whole good pleasure, whatever | 5, "When ye mourned and fast can be said by them! But another puzzling question is asked on the other side, if it can be called another. It is said, the whole duty which God requires of men, is comprehended in love. When this is wholly wanting, no real duty can be done; but of this, the unregenerate are totally destitute; and can it be right to direct to the doing of things, which, when done, are no real duties? ed in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?" It is the duty of all men, whether they eat, or drink, or whatever they do, to do all to the glory of God; yet it is the duty of those who cannot do any thing thus, not to starve themselves, and not to neglect all the externals of morality. In former times, when the diference between natural and moral inability in point of excusing wasnot understood, or not admitted, it used to be supposed, that only the externals of religion and righteousness were required of men, while of that carnal mind which is not subject to the law of God, neither can be. Hence, to these only, the unregenerate were exhorted or directed. Whereas now, in consequence of that distinction, and of its being believed that the unregenerate would be able to obey the gospel, in sincerity; and even to be perfect, as the original law of the Lord requires; some seem to consider them as being under no inability at all; and hence treat them as if the question, whether there was any thing for them to do, previous to repentance and faith, were altogether superfluous and We answer as before; for it is the same objection, only in different words: The things directed to are commanded duties; and the essential deficiency in the manner of their performance, need no more be directed by ministers, than it is commanded of God, Many external things are required of the unregenerate, in the law and gospel, notwithstanding they have not that love in them, on which hang all the law and the prophets. These they certainly ought to do, and may warrantably be so directed, this notwithstanding. Men may have real duties incumbent on them, when they cannot be such, as done by them, by reason of the total unholiness of their hearts. Our being under obligation to any duties, certainly does not depend upon our having a dutiful disponeedless; because of their be sition, though our doing them as duties, certainly does. It was doubtless the duty of God's rebellious impenitent people, during their captivity in Babylon, to mourn for their sins, and to humble themselves by fasting; and so they were directed by the true prophets: but yet the Holy One of Israel said to them, as we read, Zech. vii. ing as able immediately to repent and believe to the saving of the soul, as to do any thing else. These opposite extremes, it appears to me, are alike unscriptural and irrational. Since they are unable to love God, or to repent and believe the gospel, only by reason of an evil heart, or the want of a willing mind, there is no less propriety in commanding and exhorting them to had set out as directed, but the do these, than to do any exter-storm of fire and brimstone had nal duties. Nevertheless, since it is as really impossible for them to comply with the internal requisitions of the law or gospel, in their present condition, as for them to get the faith of miracles, so that they could remove mountains, though in the former case, the impossibility is their own fault: Since they cannot love God, or believe in Christ, till born of the Spirit; whether there are not duties incumbent upon them, which can be done by them before a new heart is given them, and which may be the means of their salvation, in my opinion, is a pertinent and an important question, and one which ought to have an explicit answer. overtaken him by the way, would the angels have been answerable for his unhappy fate? Or when the best medicines have been prescribed for healing the sick, and have been taken, if any of them die, is the physician guilty of murdering thein? That no means for escaping evils can with propriety or safety be directed to, except such as will infallibly prove effectual, if used, no one ever thinks in other cases; and why should it be any more thought in this case. This objection, it may be observed, like the foregoing, is grounded on the supposition, that if we direct the unregenerate to any external duties, they must be directed to do them in an unregenerate manThat if men are directed to the use of any means of grace, while in a state of nature, they must be directed to use them as they are naturally disposed; that is, froin merely selfish motives, and with self-righteous views and expectations. Still, against answering this question, explicitly or implicit ly, in the affirmative, it is ob-ner. jected, that giving any directions to sinners, respecting what they shall do to be saved, which they may follow, and yet fail of salvation, cannot be right, and must be dangerous. That should a minister direct his unconverted hearers, to do all the external duties required of them, and any of them should do these ever so exactly, but never repent truly, and therefore perish, never believe in Christ, and therefore die in their sins, their blood would be required at the watchman's hand. But why so? When the angels, after leading Lot out of Sodom, said to him, "Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain: escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed;" if Lot On this supposition only, can it appear to be of any force.Directing sinners to the externals of religion, as if these alone would secure their salvation, is doubtless wrong, and of very dangerous tendency. But not so, when they are directed to these only as the steps leading to the mountain, and are told not to look behind them, nor stay in all the plain: when we direct them to pray, and read and hear the word, only as the means of repentance and faith; and tell them never to think themselves out of danger, till : they have thus entered in at the strait gate of the kingdom of grace; till they have taken sanctuary in the gospel city of refuge: the only hiding place from the wind, and covert from the tempest; the only ark of safety from the deluge of the wrath to come. First, according to the scriptures, it is very certain and obvious, that the unregenerate should not be encouraged to a diligent use of any means of grace, or to any external duties, under a notion that they will thus render themselves at all more worthy, or less unworthy, of pardoning mercy, or of renewing or assisting grace. The forementioned distinction, between directing the unregenerate to external duties, This expectation they are and directing to do them in an ever apt to entertain, and their undutiful manner, though they teachers have often comforted will not, neither indeed can do and animated them with this them in any other, as far as I hope. In our most admired old can see, will fully and fairly ob- sermon books, nothing is more viate all further objections, common than to meet with such which have come to my know- soothing addresses. When sinledge, as well as the two last ners, laboring and heavy laden that have been noticed. If this under convictions, were supobvious truth were well kept in posed to complain that the gosmind, that we may direct sin- pel terms of salvation were too ners to do evident duties incum- high for them; that they could bent on them, notwithstanding not repent, nor believe as is rethey will certainly sin in doing quired in order to pardon and them, without directing them to peace with God, we find it said sin, in my apprehension, it to them to this purpose; " Do would free the subject of giving | what you can, and grace will be directions to unregenerate do- given to do what now you canings, from all the supposed diffi- not." culties in which it has been involved. II. What has been said, will lead us to consider, what encouragement there is for the use of any means of salvation, in the case of unregenerate sinners. This is a question respecting which, in my opinion, there is need of cautiously guarding against mistakes, both on the right hand and on the left. It has doubtless been the most common, and, I apprehend, is not the least dangerous, to err on the side of encouraging and being encouraged too much, or on improper gounds. To guard against this, I observe, "Faith is the gift of God: taking away the stoney heart, and giving a heart of flesh, a feeling contrite heart, is his work alone. But he will be inquired of to do it. You can pray; you can read his word; you can hear instruction, watching daily at the gates of wisdom, waiting at the posts of her doors. You can cease to do evil, and learn to do well, externale. Do your part, and God will not fail to do his." As if doing the best that sinners can, with such hearts as they have, were their part, their whole présent duty. These pious authors seem to have supposed, that the inability of sinners to love God, It is directly to assist them in going about to establish their own righteousness which is of the law; and to keep them from submitting to the righteousness of God, for which Christ is the end of the law, to every one that believeth. Secondly, Sinners cannot warrantably be encouraged to a diligent use of the outward means of grace, or attendance on external duties with the hope of thereby becoming entitled to any promise of mercy to sanctify, or grace to help. or truly to believe the gospel, was owing to weakness or blindness of the understanding, and not radically to depravity of heart. And hence it appeared to them, that if they did their external duty, as well as they could, since nothing more was in their power, it would certainly be accepted of a just and righteous God. And were their inability of this kind, reason would so teach; but how they could think this representation of the case consistent with scripture, it is hard to conceive. According to it, righteousness unto life would come by the law, and if so, as the apostle to the Galatians observes, "Then Christ is dead in vain." And nothing can be more plainly contrary to what we are expressly taught in many passages of the New Testament; particularly Rom. viii. 7, 8. "The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then, they that are in the flesh can-him Amen, to the glory of God:" Regeneration, and all antecedent influence of the Holy Spirit, in a preparatory law work, are unpromised blessings, as well as unmerited. In regard to these, God hath mercy on whom he will have mercy; holding himself at liberty in his word, to leave whom he will to hardness, impenitence and perdition. So the apostle to the Romans writes: and to the Corinthians, of Christ he says, "All the promises are in him yea, and in implying that it could not be consistent with God's glory to give any promises to sinners while out of Christ. Also to the Ephesians, he represents those who are without Christ, as being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise. All unbelievers, all impenitent sinners, all whose hearts are not right in the sight of God, we are abundantly taught, have no part nor lot in any promises of the gospel. not please God." Nor can any thing be more evidently subversive of the declared scope and intention of the gospel ministry, than this flattering doctrine and mode of address. See 2d Cor. Χ. 4, 5. "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing which exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." Its manifest tenThirdly, The unregenerate dency is, to make sinners think cannot warrantably be encourthemselves the whole, who have aged to strive to enter in at the no need of the great physician. 'strait gate, by a serious attention to religion, with an assurance that if after all they should not be saved, their sin will thence be less, and their condemnation lighter. The apostle Paul speaks of the gospel, as being to some, "The savour of death unto death," and the apostle Peter writes of them who had been attentive to the word of truth, and reformed by it, whose latter end was worse than the beginning. These were such, indeed, as had turned again like the dog to his vomit, and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. But no sinners while unregenerate, and out of Christ, can have any certainty that they shall not be left thus to apostatize: and if this should not be the case; if they should continue awakened and reforımed, possibly their always inwardly resisting the Holy Ghost, and their native enmity against God, stirred up and strengthened under convictions, may exceed in criminality the open neglects, and more numerous external transgressions, of such as remain secure and careless, in ignorance and sin. We will now turn to the affirmative side. Notwithstanding the unregenerate cannot please God, nor become entitled to any promise of mercy to pardon, or grace to help, by their supposed best doings: and notwithstanding, if they should spend all they have--all their time and strength in seeking the recovery of spiritual health, they may be nothing better but rather grow worse; yet there is certainly hope in their case : and just ground of encouragement, to be VOL. VI. No. 8. in the diligent use of means, ordained unto life. They may warrantably be told, that it is God's ordinary way to work by means, in effecting the spiritual salvation of men, from beginning to end, no less than in healing their bodily sicknesses, or in providing their daily food: and that hence there is much the same reason to hope, when appointed means are used, and the same necessity for the use of them, in this case as in any others. Thus we are taught, Rom. x. 13-17. "For whosoever shall call upон the name of the Lod shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? - So then faith cometh by hearing." See likewise 2 Tim. ii. 15. meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance, to the acknowledging of the truth." This may well encourage the hearer of the word, no less than the preacher. " In There is only a peradventure, it is true, of the conversion of any, whether open opposers of the gospel, or merely inward unbelievers, and let what means will be used with them, or by them. When Paul has planted, and Apollos watered, it is God that giveth the increase. And this, in particular instances, he hath not promised. But thus it is also, in regard to laboring for the meat which perisheth; and in all temporal matters. The blessing of the Lord naketh rich; and on the blessing of God, his unpromised Nn |