The Little Horns Downfall, Treatise 2 · Discourse · Part 3 · Description 4 · Part 5
Of the ſpiritual priviledges and prerogatives that Saints ſhall then enjoy.
And firſt, I ſhall ſpeak of the ſpiritual priviledges and bleſſings which the Saints ſhall then enjoy: for therein ſhall be their greateſt joy and glory; and without which, the other ſort of bleſſings would be rather hurtful then profitable to them. Now the fountain of all their ſpiritual advantages and priviledges, will conſiſt in the abundant pouring out of the Spirit upon them: of which I ſhall firſt ſpeak, and then of the particular effects and benefits of it. And of this abundant pouring out of the Spirit, the Scripture ſpeaks plentifully in ſeveral places; as Iſa. 44. 3. I will pour water upon him that is thirſty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my Spirit upon thy ſeed, and my bleſſing upon thine off-ſpring. Thus abundantly will the Spirit be poured out, as he here promiſes that he will pour it out by floods: it ſhall not be by drops, or by ſmall ſtreams, but by floods ſhall it be poured out, upon thoſe that are dry and thirſty. But how do ſome Saints now thirſt after theſe waters of life; being as dry and parched ground, for want of it! But alas! they have but now and then ſome drops; or at moſt, ſome ſmall ſtreams of it, that doth a little refreſh them, and quicken them. But where is the ſoul that hath thoſe floods of the Spirit yet poured upon it? How do the beſt of Saints complain for want hereof? But the time is coming, when they ſhall have no cauſe to complain: for they ſhall have floods of the Spirit poured out upon them. And this is the time which is alſo ſpoken of, Iſai. 32. 15. when the Spirit ſhall be poured out from on high; and the wilderneſs ſhall be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a foreſt. Here the holy Ghoſt ſays, that at this time the Spirit ſhall be ſo abundantly poured out upon the Saints, as that thoſe that were lookt upon as a wilderneſs for barrenneſs, ſhall now become a fruitful field; and thoſe that were formerly a fruitful field, ſhould be accounted as a foreſt, in compariſon of the fruitful fields that ſhall then be.
Again, Joel 2. 28. And it ſhall come to paſs, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all fleſh; and your ſons and your daughters ſhall propheſie: your old men ſhall dream dreams, and your young men ſhall ſee viſions: and alſo upon the ſervants, and upon the handmaids, in thoſe days, will I pour out my Spirit. This prophecie is clearly a prophecie of this time: for it is expreſly ſaid, that this ſhall come to paſs in that time, when the Lord will plead with all Nations, for the controverſies which his Sion hath againſt them; which now he will do, in theſe later days; and which never yet hath been ſo fully done, as he then will do. And he ſays, that when he doth this, his people ſhall never be aſhamed any more: which time is yet to come, therefore this promiſe hath not yet been fulfilled. Beſides, it's clear that this promiſe was never yet fulfilled: for when was ever this promiſe in the fulneſs, in the altitude and latitude, fulfilled? When was the Spirit poured upon all fleſh? When was the Spirit generally poured out? Was it ever poured out upon all fleſh? The greater number of people may, indeed, receive the denomination of All the people: but the leaſt number of people, as one of an hundred, or one of a thouſand, cannot be ſaid to be All. But when was the Spirit poured out ſo much as upon one of a thouſand? Again, when was the Spirit ſo abundantly upon all ages, degrees, and ſexes, as that all might propheſie, that is, (in the loweſt ſence) be able to ſpeak to edification, exhortation, and comfort? How few of thoſe that are Saints, have the ſpirit of Prophecie in this ſence, to any purpoſe, upon them, carrying of them forth to publiſh the Goſpel, for the edifying, comforting, or converſion of others? The number of thoſe is very ſmall; witneſs the complaints of many Country-towns and Pariſhes, even within this Kingdom, which they make for the want of faithful able men to preach the Goſpel among them. And if there be very few men that are thus furniſhed with this gift of the Spirit; how few are the women! Not but that there are many godly women, many who have indeed received the Spirit: but in how ſmall a meaſure is it? how weak are they? and how unable to propheſie? for it is that that I am ſpeaking of, which this text ſays they ſhall do; which yet we ſee not fulfilled. Indeed, they have taſted of the ſweetneſs of the Spirit; and having taſted, are longing for more, and are ready to receive from thoſe few that are in any meaſure furniſhed with the gifts of the Spirit for propheſying; but they are generally very unable to communicate to others, though they would do it many times in their families, among their children and ſervants: and when they would be communicating to others into whoſe company they come, though ſometimes ſome ſprinklings come from them, yet at other times they finde themſelves dry and barren. But the time is coming, when this promiſe ſhall be fulfilled, and the *That all ages, ſexes & degrees ſhall have the ſpirit of Prophecie in theſe later days.Saints ſhall be abundantly filled with the Spirit; and not onelyonly men, but women ſhall propheſie; not onelyonly aged men, but young men; not onelyonly ſuperious, but inferiours; not onelyonly thoſe that have Univerſitylearning but thoſe that have it not; even ſervants and handmaids.
For this by the way let me ſay, There is nothing abſolutely neceſſary to the making of a convert, and of a convert, a publiſher of the Goſpel, which a ſoul that is but furniſhed onelyonly with Underſtanding and Reaſon is not capable of, if the Spirit be poured out upon it; whether it be a Heathen (ſo called for diſtinction ſake) or one brought up in the profeſſion of Chriſtianity; or whether it be learned, or unlearned; or whether it be male, or female: I ſay, a ſoul indued with Underſtanding and Reaſon, is capable of Religion, and all religious performances, if it be indued with the Spirit; and there is no other thing abſolutely neceſſary thereunto. And when the Spirit ſhall be more abundantly poured out upon Saints, this ſhall be made evident; ſo that, according to this gracious promiſe, ſons and daughters, ſervants and handmaids, old men and young men ſhall propheſie.
But ſome may ſay, This promiſe was fulfilled in the Apoſtles times; and the Apoſtle Peter expreſly cites it, Acts 2. 18. when the Spirit was theu poured out upon them.
But to that I anſwer, It is true, the Apoſtle Peter cites it there; but it doth not therefore follow, that this promiſe was then fulfilled; neither was it; but the Apoſtle cites it upon this occaſion: The twelve Apoſtles having then received the promiſe of the pouring out of the Spirit, it carried them forth powerfully, and wonderfully, and in an extraordinary manner, to ſpeak forth the things of God; which when thoſe that were in Jeruſalem, both ſtrangers and others, ſaw and heard, they began to marvel at it, and to ſay, that they were full of new wine. But the Apoſtle Peter underſtanding this, ſtands up, and tells them, that they were not drunken, as they ſuppoſed; but cites to them this Scripture, whereby he would have them to underſtand, that this need not be ſo ſtrange to them, which they then ſaw and heard in them, if they conſidered what was promiſed long ago in the Prophet Joel, That the Spirit ſhould be abundantly poured out upon all fleſh: and conſidering this, they need not wonder thus to ſee the Spirit now poured out upon a few men. But though the Apoſtle thus, to this end, there cites this Scripture, yet was it not then in the largeneſs of it fulfilled: For in thoſe times, though ſome men, young and old, and ſome women, ſome of their ſons and daughters did propheſie; yet were it very few, in compariſon of thoſe that did not: and therefore it could not be ſaid, that the Spirit was then poured upon All fleſh; but that time is to come, and is to be in that day we are ſpeaking of, wherein indeed the Spirit ſhall be poured out upon all fleſh in an abundant manner, and come no whit ſhort of what this Scripture imports. So that, though for the time which hath been ever ſince the Apoſtles days, to this preſent time, it may be ſaid of the Church, of the Saints of God, that they have lien among the pots, (that I may allude to that of the Pſalmiſt, Pſal. 78. 13.) in reſpect of that obſcurity, and deformity, in which they have been, for want of that ſpiritual glory, which the abundant pourings out of the Spirit will put upon them: yet at this time (to uſe the Pſalmiſts expreſſion) they ſhall be as the wings of a dove, covered with ſilver, and her feathers with yellow gold: that ſoil, filthineſs, corruption, and deformity that hath appeared in them, wherein, in many reſpects, they have ſeemed to be as worldlings are, covered over with earth, and ſullyed with the blackneſs of corruption, as having lien among the pots, all this ſhall be done away, and as innocent doves, they ſhall mount up, and and ſhine in ſplendor, and purity; when more abundantly the Spirit ſhall be poured out upon them.
And this time it is that is ſpoken of, Iſa. 52. 1, 2. Where the Lord is ſpeaking thus to the Church. Awake, awake, put on thy ſtrength, O Sion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jeruſalem the holy city: for henceforth there ſhall no more come into thee the uncircuciſed and the unclean: Shake thy ſelf from the duſt, ariſe, and ſit down, O Jeruſalem, and looſe thy ſelf from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Sion. It's the preſence of the Spirit in the fulneſs of it, that beautifies the Saints, and cloaths them with beautiful garments, and is their ſtrength: and by it they ariſe, and mount up above the world, and ſhake themſelves from the duſt; and are loſed from all their bonds, and are made free.
This time is alſo ſpoken of, Iſa. 60. 1, 2. Where the Lord ſpeaks thus to his Church: Ariſe, ſhine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is riſen upon thee: for behold, darkneſs ſhall cover the earth, and groſs darkneſs the people; but the Lord ſhall ariſe upon thee, and his glory ſhall be ſeen upon thee. And the Gentiles ſhall come to thy light, and kings to the brightneſs of thy riſing. And v. 19, 20. The ſun ſhall be no more thy light by day, neither for brightneſs ſhall the moon give light to thee: but the Lord ſhall be unto thee an everlaſting light, and thy God, thy glory. Thy ſun ſhall no more go down, neither ſhall thy moon withdraw it ſelf; for the Lord ſhall be thine everlaſting light, and the days of thy mourning ſhall be ended. How glorious ſhall the Church be, when thus, the glory of the Lord ſhall be ſeen upon them in ſuch fulneſs! It is true, there is in every true Saint, and hath been, in the darkeſt times of Popery, in the times of their greateſt weakneſs, and darkneſs, ſome true glory: But how hath it been beſmeared and eclipſed with their weakneſſes, and corruptions that have appeared in them? But now the Spirit ſhall be poured ſo abundantly upon them, as they ſhall ariſe and ſhine. Now the Sun and Moon ſhall be no more their light; thoſe means, and appointments wherein formerly they received light, and ſaw ſome brightneſs; they ſhall now be no lights comparatively: for being compared with thoſe full pourings out of the Spirit, that they ſhall then have, and thoſe immediate inlightnings they ſhall then receive from God, they ſhall be no lights, and be of no uſe unto them; becauſe the Lord will be their everlaſting light, and their God their glory. And it being ſo, their Sun ſhall no more go down, nor their Moon withdraw its ſelf; and the days of their mourning ſhall be ended. They ſhall no more have a midnight of Popery overſpreading them, nor no more be burthened and bowed down by corruptions, nor no more be afflicted by their enemies. Their mourning dark days are paſt away, and they ſhall live in joy, light, and glory for ever.