can bestow upon his children; the gift of his Holy Spirit, which is indeed the chief of all other, the fum and comprehenfion of all fpiritual bleffings; for it contains in it the prefence and refidence, the continual influence and affiftance of God's Holy Spirit upon the minds of men, together with all the bleffed fruits and effects of it, in the fanctifying and renewing of our hearts in all thofe particular graces and virtues, which are in fcripture called the fruits of the Spirit; in righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghoft, in fealing us up to the day of redemption, and in being a pledge of our future inheritance, and of a blessed refurrection to eternal life. All these are mentioned in fcripture, as the fruits and effects of God's Holy Spirit, and therefore it will come within the compafs of this promife concerning the gifts of God's Spirit; How much more shall your beavenly Father, &c.

And, which I defire may be especially confidered, because it will conduce very much to the clearing of fome difficulties in my following difcourfe: By the gift of God's Holy Spirit, is not only meant the common and tranfient operations of God's Spirit upon the minds of men, exciting and difpofing them to that which is good; (for thus the Spirit was given to men in all ages from the beginning of the world) but the fpecial prefence and refidence, the permanent and continued influence and conduct of God's Holy Spirit, as a conftant and powerful principle of fpiritual life and activity in good men, in which fenfe the fcripture tells us, that the Holy Ghost refides and dwells in believers, that they live in the Spirit, and walk in the Spirit, and are led by the Spirit for this phrafe of the giving of the Holy Ghoft, or of God's Spirit, does always (I think) in the New Teftament fignify either the miraculous and extraordinary gifts conferred upon the Apostles and primitive Chriftians, in order to the effectual planting and propagating of the gofpel; and fo it is ufed Acts v. 32. where St. Peter fays, that the Holy Ghost, whom God had given to them that obey him, was a witness of the resurrection and afcenf

:

on

on of our Saviour, that is, gave teftimony and confirmation thereto or elfe for the fpecial refidence, and continual influence and affiftance of God's Holy Spirit in and upon the minds of good men. And fo we find this phrafe frequently used, Rom. v. 5. The love of God is fhed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghoft, which is given unto us; meaning for the ftrengthening and affiftance of believers to all patience and long-fuffering under the perfecutions which attended them; for fo the Apostle reasons, We glory in tribulation, knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us, that is, for our support and affiftance under fufferings. So likewife, Theff. iv. 8. where defiling of our bodies by luft, is called a defpifing of God, who hath given unto us his Holy Spirit, that is, to dwell in us : for which reason the fame Apoftle calls our bodies. the temples of the Holy Ghost, and of God, 1 Cor. iii. 16. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? And chap. xvi. 19. Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghoft, which is in you?

And John iii. 24. God is faid to give us his Spirit to enable us to keep his commandments, He that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him: And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. And chap. iv. 13. Hereby we know that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. So that the gift of God's Spirit doth imply his continual refidence in good men; and his powerful affiftance of them to all the purposes of holinefs and obedience; and not only a tranfient operation upon the minds of men, by fome good motions and fuggeftions, which is common to bad men, and thofe who are in a finful and unregenerate state.

Secondly, We fhall in the next place confider, what kind of asking, in order to the obtaining of

this great bleffing, is here required by our Saviour, when he fays, God will give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him. It must have thefe three qualificati

ons:

1. It must be hearty and fincere, in oppofition to formal and hypocritical asking.

2. It must be earnest, and fervent, and importunate, in oppofition to cold, and faint, and careless asking.

3. It must be in faith, and a confident affurance that God will hear us, in oppofition to doubting and distrust.

1. It must be hearty and fincere, in oppofition to formal and hypocritical asking. When we pray for God's grace and Holy Spirit, we must not be as the hypocrites are, who pray not fo much to be heard of God, as to be feen of men; who have no fense of their wants, no hearty defires to obtain those bleffings which they beg of God, but only pray out of form and custom, or for oftentation of their piety and devotion. It is not every prayer that is put up to God out of form and custom, that will prevail with God for the affiftance of his grace and Holy Spirit; but it must be ferious and in good earneft, it muft proceed from a true and real fenfe of our need of God's Holy Spirit, fuch a fenfe as children have of their want of bread, when they are pinched with hunger.

2. This asking must be earnest, and fervent, and importunate, in oppofition to cold, and faint, and indifferent asking; becaufe this declares the fincerity of our defires. Those things which we are careless and indifferent about, and do not much matter whether we have them or not, we ask them coldly, and but feldom; if they be not granted at the firft asking, we give them over, and look no farther after them but thofe things which we heartily defire, and are truly fenfible of our want of them, we will use more earnestnefs and importunity for the obtaining of them; and if we cannot obtain them at firft, we will. renew our requests, be inftant and urgent for them,

and

and, if there be any hopes, never give over till we have prevailed.

And that in this manner we ought to beg of God his Holy Spirit, our Saviour declares in thofe metaphors which he ufeth of asking, and feeking, and knocking, which fignify earneftnefs, and diligence, and importunity, ver. 9, 10. I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you: feek, and ye shall find: knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh, receiveth: and he that feeketh findeth and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. And we have this more plainly declared in the parable before the text, ver. 5, 6, 7, 8. And he faid unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and fhall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves: For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to fet before him? And he from within hall answer and fay, Trouble me not, the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rife and give thee. I fay unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend: yet because of his importunity, he will rife and give him as many as he needeth. If mere impudence and importunity in asking, will prevail fo much with men, what will not humble and conftant fupplication obtain from God? And fo our Saviour applies this familiar parable, that in like manner we fhould be importunate with God for fpiritual bleifings, and as it were give him no reft, till we obtain what we ask, I fay unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you, &c. Not that mere importunity prevails with God: but as it is an expreffion of a juft fenfe of our wants, and of a confident perfuafion of God's goodness, fo it is effectual to procure the greatest bleffings at God's hands,

3. We must ask in faith, and a confident afsurance that God will hear us, in oppofition to doubting and distrust; with the fame, nay, with greater confidence and affurance than children come to their earthly parents, to ask thofe things of them that are most neceffary for them. And this condition or qua

lifica

lification of our prayers our Saviour doth elsewhere frequently require, Matth. xxi. 22. All things whatfoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. And St. James, chap. i. 5, 6. directing thofe who want fpiritual wifdom, to ask it of God, immediately fubjoins, But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering; that is, not doubting but that God, to whom he addreffeth his prayer, is both able and willing to give him what he asks: and whoever comes to God, not having this apprehenfion of him, Let him not think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord, ver. 7. For upon what ground does he expect any thing from that perfon, whom he looks upon either as unable, or unwilling to grant his defires? I pro

ceed in the

Third Place, to confirm and illuftrate the truth of this propofition, that God is very ready to give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him. And for the proof of this, I fhall only ufe two arguments; from God's free promife and declaration; and from the comparison which our Saviour here ufeth in the

text.

1. From God's free promife and declaration. And befides that here in the text, I might produce feveral others, but I fhall mention only one, which is very plain and exprefs, and conceived in terms as large and univerfal, as can well be devifed, James i. 5. If any of you (fays the Apoftle, fpeaking of Chriftians) lack wisdom, let him ask it of God, that gi veth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. Where by wisdom, according to St. James's notion of it, are meant all the fruits of the Spirit, all Chriftian graces; for fo he tells us, chap. iii. 17. that the wisdom which is from above, that is, which is wrought by the divine Spirit, is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and eafy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits. Now if God have freely promifed fo great a bleffing and benefit to men, if they earneftly beg it of him, we need not doubt of his faithfulness to perform and make good what he hath promised.

2. The other argument which I fhall principally