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fary to the reception of the Holy Ghost, and an unavoidable confequence of his continuance. The attainment of GRACE is then the one thing neceffary. It includes in it all gofpel comfort, it teaches all moral virtue, and infallibly leads to LIGHT, life, and immortality.

SECTION II.

On the Sort of Evidence recommended to notice and attempted to be difplayed in this Treatise.

Quid eft fideliter Chrifto credere? eft fideliter Dei mandata fervare. In what confifts a faithful belief in Cbrift? It confifts in a faithful obedience to bis commandments. SALVIAN. de Gub. lib. 3•

I

THINK it right to apprize my reader, on the very threshold, that if he expects a recapitulation of the external and hiftorical evidence of Christianity, he will be difappointed. For all fuch evidence I must refer him to the great and illuftrious names of voluminous theologifts, who have filled with honour the profeffional chairs of univerfities, and fplendidly adorned the annals of literature. I revere their virtuous characters; I highly appreciate their learned labours; I think the student who is abftracted from active life, and poffeffes leisure, may derive from them much amufement, while he increases his ftores of critical: erudition, and becomes enabled to difcourfe in the pulpit, or difpute in the fchools on fubjects of theology. But men, able to command their time, and competently furnished with ability for deep and extensive investigation, are but a small number in

the

the mafs of human beings who want the comforts and the guidance of religion. That fyftematic or fpeculative treatise which may delight and inftruct ftudents, in the cool fhade of philofophical retirement, will have little effect on the minds of others who conftitute the multitude of mortals, eagerly engaged in providing for the wants of the paffing day, or warmly contending for the glittering prizes of fecular ambition. Indeed, I never heard that the laborious proofs of Chriftianity, in the historical and argumentative mode, ever converted any of those celebrated authors on the fide of infidelity, who have, from time to time, fpread an alarm through Christendom, and drawn forth the defenfive pens of every church and university in Europe. The infidel wits, unconvinced and unabashed, wrote on in the fame caufe; deriving fresh matter for cavil from the arguments of the defenders; and re-affailing the citadel with the very balls hurled from its battlements.

What then, it may be juftly asked, have I to offer? What is the fort of evidence which I attempt to display? It is an internal EVIDENCE of the truth of the gofpel, confequent on OBEDIENCE to its precepts. It is a fort of evidence, the mode of obtaining which is pointed out by JESUS CHRIST himself, in the following declaration: "If any 66 man will do my will, he fhall KNOW of the DOC"TRINE whether it be of GOD *."

But how shall he know? BY THE ILLUMINA, TION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD, which is promised by Christ to those who do his will.

Therefore if any man seriously and earnestly defires to become a Christian, let him begin†, what

ever

*John, vii. 17. + If he begin with natural religion, faithfully practiling its duties. according to his confcience, the grace of God, it is humbly prefumed,

ever doubts he may entertain of the truth of Christianity, by practising those moral virtues, and cultivating those amiable difpofitions, which the written gospel plainly requires, and the grace of God will gradually remove the veil from his eyes and from his heart, fo as to enable him to fee and to love the things which belong to his peace, and which are revealed in the gofpel only. Let him make the experiment and persevere. The refult will be full conviction that Christianity is true. The fanctifying Spirit will precede, and illumination follow in confequence.

I take it for granted, that God has given all men the means of knowing that which it imports all men to know (and the means of grace are thofe means); but if, on the contrary, in order to gain the knowledge requifite to become a Chriftian, it were neceffary to read fuch authors as Grotius, Clarke, Lardner, Locke, or Warburton, how few, in the great mafs of mankind, could poffibly acquire that knowledge and confequent faith which are thus fuppofed neceffary to their falvation?

Every human being is capable of the evidence which arises from the divine illumination of grace. It is offered in the gofpel to all. And they who reject it, and feek only the evidence which human means afford, fhut out the fun, and content themfelves either with total darkness or the feeble light of a taper.

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"There is," fays the excellent Bishop Sanderfon, "to the outward tender of grace in the miniftry of the gospel, annexed an inward offer of "the fame to the HEART, by the SPIRIT of God "going along with his woRD, which fome of the

will be vouchfafed to him in fuch measure, as fhall render him, in due time, a firm believer in revealed religion.

"schoolmen

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"schoolmen call auxilium gratiæ generale, fufficient of itself to convert the foul of the hearer, if he "do not refift the Holy Ghoft, and reject the "grace offered; which, as it is grounded on thefe "words, Behold I ftand at the door and knock, and

upon very many paffages of fcripture befide, "fo it ftandeth with reafon that the offer, if "accepted, fhould be fufficient, ex parte fua, to do "the work, which, if not accepted, is fufficient "to leave the perfon, not accepting the fame,. inexcufable.".

The outward teftimony to the truth of the gofpel, is certainly a very strong one; but yet it is found infufficient without the inward teftimony;. for the truth of which affertion, I appeal to facts and experience. The best understandings (if the moft celebrated authors and philofophers poffeffed the best understandings) have remained unconvinced by the outward teftimony; while the meanest have been fully perfuaded by the co-operation of the inward, the divine irradiation of the Holy Ghost fhining upon and giving luftre to the letter of re

velation.

But becaufe the doctrine of divine influence on the human mind is obnoxious to obloquy *, I think it neceffary to support it by the AUTHORITY of fome of the beft men and foundeft divines of this. nation. Such are the prejudices entertained by

*During the greater part of this century the philofophers on the continent, and their imitators in our own ifland, have been explaining. away every thing myfterious in Chriftianity, and branding all thofe who maintain the pure doctrine of the gospel with the ftigma of fanaticifm. And of late, men pretending to fincerity in religious matters have adopted the title of rational Chriftians, and as a proof of their rationality, denied the divinity of the fecond and third perfons in the Holy Trinity. By fome ftrange neglect, these men have been permitted for many years to direct the public in the choice of books, not only in fcience and polite literature, but alfo in Christian. theology.

many

many against the doctrine of divine influence and the witnefs of the Spirit, that I cannot proceed one Step farther, with hope of fuccefs, till I have laid before my reader MANY paffages in confirmation of it, from the writings of men who were the ornaments of their times, and who are at this day efteemed no lefs for their orthodoxy and powers of rea foning than their eloquence. I make no apology to my reader for the length of the quotations from them, because I am fure he will be a gainer, if I keep filence that they may be heard in the interval, My object is to re-establish a declining opinion which I think not only true, but of prime importance. I therefore withdraw myself occafionally, that I may introduce thofe advocates for it, whofe very names muft command attention. If I can but be inftrumental in reviving the true Spirit of Christianity, by citing their authority, theirs be the praife, and mine the humble office of recommending and extending their falutary doctrine.

"And if it shall be afked (to express myfelf nearly in the words of Archbishop Wake) why in this volume I fo often chufe the drudgery of a tranfcriber*, the reafon is fhortly this: I hoped that quotations from departed writeis of great and deferved fame would find a more general and unprejudiced acceptance with all forts of men, than any thing that could be written by any one now living, who, if esteemed by fome, is yet in danger of being defpifed by more; whofe prejudice to his perfon will not fuffer them to reap any benefit by any thing, however ufeful, that can come from him; while fuch paffages as these which I quote muft excite refpect and attention, unmixed (as the

The archbishop is apologizing for undertaking the work of tranflation instead of original compofition.

authors.

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