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perfuading and enabling us to come to Chrift in Union and Communion with him; because, being in ourselves dead in Sin, we are neither willing nor able to come: John v. 25. Verily verily I fay unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead fhall hear the voice of the Son of "God: and they that hear, fhall live.' Compared with Pfal. cx. 3. Thy people fhall be willing in the day of thy power.' "Phil. ii. 13. John vi. 44. forecited.

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The Spirit perfuades and enables us to embrace Jefus Chrift freely offered to us in the Gospel, by convincing us of our Sin and Mifery, enlightening our Minds in the Knowledge of Chrift, and renewing our Wills. The Work of the Spirit for perfuading and enabling us to embrace Chrift, is threefold; namely, Conviction, faving Illumination, and the renewing of the Will. But Conviction is not a Work of the Spirit, of the fame Kind with the other two.

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Conviction is a Work of the Spirit, acting as a Spirit of Bondage upon us, Rom. viii. 15. The Spirit, acting as a Spirit of Bondage, convinceth us of our Sin and Mifery: John xvi. 8. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of fin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.' Acts ii. 37. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and faid unto Peter, and to the rest of the apoftles, Men and brethren, what fhall we do?? The Effect of the Spirit's Work of Conviction upon us, is a Sight of our Sins as heinous in the Sight of God, and of his Wrath due to us for them, filling us with Remorse, Terror, and Anxiety, John xvi. 8. Acts ii. 37. forecited. Chap. xvi. 29. Then he [the jailor]

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called for a light, and fprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas.' The Word of God by which the Spirit works that Conviction, is the Law: Rom. iii. 20. By the law is the knowledge of fin.' He convinceth us of our Sin by it, bringing home on our Confciences the Commands of the Law, as of divine Authority, and binding on us in particular: Rom. vii. 7. What shall we fay then? is the law fin? God 'forbid. Nay, I had not known fin but by the 'law: for I had not known luft, except the law had faid, Thou shalt not covet.' Comparedwith Exod. xx. i. And God spake all these words, c. He convinceth us of our Mifery by it, bringing home on our Confciences the Curfe of the Law, as the Curfe of the Lord himself, binding on us in particular Gal. iii. 10. As many as are ' of the works of the law, are under the curfe : for it is written, Curfed is every one that con 'tinueth not in all things which are written in the 'book of the law to do them.' Compared with Rom. iii. 19. Now we know that what things foaver the law faith, it faith to them who are un'der the law: that every mouth may be stopped, ' and all the world may become guilty before God." Mal. iii. 9. Ye are curled with a curfe; for ye 'have robbed me.' That Law-work doth not iffue in Faith and Converfion, in all whom it is wrought upon: Matth. xxvii. 3. 4. 5. Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he faw that. " he was condemned, repented himfelf, and brought again the thirty pieces of filver to the chief priests ' and elders, faying, I have finned, in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And he cast down 'the pieces of filver in the temple, and departed,

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and went and hanged himself.' Acts xxiv. 25. And as Paul reafoned of righteoufnefs, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and anfwered, Go thy way for this time; when 'I have a convenient feafon, I will call for thee.' Neither is that Law-work of the fame Meafure in all that are converted: Luke xix. 6. And Zaccheus made hafte, and came down, and received him joyfully. Compared with Acts ix. 9. And Saul was three days without fight, and neither did eat nor drink. But fo much of it is necef fary, as brings the Soul to fee an abfolute Need of Chrift, and to defpair of Relief by any other Way: Gal. iii. 24. Wherefore the law was our fchoolmafter, to bring us unto. Chrift, that we "might be juftified by faith.' Luke vi. 48. He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock,' &c. The Part this Law-work of the Spirit hath in the perfuading and enabling us to embrace Jefus Chrift, is, that it begins the Perfuafion. It begins the Perfuafion, urging us with our loft and undone State, and our Need of a Saviour: Gal. iii. 23. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, fhut up unto the faith which fhould afterwards be revealed.' Exod. xx. 18. 19. And all the people faw the thunderings, and the lightenings, and the noife of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people faw it, they removed, and ftood afar off. And they faid unto Mofes, Speak thou with us, and we will hear but let not God fpeak with us, left we die.' But this Law-work neither perfects the Perfuafion, nor enables us to embrace Chrift: Rom. viii. 3. For what the law could not do in that it

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was weak through the flesh, God fending his own Son in the likeness of finful flesh, and forfin condemned fin in the flefh.' Heb. vii. 19. For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did.

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Saving Illumination, and the renewing of the Will, are Works of the Spirit acting as a Spirit of Life within us: 2 Cor. iv. 6. For God, who commanded the light to fhine out of darkness, hath 'fhined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jefus Chrift. Compared with John vii_12. Then fpake Jefus again unto them, faying, I am the light of the world he that followeth me, fhall not walk in darkness, but fhall have the light of life. Ezek. xxxvi. 26. 27. A new heart alfo will I give you, and a new fpirit will I put within you, and I will take away the ftony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my fpirit within you, and caufe you to walk in my ftatutes, ye hall keep my judgments, and do them.? The Spirit of Life, from Chrift the Head, is con veyed into us in the Word: John vi. 63. It is the fpirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I fpeak unto you, they are fpirit, and they are life. Not in the Word of the Law, but in the Word of the Gofpel: Gal. This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 2 Cor. iii. 7. 8. But if the miniftration of death written and engraven in ftones, was glorious, fo that the children of Ifrael could not ftedfaftly behold the face of Mofes, for the glory of his countenance, which I3

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glory was to be done away; how fhall not the ministration of the fpirit be rather glorious?' The Gospel is the Word of the glad Tidings of Salvation to Sinners, through Jefus Chrift: Acts xiii. 26. To you is the word of this falvation fent.' Luke ii. 10. 11. And the angel said unto the fhepherds, Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which fhall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of Da'vid, a Saviour, which is Chrift the Lord!

The Work of the Spirit, in effectual Calling, acting as a Spirit of Life within us, is a quickening Work, giving Life to the dead Soul: Eph. ii. 5. God, even when we were dead in fins, hath quickened us together with Chrift.' Compared with John vi. 63. forecited. In his faving Operation, then, on the Mind and Will, bringing Sinners to Chrift, he acts irresistibly, yet without the leaft Violence done to their Will: Jer. xxxi. 18. I have furely heard Ephraim bemoning himself thus, Thou haft chaf tifed me, and I was chastised, as a bullock naccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I fhall be ❝ turned; for thou art the Lord my God.' Cant. i. 4. 'Draw me, we will run after thee.' Now, that quickening Work is the fame with Regeneration taken ftrictly for the Beginning of the new Creature: John i. 12. 13. As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the fons of • God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.' Compared with Chap. iii. 6. That which is born of the Spirit, is fpirit.'

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The quickening or regenerating Work of the Spirit on our Minds, is faving Illumination or

Enlightening

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