man's, who, when affaulted by temptations, turns his eyes inward, and begs the affiftance of the Holy Ghoft, if he does not receive grace to help him in time of need.

This is the great happiness of a Christian, that our Body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in us, and confecrated by his prefence; he is always in his temple, unless forced by our fins to leave it: what has a Chriftian then to do, but to apply to him at all times, and on all occafions; to be careful neither to speak, nor to think, nor to do, any thing that may displease him; and, if we chance to do so, immediately to ask pardon? He is always in his temple, and ready to hear us.

Let us therefore ever and anon plead with him, as our neceffities fhall require. From thee I beg to receive this grace; it belongs to thee, my God, to fortify my foul against this temptation; give me light to fee, and grace to amend, where I have done amifs; render me every day more worthy of thy prefence, and of thy confolations.

This is the way to pray without ceafing; to fecure the prefence, the affiftance, the comforts, of this Holy Spirit, by which we were fealed unto the day of redemption.

Every business, every book we read or hear, every bleffing we receive, every turn of Providence, will furnish us with occafions of retiring to the temple of the Holy Ghoft, which is within us, either to give him thanks, or to

deprecate

deprecate his judgments, or to acknowledge his glorious attributes, his power, or his wifdom, or his justice, or his goodness.

To proceed:-The meaneft Christian has this privilege, this honour, to have the Holy Ghoft for his God, his guide, and protector; and the holy angels for his guard: and it is purely for want of faith and confideration that ever any one Chriftian despiseth another, or treats him with contempt.

Christians are not fenfible of the greatness of this fin, and that makes it fo common. It would not be fo common, if we would thus reafon with ourselves:-This poor man is dear to God, even his poverty makes him the more fo; he is a temple of the Holy Ghoft: Jesus Chrift himself affures me, That their angels ftand in the prefence of God. And St. James exprefsly faith, That God hath chofen the poor rich in faith, and heirs of his kingdom.

When we confider, that it was by the power of the Holy Ghost that the Christian religion, the only way of falvation, was established in the world; that it was he who inspired the holy writers; that it was for this reason that the Bible is called, and is indeed, THE WORD OF GOD; that it is God who speaks to us in this word, and by his minifters: when we know, and believe, and confefs this, what regard fhall we have for this word; how fhall we abhor, and avoid, those that profane it, as well as those that would hinder us from read

ing it; with what reverence and attention fhall we read or hear it; what entire credit shall we give to every thing declared or commanded in it; how carefully should we order our lives according to this word; how affured may we be, that we shall never fall into any dangerous error, while we confult this book, and those pastors whom the Holy Ghost has appointed to lead and to inftruct us; and when we fincerely beg the affiftance of that Holy Spirit!

And in the last place, fince without holiness no man can see the Lord; and that none but this Holy Spirit can fanctify and make us holy; that it is he alone, who must change our hearts, and caufe that we become as it were new creatures; this fhould oblige us to pray continually for his holy fellowship, his guidance and bleffing.

It is for this reason, that the Church concludes her daily fervice with this prayer, that the fellowship-the communication of the gifts and graces of the Holy Ghoft, may be with us

evermore.

A man must be a very great ftranger to himself, and to his own corrupt nature, who does not fee the reason of this, and the absolute neceffity of being changed into a new man, before he can be fit for heaven, or capable of eternal happinefs; that he must have a new heart, new defires, a new fpirit, and new powers, before ever he can believe, and un

derstand,

derftand, and love, and do, what God has commanded as neceffary to falvation.

Now it is this Holy Spirit, given at our baptifm, and dwelling in us, from whom we must have this grace. If we know and believe this fincerely, we fhall endeavour never to grieve, never to oppofe this Holy Spirit, but fuffer him to perfect the good work he hath begun in us, in order to make us holy, that we may be eternally happy.

And never let us fay, never let us pretend, never let us fear, that we cannot overcome the corruption of our nature. This Holy Spirit is the almighty power of God; he taketh under his care all fuch as are confecrated to him in baptifm; he is able to convince us of the abfolute neceffity of caring for our fouls; he is able to direct us how to do it effectually; he can enable us to overcome all the difficulties we can poffibly meet with, and at last make us acceptable to God, which is the greatest happiness the foul of man can defire. Only let us not oppofe him, let us not force him to forfake us and leave us to ourselves; for then we have no remedy to reclaim or to help us; fo that we fhall as furely perifh as we are finners, and as fuch utterly unfit for heaven.

The next article of our creed is, THE HOLY CATHOLICK CHURCH; that is, I believe and profess myself to be a member of that body of men, which has Jefus Christ for its head, and

་

his Word and Spirit for their guide; and which, though difperfed over the world, have one God, one faith, one hope; a flock, whose paftors are appointed by the Holy Ghost, who have the faithful promife of Jefus Chrift to be with them until his coming again.

I believe likewife that God, from the beginning, has added to this fociety daily fuch as fhould be faved, having committed the word of reconciliation, and all the means of grace and falvation, to his minifters, the pastors and governors of this fociety.

Well then, how ought the belief and profeffion of this to affect Chriftians? Why; every serious Chriftian will thus reafon with himfelf:

The Church is called holy, because the great design of this fociety is to make men-holy, that they may be happy. For that very end I was made a member of this church: most certainly, therefore, if I am not an holy member of this church on earth, I fhall be for ever excluded that in heaven, of which this is a part.

If God addeth to this church fuch as fhall be faped, then if I, for my wicked life, shall deferve to be feparated, cut off, or excommunicated, out of any particular church, which is a true member of this holy catholick church; then am I, most affuredly, deprived of the ordinary means of grace, and out of the way falvation.

VOL. II.

• Acts ii. 47.

of

If