"wrought by the exceeding greatness of that mighty "power, which raised Christ from the dead."—I do not now argue with such as oppose the doctrine of original sin.

In the case before stated,, the man who proudly scorned and resented the offer of free salvation from deserved perdition, had this work been wrought in his heart by the energy of the Holy Ghost, would certainly have embraced it; and had the other, who believed, been left to himself, he would as certainly have rejected it. This distinguishing grace is previously neither merited nor desired by either of them; it might justly have been withheld from both; but it is graciously communicated to one, and not to the other, by a sovereign God" according to the counsel of his own “will." He, and he alone, "hath made one to differ "from another." Now, was this distinction intentionally made by the sovereign. Disposer of all things, or was it not? If intentionally; was that intention first conceived at the moment of execution, or previously? If previously, why not from eternity? Indeed, if any of the works of God, when actually accomplished, be righteous, holy, wise, good, and faithful, the eternal purpose of performing them must have been equally righteous, holy, wise, good, and faithful: unless it can be wrong to determine to do right, if that determination was formed long before it was executed! If it consists with divine justice and goodness to leave one sinner to perish, and to save another equally guilty by an act of sovereign grace and power; it must have been equally consistent with justice and goodness, to decree

the destruction of the one and the salvation of the other. In short, the two doctrines; that of man's entire depravity, and that of a new creation unto holiness by the sole energy of the Holy Ghost, without any help, and nothwithstanding every hindrance, from nature, can never consistently be separated from that of personal election: nor upon this ground can a satisfactory reasoni be given, why any are saved and sanctified, but this,* that God hath chosen us in Christ before the "foundation of the world, that we should be holy, and "without blame before him in love: having predestina"ted us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ “unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his "will; to the praise of the glory of his grace, where"by he hath made us accepted in the Beloved; in "whom we have redemption through his blood, even "the forgiveness of our sins."

"Known unto God are all his works from the be"ginning of the world." In his unsearchable judg ments; (Oh, how deep are they!) doubtless for wise and righteous purposes, though not clearly discernable by us purblind mortals, he was pleased to permit the first entrance of sin, the fall of Adam, and the depravation of the human race. It suits not my present limits to discant on this subject: I may scarcely pause to drop a tear for the awful catastrophe. But, that man is fallen and depraved, that "the whole world lieth in "wickedness," all we see, hear, read, or experience

Ephesians i. 47.

demonstrates, and all confirms the testimony of God in Scripture to this humbling doctrine. Utterly destitute of love to the holy perfections of God, desire of his favour, delight in his service, gratitude for his benefits, or regard to his glory, man is universally disposed to inordinate idolatrous self-love, and love of worldly objects. His own honour and glory he seeks, his own imagined excellences he admires, his crimes he vindicates or excuses; he affects independency, and would have all others admire and honour him as much as he does himself. He also idolizes wordly objects: “ The "lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of "life" he chooses as his portion. These are "his good

things," for which he most ardently thirsts, on which he mainly depends, and in which he places his chief felicity. Hence eventually proceed all unrighteousness, licentiousness, and ungodliness, according to the different constitutional propensities, educations, and habits of different men. "The law of God is weak through "the flesh," and cannot restrain their impetuous desires. In the pursuit of their self-exalting or carnal projects, the will and worship of God are neglected, the rules of justice, truth, and benevolence violated, and every excess committed. But "the wrath of God "is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and "unrighteousness of men;" and eternal punishment is annexed to the transgression of this holy law by him "to whom vengeance belongs:" and when this is made known to the proud rebel, his negligent contempt of God breaks forth in enmity, and sometimes in blasphemy against the divine perfections, law, and govern

ment; "because 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 cannot please God."

This state of the human race God foresaw; and he, who alone is competent to estimate the tendency of such a temper of heart, and the malignity of such a conduct, evidently considered all men both as meriting cternal misery, and as "vessels of wrath fitted for de"struction."

Redemption by the blood of Christ was a most distinguished part of his original plan. He was "the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Whatever other method God, in his infinite wisdom, could have devised for his own glory in the salvation of sinners, this was doubtless the best; for it was actually chosen. But this plan can have no foundation except in the humiliating truth, that all men were so exceedingly guilty and deserving of everlasting misery, that it did not stand with the honour of a just and holy God to be reconciled to any of them, or to rescue them from destruction, except through the interposition of such a sacrifice, as that of "his well beloved "Son in whom he is well pleased." If man does not deserve damnation, deliverance from it is not of grace but of debt. And though eternal life must in strict

*If we cannot by other arguments prove the justice of God in the damnation of sinners, the method of redemption alone demonstrates it. And it is more our interest, and more become VOL. II. 3 Y

propriety of language be an unmerited gift of God to any of his creatures: yet, as far as we know, it might have been honourably given to us; had it not been that man was so guilty and God so holy, that without the atonement made by the death of the divine Saviour, it would not have consisted with his holiness to save so vile a rebel. If this be not so, "then Christ is dead " in vain."

But if the heart of sinful man is enmity to a holy God, and disdains the authority, dislikes the precept, and abhors the sentence, of that holy law which condemns him for his crimes; if the gospel shews the malignity of sin and the desert of every sinner, in the most conspicuous light; if it maintains the authority, magnifies the precept, and vindicates the justice of the sentence of the law; and if it gives no quarter to any sin, saves no man in his sins, but from all sin, and to all that very holiness which the law demands, "writing "the law in the heart:" could it be reasonably suppos. ed, that man would not also hate and quarrel with the affronting, though most merciful, message of free salvation? It might have been previously expected, and matter of fact indisputably proves, that the unadulterated gospel, notwithstanding its surprising largeness and freeness of grace and love, is more offensive to the

ing us, to submit to his righteousness, and apply for his mercy; than in the midst of our ignorance and blindness, to spend our time in vain reasonings upon a subject, for which we are incompetent; and in making objections to those appointments which are unalterably determined, whether we submit to them or no.