grace wee are farre from quenching the spirit of satan nay wee doe certainely thereby give so much the more advantage for the tentations of satan to prevaile and the fire of them to kindle so much the easilier But now when the spirit is quenched in the common gifts and graces thereof such as reprobates may have then the quenching of the spirit of God is the kindling of the spirit of the Divell so as hee enters with so much the more power to carry men into all manner of sinne with greedinesse Marke that passage 1 Sam. 16.14 But the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul There was the spirit of the Lord quenched And what was the issue Was that all No marke the danger that followed upon it And an evill spirit from the Lord troubled him Gods Spirit goes and the Divels spirit comes Yea hee came so that Saul was carryed into horrible and fearefull sinnes Hee proved unreasonably malignant and malicious against David Hee commits a most barbarous and cruell murder 1 Sam 22.16 Thou shalt dye Ahimelech thou and all thy Fathers house It was a bloudy act to put Ahimelech to death
after so just an answer made by him But suppose Ahimelech were guilty yet what had his fathers house done Suppose Ahimelech were guilty yet what had all the rest of the Priests done why must the throates of 85. Priests be cut vers 18. why must Nob a Citie of the Priests both men and women children and sucklings Oxen Asses and Sheepe why must all these be so bloodily butchered what a fury and barbarous madnesse is this All this shewed that now the Spirit of God was quenched the spirit of the Divell was entred and kindled For Gods Spirit being quenched the spirit of the Divell is so kindled that it carries him to monstrous foule and horrible wickednesse without all measure Now the Spirit of God was quenched in Saul the spirit of the Divell is not only kindled but so kindled that he growes outragious in his wickednesse And againe after this hee goes to consult with a Witch hee goes and seeks to the Divell himselfe When men once play the Apostataes and quench Gods Spirit the spirit of the Divell not onely enters but enters with a witnesse so as hee hurries them as his slaves into all excesse of wickednesse They doe not sinne the common sinnes of men Psal 53.3 Every one of them is gone backe they are become altogether filthy They not onely grow dead and cold carelesse and loose but become altogether filthy filthy swearers filthy adulterers filthy drunkards notorious malignant persons against godlinesse It is with such persons as in that case Levit. 13.18 19 20. If a man had a bile and that was healed and after the healing it brake out againe it proved the plague of leprosie It proved worse a more filthy and loathsome disease than before A leprosie was a thousand times worse than before Men that quench Gods spirit kindle the Divels spirit in them and so kindle the spirit of the Divell in them that they who before were but bily persons they after the quenching of the spirit prove leprous persons stinking and filthy loathsome lepers they become altogether filthy See 2 Pet. 2.20.22 they not onely turne swine but filthy swine swine wallowing in the myre not besprinkled with myre not onely falling into the myre but swine wallowing and tumbling in the myre For when men quench the spirit and fall off by Apostacy not onely the spirit of Satan comes in but there is a further matter See Matth. 12.43 45. where observe these things 1. First that in a case of Apostacy the spirit being quencht the Divell doth not enter single but he takes seven other spirits more wicked than himselfe Christ cast seven Divels out of Mary Magdalen Mar 16.9 these have seven Divels enter with the former old Divell and they be worse Divels than himselfe To teach that when men quench the spirit by falling away the Divell not onely comes againe but he comes so that hee makes them seven times worse than ever they were before 2. Secondly those 7. Divels not only enter but dwell there not onely lodge there for a night and away but they dwell there It notes that upon the departure and quenching of Gods Spirit the Divell is not onely present in their hearts but hath his abode and residence there as in that case Zech. 5.11 Where a man dwels there is his setled abode and residence And that 's not all but that hee also was there as a Lord and Master as Esth 1.22 So that it teaches that when the Spirit is quenched not onely the spirit of Satan comes in his roome but he comes powerfully and efficaciously to reigne in their hearts and so to make them baser vassals to himselfe than ever they were before so that their latter end shall be worse than their beginning not onely in regard of their misery but of their guilt and pollution This is the dreadfull danger of quenching Gods spirit It makes way for the re-entry of Satans spirit yea for seven spirits worse than himselfe As therefore wee dread such a condition and such a danger so let us beware of such a sinne as quenching the spirit A third danger of quenching the Spirit wee may doe it finally and totally 3. Thirdly a third danger is that a man quenching the spirit in the graces of it may quench it finally and totally the quenching of the spirit may prove totall and finall Indeed the sanctifying Spirit and grace of God wee saw before cannot be so quenched but yet the flame of that fire may bee so quenched that a man may sit a cold a long while after and such a fire kindled in his conscience withall as may make him rue his folly that doth it Yea the acts and opperations of grace so damped as not easily brought to life againe and the degrees and measures of grace so quenched as possibly never recovered againe though the habits remaine And that 's such a danger as may make any wise man take heed of quenching the spirit so But now for common graces they may be so quenched as quenched totally and finally Totally Psal 53.3 They are gone backward they are altogether become filthy Altogether they are altogether quencht not a spark of good or grace left in them Luk. 19.24 Take from him his pound not part of his pound not halfe of his pound but take the whole pound from him Luk. 8.18 Finally like the fire that came from Heaven Levit. 9. after it was quencht at the destruction of the Temple it was finally quencht it was never kindled more For as for that story about that fire 2 Maccab. 1. it is but an Apocryphall fable They have made ship-wrack of faith 1 Tim. 1.19 When a Shippe wrackes at Sea the goods are utterly lost without all recovery Goods cast away at Sea are lost for ever As he of Saul 2 Sam. 1.10 so here it is a question and it proves too sure that such live not after they are fallen Because they fall as Eli fell 1 Sam. 4.18 hee fell backward and his necke brake and hee dyed When men fall backward they breake their neckes and dye they fall fatally and finally 4. Fourthly the quenching of the Spirit makes dangerous way to the dreadfull and unpardonable sinne against the Holy Ghost Woe to that soule that commits that sinne that man is past the helpe of prayer His damnation is irreversibly sealed up There bee diverse sinnes against the Spirit of God 1. There is quenching the spirit as here 2. There is grieving of the spirit Eph. 4 30. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3. There is resisting the spirit Act. 7.51 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 4. There is a vexing of the spirit Isa 63.10 5. A doing despight to the spirit of grace Heb. 10.29 And this last is that which wee call the sinne against the Holy Ghost And marke that the first step to this sinne is the quenching of the spirit Here that sinne begins Though every one that quenches the spirit sinnes not against the Holy Ghost yet every
bullockes rammes c. So when wee see it to be market time and the good penny worths of the Gospel are stirring then all the time all the paines all the labour you can finde in all your course offer it willingly as a price that you may buy speedily with your paines and diligence in the use of the meanes knowledge of the truth grace and godlinesse When Christ bid Judas That which thou doest doe quickly the Disciples thought hee had meant That those things were necessary to be bought hee should buy quickly Joh. 13.29 Surely so it must be in this case with all that will buy the Truth That which yee doe doe quickly that which yee buy buy quickly So long as the Gospel is preacht to us so long it is market day buying time Therefore if yee will buy the Truth now now is the time put it not off I will buy to morrow or next weeke or next yeere or at my lives end but buy speedily and buy presently If yee lose the market day and market time yee shall not then buy though yee would The market may be done to morrow the market may be past in another yeere and it will be too late to buy when the market is done See Matth. 25.9 10. c. The foolish Virgins had their oyle to buy when they should have had greatest use of it It was no time to goe to buy oyle when the Bridegroome was come it was too late then whilest they goe to buy then and furnish themselves then the Bridegroome comes and they are shut out of doores Had they bought their oyle when the time of buying was then they had entred Presse men to get grace the knowledge of the truth to be trading now whilest the market time of the Gospel and their life lasts and their answer is all in good time hereafter may serve at the hardest at their death I but then it is no buying time Alas it is an ill time to be catechised in and to be learning the knowledge of the Truth when a man is upon his death bed That 's the time to spend oyle not to buy oyle It is then dying time not buying time it is ill buying when a man is dying If a man be to buy then the doore of heaven will be shut upon him before hee can returne from the shops In vaine shall men seeke the truth and grace and to be taught when the day of grace is past that would not take and buy it whilest the market of the preaching of the Gospel was on foot See Joh 8.21 When the market is done and over then yee shall seeke to buy and all the world if yee had it yee would give to buy the Truth and ye shall not buy but yee shall dye and dye in your sinnes It is not in the markets of the Gospel as it is with other markets Wee see many will put off buying in other markets till toward the end of the market till men have some commodity lye upon their hands and there be but few left to buy and then they make account at the latter end of the market to buy at lower prices to get better penny-worths And so it oft proves But it will not prove so here the best penny-worths here are to be had at the beginning of the market At the end of the market it is a great venture if any thing will be to bee bought at all or if it be to be bought it cannot be had but at farre dearer prices then it might before If thou doe get any thing it will cost thee double and trebble the price it might have beene had for in the prime of the market If thou get any grace and mercy at thy death that hast neglected it in thy life time and in the time of grace it must be had with farre more struggling sorrowing weeping lamenting repenting then it might have beene had for before God is ever deerer and his prices higher at the latter end of the market then at beginning Vse To condemne men for the neglect of this duty their grosse neglect of buying the Truth God offers men in the Ministery this pretious commodity of the Truth and wooes men to buy it and yet men will scarce looke upon it It is strange to see how dead the markets are growne and how this commodity hangs in our hands that God hath betrusted us with the sale of That shall be a good time when it comes Apoc. 18.11 that no man shall buy Romish merchandise any more when Romes markets shall goe downe and the Whores trading shall decay when men shall buy Pardons Reliques Masses Dirges Agnus Deis hallowed Graynes and such trumpery no more When men shall buy lyes no more An happy thing when the Popes Merchandise shall no more be bought but a sad and wofull thing when men will not buy Gods Merchandise any more As 1 Cor. 7.3 Let them that buy be as though they possessed not as though they bought not That 's commendable in worldly mercature To be sure so men deale here Buy as if they bought not as if they cared not whether they bought or no that 's a miserable thing in trading with God It was made a cause of publike fasting and humiliation amongst the Jewes when trading decayed and grew dead And what is it then when this trading growes dead Prov. 17.16 Wherefore is there a commodity of Truth and Grace in Gods hand and a price a meanes in a fooles hand to get wisdome and truth and he hath not an heart Here is a rich commodity men see the price and have the meanes in their hand and yet have no heart to buy no minde to trade slight the commodity as if not worth looking after When God offers this commodity to buy they shuffle it off they have farmes to buy yoakes of Oxen to buy Luc. 14. they have so many things to buy that they will not buy the Truth I pray thee have mee excused I must lay out my time and paines for other things I have not wherewith to buy this Truth It is miserable to see how cold mens desires are after the Truth Just as Pilate Joh. 18.38 What is Truth A good question but asked with a base oscitancy of spirit hee cares not to know what Truth is but before an answer can be given hee goes his way out and turnes his backe upon Christ Just such respect give me not the Truth Presse them to buy the Truth Why what say they is truth but they care not so much as to heare what the Truth is they ought to buy Some it may be could be content to buy it so it might be at their owne price if now and then a Sermon a Chapter reading a good Booke in a good fit would helpe them to it they would not greatly sticke at it But as Zech. 11.12 13. They weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver And the Lord said cast it to the Potter a goodly