all future demands of vindictive justice, having righteousness in Christ, and the spirit of adoption in him; and, indeed, God by his chastening hand is dealing with him as with a son; yet the Spirit does not always operate as a spirit of love, or as a comforter, at least I have not found it so; nor did David. He was often shut up, and cries, "Bring my soul out of prison ;" and again, "I will run the way of thy commandments when thou shalt enlarge my heart;" and again, "Thou hast loosed my bonds;" and again, "Restore unto me the joys of thy salvation, and uphold me with thy free Spirit:" all which proves that he did not always enjoy liberty. And, as for Jeremiah, he seems to have been in bondage almost all his days, unless when he wrote his 31st chapter; and he gets into his bonds again before he could finish that. But, although David and others could not always feel love, nor comfort, yet they got satisfaction from this, that the word coming in the power of the Spirit to them, had given them life: "This is my comfort in my affliction, for thy word hath quickened me," Psalm cxix. 50. Perfect liberty is only felt and enjoyed under the influence of love and comfort; but the Spirit illuminates, quickens, strengthens, emboldens, fortifies, bears witness, helps our infirmities in prayer; yea and convinces us of sin, righteousness, and judgment; and, what is still more, pierces the very soul, at his first entrance, by the word. Hence the word of God is called the sword of the Spirit; which gives the word its edge, and attends it with

those cutting convictions, reproofs, and rebukes, which made Peter's audience cry for quarters. The word comes with power at such times; and, whenever it comes with power, it comes in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance. It is the Spirit that makes the sword quick, and sharper than any two-edged sword. versities of operations, as well as these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing his gifts and operations severally as he will. Read 1 Cor. xii.

powerful, and

There are di

gifts; and all

But, after this long digression, I must return, to shew how the lost image of God in man is restored and reimpressed; and this is done by the Holy Ghost in regeneration. Whenever the set time shall come to favour Zion, as it does sooner or later to all that belong to that chosen city, the Spirit of God first presents Jesus Christ to the sinner's view, and enlightens the mind and understanding to discern him. This is the Spirit's work. Christ says, "He shall testify of me." This is what the psalmist calls seeing the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living; at which time, he says, "I had fainted unless I had believed." Balaam saw him, but never saw his need of him, nor believed in him. This which follows, is Paul's account of the matter, which came to him some time after his first alarm; and I think it was in Jerusalem, when he fell into a trance in the temple; "And it came to pass, that when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I was praying in the

Temple, I was in a trance; and saw him saying, unto me, Make haste, and get thee out of Jerusalem," Acts xxii. 17, 18. And Paul describes it thus: "For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined into our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." Paul says that Christ is the image of the invisible God, and in his face God shines, to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of himself in the Saviour's face. Now, as knowledge was the first thing that discovered itself in God's image in Adam, here is that knowledge of God restored, together with the glory of God, in the second Adam's face. The Holy Spirit thus testifying of Christ, and keeping him in the view of the enlightened mind, he changes our whole soulin to a likeness of him; while we stand gazing, wondering, and looking on the blessed object set before us. At this transformation the devil's vail is rent, and the Holy Ghost changes the whole soul, and forms it into another vessel, and transforms it into another likeness. The finishing and polishing work is thus described by the apostle; "But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is still upon their hearts; nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty. But we all, with open face, beholding, as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the

Spirit of the Lord," 2 Cor. iii. 15-18. Here is a most noble account of this renewing work. Christ is set before us; God shines in his face, and displays his glory, and the light of the knowledge of it in the face of Jesus: and, while we look and wonder at him, says Paul, the Holy Spirit impresses the same image upon us: we are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. This is called God's forming a people for himself, that shall shew forth his praise, Isaiah xliii. 21. And Paul, after this work is done, calls us new creatures in Christ; and says, we are created anew in Christ Jesus; which means one and the same thing. But then it may be asked what the apostle means by changing of us into the same image from glory to glory? Why the brightest saints upon earth, at times, get under spiritual desertions, and lose sight of the darling of their souls, and get into darkness: when the image seems utterly to be defaced, and nothing but Satan and corruption left or felt. But then they never continue here; the Lord is their everlasting light, their God, and their glory; therefore the Holy Spirit is sure to testify of Christ again and again; and, when another ray breaks up from Christ's face, which is called lifting up the light of his countenance upon us, the Holy Spirit gives faith another view: then the image appears again; and, as the path shines more and more, so we are changed into the same image from glory to glory. And this will most surely be carried on till endless life in

heaven takes place. Christ is our everlasting light, our God, and our glory; and never, till that sun goes down, shall this renewing work cease going on; God will work, and who shall let it? This is the work that concerns us, and God will perfect it: he will not leave us until he has done the thing that he has spoken to us of; and that thing is, ta set us down in the image of the second Adam, in everlasting glory: for, "As we have borne the image of the earthy [head,] we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.”

But some will say, My deliverance was not sa conspicuous as Paul describes it. Whether it was or not, alters not the matter: some have had visions of him in his suffering circumstances, as Isaiah had; others have had visions of him on his throne, as Ezekiel and John had. These last were appearances of him in his glorified humanity. The former is to encourage faith to believe in him as Christ crucified; and the latter, the glorious appearances of him, were to encourage hope and expectation; to be looking out after the glory that is to be revealed in us. Now, though some poor souls have not had such glorious visions and views of the Saviour as others have, yet they have had him as the true light shining into their hearts; at which time they had such a killing sight of sin in the glass of his sufferings, as they never had in the glass of the law. It was this that made Job abhor himself, and the comeliness of Daniel turn into corruption; the mind perceived the glorious light, and there was a look