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you hope to live in glory. Therefore you must so "live by the faith of the Son of God, who hath loved you and given himself for you," that you may say it is he that liveth in you. (Gal. ii. 20, 21.) This is the fountain from whence you must daily fetch your strength and comfort.

10. And still remember that it is by the operation of the HOLY SPIRIT that the Father and the Son do sanctify souls, and regenerate and breed them up for glory. It is by the Holy Ghost that God dwelleth in us by love, and Christ dwelleth in us by faith. Therefore see that you rest not in corrupted nature, and trust not to yourselves or to the flesh. Your souls are dead to God and holiness, and your duties dead, till the Spirit of Christ do quicken them. You are blind to God and mad in sin, till the Spirit illuminate you, and give you understanding. You are like enemies, out of love with God, with heaven and holiness, till this Spirit reconcile and sanctify your wills. You will have no manlike, spiritual and holy pleasure, till the Holy Spirit renew your hearts, and make them fit to delight in God. O that men knew the great necessity of the illuminating, quickening, sanctifying and comforting influence of the Spirit of God, how far would they be from deriding it, as some profane ones do! By this Holy Spirit the sacred records were written; and by the miracles of Christ and his apostles, and by the evangelists and prophets, they were sealed and delivered to the churches. By this Spirit, the orders and government of the church were settled; and by Him we are enlightened to understand the Scriptures and are inclined to love them, and delightfully to believe and obey them. Study therefore obediently these writings of the Holy Ghost, and confidently trust them. O be not found among the resisters or the neglecters of the Spirit's help and motions, when proud self-confidence or fleshly lust do rise against them.

Christ's bodily presence is taken from the earth; he promised, instead of it, (which was but in one place at once,) to send his Spirit, which is to the soul more than the sun's light to the eye, and can shine in all the world at once. This is his agent on earth, by whom (in teachers and learners) he carrieth on his saving work. This is his advocate, who pleadeth his cause effectually against unbelief, fleshly lusts, and worldly wisdom. This is the "well of living

water, springing up in us to everlasting life;" the name, the mark of God on souls; the Divine regenerator, the author of God's holy image; and the Divine nature, even Divine life, and light and love; the conqueror of the world and flesh, the strengthener of the weak, the confirmer of the wavering, the comforter of the sad, and the pledge, earnest and firstfruits of everlasting life. O therefore pray earnestly for the Spirit of grace, carefully obey him, and joyfully praise God, in the sense of his holy encouragement and help!

CHAP. IX.

Additional Counsel to Young Men, who are bred up to Learning, and public work, especially to the Sacred Ministry, in the Universities and Schools.

1. It was the case of the London apprentices, who are nearest me, and with whom I have oft to do, which first provoked me to this work; it was their case therefore which was chief in my intention. But had I as near an opportunity to be a counsellor to others, there are three sorts whom I should have preferred, for the sake of the church and kingdom, to which they are of greater signification:

(1.) Those in the schools and universities, who are bred up for the sacred ministry.

(2.) Those in schools, colleges, and in the inns of court, who are bred up the knowledge of the law.

(3.) The sons of noblemen, knights and others, that are bred up for some places in the government of the kingdom, according to their several ranks. And of these it is first to whom I shall most freely speak.

2. And first I shall mention the importance of their case, and secondly the danger that they are in of miscarrying, and what they should do to escape it.

3. And indeed their condition, as they prove good or bad, is of unspeakable importance.

(1.) To the church and to the souls of men.

(2.) To the peace of the kingdom.

(3.) To themselves. And,

(4.) To their parents, above the common case of others.

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4. (1.) Of how great importance the quality of the clergy is to the church and to men's salvation, many thousands have found to their joy and happiness; and, I fear, many more thousands have found to their sorrow and destruction. And then of what importance the quality of scholars and young candidates is to the soundness of the clergy, I need not many words to make men of reason and experience know.

5. (2.) God who hath instituted the sacred office, and by his Spirit qualifieth men for the work, doth usually work according to the fitness of their work and their qualifications. As he doth the works of nature according to the fitness of natural second causes, (giving more light by the sun, than by a star or candle, &c.) so he doth the works of morality, according to the fitness of moral causes. Holiness is the true morality, and usually wrought by holy means. And though it be so supernatural in several respects, (as it is wrought by the supernatural revelation or doctrine, or a supernatural teacher Christ, by the operation of the Holy Ghost a supernatural agent, commonly called infusion,' and raising the soul to God'-a supernatural object, and to a better state than that of corrupted nature,) though holiness be thus supernatural, yet we are natural recipients and agents, and it is our natural faculties which grace reneweth, and, when thus renewed, they learn to exercise the acts of holiGod worketh on us according to our nature, and by causes suited to our capacities and to the work. As he useth not to give men the knowledge of languages, philosophy or any art, by the teaching of the ignorant and unskilful, so much as by learned and skilful teachers, we must say the same of our teachers of sacred truth; and though grace be the gift of the Holy Ghost, experience constraineth all sorts of Christians almost to acknowledge what I here assert. Why else do they so earnestly contend, that they may live under the teachers which they count the best? Will heretics teach men the truth as well as the orthodox? there such a stir made against heretics in the world? And why are the clergy so eager to silence such as preach down that which they approve? Will Papists choose Protestant teachers, or will Protestants choose Papists?

ness.

Why then is

And as men are unfit to teach others that which they

know not themselves, so unbelieving and unholy men are far less fit to persuade the hearers to faith and holiness, than believing, holy teachers are. Though some of them may be furnished with the same notions and words which serious, godly teachers use, yet usually, even in that, they are greatly wanting; because they have not so thoroughly studied saving truth, nor perceived its evidence, nor set their hearts upon it, nor deeply received and retained it. For serious affection quickeneth the mind to serious consideration, and causeth men speedily and deeply to receive that truth which others receive but slowly, superficially, or not at all. How eagerly and prosperously do men study that which they strongly love! And how hardly do they learn that in which they have no delight, much more that which they hate, and against which their very natures rise in opposition!

But if a hypocrite should have good notions and words, yet he will be usually greatly wanting in that serious delivery which is ordinarily needful to make the hearers serious Christians. That which cometh not from the heart of the speaker, seldom reacheth the heart of the hearer. As light causeth light, so heat causeth heat; and the dead are unfit to generate life. The arrow will not go far or deep, if both the bow and arm that shoot it be not strong; constant experience telleth us undeniably of the different success of the reading or saying of a pulpit-lesson, as of a dull or a mere affected speech, and of the judicious and serious explication and application of well-chosen matter which the experienced speaker well understandeth, and which he uttereth from the feeling of his soul. Neither the love of a benefice nor the love of applause will make a man preach in that manner, as the love of God, the lively belief of heaven and hell, and the desire of saving souls will do. The means will be chosen and used, and the work done, agreeably to the principle and the end.

But if a stage hypocrite should learn the knack or art of preaching, with affected fervency and seeming zeal, yet art and paint will not reach the power and beauty of nature. Usually affectation bewrayeth itself; and, when it is discerned, the hypocrisy is loathed. And it faileth ordinarily, in point of constancy: "Will the hypocrite pray always?"

(Job xxvii. 10.) Art will not hold out like nature: when the motives of gain (which is their godliness) cease, the pleasures of applause, which are the means, will likewise cease. Yea, it usually turneth to a malignant reviling of the serious piety which they counterfeited before, or of the persons whose applause they did affect. For where the hypocrisy of the preacher is discovered by his contradictory and selfcondemning words or life, and the people accordingly judge of him as he is, his proud heart cannot bear it, but he turneth a malicious reproacher of these whose applause he sought,-thinking, by disgracing them, to defend his own esteem, by making their censure of him to seem incredible or contemptible.

And if the hypocrite should hold on his stage-affectation with plausible art, yet it will not reach to an answerable discharge of the rest of his ministerial work. It is from MEN that he expecteth his reward; and it is in the sight of men, on the public stage, that he appeareth in his borrowed glory. But in his family, his conversation, or in his ministerial duty to men in private, he answereth not his public show. He will not set himself to instruct and win the ignorant and impenitent, zealously to save men from their sins, and to raise men's earthly minds to heaven, by praying with them, by heavenly discourse, and by a holy conversation; nor will such a person be at much cost or labour to do good.

6. But (alas!) the far greatest part of bad, unexperienced clergymen do prove so hurtful to the church, that they have not so much as the hypocrite's seeming zeal and holiness with which to cloak their sin or to profit their people. The sad case of the Christian world proclaimeth this; not only in the Southern and Eastern churches, Abassia, Egypt, Syria, Armenia, the Greeks, Muscovites, &c.; nor only the Papist priests in the West; but too great a number in the Reformed churches. And it is more lamentable than wonderful: for there goeth so much to the general planting of a worthy, faithful ministry, that it is the great mercy of God that such

are not more rare.

(1.) If they have not natural capacity, there is not matter for art and ordinary grace to elevate.

(2.) If this capacity be not improved by diligent and long study, (which most of them will not undergo,) it is no wonder if it be useless, or much worse.

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