the working of his Spirit is in us so the presence of his mercyes and blessings will be with us his presence or absence will be much according as our spirits are working towards or from him 2 Chron. 15.2 The Lord is with you while ye be with him and if ye seek him he will be found of you but if ye forsake him he will forsake you So Psal 18.25 26 27. If any shall say Then setting aside what God in his Soveraignty may do We hope it will go well with us It is probable it will so For there are sure these workings of the Spirit among us In Answer hereto I shall only add that it will be needful to consider these things further 1. Whether these workings of the Spirit supposed among us may in any sense be said to be general That there are some few here and there one that keep themselves close to God and have a good measure of the Spirit breathing in them for whose sakes we fare the better is I suppose beyond question But whether there be a sufficient number to obtain the sparing or saving such a place of light and means as New-England is at least without the feeling of more sorrow first may yet be a question For I am ready to take this for granted that the same number of righteous persons that might save a sinning Sodom would yet not be enough to save a sinning Israel And that because of what the Lord sayes Am. 3.2 You only have I known of all the Familyes of the Earth therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities 2. Whether those workings of the Spirit that appear among us be for the most part effectual and saving Whether they be not mostly or in great part common and ineffectual and so issue only in formalities It is the inward saving and effectual operation of the Spirit that gives us grounded hope of the expectation of sure mercyes and blessings 3. Whether the breathings and workings of Gods Spirit are more or less among us then when we were first set under a dispensation of Judgement If they be less yea if they be not more there is little likelihood that we should be delivered from under that Judgment For it is not probable that that should remove anger which was not sufficient to keep it off If the want of such and such graces and fruits of the Spirit hath brought us under the Lords displeasure the same defect will sure be like to continue us there This therefore must not escape our consideration what difference there is betwixt us then and now That there is more sin and that iniquity abounds more since Gods hand hath been out against us I think is the general observation of all that take notice of any thing According to that Zeph. 3.7 I punished them but they rose early and corrupted all their doings 4. Whether the workings of the Spirit are now growing or decaying among us If there be more more of this gracious work of the Spirit breaking forth dayly it is well But if it grow more rare and less and less and the loss of good men and women in whom the Spirit of God eminently was is not in some good measure made up by the resting of the same Spirit upon others rising up in their stead our case looks threatning But I shall say no more in this matter Who is wise and he shall understand these things prudent and he shall know them For the wayes of the Lord are right and the just shall walk in them but the transgressors shall fall therein Hos 14 9. VSE 5. Of Exhortation 1. To all such among us as have any Interest at the throne of grace earnestly to pray that God would pour out of his Spirit upon us from on high Let Gods favourites among us be earnest in crying unto God in this matter If there be any strength for wrestling with God left improve all the Interest you have with God and with his Son that you may prevail for this blessing For Motive Consider Mot. 1. It is the manner of and is becoming to Gods people to supplicate and wait upon him for all their mercyes It is meet we should receive all our special blessings from God upon our knees Thus Gods Servants have done Psal 123.1 2. Vnto thee lift I up mine eyes O thou that dwellest in the heavens Our eyes wait upon the Lord our God until that he have mercy upon us We must not expect to receive any signal mercy unless God say the word and that in answer to our earnest prayers What ever mercy God bestows on his people he will be sought to by them for it When he hath any mercy to bestow on his people he is wont to stay till his people ask it though it is God that puts it into their hearts to ask it Hence we are bidden in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving to let our requests be made known unto God Phil. 4.6 We must ask the Father in Christs name for all And therefore for this great blessing of the pouring out of the Spirit there is all reason that we should wait upon God by humble prayer As the Apostles were commanded to wait at Jerusalem for the promise of the Father the sending down of the Spirit Act. 1.4 and most or much of that time they spent in praying ver 14. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication And this no doubt was a special or main part of their prayer that God would accomplish his promise in the actual pouring down of his Spirit 2. Nothing else is like to do us good unless God will pour out his Spirit on us We have had experience of the inefficacy of means upon us to bring us into order and to a good frame Much and frequent instruction and warning by the word hath not done it We have been taught what people this day in the world more It may be said of us as Zeph. 3.5 The just Lord is in the midst thereof every morning doth he bring his Judgment to light he faileth not The word of the Lord hath been to us precept upon precept line upon line We have been in that respect planted in the house of the Lord But have we not been as the fig-tree barren Or as the Lord speaks of his Vineyard Isai 5.4 Wherefore when I looked that it should bring forth grapes brought it forth wild grapes Judgements have not done it We have been under many But yet may it not be said of us after all as of them Am. 4. Yet have ye not returned unto me saith the Lord How true is it of us The people turneth not to him that smiteth them We have not received correction but refused to return Deliverances do not do it We have been respited And when we have seen there hath been respite have we not been secure still As it was said of Pharaoh Exod. 8.15 But when Pharaoh
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
not repentance and reformation in a people there is no likelihood that Gods wrath should be pacified by Judgements formerly inflicted but rather that there will be a procedure to further greater and sorer Judgements For when the Soveraign God hath once taken a people thus into his hand it is likely in reason that he will have his will of them or bring them very low mend or mar them bow or break them Lev. 26.23 And if ye will not be reformed by these things and ver 27 28. And if ye will not for all this bearken unto me but walk contrary unto me then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury 3. Because where there is not repentance and reformation under Affliction there will be an encrease of provocation The Lords expectation is frustrated and thereby will he be provoked Besides such who thus frustrate Gods expectation they will grow more hardned in sin and security by affliction if not more bold to sin Zeph. 3.7 I said surely thou wilt fear me thou wilt receive instruction so their dwelling should not be cut off howsoever I punished them but they rose early and corrupted all their doings And this will be like to continue and encrease their affliction Hos 13.2 3. And now postquam moniti fuerint castigati Rivet After they have been warned and chastned they sin more and more Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud as the early dew it passeth away as the chaff that is driven with a whirlwind out of the floor and as a smoak out of the Chimney By which four similitudes the greatness and certainty of their calamity is denoted and that that flourishing prosperity which they hoped for should come to nothing Prop. III. The miseries of such a people will be like to proceed till there be a pouring out of the Spirit from on high upon them to their sound conversion Vntil the Spirit be poured upon us from on high c. Text. ver 15. If God hath once so far taken a people in hand as to set them under a dispensation of Judgement there is no grounded hope of their deliverance and release in mercy till God do in a gracious manner pour out his Spirit upon them or wonderfully work a saving change in them and among them by the effectual operation of his holy Spirit Till abundance of grace be given forth for the procuring and effecting of their found conversion The Spirit is given or poured out for that end that there may be Conversion And that either 1. The Conversion of sinners which is exprest in the Text by the Wilderness becoming a fruitful field Psal 51.13 Sinners shall be converted unto thee The Lord sends down his Spirit for this end to convince awaken convert regenerate and sanctifie sinners Joh. 16.8 11. to open their eyes to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God This is the work of the Ministry Act. 26.18 which works effectually only through the power presence and assistance of the Spirit accompanying of the same It is the work of the Spirit efficiently to deliver sinners out of the power of darkness and translate them into the Kingdome of the dear Son of God to make them of unholy profane proud and vain serious humble holy pious and conformed to the image and will of God to love those things of God which they have not loved nor regarded and to hate and abandon those things of sin world and vanity which they have loved and set their hearts upon 1 Cor. 6.11 And such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God Or 2. The Conversion of Saints and Christians Which is exprest in the Text according to the interpretation given by the fruitful field being counted for a forrest Peter was converted before Satan fifted him and made him deny his Master for saith Christ I have prayed for thee that thy Faith fail not But he must be converted again and therefore Christ sayes to him When thou art converted strengthen thy brethren Luk. 22.32 though the relative charge of state in believers is but once wrought it is wrought at once and continues for ever and the real change in their persons by sanctification is perfect in its parts yet this latter admits of degrees It is so wrought in the believer as that it needs constant carrying on in this life and it may so decay as to need to be done over again and so the Christian to pass under the work of Conversion again a second time Hence David prayes when he had as it were lost the work or effect of former Conversion that God would create in him a clean heart and renew a right Spirit within him Psal 51.10 Apprehending himself deprived in a manner of that holy disposition and power of godliness which God had formerly wrought in bm asi before he begged for pardon so here for the sanctification of Gods Spirit The word Renew I conceive hath reference to his former piety which he found greatly decayed in him wherewith he desires to be established again Jackson in loc Now this is the work of the Spirit to renew the work of Conversion and carry on the work of grace in believers He is given for this end for the furthering the work of grace and holiness in believers in renewed and more strong acts of repentance saith and obedience to make them more free from sin end pollution more and more conformable to the will of God in all things more abundantly fruitful in every good work to enlarge them in duty and to make their faces and conversations to shine that they shall in good carnest be engaged for God his service and glory Hence when the Spirit is poured out upon a people All or the generality of them or at least very many among them will be either enquiring for or walking in the way to Zion with their faces thitherward 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 Which last expression may intimate their sincere intention and fixed resolution to go on in the way they enquired after To set ones face is to fix the Affections and actions without declining to any other way Wilson Christ Diction Such a people will be bound for God having received the Spirit of God every one will go bound in the Spirit to the performance of his duty and the glorifying and honouring of God They shall be signally carryed out in seeking Gods face and doing of his will There would appear a right and full bent of Spirit for God in persons doing all sincerely in the name and in an evangellical manner exactly according to the
either want wheels or oyl to our wheels 3. How little of a praying frame of a spirit of grace and supplication is among us Where the Spirit of Christ is there are these Abba's those groanings that cannot be uttered Gal. 4.6 God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba Father Rom. 8.26 The Spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered Where there is any good measure of the Spirit there is liberty of access to God there will be freedome of pouring out the the heart before God and strong wrestling with God holy importunity and taking the Kingdome of heaven by violence But alas how little is there of these things Our prayers are too cold dead formal lifeless insipid and wordy only How little of a melting frame in our prayers and humble brokenness therein and how little vehement breathings of Soul after and strong actings of faith upon the Lord Jesus therein How little of patient and painful wrestlings with the Lord in them How little of earnest looking after prayers and believing expectation and waiting for a gracious answer of them 4. How little studying and practising of Holiness is among us Little of a Gospel-becoming conversation Were the Spirit of God put within us it would cause us to walk in his statutes and keep his Judgements and do them Ezek. 36.27 And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my Judgements and do them We should then live holy and amiable lives our light would shine before men and so give occasion of much glory to God But how do we walk at all peradventures with God in our conversation We are too uncertain and uneven if not unholy therein This is a thing confessed by most Oh that it were lamented and reformed by All 5. How little breathings of love to God his wayes Ordinances and Saints are among us Were the holy Ghost in the gifts and graces of it given to us in plentiful manner the love of God would be shed abroad in our hearts it would be much there Rom. 5.5 The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost which is given to us We should entirely love God and dearly love his word Saints and wayes The bent and stream of our affections would be turned this way But alas How low does our affection run to God to his house to his word to his Ordinances and one to another How eager are we in our pursuits of other things but after these not so earnest It is too too evident that of these things mentioned there is too little among us but of their contraryes too much There is too much boldness in and impenitency for sinning too much neglect of formality and deadness in prayer too much of weariness in and under and listlessness to the worship service of God too much heedlessness carelessness unholiness profaneness in conversation too much loathing slighting undervaluing disregarding of God his word Ordinances Saints Which plainly show our want of the pouring out of the Spirit And hence is our trouble continued and growing VSE 4. Learn to observe the motions and breathings of Gods Spirit that we may discern the signs of the times We are from this Text informed that the pouring out or with-holding of the Spirit hath a great influence to alter or dispose the frame or manner or state of times and dispensations And therefore this dispensation of God concerning his Spirit is a special signe of the times a signe for us to know the times by or to understand what the work of God is or is like to be in the times we live in It is the duty of Christians to labour to discern the signs of the times for want of which our Saviour blames and sharply reproves those Math. 16.3 O ye hypocrites ye can discern the face of the sky but can ye not discern the signes of the times Luk. 12.56 But how is it that ye do not discern this time That was the time of the Messiah and his coming of which there were special signs by which they might have apprehended and understood it had they been wise and diligent to have marked the same The signes of any times they are those visible appearances of Gods providence whereby God leads us to discern that which is more inward as to his purposes intentions and expectations By these signes we may be led to observe or understand what God intends with or to a people in such or such a time which way the providence of God is at present working or like to work toward such a people what God is doing with or among them Now the Spirit of God in the pouring out or withdrawing of it being a special eminent and remarkable signe of the times by a wise and prudent observation of the motions and workings of that we may be signally led to this discerning of the times And therefore let all Christs disciples take due notice and observation of this matter And consider particularly 1. What movings of the Spirit there are in the Souls of men and women in these times What solemn awakenings and sound convictions wrought by the Spirit in the hearts of finners what wooings and allurings to draw their Souls unto God What noise there is rushing and shaking caused by the wind of the Spirit among the dry bones Do we see them coming together bone to his bone and standing up on their feet from the dead Is the Spirit of God striving mightily shaking powerfully and irresistibly working upon the hearts of secure sinners Does it force them to cry out of their sin and misery wretched and woful condition Does it terrifie them from persisting in or medling with iniquity Does it humble and make them look about them with greatest care and sollicitude how they may do to escape the wrath of God and to obtain Salvation Are these workings of the Spirit upon the hearts of smners in these times Speak you who still remain unregenerate Is the Spirit of God still dealing with you by awakening warning and not letting you alone to go on in sin and alluring you by love to Jesus Christ Or hath it done striving with you in that solemn manner and moving upon you in that winning way which formerly it hath done whereby it made you sometimes to listen to its motions Have you got the mastery of the Spirit by frequent resistance that now you will not be jog'd or moved by it Or hath the Spirit rever thus moved upon you Will you let us know how it is with you in this matter that we may the better understand what God is doing or about to do If there be these movings awakenings allurings of the Spirit in the Souls of men and women in any considerable measure among us it is a good signe But if not it is surely bad 2. Consider what presence of God
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
sincere desire and fervent prayer for their Conversion Churches by upholding a powerful dispensation of the word and all Ordinances and a full supply of all provision in the house of God especially a full and compleat Ministry according to Christs appointment that all means may be used and all duty performed toward the Children of the Covenant and the rising Generations which is necessary unto their Conversion that they may not perish in their unregeneracy through the neglect of that duty and want of help to discharge it fully which is and is yet more likely to be the sad case of these Churches O let us pray the Lord of the harvest to thrust forth Labourers into this great harvest The Ministry by travailing in birth with Souls till Christ be formed in them and by the full and saithful discharge of duty as Labourers together with God in that work wherein therefore they are to labour in a way of dependance upon Christ for assistance and success and that both publickly and privately in all wayes and by all means to gain and bring home Souls to him as that which is the great end of their ministrations wherein notwithstanding they are under great discouragement at present from the diminution of that grace and blessing which might make their labours more effectual unto the work of conversion The godly and religious Magistracy by the improvement of civil Authority in a way of full and direct subverciency unto the work of Christ the progress of which is the highest and most saving good and end of government unto a Religious people who are in the most happy and prosperous estate when the Mountains bring peace and the little hills Righteousness Truly then it is high time for all orders degrees societies of men in New-England by faith in prayer to seek the Lord until he come and rain righteousness upon us until he open Rivers in high places and fountains in the midst of Valleys and make the wilderness a Pool of water and the dry Land Springs of water until he pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground 'till he pour out his Spirit upon our Seed and his blessing upon our Offspring until he send us the great promise of his Spirit in the accomplishment of it by pouring out of his Spirit in a general plentiful dispensation of converting grace upon us our Children Familyes Churches this whole people both the standing and the rising Generations Which would be a blessed Refurrection and as life from the dead unto us It is much for our encouragement that in this our perishing condition God hath by his Spirit in the Ministry of many of his Servants proposed this great promise expressing his own gratious disposition to open and apply it in the saving grace and blessing of it and withal pressed us from the consideration of inevitable destruction without a full and perfect salvation by the application of it and furnished us with all Arguments of faith to labour and prevail with him in prayer for the obtainment of it which also is the more solemnly observable in that God hath providentially ordered the labours of divers of his Servants in this same great and most necessary subject to be published at this time as a Testimony unto this Generation what their main work and duty is whereby he hath shewed us what is good and what it is that the Lord doth require at our hands God grant that it may not be rejected and so be left upon Record as a Testimony against this Generation to condemn it the more deeply under the aggravated guilt of total final Apostacy The Reverend and worthy Author of these Sermons having been through the abundant grace of God sanctified and seperated from his youth unto the Ministry he hath had a more early call into that work wherein he hath been more happy then most of his fellow Servants and being himself coaetaneous with and amongst the choicest of the first ripe fruits of this young Generation his Soul hath laboured and doth labour with the more fervency of holy and sincere love to and zeal for the salvation of their Souls modesty and humility being inherent in him as gifts both of nature and grace it would be too much an injury to him to give his work deserved commendation It shall therefore suffice to say that the powerful and we hope saving impression which it had in the ministration of it upon the hearts of the hearers is a Testimony of divine approbation and commendation the suitableness and seasonableness of the Subject unto this time and the necessity of this people the copiousness and yet withal conciseness of the method it being expressive of so much of the general message which God is sending unto his people and of that which the Spirit is now speaking unto these Churches in so few Sermons doth render it the more fit and useful for the publick The motion of the Spirit of God upon the hearts of those pious and judicious hearers who have we believe been thereby moved with a godly zeal for the saving good of the Generation to desire request and undertake for the publication of it doth promise it Patronage from Heaven The special promised presence of our Lord Jesus with this his Servant for his assistance in the Ministry of his word as also in the whole course of his ministration is a singular token and pledge of his special grace and favour unto that pretious Church in and unto which he is called to minister The Lord make them more and more thankful profitable and fruitful and prosper his work with them granting unto them more clear and full discoveries of his mind and will concerning their duty in order thereunto that they may stand more perfect and compleat in all the will of God and be more fully replenished with his spiritual and gracious presence inriched with all the gifts and graces of his Spirit setled together with all our Churches under the saving dispensation of the Covenant of grace strengthned unto stedfast perseverance in the faith obedience and order of the Gospel unto the end Which is the prayer of Your Servants for Christ our Saviours sake Samuel Torrey Josiah Flint REader The old Plea The Authors absence from the Press being stil of force occasions this further desire of thee viz. that before thou readest thou wilt with thy pen mend these following faults Pag. 4. l. 8. for as in read and. l. 34. r. Isai 29. p. 5. l. 12. blot out once p. 8. l. 4. r. enumeration l. 5. r. when p. 10. l. 27. for sit r. set p. 11. l. 16. r. fiercer p. 15. l. 32. r. Scale p. 16. l. 33. r. the things l. 37. r. an abundant p. 17. l. 16. for to have r. and have p. 18. l. 13. r. affect p. 20. l. 18. r. sight p. 23. l. 3. after Estates r. or l. 5. after serious r. as p. 24. l. 2. r. set p. 25.
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
Souls of poor creatures as now doth the Souls of some poor wretches that have hardly minded they had Souls to save till death hath awakned them There would not then be such doubtings discouragements difficulties temptations fears and faintings in persons labouring under Soul perplexities But it should be well with their Souls and they might walk up and down in the light of Gods countenance Psal 89.15 they should experience the tokens of Gods favour toward them and be gladded therewith Psal 21.6 Thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy conntenance Psal 6.7 Thou hast put gladness into my heart Whatever outward troubles forrows they meet with in the world yet they should have inward peace be singularly supported comforted carryed through all outward distresses Joh. 16.22 and ye now therefore have sorrow but I will see you again and your heart shall rejoyce As the sight of Christ after risen from the dead to his disciples comfortless and distressed upon their Lords crucifixion filled their hearts with solid and stable joy which none could take from them So the fight and gracious presence of Christ by his holy Spirit with his afflicted Servants will eminently support and rejoyce their hearts under all their sorrows when he shall provide them with the grace of the holy Spirit And this Diodate understands by Christs seeing his Disciples again in the Text now quoted Hence is it spoken of the Servants of Christ that they are As sorrowful yet alway rejoycing 2 Cor. 6.10 And not only so but we glory in tribulations also Rom. 5.3 I am filled with comfort I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation 2 Cor. 7.4 They have the peace of God which passeth all understanding keeping their hearts and minds through Christ Jesus which eats out all their care fear and disquietment Phil. 4.6 7. 2. In the enjoyment of outward peace and quietness with the blessings of it God would give his people were they rightly spirited for God his work and service peace and rest round about Text ver 18. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation and in sure dwellings and in quiet resting places Isai 48.18 Oh that thou hadst hearkned to my Commandments then had thy peace been as a River and thy righteousness as the waves of the Sea The Lord would give great prosperity to his people were they sanctified and filled with the graces of his holy Spirit at least what and how much would be good and best for them He would order their outward conditions for their good and comfort They should have his protection and blessing if that were best security from temporal evils Psal 91.9 10. Because thou hast made the Lord which is my refuge even the most High thy habitation There shall no evil befal thee neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling Enemies open or secret should not prevail nor their attempts prosper because the Lord of Hosts himself would be their defence and safeguard Isai 31.5 As birds flying so will the Lord of Hosts defend Jerusalem defending also he will deliver it and passing over he will preserve it Zech. 12.9 10. And it shall come to pass in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem And I will pour upon the house of David and upon the Inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace c. Judgments that are destructive should cease and be removed from them Psal 85.1 2 3. Lord thou hast been favourable unto thy Land thou hast brought back the Captivity of Jacob Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people thou hast covered all their sin Selah Thou hast taken away all thy wrath thou hast turned thy self from the fierceness of thine anger Psal 91.3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler and from the noisome pestilence And all convenient and comfortable mercyes and blessings should be conferred upon them Psal 85.12 Yea the Lord shall give that which is good and our Land shall yield her increase 1. VSE Hence learn That all Gods Dispensations are of exceeding great weight There is no one of Gods Providences especially that concern the body of a people more especially his people that is inconsiderable The condition of a people is much altered by the pouring out or with-holding of Gods Spirit it is of very great concernment in what manner the blessed God carries it to a people whether in a way of anger or favour Love or displeasure in the dispensations of Gods Providence hath an efficatious it fluence to the weal or woe of any If the Lord be with a person or people in the way of his gracious dispensation they will be blessed and magnified exceedingly 2 Chron. 1.1 and the Lord his God was with him and magnified him exceedingly Psal 65.4 144.15 But if God forsake and depart from them their case will be wosull Hos 9.12 Yea woe also to them when I depart from them There is a powerfull and irresistible officacy of Gods Providence whether mercifull or afflictive upon his people It will work upon them His favour will raise his anger will depress and sink them His dispensations are no vain things Psal 30.7 Lord by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong thou didst hide thy face and I was troubled Job 34.29 When he giveth quietness who then can make trouble and when he hideth his face who then can behold him whither it be done against a nation or against a man only VSE 2. Learn hence to be sensible of the misery and danger of our case whom as we may justly conclude God hath set under a dispensation of Judgment And there being such weight in Gods dispensations we had need be sensible hereof The righteous and holy God seems to be now weary of repenting concerning us as he hath oftentimes done and not to act towards us as formerly When his hand hath been upon us heretofore he hath repented and not stirred up all his wrath As Psal 78.38 But he being full of compassion forgave their iniquity and destroyed them not yea many a time turned he his anger away and did not stir up all his wrath And Psal 106 44 45. Nevertheless he regarded their affliction when he heard their cry And he remembred for them his Covenant and repented according to the multitude of his mercyes But now God in his providence seems to be speaking in the same language to us as to them Jer. 15.6 Thou hast forsaken me saith the Lord thou art gone backward therefore will I stretch out mine hand against thee and destroy thee I am weary with repenting The Lord is exposing us and laying us open to Judgment setting us in the way of misery watching over us for and following us with evil And our condition seems to be somewhat like what is expressed Job 30.15 19. Terrors are turned upon me they pursue my Soul as the wind and my welfare passeth away as a cloud
And now my Soul is poured out upon me the dayes of affliction have taken hold upon me The hand of God is gone out against us and notwithstanding all that is come upon us his anger is not turned away but his hand is stretched out still The Almighty though admirably just and holy is dealing bitterly with us Psal 60.3 Thou hast shewed thy people hard things thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment 1. Misery and distress grow general and universal As Job 30.14 They came upon me as a wide breaking in of waters in the desolation they rolled themselves upon me The Lord is compassing and afflicting us on every side As Isai 29.3 I will camp against thee round about c. Affliction comes up as it were from all quarters and makes its way to all places and persons almost more or less In our late and present troubles of sword sickness and mortality there is scarce any but seels some thing whereof they are ready to complain either in person estates relations And fears of what may yet come by this or the other means are even ready to amaze the hearts of all that are so serious to consider any thing So that there is an eminent accomplishment upon us at this day of that solemn word in Ezek. 21.15 16 17. I have set the point of the sword against all their gates that their heart may faint and their ruines be multiplyed Ah it is made bright it is wrapt up for the slaughter Go thee one way or other either on the right hand or on the left whithersoever thy face is set I will also smite my hands together and I will cause my fury to rest I the Lord have said it 2. God hears not our Prayers i.e. Our publick prayers or prayers for the publick There is no time so bad but God hears the prayers of his dear Servants though they may not alwayes be able to perceive it that watch and keep their garments which they make to him for grace and mercy to their own Souls Ezek. 14.14 Though these three men Noah Daniel and Job were in it they should deliver but their own Souls though their own they should deliver But publick petitions put up for publick deliverance help and mercy seem to be thrown by not to be received or granted And this is an Argument of a dispensation of Judgement God is wont when he favours his people to be nigh to them in all things that they call upon him for Deut. 4.7 But when he sets his sace against them then he denyes audience to their prayers Jer. 14.12 When they fast I will not hear their cry He forbids his faithful Servants to pray for them Jer. 11.14 Therefore pray not thou for this people neither lift up a cry or prayer for them for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble And if the eminentest of his Servants do pray for them he will not hear them Jer. 15.1 Though Moses and Samuel stood before me yet my mind could not be towards this people The Lord does as it were abscond withdraw and conceal himself from such a people that he may not be found by them seems to cover up himself that their cry and prayer may not come at him to trouble him in that which he intends not to do Lam. 3.8 44. Isai 29.1 2. Let them kill Sacrifices yet I will distress Ariei and there shall be heaviness and sorrow And after this manner is the dispensation of God to us at this day And therefore oh that we could see that we are in a bad case that we were indeed sensible of the misery and danger of our condition being thus set under Judgement It is our great misery that nothing will a waken us How foolish are we what sottish Children Shall God break us to pieces make us to go backward to stumble and fall and be broken and snared and taken and stop his ear to our cryes and shall not we be affected with our misery Oh that we could hold up our hard hearts to be broken by the powerful hand of a gracious God Lord smite these Rocks Make us sensible Make us relent Make us mourn under thine anger VSE 3. Hence see a reason of the continuance and growing of our sorrows We are set under a dispensation of Judgment and the Spirit is not yet poured out from on high upon us And therefore no wonder if our troubles grow more extensive numerous and general and more intense sharp and piercing God hath in just anger set himself against us and we are not yet turned and set for him by the effectual pouring out of the Spirit upon and working of it in us For 1. How little kindly and sincere mourning for sin is there among us That is one special effect of the pouring out of the Spirit on a people that have been rebellious They shall look upon him whom they have pierced and mourn Zech. 12.10 They shall mourn for their abominations and for their neglects of Christ But how little of this mourning do we hear of amongst us in these dayes Men and Women are heart whole though there be much guilt upon them and it may be their corruptions are yet whole and entire in them They can do this and that evil and neglect this and that duty and yet not mourn There are many poor creatures can rejoyce in their sins But Alas how few are in bitterness for them where are the persons that sow in tears that go forth and weep bearing precious feed as Psal 126.5 6. Many are apt to make their moan for want of health want of peace want of money c. But how few are there that lament and mourn truly for want of a broken heart for want of pardon of sin the favour of God and his grace Were there more of this there would be hope As is the Proverb Corn sowen in a flood comes up like a wood Were there this sowing in floods of tears of true repentance we might then hope for an abundance of the fruits and graces of the Spirit and the blessings accomyanying them to follow But alas how low are our hopes from this ground 2. How little activity and delight in the service and worship of God and reaching after Communion with God therein is there among us how dull cold and unspiritual are most in the work and service of God Now the Spirit is a quickning Spirit and if that were poured out on us we should be lively active and vigorous in the service and worship of God Joh. 6.63 It is the Spirit that quickneth We should serve God with utmost intention and affection we should be never better then when in his presence reaching after communion with him As David Psal 27.4 and 42.1 2. But alas how little is our bea rt drawn out to and strength put forth in the house worship and Ordinances of God! we drive too heavily we
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
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
of God in you But they in whom the Spirit of God dwells they are the excellent upon the Earth Psal 16.3 They are Gods Jewels Mal. 3.17 In that day when I make up my Jewels Mot. 3. If you do not get the Spirit of God to be in you you will be like to be guilty of New-Englands ruine I speak now to the Generation coming on upon the Stage if you or a considerable number of you do not take care to be right spirited for God that you may duely manage his work and carry it on and serve the God of you Fathers with a perfect heart and willing mind you will be like to destroy and lay this pleasant land desolate your irreligion will be an occasion thereof Psal 107.34 He turneth a fruitful land into barrenness for the wickedness of them that dwell therein Your sin your degeneracy your not owning and worshipping God in Spirit will provoke God to lay it desolate and then it will be charged upon you you will be reputed guilty of it as being you who have done it Zech. 7.11 14 But they refused to hearken c. for they said the pleasant land desolate There is the fault and there will it be charged And what a dreadful thing will it be to have the spoiling of such a blessed work as God hath here begun to ly at our door Mot. 4. While you are without the Spirit of God you are in extream danger You go in jeopardy of your lives the lives of your Souls every hour If this night thy Soul should be called for what would become of thee who hast none of the Spirit of Christ Assuredly Christ will say of you I know you not depart from me ye workers of iniquity And then how fearful would your condition be There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth This is the danger you are in while the Spirit is not given to you There is but a step betwixt your Souls and eternal death Sentence of condemnation is past upon you already Joh. 3.18 He that believeth not is condemned already Hell does as it were gape for you your condition is extreamly perilous Did sinners know in what danger of the lives of their immortal Souls they walk in every hour they are without the Spirit of Christ they would never sing care away with vain mirth and pastime or please themselves with some shew and formality of Religion only Oh the fearful amazing security of men and women that can sleep quietly and take their ease upon the brink of eternal misery Mot. 5. Consider you know not how little time you may have for the getting of the Spirit And therefore labour to get it quickly It is certain you have but a short time to work in but how short is uncertain We have seen and see dayly how suddenly they are cut down by the Sword and now by this sore disease God hath sent among us who in probability might have lived many dayes These especially are times wherin none can promise himself continuance of life Thou hast this day an opportunity of hearing the word of the Gospel and it may be mayst be something moved by it But who knows but that some of us here may never have another Oh that the present time could be improved by us all to strike the stroke for Eternity The present time is only ours and to know and improve that is our wisdom and duty 2 Cor. 6.2 Behold now is the accepted time now is the day of Salvation If we now improve it it shall be a day of salvation to us Heb. 3.15 While it is said To day if ye will hear his voice barden not your hearts If we neglect making out after the Spirit to day we know not what shall be on the morrow Jam. 4 14. None knows what a day may bring forth Prov. 27.1 Another day may bring the impenitent sinner into eternal flames God tells us that his Spirit shall not alwayes strive with men Gen. 6.3 And if the Spirit of God have once done striving with us then the time and hope of our getting the Spirit is past and gone also Now therefore while time and the day of grace lasts look about you lest the opportunity be lost and you be undone for ever If any shall now ask How shall we do to get the Spirit of God poured out upon us and dwelling in us There is a great deal of duty incumbent upon us in this respect We must not sit still and say It is not in our power to get the Spirit God expects that his word should stir us up to careful endeavours that we should up and be doing if so the Lord will be with us If we sit still we are sure to perish but if we stir up and set our selves to seek him who knows but the Lord may help us so to seek him as that he may be sound of us Something therefore of our duty in order hereto I shall endeavour to set before you in these following Directions And the same course is to be taken for the obtaining an encrease of the graces of the Spirit Direct 1. Labour for a serious considerate frame Duely to pender and weigh things especially matters of Eternity Seriously mind what your state what your danger what your work is That is the woful bane of many a Soul they do not consider Isai 1.3 My people doth not consider They do not throughly think of things some slight notions and workings they may have about them but it is not to purpose I believe there are many who think they are converted and have the Spirit of God who never set themselves to purpose to think what conversion was what sin is from which they should convert what God Christ and holiness is to which they should convert and what it is to have the Spirit of God It is a dreadful Judgement of God upon Gospel sinners that in seeing they see not they have some flighty sight and apprehensions of things but they do not see them really and to purpose They know every thing almost about Christianity but they feel nothing and so indeed know nothing Did men and women see things really and consider things serionsly and to purpose we should have other manner of endeavours for the Spirit for Conversion and Salvation then there are It would be a good step if sinners could get their hearts set upon and their thoughts seriously busied about those matters that lye betwixt God and their Souls and take up right and through apprehensions of those things which are of spiritual and everlasting concernment Hence is it wont to be said Consideration is half Conversion A giddy slighty generation that can scarce be serious or fixed in any thing that cannot get their hearts fixed seriously to think of things especially of a spiritual nature are not like to be a converted generation to he the subject of the pouring out of the Spirit We must therefore labour to set our
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