THese words are a further Ad­monition and Instruction, which the Apostle gives to these Believers to whom he writes: unto whom (after his salutation of them, chap. 1. v. 1, 2,) he had been magnifying the Apostles Office, in chap. 1. v. 3-12, and blessing God for his great mercy to them, in causing the Gospel to be preach­ed to them, and helping them to receive it, so as it wrought effectually in them, chap. 1. v. 13-15, Who sometimes were dead in sins [Page 2] and trespasses, in a sad and miserable con­dition, chap. 2. v. 1, 2-5, 11, 12: and yet then Christ made peace for them, and preach­ed it to them, and they were saved by Grace out of that sad condition, and made fellow-Citizens with the Saints; the Apostles Gospel being received by them, not as the word of Men, but as it is in truth the Word of God; chap. 2. v. 13-22: minding them, how that now the Mystery is opened and re­vealed, as it was not in former times: In which is contained, That the Gentiles should have the unsearchable riches of Christ preached among them, and fellow-heirs in believing this Gospel, which these Belie­vers also were, chap. 3. v. 1-13. And praying for them, chap. 1. v. 16-23, and 3. 14-21. From these premises he beseecheth them to walk worthy of the Calling wherewith they were called, chap. 4. v. 1, both in putting off the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful Lusts: not fashioning themselves according to the former lusts in their Igno­rance: not walking as other Gentiles in the vanity of their mind, chap. 4: like to that 1 Pet. 1. 1-13, 14, &c. 1 Thes. 4. 1-6. But put­ting on the New-man, as Col. 3. 1-16, being followers of God and Christ, chap. 4. v. 31, 32, and 5. 1, 2. Avoiding and Abstaining from those fleshly lusts that war against the Soul: And having their Conversation honest amongst the Gentiles which know not God. ch. 5. v. 3-11. &c.

[Page 3] In which we may take notice of the order of the Apostle in writing to the believers, namely, how he minds them of the Gospel first of all, as it is now preached according to the Revelation of the Mystery: And so gives to them Commandments by the Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Thes. 1. and 2, and 3, and 4. 1, 2. And amongst others, he gives unto them this Commandment we have read, and propounded to speak unto, and as that which was needful to be received, and obeyed, to the end they might avoid other evils; for surely this is the root of many other evils which here he admonisheth of: and that exhortation here given is needful to our so walking more generally as to please God.

In which words we have to consider,

• 1. A Dehortation, or Admonition of the Apostle unto these Believers, [Be not drunk with Wine.]
• 2 An Argument or Motive to ingage them to receive it, [Wherein is excess.]
• 3. An Exhortation, or Instruction [But be ye filled with the Spirit.]

1. A Dehortation or Admonition of the Apostle to these Believers, [Be not drunk with Wine.] He saith not, use no Wine; for that we may do lawfully, Every creature of God being good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving, &c. 1 Tim. 4. 1-5, and 5. 23: but abuse it not: Be not Drunk with Wine—

[Page 4] In speaking to which words, we shall first speak thereto briefly by way of Explication: and then note some Instructions.

1. By way of Explication, let us inquire and consider,

• 1. Of what [Wine] he here speaketh, and what is intended hereby.
• 2. What it is [to be Drunk] herewith, and when a man may be said so to be.

1. Of what [Wine] he here speaketh, and what is intended hereby.

To this we may say, the Wine here spoken of in general, is such as is opposed to the Spirit in the latter part of the verse: and so it is not here to be understood as it may, and must be, in some places, to wit, for Spi­ritual and Heavenly-drink. So Wine is used at some times, Cant. 2. 4. Isa. 25. 6, and 55. 1, 2, &c. And this still further appears, in what is added to this admonition, viz. he speaks of such Wine as in which is excess, which there cannot be in our receiving, and drinking in Christ, and the Spiritual things of and in him: But now here by Wine is meant that which is Earthly: And indeed it being opposed to the Spirit, and said to be such as in which is excess, it may be ta­ken more generally for all things on the Earth in which we are seeking delight, chearing, and comfort. But yet we shall look upon it in a more strict consideration, and so speak of it, to wit, either as it signifies,

[Page 5] 1. Most strictly, The fruit of Earthly Vines Gen. 9. 20, 21. Mat. 26. 29. The blood of the Grape, Gen. 49, 11.

2. Or also as more largely it signifies Strong Drink, of whatsoever, or howsoever it be made. As it seems there was Wine made of other Fruit beside Grapes in former times (though also there are several sorts of Grapes, and several sorts of Wine made there­of, Nehem. 5. 18,) as of Pomgranates, Cant. 8. 2, and so there might be of Apples and Pears, &c. As strong liquors are made with us of these Fruits, as Sider, Perry, &c. and the Drink made hereof might be called Wine, or however included in this word, when it is mentioned alone; unless the context ne­cessarily confine it to Wine most properly so taken. So when the Preacher sought in his heart to give himself to Wine, &c. to that end he planted him Vineyards, and made him Gardens and Orchards, and planted Trees in them of all kind of fruit, whereof also Wine might be made, Eccles. 2. 3-5. And indeed, all Strong Drink is included many times in this expression, when mentioned alone: So where­as the Nazarites in the Law were forbidden to drink Wine, or Strong Drink, or the Vinegar of Wine or of Strong Drink, &c. Num. 6. 3, 4; all these are, or may be, included in this one word Wine, in Amos 2. 12. Thus again, when Eli mistakingly said to Hannah, Put away thy Wine from thee: She in her Answer supposes [Page 6] that under the word Wine, Strong Drink generally might also be meant and com­prehended; for, She answered, and said, No, my Lord—I have drunk neither Wine nor Strong drink, 1 Sam. 1. 14, 15. So when it is said of John the Baptist, he came neither eating Bread, nor drinking Wine; without doubt, under the word Wine, is com­prehended also all Strong Drink: For it was Prophetically said of him, He shall drink nei­ther Wine, nor strong Drink, compare Luke 7. 33, with chap. 1. 15. And so, it seems, Wine and Strong Drink are indifferently used one for the other: See Prov. 20. 1, and 31. 4, 5, 6. Isa. 5. 11, 22, and 56. 12, &c. And so we shall here look upon it in this place, and ac­cordingly speak to it, as including all Strong Drink whatsoever.

3. Under this word Wine, may also be in­cluded and comprehended Meat of desire, or such food as wherewith men may be, and are intemperate, and excessive: And so as Bread many times doth include all Food, Mat. 6. 11, Joh. 6. 35. And so, men may eat for Drun­kenness, Eccles. 10. 17; so also Wine may comprehend all pleasant meat and drink, in the use whereof men are intemperate: Be­cause Wine is said to make glad the heart, and is usually the principal thing in intempe­rate ones desire: So when the Lord speaks of his peoples abuse of his Corn, and Wine, and Oyl, in Hos. 2. 5, 8, 9, he thus de­scribeth [Page 7] this Branch of their iniquity in chap. 3. v. 1, They love Flagons of Wine: Compre­hending all their former abuse of Gods mer­cies under their inordinate affection to Wine, or Strong Drink. Thus also when the Apostle Paul, writing unto, and directing Titus in the ordination of Elders and Bishops, faith, If any be balmeless—not accused of riot; he adds, as the reason, For a Bishop must be blameless—not given to Wine, &c. Tit. 1. 6, 7: where surely he gives us to understand, that the being given to Wine in verse 7, is as large as being guilty of Riot, as that signifies intem­perance, in v. 6: whereas Riot signifies intem­perance in Meat as well as in Drink, as ap­pears 1 Pet. 4. 3, 4. And so being Drunken signi­fies being intemperate, both in eating and Drinking; and therefore it is opposed to Hungry, 1 Cor. 11. 21. And this more large sense we may also speak to in what follows: Though I principally intend to speak of Wine, in the two first considerations mentioned, or in the second, in and under which the first is comprised. And so much to the first Enquiry.

2. What it is [to be Drunk] with Wine, and when a man may be said so to be.

To this we say, That to be Drunk with Wine, of which we are here admonished, and from which dehorted, doth signify:

1. More then Drinking Wine sparingly: Though a man cannot be Drunk without [Page 8] drinking; yet he may drink and not be Drunk: we are not forbidden to use Wine, as is before said; but may drink a little law­fully, if we have wherewith to buy it, or it be given to us; and that for our delight also, Deut. 14. 25, 26, Psal. 104. 15, Luke 7. 34. And in some cases, and for some per­sons it may be needful, as in case of Infir­mities, and for the Stomacks sake, as the Apostle saith to Timothy: Drink no longer Water, but use a little Wine for thy Stomacks sake, and for thy oft infirmities, 1 Tim. 5. 23. So again, Give Strong Drink to him that is ready to perish, and Wine to those that be bit­ter of Soul, or heavy of heart, Prov. 31. 6, 7, 2 Sam. 16. 2. But that of which we are ad­monished of is, of the abuse of it.

2. Nor are men by this dehortation, for­bidden a more liberal use of Wine at some times, and upon some special and extraordinary occasions, when they may have it lawfully, without abusing themselves, or others, or the good Creatures of God: Thus it is recorded of Joseph and his Brethren, that they drank, and they drank largely together, Gen. 43. 34. And at a Marriage where Christ was, and his Disciples, when they had well drank, he by a Miracle turned Water into Wine, of which best Wine they also drank, Joh. 2. 1-10. But both were extraordinary occa­sions; the former in expression of Josephs joy for the company of his Brethren, and [Page 9] especially of his Brother Benjamin, and to testi­fy love to them, and to shew them his honour and greatness God had advanced him to: The latter, that Christ, the truth of Joseph, might shew forth his Glory by this Miracle, and his Disciples be confirmed in their Faith in him: and others also might be drawn in to believe on him, seeing this great and mi­raculous work of his, Joh. 2. 11, 23-25, and so not to be ordinarily practised by men.

3. But the Drunkenness here admonished of, and dehorted from, is, when persons are filled with Wine (as appears by the expres­sion in the latter part of the verse) and drink to excess, Isa. 56. 12. And so they may be said to be Drunk who are overcome with Wine, as the Prophet saith, I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom Wine hath overcome, because of the Lord, and because of the words of his holiness, Jer. 23. 9. So the Prophet speak­ing of the Drunkards of Ephraim, saith, They are such as are overcome with Wine, Isa. 28. 1. And, Of whom, or of what a man is overcome, of the same is he brought into bondage, 2 Pet. 2. 19, Or, when men are deceived therewith, Prov. 20. 1, or, turned aside out of the right way thereby; as it is said of the Drunkards of Ehpraim, They have erred through Wine, and through Strong Drink are out of the way: the Priest and the Prophet have erred through Strong Drink—they are out of the way through [Page 10] String Drink, &c. Isa. 28. 7. And so parti­cularly we may say, there are degrees in this Drunkenness, and of all we are admonish­ed. As,

1. Some persons are said to be very drunken, as it said of Nabal, 1 Sam. 25. 36, and so drunken as that they fall, not being able to go through much Drink: and together here­with usually, or often-times, they spue and vomit, Jer. 25. 27: thus it is said of the Drunkards of Ephraim, All Tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean, Isa. 28. 7, 8, and 19. 14, Jer. 48. 26. Or make themselves naked, and discover their nakedness, even that of their Fore-skin also, to their shame, Gen. 9. 21-23, Lam. 4. 21, Habbak. 2. 15, 16, and so are wholly bereft of their understanding, Gen. 9. 24, and 19. 31-35. When men are so overcome, they are as, or worse than, bruit beasts: And all will acknowledg such are guilty of this bruitish and heathenish Iniquity.

2. Or men may be said to be Drunk, when they are not so far overcome with Wine or Strong Drink, as the former; and yet are distempered therewith, and behave them­selves after an unusual manner by reason thereof: As when persons though they can go, and have not drunk so much, or Drink hath not prevailed so far upon them, as to fall, and wallow in their filth, as the Dog in his vomit, or Swine in the mire; yet they [Page 11] cannot go steddily, but reel to and fro, and staggar through Strong Drink, which are evidences of Drunkenness also, as the Scrip­ture declareth to us: so it is said, They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, Psal. 107. 27, Isa. 24. 20, Job 12. 25. As a drunken man staggerth, Isa. 19. 14, and 29. 9. Or, when men shout or make an unusual noise by reason of Wine, Psal. 78. 65, Zechar. 9. 15, or by reason of Strong Drink are ready to quarrel with, and offer wrong to others that are about them, 1 Tim. 3. 3; or otherwise by the strength of Wine or Strong Drink do behave themselves strangely, or alter an un­accustomed manner: as by excessive Mirth, Laughter, Talking, being heavy to Sleep, &c. 1 Sam. 1. 13, 14, Isa. 56. 10-12.

3. Yea, they are guilty of this iniquity also, who drink till Wine inflame them, though outwardly they may behave themselves well enough, and may not be discerned by others to be overcome with Wine: and who con­sume upon their Lusts, and devour what is given to them to another end, even to live in the use and enjoyment thereof, to the will of God: (for some men may devour and bear much more Strong Drink than others, and not be taken notice of): So men are said to do that for Drunkenness, which is not done for strength, Eccles. 10. 17. And a Wo is pronounced upon them that rise up early in the morning that they may follow Strong [Page 12] Drink, that continue until night, till Wine inflame, or pursue them: And, Wo to them that are mighty to drink Wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink, Isa. 5. 11, 12, 22: and so men may be guilty of this iniquity whose hearts are over-charged with Surfeiting and Drunkenness, though their outward-man appear to be well enough, Luke 21. 34: and generally they are guilty of this evil, who pamper the flesh, and make provision for the lusts thereof, Rom. 13. 13, 14.

And the Drunkenness here admonished of, is not only of the highest degree thereof; But of all intemperance and insobriety what­soever: And not only are we dehorted from the habit of Drunkenness, or accustoming our selves to excess; but from any, and every one particular act. It is true indeed, the evil is still the greater when men sin in an high, or the highest degree; and accustom themselves to such a bruitish Iniquity: But yet it is a provoking evil to God, and that of which we are admonished, to be at any one time polluted herewith, and deceived hereby. Therefore our Saviour saith to his Disciples; Take heed to your selves lest [at any time] your hearts be overcharged with surfeting and drunkenness, &c. Luke 21. 34, and the rather we should take heed here­of, not only because it is a provoking Iniqui­ty in it self; but because Wine is a mocker and deceiver of men: many times men think [Page 13] to drink but a little, and Wine deceives them till they are overcome therewith, and de­ceived thereby; or persons think, if for once they should be overtaken, yet they will not make a trade of it: Truly if they do not, yet that once is a provoking evil. And yet usually men are deceived; for when they are once overcome, they are more easily inticed, and deceived again and again, and so brought into bondage, 2 Pet. 2. 19. It is such a Cord, as that when a man is taken therewith, it is an hard thing to disentangle himself again, Prov. 5. 22: and therefore whosoever is de­ceived thereby, though but very seldom, or once, is not wise, Prov. 20. 1. Good therefore it is for us, to abstain from every kind and de­gree of this evil, as well as of others, 1 Thes. 5. 22. And thus we have spoken to this second Inquiry, and shewn in some measure what it is [to be Drunk] with Wine, and when men may be said so to be.

2. We come in the next place to note some Instructions which are contained in this admonition and dehortation of the Apostles: as to say,

I. From the persons to whom it is given, so we may note; That such persons as have heard and believed the word of truth, the Gospel of our salvation, and after they have believed, have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, unto the day of Re­demption; need to be admonished and warn­ed [Page 14] of being Drunk with Wine: Such manner of persons these were to whom the Apostle here writeth, as appears, Eph. 1. 13, 14, and 2. 5-10, and 4. 30, and 5. 8, &c. And yet to these he gives this admonition, and saith, Be not drunk with Wine. So our Saviour gives alike admonition to his Disciples; Take heed to your selves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, Luke 21. 34. Thus also the Apostle to the Ro­mans, who were the called of Jesus Christ, beloved of God, &c. yet to them he saith, including himself also, Let us walk honestly—not in rioting and drunkenness, Rom. 1. 6-8, and chap. 13. v. 13, 14. And to the Thessa­lonians, on whose behalf he gave thanks to God alwayes, Remembring without ceasing their work of Faith, and labour of love, and pati­ence of hope—knowing their election of God: Yet to them he saith, Let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober: For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that are drun­ken, are drunken in the night: But let us—be sober, 1 Thes. 1. 2-4, with ch. 5. v. 6-8. Yea the Apostle Paul himself did keep under his body, and brought it into sujection, lest that by any means when he had preached to others, he himself should become a cast-away, or reprobate, 1 Cor. 9. 27. And it may further appear, that hearty and unseigned Believers, and all of them, need to be admonished of, and dehorted from this iniquity of Drunken­ness, if we consider,

[Page 15] 1. They are not wholly spiritual, but part­ly carnal, yea some more carnal than spiritual, 1 Cor. 3. 1-4: They have still sin in them, and the lusts thereof annoying them, both hindring them from what is good, and en­ticing them to what is evil: To which sin and its lusts they are naturally apt to sow, and to side with them: Therefore they need to have and suffer the word of exhortation, and those warnings given by the Holy Ghost. Thus the Apostle complaineth, I am carnal, sold under sin: And when I would do good, evil is present with me, Rom. 7. 14-24. And the Prophet complains with grief and sorrow; I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continu­ally before me; For I will declare mine iniquity, and be sorry for my sin, Psal. 38. 17, 18, And mine iniquities prevail against me, Psal. 65. 3. Hence such Exhortations and Commandments are given to us by the Lord Jesus, Mortify your members that are upon the earth, Col. 3. 5. as signifying, the affections and lusts of the flesh are our Members, the members of the Old-man. And the flesh lusteth against the spirit, Gal. 5. 17. Abstain from fleshly lusts that war against the Soul, 1 Pet. 2. 11, and 4. 3-7, Do ye think, saith the Apostle James, that the Scripture saith in vain, the spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy, even to all that is evil and forbidden of God? And it saith not this in vain; but it therefore thus speaketh, that we might take heed to our spirit, that [Page 16] we trust not therein, or thereto: and that we follow not after it, nor obey it in the lusts thereof, Jam. 4. 1, 3-5, with Mal. 2. 15, 16, Ezek. 13. 3. If there were no sin in them, but they were perfect as to attain­ment, and wholly sinless (as some ungodly spirits boast of themselves, who yet are not washed from their filthiness) there would be no such need for their being so admonished and warned of this iniquity: But alas! it is not so with them: For if we say that we have no sin, we deceive our selves, and (instead of having no sin in us) the truth is not in us, saith the Apostle, 1 Joh. 1. 8: and this amongst other things, he did write to the Believers, not to strengthen them in any evil wayes, or to plead for sin, but that they might not sin, but might lay apart all filthiness and super­fluity of naughtiness, and receive with meek­ness the ingraffed word, which is able to save their Souls, 1 Joh. 2. 1, with chap. 1. 8-10, Jam. 1. 14-20, that they might not trust in their own heart: He that trusteth therein is a fool, Prov. 28. 26. For every imagination of the thoughts of his heart is only evil, and that continually, Gen. 6. 5. From within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts (of all things) adulteries, fornication, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man, saith our Saviour to his Disciples, [Page 17] Mark 7. 17-20, 21-23. Therefore, be­cause of their great carnality, and natural inclination and propensity to all evil, they need to be admonished of, and dehorted from all evil, and particularly from Drun­kenness.

2. They have also enemies without them, who are tempting them to what is evil, and particularly to this iniquity here warned of, even to this of intemperance.

Namely, Satan, the god of this world, who is eminently and emphatically called, The Tempter, Matth. 4. 1-3, 1 Thes. 3. 5. And he is endeavouring by all means to tempt and entice them to all that is evil, especially the Believers, that he might turn them aside to crooked paths, 1 Thes. 3. 1-5. 1 Joh. 3. 8. He is their great enemy, and only adversa­ry, who are seeking after, and serving the Lord: and is therefore using all wayes and me­thods to entice them to evil, and tempt them to do his Lusts, Joh. 8. 44. And as at first he decei­ved and destroyed our first Parents, by cau­sing them to eat the forbidden Fruit, Gen. 3, so still he endeavours to corrupt and destroy men, by causing them to transgress in Eat­ing and Drinking contrary to Gods Com­mand, Matth. 4. 4, 5, He tempts men to In­sobriety and Intemperance. Hence the A­postle Peter saith, Be Sober, be vigilant: Be­cause the Devil your adversary as a roaring Lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour: [Page 18] Whom resist stedfast in the faith. 1 Pet. 5. 8, 9.

And the men of the World who lye in wickedness, and under the power of the Wicked-one, 1 Joh. 5. 19, they are promoting and carrying an-end Satans design in the World, and endeavouring to turn the Belie­vers out of the right way: Hence the Wis­dom of God counselleth, My Son, if Sin­ners entice thee, consent thou not—Walk not thou in the way with them, refrain thy foot from their path, Prov. 1. 10-15. They will, both by their evil counsel in words, and by their practice also, entice the Belie­vers to have fellowship with them in their unfruitful works of darkness, Eph. 5. 11: and think it strange if they will not run with them to the same excess of Riot, speak­ing evil of them: And therefore also they need to be admonished of Intemperance, and exhorted to be sober, and watch unto Prayer, 1 Pet. 4. 3, 4-7, Yea, and some, and too many there are of the Leaders of the people, who endeavour to cause others to err, even to err through Wine, such there are, who walking in the Spirit (the evil one) and Falshood, do lye, Prophesying unto them of Wine and Strong Drink, Micah 2. 11, Come ye, say they, I will fetch Wine (they can debase themselves to Hell in the service of their Lusts) and we will fill our selves with Strong Drink, and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant, Isa. 56. 10-12: [Page 19] Therefore they need also to be admonished to take heed and beware of this Iniquity of Drunkenness; because they have not only such a secret and homebred enemy within them; but so many powerful, vigilant ene­mies without them also, who will deceive, if possible, even the very Elect.

3. They need also to be admonished here­of; Because it is a very brutish and heinous Ini­quity, a very sinful and provoking Iniquity in the sight of God; yea, and of men also generally, until they are given up to hard­ness, and become past feeling. It is a great and heinous Iniquity against God, such as in which men more openly and manifestly do rebel against the light, than in many other evils of which they are admonished: And therefore in the service hereof, they render themselves openly to be Children of Bi­lial, Children of the Devil, Lawless persons, such as will do whatsoever is right in their own eyes, in despight of, and in direct and open opposition unto the Light in the Testimony, and to that wisdom and understanding God indues men with, whereby he teacheth them more than the Beasts of the Earth, and makes them wiser than the Fowls of Heaven, Job. 35. 10, 11. Hence when Hannah was wrongfully suspected to be guilty of this Iniquity, she thus speaketh to clear her self: My Lord—I have drunk neither Wine, nor Srong drink—Count not thine Hand-maid [Page 20] for a Daughter of Belial: Think me not to be, reckon me not as a Drunkard; for such are Children of Belial, especially if of the Female Sex: In which is intimated to us the abo­minableness of this Iniquity, 1 Sam. 1. 14-16. And in committing this Iniquity, men even work the will of the Heathen: as the Apostle Peter signifieth in saying, The time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Heathen, or Gentiles (which know not God) when we walked in lascivious­ness—excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, &c. 1 Pet. 4. 3, with 1 Thes. 4. 4, 5. And the Holy Ghost, to set forth the abominableness of this Iniquity, and that of the Lust of Un­cleanness (the consequent and concomitant of it, as we shall shew) makes use of the names of these sins to represent and describe abominable Idolatry by: Read Rev. 17. 2, and 18. 3. See Jer. 51. 7. And it is a shame­ful Iniquity amongst men generally (and therefore they do, or however did, in former times, commit it in the night, 1 Thes. 5. 7.) and such an one as they will abominate and lothe in others, and testify their dislike of (until they are be­come past feeling) and displeasure against. Thus under the Law, the way to render ones Son vile to others, was to say, He was guilty of intemperance; as it is written, The Parents shall say unto the Elders of the City, This our Son is stubborn and rebellious, he [Page 21] will not obey our voice, he is a glutton and a drunkard. And all the men of the City shall stone him with Stones, &c. Deut. 21. 18-21. Yea, it is such an Iniquity, as in which men sin against their own bodies also, and oft­times bring diseases and death directly upon themselves by their Intemperance, Hos. 7. 5.

4. It is such an Iniquity as God doth, and will judg for ever, if they be not washed from it: And therefore how oft doth he de­nounce Woes against them that are guilty hereof? Wo to the Drunkards of Ephraim—The drunkard of Ephraim shall be trodden under seet, Isa. 28. 1-3. Wo to them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink: that continue until night, till wine enflame them—Therefore my people are gone into Captivity, because they have no know­ledg—Therefore Hell hath enlarged her self, and opened her mouth without measure (to receive those Drunkards, where the multi­tude of them shall be dried up with thirst): Wo unto them that (though they can carry Drink well-enough, and others may not per­ceive them to be Drunk, yet) are mighty to drink Wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink—Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumes the Chaff, so their root shall be rottenness, &c.—There­fore is the anger of the Lord kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them, &c. [Page 22] And threatens to bring upon them Forreiners to wast and destroy them, Isa. 5. 11-14. 22-25-30. Yea indeed, he is many times so provoked to anger with men on this ac­count, as that, especially if they continue in this iniquity, he cuts them off, even in their sin of Drunkenness; as may be inti­mated unto us in what is said by the Prophet, The Lord will make an utter end, Afflicti­on shall not rise up the second time. For—while they be drunken as Drunkards, they shall be devoured, &c. Nahum 1. 9, 10. And however, persisting in this Iniquity, they will hereafter be excluced, and shut out of the Kingdom of God; Nor drunkards, nor re­vilers, &c. shall inherit the Kingdom of God, 1 Cor. 6. 10. The works of the flesh are manifest, which are, adultery—drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inhe­rit the Kingdom of God, faith the Apostle, Gal. 5. 19-21. All which considerations do shew unto us, that the Believers need to be admonished and warned of this Iniquity, that they be not Drunk with Wine, &c.

And this Instruction, as thus spoken unto, may be of usefulness to us:

1. To shew unto us, That the believers themselves are not, while in mortal bodies, perfect as to attainment, Phil. 3. 12. But they have still the Old-man which is corrupt ac­cording [Page 23] to the deceitful Lusts thereof; which though Crucified with Christ, yet is not whosly destroyed, Rom. 6. 6. Therefore are they instructed and incouraged, through the Spirit to mortify (continually) the deeds of the Body, that they may live, Rom. 8. 13. There is a Generation indeed that are pure, and sinless in their own eyes, and yet are not washed from their filthiness. There is a ge­neration, O how lofty are their eyes, and their eye-lids are lifted up, Prov. 30. 12, 13. But it is not so with them that walk in the light, as God is in the light: they see by the light of Gods testimony, and prove by experience, that they have sin within them, and many fleshly lusts that war against the Soul; to abstain from daily ungodliness, and world­ly lusts to deny and renounce: And the consideration hereof causeth them to cry out, O wretched men that we are, who shall deliver us from this body of death? Rom. 7. 14-24. 1 Pet. 2. 11. Tit. 2. 11, 12. And this leads them to pity others, Gal. 6. 1.

2. It shews unto us the mercy of God in giving gifts unto men: and fitting them to go before others in the Word of the Lord, and to warn them of every path of the De­stroyer: and such should not be despised, but esteemed by us, who are faithful in admo­nishing us of that which is evil and dis­pleasing unto him, who is of purer eyes than to behold Iniquity. Thus when the Apostle [Page 24] had been warning the Thessalonians of In­temperance, and instructing them to Sobriety, he gives this exhortation to them: And we beseech you, Brethren, to know them which la­bour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you (to wit, among other things of Drunkenness, and Insobriety, as appears by the scope of the place): And to esteem them very highly in love for their works sake, 1 Thes. 5. 6, 7, 8-12, 13: for who­soever despiseth them in their faithful admo­nitions, and dehortations, despiseth not Man but God, who also hath given unto them his Holy Spirit to accompany and assist them, 1 Thes. 4. 2-4-8.

3. Seeing such need to be dehorted from this Iniquity of Drunkenness, we may learn from hence, That they are no friends to them, nor is this love in any, whatever pretensions and professions they have, and make there­of, who entice them to this great and pro­voking Iniquity: They need not be provoked to Insobriety (for we are all too forward there­to naturally) but dehorted therefrom: And therefore it is not loving-kindness, but hating­kindness to urge any to eat or drink intem­perately; and such an Iniquity as where­with God is provoked: Wo unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness. Thou art filled more with shame than with glory, &c. [Page 25] Habbak. 2. 15, 16. Though men may pre­tend this to be liberality, and to tend to their glory, yet it will appear in conclusion, that such glory is their shame; and that they call evil good, and good evil; put darkness for light, and light for darkness, Isa. 5. 20-22. And time will come, when the vile person shall no more be called liberoel, Isa. 32. 5. What­ever appearance of love such may have to us, yet indeed it is, and is to be esteemed hatred by us; for, Love worketh no ill to his neigh­bour: Let us then cast off these works of dark­ness, and walk honestly—not in rioting and drunkenness, Rom. 13. 8-10-13; and rather esteem them to be our friends, and reckon them to be lovers of us, and kind to us, whose work it is to endeavour to preserve us from this, and all other crooked-paths whatsoever, Prov. 27. 5, 6.

4. The consideration hereof might hide Pride from them, and help them, Not to be high minded, but fear, Rom. 11. 20. Happy is the man that feareth alwayes: but he that hardneth his heart shall fall into mischief, Prov. 28. 14. Truly, even the Believers have great cause to stand in awe, and not to sin: for they have sin in them, and many enemies that seek the hurt of them; and too readily and frequently they offend in many things; and therefore it behoves them to fear the Commandment, Prov. 13. 13: And suffer the word of Exhortation; and not to [Page 26] think themselves to be so strong, or wise, as that they need no such admonitions: But rather to be alwayes jealous of themselves, and to seed themselves, to eat and drink with fear, Jude v. 12, The wise man feareth, and de­parteth from evil, but the fool rageth and is confident, Prov. 14. 16. Yea indeed, it espe­cially behoves them to flee from Intempe­rance, and avoid all occasions thereof. There­fore is this Instruction and Counsel given by Wisdom to her Children: Hear thou my Son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way: be not amongst Wine-bibbers, Prov. 23. 19, 20. And this leads us to a second In­struction from these words. viz.

II. In that he saith [Be not ye drunk with Wine] so he signifieth to us; That it doth especially behove them who have heard and believed the word of Truth, the Gospel of our Salvation, to flee from Drun­kenness; and if they do not so, their Ini­quity will be greater, more provoking, and inexcusable than others, and their judgment more terrible, and intolerable: Hence to such, and from the consideration of their nighness to, and mercy they have received from God, he thus speaks: This I say there­fore, and testify in the Lord, that [Ye] walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Eph. 4. 17-20. So the Apostle Peter saith, Dearly beloved, I beseech you as Strangers and Pilgrims, abstain from fleshly [Page 27] lusts which war against the Soul: having your conversation honest, &c. 1 Pet. 2. 9-12. And this will appear if we consider,

1. They are called out of darkness (out of ignorance and blindness) into Gods mar­vellous light, 1 Pet. 2. 9. And therefore it more abundantly behoves them to put off, and flee from this work of darkness: Ye were sometimes darkness (saith the Apostle to these believing Ephesians, and then ye walked ac­cording to the course of this world, &c.) but now are ye light in the Lord, walk as children of light: walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their minds, having the understanding darkned; being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart, Eph. 5. 8, with chap. 2. 1, 2, and 4. 17, 18. Indeed, this is the condemnation (as to men generally, this is their condemning­sin, and the cause of their condemnation) that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil, Joh. 3. 19, 20. But now as to these, not only light is come into the world, but they are turned from Darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, as to their state: they have believed in the light, and are the children of it, born of it, and called into it, indued with the light of the knowledg of God, which shines in the face of Christ: and therefore it behoves them [Page 28] especially to avoid, and abstain from all evil, and from this of Intemperance particularly, or else they will more highly sin and re­bel against the light than others: Christ hath given them light: let such see then that they walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise—Let them not be drunk with Wine, Eph. 5. 15-18. Certainly men act as, and render themselves to be fools, at an high rate, especially the Children of Light, who are Drunk with Wine; and such deeds are directly and openly opposite to the Light they have received, and to that Wisdom they are indued with: As on the other hand, it is an high point of Wisdom, and the way to be more wise still, for those who are of the light, to avoid Wine wherein is excess, and such as are Bib­bers thereof: Hence the Holy Ghost saith, My Son, if thine heart be wise, mine heart shall rejoyce, even mine; yea my reins shall rejoyce, &c. But how may the heart of such an one be wise? Wherein consists, and what is the way to Wisdom? The Wisdom of God informs us of this, as one thing contained in it, and needful to it: Hear thou my Son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the Way: Be not amongst wine-bibbers, amongst riotous eaters of flesh, Prov. 23. 15-21. This Argument the Apostle also propounds to the Thessalonians, to move them to be, and abide Sober. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day; We are not of the [Page 29] night nor of darkness: Therefore let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be so­ber: For they that sleep sleep in the night, and they that are drunken are drunken in the night: But let us who are of the day be so­ber, 1 Thes. 5. 5-8. And if they be not so who are Children of light, but become the servants of corruption, as their sin is more sinful than others, so their judgment will be much more severe and intollerable: For such as these The blackness of darkness is reserved for ever, Jude 12, 13. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again intangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the be­ginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than after they have known it, to turn from the holy Commandment delivered to them, 2 Pet. 2. 19-22. The Apostle gives us to under­stand, that the Iniquity of Intemperance in those who are Children of Light, is greater than that of other men: and answerably their judgement and punishment will be hea­vier and more terrible, if they be not sea­sonably washed therefrom; in that he saith, I wrote unto you in an Epistle, not to keep com­pany with fornicators: yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the co­vetous, &c. For then must ye needs go out of the world. But now I have written unto you, [Page 30] not to keep company: If any that is called a Brother be a fornicator—or a Drunkard—with such an one, no not to eat: not familiarly to converse, or not to eat at the Table of the Lord with such an one as this is, 1 Cor. 5. 9-11: Because such sin so greatly against the Light, and act so very uusutably un­to those principles which they have re­ceived of God, in walking according where­to they would certainly be preserved from such a brutish and beastly Iniquity as is this of Drunkenness and Intemperance.

2. These are Saints by calling and profes­sion, washed, and sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by the Spirit of our God, and so are brought nigh unto God: They are no more strangers and forreiners, but fellow-Citizens with the Saints, and of the house­hold of God: And in Christ they are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit; And so are made nigh unto him by the Blood of Christ, Eph. 2. 13-19-22. They are brought into, and made of his House: And holiness becometh thy house, O Lord, for ever, Psal. 93. 5. And therefore it doth behove these especially to escape and flee from the corruptions of the world, and this also particularly of Insobriety; or other­wise they will more abundantly provoke the eyes of his Glory, unto whom they are made so nigh. Be not unequally yoaked together with unbelievers; For what fellowship hath [Page 31] righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? (whose Children Drunkards are, as we have seen) Or what part hath he that believeth, with an Infidel? And what agreement hath the Temple of God with Idols? For ye are the Temple of the living God, as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them, &c. And if any man defile the Temple of God, him shall God destroy; For the Temple of God is holy, which Temple ye are, 2 Cor. 6. 14-16, with 1 Cor. 3. 16, 17. The Lord will be sancti­fied in them that come nigh him, Lev. 10. 3, though he hateth sin with a perfect and ever­lasting hatred in all. God is of purer eyes than to behold Iniquity, yet it is more bear­able, or rather not so unbearable and loath­some unto him, to see those that are with­out his house, and at a distance from him, to pursue and follow this brutish and swinish Iniquity, than to see men that are brought in­to his House vomit and spue there, even in his presence: these are more abundantly offen­sive to him, and cause a stink in his nose which he cannot away with. This was an aggravation of the Iniquity of his people in former times, as the Prophet gives us to un­derstand: I am like a drunken man, saith he, and like a man whom wine hath overcome—for in mine house have I found their wickedness, saith the Lord, Jer. 23. 9-11. They came [Page 32] into my Sanctuary to defile it; and lo thus have they done in the midst of mine house—And a voice of the multitude being at ease was with her, and with the men of the common sort were brought Sabeans, or Drunkards, &c. Ezek. 23. 38 42. His house is, and should be holy, an house of Prayer and Sacrifice: But how unseemly and provoking an Iniquity is it unto him, when his people make it a den of Drunkards! He needs not, nor can endure it, that mad men, such as are over­come with Wine, should come into his pre­sence (as 1 Sam. 21. 14, 15, with Jer. 5 1. 7.). They are a Spiritual house, an Holy Nation, a peculiar People, or people for a possession; therefore they especially should, and it behoves them highly to, abstain from fleshly lusts, &c. 1 Pet. 2. 4-9-11: they especially should come out from among men, and be separate, and touch no unclean thing: for the Lord their God walketh in the midst of them to deliver them, and to give up their enemies before them; therefore they should be holy, that he see no unclean thing in them, and turn away from them, 2 Cor. 6. 14-17, with Deut. 23. 14, and Rev. 1. 13, 14, and 2. 1. As he who hath called them is Holy, so should they be Holy in all manner of Con­versation; or otherwise, if they grow fat with the fat of the Kidneys of Wheat, and with the pure blood of the Grape, and kick against God; when he sees this, he will abhor [Page 33] them, because of the provoking of his Sons, and of his Daughters: and he will hide his face from them, Deut. 32. 14-20. It be­hoves them therefore, who are brought so nigh unto him, to receive this admonition, and obey this word of exhortation; or o­therwise their Iniquity will be greater and more provoking than others; and answer­ably; their judgment will be more severe and intollerable. Let every one that nameth the name of Christ, depart from iniquity, as becomes Saints.

3. They especially ought to flee from this Iniquity also, otherwise they will do more hurt to others, and teach and strengthen the wicked-ones in their ways, Jer. 2. 33, they are the light of the world; therefore they are instructed to let their light so shine before men, that they may see their good works, and glorify their Father which is in Heaven, Matth. 5. 14-16. Needful it is for them especially, to take heed that they put not a stumbling-block before the blind, not to eat flesh, nor drink Wine, nor any thing whereby their Brother (for whom also Christ died) stumbleth, or is offended: Cursed is he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way, Levit. 19. 14. with Rom. 14. 21. and Deut. 27. 18. Those who have known, and believed the Testimony that God hath given of his Son, are set, and preserved to shine as lights in the midst of a crooked [Page 34] and froward generation, Philip. 2. 12-15. And to that end, to hold forth the Word of life, in word and conversation, vers. 16. And if they walk on in Darkness, in Riot­ing and Drunkenness, and the consequents thereof; Oh how will they thereby do hurt to others! By means of them the name of God, and his doctrine, will be blasphemed and reproached by others, as if it were a Doctrine of Profaneness and Licentiousness: and they hereby lay stumbling-blocks in the way of poor ignorant ones, so as none will return from, but rather be strengthened in their evil wayes. And, Wo to the world be­cause of offences; but wo to the man, especial­ly, by whom the offence cometh. Wherefore if thy hand or foot (any work or walking of thine) cause thee to offend, cut them off, and cast them from thee: It is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands, or feet, to be cast into ever­lasting fire; where their worm dieth not, and their fire is not quenched, Matth. 18. 7-9, Mark 9. 43-45. They are a City set on an hill, which cannot be hid; and every one is observing, and taking notice of them, and their demeanour and conversation: And therefore it behoves them especially, to have their Conversation honest among the Gentiles, (which they cannot have, unless they ab­stain from fleshly lusts which war against the Souls of others, as well as against their own): [Page 35] that whereas they speak against them as evil doers, they may by the good works which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visita­tion, 1 Pet. 2. 11, 12, and chap. 3. 16. It behoves them therefore to have their con­versation as becomes the Gospel of Christ, that they may be pure from the blood of other men, and that the blood of their Souls be not required of them.

And as it behoves the Believers in gene­ral, to receive this admonition given unto them, and to obey the counsel therein con­tained: so still it more highly concerns those amongst them, who are over them, and go before them, to abstain, and flee from all intemperance whatsoever, whether in meat or drink. The Apostle was very careful, when he gives Commandment about such as should be chosen into the Office of a Bishop, or Elder, that he that should be chosen thereinto, should not be given to this Ini­quity of Insobriety: A Bishop, saith he, must be blameless—not given to wine, &c. 1 Tim. 3. 1-3. So to Titus also, he saith, If any be blameless—not accused of riot, &c. For a Bishop must be blameless—not given to wine, Tit. 1. 6, 7. And the same direction he gives concerning Deacons also; Likewise must the Deacons be grave, not given to much wine, 1 Tim. 3. 8, they are to be examples to the Believers, in word and conversation, 1 Tim. 4. 12. And in all things to shew [Page 36] themselves patterns of good works, that their Brethren may imitate them, Tit. 2. 1-7. And if they depart out of the way, they will cause many to stumble at the Law: and God will make them contemptible and base before all the people, according as they have not kept his wayes, Mat. 2. 8, 9; it behoves them therefore to be temperate in all things, and to keep under their bo­dies, and bring them into subjection, lest when they have preached to others, they themselves become reprobates, 1 Cor. 9. 24-27. They have some peculiar service in bearing the vessels of the Lord, commit­ted to them; and they therefore should be clean, which they cannot be, unless they de­ny these worldly lusts, Isa. 52. 11, with ch. 28. 8. This was a Complaint taken up, and uttered forth against the leaders of the peo­ple in former times: The Priest amd the Prophet have erred through Strong Drink, they are swallowed up of Wine, they are out of the way through Strong Drink, &c. Isa. 28. 7.—They are in their service brought high­er unto the God of Israel, than their Breth­ren: And therefore he will, most especially, be sanctified in them: And it greatly con­cerns them at all times to be temperate, especially when they approach unto him, lest through their insobriety they offer up strange fire instead of that of the Altar. It may seem this evil of Intemperance was found [Page 37] with Nadab and Abihu, and that it was the cause of their miscarriage: Therefore for the future God gives a strict charge, that those that come near to him should abstain from this occasion of evil: For upon that occasion the Lord spake to Aaron, and said, Do not drink wine, nor strong drink, thou, nor thy Sons with thee, when ye go into the Tabernacle of the Congregation, lest ye dye: It shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations; And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean, (in which Nadab and Abihu sailed). See Levit. 10. 1-3-8-10. Ezek. 44. 21-23. This may and will cause men to follow their own Spirit, and to speak things to God which they ought not.——They are to be Gods mouth to the people in some sort, and are to speak his words, and make known and open his Doctrine to them: And there­fore it behoves them greatly to take heed, and beware that they be not overcome of Wine; that they may teach his Israel the Sta­tutes of the Lord, Levit. 10. 8-11. For by the excess of wine they will err in vision, and stumble in judgment, Isa. 28. 7. They are to watch for the Souls of those which are committed to their charge: their work is to be watch-men: But alas, how greatly will this Intemperance unfit them for it, and dis­pose them to slothfulness and sleepiness! This will unfil them for the service they are [Page 38] appointed to, and faithfulness expected from them, 1 Thes. 5. 6-8. It will make them blind, ignorant, foolish-ones, and render them altogether unmeet for the work of watch-men: hence it is said, His watch-men are blind, they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber—Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill our selves with strong drink: and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant, Isa. 56. 9-12.—They should be reprovers of o­thers, and should admonish and warn them of every path of the Destroyer, 2 Tim. 4. 2. Ezek. 3. 17-26. But if they themselves be guilty of Drunkenness, how should they warn others of Intemperance, or reprove them for it? Thou that sayest another should not be Drunk, or commit Fornication, art thou thy self Intemperate, and unclean? Thou that teachest another, teachest thou not thy self? Ram. 2. 19-24.—They should give themselves to reading (the Scriptures of truth) to Exhortation, and Doctrine: and to that end redeem the time, that their profiting may appear to all, 1 Tim. 4. 13-16. 2 Tim. 4. 2. But alas! How will this Swinish Iniquity unfit men for this, and hinder them from exercising themselves to what is good and profitable to themselves and their Bre­thren! And do not such sometimes complain, they are so straitned by reason of their cal­lings [Page 39] and imployments, that they cannot be so oft with their Brethren as they would be; when yet the same persons can too frequent­ly find time to distemper themselves, and a­buse the good Creatures of God: And there­by cause others to abhor the Ordinances and Appointments of the Lord: Yea, there­fore (as we have said) God makes them base and contemptible before all the people; And they are justly taken up in the lips of talkers. Oh how provoking an Iniquity is this in such as these are! And unto such the Lord also may speak, and say, What hast thou to do to declare my Statutes, or that thou shouldest take my Covenant in thy mouth, see­ing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee? Psal. 50. 16-20-22, And in­deed, the provokingness of this Iniquity in them, is signified in Gods severity against them. If that servant say in his heart, my Lord delayeth his coming, and shall begin to beat the men-servants, and the maidens, and to eat and drink with the drmnken, or, to be drunken: The Lord of that Servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of: and shall cut him in sunder, and appoint him his portion with the Hypocrites and unbelievers: there shall be weeping, and gnashing of teeth. And that Servant which knew his Lords will, and prepared not, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. [Page 40] —For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required: And to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more, Matth. 24. 48-51. and Luke 12. 45-48. Oh consider this ye that for­get God and his Law (Prov. 31. 5.) lest he tear you in pieces and there be none to deli­ver: Lest now spending your time in mirth and jollity, and in the abuse of the good Crea­tures of God, you hereafter howl for a drop of water to cool your tongues, being tor­mented in that flame, when you come to drink of the Wrath of the Almighty, Job. 21. 12-20. Luke 16. 19-24. You should e­specially have your conversation in Heaven, and be minding the things above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God: And if you should mind these earthly things, and so dwell in your hearts and affections upon the earth, how can you escape the snare which will come upon all the inhabi­tants of the earth? Therefore take heed to your selves, saith our Saviour to his Di­sciples and Apostles, lest at any time your hearts be over-charged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of this life (whereto Intemperance will necessarily lead you) and so that day come upon you unawares: for as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth (as ri­otous persons and Drunkards do). Watch ye therefore, and pray alwayes, &c. Luke 21. 34, 35, 36.

[Page 41] III. Considering the time when this de­hortation and admonition was given to these Believers, we may learn somewhat from thence which may be instructive to us from this cir­cumstance. And so, as we may see, it was given unto them [When the dayes were evil, Eph. 5. 16.] Now they may be said to be evil, in a double consideration, whereto we shall here briefly speak, and so note something for our learning: As to say,

1. The dayes or time may be said to be evil, when they are sinful times, when Ini­quity doth abound, and that both Spiritual and Carnal. The dayes are evil, sinfully evil, and perilous times, when men have a form of Godliness over all their Impiety and wic­kedness, 2 Tim. 3. 1-5. Matth. 24. 12. As well as also they are said to be evil, when more gross impiety, and carnal wickedness abound. As when the words of many a­mongst the professed people of God, are so stout, as they say, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his or­dinance, and that we have walked mournfully before him? as Mal. 3. 14, 15: or when they run to all excess of Riot, and commit Iniquity with greediness: So it was said to be an evil time, when the Lord saith, I know your ma­nifold transgressions, and your mighty sins, Amos 5. 12, 13. And so it appears, the times or dayes in this place, were said to be evil, because of the abounding of gross [Page 42] wickedness: many amongst them did commit uncleanness with greediness; and were act­ing unfruitful works of darkness, such as it was a shame to speak of, Ephes. 4. 16-19. and chap. 5. 11, 12.

2. The dayes may be said to be evil, when they are full of affliction, and when God is executing his judgments upon the earth: So as, All the dayes of the afflicted are evil, Prov. 16. 15. So the Prophet imprecates, Bring upon them the day of evil, Jer. 17. 17, 18. And so the dayes, or times, are frequently, and most frequently said to be evil, Psal. 49. 5. Prov. 16. 4. Eccles. 9. 12. and 12. 1. Amos 6. 3. Micah 2. 3. Matth. 6. 34. And from this double understanding we may take notice of these two instructions from this circum­stance of the time, viz.

[1.] That when the dayes are sinfully evil, then especially the Believers need to be ad­monished to slee from Intemperance, and excess of Wine: And it behoves them then more abundantly to receive the admonition, Not to be drunk with Wine: And this will appear if we consider;

1. In such dayes and times they have more temptations and provocations by the general evil example of others: Therefore they the more need this admonition to be given to, and received by them, when Ini­quity is so generally and frequently practised by those amongst whom we live, and is so [Page 43] openly acted and committed by them. Hence the Lord giveth this admonition to his people in former times: Thou shalt not follow a mul­titude to do evil, Exod. 23. 2. In which he signifies, that in such a day we shall have more strong provocations to have fellow­ship with them in those unfruitful works of darkness, than when Iniquity stops her mouth, and hides her head, and a greater inclina­tion thereto: And this also appeareth by what Gods professed people plead for the service of their sins: Namely, the general and open example of their Fathers, and great­ones: We will do, say they, what soever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense to the Queen of Heaven—as we have done, we, and our Fathers, our Kings, and our Prin­ces, in the Cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, Jer. 44. 15-17. When men generally declare their sin as Sodom, and hide it not, Oh then we need especially, and it greatly concerns us to receive, and obey this admonition given to us. Then we shall have many to entice, and urge us, by their word and example, to consent to them, and com­ply with them, in their crooked paths; and to run with them to the same excess of Ri­ot whereto they run. And then more espe­cially also, it behoves us to receive the ad­monition, when not only the people gene­rally, among whom we live, are given to In­temperance; but when The leaders of the [Page 44] people also err through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way: as, Isa. 28. 7, Then the leaders of the people cause them to err, and go astray also, and they that are led of them are destroyed, Isa. 3. 12. and 9. 16. I have seen folly in the Prophets of Samaria, saith the Lord—They caused my people Israel to err. I have seen also in the Prophets of Jerusalem (of the chief City) an horrible thing—They strengthen the hands of evil-doers, that none doth return from his wickedness—Therefore thus saith the Lord of Hosts concerning the Prophets: Behold, I will feed them with worm­wood, and make them drink of the water of gall. For from the Prophets of Jerusalem is profaneneness gone forth into all the land, Jer. 23. 13-15. When such as these forsake the right way, and count it pleasure to Riot in the day-time, then it is an evil time: Then many times they allure through the lusts of the flesh—those that were clean escaped from them that live in error, 2 Pet. 2. 13-18.

2. Then also the Believers need to be ad­monished of Intemperance when the dayes are sinfully evil; Because, when Rioting and Drunkenness are commonly practised, these evils may be committed without fear of shame and punishment: then there is none to put them to shame in any thing, as Judg. 18. 7. But they that tempt God, are even delivered from that shame and penalty which of right belongs to their transgression, Mal. 3. 14, 15. [Page 45] The wicked walk on every side (openly and securely, and do not hide themselves) when Vileness (Rioting and Drunkenness) are exalted amongst the Sons of men: And then it is high time for the righteous to cry, Save Lord, deliver us from our own, and others transgressions: Incline not our hearts to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men that work Iniquity, and let us not eat of their dainties, Psalm 12. 1-8. and 141. 1-4, The rod and reproof give wis­dom: But when persons are left to them­selves, usually they act and commit shameful things, Prov. 29. 15. This was that which provoked the Lord to anger against Eli, who judged Israel, and might be some cause of his Sons great Impiety and Iniquity, and that they were such children of Belial, that when they made themselves vile he restrained them not, 1 Sam. 3. 13. When Justice and Judg­ment are executed, and sinners are shamed, and punished according to the quality of their Offence, this puts an awe upon others, and causes them to take heed of Iniquity, lest they also partake of the Punishment: And such righteous Judges, and Magistrates, do put away evil from among the people: And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do so no more wickedly, or presumptuously, Deut. 17. 12, 13. and 13. 8-11. and 19. 18-21. And so it is said particularly, When glutton­us persons and drunkards are punished for­their [Page 46] intemperance, by this means the Judges put away evil from amongst them: And all Is­rael shall hear and fear, Deut. 21. 20, 21. But, when we are all so naturally inclined to evil; and also every man is left to him­self, to do what is right in his own eyes, without check, shame, or punishment; when every man is a Law to himself, as it were, and the Reins are laid upon their Necks, that they may go whither they please: And when the Sons of the Mighty will not do Justice: when they know not, nor will under­stand, but walk on in darkness (as Psal. 82. 1-5,) then it is high time to receive the admonition which the Holy Ghost is giving unto us, and to accept it thankfully from those who are over us in the Lord, that they will admonish us of, and dehort us from this great and root-Iniquity of Intempe­rance: For then especially we shall be ready to pollute our selves herewith, when we may do so, and not be restrained from it, or shamed, or punished for it.

Nay further, the Believers need to have and receive this admonition, when their Watch-men are poluted with Intemperance, or some of them: because they that are so, cannot faithfully, or successfully reprove ano­ther of an Iniquity of which they themselves are also guilty. How canthey pluck out the Mote out of their Brothers eye, when he hold there is a Beam in their own? How can [Page 47] they fault, or with what face can they re­prove their Brethren for Insobriety, when they also are given unto, and too often de­filed with excess of Wine? Matth. 7. 3-5. Nay indeed, how can they reprove others of any evil whatsoever, while themselves walk not with a right foot in the Gospel, but eat and drink with the Drunken? Hence when the Apostle solemnly charges Timothy, Before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, &c. To preach the Word, and be instant in season, and out of season, reprove rebuke, exhort, &c. He then instructs him: But watch thou, or be thou sober, in all things (as the same word is read in some of our Margins, and so translated elsewhere: as 1 Pet. 5. 8.) As if he should say, That thou mayest Preach the word faithfully, and Reprove and Rebuke Offenders, be thou thy self Sober, and Tem­perate in all things, be not a partaker of other mens sins, but keep thy self pure; o­therwise thou canst not be a Reprover, or Faithful-reprover of others, 2 Tim. 4. 1-5. and 1 Tim. 5. 22. Alas, how do such teach­ers strengthen others in their evil wayes! their Brethren will say, surely Drun­kenness and Intemperance are no great evils, for our leaders are Good-fellows also, and will joyn, and keep Company with us. And however we need not fear to be reproved by them; They dare not Prophesy unto us to cause us to take shame (as Micah 2. 6,) [Page 48] because they themselves too often exceed in their Intemperance. Oh! needful therefore it is, for us to be dehorted from, and admoni­shed of this Iniquity, when men may sin with­out fear of shame or punishment from the Civil Magistrate, and when also there are like People, like Priest: And now it's high time for us to suffer this word of admoni­tion and exhortation; Be not drunk with Wine.

3. Nay, when the dayes are so sinfully evil, as hath been said, we need then to have and receive this admonition here given to us; not only because then we have more strong temptations to Intemperance than at other times: nor only because we may be guilty of it without shame, punishment, or reproof: But also in such dayes we shall be reproached, frowned upon, and evilly dealt with; if we have not fellowship with them in their unfruitful works of darkness: others will think it strange if we run not with them to the same excess of Riot, Blaspheming and speaking evil of us, 1 Pet. 4. 3, 4. So it was in evil dayes in Israel: Judgment was turned backward, and Justice stood afar off: for truth was fallen in the streets, and equity could not enter: Yea truth failed, and he that departed from evil made himself a prey; or was counted a Mad-man, a Fanatick, &c. Isa. 45. 14, 15. So now too many hate the good, and love the evil, Mic. 3. 1-3. And hereby think [Page 49] to affright men, and scare them into their evil wayes and manners, by their reproaches, frowns, scoffs, derisions, &c. Then it is an evil time indeed, a sinful and perilous time, when the just are afflicted, because they will not put forth their hand to Iniquity with others, but refrain their feet from their evil wayes and crooked paths, Amos 5. 10-13. And then especially they need to be admonished to flee Insobriety, when they will be re­proached, vilified, and persecuted by others for so doing, lest by the evil use they meet with, they be corrupted from the right way, and turn aside after Satan.

Nay, when the dayes are sinfully evil, then the way to meet with praise from others, preferment, and safety, is to do as the most of men do, and to walk in the broad way with them: then the vilest of the Sons of men are exalted, even such as walk in riot­ous wayes and practises, Psal. 12. 8. Then the proud are counted happy, and they that work wickedness are set up, and they that tempt God are even delivered, Mal. 3. 13-15. And therefore in such dayes especially we need to be admonished to abstain from every kind of evil whatsoever, and particularly from this of Intemperance: for we love naturally to be well spoken of by others, and to be advanced or lifted up amongst men, or how­ever to enjoy our liberty, and be secured from all reproach, and molestation from o­thers: [Page 50] and therefore when all outward in­couragement, promotion, and protection are assured unto, and injoyed by such as will eat, drink, and be drunken: How ready are we by occasion hereof, to wander out of the way of understanding, and to have fellowship with them in their unfruitful works of darkness? The world will love its own, Joh. 15. 19. They that forsake the Law, praise the wicked, Prov. 28. 4. The world cannot hate them that are of it, and who do fulfil its lusts, but delights in them, and think, these are the only persons that are meet to be confided in; and that will be trusty, and faithful, in any trust that is committed to them, Joh. 7. 7. And there­fore these are the persons that shall be countenanced, promoted, protected, incou­raged, and be the men, the darlings and dil­lings of the times: These are they that shall be accounted honest men, and good-fellows, such as will be true to their friends: these are the men that shall be reputed and re­ported to be bountiful and liberal persons, (though in truth they are Churls and vile ones in the esteem and account of him that judgeth righteously, Isa. 32. 5-8.) And who so meet for society, countenance, security, and advance ment, as these? Oh therefore! what great need have we when the dayes are evil, to be admonished and warned to flee from this path of the destroyer, even from Intemperance, [Page 51] and to receive, and obey the admonition given unto us, and to that end to go forth unto Christ without the Camp, bearing his reproach, who was spoken against by them that sate in the Gate, even by the Judges, and Magistrates, and was the song of the Drunkards, or, of the Drinkers of Strong Drimk, Heb. 13. 13. with Psal. 69. 12.

Oh then, when the dayes are evil, suffer this word of exhortation which is here given to you by the Holy Ghost: And as ye are Children of light, walk as such: let discretion preserve you, and understanding keep you from those crook­ed wayes and evil paths; and that you walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous: And to move hereto, let us briefly consider:

1. It hath been the practice of good men in evil times, instead of complying with sin­ful ones, or having any fellowship with them in their unfruitful works of darkness, to be filled with grief and sorrow, not only for their own evils; but for the miscarriages of others also. The righteous Soul of just Lot was vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked, 2 Pet. 2. 7, 8. Rivers of waters run down the eyes of the sweet Psalmist of Israel, because men kept not Gods Law: he beheld the trans­gressors and was grieved, because they kept not Gods word, Plal. 119. 136, 158. The Prophet Jeremy cryes out, My Bowels, my Bowels, I am pained at my very heart. My heart maketh a [Page 52] noise in me, I cannot hold my peace, &c.—For my people is foolish, they are foolish children. His Soul did weep in secret for mens pride and profaneness, Jer. 4. 19-22. and 9. 2. and 13. 17. They did mourn and weep for the abominations that were committed in the midst of them, Ezek. 9. 4. Yea, our Sa­viour wept over Jerusalem, because they knew not the time of their visitation, Luke 19. 41, 42. And the Apostle feared he should have cause when he came to Corinth, to bewail many which had sinned, and had not repented of the Uncleanness, Fornication, and Lasciviousness which they had commit­ted, 2 Cor. 12. 20, 21. They were so far from oyning with evil doers then, as that they were full of heaviness, and exprest it outwardly in weeping and sighing for the many abomina­tions done by them amongst whom they lived. Walk we also in the way of those good men, and be we diligent followers of them.

2. In walking honestly according to the teachings of the Grace of God, we may be Instruments of mercy and good to them a­mongst whom we live; Both in causing them to consider their wayes, and to return from their wickedness, unto him against whom they have sinned, Jer. 23. 14, 22. 1 Pet. 3. 1. And in obtaining sparing-mercy through the in­tercession of Christ for such as yet go on in their trespasses, that judgment may not be speedily executed upon them, nor the wo­ful [Page 53] day, the day of desolation hastened upon them, Jer. 17. 16. and 18. 20. God had spared Sodom and Gomorrha, &c. And had not de­stroyed those Cities, had there been ten righteous persons found therein, Gen. 18. 32; and though there were not, yet he accepted Lot who interceded for Zoar, and did not overthrow it, Gen. 19. 19-22. And be­cause of that very small remnant of upright ones that were lest in Judah, therefore that nation was not made as Sodom, and like to Gomorrha, Isa. 1. 7-9. So when Christ threatens, that if the Angel and Church of Sardis did not watch, he would come on them as a thief, and they should not know what hour he would come upon them: He adds; But (as some read) thou hast a few names even in Sardis, &c. As if he should say, I have respect to them, and therefore will not so suddenly hasten the execution of what I threaten upon thee, Rev. 3. 3, 4.

3. It's highly acceptable unto God, and approvable in his sight, that in evil times they keep themselves unspotted from the world, and defile not their garments, as the generality do, Rev. 3. 4. And he takes special notice of them, and grants signal sa­vours to them: And though they, all that will live godly in Christ, shall suffer persecu­tion: yet in his desolating-judgments he usu­ally doth discriminate them from others, who have in evil times walked before him, [Page 54] and been perfect. So Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, He being a just man and perfect in his generations: And Noah walked with God, when the earth was corrupt before God: And the earth was filled with violence for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth—And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house (it fared the better for him) into the Ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me, Gen. 6. 7, 8-12-22. and 7. 1. 2 Pet. 2. 5. And when he turned the Cities of Sodom and Go­morrha into ashes—He delivered just Lot vexed with the filthy conversation of the wic­ked: And the Lord still knoweth how to deli­ver the godly out of temptation, Gen. 19. 2. 2 Pet. 2. 6-9. see also, Deut. 4. 3, 4. Numb. 14. 24, 30, 38. And when he threatned to executed desolating-Judgments upon Jerusalem, yet before the execution thereof, The Lord said to the man cloathed with linnen, which had the writers Inkhorn by his side; Go thorow the midst of the city—and set a mark on the foreheads of them that sigh, and that cry for all the abominations that were done in the midst thereof. And to the others, which had every man a slaughter-weapon in his hand, he said, Go ye—thorow the city and smite, let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: But come not near any upon whom is the mark: And begin at my [Page 55] sanctuary, those that come nearest to me, Ezek. 9. 2-4-6-11. and 14. 14, 16, 18, 20. Rev. 7. 2, 3. And though the iniquity of any Nation, upon whom his name is called, be so great, as that he is resolved to give it up into the hand of strangers, and to deal with it, as he said he would do, and did with Israel; Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off (not from the earth, but) from thee the righteous and the wicked, Ezek. 21. 3, 4. Yet, though those who have kept themselves unspotted from the Pollutions of the World, have their sub­stance and treasures spoiled by the enemy, and are not wholly hid, he may cause the enemy to entreat them well in the time of evil, and in the time of affliction, and give them their lives for a prey, and cause them to be pitied of them that lead them captives, as he did to Jeremy, Baruch, Ebedmelech, Ezekiel, Daniel, &c. Jer. 15. 11-14. and 39. 17, 18. and 40. 2-4. and 45. 5. Dan. 1. 9: yea, he by way of promise saith; He will spare them, who exercse themselves to God­liness, when others of their brethren pro­fessedly grow prophane, wicked, and licen­tious, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him, Mal. 3. 13-16, 17. And to such he hath a peculiar respect, and will cause them to come nigher to him than others shall do; though in their returning from their wan­drings, [Page 56] he forgive them, and receive them graciously: The Priests, the Levites—that kept the charge of my sanctuary, when the chil­dren of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me, to minister unto me, &c. saith the Lord, Ezek. 44. 10-13, 14, 15, 16. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments, saith the Lord Jesus: And they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. Rev. 3. 4: the consider­ation of all which might ingage us. To come out from among men in evil days, and be se­parate, and touch no unclean thing: And the Lord Almighty will receive us (whoever reject us) and will be a Father to us, and we shall be to him for sons and daughters. Having therefore these promises and encouragements, let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, &c. 2 Cor. 6. 14-17, 18. and 7. 1. Again,

2. As evil signifies evil of Affliction and Judgment; so we may receive this further in­struction: That when the days are evil, when God's Judgments are poured forth a­mongst us, and felt by us, and greater fear­ed; then especially we need to have, and receive this Admonition, that we be not drunk with Wine, but that we watch against all intemperance and insobriety: When thy judg­ments are in the earth, saith the Prophet, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteous­ness, Isa. 26. 9. And therefore then it be­hoves [Page 57] the Believers especially to be tempe­rate in all things: So it was with Daniel and his three companions when they were in captivity, and under great affliction: they would not defile themselves with the por­tion of the King's meat, nor with the Wine which he drank, Dan. 1. 5-8-16. And indeed, as it is always sinful, so it is most un­seasonable to eat and drink to excess, when God is casting us down in his Providences, and ordering occasions of mourning, and la­mentation to us: when men are minished and brought low thorow oppression, affliction, and sorrow, Psal. 107. 39. When we see a sword, a sword is sharpened, and also fur­bished: it is sharpened to make a sore slaughter; it is furbished that it should glitter; should we then make mirth? Ezek. 21. 9, 10. should we unfit our selves for a wise consideration of the Lord's doings, when he is making deso­lations amongst us? surely this will be an high aggravation of our iniquity, as is once and again signified to us: Wo unto them, saith the Lord, that rise up early in the morn­ing, that they may follow strong drink, that continue until night, till Wine inflame them: And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts; but they regard not the work of the Lord, nor the opera­tion of his hands, Isa. 5. 11, 12. In that day did the Lord God of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to [Page 58] girding with sack-cloath: And behold, joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine, &c. And it was re­vealed in mine ears by the Lord of hosts, sure­ly this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye dye, saith the Lord God of hosts, Isa. 22. 1-12-14. Wo to them that put far away the evil day—that lye upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, or abound with superfluity; and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall. That chaunt, or quaver to the sound of the viol:—That drink Wine in bowles, and anoint themselves with the chief oynt­ments: But they are not grieved for the af­fliction of Joseph. Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive, and the banquet of them that stretched themselves shall be removed, Amos 6. 1-3-6-8. Tru­ly, as our Saviour gives us to understand, now the Bridegroom is taken away from us, it is a continued time of fasting; and out­ward occasions of mourning are presented to his disciples, till God shall send us him again who now is preached to us, Mat. 9. 14, 15. Luk. 5. 34, 35. And to all this time that may be long, which our Saviour speaks to his Disciples, when he is taking his leave of them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall re­joyce; and ye shall be sorrowful, &c. Joh. 16. 20. And yet at some times more abundantly [Page 59] they have o [...]ard cause of mourning admi­nistred to them: And they then are in­structed to be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: To let their laughter be turned into mourning, and their joy into heaviness, Jam. 4. 9, 10. And such have been, and are the times in which we live: wherein God hath been sharpening his sword, and hath made great slaughters amongst us in former times: And as yet, it is not put up into it's Scab­bard. As also, he hath been sweeping away multitudes, multitudes by the Pestilence, and other grievous diseases which he hath been inflicting amongst us: And hath also been contending by devouring Fire, whereby the crowning City hath been almost destroyed: yea, and hath been pleading with us by Water, and unusual floods, whereby he hath washt away the things that grow out of the earth, and destroyed the hope of man, as Job 14. 19. And hath thorow decay of Trade, and otherwise, brought our formerly rich and flourishing Nation very low, and into great poverty and straits: And hath removed and taken away many merciful and righteous ones from amongst us, even in the midst of their days: so as we may say; Wo is us, for we are, as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grape gleanings of the vintage, there is no cluster to eat—The good man is perished out of the earth, and men of kindnesS and godliness are taken away, [Page 60] Mic. 7. 1, 2. Isa. 57. 1, 2. Psal. 12. 1, &c. And this is an heavy Judgment in it self, and the fore-runner, and way-maker for grea­ter, and more dreadful to come; if we pre­pare not to meet the Lord in the way of his Judgments. Yea, what cause of mourn­ing is also presented to us, now there is such an abounding of spiritual iniquity, and of divers and strange Doctrines, and such a mul­titude of poor Souls deluded, and in the high­way to be destroyed thereby? And how long and often hath God been threatning to give up our Nation to that strong delusion, which hath been brought into, and preserved in the World, by him, whose coming was af­ter the working of Satan, with all power, and signs, and lying wonders: because the inhabi­tants thereof have not received the love of the truth to be saved thereby? 2 Thes. 2. 8-11. yea, how many have departed from the faith already, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils, or Doemons! 1 Tim. 4. 1. yea, and how hath God cast upon us the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels amongst us, as Psal. 78. 49? yea his anger is not turn­ed away, but his hand is stretched out still; and what he is further threatning to do unto us, is evident and apparent: And is this a time for us then to work the will of the gentiles, and to walk in excess of Wine, revellings, ban­quettings, &c? Surely no: cause we have [Page 61] rather, abundant cause, to sigh with the break­ing of our loins, and with bitterness, for the judgments, and occasions of heaviness already come, and for the tidings of what is a coming, because it cometh: And every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water, &c. Ezek. 21. 6, 7. Sure­ly the present days are such as might cause all the merry-hearted to sigh, and not to drink Wine with a song; yea, to cause strong drink to be bitter to them that drink it: For all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone, Isa. 24. 7-11. And what wrath is yet laid up in store, and what the end will be, or how soon he may so order Judgment, as when he begins, he will also make an end, and affliction shall not rise up the second time. But while they be drunken, drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry; he only perfectly knoweth, before whose eyes all things are naked, and opened, Nehem. 1. 8-10. But such times seem to be coming, as will cause mens hearts to fail for fear; yea certainly they shall come, Luk. 21. 25, 26. And oh! how doth it then behove those who know and believe in some measure the testimony of God concerning Christ, to be sober, and watch unto prayer in such evil days! 1 Pet. 4. 7. And to take heed to themselves, lest at any time their hearts be over-charged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, &c. Luk. 21. 25, [Page 62] 26-34-36. And now to redeem, and not mispend the opportunity, because the days are evil. God is loudly awakening us to his righteousness in his providences, and in the lifting up of his hand amongst us; and shall we still follow our insobriety, and be companions of riotous persons, and thereby make our selves so sottish and in­sensible, as to be live him that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast; who though stricken, yet is not sick; though beaten feels it not, but saith, when shall I awake? I will seek Wine and strong drink again, Prov. 23. 31-35. Oh! though Israel thus play the Harlot, let not Judah, Gods pleasant plant, thus offend, and that in such a day of adversity and affliction also: let them not now make their belly their God, and debase themselves to Hell, for the satis­fying of their fleshly lusts and desires: And so for a morsel of meat, like Esau, sell their birthright. And most especially, let not such transgress through Wine in such evil times, who are as the Hee-goats before the flock: yea, let all the believers now, both those who are taught, and those who teach, look dili­gently, lest any man fail of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up, trou­ble them, and thereby many be defiled: lest there be amongst them a root that beareth Wormwood and Gall; any person, or persons that say in his, or their heart: We shall have [Page 63] peace, though we walk after the imagination of our hearts, adding drunkenness to thirst: For the Lord will not spare such an one; But then the anger of the Lord, and his jealousie shall smoak against that man, and all the curses that are written in the book of God shall lye upon him, Heb. 12. 14, 15. with Deut. 29. 18-20. Let us all then, now especially, receive and obey the Dehortation and Admonition given to the believers when the days are evil, both sinfully evil, and evil also by reason of the manifold Afflictions and Judgments which have been, and are already amongst us; and further also, which are threatned: And now be we not drunk with wine: And to move us hereto, consider we another In­struction contained in this Dehortation of the Apostles, viz.

IV. In that he saith, Be not drunk with wine, so he signifieth to us, that we may tho­row the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, keep our selves pure from this iniquity here warn­ed of; and obey this Admonition which is here given to us: He doth not exhort us from that which we may not possibly abstain from, or which God is not in and by his Gospel inabling and strengthening us against, and making possible to us to flee from: But in those Exhortations and Dehortations given unto us by our Lord Jesus, there is the power and influence of his spirit to in­able us to abstain from what he is warning [Page 64] us of; and to will and do what he is exhort­ing and counselling us unto; as the Apostle saith, when he is giving Exhortations to the believers: It is God that worketh in you, both to will and to do, of good pleasure: Do all things without murmuring and disputing, that ye may be blameless and harmless, Phil. 2. 12-15. And when he writes to the Thessa­lonians, and re-minds them of what Com­mandments he and his fellow-labourers gave them by the Lord Jesus, namely, to abstain from uncleanness, intemperance, &c. he saith, He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man but God, who also hath given unto us his holy spirit: As signifying, God in and by his spirit was present with those Command­ments given by Christ, to inable men to what was commanded them, 1 Thes. 4. 1, 2-7, 8. And indeed, this incouragement our Lord assures unto, and promises his Servants, that in their preaching the Gospel to every crea­ture of all the Nations, and therewith teach­ing men to observe whatsoever he had com­manded them, he would be with them always, even unto the end of the world, Mat. 28. 18-20. Rev. 3. 8. And faithful is he that promised, who also will do it, Mark 16. 15-20. So that though we are all naturally inclined to all that is evil; and have many tempta­tions and provocations thereto from without, especially in evil days; yet we may in the strength afforded, be saved and preserved [Page 65] from the lusts of the flesh which war against the Soul, because his Spirit is not straitned towards us, but his words do good to them that walk uprightly, Micah 2. 1-7. Now there are many arguments contained in the Gospel, propounded to, and set before us, which are mighty through God, to help and enable us to flee from all Drunkenness and Intemperance: As to say,

1. In the Gospel is shewn unto us, that we have a comfortable injoyment of our lives, and of all our Meat and Drink, vouchsafed to us through the mediation of Jesus Christ; we were all dead, sensually dead, condemned to dye, as the Apostle signifieth to us when he saith, If one died for all, in the room and stead of all, then were all dead: And upon the account of, and by vertue of ones dying for all, and rising again, dead men now live in their several ages and generations, to the end they might not live to themselves, or the lusts of men, but to him which died for them, and rose again, 2 Cor. 5. 14, 15. 1 Pet. 4. 1-3. He partook with us of flesh and blood, that he might through death destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the Devil: And deliver them who through fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage, Heb. 2. 14, 15. God had threatned, that in the day man did eat of the forbidden fruit, in dying, he should dye: And by our first [Page 66] Fathers disobedience we fell under the sen­tence of death: And though we might have had a sensible being, yet it had heen a mi­serable one; we could have had no comfort­able being in this world: But now, when Christ was interposed, and God promised this Seed of the Woman; Adam in belief of God's promise, of his purpose and grace, gives his Wife a new name, and called her Eve, or Chavah, because she was the mother of all living, who otherwise had been the mother of all dead, Gen. 2. 17, with chap. 3. 15-20. In this was manifested the love of God towards us, because God sent his only begot­ten Son into the world, that we might live through him, 1 Joh. 4. 9. Joh. 6. 51. Rom. 5. 12-18. And through his precious Blood and power­ful Sacrifice, God doth us good—and fills our hearts with food and gladness. We must o­therwise have been alwayes, and altogether accursed, Cursed in basket, and cursed in store, cursed in our meat and drink, cursed in all we had injoyed, or partaken of: But Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us, Gal. 3. 13. And now because he descended into the lower parts of the earth, and is ascended up on high, and hath led captivity captive, and received gifts for men, yea for the rebellious also—As the consequent and fruit hereof, God daily load­eth us with his benefits, and is a God of [Page 67] salvation to us: And to God the Lord belong the issues from death, Psal. 68. 18-20. and 85. 10-12. Every creature of God is good, for it is sanctified (and made clean) by the word of God, and prayer, or intercession (as the word signifies), that is by the word of God, even by Jesus Christ his being made flesh: and in that body of his flesh bearing our sins, and dying our death, in the virtue whereof he is raised again: His name is the word of God, Heb. 4. 12. Rev. 19. 13. and by his intercession for us, 1 Tim. 4. 4, 5. And hence we are instructed to give thanks alwayes for all things unto God and the Father, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Eph. 5. 20. To signify to us, that all the mercies we are made partakers of, we partake of them upon the account of the Sufferings, Sacrifice, and Me­diation of our Lord Jesus Christ: and all mixtures of mercy and compassion in afflicti­ons, and deliverance therefrom, is, because God hath found out a ransom, Psal. 75. 3-8. Job 33. 19-24. And the end of all his goodness extended and continued to us through our blessed Mediator, is, to lead us to repentance, Rom. 2. 4. 2 Cor. 5. 15. And surely, were this heartily minded and con­sidered, that our lives, and our comfortable enjoyment of Gods mercies, are the price of his Blood and Sacrifice, and vouchsased to us that we might live, not to the lusts of [Page 68] men, but to the will of God: it would be powerful to preserve us from consuming upon our lusts the good things we receive at so dear a rate. Hence the Apostle when he exhorts the Believers to walk honestly—not in rioting and drunkenness; he to this end instructs them to put on the Lord Jesus Christ, Rom. 13. 13, 14; and counsels them to walk in the Spirit, whose work it is to glorify Christ, and receive of his things, and shew unto us: and saith he, Ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh: Amongst which are revellings and drunkenness, Gal. 5. 16-18-21. And from the consideration hereof, that the earth is the Lords, even the Lord Jesus Christs, and the fulness thereof: and that by grace we are made partakers of a comfortable enjoyment of Gods mercies, even by the grace of our Lord Jesus, who so greatly humbled him­self for our sakes: And by the grace of God, whereby Jesus Christ tasted death for every man: The Apostle exhorteth the Be­lievers, that whether they eat, or drink, or whatsoever they did, they should do all to the glory of God, 1 Cor. 10. 21, 26-28-31. And the not considering, or taking notice of this, is the reason and cause of mens abuse of the good creatures of God, and of their consuming them upon their lusts, or in the service of their Idols. Hence the Lord saith, the did not know, or take notice, that I gave [Page 69] her Corn, and Wine, and Oyl—which they pre­pared for Baal, Hos. 2. 6-8. Did we in­deed consider at what a dear rate we have all the mercies vouchsafed to us, it would powerfully help us, thus to say, Seeing these are the price of the Blood of my blessed Redeemer, shall I abuse and waste that which cost so dear? Shall I tread under my feet the precious Blood of Christ? God forbid. How shall I do such wickedness and sin against the precious Blood, and powerful mediation of my Lord, who loved me, and gave himself for me, and affords me these conforts and refresh­ings, that I might live to him that died for me, and rose again? 2 Cor. 5. 14, 15. Rom. 12. 1. 1 Pet. 4. 1-3.

Yea indeed, now, the greatness, and preci­ousness of the sufferings of Christ, and the wonderfulness of the grace of God, are more brightly manifested and clearly discovered to us, than they were in former times; and thereby greater obligation is laid upon us now, than upon others under the more dark ministration of the Law, to flee from the service of our Lusts and Idols. Through the tender mercy of our God, the day-spring from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sate in darkness, and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace, Luk. 1. 78, 79. Jesus Christ is now evidently set forth before our eyes, as one [Page 70] who hath been Crucified for us, in which the vileness and odiousness of our sins and vani­ties is clearly discovered to us, Gal. 3. 1, with Rom. 3. 8. The Gospel is preached according to the Revelation of the mystery; and the grace of God hath been more clearly re­vealed than before Christs coming in the flesh; yea, than before he had poured down, and shed forth the Holy Spirit upon his Apostles from Heaven, after he ascended on high: Therefore now especially it behoves us, and we are more powerfully enabled and moved to flee from all Intemperance, and the evil fruits thereof. The night is far spent, the day is at hand, let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armour of light; let us walk honestly as in the day-time; not in rioting and drunkenness, &c. Now it is high time for us to awake out of Sleep: for now all things that are reproved, are made manifest by the light, Rom. 13. 11-14. with Eph. 5. 13-18 They that sleep, sleep in the night, and they that are drunken are drunken in the night: But let us who are of the day, be so­ber—For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep we should live together with him, 1 Thes. 5. 4-8-10. The grace of God which bring­eth Salvation to all men, hath appeared: Teaching us, that denying ungodliness, and [Page 71] worldly lusts, we should live soberly, &c. Tit. 2. 10-12. The true light now shineth—love not the world, neither the things that are in the world, not the lust of the flesh, &c. 1 Joh. 2. 8 15, 16. At the times of mens igno­rance God winketh at them, Act. 17. 30. But now mens sins will be greatly aggravated, if they count it a pleasure to riot in the day time, 2 Pet. 2. 13. Surely it will be more tolerable in the day of judgment for Sodom and Gomorrha, than for such as now walk on in preferring darkness before light.

2. In the Gospel of Christ the holy Spirit is discovering to us infinitely better things prepared for us in Christ, than any of those things in the abuse whereof we are vainly seeking comfort and contentment to our Souls: Therein is discovered to us, that by means of the precious blood of Christ, all things are now actually prepared, and made ready for us: The holy Spirit is lifting up Christ as an object in whom there are all spiritual blessings in heavenly things provided for mankind: A feast of fat things for all people, of Wines on the Lees, &c. That we might look unto him, and be saved from our sins, and from the vanity of our conversations, Luk. 14. 17. Gen. 22. 18. Eph. 1. 3. Isa. 25. 6. and 45. 22. 1 Pet. 1. 18, 19. And that we might labour for, and seek after, not that meat which perisheth, but this which indu­reth [Page 72] unto everlasting life, which the son of man will give unto us, Joh. 6. 27-35. And in hearkening diligently unto, and coming to him, we may eat that which is good, and our souls may delight themselves in fatness, Isa. 55 1-3, we may rejoyce with joy unspeakable, and full of glory, in the worst of days and times, 1 Pet. 1. 6-8. Alas, men do propose a great deal of satisfaction and contentment to themselves in the abuse of God's mercies: they think that is the way for them to lead merry and comfortable lives, and to spend their days in gladness and jollity: that this is the way to be delivered from all melan­cholly, and evil and afflictive sadness: And especially in evil times, in days of affliction and mourning, they suppose the only way then to drive away sorrow from their hearts, is, to pour in Wine and strong Drink, till Wine inflame them: when as in such a time, the Lord is then calling to weeping, and to mourning: And therefore, sorrow is better then laughter, for by the sadness of the coun­tenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning: But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth, Eccles. 7. 1-5-14. And besides, men do but deceive themselves in promising to them­selves any solid or durable joy and comfort from their excessive partaking of Wine and strong Drink, or eating any dainty and de­licious [Page 73] food to excess; for this is but deceit­ful meat, Prov. 23. 1-3. Many times here­by men make themselves sick, and so increase and heap up sadness to themselves, and add grief to their former sorrow, Hos. 7. 5, they distemper, and bring diseases upon their bodies, waste their substance, lose their good names amongst sober people, wound their consciences; such shall not find quietness in their belly, or spirit, for there is no peace to the wicked, saith my God, Job 20. 20. Isa. 57. 21. And therefore such persons do but deceive themselves, and are deceived by Wine, for Wine is a mocker, strong Drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby, is not wise, Prov. 20. 1. The holy Ghost saith not, who hath a merry heart, and cheerful spirit? who hath solid and substantial joy and glad­ness? But, who hath wo? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions?—who hath wounds with­out a cause, &c? They that tarry long at the Wine, they that go to seek mixt Wine: And though while they are drinking, and in their Cups, they may outwardly laugh and be merry; yet such laughter is but the laugh­ter of fools, which is like the crackling of thorns under a Pot, which though they make a great blaze and noise for the present, yet they are out in a moment: And the end of such mirth is sorrow, yea an heap of grief: For at last this Wine wherewith they [Page 74] so abuse and distemper themselves, will bite like a Serpent, and sting like an Adder: this they shall receive from God's hand, they shall lye down in sorrow, Prov. 23. 29-32. Isa. 50. 10, 11. For God giveth to the Sin­ner, to him that wanders out of the way of understanding, travel and grief, Eccles. 2. 26. But now in Jesus Christ God hath prepared for us, and in the Gospel the holy Spirit is discovering to us, that which is proper to comfort and rejoyce the hearts of all that mourn: here is a Cup of consolation, which being Drunk in by us, will comfort us in all our tribulations and sadnesses, and make the heart truly and lastingly, yea everlastingly merry: And though all the days of the af­flicted are evil; yet he that hath a merry heart hath a continual feast, Prov. 15. 14, 15, such an one is filled with joy and peace, in believ­ing: and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy, Rom. 15. 13. Prov. 14. 10. And though in evil days, outward occasions of sorrow are presented and administred to him; and his belly trembles, his lips quiver, and rottenness enters into his bones: And all seen comforts and delight are removed and taken away: Although the figtree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines (and so the Drunkards weep, and Drinkers of Wine and strong Drink howl, Joel 1. 5.); yet they may and shall rejoyce in the Lord, and joy [Page 75] in the God of their salvation, Habbak. 3. 16-18. Cant. 1. 2-4. When God's judgments are so in the earth, as that the new Wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merry­hearted do sigh: the mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoyce endeth; the joy of the harp ceaseth: they shall not drink Wine with a song, strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it—When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, even then the righteous, who are seeking the Lord, and seeking his face and his strength, such as have their dwelling in Heaven, they shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord, &c. Isa. 24. 7-16. Oh blessed are the poople that know the joyful sound, come what times will come, they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoyce all the day; and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted (to honour and safety), For thou art the glory of their strength, Psal. 89. 15-17. In Christ, to whom the holy Spirit is direct­ing us, we may rejoyce always, even in the time of greatest affliction and sadness also, Phil. 3. 1. and 4. 4. His blood is drink indeed, this will cheer, revive, and refresh the very heart and spirit of the drinker: And his love therein commended, is better, infinitely better than Wine, and more to be desired, and rather to be chosen than strong Drink. [Page 76] And who so eateth his flesh, and drinketh his blood, hath everlasting life, and he will raise him up at the last day, Joh. 6. 54-57. Cant. 1. 2-4. and 2. 3-5. Oh therefore in evil dayes and times, when sorrow and sadness is administred to you; and how many Tempta­tions and Provocations from others soever you meet withal; yet be not drunk with Wine—But be ye filled with the spirit, &c. Eph. 5. 16-18, 19, Forsake not the Lord, the fountain of living waters, to hew to your selves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water: But if any man thirst, let him come unto Christ and drink: And whosoever drinketh of this water of life that he will give him that cometh unto him, shall never thirst; but the water that he will give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into ever­lasting life, Jer. 2. 13. Joh. 7. 37, 38. and 4. 10-14. And when shame shall be the pro­motion of fools: when the crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim shall be trodden under foot—In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a Diadem of beauty to the residue of his people, who in the light and strength of his grace, denying un­godliness and worldly lusts, have lived sober­ly, &c. And come unto Christ as the rest for their weary Spirits, and unto him as the refreshing, Isa. 28. 1-3-5-12. Oh then! that we may not spend our money and time [Page 77] for that which is not bread, nor labour for that which satisfieth not; let us hearken di­ligently unto Christ in his Gospel, and eat that which is good, and let our Souls de­light themselves in fatness: Let us go into the house of the Lord, and eat of Wisdom's bread, and drink of the Wine which she hath mingled; let us forsake the foolish, the drunken Drunk­ards, and live, and go in the way of under­standing. Instead of lavishing our money out of the bag for strong Drink, let us buy the truth, and not sell it, Isa. 55. 1-3. Prov. 9. 1-6. and 23. 20-23. Is it because there is no comfort, peace, satsfaction, joy, and contentment in Christ, that we walk in rioting and drunkenness? What iniquity is there, or have we found in him, that we should turn our backs upon, and forsake him, and make our bellies our God? Hath he been, or is he a barren Wilderness, or a dry Tree, that we scatter our ways unto strangers, and pre­fer the Service of our vile and brutish affecti­ons before him, in whom dwelleth all the ful­ness of the God-head bodily; and in whom is all compleatness prepared for us? surely no: Oh then! Return from all your wan­drings unto him who is the rest, in whom God hath dealt bountifully, and plentifully prepared for us: And from the admirable excellency of his loving-kindness to the chil­dren of men, Let us put our trust under the [Page 78] shadow of his wings, that we may be abundant­ly satisfied with the fatnefs of his house, and drink, and drink abundantly of the river of his pleasures, Psal. 36. 7, 8, 9.

3. In the Gospel is shewed unto us the great meanness of our Lord Jesus in the dayes of his personal Ministration; and how con­tented he was with, and how he condescended to mean things: such was the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who being rich, for our sakes became poor: He did not fare delici­ously every day; he sought not after the best and costliest meat and drink: But when he was thirsty, he desired a little cold Water to quench his thirst, Joh. 4. 6, 7. And had for himself, and his disciples, and the multitude, barly-loaves, and fishes, Joh. 6. 9-13, His knees were weak through fasting, and his flesh failed of fatness, Psal. 109. 24. And though the men of that generation did falsely accuse him, and laid to his charge, that he was a gluttonous person, and a Wine­bibber, a friend of Publicans and Sinners, yet Wisdom, this heavenly wisdom, was justified of all her children: they knew that the Scribes and Pharisees laid to his charge things which he knew not, nor was guilty of, Luk. 7. 30-35. But on the contrary he wept, and afflicted his Soul with fasting, and that was to his reproach: He made sack-cloath also his garment, and he became a Proverb unto them— [Page 79] And he was the song of the drinkers of strong drink, Psal. 69. 10-12. much hardness he indured, and did not please himself, but was content in every condition, and with all Provision: And therefore did the World hate him, because he testifieth of them (both in word and works) that their deeds were evil, Joh. 7. 7. And he instructed his Dis­ciples to eat and drink such things as they gave them into whose houses they came, and admonishing them of intemperance and insobriety at all times, Luk. 10. 7. and 21. 34-36, surely then it also behoves his fol­lowers to indure hardness as good Soldiers of Jesus Christ, and to flee from all intem­perance whatsoever: And not to delight in, and be Companions of them who made Songs of the Captain of our Salvation, Psal. 69. 12. 2 Tim. 2. 3. Oh! shall we, who profess our selves to be his Disciples and Servants, seek after, and surfeit in the abuse of the best and most excellent meat and drink that we can come by? will this be by him accounted an imitating him, and following his steps, and that example which he hath left us? or shall we not rather provoke him, if we walk on in surfeiting and drunkenness, severely to testifie displeasure against us, even to cut Us in sunder, and appoint us our portion with the unbelievers, even with such as never professed themselves to be his Disciples? [Page 80] Luk. 21. 34, 36. Oh then! set the Lord be­fore you, and be imitaters of him as dear children, for he that saith, He knoweth and abideth in him, ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked, 1 Joh. 2. 4-6: If we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, in rioting and drunkenness, we lye, and do not the truth, 1 Joh. 1. 6. with Rom. 13. 11-13. Do ye then especially, who profess your selves to be Christ's disciples, Abstain from these fleshly lusts that war against the soul; that ye may not make others believe, or give them occasion to think, that Christ is the minister of sin, but all may know you are his disciples: And it is sufficient for the Dis­ciple to be, and fare as his Master, and the Servant as his Lord, 1 Pet. 2. 9-11. Mat. 10. 24, 25. Ephes. 5, 1, 2, 3-8. 1 Pet. 2. 20, 21, 22.

4. Yea, in this glorious Gospel there is set before us the things which are not seen, which are eternal; To move us, and prevail with us to avoid and abstain from all in­temperance whatsoever.

On the one hand, there is propounded to, and set before us a blessed hope, to be injoy­ed at the appearing of our Lord Jesus, by all those who are diligent, that they may be found of him in peace without spot, and blameless: And every man that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself (from the Pollutions [Page 81] of the world) even as he is pure, 1 Joh. 3. 3, Every man, saith the Apostle, that striveth for the mastery, is temperate in all things: now they do it to obtain a corruptible Crown, but we an incorruptible; men here will deny themselves, and abstain from an immoderate and unsober use of meat and drink, that they may get a fading and corruptible Crown: and it's very uncertain whether they have it, though they give all diligence: For many run and strive, and but one recei­veth the prize: But we have an incorruptible Crown set before us, the prize of the high calling of God in Christ: And therefore it highly concerns us to be temperate in all things, as the Apostle also was, from this consideration: I keep under my body, saith he, and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means when I have preached to others, I my self should be a reprobate, 1 Cor. 9. 24, 25-27. And as the living soberly is contained in the posture in which we should wait for that hope; so also, the looking for that blessed hope, is powerful to ingage us to deny ungodliness, and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, Tit. 2. 11-13. For we are saved by hope, even from our sins and vani­ties, Rom. 8. 24. The promises, these exceed­ing great and precious promises, ministred to us in, and with the Gospel, do powerfully [Page 82] oblige and engage us to cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, per­fecting holiness in the fear of God: And to add to our faith virtue, and to virtue know­ledg, and to knowledg temperance, &c. 2 Cor. 7. 1, 2. 2 Pet. 1. 4-6. He hath promised that he will hereafter save them that look for him, as his grace instructs, from all their sins, sorrows, griefs, enemies; and compleat­ly and everlastingly satisfy them with his goodness, and they shall inherit all things. Oh then, let none of us be so profane as for a morsel of meat, or for a little Strong Drink, to sell our birth-right, and deprive our selves of that Inheritance incorruptible, and unde­filed, and that fadeth not away, reserved in the Heavens for them who are kept by the power of God through faith unto that Salva­tion, ready to be revealed in these last dayes: But gird we up the loins of our mind; be we sober, and hope perfectly for the grace that is to be brought at the Revelation of Jesus Christ: As obedient Children, not fashioning our selves according to our former lusts in our ignorance: But as he that hath called us is holy, so let us be boly in all manner of conversation, 1 Pet. 1. 4-13, 14. Let our loins be alwayes girded about, and our lights burnings; and we our selves like unto men that wait for their Lord, when he will return from the wedding, that when he cometh and knocketh, we may open to [Page 83] him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watch­ing (and not eating and drinking, and be­ing drunken). Verily I say unto you, faith our Saviour, that he shall gird himself, and make them sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them, Luk. 12. 35-38-45. Be we then temperate in all things, and let us flee from all insobriety, that we may enjoy that Crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them that wait for, and love him. Considering also,

On the other hand, That Drunkards shall not inherit the kingdom of God; for without are dogs, whereto Drunkards are com­pared, and which name is given to them, because their tables are full of vomit and fil­thiness, so that there is no place clean, 1 Cor. 6. 10. 2 Pet. 2. 13-22. with Isa. 56. 10, 11. and 28. 8. with Rev. 22. 14, 15. But to this we have spoken somewhat before, and therefore shall not further enlarge to it.

Yea, and now also it is the last time, and therefore it behoves us to walk honestly as in the day-time, not in rioting and drunkenness: The end of all things is at hand, be ye there­fore sober, and watch unto prayer, saith 1 Pet. 4. 7. Little Children, young men, Fathers, love not the world, neither the things that are in the world; love not the lusts of the flesh, &c. [Page 84] Pamper not the flesh now especially; glut not your selves with the good things here below; now the world passeth away, and the lusts thereof; little children, it is the last time, or hour, 1 Joh. 2. 12-15, 16-18. And you may perfectly know that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night: Therefore sleep not as do others, but watch and be sober, 1 Thes. 5. 2-6. Remember what our Saviour hath foretold, and spoken for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the World are come. As it was in the dayes of Noah, so shall it be also in the dayes of the Son of man: they did eat, they drank, &c. untill the day that Noah entered into the Ark, and the Flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise also, as it was in the dayes of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, &c. But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained Fire and Brim­stone from Heaven, and destroyed them all: Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed, Luk. 17. 26-30. Oh! be not then drunk with wine, lest that day, or the day of death, come upon us unawares: for as a snare shall it come upon all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth: watch we therefore, and pray alwayes, that we may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man: as our Saviour speaks to [Page 85] his Disciples. Luk. 21. 34-36. And what we have spoken, shall suffice to the first thing we propounded to consider and speak unto: Namely, the dehortation, and admo­nition which the Apostle gives unto these Believers, and at such a time. And now we come to speak unto the second thing propounded to be further considered by us from this verse we are speaking unto; Namely,

[2] We have an Argument, or motive laid down by the Apostle, to engage the Believers, that they should not be Drunk with Wine, viz. [Wherein is excess.] And surely did we understand what is contained herein, it would be powerful to engage us to receive and obey the admonition which is here given to us by the Holy Ghost.

Now we may understand these words, either as an account of what the Apostle, means and intends by the Wine wherewith he would not have us be Drunk, or filled; namely, that wherein is excess: in the use, or abuse whereof men may exceed the bounds of Sobriety: And then he doth intimate to us, that there are Wines and Dainties whereof we may drink, and drink abundant­ly, and wherewith we may be filled, and yet there is no excess in so doing: But the more we drink, the more welcom and ac­ceptable we are to God, and profitable to [Page 86] men; and this blessedness they shall partake of, who from the wonderful preciousness, and admirable excellency of Gods loving-kind­ness to the Children of men, do put their trust under the shadow of his wings; such shall be inebriated, or, plentifully silled, and satisfied with the fatness of his house, with whom is the Fountain of Life, Psal. 36. 7-9. But to this we shall have more apt occasion to speak in the Exhortation following. [But be ye filled with the Spirit.

Or also, we may look upon these words [Wherein is excess], as an argument to en­gage the Believers, not to be drunk with wine; and so to flee from all, and all manner of Insobriety: and so we desire to speak to them: And so,

1. By [Excess] is not only meant in­temperance in eating and drinking; for of that he had warned them before, in saying, Be not drunk: and to which we have spo­ken. But also by [Excess] is meant Pro­digality, and wastfully spending this worlds good which God is putting into our hands, that we might honour and glorify him, Prov. 2. 9, 10. So the Prodigal did prodigally and profusely waste his substance with this Intemperance amongst other things, Luk. 15. 12, 13. And we may see by experience, that ordinarily in Drunkenness is such excess, an excessive spending and consuming mens estates [Page 87] and riches, and impoverishing themselves thereby, and directly bringing themselves, and also provoking God to bring them to penury and beggary: He that loveth Wine and Oyl, shall not be rich, Prov. 21. 17; from this evil concomitant and consequent of Drunkenness, the Holy Ghost gives us this admonition: Hear thou, my Son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way: Be not a­mongst Wine-bibbers, amongst riotous eaters of flesh: For the Drun ard and the Glutton shall come to poverty, and drowsiness shall cloathe him with raggs, Prov. 23. 10-21. He that followeth after vain persons, shall have poverty enough, Prov. 28. 19. Men do lavish Gold out of the Bag for the satisfying this brutish and swinish affection and lust: yea, and by their Intemperance they unfit themselves for di­ligence in business, and dispose themselves to sleepiness, drowsiness, and slothfulness, 1 Thes. 5. 6, 7; Prov. 23. 21: And hereby also they bring want and poverty upon themselves. I went by the field of the sloth­ful—And lo it was all grown over with thorns.—Then I saw and considered it well, I looked upon it, and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep; so shall thy po­verty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man, Prov. 24. 30-34. and 6. 6-9-11. And by their Drunkenness [Page 88] and Intemperance, and the want which fol­lows thereupon, they do usually bring upon themselves, and load themselves with many distracting and distressing cares, how they shall be provided for, and their Families; or how they shall pay and discharge their debts, and keep themselve out of Prison: or pos­sibly how they shall have enough continued to them to consume upon their lusts for the future. Hence our Saviour puts the cares of this world as the consequent of Intempe­rance: Take heed to your selves, lest at any time your heart be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and the cares of this life, Luk. 21. 34. And this excess which is in Drun­kenness, is a great evil, and the cause of very many evils also, some of which have beeen intimated before.

As, Hereby men unfit themselves for the end for which they are betrusted with this Worlds good, which is, to do good therewith to others also: For whatsoever interest men have in the things of this world, or right to dis­pose them; yet they are owners of them, not as absolute Lords, but as accountable Stewards, Luk. 16. 1-8; and must give an account to the great and supream Lord in due season, Rom. 14. 9-12. 2 Cor. 5. 10. Now when men consume these goods upon the service of their lusts, many times their own Families, if they have any, their Wives [Page 89] and Children, &c. may be in great want: And he that provideth not for his own, espe­cially for those of his own household, he hath denied the Faith, and is worse than an Infi­del, 1 Tim. 5. 6-8. Or, if they be pro­vided for, there are many poor creatures of mankind, for whom Christ died, who are in great wants, and straits, and destitute of daily food: And what God hath put into our hands, and commited to us, is, to take our own portion out of it, and to do good to others with the residue, who stand in need. And so they are called, and are ano­ther mans; even given to us for refreshing the Bowels of others, Luk. 16. 12. And we are instructed, not to withhold good from them to whom it is due, or from the owners thereof, when it is in the power of our hand to do it, Prov. 3. 27, 28. But now when men are given to Wine, or Strong Drink, and so to pro­digality, they put themselves out of capacity to administer to others to whom it is due, by the instructions of their Lord, as other­wise they might do. This was the iniquity of Sodom, pride and fulness of bread; and as the consequent, and concomitant there­of, abundance of idleness; neither did she stregthen the hand of the poor and needy, Ezek. 16. 49. Indeed this Drunkenness and exces­sive spending, both take away the heart, and hinder men from pitying others; and also [Page 90] disable them, so as it is not in the power of their hand to do good, as otherwise it might be.

And again, when men through their in­temperance are prodigal and prosuse, many times at last it so impoverishes them, as that they fall into some other bad course and practice for providing for themselves, or for their lusts: As, by their poverty they are led to desraud and over-reach others; and some­times more grosly to steal from others: Agur prayed God to feed him with bread convenient; lest, saith he, I be poor and steal, and take the name of my God in vain, Prov. 30. 9.

However, it makes men greedy of filthy lucre, that they might still have wherewith to riot, and spend upon their lusts. As the Lord saith of Israels Watch-men in former times: they are all greedy dogs, which can never have enough, which know not to be satisfied—they all look to their own way, every one for his gain from his quarter: Come ye, say they, I will fotch Wine, and we will fill our selves with strong drink; and tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant, Isa. 56. 11, 12. so it is said of the King of Babylon. Because he transgresseth by wine—he keepeth not at home, who inlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people. [Page 91] Where [his transgressing by Wine] is laid down as the cause of all his greedy and insa­tiable desire after the inlarging his Domini­ons, as one that could never have enough, Hab. 2. 5. yea, many are the evil fruits of this Drunkenness, and of that excess and pro­digality which is in it. As sometimes when persons have spent all, and reflect, and look back again upon it, it fills them with an heap of grief, and desperate sorrow, even with worldly sorrow, which worketh death, Ezek. 23. 33. sometimes their excess leads them to bear false witness against others, or to kill and murder them in secret, if they may but advantage themselves thereby, and get more sewel to consume upon the fire of this brutish, and vile affection and lust of intemper­ance.

And indeed, that there is such excess in Drunkenness, namely, a profuse and prodigal spending of ones estate, and that also leads to many other evils, as is in part shewn: The consideration of it might move us to flee from insobriery, as from the face of a Serpent. Alas, what account will men give of their stewardship, when they appear before the Judgment-seat of Jesus Christ our Lord? If the unprofitable Servant, who hid his Lord's talent in the earth, and when his Lord came to reckon with him, returned back to his Lord that which was his, must be cast into [Page 92] outer darkness, where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, Because he had not im­proved it; how can such escape the wrath to come, who consume their Lord's goods upon their lusts? How altogether unaccountable will their prodigality and wastfulness appear to be, when God shall render to every one according to his deeds! Matth. 25. 24-30. with Chap. 24. 48-51. Then will he say to the unprofitable ones, and much rather to those great Wasters who continue such, and are not washed from this Iniquity in the blood of the lamb: Depart from me, ye cursed, in­to everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat, I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink, &c. Which account of the e­ternal Judgment is immediately subjoyned to that of the unprofitable Servant, Matth. 25. 30-42, He shall then have judgment without mercy, who shewed no mercy, but wast­ed away all that substance which his Lord committed to him, and remembred not to shew mercy to the poor and needy, Jam. 2. 13. Psal. 109. 14-16. Remember what was the portion of the rich man, who lived like an Epicure; and which parable is presently added after that concerning the steward who had wasted his Lord's goods: He fared sumptuously every day, and remembred not to shew mercy to poor Lazarus: And at last, the [Page 93] place of torment was his portion, in which he could not obtain a drop of Water to cool his tongue, who had swallowed and devoured so much Wine and strong Drink in his life­time, Luk. 16. 1-19-25. Oh consider this now, yet that forget God, that you may not pur­sue Drunkenness in which is excess, lest hereafter he tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.

2. In which is [Excess]: namely, a pro­fuse wasting and mispending our precious time which God is graciously giving and continuing unto us, to the end we might seek after the Lord while he may be found, and call upon him while he is near at hand. In verse 16, of this Chapter, the Apostle had exhorted these believers to walk circumspect­ly—redeeming the time, or opportunity: now as opposed to redeeming the time, he warn­ing of Drunkenness, saith, therein is excess, a wasteful consuming and mispending, or selling away our time upon, and for the Service of our lusts: And this should powerfully move and ingage us to receive the Admonition here given unto us, not to be drunk with Wine: certainly had not Christ been made flesh for us, had he not been made a partaker of flesh and blood, and died for us, and through death destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the Devil: we must necessarily have been all our life-time subject to the bondage of the Devil, and must have done and fulfilled his lusts and requirings, Heb. 2. 14, [Page 94] 17. But to the end that his snare might be broken, and we delivered, therefore our Lord Jesus by the grace of God tasteth death for every man: And hath procured a comfortable life-time for us here: But to what end, suppose we, hath he so done? Is it that we should return to our former bondage? no certainly; for then he needed not to have been so greatly abased, and so to have humbled himself, that he might de­liver us therefrom. But therefore he died for us, and rose again, and continues through his mediation a life-time to us; that after his grace brings Salvation to us, we should no longer live the rest of our time in the flesh, to the lusts of men, but to the will of God, 1 Pet. 4. 2, 3. where it plainly appears, the lusts of men, our own or others, and the will of God, are opposed the one to the other. Those that live to the former, cannot live to the latter. Though to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose un­der heaven, Eccles. 3. 1-11, yet it is con­trary to the will of God, that we should live any of our time in the flesh, to the lusts of men: nor was it at all the end of Christ towards us in dying for us; But that we be­ing dead to sin, might live to righteousness, 1 Pet. 2 24, He hath delivered us from the hand of our enemies, that we might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteous­ness [Page 95] before him all the days of our life: that our whole time might be imployed in the Service of him who hath so greatly loved us, and so wonderfully testified it towards us, Luk. 1. 74, 75. But now in Drunkenness is excess, a great wasting and mispending our precious time, the comfortable injoyment and continuance whereof we have at so dear a rate: A great deal thereof is spent, or mispent rather, in the act of intemperance; And a great deal in the consequent thereof; for thereby men fit and dispose themselves to slothfulness and sleepiness, as is said; and unfit themselves for the seeking after, and serving the Lord, in whose hand is our breath, and all our time: Oh how prodi­gal are men, such men, of their time, as if it were given them to such an evil end! or as if they knew not how otherwise to pass it away, when as alas, our days upon the earth are as a shadow, and there is no abiding: And we are sojourners here, and should therefore pass the time of our sojourning in fear, 1 Pet. 1. 17, 18. How like fools do men act herein, especially such as profess them­selves to know God, and his grace in Christ! they cannot recall that which is past, nor can assure themselves of a days continuance for the future: they cannot boast themselves of the morrow; for they know not what a day may bring forth, Prov. 27. 1. No man is sure [Page 96] of life, Job 24. 22. And yet how prodigal are intemperate ones of their time, as if they were delivered, or preserved to do whatso­ever is right in their own eyes, or could con­tinue themselves in this world during their own pleasure! Oh! it doth behove us always to redeem the time and opportunity, and espe­cially, when the days are evil; that we may hear wisdom, and watch daily at her gates, and wait at the posts of her doors: And the holy ghost saith; To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, Heb. 3. 7, 8, 15. But alas, how shall we be thus found doing, if we overcharge our hearts with surfeiting and drunkenness! Consider, what excess and mis­pending of time there is in such evil and riotous practises, and consider it before it be too late; before the day and time pass as the chaff be­fore the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you; lest you mourn at the last, when the things belonging to your peace are hid from your eyes, because you knew not the time of your visitation, and say, How have we hated instruction, and our hearts despised reproof! say not as the people in former times did, The time is not come, the time that we should come to Christ, and be made an habitation for God, that he may dwell in us at his house: for is not that time come? and yet is it time for you to make Provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts there­of? [Page 97] Doth God continue you still in the land or the living, that you should abuse your selves, and his good creatures, for the satis­fying of your vile and brutish affections? Hag. 1. 2-4, &c. Truly men herein are more brutish than many brute creatures, which are made to be taken and destroyed. Even the Stork in the heaven knoweth her ap­pointed times, and the Turtle, and the Crane, and the Swallow observe the time of their com­ing (and will not be hindred therefrom by any means). But alas, intemperate ones know not the opportunity, they observe not the time for applying their hearts to wisdom, that is alotted them: they still in their actions cry, The time is not come for that: And therefore great will be the mise­ry of such as go on in not knowing, or mispending their time: For as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them, Jerem. 8. 7, 8. Eccles. 8. 6-8. and 9. 12. Truly all our life-time is little enough to be spent in the service of him who hath so greatly loved us, when we were dead in sins and trespasses, as to give his Son to die for us: And how have good men complained of the shortness of it? Job 10. 20. Psal. 39. 4, 5. Job saith, My dayes are swifter than a Weavers shuttle, Job 7. 6. [Page 89] My dayes are swifter than a Post, they flee away, Job 9. 25: And yet his dayes were dayes of wonderful affliction and heaviness; and it might be thought he might otherwise have judged of them: But alas, Drunkards in their excessive spending and mispending of their times, do by their works declare, that they think their dayes are so long and tiresome, that they know not how to pass them away, were it not for such riotous filthy practices. Oh! that the time past of our life may suffice us, that we have wast­fully and unprofitably mispent so much of our time allotted us to seek the Lord in; and that now we may avoid, and flee from all Intemperance, in which is such excess, and profuse wasting of it: For yet while it is called to day, it is an accepted time; now is the day of salvation, in which we may receive his grace to purpose, that we may be saved, 2 Cor. 6. 1, 2; lest we pro­voke him at last to rise up, and shut to the door against us; and then it will be too late for us to cry and call, and seek to enter in at the strait gate, Luk. 13. 24-26. Prov. 1. 24-31; Whatsoever thine hand findeth to do (in the present time) do it with thy might, for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledg, nor wisdom, in the Grave whither thou goest: And there is no man hath power over the Spirit, to retain the Spirit; neither hath he power in the [Page 99] day of death, and there is no discharge in that war: neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it, Eccles. 9. 10. and 8. 8. Jam. 4. 13-17.

3. In which is [Excess]: namely, un­cleanness and incontinence, and all manner of filthiness of the flesh: This is an ordinary concomitant and consequent of Drunkenness and Intemperance: and so the word here translated [Excess] is rendred [Riot]. Tit. 1. 6. 1 Pet. 4. 4. As that includes in it all manner of fornication, and uncleanness, 1 Pet. 4. 3. with vers. 4. And so whereas of the Prodigal it is said, He wasted his substance with riotous living, or, living [Ex­cessively], (the same word, as here) it is afterwards said, He hath devoured thy living with Harlots, Luk. 15. 13. with verse 30. And this understanding of it, agreeth well with the scope of the Apostle in this Chap­ter, in which he had been warning the be­lievers of uncleanness: But, saith he, forni­cation, and all uncleanness, &c. let it not be once named amongst you, as becometh Saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jest­ing, &c. For this ye know, that no whore­monger, nor unclean person—hath any inheri­tance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God: Let no man deceive you with vain words, for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the Children of disobedience: Be [Page 100] not ye therefore partakers with them, Eph. 5. 3-7. And again, Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them: For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in se­cret, vers. 11, 12. And now to the end they might flee from, and avoid all filthi­ness of the flesh, he gives them this counsel, and backs it with this motive and argument, Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess, or Riot; even all incontinent lust whatso­ever: And so the Scripture elsewhere, and frequently signifies to us, that in Intemperance is uncleanness, that doth provoke and pre­pare men for all filthiness and uncleanness whatsoever: As to say,

1. It is the cause of unnatural uncleanness, of going after strange flesh, and committing those vile affections, in the service and satisfy­ing whereof, Women change the natural use into that which is against nature: Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burn in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and even a shame to speak of, Rom. 1. 26, 27. Eph. 5. 11, 12. And which Iniquity is so a­bominable in the sight of God, as that by the Law those that were guilty of it, shall surely be put to death, their blood shall be upon them, Levit. 18. 22, and 20. 13. And by the Law of Christ, those that are guilty of it, [Page 101] and not washed from it, shall not inherit the Kingdom of God, 1 Cor. 6. 9, 10, 11. I say Intemperance leads many persons to this abomination which is against nature, both Men and Women. This was the Iniquity of Sodom (which was so highly guilty of this unnatural abomination, as that upon the account thereof God destroyed them with Fire and Brimstone from Heaven: and from whence this uncleanness is called Sodomy; and those guilty of it, Sodomites, Gen. 19. 5-7. 24. 1 King. 14. 24, &c.) I say, this was their Iniquity, Pride [fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness]: they surfeited upon the abundance of those things which that fruitful Countrey afforded; and so apted themselves for this Iniquity, Ezek. 16. 49; with Gen. 13. 10. Luk. 17. 28, 29. And so the Apostle saith of those that turned the Grace of our God into lasciviousness, and whom he compares to Sodom and Gomorrha, for going after strange flesh, and so defiling the flesh; That they fed themselves without fear, Jude 4. 7, 8-12. And Lasciviousness, Lusts, Excess of Wine, Revellings, Banquet­ings, &c. are all joyned together by the Apostle, 1 Pet. 4. 3, 4. And before he speaks of Israels great Iniquity, viz. They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the dayes of Gibeah: at which time the inhabitants thereof were desiring, and would have defiled themselves [Page 102] with strange flesh, Judg. 19. 15, 16-22, 23. I say, before the Prophet taxes them with this evil, he first reproves them for their great Intemperance, and Drunkenness, Hos. 2. 5-8. and 3. 1. and 4. 11. and 7. 3-5. and 9. 9.

2. And also in Drunkenness is excess and In­continence, as to all natural uncleanness what­soever: When men are fed to the full, they then, too usually, commit adultery, and as­semble themselves by troops in the Harlots houses: They are as fed horses, every one neighing after his neighbours wife, Jer. 5. 7, 8. This the Daughters of Lot knew, and there­fore they made their Father Drink Wine, that thereby he might be provoked to that Incestuous evil, Gen. 19. 31-38. And when the Holy Ghost warns the Sons of Wisdom to beware of Drunkenness, he sets before them this, as a motive to engage them to receive the admonition, viz. That it will lead to uncleanness: Therefore he saith, Look not thou upon the Wine when it is red, when it giveth its colour in the Cup, when it moveth it self aright—Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things, Prov. 23. 29-31-33. So the Apostle puts Rioting and Drunkenness, before Cham­bering and Wantonness, to signify, that the former Lusts lead men and women unto, and apts them for the latter, Rom. 13. 13. And [Page 103] so Drunkenness and Revellings, or, excess of Wine and Revellings, are joyned together; In which Revellings they gave up themselves to, and acted all uncleanness and filthiness; and whereto they prepared the way, and fitted themselves by their Drinking Wine or Strong Drink excessively, Gal. 5. 21. 1 Pet. 4. 3. And surely, so it too oft comes to pass, that those persons who are unsober in their use of the good creatures of God, do hereby so pamper the flesh, as that such persons give up themselves to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness; and many times such are so swallowed up of Strong Drink, as that they are bereaved thereby of the understanding of a man: and how then should they be in any capacity to avoid, or abstain from any manner of filthiness, though it be never so abominable to God, loathsom to sober men, and de­structive to themselves; and that, not unto their Souls only, but to their outward man also? To the end therefore that we may flee Fornication, and abstain from all filthiness of the flesh, whether unnatural, or natural, which is so highly displeasing and provoking to God, be we temperate in all things, feed we our selves with fear, and let us not surfeit on these perishing meats, or drinks: Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats, but God shall destroy both it and [Page 104] them: Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body, 1 Cor. 6. 13. And when we are at any time in such places as in which there are rich and sumptuous feasts, and great abundance of Wine, and Strong Drink, and may partake thereof freely; Oh! then especially let us put a Knife to our Throats, if we be per­sons given to appetite. Take we heed that we be not desirous of those dainties; for they are deceitful meat: But let us keep under our Bodies and Appetites, and bring them into subjection: and let us not (in this sense) suffer our mouths to cause our flesh to sin; lest we thereby provoke God to be angry with us, 1 Cor. 9. 25-27. Eccles. 5. 6. And so much also to the motive and argu­ment laid down by the Apostle to seal home his Dehortation, Be not drunk with Wine, wherein is excess; excessive spending our sub­stance; excess in wasting and mispending our precious time; and all, and all manner of incontinence and uncleanness.

3. We come in the last place to consider, and speak unto the Exhortation and In­struction which the Apostle gives to these Believers, by way of opposition unto what he had dehorted them from, and warn­ed, and admonished them of; [But be yo filled with the Spirit.]

In speaking whereto we shall endea­vour [Page 105] to consider and shew these following things: Namely,

• I. What is meant and intended by [the Spirit] here spoken of, and with which they should be filled.
• II. How, or in what respects [the Spirit] answers unto, though yet it infinitely exceed­eth Wine.
• III. What it is [to be filled] with the Spirit.
• IV. Note some Instructions from this Ex­hortation of the Apostle.

I. What is meant and intended by [the spirit] here spoken of, and with which they should be filled. To that we say, that by [the spirit] is not meant the Spirit of the World, or any evil Spirit (1 Cor. 2. 12. Ephes. 2. 2.) which leads us to love the World, and the things of this World, of which we are admonished, 1 Joh. 2. 15, 16. Col. 3. 1, 2. for the Spirit here is opposed to Wine, which may in general signifie, all the things here below, in which men are in vain seeking comfort, chearing, and rejoycing to their Hearts and Spirits: But here by is meant, the spirit of God, 1 Cor. 2. 12, even the ho­ly Spirit, the comforter, whom the Father hath sent forth in Christ's name, to give forth the full of the Testimony; and by which we have the Gospel now preached to us ac­cording to the Revelation of the mystery: [Page 106] and the mystery so opened and made known, as in former times it was not made known to the sons of men, Joh. 14. 16, 17, 26. and 15. 26. 1 Pet. 1. 12. Eph. 3. 3-5. And the work of which Spirit is, to testifie of Christ, Joh. 15. 26. Of his death, as actually su­stained, and overcome; of his having been actually raised again from the dead, accord­ing to the Scriptures; of the excellency, compleatness, and everlasting acceptableness of his own Sacrifice once offered; so as, there needs no more sacrifice for sin: Of his being exalted with, and to God's right hand, a Prince and Saviour: The Saviour of the World, in what he hath done and is become: The Saviour of all men, especially of them that believe, in what he is now doing, &c. Joh. 15. 26. Act. 5. 30-32. Heb. 10. 10-15. 1 Joh. 4. 13, 14. 1 Tim. 4. 10. And that he shall come again, Joh. 16. 13. This Spirit is called, and is the spirit of Christ, Rom. 8. 9. Phil. 1. 19. Both because it rests upon him immeasurably in the nature of man, upon the account of his having been slain for us, Mat. 12. 28. Act. 2. 33. Rev. 5. 6. And he hath shed forth, and sent him from the Fa­ther, Luk. 24. 49. Joh. 15. 26. Act. 2. 33. And it is his work and office to glorifie Christ, and to take of his things, and to shew unto us, Joh. 16. 14, 15. And in glorifying him in the Testimony, as now come forth, To re­prove [Page 107] and convince the World of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and to teach the Believers all things, and guide them in­to all truth, and shew them things to come: And to be the Comforter of them, and Ad­vocate in and for them; To be the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation to them in the know­ledg of Christ, Eph. 1. 17, 18. To bring to their Remembrance, and mind them of his sayings, Joh. 14. 26. To teach them how to pray, and what to pray for as they ought, Rom. 8. 26. To give them wherewith to An­swer all their Adversaries and Opposers, Mat. 19. 19, 20. Luk. 12. 11, 12. To bap­tize them into one body, and make them to drink into one Spirit, one inlightned mind and judgment, 1 Cor. 12. 13. Ephes. 4. 3-5. To strengthen them, that Christ may dwell in their hearts by Faith, Eph. 3. 16. To pre­pare them more and more for an habitation of God, Eph. 2. 22. To help them to mor­tifie their lusts and corruptions, Rom. 8. 13. Gal. 5. 16, 17. To conform them, in behold­ing Christ's glory in the Gospel, into his Image and Likeness, 2 Cor. 3. 18. To fill them with the fruits of Righteousness which are by Jesus Christ to the praise and glory of God, Gal. 5. 16-22. Eph. 5. 9. To direct them to have their Access through Christ unto the Father at all times, and for all things, according to his light and direction, Eph. 2. [Page 108] 18. To make them useful instruments of good to others among whom they live, and unto whom they have opportunity to speak, Isa. 59. 21. 1 Cor. 12. 7. and so to perfect whatsoever doth concern them: All which he doth by his bearing witness of the blood of Christ which hath been shed for mankind, and the ends and virtues thereof; and the free and immense love and charity of God therein commended to us, 1 Joh. 5. 4-6. And because by this holy Spirit in glorifying Christ, God doth work all our works in us; and perfect all that doth concern us; and all is given by this Spirit, therefore [the spirit] is used as a comprehensive word, in which all heavenly and spiritual things are contained. It is even the whole of, and answers unto the blessing of Jehovah, as Isa. 44. 3, I will pour [my spirit] upon thy seed, and [my bles­sing] upon thine off-spring. And he is set down as comprehensive of all spiritual good things: Hence whereas in one Evangelist Christ saith; How much more shall your fa­ther which is in heaven give [good things] unto them that ask him? It is thus expressed in another: How much more shall your hea­venly father give [the holy spirit] to them that ask him? Mat. 7. 11. with Luk. 11. 13. And this was the one thing, as it were, Christ promised that he would pray for, and send unto his Disciples, when he was taking [Page 109] his leave of them; even the holy spirit, Joh. 14. 16, 17, 26. and 15. 26. and 16. 7-15. Luk. 24. 49. And [the spirit] is set down, as containing the blessing of Abraham, as the Apostle intimates in saying, Christ hath re­deemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us—That the blessing of Abraham might be in Christ for the gentiles, that we might receive the promise of the spirit through faith, Gal. 3. 13, 14. And hereby we know that we dwell in him, and he in us, be­cause he hath given us of his spirit: And he that hath not this spirit of Christ, (whatever else he may have, or be possessed of) he is none of his (in a peculiar consideration), 1 Joh. 4. 13. Rom. 8. 9. This is the Spirit here meant and intended by the Apostle, of which, now in this day, the believers receive but a first fruits: The harvest thereof is still to be waited for, as well as the Adoption, the Redemption of the body, which is to be given and effected in due time also, by this holy Spirit, Rom. 8. 11, 23. John 6. 63.

And by [the spirit] is also meant, toge­ther with the former, The Gospel of Christ, especially as it hath been now preached to us according to the Revelation of the mystery: And many times this bears the Name of the Spirit; because it hath been given forth by the Spirit, and with the holy Spirit came [Page 110] down from Heaven, 1 Pet. 1. 12. And the Apostles in preaching it, have spoken it, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the holy Ghost teacheth, compare­ing spiritual things with spiritual: they spake as the holy Ghost gave them utterance. Yea, in these last days the Spirit was poured forth more abundantly than in former times; especially after Christ's ascension, and receit thereof in the nature of man, To make known the mystery to the Apostles, and by them to us, as in former times it was not made known to the Sons of men, Act. 2. 1 Cor. 2. 10-12. Eph. 1. 8, 9. and 3. 3-5. And with this Gospel of Christ the holy Spirit is present un­to the end of the World; so as that it is the ministration of the spirit and life, 2 Cor. 3. 6, 8. And he that ministreth it, ministreth the Spirit, 2 Cor. 3. 6. Gal. 3. 5. And he that receiveth this testimony of Jesus, re­ceiveth the Spirit, Gal. 3. 1, 2. And he that rejecteth and despiseth it, despiseth and re­jecteth the holy Spirit, 1 Thes. 4. 8. Hence the words which Christ spake unto us are said to be, and are spirit and life, Joh. 6. 63. And the Apostles were able Ministers of the new Testament, not of the letter, but of the spirit, 2 Cor. 3. 5, 6. And the Spirit is said to be the word of God, even the Gospel of Christ, Ephes. 6. 17. And the Testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy, Rev. 19. 10. And [Page 111] whereas our Saviour signifies unto us the ne­cessity of a mans being born of the Spirit, that he may enter into the Kingdom of God, Joh. 3. 5, 6, 8, the Apostles explicating it unto us shews, that the immortal and incor­ruptible seed is the Gospel, 1 Cor. 4. 15. the word of truth, Jam. 1. 18, 19. the word which by the Gospel hath been preached to us, 1 Pet. 1. 23-25. Gal. 4. 21-29. And so also [the spirit] with which they should be filled, is the Word and Testimony of Christ: And this understanding of it agrees well with the saying of the same Apostle in another Epistle, in which he is speaking to the same purpose as here. For whereas here he saith, Be ye filled with the spirit; speak­ing to your selves in Psalms, and Hymns, &c. He thus elsewhere expresseth it: Let the word of Christ dwell richly in you in all wis­dom: Teaching one another in Psalms, and Hymns, &c. Compare Eph. 5. 18, 19, with Col. 3. 16. 17. And this [the spirit] where­with they should be filled, the Gospel of Christ, and the holy Spirit which breathes therein, and always accompanies it; and in which he testifies of Christ, glorifies him, and takes of his things, and shews unto us. And so we have briefly spoken to the first thing, and come to the second, viz.

II. How, or in what respects [the Spirit] [Page 112] answers unto, though yet it infinitely exceed­eth Wine.

It doth appear in the very words, that though the Spirit be opposed unto Wine, and signified to be exceedingly and inex­pressibly better: yet there is some answer­ableness between these two: But there is nothing in the Spirit answering to any evil in the Wine. Of the former it is said, there­in is excess, but not of the latter: we can­not exceed in drinking in the Spirit; nor will our being filled therewith, lead us to any thing that is displeasing unto God, or hurtful unto men: But the Spirit doth in many particulars answer unto Wine, as that is good, and may lawfully and com­mendably be made use of by us (though still, as we have said, it infinitely exceeds, and excels it): As to say,

1. Wine is the blood of the Vine, or Grapes, which are the fruit of the Vine; it proceeds from the Vine, without which we could have no Wine properly so called, Gen. 49. 11, 12. Matth. 26. 29. So it may be said of the Spirit as sent forth, and communicated to us; It is the blood, or fruit of the Vine, of the true Vine, which cheareth the heart of God and man, even of Jesus Christ who is the true Vine, Joh. 15. 1. We could have had no Spirit but by and from him, by his having been trodden in the wine-press, as it were: It is indeed the blood of the Vine, [Page 113] the procurement and product of the preci­ous Blood and sufferings of our Gracious and blessed Redeemer. It is upon the ac­count of Wisdom's having killed her killing, that the Wine is mingled, that the Spirit is received into the nature of man, that it might be imparted to us; and that we have any Gospel, or glad tidings preached to us by the messengers, Prov. 9. 1-3. So much our Lord Jesus signifies to his Disciples: It is expedient for you, saith he, that I go away (that he departed from them by death, that he died for our offences, and rose from the dead for our justification, and went to him that sent him): For if I go not away, the Comforter, this Holy Spirit, will not come unto you: But if I depart, I will send him unto you, Joh. 16. 7. The Father hath so loved him, that he hath given all things into his hand; and particularly, given the Holy Spirit unto him without measure, to speak and make known Gods words: But the reason why he so loved him, was because he laid down his life, that he might take it again, compare Joh. 3. 34, 35. with chap. 10. 17. It is because Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and was raised again, and exalted, that he hath received of the Father the Ho­ly Spirit, which also he shed forth upon his holy Apostles, that by them the Preaching might be fully known, Act. 2. 31-33. It [Page 114] was upon the Lamb that had been slain, that John saw the seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth, Rev. 5. 6. And because this Spirit is procured for us, and dispensed to us by the Blood of this Vine, therefore it may be called, and in­cluded in his Blood, as that which is ob­tained by Blood is called Blood, 2 Sam. 23. 16, 17. Act. 1. 19. So whereas in one place it is said, Come drink of the Wine that I have mingled, to wit of his Spirit: In another it is said, My blood is drink indeed: He that eat­eth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him, saith our Saviour: com­pare Prov. 9. 3-5. with Joh. 7. 37-39. and 6. 53. 54-56. Oh! this Spirit is Wine in this respect, Wine by way of eminency; it is the product of the true Vine, who hath been tormented for our transgressions, bruised for our Iniquities: Hence the Spirit is called, as hath been said, the Spirit of Christ, because ob­tained by him, put upon him, and sent forth from him, 1 Pet. 1. 11. Rom. 8. 9. Philip. 1. 19. And the Spirit of Gods Son, whom he in the ful­ness of time sent forth, made of a woman, made under the Law, to redeem us that were under the Law, Gal. 4. 4, 5, 6. This is Wine in­deed, the Blood of the true Vine; to him are we beholding for it, and have therefore cause to give thanks to God for his unspeak­able gift; and to do it in the name of our Lord [Page 115] Jesus; and so to thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath been Sacrificed for us, that this Wine might be mingled for us, and dispen­sed to us, 2 Cor. 9. 15. Eph. 5. 18-20. 1 Tim. 1. 13-15.

2. As Wine was used to wash away spots from Garments, and make them clean and comely; for so much appears to be meant by that Prophesy of Jacob concerning Judah: He washed his garments in Wine, and his clothes in the blood of Grapes: Whereto possibly respect may be had, in saying, They have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, who is the true Vine, Gen. 49. 11. Rev. 7. 14. And as Wine was used to cleanse away filth, the filth of Wounds, as appears, Luk. 10. 34: So it is certainly true concerning this Spiritual Wine: It is proper to wash us from all our pollu­tion and defilements, and to cleanse and heal the Spiritual Maladies of our Souls: This is therefore called frequently the Holy Spirit, not only to denote that he is so in himself, but in his work also, to sanctify us, by bear­ing witness of, and sprinkling and applying the Blood of the true Vine, even of Christ, unto us. Hence the Apostle declaring what filthy and poluted creatures some of the Co­rinthians were, he saith, They were wash­ed and sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by the Spirit of our God, [Page 116] 1 Cor. 6. 9-11. And the Lord doth wash away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purge the blood of Jerusalem—by the Spirit of judgment, and by the Spirit of burning: so that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called holy, Isa. 4. 3, 4. And the Baptist doth declare unto us, that this is the work of Jesus Christ, to Baptize, and wash men with the Holy Spirit, Mar 1. 8. And the sanctifying men, separating them from their polutions, and dedicating them unto God, is attributed to the Spirit as his proper work, 2 Thes. 2. 13. 1 Pet. 1. 1, 2. And so also in and by the Gospel of Christ, which is called Spirit, as we have seen, Christ doth give us an escape from the pollutions of the world: And it is the power of God to salvation, to every one that believeth, even to save them from their sins, Rom. 1. 16. Now are ye clean, saith our Saviour, through the word that I have spoken unto you, Joh. 15. 1-3. And hereby may a young man, who is most apt and inclinable to pollution, cleanse his way, his works, walkings, and garments. Psal. 119. 9, And they that are undefiled, and sincere in the way, who walk in the Law of the Lord—they also do no iniquity, Psal. 119. 1-3. with Gal. 5. 16, 17. Oh! this is Wine indeed, to cleanse, and rinse us from whatsoever is polluting and defiling to us; to wash our Garments, and make them white: [Page 117] and therefore those who live in the Spirit, are instructed to walk in it also, whereby they shall be enabled to mortify the deeds of the body; and as he who hath called them is holy, so also to be holy in all manner of con­versation, Gal. 5. 25. Rom. 8. 13.

3. Wine moderately taken, is proper to quench the thirst, and so to allay and remove the torment and affliction thereby caused unto a man, which is very great; so as it causes their tongues to fail, and cleave to the roof of their mouths, Isa. 41. 17. Lam. 4. 4. Thirst causes the youngest and strongest to faint, Amos 8. 13. And even to die, Exod. 17. 3. Judg. 15. 8. But now Wine is pro­per to asswage and quench it. Hence it is given as one Branch of the description of Covetous worldly men, that have no power to enjoy what God gives them: they tread their Wine-presses, and suffer thirst: Intima­ting, they refrain from, and deny themselves that which would quench their thirst, Job 24. 11. And the thirsty person is invited to buy Wine to quench his thirst, and sa­tisfy him, Isa. 55. 1, 2. So we may say of the Spirit, it is Wine in a most eminent con­sideration in this respect, viz. to quench the thirst of the Soul and Spirit, which no other Drink or Wine will do: all other things are such as will not satisfy: but herewith our Souls may delight themselves, and be [Page 118] abundantly satisfied, even every, or any, poor thirsty Soul, Isa. 55. 1, 2, 3. Hence our Saviour in the last day, the great day of the Feast of Tabernacles, stood and cried, say­ing, If any man thirst (which he might do notwithstanding that Feast) let him come unto me, and drink—But this spake he of the Spi­rit, which they that believe on him should re­ceive, &c. Joh. 7. 37-39. And indeed, such is the excellency of this Heavenly and Spi­ritual Wine, that it doth not simply quench the thirst of the Soul; but so abundantly satisfy it, as that in continually drinking in hereof; a man shall be preserved from thirst­ing after any other Wine: and he that com­eth unto Christ continually, unto whom God hath not given the Spirit by measure, shall never thirst, Joh. 6. 35. This will take off his desire and appetite from all stolen-waters, of Wine of violence; from lusting after such things as our natural Spirit is thirsting for: As our Saviour saith in another Metaphor, Whosoever drinketh of any other water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him (of this Aqua­vitoe, this blessed Spirit, Isa. 44. 3.) shall ne­ver thirst (to wit, after any other kind or number of Drink): But the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of living water, springing up to everlasting life, Joh. 4. 10-13, 14. Such shall be inebriated, and [Page 119] fully satisfied with the fatness of his house, and he will make them drink of the River of his pleasures: for with him is the Fountain of life, Psal. 36. 7-9. Oh! Such a Feast hath God prepared for us in Christ, such Wines on the Lees, well refined, whereto this Holy Spirit is directing us, and which it is bringing nigh unto us in the Gospel, that were we feeding on, and drinking in hereof, our Souls would be so contented and satis­fied, as that all excess in natural Wine, or Strong Drink, would be bitter to us, and we should loath, and not lust after perish­ing, deceitful things, which cannot profit, nor satisfy us, because they are vain. In Christ (whom this Holy Spirit glorifies, and of whose things he receives, and shews unto us) it hath pleased the Father that all fulness should dwell: and therefore there is an emptiness in all other things: And in drink­ing in of this Spirit, we should be helped to see, and say, and set our Seals to the truth of that saying of the Wisdom of God by the wisest of meer men, Vanity of vanities, va­nity of vanities, all is vanity and vexation of Spirit, Eccles. 1. 2. and 2. 1—II, Colos. 1. 19.

4. Because as Wine doth make one for­get ones poverty, and remember their misery no more, Prov. 31. 7, and doth comfort, chear, and make merry the heart of man, [Page 120] Judg. 9. 13. Plal. 104. 15. Eccles. 10. 19. So eminently, the Spirit is Wine indeed, and answers to, though it inconceivably excels all other Wine: It is proper to heal the broken-hearted, and bind up all their griefs, and to comfort all that mourn; and doth comfort them that drink it in with ever­lasting Consolations: It gives unto them beauty for ashes, the Oyl of joy for mourning, the gar­ment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, Isa. 61. 1-3. Luk. 4. 18. Hence the Holy Spirit is called the Comforter; because it is his work and office to comfort in all tribulations, and trials, and to make the heart merry, though heaviness be occasioned to the outward man by the temptations and tri­als man here meet with, Joh. 14. 16. 26. and 16. 7. And he is the Comforter, in bearing witness of Christ, of his sufferings, and the glory which therethrough he hath received, Joh. 15. 26. And indeed this Comforter doth glad at the heart those that drink in of his Cup of Consolation, in shewing unto them the great abasement of Christ, who by the grace of God tasted death for every man, and is raised again for their justification; and hath offered up himself a spotless Sacrifice unto God through this Eternal Spirit; and so hath made peace for us by the Blood of his Cross; purged away the guilt of our first sin and sinsuluess, so as that it is no longer retained in [Page 121] Heaven against us; abolished our first death, and destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the Devil: taken out of the way all contrary to us, &c. And the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, doth make them free from the Law of Sin and Death, that walk after it, Rom. 8. 1-3. As well as also it shews unto us, that our loss is re­covered, and all fulness treasured up in Christ, that we might be brought back to God: That by his own Sacrifice once offered, he hath obtained plenteous Redemption, even the forgiveness of sins for ever, whereof the Holy Ghost is a witness to us; and that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son, Heb. 10. 10-15-18. 1 Joh. 5. 6-11. That in him all things are ready and prepared for us, even all things pertaining to life and Godliness: That in him there is a feast of fat things prepared for all people, of wines on the lees; of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined: In him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily: and in him is all compleatness for us: And the Spirit and the Bride say come, Isa. 25. 6. Col. 2. 9, 10. Rev. 22. 16, 17. Oh! what joy hath this found of the Spirit caused to those a­mongst whom it hath been sounded? Act. 8. 5-8: and how hath their hearts been com­forted, and helped to rejoyce with joy un­speakable and full of glory, who have received, [Page 122] and been made to drink into this one Spirit? And Blessed are the people that know this joy­ful sound—In thy name they shall rejoyce all the day-long, Psal. 89. 15, 16. Indeed the natural Wine exceedingly falls short of this herein: though that be proper to comfort and chear the natural Spirit of a man; yet the Soul in a Spiritual consideration may be overwhelmed with sorrow and sadness, mean time: But this Spirit will fill the heart with solid and durable joy; and the heart of such as drink it in, shall rejoyce, and their joy no man taketh from them, Joh. 16. 22. with chap. 14. 16-18. And though the believing Thessalonians received Christs Gospel in much affliction, yet also they received it with joy of the Holy Spirit, 1 Thes. 1. 6. And though now the dayes were evil in which the A­postle writes to these Ephesians, sinful dayes, and dayes of affliction, both which cause sorrow: yet now he gives this exhortation and instruction to them, Be ye filled with the Spirit; and signifies in what follows, that this would apt, and dispose them to Sing, and make melody in their hearts to the Lord, Eph. 5. 18, 19. Oh! this is Wine in­deed, that will make the heart truly, solid­ly, and everlastingly merry, and chearful, and comfort it with everlasting consolations, and good hope through Grace: well there­fore may it be likened to Wine.

[Page 123] 5. Wine is that which is proper to deliver the natural Spirit of a man from his fears and timerousness; and to make one bold, courageous against ones enemies, and notwith­standing any cause, or occasion of fear. Hence we have such expressions used: Like a mighty man that shouts by reason of Wine: And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts, he put them to a perpetual reproach, Psal. 78. 65, 66. They shall devour and subdue with sling-stones, and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine, Zech. 9. 15. And they of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their hearts shall rejoyce as through Wine, chap. 10. 5-7. And so it is an usual thing now in our dayes, that men may be deli­vered from fears, to drink Wine or Strong Drink: And indeed the Spirit is Wine in an eminent consideration in this respect, namely, it is that which doth strengthen against, and deliver from fears, those that drink it in: For God hath not given us the Spirit of fear, or cowardize; but of power, of love, and of a sound mind: Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of the Lord—But be thou par­taker of the afflictions of the Gospel, according to the power of God, 2 Tim. 1. 7, 8. Rom. 8. 15. And whose hearkeneth unto Christ, the Wisdom of God, receives and entertains his Gospel, and turns at his reproofs; To such an one he will pour out his Spirit, [Page 124] and make known his words: And he shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from the fear of evil, Prov. 1. 20, 21-23, 33. Hence, as the Lord saith to his people in former times, My Spirit remaineth among you, fear ye not, Hag. 2. 5. So when he sent his Apostles to preach the Gospel in all the world, he first tells them, they should be indued with power, after the Holy Spirit was come upon them, and then should be his witnesses, being thus strenghened and imboldened, as well as fitted and furnished, Act. 1. 8. Truly we may say, This Holy Spirit in glorifying Christ, and shewing unto us, that he is indeed the Saviour of the world; In bearing wit­ness of that plenteousness of redemption, and everlasting righteousness that is in him; and the love of God manifested in Christ, and that he is Love and Charity it self; hereby casteth out all fear, all fear that hath tor­ment, out of the hearty Believer hereof, as with respect to God: and saves them from his wrath, and from the fears thereof: And such receive not the Spirit of bondage to fear, but the Spirit of Adoption: the Spirit of child-like boldness and confidence, to ap­proach through Christ by this Spirit unto the Father, and so unto the Throne of Grace, and to cry Abba Father, 1 Joh. 4. 14-18, 19. Rom. 8. 15. Gal. 4. 4-6, Eph. 2. 18. Psal. 49. 5. And by this Holy [Page 125] Spirit we may be delivered from the fears of death, and though we walk in the midst of the valley of it, yet to fear none evil; because in the Light, and by the Testimony of the Spirit we may see, that Christ hath a­bolished it, and destroyed him that had the power of it, that is, the Devil: And will in due time destroy it utterly, even this first death, Heb. 2. 14, 15. Psal. 23. 4. 2 Tim. 1. 7-10. And in drinking in, and walking after this Spirit, we shall have boldness in every day of judgment, and both be delivered from the fear of our enemies, and be made cou­rageous against them, and wax valiant in fight: Hence the Apostle faith concern­ing himself, and such as in whom this Spirit dwelleth, and abideth; Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or naked­ness, or peril or Sword?—Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us, 1 Joh. 4. 14-17, 18, 19. Rom. 8. 1-37. Herethrough they were strengthned with strength in their Souls; strengthned with might by his Spirit in the inner man; and the word of God abiding in them, they were strong, and helped to do valiantly; even to overcome the wicked one: and not to fear what Men or Devils could do unto them, Eph. 3. 16. 1 Joh. 2. 14. and 5. 4, 5. Those that drink in of this good Spirit, [Page 126] are of God, and shall overcome all their op­posers, because greater is he that is in them, than he that is in the world: And they shall be valiant and victorious, Not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord of Hosts, Zech. 4. 6. And as in former times it was said, The Spirit of the Lord came upon such and such a man, And he went out and pre­vailed against his enemies, Judg. 3. 10. and 6. 34. and II. 29-33. and 14 19: Even so still, by this Spirit of the Lord, we may be delivered from all our fears of amazement, and be made bold and courageous like Lions, to resist and put to slight all our Spiritual enemies: Hence when the Apostle tells the believers, That they wrestle not against flesh and blood; but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritu­al wickedness in high places, or things: he di­rects them to take unto themselves, the whole armour of God; and particularly, the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, where­by we may overcome the wicked one, and all his instruments and temptations, Eph. 6. 10-12-17. Rev. 12. 11. And so this spiritual wine is proper and powerful to deliver us from the fear of man which brings a snare, and causes men to comply, and have fellowship with them in their Drunkenness and intem­perance, and in other unfruitful works of [Page 127] darkness, lest they should incur their displea­sure, or lose their favour and friendship: And to strengthen us to resist unto blood, striving against sin. And in walking in this Spirit, we shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh, either for fear of the loss of mens fa­vour, or for fear of their evil will, or pu­nishment, but shall be strengthened to re­sist and overcome the world there-through.

6. Wine is good to be used for those who are infirm, and for their stomack sake, to streng­then them, and help them to digest: And it begets and preserves in them an appetite to their food, that they may thereby be fitted for any work or business: As the A­postle signifies, when he saith to Timothy, Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomacks sake, and thine oft infirmities, 1 Tim. 5. 23. So it is as with respect to this heavenly and spiritual Wine; in drinking in thereof, and being filled therewith, this will still beget in us an earnest desire and ap­petite unto wisdom's provision. It will in­deed, as before we have said, take off our hearts and desires from thristing after the Devils cup, For we cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of Devils, 1 Cor. 10. 21. But yet, if we have tasted the gracious­ness of the Lord by this Spirit, it will cause us still to come unto him and drink, And to desire, as new-born babes, the sincere milk of [Page 128] the word, that we may grow thereby; that we may grow in grace, and in the knowledg of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, 1 Pet. 2. 2-4. And 2 Pet. 3. 18, And even as the hart pants after the water brooks, so with our Souls to pant after, and thirst for God, the living God, even Jesus Christ, and God in him, which is the true God, and eternal life, Psal. 42. 1-3. and 63. 1-8. To hunger and thirst after righteousness, after Jesus Christ, who is Jehovah our Righteousness, that we may win him, and be found in him, not having our own righteousness which is of the law, but the righte­ousness which is through the faith of Christ, even the righteousness which is of God by faith. And that we might be changed into his I­mage, and be framed to a likeness of mind, and demeanour after the example of our Lord Jesus, Matth. 5. 6. Phil. 3. 7, 8-10. Thus it was with Christs Spouse, while she sate down under the shadow of that blessed Apple-tree, and his fruit was sweet to her taste; and he brought her into the banquetting­house, into the house of Wine, caused her to drink in of his Spirit: or ever she was a­ware, she was so filled with spiritual desire after, and earnest appetite unto this heaven­ly food, that she cryes out; Stay me with flaggons: vessels of small quantity, or small draughts, would not now suffice, or content her: But in drinking in of this Spirit before, [Page 129] she had such a good stomach, that she now cries out and calls for flaggons; for a more abundant participation of this Spirit: And, comfort me with apples, for, saith she, I am sick of love: She was even restless and un­satisfied in her desires, that she might more eat of this living bread, even the flesh of Christ that was given for the life of the World, and drink in of his blood, as knowlng this was most sweet, and desirable, and would nourish her Soul, and preserve it in life, even to the enjoyment of everlasting life, Cant. 2. 3-5. and 5. 8-16. and 6. 1. They that know, and have tasted of this gift of God, will still, and more abundantiy ask and de­sire after it, that their Souls may delight themselves in that excellent feast which is pre­pared for men in Christ, and be satisfied therewith as with marrow and fatness; Joh. 4. 10. Psal. 63. 1-5-8. And this Spirit being drunk in by them, will cause their Souls to digest the food, the Spiritual food, which they eat, so as their Souls may prosper, and be like unto watered Gardens, and like Springs of water, whose waters fail not; that they may flourish in the Courts of our God, and bring forth fruit in old age, and be fat and green: To shew that the Lord is upright—And there is no unrighte­ousness in him, Psal. 92. 12-14. That they may spring up as among the grass, as willows [Page 130] by the water courses: And may be trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord; Filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God, that he in all things may be glorified by them through Jesus Christ our Lord, Isa. 44. 3, 4. and chap 61. 1-3. Phil. I. II.

7. Wine being drunk in, especially in any large measure, will enflame the natural heart with love, and lustings towards the proper object thereof: And therefore David, that he might cover his great evil and iniquity, made Uriah to eat and drink, yea he made him drunk; As knowing this was the way to cause him to go down to his Wife, and lye with her: and though David's policy herein failed him, yet, therein is signified, that this was a proper means to bring to pass his evil and naughty intendment, 2 Sam. 11. 11-13. So we may say, this Spirit is, by way of eminency, Wine; that wherewith be­ing filled, we shall be enflamed with heaven­ly and Divine Love: Hence this Spirit is called the Spirit of Love, 2 Tim. 1. 7: and the Love effected in the Believers, is called their love in the Spirit, Colos. 1. 8: and to move the Believers to walk in the Spirit, the Apostle tells them, The fruit of the Spi­rit is love: This is that which the Holy Spirit doth produce in them in whom it is, and abides, Gal. 5. 16-22. And so this [Page 131] Spirit doth enflame the heart with love to Jesus Christ, and God in him: It doth dis­cover, make known, and shed abroad the love of God in the heart of the Believer, even that love, that while we were yet with­out strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly: the Spirit causes to appear, the kindness, and love of God to man ward, in sending his Son the Saviour of the world; and of Christ, in laying down his life for us, and tasting death by the grace of God for every man: That this love being seen, known, and believed by us, we might love him who hath so testified love to us, with all our hearts: and hereby is their love made perfect, who know, and believe it, and that God is love; so as they love him, because he first loved them, Rom. 5. 5-8. Tit. 3. 4, 5. 1 Joh. 4. 13-16, 17-19. Hereby he makes them sick of love, and helps them to cleave to him in love with full purpose of heart, Cant. 2. 3, 4, 5. And in discovering of the excellency and comeliness of Christ; of the plenteousness of Redemption in him by his blood, even the forgiveness of our sins: of the everlasting righteousness brought in by, and treasured up in him: of the treasures of wisdom and knowledg hid in him: of that eternal life given us in him, and all things pertaining to life and godliness: of the fa­vour of his good ointments wherewith he is [Page 132] anointed as the great Apostle and High-Priest; yea of his compleat, perfect, and universal loveliness; hereby the Spirit ren­ders him as an object worthy to be delighted in by the Soul; And therefore do the virgins love him: He is the He, whom their Souls love, Cant. 1. 3, 4. and 5. 8-16. And this Love is such as is clean, and leads to the abhorring all that is evil, even whatsoever is forbidden by the Lord, and discovered by the light, the Spirit in the Testimony, to be displeasing and offensive to the beloved. Hence, whereas God in giving forth his Law at first, saith, Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven Image, &c. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. Re­member the Sabbath-day to keep it holy, &c. all is summed up in this short saying else­where; Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and soul, and mind, and strength, Exod. 20. 3-11. with Deut. 6. 4, 5. Matth. 22. 36, 37. To signify, that the love of the Spirit is such as is exercised in abstaining from, and denying all ungodliness, and in cleaving unto, and following what­soever is well-pleasing in the sight of the Lord; and this Spirit is also purifying the heart from all unclean and filthy love, in obeying the truth, unto the unfeigned love of the Brethren, that they might love one another [Page 133] with a pure heart, fervently, 1 Pet. 1. 22. 1 Joh. 3. 16-18. And this Love thus be­gotten, even by the Spirit, in commending Gods love in Christ, worketh no ill to ones neighbour: and so preserves from Murder, Uncleanness, Thest, bearing False-witness, Covetousness, Rioting, and Drunkenness; or any other thing that is contrary to sound Doctrine, Rom. 13. 8-13. And also, this Spirit, in discovering the greatness and ex­tensiveness of the Love of Christ, to wit, that this One died for all, constrains the Be­lievers thereof, to love all men, even their enemies also, Mat. 5. 44, 45. 2 Cor. 5. 14, 15.

8. Wine is proper to make men free to speak; it causes them to be talkative, to open their mouths freely in discoursing, or speaking about any matter or business: So Elihu saith, Behold my belly is as Wine which hath no vent; it is ready to burst like new bot­tles: I will speak that I may be refresh­ed: I will open my lips and answer: And that which made him so free to speak, was this Spiritual Wine we are speaking of. He was full of matter, and the Spirit within him did constrain him, Job 32. 17-20. And thus it was with the Apostles, and the residue of the Believers, when the Holy Spi­rit was poured down from on high upon them; They were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak, &c. They did [Page 134] freely declare the wonderful works of God: And though some foolish ones, mocking, said, These men are full of new wine, because they were so free in speaking: yet as Peter saith; These were not drunken with Wine, as they supposed: But this was that which was spoken by the Prophet Joel: It shall come to pass in the last dayes, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit, &c. Act. 2. 1-4-11-13-17, 18. This Spirit will apt and enable us to speak, not as men filled with Wine do, to wit, vain and unprofitable things: But it will help us to speak unto God, and to pray un­to him in Christs name for what we want: And to give thanks unto him alwayes for all things, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Eph. 5. 18-20. The Spirit, in opening the things of Christ unto us, helpeth our Infir­mities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; But the Spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered: And he that searcheth the hearts, knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession—according to God, Rom. 8. 26, 27. And this Spirit will apt, and incline us to be speaking unto our selves in Psalms, and Hymns, and Spiritual songs, Eph. 5. 18, 19. To be teaching and admonishing one another, Col. 3. 16. And to speak unto others, even all men, or any man, we have opportunity to converse with, [Page 135] that will hear: To speak unto them, and make mention of the sufferings of Christ, and what he hath thereby done, and obtain­ed into himself, for every poor sinful crea­ture of mankind; And the love of God ma­nifested in Christ to man-ward: And in all, to make mention of Gods righteousness, even of his only, 1 Joh. 4. 13, 14, 15. Act. 5. 29-32. The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment: The Law of his God, even the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, is in his heart, Psal. 37. 30, 31. with Rom. 8. 2. This Holy Spi­rit doth open Wisdoms words to those that turn at her reproofs, so as they may speak with understanding to others: and is like Wine within them that receive and drink it in, to constrain them to speak what they have seen and heard, Prov. 1. 23. Act. 4. 19, 20. And they who are filled with it, are full of power by the Spirit of the Lord—and of might, to declare unto others their trans­gressions and sins, as they have instructi­on, opportunity, and capacity, Micah 3. 7, 8.

In such like respects, this Holy Spirit doth answer unto, and yet infinitely exceed all Wine whatsoever; and is therefore com­pared thereunto: But we shall add no more to this second thing, but now we come to speak unto the third; Namely,

[Page 136] III. What it is to [be filled] with the Spirit.

And surely that is more, and a further business than to receive this blessed Spirit, which these had done: and all Believers do, in receiving the hearing, or report of faith, Gal. 3. 2. For if any man have not the Spi­rit of Christ, he is none of his; viz. in a pe­culiar consideration, Rom. 8. 9, which surely these Believers were, as doth plentifully ap­pear in the former part of the Epistle: Yea, and after they Believed, they were Sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of the Apostles inheritance. They had this holy Spirit in a first fruits, and as a a first fruits of the harvest; and as a pledg and assurance, that in abiding in Christ, they should in due time gloriously injoy that inhe­ritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and which fadeth not away, reserved in the heavens for them who are kept by the power of God through faith unto the salvation ready to be revealed in these last dayes, Eph. 1. 13, 14. with 1 Pet. 1. 3-5. By this Spirit they were Sealed and marked out unto the day of redempti­on, Eph. 4. 30. with Exod. 12. 23. They were built upon the foundation of the A­postles and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone—In whom they were builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit: and so they were brought [Page 137] and Baptized into the unity of the Spirit, Eph. 2. 17-22. and 4. 2, 3, 4. And yet still as a further business, or as to a further degree, he exhorts them, Be ye filled: for a man may be, and so might they be somewhat filled, or in some measure filled therewith, as Rom. 15. 24: and yet the Apostle might exhort them to be filled therewith in a greater measure, or to an higher degree: to be exceedingly filled, (as Psal. 123. 3, 4.)

But before we speak more particularly hereto, we may say, this Phrase of being filled with the Spirit, or Holy Ghost, is used in a double sense in the Scripture: That is to say,

1. Sometimes it means, a being filled therewith after an extraordinary manner, so as to be enabled thereby, or furnished there­with unto extraordinary things: as in for­mer times he so filled Bezaleel and Aholiab, &c. for making the Priests garments, the Tabernacle, &c. Exod. 28. 3, 4. and 31. 3. and 35. 31-35. So others were filled with the Holy Spirit to enable them to Prophesy, and foretel things to come, Luk. 1. 41, 67. And after the Ascension of Christ, some were filled with the Holy Ghost, and spake with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance: And wrought many signs and wonders amongst the people, &c. Act. 2. 4. and 4. 30, 31. and 6. [Page 138] 5, 8. But now in this sense the Apostle here intends it not: For he doth suppose that all these Believers might be filled in some sense, with the Spirit; and that shews he intends it not after an extraordinary man­ner: as well as also so much is signified by the manner of expression, in that he gives us to understand, somewhat was required of them hereto, and therefore exhorts them, Be ye filled.

2. But we are here to understand it as all hearty and unfeigned Believers may be filled with it, as Sons of God by faith in Jesus Christ, Gal. 4. 6. And so indeed the being filled herewith is somewhat, which, though opposed to, yet, doth answer unto being [Drunken] in the former part of the verse; as being full of, or filled with Wine, and Drunken, are used indifferently the one for the other, as before we have said, and as may be seen, Act. 2. 13-15. Now as Wine may be in a man, and yet a man may not be Drunken; so the Spirit may be in a Be­liever, and yet he not filled therewith, as here exhorted to: But as a man is said to be Drunken, or filled with Wine, when he is in Wine, or Strong Drink; so a man may be said to be filled with the Spirit, when he is in the Spirit: (I mean not ex­traordinarily, Rev. 1. 10. and 4. 1, 2. but as all Believers may be): As the Apostle saith, [Page 139] Ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the spirit of God dwell in you, Rom. 8. 9, 10. And indeed, then a man may be said to be filled with it, when the word of Christ, and Spirit therein, dwell richly, plen­teously, and abundantly in him in the full of the Testimony of Jesus Christ: as is expressed in another place, which is like unto this, Col. 3. 16. And so we may say a little par­ticularly;

As a man when he is Drunken, is said to be overcome with Wine, Isa. 28. 1. Jer. 23. 9, 10. So a man is then said to be filled with the Spirit, when he is overcome there­with, and led, and ordered thereby in all things; as the Apostle saith, As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the Sons of God; not only so as to their state, but as to their excercise and demeanour also: and not only is the Spirit in such an one, but also he is in the Spirit, Rom. 8. 14. with vers. 9. as it is said of Christ, He being full of the Holy Spirit—was led by the Spirit, &c. Luk. 4. 1. Now the work of this Holy Spirit is to lead us out of our selves, out of our own wisdom, wills, designs, affections, and en­terprizes, into Jesus Christ for all: Unto him for all wisdom, that we may be made wise unto salvation: For in him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledg, 1 Cor. 1. 23, 24. and 22. Col. 2. 3. Unto him for [Page 140] all righteousness; for all forgiveness of our sins, and acceptation in this beloved one; putting him on by faith a a robe of righteousness, to appear before God in, in whom is ever­lasting righteousness, Isa. 45. 24: and who is Jehovah our righteousness, Jer. 23. 6: unto him as our holiness, that we may be washed, and sanctified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the spirit of our God, 1 Cor. 6. 11. Joh. 13. 8: Unto him as our re­demption, to free us, and set us at liberty in our minds from all bondage and thraldom whatsoever, whether to sin, death, Satan, an evil conscience, Law, world, or whatever we are naturally inslaved withal, Joh. 8. 31, 32, 36. Rom. 8. 1, 2, 3. Gal. 5. 1, 13. 1 Cor. 1. 29-31. The work of this Holy Spirit is to lift up, and glorify Jesus Christ, that we may run unto him continually, as to that good and only foundation of faith and hope, Isa. 28. 16. 1 Pet. 2. 4-7. As to the foun­tain of light and teaching, who is the light of the world, the Son of righteousness, Joh. 8. 12. Matth. 4. 2. To him as the matter of our feeding, who is the living bread: and the bread that he giveth, is his flesh, which he hath given for the life of the world, Joh. 6. 35. 51-58. So as to have our life in him, and he to be our life, the life, of our Souls and Spirits; to be our self as it were, Gal. 2. 20. Colos. 3. 3, 4. And they are in some mea­sure [Page 141] filled with this Spirit, who are not led by themselves as men, but led and guided by this heavenly Wine, so as they suffer the loss of all things, and go on to count them as dung, that they may gain Christ, and be found in him, that Christ may be all un­to them, as the life of their Spirits, Philip. 3. 7-9 When they are overcome of this Spirit, and subdued and conquered by it, to be under its regiment and govern­ment; and being brought out of themselves, are translated and removed into Jesus Christ, who is the beginning of the creation of God; And so live in the Spirit, Gal. 5. 25, and are new Creatures, 2 Cor. 5 14 17. Eph. 2. 10. and helped to reckon themselves in and after Jesus Christ, Rom. 6. 3-11. Col. 2. 12.

And then men may be said to be Filled with the Spirit, when they grow up into the knowledg of Christ in all things, so as that He in the full of the Testimony is formed in them, Gal. 4. 19. And they are filled with the knowledg of Gods will in all wisdom and Spiritual understanding, Col. 1. 10. And have through the knowledg of Christ in the Gospel, a right judgment concerning all things effected in them. He that is Spiritual judgeth, discerneth, all things; yet he himself is judged, discerned, of no man, 1 Cor. 2. 13-15, 16. and chap. 3. 1, 2. For this the Apostle prayes [Page 142] for these Ephesian Believers, that the God of our Lord Jesus, the Father of Glory, would give unto them the spirit of wisdom and Revelation in the knowledg of Christ; the eyes of their understandings being enlightned, that they might know what is the hope of his cal­ling, &c. This he prayed for them who were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, after they believed, Eph. 1. 13-17, 18-23. and 4. 30. And when as the consequent of the former, the Believers are established in the faith, and rooted and grounded in Jesus Christ, standing fastly and firmly in him: For this the Apostle also prays for these Believers, That God would grant them ac­cording to the riches of his glory, to be strength­ned with might by his spirit in the inner man; that Christ migh dwell in their hearts by faith, That they being rooted and grounded in love, might be able to comprehend with all Saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height: and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledg: That (so) they might be filled whth all the fulness of God, Eph. 3. 16, 17-19. And unto this the Apostle exhorts the believing-Colossions, that they would walk in Christ, rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as they had been taught, &c. Colos. 2. 6, 7.

And when also with the former, they are filled with joy, and spiritual mirth; and [Page 143] have a merry heart effected in them, re­joycing in Christ Jesus; rejoycing with joy unspeakable, and full of glory; and having no confidence in the flesh: rejoycing in Christ, in his Cross, and what he hath there­by done for us, and obtained into himself, and is become, and is: and in what he is now doing, both from Heaven in the name of the Father, and in the anointing of the Holy Spirit to us: and in Heaven with the father for us: and what he will do hereafter. As a man when he is in Wine, his heart is made merry and chearful therewith; he re­members not his former or present pover­ty, affliction, and misery, but he sings and rejoyces: So also it is here in a spiritual consi­deration: This Heavenly Wine being largely drunk in by us, will cause our hearts to re­joyce as through Wine, even to rejoyce in the Lord, Zech. 10. 7. So here the Apostle exhorts these Believers: Be ye filled with the spirit—singing and making melody in your hearts, &c. Eph. 5. 18, 19, Giving thanks al­wayes for all things (not only at some times, and for such things as our natural spirit is desiring, and pleased withall, but for those things which seem to be grievous unto us also) unto God, and the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, vers. 20. In being filled with this Spirit, they are filled with joy and peace, with joy in the Holy Ghost, [Page 144] Rom. 14. 17. and 15. 13. And whatever occasions of sorrow and sadness they have as with respect to the temptations, trials and troubles, which they here meet with, and depravations which are ordered to them: Though their belly trembles, and lips quiver, and rottentess enters into their bones, &c. Yet they rejoyce in the Lord, and joy in the God of their salvation: and even glorify him in the fires, Habbak. 3. 16-19. Isa. 24. 7-14, 15, 1 Pet. 1. 6-8. Psal. 89. 15. 16. Prov. 15. 15.

And then they may be said to be Filled with the Spirit, when they walk in Christ Jesus as they have received him; and through this blessed Spirit crucify continually the lusts and affections of the Flesh: Mortify their mem­bers which are upon the earth: then are they led by this holy Spirit, as the Apostle signifies, when he saith, If ye through the spirit do mor­tify the deeds of the body, ye shall live: For as many as are led by the spirit of God, they are the Sons of God: intimating to us, that such as these are in, and led by the Spirit, Rom. 8. 7-9, 13, 14. Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh, Gal. 5. 16, 17. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit, let us not be de­sirous of vain-glory, provoking one another, envying one another, vers. 24, 25, 26. To this the Apostle exhorts these Believers, That [Page 145] they put off as concerning the former conversa­tion, the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; To put away lying; To be angry and not sin, &c. Eph. 4. 22-30, 31. And when also they so drink in of this Wine, as that they are filled with the fruit of the Spirit, with love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, against which the Law is not. The fruit of the Spirit is in all, goodness, and righteousness, and truth, Gal. 5. 16-22. Eph. 5. 8, 9. And have the righteousness of the Law ful­filling in them more and more, Rom. 8. 3, 4. And are seeking after, and setting their af­fections upon things above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God: having their conversation not on earth, but in Heaven, Col. 2. 12. and 3. 1-5. Philip. 3. 7-9-20.

And when they are led by this Spirit, and overcome thereby, to speak unto, and to be teaching, and admonishing one ano­ther, sounding forth Gods praises, hold­ing forth the word of life in word and con­versation; holding fast, and holding forth the profession of their faith and hope, with­out wavering, without fear of men, or their fear; without fear of amazement, speaking the word of Christ, and walking in his way, and as he hath left us an example, with bold­ness, and confidence, and chearfully, and [Page 146] confidently enduring whatever they may meet with, and undergo: taking joyfully the spoiling of their goods, for Christ and his Gospel sake; so as walking in the wis­dom and humility of Christ; not being mo­ved by any thing they suffer, nor counting their lives dear to themselves, that they may finish their course with joy; when they are so filled with Christ's Gospel, as that it is a burning fire shut up in their bones, and they are even constrained to speak what they have seen and heard, Psal. 39. 1-3. Jer. 20. 7-11. Act. 2. 11-13. The being filled with the Spirit, is to be imboldned by it (as Esth. 7. 5.) So of the Apostles and Believers it is said, They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spake the word of God with bold­ness—And with great power gave the Apostles witness of the Resurection of the Lord Jesus, &c. Act. 4. 30, 31, 32. and vers. 20. Mic. 3. 8. To which we shall not enlarge any further, because we have spoken so largely in shewing the answerableness of the Spirit unto Wine, be­fore: nor indeed am I in a meet capacity to speak any thing hereabout, because I am not filled therewith my self: and therefore do but darken Counsel by words without knowledg.

IV. We come in the last place, briefly, to note some Instructions from this Exhortation of the Apostle: [Be ye filled with the Spi­rit]. Namely.

[Page 147] I. That even the Believeres themselves, which have received the Holy Spirit, and have been sealed therewith unto the day of Redemption, may not be filled, or so filled with the Holy Spirit, as God would have them to be, as is before signified in what we have said: These were Believers, and had received this good Spirit in some measure; and yet they are instructed and exhorted to be filled therewith, and made more spiritual thereby. The Believing-Corinthians were Baptized into one body, and made to drink into one Spirit; and yet they were not filled with the Spirit: For the Apostle could not speak unto them as unto spiritual ones, but as carnal, as unto Babes in Christ, 1 Cor. 12. 13. with chap. 3. 1-3. The Believing-He­brews, though in receiving the word of Christ they received his Spirit; yet alas! they still needed to be taught which were the first principles of the Oracles of God, and were become such as had need of Milk, and not of strong meat. Through their dulness of hearing, and slowness of heart to believe the first and great things of Gods Law, the word, of the begining of Christ, the Apostle knew not well how to speak unto them of the High-Priesthood of Christ, his Sacrifice which he had offered; his Mediation in the Hea­vens, and Advocation for Believers; his coming again, with the high acts and works [Page 148] of faith, &c. Heb. 5. 10-14. and 6. 1, 2, &c. The Thessalonian-Believers, though they re­ceived the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit; yet there were wants found in their Faith: and therefore the Apostle did pray night and day exceedingly, that he migh see their face, and might perfect that which was lacking in their faith, 1 Thes. 1. 2-6-10. and 2. 13. and 3. 10. There may be much, or somewhat lacking in them that have received this good Spirit, as to their being filled therewith: there may be somewhat wanting in their knowledg, faith, establishment, rejoycing, confidence, conso­lation in Christ, conformity unto Christ, conversation, &c. They may be, and some of them are, but little children: And others, though they be young men, yet still they may receive and dirnk in more and more of this Spirit in the Testimony of Christ: yea, and the fullest may yet be fuller, while they are here in mortal bodies: For they receive here but some First fruits of the Spirit, Rom. 8. 23. And this Instruction may be of usefulness unto us,

1. To warn and admonish us all to take heed and beware of high-mindedness, and that we should not think of our selves more highly than we ought to think, but to think soberly, as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith, Rom. 12. 2. 3. A sad and dangerous [Page 149] thing it is for us all to think and say, We are rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing: This is the high-way so to provoke Christ, as to cause him to spue us out of his mouth, Rev. 3. 15-17. We have none of us yet attained, nor are we already perfect, as to attainment, Philip. 3. 12, 13. Alas! how short are we in every thing? We have cause continually to cry out and complain of, and and bewail our leanness, emptiness, blindness, instability in the faith, inconformity to Christ: Oh! be we not high-minded: think we not more highly of our selves than is meet, for that will hinder us from coming continually unto Christ, who is the fountain of life, and Spi­rit, and all spiritual blessings.

2. This instruction shews unto us, and in­forms us, that the receit of the Spirit is a gradual thing; it is not wholly received at once: But the Light and Spirit of Christ is received, and shines more and more unto the perfect day, Prov. 4. 18. They who have obtained like precious faith with the Apostles, and know, and are established in the word of truth, the Gospel of our salvation, may grow in grace, and in the knowledg of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, 2 Pet. 1. 1-12. with chap. 3. 18. They who are in Christ, go from strength to strength, from one degree to another, until every one of them appear before God in Zion, Psal. 84. 4-7.

[Page 150] 3. This Instruction may teach us, that we should not conclude concerning any, that they have not the Spirit of Christ, because they are not so filled therewith as they should be: for the former may be, where the latter is wanting, as we have seen and said before: The Gospel of Christ, and Spi­rit therein, may be received by men; and the Spirit in the Testimony may be in them, though yet they are not in it; not so over­come, led, enlightned, established, and fra­med thereby to the mind of Christ, as might be desired, and ought to be endeavoured: And Christ will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoaking flax, or dimly-burn­ing week, but nourish and cherish every little spark. Be we more like-minded after the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, that we may not despise the day of small things, nor discourage, but support the weak, Zech. 4. 10. 1 Thes. 5. 14.

4. It may exhort and provoke us all to come unto Christ, and drink, and drink in abandantly of the Wine which is in him, for us, That we may grow thereby, and increase with the increase of God, Joh. 7. 37-39. He that cometh unto him continually, shall never thirst, but his Soul shall be abundantly sa­tisfied, and his faith shall grow exceeding­ly, and his charity towards all men, and especially towards the Brotherhood, shall a­bound: [Page 151] But to this we shall have occasion to speak afterwards.

II. A second Instruction we may note from these words is, That the Believers cannot fill themselves with the Spirit, they have no suf­ficiency hereto of themselves, as of themselves: Therefore he saith not, fill your selves; but, Be ye filled with the Spirit: They have not the fountain of Spirit in themselves; The Spirit is not put upon them for themselves; but it is given unto, and resteth upon Jesus Christ, Isa. 11. 1-3: and is put upon him, that he might dispence thereof unto us: This was he, saith the Baptist, of whom I spake, He that cometh after me, is preferred before me, for he was before me: And of his fulness have all we (Prophets, and holy ones) re­ceived, and grace for grace, Joh. 1. 15, 16. In him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily: And in him ye are compleat, Col. 1. 19. and 2. 3, 9, 10. God hath not given the Spirit by measure unto him, but hath immeasurably filled him therewith: And to that end he hath so done, that he might pour forth thereof to us, according to our needs and capacities, Joh. 3. 34, 35. Isa. 42. 1. Upon this stone (this precious corner-stone, and sure foundation, this Stone which the builders disallowed, and which is now be­come the head of the corner), are the seven eyes, even the seven spirits of God, which are [Page 152] sent forth into all the earth, Zech. 3. 8, 9. and 4. 10. with Rev. 5. 6. Indeed in us, that is, in our flesh, in us as of us, we have no good thing dwelling: we have all sinned, and are come short of the Glory of God. But our Lord Jesus hath restored that which he lost not; and recovered by his Blood, and is possessed of all fulness for us; being glorified with the Father's own self, with the glory which he had with him besore the world was, Joh. 17. 4, 5. He hath the seven spirits of God, Rev. 3. 1. And from him the Apostles received the Holy Spirit: And unto every one of us it is given according to the measure of the gift of Christ, Eph. 4. 7-10. And this Instruction might be of usefulness unto us all,

1. To hide Pride from us, and preserve or deliver us from boasting of, or glorying in our selves: for wherein are we to be ac­counted of? Isa. 2. 22. Who maketh thee to differ? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now, if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not re­ceived it? 1 Cor. 4. 7. The blessing of Abra­ham is in Christ for us Gentiles, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith, Gal. 3. 13, 14. To him are we beholding for all, and none can fill themselves with this Holy Spirit out of their own store: For we are poor empty creatures, destitute of all [Page 153] spiritual good, Job 11. 12. We cannot fur­nish, or fill our selves with this blessed Wine, but need continually to be supplied there­with from Jesus Christ, Philip. 1. 19. Where is boasting then? it is excluded: We nei­ther have this good Spirit of our selves, nor can we purchase it by any price of ours that we can give to God: But it is the gift, the free gift of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of God in and through him, Act. 5. 32. and 8. 20. 1 Joh. 3. 24.

2. This may also warn and admonish us, to take heed heed that we sin not against Christ: Oh! let us all beware of him, and not provoke him, but obey his voice, lest he withhold, or withdraw his good Spirit from us; for his it is primarily, properly, and fully: So he saith to the Angel of the Church in Sardis: These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God—Remember how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent: If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come upon thee as a thief, &c. I will take away mine Holy Spirit from thee, which I have given unto thee, and which thou hast so much, and so often grieved, and sadned, Rev. 3. 1-3. Psal. 51. 11. And if he take it away from us, no man hath power over the Spirit, to retain the Spirit, Eccles. 8. 8: nor can we fill our selves therewith by any wis­dom, strength, or works of righteousness [Page 154] of ours: It is not received, nor can we fill our selves therewith by any works of the Law, Gal. 3. 2. Oh then let us take heed and beware that we sin not against Jesus Christ; But let us Kiss the Son, and be ruled, and ordered by him, lest he be angry, and we perish from the way, Psal. 2. 12.

III. We may also note from this Exhor­tation, in that he saith, Be ye filled with the Spirit; That God is so giving his Holy Spi­rit to them that obey him, that they might be filled therewith, Act. 5. 32. He is not like unto them that say, Be ye warmed and filled, and yet give them not needful things, Jam. 2. 16. He saith not, Be ye filled with the Spirit, and yet withholds it from them, or gives it not unto them, so as they might obey his exhortation: But, He gives liberally to all men, and upbraids not, Jam. 1. 5. He who loveth a chearful giver, is himself a chear­ful and liberal giver, and dispenser of his Holy Spirit to them that believe in him, Joh. 7. 37-39. He will pour out his Spi­rit unto such as hearken to him, and receive his Gospel, and make known his words unto them, as he hath promised both to the Jews and Gentiles, Prov. 1. 20-23. Act. 2. 38, 39: his readiness to dispence his Spirit, is manifested and evidenced to us, in that he hath at so dear a rate prepared it for us, and caused it to rest upon his Son; to that [Page 155] end that it might be made communicable, and be poured forth unto us, he hath killed his killing. He hath not spared his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, and raised him again, and put his Spirit upon him, and poureth forth thereof to men preventingly, that they might come unto Christ; and dispenseth it plentifully, and gives it to them richly with Christ, who receive him, that they might be filled therewith, Rom. 8. 32. Indeed, they have not this Holy Spirit in themselves, as of themselves; nor can fill themselves therewith: But this needs be no discou­ragement to us; for it is in his hand who is graciously affected toward us: and is a bountiful giver to us according to our capa­cities, to the end we might be filled there­with: nor is it good or safe for us to con­clude, that he gives it not, because we have it not; for he gave it unto his people in former times, his good Spirit to instrust them, and withheld not Manna from their mouths: nevertheless they were disobedient, and re­belled against him, Neh. 9. 20-26. Isa. 63. 10.

IV. And lastly; In this Exhortation we may also learn, that there is somewhat re­quired of the Believers, that they may be filled with this Holy Spirit; Therefore he saith, Be ye filled with the Spirit. Indeed they cannot fill themselves with it by any wisdom or strength of theirs, as we have seen before; [Page 156] But yet this Commandment is given unto them by the Lord Jesus, and they are ex­horted to be filled with it. So in many things in which there are passives, there is yet somewhat required of them in the light and strength of Gods grace: They cannot save themselves; yet it is required of men to look unto Christ and be saved, Isa. 45. 22. They cannot reconcile themselves to God; and yet it is said, We pray you in Christs stead, be ye reconciled unto God, 2 Cor. 5. 18, 20. Men cannot regenerate themselves, but of Gods own will he begets with the word of truth: and yet our Saviour saith, Ye must be born again, Jam. 1. 18. with Joh. 3. 7. So we may say here, they cannot fill themselves: but yet it is required of them, Be ye filled with the spirit: and so to this end and purpose, that they may be filled with it, it is needfull for them,

1. To hear wisdom, and watch daily at her Gates, and wait at the posts of her doors: To hearken diligently unto Christ, as he is speaking unto us by his Gospel; and to fre­quent the assemblies of his people; for where two or three of them are gathered together in his name, he hath promised he will be in the midst of them, Prov. 8. 32-35. Mat. 18, 20. Drunkards love their own company, such as they call Good-fellows, and by frequenting their companies, they are the more provoked [Page 157] to drink, and drink largely: and the way for us to be filled with the Spirit is, not to forsake the assembling of our selves together, but to gather together, and be together, as oft as we may; For there hath God com­manded the blessing, even life for evermore, Psal. 133. 3. And to that end it is needful for us to redeem the time from other business and employment, that we may wait upon the Lord without distraction, Ephes. 5. 16. If two lie together, then they have heat (warmth and Spirit) But how can one be warm alone? Eccl. 4. 11. Thus it is said, When the disciples of Christ were all with one accord in one place, suddenly there came a sound from Heaven, as of a mighty rushing wind—And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, &c. Act. 1. 13, 14. and 2. 1-3, 42-47. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord, shall flourish in the Courts of our God—They shall be fat and green; To shew, that the Lord is upright, &c. Psal. 92. 13-15. A day in his Courts is bet­ter than a thousand elsewhere—For the Lord God is a Sun and shield; He will give grace and glory, and no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly, Psal. 84. 4, 5-10. 11.

2. Needful also it is, to the end we may still, and further be filled with the Spirit, that we part with, and let go the things reproved by the Gospel, and which he is disco­vering [Page 158] to be sinful and poluting to us; as here he saith, All things that are reproved, are made manifest, by the light; for whatsoever doth make manifest, is light; Wherefore be saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead (both persons and things) and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, &c. Eph. 5. 13-18. As signifying to us, that this is the way to be enlightned by, and filled with the Spirit; To abstain from those things and persons which are evil and hurtful to us, and manifested so to be, by the light of Gods Testimony: And in this verse we are speaking to, he first gives this Admonition, Be not drunk with Wine, wherein is excess; before he saith, Be ye filled with the Spirit: to give us to under­stand, that we cannot be filled with both: but we must abstain from the former, that we may be filled with the latter: For whore­dom, and wine, and new-wine, take away the heart from the mindfulness of the things of the spirit; and from the receiving and drinking them in, Hos. 4. 11. And provoke God to withhold, and withdraw his good Spirit from them; so as such are inclined unto, and polluted with this Iniquity; They are all blind, they are all ignorant, they are such as cannot understand, Isa. 56. 10-12. Yea indeed, needful it is to deny and mortify our members upon the Earth generally, and [Page 159] to abstain from all fleshly lusts, for they war against the good and prosperity of the Soul, 1 Pet. 2. 11. Hence the Apostle exhorts these believers, To put off concerning the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt ac­cording to the deceitful lusts: To put away ly­ing—To be angry and not sin; not to steal; To let no corrupt, rotten communication pro­ceed out of their mouth—To let all bitterness, anger, wrath, and clamour, and evil-speaking be put away from them, with all malice: or else they would grieve and sadden the Holy Spi­rit of God, and cause him to depart from them: For he is an holy Spirit, and will not dwell, or abide richly in them that willingly entertain, and retain what is reproved, filthy, and unclean, Ephes. 4. 22-31. 1 Sam. 15. 23. with chap. 16. 14. Genes. 6. 3. As is said concerning Gods people in former times, They rebelled and vexed his holy spirit, therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them, Isa. 63. 10. Needful therefore it is, that we may be filled with this holy Spirit, that we daily and continually lay apart all filthi­ness, and superfluity of naughtiness; and flee from the things which God is faulting by his Spirit in his Testimony; And then he will largely dispence unto us this blessed Spirit, that we may be filled with it; ac­cording to that, Turn you at my reproof; Be­hold I will pour out my Spirit unto you, I will [Page 160] make known my words unto you. Prov. 1. 21-23. So the Lord also saith concerning his people in former times: They shall take away all the detestable things—and all the abominations thereof—And I will put a new Spitit within you—But as for them whose heart walketh af­ter the heart of their detestable things, and their abominations (he will not put a new Spirit within them, but saith he) I will re­compence their way upon their own head, saith the Lord God. And again, I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness, and from all your Idols I will cleanse you—And a new Spirit I will put within you. And I will put my Spirit within you, &c. Ezek. 11. 18-21. and 36. 25-27. Oh then! to the end we may be filled with this holy and blessed Spirit, and drink in, and drink abun­dantly of this Wine, let us forsake the fool­ish, both persons and things; And let us have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of dark­ness, but rather reprove them, Eph. 5. 11-18. Come we out from amongst men, and be we seperate, and let us touch no unclean thing: And this is the way for us to be filled with the Spirit, Gen. 6. 3-6. 1 Thes. 4. 1-8.

3. Needful also it is, that we may be filled with the Spirit, that we be emptied of our selves, and of our conceits of our knowledg, fulness, and sufficiency: The full Soul loatheth the Honey-comb: But unto the hungry soul [Page 161] every bitter thing is sweet, Prov. 27. 7. He filleth the empty and hungry with good things; but the rich he sends empty away, Luk. 1. 5 3. Wo unto you that are full, saith our Saviour, for ye shall hunger, Luk. 6. 24, 25. When men once begin to think, and say, they are rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; when they conceit they know enough already, and need not to receive help from others, and that they are already whole and clean; Alas this will hin­der men from being filled with the Spirit, and make them wax wanton against Christ, and shut the door against him, Rev 3. 17-20. If they think unsoberly of themselves, and of their knowledg, parts, attainments, cleanness, and uprightness, How should they as new­born babes desire earnestly the sincere milk of the word, that they may be filled therewith, and grow thereby. Wo to them that are rich and full, in, and of themselves: But, Blessed are they that are empty, and who hun­ger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled, Matth. 5. 6. While men retain a lie in their right hand, and fill their bellies with the wind, how shall they receive, and be filled with the truth, the Spirit of truth? we must be emptied of the former, that the latter may dwell plentifully in us, Isa. 44. 20. Men cannot press forward toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in [Page 162] Christ, unless they be like-minded with the Apostle, namely to count and reckon that they have not yet attained, neither are already perfect; that they have not yet apprehend­ed, Phil. 3. 12-15. Seest thou a man wise in his own eyes? there is more hope of a fool than of him, Prov. 26. 12. with chap. 29. 22.

4. Needful also it is, that we come con­tinually unto Jesus Christ, and believe in him, that of his fulness we may receive, and be filled with this holy Spirit. If any man thirst, saith our Saviour, let him come unto me and drink: If any man be empty, and sensible of his need and want, of his emptiness and incompleatness in himself, let him come unto Christ, the house of Wine, Cant. 2. 4. In whom there is a feast prepared for all na­tions, of fat things, of Wines on the lees, Isa. 25. 6. And let him drink: let him take free­ly of it, Rev. 22. 17. But how should such an one come unto him and drink? Our Sa­viour acquaints us how this may be done: He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water, saith our Saviour: But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: Such an one shall so receive the Spirit, as that his belly, and inward man, shall be abundantly filled with it: even as with new Wine, Joh. 7. 37-39. And in­deed [Page 163] this coming unto him is, a believing on him, as the Scripture hath said; and so ac­cording to his word cleaving to, and depend­ing on him: And in his Word, and Gospel, there is Christ and his Spirit: So that the way to come to Christ, and be filled with his Spirit, is, to receive, and let the word of Christ dwell richly in us, as hath before been said, Ephes. 5. 18. with Col. 3. 16. Avoid we then, and go from the presence of all strangers that consent not to wholsom words, the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Doctrine according to godliness: Reject all false Doctrines, and listen not to them, for this Spirit is not in them, but another, even the Spirit of the Devil, and Errour, 1 Joh. 4. 1-6. But receive and keep his word in the midst of your hearts, as the wis­dom of God saith, Let thine heart retain my words, keep my Commandments, and live, Prov. 4. 4, 5. For his words are Spirit and Life, Joh. 6. 63. And having, and keep­ing his Commandments, his word, God and Christ will by his Spirit come unto us, and make their abode with us, Joh. 14. 21-23. Come we then unto Christ, the fountain of Spirit, continually in his Testimony, and so he will pour out his Spirit unto us, and fill us therewith.

5. In an exercise of faith, pray we, and pour out our hearts unto the Father in the [Page 164] name of Christ, for his Holy Spirit, and for a plentiful effusion thereof: Howl we not firstly for Corn and Wine for the outward man, as we are too apt to do: But if any of us lack wisdom, this Spirit of wisdom (as who doth not?) let him ask of God, who giveth liberally to all men—and it shall be gi­ven him: But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering, Jam. 1. 5, 6. I say unto you, saith our Saviour, ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you: For every one that asketh, receiveth; And he that seeketh, findeth; And to him that knocketh, it shall be opened—If ye being evil, know how to give good gifts to your Children; How much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? Luk. 11. 7-13. If thou knewest the gift of God, saith our Saviour to the Wo­man of Samaria, and who it is that saith un­to thee, Give me to drink: Thou wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water, even this good and Holy Spi­rit, Joh. 4. 10. with chap. 7. 37-39. Ask then, in Christs name, and ye shall receive, that your joy (in the enjoyment of this Holy Spirit) may be full, Joh. 16. 24. with Rom. 14. 17. 1 Thes. 1. 6. For this the Apostle made mention of these Believers in his prayers, That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, would give them the Spirit [Page 165] of wisdom and Revelation in the knowledge, and for the acknowledgment of him: The eyes of their understanding being enlightned, that they may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his in­heritance in the Saints, &c. Eph. 1. 16-19. And good encouragement have we to pray, that we may be filled with this blessed Spirit; because our Lord Jesus, the last Adam, who by the Grace of God tasted death for every man, and is raised again for their justifica­tion, is made a quickening Spirit, 1 Cor. 15. 45. And hath the Spirit given immeasurably to him, Joh. 3. 34, 35. And also prays the Father to give the Holy Spirit to them that ask it in his name: while they pray on earth, he prayes in Heaven for them. And hath also promised, that abiding in him, and his words abiding in them, they may ask what they will, and it shall be done unto them; He will do it for them, Joh. 14. 13-16, 17. and chap. 15. 7. Oh then! Restrain we not our prayers: but as he hath encouraged, and given us liberty, let him see our coun­tenance, and hear our voice: And let us come boldly to the throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in the time of need, Cant. 2. 14. Heb. 4. 14-16.

6. And lastly, That we may be more and more abundantly filled with the Spirit, walk we in and after it: mind we the things of [Page 166] the Spirit, the things of Christ, which the Spirit takes, and shews unto us: And be we led by the Spirit, and yield up to his ope­rations; so shall we not fulful the lusts of the flesh, Gal. 5. 16. But be helped con­tinually to mortify them, and put them to death, Rom. 8. 13. Col. 3. 5. And whatever this Holy Spirit is working in us to will and do, let us do all things without murmuring and disputing: It will produce nothing hurt­ful in us; For the fruit of the Spirit is in all, goodness, and righteousness, and truth, Eph. 5. 8, 9. Oh! Quench not this Spirit, but let it inflame your hearts with love to Christ, and God in him; and to Men and Bre­thren, according to his Instructions and ope­rations, and fill you with joy and peace in believing: And effect in you Long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, tempe­rance, Gal. 5. 16-22. And smother not this blessed Spirit; but work out that Salvation he is working in you, with fear and trembling; make confession, and hold forth the profession of the faith unto salvation, without waver­ing: And fear not the reproach of men, nor be afraid of their fear: Follow the lead­ing of this Spirit without doubting, where­ever, or unto whatsoever it leads you, Act. 11. 12. Rom. 8. 14. Have in usefulness what God hath given to you: For to him that hath, shall be given, and he shall have [Page 167] more abundantly: But from him that hath not, shall be taken away even that which he hath, Matth. 13. 12. And sow to this blessed Spirit, in labours of love, according to your capacity and ability: make not your bellies your gods: For he that soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption, everlasting corruption: But he that soweth to the spirit, shall of the spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good to all men, especially to the houshold of faith, Gal. 6. 6-10. If thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; Then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness shall be as the noon-day: And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy Soul in droughts, and make fat thy bones: And thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters fail not, Isa. 58. 7-11.

Consider what is said, and the Lord give us understanding in all things. And the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God, and the Communion of the Holy Ghost, be with us all, Amen.