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THE DOCTRINE OF THE
TRINITY,
[SLRM.
XLIv.
to draw
their hearts near
to himself.
A glorious
religion;
indeed,
that
unites
Jews and
Gentiles, and mankind
of
all
nations, to the
great and
blessed
God
!
And what
a
disgrace
is
it
to this
religion,
that
we
should
not
be
more
united
to
one
another?
"
We are
no more
strangers and
foreigners, but
fellow- citizens with
the saints, and
of
the
household
of God," Eph.
ii. 19.
What
a
most
absurd
and
grievous thing
it
is,
that
we,
who
are brought into
such a state
of
friendship
by
divine grace, should obey
the
corrupt
dictates
of
nature, and the
lusts
of the
flesh!
that
we
should
quarrel
and
fight,
even
in
the
presence
of
that
God,
to whom
we
have access
by
the blood
of
one
Mediator,
and
by
the
influence
of
one
Spirit
!
Surely
this must
be a
Spirit
of
union,
and
peace,
and
love,
this
one Spirit,
which
reconciles
God and
man,
who
were
at
a dreadful
distance, this Spirit
which
reconciles
Jew
and
.Gentile, who were
mutual strangers and
enemies.
And
how
can
we
suppose
we
are
governed
by this
unit-
ing
Spirit, this Spirit
of
gentleness, meekness and
friend-
ship,
if
we indulge the ferments
of
wrath and revenge in
our
bosom,
if
we
resolve
to
carry on
strife
and conten-
tion
with
the language
of
railing, and reviling
against
those,
who worship
the
same
God,
by
the same
Media-
tor?
How
can
we
hope,
that
this
Spirit has ever recon-
ciled
us
to
God,
if
we
persist
in enmity
against our bre-
thren
?
Should
we
"
have
all
faith,
and
remove moun-
tains,
if
we
have
not
love,
we
are
not christians,"
1
Cor.
xiii.
2.
The
very nature'-and life
of
Christianity,
is
faith
working
by love,
faith leading the
soul
to
God
the
Fa-
ther,
through
the
mediation
of Jesus Christ
his Son,
by
the aid
of the
Holy
Spirit,
and
producing
all works
of
holiness,
by
the
influence
of
love to
God and
man. May
this
be
wrought
in
our hearts, and practised
in
our
whole
course of
life
!
THE
RECOLLECTION.
"
Ilast
thou heard,
O my soul,
hast thou learned,
the
glorious
discoveries,
'that-God
has made
of
himself
to
fallen creatures,
and
does
not
thy
heart
rejoice
within
thee,
at the
sound
of
such
a doctrine,
and such
a salva-
tion
?
Has the
blessed
God
revealed himself
to thee
in
his beloved
Son,
and
by
his
Holy Spirit
?
And does he
invite thee
to
approach
him as
a Tather,
by such a divine
Mediator, and
such
a divine Sanctifier
?
0
let
all the