L4°4) QJ COMMUNION With a continual motive to, and reafon of our clofe walking with God in all holinefs, is, I fay, the firft general wayof our :communion with hito. Here let us fix a little. We lofe both the power and pleafure of our, Obedience, for want of this confideration. We fee on what account the Holy Ghoft undertakes to be our Comforter, by what ways and means he performs than office towards us : what an unworthy thing it is to grieve him, who comes to us on purpofe to give us confolation. Let the foul, in the whole courfe of its obedience, exercife itfelf by faith to thoughts hereof, and lay due weight upon it. The Holy Ghoft, in his infinite love and kind- nefs towards me, bath condefcended to be my Comforter i he Both it wil- lingly, freely, powerfully; what have I received from him ? In the multi- tude of my perplexities how bath he refrefhed icy foul? Can I live one day without his confolations ? And Hall I be regardlefs of him in that wherein he is concerned? Shall I grieve him by negligence, fin and folly? Shall not his love tonftrain me to walk before him to all well pleating ? So have we, in general, fellowshipwith him. E2.1 The fecond is that of Thetf.'v. 19. Onench not the Spirit. There are various thoughts about the fente of thefe words : the Spirit in Others, that is, their fpiritual gifts, fay fome i but then it falls in with what follows, ver. 20. Defpife not prophefying. The light that God bath fet up in our hearts, fay others. But where is that called abfolutely zó z,sf5o the Spirit? It is the Holy Ghoft himfelf that is here intended. Not im- mediately, in refpeft of his perfon, in which regard he is faid to be grie- ved, which is a perfonal affecdion: but in refpeft of his motions, acdings, and operations. The Holy Ghoft was typified by the fire, that was always kept alive on thé attar, Ifa. iv. q.. He is alto called a Spirit of burning. The reafons ofthat allufion are manifold; not now to be intifted on. Now the oppofition that is made to fire in its aedings, is by quenching. Hence the oppofition made to the aftings ofthe Holy Ghoft are called, quenching of the Spirit, as fome kind of wet wood will do, when it is caft into the fire. Thence are we Paid in purfuance of the fame metaphor, 'ArnC., rip,w, tofir asp with new fire the gifts that are in us. The Holy Ghoft is ftriving with us, acding in us, moving varioully for our growth in grace, and bring- ing forth fruit meet for the principle he bath indued us withal. Take heed, faith the apoftle, left by the power of your lifts and temptations, you attend not to his workings, but hinder him in his good-will towards you, that is, what in you lyeth. 'This then is the fecond general rule for our communion with the Holy . Ghoft. It refpeds his gracious operations in us, and by us. There are feveral and various ways, whereby the Holy Ghoft is Paid to aft, exert, and put forth his power in us : partly . by moving upon and furring up the grace we have received : partly,'by new fupplies ofgrace from Jefus Chrift, falling in with oceafions for their exercife, railing good motions immedi- ately, or occafronallf within us, all tending to our furtherance in obedi- ence, and walking with God. All drefe are we carefully to obferve and take notice of. Confider the fountain, whence they come, and the end which they lead us unto i hence have we communion with the HolyGhoft, when we can confider him by faith, as the immediate author of all lipplies, affrftances, `and the whole relief we have by grace, of all good aftings, ri- Sngs, motions in our Hearts, of all ftrivings and contendings spina fin. When we confider, I fay, all thefe his aftings, and workings in their ten- dencies to our confolation, and on that account are careful and watchful to 4
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