"not the inward witness, the BEGINNING OF "ETERNAL LIFE? Therefore it is that fo many "Chriftians WAVER and are led away, because "they feel fo little of the efficacy of the Holy "Ghost in their hearts." If this then be the cause of wavering and falling. away from Chrift, I hope the believers in Chriftianity, and lovers of their fellow-creatures, will fecond, by their own endeavours, this attempt of mine, to promote the prevalence of a belief in the energy of the HOLY GHOST. The attempt, in an age like this, must be expofed to calumny and oppofition. But every thing is to be borne with patience, in the cause of God and man. Mr. Paine profeffes to be a believer in God, and a friend to man. It is, indeed, aftonishing, that an advocate for the rights of man should fet his face against the Gospel of Jefus Chrift; for it is certain that the Gospel is the book, of all that were ever written, that favours moft the rights of man, and the caufe of equal liberty. Jefus Chrift abolished flavery in Europe. Jefus Chrift has humbled the rich and mighty. Jefus Chrift has given a confequence to the POOR*, which they The New Teftament abounds with paffages, expreffive of indignation against thofe among RICH men, who abufe wealth and power, for the purposes of oppreflion, cruelty, and defpotifm. As a fpeci men, I quote the following from the Epiftle of St. JAMES. "Go to, now, ye RICH men; weep and howl for your miferies "that fhall come upon you. "Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. "Your gold and filver is cankered, and the ruft of them shall be " a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire: ye "have heaped treasure together for the last days. "Behold the HIRE OF THE LABOURERS WHICH HAVE REAPED "DOWN YOUR FIELDS, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth; and the cries of them that have REAPED are entered into "the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. "Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye "have nourished your hearts, as in a day of SLAUGHTER: "Ye have condemned and killed the JUST." JAMES, V. I-6. never poffeffed amid the boafted freedom of Greece and Rome. Jefus Chrift has done more to destroy the infolent diftinctions which arose from the fpirit of tyranny, than was ever done before or after him; and Jesus Christ suffered death for this benefaction to all mankind, as a feditious innovator, and an enemy to Cæfar. Jefus Christ is therefore entitled to the gratitude and veneration of every friend to truth, justice, and humanity, even if he were no more than a man, and his religion untrue. What have Sydney, Hampden, Locke, done or faid, with fuch effect, in the cause of liberty, and in favour of the mass of mankind, as Jefus Christ? Let then all the friends of liberty and man be lovers of Jefus Chrift; and let not their zeal for reforming the corruptions of Christianity (caused by ftatefmen, wishing to render it fubfervient to political views) lead them to renounce the comfortable and liberal doctrines of the genuine Gofpel. The Gospel recommends PEACE, and infallibly produces, by the Spirit's benign influence, fuch difpofitions of mind, as must of neceffity, if they were to prevail among the rulers of the world, put an end to all offenfive war. It has not yet done fo, for it has not yet fufficiently prevailed among the rulers of the world. But it has certainly foftened the rigours of war; a favourable prefage of its future efficacy, in totally abolishing it. I wish Mr. Paine, as a politician and a philanthropist, if he be fuch, not to oppugn the great promoter of PEACE and LIBERTY. As a fellow man, (I wish I could add, a fellow Christian,) I warn him, from the kindest motives, to beware left he be guilty of blafphemy against the Holy Ghoft. Mr. Paine himself fays, "The great trait in the "character of Jefus Chrift is PHILANTHROPY." Why Why fhould Mr. Paine, then, oppose the prevalence of his benign doctrines? Chriftianity is a friend to order, but an enemy to defpotifm of every kind and degree. Why fhould Mr. Paine, then, join with the wicked defpots of the earth, in the endeavour to exterminate Chriftianity? The late KING OF PRUSSIA, the greatest despot and butcher of mankind, was the prince of the unbelievers. He made infidelity a fashion in France; and behold the confequences! May they never extend to this country; where, God grant that LIBERTY may continue unimpaired by defpotism or licentioufnefs; and RELIGION flourish, uncorrupted by hypocrify or fuperftition, and unshaken by the affaults of infidelity! SINCE No. II. INCE, in conformity to the Scriptures, I have recommended PRAYER * as one of the best modes of obtaining the evidence, and experiencing the excellence, of the Christian religion, I think it expedient to add fome directions to facilitate the proper performance of this duty; and, for the fake of AUTHORITY, I have felected them from Bishop WILKINS, the first divine and philofopher of his age. * Πολύ ισχύει ΔΕΗΣΙΣ ΔΙΚΑΙΟΥ ΕΝΕΡΓΟΥΜΕΝΗ. Jam. v. 16. This is tranflated, "The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous "man availeth much," which is tautology-for an effectual prayer, of course, availetb. It fhould be tranflated, "The prayer of a "righteous or juft man, being ENERGIZED by the inward opera❝tion of the Spirit, availeth much.” "The "The first and chief matter to be prayed for, "is the fanctification of our natures-that God's "kingdom may come into our hearts-that he would "give unto us a new heart, and put a new Spirit "within us that he would take from us our ftony "heart, and beftow upon us hearts of flefh-that "he would put within us the law of the spirit of "life, which may make us free from the law of “fin and death-that we may put on the new man, which, after God, is created in righteous"nefs and true holiness-that we may be rege"nerate, and become new creatures, being born "again of that incorruptible feed, the word of "God. "That God would grant us, according to the "riches of his glory, to be ftrengthened with "might by his Spirit in the inward man. "That he would establish our hearts unblame"able in holinefs before God, even our Father, "at the coming of the Lord Jefus Chrift, with "all his faints. "That the Spirit of Chrift may dwell in us"that we may continue in the grace of God, and in the faith, grounded and fettled, and may not "be moved away from the hope of the Gospel. "Of this kind is the petition of David for him"felf-Create in me a clean heart, O Lord, and renew a right Spirit within me. And the apostle "for others-The God of peace fanctify you "throughout, that your whole fpirit, and foul, "and body may be preferved blameless unto the "coming of our Lord Jefus Christ. "That we may be transformed by the renewing "of our minds-that we may be able to have a Spiritual difcerning of the things of God; being "wife to that which is good, but fimple and "harmless to that which is evil. That he would purge our confciences from "DEAD WORKS, to ferve the living God. "That they may be tender of his glory, and "our own good; truly performing the offices "which belong unto them, both in accufing and "excufing us, according to the feveral occafions. "That he would circumcife our hearts, that we "may fet our affections on things above, and not on on earthly matters-that we may not be deceived "with falfe appearances, but may approve the "things that are most excellent. That he would reform and fanctify our wills, "that we may in every thing fubmit them unto "his; delighting to do his will; not seeking our own "will, but the will of him that fent us. "That he would rectify our memories, making "them more faithful in retaining all fuch holy "leffons as we fhall learn, in recalling them to "mind, according to opportunities; that we may "be always ready to ftir up our minds by way of "remembrance, that we may never forget God. "And fo, (for our parts, or outward man,) "that we may become the temple of God, where "his Spirit may dwell: that we may prefent our "bodies a living facrifice, holy, acceptable to God, "which is our reafonable fervice: that all our parts "and members may be inftruments of righteousness "unto holiness. "Rom. xii. 2. "Rom. ii. 29. I Cor. ii. 4. Rom. xvi. 19. Heb. ix. 14. "Joh. v. 30. 2 Pet. iii. 1. Deut. viii. 11. "Rom. xii. 1. Rom. vi. 13-19. Pf. xl. 8. I Cor. iii. 16. |