The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1877-05-17
/. d. s. confirms this statement.

whether there IS a Holy Ghost. 10 this tn
same explanation is proper-they had nc
heard that the Holy Ghost was present. The
had been baptized by John and evidently re
ferred to Johns statement John i: 50, an
parallel places in the other Gospels promis
ing the baptism of the Holy Ghost, by on
greater than He was. The ordinary an
perpetual work of the Spirit, of which ou
passage treats, though one in purpose, tn
application of the provisions of the gospel
mans complete and eternal salvation iron
sin and misery, is yet three fold, in respec
to sin, righteousness aud judgment. Eacl
part of the work is related to the others 81
intimately, that We propose to speak of al
together, in discussing (1) the nature, (2) th'
necessity, (3) the means, and a. the results
of this divine agency.
Q.) Mans estate Of sin and misery took
its rise in his unbelief. Oar first parents
did not believe Gods threats of death mol
His implied promise of life. Gains sacrifice
evinced uhbelief of the FIRST promise. So tht
antediluvian world, the apostate descendants
of Noah, the builders of the tower of Babel
the men of Sodom and Gomorrah, the Assyr
ians, Chaldeans; and other people of the East
and the tribes of Palestine and successive
races of Egypt, the renegade descendants o.
Lot, of Hagsr, and Keturah, all rejected the
knowledge of God. And not only so. Al
Eve did not believe God, she believed the
Devil, and as Cain did not recognise the
promise of the Messiah and his bloody, vica
rious sacrifice, be followed his own imsgina
ton, and while rejecting Gods worship and
the righteousness by faith, which Abel had
he went about to establish his own righteous
ness. In rebelling against God, as in unbe'
lief, mankind fell, nation after nation, into
idolatry. Even Gods chosen people, not.
withstanding all signs and wonders and In
stitutions of divine worship, followed the un.
belief and idolatry of other nations, and ex
cept God had preserved a remnant, would all
have become utterly, finally, hopelessly apos-
tate. Now the first work of the Spirit is to
convince men of Sin, and inssmuch as we
have seen want of faith in Christ was truly,
after the fall, the primeval sin, the root OF
all other, so has it been since; and the ap
pointed work of the Spirit, in all time, and
more especially under the dspenSation which
taught that the Son of God had come in the
flesh, and completed His mediatorial work, is
to bring men to q full belief that they are
not only in crimes against man and
God, in pride aud hatred, envy and malice,
10 theft and murder, in lying and blasphemy,
and in all sensual and degrading vices, but
underlying all, they are "sO5thO@t Christ,
and SO "alieps from the commonwealth of
Israel, strangers from the covenants of prom
ise, having no hope and without God in the
world" But the divine Spirit farther con-
vinces men of righteousness-setting before
the awakened and distressed sinner the full
grace of God in the gospel, showing that the
beginning of all right views of God, of duty,
of privilege, of hope, and of eternal life,
grow out of the righteousness of Christ; and
that this righteousness Lao been
accepted of God, in his raising Christ Jesus
from the dead and exalting Him to His own
right hand, to be prince and Saviour, to
give repentance unto Israel and forgiveness
of sins" He renews mans will and enables
aud persuades him to embrace Christ, fully
offered in the gospel. But the race of man
had not only rejected God, but following the
example of Eve, had believed the Devil, the
prince of this world. In our Lords time
there were, even of the descendants of Abra-
ham, those to whom our Lord said, eye are
of your father the Devil, and the lusts of
your father ye will do" If these things
were done in the green tree what shall be
done in the dry" The whole world was ly.
ing in sin. Our Lord came to " destroy the
works of the Devil" He had already seen
"Satan fall as lightning from heaven" AT
his resurrection he conquered Satan, sin and
death, and ascending, led captivity captive,
in his triumphal entrance into heaven. Now
the Spirit convinceS men that Satans power
has been broken, that One stronger than he,
has entered his domain and spoiled his goods
that the promise (Gen. iii 15) has been
fulfilled. In the belief of that promise, saints
under the old dispensation had been delivered
from the power of the Devil. But God, for
his own wise and holy reasons, had been
pleased to restrict the operation of the prom
ised blessing to His chosen people, including
proselytes to their faith. The rest of the
world was left, in His holy orderings, to the
blindness of sin and to it's awful consequences.
Now, however, the Spirit is commissioned to
attend the publication of the Gospel to all
men, and convince them not only of sin and
righteousness, but of Gods condemnation Of
sin in the person of the Prince of this world
who had deceived the nations, that men
should no longer yield to the power of one
whom Christ had vanquished and judged as
a sinner, whose lying devices be had exposed
and whose rule of man to his eternal undo
ing, He had manifested. Thus to every sou
yielding to the convincing power Of the Spir
it, setting forth this Crowning work of Christ'l
mission on earth, deliverance from condem
nation was assured; and they who all theil
life time had been subject to bondage, under
Satan's CALLING yoke, are drawn into the lib
erty of the gospel, and every thought brough
into captivity to the obedience of Christ
Those, indeed, to whom the gospel has never
come, or who perVer8ely reject the counsel o
God and finally grieve the Holy Spirit, ar
still under the power of Satan. But to thos
who have been convinced of sin and right
eousness, the Spirit adds the convincing o
Judgment, not to set forth the awful "terror
of that day when heaven and earth shall Ae
away." bus, ss q "Comforter," to assur
them of their deliversnce from their tyrant
judged and condemned by their true Lor,
and ConquerOr, and so to encourage as vel
as instruct and warn them through all thei
pilgrimage, exciting all holy desires, wOrkin
in them all right affections and fitting ther
by final release from all the dangers of 81
and condemnation, for an abundant entrsnc
into the bliss and glories of Heaven.
o. The necessity of this work of th
Spirit will now be considered. Wehave ha
occasion In shew that there has been no lac