404 e/Inf. i. How the Spi- rit doth ftteng then us. rohn rG.;;. Ephefans,Chap.3., V E R. I. ofaman hash no ftrcng,hof its owne but the Spirit of God is the only firengthof our fpirits: For looke fromwhence every creature bath its being and nature, thence it hach its ftrength : Things bred of theearth have their nourifhment and ftrength from theearth, as trees beafts; and fillies from the water: So the fpirits of men from God the Father of fpirits and from his holy Spirit. This fpirit ofChrist in u9 enables us to doe things far above the power of nature, todoe that which we could never doe before, it will enable us to walke above this world, treadingall troubles, calamities and afflictions under our feet, and triumphing over all miseries. It enables us to command the windes and ftormes of our finfull lulls and Pallions, which with all the power, and vertue of nature and naturalireafon, we can! not reftraine : By the power of this quickning Spirit,wecan call out all theDevils temptations,quench all his fiery darts,and by the fword of the Spirit drive Satanaway: In fumme,whatfoever Christ did, we may doe in fome proportion, as all the members are in Come meafure qualified with power fumbleto the Head. As Chrift rifen from the dead and mounted up to Heaven, and fitteth at the right hand of God : So this Spirit enables us to mount upwith him, and to feat our felves in heaven with him, affecting and feeking the things that are above. But how doth the Spirit of God Strengthen us By conveying fuch fpirituall Strength as is agreeable to the nature of our fpirits ; Our fpirits are reafonable fpirits, and the Strength of them, is fpirituall wifdome, reafon and understanding, as the'weakneffe of our fpirits is ignorance, error and blindneffe in the underftanding, which makes all the inferiour powers of the fouleweake, ficke and and faint with feare, horror, forrow and trou- ble: So then the Spirit Strengthens our reafonable fpirits by com- municating fpirituall reafon , counfell and inftrurlion : For how comes it that we are weak and faint in afflictions and temptations, that we are call downe with feare, care and Sorrow e It is for want of Wifdome by the corruption of our understanding darkened by Satan, we conceive our evils and miferies moll great and into- lerable, fuch as neither our felves by any Strength we have, nor any other can overcorre, and therefore we think we have caufe and rea- fon to feare, care and grieve, being fo overmaftered by firmes and other evils. But the fpirit revealeth to us and teachcth us what God is to us, a Father most loving, mercifull, gracious and power- full, and that all our fenes, evils and miferies are nothing to his love, mercy, goodneffe and power, and that Jefus Chrift is ours, who bath vanquifhed ill enemies, finnFs and evils for us , as he faith : Be ofgood Comfort, I have overcome the world : Thus the Spirit teaching us wifdome , gives us to underftand wee have no caufe to feare, because more are .for us then againfl us. And therefore werejeyce when wefall intodivers temptations, knowing by the Spirits light and infpirationthe, profit and fruit thereof,and that Christ is ours. a It
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