The Holy Spirit Convincing the World of Sin of Righteousness of Judgment, Title page – Preface
THE HOLY SPIRIT Convincing the World of Sin, of Righteouſneſs, and of Judgment, conſidered in Four SERMONS: The two former delivered at the Tueſday-Evening Lecture in Brattle-Street, January 20th & March 3: The other at the Old-South-Church in BOSTON, April 17 & 26, 1741.
By Joseph Sewall, D. D.
Rom. viii. 15.
Ye have not receiv'd the Spirit of Bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of Adoption, whereby we cry Abba, Father.
BOSTON: Printed by J. DRAPER, for D. HEHCHMAN in Cornhil. 1741.
PREFACE.
IT hath pleaſed the ſovereign and gracious God, in whoſe Hand our Times are, to ordain that we ſhould live under ſome peculiar Advantages for our precious Souls. For to the ordinary Means, we have ſuper-added the Manifeſtation of the Spirit, in extraordinary Works of Grace. We have lately heard glad Tidings from one Place & another, that many are enquiring the Way to Zion, with their Faces thitherward; and ſome are declaring what God hath done for their Souls. Yea, God hath brought this Work home to our own Doors, & we hear many crying out, What muſt we do to be ſaved. And There are a Number hopefully rejoicing in God's Salvation. Of ſuch a Seaſon as this it may well be ſaid, I have heard thee in a Time accepted, and in the Day of Salvation have I ſuccoured thee: behold, Now is the accepted Time; Behold, Now is the Day of Salvation, I hope God's People are reaping the Fruit of their Prayers, particularly on extraordinary Days of Faſting obſerv'd with an eſpecial View to this great Bleſſing, the plentiful Effuſion of the holy Spirit And ſhall we not prize and improve this rich Gift? Shall we not redeem this precious Time in working out our own Salvation? conſidering that God who alone can work in us to will and to do, ſays to us, Seek ye the Lord, while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. To Day, if ye will hear his Voice, harden not your Hearts. Certainly we muſt be very criminal if we ſleep or loiter away ſuch a Day of Grace. They who are guilty of ſuch a preſumptuous Sin, run a dreadful Hazard of ſwift Deſtruction, double Damnation. O there's great Reaſon to fear that another like Seaſon will never, never return upon you. O Sleeper! Awake, & hearken, there's a Noiſe, and a Shaking among the dry Bones. Some it may be of your own Acquaintance, ſecure like you a little while ago, are now in deep Concern, & can no longer reliſh thoſe carnal Pleaſures in which you were Companions. Now, Deſtruction from God is a Terror to them, and they are fleeing from the Wrath to come. What a Reproof doth God give to your Stupidity in the Awakenings of others? Now then hear God's Voice, Turn ye at my Reproof; behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you. Or, if you are ſtill deaf to God's Calls, let the Thunder of thoſe amazing Words make your Ears to tingle; Becauſe I have called, and ye have refuſed,— I alſo will laugh at your Calamity, and mock when your fear cometh. When your Fear cometh as Deſolation, and your Deſtruction as a Whirlwind. And tremble leaſt you ſhould be ſuddenly deſtroyed, and that without Remedy. But then, Let awakened Sinners be encouraged to preſs into the Kingdom of Heaven. Strive to enter in at the ſtrait Gate; for many will ſeek to enter in, and ſhall not be able. Improve the Five Talents now put into your Hands, remembring what our Lord hath ſaid, Unto whom much is given, of him ſhall much be required. O look diligently, leſt any Man fail of the Grace of God! Continue ſeeking till Chriſt be revealed to you as the Lord your Righteouſneſs, and as the God of Judgment: That you may glory in this, that you underſtand, & know the Lord, who exerciſeth Loving-kindneſs, Judgment & Righteouſneſs in the Earth. And here, among you with whom the Spirit is ſtriving at this Day, we behold many of our young People. O our Children! God is drawing nigh to you in a diſtinguiſhing manner, and will not you from this Time cry unto him My Father, thou art the Guide of my Youth? Shall any of you be proſane as Eſau, who for one Morſel of Meat ſold his Birth-right; and then, when he would have inherited the Bleſſing, was rejected? God forbid. May you all thirſt for God, and ſeek him early, till that Promiſe ſhall be more abundantly fulfilled in you, I will pour my Spirit upon thy Seed and my Bleſſing on thine Offspring. And is it poſſible for Parents & elder Perſons to behold theſe Things, and not be moved? Can you ſee your Children in Pain, and travailing till Chriſt be formed in them, and you be unconcern'd about the New-Birth? Are they taken, and can you bear to be left behind; left to periſh in your Sins, as far diſtant as Heaven & Hell? Is the eleventh Hour running, and you not effectually called? What a ſad Token is this! The Lord have Mercy upon you! But there are conſiderable Numbers of elder as well as younger Perſons, of whom I am perſwaded better Things, and Things that accompany Salvation. And to you our aſcended Saviour ſpeaks, Hold faſt till I come. Be not aſhamed or afraid, to confeſs Chriſt before Men; & to ſtand up for him. And here the Providence of God gives me Advantage to preſs upon you that Exhortation; If ye are riſen with Chriſt, ſeek thoſe Things which are above; ſet your Affection on things above, not on things on the Earth. For as it was with God's ancient People, a Day of Darkneſs and Gloomineſs, and then God comforted his People with that gracious Promiſe, I will pour out my Spirit upon all Fleſh. *Joel 2So it pleaſeth God to ſend down the Comforter from Heaven into the Hearts of his People, while it is a dark Day with us upon temporal Accounts. May the Spirit of Judgment ſanctify the Frowns of God upon us to rebuke our Pride, our Covetouſneſs, our Luxury; and all thoſe fooliſh and hurtful Luſts, whereby we have been conformed to this World. And now we behold, the Curſe devouring the Earth, may we all unite in ſeeking the Bleſſings of the heavenly Paradiſe, where Satan & the Curſe can never enter. That we may even now ſay with the Prophet, Altho' the Fig-Tree ſhall not bloſſom—and the Fields ſhall yield no Meat, the Flock ſhall be cut off from the Fold, and there ſhall be no Herd in the Stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my Salvation.
But I forbear, and would only further ſay, that the remarkable Work of Grace begun and going on among us, gave Encouragement to me to ſtudy and preach the following Sermons. At firſt, I deſign'd to publiſh only upon the Head of Conviction of Sin, the Diſcourſes upon which Subject it pleaſed God to own and bleſs much beyond my Expectation. May the Praiſe be given to that God who hath choſen the weak Things of the World, that no Fleſh ſhould glory in his Preſence. Since that, I have been prevail'd upon to go on with the Subject, and alſo to publiſh the other Diſcourſes; that we may ſee in ſome meaſure how the Spirit of God carrieth on his good Work in the Hearts of his People from legal Conviction to ſaving Converſion, and then ſends forth Judgment to Victory, not withstanding all Oppoſition from the Enemies of our Salvation. Senſible of the Defects which attend this Performance, I humbly commend it to God for His Bleſſing, beſeeching him to teach us to Profit by all the Means of Grace which he gives us richly to enjoy.
Joſeph Sewall