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into a Way of obtaining everlasting Salvation. Less than this we cannot suppose to be contained in these Promises of Chrift, that the Gates of Hell shali never prevail Mat. 16. against his Church, and that he, by his Spirit, will be with his Apostles and their Successors to the End of the World. But then Ch. 28. it is to be remember'd always, that it doth not follow from hence, either that any particular Church is secure from Error, or from other great Failings; or that any particular Church shall always continue to be a Church. Because a particular Church, or a particular Nation, may so reject the Guidance of the Holy Spirit, and by their grievous and often repeated Tranfgreffions fo affront God, as to provoke him at last to give them up, and to remove their Candlestick from them, as Rev.2.5 St. John expresses it. The Promise of the perpetual Prefence or Advocateship of the Holy Spirit is only made to the Church of Christ in general, not to any particular Church or Member of that Body; and it is only so made to the Church in general, as to import that that Church shall never fail from the Earth; but not at all that it shall never fall into Errors or Corruptions.

Secondly, As the Holy Ghost, for making good the Promises of Christ, will take care that there shall always be a Church; (viz. several Societies of Men agreeing in the common Faith under their lawful Pastors, wherein so much Christian Truth shall

be taught as is necessary to Salvation); fo the fame Spirit will always take care to be present in the Ordinances and Administrations of the Church, both for the enlightening the Understandings of Men to receive and embrace all necessary Truths, and inclining their Wills to practise accordingly. I dare not say of any Sort of Men in the World that have the Essentials of Christianity among them, but that the Holy Spirit is always at hand, by his inward Power and Virtue, to accompany the outward Means which God hath been pleased to bestow. or continue amongst them.

Thirdly, I say this further; the Holy Spirit of God never did, nor ever will fail to direct and govern the Lives and Actions of all Believers that mean honestly, and heartily devote themselves to the Service of Jesus Christ. He will not fail to inspire their Minds with good Thoughts, to give them Grace and Strength to refift the Temptations of the Devil; to assist them in their Prayers and Devotions; and whereas they know not what they should pray for as they Rom. 8. ought, to make Interceffion for them with Groanings which cannot be uttered (for which Reason chiefly, as fome learned Men have conceived, he hath the Name of Paraclete or Advocate given him in Scripture, namely, as the Interceffor for the Saints; tho' I am apt to think, with St. Chryfoftom, that this Text is rather to be understood of the

Extraordinary Gifts of Prayer in the first Ages:) And to preserve them from all dangerous and deftructive Errors, to furnish them with fufficient Powers to mortify and overcome all their evil Habits and corrupt Affections; and finally, if they be compliant with his holy Motions, to bring them all at last to the Kingdom of Heaven. I do not say that they shall be secured againft all Errors, and against all Sins; but if they be Persons of Probity and Integrity, such as fincerely defire to know their Master's Will, and to do it, they shall for ever be kept from all damning Errors, and for ever be secured from such Snares and Temptations to evil Practices, as, if they were exposed to, and left to themselves, they could not avoid falling under them.

But fourthly and lastly, While I am talking of the ordinary Grace of God, and the ordinary Instances of the Holy Ghost's Advocateship in the World; yet I would not exclude out of that Account even the extraordinary Communications of God's Grace and Spirit, when an extraordinary Occasion offers its self. When in our Days an unufual Case happens, that is to fay, when a particular Church, or a particular Person, is put under such Difficulties, or Trials, or Temptations, that God Almighty fees they cannot be got over without a greater Affistance of his divine Power than is ordinarily bestowed; in such a Cafe as this, I say, God will bestow all the Affiftance that is needful: And that Assistance of the Spirit, tho' it be more than is usual, yet, in our Case, comes under the Notion of ordinary Grace, or the ordinary Acts of the Spirit's Advocateship. Our Lord Jesus hath purchased the Holy Spirit for his Difciples, not only for those of one Age, but for all his Followers to the World's End; and at the fame Time that he promised to fend the Holy Ghost for the Advocate, he promised that he should abide with us for ever, as my Text hath it. There were indeed greater Occasions of his appearing illustriously, visibly, and miraculously at the Beginning of Christianity, than there can be now. But if the same Occasions could happen again, he would, without doubt, appear fuitably to those Occasions; for his Power is not shortened; and we may be certain that he will never leave us nor forsake us, unless we first leave and forsake him. In the mean Time let us not be difmayed at any Thing; let us not doubt of his constant Support and Assistance. Tho' he do not inspire us to work Miracles, or speak Languages; yet he will for ever inspire us both to believe aright, and to practise aright, if we use our Understandings as we ought to do, and do not wilfully depart from the known Rules of our Duty. And if ever it please God to expose us to extraordinary Temptations, his Spirit will then extraordinarily assist us, and we shall as certainly overcome them, as if we had been acted in the same Way that the Apostles and primitive Christians were.

I have been the more careful in distinguishing between the extraordinary and ordinary Instances of the Holy Ghost's Advocateship in the World; because the not attending duly to it hath brought abundance of Fanaticism, and Enthusiasm, and other Mischiefs into the Church of Christ. Whilst we are reading the New Testament, and do often there meet with such surprising Things about the Gifts and Effects of the Holy Spirit, and do not diftinguish between those that were proper and peculiar to the apoftolick Age, and those that were to be continued to the Church for ever after, it is hardly avoidable but we must needs run into a great many Mistakes; and such Mistakes as have by Experience been found very prejudicial both to the Peace of Chriftendom, and the Salvation of Men's Souls.

For Instance, I pray what is it that hath made so many Quakers and gifted Brethren amongst us, but the misinterpreting and mifapplying those Texts which speak of the Gifts of the Spirit, which they so understand as to make no Distinction between the Times then and the Times now? They read, for Instance, a Prophecy in Joel, that when the last Days should come, God would pour Joel 2.28. his Spirit upon all Flesh, and their young Men Acts 2.17.

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