in any place.

are Spirits, what ftrength they have: as the man in the Gofpel,who was poffeffed, it is faid, that hee could breake the ftrongest bands, which alfo wee fee commonly in thofe that are poffeffed,befides you read, how hee threw downe the house over Tobs children: Such is the strength of a Spirit, exceeding the strength of any Body.

4. It infinuates it felfe,and enters into any boIt is not held dily fubftance, without all penetration of dimenfi on; that is,it is not held out of any place,by rea fon of a Body that is in it; for it may be in any place,though it be otherwife full: as,you fee,the Soule is in the Body, you shall finde no where an emptie place, the Body is every where whole, yet the Spirit infinuates it felfe into every part, and no Body can keepe it out. In like manner, God hee is invifible, not feene by any eye; hee moves himfelfe, and all things in the World,as he lifts; and what foever he doth,it is with exceeding great ftrength; hee fills every place, both Heaven and Earth: what Bodies foever be there, yet hee may be there notwithstanding. And thus you fee in what fenfe this is to be understood, GOD is a Spirit.

1

Vse I God's eye is chiefely upon the fpirits of men: and our care therefore is,to keep our fpirits fit for

Now wee will come to apply this..

If God be a Spirit,firft then this wee may ga ther from it:

1 That his eye is chiefely upon the fpirits of men. There are many things in the World, which his hand hath made; but that which hee chiefely lookes to, is the minde and fpirit of communion map. Whereas a man confists of two parts, a

with God.

body

body and a fpirit,it is the fpirit that is like to God and in regard of the fpirituall fubftance of the foul,it is faid to be made after his Image,& therfore in Heb. 12. God is called, the Father of fpirits Heb. 1a. 9 . Not but that he is the Father of the body alfo, for he made that too; but the meaning is, he is

or, Father of fpirits, because he most peculiarly and chiefly refpects them, being most like to himfelfe, as the fon is like the father, fo they are like to him, and therefore hee most regards the fpirits of men. As you may fee when Samuel went to anoint David King, and all the fonnes of effe came before him, thofe that were much more proper than David, GOD tells him, that hee did not looke upon the perfons of men, or upon their outward appearances, hee heedes them not,what then he fees the foule and fpirit of man; the Lord looketh upon the heart, and according to that he judgeth of them, 1 Sam, 16.7.

?

I

Now, if his eye bee chiefly upon the fpirit, thou shouldest labour also to be like him, and to have regard chiefly to thy fpirit, and so thou fhalt most please him: let thy eye be upon thy foule,to keep it clean, that it may be fit for communion with him, who is a Spirit. This (I fay) fhould teach you to looke to the fashion of your foules within, because they are likeft to him,and carry his Image in them; he is a Father of them in a fpeciall manner, and this is that whereby you may have communion with him, in that which is moft proper unto him, in spirituall exercifes and performances.

A a 3

But

1 Sam. 16, 7.

Object. How that is to

be done.

But, you will fay, what is it that you would have us to doe to our fpirits,to have them fit for the Lord, that he may regard them, and that they may be like to him?

I Thou muft scoure and cleanfe them from all filthinese, 2 Cor. 7. 1. Having therefore thefe promifes, (dearely Beloved,) let us cleanfe our felves from all filthinee of the flesh, and spirit, perfecting holineße in the feare of God. There is a pollution, which the Apoftle fpeakes of, which pollution he divides into two kindes, of the flesh, and of the fpirit: both of these thou must labour to be cleanfed from, but specially that of the fpirit, if thou wouldest have it fit for the Lord to delight in; for he being a Spirit, doth most regard those actions which are done by the fpirit; and therefore that is the thing that mainly thou fhouldft looke to.

But what is that pollution of fpirit, or what is that which doth defile it?

Every thing in the world defiles the fpirit, when it is lufted after, 2 Pet. 1.4. Having efcaped the corruption that is in the world through luft: that is, the world, and all things in the world, and all the parts of it, they doe then corrupt the fpirit, defile, and foile it, when the foule of man hatha luft after them. You might meddle with all things in the world, and not bee defiled by them, if you had pure affections, but when you have an inordinate luft after any thing, then it defiles your fpirits therefore in Tits 1.15. the Apostle fpeakes of a confcience defiled. And in

Mat

Mat. 15. 19. faith our Saviour, Out of the heart Mat. 15.19. preceed evill thoughts, murthers, adulteries, fornications, thefts, falfe witneffe, blafphemies; these are the things which defile a man. Hee doth not fpeake onely of actuall adultery, or murther, but even of the finfull difpofitions of the foule; even thefe are things that defile the spirit in Gods fight,who lookes upon them as you doe upon outward filthineffe with the eyes of your body. So that every inordinate lufting of the foule, doth defile the foule.

But is not this rule too ftrait? Wee ate commanded not to murther, nor to commit adultery: this is the commandement, and why should you fay, that every difordered affection doth defile the foule, and that it is more regarded by God than the outward actions i

You must know that the tenth Commandement doth ftrike against these abominations; Thou shalt not luft: as it is tranflated, Romans 7. fo that thefe luftings of the fpirit, are thofe that defile the foule. You fee that God hath spent a whole Commandement against them: And indeed, all the actuall finnes committed by us fimply confidered in themselves, as committed by the body, are not so hated of God, as the pollution of the fpirit is. Nay, I dare bee bold to fay, that the act of adultery, and murther, is not fo abominable in Godreyes, as the filthineffe of the fpirit; this is more abominable in the fight of God, who is a Spirit, than the aft of the body; for it is the fpirit that he mainly lookes to. A a 4

Indeed

Object.

The 10. Commandement against luft,

Anfw.

Rom.7.7.

Actuall finnes committed by the body are not fo hated

of God as the pollution of

the spirit,

Jam.4.5.

3 Reafons.or confiderations

proving it.

A broken fpiris pleafeth God. Ifai. 57

Indeed the act contracts the guilt, because the luft is then growne up to an height, fo that it is come to an abfolute will and execution. Therefore, if these luftings doe preffe into the foule, wee fhould put them out againe,and reject them with fhame and griefe: for GoD is a Spirit, and beholds the continuall behaviour of thy fpirit.

Againe, the injury which you offer to others, though in it felfe it bee a great finne, yet that inward brooding of it in thy heart,plotting mifchiefe, that boiles within thee, while it hatcheth rancour and revenge, this is that which he hates though thou shouldest never commit any actuall finne this way. Iam. 4. 5. you have this phrafe ufed, The lust of the spirit to envie that is, the bent of the fpirit, and inclination of the minde, which lookes upon the gifts of others, that outthine them, fo that they luft to have that fight put out, that their candle might appeare above ic, though they act nothing, yet this is abomi nable to him. 1

And that I might not deliver this without ground, confider:

There is nothing fo pleafing to God as a broken heart, a. 57. Now the breaking of the heart is nothing elfe, but the fevering betweene the heart and fin. Aswhen you fee an Artificers worke, wherein many parts are glued toge ther; if it should fall downe, or the glue be dif folved, then they all breake to pieces; fowhen the lufts that are in our foules are thus: fevered, in to f this