doctrines and opinions, when he has nothing of the true good of religion in him.

"But as soon as it is known and confessed, that all the happiness or misery of all creatures, consists only in this, as they are more or less possessed of God, or as they differently partake of the divine nature; then it must be equally known, that nothing but God can do, or be any religious good to us; and also, that God cannot do, or be any religious good to us, but by the communication of himself, or the manifestation of his own life within us."

Hence may be seen, the great and like blindness, both of Infidels and Christians; the one in trusting to their own reason, dwelling in its own logical conclusions; the other in trusting to their own reason, dwelling in learned opinions about scripture words and phrases, and doctrines built upon them. "For as soon as it is known and confessed, that God is all in all; that in him we live, and move, and have our being; that we can have nothing separately, or out of him, but every thing in him; that we have no being, or degree of being but in him; that he can give us nothing as our good, but himself, nor any degree of salvation from our fallen nature, but in such degree as he again communicates something more of himself to us. As soon as this is known, then it is known, with the utmost evidence, that to put a religious trust in our own reason, whether confined to itself, or working in doctrines about scripture words, has the nature of that same idolatry, that puts a religious trust in the sun, a departed saint, or a graven image." And as imageworship has often boasted of its divine power, because of the wonders of zeal and devotion, that have been raised thereby in thousands, and ten thousands of its followers; so it is no marvel, if opinion-worship should often have, and boast of the same effects. But the truth of the whole matter lies here: As the wORD manifested in the flesh, or become man, is the one Mediator, or restorer of union between God and man; so to seeing eyes it must be evident, that nothing but

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this one mediatorial nature of Christ, essentially brought to life in our souls, can be our salvation through Christ Jesus. For that which saved and exalted that humanity in which Christ dwelt, must be the salvation of every human creature in the world. But to return-What poor divinity-knowledge comes from great scholars, and great readers, may be sufficiently seen from the two following judicious quotations in a late Dissertation on Enthusiasm ; the one is taken from Dr. Warburton's Sermons, the other from a Pastoral Letter of Mr. Stinstra, a preacher amongst the Mennomists of Friesland. That from Dr. Warburton stands thus: "By them (that is, by the writings of the New Testament) the prophetic promise of our Saviour, that the Comforter should abide forever, was eminently fulfilled. For though his ordinary influence occasionally assists the faithful, yet his constant abode, and supreme illumination, is in the sacred scriptures.". Dr. Warburton's doctrine is this, that the inspired books of the New Testament, is that Comforter, or Spirit of Truth, and Illuminator, which is meant by Christ's being always. with his church. Let us therefore put the Doctor's doctrine into the letter of the text, which will best shew how true or false it is.

Our Lord saith, "It is expedient for you that I go away, or the Comforter will not come ;" that is, it is expedient for you that I leave off teaching you in words, that sound only in your outward ears, that you may have the same words in writing, for your outward eyes to look upon; for if I do not depart from this vocal way of teaching you, the Comforter will not come, that is, ye will not have the comfort of my words written on paper. But if I go away, I will send written books, which shall lead you into such a truth of words, as ye could not have, whilst they were only spoken from my mouth; but being written on paper, they will be my spiritual, heavenly, constant abode with you, and the most supreme illumination ye can receive from me.

Christ saith further; "I have many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now; howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He shall guide you into all truth; for He shall not speak of himself, for He shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you;" that is, though ye cannot be sufficiently instructed from my words at present, yet when they shall hereafter come to you in written books, they will give you a knowledge of all truth, for they shall not speak of themselves, but shall receive words from me, and shew them unto you. Again, Christ saith, "These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs ; but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but will shew you plainly of the Father." That is, hitherto ye have only had spoken proverbs from me, and therefore ye have not plainly known the Father; but the time cometh, when these, spoken proverbs shall be put into writing, and then ye shall plainly know the Father. Again, Christ adds, "Ye now therefore have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your hearts shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you." That is, ye are now troubled at my personal departure from you; but some. written books shall be my seeing you again, and in that visit, ye shall have such joy as cannot be taken from you.

Christ also saith, "If any man love me, my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him :" That is, according to the Doctor's theology, certain books of scripture will come to him, and make their abode with him; for he expressly confineth the constant abode, and supreme illumination of God to the holy scriptures. Therefore (hor. rible to say) God's inward presence, his operating power of life and light in our souls, his dwelling in our souls, his dwelling in us, and we in him, is something of a lower nature, that only may occasionally happen, and has less of God in it than the dead letter of scripture, which alone is his constant abode and supreme illumination. Miserable fruits of a paradoxical genius!

Christ from heaven saith, "Behold I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open unt me, I will come in to him, and sup with him." This is his true eminent fulfilling of his prophetic promise of being a Comforter, and Spirit of Truth to his church, to the end of the world. But according to the Doctor, we are to understand, that not the heavenly Christ, but the New Testament continually standeth and knocketh at the door, wanting to enter into the heart, and sup with it; which is no better than holding, that when Christ calls himself, Alpha and Omega, he means not himself, but the New Testament.Again, "I am the vine, ye are the branches; as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me; for without me ye can do nothing." Now take the Doctor's comment, and then the truth of all these words of Christ was only temporary, and could be true no longer than till the books of the New Testament were written; for then all this, which Christ had affirmed of himself, of the certainty and necessity of his life, and power in them, ended in the personal appearance of Christ, and passed over to the written words of the New Testament, and they are the true vine, and wẹ its branches; they are that, without which we can do nothing. For thus it must be, if, as the Doctor affirms, the writings of the New Testament are that, by which we are to understand, the constant abode, and supreme illumination of God in man. Now absurd, and even blasphemous, as this interpretation of the foregoing text is, it must be evident to every reader, that it is all the Doctor's own; for the letter of scripture is only made here, to claim that divinity to itself, which the Doctor has openly affirmed to be true of it.

Rabbi, saith Nicodemus to Christ, we know that thou art a teacher come from God:-Now that which was here truly said of Christ in the flesh, is the very truth that must be said of the scripture, teaching in ink and paper; it is a teacher come from God, and therefore fully to be believed, highly reverenced, and

strictly followed. But as Christ's teaching in the flesh, was only preparatory to his future, vital teaching, by the Spirit; so the teaching of scriptuse by words written with ink and paper, is only preparatory, or introductory to all that inward, essential teaching of God, which is by his spirit and truth within us. Every other opinion of the holy scripture, but that of an outward teacher and guide to God's inward teaching and illumination in our soul, is but making an idolgod of it; I say an idol-god; for to those who rest in it as the constant abode and supreme illumination of God with them, it can be nothing else. For, if nothing of divine faith, love, hope, or goodness, can have the least birth, or place in us, but by divine inspiration; they who think these virtues may be sufficiently raised in us by the letter of scripture, do in truth and reality, make the letter of scripture their inspiring God. The Apostles preached, and wrote to the people by divine inspiration. But what do they say of their inspired doctrine, and teachings? What virtue or power was there in them? Do they say that their words, and teachings, was the very promised Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, the true abode, and supreme illumination of God in the souls of men? So far from such a blasphemous thought, that they affirm the direct contrary, and compare all their inspired teachings and instructions, to the dead works of bare planting and watering, and which must continue dead, till life come into them from another and much higher power. I have planted, saith St. Paul, Apollos hatl watered, but God gave the increase. And then fur ther to shew, that this planting and watering, which was the highest work that an inspired apostle could do, was yet in itself, to be considered as a lifeless, powerless thing; he adds, So then, neither is he that planteth any thing, nor he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. But now, if this must be said of all that which the inspired apostles taught: in outward words, that it was nothing in itself, was without power, without life, and only such a prepara