5z SERMONS upon Senn. XXI. refi to your fouls ; and Pfa. 143. 10. Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God : sly fpirit is good, lead me into the land of uprightnefe. But what mull we do? Anfwer, 1. Continually deft-re his alfiflance and powerful candid!, Luke i L 13. If ye then being evil: know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more (ball your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that askhim? 'Tis pleafingtò God,' Kings 3. 9. 10. Give therefore thy fervant, an under.fianding heart, to judg thy people, that I may difiern be- tireen good and bad ; and the fpeech pleated the Lord. 2. Let us co operate with his motions, mortifying the wifdom and the delires of the flefh; avoiding all thofe things he diffwadeth us from ; you grieve him, when you difiurb his comforting work, or difobey his fannifying motions, Eph. 4. 30 And grieve not the holy fpirit, whereby ye are fealed to the day of redemption. Do not break through; when he would relirain you, or refute or draw back when he would impel and invite you to good. The fpirit of God will not forfake you, unlefs you forfake him firfl ; he is grieved when the wifdom of the fiefh is obeyed before his counfel ; and his holy inclinations (mothered, and we yeild eafily to the requeßs of fin, but are deaf to his motions. 3. let us humble ourfelves when we fin through frailty, and leave the direfions of the Holy Ghofi ; let us ever be more wary afterwards, Pfa. 51. 6. In the inward parts (halt thou make me to know wifdom. We catch many a fall, when we leave our guide ; as the child when without his Nurfe he will take to his own feet. 3. LI S E, is tryal. For 'tis propounded as a mark of the children of God. Now by whole counfel are you guided ? Some follow their own fpirit, not the fpirit of God ; are guided by the wifdom of the flefh, and their own carnal affeílions ; led away from God by the lulls of their own heart, and the temptations of the Devil; taken captive by him at his will and pleafure, 2 Tim. 2. 26. Our converfations will declare that whiéhis prevalent. Principiata refpondent fuis principiis, the confiant effects declare the pevailing principle. I. The etas of the fpirits leading, are an Heavenly life, 1 Cor. 2. 12. Now we have received not the fpirit of the world, but the fpirit of God, that we might know the things that are freely given us ofGod; and Eph. r. 17,18. That the God of our Lord yefus Cbrsff, the father ofglory, may give unto you the fpirit of wifdom, and revelation, in the knawledg of him. The eyes of your underfiandings being enlightned, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the faints. The fpirit leadeth us to thole things that are above. The blefit leadeth us to thole things here below; to fiefhpleafing vanities, vain perilhing delights, only grateful to fence. 2. The fpirit leadeth to an Holy life, and obedience to God, Eph. 4. 24. And that ye put an the new man, whichafter God is created in righteaufnefs, and true holinefs. 3. To fpiritual things, Rom. 8. S. They that are afterthe flefh, do mind the things of the flefh; but they that are after the fpirit, the things of the fpirit; andGal. 6. 8. He that foweth to the fief?), flsall of the flefh reap corruption ; but he that foweth to the fpirit, fháll of the fpi- rit reap life everlailing; to excel in thefe things, though with the lots of carnal plea - fures. 4. To all dutiesto ourneighbour, Eph. 5. g. For the fruit of the fpirit is in all goo dnefs, and righteaufnefs, and truth, Gal. 5. 22, 23. But the fruit of the fpirit, is love, joy, peace, longfufèring, gentlenefs,goodnefr, faith,meeknefs, temperance,againfl fuch there is no law. SE R=
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