for is, that such agency as triumphs over second causes, is not ordinary, or essential to a saving change.

First. My first reason for thinking Regeneration is not produced by miraculous interposition, is, that the Holy Scriptures affirm no such thing; but on the contrary represent God and our Lord, also good and bad angels under affections which are repugnant to the hypothesis.

Although the word miracle is many times used in scripture, yet it is not once applied by translators to the change denominated regeneration, or to the commencement of personal religion. Again, working of miracles is ascribed to some Christian believers as a gift, and a gift inferior to prophecy, probably because that kind of 'divine concurrence peculiarly accompanied the faith of these members of the church: now if regeneration essentially requires a miracle, the gift of miracles in that respect would claim the first place, and might as rationally be ascribed to them, and to every minister by whom men believe: but as scripture is quite silent in respect of such ascription, I must be permitted to infer, that miracles are not ordinarily employed on the minds of human persons under the gospel dispensation. Suffer me to reason by analogy, that as we remark actual changes in mankind, by reading better books, hearing better talk, and keeping better company, are made for the better; and also observing that changes, by reading pernicious writings and associating with worse persons, are made for the worse; so it is likely regeneration may be effected without a miracle.

Again. If ordinary regeneration is miraculous, it seems, on scripture evidence, a fact unknown to angels, to angels who excel in strength; to angels both good and bad; yes also unknown to the spirits of just men made perfect, and the spirits of wicked men made miserable. You require proof, I give

it thus. The infallible teacher assures us there is joy in heaven over a sinner who repenteth and more joy over one sinner who repenteth, than over ninety and nine just persons who need no repentance. (Luke xv. 7-17.) Now, neither angels nor spirits of saints, would have a ground for such occasional joy; if every case of regeneration was equally likely and unlikely, expected and unexpected, which would be the case if it depended on a sovereign immediate act of Deity. Instead of peculiar joy, invariable satisfaction and silent resignation would be their duty, and might be rationally expected from them. On the other hand,

The known devices of Satan and his inferiors by suggestion, to seduce, entangle and fix men in their sins, so as to prevent repentance and personal religion, plainly evince that these fallen spirits consult the properties and circumstances of things, and are ignorant of the modern discovery, that regeneration is suspended on a miracle wrought by the finger of God, as easily done on a sinner a thousand degrees, as on a sinner one degree, blinded by himself or hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 2 Cor. iv. 4. Does not Satan suit his temptations to the properties and circumstances of minds? Has he not a set of temptations for childhood,-a set for riper years,and a set for old age ? Does he not adapt himself to the different natural constitutions of body and mind, to the varying frame of the same person, and to the different aspect of persons in relation to the revealed truths they read or hear? But, does it consist with the acknowledged subtilty of Satan, to think he would endeavour to prevent the regeneration of the unregenerate, when admitting it miraculous, he might with equal success attempt to pluck God from his throne?-As to human sinners under penal sufferings, we may decidedly gather from the discourse of the rich man in torment. (Luke xvi. 30,) that he was not led into this hypothesis, for he

conceived that superior instruments and mediums by their properties, could effect what inferior instruments and mediums by their properties had not effected. "If one went unto them from the dead, they will repent." If you would evade the force of my argument, you must conceive our Lord to paint an untrue picture. But why should either of us surmise it, when he himself grieved for the hardness of the hearts of his auditors,-wept over Jerusalem, and rejoiced that illiterate babes believed on him, as taught of God.

Pedaiah. You represent your devil as a shrewd politician. Perhaps neither fallen, nor holy angels have received so extensive information on this subject as you conceive. We read, the angels desire to look into the Divine dispensations respecting mankind, which implies their ignorance.I do not however solicit a reply.

2nd. Othniel. I will take a second argument against miraculous regeneration, from the scriptural repre sentation of it as a gradual change, whereas if it were wrought by an immediate act of God it would be instantaneous.

"In the conversion of a sinner, the Spirit's work is usually gradual and begun and carried on by providences, sermons, occasional thoughts and moral arguments, from time to time, till at last the man is become a new creature, and resolves heartily to give himself up to Christ, according to the encouragements of the Gospel."

Pedaiah. I am of opinion, that regeneration is a change instantaneously wrought by the Spirit of God in the soul, so that I must expect proof of your position.

Othniel. That regeneration, or the commencement of Christian personal religion is not ordinarily an instantaneous work, but a gradual change seems fully evident from Matt. xi. 21. "If the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes;" that is, with much less

time of cultivation than you have had without the beneficial effect. Recorded also Luke x. 13.-Regeneration is also scripturally represented as coming to Christ, as following Christ in the regeneration,and by the similitude to vegetative generation, and by its similitude to animal procreation; all of which, I need not say, require time. The notion of regeneration effected in the twinkling of an eye, may be traced to philosophers on Christianity, but not, I think, to any penman of the sacred Scriptures. Again, the order of the process of regeneration confirms me, that it is a gradual change. I conceive regeneration in its highest object, is a renewal of our governing resolution. Now, advance of understanding is essential to advance of emotion, and advance of emotion is essential to advance of preference, and advance of preference is essentially requisite to Christian fixed resolution. Knowledge of the gospel,-love of Christ consistent with that knowledge, consequent preference and actual choices of spiritual things, and corresponding purposes, are, briefly speaking, the essentials of Christian renovation, which, according to my observation and experience, take order of time.

Pedaiah. Consistently with my notion that regeneration is an instantaneous change, I am of opinion that neither repentance, faith nor love, nor indeed any Christian governing resolution can be virtuously desired, prayed for, or endeavoured after, without their previous actual existence in the mind. It is absurd to suppose that a man should directly, properly and sincerely incline to have an inclination, which at the same time is contrary to his present inclination, for that is to suppose him not to be inclined to that which he is inclined to. Recollect also, my dear Othniel, there are no promises in scripture to graceless prayers or to graceless endeavours.

Othniel. These eccentric notions for harmonising an instantaneous immediate work with actual Christian experience, being retained by some of my friends, I have sought for evidence, that desire, prayer, and

endeavour for the essential graces of a Christian must, if virtuous or valuable, involve their actual possession, but I have found none. Be it considered that the same, strictly speaking, the same inclination is not intended in both parts of my proposition, when I affirm, that a person may incline, desire, pray, and endeavour against a prevailing inclination. The first is a present act or thought which takes the name of inclination; but that inclination the removal of which is desired, is an existing ill habit of inclination, and the existence desired, is a better habit of inclination. Now, as all good habits have sometimes a failure in influence so bad habits have their intervals, and these intervals admit of diverse desires, prayers and endeavours

But secondly, The inclination to which there is desire and inclination, may be a future act of inclination, whether a wish, purpose or volition, and consequently in no way inconsistent with the present inclination, although of a diverse kind. Thus, some young persons resolve to be religious in old age.

I am reminded that there are no promises to graceless prayers and endeavours. I readily admit that there are no promises to graceless prayers and endeavours; and on the other hand, am aware there are no promises or other encouragement to a sinner, who does not pray and endeavour respecting religion; nor warrant to wait for, and expect a commencement of personal religion in neglect of prayer and endeavour. I cannot account desires, wishes or endeavours for the Christian graces, or prayers for the Holy Spirit in a sense in which he is not in present possession, on any innocent motive, graceless desires, wishes, prayers and endeavours: for they are valuable existences, and all valuable existences in the human mind are of the free favour and mercy of the Lord. These desires, wishes, prayers and endeavours are chiefly valuable as being the expedients, or mediums with which the divine bestowment is ordinarily connected, on which essentially depends