ated, would be very incomprehensible to us, did we not feel, and had we never felt, any thing of the same in our own breasts. We should be perfectly amazed to see how men act, not being able to conceive what inward feelings or principles should excite them to behave in such a manner. The things of a man; the enjoyments which fallen creatures so fondly doat on, and so eagerly pursue, to one who never had any thing of their spirit, would be inconceivable; how there could be any thing gratifying or agreeable in them, to any mortal, it would be impossible for him to discern."So the things of God knoweth no man, but the spirit of God." The enjoyments of religion and of heaven can no more be perceived to have any thing amiable in them, by one who is entirely destitute of a divine and heavenly temper. "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God" That is, the holy delights and entertainments provided for saints in a future world. "Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual." In describing these future glories and felicities we do not make use of such language as a carnal taste would suggest, or as would be thought the true sublime by the wisdom of this world; but we speak of them in a manner to which we are led by the spirit of holiness. To give us the most elevated ideas of the joys to be expected in heaven, we compare them, not with the idolized possessions and delights of time and sense, but with those spiritual enjoyments, those holy delights, experienced, in some low degree in this lower world. “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; neither

can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." The unrenewed sinner having nothing spiritual in him to compare spiritual things with, being a stranger to spiritual joys, or the feelings and pleasures of a truly virtuous mind, they will necessarily seem empty, out-of-the-way things to him, nor can he perceive their true excellence and worth, because their being perceived thus, depends entirely upon the spirit and temper a man is of.

It appears from these passages, that it is neither the having new truths suggested, that are not contained in the scriptures; nor the having the understanding convinced of the truths contained in them; nor the having new faculties of mind given, or the old ones enlarged, or mended, or any-how made better, that enables a man to see God, or Christ, or heavenly things, as saints see them. But that a foundation is, and can be laid for this, only by a man's becoming a saint, or having a new spirit given him; the spirit which is of God.

one.

In a word, whatever is said by some about rectifying the natural faculties, it is very generally agreed, that regeneration is not a physical change, but a moràl That it consists not in making men great, but in making them good. That the new creation is nothing else but the moral image of God, consisting in righteousness and true holiness. But if these things are so, then certainly all the inability that is removed, and consequently all that wants to be removed, by the renewing of the Holy Ghost, is entirely of a moral nature. An inability which altogether consists in the want of an honest and good heart.

6th Arg This way of conceiving of the impotence of fallen man, does not frustrate, but tends most of all to advance and magnify the GRACE of GOD.

And that for his not

Undoubtedly that view of the inability of man, which is most easily and fairly reconcilable with the justice of God, ought to be embraced, provided it does not derogate from the freeness and richness of divine grace in the sinner's salvation. Now I presume there are few, but what are sensible of some difficulty in reconciling God's requiring natural impossibilities, with any notions we have of justice. As if he should require a man to fly, or lift a million weight, or make a world. And should suspend his salvation on the condition of his doing such things as these, which are evidently beyond the capacity of any man, let his disposition be as it will. And should say he had no cloke for his sin, in not doing things of this nature. complying with such a merciful proposal of salvation, it should be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah, in the day of judgment, than for him. I say, I believe there are few, but must be sensible of some difficulty in seeing into the reasonableness and justice of this. But then perhaps they may think there is no way to leave room for such a display of divine grace, as we are taught there is in the salvation of men, without supposing something like this to be in fact the case. They may think there can be no necessity of the grace of the Holy Ghost, on supposition sinners can comply with the gospel, whenever they are disposed to do it. But any apprehension of this kind must arise from a very favourable opinion of the goodness of the sinner's disposition. As if he was so willing to use his talents, and improve the price put into his hands aright, that God has no way sufficiently to display his grace towards him, but by requiring things of him, which the holiest creature in the universe, under his circumstances, could not perform. If men are ill-disposed, they so far stand in need of grace to enable them to do that

which, without any such divine help, they would find no difficulty in, if they are well disposed. And is it not easy to see, that it will require as much power, and more grace, to change a sinner's heart, than to alter a man's head, or enlarge any of his natural faculties?

The sot who has lived in a course of intemperance from twenty to threescore years, is still under no inability to reform, but only what arises from his own appetite and inclination. He might still refuse the glass, and become a sober man, without the advice or help of any one, if his own will was not wanting. But yet no one would think it a less unpromising undertaking to go about to reclaim such a person, than to cure one of a bodily infirmity in which the patient's will had no hand, and which he could not get rid of himself, let him be ever so heartily and steadily, and strongly desirous of it. Suppose such an one, that had had all motives, fetched from this world and the world to come, repeatedly urged upon him, in the tenderest and most forcible manner by all his friends, but without the least effect. Should one at last find means to persuade him into a thorough and lasting reformation, would he not be thought to do as great a thing, as he that should cure one of a natural infirmity that had long baffled the skill of all the physicians?

Moral sickness may be as hard to cure, and require as powerful means, and as able a physician, as natural sickness. And if a man is dead in the moral sense, that is, has lost all principles of true virtue entirely, he is as absolutely beyond the reach of all means, as to their bringing him to life again, as one that is dead in the natural sense. Moral means can only work upon such moral principles as they find to work upon. They cannot produce a new nature, new principles of action, E

any more than natural means can make new life for themselves to work upon in a dead carcase. Cultiva tion and manuring may make a bad tree grow, and bear fruit, after its kind. But can never make a thorn bear figs, or a bramble-bush, grapes. Let what means will be used, so long as the tree is evil, the fruit will be so likewise. If mankind have lost the moral image of God entirely, it is easy to see that nothing short of a new creation can restore it to them. If they are dead in trespasses and sins, the quickening them must be an instance of the working of God's mighty power, in a supernatural manner, like that of raising Christ from the dead. And without a work of this kind, whatever means are used with them, they will never have the least spiritual life, or real holiness.*

Obj. Regeneration is frequently represented in scripture, as being effected by means. Men are said to be born again by the word of God, 1 Pet. i. 23. To be begotten by the word of truth, James i. 18. And Paul says to the Corinthians, "In Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel." But how is this to be reconciled with making the quickening of sinners properly a supernatural work?

Ans. Almost all the supernatural works recorded in the scriptures, are represented as wrought by means, as much as regeneration is. The red sea was divided by Moses's rod, and the river Jordan by Elijah's mantle. It was by smiting the flinty rock in the wilderness, that the waters were made to flow out of it like a river. Moses brought forth this wa ter, as much as Paul regenerated the Corinthians. It was by throwing a stick into the river, that the young prophet's ax was made to swim; and by washing seven times in Jordan, that Naaman was healed of his leprosy. It was by prophesying over a valley of dry bones, as represented in the vision of Ezekiel, and calling to the four winds to breathe upon them, that they were converted into a living army. It was with clay made of dirt and spittle, that our Saviour opened