DISC. xr.] ORDINARY WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT. 273 O the unknown transports of this hour ! The unspeak- able joy and glory of this day! Faith is even astonished at the delightful distant prospect, and longs till the Lord appear. DISCOURSE XI. THE ORDINARY WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT. ROMANS viii, lô. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. THE FIRST PART. HERE is a sacred honour and dignity conferred upon men by a patent from heaven : The patent is the scrip- ture, or word of God, and the dignity is, that we are made his children. Here are also two distinct witnesses to this title of honour; viz. our own spirits, and the blessed Spirit of God : The Spirit itself witnesses with our spirits, that we are the children of the Most High. Every one that reads the text may plainly discern, that, by the Spirit itself we must understand the Holy Ghost, or third person in the ever blessed Trinity, who is sent to dwell and operate in the hearts of christians ; as it is expressed in several of the foregoing verses. And it is as -manifest, that our own spirit here signifies that principle within us, distinct from our flesh, whereby we are enabled to think, reason, compare things together, and to judge concerning them. This is sometimes called the mind, the heart, the conscience, the soul ; and it is termed our spirit here in the words before us. The Spirit of God may sometimes operate by himself alone, in a very extraordinary manner, upon the souls ofmen, and give them immediate and divine assurances of their adoption and their interest in the love of God, as his children ; And this favour was sometimes bestowed -in the primitive days of christianity, when the saints VOL. III. T
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