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wisdom and goodness. As to this point, whatever, especially in the case in question, might be said in vindication of it from the example of the patriarch Jacob, from the instructions of our Lord particularly as illustrated by the parable of the borrowed loaves in the 11th of Luke and from other passages of holy scripture, yet said he, I would by no means presume to recommend, much less, as an instructor in religion, to prescribe it as a proper expedient to distressed and seeking souls, whatever their spiritual condition or circumstances may be. In my case, I gratefully recognise the sovereign unpromised interposition of the spirit of my most gracious and ever adorable redeemer, in the instance. Therefore it was that, in me, the expedient was successful. Had it not been for this interposition, or had I, without this interposition, for mally, and designedly, conceived and entered on the expedient, it doubtless would have been, not only unsuccessful, but, probably productive of griefs and sorrows beyond what I can at present imagine. It is enough for us in general, that we have the many declarations and sure promises of the word of God for our direction, encouragement and comfort in prayer, and that in all circumstances, which may possibly occur. Nevertheless, it does not become us absolutely to limit the wisdom and grace of the Almighty even to his own revealed appointments or encouragements, or rather to our ordinary apprehensions of them. Though he will never fall short of his promises, he may, and doubtless does often, exceed the measure of their express import. I do not, accordingly, see why in his sovereign goodness he may not at times inform the minds of his humble disrtessed suppliants with such uncommon degrees of confidence and resolution, as shall create in them an invincible expectation of a favourable issue of their prayers, and withal a determinate purpose to pursue at a given time their well-founded pleas, until they shall be crowned with a favourable result. The principal error and danger lies, as has been suggested, in anticipating the inward insinuations and impulses of the blessed spirit of grace; and thus running before we are called, or presuming to force ourselves into his privileged chambers before the door of peculiar favour has been opened unto us.

In the order of nature in the material system the Deity is never reasonably supposed to act inconsistently with himself, when for the purposes of his goodness, he miraculously sets aside his own general laws, or produces effects in a way that transcends their ordinary operation; or if, as is sometimes, without a miracle, the case, he should impart, in favor of his peculiar people, an uncom

mon energy and impulse to the action of causes for the production of certain important effects; yet, it would be wrong and presumptuous in us either to form or to suspend our determinations in the hope of such appearances without certain previous intimations or impressions, whose divine origination we cannot at the time reasonably doubt. And who, in the present case, can justly say, that a sovereign God may not, at times and for special purposes, so impress the heart of his spiritually afflicted servant with certain views of his revealed power and grace, as that he shall be both irresistibly and warrantably prompted, on some given time or occasion, to pursue the means of relief in the word prescribed, until he shall have obtained the benefit desired?

Such, as far as I am able to recollect, were in substance the ideas of president Finley. And, for myself, though like him opposed to every thing which partakes of the real nature of what is generally called fanaticism, I would, with much more selfapprobation, hold up instances of this kind to public view, than I would, even by a qualified expression, countenance the opposite extreme. It is to be feared that many christians, sincere on the whole, though not, in certain respects, righteous overmuch, are nevertheless overmuch cautious of pressing the throne of grace with too much violence, or determined importunity. They too little consider that it is "the fervent," that is, strictly rendered, the energetic "prayer of the righteous man, that availeth much;" and that no prayer can be energetic which doth not, with a degree of pointed force and confidence, look to, and hardly press towards an expected desirable issue.

EXPOSITIONS.

THE introduction of the following extracts from the "Remarks on the use of the definitive article in the Greek text of the New-Testament," (by Granville Sharp) we doubt not will be highly gratifying to the learned reader, and our apology to others for giving them a place in this work, is, that though the labours and researches of the author are highly important and interesting yet his book is very scarce, and probably will remain so, because of the nature of the subject.

Mr. Sharp is not the only person among biblical critics, who has noticed the idiom so happily illustrated by the rules which he has given; Beza, bishop Bull, Calovius, Vitringa, and Dr. Twells have admitted the same mode of construction.

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RULE 1. "When the copulative xa connects two nouns of the same case, [viz. nouns (either substantive, or adjective, or participles) of personal description, respecting office, dignity, affinity, or connexion, and attributes, properties, or qualities, good or ill,] if the article , or any of its cases, precedes the first of the said nouns, or participles, and is not repeated before the second noun or participle, the latter always relates to the same person, that is expressed or described by the first noun or participle; i.e. it denotes a farther description of the first-named person: as, Ευλογητος Ο Θεος ΚΑΙ Παλης το Κυρίκ, &c. 2 Cor. i. 3. 2 Cor. si. 31. See also Matth. xii. 22. Eph. vi. 21. Heb. iii. 1. 2 Pet. ii. 20. iii. 2. 18. Philip. iv. 20. Rev. xvi. 15. Col. ii. 2. 1 Thes. iii. 11. Jam. 1. 27, &c."

But there are exceptions to this rule, viz. when the nouns are proper names, or in the plural number.

"The rules which follow are intended only to illustrate the particularity of the several sentences, which fall under the first rule, by shewing in other sentences, the different senses that are occasioned by adding, omitting, or repeating the article, as well with the copulative as without it."

RULE 2. "A repetition of the article before the second noun, if the copulative be omitted, will have the same effect and pow er: for it denotes a farther description of the same person, property, or thing, that is expressed by the first noun; as, £#. TQ Ow TO Ewings μy. Luke i, 47. ii. 26. John i. 29. iv. 42. v. 23. vi. 27. xx. 31. Heb. xiii. 20."

"Except when genitive cases depend on one another in succession; as 2 Cor. iv. 3. Col. ii. 2."

RULE 3. "And the omission of the copulative between two or more nouns (of the same case) of personal description or application, even without the article before the second noun, will have the same effect; viz. will denote a farther description of the same person, property, or thing, that is expressed by the first noun; as, Rom. ii. 19, 20. Ephes. v. 20. Tit. i. 1. 1 Tim. i. 1."

RULE 4. "Yet it is otherwise when the nouns are not of personal description or application; for, then they denote distinct things, or qualities; as 1 Tim. i. 2. 2 Tim. i. 2. Tit. i. 4. 2 John iii. RULE 5." And also when there is no article before the first noun, the insertion of the copulative na before the next noun of the same case, denotes a different person or thing from the first; as Ephes. iv. 31. 2 Cor. i. 2. Gal. i. 3. Philem. 3. Ephes. vi. 23."

και

"But if the numerical adjective is precedes the first noun,

the copulative xa will have the same effect that it has betweeen two nouns when only the first is preceded by the article agreeably to the first rule; as Ephes. iv. 6."

RULE 6. "And as the insertion of the copulative as between nouns of the same case, without articles, (according to the fifth rule) denotes that the second noun expresses a different person, thing, or quality, from the preceding noun, so likewise the same effect attends the copulative when all of the nouns are preceded by articles; as in John i. 17. ii. 22. xi. 44. Col. ii. 2. 2 Tim. i. 5. 1 Pet. iv. 11.”

There are some exceptions to the fifth and sixth rules, as when distinct and different actions are intended to be attributed to one and the same person, who is to be discovered from the context; as in 1 Thes. iii. 6. John. xx. 28.

According to the first rule, 2 Pet. i. 1. will be, " By the righteousness of Jesus Christ, our God and our Saviour." And the following changes also will be produced.

Titus ii. 13. "The glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Ephes. v. 5. " In the kingdom of (Jesus) the Christ and God,” or “ in the kingdom of Christ (even) of God."

2 Thes. i. 12. " According to the grace of Jesus Christ our God and Lord."

1 Tim. v. 21. "I charge (thee) before Jesus Christ, the God and Lord, and (before) the elect angels, &c."

2 Tim. iv. 1. "I charge (thee) therefore before the God and Lord, Jesus Christ." &c.

Tit. ii. 13. Expecting the blessed hope and appearance of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ."

Jude 4. "Our only Master, God, and Lord, Jesus Christ.” We find many commendations of this work, we insert only the following.

Remarks of the "British Critic" for July 1802.

"According to our own opinion, formed with the strictest attention to the evidence produced, this rule, as stated by Mr. Sharp, appeared perfectly clear, and the deduction from it no less than inevitable. We consider it as founded in truth, and demonstrated with ability. But we see, with much additional satisfaction the explicit testimony of so great a master of Greek literature as Mr. Burgess," &c.

Extract from the "Christian Guardian" for December 1802. "The new species of argument which is here (in Mr. Sharp's book) so happily adduced and addressed to the learned world, in

support of the doctrine of our Saviour's divinity, not only merits the grateful attention of its friends, but imperiously demands the diligent scrutiny of its most inveterate enemies. It approaches so nearly to mathematical demonstration, that we conceive it to be absolutely incapable of confutation. The school of Socinus was never attacked with a more formidable weapon," &c.

AN EXTRACT FROM NOTES ON THE EPISTIE TO THE ROMANS, WHICH HAVE NOT YET BEEN PUBLISHED.

It has been also objected, "that it is to no purpose to strive, for if we are elected, we shall be saved do what we will, if not we shall miss it (salvation) do what we can.

If this objection supposes faith and holiness to be the mere effects of man's striving independently of the grace of God, it takes as granted that which we cannot admit, and thus being an objecttion founded on a combination of two irreconcilable doctrines, demands no regard. For every man who embraces the doctrine of election must, if he is consistent, agree that holiness springs from the influences of the holy spirit, which this objection denies, otherwise it would not produce the seeming difficulty.

But if it supposes a man really desirous of salvation, and earnestly in quest of it, this is the effect of grace, and persevering in such effectual desire, he has been elected, he will be saved: and the assertion, that he may notwithstanding, "miss” salvation, is not only unscriptural, but the thing is literally impossible.

This plausible objection therefore turns out to be wholly unimportant, because it is either founded upon the supposition of an absurdity, or of an impossibility.

If any were so weak as to hold, that the elect remaining in their sins shall be saved, and that guilty men may become holy and yet miss of salvation, we acknowledge this objection would stand in their way by exposing their absurdities.

Not only does this objection make nothing against the truth of the doctrine of election, but, however malignantly intended, it affords no solid reason for discouragement under, or dissatisfaction with the divine dispensations, as has been often successfully argued from the analogy that subsists between the kingdoms of nature and grace: for if every event in the natural world is but the effect of divine power in the execution of his mysterious purposes, and so the times of the deaths of all men are known to God, how uncertain soever with respect to us,* would not the

# Job xiv. 5. vii. 1. Psalm xvi. 5. Acts xvii. 26,

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