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The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law....Gal. v. 22, 23.

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THIS numerous issue is of super-natural generation; like Isaac, who sprang from the dead body of Abraham and barren womb of Sarah. Though believers love to bring forth such fruits, delight to see them, yet through humility they are backward in speaking of them, and averse to glory in them as productions of their own. Hence when these fruits of the Spirit appear inward or outward, like the bride of the Lamb on another occasion, she cries out in lowliness of heart, "Who hath begotten me these?"....Isa. xlix. 21. But is any thing too hard for God? "He maketh the barren soul to be a joyful mother of children."....Psalm cxiii. 9. To this very end believers are "married to Jesus by faith, that they may bring forth fruit unto God."....Rom. vii. 4. There is no member of the church of which Jesus is the husband, barren. Some bring forth more fruit than others....some more eminent for one kind, and some for another. Every one "according to the measure of the gift of Christ.".... Eph. iv. 7. But it is by the same Spirit that dwelleth in all: each esteem other's fruits better than their own. The graces of a true christian shine brightest in the sight of his brethren. With the pleasant fruits of his Spirit, which his members bear, Jesus our head is delighted and God our Father is glorified. Will not this be the prayer, the daily prayer of every believer? O that I may bring forth more fruit to God! So let thy all-commanding voice pronounce on me, "be fruitful and multiply." Thus is "the bride, the Lamb's wife, all-glorious within." But yet, conscious of what she was, of what she still is by opposing nature, which brings forth contrary fruits, she wears a conscious blush, and dares not glory in herself. She knows she is wholly indebted for the root of all grace, JEsus, as well as for the fruits of the Spirit, to unmerited grace and sovereign power. Thus' holy Paul says, "I am become a fool in glorying," though compelled to it. That holy, faithful, loving, tender-hearted martyr of Jesus, ever stiled himself the unbelieving, unloving, hard-hearted Bradford. Yet, "against such there is no law." The law cannot accuse or condemn those who believe in Jesus; "for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, hath made them free from the law of sin and death."....Rom. viii. 2. Indeed the law may trouble and terrify the conscience; but Christ, apprehended by faith, vanquisheth' all its terror and threatenings; "for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one who believes."....Rom. x. 4. They are as righteous in him, as if they had fulfilled the law themselves.' "Ye shall know them by their fruits,"....Matt. vii. 16.

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That no flesh should glory in his presence: He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord....1 Cor. i. 29, 31,

HUMBLE, self-abased souls, who drink deep into self-knowledge, sensible what human nature is; whose eye of faith is to the Lord Jesus, and to what he is made of God to them; are as jealous of the pride of the flesh as they are of its sinfulness. This is a safe state; such have little reason to murmur because they do not, experience high flights and ravishing ecstacies which appear to arise from nature and sense, because they lead to glory in the righteousness of the flesh. Flesh is proud and prone to glory, even in the presence of God; but faith in Jesus cuts off all glorying in the flesh, as viewing all salvation out of ourselves in Jesus. This is the very essence of the faith of God's elect. Yet, while we are in the flesh, we are daily exposed to the workings of pride, which darken the views of Jesus, and tend to self-exalting and self-glorying. What pains doth the loving Spirit take to humble us! he testifies of Jesus, ONLY; he shews us, by line upon line, and precept upon precept, by prophets and apostles, that "IN Jesus all his children shall be justified, and shall glory."....Isa. xlv. 25.

Am I made wise unto salvation? Glory to Jesus, this is from him; he is my wisdom. Am I righteous in the sight of God?. Glory to Jesus, his life wrought it out; it is mine: not obtained by my works, but by God's free gift. Jesus is my righteousness. Am I sanctified? Glory to Jesus; it is through the faith of him, by the Spirit, that I have any drops from the fountain of Jesu's blood to wash away my guilt, and to cleanse my soul. Have I faith in, and nope of complete redemption from all misery, to all happiness? Glory to Jesus, he is my redemption; he hath bought me; he hath' conquered for me. In whom then should I glory but in Jesus alone? In him all my wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption center. "It pleased the Father, that in him all fulness should dwell." It pleases the Spirit to bear witness of, and to glorify Jesus Only, Shall we glory in the fruits of the Spirit as the foundation of hope, and the cause of our acceptance with God? That were to deceive ourselves. The Holy Spirit produceth no fruits in us to this end. This is contrary to his office; inverts the economy of the covenant; makes faith void; and turns the eye of the soul from the only object of hope and salvation, Jesus, to somewhat within us, instead of Christ crucified for us: but by the Spirit we glory in Christ alone. By faith in precious promises, we pray to be filled with "fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ." To what end? That we should glory in these? Glory in the flesh because of these? No; but "unto the glory and praise of God.”...........Phil. i. 11.

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Gideon said, Alas! O Lord God: for I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face. The Lord said, Peace be unto thee: fear not; thou shalt not die....Judg. vi. 22, 23.

"JESUS is the same Lord over all, rich in mercy to all who call upon him."....Rom. x. 12. There is no difference between Old Testament saints and New, in regard to the object of salvation; "Jesus the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever." Poor Gideon thought a sight of the Lord must surely be present death; for, saith the Lord, "There shall no man see me and live."....Exod. xxxiii. 20. But the Lord appeared to him, as the angel of the covenant, the Mediator, the interposer. Not in terrible majesty and fiery wrath to strike him dead, but as the Saviour, the merciful one. This sight was attended with life to his soul and death to his fears. So Gideon found it, when he heard that ever-dear and most precious word, PEACE. This is ever the word of the bridegroom to his church. His birth is ushered in with "PEACE on earth." His dying legacy to his children is REACE. Nothing but love dwells in his heart; nothing but peace is heard from his lips. This was his affectionate salutation to his beloved though dejected disciples, when he first appeared to them after his sufferings and death. His tender heart well knew how troubled their poor minds were: therefore over and over he repeats, PEACE be unto you."....John xx. 21. As it was in the beginning, so it is now. Jesus silences guilty fears and perplexing doubts in disciples hearts. Woe is me, saith the poor sinner, I am undone, I am unclean; mine eyes have seen the Lord of hosts in the purity and spirituality of his law, as a just God and a holy; a consuming fire, and who will by no means clear the guilty: I shall die. FEAR NOT, saith Jesus to every such trembling, repenting, believing heart; thou shalt not die, but live; neither shalt thou want my peace. Look unto me and be saved: inwardly listen to my word; treasure it up in thine heart. Wait in faith for the sweet and still voice of my Spirit: I create the fruit of the lips. "Peace, peace too him that is afar off, and to him that is near, and I will heal them." Such shall not only hear Christ's voice but feel his power. Their fears shall be taken away, and their sorrow removed. So shall their souls be joyful in him. Thus JESUS is precious to them. "He delivers them who through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to bondage."...." Heb. ii. 15. "Having made peace for us through the blood of his cross."....Col. i. 20.

My groans and tears, and forms of woe, My tongue, the glory of Christ's name, Are turn'd to joy and praises now; Shall nefer be silent of his fame, [heav'n, I throw my sackcloth on the ground,. His praise shall sound thro' earth and And ease and gladness gird me round. For sickness heal'd, and sins forgiv❜n.

Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again..., John iii. 7.

SPIRITUAL doctrines ever appear to the judgment of carnal reason, foolishness. Marvel not to find the wisdom of natural men ever crying out, "How can these things be?" and explaining away their spiritual meaning by corrupt reasonings. We are not to expect a total freedom from our own carnal objections. The old man is yet alive; the kingdom of his residence, the flesh, is at war against that kingdom into which the soul is spiritually born. Many souls see clearly the nature of the doctrine of a new-birth of the soul, and are convinced of the necessity of it, in order to see the kingdom of God. But how are they straitened, pained, and perplexed to know whether it be accomplished in them or not! And indeed, many have so unscripturally treated of the new birth, as sadly to puzzle and grievously distress simple hearts. Is it not marvellous to find men gravely telling us how many steps a dead sinner must take, in order to get into this new birth? The time WHEN, many are uncertain of; for the kingdom of God cometh not with observation. The manner HOW, none can explain; "for the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." But the effects are visible and evident. As sense and motion are the properties of natural life, so when the soul is born again of the Spirit, there is a sight of Jesus, a hearing of his voice, the affections of the soul go out after him, believing him to be the way, the truth, and the life. Hence, St. John lays down this infallible mark, "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God.".... 1 John v. 1. This is a simple, plain truth. Am I born of God? This must be answered by enquiring, do I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the anointed Son of God to the office of a Saviour, for lost and perishing sinners? Does this truth enter into my heart and mind? Is it received and believed as a matter which can only and alone bring relief to my guilty conscience, peace to my troubled mind, and hope to my dejected spirit? If so, I do believe in JESUS....he is the object of my faith and the hope of my heart. I am born again, born of God, born to see, to enter into, and enjoy the kingdom of God. The evidence of this, the soul, gets more and more strongly and clearly settled in the conscience as faith grows and increases. For its fruits will be manifest and abound in seeing sin's filthiness, feeling its burdens, hating and resisting it: striving to maintain a holy fellowship with God the Father, and his Son Jesus, through the Spirit.

Who can describe the joys that rise
Thro' all the courts of paradise,
To see a prodigal return,
To see an heir of glory born?
With joy the Father doth approve
The fruit of his eternal love;

The Son with joy looks down and sees
The purchase of his agonies.
The Spirit takes delight to view
The holy soul he form'd anew;
The saints and angels join to sing
The growing empire of their King.

The flesh lusteth against the Spirit....Gal. v. 17.

CHRISTIAN experience fully proves this apostolic truth. Hence the children of God cannot do the things that they would: nor have we any authority from God's word to conclude this lusting ever ceased in any of the saints till they got to glory; none are delivered from it while in the flesh. For, as the renewed soul or spirit loves to enjoy spiritual and heavenly objects, so the flesh, or unrenewed part, lusts after those objects it is naturally conversant with, and from which it derives its happiness. Here is thy conflict, O christian. Hence the necessity of thy Lord's command, "Watch always," This is the use of the doctrine.

What woeful effects have fulfilling the lusts or desires of the flesh produced in eminent saints! Thou standest by faith, be not highminded, but fear. The conceptions of lust are the productions of sin....James i. 15. The commission of sin contracts fresh sense of guilt. This is the malady and sickness of the soul. Hence, the maný symptoms attendant on guilt, legal fears, terrors of conscience, accusations from the law, triumphs of satan, dejection of soul, distance from God, backwardness to duty, coolness of affection to Jesus, shyness at or neglect of a throne of grace.

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Alas! poor souls, when they have fallen, and are sensible of the melancholy effects, they feel the hurt they have received. Verily their hearts know the bitterness of it, Awful effects of fresh contracted guilt! How much to be deplored! how carefully to be watched against, and prayed to be kept from! But whilst there is “a fountain opened for sin and uncleanness," whilst the Mediator's "blood cleanseth from all sin," whilst the glad tidings of the gospel proclaim salvation by grace for the chief of sinners, there is no ground for black despair to any backsliding children, though they have revolted from a God of love. Here is all encouragement....to what? To love to live at a distance from Jesus, and lie down and wallow in the mire of sin because grace abounds? No godly soul can do this; for "the Spirit also lusteth against the flesh;" the Spirit renews again to repentance. Thus Luther: "The more godly a man is, the more doth he feel this battle between the flesh and the Spirit.' Hereof cometh those lamentable complaints in the Psalms and other scriptures. It profiteth us very much to see sometimes the wickedness of our nature and corruption of the flesh, that by this means we may be waked and stirred up to call upon Christ. So a christian is made to see Jesus a wonderful Creator, who out of heaviness can make joy; of terror, comfort; of sin, righteousness; and of death, life. This is our ground and anchor-hold, that Christ is our ONLY AND PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS."

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