Your Lordship adds, “But what was the ground of this preference that was given to Christians? It was plainly the (miraculous) _gifts of the Spirit_, which they had, and which the _Jews_ had not.” _This preference given to Christians_, was just before exprest by their _becoming the sons of |God| instead of the |Jews|_. Were the gifts of the Spirit then _the ground of this preference_? The ground of their becoming the sons of God? What an assertion is this! And how little is it mended, though I allow, that “these miraculous gifts of the Spirit, were a testimony that God acknowledged the _Christians_ to be his people and not the _Jews_: (since the _Christians_ who worked miracles, did it not _by the works of the law_, but by _the hearing of faith_?”) Your Lordship concludes, “From these passages of St. _Paul_, compared together, it clearly follows, that the fore-mentioned _testimony of the Spirit_, was the _public testimony_ of miraculous gifts――and, consequently, _the witness of the Spirit that we are the children of |God|_, cannot possibly be applied, to the _private testimony_ of the Spirit given to our own consciences, as is pretended by modern _enthusiasts_.” Page 20. If your conclusion, my Lord, will stand without the premisses it may: but that it has no manner of connection with them, I trust does partly, and will more fully appear, when we view the whole passage to which you refer. And I believe that passage, with very little comment, will prove, in direct opposition to that conclusion, that the testimony of the Spirit there mentioned, is not the _public testimony_ of miraculous gifts, but must be applied to the _private testimony_ of the Spirit, given to our own consciences. 10. St. _Paul_ begins the 8th chapter of his Epistle to the _Romans_, with the great privilege of every Christian believer, (whether _Jew_ or _Gentile_ before) _There is now no condemnation for them that are in |Christ Jesus|_, engrafted into him by faith, _who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For_ now every one of them may truly say, _The law_ (or power) _of the Spirit of life in |Christ Jesus|_ (given unto me for his sake) _hath made me free from the law_ (or power) _of sin and death. For that which the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, |God| sending his own Son, in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin_, did; when he _condemned_, (crucified, put to death, destroyed) _sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh, mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit._ Verse 1‒5. Is it not evident, that the apostle is here describing a true Christian, a holy believer? In opposition, not particularly to a _Jew_, much less to the _Jewish law_, but to every unholy man, to all, whether _Jews_ or _Gentiles, who walk after the flesh_? He goes on