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THE

PREFACE.

4

THE knowledge of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ, is said to be life eternal. This knowledge is the gift of God, and whatever he gratuitously communicates, does not essentially belong to any of its recipients, being a gift from above; the vigour with which it operates is always in proportion to the degree of its communication; hence we can easily account for the manifest disproportion there exists between the attainments of believers in the acquisition of knowledge; "there is a diversity of gifts, but the communication of

them

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them is by the same spirit, and the end proposed is the spiritual advantage and the increasing profit of the mind; the spirit of God being the spirit of truth, can never be supposed to teach different men different systems as true, that are wholly subversive of each other. Men have ever (whatever system they have adopted) found it advantageous to father all their errors upon God, forgeting, however, that it is as impossible for God to contradict himself in 2bno his word, as it is for him to disgrace Schism, himself in his works.

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Hence I conclude, that as the spirit of God applies that system, whatever it may be, which is founded in infinite wisdom, He can apply but that one system, as the idea of infinite wisdom eternally precludes the idea of a second choice, as the first effort must be the best.

To know what that system is, we must have recourse to the divine testimony, and there we find, that Christ is said to be "our life,"---to "have life

in himself;" that he is come into the world to seek and to save that which was lost; and this conduct is not imputed to the compassionate feelings of the moment, when our misery gained its dreadful ascendency over the mind,--but the regular result of an eternal coun-Council cil--the necessary consequence of a covenanted agreement, preparatory to the execution of which, all things were made for him and by him.

In this light our author considered Culy.

the subject, and although neither he nor any other adopting the same principles, can boast of an host on their side; yet, they have that to boast of, which is of infinitely greater consequence, for the hosts we see are formed by human interest and human wisdom, but with us is the eternal God." We have his word, and where his name is recorded, there will he be to bless it.

We have to this day the protecting hand of God visibly with us, for notwithstanding the clamarous opposition

of

of Priests and their hirelings, we have
continued to the present moment; and
as the interest of God and the interest
of truth are one and the fame, God can
never desert the one without trampling
under his feet, the glory of his name
and the dignity of his crown.

N. B. PATRICK HAMILTON's Doctrine of the
Law and Gospel, (which was promised in a
former Advertisement) having appeared in the
Gospel Magazine, rendered the Publication of

it in this unnecessary. By no means so!

2 No B : This admirable Freatise of P. Hamelters, 8. called Patricks-Places, may be fully seen in the 11. Vol : p. 186-Fox's mart:

THE

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