298 EXTRAORDINARY WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT. `DISC. EST. will take of the things of Christ, and shew them to 'the soul'; he will guide his people into the same truths to which he witnessed so gloriously in the primitive times; and 'will confirm believers in the faith of the holy scrip- tures ;" .JÓ/172 xvi. 13, 14. Iv. The witness of the Spirit drawsout the heart to some special degrees of love to God, and engages it in warm and' lively thanksgivings for such divine and unde- served favours : The soul admires the rich grace' and goodness of God in Christ Jesus. Thence will arise an 'utter aversion to all. sin, an hatred of every thing that is displeasing to God, a powerful sense of indwelling cor- ruption, 'a watchful care to please God in every thing, and to make some humble returns of love for such Ines- tirnable favours, and divine manifestations ; whereas the warm presumptions of fancy, or the delusions of the devil, leave the soul in a more careless and unholy frame ; or, at least, they are oftentimes attended, or -quickly followed, by some powerful temptation to gross iniquity : which the deluded soul-too often and too ea- sily complies with : And there have been many instances, wherein persons under the power of vain delusions from the devil, have been drawn away to the practice of vari- ous sorts of crimes, and particularly to foul and scanda- lolls sins. In the last place, I might add also in general, that though the Spirit of God may witness in an extraordi- nary manner to our adoption, when the soul cannot plainly see or does not actually and plainly recollect the characters of adoption in itself; yet it never leaves the soul without awakening the exercise'of such graces as are indeed the sure marks and evidences of the children of God.: Where the Spirit comes, it will bring some of its own fruits with it, in a sensible manner. Now thefruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, long= su/fering, gentle- ness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; Gal. v: 22. If we are comforted by the Spirit, we shall crucify the 'flesh with its affections and lusts, and endeavour to walk and live as becomes the sons and daughters of such a Father as God is. . Upon the whole I conclude, that it does not seen to be agreeable to the wisdom and providence of God, in the government of the world, to suffer the devil so exactly, 5
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