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faith in the minds of men by the power of the Holy Ghost; hence God is faid to send the word of the gospel to the fouls of men with power in the Holy Ghoft, and with much affurance, 1 Theff. i. 5. And the operation of this divine power put forth is faid to produce faith; "God fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodnefs, and the work of faith with power," 2 Theff. i. 11. The whole of this work is called a perfuafion in the mind; "Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind," Rom. xiv. 5; and this perfuafion Paul afferts to be the faith of Abraham; "And, being fully perfuaded that what he [God] had promised, he was able also to perform, therefore it was imputed to him for righteoufnefs," Rom. iv. 21, 22. This matter is more fully set forth in the proclamation of God in the promises of the covenant, where it is exprefsly faid that God would put his laws into their hearts, and in their minds he would write them, Heb. x. 16. Some folks may be ready to fay that there is no call for a divine power difplayed in perfuading the minds of men to believe in Chrift. But let such try their skill upon a finner convinced of the fin of unbelief and of the enmity of his mind, the hardness of his heart, and the rebellion of his will, and who has all his crimes before his eyes, and nothing but guilt and wrath in his heart. Tell fuch that all their afflictions are in love; that, although they are enemics to God, they

are reconciled by Chrift; and that, though they are ungodly, yet they fhall be juftified; and, although they are filled with wrath, yet they are loved with an everlasting love; and, though exercifed with the fnares of death and pains of hell, yet they are the adopted fons of God, and heirs of the kingdom of heaven; and they will tell you that all men are liars. None but God can perfuade Japheth.

In allufion to the impreffion that the Holy Ghoft made, called the finger of God, upon the two tables of stone in the hand of Mofes, is this law of faith faid to be written on the mind; and I believe it is the fame in fubftance as the contents of Habakkuk's vifion, which he was bid to write and make plain upon tables, Hab. ii. 2; for this law and the Spirit of life come both together, and the contents amount to this, "The juft fhall live by his faith." Paul calls it a writing by the Spirit on the fleshly tables of the heart, 2 Cor. iii. 3. The writing the law of faith is called a perfuading of the mind; and every child of God knows that, when he is fully perfuaded of his intereft in Chrift, and that the righteoufnefs of Chrift is imputed and the sentence of juftification paffed, the fentence of death is abolished, the witnefs of our fonfhip and juftification is received into the court of confcience, and the peace of God, as the fruit and effect of righteousness, reigns and rules in the heart. Thefe are the

fleshy tables of the heart which Paul speaks of, alluding to God's promife of giving us a new heart and a new fpirit. When this moft glorious work is done, the troubled and disquieted mind confides in the power of God, so fweetly displayed or put forth in the foul at its happy and bleffed deliverance. And, confcious of its own weakness, and of the deceit of its own heart, by breaking all its refolutions, vows, and promifes, it cleaves to the power it feels, and enjoys both reft and peace in God its Saviour. Righteousness goes forth as brightness to the understanding, and as a lamp that burneth to the affections; it brings pardon to the confcience like the rays of the fun, and peace to the heart like a river. To this power difplayed the foul cleaves, in this power it rests, and dreads every thing that disturbs, disquiets, or removes it; and finds the promise fulfilled; "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whofe mind is stayed on thee," Isaiah xxvi. 3.

Having touched upon God's promise to perfuade the mind, by fending the word with power and much affurance, and of the fleshy tables of the heart feeling the impreffion, the apostle tells us of the change made in this mind; "Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind," Rom. xii. 2. This renewing is making fomething new which was once new before; having its filth purged, its enmity fubdued, and furnished with fomething

from above, that it may be taken off from its apoftacy, and be replaced, refixed, and re-eftablished upon the fame object as it was when it was first made. This is what I understand by renewing.

The apostle fays of himself, and of all fuch, "We have the mind of Chrift," 1 Cor. ii. 16; which many good men understand of our having a knowledge of the mind and will of God in Christ Jefus, as revealed in the word of the gospel. But I do not believe that this is the apoftle's meaning, because men may have all knowledge, and understand all myfteries, and yet be nothing. The apostle seems to me to mean the Holy Spirit; that we have the spirit of Chrift, which he calls the spirit of love, of power, and of a found mind, 2 Tim. i. 7. Thus we fee that faith is first called a perfuafion in the mind.

2. A full affurance, attended with a divine power.

3. The law of faith written on the mind, and put in the heart, and in the fleshy tables of the heart.

4. It is called the mind of Chrift; and

5. The Holy Ghoft, which we receive, is called the spirit of a found mind. And I am fully perfuaded that the Holy Ghoft is a spirit of light and revelation in our understanding; the fpirit of judgment in the judgment of them that fit in judgment; the fpirit of peace in our con

fcience; the spirit of love in our affections; the spirit of power in our will; and the spirit of faith, life, truth, and foundnefs, in the believer's mind. This moft certainly is the mind of Chrift, or the same spirit that was in him; and, "If any man have not the Spirit of Chrift, he is none of his :" for, in the Spirit, Chrift and the believer are one, "He that is joined to the Lord is one fpirit." Such fouls have the mind of Chrift by the Spirit's influence; they mind the fame things as he did; they are engaged in the fame labour and warfare; they meet with the fame oppofitions, they pursue the fame end; they aim at the fame joy set before them; they are joint heirs of the fame inheritance; and they share in the honour, glory, and majesty, of the fame kingdom. This is what I understand by the mind of Chrift; and this appears to me to be confirmed by the following texts; "Let this mind be in you which was alfo in Chrift Jefus," Phil. ii. 5; one mind in both. "We know not what we fhould pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itfelf maketh interceffion for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that fearcheth the heart knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit." Here our moft evangelical apoftle brings us gradually to a point. He tells us plainly that the human mind is furnifhed with carnality, and that this carnal mind is enmity against God, and cannot be subject to his law. That we must be transformed by the re

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