Right Thoughts, Part 2 · Section 45 – Section 47
Sect. XLV.
Pray for the Spirit. Pſal. 143.10. & 51.11, 12. Acts 1.4. Survey his Workings. Rom. 8.20.WHerefore, good Reader, ſay as David, Thy Spirit is good, and Pray as David, O take not thy holy Spirit from me, but uphold me with thy free Spirit, Pray and wait for the Spirit, having put the Promiſes in ſuit by Prayer. Survey his daily workings, and work thou with him, for the Word himſelf uſeth as to his helping our Infirmities, foreign, is a Metaphor taken from two that lift together one over againſt another at the ſame ſtone or piece of Timber to lay it in the Building.
Prize his Witneſſings. Verſe 16.17. Acts 9.31.Moreover, prize his Evidence, for as he worketh, ſo he witneſſeth with our Spirit, that We are the Children of God, and if children, then Hens, &c. walk in the comfort of the Holy Ghoſt (as Scripture ſpeaks) even of his Evidence, who is both Earneſt, Seal, and Witneſſe.
Liſtens to his motions. Revel. 22.10.Liſten to the Spirit, who never bids us to our hurt, the ſpirit ſaith come, take of the water of Life freely; His Charmings are Wiſe, his Reproofs an excellent Oyl, his Convictions, Kindneſs; and all his motions,James 3.17. Rev. 2.7.10, 29 Chap. 1.6, 13, 22. Dictates and Counſels are firſt pure, and then peaceable. He that hath an Ear, let him hear what the Spirit ſaith to the Churches, 'tis ſix times over in two Chapters; it ſeems We are dull of hearing when Our beſt friend is ſpeaking; We could hear the Serpents firſt hiſſing, liſten to Satan when he doth but whiſper to us, but when the Spirit ſpeaks ſo loud, that All ſhould hear, even to the churches, He finds deaf ears growing upon our Hearts; and when he comes unto us by his ſweet inſinuations, we treat this Heavenly Meſſenger, as Hanun did King Davids, 2 Sam. 10.4.cutting off his motions in the middle, and ſo we ſend him grieved back, to the high provocation of God that ſends him. But the Spirit is (as his Fruit is) Long-ſuffering, or elſe He would not ſo long ſtrive with Man, with froward and ſtubborn man, but yet think He will not alwayes do it, as God roundly told the Old World. But Wo, Wo unto thee if thou Sin away the Spirit,Pſal. 51.11. for caſting away from Gods preſence is inſeperably annexed to the taking away his holy Spirit, (as it is in the Pſalmiſt) and thoſe Spirits are ſad proofs of it,1 Pet. 3.18.19.20. to whom God went and Preached by this Spirit in the dayes of Noah, for being then diſobedient, they are now in Priſon; And ſure We cannot but think it juſt and reaſonable that we carefully hearken to him, when ever he comes on Gods Errand to us, Who (if ever we would ſpeed) muſt go on Our Errand to God, and make Interceſſion for us.Rom. 8.26. Grieve not the Spirit. Eph. 4.21. to 25.26. How that may be. By Commiſſions.
And oh how diſingenuous and injurious muſt we needs think it, on the other hand, to grieve him that Comforts us, which the Apoſtle ſaith we do, when we put not off, concerning the former Converſation, the Old Man which is corrupt, according to deceiptful Luſts, and put not on the new Man, &c. when we put not away lying, corrupt Communication, undue courſes for a Livelihood (inſtead of diligence in our lawful Calling,) anger, Bitterneſs, Evil-ſpeaking, and all Malice; even by All ſuch undue Affections, Words and Actions; Nay that We ſhould Vex, yea Reſiſt him,Iſai h 63.10. Acts 7.51. as the uncircumciſed in Heart and Ears; nay quench the Spirit, with exceſs of Wine, &c. as is ſaid before, put him quite out (as Saul ſaid, God is departed from me, 1 Sam. 28.15.and anſwereth me no more) now Fire is put out as effectually by not putting on of Fuel, as by putting on of Water, and the holy Spirit quenched by Sins of Omiſſion as of Commiſſion, Omiſſion.by Contempt and wilful neglecting of holy Duties, Means and Ordinances; and therefore Pray without ceaſing, give thanks in every thing is put into the front, and Deſpiſe not Propheſyings comes up in the rear of that Apoſtolical grand Caveat Quench not the Spirit. 1 Theſ. 5.17, 18, 19. Revel. 5.10.Rather let us (as made by Chriſt Prieſts unto God) keep alwayes burning upon our Hearts this holy Fire: and ſtir it up by meditation,How to cheriſh the Spirit. Pſalm 39 3. Pſal. 143.10. Revel. 1.10. while I was muſing, ſaith David, the Fire burned; and blow it up by Prayer, Teach me to do thy will, O God, thy Spirit is good, &c. Eſpecially let us Pray, and watch, and wait (as the Primitive Diſciples) for the Lords Spirit on the Lords Day; And let us add the Fewel of diligent and induſtrious Obſervation to all his fervent motions, when we hear the ſound of his goings, 1 Sam. 5.24. Heb…. 5 3.then let us beſtir our ſelves; When the Holy Ghoſt ſaith, to day if ye will hear his voice, let us not harden our hearts, nor put him off till to morrow, for the Spirit (is as the Wind that) bloweth where and when he liſteth; John 3.8. Rev. 2….17. Harbour no baſe thoughts of the Spirit. Acts 8.19, 20. Acts 5.9.when the Spirit ſaith Come, let the Bride ſay Come, and let him that heareth ſay Come. Let us not harbour any Carnal, Low, baſe Thoughts of this glorious Spirit, this was Simon Magus his ſin. Eſpecially let us not by cloſe Hypocriſie or ſecret diſſimulation agree to lie to the Holy Ghoſt, and ſo to tem…t the Spirit of the Lord, this was Ananias and Sa…hira's ſin, and it coſt them dear, and they are peculiarly ſaid to tempt the Spirit, becauſe it is his peculiar work to ſearch All things.1 Cor. 2.10.
Sect. XLVI.
The wonderful condeſce…tion of the Holy ſpirit in the work of Mens ſalvation. Mat. 6.9, 3. Rom. 16.24. 1 Cor. 16.23. Gal. 6 13 Ph…l 4.23.ANd now to ſhut up all, what Holy Fear and Love of this Holy Spirit may at once fill Our THOUGHTS, when we conſider that although HOLINESS be the …eculiar Attribute of the Spirit, from which he receives his Denomination (even as Greatneſs is peculiarly aſcribed to the Father (who is therefore ſaid to be in Heaven, and Kingdom, Power, and Glory to be his) and Grace to be the Son… in reſpect of which ſpecial property of the Spirit, All ſin againſt God is ſaid, in a ſpecial manner, to Vex the Spirit, 2 Theſ. 3.18.yet ſuch is the rich Mercy of this Holy Spirit in Condeſcention to poor mans Salvation, that He undertakes it (as his peculiar Office and Work) to come into mans Heart unſitted, and unfurniſhed, when Zijm, Ochim, and lim have dwelt there, when vain Thoughts have lodged there, into a very ſink of ſin, a houſe without windows, a heap without order, a very Hell of curſed Confuſion and of every hateful and hurtful luſt, and that when there was none to go before him, or to prepare for him, Whereas though herein God commended his love to us in that while We were Enemies Chriſt dyed for us, yet would not the Son be born to die, or lodge in a Womb, or come into the world, till this Spirit went before him,Hebr. 10.5. As in the Margin. to prepare a place for him, and to fit a Body to him, for ſo may the word be rendred, a Body haſt thou prepared me, or a Body haſt thou fitted me.
O ſweet ſpirit! what Tongue can praiſe, or heart prize thee according to thy glorious Grace to poor ſinners?Geneſis 2.7. When God firſt breathed into man the breath of Life, He was a lump of innocent Clay; but when thou comeſt to breath the breath of New Life into ſinful man, thou breatheſt into a noyſome Carkaſſe, an heart full of Rottenneſs, 1 King. 8 28. 2 Chron. 6.29.and takeſt up thy Dwelling in that very part where his Plague ſore runs. And now ſeeing Thou doſt not ſhun thoſe that have the Plague of the heart; Come in, thou bleſſed of the Lord, to this Heart of mine,Mat. 3.11. Iſaiah 44.3. Thou art a Fire that can purge my Droſs, and not be impaired; a Water that can waſh away all my filth, and not be defiled; Now to thee, Bleſſed ſpirit, with the Father and the Son, be Glory for ever. Amen.
Sect. XLVII.
FINALLY, As our Thoughts of God,Thoughts for God muſt be by Scripture Rule. See Bp. Andrews, on the ſecond Commandment. Image and Imagination, Cogitation. Col. 2.23. Mat. 15.9. S…e Biſhop Taylors Diſſuaſive, pag. 48. Iſa 29.13, 14. 2 Sam. 7.2. 2 Chron. 3.3. and 29 25. ſo our Thoughts For God are onelyonly Right, when agreeable to Scripture Rules, For as the ſecond Commandment forbids all IMAGES, ſo alſo all IMAGINATIONS in the things of God that are not warrantable by the Word of God. The Hebrews expreſs both by one word, for Thoughts are the Images of things in our minds. What the Apoſtle calls Will-Worſhip, Our Saviour calls Vain-Worſhip, though the things may have a ſhew of wiſdom and humility, where the fear towards God is taught (as in Popery) by the Precepts of Men.
When David took up thoughts of Building God an Houſe, he conſulted Nathan the Prophet, which when Solomon was allowed to accompliſh, it is ſaid, Now theſe are the things wherein Solomon was inſtructed for the Building of the Houſe of God; which when Hezekiah did reſtore, 'tis ſaid alſo, he ſet the Levites in the Houſe of the Lord with Cymbals, with Pſalteries, and with Harps, according to the Commandment of David, and of Gad the Kings Seer, and of Nathan the Prophet, for ſo was the COMMANDMENT of the LORD by his Prophets.
Rom. 10.2.Zeal without Knowledge is Heat without Light, which is ſo like Hell, that it cannot be pleaſing to the God of Heaven;Mark 9.44. Mat 25.3…. for Hell is a Fire that never goes out, and yet Outer Darkneſs. Wherefore, Reader, when ever thou thinkeſt to do any thing for God, Ask his Word firſt, whether it will be well taken. How lamentable is it to think how perniciouſly Our Thoughts for God may miſcarry for want of this.John 16.2. Acts 26.9. 2 Sam. 6 6, 7. Bp. Taylors Preface to his Diſſuaſive. The Roman Church can never juſtifie her ſelf from Idolatry, yet if it were but ſuſpitious, God is jealous and will not endure any cauſes of ſuſpition, or motives of jealouſy. Things like Idolatry can no wayes be excuſed. Bp. Tay ors Diſſ…aſive from Popery, pag. 57. Some kill Gods Saints, yet think they do God good ſervice, and ſaith Paul, I verily thought with my ſelf, that I ought to do many things contrary to the Name of Jeſus of Nazareth. Poor Uzzah, no doubt, thought to do God a good piece of ſervice, when He put forth his hand to ſtay the Ark, when the Oxen ſhook it, but God ſmote him for his Errour, that he died. A ſevere puniſhment, may ſome man think, and a ſlender errour, eſpecially conſidering that the Man meant well; But when we conſider that of all the Decalogue, the mention of Gods jealouſie is onelyonly annexed to the ſecond Commandment, (now jealouſie hath a ſharp Eye not onelyonly upon the down right Act, but alſo upon every thing that comes near it, or leads to it, or looks like it,) We cannot wonder at the formidable inſtances of Gods ſeverity recorded in Scripture, ſuch as Uzzah here,Chap. 9.24. and Nadab and Abihu were, who offered ('tis not ſaid Forbidden Fire, but) ſtrange Fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not, and there went out a Fire from the Lord and devoured them. Lev. 6.13.OnelyOnly juſt in the Verſe before there was holy Fire upon the Altar, which God ſent down from Heaven in the ſight of the People, and God would have this Fire reſerved, Levit. 10.1.and (it ſeems) onelyonly made uſe of in the caſe of holy Offerings. I ſhall ſhut up his head with that remarkable Text of Scripture, Shew them (ſaith God to the Prophet Ezekiel) the form of the Houſe, and the faſhion thereof, Ezek. 43.21.and the goings out thereof, and the comings In thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the Ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the Laws thereof; and write it in their ſight, that they may keep the whole form and all the Ordinances thereof, and do them.