The par

Except the Lord build the House, they labour in vain. that build it; and except the Lord keep the City, the watchman watcheth but in vain, fo alfo except the Lord through his Word, pour forth the promife of the Spirit, and by that Spirit of his, in and through the Word enlarge and govern the Church, they labour in vain that undertake these things of themfelves. For it is the Spirit alone, that through the faithful miniftry of the Word, makes the increase of the Church, and lays hold on all the Elect, and brings them through Faith, into the Unity of the Son and of the Father, and teaches them, and orders them, and governs them, and preferves them. And therefore you fee here, that the Promife of the Spirit is firft performed, before the Church of God hath any Enlargement, or Government.

And now from thefe General things we proceed ticular to the words more particularly. Ye shall receive handling Power when the Holy Ghost is come upon you. And here we may note two things.

of the words.

The Dour.

1. What he Promises them, and that is Power, you shall receive Power.

2. How they fhould be made Pertakers of that Power, and that was, by the Holy Spirits coming upon them.

The Point we will infift on from both, is this.

That the receiving of the Spirit, is the receiving of Power; till we receive the Spirit, we are altogether without Power; and when we receive the Spirit, then first of all, do we receive Power; Power from on high.

By Nature, we are all without ftrength, weak, impotent Creatures, utterly unable to do any thing that is truly and spiritually righteous and good. For by nature, we are nothing but flesh, for that which is born of flesh is flesh, and all flesh is grafs, a fading, withering and decaying thing, together with all the flowers of it, that is, the perfections

and

and excellencies of it. So that by nature, we are all without power, because we are nothing but fleh, of which, weakness is an infeparable adjunct.

But when we receive the Spirit, we receive The Spipomer; for power is an infeparable adjunct of the rit is PowSpirit, as weakness is of flesh; yea the Spirit it felfer two which is given us, is power, and that both effentially and operatively, in it felf, and in us.

ways.

1.

1. The Spirit is power effentially in it felf; for it is one God with the Father and the Son, co-eflential, Effentially co-equal, co-eternal; and so as Christ is the power in it felf of God, fo alfo is the fpirit, the power of God; yea the Spirit is the God of power, as well as the power of God. So that the Spirit is power in himfelf effentially, and he that partakes of the power of the Spirit, partakes of that power, which is God, and no creature.

2. The Spirit, is power operatively in us, by being in us.

our

2.

Operative

I.

1. A Spirit of Knowledge, for the Holy Spirit being in ly in us, by teaches us to know the things that are freely given us. to us of God; yea, he teaches us to know, what fin is, and what righteousness; what death is, and ASpirit of what life; what heaven is, and what hell; what Knowfelves are, and what God is, and these things ledge. he teaches us to know, otherwife than other Men know them. In a word, the Spirit teaches a Chriftian to know all things, that is, to know God, and the Kingdom of God, and all the things of both, all other things being nothing in comparison of these. Thus the Holy Spirit is a Spirit of knowledge in us, and fo of power for knowledge is the strength of a Man. Whereas an ignorant Man is a weak Man, you may carry him whether you will; but knowledge renders a Man ftrong and unmoveable. And in all things, wherein the Holy Spirit is a Spirit of knowledge in us, he is alfo a Spirit of ftrength. The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of Power in us, by be- Power

B 2

ing

2.

ASpirit

ing in us a Spirit of Truth. And fo the Spirit is, because it doth not only lead us unto the Truth (that is unto the word which is the only Truth, as it is written, Sanctifie them through the Truth, thy Word is Truth, but also the Spirit leads us into the Truth; it leads us into the Truth, and the Truth into us, till we and it, become one by an infeparable Union. The Holy Spirit takes a Believer, and leads him into one Truth after another, till at laft it leads him into all Truth. Now wherein the Spirit, is a Spirit of Truth to us, it is a Spirit of Power; for through the Truth we learn from the Spirit of Truth, we are altogether ftedfaft and unmoveable, among variety of different and contrary winds of Doctrine. And this is the very caufe, that among fo many divifions, and factions, and errors, and hereftes, which woefully prevail in these present times of ours, the People of God are not feduced and overcome, to wit, because they are all taught of God, of God and not of Men, and have the Spirit of Truth, to lead them into Truth; the Spirit I fay, and not Men; and fo it is impoffible that they fhould fully and finally be deceived. For wherein we are taught by the Spirit of God, it is unpoffible we should be perverted by Men. Whereas on the contrary, the true ground why fo many are feduced and overcome by the Errors and Herefies of this Age, is because they have taken up their Religion only from Mans teaching, and have received their Opinions or Doarine from Mex; and fo what one Man hath taught us, another Man can nnteach; yea if we be led to the Truth it self, only by Man, Man can again lead us from it. For all the world cannot lead any Man into the Truth, till the Spirit lead him into it; and when the Spirit doth lead us into the Truth, all the Men in the world cannot lead us out of it; but we are so fure of those things, wherein the Spirit hath been a Teacher to us, that if all

the

the Councels and Churches in the world, yea all the Angels of Heaven fhould teach us contrary, we would hold them accurfed. But a Man that hath not been taught of the Spirit, every day you may win him into new Opinions, by the power and authority of Men, together with the ftrength of other advantages: But he that hath been led into the Truth, by the Spirit of Truth, is unmoveable and invinfible among all Doctrines. And thus alfo the Holy Spirit by being a Spirit of Truth, is also a Spirit

of Power in us.

3.

3. The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of Power in us, by being in us a Spirit of Wisdom; and fo it is, be- wisdom. A spirit of caufe it makes us wife with the wisdom of God, wife upon Earth, after the rate of Heaven, wife to Salvation. There is no Man wife without the Spirit of God, for the wisdom of carnal Men is but foolhefs before God, yea before Angels and Saints; but the wisdom of the Spirit is most gracious and Heavenly wisdom. And this wisdom of the Spirit, is the ftrength of a Chriftian; the more he hath of it, the more mighty he is, both in all his doings and indurings. It is faid, Ecclef. 9. 15. That there was a poor wife Man, delivered a small City from the power of a mighty King, and therefore Solomon concludes that wisdom is better than ftrength, for it can do greater things than ftrength can. When David carried himself wifely, Saul a great King was afraid of him; he thought himself too weak to deal with David, and David too mighty to deal with him, because of his wisdom; and Solomon asked Wisdom of God above all things, for the strength of his Government; all Government without this, 2.Cor. 1 being but weak and brittle. Thus wifdam contri-10. butes ftrength to us, whereas we fay of a Man that wants wisdom, he is a weak Man; and fo the Holy Spirit being a Spirit of wifdem in us, is alfo a Spirit of Power.

B 3

that

4.

4. The Holy Spirit, is a Spirit of Power in us, by A Spirit being in us a Spirit of Faith. For Faith is a work of Faith of the Spirit of Power; and no lefs Power would Eph. 1.19. work Faith in us, then that which raised up Chrift from the dead, when he lay under all the fin of man, and all the wrath of God, and all the forrows of death, and all the pains of hell, it must be a mighty power indeed, that muft raife Chrift then, and that power was the power of the Spirit; and no lefs power will work Faith. So that whoever truly believes by this faith, of the operation of God, is fenfible in his own Soul, of the felf fame power, that raised Christ up from the dead. And thus the Holy Spirit is a Spirit of Faith in us, and fo of Power. For unbelief keeps a Man in himself, but faith carries a Man out to Chrift; now there is no Man weaker than he that refts on himself, and there is no Man ftronger, than he that forfakes himself, and refts on Chrift. And fo a Man through the power of Faith, is able both to do and indure the felf fame things which Chrift himself did and indured. |

The pow

did.

1. He is able to do the fame things that Chrift himer of Faith felf did, and therefore faith Chrift, all things are inables us poffible to him that believeth; fo that a Believer hath 1. to do a kind of omnipotency, and all things are poffible the fame to him; becaufe by Faith he lays hold upon the things Chrift power of God, and all things are poflible to the himself power of God, and fo all things are poffible to a Believer, who is partaker of that power of God. And hence Paul faith, I can do all things through Phil.4.13. Chrift that strengthneth me; this Christ that ftrengthned him, was the power of God, and this power of God, is not a finite power, but an infinite, not a particular power, but an univerfal; and fo can do, not fome things only, but all things; and fo alfo can all they, who are truly partakers of it by Faith. Yea Chrift himself hath a greater expreffion than this, yea fuch an one, that I never durft