his Disciples Es. 8. chap. 8. v. I and the children which thou hast given mee are for signes and for wonders Would our Saviour now leave his Disciples alone in such a world as this Therefore hee comforts them with this that his Spirit should come and convince the world anoint the eyes of man-kind generally to see the same light of divine truth with them The Text reads it Reprove but the word in Greek {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} more properly signifies to convince as the margin hath it This Conviction is threefold First of Sin Because they believe not in me The Spirit should shew the world this as the Center where all sin met in one from whence all sin flows their not believing in Christ their neglect of the Person of Christ Secondly of Righteousnesse because I go to my Father a By Christs returning thither where he was at first by his going back to the Father the Spirit should teach the world that he alone came forth from the Father b For no one ascendeth up to Heaven but the Son of man who came down from Heaven And by this Argument shall the Spirit demonstrate Christ alone to be the Righteousnesse of God to man Thirdly of Judgement because now the Prince of this world is cast out The Spirit should reade this Lecture upon the world how since the fall the whole frame all appearances of things had been one great enchantment raised and maintained upon the spirits of men by the father of lies the Prince of darknesse to hide their eyes from the sight of God But how Jesus Christ had by his death cast down that old Magician from his Throne and Power and now the whole enchantment the fashion or show of this world was dissolving and vanishing till it should appeare no more Thus large I have been in the opening of the context and Text Now without any further stay or needlesse division of my Text my Doctrine from it is this Rightly to convince of sin is the proper work of the Spirit I shall give you only one place of Scripture to prove it but that I hope a fit and full one Zach. 12. 10. I will powre out upon them the spirit of grace and supplications and they shall see him whom they have pierced and mourn over him You have here two successive effusions one of the Spirit and another of Tears First An effusion of Teares They shall mourne Mourning expresseth true Repentance in all the foure parts of it conviction confession contrition conversion The force of the conviction here as in my Text lies in a sight of Christ pierced in a sense of unbelief Not to receive Christ for your Husband and King is to Pierce him To take away His Crown and Your Hearts from him is to kill him the worst way But this is only a Consequent and Secondary effusion Secondly An Effusion of spirit This is the Antecedent Effusion The powring forth of the Spirit is the cause of powring forth teares But who or what is this Spirit He is markt by a double character A Spirit of grace and supplication First a Spirit of grace There is a twofold grace The grace of loving-kindnesse in the heart of God The grace of divine lovelinesse in the heart of man If this latter be here meant then the Spirit of grace is he whom St. Paul calls the holy Spirit Ephes. 1. and wee generally know by the name of the Holy Ghost But this cannot be the sense For in the Originall it is chen not chesed Grace or loving-kindnesse not graciousnesse or goodnesse This Spirit of Grace then must be either the Spirit the spring of love in the bosome of the Godhead or the Spirit the diffuser the discoverer of this love in the bosome of man Both these are that One Spirit the Holy Ghost Divines give to the third Person the name of Love as they do to the second that of Wisdome And wee reade from St. Paul's mouth Rom. 5. 5. The love of God is powred forth in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which he hath given us This is the first character Second A spirit of supplication You have a Commentary upon this character Rom. 8. ch. 26. vers. The Spirit helpeth our infirmities making intercession for us by groanes unexpressible This is the Spirit which convinceth of sin the Holy Ghost himself Reasons The Spirit is truth These are the words of the Holy Ghost himself 1 Joh. 5. c. 6. v. The Spirit is truth Truth absolutely that is the Highest and fullest truth the Principle of all truth the first truth and so the last measure of all truth Take two Distinctions upon this Reason Threre are three Principles of truth 1. Sense 2. Reason 3. Spirit 1. Princ. Sense Prov. 20. ch. 12. vers. The seeing eye and the hearing eare God hath made them both God hath made the senses standards and judges of truth within their own circuit in such things as may be seen or heard as appertain to sense 2. Princ. Reason Prov. 20. ch. 26. vers. The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord searching out the hidden parts of the belly Though the candle of Reason excell in light the Glow-worms of sense yet is it but a candle not the Sun it self it makes not day only shines in the darknesse of the night You will more clearly see this Spirit of man to be the Principle of Reason planted by nature in man if you compare this expression of Solomon's with that of St. Paul which seems to have some glance towards this Proverb 1 Cor. 2. ch. 11. vers. No man knowes the things of a man but the spirit of man which is in man The things of a man are all the things of this creation visible invisible a man is the summe of them all all are subject to man God hath b set this whole world in the heart of man to search it out these are the hidden things of his belly And thus farre the spirit of man the candle of Reason spreads his beams to enlighten this world of nature This the Scripture calls Man's Day which is God's and a Saint's night 3. Princ. The Spirit 1 Cor. 2. c. 11. v. The things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God The Spirit searcheth out the deep things of God Divine truths are the depths of things the rest are only the surface No plummet is strong no line long enough to sound these depths save only that of the Spirit These three different Principles of truth constitute the three different parts or states of life First the brute part of the world it is that which is acted by sense Seconly Reason makes man or the rationall state Thirdly the Spirit is the principle of a Saint c As many as are the sons of God are led or acted by the Spirit of God I cannot leave this Distinction betweene these three Principles of truth before I
Christ himselfe in the flesh Commentators Common-placers Controversiaries School-men all sorts of Divines in general chuse this place and such like places in this dying discourse of our Saviour's for principall proofes of this fundamental point in Divinity that the Blessed Spirit is not onely The Power of the Godhead but A Person in the Godhead For say they Christ speakes of him as of a Person Hee Him and as of a Distinct Person in the Trinity Joh. 14. 16. Another Comforter Another besides Jesus Christ Now these places with the same force prove it to be the same Person which was to come to the Disciples For Christ speaks of him not simply but in respect of his comming Part. 2. The second part of this Promise is The comming of that Person School-men call the comming of the Spirit Novus modus Existendi Apparendi A new way of the Spirit 's Being in men and Appearing to men All that I shall say concerning it amounts to this The Scriptures very often represent the Comming of Christ in the flesh this Comming of the Spirit in the same formes of Expression I have cul'd forth these five Comming Sending Giving Dwelling Appearing 1st Comming You read of the Comming of Shiloh which is Christ Hee to whom Gen. 49. 10. My Text tells you of the comming of the Spirit The Divine and Humane Nature are as it were two termes of reciprocall motion for these two glorious Persons 2d Sending The Father sends the Son Joh. 3. 17. The Son sends the Spirit in the verse going before my Text The Father's Love-token to man is his own Son The Son's Love-token to his spouse is his own Spirit 3d. Giving Christ is the Gift of God to the world Joh. 3. 16. S. Paul tells us that the holy Ghost is given to us Rom. 5. 5. In a Gift there is a conferring of Propriety and Possession 4. Dwelling Joh. 1. 14. The Word was made Flesh and dwelt among us 2 Tim. 1. 14. By the holy Ghost which dwelleth in thee These two Texts have this difference Christ dwels in Flesh as in a Tabernacle or Tent like a Pilgrim or Souldier The Spirit dwels in Timothy as at home in his owne house 5. Appearing Christ is God manifested in Flesh 1 Tim. 3. 16. Jesus speakes of the Spirit to his Apostles You shall know him Joh. 14. 17. These two are distinct Persons in respect of their Appearances as well as Subsistencies {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} This concurrency of expressions seems to signifie that these two Commings of Christ in the Flesh and of the Spirit are True Reall Unions of God with Man True Reall Appearances of God to man in these two Persons of the Trinity the Son the Spirit But with this threefold difference First the CoÌ„ming of Christ in the flesh is a Union of two Natures in one Person This is that wch we call the Hypostaticall Union where there is a distinction of Natures without a distinction of Persons or subsistencies The Comming of the Spirit is a union between Persons as well as Natures Here is a Distinction and a Union both at once between Natures and Persons joyntly Compare those two places of Scripture 1 Cor. 6. 17. He that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit and Rom. 8. 16. The Spirit witnesseth â—ith our spirits The result of these will be that the Spirit of Christ and of a Christian are two spiâ—its by distinction of persons one by Union Secondly the coming of Christ was into the broad street of the same common nature of man to be with us yet so as to be without us The coming of the Spirit is into our particular persons as into the same house with us See this Opposition Gal. 4. chap. 4. verse He hath sent his Son made of a woman that is made of the humane nature Then vers. 6. He hath sent the Spirit of his Son into our Hearts Christ came into our flesh The Spirit comes into our hearts so as to be both with us and within us John 14. chap. 16. verse He dwelleth with you and shall be in you Thirdly the comming of Christ in the flesh was visible to all alike to the eye of sense But the coming of the Spirit is invisible to all the world visible only to those who receive him Joh. c. 14. v. 16. The world seeth him not but ye shall know him for he shall be in you To these he is visible inwardly and after a spirituall manner This is the first Promise The Personall coming The second Promise is The particular comforts of the Spirit He shall come as Comforter saith the verse immediately foregoing my Text But can any thing comfort a Spouse that mourns for her beloved One besides his own presence therfore this makes the Spirit a Comforter indeed He brings Christ for a comfort along with him Christ was to live again in the Spirit 1 Pet. 3. c. 18. v. He was crucified in the flesh but quickened by the Spirit Christ was to appeare again to them in the Spirit and to be for ever with them Joh. 15. chap. 26. vers. When the Spirit come he shall testifie of me The Spirit was to give them a second Sight of their Husband in a more true divine lasting way as he was unvailed of flesh and in his own heavenly form Yea this Comfort was to be doubled at the coming of the Spirit For the Father was to come along with his deare Son Joh. 14. c. 23. v. I and the Father will come unto him and make our abode with him But which way would these Persons of glory come to lodge themselves in the humble Cottage of a Saints heart In the Spirit This Person was to be the Chariot for the other two Therefore but two verses after this Promise Christ explains it by another Promise that of the coming of the Comforter And St. Paul tels us that we have accesse to the Father by one Spirit Ephes. 2. c. 18. v. Thus the Father Son Spirit and a Saint dwell all together and converse The Father and Son in the Spirit the Spirit in our hearts This is that Unity of the Spirit which is the band of Comforts Ephes. 4. c. 3. v. The third Promise is the Universall Convictions of the Spirit Christ and his Disciples were singular in the world they saw those things whcih none could see besides themselves Blessed are your eyes for they see They were as mad men they fill'd the world with a noise of things as present reall mighty in glory they spake every where of a rising Sun of a wonderfull Light which made all other lights a deep darknesse when all this while the whole world of men round about them could discerne no other Sun without them save that which had shined from the creation untill now no other Light within them besides that which their own reason had ever in an ordinary way supplied them withall Isaiah prophecied of Christ and
first comes from heaven and that immortall Spirit If you see your sins this day and weep for them though it be only by the Owle-light of your own reason as the Philosopher himself styles it you shall not lose your reward though you may lose your soules But what will it profit you to save three Kingdomes by your sorrows and in the mean time to carry in your own bosomes dying perishing soules of which every single one is more worth than all the world 'T is dreadfull to expresse but I will speak it for your sakes If God should please to put the choice into my hands I had much rather that all these three Kingdomes should be consum'd at once in this very moment with fire from heaven by an outward destruction then that any one the meanest most miserable soule in them should perish everlastingly Draw then water out of that Well of salvation the Spirit and powre it forth before the Lord If the Spirit be the Spring your tears will quench both flames those that burn outwardly and inwardly so you shall at once save these nations and your own soules A Caution If it be the work of the Spirit to convince of sin then it is his work more especially to convince of spirituall Duties and spirituall Truths Take heed of measuring divine things by the modell of Reason Take heed of rejecting what Reason cannot receive St. Paul gives you a full account of the Jews case and ruine in a few words Rom. 10. 3. While they sought after righteousnesse by the Law they fell short because they were ignorant of the righteousnesse of God Feare lest you also fall after the same example of unbelief lest you fall short of the knowledge of spirituall things because you seek it by Reason and know not the Spirit of God It is true all grant that some some say that all truths which come by revelation of the Spirit may also be demonstrated by Reason But if they be they are then no more Divine but humane truths They lose their certainty beauty efficacy they become like the Name of Jesus in the mouth of those counterfeit Exorcists which made them not the Devil's Masters but his scorne Spirituall truths discovered by demonstrations of Reason are like the Mistresse in her Cook-maid's clothes They differ from themselves in their own true shape as those little plump boyes with wings the pictures of Angels in Churches differ from the Angels in Heaven Spirituall things are foolishnesse to the naturall man 1 Cor. 2. chap. No visible shape is so lovely so full of Majesty as that of Man No shape is so deformed ridiculous as the resemblance of man in a beast in the Ape So heavenly things lose their majestie become weak and contemptible when they are represented by Reason only For they are not the things themselves but an apish mimicall imitation of them The Philosopher gives us this rule that wee should seek for sutable demonstrations in every sort of truths and not leape from one kinde to another The Apostle gives us this rule to compare spirituall things with spirituall Spirituall Conclusions with spirituall Principles You will reap both pleasure and profit from this Observation that the true Protestant differs from all sorts of men and Religions by making the three Persons in Trinity according to their severall properties the foundation of all truth 1. He distinguisheth himself from the Atheists by worshipping the Father as the Fountain of truth 2. He dissents from Mahumetans Indians Infidels while he sets up Christ in himself for the only Image of truth 3. By seeking and imbracing the discovery of truth in the Spirit hee differs from all sorts of Christians especially three 1. The Papists a Faction of policy These perswade us to receive the testimony not of the Spirit but of the Church for a Touchstone of truth And this Church is the Popes private Consistory or Generall Councel Thus the Church's Authority not the Demonstration of the Holy Ghost shall be the light of Faith to Truth Thus not content with an Antichrist they set up their Consistory or Councel for an anti-Anti-spirit But wee need no visible Judge on earth to determine upon our consciences What is Scripture what is the sense of Scripture We have an invisible Judge and Witnesse in our own breasts He that believeth hath the testimony in himself 1 Joh. 5. chap. 10. v. for he hath the Spirit 2. The Arminians a Sect of Moralists who give the over-perswading power of the Spirit to strength of Rhetorick and Reason inward or outward 3. A Party of wit and worth so farre as the wit and worth of man can go if they would submit the wit and worth of man to the Power and Wisdome of God The Socinians the Principles of Reason are the pillars of Religion and truth to these men But Reason is a pillar of a Cloud the Spirit only is the pillar of Fire which hath light in it Reason is that Gladius versatilis that sword in that hand of the Cherubim that kept Paradise a sword that turns every way It may keep men from the tree of Life but can never bring them to it Our faith is not in the wisdome of man but power of God 1 Cor. 2. chap. 5. verse Now Worthy Senators give me leave to make my particular addresses to your selves You have commanded me to speak before you how farre so ever I finde my self below a sufficiencie for it I must speak I would not seek to work upon you by art or cunning if I had any skill in these things My earnest desire is with all humilitie and lowlinesse to speak the things of God as a man on whom the earliest glimmerings of the Spirit have scarce yet dawned I have believed so I will speak to you those things on which I fasten the immortalitie of mine own deare soule Pardon mee Honourable Patriots if I speake twice to you once as private Christians a second time as publike persons and Magistrates First As Private Christians If the words of a weak worthlesse man may have place in your large hearts I beseech you to lay up within you and to ponder frequently upon this short word which I am now about to speak Remember Remember not to trust to the strength and wisdome of that Living soule which dwels in the Breast of Man But Have all your dependance upon that Spirit of the Immortall God which comes forth from our Lord Jesus Christ I speak this to You who are Princes of Reason in whom the Spirit of Man is at a High pitch Your Saviour died that he might send you this Spirit He left you in his fleshly presence that you might have this Spirit with you O wait for him constantly till he come Wait upon him diligently when he is come Saint Hierom thought hee ever heard the last Trumpet sounding in his eares How well should I think my selfe rewarded for all the pains of this day if I
could fix upon your spirits the constant sound of two onely Sentences as two blasts of the last Trumpet The Sentences are Esa. 2. vers. ult. Cease from man whose breath is in his nostrils wherein is he to be esteemed of VERS 17. The Lord alone shall be exalted in that day The great God make That day This day to every one of your soules Thus much to Private Christians Secondly As Publick Persons Christ tells the Jewes If any one sin against the Son of Man it shall be forgiven him But if any one sin against the holy Ghost it never shall bee forgiven him You will allow it if I shall make a little change in these words and so return them to you If a State sin against the Sonne of Man it shall he forgiven But if a State sin against the holy Ghost it shall never be forgiven Remember Hierusalem Christ came in the flesh and was crucified yet Hierusalem stood The Spirit of Christ came in the persons of the Disciples in the power of the Gospel and was cast out then Hierusalem fell Divided into three Factions within beleaguer'd with a fourth enemy without Hierusalem miserably fell O England London Remember Hierusalem You have had the first day of your Peace and passed it Christ hath been preach'd among you but as in the Flesh clouded with carnall rites and ceremonies Christ hath been pierc'd among us that is not beleeved on yet we live though we bleed You have had the first day of your Peace and pass'd it Be carefull Be carefull to know the last day of your Peace the comming of the Spirit among you You have set me on your Watch-Tower and made me your Watchman for the few sands of these glasses If you ask mee now Watchman what of the Night My humble answer is The Nights is almost past the Day is at hand if you will receive the Spirit when he comes If you shall refuse to heare you will look for day but I feare I feare it will be Blacknesse of Darknesse and Desolation But I bend my Knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus who hath hitherto made you tender in a very great measure that he would send the Spirit of his Son into your hearts that you may know him that he may be in you that all this people may honour the Spirits as they honour Jesus Christ A Vindication of the Spirit from those Who 1. Pretend it to Profanenesse 2. Profane it under Pretentes 1. From those who Pretend the Spirit to Profanenesse Can any think they have the Spirit of Grace in them and yet sin and yet not mourn for sin Can any man make that Spirit whose work is to Convince of sin a Colour for sin Can any man paint his foule lusts with the specious name of this holy Spirit whose property it is to paint out lusts in their True deformities their Hellish shapes I read in Ecclesiastick Writers that in the Primitive times there were those that deserv'd the name of Borboristae or Coenosi The Dirty Sect and yet a Branch of the Gnostiques But I might perhaps feare this to be the Malice or Mistake of some in those ages if I did not read in the holy Scriptures of a Filthy-Dreamers Spirituall Discoveries are either Waking Sights or Dreames Dreames are False Visions of sleeping men without connexion full of absurdities inconsistencies It is not strange for a filthy vile Person to have fair Glorious Dreames It is monstrous that Glorious Discourses Notions and Apprehensions should be set upon vile Affections Actions and conversations as the Head of an Angel upon the body of a Beast But All is a Dream If any man indeed have the Spirit he hath a True Dove in his Breast The Dove's eyes are the Emblem of Chastity The Dove's song is in Grones Who so mourn for sin who so moane day and night after their God as those who live with this Spirit This is the first Part of the Vindication Secondly from those that Profane the Spirit under Pretences of Fancy Profanenesse 1. Under Pretences of Fancy Why should Joseph be despised as a Dreamer among his brethren Paul as a Babler among the Athenians The Spirit as a Fancy by men onely Rationall That scurrilous Comoedian in his Greek play call'd the Frogs reproach'd Socrates as a Worshipper of Clouds and the Aire because he neglected their Idols and convers'd with the Invisible-God So the workings and Discoveries of the Spirit often seem to Men of Mighty Reason Cloudy Airy Yet the Spirit is Truth the onely Solid and Weighty Truth carrying the power of God for a demonstration along with it Some learned men beare such a modest respect to Nature that they affirm it Probable Some Beasts may have a Sense more then we have which wee can neither judge of or guesse at because we have it not O! that the most Rationall Men were so modest towards their Maker as to suspect that there may be in him a Divine Sense a Spirit of Light above the Compasse and Conjectures of their Reason which he may communicate to whom he pleaseth 2. Under Pretences of Profanenesse The Heathens mingled with Christians of old charg'd their secret Meetings with the Beds of Oedipus unnaturall Incests the Feasts of Thyestes monstrous cruelties The Late Protestants at large cloath'd the best men with the name of Puritan as with a Cap of Paper then they painted that Cap with Devils they loaded that name with all the foule things of all Sects or Persons as before them the Papist did the Protestant God grant that the Father of lies may not still live between the Lips of Men by the same Art of Names representing the most spirituall men like Christ on the Crosse under the most carnall Titles of Ambition Lust Falshood The Spirit is Holy so are they that are His This Spirit cannot encourage to sin comfort in sin for his work is to convince sin Beleeve it 'T is true as Gospel No man that is led by the law of the Spirit of Life can walk contrary to any Law of Nature Common Honesty Civill Policy or whatsoever is of good Report Praise-worthy If any man walk by any other rule an evill Spirit hath deceived him only let not the reproach of such fall upon them who with humble and panting hearts call upon the Name of this Holy Spirit A Consolation This Spirit which convinceth of sin is the Comforter If you have this day receiv'd his conviction you shall now go away full of his comforts with bosomes full of All comforts of peace and joy in your selves of peace and love one towards another Where the Spirit convinceth of sin he communicates all contents in these two bundles of comforts Righteousnesse and Peace 1. Righteousnesse Have you seen your sins by the light of the Spirit by the same light you shall see your righteousnesse Humble your selves before this Spirit let him cover your faces with shame and he shall cloath your persons with glory He shall make you precious in the eyes of your God honourable in all the world Nations round about shall say This is a wise and righteous people for the Spirit of the Eternall God is come down among them 2. Peace Naturalists say A wound is a separation of parts in the whole How full are all of wounds Alas do we not begin to have wounds upon our breasts neer our hearts And still we strive to make that good in Civilitie which is true only in Nature that the best Balsome for a wound is its own blood We would make up our divisions by making them more Who now shall restore Peace to our mourners This Spirit will restore peace to his mourners This Dove though he come groaning yet he brings an Olive branch in his mouth O ye every one of you in particular give this Spirit your single hearts to breake in pieces and he will make them all one heart How happy should we live if God would do this If the Lord would powre forth his Spirit upon our souls and melt them how sweetly would they run all into one piece like gold Then should Righteousnesse and Peace kisse each other in these Lands and these three kingdomes should mutually kisse and imbrace in this union The Lambs England and Scotland Presbyterians and Independents shall feed together in fat pastures The Lambs and the Lion shall live lovingly and converse one with another Then shall your Cattell go forth again in Herds and Flocks Your children in dances Your Saints in their assemblies and the Lord Jesus shall be known for a God in the midst of them Then shall after-ages call this Age this Parliament The blessed of the Lord and make it your Motto for ever Blessed are the Peace-makers in divided Common-wealths Blessed are the Peace-makers in divided Consciences Thus if the Holy Spirit set a crown of thorns by conviction on your hearts he shall crown you with Righteousnesse and Peace For The Kingdome of God is Righteousnesse Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost FINIS a {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} as relating to {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} not {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} as relating to {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} a 1 Cor. 3. 3. b 2 Pet. 1. 4. Pro. 1. Prom. 2. Prom. 3. a John 6. 62. b John 3. 13. Doctr. Proof Reason 1. Distin. I. a Eccles. 6. 10. b Eccles. 3. 1â— c Rom. 8. 1. 1 Cor. 3. 18. Reason 2. Vse 1. Pers. Rat Perswa Spir. Vse 2. 1 Cor. 2. 13. Vse 3. a Jude 8. 1 Cor. 2. 4. Use 4. Rom. 14. 17.