4. The Spirit leadeth us to a heavenly life, as the flesh did to things
286 SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN III. [SuR. XXXII.
grateful to present sense ; he discovereth those things to us : Eph. i. 17, 18, ' That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the know- ledge of him ; the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.' The reality of future glory and blessedness, he prepare th and fitteth us for it : 2 Cor. v. 5, ' Now he that hath wrought us to this self-same thing is God, who hath given us the earnest of the Spirit ; ' Kom. ix. 27, ' Prepared unto glory.' The heavenly mind, the purified heart ; he assureth us of it : 2 Cor. i. 22, ' Who hath sealed us, and given us the earnest of the Spirit.' Comforteth us with it, and raiseth our longing after it : Kom. viii. 23, ' And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our bodies.' Quickening us to dili- gence and seriousness in the pursuit of it : Phil. iii. 20, ' But our con- versation is in heaven, from whence we look for a Saviour.' Much of the Spirit's operation is about fitting us for heaven.
SERMONS UPON ACTS 11. 37, 38.
SEKMON I
Now lohen they heard this, they loere pricked in their hearts, and said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, ivhat shall toe do f — Acts ii. 37.
This scripture telleth us what was the fruit and effect of the first sermon that was preached after the pouring out of the Spirit. Peter })reached that sermon, and brought in thousands of souls to Christ : Acts ii. 41, ' Then they that ghadly received the word were baptized ; and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.' Never did Peter show himself such a fisher of men as now. Three thousand souls were gained at that one draught, or one casting of the net of the gospel ; and those not very pliable ductile men neither, and easy to be caught, but sturdy sinners, such as had imbrued their liands in the blood of their Saviour, and were now in a mocking, scoff- ing humour. But thus it is to venture in the confidence of the power of Christ's Spirit. It was a mighty thing that an angel should slay a hundred and eighty-five thousand in one night in Sennacherib's host; but it is easier to kill so many men than to convert and save one soul. One angel, by his mere natural strength, could kill so many armed men, but all the angels in heaven, if they should join all their forces together, could not convert one soul to God. Here was more done. Well, then, this being the first instance of the power of the word ac- companied with the Spirit, we ought to regard it the more. When we hear of some physic that hath notably wrought on others, and cured them of their diseases, every sick man would try that physic, or inquire after it. Here we see how the word worketh for the cure of sick souls ; therefore let us consider a little the way of its operation. There is some account of that in the text, how it began to work, ' Now when they heard this, they were pricked at their hearts,' &c. In which words observe three things —
1. The means and instrumental cause by which their trouble and perplexity was wrought, ' When they heard this.'
2. The commotion or affection wrought in them, compuncti sunt corde, ' They were pricked at the heart.'
3. Tlie course they took for ease and relief, or the carriage of those converts after this piercing and brokenness of heart, ' And they said
238 SERMONS UPON ACTS 11. 37, 38. [SeR. I,
unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, w]mt shall we do ? '
First, The means, ' When they heard this.' There are these things that offer themselves to our consideration — (1.) It was the word of God produced this effect ; (2.) The word judiciously and powerfully managed ; (3.) Closely applied ; (4.) In this close application they were charged with a grievous sin ; (5.) This grievous sin was wrong done to Christ. All these things conduced to the piercing of their hearts.
First, It was the word of Grod, wliich is of great power and force. Its piercing property discovereth its author : Heb. iv. 12, 13, ' For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two- edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart : neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of him with whom we have to do.' He speaketh not of the hypostatical and sub- stantial word ; for he had before spoken of the word heard, and to be mingled with faith in the hearing. Ao^yo'^, for Christ, is peculiar to John ; only it is observable that the same things may be applied to Christ, the great prophet of the church, and the word by which he governelh the church, as if he resolved to discover all his power and glory by this instrument. Now of this word it is said that it is ^mv Ka\ ivepjTj'i, 'quick and powerful.' It is not a dead letter, neither to them that believe, nor the wicked ; it quickeneth the one, and maketh the conscience of the other feel its force. Either it openeth the heart, or hardeneth it. And again, 'That it is sharper than any two-edged sword.' No weapon like this to wound the souls of men, ' piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow.' It can search every bone, muscle, and vein ; ' and all things are naked and open,' cut down by the chine- bone before God. So doth the word rip up the conscience of the sinner, and make him throw aside all his disguises and pretences ; so that he hath no reasons to allege, no excuses to make, no arguments to plead, but wholly lieth under the convictions of it : Isa. Iv. 10, 11, 'As the rain coraeth down from heaven and watereth the earth, and returneth not again, so shall my word be.' The word is not preached in vain ; it worketh whereto it is sent, to convert or harden. When we have rain and snow in their season, we expect a fruitful year ; so God's word shall have its effect. It is very notable here in the text that the virtue of the Holy Ghost did not show itself in the gift of tongues, as it did in and by the word. When they spake with divers tongues, as the Spirit gave utterance, though it were a wonderful effect, yet the Jews were still hardened, and thought that this unusual jabbering was nothing, but that it came from the fumes of wine ; that the apostles had taken a cup too much. rather than the effect of the operation of the Holy Gliost, But ' when they heard this,' when the word came, and was urged, and applied to their consciences, then they were pricked at the heart, and relented.