divine things. A sinner does not begin to love God, whom he once hated, without having some new ideas of his excellency; nor to hate sin, which he once loved, without some discoveries of its criminality. In order to convert the heart, the blessed Spirit enlightens the eyes; and hence he is represented as accomplishing his work by the instrumentality of the word of truth. (Psalm xix. 7, 8. James i. 18. Eph. i. 18.) This is the use and end of the change of views which always takes place in conversion, that by them the heart may be transformed.

The views by which this change is produced, however, are in one respect, far from being new views, since they are only such as are contained in the sacred scriptures, and such as, in many cases, have been often presented to the mind before. What causes them now to produce a new effect? And what does the Holy Spirit do, in order to give them this unusual efficacy? He induces a sinner to attend to them, and thus insures their influence. Thus it is said that "the Lord opened Lydia's heart, that she attended to the things which were spoken by Paul." Acts xvi. 14.

The author is very desirous that his readers should fully satisfy themselves, before they

proceed, whether the preceding is an accurate and scriptural account of the conversion of a sinner to God. If any of them should conceive that there is any further change produced in conversion, he entreats them to ask what it is, and not to satisfy themselves without a clear and intelligible idea of it.

If the preceding view of conversion be correct, it is manifest that the Holy Spirit acts herein in conformity with the intelligent constitution of man, which has been already described. In all this process there is nothing extraordinary, but the originating impulse; in all other respects it is precisely what takes place in every change of the feelings, and the very method by which a thousand changes in them are wrought every day. Here is the understanding dwelling upon certain truths, and the heart influenced accordingly. The extraordinary thing is that a man is come to dwell upon truths which he once banished from his thoughts; but this, it is plain, makes no difference in the truths themselves, nor in the state of the faculties which he employs upon them. Here is no change of power, but simply a different employment of the power which has been all along possessed.

It appears, therefore, that, whatever the state of man as to power may be before he is influenced by the Holy Spirit, it is the same afterwards, inasmuch as the work of the Spirit makes no difference in this respect. He imparts no power, but merely sets in motion existing powers by an extraordinary impulse; so that the power of turning to God must, on this ground also, be admitted to exist without his influence.

If it should be suggested that the impulse thus given should be called power, we have only again to refer to our definition, which we are very willing to alter, if any of our readers will show cause; but from which, until then, every consideration forbids us to depart.

CHAP. V.

Whether the possession of power is not involved in the praise and blameworthiness of actions :-The argument from the nature of sin.

THE actions and character of men are familiarly spoken of in terms which convey either censure or commendation. Similar epithets are likewise employed by God himself upon similar subjects. Hence he speaks continually of righteousness and of sin. The conduct of men in an unconverted state he charges upon them as highly criminal; that is to say, the very conduct from which the Holy Spirit, in conversion, causes them to turn away, he severely condemns. Now, familiar as this kind of language is, it carries with it an idea strictly and powerfully applicable to our present purpose. For if an action, or rather the person by whom it is performed, be justly considered as worthy of praise or blame, it must be because there is some peculiar feature

in his conduct, giving occasion to, and corresponding with, this peculiar view of it. The actions of volcanoes and whirlwinds are not blamed, neither are those of brutes; why should those of men be so?

To deserved blame or commendation several conditions are required; but the only one necessary to be now noticed, is the possession of power to have acted otherwise. This is uniformly and absolutely essential. If, for example, a man is praised that he did not go to a gaming-house, and it is found that the reason of his not going was his confinement in a prison, the only ground of the praise awarded him is taken away. That which renders a person praiseworthy in the doing of good actions, is his doing them voluntarily, that is, under the impulse of his own feelings, and no other; and when, therefore, he might have done otherwise. In like manner, it is essential to blameworthiness that a man should have power to avoid the action as well as to perform it. If your servant, for instance, has injured your property, you hold him criminal because of the apparent voluntary nature of the act; but, if it could be satisfactorily proved to you that it was invo