make both our persons and duties acceptable unto God, we can't will, much less perform, what is savingly good; this is plainly evident from Phil. 2: 13, "For it is God that worketh in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure." Thus also the 10th Article. of the Church of England: "Wherefore we have no power to do good works, pleasant and acceptable unto God, without the grace of God by Christ preventing us, that we may have a good will, and working with us when we have that good will."

Objection. I am not ignorant that some cavil after this manner: "For what end are the calls of the Gospel, if we can't by the improvement of our own free wills procure salvation? If all men have not power to work out their own salvation, why are they exhorted to it? (Phil. 2: 12.) Does not Christ make a mock of us when he tells us that every one that will, may come to the waters of life freely (Rev. 22: 17), if we have not a natural power to comply with this invitation ?"

Answer 1. It is most certain we have not a natural power to obey all the exhortations, or to comply with all the invitations of the Gospel; for instance, we are exhorted to faith in Christ, and yet we are plainly told, John 6: 44, "That no man can come unto him, unless the Father which hath sent him draw him." Thus the 9th Article of Lambeth: "It is not put in the will or power of every man to be saved."

2. Though we have no strength, ability, or sufficiency of our own, there is abundant fulness in Christ to supply all our wants. Are we without strength? "His strength is made perfect in weakness." 2 Cor. 12: 9. Have we no righteousness that will commend us to God, or justify us in his sight; his name is "Jehovah Tsidkenu, the Lord our Righteousness." Jer. 23: 6. Are we in an estate of unbelief? "He is the author and finisher of our faith." Heb. 12 2. Are our hearts obdurate, our wills incorrigible? It is He "that must take away the heart of stone, and give a heart of flesh," Ezek. 36: 26; "and make us willing in the day of his power." Psal. 110 3. So that Christ does not mock us when he exhorts us to work out our salvation, or when he invites us to accept of eternal blessedness, though we are never so impotent; since he has undertaken to work all in us, and to do all for us. He can of unwilling make us willing; he can bring dead men to life; can open our deaf ear; enlighten our blind minds; incline our stubborn and incorrigible wills; can sanctify our depraved and corrupted affections, that we may attentively hear, truly understand, and heartily embrace the calls of the Gospel; and, therefore, from the sense of our miserable impotency, we should be the more fervent with our glorious Christ to give us strength. The consideration that all grace and salvation is treasured up in his own hands, and that he bestows it on whom he pleases, should augment our endeavours, prayers, cries, and tears unto him, that he would interest us in his free and distinguishing grace and favour.

Thus the Church of England, in their Homily of Salvation: "So that Christ is now the righteousness of all them that do truly believe in him. He for them paid a ransom by his death; he for them fulfilled the law in his life, so that in him and by him every true Christian man may be called a fulfiller of the law."

But I go on to clear this point.

3. Nothing can be more clearly, plainly, and expressly laid down in the Scriptures, than the contrary to this tenet, that salvation is procured by the improvement and right use of our free wills; very plain and express is the words of our text. Another clear evidence from the Spirit of God is that, Phil. 2: 13, "It is God that worketh in us, both to will and to do of his good pleasure." To the same purpose, is Jer. 10: 23, "Oh Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." And equal evidence from And equal evidence from many other passages in the book of God. That this essential article of Christianity should be thus invaded and subverted, alas, there is much of the agency of Satan in it. The forecited 10th Article of the Church of England is very clear on this point.

4. Can a dead man perform vital actions? can he shake off his graveclothes, and appear with former beauty and activity? Is it in the will and power of a stinking dead carcass to reassume his life, reason, and sensation? Neither is it in the power of a natural man to perform any spiritual action. 1 Cor. 2:14: "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." We are naturally under the power of "spiritual death." Eph. 2:1. Our body is but a grave and tomb for a spiritually dead soul, and there must be a marvellous change wrought in us from darkness to light, and from death to life, ere we can be in an estate of salvation. John 33. Thus the first clause of the 10th Article of the Church of England: "The condition of man after the fall of Adam is such, that he cannot turn and prepare himself, by his own natural strength and good works, for faith and calling upon God."

5. This doctrine is most opposite unto, it destroys, the covenant of grace, and revives the covenant of works. If it be in our power to enrich ourselves with, or to reject the grace of God at pleasure; if we can by our own doings, by the right improvement of our own natural faculties, bring ourselves into an estate of salvation, what does this differ from the covenant of works, save in a plausible show only? But it widely differs from the whole tenor of the Gospel. Rom. 11: 6: "If it be of grace, then no more of works." Our blessed Lord disciplines his disciples in that essential article of Christianity, that our salvation is the fruits of free sovereign grace. Matt. 11: 25; and 13: 11. And thus the Church of England very plainly hold forth in their 13th Article: "Works done before the grace of Christ, and the inspiration of his Spirit, are not pleasant unto God; forasmuch as they spring not of faith

in Jesus Christ, neither do they make men meet to receive grace, or (as the school authors say) deserve grace of congruity."

6. If this doctrine be true, that the right improvement of our free wills will procure our salvation, then the glorified saints have no more cause to acknowledge nor praise the free grace and love of Christ than damned sinners. The glorious inhabitants of heaven are under no more obligation to the redeeming love of the Son of God than the damned in hell.

The stock of grace (according to this tenet) was equally distributed to Paul and Judas, to Abel and Cain, to Jacob and Esau; that the one is in glory, while the other is in endless horror and misery, is owing to their own care and diligence; they did better, and therefore fare better. They have, therefore, cause to praise their own industry, and not the distinguishing special grace of God. Ah, soul-destroying doctrine! Every sensible Christian will bring in a ready testimony against it. The great Apostle was such a one, and hear his language, 1 Tim. 1: 14, 16: "And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant. . . . Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering." The perpetual language of the glorified shall be as Psal. 115: 1, "Not unto us, oh Lord, not unto us, but to thy name be glory.' From all these considerations the 7th Article of Lambeth appears most true: "That sufficient grace to salvation is not given, is not communicated nor granted to all men whereby they can be saved if they will."

Thus I come to

Prop. III. Our salvation proceeds not from our imperfect performances. This doctrine the Spirit of God plainly lays down. Titus 3: 5, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us." And thus also the 11th Article of the Church of England: "We are accounted righteous before God, only for the merits of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, by faith, and not for our own works and deservings.'

But to be more particular, know

1. That we are infinite debtors to Divine justice. Our debt is twofold, a debt of observation, and of satisfaction. The former due as from rational creatures, the latter as from offending sinners.

As we are the workmanship of the Most High, created for, and capable of, the manifestation of his glory, it is in the highest degree reasonable, it is our natural duty, to live to the perpetual honour of our glorious Creator, by an exact obedience to his preceptive will; therefore, justly might he thunder forth that curse against the non-observers of his sacred law. Gal. 3: 10. Moreover, as we are criminals and delinquents, as we have broken his law, provoked his justice, and stirred up his jealousy, there is satisfaction demanded and due from it: a debt payable by nothing less than the rigorous execution of justice upon ourselves or surety. The glory of unspotted justice requires that the sentence, Gen. 3: 17,

"Thou shalt surely die," must be executed. Thus 9th Article of the Church of England: "Original sin standeth not, &c., therefore in every person born into this world, as it hath of itself the nature of sin, so it deserveth God's wrath and damnation."

2. Our apostasy has so depraved and debilitated all the faculties of our souls, that we are incapable to fulfil the demands of justice in the least instance. Our most elevated performances will fall so far short of perfection, that they will (if rewarded) but lay us fur. ther obnoxious to the stroke of displeased justice. The sin that cleaves to our best duties (if impugned) might justly render us the eternal monuments of unrelenting wrath. Our prayers and tears themselves want washing in the blood of Christ. The pure eye of justice finds numberless spots, blemishes, and defects in our most holy duties. Most reasonably, therefore, does the Psalmist expostulate, Ps. 143: 2, "And enter not into judgment with thy servant, for in thy sight shall no man living be justified." Thus the forecited 13th Article of the Church of England: "Works done before the grace of Christ and the inspiration of his Spirit, are not pleasant to God, &c. . . . Yea, rather for that they are not done as God hath willed and commanded them to be done, we doubt not but they have the nature of sin."

3. Were our righteousness never so excellent, it would not stand us in stead for our justification. Could we yield such exact obedience to the whole preceptive will of God, that the pure eyes of justice could find no fault; could we attain to angelical holiness, omit no duty, commit no actual sin, nor be chargeable with the nonobservance of the least tittle of God's preceptive law, our debt would not yet be paid, nor justice satisfied; for (saith Bishop Usher) "God will not have justice swallowed up of mercy, nor sinners pardoned, and offenders acquitted, without satisfaction." But we must remain God's prisoners until we have paid the uttermost farthing, a debt not payable by Christless sinners by anything less than eternal sufferings.

Our own righteousness, were it never so excellent, would be but a broken reed, a sandy foundation to build upon. "Could our excellency mount up to the heavens, and our head to the clouds, we might perish as our own dung." Job 20: 6, 7. Thus the Church of England in their Homily, "That we must renounce the merit of our virtues and good deeds, as things that be far too weak to deserve remission of our sins and justification."

APPLICATION.

My only use shall be by way of exhortation in two branches. I. Be exhorted to hold fast the form of sound words you have at this time delivered unto you. It is an awful consideration to see the prevalence of error amongst us, and especially to see the estate of Christianity invaded and corrupted. Let me, therefore, with great earnestness address you with the language of

make us willing, and through the imputation of his righteousness the apostle, in 2 Peter 3:17, "Beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness."

1. Consider your everlasting state depends upon your heeding or rejecting what you have heard. You see that each particular is agreeable with the standard of the sanctuary of God, as well as the established doctrine of the Church of England. Therefore a mistake here is of no other consequence than the loss of a soul.

2. Consider that an error here is remediless. It will not do at last (when in the scorching flames of God's fiery vengeance) to say you were mistaken; that will not ease nor deliver you. We read of such that expected salvation from their duties and privileges, concerning whom Christ pronounces, "Ah, verily I know you not.' Matt. 7:23.

Exhort. II. Have all your dependence upon special grace.

Dir. 1. Labour to see, and pray that you may see, more and more, your own nothingness and misery. Until you see yourselves sick, you will not want a physician; until you see your poverty, you will not buy of Christ "gold tried in the fire." Therefore labour to be of those lost ones whom Christ came to seek to save. Matt. 18 11. Oh, labour to see yourselves undone, helpless, hopeless, unless special astonishing grace be magnified in your salvation.

Dir. 2. Rest not satisfied in a Christless state. What! at ease when the billows of amazing wrath are ready to overwhelm you? "Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, that Christ may give you life." Eph. 5: 14.

Finally, cast yourselves at the foot of mercy; resolve to rest there; be found constant, fervent, incessant, in your cries to our blessed Jesus for grace and salvation. Resolve a course of constant duty; to cast yourselves upon Christ, seeing unto, and depending upon him to do all in you, and all for you. "Blessed are they that thus watch at his gates, and wait at the posts of his door."

A MEDITATION.

THIS world is bright and beautiful. Originally, it must have been a paradise, transcending in loveliness and glory all we can. conceive. If now, when the destroyer has set his seal of desolation and sin upon it, it is so attractive, what must it have been in the beginning, when fresh from the creating hand of the High and Holy One who inhabiteth eternity and the praises thereof!

This world is lovely. Its broad rivers, majestic mountains, bold cataracts, and limpid lakes; its luxuriant forests, and extensive prairies; its fertile plains and rich valleys, render it so desirable an abode for man that we would fain linger here forever, and need to be reminded that this is not our dwelling-place, but