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"nefs, lafciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, ❝ variance, emulations, wrath, ftrife, feditions, here"fies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, " and fuch like;" fo "the fruit of the Spirit is" defcribed to be " love, joy, peace, long-fuffering, "gentlenefs, goodness, fidelity, mecknefs, and "temperance*" Thefe, in a general point of view, require no explanation; and to defcribe each, in its feveral branches, would demand feveral difcourfes. They are brought forward here fimply as marks of our having truly received the Spirit of Chrift, the Spirit of adoption; of Chrift being in us the hope of glory, and of our being no longer reprobates, in continual danger of everlasting ruin. It must be evident, where the Holy Spirit of God really is, there will of neceffity, be the proper "fruit of the Spirit." But we muft first receive the Spirit before we can produce his fruit; and where he is received as the Spirit of adoption, he becomes a witnefs or a feal of our being children of God, and an earnest of our promifed inheritance.

This appears to me plainly the doctrine of the Scriptures. The immediate witness of the Spirits is not faith itself but confequent on faith. "After "that we believe, we are fealed with the Holy "Spirit of promise t." As many as received him, to them gave he power (or privilege) to become the fons of God, even to them that believe in his name and becaufe ye are fons, God hath fent

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*Gal. v. 19. to 24. + Eph. i. 13. John i. 12.

forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, cry❝ing Abba Father*.” Such is the divine procefs, as reprefented by the Holy Spirit himself. "As many as have the Spirit of God, they," and they only," are the fons of God +" They who have thus received the Spirit of God are enabled to fay, with St. Paul, not only," whose I am," but alfo "whom I ferve." Our dear Redeemer came to purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works f;" he loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might "fanctify and cleanfe it, with the washing of water "by the word, that he might present it to himself "a glorious church, not having fpot, or wrinkle "or any fuch thing; but that it fhould be holy, "and without blemish ||." Thofe whom God elects he does fo "through fanctification of the Spirit, "and belief of the truth (a)." Their faith is to them the vital principal of holinefs; by faith their hearts are purified and fanctified (b); and made "meet for the inheritance of the faints in light. (c)"

APPLICATION.

Let us then briefly apply what has been faid. You obferve, my dear friends, how we muft" ex"amine ourselves, whether we be in the faith;"

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even by knowing that Chrift is in us," by his Holy Spirit; in which cafe, we fhall have both his direct witness to our adoption, and the evidence both to ourselves and others of his glorious fruit. Let us afk ourselves: Do we know any thing experimentally of the direct and immediate witnefs of our adoption in Chrift? Without this, we may

be in danger of miftaking moral virtues for Chrif tian graces; the fruit of education, or of natural temper and difpofition, for the fruit of the Holy Spirit of God. Christ must be the foundation of whatever is pleafing and acceptable to God.

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We never can truly love him, till we look to him, with filial confidence, through the merits and fufferings of his dearly-beloved Son, and this is a confidence which God only can inspire; the very witnefs, earneft, and feal of the Spirit, which we have been considering. Without true love of God, reafon as well as revelation plainly points out, that none of our actions can be good in his all feeing eyes. They want the very principle of all goodness; and however they may deceive mankind, or our felves, by their outward appearance of what is amiable and excellent, they cannot deceive him who "fearcheth the heart." And, do not imagine that you have this witnefs of your adoption in Christ, unless you truly love him, and keep his commandments. True "faith work"eth by love *;" and "this is love, that we walk "after his commandments t." There cannot be the

Spirit

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Spirit without the fruit of the Spirit, in it proper season, any more than there can be a tree without the fruit of that tree. Be not deceived. "God hath called us unto holinefs *;" and it is an holinefs which his Spirit muft produce, and in the manner which God himfelf has pointed out. 66 Ex"amine yourselves" therefore, by the marks which have been here fhewn whether ye be in the "faith. Prove your own felves. Know ye "not your own felves, how that Jefus Chrift "is thus IN YOU, except ye be reprobates ?" I would to God, that you might all, from a confidence of his infpiring, be able to fay, with the apoftle, "I truft, ye fhall know, that we are not "reprobates." Which may Almighty God grant, for the fake of his dear Son, Jefus Chrift, our Lord! Amen!

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PRAYER BEFORE OR AFTER THE SERMON.

The Second Collect at Evening Prayer, and the Colle for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity.

O God, from whom all holy defires, all good counfels, and all just works do proceed: Give unto thy fervants that peace which the world cannot give. Graft in our hearts the love of thy nam : Increase in us true religion: Nourish us with all goodness; and, of thy great mercy, keep us in the fame, through Jefus Chrift, our Lord!

SERMON II.

ON

2 Car. xiii. 5.

Examine yourfelves whether ye be in the faith.

TH

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HERE may poffibly have appeared fome little intricacy of difcuffion in purfuing the argument of my former Sermon on this text. The great importance of the fubject demanded it. It may alfo produce a good effect on this and the following difcourfes, in having fo prepared

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