then we shall be fit objects for the Spirit who is the comforter to manifest his gracious work upon Isai 57.18 I will lead him also and restore comforts unto him and on his mourners Penitential mourners for sin stand fan in the way to be comforted by God Thus it is said the Spirit of the Lord was upon Christ for this end Isai 61.1 2 3. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tydings unto the meek he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted to preclaim liberty to the Captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all that mourn To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion to give unto them beauty for ashes the oyl of joy for mourning If we do not feel sin to purpose as it is to be feared few in these dayes do whatever common convictions many have there is little hope that we should have this blessed Comforter sent to us to take up his abode with us Mourning for sin cannot be too much if it raise the price of Christ in the Soul and draw out a more earnest desire of the applying work of the Spirit to be wrought in the heart Direct 5. Cry mightily to God for his Spirit Ask this boon of Heaven When you feel an utter want of the Spirit of God in you then run flee to the throne of grace and let your Soul cry out to the living God for this mercy Tell the Lord in humble manner what need you have of his Spirit what your misery is without it and earnestly beg of him that he will give you his holy Spirit to work faith repentance and all other graces in you And for your encouragement consider what Christ sayes Luk. 11.13 If ye then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your Children how much more shall your heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him and Prov. 2.3 4 5. But you will say We cannot pray without the Spirit Answ But yet go and present your selves before God and spread your case before him as well as you can Bemoan your wants your inability to good your insensibleness of your misery Plead as well as you can for mercy for the bestowing of his Spirit upon you Who knows but when you are endeavouring seeking and striving God may give in his holy Spirit to you and help you to pray to acceptation with him It is our duty to wait let God take his time way to work But be sure to pray that with great earnestness from a deep sense of your distress and danger that God will speedily help you Psal 70.1 Make haste O God to deliver me make haste to help me O Lord Psal 143.7 Hear me speedily O Lord my Spirit faileth hide not thy face from me lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit It must be with humble and earnest prayer on our part that the Spirit of God will come into our Souls if ever it come there Look therefore to the Infinite mercy of God in Christ to help in this matter Direct 6. Be exceeding diligent in the use of all means especially in attending upon the word of God for the obtaining of the Spirit As we must pray so we must use all due means with praying over them Seek for the Spirit wherever there is hope it may be found in all those wayes which God hath instituted for the giving forth of grace mercy and good to the Souls of men Let Sabbaths be observed Ordinances attended meditation self examination prayer secret Family and publick prayer reading the word of God And especially the Ministry of the word Oh wait there By that the word of God dispensed the Spirit is pleased to convey himself The Gospel is called the ministration of the Spirit 2 Cor. 3.8 We read of those upon whom the holy Ghost sell while they were hearing the word Act. 10.44 While Peter yet spake these words the holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word The Galatians Gal. 3.2 received the Spirit by the hearing of faith i.e. the word of faith which the Apostles preached Therefore attend diligently to the Ministry of the Word pray before you come pray when you go from hearing of the word that it might be a blessed means to conveigh the Spirit to you And when you come to the word attend with all your might hear as for your lives do not heedlesly let slip any one Sentence without your careful attention Expect wait long look when by what sentence by what word spoken God will let in his spirit into your Souls Oh if persons would set themselves in good earnest to attend upon the word of the Gospel as the word of God as the Ministry of the Spirit who knows what God might do for them Let the word of God be precious if ever you would have the Spirit of God with you and in you Dir. 7. Enquire seriously and consult with those that have the Spirit of God If you have any serious christian friend you can open your heart to be plain with him beseech him to be plain with you Enquire the way of the Spirit from those who have had experience thereof Jer. 50.4 5. In those dayes and in that time saith the Lord the children of Israel shall come they and the children of Judah together going and weeping they shall go and seek the Lord their God They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward Where you meet with difficulty in the way seek for instruction Listen what others what Christians of approved godliness and experience say concerning the way of the Spirit of God in their Souls if so be that you thereby might go forth by the footsteps of Christs flock and find him whom your Soul seeks after This is the direction the Lord gives to her Cant. 1.8 If thou know not go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock It is of exceeding use for persons whose desires are intensly set after the Spirit of God to be opening their hearts and conferring seriously one with another about the same Oh the holy breathings of the Spirit that have many times been kindled in the Souls of persons when they have been seriously and sincerely conferring concerning the things and wayes of the Spirit of God! Direct 8. Continue seeking striving and waiting in the use of all means till you find till the Spirit be poured out from on high upon you If the Lord do not come and give his Spirit to you presently yet take heed of giving over or slacking your endeavours Many being some way or other rouzed for a fit are very earnest but not finding the Spirit of God to come quickly they give over they are soon cooled and content themselves with their former formalities in the exercises of Religion Take heed we do not cast away our Souls here How many many perish here Rosolve never to give over seeking and waiting till God be gracious to you and pour out his Spirit upon you If God give you not the holy Spirit to be your Comforter resolve never to take comfort but ly down in sorrow Let nothing divert you from this seeking let nothing satisfy you till you have found the thing you seek for Hos 6.3 Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord. Importunity and constancy may at last prevail Luk. 11.5 10. Yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth c. and Luk. 18.1 And be spake a parable unto them to this and that men ought alwayes to pray and not to faint The Lord Jesus spake these things to encourage to importunity and constancy in prayer And for the prevalency and good effect of this we have the famous example of the woman of Canaan Math. 15.22 -28 Direct 9. Make this the business of your lives Look upon it as the main thing you came into the world for Lay out the strength of your Souls about it Drive on this as if you had nothing else to mind or do Make this your work to get the Spirit of God to be in you and all other things subordinate and subservient to this Do not think that for a sinner to obtain all the gracious operations of the Spirit in himself to get a due sense of sin as most odious and loathsome and to rest his Soul upon Christ as most pretious and to shew forth all the blessed fruits of the Spirit in his conversation is a work easily or quickly done And yet you must not rest till you come to this till there be the apparent manifest full breathings and operations of the Spirit in you As Mercy is not like to come to us till the Spirit be poured out upon us from on high So let us wait and labour till the Spirit be poured out upon us fingly and generally that the wilderness may become a fruitful field and the fruitful field be counted for a Forrest and so those mercyes and blessings which are consequent to this may be derived down to and setled upon us For a close let every sincere one whose heart is upon the work and glory of Christ heartily and earnestly joyn with the Psalmist in that prayer profession of his Psal 53.6 O that the Salvation of Israel were come out of Zion When God bringeth back the Capivity of his people Jacob shall rejoyce and Israel shall be glad FINIS
THE NECESSITY OF The pouring out of the Spirit from on High UPON A Sinning Apostatizing People set under Judgment in order to their merciful Deliverance and Salvation As it was Delivered in part upon 21. 9. 1678. being a general FAST throughout the united Colonies of N. E. By WILLIAM ADAMS Pastor of the Church of Christ in Dedham Luk. 19.41 42. And when he was come near he beheld the City and wept over it saying If thou hadst known even thou at least in this thy day the things which belong unto thy peace but now they are hid from thine eyes Luk. 13.35 Behold your house is left unto you desolate And verily I say unto you Ye shall not see me until the time come when ye shall say Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord. Psal 14.7 O that the Salvation of Israel were come out of Sion I when the Lord bringeth back the Captivity of his People Jacob shall rejoice and Israel shall be glad BOSTON Printed by John Foster for William Avery near the sign of the blew Anchor 1679. To the Reader THat these Churches once flourished with much spiritual prosperity under a glorious dispensation of the Spirit and grace of God by the saving administrations of his word and worship and that with full demonstration of his special grace and favour we ought to commemorate unto his praise and glory and our own present shame and confusion That now we are a people in extream danger of perishing in our own sins and under Gods Judgements unless God shall please in an extraordinary way of Soveraign mercy to save us is the most humbling consideration of our present sad condition That all ordinary means in that extraordinary way of improvement which God hath of late set us under have been altogether ineffectual unto a general and saving work of reformation makes it at least a fearful question whether our degeneracy and apostacy may not prove Judicial and so perpetual a question which will not admit of a comfortable resolution until God shall pour out his Spirit from on high upon us That Soveraign promise of the donation and effusion of the Spirit and so of the dispensation of saving grace as it hath been unto the Churches in all Ages under their deepest defection So it is unto us the main stay of our faith confidence and comfort and that which gives some present reviving unto our languishing hope of the resurrection of Religion in these Churches That God doth at present so far suspend the accomplishment of this promise and so far with-hold his Spirit and grace it is the just yet most dreadful punishment of that most sinful abuse of it and general unprofitableness under the means of grace and of that resisting his Spirit and rejecting his Son by unbelief and disobedience unto the Gospel which is found amongst us and is sadly signal of the gradual cessation of the work of Conversion and of the further execution of Gods wrath both by external and spiritual plagues and Judgements How much that blessed work doth already fail the decaying and dying state of Religion and of these Churches doth evidence by woful instance and experience there being little more left then a name to live and those things which remain so ready to dye That so many sinners do seem to be given up Judicially unto the still growing and prevailing sins of the times which both in their nature and working are so utterly inconsistent with the progress of the work of Conversion doth make the considgration of our present case much the more lamentable especially-considering that such sinners do remain under a secret soveraign influence of Gods vindictive Justice whence the word in the Ministry is become a savour of death unto death in them that perish What remains then but that we do most enixly endeavour in whatsoever we may or can possibly to approve our selves a people more hopeful as to Conversion Reformation and Salvation labouring practically and savingly to understand even we at least in this our day the great things of our temporal spiritual and eternal peace and welfare least they should be hidden from our eyes because we know not this time of our visitation How is it then the most important concernment of all unconverted sinners to take heed unto themselves that they do not as heretofore hinder their own Conversion by abusing and loosing their special day and seasons of grace or by yielding up their Souls unto the power of sin and Satan in those wayes of sinning wherein their hearts will be hardned against the power and working of the word and Spirit of God unto positive unbelief and disobedience unto the Gospel against light and so by giving up themselves unto deep security in their unregeneracy and unto spiritual Apostacy from that common grace which they may have received and that past ordinary hope of recovery Heb. 6.4 to 8. But that sinners do redeem this present time unto a constant attendance upon the Ministry of the word and a most diligent improvement of all means of grace and operations of the Spirit crying earnestly unto God and waiting instantly upon him for the application of Christ and salvation in a saving work of grace and that under a sense of their extream necessity thereof crying out as they when prickt in their heart Act 2.31 what shall we do and as he Act. 16.30 what must I do to be saved How severely also then are all such persons to be reproved and warned as the most dangerous destructive Enemyes unto both the temporal and spiritual welfare and prosperity of this people and of these Churches feeking the utter ruine and destruction both of the present and succeeding generations who make it their business to hinder obstruct yea utterly to destroy the work of Conversion by upholding the sins of the times opposing the dutyes of the times corrupting the Souls of others with error heresy libertinisme and licentiousness weakning the hearts and hands of those who labour in the work of Christ for the salvation of Souls by all means crossing and counter-working the whole work of Reformation such do declare themselves to be full of all mischief Children of the Devil and Enemies of all righteousness Act. 13.10 incurre that woe pronounced by our Saviour Math. 23.19 Therefore all those who would approve themselves to be true friends to the work of Christ in the promotion of his Kingdome the propagation of Religion and the Salvation of Souls ought to labour most intensly in their several places by all means with all their might to promote converting work especially amongst the Rising Generations Godly parents Masters heads of Families by the constant exercise of the worship of God in the life and power of it by dayly instructions admonitions and all kind of religious education by the right and full improvement of Family government training up Children and Servants in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and this with
Saints more more sanctified And by pouring out of the Spirit we may understand a plentiful effusion or giving forth of the gifts and graces of the Spirit to the sound Conversion and through Sanctification of a People The dispensation of the Spirit in all the gracious and saving operations thereof is exprest by giving the Holy Ghost Joh. 7.39 This spake he of the Spirit which they that believe on him should receive for the Holy Ghost was not yet given And by pouring out the gift of the Holy Ghost Act. 10.45 On the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost By the Spirit being poured out upon them therefore is intended a plentiful and abundant measure of the communication of the gifts and graces of the Spirit unto them and this was the determined period of their miseryes See more of this in M. I Mather his Sermon on Isai 44.3 Qu. 1 2. where these things are directly and fully spoken too From on High from God above Father and Son And the Wilderness be a fruitful field and the fruitful field be counted for a Forrest I shall not trouble you with reciting the various Expositions given of this as in the parallel place in Isai 29.17 but only lay down and improve that which comparing them with the Text and one with another I take to be most probable What is therefore exprest in the latter part of this Verse we may take to intimate the immediate effects or fruits of the pouring out of the Spirit wrought upon or in those upon whom it is poured And they are two 1. The Conversion of the unregenerate And the Wilderness be a fruitful Field i. e. Those that have been as a Wilderness barren and unfruitful bringing forth no fruit to God but wild fruits of sin they shall be changed tilled converted and made fruitful to bring forth fruits of holiness unto God 2. The admirable fruitfulness and encrease of grace in the godly And the fruitful Field be counted for a Forrest i.e. They that have a Principle of fruitfulness in them and did bring forth fruit before yet now upon the pouring out of the Spirit upon them shall receive such abundance of grace and be so eminent in the acting of it that what they did before shall be accounted as the fruit of a barren Forrest in comparison of what they do now Such a difference shall there be in their fruitfulness before and after the pouring out of the Spirit on them Or the meaning may be The fruitful field shall be counted for a Forrest i.e. Those that were before fruitful fields shall upon the pouring out of the Spirit fructifie so incredibly that they shall seem rather to be a Wood a Forrest a Thicket then fields of Tillage by an appropriation of such expressions as are sometimes used concerning the incredible fertility of some Fields in grain and fruits unto the exceeding great fruitfulness of persons in grace and spiritual and holy actions And so the Sense is the same as before Vide Angl. Annot in Isai 25.17 and Calvin in Pol. Synops Crit. Ibid. 3. The great turn and change following upon the pouring out of the Spirit v. 16 17 18. Then shall c. The immediate Effects fruits of the pouring out of the Spirit were exprest in the former Verse The mediate or more remote effect and consequent of it is here exprest to be the restoration and multiplication of sure mercies and blessings upon them in the Particulars mentioned in these verses And they respect either 1. Their Sanctification as a holy and heavenly Conversation v. 16. Then Judgement shall dwell in the wilderness i.e. in illis qui olim Desertum erant Forerius in Pol. Synop. Crit. in Loc. Those that were as a wilderness before untilled unt aught unregenerate unsubdued to the will of God being now converted shall give heed to Judgement equity righteousness honesty and piety abandoning all ways of profaneness debauchery dishonesty injustice intemperance and impiety which before once they lived in And righteousness remain in the fruitfull field Ergasia five exornatio effectorum Spiritus Dei in Sanctis erunt inquit fructus spiritus in arvo i.e. Ecclesiâ Dei Justitia c. Jun. in Loc. Christians Professors who have given up their names to Christ shall be studiously carefull to hold fast righteousness sincerity and uprightness in all their carriages and actions towards God and man being plain-hearted right-down fair and square in all their dealings behaving themselves in all things holily justly and unblameably being harmless and without rebuke putting away all semblance of dishonesty unjust dealing unfaithfulness untruth encroaching covetousness double-dealing unsteadiness shifting winding turning and whatsoever else is unworthy the vocation wherewith they are called And these sure are blessed and happy times when there are such fruits of sanctification so generally and universally appearing Or 2. Their Glorification which concern the felicity and blessedness of their lives And they are either 1. Inward and spiritual blessings Peace Quietness and Assurance v. 17. and the work of righteousness shall be peace and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever There shall be peace Soul-peace Peace with God and the testimony of that peace in their Consciences whenee an holy serenity and calmness of soul the peace of God which passeth all understanding keeping their hearts and minds through Jesus Christ a religious composure of mind resting quietly upon God alone and depending on him with confident assurance of receiving protection and all good from him English Annot. in Loc. Or 2. Outward Blessings peaceableness in their habitations security and quietness in their dwellings v. 18. and my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation and in sure dwellinge and in quiet resting places They shall have peace safety quietness and rest round about together with all the blessings of such a merciful and heaven-born peace Nor is it absurd or immethodical to rank this outward peace of the Saints under glorification for it is to them a real freedome from misery evill of punishment wherein they experience the good-will kindness of God and therefore is a part or degree of Glorification begun Huc pertinet ad Grorificat inchoat scil paterna illa Dei Providentia quae Fidelibus invigilat somper in bonum Ames Medui l. 0 c. 30. th 30. For the timing this Prophesy in the Text concerning the pouring out of the Spirit and the effects and Consequents of it it is variously fixed by Expositors as to the restitution of the Jewish state after Sennacheribs defeat to the Jews return from the Babylonian Captivity to the times of the Messiah in general and to some particular time or times under the Gospel and that either already past or yet expected That this Prophesy in the Text doth respect some particular time mainly and principally is without doubt But what that time is Scriptura prophetica sapius impletur See Mr. Increase
is with his word in the dispensation of it and what workings of the word there are upon and in the hearts of hearers What impression the Word of the Gospel laboured in takes Whether it tends to hardning or softning whether it be a seed sown upon good ground or as seed thrown by the way side or hath only some lighter impressions Particularly 1. What subduing of hearts and wills is wrought by it What strong holds pulled down what vain refuges discovered what sinful pleas taken off thereby Do we see those that are Enemies to Christ falling down before him when he rides forth conquering and to conquer by his word Psal 110.2 The Lord shall send the Rod of thy stringth out of Zion The preaching of the Gospel accompanyed with the mighty working of the Spirit of Christ is the Rod of strength or the strong Scepter whereby Christ doth mightily subdue and govern his people Jacks in loc And where there is a presence of the Spirit accompanying the dispensation of the Word it will subdue hearts 2. What heart-breakings and Soul-meltings there are under the Word of God How does the hammer of Gods word wielded by the Spirit break the rock in pieces Jer. 23.29 Is not my word like a hammer that breakth the rock in pieces Does the word divide betwixt the joynts the marrow pierce to the discerning of the inward thoughts and intents of the heart Do men and women sit trembling under the hearing of Gods word Are their Souls plainly and wholly laid open to be wounded and bealed by the word of God Does the word move and work kindly and sweetly upon the heart to perswade to draw to instruct to correct to awe to unite the heart to God Does it fully unravel our own woven webs kindly humble us and make us fall all to pieces as in our selves that we have no kind of thing to take to and does it sweetly allure and work up our hearts to an earnest hearty and thankful devolving the whole weight and concernment of our restless helpless Souls upon the everlasting Arms of a tender and gracious Father in Christ Jesus Does it bring us to clasp about a strong gracious and faithful Redeemer and Saviour as who will hold there and not let him go because else we shall perish Or is it so that the heat of Gods word dispensed will not thaw or melt our frozen hearts how oft soever they are held to this fire Is not my word like as a fire saith the Lord 3. What affection there is to the word of God What love to longing for and desire after it Is it the delight joy and rejoycing of persons to be hearing reading and practising according to the holy word of God Is it as it was with David Psal 119.97 Oh how love I thy Law Psal 42.1 2. As the hart panteth after the water-brooks so panteth my Soul after thee O God My Soul thir steth for God for the living God when shall I come and appear before God Psal 84.2 My Soul longeth yea even fainteth for the Courts of the Lord Psal 122.1 I was glad when they said unto me Let us go into the house of the Lord. Or are we little affected to and our hearts little drawn out after the word of God 3. Consider What tenderness of heart and heart-smiting for sin there is among us Where there is much of the grace of the Spirit the heart will be tender and such a mans heart will smite him upon every offence against God and upon every appearance of his anger As Josiah's heart was tender and he humbled himself before the Lord upon the hearing of what God speake against Judah 2 King 22.19 And Davids heart smote him upon his inconsiderate rash actions 1 Sam. 24.5 and 2 Sam. 24.10 Now what of this heart tenderness and grief and mourning for sin and Gods anger is there among us Does the least transgression or miscarriage wound and grieve the Soul Is a vain thought a trouble Is an hypocritical frame or inclination a grief Any appearance of evil disquieting that the least corruption cannot be born without crying to God for deliverance Or can persons bear away with lighter and lesser evils and it may be grosser miscarriages also Let sin go without lamenting or bewailing it or being much concerned about it be loose in their lives and ungirt in their Religion and yet full peace 4. Consider What lively vehement outgoings of Soul to God in prayer there are among us What of humble and holy access freedome and familiarity with God in seeking him Doe persons even Christians freely easily and as it were naturally pour out their Souls to God Can they by Faith take hold of God and wrestle it out with him and not let him go till he bless them The spirit of grace is a spirit of supplications also Zech. 12.10 Or is it so that many neglect calling upon God wholly others do it in hypocrisie many in meer formality and even Christians themselves find it exceeding difficult to get up their hearts at any time to any earnestness or suitableness in this duty 5. Consider what concernment of Soul there is for the glory and work of God among us Are we deeply engaged in heartily taken up about and diligently labouring in the promoting of Gods work and procuring of his glory Is it our chief care and principal endeavour that the work of Christ may be upheld continued and transmitted to posterity Is every one in his place and capacity thoughtful and careful about this in good earnest that it may be done Or are we no whit or little concerned about the glory and work of God among us Are not our own concernments minded more If we can look to our selves let Christ look to himself and his work as the Apostle complains Phil. 2.21 All seek their own not the things which are Jesus Christs Are there few upon whose hearts doth rest the care and sollicitude what will become of the Lords work It is the property of such as inherit any good measure of a true Gospel spirit to seek the glory of God These are some of the motions and operations of the Spirit which we are to observe in our selves and others and by which we may be directed to discern the times what God is doing or about to do and what is like to become of us When these things shall be we may look for good times If there be much of these things there is good hope if little little hope if none no hope Only we may here as alwayes elsewhere reserve to God his absolute Soveraignty in working Be we never so bad he may of his Soveraign grace save or at least spare us Or be we never so good he may of his Soveraign power and dominion and in perfect Justice also hold us under affliction in this life But according to ordinary dispensation we may expect that he will be with us as we be with him As
saw that there was respite he hardned his heart and hearkned not Renewal of stroaks hath not done it After respite and deliverance granted God hath taken us into his hand again But alas that it should be too truly said of us We set not our hearts to this also So that there is little or no hope till this be till God by his Spirit work a saving through change in our hearts Truly we are grown so irrational as to spiritual concernments that it is not Gods working upon us only in a rational way that will reclaim us or bring us to his will There must be in a more then ordinary manner the real energetical operation of his Spirit in us to make us other men and women then we are first 3. An universal languishing in the inner man is and will be upon us for want of this pouring out of the Spirit You your selves Christians by your own confession are not so capacitated to the exercise of grace duty for want of this Things go hard with your Souls Those things which remain are even ready to dy As Rev. 3.2 Faith love and other graces they are as it were under a Consumption very feeble and languid Iniquities prevail corruptions get loose and waste the strength and vigour of the Soul And will not you stir up your selves to pray for the Remedy This is lamentable Isai 64.6 7. We all do fade as a leaf and our iniquities like the wind have taken us away And there is none that calleth upon thy Name that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee And how do sinners pine away in their iniquities not regarding God nor their own state and condition whilest they are without the effectual strivings of the holy Spirit with them Will you not pity them and earnestly pray for this healing Remedy to be given to them Can you see your own Souls pining and others Souls perishing and not be importunate with God to put forth his hand to revive and save respectively what will become of faith holiness love to God his word Ordinances wayes and one another unless God be pleased to pour out his Spirit on us 4. The work of Christ is like quickly to ly by unless this be If God do not graciously appear to give forth his holy Spirit the work of Christ will be like ere long and it may be not long first to fall to the ground for want of persons spirited to manage it and carry it on And can you be willing to see that day or that it should come though you do not see it and not improve the utmost of your interest with God to prevent it Are you Christs and not concerned that the work of Christ should or should be in danger to lye by Indeed we are like to run all to confusion and misery if God doe not wonderfully and graciously appear this way to work for us to revive us by his Spirit to set us into and keep us in that order which is according to his will There is therefore absolute necessity of the effusion of the Spirit for the continuance of Gods work and glory among us 5. This will be our great security against the expressions of Gods anger Ezek. 39.29 Neither will I hide my face any more from them for I have poured out my Spirit upon the house of Israel saith the Lord God And so it will be our security in the enjoyment of all blessings and mercies Indeed it is the only sure way we have to all or any good The nearer God the greatest good is to us the farther sin the greatest evil will be from us there will be peace quietness and rejoycing in the favor of God and in the gracious effects of it 6. It will be for the great honour of Christ By the pouring out of the Spirit is manifested the efficacy of his Redemption and the end and fruit of it obtained which redounds to his honour It is a great evidence of the power of Christs Redemption and demonstrates him to be a strong Redeemer when there is of the travel of his soul to be seen and his people are made willing in the day of his power hence is he glorified Joh. 17.8 10. I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me and they have received them and have known surely that I came out from thee and they have believed that thou didst send me And I am glorified in them And will not you pray that Christ may be honoured in his subduing the hearts of men to himself that this crown of Glory may be set upon his head 7. You have a promise to improve of Gods pouring out his Spirit This is that which the Lord hath spoken that he will doe especially under the Gospel Isai 44.3 I will pour my Spirit on thy Seed and my blessing upon thine offspring So Joel 2.28.20 Whence you have a bottome for faith to rest upon an argument to plead in prayer for your children of the rising generation You are the Lords people and to such God in these promises gives hold to be taken of himself in this matter Beg therefore that God would fulfil his own word accomplish his own promise Object But it may be some will say These promises and so the Text also respect the latter times and Gods pouring out his Spirit upon the Jews at their conversion and bringing home And therefore what improvement can we make of them for our times Sol. If it be granted that they do respect a signal dispensation of God to the Jews in the last times yet that hinders not but that there is many a like dispensation of God in accomplishing these promises under the Gospel Prophetical Scripture is often fulfilled And though there be in special one grand accomplishment of Scripture Prophesies and promises yet there are also many Specimens beginnings of fulfilling them partile accomplishments like dispensations of Gods providence wherein those prophesies and promises are fulfilled in their measure and degree And so this Prophesy and promise of Gods pouring out his Spirit however it may have its full and compleat accomplishment in some particular glorious time hereafter yet there hath been a glorious accomplishment of it already in the Apostles times as we are informed Act. 2.16 17 18. But this is that which was spoken by the Prophet Joel And it shall come to pass in the last dayes saith God I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh c. Yea and it is fulfilled in a degree wherever the Gospel comes with power Yea further it is observed by some that There is no particular Church where the light hath shined but hath had its special times some solemn day of the pouring out of the Spirit before the Sun went down Which may be observed either at the first breaking up of the Gospel or at some remarkable time and change of her condition Whence a great tack of Souls to Christ hath followed besides
will of the Lord Jesus heartily giving thanks to God and the Father by him Col. 3 17. The Spirit of God and of holiness will breath and be manifest in them There will be a godly sorrow and mourning for sin in All Ezek. 7.16 But they that escape of them shall escape and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys all of them mourning every one for his iniquity A hearty grief that they have displeased dishonoured and provoked God by their sin And a sincere and earnest care and endeavour to repair the honour and glory of Gods Name by future holy obedience These are the immediate effects and fruits of the pouring out of the Spirit And till the Spirit be thus poured out and these gracious effects of it in some good measure obtained to the Conversion and Sanctification of a people under Judgement their misery and sorrow will be like to procead and continue And that 1. Because the profaneness unbelief and impenitency of sinners and the unholiness and unfruitfulness of Christians are the causes of these sorrows and miseryes And as till the causes be removed there is no probability that the effect should cease Josh 7.12 neither will I be with you any more except ye destroy the accursed from among you So in order to the removal of these from a people the pouring out of the Spirit from on high upon them to their sound conversion and sanctification is the grand expedient And therefore till this be they will remain a generation of Gods wrath His anger will not be like to be turned away from them till this work be wrought in and for them 2. Because till the Spirit be in some measure poured out upon them they will not be fit for mercy They will not duely acknowledge nor improve it but profane and abuse it Till by the gracious work of Gods Spirit in them they be brought to a complyance with his will they will not be in a posture to receive mercy They will not carry it aright under mercy Psal 106.8.13 21. Nevertheless he saved them for his Names sake But they soon forgat his works they waited not for his Counsel They forgat God their Saviour which had done great things And therefore there is little probability that God will bestow Salvation upon such a people 3. Till then they will be provoking God Though the Lord be striking them they will certainly be adding new provocations Jer. 5.3 Thou hast stricken them but they have not grieved thou hast consumed them but they have refused to receive correction they have made their faces harder then a rock they have refused to return Isai 57.17 For the iniquity of his Covetousness was I wroth and smote him I hid me and was wroth and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart After this manner will they certainly do till Soveraign grace heal them till such time as there be a gracious effusion of the Spirit from on high upon them to change convert and sanctifie them And therefore notwithstanding all the evil God hath done unto them it will be probable that his Anger will not be turned away but his hand stretch-out still against them Prop. IV. When the Spirit from on high is poured out upon a People to their sound Conversion there will be a restoration and multiplication of sure mercyes and blessings upon them Though such a people were under affliction and expressions of divine displeasure before The Seal of Gods providence would then turn towards them and there would be a remarkable glorious and happy change among them Text ver 16 17 18. Then there should be a new face and aspect of divine providence upon them and the clouds of divine displeasure would blow over What before was taken away or withheld from them should be then restored or given and what mercy they want bestowed upon them They should have mercyes and blessings indeed that are worthy the name of blessings store of sure mercyes and blessings 1. There would be great holiness Holiness would abound There would be Holiness to the Lord as it were engraven in bells and pots Zech. 14.20.21 Holiness would be conspicuous both in persons and actions Judgment and righteousness would dwell and remain every where both in the wilderness and in the field Text ver 16. Then Judgement shall dwell in the wilderness and righteousness remain in the fruitful field 1. We should then see sinners studying and following after Holiness Christians might then see those ignorant profane wicked creatures whom they now with grief behold or hear of that they mind nothing but their vanity their pride excess intemperance disorder who now will not be perswaded to pray to read or hear the word of God with diligence reverence and obedience who will be profane wanton intemperate negligent irreligious who will do any thing but what they should and every thing that they should not But then we might see them serious humble attentive to what is good acting in the fear of God diligent and studious to know the will of God careful to please God fearful of displeasing him circumspect in their actions Christian in their behaviour adorning the doctrine of the Gospel denying all ungodliness and worldly lusts and living soberly righteously godly in the world Tit. 2.12 Isai 32.4 The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge Such as were heady and inconsiderate as fond and foolish persons usually are shall then be better advised and by attending to the word of God come to understand aright the will of God And the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly Men by their religious speech and communication at which they did but stammer when they assayed ought before shall now manifest the inward alteration and change of their hearts Engl. Annot. There are many who having little or nothing of Religion in their hearts little or no discerning or taste of things of the Spirit of God when they are put upon it to speak of any spiritual matters or to perform any religious duty they do miserably stammer sumble and falter they cannot speak or but very brokenly though it may be they can speak fast enough and are of voluble speech in other things But were there abundant effusion of the Spirit upon these it would loose their tongues and make them able to speak distinctly understandingly and feelingly of spiritual and holy things Isai 29.18 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness Those that were deaf to all the calls and warnings of God by his word and rod they would not hearken that were blind that could not would not see notwithstanding all that glorious light of Gods truth was held forth before them they shall be recovered of those their former maladies and by the Spirit of God effectually working with his word they shall come to have their cars
the reaching of the Conscience and stirring the affection of many others under a common work of the Spirit which usually goeth along with solemn times Fulfilling of the Scripture pag. 142. Edit 2. Oh therefore pray that New England may have such or another such a solemn day before her Sun go down 8. It is necessary to evidence that you have the Spirit that you be earnestly desirous to have more of the Spirit and that both for your selves and others 9. If Christians would in good earnest set to pray for this there would be good hope that the Spirit would be poured out upon us The Lord is not wont to say to his people seek or to stir them up to seek him in vain Isa 45.19 I said not unto the Seed of Jacob seek ye me in vain 30.19 He will be very grasious unto thee at the voice of thy cry when he shall hear it he will answer thee More encouragement to instant prayer for the pouring out of the Spirit see in Mr. I. Mathers Sermon on Isai 44.3 pag. 14 to 19. By all let Christians be perswaded to lift up the hands which hang down and set to prayer with a deep sense of our want of the Spirit with a Soul humbling sense that we have so grieved the Spirit as thus to forsake and with hold its gracious operations from us and also with faith and expectation that God will do this for us for the sake and upon the account of Christ And then we might hope that it would go well with us and that that should be accomplished in us which is prayed for by the Psalmist Psal 90.14 15 16 17. O satisfy us early with thy mercy that we may rejoyce and be glad all our dayes Make us glad according to the dayes wherein thou hast afflicted us and the years wherein we have seen evil Let thy work appear unto thy Servants and thy glory unto their Children And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us and establish thou the work of our hands upon us yea the work of our hands establish thou it Exhortation 2. To All to labour that the Spirit may be poured out upon them that they may hoth have the Spirit and a plentiful measure of the graces of it Let every one endeavour to get the Spirit for himself and so there would be a general pouring out of the Spirit Would we be free from misery would we be happy make this our busmess Let all unregenerate persons rouze and stir up themselves and take the Kingdome of heaven by holy violence Sue and strive by all means that the saving graces of the Spirit may be given to you If we would have the Spirit poured out upon us upon our persons we must be in the way of waiting for it And O that we could use utmost diligence and endeavours in this thing It is a matter of most eminent and everlasting concernment I might here urge those two things hinted in the Text The misery of being without and the blessedness of having the Spirit poured out upon us which comprehend all can be said But more particularly by way of motive consider Mot. 1. If you have not the Spirit you are none of Christs you have no Christ you are Christless persons and have no more to doe with the Son of God in your present state as to any propriety in him then the Devils had Luk. 8.28 You may talk of Christ and it may be profess him but you have no right nor interest in him Rom. 8.9 Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his The Spirit is the bond of union on Christs part and it is the Spirit which works Faith in us which is the bond of union on our part whence Christ dwels in his people by his Spirit Where therefore the Spirit of Christ is not there is no union of that Soul to Christ no faith wrought in the heart and so no Christ dwelling in that soul And now seriously consider what it is to be without Christ to be none of his 1. It is to have no pardon of sin No Christ no forgiveness You are yet in your sins under the guilt of them and can have no pardon so long as you are without Christ All the sins that ever you have committed they stand on file against you and you must answer for them You lye under the heavy load of the guilt of innumerable evils the which if you had any sense might-make your hearts to fail at the thoughts of it Psal 40.12 For innumerable evils have compassed me about mine iniquityes have taken hold upon me so that I am not able to look up they are more then the hairs of my head therefore my heart faileth me It is enough to make the heart of any person to fail indeed to see the load of all his sins lying upon him unpardoned What a dreadfull thing is it for us who have been Transgressors from the womb endless in acting of sin to have all our sins to answer for before God Job 9.3 If he will contend with him be cannot answer him one of a thousand We cannot give a satisfying Answer for one single sin of a thousand But we must answer that is we must be called to an account for them all if they be not pardoned and pardoned they are not if we have not Christ In him pardon is to be had Rom. 3.25 whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God But pardon is no where to be had without him 2. It is to have no favour with God No Christ no favour in Heaven The heart of God will never be towards any that are not in Christ and that continue out of him The world is at enmity with God and reconciliation is only to be had in Christ Jesus God will enter into friendship with or shew favour to no person but by the means and mediation of his Son And therefore if thou art and continuest without Christ God does and ever will look upon thee as an Enemy thou shalt find no favour in his eyes He that made thee will not have mercy on thee he that formed thee will shew thee no favour There will never be other then anger in the face and heart of God toward We are all by nature children of wrath and Enemies but they who are gotten into Christ they are thereby reconciled Col. 1.2 22. You that were sometimes alienated and Enemyes in your minds by wicked works yet now hath be reconciled in the body of his flesh through death c. But for others the wrath of God abides on them and there it will abide to Eternity for they can have no favour if they continue out of Christ Joh. 3.36 He that believeth not the Son the wrath of God abideth on him 3. It is to
have no Salvation No Christ no Salvation Whatever else men may have if they have not Christ they can never be saved Act. 4.12 Neither is there Salvation in any other for there is none other Name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved Joh. 3.36 He that believeth not the Son shall not see life Poor creature what dost thou dream of Heaven happiness eternal life glory hast no Christ All thy hopes will prove to be but vain dreams and will in the end vanish 1 Joh. 5.12 He that hath not the Son of God hath not life 4. It is to be reprobate i. e. disapproved disallowed and rejected of God Jer. 6.30 Reprobate or refuse and rejectea silver shall men call them because the Lord hath rejected them 2 Cor. 13.5 Know you not your own solves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates They who are without Christ though they may not be Reprobate as the word is opposed to Elect yet in their present state and as to what appears they are no better then those that are reprobate And continuing under Gospel enjoyments without getting into Christ is a fearful symptome of everlasting Reprobation 5. It is to be Satans If thou art none of Christs thou art the Devils The possession of men in the world is divided betwixt Christ and Satan What Christ possesses not are under Satans power and tyranny Know therefore that if Christ hath no possession of thee thou art possessed of the Devil Most lamentable tydings I bring to all unconverted sinners you are possessed by the Devil you are in the hands of that cruel Enemy of Souls in the paw of that roaring Lyon who goes about seeking whom he may devour Is it not a dreadful thing to have the body possessed See Mark 5.2 5. There met him out of the Tombs a man with an unclean Spirit And alwayes night and day he was in the mountains and in the Tombs crying and cutting himself with stones But how much more dreadful is it to have the Soul in the Devils possession Ah sinner Hast thou any reason to laugh and be merry to enjoy one good hour whilest thou art under the hand of so cruel a master and murtherer of Souls as thou art He hath his will upon thee 2 Tim. 2.26 Who are taken captive by him as his will The evil Spirit worketh in the Children of disobedience Eph. 2.2 He trades there In some he keeps open shop setting forth his wares before the world in those abominations and villanyes by them committed In others he deals more underhand he does not appear so openly but yet he is at work in the heart of every child of disobedience Every sinner is the Devils factor and erelong unless thou withdraw from his service he will pay thee thy wages Every Christless sinner is under Satans power Hence when persons are converted they are turned from the power of Satan delivered from the power of darkness Act. 26.18 To open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God Col. 1.13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness Thus remember and consider that if you have not the Spirit of Christ you are none of Christs and if none of Christs then what and whose you are Mot. 2. If you have not the Spirit you are worth nothing The true worth and value of men is according to what of the Spirit of God is in them And therefore Pharaoh judged right of Joseph on this account that he was an eminent man a man in whom the Spirit of God was Gen. 41.38 But if you are without this whatever rate you may value your selves at or others may value you you are indeed good for nothing For 1. You know nothing of that which is only worth the knowing and to which all other knowledge ought to be subservient You know nothing of the things of God and his Kingdome of the mysteries of union and communion with God in Christ Speculative knowledge you may have but practical saving knowledge you have none for the true saving knowledge of these is only attained by the help of the Spirit which you are without 1 Cor. 2.11 14. We have received the Spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned You have little reason any one of you he that knows most to boast of or be lifted up with your knowledge for you know nothing as you ought to know The God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ who is the image of God should shine unto them 2 Cor. 4.4 And therefore whatever you may imagine or speak or reason concerning spiritual things it is but even as the blind mans imagination discourse and reasoning concerning Colours It is very ignorantly You do not really understand any thing about them Si Christum nescis nihil est si catera discis 2. You can do no good thing You have no ability to perform any good action We are all naturally so impotent that we can do nothing that is good unless we have the Spirit to help our infirmities Rom. 8.26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities Which you have not We cannot take any step in a right path without the manuduction and leading of the Spirit Rom. 8.14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God Psal 51.12 Vphold me with thy free Spirit But you have no such guide All spiritual life and every action of life it comes from the Spirit of Christ Rom. 8.11 and without it nothing is to be done And therefore let me tell you who have none of the Spirit of God you never did any thing well in your lives not any thing that God will accept 3. You have no good in you All the good that is or ever was in fallen man it is wrought by the Spirit of God And therefore if you have none of the Spirit of God you have no real good in you You may have these and those good natural dispositions and some shews of good but as for any spiritual saving good that will abide the tryal when God shall judge what is good and what is bad you have none of it And therefore it may be said truly of you whatever you may think of your good heart c. your heart is little worth Prov. 10.20 The heart of the wicked is little worth It is little worth indeed for it is worth nothing Hence is it said Psal 119.119 God putteth away all the wicked of the Earth like dross they being of no worth Thus you see you are worth nothing good for nothing if you have not the Spirit
hearts to the words of God to feel them in through meditation that they may be our life One Truth felt in Meditation is worth a world Mr. Mitchels Let. Hence David Psal 39.3 My heart was hot within me while I was musing the fire burned A religious pondering frame would greatly make way for the presence of the spirit of grace in the Soul Psal 119.59 I thought on my wayes and turned Direct 2. Be sure not to resist or quench the Spirit When the holy Ghost is moving upon or towards you beware of opposing or stifling its motions As they did Act. 7.51 Ye Stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart and cars ye do alwayes resist the holy Ghost If persons will alwayes resist the holy Ghost when it is moving towards them how should they come by it to be partakers of it Hence are we so expresly charged 1 Thes 5.19 Quench not the Spirit If when the Spirit moves by the word or moves in your hearts to leave sin to follow God and after holiness if now you withstand refuse or neglect to attend its motions you are not like to obtain the Spirit If you will not give entertainment to the Spirit of God nor embrace its motions how can you be like to receive it Therefore be very attentive to embrace its motions and obey them Hearken diligently to his Counsel and Commands When the Spirit of God is knocking at your hearts and stirs your hearts to accept of him and of his graces which he is willing and ready to work in you by no means neglect them or slight them but lay hold of them presently as one of the greatest mercyes that God is intending towards you bless him cherish them and beseech him to go on with his work in your Souls Do not reject any work of the Spirit neither grieve him by neglecting his good motions Prov. 1.23 Turn you at my Reproof behold I will pour out my Spiâ—â—â— unto you I will make known my words unto you Sedgwick on the Covenant p. 641. Direct 3. Remove all prejudices against the Spirit out of your hearts Our hearts naturally are full of prejudice against the Spirit and the wayes and workings of it of which we must labour to get them cleared There are those things wont to be mentioned as in the Author but now quoted p. 639 wherein we are apt to take up prejudice against the Spirit 1. Against the humbling work of the Spirit 2. The mortifying work of the Spirit 3. The sanctifying work of the Spirit 4. The Derisions that besal men for the Spirits sake That which I have especial reference to here is that we should get removed all prejudice against the mortifying and sanctifying work of the Spirit Beware of being offended at the way of walking in the Spirit for the strictness of it as if it were too streight to be restrained from these and those flesh pleasing actions and to be tyed to these and those religious dutyes and services Be so far from looking upon these as unreasonable as that on the contrary you may account them most equitable and indeed most pleasant As Prov. 3.17 Her wayes are wayes of pleasantness And account that it is your naughty heart only that makes you think them tedious and irksome By all means get your hearts reconciled to those wayes in which the Spirit of God leads those he dwels in that you may from the heart account those happy who by the help and grace of the Spirit can and do walk in them and that you should account it your own greatest happiness if you could obtain to have and walk in the Spirit and in all the wayes thereof and that every way and work of the Spirit of God may be very precious desireable to you They are the most excellent glorious profitable and desireable wayes and works and it is the perverseness of mans heart and will that makes them at any time seem otherwise which perverse esteem of them we must labour to get rid of Dir. 4. Get your hearts pressed with the intollerable load and burthen of sin of which you can no way be eased but by the presence and help of the Spirit of God Never rest nor be quiet till you come to see the intollerable infinite endless evil that is in sin to be sensible that it is an unsupportable burthen That is the reason why many are so little concerned about obtaining the Spirit of God to help and relieve them they are not duely sensible of the dreadful burthen and load of their sin that lyes upon them They have some lighter convictions and humiliations it may be for some grosser sins but they are not deep soaking nor through enough They are not sick unto death of their sin and hence they do not look for or not very earnestly for the Physitian It may be they have some physick of their own something compounded in their own Kitchin some course or work of their own that they account will do the deed expiate for their sin and preserve them from perishing and so they look no further Or if they do look out to this great Physitian of Souls it is only to get some directions what they may do themselves for themselves and they themselves will get it work it and administer it and so they rest still upon their own doing They are not brought so low in themselves as utterly and for ever to despair of their own strength and skill to recover themselves and hence they do not yield themselves wholly and fully to be healed by the Spirit of Christ they do not see such need of it Labour therefore by all means to see clearly the deadly wound that sin hath given you and to have your hearts broken all to pieces under the sense thereof So long as you are whole in your self or think you can make your self whole you will see no need of the Physitian But if you be thus sick heart sick of sin you will then feel an absolute need of the Physitian you will then prize and look after him Math. 9.12 They that be whole need not a Physitian but they that are sick Sit not down at quiet till sin become most exceeding bitter Go on humbling to be humbled and to see such intollerable evil in sin and to be so burthened with the wrath of God lying upon you for it as it may make sin everlasting ly odious to you force you to fly for refuge to lay hold on the hope sit before you and to have strong consolation there Mr. Mitchel Lee. Do not shun sorrow and mourning for sin Of necessity you must be troubled for sin in this life or in Hell and it is far better to come mourning to God for sin here then to go mourning from him for his Judgement hereafter If we be indeed cast down for sin be in extream bitterness of Soul about it from the sinfulness of it and its contrariety to God appearing to us