SERM. XXIV. He affifteth the fpirits of believers after prayer, helping them to faith and patience, to believe, and wait for the returns, and anfwers of their prayers. O reader, reflect upon thy duties, confider what spirituality, fincerity, humility, broken-heartedness, and melting affections after God, are to be found in thy duties: Is it fo with thee? Or doft thou hurry over thy duties as an interruption to thy bufinefs, and pleafures? Are they an ungrate ful task, impofed upon thee by God, and thy own confcience? Are there no hungerings, and thirftings after God in thy foul? Or, if there be any pleasure arifing to thee out of prayer, is it not from the oftentation of thy gifts? If it be fo, reflect fadly upon the carnal ftate of thy heart; thefe things do not speak the Spirit of grace and fupplication to be given thee.

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Evidence 6. Wherever the Spirit of grace inhabits, there is an heavenly, fpiritual frame of mind accompanying, and evidencing the indwelling of the Spirit, Rom. viii. 5, 6. "For they that are after the flesh, do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are "after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit: For, to be carnally "minded is death; but to be fpiritually minded is life and peace." By the mind, underftand the mufings, reafonings, yea, and the cares, fears, delights and pleafures of the foul, which follow the workings, and meditations of the mind. As these are, fo are we; if these be ordinarily, and habitually taken up, and exercifed about earthly things, then is the frame, and state of the man carnal, and earthly: The workings of every creature follow the being and nature of it. If God, Chrift, heaven, and the world to come, engage the thoughts, and affections of the foul, and the temper of fuch a foul is fpiritual, and the Spirit of God dwelleth there; this is the life of the regenerate, Phil. iii. 20. "Our converfation is in heaven;" and fuch a frame of heart is life, and peace: A ferene, placid, and moft comfortable life. No pleasures upon earth, no gratifications of the fenfes do relish, and favour, as fpiritual things do. Confider, therefore, which way thy heart ordinarily works, efpecially in thy folitudes, and hours of retirement. These things will be a great evidence for, or against thy foul. David could fay, David could fay, "How precious are thy "thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the fum of them: "If I fhould count them, they are more in number than the "fand; when I awake, I am fill with thee," Pfal. cxxxix. 17, 18. Yet it must be acknowledged, for the relief of weaker Christians, that there is a great difference and variety found in this matter, among the people of God: For the ftrength, steadi nefs, and conftancy of a spiritual mind, refult from the depth, and improvement of fanctification: The more grace, fill the more

evennefs, fpirituality, and conftancy, there is in the motions of the heart after God. The minds of weak Chriftians are more eafily entangled in earthly vanities, and more frequently diverted by inward corruptions; yet ftill there is a fpiritual Pondus, inclination, and bent of their hearts towards God; and the vanity, and corruption which hinders their communion with him, is their greatest grief, and burthen under which they groan in this world.

Evidence 7. Those to whom the Spirit of grace is given, are led by the Spirit, Rom. viii. 14, "As many as are led by the "Spirit of God, they are the Sons of God:" Sanctified fouls give themselves up to the government, and conduct of the Spirit; they obey his voice, beg his direction, follow his motion, deny the follicitations of the flesh and blood, in obedience to him, Gal. i. 16. And they that do so, they are the fons of God. It is the office of the Spirit to guide us in all truth; and it is our great duty to follow his guidance. Hence it is, that in all enterprifes, and undertakings, the people of God fo earneftly beg direction, and counfel from him. "Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteouf

nefs, (faith David) make thy way ftraight before my face," Pfal. viii. 5. They dare not, in doubtful cafes, lean to their own understandings; yea, in points of duty, and in points of fin, they dare not neglect the one, or commit the other, against the convictions, and perfuafions of their own confciences; though troubles, and fufferings be unavoidable in that path of duty, when they have balanced duties with fufferings, in their most serious thoughts, the conclufion and refult will ftill be, it is better to obey God, than man, the dictates of the Spirit, rather than the counfels of flesh and blood.

But, before I leave this point, I reckon myself a debtor unto weak Christians, and fhail endeavour to give fatisfaction to some fpecial doubts and fears, with which their minds are ordinarily entangled in this matter; for it is a very plain cafe, that many fouls have the prefence, and fanctification of the Spirit without the evidence and comfort thereof. Divers things are found in believers, which are fo many fountains of fears; and doubts to them. And,

Objection 1. First, I greatly doubt the Spirit of God is not in me (faith a poor Chriftian) because of the great darkness, and ignorance which clouds my foul; for I read, 1 John ii. 27. that he enlightneth the foul which he inhabiteth. "The anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you, but as the fame anointing teacheth you "of all things," &c. but, alas, my understanding is weak and

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SERM. XXIV. cloudy, I have need to learn of the meanest of God's people : This only I know, that I know nothing as I ought to know.

Sol. Two things are to be regarded in fpiritual knowledge; viz. the quantity, and the efficacy thereof. Your condition doth not fo much depend upon the measures of knowledge; for, haply, you are under many natural difadvantages, and want thofe helps and means of encreasing knowledge, which others plentifully enjoy. It may be you have wanted the helps of education, or have been encumbred by the neceffities and cares of the world, which have allowed you but little leifure for the improvement of your minds : But if that which you do know, be turned into practice and obedience, Col. i. 9, 10. If it have influence upon your hearts, and transform your affections into à fpiritual frame and temper, 2 Cor. iii. 17, 18. If your ignorance humble you, and drive you to God daily for the increase of knowledge, one drop of fuch knowledge, of Christ, and yourselves as this, is more worth than a fea of human, moral, unfanctified, and fpeculative knowledge: Tho' you know but little, yet that little being fanctified, is of great value: Though you know but little, time was when ye knew nothing of Jefus Chrift, or the state of your own fouls. In a word, though you know but little, that little you do know will be still increafing, "like the morning light, which shineth more and more unto the

perfect day," Prov. iv. 18. If thou knowest so much as brings thee to Chrift, thou shalt shortly be where thy knowledge fhall be as the light at noon-day.

Object. 2. I fometimes find my heart raised, and my affections melted in duties, but I doubt it is in a natural way, and not from the Spirit of God: could I be affured those motions of my heart were from the Spirit of grace, and not merely a natural thing, it would be fingular comfort, and fatisfaction to me.

Sol. First, Confider, whether this be not the ground of your fear and doubting, because you are fain to take pains in the way of meditation, prayer, and other duties, to bring your hearts to relish and favour the things of God; whereas, it may be, you expect your fpiritual enlargements and comforts should flow in upon you fpontaneously, and drop from heaven immediately of their own accord, without any pains or industry of yours. Here may be, (and probably is) a great miftake in this matter; for the Spirit of God works in the natural method, wherein affections ufe to be raised, and makes use of such duties as meditation and prayer, as inftruments to do that work by, Ezek. xxxvi. 37. So David was forced to reafon with, and chide his own heart, Pfal. xlii. 5. Thy comfort and enlarge

ment may nevertheless be the fruit of the Spirit, becaufe God makes it fpring up, and grow upon thy duties.

Secondly, Take this as a fure rule, whatsoever rifes from felf, always aims at, and terminates in felf. This ftream cannot be carried higher than the fountain; if therefore thy aim, and end in ftriving for affections and enlargements in duty, be only to win applause from men, and appear to be what in reality thou art not, this, indeed is the fruit of nature, and a very corrupt and hypocritical nature; but if thy heart be melted, or defire to be melted in the fenfe of the evil of fin, in order to the farther mortification of it; and, under the apprehenfions of the free grace and mercy of God in the pardon of fin, in order to the engaging of thy foul more firmly to him; if thefe, or fuch like, be thy ends and defigns, or be promoted and furthered by thine enlargements, and fpiritual comforts, never reject them as the mere fruits of nature: A carnal root cannot bring forth fuch fruits as these.

Object. 3. Upon the contrary, fpiritual deadnefs, and indifpofednefs to duties, and to those especially which are more fecret, fpiritual, and felf. denying than others, is the ground upon which many fpiritual fouls, who are yet truly gracious, do doubt the indwelling of the Spirit in them. O, faith fuch a foul, if the Spirit of God be in me, Why is it thus? Could my heart be fo dead, fo backward, and averfe to fpiritual duties? No, no; these things would be my meat and my drink, the delights and pleafures of my life.

Sol. First, Thefe things indeed are very fad, and argue thy heart to be out of frame, as the body is, when it cannot relish the most desirable meats, or drinks: But the question will be, how thy foul behaves itself in such a condition as this is? whether this be eafy or burdenfome to be borne by thee? * and if thou complain under it as a burden; then, what pains thou takeft to ease thyfelf, and get rid of it?

Secondly, Know alfo, that there is a great difference betwixt fpiritual death, and fpiritual deadnefs; the former is the state of the unregenerate, the latter is the disease and complaint of many thousand regenerate fouls: If David had not felt it as well as thee, he would never have cried out nine times in the compass of one Pfalm, Quicken me, quicken me. Besides,

* He who inclines to that which is good, and is averse to that which is evil; has a defire of pleafing God, though fometimes being feduced by evil concupifcence, through infirmity he may commit that which is difpleafing to God. Daven.

SERM. XXIV. Thirdly, Though it be often, it is net fo always with thee; there are feafons wherein the Lord breaks in upon thy heart, enlarges thy affections, and sets thy foul at liberty; to which times thou wilt do well to have an eye, in these dark and cloudy days.

Object. 4. But the Spirit of God is the comforter as well as a fanctifier: He doth not only enable men to believe, but after they believe, he alfo feals them, Eph. i. 13. But I walk in darkness, and am a ftranger to the fealing and comforting work of the Spirit: How therefore can I imagine the Spirit of God should dwell in me, who go from day to day in the bitterness of my foul, mourning as without the fun?

Sol. There is a two-fold fealing, and two-fold comfort: The Spirit fealeth both objectively in the work of fanctification, and formally, in giving clear evidence of that work. Thou mayst be fealed in the first, whilst thou are not yet fealed in the fecond fenfe: If fo, thy condition is fafe, although it be at prefent uncomfortable. And, as to comfort, that alfo is of two forts, viz. feminal, or actual: in the root, or in the fruit; Light is fown for the righteous, Pfal. xcvii. 11. though the harvest, to reap and gather in that joy and comfort, be not yet come, And there are many other ways befide that of joy and comfort, whereby the indwelling of the Spirit may evidence itself in thy foul: If he do not enable thee to rejoice, yet if he enable thee fincerely to mourn for fin; if he do not enlarge thy heart in comfort, yet if he humble and purge thy heart by forrows; if he deny thee the affurance of faith, and yet give thee the dependance of faith, thou haft no reafon to call in queftion, or deny the indwelling of the Spirit in thee for that caufe.

Object 5. But the apoftle faith, "They that walk in the Spi"rit, fulfil the lufts of the flesh," Gal. v. 16. but I find my felf entangled, and frequently overcome by them: Therefore I doubt the Spirit of God is not in me.

Sol. It is poffible the ground of your doubting may be your mistake of the true fenfe and meaning of that fcripture: It is not the apostle's meaning in that place, that fin in believers doth not work, tempt, and oftentimes overcome, and captivate them; for then he would contradict himself in Rom. vii. 23. where he thus complains, "But I fee another law in my members, war"ring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of fin which is in my members." But two things are meant by that expreffion, "Ye fhall not fulfil the lufts of the flesh."

Firfi, That the principle of grace will give a check to fin ia