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Theology; Explained and Defended in a Series of Sermons
Theology Explained and Defended in a Series of Sermons Author:Sereno Edwards Dwight, John Trumbull, Timothy Dwight Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE ORDINARY MEANS OF GRACE. HEARING THE WORD Or QOD. Luke viii. 18.— Take heed, Ihertforc, how ye hear. IN the last discourse, but one, I distributed the ... more »principal Means of Grace under the following Heads : I. The Preaching of the Gospel; II. The Reading of the Scriptures ; III. Prayer; IV. Correspondence with religious men; V. Religious Meditation; particularly Self-Examination/ and, VI. The Religious Education of Children. In that discourse, also, I endeavoured to exhibit the Influence of these Means in the Work of Salvation. The next object, which I propose, is a Separate Consideration of these several subjects ; that their respective efficacy may be more Earticularly displayed. It will be remembered, that they are all, ere, to be considered as Means, in the application of which, holiness is originally communicated, as well as Means of improving in holiness. The direction in the Text is, I apprehend, a direction given to all men, who arc in possession of the Gospel. It is delivered in the most general terms; and may, therefore, be regarded as extending to every mode of hearing, which is useful. There are modes of hearing, which, unless I am deceived, are eventually useful to sinners; and in which the Gofprl becomes to sinners the power of God unto salvation. ] shall consider these modes, as included in it; modes in which I should wish a sinful child of my own, and for the same reason should wish others also, to hear the Gospel. Such, as have heard in these modes, have in great multitudes, as I verily believe, been profiled, in a degree which no man can estimate. The persons, who in tb'S sense would lake heed horn they hear the Gospel; by which I intend tie Scriptures at large; ought, while they hear, to remember ihe follcrwing things. ...« less