of being guided into all truth, and taught all things, can only be applied to the Apostles, and those of that age who were immediately inspired." Here your Lordship, in order the more plausibly to beg the question again, “jumbles together the extraordinary with the ordinary operations of the Spirit.” The gift of prophecy, we know, is one of his extraordinary operations; but there is not a word of it in this text: nor, therefore, ought it to be "confounded with his ordinary operations," such as the being guided into all truth, (all that is necessary to salvation) and taught all (necessary) things, in a due use of the means he hath ordained. ver. 26.

In the same manner, namely, in a serious and constant use of proper means, I believe the assistance of the Holy Ghost is given to all Christians, to bring all things needful to their remembrance, whatsoever Christ hath spoken to them in his word. So that I see no occasion to grant, without some kind of proof, (especially considering the occasion of this, and the scope of the preceding verses) that even "this promise cannot possibly be applied to any other persons but the Apostles.”

7. In the same Discourse of our Lord we have a third promise of the Comforter. The whole clause runs thus:

"If I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you: but if I depart, I will send him unto you." Chap. xvi. ver. 7---13. " And when he is come, he will reprove (or. convince) the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment, Of sin, because they believe not on me: Of righteousness, because 1 go to my Father, and ye see me no more: Of judgment, because the Prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you: but ye cannot bear them now: But when he shall come, the Spirit of Truth, he will guide you into all truth ---and he will shew you things to come."

There is only one sentence here which has not already been considered, "He will shew you things to come." And this, it is granted, relates to the gift of prophecy, one of the extraordinary operations of the Spirit,

The general conclusion which your Lordship draws, is expressed in these words. "Consequently all pretensions to the Spirit, in the proper sense of the words of this promise (i. e.) of these several texts of St. John) are vain and insignificant, as they are claimed by modern Enthusiasts." And in the end of the same paragraph you add, "None but the ordinary operations of the Spirit are to be now expected, since those that are of a miraculous (or extraordinary) kind are not pretended to, even by modern Enthusiasts."

My Lord, this is surprising. I read it over and over, before I could credit my own eyes. I verily believe this one clause, with unprejudiced persons, will be an answer to the whole book. You have been vehemently crying out all along against those Enthusiastical Pretenders; nay, the very design of your book, as you openly declare, was "to stop the growth of their enthusiasm, who have had assurance, (as you positively affirm, page 6,) to claim to themselves the extraordinary operations of the Holy Spirit." And here you as positively affirm, that those extraordinary operations" are not pretended to by them at all!"

8. Yet your Lordship proceeds, "The next passage of Scripture I shall mention as peculiarly belonging to the primitive times, though misapplied to the present state of Christians by modern enthusiasts, is what relates to the testimony of the Spirit, and praying by the Spirit, in the 8th chapter of the Epistle to the Romans." Page 16.

I believe it incumbent upon me thoroughly to weigh the force of your Lordship's reasoning on this head. You begin, "After St. Paul had treated of that spiritual principle in Christians, which enables them to mortify the deeds of the body-he says, ' if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.' This makes the distinction of a true Christian, particularly in opposition to the Jews." I apprehend it is just here, that your Lordship turns out of the way, when you say, "Particularly in opposition to the Jews." Such a particular opposition I cannot allow, till some stronger proof is produced, than St. Paul's occasionally

mentioning six verses before," the imperfection of the Jewish law."

Yet your Lordship's mind is so full of this, that after repeating the 14th and 15th verses ("as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the Sons of God: for ye have not received the Spirit of Bondage again to fear: but ye have received the Spirit of Adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father!") you add, "In the former part of this verse, the Apostle shews again the imperfection of the Jewish law." This also calls for proof: otherwise it will not be allowed, that he here speaks of the Jewish law at all; not, though we grant that "the Jews were subject to the fear of death, and lived, in consequence of it, in a state of bondage." For are not all Unbelievers, as well as the Jews, more or less, in the same fear and bondage?

Your Lordship goes on, "In the latter part of the verse he shews the superiority of the Christian law to that of the Jews." Page 18. Where is the proof, my Lord? How does it appear, that he is speaking either of the Christian or Jewish law, in those words, "Ye have received the Spirit of Adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father?" However, you infer, "Christians then are the adopted Sons of God, in contradistinction to the Jews, as the former had the gifts of the Holy Ghost, which none of the latter had at that time: and the body of the Jews never had." No, nor the body of the Christians neither. So that if this be a proof against the Jews, it is the very same against the Christians.

I must observe farther on the preceding words, 1. That your Lordship begins here, to take the word Christians in a new and peculiar sense, for the whole body of the then Christian Church: 2. That it is a bad inference, "as, or because they had the gifts of the Holy Ghost, therefore they were the Sons of God." On the one hand, if they were the children of God, it was not, because they had those gifts. On the other, a man may have all those gifts, and yet be a child of the devil.

9. I conceive not only that your Lordship has proved nothing hitherto, not one point that has any relation to the

question; but that, strictly speaking, you have not attempted to prove any thing, having taken for granted whatever came in your way. In the same manner you proceed, "The Apostle goes on, The Spirit itself beareth witness with our Spirit, that we are the children of God.' This passage, as it is connected with the preceding one, relates to the general adoption of Christians, or their becoming the sons of God instead of the Jews."--"This passage relates"--How is that proved? By its connexion with the preceding? In no wise, unless it be good arguing to prove ignotum per ignotius. It has not yet been proved, that the preceding passage itself has any relation to this matter.

Your Lordship adds, “But what was the ground of this preference that was given to Christians? It was plainly the (miraculous) gifts of the Spirit, which they had, and which the Jews had not." This preference given to Christians, was just before expressed by their becoming the sons of God instead of the Jews. Were the gifts of the Spirit then the ground of this preference? The ground of their becoming the Sons of God? What an assertion is this! And how little is it mended, though I allow, that "these miraculous gifts of the Spirit, were a testimony that God acknowledged the Christians to be his people and not the Jews; (since the christians who worked miracles, did it not by the works of the law, but by the hearing of faith ?”)

Your Lordship concludes, "From these passages of St. Paul compared together, it clearly follows, that the forementioned testimony of the Spirit, was the public testimony of miraculous gifts-and, consequently, the witness of the Spirit that we are the children of God, cannot possibly be applied, to the private testimony of the Spirit given to our own consciences, as is pretended by modern Enthusiasts." Page 20.

If your conclusion, my Lord, will stand without the premises it may: but that it has no manner of connection with them, I trust it does partly, and will more fully appear, when we view the whole passage to which you refer. And I believe that passage, with very little comment, will

prove, in direct opposition to that conclusion, that the testimony of the Spirit there mentioned, is not the public testimony of miraculous gifts, but must be applied to the private testimony of the Spirit, given to our own con

sciences.

10. St. Paul begins the eighth chapter of his Epistle to the Romans, with the great privilege of every christian believer, (whether Jew or Gentile before,) There is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, engrafted into him by faith, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For now every one of them may truly say, "The law (or power) of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (given unto me for his sake) hath made me free from the law (or power) of sin and death. For that which the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son, in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin," did; when he condemned, (crucified, put to death, destroyed) sin in the flesh: "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. For they that are after the flesh, mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit," Verse 1---5.

Is it not evident, that the Apostle is here describing a true christian, a holy believer? In opposition, not particularly to a Jew, much less to the Jewish law; but to every unholy man, to all, whether Jews or Gentiles, who walk after the flesh? He goes on,

“For, to be carnally-minded is death; but to be spiritually-minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God; neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh, cannot please God." Verse 6, 7, 8.

The opposition between a holy, and unholy man, is still glaring and undeniable. But can any man discern the least glimmering of opposition, between the Christian and the Jewish law?

The Apostle goes on, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.