enmity against God: it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." Ye will not come to me," said Christ, that ye might have life."" And the apostle comprehends every sinner who obeys not the gospel, in that general, but faithful account of their principles, tempers, and endeavours: "They being ignorant of the righteousness of God," revealed and delineated in his law, and going about to establish their own righteousness," by their own performances, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness" of the Son of God, who is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." The contrivance of the gospel lies directly cross to the mind and will of natural men, and they to it; so that the one is the very reverse of the other. Can any thing show, in a stronger light, the absolute necessity of a divine power, to deliver our whole souls into the mould of evangelical religion, and to make us obedient to the faith of the gospel? Even "Paul might plant, and Apollos might water, but God must give the increase." bla 5. I shall only add another consideration to prove the necessity of divine energy to produce an unfeigned belief of the gospel, taken from the wretched condition of sinners in their natural state: God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all." "All mankind are naturally in unbelief," under its dominion and influenee, enslaved and held in bondage by its power and tyranny. "God hath concluded," or shut them up in this miserable condition, as if they were firmly bound and secured in a prison; so they cannot make their escape. This being their deplorable situation, they cannot recover their liberty, they cannot believe by any power or wisdom of their own. Nothing but almighty power can open the prison-doors, and set them free. Such perishing and guilty sinners are only the objects of the sovereign mercy of God, who is gracious to whom he will be gracious, and hath compassion on whom he will have compassion. To this end, the Lord hath concluded all in unbelief, that he may magnify the exceeding riches of his free grace more illustriously, in calling some of all nations, without any respect of persons, to be saved through faith in Christ. Thus it appears, that divine energy is absolutely necessary to produce a saving belief of the gospel : for no man can come to Christ, except the Father draw him, by a faith of the operation of God; we are by nature dead in trespasses and sins; we are not capable of knowing the things of God, without the efficacious teaching of the Holy Ghost; we are naturally disaffected to the saving truth; and God hath concluded all in unbelief. This is a faithful transcript of our total impotency and inability to every good work, copied into the sacred oracles from the most perfect knowledge of human nature; and confessed by all that are taught by God as the truth is in Jesus, who gratefully confess, that by the grace of God they are what they are" and that " of God, and through him, and to him, are all things" pertaining to their salvation. SECT. II. The Holy Ghost worketh Faith in the soul, by means of the word which is believed. 1 This position is conformable to severy ideas swe have of believing, and it is the express language of Scripture. "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth" for he spake, and every thing Lin creation was done; he commanded, and all things. stood fast. Such is the work of God also in the new creation, which is both begun and advanced by his powerful word, in such grown persons as are capable of experiencing its saving influence.* In all ordinary cases, mankind are induced to credit a hu man testimony upon the account of the credibility they apprehend to be in the testimony itself. What ever reasons may contribute to engage their belief, it is certain that all these circumstances only operate to render the testimony more credible in their view; and being so confirmed, the testimony itself, of which they might have doubted without such circumstantial confirmations, is believed. But if we receive the testimony of men upon this principle, and if our receiving it is owing to our perceiving the credibility of their testimony, surely the testimony of God is greater; and our receiving his testimony must arise from a perception of his authority and veracity, which * As the word of God was not written for the use of idiots and infants, and does not gratify an idle curiosity about the nature or means of the work of the Spirit in such of them as belong to the election of grace; it is both impertinent and dangerous to examine the manner of their effectual calling. render every word he hath spoken infallibly certain, Such a clear manifestation of the truth, and such a powerful demonstration of the authority of God, unto the consciences of men, is the effect of the blessed Spirit, who receiveth the things of Christ, and shows them unto us. Hence the Comforter is promised to reprove, or convince us, so as to determine our judg ments, and sway our affections, of " sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." He performs this work, by enabling us to perceive the meaning, and submit unto the authority of the Scriptures; which testify unto a lost world, the nature and demerit of sin, the righteousness of the law, and that righteousness fulfilled by Christ, and the judgment that shall be executed on the prince of this world. To explain and support the proposition that stands at the beginning of this section, I shall endeavour to illustrate it under these two capital branches: 1. The Holy Ghost worketh the faith of the divine law by means of the law vand, 2. He worketh the faith of the gospel by means of the gospel. All convictions of sin and misery are comprehended in the faith of the law; and all relieving, comforting, quickening, and saving knowledge and belief of scripture truths, are included in the faith of the gospel. - 1 I observed, that the Holy Ghost worketh the faith of the divine law by means of the law. Having, in a foregoing chapter, endeavoured to explain the nature, demands, sanctions, and obligations of the divine law,* I shall not resume that subject at present; but only observe, that the knowledge * Chap. I. Sect. I. and belief of these things is wrought in a sinner by the law of God. Hereby he is convinced that the law is spiritual, and that himself is carnal; that the law demands perfect and persevering obedience, and that he is altogether unrighteous, and a child of disobedience; that the law reveals the wrath of God from heaven against the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, and that he is the obnoxious criminal, and a ehild of wrath; that the obligation of the divine law is universal and perpetual, and that he lies under it as a binding rule of holiness both in heart and life. The Spirit of God presents the law to the sinner's conscience, and opens the eyes of his understanding to perceive the true meaning of its holy commandments, as well as to feel its authority demanding obedience and forbidding sin, under the highest penalties. By these impressed views of the divine law, the sinner learns to know what the law saith to himself; he sees the perfect contrast between the holiness of God and his own depravity; he discerns the majesty of the supreme Lawgiver stamped on every precept and on every prohibition; he perceives the veracity and justice of the Lord engaged to execute deserved punishment upon him as a transgressor of the law; and, to sum up all in one assertion, he that believeth the law of God, hath the witness or testimony which is contained in the law, put into his mind, written in his heart, and recorded in his 'conscience. Perhaps this doctrine may become clearer, if we illustrate it by an example. The experience of Paul seems to be extended on purpose for our learning, that we may be led thereby into right views of the |