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yet the effects of it are very fenfible, and this influence of God's Holy Spirit is common to all Chriftians in all ages of the world. This propofition is univerfally true, and in all ages and times, If any man hath not the Spirit of Chrift, he is none of his.

It must be acknowledged, that the Spirit doth not now work upon men in that fudden and fenfible man. ner, as it did in the first times of Chriftianity ; becaufe then men were strongly poffeffed with the prejudices of other religions, which they had been brought up in; and therefore as more outward means of conviction were then neceffary, fo likewife a more powerful internal operation of the Spirit of God upon the minds of men, to conquer and bear down those prejudices, and to fubdue them to the obedience of faith. But now the principles of religion and goodnefs are more gradually inftilled into the minds of men, by the gentle degrees of pious inftruction and education; and with thefe means the Spirit of God concurs in a more human way, which is more fuited and accommodated to our reason, and offers lefs vio lence to the nature of men. So that this promise of God's Holy Spirit is now made good to us, as the neceffity and circumftances of our prefent ftate do require. God does not use fuch extraordinary means for the producing of thofe effects which may be accomplished in a more ordinary way. The affiftance of God's Holy Spirit is ftill neceffary to men, to incline and enable them to that which is good; but not in that manner and degree that it was necessary at firft: because the prejudices against Christianity are not now fo great, and many of thofe advantages which were neceffarily wanting at firft, are now fupplied in an ordinary way; and therefore it is not reasonable now to expect the fame extraordinary operation of the Spirit of God upon the minds of men, which we read of in the first beginnings of Chriftianity.

3. There is likewife the promise of eternal life to reward and crown our obedience. And this the fcripture fpeaks of as the great promife of the gospel, 1 John ii. 25. This is the promife which he hath pro

mifed us, even eternal life. And upon this account, the new covenant of the gofpel is preferred before the old covenant of the law, because it is established upon better promifes. All the fpecial and particular promifes of the law were of temporal good things, and thefe were the great encouragements that were given to obedience, under that imperfect difpenfation: but now godliness hath not only the promife of the life that now is, but of that which is to come; as the Apostle tells us, Tim. iv. 8. The gospel hath clearly revealed to us a happy ftate of immortality after this life, of which men had but very obfcure and doubtful apprehenfions. So the fame Apoftle tells us, 2 Tim. i.. 10. That it is now made manifeft, by the appearance of our Saviour Jefus Chrift, who hath abolished death, and bath brought life and immortality to light, through the gospel. Holy men had good hopes of it before; but they had no fure diftinct apprehenfions of it, no fuch. full affurance concerning it, no fuch clear and exprefs promifes of it, as the gofpel hath given us.

Thus you fee what thofe great promifes are which the gofpel hath given us, namely, the promise of the free pardon and forgiveness of our fins, upon our faith and repentance; the promife of God's grace and Holy Spirit to affift our obedience, and the promise of eternal life and happiness to reward it. These are the three eminent promifes of the gofpel, and in all probability thofe which the Apoftle here calls great and precious promifes; which brings me to the

II. Second thing which I propounded to confider, namely, why they are faid to be exceeding great and precious, τὰ μέγισα και τίμια ἐπαίγέλματα, the greateft and the most valuable promifes. And to fatisfy us that they are fuch, the very confideration of the bleffings and benefits that they carry in them will be fufficient. If we confider the condition that mankind was in when God was pleased to make thefe gracious declarations to us, we fhall fee great reafon to fet a high value upon every one of thefe promifes. Mankind was extremely degenerated, all flesh had corrupted its ways, and the whole world was guilty before God, and liable

to

to all that mifery which the finner had reafon to apprehend from the incenfed juftice of the Almighty. We had forfeited that happiness to which our immortal nature was defigned, and, which made our condition more fad, we were without ftrength to recover ourselves out of it, by our repentance for what was paft, (if God would have accepted of it), and by our future obedience. Now the promises of the gofpel offer relief to us in all these refpects, and thereby obviate all the difficulties and difcouragements which mankind lay under.

The gracious promise of pardon frees us from guilt; and fecures us from the terrible wrath of God, which our guilty confciences did fo much dread; and with out this promife, mankind' would have been under the greatest doubts and difcouragements. For when men are afraid their fins are greater than will be forgiven them, they are apt to fall into despair, and defpair is an effectual bar to repentance; for when men think their condition is defperate, they care not what they do.

And the promise of God's grace and Holy Spirit, to affift and enable us to do our duty, does fully anfwer all the difcouragements and objections from our own weakness, and the power of temptation. We may do all things through Chrift ftrengthening us; and how weak foever we are of ourselves, we are strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. If God be for us, who, or what, can stand against us? The devil is a very powerful enemy, and much too ftrong for flesh and blood to encounter in its own ftrength; but there is another principle in the world, which is mightier and more powerful than he, the Holy Spirit of God, who is always ready to help, when we do not repulfe and refufe his affiftance: Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world, fays the Apostle, John iv. 4. The Spirit of God dwells in all those who are willing to admit him, and is ever ready to affift those who comply with his bleffed motions, and do vigorously put forth their own endeavours,

And

And then the promise of eternal life, that anfwers all the difficulties of our obedience, and fets us above any thing that the world can threaten us withal, for our conftancy to God and his truth. A wife man will be content to fuffer any thing, or to quit any thing, upon terms of far greater advantage: and what greater confideration can be offered to encourage our conftancy and obedience, than an eternity of happiness fo that the Apoftle had reafon to call thefe exceeding great and valuable promifes; fo valuable, that if any one of them had been wanting, our redemption and recovery had either been abfolutely impoffible, or extremely difficult. I proceed to the

III. Third thing I propounded, which was to con fider the tenor of thefe promises; that is, whether God hath made them abfolutely to us, without requiring any thing to be done on our part, or upon certain terms and conditions to be performed by us. That God may (if he pleafe) make an abfolute promife of any bleffing or benefit to us, there is no doubt; and that God's grace does prevent many, and is be fore-hand with them, is as little to be doubted: the Spirit of God goes along with the gofpel, moving and inclining men to yield obedience to it, many times before any inclination and difpofition thereto on their parts. But as to this promife of God's grace and Holy Spirit, the great queftion is not about the firft motion of it, but the continuance of this affiftance, and the increase of it; and this, I think, may fafely be affirmed, is promifed only conditionally, as alfo the pardon of fin and eternal life. And concerning each of thefe, the matter may quickly be decided, by plain texts of fcripture."

Concerning the promife of the grace and affiftance of God's Holy Spirit, the fcripture takes notice of two conditions. First, That we beg it earneftly of God: and this our Saviour expreffeth by asking, feeking, and knocking, which fignifies the importunity of our requests: Our heavenly Father will give his Holy Spirit to them that thus afk it. And then, secondly, That we improve and make use of the grace

which God affords us : To him that hath, shall be given, and from him that hath not, shall be taken away even that which he feems to have: that is, (as appearsplainly from the fcope of the parable), to him that ufeth that grace, and thofe advantages which God affords him, more fhall be given; but from him that makes no use of them, and therefore is as if he had them not, fhall be taken away that which he but feems to have, because he makes no use of it.

Concerning the pardon of fins, the fcripture plainly fufpends that upon the general condition of repentance and the change of our lives: Repent, that your fins may be forgiven you; and upon the condition. of our forgiving others: If ye forgive men their trefpaffes, then will your heavenly Father alfo forgive you ; but if ye forgive not men their trefpaffes, neither will your Father forgive your trefpaffes, fays our Saviour, Matth. vi. 14. 15.

And then the promise of eternal life, is every where in fcripture fufpended upon the condition of faith and repentance, and perfeverance in well-doing: He that believes (fays our Saviour) fhall be faved, which indeed implies the whole condition of the gospel. He that believes that is, he that effectually affents to the doctrine of Christ, and is so perfuaded of the truth of it, as to live according to it, fhall be faved. But if obedience were not included in the fcripture-notion of faith, yet the fcripture elsewhere exprefsly makes it the condition of our eternal falvation: Heb. v. 9. Chrift is there faid to be the author of eternal falvation to them that obey him; thereby implying, that nonefhall be faved by Chrift, but thofe that obey the gofpel. Heb. xii. 14. Follow holiness, without which no man fhall fee the Lord. Rom. ii. 7. 8. 9. To thenr who by patient continuance in well doing, feek for glory, and honour, and immortality, God will give eternal life, but to them that are contentious, and obey not the ruth, (that is, the gofpel), but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguifh upon every foul of man that doth evil.

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