Spiritual Per[eelimi. Beildes, the Spirit of Holinefs is plenteoufly Conveyed under the DifpcnGrion of tll~ Gofpel. The g1fc of rhc Spmt, tn the nchefl degrees, was rd..:rved as an Honour tO C~:;~ ifai~:s T~;~;~~;~Ghojf wu n ~ t Jtt given, ~t~at~(t. J,.{tt! »~.4s not J'rt J?..loriftd. 1hC Blood of Chrifl was liberaUy lhed, that the Spmt mtght be ltoerally poured forth. But the beflowing of the Spirit, was. a~ the ~riumphanr .Afcen~ion of Chrift: 1.'Jort h':fl , 4crnded on /Jio!J , thotl !Jajlftd C4ft1VtfJ tapttve, and ffUJVtd pJfis.for mtn: C:l3t JS, from the Fat '1 er, a~ the Reward of his Victory, that he ~igh c dJlj)C~lft: rhem ro M~n. The Principal Gift is the Holy Gbon, comprchcnlive of all _good riHngs_.. The Fromtf~ is per form.'d under rhc Gofpd~ I wtll pot~r forth of m7 0pu1t,. rhe SptrH nf grace dnd Jtlf'plic4tion, t'pon all jlrfb. There were fame Sprink!ings of 1t under the Lt~w, , ~r.d confind tO a fcparatc Nation, but now ~lowers are poured down upon r~ll Naucr.s, to puri\e them, and make them fruitful 10 Good W?r.l<s. ~he Apoftle ~eclares che admirable Efficacy of the Gof()el, !he Law of tbe Sp1rrt o( Life !nu (urd mt from t!Je Rom. B LatV of Sin and Ue11tb. The Spint of the fiery Law, lo cali'd w1rh refped to irs · Original and Operations, convinc'd of Sin, and conClrain'd Conf~.:ience to intlu2 tormenting impreffions on _rhe S5ml, the ~~efag~s of future Judgment : but afEm:ed no Spiritu<~.l Grace to obey It. 1 herefore r1s f.Hd to bt rrraf: And u»proftc.hlt. J_~ut the Heb. 7 . t8,r9. Gofpd com'C)S Supematural Strength, to obtain Supernatural Happioefi. 'T1s fore· wld concerning t he ftare of the Church in the times of the Gofpd, He t!J4t iJ fetblr Zech. n. 8. amone, thrm fh~/1 be tf.f D4'!1id, 4/ld the hor~{e of David j/J411 be aJ God, aJ tht Angel of the Lori bt{ore thr':'. Add fa.rrher! the Holy Spirit Girett_s our ddlre~, and God know: tbe mind·( tbe .Spzrit, wbo makn tntercr!]ion for us auordm!( to tlu wtli ofGcd. Chr~ll is our Advocate in Heaven, and the ~pirit in our Hearts, by inflaming our AffeChans, an ::I ex.citing in us filial Tru!l. in the Divine Me rc y. Thty that wait on the Lord, foall renerv tbeir jlrcnt..tiJ. If we are impot ent in refitling Temptations, and in doing the 'V ill of God, when Divine A ffill:anC-;! is ready upon our de fires to confirm Us, our Imporence is voluntary, and does not · excufc: us from Ccnfequent Sin, bur is an ar.tecedeoc Sin. The lharpe!l Reproof we read from our Saviour to his Difciples was for their guilty Impotence: Je{ru anfrver'd and /aid, 0 {a.itblr/s and perverfe generation, How Ion/!. pull I be rvitb JOtl ? Horvlong, P,ut/1 I {ujfrr you ? He had given them Power tO heal Diieafes, and expd Evil Spirits, buc they nad not ufl!d the means of Prayer and Fa !l:i n..;, that was requifitc for the e.xercifc:: ?f that Power: Ho~ jutll~ do we defi:rve t hat fiinsing Reproach, who, notwahfiandt ngthe Gofpelts the mtmfirauon of rhc Spirit, do not by continual fervent ~raycr ap~ly our felves to God, to parrakc of a rich abundance of Gcacc from the Holy Spinr? I !hall only add, that as Prayer is a means to obtain more Gra:"ce by impatration, fo by the excrcifc of Grace in Prayer 'tis increas'd. Frequent Prayer has a cleanling Vertue, in that as thofe who often come into the King's Prefenccco fpeakto him, are careful to be in decem Habi.ts, that they m~y not .be d i_fj)ara~·d in his fi;ht; fo thofe who draw near to God, will cleank chemfelves fr_om S1n, that they may be prepar'd to appear before !~is Ho_ly Majefiy. Humility, F~ttil, Reverenc"', Love, Zeal, Refig· nation to rhe Divme Wtll, Compaffion to the ,\fA.ICled, and other excclleor Graces , a;e cxercifcd in Prayer, · as. the fphere of t heir .:_Cliviry , and as acquir'd Habits fo i_nfuft:d, are improved by cxercift:. Frequent iboottog not only makes per!Or.s more skilful in diretl:ing the Arrow to the Ma rk, but more able to draw a fhonger Bow. None are more holy in Converfation, than thofe that give themfdvcs to Prayer. Our Saviour prayed himfdf into Heaven, and a Di 'v· ine Lullre appcar,d in his Countenance. By our drawing near to God, the beauty ofHolinefs will beimprefs'd upon us, and brighten our Converf,mons. Bnefly, accordang to the raifcd operations of Grace in Prayer 1 we fhall obtain more excellent degrees of it from Heaven; for in befto·.•.ring the firll: Grace,_ God is a pure ~iver, b~t in difpenfing new ~egrees of Grace, he is a Re warder, accordmg to the Promtfe, _To lum t.hd hath {ball be ;?,tven. 3· Fn.:quent and atreattve Heanng and Reading the Word, and fr.:rious Meditatiorl of it, is a means appointed by the Divine \Vifdom and Goodr.efs, for our grou:th in Grace.. The concepuon and propagat ion, the fufiaining and ir.creaf!ng rhc Spiriru2t Life, IS by the \Vord of Truth: 'Tis therefore compar'd w tho fc things ti1at are the produaive and prcferving Caufes of the Natural Life: 'Tis the incorruptible Seed and Food, w beget and nourilli the Spiritual Li fe: 'Tis ~.if ilk for Babes, W ioe for the ~ai~t, and ftrong Meat to confirm thofe of maturer Age. There is an objeBivc Vt:at:e m ~!'·whereby "cis apt a_nd fufficienr to regenera.te us, and to encrcaft: the vigour and aChvlty of the new L1fe. The Apofi:le calls Jt, Tht Powrr o{ God to our SalvMion. Tkr word of Grace is 11ble to bt1ild ~~ ; ~o ;n 2 inbaitllfUr among them thtJt ar~ fmBifJ.t~ A<:l-s ~o. 3 o.
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