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all heroic and extraordinary performances were by the Pagans themselves generally attributed to a divine infpiration. And the Old Teftament afcribes a tranfcendent skill even in arts and trades to the Spirit of God. It is not therefore to be wondered at, if illumination be attributed to Him in the New. Wisdom and understanding are effential parts of fanctity; and therefore muft proceed from the fanctifying Spirit. We must therefore conftantly look up to God, and depend upon Him for illumination; we must earneftly pray in the words of St. Paul, That the God of our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Father of glory, would give unto us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, Eph. i. 17. This dependance upon God, in expectation of his bleffing on our Jearch after knowledge, puts the mind into the beft difpofition and frame to attain it; because it naturally frees and difengages it from those paffions, prejudices, and diftractions, which otherwise entangle and difturb it, and render it incapable of raised, fedate, and coherent thoughts. But what is more than this, there are repeated and express promifes made it; fo that it can never fail of fuccefs: Ask, and it shall be given you, feek, and ye shall find, knock, and it Shall be opened to you. The reafon of which is added; If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children; how much

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more fhall your Father which is in heaven give good things (or as it is Lukexi. the Holy Spirit) to them that afk him? Mat. vii. 7, 11. If any of you lack wisdom, let him afk of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it fhall be given him, Jam. i. 5. nor do I doubt but every good man has these promifes verified to him. There are fudden fuggeftions, unexpected manifeftations, extraordinary elevations of mind, which are never to be accounted for, but by a divine principle. Nor does this doctrine of Spiritual illumination or irradiation in the leaft diminish the power and excellence of the gospel of Chrift, no more than the inftruction of the gospel does fuperfede that of the Spirit. For we must not think that the Spirit does now reveal any new truth of general ufe or importance; fince the canon of fcripture would on this fuppofal be but a defective rule of faith and manners. But, firft, The Spirit may affift us in making a fuller difcovery of the fenfe of fcripture. Secondly, The Spirit may help us to form clearer and diftincter notions of thofe things we have yet but an imperfect and general knowledge of; and to fix and imprint them in more lafting, as well as more legible characters in our minds: or it may recall to our remembrance fuch things as are obliterated and forgot

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ten: or, finally, it may produce in us a more earneft and fteddy application to the truth of God, Thirdly, I fee no reafon why the Spirit may not vouchfafe us particular impulfes, directions, and intimations upon extraordinary occafions and fudden emergencies; where holy writ affords us no light, and human prudence is at a lofs. Nor does any thing, that I attribute to the Spirit in all this, detract or derogate from the dignity or the efficacy of the fcripture. This then, I conceive, is what the Spirit does in the work of Illumination. But how it does it, is not neceffary, nor, I doubt, poffible to be determined. Nor ought our ignorance of this to be objected against the truth of divine Illumination. We are fure we understand and remember, and exercife a freedom or liberty of will, in our choices, refolutions and actions: but the manner how we do this, is an enquiry that does hitherto, for ought I can fee, wholly furpafs and tranfcend our philoJapbyo

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I will here clofe this chapter with a prayer of Fulgentius, lib. 1. cap. 4. After he has in the beginning of the chapter difclaimed all pretences to the fetting up himfelf a mafter, doctor, or dictator to his brethren, he breaks out into thefe devout and pious words- I will not ceafe to pray, that our true Mafter and Doctor

• Chrift

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"Chrift Jefus, either by the oracles of his gofpel, or by the converfation of my brethren or joint-difciples; or elfe by the fecret and delightful inftruction of divine infpiration, in which, without the ele⚫ments of letters, or the found of speech, • truth speaks with fo much the fweeter, as the ftiller and fofter voice; would vouchfafe to teach me those things, which I may fo propofe, and fo affert, that in all my expofitions and affertions, I may be ever found conformable, and obedient, and 'firm to that truth, which can neither deceive, nor be deceived. For it is truth itself that enlightens, confirms, and aids me, that I may always obey and affent to the truth. By truth Idefire to be informed of thofe many more things which I am ignorant of, from whom I ' have received the few I know. Of truth I beg, through preventing and affifting grace, to be inftructed in whatever I yet know not, which conduces to the intereft of my virtue and happiness; to be preserved and kept ftedfaft in those truths which I know; to be reformed ‹ and rectified in those points, in which, as is common to man, I am mistaken; 'to be confirmed and established in those truths wherein I waver; and to be delivered from thofe opinions that are er• roneous or burtful. I beg, laftly, that

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truth may ever find, both in my thoughts and fpeeches, all that found and wholefome doctrine I have received from its gift; and that it would always caufe me to utter those things which are agreeable to itself in the first place; and confequently acceptable to all faithful Chriftians in the

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CHA P. III.

Of liberty in general. The notion of it truly ftated, and guarded. The fruits of this liberty. I. Sin being a great evil, deliverance from it is great happiness. 2. A freedom and pleasure in the acts of righteoufnefs and good works. 3. The near relation it creates between God and us.. 4. The great fruit of all, eternal life; with a brief exhortation to endeavour after deliverance from fin.

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FTER Illumination, which is the Perfection of the understanding, follows liberty, which is the Perfection of the will. In treating of which, I fhall, first, give an account of liberty in general: and then discourse of the feveral parts of it; as it regards wickedness, unfruitfulness, human infirmities, and original corruption.

§. I. What

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