Nine Sermons, Sermon 8
SERMON VIII.
The Holy Spirit convincing the World of Sin, Righteouſneſs, and Judgment.
JOHN xvi. 8.
And when he is come, he will reprove the World of Sin, and of Righteouſneſs, and of Judgment.
THESE Words contain Part of a gracious Promiſe which the bleſſed Jeſus was pleaſed to make to his weeping and ſorrowful Diſciples—The Time was now drawing near, in which the Son of Man was firſt to …e lifted upon the Croſs, and afterward to Heaven▪ Kind▪ Oh wondrous kind! had this merciful High-Prieſt been to his Diſciples during the Time of his tabernacling amongſt them—He …ad Compaſſion on their Infirmities, anſwered for …hem when aſſaulted by their Enemies, & ſet them …ight when out of the Way, either in Principle … Practice—He neither called or uſed them as … them … Happened the … underſtand … the hidden … of the Kingdom … God, when he … others in Parabl… ▪ Nay he became the … all, and … condeſcended to waſh their Feet—The Thoughts of parting with ſo dear and loving a Ma…r as this, eſpecially for a long … ▪ muſt needs affect them much—When … he intended to be a…ſent from them only for a Night, we are told, he was … to …train them to leave him—No wonder then, … when he now informed them, he muſt entirely go away, and that the Phariſees in his Abſence ſhould put them out of them … & ex…mmu…cate … yea, that the Time ſhould come, that whoſe … ki…ed them, ſhould think … did God Set … (A Prophecy … would … in an … Manner deſigned … the ſuffering Miniſters of this Generation) No wonder, I ſay, conſidering all this▪ that we are told, Ver. 6. That Sorrow had filled … Hearts … Becauſe I have …hed … theſe Times unto … and, Sorrow … …ath filled your Hear… … Heart were ſo full of Concern, that they were …—In order therefore to reconcile them … Dispenſation, our dear & compa…nate Redeemer ſhews them the Neceſſity he lay under to leave them— Nevertheleſs, … he, I tell you the Truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: As tho' he had ſaid—Think not, my dear Diſciples, that I leave you out of Anger—No, it's for your Sakes, for your Profit, that I go away … For if I go not away, i… I die not upon the … for your Sins, and riſe again for your Juſtification, & aſcend into Heaven to make Interceſſ… and plead my Merits before my Father's Throne, the Comforter, the Holy Ghoſt, will not, cannot come unto you. But if I depart, I'll ſend him unto you—And that they might know wha… he was to do, When he is come▪ ſays our Lord, he will reprove the World of Sin, and of Righteouſneſs, and of Judgment.
The Perſon then referred to in the Words of the Text, is plainly the Comforter, the Holy Ghoſt, and the Promiſe was firſt made to our Lord's Apoſtles—But tho' it was primarily made … them, and was literally and remarkably … at the Day of Penticoſt, when the Holy Ghoſt came down, as a mighty ruſhing Wind and alſo when three thouſand were pricked to the Heart by Peter's Preaching, yet as the Apoſtles were the Repreſentatives of the whole Body of Believers, we muſt infer, that this Pro… muſt be looked upon as ſpoken to us, and to … Children, and to as many as the Lord our … call
M… Deſign from theſe Words at preſent, is to ſhew the … in which the Holy Ghoſt … works upon the Hearts of thoſe, who, … Veſſels of Mercy, and … Kingdom of Darkneſs, into the Kingdom of God's dear Son.
…ay generally—For as God … a … ſacred Spirit …loweth not only on …, but when & how it liſteth▪ Therefore, … it …om me to …e fine … Almighty to … Way of acting, or ſay, … …gree o… Conviction—No▪ there is a holy …riety in God's Methods of calling home his …—But this we may affirm aſſuredly, that wherever there is a Work of true Conviction and Converſion wro't upon a Sinner's Heart, the Holy Ghoſt, whether by a greater or leſs Degree of inward Soul-Trouble, does that which our Lord Jeſus tells the Diſciples in the Words of the Text, that he ſhould do when he came.
If any of you here ridicule inward Religion▪ or think there's no ſuch Thing as our feeling or receiving the Holy Ghoſt, I fear my Preaching will be quite Fooliſhneſs to you, and that you will underſtand me no more, than if I ſpoke to you … an unknown Tongue—But as the Promiſe in the Text is made to the World, and as I know it will be … till Time ſhall be no …, I ſhall proceed to explain the general Way, whereby the Holy Ghoſt works upon every converted Sinner's Heart▪ and I hope that the Lord, … whilſt I am ſpeaking, may be pleaſed to fulfil it in many of your Hearts—And when he is come, he will reprove the World of Sin, of Righteouſneſs, and of Judgment.
The Word which we tranſlate reprove, ought to be render'd convin…, and in the Original it implies a Conviction by way of Argumentation▪ and coming with a Power upon the Mind equal to a Demonſtration—A great many Scoffers o… theſe laſt Days, will aſk ſuch as they term Prete…ders to the Spirit, how they feel the Spirit, and how they know the Spirit? They might as well aſk, how they know, and how they feel the Sun when it ſhines upon the Body? For with equal Power and Demonſtration does the Spirit of God work upon and convince the Soul.
And Firſt, It convinces of Sin—And generally of ſome enormous Sin, the worſt perhaps the convicted Perſon ever was guilty of—Thus when our Lord was converſing with the Woman of Samaria, he convinced her firſt of her Adultery, Woman, ſays he, Go call thy Huſband—The Woman anſwered, and ſaid, I have … Huſband—Jeſus ſaid unto her, Thou haſt we… ſaid, I have no Huſband: For thou haſt had five Huſbands, and he whom thou now haſt, … not thy Huſband: In this ſaidſt thou truly. —With this there went ſuch a powerful Conviction of all her other actual Sins, that ſoon after ſhe left her Water-pot, and went her Way into the City, and …aith to the Men, Come, and ſee a Man that told me all Things that ever I did: Is not this the Chriſt? Thus our Lord alſo dealt with the Perſecutor Saul—He convinced him firſt of the horrid Sin of Perſecution—Saul, Saul, Why perſecuteſt thou N…? Such a Senſe of all his other Sins, in all Probability, at the ſame Time revived in his Mind, that immediately he died; that is▪ died to all his falſe Confidences, and was thrown into ſuch an Agony of Soul, that he continued three Days, and neither did eat or drink.—This is …ne Method the Spirit of God generally takes in …aling with Sinners—He firſt convinces them … ſome heinous actual Sin, and at the ſame time …rings all their other Sins into Remembrance, and as it were ſets them in Battle Array before them: When he is come, he will reprove the World … Sin.
And was it ever thus with you, my dear …earers? (For I muſt queſtion you as I go along, becauſe I intend, by the divine Help, to preach not only to your Heads, but your Hearts)—Did the Spirit of God ever bring all your Sins thus▪ to Remembrance, & make you cry out to God, Thou writeſt bitter Things againſt me? Did your actual Sins ever appear before you, as tho' drawn … a Map? If not, you have great Reaſon (unleſs you were ſanctified from the Womb) to ſuſpect that you are not convicted, much more not converted, and that the Promiſe of the Text was never yet fulfilled in your Hearts.
Further: When the Comforter comes into a Sinner's Heart, tho' it generally convinces the Sinner of his actual Sin firſt, yet it leads him to ſee and bewail his original Sin, the Fountain from which all theſe polluted Streams flow.
Tho' every Thing in Earth, Air, and Water, every Thing both without and within, concur to prove the Truth of that Aſſertion in the Scripture, viz. that in Adam we all have died; not moſt are ſo harden'd, thro' the Deceitfulneſs … Sin, that notwithſtanding they may give an … ſent to the Truth of that Propoſition in their Heads, yet they never felt it really in their Heart—Nay, ſome in Words profeſſedly deny it, th… their Works, too, too plainly prove them to be degenerate Sons of a degenerate Father—But when the Comforter, the Spirit of God arreſts a Sinner, and convinces him of Sin, all carnal Reaſoning againſt original Corruption, every proud and high Imagination, which exalteth itſelf againſt that Doctrine, is immediately thrown down—And is made to cry out, Who ſhall deliver me from the Body of this Death? He now finds that Concupiſcence is Sin—And does not ſo much bewail his actual Sins, as the inward Perverſeneſs of his Heart, which he now finds not only to be an Enemy to, but alſo direct Enmity againſt God.
And did the Comforter, my dear Friends, ever come with ſuch a convincing Power as this into your Hearts? Were you ever made to ſee and feel, that in your Fleſh dwelleth no good Thing▪—That you are conceived & born in Sin—That you are by Nature Children of Wrath—That God would be juſt if he damned you, tho' you never committed an actual Sin in your Lives? So often as you have been at Church and Sacrament, did you ever feelingly confeſs, that there was no Health in you—That the Remembrance of your original and actual Sins was grievous unto you, and the Burthen of them intolerable? If not, you have been only offering God vai… Oblations—You never yet prayed in your Lives—The Comfort never yet came effectually into your Souls—Conſequently you are not in the Faith properly ſo called—No, you are at preſent … a State of Death and Damnation.
Thirdly, The Comforter, when he comes effectually to work upon a Sinner, not only convinces him of the Sin of his Nature, the Sin of his Life, but alſo the Sin of his Duties.
We all naturally are Legaliſts, thinking to be juſtified by the Works of the Law—When ſomewhat awakened by the Terrors of the Lord, we immediately, like the Phariſees of old, go …bout to eſtabliſh our own Righteouſneſs, and think we ſhall find Acceptance with God, if we ſeek it with Tears—Finding ourſelves damned by Nature, and our actual Sins, we the… think to recommend ourſelves to God by our Duties, and hope by our Doings of one Kind or another, to inherit eternal Life—But whenever the Comforter comes into the Heart, it convinces the Soul of theſe falſe Reſts, and makes the Sinner, to ſee that all his Righteouſneſſes are but as filthy Rags—And that his beſt Works are but ſo many ſplendid Sins—And that for the moſt pompous Services, he deſerves no better a Doom than that of the unprofitable Servant, viz. to be thrown into outer Darkneſs, where is weeping, and wailing, and gnaſhing of Teeth.
And was this Degree of Conviction ever wrought in any of your Souls? Did the Comforter ever come into your Hearts, ſo as to make you ſick of your Duties, as well as your Sins? Were you ever, with the Great Apoſtle of the Gentiles, made to abhor your own Righteouſneſs, which is by the Law, and acknowledge that you deſerve to be damned, tho' you ſhould give all your Goods to feed the Poor? Were you made to feel that your very Repentance needed to be repented of, and that every Thing in yourſelves is but D…ng and Droſs?—And that all the Arguments you can retch for Mercy muſt be out of the Heart, and pure unmerited Love o… God? Were you ever made to lie at the Fee… of ſovereign Grace, and to ſay, Lord, if thou wilt, thou may'ſt ſave me, if not, thou may'ſt juſtly damn me—I have nothing to plead, I can in no wiſe juſtify my ſelf in thy Sight—My beſt Performances I ſee will condemn me.—And all I have to depend upon is thy free Grace—What ſay you? Was this eve…, or is this now, the habitual Language of your Hearts? You have been frequently at the Temple. But did you ever approach it in th… Temple… of the poor Publican; and after you have done all, acknowledge that you have done nothing—And upon a feeling experimental Senſe of your own Unworthineſs▪ and Sinfulneſs, every way ſmite upon your Breaſts, and ſay, God be …, to us Sinners▪ If you never were thus …, the Comforter never yet effectually … into your Souls—You are out of Chriſt, and if God ſhould require your Souls in that Condition, he would be no better to you than a con…ming Fire.
But there is a … Sin, which the Comfor…, when he comes, convinces the Soul of, and … alone (it is very remarkable) but Lord … was the only Sin worth … it is the Root of all … It is the reigning, … Sin of the World—And what … that Sin may be?—It is … that Root of all other Evils, … the Sin of …—Of Sin, ſays our …. Ver. … becauſe they believed not on me.
But …, the Chriſtian World, and … that hear me this Day, want … Ghoſt … convince you of Unbelief? … any Infidels here? Yes, (Oh! that … not too great Reaſon to think ſo) I fear m…ſt are ſuch—Not indeed ſuch Infidels as pro…e…edly deny the Lord that bought us (tho' … fear too many even of ſuch Monſters are in every Country;) but I mean ſuch Unbelievers that have no more Faith in Chriſt than the Devils themſelves—Perhaps you may think you believe, … you repeat the Creed, or ſubſcribe to a Confeſſion of Faith—Becauſe you go to Church … Meeting, receive the Sacrament, and are taken … full Communion—Theſe are bleſſed Priviledges, but all this may be done, without our … true Believers—And I know not how to detect your falſe hypocritical Faith better, than … putting to you this Queſtion—Suppoſe I was to aſk you, "How long have you …lieved?"—Would not moſt of you ſay, As … we can remember, we never did …believe—Then this is a certain Sign that you have no true Faith at all—No, not ſo much as a Grain of M…ſtard Seed—For if you believe now, (unleſs you were ſanctified in your Infancy) you muſt know that there was a Time, in which you did not believe on the Lord Jeſus Chriſt—And the Holy Ghoſt, if ever you received it, convinced you of this—Eternal Truth has declared, when he is come, …e will convince the World of Sin, becauſe they believe not on me.
None of us believe by Nature—But after the Holy Ghoſt has convinced us of the Sin of our Natures, and the Sin of our Lives, and Duties, in order to convince us of our utter Inability to ſave ourſelves, and that we muſt be beholden to God, as for every thing elſe, ſo for Faith (without which, it is impoſſible to pleaſe, or be ſaved …y Chriſt.) He convinces us alſo, that we have no Faith—Doſt thou believe on the Son of God? is the grand Queſtion which the Holy Ghoſt now puts to the Soul—At the ſame Time he works with ſuch Power and Demonſtration, that the Soul ſees, and is obliged to confeſs that it has no Faith.
This is a Thing little thought of by moſt that call themſelves Believers—They dream they are Chriſtians, becauſe they live in a Chriſtian Country—If they were born Turks, they would believe on Mahomet—For what is that which Men commonly call Faith, but an outward Conſent to the eſtabliſh'd Religion? But do not you thus deceive your own ſelves—For true Faith is quite another Thing—Aſk your ſelves therefore, whether or not the Holy Ghoſt ever powerfully convinced you of the Sin of Unbelief? You are perhaps ſo devout (as you may imagine) as to get a Catalogue of Sins, which you look over, and confeſs in a formal Manner, as often as you go to the Holy Sacrament—But amongſt all your Sins, did you ever once confeſs and bewail that damning Sin of Unbelief?—Were you ever made to cry out, Lord, give me Faith—Lord, give me to believe on thee, Oh, that I had Faith▪—Oh, that I could believe! If you never were thus diſtreſſed—At leaſt, if you never ſaw and felt, that you had no Faith, it is a certain Sign that the Holy Ghoſt the Comforter, never came into, and worked, ſavingly upon your Souls.
But is it not odd, that the Holy Ghoſt ſhould, be called a Comforter, when it is plain, by they Experience of all God's Children, … of Conviction is uſually attended with … Conflicts, and a great deal of Soul▪ …?—I anſwer, the Holy Ghoſt may well … termed a Comforter, even in … Work—Becauſe it is the only Way to, and ends in … Comfort—Bleſſed are they that are th… convicted by him, for they ſhall be comforted Nay, not only ſo, but there is preſent Comfort▪ … in the midſt of theſe Convictions—The … rejoice in the Sight of its own Miſery—Bleſſes God … bringing … Darkneſs into Light, and looks forward with … Comfortable Proſpect of fu…re Deliverance…, … knowing, that tho' Sorrow …ay endure for a Night, Joy will come in the Morning.
Thus it is that the Holy Ghoſt convinces the Soul of Sin—And if ſo, holy wretchedly …— they miſtaken, that blind the Light of the Spirit with the Light of Conſcience, as all ſuch do, who ſay, that Chriſt lighteth every Man that cometh into the World, and that Light, if improved, will bring us to Jeſus Chriſt.—If ſuch Doctrine be true, the Promiſe in the Text was needleſs—Our Lord's Apoſtles had already that Light—The World hereafter to be convinced had that Light—And if that was ſufficient to bring them to Chriſt, why was it expedient that Chriſt ſhould go away to Heaven, to ſend down the Holy Ghoſt to do this for them—Alas! all have not this Spirit—It is the ſpecial Gift of God, and without this ſpecial Gift, we can never come to Chriſt.
The … of Conſcience will accuſe or convince us of any common Sin—But the Light of natural Conſcience never did, never will, and never can convince of Unbelief—If it could, how comes it to paſs, that not one of the Heathens, who improved the Light of Nature in ſuch an eminent Degree, was ever convinced of Unbelief? No, natural Conſcience cannot effect this—It is the peculiar Property of the Holy Ghoſt the Comforter—When he is come, he will reprove (or convince) the World of Sin, of Righteouſneſs, and Judgment.
We have heard how he convince of Sin—We come now to ſhew, what is the Righteouſneſs which the Comforter convinces the World of.
By the Word Righteouſneſs, in ſome Places of Scripture, we are to underſtand that common Juſtice which we ought to practiſe between Man and Man—As when Paul is ſaid to reaſon of Temperance and Righteouſneſs before a trembling Felix—But here (as in a Multitude of other Places in holy Writ) we are to underſtand by the Word Righteouſneſs, the active and paſſive Obedience of the dear Lord Jeſus—Even that perfect, perſonal, all-ſufficient Righteouſneſs, which he has wrought out for that World which the Spirit is to convince—Of Righteouſneſs, ſays our Lord, becauſe I go to the Father, and ye ſee me no more—This is one Argument that the Holy Spirit makes uſe of to prove Chriſt's Righteouſneſs—Becauſe he is gone to the Father, and we ſee him no more—For, had he not wrought out a ſufficient Righteouſneſs, the Father would have ſent him back, as not having done what he undertook, and we ſhould have ſeen him again.
Oh, the Righteouſneſs of Chriſt! It ſo comforts my Soul, that I muſt be excuſed if I mention it in all my Diſcourſes—I would not, if I could help it, have one Sermon without it—Whatever Infidels may object, or Arminians …ophiſtically argue againſt an imputed Righteouſneſs—Yet whoever know themſelves and God, muſt acknowledge, that Jeſus Chriſt is the End of the Law for Righteouſneſs, and perfect Juſtification, in the Sight of God, to every one that believeth. And that we are to be made th… Righteouſneſs of God in him—This, … only a poor Sinner can lay hold of, becauſe Anchor of his Hope—Whatever … that is, of Salvation Men may …ay, … hold on Chriſt's ſee no other Foundation whereon to build my Hopes of Salvation, but on the Rock of Chriſt's perſonal Righteouſneſs imputed to … Soul.
Many I believe have a rational Conviction of, and agree with me in this—But rational Convictions, if reſted in, avail but little—It muſt be a ſpiritual, experimental Conviction of the Truth which is ſaving—And therefore our Lord ſays—When the Holy Ghoſt comes, in the Day of his Power, it convinces of this Righteouſneſs, viz. of the Reality, and Compleatneſs, & Sufficiency of it, to ſave a poor Sinner.
In the foregoing Part of this Diſcourſe, we ſhewed how the Holy Ghoſt convinces the Sinner of the Sin of his Nature, Life, Duties, an… of the Sin of Unbelief—And what then muſt the poor Creature do? He muſt, he muſt inevitably deſpair, if there be no Hope but …n himſelf—When therefore the Spirit has haunted the Sinner out of all his falſe Reſts & Hiding-Places, taken off the pitiful Fig-leaves of his own Work… and driven him out of the Trees of the Garden (his outward Reformations) and placed him naked before the Bar of a ſovereign, holy, juſt, and Sin-avenging God; then, then it is, when the Soul, having the Sentence of Death within itſelf becauſe of Unbelief, has a ſweet Diſplay … Chriſt's Righteouſneſs made to it by the Holy Spirit of God—… is that he begins … We … to act in the Quality of a Comforter, … the Soul ſo powerfully of the … All-ſufficiency of Chriſt's …
By the Word▪ Soul … immediately ſet a … Scripture, we are … and thirſting after it—Now the … begins to ſee▪ that tho' he haſt deſtroyed himſelf, yet in Chriſt is his Help—That tho' he has no Righteouſneſs of his own to recommend him, there is a Fulneſs of Grace, a Fulneſs of Truth, a Fulneſs of Righteouſneſs in the dear Lord Jeſus, which, if once imputed to him, would make him happy for ever and ever.
None, none can tell, … thoſe happy Souls who have experienced it▪ with what Demonſtration of the Spirit this Conviction comes—Oh, how amiable, as well as all-ſufficient, does the bleſſed Jeſus now appear! With what new Eyes does the Soul now ſee the Lord its Righteouſneſs! Brethren, it is unutterable—If you were never thus convinced of Chriſt's Righteouſneſs in your own Souls, tho' you may believe at doctrinally, it will avail yo… nothing—The Comforter never came ſavingly into your Souls—And then you are comfortleſs indeed.
But what will this Righteouſneſs avail, if the Soul has it not in Poſſeſſion?—The next Thing therefore the Comforter, when he comes, convinces the Soul of, is Judgment.
By the Word Judgment, I underſtand that well-grounded Peace, that ſettled Judgment, which the Soul forms of itſelf, when it is enabled by the Spirit of God, to lay hold on Chriſt's Righteouſneſs, which I believe it always does, when convinced in the Manner before-mentioned— Of Judgment, ſays our Lord, becauſe the Prince of this World is judged; that is, the Soul, being enabled to lay hold on Chriſt's perfect Righteouſneſs … a lively Faith, … Conviction wrought in it by the Holy Spirit, that the … this World is now judged—The S…l, being now juſtified by Faith, it has Peace with God, through our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, and can triumphantly ſay, It is Chriſt that juſtifies me, … now that condemns me? The ſtrong Man armed is now caſt out▪ My Soul is now in a true Peace—The Prince of this World will come and accuſe, but he ha… now no Share in me—The Bleſſed Spirit which I have received, and whereby I … enabled to apply Chriſt's Righteouſneſs to my poor Soul, powerfully convinces me of … Why ſhould I fear? Or o… what ſhall I …, ſince God's Spirit witneſſes with my Spirit, that I am a Child of God? The Lord … up on High—He has …ed Captivity Captive—He has received the Holy Ghoſt the Comforter, that beſt of Gifts for Men, and that Comforter is come into my Heart—He is faithful that hath promiſed—I, even I, am powerfully, rationally, ſpiritually convi… …d of Sin, Righteouſneſs and Judgment—By this I know the Prince of this World is judged.
Thus, …, may we ſuppoſe the Soul to triumph, in which the Promiſe of the Text is happily fulfilled—And tho' at the Beginning of this … ſaid m…ſt had never experienced any thing of this, and that therefore this Preaching muſt be Fooliſhneſs to moſt, yet I doubt not but there are ſome few happy Souls, who, thro' Grace, have been enabled to follow me Step by Step—And notwithſtanding the Holy Ghoſt might at directly work in the ſame Order a… I have …eſcribed, and perhaps they cannot exactly ſay … Time when, yet they have a well-grounded confidence that the Work is done, and that they we really been convinced of Sin, Righteouſneſs and Judgment, in ſome Way, or at ſome Time … another.
And now, what ſhall I ſay to you? O thank God, thank the Lord Jeſus, thank the ever-…leſſed Trinity, for this unſpeakable Gift—For you would never have been thus highly favoured, … not he, who firſt ſpoke Darkneſs into Light, …ved you with an everlaſting Love, and enlighten'd you by his Holy Spirit, and that too, not▪
Account of any good Thing foreſeen in you, but for his own Name's Sake.
Be humble therefore, O Believers, be humble—Look to the Rock from whence you have been …ewn—Extol Free Grace—Admire Electing Love, which alone has made you to differ from the reſt of your Brethren—Has God bro't you into Light? Walk as becom…h Children of Light—Provoke not the Holy Spirit to depart from you—For tho' he hath ſealed you to the Day of Redemption, and you know that the Prince of this World is judged; yet if you backſlide, grow lukewarm, or forget your firſt Love, the … will viſit your Offences with the Rod of Affliction, and your Sin with ſpiritual Scourges—Be not therefore high-minded, but fear—Rejoice, but let it be with Trembling—As the Elect of God, put on not only Humbleneſs of Mind, but Bowels of Compaſſion, and pray, Oh pray, for your unconverted Brethren!—Help me, help me now, O Children of God, and hold up …y Hands, as Aaron and Hur once held up the Hands of Moſes—Pray, whilſt I am Preaching, that the Lord may enable me to ſay, This Day is the Promiſe in the Text fulfilled in ſome poor Sinners Hearts—Cry mightily to God, and with the Cords of a holy Violence, pull down Bleſſings on your Neighbours Heads—Chriſt yet lives and reigns in Heaven—The Reſidue of the Spirit is yet in his Hand, and a plentiful Effuſion of it is promiſed in the latter Days of the Church—And Oh that the Holy Ghoſt, the bleſſed Comforter, would now come down, and convince thoſe that are Chriſtleſs amongſt you, of Sin, of Righteouſneſs, & of Judgment! Oh that you were once made willing to be convinced!—But perhaps you had rather be filled with Wine, than with the Spirit, and are daily chaſing that Holy Gueſt from your Souls—What ſhall I ſay for you to God? Father forgive them, for they know not what they do? What ſhall I ſay from God to you?—Why? that God was in Chriſt reconciling the World unto himſelf—Therefore I beſeech you, as in Chriſt's Stead, be ye reconciled to God—Do not go away contradicting and blaſpheming—I know Satan would have you be gone—Many of you may be uneaſy, and are ready to cry …ut▪ What a Wearineſs is this! But I will not let you go—I have wreſtled with God for my Hearers in private, and I muſt wreſtle with you … publick—Tho' of myſelf I can do no …, and you can no more by your own Powe… … to, and believe on Chriſt, than Lazaru… … come forth from the Grave, yet who … but God may beget ſome of you again … Hope by this Fooliſhneſs of Preaching, … that you may be ſome of that World, which th… Comforter is to convince of Sin, of Righteouſneſs, and of Judgment?—Poor, Chriſtleſs … do you know what a Condition you are … Why you are lying in the wicked One, the …—He is in you—He rules in you, he walks … in you, unleſs you dwell in Chriſt, … the Comforter is come into your Hearts—… contentedly lie in that wicked … the Devil? What Wages will he give … Eternal Death—Oh that you would … to Chriſt!—The Free Gift of God thro … is eternal Life—He will accept of you even … ▪ if you will believe in him—The Comforter …ay yet come into your Hearts, even yours—All that are now his living Temples, were once …ing in the wicked One, as well as you—This bleſſed Gift, this Holy Ghoſt, the bleſſed Jeſus received even for the Rebellious—Oh that he would ſhew me that he has received it for ſome of you!—I ſee many of you affected—But are your Paſſions only a little wrought upon, or are your Souls really touched with a lively Senſe of the Heinouſneſs of your Sins, your Want of Faith, or the Preciouſneſs of the Righteouſneſs of Jeſus Chriſt? If ſo, I hope the Lord has been gracious, & the Comforter is coming into your Hearts. O do not ſtifle theſe Convictions!—Do not go away, and ſtrait way forget what Manner of Doctrine you have heard, and thereby ſhew, that theſe are only common Workings of a few tranſient Convictions, floating upon the Surface of your Hearts—Beg of God that you may be ſincere (for he alone can make you ſo) and that you may indeed deſire that the Promiſe of the Text may be fulfilled in your Souls—Who knows but the Lord may be gracious? Remember you have no Plea but ſovereign Mercy—But for your Encouragement alſo, remember it is the World, ſuch as you are, to whom the Comforter is to come, and whom he is to convince—Wait therefore at Wiſdom's Gates—The bare Probability of having a Door of Mercy open'd, is enough to keep you …—Chriſt Jeſus came into the World to …a…e Sinner, the Chief of them—You know not but he came to ſave you—Do not go and quarrel with God's Decrees, and ſay, if I am a Reprobate, I ſhall be damned; if I am elected, I ſhall be ſaved, and therefore I'll do nothing—What have you to do with God's Decrees? Secret Things belong to him—It is your Buſineſs to add all Diligence to make your Calling and Election ſ…re—I… there are but few that find the Way that leads to Life, do you ſtrive to be ſome of them—You know not but you may be in the Number of thoſe few, and that your ſtriving may be the Means which God intends to bleſs, to give you an Entrance in—If you do not act thus, you are unſincere—And if you do, who knows but you may find Mercy? For though, after you have done all that you can, God may juſtly cut you off, yet never was a ſingle Perſon damned that did all that he could—Tho' therefore your Hands are withered, ſtretch them out—Tho' you are impotent, …ck and lame, come lie at the Pool—Who knows, but by and by the Lord Jeſus may have Compaſſion on you, and ſend the Comforter to convince you of Sin, Righteouſneſs, and of Judgment? He is a God full of Compaſſion and Long-ſuffering, otherwiſe you and I had been long ſince lifting up our Eyes in Torments—But ſtill he is patient with us—Yet, O Chriſtleſs Sinners, you are alive, and who knows but God intends to bring you to Repentance? Could my Prayers or Tears effect it, you ſhould have Vollies of the one, and Floods of the other—My Heart is now touched with a Senſe of your Condition—May our merciful High-Prieſt now ſend down the Comforter, and make you ſenſible of it alſo!—Oh the Love of Chriſt! … conſtrains me yet to beſeech you to come to him—Oh what do you reject, if you reject Chriſt, the Lord of Glory!—Oh, Sinners, give the dear Redeemer a Lodging in your Souls—Do not be Bethlemites—Sons and Daughters give Chriſt your Hearts, your whole Hearts—Indeed he is worthy—He made you, and not you yourſelves—You are not your own—Oh give Chriſt then your Bodies and Souls, which are his!—Is it not enough to melt you down, to think that the high and lofty One, that inhabiteth Eternity, ſhould … condeſcend to invite you by his Miniſter? How ſoon can he frown you to Hell? And how know you, but he may … Inſtant, if you do not hear his Voice?—Did any yet harden their Hearts againſt Chriſt, and proſper? Come then, do not ſend me ſorrowful away! Do not let me have Reaſon to cry out, O my Leanneſs, my Leanneſs!—Do not let me go weeping into my Cloſet, and ſay, Lord, they will not believe my Report—Lord, I have called them, and they will not anſwer, I am unto them as a very pleaſant Song, and as one that plays upon a pleaſant Inſtrument; but their Hearts are running after the Luſt of the Eye, the Luſt of the Fleſh, and the Pride of Life—Would you be willing that I ſhould give ſuch an Account of you, or make ſuch a Prayer before God? And yet I muſt not only do ſo here, but appear in Judgment againſt you hereafter, unleſs you will come to Chriſt—Once more therefore I intreat you to come—What Objections have you to make?—Behold … ſtand here in the Name of God, to anſwer all that you can offer—But I know no one can come, unleſs the Father draw him—I will therefore addreſs me to my God, and intercede with him to ſend the Comforter into your Hearts.
O bleſſed Jeſus, who art a God whoſe Compaſſions fail not, and in whom all the Promiſes are Yea and Amen; thou that fitteſt between the Cherubims, ſhew thyſelf amongſt▪ us—Oh let us now ſee thy Outgoings!—Oh let us now taſte that thou art gracious, and reveal thy Almighty Arm!—Get thyſelf the Victory in theſe poor Sinners Hearts—Let not the Word ſpoken, prove like Water ſpilt upon the Ground—Send down, ſend down, O great High-Prieſt, the Holy Spirit to convince the World of Sin, of Righteouſneſs, and of Judgment—So will we give Thanks and Praiſe to thee for ever—Even to thee O Father, thee O Son, and thee O bleſſed Spirit; to whom, as three Perſons but one God, be aſcribed by Angels and Arch-Angels, by Cherubims and Seraphims, and all the heavenly Hoſt, all poſſible Power, Might, Majeſty, and Dominion, now and for evermore. Amen, Amen, Amen.