in the whole course of their lives to run counter to an opinion which they hold; as I might instance in sundry of the greatest things, that one can think of. Men are of this opinion, that God is the supreme and rightful Governor of the world; and yet have his laws and authority all their days in contempt. They are of this opinion, that God is omniscient, knows their hearts, and beholds all their ways; and yet never care to approve themselves to his eye in the temper of their spirits or the course of their walking. They are of opinion, that all men as sinners are naturally liable to the wrath and justice of God; and yet never go about to flee from the wrath to come. They are of opinion, that there is a judgment to come, and a state of retribution after this life for what hath been done in it; and yet never make it their concern to be sure, that they are not miserable hereafter, cast in judgment, doomed to perdition, but adjudged to live. Men in their whole course, even all their days, run directly contrary to their own opinion, in the greatest and most important things, that can be imagined; and that shews that it is a mere opinion: for a real, thorough belief of so great and important things, would certainly make other kind of work in their hearts and lives. And because it is so plain in the general, that men may run all their time against their opinion, and guide their practice quite contrary to their opinion about practical things; it concerns us here to be a little more strict in our inquiry, whether it be not so in this particular case; that is, that men do hold the doctrine of their impotence for spiritual good but as an opinion, which they the more readily comply with, because they think it looks with a very favourable aspect upon that slothful, lazy course, which it is most agreeable to them to hold, and which they are very loth to alter. In this case, it doth them never the more good for being a true opinion; but the mischief to them is, that they hold it but as an opinion and no otherwise which will appear, if you consider four things. If they held such a truth otherwise than as an opinion, if they believed it with a real faith and experienced the truth of it; it must, in conjunction with the things that I am to mention, make strange impressions upon their spirits, and alterations in their course, beyond what it is found to do. For, 1. Together with this apprehension, that they are impotent, and cannot of themselves walk as they should so as to please God, they also know or might easily know, that they do not walk so, as to have reason to think, that God is pleased with their walking. They may find upon a very easy reflection, that they do not walk in the Spirit: one would think it impos. sible for many of the looser sort of the professors of Christianity to resist the evidence of so plain a thing, if they ask themselves the question; "Can I say, my course and walking is like walking in the Spirit, such as that I dare entitle the Spirit to it as its author?" What! Is the Spirit the author of your minding earthly things so intently? of seeking yourselves? of casting away the thoughts of God and eternity and the other world? And is not this thy walk?" Must not many say so? Let that then be considered by them that say, they cannot walk so as to please God without the Spirit; must they not also be forced to say, that they do not walk in the Spirit? And then add to that, While 2. The consideration whither these things tend. they acknowledge, that to walk so as God may be pleased, without the Spirit, is not possible; that their present course is not a walking in the Spirit; and along with these, that it is absolutely necessary for them to walk in such a course, as that God may be pleased with their walking; certainly it would put a reasonable, considering soul into a distress, if he would but lay these things together: "I cannot walk as I should without the Spirit, and I find I do not walk according to the Spirit, yet it is necessary for me that I should do so." What should be the end of this? Must it not needs be to put the spirit of a man, if he will reasonably consider it, into the greatest agonies imaginable? None pretend to hold this doctrine of their own impotency, but the same persons will say that they hold too, that it is necessary for them to please God in their walking. Now while no suitable impression is made, no lively concern excited, answerable to the exigency of such a case; is it not plain, that all this is but mere opinion, a hovering opinion and no more? especially if we should add hereto the considering, 3. That the Spirit is not tied to their time: and that no doubt they will grant also. If now they have not the Spirit to influence their walking and enable them in the course of it, they cannot promise themselves that they shall have it the next hour or the next day or the next year. 4. They know withal, that they are not masters of their own time; and they do not know but that their time may be over and expired, before that blessed Spirit, so often neglected and slighted and resisted, shall ever breathe or do any effectual work upon their souls. These are things all of them as obvious as that other, that they are of themselves impotent. But take all these things together, and if there were more than mere opinion in the matter, certainly it could not but put such a soul into the greatest distress imaginable. "What shall I do? what shall I think of my case? which way shall I turn myself? The way wherein I walk I am sure cannot please God; I cannot walk better without his Spirit; that Spirit doth not breathe or move in me in order to my better walking; I cannot command that Spirit; my time may shortly be over; I may be dead and gone out of this world for ought I know, before that Spirit ever come to have any acquaintance with my spirit, any commerce with it, and then what will become of me?" All this I urge to this purpose, that it may be taken notice of and reflected upon, how little it signifies for men to have such an opinion of their own impotency, while it is an opinion and no more, while it makes no impression and has no suitable effect. If it were firmly believed, it would certainly infer this, that a soul that finds it can of itself do nothing, would be put upon loud and importunate cries to him, who can help us to do all, and who must do all, that is, do the part appertaining to him in all and in every thing that is to be done by us in order to our eternal well-being. But to lie still with the apprehension that I can do nothing, when (as the case doth signify) if I can do nothing I must perish, supposing that nothing be done by a higher and a stronger hand; and to be unconcerned whether that hand ever touch my heart, ever come near me, yea or no: this is a dreadful and a monstrous thing, and might make men amazed at themselves; that they can profess to be lieve a doctrine that carries with it a face of so much terror to their own souls, and never be startled at it; be well pleased that it casts a favourable aspect upon their sloth, while it carries a most frowning one upon their safety: unless it had that tendency with it, (which in most it hath not,) to bring men upon their knees, and to set them on crying and importuning for that grace and Spirit, without which it is true we can do nothing, and without which therefore nothing but perishing is to be looked for. SERMON XIX.* THERE are yet some farther inferences remaining from the subject we have been upon. IV. Inference. Since it belongs to the state of persons living in the Spirit to walk in the Spirit; then we have great reason to admire the grace of the Spirit, that renders this a possible thing to us, to walk under its constant governing influence. But this I shall not insist upon, because there is no part or work and office of the Holy Ghost in reference to the spirits of men, on which we have insisted already, but hath given us some occasion to reflect upon its wonderful vouchsafement, that it would have so much to do with such as we are. But as this occasion is renewed to us of considering it, we should renew our observation and admiration of its strange condescension in this thing. For would any of us deign to be obliged to have from day to day the guiding and conducting of all the motions of a worm? And we do not need to be told, how much less considerable we are in reference to the great God and the blessed Spirit, than any the most despicable worm is to us. V. Inference. Since it belongs unto the state of persons that own themselves christians or to live in the Spirit, (for to own Christianity, and to pretend to a life in the Spirit, is all one; those that profess themselves christians, do not profess *Preached May 1, 1678. : as the themselves dead christians, but living ones;) since it be longs, I say, to such to walk in the Spirit; then we may too plainly collect, that there are very many going under that name, that walk so, as doth not belong to the state unto which they pretend. A plain and sad collection! apostle speaks, Phil. 3. 18. Many walk, as I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, as enemies of the cross of Christ as those who are driving on a continual hostility against Christianity, and the design for which Christ was crucified. I doubt there is not less cause now for such a complaint, but only less sense. It is very observable, how great a stress is laid upon the visible decorum of a christian's walk, up and down in Scripture; how they are required to be noted that walk disorderly; how earnestly christians are exhorted and besought to walk becomingly and laudably, so that loveliness and amiableness, might appear in their walk. I(Paul) the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you, that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, Eph. 4. 1. And he saith to the Thessalonians, 1 Epis. 2. 12. Ye know, how we have exhorted and comforted, (or, encouraged) and warned every one of you, even as a father doth his children; that ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. And in the epistle to the Colossians, he prays on the behalf of them, as we find him elsewhere praying for others, (chap. 1. 10.) that they might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing; so as to make a fair representation of him to the world, that he might be thought well of among men for the sake of them that bear his name and own a relation to him. And so to walk, that is, such worthy and becoming walking, and walking in the Spirit, do manifestly imply one another. Whatsoever is worthy, honourable, graceful in the conversation of christians can never be wanting, if their conversation be under the constant government and regulating influence of this Spirit. And if the conversation of any be otherwise governed in the general course and tenour of it, it is plain that it is under the government of some other principle. Do but see, as to this, the proportionable opposition between two passages, namely, this of the text, If ye live in the Spirit, walk also in the Spirit, and that in Col. 3. 7. In which ye also walked sometime, when ye lived in them: referring to what was mentioned before and after, fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is . idolatry, (ver. 5.) and to anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communications, &c. ver. 8. &c. The course of any one's motion is so conform and agreeable to the principle that lives and rules with him. If we live in the Spirit, we walk in |