ourfelves before our God, for these our SERM, manifold Sins and Tranfgreffions, and XVI. give God the Glory of his wonderful Mercy, Long-fuffering, and Forbearance, but take to ourfelves Shame and Confufion of Face. Let us blow up in our Souls the Sparks of an holy Zeal for God's Glory, and endeavour to ferve him more fincerely for the Time to come; and and if we do thus, though God may hide his Face from us for a little, yet he will return and leave a Blessing behind him. He knows, that we are but Duft, and therefore will be merciful to our Sins, and pardon our Iniquities.

AND now what remains, but that we make a right Improvement of what has been faid, for the Government of our Lives and Conversations? That we be careful and vigilant, and ftand upon our Guard, that our Adverfary, the Devil, may have no Advantage over us; that we take particular Care, left, by any prefumptuous Sin, we grieve God's Holy Spirit, and, provoke him to depart from us and leave us to ourselves; that we cherith his holy Motions and Infpirations, by hearkening to them and complying with them; and whenever we have good Thoughts fpring up in our Souls, that we improve them

ri

SERM. by Meditation, fix them upon our MeXVI. mories, and tranfcribe them into our Lives and Converfations: That we frequently enquire into the Condition of our own Souls, that we may know whether we grow in Grace, and improve in all the Virtues of a fpiritual Life; or, whether thefe languish and decay in us, and our Hearts grow more hardened in a wicked and ungodly Life; and, laftly, if we have offended God and grieved his Holy Spirit, and for fome Time have gone on in a finful Courfe of Life, that we never ceafe praying and weeping, performing Acts of Contrition and Revenge upon our felves, amending our Lives, and humbling ourfelves before God, till we have gained fome competent Affurance, our Sins are blotted out, and we have regained the Love and Favour of the Almighty: Which God of his Mercy grant to us all, for Jefus Chrift his Sake,

SERMON

SERMON

XVII.

The Miffion of the Holy Ghoft..

JOHN XIV. 26.

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghoft, whom the Father will fend in my Name, he shall teach you all Things, and bring all Things to your Remembrance, whatfoever I have faid unto you.

UR Saviour Chrift, knowing, SERM, that his Hour was come, that XVII. he fhould depart out of this World

Ο

I.

to his Father, prepares the John xiii. Minds of his Difciples before-hand, that they might bear the Lofs of him the better, by telling them what must happen; that he must shortly leave the World and be taken away from them; and therefore he exhorts them to remember those Things he had taught them, to conti

47

SERM. nue ftedfaft in his Doctrine, to practise XVII. his Precepts, to live in the ftricteft Bonds of Love and Friendship one with another, and not to be dejected or caft down for the Lofs of their Mafter; and that he might the better fupport their drooping Spirits, and comfort them, he affures them that he will come again, and, in the mean While, will fend the Comforter, who fhall fupply all their Wants, anfwer all their Neceffities, and enable them to perform their Duty; for, though it was abfolutely neceffary that he fhould go away, yet he affures them that the Comforter who is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will fend in my Name, he fhall teach you all Things, and bring all Things to your Remembrance, what foever I have faid unto you. In which Words are contained,

.LA

I. A PROMISE of fending the Holy Spi

rit..

II. A DESCRIPTION of his Perfon; he
is called the Holy Ghoft and the Com-
forter.
III. THE End of his Meffage; to teach
his Difciples all Things, and to bring
to their Remembrance whatsoever he
had faid unto them.

I. HERE

I. HERE is a Promise of fending the SERM. Holy Spirit, whom the Father will fend in XVII. my Name; i. e. that upon his Prayers and Interceffion, and for the Sake of his Merits, he would make a more plentiful Effufion of his Holy Spirit, upon the Hearts and Souls of fuch Perfons, who were fitly prepared and difpofed for the receiving of it, than hitherto he had done; that this should be tranfacted in a folemn and open Manner, and continue with his Church until his fecond Coming; which Promife was performed forty Days after his Refurrection, and ten Days after his Afcenfion. And when the Day of Pentecoft A&s ii. was fully come, they were all with one Ac-1 and 9. cord in one Place: And fuddenly there came a Sound from Heaven, as of a rushing mighty Wind, and it filled all the Houje where they were fitting; and there appeared unto them cloven Tongues, like as of Fire, and it fat upon each of them; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghoft, and began to speak with other Tongues, as the Spirit gave them Utterance.

The

rushing Wind and the fiery Tongues were the fenfible Symbols, by which God declared, that this was the Time when the Holy Ghoft would take upon him, in a more peculiar Manner, the Government

and