312 EXTRAORDINARY WITNESS OF THE arias?. this answer from Christ, my grace is sufficient for thee; 2 Cor. xii. 9. He was weak in himself but strong in Christ. But, on the other hand, it has been evident too often, when the devil has endeavoured 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 bles- sed Spirit will perform his office when he becomes a Com- farter, he will be an advocate for Christ, for so the word paracletos also signifies ; he will take of the things of Christ, and spew 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 thefaith oftheholy scriptures ; . John xvi. 13, 14. IV. The witness of the Spirit draws out the heart to some special degrees of love to God, and engages it inwarmand lively thanksgivings for such divine and undeserved favours: The soul admires the rich grace andgoodness 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 indwel- ling corruption, a watchful care to please God in every thing, and to make some humble returns of love for such inestima,. ble 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 easily 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 prac- tice of various sorts of crimes, and particularly to foul and scandalous sins. In the last place, I might add also, in general, that though the Spirit ofGod may witness in an extraordinary 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 the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentle- ness, goodness, frith, meekness, temperance; Gal. v. 22. If we are comforted by theSpirit, we shallcrucify theflesh with its affections, and lusts,. and endeavour to walk and live as becomes thesous and daughters of such a Father as God is. Upon the whole I conclude, that it does not teem to be agreeable to thewisdom and providence of God, in the govern-
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