grace in the bare propofal of things to be believed and practifed, 393 to 397.. Ufe 2. Is of Exhortation; that in the enjoyment of the means of grace, we should not terminate in the means, but look up to God, who alone is able to give an heart to improve them, 397, 398. SERMON XIV. JOHN XV. 26. But when the Comforter is come, whom I will fend unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father; be fhall teftify of me. Thefe words contain two general parts. I. The promise of fending the Spirit: wherein we have a full defcription of him, 1. In refpect of his perfon; he is faid to proceed from the Father. There has been great controverfy between the Latin and Greek churches concerning his proceffion: the former holding, that he proceeds equally from the Father and the Son; and the latter, that he proceeds from the Father only by the Son, 400 to 402. 2. In refpect of his office or employment, in these two things. (1.) That he is a Comforter, 402 to 405. (2.) That he is the Spirit of truth, 405, 406. He is a Comforter, because he is the Spirit of truth: and truth has this comforting influence upon the mind; (1.) From the native congenial fuitableness that it has to man's understanding, 407, 408.-(2.) From the fovereign virtue it has to clear the confcience; 1.) From guilt. 2.) From doubt, 409, 410. II. The end of his being fent, which was to testify of Chrift. In which are confidered, 1. What the Spirit was to teftify of Chrift; which was, that he was the Son of God, the Meffias, and Saviour of the world, 411. 2. By what ways and means he was to teftify this of him; which were the gifts conferred by him upon the difciples; three of which feem more eminently defigned for the great purpose of preaching the gofpel. (1.) The gift of miracles, 412. (2.) The gift of tongues. (3.) That strange, undaunted, and fuper-natural courage he infused into the difciples, 413 to 415. A full reflection upon what has been said, will furnish an infallible rule for trying men's pretences of the spirit. If they find not only comment, but text alfo, and plead the fpirit in defiance of the letter; it is not God's Spirit that acts them, but the spirit of darkness and defolation, that ruins government, and fubverts kingdoms. But thankfully and forgetfully to accept our oppreffion, the king's restoration is commemorated as the work of the Holy Ghoft, carrying in it fuch bright teftimonies of a fuper-natural power, fo much above, nay against the means and actors vifibly appearing in it, that it may properly be expreffed in those words, Zech. iv. 6. not by might, nor by ftrength; but by my Spirit, faith the Lord, 415 to 418. TRINITY SUNDAY. Now though the chief fubject of the text was the Holy Spirit, yet it seems to point both at the Pentecoft and the Trinity; for in the words we have; I. 2 1. The perfon fent, which was the Holy Ghoft. 2. The perfon fending him, which was the Son. 3. The perfon from whom he is faid to proceed, which was the Father. All employed in man's falvation: the Father contriving, the Son ordering, and the Spirit performing, 418 to 420. From the whole paffage may be collected two things: 1. God's gracious love and condefcenfion to man. 2. The worth of fouls: the falvation of which is never left to chance; all the perfons of the Trinity being follicitous to comfort them in this world, and at length to waft them to a better, 420, 421. SER (1) SERMON I. MATT. xxiii. 5, former part of it. But all their works they do, for to be Seen of men. I T is ftrange to confider the great difference both of the principle and quality of moft of those actions that in the world carry the fame reputation. Of this we have here a notable inftance, in a fect of men amongst the Jews called the Pharifees; who made as glorious an appearance, and had as high a vogue for piety as the best. Their righteousness and good works fo gliftered, that they even dashed the judging faculties of thofe, who judged more by feeing than by weighing and doubtlefs they were in fhew fo exactly good, that no argument from appearance could decide the difference. And yet like thofe trees which are fair and flourishing at the top from the dung that lies at the root, the principle of all these good works was a finful appetite, an appetite of glory, an ambitious defire; finful perhaps in itself, but certainly fo in its application to fuch ** B a a defign. Yet, however finful it was in the nature of an appetite, we fee it was very strong and operative in the nature of a principle; and fuch an one as wrought men to great heights in the outward and splendid fide of religion. My defign at this time is from these words to enquire into the force of this principle in reference to a virtuous and religious life; and to fhew how far it is able to engage men in it. And this I fhall do under thefe four heads : I. I shall shew that a love of glory is sufficient to produce all thofe virtuous actions, that are vifible in the lives of those that profefs religion. II. I fhall fhew whence this affection comes to have fuch an influence upon our actions. III. I fhall fhew the inability of it to be a fufficient motive to engage mankind in virtuous actions, without the affiftance of religion. IV. I shall shew that even those actions that it does produce, are yet of no value at all in the fight of God. For the first of these, That the love of glory is able to produce all thofe virtuous actions, that are vifible in the lives of thofe that profess religion: This I prove first from this, that it actually has produced them, and therefore it is able to produce them: For this, let the nobleft and moft virtuous of the Heathens be an inftance; whofe outward virtues few Chriftians equal, but none tranfcend: yet they were acted in all, by a thirst of that glory that followed those 2 per |