the Disciples of Chrift: That Principle of Holiness by which they are enabled to mortify the Deeds of the Flesh; by which they do no Sin, and are alive to Righteousness: Elfewhere spoken of as the Spirit of Chrift dwelling in them, and by which their mortal Bodies are quickened; and defcribed as fo necessary to a Christian, that the Apostle to the Romans has affirmed, If any Man have not the Spirit of Chrift, he is none of his.

This Grace is called Wisdom upon the fame Account that the Fear of the Lord is faid to be the Beginning of Wisdom; because the Wifdom of Man confifteth in the Obedience of God, in whofe Hand are the Iffues of Life and Death, and not upon the Account of any Degrees of Knowledge, either facred or civil, which it is supposed to convey. The Fruits afcribed to this Wisdom in the Text are all moral Qualifications: It is pure, and peaceable, and gentle, full of Mercy, and the like; of the Learning and Knowledge which proceed from it, we read nothing. The Knowledge of Mysteries, and Things facred, may be reckoned among the extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit, and are mentioned as fuch by St. Paul in the Paffage of his Epiftle to the Corinthians already alledged:

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ledged: But he speaks of them as not neceffarily inferring Charity, and confequently as diftinct Gifts from that Grace, or Wisdom, which is pure, and peaceable, and full of Mercy.

The Gifts of the Spirit, confidered with respect to the Author of them, and the Motives inducing him to bestow them, are properly ftyled the Grace of God; for of his own Will begat he us with the Word of Truth, and of his own Will it is that he enableth us to run the Course that is fet before us: So that our Confidence is, to use the Language of St. Paul, that he which bath begun a good Work in us, will perform it until the Day of Jefus Chrift. But, confidered with refpect to their Influence on the Receiver, they are, by St. James in the Text, ftyled Wifdom, as correcting the Depravity of Nature, and ena bling Men to become wife unto Salvation.

The Gifts of God are free, and he beftoweth them as feemeth best to his Wisdom. If he gives to one more liberally than to another, yet he who receives leaft has Reafon to be thankful, and no Reason to demand an Account of God of the unequal Diftribution of his Favour. Were the Gifts therefore of the Spirit to be confidered as

special

fpecial Favours only granted to fome, we fhould not be obliged, by the Terms of our Religion, to render an Account of God's proceeding herein. But the Promise of the Spirit being general to all Chriftians, and represented in Scripture as the Purchase of Chrift's Obedience to the Will of his Father, and as a Principle of new Life, by which they who were dead in Sin are made alive to Righteousness; it is evident that we cannot account for our being Chriftians, without fhewing a Reafon for the Neceffity of Grace to render our Hopes and Affurances of Salvation effectual.

This is a Point in which there is an effen tial Difference between the Gospel, and mere Natural Religion; and it is confequent to another Point of Difference relating to the State and Condition of Mankind before the Gofpel. If Men were in that State of original Purity in which God must, in Justice to his divine Attributes, be fuppofed to have made them, it will be hard to fay what Grace was wanting to enable them to attain the End of their Creation. If they have fallen from that State, and contracted a Corruption not to be cured by natural Means, it will be hard for any Man to dispute against the

Grace of God, without having a Reafon to produce, that fhall render it impoffible, or improper, for God to redeem the World. For, the Fall of Man fuppofed, it is more reasonable to think, because it is far more honourable to God, that he should destroy the Power of Sin by communicating a new Prin ciple of Holiness, in order to the Salvation of the World, than that he should honour Sin fo far, as to render Sinners both glorious and immortal. Since then there can be no Redemption, but either by destroying Sin, or by granting Happiness to Sinners, unreformed Sinners, it is easy to judge which Method is moft suitable to the Wisdom of God, who is of purer Eyes than to behold Iniquity.

It will be one Means of fhewing the Neceffity of Grace, to fhew the Effects afcribed to it in Scripture. For the Spirit of God is certainly given for the fake of those Effects, which were to be produced by it in true Believers And he that can prove that the fame Effects generally are, or may be, attained by the mere Strength of Nature, will give the best Argument against the Neceffity of Grace in order to Salvation. For, if Men are naturally inclined to Virtue and Holiness, they will not want Grace to make them fo

But

But this has never yet been the Cafe; and if we may judge of those who shall be after us, by ourselves, and those who have lived before us, this never will be the Cafe.

Now the Works of the Spirit are described to us in many Places of Scripture. They are in the Text fet forth to be pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of Mercy and good Fruits, without Partiality, and without Hypocrify. The Apoftle to the Galatians, Chap. v. 22. reckoning up the Fruits of the Spirit, places them in this Order; Love, Joy, Peace, Long-suffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meeknefs, Temperance; and continuing his Account, though varying his Stylę, he adds, And they that are Chrift's have crucified the Flesh, with the Affections and Lufts.

Were the Manners of any People to be described in this Language, there is no one fo little acquainted with human Nature, but that he would suspect the Truth of the Relation. Where must we go, to the East or to the Weft, to find a People pure and peaceable, full of Mercy and good Works, without Partiality, without Hypocrify, crucifying the Flesh, and the Affections and Lufts thereof? No History yet has prefented us with U 4 fuch