244 Chrifl the Prophet the adminifiration of the covenant effec:tual to them however ineffeB:ual it be td others, Col. i. 1 3· And this he doth, by bringing his word to thf;!m with pow– er, thro' the·efficacy of his Spirit opening their eyes.· ln the firfl: place, By his Spirit acting upon them as a Spirit ofbondage, he fets' home on their confciences, the holy law in the commands, and the curfe thereof, . a.s of Divine authority, and binding on them ~n par– t•cular. Hereby, they are convinced of their fin and mift!ry, feeing their fm as heinous in the fight of God, and his wrath due to them for t~eir lln : they are fill'd with remorfe, terror, and a.nxiety; are made to pant for relief, feel an abfolute need of Chrifl: and his righteo~fnefs, and de~pq.ir ,of r~lief by any other way, ACl:s u. 39· and xv1. 29, 30. And then,,by the fame Spirit aB:ing within the_m,as a Spirit of life, and communkated unto them from h~mfelf, in the word of the gofpel, he fets home on their hearts and confci- ,epees, the glorious gofpel, i~ its free promife of life arnd falvation to finners thro' jef1,1s Chrifi, as it £lands in the holy fcriptures ; . cJearing and demonfirat· ing ~he fame unto therv, to be the infallible word .of the eternal God, and his word to them in particular, · I Thelf. ii.I3·' Ye received it not as the word ofmen, but (as it is in truth) the word of God,' Chap~ i. 5· ~ For our gofpel ~ame not to you in word only, but alfo in power, and in the holy Gho£1:, and in much aifurance.' This demonfi:ration of the Spirit is that -which immediately deareth to them the ground of · their believing in particular, as faith the Apofile, . I Cor. ii. 4, 5· My preaching was -in demonfiration of the Sp1rit, and in power : tha~ your fa_ith fno\}ld not fiand in the wifdom ofmel)., but in the power of ·cod;' and it is anjnternal attefiation of the word of the gofpel, unto them, difl:inB: from the cl~arefi extcr· nal or minifierial attefiation of it, .according to the f<fying ofour Saviour,johnxv.26. 'Th~Spirit of~ruth, / which proceedeth from the Father, he ihall teibfy of p!e. '_ ' \
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