Thirdly, To the Perfons that are to be judg'd: and thofe, both our Text and Creed tell us, are the Quick and the Dead. Where by the Quick, we are to understand thofe that fhall be found alive at Chrift's coming to judgment; for the Apostle fpeaks of fome that will be alive and remain to the coming of the Lord; 1 Theff. 4. 15, 17. And of these, he fpeaks elsewhere; Behold, I show you a Mystery, we Shall not all fleep, but we shall all be chang'd, in a moment, in the Twinkling of an Eye, at the last Trump: meaning, that fome will be found alive at Chrift's coming to judge the World, who fhall not undergo a proper Death by any actual Separation of Soul and Body; but yet at the founding of the laft Trump they fhall undergo a Change, after which they fhall be caught up in the Clouds to meet the Lord in the Air: and they that fhall be thus chang'd and tranflated, are the Perfons here meant by the Quick.

By the Dead, we are to understand all that depart this Life before that time, and are laid up in the Repofitories of the Grave: thefe too when the Trumpet fhail found, hall hear his Voice, and come forth; they that have done well, to the Refurrection of Life; and they that have done evil, to the Refurrection of Damnation: John 5. 28, 29.

In a word; All Men, good and bad, living and dead, must appear before the Fudgment-Seat of Chrift: but every one in their own order. The dead in Chrift fhall rise first, and having receiv'd the bleffed Sentence, they hall fit upon the Throne, and judge the twelve Tribes of Ifrael: meaning, they fhall be Affeffors with Chrift in judging the wicked, and be Approvers of his juft and righteous Sentence.

And when this laft Act of his Regal Power in judging the World is over, then shall be deliver up the Kingdom to God the Father: that is, he fhall furrender up his Delegated Mediatorial Kingdom, when the Defign of it is completed, and shall reign for ever with his Father in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Thus having feen the feveral Acts of this general and grand Affizes, let us laftly fee what we may learn from them. And,

1. From the Certainty of a Day of Judgment, let us learn frequently to think of and prepare for it. This fhould keep us close to our Duty, and conftant to our Watch, that this Day may not furprize or find us unprovided; fince fuch weighty Things depend upon it, no less than our Eternal

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Woe or Weal: What manner of Perfons ought we to be in all Holy Converfation and Godliness, looking for, and hastning to the coming of our Lord?

2. Chrift's being the Judge, may afford matter of the greatest Joy, Hope, and Confolation to all good Men; for their Saviour being their Judge, they may reft affur❜d of finding Mercy and all favourable Allowances at that Day: and this affords no lefs Dread and Terror to all wicked Men, who must be judg'd by him whom they have defpis'd and crucify'd, and therefore can expect nothing but ftrict Justice, and the Revelation of Wrath.

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The confideration of a future Judgment may rectify our Mistakes about the Afflictions of good, and the Profperity of bad Men; and may keep us from ailing at the one, and envying at the other for that Day will fet all thefe Matters right, when good Men, by Afflictions, will be found fitted for a Crown; and bad Men, by Profperity, only fatten'd for the Slaughter.

4. If we must all ftand before the Judgment-Seat of Chrift, then let us judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come. To judge or cenfure our Brother, is to foreftal the Day of Judgment; and Who art thou that judgest another? to his own Mafter he stands or falls.

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DISCOURSE XXII.

ACTS ii. 4.

And they were all fill'd with the Holy Ghoft, and began to speak with other Tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

H

AVING finifh'd the Explication of thofe Articles of the Creed, that refer to the two firft Perfons in the Bleffed Trinity; I proceed to those which relate to the Third: of which the

Firft is contain'd in thefe Words, I believe in the Holy Ghost.

For the better Explication whereof, I must shew,

Firft, Whom we are to understand here by the Holy Ghoft. And,

Secondly, What we are here taught to believe of him. For the

First, By the Holy Ghost here, we are to understand the third Perfon in the ever-bleffed Trinity, call'd here by the Name of Ghost, which in the Saxon Tongue fignifies the fame with Spirit; and Holy Ghoft, becaufe, befide his effential Holinefs which he has in common with the Father and the Son, his Office is to work Holinefs in the Hearts of God's People. For as Creation is particularly afcrib'd to the Father, and Redemption to the Son; fo is Sanctification made the peculiar Work of the Holy Ghoft. Hence we are faid to be fav'd or fanctify'd, by the wafning of Rege neration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghoft, Tit. 3. 5. and elsewhere, that our Souls are purify'd thro' the Spirit, I Pet. 1. 22. Now this Holy Ghoft is here plainly fuppos'd

to be both a Person, and likewise a Perfon diftinct from the Father and the Son; from both which, he is also faid to proceed.

That he is a Perfon, is to be believ'd against the Heresy of Sabellius of old, and Socinus of latter days; who affirm'd the Holy Ghost to be only an Accident, that is, a Power, Virtue, or Quality refiding in God and deriv'd from him. Against thefe, I fay, we are to believe him to be not barely a Power, Operation, or Quality, but really a Spiritual and Intellectual Subftance: for befide that we are baptiz'd in his Name, and profefs our Faith in him; he is oppos'd to all evil and lying Spirits, which are acknowledg'd to be Intellectual Subftances. And the Holy Scriptures frequently afcribe those perfonal Difpofitions and Operations to him, that evidently fuppofe him to be a Perfon, and cannot be attributed to any thing lefs: for he is faid to be griev'd, to intercede for us, to fearch all things, even the deep things of God, and the like; which are fuch perfonal Actions and Affections, as no mere Quality is capable of. Again,

That the Holy Ghoft is a Perfon diftinct from the Father and the Son, is to be believ'd against another fort of Hereticks, who confounded the three Perfons of the Trinity, deftroying their fubftantial Properties, and thereby making them all but one Perfon under three different Names or Appellations.

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Now this diftinction of the Holy Ghoft from the other two Perfons is plainly held forth in fundry Places of the New Tellament, where he is often flyl'd the Spirit of God, he is faid to intercede for us with the Father, to be our Advocate and Comforter, to come from the Father, and to be fent by him; with many other Expreffions, that manifeftly imply him to be a Perfon diftinct from the Father: for otherwife, he must be faid to be an Advocate to himself, to intercede with, to come from, and to be fent by himself; which cannot with any congruity of Senfe be apply'd to him. Moreover,

As this Holy Spirit is a Perfon diftinct from the Father and the Son, fo is he faid in Scripture to proceed from both : That he proceeded from the Father, our Saviour exprefly declares, John 15. 26. The Spirit of Truth which proceedeth from the Father (faith he) be hall testify of me upon which account he is often fly'd the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of the Father; being fent by and proceeding from

him.

Again, That he proceeded from the Son likewife, tho it be not fo exprefly affirm'd, is yet virtually contain'd and imply'd in fundry Expreffions of Holy Scripture; for he is often call'd the Spirit of the Son, the Spirit of Christ, and the Stirit of the Lord Fefus Chrift. And if his being call'd the Spirit of the Father fignify'd his proceeding from him, his being call'd the Spirit of the Son muft for the fame reafon fignify his proceeding from him alfo. Befide,

He is faid to be fent by the Son as well as the Father; for he often told his Difciples, that he would fend the Comforter to them, which was the Holy Ghoft, to fupply the Defects of his Abfence: and tho he be fometimes faid to fend him from the Father, and in the Father's Name, yet he is at other times faid to fend him himself, and likewife that the Father fends him in his Name; which Expreffions fuppofe him to proceed equally from both : and this is the antient Catholick Faith in this matter. Thus, having fhew'd who is here meant by the Holy Ghoft, I proceed to fhew,

:

Secondly, What we are taught to believe of him and this may be reduc'd to two Heads; (1.) The Divinity of his Perfon. And, (2.) The Diverfity of his Offices and Operations for the Salvation of Mankind."

1. For the Divinity of his Perfon: We are to believe th Holy Ghoft to be truly and properly God, coequal and coeffential with the Father and the Son, against the Herefy of the Arians and Macedonians; which hath been lately reviv'd by the Socinians, and others in our Age. Now, that he is truly God, the Scriptures do plainly teftify. For befide that he is rank'd with the Father and the Son in that Form of Baptifm given by our bleffed Saviour, Mat. 28. 19. and likewife in that ufual Benediction of the Apostles, mention'd 2 Cor. 13. 14. befide that, I fay, the most proper Names of God, and all the Titles peculiar to the Divine Perfons are attributed to him. Lying to the Holy Ghost is call'd Lying unto God, Acts 5. 3, 4. The Temple of the Holy Ghoft is call'd the Temple of God, 1 Cor. 3. 16. all the incommunicable Properties and Attributes of God are afcrib'd to him; as Omniprefence, Whither Shall I go from thy Spirit? &c. Omniscience, for he fearcheth the Heart, and knoweth the deep Things of God: Eternity, being before, in, and thro' all times.

Again, All thofe Divine Acts that are proper and peculiar to God only, are afcrib'd to him, as Creation, Regeneration, and the like.

Laftly, All thofe Acts of Faith and Worfhip which are due only to God, are offer'd up and requir'd to be paid to him; for we are to adore and glorify the Holy Spirit, to put our Trust and Reliance in him: which would be grofs Ufurpation and Idolatry, if he were not truly God, equal to the Father and the Son. In a word, the Divine Titles and Honours given to him, plainly prove and declare him to be a Divine Perfon; which we are therefore (as the Catholick Faith directs) firmly to believe of him.

2. The next thing we are to believe of the Holy Ghoft, is, the several Offices and Operations he performs in the Oeconomy of Man's Salvation. Now, of thefe Acts or Operations of the Holy Ghoft, relating to Man's Salvation, there are two forts:

The one, extraordinary and fupernatural; of which kind were those miraculous Gifts given in the Infancy of the Church, which lafted but for a time.

The other, more ordinary and natural, futable to the more adult and grown State of the Church; and these are to continue to the end of the World.

Of the first fort, were thofe extraordinary Gifts and Infpirations that fell on the Apoftles on the Day of Pentecost,*

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