Spirit, not the appetites, affections, or paffions themselves, which are at present effentially neceffary, and an infeparable part of the compofitum : But he meaneth, the wild, exceffive, and unnatural fate of those appetites, affections, or paffions; what ought not to be allowed a fubfiftence in the fame fubject, which poffeffes the divinely intellectual faculties of reafon and confcience. Thefe irregular propenfions muft neceffarily be fubdued and mortified, in order to the fafe and comfortable existence and pleafing self-enjoyment of man.

And as far as I am able to difcern, if the conteft be juftly reprefented, in the feveral citations now made, there is no kind of reason for any felf-reproaches in whatever fenfitive gratifications or indulgence; fince the victory on the fide of the flesh, is quite as natural as that on the fide of the spirit. And not only natural, but also unavoidable and neceffary.

To think therefore of remedying the efforts of the flesh, would be no less, than to think of rendring this compofitum imperfect. But with the Doctor, there is no poffibility of any fuch reformation. For, flesh and

fpirit like equal competitors will keep up the game; and not drop the conteft till the diffolution: which proves it to be of nature.Confequently, it would be quite vain, as well as unnatural, to give them any kind of disturbance.

But will not this juftify every villainy? and will it not keep in countenance every of the gratifications, which do most difhonour human nature, and disturb the state of fociety? I am utterly unable to difcern man, any longer as moral or accountable. And could I be convinced of this representation of him, as being juft and rational, I would most readily compliment my fellowbrutes, with the best praises, and congratulations of an equal, or rather of a superior fyftematic-regularity, and native intellection, or ability.

And yet, we must not omit to observe, that this learned writer having cited feveral texts, which he applies to the ordinary effects of God's fpirit, among chriftians of our own and all former ages, has thus expreffed himself.-These texts, and their like, we expound by applying them to the ordinary operation of God's Spirit in believers, not easily or

likely to be discovered by the parties themselves or by any other, except only by the fruits of an boly life, and godly converfation: where thefe really are, and appear plainly, there is the Spirit of God, the true root and original of them and where thefe do not appear, and really are not, there certainly the Spirit of God is not, be the leaves of profeffion ever fo large, fair or flourishing.

And in oppofition to fome opinions advanced about the operations of the fpirit, in another place he fais, We agree that no man can act any thing without God's affiftance: for in him we live, and move, and have our being. We cannot do a good work, nor any work without him; and our dependence is upon him, both for life and action. And this divine energy men may call the fpirit of God, within us: but we deny that this is peculiar to believers more than to other people, although it seems often confounded, with the holy Spirit of God, and of Chrift

e

Alfo the method in which men are taught of God, he thus defcribes, We are told how God first inftructed the first people to know, obey, and worship him: be converfed with our

firft

a Ibid. p. 261.

e Ibid. p. 245.

first parents in the garden, and drave them thence by an angel. He gave command for worship and obedience, futable to the patterns imprinted upon man's reafon at his creation : be reproved Cain fenfibly, and so tranflated Enoch; directed Noah Saving him, and drowning all others, in a visible miraculous manner: and fo was Sodom destroyed: fo Abraham called and supported: Ifaac and Jacob chofen and Supported: Jofeph fent into Egypt: Mofes preserved: and what was done at Sinai, and the journey out of Egypt, fil led that nation and all their borderers with acknowledgments, wonder, and terrors: the works and wonders done for Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, Nebuchadnezzar, Belte haffar, and Daniel, for Cyrus, Alexander, and the foretelling of their actions: then the angelical preparatives for our Lord's coming, his extraction, miracles, refurrection, afcenfion, mifion of bis fpirit to the and ears of many nations refident in Hierufalem, and witneffes each to their own people. Then all the apostles, the feventy difciples, the feven firft deacons and their difciples, were infpired to prophecy, Speak with infpired tongues, caft out devils, and to do miraculous cures : thefe

E

eyes

acts

acts teftifying a fuperior and fupernatural power to the fenfes and perceivings of mankind, futed to the doctrines therewith delivered, filled the earth with the knowledge of God, as the waters cover the fea. Now to the contrary, where fhall men find fo much as one fingle perfon before Socrates, who attained to fo true a knowledge of God, as to determine, he was but one? all the roving cogitations of mankind never attained to fo much truth concerning God, as this one moft plain and fingle affertion, except in those families or people, where God by miraculous means had made himfelf perceptible to the fenfes of men, and by them made himself way to human understanding and intelligence: and from these things it feems we may conclude, that to know God, or any Spirit, are things of very great difficulty: none knows the father but the fon, and he to whom the fon will reveal him.a

What does the Doctor here fhew us lefs than this, viz. that the method in which God has inftructed man, under various dif penfations, has been fuitable to man's varied condition? a method, I dare fay, our author would not allow, at all proper for the information

a lb. p. 79. 80.