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in the gospel He that ftood by and ftrengthened Saul, will also stand by and strengthen us: He is a God mighty to fave all that put their truft in him. If we look up with an eye of faith, we, as well as the firft martyr Stephen, may fee JESUS. ftanding at the right hand of God, ready to affift and protect us.Though the LORD's feat is in heaven, yet he has respect to his faints in an especial manner, when fuffering here on carth; then the Spirit of CHRIST and of glory refts upon their fouls. And, if I may fpeak my own experience, "I never enjoy more rich communications from GoD, than when defpifed and rejected of men for the fake of JESUS CHRIST." However little they may defign it, my enemies are my greatest friends. What I moft fear, is a calm; but the enmity which.. is in the hearts of natural men againft CHRIST, will not. fuffer them to be quiet long: No; as I hope the work of GOD will increase, so the rage of men and devils will increase alfo. Let us put on, therefore, the whole armour of Gop: let t us not fear the face of men: "Let us fear him only, who can destroy both body and foul in hell :" I fay unto you, let us fear him alone. You fee how foon GoD can stop the fury of his enemies.

You have just now heard of a proud, powerful zealot ftapt in his full career, ftruck down to the earth with a light from heaven, converted by the almighty power of efficacious grace, and thereupon zealously promoting, nay, refolutely fuffering for, the faith, which once with threatenings and flaughters he endeavoured to deftroy. Let this teach us to pity and praye for or our to LORD's most inveterate enemies. Who knows, but in anfwer thereunto, our LORD may give them repentance; unto life. life?, Mot think, that CHRIST had refpect to Stephen's prayer, when he converted Saul. Perhaps for this reafon Gon fuffers his adverfaries to go on, that his goodness and power: may fhine more bright in their converfion. 10:19 13

But let not the perfecutors of CHRIST take encouragement from this to continue in their oppofition. Remember, though Saul was converted, yet the high-priest, and Saul's companions, were left dead in trefpaffes and fins: And, if this fhould be your cafe, you will of all men, be moft miferable for perfe cutors have the lowest place in hell. And, if Saul was, ftruck,

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to the earth by a light from heaven how will you be able tori ftand before JESUS CHRIST, when he comes in terrible malls jefty to take vengeance on all those who have perfecuted his gofpel? Then the question, "Why perfecüteft thou mẽ șìn will cut you through and through bThe fecret enmity of fl your hearts shall be then detected before men and angels, and u you fhall be doomed to dwell in the blackness of darkness for 03 evermore. Kifs the Son, therefore, left he be angry for even you may yet find mercy, if you believe on the Son of G though you perfecute him, yet he will be your Jesus,19 ou cannot defpair of any of you, when I find a Saul among the difciples at Damafeus. What though your fins are as fearlet, the blood of CHRIST fhall wash them as white as fnow. Haval ing much to be forgiven, despair not only believe, and like ** Saul, of whom I have now been fpeaking, love much. He counted himself the chiefeft finner of all, and therefore Ta-" boured more abundantly than all. 01 »****

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Who is there among you fearing the LORD? Whose hearts hath the LORD now opened to hearken to the voice of his poor unworthy fervant? Surely, the LORD will not let me preach in vain. Who is the happy foul that is this day to be washed in the blood of the Lamb? Will no poor finner take encouragement from Saul to come to JESUS CHRIST Y ?HIYOU”I are all thronging round, but which of you will touch the LORD JESUS? What a comfort will it be to Saul, and to your own' fouls, when you meet him in heaven, to tell him, that Hearing of his, was a means, under Gob, of your converfion! Doublons less it was written for the encouragement of all poor, returning? finners; he himself tells us fo for in me Gob thewed all long-fuffering, that I might be an example to them that fhould hereafter believe. Was Saul here himself, He would"?" tell you fo, indeed he would ; but being dead, by this account of his converfion he yet fpeaketh. O that God may fpeak by it to your hearts! O that the arrows of GOD might this day stick fast in your souls, and you made to cry out, « Who? art thou, LORD ?? Are there any fuch amongst you? Methinks I feel fomething of what this Saul felt, when he faid," "Itravail in birth again for you, till CHRIST be formed again in your hearts."^ O come, "come away ?63J£sts;1Îh'°

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whóm Saul believed; and then I care not if the high-priests iffue out never so many writs, or injuriously drag me to a prifon. The thoughts of being inftrumental in faving you, will make me fing praises even at midnight: And I know you will be my joy and crown of rejoicing, when I am delivered from this earthly prifon, and meet you in the kingdom of GOD hereafter.

Now to GOD, &c.

SERMON

SERMON

XLII.

Marks of having received the Holy Ghost.

ACTS xix, 2.

Have ye received the Holy Ghoft fince ye believed?

TWOO

WO different fignifications have been given of these words. Some have fuppofed, that the question here put, is, Whether thefe difciples, whom St. Paul found at Ephefus, had received the Holy Ghost by impofition of hands at confirmation? Others think, thefe difciples had been already baptized into John's baptism; which not being attended with an immediate effufion of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle here afks them, Whether they had received the Holy Ghost by being baptized into JESUS CHRIST? And upon their anfwering in the negative, he first baptized, and then confirmed them in the name of the LORD JESUS.

Which of these interpretations is the most true, is neither eafy nor very neceffary to determine. However, as the words contain a most important enquiry, without any reference to the context, I fhall from them,

First, Shew who the Holy Ghoft here spoken of, is; and that we must all receive him, before we can be stiled true believers.

Secondly, I fhall lay down fome fcripture marks whereby we may know, whether we have thus received the Holy Ghoft or not. And

Thirdly, By way of conclufion, addrefs myself to several distinct claffes of profeffors, concerning the doctrine that fhall have been delivered. VOL. VI.

First,

First, I am to fhew who the Holy Ghost spoken of in the the text, is; and that we must all receive him before we can be filed true believers.

By the Holy Ghoft is plainly fignified the Holy Spirit, the third Perfon in the ever-bleffed Trinity, confubftantial and co-eternal with the Father and the Son, proceeding from, yet equal to them both. He is emphatically called Holy, becaufe infinitely holy in himself, and the author and finisher of all holinefs in us.

This bleffed Spirit, who once moved on the face of the great deep; who over-fhadowed the bleffed Virgin before that holy child was born of her; who defcended in a bodily shape, like a dove, on our bleffed LORD, when he came up out of the water at his baptifm; and afterwards came down in fiery tongues on the heads of all his Apoftles at the day of Pentecoft: this is the Holy Ghoft, who must move on the faces of our fouls; this power of the Most High, must come upon us, and we must be baptized with his baptifm and refining fire, before we can be ftiled true members of CHRIST's myftical body.

Thus fays the Apostle Paul," Know ye not that JESUS CHRIST is in you, (that is, by his Spirit) unlefs you are re probates?" And, "If any man hath not the Spirit of CHRIST, he is none of his." And again, fays St. John, "We know that we are his, by the Spirit that he hath given

us.

It is not, indeed, neceflary that we should have the Spirit now given in that miraculous manner, in which he was at first given to our LORD's Apoftles, by figns and wonders; but it is abfolutely neceflary, that we should receive the Holy Ghost. in his fanctifying graces, as really as they did and fo will it continue to be till the end of the world.

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For thus ftands the cafe between GoD and man: GoD at firft made man upright, or as the facred Penman expreffes it, In the image of GOD made he man," that is, his foul was the very copy, the tranfcript of the divine nature. He, who before, by his almighty fiat, fpoke the world into being, breathed into man the breath of fpiritual life, and his foul was adorned with a refemblance of the perfections of Deity.