SECTION VII: 579 strongest inference and motive with it for our love to our fel- low-christians, even in themost glorious and self-denying instan- ces of it ? This far have I been spewing some of the advantages which the death of Christ, considered as an atonement for sin, has to engage us in all christian duties, above the view of his death in any other consideration. Let me now speak a word or two to chew, how sweet and powerful an influence the doctrineof our regeneration and sanctification by the Spirit of God has to encourage us to repentance and holiness, and to make us truly penitent and holy, above those views and purposes of the mere extraordinary operations of the Spirit which Agrippa represents. Agrippa tells us that by the miraculous gifts of the Spirit of God, thedivine promiseofpardon uponour repentence is confirm- ed and established : And I grant, Cavenor, that this has, or should have, a very proper moral influence on men to repent, and it is a spring of powerful persuasion to sinners to return to God. But when a poor convinced awakened sinner finds his nature strongly inclined to evil, and the thoughts of his heart running after vanity and folly ; when he experiences in himself a natural aversion to what is holy and divine, as well as weakness to what is good ; when he feels how feebleare all his best vows and reso- lutions, though repeated a hundred times over ; when he finds himself surrounded with a thousand temptations in this world on all sides, to allure his heart away fromGod, and to discourage him-in his pursuit of piety and virtue, he is ready to sink under the mighty discouragements, and to give up all for lost ; for he finds himself by no means able to subdue his own corruptions, nor to vanquish the temptationswhich on every side attack him. Here it is he wants a mighty helper. And if he can read among the blessings of the gospel the promised aids and influences of the blessed Spirit to be given to them who ask it, in order to mortify his sins, to strengthen him for every duty, to change his evil na- ture, and renew the image ofGod in him, and enable him to van- quish his huge temptations ; this puts new life and courge into hisheart, and awakens and invigorates all the springs of activity within him. He works out his own salvation with all holy dili- gence because God has promised his Spirit to work in him both to will and to do ; Luke xi. 13. Rom. viii. 11 -14. Phil. ii. 12. 13. And what think you now, Cavenor ? Are not these advan- tages toward all the duties of the christian life which are derived from the doctrine of Paulinos vastly transcendent to all the prin- ciples of Agrippa's creed ? Here Cavenor seemed to stand musing in a sort of astonish- ed silence, and at last with tears in his eyes broke out into a pas- sionate address to heaven. " Forgive me, Omy God, that ever I consented to forsake those holy doctrines which I was taught in 0 0 2
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