doctrine of the Holy Spirit, meaning the Holy Spirit “applies” the preaching of the Gospel—which of course is absolutely right. But this view takes little account of the Holy Spirit’s immediate and direct witness. The absence of this immediate and direct witness, then, is what often paves the way for a ministry that is “perfectly orthodox, perfectly useless.” My preaching ministry at Westminster was almost entirely expository, although our Friday night “School of Theology” dealt with doctrinal themes.