ments that are ministered by thofe who are more fkilful in the ways of falvation than themselves. How little beholden is the holy spirit to fuch, who please themfelves in a spirit of oppofition? and yet, fo kind is this holy fpirit, that he overcomes many of thefe with his goodness, and makes them at length, with thame, lay their hands, upon their mouth, and be filent. Yet that is one reafon they stick fo long in temptations, and are kept fo long under the fpirit of bondage. Thofe likewife cannot but grieve the comforter, that leave his comforts, and feek for other comforters: that think there is not comfort enough in religion, but will be beholden to the world: fuch as linger after the liberties of the flesh, after ftolen waters, as if God kept a houfe not good enough for them; it is a great difparagement to prefer husks before the provision of our Father's house, and to die like fish out of their proper element, if we want carnal comforts. But above all, they grieve the fpirit moft that have the deepest acquaintance with the spirit where the fpirit hath gone furtheft in his favours, when the Holy Ghoft comes in love, and we have given way to him to enlighten our understanding, and into our affections, that we have tafted of the good things of God, that the promises are sweet, and the gospel is good. When we have given way to the fpirit; then to use him unkindly, this grieves the fpirit, and this makes the fin against the Holy Ghost fo defperate, because there hath been so strong a conviction and illumination. Therefore of all fins, the fins of profeffors of religion grieve the spirit most; and of all profeffors, thofe who have moft means of knowledge: because their obligations are deeper, and their engagements greater: the deeper the affection hath entered, the grief muft needs be the greater in unloofing; the offence of friends grieves more than the injuries of enemies: and therefore the fins which offend God moft, are committed within the church; where is the greatest fin of all, the fin against the Holy Ghoft, committed? never out of the church, but within the church, where there is the greatest light, and the greatest means: amongst his own people, where the Holy Ghost, hath not only fet up a light, but given a taste of heavenly things; and yet we, upon falfe allurements, will grow to a diftafte: it cannot but grieve the holy fpirit. And this caufeth another grief, when thofe that are good, watch not over their ways; the fpirit is grieved for the reproaches of religion that come from the wicked: for what fay they? doth religion and the fpirit teach you this? thus Chriftians make the name of God be be ill fpoken of, and this grieves the fpirit, and will grieve them, if they belong to God. Oh, wretch that I am, that I fhould open the mouths of others, and grieve the fpirit of God! not only in myself, but in others, because he is grieved by me; especially if it grow to malicious oppofing, for there can be nothing to excufe it the malice of the will makes the fin of the deeper dye; and it is contrary to the Spirit, as the spirit is a spirit of goodnefs, and thereupon prefumptuous fins must likewife grieve the fpirit, when we will abuse the sweetest attribute of God's fpirit, his goodness, and therefore evil, because he is good; and turn his grace to wantonnefs, the fin of this age. Sins against knowledge are either fuch as are directly against knowledge, as when we will not understand what we should do, because we will not do what we understand; fuch as put out the candle, that they may fin with the more freedom; this ignorance doth not free from fin, but increaseth it: those who will not hear the word, and read good books, left their confciences fhould be awakened; this affected ignorance increaseth the voluntarinefs. Again, when we maintain untruths for any advantage, knowing them to be untruths, as many learned papifts cannot but do. What a great indignity is it to the spirit of God, to fell the truth, which we should buy with the lofs of our lives; and to prefer the pleasing of a bafe man, or fome gain to ourselves, before a beam of God? Other fins, if we know them to be fins, are fins against knowledge, as collaterally yet this will be the chief aggravation, when our confciences are once awakened, not fo much that we have finned, as that we have finned against the light, when the will hath nothing to plead for itself, but itself; it would, because it would, though it knew the contrary. Involuntarinefs takes away fomething of the heinoufnefs of fin, when there is ignorance, perturbation, or paffion, there is lefs fin, and lefs grieving of the spirit: but when there are none of thefe, and a man will fin becaufe he will, accounting it a kind of fovereignty of his will, this will prove the moft miferable condition: for not to have the will regulated by him that is the chiefeft good, will end in defperation. Queft.-Why are voluntary fins fo great, and fo much grieve the Spirit of God? Anf. When there is paffion, there is fome colour for fin; as profit, pleasure, fear to displease, &c. When there is ignorance, there is a want of that which might help the understanding; but VOL. III. when when there are none of these, and a man willingly fins, he is more directly carried against the command and will of God: there is nothing ftands between: yet he accounts it fo fmall a matter, that he will do it without any provocation, out of a flight efteem of the good pleasure and will of God. `As common fwearers, can they plead ignorance? they know the command'ment, "God will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain :" can they plead perturbation? they do it oft for a brag, when they are not urged: there is no engagement in that fin, of profit or pleasure, but a voluntary fuperfluity of pride. You fhall know that they are men that care not for God himself; let God and his minifters take it as they will, though I have no pleafure or profit by it, yet I will have my liberty. The heart that hath been thus wicked, will hardly admit of comfort when it ftands in need of it. We are not faid to be ill, because we know ill, but because we will and confent to ill; it is the will that makes up the bargain, fin were not fin elfe. God hath given us the cuftody of our own fouls, and as long as we keep the keys faithfully, and betray not our fouls to Satan, fo long we poffels our own fouls, and our comfort: but when he fuggefts, Do this, or Speak this; and we confent, he takes full and free poffeffion of us, as much as in us lies, and God in judgement, faith Amen to it; he faith, Take him fatan, fince he will not have my fpirit to rule him, it is fit he fhould have a worse. The more willingnefs the more finfulness, and the lefs defence; and God's juftice cannot better be fatisfied, than by punishing them most against their wills who finned moft with their will. The clearer the light is, and the more advantage it hath, the more we fin in this refpect fins against the fecond table grieve more than fins against the first, because here the confcience is more awakened, these are fins against a multiplied light, against the light of nature, light of word and spirit. And fuch fins are contrary to human fociety, they diffolve the bonds of that which nature, even by the common relicks it hath left, studies to maintain: for though corrupt nature hath no good in it, but we deferve to be like devils, yet God intends to have civil fociety, out of which he will gather his church; therefore he preferves in man's nature, a hatred of fins that overthrow fociety; they being committed against more. light, wound more as in case of murder, notorious perjury, theft, &c. Therefore God oft gives up men, upon breach of the first table, to breaches of the fecond, that so they may come to more grief, and fhame, as being the breach of both tables : men men never fall into the breach of the fecond table, but upon breach of the firft: No man defpifeth man's law but he defpifeth God's law firft; and no man breaks the law of nature but he despiseth the God of nature. Profane atheistical perfons that glory in the breach of the third commandment by fwearing, God meets with them by giving them over to grofs abominable fins of the fecond table; which vexeth them more (though they fhould not) than fins against the first table, expofing them, befides inward grief, to open shame; then God opens confcience to tell them, not only that they are to blame for their grofs fins, but for the root of them, fins against the firft table; atheism, profanenefs and looseness. This is an aggravation of fins against knowledge. When knowledge is helped and ftrengthened by education, by example of others running into our eyes, which is a more familiar teaching than that of rule, and strengthened by obfervation and experience of ourselves; and against a taste joined with light; against a former ftrength we have had; against the fin we now commit. None are worse than those that have been good, and are naught, and might be good, and will be naught. When there is more deliberation and foreknowledge of the dangerous iffue, joined with the warning of others. As Reuben faid unto the rest of his brethren, "Spake I not unto you?" &c. fo may God's Spirit, and confcience, fay to men, did not I acquaint you with the danger of fin? you are now in mifery, and terrors of confcience, but did you not flight former admonitions, and helps, and means? confcience is an inferior light of the spirit: to do things againft confcience, is to do them against the fpirit. Saint Austin faith well, God fpake to me, and I heeded him not. How doth God fpeak? When confcience fpeaks, and faith this is good, this is bad: then God fpeaks, confcience hath fomewhat divine in it: it is a petty god, it fpeaks from God; especially when the fpirit joins with confeience, then God fpeaks indeed, then there is light upon light. Upon divers refpects fome fin may grieve more or lefs than another as the Holy Ghost is a fpirit, fo fpiritual fins grieve moft, as pride, envy; as imprinting upon the foul a character - of the contrary ill fpirit; carnal fins, whereby the foul is drowned in delights of the body, may more grieve the fpirit in another refpect, as defiling his temple, and as taking away fo much of the foul of love and delight, carrying the foul with them; and the more deeply it enters into the creature, befides the defilement, the lefs ftrength it hath to fpiritual duties. Grace is feat ed in the powers of nature, now carnal fins difable the powers of nature, and so fet us at a greater diftance from grace, as taking away the heart, Hofea iv. Hereupon the apostle puts being filled with wine, contrary to being filled with the fpirit. And hence it is the apoftle forbids, in the former words, unclean communication. The holy fpirit is a fpirit of truth, hates hypocrites as painted fepulchres; but as a fpirit of purity, hates foul livers, and foul-mouthed fpeakers, as open fepulchres. They cannot, therefore, but much grieve the spirit, that feed corrupt lufts, and study to give contentment to the flesh, and pay tribute to the flesh, to which they owe no fervice, and are no debtors; and by fowing to which, we can reap nothing but corruption. When our thoughts are exercised to content the outward man, to contrive for the things of the world only, this is to pay tribute of the ftrength and vigour of our affections to the utter enemy of God's fpirit, and our own fouls: when our thoughts run fo deeply into earthly things, that we become one with them. Who will think himself well entertained in a house, when there fhall be entertainment given to his greatest enemy with him, and shall see more regard had, and better countenance fhewed to his enemy, than to him? when the motions of corrupt nature are more regarded than the motions of the fpirit? The wifdom of the fpirit which is from above, is first pure, and maketh us fo, and raiseth the foul upward to things above. Chriftians, indeed, have their failings; but if a true chriftian examine himfelf, his heart will fay, that every day he intends the glory of God, and the good of the ftate he lives in. He hath a larger heart than a base worldling, that keeps within the sphere of himself, spending all his thoughts there, and confults only with flesh and blood, with profit and pleasure, to hear what they say. Bafeness of spirit cannot but grieve the spirit, as contrary to our hopes and heavenly calling. It is a dangerous grieving of the fpirit, when inftead of drawing ourselves to the fpirit, we will labour to draw the spirit to us; when men study the fcriptures to countenance them in fome corrupt courfe, and labour to make God of their mind, that they may go on with the greater liberty. When men get to themselves teachers after their own lufts, as many do, (efpecially they be in place) Ahab fhall not want his four hundred falfe prophets when men cut the rule and standard to fit them, and not fit themselves for it. You have fome that are resolved what to do, and yet will be asking counsel, and if they have an answer if to |