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faid to perform their wonderful works; but especially by SERM. him,

3. God manages that great work, fo earnestly designed by him, of our falvation; working in us all good difpofition, capacifying us for falvation, directing and affisting us in all our actions tending thereto.

XXXIV.

We naturally are void of those good difpofitions in understanding, will, and affection, which are needful to render us acceptable to God, fit to serve and please him, capable of any favour from him, of any true happiness in ourselves our minds naturally are blind, ignorant, stupid, giddy, and prone to error, especially in things fupernatural, fpiritual, and abstracted from ordinary sense: our wills are froward and stubborn, light and unstable, inclining to evil, and averse from what is truly good; our affections are very irregular, disorderly, and unsettled: to remove which bad difpofitions, (inconfiftent with God's friendship and favour, driving us into fin and mifery,) and to beget those contrary to them, the knowledge and belief of divine truth, a love of goodnefs and delight therein, a well compofed, orderly, and steady frame of fpirit, God in mercy doth grant to us the virtue of his Holy Spirit; who first opening our hearts, fo as to let in Acts xvi. and apprehend the light of divine truth, then by repre- 1 Cor. xii. sentation of proper arguments perfuading our reason to 8, 9. embrace it, begetteth divine knowledge, wisdom, and faith in our minds, which is the work of illumination and instruction, the first part of his office respecting our salva

tion.

Then by continual impreffions he bendeth our inclinations, and mollifieth our hearts, and tempereth our affections to a willing compliance with God's will, and a hearty complacence in that which is good and pleafing to God; fo breeding all pious and virtuous inclinations in us, reverence toward God, charity to men, fobriety and purity as to ourselves, with the rest of those amiable and heavenly virtues of foul, which is the work of sanctification, another great part of his office.

Both these operations together (enlightening our minds,

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SERM. fanctifying our will and affections) do conftitute and acXXXIV. complish that work, which is ftyled the regeneration, reTit. iii. 5. novation, vivification, new creation, refurrection of a man; Col. ii. 12, the faculties of our fouls being fo improved, that we beEph. ii. 5. come, as it were, other men thereby; able and apt to do iv. 23, 24. that for which before we were altogether indisposed and 2 Cor. v. 17. unfit.

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ii. 10.

Rom. viii.

He also directeth and governeth our actions, continually leading and moving us in the ways of obedience to God's holy will and law. As we live by him, (having a Gal. v. 25. new spiritual life implanted in us,) fo we walk by him, are continually led and acted by his conduct and help. He reclaimeth us from error and fin; he supporteth and ftrengtheneth us in temptation; he advifeth and admonisheth, exciteth and encourageth us to all works of piety and virtue.

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Rom. viii. 26, 27.

1 John xv.

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Particularly he guideth and quickeneth us in devotion, shewing us what we should ask, raifing in us holy defires and comfortable hopes, difpofing us to approach unto God with fit difpofitions of mind, love, and reverence, and humble confidence.

It is also a notable part of the Holy Spirit's office to comfort and fuftain us, as in all our religious practice, fo Rom. xv. particularly in our doubts, difficulties, diftreffes, and afflictions; to beget joy, peace, and fatisfaction in us, in all 1 Pet. i. 8. our performances, and in all our sufferings; whence the title of Comforter belongeth to him.

13. Heb. iii. 6.

Rom. viii.

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2 Cor. i. 22.

It is also another part thereof to affure us of God's gracious love and favour, and that we are his children; confirming in us the hopes of our everlasting inheritance. Eph. i. 14. We, feeling ourselves to live fpiritually by him, to love

V. 5.

God and goodness, to thirst after righteousness, and to delight in pleafing God, are thereby raised to hope God loves and favours us; and that he, having by fo authentic a feal ratified his word and promise, having already beftowed fo fure a pledge, fo precious an earnest, so plentiful firft-fruits, will not fail to make good the remainder defigned and promised us, of everlasting joy and bliss.

4. The Holy Ghost is also our interceffor with God;

prefenting our fupplications, and procuring our good. He SERM. crieth in us, he pleadeth for us to God: whence he is XXXIV. peculiarly called яаpáxλŋτos, the Advocate; that is, one who is called in by his good word or countenance to aid him whose cause is to be examined, or petition to be confidered.

5. To which things we may add, that the Holy Ghoft bears the office of a foul to God's Church, informing, en- 2 Cor. xii. livening, and actuating the whole body thereof; connect- 12, 13. ing and containing its members in spiritual union, harmony, order, peace, and fafety; especially quickening the principal members (the governors and paftors) thereof; conftituting them in their function, qualifying them for the discharge thereof, guiding and aiding them in it; Take A&ts xx. 28. heed, faid St. Paul to the elders of Ephefus, unto your- Eph. iv. 12. felves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers: and, All these things worketh 1 Cor. xii. that one and the felf-fame Spirit, dividing to every man feverally as he willeth.

We have thus passed over the several main doctrines concerning the bleffed Holy Spirit; the application of which to practice briefly fhould be this; the uses, which the confideration of these points may have, are these.

I. We are upon the premises obliged to render all honour and adoration to the majesty of the divine Spirit.

2. The confideration of these things fhould work in us an humble affection and a devout thankfulness to God, for fo ineftimable a favour conferred upon us, as is the prefence and inhabitation, the counsel, conduct, and affistance of God's Holy Spirit in us. Him we gratefully muft own and acknowledge as the Author of our fpiritual life, of all good difpofitions in us, of all good works performed by us, of all happiness that we are capable of; to him therefore we must humbly render all thanks and praise, affuming nothing to ourselves.

3. We fhould earnestly defire and pray for God's Spirit, the fountain of fuch excellent benefits, fuch graces, fuch gifts, fuch privileges, fuch joys and bleffings inestimable. If we heartily invite him, if we fervently pray for him, he

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SERM. affuredly will come to us; for fo our Lord hath promised, XXXIV. That our heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to them Luke xi. 13. which ask it.

4. We fhould endeavour to demean ourselves well toward the Holy Spirit; yielding to that heavenly guest, when he vouchfafeth to arrive, a ready entrance and a kind welcome into our hearts; entertaining him with all poffible respect and obfervance; hearkening attentively to his holy fuggeftions, and carefully obeying him; not quenching the divine light, or the devout heat, which he kindleth in us; not refifting his kindly motions and fuafions; not grieving or vexing him; that fo with fatisfaction he may continue and refide in us, to our infinite benefit and comfort. It should engage us to cleanse ourselves from all filthinefs of flesh and fpirit; that we may be fit temples for fo holy and pure a Spirit to dwell in; left he, by our impurities, be offended, loathe, and forfake us.

5. It is matter of comfort and encouragement, exceedingly needful and useful for us, to confider that we have fuch a guide and affiftant in all our religious practice and fpiritual warfare. If our lufts be ftrong, our temptations great, our enemies mighty, we need not be disheartened, having this all-wife and all-mighty friend to advise and help us his grace is fufficient for us, against all the ftrength of hell, the flesh, and the world. Let our duty be never fo hard, and our natural force never fo weak, we shall be able to do all things by him that strengtheneth us; if we will but faithfully apply ourselves to his aid, we cannot fail of good fuccefs.

THUS far the Author's Sermons upon the Creed. As to the remaining Articles, he hath only left a short Explication of them, like to that upon the Lord's Prayer, &c. And there needed not much more, considering that the Substance of these Articles had been treated of before: that of the Holy Catholic Church, and of the Communion of Saints, in his Discourse of the Unity of the Church, at the end of his Treatise of the Pope's Supremacy; and that of the Forgiveness of Sins, in his Sermons of Justification; and that of the Resurrection of the Body, in his Sermon of the Resurrection of Christ.

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