Serm. CL.XIX. 45 SERMON CLXIX. Of the Testimony of the Spirit, to the Truth of the Gofpel. HEB. XI. 6. but without Faith it is impofble to pleafe God. The Fifth Sermonon this Text. N difcour(ng of the Faith or Perfwafon of a Divine Revelation, i came to en- 1 quire, in what refpeel's this may be call'd a Divine Faith. To which my Anfwer was, that it is a Divine Faith, not only with refpe& to the Objet of ir, and the Argument whereby it is wrought, and the Efi'e& of is : But likewife in refpe& of the Author and Efficient of ir, which is the Divine Spirit. i proceed therefore to confider the Teflimony of the Divine Spirit, not only as an Argument whereby a Perfwafion of a Divine Revelation, viz. That the Scriptures are the Word of God, is wrought : But alto as he is the Author and efficient Caufe of ir. The Scripture doth in a peculiar manner afcribe the beliefof Divine Revelation, efpecially of the Revelation of the Gofpel, to the Spirit of God. In this fenfe the Scripture faith, That no Man can fay, that yeti's is the ChriJ1, but by the Spirit of God. And tho' every good Pcrfwafion that we have, be in fòme fort or other to be afcribed to God,. yet I obferve it to be the Phrafe of the New Teftament, to attribute the belief of the Gofpel, in a morepeculiar manner, to the Spirit of God. When tiny Man believes the Principles of Natural Religion, that there is aGod, that the Soul is Immortal, and that there are Rewards after this Life, as the Heathens did ; even this is from God, who bath planted thefe Principles in our Natures ; or, which comes all to one, hath given us fuch Faculties, by the Ufa and Improve- ment of which, we maycome to the knowledge of thefe Principles : but it is not ufual in the phrafe of Scripture, to attribute this Natural Knowledge in fuch a pc-. cubar manner to the Spirit of God. When anyMan believes the mattersof Divine Revelation, for infiance, the Do- &tines contained in the Gofpel ; this Faith is to be attributed to the Spirit of God ; but not as immediately periwading us of the truth of thefe Do&rines, but by per- fwading us, that the Golpe! which contains thefe Truths, is a Divine Revelation; or which is all one, that the Lord Jefus Chrift, who delivered there Dc &rines to the World, was a Divine. Perfon, and came from God : and if we once firmly believe and entertain this. that yefes was the Meìaa, and Pent from God to ac- quaint theWorld with his Mind and Will ; we can make no doubt of the truth of any thing which he hath delivered. So that the Faith which the Scripture doth in a peculiar manner attribute to.the Spirit of God, is this perfwafion, that 7efrrs is the Chrifl; that is, that he was the truc ?Ylejas, and Pent from God. So that the Qreflion is : How the Spirit of Gad doth concur to the begetting of this Faith or Perfwafion ? Or why thisFaith is in fuch a peculiar manner at- tributed to the Spirit of God ? I anfwer upon thefe two Accounts. Firf1, in refpe& of the outward Evidence which the Spirit of God gives üs to perfwade us to believe. Secondly, in refpe& of the inward efficacy and operation pf the Spirit of God upon the Minds of Men in believing. Finfl, In refpe& of the outward Evidence which the Spirit of God gives us to perfwade us to believe. And if this be not that which Divinesmean by the Tefli mony-of the Spirit in this matter, yet I think it is that which may naoft properly be
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