THE WORD OF GOD COMPARED TO FIRE. Dook m·. That you may efcape this great Evil, of quenching the Word and Spirit, obferve thefe following Particulars: _(L)_ Confider, It ·is _a divine Spark which is kindled in your Souls, it is heavenly Fire, It IS a holy and lacred Thing, Men know not what they do when they quendt the Motions of the Spirit, and will not fuffcr the Word to kindle in them . (2.) Confider, Who it is that bath kindled this Fire in thee, or !hives to do it; is' it not the Almighty, the ever bleffed God? Vvilt thou adventure to put out the Fire which the Majtf\y of Heaven and Earth hath kindled in thee ? (3.) Confider, How much Pains God bath taken to kindle it; how long was it, and what Means did the Lord make ufe of before he could caufe (to fpeak after rhe man· ner of Men) the Word to take hold of thee? Did he not fend a Spark upon thee at ope Sermon, and then blow upon it, that it might break out into a Flame? and then fend another Spark, another Ser"'on, and then another, and another, and may be after all, he brought thee into AffiiCl:ion, and ufed many ways to effect this great and good Work of his own Spirit and Grace upon thy Heart ; and wilt thou adver.ture to mar ar>d fpoil this Work, and quench this Fire? Which is thus of the Lord's kindling. If a Father, Mother, or any eminent Superior fhould take much Pains, and be at great Charge to kindle a Fire, and a Child fhould know this, and yet adven– ture to throw Water upon it, and put it out; or yield to a curled Foe of theirs fo to do; would it not be judged a notorrous Offence? (4·) Confider the gracious Deugn of God in kindling this divine Fire in the Soul; it is that be might raife thee to Life, give thee Light, melt thy hard Heart, and· make it fit to receive an heavenly lmprdlion, it is to cement and unite thy Heart to himfelf, that thou mighte11: glorify him, enjoy him, and be glorified with him for ever. (5·) Confider, If this Fire go out, thou can11: never kindle it.again; it is beyond thy Skill and Wifdom. If thou quench another Fire, it may be thou may11: kmdle that again, and make it burn as before ; but it is not in thy Power to make this Fire burn. Of his own Wilt begat he us, with the Word of 'l'ruth, JmiJCS i. 18. As many . as received him, to them gave he Power to become the Sons of God, even to them that believe on his Name : Who were born not ofBlood, nor of the Will of tbe Ffdb, nor of the Will of Man, but of God, John i. 12,·13· He is faid, to begin this good Work in us, He is the Author and Finifher of our Faith, Phi!. i. 6. Lord, thou wilt, faith the Prophet; ordain Peace for t~s, for thou alfo haft wrought all our i'Vorks in us, Jfa. xxvi. r>. (6.) Confider, Thou knowe11: not whether God will ever let about this Work again, or no, fiJoulde!t thou hearken to thy Lu11:s and Satan's Temptations, to quench the Spirit and put out thofe good Motions and Defires that are in thy Mind; remem– ber that Word, J'vfy Spirit jhall not always jtrh.Je with Man, Gen. vi. And alfo what our Savior in the Gofpel fpake concerning Jerufalem, 0 1 'I hat thou hadjt known, even thou at leajl in tbis thy ])ay, the '['bings tbat belong to thy Peace, but now they are hid from thine Eyes, ~ttke iii. '9• 42. (7.) Conuder, It is grievous to the Spirit to be quenched, the Spirit is thy great Friend, thy Comforter; the Spirit helps thee at every dead Lift, and maketh l nterce.f!ion for thee with Groanings, which cannot be uttered, John xvi. 17. Rom. viii. 26. And therefore do not grieve him; wilt thou quench aud put out the Motions of fuch a Friend? Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are foaled to th• Day of Redemption, Eph. iv. 30. (8.) Conuder, The Spirit is thy Light, put out the Spirit, and thou wilt become a dead Man; or lelfen his Burnings and gracious Operations, and thou wilt become a dyinoo Man: Would11: thou not have thy Eyes out of thy Head nor thy Life out of thy Body ? then do not quench the Spirit, the Eye and Life of thy Soul. (g.) Confider, What the Caufe and Reafon is, _Men quench the Spirit. 1 • Is it not becaufe thc;y would be mdulged 111 thelf Sms, and he down on the Bed of Sloth and carnal Security ? Men put out their Fire when they have a mind to go to Bed. . . . . . 2 , Is "it not becaufe the Fu·e burns too hot for them? It hath londlcd fuch a Fire m their Confciences, that fcorcbeth them fo forely, that they know not how to endure it. and from hence wickedly go about to quench the Spirit. Thus it was with F'eli:c, h; heard Pa11l preach of Righteoufnels, Temperance, and Judgment to come, and he rrembks, his Conlcience lmvte Inn; bn now to qu•1ch the Spmt and allay that t.teat
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