Which words alfo may be an Answer to another Queftion which the Disciples did, or might make, after this manner.

Our dear Lord and Mafter, why wilt thou leave Quest. as, thy poor Difciples, among fo many Evils and Enemies in the World, which our weakness must of neceffity fink under? 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 knoweft how we all forfook thee and fled; and I, faid Peter, denied thee, and forfwore thee, at the voice of a fimple Maid. And therefore if thou now quite leave us, what Witneffes are we like to be unto thee, and what Preachers of thy Name, among the obftinate Jews, among the angry and inraged Rulers, and People, who will be ready, for thy Names fake, every day to deliver us up to a new death? And how fhall we be able to ftand amidst so many difficulties, troubles, diftreflès, 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 shame and Sorrow.

To this Chrift answers in these words, Accipi- Anfw. etis virtutem, 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 Humane, but Divine; the things that you are to teach, are not carnal, but fpiritual; the work that you are to fet upon, is not mans work, but Gods: 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 Devils Kingdom. You are to

Convert

1. Gene

Convert Infidels, to make of Heathen's Chriftians; to bring them near unto God, who are now without God in the world; to carry the light of Heaven up and down this dark world, among the People that fit in darkness, and fhadow of death, to fhew them the way to life and falvation; you are to turn the world upfide down; to change the maners and cuftoms of the People, to bring them off from the Idolatry of their Forefathers, to worship the true God in fpirit and truth; you are to reduce the earth into conformity with heaven, and fet up Gods Kingdom, here in this prefent world. And all this you fhall not do, in cafe and quietness, and profperity, and pleasure; but whilst you are thus imployed and bufied, you fhall have the whole world rife up against you, and the Devil profecuting you with his utmost power through wicked Men, and you fhall not only be hated of all Men, for my names fake, but you fhall be even overwhelmed with reproaches, obloquies, flanders, oppofitions, perfecutions, prifons, torments, deaths. And therefore that you may be able both to do and to fuffer all these things, You fhall receive the power of the Holy Ghoft coming upon you.

Now from these words, we shall note fomething generally, and fomething more particularly. In general three things. The firft is this:

1. That as Chrift will not fuffer his Difciples to ral Do- be tempted above their power, fo neither to be imEtrine. ployed above their power; but he furnishes them

with power fufficient, both for their temptations, and for their imployments; for their fufferings, and for their doings. And as Soldiers, that are under a wife and careful Commander, when they are near an ingagement, are not fuffered to run rashly upon the Enemy, nor permitted to go forth to Battle till they are armed, and mounted; fo Chrift would not fuffer his Difciples to go forth in his warfare,

to

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; It hall receive power when the Holy Ghost is come upon you, &c.

Chrift always gives unto all those whom he fends forth and imploys, of his own power, for his own works; heavenly power for heavenly works, Spiritual power for fpiritual 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 fome, in greater works and difficulties, and fome in leffer; but ftill they have of Chrifts power, whether more or less, who are imployed 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 bufinefs, and of our employment in it, by the power we have received from Chrift for it. If we have none of the power of Chrift, we were never fet on work by Chrif; for Chrift never fets any on his work, without communicating unto them of his power. And hereby we may certainly know and conclude, that thofe in the Miniftry that are loofe and vicious, and idle, and negligent, and infufficient for that work, were never called to it, nor imploy'd in it by Chrift, but they run 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 Chrift had imployed them in that Calling, he would have furnished them with Abilities for it; and they being deftitute of fuch Abilities, it is moft evident, they were not fent by Chrift.

Judge

Melius eft Judge then what a kind of Reformation this nullum ba-Church were like to have, if fome Men might bere,quam have their minds; who would have ignorant and facrilegium impium infufficient Men, yea loofe and prophane Men, tolera& fcelera-ted in the Miniftry, under pretence of keeping up tum mini-Ordinances; when yet fuch Men were never im Strum, qui ployed by Chrift, nor fupplied with any power from non venit him: Yea and what Ordinances (I pray) are those nifi ut mater like to be, which are kept up by Men that are perdat, fi- Carnal, not having the Spirit? But you fee here cut fur that Chrifts way and wildom was different from this; for he first gives the Apostles the Power of ftit. Minilite. the Spirit, and then fent them to Preach, when he Eccl. had first enabled them to Preach.

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Luth. de In

2 General

2. You fee here, that Chrift being to leave his Dotrine. Difciples, in regard of his bodily prefence, yet leaves behind him the promife of the Spirit of power; and this was fome eftablishment to them, who before had their hearts filled with forrow.

Chrift, though fome time he leave his People in regard of fenfe, yet he never leaves them without a promife. The Soul fometimes in the hours of temptation and defertion, may want the fenfe and feeling of Chrift, but it never wants a promife from Chrift; and the promife makes Chrift prefent, in his abfence. For Chrift himself is fpiritually prefent in the promife, and not Chrift only, but the Holy Spirit allo; 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 promife. And fo the promife is able to uphold the Soul in any condition, not because of its own nature, but becaufe God and Chrift and the Spirit are prefent in the Promife, and they are infinitely able to fupport the Soul through the Promife, under the greatest evils either of Earth or Hell. Now this enjoyment of God in the Promife, is the enjoyment of Faith, and not of Sense; and

this enjoyment of Faith, is the most excellent and intimate enjoyment of Chrift. And thus may the Soul enjoy Chrifts prefence in his abfence; his prefence according to Faith, in his abfence according to Senfe. And therefore Chrift departing from his Difciples in regard of his bodily prefence, leaves with them the promife of the Holy Spirit, and in that promife, his fpiritual prefence. And this is the Dorft Condition that Chriß ever leaves his true Church in; he leaves them his prefence in a Promife, when in regard of sense he forfakes them.

3. Note, that Luke being to speak in this Book 3 General of the Acts of the Apostles, of the propagating and Doctrine. enlarging, and governing the Chriftian Church, doth firft make mention of the pouring forth of the Spirit, and that both upon the Apoftles, and afterwards upon the Difciples. Signifying hereby, that there is nothing fo neceffary, for the increafe 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 increase, and propagation, and prefervation, and establishment, and order, and ordering of the Church of God, depend especially upon the Councels, and Decrees, and Confitutions of Men; and that without thefe, the Church of God would foon come to woful diforder, yea to utter ruine and confufion; as if Chrift and his Spirit fate idle in Heaven, and had left the whole bufinefs of his Church to Men, and the Sared Power confirmed with the Secular, were abundantly fufficient for the increase and well ordering of the Church. In the mean time, not regarding the promise of the Father, or 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,