glory was to be done away; how shall not the 'ministration of the fpirit be rather glorious?' The Gofpel is the Word of the glad Tidings of Salvation to Sinners, through Jefus Chrift: Acts xiii. 26. To you is the word of this falvation 'fent.' Luke ii. 10. 11. And the angel faid unto the fhepherds, Fear not: for behold, I bring you good · tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of DaC vid, a Saviour, which is Chrift the Lord.

The Work of the Spirit, in effectual Calling, acting as a Spirit of Life within us, is a quickening Work, giving Life to the dead Soul: Eph. ii. 5. "God, even when we were dead in fins, hath quick'ened us together with Chrift.' Compared with John vi. 63. forecited. In his faving Operation, then, on the Mind and Will, bringing Sinners to Chrift, he acts irresistibly, yet without the least Violence done to their Will: Jer. xxxi. 18. I have furely heard * Ephraim bemoning him felf thus, Thou haft chaftifed me, and I was chaftifed, as a bullock unaccustomed to the,yoke: turn thou me, and I fhall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God.' Cant. i. 4. Draw me, we will run after thee.' Now, that quickening Work is the fame with Regeneration taken ftrictly for the Beginning of the new Creature: John i. 12. 13. As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the fons of 'God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.' Compared with Chap. iii. 6. That which is born of the Spirit, is fpirit.'

The quickening or regenerating Work of the Spirit on our Minds, is faving

Illumination or
Enlightening

am

Enlightening: John i. 4. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.' Chap. viii. 12. Then fpake Jefus again unto them, faying, I " the light of the world he that followeth me, fhall not walk in darkness, but shall ' have the light of life.' ph. v. 14. Wherefore he faith, Awake thou that fleepeft, and arife 'from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.' Saving Illumination is a quickening Work of the Spirit, inafmuch as it is a renewing of our Minds, by Nature under the Darkness of Death, in point of faving Knowledge: Rom. xii. 2. And be ye · not conformed to this world: but be ye tranf'formed by the renewing of your mind, that ye 'may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.' 1 John. v. 20. And we 'know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that ' is true.' Matth. iv. 16. The people which fat in darkness, faw great light and to them which fat in the region and shadow of death, light is fprung up.' Eph. iv. 18. Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, 'through the ignorance that is in them, because of

the blindness of their heart.' 1 Cor. ii. 14. "The ⚫ natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit ' of God; for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually difcerned.' The Effect of faving Illumination on us, is the Knowledge of Chrift, by way of fpiritual Sight: Eph. i. 17. 18. That the God of our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, in the knowledge of him: the eyes of your under. ftanding being enlightened.' John vi. 40. 14 * this

And

this is the will of him that fent me, that every one which feeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life.' The Sight we get of Chrift by saving Illumination, is a Sight of him in the tranfcendent Glory of his Perfon and Offices, offered to us in particular: 2 Cor. iv. 6. For 'God, who commanded the light to fhine out of darkness, hath fhined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jefus Chrift.' John i. 14. And the • Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.' 1 Theff. i. 5. For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but alfo in power, and in the Holy Ghoft, and in much affurance. It is in the Word of the Gospel that Chrift is so seen spiritually: 2 Cor. iii. 18. But we all, with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord,' &c. Compared with Rom. x. 6. 7. 8. But the righteouf nefs which is of faith, fpeaketh on this wife, Say not in thine heart, Who fhall afcend into heaven? (that is, to bring Chrift down from above); or, Who fhall defcend into the deep? (that is, to ⚫ bring up Chrift again from the dead): But what faith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart that is the word of faith which we preach.' We come to fee Christ in the Gofpel, in the Work of faving Illumination, because in it the Spirit clears and dentonftrates the Gospel to us, for a Ground of our Believing in particular: Cor. ii. 4. 5. And my fpeech, and my preaching, was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonftration of the Spirit, and of power: that your faith should not stand in

"the

the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.' The Spirit clears and demonftrates unto us, the Gospel to be the infallible Word of God, and his Word to us in particular: 1 The. ii. 13. For this caufe alfo thank we God without ceafing, because when ye received the word of God ' which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the 'word of men, but (as it is in truth) the word of 'God, which effectually worketh alfo in you that 'believe. Chap. i. 5. forecited. And that is an internal Atteftation of the Word of the Gospel unto us, diftinct from the clearest external or minifterial Atteftation of it: John xv. 26. 27. When 'the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall teftify of me. And ye alfo fhall bear witness, because ye ' have been with me from the beginning.'

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The quickening or regenerating Work of the Spirit on our Wills, is the renewing of them: Ezek. xxxvi. 26. A new heart alfo will I give you, and a new fpirit will I put within you, and I will take away the ftony heart out of your flesh, and 'I will give you an heart of flesh. The Effect of the Spirit's renewing our Wills, is, their being made pliable to the Gofpel-call, Ezek. xxxvi. 26. above cited. Pfal. cx. 3. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power. The renewing of our Wills is a quickening Work of the Spirit, inasmuch as our Will is, by Nature, under the Bands of Death, fo as it hath no Power to comply with the Call of the Gofpel: John v. 25. 'Verily verily I fay unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead fhall hear the voice ' of the Son of God: and they that hear, shall live."

Chap.

Chap. vi. 44. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath fent me, draw him.' Eph. ii. 1. And you hath he quickened who were dead in trefpaffes and fins.' verf. 5. Even when we 'were dead in fins, hath he quickened us together with Chrift.'

The Part that faving Illumination, and the renewing of our Wills, have in the perfuading and enabling us to embrace Jefus Chrift, is, that thereby the Perfuafion is perfected, and we are enabled to embrace him accordingly: John vi. 45. It is ' written in the prophets, And they fhall be all · taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.' Chap. i. 12. 13. 'As many as re'ceived him, to them gave he power to become the fons of God, even to them that believe on his name which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, 'but of God.' And the Perfuafion being perfected, and we enabled to embrace Chrift, the Spirit infallibly produceth in us actual coming to Chrift, and embracing him by Faith, John vi. 45. forecited. Compared with Phil. ii. 13. It is God 'which worketh in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure.'

And that our coming to Chrift by Faith infallibly iffues in Conversion: I Pet. iii. 18. Chrift hath once fuffered for fins, the juft for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.' Converfion is a Sinner's turning again unto God, from whom he turned away in Adam: Acts xxvi. 20. -That they fhould repent, and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.' It is brought about, through our coming to Chrift by Faith, in that

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- we