e discovered in both, led him up to the infinitely wise and
powerful Maker and Preserver of all things. Once, when he came to visit a
gentleman of good learning, and his intimate acquaintance, the gentleman
took him to his garden, and in their walk he discoursed with him to his
great surprise of the objective declarations, which every thing makes of
its Almighty Creator and talked of the wisdom and goodness of God,
particularly in clothing the earth with a green garb, rather than with a
garment of any other colour, and having plucked a flower from it, he made
a most savoury spiritual discourse. He so dissected and anatomized the
same, as to set forth the glorious perfections of its Maker in a most
taking and entertaining manner.
But the main object of his pious and devout contemplations was God in
Christ reconciling the world to himself. For God who commanded the light
to shine out of darkness, had shined into his heart to give him the light
of the knowledge of God, in the face of Jesus Christ, so that he not only
understood the mysteries of the kingdom of God himself, but it was given
to him to make others know them. His preaching was in the demonstration of
the Spirit, and of power. His Sermons are the very transcript of what had
past betwixt God and his own soul. He spoke and wrote his experimental
knowledge, and did both speak and write because he believed He did
earnestly contend for the articles of faith and truths of religion, and
could never think of parting with one hoof, or the least grain of truth,
being persuaded, that Christian concord must have truth for its
foundation, and holiness for its attendant, without which it will decline
into a defection, and degenerate into a conspiracy against religion. As to
the duties of Christianity, he enforced the performance of these with all
the arguments of persuasion, so that, through the blessing of God, his
pulpit discourses became the power of God to the illumination of the
understandings of his hearers, the renovation of their natures, the
reformation of their lives, and the salvation of their souls.
The difficult part of a reprover he acted in the most prudent and gaining
manner, when he did lick with his tongue the mote out of his brother's
eye, he did it with all tenderness, and with the tear in his own. His
words wanted neither point nor edge for drawing the blood, when the case
of the offender made it an indispensable duty; and when he was
necessitated to us
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