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Theology explained and defended ... (v. 4)
Theology explained and defended - v. 4 Author: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: SERMON CXXXVIII. THE ORDINARY MEANS OF GRACE. HEARING THE WORD OF COD. I.ukk viii. 18.—Take heed, therefore, hum ye hter. IN the last discourse, but one... more », I distributed the 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 particularly displayed. It will be remembered, that they are all, here, to be considered a 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 are 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 Gospel becomes to sinners the power of God unto salvation. I 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 profited, in a degree which no man can estimate. The persons, who in this sense would take heed how they hear the Gospel; by which I intend the Scriptures at large; ought, while they hear, to remember the followi...« less