But what has light to do with darkness, or polite infidels with the Bible? Alas! as they are strangers to the power, so they are generally as great strangers to the word of GOD. And therefore, if we will preach to them, we must preach to and from the heart: for talking in the language of scripture, to them, is but like talking in an unknown tongue. Tell me then, O man, whosoever thou art, that deniest the doctrine of original sin, if thy conscience be not seared as with a hot iron! tell me, if thou dost not find thyself, by nature, to be a motly mixture of brute and devil? I know these terms will stir up the whole Pharisee in thy heart; but let not Satan hurry thee hence; stop a little, and let us reason together; dost thou not find, that by nature thou art prone to pride? otherwise, wherefore art thou now offended? Again, dost not thou find in thyself the seeds of malice, revenge, and all uncharitableness? and what are these but the very tempers of the devil? Again, do we not all by nature follow, and suffer ourselves to be led by our natural appetites, always looking downwards, never looking upwards to that GOD, in whom we live, move, and have our being? and what is this but the very nature of the beasts that perish? Out of thy own heart, therefore, will I oblige thee to confess, what an inspired apostle has long since told us, that “the whole world (by nature) lies in the wicked one;” we are no better than those whom St. _Jude_ calls “brute beasts;” for we have tempers in us all by nature, that prove to a demonstration, that we are earthly, sensual, devilish.
And this will serve as another argument, to prove the reality of the operations of the blessed Spirit on the hearts of believers, against those false professors, who deny there is any such thing as influences of the Holy Spirit, that may be felt. For if they will grant that the devil worketh, and so as to be felt in the hearts of the children of disobedience (which they must grant, unless they will give an apostle the lye) where is the wonder that the good Spirit should have the same power over those who are truly obedient to the faith of JESUS CHRIST?
If it be true then, that we are all by nature, since the fall, a mixture of brute and devil, it is evident, that we all must receive the Holy Ghost, ere we can dwell with and enjoy GOD.
When you read, how the prodigal, in the gospel, was reduced to so low a condition, as to eat husks with swine, and how _Nebuchadnezzar_ was turned out, to graze with oxen; I am confident, you pity their unhappy state. And when you hear, how JESUS CHRIST will say, at the last day, to all that are not born again of GOD, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels,” do not your hearts shrink within you, with a secret horror? And if creatures, with only our degree of goodness, cannot bear even the thoughts of dwelling with beasts or devils, to whose nature we are so nearly allied, how do we imagine GOD, who is infinite goodness, and purity itself, can dwell with us, while we are partakers of both their natures? we might as well think to reconcile heaven and hell.
When _Adam_ had eaten the forbidden fruit, he fled and hid himself from GOD; why? because he was naked; he was alienated from the life of GOD, the due punishment of his disobedience. Now, we are all by nature naked and void of GOD, as he was at that time, and consequently, until we are changed, renewed, and cloathed with a divine nature again, we must fly from GOD also.
Hence then appears the reasonableness of our being obliged to receive the Spirit of GOD. It is founded on the doctrine of original sin: and, therefore, you will always find, that those who talk against feeling the operations of the Holy Ghost, very rarely, or slightly at least, mention our fall in _Adam_; no, they refer St. _Paul_’s account of the depravity of unbelievers, only to those of old time. Whereas it is obvious, on the contrary, that we are all equally included under the guilt and consequences of our first parent’s sin, even as others; and to use the language of our own church-article, “bring into the world with us, a corruption, which renders us liable to GOD’s wrath, and eternal damnation.”
Should I preach to you any other doctrine, I should wrong my own soul; I should be found a false witness towards GOD and you; and he that preaches any other doctrine, howsoever dignified and distinguished, shall bear his punishment, whosoever he be.
From this plain reason then appears the necessity why we, as well as the first apostles, in this sense, must receive the Spirit of GOD.
For the great work of sanctification, or making us holy, is particularly referred to the Holy Ghost; therefore, our LORD says, “Unless a man be born of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of GOD.”