Проповеди и лекции

ons of the intellect, nor qoes- tions of interest, nor questions of policy, nor questions of taw, but leaving them as il finds thctn, it comes and soweth beside all waters. Il descendeth (ipon all nink« and all disputants, and holdcth with each u coEitrovx-rsy touching the regutntton of bis inward ftpirit, and hts outward behaviour in that slution which he holds, where- with It exhorts bim to be content; and even this Tci^ulation of himself it toucbcth not at Jirst, lei^t it might drive him off frcm listening, but qnJL'lly proccedeth to opeii up the hidden trea- sures of knowledj^e which are in the Gospel,— the existence of God and of his oflonded law, und of judgment to come, and of n Mediator between God and man, of repeiitance towards God and faith tuwardsthc LurdJesusChrisL These revela- tions, which art! independent of all rank and con- dition touehini^ us as men, not aw citizens; as in- habitants of the earth, as mortal creatures and subjects of the Governor of the universe; having made way by ihcir proper evidence into the soul, setitinto active cog;itations, into hopes, into fears, into ambili»n^, which hitherto it hdth not known. And these types of the invisible world being the same to tll> dobe^t on all similarinfluenccs, and lay the foundation of a new nature, which is simi- I 1084 THE CVEBZ AS TO &ODILT LABOCtt. [Dh, Jur; wid growing up begeta new sympatbics and new doiutvs towurdx eiurli other ; nncl lliese new aympatbtes und desires begot ocw niannert and practice** which bear ctowu old lawvandinsti- tiitioDB. and produce new occs; so that, in the end Ihc ChmtiHQ food ttkcn into the spirit or a commu- nUyvfDrkethu|ion it Christian fientimrntsjaw^, and ciisIomH. Slavery becomes abolished, servitude Boflened, tt>c pride of rank humbled, and all thingi tend towards concord and nnMiiroiiy- This ame- liorfttio4iis rapid* or slow, just in proportion to the qoantity of Christian feeling that n infused into the political mixture : it retrogradcn according aa the (ttiK|n^I IK i^clipM^d by ijpioranre or desitruyed by super^itiuii. And to set it on foot wliert* it ha<4 retro^aded nothing availeth but the diffusion of . the Gospel a^^aiti in its primitive purity. ^M Now I freely confess that I have no other palli- ^^ olive, no other cure for the ignorance unci degrada-* tion of the lower orders amongst ourselves than this which was employed with iuch etfecl in the primitive tinier to break the bonds of slavery and elevate the souls of the depressed slaves. Thera is no other way than to poftne^ the souls of tbtt