<9^ JLIBERTY OP REASONING 



Is lively and predominant, an inexhauftible fource of 

 boundlefs confidence in God, of love to all goodnefs, 

 of univerfal humanity, of perfevering fortitude in mis- 

 fortune, of moderation and modefry in profperity, of 

 patience in fufferings, of flighting every thing that 

 ivifdom teaches us to flight, of inward peace of heart, 

 contentednefs with the prefent, and the everduring 

 hope of a better futurity. — His religion was true theo- 

 fophy, if. the fimpleft meaning of the word. — God to 

 liim was all things in all, all in nature, all in himfelf. 

 Hence that kingdom 'of God, whofe approach he an- 

 nounced, to which he invited all men, to which all 

 are called but few are chofen : becaufe it was not con- 

 cealed from him, that but few men are fo limply 

 minded and fo well difpofed, as to concur with their 

 whole foul in thefe his fentiments and affections, and 

 to become like unto him in all thefe refpecls, — that 

 is, in all that he had in common with the wifeft and 

 beft men that ever lived, and which he difplayed be- 

 fore them in his own example, — - and therefore, in the 

 proper fenfe, to deferve the name of his difciples. 

 All could and ought to be invited to it : but from the 

 very nature of the cafe, thofe who were really of one 

 heart and one mind with him, could only compofe a 

 imall fociety of brethren, a kind of order, if I may ufe 



lion and of the times.. On that account it was, as I fhould 

 think, that he promifed them the fpirit, that mould lead them 

 into a]} truth. Bat this fpirit refides only in clean hearts, and 

 probabJy took its flight back again, from the moment they were 

 pteafed to write to the brethren at Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia : 

 it famed gocd to the holy ghoft and to us, &c. 



that 



