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ized church of Christ: a true, political church, even as visible, though not in that sense as the deluded papists do imagine: but of this elsewhere.

3. And as all these are one church, and of one religion, so they are all of the true religion or else they could not be of one, and any one of them be true. Some will think this too charitable a conclusion; that so many erroneous parties should all be of one and of the true religion; but it is as true and necessary, as charitable. He that should deny it, should, as much as in him lieth, rob God of the chiefest fruit of his creation, providence, and redemption; and Christ Jesus of the chiefest fruit of his blood, resurrection, and of all those miracles which he hath wrought in the propagation of his Gospel; and the Holy Ghost of the fruit of his work of sanctification. It is too bold an attempt for any earth-worm to venture on to give Christ's spouse a bill of divorce. If the husband of the church do it not, what are we that we should do it? Christ hath paid so dear, and done so much to redeem them, and sanctify to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works, that he will not take it well of those that shall deny them to be his own. I know how zealous ignorance hath proved in these last times, the devil's master-piece for the disuniting of the church; and those that are once possessed with the spirit of delusion, have nothing more common in their mouths, than that such a party are heretics, and no church of Christ; and such a party are antichristian, and no church of Christ; and only they, or such as they, are his church. I would they knew how little thanks Christ will give them for this dealing. If they heard him speak his mind to them, it would be this; 'You know not what spirit you are of.' Zealous men do often run before their understandings, and little know their own hearts. They think it is the Spirit of God, and the love to his truth, that actuate them but they know not what spirit they are of; nor how much passion, raised by different judgments, and fed by the hot words of men of their own party, is used to go coloured with the name of holy zeal, and even deceiveth often the truest Christians: for we are not better than James and John. Christ hateth putting away, and he loveth not that we should attempt the putting away of his spouse, What God hath joined, let no man put asunder; especially if the conjunction be so near as head and body; and the covenant so strong as the blood and Spirit of Christ, and the bond of the everlasting covenant. Where

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Christ writeth his name, and saith, They are mine,' let men take heed of blotting it out, and saying, "They are the devil's.' I know we may find faults enough in any church that I know on earth, to give some poor colour to these attempts; such a church is erroneous, and such a one is superstitious, and such a one is lukewarm; I would they were all better and so they will be one day. But it ill becomes poor sinners to be more quick-sighted in spying out the faults of Christ's churches, or more severe in charging it on them than Christ is. It belongeth to him to do it, if it must be done; and let not us do it before him; it is Christ that justifieth, who shall condemn them? Every fault or error is not an unchurching fault. O how the God of unity and peace abhorreth the zealous censures and separation of these mistaken men. Christians should imitate their Lord, and get that tender, gentle, lamb-like Spirit that he useth to his poor people. He will not break the bruised reed; he carrieth the lambs in his arms, and gently driveth those with young. God is love, and his people should be loving. Were it but one particular sinner, we should sadly think of those plain and terrible words of Christ, "Judge not, that you be not judged;" and who art thou that judgest another man's servant? To his own master he standeth or falleth; the points between us and them in difference are controvertible, but these texts are as plain as the highway; God will give us little thanks to say of one poor, weak Christian, 'Thou art no Christian,' and to deal by our brethren as Job's friends; and to appropriate to ourselves alone the common salvation, and say, Christ is mine, and not thine.' None shall take his sheep whom the father hath given him out of his hands; and none should attempt it. But to judge whole churches, and say, they are no churches, is a matter yet of far greater moment; to say she is an harlot that Christ calleth his spouse.

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Use IV.

Oh, that the revolters of this age would but make use of this rule of the apostle! Here is such abusing of ministry and doctrine, and church, and separating from us, as if we were the most abominable people in the world. But shall I entreat those that are the true servants of Christ, and know what it is to be partakers of his Spirit, that they would ask themselves the apostle's question, Received ye the Spirit by the doctrine commonly preached in England, and by the ministers of

England, or not? If you did, how can you deny them to be the true church and ministers of Christ? If you did not receive the Spirit by us, or by the doctrine which we preach, I dare say you never received it. O, ungrateful children, that when we have prayed and preached and spent ourselves for their souls, and then think to have the comfort of them as our children in Christ, and they should be our crown and joy; then do they turn against us, reproach us, and account us their enemies, because we tell them the truth. Doubtless, there is a strong engagement lieth on men to those that God makes the means of their first conversion; else Paul would not so glory in it, and tell the Corinthians, that though they had never so many instructers, yet he was their father. Must we travel in birth of you till Christ be formed in you, and then do you not only as brute beasts, that when they are grown up, forget their own dams, but even revile us, and prove our greatest grief, and the sharpest thorns we have in our side. I know the ministers of Christ are faulty, and deserve all this as permitted by God: but yet God will let these men know one day, that this is not equal dealing from them. More particularly, you that are turned to antinomianism, and think that our ministers preach not free grace, no not the Gospel, but the law. Tell me, received you that Spirit by that which you call the preaching of free grace? I know free grace must be preached, but I mean that which you miscall so. Nay, let me not ask you for yourselves only, but for others; have you known any considerable number of men ; nay, any one man that ever received the Spirit by that doctrine which telleth them that Christ hath not only suffered and fulfilled the law in their very persons, so that they are judged as having done it in him; but also he hath repented for them, believed for them, and also obeyed the Gospel for them; that, therefore, they are justified before they are born or before they believe or repent: that, therefore, they are under no law but that of man; not so much as under the law of Christ, except only as the work of sanctification in them may figuratively be called a law: that, therefore, they need not pray for pardon of sin; nor be humbled for sin, as if it were not pardoned till they repent of it, seeing all their sins, be they never so many and heinous, were pardoned at once before they were committed; and that faith procureth only the sense of pardon in our own consciences. Did you ever know this doctrine convey the Spirit? Nay, do not all that receive it, or most,

turn loose and licentious, and cast off duty more than before? I might say the like of some other sects among us that love not to be named. Though I said before, that every particular opinion is not to be tried by this rule, but the substance of religion; yet those assemblies that God so forsakes, as not to convey his Spirit among them, have reason to suspect their way.

Use the last.

If all this be so, then, alas, what a case are those poor souls in among us that have none of the Spirit at all: yea, those that make a mock of the Spirit! Alas, that after so long preaching of the Gospel, there should yet be so many such found among us! If you be asked how you received the Spirit, would not some of you mock at it; and others say plainly you know not what it is to have the Spirit? The Lord open your eyes to see your misery, and let me tell you thus much of it at present, though I resolve to be short.

1. If any man of you have not the Spirit of Christ, that man is none of his; (Rom. viii. 9;) and what a case are you then in. If you be not Christ's, then Christ is not your's, and then what will you do against the accusation of the law, and of Satan, and of your own consciences? What will you do against the guilt of sin? What will you look to for comfort at your dying hour? What will you set between God's anger and your naked, guilty souls? How will you stand before God in judgment, or make answer to all that will be brought in against you? Oh! the thousand bills that will be there brought in; the least whereof may condemn you for ever. Then you will say, 'Oh! if I had but part in Christ, then I would answer all; but nothing else will do it.' Is there any other name by which you can be saved?

2. Let me tell you, if you have not that Spirit you are strangers to God. You cannot go to him sincerely, and call him Father. You cannot pray; for this is the spirit of prayer; no wonder, then, if you be neglecters or despisers of prayer, and disaffected to God.

3. If you have not God's Spirit, you are yet in your pollution; you are unclean; for it is the Spirit that must sanctify you. You know not what holiness is, though without it you shall not see God. (Heb. xii. 14.) No wonder if you undervalue or deny holiness.

4. You will not be able to resist temptation; for it is the Spirit that must strive against the flesh, and conquer it. No

wonder if you yield to every temptation, and live as Satan's slaves.

5. You have no true consolation for the Spirit is the Comforter: nor ever will have any sound comfort without him. The Lord teach you to beg for this Spirit, to seek and wait for it in the use of God's means, till the Lord Jesus shall be pleased to pour it upon you: for without the Spirit of Christ you are but the slaves of the devil, and animated by him in every evil work. And, as instead of a right guide and sanctifier you have a seducer and corrupter of your hearts and ways, so at last, without sound conversion, you will find that, instead of a comforter, you have a cruel tormenter:

COROLL,

A Demonstration of the Life to come, and Immortality of the Soul.

THERE is an absolute necessity of the apprehensions of reward or punishment in the life to come: for it is impossible that without it the world should be governed. No man's life, or goods, or good name, would have any considerable security, if no punishment or reward were expected but in this life; it being so easy a matter for a servant to rob his master secretly, or an envious man to kill or poison another secretly, and so all the world would be set on wickedness.

Now, I assume, if the apprehension of future rewards or punishments be so necessary, then certainly it is a truth that there are such future rewards and punishment. Else we should imagine that God cannot govern the world without deceit or a lie, as his engine; which, as it is highest blasphemy, so as clearly against the light of nature, as the denial of the Godhead for to be so impotent, and so evil, is to be no God. Even among the Romans, when nature was as much rectified and elevated, as ever it was without the doctrine of faith and invisible blessedness, yet not only every tyrant did destroy men at pleasure, but the angry master must cast his servants into his fish ponds, or otherwise put them to death, whenever they displeased him, if it were but by the breaking of a glass and the servants, perhaps, as commonly poison, or secretly kill the master; insomuch that, even in cruel Nero's days, Seneca saith,

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