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"port. O my God! such a soul is incessantly cry"ing out, when shall I see thy face? When shall "thy light illuminate me without any darkening cloud? To approach Thee is my only happiness. "Happy they who praise thee without ceasing."

"I acknowledge," continues this christian philosopher," that these may be the natural effects of "that attention, with which the Spirit of God has "graciously fixed our minds upon those objects, "which revelation presents to our view, and upon "which it directs us to occupy our thoughts. But "I am not afraid of going beyond the truth, when "I add, that the Spirit of God by his own immedi"ate agency, may inspire the soul with this sacred "taste and these exalted sentiments. Corporeal ob"jects act upon the organs of sense by a power, "which they undoubtedly receive from God. This

may, in some measure, be understood: but in "what manner their action passes from thence upon "the soul, is a mystery too obscure to admit of an "explanation. Christian philosophers have con“ceived, that the will of God, and some established "order of his appointment, are the only causes of "those internal sentiments, of which these impres"sions upon the outward organs are but the occa❝sion. This being the case, under what pretext << can we refuse to believe, that the Spirit of God

may give rise to such sentiments in the soul, as "are abundantly more conformable to the nature of "their holy cause, than those ordinary sentiments, "which are, nevertheless, referred to the will of "God, as their first and true cause? Such are those "sentiments, which St. Paul so earnestly solicited "for his followers at Ephesus, and for the increase “of which, he implored upon them the influence of "the Holy Spirit."

Such are also those impressions, motions, and aids of the Holy Spirit, both mediate and immedi ate, for which we offer up so many ardent supplica

tions in different parts of our public service. Every christian liturgy is filled with petitions of this nature; petitions, which are conformable to the principles of christianity, the voice of reason, and the necessities of sinful men, though they usually appear to the children of this world, as the mere unintelligible jargon of enthusiasm. The minister, who strictly follows the example of St. Paul in this respect, will most probably be regarded as a visionary by the ignorant and the profane: but, while he breaths out these ardent prayers, in humble faith, accompanying them with those discourses and that conduct, which are correspondent to such requests; he has, at least, a satisfactory consciousness, that he has never practised the arts of an impostor with the liturgy in his hand, nor played the part of a comedian in a christian pulpit.

As to the real advantages, which would flow from our doctrine of the dispensations, though they have been adverted to in various passages of this work, yet it appears not unnecessary to take a transient review of them in this place.

1. By an accurate acquaintance with these dispensations, every evangelical preacher may become " an approved workman, rightly dividing the word of truth;" and a " faithful servant," distributing to every domestic of his Master's household, that peculiar portion of spiritual food, which is suited to their several circumstances.

2. By exactly dividing the dispensations of grace, we are enabled to mark out the boundaries, of those particular states, which believers of different classes are observed to enjoy. We ascertain that degree of spiritual life, to which we ourselves have attained: we distinguish the various graces bestowed upon us: we discover whatever great promise is still before us, and solicit, without ceasing, the complete accomplishment of that promise. He, who preaches the Gospel, without tracing out the lines which separate the three dis

pensations of grace, may be said to exhibit a sun-dial, upon which the hours are unmarked, and from which little else than confusion, if not dangerous mistakes, can be expected to flow.

3. By the light of this doctrine, true worshippers of every different class, may be taught to acknowledge and esteem one another, according to their different degrees of faith. Nothing is more common in a christian country, than to see the rigidly orthodox, uncharitably treating, as hopeless outcasts, not only those virtuous deists, who are yet unacquainted with the Son, but even those pious socinians, who are resting satisfied with that inglorious state, in which the first disciples of our Lord were so long detained; and who are unable to acknowledge any more than his humanity. Let these orthodox professors become acquainted with the various dispensations of grace, and, ceasing to of fend, either virtuous deists or pious socinians, with their furious anathemas; they will treat the former with all the benevolence, which St. Peter once expressed toward Cornelius, and the latter with that brotherly kindness, which Aquila manifested in his carriage toward Apollos. On the other hand, if those christians, who are yet carnal, had any proper idea of these different dispensations; if they could but believe, that the same Jesus who was once outwardly manifested among the Jews, still continues to manifest himself in the Spirit, through every part of the world, to those who are anxiously pressing into the Kingdom of God: if they could admit, but in theory, this eminent dispensation of grace, they would no longer argue against those, as enthusiasts, who speak of the influence of the Spirit in scriptural terms.

So long as this glorious light shall continue in obscurity, so long we may expect to observe among chris-tians the most unfriendly disputes: and though they never again may kindle blazing piles for their mutual destruction, yet bitter words interchanged among them, like so many invenomed shafts, will still conti

nue to declare, that war is in their hearts. Those who imagine themselves in possession of the purest christian faith, will treat others, who indulge different sentiments, as infidels and heretics; while these in return, will stigmatize their uncharitable brethren with the opprobrious epithets of enthusiast and fanatic. But when every minister of the Gospel, enlightened with truth and glowing with charity, faithfully conduct the flock of Christ from grace to grace, and from strength to strength, then the foremost of that flock shall manifest their religious superiority, by giving proofs of the most unfeigned affection toward the meanest and most infirm of their spiritual companions. Copying the humble courtesy of St. Paul, these unpresuming elders will cry out, among their younger brethren; "Let us, as many as be like-minded, forgetting those things that are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which *are before, press" earnestly" toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded," that perfect charity which hopeth all things, engages us to believe, that "God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same things

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It may not be amiss to conclude these remarks upon the three grand dispensations of grace, by observing, how imperfect worshippers deceive themselves, while they refuse to proceeed from faith to faith. It is the opinion of many sincere deists, who are zealous for the dispensation of the Father, that were they to embrace the dispensation of the Son, they must necessarily detract from the honour due to the incomprehensible God. This prejudice, however, evidently flows from the want of spiritual discernment; since the holy Scriptures instruct us, that, when" at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess, that he is Lord of Heaven and earth," such religious adoration shall be considered as ultimately heightening "the glory of God the Fa

ther." Now if the Father leads us to the Son, by the dawnings of his grace, as we are taught by the following passages...." No man can come unto me, except the Father draw him. Simon Peter said, Thou art Christ the Son of the living God: Jesus answered him, Blessed art thou Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven: it is equally certain, that, when we come to Christ, he teaches us both to know and worship the Father. Observe the language of our Lord, with respect to this point. "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Father, glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify Thee. This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. Righteous Father, the world hath not known thee; but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me," to make an open display of thy glory upon earth. " I have declared unto them thy name, and I will declare it," yet more perfectly. From these passages it evidently appears, that the faith of the Son can never possibly take away from that profound veneration, which is due to the Father. And what is here observed relative to the faith of the Son, is no less true with regard to the faith of the Holy Spirit. For if, under the dispensation of Jesus, we learn to address "our Father, who is in Heaven," with a degree of humble confidence, it is only under the dispensation of the Spirit, that we are enabled to make those addresses with all that filial reverence and that lively fervour, which the Gospel requires. This "spirit of adoption," by witnessing" with our spirit that we are the children of God," assists us to bow before our celestial Parent, with that ineffable veneration and love, which are due to the Supreme Being. If philosophers would duly reflect upon these important truths, they would no longer tremble under the vain apprehension of becoming idolaters and tritheists, by admitting the doctrines of the Gospel. On

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