will corrupt and putrify within; and that corruption will break forth, so as to break the external frame and cause part to drop from part. Therefore never expect a mere external frame of things to better our case much or long, to do any miracles in that kind. And I may add, as that leads me,

Sixthly, That indeed the very power of working miracles itself, which is but an external means, would not better the world and men's spirits, without the Spirit of God accompanying. It is true indeed they could not be wrought without that Spirit in the agent; but that would not do without the Spirit as a diffused soul. Many may be ready to imagine, that if God would but do some very strange things amongst men, work many astonishing wonders, fill the world and the time with prodigies; then, whereas his memorial is in so great part extinct, these things would effectually convince men of their atheism and infidelity, and so all would be set right. But what did miracles do with the Jews of old? who were brought out of Egypt by a succession of miracles, by plague upon plague inflicted on the land of Egypt, till they were constrained to let Israel go! who were brought through the red sea by a most astonishing miracle, the sea dividing on the one hand and on the other, and their enemies pursuing destroyed, only by withdrawing that miraculous power, and letting the sea unite again! who were led through the wilderness by a continual miracle, the pillar of cloud and fire; and fed by another, manna, bread from heaven! who had the great God himself appearing with so stupendous a glory upon mount Sinai; speaking with the voice of words, that six hundred thousand might hear at once, the law, the ten words! yet the body of that people lapse into idolatry, while the divine glory was in view before their eyes, and after it had been by so dreadful a voice immediately before, forbidden with the utmost severity. And their after-ingratitude, infidelity, mutinies, rebellions, murmurings, testify how little miracles did amongst them. How little did they do in Christ's time? those that he himself wrought? restoring hearing to the deaf, and sight to the blind, and speech to the dumb, and life to the dead? how little was effected, save only to heighten and aggravate the wickedness which shewed itself so invincible? All these are external things.

But if we should think of what is internal too; the common notions of religion; the practical dictates of natural conscience, that do more or less obtain every-where amongst men; the light and knowledge, that comes by the gospel-discovery, where that obtains; common prudence, and respect to self-interest: how little do these things do towards the composing of 3 A

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the world and the bettering of the times? It is plain, that light is more easily extinguished than lust. When it comes to a contest, when there is a competition between corruption and conscience; alas! how much more intent are men to mortify their consciences, than to mortify their corruptions? How feeble and impotent a thing is their light! All the light that shines doth but testify against them, rather than direct or reform them; and will do no more, till the almighty Spirit go forth. And for that of prudence and respect to interest, that is the very thing that undoes men; that is, that every man will be prudent for himself, and mind a particular interest of his own; this fills the world with tumults and blood, with mischiefs and miseries every-where so that, that which should be men's preserver, is their destroyer, even self-love.

The sum of all is this. This ought to make us despair, that ever we shall see a better world and state of things, till this blessed Spirit be poured down upon our heads. Without that, things will be growing worse and worse; it cannot be but they will do so do not we see, that they have done so? The Spirit is in a great measure gone, retired even from Christian assemblies. When do we hear of the conversion of a soul, of any stricken and pierced to the heart by the word of God? And what is that like to come to, think we? what would it come to in this city, if always in a continued course the burials should exceed the births? Must it not be the very desolation of all at last? If we should speak of burials in a moral sense; alas doth the number of converts equal the number of apostates? But take it in a natural sense, as all are dying; do we think, that there are christians brought in, serious christians, effectually become so, in any proportionable number to the deaths of good people amongst us? What doth this tend to, but the extinction of religion? And not to speak of the rampant wickedness of those who have cast off all sense and fear of God and godliness, but only how those who profess religion degenerate and grow worse and worse; it is very dismal to think, how coldly affected they are towards religion, towards the ordinances of it, towards the divine presence; how eagerly they fly at the world, when the clouds gather so thick and black, and all things seem to conspire to a storm; their ordinary business, all their business must go on just as it did, except that of souls, except that for eternity and another world; which must be neglected, as it was wont to be. Is not this the case? If there be opportunities of solemn prayer, of mourning and fasting, of putting in for a part and share of the expected mercy; how do many, if we may not say the most of them that profess religon ainongst us, as it were disclaim their part? for

they will bear no part amongst them that cry for mercy. Think, what this will come to, if the Spirit of the living God be still withheld, and do not awaken men, and reduce their spirits to a better state. Despised ordinances, contemned worship, neglected seasons and opportunities of grace, how dreadful a testimony will they bear in the consciences of many, if once light should come to be extinguished amongst us, and all the frame of things, wherein they seem to take comfort, should be dissolved and shattered in pieces!

SERMON XV.*

IT remains now to make some improvement of so great and important a subject, as we have been upon-The dependance of the happy state of the church of God upon the pouring forth of his Spirit -which shall be in certain practical notes or corollaries, that are deducible from the whole of what hath been opened to you. And we shall begin, where we ended at the close of the last discourse.

1. Since the happiness of the church doth so immediately and necessarily depend upon a pouring forth of the Spirit; it must needs be of very dreadful import, when that Spirit retires; when there is a manifest suspension of its light and influence. Every gradual retraction of that Spirit speaks a vergency to death, to a total dissolution; as if the whole frame of the church were ready to drop asunder. It is a dismal thing, when that which is the only light and life of it retires, visibly withdraws; when that Spirit breathes not as it hath done through the world, souls are not born by it unto God in a proportion to what hath been; considering, that this is the only way of entering into God's kingdom, either in the initial or consummate state of it, the kingdom of grace or the kingdom of glory. It is a dismal thing, when conversions are grown rare, and infe

* Preached October 16, 1678.

rior in number to apostacies: when christians are not born so fast as they die, whether in the moral sense, or in the natural; for all die alike. This ought to be considered as a thing of dreadful import, when the Spirit works not as he hath been wont, for the rescuing of souls out of a precedent death: and farther, when those that live, languish; and much more, when death insensibly creeps on them that have but a name to live as you know it doth with many languishing persons, seizing one limb first and then another, so that the man is dead while he is alive. With how many is it so, that have lost themselves either in the cares or pleasures of this world, and are dead while they live? This it becomes us to consider as a most melancholy case. If all the happiness and weal of the church depend upon the pouring out of the Spirit, how dreadful is it, when there is a discernible retraction!

2. All our hope of good lying in the pouring forth of the Spirit, it is very strange, that the retraction of it should not be considered with more sense; that we are not more apprehensive of so dismal a case as that is. It is a case exceeding gloomy in itself, as hath been said; but how strange is it, that we should so little understand and consider it as such! that this should be our danger, lest God should be quite gone from amongst us before we know it! that life is retiring, but we perceive it not! Alas! with too many there is scarce life enough left to feel themselves die, or light enough to perceive that darkness is gathering upon them. Strange, that men should be dying, and say they are alive! Light is diminishing and blindness increasing and growing upon them, yet they say they see well, and carry it as if nothing ailed them! This is a strange infatuation upon the minds of men, even of the professors of religion in our time: we keep up our wonted course while we can, our wonted forms and ways of worship; we assemble as we have been accustomed to do, we have praying and preaching and other ordinances of the gospel: but there is not the wonted Spirit, such appearances and demonstrations of the power and presence of the Spirit as formerly, and yet we seem not aware of it. We do as we have been wont at other times; but we find it not with our souls in what we do, as christians were used to find it: as it is said of that mighty man Samson; he said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself, but he wist not that the Lord was departed from him, Judg. 16. 20. So, we seem not to know that the Lord is departing, but say we will do as at other times: indeed we reach not him; he said he would go forth and shake himself as at other times; we do not that, but as the complaint is in Isa. 64. 7. so is our case; There is none (scarce any,) that stir