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and Advices that St. Paul gives to the Theffalonians: Quench not the Spirit, defpife not Ep.1.c.5. Prophecyings. It is plain he speaks this of v.19. those who were already Chriftians; but yet not with respect to the fanctifying Gifts of the Spirit of God, which all Chriftians were Partakers of, but with refpect to the extraordinary miraculous Effufions of the Spirit, which were given to some Christians in those Days. The Meaning of the Precept is, that they who had thefe extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit conferr'd upon them, should be very careful that they did not lose them, that they did not die in them. He ufeth this Term of quenching, because the Holy Spirit is in Scripture called a Fire; and when he came upon the Apoftles, he came in the Likeness of Fire. And accordingly, as he here talks of quenching the Spirit, fo he elsewhere speaks of ftirring up the Spirit; 2 Tim. 1. alluding in both Expreffions to the Notion of Fire Certain it is, as a Fire must be ftirred up and recruited, otherwife it will in a little Time be extinguish'd, fo it was with those extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit in thofe Days. The Men that had them were concerned to be wonderfully careful in the Exercise of them; never to let them lie idle and unemployed in their Hands; nor to make use of them to any selfish worldly Purpose. It concerned them likewife to be frequent in Prayer; to be ftrict and fevere in their Lives; to mind the Caufe of God

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above all Things, otherwife God would withdraw thofe Affiftances of the Spirit from them. The Spirit would perfectly be extinguished in them, and they wholly lofe the Power of working Miracles, and speaking Languages, which before they were endowed with. This is the Meaning of quenching the Spirit; which being fo, we cannot but take Notice how impertinently this Phrase is used by a great many in our Days. A Man that addreffes himself to God in a Form of Prayer, and doth not use his extemporary Faculty, is, by fome Sort of People among us, faid to quench the Spirit. But certainly this is quite wide of the Expreffion as St. Paal used it; unless we could make it appear, that every one who talks to God in a fudden extemporary Way, without Premeditation, was fupernaturally and immediately infpired from Heaven fo to do, and was as much acted by the Divine Spirit as the Apoftles were in their miraculous Performances; which, for my Part, I think it a hard Matter to believe of any Pretenders to Infpiration among us.

4. As for the laft Phrafe, that of grieving the Spirit, which we here meet with in my Text, I come now in the last place to confider it. And I conceive that this Phrafe is not used with respect to those who are Infidels, as the Terms of refifting the Spirit, and blafpheming the Spirit, are used; nor with refpect to the miraculous extraordinary

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Effects, which were vifible in many Places and Perfons in the firft Times of Chriftianity; which the Term of quenching the Spirit doth refer to; but it is a Precept given to those who have already taken the Profeffion of Chriftianity upon themselves; and it is spoken with refpect to the fanctifying Gifts and Graces of the Spirit, viz. those Communications of the Spirit which were not peculiar to the firft Times, but common to all Believers to the World's End. Spirit of God is here confidered as a Guest that hath taken up his Lodging in our Hearts; at leaft, as one that defires to be our Gueft; as having acquired a Right and Title to us, by virtue of the Contract and Covenant we made with God in our Baptifm, and undertaking the Vows of Chriftianity. And under this Notion of a Gueft or Lodger we are bound not to grieve him, not to afflict him, or make him fad (for fo the Original un um fignifies) Ne contriftate Spiritum, fays the Vulgar Latin very properly. That is, to be careful that we give him no Offence, not to do any Thing that fhall difplease him, or by any unkind Ufage of ours make him weary of his Habitation, and give him Occafion to remove from us. His Meaning is for evermore to dwell with us; as indeed he is the very Principle of the Life of a Chriftian, and we cannot live as Chriftians without is not more neceffary to the con

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, 6. ftituting of a Man, that a human Soul inhabit in a human Body, than it is to the being a true Chriftian, that the Holy Spirit of God inhabit in the Soul and Body of the Man. It is true, the Holy Spirit of God doth not dwell actually in all who profefs Christianity; but then it is true, that all who profefs Chriftianity, are not true Chriftians. But this is certain, that it is every Profeffor's own Fault, that the Spirit doth not dwell within him. It is certain, that he is ready and willing fo to do, and for this Purpose, fo long as Men have not finned to fuch a Degree that God thinks fit to give them over to Hardness of Heart, he fails not, as there is Opportunity, to fuggeft good Motions to their Souls. As he affords them the outward Means of Salvation, the Word and Sacraments, fo he accompanies those outward Means with his inward Grace and Influence. And if they themselves do not prevent his Operations in them, he will effectually at laft, by the Destruction of their Sins, work himself a Room and Place in their Hearts; and lodge there for ever, if they do not diflodge him. And indeed this is the very whole Design of the Gospel of Chrift, to unite us to himself by the Means of the Holy Spirit; to plant in us a new Nature; to poffefs us with a Principle of Life, higher and more divine than that which we received from our Parents, By being called to Chriftianity, we

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are called to be the perpetual Receptacles and Temples of the Divinity. This Honour and Dignity, by our undertaking the Chriftian Profeffion, we are defigned for, and whofoever doth his Part towards it, is actually made Partaker of it. And no Man can pretend to any Benefit by his Christianity, in whom the Spirit of God doth not thus dwell. For this we have abundant Evidence all along from what our Saviour and his Apoftles taught us. This is the Meaning of all thofe Places that fet forth the Union between Christ and his Church, making him to be the Head, and Chriftians the Members. This is that which our Saviour faith in the 15th of St. John, I am the Vine, ye v, 5, 6, are the Branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the fame bringeth forth much Fruit; for without me ye can do nothing. If a Man abide not in me, he is caft out as a withered Branch. There is the fame Relation between Chrift and Christians, that there is between the Vine and the Branches : The fame Neceffity of Communication of vital Influences from the Root to the Branch in the one, as in the other: Which Communication of Influences is made by the Holy Spirit of God, derived from Chrift, and diffufing himself into every particular Member of the whole Body of Chriftians. Hence it is Chriftians are fo frequently call'd the Temples of the Holy Ghoft. Know ye not, fays St. Paul, that ye are the Car 3 Tem

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