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It may be prudent in me to act sometimes by other men's reason, but I can think only by my own. If another man's reason fully convinceth me, it becomes my own reason. To say a man is bound to believe, is neither truth nor sense. You may force men, by interest or punishment, to say or swear they believe, and to act as if they believed: You can go no further.
IT is the Spirit of God, even the Holy Ghost that convinceth us of sin, and so of our damnable state because of sin. Therefore the Spirit of God, when he worketh in the heart as a spirit of bondage, doeth it by working in us by the law, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Rom. 6: 20.
Our experience unresistibly convinceth us that a continued prayer doth more to help most of the people, and carry on their desires, than turning almost every petition into a distinct prayer; and making prefaces and conclusions to be near half the prayers. This now is the very point I most admire in our excellent Liturgy.
That man honoreth God, edifieth the saints, convinceth the world and condemneth them, and is become 'heir of the righteousness which is by faith. But I have dishonored God, stumbled and grieved saints, made the world blaspheme, and, for aught I know, been the cause of the damnation of many.
That man honoureth God, edifieth the saints, convinceth the world, and condemneth them, and is become heir of the righteousness which is by faith. But I have dishonoured God, stumbled and grieved saints, made the world blaspheme, and, for aught I know, been the cause of the damnation of many!
What the populace once learned to believe without reasons, who could refute it to them by means of reasons? And on the market-place one convinceth with gestures. But reasons make the populace distrustful. And when truth hath once triumphed there, then ask yourselves with good distrust: "What strong error hath fought for it?" Be on your guard also against the learned!
Here is enough to convince of this ignorance and insensibleness; but it is his Spirit, which "convinceth the world of sin," John xvi. that must bear home this conviction.
If not, thou hast not yet been savingly convinced by the Spirit of Christ; for that, when it convinceth effectually of sin, it convinceth of unbelief; though thou hast been never so much convinced of sins against the law, if thou hast not seen thyself under the power and dominion, guilt and punishment of sin, because thou didst not believe in Christ, thou hast not yet been savingly convinced; for that's one work of the Spirit to convince of sin, 'Because they believe not on me, saith Jesus the Son of Mary, who was espoused to Joseph the carpenter: But on the contrary, dost thou not say in thy heart, thou never hadst thy faith to seek, but hast always believed with as good a faith as any one alive?
"We should be able to say, 'Which of you convinceth me of sin? before we are fit to preach to others in such a way that our preaching may have a practical effect upon society. "Did all our efforts flow into realizing the teachings of the Spirit, we should do much more good and be greater in the sight of God than we are now by so much speaking and writing.
For it cannot be that the Spirit of God should convince us of sin, but it must also show us our state to be damnable because of it, especially if it so convinceth us, before we believe, and that is the intent of our Lord in that place, "of sin," and so of their damnable state by sin, because they believe not on me. And he, in this his working, is properly called a spirit of bondage.
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