. Ofthe Spirits Perlman jn-dwelling. C. VIII. 4:6,. beareth witneffe with our_jpiríts, that roe are theSonnes ofGods That Spirit,that 193 dwells inus,beares witneffe in us, adiftin&Witneifeby himfelfe,diftinguiíhed. from the Teftirnony.of our owne fpirits here mentioned, is either an Aét of our naturali Spirits , or Gracious fruit of the Spirit of God in our hearts; . Tithe firft, what snakes it in the things of. God ? Is anyTeftirnony ofour na- turallfpiritsOfanyvalue, to allure us that we are the Children ofGod ? If the latter, then is there here an immediate operationofthe Spirit dwelling in our hearts,inwitneffe-bearing, diftina from all the fruits of Grace whatever. And on this account it is that, whereas. FEpiflleofjohn 5. 7,8. the Father, Sonne, and Spirit, are laid tobeare witneffe in Heaven, the Spirit is moreover peculiarly faid tobeare witneffe in the Earth," together with the Blood, and Water. 3. There are fuch Circumftances afcribed to him in his indwelling,as are proper onlyto that which is a Perlon I will inftance only inone, his dwell- ing in the Saints as in a Temple, t Cori 3. t6. Tee are the Temple ofGod, andhis Spirit dwelleth inyou; that is, as in a Temple; fo plainely chap: 6.19. Tour body isthe Temple of theHoly Ghofi, which is in you, which you haveofGod, giving us both the diftine.tion of the Perfon ofthe Spirit, from the other.Perfons, he is given us ofGod, andhis refidence with us, being fogiven, he is in us, as al fa the manner ofhis in-being,as inaTemple;Nothing can makea place a Tern= ple,but the Relation it bath unto a Deity. Graces that are but íualifrcations of, and ,dualities in a Subjet, cannot be faid to dwell in a Temple; This the Spirit Both: and thereforeas a voluntary Agent in anhabitation, not as a ne- ceffaryor naturali principlein a fubjet: and though every at ofhis be Om- nipotent intenfvely,beingthe a&ofan Omnipotent Agent, yet heworketh not in the aas extenfively, tothe utmoft ofhisOmnipotencÿ: he e,terteth and puts forthhis Power, and brings forth his Grace in the hearts ofthem, with whom he dwells as he pleafeth: toone he comunicates more Grace; to ano- ther leffe: yea hegives more ftrength to one and the fame perfon, at onetime, and in one condition, then another, dividing to every one as he will: and if t cor.raí7 this peculiar manner ofhisperfonall prefence with his Saints, diftin& from his 'Ubiquity or Omneprefence, may not be believed, becaufe not well by reafon conceived, wefhall lay a Foundation for the queftioning principles of Faith,which asyet we arenot fallenout withall.' And this is ourfirft manifefrationofthe Truth concerning the Índwelling ofthe Spiritin theSaints from the icripture.Thefecond will be from the fig- nall Iffues, andbenefits,which are affertedtoarife from this indwellingofthe Spirit in them, ofwhich I (hall give fundry inifances. r. Thefirftfignall Ih ue andEffeaWhich is afcribedto this ÌndwellsnQof f. 6, the Spirit, is Union; nota Perfonall Vniouwith himfelfe, which is impofiible: He doth not affame our natures, and fo prevent our Perfonality, which would makeus onePerfon with him, but dwells in our Perlons, keeping his owne, and leaving usour Perfonality infinitely diflin&; But it isa fpirituall Union; the great Unionmentioned fooften in the Gofpell, that is the foie fountain ofour Bleffedneffe; our Unionwith the Lord Chrift, which we have there- by. Many thoughts of heart there have been about this Union ; what it is, 4; 7< wherein it doth confift, thecaufes, manner, and Effe&s ofit ; The Scripture' expreffes it, to be very Eminent, here, durable, letting it out, for the moft . part, by fimilitudes,andMetaphorical! zllu/lrations,to leadpoare weak Crea- tures into force rs6tfull, needful! acquaintance with that Myftery, whole depths in this life, they !hall never fathome:, Thatmany in the dayes where> in we live , have mifcarriedin their conceptions of it , is-evident ; Tome to C c make
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