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under divine illumination, to rest with confidence on Christ, for eternal life; and cordially to approve of this blessed method of salvation, as honourable to God, and safe for the immortal soul. What are the consequences that follow upon believing? Peace, everlasting peace, with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we receive the atonement, an increase in grace, progressive advancement in holiness, consolation in afflictions and trials, great peace of mind in the hour of death, and everlasting life.

In the dispensation of the gospel, the law is to be stated, explained and applied to the consciences of men. The extent, spirituality and excellency of its precepts are to be largely and frequently inculcated; that sinners who are thoughtless and secure, may be awakened and convinced of their sin and danger; and that they may see plainly that there is no hope of salvation by the covenant of works: not from any fault in the law, for it is able to give life, to perfect unsinning creatures, but entirely on account of sin and the transgression of the law. The more clearly the equity and excellence of the law is pointed out, the more evidently do the deformity, unreasonableness and odious nature of sin appear. Whatsoever things the law saith, it saith to them that are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and that the whole world may appear guilty before God. The preaching of the law is the great means that the Lord blesses, to show in what a holy and happy state we were at first created, and how happy these heavenly beings are who never sinned. It serves to show us the greatness of our loss by the entrance of sin, and to convince men that their sins have been exceeding numerous in thought, word and deed. That our natural state as born into the world, is a state of condemnation and misery. And that no hope remains for us in the broken covenant of

works. But all this is in subserviency to the precious purposes of the gospel; that men may be persuaded to flee from the wrath to come, by improving his blood that was shed for many for the remission of sins. The terrors of the law are not to be preached, that men may sink in despair, but that they may prize and improve the great salvation. The law hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ may be given to them that believe.

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The law is also of excellent use to believers. Though believers be delivered from the (condemnation of the law as a covenant, they are by no means freed from its unalterable obligation as the rule of their obedience. By their deliverance from the curse of the law, they are bound to obedience by new and endearing obligations. That we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, should serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness all the days of our life. Believers redeemed by the blood of Christ, now view the object of their worship as infinitely worthy of their choicest affections, love and obedience. They well know, that their restoration to a state of obedience, was one of the great ends of infinite wisdom in their redemption by Christ. Christ loved his church and gave himself for her, that he might sanctify and cleanse her by the washing of water by the word, that he might present her to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing. The new nature admires the blessed design, and feels a deep obligation to concur in the gracious intention. Beholding, as in a glass, the glory of the Lord in this heavenly design, they are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the spirit of the Lord. The love of Christ constrains them to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously and godly in a present world. And though they do

not depend on this new covenant obedience for justification, but on the obedience and death of Christ alone; yet they well know that "without holiness no one shall see the Lord."

way.

The law is of great use to believers as a test or touchstone of the sincerity and truth of grace. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it? And there is a great propensity in the best to flattery and self-deception. It becomes us to watch and pray against this insidious enemy of the soul. The true Christian delights in the law of God, after the inward man. He views the radical change of his nature with inexpressible satisfaction. He habitually consents to the whole Iaw. I esteem all thy precepts, concerning all things to be right, and I hate every false and wicked The most specious hypocrite secretly dislikes the spirituality and extent of the law. His heart is not in entire unison with its perfect righteousness, nor does he lament over every transgression. Some secret favourite sins are spared and fostered. The true believer, on the other hand, meditates with complacence on the infinite holiness of God, the perfect example of Christ, and the excellence of the divine law; breathing out prayers to God for advancing conformity to his image; nor will he rest satisfied with any thing short of perfection; forgetting those things that are behind, I press forward towards the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

And finally, the law is of great use to believers, as the standard of their daily self-examination. Comparing their hearts and conduct every day with the law of God, they are kept humble under a sense of many imperfections. It teaches. them the great necessity of faith in Christ, for pardon and daily purification. The spiritual and ex

tensive demands of the law, show to believers the necessity of daily humiliation and repentance, and that their best duties are tainted with much sin and imperfection. That there is great necessity of the spirit of grace to enable to watch and pray that they enter not into temptation. They are to bless God for all their partial victories over the power of corruption-and to rest in faith on the promise of perfect victory; when the Lamb on the midst of the throne shall feed and lead them to fountains of living waters, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

From this very imperfect sketch, it is easy to see what it is, not to preach the gospel. Those do not preach the gospel who represent man in a different state from that in which the scripture represents him. If man is not represented as fallen, corrupted and ruined by sin, this is to give such a view of man as to render the gospel unnecessary. If preachers assert, that there is power in man to restore himself to the divine favour, without divine power and grace, they do not preach the gospel; because the sanctifying influences of the Spirit are rendered useless. If they exalt the merit of fallen man, and suppose him capable of making himself acceptable to God by his own righteousness, they make the cross of Christ of none effect. If they represent Christ as only a pattern, and conceal or deny his atonement, this is not to preach the gospel. Or if Christ is represented as only a man, instead of the eternal Son of God, whose obedience and death is of infinite value to redeem; this is something very different from the gospel. If they fail in pointing out the great end of Christ in our redemption, to purify to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works, and to inculcate the necessity of holiness; their preaching is at variance with the great ends of infinite wisdom

and grace in the dispensation of the gospel.

Besides this, the gospel may be preached very imperfectly, when the several doctrines already stated, are not exhibited in their full and proper proportion; when a lucid view of the whole is not given; when one part is unduly insisted upon, or its connexion with the rest is not sufficiently marked; or when a close and direct application of the truth to the conscience is not made.

It could easily be shown here, that all the errors and heresies that have troubled the church, arose from misapprehension of the true nature and distinction of law and gospel, and of their harmonious connexion and relations one to the other.

The Socinian, who denies the atonement of Christ, and the necessity of it, dishonours the holy law which Christ came to magnify. The Arminian, who trusts to the improvement of his natural powers for restoration to the divine favour, is greatly mistaken in relation to the necessity of regeneration, and the grace of the Spirit in sanctifica

tion.

The Neonomian, who considers the gospel as a system of new precepts less rigorous than the law of the covenant of works, and brought down to man's present state of frailty, has very imperfect views of the spirituality and unalterable obligation of the law. The Antinomian, who vainly trusts that Christ has done all for him, in such a sense as to excuse him from obedience to the law, has gross misapprehensions both of law and gospel.

But this is not all; through ignorance or inattention to the holy law, a legal or self-righteous spirit prevails among the professors of the gospel. God, I thank thee I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

Ignorance of, or inattention to the law, gives occasion to hypocrisy and

security in a state of sin, like the stony ground hearers, who welcome the gospel with impenitent joy, but fall away in time of temptation; or thorny ground hearers, who retain an unfruitful profession, with a worldly, covetous or sensual life.

Through inattention to the law, real Christians often neglect many duties, and give way to many things unbecoming their Christian character: as evil tempers, worldly dispositions, perversion of words in the heat of private or religious controversy, tale bearing, &c. to the great hindrance of their spiritual comfort and growth in grace. The extensive knowledge of the precepts is therefore the proper method of rendering believers perfect in the will of God, and making them meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.

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J. BANKS.

Human Depravity Proved, by extracts and arguments taken from "The Unitarian Miscellany."

The exclusively liberal believers in Boston and Baltimore, declare in their creed, called an "Abstract of Unitarian Belief," that they "do not believe the guilt of Adam's sin was imputed, and his corrupted nature conveyed to all his posterity; nor that there is in men any original corruption, whereby they are utterly indisposed, disabled and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil."" Miscellany, p. 19. In opposition to all this, they say, 66 we believe men have in themselves the power of being good or bad, of meriting the rewards, or deserving the punishments of a just God." That the doctrine of the depravity of man, as maintained by the Christian church in general, is not true, is asserted by all Socinians, and especially by Dr. Ware. For our own part, we have a full conviction, that every man has mental faculties,

which are naturally good in themselves; but which are never employed in the performance of morally good operations, until the Holy Spirit has begun in him the work of sanctification. The depravity which we attribute to every man in his native estate, and say 1S natural to every one, since the apostacy, is a moral depravity.

Now in opposition to their own denial of the moral depravity of mankind in general, we ask the attention of Unitarians to the following considerations.

1. The Antitrinitarians represent themselves as the exclusive worshippers of the one God; and teach, that their views of his unity, are the only views consistent with reason and revelation: nevertheless, they complain, that "this sect is every where spoken against," p. 7. We admit, that the sect of people, called Unitarians, is every where spoken against; and how depraved, in their eyes, must be, not only the whole of the Pagan world, in serving many thousands of idols, in opposition to reason; but also the whole of Christendom, with the exception of their own inconsiderable number, in worshipping according to their judgment, two or three gods, in opposition to both reason and revelation! Depraved must mankind be, indeed, if all but a handful, consisting of Jews, Mohammedans and Antitrinitarians, every where speak against the only true doctrine of the Deity, and are chargeable with an idolatry, condemned by every man's sound reason, and by the holy scriptures.

2. Besides this wickedness of speaking against the poor, persecuted little band of Unitarians, the greater part of mankind stand charged in the Unitarian Miscellany with "prejudice and unchristian feelings;" and with resisting "religion in its primitive purity," "by selfishness, intolerance, hypocrisy, or obstinate ignorance."

These

things evince a shocking degree of

depravity, and it seems, that this depravity is found in the whole human family, with a very few happy Unitarian exceptions! An old, wily leader, one who has "long been an Unitarian, and known something of the ways of men," whose " experience has not been limited, nor” his "observation confined," (p. 21.) is our voucher for these humiliating evidences of almost universal moral deformity. Had a novice been our instructer, we might have hesitated before we bowed to his instructions; but now,-look at the picture! See what obstacles are in the way of the man, (the editor of the Unitarian Miscellany for instance,) who would build up the cause of truth. Hear what a wonderful philosopher inculcates, who endeavours to act up to the spirit of the gospel," who has, his modest self-being evidence, "charity for all men," and who "associates freely with all good people, without thinking it necessary to inquire, who wrote their creeds, or to what form of church discipline they chose to submit."

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"Prescriptive errors present a formidable barrier to the progress of correct principles. False notions of religion spring up and grow with rank exuberance. They gain strength with years. Opinions at length become prejudices. Falsehood and truth wear the same garb, and are received as guests of equal dignity and worth. Before any thing can be done, with much hope of profit, this delusion must be dispelled. You will allow this to be no easy task. It is not to be done in a moment. Clouds and mists do not vanish at once. We must not expect great changes to be suddenly wrought. The current of public sentiment can only be turned by a counter current of greater force. This will necessarily be feeble at first, and must gather strength by degrees."

Yes, all Unitarians must acknowledge, that the depravity of mankind is great; that they love darkness rather than light; and that all the learning, piety, meekness, liberality, assiduity, gentleness, light and urbanity of the self-denied, and

benevolent Socinians, cannot very soon drive the delusion, mists, away clouds and currents of public sentiment. Had not mankind been glued to error, these Unitarians would, long ago, have separated all Pagans

vidual horrors: and shall only ask, if these things are true of the great MASS of Christians, what Unitarian shall hereafter deny the applicability of Rom. iii. 9-20, to all mankind, with the exception of his own

from their wooden gods, and ninety-precious, little company, of denine out of a hundred of nominal Christians, from their Trinity and divine Redeemer.

3. Let us learn from this oracle, something more about "the MASS Of Christians." The scattering, ignoble few need not be considered, but

"The mass of Christians are not only overstocked with these inherited errors, but they have exceedingly false notions of the actual sentiments of Unitarians. There would be no harm in this, if no evils followed. But evils do follow. Rumour floats on untiring wings, and the loud voice of evil report is emboldened to utter the language of detraction and malevolence. The ignorant believe; the better knowing, the hypocritical, and the interested, approve and applaud. The greater the caricature, the more distorted the features, the more hideous the figure, the greater is the delight of those who know the reality, and the more appalling the terror of those who are thus artfully kept in the dark and deceived. Unitarians are thus set up as a scarecrow to frighten the ignorant and the timid. The fabled Upas was not more to be shunned. The multitude are warned to beware. Some deadly poison lingers in the breeze, and will insinuate its destroying venom into the very life springs of the rash adventurer, who shall dare approach.”

Horrid! horrid! how depraved are the MASS, yes, the great body of Christians! They are not only stocked, but over-stocked with INHERITED errors. They waft rumour on untiring wings, utter evil reports with a loud voice, and are emboldened in detraction and malevolence. They know better than they speak; they are hypocritical, and interested in lies, and therefore applaud misrepresentation. They delight in injurious caricatures, in setting up the worshippers of the only true God as scarecrows, and artfully strive to deceive the ignorant. What a picture! We cannot dwell upon any thing so frightful, long enough to point out its indi

spised and slandered mortals? It must be proved to these injured few, that there is none righteous, no, not one; there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God; themselves alone excepted. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one; except he is a Unitarian. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit ; the poison of asps is under their lips; except they be Unitarians, and then their words are softer than butter, and sweeter than honey. Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.

4. We have additional proof of the depravity of mankind in general from the Unitarian sage.

"Another obstacle is pride. Of this there are two kinds; pride of opinion, and pride of fashion. The first, perhaps, is the most pernicious, because the most obstinate. It defies all remedy. The man, who is proud of his faults, is in no good way to correct them. I have known some people, who would rather be in an error all their lives, than acknowledge themselves wiser to-day than they were yesterday. This infirmity shows itself in nothing more strikingly, than in their religious opinions. I have seen people very strenuous and perverse on this point, who, in their lives and conversation, gave no marked tokens, that they had much respect for the realities of religion in any shape, whatever bustle they might make about its theories and forms. Almost all persons think it essential to their dignity and independence, to hold manfully to their old opinions. The pride of weakness, and the slavery of prejudice, they mistake for firmness of character. Their eyes are thus effectually closed against the light. Inquiry is out of the question. The eloquence of truth will make no impression here, and the arguments of reason will be uttered in vain. It adds nothing, that you talk about the importance of the subject. All subjects are equally important to him, who wraps himself in the

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