grace consist in the truths of the word, and the various ways of conveying them to the mind. What are Bibles sermons, and sacraments, but instruments to carry truth to the understanding and heart? What are all the expostulations of others, but efforts to press the motives contained in truth upon the sensibilities of the soul? What are the passions which preachers address, but channels through which truth is carried to the quick, or instruments to rouse the soul to view it with sharpened attention? What does providence more than illustrate and enforce revealed truth? Sabbaths are not means of grace, so much as opportunities to attend on ordinances and exercises that are. All the exertions of men for their own salvation, (except mere motions of the body, and two things in the efforts of Christians before alluded to,) may be summed up in the single word atTENTION,-attention to truth and to the ordinances which convey truth to the mind. If the attention is set to watch their own corruptions, it is only to see the illustrations of a revealed truth. If they strive to regulate their passions, the only effort, besides shunning motives which excite the passions, in other words, avoiding temptation, the only effort made upon the mind, is to fix its eye steadily on motives, drawn, if the motives are right, from the word of God. And what is meditation, other than a fixed attention to truth? Prayer too, besides the efficacy of asking in faith, and the mere exercise of pious feelings, is only the highest degree of attention. I say, besides the efficacy of asking in faith, and the mere exercise of pious feelings; these are the two things in the exertions of Christians, before alluded to, which are not included in attention; and these are the only two things comprehended in the means of grace which are not resolvable into truth and the means of getting truth before the mind. The prayer of faith certainly obtains divine influences for our

selves and others; and there are appointed ways of improving our graces by exercise, (for instance, in thanksgiving and praise,) much in the same way as you improve soldiers by exercise, or confirm any of your habits by indulgence. Yet even in these two cases, so far as the affections are improved, it is done through the instrumentality of truth. The sanctified affections which follow the prayer of faith (or "looking" to Christ,) follow from transforming views of him; and the exercises by which the heart is improved, owe their effect to the instrumentality of the truths contemplated.

To these remarks I may add, that the divine Spirit, except in his sanctifying influence, does no more than carry in the truth and lay it before the eye of the mind, and apply it to that individual conscience. For it has been proved that there is no intermediate influence between an enlightening and a sanctifying one,-between that which addresses motives to an old disposition, and that which creates or strengthens a new one. And even in his sanctifying influence, so far as the affections are concerned, the effect is wrought by the instrumentality of truth.

Dropping then from our calculation the efficacy of the prayer of faith, and the appointed ways of improving our graces by exercise, (so far as these are exceptions;)-laying out of view also the motions of the body, and the sanctifying influence of the Spirit; and all that is contained in means or efforts, human or divine, for the salvation of ourselves or others, is comprehended in truth, and the various ways of presenting truth to the mind. Absolutely the whole as relates to the unregenerate, (except mere bodily motions,) is contained in these two things. This class offer no prayer of faith, they partake of no sanctifying influence, they have no graces to improve by exercise; and as their hearts cannot be made better till they are made new, nothing can be done for

them but to carry to their minds a deep conviction of truth.

Now all the truth ever intended for the salvation of men is contained in the word of God. Nothing new is revealed by the Spirit. The exhibitions in creation and providence only confirm and illustrate Bible truths. The word may be regarded as the epitome of all the manifestations of God to man. With the exceptions then already made, every question relating to the means of grace, and to efforts, human or divine, for the salvation of men, may be reduced to these two; What is the use of the word of God? and how is it conveyed to the mind? In attempting to illustrate these two points, I shall treat, I. Of the use of the word generally;

II. Of its use to the unregenerate in particular; III. Of the means and influences by which it is conveyed to their minds;

IV. Of its success in accomplishing, as the text suggests, every end which God designed.

I. Of the use of the word generally.

It has always been the received opinion that the word of God is the grand instrument of converting the world; and this opinion is confirmed by the testimony of facts. It is a matter of fact, that where the Gospel is preached statedly and faithfully, more are converted than where it is seldom or loosely preached. It is a matter of fact, that when God intends to bring men to salvation, (the only salvation revealed,) He first places them under the sound of the Gospel, leads them to attend on the means of instruction, awakens their attention to the truths of his word, causes them ordinarily to be pressed by the importunities of others, increases by these means their conviction of truth, and after all this changes their hearts. It is a matter of fact, that as Christians grow in knowledge they grow in grace; that as a

realizing view of truth increases, their holy affections increase.

We can see no instrumentality in truth to produce the new disposition. Why then should a thing intervene which has no influence? Why not act alone without that idle attendant? These questions would be unanswerable if there was nothing to be done but to produce the new disposition: but there are views and affections and acts of the will and motions of the body to be produced, or the disposition is altogether useless. In the production of all these, both in their beginning and in all the degrees of their increase, truth, where it finds the disposition favourable, has the proper influence of a second cause or instrument. Every consideration which is apprehended by the understanding or felt by the heart, every object of holy affection, every motive which controls the will and impels to action, is found in truth alone. This is the essential and immediate instrument by which all right views and feelings, all correct acts of choice and of life are produced, and by which a rational kingdom is moved and governed. If God is to preside over a rational kingdom, he must move it exclusively by the instrumentality of motives. To act without motives, is to be a madman or a machine. To love or hate without an object, is a contradiction in terms. Should God's renewing influence pass over a mind wholly destitute of knowledge, nothing would be felt, no affections would be excited, nothing sensible would follow. Although therefore truth cannot create the disposition, nor efficiently cause even the affections, there is good reason why the power which produces these effects should always accompany the truth, and (the case of infants. and heathens being out of question,) should never act without it. Why should divine power produce a disposition to feel where no feelings can follow? or incline the heart to love where no object is found?

There are good reasons also why truth should come to men through the medium of language and in the form of a written word. It might have been communicated immediately, as it was to the first created angel and to inspired men; but in the display of truth, both in heaven and earth, God has principally made use of second causes, as being better calculated to furnish the evidence which is adapted to the government of rational creatures. The whole system of matter is a system of second causes, forming a visible chain leading into the secrecy of the First Cause, and disclosing an agency which otherwise might have been forever concealed. So necessary have those tangible links been deemed, that even in cases where God has exerted his power miraculously and immediately, he has generally made use of visible antecedents to connect the effect more evidently with his own power; as in the case of Moses' rod, the trumpets at Jericho, the pitchers and lamps of Gideon's army, the washing of Naaman in Jordan, the extension of Elisha's body over the Shunammite's son, the salt cast into the fountain, the clay applied to the eyes of the blind man, and many other instances which might be mentioned. So instead of conveying truth to mankind by immediate revelation, accompanied with silent efforts of sanctifying power, he has chosen to send it to them in the languages of men, in the shape of a written word, and to form a visible chain of prophets, apostles, ministers, and ordinances; not only because this mode was better adapted on many other accounts to the purposes of a moral government, but that he might manifest more distinctly the source of the power which converts the world. Thus the word with which our Saviour composed the winds and healed the sick, discovered whence the power proceeded, more than if he had done the same by a silent influence. If then the whole body of truth by