This Senfe Crellius maintains, and others after him; and thus he explains the Text: Our Evangelical Spirit, that is, as he explains himfelf in another Place, our Evangelical Temper, is a fufficient Argument to our own Minds that we are the Children of God. I mean not to dispute this Point with Crellius, and his Brethren, the Socinians; which would be to run into a great Controverfy: But, fince the Spirit of Christ may and does fometimes fignify both Ways, I fhall endeavour to point out to fuch as have no private Prejudices to be maintained, which Senfe is here to be followed. First then, This Spirit is the Spirit of Life, by which we are made free; that is, by which we are regenerated in Chrift Jefus, and fet at Liberty from the heavy Yoke of Sin, which the Apoftle had been defcribing in the foregoing Chapter. Now, an Evangelical Temper is not the Cause, but the Confequent of this Freedom. The Spirit of God is the efficient Caufe; of whom we are faid, for that Reason, to be born. Secondly, 'Tis the Spirit of him who raised up Chrift; that is, the Spirit by which he wrought that great Wonder and Miracle, as is evident by taking the whole eleventh Verse together: If the Spirit of him who raised up Jefus from the Dead dwell in you,

be that

raifed up Chrift from the Dead shall also quicken your mortal Bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. So that the Spirit of him who raised Chrift from the Dead, is the Spirit by which he raised Chrift from the Dead; that is, the Holy Spirit, who is mighty in Works and Wonders. Laftly, "Tis the Spirit of Adoption, by which we are made Sons: The Spirit of Adoption is the Spirit of which we are born in Christ; of which Birth an Evangelical Temper is not the Cause, but the Effect. So that, by the whole Tenor of the Apostle's Arguing, it appears, that the Spirit which beareth witness with our Spirit, is the Holy Spirit of God, which works together with our Spirit to enable us to perform the just and holy Will of God. As to the fecond Witness, our own Spirit, I need not spend much Time who it is, fince moft are agreed you that it is our own Mind. Who knoweth the Things of a Man, fave the Spirit of a Man which is in him? that is, fave his Mind and Confcience. So then the faithful Chriftian has two Witneffes of his being the Son of God; the Holy Spirit of God, and his own Mind and Confcience.

to tell

Let us therefore, in the fecond Place, inquire, what Evidence each of them gives in

this Cafe. In order to this, we must look back to the latter Part of the foregoing Chapter, to which this Verfe of the Text relates: For in all this eighth Chapter there is not one Word faid before of our own Mind or Spirit, nor the leaft Hint of any Evidence that it gives of our being the Children of God. Our crying Abba, Father, in the fifteenth Verfe, is very improperly pitched upon by fome as the Evidence proceeding from our own Mind; fince 'tis faid exprefly, that we cry Abba, Father, by the Spirit of Adoption: So that our crying Abba, Father, is an Evidence.coming not from our own Minds, but from the Holy Spirit. The Power to do Good comes from the Influence of the Holy Spirit; and therefore the Good we do is fuch an Evidence of our being the Sons of God, as we ftand obliged to the Spirit of God for: As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the Sons of God, Ver. 14. To be led by the Spirit, is through the Spirit to mortify the Deeds of the Flesh, Ver. 13. So that our Victory over the Flesh is the Effect of our having the Holy Spirit to affift and strengthen us, and is confequently, as it is a great Evidence and Affurance to us of our being the Children of God, the Evidence of that Spirit from whom it proceeds;

that

that is, not our own Spirit, but the Spirit of God. So that the great Privileges mentioned in this Chapter, fuch as being made free from the Law of Sin and Death, of walking not after the Flesh, but the Spirit, being fuch as we receive from the Spirit of God, are therefore Evidences of the Spirit for our Regeneration.

But where then must we look for the Evidence of our own Spirit? fince all the Marks and Signs of Regeneration mentioned in this eighth Chapter manifeftly belong to the Evidence of the Holy Spirit. This Difficulty put the Greek Commentators upon a very forced Interpretation of this Place; for, obferving that all the Signs of Adoption mentioned by the Apostle proceeded from the Power and Working of the Holy Spirit, in effect they made the two Witneffes of the Text but one. Thus Chryfoftom by the Spirit itself understands the Holy Spirit; and by our Spirit he underftands the Gift of the Holy Spirit within us: "What is this?" fays he: "The Spirit "beareth witness with our Spirit.” To which he answers, "The Comforter beareth wit"nefs, to the Gift bestowed on us; for the "Voice, that is, of crying Abba, Father, "belongs not only to the Gift or Grace,

"but

"but likewise to the Spirit who bestows "the Grace." The Gifts of the Spirit are fometimes called by the Name of Spirit, The Gift of Prophecy is ftyled the Spirit of Prophecy. But I do not remember that the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are ever styled our Spirit in facred Writ. Befides, as I observed before, this reduces the two Witneffes to one; for how does the Spirit bear witness but by the Gifts and Graces beftowed on us? and, if fo, then the Evidence of the Gift, and the Evidence of the Spirit, are one and the fame Evidence.

Keeping therefore to the Senfe already laid down, let us confider what St. Paul had in his View when he penned the Place now before us. Those who are converfant in St. Paul's Writings need not be told that they must not always search for the Connection within a Verfe or two of what they read. The Apoftle often looks back to what went before at fome Distance,` and, after a long Chain of Confequences, returns to his Point without giving his Reader Notice. This might be made plain by Inftances, were it our Bufinefs at present to examine the Manner or Way of St. Paul's Writing. But as to the Place before us: In the latter Part of the feventh Chapter

St.