Analysis.

Part I. — The fact of communion with God is asserted, chap. i. Passages in Scripture are quoted to show that special mention is made of communion with all the persons of the Trinity ii. Communion with the Father is described, iii.; and practical inferences deduced from it, iv.

Part II. — The reality of communion with Christ is proved chap. i.; and the nature of it is subsequently considered, ii. It is shown to consist in grace; and then the grace of Christ is exhibited under three divisions:— his personal grace, iii.–vi.; and under this branch are two long digressions, designed to unfold the glory and loveliness of Christ; — purchased grace, vii.–x.; in which the mediatorial work of Christ is fully considered, in reference to our acceptance with God, vii., viii.; sanctification, ix.; and the privileges of the covenant, x.; — and grace as communicated by the Spirit, and conspicuous in the fruits of personal holiness. This last division is illustrated under sanctification, as contained under the head of purchased grace.

Part III. — Communion with the Holy Ghost is expounded in the eight following chapters; — the foundation of it, chap. i.; his gracious and effectual influence in believers, ii.; the elements in which it consists, iii.; the effects in the hearts of believers, iv.; and general inferences and particular directions for communion with the Spirit, v.–viii.

The arrangement of the treatise may seem involved and complicated, and the endless divisions and subdivisions may distract rather than assist the attention of the reader. The warm glow of sanctified emotion, however, and occasionally thoughts of singular power and originality, which are found throughout the treatise, sustain the interest, and more than reward perusal. Few passages in any theological writer are more thrilling than the reference to the spotless humanity of Christ, in terms full of sanctified genius, on page 64.

An account of the strange controversy to which this treatise gave rise, many years after its publication, will be found on page 276. — Ed.