50 BAXTER'S DYING THOUGHTS. perfectly hereafter? As the sum of Christ's gospel was, Take up the cross, forsake all here, and follow me, and thou shalt have a reward in heaven ; " Luke xiv. 26. 33. and xviii. 22, 23. And the consolation of his gospel is, "Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven ;" Matt. v. 11, 12. So the same is the sum of his Spirit's operations ; for what he teacheth and commandeth, that he worketh. For he worketh by that word, and the impress must be like the signet, what arm soever set it on. He sendeth not his Spirit to make men craftier than others for this world, but to make them wiser for salvation, and to make them more heavenly and holy. For the children of this worldare wiser in their generation than the children of light. Heavenliness is the Spirit's special work. 3. And in working this, it conquereth the.inward undisposedness and averseness ofa fleshly, wordly mind andwill, and the customs of acarnal life ; and the outward temptationsof Satan, and all the allure- ments of the world. Christ first overcame the world,and teacheth and causeth us to overcome it ; even its flatteries andits frowns : our faith is our victory. Whether this victory be easy, and any honor to the Spirit of Christ, let our experience of the wickedness ofthe ungodly world, and of our own weakness, andof our falls when the Spirit of God forsaketh us, be our informer. 4. And that none but God can do this work on the soul of man, both the knowledge of causes and experience prove. The most learned, wise, and holy teachers cannot, (as they confess and show;) the wisest and Most loving parents cannot, and therefore must pray to him that can ; the greatestprinces cannot ; evil angels neithercan nor will. What good angels can do on the heart we know not but we know that they do nothing, but as the obedient ministersof God. And (though we have some power on ourselves, yet) that we ourselves cannot do it ; that we cannot quicken, illuminate, or sanc- tify ourselves, and/that we have nothing but what we have receiv- ed, conscience,,mil experience fully tell us. 5. And that Christ promised this Spirit in a special measure to all true believers, that it should be in them his advocate, agent, seal, and mark, is yet visible in the gospel; yea, and in the former prophets ; Isa. xliv. 34. Ezek. xxxvi. 26. and xxxvii. 14. Joel U. 28, 29. Ezek. xi. 19. and xviii. 31. Eph. i. 13. John iii. 5. and iv. 23, 24. and vi. 63. and vii. 39. John i. 33. and xiv. 16. 26. Acts i. 5. 8 John xv. 26. and xvi. 7 -9, &c. Indeed the Spirit here, and heaven hereafter, are the chief of all the promises of Christ. 6. And that this Spirit is given (not to hypocrites that abuse Christ, and do not seriously believe him, nor to mere pretending, nominal Christians, but) to all that sincerely believe the gospel, is
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