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dawning upon us, and divine grace abounding towards us; for by it dead finners are quickened, hard hearts, foftened, great fins manifeftatively forgiven, and great mercy displayed and magnified. The Holy Ghost, who is the Lord and giver of all fpiritual life, gives poor finners, in a day of his power, to know that God is love-he prefents to their spiritual view Christ as crucified for them; fets before them the amazing freenefs and boundlefs fulnefs of divine grace; and makes an application of Chrift and his falvation to the foul, enabling the believer to fay, God is my falvation. But, that which I conceive as most principally intended is, the aboundings of God's grace in all wisdom and prudence in the following way. By wisdom and prudence, I think may be underflood, not only the gofpel, which contains an account of the glorious riches of free grace, but also I apprehend they may here intend the work of God's fpirit in the foul; and that by wif dom, the grace of faith may be intended, and by prudence the principle of holiness; which two, though not radically diftin&t, they being but one, the root and fruit, yet it pleaseth the Holy Spirit thus to diftinguish them, informing us hereby, that faith is principally concerned in converfing with the truths and doctrines of the gospel; and that prudence, or holiness, is the means of our proving the truth of what the Lord had taught us, inwardly and effectually from his word and by his fpirit. At converfion, there is a manifeftative abounding of divine grace, inafmuch as God the Spirit, as the comforter, comes to dwell and make his abode in our fouls, to fet us apart to be the Lord's, by fepara

ting us from an evil world, and faving us from an ungodly conversation. It is at this time we are openly invefted with, and inftated into, all the bleffings of grace and glory, and begin, in our own fouls, actually to partake of everlasting life, according to our Lord's declaration, He that believeth on me hath everlafting life. Now it is that forgiveness of fins and pardoning mercy are made known to the foul; and our ftate being thus changed, as in regeneration we pafs from death to life, this change is accompanied with those glorious fruits and manifeftations of God's free grace, as the grand bleffings of it; and we fee and feel that our fins are forgiven, that they are blotted out, that our names are written in the Lamb's book of life, that we are justified and made everlastingly righteous in him, that God is at perfect peace with us, and hath forgiven us all trefpaffes. At this great season, it is fometimes vifibly perceived by us, and spiritually and actually felt, that we are quickened together with Chrift, with life from him, and are divinely drawn forth in acts of fpiritual life upon and towards him. All our fpiritual acts of faith, are living, real, fpiritual acts, put forth in our fouls by the Holy Spirit upon Christ, and the Father, as reconciled in him. If we could keep clear and diftin&t thoughts respecting the grace expreffed to us, in effectual calling, it would be a great bleffing to us in real experience. It is the revelation and application of all that Christ hath done for us, and an invefting us into a manifeftative interest in Chrift, to the end that we may by faith in him, enjoy all the bleffings of our heavenly Father's love

and grace, in that daily walk with God which we are called to. I would here obferve, it is a matter of moment to us to confider what the Scriptures fay upon this point. I will quote two, and leave them without any explanation for your own ftudy and meditation. The firft is, 1 Cor. i. 9. God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jefus Christ our Lord. The fecond is, 1 Pet. v. 10. The God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Jefus Chrift. Give me leave to fay, it is lofs of time to think and pore fo much as many do, to fee and find by looking into themselves, whether they are effectually called, while they altogether neglect to consider what the Scripture fays refpecting it. It is a grand ftumbling block, in the way to our enjoyment of fpiritual bleffings, to doubt of our intereft in them. One of the great operations of the Spirit upon our fouls is to bring us fpiritually to know Chrift, and to believe in him, his work, grace, and fulness. It is an everlafting truth, that there is fuch a thing as affurance, and that fome enjoy a fense of pardoning mercy. But, I would afk, how it is they come by this? It is in believing. Hear the apoftle upon this fubject in verfe 13th of the chapter before us. In whom ye alfo trufted after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your falvation: in whom alfo after that ye believed ye were fealed with that Holy Spirit of promife. Hearing goes before believing, and the fpirit feals his own truth upon the heart, and by it leads us to know our particular interest in it. Obferve it well. He does not comfort you by marks and figns of grace, nor by the

fruits and effects of faith, but he comforts you, as he takes of the things of Chrift and fhews them unto you. Believers, review what the Lord did for you when he firft called you by his grace. It may be, it was the happiest season you ever yet enjoyed. I will fay it for you, this was what your fouls were then taken with, the love of Chrift in dying for finnersthe pardon of your fins, through the blood-fhedding of Chrift. Your fouls ftood amazed at the views you had of being juftified in the glorious righteousness of Jesus. Was it not thus? And how is it with you now? It may be, for fo it frequently befalls believers, that your hearts are not fo happy in Jefus, your fouls not fo burning with love to him, nor you fo dependent upon him as you then were. I have known it to be the cafe with fome real believers, that the longer they have lived, the more legal they have been: indeeed, we should guard against every thing which hath the leaft legal influence upon us, and pray the Holy Spirit to gospelize our understandings, hearts, and minds, with spiritual fights of Chrift. The Lord give you to confider your high calling, dignity, and privilege, and help you to live out of yourfelves upon Chrift Jefus. And what hath been delivered, as far as calculated to this bleffed end, may he moft gracioufly blefs. Amen.

SERMON VII.

CHRIST'S PROMISE TO SEND THE HOLY GHOST.

ST. JOHN, Chap. xiv. Ver. 16.

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.

HE ever bleffed Jefus, in every act of his life in

THE

his incarnate state, gave his beloved people an everlasting proof of his friendship, evidencing unto them, that as a friend he loveth them at all times, and was that brother who is born for adverfity; yea, that friend which fticketh closer than a brother. His acts of friendship towards his people in love, mercy, and fympathy, were various, wonderful, and furprifing. He manifefted his friendship in his ancient undertakings and goings forth in a covenant way on the behalf of his people, in his eternal transactions with his Divine Father. His love flamed forth in a furprising manner, when he, the effential word and Son of God, became incarnate-God perfonally dwelling in the manhood, whereby he became Immanuel, God with us. Every word he spoke, every act he per

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