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would it outweigh, to have this Spirit (fo teach- SER M. ing as none does) remaining among us! So that XIII. it may well become us ftill to be praying;" "Lord whatever thou doeft, withdraw not thy

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Spirit from us! Rather tear our flesh, pour

66 our blood like water upon the ground, than ceafe to be pouring out thy Spirit among us !"/ We fhould make this much the defign of all our prayers on fuch a day as this.

Ir may be, many are come before the Lord this day, to try to deprecate and avert that wrath, which threatens us with external calamities; or that they may do fomething for the saving their eftates, and their pleasant delectable things: but this is a low defign. Rather fay, "Let all these ❝things go, if thou wilt Lord, but let thy Spi"rit remain! let that breathe, and work in us «ftill; and do with us, in all external refpects, what thou wilt."

LET us labour thus, I say, to apprehend the neceffity of our cafe. It is not neceffary that we fhould be rich, or in quiet, or at liberty; it is not neceffary we should have fuch, and fuch external accommodations; but it is neceffary we fhould have the Spirit: for They that have not the Spirit of Chrift are none of bis. And again,

2. APPREHEND too (wherewith I clofe) the poffibility of fucceeding well, in our strivings and wrestlings with GOD, yet to obtain more of his Spirit. It is it felf a Spirit of grace, and fupplication; and according as it is complied with

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Rom. VIII. 9.

VOL. in that, which is its proper business and office, II. fo we may expect more and more plentiful effufions of it. We are therefore to look. upon this as a hopeful cafe, if we fet our felves to ftrive with Gop for his Spirit, that it fhall not withdraw. But if it be an indifferent matter with us, then are we loft before we are aware. We feel death creeping upon us by degrees, and we regret it not; death drawing near our vitals, but we mind it not.

THIS is a fad cafe; but if we, feeling a decay and languishment, cry with importunity to GOD, the cafe is not hopeless. He hath faid, that he will give the Spirit to them that afk for it; and that he will pour out his Spirit upon us. Christ represents it as given to a child, as a boon from the father; and that this gift is comprehensive of all good things. Nay that the Spirit is to us, as bread to a child; for we can no more live without the Spirit, than a child can without bread.

If we would therefore set our selves a craving in good earnest, and represent our cafe to the Father of spirits and of mercies, his bowels would work towards us; and he would not long withhold his Spirit from them, whom he sees to want it, and ask for it. Therefore beg of GOD thus: "Oh Lord, behold a poor company of crea "tures gafping for life! thy Spirit is vital breath; "we are ready to die, if thy Spirit breathe not. Pity thine own offspring, thou Father of " mercies,

Matt. v11. 1. compared with Luke x1. 13.

XIII.

mercies, and of all fpirits!" Surely then SER M. this Spirit will return; for why should not we rest upon his promife, who has faid, that God will give his holy Spirit to them that afk him?

AND we may the more boldly afk, because we may suppose our felves to be nearer those days, wherein there fhall be a more general pouring out of the Spirit? And we might argue that those days are nearer indeed, if there was a more general, and importunate, and loud cry for this Spirit. This would import that a great meafure of it is already come, and that far greater measures are coming. It would be an Argument, that it would be a Spirit of confolation and joy, life and vigour, which would make religion a glorious thing, and Chriftians fhine and live, both at once.

SERM.

SERMON XIV.

Preached at Haberdafher's-Hall,
September 16, 1677.

JAMES 1. 22.

But be ye doers of the word, and not bearers only, deceiving your own felves.

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HE limits of my time, fince I intend to difcourfe to you only this hour upon this Scripture, will not allow me to reflect much upon the context; which is all fuitable, and of the fame piece with the words of the text it self. We have at the eighteenth verse a very high elogy given us of the word of GOD, as that which is the divine feed and principle of the new birth; and out of which God's great and glorious work of the new creation doth refult. Of bis own will begat be us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firft fruits' of his creatures. Whereupon the exhortation, Be fwift to bear, is grounded; that is, be very covetous of all seasons to wait upon the difpenfations of this word. And then, at last, we come to this caution here in the text; But be ye doers

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doers of the word, and not hearers only. Though SER M. hearing the word is the appointed means of this XIV. new creation; and is that, which by divine defignation is able to fave the foul of a man, by virtue of that efficacy which many times accompanies it from GOD; yet this is not to be understood, as if it fhould do any fuch work upon them, who only give it the hearing, and no more. And therefore the Apostle thinks it seasonable, and neceffary to give this intimation by the way, upon what terms we might expect fo glorious an effect to be wrought by it: that is, fupposing that we apply our felves to attend upon it, with that earnest intention of the mind, as those who have a defign to comply with, and to guide and govern their practice by the word they hear; otherwise all will come to nothing. Be ye doers of the word, and not bearers only, deceiving your own felves.

We might recommend to you feveral propofitions of divine truth from this Scripture; but we shall chufe to collect, and gather up all as much as we can into one, for the fake of greater dispatch, which you may take thus.

THAT it is a miferable felf-deception for any to be hearers of the word only, and not doers of it. And herein we shall speak to these three things, as previous to the improvement of it.

1. SHEW what it is to be a doer of the word. II. WHAT to be a hearer only. And

III.

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