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in their day. The Jews, in the time of the judges, had not only tradition, but a considerable part of the scriptures, even all the writings of Moses. Under the kings, they had the Psalms, Job, Ecclesiastes, the Proverbs, and a thousand and five songs of Solomon, one of which only has been handed down to our times. They had also the book of Nathan the prophet, the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and the visions of Iddo the seer, which are now lost. These contained the substance of the Bible.

2. When the Lord answered Saul no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams, the reason assigned for it by the Holy Ghost is, not that the canon of scripture was filled, and there was no more occasion for immediate revelations; but that the Lord was departed from him, and was become his enemy.

3. David, who had the honour of being a sacred writer himself, after his relapse into sin, could not be satisfied with the Psalms he had penned down, but mourned, prayed, and watered his bed with his tears, inconsolable till the Lord immediately revealed his pardoning love, and said to his soul, I am thy salvation.

4. If, because we have the letter of scripture, we must be deprived of all immedi

ate manifestations of Christ and his Spirit, we are great losers by that blessed book, and we might reasonably say-"Lord bring us back to the dispensation of Moses, Thy Jewish servants could formerly converse with thee face to face, but now we can know nothing of thee, but by their writings. They viewed thy glory in various wonderful appearances, but we are indulged only with black lines telling us of thy glory. They had the bright Shekinah, and we have only obscure descriptions of it. They were blessed with lively oracles, and we only with a dead letter. The ark of thy covenant went before them, and struck terror into all their adversaries; but a book, of which our enemies make daily sport, is the only revelation of thy power among us. They made their boast of Urim and Thummim, and received particular,immediate answers from between the Cherubim; but we have only general ones, by means of Hebrew and Greek writings, which many do not under-1 stand. They conversed familiarly with Moses, their mediator, with Aaron their high priest, and Samuel their prophet; these holy men gave them unerring directions in doubtful cases; but, alas! the apostles and inspired men are all dead, and thou Jesus, our Mediator, Priest, and Prophet, canst

not be consulted to any purpose, for thou manifestest thyself no more. As for thy sacred book, thou knowest that sometimes the want of money to purchase it, the want of learning to consult the original, the want of wisdom to understand the translation, the want of skill or sight to read it, prevent our improving it to the best advantage, and keep some from reaping any benefit from it at all. O Lord, if, because we have this blessed picture of thee, we must have no discovery of the glorious original, have compassion on us, take back thy precious book, and impart thy more precious self to us, as thou didst to thy ancient people."

5. St. Paul declares, that though the Mosaic dispensation was glorious, that of Christ exceeds it in glory. But if Christ revealed himself immediately to the Jews, and to Christians only mediately, by the letter of a book, it is plain, the apostle was mistaken; for no one can deny, it is far more glorious to see the light of God's countenance and hear his voice, than merely to read something about them in a book.

6. That particular manifestations of Christ, far from ceasing with the Jewish, have increased in brightness and spirituality under the Christian dispensation, I shall endeavour to prove in my next. I am, Sir, &c.

LETTER VI.

Manifestations of Christ, have increased in brightness and spirituality under the Christian dispensation.

SIR,

ACCORDING to my promise, I shall now prove, that the New Testament abounds, as well as the Old, with accounts of particular revelations of the Son of God.

Before his birth, he manifested himself to the blessed virgin, by the overshadowing power of the Holy Ghost. She rejoiced in God her Saviour, and glorified more, in having him revealed as God in her soul, than in finding him conceived as man in her womb. Soon after Joseph, her husband, was assured in a heavenly dream, that the child she bore was Emmanuel, God with us. He revealed himself next to Elizabeth. When she heard the salutation of Mary, she was filled with the Holy Ghost, and made sensible, that the virgin was the mother of her Lord. So powerful was this manifestation, that her unborn son was affected by it-The babe leaped in her womb for joy, and was filled with the Holy Ghost even from his mother's womb.

So important is a particular knowledge of Jesus, that an angel directed the shepherds, and a miraculous star the wise men, to the place where he was born: and there the Holy Ghost so revealed him to their hearts, that they hesitated not to worship the seemingly despicable infant, as the ma-. jestic God, whom the heaven of heavens cannot contain.

Simeon who waited for the consolation of Israel, had it revealed to him by theHoly Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. The promise was fulfilled; and while his bodily eyes discovered nothing but a poor infant, presented without pomp in the temple, his spiritual eyes perceived him to be the light of Israel, and the salvation of God. Nor was this extraordinary favour granted only: to Simeon; for it is written, all flesh shall see the salvation of God; and St. Luke informs us, that Anna partook of the sight. with the old Israelite, gave thanks to her new born Lord, and spake of him to all that waited for redemption in Jerusalem,

When he entered upon his ministry, he first manifested himself to his forerunner. "I knew him not" personally, said John; but he that sent me to baptize with water, said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see

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