"heart," in which "the word of the kingdom," the good seed, takes root, and brings forth fruit, is uniformly the effect of 'some honesty and goodness of heart in 'the human race?' And if this be not always the case, what reason is there to suppose it ever is? "A new heart will "I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you, "and I will take away the stoney heart out of your flesh, "and will give you a heart of flesh; and I will put my "own Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my "statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do "them."* "Do not err, my beloved brethren; every "good gift, and every perfect gift is from above, and "cometh down from the Father of lights." "I have "planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase." They be called according to God's pur'pose by his Spirit working in due season; they through grace obey the calling." O God, from whom all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed.' We have our Saviour's authority for "saying,' that "out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, covetous"ness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness."|| And also, that "No man can come unto him, except it be given to "him of the Father."** But where he says, that 'there 'is some honesty, some goodness of heart in the human 'race;' except as implanted by the grace of God, does not appear.

tt To what purpose would this advice be given, if men had not the pow. 'er of resisting the wiles of the devil, of supporting the trials of persecution, and of withstanding the temptations of the riches and pleasures of this 'world, the three causes to which our Saviour ascribes the failure of re'ligious instruction?'

neither have by nature, nor can have by grace, power to comply with the advice given; it would certainly be given in vain. But will his Lordship maintain, that men have, without the grace of God, power to do all

those things, which are here mentioned? Because by 'the weakness of our mortal nature, we can do no good 'thing without thee, Grant us the help of thy grace, that ' in keeping thy commandments we may please thee, both ' in will and deed.'* The reader may profitably examine the texts referred to below; though it would carry us too far to quote, and particularly consider them.fIt is undoubtedly our duty to comply with every command, exhortation and counsel of scripture: but whether we have by nature, any moral ability, or disposition to do this, is precisely the question to be decided.

P. xvi. 1. 6. If they do not by their prayers and

'exertions endeavour to obtain his favour and assist'ance.' The duty and necessity of prayer, as well as exertion, are undeniable; but the Lord teaches us to give the honour to him, even for a heart and disposition to pray. "I will pour out upon the house of David, "and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and supplication." "Lord thou hast heard "the desire of the humble; thou wilt prepare their

heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear." Nor does our church fail to keep this in our remembrance. 'Grant 'that we to whom thou hast given an hearty desire to 'pray.'¶ 'As by thy special grace.preventing us, thou 'dost put into our hearts good desires.'|| P. xvi. 1. 9. 'Our Saviour, &c.'**

• Col. 1 after Trin.

Phil. iv. 13.
Zech. xii. 10.

East. Sun.

The persons

† 2 Cor. xii. 9, 10. Eph. iii. 16, 17. vi. 10-12 Col. i. 11. 2 Tim. i. 14. 1 Pet. v. 9, 10. 1 John v. 4, 5. ¶ Col. 3 Sun, after Trin. | Col.

§ Ps. x. 17.

*** Our Saviour represents the "man travelling into a far country, who "called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods," as saying,

spoken of in this parable, were all professed servants of Christ: some shewed the sincerity of their professed faith and love, by improving their talents; but the unprofitable servant shewed his insincerity by his sloth, and hard thoughts of his Lord."Nothing availeth,— "but faith which worketh by love:"-but "the fruit "of the Spirit is love."* That, therefore, which distinguished the good servants from the unprofitable servant, was "the fruit of the Spirit;" not of nature, but of grace.

P. xvii. 1. 16. Let it, &c.'t God's drawing,' so far from excluding our consent,' indeed induces and secures our consent. "Thy people shall be willing "in the day of thy power."‡

Note x. The following, &c.'- To this quotation from Bp. Hooper, the blessed Reformer and Martyr, no sober-minded Calvinist will hesitate to give his full and cordial consent,

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' upon his return, to each of those servants, who by trading had gained other ' talents besides those which were entrusted to them, “ Well done thou good "and faithful servant, thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make "thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord:" 'Does 'not this part of the parable shew the power of exertion, and the certainty of ' reward? Aud does not the casting of the unprofitable servant, who had 'hidden his talent in the earth, into outer darkness, where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, prove, that those who are slothful and inactive, who 'do not by their own diligence improve the gifts which they receive in this life, will be severely punished in the world to come?'

2 Gal. v. 6. 22, 23.

† 'Let it however be remembered, in the words of Dr. Doddridge's notę upon this verse, that "the truth is, God's drawing does not exclude our "consent to follow, and our activity in doing it; but it always includes a divine agency.”

Ps. cx. 3.

The following is the comment of Bishop Hooper, one of our Reformers and Martyrs, upon this text;'"No man cometh unto me, except my Father "draw him." "Many understand these words in a wrong sense, as if God "required no more in a reasonable man, than in a dead post, and mark not "the words which follow: Every man that heareth and learneth of my Fa'ther, cometh unto me.' "God draweth with his word and the Holy Ghost,

P. xviii. 1. 5. There is not, &c.'* The meaning annexed to the word supernatural is the only point to be settled in this passage. If it mean miraculous, in the common acceptation of the word; the assertion may be admitted: if it signify compulsory, so as to exclude free agency and voluntary concurrence, it is certainly true. But supernatural properly means what is above nature, and to which nature, left to its unassisted powers, could not attain; and, in this sense of the word, we boldly maintain, that no man, in any age or nation, ever believed the gospel with a living and saving faith, working by love, without a supernatural power exerted on his mind. Is there nothing above or beyond man's fallen nature, in the drawing and teaching of God before mentioned? Is there nothing of this implied, when it is said, "the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great num"ber believed, and was turned to the Lord?”+ Or when it is said of Lydia, "Whose heart the Lord open"ed, that she attended unto the things which were

spoken of Paul?" Or in the words of the apostle, "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the "increase?" Or in those of St. James, "Of his own "will begat he us by the word of truth, &c."

Indeed, every time the apostle thanked God for the success of the gospel in the conversion of his hearers, he evidently ascribed that event to a supernatural power giving efficacy to the word of truth: unless he used this language in the same formal and unmeaning manner, as the Pharisee at the temple said, "God I thank thee that

"but man's duty is to hear and learn; that is to say, to receive the grace of "fered, consent to the promise, and not to impugn the God that calleth."

There is not a single passage in the New Testament, which leads us to suppose that any supernatural power was exerted over the minds of or'dinary hearers; and therefore we are authorized to attribute their faith to the voluntary exercise of their reason."

† Acts xi. 21.

* Acts avi. 14.

§ 1 Cor. iii, 6.

"I am not as other men are, &c." But let the reader compare with this, the passages referred to.t

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When St. Paul says, We "were by nature children "of wrath even as others; but God, who is rich in mer"cy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even су, "when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together "with Christ, and hath raised us up together;" does this imply nothing supernatural? He had before said, "What is the exceeding greatness of his power to us"ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ when he "raised him from the dead:" and he, in the passage above quoted, returns to the illustration of the divine power, exerted in his conversion, and in that of the Ephesians. But probably his Lordship only meant, compulsory, by supernatural; and faith is certainly a voluntary exercise of our rational faculties: yet a power far beyond nature must be employed, to render proud, worldly, ungodly men, willing to use their faculties in this manner.

P. xviii. l. 18. Why should they not be compe'tent, by the use of their natural faculties, to understand, ' that Jesus was the promised Messiah?' Because their minds were blinded by prejudices and corrupt passions, "How can ye believe, who receive honour one of "another, and seek not the honour that cometh from "God only?" Indeed, if merely understanding that Jesus was the promised Messiah, were the living and saving faith which the gospel requires; numbers in the days of our Lord, and in every subsequent age have thus believed without special grace. But his Lordship elsewhere repeatedly allows the distinction, between

Luke xviii. 11. † Eph. i. 15, 16. 1 Thes. i. 2-5. iii. 9. 2 Thes. i. 3. Eph. ii. 3-6. § Eph. i. 19, 20. ¶ John v. 44. John . 22-25. vi. 14, 15. 65, 66. xii. 41, 42.