17.The fruits and effects He produces

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(J. C. Ryle, ""http://www.gracegems.org/24/Ryle_holy_spirit.htm"The Holy Spirit")

"When He comes, He will convict the world about
 sin, righteousness, and judgment." (John 16:8)

Where the Holy Spirit is, there will always be deep 
conviction of sin--and true repentance for it. It is 
His special office to convince of sin. 

He shows the exceeding holiness of God. 

He teaches the exceeding corruption and 
infirmity of our nature. 

He strips us of our blind self-righteousness. 

He opens our eyes to our awful guilt, folly and danger. 

He fills the heart with sorrow, contrition, and abhorrence 
for sin--as the abominable thing which God hates. 

He who knows nothing of all this, and saunters 
carelessly through life, thoughtless about sin, and 
indifferent and unconcerned about his soul, is a 
dead man before God! He has not the Holy Spirit. 

The presence of the Holy Spirit in a man's heart can 
only be known by the fruits and effects He produces. 
Mysterious and invisible to mortal eye as His operations
are, they always lead to certain visible and tangible results.

Just as you know there is life in a tree by its sap, buds, 
leaves and fruits--just so you may know the Spirit to be 
in a man's heart by the influence He exercises over his 
thoughts, affections, opinions, habits, and life. I lay this 
down broadly and unhesitatingly. I see it clearly marked
out in our Lord Jesus Christ's words, "Every tree is known 
by his own fruit." (Luke 6:44)

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