26 TETE DOCTRINE OF TDE`TRINTTY. saints, and of the household of God ; Fph. ii. 19. What a most absurd and grievous, thing it is, that we, who are brought into such a state of friendshipby divine grace, should obey the cor- rupt 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 influ- ence of one Spirit! Surely this must bea 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 governedby this uniting Spirit, this Spirit of gentleness, meekness and friendship, if we indulge the fer- ments of wrath and revengein our bosom, if we resolve to carry on strife and contention 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 reconciled us to God, if we persist in enmity against our brethren ? Should we haveall faith, and remove mountains, 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 Father, 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." Hast 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 salvation ? Has the blessed God revealed himself to thee in his beloved Son, and by his HolySpirit ? And does he invite thee to approach him as aFather, by sucha divine Mediator, and such a divine Sanc- tifier ? O let 'all the powers of thy nature submit with joy to all the discoveries of such a grace. Go, humble thyself beforean offended God, who is willing to becomea Father and a Friend : Go, in the name of Jesus the great Mediator, and make thy approaches to the throne. Seek the influences of the Holy Spirit to enlighten thy dark understanding, to conquer the obsti- nacy of thywill, and subdue all thy affections to a sincere com- pliance with this method of divine love : And let the constraining force of this sweet doctrine unite thyheart to all thy fellow-chris- tians, who sincerely worship thesame God, who seek for accept- ance through the blood of the same Mediator, and who depend , upon the aids of the same Spirit. Happy day, when faith and holiness, and love, shall be found shining, and reigning amongst all that profess the religion
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