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Q,06
EXT
.AORD.INARY WITNESS
OF
THE
SPIRIT.
[DISC.
XII.
ness,
Christ appeared
to him,
and
shewed him the
of
the nails
in his
hands,
and
the wound
of
the
spear
in
his side
:
Upon
which discovery,
Thomas
cries
out
with
joy,
my
Lord,
and my
God
!
It
is
possible
that other
occasions may arise
in
the
course
of
divine providence, wherein the
great
and gra-
cious
God
may
see
it
necessary
to
bestow such
peculiar
and extraordinary
favours on
some
of
his
people
;
but
there
seems to have been sufficient
evidence already
given,
that
some
of
the
wise
and
the
learned,
as well
as
some
of
the
weaker
rank of
christians, have had heavenly
experience
of
this
uncommon witness
of
the
Spirit.
The third
thing
I
proposed,
was to
skew how
these
extraordinary
favours
of
heaven may
be
distinguished
from
the delusions
of
Satan, and
from
the
mere ferments
and
fits
of
vivacity in
animal nature,
or a
disordered
fancy.
It
has been
said
indeed,
though perhaps too
rashly,
that
they
who
go
about
to
assert
an
immediate testimony,
will
never secure
the soul
from delusion
:
Satan
will soon
find
artifices to
counterfeit
this testimony,
and bear wit-
ness
in
the
Spirit's stead
;
and when
we
think
we
have
the Spirit
of truth
to
assure
us,
we shall have
the father
of
lies
to deceive
us.
But
if
christians are careful and watchful
in
this mat-
ter,
there are
signs
whereby the testimony
of
the
spirit
may be
distinguished
from
his
delusions.
Some divines have
supposed
this testimony
of
the
Spi-
rit
to be
known as the sun
is,
by
its own
light;
and
a
;plan
who
bath
seen the sun,
can never mistake
the moon
for
it;
the very
glory
of
the sun manifests
itself,
and
convinces every beholder.
And
perhaps
in the
ancient
inspiration of
the prophets, and the
gifts
of
the Holy
Spirit
in
the
days
of
the
apostles,
there
was
a divine
self-
distinguishing light
that
accompanied
these heavenly
favours, which
we
know
not
how
to
judge of at
this
distance of
time:
we who
never
have
experienced
what
divine
inspiration
is.
But the surest
way
of
our discerning
the
extraordinary
witnessings or joys
of
the Holy Spirit,
is
by
the
effects
;
which
are such
as these.
I.
It
fills
the
soul
with
great
degrees
of
humility and
self. abasement,
under a
sense
of
its own
vileness,
guilt,