M 1 XII. SERM. God the Father, the Almighty Creator and Governor of all things, how necessarily it follows upon the grace of His Only-begotten Son; and by consequence, with how great reason, as well as charity to the Corinthians, the Apostle here, next to the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ," prays they might have the love of God. And that their happiness might be complete, he adds also, "The communion of the Holy Ghost," the third Person in the most Blessed Trinity; called the "Ghost," or "Spirit," both of the Father and the Son, because He proceeds from both: and "Holy" in a peculiar manner, because all the holiness that is in the creatures proceeds from Him. And to have "communion" or "fellowship" with Him, is to partake of His holiness, and of all the glorious effects of the Grace of Christ, and the Love of God in Him: "For as He proceedeth both from the Father and the Son, both the Father Luke 11.20. and the Son act by Him;" and therefore He is called "the Finger of God." The Father acteth by Him in the government of the world, and all the parts of it; the Son in the government of the Church, and all particular members in it and whatsoever blessings we receive from the Father, through the merits and mediation of the Son, they are all conveyed to us by the Holy Ghost, which for that purpose John 14. 16. abides with us for ever. It is He, as proceeding from, and Eph. 1.17. sent by our Saviour to do it, "that enlightens our minds, John 14. 26. and teacheth us all things necessary to our everlasting peace." It is He that keepeth us from error, heresy, and John 16. 13. schism, and guides us into all truth, both in faith and manners. It is He that sanctifies, renews, and regenerates us, Isa. 11. 2; 13; John 3. 5. 6. 8; 2 Thess. 2. and so makes us new creatures, and the children of the most High God. It is He that beareth witness with our Rom. 8. 16. spirits, that we are the children of God. It is He that Rom. 8. 13; "mortifies" the deeds of the body, that "quickens” our Phil. 2. 13. souls, and "worketh in us, both to will and to do, of His John 6.63; good pleasure." It is He that endues men with spiritual gifts, suitable to the work which God requires of them: to 1 Cor. 12. 8, one He gives the "word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge, to another faith, to another the gifts of healing, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discerning of spirits, to another divers kinds of 9, 10. 23. Rom.14.17; tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues." It is He that produceth in us "love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gen- Gal. 5. 22, tleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance;" which are therefore said to be the fruit of the Spirit. And so is all manner of goodness and virtue, wheresoever it is found among men; it all springs from the good Spirit of God, Eph. 3. 16. as from its root, and from thence also receives all its nourishment, increase and strength. It is He also that is our only John 16. 7; Comforter, who supports and cheers our spirits, by mani- Acts 9.31; festing God's love and favour to us, lifting up the light of &c. His countenance upon us, keeping our hearts fixed upon our promised inheritance, filling us with firm hopes and constant expectations of it, and so giving us peace, and joy, and satisfaction of mind in whatsoever happens here below. In short, whatsoever direction, assistance or power we have, or can have, of thinking, or desiring, or speaking, or doing any thing that is truly good, it is communicated to us by the Spirit of God our Saviour, and therefore is all comprehended under this one great blessing which the Apostle here wisheth for in the last place, even "the communion of the Holy Ghost." The several parts of the text being thus explained, we may easily observe the meaning of the whole to be this; that the Apostle here prays that the Corinthians might have, first, the grace of God the Son; that is, all the mercy which He, as the Redeemer of Mankind, had purchased for them with His blood. Secondly, that they might have the love of God the Father; that is, all the favours which He, as the supreme Governor of the world, could shew them. And, thirdly, that they might have the Communion of the Holy Ghost; that is, all the gifts, graces, and comforts which He could communicate unto them, both from the Father and the Son: or, in short, that they might have all things, that God the Son, or God the Father, or God the Holy Ghost, could do for them, according to their several ways of working in the world; that is, all things that could any way contribute to make them completely happy. All which David also, or the Church by him, prays for in the same method and order, saying, "God Ps. 67. 1. be mer- [Bib. vers.] SERM. ciful unto us, and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us." XII. Isa. 6. 3. Now from hence we may learn, how necessary it is to believe in the most Blessed Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, Three Persons, One God; seeing they all are pleased to concern themselves so much about us, and our happiness depends upon them all. Hence we may learn to confide and trust on all and every one of these Divine Persons, for all things relating to our happiness and Salvation. Hence we may learn what infinite cause we have to praise and adore God for His infinite goodness to us poor mortals upon earth, and to sing with the choir of Heaven, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory." Hence we may learn how much we are obliged to serve, and love, and please God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, who is thus infinitely gracious, and loving, and bountiful unto us. Hence we may learn what great reason our Church hath to appoint, that at the end of every Psalm, as well as upon other occasions, we should say or sing, "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost." Hence, lastly, we may learn, wherefore our Church concludes her daily prayers, as the Apostle doth this Epistle, with the words of my text, even because they contain in short all that we can pray for, and are in effect the same, the form which God Himself prescribed, wherewith the Priests should bless the people. "On this wise," saith He, Numb. 6. "ye shall bless the children of Israel; the Lord bless thee and keep thee: the Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace." Where Jehovah, the Lord, is thrice repeated, and in the original hath in each place a several accent, to denote, as the Jews themselves acknowledge, some great mystery; which can be no other but the most Blessed Trinity, all the three Persons whereof are here called, every one, the Lord, Jehovah. The Father is placed first; but the blessings bestowed severally by each Person, are the same which are ascribed to them in my text. when the Priest pronounced this blessing to the people (as 24, 25, 26. And we still do in the visitation of the sick), God promised that He Himself would accordingly bless them. And if you faithfully and devoutly receive it as ye ought, I do not question but He will do so now, upon my pronouncing in His Name the same Blessing, according to this Apostolical form in my text; "The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God, and the Communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all." all." Amen. SERMON XIII. THE BEING AND ATTRIBUTES OF GOD. SERM. XIII. EXODUS iii. 14. And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM. And : SEEING all the happiness that man is capable of, consisteth in the enjoyment of that supreme and all-glorious Being, which we call GOD; and seeing we can never enjoy Him, unless we first serve Him, nor serve Him, unless we first know Him: hence it necessarily follows, that as ever we desire to be truly happy, our first and great care must be to know God, not only so as to acknowledge Him to be, but so as to have a due sense, and right and clear apprehensions of Him, and of those infinite perfections that are concentered in Him for it is only such a knowledge of God as this, that will incline our affections to Him, and put us upon constant and sincere endeavours so to serve Him here, that we may enjoy Him for ever. But this we can never attain to, without consulting those Divine Oracles, wherein this Almighty Being hath been pleased to make known Himself, and to discover His perfections to us. Out of which, therefore, I shall endeavour at this time to shew what kind of thoughts and conceptions we ought to frame in our minds concerning the most High God, and what influence they will have upon our lives and actions. But who is sufficient for these things? At least, who am I, a silly worm, that I should take upon me to speak of Him, by whom alone I speak? and being myself but a finite |