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when we are nothing: To think, I must be done. The apostle

that we are at peace with God, when we are totally opposed to him. And one reason, why we form a wrong opinion of our moral character, is because we do not believe God to be a being of such infinite rectitude as he really is.

James says, "That faith without works is dead." "And if any man seemeth to be religious and bridleth not his tongue, that man's religion is vain. Pure religion, and undefiled before God and the Father, is to visit the widow and the Fatherless in We form a God in our ima- their affliction, and keep himginations, which will suit our- self unspotted from the world." selves. We are apt to think, It is absolutely necessary for the that he is better pleased with us Christian to strive to fulfil all than with some others: That righteousness in the sight of we have done something which men. And he does do it as far is the ground of our acceptance as he can. He desires and with him. Such, doubtless, is strives to keep the great comthe imaginary God, which thou-mandment, "Thou shalt love sands of hypocrites are daily the Lord thy God with all thy worshiping. They think to be heart," &c. and the other which saved in this way and it appears is like unto it," Thou shalt love to them to be the right way.- thy neighbor as thyself." But They may have strong and com- he does not expect to be justifortable hopes of their salvation, fied for thus striving. Neither if and rarely, if ever, think of such he were enabled to keep the a thing as being deluded by Sa- whole law, would he expect to tan and their own wicked hearts.be justified thereby. But alas! there is no such God as they imagine except in their wild imagination. And what will an imaginary God do, when the only true God brings hypocrites to judgment? What will it then avail us, that we have made a profession of religion before men? Shall we then offer our services which we have done to justify us before God? No we shall then see that our righteousness is as filthy rags. We shall then see than all the duties we are commanded to perform, are only means to assist us in obtaining the bread of life. We shall then see that the outward performance of these duties does not make a Christian, any more than it makes grain to plough our land without sowing the seed. Yet good works are necessary and

For he

knows that by the deeds of the law no flesh living can be justified. But the reason why he strives to keep the law, is because he knows it to be his duty. And he knows it to be a most reasonable duty. It is the desire of his heart to do whatever the law commands. He wants to be just such a creature as the law commands him to be. He loves the law of the Lord after the inner man. And he says with the Psalmist, O Lord, how love I thy law; it is my meditation day and night. It is sweeter to my taste than honey or the honey comb. More to be desired than gold. Better unto me than thousands of silver and gold. It is more than my necessary food to do the will of God. How strikingly do these passages represent the

which I did, but because ye did eat of the loaves and were filled. And they are filled in their own sight, and with their own righteousness. They make a sav iour of their own duties, and de

character of the true children of God? They do not keep the law of God or attempt to keep it because they expect, or even wish to be justified by it; but because they love it. And if this be the case, if all true Chris-ny the Lord who bought them. tians perform religious duties Perhaps not in their outward because they are delighful to conduct, but in heart they count them, what will be the awful sit- the blood of the covenant an uation of those who perform unholy thing, but their hope them only for the sake of the must perish. Their eyes will reward? For example, If peo-be opened in the hour of death. ple pray only to quiet the rebukes of a troublesome conscience, they pray only for the sake of the reward. And Christ will say to such, ye follow me Bot because ye see the miracles

But it will then be too late for them to flee to Christ. He will then tell them to depart, and take up their everlasting por tion with hypocrites and unbę, lievers.

John iii. 6.

The Catholic Doctrine of a Trinity, &c.

CHAPTER II.

THE DIVINITY OF THE HOLY GHOST,

(Continued from p. 383.)

I.

Το γεγεννημένον ΕΚ το Πνευματ@ is BORN OF the SPIRIT. 1 John v. 4. To yeyevunμevov EK TY 18

BORN OF GOD.

That which

whatsoever is

The same individual act of divine Grace, viz. that of our spiritual birth, is ascribed, without the change of a single Letter, to God, and to the Spirit. Some capacity then there must be wherein the Scripture makes no distinction between God and the Spirit : —and this is what the Scripture itself calls the divine nature; under which God and the Spirit are both equally comprehended.

II.

Acts xiii. 2. The HOLY GHOST said, separate ME Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I HAVE CALLED them.

Hebr. v. 4. No man taketh this honour to himself, but he that is CALLED of GOD.

The shorter way is to ask this same Saul, who it was that appointed him to the work of the ministry? and his answer is no other than this- Paul CALLED to be an Apostle SEPARATED unto the Gospel By the commandment of GOD OUR SAVIOUR*.

III.

Matth. ix. 38. PRAY ye therefore the LORD OF THE HARVEST, that HE Will SEND FORTH Labourers into his harvest.

Acts xiii. 4. So they being SENT FORTH BY THE

HOLY GHOST.

In this act of sending forth Labourers upon the work of the Gospel, the Holy Ghost is proved to be the Lord of the Harvest, to whom Christ himself has directed us to PRAY.

IV.

Luke ii. 16. And it was revealed unto him (at) BY the HOLY GHOST, that he should not see Death, be fore he had seen the Lord's Christ.

Ibid. v. 28. And he BLESSED GOD, and said LORD now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to THY WORD.

This word, was the word of the Holy Ghost; who therefore is intitled to the context, and is God and Lord to be blessed or praised; not under any imaginary restrictions and limitations according to a certain degree of Power delegated to him, an evasion you will meet with in some modern writers, but the Scripture, and common reason instructed by the Scripture, disclaim and abhor it, as an inlet to all sorts of Idolatry.

John xiv. 17. with you and 1 Cor. xiv. 25.

v.

HE (the SPIRIT of Truth) dwelleth shall be IN YOU.

GOD is IN YOU of a truth.

VI.

2 Tim. iii. 16. All Scripture is given by INSPIRATION of GOD.

2 Pet. i. 21. Holy men of God spake as they were

MOVED BY THE HOLY GHOST.

Rom. i. 1. and 1 Tim. i. I.

I set down the preposition, because it slays the Arian with his own weapon. It shews the prime agency and authority in this affair to have been that of the Holy Ghost, acting in his own right, and not as the minister or instrument of an higher power; for then, according to them, it should have been dia. For my own part, I lay no stress upon it, because I perceive, upon a review of the Scripture, that these two prepositions are used indir criminately.

John vi. 45. shall be all 1 Cor. ii. 13.

VII.

It is written in the prophets, and they
TAUGHT of GOD.

Not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the HOLY GHOST TEACHETH. This latter verse would prove the Holy Ghost to be God by itself: for I cannot find that man in the style of the Scripture, is ever opposed in this manner to any being but God only. I will subjoin a few examples of it.

John i. 13. Nor of the will of man, but of God.

Thess. iv. 8. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God.

Rom. i. 29. Whose praise is not of men, but of God.

VIII.

Acts v. 3. Why hath Satan filled thine heart to LIE to the HOLY GHOST.

Ibid. v. 4.Thou hast not LYED unto men, but unto

GOD..

Dr. Clarke affirms, that "the Person of the Holy Ghost is no " where in Scripture expressly stiled God." And then adds by way of authority" see the Text, No. 66*." And what text would you suppose this to be? why, it is no other than that of Acts v. 4. where he IS expressly stiled God. The Doctor refers us to it, because he has added a long perplexed Comment to help us to understand it, I suppose; though a child may see the force of it without any Comment at all. The substance of all he has said may be reduced to this" Ananias lyed to God, "because he lyed to the Apostles, in whom God dwelt by his Spi"rit." Thus he has tried to evade it; even by producing one, proof of the Holy Ghost's Divinity, as an answer to another. For if the Scripture assures us that God dwelleth in us, and our only argument for it, is, because the Spirit dwelleth in us; who can the Spirit be, but God himself? as it is proved in the following Article. But before we proceed to it, I must beg the Reader to observe how he has used and represented Athanasius's opinion upon this text. "Athanasius himself (says the Doctort) explains this text in the same manner; He that lyed (saith he) to the Holy "Ghost, lyed to GOD, WHO dwelleth in man by his Spirit. For "where the Spirit of God is, there is GOD." The difference, then, between this author and St. Anthanasius, is no more than this the former takes occasion to deny that the Holy Ghost is GOD, the latter to prove it, and both from one and the same text; which, if you believe the Doctor, they have explained in the same manner.

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† Οπω γαρ εςι το Πνεύμα τω Θεω, εκεί εςιν ο ΘΕΟΣ.

The shorter way is to ask this same Saul, who it was that appointed him to the work of the ministry? and his answer is no other than this- -Paul CALLED to be an Apostle SEPARATED unto the Gospel By the commandment of GOD OUR SAVIOUR*.

III.

Matth. ix. 38. PRAY ye therefore the LORD OF THE HARVEST, that HE Will SEND FORTH Labourers into his harvest.

Acts xiii. 4. So they being SENT FORTH BY THE

HOLY GHOST.

In this act of sending forth Labourers upon the work of the Gospel, the Holy Ghost is proved to be the Lord of the Harvest, to whom Christ himself has directed us to PRAY.

IV.

Luke ii. 16. And it was revealed unto him (at) BY the HOLY GHOST, that he should not see Death, be fore he had seen the Lord's Christ.

Ibid. v. 28. And he BLESSED GOD, and said LORD now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to THY WORD.

This word, was the word of the Holy Ghost; who therefore is intitled to the context, and is God and Lord to be blessed or praised; not under any imaginary restrictions and limitations according to a certain degree of Power delegated to him, an evasion you will meet with in some modern writers, but the Scripture, and common reason instructed by the Scripture, disclaim and abhor it, as an inlet to all sorts of Idolatry.

V.

John xiv. 17. HE (the SPIRIT of Truth) dwelleth with you and shall be IN YOU.

1 Cor. xiv. 25. GOD is IN YOu of a truth.

VI.

2 Tim. iii. 16. All Scripture is given by INSPIRA

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TION of GOD.

2 Pet. i. 21. Holy men of God spake as they were

MOVED BY THE HOLY GHOST.

Rom. i. 1. and 1 Tim. i. I.

+ I set down the preposition, because it slays the Arian with his own weapon. It shews the prime agency and authority in this affair to have been that of the Holy Ghost, acting in his own right, and not as the minister or instrument of an higher power; for then, according to them, it should have been dia. For my own part, I lay no stress upon it, because I perceive, upon a review of the Scripture, that these two prepositions are used indircriminately.

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