their finifter views may make it expedient for them that you fhould embrace. A popifh prieft would require nothing more than this, to make you believe the do Arine of tranfubftantiation, and that a man is infallible; or to perfuade you to commit the most flagrant wickedness, as a means of doing God fervice. For the first of these articles they do not fail to urge the words of fcripture, which exprefsly fay, concerning the bread that is ufed in the Lord's fupper, that it is the body of Chrift; Matt. xxvi. 6. and there is no poffibility of replying to them, but by appealing to reason, as the neceffary and proper judge of the fenfe of fcripture. The papift, therefore, as might well be expected, is forward, on all occafions, to vilify human reason, and to require men to abandon it; but true proteftants will not part with it. It is by the help of reafon, in conjunction with the fcriptures, that we guard ourfelves against the grofs delufions of the papists, who, after relinquifhing reafon, have been made to believe a lie; and by the diligent and continued ufe of the fame power, let us endeavour to combat every remaining error, and trace out and reform every corruption of chriftianity, till we hold the pure truth as it is in Jefus, and obey it in the love thereof.

Do not think that, by recommending the use of reason, I am about to decry the scriptures. My appeal fhall be to both, upon every subject on which I address you; and I think you cannot but fee that the plainest and most obvious fense of the scriptures is in avour of those doctrines which are most agreeable to

realon.

reafon. A good man will rejoice to see them thus go hand in hand, mutually illuftrating and enforcing one another.

II. OF THE POWER OF MAN TO DO THE WILL OF GOD.

ONE of the subjects with respect to which I earneftly wish that you would attend to the voice of reafon and the fcriptures, and with refpect to which one mistake will be followed by many others, and mistakes of great confequence, is concerning the power of man to do the will of God. It is a favourite opinion with many teachers of religion, that men have naturally (or by that conftitution and frame which God their maker hath given them) no power at all to do any thing that is good, not even to think a good thought, much less actually to obey any of the commands of God; fo that, if men were left to themfelves, they could do nothing but fin, and must be under a neceffity of aggravating their condemnation, by every thought, word, and action of their lives. But, my brethren, how does this doctrine agree with the fcriptures, and particularly with the manner in which the Divine Being conftantly expoftulates with the finful fons of men; as when he fays to the jews, Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, why will ye die, O boufe of Ifrael. Ezek. xxxiii. 11. Wash ye, make you clean. Ceafe to do evil, learn to do well, &c. &c. &c. Ifa. i. 16.

Is it not plain from this, that it depends upon men themselves, whether they will repent and turn to God

or not? And how can it depend upon themfelves, if they have not, naturally, a fufficient power to do it? You cannot think that God would command, and expect obedience, when he had not given power to obey; and much less that he would urge men to provide for their own safety and happiness, when himfelf had put an effectual bar in the way of it.

Suppofe that any man's children were shut up in a building that was on fire, while he himself was without, and had the key; and that, inftead of opening the door, to favour their escape, he should only call out to them to flee out of the place, in order to avoid inftant deftruction; and that, as the neceffary confequence of this, they fhould all perifh in the flames before his eyes; what would you think of fuch a father? You would want words to exprefs your abhorrence of his cruelty; and yet in this very light do many christian divines represent the conduct of that God whofe tender mercies are over all his works, and who has folemnly declared, that he hath no pleasure in the death of a finner but rather that he would turn from his way and live. Ezek. xxxiii. 11. yea, who would have all men to be faved. 1 Tim. ii. 4.

The conduct of our merciful God and Father is certainly far different from this, and more agreeable to reafon and equity. If he defigned us to be accountable creatures, and treats us as fuch, we must have talents given us, which we may either improve, or mifimprove. If we be the fubjects of his moral government,

government, we must be in a condition either to obferve or to break his laws. A power to do the one neceffarily fuppofes a power to do the other; and without this power we should not be the proper fubjects of religion; as, in that cafe, it would be in vain to propofe to us either rewards for obedience or punishments for difobedience.

Nor is the fuppofition of a power in man to do the will of God any foundation for pride. For we muft ftill fay with the apoftle, What have we that we have not received? and how then can we glory, as if we had not received it? Every good and every perfect gift comes from God; and, knowing this, the more we receive of his bounty, the more thankful and the more humble we should be. I fhall, certainly, be more folicitous to exert myself in doing the will of God, when I believe that I have a talent to improve, than if I believe that I have no talent intrusted with me at all; fo that I cannot do even fo much as the wicked and flothful fervant, who hid his talent in a napkin.

Some of those persons who believe that all mankind are absolutely incapable of doing good, are sometimes heard to invite finners of all kinds to come to Christ, as they are, and to fay, that the viler they are, the more welcome they will be to him; as if he was, after this, to cleanse them by fome miraculous power. But, my brethren, the invitation of the gospel runs in very different terms. It is, Repent and bring forth fruits

meet

meet for repentance. Matt. iii. 8. Repent and be converted that your fins may be blotted out. Acts iii. 19. And none are invited to come to Chrift, but those who labour and are heavy-laden; nor can they find rest for their fouls, 'till they have actually learned of him to be meek and lowly in heart. Matt. xi. 28.

What can be more contrary to the maxims above mentioned, than the whole tenor of that ferious expoftulation with the children of Ifrael in the prophet Ifaiah, part of which I quoted above? Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes. Ceafe to do evil, learn to do well. Seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now (and not before) and let us reafon together, faith the Lord. Though your fins be as Scarlet, they shall be white as fnow; though they be red like crimson, they fhall be as wool. Ifa. i. 16, &c.

Others, who entertain the fame opinion of the utter inability of man to do the will of God, act more consistently with those sentiments, but far more inconfiftently with the fcriptures, in never preaching to finners at all; though to call finners to repentance was the chief end of Chrift's coming into the world. Matt. ix. 13.

Whatever reprefents a ftate of acceptance with God, as a thing that may be brought about without any efforts of our own, and especially if it may be done in a moment, or in a very short space of time, is fure to be a popular doctrine. Mankind in general

care