"never heard, and see what our eyes never saw ;

then the mysteries of Godlinefs fhall be open "unto us, and clear as the windows of the morn"ing; and this is rarely well expreffed by the "apostle. "If we ftand up from the dead and "awake from fleep, then Christ shall give us "LIGHT."

"For though the fcriptures themselves are writ"ten by the Spirit of God, yet they are written "within and without; and befides the light that "fhines upon the face of them, unless there be a "light fbining within our hearts, unfolding the "leaves, and interpreting the mysterious fenfe of "the Spirit, convincing our confciences and "preaching to our hearts; to look for Chrift in "the leaves of the gofpel, is to look for the living 66 among the dead. There is a life in them; but "that life is, according to St. Paul's expreffion,

hid with Chrift in God, and unlefs the Spirit "of God draw it forth, we shall not be able.

"Human learning brings excellent minifteries "towards this; it is admirably useful for the re"proof of herefies, for the detection of fallacies, "for the letter of the fcriptures, for collateral tef timonies, for exterior advantages; but there is fomething beyond this, that human learning "without the addition of divine can never reach. "A good man, though unlearned in fecular "knowledge, is like the windows of the temple,

narrow without and broad within; he fees not "fo much of what profits not abroad, but what"foever is within, and concerns religion and the

glorifications of God, that he fees with a broad "inspection, but all human learning without God "is but blindness and folly. One man difcourfes "of the facrament, another receives Chrift; one "difcourfes for or against tranfubftantiation; but

"the

"the good man feels himself to be changed, and "fo joined to Chrift, that he only understands "the true sense of transubstantiation, while he "becomes to Chrift bone of his bone, flesh of his "flesh, and of the same spirit with his Lord.

"From holiness we have the best instruction. "For that which we are taught by the Holy Spi"rit of God, this new nature, this vital principle "within us, it is that which is worth our learn. "ing: not vain and empty, idle and infignificant "notions, in which, when you have laboured till

your eyes are fixed in their orbs, and your flesh "unfixed from its bones, you are no better and no "wifer. If the Spirit of God be your teacher, he "will teach you fuch truths as will make you "know and love God, and become like to him, " and enjoy him for ever, by paffing from fimili"tude to union and eternal fruition.

"Too many scholars have lived upon air and "< empty notions for many ages past, and troubled "themselves with tying and untying knots, like "hypochondriacs in a fit of melancholy, thinking "of nothings, and troubling themselves with no"things, and falling out about nothings, and be"ing very wife and very learned in things that "C are not, and work not, and were never planted "in Paradife by the finger of God. If the Spirit " of God be our teacher, we shall learn to avoid "evil and to do good, to be wife and to be holy, "to be profitable and careful; and they that walk " in this way fhall find more peace in their con"fciences, MORE SKILL IN THE SCRIPTURES, more "fatisfaction in their doubts, than can be obtained "by all the polemical and impertinent difputations "of the world. The man that is wife, he that is

conducted by the Spirit of God, knows better "in what Christ's kingdom doth confift than to "throw

"throw away his time and intereft, his peace and "fafety, for what? for religion? no: for the "body of religion? not so much: for the garment "of the body of religion? no, not for fo much; "but for the fringes of the garment of the body "of religion; for fuch, and no better, are many · "religious difputes; things, or rather circum"stances and manners of things, in which the "foul and fpirit are not at all concerned.

The

"knowledge which comes from godliness is repor " τι πασης αποδείξεως, fomething more certain and "divine than all demonstration and human learn❝ing.

"And now to conclude:-to you I speak, fa"thers and brethren, you who are or intend to "be of the CLERGY; you fee here the best com"pendium of your ftudies, the beft alleviation of 66 your labours, the trueft method of wisdom. It is not by reading multitudes of books, but by ftudying the truth of God; it is not by labo "rious commentaries of the doctors that you can "finish your work, but the expofition of the Spi"rit of God; it is not by the rules of metaphyfics, "but by the proportions of holiness; and when "all books are read, and all arguments examined, "and all authorities alleged, nothing can be found "to be true that is UNHOLY. The learning of the "fathers was more owing to their piety than their "fkill, more to God than to themfelves. These "were the men that prevailed against error, be"caufe they lived according to truth. If ye walk "in light, and live in the fpirit, your doctrines "will be true, and that truth will prevail.

"I pray God to give you all grace to follow this "wisdom, to study this learning, to labour for "the understanding of godliness; fo your time "and your studies, your perfons and your labours,

"will be holy and useful, fanctified and bleffed, "beneficial to men and pleafing to God, through "him who is the wifdom of the Father, who is "made to all that love him, wisdom, and righte "oufnefs, and fanctification, and redemption."

Thus far Bishop Taylor; and will any one among our living theologists controvert the merits of Bishop Taylor? Is there one among them whom the public judgment will place in the fame rank with him? Will any one ftigmatize him as an ignorant enthusiast? His ftrength of understanding and powers of reafoning, as well as eloquence, are ftrikingly exhibited in his fermons, in his Liberty of prophefying, and in his polemical writings. I muft conclude, that he understood the Christian religion better than most of the fons of men; becaufe, to admirable abilities and erudition, he united the fineft feelings of devotion. His authority must have weight with all ferious and humble inquirers into the fubject of Christianity, and his authority ftrongly and repeatedly inculcates the opinion which I wish to maintain, that the best evidence of the truth of our religion is derived from the operation of the Holy Spirit on every heart which is duly difpofed and prepared to receive it. Let his words be remembered: " unless there be in our hearts a fecret conviction by the Spirit of God, the gospel itself "is a dead letter."

And I wish it to be duly attended to, that the difcourfe from which the above extracts are made, was not addreffed to a popular affembly, but to the clergy of an univerfity, and at a folemn vifitation. The Bishop evidently wished that the doctrines which he taught might be diffeminated among the people by the parochial clergy. They were diffeminated; and in confequence of fuch doctrines, Christianity flourished. They must be

again diffeminated by men having authority, and all the parochial clergy, if they fincerely wish to check the progrefs of infidelity. The minds of men must be impreffed with the fenfe of an influential DIVINITY in the Chriftian religion, or they will reject it for the morality of Socrates, Seneca, the modern philofophers, and all thofe plausible reasoners, to whom this world and the things which are feen are the chief objects of attention.

The old divines taught and preached with wonderful efficacy, becaufe they fpoke as men having authority from the Holy Ghoft, and not as the difputers of this world, proud of a little fcience, acquired from heathen writers in the cloifters of an academy. There was a celeftial glory diffused round the pulpits of the old divines; and the hearers, ftruck with veneration, liftened to the preacher as to an undoubted oracle. Full of grace were his lips; and moral TRUTH was beautifully illuminated by divine. She easily won and firmly fixed the affections of men, clothed, as he was, with light as with a garment.