Part 4

10. * Yet on the authority of God’s word and our own church, I must repeat the question, _Hast thou received the Holy Ghost?_ If thou hast not, thou art not yet a Christian: for a Christian is a man, that is _anointed with the Holy Ghost, and with power_. Thou art not yet made a partaker of pure religion and undefiled. Dost thou know, what religion is? That it is, a participation of the divine nature, the life of God in the soul of man: _Christ formed in the heart, Christ, in thee, the hope of glory_: happiness and holiness: heaven begun upon earth: _a kingdom of God within thee: not meat and drink_, no outward thing: _but righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost_? An everlasting kingdom brought into thy soul, a _peace of God, that passeth all understanding_; a _joy unspeakable and full of glory_?

11. Knowest thou, that _in Jesus Christ, neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith that worketh by love_; but a new creation? Seest thou the necessity of that inward change, that spiritual birth, that life from the dead? That holiness? And art thou throughly convinced, that _without it, no man shall see the Lord_? Art thou labouring after it? _Giving all diligence, to make thy calling and election sure? Working out thy salvation with fear and trembling? Agonizing to enter in at the straight gate?_ Art thou _in earnest_ about thy soul? And, canst thou tell the Searcher of hearts, _Thou, O God, art the thing that I long for_! Lord, thou knowest all things! Thou knowest that I _would_ love thee!

12. Thou hopest to be saved――but what reason hast thou to give of the hope that is in thee? Is it because thou hast done no harm? Or, because thou hast done much good? Or, because thou art not like other men; but wise, or learned, or honest and morally good? Esteemed of men, and of a fair reputation? Alas, all this will never bring thee to God. It is in his account lighter than vanity. Dost thou _know Jesus Christ whom he hath sent_? Hath he taught thee, that _by grace we are saved through faith? And that, not of ourselves. It is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast._ Hast thou received the faithful saying as the whole foundation of thy hope, _Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners_? Hast thou learned what that meaneth, _I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance? I am not sent, but to the lost sheep?_ Art thou (he that heareth, let him understand!) lost, dead? _Damned already?_――Dost thou know thy deserts? Dost thou feel thy wants? Art thou _poor in spirit_? _Mourning_ for God and refusing to be comforted? Is the prodigal _come to himself_, and well-content to be therefore thought _beside himself_, by those who are still feeding upon the husks which he hath left? Art thou willing to _live godly in Christ Jesus_? And dost thou therefore _suffer persecution_? Do _men say all manner of evil against thee falsely, for the Son of man’s sake_?

13. O, that in all these questions ye may hear the voice that wakes the dead, and feel that hammer of the word, which _breaketh the rocks in pieces!――If ye will hear his voice to day, while it is called to day, harden not your hearts._ Now _awake thou that sleepest_ in spiritual death, that thou sleep not in death eternal! Feel thy lost estate, and _arise from the dead_. Leave thine old companions in sin and death. Follow thou Jesus, and _let the dead bury their dead. Save thyself from this untoward generation. Come out from among them, and be thou separate, and touch not the unclean thing, and the Lord shall receive thee, Christ shall give thee light._

III.) 1. This promise I come, lastly, to explain. And how encouraging a consideration is this, that whosoever thou art who obeyest his call, thou canst not seek his face in vain. If thou even now _awakest and arisest from the dead_, he hath bound himself to _give thee light. The Lord shall give_ thee _grace and glory_; the light of his grace here, and the light of his glory, when thou receivest the _crown that fadeth not away_. Thy light shall _break forth as the morning_, and thy darkness be as the noon-day. _God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness_, shall _shine in thy heart; to give the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. On them that fear the Lord shall the sun of righteousness arise, with healing in his wings._ And _in that day it shall be said unto thee, Arise, shine: for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee_. For Christ shall reveal himself in thee. And he is the _true light_.

2. God is light, and will give himself to every awakened sinner, that waiteth for him: and thou shalt then be a temple of the living God, and Christ shall _dwell in thy heart by faith_: and _being rooted and grounded in love, thou shalt be able to comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and heighth of that love of Christ which passeth knowledge_.

3. Ye see your calling, brethren. We are call’d to be _an habitation of God through his Spirit_: and through his Spirit dwelling in us, _to be saints_ here, and _partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light_. So _exceeding great_ are the _promises which are given unto us_, actually given unto us who believe. For by faith _we receive, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God_, the sum of all the promises, _that we may know the things that are freely given to us of God_.

4. The Spirit of Christ is that great gift of God, which at sundry times, and in divers manners he hath promised to man, and hath fully bestowed since the time that Christ was glorified. Those Promises before made to the fathers, he hath thus fulfilled: _I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes[7]. 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 offspring[8]._

5. Ye may all be living witnesses of these things: of remission of sins, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. _If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. Who among you is there, that feareth the Lord_, and yet _walketh on in darkness, and hath no light_? I ask thee in the name of Jesus, believest thou that _his arm is not shortned at all_? That he is still _mighty to save_? That he is _the same yesterday, to day, and for ever_? That he hath _now_ power, _on earth_ to forgive sins? _Son, be of good cheer; thy sins are forgiven._ God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven thee. Receive this, _not as the word of man; but as it is, indeed, the word of God_; and thou art _justified freely through faith_. Thou shalt be sanctified also through faith which is in Jesus, and shalt set to thy seal, even thine, that God _hath_ given unto us _eternal life, and this life is in his Son_.

6. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you; and _suffer ye the word of exhortation_, even from one the least esteemed in the church. Your conscience beareth you witness in the Holy Ghost, that these things are so, _if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. This is eternal life, to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent._ This experimental knowledge, and this alone, is true Christianity. He is a Christian, who hath received the Spirit of Christ. He is not a Christian, who hath not received him. Neither is it possible to have received him and not know it. For _at that day_[9] (when he cometh, saith our Lord) _ye shall know, that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you_. This is that _Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him. But ye know him: for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you._

7. The world cannot receive him, but utterly reject the promise of the Father, contradicting and blaspheming. But every spirit which confesseth not this, is not of God. Yea, _this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard, that it should come into the world, and even now it is in the world_. * He is antichrist whosoever denies the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, or that the indwelling Spirit of God is the common privilege of all believers, the blessing of the gospel, the unspeakable gift, the universal promise, the criterion of a real Christian.

8. It nothing helps them to say, “We do not deny the _assistance_ of God’s Spirit; but only this _inspiration_, this _receiving the Holy Ghost_, and being _sensible_ of it. It is only this _feeling of the_ Spirit, this being _moved_ by the Spirit, or _filled_ with it, which we deny to have any place in sound religion.” But in _only denying this_, you deny the whole scriptures, the whole truth and promise and testimony of God.

9. Our own excellent church knows nothing of this devilish distinction: but speaks plainly of _feeling the Spirit of Christ[10]_; of being _moved by the Holy Ghost[11]_, and knowing and _feeling there is no other name than that of Jesus[12]_, whereby we can receive life and salvation. She teaches us all to pray for the _inspiration of the Holy Spirit[13]_, yea, that we may be _filled with the Holy Ghost[14]_. Nay, and every presbyter of hers, professes to _receive the Holy Ghost by the imposition of hands_. Therefore to deny any of these, is in effect, to renounce the church of _England_, as well as the whole Christian revelation.

10. But _the wisdom of God_ was always _foolishness with men_. No marvel then, that the great mystery of the gospel, should be now also _hid from the wise and prudent_, as well as in the days of old; that it should be almost universally denied, ridiculed and exploded as mere frenzy: and that all who dare avow it still, are branded with the names of madmen and enthusiasts. This is _that falling away_ which was to come: that general apostacy, of all orders and degrees of men, which we even now find to have overspread the earth. _Run to and fro in the streets of Jerusalem, and see if ye can find a man_; a man that loveth the Lord his God with all his heart, and serveth him with all his strength? How does our own land mourn (that we look no farther) under the overflowings of ungodliness? What villanies of every kind are committed day by day; yea, too often with impunity, by those who sin with a high hand, and glory in their shame? Who can reckon up the oaths, curses, profaneness, blasphemies, the lying, slandering, evil-speaking, the sabbath-breaking, gluttony, drunkenness, revenge, the whoredoms, adulteries, and various uncleanness, the frauds, injustice, oppression, extortion, which overspread our land as a flood?

11. * And even among those who have kept themselves pure from these grosser abominations; how much anger and pride, how much sloth and idleness, how much softness and effeminacy, how much luxury and self-indulgence, how much covetousness and ambition, how much thirst of praise, how much love of the world, how much fear of man is to be found? Meanwhile, how little of true religion? For where is he that loveth either God or his neighbour, as he hath given us commandment? On the one hand are those, who have not so much as the form of godliness: on the other those who have the form only; there stands the _open_, there the _painted_ sepulchre. So that in very deed, whosoever were earnestly to behold any publick gathering together of the people, (I fear, those in our churches are not to be excepted) might easily perceive, _that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees_: the one having almost as little concern about religion, as if there were _no resurrection, neither angel nor spirit_; and the other making it a mere lifeless form, a dull round of external performances, without either true faith, or the love of God, or joy in the Holy Ghost.

12. Would to God I could except us of this place. _Brethren, my heart’s desire, and prayer to God for you is, that ye may be saved_ from this overflowing of ungodliness, and that here may its proud waves be stay’d! But is it so indeed? God knoweth, yea, and our own conscience, it is not. Ye have not kept yourselves pure. Corrupt are we also and abominable; and few are there that understand any more, few that worship God in spirit and in truth. We too are _a generation that set not our hearts aright, and whose Spirit cleaveth not stedfastly unto God_: He hath appointed us indeed to be _the salt of the earth. But if the salt have lost its savour, it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men._

13. And _shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord? Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?_ Yea, we know not how soon he may say to the sword, _Sword, go through this land!_ He hath given us long space to repent. He lets us alone this year also: but he warns and awakens us by thunder. His judgments are abroad in the earth. And we have all reason to expect that heaviest of all, even _that he should come unto us quickly, and remove our candlestick out of its place, except we repent and do the first works_: unless we return to the principles of the reformation, the truth and simplicity of the gospel. Perhaps we are now resisting the last effort of divine grace to save us. Perhaps we have well nigh _filled up the measure of our iniquities_, by rejecting the counsel of God against ourselves, and calling out his messengers.

14. O God, _in the midst of wrath remember mercy_! Be glorified in our reformation, not in our destruction. Let us _hear the rod, and him that appointed it_. Now that _thy judgments are abroad in the earth_, let the _inhabitants of the world learn righteousness_.

15. My brethren, it is high time for us, to awake out of sleep; before the _great trumpet of the Lord be blown_, and our land become a field of blood. O may we speedily see the things that make for our peace, before they are hid from our eyes! _Turn thou us, O good Lord, and let thine anger cease from us. O Lord, look down from heaven, behold and visit this vine_; and cause us to know the time of our visitation. _Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name; O deliver us, and be merciful to our sins, for thy names sake. And so will we not go back from thee: O let us live, and we shall call upon thy name. Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, shew the light of thy countenance, and we shall be whole._

_Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end._ Amen.

SERMON IV.[15]

SCRIPTURAL CHRISTIANITY.

Acts iv. 31.

_And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost._

1. THE same expression occurs in the second chapter, where we read, _When the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all_ (the apostles, with the women, and the mother of Jesus, and his brethren) _with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues, like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost._ One immediate effect whereof was, _They began to speak with other tongues_; insomuch that both the _Parthians_, _Medes_, _Elamites_, and the other strangers who _came together, when this was noised abroad, heard them speak, in_ their several _tongues, the wonderful works of God_.

2. In this chapter we read, that when the apostles and brethren had been praying, and praising God, _the place was shaken where they were assembled together, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost_. Not that we find any visible appearance here, such as had been in the former instance: nor are we informed that the _extraordinary gifts_ of the Holy Ghost, were then given to all or any of them; such _as the gifts of healing, of working |other| miracles, of prophecy, of discerning spirits_; the speaking with _divers kinds of tongues, and the interpretation of tongues_.

3. Whether these gifts of the Holy Ghost were designed to remain in the church throughout all ages; and whether or no they will be restored at the nearer approach of the _restitution of all things_, are questions which it is not needful to decide. But it is needful to observe this, that even in the infancy of the church, God divided them with a sparing hand. _Were all_ even then _prophets_? Were _all workers of miracles? Had all the gifts of healing? Did all speak with tongues?_ No, in no wise. Perhaps not one in a thousand. Probably none but the teachers in the church, and only some of them. It was therefore for a more excellent purpose than this, that _they were all filled with the Holy Ghost_.

4. It was, to give them (what none can deny to be essential to all Christians in all ages) _the mind which was in Christ_, those holy _fruits of the Spirit_, which whosoever hath not, _is none of his_: to fill them with _love_, _joy_, _peace_, _long-suffering_, _gentleness_, _goodness_: to endue them with _faith_, (perhaps it might be rendered, _fidelity_) with _meekness and temperance_: to enable them to _crucify the flesh with its affections and lusts_, its passions and desires; and, in consequence of that _inward change_, to fulfil all _outward_ righteousness, _to walk as Christ also walked, in the work of faith, the patience of hope, the labour of love_.

5. Without busying ourselves then in curious, needless enquiries, touching those _extraordinary_ gifts of the Spirit, let us take a nearer view of these his _ordinary_ fruits; which we are assured will remain throughout all ages: of that great work of God among the children of men, which we are used to express by one word, _Christianity_: not as it implies a set of opinions, a system of doctrines, but as it refers to mens hearts and lives. And this _Christianity_ it may be useful to consider under three distinct views.

I. As beginning to exist in individuals. II. As spreading from one to another. III. As covering the earth.

I design to close these considerations with a plain practical application.

I. And first, let us consider Christianity in its rise, as beginning to exist in individuals.

Suppose then one of those who heard the apostle _Peter_ preaching _repentance and remission of sins_, was _pricked to the heart_, was convinced of sin, repented, and then _believed in Jesus_. By this _faith of the operation of God_, which was the very _substance_ or subsistence _of things hoped for_, the demonstrative _evidence of invisible things_, he instantly _received the Spirit of adoption, whereby he |now| cried Abba, Father_! Now first it was that he could _call Jesus Lord, by the Holy Ghost, the Spirit itself bearing witness with his spirit that he was a child of God_. Now it was that he could truly say, _I live not, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me_.

2. This then was the very essence of his faith, a divine ἔλεγχος[16] of the love of God the Father, through the Son of his love, to him a sinner, now _accepted in the Beloved_. And _being justified by faith, he had peace with God_, yea _the peace of God ruling in his heart_: a peace, which _passing all understanding_, (πάντα νοῦν, all barely rational conception) _kept his heart and mind_ from all doubt and fear, through the _knowledge of him in whom he had believed_. He could not therefore _be afraid of any evil tidings; for his heart stood fast believing in the Lord_. He feared not what man could do unto him, knowing _the very hairs of his head were all numbered_. He feared not all the powers of darkness, which God was daily _bruising under his feet_. Least of all was he afraid to die; nay, he _desired to depart and be with Christ_; who _through death had destroyed him that had the power of death, even the devil; and delivered them who through fear of death, were all their life-time_, till then, _subject to bondage_.

3. _His soul_ therefore _magnified the Lord, and his spirit rejoiced in God his Saviour. He rejoiced in him with joy unspeakable, who had reconciled him to God, even the Father: in whom he had redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins._ He rejoiced in that _witness of God’s Spirit with his spirit, that he was a child of God_: and more abundantly, _in hope of the glory of God_, in hope of the glorious image of God, the full _renewal of his soul in righteousness and true holiness_; and in hope of that _crown of glory_, that _inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away_.

4. _The love of God_ was also _shed abroad in his heart, by the Holy Ghost which was given unto him. Because he was a son, God had sent forth the Spirit of his Son into his heart, crying, Abba, Father!_ And that filial love of God was continually increased by the _witness he had in himself_, of God’s pardoning love to him, by _beholding what manner of love it was, which the Father had bestowed upon him, that he should be called a child of God_. So that God was the desire of his eyes, and the joy of his heart; his portion in time and in eternity.

5. He that thus _loved God_, could not but _love his brother also_; and _not in word only, but in deed and in truth_. “_If God_, said he, _so loved us, we ought also to love one another_.” Yea, every soul of man, as the _mercy_ of God _is over all his works_. Agreeably hereto, the affection of this lover of God, embraced all mankind for his sake; not excepting those whom he had never seen in the flesh, or those of whom he knew nothing more than that they were _the offspring of God_; for whose souls his Son had died; not excepting the _evil_ and _unthankful_, and least of all his enemies, those who _hated, or persecuted, or despitefully used_ him for his Master’s sake. These had a peculiar place both in his heart and his prayers. He loved them _even as Christ loved us_.

6. And _love is not puffed up_. It abases to the dust every soul wherein it dwells. Accordingly he was _lowly of heart_, little, mean, and vile in his own eyes. He neither sought nor received the _praise of men, but that which cometh of God only_. He was meek and long-suffering, gentle to all, and easy to be intreated. Faithfulness and truth never forsook him; they were _bound about his neck, and wrote on the table of his heart_. By the same Spirit he was enabled to be _temperate in all things, refraining his soul even as a weaned child_. He was _crucified to the world, and the world crucified to him_: superior to _the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eye, and the pride of life_. By the same almighty love was he saved, both from passion and pride, from lust and vanity, from ambition and covetousness, and from every temper which was not in Christ.

7. It may be easily believed, he who had this love in his heart, would _work no evil to his neighbour_. It was impossible for him, knowingly and designedly, to do harm to any man. He was at the greatest distance from cruelty and wrong, from any unjust or unkind action. With the same care did he _set a watch before his mouth, and keep the door of his lips_; lest he should offend in tongue, either against justice, or against mercy or truth. He _put away all lying_, falshood and fraud; neither was _guile found in his mouth_. He _spake evil of no man_; nor did an unkind word ever come out of his lips.