taste or feed upon these things. Starving in the midst of plenty is their case: or, as if a sick man should have by him, in the midst of his languishing sickness, some vial of very choice and precious spirits, that in all likelihood would be relieving to him, and save him from death, but he keeps it by him, and will discourse to you very curiously and philosophically concerning the nature and virtues of this thing, yet never uses it, nor apprehends that he is concerned to use it, or that his case requires it; and so dies away with a medicine at hand all the while that might have saved his life.

the world, a spirit that fills the world with nothing but violence and mischief, that shakes and agitates the world with perpetual commotions; as it will be with it, till it dissolve and be burst asunder at last by the malignity of its own wickedness, and the wrath of God in a just conjunction therewith, coming upon the wicked. That spirit, and a just nemesis, that falls by way of punishment upon it, hath made the world so miserable a region, the very region of all miseries. So that any one may see, that the spirit of the world hath a great hold upon one, if things of this import are frequently observable in the course of his conversation. 4thly, A vain walk is a discovery, that a man's conversation is acted and influenced by the spirit of this world, which is a vain spirit. Such persons, who can never find a time wherein to be serious, who show this to be a thing that their hearts abhor from, whom you will find always vain, though you should meet them never so often in a day; as if a serious thought fled from their spirits as none of its element, and could not tell how to dwell with them; the very countenance and show of whose conversation discovers a continual vanity of spirit; what! will such persons dare to entitle the Spirit of God to this? Hath the Spirit of God the government of that man's walking, in which there is no face of seriousness, so that any one that sees hath reason enough to conjecture, that seriousness was never akin to his spirit, or had any place in it? This is matter of very necessary self-reflection. We ought to commune with ourselves very strictly and closely about this thing. Do we think, that we are under the guidance of the Spirit of God, and yet from day to day are unac- 4. The neglect of the very form itself. This is too known quainted with what it means to have serious thoughts and thing among some persons; and that too under the very serious frames and dispositions of heart about us? pretence of spirituality. They are too spiritual to be bound Thus far conformity to the world speaks an unsuitable-to any forms of worship, or any stated course of duties; ness and contrariety to walking in the Spirit. There are and that they may be more spiritual, they cast prayer out some other things, that are thought to be out of that verge, of their families, and refuse, yea even disdain, to live worand are really beside the more common and general course shipping lives, as too mean for them. All these things of this walk; which I shall mention under distinct heads speak a manifest repugnancy to walking in the Spirit. from this, because I would speak of them as they are Sure it is not the governor of any such courses of walking thought of. And therefore I add, as these are.

3. Formality in the business of religion. There are those, who think it cannot serve their turn to speculate all their days, and therefore would practice somewhat. But what do they practise? They run in a common road of duties, in which their own hearts upon reflection must confess, that they never had the Spirit of God breathing, and never concerned themselves to have it so. Theirs is a religious course, and a course of practical religion; but transacted at the utmost distance from the Spirit of God, so that it and their spirits have no communion from day to day ir. the whole. They keep up a course of prayer in their families, and it may be in secret, go to public assemblies, attend upon the ordinances of worship; but never find any impression upon their spirits, any warmth or vigour there, or a concern to look after any such thing. They think it well, that such a duty is over, and so that they have walked in a religious course, though strangers to God and his Spirit all their time.

a

I shall shut up all with some brief reflections upon both parts of the text together.

Since it doth belong to the Spiri of God by office, as we have asserted, to maintain the life and govern the walk and motions of Christians; we should bethink ourselves, of how indispensable necessity the communications of the Spirit for these purposes are unto us, and how miserable a thing it is to be destitute of them. We may easily apprehend how necessary that influence is, without which we can neither live nor move; and how miserable to be without it. For represent we to ourselves the case of a poor, languishing, decrepit creature, that is deprived of motive power; suppose him barely to live, to have only life enough to feel himself in a dying condition: now is not the case so with many Christians, with some of those perhaps that have the root of the matter in them? They have but life enough to feel that they are consuming, and in a state wherein the things that remain are even ready to die! That they do not die, is by Divine vouchsafement, and none of their care. What a sad case is this! And is it not yet worse with some? They have not life enough to take any notice, or make inquiry, whether they live or no: as persons that have some life left, yet may be incapable of considering whether they are alive or dead. Many Christians are so far from having that motive power, that is to be exercised in the managing of their own walk, and that would be so if it were not through their own default; that they are so altogether destitute also of any presence and vital influence of the Spirit, as never to consider the case, "Am I alive or dead?" Certainly this is a miserable case. And I may add,

2ndly, Opinionativeness in the business of religion. Many would little suspect this to be from the spirit of this world and indeed it is not the very common course of this world to be much concerned about such matters. But no matter from what spirit it is, their own or a worse; it is not from the Spirit of God; that doth not influence their course. But take aright what I mean by the term, opinionativeness: I mean such as in their ordinary course from day to day either are wholly taken up about speculative matters, that either really belong or that they affix to religion; or who only converse about most practical matters speculatively, as if they were matters of mere opinion, and not to be turned or employed to practice at all. A course of walking so managed as this is, certainly is not governed by the Spirit of God; that is the author of no such persuasion to men. Men are apt to think, that they are very safe from sin and blame in this case, because they are things of religion that they are much concerned and taken up about. But what things? and how are they employed about them? Either they converse about the mere skirts and borders of religion, and keep as remote as they can from the heart and vitals of it, from having any commerce with such things: or, if the case be not so, then they presume (and it is a dreadful presumption) to touch tho e most sacred things with sacrilegious hands; to alienat the great and deep things of God, that appertain to his kingdom and glory, from their proper and genuine purposes; that, whereas they should be the food of souls, and the maintenance of the spiritual life, they employ them only to feed curiosity, and so to satisfy a more refined lust. This is the very truth of the case; and so a great many, that are persons of more leisure and vacancy from worldly affairs, spend most of their time. It is doleful to think, that the design, for which such important things are revealed to men, should be so little understood, and so 1. It is intolerable in the case, to lay aside the apprelittle complied with and answered; and that so great hension of the distinction between natural and spiritual things should be perverted unto so mean and ill services.life, natural motion and spiritual. You may judge, whether And it is sad to think of the injury that such men do to their own souls; they go with famished souls from day to day, while they have most proper and suitable nutriment for them just at hand, but they will not touch, so as to

Where there is manifestly such a destitution, there are some things very intolerable, which yet are too obvious and frequent with many such. As,

the mention of this be not a most apparently needful thing. Are there not a great many, that spend away their days without so much as ever considering, that there is such a thing as spiritual life and motion, or a region all replenished

THE

PROSPEROUS STATE OF THE CHRISTIAN INTEREST

BEFORE THE END OF TIME,

BY A PLENTIFUL EFFUSION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT;

CONSIDERED IN FIFTEEN SERMONS,

ON EZEK. XXXIX. 29.

TO THE READER.

I APPREHEND little occasion to make an apology for the publication of the following discourses. They wno relish Mr. Howe's inimitable spirit of piety, judgment, copiousness, and force, in the management of every subject ne bath undertaken, will be glad of any remains of so great a man; and those who have been conversant with his writings, will hardly want any other voucher, besides the sermons themselves, that they are genuine, they so evidently carry in them, to a person of taste, the marks which always distinguish his performances.

They have not indeed had the advantage of his own masterly hand to prepare them for the press, and give them their last finishing; but were his discourses from the pulpit, taken first in short-hand by the hand of a very ready and judicious writer, who afterwards copied them out fair with the minutest exactness, as they were delivered. This very precise accuracy made it necessary, that they should be transcribed anew, before they saw the light. This I have adventured to do, without the alteration or addition of any one thought. But, in discourses delivered by a preacher without notes, some repetitions naturally occur in the pulpit; and very usefully, to enable the hearer to discern the connexion of the discourse as he goes along, and to make the deeper impression. These might appear tedious to a reader, who hath the whole before him; and therefore are omitted, further than they seemed to carry a peculiar emphasis, or than a different representation of the same thought was apprehended to convey the idea with greater force. The writer appears to have religiously followed the very words of the author, when he cited passages of Scripture by memory. It was judged proper to consult the texts themselves, and to cite them as they lie in the Bible; except where the author might be supposed out of choice to substitute another English word, as more expressive of the sense of the original. The repetition also of former discourses at the beginning of another sermon hath been omitted where nothing new occurred. But where a new thought is suggested, in such a repetition, it hath been carefully inserted in its proper place. This is all the variation I have allowed myself to make from the copy; and so much I apprehend will be accounted reasonable and necessary by all that are acquainted with such things.

The subject can hardly fail to be particularly acceptable. The reverend author hath often indeed expressed in general the same catholic sentiments in several of the works which he published himself; and shown his mind to have been uniformly the same as here, upon that head, wherein the prosperity of the Christian interest lies: that it consists not it the advancement of any party among Christians as such, or of any distinguishing name, or in any mere external forms; but in real vital religion and conformity to God. He hath also more than once intimated his expectation of better times for the church of God, than the present state of it. But he hath no where so professedly and distinctly explained his sentiments concerning the latter days of the Christian church, as in these discourses.

They were all preached in the course of a Wednesday lecture, which he formerly kept up at Cordwainer's Hall in this city; and all within the year 1678, as appears by the dates prefixed to each. A time, wherein he was in the vigour of life and height of judgment, between forty and fifty years old; and within a few years after his settlement with that congregation of protestant dissenters, where he ministered till his death. That was a time of peculiar distress and danger, not only to protestants out of the legal establishment in these kingdoms, but to the reformed interest in general through Europe. This may be supposed to have engaged his thoughts in so long attention to this subject, which animates with the hope of better times to come.

last age.

There are other discourses immediately preceding these at the same lecture, concerning the work of the Spirit in every age upon particular persons; as these relate to his work upon the Christian community, to be expected in the A copy of those sermons, drawn up by the same writer, is fallen into the hands of a very worthy brother of this city, by as unexpected a providence as these came into mine. I hope he may be prevailed with to introduce them into the world, if those which are now offered meet with a favourable reception. And both these volumes together, will contain the sum of this great man's sentiments concerning the important doctrine of the Holy Spirit. If any inquire, why these sermons were not inserted in the late collection of Mr. Howe's works in folio; I answer; besides that it was resolved to insert none there, but those which he had published himself; so, if it had been thought

proper to add more, the copy of these came not into my hands, or within my notice, till that edition was made public.

Such an index cannot be judged needful to a particular discourse; as I thought proper to add to that collection, where the subjects treated of are so various. It appeared more useful here to give a view of his whole scheme upon the argument, by way of contents: and because of the felicity of this author in descants upon Scripture, an index of the texts, which he hath taken notice of, is added even to this short treatise.

May the great Lord of the harvest succeed the revived labours of our fathers, and the endeavours of those in the present age, who are called to serve him in the Gospel; and still raise a seed to serve him, both in the ministry and ont of it, which from time to time shall be accounted to him for a generation. This is the hearty prayer of An unworthy Servant of

Prescot-street.
Dec. 6th, 1725.

our common Lord,

JOHN EVANS.

to mean here, by "the face of God." It is very plain, that it frequently means his providential appearances, or the aspect of providence one way or another. And thus we are more frequently to understand it, when it is spoken of in reference to a community, or the collective body of a people; yea, and sometimes, when in reference to particupersons too. And hence it will easily appear, how we are to take the opposite expressions, of his "making his face to shine;" or of his "hiding, or covering, or clouding his face."

Jar

THE operations of the Holy Ghost may be considered either as relating to particular persons, in a single and private capacity; for the regenerating of souls, or implanting in them the principles of the divine and spiritual life; the maintaining of that life; the causing and ordering all the motions that are proper thereunto: or, as having an influence upon the-felicity and prosperous state of the church in general.—For this last, the Scripture that I have pitched upon, gives us a very plain and sufficient ground. It is manifest, that it is a very happy and prosperous state, which is here referred unto, if you look back upon this and the foregoing chapters, the xxxvi. xxxvii. and Xxxviii. which are all congenerous, and as it were of a piece with this. You find such things copiously spoken of and promised, as we are wont to consider in the constitution of a prosperous happy state, in reference to what their case required; reduction from captivity, victory over their enemies, abundant plenty of all things, settled tranquillity and peace, entire union among themselves, both Ephraim and Judah, as you will find it expressed; the renewal of Gods covenant with them, after their so great and longcontinued defection and apostacy from it; in which covenant he would be their God, and take them for his people, and have the relation avowed and made visible to all the world, that he and they were thus related to one another. These things you may find at large in the several chapters mentioned; importing all the favour that we could suppose any way conducible to make a people happy. And indeed the same thing is compendiously and summarily held forth in the words of the text themselves: "Neither will I hide my face any more from them; for I have poured out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God." We cannot in few words have a fuller account given of a happy state. To consider these words themselves; the contents of them are, 1. A gracious prediction: "Neither will I hide my face any more from them:" a prediction, or prophetic promise, or a promissory prophecy of a most happy state: and, 2. The reason given hereof, why God would provide that all things should be well with them in other respects: "For I have poured out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God."

It appears from sundry scriptures, that by his-showing his face, or letting it be seen,-giving the sight of it, orcausing his face to shine, giving the pleasant sight of it, or lifting up the light of his countenance,-(expressions of the same import,) the favourable aspect of providence is to be understood; when these expressions are used, as I said, more especially in reference to the collective body of a people. And so the hiding of his face, signifies as much as the change of these more favourable aspects of providence, for those that are more severe, and that do import anger and displeasure. For so, by the aspects and appearances of providence, it is to be understood, whether God be propitious and favourably inclined toward a people, or whether he be displeased and have a controversy with them as it may be discerned in the face of a man, whether he be pleased or displeased. Wherefore you have anger and severity, which uses to be signified by providence, and as it is so signified held forth to us under this same phrase or form of speech, Dent. xxxi. 18. 1 will surely hide my face in that day, for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods. See what the expression there is exegetical of, or with what other phrases it is joired, as manifestly intending the same thing; such as, his anger being kindled against them, and his forsaking them. It is interserted among such expressions again and again. So ver. 17. My anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them; and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not amongst us? In the same sense the word is used, chap. xxxii. 20., and in many other scriptures, in reference to bodies of men. And sometimes in reference to a particular person; as in Job xxxiv. 29. When he gives quietness, who shall give trouble? and when he hides his face, who shall behold him? Who dare behold him, when clouds and frowns do eclipse that bright and pleasant light of his countenance before lift up, whether it be against a nation or a particular person? as there Elihu speaks. And he had been speaking before of the acts of proviThere are two things, that must be the matter of a lit-dence, in lifting up and casting down at his pleasure, and the previous inquiry, in order to our taking up what we according as men's ways and deportment towards him in are to insist upon from this Scripture ;-1. The import of this kind or that did make it most suitable and fit. And this negative expression, "Neither will I hide my face any therefore also the church, being represented as in a very more from them;" and,-2. How we are to understand afflictive condition, exposed to the insultations of tyranthe subject of the promised favour here, as it is designed nous enemies, and having suffered very hard and grievby this name, "the house of Israel."-These things being ous things from them; this is the petition that is put up in cleared, the matters that I intend to recommend to you the case, Turn us, and cause thy face to shine upon us, and insist upon, will plainly result. and we shall be saved, Psal. lxxx. 3, 19.

I. As to the former, what this negative expression should mean, "Neither will I hide my face any more from them." It is needful, that we may understand that, to know what the Scripture doth often mean, and may well be supposed

*Preached May 9th, 1678.

Therefore it is obvious to collect, what the like expression here must mean; "Neither will I hide my face any more from them." It must mean, that he would put them into a prosperous condition; the course of his providence