Men can do of their own ftrength, God expecteth from them. One caufe then, why the Spirit accompanieth not the Word to many Perfons is, because they themselves tho' prefent hear it not, through their fottish carele fnefs.

2. That we are not to imagine that the concurrence of the Word and Spirit is, as it were, natural, neceflary and infeparable, but voluntary and arbitrary, in the Will and good Pleafure of God; and as Grace is annexed to the Sacraments, fo is it to the Word, only by Divine inftitution and appointment: Hence the Church prayeth before Sermons, for the Illumination and Power of the Spirit to come with the Word; God expecting to have this asked of him by them that can pray, both for themselves and others. Another reason then, why the Spirit doth many times not cooperate with the Word, is, because it is not duly and diligently asked.

3. That there are Men who are past Grace, to whom the Spirit is not prefent with the Word, fuch as for their former neglect and contempt of the time of their Vifitation, when God did call them, are now given up to Blindness and Hardness, and have the light of the Spirit, and the dew of Grace held back from that Word which is preached in their hearing by accident, not for their fakes; though not being known in particular, they cannot be excluded from it.

4. That we are not to fuppofe that the Spirit goeth with the Word, to Work any Grace in any Perfon whatsoever, otherwife than according to the Order of Divine Providence which dif penfeth his Grace wifely: which is thus to be declared.

We are to diftinguish the Word that calleth, the Perfons that are called, and the Operations of the Spirit, by the Word, in thofe Perfons.

The

The Word is either the Law, or the Gospel.

The Law, as it is ufed by a Preacher of the covenant of Grace, hath two parts; the precepts, and the curfe to the tranfgreffors of the precepts: fo the Law hath a double ufe, to acccufe, and convince, with the Precepts; to wound, and to kill, with the curfe; and to these the Law is effectual, and of force fince the fall of Man.

The Perfons called, by the Minifter of God ufing the Law, are all natural, unregenerate, finful Men, or the regenerate, relapfed and fallen into grievous Sin; who are of two forts, either ignorant of their evil State, to whom the Precepts of the Law are to be preached, to bring them to the Knowledge of Rom. 3. Sin; or they are fuch as know Sin, but are fecure, benummed, and fenfelefs of their miferable Eftate; to these the curfe is to be denounced, until they begin to fear, to be caft down, and perplexed.

20.

Acts. 24.

The Operations of the Spirit upon thefe Men, 25. by the Ministry of the Law, are two; first, to open their Eyes to fee their Sins: fecondly, to Acts 2. 37. prick their Hearts with fear of the curfé.

Rom. 8.

For these effects, ordinarily the Spirit goeth with 15. the Word of the Law, calling Men out of the pit of Sin: and they are more eafily admitted, and wrought into the Heart, upon thofe remains of Light in the mind difcerning Good and Evil, and of Confcience confenting to the Law, and upbraiding Rom. 2. Men with the breach of it. But that thefe Works 15. of the Spirit by the Law, are wrought in many Reprobates, our Adverfaries deny not, who grant fome initial parts of Grace to be begotten even in caftawaies. And this preparatory effect of the Spirit through the Law, according to * St. Ambrofe,

Hoc myfterium in hac vita noftrâ, hodieque celebratur, pre

was

Acts. 2.

was prefigured by the Miniftry of John the Baptift, which wrought in Men a fenfe of their Sins, and dread of divine Wrath, and thereby prepared them for the reception of the Gofpel: thus much of the Word of the Law, with its Perfons, and Operations.

The Gospel hath two parts; a Commandment, and a Promife. The Commandment, is to repent of Sin, understood by the precepts of the Law; and to believe in Chrift, which giveth Life and Hopes to him, whom the curfe of the Law hath killed.

The Promife is of forgiveness of Sins, and Life 38. 39. Everlafting, to him that repenteth and believeth in the Lord Jefus Chrift.

The Perfons called by God in the Word of the Gofpel, are all manner of Sinners, who are convicted, terrified, full of compunction and felf-condemning, Mat.11. 28. wrought in them by the Spirit, in the preaching of

the Law.

The Operations of the Spirit upon thefe Men, by the Miniftry of the Gofpel, are, The opening their Eyes to fee the marvellous Light of God's mercy to Sinners, of the infinite Love of Chrift in dying for Sinners, and the ineftimable merits of his Death; of the powerful Graces, Gifts, and Aids of the holy Ghoft, to help and relieve the Impotency and Mifery of Sinners; to the end, that by this light this Opinion may be begotten in them, that it is poffible for them to be recovered. The pouring into their Hearts hope, to ftay them from defperate Sinning, or Sorrowing; The infpiring them with the Grace of Prayer, at leaft to wifh or defire, Oh that they might be fo happy as to escape the Wrath to come, and recover the Favour and Love of God! The giving them Repentance; that is, to forrow for Sin paft with a God

currit enim anima noftra quadam virtus Johannis, cum credere paramur in Chriftum, ut paret ad fidem anima noftra vias. S. Ambros. in cap. 1. Luce.

ly

ly forrow, and to purpose to break of Sin, to cease from any further offending God, or endangering their Souls. The Working in them Faith, that is, to run to Chrift, and to caft themfelves into the arms of his Goodness, and Power, to be faved by him.

Thefe Graces, in this Order, the holy Ghost is present and ready to work by the Gospel, upon a Sinner convicted, humbled, and prepared by the Law. And look, whatever proportion of Power the Spirit had, by the Law, upon an unregenerate Man, to humble him, the fame it hath in the Gofpel, upon the humbled, to work in him hope; and when hope is wrought in him, to win him to wifh, and pray; to give him Repentance upon his Willing, Praying and Wishing for it to inftill Faith into him, upon his Repentance, and fo to juftify him; and when juftifyed by Faith, by the Law and the Gospel together, to mortifie his Corruptions, to quicken in him a new Life, and to ftrengthen him to new Obedience.

Now, think not that the Spirit is present, in the preaching of the Law, to an unregenerate Man, to give him ftrength to new Obedience, becaufe it is fo prefent, as to convince, and condemn his wickednefs; nor imagine, because it is fo prefent to a Man believing and juftifyed as to give him ftrength to new Obedience, that the Spirit is prefent, in the preaching of the Gofpel, to a Man not yet peninor believing, to work in him Peace, Joy, and Love: for degrees here are not given per faltum.

tent,

The fum is, the Spirit of God is annexed to his Word, for producing fuch Operations and Graces, as the hearer is fitly difpofed to receive: there is an or der in the Divine working, wherein there are things antecedent, preparatives to things fubfequent, which antecedents, if they found no place, and were not K

admit

admitted, the fubfequent are fufpended. Hence there are fo frequent and juft feparations of the Spirit from the Word, by the great Paftor of Souls, who walketh in the midft of the Churches, and searcheth the Hearts and Reins.

Hear what our Church faith, in her * Homily of declining from God; "when God withdraws from us "his Word, the right Doctrine of Chrift, his gracious affiftance and aid, (which is ever joined to his Word) "and leaveth us to our own wit, our own will and Strength, he declareth then, that he beginneth to forfake us. And again, in the first exhortation to the "reading of the Scriptures; "The words of the holy

Scripture be called words of Everlasting Life, for "they be God's inftrument ordained for the fame pur"pofe; they have Power to turn through God's Pro

mife, and they be effectual, through God's affiftance: et and (being received in a faithfull Heart) they have "ever an Heavenly Spiritual working in them &c. Thus much for declaration of this point; for confirmation of it, I alledge all the t Elogiums of the word of God; as, The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the Soul, &c. The word of God is quick and powerful, &c. Sanctify them by thy Truth; thy word is Truth, &c. When Chrift ordained Joh.20.22 his Apoftles, he breathed on them, and said, receive the holy Ghoft; to teftify that the Power of the 2. Cor 3. holy Ghoft fhould go with them: Hence is the

8.

v. 6.

Gofpel called, the Ministration of the Spirit; and the Minifters of the new Teftament, Minifters of the Spirit, not of the Letter; becaufe the Gospel gives ftrength to perform what it commandeth; whereas the Law commandeth, but affifteth not; but without the Spirit, the Word of the Gospel it felf is but a dead Letter; whence it is faid, that the Lat was given by Mofes, but we had no Hearts to receive it; the Gofpel, Grace and Truth was not only *Ed. 1683. Fol. Pag. 48. + Pfal, 19. 7. Heb. 4 125 Joh. 17. 17.