the wrath to come, to seek the Lord while he may be found, and to turn from the error of their way, are yet by Divine authority precluded from the very measures, which alone will, in the usual course of things, produce the effect enjoined.

That Christians are bound to employ the Means of Grace for the salvation of sinners, will not, I suppose, be doubted. That sinners must employ them, also, in various respects, is evinced by this very position; as well as by the observations, made in the preceding discourses.

If the Gospel is to be preached to sinners; they must hear. If Christian parents are to train up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; they must listen to their instructions. If sinners are to become acquainted with the Word of God; or even to know whether that which is preached to them is the word of God, or not; they must read the Scriptures. If sinners are to be informed of the reality, power, and excellency, of religion, they' must converse with religious men. If they are to understand, and feel, their guilt; they must commune with their own hearts. If they are ever to know the real nature of their character, and efforts; they must pray. From their own use of the Means of Grace, almost all their deep impressions of their guilt, danger, dependence on Christ, and absolute need of the regenerating influence of the Spirit of God, must be derived. In a word, if they are to obtain salvation, as most, or all, other Christians have obtained it; indeed, if they are to obtain it at all, in the ordinary course of providence; they must obtain it in the use of the Means of Grace. This is the way, which God has ever blessed, and will undoubtedly bless hereafter. Nor are we warranted to hope for his blessing in any other manner.

To the proofs of this point, alleged in this, and the preceding discourses, I shall add but one, at the present time. God, in the Dispensation which he revealed to Moses, required all the Israelites to use, continually, ail the Means of Grace, furnished to them in the then existing Scriptural Canon. The parent, however sinful he might be, who did not circumcise his man-child upon the eighth day, was by the express law of God punished with the excision of that child. Every male was expressly required to present himself three times a year before the Lord: that is, at the tabernacle, or in the temple. All were required to keep the appointed feasts; particularly to celebrate the passover. They were) required, without distinction, to offer the various appointed sacrifices; to educate their children religiously; and to seek the Law at the mouth of the priests, its ordinary ministers. It is remarkable, that for the omission of these duties they were, in several instances, to be punished with excision: particularly such as did not afflict themselves on the great day of Atonement: Lev. xxiii. 29: such, as, being ceremonially clean, forbore to keep the Passover: such, as killed an ox, lamb, or goat, and did not bring it to the

door of the tabernacle, to offer an offering unto the Lord. Lev. xvii. 4. Thus the Israelites, and, in some of the cases, the strangers who resided with them, were not only required, but required under this terrible sanction, punctiliously to use the Means of Grace, both ordinary and extraordinary.

It is further to be observed, that the Israelites are no where, either in the Old or New Testament, censured for the fact, that they altended on these various Means of Grace. They are often censured for their impenitence, and unbelief, indeed; and the more severely for being impenitent and unbelieving in the midst of these solemn services, because the abuse of such privileges obviously enhanced their guilt. But not a hint is given us, either by Christ, the Prophets, or the Apostles, that they were censurable, merely for being present, when these means were employed by others, or for being active in employing them, themselves, for their own good. The Gospel, therefore, regards this subject exactly as it was regarded by the Law; and has introduced no change, in this respect, into the Divine dispensations.

2. It follows from the same discourses, that Ministers ought to advise, and exhort, sinners to use the Means of Grace.

If God has appointed these means, and is daily blessing them; if he has usually, and not improbably always, wherever the Gospel has been published, conveyed his spiritual blessings to men in this way; then it cannot be reasonably doubted, that Ministers ought to advise sinners to labour, in this way, to gain eternal life. As to sinners in general, this is the only way, in which eternal life will be gained. Refusing them this advice, therefore, is no other, than refusing them any advice concerning their salvation.

To this scheme it is however objected,

1. That regeneration, being immediately, and solely, the work of the Spirit of God, is not at all accomplished by means; and that, therefore, sinners, however strenuously they may use the Means of Grace, do, in, truth, nothing towards this change of character.

That the act of regenerating man is an act of the Divine Spirit alone, I readily admit, and fully believe; but I deny the consequence, drawn from this doctrine. If I am not deceived, I have, in both the preceding discourses, particularly in the first, proved it to be an error. The Text itself, if I mistake not, is à decisive proof, that it is an error. The Text asserts, to say the least, that St. Paul, by his preaching, contributed to the regeneration of the Corinthian Christians. In a humbler sense_he begat these Christians, as truly, as God did, in a higher sense. But if Paul contributed to the regeneration of these men by his preaching; the men themselves as certainly contributed to their own regeneration by being present at his discourses, by hearing them, by understanding them, and by feeling with strong impressions the truths which he uttered. Had not all this been done by them;

St. Paul might, with exactly the same success, have preached to the dead.

In the doctrine, for which I contend, there is, I apprehend, nothing embarrassing, and nothing which is even peculiar. God, as was observed in the first of these discourses, is equally the sole Agent in the production of a crop. But it would be a palpable absurdity, to conclude from this fact, that the crop would come into existence without the labours of the farmer. Were he not to plough, and sow, the ground; a child knows, that not a stalk of wheat would be produced. St. Paul contributed as really to the spiritual harvest, as the farmer to the natural one; and in the same sense for, without his labours, that harvest would not have existed. Neither Paul, nor the husbandman, is at all concerned in the creative act of God, employed in each of these cases. But both of them do that, without which this creative act would not exist. Accordingly, where the Gospel is not preached, regeneration does not take place; as crops have no existence, where the earth is not cultivated.

2. It is objected, that the use of the Means of Grace, on the part of sinners, is itself sinful; and that Ministers therefore, cannot conscientiously advise sinners to use the means; since this would be no other, than advising them to commit sin.

As this, in all probability, is the Objection, on which the greatest stress is laid, and that which has contributed most to perplex those to whom, and, not improbably, those also, by whom, it is urged; I shall consider myself as justified in examining it at some length. It is presented in various lights. I will endeavour to follow the course, pursued by the objectors themselves.

It is triumphantly alleged, that the Scriptures have decided the point in debate; and established the objection, immoveably, by such declarations as the following. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord. Prov. xv. 3. The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind.* Prov. xxi. 27. He that turneth away his ear from hearing the Law, even his prayer shall be an abomination. Prov. xxviii. 9. If, then, the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination, if the prayer of the wicked is an abomination; it cannot be lawful for the wicked to pray, nor for a Minister to advise him to pray.

I have, I believe, alleged the objection in its full force, and in the very terms, in which it is usually alleged. This, at least, has been my design.

It is not pretended, that sinners are in the Scriptures expressly forbidden to pray; nor that Ministers are expressly forbidden to dvise them to pray. The objection is inferred from other delarations of the Scriptures. Like other inferences, it is, how

Especially when he offereth it to serve some base end. Hodgson.

ever, to be suspected, until it shall be shown to be certainly, and necessarily, derived from such declarations. The authority of a certain conclusion, fairly derived from the Scriptures, I admit. But in order to this admission, I must be satisfied, that it is certain, and fairly derived from the Scriptures. Let us now examine this inference.

1. The Objection is founded on this general doctrine; that, whenever an individual will commit sin in any conduct, he cannot lawfully adopt, nor be lawfully advised to adopt, that conduct.

But from this doctrine it will follow, that sinners cannot lawfully do any thing, while in a state of sin, nor be lawfully advised to do any thing. There is as much certainty, that a sinner will sin in all other conduct, which he adopts while he is a sinner, as in praying. The ploughing of the wicked is expressly declared to be sin. Prov. xxi. 4. The way of the wicked, that is, his universal course of life, is declared to be an abomination to the Lord. Prov. xv. 9. The thoughts of the wicked are declared to be an abomination to the Lord. Prov. xv. 26. Of course, the wicked cannot lawfully plough, think, nor live in the ordinary course of life, that is, converse, labour, buy, sell, and provide for their families; nor be lawfully advised to do these, or any of thesc, things.

It will be remembered that all these declarations, and all those quoted in a preceding paragraph, were written by an Israelite under the Mosaic dispensation; and written for men, living, also, under the same dispensation. Yet, in that very dispensation, God required Moses to command all sinners, of that nation, to labour; to cultivate their own ground; to circumcise their children; to celebrate the passover; to offer sacrifices; to be present at the public worship of God; to hear and learn his word from the mouth of their priests; and to teach all these things to their children. It will not, I presume, be questioned, that Moses in enjoining these things upon the sinful Israclites, as well as upon the virtuous ones, acted lawfully; or, in other words, was guilty of no sin. But what was lawful for Moses, in this case, is in itself lawful. Accordingly, it was lawfully done by all the Ministers, who followed him in the Jewish Church. It cannot therefore fail to be lawful to Christian Ministers, unless it has been plainly forbidden.

It will here be said that Moses, in requiring this conduct of the sinful Israelites, neither commanded nor authorized them to continue sinners in performing it. This is unquestionably true. So far from allowing them to continue in sin, he required them to perform these various duties from supreme love to God. Equally true is this of the Christian Minister, in directing sinners to use the Means of grace, or to perform any of the other duties of life. Instead of directing or allowing them to remain impenitent, he directs them to perform every duty with a virtuous disposition.

From this doctrine it will also follow, that it is unlawful to advise Christians themselves to use the Means of grace, or indeed to

adopt any course of conduct whatever. Both the Scriptures and observation teach us, that Christians continually sin; that they sin in their repentance, in their faith, in reading the Bible, in prayer, in the observance of the Sabbath, in their attendance on public worship, in the education of their children, and in the ordinary business of life. Whatever conduct they adopt, we know that they will sin in performing it. On this principle, therefore, they cannot lawfully adopt, nor be lawfully advised to adopt, that conduct. Of course, as our Lord, when he directed the Apostles to go and preach the Gospel to every creature, knew that they would commit sin in obeying it; the direction itself, according to the scheme which I oppose, was unlawful.

It will here probably be asked, What then shall be done? Shall we advise men to commit sin? To this question I answer, that, according to the spirit of the objection, you must either advise them to nothing, not even to repent and believe; or you must advise them to commit sin: for according to the objection, advising them to any thing, even to repent and believe, is advising them to com mit sin.

But I apprehend that this account of the subject is as unfounded, as the scheme enforced by it is impracticable. God, as it appears to me, deals with mankind, and, if he deals with them at all according to the System of Providence which he has established, must deal with them, as rational beings. As they are all originally sinners; every thing addressed to them, either by God or man, must be addressed to sinners. He has commanded and exhorted, sinners in his own person; and has required men also to teach, and exhort, them in his name. In these commands and exhortations, two things are included: the Act to be done, and the Disposition with which it is to be done. The command or counsel sometimes includes both expressly; and sometimes but one. Such commands and counsels, as direct to the performance of the act, direct to that act, which, in the case stated, is proper to be done; and imply the disposition with which it should be done. Such, as direct the disposition, require that, and that only, which is virtuous. Those, which require the act, regulate both the heart, and the external conduct. Those, which require the disposition, regulate merely the affections of the heart.

Commands of both these kinds, God has evidently given to men as rational beings merely; and often without discriminating at all their moral character. They are given to all men. The duties which these commands enjoin are numberless. They occur every day, and are as obligatory on the sinner as on the Christian. They bind with their whole force every man by whom they are known. Among these, are prayer, attending public worship, reading the Scriptures, and industry in our lawful business. God requires every man to perform these various duties of life as they occur. He does not leave him at liberty to defer the performance, until he VOL. IV.

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