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but carnal, professors of our day, respecting the pure and simple truths of divine grace, seem ready to say, "Our soul loatheth this light bread: We want flesh, something of the flesh; a little at least of its wisdom, strength, and righteousness, to feed upon. To live by faith, is like living upon air. air. Give us the more solid and substantial diet, which our own hands and hearts can prepare, of goodness and holiness; and upon this we can, build our hope, because we can see and feel something here to build upon for eternity." High presumption indeed! A foundation upon the. quicksand, which will either sink into the gulph beneath, or be overwhelmed by those blasts of trial, which will one day beat upon it!

§ 59. Hence, one cannot but reflect, that it is no small proof, though not intended by those who give it, of the truth of the principles herein maintained,

maintained, that the men of the world, and carnal or reasoning professors of religion, such as an Evangelist called "the stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, always resisting the Holy Ghost," have an implacable aversion to them. These of every age and every name, speak evil in this case of what they know not, but know only (says the Scripture) as brutes know things naturally; judging according to sensual impressions, and not according to that spiritual life, which is the gift of God, and in which faith, hope, and every other grace of the Spirit, are carried into the judgement to discern truth, and into the affections for its due exercise and enjoyment. That is not the Spirit of Christ, which does not lead to him, both in doctrine and practice. His genuine work is the production of light in the mind, and of love in the heart. But the natural man receiveth

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not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are only to be spiritually discerned.

§ 60. It may be urged again and again, from the importance of the subject, that our Lord says, Blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me; because every worldly, unregenerate, heart naturally is and must be offended with him, with the purity of his life, with his people who partake of that life, and with his gracious doctrines, which tend to humble the pride and conceit of man, and to lead up the affections of the soul from the things of the world. He, therefore, who is not offended with Christ, has been reconciled to him through the blood of his cross, and by the transforming power of his Spirit. All others, who are strangers to this reconciliation and change of mind, dislike

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the Gospel, not only for the simplicity of its manner as laid down in the word, but also for the tendency of its influence, which is directly opposite, in almost every point, to the bent and inclination of the natural heart. And, if the truth of the Gospel can be borne with by such men at any rate, it must be adorned with some gay dress, in the texture of which fine reasoning, brilliant imagery, elegant style, or fervid glowing diction, must appear as the charming and conspicuous attractions; while, in reality, these rather serve, in a thousand instances, to hide or disguise that glorious grace of truth, which is always most illustrious in the display of its own intrinsic beauty, and most useful when least loaded with artificial incumbrances. Gold needs not gilding; but only to be cleansed from the dross or filth, which may have been added by art or falsehood. It is not a wrong

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observation by the late Dr. Johnson :

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Religion must be shown as it is: suppression and addition equally corrupt it."*

§ 61. Placing the matter in another point of view; the person who disclaims the potency of nature and the righteousness of the flesh, who depends entirely upon his Redeemer for grace to help out of his fulness, and who dreads to be left for a moment to his own will or wisdom, is at least as safe as any of those, who think that by their own exertions they can begin, and perhaps, by some imagined subsequent help of a divine aid, can carry on the means, and secure the end, of their own salvation. For, such a man is under another constitution from these persons, and loves holiness by a renewed mind; he works righteousness by a super

* Life of Waller.

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