And another thing that I would entreat the zealous friends of this glorious work of God to avoid, is managing the controversy with opposers with too much heat, and appearance of an angry zeal; and particularly insisting very much in public prayer and preaching, on the persecution of opposers. If their persecution were ten times so great as it is, methinks it would not be best to say so much about it. If it becomes Christians to be like lambs, not apt to complain and cry when they are hurt; it becomes them to be dumb and not to open their mouth, after the example of our dear Redeemer; and not to be like swine that are apt to scream aloud when they are touched. We should not be ready presently to think and speak of fire from heaven, when the Samaritans oppose us, and will not receive us into their villages. God's zealous ministers would do well to think of the direction the apostle Paul gave to a zealous minister, 2 Tim. ii. 24-26. "And the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves ; if God peradventure will give them repentance, to the acknowledging of the truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will." I would humbly recommend to those that love the Lord Jesus Christ, and would advance his kingdom, a good attendance to that excellent rule of prudence which Christ has left us, Matth. ix. 16, 17. "No man putteth a piece of new cloth into an old garment; for that which is put in to fill it up, taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles; else the bottles break and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish. But they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved." I am afraid that the wine is now running out in some part of this land, for want of attending to this rule. For though I believe we have confined ourselves too much to a certain stated method and form in the management of our religious affairs; which has had a tendency to cause all our religion to degenerate into mere formality; yet whatever has the appearance of a great innovation-that tends much to shock and surprise people's minds, and to set them a talking and disputing-tends greatly to hinder the progress of the power of religion. It raises the opposition of some, diverts the minds of others, and perplexes many with doubts and scruples. It causes people to swerve from their great business, and turn aside to vain jangling. Therefore that which is very much beside the common practice, unless it be a thing in its own nature of considerable importance, had better be avoided. Herein we shall follow the example of one who had the greatest success in propagating the power of religion. 1 Cor. ix. 20-23. "Unto VOL. VIII. 2Q the Jews, I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; to them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak. I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you." END OF THE EIGHTH VOLUME. INDEX. NOTE-The Roman Numerals refer to the Volume, and the Figures to the Page. A Apostacy, a great, before the final judg- Arianism, its revival, v. 220. Arminians, wherein they agree with the origin, v. 220. Ascension, Christ's, remarks on, v. 177. B. Aben-Ezra, his notion of original sin, i. 382. Abraham, the calling of, subservient to Action, moral, remarks on, i. 326-con- Adam, a federal head, ii. 213-how a Agency, Arminian notion of moral, in- Agent, a moral, what, i. 154-those fa- Ahitophel, not suspected by David, viii. Ainsworth, his quotations from Jewish Ames, Dr. on the peace of a wicked man, Anabaptists, the German, their corrupt Antichrist, conjectures about the fall of, Babel, God's disappointing the building Babylon, mystical, remarks on, ii. 519, Baptism, spiritual, what, ii. 325-who Baptist, John, in what his ministry con- Beauty, a secondary kind of, ii. 25. Bernard, a saying of, on Christian pro- Beza, his remark on the word προγνωσις, i. 381. Blame, and praise, things worthy of, i. 333. Brainerd, his life and diary, iii. 81-the Brainerd, his journal, at Crosweeksung, Burgess, Anthony, on the tempter's in- viii. 557. Burnet, Bp. his notion of providential Burr, President, some account of, i. 84. 98. Burr, Colonel, remarks on, i. 99. C. Children, religious meetings of, vi. 102. Choice, the objects and the acts of, not to Christ, the acts of his will necessarily Christian, Observer, see Observer. Calvin, a remark of, on the office of the Capacity, natural, essential to moral obli- Captivity, the Babylonish, its principal viii. 183. Causality, negative, remarks on, viii. 360 Cause, of virtue and vice, remarks on the, v. 235. Church, its remarkable redemption from Cicero, his definition of virtue, ii. 14-a Clark, Dr. Samuel, on the connection be- 252. Coincidences, remarkable between Presi- Coleman, Dr. a narrative of conversions Communion, qualifications for full, vii. 11. Constantine, not included in the descrip- Contingence, the Arminian notion of, i. Controversy, how to be managed, viii. 593. Conversion, what it means, ii. 317-man- Cooper, his preface to Distinguishing Covenant, Adam's, remarks on, ii. 334- Coventry, N. England, a remarkable revi- Council, the first ecclesiastical, v. 182-at D. Destruction, wicked men useful only in Devils, experience of, viii. 96. exposed, 467-a warning against, 470. Dispensations, several gracious, viii. 533. Doctrines, Gospel, fully revealed, v. 180. Dwight, Dr. his poetic lines on Edwards, E. David, his anointing, what intimated by Days, the latter, what, v. 169. Decrees, absolute, not inconsistent with 364. Demonstrations, a priori, and a poste- Dependence, remarks on, i. 249-God glo- Depravity, its powerful influence, ii. 169. Education, the importance of, viii. 186. his character, ii. 81. Edwards, Jonathan, of Cambridge, i. 7. Edwards, Jonathan Walter, esq. some Election, the decree of, remarks on, viii. 380. Elsner, his remark on the word προγνωσις, End, God's chief, i. 443-subordinate and |