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The

Promife

of

the Spirit

to

whom

made.

CAP.Vii.

ciples

of

Chrift,

as

Believers,

to

quicken and ftrengthen their failing, drooping

Faith,

in

and under

that

great

Tryall,of

looting

the

prefence

of

their

Máfter,

which they were

to

undergoes and being

made

unto

them

as

Believers,

though upon

a

particular occafon,

is

made

to

all Believers: for

à quatenus

ad

omne

valet

argumentum.

2.It

is

noleffe evident,that according

to

the interpretati6,here,without the

leaft

attempt of

proofe,importunately fuggefted,the Promife

is

no way fuited

to

give

the leaft Incouragement or Confolation

unto the

Difeiples,in

reference

to

the

Condition,upon

the

account whereofit

is

now

fo

folemnly given

thé;It

is

al

one

as

ifourSaviour fhould have

faid,you are

fadly

troubled indeed,yea

your

hearts

are

filledroith

trouble

fear,becaufe

I

have told

that

I

milt!

leave you

be

not

fo

dejeláed91

have

kept you

whilfl

Ihave

been

with

you

in

the

world,&

now

Igoe

away,

and will

fend

the

Holy

Spirit

into

the

:World,

that,whatfoever

becomes

ofyou,

or any

ofyou, whether

yee

have

any Confolation

or

no, he

(hall

abide

in the

world

(perhaps)

with force

or

other,(that

is,if

any

doe

believe, which

it

may

be

(brae

will,

it

may

be

not)untill

the end,

and

con

fummation

of

it.

3.

Is

this

Promife

of

fending

the

Holy Spirit given

to the

Apoftles,

or

is

it

not

?

If

you

fay

not,

affigne

who it

is

given

or made unto: Chrift fpake

it

to

them,

and doubtleffe they

thought

he

intended them,

and it

was

wholly

fuited

to

their Condition.

Ifit

were made

unto them,

is

it

not

in

the

letter

of

the

Promife

affirmed

that

the Spirit

(hall

abide with

them

for ever,

to

whom

it

was

given

?

If

there

be

any

fubjeti

of

this Promife

in

receiving

the

Spirit,

he

inuft

of

neceffity

keepe

his

refidence and

abode with

it

for ever.

The

whole

defigne

of

this Seaion,

is

to

put the

perlons,

to

whom this Promife

is

made,into

thedarke,that

we may

not

fee

them;yea

to

deny

that

it

is

made

to

any perfons

at

all,as

the

recipient

fubjell

of

the

Grace thereof.

He

tells yee,

that

he ábides

in

the

world:

how

I pray

?

Doubtleffe not

as

the

uncleane Spi-

rit, that

goes

up and downe in

dry places,

feeking reft

and

finding none.

Chrift promifeth

his

Spirit

to

his Church,

not to the world,

to

dwell

in

the

hearts

of

his,

not

to

wander up and downe.

Nay

he abides

with

the Apoflles,and

their Spirituall

pofterity,

that

is

Believers, in

our

Saviours

interpretation

john

r

7.2o. Are

they then, and their pofterity,

(that

is,

Believers)

the perlons,

to

whom

this

Promife

is

made, and who

are concerned

in

it, with whom

as

he

is

promifed, he

is

to

abide

?

This

you can fcarcely finde

out

an

Anfwer

to,

.

in

the

whole Difcourfe.

He

tells you

indeed,

the

Holy Ghoft

was

not

to

dye,

with

fuch

other rare

notions:

but

for

any perlons

particularly intended

in

this

Promife,

we

are hill in

theDarke.

q,.

He tells us,

That

from fuch

an

abiding

of

the

Holy Gho.fl

with

them,

as

this,cannot

be

inferred

hisperpetuall

abiding with

-

any

one

perfon,

determinate-

y.

But

1.

What kind

of

abiding it

is,

that

he intends,

is

not

eafìly

apprehen-

ded.

2.

If

on the account

of

this Promife, he

is

given

to

any

perfon, on the

fame account he

is

to

abide with

the

fame perfon for ever.

3.

That,

which he

feemes

to

intenel,is

the

prefence

of

the Spirit

in

theAd-

miniftration

of

the

Word,

to

make

it

effe&uall,

unto

them

to

whom

it

is

delivered

5

when

the

Promife

is

to

give him

as

a

Comforter,

to

them,

on

whom he

is

beftowed.

But

he adds

Seg.

14.

4. And la

ftly,This

particle lm doth not

alwayes

import the

certainty

of

the

thing

fpoken

of,by way

of

event,(no,not

when thefpeech

is

of

God

himfel

fe)but

oft times

.

the intention

only

of

the

Agent:

fo that

the words

(that

he

may

abide with you

for

ever)

doe

not

imply

an

abfolute neceffity

of

his

abiding with

them

for

ever,

brit

on-

ly

g

that

it

jhottldbe the

intent

of

him

that

fhould

fetid

bins,

and

that

be

would

A

a

3

fend

181