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EXTRAORDINARY
WITNESS
OF
THE
SPIRIT.
[DISC.
XII.
mess.
myself;
and
receives
and borrows
no
witness from
`Oat
is
in
us,
but
makes
his own
abundantly
satisfy."
The.
late
pious
and
judicious
expositor of
scripture,`
Mr:
Samuel
Clark,
has
written
in
the defence
of
this
extraordinary
witness
of
the Spirit, and
describes it
thus
"
When
the
Spirit
of
God,
without
consideration
of,
or
reflecting upon, any
of
those
gracious qualifications
he
has
formerly wrought
in the
soul,
does,
by
his own
im-
mediate
power,
imprint
this persuasion upon
the
heart,
Thou
art
a child
Of
God
;
and
by
an
inward
and secret,
yet
powerful voice,
Both say
to
the soul,
Thou
art
a be-
liever,
thy
sins
are pardoned, or
to that purpose;
and
so
satisfies the soul concerning its
state
and condition.
I
proceed
in
the second place, to
consider the
special
seasons
and
occasions wherein such favours have been
bestowed on
Well.
The
Spirit
of God
has in a
more immediate man-
ner;
made
extraordinary
impressions of the
love
of God
.
On
the
soul, when
persons
have been called to
great
and
and
difficult services
in
the
church, or
to
uncommon
suf-
feríügs for the
sake'oíChrist.
St.
Paul
was
in
labours
more abundant,
and
in sufferings
above
measure,
be-
yond
the
rest
Of
the apostles
;
he
had
need
of eminent
support: IIe
was
assured
by
a
vision,
'that
he was
a cho-
sen
vessel
:
He
was
taken
into
heaven before
-hand, and
had
a
sight and taste'
of
unseen
future
glories,
to encou-
rage
bis
zeal
and
patience
;
Cor.
xii.
And
if
we
read
the
history
of
the martyrs,. even in
later
as well as in
ancient
times,
we
can
hardly
forbear
to believe this
truth,
when
they have
exulted
'under a sense
of
divine
love, in the
Midst
of
racks
and
flames.
When
the
teinptations
of
some
humble
souls have
been extraordinary, and their
afflictions
above measure,
pressing and overwhelming;
when
hurry and
tumult
of
their spirits
have
not
suffered them
to
recollect
in
a
calm
and
rational
way,
the
evidences
of
their adoption,
the
Spirit of God may
see fit
to
give
a saint
such a divine
cordial
to
keep
him
from
sinking.
When
'a
christian
has
been
long contesting
'with doubts
and darknesses, and
been
oppressed
with many fears,
the.
blessed Spirit has
.
Sometimes
let a sudden light
into
the
heart, and
with
or
rvïtheu't
some'word of scripture,
has given
surprising
con -
solation.
Mi.
S.
Clark
tells
us
of
a-
minister,'who
haves