its own operations, and the hap- Hence, it appears farther, that piness thence diffused, through all Chriftian communion, though in benevolent minds. Whatever is fome things, it may depend on pleafing to the Fatherand the Son, outward figns, or circumftances, is likewife to all holy creatures, fo is yet altogether fpiritual and holy.. far as it falls within their view of It depends effentially on the inthings. Hence, believers are fpo- ward frame of the heart, and is ken of, as rejoicing, in hope of the founded in that holiness, without glory of God. They according- which no man fhall fee the Lord. ly rejoice, in all the profperity and Hence, fallen men can have comhappiness, which are enjoyed, by munion with God, and with one the church and kingdom of God, another, in things pertaining to at prefent; and in all the good, him, no farther, than they are which is anticipated, on the fure made fpiritually alive, by the washground of divine promife and faith-ing of regeneration, and the refulness. Hence, the peculiar joy newing of the Holy Ghoft. With of faints on earth is the fame, without this, all, which they can do, that of angels and the fpirits of or experience, however it may juft men made perfect, in heaven; counterfeit the graces of the divine and theirs is a participation in the fpirit, is the fruit of an unholy joy, with which Jehovah contem-temper, and thence of the nature plates his own perfections, purpo- of oppofition to God, and his hofes, laws, and administrations; ly truth. This fhows the neceffiand the answerable stability, glory, ty of men's being renewed, after and happiness of his moral king-the image of God, as fundamental dom. to a confiftent profeffion of the In view of the preceding ob- Chriftian faith, and a due attendfervations, we fee how to under-ance on the institution of the Lord's ftand, 1 Cor. x. 16. 17. "The fupper. cup of bleffing, which we blefs, is We are farther taught, by this it not the communion of the blood subject, that no religion, which is of Chrift? the bread, which we founded in mere selfishness, whatbreak, is it not the communion of ever zeal, ftrictness, and external the body of Chrift? For we, being purity, it may induce, is the leaft many, are one bread, and one bo-qualification for the kingdom of dy for we are all partakers of heaven. It forms the fubject, in that one bread." Communion, no degree, for uniting in the holy in this holy ordinance, is notmere- fervices and joys of the heavenly ly a joint partaking of the repre- ftate.. This explains the abfolute fentations of Chrift's body and neceffity of men's being born ablood. This may confift with gain, that they may fee the kingmen's being wholly dead in fin,dom of God, and enjoy its blefand thence at enmity with God and one another. But real difciples partake of these outward figns, in the exercise of holy love; and hence, in a believing and joyful remembrance of Jefus Chrift, and him crucified. Their fouls, therefore, are feasted and nourished, with the bread and the water of life. VOL. II. No. 2. G fings. Preparatory to this, they must relish the beauties of holiness, and rejoice in God, as their portion and happiness. Hence, the unholy are not only excluded, by. the unalterable purpose of God, but if admitted to dwell in the presence of his glory, it would be no joy to them. Even heaven it felf would be a very hell to them, from which, if poffible, they would make their efcape. The apparent union and joy of holy minds, fo far from exciting anfwerable feelings in them, would fill them with tormenting malice and envy. How alarming is this view of the subject, to all, who are yet in the gall of bitterness, and bond of iniquity! Finally, how highly honorable and glorious, as well as delightful, is the fublime reality of Christian communion! It is not a growth of the pride and vain conceits of vifionary philofophers, who muft yet become fools, that they may be wife. It is not a mere partnerfhip of privileges and pleafures, with the rich, the great, and the honorable of the earth, who have their portion in this life. No, it is an endless and holy union of heart, of interest, and of enjoyment, with an innumerable company of angels, and fpirits of just men made perfect, in the kingdom of God; yea with God himfelf, and his Son, Jefus Chrift, who is king of glory, and heir of all things. How immenfely exalted then, how replete with glory, honor, and bleffednefs is that divine communion, to which redeemed finners are admitted, through the blood of the Lamb! TROPHIMUS. The he layeth down his life for them; and all the promises of the gofpel are alfo limited to them. bleffings which the faints fhall re ceive in another world are very great; but these are not all: The facred fcriptures teach us, that God diftinguishes them from other men with bleffings in this world. It would be eafy to fhow, in many refpects, how they are fo diftinguished; but I fhall confine myfelf to obfervations on the knowledge, inftructions and difcoveries by which they are peculiarly favored. God is pleafed to give his faints his word, ordinances and inftitu tions of religion. These privileges are not enjoyed by mankind' in general; but are bleffings which he bestows from his fingular love to his own people. It is true, there are others, who have these privileges, as well as the faints; but they are those people with whom the faints live, and it is for the elect's fakes, that these privileges are given. God bleffes thofe focieties and nations, among whom his own people live, on their account, as he would have faved Sodom from deftruction, if but ten righteous perfons had lived in that city. While the Jews were the church, to them were committed the lively oracles of God, and Christian churches have enjoyed thenr fince, and for their fakes, the people with whom they have reft of mankind have been given lived; but no other people. The But over to an utter ignorance of the holy fcriptures; which intimates, that thefe fcriptures are given out of kindness to the faints. God has given his own people communications of divine knowledge, which are peculiar to them, which no other people, not even thofe with whom they live, have ever enjoyed. This is evident from life. He has been in the practice of them himself, and therefore when he reads of them in the word of God, er hears of them in the fanctuary, or elsewhere, he underftands the ideas meant by the words. Chriftians also are the only people, who know any thing of the moral beauty and amiableness of the character of God, and of Christ, and who are acquainted with the excellency and loveliness of God's moral government. To others there is no form or comelinefs in Chrift, why he should be defired, and they have no delight in the law of the Lord; while Chriftians tafte and fee that the Lord is good. The knowledge, which finners have of God, and of the things of religion, is communicated to their understandings by books and defcriptions; but Chrif tians enjoy the teachings of the Spirit. These learn religion, and the nature of holiness and divine things, not only by book, but also by practice. This knowledge of the fpirituality and excellency of the divine life, and of the things of God, differs from the ideas of others on thefe fubjects, much more than the knowledge of an many paffages in the bible. Our en. the Chriftian is experimental, the ideas of others are derived from report and hear-fay; and they form falfe and inadequate ideas of all thefe things; and of many of them they have no notion at all. They are wholly ignorant of their richnefs and excellency. They know not the Lord. Hence it is, that when a finner is firft brought into the kingdom of Christ, the Bible appears new to him, and the things Redeemer. Accordingly God confiders them as veffels fet apart for himself, and he inftructs, purifies and enriches them, for his own use and service, to any degree he pleases. But this is not the cafe with other men, who remain the enemies of God. They are left to the direction of their of which it treats, very different from what he expected to find them, if he fhould become a Chriftian. Christians receive glorious inftructions, by the teachings of the Spirit, which are communications made, not immediately to their understandings, but to their hearts, by which they are enabled to fee the beauty of holinefs. The fpir-own evil hearts, and are vessels of it of Chrift is in them. When wrath fitting for deftruction. They, one of Chrift's apoftles asked him, by their evil ways, judge themselves How is it, Lord, that thou wilt unworthy of eternal life, and God manifeft thyfelf to us, and not to turns from them to his own people. the world? He replied, that both the Father and himself would come and take up their abode with them. This refpects a spiritual intercourse, between God and Chriftians, in which their fpiritual life and comfort confift. This can be known to none, but fuch as partake of it. The preceding obfervations are fufficient to fhow us how it comes to pafs, that regeneration, faith and many other things, spoken of in the holy fcriptures, are fo differently understood by different people. Real believers, who have not only a fpeculative, but a prac tical knowledge of them, understand all the effential things of religion alike, in all nations, and among all denominations. But thofe, whofe notions of religion are derived only from books and information, and often from mifinformation refpecting it, are very liable to mistakes. They have hearts oppofed to true religion, and to the doctrines of the bible; they with them to be different from what they are, and are prepared to embrace fome of thofe falfe reprefentations of them, which have been devised, and are industriously circulated, by the enemies of truth. They love darkness, rather than light. Here is room enough for the introduction of endless differences, without a fufpicion, that they arife from any obfcurity in the word of God. Such men ful Let me obferve further, that it is not only true, that the distinguishing love of God, to his own people, has led him to give fuch peculiar privileges and instructions to them; but that it is evidently fit and reasonable, that God fhould give them fuch privileges, and make fuch fpecial difcoveries of himfelf, and of divine things to them. They are his peculiar people. He hath chofen them, from a world of enemies, to be to the glory of his grace-to be the examples and monuments of his unfpeakable goodness and mercy. They are fingled out, to be the reward of Chrift's mediatorial work; it is therefore fuitable, that God fhould, for his own fake, pour out upon them of his Spirit in abundant measures, and afford them all fuch inftructions and communica-fil the predictions of the fcriptures, tions, as are neceffary, in the best by wresting them to their own demanner to fit them to answer his ftruction. We ought not to be defigns, that they may be illuftri- furprised at the errors invented and ous witnesses of the greatnefs of circulated by men, who have no mercy, and an honor to their perfonal acquaintance with true re his ence to truth. But if any man, -ligion, and whofe evil hearts difpofe | nifhed. Then goeth he, and tathem to embrace error, in prefer-keth with him feven other spirits, more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the firft.? Such men are not Chrif tians; they have not that knowl edge, which the bible tells us, is peculiar to Chriftians, and therefore their want of knowledge and experience in these things, is fo far from proving that they are mere delufion, that it only proves that themfelves are in the broad way, that leads to death. And fince this divine knowledge is revealed to Chriftians only, it is not strange that many others, fhould disbelieve and deny it, notwithstanding the evidence we have of it, in the holy fcriptures. Thefe obfervations will alfo lead us to difcover whence it comes to pafs, that there are fome men, who do not believe in the neceffity of awakenings, convictions, converfions and fuch earneft attention to the things of religion, as fometimes take place among men. They do not believe in that, which is fometimes called experimental redigion, to diftinguish it from that, which confifts in nothing more than a reputable morality, and a formal attendance on the ordinances of the gospel. The reafons given, why they do not believe in fuch things, very commonly are, that they never experienced any thing of the kind, or that, at fome former day, they were under concern of mind, but it wore off, and left them as they were before, and therefore that they know, by their own experience, that there is nothing in fuch things, but enthufiafm and delufion. By this account of themselves, they defcribe thofe, who are represented by feed fown on ftony ground, which fpringeth up fuddenly, but foon withereth away. Instead of drawing this falfe and dangerous conclufion, it is earnestly wifhed, that they would feriously confider this admonition, given them by our Lord, When the unclean fpirit is gone out of | The foregoing obfervations show alfo the propriety of calling true religion, experimental religion, to diftinguish it from the opinions of men, who have had no experience in it. Finally, It appears from the foregoing obfervations, that a man must be a Christian indeed, that he may have any competent knowledge of the nature and exercifes of Chriftianity. This is life eternal, to know thee, the only true God, and Jefus Chrift, whom thou haft fent.' MIKROS. FOR THE CONNECTICUT EVAN- rect our inquiry, it might |