way of resemblance Holy in all manner of Conversation all that Holiness in Saints or Angels is of his implanting 5. He can fill your Hearts with assurance of his Grace in you and of Gods Grace and Favour towards you The influences of the Spirit work Grace and the Evidences of the Spirit discover Grace 1 Cor. 2.12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God He bears witness with our spirits that we are the Sons of God Et quando Spiritus testatur quaenam relinquitur ambiguitas The Spirit brings the Heart to the command that 's holiness he brings the promise to the heart that 's assurance In a word Sp. S. irradiat Intellectum inclinat voluntatem sigillat Animum c. he can turn your Water into Wine your night into day he can remove your fears resolve your doubts revive your Souls recruit your Comforts Others only walk in the light of Gods Providence he can make you to walk in the light of his Countenance 6. He also who reconciled Man to God can reconcile Man to Man He can cement your hearts The stones of the Temple were so closely cemented as if they all had been but one He can unite you thus too When the Sons of Brutus and the Vitellii conspired with Tarquinius his Embassadours against the Consul they drank the blood of a man to confirm their Amity and Unity You are now a going to drink the precious Blood of Jesus Christ what hinders but the Spirit of the Lord may shed abroad his love in your hearts and make you live in love what are all the motions of the Spirit but tenders of Love or what is the zeal of the Spirit but the print of love or the Graces of the Spirit but engagements to love He can give you such hearts as will be Afraid of every little Sin Amended with every little Cross Affected with every little mercy The Spirit of the Lord hath power enough to give a being to us and hath he not power enough to do any thing in and about us Can he give a being to his Ordinances and cannot he give a blessing to them He can do every thing and therefore This But that shall serve for the fifth Query The improvement of the point is not the least considerable part of my work and indeed 't is all that now remains Here is a word of Counsel and a word of Comfort something which concerns Sinners and something too which concerns the Saints I would not discourage the weak yet must I awaken the secure I begin with the Counsels such first as concern you that are Saints and I have something to say in General something in particular Two things would I say in general Is not the Spirit of the Lord so straitned but that he can cause this Ordinance to do you good Then see that 1. You believe this Truth and believe it firmly and undoubtedly The Spirit is God as Almighty as the Father or as the Son To an Almighty power nothing is impossible nay nothing difficult When God promised Abraham a Son in his old age what a hard task was here for God Sarah could not believe it she laughed but what saith the Lord Is any thing too hard for me He can do it because he is omnipotent and he will do it because he hath promised to do it 't is a truth as full of comfort to the Saints as is the Sea of water or the Sun of light therefore believe it stedfastly And see that you 2. Look for good for great workings in and by this Ordinance from the Spirit of the Lord. And look well to this Ordinance that it do you good for if it do you no good it will do you hurt if it be not bread it will be poyson it will set you either a step nearer to Heaven or nearer to Hell Who can say when he hath been at a Sermon or at a Sacrament as some Tradesmen may when their accompts are cast up I have neither got nor lost Be you well assured that if it do not strengthen your graces it will strengthen your corruptions This is a sad saying but not more sad than true others have found it so and so may you it will further you either in the way to glory or in the way to misery O that whilst the sound of these words is in your ears the savour of them were upon your hearts But to come yet more close to the business in order hereunto perhaps some of you may enquire And it brings me to the Sixth Query Q. 6. What course must a serious Christian take or hold that the Spirit of the Lord may cause this blessed Ordinance to work for his good In this numerous Auditory I am in hopes there are not many if any but they seriously desire the Ordinances may do their Souls good They would not pray nor hear nor receive in vain Well I will confine my discourse to this Ordinance before you take these ten Directions 1. Carefully prepare your hearts for it if you would profit by it Till the Earth be prepared you cast not in the seed till the Instrument be tuned you do not begin to play Till your Hearts be prepared you cannot receive worthly Gods Dispensations are generally suited to our Dispositions Those Beasts which came in to Noahs Ark unclean went out again unclean You know the Jews had their preparation for the Passover Job 19.14 And is not this an Ordinance every way as holy and venerable When our Blessed Saviour was about to institute this Ordinance it was his pleasure the House should first be fitted and prepared in which he was to do it Mark 14.15 Is there not as much nay much more need our hearts be fitted and prepared Well then say I to you as Samuel did to the Elders of Bethlehem 1 Sam. 16.5 Sanctifie your selves and come with me unto the Sacrifice put your hearts in order These two things have a special eye unto 1 To get an Understanding 2 An humble Heart 1 Get an Understanding Heart when the Lord appear'd to Solomon in Gibeon and said unto him Ask what I shall give thee 1 King 3.5 Give unto thy Servant an understanding Heart says Solomon in vers the 9th Some render the words Cor dicile Sapientiam circa agenda Cor capax divinarum legum Cor audiens an hearing Heart others Cor intelligens aut sapiens an understanding wise heart He asked Wisdom with a great deal of Wisdom had not he been wise before he had not known the worth of wisdom When you are about these Sacramental duties pray for an Understanding heart Amongst the Graces requisite to qualifie a Communicant Knowledg is neither the last nor the least considerable Knowledg of what may some say I answer I the Knowledge of our selves Est Disâ—iplinarum omniuÌ„ pulcherrima
of it and sorrowful for it you will find his Grace sufficient for you and himself alsufficient in you A weak Christian assisted by the Spirit of the Lord can do all things Phil. 4.13 7ly Here is comfort for you against those oppositions and temptations you may meet with from the Devil when you are at the Lords Table O that we were as careful to prepare our selves for that Ordinance as he is to prepare for us he is ever fixed and very diligent on holy days in holy places at holy duties Job 1.6 not because he loves them but because he hates us I have read of one who said he saw but one Devil in the Market for most of the buyers and sellers were his already but a Legion in the Church A Legion according to Varro is 7622 but what imploy had so many evil spirits there why to lay snares for them to hinder the operation of the Word and Sacraments and consequently the salvation of Souls Doubtless you are not without discouragements by reason of your own corruptions and his oppositions Well but your Redeemer hath not left you comfortless the Spirit of the Lord is not straitned He is a most glorious and victorious Spirit your way in this case is to set the power of this Spirit against the power of Satan when the gates of Hell and powers of Darkness press hard upon you 't is your wisdom in order to your comfort and conquest to improve this power of the Spirit of the Lord. The more you are assaulted by that evil spirit the more shall you be assisted by this good spirit He will be with you in the floods and in the flames Who and what art thou O great Mountain before this Zerubbabel 8ly Here is comfort for you as to the greatness of those mercies and blessings now by you desired and expected O says a child of God how shall I get my heart humble more quick and lively what shall I do for a broken bleeding Heart for more full assurance of the pardon of my sin and the salvation of my Soul Ah what shall poor I do for a little more light in my Understanding O that my Will were healed c. These indeed are great things they are not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such as accompany Salvation Yet although these be very great things as to you they are not so to the Spirit of the Lord if it be marvelous in your eyes is it therefore marvelous in Gods Zach. 8.6 All things are alike easie to an Almighty Agent and this Spirit is such Exod. 14.24 a look from him in anger can lay your strongest lusts dead he can irradiate your minds with beams of Divine light and efficaciously incline overpower determine and heal your Wills He can in one word do every thing therefore be confident of this very thing viz. that as he easily can so he assuredly will He I say who hath begun a good work in you will own it and crown it and perform it until the day of Christ Job 42.2 with Phil. 1.6 9ly Here is also comfort for you in case of barrenness under former administrations perhaps you find not that power as yet over your impetuous lusts as you then and there expected no more peace of conscience Nec mibi dant sâ—â—llae lucem c. You have often been at the Lords Table and yet no assurance or no more assurance of his love and of eternal life than you had before If it be thus your present case is sad yet thus it may be your internal eternal state be good For though you have not peace yet you want not grace in the best of Saints there is a want in grace but in the worst or weakest Saint there is not a want of grace Though you are cast down yet you are not cast off you have not so much as will comfort you but you have enough to save you 'T is Heaven that is the proper place of comfort and Earth of grace 'T is the pleasure of our all-wise God to make some to weep and wait long for a smile from Heaven and thus he acts in a way of wisdom not ever in a way of punishment Know and do your own work let the most High alone with his hear what he will speak for he will speak peace unto his people the day that 's clouded now may be clear anon 't is darkest a little before the dawning of the day Remember for your comfort 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lux fidei veritatis â—â—materia perpetuae laetitiae Orta Sparsa justi multa patiuntur antequam laetitiâ fruantur that light is sown for the Righteous and joy for the upright in heart Ps 97.11 The Interval of time may be considerable between the sowing and the reaping But act you faith on the Promises acquiesce in and submit to the Will and Wisdom of the Lord for unto the Upright and they are the persons I am now addressing this discourse to I say unto the upright there ariseth light in darkness i.e. comfort in troubles remember that the Spirit of the Lord is not straitned Concerning him take three notions along with you He is 1. A free Agent as the wind bloweth when and where it lifteth so the Spirit worketh witnesseth sealeth assureth when whom himself pleaseth 2. A wise Agent and therefore will act most seasonably and opportunely when it will most conduce to his own honour and your comfort 3. A strong and mighty Agent when he begins 't is not sin nor Satan nor the World shall let him Therefore though now you mourn yet you may not murmur Groan you may but must not grumble be it never so little life light and power and peace you have arrived at I say to you as did Elibis to Job ch 34.32 should it be according to your mind is it fit you have just what you will and when you will if you will be your own carvers take heed of cutting your own fingers Withdraw not from this Ordinance but as before wait with patience and work with diligence for the Spirit of the Lord is not straitned this is a reviving Cordial in this case Antisthenes an Heathen Philosopher desired nothing of the Heathen gods so much as the Spirit of Socrates You have a more glorious Spirit this Spirit of the Lord who will in due time make you more fruitful and cheerful and give you more increase of grace more setled peace of Conscience yea an absolute mastery and victory over all your spiritual enemies Once more and I dismiss you 10ly This speaks comfort to you who persevere in prayer the seed of Jacob not in name only as were these in the Text but in deed and truth To hold on in Duty is not the practice of the most Job 27.10 but of the best 't is no easie work which is both above nature and against it This affords comfort to you 't is like the rod of myrtle in the travellers hand Pliny which makes him fresh and lively and keeps him from being weary O nourish no jealous thoughts of God if you distrust him you will desert him Remember for your encouragement and comfort that the good Spirit of the Lord is in full power and at liberty still to give a blessing by as at the first to give a being to his holy Institutions To which ever-blessed Spirit together with the Father and the Son be ascrib'd all Honour and Glory World without end .. FINIS
cadendi exempluÌ„ propositum est sed si ceciderie resurgendi non sit delectatio minorum lapsus majoruÌ„ Aug. in Psal 51. Their failings indeed are recorded but for our caution not for our imitation their errors are set up not as Stars to guide us but as Rocks to warn us not as Land-marks to go by but as Sea-marks to shun by Sit casus majorum timor minorum Aliorum perditio tua sit cautio Excellent is that of Saint Ambrose Lib. 4. Ep. pag. 127. In omnibus actibus tuis imitare bonos aemulare sanctos habeto ante oculos eorum exempla c. 3. We have an upright Rule to walk by the Word of God 't is that should guide us here by that we shall be judged hereafter This is a perfect Rule 2 Tim. 3.16 17. an upright and holy Rule so is not the Light within and as for the Spirit he is our guide Rom. 8.14 not our Rule Again 4. We have an upright way to walk in the way of his Commandments this is an underfiled and an undefiling way a pure and holy and perfect and pleasant way paths of life and peace and righteousness all which call for Uprightness Si vis esse beatus esto in via immaculatus Aug. in Psal 119.1 5. We have upright Companions to walk with indeed the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are not so the most do walk in crooked paths but in all ages there are some who are undefiled in the way whose Hearts are sound in Gods statutes and follow the Lord fully and keep themselves from their iniquities see St. Ambrose his Epistle to Florianus ubi supra 6. We have an upright a perfect account to give of our walkings and workings Though now we live as if we had no God to serve no Souls to save no accounts at all to give yet surely we shall be call'd upon anon to give account of all Luk. 16.2 We read of the Counsel which Alcibiades gave unto Pericles whom going to visit he found busied about his accounts Why dost thou trouble thy self says he in seeking to make thy accounts rather think of some course to free thee from making any account at all Doubtless there are who do thus but the greater sorrow and shame shall they have at the last day Does not the due consideration hereof lay a mighty obligation on us to walk uprightly Nothing had so great an influence on St. Austin to recall him from and to recover him out of his sinful ways and to engage him to live an holy and upright life as Metus mortis extremi judicii the fear of Death and the day of Judgment O that we were wise then would we remember our latter end 7. The Reward we shall receive will be an upright just and perfect reward Verily there is a reward for the Righteous A sure reward Prov. 11.18 A full reward 2 Joh. 8. An everlasting reward 2 Cor. 4.17 It shall be well with the righteous their labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. He is not behind with them now nor will he then They shall have Pleasures without pain Treasures without trash Riches without rust Honours without envy Crowns without cares and Life without death If the consideration of these things prevail not with us thus to walk what shall If they have no influence upon us what will Having premised these things the fourth Query comes next in order to be discussed go along with me and it shall be fully resolved 4 Q. When does this Ordinance of the Supper work for their good who thus walk An account hereof take in the Twelve following particulars Then it doth such good and much good 1 When it makes them more zealous for God for his Way and Truth and in his Worship Zeal is Amor intensus the flame of Love as Aquinas describes it 'T is ignis quidam flagrantissimi amoris Usque ad Oâ—â—â—vum graâ—am as St. Austin long before him Or if you will 't is a compound of Love and Anger a mixt affection it carries forth ones love to God and his anger against sin in the most intense degree It consists in an earnest prosecution of what is good and in a vehement detestation of what is evil O the excellency of this frame of spirit You know 't is the spirit of wine that commends it the sparkle that gives worth to the Diamond as life gives an excellency to being so vivacity in operating gives an excellency to life this is that the Lord calls for in Rom. 12.11 this he owns and crowns Numb â— 25.11 This is most prevalent with God for good Jam. 5.16 Elijah's prayer fetcht fire from Heaven because it carried fire to Heaven Grace turns a Sinner into a Saint Zeal turns a Saint into a Seraphim Much more of this you heard the other day from Revel 3.19 Be zealous therfore If when you come to this Ordinance with chill and dull and frozen affections and dead hearts and there find them wrought upon and you go thence more brisk and lively more full of love to God and hatred of sin if now you can plead the cause of God and defend the Faith with more courage and resolution if now you can suffer for God more chearfully whose dearly beloved Son you here see suffer'd so much for you if now you can perform every holy duty with more vigour and activity if you who were so remiss and cold and slothful in the business of Religion in the great concerns of God and your Souls are now more rouzed quickned excited and enlarged When thus it works then it does you good indeed 2 When their Hearts are thaw'd and melted so that they can sorrow after a godly manner in the sight and sense of sin Tears are precious things one calls 'em the Wine of Angels another the fat Sacrifice Such Sacrifices were most acceptable Levit. 3.3 4 5. The Prayers of the Saints move their Tears compell the Lord to shew mercy says Jerome Were they not very precious he would not keep a bottle for them They never run in the right channel but when they are shed for sin then only they do us good as St. Chrysostom well observes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For this end were they made Philosophers tell us That only reasonable and sinful Creatures can gaudere maerere rejoyce and weep To speak properly no other upon earth can If now when you come to this Ordinance your Eyes affect your Hearts so that you can inwardly grieve and outwardly weep bitterly for your sin as one that is in heaviness for his only Son or first-born If when you behold a bleeding Christ you have bleeding Hearts a broken Christ you have broken Spirits then does this Ordinance work for your good In the time of the Law the Passover was to be eaten with bitter Herbs Exod. 12.8 those Herbs were five say the Jewish Doctors The Passover was a lively Type of Christ who is our Passover
Nothing does grace a man as Grace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysostom 't is a Christians great Ornament What a pearl of price must holiness be when 't is the scope of Almighty God in all his Acts Ordinances and Providences in all his Mercies and Judgments in our Election Ephes 1.4 in our Redemption Tit. 2.14 in our Afflictions Heb. 12.10 Some Ordinances are for Conversion some are for Confirmation all are for our Sanctification This Golden Oyl comes from the two Olive Trees through the Golden pipes of his holy Institutions They say that Corn never ripens more than when the Sun is in Conjunction with the Dog-star sure am I Holiness never ripens more than when the Spirit of the Lord is in Conjunction with the Word and Sacraments When you go from this sacred Ordinance and find you are not only more for the doing of holy things but for the more holy doing of things more thankful for mercies more watchful over your hearts words and ways more spiritual in your Conversations more savory and fruitful in your Converses more conformable in every thing to the Image of your dear Redeemer When the power of this Ordinance runs through every vein of your Conversations when you trade buy and fell when you pray hear sanctifie his Day and do all in the strength of this Ordinance when you can stand at a greater distance from Sin and from the World when you can look upon all the beauty of the World as blackness and on all the fulness of it as emptiness when you can feast your selves in God whilst you are starving in the Creature when you can say in the sincerity of your Souls were all the Universe on a flame the fire does not touch my portion when you can stand upon its ruins and say triumphingly I have lost nothing or as that good man Lord Te pro omnibus prae omnibus the sauris aestimo Moller in Psal 73.25 thou knowest where all my good things are even in thee and above with thee Lord whom have I in Heaven but thee and there is none on earth that I desire in comparison of thee You have there the desire of Davids Soul and the Soul of his desire when thus you find it working it does you much good indeed 6 When their hearts are more humbled more deeply and thorowly humbled when they meet with such tasts of the Lords graciousness such manifestations of his rich mercy and discoveries of his free love as lays them as low as the very dust when they can say as David did 2 Sam. 7.18 19. Who am I O Lord God that thou hast brought me hitherto What shall such a poor pitiful piece of polluted clay such a map of misery be admitted to thy Table feasted at thy Board fed with the Body and Blood of the Son of God who am I that I should be embraced in his arms that he should ravish my heart with the sweet sound of his precious promises and rejoyce my drooping Soul with a well-grounded hope of his gracious pardons and of the acceptance of my person and performances I am not worthy the least crumb of bread which grows upon the earth or comes thence much less of that bread of life which came down from Heaven The condition of my Soul had been as doleful as any mans on earth had not free grace renewed me as dreadful as any damned souls in hell had not he in mercy to my Soul repriev'd me O what a poor starven Soul had mine been had not the Lord of Life refresh'd me The most genuine and natural effect which divine discoveries have upon a devout Soul is Humiliation nothing does it more kindly and that which humbles us does not hurt us when you can go from this Ordinance lothing and abhorring your selves and see more of your own nothingness as Creatures and vileness as Sinners when you can cry with Job Behold I am vile Chap. 40.4 With the poor Publican God be merciful to me a sinner I dare not lift mine eyes towards Heaven Luk. 18.13 When it makes and keeps us more humble then it doth us good indeed 7 When their peace and joy in the Lord is increased their Spiritual comforts are enlarged and their Souls are more assured of their interest in Christ and in the everlasting Covenant When they can go to Christ and say Thou art mine to the Promises and say all these are mine when they can lay hold on the blessings of the Covenant and say all these are sealed to me in this blessed Sacrament This lo this is the sweet fruit the Saints find at this holy Sacrament when their trembling Faith is turn'd into a triumphing Faith their Faith of adherence into a Faith of evidence and assurance There is a threefold fulness of Assurance a full allurance of Understanding Col. 2.2 of Hope Heb. 6.11 and of Faith Heb. 10.22 O what a sweet and precious what a rich and rare Jewel is this Grace purifies Assurance pacifies Grace brings the Soul to Heaven Assurance brings Heaven into the Soul Grace is better than Peace but Peace is sweeter than Grace Assurance is a flower of Paradise a sparkle of Glory Heaven on this side Heaven an Anchor at Sea a Shield at Land a Staff to support a Sword to defend Bread to strengthen Wine to chear and Balm to cure the Soul of man When at and by this precious Ordinance your Souls are fill'd with joy unspeakable and full of glory when those black clouds of fears and jealousies are dispersed and those bitter storms of Soul-troubles are blown over when brighter beams and clearer calms and sweeter comforts flow in upon your Souls when thus you find it then has the Sacrament been working for your good 'T is one great end of this Ordinance to seal his peoples Graces many a child of God can tell you that by this Ordinance they have arriv'd at a great measure of assurance they have come empty and gone hence full they have come with fears and doubts upon them and have gone away with abundance of joy and peace the Lord has met them at his Table has spoken peace unto their Consciences has clear'd up their Evidences for Heaven and now they can speak of the great things he has done in it and by it too for their precious Souls This Ordinance was instituted for his peoples growth in Grace and for their sense of Grace for the augmentation of it and for the manifestation of it By it Grace grows up to its full stature and just proportion 'T is for sealing too the Sacrament is a good friend to the Spirit be it spoken with reverence and the Spirit is a greater friend to the Sacrament and both are great friends to the Soul sealing it up unto the day of redemption Rom. 4.11 Ephes 4.30 As a Seal doth confirm and settle the mind of the Buyer so doth the Sacrament satisfie and assure the heart of a Believer O how
my treasure my fullness my All I am dead but to thee I come for life and quickning grace I have a proud heart but unto thee do I address my self I know thou who givest more and better grace to the humble canst give me grace to be more humble I am impotent but to thee I come for strength against my corruptions and for holy duties Lord I am nothing I have nothing I can do nothing I am good for nothing I cannot plead my merits but thy mercy unworthy I am to live unfit I am to die When thus we find it with us at or after a Sacrament then has it been working for our good 11 When you have the Covenant of Grace sealed and the Characters thereof impressed upon your hearts when Sacrament-days are healing and sealing days the Saints are sealed with the holy Spirit of Promise such sacred stamps he sets upon their Souls as shall never be obliterated Many a child of God has here had monumentum aere perennius when by this Ordinance you gain such full evidences of his love such influences of his Grace such experiences of his Truth such assistances from his Spirit such ratifications and confirmations of the Gospel-promises as you never had before When thus you find it with you you may safely and solidly conclude it has been working for your good 12 Once more and in a word When more glorious conquests over your spiritual enemies are obtained when prevailing lusts are vanquished and fiery temptations are quenched and all these wonders one drop of his precious blood when taken down by Faith can do when you can go from this Ordinance triumphing over and trampling upon the neck of your unbelief and pride c. and this some have done when you can come from the Sacrament as Israel did out of the Red Sea and see your spiritual enemies bleeding gasping dying dead your lusts destroyed but your Souls preserved When thus you feel and find it surely the Sacrament has done you good and much good Q. 5. How doth it appear that the Spirit of the Lord is not so straitned but that he can cause this Ordinance to work for your good Answ 'T is a truth written with a Sun-beam 't is tanquam ex tripode dictum None of those Oracles may vye with this The Spirit of the Lord hath owned and blessed it to others and therefore can to you The Spirit of the Lord is God and what cannot a Great Almighty God do What will not a good and gracious God do by his Ordinances for his people His arm is not shortned nor love lessened or impaired Of all the Fathers were I confined to one alone I should fix on Ambrose Vide S. Ambrosii de sp s lib. 1. cap. 1 3 6 7 9 11 14 20. Lib. 2. cap. 4 9. 12. Lib. 3. cap. 5 12 14 17 23 Tom. 4. for he hath writ enough to evince the Deity and divine operations of the Holy Ghost from him I might extract what would abundantly confirm the Proposition under our present consideration but I forbear As St. Paul reasoned concerning the Resurrection of the dead saying in his Apology for himself before King Agrippa Act. 20.8 Why should it be thought a thing unreasonable with you that God should raise the dead So may I say to you in this Apology for the power of the Spirit Why should it be thought a thing unreasonable for the Spirit of the Lord to do all these things in at and by this sacred and solemn Ordinance The Doctrine under debate neither exceeds the bounds of Faith nor is it contrary to the experience of the Saints Doubtless some within these walls have had sweet experience of the powerful influences and mighty workings of the Spirit of the Lord in their Hearts and upon their Spirits at this Ordinance But we will review and succinctly reflect upon some of the forementioned particulars we shall fix on four or five the rest you may clear up to your selves in your private Meditations I remember that Athenagoras an Athenian but a Christian Philosopher disputing for the Resurrection of the Dead hath a passage which is pertinent to what I have in hand The impotency of an Agent ariseth either from his ignorance something he would do but knows not what nor how or from his insufficiency or weakness though he knows what and how to effect yet a power is wanting to accomplish and bring it to pass neither of which says he truly can be affirmed of God who is infinitely wise and powerful The same say I of the Spirit of the Lord He is a Spirit of Wisdom and Power and both infinite they are really the same with his Essence 1. He knows how to break the Heart for Sin and he can as easily bring it into a melting mourning frame alas we may pray and hear and wait in the use of means and yet our Hearts remain as hard as Adamant Fortiter yet Suaviter but when the Spirit of the Lord once takes them in hand he works irresistibly and effectually a nullo duro corde respuitur when he breaks in and breaths upon the Soul then it begins to thaw and melt and mourn We read of Peters sins exceeding great and very many were they sadly circumstantiated highly aggravated Mat. 26.75 Peter even now and but just now had a forewarning from Christ Peter was dearly belov'd of Christ none of the Twelve more John ever excepted He was the first whom Christ call'd to be an Apostle Peter was often admitted when others were excluded He yielded easily to the Temptation and that of a poor silly Damsel He sinned not in a corner once and again and a third time denies Christ with cursing and swearing c. yet when our Blessed Saviour began to look and the Spirit of the Lord set in to work then Peter went out and wept bitterly Mat. 26. ult A strange look and a strong look it was that thus quickly broke his heart in pieces he lookt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Theophylact observes with a look of love with a benign aspect Christ looks the Spirit works the Conscience stirs and out he goes and weeps exceedingly 2. He knows how to break the Heart from Sin and can easily do it be it a darling lust a Delilah never so near or dear a peccatum in deliciis He can make a full a final a total and an eternal Divorce between you and them though your lusts were mighty Hosts he can lay them dead at your feet I appeal from Gods Book to your own Breasts for the proof hereof 3. He can increase your Graces are they weak he can strengthen them if little he can increase them There is no Corruption so strong but he can make it weak no Grace so weak but he can make it strong This Men cannot Means cannot Angels cannot but He can 4. He can make you Holy as he is Holy that is for Quality not for Equality Holy in