AT PROVIDENCE CHAPEL, LITTLE TITCHFIELD STREET, LONDON: Printed by T. BENSLEY, Bolt Court, Fleet Street. Published by E. HUNTINGTON, Bookfeller, No. 55, High Street, Bloomsbury. Sold alfo at Providence and the City Chapel, Grub-Street 3 at Jireh Chapel, Lewes, Suffex; at the Rev. Mr. Brook's Chapel, Brighton; by J. Cuthbert, Battle, Suffex; J. Troup, Welwyn, Herts; Thomas Barston, Market Place, Grantham, Lincolnshire; S. Eades, 58, High Street, Ramfgate; George Calladine, Leicester; and J. Jamefon, Penrith, Cumberland. To the Rev. J. JENKINS, Lewes, Suffex; and the Rev. W. J. BROOKE, Brighton." GAL. VI. 8. HE THAT SOWETH TO THE SPIRIT SHALL OF THE SPIRIT REAP LIFE EVERLASTING. BELOVED Brethren in the household of faith, and fellow-labourers in the Lord's vineyard, the above text has often presented itself to my mind as pregnant with the moft fublime myfteries; and, if confidered in different points of light, as it should be, it takes in the minifter of the Spirit; the whole work of the miniftry; the willing fubjection of the penitent finner to Chrift; the daily exercise of every faint; the hofpitality of the children of God to each other; and the liberality of the church in fupporting the caufe of God. B No minifter that I have heard on the fubject, nor any commentator that I have as yet read, has fully fatisfied me with the definitions that they have given of it. It has remained obfcure to me, and I was much in the dark about it till very lately. Former experience has convinced me, and later experience has confirmed it, that there is no getting at these things but by fervent prayer to God. By this I do not mean prayer in a general way, as afking for more light and knowledge of the whole word of God; but I mean to take any one paffage, which appears dark and mysterious, and lay it before the Lord, and plead his promise of the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth, and others of the like import; and in this way we need not doubt of fuccess. is Whilft the light and life of the gospel continue with us, whilft the door of hope and the gate of life ftand displayed, whilst a throne of grace acceffible, it is our feed-time and harvest; and when this season is over and gone we may lament, as others have done, and fay, The barveft is past, the fummer is ended, and we are not faved, Jer. viii. 20. But I fhall now come to the fubject in hand, and confider, ift, Sowing to the Holy Spirit, as he was in God's prophets, in the apoftles of Chrift, and as he ftill is in every minifter of the new teftament; for such are ministers of the Spirit, and not of the letter, 2 Cor. iii. 6. All prophecy in old time came by divine infpiration; holy men of God fpake a they were moved by the Holy Ghoft. Nor was it the apostles that spake, but the Spirit of God fpake in them; they spake as the Spirit gave them utterance. And all in fucceeding ages, who have ever been inftrumental in bringing fouls to Christ, or any glory to God, have spoken by the fame fpirit; the promise of life and the spirit of life are both fecured to Chrift and to his feed for ever; for this is God's covenant both with the head, and with the members, Ifa. lix. 21. It is vain for men to talk about preaching the gofpel, and delivering their teftimony, while deftitute of divine inspiration; the gofpel, Paul fays, is the miniftry of the Spirit; and we are informed by an angel from heaven that the teftimony of Jefus is the Spirit of prophecy, Rev. xix. 10. So that there is no gofpel, no teftimony of Jefus, where the Spirit of God is not. If we confider the Spirit of God fpeaking in all God's meffengers, fuch meffengers must be a favour of life unto life, or of death unto death; of life unto life to the obedient in faith, and of death unto death to the rebellious infidel.-He that believeth is not condemned [but juftified], but be that believeth not is condemned already. And, as it is with the husbandman, he must sow before he can expect to reap; so it is with the godly, they must fow to the Spirit before they can reap the harveft of glory. Sowing to the Spirit, as he is confidered in God's meffengers, is, from conviction, giving a hearty affent to the truth, Ifa. xliii. 9; fubmitting to it |