oppofition to the powers of confcience with which their Maker had endowed them, and which continued unceafing remonftrances within them. Reafoning with the jews, in the 2d chapter, he gives the following reprefentation of fome of the gentiles, ver. 14, 15. For when the gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, thefe, having not the law, are a law to themfelves. Which fhew the work of the law written in their hearts, their confcience alfo bearing witness, and their reasonings between themselves, accufing or elfe defending: and he adds, in the 26 and 27 verfes. Therefore, if the uncircumcifion, i. e. the uncircumcifed gentile, keep the righteousness of the law, fhall not his uncircumcifion be counted for circumcifion? i. e. fhall he not be equally accepted by God as a righteous jew? and shall not uncircumcifion, which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcifion, doft tranfgrefs the law? I presume no one will think fo meanly of St. Paul's reafoning as to fuppofe, that he here puts a cafe which either never was true in fact, or poffible in nature; but if this cafe either ever was true in fact, or poffible, those uncircumcised gentiles, who fhould answer his defcription, muft certainly have received from their Maker capacities and powers to do the will of God acceptably. And if others did not act in like manner, it was not owing to their

not having received like natural powers, but to their not making a like improvement of them.

But let us attend to fome paffages which have been produced in proof that man is not, by nature, able to do the will of God, or that his maker has not given him capacity, and ability to know and do his will acceptably, without the fuperadded operations of special grace to remedy his natural inability.

I Cor. ii. 14. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the fpirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are Spiritually difcerned.

Upon this text I would obferve first, that the word, which is here tranflated natural, properly fignifies animal, or fenfual. Thus 1 Cor. xv. 44, 46, the apostle uses the fame word three times for that body which dies, and is buried, to distinguish it from that Spiritual body which shall rise again; where the word animal much better expreffes the apoftle's meaning than natural. Again James uses it, ch. iii. 15. where our tranflators have rendered it fenfual. This wisdom defcendeth not from above, but is earthly, fenfual, devilish. It is also used ver. 19. of Jude's epiftle, and rendered fenfual. These are they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the fpirit. Thefe are all the paffages of the New Teftament where I find this word used. And it appears, that where it denotes the character of perfons,

or the moral quality of things, our tranflators have rendered it fenfual. Confequently, in confiftency. with themselves, they fhould have rendered the text under confideration, But the fenfual man (who has no higher aims than the gratification of his animal fenses) receiveth not the things of the fpirit of God, &c. This would have been readily understood and acknowledged by all, and is perfectly confonant to what he fays to the Romans, viii. 7, The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not fubject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

Secondly; in this chapter the apostle affures the Corinthians, that the doctrine which he had preached to them did not take its rife from worldly wisdom, or philofophy, but was that only which had been revealed to the apoftles by the fpirit of God, v. 10. That he had preached this doctrine in those terms only which the fame fpirit dictated, comparing the several particulars of it one with another, and with thofe things which the fame spirit had revealed to the patriarchs and prophets of old: That none of the wife or powerful men of this world had, or could poffibly have difcovered these counfels of God revealed by the fpirit of God in the gofpel, which spirit the apostles have received, that they might know, and inftruct others in the things that are freely given us of God. But the fenfual man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God, revealed by it to the apoftles, and preached by them to the

world,

world, for they are foolishness to him, contradicting all his former fentiments and principles, to which he ftill adheres; neither can he know them, because they are piritually difcerned, i. e. by the fole instructions of the fpirit, to which he neither attends nor fubmits. But the fpiritual man difcerneth or judgeth all things, i. e. all the forementioned things of God revealed by his spirit; all gofpel-truths; but he himself is difcerned or judged of no man, i. e. he is not subjected in these refpects to the judicature of the powers of this world, to the principles of human science, or the rules of human oratory.

Hence I would obferve firft, that the deep things of God, or the things of the fpirit of God, which the apostle speaks of in this chapter, are the doctrines of the gospel-revelation. Now it is readily allowed, that as men were not endowed with any natural powers whereby they could difcover thefe, they could not know them before they were revealed. But then, they were not under obligation to know or comply with them, 'till they were revealed. Secondly, that they who did not receive and comply with them, when revealed, are not represented as incapable through want of natural abilities and powers, but only as difqualified, or under a moral impotence, through fenfual difpofitions which they indulged, and habits which they had contracted.

By the Spiritual man seems to be primarily meant here, the apostles, to whom the spirit of God revealed

the truths of the gospel; but they alfo may be comprehended under the denomination, who receive the gofpel-truths, believing in the veracity, and¡ submiting to the authority of the fpirit which revealed them.

or

John xv. 5. Without me ye can do nothing. This fingle clause of a long sentence, being separated from its connexion with what goes before it, is produced as a proof that man is not able to do the will of God acceptably, without the immediate affistance, operation, of special grace upon him through Christ. But, if we look into our Lord's difcourfe, we find him exhorting his difciples to adhere steadfastly to him and his doctrine, that they might bring forth much fruit. He reminds them, that they had already gained much spiritual improvement by his inftructions, v. 3. Now ye are clean through the word which I have Spoken unto you. He intimates that, if they abandoned him and his doctrine, they would deprive themfelves of the means of fruitfulness. He is not fpeaking then of the natural powers of man, but of the importance of the doctrines which he taught to render men fruitful in good works; but this seems neceffarily to fuppofe a capacity in man to understand and improve his doctrines to these purposes.

It seems to be treating Chrift and his words with great irreverence, to apply them to other purposes than those for which he ufed them. We all readily agree that (in our Lord's fenfe of the expreffion) without him we can do nothing. i. e. If we abandon