Of Quenching the Spirit, To the reader 2
TO Every Reader indifferently.
AS all the Promises of the Old Testament are fulfilled in Christ, that, some make to bee the meaning of yea, and amen, 2 Cor. i.20 Luk. 24.49in him: so all the Promises of the New Testament are fulfilled in the Spirit, Acts 2 33and therefore he is called the Promise, intimating thus much (at least) that the Holy Ghost is as great a merciemercy, as Jesus Christ; Hence the Scriptures speak of him, as they do of Jesus Christ: Wee read of the coming of Shiloh, Gen 49.10 John 16.8 John 3.17 John 16.7 John 3.16and of the coming of the Spirit: of the sending of the Son, and of the sending of the Spirit: of the giving of Christ, and of the giving of the Holy Ghost. Rom. 5.5The infinitely wise work of the Father in Creation, had been desperately spoil'd, had it not been for the merciful work of the Son in Redemption; the merciful work of the Son in Redemption, would bee in vain, were it not for the Almighty work of the Spirit in Application. Tota Spiritus Sancti, erga fideles foreign (quantum Religionis mysterium! qualis recuperatae falutis per Iesus Christū portio▪) quàm parcè, imò quàm obscurè, quàm confusê apud plerôsque Theologos traditur! vel potiùs apud plurimos negligitur? &c. D. Owenus in Praefat. ad. Diat. de Justitiâ divinâ.Notwithstanding all that Christ hath done and suffered without us, for the procuring of our Salvation, we cannot be made partakers thereof, without the mighty workings of the Holy Ghost within us. If therefore (Reader) thou art under the dispensation of the Spirit, if the Gospel hath not only sounded in thine ear, but the spirit hath been moving upon thine heart, at work in thy Soul (whether thou beest (yet) in the state of nature, or through rich mercy translated into a state of grace) it concerneth thee, even as much as the everlasting welfare of thine immortal Soul, to take heed of quenching the Spirit, i. e. of losing the motions of the holy Ghost, and of hindring him from perfecting his work within thee.
Art thou a poor ignorant creature, and wouldest thou know the true God, and Jesus Christ whom hee hath sent, whom to know is life eternal? John 17.3Quench not the Spirit; and this Fire will give light: he will make known the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ. He is a spirit of wisdome and understanding, Col. 2.2 Isa. 11.2 Ephe. 1.17not only of knowledge and understanding; but of wisdome; Prov. 9.12he will make thee wise for thy self, to know and promote thy main interest, in the best way.
Art thou an unconvinced sinner, and dost thou (yet) see only in the notion, not in reality, the sinfulness and miserableness of thy natural estate? Quench not the Spirit; John 16.8and he will convince thee of sin, he will demonstrate unto thee, that not only thy life, but thy heart is full of sin, Eph. 3.3and that thou art a childe of wrath by nature, as well as others, so that thou shalt plainly see and acknowledge, there is no longer any stay for thee in such a condition.
Art thou (notwithstanding all thy convictions) insensible and fearless of the wages of thy sins? Quench not the Spirit, and this fire will torment thee, hee will prick thee at the heart,Acts 2.37 Rom. 8.15 he will be the spirit of bondage in thee to fear, hee will make thee feel thy present sinful condition, as thy bondage and slavery, and cause sad expectations of all that wrath thou art justly liable to, to settle upon thy Soul; Yea, he will make thee to be thus in bondage and fear, by reason of the power of thy lusts, as well as by reason of the guilt of thy sins.
Art thou under thy Soul-trouble, upon thy convictions,Rom. 10.3 going about to establish a righteousness of thy own? Quench not the Spirit; and this fire will give more light; He will convince thee not only of sin, John 16.8 10but of righteousness, hee will be a spirit of Humiliation, as well as of Conviction and Compunction.
Art thou in the pangs of bringing forth, dost thou see the avenger of blood pursuing thee at the heels, and art thou a self-dispairing Creature? Quench not the Spirit; This fire will congregate Christ and thy heart,2 Cor. 4.i3 he will be a spirit of faith, of justifying faith, he will be a spirit of Union, he will as really knit Christ to thy soul, and thy soul to Christ, as the Husband and Wife are joyned together; yea, as the head and members, and make Christ thereby liable to satisfie for all thy Debts. Hee that hath the spirit is Christs, Christ is in him, 1 John 3.4 Rom. 8.9and he is in Christ; he that hath not the spirit, is none of his; he is still out of the City of refuge.
If pardon of sin will not satisfie thee; but thou must have thy nature altered (and is it not thus with thee? Art not thou restless after a through change, a change not only of life, but heart?) Quench not the Spirit; and thou shalt be born again of water and of the spirit, i. e.John 3.5 of the spirit, which is not only like fire, but water also.
Wouldst thou be rid of thy old heart, which hath not only wearied God, but thine own soul? and wouldest thou have a new heart, a good heart, a better heart, an heart after Gods own heart? Quench not the Spirit; Neh. 9.20 Psal. 143.10 Titus 3.5this fire gives new qualities to such metals; he is the good spirit, Renewing the heart is of the Holy Ghost.
Wouldest thou be rid of thy base and sordid spirit, and be of an excellent Spirit? Quench not the Spirit; and he will give thee a truly noble Spirit, a spirit answering to the dignity of the high calling of a Christian, to the honourable work of a Christian, and to the better things prepared for a Christian: The spirit and excellency go together; hee is an excellent spirit, Gen. 4i.38 Dan. 6.30 Pro. 17.27and so are all they that are partakers of him, of an excellent spirit.
Art thou troubled with the stone in thy heart? and dost thou cry out in the bitterness of thy soul, O the stubbornness and insensibleness of my heart? why hast thou hardned my heart from thy fear? Isa. 63.17and wouldest thou bee rid of the heart of stone? Quench not the Spirit; and hee will cure thee of the stone, and give thee an heart of flesh, as fire doth mollifie and soften the hardest iron, so will the spirit the hardest heart. He is a tender spirit, a spirit of mourning, Zec. 12.10 Rom. 8.26hee will furnish thy Soul with sighs and groans unutterable.
Art thou troubled that thou art under the serpents curse, continuallie, altogether groveling in the earth? Quench not the Spirit; and this fire will make thee ascend and mount upwards. They that are after the spirit do minde the things of the spirit.Rom. 8.5
Art thou afflicted, that thy heart is divided between God, Christ, &c. and other things, that thou dost not love God only, and fear God only? Quench not the Spirit; and hee will unite thy heart to fear his name, and yet so as to love his name also. This fire will warm thy heart with love, Rom. 5.5 Gal. 5.22he will shed abroad the love of God into thy heart, he is the spirit of love, One heart and the spirit, are promised together.
Art thou in bitterness of Soul; because thou hast such a disobedient heart and rebellious spirit? and wouldst thou have an heart to obey God? Quench not the Spirit; and thy heart shall open to the word, with, What wilt thou have me to do? Yea, thy heart shall be resolved for the doing whatsoever the word requires.Psal. 119.106 I have sworn and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgements. The spirit in the heart is the law in the heart. Where the spirit dwells he rules. This fire will melt thy will into the will of God,Rom. 15.18, 19 The Gentiles were made obedient in word and deed, by the power of the spirit of God.
Doth the filthiness of thy heart offend thee, as well as the guilt of thy sins terrifie thee? and dost thou see a beauty in holiness? Quench not the Spirit; 1 Cor. 6.11 Ephe. 4.30and this fire will make thy heart pure and bright. Sanctification is peculiarlie attributed to the Holy Ghost; He is the holy spirit.
Art thou a very short-sighted Christian, and knowest but little of God and Christ, sin and duty, the deceits of the heart, and wiles of Satan, Heaven and Hell, &c? Quench not the Spirit; and this fire will fill thee with light, thou shalt have the whole mystery of godliness, together with the whole mystery of iniquity, plainlie and fullie revealed to thee, God, Christ, the Heart, Heaven, Hell, even the whole Bible exactlie opened to thee:Joh. 14.26 He will teach thee all things.
Art thou apt to be mistaken? to take brass monie for silver? and wouldst thou not be deceived by false Teachers, saying, here is Christ, and there is Christ, this is the way, and that is the way, &c? Quench not the Spirit; Hee will teach thee of his waies, thine ears shall hear a word behinde thee, Isa. 2.3 Isa. 30.21saying, this is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. He is an un-erring guide,John 16.i3 he will guide you into all truth.
Art thou a poor weak Christian, readie to stumble and fall, yea, and sink in thy spirits, and canst not do or suffer, canst not pray, &c? Quench not the Spirit; 1 Tim. 1.7he wil be legs to those he guides, he is a spirit of power. The spirit will lead thee, as a Parent his weak Childe, that cannot go alone, and therefore holds him by the hand, he will uphold thee,Psa. 51.12 Rom. 8 26 Ephe. 3.16 he will help thine infirmities, thou shalt bee strengthned with might by the spirit in the inner man, Zec. 12.10hee is a spirit of supplication.
Art thou a carnal Christian, and walkest as a meer man? Quench not the spirit; 1 Cor. 3.1, 3and thou shalt be a very spiritual Christian.John 3.6 That which is born of the spirit is spirit.
Art thou a backsliden Christian, art thou fallen? Quench not the Spirit; and he will restore thy soul, Psal. 23.3he will not leave thee when thou art grievously and sadly fallen, but will shew thee from whence thou hast fallen, make thee go forth and weep bitterly, and encourage thee to lay hold on Christ to heal thy backslidings, and so recover thee.
Wouldest thou be rid of all thy remaining lusts? Hast thou a Mesech and a Kedar still within thee, armies of lusts within (stil) fighting against thy soul? and dost thou go mourning all the day long because of these oppressions, and therefore criest,Rom. 7.24 Who shall deliver me from this body of death? Quench not the Spirit; this fire will at last burn up all such combustible matter: Hee is a spirit not only of judgement, to give sentence against the remains of lust within thee, but of burning to consume all thy lusts.Isa. 4.4 Rom. 8.13 He is a spirit of mortification.
Hast thou (yet) but little holiness? and wouldst thou not only cleanse thy self from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, … Cor. 7.1but perfect holiness in the fear of God? Quench not the spirit; and this fire will perfectly purifie you,1 The. 5 23 2 Cor. 3.18 2 Cor. 4.16 he will sanctifie you wholly, he will change you from glory to glory, and the inward man shall be renewed day by day.
Art thou a sad and sorrowful Christian, troubled without and within too? Quench not the Spirit; this fire will refreshingly warm, John 16.7he is the comforter, he taketh of mine (saith Christ) and sheweth it to you, i. e. (as a late worthy writer excellently) As much as you have in the world to afflict and amaze you, and as little as you have of your own, either in your hearts, or houses, or among your friends to comfort you, hee shall shew you enough in mee to refresh you.
Art thou in doubts and fears concerning thy present and future estate? uncertain how it is with thee, and what will become of thee? Quench not the Spirit; and this fire will discover glorious sights, he will witness with thy spirit, Rom. 8 16 1 Cor. 2.12that thou art a Chil… of God, and will make known unto thee, Ephe. 1.17 1 Joh. 3.24 Rom. 5.5 1 Cor. 2.10 12the things that are freely given thee of God; he is the spirit of revelation, and will discover the presence of Christ within thee, the Love of God towards thee; the wonderful glory prepared for thee, yea, all his own precious works in thy Soul. He will satisfie thee, and put all out of doubt, though all the men of the world cannot.
Is the slavishness of thy fear of God, the burden of thy soul? Quench not the Spirit; and thou shalt be of a childe-like spirit, of an ingenuous spirit, this fire will assimulate, Rom. 8.15he is the spirit of Adoption, and will help thee to call God Abba Father.
In a word, are thou either dead in trespasses and sins, or a dull, liveless, unactive Christian, not living in the exercise of grace? Quench not the spirit; he is the spirit of life, he that raised Christ from the dead, will quicken thy soul, yea, will make thee lively: this fire will revive, and as it were, put new life unto thee, when thou art frozen and benummed, he is the spirit of grace, not only infusing the habits, but drawing forth the Acts of grace.
Sure (Reader) if thou knowest this spirit, his operations, and his universal usefulness, thou canst not but make Conscience of cherishing, instead of quenching the Spirit. I cannot therefore but commend this excellent, judicious, methodical, heart-searching, Conscience rowsing (in a word) spirit-ful Treatise, to thy thankful acceptance, diligent perusal, and conscientious practice; for here are (as was writ to Aegidius the Abbot of Norimberg, concerning Psal. 118.) verba vivenda, non legenda, words not only to be read, but daily lived. The Lord make thee and mee not only hearers but doers of the word. This is the hearty request of
Your Souls Friend, willing in any way to promote their Salvation, T. M.