When the Holy Spirit preaches the gospel

(J. C. Philpot)

We often know the theory of the gospel,
before we know the experience of the gospel.

We often receive the doctrines of grace into
our judgment, before we receive the grace of
the doctrines into our soul.

We therefore need to be . . .
  brought down,
  humbled,
  tried,
  stripped of every prop;
that the gospel may be to us . . .
  more than a sound,
  more than a name,
  more than a theory,
  more than a doctrine,
  more than a system,
  more than a creed;
that it may be . . .
  soul enjoyment,
  soul blessing,
  and soul salvation.

When the Holy Spirit preaches the gospel
to the poor in spirit, the humbled, stripped,
and tried--it is a gospel of glad tidings indeed
to the sinner's broken heart.