Latest / Philosophy and Faith / 10 - The Witness of the Spirit, Discourse I - Sermons on Several Occasions

Transcript

10 - The Witness of the Spirit, Discourse I - Sermons on Several Occasions · Philosophy and Faith

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: The witness of the Spirit discourse one. The Spirit itself
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: of God Romans eight, verse sixteen. How many vain men,
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: not understanding what they spake, neither whereof they affirmed, have
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: rested this scripture to the great loss, if not the
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: destruction of their souls. How many have mistaken the voice
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: of their own imagination for this witness of the Spirit
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: of God, and thence idly presumed they were the children
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: of God while they were doing the works of the devil.
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: These are truly improperly enthusiasts, and indeed in the worst
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: sense of the word. But with what difficulty are they
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: convinced thereof, especially if they have drank deep into that
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: spirit of error, all endeavors to bring them to the
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: knowledge of themselves. They will then account fighting against God,
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: and that vehemence and impetuosity of spirit which they call
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: contending earnestly for the faith sets them so far above
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: all the usual methods of conviction, that we may well
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: say with men, it is impossible. Who can then be surprised?
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: If many reasonable men, seeing the dreadful effects of this delusion,
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: and laboring to keep at the utmost distance from it,
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: should sometimes lean toward another extreme. If they are not
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: forward to believe any who speak of having this witness
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: concerning which others have so grievously aired, if they are
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: almost ready to set all down for enthusiasts who use
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: the expressions which have been so terribly abused, yea, if
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: they should question whether the witness or testimony here spoken
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: of be the privilege of ordinary Christians, and not rather
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: one of those extraordinary gifts which they suppose belonged only
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: to the Apostolic age. But is there any necessity laid
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: upon us of running either into one extreme or the other?
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: May we not steer a middle course, keep a sufficient
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: distance from that spirit of error and enthusiasm, without denying
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: the gift of God and giving up the great privilege
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: of His children. Surely we may, in order thereto let
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: us consider in the presence and fear of God. First,
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: what is this witness or testimony of our spirit? What
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: is the testimony of God's spirit? And how does he
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: bear witness with our spirit that we are the children
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: of God? Secondly, how is this joint testimony of God's
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: spirit and our own? Clearly and solidly distinguished from the
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: presumption of a natural mind and from the delusion of
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: the devil. Let us first consider what is the witness
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: or testimony of our spirit. But here I cannot but
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: desire all those who are for swallowing up the testimony
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: of the spirit of God in the rational testimony of
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: our own spirit, to observe that in this text the
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: apostle is so far from speaking of the testimony of
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: our own spirit only that it may be questioned whether
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: he speaks of it at all, whether he does not
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: speak only of the testimony of God's spirit, It does
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: not appear. But the original text may fairly be understood.
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: Thus the apostle had just said in the preceding verse,
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: Abba Father, and immediately subjoins Atto to Numa. Some copies
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: read to Atto numa simatrie toi numati haimon hoti esmond
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: techna theo, which may be translated the same spirit beareth
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: witness to our spirit that we are the children of God,
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: the preposition sin only denoting that he witnesses this at
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: the same time that he enables us to cry Abba Father.
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: But I contend not seeing so many other texts, with
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: the experience of all real Christians sufficiently events that there
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: is in every believer both the testimony of God's spirit
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: and the testimony of his own, that he is a
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: child of God. With regard to the latter, the foundation
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: thereof is laid in those numerous texts of scripture which
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: describe the marks of the children of God, and that
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: so plain that he which runneth may read them. These
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: are also collected together and placed in the strongest delight
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: by many, both ancient and modern writers. If any need
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: farther light, he may receive it by attending on the
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: ministry of God's word, by meditating thereon before God in secret,
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: and by conversing with those who have the knowledge of
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: His ways, and by the reason or understanding that God
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: is given him, which religion was designed not to extinguish,
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: but to perfect, to that of the apostle. Brethren, be
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: not children in understanding, in malice or wickedness, be children,
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: but in understanding, be men. On Corinthians fourteen, verse twenty.
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: Every man applying those scriptural marks to himself may know
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: whether he is a child of God. Thus, if he
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: know first, as many as are led by the Spirit
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: of God into all holy tempers and actions. They are
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: the sons of God, for which He has the infallible
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: assurance of Holy writ. Secondly, I am thus led by
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: the Spirit of God. He will easily conclude, therefore I
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: am a son of God. Agreeable to this are all
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: those plain declarations of Saint John in his first epistle.
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: Hereby we know that we do know him if we
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: keep his commandments one John two, verse three. Whoso keepeth
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: his word in him verily is the love of God perfected.
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: Hereby know we that we are in Him, that we
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: are indeed the children of God. First John two, verse five.
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: If ye know that He is righteous, ye know that
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him. First
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: John two, verse twenty nine. We know that we have
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: passed from death unto life because we love the brethren
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: first John three, verse fourteen. Hereby we know that we
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before Him,
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: namely because we love one another, not in word, neither
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: in tongue, but in deed and in truth. Hereby know
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: we that we dwell in Him, because He hath given
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: us of his loving spirit. Firse John four, verse thirteen.
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: And hereby we know that He abideth in us by
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: the obedient spirit which He hath given us one John three,
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: verse twenty four. It is highly probable there never were
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: any children of God from the beginning of the world
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: unto this day who were farther advanced in the grace
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: of God and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: than the Apostle John at the time when he wrote
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: these words, and the fathers in Christ to whom he wrote.
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: Notwithstanding which, it is evident both the Apostle himself and
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: all those pillars in God's temple were very far from
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: despising these marks of their being the children of God,
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: and that they applied them to their own souls for
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: the confirmation of their faith. Yet all this is no
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: other than rational evidence, the witness of our spirit, our reason,
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: or understanding. It all resolves into this. Those who have
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: these marks are the children of God. But we have
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: these marks, therefore we are children of God. But how
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: does it appear that we have these marks? This is
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: a question which still remains. How does it appear that
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: we do love God and our neighbor, and that we
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: keep his commandments. Observe that the meaning of the question is,
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: how does it appear to ourselves not to others? I
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: would ask him then, that proposes this question, how does
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: it appear to you that you are alive, and that
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: you are now in ease and not in pain? Are
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: you not immediately conscious of it? By the same immediate consciousness,
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: you will know if your soul is alive to God,
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: if you are saved from the pain of proud wrath,
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: and have the ease of a meek and quiet spirit,
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: By the same means you cannot but perceive if you love, rejoice,
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: and delight in God. By the same you must be
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: directly assured if you love your neighbor as yourself, if
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: you are kindly affectioned to all mankind, and full of
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: gentleness and long suffering, and with regard to the outward
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: mark of the children of God, which is according to
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: Saint John, the keeping his commandments, you undoubtedly know in
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: your own breast, if by the grace of God it
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: belongs to you. Your conscience informs you from day to day.
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: If you do not take the name of God within
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: your lips, unless with seriousness and devotion, with reverence and
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: godly fear. If you remember the Sabbath day to keep
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: it holy, if you honor your father and mother, if
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: you do to all as you would they should do
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: unto you. If you possess your body in sanctification and honor,
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: and if whether you eat or drink, you are temperate
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: therein and do all to the glory of God. Now
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: this is properly the testimony of our own spirit, even
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: the testimony of our conscience, that God hath given us
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: to be holy of heart and holy in outward conversation.
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: It is a consciousness of our having received in and
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: by the spirit of adoption, the tempers mentioned in the
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: Word of God as belonging to his adopted children. Even
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: a loving heart toward God and toward all mankind, hanging
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: with childlike confidence on God our Father, desiring nothing but him,
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: casting all our care upon him, and embracing every child
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: of man with earnest, tender affection. A consciousness that we
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: are inwardly conformed by the spirit of God to the
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: image of His Son, and that we walk before him
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: in justice, mercy, and truth, doing the things which are
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: pleasing in His sight. But what is that testimony of
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: God's spirit which is superadded to and conjoined with this,
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: How does he bear witness with our spirit that we
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: are the children of God. It is hard to find
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: words in the language of men to explain the deep
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: things of God. Indeed, there are none that will adequately
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: express what the children of God experience. But perhaps one
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: might say, desiring any who are taught of God to correct,
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: to soften or strengthen the expression. The testimony of the
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: spirit is an inward impression on the soul, whereby the
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: Spirit of God directly witnesses to my spirit that I
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: am a child of God, that Jesus Christ hath loved
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: me and given himself for me, and that all my
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: sins are blotted out, and I even I am reconciled
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: the God. That this testimony of the Spirit of God
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: must needs in the very nature of things, be antecedent
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: to the testimony of our own spirit may appear from
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: this single consideration. We must be wholy of heart and
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: holy in wild life before we can be conscious that
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: we are so, before we can have the testimony of
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: our spirit that we are inwardly and outwardly holy. But
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: we must love God before we can be holy at all.
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: This being the root of all holiness. Now, we cannot
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: love God till we know he loves us. We love
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: him because he first loved us, And we cannot know
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: his pardoning love to us till his spirit witnesses to
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: our spirit, Since therefore this testimony of his spirit must
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: precede the love of God in all holiness. Of consequence,
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: it must precede our inward consciousness thereof, or the testimony
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: of our spirit concerning them. Then and not till then,
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: when the Spirit of God beareth that witness to our spirit.
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: God hath loved thee and given his own son to
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: be the propitiation for thy sins, The son of God.
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: God hath loved thee, and hath washed thee from thy
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: sins in his blood. We love God because he first
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: loved us, and for his sake we love our brother also.
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: And of this we cannot but be conscious to ourselves.
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: We know the things that are freely given to us
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: of God. We know that we love God and keep
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: his commandments, and hereby also we know that we are
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: of God. This is that testimony of our own spirit, which,
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: so long as we continue to love God and keep
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: His commandments, continues joined with the testimony of God's Spirit
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: that we are the children of God. Not that I
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: would by any means be understood by anything which has
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: been spoken concerning it, to exclude the operation of the
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: Spirit of God, even from the testimony of our own spirit.
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: In no wise it is He that not only worketh
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: in us every manner of thing that is good, but
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: also shines upon in his own work and clearly shows
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: what He has wrought. Accordingly, this is spoken of by
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: Saint Paul as one great end of our receiving the Spirit,
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: that we may know the things which are freely given
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: to us of God, that He may strengthen the testimony
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: of our conscience, touching our simplicity and godly sincerity, and
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: give us to discern in a fuller and stronger light,
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: that we now do the things which please Him. Should
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: it still be inquired, how does the Spirit of God
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: bear witness with our spirit that we are the children
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: of God, so as to exclude all doubt and evince
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: the reality of our sonship. The answer is clear from
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: what has been observed above, and first, as to the
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: witness of our spirit, the soul is intimately and evidently
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: perceives when it loves, delights and rejoices in God, as
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: when it loves and delights in anything on earth. And
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: it can no more doubt whether it loves, delights and
• 15:03
  Speaker 1: rejoices or no, than whether it exists or no. If
• 15:07
  Speaker 1: therefore this be just reasoning, he that now loves God,
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: that delights and rejoices in Him with a humble joy
• 15:16
  Speaker 1: and holy delight and an obedient love, is a child
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: of God. But I thus love, delight and rejoice in God.
• 15:27
  Speaker 1: Therefore I am a child of God. Then a Christian
• 15:30
  Speaker 1: can in no wise doubt of his being a child
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: of God. Of the former proposition, he has as full
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: an assurance as he has that the scriptures are of
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: God and of His. Thus, loving God, he has an
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: inward proof which is nothing short of self evidence. Thus
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: the testimony of our own spirit is with the most
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: intimate conviction, manifested to our hearts in such a manner
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: as beyond all reasonable doubt to evince the reality of
• 15:59
  Speaker 1: our sonship. The manner how the divine testimony is manifested
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: to the heart. I do not take upon me to explain.
• 16:08
  Speaker 1: Such knowledge is too wonderful and excellent for me. I
• 16:11
  Speaker 1: cannot attain unto it. The wind bloweth, and I hear
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: the sound thereof, but I cannot tell how it cometh
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: or whither it goeth. As no one knoweth the things
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: of a man save the spirit of a man that
• 16:24
  Speaker 1: is in him. So the manner of the things of
• 16:27
  Speaker 1: God knoweth no one save the Spirit of God. But
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: the fact we know, namely, that the Spirit of God
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: does give a believer such a testimony of his adoption,
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: that while it is present to the soul, he can
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: no more doubt the reality of his sonship than he
• 16:43
  Speaker 1: can doubt of the shining of the sun while he
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: stands full blaze of his beams. How this joint testimony
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: of God's Spirit and our spirit may be clearly and
• 16:55
  Speaker 1: solidly distinguished from the presumption of a natural mind and
• 16:59
  Speaker 1: from the delusion of the devil, is the next thing
• 17:01
  Speaker 1: to be considered, And it highly imports all who desire
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: the salvation of God to consider it with the deepest attention,
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: as they would not deceive their own souls. An error
• 17:12
  Speaker 1: in this is generally observed to have the most fatal consequences.
• 17:16
  Speaker 1: The rather because he that errs seldom discovers his mistake.
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: Till it is too late to remedy it. And first,
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: how is this testimony to be distinguished from the presumption
• 17:29
  Speaker 1: of a natural mind? It is certain one who was
• 17:32
  Speaker 1: never convinced of sin is always ready to flatter himself
• 17:37
  Speaker 1: and to think of himself, especially in spiritual things, more
• 17:40
  Speaker 1: highly than he ought to think. And hence it is
• 17:44
  Speaker 1: in no wise strange if one who is vainly puffed
• 17:48
  Speaker 1: up by his fleshly mind, when he hears of this
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: privilege of true Christians, among whom he undoubtedly ranks himself,
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: should soon work himself up into a persuasion that he
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: is already possessed thereof such instances now abound in the world,
• 18:04
  Speaker 1: and have abounded in all ages. How then may the
• 18:08
  Speaker 1: real testimony of the Spirit with our spirit be distinguished
• 18:11
  Speaker 1: from this damning presumption? I answer, The Holy scriptures abound
• 18:17
  Speaker 1: with marks whereby the one may be distinguished from the other.
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: They describe in the plainest manner, the circumstances which go before,
• 18:26
  Speaker 1: which accompany and which follow the true genuine testimony of
• 18:31
  Speaker 1: the Spirit of God with the spirit of a believer,
• 18:34
  Speaker 1: whoever carefully weighs and attends to these will not need
• 18:38
  Speaker 1: to put darkness for light. He will perceive so wide
• 18:42
  Speaker 1: a difference with respect to all these between the real
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: and the pretended witness of the Spirit, that there will
• 18:48
  Speaker 1: be no danger, I might say, no possibility of confounding
• 18:52
  Speaker 1: the one with the other. By these. One who vainly
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: presumes on the gift of God might surely know, if
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: he really desired it, that he hath been hitherto given
• 19:05
  Speaker 1: up to a strong delusion and suffered to believe a lie.
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: For the Scriptures laid down those clear obvious marks as preceding, accompanying,
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: and following that gift, which a little reflection would convince
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: him beyond all doubt, were never found in his soul.
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: For instance, the scripture describes repentance or conviction of sin
• 19:29
  Speaker 1: as constantly going before this witness of pardon. So repent,
• 19:34
  Speaker 1: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, Matthew three
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: verse two, Repent ye and believe the Gospel Mark one
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: verse fifteen. Repent and be baptized, every one of you
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: for the remission of sins acts two verse thirty eight.
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: be blotted out three verse nineteen. In conformity whereto our
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: church also continually places repentance before pardon or the witness
• 20:08
  Speaker 1: of it. He pardoneth and absolveth all them that truly
• 20:12
  Speaker 1: repent and unfeignedly believe His Holy Gospel. Almighty God hath
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: promised forgiveness of sins to all them who, with hearty
• 20:22
  Speaker 1: repentance and true faith turn unto Him. But he is
• 20:27
  Speaker 1: a stranger even to this repentance. He hath never known
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: a broken and a contrite heart. The remembrance of his
• 20:35
  Speaker 1: sins was never grievous unto him, nor the burden of
• 20:39
  Speaker 1: them intolerable. In repeating those words, he never meant what
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: he said. He merely paid a compliment to God. And
• 20:47
  Speaker 1: were it only from the want of this previous work
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: of God. He hath too great reason to believe that
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: he hath grasped a mere shadow, and never yet known
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: the real privilege of the sons of God. Again, the
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: scriptures describe the being born of God, which must precede
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: the witness that we are as children, as a vast
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: and mighty change, a change from darkness to light, as
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: well as from the power of Satan unto God, as
• 21:16
  Speaker 1: a passing from death unto life a resurrection from the dead.
• 21:21
  Speaker 1: Thus the apostle to the Ephesians, You hath he quickened
• 21:25
  Speaker 1: who were dead in trespasses and sins Ephesians two, verse one.
• 21:30
  Speaker 1: And again when we were dead in sins, he hath
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: quickened us together with Christ, and hath raised us up
• 21:35
  Speaker 1: together and made us sit together in heavenly places in
• 21:39
  Speaker 1: Christ Jesus Ephesians two, verses five and six. But what
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: knoweth he concerning whom we now speak of any such
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: change as this? He is altogether unacquainted with this whole matter.
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: This is a language which he does not understand. He
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: tells you he always was a Christian. He knows no
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: time when he had need of such a change. By this, also,
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: if he give himself leave to think, may he know
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: that he is not born of the spirit, that he
• 22:09
  Speaker 1: has never yet known God, but has mistaken the voice
• 22:12
  Speaker 1: of nature for the voice of God. But waiving the
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: consideration of whatever he has or has not experienced in
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: time past. By the present marks, may we easily distinguish
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: a child of God from a presumptuous self deceiver. The
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: scriptures describe that joy in the Lord which accompanies the
• 22:31
  Speaker 1: witness of his spirit as a humble joy, a joy
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: that abases to the dust, that makes a pardoned sinner
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: cry out, I am vile? What am I? Or my
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: father's house? Now mine eye seeth thee I abhor myself
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: in dust and ashes. And wherever lowliness is, there is meekness, patience, gentleness,
• 22:53
  Speaker 1: long suffering. There is a soft, yielding spirit, a mildness
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: and sweetness, a tenderness of soul which words cannot express.
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: But do these fruits attend that supposed testimony of the
• 23:06
  Speaker 1: spirit in a presumptuous man, Just the reverse. The more
• 23:11
  Speaker 1: confident he is of the favor of God, the more
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: he is lifted up, the more does he exalt himself,
• 23:16
  Speaker 1: The more haughty and assuming in his whole behavior, the
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: stronger witness he imagines himself to have, The more overbearing
• 23:25
  Speaker 1: he is to all around him, the more incapable of
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: receiving any reproof, the more impatient of contradiction. Instead of
• 23:33
  Speaker 1: being more meek and gentle and teachable, more swift to
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: hear and slow to speak, he is more slow to
• 23:40
  Speaker 1: hear and swift to speak, more unready to learn of anyone,
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: more fiery and vehement in his temper, and eager in
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: his conversation. Yea, perhaps there will sometimes appear a kind
• 23:54
  Speaker 1: of fierceness in his error, his manner of speaking, his
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: whole deportment, as if he were just going to take
• 24:00
  Speaker 1: the matter out of God's hands and himself to devour
• 24:03
  Speaker 1: the adversaries. Once More, the scriptures teach, this is the
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: love of God, the sure mark thereof that we keep
• 24:13
  Speaker 1: his commandments one John five, verse three. And our Lord
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: himself saith he that keepeth my commandments. He it is
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: that loveth me John fourteen, verse twenty one. Love rejoices
• 24:27
  Speaker 1: to obey, to do in every point whatever is acceptable
• 24:31
  Speaker 1: to the beloved. A true lover of God hastens to
• 24:34
  Speaker 1: do as well on earth as it is done in heaven.
• 24:37
  Speaker 1: But is this the character of the presumptuous pretender to
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: the love of God? Nay, but his love gives him
• 24:44
  Speaker 1: a liberty to disobey, to break, not keep, the commandments
• 24:49
  Speaker 1: of God. Perhaps when he was in fear of the
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: wrath of God, he did labor to do as well,
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: But now, looking on himself as not under the law,
• 24:59
  Speaker 1: he thinks he is no longer obliged to observe it.
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: He is therefore less zealous of good works, less careful
• 25:06
  Speaker 1: to abstain from evil, less watchful over his own heart,
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: less jealous over his tongue. He is less earnest to
• 25:13
  Speaker 1: deny himself and to take up his cross daily. In
• 25:16
  Speaker 1: a word, the whole form of his life is changed.
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: Since he has fancied himself to be at liberty. He
• 25:23
  Speaker 1: is no longer exercising himself unto godliness, wrestling not only
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: with flesh and blood, but with principalities and powers, enduring hardships,
• 25:33
  Speaker 1: agonizing to enter in at the straight gate. No, he
• 25:38
  Speaker 1: has found an easier way to heaven, a broad, smooth,
• 25:42
  Speaker 1: flowery path, in which he can say to his soul, soul,
• 25:45
  Speaker 1: take thy ease, eat, drink, and be merry. It follows
• 25:50
  Speaker 1: with undeniable evidence that he has not the true testimony
• 25:54
  Speaker 1: of his own spirit. He cannot be conscious of having
• 25:58
  Speaker 1: those marks which he hath, not that lowliness, meekness, and obedience.
• 26:03
  Speaker 1: Nor yet, can the spirit of the God of Truth
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: bear witness to a lie or testify that he is
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: a child of God when he is manifestly a child
• 26:13
  Speaker 1: of the devil. Discover thyself, thou poorest self, deceiver, Thou
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: art confident of being a child of God, Thou who
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: sayest I have the witness in myself, and therefore defiest
• 26:26
  Speaker 1: all thy enemies. Thou art weighed in the balance and
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: found wanting even in the balance of the sanctuary. The
• 26:33
  Speaker 1: word of the Lord hath tried thy soul and prove
• 26:37
  Speaker 1: thee to be reprobate silver. Thou art not lowly of heart.
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: Therefore thou hast not received the spirit of Jesus unto
• 26:45
  Speaker 1: this day. Thou art not gentle and meek. Therefore thy
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: joy is nothing worth. It is not joy in the Lord.
• 26:53
  Speaker 1: Thou dost not keep his commandments. Therefore thou lovest him. Not.
• 26:57
  Speaker 1: Neither art thou partaker of the Holy Ghost. It is
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: consequently as certain and as evident as the oracles of
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: God can make it. His spirit doth not bear witness
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: with thy spirit that thou art a child of God.
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: O cry unto him that the scales may fall off
• 27:14
  Speaker 1: thine eyes, that thou mayest know thyself as thou art known,
• 27:19
  Speaker 1: that thou mayst receive the sentence of death in thyself,
• 27:22
  Speaker 1: till thou hear the voice that raises the dead, saying,
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: be of good cheer. Thy sins are forgiven thy faith
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: hath made thee whole. But how may one who has
• 27:35
  Speaker 1: the real witness in himself distinguish it from presumption? How,
• 27:40
  Speaker 1: I pray, do you distinguish day from night? How do
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: you distinguish light from darkness, or the light of a
• 27:46
  Speaker 1: star or glimmering taper from the light of the noonday sun.
• 27:50
  Speaker 1: Is there not an inherent, obvious, essential difference between the
• 27:54
  Speaker 1: one and the other? And do you not immediately and
• 27:57
  Speaker 1: directly perceive that difference, provided your sin are rightly disposed
• 28:02
  Speaker 1: in like manner? There is an inherent essential difference between
• 28:06
  Speaker 1: spiritual light and spiritual darkness, and between the light wherewith
• 28:10
  Speaker 1: the sun of righteousness shines upon our heart, and that
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: glimmering light which arises only from sparks of our own kindling.
• 28:19
  Speaker 1: And this difference also is immediately and directly perceived, if
• 28:22
  Speaker 1: our spiritual senses are rightly disposed to require a more
• 28:27
  Speaker 1: minute and philosophical account of the manner whereby we distinguish these,
• 28:32
  Speaker 1: and of the criteria or intrinsic marks, whereby we know
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: the voice of God is to make a demand which
• 28:38
  Speaker 1: can never be answered, no, not by one who has
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: the deepest knowledge of God. Suppose when Paul answered before Agrippa,
• 28:47
  Speaker 1: the wise Roman had said, thou talkest of hearing the
• 28:51
  Speaker 1: voice of the Son of God, How dost thou know
• 28:54
  Speaker 1: it was his voice? By what criteria? What intrinsic marks
• 28:59
  Speaker 1: dost thou know the voice of God? Explain to me
• 29:02
  Speaker 1: the manner of distinguishing this from a human or angelic voice?
• 29:06
  Speaker 1: Can you believe the apostle himself would have once attempted
• 29:10
  Speaker 1: to answer so idle a demand? And yet doubtless the
• 29:14
  Speaker 1: moment he heard that voice, he knew it was the
• 29:17
  Speaker 1: voice of God. But how he knew this? Who is
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: able to explain? Perhaps neither man nor angel to come
• 29:25
  Speaker 1: yet closer. Suppose God were now to speak to any soul,
• 29:30
  Speaker 1: Thy sins are forgiven thee. He must be willing that
• 29:34
  Speaker 1: soul should know his voice, otherwise he would speak in vain.
• 29:38
  Speaker 1: And he is able to affect this, for whenever he
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: wills to do is present with him, and he does
• 29:45
  Speaker 1: affect it. That soul is absolutely assured this voice is
• 29:50
  Speaker 1: the voice of God. But yet he who hath that
• 29:53
  Speaker 1: witness in himself cannot explain it to one who hath
• 29:57
  Speaker 1: it not, Nor indeed is it to be expected that
• 30:00
  Speaker 1: he should. Were there any natural medium to prove or
• 30:05
  Speaker 1: natural method to explain the things of God to unexperienced men,
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: then the natural man might discern and know the things
• 30:13
  Speaker 1: of the Spirit of God. But this is utterly contrary
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: to the assertion of the apostle that he cannot know
• 30:20
  Speaker 1: them because they are spiritually discerned one Corinthians two, verse fourteen,
• 30:25
  Speaker 1: even by spiritual senses, which the natural man hath not.
• 30:30
  Speaker 1: But how shall I know that my spiritual senses are
• 30:32
  Speaker 1: rightly disposed? This also is a question of vast importance,
• 30:37
  Speaker 1: for if a man mistaken this, he may run on
• 30:40
  Speaker 1: in endless error and delusion. And how am I assured
• 30:44
  Speaker 1: that this is not my case, and that I do
• 30:47
  Speaker 1: not mistake the voice of the Spirit, even by the
• 30:50
  Speaker 1: testimony of our own spirit, by the answer of a
• 30:53
  Speaker 1: good conscience toward God Acts twenty three, verse one, by
• 30:57
  Speaker 1: the fruits which He hath wrought in your space, spirit,
• 31:00
  Speaker 1: you shall know the testimony of the Spirit of God.
• 31:04
  Speaker 1: Hereby you shall know that you are in no delusion,
• 31:07
  Speaker 1: that you have not deceived your own soul. The immediate
• 31:11
  Speaker 1: fruits of the Spirit ruling in the heart are love, joy, peace,
• 31:15
  Speaker 1: Bowels of mercies, humbleness of mind, meekness, gentleness, long suffering
• 31:21
  Speaker 1: Galatians five, verses twenty two and twenty three. And the
• 31:25
  Speaker 1: outward fruits are the doing good to all men, the
• 31:28
  Speaker 1: doing no evil to any and the walking in the
• 31:31
  Speaker 1: light fir John one, verse seven, A zealous uniform obedience
• 31:36
  Speaker 1: to all the commandments of God. By the same fruits
• 31:40
  Speaker 1: shall you distinguish this voice of God from any delusion
• 31:43
  Speaker 1: of the devil. That proud spirit cannot humble thee before God.
• 31:48
  Speaker 1: He neither can nor would soften thy heart and melt
• 31:52
  Speaker 1: it first into earnest mourning after God, and then into
• 31:56
  Speaker 1: falile love. It is not the adversary of God God
• 32:00
  Speaker 1: in man that enables THEE to love thy neighbor, or
• 32:03
  Speaker 1: to put on meekness, gentleness, patience, temperance, and the whole
• 32:07
  Speaker 1: armor of God. See Colossians three, verses twelve through fourteen
• 32:12
  Speaker 1: and Ephesians six, verse eleven. He is not divided against
• 32:16
  Speaker 1: himself or a destroyer of sin his own work. No,
• 32:21
  Speaker 1: it is none but the Son of God who cometh
• 32:24
  Speaker 1: to destroy the works of the devil. First John three,
• 32:27
  Speaker 1: verse eight. As surely therefore, as holiness is of God,
• 32:32
  Speaker 1: and as sin is the work of the devil, so
• 32:35
  Speaker 1: surely the witness thou hast in thyself is not of Satan,
• 32:39
  Speaker 1: but of God. Well, then mayest thou say thanks be
• 32:44
  Speaker 1: und to God for his unspeakable gift. Second Corinthians nine,
• 32:48
  Speaker 1: verse fifteen, Thanks be und to God, who giveth me
• 32:52
  Speaker 1: to know in whom I have believed two Timothy one,
• 32:57
  Speaker 1: verse twelve. Who hath sent forth the spirit of his
• 33:01
  Speaker 1: son into my heart, crying Abbah Father Galatians four, verse six,
• 33:07
  Speaker 1: And even now bearing witness with my spirit that I
• 33:11
  Speaker 1: am a child of God Romans eight, verse sixteen. And
• 33:16
  Speaker 1: see that not only thy lips, but thy life show
• 33:19
  Speaker 1: forth his praise. He hath sealed THEE for his own.
• 33:23
  Speaker 1: Glorify him then in thy body and thy spirit, which
• 33:27
  Speaker 1: are his Verse Corinthians six, verse twenty. Beloved, if thou
• 33:33
  Speaker 1: hast this hope in thyself, purify thyself as he is pure.
• 33:37
  Speaker 1: While thou beholdest what manner of love the Father hath
• 33:40
  Speaker 1: given THEE that thou shouldst be called a child of God.
• 33:44
  Speaker 1: First John three, verse one. Cleanse thyself from all filthiness
• 33:48
  Speaker 1: of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear
• 33:52
  Speaker 1: of God Second Corinthians seven, verse one. And let all
• 33:57
  Speaker 1: thy thoughts, words, and works be a spiritual sid sacrifice
• 34:01
  Speaker 1: wholly acceptable to God through Christ Jesus Romans twelve, verses
• 34:07
  Speaker 1: one and two. End of Section ten.