only is the righteoufness of Chrift revealed, Rom. i. 17. It is not in the fire of the law, but in the ftill small voice of the gofpel, that God discovers himself as the God of peace, ready to pardon. Hence it is called, The word of faith, Rom. x. 8.; The gospel of falvation, Eph. i. 13. This gofpel, in the hand of the Spirit, is the great mean to make inroads on the enemy's kingdom. By believing it, finners are delivered from the power of darkness, and tranflated into the kingdom of God's dear Son, Col. i. 13. Receiving the Son, they are inftantly raised to the honours of fonship, John i. 12. This doctrine ftands opposed to the law in the matter of a finner's acceptance with God. It is no milder law, no baftard covenant of works, enjoining to work and win: no; it is a doctrine wherein Chrift is held forth to the finner's acceptance, and whereby all boasting, except in him alone, is entirely and for ever excluded, Ifa. xlv. 24. Rom. iii. 27. Eph. ii. 8, 9. This doctrine was preached, though more obscurely, to our firft parents, Gen. iii. 15. By it the enemy was fpoiled of his prey: and the felffame doctrine has, in every age, been the only fuccefsful ftandard lifted up against him.-By the blaft of this trumpet only, have Jericho's haughty walls been levelled to the ground. The weapons of our warfare, faid the great apoftle, are not carnal, but mighty through God, to the pulling down of strong holds, cafting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God; and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Chrift, 2 Cor. x. 4, 5· This doctrine is the mi nistration of the Spirit, and of righteousness, imputed righteoufnefs, 2 Cor. iii. 8, 9.; in oppofition to the law, which, as broken, denounceth nothing but death and condemnation. When minifters, animated by the Spirit, are enabled to display the evangelic standard in it's alluring beauties, O with what amazing fuccefs are they often honoured! It is not however the truth, but the Spirit in and by the truth, who conquers the minds of men. The fuccefs of Chrift's perfonal miniftrations was derived folely from this fource. And as with the mafter, fo with the fervants. It is the energy of the Spirit alone which crowns their labours with fuccefs, 1 Cor. iii. 7. Of Shiloh, the peace-maker, it was prophefied of old, To him fhall the gathering of the people be, Gen. xlix. 10. For this purpose he was fent, to bring Jacob again to the Lord, and that Ifrael might be gathered to him, Ifa. xlix. 5. On the felf-fame errand, he fends forth the heralds of the gofpel, commanding them to lift up a standard for the people, Ifa. lxii. 10. A ftandard to which, as faithful fubjects, they may repair, and fo be terrible to the enemy as an army with banners, Song vi. 10. This ftandard is no other than the root of Jeffe, ftanding for an enfign of the people, and to whom the Gentiles feek, Ifa. xi. 10. Rom. xv. 12. As on the pole of the glorious gofpel, he is exhibited to the nations, and by that word, the Spirit draws multitudes to him. While the call is, Come unto me, Matth. xi. 28. Sinners enabled and perfuaded by the Spirit, echo back, Behold, we come unto thee, for thou art the Lord our God, Jer. iii. 22. Thine are we, O Jefus; and on thy fide, thou Son of Jeffe: rule thou over us; for us thou haft delivered. How gloriously did the Spirit of the Lord lift up this ftandard on Pentecoft-day! Thoufands flocked to it with joy, profeffing their faith in Christ, and their obedience unto him, Acts ii. 4, 37, 41, As on the white horse of the gospel, Meffiah rode forth among the nations, conquering and to conquer, Rev, vi. 2. Girt with his fword, he in majefty did profper, and ride upon the word of truth, and the meekness of righteousness, as the expreffion is, Pfal. xlv. 4. His arrows pierced the hearts of his enemies, and the people fell under him. In the day of his army, or his power, they were altogether willing, Pfal. cx. 3. This evangelic ftandard the Spirit lifted up at the glorious reformation from Popery. What able minifters of the New Teftament did he then fend forth! In difplaying a banner for truth, they turned many to righteousness; and now they shine as the brightness of the firmament, and as the stars for ever and ever. This ftandard he lifted up in the last century, in fending forth a number of fervent and faithful minifters, whofe joy and rejoicing it was to proclaim the unfearchable riches of Chrift. It is the flock, to for Ghoft who fets overseers over the the church of God the Son, which he purchafed with his own blood, Acts xx. 28. The Holy Ghoft fends them forth whitherfoever he pleafeth, chap. xiii. 2, 4. In the apoftolic age he was pleased, in an extraordinary manner, often to point out the place where the firft preachers } He or fhould, or fhould not erect the ftandard. dered Philip to join himself to the Ethiopian's chariot, Acts viii. 29. To Peter he faid, Arife, get thee down, and go with the mesengers of Cornelius, doubting nothing; for I have fent them, Acts x. 19, 20. Paul and Silas were forbidden of the Holy Ghoft to preach the word in Afia: and effaying to go to Bithynia, the Spirit fuffered them not, chap. xvi. 6, 7. From the vifion of the man of Macedonia, they gathered that the Lord had called them to preach the gofpel there, ver. 10. At Corinth, the Lord fpake to Paul by a vifion, Be not afraid, but fpeak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man fball fet on thee, to hurt thee; for I have much people in this city, chap. xviii. 9, 10.-Thus the pillar of fire and of cloud, did not more fenfibly regulate the motions of the Ifraelites in the wilderness, than the Spirit fometimes did the evangelic circuit of the primitive preachers. The Jerufalem fynod, in their letters to the Gentile churches, could fay what burden it feemed good to the Holy Ghost to lay upon them, Acts xv. 28.: and though that extraordinary difpenfation be now no more, yet we know that the self-fame holy Spirit ftill abideth in the churches, John xiv. 16. As he is still speaking to them in his word, Rev. ii. 7, 11.; fo working in them by his power. He as certainly as ever directs the motions of his minifters, by his fuperintending providence; and to his grace alone is all the fuccefs of their miniftrations to be afcribed. Generally he is pleased to work by them, in proportion as he works in them. He giveth not his word in vain: It is for his elect's fake, Acts xviii. 9, 10. Like their master, faithful ministers are eager to recover finners from the fnare of the enemy. They do not deliver frigid doctrine, nor is their meffage ready to freeze upon their lips. They do not speak fmooth things to finners, healing their wound flightly; neither do they prefent the children with a stone instead of bread: They believe, and therefore fpeak. Being thus clothed with righteousness, righteous doctrine, and a righteous life, faints fhout aloud for joy, and the enemy falls before them. A preached gofpel is his terror, because his deftruction. A Plato or a Plutarch he fears not; but at the doctrine of the cross he trembles: for by it, down fall his strongest bulwarks, as the walls of Jericho before the ark of God, Jofh. vi. 20. SECT. II. The Spirit lifts up a Standard, when he perfuades men to believe the Scriptures. HE Spirit of the Lord may be faid to lift up ΤΗ fuades and enables men to embrace the fcriptures as the word of God, the only rule of faith and pracctice. The fcripture was written by the inspiration of the holy Spirit; and therefore a firm adherence to it must be included in his lifting up a standard. Whatever men may talk of the Spirit, who exalt themselves above the written word, we may boldly aver, they have not the Spirit of the Lord: To the law and to the teftimony; if they speak not accord |