NOR is not divine Grace, in the fpiritual world,

analogous to Attraction, in the material world? And is not the good man kept fteady in his pious courfe thereby, notwithstanding the frequent at tempts of revulfion, the rubs and collifions which he meets with, that like comets cross the orbit of vertue, and threaten ruin? The planetary paths tho' regular, are not fo ftrictly fo, but that the interfereing of attractions will in time produce fuch irregularities, as to feem to require the divine interpofition So the ordinary portion of grace being not fufficient in fome cafes for the fuccefs of heroic vertue, the divine fpirit interpofes with an extraor dinary aid, and proclaims, my grace is fufficient for thee.

AHE Analogy between the infinite divine Spi

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rit or HOLY GHOST, and the UNIVERSAL ETHER or elemental Fire, may properly be treated next. Becaufe as the mechanic philofophers make the Æther the caufe of attraction, mufcular motion and other extraordinary phænomena of matter: So is the HOLY GHOST the cause of all spiritual conduct, which is confonant to the divine Law.

It is extremely agreeable, and worth while, to il luftrate the comfortable part of the laft revelation of the will of God to man, the universal prefence and influence of the divine Spirit and Comforter, by á fimilitude drawn from the material world.

For there being but one author of the univerfe, his wisdom is in all things wonderful when understood, and the wisdom fhining forth in the different claf fes of his work, have a great degree of likeness. Human nature is like the Divinity, the inftinct of brutes is very like the most perfect reason of man, and the laws of matter are not unlike the brutal inftincts.

The

The univerfal prefence therefore of the divine Spirit, and Comforter, may be illuftrated by the univerfal Æther or fire of the universe. Especially fince the Bible chufes to make the firft ftep of the comparison, by telling us, that Jefus Chrift should baptize with Fire, that is, with the Holy Ghoft, and that the HOLY GHOST 'defcended in the vifible appearance of Fire.

The properties of elemental fire or Æther are already fo well expreft, by an eminent philofopher and divine, that his language fhall be pretty nearly ufed; though his purpose of writing did not lead him to make that comparifon, for the fake of which, fome of his philofophical fentiments are here used. But this analogy may be hereafter more beautifully made, when the experiments concerning the Ether, in the wonderful phænomena of Electricity, fhall have opened to the human mind many fecrets of nature, wherein the Ether is the principal inftrument for divine intelligence to work with.

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"Fire is the univerfal fountain of life, order, “distinction, stability and beauty of the universe. "It is not only in the fun and other heavenly bo"dies, but it makes part of every lump of matter "upon, and in our Globe; it may be ftruck out "of the hardest maffes, and is difcovered in the deepest caverns; the very water, which is gene

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rally fuppofed to extinguish it, does alfo retain "it, as appears from the flashing of waves in the "times of a storm; it exists even in the darkest "caverns, as is evident from hence, that many "animals fee in the dark, and fire may be kindled "in them, by the collifion of bodies. Gold is "no more than mercury with abundance of light "or fire in it, as appears from an experiment. "Fire mixes with all bodies, and its operations "are various according to its kind, quantity, and "degree of vehemence. As it mixes with water,

❝ one

"one degree of it keeps water fluid, another de

gree of it turns it into elastic air. For water "becomes vapour by the means of fire, and air is "nothing but vapour and exhalations rendered ❝elastic by fire.

"This mighty agent, is every where at hand, "ready to break forth into action, if not reftrain"ed by other things. Being always in motion, it "actuates and enlivens the whole vifible mass of "the world, it diftinguishes the various ftages of "nature, and keeps up the perpetual round of "generations. So quick in its motions, fo fubtle "and penetrating in its nature, fo extenfive in its "effects, it feemeth no other than the VEGETA"TIVE SOUL and VITAL SPIRIT of the world.

Now, is not the HOLY GHOST in the fpiritual world, what this elementary fire is in the material?

For although fire be in all matter, yet it is more abundant in fome parts, which have a stronger attraction than others: It remains in that union, till attraction is weakened by the proximity of fome other matter; then follows a difruption of parts, and a destruction of form.The Holy Ghoft is in every part of the moral world, and intimate to every member of it, but he is more largely communicated to thofe, who by ftrong religious affections invite him; he ftays with them, till the affections of the world taking place, he is no longer a welcome gueft, but leaves them to be hurried into ruin; fo true it is, that the laft ftate of these men is worfe than the firft.As in the material world a man may fit in the cold, although he has a flint and combustible matter near him, if through perversenefs he will not ftrike fire; fo in the fpiritual world; if we not only neglect to pray for the help of the Holy Ghoft, but alfo ftudy to avoid all offers of his favour, we are indeed infenfible of the benefits of his prefence, but that we are fo, is entirely our

Own

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own faults. Has he not been extremely active in the confervation of religion and pure morals in the world, fince the first brooding of the divine fpirit upon the waters in the chaos, to the remarkable effufion upon the Apostles in the form of fiery tongues, and the lefs aftonishing conveyance of his influence to this day? And was not the Æther, or elemental fire, a principal inftrument in the confervation of the material world, from old chaos to the prefent time? Are not many of the wonderful phæ. nomena of Fire, very late revelations to mankind by the study of fagacious men? And is it not in many phænomena a principal inftrument, where the bulk of mankind, being negligent of the wonderful order of nature, do not think of it, or acknowledge it? And as the studious in the phænomena of matter find out, and affent to the utility of the Ætherial fire, so the religious in the fpiritual world, study to find out the holy Spirit, and feel his influence. He does not perhaps come upon them now in them now in a visible appearance, they may neither hear the found of a mighty wind, nor yet fee fire flaming in the fhape of cloven tongues, but they may feel him inwardly, and enjoy his comfortable influence in a fecret manner. In fhort the fpiritual world is no lefs beholden to the univerfal Holy Spirit, than the material world to the univerfal Etherial Fire.

Thus can inert matter furnish us with leffons of fpiritual knowledge, and feems to speak to mankind, as reasonable and religious creatures, in a very instructive manner. The fubject is worth enlarging

b So many interpret the word merachepeth, implying brooding, incubation or hatching. The tranflators of the Syriac express it, by incubabat.

A late writer tells us it is only found elsewhere, Deut: 32. 11. Jer. 23. 9. In which places it fignifies different kinds of motion, and that in Genefis it means, that the fpirit of God caused the face of the waters to move, by giving the globe a motion upon its axis.

upon; but we are obliged to break off, when the fcene opens, and prefents a plentiful fund of imagination, for fuch children of wisdom as have Pleasure in feeking out the works of the LORD. For the invifible things of him, from the creation of the world, are clearly feen, being understood by the things that are made. So that THEY are without excufe, who neglect to search into them.

Natural phænomena are not yet fufficiently ftudied, to entitle us to pursue this reasoning farther.

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