But before fentence be pronounced, feeling myself entitled to the character of a found and faithful minifter of the word, I may be allowed to call for cool examination. You prefume, page 39, that I cannot really believe either the 9th or 10th articles of the church, because I talk of fomething being left to man to perform in the work of falvation, in order to entitle him to the reward of the Gofpel covenant. this fubject, it will be found that no more has been faid than what has been always understood to be the doctrine of our church, grounded upon the authority of scripture.

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The ninth article of the church treats of original or birth fin; by which is understood to be meant, that mental depravity entailed upon human nature in confequence of the fall of ADAM; in the words of the article," the fault and corruption of every man; whereby man is very far from original righteousness, and is of his own nature inclined to evil; which natural inclination to evil deferves God's wrath and damnation."

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The doctrine, therefore, contained in this article, is this; that human nature has been corrupted, and that in that state it deferves punishment. In this state every man is born, a fallen fon of fallen ADAM:

and, although by baptifm he is born into a new ftate, a state of grace and acceptance with GOD, through CHRIST; yet the infection of his nature still remains; and fo far as it doth remain, hath of itself the nature of fin. The conclufion that has been generally drawn from this article is, that all mankind, confidered in their natural condition, are in a ftate of fin and condemnation before God. And that one great object of CHRIST's meritorious office, was to take off the condemnation lying upon our fpecies, and to place man in a ftate of grace and acceptance with GOD, that" as in ADAM all die, fo in CHRIST all should be made alive."lit

In this light, admiffion into Christianity by baptifm is to be confidered as the putting man in a way, by which, through the operation of the Spirit, he may become so purified from his natural corruption, as to be qualified for the falvation which has been purchafed for him.

The tenth article is but a corollary to the ninth! The doctrine contained in it is obvious, and briefly this; that, in confequence of man's alienation from GOD, and fpiritual things, he muft, through CHRIST, have the grace of GoD to enable him both to will and to do good works, pleasant and acceptable to God.

The minth article defcribes the natural ftate of man, in confequence of the fall; the tenth points out the remedy, by which alone he is to be recovered from it. This article profeffes in its title to treat of free-will. By which term we understand, that although no man, in an unregenerate ftate, has any free-will, but to do evil; being, whilst in that ftate, under fubjection to his fallen nature; yet, by the grace of God in CHRIST, he poffeffes a degree of free will towards the performance of fpiritual fervices, for the non-performance of which he will be accountable. For, the negative proposition contained in this article, that no man has power to do good works, pleasant and acceptable to GOD, without the grace of GOD, includes within it the pofitive one, viz. that with that grace good works, pleasant and acceptable to God, may be performed by him. "I can do all things," &c. Phil. iv. 13. "I laboured more abundantly," &c. I Cor. xv. 10. " Work out your falvation," &c. Phil. ii. 12. A direction

which furnishes a plain comment upon the foregoing article, by making the affistance of Divine grace an argument for human exertion.

This article may be confidered, then, as having a double afpect: it looks to man in a state of nature,

and in a state of grace. In the former he can do no good works; in the latter he may, because the spirit of GOD is vouchfafed to him for the purpofe. When it is faid, therefore, that we have no power to do good works; it is not meant that man cannot contribute any thing towards the performance of Christian duty, or that that duty is to be suspended till he is fure that he has neceffary affiftance: but he is therefore to attempt the performance of his duty with the most strenuous exertion, because he has full dependence on that affiftance, which, as a child of GOD in CHRIST, he is entitled to receive in the proper ufe of the appointed means.

Now although ST. AUGUSTINE might occafionally be warmed into faying fome very strong things in favour of the Divine agency, with the view of counteracting the Pelagian herefy; yet I fhould be inclined to think, that his deliberate judgment on this fubject did not widely differ from that which has been here drawn from the article in queftion. His words are thefe; "Si non eft DEI gratia, quomodo falvat mundum? Si non eft liberum arbitrium, quomodo judicat mundum? Quia ifta queftio, ubi de arbitrio voluntatis et DEI gratiâ difputatur, ita eft ad difcernendum difficilis, ut quando defenditur liberum

arbitrium, negari DEI gratia videatur; quando autem afferitur DEI gratia, liberum arbitrium putetur auferri."

To draw the line between these two diftinct powers of grace and free-will, our church does not prefume; the fimply afferts, what, I trust, every Christian believes, that no man in his state of nature can do good works; but that good works, i. e. virtuous actions upon Christian principles, and as fuch pleasant and acceptable to Gop, may be performed by a man in a ftate of grace. Thefe two powers are doubtlefs reconcilable in their nature, though we fhort-fighted mortals at prefent know not how perfectly to reconcile them. We receive the doctrine, therefore, as we do all other doctrines of a mysterious nature, without attempting to explain it. If the doctrine contained in this article tend to roufe man to the actual performance of his baptifmal engagement, confidering himself as the agent in the work of falvation; at the fame time that it keeps in view the power, by which alone he is enabled to exert himfelf in the important business; the article answers the design for which it was originally compofed. Man is to work out his falvation, not because of himself he is able fo to do, but because he is affifted by that Being to whom all things are poffible, and who "can enable him