that we attend unto those things which were written by his infpiration, and spoken by holy men as they were moved by him; by working in us that faith, which is the gift of God, and which no one can have, but from the Holy Ghost; and giving us that new birth or regeneration, without which we cannot fee the kingdom of God, nor enjoy the poffeffion of God's promises, referved for believers in the next world.

To direct and govern our actions, fo as to make them acceptable to God, for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the fons of God, and if we walk in the Spirit, we fhall not fulfil the lufts of the flesh.

To affift, guide, and enliven our devotions; pouring on us the fpirit of prayer, and of fupplication; we know not what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit maketh interceffion for us with groanings that cannot be uttered.

To join us to Chrift, as unto our head; for, by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body, and joined to the Lord in one Spirit; and hereby know we that God abideth in us by his Spirit, which he hath given us.

To affure us of our adoption as fons, and to give us a fenfe of God's paternal love towards us; for we have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba Father; and the Spirit itself beareth witnefs with our fpirits, that we are the children of God; and we are fealed by the holy Spirit of promife, which is the earnest of our inheritance, given us, as it were, in hand, as part of that reward, the fulness whereof we hope to obtain at the right-hand of God: for fince without holiness it is impoffible to please God, or attain that happiness, which confifts in the enjoyment of him; and that the frailty and weakness, as well as the corruption of our nature is fo great, that we are not able of ourselves to accomplish this mighty work, God hath been graciously pleased to grant us his holy Spirit, to be the author of all internal holiness, and the principle of our fpiritual life; and confequently it is this bleffed Spirit which gives clearness to our faith, zeal to our charity, and strength and power to every thing we think or do.

For those helps and affiftances which are neceffary for the performance of those conditions upon which our falvation

H 4

depends,

Manner of working in

us.

pro

depends, are bestowed upon us by this divine Spirit; partly by illuminating our understandings in our fincere and diligent enquiries after divine truth; and partly by exciting our wills to that which is good, and ftrengthning our vigorous endeavours in the fecution thereof, and are to be obtained only by the use of those means, which God hath established for this end; as humble, hearty, and fervent prayer, a frequent and devout ufe of the holy facrament of the Lord's fupper; reading and hearing God's holy word; with the ufe of all other likely means to attain thofe graces, which we feek for at his hands: and all this as obedient members of the communion of faints, to whom alone Chrift hath promised these influences of the Holy Ghoft, which we must feel or know to work in us. When we conftantly take care to demean ourHow to be felves as living members of that kingdom, which known. is not meat and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghoft; and if we be fo happy as to say that we have an anointing from the holy one, and the anointing, which we have received from him, abideth in us, (and this happiness no one can want, who fincerely implores it from that heavenly Father, who hath promised his holy Spirit to them that afk him,) then shall we be always filled with his joy, even in the midst of our afflictions, for the fake of the gofpel, then thall we know all things, the ignorance whereof would be any way fatal to us; then shall we daily crucify the flesh with the affections and lufts to be filled with love, joy, peace, long fuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, and all other fruits of the Holy Ghost: our converfation will be in heaven, our delight in God; all our hopes, wishes, and defires, will be fixed on things above, and we shall live that heavenly life here, the perfection whereof will be our happiness hereafter, in the kingdom of God and of his Son Jefus Chrift.

holy.

This divine Spirit is called holy, not only in reWhy called fpect of that fanctity which he enjoys as God, but alfo in refpect of his particular office, or function, which confifts principally in fanctifying, or making us holy, and fitting us to appear in the prefence of him, and to become

his temples, who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity. So we must underftand by this office, nothing fervile, nothing beneath the dignity of him, who is very God; but we understand by it, whatsoever is peculiarly attributed to the Spirit of God in working out our falvation. For, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, are represented to us as feverally, and in a diftinct manner, concurring to our falvation, for God fo loved the world, that he fent his only begotten Son, and through him we are admitted by one Spirit to the Father. And we may judge of the neceffity of this belief, in that it is taken from the very form of baptifm, ordained by Christ himself. Befides, our belief in the Why an Holy Ghoft, tends to excite in us a defire of those gifts and graces that flow from him, of that new birth from him, which may wholly renew, and fpiritualize our fouls, that being always led by him, and receiving supplies from him, and continuing in his holy fellowship, we may through him become fuch temples of God, as he will choose to delight and dwell in. Therefore we ought to endeavour to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fight of God, whofe will is our fanctification, and who from the beginning hath chofen us to falvation through fanctification of the Spirit, whom he fent to teach us his will, and to guide us in the way of all truth.

article of

faith.

SUNDAY VI. CHAP. VI.

I. Of the Catholick Church. II. Of the Communion of Saints. III. Of Sin. IV. How forgiven. V. Of the Refurrection of our Bodies. VI. Of Life everlasting. VII. Of eternal Punishment. VIII. The Chriftian Religion reviewed in it's Doctrines. IX. Is not hurt by cavilling Difputes.

I.

HRIST promifed to erect a church, The cathowhen he faid, on this rock will I build my

CH

lick church.

church;

compofed.

church; and we find it mentioned as actually erected in that paffage in the Acts, and God added to the church daily fuch as fhould be faved; which church then confifted of the twelve apostles, and other believers in Christ, continuing in their fellowship, and hearing together the word preached, and breaking bread from houfe to house, and joining in publick prayers to the Almighty. Therefore, as many as embrace Of whom and obey the gofpel, may be faid to compose one church in refpect of their being members of the fame body, and through one and the fame Spirit, united unto one head, which is Chrift, and built upon one foundation, the chief corner-ftone whereof, is Chrift Jefus; and profeffing that holy faith, which is but one, and receiving the fame facraments, which are figns and badges of the people of God, whereby we being many, are united by one baptifin, and are one bread and one body; alfo we are one, as being all called in one hope of our calling; and we ought alfo to be one, as keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace; and as united by one discipline and government, and guided by the fame paftors into the way of eternal life. So that,

Is one.

Howfoever the unity of the visible church may Cannot fail. through the weakness or perverseness of man, or the wiles of the devil, be defective in these last refpects, yet all true and fincere believers are, and always have, and for ever fhall be led by him the only good fhepherd, their eternal High Priest, King, and Prophet, unto those heavenly manfions, where joy, peace, love, harmony, unity, happiness, and glory, shall have no end. Moreover, it is reasonable to believe that this one church hath a present existence, and that it hath continued from the times of the apostles, and will continue to the end of the world, from those promises of our Lord, that the gates of hell fhall not prevail against it; and that he will be with his difciples always, even to the end of the world. This whole chriftian church alfo may be well termed holy, as being separated from the rest of Is holy. the world, by an holy calling, and having holy offices, instituted by God, adminiftred among them, and being more particularly obliged by naming themselves by the name

of

of Chrift, to depart from iniquity, and to obtain that holinefs, without which no man can fee the Lord; it's members being predeftinate to be conformed to the image of Chrift, and efficaciously called by God, elect, fanctified, and juftified; and shall be perfectly holy when they die; and this church is also perfectly holy in refpect of departed faints, and shall be hereafter compleatly holy in refpect of all her members, when she shall be triumphant in heavenly places.

Catholick

or univerfal.

The primitive Fathers at first understood by the catholick church, no more than the church in general, as compofed of all particular churches. Therefore we call the epiftles of Peter catholick, because they were directed to the church in general; and thus they called thofe places of divine worship, wherein all perfons of both fexes within a certain district met without diftinction, catholick churches in oppofition to fuch private chapels as were erected by monks or friars. And again, the word catholick is fometimes applied to particular national churches, as profeffing the true faith with the rest of the church of God, in position to schifmaticks and hereticks.

op

Befides, the chriftian may be also called catholick, as it is to be diffused into, and at last take in all nations, and is not confined to one nation, as the Jewish religion was, nor to one place, as the Jewish facrifices and other priestly miniftrations were; it may be called alfo catholick, as it leads men into all faving truths, and prescribes univerfal obedience to the whole law of God, and heals all the diseases of the foul, and furnishes it with all chriftian graces.

A ftate of

To this church it is that we believe God hath added, and will continue to add, those that shall be saved; and as none were faved from the flood, but those only falvation. who were in the ark of Noah; so we have no reafon to think that any shall be faved from the wrath of the last day, and receive the glory promised to the faints, who are not found within the chriftian church. And therefore,

The beha

We ought to take the greatest care that we be not excluded from it, either by juftly incurring it's cenfures by fcandalous and incorrigible fins, or by falling into apoftafy, herefy, or fchifm; and we ought to re

viour of it's

members.

member