know tend to grieve the Spirit? Many such things there are. It cannot but occur to our own knowledge and thoughts, if at any time they be serious, that such and such things (our own hearts will tell us what they are,) must needs be a grief to the Spirit of God; and if I allow myself to tread such and such paths, the Spirit and I shall grow strangers unto one another. The indulging of sensual desires, allowing a liberty unto enormous and exorbitant passions, letting out our spirits to the minding of earthly things without check and restraint, falling into jangles and contentions with others, cherishing our own enmity and discontents toward such and such persons, or upon such and such occasions. How do we think, that that pure and holy and blessed Spirit will inhabit so impure and licentious and unpeaceable breasts as ours are? The letting out our thoughts and affections to vanity, so as only to be in a disposition to mind trifles and converse with them, cannot but produce a great strangeness. Do not you know, that there is many a serious man who would forsake your company, if he saw that you were in no disposition to mind any thing that was serious; and that to talk of nothing but toys and trifles was pleasing and grateful to you? Serious men would leave you upon this, and think you unsuitable company for them.

SERMON XVIII.*

II Inference. In the great business of the Christian life, it is not the Spirit that doth all, but there is a part incumbent upon us. This is manifest, when it is said to belong to us, if we are christians indeed, to "walk in the Spirit." Then the business of the Christian life is not to be done by the Spirit alone, but we have a part to do therein. And it is not unnecessary to insist a little upon this. I do not reckon this necessary, merely for the confutation of their error, who think otherwise; for I cannot think there are any among us that are of a contrary opinion; though some such there have been, and probably, enough are in the world, who have thought it to be a great piece of perfection to be aspired unto by christians, to be merely passive in the business of religion; and that by how much the more perfect they are, so much the more passive, and do so much the less in religion: but I suspect not any here to be of that mind. It is upon a more practical account, that this is fit to be insisted on: for though we have no such formed apprehensions, yet it is too plain that most carry the matter as if they had nothing to do. And therefore I shall urge some considerations to evince what I suppose to be already our common belief, that there is a part incumbent upon us;

• Preached April 17th. 1678. at Cordwainer's Hall.

to enliven a little that belief in our souls, and that we may be stirred up to walk and act more agreeably to it.

1. The very notion of walking in the text, doth most strongly exclaim against the supposition of our having nothing to do. You have been formerly told, that if a man should roll a stone, or drag a log, neither of them would be said to walk. Walking is a voluntary, spontaneous motion, from an internal, and some way or other self-directing principle; when we design the motion and choose the way wherein we are to walk, being enabled to choose aright. And by how much the more the Spirit puts forth its influence in order to our walking, so much the more are we at liberty; with so much the more spontaneity and activity and vigour do we go on in that course unto which it prompts. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, 2 Cor. 3. 17. And I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart, Ps. 119. 32.

2. It is to be argued by an induction of such particulars, as we have formerly instanced in, that we have a part incumbent upon us. Concerning which of them would we say, that they are not our part? That which begins our course, repentance towards God, is not that our work? That, by which we derive strength and vigour for that course of holy motion, that faith which is continually to supply us from the fountain with influence, is not this incumbent upon us? Is it not our part to resign and yield ourselves, and to obey the influences and dictates of the blessed Spirit of God? Can we then yet say or think, that we have nothing to do, or carry as if we had not?

But it may be said, that these are the works of the Holy Ghost, to repent, to believe, to resign, to obey, and the like. It is very true indeed. But what hinders, that even in reference to one and the same work the Spirit should have its part, and we our part? As when a musician plays upon an instrument, hath not the musician and the instrument each of them a contribution towards the melody? The strings do not sound without being touched, nor is that sound made by touching any thing but those strings. We cannot say in that case, that the musician and the instrument have each of them so their part, as that one note is from the musician and another note from the instrument; but both the musician and the instrument contribute to every note. And so it is plainly here, as to all the holy and spiritual motions and actings of a renewed soul; our spirits and the blessed Spirit of God have a kind of co-operation in reference to every particular act; which plainly shews that we have our part all along, and much more an active part than that similitude we used can serve to represent. 3. Were it not so, that we have such a part incumbent upon

say;

And so

us, all the precepts that contain in them the duty which is charged upon us, (that is, which we ought to call duty, because they are precepts in which it is contained,) would be mere nullities; and so that duty would be no duty. It would indeed evacuate and nullify the whole law of God, and all the precepts that are in his book of one kind or another. For if we have no part belonging to us, then his precepts oblige us to nothing; and that which obliges to nothing, is no obligation: and so it were an apprehension in the tendency of it, directly subversive of the whole frame of the divine government: all his laws over us would carry no signification with them at all. Especially what sense could we make of such laws as these, that do in general express the whole of a christian's course? This, for instance, in the text, "Walk in the Spirit?" Which you have with so much solemnity introduced in another verse of this same chapter; "This I say, Walk in the Spirit; and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh," ver. 16. This I here would be great solemnity used for no purpose, the precept would carry no signification of a precept at all. of other such like scriptures. Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, Eph. 6. 10. Be strong; What doth that say to us? what doth it mean? Can we tell how to make ourselves strong, and by the Lord's strength? It plainly shews, that regenerate ones have somewhat to do, upon the doing whereof they may expect the communications of the Spirit. So, Eph. 4. 18. Be ye filled with the Spirit. What a strange thing were it to give us such a precept as that, that we should be filled with the Spirit, if we had nothing to do in order thereto ! It doth indeed manifestly imply the Spirit's communicativeness, its aptness to communicate itself in all suitable and needful influences: and if we should not understand it so, the words would carry but such a sound, such a faint sound with them, as those that are supposed to be spoken by some charitable man, that should say to one in necessity, naked, and destitute of daily food, "Be thou warm, be thou filled;" but yet gives nothing needful for the body, James 2. 15, 16. And what! Shall we dare to imagine, that the Spirit of God, that Spirit of love and grace, should indite such words as these, "Be ye filled with the Spirit," and yet be altogether unapt to give that which should be needful to the soul? It doth plainly hold forth therefore the communicativeness of the Holy Ghost. But then it doth hold forth also a part incumbent upon us, somewhat to be done by us, whereupon we are to expect such a communication, and in a stated course; and not to expect it otherwise, or upon other terms; whatever

it may arbitrarily and from a sovereignty and royalty of grace do, as it many times doth.

4. Otherwise all the holy and gracious principles, all the graces of the Spirit, were put into the soul in vain; they were needless and useless things. For pray, what use can we conceive them to be of, but only to dispose the soul for holy and gracious actings? And then sure it must have something to do. The frame and shape of every thing doth discover, even to a man's eye, what it was made for : the very shape of this or that utensil shews its use, and what purposes it will serve for. So the whole frame of the new creature, all the several principles that are ingredient into the constitution of it, plainly shew what they are for. And the Spirit of God doth expressly tell us, Eph. 2. 10. We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which he hath before ordained that we should walk in them. "We are his workmanship:" this is a piece of work wrought and done upon the soul, on purpose to fit him for the doing of good works: it is a very strange thing if yet it should have nothing to do. We might as well suppose, that the apt shape and frame of this or that instrument did contribute nothing to the use; a musician might as well play upon a log as upon a lute. Why should there be that curious workmanship, as there is wrought in every renewed soul, if all those principles are to lie dead, and there is no work to be done by such a soul? What is the grace of repentance for, but that the soul might turn to God? What is self-denial for, but to take it off from self? Mortification towards this world, but to loose and unhinge the soul from that, that so it may be in a posture disengaged and free for the course of holy spiritual motion? What is love for, but that it may move vigorously and delightfully? Fear, but that it may move regularly? Humility, but that it may move equally? Patience, but that it may move steadily, and so as not to be diverted by the evils that it meets with in the way? Take every particular grace severally, or take the entire frame of all together, and the very frame shews us what the new creature was for, that it was not to do nothing, and therefore sure that there is somewhat to be done.

5. Were it not so, this great absurdity would follow, that not only the Spirit of God was to be the agent, (which indeed is itself absurd enough) but that that alone is to be denominated the agent of eyery work that is to be done. Not only might it be truly said, that the Spirit of God repents and believes; but that it alone doth so: and consequently that there was no believer in all the world, no penitent, no obedient person; hut only that these names ought to be given to the Spirit of God.