The Necessity of Pour out of the Spirit from on High, Title page – Errata
THE NECESSITY OF The pouring out of the Spirit from on High UPON A Sinning Apostatizing People, set under Judgment, in order to their merciful Deliverance and Salvation. As it was Delivered in part, upon 21. 9. 1678. being a general FAST throughout the united Colonies of N. E.
By WILLIAM ADAMS, Pastor of the Church of Christ in Dedham.
Luk. 19. 41, 42.
And when he was come near, he beheld the City and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
Luk. 13. 35.
Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. And verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord.
Psal. 14. 7.
O that the Salvation of Israel were come out of Sion! when the Lord bringeth back the Captivity of his People, Jacob shall rejoice and Israel shall be glad.
BOSTON; Printed by John Foster, for William Avery, near the sign of the blew Anchor. 1679.
To the Reader.
THat these Churches once flourished, with much spiritual prosperity, under a glorious dispensation of the Spirit and grace of God, by the saving administrations of his word and worship, and that with full demonstration of his special grace and favour; we ought to commemorate, unto his praise and glory, and our own present shame and confusion. That now we are a people in extream danger of perishing, in our own sins and under Gods Judgements, (unless God shall please in an extraordinary way, of Soveraign mercy to save us) is the most humbling consideration of our present sad condition. That all ordinary means (in that extraordinary way of improvement which God hath of late set us under) have been altogether ineffectual, unto a general and saving work of reformation; makes it (at least) a fearful question, whether our degeneracy and apostacy may not prove Judicial, and so perpetual; a question which will not admit of a comfortable resolution, until God shall pour out his Spirit from on high upon us. That Soveraign promise of the donation, and effusion of the Spirit, and so of the dispensation of saving grace (as it hath been unto the Churches in all Ages, under their deepest defection,) So it is unto us the main stay of our faith, confidence, and comfort, and that which gives some present reviving, unto our languishing hope; of the resurrection of Religion in these Churches. That God doth at present so far suspend the accomplishment of this promise, and so far with hold his Spirit and grace, it is, the just, yet most dreadful punishment of that most sinful abuse of it; and general unprofitableness under the means of grace, and of that resisting his Spirit; and rejecting his Son by unbelief and disobedience unto the Gospel which is found amongst us, and is sadly signal of the gradual cessation of the work of Conversion, and of the further execution of Gods wrath, both by external and spiritual plagues and Judgements. How much that blessed work doth already fail; the decaying and dying state of Religion, and of these Churches, doth evidence by woful instance and experience, there being little more left, then a name to live, and those thing▪ which remain so ready to dye; That so many sinners, do seem to be given up Judicially, unto the still growing, and prevailing sins of the times, which both in their nature and working are so utterly inconsistent with the progress of the work of Conversion, doth make the consideration of our present case much the more lamentable: especially-considering that such sinners do remain under a secret, soveraign influence of Gods vindictive Justice; whence the word in the Ministry is become a savour of death unto death in them that perish. What remains then; but that we do most enixly endeavour; (in whatsoever we may, or can possibly) to approve our selves a people more hopeful; as to Conversion, Reformation, and Salvation; labouring practically, and savingly to understand, even we at least in this our day the great things of our temporal, spiritual, and eternal peace, and welfare, least they should be hidden from our eyes, because we know not this time of our visitation. How is it then the most important concernment of all unconverted sinners, to take heed unto themselves, that they do not (as heretofore) hinder their own Conversion, by abusing and loosing their special day and seasons of grace, or by yielding up their Souls unto the power of sin and Satan, in those wayes of sinning, wherein their hearts will be hardned against the power and working of the word, and Spirit of God, unto positive unbelief and disobedience, unto the Gospel, against light, and so by giving up themselves unto deep security, in their unregeneracy, and unto spiritual Apostacy, from that common grace which they may have received and that past ordinary hope of recovery, Heb. 6. 4, to 8. But that sinners do redeem this present time unto a constant attendance upon the Ministry of the word; and a most diligent improvement of all means of grace, and operations of the Spirit, crying earnestly unto God, and waiting instantly upon him for the application of Christ, and salvation in a saving work of grace; and that under a sense of their extream necessity thereof, crying out as they when prickt in their heart, Act 2. 31. what shall we do? and as he. Act. 16. 30. what must I do to be saved? How severely also then are all such persons to be reproved and warned, as the most dangerous, destructive Enemyes, unto both the temporal and spiritual welfare, and prosperity of this people, and of these Churches, seeking the utter ruine and destruction both of the present, and succeeding generations; who make it their business, to hinder, obstruct, yea, utterly to destroy the work of Conversion, by upholding the sins of the times, opposing the dutyes of the times, corrupting the Souls of others, with error, heresy, libertinisme, and licentiousness, weakning the hearts and hands of those who labour in the work of Christ, for the salvation of Souls, by all means crossing and counter working the whole work of Reformation: such do declare themselves to be full of all mischief, Children of the Devil, and Enemies of all righteousness, Act. 13. 10. & incurre that woe pronounced by our Saviour, Math. 23. 1…. Therefore all those who would approve themselves to be true friends to the work of Christ in the promotion of his Kingdome, the propagation of Religion, and the Salvation of Souls, ought to labour most intensly in their several places, by all means with all their might to promote converting work, especially amongst the Rising Generations: Godly parents & Masters, heads of Families, by the constant exercise of the worship of God; in the life and power of it, by dayly instructions; admonitions, and all kind of religious education, by the right, and full improvement of Family government, training up Children and Servants in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and this with sincere desire, and fervent prayer, for their Conversion. Churches by upholding a powerful dispensation of the word and all Ordinances, and a full supply of all provision in the house of God, especially a full and compleat Ministry, according to Christs appointment, that all means may be used and all duty performed toward the Children of the Covenant, and the rising Generations, which is necessary unto their Conversion, that they may not perish in their unregeneracy, through the neglect of that duty, and want of help to discharge it fully, which is, and is yet more likely to be the sad case of these Churches: O let us pray the Lord of the harvest, to thrust forth Labourers into this great harvest. The Ministry by travailing in birth with Souls till Christ be formed in them, and by the full and faithful discharge of duty as Labourers together with God in that work; wherein therefore they are to labour in a way of dependance upon Christ for a assistance and success, and that both publickly and privately, in all wayes, and by all means, to gain and bring home Souls to him, as that which is the great end of their ministrations, wherein notwithstanding they are under great discouragement at present, from the diminution of that grace and blessing which might make their labours more effectual unto the work of conversion. The godly and religious Magistracy, by the improvement of civil Authority, in a way of full and direct subverciency unto the work of Christ, the progress of which is the highest and most saving good and end of government, unto a Religious people; who are in the most happy and prosperous estate, when the Mountains bring peace, and the little hills Righteousness. Truly then it is high time for all orders, degrees & societies of men in NewEngland, by faith in prayer, to seek the Lord until he come and rain righteousness upon us, until he open Rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of Valleys, and make the wilderness a Pool of Water; and the dry Land Springs of water, until he pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground, 'till he pour out his Spirit upon our Seed, and his blessing upon our Offspring, until he send us the great promise of his Spirit, in the accomplishment of it, by pouring out of his Spirit in a general, plentiful dispensation of converting grace upon us, our Children, Familyes, Churches, this whole people, both the standing and the rising Generations: Which would be a blessed Resurrection, and as life from the dead unto us. It is much for our encouragement that in this our perishing condition, God hath by his Spirit in the Ministry of many of his Servants, proposed this great promise; expressing his own gratious disposition to open and apply it, in the saving grace and blessing of it, and withal pressed us, from the consideration of inevitable destruction, without a full and perfect salvation by the application of it and furnished us with all Arguments of faith, to labour and prevail with him in prayer for the obtainment of it: which also is the more solemnly observable, in that God hath providentially ordered the labours of divers of his Servants, in this same great and most necessary subject to be published at this time, as a Testimony unto this Generation, what their main work and duty is; whereby he hath shewed us what is good, and what it is that the Lord doth require at our hands. God grant that it may not be rejected, and so be left upon Record, as a Testimony against this Generation to condemn it, the more deeply, under the aggravated guilt of total & final Apostacy.
The Reverend and worthy Author of these Sermons, having been through the abundant grace of God sanctified, and seperated from his youth, unto the Ministry, he hath had a more early call into that work, wherein he hath been more happy then most of his fellow Servants; and being himself coae…aneous with, and amongst the choicest of the first ripe fruits of this young Generation; his Soul hath laboured, and doth labour, with the more fervency, of holy and sincere love to, and zeal for, the salvation of their Souls: modesty and humility being inherent in him as gifts, both of nature and grace, it would be too much an injury to him, to give his work deserved commendation: It shall therefore suffice to say, that the powerful and (we hope) saving impression which it had in the ministration of it, upon the hearts of the hearers, is a Testimony of divine approbation and commendation: the suitableness and seasonableness of the Subject unto this time, and the necessity of this people, the copiousness, and (yet withal) conciseness of the method (it being expressive of so much of the general message which God is sending unto his people, and of that which the Spirit is now speaking unto these Churches in so few Sermons) doth render it the more fit, and useful for the publick. The motion of the Spirit of God upon the hearts of those pious and judicious hearers, who have (we believe) been thereby moved with a godly zeal for the saving good of the Generation to desire, request, and undertake for the publication of it; doth promise it Patronage from Heaven. The special promised presence of our Lord Jesus with this his Servant, for his assistance in the Ministry of his word, as also in the whole course of his ministration, is a singular token, and pledge of his special grace and favour, unto that pretious Church in, and unto which he is called to minister. The Lord make them more and more thankful, profitable, and fruitful, and prosper his work with them, granting unto them more clear and full discoveries of his mind and will concerning their duty in order thereunto, that they may stand more perfect and compleat in all the will of God; and be more fully replenished with his spiritual and gracious presence; inriched with all the gifts and graces of his Spirit, & setled (together with all our Churches) under the saving dispensation of the Covenant of grace, strengthned unto sted fast perseverance, in the faith, obedience, and order of the Gospel; unto the end. Which is the prayer of
Your Servants for Christ our Saviours sake.
Samuel Torrey.
Josiah Flint
REader, The old Plea, The Authors absence from the Press, being stil of force, occasions this further desire of thee, viz. that before thou readest thou wilt with thy pen mend these following faults.
Pag. 4. l. 8. for, as in, read and. l. 34. r. Isai. 29. p. 5. l. 12. blot out once. p. 8. l. 4. r. enumeration. l. 5. r. when. p. 10. l. 27. for sit, r. set. p. 11. l. 16. r. fiercer. p. 15. l. 32. r. Scale. p. 16. l. 33. r. the things, l. 37. r. an abundant. p. 17. l. 16. for to have, r. and have. p. 18. l. 13. r. affect. p. 20. l. 18. r. sight. p. 23. l. 3. after Estates r. or. l. 5. after serious,r. as. p. 24. l. 2. r. set. p. 25. l. 13. r. those. p. 28. l. 22. place the comma after selves, p. 30. l. 14. for may, r. must:
Other lesser mistakes there are, as misquotations in figures, mispointings, especially in interrogative points, which are sometimes omitted, and sometimes where they should not be, and mispellings in some words where the sense is plain, all which a little candour in the Reader will easily mend.