Whence it appears, that they who have the Faith which the Gofpel requires, have alfo received the Holy Spirit. In 2 Tim. i. 14. the Apoftle fays to Timothy, That good Thing which was committed unto thee, keep by the Holy Ghoft which dwelleth in us. The Sacred Scriptures, both of the Old and New Teftament, fpeak abundantly of the Holy Spirit: David earnestly prayed, that God would not take his Holy Spirit from him. See Pfa. li. 11, 12. when he prays thus, Caft me not cut from thy Prefence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Reftore unto me the Joy of thy Salvation; and uphold me with thy free Spirit. And in like Manner we fhould pray, that God will not take his Holy Spirit from us; but continually uphold us with his free Spirit. The Offices which the Holy Spirit performs for the Converfion of Sinners, and fitting them for everlafting Happiness in Manfions of Glory, are manifold, are excellent, and most important. He worketh (I doubt not) in the Souls of all Men, that hear the Gof, el preached. He awakens their Consciences, he convinces them of Sn, and makes known to them, that God in his great Love has provided a Saviour, and a Saviour who is both able and willing to fave all Sorts of Sinners, even the Chief of them: And if they remain in Unbelief, and go on in a Courfe of Difobedience to God, it is because they refift the Holy Ghost. What the Martyr Stephen faid to the stubborn unbelieving Jews, Acts vii. 51. Ye Stiff necked, and uncircumcifed in Heart and Ears, ye do always refift the Holy Ghost, may be faid to stubborn Unbelievers, who have Gofpel preached to them. The unbelieving Jews being charged with refifting the Holy Ghoft, is an Evidence that the Holy Holy Ghoft had been working on their Minds to become the Disciples of Chrift. The Holy Spirit performs the Offices of a Teacher, a Remembrancer, a Sanctifier, and a Comforter to all, who believe on the Lord Jesus. The Holy Spirit gave to the Apoftles thofe wonderful Gifts, which they received at Pentecoft: He enabled them to fpeak with Tongues, and gave them Utterance in Preaching the everlasting Gospel; he enabled them to confirm their Teftimony of Chrift, and the Doctrines they taught by a Series of Miracles thro' a Course of many Years, and in many Countries at the fame Time: Christ purchased a great Salvation for Sinners, and the Holy Spirit makes the Appication of it. And his OPERATIONS prove that he is truly God. For the Effects of his working could not be produced by any Creature. One Man cannot communicate his Wifdom or Sagacity to another: Or a Man strong in Body, cannot communicate the like Strength to a Perfon whose Body is little and weak: Neither can an Angel make any Creature: But the Holy Spirit maketh new Creatures in Christ. He turneth Sinners into Saints; which no Angel in Heaven can do. His Operations prove him to be God, the third Perfon of the Sacred Trinity. And the Words of the Apostle Peter in A&ts v. 3, 4. do make known his Deity, when he says to Ananias on the Account of his speaking a Lie, Why bath Satan filled thy Heart to lie to the Holy Ghost; thou haft not lied unto Men, but unto God. Ananias's Ananias's lying to the Holy Ghoft, was a lying unto God; which could not be unless the Holy Ghoft is God. And the Words of our bleffed Saviour, in Matt. xii. 31, 32, are folemn and most awful, and require our fpecial Notice. I fay unto you, (that is unto the People prefent,) All manner of Sin, and Blafphemy shall be forgiven unto Men; but the Blafphemy against the Holy Ghost, shall not be forgiuen unto Men. And whofoever shall speak a Word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven bim; (on his Repentance) but whosoever fpeaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this World, neither in that which is to come. Let those who deride the Operations of the Holy Ghoft; thofe who make a Mock of his Workings in the Souls of Men, and they who deny his Being, think on thefe Words which are tremendous Predictions of our bleffed Saviour, and will be fulfilled. The Work of Men's Redemption, by, the Recovery of them from their State of Sin and Mifery, and bringing them into a State of Holinefs, and fitting them for the perfect Enjoyment of God for ever, is a moft glorious Work! There is much Mystery in it: The Holy Angels defire to look unto it. And for our Parts, we Chriftians fee, but fee as through a Glafs darkly; yet we fee, and know so much by the Gospel, that if we believe in Chrift, and fhew our Faith, by Living according to the Rules of his Gofpel we fhall go to be with Chrift, when we shall be taken out of this World. But there is much imported in feveral Parts of the facred Revelation, which we cannot dive There There feems to have been fomething excellent in Man's Nature before the Fall, which we are ignorant of. The Condefcention of the great and Holy God, his Pity and Love to fuch Apoftate Creatures as the Offspring of Adam are, is amazing! Only we know that there is nothing in us to deferve his Compaffion, and that the Lord our Creator is gracious only because he will be gracious. God the Father loved the World, loved our Race of Creatures, and contrived our Redemption, and fent his only begotten and beloved Son to purchase and accomplish it. God the Son condefcended to come down from Heaven, and take into Union with himself our Nature, and to fatisfy vindictive Juftice, by the Sacrifice of himself on the Crofs, and to work out a perfect Righteoufnefs for our Juftification. And God the Holy Ghoft undertook to make Application of the Redemption purchased by Chrift Stupendious Mercy and Goodness! Now let the Father, and the Son, And Spirit be ador'd: Where there are Works to make him known, Watts's Hymns,, p. 312. And let all ferious Chriftians keep in Remerabrance, that the Holy Spirit dwelleth in them. Know ye not (fays the Apoftle,) that ye are the Temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any Man defile the Temple of God, him fball God deftroy; for the Temple of God is Holy, which Temple ye are. 1 Cor. iii. 16, 17. We fhould cherish in our Minds fuch a Senfe, of the Honour, of the Dignity and Happiness F of 1 of being the Temple of God, and having his Holy Spirit dwelling in us, as may render us watchful to avoid every Thing that is Sinful and Polluting, and to fhun all Temptations. We may conclude from what has been collected out of the Holy Scriptures into thefe Papers; that there is a great Change wrought in every real Chriftian, by the Spirit of God. And every fincere Christian can teftify, as to himself that an Holy Change has been made in him. His Confcience bears him witnefs, that his Mind has been convinced of the finful Depravity of his Nature, and of the Odiousness of Sin, and of his Want of a Saviour; and that his Understanding has been enlighened to fee the Truth of the Gofpel, and that his Will has been fo changed, that although he once was thoughtless of what would become of his Soul, and regardless of the Favour of God; of an Intereft in Chrift, and in the Covenant of Grace; yet that his Will has been fo wrought upon, as to chofe the Lord for his God, Chrift for his Saviour, and the Holy Spirit for his Sanctifier; and fo as to reject, and renounce all his former Sins, and the Devil and all his Temptations to go on in a Course of Sin: And his Confcience bears him Witness, that although formerly he loved this World chiefly, and the Things of it, the Honours, or the Riches, or the Pleasures of it, yet that now he loves God above all, that he loves the Redeemer, and loves all his Commandments, his Sabbaths, his Ordinancés, and all who love the Lord Jefus in Sincerity, of every Denomination. And he experiences a great and happy Change, as in his Heart, fo in his Life and Converfation, for although formerly he was regardless of his Duty, negligent of the Worship of |