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around them, and causing multitudes to fall on their right hand and on their left. When they see their aged cotemporaries taken away while they are still left; their death admonishes them, that there is but a step between them and the grave. Though it may look strange, yet it is undoubtedly true that old age often brings on apathy or insensibility with respect to the awful event of death.The young are generally more sensibly affected with any instance of mortality than the aged, who have been in deaths oft, and seen many of the dying and the dead. They are like veteran soldiers, who have been so familiar with death, that it has lost all its terror. But aged christians ought not to suffer such apathy and insensibility in respect to death, which they have still to experience. They ought to feel more indifferent to other scenes and objects, than other men, but not to death, which is just closing their probationary state, and fixing their condition for eternity.

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III. How far may his present operations be expected to conform to the established laws of the human mind?

One of the offices, which the Holy Spirit now performs for men, is to enlighten them. It is by his enlightening influences, that he awakens the thoughtless, alarms the secure, impresses a sense of the importance of religion, removes prejudices, and unfounded hopes, and convinces the sinner of his sin and guilt, and of the justice of God in his condemnation. It is by the same kind of influence, that he leads the saints onward in a knowledge of themselves, of God, and of Divine subjects, and that he impresses those truths, by means of which they grow in grace, and are fitted for heaven.

Another office of the Holy Spirit is that of sanctifier. Through his sanctifying influence, persons are made to love God, to acquiesce in his sovereignty, to repent of their sins, to believe in Christ, to love the cause and people of God, and to feel a holy delight in all the duties and services of religion. By this kind of influence, their hearts are changed; and disposi tions are given them which are opposed to sin, in love with holiness, and conformed to the moral image of their maker.

Still another office which the Holy Spirit performs for his people, is that of comforter. This work of the Spirit, though intimately connected with the last

mentioned, and growing out of it, is still, I think, distinct from it. Although happiness is intimately connected with holiness, yet it is not holiness; and the work of producing spiritual enjoyment, and that of producing holy affections, ought to be regarded as distinct operations of the Divine Spirit. It is in his office of comforter, that the Holy Spirit renders his people happy. He imparts to them a peace, over which the world has no direct power. He enables them to rejoice in God, with a joy unspeakable and full of glory.Let it now be inquired,

2. Through what medium does the Holy Spirit perform these important offices which have been mentioned? And in prosecuting this inquiry, I shall endeavor to show, that he performs them entirely through the medium of our mental faculties.-He enlightens, for instance, not supernaturally, but through the regular medium of the understanding and the conscience. It is by these faculties, that he impresses the sinner with his guilt and danger, and excites him to flee from the wrath to come. Through the same faculties also, he causes his people to grow in all spiritual knowledge, and sheds upon them that light of truth, by which they are sanctified, comforted, and saved.-In accomplishing his work as sanctifier, the Spirit operates through the medium of the will. There is no other possible way, in which

he can accomplish this work. Love, penitence, submission, faith, and all the various exercises of holiness, are exercises of the will, How then can these be produced, except through the medium of the will ?-The same kind of remark may be extended to the work of the Holy Spirit, as comforter. Spiritual comfort or enjoyment, is a feeling of the soul, which necessarily implies a distinct faculty of feeling. And it is through the medium of this faculty, whatever it may be, that the Spirit accomplishes his work, as comforter.

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The truth of these remarks is

very obvious, as not to need, and scarcely to admit of proof. How is it possible that divine light should be let into the human mind, except through the medium of those faculties which alone are capable of receiving light? What is Divine light? It is truth, relating to Divine and moral subjects. But how is it possible, even for the Holy Spirit, to make us acquainted with such truth, and to impress it upon us, except through the medium of our understandings and consciences?-Holiness is a property exclusively of moral exercises--exercises of the will.— How is it possible then, that the Spirit should sanctify any person, or make him holy, except through the medium of the will?--And spiritual enjoyment, so far as it is independent of the will, and is a distinct feeling, necessarily im

can be only through the medium of this faculty, that spiritual enjoy ment is produced, or that the Holy Spirit performs the office of a comforter. It is plain, therefore that in all the offices which the Holy Spirit is at present performing in respect to men, he operates entirely through the medium of their mental faculties.

plies a distinct faculty. And it sents itself as certain; he must eitherconform his operations to these laws; or he must go contrary to them, and for the time suspend them. But if he goes contrary to them, and suspends them; then his operation constitutes a continued series of miracles, and the' age of miracles is not yet past. All, who are unwilling to adopt this supposition, will be led of necessity, to adopt the other, that the present operations of the Holy Spirit are conformed to the established laws of mind.

The way is now prepared to inquire, in the third place, how far those operations of the Divine Spirit, of which we have spoken, are conformable to the established laws of the human mind. I would be far indeed from limiting the operations of the Holy Spirit. I know he is a Sovereign, who has the power, and the right, to do as he pleases. Still I am satisfied that the operations of the Spirit, now the age of miracles is past, may be expected, ordinarily, if not always to conform to the established laws of mind. This may be regarded as a just inference from what has been said. God, who gave us our faculties, has subjected them, in their operations to fixed laws.He has chosen and established, that they shall operate in a particular way, rather than in any other way. Now we have seen that the Spirit accomplishes his work, entirely through the medium of these faculties. Shall we not suppose, therefore, that he conforms his operations, to the instituted laws by which these faculties are governed? One of two things pre

Nor is this supposition at all degrading to the work of the spirit but rather the contrary. For who established those general laws, to which our mental faculties are subject? It was the infinite Jehovah who formed our faculties, and who doubtless, has fixed the mode of their operation in the wisest manner. He has ordained that they shall operate in a particular way rather than in any other, because this is the best way. Is it then derogatory to the work of the Holy Spirit, to suppose that his operations upon the human mind are conformed to those wisely established rules? Or, would it not be degrading his work, to suppose that ordinarily, he violates these rules?

The design of these remarks, as must be evident to every candid reader, is not to call in question the reality of the peculiar work of the Spirit-or the necessity of this work, in order to salvation-or the proper sovereignt

so, than many religious teachers seem to have imagined-and so much so, that the former cannot be fully studied and comprehended, without a knowledge of the latter.

of the Spirit, in accomplishing it -or the efficacy of prayer, in procuring it; but merely to shew, that the work of the Holy Spirit is not miraculous-that it is performed through the medium of our mental faculties, and in conformity with the established laws of mind and that it will bear the investigation, as well of the enlight ened philosopher, as of the christian. Nor are the principles, which have been established, performed. The Spirit operates, mere speculation. They give rise to several reflections, in a greater or less degree practical, which will now be mentioned.

2. The subject shews us why, "the word of God" has been denomiated "the sword of the spirit." It is the appointed instrument by means of which the various operations of the Holy Spirit are

as we have seen through the medium of our faculties, and in conformity with the established laws by which they are regulated.He enlightens, by opening and impressing truth on our minds, and he sanctifies and comforts, by means of motives and considerations adapted to these different of fices. Now "the word of God” furnishes the very truths, and mo. tives, and considerations which the Spirit uses, in all this high and momentuous concern. It is the instrument, with which he performs his operations and consequently may well be denominated "the sword of the spirit." It is the sword, with which he pricks the sinner to the heart; slays the man of sin; and wounds--to the saving of the soul.

1. It follows from what has been said, that mental philosophy or an acquaintance with human nature, and with the established laws of the human mind, is very intimately connected with the science of theology. The science of theology relates, not only to God, but to the various dealings of God with men. Consequently the operations of the Spirit of God upon the minds of men, come directly within the scope of this important science. But these operations we have seen, are performed through the medium of the human facul ties, and in conformity with the established laws of mind. It is impossible, therefore, to under- 3. We see in what manner men stand these spiritual operations may co-operate with the Holy and to understand theology, to Spirit, in accomplishing his peculwhich they belong, without some iar work. As he performs his acquaintance with the philosophy work through the medium of our of mind. The two sciences are faculties, and in conformity with very intimately connected-more the established laws of mind there

is room, as we have seen for the science; and he converts and

instrumentality of the divine word sanctifies, in view of the powerful -for the truths, the motives, and motives of the gospel. Now as the considerations of the gospel. men are laborers together with There is room and necessity for him, in this work of exhibiting the means of grace; and these and impressing truth, and in premeans men are able, and are re-senting and urging motives; can quired, to employ. They may it be doubted that man labours the be, and ought to be, "workers most efficiently, and will labor the together with❞ the Divine Spirit, most successfully, who most clearin pouring light upon the blinded ly exhibits Divine light-most understanding; impressing obliga- powerfully impresses truth-most tion upon the slumbering con- persuasively urges motives--and science; exhibiting motives in fa- who adapts all the means he vor of holiness; and urging con- employs in the wisest manner. siderations adapted to edify and comfort the people of God.

4. Since the operations of the Divine Spirit are so performed, as to render it requisite for men to use the means of grace; it should be the study of those, who are called by their sacred profession to dispense these means, to adapt them in the wisest manner. It cannot be doubted that there is room here, for the exercise of much skill and judgment. It cannot be doubted (other things being equal) that the most wisely adapted means will uniformly be the most successful. There are good reasons why they should be So. The Holy Spirit, on whose agency every thing depends, operates, as we have seen, through the medium of our faculties, and in conformity with the established laws of mind. He awakens, alarms, and convinces of sin, by exhibiting truth to the understanding and impressing it on the con

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The means employed should be wisely adapted, in respect to the matter of them. They should be enlightening, impressive, persuasive, in themselves; and the more so, the better. They should be wisely adapted, also in respect to the circumstances of time and place. Said our Savior to his disciples, on a certain occasion, "I have many things to say unto you but ye cannot bear them now.' The speeches which Paul made at Athens, and at Jerusalem, and before King Agrippa, are all very different one from another, and neither of them could have been substituted in place of the other without the most glaring impropriety. And the means of grace should be wisely adapted, in respect to the particular manner of employing them. Every lawful expedient should be resorted to, to gain and secure attention to means. Unless they are attended to, however excellent they

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