DISC. XII.] ESTRAORJ)ÏNART WITNESS or TILE SeIRiT. and unworthiness ; as holy Job, when he saw God in some more uncommon manifestations of " his power and glory, he abhorred himself in dust and ashes ;" .Tog xlii. 5, 6. So Isaiah when he had beheld the Lord sit- ting upon a throne, high, and lifted up, Woe is me, saith Ile, " I am a man of uncican ps;" Is. vi. 1 -5. But vain delusions puff up the soul with a high conceit of it- self; as Simon, Magus, when, by the power of the devil, he performed some strange feats, " he gave out that he was some great person ;" Acts viii. 9, 10. Many other instances of the like kind might be produced out of tho history of the christian church. II. By this testimony of the Spirit tl\e soul is led to a more sensible dependance on divine grace, having an in- ward and effectual conviction how dark and weak it is in itself, and how powerful is the grace of God, and the operation of the Spirit ; it makes the soul run to the pro- tection and succour of almighty grace; whereas vain delusions of the fancy, or temptations of the devil, rar Cher lead the soul away from divine grace, and incline it to a sort of self-sufficiency and dependance upon its owu ,attainments, its own light, and its own strength. III. The witness of the Spirit does more establish the. soul in the great doctrines of the gospel, anci particularly in faith on Christ Jesus. Many of these immediate tes- timonies of old were given to the primitive christians with this design, to confirm them in the doctrines of grace, and in the faith of Christ Jesus. When St. Paul was transported into the third heaven ;" Cor. xii. and had doubtless an uncommon manifestation of the love of God ; as soon as the next danger and trial appeared, he besought the Lord importunately, and could not be sa- tisfied till he received this answer from Christ, " my grace is sufficient for thee ;" Cor. xii. 9. He was weak in himself but strong in Christ. But, on the other hand,' it bas been evident-too often, when the devil has endea- voured to delude weak creatures in this respect, he has drawn them off from Christ or filled their imaginations with some strange errors, and led them away into false and foolish opinions, contrary to the doctrines of the gospel. The blessed Spirit will perform his office when he becomes a Comforter, he will be an advocate for ;lirist, for so the word paì'actetos also signifies; " he
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