1. The Spirit leadeth us to an holy life and perfect obedience to God. His first work is to renew the soul to the image of God, and change us into the likeness of Christ, 2 Cor. iii. 18. That is the impression of this seal, left on the hearts of those where he cometh, and by which God's children are distinguished from others. He is given on purpose to heal our natures, destroy our sins, and to excite us to perfect holiness in the fear of God. Now where this eff"ect is accomplished, they may certainly say, God hath given his Spirit, namely, where God doth sanc- tify the souls of his people, mortify their lusts, and master their strongest corruptions, and raise them to those inclinations and affections which mere nature is a stranger unto. Surely a divine power hath been working there ; when they are more like God, and fit for the service of God, they are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, Eph. i. 13. His first renewing and sanctifying work, and his carrying on that work, whereby the image of God is more imprinted on us, will be our surest evidence, especially when holiness of life floweth from it ; for graces acted and exercised do more discover themselves ; and such a super- natural effect as the sanctifying our natures, and the ruling and govern- ing of our lives. Could the love and fear of God be produced by any other cause than the Spirit of God ?
2. The Spirit is a perfect opposite to the flesh ; and they that are under the power and conduct of the Spirit do resist and conquer the
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desires of the flesh; for it is not a fruitless resistance: Gal. v. 16, 17, ' This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh : for the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh ; atid these are contrary the one to the other ; ' Rom. viii. 5, ' They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit ; ' Gal. vi. 8, ' For he that sowetli to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption ; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.' They spend their time and strength, life and love, care and thoughts in seeking after spiritual things ; their business is not to gratify the flesh, but enrich the soul, to excel in knowledge, love to God; faith in Christ, and hopes of the other world, though with the loss of carnal pleasures ; and so they comply with the precepts of Christ, which every- where call upon us to curb the flesh, to dispossess us of the beast that is gotten into our natures, and to raise us in some measure into the degree and rank of an angel ; to draw us off from the natural and animal life to life spiritual and eternal, or, which is all one, to drive out the spirit of the world, and to introduce a divine and heavenly spirit. The brutish part of the world is enslaved to lower things, but they that are recovered out of this defection by the power of the Spirit grow wise and heavenly. The great disease of mankind was, that our immortal souls are depressed and tainted by the objects of sense, and did wholly crook and writhe itself to earthly things ; and instead of likeness to God, the image of a beast was impressed on man's nature, and the better part, his soul, was enslaved and embondaged to the worser part, his flesh. Now the Spirit of God cometli by degrees to restore human nature to its primitive perfection, that the spirit might command his flesh, and man might seek his happiness in some higher and more tran- scending good than the beasts are capable of, somethmg that suits with his immortal spirit, and to elevate us from a state of subjection to the flesh into a liberty for divine and heavenly things.
3. The Spirit inclineth us to all duties to our neighbours ; for it is said, Eph. v. 9, ' The fruits of the Spirit in us are in all goodness and righteousness and truth.' Meaning thereby, he maketh men sincere, good, just in their carriage to men ; by ' goodness,' taking all occasions of being useful to others as to their spiritual and bodily estate ; by 'right- eousness,'just dealings in all our transactions with others; and by ' truth,' a sincere carriage, free from lying hypocrisy and dissimulation. So Gal. V. 22, 23, ' But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long- suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance : against such there is no law.' Duties to our neighbour are implied in all these graces. By 'love,' understand lovetoour neighbour ; by 'joy,' sweetness of converse, or delighting in their good ; by ' peace,' that which concernetli all men as much as possible can be ; by ' long-suffering,' ])atience, bear- ing and forgiving of injuries ; by ' gentleness,' easiness to be entreated ; by ' goodness,' a communicativeness to all, especially the household of faith; by 'faith,' fidelity, truth in our commerce; by 'meekness,' restraint of our anger ; by ' temperance,' a holy moderation in the use of earthly things and the delights thereof. Well, then, when these things are j)ractised by us, the Spirit is given to us.