creatures come into the world, and never hear it. It never visits any place; but where God, its author, sends it.-Favoured England! "to you is the word of this salvation sent." God has passed by fallen angels. No good message has been sent to them. They are prisoners without hope. An earthly sovereign sends his messages where he pleases. It is a free act. And the Lord, sovereign of sovereigns, directs his gracious message where--when-in what manner to what length of time, and to what ends he pleases. “It is according to the counsel of his own will." 3. It is a wonderful message. (1). Considering the state of those to whom it is sent. The human soul, in its fallen state, possesses a violent enmity to God, his Law and Gospel. Man has formed an alliance with devils, and joins them in their opposition to God and his government. Pride, self-sufficiency and unbelief, reign in his breast. His head, his heart, his tongue and practice, all proclaim him God's opponent. Does he expect to hear from God in this awful condition? If so, surely! it must be a message of wrath. But, however astonishing, even in this state, be receives a message, which discovers a condescension in infinite majesty, and a richness in infinite mercy, more than equal to the sinner's rebellion. “Lord, (as thou hast justly passed by angels!) what is Man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man, that thou so regardest him?” (2). In its substance, it is equally surprising. Jesus died! Jesus, who is rich in all the perfections of godhead. He, who made and supports the universe. He, whom angels revere, and devils dread. He, who has the winds in his fist, and waters in the hollow of his hand. He, to whom the vast nations of the world are less than nothing. Marvellous expedient! he hied. He died. He was born! Born to yield an obedience to the violated law of God, for man. He died to atone for sin! Remove the curse! To conquer sin, death, and hell. To make way for every favor to flow to needy, ruined man. He brought in everlasting righteousness ;-satisfied justice-glorified divine truth;-and magnified the divine law. His life, every moment of it, was a life of sinless obedience. This imputed, gives man a title to heaven. Through his death, when believed in, all man's crimes are remitted. When we consider the divine excellences of Christ's person;-his amazing incarnationspotless life-accursed death---his resurrection from the dead, as a proof of the acceptableness of his work-his triumphant ascension to the right hand of infinite majesty-his astonishing offices, grace, and capacities to discharge the former, and display the latter;surely! it is a wonderful message, and may well be called "the gospel of Christ;" (Rom. i. 16). as he is its immediate author, and its substance. And in publishing Christ, born, living, dying, rising, ascending and reigning for man;- Behold! we bring him-glad tidings." 4. It is a message of infallible truth. It is favoured and sent by" God, that cannot lie." Jesus who brings it, is full of truth, as well as grace." It is attested by the mighty signs and wonders of the Spirit of truth.-Man need not fear any deception here. 5. A message becoming divine majesty. He had been insulted, and his law violated, by the sin of man. In Christ, he takes vengeance of sin. Here he appears true to his ancient threatening, "the soul that sinneth, it shall die!"-Justice also receives its highest demands, in the tremendous agonies of Jesus. Holiness appears, in that great and mysterious affair, to shun all fellowship with sin. Wisdom sparkles in such a plan, and majesty, in peerless grandeur, takes the rights of government. Mercy, in this way, pours forth her rich, various, numerous and endless blessings, so as to secure her dignity. Surely! we need not hesitate to say with Saint Paul, It is a glorious gospel! 2. Cor. iv. 4. 6. It is a message, equally suitable to man. Man is spiritually dead. This message is the instrument of imparting, sustaining, increasing, and completing spiritual life. It leads to Christ, who is our life. Eternal life it reveals, begins, and issues in. How justly called "the Word of Life!" This message is sent to creatures, unrighteous. It is the Spirit's means to convince the soul of its need of righteousness. It reveals and describes a divine, everlasting, righteousness of Jesus, as the free gift to faith and is therefore called, "the word of righteousness," to souls under the tyranny of devils-in the chains of sin--the power of the world and spiritual death--under the curse of the law, and liable, every breath, to the damnation of hell :-the message is sent to such, as "the gospel of salvation." Eph. i. 13. In it, Jesus speaks, saying, "I came to save that which was lost." A salvation spiritual, great, complete, everlasting and free! It comes to man, with whom God is angry every day. Meets him full of enmity to God, and liable to vengeance. God is viewed as an enemy, and hated as such. This message brings tidings of a readiness in the divine breast, to forgive returning sinners. The spirit unfolds the excellences of divine mercy. Shows, to the fearful conscience, the fullest proof of God's readiness to forgive, in the death of Christ. Shows God, in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them. This expels the vile affections from the heart, and wins the heart to God. This message, so brought home to the soul, compels the foe to drop his weapon, bend his knee, abhor himself, and forsake his sins. It breaks his heart, changes his pursuits, excites grateful amazement, and loosens his tongue to utter it. An honourable, happy, evident and endless friendship between God and the soul, commences. Therefore this message is called "the word of reconciliation." This produces a peace of mind, "which passeth all understanding," and therefore the message bears the name of "the gospel of peace." Man's capacities are vast, and the existence of the soul, immortal. No temporal blessing, of whatever magnitude it may be, can fill it, in this world. The message sent to man, is called "the everlasting gospel." Rev. iv. 6. Because it brings light and immortality to light," and publishes blessings as durable as the life of the soul. The effects of this message will remain on the mind when millions of ages are fled; yea, whilst immortality endures.-The gospel unveils a felicity to the believer, which he can never outlive. : 7. It is God's second, and last message to man. It is essentially different from the first, viz. the Law. The Law gives man" a rule of action," or, rather, is a rule of action to man. The Gospel points him to Christ's perfect obedience to that rule. The Law threatens the soul with an eternal curse, for the least failure the Gospel promises pardon of the greatest crimes, and eternal life, as a free gift. The Law is a discovery of the justice, holiness, truth, and unchangeableness of God: the Gospel opens the charms of his rich grace and abundant mercy. The Law shows our disease and ruin the Gospel our remedy. The Law breeds despair, excites enmity to God, by revealing his wrath against sin: the Gospel inspires lively hope. The Law says "sin abounds:" the Gospel cries "grace much more abounds." In life, death, and judgment, the Law says, "go ye cursed into everlasting fire!" the Gospel calls, "come ye blessed of my Father (to the believer), inherit the kingdom." The Gospel was first delivered to our fallen parents, Adam and Eve, Gen. iii. 15. The view of Christ crucified in the bloody sacrifices, was the source of hope, life, and joy, to every believer, from Adam to Abraham. "God, foreseeing the justification of the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, in thy seed shall all nations be blessed." To preach blessedness in Christ, is preaching the gospel. The patriarchs, prophets, and apostles preached one gospel. Several editions and enlargements of this message were given; but all disclaimed salvation by works, in whole or in part. All held up to view, redemption by no other price than the blood of Christ-by no other arm than the power of Christ. Patriarchs, prophets, Christ and his apostles, all, in harmony, publish the guilt, pollution, weakness, desert, and misery of the creature: and to Jesus all bare witness, that there is salvation in him, and no other. For this is the record, that God hath given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear," that "there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." There is no other gospel." If man or angel should preach any other, let him be accursed," Gal. i. 8. 8. It is the ministration of the Spirit. His efficacious influence attends it, to quicken the dead, enliven the dull; to enlighten the dark, purge the polluted, raise the dejected, guide the bewildered, and comfort the miserable. It comes in the Holy Ghost, 1 Thess. i. 5; Luke iv. 18. No. III. THE HOLY SPIRIT'S INFLUENCES. THE necessity of the Holy Spirit's influence on the human mind, appears, 1. From our Lord's testimony, John xv. 5, " Without me ye can do nothing." All divine and saving operations, in any man, are from the Spirit of God. By him alone is the grace of Christ communicated to, and wrought in us. Separated from Christ, a man can do nothing; nor even in union with Christ, but as the Spirit's agency from Christ is afforded. The expressions of saints, throughout the Bible, indicate a consciousness of complete inability to do the least good, without divine assistance. And as to the ungodly, they are declared to be without strength, Rom. v. 6. Not, they have little, but none, to act spiritually and acceptably. The moral weakness of man is entire and constant. 2. No person can have any portion in, or benefit by Christ, without the Holy Spirit, Rom. viii. 9. Without this a man is in the flesh; that is, in a state of sin and death. Nothing can be plainer than this truth: "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you:" If not, you are yet in your sins. "For if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his." He has no union with Christ, no faith in Christ, no likeness to Christ, and no saving benefit by Christ. Whatever excellences Christ possesses--whatever he has done, suffered, or is doing, no man can partake of, or enjoy one blessing from him, or one moment's communion with him, but by the Spirit of God. 3. No man can be truly and profitably acquainted with Christ, without the Holy Spirit. "No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." We may learn the divinity of Christ from men and books, as the branch of any science. We may avow, explain, prove, enforce, and defend it; but no man can say, knowing what he says, that Jesus is Jehovah, but by the Holy Ghost. To say it is easy; but to believe it from the heart, that an infant, traced through youth up to manhood as a poor despised carpenter, who suffered, and so suffered, yea died! that this person was Jehovah ! the Creator, sustainer, and judge of the world! None can say it experimentally, that Jesus is God, and practically treat him as such, but by the Holy Ghost. Indeed, it is equally impossible to know any spiritual things spiritually, without the spirit. "For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man, which is in him? Even so, the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." 1 Cor. ii. H. A man's own spirit is intimately acquainted with his own thoughts and counsels. So, 1 Cor. ii. 14, the natural man is set in opposition to him that is spiritual. He receiveth not the things of the spirit of God. He refuses to accept them as excellent and necessary. Why? They are foolishness! Not in themselves, but to him-a system of nonsense. Neither can he, in that state, know them, because they are spiritually discerned. It follows, that a man, in his natural state, is totally incapable of knowing or receiving the doctrines of Christ, in any saving manner, without the Spirit of God, Matt. xvi. 16, 17. Darkness, error, and confusion, reign in every unrenewed mind. A few cold notions of Christ, and some customary ideas of truth and moral virtue, are like a body without a soul. Such a creature is blind to his dangers. He stands on the brink of a precipice and laughs. Flames surround him; but he is asleep. Devils, like lions, are before him, but he sees them not. 4. The impossibility of pleasing God, by any thing done or suffered, shows the necessity of the Holy Spirit. "They that are in the flesh cannot please God." All are in the flesh, who are destitute of the Holy Spirit; "for ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. That which is born of the flesh is flesh"-nothing but flesh. A carnal man thinks and acts carnally; he can do no otherwise. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit, agreeable to the nature of the Holy Ghost. Every effect is consonant to its cause; ice does not burn us, nor does fire freeze. Whatever capacity, learning, sentiments, any natural man may possess; whatever apparent devotions towards God, and righteousness towards man, he may perform, he never can please God in any one thought or deed, in that state. And in that state he must be eternally, if destitute of the Spirit of God. He cannot alter his own state and taste; he loves his state; salvation from it he abhors; "for it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil." The carnal mind is enmity against God. It is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Not only has it no inclination towards God, or desire after him; not only the carnal mind does not love, but it bears a strong and violent hatred to God; yea, it is enmity itself against him. 5. Man is spiritually dead: and, "Without his influence we should ever lie, Like bones, the prophets speaks of, dead and dry." There is no true spiritual action in a natural man; no pure motion. Never, in that state, does he think what is good; comprehend what is good; love what is good; nor follow what is good. All true spiritual motion is ceased in the soul. Adam died (this death), the day he sinned. Gen. ii. 17. "Death was the sentence, death began, In natural death, the soul is separated from the death, the Holy Spirit is separate from the soul. departed, the body is motionless; alienated from man performs no one truly spiritual motion or act. body; in spiritual When the soul is this life of God, He is dead, not |