The Importance of knowing what Spirit we are of.

LUKE ix. 55°

But he turned, and rebuked them, and faid, Ye know not what manner of Spirit ye are of.

'HE defign of Chriftianity is to rec

THE defign of

tify the inward temper of our fouls, and fo to produce a change in our converfations. All the doctrines of it are revealed with this practical view; as well as the precepts, the promifes, and the threatenings, which directly carry that afpect. Though we fhould have the cleareft notions of truth, and should seem to be moft fully perfuaded of the divine original and authority of the gospel; yet if our faith be a mere fpeculation in the head, without making us partakers of a divine nature, it will neither be honourable to God, nor advantageous to ourfelves. It is therefore a matter of the laft confequence to us all, to discover whether we are formed to the christian temper, or whether the difpofitions of our fouls be of a contrary character. I have chofen this admonition of Chrift to his difciples

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difciples, as a foundation for fhewing you the importance of this inquiry, what spirit we are of.

Our bleffed Lord delivers this reproof upon. a particular occafion. As he was going up to. the paffover at Jerufalem, he fent fome of his. difciples before him, who "went and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him", ver. 52. to provide fome refreshments for him and his followers. But thefe Samaritans "did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go up to Jerufalem," ver. 53. There was an inveterate hatred between the Jews and Samaritans, ever fince the Samaritans had fet up a temple of their own at Mount Gerizim, and had forfaken the temple and true worship of God at Jerufalem; infomuch that they would scarce have any dealings one with another, John iv. 9. For this reason they would have nothing to do with Chrift; they would not fhew him or his followers even common civility, when they found that they were going up to the temple at Jerufalem. Two of Chrift's disciples, James and John, highly resenting this usage, fay, "Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and confume them, as Elias did"? ver. 54. Here was an appearance of warm affection to their master, of a mighty zeal for the true religion, and a feeming regard to a great and good precedent, that of Elijah. He had, by the special appointment of God, forbid fome of king Ahaziah's fervants to make application to Baalzebub, an idol of the Philistines, on behalf

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of their mafter, when he fent them for that purpose. Ahaziah thereupon ordered out a number of foldiers to apprehend the prophet; but when they came, Elijah faid to the captain of the company. "If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and confume thee and thy fifty"; 2 Kings i. 10. and it did fo.

The difciples here ask Chrift, whether they fhould not call for like vengeance from heaven against the Samaritans. We have his anfwer in the text: "He turned, and rebuked them, and faid, Ye know not what manner of fpirit ye are of." This reproof might be defigned, either for their not confidering the difference between their cafe and that of Elijah, after whose pattern they pretended to copy; or for not attending to the different fpirit and genius of the difpenfation of the Meffiah from that of the Old Testament; or, laftly, for their ignorance of the true frame of their own spirits.

1. Their cafe was different from that of Elijah, though they pretended to write after his copy and this they fhould have confidered. His cafe was fpecial, and not to be drawn into a common precedent. Before Elijah called for fire from heaven on those who came to feize him, he had, in a public contest between him and the prophets of Baal, called for fire from heaven to confume his facrifice which was offered to the true God, and his God, with whom Baal was fet up for a competitor; and fire was fent down accordingly. But af ter God had wrought that miracle, in vindication of his own honour againft Baal, and of

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the character of Elijah as a true prophet, thefe people affaulted him for a meffage he delivered in the name of God, and would carry him by force to Samaria, where Jazabel was ready to put him to death. The prophet therefore, no doubt under the influence of the fame prophetic spirit as before, called for fire from heaven upon the meffengers who made this prefumptuous attempt. The whole tranfaction was extraordinary, for extraordinary ends, and under an extraordinary divine influence. The difciples, would now pretend to imitate this as a pattern, which was never defigned for fuch nor had they any warrant to expect that God would anfwer their call in this matter; and therefore it was prefumption in them to attempt the extraordinary things which Elijah did.

Things done by an extraordinary fpirit, are not to be drawn into precedents in ordinary cafes. How many ridiculous and even pernicious things have enthufiafts been led in-to on many occafions, on pretence of imitating the actions of extraordinary men; which would have been effectually prevented, if they had attended to this one rule, That we fhould not attempt to follow the actions of the greateft or beft of men recorded in Scripture, farther than it appears, either from plain directions of Scripture, or from the nature of the cafe, that they can and fhould be imitated.

2. The fpirit and genius of the difpenfation of the Meffiah was very different from that of the Old Teftament; and the difciples were to be blamed, that they confidered not the better