felf, must have no worse title than his Holinefs. A fhow of devifed holiness pleaseth man's nature well enough, as being glorious for appearance, and useful for ends. But the truth of it, being crofs to the whole corrupt nature of man, will never be entertained, until his nature be new moulded by the holy fpirit, in the ufe of holy means, fanctified by God for that end: it is this that makes a man a faint, and moral virtues to be graces, which raifeth things that are otherwise common, to an higher degree of excellency: this is that to a chriftian which exercife is to a man; it gives him a being and a beauty different from all other; it makes every action we do in obedience to God a fervice, and puts a religious refpect on all our actions, directing them to the highest end.

Now that which the apoftle diffuades from, is from grieving fo holy a spirit. These truths are prefuppofed; First, that the Holy Ghoft is not only in us effentially, for fo he is in all creatures; neither perfonally, as the fecond perfon is in Christ man; for then the Holy Ghost and we should make one perfon: nor yet is he in us only by ftirring up holy motions, but he is in us myftically, and as temples dedicated to himself. Chrift's human nature is the firft temple, wherein the spirit dwells; and then we become temples by union with him. The difference betwixt his being in Chrift and us, is, that the spirit dwells in Christ in a fuller measure; by reason that as a head he is to convey fpirit into all his members. Secondly, The fpirit is in Chrift entirely, without any thing to oppofe: the spirit always finds fomething in us, that is not his own, but ready to cross him. Thirdly, The fpirit is in us derivatively from Christ ; as a fountain we receive grace at fecond hand, anfwerable to grace in him. The Holy Ghost was in Adam before his fall, as third perfon immediately; but now he is in Christ, first, and then for Chrift in us, as members of that body, whereof Christ is the head and it is well for us that he dwells first in Christ, and then in us for from this it is that his communion with us is infeparable, as it is from Chrift himself, with whom the fpirit makes us one. The holy fpirit dwells in thofe that are Chrift's, after another manner than in others in whom he is, in fome fort, by common gifts; but in his own, he is in them as holy, and as making them holy, as the foul is in the whole body, in regard of divers operations; but in the head only as it understandeth; and from thence ruleth the whole body: fo the holy Ghost is in his, in regard of more noble operations: and his perfon is to

gether

gether with his working, though not perfonally; and though the whole man be the temple of the Holy Ghoft, yet the foul efpecially, and in the foul the very fpirit of our minds, as moft fuitable to him, being a fpirit. Whence the apostle wishes the grace of Chrift to be with our fpirits. The best of spirits delight moft in the best of us, which is our fpirits. In the temple, the further they went, all was more holy, till they came to the holy of holies. So in a christian, the most inward part, the fpirit is, as it were, the holy of holies, where incenfe is offered continually. What a mercy is this, that he who hath the heaven of heavens to dwell in, will make a dungeon to be a temple, a prifon to be a paradife; yea, a hell to be a heaven? Next to the love of Chrift in taking our nature, and dwelling in it, we may wonder at the love of the Holy Ghoft, that will take up his refidence in fuch defiled fouls.

The fecond thing pre-fuppofed, is, that the holy fpirit being in us, after he hath prepared us for an house to himself to dwell in, and to take up his reft and delight in, he doth also become unto us a counsellor in all our doubts, a comforter in all diftreffes, a folicitor to all duty, a guide in the whole courfe of our life, until we dwell with him for ever in heaven; unto which his dwelling here in us doth tend: he goeth before us as Chrift did in the pillar of the cloud and fire before the Ifraelites in Canaan, being a defence by day, and a direction by night. When we fin, what do we elfe but grieve this guide?

The third ground is, that we, even the best of us, are prone to grieve this holy fpirit; what ufe were there else for a caution? We carry too good a proof of this in our hearts: we have that which is enmity to the fpirit in us, and an adverfary to the fpirit and us without us; thefe joining together, and having intelligence, and holding correfpondence one with another, ftirs us up to that which grieves this good fpirit.

The fourth thing presupposed, is, that we may, and ought, by christian care and circumfpection, fo to walk in an even and pleafing courfe, that we may not grievously offend the spirit, or grieve our own fpirits. We may avoid many lafhes and blows, and many a heavy day which we may thank ourselves. for: and God delighteth in the profperity of his children, and would have us walk in the comforts of the Holy Ghoft; and is grieved when we grieve him, that then he muft grieve us to pre

vent worse grief. The due and proper act of a christian in this life, is to please Chrift, and to be comfortable in himself; and fo to be fitted for all fervices.

These things premised it is eafy to conceive the equity of the apostle's diffuafive from grieving the holy fpirit. For the better unfolding of which, we will unfold thefe four points: tft, What it is to grieve the fpirit. 2dly, Wherein we specially grieve the fpirit. Thirdly, When we may know when we have grieved the spirit. Fourthly, What courfe we should take to

prevent this grief.

For the first: The Holy Ghost cannot properly be grieved in his own perfon; becaufe grief implies a defect of happiness, in fuffering that which we with removed. It implies a defect in forefight, to prevent that which may grieve. It implies paffion, which is foon raised up, and foon laid down. God is not subject to change. It implies fome want of power to remove that which we feel to be a grievance: and therefore it is not befeeming the majefty of the fpirit thus to be grieved. We muft therefore conceive of it as befitting the majefty of God, removing in our thoughts all imperfections. First, then, we are faid to grieve God, when we do that which is apt of itself to grieve as we are said to destroy our weak brother, when we do that which, he taking offence at, is apt to mislead him, and fo to deftroy him. Secondly, when we do that whereupon the fpirit doth that which grieved perfons do; that is, retireth and fheweth diflike, and returns grief again. Thirdly, though the paffion of grief be not in the Holy Ghoft, yet there is in his holy nature, a pure displeasure and hatred of fin, with such a degree of abomination, that though it tend not to the deftruction of the offender, yet to fharp correction: fo that grief is eminently in this hatred of God, in fuch manner as becomes him. Fourthly, we may conceive of the spirit as he is in himfelf in heaven, and as he dwells and works in us, as we may conceive of God the Father, as hidden in himself, and as revealed in his fon, and in his word; and as we may conceive of Chrift as the fecond perfon, and as incarnate: fo likewife of the Holy Ghoft, as in himself, and as in us, God, in the perfon of his Son and his Son as man, and as minifter of circumcifion, was grieved at the rebellion and deftruction of his own people. The holy fpirit, as in us, grieveth with us, witneffeth with us,

:

rejoiceth

rejoiceth in us, and with us; and the spirit in himfelf, and as he worketh in us, hath the fame name as the gifts and graces; and the comforts of the fpirit are called the fpirit; even as the beams of the fun fhining on the earth are called the fun: and when we let them in, or fhut them out, we faid to let in or fhut out the fun. We may grieve the fpirit, when we grieve him, as working grace, and offering comfort to us. The graces of the fpirit have the name of the spirit whence they come, as the fpirit of love and wisdom. Again, our own fpirits, fo far as fanctified, are faid to be the fpirit of God. So the fpirit of God, not in itfelf, but in Noah, did ftrive with the old world; and fo we grieve the fpirit, when we grieve our own, or other men's fpirits, fo far as they are fanctified by the spirit.

Now the spirit as in us, worketh in us, according to the principles of man's nature, as understanding and free creatures, and preferveth the free manner of working proper to man; and doth not always put forth an almighty prerogative power; but dealeth with us by way of gentle and fweet motions and perfuafions; and leaveth it in our freedom to embrace or refuse thefe inferior works of the fpirit: and our hearts tell us, it is in our power to entertain or reject the motions; which, when we do in our own apprehenfion, we churlishly offend the fpirit, as willing to draw us to better ways; and we cannot otherwise judge of this, but as grieving. God, in his dealing with men, puts his caufe into our hand, that, by our prayers, and otherwife, we may help and hinder him against the mighty. And Chrift puts himself into our hands in his minifters, and in the poor; counts himself regarded or neglected in them; fo the holy spirit puts, as it were, his delight in and contentment in our power, and counts, when we entertain his motions of grace and comfort, we entertain him; and when we refuse them, we grieve him. And the Holy Ghoft will have us interpret our refufing of his mo tions, to be a refusing him; and not only a refufing of him, but of the Son, and of the Father, whofe fpirit he is. Oh, if we did but confider how high the flighting of a gracious motion reaches, even to the flighting of God himself, it would move us to give more regard unto them; as we use them, fo would we use the spirit himself, if he were in our power. They are not only the ambaffadors, but the royal offspring of the spirit in us; and when we offer violence to them, we kill, as much as in us lieth, the royal feed of the spirit.

Object.-It may be objected, when we do any thing amiss,

we

we intend not the grieving of the fpirit. It is true, unless we were devils incarnate, we will not purposely and directly grieve the fpirit; but when we fin, we will the grieving of him in the caufe. No man hates his own foul, or is in love with death, yet men will willingly do that, which, if they hated their own fouls, and loved death, they could not do worfe. "Why will you perish, O houfe of Ifrael," faith God. They intended no fuch matter as perishing: God's meaning is, why will you go on in fuch deftructive courfes as muft end in perishing? If we could hate hell in the caufe of it, and way to it, as we hate it in itself, we would never come there.

For the fecond point, wherein we especially grieve the fpirit: Grief arifeth either from antipathy and contrariety, or from difunion of things naturally joined together. In greater perfons efpecially, grief arifeth from any indignity offered from neglect or difrefpect, and efpecially from unkindness after favour fhewn. Thus the Holy Ghoft is grieved by us: what more contrary to holiness than fin, which is the thing, and the only thing that God abominates, yea in the devil himself; but then add to the contrariety in fin, the aggravations from unkindness, and this makes fin more finful. What greater indignity can we offer to the holy fpirit, than to prefer bafe duft before his motions, leading us to holinefs and happinefs? what greater unkindnefs, yea, treachery, to leave the directions of a friend to follow the counfel of an enemy? fuch as, when they know God's will, yet will confent with flesh and blood, like Balaam, who was fwayed by his profit against a clear discovery of God's will. We cannot but make the fpirit of God in us, in fome fort afhamed, to think of our folly, in leaving the fountain, and digging cifterns; in leaving a true guide, and following the pirate. Men are grieved efpecially, when they are difrefpected in their place and office. It is the office of the fpirit to enlighten, to foften, to quicken, and to fanctify; when we give confent to Satan, it puts the Holy Ghoft out of office. The office of the Holy Ghoft is likewife to be a comforter: it cannot therefore but grieve the holy fpirit, when the confolations of the Almighty are either forgotten, or feem nothing unto us in the pettifhnefs of our spirits; when with Rachel we will not be comforted; when, inftead of wrefting with God by prayer, wrangle with him by cavilling objections: they take pleasure to move objections instead of a holy fubmiffion to higher reafons that might raise them to comfort; who take Satan's part against the holy fpirit, and their own fpirit; and against argu

ments