2ZZ RATIONAL n$PENCE OP THE GOSPEL. kindly act upon them, and influence them by secret and divine methods to their duty and their happiness ; that he should send his own Spirit to help themonward in their proper business, which is to servehim here ; and assist them in the pursuit of their true blessedness, which is, to enjoy him hereafter. Methinks it is one of the glories of the gospel of Christ, that God has not only sent his Son to purchase heaven for us, but continually sendsdown his own Spirit to lead every humble ehris- tianin the way thither. When a poor penitent creature, distressed under a sense of the power of sin, dwelling in him, who has long andoften toiled and laboured tobring his heart near to God, and to suppress the irregular and exorbitant appetites of his nature, addresses himself to the throne of God, and cries earnestly for divine help, it is aglorious provisionthat is made in the gospel of Christ, that the Spirit of God is promised for our assistance. Nor is it at all unworthy of a person of the greatest reason and the best understanding, humbly to wait and hope for the accom- plishment of this promise. Thus the charge of enthusiasm va- nishes, and the gospel maintains its honour. V. The last objection against the doctrines of the gospel of Christ, is, that they are not sufficiently attested, that there is not ground enough given to credit the divinity of them in our age. They are ready to say, " These things were done, ac- cording as ourselves profess, above sixteen hundred years ago, and wehave not sufficient credentials to venture our faith upon it at this day." It would be too long here to repeat over to you half the grounds wehavefor faith in this gospel. That therewas such a man as Jesus Christ ; that he lived at such a time at Jerusalem ; that he wrought wondrous works in hisown country, isnot at all disbelievedby those that profess any reasonable faith in human history. The Jews themselves, who were his greatest enemies, do not deny that he wrought those miracles, whichothers could not work ; but they pretend, that he did it by some magic art, by diabolical charms : and wrought miracles not by the power of God, but by virtue derived from spellsand evil spirits. So that the miracles he wrought were not disbelieved and denied, but the heavenly spring of them is impiously perverted and turned downward, as though Christ borrowedhis power from hell to transact these affairs. But the holinessand the heavenly tem- per ofthe gospel of Christ refutes this accusation. Satan was never known to demolish his own kingdom of ungodliness in such a manner as this. The gospel of Christ in every partof it has a most singular and sublime tendency to advance the name, the attributes, and the honour of God, whom Satan hates with a perfect hatred : Hewould never lend his assisting hand to sup- port a scheme ofreligion so divine and holy.
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