"Our dear Lord and Master, why wilt thou leave us, "thy poor difciples, among fo many evils and enemies in "the world, which our weaknefs muft of neceffity fink un"der? We well remember how fearful and foolish we have "been whilft thou waft yet with us; but how much more ❝timorous and trembling fhall we be when thou art gone "from us? When thou waft apprehended by the armed "power of the magiftrates, thou knowest how we all for"fook thee and fled: And I, faid Peter, denied thee and "forfwore thee, at the voice of a fimple maid: And there"fore if thou now quite leave us, what Witneffes are we "like to be unto thee, and what Preachers of thy Name, σε the obftinate Jews, among the angry and enrag"ed rulers and people; who will be ready, for thy name's "fake, every day to deliver us up to a new death? And "how fhall we be able to stand amidst so many difficulties, "troubles, diftreffes, oppofitions and perfecutions, when "thou haft left us? Surely, we are fuch weak and infirm creatures that we fhall never be able to hold out, but fhall lie down both in fhame and forrow."

among

To this Chrift answers in these words; You shall receive the power of the holy Ghoft coming upon you. As if he should have faid, "You have a hard task indeed, but you fhall be furnished with proportionable power. The business you are to undertake is not human, but divine; the things that you are to teach are not carnal, but fpiri"tual; the work that you are to fet upon, is not man's "work, but God's. You are to act among men for God; "you are to act in the world against the world; you are "to act against the devil, in the very midst of the devil's kingdom. You are to convert Infidels, to make of Hea, "thens, Chriftians; to bring them near unto God, who are now without God in the world; to carry the light of ❝s heaven up and down this dark world, among the people "that fit in darkness and the fhadow of death, to fhew them "the way to life and falvation. You are to turn the

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"world upfide-down; to change the manners and customs "of the people; to bring them off from the idolatry of "their forefathers, to worship the true God in spirit and in "truth. You are to reduce the earth into conformity with heaven, and fet up God's kingdom here in this present "world. And all this you shall not do in eafe and quiet"nefs, in profperity and pleasure; but whilft you are thus employed and bufied, you fhall have the whole world "rife up against you, and the devil perfecuting you with "his utmost power, through wicked men; and you fhall "not only be bated of all men for my name's fake; but you fhall be even overwhelmed with reproaches, obloquies, "flanders, oppofitions, perfecutions, prifons, torments, "deaths. And therefore that you may be able both ta "do and to fuffer all these things, You fhall receive the power "of the holy Ghoft coming upon you."

Now from these words we fhall note fomething generally, and fomething more particularly.

In general three things. The first is this:

I. That as Chrift will not fuffer his difciples to be tempted above their power, fo neither to be employed above their power; but he furnishes them with power fufficient both for their temptations, and for their employments; for their fufferings, and for their doings. And as foldiers, that are under a wife and careful commander, when they are near an engagement, are not fuffered to run rafhly upon the enemy; nor permitted to go forth to battle, till they are armed and mounted: fo Chrift would not fuffer his disciples to go forth in his warfare, to encounter fo many evils, and oppofitions, and perfecutions, and the whole power of the world and of the devil, till first he had armed them with the power of the holy Spirit; re fhall receive power when the holy Ghoft is come upon you, &c.

Christ always gives unto all those whom he fends forth and employs, of his own power, for his own works; `heavenly power for heavenly works, fpiritual power for spi

ritual works; the power of God, to do the works of God. Indeed Chrift gives unto fome a greater measure of power, and to fome a leffer; according as he intends to use some in greater works and difficulties, and fome in leffer: but ftill they have of Chrift's power, whether more or lefs, who are employed by Chrift. And a little of that power that is communicated by Chrift, will enable a man to do great things; far greater than the world fufpects or imagines.

So that we may judge of our calling to any bufiness, and of our employment in it, by the power we have received from Chrift for it. If we have none of the power of Christ, we were never fet on work by Chrift; for Christ never fets any on his work, without communicating unto them of his power. And hereby we may certainly know and conclude, that those in the Ministry that are loose and vicious, idle and negligent, and infufficient for that work, were never called to it, nor employed in it by Chrift; but they ran of their own heads, when they were not fent, and minifter in the church for the gain of money, and preach only that they might live. Whereas if Christ had employed them in that calling, he would have furnished, them with abilities for it: and they being deftitute of fuch abilities, it is most evident they were not fent by Christ.

Judge then what a kind of Reformation this church were like to have, if some men were to have their minds; who would have ignorant and infufficient men, yea loose and profane men, tolerated in the miniftry, under pretence of keeping up ordinances; when yet fuch men were never employed by Chrift, nor supplied with any power from him, Yea, and what ordinances, I pray, are they like to be, which are kept up by men that are carnal, not having the Spirit? But you fee here, that Chrift's way and wif dom was different from this; for he first gave the apoftles

the

the power of the Spirit, and then sent them to preach, when he had firft enabled them to preach (ƒ).

II. You see here, that Chrift being to leave his difciples, in regard of his bodily presence, yet leaves behind him the promise of the Spirit of power; and this was fome establishment to them: yea, this gave great joy and comfort to them, who before had their hearts filled with forrow.

Christ, though sometimes he leaves his people, in regard of sense, yet he never leaves them without a promise. The soul sometimes, in the hours of temptation and desertion, may want the fenfe and feeling of Chrift, but it never wants a promise from Chrift; and the promise makes Christ present in his absence: for Christ himself is fpiritually present in the promise; and not Chrift only, but the holy Spirit alfo; for Chrift and the Spirit are never afunder; but as the Father and the Son are one, fo is Christ and the Spirit one, and all are in the promise. And fo the promise is able to uphold the foul in any condition; not because of its own nature, but because God, and Christ, and the Spirit, are present in the promise; and they are infinitely able to support the foul, through the promife, under the greatest evils either of earth or hell. Now this enjoyment of God in the promise, is the enjoyment of faith, and not of fense; and this enjoyment of faith is the most excellent and intimate enjoyment of Christ. And thus may the foul enjoy Chrift's prefence in his absence; his presence according to faith, in his absence according to sense. And therefore Christ departing from his difciples, in regard of his bodily prefence, leaves with them the promise of the holy Spirit, and in that promise his fpiritual prefence. And this is the worst condition that Christ ever leaves his true church in; he leaves them his prefence

Melius eft, nullum habere, quam facrilegum, impium & fceleratum miniftrum, qui non venit nifi ut mactet & perdat, ficut fur & latro. Luth. de Inftit. Miniftr. Eccl

presence in a promise, when in regard of fense, he forfakes them.

III. Note, that Luke being to speak in this book of the Acts of the apostles of the propagating and enlarging, and governing the chriftian Church, doth firft make mention of the pouring forth of the Spirit, and that both upon the apostles, and afterwards upon the difciples. Signifying hereby, that there is nothing so neceffary for the increase and well ordering of the true church of Chrift, as the pouring forth of the Spirit. And therefore they are altogether deceived, and walk in the light of nature, and not of God, who think the increafe, and propagation, and preservation, and establishment, and order, and ordering of the church of God, depend especially upon the Councils and Decrees, and Conftitutions of men: and that without these the church of God would foon come to woful diforder, yea to utter ruin and confufion. As if Chrift and his Spirit fat idle in heaven, and had left the whole bufinefs of his church to men; and the facred power confirmed with the fecular, were abundantly fufficient for the increase and well-ordering of the church. In the mean time, not regarding the promise of the Father, nor the pouring out of the Spirit by the Son. And this is the very mystery of the mystery of iniquity among us, and the very head of antichrift, which is yet to be broken. And therefore let us know, that, as the Pfalmift faith, Except the Lord build the boufe, they labour in vain that build it; and except the Lord keep the city, the watchman watcheth but in vain: so alfo except the Lord, through his Word, pour forth the promise of the Spirit, and by that Spirit of his, in and through the Word, enlarge and govern the church, they labour in vain that undertake these things of themselves. For it is the Spirit alone that, through the faithful miniftry of the word, makes the increase of the church, and lays hold on all the elect, and brings them, through faith, into the unity