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5. Make much ufe of the Chriftian's armour, recommended, Eph. vi. 11. As,

ft, The fhield of faith. No fighting, no ftanding before the enemy without faith. God's worthies, Heb. xi. "by faith

turned to flight the armies of the aliens."

2dly, Put on the helmet of falvation, a well-grounded hope of glory; this, like a helmet, will keep the head safe, when fhowers of darts are flying about you.

3dly, Get on the girdle of truth. The truth and faithfulness of God in his word, improven by faith, is like a girdle whereby the loins are made firm and ftrong in the day of battle. It is by the word of truth we are commanded to ftrengthen the weak hands, and to confirm the feeble knees.

4thly, Put on the breaftplate of righteoufnefs. By which we may either understand imputed righteousness, apprehended by faith, which like a breaftplate fortifies the heart, and emboldens the believer against all accufers and all accufations, and enables him to fay, "Who can lay any thing to my charge?". Or it may be understood of implanted righteoufnefs and holiness, uprightness and integrity of heart and life, which, as I faid, makes a man bold as a lion.

5thly, Make ufe of the fword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, both to offend the enemy, and defend yourself. With this weapon Chrift encountered and overthrew the enemy in the wilderness, "Thus and thus it is written." With the fame weapon all his foldiers are to fight.

Laftly, Be much in prayer, wrestling with God upon your knees, calling for grace and mercy to help in time of need. Thus Jacob like a prince prevailed; "by his ftrength he had power with God, he had power with the angel, and prevailed; for he wept and made fupplication unto him."

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SABBATH

SABBATH-EVENING, BURNTISLAND,

JULY 5. 1730.

ISA. lix. 19.-The Spirit of the Lord fhall lift up a standard against him.

HE fecond doctrine I obferved from the words was this,
That it is the Spirit of the Lord that lifts up a

and drives back the enemy, when coming like a flood.

In difcourfing this doctrine, I fhall,

fandard,

I. Speak a little of the ftandard-bearer, the Spirit of the Lord.

II. Of the ftandard which he lifts up.

III. Of the lifting up of this bleffed standard.

IV. Shew how is it, or whence is it, the lifting up of the standard gives a repulfe to the enemy, or drives him back, when coming like a flood.

V. Lastly, Apply the whole.

I. For the first which is, to Speak a little of the ftandardbearer, the Spirit of the Lord. Where two things may be inquired into. 1. What Lord is he that is here intended? 2. Whom are we to understand by the Spirit of the Lord?

Queft. 1. What Lord is he that is here intended?

I anfwer, 1. He is "the Lord of hofts, the Lord mighty in battle," Pfal. xxiv. : "he that does in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, what pleaseth him; the Lord who stretcheth out the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth, before whom the inhabitants of the world are as a company of grafhoppers."

2. He is the Lord of glory, that is here intended, 1 Cor. ii. 8. "Had they known him, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; the brightnefs of the Father's glory, glorious in holinefs, fearful in praifes, doing wonders." When the cherubims and feraphims behold him upon his throne high and lifted up, they cry, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hofts, the whole earth is full of his glory." L

VOL. II.

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3. He is the Lord of life, Acts iii. 15. "Ye have killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead. As the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself." He hath life in himself effentially and originally as the Father, he being the "true God, and eternal life;" and as Mediator, he hath a life given him by the Father, by virtue of which he is the fountain of life to his myftical body," the refurrection and the life."

4. He is the Lord of lords, Rev. xix. 16. "He hath on his vesture, and on his thigh, a name written, KING of kings, AND LORD OF LORDS." All the powers of the earth are the vaffals of this great Lord, they hold their crowns and fceptres of him. He cafts the mighty out of his feat, and raiseth them of low degree.

Queft. 2. Whom are we to understand by the Spirit of the Lord? Take an answer to this in the following particulars.

1. The Spirit of the Lord, as to his effence, is the fame God with the Father and the Son. There is but one God, and three persons in the Godhead, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; and these three are one God, the fame in fubftance, equal in power and glory. We are not to imagine any fuperiority or inferiority among the perfons of the Godhead, feeing they are one and the fame moft fimple and undivided being.

2. As to the order of his existence, according to the reve lation of the word, he is the third perfon of the adorable Trinity, and proceeds from the Father and the Son, in an ineffable and inconceivable manner. All that we have revealed concerning the manner of the existence of these three divine perfons of the Godhead, is, that the Father begat the Son, the Son is begotten of the Father, and the Holy Ghost proceedeth from the Father and the Son; but as to the generation of the Son, or the proceffion of the Holy Ghoft, who can declare it? God has drawn a vail over it, and it is dangerous for us, in this state of mortality, curiously to pry into this myftery; and they who have adventured to go further than the revelation of the word leads them, have always run themselves into the bogs of Arian, Sabellian, or Socinian errors.

us.

3. As to his office in the great work of falvation, he applies to us the redemption purchafed by Chrift; in order to which he receives the things of Chrift, that he may fhow them to All the bleffings of a Redeemer's purchafe, all the goods of his teftament, both heritable and moveable, the whole eftate of eternal life, and every thing that pertains to it, are lodged in his hand, that he may, according to his commiffion from the Father and Son, apply them, and make them effectual to

the

the heirs of promife. And according to the various parts of his work, in applying the purchased falvation, he gets several names in fcripture; as,

f, He is fometimes called a reprover: John xvi. 8. "When he is come, he will reprove the world of fin." And his reproofs are so sharp and piercing, that they are compared to keen arrows, and a fharp two-edged fword, piercing to the dividing afunder of foul and fpirit.

2dly, He is fometimes called a comforter: "I will fend the Comforter, and he fhall teach you all things." He is fo called, because he comforts them that mourn in Zion; he gives the oil of joy for mourning, and the garments of praise for a heavy fpirit." His confolations are fo ftrong that they make the lips of them that are afleep to fing.

3dly, He is fometimes called an advocate; the word rendered a comforter, fignifies alfo an advocate. He pleads the cause of Chrift in the world, against all that dare to speak against him; he pleads his caufe in the hearts of his people, against all the falfe furmifes that Satan and an unbelieving heart are ready to fuggeft to his prejudice; and he acts the part of an advocate, by enabling us to plead and pray with groans which cannot be

uttered.

4thly, He is fometimes called a witnefs: John xv. 26. "He fhall teftify of me." The Spirit bears witness of Christ, partly by external revelation, partly by internal manifeftation; hence called "the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Chrift." He bears witnefs of the fonship of believers; he "bears witnefs with our fpirits, that we are the children of God:" he is in them a fpirit of adoption, enabling them to cry, Abba, Father.

5thly, He is fometimes called a remembrancer: John xiv. 26. "He fhall bring to your remembrance whatsoever I have spoken unto you." Our memories are like leaking veffels, let all the good words of Chrift flip from us; but the Spirit will not let them flip: no, he keeps them for our use, and brings to remembrance with a fresh relish and favour in time of need ; and in that cafe the believer finds such a sweetness in the word, that he cannot but fay with Jeremiah, "Thy words were found by me, and I did eat them, and they were unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart."

6thly, He is fometimes called a teacher: "He fhall teach you all things," John xiv. 26. He teaches fo, as no man ever taught; he is an interpreter among a thousand; all the commentaries in the world are not able to give fuch a view of a word of fcripture, as the Spirit of the Lord will do, when he

opens

opens it up in his own light; he makes the heart of the rafh to understand wisdom.

7thly, He is fometimes called a guide: "When the Spirit of truth is come, he fhall guide you into all truth." He faves the members of Chrift from fuch damnable errors, as strike at the foundation of religion and Chriftianity; none of his teaching shall be given up to ftrong delufions, to believe lies.

4. The Spirit of the Lord, as to his qualities or properties, we are told in fcripture, is,

ft, A renewing Spirit: hence we read of "the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost." All the powers of the foul, and the image of God in them, are diflocate and defaced, the whole foundations are out of course; but the Spirit of the Lord, in a work of regeneration, repairs the image of God, and fets every thing again in its proper place and order.

2dly, He is a fanctifying Spirit, wherefore called "the Spirit of holinefs." He draws the lineaments of the divine holinefs upon us, and enables us more and more to die unto fin, and to live unto righteousness: he takes the beauty of Chrift and puts it upon us, whereby we are made comely.

3dly, He is a Spirit of glory: "The Spirit of glory and of God refteth upon you," fays the apostle Peter. He makes the King's daughter all glorious within, and fo fits the foul for being brought to glory, "makes us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the faints in light."

4thly, He is a Spirit of power; he gives power to the faint, makes the feeble as David. When the Spirit of the Lord was with Samfon, he flew the Philistines heaps upon heaps; but when the Lord departed, the locks wherein his ftrength lay

were cut.

5thly, He is a Spirit of love. Wherever he comes, he makes the heart to burn with love to God in Christ, so as the foul cannot but fay, with David, "Whom have I in heaven but thee?" The man loves his ordinances, and the place where his honour dwells: he loves his people, and all that bear his image: "My delight is with the faints, the excellent ones of the earth."

6thly, He is a Spirit of a found mind, for he gives a found judgement and understanding of the things of God; hence it is, that one of the Lord's babes or little ones will have a more clear and found uptaking of the things of God, than all the learned rabbies and plodding politicians in the world, that excel in human wifdom and literature.

I fhall only add, 5. That the actings and operations of the Spirit of the Lord are fet forth to us in fcripture under different metaphors; as,

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