3 02 Ofthe ordinary influence oftheHoly Ghofl, Voi. II.' Fourthly, The extent of it as to Perfons and Times. FUJI, I fhall endeavour to open to you the nature of this gift of the Holy Ghoft, underftanding by it the ordinary influence of the Holy Spirit of God upon the Hearts and Minds ofBelievers. And Í doubt not but that the Scripture means by it an immediate influence and operation ofthe Hply Spirit of God upon the minds of Men, an inward power, flrength and affiftance communicated to Chriflians, to all the purpofes of Holinefs and Obedience, enabling them to be fuch manner of perfons in 411 holyconverfation andgodlinefs asthe Gofpelrequires : and notonly that this ftrengthand afiìflance is offeredand afforded to us, to work in us,both to willand todo all that is neceffary to Salvation, if we put no obftacle thereto, and do not re- lift the Spirit of Cod, and the bleffed motions of it ; but likewife that this power does continually dwell and reticle in all true Chriftians, if we do notgrieve the Spirit of God, and provoke him to withdraw himfelf from us., And this is fufficiently declared in feveral places of theNewTeftament, where we are faid tobe aeilted by a Divine Power, andfirengthned with all might by the Spirit in the inner Man; to walk in the Spirit, to be led by the Spirit, and by the Spirit to mortify the deeds of the Fle b ; and.likewife ig thofe Texts, wherein the Spirit of God is faid to work mightily in,them that believe, to dwell in them, tofan- Rif), and renew them, with many fuch like errpreffions, frequently to be met with in theWritings of theApoftles. By all which, unlefs we offer notorious violence to the plain and obvious fenfe of theirs, we muff neceffarily underfland fomething more than the Confirmation which was given to the Chriflian Do&rive, by the Miracles that were wrought by the Power of the Holy Ghoft; which Doctrine being thus confirmed, does-by way of rational Convi&ionwork upon the minds of Men, and change their Wills, without any internal Operationand immediate Affiftanceof the Holy Ghoft. Such a remote influence of the Spirit of God upon Men as this is, does by no means feem to anfwer the fulnefs of thofe Phrafes and Expreflìons, whichthe Scripture fo frequently ufeth concerning it;, and if anyMan do but ferioufly weigh and confider them, nothing lefs than an immediate influ- ence of the Spirit of God upon our Hearts, and a real Strength and Power there- by communicated to us, can be imagined to fatisfy the proper fenfe and meaning of the feveral Expreffions which I have mentioned. And that the Scripture, by thePromife of the Spirit, and the various Exprefli- ons concerning it, does mean this ordinary affiftance common'to all Chriftians in all times, andnot only the extraordinary and miraculous Gifts of the Holy Ghoft, whichwere peculiar to the firft Ages of Chriftianity, feems to me to bevery plain ; becaufe the Scripture makes the Gift of the Spirit to be common to all Believers, and to be given to all that are baptized, and this in all Ages of the Church; as ap- pears from thofe words of St. Peter, Ads 2. 38, 39. Then Peterfaid unto them, Re- pent and be baptized every one ofyou in the name in Jefus Chr f, for the rem on of fins, and ye fhall receive the Gift of the Holy Ghofl. _ For thepromife is unto you, and toyourChildren, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lordour God (hall call. This promife is the promife of the Holy Ghoft, which he lays is made to them and their pofterity, that in all fucceeding ages Mould be gained to the Faith of Chrifl. So that this promife of theHoly Ghoft, which St. Peter fpeaks of, and declares to be conferr'd in Baptifm, does not refped only the drit Ages of Chri- ftianity; but all fucceeding Generations; and therefore cannot be underftood of the Power of Miraéles, becaufe that is long fince ceafed in the ChriflianChurch. And this appears yet more evidently, in that the Scripture makes the want of the Spirit, a fign that a Man is no true and fincere Chriflian. If any Man have not the Spirit of Cler f, he is none of hiss and on the contrary, makes our having the Spirit of God, a mark of 'a Child of God. As many as are led by the Spirit of God, are theSons of God: But our Saviour bath affured us, that Men may have the miraculous Gifts of the Spirit'of God, may prophefie in C'hr f's name, and cafe out Devils in his name, and in his name do many wondrous works, and yet be wor- kers of iniquity, and 'hut out of the Kingdom of God. And on the other hand, Men may not have thefe miraculous Gifts, and yet be the Children of God. But this will yet more fully appear, if we confider in the 5 Second
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