fufficient to account for all that is faid in the fcripture concerning their inability,and to make the grace of the Holy Ghoft as neceffary,as that makes it. If they have “an evil "heart their prince is hereby greatly increafed. One of them, however, is exceed ingly dejected in fpirit, at the thoughts of his approaching execution. For fome time he remains in prifon with the reft, in fearful expectation that every day may be his last. But in the midst of his greatest anxiety, a meffen. ger at laft arrives with a gracious pardon. He is delivered from prison and from death. Yea, his offended fovereign has fet his heart fo peculiarly upon him, that inftead of having him executed with his fellow criminals, he is determined to make him a particular favourite at court, and raise him to horor and wealth, far exceeding his former condition before he became a rebel and a traitor. How great is the furprife! how infupportabit the joy, upon hearing all this! the wretch's enmity and hatred is quite ox vercome. Especially if he now understands that the king had always a particular kindness for him, and never defign'd any penal laws fhould be executed upon him, let him do what he would. He is fill'd with the most admiring fentiments of his injured gracious fovereign, and loves him above all men in the world. But hardly dares to look up to him, he is fo ashamed of his former temper towards him, and the black defign he had meditated against his crown and life. All this does not fuppofe any alteration in the rebes real character. All this may be, and undoubtedly wil be, though his vicious difpofition, which first gave rife to his difaffectqa to his prince, ftill remains in its full ftrength. There is no need of his becoming a new man, a friend to righ coulness and an enemy to ioiquity, a order to his becoming in this manner, a warm friend to his royal pation and benefact r. confidered merely as fuch. He may be fo all his days; may be one of the foremolt in his commendation, at least in extolling the grearthings he has done for him ; and he may behave excellently well when under the kings eye, or when he expects he will hear of it, with a view to pleafe him, and yet be at heart as unrighteous a creature as ever he was, even to his dying day. Now fuch a kind of reconciliation to God, will naturally take place in a finne, if he is only effectually terrified with the thoughts of dwelling with devouring fire, and inhabiting everlafting burnings;" and then gets a hope of God's love. There is so aced of being born again, or ever hav. ing any thing of the moral likeness of God, in order to it. Yea, there is no need of conviction, in order to fuch a converfion as this. I mean conviction of the equitableness and moral fitness of the divine adminiftra. tion. Light, concerning the holiaefs and juftice, wifdem or general good. nefs of God, is not what produces fuch a change as this; nor is it any ways neceffary in order to it. Accordingly perlons of this kind of piety, have "heart of unbelief," wholly inclined "to depart from "the living God," fuch a heart will effectually and forturn them aside, fo that they cannot deliver their "foul." ever have no great concern to know what God is in himself, but only what he is to them. They have no notion of entering much into the nature and ends of his law, or of the gospel, and feeing into the divine character and glory as thereby exhibited. Thefe are matters of empty fpeculation with them; things which vital piety has nothing to do with. They know as much about God's general character; as much about the things the Pfalmift prayed that his eyes might be opened to behold; as much about "the things the angels defire to look into," as ever they expect or want to. THESE may perhaps not improperly be denominated antinomians; though they are divided into a variety of lects and contending parties up. on particular questions, about the faith which is not founded in holiness, bnt which is the foundation of every thing. 766 SOME ftrenuously infift, that no faith can adminifter hope and comfort enough to make men truly good, fhort of a full perfuafion and confi dence of our own falvation." Or, a being well fatisfied" of our recon* ciliation with God, and of our future enjoyment of everlafting heavenly happiness." To get this perfuafion is the grand fecret, or mystery of fanctification." To give this perfuafion without any evidence of it's truth, and even while it is fuppofed to be in fact not true, is the great work of the Holy Ghost, begetting "an inclination, and propenfity of heart, to the practice of holiness."-Others, not fo fond of mystery, or not fo well understanding the way of manufacturing truth without evidence," and of making a falfehood true, by the pains taken to believe it; chufe rather to fuppofe," the fimple truth," or general report of the gospel, beat effectually into a man's head, when he is thoroughly pinched with the impoffibility of hope, on every other fide, will give fuch a refreshment to his mind," as will do the whole work. That many in all ages, only on 81 hearing this, have become quite afhamed of their former rebellion, have "been led to love their fovereign, and encouraged to do those things "which are well pleafing in his fight; and accordingly have known what "it was to fland in his prefence, and have their joy made full in beholding the light of his countenance." The faith that does all this, they would have a bare perfuafion, or conviction in the understanding, of what is called the truth; leaving the heart to take care of itself. This, we are told, fome call the faith of devils. But that however keen, the "intended reproach be, it can have weight with none but fuch as are "fwayed by found inftead of fenfe. For, according to the fcripture, the fame truth which faves Chrift's people torments the devil's. "find them faying what have we to do with thee, Jefus, thou fon of God? "art thou come hither to torment us before the time? they believe, they So we "hate "foul." Nor would better natural abilities than they have, be of the leaft fervice to them. If ever they come to good, it must be by ftrength that is under a better direction than their's is. Greatness of capacity has not the least tendency to produce goodness, in one who is altogether deftitute of it, Sinners of the most exalted genius and strength of mind, are certainly no more able to make themfelves new creatures than the very weakeft are. And the reafon of this is as obvious, as the fact is certain; viz. becaufe whatever ftrength any one has, he always lays it out according to his own heart, and not contrary to it. Confequently all the ftrength of men and angels, yea even Omnipotence itself, if the finner had the direction of it, would never make him good, Could he have divine power at his fervice, according to his utmost wish, it would not be to change his heart, but to enable him to act it out without controul. If therefore, finners only knew what hearts they have, this alone would bring them to difpair of help from themselves, let their natu ral "hate, and yet they tremble at that truth which Christ's people believe, "love, and find falvation in." The difference then, in the affections excited by a belief of the gospel, in the minds of true believers and devils, arifes intirely from the different circumftances they are under, and not from any difference in their tempers. The devils hate to be tormented, and Chrift's people love to be treated kindly and made happy. So the fame belief of the fame truth, which excites the hatred and horror of the former, fills the latter with joy and love. This difference is not hard to difcern; and is naturally coough accounted for. But how any one, who is not fwayed by found instead of sense, should think of making more of this than only a circumftantial difference, is not fo eafy to be conceived. A bare change of place and external treatment, would make devils of fuch converts and fuch converts of devils, in a moment. They being after all effentially, exactly alike. THIS way of affecting all the alteration wanted in wicked men, merely by notions in the head, however firmly credited, and whether true or false, whether called an appropriating faith, or a fimple belief, or by whatever other name, muft forever leave a change of nature quite out of the question. Indeed, it evidently proceeeds upon the fuppofition, that there is really Do difference, between faints and finners, angels and devils, only they are treated differently, or fome don't understand things lo well as others. ral powers be never fo good, and make them fee that if ever they are faved it will be no thanks to them. SINNERS inwardly imagine, if they were only dealt fairly with they fhould do well enough. If they perifh, they think it will be owing to the fatal influence of fome dark decree, or to God's requiring more of them than they can poffibly do, let them exert themselves never fo faithfully. But he that imagines thus, knows not “the plague of his own heart." "He that trusteth in his own beart, is a fool." Should we even fuppofe a felf determining power in the will, those who are dead in fin would not be able to help themselves by it. For who is there to put fuch a power into action the right way they will not ? do it. And a felf determined determination, contrary to a man's heart, were fuch a thing poffible, would be no more thanks to him, than the having his heart changed by divine power. It can never be by their owż power or holiness, that they are first determined to that which is good, when, by the fuppofition, they have no hotinefs, and all their power is éniployed in opposition to it. SERMŐ N II. The natural Ability of Men to une derstand embrace the Gospel confidered; and the Subject applied. No man can come to me, except the Father which bath fent me draw bim. THE HE general obfervation raised from thefe words, was to this effect, THAT no man is able to comply with the gospel of Chrift, without the effectual grace of God. A principal thing I had in view, was to clear this doc trine of the common objection in men's minds against it, as if it reprefented the Moft High, as being infincere and unrighteous in his dealings with finners. Offering them falvation on terms he knows they cannot come up to; and then condemning and punishing them, for their non-compliance with fuch impoffible conditions. Accordingly, I undertook, in the first place, to explain and illuftrate a diftinction of two kinds of inability; and to fhew that men are, not unfrequently, in common speech, and fcripture, E faid |