the people; caft up, caft up the highway; gather out the ftones; lift up a fandard for the people. Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Jay ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy falvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before bim. Ifa. Ixii. 10, 11. Chrift is the rod from out of the ftem of Jeffe; he is the ftandard and the enfign ftaff; his everlafting love is the banner; a daily cross and a crown of glory is the motto upon the banner; minifters of Chrift are standard-bearers; thefe are commanded to go through the gates, to caft up the way, to gather out the ftones, and to up the ftandard to the people. But then we can only lift up the ftandard to the people, not in them: whereas the enemy is faid to get into them-When the enemy fhall come IN like a flood, &c. All indoor-work belongs to the Holy Spirit. We can only preach to the outward ear, and fet forth the Lord Jefus Chrift before them; which is called lift lift But it is the Holy ing up a standard to them. ·Spirit that teftifies of Chrift to the heart, and that lifts up the standard against Satan in the foul. And this he does by difperfing all the darkness and confufion which the devil has fpread over the mind; and by fubduing our inbred corruptions which the devil has stirred up, and by enlightening the understanding afresh, and prefenting the Saviour as shining into the foul, and by drawing forth faith, hope, love, repentance, and godly forrow, to go forth and flow out to him; and, at the fame time, raising up and bringing forth to the believer's view the whole work of grace in his foul; by paffing afresh the sentence of justification in the court of confcience, by brightening every evidence, bearing his own witness afresh, fhedding abroad again God's love in the heart, and filling the foul with joy and peace in believing. Now, fays the foul, let my enemy come! No, no; Satan knows better; he will not face thee with all that armour about thee. He lays at the catch; he hates the believing voice of triumph. When he hears thee mourning alone and fitting folitary, then he will vifit thee again with a, Where is now thy God? Thefe are Satan's times, and he will, let us know it. But fill the Spirit lifts up the ftandard against him, and unfolds the banner of God's love, again and again, in the behalf of them that fear God, that his beloved may be delivered from the power of fin and Satan.-Thou hast given a banner to them that feared thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth, Selah. That thy beloved may be delivered; fave with thy right hand, and bear me. Pfal. lx. 4, 5. As fure as ever and raises doubts Satan obfcures the bleffed work, in the poor finner's mind about the reality of it, fo fure does the Spirit lift up the ftandard against him, and revives the work, and brings it forth again to the light, that we may behold the righteousness of God in it. He does it over and over again, till he has strengthened, stablished, and fettled us. 13. Our fruitfulness, alfo, is owing to the indwelling dwelling and operation of the Holy Spirit.—But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-fuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against fuch there is no law. Gal. v. 22, 23. Again, For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, and righteousness, and truth. Eph. v. 9. Christ is our living root; the indwelling of the Holy Spirit makes us one with Chrift; while the everlasting love of God the Father to us in him unites us to him. From his fulness does the Holy Spirit continually supply us-We receive from his fulness, and grace for grace. Prefent grace to affure us of future grace; or fanctifying grace in this life as a pledge of glorifying grace in heaven. The Spirit takes of the things that are Christ's, and fhews them unto us-his undertaking, his finished work; his truths, doctrines, and promises; his righteousness, peace, and fatisfaction; his myfteries, his kingdom, and the power and majesty of it; his exaltation, meditation, interceffion, and glorification in heaven above. This is the work of the bleffed Spirit; and this union with Chrift Jefus does the Holy Spirit keep up: and, we having life in Chrift the root, the Holy Spirit communicates life every moment from the root to the branch; for our life is hid with Chrift in God. And Chrift fays, Because I live, you fball live alfo. Hence the promife, Their leaf fhall be green, neither shall they cease from yielding fruit. And no fmall part of the faint's fruit is of the faint's fruit is put forth in God's God's house of prayer, and by diligent attendance there-The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. The righteous fhall flourish like the palm-tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Thofe that be planted in the boufe of the Lord fhall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; to fhew that the Lord is upright: He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. Pfalm xcii. 12, 13, 14, 15. In God's houfe of prayer the united fruits of the lips are offered up; fuch as, honeft confeffions of fins, and humble acknowledgments of mercies received. Prayers, fupplications, and interceffions, are offered up in the unity of faith and love. God is extolled by the high praises of Zion, by thank-offerings, and by bleffings, and the celebrations of the perfections and attributes of his nature; fuch as his mercy, goodness, truth and holinefs, love, pity, and compaffion, towards poor finners in Chrift Jefus-Let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I the Lord exercife righteousness, judgment, loving-kindness, and tender mercy in the earth; for in these things I delight, faith the Lord. Here the faints often have bowels of mercy drawn forth, and their hearts enlarged towards the poor of the flock, to relieve their wants-Thofe that are enriched by Chrift Jefus come not behind in this grace alfo. Befides all these, there are internal fruits brought forth under the word of God, which word is faid to bring forth fruit. We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jefus Christ, praying always for you, fince we heard of your faith in Chrift Jefus, and of the love which ye have to all the faints; for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel: which is come unto you, as it is in all the world, and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth alfo in you fince the day ye beard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth. Col. i. 3-6. A word of reproof often produces felf-loathing and felfabasement. A word of feverity mixed with love produces humility and meekness. A word defcriptive of the tried foul's cafe, attended with an increase of strength and encouragement, draws forth faith into lively act and exercise. A word of comfort draws forth love to God, and joy in him. A word that reftores a backflider is attended with contrition and godly forrow. A word that feals pardon to a fallen faint, fires his zeal, and arms him with indignation against both fin and felf. A word of inftruction that fettles a doubting mind, or fixes a foul halting between two opinions, and which informs his judgment and discovers herefy and heretics, produces bleffings and thanksgivings to the glory of God. A word that encourages and fuccours the tempted, excites love to Chrift and hatred to Satan. A word that ftrengthens and refreshes the fincere feeker, produces patience, fubmiffion, |