Tillotson - BX5037 T451 1712 v2

Senn. CXLVII. on the Minds áfGlyriflians: 305 The two firfl of thefe I have fpoken to, and now proceed towhat remains, viz. Thirdly, To confider, the bleffed Effects of this Gift of the Holy Ghoft. And they are many and great. 1 fhall enumerate then] as briefly as I can, not intending to infift long upon them. And in general, all the good that is in us, and proceeds from us, all good Thoughts and Inclinations, all good Purpofes and Refolutions, all good Works and Actions are in Scripture every where afcribed to the Didates and Motions, to the Influence and Atfiftance of the Holy Spirit of God. It is he that works in us, both to will and to do of his own mere goodnefs. All our flrength and fufficiency is from him. To his bleffed infpirations and aids we owe all good Inclinations, our be- ginning, and our progrefs, and our perfeverance inVirtue and Goodnefs. And tho' the Spirit be faid to be given to them, that do already believe, that is, fo as to dwell and refide, to take up his confiant habitation and abode, only in thole who have already fincerely embraced the Chriflian Faith; yet this doth not exclude a preventing influence and operation of God's Holy Spirit upon the Minds of thofe to whom the Gofpel is offered, difpouing them to embrace and entertain it, and by this- means workingFaith in them. And in this fenfe it is, that Faith in, Scripture is laid to be the Gift of God, becaufe it is firft wrought in them by the Influence and Operationof that bleffed Spirit, which is promifed to dwell and refide in them af- ter they have believed, and fincerely embraced the Chriflian Religion. More particularly thefe bleffed Fruits and Effects are conftantly in Scripture at- tributed to the HolySpirit of God. T. Our Sandification. We are faid to he renewedby the Holy Ghofl, and by the Spirit to mortifie the deeds of the flefh. That great change which is wrought in Mail which in Scripture is calledby the feveral naines of Regeneration, and a new birth, of the new creature, and the new man, is conftantly afcrib'd to the Spirit of God as the Author of it. 2. The çondud of our whole Chriflian courfe, and all the actions of it, and our ccnftancy and perfeverance in it, are likewife afcribed to the fame bleffed Caufe. We are faid to be led by the Spirit, and to walk in the Spirit; that is, to be guided and aflifted in all that we do, by this bleffed Principle, whichdoes as it were ad and animate all good Men ; and we are faid to be kept by the mighty power of God, that is, by the powerful operation of God's Holy Spirit, through Faithunto Salvation, 3. All particular.Graces and Virtues are likewife faid to be the Fruit of theSpi- rit, Gal. 5. 22. The Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, log-fufering, gentle= nefs, goodnefs, faith, (or rather fidelity,) meeknefs, temperance. And Ephef 5. 9, The Fruit of the Spirit is in all goodnefs, and righteouJisefs, and truth. And Cha- rity,. which is the, fum almoft of all other Graces and Virtues, is faid to beplanted and wrought in us by the Spirit, it Pet. I. 22. Seeingye have purified your fouls bi obeying the truth, through the Spirit, unto charity, or unfeigned love of the brethren. ¢. By the fame Spirit we are faid to be made partakers of that great and glorious privilege of Adoption, and are advanced to that high Honour and Dignity of being called the fans of God, Rom. 8. 14. As manyas are ledby the Spirit of God, are the foes of God, and confequently Heirs of a bleffed Refurredion to eternal Life. For fo the Apoftle reafons, Verfes 16, 17. The Spirit it felf beareth witnefs with our Spirit, that is, is a Teftimony within us, that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, andjrynt heirs with Chr J; iffo be that wefifer with him, that we may be alfa glorfied together. So that the Holy Spirit of God, which is conferr'd upon all fincere Chriftians, and does refide in them; is a Mark or Seal of theirbeing the Children of God, and a pledge or earnefl of the bleffed inhe- ritance of eternal Life, as the Scripture very plainly and frequently declares, 2 Cor. I. 21, 22. Now he which eflablifheth us withyou in Chriff, and hath anointed us, is God; who loath alfa fealedus, or let his fignature and mark upon us ; and what this is, he explains in the next words, and hath given us the earnefl or pledge of the fpirit in our Hearts. Ephef. I. 13, 5.4. In whom alfa after that ye believed, ye were f algidwith that holy fpirit ofpromife; which is theearnefi ofour inheritance, R r until

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