shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear fhall live. God will renew the face of the earth, fo that the Spirit being poured from on High, the wilderness shall become a fruitful field; nor fhall they need to teach each one his neighbour, saying, Know the Lord; for all, being taught of God, fhall know him, from the least unto the greatest: and every knee fhall bow, and every tongue confefs Jefus to be Lord unto the glory of the Father. 6. THAT fame Spirit will be a fpirit of confolation, or happiness. Happiness is the defire of every creature, and more especially the human kind. All are in pursuit of it, and, let them seek it in what they will, that is the prize which they are aiming at. Now we may conclude, from the difappointment of millions, in every department of life, that happiness is not to be found in any created object, and that they may as foon expect to find the philofopher's stone, which was to turn every thing into gold. In every enjoyment in life, there is some fly in the ointment, which is fure to give a disagreeable tincture to all the reft. It is right it should be fo; or we fhould feek nothing farther. But the Holy Spirit is called, with great propriety, the Comforter-yea, the Comforter, which is to abide with us for ever. Such a Comforter we certainly need; and all, who believe, feel the fweetnefs of the fame-though with many conflicts and temptations, with many sharp trials and painful difficulties. These gracious vifits, like the fun in a winter's day, are often interrupted interrupted by ftorms and tempefts; by clouds and darkness overspreading the horizon of the inner man. But when the glory of the latter day arrives, and the Spirit is poured out upon all flesh, this confolation will be permanent, ftrong, and clear; for, in the full sense of the word, grace will reign, through righteousness, unto eternal life, and the mourning days are finally ended. 7. THAT Spirit is the universal cleanser of human hearts; whofe influences are often compared unto water for that very reafon. No one can fay, I have made mine own heart clean; as foon can the Æthiopian change his skin, or the Leopard his spots, as those that are accustomed to do evil, of themfelves, learn to do well: yet, notwithstanding, without holiness no man can see the Lord; for nothing which defileth can, in any wife, enter into Heaven. No anger, or pride, can, in any wife, enter the kingdom of God; and yet the human race is full of thefe-full of every abomination, which makes the world be as it is-like a cage of unclean birds: hence we find that envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitablenefs, abound every where; infomuch, that we may fay, Iniquity covers the earth as the water covers the fea. But when the univerfal Refiner comes forth in his purging energy, and, like a mighty torrent, sweeps away every refuge of lies, and erafeth the foundations thereof,-then fhall his glory go forth like brightness, and his falvation like a lamp that burneth. Righteousness fhall flow down the ftreets ftreets like a mighty current; and, as every one shall know the Lord, fo every one fhall love the Lord with all his heart, and his neighbour as himself. Glorious day! glorious change! fhout out,-Glory to God in the Higheft, and on earth, peace and good-will to mankind. Hail, thou univerfal King! reign for ever! 8. THAT bleffed Spirit is a Divine Interceffor, and thereby helpeth our infirmities. And whatever may take place after the Refurrection, it is very certain there is conftant need of prayer before, and even an Apostle could fay, We know not what to pray for as we ought; which, by the way, fhews that the Apoftle did not tie himself up to any kind of forms. Indeed, the great things of eternity are too big, too weighty, to be confined to forms, or even to be expreffed in words; yet when the Spirit maketh interceffion with groanings, which cannot be uttered, but which coming from God, afcend up to him again as grateful incenfe, holy and acceptable to God, and never fail to bring the answer down. This will be the cafe in an abundant manner, when the general and efficacious influences of the Spirit fhall be poured out upon all flesh. All the little diffentions, which party zeal hath formed, fhall be melted down, fweetly loft, and happily fwallowed up in an univerfal breathing after the living God. The Spirit of grace and fupplication fhall be poured out upon all, upon the Houfe of David and inhabitants *Rom. iii. 26. inhabitants of Jerufalem-upon old and young, fervants and hand-maids; and the univerfal cry will be, Come, Lord Jefus ! come quickly! 9. THAT fame Spirit will be an universal strengthener, or confirmer, of the Saints. Such, indeed, we find it to be at the prefent time, or we could not ftand a moment, confidering our native weakness, and the enemies which we have to grapple with. It was the highest wish St. Paul had, for his beloved Ephefians, and for which he bowed his knees to the Father of heaven and earth, that they might be ftrengthened with might by the Spirit in the inner man *. As all power is of God, fo this divine power is more immediately fo, or the treasure which is in earthen veffels would certainly be loft. What poor, fainthearted men were the Apostles, until they were endowed with power from on High! but, afterwards, they could fay, God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a found mind +. That being the cafe, they could face the greatest dangers, could gladly encounter the greateft difficulties; yea, could do all things, through Chrift's ftrengthening of them. They even gloried in their own infirmities, that the power of Chrift might rest upon them. It is true, in that glorious Gospel-Day, which is now referred unto, all the enemies will be cut off, and the warfare will ceafe; and, perhaps, fome may think there will be no need of this ftrengthening Spirit. I answer, fuppofing Eph. iii. 14, 15, 16. † 2 Tim. i. 7. 2 Cor. xii. 9. fuppofing a tree should not be shaken by mighty hur~ ricanes, or agitated with furious ftorms; or fuppofing the wood-man fhould not attack it with his axe? yet hath that tree need of the power of the fap to keep alive, and in its verdure, or it would foon wither and droop, and leaves and fruit must fail: fo, in like manner, though the ftorms of perfecution fhall fail, and the hurricanes of Satan's temptation fhall be cut off, yet there will be need of the power of the eternal Spirit to preferve and increase the fruit and happiness of the trees of righteousness for ever-that they may be fair and flourishing in the House of God, yielding the peaceable fruits of righteousness to all eternity. III. FROM hence, we may now fee the need, the conftant need, of that heavenly Enlightener, that divine Quickener, that eternal Comforter, and neverfailing Strengthener and All-Cleanfer, even now!What are all modes and fyftems of Religion without this? What angry debates, what warm contentions, and violent perfecutions, have attended human creeds, and positive forms, which men have too often fet up inftead of this heavenly anointing, this divine teaching, fo neceffary to conduct us through this thorny wildernefs, and bring us to a city of habitation? 2. LET the cry of each be,-Send out thy light and thy truth; let them lead me to thy holy hill, and to thy dwelling-place *. Now, where the Spirit of God * Pf. xliii. 4. |