FROM "THE LIFE, WALK, AND TRIUMPH OF FAITH"   BY WILLIAM ROMAINE

  Whoever believes truly, has been first convinced of unbelief by The Spirit of God.  This our Lord teaches, John 15:9, "When the Comforter is come, He will convince the world of sin, because they believe not on Me."  He convinces of sin, by enlightening the understanding to know the exceeding sinfulness of sin:  and by quickening the conscience to feel the guilt of it.  He shows judgement and its threatened misery, and leaves sinners no false refuge to flee unto.  He will not let them sit down content with some sorrow, or a little outward reformation, or any supposed righteousness, but makes them feel that, do whatever they will or can, their guilt still remains.  Thus He presses them to seek out for salvation, and by the gospel, He discovers it to them.  He opens their understanding to know what they hear and read concerning the covenant of the eternal Trinity, concerning what the God-Man has done in  the fulfilling of this covenant.  The Holy Spirit teaches them  the nature of the adorable Person of Christ --God manifest in the flesh, and the infinitely precious and everlasting meritorious righteousness, which He (The Son) has worked out by the obedience of His life and death: and the Spirit convinces them, that this righteousness is sufficient for their salvation, and that nothing is required except faith, for its being imputed unto them; and He works in them a sense of their being helpless and without strength to rely upon this righteousness, and through faith in it to have peace with God.  He makes them see, that they cannot by any power of their own in the least, depend upon it, for all of their sufficiency is of God.  It requires the same arm of the Lord, which worked out this righteousness, to enable them to believe in it.  They are made clearly sensible of this from the Word and the Spirit of God, and from their own daily experience; and thereby they are disposed to receive their whole salvation, (past, present, and future) from the free grace of God, and to Him to give all the glory.  These are the redeemed of the Lord, to whom it is given to believe.  They are quickened from a death in trespasses and sins, their consciences are awakened, their understandings are enlightened with the knowledge of Christ, they are enabled in their wills to choose Him, and in their hearts to love Him, and to rejoice in His salvation.  This is entirely the work of the Holy Spirit:  for faith is His gift.  Eph 2:8, Phil 1:29