erin.CXCIX. for obtirining the Holy Spirit. 653 Secondly, What kind of afking is here requir'd. Thirdly, To confirm and illuftrate the Truth of this Propofition , That God is Very ready to give the Holy Spirit to them that afk him. Fourthly, To removea confiderable Obje&ion, to which this Difcourfe mayfeem liable. And, Fifthly, To make fome pra&ical Applicationof it to our felves. The three former of thefe I havedifpatch'd, and fhall now proceed to the Fourth Thing which I propounded, which was to remove an Objeftion, to which this difcourfe may feem liable ; the removal whereof will conduce very much to the clearing of this Argument, about which Men feem to have had very confufed Apprehenfions. The Objeftion is this; That none can afk the Spirit aright, but they that have the Spirit g and if this be fo, then this large declaration of God's Goodnefs and Readinefs to beltow his Holy Spirit upon them that afk him, comes to nothing ; for a promife fignifies nothing , which confers a Benefit on a Perfon upon aCondition impoffible by him to be performed, unlefs he firft have the Benefit which is promifed 5 and to ufe a familiar Comparifon , if this were the meaning of it, it would be like a Father'sjetting with his Child, when he is fallen, and bid- ding him come to him, and he will help,him up. Now if God thus promife his Holy Spirit to them that afk it, with this refervation , that no Man can afk Gods Spirit, unlefs he have it, then this promife amounts to nothing And that no Man can afk God's Spirit, without his Spirit, (that is, put up any Prayer that is acceptable to God, without the affiftance of God's Spirit) feems to me in effe& generally granted by thofe who affert , that no unregenerate Man can pray to God aright, or perform any other Duties ofReligion in an acceptable man- lier : for to be unregenerate, andnot to have the Spirit ofGod, are equivalent ex- prellions in Scripture, St. Paulhaving exprefly told us, that ifany man have not the Spirit ofGod, he is none ofhis, that is, does not belong to him , as every re- generate perfon molt certainly does. Befides that the Scripture tells us , that all the Prayers, and all the Sacrifices, that is, all Religious duties performed by a wicked Man, are an abomination to the Lord i becaufe no Prayer can be acceptable to 'God, which does not proceed from fincerity-, and is not put up toGod in Faith i now fincerityandFaith are gra- ces proper to the Regenerate. So that the Obje&ion in fhort is this, How can any Man that bath not the Spi- rit of God, afk any thing ofGod aright, that is, fincerely, fervently, andinFaith? And if without God's Spirit, no Man can beg his Spirit ofhim, what thenfigni- fies this promife, that God will give his Holy Spirit to them that aft him ? For the fatisfa&ion of this Obje&ion, I (hall lay down thefe Propofitions, which if they be well confider'd, will conduce very much to the clearing of this matter. FirH, That in the interpretation of promifes and conditions annext to them, we oughtabove all things to take heed, that we do not fo interpret either the promife, orcondition, as to make the promife void, and of none effe& ; for this cannot be done without a notorious affront to him that made the promife, who is prefumed, ifhe was ferious and fincere, to have intended a real Benefit and Advantage by his promife. And this rule holds not only in the interpretationofpromifes, but of all Covenants and Contras 3 in omni interpretatione paSlorum, contrafluum & prom o- rum, illudpriecipue cavendum , ne in vanum recidant ; in the interpretationof all Covenants, and Contra&s, and Promifes, we are principally to take care, that we do not fo interpret them as to make them fignifie nothing : and if this hold among Men, much more ought we to be cautious and tender of interpreting the promifes ofGod to a vain and trifling fenfe i for we cannot difhonour the Goodnefs andVe- racityofGodmore, than to fuppofe thathe mocks Men by his promifes, and makes a Phew and offer ofa Benefit, when he really intends none ; for all fuch proceedings as would beunbecoming the fincerity and integrity ofa good Man, are to be remp- vedat the greateft diftancefrom God, All whole ways atefaithfulnefs and truth, who is not as man, that hefhould lie, or as the Son of man, that he fhould repent. Secondly,
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