1. With a divine energy to the soul —
[The Gospel is " the rod of God's strength," even that wonder-working rod whereby the most astonishing miracles are wrought6. By it " the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life again f." Weak as it is in itself, even as the rod of Moses was, it is " mighty through God to the pulling down of the strong-holds of sin and Satan; bringing, not the actions only, but even the thoughts, of men into captivity to the obe- dience of Christ g." This is " the sword which Christ girds upon his thigh11," and with which he subdues his enemies. It is " the sword of the Spirit" also1. It is, in short, that instrument whereby the Sacred Three accomplish all their mys- terious purposes in converting and saving a ruined world. But then it must be wielded by an almighty arm : it must " come in demonstration of the Spirit and of powerk," or else it will fail of producing any permanent effect. None but He who moved upon the chaos, and formed it into order and beauty, can new create the soul. Such a change may be wrought as we read of in Ezekiel's vision, where the dry bones came together, and the sinews and flesh came up upon them; but they were only a corpse still, till the Spirit breathed upon them: and then they rose up, even a great army1. Thus persons who are dead in sin, may be brought to a profession of religion by other means : but nothing short of a divine power can ever " turn men truly from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God m." Paul may plant, and Apollos may water ; but it is God alone who can give the increase".]
2. With an assured sense of its truth and excel- lence—
[One reason why the Gospel has so little effect, is, that "men do not mix faith with what they hear0." They regard it " rather as the word of men, than as the word of Godp." In going to hear it, they consider themselves as going to hear a man ; when they should rather go in the spirit of the Centu- rion and his friends, saying, " Behold, now we are all here present before thee, to hear all things that are commanded thee of Godi." Moreover the Gospel should be viewed as a remedy, a remedy of God's providing, and exactly suited to our wants. We should go to hear it, as a hungry person goes to a feast :
e Ps. ex. 2. f Matt. xi. 5. with Isai. xxxv. 5, 6.
g 2 Cor. x. 4, 5. See also Jer.xxiii. 29. h Ps. xlv. 3 — 5.
> Eph. vi. 17. k 1 Cor. ii. 4. • Ezek. xxxvii. 7 — 10.
m Acts xxvi. 18. " 1 Cor. iii. 5 — 7. ° Heb. iv. 2.
p 1 Thess. ii. 13. •> Acts x. 33.