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Were this argument managed with skill equal to its importance,it would, with God's bleffing upon it, put an end to all difference of opinion upon this fubject. The errors into which many men have run in confequence of their ignorance of the nature of the Chriftian church; of their having confidered it, not as a fociety made for man, but fomething left for man to make for himself; (like a lump of shapeless wax, to be moulded according to every one's fashion) would be corrected; and the object of that grand enemy of all religion, whose cause derives advantage from divifion among Chriftians, would be in a great measure defeated. Nothing is wanting to do juftice to the cause of the church, as a fociety of CHRIST'S

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gentleman of his feemingly good fenfe and education could be induced to engage in a caufe fo very unjuft?" His reply was; He had not fo ftrictly examined the merit of the cause, as now he was convinced he ought; but one thing he could not but mention, that had prejudiced him (and he believed a great many more) against his Majefty's fervice, was the licence taken among the cavaliers of fwearing and drinking." The anfwer to this was; " Admitting the charge were true, it was highly unpardonable fo excellent a prince as his Majefty fhould fuffer for the irregularities of his foldiers; and befides, he ought farther to have confidered, the crimes he mentioned were entirely perfonal, and the vices of men: whereas the malice, treachery, hypocrify, and feveral other unparalleled vices, which made up the very effence of his caufe, were the vices of devils."

forming, but an unprejudiced mind, an honeft heart, and a competent acquaintance with primitive Christianity. A bright ornament* of our church, who poffeffed thefe qualifications in an eminent degree, has fpoken fo strongly and fo plainly upon the subject to which I am now alluding, that every confiderate man will at least paufe before he ventures to fet at nought fuch authority. "I would not (fays he) be an heretick, or a fchifmatick in the church, to have the wisdom of SOLOMON, the tongues of ST. PAUL, and the eloquence of APOLLOS; no not to be caught up into Paradise, and hear those unutterable things. I would not be the best preacher that ever was, and speak in the pulpit by inspiration, to have that accufation lie against me, which ST. PAUL drew up against the Corinthians,-of envy, ftrife, fchifm." Elsewhere speaking of those fpiritual gifts, which, through the vanity of their poffeffors, heretofore disturbed the peace of the church of Corinth, he thus admirably expreffes himself: Gifts, (fays he) whether real or pretended, whether natural, acquired, or infpired, are temptations to pride and apoftacy, rather than fecurity from them; witness LUCIFER in heaven; ADAM in paradife; and So

*HICKES.

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LOMON, who for his exceeding wisdom was styled the wife. So that no comparison ought to be made betwixt the excellency of knowledge and grace, and betwixt the intellectual and faving gifts of the Spirit; or between the gifts of the Spirit that make us wife, and learned, and fluent talkers, and thofe which make us good.

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"It is better to be humble, than to be a prophet; it is better to be righteous, than to have the faith of miracles; and it is better to be holy, than to have the gift of tongues. But, to be peaceable and love union, is as great a grace, as to be humble, righteous, and holy; nay, as to be pure and temperate. For it is equalled with all those, and many other of the prime graces in the New Testament; it is reckoned with many of them among the fruits of the Spirit; and the fruits of the Spirit are better and more defirable than the gifts of it. The gifts of it may improve the conformity of my foul after the metaphyfical image of GoD, in knowledge and wifdom; which the apostate spirits retain. But these are the fruits of it; as love, joy, peaceableness, &c. which conform my foul after his moral image, and make me partaker of his moral excellencies and perfections, and which alone can qualify my fpirit for his presence

and acceptance; when many inspired men, and many more enthufiafts who think themselves infpired, fhall be shut out of the kingdom of GOD: as for other fins, fo especially, for disturbing the peace, and rending the unity of the church.

"Wherefore, if we lived in the age of miracles; or if GOD, to confute the infidelity of atheists, or to convert the Mahometans, or for any other reasons, should now renew the gifts of his fpirit; in fubmiffion to his good pleasure, I should beg, with the prophet JEREMIAH, to be excufed from all intellectual infpirations, from visions and revelations, and prophecy; from the gift of tongues and difcerning fpirits, and preaching and praying by immediate inspiration. Instead of these gifts which fail, and which are good or bad, as the man is that receives them, I would beg him, for the fake of JESUS, to inspire me with graces of his fpirit, which never fail; with humility, temperance, purity, justice, and charity; for every one of these furpaffeth all understanding, and the knowledge of all mysteries; more especially would I beseech him to grant me his peace, or inspire me with the love of union, which furpaffeth all understanding, and would keep my heart and mind from

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envyings and strife, and from making or fomenting needlefs divifions, through JESUS CHRIST my Lord."

An attempt to add to the force of the above excellent paffages, would be prefumption. They are, therefore, left to produce their own effect upon the reader's mind, who, if unacquainted, as most probably he is, with the writings of this great divine, will thank me for producing thus at length a quotation from him, which breathes the true Christian spirit in fo eminent a degree.

To prevent misconstruction, it remains only to be obferved, that what a fincere regard for genuine Christianity, accompanied with an earnest wish to promote the unity of the Chriftian church, has induced me, in a former part of this discourse, to fay, in apparent contradiction to a writer, who has lately favoured the world with his religious fentiments; must be confidered, as faid against the meaning, which may be drawn from certain unguarded paffages in his publication, rather than against that of their author. So much refpect is due to this amiable author for the design of his undertaking, that it would give me pleasure to think, that what has been here written, might prove the means of putting his publication into the hand of one additional reader;

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