78 S E R M Q N S upon Serm. XI. wnofe life is not Ipent in =nil pleafures and delights, who are not as other men, nor a5 themfelves once were ; and do things which can be accomplifhed in them by no other Means or Agent than the Spirit of God : Who in their common bufanefs aa upon reafons . and principles of Religion, and turn all duties of the Second Table into .duties of the firft ; difcharging all their refpeds to men out of the love of God, and fear of God; and are led by confcience rather than Interefi; and begin and end with God in all they do, and cart rh& whole lives into an holy and heavenly mould, making ftraight ftepsto their feet, and walk with a temper becoming Religion in all the inequality of conditi- ons they pals through in the World; looking for no great matters hete, but fetching their main fupports;and comforts from the World to come. s. Thofe that do fo , will in time overcome malice and prejudice, and convince the world, that God is in them of a truth, and they a heavenly and holy people, and have a fpirit and a prefence that others have not ; Prov. r 2. 26. The righteous is more excel lent than his neighbour. 2. They will reprove the World, Heb. t I. 7. Noah condemned the world by his ready obedience to Gods warning. 3. They will make the world wonder , r Pet. 4. 4. They think it ffrange you ran not into the fame excels of riot with them. 'Tïs no wondèr to fee men proud, covetous, re- vengeful, carnal, feif- feeking: corrupt Nature will fufficiently prove this. As 'tis no wonder to lee the Sun move, tho'ewasa wonder in yofhuah's time when the Sun flood (till; fo 'cis no wonder to fee men loofe and wicked: but 'tis a wonder to fee men holy, heavenly, mortified, Pelf- denying. 4. Ton will iuflirte the ways of Gadagainfi the cavils of Atheifls and prophane carnal men, Matt. t T. 19. Ififdom it ju, flirted of her children; and jfrael juftified Sodom,Ezek. r 6. 2. 'Life is to exhort us to get this holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts, that he may work in us a Divine Nature, or that Ipiritual and Divine Temper, which will teach us to live above and againft the inclinations of the flelh. t. The means of infufing the Divine Nature into us, is the Marine and example if Chri.ff : Firft, his Doltrine, which difcovereth higher things than the flefh inclinetb us unto, and is the only cure of the carnal fpirit : This word was indited by the holy fpirit ; For holy men fpake as they were moved by the Holy Ghat?, 2 Pet. 2. 21. He inlpi- red the Holy Apoftles, firft to f eak, and then to write, the Doltrine of Chrift; he led them into all truth, John 6. a3. The fame Spirit attefted this Doblrine by miraculous gifts, Heb. 2.4. is conveyed by it, Gal. 3. 2. Received ye the fpirit by the works of the law? or the hearing of faith? Heprepareth andafli(teth theordinary Miniftry, that they may be fitted to convey this great gift, Alts 20. 28. Take heed therefore unto your felves, and to all the flackover which the Holy -Ghod hash made you ooerfeers ; and 2 Cor. 3.6. Who alfa bath made us able minifiers of the NewTeflament, not of the letter but of the fpirit. He wri- tech this Doflrine upon the heart, Heb. to. B. and 2 Cor. 3. 3. Doth fo renew and fan - Itifte our fouls, that we may live unto God. Secondly, The example of Chrift, for he had the days of his flefh, John I. 14. and Heb. 5.7. lived in the world, as men do, but not after the fefh; and God in out nature is the fit pattern for us to imitate,that we may be in the world as he was in the world, and not pleafe the flefh , as he pleafed not him- tiff: To this example we are to be conformed ; but it doth not barely work as an ex- ample, but as fmlified and accompanied by the fpirit; for 'tis laid, 2 Cor.3: t8. behold. ing the glary of the Lord, as in a glafs, we are changed into his image and likenefi, and fo we are made partakers of this new and Divine Nature. 2. When the fpirit cometh to work it in su, we muff not negle£í and refufe his help, but give place to his orations ; as when the Waters were furred , they prefently put in for cure. TO (mother convictions, breedeth Atheilm and hardnefsofheart. When he reprov- eth, you mutt hearken and obferve, Prov. t. 23. When he knocketh you mutt open, Apoc. 3. 20. When he drawcth, we mull run, Caat.t.4. The fmarter the reproof, the louder the knock, the franger the drawing, the more you are bound to improve it, or elfe you are left in worfe condition than before, by refilling or quenching the fpirit : It will be your advantage to obey him fpeediy before the heart cool again, Ifa. 54.6. 'Tis a time of find- ing which God may not give you again; delaying and (billing is a fign the help offered is rather lookt upon as a trouble than a favour; and 'tis but a deceit of heart to elude the importunity of the prefent conviction, Mat. 27.'24, 25. Pilate tookwaterand wafhed his hands,faying before the multitude, 1 am innocent of the blood of this man. His Confci- ence boggles, and he makes ufe of this fhïfoto put offthe convietion. Surely God demand - eth a pre[ nt obedience , Heb. 3, 7, 8. To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart::
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