"them, that, I. The omission of them, the ne" glect of men in them, is the principal occafion " and cause of the eternal ruin of the fouls of the " generality of them to whom, or amongst whom "the gospel is preached. This is the condemnation, "that light is come into the world, and men loved 66 darkness rather than light, because their deeds are " evil, John iii. 19. The generality of men know " full well that they do in this matter, no more "what they are able, than what they should. All "pleadable pretences of inability and weakness are " far from them. They cannot but know here, " and they shall be forced to confess hereafter, that " it was merely from their own cursed sloth, with " love of the world and fin, that they were divert"ed from a diligent attendance on the means of " converfion, and the fedulous exercise of their " minds about them. Complaints hereof againft " themselves will make up a great part of their last " dreadful cry. 2. In the most diligent use of " outward means, men are not able of themselves to "attain unto regeneration, or complete converfion "to God, without an especial, effectual, internal " work of the Holy Spirit of grace on their whole "fouls. 3. Ordinarily God in the effectual dif" pensation of his grace meeteth with them, who " attend with diligence on the outward administra" tion of the means of it. He doth so, I fay, or"dinarily, in comparison of them who are despisers " and neglecters of them. Sometimes indeed he " goeth as it were out of the way, to meet with " and bring home unto himself a perfecuting foul, " taking of him in, and taking him off from a " course of open tin and rebellion. But ordinarily " he dispenseth his peculiar especial grace, among "them who attend unto the common means of it. " For he will both glorify his word thereby, and " give out pledges of his approbation of our obedi"ence to his commands and institutions*." And in the fame treatise the Doctor answers an objection, which if I mistake not contains the very substance of those maxims on which the letterwriter proceeds in his extraordinary reasoning against the doctrine of his antagonists concerning the duty of unconverted sinners. The objection and the answer given to it by that eminent divine are as follow. " It may be objected, That whereas many un" regenerate persons may and do perform many " duties of religious obedience, if there be nothing " of spiritual life in them, then are they all fins, " and so differ not from the worst things they do " in this world, which are but fins; and if so, un" to what end should they take pains about them? "Were it not as good for them to indulge unto " their lufts and pleasures, seeing all comes to one " end? It is all fin, and nothing else: Why do "the dispensers of the gospel press any duties on "such as they know to be in that estate? What " advantage shall they have by a compliance with "them? Were it not better to leave them to "themselves and wait for their converfion, than to "spend time and labour about them to no purpose? " Answ. 1. It must be granted, That all the " duties of fuch persons are in some sense sins. " For they have not faith; and without faith it is " impossible to please. God, Heb. xi. 6. And the 66 apoitle also afsures us, that unto the defiled and unbelieving, that is, all unsanctified persons not " purified by the Spirit of grace, All things are " unclean, because their confciences and minds are der * Pneumatologia, or a Discourse concerning the Holy Spirit. Book III. c. ii. p. 193. filed "filed, Tit. i. 15. So their praying is faid to be an " abomination, and their plowing fin. It doth " not therefore appear what is otherwise in them " or to them. But as there are good duties which " have fin adhering to them, Ifai. Ixiv. 6. fo "there are fins which have good in them. - Such " are the duties of men unregenerate. Formally, " and unto them they are fin, materially and in " themselves they are good. This gives them a " difference from, and a preference above such fins, " as are every way sinful. As they are duties 66 they are good, as they are the duties of such per" fons they are evil, because necessarily defective in " in what should preserve them from being so. " And on this ground they ought to attend unto "them, and may be pressed thereunto. " 2. That which is good materially and in itself, " though vitiated from the relation which it hath " to the person by whom it is performed, is appra" ved and hath its acceptation in its proper place. And on this account also, that the duties "themselves are acceptable, men may be pressed to " them, &c. 66 66 3. The will of God is the rule of all mens " obedience. This they are all bound to attend "unto; and if what they do through their own " defect prove eventually fin unto them, yet the "commandment is just and holy, and the obser"vance of it is justly prescribed unto them. The " law is the moral cause of the performance of the " duties it requires, but not of the finful manner " of their performance. And God hath not lost his right of commanding men, because they by " their fin have lost their power to fulfil his com" mands. And if the equity of the command doth "arise from the proportioning of strength that men have to answer it, he that by contracting the " highest = 66 highest moral disability that depraved habits of " mind can introduce, or a course of finning pro" duce in him, is freed from owning obedience un"to any of God's commands; feeing all con"fess that fuch an habit of fin may be contracted, " as will deprive them in whom it is, of all power " of obedience. Wherefore, 4. Preachers of the gospel and others have fuf"ficient warrant to press upon all men the duties " of faith, repentance, and obedience, although they know that in themselves they have not a fuf"ficiency of ability for their due performance. For, ، 1. It is the will and command of God that so they " should do, and that is the rule of all our duties. "They are not to confider what man can do or " will do, but what God requires. To make a " judgment of mens ability, and to accomodate "the commands of God unto them accordingly, " is not committed unto any of the fons of men. 2. They have a double end in preffing on men "the obfervance of duties, with a fuppofition of "the state of impotency described; 1. To prevent " them from such courses of fin, as would harden "them, and so render their converfion more dif"ficult, if not defperate; 2. To exercise a means "appointed of God for their conversion, or the " communication of saving grace unto them. Such "are God's commands, and such are the duties re"quired in them. In and by them God doth use " to communicate of his grace unto the fouls of men, not with respect unto them as their duties, " but as they are ways appointed and fanctified by " him unto fuch ends. And hence it follows, that " even such duties as are vitiated in their perfor"mance, yet are of advantage unto them by whom "they are performed. For, 1. By attendance unto "them, they are preferved from many fins. 2. " In "In an especial manner from the great fin of 66 defpifing God, which ends commonly in that "which is unpardonable. 3. They are hereby " made useful unto others, and many ends of "God's glory in the world. 4. They are kept " in God's way, wherein they may gradually be " brought over unto a real converfion unto " him*." Whether the sentiments and reasonings of this pious and learned divine, or the uncouth notions of the letter-writer with regard to the subject under confideration, are most agreeable to the Sacred Writings, we leave to be determined by the impartial reader. Some of our author's Pelagian friends, in the last age, having used nearly the fame artifices, for giving the public an unfavourable idea of the doctrine taught by a number of orthodox, laborious and useful divines in that period, whereby Palæmon has en * Discourse concerning the Holy Spirit. Book III. c. iv. p. 248, 249, 250. As there is not perhaps a more dangerous and foulruining imagination, than that which the learned Doctor is attempting to refute in the passages above quoted, and his observations are not only scriptural, but exceeding pertinent to the purpose, I hope I need not make any apology for the length of the quotation. As any attempt to discourage men, supposed to be yet in an unrenewed state, from attending diligently on the means of grace and salvation which God has appointed for bringing finners to himself, has a manifeft tendency to draw them into manifold snares, and to cherish in them such a contempt of the authority, law, ordinances and ways of God, as is likely to issue in their everlasting perdition; those who are engaged in it, I think, may justly be confidered as agents for hell and factors for the devil deavoured |