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SERMONS, 
 
 'ON A NUMBER OF 
 
 CONNECTED SUBJECTS; 
 
 IN WHICH 
 
 AN ATTEMPT IS MADE TO EXPLAIN 
 
 THE LEADING 
 
 PRINCIPLES OF REVEALED RELIGION, 
 
 TO SHOW THEIR CONSISTENCY, REASONABLENESS AND IM- 
 PORTANCE ; AND TO GUARD THEM AGAINST DANGEROUS 
 MISCONSTRUCTIONS AND FALSE INFERENCES, AND AGAINST 
 THE SPECIOUS OBJECTIONS OF UNBELIEVERS. 
 
 BY JOHN SMALLEY, D. D. 
 
 PASTOR OF A CHURCH IN BERLIN, CONNECTICUT. 
 
 PUBLISHED ACCORDING <fO ACT OF CONGRESS. 
 
 HARTFORD : 
 PRINTED FOR OLIVER D. COOKE. 
 
 LINCOLN AND GLEASON, PRINTERS. 
 1803. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 SERMON I. 
 
 On the salvation of men, by means of the gospel 
 ministry. 
 
 1 CORINTHIANS I. 21. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 It pleased God, by the foolishness of preaching, to save 
 them that believe. 9 
 
 SERMON II. 
 
 How the salvation of all men, is agreeable to the 
 will of God. 
 
 1 TIMOTHY II. 4. 
 
 Who virill have all men to be saved, and to come unto the 
 knowledge of the truth. 25 
 
 SERMON III. 
 On the Divine Goodness. 
 
 1 JOHN IV. 8. 
 He that loveth not, knovreth not God ; for God is love. 39 
 
It contents. 
 
 SERMON IV. 
 
 On the justice of God, in the punishment of sin. 
 
 ROMANS XII. 19. 
 
 *— Vengeance is mine ; I will repay, saith the Lord. 5T 
 
 SERMON V. 
 
 On the immutabihty of God. 
 
 JOB XXIII. 13. 
 
 But he is in one mind, and who can turn him ? and what 
 his soul desireth, even that he doeth. 7S 
 
 SERMON VL 
 On the all-governing Providence of God. 
 
 ISAIAH XLV. r. 
 
 I form the light, and create darkness ; I make peace, and 
 create evil. I the Lord do all these things. 8$ 
 
 SERMON VII. 
 
 Charity, the essence of moral virtue. 
 
 1 TIMOTHY I. 5. 
 
 Now, the end of the commandment is charity. lOS 
 
 SERMON VIII. 
 
 On self-love ; or regarding one's own happiness. 
 
 HEBREWS XL. 26. 
 For he had respeSl unto the recompence of the reward. 13S 
 
CONTENTS. V 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 SERMON IX. 
 
 On the universal sinfulness of mankind. 
 
 1 JOHN I. 8. 
 
 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and 
 the truth is not in us. 139 
 
 SERMON X. 
 On the universal sinfulness of mankind. 
 
 1 JOHN I. 8. 
 
 Jf we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and 
 the truth is not in us. 15S 
 
 SERMON XI. 
 On the doctrine of original sin. 
 
 ROMANS V. 18. 
 
 By the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to 
 condemnation. 169 
 
 SERMON XII. 
 
 On the total depravity of mankind by nature. 
 
 ROMANS Vn. 18. 
 
 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no 
 good thing. 195 
 
 SERMON XIII. 
 
 On man's native opposition of heart to the Su- 
 preme Being. 
 
 ROMANS Vni. 7. 
 The carnal mind is enmity against God. 2 1 1 
 
vi CONTENTS. 
 
 PAfeE. 
 
 SERMON XIV. 
 
 On the sovereignty of God, in the effectual calHng 
 of sinners. 
 
 ROMANS IX. 18. 
 
 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and 
 whom he will he hardeneth. 257 
 
 SERMON XV. 
 
 On the doctrine of personal election. 
 
 ROMANS XI. 5. 
 
 Even so then, at this present time also, there is a remiiant 
 according to the election of grace. 259 
 
 SERMON XVI. 
 On regeneration. 
 
 EPHESIANS II. 10. 
 
 For we are his workmanship, created ia Christ Jesus vmto 
 good works. 277 
 
 SERMON XVII. 
 
 On repentance, conversion, and pardon. 
 
 ACTS III. 19. 
 
 Repent ye, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may 
 be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come 
 from the presence of the Lord. 305 
 
 SERMON XVIII. 
 
 On saving faith in Jesus Christ. 
 
 JOHN VI. 29. 
 
 This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he 
 hath sent. 327 
 
CONTENTS. vii 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 SERMON XIX. 
 
 On the preservation and perseverance of true 
 believers in Christ. 
 
 1 PETER I. 5. 
 
 Who are kept by the power of God, through faith, unto 
 salvation. 351 
 
 SERMON XX. 
 
 On the preservation and perseverance of true be- 
 lievers in Christ. 
 
 1 PETER I. V. 
 
 Who are kept by the power of God, through faith, unto 
 salvation. 363 
 
 SERMON XXI. 
 
 On obtaining assurance of eternal salvation. 
 
 HEBREWS VI. 11. 
 
 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same 
 diligence, to the full assurance of hope unto the end. 38 1 
 
 SERMON XXII. 
 
 On the necessity of holiness here, in order to hap- 
 piness hereafter. 
 ROMANS IL 6, 7. 
 
 Who will render to every man according to his deeds ; 
 To them who, by patient continuance in well-doing, 
 seek for glory, and honor, and immortality, eternal life. 403 
 
 SERMON XXIII. 
 
 • On the perfection of separate souls in heaven. 
 HEBREWS xn. 23. 
 — And to the spirits of just men made perfect. 42 1 
 
SERMON i; 
 
 ON THE SALVATION OF MEN, BY MEANS OF THE 
 GOSPEL MINISTRY. • , 
 
 1 CORINTHIANS I. 2U 
 
 It pleased God^ by the foolishness of preaching.^ to save them 
 that believe. 
 
 jL he apostle is here observing, how much 
 the despised institution of a preached gospel, for the 
 instruction of mankind in matters of religion, had 
 triumphed over all the boasted philosophy of the 
 learned gentile world. He says, " Where is the 
 wise ? where is the scribe ? where is the disputer of 
 this world ? hath not God made foolish the wisdom 
 of this world ? For after that, in the wisdom of God, 
 tlie world by wisdom knfew not God" — after, in the 
 wise ordering of Providence, human reason, on a full 
 trial, had been found unable to ascertain the first ar- 
 ticle of a saving divine foith — " it pleased God, by 
 the foolishness of preaching, to save them that be- 
 lieve." 
 
 Two questions arise respecting these words, to 
 which particular attention will now be paid. 
 
 * Preached at the settlement of a minister ; but now consid- 
 erably altered, especially in the application. 
 
 B 
 
10 The sahation of men, f Ser. I. 
 
 What the apostle means by the foolishness of 
 preaching : and how, by means of this, God sees 
 iit to save lost men. 
 
 Our first question is, What ai^ we here to under- 
 stand by the foolishness of preaching ? 
 
 Not, certainly, any thing in this work which is 
 truly foolish ; however much it may be vulgarly ad- 
 mired. We read of those, even in the davs of the 
 apostles, who crept into houses, and led captive silly 
 people ; such as were ever learning, but never able 
 to come to the knowledge of the truth. And un- 
 doubtedly there have been such preachers, and such 
 hearers, in all- ages. It is said, indeed, the weak 
 things of this world, hath God chosen and called. 
 But that the weakest things should be truly edified, or 
 converted, or convicted, by real nonsense, can hard- 
 ly be belie\ ed. The still small voice must be heard, 
 or after all the eaith-quake, the fire, and the wind, 
 there v/ill be no lasting good effect. Though scrip- 
 ture, not reason, ought to be the preacher's oracle ; 
 yet the scripture must be made to appear consistent 
 with reason, or we shall nev^er make men rational nor 
 real christians. 
 
 The apostle, in this phrase, the fooUshness of 
 preaching, must be understood ironically ; or as 
 speaking after the manner of unbelievers. He says, 
 ver. 18, '* The preaching of the cross is to them that 
 perish foolishness ; but unto us who are saved, it is 
 the povrer of God.'^ Both the matter, and the man- 
 ner, of the primitive preachers of Christianity, were 
 thought meanly of by those who opposed themselves ; 
 more especially by the learned Gentiles. 
 
 Their manner was simple and plain ; destitute, very 
 much, of tlie subtilties of metaphysics, and of the 
 flowers of rhetoric, tlien held in admiration. See ver. 
 17, of the context : " For Christ sent me not to bap- 
 tize, but to preach the gospel : not with wisdom o£ 
 
Ser. I.] hy the Gospel Ministry. 11 
 
 words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of 
 none effect." By wisdom of words, however, is riot 
 to be understood, a skilful choice of proper expres- 
 sions. Perspicuity of style ought ah^ ays to be stu- 
 died : nor should energy of language, on important 
 subjects, be purposely neglected. " The preacher 
 sought to find out acceptable words," Avords most per- 
 tinent and intelligible, no doubt ; as well as words 
 least liable to give unnecessary oifence. And he tells 
 us, '' The words of the wise are as goads, and as 
 nails fastened by the masters of assemblies." As far 
 as is necessary for communicating one's ideas in the 
 clearest and most forcible manner, a studious choice 
 of the best words, is certainly of great importance. 
 
 But by that wisdom of words with which the apos- 
 tle says he was not sent to preach we may understand, 
 \vhat he calls in the next chapter, " Enticing words 
 of man's AA'isdom." Words of deceitful flatter}^, and 
 of popular self-importance, may be veiy properly so 
 called. Nothing is more enticing to many hearers, 
 than a preacher's telling them of their goodness ; or 
 of his own eminent piety, and great benevolence. 
 All pedantic affectation of learning — all bombastic 
 pomposity of language — all labored prettiness of ex- 
 pression, and all studied ambiguity, to escape cen- 
 sure by concealing one's sentiments, may also come 
 under the idea of that wisdom of ^vords ^vhich ought 
 to be avoided. Some of these artifices, while they 
 engage attention to the speaker, will di\^ert it from the 
 things spoken. They are all of them real faults, in 
 any orator ; but most of all are they impardonable, in 
 a preacher of the gospel. All of them have a ten- 
 dency to make the cross of Christ, or the doctrines 
 of Christianity, of none effect. They must all be re- 
 nounced, among die hidden things of dishonesty, if 
 a preacher, by manifestation of the truth, would com- 
 mend himself to every man's conscience, in the si2:ht 
 of God. 
 
12 The sahation of men, [Ser. I. 
 
 The manner of the apostles, though one or two of 
 them were eloquent and learned men, was so far from 
 all affectation of learning or eloquence, that it appear- 
 ed despicable, no doubt, not only to the vulgar, who 
 are captivated with parade and show, more than with 
 solid substance ; but also to the great adepts in sci- 
 ence, falsely so called. 
 
 And as the apostolic maimer of preaching would 
 naturally be despised for its simplicity and plainness ; 
 so the subject matter of it, was looked upon as most 
 contemptibly stupid and absurd. Concerning its 
 first grand article, this is observed immediately after 
 our text, " For the Jews require a sign, and the 
 Greeks seek after wisdom : But we preach Christ 
 crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and to 
 the Greeks foolishness." Nothing could more stum- 
 ble and offend the former, tlian telling them of the 
 shameful crucifixion of their expected glorious Mes- 
 siah ; who was to prolong his days, and on whose 
 shoulders, it had been foretold, the government should 
 be laid. Nor could any thing be more the madness 
 of folly, in the opinion of the latter, than being taught 
 to look for eternal life, from the power and righteous- 
 ness of one who had himself suffered, in weakness, 
 the ignominious death of a most vile malefactor. 
 This, however, was the grand hinge on ^^hich all 
 turned that the apostles had to preach. " For I 
 determined not to know any thing among you," Paul 
 says to the Corinthians, " save Jesus Christ, and him 
 crucified." Atonement for sin by the voluntary sac- 
 rifice of the incarnate Son of God, is the central point, 
 to which all the types and prophecies of the law had 
 an ultimate reference, on ^vhich the whole gospel 
 rests, and from which all saving knowledge results. 
 This is the basis of the church, and of ail the eternal 
 hopes of true believers. " They are built upon the 
 foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Chrisl; 
 himself being the chief corner stone." 
 
Ser. I.]' by the Gospel Mifiistry. IS 
 
 Nor was the superstructure of the christian system, 
 as left by these master builders, less w eak, in the opin- 
 ion of an unbelieving world, than this its fundamen- 
 tal pillar and gi-ound of truth. It then appealed, and 
 it still appeal^ to many, full of hard sayings, and of 
 most palpable self-contradictions. In the doctrines 
 of Christ and his apostles, these stumbling-blocks are 
 not indeed now so sensibly perceived ; when people 
 have been used to the words of the New-Testament, 
 and used to read and heai- them with erroneous ex- 
 planations, or with no ideas. Still, however, some 
 rocks of great offence, will frequently be seen by 
 wise heai'ers, unless they are cautiously gone round, 
 or covered over, by the prudent preacher. To point 
 out these particularly in this place, our time ^YiIl not 
 now pcnnit. Several of them ^^ill occasionally come 
 in our way under the next head. In general, to 
 preach the essential doctrines of tlie gospel without 
 subterfuge, and in so perspicuous a manner that ever}'- 
 one must understand them, if he will only attend, is 
 \vhat I talvc the apostle to mean by the foolishness of 
 preaching. 
 
 II. We will now inquire how God is pleased, by 
 such preaching, to save lost men. 
 
 " To save them that believe," the text says. And 
 clse\vhere it is said of some, " The word preached 
 did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in 
 them that heard it." But ^^ e are not to understand 
 by either of these texts, or any others, that a preach- 
 ed gospel can be no \\ ay beneficial to the hearers, un- 
 less they have previously saving faith. Paul was 
 sent to the Gentiles, " To open their eyes, and to 
 turn them from darkness to light, and from the po^^"er 
 of Satan unto God, that they might receive forgiveness 
 of sins, and inheritance among all them that are sanc- 
 tified." And to the Romans he says, " Ho^v shall 
 they believe in him of whom they have not heard ? 
 
14 The sahatton of 171671^' [Ser. I. 
 
 and how shall they hear without a preacher ?— So 
 tlien, faidi cometh by hearing, and hearing by the 
 word of God." Those who never beheve the gos- 
 pel, will not be saved nor profited by it ; but it may 
 have effects on such as are not yet true believers, 
 tending to their sal^'ation. 
 
 We w\\\ tlierefore consider, under the present head, 
 how God is pleased to bless his word, when truly 
 preached, for the conversion of sinners, as well as fear 
 the edification of saints. And, 
 
 1. By gospel preaching, God sometimes gives the 
 unregenerate that knowledge of himself, which is ne- 
 cessary to awaken their fears of his wrath and curse, 
 and to excite them to an anxious inquiry what they 
 must do to be saved. " The fear of the Lord," as 
 we are repeatedly told, " is the beginning of wisdom. " 
 And we often see, that being afraid of God, as a 
 righteous Judge, is the beginning of serious atten- 
 tion in sinners to the things of religion. Careless 
 transgressors have no fear of God before their eyes. 
 Some of them openly declare, and all of them inward- 
 ly imagine, that the Most High, though holy and al- 
 mighty, is not greatly to be feai'ed- They hope he 
 will not punish them, however they break his laws, 
 abuse his grace, and are full of all unrighteousness and 
 unmercifulness towards their fellow men. In thjs 
 hope tliey are confirmed by the long delay of judg- 
 ment, and by the present promiscuous dispensations 
 of Providence. " All things come alike to all." The 
 Avicked live ; sometimes become, and often are migh- 
 ty in power. Sentence against them for their evil 
 Arorks is not executed. From these things they ai'e 
 led to presume, either that God is not much displeas- 
 ed at iniquity ; or tliat he is too merciful ever to exe- 
 cute veufyeance. 
 
 o 
 
 To guard against such fatal presumptions, thence 
 yj-ising, full provision is made in the gospel : not on- 
 
Ser. I.] hy the Gospel Ministry. 15 
 
 ly by solemn verbal declarations, but also by the ex- 
 hibition of a most convincing awful fact. As the 
 ground of his present forbearance, and oilers of par- 
 doning mercy, God hath set forth his own Son, the 
 sinner's voluntary substitute and Saviour ; forsaken, 
 wounded, bruised, and pouring out his soul unto 
 death : it not being possible, after he had undertaken 
 our redemption, that this cup should pass from him.. 
 Thus, as an apostle observes, " The righteousness 
 of God is revealed from faith to faith." Thus, " The 
 w rath of God is revealed from heaven against all Un- 
 godliness and unrighteousness of men." And thus, 
 " The gospel is the power of God unto salvation, to 
 every one that belie veth. " When once this astonish- 
 ing fact in the true import of it is believed, though 
 only with the faith of devils, the most hardened sin- 
 ners will be pricked in their heart, like Peter's hear- 
 ers ; when they said unto him, and to the rest of the 
 apostles, " Men and brethi-en, what shall we do ?'* 
 
 ■2. By the word of truth, when rightly divided, God 
 is sometimes pleased to give sinners that knowledge- 
 of themseheSy which is necessary to make them see 
 their need of a Saviour, and of a sanctifier, and of 
 sovereign grace. 
 
 Men effectually moved with fear, will soon be put 
 upon preparing an ark, in which they may feel safe. 
 At first, however, when sinners in Zion ai-e afraid, 
 tliey generally go about to establish their o^vn right- 
 eousness ; hoping to be justified, as it were, by the 
 deeds of the law. Some of the grosser ways of sin- 
 ning they resolve to forsake : on some of the neglect- 
 ed duties of religion, they determine cai'cfully to at- 
 tend. And if these good resolutions are tolerably 
 kept for any time, they ai'e apt to gi^ow easier. De- 
 struction from God is not so much a terror to them. 
 Now. they will be ready to say, " Because we are in- 
 nocent," or ai-e doing the best we can, *' surely his 
 an§er shall turn from us. " 
 
10 The sahation ofmefi, [Ser. L 
 
 To endeavor to force poor creatures out of such 
 comfortable refuges, looks cruel ; and to effect it, is 
 one of the most difficult things in the ministry of re- 
 conciliation. But it must be done, or they cannot 
 be saved. Nor is there any want of means which 
 will be effectual for this end, under the co-operation 
 of the divine Spirit. 2 Cor. x. 4, 5, " For the weap- 
 ons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through 
 God to the pulling down of strong holds : Casting 
 down imaginations, and every high thing that exalt- 
 eth itself against the knowledge of God." Of these 
 strong holds, the inability of sinners is the strongest 
 — -the citadel — the last resource. That they have the 
 perfect righteousness of the law, few, if any, will pre- 
 tend. Perhaps they dare not say that they have any 
 real righteousness at all : but this they cannot . have 
 while unregenerate. Their being yet impenitent and 
 unbelievers, they will readily acknowledge : but this 
 they cannot help, till a new heart is given them. Ex- 
 ternal duties are all that they ai-e capable of doing, in 
 their present condition. These, they mean to en- 
 deavor to do, in the most painful manner they are 
 able : and doing these, they trust God will have mer- 
 cy on them. If they do the best they can, with the 
 stren2:th and grace they have, God will surely give 
 them more grace. So some preach : and so sinners 
 are comfoited out of Christ ; and are kept from see- 
 ing themselves in a deplorable case, or in any real 
 daiiger. 
 
 But the foolishness of preaching is quite otherwise. 
 This makes no such preliminary conditions of peace 
 v/ith rebel men, v,^hile their minds are not subject to. 
 the law of God, neither indeed can be ; and while 
 they cannot but heartily reject the glorious Saviour, 
 and the great salvation, freely offered them. This 
 urges external duty indeed, in all its various branches, 
 let men's hearts be ever so bad : but it insists upon 
 internal duties also ; the duty of loving God, and the 
 Lord Jesus Clirist, in sincerity. It insists that the 
 
^r. I.] hy the Gospel Ministry. 17 
 
 law of sinless perfection is still binding on all men, 
 and is just and good ; and that the gospel, which 
 makes repentance towai'd God, and faith toward Jesus 
 Christ, the lowest terms of the covenant of promise, 
 is infinitely gracious ; any inability in fallen man to 
 keep the one, or to comply with the other, notwith- 
 standing. 
 
 I am sensible that such preaching is still a stum- 
 bling-block and foolishness to many, as much as 
 Christ crucified ever was to Greek or Je^v : and that 
 it will be so after all that can be said, until men are 
 made to attend with some seriousness, and their minds 
 are opened to receive conviction. They may be told 
 that all their inability consists in the want of a dispo- 
 sition to do the tilings required ; and that, on such a 
 plea, common sense excuses no man, in any case. 
 Still, however, their mouths are not stopped. Still 
 they do not feel themselves guilty before God. Grant- 
 ing, say they, that all our inability does lie in the bad- 
 ness of our heart ; yet, can we make ourselves a bet- 
 ter heart ? If not, it is no more just to condemn us 
 for not doing the things required, than if we wanted 
 intellectual powers, or bodily strength. But why so ? 
 Is a wicked heart no more blameable than a weak 
 head, a broken arm, or a foot out of joint ! 
 
 The thing is, those who thus reply against God, 
 have no notion that tliey have a heart at all wicked ; 
 or any want of a perfectl}^ good disposition. They 
 mean well : their desires are sincere and good. Most 
 readily would they do whatever is right and duty, if 
 they could but know what it was, and if they had but 
 strength. How then are they to blame ? How, in- 
 deed, if this were actually the case ! But their think- 
 ing it to be so, is one of those imaginations which 
 must be cast down. And cast down it instantly is, 
 when the spiritual vreapons of the ministiy become 
 mighty through God : \\''hen the word, impressed 
 by the spirit, is quick and powerful, — and a discemer 
 of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Then the 
 
 C 
 
IS Thp' mhatxon ofmmy. [Ser. I. 
 
 sinner's meaning well — his. good desires, and sincere 
 endeavors, are as a dream when one awaketh. It is 
 only while men are withGut thela'w, that they are thus 
 Qlive, and sin is dead. When the commandment 
 comes, sin revives, and they die. They have then a 
 conviction of s'm. Not of that dead sin^ which is a 
 cloak for all sin ; but of sin which is alhe, and has 
 full dominion over them. All their fancied excusing 
 'weakness and deadness, is then seen to be no other 
 tiian the lite and sti-ength of a kind of sin; w^hich is 
 really sinful. His own iniquities are now found to 
 have taken the wicked himself, and he feels that he is 
 hplden w ith the cords of his sins. This is the horri- 
 ble pit and miry clay, in which a sinner perceives him- 
 self sunk deep and held fast, when once, in the light 
 of true conviction, he is made to know the plague of 
 his own heart. His self-condemnation is. not then 
 the less, but the greater, because he sees himself spir- 
 itually dead, and w ithout strength to. please God, oi' 
 do any thing which is truly good. 
 
 3v By what is called the foolishness of preaching, 
 a sinner, in this deplorable condition, is enabled to 
 discover a door of mercy, and a gleam of hope. 
 
 Isaiah, having s}X)ken of refuges of lies^ and hiding 
 places of falsehood, in ^vhich secure sinners shelter 
 themselves, but which shall be swept away by the 
 overflowing scourge, says; " Therefore thus saith 
 the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation 
 a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure 
 foundation. " And says the apostle to the Corinthians, 
 *•' Other foundation can. no man lay than that is laid, 
 which is Jesus Christ." But of this only solid 
 ground of hope, a great part, in christian lands, ap- 
 pear not to have much knowledge. They content 
 themselves with, very superficial ideas of redemption 
 by Christ, salvation by grace, and being justified by 
 faith. If v/e attempt a rational explanation of these 
 doctrines, such discourses are tliought to. be on mere 
 
Ser. I.] by the Gospel Ministry. 19 
 
 speculative points, of no practical or experimental 
 importance. Nothing is treated with more total in- 
 attention than the very essence of the gospel. And 
 ho wonder, as long as it is imagined tliat if men do 
 the best they can, with such hearts as the}^ have, 
 (which certainly every one must be able to do at any 
 time,) God will be faithful and just to forgive th^ir 
 sins, and to cleanse them from all unrighteousness. 
 But Avdien a sinner's can^ and his imll^ ai'e found to 
 be what they really are, the gospel report, if thought 
 authentic, will be as cold water to a thirsty soul. 
 Still, however, after the utmost endeavors to under- 
 stand it, and to get over the difficulties attending it, 
 under the best external instruction, the unregene- 
 rate find themselves unable to lay hold upon the hope 
 set before them. Though persuaded that there is 
 forgiveness in this way for repenting sinners, they 
 cannot repent. Though convinced that Clvist is the 
 end of the law for righteouness to every one that be- 
 lie veth, they cannot believe to the saving of the soul. 
 They cannot cordially receive this holy Saviour, and 
 be willing that He should reign over them. They 
 see the fault is wholly in themselves ; but still they 
 are without strength. It is the fault of their nature ; 
 which nothing can remove but a second birth, or a 
 new creation. They cannot essentially alter, nor trj'- 
 to alter, their totally depraved disposition. 
 
 But in this forlorn case, another gospel doctrine/ 
 which is to them diat perish foolishness, the des- 
 ponding sinner finds to be of great impoitance. I 
 mean the doctrine that in renewing men in the spirit 
 of their mind, " God hath mercy on v.hom he v.ill 
 have mercy." This, the self-righteous spurn at ; 
 as though it cut off all encouragement to well-doing, 
 and made the Most High a respecter of persons ; ar- 
 bitrary and unjust. But when a man sees that all 
 his M'ell-doings are dead works, and must be so till a 
 new heart is given him, then this hated doctrine, of 
 absolute divine sovereignty in regeneration, is the on- 
 
20 The sahation of men, [Ser. I. 
 
 ly ground of hope ; the only support from utter des- 
 pair. 
 
 4. By the fooHshness of preaching, it pleases God 
 to effect the actual conversion of sinners ; Aihen they 
 are prepared for it by renewing grace, as well as by 
 necessary convictions. 
 
 In regeneration, I conceive, the soul is wholly pas- 
 sive : and, of consequence, that this cannot be effect- 
 ed by any preaching, otherwise than as water was 
 brought out of the rock by the rod of Moses ; or 
 than as dry bones are represented to have been raised 
 into a living army, by prophesying to them and to 
 the wind, in the vision of Ezekiel. The effect is 
 not. from any power in the means, in one case, more 
 than in the others. But conversion, in which the 
 soul is active, may be by the moral power of truth, 
 as much as any common effects are by the power of 
 second causes. When the stony heart has been tak- 
 en awa}^, and a heart of flesh given, the calls and mo- 
 tives of the gospel, to repentance, faith, and good 
 works, will be felt, and have effect. 
 
 It is yet to be taken notice, how God cai-ries on 
 the begun salvation of true believers, by the ministry 
 of his word. This institution was designed, not 
 merely for the awakening, conviction, and conver- 
 sion of sinners, but also for raising them up to the 
 stature of perfect men in Christ. When he ascended 
 en high, and gave gifts to men ; he gave pastors and 
 teachers, as ^vell as evangelists, prophets and apostles, 
 for the perfecting of the saints. Nor is it hai'd to u.n- 
 derstand ho\v the i^ork of the ministr}^ is useful for 
 the edification of true christians. 
 
 1. Hereby they are enabled to grow^ in divine 
 knowledge. It is but a little portion that is known 
 of God, and things spiritual, in this world of darkness 
 and imperfection. But that little may be gradually 
 increased by vaiious means ; and paiticularly by the 
 pi-eacliing cf the word, if people have pastors accor- 
 
Ser. I. ] hy the Gospel Miiiistiy. 21 
 
 ding to God's heart, M'ho feed them properly with 
 knowledge and understanding. This is necessary, 
 that they may not remain children, liable to be tossed 
 to and fro, and carried about with everj^ wind of doe- 
 trine. 
 
 2. By gospel preaching believers are enabled to 
 grow in grace. Progressive sanctificatiori is indeed the 
 work of God ; but he works by means in this case, 
 as much as in any other. Our Saviour prayed to the 
 Father for his first disciples; " Sanctify them thi'ough 
 thy truth : thy word is truth." When once a prin- 
 ciple of true holiness has been created in the heart, 
 its increase, and the peaceable fruits of righteousness 
 of which it is productive, are as much caused by light 
 and truth, as the growth and fruitfulness of vegetables 
 are by rain and sun- shine ; or as the growth of ani- 
 mal bodies is by meat and drink. Spiritual instruc- 
 tion is nourishing as well as delicious food, to renew- 
 ed souls. " As new-born babes, they desire the 
 sincere milk of the word," at first, and stronger meat 
 afterwai'ds. " that," in grace as well as knowledge, 
 " they may gi'ow thereby." 
 
 3. By the preaching of his word, God saves his 
 people from sinking under present troubles and 
 gloomy prospects ; and gives them joy and peace in 
 believing. David said to the Lord, Psalm xciv. 19, 
 " In the multitude of my' tho'ts vathin me, thy com- 
 forts delight my soul." And Asaph, Psal. Ixxiii. 
 having been stumbled at the outward prosperity of 
 the wricked, and afflictions of the godly, he says, ver. 
 16, 17, " When I thought to knov*^ this, it was too 
 painful for me, until I went into tlie sanctuary of God ; 
 then understood I their end." And besides the doc- 
 trine of a righteous retribution hereafter, there are 
 several other scripture doctrines, which, if well ex- 
 plained, and vindicated against objections, will afford 
 great support and comfort to true believers. Partic- 
 
22 The sahadon of men, [Ser. I, 
 
 iilaily, the doctrine of the saint's perseverance : That 
 all who have once a well grounded hope, through 
 faith in Christ, are kept by the power of God, unto 
 final salvation. That " he who hath begun a good 
 work in them, will perform it until the day of Jesus 
 Clirist. " The doctrines also of God's eternal decrees, 
 and universal Providence : that every thing is " pre- 
 destinated, according to the purpose of him who 
 worketh all things after the counsel of his own will." 
 Whence it is certain that " the wrath of man shall 
 praise him, and the remainder of it he Vvill restrain :" 
 and " that all things work together for good to them 
 that love God, to them who ai'e the called accordinsc 
 to his purpose." 
 
 These doctrines, though rejected as foolishness by 
 some, and wrested perhaps by others to their destruc- 
 tion ; are grounds of strong consolation to good men, 
 when guardedly taught : and, instead of encourag- 
 ing remissness in duty, or indulgence in sin, animate 
 them to patient continuance in well doing, and to suf- 
 fer afflictions with joy fulness. 
 
 I shall add nothing further, except a kw inferences. 
 
 1. According to what has been said, the gospel 
 ministry, if duly executed, must be a laborious occu- 
 pation. 
 
 Preaching, is thought by many, an easy idle busi- 
 ness : and it may indeed be made so by some. Tlie 
 blind may lead the blind, and both fall into the ditch, 
 without much difficult}^ To preach just so that it 
 will pass, among a careless people ; or even so as to 
 be exceedingly admired by the injudicious, no great 
 pains are necessaiy. But to do the \^"ork of an evan- 
 gelist, and make full proof of one's ministry, on all 
 classes of hearers, for saving them from the many 
 crooked w^ays of error and sin to" which they are ex- 
 posed, must require uncommon attention to reading, 
 to exhortation, to doctrine. Timothy had known the 
 
Ser. I.] hy the Gospel Ministry. 23 
 
 holy scriptures from a cliild, and been made wise by 
 them unto salvation ; he had also that superna*^ural 
 assistance which is not now to be expected ; yet 
 Paul supposed that close application was still requi- 
 site, even in his case. " Study," says he to him, " to 
 show thyself approved unto God, a workman that 
 needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word 
 of truth." 
 
 Besides making a natural division of texts and 
 subjects, and a suitable application of them to persons 
 of different chai'acters, and under different circum- 
 stances ; rightly dividing the word of truth, is to 
 separate it, by clear and plain distinctions, from those 
 falsehoods with which, by superficial thinkers, it is 
 ever apt to be blended and confounded. In almost 
 every article of faith, or rule -of duty, there are errors 
 of which people may be in danger, on the right hand 
 and on the left. To guard against \\Tong principles, 
 and wrong inferences from principles that are true ; 
 against false religion of all kinds, and against every 
 evil and fiilse way, requires good understanding, and 
 great vigilance, in a spiritual guide. 
 
 2. We may see from our text, and from what has 
 been said upon it, that preaching the gospel, though 
 accounted foolislmess by many, is a very important 
 and most eligible employment. " This is a true say- 
 ing," Paul tells Timothy, " if a man desire the of- 
 fice of a bishop," that is, a plain evangelical minister, 
 " he desireth a good work." The goodness of an 
 office ought to be estimated according to the ends 
 which it is designed and adapted to subserve ; but 
 judging by this rule, no other work of \vhich man is 
 capable, can be compai'efl with the ministry of recon- 
 ciliation. 
 
 To glorify God, is the greatest good at which any 
 one can aim ; and it ought to be the chief end of all 
 our actions : but there is no work of men on earth, 
 vvhich so directly tends to advance the declarative 
 
24 , The sahation of mc7i, bV. [Ser. L 
 
 glory of God, as explaining his holy laws, and preach- 
 ing the gospel of his grace. 
 
 Next to glorifying God, doing good to men, is the 
 best of all offices. Many callings ai-e good in this 
 view : they are very useful and necessaiy in regard 
 to the life M^liich now is. But the life to come is more 
 than meat or clothing for a few days : more than 
 healing the diseases of a frail body, which after all 
 must soon die : more than preserving the peace of 
 earthly societies, that will presently pass away and 
 be dissolved. To convert sinners from the error of 
 their way, that their souls may be saved from death ; 
 and to assist them, when converted, in running the 
 race set before them, " that they may obtain the sal- 
 vation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory," 
 is, beyond comparison, the kindest of all offices. Nor 
 will so good a work, fail of receiving a suitable re- 
 ■^vard, if performed with fidelity. When all of them 
 that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake : then 
 " they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of 
 the firmament, and they that turn many to righteous- 
 ness as the stai's for ever and ever." 
 
 3. Let the hearers of the gospel be hence admon- 
 ished to take heed how they hear. It is a great thing 
 to have the gi^ace of God which bringeth salvation sent 
 to a people ; and it will be a fearful thing to have re- 
 ceived tliis grace of God in vain. " Wherefore," 
 as saith the apostle James, " lay apart all filthiness, 
 and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meek- 
 ness the ingrafted word, which is able to save your 
 souls : But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers 
 only, deceiving your own selves." 
 
SERMON II. 
 
 HOW THE SALVATION OF ALL MEN, IS AGREEABLE 
 TO THE WILL OF COD. 
 
 1 TIMOTHY II. 4. 
 
 iVIio nviU have all men to be saved) and to come unto the knonvl- 
 edge of the truths 
 
 X HIS was said by the apostle" to enforce 
 the duty of praying for all men ; and more especially 
 for civil rulers. Seethe preceding context : "I ex- 
 hort, therefore, first of all^ that supplications, prayers, 
 intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all 
 men ; For kings, and for all that ai'e in authority ; 
 that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all 
 godliness and honesty : For this is good and accept- 
 able in the sight of God our Saviour ; Wlio will have 
 all men to be saved," &c. 
 
 Whetlier the second person in the Trinity, is here 
 to be understood by God our Saviour ; or the Su- 
 preme Being without distinction of persons, may 
 perhaps admit of some doubt. God, however, is 
 certainly meant ; and this is sufficient for my present 
 purpose. Our text then contains two assertions ; 
 the explanation of which is now pro posed. 
 
 D 
 
2G Ho'vo God wills the [Ser. \\* 
 
 I. That God will have all men to be saved ; and, 
 
 II. That, in order to this, he will have them come 
 to the knowledge of the truth. 
 
 I. That God will have all men to be saved, is here 
 asserted. 
 
 But how is this to be understood ! Does the apos- 
 tle mean, that it is the absolute purpose of God, to 
 effect the salvation of every individual of mankind ! 
 If so, we have in this text a decisive scripture proof, 
 of the disputed doctrine of universal salvation. For 
 God " is in one mind, and who can turn him ? and 
 what his soul desireth, even that he doeth." Many de- 
 signs in a man's heart are altered or frustrated ; ' ' but 
 the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand." If there- 
 fore it were ever the real intention of God, that the 
 whole human race should be recovered to holiness 
 and happiness, then every child of Adam will infal- 
 libly be thus saved. 
 
 But there are so many other texts Avhich plainly 
 teach the reverse of this doctrine, that these words, 
 like many scripture assertions expressed in universal 
 terms, must be understood with some limitation. 
 
 That men of certain descriptions, will be misera- 
 ble in the world to come, we are often most explicit- 
 ly assured. It is said, " The wicked shall be turned 
 into hell, and all the nations that forget God." The 
 Saviour of sinners hath told them, " Except ye re- 
 pent, ye shall perish :" and, " He that believeth not, 
 shall be damned." And afterwai^ds, in the book of 
 Revelation ; " The fearful, and unbelieving, and the 
 abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and 
 sorcerers, and idolaters, and all lyai-s, shall have their 
 part in the lake which burneth with fire and brim- 
 stone ; which is the second death." 
 
 Nor is it only said, that all who continue to be of 
 those characters here, shall be thus miserable here- 
 
«> 
 
 Sen 11.3 Sahadon of all Men, 27 
 
 after ; without asserting that there will actually be 
 any such. Our Saviour says, " Wide is the gate, 
 and broad is the way which leadeth to destruction, 
 and many go in thereat." He hath also told us, that 
 after the door shall be shut, " many will stand with- 
 out and knock, saying. Lord, Lord, open to us:" 
 to whom he shall say, " I know you not ; depart 
 from me, all ye workers of iniquity." And he adds, 
 *' There shall be weeping and gnasliing of teeth ; 
 when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and 
 all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you 
 yourselves tlirust out." 
 
 Nor is it a mere temporary exclusion from the 
 happiness of heaven, and condemnation to the pains 
 of hell, that impenitent sinners are taught to expect 
 after death and at the last day. See Mark ix. 43, " If 
 thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee 
 to enter into life maimed, than having tVv o hands, to 
 go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quench- 
 ed." And Matt. v. 26, " Verily I say unto thee, 
 thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou 
 hast paid the uttermost farthing." Of him by whom 
 our Saviour should be betrayed, he said, " It had 
 been good for that man if he had not been born," 
 which surely could not be true, were he finally to ob- 
 tain salvation, and be happy to all eternity. Christ 
 hath told us that in the day of judgment, he shall say 
 to the righteous, " Come, ye blessed of my Father, 
 inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foun- 
 dation of tlie world :" and to the wicked, " Depart 
 from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepaied 
 for the devil and his angels. — And these shall go away 
 into everlasting punishment ; but the righteous into 
 life eternal." In the parable of Lazarus, Abraham 
 in heaven is represented as saying to the rich man in 
 hell, " Between us and you a great gulph is fixed ; 
 so that they which would pass from hence to you 
 cannot, neither can they pass to us that would come 
 from thence." And in tlie close of the Revelation it 
 
28 Haw God wills the [Ser. 11^ 
 
 is said, " Tlie time is at hand : He that is unjust, let 
 him be unjust still ; and he that is filthy, let him be 
 filthy still ; and he that is righteous, let him be right- 
 eous still." That is, in the view of Him who inhab- 
 its eternit}^, the final period of changes in the charac- 
 ters of men is not far distant ; when every one will be 
 fixed unalterably in holiness or sin, and in happiness 
 or misery, as his moral state shall then be found. 
 
 From these and many similar representations, it 
 must be believed, if we believe the scriptures, not 
 only that every one of mankind will not be recovered 
 to holiness and happiness in this life, nor at death, nor 
 at the day of judgment ; but that they never will to 
 all eternity. And, consequently, that it neither is, 
 Avas, or ever will be, the absolute intention of God, 
 that mankind should thus universally be saved. 
 
 And as the text Ave are now upon, if so construed, 
 would fiatiy contradict the general evident current of 
 scripture ; so there are other constructions which it 
 will very naturally bear, 
 
 1. The meaning of it may be, that God absolutely 
 designs the salvation of all sorts of men : men of all 
 nations, conditions and chai^acters. 
 
 With as much limitation as this, the plirase all men, 
 is frequently used. In this sense, or certainly not 
 with more universality than this, we must understand 
 'our Saviour, when he says to his disciples. Matt. x. 
 22, " Ye shall be hated of all men for my name sake. ' ' 
 And the evangelist, when he relates what was said of 
 Jesus, John iii. 26, " The same baptizeth, and all 
 men come unto him." And the historian of the 
 apostles, M-^hen he says, Acts vi. 21, " All men glo- 
 rilied God for what was done. No more can be 
 meant by ail men, in these and many other places, 
 than mankind generally. And in our tc:jLt, consider- 
 ing the connection and occasion of it, to understand 
 by all men, men of all conditions, and of all nations 
 only, is no unnatural construction. The particular 
 
Ser. II.] Sghation of all Men. 29 
 
 reason of the apostle's exhorting that suppUcations 
 and intercessions should be made for all men, was 
 probably this : many of the Jewish christians still so 
 far retained theip/national prejudices, that they would 
 not pray for the heathen ; looking upon them as rep- 
 robates, to whom the grace of God was never to be 
 /extended. In opposition to these bigoted narrow no- 
 tions, the apostle would have them understand that 
 no^v, in the seed of Abraham, all the families of the 
 earth were to be blessed. That in Christ Jesus, there 
 was no distinction of Greek or Jew, Barbarian, Cyth- 
 ian, bond or free. And therefore that they ought to 
 pray for all men, a\ ithout miy of these discrimina- 
 tions. Or, 
 
 2. The meaning of our text may be, that God 
 conditionally designs the sah'ation of all men ; Avith- 
 out exception of one individual : that is, provided 
 they should hear, believe, and obey the gospel. Of 
 the truth of this, there is no reason to entertain a 
 doubt. We are abundantly assured, " With the 
 Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous re- 
 demption. " Redemption enough, and mercy enough, 
 for the salvation of every penitent believer, if all the 
 human race should repent and believe. To this 
 purpose, very expressly, ai'e the words of Paul, Heb. 
 ii. 9, " We see Jesus made lower than the angels, — 
 that he, by the grace of God, should taste death for 
 cuery man.'''' And the words of John, 1 Epis. ii. 
 chap. 1, and 2, verses, " If any man sin, we ha^'C an 
 advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ tlie righteous. , 
 And he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for 
 ours only, but for the sins of the whole ivorld.''^ 
 
 Hence, in the parable of the royal marriage, the 
 king is represented as sending his servants to say un- 
 to them that were bidden, " Come ; for all things are 
 now ready." This message was sent to those who 
 refused the invitation ; for which reason the lord of 
 the feast declared, that none of them should taste of 
 
30 Ho%D God wills the [Ser. II. 
 
 his supper. And, without a parable, Jesus said to 
 Jerusalem, ^vhen given over to remediless destruc- 
 tion ; " How often would I have gathered thy chil- 
 dren together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens 
 under her wings, and ye would not !" 
 
 Accordingly, the invitations and conditional prom- 
 ises of the gospel, are in universal terms. See Matt. 
 xi. 28, " Come unto me, all ye that labor and are hea- 
 vy laden, and I will give you rest." John vii. 37, 
 *' In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus 
 stood and cried, saying. If any man thirst, let him 
 come unto me and drink." And Rev. xxii. 17, " The 
 spirit and the bride say. Come. And let him that 
 heareth say. Come. And let him that is athirst come. 
 And -^vhosoever will, let him take the water of life 
 freely." 
 
 I know not how to understand these passages other^ 
 wise, than as implying, that Christ hath made for the 
 fallen race of man, in point of sufficiency, unhersal 
 redemption : and that God is willing, and really in- 
 tends, to have all men saved, in the most unlimited 
 sense, if they will. But, 
 
 3. There is yet another sense which the words of 
 our text may well admit, without implying the doc- 
 trine of universal sahation. The apostle may be un- 
 derstood to speak of God's preceptive will to us, and 
 not of his own purpose. Divines often distinguish 
 between the secret, and the revealed will of God : 
 and with evident propriety is this distinction made, 
 if by God's secret will be meant what he has decreed ; 
 and by his revealed will, what he has commanded. 
 Certainly, God does not determine to bring into ef^ 
 feet, every thing which he requires to be done by his 
 creatures. And to no case is this distinction more 
 applicable, than to the one now before us. Though 
 it may not be the design of God to save every man, by 
 the ^vashing of regeneration and renevving of the Holy 
 Ghost ; yet he may have made it our duty, not only 
 
Ser. II.] Sahation of all Men. 31 
 
 to comply with the proposed terms of salvation our- 
 selves, but to bring all others to a compliance M'ith 
 them, as far as we are able. And this he hath evi- 
 dently done. 
 
 " God now commandeth all every whereto repent,'"' 
 one apostle says : " And this is his commandment," 
 says another, " That we should belieije on the name 
 of his Son Jesus Clirist. ' ' Christians are also requir- 
 ed, after repentance and faith, to work out their own 
 salvation with fear and trembling. 
 
 Nor is it less evidently enjoined upon us, to the ut- 
 most of our power, to promote the salvation of all 
 others. "Go ye into all the world, and preach the 
 gospel to every creature," was the command of the 
 risen Saviour to his first disciples. " Go out into 
 the high ways, and bring in as many as ye shall find," 
 was the order of the king in the parable of the great 
 supper. God would have his servants, Christ would 
 have his ministers and people, in their proper places, 
 do what in them lies for the salvation of men, as uni- 
 versally as possible. And, with manifest propriety 
 might this be mentioned, when the apostle was ex- 
 horting, or directing Timothy to exhort, that suppli- 
 cations, prayers, and intercessions, should be made 
 for all men. 
 
 II. We will now attend to the other position im- 
 plied in our text. 
 
 That, in order to men's being saved, God would 
 have them come unto the knowledge of the truth. 
 
 Here it will be proper to consider, what things are 
 necessaiy to be known ; and what kind of knowledge 
 of them it is requisite for men to have. 
 
 Respecting the former, as it opens a wide field, 
 there will be time only just to mention those particu- 
 lars which seem most essential. 
 
 1. Then, that men may be saved, they must come 
 to the knowledge of the truth concerning God. 
 
32 Hoiu God wills the [Ser. IL 
 
 Though we cannot find out the Almighty unto 
 perfection ; yet we may by searching find out God, 
 in some measure; Though it be a httle portion, 
 comparatively, that is heard or can be understood of 
 an infinite Being ; yet that little which we may un- 
 derstand, is of everlasting concemment to us. A 
 knowledge of the only true God, is essential to all 
 true religion, and to all true happiness. 
 
 We must have some just conceptions of the being 
 and perfections of the Most High, or we cannot wor- 
 ship him aright, nor have any suitable affections of 
 heart towards him. In Hebrews xi. 6, having said 
 of Enoch, " He had this testimony that he pleased 
 God," The apostle adds, " But without faith it is 
 impossible to please him : for he that cometh to God 
 must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of 
 them that diligently seek him. ' ' 
 
 And as some knowledge of the truth concerning 
 God, is requisite that we may please him, or worship 
 and serve him acceptably < so it is altogether neces- 
 sary in order to the enjoyment of him, and to all the 
 comfort of a well grounded hope and confidence in 
 him. David says, in the ninth Psalm, " They that 
 know thy name will put their ti-ust in thee : for thou, 
 Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee." We 
 must ha^e some knowledge and firm belief of the 
 righteousness, faithfulness, and goodness of God, as 
 ■^veil as of his omnipotence, omnipresence and omnis- 
 cience ; and also of his immutability, and all-govern- 
 ing Providence, or our minds cannot be so stayed on 
 him, as to be kept in perfect peace. 
 
 2. That men niay be saved, they must come to the 
 knowledge of the truth, in some measure, concerning 
 the divine law ; which is holy, and just, and good, 
 in all that it requires, and in all that it promises and 
 threatens. " The law of the Lord is perfect," says 
 the Psalmist, " converting the soul." 
 
Ser. II.] Sahadoji of all Men. 33 
 
 3. That men may be saved, they must come to the 
 knowledge of the truth concerning sin : wherein it 
 consists, and what it deserves. 
 
 4. In order to the salvation of men, it is necessary 
 that they should come to the knowledge of the truth 
 respecting themselves. 
 
 It highly concerns us to form a just opinion of our 
 natural powers ; and not to think more highly or 
 more meanly of ourselves, in that regard, than we 
 ought to think. The former error will make us too 
 conceited and self-sufficient : it will make us lean 
 to our own understanding, and rely on our own rea- 
 son, in matters too high for us. The latter error 
 will lead us to excuse ourselves more than is just, 
 under a mistaken apprehension of inability. 
 
 But most of all does it concern us to know what 
 manner of spirit we are of, and what is our true mor- 
 al character and state. Thinking that they are rich, 
 and increased with goods, and want nothing, in re- 
 gard to godliness and virtue, is undoubtedly the 
 cause of the ruin and perdition of multitudes. ' ' The 
 whole have no need of the physician, but they that 
 are sick." 
 
 5. It is necessary that men should come to the 
 knowledge of the truth, respecting the Redeemer and 
 Saviour of sinners. He, hath said, John vi. 29, 
 *' This is thevvork of God, that ye believe on him 
 whom he hath sent." He hath said in his prayer to 
 the Father, John xvii. 3, " This is life eternal, that 
 they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus 
 Christ whom thou hast sent." And without know- 
 ing the latter, what hope of salvation could be deriv- 
 ed from the knowledge of the former ? Could the 
 Father and Lord of all be ever so clearl}^ seen, as the 
 fountain of living waters ; yet, without the kno"\vl- 
 edge of an atoning Mediator, to us sinners, he must 
 be seen as a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. From, 
 
 E 
 
34 JTow God wills the [Ser. II» 
 
 a right understanding of God, as revealed in the orig- 
 inal law of works, without any intimation of that great 
 sacrifice for sins revealed in the law of faith, we should 
 have had only " a certain looking for of judgment and 
 fiery indignation, ^vhich shall devour the adversaries." 
 Hence the holy apostle Paul, after all his personal 
 attainments and distinctions, said ; " But what things 
 were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 
 Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the 
 excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my 
 Lord." 
 
 6. Men must come to the knowledge of the truth 
 concerning the terms of the gospel ; or concerning 
 what a sinner must do to be saved. The nature of 
 repentance, and faith, and new obedience, must be 
 rightly understood. 
 
 7. It is very necessary that the truth should be 
 known, concerning the Holy Spirit ; and his saving- 
 operations in effectual calling, regeneration, and pro- 
 gressive sanctification. Concerning his sealing be- 
 lievers unto the day of redemption ; and his promis- 
 ed efficacious influence, preserving them from apos- 
 tacy, and enabling them to endure unto the end. A 
 right understanding of these things is requisite, at 
 least, in order to the comforts of that hope which is 
 an anchor of the soul, sure and steadfast, if not abso- 
 lutely necessar)'^ to salvation. 
 
 Respecting the kind of knowledge of the truth 
 which is required, I would just observe, that men 
 must have something more than right ideas in the 
 head ; and something more than sensible convictions 
 of conscience, in order to their being saved. They 
 must so come to the knowledge of the truth, as to 
 embrace it with the heart, and obey it in the life. 
 Without this, no doctrinal knowledge, nor convic- 
 tions, however absolutely necessary, however clear, 
 or however deeply impressive, will save men. Felix 
 
Ser. II.] Sahation of all Men. 35 
 
 so far understood and was convinced that he trem- 
 bled, when " Paul reasoned of righteousness, temper- 
 ance, and judgment to come. " " The devils also be- 
 lieve, and trjemble." 
 
 It is said, "The natural manreceiveth not the 
 things of the Spirit of God, — neither can he know 
 them, because they are spiritually discerned." This 
 spiritual discernment consists, in seeing God and 
 Cliiist, the law and gospel, and the promised heavenly 
 happiness, with cordial complacency : in order to 
 which, men must be renewed in the spirit of their 
 minds. A disposition must be created in them, 
 conformable to God, in righteousness and true holi- 
 ness. 
 
 Let us now endeavor to collect some useful infer- 
 ences, from the preceding discom-se. 
 
 1. We may hence judge, whether the doctrine of 
 universal salvation, lately propagated among us with 
 assiduity, be a benevolent, or an unfriendly doctrine. 
 
 This doctrine has indeed a smiling aspect, at first 
 view, and looks exceedingly charitable. The de- 
 scription of a strange woman given by Solomon, may, 
 however, be applied to it with great propriety. ' ' Her 
 lips drop as an honey-comb, and her mouth is smooth- 
 er than oil ; But her end is bitter as wormwood, 
 sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to 
 death, her steps take hold on hell." The obvious 
 tendency of this doctrine iS to the destruction of men, 
 both for time and eternity. 
 
 By taking away the powerful restraints arising 
 from the dread of a judgment to come, it gives full 
 liberty to the lusts of wicked men, as far as they can 
 hope to hide their crimes from human cognizance. 
 " Because sentence against an evil work is not exe- 
 cuted speedily^ the heart of the sons of men, set in 
 them to do evil," is emboldened ; and many shocking 
 enormities are commited. What then would be the 
 case, if they could be fully assured that such sen- 
 
36 Horn) God wills the [Ser. II. 
 
 tence would nei)er be executed ! Were it firmly and 
 universally believed, either that no worker of iniquity 
 would be punished at ail in another world ; or not 
 any further thap will be for his own greater happi- 
 ness ; what perilous times must we naturally expect ! 
 What frauds, what debaucheries, perjuries, robbe- 
 ries, and murders would every ^vhere abound ! What 
 safety would there be to him that goeth out, or to him 
 that Cometh in l 
 
 But all these are only the beginning of sorrows, in 
 the train of so licentious a doctrine. If false, as cer- 
 tainly it is, if the Bible be true, its manifest tendency, 
 is to droAvn men in eternal perdition. Paul gloried 
 in preaching- the gospel of Christ, it being the power 
 of God unto salvation, as bethought ; because the 
 righteousness of God, and his wrath against all un- 
 godliness and unrighteousness, is therein so terribly 
 repealed. What then will, be the effect of this other 
 opposite gospel ; that God hath no wrath nor right- 
 eousness, of which the greatest sinner need be afraid ? 
 Will it not be the power of Satan, to lull men in se- 
 curity, that they may be damned ? Will those by 
 whom it is believed, hearken to any preacher of re- 
 pentance, or pay attention to any news of pardoning 
 mercy ? As far as the terror of the Lord can be of 
 any use to persuade men ; as far as any ai-e to be 
 sa\ed with feai' ; so far the doctrine that all will infal- 
 li])ly be saved, tends evidently to prevent men's sal- 
 ^ation. 
 
 Instead of thinking it strange therefore, that men 
 uho have any universal benevolence should be oppos- 
 ed to this doctrine ; it may well be thought wonder- 
 ful, that the bold propagation of so fatal a delusion, 
 should not excite a more general alarm, and awak- 
 en a much \\ aimer opposition ! It looks as if few 
 understood and believed the scriptures ; or as if there 
 w ere little concern among us for the salvation of 
 souls, or even for the present good of society. 
 
Ser. II.] Sahation of all Men. 37 
 
 2. If any ask in earnest what they shall do to be 
 saved, our subject furnishes an answer ; that to be 
 in the serious use of all proper means to come to the 
 knowledge of the truth, is one thing necessary. 
 
 This is the counsel of Solomon : " Take fast 
 hold of instruction ; let her not go : keep her ; for 
 she is thy life." And he represents instruction in 
 wisdom, as saying, " Blessed is he that heareth me, 
 watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of 
 my doors. For whoso findetli me findeth life, and 
 shall obtain favor of the Lord." 
 
 Think not that coming to the necessary knowl- 
 edge of what you are to believe, concerning God, and 
 Christ, and yourselves, is an easy acquisition. The 
 way in which the Bible encourages us to expect the 
 attainment of tliis knowledge, is to cry after it, and 
 lift up our ^oicefor it ; to seek it as silvery and search 
 for it as for bid treasures. 
 
 3. From the things now said it may be seen, that 
 we ought to be as universal in our prayers and en- 
 deavors for the salvation of men, as if we believed 
 that all mankind were to be saved. We ai'e not in- 
 deed to pray, or desire, that God would save the 
 whole world, when we are persuaded he hath deter- 
 mined the contraiy. But there is no man on earth 
 for whom we should not pray, or whose salvation 
 we should not promote, as far as we have pow- 
 er and opportunity. Since we know not which of 
 mankind will be saved, and which will not, we may 
 warrantably desire and seek the salvation of every one, 
 individually considered. And ^ve know that this is 
 God's commanding will to us ; whatever may be the 
 secret counsel of his will, respecting his o\\Tibestow- 
 ment of saving grace. 
 
 Let it then be our heart's desire and prayer to God, 
 for all sorts of men, that they may be saved. And 
 let us, in a particular manner, pray for kings, consuls, 
 presidents, and all that are in authority ; since their 
 
3S Hoiu God wills y is'c* [Ser. II, 
 
 influence will be great, for the furtherance or obstruc- 
 tion of the gospel. Let us pray that they may be 
 christians, if they are not ; and if they are, that they 
 may act more like chiistians. That they may be 
 nursing fathers to the true church ; and not treat the 
 religion of Christ with neglect, because his kingdom 
 is not of this world. 
 
 And let us spare no reasonable pains or expense, 
 that the gospel may be preached to every human crea- 
 ture ; and that every one, both in heathen lands, and 
 among ourselves, may be recovered from the errors 
 of his thoughts and ways, to the wisdom of the just. 
 There has been of late an uncommon spirit of exer- 
 tion awakened, both in Europe and America, for a 
 more extensive promulgation of the gospel, in the 
 dark places of the earth. And certauily, there is a 
 loud call upon christians, who are able, to contribute 
 liberally to the furtherance of so laudable a design. 
 But even among ourselves, great exertions are still 
 necessary, lest gross darkness should cover the peo- 
 ple ; and lest, while the gospel is sent to others, the 
 truth and purity of it should be taken from us. 
 Many are the instructions which cause to err from 
 the words of knowledge. Many, from a misunder- 
 standing of the first principles of Christianity, are fall- 
 ing off into fatal systems of delusion on every side. 
 God seems to be now saying to his evangelical minis- 
 ters, as it is in Hosea ; " My people are destroyed for 
 lack of knowledge." And as he says in Isaiah; 
 " Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up 
 the stumbling-blocks out of the way of my people." 
 
ass 
 
 SERMON III. 
 
 ON THE DIVINE GOODNESS. 
 
 1 JOHN IV. 8. 
 
 He that loveth not, knonveth not God ; for God is love. 
 
 Wi 
 
 HAT is God ? is the first question in 
 religion, natural and revealed. Until this is rightly 
 answered and understood, nothing can be known, as 
 it ought to be, respecting the duty or happiness of 
 man. We can neither know when we please God, 
 nor why we are under obligation to fear and serve 
 him, nor the ground we have to hope and trust in him, 
 unless we first know what we ai-e to believe concern- 
 ing him. And yet this is a question on which, more 
 than almost any other, men have always been bewil- 
 dered in ignorance and error. 
 
 The heathen nations of old, who groped in the dim 
 light of nature, even the most learned of them, had 
 gods many ; and strange gods. They worshipped 
 stocks and stones, birds, and four-footed beasts, and 
 creeping thing. And to their celestial divinities — 
 the greatest and best of them, they ascribed weakness- 
 es and vices, animosities and contentions, similar to 
 those among miserable and depraved mortals. After 
 a fair and full trial of human reason, in matters of 
 religion, " The world by wisdom knew not God." 
 
40 Dhine Good?iess. [Ser. III. 
 
 And among those favored with the light of Revela- 
 tion, there have ever been, and still are, extremely 
 different opinions, concerning the nature and attri- 
 butes of the Supreme Being : Some seem to think 
 that God is so all-mercy, as to have no justice for 
 men to fear : v^^hile others are thought to hold, that, 
 tow ard multitudes of the noblest orders of his crea- 
 tures, he is altogether unmerciful. 
 
 Now, amidst such diversity of sentiments, on this 
 fundamental article of our theological creed, it surely 
 concerns us to improve with carefulness, the means 
 of information afforded us upon it, lest we should be 
 " ever learning, and never able to come to the knowl- 
 edge of the truth." 
 
 That God is a being of infinite justice, faithfulness, 
 and mercy ; as well as an omnipotent, omniscient, 
 omnipresent, and immutable Being, we are abundant- 
 ly taught in the holy scriptures. But the most con- 
 cise, the most comprehensive, and, I apprehend, the 
 most determinate idea of the divine nature, any where 
 given us, is this in our text : God is low. 
 
 I shall inquire how this is to be understood ; and 
 the grounds we have to believe that it is true : after 
 which, some attention will be paid to the former part 
 of the verse. 
 
 I. How we are to understand this, That God is 
 love, I shall inquire, and endeavor briefly to explain. 
 
 By love, must here be meant benevolence ; as no 
 one will be at any loss, who attends to the connection. 
 This is the kind of love, no doubt, to which cliristians 
 are exhorted in the verse before ; " Beloved, let us 
 love one another." And this, certainly, is the kind 
 of love which God manifested towards us, in sending 
 his only begotten Son into the world, that we might 
 live through him, spoken of in the verse after our 
 text. More particularly, then, 
 
Ser. III. 3 Dhine Goodness. 41 
 
 1. By its being said, God is love^ unquestionably, 
 we are to understand, that he is a being of n^ost per- 
 fect universal benevolence. This is a doctrine plainly 
 taught in other places of scripture. That the benev- 
 olence of God extends to every living creature, see 
 Psal. cxlv. 9, " The Lord is good to all ; and his 
 tender mercies are over all his works." That he is 
 kind to the unthankful, and the evil, is observed by 
 our Saviour, Luke vi. 35. See also the words of 
 tlie apostle, Rom. v. 8, " But God commendeth 
 his love towards us, in that, while we were yet sin- 
 ners, Christ died for us." And ver. 10,- — " When 
 we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by 
 the death of his Son." That the divine goodness 
 takes care of the most inconsiderable creatures, see 
 Luke xii. 6, " Are not five sparrows sold for two 
 farthing's ? and not one of them is forgotten before 
 God." 
 
 Perfect benevolence of nature, is a disposition to 
 promote every real good, of every one, in proportion 
 to its importance, as far as will consist with the rights 
 of others, and with the greatest general good. And 
 that such is the benevolence of God, the scriptures 
 plainly teach us to believe. But, 
 
 2. By its being said, *' God is love," seems to be 
 meant, that all his moral perfections are comprehend- 
 ed in benevolence. The manner of expression is 
 singular. It is not asserted merely that God is lov- 
 ing, kind, or good ; as elsewhere he is said to be 
 just, true and merciful; but that he is love itself — love 
 in the abstract. The most obvious meaning of which 
 appears to be, that his nature is all benevolence. 
 That eveiy feeling of his heart arises from this ; and 
 that all his works and \vays are resolvable into tliis, as 
 their source and centre ; their first cause, and last end. 
 
 II. We will now consider, the ground there is t© 
 believe, tliat God is thus love. And, 
 
 F 
 
42 Dhine Goodness. [Ser. III. 
 
 1. From the works of creation and Providence, 
 which come within our own view and observation, 
 there is great reason to conclude, that the Author 
 and Governor of the world, is a most benevolent 
 being. 
 
 This, at least, appears to have been the opinion of 
 holy men of old, who spake as they were moved by 
 the Holy Ghost. Paul and Barnabas, exhorting the 
 men of Lystra to turn from pagan idols, to serve the 
 living God, that made heaven and earth ; who in 
 times past suffered all nations to walk in their own 
 ways, tell them. Acts xiv. 17, " Nevertheless, he 
 left not himself without witness, in that he did good, 
 and gave rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons." 
 Left not himself without witness of what ? Of his 
 goodness, as well as of his existence, is most evident- 
 ly meant. So in the first chapter of Romans, speak- 
 ing of heathen nations, which had only the light of 
 nature, the apostle says, " That which may be known 
 of God is manifest in them, for God hath shewed it 
 unto them. For the invisible things of hhn from 
 the creation of the world are clearly seen, being un- 
 derstood by the things that are made, even his eter- 
 nal power and God-head : so that they are without 
 excuse : Because that, when they knew God, they 
 glorified him not as God, neither were thankful." It 
 is here plainly supposed, that these Gentiles had suf- 
 ficient evidence set before them in the works of crea- 
 tion, had they duly attended to it, to have covinced 
 them, not only of the being and power of God, but 
 also of his goodness. For, otherwise, how could they 
 have been without excuse, in not glorifying him as 
 God, or in not being thankful to him ? One entided 
 to our gratitude, or worthy to be glorified, must be 
 good, and not merely great. 
 
 David, likewise, long before, appears to have been 
 of opinion that God's moral perfections, and particu- 
 lai-ly his goodness, might be learnt from his works, 
 WQVG. men disposed to pay a proper attention to them, 
 
Ser. III.] Dimne Goodness, 43 
 
 and willing to believe the truth. He says, Psal. xix. 
 1 — 4 J << The heavens declare the glory of God, and 
 the firmament sheweth his handy work : Day unto 
 day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth 
 knowledge. There is no speech nor language 
 where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone 
 out through all the earth, and their words to the end 
 of the world." 
 
 But can the glory of God be thus declared, when 
 no convincing evidence is given of his goodness ? 
 Can one who is not good, ho^vever infinite his un- 
 derstanding and power, be a glorious being ? But 
 in another Psalm, it is said expressly, " The earth is 
 full of the ^oo^;^*?^^ of the Lord." And in another, 
 " O Lord, how manifold are thy works ! in wisdom 
 thou hast made them all : the earth is full of thy 
 riches. So is this gi-eat and wide sea, wherein are 
 things creeping iimumerable, both small and great. — 
 These all wait upon thee, that thou mayest give 
 them their meat in due season. That thou givest 
 them they gather : thou openest thine hand, they ai^e 
 filled with good." 
 
 And if we attentively consider the various capaci- 
 ties of animals, and more especially of mankind, for 
 usefulness and enjoyment ; and what suitable pro- 
 vision is every where made for their support and 
 comfort, must we not be forcibly struck with the 
 evidence thence arising, that the Creator and Preser\'- 
 er of all is a benevolent being ? 
 
 It is true, we observe and experience a great deal 
 of evil. But then, in many instances, we easily see 
 that evil is the occasion of good ; and good which 
 we know not how it could have been brought about 
 so well, if at all, in any other way. Generally, be- 
 nevolent design is apparent through the works of 
 creation and Providence. And though there be 
 soine creatures and events which have a contnuy 
 appearance, or which seem designed for doing hurt 
 ratlier than good ; yet this may well be imputed to our 
 
44 Dhine Goodness. [Ser. III. 
 
 ignorance of their uses and ends. Thus reason, 
 with a very litde modesty, might lead us to believe, 
 if we had only the light of nature. But, 
 
 2. From the law and the prophets, we have much 
 further evidence of the goodness of God, and great- 
 er reason to be satisfied that his nature is love. 
 
 All the precepts of the moral la^v, contained in the 
 scriptures of the Old Testament, are evidently dicta- 
 ted by universal benevolence. That law enjoins no- 
 thing but what is beneficial, and forbids nothing but 
 what is hurtful, not only to others, but even to our- 
 selves. It is easy to see that the law, in every com- 
 mandment of it, is good, as mcU as holy and just. It 
 may easily be seen that " love is the fulfilling of the 
 law :" or that all the law and the prophets are com- 
 prehended in these two commandments ; " Thou 
 shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart ; 
 and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." 
 
 Now the law of God, it must be supposed, is per- 
 fectly agi'eeable to his nature. Bad earthly rulers 
 may, indeed, sometimes enact good laws. They 
 may be obliged to do so, for the sake of their own 
 popularity or safety. But can it be thought that an 
 Almighty Legislator, who is absolutely independent, 
 and who has nothing to fear from any of his subjects, 
 A\ould have given a system of laws enjoining that in 
 Avhich /je himself delighteth not ? or one not perfect- 
 ly expressive of his oAvn disposition ? 
 
 3. The gospel, gives us still more abundant evi- 
 dence of God's infinite goodness. 
 
 In this, he liath made known to us a wonderful 
 way provided for sinners to escape the wrath to 
 come, and to inherit eternal life. In this we have 
 the strongest proof, of God's infinite concern for the 
 good of creatures who hated him without a cause, 
 and were justly hateful to him ; and, at the same time, 
 Qf his infinite concern for the support of that just 
 
Ser. III.] Dmne Goodness. 45 
 
 government, which is necessary for the general good 
 of the universe. " In this was manifested the love 
 of God," as it follows immediately after our text, 
 " because that God sent his only begotten Son into 
 the w^orld, that we might live through him. Herein 
 is love ; not that we loved God, but that he loved 
 us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our 
 sins." 
 
 In the gospel, also, much light is given respecting 
 the permission of sin and misery ; and concerning 
 . other things in the ways of God, which, without this 
 clue, might have forever appeared dark and inexplica- 
 ble. See 2 Tim. i. 10, " But is now made mani- 
 fest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, 
 who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and 
 immortality to hght through the gospel." And Eph. 
 iii. 10, " To the intent that now, unto the principali- 
 ties and powers in heavenly places, might be known 
 by the church, the manifold wisdom of God." 
 
 In the gospel we are informed of the happy issue 
 of present dark appearances ; and that, by the fall and 
 redemption of men, a wise plan is executing in the 
 Providence of God, for the most glorious display, of 
 his power, justice and grace, to the eternal admiration 
 and increased happiness of all the holy part of the in- 
 telligent creation ; and for thus, out of paitial evil, 
 producing the greatest universal good. 
 
 4. I know of nothing in the scriptures of the Old. or 
 New- Testament, which is not fairly reconcilable with 
 believing, that God is love — the most perfect univer- 
 sal benevolence. 
 
 It is said, indeed, " For his pleasure, all things are, 
 and were created." But it is his pleasure to do 
 good. 
 
 God says, of every one called by his name, " I 
 have created him for my glory : I have formed him, 
 yea, I have made him." But it is for his glory to 
 
46 Dhine Goodness. [Ser. III. 
 
 create beings capable of enjoying good ; to form 
 them for happiness, and to make them happy. 
 
 It is said, " The Lord hath made all things for 
 himself; yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.'* 
 But by the former part of this saying of Solomon, we 
 need not understand, that God had an exclusive re- 
 gard to himself in creation ; so as to have no ulti- 
 mate respect to the happiness of his creatures. That 
 their good was one thing he had ultimately in view 
 in creating many of them, we are plainly taught in 
 the scriptures : though we are also there taught, that 
 he regards himself, or his own glor}^, as the chief end 
 of all his works. An ultimate end, is any thing 
 which an agent aims at for its own sake^ in however 
 low a degTce. There can be but one chief end of any 
 action or undertaking ; but ultimate ends there may 
 be many. For instance, a man may build a house 
 for himself, as the principal thing in view ; and yet 
 he may design it for the comfort of his family, for the 
 accommodation of his friends occasionally, and for 
 the lodging of strangers. The good of each of these 
 others, may be an object in itself ; and not merely 
 in subserviency to the personal interest or honor of 
 the owner and builder. So, it may very consistent- 
 ly be supposed, that God made all things for himself, 
 as the chief end ; while he had yet respect to the 
 happiness of the creatures made, in different degrees, 
 as an ultimate end. And if this were the case, as we 
 are abundantly assured it was, he is then not to be 
 thought selfish, as men count selfishness. Some 
 have no ultimate object besides themselves, in any 
 thing they do : others make self their object, beyond 
 what is equal and just. But neither of these need be 
 supposed, oris to be understood, in regard to. God. 
 He values the good of all his creatures, in itself con- 
 sidered. He aims at their happiness as an ultimate 
 object : and he seeks his o\vn glory above every 
 thing else, no more than in equal proportion to its 
 real superior importance. 
 
Ser. III.] Dhine Good7iess, 47 
 
 With respect to its being said, " The Lord hath 
 made the wicked for the day of evil ;" ^ve are not to 
 understand by this, that their misery was any ulti- 
 mate end at all with God, in creating them. The 
 contrary he hath solemnly declared, Ezek. xxxiii. 11, 
 " As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in 
 the death of the wicked." Neither the destruction, 
 nor the least pain of any creature, however sinful, is 
 pleasing to him for its own sake. He punishes sin- 
 ners, and made them for that end, only because it is 
 necessaiy for benevolent designs. Thus, as is ob- 
 served, Rom. ix. 17, " The scripture saith unto 
 Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised 
 thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and 
 that my name might be declared throughout all the 
 earth." Now, if thus declaring God's name, were 
 of importance enough to over-balance all tlie evils 
 brought upon this cruel, haughty, obstinate prince, 
 neither his final destruction, nor his being raised up 
 for that end, was at all inconsistent with God's most 
 glorious benevolence. The same holds true of all 
 other instances of his punishing justice ; and of every 
 link in the chain of Providence, by which such awful 
 events are brought to pass. That the punishment 
 of the wicked was a part of God's etenicJ plan, and 
 that he made them for the day of evil, in this sense, 
 must be admitted. But that this was only because 
 he saw it necessary for the greatest general good, 
 must be believed, if we believe his word. And in 
 this way, all that is seen or said, of the Avrath and 
 vengeance of God, may be accounted for, in a good 
 consistency with the belief that his nature is love : 
 or that, in ail things, his ultimate motive is pure be- 
 nevolence. When he hateth all the workers of ini- 
 quity, he bears them no ill A\ill. When he inflicts 
 the most terrible punishments upon them, it is not 
 from any delight he takes in their misers^ or from 
 any want of a friendly disposition to^vai'ds them. 
 As a tender father doth not cease to \o\c. an offending 
 
48 Divine Goodness. [Ser. III. 
 
 child, when most displeased with it, and when, for 
 its own good, or the good of his other children, or 
 for the support of his own authority and honor, he is 
 obliged to punish it ; so neither doth the universal 
 Parent cease to love, with benevolence, his rebellious 
 creatures, even the most criminal of them ; though 
 he will not spare them, when, for any good ends, of 
 sufficient importance, their punishment is seen neces- 
 sary. When his regenerate and adopted children 
 are undutiful to him ; when " they break his stat- 
 utes, and keep not his commandments ; he will vis- 
 it their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity 
 with. stripes. Nevertheless, his loving kindness he 
 doth not take from them^ nor -suffer his faithfulness 
 to fail.'' And though he " is angiy with the wicked 
 every day ;" yet he pities them, and often waits long 
 for their repentance, that deserved vengeance may 
 not be executed vipon them. Nor are we to ima- 
 gine that he ceases to be benevolent, even towards 
 those his enemies, who, finally, will not have him to 
 reign over them, and whom he casts off for ever. 
 
 5. As far as we are able of ourselves to judge 
 what is right, it must be believed, that all the moral 
 perfections of God are comprehended in benevo- 
 lence, if we believe him altogether glorious. No- 
 thing but this, or what proceeds from this, I am 
 persuaded, can be approved by any man's conscience, 
 when well considered, as a moral perfection. An- 
 ger, WTath, vengeance, are amiable, when benevo- 
 lence inspires them, and when good only, is ultimate- 
 ly intended by them. On the other hand, when this 
 is not the case, even truth and justice, do not com-- 
 mend themselves to the feelings of the most upright 
 man, I presume, as being laudable. If need be, the 
 truth should be spoken, and justice should be done ; 
 but when there is no need of it, what glory can there 
 be in speaking tlie one, or in doing the other ? Be- 
 
Ser. HI.] Dhine Goodness, 49 
 
 nevolence, according to common sense, is the ^ul 
 of every virtue, or moral excellency. 
 
 Not that a good end, will sanctify unrighteous 
 means ; as some have infered from the benevolent 
 system. Truth must never be violated, nor injustice 
 done ; because either of tliese would be destructive 
 of general good. If ?nen were at liberty to speak 
 falsely or defraud, whenever they might think it 
 would do more good than hurt, in particular cases, 
 we could have no confidence in one another ; and 
 no man's property, or reputation, or life, would be in 
 any safety. And if it were possible for God to lie, 
 or to treat liis creatures unrighteousLy^ W-e could nev- 
 er trust in him, or knoiv what to expect from him. 
 Still, however, that neither justice nor truth, nor any 
 thing else, is a virtue in man, or a moral perfection 
 in God, further than it proceeds from a benevolent 
 disposition, I believe, when duly thought of, must 
 be the decision of every man's conscience* That 
 God is love, as now explained, seems necessary to 
 be believed, in order to a rational conviction of his 
 being altogether lovely. 
 
 We will now pay a brief attention to the former 
 part of our text ; and inquire how it is to be under- 
 stood, that /je that loiieth noi^ knoiveth not God. 
 
 By him that loveth not, is evidently meant, one 
 who has no true benevolence : nothing, in exercise 
 or principle, of that love which is tlie fulfilling of the 
 law. And under this character, it is plain, the apos- 
 tle means to comprehend every unregenerate sinner : 
 for in the next preceding verse he says, " Every 
 one that loveth, is born of God." 
 
 But we are not to understand, that natural men, 
 however entirely destitute of true benevolence, are 
 incapable of every kind of knowledge of the Supreme 
 Being. Of his natural perfections — his omnipotence, 
 omniscience, and omnipresence, they may have as 
 
 G 
 
50 Dimne Goodness. [Ser. IlL 
 
 just conceptions as good men have. And they may 
 have some idea and conviction of God's moral per- 
 fections — his justice, truth and goodness. 
 
 There are two respects, however, in which it may 
 be truly said, " He that loveth not knoweth not 
 God." 
 
 1. Compared with good men, he has not a clear 
 conception of what is meant by the divine benevo- 
 lence. We get the idea of many things by experi- 
 ence, with an exactness which can no other way be 
 obtained. Of one who has never felt hai*d pain, we 
 say. He knows nothing what it is. We say the same 
 of one who has never experienced parental affection. 
 That no one can get the full idea of these feelings, 
 without experiencing them, is indisputable. Thus 
 also we get the most perfect knowledge of human na- 
 ture. The apostle to the Corinthians says, " What 
 man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of 
 a man that is in him." He adds, '' Even so, the 
 things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of 
 God." Any endeavors to explain the divine benev- 
 olence, to one who has not been transformed into 
 the likeness of it, by the renewing of the Holy Ghost, 
 must be somewhat, though not altogether, like at- 
 tempting to give a blind man an idea of colors. The 
 unrenewed, from the experience they have of hu- 
 mane compassion, of love for near relations, and of 
 other partial friendships, may have some very faint 
 partial idea of the feelings of Him who is good to. all. 
 Still however, they will be exceedingly apt to con- 
 ceive of God, as though he were altogether such an 
 one as themselves. Any one may be convinced, 
 from analogy in other matters, tliat those who have 
 been created after God in true, holiness, will thence 
 be able to form an idea of the holiness of God, witli 
 a degree of correctness, of which the unholy are in- 
 capable. But, 
 
Ser. III.] Dhine Goodjiess. 51 
 
 2. There is a ^w^ of knowledge of God, which is 
 entirely peculiar to good men. I mean, a heart-felt 
 knowledge of his amiableness. He that loveth not, 
 and has no disposition to God-like love, can have no 
 delightful perception of any of the divine attributes ; 
 however well they might be speculathely understood. 
 This is that perception of which the apostle speaks, 
 2 Cor. iv. 6, " For God, who commanded the light 
 to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to 
 give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, 
 in the face of Jesus Christ." This kind of knowl- 
 edge, none but men of an honest and good heart, can 
 possibly have. The carnal Jews had raised expecta- 
 tions of their promised glorious Messiah ; yet, on 
 his actual appearance, they received him not. It 
 proved as was foretold in Isaiah : " When we shall 
 see him, there is no beauty that we should desire 
 him : He is despised and rejected." The reason is 
 obvious. Their desires of salvation, and his saving 
 designs, were far from coinciding. And a like op- 
 position there always is, between the pui^poses of 
 God, and the wishes of fallen men. He is good to 
 all ; they want to have him good only to themselves, 
 and to their friends. He proposes to make them 
 happy by turning them from their iniquities : it is 
 their heart's desire and prayer, to have earthly riches 
 and power, and liberty to enjoy the pleasures of sin. 
 
 To a mind universally, benevolent, the universal 
 benevolence of the gi-eat Parent of all, appears glori- 
 ous : but to a man of a totally selfish or partial dis- 
 position, it cannot so appear. No one can be pleas- 
 ed with a disposition in another to promote, that 
 which he cares nothing about, or wishes not to have 
 promoted. 
 
 Let us now see what useful inferences will follow, 
 from the subject we have been considering. 
 
 1. From the things last said we may leai-n, that 
 there is no impropriety in attempting to instruct the 
 
52. JDivine Goodness. C^^i'* IW- 
 
 unregeiijerate, in matters of religion ; nor any reason 
 why they sliould think it in A^ain to pay attention to 
 divine instruction, because of the blindness of their 
 heiU'ts. They are not altogether like the horse and 
 mule, which ha^^e no understanding. A rational 
 conviction tliey may get, or may be given them, of 
 God's ail-seeing eye that is upon them, of his povv^er 
 and justice to punish them, and of his grace and mer- 
 cy to save them ; and such a conviction is one thing 
 necessary, in order to tlieir conversion and salvation, 
 
 2. It hence appears that the incapacity of sinners, 
 wlule unxenevved, to come to the samng knowledge of 
 God, is of such a nature as cannot render them at all 
 excusable, in this kind of ignorance. It is owing 
 mere]}- to their total want of a benevolent disposition ; 
 and this is what we always condemn in others, and 
 ouijht to condemji in ourselves. Yet, 
 
 3. It is evident from our text, and thethine;s now 
 said upon it, that the incapacity of those who have 
 not been born again, to know God so as to love him, 
 is such as can be removed by nothing but a radical 
 change of heai't. Did natural men only labor under 
 misapprehensions concerning God, rectifying tlieir 
 mistakes v/ould be enough to reconcile them to him. 
 Were their blindness to liis glory, owing to any 
 Aveakness or disorder in their intellectual powers ; 
 a physical operation on the brain might be sufficient ; 
 or, if any thing supernatural were necessary, itvrould 
 be only to give them better beads. But if the bot- 
 tom of the difficulty with them, lies in their not be- 
 ing of a benevolent disposition ; a better bean must 
 be given them, before they can be brought out of 
 darkness mto God's marvellous light, or have any 
 spiritual discernment of divine things. 
 
 4. From what has been said of the evidences set 
 before u§, that God is love, we may be helped to 
 
Ser. III.] Dhine Goodness. 5S 
 
 judge where the truth Ues, respecting the sufficiency 
 of the light of nature, in matters of rehgion. 
 
 Infidel writers have often labored to prove, that 
 the visible works of God teach us, with sufficient 
 clearness, all that is needful to be known concerning 
 him : whence they conclude, that the Bible is unne- 
 cessary ; and therefore, not from God. 
 
 In opposition to this, some of late have advanced, 
 that from the light of nature, there is no reason to 
 believe the moral perfections of God ; or to think 
 that he is a good being. 
 
 The first of these opinions ought to be rejected, 
 I apprehend, as utterly unfounded and false : but 
 yet the last, it appears to me, is caiTying the matter 
 too fai' : farther than is needful, or safe, or true. The 
 Bible itself, as hath now been observed, seems plain- 
 ly to assert, that the glory of God is declared, by 
 his works of creation and common Providence : and 
 that the heathen were without excuse, because that 
 when they knew God, by these means, or might 
 have known him, they glorified him not as God, 
 neither were tliankful. Does not then asserting that, 
 from the things which are seen, there is no reason 
 to think that God is worthy to be glorified, or that 
 ^ve have any reason to be thankful to him, look like 
 contradicting the scriptures, to show the necessity of 
 them, and to induce men to believe them ? 
 
 And if Vve attend to the vv orks of nature ourselves, 
 as holy men of old have done, will it not be ration- 
 id to acknowledge, that all objections to the good- 
 ness of God, arising from apparent evils, amount to 
 no morefthan difficulties, which reason alone would 
 not be able to solve ? But how often is it the case 
 respecting most demonstrable truths, that there are 
 things which seem iiTeconcilable with them ? Even 
 after revelation, and in revelation itself, there are 
 some things hard to be reconciled. We must fall 
 into very universal scepticism, if we will believe 
 nothing till all difficulties can be removed. In the 
 
54 Divine Goodness. [Ser. III. 
 
 case before us, as the preponderating evidences from 
 all nature, are in favor of the goodness of its divine 
 Author; so, I am apprehensive that the cause of 
 rehgion will be rather injured than promoted, by 
 any attempts to invalidate those evidences. Such 
 attempts, I am afraid, will be more likely to drive 
 deists into atheism, than to bring them to believe the 
 scriptures. 
 
 Nor do I see any occasion we have for taking this 
 ground, in our disputes with unbelievers. Admit- 
 ting that the light of nature would give some knowl- 
 edge of the true God, were men perfectly well dis- 
 posed, and thoroughly attentive ; still it is certain 
 that fallen depraved men, have not hitherto felt after 
 him and found him, groping in this glimmering light 
 alone : and from the long trial made, it is strongly 
 to be presumed they never would. 
 
 Certain also it is, that there are things concerning 
 God, of the last importance to be understood by 
 sinners, which, without a divine revelation, never 
 could have been known at all, by men or angels. If 
 the light of nature might have taught us that God is 
 good ; yet how could any creature have known by 
 it, that he was ready to forgive, or that with him 
 v/as plenteous redemption ? Redeeming love, renew- 
 ing grace, pardoning mercy, and giving eternal life 
 to the ungodly, are parts of the glory of God, which 
 the heavens clo not declare. What a sinner must do 
 to be saved, or whether he can be saved at all, the 
 firmament showeth not. Though their line is gone 
 out through all the earth, and their words to the end 
 of the world ; yet, on these all -interesting subjects, 
 they have nothing to say. These breadths and 
 depths, are far beyond their line. 
 
 Now, what broader or better ground do we want, 
 for asserting the necessity of revelation ? Why 
 should we wish to depreciate the light of nature any 
 further ? Let it be enough to leave men without ex- 
 cuse. Let it be sufficient, if any please, for guid- 
 
 "V 
 
Ser. III.] DiviTte Goodness. SB 
 
 ing attentive sinless beings, into all necessaiy truth. 
 For us, fallen, stupid, guilty creatures, certainly, it 
 is altogether insufficient. 
 
 5. Let us then look to the word of God, and not 
 rely upon our own reasoning from his goodness, for 
 our conclusions resj^ecting the salvation of sinners. 
 
 Because the Most High is called the Parent of the 
 universe, and is said to be good unto all, some will 
 hastily conclude, that he hath no wrath for the work- 
 ers of iniquity to fear ; nor need they seek his grace. 
 They conceive of him under the fond idea of an in- 
 dulgent father of our flesh, who will suffer his chil- 
 dren to abuse one another, and to treat him with all 
 possible irreverence and disobedience ; and will only 
 say, " My sons, why do ye these things ?" witliout 
 ever restraining or punishing them. " Be not de- 
 ceived ; God is not mocked." He hath said to the 
 simier, after enumerating his evil deeds, " These 
 things hast thou done, and I kept silence ; thou 
 thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thy- 
 self; but I will reprove thee, and set them in order 
 before thine eyes. Now, consider this, ye that forget 
 God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to 
 deliver." It is written, " Men shall feai' the Lord, 
 and his goodness, in the latter days." And indeed, 
 when his goodness comes to be rightly understood, 
 it must lead men to stand in awe, and not sin. The 
 more perfectly benevolent we believe the almighty 
 Governor of the world, the more reason have saints to 
 venerate him, and sinners to tremble before him. That 
 hg will punish sin, as far as is necessary for righting 
 the injured, for restraining iniquity, aftd for promoting 
 the greatest general good, we may thence be certain. 
 And whether, for these good ends, judgment must not 
 be laid to the line, and righteousness to the plummet, 
 in all cases, we could never have known, w idiout a 
 revelation from Him. That all men Vv ill be saved, 
 or that any sinner ^vill escape deserved punishment ; 
 
B6 Divine Goodness. [Ser. III4 
 
 is a bold inference for the reason of man, from the 
 mere perfections of God. Arguing thus, is to exer* 
 cise ourselves in great matters, and in things too high 
 for us. But when we are assured by the pen of in- 
 spiration, that God is in Chi'ist reconciling the world 
 to himself, the vilest sinner need not fear, as some 
 have been ready to do, that their sins are too great to 
 be forgiven. Infinite goodness may. then be a safe 
 ground of confidence, that where sin hath abounded, 
 if we repent and believe the gospel, gi-ace will much 
 more abound. 
 
 Hearken, then, to the gracious proclamation from 
 heaven ; Isa. Iv. 7— -9, " Let the wicked forsake his 
 way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts : and let 
 him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy 
 upon him, and to our God for he will abundantly par- 
 don. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nei- 
 ther aie your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For 
 as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my 
 ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than 
 your thoughts." 
 
SERMON IV. 
 
 ON THE JUSTICE OF GOD, II\l THE PUNISHMENT 
 OF SIN. 
 
 ROMANS XII. 19, 
 
 "^Vengeance is mine ; I ndll rejiay^ salth the Lord, 
 
 OOLOMON says, " I considered all the op- 
 pressions that are done under the sun : and, behold, 
 the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no 
 comforter ; and on the side of their oppressors there 
 was power ; but, they had no comforter." Such in- 
 stances, which are still often to be seen, are apt to ex- 
 cite our compassion and indignation : But what can 
 our indignation or our compassion avail ? It is not 
 often in the power of our hands to punish, or to res- 
 cue and protect. We can neither put down the 
 mighty, when they are cruel and unrighteous ; nor 
 help the weak, when they suffer wrong. In cases 
 of this nature, we have generally no other way to 
 console ourselves, but by confiding in the justice and 
 power of God. By believing that He is greater than 
 all, and that His judgment is according to truth. 
 That He will certainly right the injured, and recom- 
 pence the way of evil doers upon their o^vn heads. 
 This consolation God gave to iii§ people of old, in 
 Deut. xxxii. 35, where, speaking of those cruel 
 
 H 
 
58 Dimne justice. [Ser. IV. 
 
 enemies that were too powerful for them, he says, 
 " To me belongeth vengeance and recompence ; 
 their foot shall slide in due time : for the day of their 
 calamity is at hand, and the things which shall come 
 upon them make haste." To this the apostle in our 
 text refers, for the comfort of persecuted christians, 
 and to guard them against seeking retaliation, or 
 meditating revenge. The whole verse is ; " Dearly 
 beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place 
 unto wrath : for it is written, Vengeance is mine ; I 
 will repay, saith the Lord." 
 
 It is proposed to show, in the ensuing discourse, 
 
 I. How we are to understand, that vengeance is 
 God's. 
 
 II. The reasons we have to believe that He will 
 repay; and, 
 
 III. That ail fears or hopes of the contraiy, are 
 utterly groundless. 
 
 How we ai-e to understand tliat vengeance is the 
 Lord's, in the fitst place, I shall endeavor to explain. 
 
 By vengeance, when ascribed to God, I would ob- 
 serve, is not to be understood the same, in all res- 
 pects, as is generally meant by re'uerige. In common 
 speech, it is true, these are often nearly synonymous 
 expressions ; and so they are sometimes used in 
 scripture. Thus in Deut. xxxii. 41, 42, God says, 
 " If I whet my glittering sword, and my hand take 
 hold on judgment, I v/\)X render '•vengeance , &:c. from 
 the beginning of reve??ges upon the enemy." And 
 in Nahum it is s^iid, " The Lord revengeth ; the 
 Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries." But 
 tlien, it ought to be imderstood, that revenge is very 
 diHerent in God, from what it is in Avicked, or in 
 
Ser. IV.] Dmne Justice. 59 
 
 weak imperfect men. In them, it is commonly tinc- 
 tured with malignity, or ill will to^vards the offender. 
 Of Simeon and Levi, Jacob said, " Cursed be their 
 anger, for it was fierce ; and their WTath, for it was 
 cruel." And this is often the case with men, when 
 they recompense evil for evil. But though we read 
 of the fierce anger of God, yet nothing of cruelty, nor 
 any want of kindness, is ever attributed to the Al- 
 mighty. The fierceness of liis wrath is not a bitter 
 passion ; nor any passion at all. It is only an infi- 
 nite opposition to iniquity, and an omnipotent dis- 
 position to discountenance it, for benevolent pur- 
 poses. 
 
 It is to be observed, howevei*, that by his ven- 
 geance, spoken of in our text, is evidently meant, 
 ii'mdicthe justice ; and not that fatherly correction 
 which is intended for the good of the subject. A 
 distinction is often made in scripture, between the 
 chastisement of good men, and judgments sent upon 
 the irreclaimably wicked. Of the former we read, 
 Isa. xxvii. 9, "By this shall the iniquity of Jacob 
 be purged ; and this is all the fruit, to take away his 
 sin." And in the eleventh Psalm it is said ; " The 
 Lord trieth the righteous : but the wicked, and him 
 that loveth violence, his soul hateth. Upon the wick- 
 ed he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an hor- 
 rible tempest : this shall be the portion of their cup." 
 The trials and coiTcctions of God's regenerate chil- 
 dren, are rarely, if ever, expressed by the name of 
 vengeance. And it is very evident that the ven- 
 geance spoken of in our text, and in Deuteronomy, 
 from which our text is a quotation, means such pun- 
 ishment of the enemies of God's people as should 
 terminate in their ruin, not in their reformation. It 
 is rendering a just retaliation to them, according to 
 the full demerit of their evil deeds. 
 
 Let us now consider, more particular!}', how we 
 are to understand that such ven8:eancc is the Lord's. 
 
60 Divine Justice. [Ser. IV. 
 
 1. Undoubtedly it is to be undersiood, that in- 
 iiicting deserved punishment on all evil doers, of 
 right, belongs to God. The truth of this cannot be 
 disputed. Certainly, if any one can have a right to 
 punish iniquity in any case, the Supreme Being has 
 an unquestionable right to do it in all cases. His 
 rightful authority to punish any one who deserves 
 punishment, is most evident, because he is the Cre- 
 ator, Preserver, and absolute Proprietor of all. As 
 it belongs to a father to chasten his own children, 
 and to a master to correct his own servants : so, and 
 much more, does it belong to God to punish his own 
 creatures, when they do amiss. He must have an 
 undoubted right to govern all rational creatures, be- 
 cause he hath made them, and in him they live, and 
 move, and have their being. 
 
 2. God's saying vengeance is mme, implies, that 
 rendering adequate punishment for iniquity, belongs 
 to him alone. This hkewise, is indisputable. No 
 one can have a right to punish His creatures, except 
 by authorit}^ derived from Him. " Who ait thou," 
 says the apostle, "that judgest another man's ser- 
 vant? To his own master he standeth or falleth." 
 And in our context he enjoins it upon christians, 
 " Recompense to no man evil for evil." The civil 
 magistrate may indeed, and must do this, in a de- 
 gree, in some cases ; but then he does it by di- 
 vine appointment, Rom. xiii. 4, " For he is the min- 
 ister of God ; a revenger to execute vvTath upon 
 him that doeth evil." His power to avenge the 
 injured, and to punish the injurious, is only a dele- 
 gated power : and this delegation is also very limited. 
 Earthly rulers, the highest of them, are not author- 
 ized to punish all kinds of iniquity ; nor any, accord- 
 ing to their full demerit. The punishment of crimes 
 belongs to them, only so far as is necessary for the 
 present safety and peace of society. It is just, and on 
 a lai'ger scale, it may be necessaiy, that natural^ evil 
 
Ser. IV.] Divine justice. 61 
 
 should be recompensed for moral evil, in all cases, to 
 the utmost of its desert. But this, He who inhabit- 
 eth eternity, hath reserved to himself. 
 
 3. Another evident truth, which may be implied 
 in this saying of God, is, that he alone is able to 
 award and execute righteous vengeance, 
 
 No one besides has knowledge sufficient, to judge 
 always what is just and right, in rendering punish- 
 ments for crimes. Man looketh only on the outward 
 appearance : nor is it more than a very small part of 
 the external actions of sinners, that falls under the 
 immediate inspection, or can come to the certain 
 knowledge, of the wisest human judges. They must 
 depend, for the judgment they pass, upon the testi- 
 mony of others. And hence they are very liable to 
 clear the guilty, for want of evidence ; or to con- 
 demn die innocent, through tiie falsehood or mistakes 
 of witnesses. But " the eyes of the Lord are in 
 eveiy place, beholding the evil and the good." No 
 darkness, nor distance, can prevent his perfect view 
 of all that is done, or hearing of all that is said. 
 1 Sam. ii. 3, " The Lord is a God of knowledge, 
 and by him actions are weighed." And Jer. xvii. 
 10, " I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, 
 even to give every man according to his ways." 
 All the motives and principles from which any act, 
 are fully open to His all-seeing eye : and these are of 
 the greatest impoitance in weighing with exactness, 
 the merit or demerit of moral actions. 
 
 Rendering just punishment is also peculiar to God, 
 because no one else has power sufficient to execute 
 deserved vengeance, in all cases, or indeed, in any 
 case. The most absolute and m.ost mighty poten- 
 tates of the eaith, are often unable to crush formi- 
 dable rebellions, or to punish powerful offenders. 
 But against the Almighty, all resistance and combi- 
 nation are in vain : " He is wise in heart and mighty 
 in strength," says Job ; '' who hath hardened him- 
 
62 Dhine Justice, £Ser. IV. 
 
 self against him and hath prospered." — " God hath 
 spoken once," sa3^s David, " twice have I heard this, 
 that power belongeth unto God." And hence it is 
 said by Solomon, " Though hand join in hand, 
 the wicked shall not be unpunished." 
 
 In no case aie men able to inflict that punishment 
 which is the full wages of sin. As our Saviour 
 observes, they can at furthest only kill the body ; 
 after that there is no more that they can do : but 
 God, after he hath killed, hath power to cast into 
 hell. 
 
 Having endeavored to explain how it is to be 
 understood, that vengeance is the Lord's ; let us 
 consider, as was proposed, 
 
 II. The reasons we have to believe that he will 
 repay. That is, v/ill punish impenitent evil work- 
 ers, with strict justice. And, 
 
 1. We have reason to believe this, from what he 
 hath said. 
 
 Many declarations to this purpose in his word, all 
 who have read their Bibles may easily recollect. 
 See, as a specimen, Deut. xxxii. 39, 40, 41, " I, 
 even I, am he, and there is no God with me : I 
 kill, and I m.ake alive ; I wound, and I heal : neither 
 is there any that can deliver out of my hand. For I 
 lift my hand to heaven, and say, I live forever. 
 If I ^vhet my glittering sword, and mine hand take 
 hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to mine 
 enemies, ancl will reward them that hate me." Isa. 
 xxviii. .17, " Judgment also will I lay to the line, 
 and righteousness to the plummet ; and the hail 
 shall sweep away tlie refuges of lies, and the waters 
 shall overflow the hiding places." Isa. lix. 18, 
 ' ' According to their deeds, accordingly he will re- 
 pay, ivxry to his adversaries, recompence to his ene- 
 mies; to the islands he will repay recompence." 
 
Ser. IV.] Divine Justice. 63 
 
 Ezek. xxii. 14, " Cantliine heart endure, or can 
 thine hands be strong, in the day that I shall deal 
 with thee ? I the Lord have spoken it, and will do it." 
 And 2 Thes. i. 7, 8, 9,— The Lord Jesus shall be 
 revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in 
 flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know 
 not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ : who shall be punished with everlast- 
 ing destruction from the presence of the Lord, and 
 from the glory of his power." 
 
 2. That God will repay sinners \^dth righteous 
 punishment, we have reason to believe from w hat he 
 hath done. By the judgments which he hath already 
 executed, it is put beyond all reasonable doubt, that 
 iniquity shall not go unpunished. Thus the apostle 
 Jude argues : having spoken of certain ungodly men 
 that had crept into the churches, who turned the 
 grace of God into laciviousness, he says ; " I will 
 therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once 
 knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the peo- 
 ple out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed 
 them that believed not. And the angels which kept 
 not their first estate, but left their oAvn habitation, 
 he hath reserved in everlasting chains, under dark- 
 ness, unto the judgment of the great day. Even as 
 Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them, 
 in like manner giving themselves over to fornication, 
 and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an ex- 
 ample, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." 
 That is, their destruction is left upon sacred record, 
 as a warning to all others, and as an emblem of the 
 final punishment of sinners in the fire which shall 
 never be quenched. The destruction of the old 
 world, of the Egyptian host, of Babylon, and of Je- 
 rusalem, may be considered as similar examples. 
 And so may the destruction ^\ hich has come upon 
 innumerable other cities and nations, as well as upon 
 individual sinners, in fulfilment of divine threaten-, 
 ings. 
 
64 Divine ytistice. [Sera IVi 
 
 3. That God will take vengeance on the workers 
 of iniquity, is agreeable to the natural apprehensions 
 of mankind, both bad and good. When the ship 
 which carried Jonah was like to be broken with a 
 tempest, and the mariners saw themselves ready to 
 perish, notwithstanding all their efforts and prayers, 
 they said ; " Conie, and let us cast lots, that we may 
 knovv^ for whose cause this evil is come upon us." 
 When the men of Melita saw a viper come out of 
 the fire which they had kindled, and light upon 
 Paul's hand, they said among themselves ; " No 
 doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he 
 hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not 
 to live." When ^(?ror/ heard of the fame of Jesus, 
 on account of his astonishing miracles, he said, " It 
 is John, whom I beheaded : he is risen from the 
 dead ; and therefore mighty works do shevv/^ forth 
 themselves in him." Others had different conjec- 
 tures ; but this was Herod's confident opinion : and 
 it was probably suggested to him by his conscience, 
 which made him apprehensive of the awful justice 
 of God. Such apprehensions are natural to men. 
 Those who are conscious of great crimes, cannot 
 but entertain fearful forebodings that God will not 
 suffer them to escape his righteous judgment. And 
 those w^ho have suffered great injuries, expect justice 
 from heaven, if they can obtain no redress on earth. 
 Solomon says, " I saw under the sun the place of 
 judgment, that wickedness was there, and the place 
 of righteousness, that iniquity was there. I said in 
 mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the 
 wicked." Abraham, likewise, was confident that 
 the Judge of all the earth would do right. And fronj 
 this strong expectation, it has often been matter of 
 wonder to good men, that notorious transgressors 
 should be spared, and suffered to enjoy prosperity, 
 so long as they sometimes are. See Job xxi. 7, 
 " Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, 
 arc mighty in power ?" And Psak Ixxiii. 12, and. 
 
Sen IV.] Dmm Justice^ 6S 
 
 16, 17, " Behold, tliese are the ungodly who prosper 
 in the world ; thcy increase in riches. — When I 
 thought to know this it ^vas too painful for me, until 
 I went into the sanctuary of God ; then understood 
 I their end." Yea, so natural and universal is the 
 certain expectation of equitable rewards and punish- 
 ments, if there be a just God, that wicked men have 
 called in question the being of such a God, because 
 at present all things come so much alike to all. 
 
 . Such are the strong grounds we have to be fully 
 persuaded, that the holy Governor of the world will 
 render a terrible recompence to sinners, for their un- 
 godly and unrighteous deeds. I proposed to show, 
 
 III. That any hopes or fears of the contrary, are 
 altogetlier groundless. 
 
 The gi'ounds on which some flatter themselves 
 that God will not be strict to punish any sinners, ai'c, 
 the universal goodness of his nature ; the plenteous 
 redemption there is with him, tlirough the propitia- 
 tion of his Son ; his declared readiness to forgive, 
 and the long delay of his threatened vengeance. 
 These, therefore, it will be pfoper here particularly 
 to consider ; and to show that there is no reason to 
 apprehend, from either of them, that those who die in 
 their sins will not be punished according to strict and 
 perfect justice. 
 
 1. There is no reason to think this, because of the 
 infinite, universal goodness of God. 
 
 It is true, we read, " The Lord is good to all ; 
 and his tender mercies are over all his works :" and 
 ihat " God is lov£." But then, this is so far from 
 giving any reason, to believe^ he Aviii never punish, 
 let men be ever so bad, that it affords the strongest 
 ground for confidence that he certainly will. One 
 who is good to all, when he sees any suifer \vrong, if 
 he liave rightful authority and sufficient strength, will 
 
 I 
 
66 Dhine Justice. [Scr. IV, 
 
 avenge him who is oppressed, and smite the op- 
 pressor. Justice is essential to universal goodness, 
 A good man and a just, are synonymous appel- 
 lations in scripture ; and the former character obvi- 
 ously implies the latter. Universal benevolence will 
 dispose one to do justly, in every relation he sustains, 
 or capacity in which he is called to act. A good 
 ruler, certainly, is one that beareth not the sword in 
 vain : one who is a terror to evil doers, that he m.ay be 
 a protector of them that do well. But if he that 
 ruleth over men, in the character of a civil magistrate, 
 must be just ; how much more desirable and neces- 
 sary is this, in Him who ruleth over all ? As far as 
 is requisite for supporting government, and securing 
 t"he greatest public good, and the rights of ever)^ in- 
 dividual, vindictive justice is evidently an essential 
 branch of universal goodness. And that these good 
 ends do not require the punishment of all sin accord- 
 ing to its full demerit, or something equivalent to 
 it, in the extensive administration of God, we have 
 ceilainly no reason to be positive. Any conclusion 
 that the Judge of the universe will never punish 
 crimes, or not strictly and fully, because he is infi- 
 nitely good ; can be grounded only on the stupid sup- 
 position that we know as well as he, what is wisest 
 anrd best. 
 
 2. There is no reason to think that God will not 
 now, in any case, punish the sins of men, according 
 to strict justice, because of the atonement which has 
 been m.ade for them by the death of his Son. 
 
 Some have supposed, that Christ hath so purclms- 
 ed salvation for sinners of the human race, that God 
 is obliged in justice to save them all. That their sins 
 have been so punisl^ed in their surety, that it 
 would be unjust to punish them in their own per- 
 sons : and that eternal life has been so merited for 
 tliem, that they can claim it as a just debt. 
 
Ser. IV.] Dhine Justice. 61 
 
 But this is a supposition most palpably absurd in 
 itself, as well as contrary to the plainest represent- 
 ations of scripture. Crimes are not to be cancelled, 
 or the ill desert of them taken away, even by person- 
 al sufferings ; and much less by the sufferings of an- 
 other ; though a proper fomidation may thus be laid 
 for tlie gracious pardon of them. Nor can the Cre- 
 ator of all, become obligated as a debtor, by any 
 merit ; though a door may diereby be opened for 
 the honorable bestowment of undeserved favors. Ac- 
 cordingly, in the third chapter of Romans, the apos- 
 tle having said, " All have sinned, and come short 
 of the glory of God," he proceeds to speak of, " Be- 
 ing justified freely by his grace ^ through the re- 
 demption that is in Christ Jesus ; m hom God hatli set 
 forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, 
 to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins 
 — that h& might he just, and the justifierof him that 
 beliveth." This was done, the apostle observes, 
 " That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might 
 grace reign, through rigbteoiisness, unto eternal life, 
 by Jesus Christ our Lord." Notwithstanding, 
 therefore, the sufficiency of the atonement of Christ 
 for all men ; no man has any claim to an exemption 
 from the curse of the law, until he embraces the gos- 
 pel : nor then, in point of justice ; but merely on 
 the ground of God's gi'acious promise. 
 
 If it should still be said, as some are ready to say, 
 supposing the atonement of Christ be only suHicient 
 to render the salvation of all men* consistent with 
 justice, may we not conclude from the goodness of 
 God, that all will actually be saved ? 
 
 To tliis it may be answered ; not ynless Vv e are 
 wise enough certainly to know^ that the best purpos- 
 es, upon the whole, ^vouldthus be answered. There 
 is no more reason to conclude this, than there was 
 before tlie fall of men or ans-els, to have concluded 
 that no sm or misen/ would ever have been permit- 
 ted, by a Being of infinite goodness and power. 
 
68 Divine Jiistice. [Ser. IV. 
 
 There was no more necessity, in point of justice, 
 that any creature sliould have been suffered to fall, 
 than there is noAv, that some of mankind should be 
 left to perish in their sins. God does not do what- 
 ever he could, without any violation of justice ; but 
 only what he judges to be wisest and best. If, there- 
 fore, it seemeth good in his sight, he will leave many 
 of the human race to be forever sinful and miserable, 
 notwithstanding the universal sufficiency of the atone- 
 ment of Christ. " Who hath known the mind of 
 the Lord ? or who hath been his counsellor ?" Shall 
 a worm of the dust arrogate this knowledge ! and 
 assume this off.ce ? " What if God, willing to shew 
 his v/rath, and to make his power known, endured 
 with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted 
 to destruction ; and that he m.ight make knoAvn the 
 riches of his gloiy on the vessels of mercy, which he 
 had afore prepared unto glory ?" Shall vain man, 
 born like the wild asses colt, say unto him. Why 
 doest thou thus ! It "would certainly be wiser, more 
 benevolent, and more glorious, to make all vessels 
 of mercy ! 
 
 Tlie death of Christ vras designed to give such a 
 striking example of the justice of God, that, "while 
 mercy should be exercised in this way, men might 
 stand in awe, and not sin. Our Saviour, when going 
 to be crucified, said to the women that followed him 
 weeping, " Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for 
 me, but Aveep for yourselves, and for your children. — 
 For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall 
 be done in the dry ?" Shall we then be so wise as to 
 draw^ from it the contrary conclusion ; that, since the 
 green tree hath been so terribly burnt, no dr^^ tree 
 has any thing to fear ! That since the just one, when 
 voluntaiily standing in the place of sinners, was not 
 spared, the unjust may be unjust still, with perfect 
 aafctv ! 
 
Ser. IV.] Dh'me 'Justice. 69 
 
 3. "There is no reason to thinli that God will nev- 
 er be strict to punish iniquity, because of his present 
 forbearance ; nor because of his declared readiness 
 to forgive. 
 
 The Lord is long-suifering to us-ward, it is true ; 
 and hence sinners may be apt to flatter themselves 
 with hopes of final impunity, though they continue 
 impenitent. " Because sentence against an evil 
 work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart 
 of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." 
 But to be emboldened to sin, by God's keeping si^ 
 lence, is as hazardous, as it is abusive and ungrate- 
 ful. Rom. ii. 4, 5, 6, " Despisest thou the riches 
 of his goodness, and forbearance, and long-suffering ; 
 not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth tiiee 
 to repentance : Buit after thy hardness and impeni- 
 tent heart, treasurest up unto thyself wrath against 
 tiie day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous 
 judgment of God ; ^\'ho will render to every man 
 according to his deeds." 
 
 As to God's declared readiness to forgive ; this is 
 only on certain conditions. " Repent, and turn 
 yourselves from all your transgressions ; so iniquity 
 shall not be your ruin. Believe on the Lord Jesus 
 Christ, and thou shalt be saved." But without re- 
 pentance, and faith in Christ, it is as expressly declai-- 
 ed, there is no remission of sins. See Psal. Ixviii. 21, 
 " God shall wound the hec^d of his enemies, and the 
 hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his 
 trespasses." Heb. ii. 2, 3, " For if the word spok- 
 en by angels was steadfast, and every transgression 
 and disobedience received a just recompence of re- 
 ward ; hov/ shall we escape, if we neglect so great 
 salvation ?" And chap. x. 26, 27, " For if we sin 
 Avilfullv after we have received the kno^dedsre of the 
 truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins ; 
 but a certaing fearful looking for of judgment and 
 fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversa- 
 ries." 
 
76 Dhine Justice. [Ser. IV. 
 
 By way of inference and improvement ; 
 
 1. From the preceding observations on this sub- 
 ject, it appears, that vindictive justice is an amiable 
 divine attribute. A God unjust would be a God 
 unkind. It is common to call some of the divine 
 perfections amiable, and others awful : as if those 
 alone deserved our love, while these demanded only 
 our fear. But rightly understood, they are all amia- 
 ble ; they are all awful : amiable to saints, and aw- 
 ful to sinners. On the cross of Christ they were all 
 harmoniously displayed, in their highest glory. 
 *' Mercy and truth there met together; righteous- 
 ness and peace kissed each other." Indeed, mercy, 
 truth, and justice, in the Supreme Governor of the 
 world, it is evident, are equally essential paits of 
 universal benevolence. 
 
 2. Hence we may learn how to account for it, that 
 punishing justice is an attribute of God v/hich man- 
 kind do not naturally love, and are very loath to be- 
 lieve. It must be owing to their own unrighteous- 
 ness. 
 
 But all men profess to wish for just earthly rulers : 
 and such a character as that of Job in the days of his 
 power, who delivered the poor that cried, the fath- 
 erless, and him that had none to help him : who put 
 on righteousness, and it clothed him ; whose judg- 
 ment was a robe and a diadem : who searched out 
 the cause which he knew not ; and broke the jaws of 
 the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth — 
 Such a character, v.'hen found in remote history, is 
 universally admired. How then does it come to pass, 
 that so many would fain believe the Supreme Ruler 
 over all to be of a quite opposite character ? 
 
 This inconsistency, I think, is thus to be account- 
 ed for. Every man's conscience is on the side of 
 justice ; but every man is not upright in heart. 
 Hence thoua:h a iust judffe, when far enoug-h off, v.'ill 
 
Ser. IV.] Bimne Justice. 71 
 
 be admired by all ; yet, when too near, and consider* 
 ed as one with whom %ve have to do, many want to 
 have him a greater friend to liberty. All wish to 
 have strict justice done, in punishing their enemies, 
 and the enemies of those for whom they have a partic- 
 ular friendship : but one that will punish them, or 
 their friends, whenever they do amiss, is a character 
 which the most cannot bear. Hence, though a God 
 partially righteous, like themselves, would be very 
 agreeable, yet not one altogether just. " He that is 
 upright in the way," Solomon says, " is abomination 
 to the wicked." And if this be a true proverb, we 
 need not wonder that a fallen wicked M^orld would 
 not have the Judge of all the earth al^^'a}^s do right. 
 
 3. From the things which have been said, it may be 
 seen, why the christian religion does not allow of per- 
 sonal revenge, or of recompensing evil for evil. 
 
 It is not because making men suffer for their 
 crimes is a thing wrong in itself ; provided it be 
 done by proper authority, in due proportion, and for 
 necessary good purposes. 
 
 But it is because bearing a gi'udge, or harboring 
 malicious revenge, is never right. This is incon- 
 sistent with being the followers of Cliiist, who pray- 
 ed for his murderers on his cross ; and inconsistent 
 with being tlie children of God, who is good unto all. 
 It is because men are neitlier competent nor impai'- 
 tial judges, of the recompence due for supposed inju- 
 ries done them. We know not the hearts of men ; 
 nor their words and actions, very often, except by 
 uncertain information : and in our own case, when 
 injured or aifronted, we are exceedingly liable to 
 misjudge, through selfishness and passion. Were ev- 
 ery man to avenge himself for Avrongs received, ac- 
 cording to his own ideas and feelings, very wild work 
 would be made in the execution of distributive jus- 
 tice. Lastly, we are forbidden this, because there is 
 no occasion for avenging ourselves ^^ itii our own 
 
72 Uhine Justice. [Ser^ IV* 
 
 hands. Recourse may commonly be had to earthly 
 tribunals, which are more impartial : and if evil doers 
 escape punishment from men, except they repent, 
 there is no way for them to escape the righteous judg- 
 ment of God. Sooner or later, all who commit in- 
 iquity, will be made to know that it is an evil and 
 bitter thing. Instead therefore of wishing to do 
 men any evil, v/hatever they may have done to us ; 
 we ought rather to pray for them, that by experien- 
 cing only the necessary bitterness of repentance, they 
 may escape the more terrible pains of eternal pun- 
 ishment. 
 
 4. We should make it our chief care and concern, 
 v/hile 'we judge and condemn others, that we our- 
 selves do not fail under the righteous judgment of 
 God. Let all be warned to flee from the wrath to . 
 come ; and not to flatter themselves that they shall 
 have peace, though they walk in the way of their 
 hearts, and in the sight of their eyes. If the Bible 
 be true, ail such hopes are certainly vain. " For," 
 it is written, " the Lord shall rise up as in mount 
 Perazim, he shall be v/roth as in the valley of Gib- 
 eon, that he may do his work, his strange >vork ; and 
 bring to pass his act, his strange act. Nom^, there- 
 fore, be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made 
 strong." Let sinners be exhorted, as the only way 
 of safety, to flee for refuge, and lay liold upon the 
 hope set before us in the gospel. To repent, in 
 tiiis only space of repentance, and pray to God for 
 pardoning mercy, through the blood of Jesus Chiist 
 his Son, which ' cleanseth from all sin. " Seek ye 
 the Lord, vvhile he may be found ; call ye upon him 
 while he is near." 
 
SERMON V. 
 
 ON THE IMMUTABILITY OF GOD. 
 
 JOB XXIII. 13. 
 
 Sut he is in one mind^ and who can /-urn him ? and what his 
 soul desireih, even tliat he doeth. 
 
 L 
 
 _N this chapter, Job expresses his grief and 
 vexation of spirit, in a very moving and pathetic man- 
 ner. See ver. 2, " Even to-day is my complaint 
 bitter : my stroke is heavier than my groaning." 
 And if we duly consider all the circumstances of his 
 unhappy situation at this time, we shall not wonder 
 that he was ready to sink in despondency, or that die 
 patientest man should be brought at last thus bitterh^ 
 to complain. For, under hi,s complicated strokes of 
 adversity, from the immediate hand of Godj or from 
 the permitted malignant agency of the grand adversary 
 — under the sudden loss of all his substance, and of 
 all his chikben, and the most distressing bodily pains, 
 from the crown of his head to tlie soles of his feet; 
 he not only had no one on earth to console him, but 
 not one, it seems, but what was against him, and 
 ready to add to his alBiction. His wife appeared 
 rather to upbraid and insult him ; saying, " Dost 
 tliou still retain thine integrity ? curse God, and 
 die. ' ' His three greatest and best friends, who came 
 
 K 
 
74 The Immutability of God, [Ser. V, 
 
 from afar on this melancholy occasion, on purpose to 
 condole with him ; though wise and good men, yet 
 from a common mistake concerning the ways of 
 Providence, they proved, as he calls them, misera- 
 ble comforters. Supposing that men Avere always 
 dealt with in this world, very much according to their 
 moral characters, they concluded that Job niust have 
 been an extremely wicked man, notwithstanding his 
 former reputation for piety and virtue, or he would 
 not have been visited with such singulai' divine judg- 
 ments. And hence they exerted all their powers of 
 argumentation and rhetoric, to bring him to a confes- 
 sion of gross hypocrisy. 
 
 Now, in such a state of complicated troubles, when 
 all other sources of consolation 'vvere shut up, how 
 natural and necessary is it for a good man to refer his 
 cause to God, and seek help and support from him ? 
 But even this last resource of a suffering saint, seems 
 no\\T to have been denied to Job : for he says, ver. 3 
 and 4, " Oh, that I knew where I might find him ! 
 that I might come even to his seat ! I would order 
 my cause before him, and fill my mouth with ai'gu- 
 ments." And ver. 8, 9, " Behold, I go forward, 
 but he is not there ; and backward, but I cannot per- 
 ceive him : on the left hand, where he doth work, but 
 I cannot behold him : he hideth himself on the right 
 hand, that I cannot see him." Job wanted to reason 
 with God, one would suppose from these complaints, 
 not being able to comprehend the goodness, or per- 
 haps the righteousness, of these his present strange, 
 dispensations. 
 
 In this view of the foregoing words, our text may 
 be considered as Job's recollection of himself, and 
 calling to mind the foll}^ of expostulating with the 
 Most High, respecting Avhat he had done, or of 
 thinking to alter his ]5urposes in regard to what he 
 was about to do. " But he is in one mind, and who 
 can turn him ? and what his soul desireth, even that 
 he doeth." 
 
Ser. v.] The Immutability of God. 7$ 
 
 The meaning of the Avords is plain and easy to be 
 iinderstood : namely, that God is unalterable in his 
 determinations. That he never changes his comisels ; 
 and that no one can move him to alter his mind in 
 any instance. That M-hat he once designs, he alw ays 
 does, let what arguments or entreaties will be used, 
 to persuade him to the contrary. 
 
 And as the meaning of Job is very obvious, so the 
 sentiment he here expresses is very evidently true. 
 For, 
 
 1. Such unchangeableness is often ascribed to 
 God, and claimed by him, in the holy scriptures. 
 See Psal. xxxiii. 11, " The counsel of the Lord 
 standeth for ever ; the thoughts of his heart to all gen- 
 erations." Isa. xlvi. 9, 10, "I am God, and there 
 is none else ; I am God, and there is none like me ; 
 declaring the end from the beginning, and from an- 
 cient times the things that are not yet done ; saying, 
 My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleas- 
 ure." Mai. iii. 6, " I am the Lord, I change not; 
 therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." And 
 James i. 17, " Every good gift, and every perfect 
 gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father 
 of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shad- 
 ow of turning. 
 
 2. Such immutability iii God, may certainly be 
 concluded from his other perfections — his infinite 
 power, knowledge, and goodness. 
 
 To be fickle and given to change, is ever consid- 
 ered as an imperfection in a man ; surely then no- 
 thing like this ought to be supposed in the all-perfect 
 God. The wisest and most steady men do indeed 
 often alter their minds ; and it is often wise and ne- 
 cessary for them to do so. They cannot always fore- 
 see ho\v things will turn out, or what incidents may 
 hiippen. Objections to their plans, unthought of at 
 
 .4 
 
76 The Immutability of God. [Ser. V. 
 
 first, frequently arise in the prosecution of them, or 
 occur to their thoughts on more mature consideration. 
 Men are sometimes obliged to desist from their de- 
 signs because of the opposition they meet with from 
 some, or the failure of others on whom they depend- 
 ed for help. They are sometimes induced to alter 
 their purposes by convincing arguments suggested to 
 them ; and sometimes, when not convinced it is best, 
 are overcome by the eai'nest entreaty of friends, 
 whom they cannot bear to disoblige. But to a 
 Being who is infinite in power and knov.ledge, 
 and in every moral perfection, no such causes of al- 
 teration are possible. " Known unto God are dl his 
 works," and every thought relative to them, " from 
 the beginning of the world." No new consideration 
 can occur, or be suggested to him, as a reason for 
 changing his mind ; nor will he ever be over-persuad- 
 ed to alter any purpose of his heart without reason ; 
 and none can stay his hand. 
 
 Thus indisputably evident is it, both from particu- 
 lar texts of scripture, and from the other revealed 
 attributes of God, that he is in one mind, and none 
 can turn him. Nevertheless, there are objections 
 against this doctrine, or apparent diiUculties relating 
 to it, which deserve som^e attention. 
 
 1. Several texts will readily occur, which appear 
 to assert the contrary. We are told. Gen. vi. 6, "It 
 repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, 
 and it grieved him at his heart." It is said concern- 
 ins: his people, Psal. cvi. 44, 45, " He regarded their 
 affliction, when he heai'd their cry : and he remem- 
 bered for them his covenant, and repented, according 
 to the multitude of his mercies." And in Jer. xviii. 
 7, 8, God says, " At what instant I shall speak cdn- 
 cerning a nation, and concerning a kingdomx, to pluck 
 up, and to pull down, and to destroy it : If that na- 
 tion against whom I ha'>'e pronounced, turn from their 
 
Ser. v.] The Immutability of God. 77 
 
 evil, I Avill repent of the evil that I tliought to do 
 unto them." 
 
 These texts, and some others, seem to imply, 
 that God is not ahva) s in one mind ; but is turned 
 from his purposes, or made to regret having execu- 
 ted them, sometimes by the wickedness, and some- 
 times by the repentance and prayers of his creatures. 
 But it is very certain that all such texts are to be 
 understood only as figurative representations, accom- 
 modated to our thoughts and ways ; or as speaking 
 after the manner of men. We also read of the arnii 
 of the Lord, and of his hand and eyes ; yet no 
 one, unless grossly ignorant, will suppose that God, 
 v/ho is a spirit, has actually such bodily organs as 
 these. The eyes of the Lord are his understanding; 
 his hand or arm, denotes his power : And, in like 
 manner, he is said to repent, ^vhen he alters his treat- 
 ment of creatures from what it had been, or seemed 
 about to be. W^hen he destroys Vvhat he had crea- 
 ted, or spares those w^hom he had threatened to de- 
 stroy. In these cases, however, the alteration is in 
 them, and not at all in him : and all these variations 
 in his ways, he foresaw, and fully determined, from 
 all eternity. But, 
 
 2. Some may reject this doctrine, and others mis- 
 improve it, as though the inevitable consequence of 
 it were, that ail supplications and intercessions to 
 God, can avail nothing. If he will do just as he 
 sees fit after all, and just as he had eternally fore-or- 
 dained — if he be so in one mind that nothing can 
 turn him, it may be said. Why should we call upon 
 him ? " and what profit should \\& have if we pra\" 
 unto him ?" 
 
 To this it ma}' be answered, 
 
 i. That whatever dirBcuity there may be in re- 
 conciling the efficacy of prayer, with the immutabii- 
 
73 The Immutability of God. "[Ser. V. 
 
 ity of God, yet both must be believed, if we believe 
 the scriptures : and we must impute the seeming 
 inconsistency between them, to their being matters 
 too high for our comprehension. That with God 
 there is no shadow of turning, we are expressly as- 
 sured in his word, and must necessarily conclude 
 from his other perfections. But we are also abun- 
 dantly taught that he heareth prayer, and is a reward- 
 er of them that diligently seek him. It is written, 
 " He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not 
 despise their prayer," It is written, " I said not 
 unto the seed of Jacob, Seek' ye me in vain." It 
 is written, " The effectual fervent prayer of a right- 
 eous man availeth much." And our gi'eat Teacher 
 hath told us ; " Ask, and it shall be given you ; 
 seek, and ye shall find ; knock, and it shall be open- 
 ed unto you." 
 
 There are also many examples of the wonderful 
 efficacy of prayer, recorded in the holy scriptures, 
 for our encouragement to this duty. We have the 
 instance of Jacob's wrestling in prayer until the 
 breaking of the day ; to M'hom it was said, " Thy 
 name shall be called Israel ; for as a prince hast 
 thou power with God, and hiist prevailed." We 
 have repeated instances of tlie prevalence of the fer- 
 vent intercession of Moses, for averting tlie threat- 
 ened vengeance of God, and the utter destruction of 
 his people in the ^vilderness. We have the instance 
 of the Ninevites : when Jonah, by express divine 
 command, had made a solemn public proclamation ; 
 " Yet forty days, and Nine vah shall be overtlirown : " 
 Nevertheless, on their fasting, and crying mightily 
 unto God, we are told, " God repented of the evil 
 that he had said he would do unto them ; and he did 
 it not." 
 
 From these declarations and examples, it is cer- 
 tain, if the Bible be true, that prayer is not a vain 
 tiling ; however hard it mrfy be to conceive how it 
 can be of any avail, if God changeth not, and is not 
 to be turned. 
 
Ser. v.] The Immutability of God, 79 
 
 2. It may be observed, that there is no more dif- 
 ficuhy in this, than there is in reconciUng God's 
 decrees, or even his fore-knowledge, of whatsoever 
 comes to pass, with its being of the least avail to- 
 use any means for the preservation of our lives, for 
 the recovery of bodily health, or for procuring our 
 daily bread. But,. 
 
 3. In every case, the true solution is, that God 
 hath decreed the means, as well as the end ; or that, 
 though he hath determined whatever he will do, and 
 never alters his mind, yet he hath determined to do 
 things in a certain way, and in no other. Some 
 things indeed, God determined from eternity, to 
 bring to pass m ithout means ; and these he thus 
 brings to pass. But concerning those events which 
 he determined to effect by the use of means, it is 
 not true that they would come to pass at all, if the 
 appointed means were not used. What God hath 
 thus joined together, cannot be put asunder. To 
 suppose that things which he designed to do by 
 certain means, he afterwards should accomplish 
 witliout the use of those means, is to suppose him 
 mutable. It is to suppose an alteration in the Di- 
 vine Mind. If God be unchangeable, he will do 
 every thing in the very way he hath purposed, and 
 in no other way. 
 
 Respecting pra3^er, in particular, the subject now 
 under consideration ; some mercies, God, from eter- 
 nity, determined to bestow without being sought 
 unto for them : for instance, giving m.en capacities 
 and a disposition to seek and serve liim. In regard 
 to these, he is found of them that sought him not ; 
 and hath mercy on whom he will haA^e mercy. But 
 there are other blessings, which though he hath deter- 
 mined to grant, yet he hath as absolutely determined 
 to be sought unto for them first ; and to bestow them 
 only in answer to prayer. This is the case a\ ith 
 respect to the pardon of transgi'essors, and giving 
 
so The 'Immutahility of God. [Ser. V. 
 
 them a covenant title to eternal life. And this is 
 the case respecting many temporal deliverances and 
 salvations. When God hath determined to deliver 
 a sinful people from threatened judgments, he will 
 deliver them ; but he will yet, for all this, be inquir- 
 ed of to do it for them* He will first cause them 
 to repent, and accept the punishment of their iniqui- 
 ties. He will take away the stony heait out of their 
 flesh, and give them a heail of flesh — a feeling, sen- 
 sible heart ; a heart to mourn for their sins M'ith 
 godly sorrow, and to seek unto him, in a humble, 
 penitent manner. And in this way only, will he 
 restore them to his favor, plant them, and cause them 
 to flourish. But when he hath determined to de- 
 stroy a guilty natioUj though Noah, Daniel and Job 
 were in it, and interceded niglit and day for it, their 
 intercessions could be of no avail. Some favors 
 God will confer upon persons at the request of others 
 merely ; odier things he w ill not bestow on any until 
 they seek to him themselves. Some blessings may 
 always be obtained, if we ask aright for them ; as 
 pardoning mercy, justifying grace, and progressive 
 sanctification : in other cases God will sometimes 
 grant the particular requests of his children ; and 
 sometimes will refuse them in mercy. But all these 
 diversities of operation, and the real eflicacy of the 
 })rayer of faith, are fully reconcilable \vith the eternal 
 uochangeableness of His purpose, who worketh all 
 things after the counsel of his own will. 
 
 I shall now conclude with a few reflections, aris- 
 ing from what has been said upon this subject. 
 
 1. We mav hence see that the immutability of 
 God is a glorious attribute. That His being so in 
 one mind that none can turn him, instead of afford- 
 ing any cause of complaint or uneasiness, is matter 
 of the highest joy and rcjoicvng. We have seen 
 that this is necessarily the consequence of his infin- 
 
Ser. v.] The Immutability of God. 81 
 
 ite wisdom, power and g-oodiiess ; and that it is not 
 inconsistent with his hearing prayer, or being easy 
 to be entreated : and it is evideiitly necessary to be 
 believed, as the ground of trust and confidence in 
 him. Could he be persuaded to alter his eternal 
 plan, or any part of it, by our arguments or entrea- 
 ties, not his wisdom and power, but the weakness 
 and folly of partial, ignorant creatures, would gov- 
 ern the world. In one whose understanding can 
 never err, and who is always disposed to do what is 
 best, immoveable fixedness in his own opinion and 
 intention, is certainly to be rejoiced in and adored. 
 Hence Moses says, " Because I will publish the 
 name of the Lord, ascribe ye greatness to our God : 
 He is the Rock, his work is perfect— just and 
 right is he." David also says, "Who is a God, 
 save the Lord ? or who is a rock save our God." 
 And again, " Of old hast thou laid the foundation of 
 the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands. 
 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure ; yea, all 
 of them shall wax old like a garment ; as a vesture 
 shalt thou change them, and Qiey shall be changed, 
 but thou art the same,'''' 
 
 2. We may learn from this subject, the unreason- 
 ableness and danger of that power for which some 
 contend, as essential to the freedom of a moral agent : 
 — a power to ^vill and act this way or that, in all 
 cases ; contrary to one's own disposition, as well as 
 according to it. The Almighty himself has not 
 this power : if he had, what Rock — what immovea- 
 ble, basis- — what firm foundation would there be in 
 the universe, on which the mind of a good man could 
 be stayed, and kept in perfect peace ! The want of 
 such a power as this, is implied in that immutability 
 of the Supreme Being, which is essential to be be- 
 lieved, as the ground of all trust and confidence in 
 him. Were it possible for God to lie, or to act 
 unwisely, imjustlv, or unmercifully ; or were it 
 
 L 
 
82 The Immutability of God. [Ser. V; 
 
 possible for him to change his own nature ; or tc> 
 will and do, in all cases, contrary to his own mind, 
 he could not be relied upon, any more than the chang- 
 ing wind, or the fluctuating ocean. And must man 
 have more power than God Almighty, or else he 
 cannot be a free agent ! Nothing can be more palpa- 
 bly absurd, than to think it a desirable power, and a 
 great privilege, to be able to will and act without all 
 motive or reason, and contrary to one's own inclina- 
 tion. 
 
 3. What has been said may be of service for the 
 correction of some errors, which are probably com- 
 mon, respecting the design and usefulness of prayer. 
 The end of our being required to offer up supplica- 
 tions and intercessions to God, cannot be to inform 
 him of our v/ants, or to move his pity, or to make 
 any alteration- in his purposes. We are not to con- 
 ceive of Him, as being altogether like ourselves, or 
 our feliovr-men. In petitioning to earthly rulers for 
 justice, or to the rich for mercy, and filling om* mouth 
 with ai-guments, we may hope to convince them of 
 tlie equitabieness of our cause, or to make them ac- 
 quainted with our necessities, or to move their com- 
 passion : but none of these effects can reasonably be 
 expected, from the mt3st melting entreaties, or the 
 most clear and ample representations, to the omnis- 
 cient, immutable Jehovah — the God of all grace. 
 " He knows M hat things we have need of before we 
 ask him ; his mercy is self- moved, and he is ever in 
 one mind." 
 
 But, though informing, moving, or turning Him, 
 ought not to be thought of as the end of prayer to 
 God ; yet there are purposes to be answered by it, 
 which render it our reasonable service. It is design- 
 ed to alter us ; to make us more sensible of our de- 
 pendance and so prepare us for mercies ; and also 
 to give glory to the Father of lights, as the giver of 
 csdiy good and perfect gift. This last end, at least. 
 
Ser. V."] The Immutability of God. 8S 
 
 may be subserved by intercessions for others, as well 
 as by supplications for ourselves. And for all these 
 reasons, prayer is not a vain thing : it is our life ; 
 and by this shall we escape eternal death. " For," 
 says the apostle, " the same Lord over all is rich un- 
 to all that call upon him : for whosoever shall call 
 upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." 
 
 4. From this subject it may be seen, that it is our 
 highest wisdom, as well as most indispensible duty, 
 in our wills, desires and prayers, to be resigned to 
 t4ie unalterable will, and the unerring counsel of the 
 only wise God. He certainly knows, and we know- 
 not, what is best. His designs are always right, and 
 universally good : our wishes are often pai'tial, self- 
 ish, and ^\Tong. Had we our requests in all cases, 
 leanness might be sent into our souls ; it might be 
 ruinous to ourselves, as well as hurtful to the uni- 
 verse. Unreserved submission, certainly becomes 
 all creatures, to infinite wisdom. We should pray 
 for what appears desirable to us, provided only it 
 seem good in the sight of God. Indeed, in regard 
 to things expressly revealed to be the Divine v. ill, 
 there is no room for $iich a proviso or submission. 
 In our desires and prayers for saving grace — for per- 
 sonal holiness, and heavenly happiness, we need not 
 express a willingness to be denied, if it be the will of 
 God ; because we know it is not. We know that 
 they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, shall 
 be filled : and that to the poor in spirit, it is the Fa- 
 ther's good pleasure to giA^e the kingdom of heaven. 
 When, therefore, we have this spirit, and sincerely 
 desire these blessings, we may ask for them witliout 
 reserve. 
 
 But in regard to temporal comforts, or being saved 
 from temporal evils — in regard to all things about 
 which the purpose of God is not revealed, submis- 
 sion to his unknown will ever become us. This is 
 what reason dictates ; and this is w^hat scripture 
 
84 The Immutahility of God. [Ser. V. 
 
 cojistaiitiy inculcates. Many are the precepts enjoin- 
 ing' this, and many the examples by which it is en- 
 fprced. Not to multiply texts, on a point so abund- 
 antly taught, and so self-evident, I Avill only observe, 
 that our Saviour directed his disciples, before they 
 petitioned for daily bread, to pray that the will of 
 God might be done. And that, when he himself 
 was in the bitterest agony, and pra3^ed most earnestly 
 for relief, yet he was all resignation. " Father," 
 says he, " if thou be willing, remove this cup from 
 me : nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt." 
 Let us bear in remembrance this spirit of our suf- 
 fering Saviour ; and may the same mind be in us, 
 which was in Him. Amen. 
 
 ,« 
 
L a'jxyvi 
 
 SERMON VI. 
 
 ON THE ALL-GOVERNING PROVIDENCE OP GOD- 
 
 ■ m ! ■ 1 ) 1 ^^.aatVHVt^ m 
 
 ISAIAH XLV. 7. 
 
 I form the Ught^ and create darkness ; I make peace ^ and create 
 evil. I the Lord do all these things. 
 
 Wi 
 
 E are apt to be forgetful of our entire 
 dependance upon God, and not to have a proper sense 
 of the operation of his hand, either in the good things 
 we enjoy, or in the evils we suffer. In the day of 
 prosperity we rejoice ; but are not often duly thank- 
 ful to the great Author of all our blessings. In the 
 day of adversity we are grieved ; but seldom consid- 
 er, as ^VQ ought, that the calamities which have befal- 
 len us are frowns of heaven. The best, need 
 frequently to be reminded of these things ; though 
 they know them, and are well established in the truth 
 of them. 
 
 But I have something further in view at present, 
 tlian merely stirring up your minds by way of fc- 
 membrance. It is difficult to know what ought to 
 be believed concerning the divine agency, in many 
 things that are done and suffered under the sun. 
 There ma)^ be danger of erring on either hand : of 
 ascribing to the holy Governor of the imiverse what 
 would be a dishonorable imputation ; as A\'ell as of 
 
86 God^s iinhersal Providence. [Ser. VI, 
 
 not giving him the glory which is indeed due to his 
 name, as the Creator and Lord of dl. 
 
 " Whence comes evii .^" is a question which has 
 exceedingly puzzled wise men, in former ages of 
 the world. That a being of perfect holiness, should 
 be the author of sin ; or that a being of infinite 
 goodness should be the original introducer of mise- 
 ry, seems absurd to suppose. And yet, that any 
 thing should come into existence, without an un- 
 created first cause, appears equally impossible. 
 
 From this dilemma, some of tlie ancient philoso- 
 phers, who had only the light of nature, were led to 
 believe that there must be two eternal beings, of 
 equal pov/er, and of directly opposite dispositions : 
 One the author of all good ; the other the author of all 
 evil. Had they attended more fully to the matter, 
 they might have seen, one would think, that tlie hy- 
 pothesis of two necessarily existent, uncontrolable, 
 contending beings, was as great an absurdity as any 
 which it could be invented to avoid. 
 
 But, whatever might have been discovered by mere 
 human reason, this, certainly, is a supposition which 
 revelation utterly rejects. The God of the Bible is 
 One, M^io alone inhabiteth eternity. The blessed 
 and only Potentate — whose hand none can stay— 
 whose counsel shall stand — who doeth, in heaven and 
 earth, and in all deep places, whatsoever He pleas- 
 eth. This glory is often given him by inspired holy 
 men.; and this he claims to himself in many places 
 of scripture, and very emphatically in the words 
 chosen for our present subject. 
 
 These words are part of a prophecy concerning 
 the great conqueror of the Assyrian empire, and 
 deliverer of Israel out of captivity in Babylon ; ad- 
 dressed to him by name, two hundred years before 
 he was born. See ver. 1, of this chapter : " Thus 
 saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right 
 hand I have ho' den, to subdue nations before him." 
 And from ver. 4th to the text. " For Jacob my 
 
Ser. VLJ God's imher'sal Providence. 87 
 
 servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even 
 called thee by thy name : I have sumamed thee, 
 though thou hast not known me. I am the Lord, 
 and there is none else, there is no God besides me : 
 I girded thee, though thou h^st not known me ; that 
 they may know from the rising of the sim, and 
 from the west, that there is none besides me : I am 
 the Lord, and there is none else. I form the lights'* 
 &c. 
 
 For the illustration of this text, I shall eiideavor to 
 show. 
 
 I. What the things are in their proper extent, of 
 which God here claims to be, in some sense, the au- 
 thor, or cause. And, 
 
 IL How it is to be understood, that He/orms, cre- 
 ates , makes, and does, all these things. 
 
 , By light and darkness, peace and evil, must be 
 here meant, I conceive, whatsoever comes to pass. 
 
 The word light, literally taken, signifies that medi- 
 um by which material objects are seen with our bodi- 
 ly eyes : and darkness,' in the literal sense, is the 
 want of this light. But, as light is sweet, and it is 
 a pleasant thing, for the eyes to behold the sun ; and 
 as darkness is uncomfortable, and many ways disad- 
 vantageous to us ; so, these terms ai'e frequently 
 made use of to express joy and sorrow, happiness and 
 misery, of any kind. See Psal. xcvii. 11, " Light 
 is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the up- 
 right in heart." Psal. cxii. 4, " Unto the upright,, 
 there ariseth light in the darkness." And Lam. iii. 
 1, 2, " I am the man that hath seen affliction by the 
 rod of his wrath : He hath led me and brought me 
 into darkness, but not into light." Nothing is more 
 common than this metaphorical use of the words light 
 and darkness ; meaning by them comfort and trou- 
 ble, prosperity and adversity. 
 
S3 God''s unrcersal Pro'videnee. [Ser. VI. 
 
 By these expressions are likewise frequently- 
 meant, moral good and evil ; holiness and sin. So 
 the first is used in Matt. v. 16, " Let your light so 
 6hine before men, that they may see your good 
 works." And the last, Eph. v. 11, " Have no 
 fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness." 
 And both together, in 1 John i. 5,Q>^ " God is light, 
 and in him is no darkness at all. If w^e say that ^vc 
 have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we 
 lie, and do not the truth. " 
 
 It appears, then, that ^.vhatever is either calamitous 
 or sinful, is expressed in scripture by darkness ; and 
 that all kinds of good, are signified by the word light. 
 
 Peace, is also an expression of very extensive im- 
 port. Taken in every view of it, external and inter- 
 nal, it comprehends almost every thing that is desira- 
 ble. Oar Saviour expresses the whole legacy he 
 willed to his disciples, by this one word. " Peace I 
 leave with you ; my peace I give unto you." And 
 evil, you are sensible, is one of the most common 
 words, for both sin and misery. 
 
 Nor is there any thing in our text, or in the con- 
 t€xt, to limit the meaning of these very universal 
 terms. On the contrarj^, the words light and dark- 
 ness, peace and evil, are plainly here used in their 
 most unrestrained signification. It is the evident 
 design of this whole passage to set forth, in the most~ 
 forcible manner, that all the circumstances and 
 actions of men, are subject to the providential order- 
 ing and direction of God. 
 
 Nor is this the only passage where such a doctrine 
 is taught. It is said, Prov. xvi. ^^, " The lot is 
 cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is 
 of the Lord. Rom. xi. 34, " For of him, and through 
 him, and to him, are all things." And Eph. i. 11 — 
 " Being predestinated according to the purpose of 
 him who Tvo-rketh all things after tlie counsel of his 
 own will." 
 
Ser. VI.J God^s universal Frcviahice. B^ 
 
 That God is the author of all good, will not be dis- 
 puted by any, except an atheist : and that all evils 
 also, are of his ordering, or are some way sent by him, 
 we are. plainly taught. It is asked, Amos iii. 6, 
 *' Shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hatli not 
 done it ?" There are all sorts of evils in cities, moral 
 as well as natural ; and yet this question implies a 
 strong assertion, that there can be no kind of evil in 
 any city, but what is ordered of God. Or, should it 
 be supposed that natural evil only is there meant ; 
 yet it is obvious to observe, that natural and moral 
 evils are insepai-ably blended and connected, in many, 
 if not all cases. A great part of the calamities in 
 cities, and in all other places, are immediately occa- 
 sioned by the iniquities committed in them : and 
 undoubtedly it holds true, without any exception, 
 that unholiness is the cause of all unhappiness. It 
 is impossible, therefore, that God should bring upon 
 us all the evils of suffering, in the manner they are 
 brought upon us, v.ithout his providentially ordering 
 tlie evils of sin. • 
 
 Nor, indeed, can it be believed that God is the 
 author of all good, unless we suppose him the de- 
 signing cause of moral evil : for great good is occa- 
 sioned by moial evil, in a multitude of instances. 
 And it is observable that wicked agents, and the 
 worst of actions, are often spoken of in scripture, as 
 the instruments and means made use of in Provi- 
 dence, for accomplishing the most important and 
 benevolent designs. Thus when Joseph's brethren, 
 moved with envy, had sold him to be carried as a 
 slave into Egypt, he tells them, " Ye meant it for 
 €vil, but God meant it for good." And God calls 
 Nebuchadnezzar the rod of his anger ; and says, " I 
 will send him against an hypocriticai nation, and 
 against the people of my wrath v;iil I give him a 
 cWge, for to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and 
 to tread them down like the mire of the streets. 
 Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart 
 
 M 
 
90 God^s universal Providence, [Ser. VI. 
 
 think so." Another instance, and the most astonish- 
 ing one, of God's designing evil actions for good 
 ends, we have in the crucifixion of our Saviour. 
 Peter says to the Jews, " Him, being deUvered by 
 the determinate counsel and fore-knowledge of God, 
 ye have taken, and with wicked hands have cruci- 
 fied and slain." 
 
 Thus it is evident, that by light and darkness, 
 peace and evil, v/e are to understand, every thing that 
 takes place, in the natural and moral w orld : and that 
 this text, thus understood, asserts no more than the 
 common doctrine of scripture. 
 
 Respecting the manner in which the divine agen- 
 cy is concerned, in all actions and events, there may 
 be danger, nevertheless, of entertaining erroneous 
 ideas. It was proposed, therefore, to inquire, 
 
 II. How we are to understand,^ that God Jorms, 
 creates, makes, and does, all these things. 
 
 Certainly, it is not to be understood, in a literal or 
 strict sense, that He does, all that is done. '' Far be 
 it from God," says Elihu, " that he should do wick- 
 edness : and from the Almighty, that he should com- 
 mit iniquity." Doing wickedness, and committing 
 iniquity, are synonymous phrases : but to impute to 
 the Most High, any thing like what is commonly 
 meant by either of these plirases, is evident blasphe- 
 my. 
 
 Nor are we to imagine, certainly, that God makes 
 liis creatures do, whatever is done by them, in any 
 such manner as is inconsistent with their own prop- 
 er agency. Rational creatures certainly act ; and 
 act as freely, as if there w ere no being above them to 
 direct their steps, or to govern their actions. When 
 God w^orks in men, to w ill and to do that Avhich is 
 good ; they, nevertheless will 'and do it themselves ; 
 and are really praiseworth}-. And he does not, sure- 
 ly, so influence any to evil, as to render them unac- 
 tive, involuntary, or undeserving of blame. 
 
Ser. VI.] God^s unhersal Proiiidence^ 9i 
 
 Nor do I believe it is meant in our text, or is true, 
 literally and strictly speaking, that God creates^ what- 
 soever comes to pass : particularly dai^kness, and 
 moral evil. 
 
 But this must not be taken for granted, nor hastily 
 passed over : because, however indisputable, it is 
 disputed. There are some among us, and some who 
 are deservedly in reputation for wisdom, and general 
 soundness in the faith ; who appear to be of opinion, 
 tliat God is the direct Author — the immediate Cause 
 — the proper Creator, of all evil, as w^ell as of all good 
 — of all sin, as well as holiness, in heart and life — iin 
 thought, word, and deed. 
 
 Tliis opinion, however, notwithstanding m}" high 
 esteem and particular friendship for some of the hold- 
 ers of it, I am not yet ready to adopt, for several 
 reasons. 
 
 1. To suppose that the actions of men, v, hether 
 virtuous or vicious, ai-e created, seems to confound 
 all distinction between creation and Providence ; or 
 rather, ^\ holly to exclude the latter. 
 
 The work of creation, we used to think, was 
 God's making creatures and things, at first ; or giv- 
 ing the beginning of existence to matter and minds, 
 with their various properties, instincts and organiza- 
 tions. And that God's works of Providence, Avere 
 his preserving things already made, and governing 
 all their operations. But according to this new philo- 
 sophy, creation is all ; Providence is nothing. For 
 "ivhat preserving and governing of creatm-es or actions 
 can tlicre be, when every creature and every action, 
 is every moment created anew" ? An action, a thought, 
 or volition, whether good or evil, is a new and strange 
 kind of creature, or created thing. But, in a theolo- 
 gical view, the question before us is of chief import- 
 ance, as it respects moral evil. I add, therefore ; 
 
 2. It appears to me, that to suppose God the Cre- 
 ator of sin, whether in principle or action, is hardly 
 
52 God^s universal Providence. [Ser. VI. 
 
 reconcilable "with his perfect holiness. *' Doth a 
 fountain send forth, at the same place, sweet waters 
 and bitter?" Can darkness proceed from Him, as 
 its proper source, in whom there is no darkness at 
 all ? 
 
 It is true, God has created many things which are 
 of a different nature from himself ; as the bodies of 
 men and beasts, and all parts of the world of matter : 
 but nothing, I conceive, directly opposite to his own 
 nature ; tis is sin. The sun is the immediate cause 
 of the growth of vegetables; though these aie essen- 
 tialty difierent from the sun itself : but it is not thus 
 the cause of ice and darkness ; which are no more of 
 a contrary nature to it, than sin is to the nature of 
 God.* 
 
 * There is a vast difference between the sun's being the 
 cause of the lightsomeness and warmth of the atmosphere, and 
 of the brightness of gold and diamonds, by its presence and 
 positive influence ; and its being the occasion of darkness and 
 frost in the night, by its motion whereby it descends below the 
 horizon. The motion of the sun is the occasion of the latter 
 kind of events ; but not the proper cause, efficient, or producer 
 of them. — No more is any aclion of the divine Being, the cause 
 of the evil of men's wills. If the sun were the proper ccmsc of 
 cold and darkness, it would be the fountain of these things, as 
 it is the fountain of light and heat : and then something might 
 be argued from the nature of cold and darkness, to a likeness of 
 nature in the sun ; and it might be justly infcrcd that the sun 
 itself is dark and cold : but from its being the cause of these, 
 no otherwise than by its absence, no such thing can be infered, 
 but the contrary. It m.ay justly be argued that the sun is a 
 bright and hot body, if cold and darkness are found to be the 
 consequence of its withdrawment ; and the more constantly 
 and necessarily these effeSls are conne£\ed with and confined 
 to its absence, the more strongly does it argue the sun to be 
 the fountain of light and heat. So, in as much as sin is not 
 the fruit of any positive influence of the Most High, but on 
 the contrary, arises from the withdrawment of his a6\ion and 
 energy, and under certain circumstances, necessarily follows 
 on the want of his influence, this is no argument that he is sin- 
 ful, or his operation evil ; but on tlie contrary, that he and his 
 agency are altogether holy, and that he is the fountain of all 
 holiness. It would be strange arguing indeed, because men 
 never commit sin, but only when God leaves them to them- 
 
t> 
 
 Ser. VI.] God's iinhersal Prcvidence. SS" 
 
 I am sensible it has been said, there is no more 
 inconsistency with the holiness of God, in supposing 
 him the efficient, immediate cause of sin, for necessa- 
 ry good purposes ; than in supposing he only per- 
 mits it, for wise ends, and so orders things that he 
 knows it will be committed. 
 
 But these two ways of accounting for the exist- 
 ence of moral evil, appear to me materially different. 
 There are supposable cases in which it would be 
 right for a 7na?2y not to hinder another from sinning, 
 Avhen he could hinder him ; and also to place him in 
 circumstances of temptation, expecting that he v/ould 
 sin. For instance, a parent may leave money in the 
 way of a child suspected of being given to theft ; and 
 may conceal himself and let the child steal it ; w ith 
 a view to correct him, in order to reclaim him, or as 
 a warning to his other children. All this might be 
 perfectly right in the pai'ent ; ho\'\-ever certainly he 
 might know, that the child would be guilty of the 
 expected crime. But I question whether any case 
 can be supposed in which it would not be wrong, 
 directly to influence another to do evil, that good 
 might come. Exciting one to sin by power or per- 
 suasion ; and placing one in circum^stances of trial, 
 wherein he would be tempted to sin, without re- 
 straining him from it, are surely different things, 
 although the certainty of his sinning may be the 
 same. ^ 
 
 3. I dai-e not think that God creates sin, and all 
 kinds of evil, because this seems plainly contraiy to 
 the general current of the holy scriptures. 
 
 selves ; and necessarily sin when he does so, that therefore 
 their sin is not from themselves, but from God : as strange as 
 it would be to argue, because it is always dark when the sun 
 is gone, . and never dark when he is present, that therefore 
 darkness is from the sun, and that his disk and beams must 
 be black." JEdwards on the Will. 
 
 Page 259. Boston, Ed. 1754, 
 
94 God''s iinhersal Proiiidence. [Ser. VI. 
 
 In the first chapter of Genesis, it is said, " God 
 saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it 
 was very good." Of his making two great lights, 
 we are told ; and that he made the stars also : but 
 no account is there given of his creating darkness. 
 Respecting our own species, the inspired historian 
 particularly informs us, that " God created man in 
 his own image : in the image of God created he 
 him : male and female created he them." Nor do 
 we find in that book, or in all the Bible, that he 
 hath since ever created them otherwise. Solomon 
 three thousand years after the fall, having made dil- 
 igent search among men and women, to find out 
 their true character, and the cause of their so uni- 
 versal depravity, says ; " Lo, this only have I found, 
 that God made man upright ; but they have sought 
 out many inventions." Wicked practices, and de- 
 ceitful inventions to conceal their criminality, are 
 ever ascribed in scripture to mankind themselves, 
 or to other fallen creatures, and never to God, as 
 their efficient cause. 
 
 In the New-Testament, christians are said to be 
 " created unto good works :" and we read of '' the 
 new man, which after God, is created in righteous- 
 ness and true holiness." But no where do we read 
 of any one that \^'as created unto eii'il works ; or after 
 Sata7i in unrighteousness and sin. It is written, 1 Cor. 
 xiv. 33, " God is not the author of confusion, but of 
 peace." And James i. 13 — 17, " Let no man say, 
 when he is tempted, I am tempted of God : for God 
 cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any 
 man : but every m.an is tempted when he is led away 
 of liis own lust and enticed. — Do not err, my belov- 
 ed brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift 
 is from above, and cometh do\ATi from the Father of 
 lights. " Can any thing be more express to teach us, 
 that a distinction ought carefully to be made be- 
 tween the origin of good and evil ; and that we should 
 not conceive them ijoth alike to come from God ? 
 
Ser. VI.] God^s unhersal Promdeme. ?5 
 
 For scripture proof that God is not the efficient 
 author of sin, I will only add, that the fruits of the 
 Spirit, and works of the flesh, are set in contrast and 
 spoken of as diametrical opposites : whereas, did 
 God create sinful propensities in men, or directly in- 
 fluence them to evil actions, the works of the flesh 
 would be as real and immediate fruits of the divine 
 Spirit, as the holiest exercises of the best saints. 
 
 4. I see no occasion for the supposition of God's 
 being thus the author of all evil : nor any good ends 
 that it can answer. 
 
 Could it be seen how evils might be accounted 
 for, without supposing them any part of the creation 
 of God ; and how God might have an absolute do- 
 minion over all events, without being the immediate 
 cause of bad things ; no good man, I conclude 
 would v\'ish to conceive of Him as being thus the 
 proper source of darkness and evil. And indeed, 
 were it so, that our weak minds were unable to com- 
 prehend how God can work all things after the coun- 
 sel of his own will, or how natural and moral evil 
 could ever have been, without believing that God is 
 as much, and as immediately, the cause of evil as of 
 good ; yet it might be more modest, and more wise, 
 to leave these among other incomprehensible s, than 
 to have recourse to so bold an hypothesis for the 
 solution of them. But, I apprehend, there is no 
 need of this hypothesis in order to account for the 
 existence of evil, or in order to an understanding be- 
 lief of the universal government of the Most High. 
 
 Evils, of most if not all kinds, are such negative 
 things — such mere defects, in their origin at least, as 
 do not need creation, or require a positive omnipo- 
 tent cause. This is the case, evidently, with respect 
 to natural darkness : it is only the w ant of light. 
 This is the case, also, with respect to natural death : 
 it is only the cessation, the loss, the want of life. 
 And this may be the case, with respect to spiritual 
 
9^ God^s unkc-tsat Prcuidence. [Ser. VL 
 
 darkness, and spiritual death. It has heretofore 
 been the orthodox opinion, that all moral evil con- 
 sists radically in privation ; or, that unholiness, at 
 bottom, is the mere vi^ant of holiness. And, not- 
 withstanding all the floods of light, from various quar- 
 ters, which have come into the \Aorld in this age of 
 new discoveries, possibly this one old opinion may 
 yet be true. " God made man upright y That is, 
 He formed him with a disposition impartially just and 
 good : He created in him a principle of universal 
 righteousness. When man fell, by eating the forbid- 
 den fruit, this principle had not been preserved in 
 perfect strength and exercise. In consequence of 
 tliut disobedience, the divine Internal influence was 
 so wichdra^vn, tliat this principle was entirely lost. 
 But we are not told, nor need it be supposed, that 
 any opposite principle was then created in him. Our 
 first parents had, I believe, in their original forma- 
 tion, all the radical instincts of nature which they 
 had after the fall ; or which any of their posterity now 
 have. Such as a principle of self-preservation, a 
 desire of self-promotion, and a propensity to increase 
 and multiply ; together with ail the more pailicuiar 
 appetites and passions, subservient to these purposes. 
 All these are innocent in themselves, though not in 
 themselves virtuous. But these private instincts, 
 wlien left to operate alone, without the governing 
 influence of a public spirit, or a just regard for other 
 beings, will naturally lead to all manner of iniquity, 
 in heart and life. To avarice and ambition ; to en- 
 vy and malice ; to ir.temperance and lev/dness ; to 
 frauds and oppressions ; to wars and fightings. 
 
 There is no need of supposing any other divine 
 ao-ency, than only to uphold in existence creatures 
 that have lost their virtue, amidst surrounding tempt- 
 ations, in order to account for all the evil affections 
 which we ever feel, and for all the external v/icked- 
 ness that is ever committed. Nor, in order to the 
 holiest creatures losing their virtue, need any thing 
 
Ser. VI.] God^s wiiversal Proinidmce. 97 
 
 ;more be supposed on God's part, than only his leav- 
 ing them to themselves ; or not upholding in them, 
 and constantly invigorating, a virtuous disposition. 
 
 And as, in this way, we can account for the exist- 
 ence of all manner of evil ; so we 'can thus under- 
 stand how it is possible for God to bring about 
 M'hatsoever comes to pass, without his being the 
 actor, or maker^ or instigator, of any thing that is 
 ,not perfectly good. When He does not cause 
 light, tliere will be darkness. When He does not 
 make peace, there will be evil. The darkness 
 takes place according to his appointment, witii the 
 same exactness and certainty, as if He actually crea- 
 ted it ; and so does evil of every kind. What He 
 detennines to permit, knowing perfectly the circum- 
 stances and dispositions of every agent concerned, 
 will as infallibly come to pass, as what he determines 
 to do himself, or to effect by his own positive influ- 
 ence. The king's heart, and the rivers of water ; the 
 waves of the sea, and the tumults of the people, are 
 in the hand of the Lord, to all important intents and 
 purposes, if it be only true that He restrains them, or 
 lets them run ; stilleth them, or suffereth them to 
 rage, just as he sees fit. 
 
 In this sense, I conceive, it Is to be understood, 
 that God forms the light, and creates darkness ; 
 makes peace, and creates evil. He has the absolute 
 government — the perfect control — the entire superin- 
 tendency, of all these things. 
 
 We have now only to consider, what is tlie proper 
 improvement of this doctrine. And, 
 
 1. According to the foregoing statement of it, we 
 ought not to improve it for the excusing of any ini- 
 quity or imprudence, in ourselves or others. 
 
 When any folly has been committed or any mis- 
 chief has been done, some are ready to say, It ivas so 
 ordered ; as if therefore nobody was to be blamed- 
 
 N 
 
$8 God^s universal Providence. [Ser. VI. 
 
 But this is a false inference, from just premises. 
 True, it was so ordered of God ; and ordered right- 
 eously and wisely : but it was so ordered by the 
 doer of the mischief also ; and ordered carelessly, 
 perhaps, or wickedly. You aa ill say, It must have 
 been so, and the actor could not have done otherw ise : 
 but, I say, he might have done otherwise, if he 
 would. It is true, there is a kind of necessity in the 
 actions of men. They necessarily act according to 
 their own choice ; and they necessarily choose to 
 act according to their own disposition. Under this 
 kind of necessity God himself acts. It is impossible 
 for him to do, because it is impossible for him to will, 
 that which is contrary to his own nature. He neces- 
 sarily wills and does, what is agreeable to his moral 
 perfections. But such a necessity as this, is so far 
 from being inconsistent with freedom, that it is essen- 
 tial to all free agency. Actions which can and do 
 take place, contrary to the inclination of the agent, 
 are not his actions. He has no command over them ; 
 and therefore can deserve ^o praise or blame for 
 them. 
 
 The necssity of acting according to our own 
 minds, is all the necessity which need be supposed, 
 when we suppose that all our actions were decreed, 
 and are ordered of God. A creature that acts accord- 
 ing to any laws of nature, and not at perfect random, 
 without any self-government, acts in such a manner 
 that He who knows v\hat is in him, may fore-know 
 all his actions ; and in such a manner that He in 
 whose hand his times are, may govern all his voli- 
 tions. Men follow their several courses, as freely as 
 the rivers of water, and with a higher kind of free- 
 dom. ; yet, since they run agreeably to their own 
 inclination, and cannot do otherwise, a Being omnis- 
 cient and omnipotent, can calculate before hand all 
 their motions ; can keep tlieni in the channels de- 
 creed for them, and can turn them whithersoever he 
 will. If any do not comprehend this, yet let them 
 
Ser. VI. J God's unhersal Promidefice, 99 
 
 not think they so fully comprehend the contrary, as 
 to feel certain, that either man cannot be free, or God 
 cannot govern the world. Certainly the providen- 
 tial government of God, over the hearts and v\ ays of 
 men, though most absolute, is not such but that, if 
 they do well, they are praise-^v'orthy ; and if they do 
 not well, the sin lieth at their own door. 
 
 Neither let it be imagined that the criminality of a 
 bad action is taken away, or at all extenuated, because 
 it will be over-ruled for good. Actions are good or 
 evil, according to the nature of them, and the inten- 
 tion of the agent, and not according to undesigned 
 consequences. When we act wickedly, and with a 
 wicked mind, its being productive of happy effects, 
 alters nothing in regard to our blame-M orthiness. In 
 the divine decrees, and in the divine providence, 
 " Whatever is, is right :" but in the cc-.i.duct of 
 creatures, many things that aie, are not at all the less 
 wrong. God's governing all things, so as to make 
 them subserve his wise and holy designs, should not 
 lead us to think any more favorably of our o\Vn, or of 
 our neighbor's, foolish and sinful actions. Yet, 
 
 2. The belief that God orders all events, should 
 teach us patience and entire submission, whatever 
 evils may befal us, and by whatever means they 
 may be brought upon us. For this, w-e have the 
 example of David, on a most trying occasion. 
 When Shimei came out and cursed him most bit- 
 terly, as he was fleeing from his rebellious son 
 Absalom; and Abishai said to him, " Why should 
 this dead dog curse my lord the king ? let me go over, 
 I pray thee, and take off his head." David meekly 
 replied, " Let him alone, and let him curse, for the 
 Lord hath bidden him." However we may do ^vell 
 to be angry at the wicked instruments of what we 
 suffer ; yet to God, who orders it in righteousness, 
 unmurmuring resignation ever becomes us. 
 
100 GotPs nnhersaJ Providence. [Ser. VI, 
 
 3. This doctrine may well afford strong consola- 
 tion to believers, in the darkest and most perilous 
 times. " Why art thou cast down, O my soul," 
 says the Psalmist, " and why art thou disquieted in 
 me ? Hope thou in God." And again, *' The Lord 
 reigneth; let the earth rejoice : let the multitude of 
 the isles be glad thereof." 
 
 Good men delight in the doctrines of God's un- 
 alterable decrees, and all-governing Providence ; 
 not because they think these doctrines imply Pagan 
 fatalism, or at all exculpate human misconduct ; 
 but because in these alone, can they find solid 
 ground of rest for their souls, in regard to their own 
 safety, or the safety of the universe. Let the self-, 
 determining v/ills of fallen, or of mutable creatures, 
 be supposed to act independently and uncontrolably, 
 they see no certainty that present gloomy and distres- 
 sing scenes, will ever have a happy termination ; or 
 that things may not always proceed from bad to 
 worse. They see no prospect of any thing but an- 
 archy and contingence, to all eternity. But let them 
 be tvoid, and firmly believe, that a Being of infinite 
 goodness and unerring wisdom, steadily guides and 
 po^^erfully governs the whole creation — That not a 
 sparrow falls to the ground, nor a single hair of any 
 one's head can perish, without the permission and 
 ordering of tlieir heavenly Father — That there are 
 immutable, divine decrees, over v/hich, neither the 
 swelling ocean, nor the madness of the people ; nei- 
 ther the pride of kings, nor the power of devils, can 
 possibly ever pass — Let all this be fully confirmed to 
 them, and the hearts of the righteous ai'e at rest. 
 Thus stayed on God, they are kept in perfect peace. 
 Hence it is written, " How beautiful upon the 
 mountains are the ftct of him that bringeth good 
 tidings — that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth !'" 
 
 4. From this doctrine it may be seen, whom a" 
 ought to feai', as ^vell as of what we ha^'e no reas 
 
Ser. VI.] God^s tmhersal Proiiidence. 101 
 
 to be afraid. *' Hear now this," says Jeremiah, 
 " O foolish people, and without understanding ; 
 which have eyes, and see not ; which have ears, and 
 hear not : Fear ye not me, saith the Lord ; will ye 
 not tremble at my presence, who have place'<t the 
 sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual d^ . 2, 
 that it cannot pass ; and though the waves thereof 
 toss themselves, yet can they not prevail : though 
 they roar, yet can they not pass over it." 
 
 What madness is in the heart of the sons of men ! 
 They will tremble at the sound of a shaken leaf, and 
 are afraid of their own shadow, while of God Al- 
 mighty they have no fear ! They profane his holy 
 name, trample under foot his sacred laws, and slight 
 the gospel of his grace, without apprehension of 
 any danger ! 
 
 But such hardened, graceless sinners, are not the 
 only persons that fall under reproof in this paiticu- 
 lar. Sincere christians are often driven into sin, or 
 detered from duty, by that fear of man which bring- 
 eth a snare ; ^^ hile they have not a due feai' of God 
 before their eyes. Let such pay a more suitable 
 regard to the needful admonition of our Saviour, 
 Luke xii. 4, 5, " I say unto you^ my friends, be 
 not afraid of them tliat kill the body, and after that 
 have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn 
 you whom ye shall fear : Fear him who, after he 
 hath killed, hath power to cast into hell ; Yea, I 
 say unto you, Fear him." 
 
Cc 
 
SERMON VII. 
 
 CHARITY, THE ESSENCE OF MORAL VIRTUE, 
 
 1 TIMOTHY I. 5. 
 
 JVoWf the end of the commandment is charity. 
 
 Ni 
 
 EXT to what man is to believe concern- 
 ing God, what duty God requires of man, is necessa- 
 ry to be understood. In this chapter, the apostle tells 
 of some at that time, who desired to be teachers of 
 the law ; understanding neither what they said, nor 
 whereof they affirmed. And it may be the case with 
 some at all times, who think themselves capable of 
 preaching the gospel, that they are ignorant of the 
 spirit and end of the moral law — the eternal rule and 
 standard of right. This is the case, not only when 
 the law is supposed to be still a covenant of works, 
 by the personal obedience of which a sinner may be 
 justified ; but also when it is conceived of and incul- 
 cated as a rule of life, in a loose, vague, and superfi- 
 cial manner. 
 
 In order to speak correctly, or think accurately, on 
 any subject or branch of science, the first principles 
 of it must be rightly understood, and well ascertain- 
 ed. As in architecture, so in divinity and morals, it 
 is necessary to begin at the foundation. By reducing 
 all virtue and duty to a focd point, cr radical princi- 
 
i04 Charity y the Essence [Sei\ Vllr 
 
 pie, and by keeping that in view in all our investiga- 
 tions, we shall have the advantage, in some measure, 
 of the single eye, Avhich causeth the whole body to be 
 full of light. Whereas, if we have erroneous or in- 
 determinate ideas of the essence of all morality and 
 religion, our judgment concerning ourselves, and all 
 our discourses on moral and religious subjects, v/iil 
 necessarily be full of darkness. 
 
 The whole moral law, as given to the people of 
 Israel at Mount Sinai, written by the finger of God 
 on tables of stone, was contained in ten command- 
 ments. These are reduced by our Saviour to two ; 
 ■•on which, he tells us, " hang all the law and the 
 prophets." The apostle Paul, in several of his epis- 
 tles, has gi\^en us a briefer summary still. He says, 
 Horn. xiii. 10, " Love is' the fulfilling of the lav/ :" 
 and Gal. v. 14, " All the law is fulfilled in one word ; 
 even in this. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy- 
 self." He is indeed there speaking of the second 
 table of the ten commandments ; but in our text he 
 appeal's to have reference to the law at lai'ge, without 
 limitation to social duties ; and yet here, like^vise, 
 4ie expresses tlie siwTi;and substance, the whole scope 
 and design of it, in a single word : " The. end oi 
 the commandment is charity*''^ 
 
 It is now proposed to inquire and sho^v, what ^ve 
 are here to understand by charity ; and how this is 
 .the end of the commandment. 
 
 I. What the apostle means by charity, I shall en- 
 ■deavor particularly to explain. 
 
 This is a word in very common use ; but that it 
 is commonly understood in the fulness of its original 
 -signification, is not thence certain. We learn from 
 0*1" Saviour's sermon on the mount, that the Jav/ 
 given by Moses, had been very much explained 
 awav bv former exuositors ; and so it may hot 
 
Ser. Vir.] af Moral Virtue. 105 
 
 improbably now be, respecting the, words of the New- 
 Testament. 
 
 By charitV, we often understand, nothing more 
 than external liberality to such as ai*e in want and dis- 
 tress. One who feeds the hungry and clothes the 
 naked, is called a charitable man. And indeed, doing 
 Such deeds of kindness, as we have ability and op- 
 portunity, is one i;iecessary expression of gospel char- 
 ity. This is essential to pure and undefiled religion. 
 *' Whoso hath this world's goods," saj'B the apostle 
 John, " and seeth his brother have need, and shut- 
 teth up his bowels of compassion from him, how 
 dvvelleth the love of God in him ?" Job ' was eyes 
 to the blind and feet to the lame ; he delivered the 
 poor that cried, the fatherless, and him that had 
 none to help him : the blessing of him that was ready 
 to perish came upon him, and he caused the widow's 
 heart to sing for joy.' Nevertheless, a man may 
 abound in such outward deeds of charity, while yet 
 he is wholly destitute of this virtue. So the apostle 
 Paul evidently supposes. " Though I bestow all my 
 goods to feed the poor," says he, " and have not 
 charity, it profiteth me nothing." And our Saviour 
 speaks of hypocrites, who gave alms that they might 
 be admired of men, which, he intimates, would be all 
 their reward. 
 
 Again ; by charity we sometimes mean, a readi- 
 ness to think well of our neighbors, and of men of 
 different religious opinions. Those who believe that 
 mankind are naturally virtuous, and that men may be 
 in a safe condition respecting another world, let their 
 religious principles be what they will ; consider 
 themselves, and are considered by one another, as 
 men of eminent and extensive charity. It is possi- 
 ble, however, they may have little or nothing of that 
 charity which is the end of the commandment. An 
 aptness to entertain a favorable opinion of others, 
 may indeed be owing to an honest and good heart. 
 It may proceed from a truly generous disposition. 
 
 O 
 
i06 Charity^ the Essence [Ser. VII. 
 
 " Charity thmketh no evil; hbpeth all things, be- 
 lievclh all things." It is not the part of christian 
 charity, to be jealous or censorious ; but to hope and 
 believe the best, of men of all sects and denomina- 
 tions. In matters of religion, it must be confessed, 
 there is often seen much of that narrowness and bit- 
 terness of party spirit, which ought to be condemned. 
 ;ind certainly those christians who are quick-sighted 
 to discern every mote in a brother's eye, while a 
 beam in their own is undiscovered, are justly charge- 
 able \\ ith great want of charity. 
 
 But then, on the other hand, it can hardly be dis- 
 puted, that liberality of sentiments, as it is called, may 
 be carried too far ; and may, in many instances, pro- 
 ceed from no good cause. 
 
 As to a readiness to believe human nature very 
 good ; there may be nothing any more generous in 
 this, than there is in thinking of ourselves, of our 
 ovvii family, our own country, and other connec- 
 tions, more highly than we ought to think. National 
 prejudice is notorious : and is easily accounted for 
 from self-love. So is prejudice in favor of every 
 less society, of which we ourselves are members. 
 And from the same narrow source, it may well be 
 Supposed, we have- all of us a strong, partial bias in 
 favor of our own species. Hence it is often seen that 
 the fondest admirers of mankind in the gross, when 
 they come to speak of separate individuals, will as 
 readily express a bad opinion of them, as those v.ho 
 believe the total depravity of all m^en by nature. Self, 
 is then out of the question ; or, perhaps, is in the op- 
 posite scale. Hence, one may say ail manner of evil 
 of other countries, or of persons opposed to us, un- 
 connected with us, and no offence is taken : but say 
 a word against our own country, or against all man- 
 kind,. and our wrath is soon enkindled. " Master, 
 thus saying, thou reproachest us also." 
 
 i\s to being apt to think that all men, Pagans, Ma- 
 iiometans, Papists, Socinians, Arians, Arminians, 
 
Ser.VIL] of Moral Virtue. 107 
 
 and even Trinitai-ians and Calvinists, are essentially 
 right in religious matters ; this may be owing to 
 loose notions, to cursory, superficial thinking, or to 
 extreme cai^elessness and indifference, about all reli- 
 gion. Nor is it to be wondered at, that some ai'C 
 ready to believe all men will be saved ; since, per- 
 haps, on no other gi'ound, can they ha\'e any comfort- 
 able hope concerning themselves. 
 . It is certain, however, tliat the author and finisher 
 of our faith, was fai-from being eminent for this kind 
 of charity. His doctrine was, " Strait is the gate,^ 
 and narrow is the way wliich leadeth unto life ; and 
 1^\\' there be that find it." He testified of the world, 
 that tlie works thereof were evil ; and therefore the 
 world hated him. Though he came into the world, 
 not finally to condemn the world ; but that the Avorld 
 through him might be saved : and though he went 
 about doing good ; feeding thousands, restoring- 
 sight to the blind, and hearing to the deaf, and heal- 
 ing all manner of diseases ; yet he was thought, no 
 doubt, exceedingly uncharitable. And so, I believe, 
 w^ould any preacher now be thought, who should 
 teach the laws of God, and give the chai'acter of 
 man, with the same truth and freedom that he did. 
 We read of a people of old, that " said to the seers. 
 See not : and to the prophets. Prophesy not unto us 
 right things ; speak unto us smooth things, prophe- 
 sy deceits." And we read of teachers in those 
 times, who daubed liberally with untempered mor- 
 ter. Who were so chaiitable and tender-heaited, as 
 to heal the hurt of sinners sHghtly ; " saying. Peace, 
 peace, when there 'was no peace." Ceitainly, think- 
 ing that the most of mankind, and all men by nature, 
 are very virtuous and good ; and telling them that' 
 the broad way, will never lead to destruction ; is not 
 the charity of the law of God, or the gospel of Christ. 
 The Greek vv^ord for charity, in the New -Testa- 
 ment, is often translated, andaKvays properly signifies 
 loiie — a love of be?iewknce. It is the same x\},^x is 
 
108 Charity^ the Essence [Ser. VIL 
 
 rendered love in Rom. v. 8, " God cominendeth his 
 /o^i/'c" toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, 
 Christ died for us." In Rom. xiii. 10, " Lo've 
 worketh no ill to his neighbor." And in 1 John iv. 
 8, " God is /cw." And that love — this kind of 
 love, is meant, where our translators have given the 
 word charity, is evident from \a hat is said of it in 
 many places. See particularly, 1 Cor. xiii. 4- — 7, 
 " Charity suffereth long, and is kind ; charity envi- 
 eth not ; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puftbd up, 
 doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her 
 own," &c. All these, any one may easily see, are the 
 natural fruits, and proper characteristics, of a benev- 
 olent dispositon. 
 
 But it is not enough to show what charity is not, 
 or what are no certain evidences of it ; nor to say, in 
 a word, what it is : that it is benevolence ; good will ; 
 kind affection. Because all men wish well, and are 
 disposed to do good, to some of their fellow-crea- 
 tures, from some principle or other : and there may 
 be rnany instances of particular friendships, which are 
 not at all of the nature of christian charity. True 
 benevolence, it must therefore be observed, hath 
 these three properties essential to it, -w hereby it may 
 be distinguished. It is universal — it is impartial — ' 
 and it is disinterested. 
 
 1. That charity which is the bond of perfectness, 
 or the end of the commandment, must be universai 
 benevolence. It extends, or is ready to be extended, 
 to all proper objects of good will : that is, to all be- 
 ings capable of enjoying good, or of suffering evil. 
 
 Not that the chaiitable man actually exercises 
 kind affection, toward every such being in the uni- 
 verse. I'his is naturally impossible. There are 
 doubtless many beings in the creation, of whose ex- 
 istence we have no knowledge ; and tov ards whom 
 therefore, w e can have no particular feelirgs, either 
 of love or hatred. But when we say, true benevo- 
 
Ser. VII.] of Moral Firtue. 109 
 
 knee is universal, our meaning is, that it implies a 
 disposition universally benevolent. The chaiitable 
 man is of such a temper of mind, that he Avishes w ell 
 to all beings capable of enjoyment or suffering, as far 
 as he knows any thing of them ; and \\ould do so, 
 had he particulai- information of eveiy individual in 
 actual existence. We will begin m ith the lowest of 
 such beings. 
 
 (1.) The various species of inferior animals, are 
 regarded with some kincbiess, l)y all who have any 
 true benevolence. Solomon says, " A righteous 
 man regardeth the life of his beast." And so he 
 does of any beast, though riot his. The Psalmist 
 says of God, " He giveth to the beast his food, and 
 to the young ravens which cry." And to the Most 
 High he says, " The eyes of all wait upon thee, and 
 thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou 
 openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every 
 living tiling." If therefore we have been created 
 after God in true holiness — in universal goodness, m e 
 shall be tender-hearted towards the lowest creatures 
 that have animal life. We shall not torture any of 
 them out of mere wantonness ; nor shall we destroy 
 them, unless some good end so requires. We shall 
 not starve them, nor work them unmercifully ; but 
 shall provide, as far as we conveniently can for their 
 ease and comfort ; and shall take pleasure in seeing 
 them partake of that portion of good, which their 
 bountiful Creator hath provided for them, and given 
 them capacities to enjoy. But, 
 
 (2.) Towards our fellow-men, in a more especial 
 manner, we shall be kindly aftectioned, if v/e have 
 any thing of that charity which is intended in our 
 text. 
 
 All mankind, of every sect, of every condition, and 
 of e^'cry character, are proper objects of benevolent 
 affection. A virtuous lo^ e of complacency, is more 
 
110 Charity, the Essence [Ser. VII. 
 
 limited. That is exercised only towards the good. 
 David speaks of the saints in the earth and the excel- 
 lent, as tliose in whom was all his delight. In oppo- 
 sition to this kind of love, he says. " Do not I hate 
 them, O Lord, that hate thee ? — I hate them with 
 perfect hatred ; I comit them mine enemies." But 
 in opposition to a love of benevolence, we should 
 hate no man, let him be of ever so hateful a charac- 
 ter, or ever so bitter an enemy to God, or to ourselves. 
 Our Saviour hath enjoined upon his disciples to pray 
 for them who hate and persecute them. And the 
 apostle Paul says, " As we have opportunity, let us 
 do good unto all men." He adds, indeed, " espe- 
 cially unto them who are of the household of faith." 
 The better any are, the more are they entitled to our 
 good wishes and kind offices : but if we have any 
 true benevolence of temper, we shall desire the hap- 
 piness, and be ready in all proper ways to pro- 
 mote the interest, of even the very worst of men : 
 nor shall we confine our friendship to those near to 
 us — those of our kindred or vicinity ; but shall re- 
 gard all mankind as our neighbors and brethren. 
 
 (3.) Superior orders of created beings, particular- 
 ly the holy angels, are proper objects of our benevo- 
 lent affection. • When the foundations of this our 
 world were laid, these morning stars sang together, 
 •we are told, and all these elder sons of God shouted 
 for joy. We also read of great joy in the presence 
 of the angels, over one sinner that repenteth. And 
 if we have any thing of the like extensive generosity 
 of spirit, though we cannot minister to them, as 
 they do to us, yet we shall feel interested in their 
 felicity, and rejoice in their joy. Notwithstanding 
 our distance from them, and the little knowledge 
 we have of them, it ought surely to be a pleasing 
 thought to J.1S, that there are multitudes of such ex- 
 alted intelligences vv ho have never fallen from their 
 original rectitude, and who are confirmed in everlast- 
 ing holiness and happiness. 
 
Ser. VII. ] of Moral Virtue. Ill 
 
 Here a question maj' arise respecting the fallen an- 
 gels, and wicked men in hell. Are not these an 
 exception, it may be asked, to the absolute universal- 
 ity of the law of kindness ? Is it not lawful and right 
 to feel the opposite disposition to that of friendliness, 
 towards creatures so iiTecoverably depraved — so con- 
 firmed in enmity to God and to all that are good, and 
 so fixed in a state of eternal reprobation ? 
 
 To this, I think, it is the true answer ; We ought 
 not to wish for the release and happiness of those 
 abandoned out-casts, when we believe that God, for 
 good reasons, hath determined the contrary. Never- 
 theless, we ought to be far from feeling any malevo- 
 lence towards them ; or from rejoicing in their 
 wretchedness, as a thing in itself desirable. If the 
 torments of the damned were not thought necessary, 
 for purposes of such importance as to over-balance 
 all the pains which these miserable sinners are doom- 
 ed to suffer, the benevolent mind must feel an aver- 
 sion to their sufferings, however justly merited, and 
 be ardently desirous of their salvation. The pleasure 
 which God, and saints, and the holy angels take, in 
 the eternal, righteous punishment of even the devil 
 and his angels, is not from ill-will, or any want of 
 benevolence towards them ; but merely from a re- 
 gard to the great and glorious ends of moral govern- 
 m.ent thereby to be obtained, and to the good of the 
 universe which will thereby be promoted. Just as 
 we may rojoice in the execution of a murderer, while 
 at the same time Ave feel a tenderness for him ; and 
 should be heartily glad to have his life spared, and his 
 freedom restored, if it v/ere consistent Auththe sup- 
 port of salutary law, and witli the public safety. In 
 this view, the infliction of never-ending tribulation 
 and anguish on rebel angels, and on the reprobate 
 part of fallen men, is no exception to the saying of 
 David, " The Lord is good to ail :" nor will the 
 joyful alleluias in heaven, when the smoke of their 
 torments in hell shall ascend for ever and ever, be 
 
112 Charity^ the Essence [Ser. VIL 
 
 any argument that the most universal benevolence 
 reigns not above i 
 
 We ought to be of a benevolent clisposition*t0warcls 
 all our fellow-creatures, and to desire the happiness 
 of every individual of them, as far as is for the best — • 
 as far as is consistent with the greatest general good. 
 How far that isj we are not competent judges : but we 
 may well leave it to him who alone is ablfe to govern 
 the universe ; with implicit confidence that he will 
 order it in infinite wisdom, righteousness and benev- 
 olence. But, 
 
 (4.) It is of the last importance to observe, that 
 the Supreme Being ought not to be excluded from 
 our hearts, as an improper object of any benevolent 
 regard. 
 
 Some have thought it absurd, and quite irreverentj 
 to talk of loving the Most High, with this kind of 
 love. Their reason is, because he is so infinitely 
 above us, and above a possibilit}' of being benefited 
 by us. God is, in the highest possible degree, happy 
 and glorious* There is nothing wliich the most 
 benevolent mind could wish, in respect to Him, but 
 what he already possesses, and will infallibly for 
 ever possess, in that perfection to which nothing can 
 be added. 
 
 But I do not see why this should be thought to 
 render it impossible, or improper, for such poor crea- 
 tures as we are, to be at all kindly afFectioned towards 
 the Deity. To rejoice with them that rejoice, is as 
 real an expression of benevolence, as it is to weep 
 with them that Aveep : we may feel friendly to those 
 above us, as well as to those upon a level with us, or 
 in an inferior condition ; and to such as are independ- 
 ent of us, as well as to them ^\ho need our kind 
 offices. Clirist says, " Ye are my friends, if ye do 
 whatsoever! command you." In the latter of those 
 two great commandments of love, on which hang all 
 tJie law and the prophets, benevolence to our neigh- 
 
Ser. VII.] ofjloral Firtu^. ' Il3 
 
 bor is undoubtedly intended : and to say that noth- 
 ing of this kind of love to the Lord our God, is 
 meant in the former of them, appears arbitrary and 
 unreasonable. To say that God is loved by good 
 men only with complacency, and not at all with good 
 will, is contrary to plain scripture. Abraham was 
 called the friend of God : aixl Moses v^as friendly 
 to him ; as is evident from the anxious concern he 
 discovered for the honor of his great name. And 
 so was David, one would think, from his repeated 
 ardent aspiration, " Oh that men would praise the 
 Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works 
 to the children of men !" and from his calling upon 
 the whole creation, animate and inanimate, to con- 
 spire in advancing the divine praise. 
 
 All ultimate res'ard to the criory of God — all sin- 
 cere concern for the prom.otion of his cause and king- 
 dom — all gi'ief on account of the offences committed 
 against him, and all godly sorrov/ for our own sins, 
 are proper exercises of a benevolent disposition to- 
 wards the Deity : and in these exercises all vital pi- 
 ety most essentially consists. 
 
 Though a m.an cannot be profitable to God, as he 
 that is wise may be profitable to himself : though 
 our goodness extendeth not to Him, in the way of 
 confering favors, as it may to our indigent fellovv^- 
 creatiu'cs ; yet we may extend our friendly affections 
 to him, in the ways of rejoicing that he is over all, 
 blessed for ever more, ancl of being concerned and 
 engaged for the advancement of his declarative glory. 
 And v/e shall do so, if we have any goodness — any 
 true benevolence- — any real religion. It is surely 
 unreasonable to suppose, that the chai'ity so highly 
 spoken of in scripture, as the greatest of the christian 
 graces — the bond of perfectness — the end of the com- 
 mandment, should be limited to creatures, and have 
 no respect to the great and glorious Creator. More 
 especially since it is to be observed, 
 
 P 
 
H4 Chanty , the Essence [Ser. VII. 
 
 2. That true benevolence is impartial. 
 Whenever this principle is in the heart, it will be 
 exercised, not only towaixls all proper objects ; but 
 towards them respectively in some suitable propor- 
 tion : that is, according to their several characters, 
 capacities, and importance ; as far as these are knovvn 
 to us. It is no instance of partiality to regard the 
 life of a man, more than that of a beast ; because it 
 is really an object of much greater consequence. 
 Nor, for the same reason, to be more concerned to 
 have the life of an eminently great and useful man 
 preserved, than the life of one very wicked, or very 
 insignificant ; who is likely to do much mischief, or 
 little good. In like manner, it is not partiality, but 
 rather ^liat is essential to the impartiality of true 
 benevolence, to regard God, and his glory, more 
 than all the interests of any man, or even of the 
 whole created universe. The reputation of a worthy 
 man, every one will allo^v, ought to be more highly 
 valued than the life of an inferior animal : but the 
 meanest animal — the least insect — the most despi- 
 cable reptile, bears a greater proportion to the im- 
 portance of man ; than the most valuable man, or 
 than the highest angel, or than the vvhole creation, 
 does to God. Compared with him, " the nation^ 
 are as a drop of a bucket, or the sm.all dust of the 
 balance : they are accounted less than nothing." 
 Accordingly, supreme love to God, is every where 
 in scripture, made the grand characteristic of a good 
 man. 
 
 That the charity of the Bible is impartial, as now- 
 explained, appears from our Saviour's summary of 
 the law and the prophets. To love my neighbor as 
 myself, supposing an equality between us, is to be 
 quite impartial : and to love God with all our heart 
 and soul, mind and strength, is to come as nearly up 
 to what is due to a being infinitely great and good, 
 ns our limited and weak capacities will permit. 
 
Sei'. VII.] of Moral Virtue. il5 
 
 I may observe further, that it belongs to the im- 
 partiality of true benevolence, to regard the several 
 interests of the same person, or being, in some pro- 
 portion to their comparative weight or worth. It 
 values, is tender of, and endeavors to preserve and 
 promote, the outward estate, the reputation, the lib- 
 erties and lives, the good of the bodies and souls of 
 men, proportioiiably to the apprehended importance 
 of these their rcspective interests. But, 
 
 3. I must not omit to observe, that disinterested- 
 Jiessy is another essential property of true benevo- 
 lence. 
 
 It is ^vritten, " Israel is an empty vine, he bring- 
 eth forth fruit unto himself. " It is written, "Char- 
 ity seeketh not her o^vn." It is ^mtten, " In the 
 last days perilous times shall come ; for men shall be 
 lovers of their own selves." 
 
 Selfishness is so universally condemned, and so 
 much is said in the scriptures against self-seeking, 
 that one would think no labored proof were necessary 
 to convince any man \vho believes the Bible, or any 
 man of common sense, whether he believes the Bible 
 or not, that self-love cannot be the primary source of 
 dW true virtu€ and religion. Yet, however strange, 
 so it is, many great philosophers, and some learned 
 divines, have been professedly of opinion that the 
 best actions of good men, and their most virtuous 
 affections proceed from a mere regard to themselves, 
 as their first principle and last end. They think 
 that a well regulated self-love, will influence a man to 
 whatsoever things are honest, just, amiable, or of 
 good report : though a misguided self-love, often 
 leads men into the reverse of all these. That as, 
 v^^henever Ave transgress the rule of right, it is fiom 
 a wrong idea of our ov.n interest ; so, v^^henever we 
 conform to that rule, it is only with a view to our 
 own interest, rightly understood. Accordingly they 
 
116 Charity^ the Essence [Ser. VII. 
 
 suppose, as one of their poets hath said, " Self-love, 
 and social, are the same." 
 
 And several systems of divinity, widely different 
 in other respects, agree in this, that all religion, at 
 bottom, is nothing but self-love. They go upon the 
 supposition that simiers are converted, either by a 
 mere conviction that it is necessary for their personal 
 safety and happiness to lear God and keep his com- 
 mandments ; or by a persuasion that Christ died for 
 them^ whence religious affections are excited from a 
 principle of natural gratitude : and that the converted 
 love God, only because they believe he loves them, 
 and designs their salvation. 
 
 Now, it is granted, that to live soberly, right- 
 eously, and religiously, is both for the temporal and 
 eternal interest of every man. It is granted that 
 men may be influenced to the external duties of mor- 
 ality and religion, by a mere regard to their own 
 safety arid happiness. It is also granted that a sort 
 of social, and of religious affections, may arise alto- 
 gether from' an apprehension of the friendship of 
 men, or of the kindness and love of God. It is 
 granted, moreover, that ingratitude is an evidence of 
 extreme depravity : that >ve are under greater obli- 
 gation to love a kind friend, than an unmerciful 
 enemy ; and that good men love God with more 
 fervency of affection, because he hears their suppli- 
 cations and loads them daily with his benefits ; and 
 because he haih r'iven his dear Son to redeem their 
 souls from destruction. 
 
 But, notwithstanding all these things are true, it 
 doth not thence follow, nor can it be admitted, that 
 those actions or affections vvhich proceed wholly 
 from self-love, in any of these ways, are at all of the 
 nature of real religion, or of true social virtue. 
 
 For scripture proof of the qontrary, in addition to 
 the passages refered to already, two or three texts 
 may be sufficient. The first I shall adduce is in 
 the book of Job ; see chap. i. 8 — 12 verse. "The 
 
ISei 
 
 VII.] of Moral Virtue. 117 
 
 Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my ser- 
 vant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, s 
 perfect and aii upright man, one that feai-eth God, 
 and escheweth evil ? Then Satan answered the Lord 
 and said, Doth Job fear God for nought ? Hast not 
 thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, 
 and about all that he hath on every side ? Thou hast 
 blessed the work of liis hands, and his substance is 
 greatly increased in the land. But put forth thine 
 hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will 
 curse thee to thy face. And the Lord said unto Sa- 
 tan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power." 
 
 We here find, not only that the malicious and 
 subtile accuser, takes it for granted on all hands, that 
 a mere mercenary religion was really no religion at 
 all ; but ^ve see the Most High himself, implicitly, 
 concedes, in the plainest manner, that if what Satan 
 had insinuated were true. Job's character as an up- 
 right man, must be given up. For in answering this 
 allegation of the adversary, the matter of fact only is 
 disputed, and permission is given to put that matter 
 to the severest trial. 
 
 The next passage which I shall mention, in proof 
 that disinterestedness is essential to true benevo- 
 lence, is one that respects the love of oar fellow- 
 men ; and is Matt. v. 43 — 47, where our Saviour 
 says, " Ye have heard that it hath been said. Thou 
 shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy : But 
 I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that 
 curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray 
 for them who despitefully use you, and persecute 
 you ; that ye may be the childi-en of your Father 
 in heaven : for he maketh his sun to rise on the 
 evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just 
 and on the unjust. For if ye love them that love 
 you,, M'hat reward have ye ? do not even the publi- 
 cans the same ? And if ye salute your brethren only, 
 vvhat do ye more than others ? do not even the pub- 
 licans so ? " 
 
118 Charity^ the Essence £Ser. VII. 
 
 Is it not asserted, or most manifestly implied, in 
 these words of our great Teacher, that our love of 
 others, if it at all resembles the divine benevolence, 
 or is any evidence of our being born of God, must 
 be disinterested ? or must not be of that kind which 
 is excited merely by the goodness of others to us ? 
 
 I will add, in direct scripture proof of this point, 
 only the second great commandment ; " Thou shalt 
 love thy neighbor as thyself." This, in the lowest 
 construction, must mean, that we are required to love 
 others with the same sincerity, or to beai' them the 
 same kind of good will, that we do ourselves. Now, 
 no man loves himself for the sake of his neighbor 
 only : the command must therefore be understood 
 as enjoining, that we love our neighbor, not merely 
 for our own sake. 
 
 And as it is an evident doctrine of scripture, so 
 it is a plain dictate of reason and common sense, that 
 there is nothing of virtue in the love we bear to a 
 fellow- creature, or of piety in our love of God, un- 
 less it be disinterested. No one feels obliged to 
 another for a kindness done him, when he is well 
 satisfied it was not out of any real good will to him, 
 but merely from some selfish motive. And when 
 we read in histor}-, of actions apparently the most 
 generous, they instantly lose all their glory, if it be 
 discovered that the agent's own interest or honor, was 
 his only inducement. The case is the same res- 
 pecting the Pharisaical devotee, or the vain-glorious 
 martyr. Self-seeJving, when it is seen, whatever 
 may be the means, is not the tiling for which a man 
 is admired by his neighbor. 
 
 Indeed, to suppose self the primary principle, and 
 only ultimate end, of the virtuous and good, is ob- 
 viously to confound all real distinction between the 
 best and the worst of characters. All men, and un- 
 doubtedly devils also, have self-love enough ; and 
 aie capable of all those actions and afiections which 
 have this only, for their basis. If, therefore, this 
 
Ser. Vn.] of Moral Virtue,- 119 
 
 were the bottom principle in the virtuous and good, 
 it is plain, there would be no essential difference of 
 character between saints and sinners, or between the 
 angels of heaven and devils in hell. All the differ- 
 ence would be merely circumstantial ; arising from 
 the different conditions in which they are placed, 
 the different treatment they receive, and the different 
 ideas they have of the disposition of other beings 
 towards them, or of their own interest. 
 
 Enough has been said, I think, to make it evident 
 beyond all reasonable controversy, that the charity 
 intended in the New-Testament must be disinterest- 
 ed, as well as impartial, universal benevolence. 
 
 We will now inquire, as was proposed, 
 
 II. How this is the end of the commandment. 
 On this, we must be brief. 
 
 By the commandment, I conceive is meant, the 
 whole moral law. In this extensive sense the word 
 is used, Psal. cxix. 96, " I have seen an end of all 
 perfection ; but thy commandment is exceeding 
 broad." Prov. vi. 23, " The commandment is a 
 lamp, and the law is light." Rom. vii. 9, *' I was 
 alive without the law once ; but when the command- 
 ment came, sin revived, and I died." And that this 
 is meant by the commandment in our text, seems 
 probable by what follows in the next verses : " From 
 which some having swerved, have turned aside unto 
 vain jangling ; desiring to be teachers of the law," 
 &c. Nor is there any difficulty in seeing how what 
 is here asserted of it will hold true, if we understand 
 the commandment in this universal sense. For, 
 
 1. . The end of the commandment is charity, as the 
 design of God in every part of his holy law , was pure 
 benevolence. Deut. vi. 24, " The Lord command- 
 ed ws to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our 
 
120 Chafiiy, the Essence [Scr. VIL- 
 
 God, for our good alvvays, that he might preserve us 
 ahve." 
 
 2. The end of the commandment is charity, as 
 true benevolence will lead us to feel and conduct in 
 all respects, as the divine law requires. Christ is 
 said to be the end of the law for righteousness to 
 them that believe, because he hath fulfilled all right- 
 eousness for them. And in like manner, charity is 
 the end of the commandment, because love is the ful- 
 filling of the law. Had we an ultimate and supreme 
 respect to the glory of God, and a proper concern for 
 the good of our neighbor, we should keep all the ten 
 commandments, with readiness and delight : and 
 denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should 
 live soberly, righteously, and godly ; as the grace of 
 God that bringeth salvation teacheth. It is very ob- 
 vious, that a due degree of impartial, disinterested, 
 universal benevolence, would be an effectual restraint 
 from every thing which the moral law forbids, and a 
 prevailing excitement to all those duties and virtues, 
 which either the law or gospel requires. 
 
 3. The end of the commandment is charity, as 
 witliout this there can be no such conformity to law 
 or gospel, in any of our actions or affections, as will 
 partake at all of the nature of righteousness and true 
 holiness. The apostle says, " Though I speak with 
 the tongues of men and of angels, and have not char- 
 ity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling 
 cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, 
 and understand all mysteries and ail knowledge ; 
 and though I have all faith, so that I could remove 
 mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And 
 though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and 
 though I give my body to be . burned, and have not 
 charity, it profiteth me nothing." He means there 
 is nothing in any of these which is praiseworthy, or 
 which will be recompensed at the resurrection of 
 
Ser. VII.] of Mcr a! Virtue. 12l 
 
 the just, if sincere love to God and men be totally 
 wanting. And this is perfectly agreeable to reason 
 imd common sense. Certainly no gifts, nor benefi- 
 cent offices, nor fortitude, nor flaming religious 
 zeal, can please God, if we have no ultimate view 
 to serve and glorify him. Certainly no action can 
 have the least moral excellency, if the agent have 
 no benevolent intention. Take away ail true benev- 
 olence out of any thing which is esteemed a virtue, 
 and you take away all the virtuousness of it, accor 1- 
 ing to the feelings of every man's conscience. Let 
 us try this with respect to justice. Let us suppose 
 a judge that feareth not God, neither regardeth man ; 
 but to avoid trouble or escape reproach, he does jus- 
 tice in some cases : or suppose him, from custom, to 
 have contracted a habit of passing righteous senten- 
 ces, so that he takes a kind of pleasure in it ; but 
 without any thoughts of serving God, or doing good. 
 What virtue can there be in this, any more than there 
 is in a pair of scales when they give just weight ? 
 Let us try it with respect to truth. Is there any vir- 
 tue in saying that which is true, without any benev- 
 olent or good design ? If so, then it must be a virtue 
 to speak the truth to rocks and hills, v\ hen ore is 
 alone, and knows that no creature hears him. Speak- 
 ing the truth in love, is virtuous : to speak it ou- of 
 malice, is vicious : to speak it without i'ltendi .g 
 good or ill, is idle and impertinent. The apostle 
 says to the Ephesians, " Putting away lyi'ig, spe.ik 
 every man truth with his neighbor." And he enf jr- 
 ces it by this very good reason ; "for we are mem- 
 bers one of anodier." The goo 1 of every socief-y ;o 
 which we belong, requires of us a sacred regard <"0 
 veracity in all our words. Withou*: this there cou;i 
 be no mutual confidence ; no administering justice ; 
 no knowing what ought to be done for the decision 
 ot most controversies. But if we have no reo-ard to 
 the commandm.eiit enjoining it, nor to he e:ul ot the 
 comnn-iadment — vhe good of society or of individu- 
 
 Q 
 
122 Charity f the Essence [Ser. VII. 
 
 als, no duty is done in speaking the truth. It is the 
 same with respect to meekness. We may be angry 
 and not sin ; and we may sin in not being angry. 
 We do well to be angry when God is dishonored, or 
 when our neighbors are grossly injured. Meekness 
 is commendable as far as it proceeds from a concern 
 for the preservation of peace with men, and from 
 respect to the command of God. For these reasons, 
 *' charity sufFereth long, and is not easily provoked." 
 But if we are not influenced by this principle, nor 
 these motives, however long we may suffer abuses 
 without resentment, there is no more virtue in it, than 
 in the patience of a stump or stone. It is the same 
 respecting humility. To be kindly affectioned, and 
 thence in honor to prefer others, is amiable : but that 
 lowliness of mind which arises from no disposition to 
 render honor to whom it is due, however it may make 
 us cringe and give place, can be nothing but despi- 
 cable meanness, or the want of a manly spirit. And 
 thus it is respecting all other things which are ac- 
 counted moral virtues, or christian graces. There is 
 nothing gracious or virtuous in them, any further 
 than they imply a truly generous disposition. Be- 
 nevolence, as now explained, is the life and soul of 
 every thing spiritually good. 
 
 By way of improvement ; 
 
 1. It should hence seem, that it might be known, 
 without much difficulty, what a man's true character 
 is — whether he have any real religion or not. The 
 specific difference between a saint and an unregenerate 
 sinner, being reduced to a single point, one would 
 think, that difference might be discovered, to the cer- 
 tain knowledge* of a real christian, that he has, and of 
 the false professor, tliat he has not, this all decisive 
 mark of grace. Yet, 
 
 2. It concerns us to search and look, and it may 
 hence be seen needful to search diligently, whether 
 
Sen VII.] of Moral Virtue, 123 
 
 we have this root of the matter in us. There are 
 many counterfeits of a benevolent temper and con- 
 duct. There are many ways in which self-love may 
 put on the appearance of social or divine ; and there 
 are many lower instincts of kindness, which are apt 
 to be mistaken for real goodness of heart. If no- 
 thing short of disinterested, impartial, universal be- 
 nevolence, will stand the final test, what reason is 
 there to fear that multitudes will at last find tliemselves 
 to have been fatally deceived ? 
 
 Lastly ; Let christians hence be excited to covet, 
 and by practice, and all other proper means, to cul- 
 tivate, this all-important virtue. *' Exercise thyself 
 unto godliness," was the counsel of Paul to Timothy. 
 As our bodily limbs, so the habits of the soul, are 
 strengthened by exercise. Let us then, in this way, 
 as well as by reading, meditation and prayer, seek to 
 invigorate the law of kindness — the royal law, ac- 
 cording to the scriptures. . I conclude with the ex- 
 hortation. Col. iii. 12, 14. " Put on, therefore, as the 
 elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, 
 humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering : — 
 And above all these things, put on charity, which is 
 the bond of perfectness." 
 
SERMON VIII. 
 
 ON SELF-LOVE ; OR REGARDING ONE'S OWN HAP- 
 PINESS. 
 
 HEBREWS XI. 2G. 
 
 For he had resjiect unto the recoinjience of the reward. 
 
 .UST not then the doctrine be false, 
 which supposes disinterestedness, essential to all real 
 virtue or religion ? Moses, the great law-giver of 
 Israel, was certainly an eminent saint : and his eaily 
 choice to which these Avords have reference, has al- 
 ways been thought an illustrious instance, not only 
 of a strong faith in the promises of God, but also of 
 extraordinary piety and true patriotism : Yet, in 
 thus choosing, it seems he Was influenced by self- 
 interest. An expectation of being a gainer by it in 
 the end, was his governing motive. Nor is this 
 mentioned at all to his reproach ; but rather in his 
 commendation. " By faith, Moses, when he was 
 come to years, refused to be called the son of Pha- 
 raoh's daughter ; choosing rather to suffer affliction 
 with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures 
 01 sin for a season ; esteeming the reproach of Christ, 
 greater riches than the treasures in Egypt : for he 
 had respect unto the- recompeiicc of the reivard.'''' 
 
126 On hamng a Regard to [Ser. VIII. 
 
 In order to a just statement, and right under- 
 standing of this matter, it is now proposed, 
 
 I. To consider what the recompence of reward 
 was, to which Moses had respect ; and how far he 
 was influenced by this motive. And, 
 
 II. To inquire what the doctrine of scripture is, 
 and what is the dictate of common sense, concern- 
 ing self-love, and acting from motives of self-interest. 
 
 In the first place, let it be considered, what the 
 recompence of reward was, to which Moses had 
 respect. 
 
 Possibly the honor of delivering the people of God 
 from their cruel oppressions in Egypt, and the ex- 
 pected happiness of inheriting with them the prom- 
 ised land of Canaan, flowing with milk and honey, 
 might be motives of some weight with him. It is 
 not to be believed, however, that any thing of an 
 earthly nature was his principal, much less his only 
 object. Nor are we to imagine that any temporal 
 recompence, is at all intended by the apostle in our 
 text. Unquestionably, the reward here meant, is 
 the same that is spoken of in the tenth and sixteenth 
 verses of this chapter ; as what Abraham, and others 
 before mentioned, sought, desired and looked for — 
 *' A city that hath foundations; a better country, 
 that is, an heavenly." Though little is said in the 
 Old Testament scriptures, of the future blessedness 
 of the righteous, compared with the gospel, wherein 
 Christ hath brought life and immortality to light ; yet 
 according to the apostle, those ancient patriarchs had 
 some faith and hope of another world. And, be- 
 yond a doubt, the crown of righteousness — the in- 
 heritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth 
 not away, which animated the christian martyrs, is 
 to be understood in our text, by the recompence of 
 the reward. 
 
Ser. VIII.] one^s own Happiness. 127 
 
 We were further to consider under the first head, 
 how far Moses was influenced by this motive. It is 
 not to be thought that his owti happiness, even his 
 eternal happiness, was the only thing to which he had 
 an ultimate respect. From his subsequent history it 
 very evidently appears, that he had a supreme regard 
 for the glory of God, and a disinterested concern for the 
 good of his people. On several occasions, when it 
 seemed to be the divine purpose to destroy the whole 
 congregation of Israel in the wilderness, at once, the 
 grand anxiety of Moses, was for the honor of God's 
 great name. He also often manifested a most generous 
 concern for the preservation of the chosen tribes. 
 At the foot of Sinai, when they had m-de a molten 
 god, and offered sacrifice to the idol, and the Lord 
 said to Moses, " I have seen this people, and be- 
 hold it is a stiff-necked people : now, therefore, let 
 me alone that I may consume them, and I will make 
 of thee a great nation," Moses still intercedes, " Oh, 
 this people have sinned a great sin, and have made 
 them gods of gold : Yet now, if thou wilt, forgive 
 their sin : and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of 
 thy book which thou hast written." 
 
 I do not indeed apprehend his meaning to be, that 
 he wished his name might be blotted out of the book 
 of life, rather than to have the people of Israel cut off. 
 He could not suppose that his being excluded for ever 
 from the divine favor, would be of any avail for their 
 salvation ; nor does the manner of his intercession in- 
 timate that he offered to be blotted out of God's book, 
 whatever he might mean by it, as the condition of 
 their being spared. He does not say. If they cannot 
 be forgiven without^ blot me, I pray thee, out of 
 thy book ; but if they cannot be forgiven at alL 
 That is, if they must die, let me die with them. It 
 is only, I conceive, a strong manner of saying, that 
 his being made a great nation, could by no means 
 reconcile him to the thoughts of having all the other 
 tribes and families destroyed. 
 
128 On hamng a Regard to [Ser. Villi 
 
 But whatever construction we put upon the words j 
 it is evident from them, and from the other passages 
 to which I have refered, that Moses had a disinter- 
 ested concern for the people of Israel, and for the 
 glory of God : and that his own private good was 
 not the only object, to which he had an ultimate 
 respect. 
 
 II. We ^vill now inquire what the general doc- 
 trine of scripture is, and what is the dictate of com- 
 mon sense, respecting self-love, and acting from mo- 
 tives of self-interest. And here, 
 
 1. It is agreeable to both, I think, that actions 
 which proceed merely from self-love, have no praise- 
 worthiness in a moral view : or, that when we have 
 no ultimate regard to any thing but our own interest 
 or honor in what we do, our m.ost specious deeds are 
 not at all virtuous. 
 
 Thus the scriptures plainly teach. " If ye lend 
 to them of whom ye hope to receive," says our Sav- 
 iour, *' what reward have ye ?" And the apostle says, 
 " Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, 
 and though I give my body to be burned, and have 
 not charity, it profiteth me nothing." It is the plain 
 meaning of these passages, and of many others, that 
 if self-love be the alone principle from which we act, 
 or if our own interest or glory be our only ultimate 
 end, however much -we may promote the good of 
 others, or the glory of God, with a subordinate view, 
 there is nothing rewardable or praiseworthy in our 
 seeming piety or liberality. 
 
 And this is evidently the common sense of man- 
 kind. Actions esteemed laudable, are ever suppos- 
 ed to imply disinterested goodness. When we know 
 thdt the man who treats us \vith great courtesy and 
 respect, is only courting our friendship ; or that the 
 man who relieves us in our straits and necessities, 
 has nothing in viciv but to be thought liberal, or to 
 
Sen VllL] ojic''s o'lm Happiness. 129 
 
 get something by it in the end, do we think him at all 
 entitled to our esteem or gratitude ? When we are 
 well satisfied that the noisy patriot, is only seeking 
 popularity and promotion, and cares nothing for his 
 country, do we ever admire him as a virtuous char- 
 acter ? When it is well known that the man Avho 
 praj s aloud in the corners of the streets, who fasts 
 often with a sad countenance, or who offers himself 
 to die as a martyr, does all to be seen of men, is he 
 ever thought truly religious ? " For m.en to search 
 their own glor}%" says Solomon, " is not glory." 
 And every one feels, that mere self-seeking, is not 
 virtue. 
 
 2. There is such a thing as selfishness, which the 
 word of God condemns, and which all mankind con- 
 demn, as a vice. The apostle evidently speaks in a 
 way of censure or crimination, when he says, " All 
 seek their own things:" and when he foretels that 
 men shall be lovers of their own selves, as the cause 
 of evil times, and of all manner of abominable works. 
 And who is there that does not consider a selfish, 
 contracted disposition, as mean, odious, and detesta- 
 ble ? On this particular there is no need of enlarg- 
 ing. Yet, 
 
 3. I do not think lliat the sin of selfishness 
 consists in the natural principle of self-love. I do 
 not think it is either a dictate of common sense, or a 
 doctrine of scripture, that it is wrong for a man to re- 
 gard his ov.ii interest. If this ^vere a thing in itself 
 -ivrong, it would be so in every degi-ee, and in all 
 cases. It would be vv-rong to have the least desire of 
 our own happiness, in itself considered ; or to be 
 influenced at all by the hope of enjoying good, or by 
 the fear of suffering evil. But this, certainl}^, is not 
 agreeable to common sense. No one supposes that 
 it is criminal to labor in an honest calling, to procure 
 the necessaries and comforts of life ; or that ail work- 
 
 R 
 
130 On bamig a Regard to [Ser. VIII. 
 
 ing for wages is a sin. It is never thought that tak- 
 ing prudent care for the preservation of one's heahh, 
 or good name, or outwai'd estate, is unlawful, or un- 
 becoming a christian. We may use unlawful means, 
 for preserving and furthering any of our valuable in- 
 terests ; but to vdhit them, or to endeavor to secure 
 and advance them, without transgressing any of the 
 rules of righteousness, is what no man's conscience 
 condemns. 
 
 Nor is it less evident that God does not condemn, 
 all regard to our own happiness, as a moral evil. He 
 requires that we should love our neighbor as our- 
 sehes ; but no where does he forbid us to love our- 
 selves, as well as our neighbors. In the scriptures 
 both of the Old and New- Testament, we ai^e urged to 
 duty by considerations adapted to operate upon the 
 principle of self-love. Threatenings and promises, 
 of a personal nature, relating both to the life that now 
 is, and that vdiich is to come, are abundantly made 
 use of to dissuade men from the ^vays of sin, and to 
 induce them to the practice of righteousness : whence 
 it evidently appears, that being influenced to the ex- 
 ternals of religion and virtue, by a view to our own 
 interest and safety, is not in itself sinful. 
 
 But if the sin of selfishness doth not consist in 
 self-love, in what does it consist ? 
 
 I answer, in not loving God and our neighbor : 
 in not being bene-\-olent. The difference betweeji a 
 truly benevolent man, and one totally selfish, I con- 
 ceive, is simply this : the former is kindly affection- 
 cd towards all ; the latter cares for none but himself. 
 I knov/ of no reason VvC have to think, that the most 
 selfish man has a stronger principle of self-preser^a- 
 tion, or a greater concern for his own happiness, 
 than a good man ha^. All the radical fault in the 
 iirst, I apprehend, is, he has nothing of that love 
 Vv'hich is the fulfilling of the law — he is destitute of 
 that charity which is the end of the commandment. 
 Men may think more highly of themselves than they 
 
Ser. Vlil.J (fne''s own Happiness. 131 
 
 ought to think — they may have the self-lo\'e of 
 esteem or complacency in an inordinate degree : 
 but the self-love of benevolence, or the desire of 
 one's o\vn happiness, absolutely considered, is prob- 
 ably never to excess. Comparatively, it may in- 
 deed be excessive ; and always is, in the unright- 
 eous, or the imperfectly righteous. But then what 
 renders it so, may be only the \v'ant, or deficiency, of 
 disinterested benevolence. Being disposed to wish 
 Avell to others, doth not, that I know of, at all lessen 
 good will to one's self : it only regulates its opera- 
 tions. It restrains us from pleasing ourselves, and 
 from promoting our own interest, in ways displeas- 
 ing and injurious to odiers : and it excites to self- 
 denial, and giving up one's own good, when the 
 greater good of one's neighbor, or of the public, so 
 requires. 
 
 Perhaps the most disinterested beings in the uni- 
 verse, have as tender a conceiTi for their own Dreser- 
 vation, and enjoyment of good, as the most selfish. 
 But thus much is certain, I conceive, and hath now 
 been sufficiently evinced, that self-Io^•e, considered 
 simply as the desire of one's own safet}'- and hapoi- 
 ness, is not sinful. 
 
 4. There is such a thing as acting from respect 
 to the recompence of the reward, or from the 
 hope of inheriting the promises, -which is virtuous 
 and commendable. There is a kind of happiness, 
 the desire of v/hich implies holiness. 
 
 When our Saviour exhorted his hearers to labor 
 for that meat Avhich endureth unto e\'eriasting life, 
 undoubtedly he set before them a moti\e by v.hich 
 they would have done v* ell to have been influenced. 
 When he said, " Mary liath chosen the good part 
 ^^"hich shall not be taken from her," he evidently 
 comrriended her choice. When he directed his dis- 
 ciples to give their alms in secret, telling them they 
 should be rewarded openly ; when he said, " Love 
 
132 On ha'uing a Regard to [Ser. VIII. 
 
 your enemies, and do good and lend, hoping for no- 
 thing again, and your reward shall be great ;" and to 
 a particular person at another time, " When thou 
 makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, 
 the blind ; and thou shalt be blessed : for they can- 
 not recompense thee ; for thou shall be recompensed 
 at the resurrection of the just ;" he plainly consid- 
 ered having respect to this recompence, as truly wise 
 and praiscAvorthy. To the like purpose I may take 
 notice of the words of the apostle, Rom. ii. 6, 7, 
 where, speaking of the day of the revelation of the 
 righteous judgment of God, he says, '^ Who will 
 render to every man according to his deeds. To 
 them v.'ho, by patient continuance in v/ell-doing, 
 seek for glory, and honor, and immortality, eternal 
 life." The Bible is full of passages in which this 
 motive to duty is proposed ; and in which, being 
 influenced by it, is represented as laudable. 
 
 The truth of the matter respecting self-love, ap- 
 peals to be this : The general desire of happiness is 
 common to ail ; hov ever perfectly holy, or however 
 totally depraved. In this, therefore, there is nothing 
 of moral excellency, or of moral evil. It is found, 
 indeed, in all sensitive nature ; in beasts and insects, 
 as \\ ell as in our omu species. In rational creatures 
 it will leiid to virtue or vice, to holiness or sin, ac- 
 cording to their moral taste or disposition. Wicked 
 men, through their depravity of nature, consisting in 
 the want of a benevolent temper, place their happi- 
 ness in the gratification of selfish appetites and pas- 
 sions only—" tlie lust of the flesh, the lust of the 
 e} es, and the pride of life." They mind earthly 
 things — the ple^.^iures, honors, and riches of this 
 v.orid, as their chief good. And in the pursuit of 
 these, not regarding the glory of God or the good of 
 their rjeiglibor, they are led, unless restrained by 
 se*i:sh prudence, to intemperance and le^^dness, to 
 frauds and oppressions, to envy and revenge, to wars 
 and fightirigs. Those, on the contrary, who have 
 
Ser. VIII.] one''s ovm Happiness. 133 
 
 been renewed in the spirit of their mind, by having 
 had a principle of universal benevolence created in 
 them, place their happiness in the advancement of the 
 gi-eatest universal good. They love God supremely ; 
 and to glorify him, is their chief end. They love 
 the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity ; and therefore to 
 be w ith him where he is, that they may behold his 
 glory, is their ultimate hope : to believe in him, 
 while nov/ they see him not, fills them with unspeak- 
 able joy. They love their neighbor as themselves; 
 and hence they consider the interest of others as their . 
 oAvn, and take delight in doing good to all, as they 
 have opportunity. 
 
 The reason why seeking the joys above is virtu- 
 ous, whereas setting our affections on things on the 
 earth is vicious, is not merely because the former 
 ai'e greater, or more durable, but because they ai-e 
 of a different nature. The pleasures of the spiritu- 
 ally minded in the life which no\v is, are an object 
 of praiseworthy pursuit. The delight of the carnally 
 Hiinded are despicable and base, though supposed 
 to be in the life to come. There is nothing better, 
 in being influenced to painful labors and self-denials, 
 by an expectation of the Pagan Elysian fields, or of 
 a Mahometan paradise, than by the hope of similar 
 indulgences and gratifications here on the eaith. 
 The eternal recompence of reward, to m hich good 
 men, like Moses, have respect, is a heaven of holi- 
 ness. It consists in seeing God's glory, and the 
 good of the universe, most highly advanced, and iu 
 joining to advance them. Hence, being influenced 
 to well-doing and patient suffering by this hope, is 
 not only innocent ; it is virtuous ; it is noble ; it is 
 divine. Such ^vas the hope, and the joy, set before 
 Jesus himself, the author and finisher of our faith ; 
 for which he endured the cross, despising the shame. 
 
 By way of inference and application, 
 
 1. It may be seen from what has been said. That 
 representing godliness and righteousness, as the 
 
134 On having a Regard to [Ser. VIII. 
 
 scriptures do, in an interesting light, is not inconsist- 
 ent with reason, or with common sense. 
 
 It has been objected to the Bible, by some unbe- 
 lievers, by one at least, that it is a selfish system. 
 That it teaches us to love God and virtue, not for 
 God's and virtue's sake, but for our own sake. 
 
 Now, it must be admitted, that the holy scriptures 
 set life and death before men, to persuade them to 
 forsake the ways of sin, and turn their feet unto the 
 testimonies of the Lord : and likewise that the in- 
 spired writers address themselves to our natural grat- 
 itude, by representations of the goodness of God to 
 the children of men, as an inducement to love, adore 
 and serve him. But it has been proved, I appre- 
 hend, in the preceding discourse, that neither natur- 
 al self-love, nor natural gratitude thence proceeding, 
 is a principle in itself sinful, or from which it is 
 wrong to be influenced to act. It has also been seen, 
 that though the Bible makes use of motives adapted 
 to work upon the natural feelings of men, to awakeu 
 their attention to the things which belong to their 
 peace and duty ; yet it never supposes that we have 
 any true holiness, unless we love God and virtue for 
 their own sake ; or not merely from selfish princi- 
 ples. The scripture system of morals, is certainly 
 as disinterested as it ought to be, according to reason 
 and common sense. By manifestation of the truth, 
 it will commend itself to every man's conscience, 
 as being perfectly right in this respect. 
 
 2. What has been said may furnish an answer 
 to one very metaphysical objection, on' the other 
 hand, against the doctrine of disinterested benevo- 
 lence. It is sometimes contended, that there can be 
 no such thing as disinterestedness. That, on sup- 
 position any place their happiness in glorifying God, 
 and doing good ; still tlieir own happiness, is their 
 only ultimate object. 
 
Ser. VIII.] one^s otvn Happiness. 135 
 
 To this, the answer is ; one who has no ultimate 
 regard to the glory of God, or the good of his neigh- 
 bor, cannot place his happiness in glorifying the one, 
 or in doing good to the other. As well might one 
 Avhose palate nauseates every sweet thing, persuade 
 himself to love honey, by representing to himself the 
 pleasure he should take in eating it, if he did. In 
 this sense, the saying of Solomon is true, " If a 
 man would give all the substance of his house for 
 love, it would be utterly contemned ;" that is, total- 
 ly unavailing. One may wish for his OAvn sake, that 
 he loved God and virtue ; but neither this wish, nor 
 all the world if he had it to give, could make a man 
 sincerely love them, who has no disinterested good- 
 ness. Taking pleasure in glorifying God, and do- 
 ing good to men, presupposes that we love them for 
 their own sake ; and cannot be the effect of a desire 
 to love them, for the sake of that pleasure. This, 
 therefore, cannot be the happiness of a totally selfish 
 man ; or a selfish kind of happiness. 
 
 3. The preceding observations upon this subject, 
 may administer comfort to some doubting christians. 
 I have heard some bemoan themselves, and express 
 anxious fears that they have no grace, because they 
 find so much in their hearts of self-love. Because, 
 in denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, and living 
 soberly, righteously and religiously, they feel them- 
 selves so much influenced by the dread of future 
 misery, and the hope of eternal happiness. 
 
 Let such be reminded, that looking for the blessed 
 hope and glorious appearing of Jesus Christ, is the 
 very motive by which " the grace of God that bring- 
 eth salvation teacheth us," so to deny ourselves, and 
 so to live. That the promise of a crown of life, is 
 an inducement to be faithful unto death, set before 
 us by our righteous Judge. 
 
 Let them also be told, that the natural desire of 
 their own safety, though not a virtue, is as strong in 
 
135 On bcmng a Regard to [Ser. VIII. 
 
 the godly, as in the ungodly. Neither the desire of 
 happiness, nor the dread of being miserable, though 
 ever so ardent, is any evidence that one is not a chris- 
 tian ; though something more is necessary to make 
 it evident that one is a christian. 
 
 4. From what has been said, the self-deception of 
 some others, who have perhaps no doubts of their 
 good estate, may be detected. It seems to be thought 
 by many, that if the happiness of heaven be the main 
 object of one's pursuit, he has certainly been born 
 from above. This is true indeed, if the happiness 
 of heaven be rightly understood, and really desired* 
 But a mistake here is very possible. An idea of 
 heaven suited to the natural dispositions of men, is 
 not confined to Pagans and Mahometans. The 
 thoughts of white robes, crowns of gold, and rivers 
 of pleasures, not spiritualized, may be very delight- 
 ful to a carnal mind. By such hopes, the sensualist, 
 the worldly-minded, and the vain-glorious, may be 
 animated to do and suffer great things. Unless you 
 hunger and thirst after righteousness ; unless you are 
 seeking for spiritual happiness, your hopes of heaven 
 are vain : You are yet in your sins. 
 
 5. Let this text and subject be improved in a use 
 of exhortation to all, to seek first the kingdom of 
 God, and his righteousness. 
 
 Moses, we are told, when he was come to years, 
 chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of 
 God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. 
 And did he not make a prudent choice ? Had he 
 continued in the court of Egypt, as the son of Pha- 
 raoh's daus;hter, he mis-ht have induls^ed the lust of 
 the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, in 
 a high degree. But ho^v long, ago ^vould all these 
 Gratifications have been at an end ? Great were the 
 aiHictions which he suffered w ith the people of God : 
 hut all these sufferings, likewise, have now long 
 
Ser. VIII.] oiie''s ow?i Happiness. 13? 
 
 been over. Long has he enjoyed the' glorious re- 
 compence of reward to which he had respect ; and 
 he will enjoy it to all eternity. 
 
 Will you not then, those of my readers who are 
 come to yeai-s of discretion, though young, be per- 
 suaded to make a similar choice ? Will you not re- 
 nounce tlie vanities of this present Avorld, and the 
 service of diverse lusts and pleasures, and make that 
 happiness which will be permanent and soul-satisfy- 
 ing, the object of your most earnest pursuit ? Should 
 you hereafter see innumerable others in the king- 
 dom of heaven, and yourselves shut out, how bitter 
 will be your lamentation and self-reproach ? Be per- 
 suaded to have respect to such eternal consequences ; 
 to pay a serious attention to the one thing needful ; 
 and to choose the good part, which shall not be tak- 
 en from you. 
 
 S 
 
SERMON IX. 
 
 ON THE UNIVERSAL SINFULNESS OF MANKIND. 
 
 1 JOHN I. 8. 
 
 If ive say that we Mve no sirij we deceive ourselves, and the 
 ti'uth is not in us. 
 
 XN nothing do we more hate the hght, and 
 shut our eyes against it, than in regard to our own 
 sins : and yet, in nothing is it of greater importance 
 to us, that we should come to the knowledge of the 
 truth. Not only must the unregenerate be effectual- 
 ly convinced of sin, before they will in earnest attend 
 to the gospel of their salvation ; but it is very neces- 
 sary that the renewed, and even the holiest saints on 
 earth, should have an abiding sense of their remain- 
 ing imperfections ; and should see that sin still dwel- 
 leth in them, and often easily besets them. This is 
 necessary to awaken them to constant watchfulness, 
 and exertion in the spiritual warfare ; to excite them 
 to walk humbly with God, and to make them see 
 their need of daily pardoning mercy, and of further 
 sanctifying grace. Great care is therefore taken in 
 the holy scriptures, to guard persons of all characters 
 agaiiist trusting in themselves that they are righteous, 
 or thinking more highly of their innocence than they 
 p^ught to think. 
 
140 The unhersal Sinfulness [Ser. IX. 
 
 Whether any in the days of the apostles, carried 
 this self-fiattery so far as to imagine themselves whol- 
 ly free from sin, which gave occasion for the caution 
 in our text, I am not able to say. Some such, how- 
 ever, it is said, there now are. I understand it is 
 the professed opinion of one sect among us, who 
 have compassed sea and land to make proselytes, 
 that sinless perfection is attainable in this life ; and 
 that many of them vainly boast of being themselves 
 already thus perfect. 
 
 But it is not merely with a view to them, or to 
 the refutation of this tenet of theirs, that I have now 
 made choice of these words. There are many other 
 erroneous opinions, too common at all times and in 
 all places, the tendency of which is to make sinners 
 flatter themselves in their own eyes, and not see that 
 their iniquity is hateful. And many who are not 
 much erroneous in speculation, from mere careless- 
 ness and stupidity, often feel as if they were whole, 
 rich and increased with goods, and had need of noth- 
 ing. This short passage of scripture, given by in- 
 spiration of God, if duly attended to, may lead to 
 a detection of all such delusions ; and, it is hoped, 
 may be profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for cor- 
 rection, and for instruction in righteousness, to all 
 these sorts of persons. 
 
 That the truth of what the apostle here asserts may 
 be more fully illustrated, I shall begin with a particu- 
 lar inquiry into \a hat things are sinful, in a moral 
 agent : Shall then show that it is a gross self-decep- 
 tion, for any of mankind in this world, to think they 
 have no sin : and lastly, shall consider, how^ it is to 
 be understood that the truth is not in us, if we say 
 thus. 
 
 Our first inquiry, is concerning the things which 
 ought to be accounted sinful, in a moral agent : or, 
 to answer the question, What is sin ? 
 
Ser. IX.] of Mankind. 141 
 
 On this question we have iDeen taught, and some 
 of us still teach our children to answer : " Sin is any 
 want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the 
 law of God." But the apostle John, in another 
 chapter of this episde, according to our translation 
 at least, seems to have given a more limited defini- 
 tion of sin. He says, " Whosoever committeth sin; 
 transgresseth the law ; for sin is the transgression of 
 the law." It is however to be observed, that his 
 word, \_anomia^'\ which our translators have render- 
 ed, "the transgi-ession of the law," properly sig- 
 nifies, a delation from law ; whether by going 
 beyond it, or not coming up to it. Want of con- 
 formity, as well as transgression, may therefore be 
 comprehended in his meaning. 
 
 But we will consider sins of commission, in the 
 first place ; and then inquire whether there must not 
 be sin in the heart, prior to these ; and also whether 
 v/e may not be guilty of sins of omission, besides 
 these. 
 
 Respecting sins of commission, or transgression, 
 it is to be observed, 
 
 1. That whenever our external actions are wrong-, 
 and such as God hath forbidden, we transgress the 
 la^^', and commit sin. 
 
 Under this particular are comprehended all idola- 
 try ; all worshipping of false gods, or making graven 
 images, and bowing down before them : all profana- 
 tion of the Lord's day, by spending any part of it in 
 unnecessaiy secular labors, or idle diversions : all 
 disobedience to parents, and undue disrespect to su- 
 periors, or any others : all murders, and unjust wars 
 and contentions : all suicide, and intemperance : all 
 lewd and lacivious conduct : and all robbery, theft, 
 cheating, extortion and oppression in our dealings. 
 Dom^ any of these things, is evidently transgressing, 
 
142 The unher sal Sinfulness [Ser. IX, 
 
 aiid committing sin. The Avrath of God is plainly 
 revealed from heaven, against all such ungodliness 
 and unrighteousness of men. 
 
 2. All wicked words, w^hether profane, or false, or 
 slanderous, or obscene, are sins of commission. It 
 was the resolution of David, " I will take heed to my 
 M^ays, that I sin not with my tongue." It is a prov- 
 erb of Solomon, " In the multitude of words there 
 wanteth not sin." Our Saviour says, " Every idle 
 word that men shall speak, they shall give account 
 thereof in the day of judgment : for by thy words 
 thou shalt be justified, and by thy \^^ords thou shalt 
 be condemned." And the apostle James tells us, 
 *' The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity : it set*, 
 teth on fire the whole course of nature, and it is set 
 on fire of hell." 
 
 3. We may transgress, and commit sin, in only 
 the secret thoughts of our hearts. To these, the 
 divine law extends ; though human laws cannot take 
 ■cognizance of them. The tenth commandment is 
 express to this purpose ; "Thou shalt not covet." 
 And the sixth and seventh, according to our Saviour's 
 exposition, impHcitly forbid, all unreasonable anger, 
 and every libidinous desire. The um'ighteous man 
 is required to forsake his thoughts ; and it is said, 
 " The /i?oz/^/6^ of foolishness is sin." Not, indeed, 
 all thinking of folly or wickedness. We ought often 
 to think of our own sins, that we may repent of them ; 
 and sometimes of the sins of others, that we maj- 
 reprove them. And we may have evil thoughts sug- 
 gested to us, by wicked men or evil spirits, withoi;^ 
 being able to avoid it, and without being faulty. 
 Bat that sin may be committed in the thoughts, in- 
 tents, or desires of the heart, when it proceeds no 
 iurther, is an undoubted truth. To devise evil, to 
 meditate revenge, or to think of any wickedness, 
 with a wish to perpetrate it, or with complacerxy in 
 ;t, is certainly sinful. 
 
Ser. IX.] of Mankind. 143? 
 
 That men may commit sin in the thought, wordy 
 and deed, will not be much disputed. 
 
 We \^dll now inquire, whether nothing faulty is 
 imputable to us, besides sins of commission : or. 
 whether there may not be, what is truly of the nature 
 of sin, prior to, or distinct from, actual transgres- 
 sions. On this, I observe, 
 
 1. The Bible appeai-s to speak of positive sin in 
 the heart of man, antecedently to sinful actions, or 
 vv^ords, or even thoughts ; and as being the cause of 
 all these. 
 
 I do not suppose indeed, that there are any evil 
 principles or instincts in us, so radical, that they 
 must have been created, by the immediate power of 
 God. The corruption of our m hole nature, I be- 
 lieve, primarily consists in the want of original right- 
 eousness, or of a good disposition. From self-love, 
 and those appetites and passions which are not in 
 themselves sinful, when one is destitute of virtue, 
 that is, of the governing love of God and his neigh- 
 bor, I conceive, will naturally be formed, all those 
 roots of bitterness which springing up trouble us. 
 
 That there are, however, propensities to evil ac- 
 tions in depraved human nature, seems plainly 
 taught in the holy scriptures ; and this appears ne- 
 cessary to be supposed, in order to account for the 
 sinful volitions of men, and their wicked external 
 conduct. Our Saviour says, " From within, out of 
 the hearty proceed evil thoughts, blasphemies, mur- 
 ders," &c. The apostle James speaks of the lusts of 
 men, which war in their meinbers, whence come 
 wars and fightings : and he says, " Do ye think that 
 the scripture saith in vain, The spirit which dwelleth 
 in us, lusteth to envy ?" And tlie apostle Paul com- 
 plains of a laiv in his members, v\'arring against the 
 law of his mind : a laiv of sin, working death : a 
 ki\v that when he v\-ould do good, evil was present 
 
144 T'he iinhersal Sinfulness [Ser. IX4 
 
 with him. By all which phrases, in these several 
 passages, this idea seems plainly intended and ex- 
 pressed ; that there are in fallen man, propensities of 
 nature to moral evil. And that it must be so, may 
 be concluded from the evil volitions and actions of 
 men, with as much certainty as the tree is known by 
 its fruit, or as any cause can be leai'nt from its con- 
 stant visible effects. 
 
 But if this be the evident fact, that we have such 
 lusts which war in us ; such laws of sin ; such pro- 
 pensities to choose the evil and refuse the good ; un- 
 doubtedly, these lusts, as well as the warring of 
 them ; these laws, as well as their operation, must be 
 sinful. If the fruit be corrupt, the tree is also cor- 
 rupt. It is agreeable to scripture, as well as reason 
 and common sense, that the nature of a moral agent 
 may be holy or unholy. The psalmist saySj when 
 praising the Lord, " Thou art goodj and doest 
 good." And we always suppose that the Most 
 High is worthy of praise for \vhat he ?>, and not 
 merely for what he does : for the perfections of his 
 nature, and not merely for his wonderful v/orks. But 
 if God is to be praised for being good, as well as for 
 doing good ; for the same reason we are to be blamed 
 for being bad, as v/ell as for conducting ill. And do 
 vve not always thus judge, in accusing or excusing 
 one another ? Is not a man of an envious, revengeful, 
 malicious disposition, whether at present provoked 
 or not, to the actings or feelings of these passions, 
 ever looked upon in an odious light ? Is not such 
 a disposition itself, universally disapproved, and 
 thought hateful ? 
 
 2. It seems, I think, to be the doctrine of scripture, 
 and not disagreeable to the dictates of common sense, 
 that mere neglects of duty, and merely the v/ant of 
 virtuous affections, are sinful, in a moral agent. I 
 put the want of good affections and the omissions of 
 tluty together, because a proof of the criminality of 
 them cannot well be separated. 
 
Ser. IX.] of Mankind. UB 
 
 It hath been said, (though not by them of old 
 time,) that " all sin consists in positive volition and 
 exercise.''^ None, consequently, in principle, or in 
 being unprincipled : none in the weakness, or total 
 want, of virtuous and religious affections : none in 
 the omission or careless performance of any duty. It 
 is said, that in not loving God or our neighbor ; in 
 not repenting, or not believing in Christ ; in not 
 being merciful or just ; in not ever doing any good, 
 we are guilty of no sin. 
 
 But by whomsoever, or by hov/ manysoever, all 
 this is said, it should not be received without exam- 
 ination. " To the law and to the testimony :" as 
 far as any " speak not according to this word, there 
 is no light in them." 
 
 That all sin consists in positives, is a position 
 the truth of Avhich, the very phraseology of scripture, 
 on this subject, gives us some reason to suspect. 
 Sin is generally expressed by negative terms : un- 
 holiness, ungodliness, unrighteousness, iniquity. Is 
 there no wwholiness, in the want of holiness ? no mi- 
 godliness, in not having any godliness ? no z/wright- 
 eousness, in not being righteous ? no iniquity, in 
 never paying any regard to justice and equity ? 
 
 But we hg.ve greater witness than that of mere 
 names and phrases. How often have prophets and 
 apostles, and how often has the Author and Finisher 
 of our faith, blamed and condemned men for deficien- 
 cies and neglects ; for the want of pious and benevo- 
 lent affections, and for the omission of religious and 
 social duties ? \Vlien our Saviour said to some of 
 his heai'ers, " I know you, that ye have not the love 
 of God in you ;" he meant, one would think, to 
 charge them with that Avhich was not altogether 
 faultless. And we know he upbraided those afnong 
 ^Adiom most of his mighty works had been done, 
 denounced woes upon them, and told them it would 
 be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for 
 them, "because they repented not.'' It was like- 
 
 T 
 
146 ' The unhersal Sinfulness [Ser. IX< 
 
 wise a saying of his, " He that beliei)eth not is con- 
 demned aheady, because he hath not believed.''^ In 
 his parable of the man that had been robbed, and lay 
 Avounded and half dead ; he evidently supposed that 
 the Levite and priest, who passed by, w^re very cul- 
 pable, for not showing kindness to one of their own 
 nation, in such circumstances of distress. And in 
 his representations of the day of judgment, he hath 
 taught us in the strongest manner, that men will then 
 be condemned for mere neglects of duty. Thus, in 
 the parable of the talents left with servants to be im- 
 proved for their lord during his absence ; the one 
 who had made no use of his talent, is, for that reason 
 called a slothful and ivicked servant, and ordered to 
 be cast into outer darkness. And in the plainer ac- 
 count which follows, of the proceedings of that great 
 and awful day, where we are told that the Judge will 
 say to them on his left hand, " Depart from me, 
 ye cursed, into everlasting fire ;" the only crimes 
 charged as the cause of this terrible sentence, are sins 
 of omission. " For I was an hungred, and ye gave 
 me no meat : I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink : 
 I w^s a stranger, and ye took me not in : naked, and 
 ye clothed me not : sick, and in prison, and ye visit- 
 ed me not." These condemned sinners aie repre- 
 sented, indeed, as replying against their Judge, and 
 justifying themselves : but how do they do it ? by 
 pleading to the insufficiency of the charge, or by say- 
 ing they were accused only of negatives, which are 
 nothing ? Not at all ; the only plea they thought it 
 possible to make in their defence, was denying the 
 matter of fact. " Lord," say they, " when saw we 
 thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, 
 or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto diee :" 
 The*Judge answers them, " Verily, I say unto you, 
 In as much as ye did it not to one of the least of 
 these, ye did it not to me. " It is added, " And these 
 shall go away into everlasting punishment.'' To 
 the same purpose are the "words of the apostle James ; 
 
Ser. IX.] of Mankind. 147 
 
 " He shall have judgment without mercy, who hath 
 shewed no mercy." 
 
 Many other texts might be adduced ; but these 
 ai'e apprehended to be proofs abundantly sufficient, 
 that, according to the scriptures, deficiency of right 
 affection, and neglect of duty, are damnable sins. 
 
 And are not these evidently criminal, according to 
 reason and common sense ? Do we not always con- 
 demn others, ^\ hen they have no benevolent concern 
 for us, and pay no attention to us in our necessities 
 and distresses ? And do we not sometimes condemn 
 ourselves, for the mere want of those affections, and 
 omission of those duties, which Ave owe to God, and 
 to our neighbor ? Were men recusable of no other 
 crimes than such as these, must not every mouth be 
 stopped, and all the world stand guilty before God ? 
 
 Several things, I kno\v, ai^e said on the other side : 
 for ever since the fig-leaves of our first parents, ma- 
 ny inventions have been sought out by mankind, to 
 cover their moral nakedness. 
 
 It is said, that to suppose there can be any evil in 
 merely not loving and obeying God, or in not being 
 friendly or just to men, is to place sin in that Vvhich 
 is absolutely nothing. 
 
 But it may be replied, tliatto suppose there can be 
 no sin in deficiencies or omissions, is to make abso- 
 lutely nothing of all positive duty. Had we nothing 
 to do, for doing nothing we should not be to blame. 
 But this is not the case. ~Wc have duties incumbent 
 on us ; and therefore in not doing them, there is 
 blameworthiness. The divine lav/ does not run al- 
 together in negatives ; as certainly it ought to have 
 done, if in positives only, there v/ere any moral e\'i!. 
 Each of the ten commandments, as they have gen- 
 erally been explained, imply something required, as 
 well as something forbidden. And the tv.o first and 
 greatest of them, according to our Saviour, on which 
 hang all the law and the prophets, are positl\'e!y ex- 
 pressed. '' TIiou shalt love the Lord thv God with 
 
148 The iinhersal Sinfulness [Ser. IX, 
 
 all thine heart ; and thou shalt love thy neighbor as 
 thyself." Can it then be thought, that if we had on- 
 ly avoided the whole of what is forbidden, without 
 doing any of the things required, we should have 
 been faultless ? That if we had never hated God nor 
 our neighbor, though we had never loved either of 
 them at all, we should have had no sin ? God's an- 
 cient revolted people were exhorted, both to cease 
 to do evil, and learn to do well. Christians, in re- 
 gard to their conversation, have both a negative and 
 a positive injunction given them. " Let no corrupt 
 communication proceed out of your mouth ; but 
 that which is good, to the use of edifying, that it may 
 minister grace to the hearers." And, " The grace 
 of God \ihich bringeth salvation teacheth us, that, 
 denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should 
 live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present 
 world." Have we then done all, when we have left 
 off doing evil, but never learnt to do well ? when we 
 have abstained from those evil communications which 
 corrupt the manners of others ; but have never said 
 a word tending to edify them, or to do them any 
 good ? when we have denied ourselves, in regard to 
 impious practices and earthly aifections ; but have 
 wholly neglected w orks of righteousness, and all the 
 positive duties and exercises of religion ? In a word^ 
 are we to think that not to do any thing, is no sin ; 
 and, consequently, that doing nothing, is the whole 
 duty of man ? 
 
 It is said. If merely not doing be a sin, then stocks 
 and stones are great sinners. 
 
 But as this argument goes upon the same ground 
 as the foregoing ; so it is fully answered by the apos- 
 tle James : " I'o him that knoweth to do good, and 
 doth it not," says he, " to him it is sin." Moral 
 agents only, are capable of being to blame, whether 
 in motion or at rest. Stocks and stones, having no 
 duty to do, are blameless in not doing any : but a 
 
Ser. IX.] of Mankind. 149 
 
 man, cannot always lie still, like them, without 
 blameworthiness. 
 
 It is said that wheFxCver ^ve neglect any duty, we 
 will the neglect of it, or are doing something which 
 is sinful : that whenever we are wanting in any good 
 exercise of heart, we have an evil exercise in opposi- 
 tion to it ; and that it is only for these opposite exer- 
 cises, volitions and actions, that either God or our 
 own heart condemns us. But I know of no evidence, 
 that the first part of this assertion is true ; and the 
 last part of it, I think, is evidently false. 
 
 I am not certain, that whenever we neglect any 
 duty, we will the neglect. It used to be thought 
 there were careless neglects, as Avell as wilful neg- 
 lects. And I am persuaded that persons are often 
 very faulty in omitting duties, without designing to 
 omit them. For instance ; one ought to have visit- 
 ed a sick or bereaved neighbor ; and intended it at 
 a certain time, and never determined the contrary : 
 but when the time came, he wholly forgot it ; and 
 the only blameable cause of such forgetfulness, was 
 his not having a duly benevolent concern for the per- 
 son in distress or affliction. I am not certain, that 
 when a man neglects what he ought to do, he is al- 
 ways doing what he ought not. He may be taken 
 up about some business which is la^vful, and which 
 would have been his duty, were it not for his neglect- 
 ing another duty to which, at present, he has a more 
 pressing call. I am not certain, that whenever one 
 is deficient in any virtuous affection, he has just so 
 much of that vicious affection w^hich is its reverse. 
 It is very possible that the priest and Levite, in our 
 Saviour's parable, might have had no enmity to the 
 man who lay wounded by the way-side. The only 
 fault represented, and the only one which need be 
 supposed, was their v/ant of charity. 
 
 If, however, it wox^. the case, that a man alAva}'s 
 hates, those whom he does not perfectly love ; that 
 whenever a man omits what he ouarht to do, he wills 
 
150 The universal Shifiihiess [Ser. IX, 
 
 the omission of it ; or that one is always wickedly- 
 employed, when he neglects any duty ; still these are 
 different faults, and he is doubly guilty. Ceasing to 
 worship the true God, is one thing ; worshipping 
 false gods, is another : hence the Holy One of Israel 
 says, Jer. ii. 13, " My people have committed fujo 
 evils ; they have forsaken me, the fountain of living 
 waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cis- 
 terns, that can hold no water." 
 
 The arguments now mentioned, are the only ones 
 worthy of notice, which I recollect to have heard or 
 seen, in support of the strange tenet, that not loving 
 God, or our neighbor, or not doing any good, is 
 no sin. Whether these have any real weight, every 
 one must judge. 
 
 There is one particular more, which I designed 
 briefly to have illustrated under the present head : 
 namely, that the mere want of a good disposition, in 
 one who has the natural capacities of mankind, is 
 a moral evil. 
 
 For the truth of this, as well as the foregoing 
 particulars, I think, we have the concurring full tes- 
 timony of our best witnesses and guides, on all mor- 
 al and religious subjects — scripture and common 
 sense. Paul resolves all the darkness of understand- 
 ing in the heathen Gentiles, all the ignorance that 
 was in them, and all their alienation from the life of 
 God, into the blindness of their heart. In the Old 
 Testament, God's chosen people are often spoken 
 of as being criminally stupid, in not having eyes to 
 see, and ears to hear, and a heart to understand. And 
 our blessed Saviour, who was never angry without 
 a cause, looked round upon men with anger, we are 
 told, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts. 
 By hardness of heart is meant, insensibility — an un- 
 feeling disposition — a temper of mind incapable of 
 the love of God, of Godly sorrow for sin, or of any 
 true benevolence. And who is there that has never 
 had his indignation excited, at seeing such hard- 
 
Ser. IX.] of Mankind. 151 
 
 heai1:edness ? Is it not a failing, which may well pro- 
 voke something more than pity, for a man to be 
 unfeeling, or totally miapt to feel, for any besides 
 himself ? Certainly, an unprincipled man — a man of 
 no generosity or integrity — one altogether destitute 
 of an honest and good heart, is considered universally 
 as a blameable chai-acter. 
 
 But it is time to close the present discourse. May 
 we all learn not to flatter ourselves, until, too late, 
 our iniquity is found to be hateful. " He that cov- 
 ereth his sins shall not prosper ; but whoso confes- 
 seth and forsaketh them shall have mercv." 
 
-«*' ^' " n '■ 
 
 SERMON X. 
 
 ON THE UNIVERSAL SINFULNESS OF MANKIND^ 
 
 1 JOHN I. 8. 
 
 If ive say that nve liave no siuy ive deceive oursehea, find tliti 
 truth is not in us. 
 
 XN order to the more full illustration of what 
 is here asserted, I undertook to show — What things 
 in us are sinful — That it is a gross self-deception in 
 any of us to say, We have no sin — and, How it is to 
 be understood that the truth is not in us, if we say 
 this. 
 
 We have hitherto attended only to the first of these 
 heads ; or to the important and disputed question, 
 What is sin ? 
 
 In general, it was said, agreeably to the ansA\ er in 
 our shorter catechism, that sin is justly imputable to 
 us, whenever we transgress any of the command- 
 ments of God : and also, ^vhenever we are not per- 
 fectly conformed to the whole moral law, in our lives, 
 and in our hearts. 
 
 More particularly, on the one hand, it was observ- 
 ed, that every forbidden action we do ; every wicked 
 word we speak ; and every evil thought we indulge, 
 or affection we feel, and every propensity of nature in 
 us to any thing not perfectly right, is sin. On the 
 
 U 
 
154 The unhersal Sinfulness [Ser. X. 
 
 other hand, a more labored proof was attempted, that 
 any want of conformity to the law of God, must be 
 sinful, in creatures of our capacities, and under our 
 obligations. That if we neglect, or imperfectly per- 
 form, any duty ; if we have not the love of God in 
 us, or are wanting in good will to our fellow-men ; 
 if we do not repent, or do not believe in Christ ; or 
 if we be destitute of, or deficient in, a right temper of 
 mind : in a Avord, unless we do perfectly well, and 
 are perfectly good, so far sin lieth at our door. 
 
 I now proceed, and shall endeavor to show, 
 
 11. That if any of us say we have no sin, we de- 
 ceive ourselves. That is, if we think thus : for so 
 the apostle is certainly to be understood. We may 
 deceive others, by saying whsiX. we know is false ; 
 but to believe a lie, being imposed upon by our own 
 hearts, is self-deception. 
 
 Perhaps it may be thought, that no one will imagine 
 concerning himself, what is here supposed ; and 
 therefore that the point now before us needs no proof, 
 and will admit of little profitable enlargement. But 
 it is really one of the most difficult points to establish, 
 to the sensible conviction of every man's conscience. 
 Not that there Avould be any difficulty in it, were it 
 not a truth Avhich is against every man, and Avhich 
 therefore every man "\\ ill be against. Were it not 
 that the hearts of men, which are full of pride and 
 selfish partiality, will be ever ready to fill their heads 
 •with sophistical arguments in their own exculpation. 
 ■Only exhibiting the general proofs that all men are sin- 
 ners, which might soon be done, would consequential- 
 ly prove, that any one must be self-deceived, who sup- 
 poses he has no sin. But I shall be more particular : 
 and attend to the several senses in which one may say 
 this, and the several grounds on which it may be 
 said. A man's meaning, when he says it, may be ; 
 that he never has been guilty of any sin ; or he may 
 
Sen X.] of Mankind. 155 
 
 mean only, that now he is free from all sin. And ac- 
 cording to the different senses in which this is said, 
 the grounds that men go upon in saying it wSSS. be 
 different. We will go over the several groimds on 
 which men may say this, in one or the other of these 
 senses ; and see if we cannot discover the fallacy of 
 saying it in either sense, on any ground. 
 
 1. Some may say in their hearts that they have no 
 sin, and never have had any, because they imagine 
 that they have always meant A\-ell, and done the best 
 they could. If they have not done so much as some 
 others, it has been because of their want of talents, or 
 of opportunities ; and not because of any ^\•ant of a 
 willing mind. If they have sometimes dishonored 
 God, or done hurt to their fellow- men, it was owing 
 to ignorance, or to inadvertency, and not to any bad 
 intention. They have always endeavored to do right, 
 and can recollect few if any instances in which they 
 have conducted much amiss. Thus it ^vas with the 
 young ruler who came running to Christ, and res- 
 pectfully inquired of him w hat good thing he must 
 do, that he might have eternal life. When our Sav- 
 iour directed him to keep the commandments, and 
 mentioned several of them, he readily replied, " All 
 these have I observed from my youth up ; what lack 
 I yet?" 
 
 But if on this ground any say they have no sin, 
 certainly they deceive themselves. " The command- 
 ment is exceeding broad." No man can think that 
 he has never been guilty of any transgiession of 
 God's perfect law, nor of any want of conformity to it, 
 when he rightly understands all that it forbids, and all 
 that it requires. But unconvinced sinners have al- 
 ways some cloak for their sins. The present im.per- 
 fect state of fallen man, is an excuse ever ready at 
 hand. We know that we come short ; and Ave know 
 that we transgress : but who does not ? or how is it 
 possible that such poor frail creatures should be as 
 
156 The unhersal Sinfulness [Ser. X, 
 
 holy as angels ? "The spirit is wiUing, but the flesh is 
 weak." We wish to be perfect; but it is not in 
 our power. Thus men justify themselves. And 
 they would indeed be altogether justifiable, were this 
 truly the case. *' If there be a willing mind, it is ac- 
 cepted," in all cases, " according to that a man hath." 
 But that any imagine their wills or v, ishes are so 
 good, can be owing only to the deceitfulness of sin. 
 The want of a disposition, is all the inability we labor 
 under to do whatever God requires of us. Paul says, 
 indeed, he found a law that when he would do good, 
 evil was present with him. This, however, was the 
 law of sin — the remainder of depraved nature. His 
 desire to do the whole will of God was sincere ; but 
 it was not perfect. He found much in himself that 
 was contrary to it, whence he was often overcome 
 by temptation. This he acknowledges to be sin 
 that dwelt in him. He speaks of it as a crime, not 
 as an excuse. 
 
 But the heait which is desperately wicked, is 
 deceitful above all things ; who can know it ? Those 
 in whom its depravity is total, have often no real 
 apprehension of its being depraA ed at all. Their im- 
 potency to that which is good, and to keep them- 
 selves from what is evil, they conceive to be in their 
 heads, or hands, or feet ; and know not that it is in 
 their hearts. Hence they complain of it as a weak- 
 ness, and do not condemn it as any wickedness. 
 
 Some, however, insist that their inability renders 
 them excusable, let it be where it will, and what it 
 will. If the seat of it be in their heart, they cannot 
 help it. They were born m ith such depraved dispo- 
 sitions, and they are unable to alter them : how then 
 is having them, or acting according to them, their 
 fault ? Just as if a bad heart were not at all blameable 
 in itself. Just as if it were not our duty to do good, or 
 to abstain from doing evil, any further than we have 
 an inclination. Do we ever reason thus, except in 
 our own case ? Do we not ahvays think others faulty 
 
Sen X.] rf Mankind, 157 
 
 when they do ill, though we charitably believe their 
 hearts are no better than our owti ? What father is 
 there that doth not condemn an undutiful son ? a\ hat 
 master is there that doth not blame a disobedient ser- 
 vant ? what man is there that doth not ciy out 
 against a neighbor who hath slandered him, or de- 
 frauded him, or robbed and Wounded him ? And yet 
 tlie undutiful son, the disobedient servant, the slan- 
 derer, the defrauder, the robber, or murderer, may 
 all plead not guilty on this ground, as well as any sin- 
 ner against God. They have all Avicked hearts t 
 they were born Avith them ; and cannot alter them, 
 nor try to alter them. Men will for ever condemn 
 others, when injured or abused, notwithstanding such 
 an excuse as this : if therefore we justify ourselves 
 on this ground, our own mouths condemn us : if 
 we say that we are perfect, because we do as well as 
 can be expected from imperfect creatures, it proves 
 us perverse. 
 
 2. Some excuse themselves, as if they had no sin, 
 under a notion that they are not free agents. 
 
 Our wills, say they, are governed by motives, as 
 constantly, as invariably, as necessarily, as the heav- 
 enly bodies are moved by attraction ; or as the rivers 
 run, and a stone falls, by gravitation. Besides, God 
 hath fore-ordained whatsoever comes to pass. All 
 the volitions and actions of men are according to his 
 fixed eternal purpose ; and are under the perfect 
 guidance of his uncontrolable Providence. Conse- 
 quently, we never could have done, or said, or 
 thought, otherwise than exactly as we have. How 
 then can we have any more moral agency than inani- 
 mate matter ? or how can we be any more to blame 
 than the winds or waA^es, for any irregularities ? 
 
 To this formidable argument, which bids fair for 
 excluding all possibility of praise or blameworthi- 
 ness out of the v/hole universe ; I answer, 
 
158 The unhersal Sinfulness [Ser. X. 
 
 (1.) It is not the instability, the contingence, the 
 randomness, with which a being acts, that consti- 
 tutes him a free agent ; nor is it the regularity, con- 
 stancy, or necessity,, of the motions of inanimate 
 bodies, that makes them not free. Were all the re- 
 volving planets and comets at full libeity from all the 
 laws of nature, they would not be free agents, any 
 more than they now are. Nor are intelligent crea- 
 tures less free, because they are actuated regularly, 
 and with a kind of necessity, by certain laws or prin- 
 ciples of action ; than if they had nothing, either in 
 or out of themselves, to stimulate or restrain them. 
 If all bodies in the material world ^-ere to be let loose 
 from all the laws of nature, and from the governing 
 Pro^ddence of God ; and could they be supposed to 
 move at perfect random, having nothing to direct 
 them ; still their motions would not be voluntary ; 
 and therefore, they would not be free agents. On 
 the contrary, angels and men, though acting necessa- 
 rily according to their own dispositions ; though in- 
 fluenced always by motives ; and though under the 
 entire government of an over-ruling Providence, may 
 yet act altogether voluntarily ; and, of consequence, 
 with the fullest conceivable freedom of moral agency* 
 I answer, 
 
 (2.) That kind of necessity which implies an im- 
 possibility of acting otherwise than agreeably to 
 one's own mind, is essential to the liberty of a mor- 
 al agent. 
 
 If the actions of rational beings, were not necessa- 
 rily according to their own dispositions, they would 
 not be free. Such actions would not be their actions. 
 They could have no government over them, and would 
 deserve no praise or blame for them. If a man could 
 act entirely contraiy to his own will, or could will 
 entirely contrary to his own disposition, what a 
 strange kind of h-eedom would he have ! Would any 
 one wish for such freedom ? would any one fault him- 
 
Sen X.] of Mankind. 159 
 
 self, or even his neighbor, for volitions and actions 
 which were thus free ? Were it possible for God to 
 act contraiy to the infinite holiness of his nature ; or 
 were it possible for him to change his nature, and 
 become disposed to cruelty, falsehood and unright- 
 eousness ; Avould he be a more free agent, a more 
 glorious Being, or more worthy of our confidence, 
 adoi-ation and praise ? 
 
 That liberty to act either way, in all cases, contra- 
 ry to the inclination of the agent, as well as accord- 
 ing to it, for which some contend, is a kind of liberty 
 inconsistent with all moral agency. Such necessity 
 as implies an impossibility of acting, or willing to 
 act, otherwise than agreeably to one's own disposi- 
 tion, is essential to that freedom of a moral agent, 
 ^^hich alone can render him deserving of praise or 
 blame, for any actions. And this is all the necessi- 
 ty which need be supposed, in the spontaneous ac- 
 tions of men. I answer, 
 
 (3.) To say that we have no sin, because we have 
 no freedom ojF will, is most plainly contrary to scrip- 
 ture, and to all common sense. 
 
 The whole Bible evidently goes upon the suppo- 
 sition that man is a free agent ; and so do all man- 
 kind, in their treatment of one another. If we 
 imagine that men have not that freedom which is 
 necessary to constitute them moral agents, and to 
 render them capable of "moral evil, what must we 
 think of all laws, exhortations, counsels and reproofs, 
 human and divine, which are given to mankind ; and 
 of all punishments inflicted upon or threatened them. 
 If men were mere machines — if, like the heathen gods 
 of wood and stone, they could not do evil, neither 
 were it in them to do good, to give them any com- 
 mands would be palpably absurd ; to counsel or 
 admonish them would be perfect nonsense ; to re- 
 prehend or punish them, would be most unreasona- 
 ble and unjust. And on this supposition what must 
 
16© The iinhenal Sinfithiess [Ser. X. 
 
 we think of the plainest dictates and feelings of our 
 own minds ? Do we not resent the injuries done us 
 by our fellow-men, in a very different manner from 
 what we do any hurts received jfi-om inanimate 
 things ? Are we not angiy with the insti'uments of 
 our suffering pain or damage, in the one case, as we 
 are not in the other ? Do we not all of us feel that 
 law written on our hearts, of which the apostle 
 speaks — the law of conscience, accusing, or else 
 excusing one another ? We must disbelieve the 
 whole word of God ; we must contradict the most 
 evident belief of all mankind, and we must give up, 
 as illusory and false, the plainest feelings of our own 
 minds, before w^e can suppose ourselves such neces- 
 saiy agents, as to be incapable of blameworthiness, 
 But, 
 
 3. Some may say, that they are chai-geable with 
 no sin, because they have never done that which will 
 eventually be any damage. They have never hurt 
 God, nor the creation of God. All will end well ; 
 therefore, " Whatever is, is right." Right, not only 
 in Him who eternally planned it, and providentially 
 orders it ; but right in the actors of it. God will 
 not appear less glorious in the end, nor will there 
 be less happiness in the universe, for us, or for any 
 of our actions. On the contrary, whatever we have 
 been, or whatever we have done, \^^as designed and 
 ordered by infinite wisdom, as necessary for the 
 greatest universal good. Why then should we be 
 sorry for it, or condemn ourselves, or be con- 
 demned ? 
 
 This imagination, like the forementioned ones, 
 at first appearance, exalteth itself as an impregnable 
 fortress for the defence of sinners : but when judg- 
 ment is laid to the line and righteousness to the 
 plummet, it m.ust be swept away, with other refu- 
 ges of lies and hiding places of falsehood. Reason 
 and conscience, if only attended to, will tell every 
 
Ser. X.] of Mankind 161 
 
 man, that when he has acted wickedly, and with a 
 wicked mind, he is not at all the less to blame, be- 
 cause the intended mischief is prevented by another ; 
 . or because the evil action is made the occasion of 
 good. And the holy scriptures abundantly inform 
 us, that God views the matter in this light. Hcyused 
 Nebuchadnezzar as his battle-axe, to cut down his 
 enemies ; and as his rod for the chastisement of his 
 revolted chosen people. Howbeit, since he meant 
 not so, neither did his heart think so ; but it was in 
 his heart only to enrich and aggTandize himself, by 
 destroying nations not a few; God says, " When I 
 shall have performed my whole w^ork upon mount 
 Zion, and on Jerusalem, I will punish the stout heart 
 of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high 
 looks." 
 
 How is it that the actual damage arising from the 
 iniquities of men is prevented, and tJiat they are made 
 the means of good ? It is generally and principally by 
 the punishment of them. Thus God made the op- 
 .pressions and obstinacy of Pharaoh and the Eyptians, 
 the occasion of his name's being declaied throughout 
 all the earth, by overthi'owing and drowning them in 
 the Red Sea. And thus will he get glory to himself, 
 and, in displaying his holiness, will exceedingly in- 
 crease the happiness of the good part of the intellect- 
 ual creation, from the sins of all finally impenitent 
 woi'kers of iniquity, by the terrible punishment of 
 them in that lake of fire, whence the smoke of their 
 torment shall ascend up for e\ er and ever. 
 
 Who can say that God would not actually be hurt, 
 in his glory and happiness ; or that eternal damage 
 W'ould not be done to the universe,, by every sin, were 
 it not that he can thus ease himself of his adversaries, 
 and be avenged on his enemies ? Were it not that he 
 Avill shew his wratli, and make his power known, in 
 their exemplary punishment ; except they make their 
 peace with him, in the w^onderful way provided? AVere 
 it not that those who walk in pride, he is able to abase, 
 
 W 
 
162 The imhersal Sinfulness [Ser. X* 
 
 and will abase ? And shall we think that sin is no sin, 
 and deserves no punishment, because God Almighty, 
 by punishing it in such glorious justice, can vindicate 
 his own injured honor, and secure the greatest gen- 
 eral good ! If any can seriously imagine this, I know 
 not to what strong delusions they may not be left, or 
 what strange lies they may not believe. 
 
 But there are some others who only say that they 
 have now no sin, though once they were great sinh rs. 
 Either they think themselves perfectly sanctified ; or 
 that perfect holiness is not required of them ; or else 
 that their sins are done away, in every sense, by the 
 atonement of Christ, and the pardoning mercy of 
 God. We v:\\\ consider each of these claims to in- 
 nocence, separately and distinctly. 
 
 1 . Some say they have no sin, fi'om an imagina- 
 tion of their being perfectly sanctified. God is able, 
 indeed ; did it seem good in his sight, to sanctify 
 •men v, holly in this life : but that he never sees fit to 
 do it, v/e have abundant reason to conclude from his 
 Avord. There are left upon sacred record, not only 
 great sins of some of the holiest men, but also the 
 humble confessions of most eminent saints ; such as 
 Job, David, Isaiah, and Paul, that they were far from 
 having attaiiied to sinless perfection. It is also de- 
 manded, " Who can say, — I am pure from my sin ?" 
 And it is expressly said, '' There is not a just man 
 upon earth, that doth good, and sinneth not." From 
 ail which it may be concluded, with great certainty, 
 that if any say their sanctification is perfect, it is but 
 
 a vain boast, or a foolish self-deception. But, 
 
 2. Some may say that they have no sin, from an 
 imagination that perfection is not now required of 
 them. They may suppose that the old law, demand- 
 ing a perfect life, and a perfect heart, is disannulled ; 
 and a new one substituted, making sincere obedience 
 only, the whole duty of a christian. This notion 
 
Ser. X.] of Mankind. 163 
 
 they ground, I suppose, on such texts as Rom. vi. 14, 
 '' Ye are not under the law, but under grace." But 
 if that, text, and others Hke it, have reference to the 
 moral law, they must be understood of it, only as a 
 covenant oi works. Believers are delivered from even 
 die moral law in this view : that is, they are not under 
 its condemning sentence to eternal death, however 
 numerous and aggravated their sins may have been ; 
 and they have the promise of eternal life, though their 
 obedience is still imperfect. This is implied in their 
 being justified freely by the grace of God, through 
 the redemption of Jesus Clirist. And this is all the 
 sense in which they are not still under the moral law. 
 Certainly they are not delivered from the law of per- 
 fection, as the rule to which they are bound in duty 
 to be conformed. To suppose any man delivered 
 from this law in that sense, is to suppose it right, for 
 him to do that which is in some measure wrong. It 
 is to suppose that, without sinless perfection, one can 
 be perfectly free from sin : tlian which nothing can 
 be a more express contradiction. If on this ground, 
 any imagine they have no sin, tliey are certainly 
 deceived. 
 
 3. There is one ground more, on which some say 
 this ; namely, because it is supposed that their sins, 
 past, present, and to come, are all blotted out and done 
 away by the blood of Christ, and by the pardoning 
 mercy of God. And indeetl, the expressions of scrip- 
 ture are very strong in some places, respecting the 
 deliverance of believers, by these means, from all sin. 
 As to the imputed atonement of our Redeemer, it is 
 said, Rom. viii. 1, " There is now no condemnation 
 to them who are in Christ Jesus." And ver. 23, 
 34, " Who shall lay any thing to the charge of 
 God's elect. It is God that justifieth : who is he 
 that commendeth ? it is Christ that died." As to 
 the pardoning mercy of God, we read, Psal. xxxii. 
 J, 2, "Blessed is he whose iniquity is forgiven, 
 
164 The tinhersal Sinfulness [Ser. X. 
 
 whose sin is covered ; Blessed is the man unto whom 
 the Lord imputeth not iniquity," Psal. ciii. 12, 
 *' As far as the east is from the Avest, so far hath he 
 i^moved our transgressions from us. " Micah vii. 1 9, 
 *' Thou wih cast all their sins into the depth of the 
 sea." And Acts iii. 19, " Repent, — and be con- 
 verted, that your sins maybe blotted out." From 
 the literal language of such texts as these, were there 
 nothing to teach us otherwise, we might be ready to 
 suppose, that on repentance and faith in the blood of 
 Christ, sinners were delivered from all desert^ as well 
 as from all daiiger^ of -wrath and punishment. But 
 conscience, and reason, and the general current of 
 scripture, all jointly testify that this cannot be the * 
 case. Nothing is more plainly contrary to reason, 
 than that a man should cease to be fmdty^ when his 
 sins are forgiven ; or that the blanieivorthiness of one 
 person, can be taken away by the suffering of another. 
 Nothing is more contrary* to the feelings of every 
 true penitent, than either of these suppositions. Nor 
 can any thing be more contrary to the express decla- 
 rations of God's word ; or to his evident dealings 
 with good men. How is this consistent with the hu- 
 miliation, mourning, and remorse for their sins, so 
 often expressed by saints, botli under the Old Testa- 
 ment and the New .'' How is this consistent with the 
 many reprehensions given to good men, in all parts of 
 the Bible ? how is it consistent with God's threaten- 
 ings to visit, and with his so often actually visiting, 
 the transgression of his children with the rod, and 
 their iniquity Vv ith stripes ? Those who have no sin, 
 deserve no corrections or rebukes ; and have no occa- 
 sion for godly sorrow, or self-reproach. 
 
 The forgiveness of sins, by Avhatever strong figu- 
 rative terms it is sometimes expressed, can really in- 
 tend no more than the remission of their eternal 
 punishment. The atonement of Christ, thougii infin- 
 ite, only delivers believers from the Vv'rath to come. 
 The justification of christians, however full, doth 
 
Ser. X.] of Mankind. " Ifij^ 
 
 not imply that, even by imputation, they are so right- 
 eous as to have no sin, justly imputable to them. 
 Repenting sinners, believing sinners, pardoned and 
 justified sinners, are sinners still. They have as 
 much reason as ever, and more reason than ever, to 
 remember, and be confounded, and never open their 
 mouths any more, because of their shame, when God 
 is thus pacified to\vard them after all that they have 
 done. For any on this ground, to iniagine that they 
 cease to have any blameworthiness, is certainly a 
 very great self-deception. 
 
 And it may be observed, that to guard against an 
 idea that believers become free from ill-desert, by 
 their interest in the atonement of Christ, appears to 
 be the particular design of our text. For the apostle 
 having said, " The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth 
 us from all sin," he immediately adds, " If we say 
 that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves." 
 
 It remains to be considered, how we are to under- 
 stajKlthat the truth is not in us, if we say this. 
 
 I suppose the meaning is, not merely that in our 
 tliinking thus there is no truth ; but that we ha.ve not 
 in us the truth of religion. Tliis, however, must bo 
 understood with some qualification. I do not appre- 
 hend that a man's implicitly saying he has no sin, is 
 any certain evidence of his having no gi-ace. Men 
 may hold opinions which imply that no man has any 
 sin, and yet be as sensible of their own sins as if diey 
 held no such inconsistent opinions. Or men may 
 have such "^^Tong ideas of certain gospel doctrines as 
 imply, by way of necessary consequence, that believ- 
 ers in Christ are free from all blamewordiiness ; and 
 yet blame themselves, for all their transgressions and 
 moral imperfections, as much as odiers do who ha\'C 
 no such erroneous apprehensions. Nor do I think 
 but that good men may say explicitly, that they have 
 no-sin, through inadvertence. In the heat and huny 
 
166 The unwersal Sinfulness [Ser. X. 
 
 of dispute, a man may be driven to admit the conse- 
 quence of what he maintains, when nothing is further 
 from his settled inward sentiments. I suppose it is 
 only when a man says this in his heart, or when he 
 seriously belives it, that his saying he has no sin, is 
 an evidence of his having no holiness. And thus 
 understood, this last assertion in our text, appears not 
 incredible, or uncliaritable. 
 
 Certainly one who has always thought he had no 
 sin, cannot be a true christian ; because such an one 
 cannot have had either repentance toward God, or 
 faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 And if any seriously believe that they have noix) 
 no sin, on whatever grounds such an imagination may 
 be built, it is not unreasonable to suppose they can 
 have no grace. 
 
 Ifaperson thinks that he is sanctified wholly, or 
 has already attained to sinless perfection, have we not 
 reason to suspect, and even to conclude, that he 
 knoweth nothing of religion, as he ought to know ? 
 When Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on a throne high 
 and lifted up, and the seraphims covering their faces ; 
 while they cried, " Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of 
 hosts ; the whole earth is full of his glory ;" he 
 says, " Then said I, Woe is me ! for I am undone, 
 because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in 
 the midst of a people of unclean lips." When the 
 Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind ; that holy 
 man could only say in reply, " I have heard of thee 
 by the hearing of the ear ; but now mine eye seeth 
 thee : Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust 
 and ashes." And he had said long before, while 
 maintaining his integrity ; " If I justify myself, mine 
 own mouth shall condemn me : if I say I am perfect, 
 it shall also prove me perverse," From such con- 
 fessions of the best of men, and from many other 
 things in the holy scriptures, it may well be conclud- 
 ed, that those who imagine they have attained to per- 
 fection in holiness, are only alive without the law, like 
 Paul while a pharisee. 
 
Ser. X.] of Mankind. 167 
 
 But if persons think they have no sin, because 
 they are under a new law, which allows of some sin, 
 certainly neither the truth of scripture, nor common 
 sense, can be in them. 
 
 And must it not be evident, also, that, if any really 
 suppose all desert of punishment or blame is taken 
 away from them by the atoning blood of Christ, or 
 by the pardoning mercy of God, they are not true 
 christians. Good men go mourning all their days 
 because of the iniquities of their youth, and under a 
 humbling sense of their remaining imperfections. 
 But this, surely, is inconsistent with their feeling as 
 if, by reason of the imputed righteousness of Christ, 
 or from any other cause, no sin were now justly im- 
 putable to them. 
 
 On the application of this subject, only a few 
 thoughts will be suggested. 
 
 1. Hence learn not to place much dependance on 
 the high professions any make, or the great opinion 
 they appear to have, of their ovv^n goodness. Such 
 professions and apprehensions, are generally an evi- 
 dence of insincerity, or self-deception, rather than of 
 eminent real piety. Our Saviour says, " Whoso- 
 ever exalteth himself shall be abased." And again, 
 " He that speaketh of himself, seeketh his own glo- 
 r}^" Yet, in this way, many have acquired, and still 
 acquire, great popularity. " Of this sort are they 
 which creep into houses, and lead captive silly wo- 
 men," and silly men. " While they speak great 
 swelling words of vanity," relating their own Av^onder- 
 ful experiences, and proclaiming their own fervent 
 godliness, and aixlent benevolence, " they allure" 
 many; thus "beguiling unstable souls." To the 
 stupid admirers of such, maybe applied the admoni- 
 tion of the psalmist ; *' Understand, ye brutish 
 among the people ; and, ye fools, ^\ hen will ye be 
 wise ?" 
 
168 The universal Sinfulness^ ^c. [Ser. X. 
 
 2. Hence let all sinnerSj who are convimced that 
 they have no cloak for their sins, be exhorted to flee 
 for refuge, and lay hold upon the hope set before us 
 in the gospel. God hath made ample provision for 
 the vilest transgressors, that they may be washed, 
 that they may be sanctified, that they may be justified ; 
 that they may be delivered from the wrath to come, 
 and may have everlasting life. Repent, then, and be 
 converted ; so iniquity shall not be your ruin ; be- 
 lieve on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be 
 saved. 
 
 3. Since believers cannot expect to be made per- 
 fect in holiness till their death, and shall then be whol- 
 ly sanctified, let them hence be excited to contem- 
 plate that solemn period, with joyful anticipation. 
 Well may every assured belie^^er, adopt the words of 
 David, addressed to our Father in heaven ; "As for 
 me, I will behold thy face in righteousness : I shall 
 be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness." 
 
SERMON XL 
 
 ON THE DOCTRINE OF ORIGINAL SIN, 
 
 ROMANS V. 18. 
 
 By the offence of one, Judgment catne upo-n all men to con^ 
 demnation. 
 
 Oi 
 
 'F all the articles of faith which have had the 
 reputation of orthodoxy, or have generally been sup- 
 posed to be plainly taught in the holy scriptures, none 
 perhaps, have made more infidels ; and none appear 
 indeed, harder to reconcile with reason and common 
 sense, than the doctrines of imputed sin, and imputed 
 righteousness. There are some others which may 
 not be less incomprehensible ; particularly the doc- 
 trine of tliree persons in one God, and that of two 
 distinct natures in the one person of Jesus Clirist. 
 But then these are altogether above our full investi- 
 gation, rather than evidently contrary to human rea- 
 son. Besides, in the God-head, and in the Divine 
 Mediator, things wonderful, and secret things which 
 belong to God alone, might well be expected : where- 
 as the just grounds of our own condemnation, ^\dien 
 we are condemned; and of our justification, when 
 we are justified, one would think, were among the 
 things which it should belong to us to understand. 
 But how sin can justly be imputed to the personally 
 
 X 
 
170 On Original Sin. [Ser. XI. 
 
 innocent ; or righteousness to those who are person- 
 ally sinful — how one can deserve condemnation be- 
 cause another has sinned, or justification and a 
 reward because another has been obedient, at first 
 view, it looks haid to conceive, if not utterly impos- 
 sible ever to comprehend. 
 
 Such, however, is the weakness of our reason, and 
 so liable are we to err in judgment, that it surely does 
 not become us hastily to reject the Bible, which has 
 so much evidence of being the word of God, merely 
 because it contains a few such apparent paradoxes as 
 these. Nor should we despair of seeing the reasona- 
 bleness, of what the scriptures really teach l ajicern- 
 ing these doctrines, without a patient and very care- 
 ful examination. 
 
 In the New- Testament or the Old, the imputation 
 of Adam's sin to his posterity, and of the righteous- 
 ness of Christ to believers in him, ai^e no where 
 taught, I think, in more plain and express terms, than 
 in this passage, part of which has been now read. 
 The apostle here says, " As by the offence of one, 
 judgment came upon aM men to condemnation ; even 
 so by the righteousness of one, the free gift came 
 upon all men unto justification of life. For as by 
 oine man's disobedience many were made simiers ; 
 so by the obedience dF one shall many be made 
 righteous." 
 
 But at present I have chosen to pay a particular 
 attention only to the fonner of these doctiines — diat 
 of original sin. On this subject it is proposed, 
 
 I. To show, that all men are now by nature in a 
 state of sin and condemnation. 
 
 II. That they were brouglit into this state by the 
 fall of Adam : and, 
 
 III. To see if this may not be so understood, as 
 to appear consistent with justice. 
 
Ser. XL] O71 Originat Sin. 171 
 
 That all men are now, by some means or other, in 
 a state of sin, is evident, 
 
 1. From what is expressly said in scripture, and 
 what is plainly seen or known in fact, of the early 
 and universal depravity of mankind. 
 
 We are told of God's saying to Noah, after the 
 flood, " The imagination of man's heart is evil from 
 his youth." It is said, Eccl. vii. 20, " There is not 
 a just man upon earth, that doth good, and sinneth 
 not." The apostle says, Rom. iil. 9, 10, " We 
 have before proved both Jeu^s and Gentiles, that they 
 are all under sin ; as it is \mtten, There is none 
 righteous, no, not one." In Psal. Iviii. 3, it is said, 
 " The wicked are estranged from the womb ; they 
 go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies." 
 
 And have we not abundant evidence from our 
 own observation, that mankind of every age, are 
 more or less wicked ? Do not little children early go 
 astray still, and speak lies ? and do they not discov- 
 er evil inclinations, long before they can speak or go 
 alone ? Do we not plainly see in them many symp- 
 toms, from their very birth, of the same tempers 
 and passions, some of the same at least, which break 
 out afterwards, in all manner of evil works ? And 
 when we consider how this Avhole vrorld fi-om the 
 time that men began to multiply, hath ever been, and 
 still is, " like the troubled sea, whose waters cast 
 up mire and dirt :" what a multitude of rulers, laws 
 and punishments, have been found necessary for the 
 preservation of any peace in society ; ^^ hich after 
 all, has been but very imperfectly preserved : what 
 scenes of wai's and fightings among the nations, are 
 perpetually exhibited : what vast armies of human 
 beings, have been slaughtered by human hands : 
 what a Golgotha and an Aceldama the earth has been, 
 ever since it was stained with the blood of Abel : — 
 v/hen we consider all these things, ha\'e \\ e not a 
 most sensible, shocking evidence of the truth of 
 
172 0?i Original Sin. [Ser. XL 
 
 Solomon's observation ? " The heart of the sons of 
 men is full of evil ; and madness is in their heart 
 while they live, and after that they go to the dead." 
 
 2. The mortality of mankind, in every period of 
 life, is a full proof of their being sinners from the 
 birth. 
 
 Death, was the original threatening for sin. Tenu 
 /?om/ death, was expressly a part of the sentence pas- 
 sed upon Adam : " Dust thou art, and unto dust 
 shalt thou return." And that God doth not, and 
 that it may be concluded from his perfections he 
 never will, inflict the pains of death, on any of his 
 rational creatures who are free from sin, is plainly 
 implied in several passages of scripture. " Remem- 
 ber, I pray thee," says Eliphaz to Job, " whoever 
 perished, being innocent ? or Adhere were the right- 
 eous cut off ?" And Abraham says, in his inter- 
 cession to God for Sodom, " Wilt thou also de- 
 stroy the righteous with the wicked ? That be 
 
 far from thee : — shall not the Judge of all the earth 
 do right ?" When therefore, we see that no age is 
 exempted from the stroke of death — when we see 
 infants thus destroyed, as well as adults ; when we 
 are so often witnesses of their being cut off with 
 pining sickness, or taken out of the world suddenly 
 by terrible convulsions ; have ^ve not indisputable 
 evidence, that, in the view of Him who knoweth all 
 things, even infants are not innocent ? 
 
 The apostle in our context, is supposed to make 
 use of this argument, in proof of original sin. He 
 speaks of the passing of death upon all men, and of 
 its reigning even over them that had not sinned after 
 the similitude of Adam's transgression. That is, I 
 conceive, over infants ; Avho could not have trans- 
 gressed any known law of God, as Adam did. The 
 argument is grounded on the justice of God, witli 
 v/hich it is supposed inconsistent to inflict such a 
 death as we nov/ die, on all men, of every age, unless 
 all Avere some way really sinful. 
 
Ser. XL] On Origi?ial Sin. 173 
 
 To evade this evidence, some have said, the suf- 
 ferings of infants may be compensated, or made up to 
 them. They may, for ought that we know, all of 
 them, enjoy,* in this life, or in the life to come, more 
 than they suffer. Their existence, the whole of it 
 taken together, may be preferable to non-existence. 
 And if it be so, then no injury is d9ne them, by the 
 pains they are made to endure, though tliey be per- 
 fectly free from sin. 
 
 But, it may be observed, in answer to this evasion, 
 that it is not very agreeable to our ideas of a just 
 judge, to inflict pains and penalties on an innocent 
 person, because he has done him good before ; or 
 means to satisfy him for the injury afterwards. 
 
 It may be answered also, that this would destroy all 
 distinction betvreen the imiocent and the guilty, in 
 regard to the proper treatment of them ; and so would 
 utterly defeat the grand design of inflicting punish- 
 ment on evil doers. If such a way of procedure were 
 just, andkno\\-n to be so, displeasure could never be 
 made manifest by punishing. Suflfering could never^ 
 in any case, be a certain proof of sin. Upon the 
 principle of this evasion, inflicting the pains of hell, 
 for millions of ages, on the most innocent, might be 
 perfectly just : nor could it ever be known by the 
 torments of any of the damned, that God was at all 
 angry with them, or that they were not as pure as the 
 angels of heaven, in his sight. For, until the end of 
 eternity, this possibility will remain, of their receiv- 
 ing more good than they suffer evil. Their exist- 
 ence, for ought that any creature can tell, may still 
 be made better to them than non-existence. After 
 the longest duration of most extreme misery, suffered 
 for no offence, there will be time enough, or eternity 
 enough, for all to be amply made up to them, in the 
 enjoyment of still more durable happiness. And con- 
 sequently, if such a way of treating innocent creatures 
 were just, God could never show his wTath by pun- 
 ishing any workers of iniquity : because it ntyer 
 
174 Oil Original Sin. [Ser. XL 
 
 could be made known to finite minds, who were the 
 objects of his holy displeasure, by the infliction of the 
 greatest and longest continued torments possible. 
 
 In regard to present outward dispensations, there 
 is indeed a sense in which, as Solomon observes, 
 " No man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is 
 before them." That is, no one can determine that he 
 is in a state of favor with God, because of the tempo- 
 ral blessings he enjoys ; or that he is under God's 
 wrath and curse, as an unpardoned sinner, by reason 
 of the temporal afflictions he suffers. In this life, the 
 righteous and the wicked partake promiscuously of 
 evil and good, of adversity and prosperity. Thus, 
 *' all things come alike to all." The reason is, all 
 are sinners, and all are under a dispensation of grace. 
 Many are the afflictions of some righteous persons, 
 and the wicked sometimes prosper in the world ; be- 
 cause this is a state of probation, and not of retribu- 
 tion. Yet even now no living man has reason to 
 complain ; for no one suffers more than the righteous 
 punishment of his sins. All have reason to be thank- 
 ful ; for all are punished less than their iniqiuties 
 deserve. God's hatred of something in us may 
 certainly be known by every pain we feel ; though 
 the greatest temporal afflictions, are no infaUible evi- 
 dence of a state of wi^ath ; much less, of final repro- 
 bation. But if sufferings may be supposed, in God's 
 moral kingdom, where there is no imputation of sin, 
 the ground is given up of ever knowing the divine 
 hatred of any thing in any creatui-es, by his righteous 
 judgm.ents inflicted on them, either in this Avorld, or 
 in the world to come. Therefore the common pain- 
 ful dissolution of infants, plainly proves that they arc 
 some way sinful in the sight of God. 
 
 3. This is likewise evident from tlie means which 
 God hath ordained for the salvation of infants. Those 
 who believe the divine institution of infant baptism, 
 must admit that infants have sin imputed to them, 
 
Ser. XI.] On Original Sin. 175 
 
 or inherent in them : for there can be no occasion 
 for baptizing any but sinners, in tlie name of a Sa- 
 viour or of a Sanctifier. If infants ^vere innocent, tli£y 
 would not need the application of that water, vb^ 
 which is signified our being washed, justified, and 
 sanctified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the 
 Spirit of God. Tlie only conceivable reason why 
 none of the human race can enter into the kingdom 
 of God, without being born of water and of die Spir- 
 it, is the one assigned by our Saviour ; " That 
 which is born of the flesh is flesh. '^ 
 
 And those who do not believe that infants are to 
 be baptized, must still, I think, be convinced tliat we 
 are born in sin, from the certain divine institution of 
 infant circumcision. For tliat, as well as baptism, 
 signified the taking away of sin ; and was a seal of 
 the righteousness of faith ; neither of which can be 
 requisite for any besides fallen, depraved creatures. 
 It may be added, under this head, the docti'ine that 
 the natm-ai state of man, is *a state of condemnation, 
 is expressly asserted, Eph. ii. 1,2, 3, where, having 
 said, " You hath he quickened, who were dead in 
 trespasses and sins ; wherein, in time past, ye walk- 
 ed according to the course of this world, according 
 to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that 
 now worketh in the children of disobedience ;" the 
 apostle adds, " Among whom ive also," (we Jews, 
 as w€ll as you Gentiles,) " all had our conversation 
 in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the 
 desires of the flesh and of the mind ; and were by na- 
 ture the children of -wrath ^ even as others. 
 
 II. I proceed to Nshow that we were brought into 
 this state by the fall of Adam. And here, 
 
 1.. This we are plainly taught in several passages 
 of scripture. See Job xiv. 4, " Who can bring a 
 clean thing out of an unclean ? not one." Psal. Iv. 5, 
 *' Behold I ^Tis shapen in iniquity ; and in sin did my 
 
176 On Original Sin. [Ser. XI* 
 
 mother conceive me." And John iii. 6, " That 
 which is born of the flesh is flesh." These words of 
 Job, of David, and of our Saviour, evidently teach us, 
 that sin descends to all the human race by ordinary 
 generation ; and plainly point to the origin of it, in 
 the depravity and guilt of our first parents. See 
 also, 1 Cor. xv. 22 — " In Adam all die." 
 
 I do not know, however, that we are obliged by 
 this, or by the text we are now upon, to conclude 
 that the first man, exclusively of the first woman, 
 was the alone meritorious cause of the ruin of all 
 mankind. This may not inevitably follow from its 
 being said, " In Adam all die :" for it is said, when 
 " God created man^ male and female, he called 
 the'u' name Adam.'''' Nor is it certain that our being 
 brought into the present state of sin and miseiy, 
 might not be by the sin of Eve in part, because it is 
 said, " By the offence o{o?ie, judgment came :" for of 
 a man and his wife we are told, " They are no more 
 twain, but o?ie flesh." From its being said, " The 
 judgment came upon all ?ne?iy we might perhaps as 
 well suppose that womefi are not included under this 
 original condemnation ; as we can infer from the 
 mention of one only, by whose offence this came, 
 that, the disobedience of Eve is to be considered as 
 having no hand in bringing her posterity into their 
 present unhappy state of sin and condemnation. It 
 is made use of by the apostle Paul as an argument for 
 the subjection of wives to their husbands, that the 
 woman "was deceived, and was first in the transgres- 
 sion. And we know that the sentence passed upon 
 Eve, as well as that upon Adam, is perpetuated 
 throuffhali s-enerations. 
 
 2. That all men v\eic brought into the present 
 fallen state by the fall of one or both of our first pa- 
 rents, is evident from the continuation of the very 
 same cur^ that was denounced upon them, as to the 
 temporal part of it at least, down to the present day. 
 
Ser. XI.] On Original Sin. 177 
 
 Unto the woman God said, " I v.ill greatly multiply 
 thy sorrow and thy conception ; in sorrow shalt thou 
 bring forth children ; and thy desire shall be to thy 
 husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto 
 Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the 
 voice of thy wile, and hast eaten of the tree of which 
 I commanded diee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it ; 
 cursed is the ground for thy sake : in sorrow shalt 
 thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns also 
 and thistles shall it bring forth to thee : and thou shalt 
 eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of thy face 
 shalt thou eat bread, till thou return to the ground ; 
 for out of it wast thou taken : for dust thou art, and 
 unto dust shalt thou return." 
 
 Now, when we see every part of this sentence so 
 exactly executed still, on the sons and daughters of 
 these first human transgressors ; have w^ not the 
 most sensible evidence that their offspring were in- 
 cluded with them, thus fai' at least, in their original 
 condemnation ? 
 
 And if, as to the present life, and temporal death, 
 A\e are evidently dealt with according to the sentence 
 passed upon our first parents ; what reason have we 
 to think that we were not, according to the original 
 constitution, to be dealt with in like manner relative 
 to the life to come ? It is no easier to reconcile with 
 reason and justice, our being involved so far in the 
 bitter consequences of their sin, as we certainly at 
 present are, than it is our sharing in all die fruits of 
 man's first apostacy. 
 
 We proceed, therefore, as \i as proposed, 
 
 III. To inquire, whether what we are taught in 
 scripture, and see in fact, of the connection between 
 Adam's first sin, and the condemnation of all his pos- 
 terity, may not be so understood, as to render it con- 
 sistent with the justice of God, according to our 
 natural notions of justice. 
 
 Y 
 
178 \^0n Original Sin. [Ser. XL 
 
 It has been thought, pretty generally I suppose, 
 that Adam's act in eating of the forbidden fruit, is so 
 imputed to all his children, that they are condemned 
 for it, just as if it had been their <y\\r\. personal trans- 
 gression. It appears to have been the opinion of 
 many great and good divines, at least, that this is the 
 tru€ scripture doctrine of original sin. But, if it be 
 so, it is, to be sure, a great mystery. The notion 
 of such a transfer of criminality from Adam to his 
 race, is grounded on a supposed divine constitution, 
 making them one in law : but how they could be so 
 made pne, in truth and justice, as that his act should 
 be theij- act ; his disobedience their disobedience ; or 
 so as that they can be righteously punished, or blamed, 
 for his sin, it is liard to understand. Adam and we, 
 after all, are different persons ; and actual demerit, as 
 well as merit, according to all our natural notions, 
 must necessarily be ever personal. We always think 
 — we always feel, even in cases wherein we are most 
 disposed to condemn, that no one is blameworthy for 
 another's transgression, which he knew nothing of, or 
 to which he was no way accessory. And indeed, 
 God himself says, Ezek. xviii. 20, " The soul that 
 sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not beai* the ini- 
 quity of the father, neither shaB the father bear the ini- 
 quity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous 
 shall be upon him ; and the wickedness of the wicked 
 shall be upon him." And he seems implicitly to ad- 
 mit, in the plainest manner, that if it were otherwise 
 — if the men of that generation were actually pun- 
 ished, not for their own sins — not for any thing faulty 
 in themselves, but merely because their fathers, some 
 ages before, had been great sinners, there would be 
 just ground for their saying, as they did; " The ways 
 of the Lord are not equal." But why God might not 
 have made it as equal, to punish the Israelites in Bab- 
 ylon for the iniquities of their more immediate ances- 
 tors, 5^s to condemn all men to eternal, or even to 
 temporal death, for the offence of Adam, it is difficult 
 to comprehend. 
 
Ser. XL J On Original Sin. I79 
 
 It seems to be a clear dictate of common sense, 
 and also a plain doctrine of scripture, that blame- 
 worthiness is ever personal ; and that a transfer of 
 punishment from the guilty to the innocent — from the 
 transgressor to one who has never transgressed, at 
 least without the free consent of the latter, is a palpa- 
 ble violation of justice. How then can we be to 
 blame, or justly liable to condemnation, for a rebel- 
 lious act of Adam, committed thousands of years 
 before we, personally, had existence ? 
 
 Several ways have been taken to reconcile this idea 
 of original sin with the justice of God. The most 
 common way has been, by endeavoring to show th^t 
 it was better, safer, and more likely to turn out well 
 for us, to have Adam appointed the representative of 
 the whole race, than for all men to have had a separate 
 probation in innocency, each one for himself. Adam 
 was as likely to persevere in perfect obedience through 
 a space of trial as any of his posterity would ha> c 
 been ; and in several respects much more likely. 
 He entered upon the stage of action in full manhood : 
 and he had more motives than any other man to 
 awaken his constant caution, and to keep him from 
 sinning. He knew, it is supposed, that the eternal 
 happiness or misery of a numerous offspring was 
 suspended upon his trial alone ; which must be, in 
 addition to his personal concern, a very powerful 
 inducement to the utmost circumspection. 
 
 Now, if this were the likeliest plan to turn out ad- 
 vantageously for us ; then, had we been in existence 
 at the time, and had it been left to our choice, we 
 should have chosen, if wise, to have Adam act for us, 
 rather than to have run the greater risk of standing or 
 falling, from our earliest infancy, each one for himself. 
 And if it would have been wise in us to have chosen 
 this, then it was no way injurious, but, on the con- 
 trary, kind and merciful in God, who had an undoubt- 
 ed right of choosing for us, to order our probation in 
 this manner : namely, in Adam as our federal repre- 
 sentative. 
 
180 On Original Sin, [Ser. XL 
 
 But still the question returns : How are %ve to 
 hlame^ after all for Adanfs disobedience ? Another man 
 may be more likely not to sin than I am ; or a tree 
 may be more likely to stand a number of years, than I 
 should be to persevere so long in perfect holiness ; 
 hut if that other man should sin, or if that tree should 
 fall, is it my fault ? Can I deserve to be punished 
 for such a contingency, which it was not in my pow- 
 er to prevent ? We do not, surely, connect the ideas 
 of praise and blameworthiness, with a lucky or an 
 unfortunate draught in a lottery. Kindness may be 
 shown, and v. isdom discovered, in giving one a fa- 
 vorable chance J or in putting one's interest upon a 
 iiopeful issue ; but this has nothing to do with vin- 
 dicating the righteousness, of considering and treating 
 any one as a sinner, for an act not his own, or an e^ent 
 in which he had no activity. This solution does not 
 appear satisfactory. 
 
 Another way to reconcile our being condemned 
 for the offence of Adam, has therefore been attempt- 
 ed : namely, by having recourse to deep metaphysic- 
 al researches, on the subject of personal identity. It 
 has been said, the sameness of persons is not founded 
 in nature ; but merely in arbitrary divine constitution. 
 That our present existence has no dependance on 
 the past. That the preservation of men, and of every 
 thing else, is reall}" a ncAv creation every m.oment. 
 That no man is the same person now, tliat he was 
 t\venty yeais ago, or yesterday, for any other reason 
 than because God hath so constituted. And therefore, 
 if it be a divine constitution that Adam and all his 
 posterity should be one, they are one and the same, 
 to all personal intents and purposes. They are just- 
 ly punishable for his disobedience ; because it is in 
 fact their disobedience, by reason of this constituted 
 oneness, or sameness of person. 
 
 But this seems to be diving in metaphysics, below 
 the bottom of things ; or quite beyond the fathom of 
 common sense. This is not to reconcile the docti-inc 
 
Ser. XI.] On Original Sin. 181 
 
 of original sin with our natural notions of justice : 
 for it is foreign from all our natural notions entirely. 
 
 It may be objected to this notion of personal ident- 
 ity, that it leaves out what is evidently m^ost essential 
 to it ; namely, personal consciousness. Every one is 
 conscious of being the same person to-day, that he 
 was yesterday, without ever hearing of such an arbi- 
 trary divine constitution : but no one can be con- 
 scious that he is the same person, that took and did 
 eat of the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge in 
 the garden of Eden, nearly six thousand years ago ; 
 let him be told ever so often, tliat Adam and he have 
 been constituted one and the same. 
 
 It may be objected, that, according to this way of 
 reasoning, there can be no such thing as a man's 
 knowing who he is, or who he is not. It can be 
 known, at least, only from divine revelation : and how 
 many unrevealed constitutions there may be, mak- 
 ing two, or twenty, or thousands of men, one person, 
 no man can tell. If it were true that one man's act 
 might thus be made the act of another, by constitu- 
 ting them one person in law, we could have no kind of 
 certainty whose sins we are answerable for, nor -who 
 may be answerable for those which we used to think 
 our own. According to this, no one can know, from 
 his own feelings, or from reason and the nature of 
 things, that he is justly punishable for any thing he 
 ever did ; or that he is not justly punishable for all 
 the evil deeds which have ever been done in the uni- 
 verse. This notion of unions of different men, mak- 
 ing them one in law ; and of thus transfering praise 
 and blameworthiness from one to another, seems ut- 
 terly inconsistent with the possibility of knowing 
 what we deserve, or are to expect, let us be or do 
 what we will : and therefore to be incompatible with 
 all moral government, by promises and tlireatenings, 
 rewards and punishments. 
 
 I must freely confess, after all the solutions which 
 I have heard or read, or am able to in\'ent, there 
 
182 On Original Sin, [Ser. XL 
 
 appears to me an insuperable difficulty in reconciling 
 the strict imputation of Adam's sin to his posterity, 
 with any notions we have of justice. By a strict im- 
 putation in this case, I mean, judging- them guilty 
 of his eating the forbidden fruit ; or condemning 
 them for it, as though they had done it themselves. 
 If the inspired scriptures are to be understood as 
 teaching this doctrine, I must leave it, for the pres- 
 ent, among the incomprehensibles of revealed reh- 
 gion. 
 
 But I am not certain that any passage of scripture 
 must necessarily be so understood. The text we 
 are now upon, appears to assert such an imputation, 
 perhaps, the most expressly of any one in all the Bi- 
 ble. But possibly the meaning of this may only be ; 
 that by the fall of Adam, human nature became de- 
 praved : and that this depravity, and condemnation 
 as the consequence, have descended from father to 
 son ever since : and not that we are condemned for 
 Adam's transgression, as if it had been our own act. 
 It is said, by, not for, the offence of one, judgment 
 came upon all men to condermiation. And ho%\} it 
 came, is explained in the next verse. " For by one 
 man's disobedience, many were made sinners, '''* Not 
 constituted sinners, without any fault of their own, 
 or any thing sinful in themselves. That would be no 
 advance from the foregoing assertion. It would be a 
 mere tautology — a needless repetition of the same 
 thing. To be constituted sinners by the disobedi- 
 ence of another, without being at ail so personally 
 considered ; is nothing diJSerent from having con- 
 demnation come upon us for another's offence. Since, 
 therefore, the apostle expresses himself in the form 
 of argumentation, and of infering one thing from an- 
 other, he cannot well be understood to assert that all 
 men are condemned for Adam's offence ; and then to 
 add, as a proof or explanation of it. For they are con- • 
 stituted sinners, as guilty of his disobedience. It is 
 natural to understand him as saying first in general, 
 
Ser. XL] On Original Sin, 183 
 
 that all men were some way brought into a state of 
 condemnation by means of Adam's sin ; and then as 
 telling us more particularly how : namely, as hereby 
 they became depraved and sinful creatures. Being 
 in this way made sinners, personally considered, of 
 course, the judgment to condemnation comes upon 
 them as such. 
 
 This, I apprehend, is the true scripture doctrine 
 of original sin. Sin comes to all men from Adam by 
 derivation, in the first place ; and not by a previous 
 imputation. All men ai-e condemned as sinful them- 
 selves ; and not antecedently to their being so, for 
 the offence of another. Adam, (including Eve,) was 
 the original introducer of sin : " By one man sin en- 
 tered into the world ;" and from him it hath descend- 
 ed to all men ; and death, as the righteous conse- 
 quence. He begat a son in his own likeness, and 
 that another in his ; and so on in all succeeding gen- 
 erations. All justly share in the same curse because 
 all are partakers of the same depravity. Yet, by the 
 coming of death upon all men in this way, the infinite 
 offence given to God by the disobedience of our first 
 parents, is manifested to this day, and will be to the 
 end of the world : tliis being the source, the inlet, the 
 primary cause, of such extensive and long continued 
 ruin. It all comes as a token of the divine displeas- 
 ure on account of the original apostacy ; though it 
 comes in this righteous order, the personal sin of 
 each individual, before his punishment. 
 
 In no other way than this, do I believe, God ever 
 inflicts misery on one, because of the sin of another. 
 He says indeed, as a reason enforcing the second 
 commandment ; " For I the Lord thy God am a 
 jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers up- 
 on the children, unto the third and fourth generation 
 of them that hate me." But by this we need not 
 understand that he ever visits the children in his 
 wrath, more than their own iniquities deserve. The 
 Je^vs in Babylon so construed former threatenings, it 
 
184 On Original Sin. [Ser. XL 
 
 seemsj and supposed they were pining away in cap- 
 tivity, merely for the transgressions of their progeni- 
 tors. Hence they used this proverb ; " The fathers 
 have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are 
 set on edge ;" and hence they said, " The ways of 
 the Lord are not equal." But the Most High tells 
 them they misunderstood the matter ; and he lays it 
 down as the universal rule of his moral administra- 
 tion, " Every man shall die for his ov. n sins." God 
 may send calamities upon children, which he would 
 not have sent upon them, had it not been for the ini- 
 quities of their ancestors. He may threaten parents 
 v/ith the ruin of their offspring, as the consequence of 
 their idolatry, profaneness, lewdness, intemperance, 
 or neglect of parental duties ; and he may execute 
 such threatenings. In this way, God's visiting the 
 iniquity of fathers upon children is agreeable to 
 his common Providence ; and his threatening so to 
 do may answer important purposes. It will have a 
 powerful tendency to restrain parents from vice and 
 negligence, unless they are without natural affection. 
 But we are not to suppose that the children, in such 
 cases, are ever miserable beyond the measure of their 
 own demerit ; or that they are any more sinful than they 
 might jusdy have been left to be, if they had had the 
 best of parents. Accordingly, it is sometimes seen that 
 the most virtuous and pious persons have as abandon- 
 ed, and as wretched children, as any in the world ; 
 which sho^vs that this is a matter of divine sovereign- 
 ty. It hence appears that children may be miserable 
 witho,ut its being a punishment of them for their pa- 
 rents' sins ; though wicked parents are often punish- 
 , ed in the misery of their children. 
 
 In this way, and in no other that I know of, can 
 we reconcile what God says of his visiting the iniqui- 
 ty of the fathers upon the children, Avith his solemn 
 declaration in Ezekiel, already mentioned ; " The 
 son shall not bear the ini([uity of the father," &c. 
 'I'hc evident meaning of which declaration is, that no 
 
Ser. Xi.] 071 Original Sin. 185 
 
 one shall sufter evil, beyond his personal desert. 
 This may be, and yet the sins of parents may occa- 
 sion the sin and misery of children ; provided the 
 cliildren are no more miserable, nor sinful, than they 
 might have been left to be, had their parents been 
 perfectly good. 
 
 In like manner, I conceive, the fall of Adam was 
 the occasion of the fallen state, and condemnation, of 
 all men. They would not have been in their present 
 state of sin and misery, had it not been for his disobe- 
 dience and offence. Yet they might, in the nature of 
 things, without any unrighteousness in God, have 
 been as depraved and wretched as they now are, had 
 they been formed immediately out of the dust, and 
 had there been no Adam. 
 
 If it be asked. How can it consist with the right- 
 eousness of God, to condemn men as being sinful 
 from their birth, without the imputation of some ante- 
 cedent sin ? 
 
 I answer ; just as Ivell as it can be righteous for 
 him to condemn one who has fallen into such a sinful 
 state, after he had existed in innocence ever so long. 
 God's leaving a creature to lose his virtue, or to be- 
 come a sinner at first, can never be a matter of pun- 
 ishment. The difficulty in people's minds, now 
 suggested, arises, I apprehend, from a wrong notion 
 of what is necessar}"to constitute any one a sinner. 
 They seem to imagine that he must have brought his 
 first sinfulness upon himself, by some antecedent sin ; 
 or else it is not his own fault. But this is evidently 
 an absurd and contradictory supposition. The first 
 sin of any creature, must be the first ; and cannot be 
 the fruit or punishment of some former sin. We 
 cannot suppose there was any sin committed by 
 Adam, ordmputed to him, previously to his first sin, 
 and as the cause of his bein^: first left to become sin- 
 ful; without sapposing a most palpable contradiction- 
 And one who hath never done any thing amiss, 
 though he may have lived an hundred years in the 
 
 Z 
 
1^6 >• On Original Sin. [Ser. XI. 
 
 perfect performance of every duty, no more deserves 
 to be left of God to fall then into a state of sin and 
 misery, than the child unborn, who has never done 
 either good or evil. God hath an undoubted right 
 to suffer innocent creatures to become sinners ; and as 
 good a right the first moment of their existence, as at 
 any other time : and their first sin is sin — their oivn 
 sin — their own faulty as much as any subsequent 
 ones, and no more. If God were under obligation in 
 justice to keep his creatures from falling, till after they 
 had by sin, provoked him to leave them to themselves, 
 there could be no possibility of their ever sinning, nor 
 any such thing as a state of probation. They w ould 
 necessarily, all of them be in a state of absolute con- 
 firmation in everlasting holiness and happiness, from 
 the beginning of their existence. Or, if any of them 
 should sin, it would be God''s fault, and not their''s. 
 The probation would be of Him ; not of tbejn. But 
 God hath seen fit, for wise reasons undoubtedly, to 
 place angels and men in states of probation ; and 
 to suffer some of them to fall ; and some into remedi- 
 less perdition. He might, had that been most wise, 
 have created all mankind at once, and put them all 
 into a state of probation individually, as it is proba- 
 ble he did in regai^d to the angels. And he might 
 have permitted them universally to fall, as he did 
 some of the angels, and our first parents ; nor would 
 they, in that case, have had any reason to complain 
 of unrighteous treatment. And why have we any 
 more reason now, as God hath in fact ordered things? 
 No^y he hath seen fit to create at first only one man 
 and one woman, to be the progenitors of all the rest 
 of the human kind — to create them in perfect matu- 
 rily of natural powers, and in perfect rectitude of dis- 
 position — to place them under as good external 
 advantages for persevering obedience as could rea- 
 sonably be desired ; and to ordain that their broba- 
 tion should be instead of the probation of all men ? 
 That if they persevered and kept their ^/irtue, through 
 
Ser. Xi.] On Original Sin: 187 
 
 the time appointed, all descending from them should 
 be born in a state of confirmation, and be exposed to 
 no further trial ? That if they fell, all their descend- 
 ants should be brought into existence in a fallen 
 condition, like their's ; depraved, inclined to sin, and, 
 of consequence, under condemnation ? What reason 
 have we, their children, to complain of unrighteous- 
 ness in being thus left, and thus condemned from 
 our birth, any more than they had of being left as 
 they were ? or any more than we should have had, 
 if we had been born holy, and had continued so 
 twenty or an hundred years, and then had been left 
 to become as sinful and miserable as we now are ? 
 Human nature has had a fair trial, in its most per- 
 fect state. We know, or might know, that had we 
 been tried in innocence as Adam and Eve were, and 
 been left as they were left, we should have sinned and 
 fell as they did. All the ends of the trial of innocent 
 human nature, on a constitution requiring sinless 
 perseverance as the condition of life, are sufficiently 
 answered by the trial of our first parents. Wisdom 
 requires no more. And in point of justice, what can 
 be the objection ? The time and manner of the proba- 
 tion of creatures, and even whether they be in a state 
 of probation at all, are matters of wise sovereignty on- 
 ly. All that justice requires, is that the innocent should 
 not be condemned, nor the wicked justified. We 
 are not condemned being innocent. We were born 
 sinners ; we were conceived sinners ; and as such 
 only are we condemned. We did not make our- 
 selves sinners, it is true, by any bad conduct before 
 we were inclined to sin : but no more did Adam. 
 He was condemned only for being a sinner, and for 
 committing sin ; and just so is every one of us. On- 
 ly as, according to a divine constitution founded in 
 sovereign wisdom entirely, the trial of human nature 
 in innocence was in Adam alone, (either including 
 or exclusively of Eve ; ) so it may with propriety be 
 said, •' By the offence of one, judgment came upon 
 
188 071 Original Sin. [Ser. XI, 
 
 all men to condemnation :" as, had he persevered in 
 obedience, the justification of life would have come 
 upon all on account of his righteousness. But, as 
 in that case, none besides the personally innocent 
 would have been justified; so, in the present case, 
 none but personal sinners are condemned. 
 
 Certainly, we have but a miserable plea for the 
 arrest of judgment, in point of justice, if we cannot 
 plead personal innocence ; but only object to the 
 manner of our becoming sinners. Sin, is in itself 
 sinful. If we have inherent sin, let it come by de- 
 rivation from Adam, or how it will, our condemna- 
 tion is just. 
 
 Should any say. It is impossible that we should 
 be born in sin, otherwise than hy imputation ; unless 
 we suppose a pre-existence of souls. That there 
 cannot be personal sin in any one till there is knowl- 
 edge of law and duty, or of right and urong : but 
 of this, a new-born infant is certainly incapable. 
 
 I answer ; The objector takes for gi-anted, that 
 there can be no such thing as depravity of nature^ an 
 evil tejnper, or a wicked heart, prior to the actual 
 commission of sin. But this is not sufficiently self- 
 evident to be assumed as a principle which needs no 
 proof. On the contrary, it is agreeable to common 
 sense, and seems plainly supposed in several texts 
 and doctrines of scripture, that depravity of nature 
 must be antecedent to all sinful actions, and the cause 
 of them. But if so, there may be a wicked heart 
 prior to knowledge. There may be a propensity to 
 sinful actions in a child, before it is come to yeai-s to 
 choose the evil, and refuse the good. This may be 
 in us, as early as \\q have human souls. 
 
 There is the same impossibility of original right- 
 eousness, as of original sin, on the principle of the 
 present objection. Created holiness must be prior 
 to knowledge and volition, as much as native sin. 
 Yet Moses says man was created in the image of 
 God. Solomon lavs it down as a certain truth, 
 
Ser. XI.] On Original Sin. 139 
 
 " That God made man upright." And the apostle 
 Paul speaks of a " new man, which after God is 
 created in righteousness and true holiness," Both 
 the first and second creation unto good works, spoken 
 of in scripture, necessarily suppose that there may 
 be holiness in man, prior to his having any actual 
 perception or exercises ; and why not sin, as well, 
 prior to all acts of sin. 
 
 It may be said, If men are born depraved, the 
 Author of their nature must be the Creator of their 
 depravity. 
 
 But, perhaps this need not be supposed. Perhaps 
 the depravity of a sinner may consist, primarily, in 
 mere privation ; or in the M^ant of holy principles : 
 and if so, it need not be created. But if sin must be, 
 at bottom, something positive, it Mill require crea- 
 tion in an adult, as much as in an embryo : this, 
 therefore, is not a difficulty at all peculiar to the doc- 
 trine of native depravity. 
 
 Some may think, that to condemn a creature for 
 an unholy temper of mind, before he has done either 
 good or evil, is as difficult to reconcile Avith justice, 
 as the condemnation of all men for the sin of Adam. 
 
 But, Why should it be thought unjust that one 
 should be condemned for depravity of nature only, 
 any more than that he should be condemned for acts 
 of wickedness, which will be the necessary conse- 
 quence of such depravity, as soon as opportunity is 
 given? Our Saviour says, *' A corrupt tree cannot 
 bring forth good fi-uit." And in Isaiah it is said, 
 " The vile person will speak villainy, and his heart 
 will work iniquity." Why should the totally de- 
 praved sinner be condemned for not acting in a holy 
 manner, or for acting wickedly ? You will say. Be- 
 cause he might do otherwise, if he would. Very 
 true ; but he cannot will to act well, or not to act ill, 
 as long as he is altogether of a sinful disposition. 
 The only reason that men are blameworthy for evil 
 actions, which are done under a kind of absolute ne- 
 
190 On Original Sin. [Ser. XI. 
 
 cessity, is, a depraved temper of mind, which is all 
 the cause of that necessity, is blameable in itself. If 
 a wicked heart were not in itself sinful, none of the 
 thoughts, or words, or deeds, which necessarily flow 
 from that fountain, would be a man's own fault. 
 Were not an ungovernable inclination to iniquity, 
 criminal in its own nature, it would excuse whatever 
 it necessarily occasions, as much as any other inno- 
 cent cause does, its unavoidable effects. But if a 
 depraved disposition be a moral evil — a culpable 
 thing, then he who hath it, may justly be condemned 
 for it, before he has time to act at all. 
 
 If any should say. We know nothing what either 
 a good or a wicked heart is, before, or distinct from, 
 all volitions and exercises ; and have therefore no 
 reason to think there is, or can be, any such thing. 
 
 To this it may be answered ; We know as well 
 what a good or bad disposition is, prior to virtuous or 
 vicious exercises, as we do Avhat reason is, prior to 
 rational actions : as well as we know what a human 
 soul is, prior to the operations of it ; and as well as 
 we kno^v what God is, distinct from his works. No 
 unseen cause, can be known from seen effects, any 
 better than the disposition of a man may be know^n 
 from his words and actions. We may just as well 
 disbelieve that there is a spirit in man, or a God that 
 governs the world, as that there is any such thing as 
 a wicked or good heart. As well as the invisible 
 things of God, can be learnt from the things which 
 are made ; and as well as we know that God is good, 
 because he does good ; just so well do we know that 
 he who committeth sin, hath a sinful disposition. 
 There may be good nature, or ill nature ; a holy or 
 an unholy temper of mind, in a man when he is in the 
 most profouncl sleep ; and is as unknowing and inac- 
 tive as an unborn infarit. If it be otherwise ; if the 
 good man loses all his virtues, and the bad man 
 all his vices, whenever they fall asleep, why do 
 they so constantly recover them again, and act ia 
 
Ser. XI. 3 071 Origi7ial Sin. 191 
 
 character, as soon as they awake ? If there be 
 no difference between a good and a wicked man, 
 till they come actually to understand and choose, 
 what is the reason that, with the same objective light 
 and motives set before them, they constantly under- 
 stand and choose so very differently ? Whence is it 
 that to the renewed, Christ is altogether lovely ; while 
 to the unregenerate, he hath no form nor comeliness, 
 and when they see him, there is no beauty that they 
 can desire him ? Whence is it that, with equal natur- 
 al capacities and speculative knowledge, the saint 
 chooses the way of God's commandments, the sinner 
 the way of transgression ? Certainly, there must be a 
 difference in the men : a difference in their dispositions ; 
 a difference previously to these different perceptions 
 and volitions. 
 
 And if we know not what the dispositions of men 
 are, or that they have any, till they have opportunity 
 to act them out, the Judge of all the earth knows. 
 He seai'cheth the heart and trieth the reins. " The 
 Lord is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are 
 weighed." Weighed perfectly, because he fully sees 
 all their principles, or want of principles. 
 
 By way of improvement ; 
 
 1. We may hence learn, in what sense repenting 
 of original sin, is essential to true repentance. 
 
 Some serious persons are greatly troubled, because 
 they cannot feel themselves to blame for Adam's 
 first sin ; which they have been taught to believe is 
 imputed to them, and is really their oy^ sin. If such 
 are convinced of the truth of what has now been said, 
 they may hence be comforted in this particular. 
 God requires no such impossibility of us, as blaming 
 ourselves for any one's faults but our own. To feel 
 guilty of Adam's eating the forbidden fruit, is natur- 
 ally impossible. The renewed, I am confident, can 
 
 no more have such repentance, than the unrenewed. A, 
 
 w 
 
192 On brigmal Sin. [Ser. XL 
 
 To a good man, it may be matter of humiliation, 
 that the father of his flesh, from whom he originally 
 descended, was guilty of so great an offence. But a 
 consciousness of having been to blame, or a sense of 
 self-condemnation, for the disobedience of Adam, or 
 of Eve, whatever some may have worked themselves 
 up to an imagination of, I am persuaded is what no 
 person, except our first parents themselves, ever real- 
 ly felt, or can possibly feel. 
 
 Yet, let us not think our repentance has been unt<$ 
 salvation, unless we have seen and felt that w^e deserve 
 the wrath and curse of God, on account of the sinful- 
 ness of our hearts, as well as the iniquities of our 
 lives. Unless, for not loving God and our neighbor, 
 and for all our ungodly and unrighteous propensities 
 thence arising, we abhor and condemn ourselves. In 
 this sense of original sin, repenting of it is essential to 
 true repentance. 
 
 2. We may hence see that Adam was not so much 
 more inexcusable than other sinners, as seems often 
 to be imagined ; and that our sins are not so imputa- 
 ble to >6i?/z, as to be of any avail to us. 
 
 Some, there is reason to fear, are fond, of the doc- 
 trine of original sin, because, as they understand the 
 matter, it gives them much ease and comfort. Adam, 
 they think, was a great sinner indeed, because he 
 was not in a fallen state, but sinned before he had any 
 depravity of nature : before he had the least inclina- 
 tion to sin. Whereas, in consequence of his offence, 
 they are now so depraved from the very birth, that 
 they sin nati#ally and unavoidably : and therefore, 
 are not much to be blamed for sinning. It seems to 
 them as if it \vere a most abominable tiling to sin 
 with an honest and good heart ; but no evil at all, 
 provided it be done with a wicked mind ! But, surely 
 such turning of things up side do^iTi, shall be esteem- 
 ed as the potter's clay. Such reasonings to cover 
 the nakedness of our criminality, are worse than tlie 
 
Ser. XI.] 0?i Origina! Sin, 193 
 
 fig.feaves of our first parents. It is placing sin in 
 innocence, and innocence in sin. 
 
 3. We may hence be convinced, that God was 
 under no obligation to save lost men, because of the 
 manneroftheirbeingbrought into a state of sin and 
 
 misery. 
 
 A late author in favor of the doctrine of universal 
 salvation, makes much use of this argument, and 
 labors hard to support it by scripture, as well as rea- 
 son. He explains several texts in the New-Testa- 
 ment so as to make them say, that men m ere con- 
 demned, before they deserved condemnation. Rom. 
 V. 12, " By one man sin entered into the world, and 
 death by sin ; and so death passed upon all men, 
 for that all have sinned," he paraphrases thus : 
 " Death passed upon all men, v^ hereupon ; in con- 
 sequence of which, all have sinned." And indeed, 
 if that were the case, tliey might all ^vell be angry ; 
 and they must be meeker than Moses, not to sin. 
 Of the eighth chapter of Romans, 20th ver. " The 
 creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, 
 but by reason of him v/ho hath subjected the same in 
 hope," he supposes the meaning to be ; " That man- 
 kind were doomed to all the infelicities of this life, 
 not for any fault of their own ; but in the sure and 
 certain hope before given, in the sentence passed up- 
 on the serpent, that they should all, sooner or later, be 
 delivered from the ruins of the apostacy, and be for 
 ever happy." Whence he infers, as well he might 
 were the premises true, that, " If any of mankind 
 should not be saved, they would have reason to com- 
 plain." 
 
 And many others, who do not carry the matter 
 quite so far, feel themselves obUged, in like manner^ 
 to bring in all the grace of the gospel, that the lav/ 
 may be made just, by which we stand condemned. 
 But, according to what has now been said there \vas 
 no need of such infmite grace, only to mend a bad law. 
 
 A a 
 
194 ■ On Original Sin, [Ser. XI. 
 
 The original constitution, taken by itself, was holy 
 and just : no man being doomed by it to death, or 
 subjected to the infelicities of this life, but for his own 
 fault. Consequently, all might justly have been left 
 to perish, without a Saviour, and without a Sanctifi- 
 er ; and God may justly have mercy on whom he will 
 have mercy. 
 
 Let sinners, then, instead of saying, " The ways- 
 of the Lord are not equal," look into themselves ; and 
 ^\ herein their own ways have been unequal, or their 
 hearts have not been good, let them abhor them- 
 selves, and repent in dust and ashes. And let saints, 
 who have been recovered from the error of their 
 ^vays to the wisdom of the just, ascribe the whole of 
 their salvation to free and rich grace. Remember, 
 my redeemed and renewed hearers ; " Ye are a 
 cliosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy na- 
 tion, a peculiar people ; that ye should shew forth 
 tiie praises of him who hath called you out of dark- 
 ness into his marvellous light." 
 
SERMON XII. 
 
 GN THE TOTAL DEPRAVITY OF MANKIND BY NA- 
 TURE. 
 
 ROMANS VII. 18. 
 
 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) divelleth no good 
 thing: 
 
 ±. HE knowledge of ourselves, is of the 
 nearest concernment to us; more especially the 
 knowledge of our moral ch iracter, and spiritual con- 
 dition. Other knowledge may be useful, respecting 
 the life that now is ; but this is necessary, in regard 
 to that which is to come. This, therefore, is an 
 essential part of that wisdom which is the principal 
 thing. The greatest naturalist, geographer, astron- 
 omer, or politician, if he lives and dies a stranger 
 to himself, and never knows the state he is in, or 
 what manner of spirit he is of, it may be truly said 
 of him, that he li>es and dies a fool. 
 
 And as self-knowledge is of the greatest import- 
 ance to us, so, one would think, it were of the easiest 
 acquisition. But yet the truth too evidently is, that 
 in this branch of science, we are apt to be most re- 
 markably deficient. Those who can discern the 
 least mote in a neighbor's eye, are often insensible 
 of a beam in their own. Those who carry their in- 
 
196 The total Depramy [Ser. XII. 
 
 vestigations through the remotest ages of antiquity, 
 and to the most distant regions of the earth, are often 
 great strangers at home, and amazingly ignorant 
 respecting themselves. This can be resolved only 
 into selfish partiality, and an extreme reluctance to 
 come to the light, ^vhen we are afraid it would re- 
 prove and condemn us. Hence many, all their days, 
 flatter themsehes that they are rich and increased 
 with goods, when really they are wretched, and mis- 
 erable, and poor, and blind, and naked. 
 
 The apostle Paul himself, was once in this state of 
 ignorance and self-deception. He is giving an ac- 
 count in our context, of the high ideas he had form- 
 erly entertained of his pharisaical righteousness ; of 
 the causes of those ^\Tong apprehensions ; and of 
 the means by which he was brought to alter them, 
 and forced to admit the mortifying conviction of his 
 exceeding vileness. " I was alive without the law 
 once," says he, vpr. 5, " but when the command- 
 ment came, sin revived, and I died." He goes on 
 to relate the further experimental knowledge which 
 had been given him, of -w hat he still was, as well as 
 of what he had been before his conversion. " For 
 t¥e know that* the law is spiritual," says he, *' but 
 I am carnal, sold under sin. — I find then a law, that 
 when I would do good, evil is present with me. For 
 I delight in the law of God after the inward man t 
 but I see another law in my members, warring 
 against the law of my mind, and bringing me into 
 captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 
 O wretched man that I am ! who shall deliver me 
 from the body of this death ?" And in the midst of 
 these humiliating confessions and bitter complaints, 
 he expresses himself in the words of our text : 
 " For I knov/ that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwell- 
 eth no good thing." 
 
 Sapposing that this description of himself is equal- 
 ly a true one cf otlier men ; we will briefly inquire 
 
Sen XII.] of Man by Naitir^. 197 
 
 how it is to be undei-stood ; and then consider the 
 evidence we have of its truth, as appUcable to all 
 mankind. 
 
 I. I sliall endeavor to explain, briefl}^ how Paul 
 is here to be understood ; that in him, that is, iij his 
 fiesh, dwelt no good thing. 
 
 What the apostle means by his flesh, may be learnt 
 from his repeated use of tliat expression. In ver. 
 5, of the context, he says, " When we were in the 
 flesh, the motions of sin did work in our members." 
 And ver. 8, of the next chapter, " So then they that 
 are in the flesh, cannot please God." In both which 
 places, by being in the fiesh, is plainly meant, being 
 in a state of unrenewed nature. In Gal. v. 17, he 
 says, "The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the 
 spirit against the flesh ; so that ye cannot do the 
 things that ye would." There, by flesh, we are to 
 understand, the remainder of corrupt nature in good 
 men. And ver. 19 — 23, the contrary operations of 
 the flesh, and effects of the spirit, are particularly de- 
 scribed. " Now, the works of the flesh are manifest, 
 which ai"e these ; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, 
 laciviousness, idolatiy, witchcraft, hatred, variance, 
 emulations, ^^Tath, strife, seditions, heresies, envy- 
 ings, &c. But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, 
 peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, meek- 
 ness, temperance." By flesh and spirit cannot be 
 here meant, the body and soul : for several of the sins 
 enumerated have not their origin or seat in the body, 
 any more than all sins have : and the ^irtues men- 
 tioned are not the fruits of every human soul ; but of 
 the Divine Spirit, where he operates in a sanctifying 
 manner. Or they are the fruits of that new nature 
 in man, which is begun in regeneration. By the 
 flesh, then, we are to understand the sinful nature 
 derived from Adam — the old man which is corrupt. 
 
 So that when in our text the apostle says, "In 
 me, that is, in my flesh ;" he means in him by na- 
 
198 The total Depramty [Ser. XII. 
 
 ture : or so far as he was yet unsanctified, by divine 
 grace. 
 
 When he says there was thus in him no good thing, 
 his meaning is, nothing spiritually good. Not that he 
 was destitute of every natural excellency. This, 
 certainly, is not the case with fallen man, as born of 
 the flesh. The unregenerate have good things of 
 these kinds. They may have good features, shapes, 
 and limbs : they may have good understandings, 
 good inventions, and good memories ; as good as 
 those who have been born again. 
 
 Nor is it to be understood that mankind by nature 
 have nothing humane or sociable in their disposi- 
 tions; nothing of those partial, friendly propensities, 
 which, in a limited sphere, answer good purposes ; 
 and which, to our short-sighted, superficial view, 
 appear amiable. The unrenewed are not, all of them, 
 without natural affection, nor wholly destitute of com- 
 passion for one another in distress and misery. Some- 
 times they are kind parents, dutiful children, and 
 tender husbands and wives ; and some of them have 
 a great deal of what we call, general good nature. 
 There are such instincts as these, perhaps not origin- 
 ating merely from self-love, which most men, more 
 or less, plainly discover. 
 
 But, the meaning of the apostle, I conceive, is 
 simply this : That in him, as far as he remained un- 
 sanctified, or as he was by nature, there were no 
 principles of real godliness or virtue — no inclinations 
 to that love of God and his neighbors, on which 
 hang all the law and the prophets — not a single liv- 
 ing branch or root, of disinterested, universal good- 
 ness. 
 
 Unless, therefore, Paul, in his native character 
 and state, was essentially different from other men, 
 we have in these words of his, the doctrine of man's 
 total depravity by nature ; as consisting in the entire 
 want of righteousness and true holiness. 
 
Ser. XII.] of Man hy^ Nature, 199 
 
 We will now, as was proposed, 
 
 II. Consider whether we have not other plain and 
 full proofs of this doctrine. 
 
 That the heart of the sons of men is very full of 
 evil, is what no one can well dispute : their abomin- 
 able works — their bidng, and devouring, and slaught- 
 ering one another ; and the wretched state of all 
 nations ever since the fall, notwithstanding all the 
 methods taken to restrain the lusts of men, make this 
 undeniably evident. But that there is nothing truly 
 virtuous in man by nature, may not perhaps be so 
 readily admitted, nor so easily proved. Our princi- 
 pal light respecting this point, must be derived 
 from scripture. Experience and observation may 
 not furnish arguments universally satisfactory, one 
 way or the other. Some may be fully convinced, by 
 their own experience, that they themselves were 
 thus totally depraved : but their testimony may not 
 convince others, who have had no such experience, 
 that all natural men are so very wicked. Some, on 
 the other side, may imagine it is abundantly evident 
 from observation, that mankind, though very bad in 
 many instances, have not lost all their virtue ; 
 besure as they are by nature, uncontaminated by evil 
 communications. But it is so uncertain to us who 
 are in a state of nature, and there are so many lovv er 
 instincts, and so many selfish principles, from which 
 the specious actions of men may proceed, that no in- 
 fallible conclusion can be grounded on this kind of 
 evidence. Let us then candidly inquire, " What 
 saith the scripture ?" Here, 
 
 1. There are several texts which seem expressly 
 to assert, or plainly to imply, that the native condition 
 of fallen man, is such a state of total moral depravity 
 as hath now been explained. 
 
200 The mal Bepramy [Ser. XII. 
 
 I shall refer you ta only a few of these. It is said, 
 Gen. vi. 5, " God saw that the wickedness of man 
 ^¥as great in the earth ; and that eveiy imagination 
 of the thoughts of man's lieart, was only evil contin- 
 ually." This was soon after men began to multiplj^ ; 
 and there is no reason to think that the world a\ as 
 then more wdcked than it has been since. It is said 
 again in the fourteenth Psalm ; " The Lord look- 
 ed down from heaven upon the children of men, to 
 s-ee if there were any that did understand and seek 
 God. They are all gone aside, they are together 
 become filthy ; there is none that doeth good, no, 
 not one." And this the apostle quotes, Rom. iii, 
 11, 12 ; adding, other passages of the Old Testa- 
 ment, in further proof of the total, as well as univer- 
 sal depravity of men ; " Their throat is an open 
 sepulchre ; with their tongues they have used deceit ; 
 the poison of asps is under their lips : whose mouth 
 is full of cursing and bitterness ; their feet are swift 
 to shed blood : destruction and misery are in their 
 ways ; and the way of peace have they not known : 
 there is no fear of God before their ej'es." And to 
 the Ephesians, most of whom had been heathen, he 
 says ; ** You hath he quickened, who were dead in 
 trespasses and sins ; wherein in time past ye Avalked, 
 according to the course of this world, according to 
 the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now 
 worketh in the children of disobedience. Among 
 whom also we all had our conversation in times past,, 
 in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the 
 Besli and of the mind ; and were by nature children 
 of wrath even as others." And our Saviour says, 
 John iii. 6, " That Avhich is born of the flesh is flesh." 
 so totally flesh, that is, corrupt and sinful, as to be 
 incapable of entering into the kingdom of God, by 
 embracing the gospel of his grace. 
 
 2. We are plainly taught the total depravity of 
 fallen man, by what is said concerning the necessity 
 
Ser. XII.] of Man by Nature. 201 
 
 of regeneration, or tlie renewing of the Holy Ghost. 
 This change is spoken of as necessary in order to 
 good works ; and as that without which no one can 
 see the kingdom of God. And it is set fordi by 
 such phrases as these : being born again ; having a 
 new heart given us, and a new spirit put within us ; 
 being quickened, or brought to hfe, \vhen dead ; 
 and being created after God, in alhision to the first 
 creation of man in the likeness of his Maker. All 
 which strong modes of expression evidentiy imply, 
 that man by the fall is become totally depraved. If 
 tlie unrenewed heart were but partly sinful, it might 
 be mended ; and tiiere would be no need of a new 
 heart. If the old spirit were not wholly unholy, there 
 would be no occasion for giving a new spirit. If 
 there were any spiritual life in men they would not 
 need quickening b}^ the mighty power of God, in a 
 manner as supernatural as the raising of Christ from 
 the dead. If man liad the root of the matter in him, 
 or the seeds of virtue, by his first birth, there woukl 
 be no necessity of his being born again. If we were 
 by nature at all inclined to that which is good, or had 
 any thing of that moral image of our Maker in which 
 the first man was made ; there would be no need of a 
 new creation after God in righteousness and true ho- 
 liness, or of our being created in Christ Jesus unto 
 good works. 
 
 All the forementioiied representations of this ne- 
 cessary renewing of the Holy Ghost, are plainly de- 
 signed to teach us, that it is a change of nature — the 
 production of something specifically new in the soul 
 of man — the beginning of a clean heart, or a right 
 spirit : and therefore they evidently imply, that pre- 
 viously to it, there is a total destitution of every thing 
 of this kind. 
 
 3. This is also very evident, from the certain 
 marks, or distinguishing characteristics of a good 
 man, which Vv^e often find in the holy scriptures. 
 
 B b 
 
202 The total Depramty [Ser. XIL 
 
 Right exercises or dispositions, in any degree, ai-e 
 spoken of as things which accompany salvation, and 
 as infalUble evidences of a state of grace. See Matt. 
 V. 3 — 8, " Blessed are the poor in spirit : — Blessed 
 are they that mourn : — Blessed are the meek : — 
 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after 
 righteousness : — Blessed are the merciful : — Blessed 
 are the pure in heart :" — See also 1 John iii. 14, 
 *' We know that we are passed from death unto life, 
 because we love the brethren." And chap. iv. ver. 
 7, " Every one that loveth is born of God." 
 
 In these texts, you may observe, the degree of the 
 several graces or virtues spoken of is not mentioned. 
 It is not said how poor in spirit men must be, to 
 make it evident that their's is the kingdom of heav- 
 en : or how much they must mourn, before it is cer- 
 tain that they shall be comforted : or how meek tliey 
 must be, to enjoy the earth as a divine patrimonial 
 inheritance : or how merciful, that they may expect 
 di\ ine mercy : or how ardently they must desire 
 righteousness, before the promise of being filled 
 belongs to them : or how pure in heart those ai'e, 
 Avho shall hereafter enjoy the beatific vision of God. 
 Nor is it said what degree of brotherly kindness and 
 charity we must have, to know that we have passed 
 from death to life, or that we aie born of God. 
 But it is left in such a manner as must necessarily 
 lead us to suppose, that if one can be certain he has 
 these virtues or graces, though in the lowest degree, 
 he may be certain that he shall inherit the promises, 
 and is an heir of glory. But this could not be true, 
 if there were these good things in men, in any meas- 
 ure, V. hile unbelievers, and unrenewed. If the nat- 
 ural man were not altogether destitute of these trulv 
 virtuous dispositions and affections, they could be no 
 discriminating marks of the adopted children of God, 
 or evidences of one's being in 'a state of grace. 
 
 'J'hus, you see, the Bible expressly asserts, and 
 cibiindantly supposes, that man by nature is totally 
 
Ser. XII.] of Man hy Nature. 205 
 
 depraved ; that is, wholly destitute of true holiness. 
 And what need have we of furtlier witness ? God 
 knows what is in man. His eye searcheth the very 
 bottom of the heart ; and He is a God of truth. If, 
 therefore, we have his word, and in that are told there 
 dwelleth no good thing in man by nature, as our Sa- 
 viour told the unbelieving Jews, " I know you, that 
 ye have not the love of God in you," it must be 
 true. 
 
 With regard to human authorities, or the opinions 
 of men, it may be observed, that no great stress is to 
 be laid upon them in matters of religion ; more es- 
 pecially in the present question, which respects their 
 own character. If mankind think mankind virtuous, 
 it is no great evidence that they are really so. They 
 bear witness for themselves ; and such witness is 
 never admitted as of much weight. " Most men 
 will proclaim every one his own goodness ;" though 
 a faithful man is hardly to be found. 
 
 It is to be observed, however, that even on this 
 question, wherein men must be very partial witnes- 
 ses, their witness agreeth not together. Many deny 
 the doctrine of man's total depravity by nature, and 
 strenuously dispute against it : but by many it is 
 acknowledged and maintained. And many who op- 
 pose it, still admit, and appeal to men's feelings for 
 the truth of, what plainly implies it ; namely, that 
 self-love is the bottom spring of all human actions. 
 An author of considerable fame,* two volumes of 
 Avhose sermons we have in our public library, says, 
 in one of them ; " If we closely attend to the opera- 
 tions of our own minds, and carefully observe ^v'hat 
 passeth within us, at that very instant when we are 
 doing a charitable and friendly action, I am apt to 
 think we shall find that the pleasure u^hich results 
 from it arises, either from a sense that what we are 
 doing may procure us the approbation of men ; or it 
 
 * Seed. 
 
204 The total Depramy [Ser. XII. 
 
 proceeds from a sense of having done our duty, and 
 so recommended ourselves to the favor of God. — 
 That pleasure which is annexed to any generous and 
 worthy deed, may be compared to its opposite ; 
 namely, that remorse which is cotiseqiteht to wick- 
 edness. And it may be questioned whether \^'e 
 should have an}', or at least any permanent remorse, 
 after having committed an ill action, if vt^e were sure 
 we could fence off all ill consequences, and neither 
 be exposed to the scotn and hatred of the world, nor 
 draw iijDon ourselves the divine vengeance. Just so 
 it may admit of a dispute, whether the pleasure we 
 are speaking of ii'Ould not vanish, if we apprehended 
 that mankind w duld neither commend and esteem us , 
 nor the Deity reward us for our goodness." In an- 
 other place the same author sa^'s, " Thfe only things 
 which influence Our practice, fiie considerations 
 which call forth the workings of self-love, that first 
 great wheel of the soul, to which all the rest move in 
 subordination." 
 
 A great part of our moral philosophers, and Ar- 
 minian divines generally, are in the same sentiment. 
 They conceive virtue to be a mere selfish thing : 
 only a well regulated regard to one's personal inter- 
 est. And the Antinomians, in all their diilbrent ways 
 of explaining themselves, consider all religion as no- 
 tliing else. They suppose that what couAcrts a sin- 
 ner, and what excites the love of God in a saint, , is 
 only a belief of his love to theniy in particular, or to 
 mankind in general ; thus making all religious affec- 
 tions turn upon the fust great wheel of seJf-loi'-c. 
 
 Now these, I reckoti some of the ^tron'gt^st human 
 testimonies we could have, in proof of the total moral 
 depravity of mankind by nature. From their own 
 feelings, and from their observation of others, they 
 me forced into the conclusion ' that man is a totally 
 selfish creature. But we need not suppose the worst 
 man on earth, or devil in liell, more depraved in the 
 
Ser. XII.] of Man by Nature. 205 
 
 bottom of his heart, than to have no ultimate regard 
 to any one's honor or happiness, but his own. 
 
 We may further talce notice, that those advocates 
 for native human virtues, who do not adopt the self- 
 ish system, suppose thing!? virtuous, which are not 
 of the nature of christian virtue, or true holiness. 
 Such, for instance, as the love of one's country ; the 
 tenderness between die sexes ; the affection of par- 
 ents for their children, and natural compassion for 
 the miserable. 
 
 Respecting these, I observe, that severd of theiii 
 may proceed from mere self-love ; but that, if there 
 be somewhat of disinterestedness in any of them, yet, 
 because of their want of universalit)'^ and impartialit)-, 
 they cart never produce the peaceable fruits of right- 
 eousnessj or be the fulfillirig of the divine law. Oii 
 the contrary, transgression, and the grossest iniqui- 
 ties j are their natural tendency and common effects. 
 This iSi the case, particularly in i-egard to the love be- 
 tween the sexes, parental fondness, and that patriot- 
 ism which has been so much the boast of Pagans, 
 and of many who are called christians. These ai-e 
 among those lusts of men which war in their mem- 
 bers, whence come wars and fightings ; envying and 
 strife, confusion and all manner of evil works. All 
 partial benevolence, like self-love, will naturally pro- 
 duce enmity toVvard those who are without the lim- 
 ited sphere of its friendly operation. 
 
 As to that natural compassion for the miserable, 
 which operates more extensively : this is too limit- 
 ed in another view, to have a tendency to universal 
 happiness, or to be of the nature of righteousness 
 and true holiness. Persons most remarkable for this, 
 are fi-equently as remai'kable for many vicious tem- 
 l^ers and practices, hurtfnl to others, as well as to 
 themselves. They are often, not only irreligious 
 and profane, but intemperate, kwd, envious, re- 
 vengeful, false, fraudulent and unjust. As common 
 family affection, and love of one's countiy, ^Aill not 
 
206 the total Depramy [Ser. XIL 
 
 influence to the whole duty of man, because they 
 embrace only a part of mankind, and have no respect 
 to God : so this natural humanity will not, because 
 it is felt for no individual, only in a partial view, and 
 imder particular circumstances. The man whose 
 heart is easily touched with tender sensibility for a 
 neighbor in extreme distress, would be grieved as 
 much, perhaps, to see that same neighbor more pros- 
 perous and happy than himself. Nor is it every 
 kind of suffering, however great, that will move the 
 compassion of these good natured, wicked men. 
 The sight of one wounded, bleeding and half dead, 
 powerfully excites their commisseration ; but to see 
 or hear the good name of the most worthy person, 
 mangled and torn in pieces, by the tongue or pen of 
 malice and falsehood, gives them pleasure, very of- 
 ten, instead of any resentment or uneasiness. 
 
 This partial, common compassion, appears to be 
 nothing more than a mere animal instinct ; similar 
 to what we observe in most kinds of the inferior cre- 
 ation. As far as it goes, it is a good thing, as rain 
 and sunshine are good. It answ^ers good purposes 
 in the present wretched state of man, but is not at 
 aU adapted to that world of happiness ^^'here are no 
 objects of pity, and where millions will be seen ex- 
 alted in felicity and glory far higher than ourselves. 
 Notwithstanding all such humanity, we must be 
 born again, before we can see the kingdom of God. 
 We must have a more uniform good nature, or we 
 can never be partakers of the inheritance of the saints 
 in light. We must have a better principle of good 
 works created in us, before we can do any thing that 
 will be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. 
 
 There is one way more, which I will just men- 
 tion, whence some may be led to think human na- 
 ture virtuous, when really it is not. They may mis- 
 take a rightly dictating conscience, for a good dis- 
 position. There is undoubtedly in natural men, 
 not only reason, which enables them to judge, but 
 
Ser. XII.] of Man by Nature, 207 
 
 also a moral sense, whereby they feel, of themselves 
 what is right. This is that of which the apostle 
 speaks, Rom. ii. 14, 15, " For when the Gentiles, 
 which have not the law, do by nature the things con- 
 tained in the law, these, having not the law, are a 
 law unto themselves : Which shew tlie works of the 
 law written in their hearts ; their conscience also 
 bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile 
 accusing, or else excusing one another." 
 
 Man, in a state of nature, has something in him 
 besides reason — something in his breast, as well as 
 in his head, which bears witness in favor of truth, 
 justice, and goodness : which always gives a verdict, 
 when cases are fairly understood, on the side of the 
 eternal rule of right : which approves \vhat is moral- 
 ly good, and condemns what is morally evil. This 
 some have called the moral sense ; and is what the 
 Bible calls conscience. But this is a different thing 
 from a disposition to refuse the evil, and choose the 
 good. It is not the public sense, or universal benev- 
 olence of heart ; which inclines a man to the prac- 
 tice of whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, 
 lovely, and of good report. If there be any virtue, 
 or any thing worthy of praise as proceeding from, or 
 comprehended in, an honest and good heart, this is 
 not the thing. It is found in the worst of all rational 
 beings. It will be the worm that never dies, gnaw- 
 ing the souls of all the wicked in hell, with everlast- 
 ing shame and self-condenination. 
 
 Let us now apply and improve this v/hole subject, 
 for our further learning and profit. 
 
 1. We may hence learn why it is that good 
 tlioughts, and impressions are apt to be so transient 
 and unabiding in natural men. Vain thoughts — 
 trifling, foolish, wicked thoughts, lodge within them. 
 But it is not so in regard to good thoughts, or 
 thoughts of things that are good. If these obtrude 
 
208 rbe total Depramy [Ser. XIL 
 
 themselves at any time, (like troublesome beggars at 
 our doors, ) they are treatetl with great coldness and 
 neglect. It may be said to them, " Depart in peace; be 
 warmed, be filled :" or a pittance of some poor thing 
 may be given them, just to silence tlieir clamorous 
 importunity ; but they are dismissed as soon as pos- 
 sible. It is the same case, generally, respecting any 
 serious purposes and resolutions of sinners. Thus 
 Ephraim's goodness, it is said, was as a morning 
 cloud, and as the early dew, it went away. This is 
 represented by our &aviour, in his parable of the 
 sower : " Some seed fell upon a rock ; and as soon 
 as it was sprmig up it withered away, because it lack- 
 ed moisture." 
 
 2. Hence let not any tliink that their depravity is 
 not great, or not very criminal ; if it be onl}-^ the 
 want of good principles : principles so very good, as 
 the disinterested love of God, and of all their fellow- 
 creatures. The worst creature on eardi, or in hell, 
 need not be supposed any more depraved than this, 
 in the bottom of his heart. This alone, in a moral 
 agent, who has self-love, and its subservient appetites 
 and passions, will account for all ungodliness and un- 
 righteousness, in thought, word and deed. Let men 
 have no disposition to glorify, or desire to enjoy God, 
 and they will naturally be enemies to him in their 
 muids ; they \\\\\ hate his laws, and murmur against 
 his Providence and grace ; and it will be the latent 
 wish of their heart to have no God. Let men be 
 lovers of none but their own selves, and they will be 
 " covetous, boasters, proud, disobedient to parents, 
 truce -breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, des- 
 pisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high- 
 minded." As far as tliey are not restrained by the 
 fear of punishment, a regard to reputation, or some 
 other selfish or partial moti\'e; they will be full of all 
 imrighteousness and iniquity. Their throat will be an 
 open sepulclire; with their tongues they will use 
 
$er. XII.] of Man by Nature, 209 
 
 deceit ; the poison of asps ^vill be under their lips ; 
 their mouth will be full of cursing and bitterness ; 
 their feet will be swift to shed blood. Let a sinner 
 only know this plague of his own heart, the want 
 of all good principles, and he will see cause enough 
 for self-reproach and self- abhorrence. 
 
 3. It hence appears that such as hope they are 
 christians, had need be very cautious and thorough in 
 self-examination. Many are the ways in which men 
 may experience a superficial conversion, and seem 
 to be religious, when all, at bottom, is nothing but 
 self-love. There is also great danger of mistaking 
 conscience, for a good heart ; or natural compassion, 
 and other partial kind affections, for that love which 
 is the fulfilling of the law — that charity which is the 
 bond of perfectness. By these means, undoubtedly, 
 multitudes are deceived ; thinking themselves some- 
 thing, when they are nothing. And for these rea- 
 sons, it greatly concerns supposed converts, again 
 and again, to examine and prove their own selves. 
 
 4. Christians, the most assured and best of them, 
 should hence be led to adore the sovereignty of divine 
 grace ; and to walk humbly with God, and meekly 
 among their fellow-men. To this purpose, I shall 
 conclude with the words of Paul to Titus : " Put 
 them in mind to be subject to principalities and pow- 
 ers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good 
 work, to speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but 
 gentle, shewing all meekness to all men. For we 
 ourselves were sometimes foolish, disobedient, de- 
 ceived, serving diverse lusts and pleasures, living in 
 malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. 
 But after that the kindness and love of God appeared ; ' 
 not by v/orks of righteousness which we have done, 
 but according to his mercy he saved us, by the 
 washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy 
 Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly, through 
 Jesus Christ our Saviour." 
 
 C c 
 
SERMON XIII. 
 
 ON man's native opposition of heart, to 
 
 THE SUPREME BEING. 
 
 ROMANS VIII. 7. 
 The carnal mind is enmity against God. 
 
 X HAT mankind may be brought to a 
 €ompliance with the proposals and terms of the gos- 
 pel, a deep conviction of sin, as well as misery, is 
 altogether necessary. In vain are any called upon to 
 repent, or receive an offered Saviour, before they are 
 sensible that they are sinners. In vain do we per- 
 suade men to be reconciled to God, as long as they 
 see not that they are in a state of irreconciliation. 
 
 Many have little apprehension of the evil of their 
 ways : when, therefore, the gospel is preached to 
 them, they make light of it, and pay little attention 
 to it. Others, though they have some conviction of 
 their external sins, and feel some concern Avhat they 
 shall do to be saved ; yet perceive not the desperate 
 wickedness of their hearts, and hence their hurt is 
 healed slightly, by a superficial amendment. In or- 
 der to a true repentance and turning to God, a sinner 
 must know, as Solomon expresses it, " the plague 
 r)f his own heart." Nor is a conviction of one's 
 
212 Mail's name Enmity to God. [Ser. XIII. 
 
 total want of true holiness, all that is necessary to 
 ansM er every important purpose. It is said, " The 
 heart of the sons of men is full of eml ;'*'' and per- 
 ceiving this, as well as that in it there dwelleth no 
 good thing, is useful, if not absolutely requisite, that 
 a sinner may have a proper sense of his need of gos- 
 pel grace. 
 
 The apostle, in the words now to be insisted on, 
 asserts the extreme positive wickedness of the heait 
 of fallen man, in very strong and striking terms. In 
 discoursing upon this subject, it is proposed to show ; 
 
 I. What we are here to understand by the carnal 
 mind. 
 
 II. What is meant by its being enmity against 
 God. 
 
 III. What other evidence we have that it is really 
 so : and, 
 
 IV. What is the cause of this enmity ; or how it 
 can rationally be accounted for. 
 
 By the carnal mind, I conceive, the apostle means, 
 the mind of the natural man : the mind \vhich all 
 men are of, until, in the language of our Saviour, 
 they are born again. The word carnal^ it is true, 
 signifies the same as fleshly. Carnal is opposed to 
 spiritual, as flesh is opposed to spirit. And by the 
 ■word flesh, when applied to man, w c sometimes 
 mean the body, in distinction from the soul. 
 Whence, perhaps, some might be ready to think, 
 that by the carnal mind^ is most naturally to be un- 
 derstood, a mind that is uncommonly under the 
 dominion of bodily appetites. The mind of a glut- 
 ton, a drunkard, or of one abandoned to lewdness, 
 Sut from the frequent use of similar phrases and 
 eypressions in scripture, and even from the passage 
 in connection with our text itself, it may well be 
 
Sen XIII.] Man^s name Enmity to God. 213 
 
 concluded, that notliing more ^vorse is here meant, 
 than the mind of every unregenerate sinner. By the 
 flesh, in the New- Testament, is very frequently 
 intended, the whole man, as he is by natural genera- 
 tion. Our Saviour, having observed to Nicodemus, 
 that, " Except a man be born again, he cannot see 
 the kingdom of God;" to explain himslf, and to 
 give the reason of the necessity of this second birdi, 
 he says, " That which is born of the flesh is flesh p 
 and that which is born of the spirit is spirit." And 
 all sorts of sins are called works of the flesh. " Idol- 
 atry, witchcraft, hatred variance, emulations, wrath, 
 strife, seditions, and heresies, are so called, Gal. v. 20, 
 as well as drunkenness and uncleanness. By the 
 flesh, in these places, must necessarily be understood, 
 " the old man which is corrupt ;" and by the spirit, 
 " the new man, ^vhich is created after God in right- 
 eousness and true holiness. " In the same manner the 
 xvords flesh and spirit, carnal and spiritual, are evident- 
 ly used in the context, both before our text and after it. 
 The apostle had said, ver. 1, " There is now no con- 
 demnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk 
 not after the flesh, but after the spirit." And ver. 
 5, 6, " For they that ai-e after the flesh do mind the 
 things of the flesh ; but they that are after the spirit 
 the things of the spirit. For to be carnally minded 
 is death ; but to be spiritually minded is life and 
 peace." He then adds, ver. 7, " Because the car- 
 nal mind is enmity against God ; for it is not subject 
 to the law of God, neither indeed can be." And he 
 goes on to say, ver, 8, 9, " So then they that are in 
 the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the 
 flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God 
 dwell in you." He is manifestly describing tlie es- 
 sential diflference, in temper and state, between the 
 regenerate and the unregenerate ; and it is plain from 
 the A^ hole passage, that by the carnal mincl is meant, 
 the mind of the natural man — the mind of all the sons 
 and daughters of Adam, except such as have been 
 
^14 Man''s native Enmity to God. [Ser. XIII. 
 
 *' saved by the washing of regeneration, and renew- 
 ing of the Holy Ghost." 
 
 II. What we are to understand by the carnal mind's 
 being enmity against God, is next to be explained. 
 
 I suppose the apostle means by this, that the heart 
 of an unregenerate sinner, is utterly opposed to the 
 holy nature and ways, of the Creator and Lord of all. 
 More particularly, 
 
 1. This enmity of the carnal mind against God 
 implies, the reverse of a love of complacency in him. 
 *rhis is a truth, at least, plainly taught in scripture, 
 and which many have known, respecting themselves, 
 by experience. Concerning the hypocrite. Job 
 says, " Will he delight himself in the Almighty ?" 
 which question strongly imports the certainty that he 
 will not ; and that none but the sincere saint will do 
 this. Good men take delight in contemplating the 
 perfections and Providence of God. They rejoice 
 that " the Lord reigneth ;" and that he is infinitely 
 just and wise, as well as good and merciful. But 
 with the wicked — with all the unrenewed, it is quite 
 the reverse. They hate to think of the holiness and 
 justice, the omniscience and omnipotence, of the Su- 
 preme Being. If they believe these his attributes, 
 and his righteous, universal Providence, they take 
 no delight in that belief ; but it excites in them dis- 
 pleasure and uneasiness. 
 
 2. This enmity of the carnal mind against God im- 
 plies, and most directly means, the reverse of a love 
 of benevolence towards him. Wicked men are not 
 the hearty friends of God ; but are enemies to him 
 in their minds. We may dislike those to whom we 
 are not enemies. Enmity is' something more than 
 dislike. It is that kind of hatred which is known by 
 the name of ill will : and it is he that hateth his 
 
Ser. XIII.] Man's name Enmity to God. 215 
 
 brother in this sense only, who is said to be a mur- 
 derer. To be an enemy to any one, is to wish him 
 ill, and to be disposed to do him hurt ; as being a 
 friend to one, on the contrary, is to wish well to him, 
 and to be ready, \vhen it is in our power, to do him 
 good. God is indeed above the possibility of sus- 
 taining damage, or receiving benefit, from any thing 
 we do : nevertheless, we may have the same dispo- 
 sition and feelings toward him, that we have tow- 
 ard our fellow-creatures, who are within the reach 
 of our good or ill offices. In our minds, we may be 
 friends or enemies to him, as well as to one another. 
 We may wish that his name might be hallowed ; that 
 his kingdom might come, and his will be done ; or 
 we may wish the contrary. We may be ready to do 
 what in us lies to promote, or to prevent, the ad- 
 vancement of his declarative glory. The revi- 
 val of his work may give us joy, or it may excite 
 our displeasure and grief. Moses and Joshua were 
 exceedingly concerned for the honor of God's great 
 name ; and David wanted to have the whole crea- 
 tion unite in praising the Lord. Were not these the 
 natural exercises and expressions of a friendly dis- 
 position to the Supreme Being ? The devil, on the 
 contrar}% is extremely unwilling that God should be 
 glorified ; and would make the whole intelligent cre- 
 , ation revolt from him, and blaspheme his holy name, 
 if it were in his power. What is this but to be at 
 heart a perfect enemy to God ? The enmity of the 
 carnal mind of fallen man is of the same nature, 
 though not to the same degree. Those who are 
 enemies to God in their minds. Mall be ready to dis- 
 pute his sovereignty, to plead for independence on 
 him, and to act in opposition to his revealed will. 
 In proportion as we have enmity in our hearts against 
 God, we do not love that he should be so highly ex- 
 alted, and possess such absolute dominion and 
 power : and we are disposed to speak and act, not 
 for him but against him ; and to take pleasure in 
 
M6 Man^s nathe Enmity to God. [Ser. XIII* 
 
 the society of those who dishonor his name, rather 
 than in that of them who show forth his praise. 
 
 3. It is to be particularly observed, that the man- 
 ner of expression in our text, seems to suppose this 
 native unfriendliness of the human heart, to the holy 
 Sovereign of the universe, to be total and entire. It 
 is not merely asserted that the carnal mind has much 
 in it which is inimical to God. This might consist 
 with its having something in it of sincere friendli- 
 ness to him. This might be truly said of the best 
 of men in this world of imperfection. The apostle 
 Paul himself found a law in his members, warring 
 against the law of his mind ; and undoubtedly that 
 remaining fleshly law, warred against the law of God, 
 and against the love of God. But to have the mind 
 enmity itself against him, is something much more 
 than this. It implies that the heart has nothing in it 
 of the love of God, but is in total opposition to him. 
 
 III. We proceed to consider what other evidence 
 there is of its being ti'ue, that all men by nature are 
 so very ungodly and ill disposed. 
 
 The proof of it doth not rest merely on this one 
 text. If it did, there might perhaps be some reason 
 to hope that the expressions here were hyperbolical ; 
 or that they did not necessarily imply so much as 
 hath now been supposed. But that this is no exag- 
 gerated representation of the ungodliness of fallen 
 men, however we should w ish not to believe it, is 
 evident abundantly from other passages of scripture, 
 and from facts, Vv^hich cannot be disputed. 
 
 1. The enmity of the mind of man against God, 
 is manifest from what we read and see of the unbe- 
 lief of mankind, with respect, to his being and per- 
 fections. David says, Psal. xiv. 1, " The fool hath 
 said in his heart. There is no God." Or, rather, 
 our English translators have supposed this to be his 
 
Sen XIII.] Man'^s nathe En?nity to God. 217 
 
 meaning : for in the Hebrew of that text, the words 
 are only these ; " The fool hath said in his heart, 
 No God." And some have thought the supplement, 
 there isy to be improper or needless. That the psalm- 
 ist meant to say Avhat was the fool's secret wish ; 
 not what was his inward belief. By the fool, is 
 commonly meant in scripture, not an idiot, but a 
 sinner, in contradistinction to a saint ; or, in the lan- 
 guage of the New-Testament, the natural man. And 
 tliat the psalmist is so to be understood in this text, 
 is plain from what immediately follows : " They 
 are corrupt ; they have done abominable works ; 
 there is none that doeth good. The Lord looked 
 down from heaven upon the children of men, to see 
 if there were any that did understand and seek God. 
 They ai'e all gone aside, they are together become 
 filthy ; there is none that doeth good, no, not one." 
 He is plainly giving the character of all mankind 
 by nature ; and if he meant that it was the language 
 of man's heart, " No God," or. Let there be no 
 such being, then we have in this text an express 
 assertion, that natural men arc of a disposition 
 which is enmity to the existence of God. But if 
 the psalmist be understood, agreeably to our trans- 
 lation, as only asserting the inward atheism of \\ick- 
 ed men, or their unbelief that there is a God, still 
 this proves the enmity of the human heart against 
 him : for to no other cause can such atheistical 
 unbelief be ascribed ; since we may as easily know- 
 that all things must have been made at first, and that 
 the Maker of them must be God, as that every 
 house was builded by some man. Yet it is very 
 manifest from the conduct of a great part of man- 
 kind, even under the light of the gospel, that they 
 have no real belief of the existence of God. 
 
 2. From the so early and so universal prevalence, 
 of the most stupid and abominable idolatiy in this 
 D d 
 
21S Man's nathe Enmity to God. [Ser. XIII. 
 
 fallen world, the enmity of the human heart against 
 the Supreme Being, is exceedingly evident. 
 
 The apostle hence proves the extreme ungodliness 
 of the heathen Gentiles, in the first chapter of his 
 epistle to the Romans. He says, " Professing 
 themselves to be M'ise, they became fools ; and 
 changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an 
 image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, 
 and four-footed beasts and creeping things." This 
 he imputes, not to their wanting the necessary means 
 of coming to the knowledge of the truth ; but to 
 their holding the truth in unrighteousness — to their 
 not being disposed to glorify God when they knew 
 him, and to their not liking to retain God in their 
 knowledge. And undoubtedly, no other probable 
 account can be given, of the so universal prevalence 
 of the worship of false gods, and such strange ones as 
 were worshipped in all parts of the world. Certainly, 
 had mankind been of a disposition to delight them- 
 selves in the Almighty, they Would never ha^e 
 jnade them such gods as birds and beasts, and the 
 meanest reptiles : nor such as Bacchus and Venus, 
 Belial and Moloch, or even as Jupiter and Juno ; 
 gods and goddesses, the patrons and patronesses of 
 lewdness, drunkenness, envy, revenge, and every 
 human or diabolical vice. By the gods that men 
 believe in and worship, it is seen what gods they 
 wish to have. We need not wonder, therefore, 
 that the heathen idolaters are said to have been 
 without excuse ; or that their alienation from the life 
 of God, through the ignorance which was in them, 
 is resolved into the blindness of their heart. 
 
 But, not only the refined Greeks and Romans, as 
 well as other Gentiles, who were called by them bar- 
 barians, Avorshipped such despicable creatures, and 
 gods of such abominable characters ; even the peo- 
 ple of Israel, notwithstanding all their revelations, 
 and all the wonders of Divine mercy and wrath of 
 which they had been witnesses, still long retained 
 
Ser. XIII.] Man's name Enmity to God. 219 
 
 an invincible bias to relapse into such sottish and im- 
 pious idolatry. They were always ready to warp off 
 from the Most High, to the gods of the heathen 
 around them, like a deceitful bow. This their histo- 
 ry, from the time they were redeemed out of Egypt, 
 until their captivity in Babylon, abundantly testifies. 
 And this was the grand controversy A\'hich God had 
 with them, and his constant complaint against them. 
 See Jer. xliv. 2 — 6, " Thus saith the Lord of 
 hosts, the God of Israel, Ye have seen all the CA-ils 
 that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all 
 the cities of Judah ; because of their wickedness 
 which they have committed to provoke me to anger, 
 in that they went to burn incense and to serve other 
 gods, whom they knew not ; neither they, you, nor 
 your fathers. Howbeit, I sent unto you all my 
 servants the prophets, rising early, and sending them, 
 saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I 
 hate. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their 
 ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no more 
 incense unto other gods. Wherefore my fury and 
 mine anger was poured forth, and was kindled in ihe 
 cities of Judali, and in the streets of Jerusalem ; and 
 they were wasted and desolate, as at tliis day." 
 
 3. We have a striking proof of the enmity of 
 mankind against God, in the treatment which his 
 messengers, and all who have borne his image, have 
 generally met with in the world. It is seen how 
 subjects stand affected toward their sovereign, by 
 the manner in which they treat his ministers of state. 
 It is seen whether foreign courts are friendly to a 
 neighboring king, by the reception given to his am- 
 bassadors. We may see whether our neighbors are 
 well or ill affected to us, by their treatment of our 
 children and servants. But, judging according to 
 this evidence, what must we think of the loyalty and 
 cordiality of the ancient Jews to the Holy One of 
 Israel \ Bv the account we have of them from 
 
220 Man'^s native Enmity to God. [Ser. XIII. 
 
 Moses to Malachi, how unkindly did they treat the 
 obedient children and faithful servants of their God ! 
 Hear, to this purpose, the address of our Saviour 
 to their capital city, the seat of their religion and 
 government ; Luke xiii. 34, " O Jerusalem, Jeru- 
 salem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them 
 that are sent unto thee." Hear also the words 
 of feithful Stephen, when going to his own mar- 
 tyrdom : Acts vii. 51, 52, " Ye stiff-necked, and 
 uncircumcised in heart and ears ; ye do always 
 resist the Holy Ghost ; as your fathers did, so do ye. 
 Which of the prophets have not your fathers perse- 
 cuted ? and they have slain them who shewed before 
 of the coming of the just One." See, likewise, the 
 representation given Heb. xi. 36, 37, where, speak- 
 ing of those eminently good men in former ages, of 
 vvhom the M^orld was not worthy, the apostle says ; 
 *' Tliey had the trial of cruel mockings and scourg- 
 ings, yea, moreover, of bonds and imprisonment : 
 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were 
 slain with the sw^ord." 
 
 Nor was the only begotten Son of God himself, 
 when he tabernacled in flesh and dwelt amonsrmen, 
 more respected, or treated with less cruelty. He en- 
 dured such contradictions and reproaches as can hard- 
 ly be expressed. He was mocked ; He was scourg- 
 ed ; He was crowned m ith thorns ; He was crucified. 
 Thus lived, and thus died the man that is said to be 
 God's fellow ; the brightness of his glory, and the 
 express image of his person : One w ho might well 
 s'ly, " He that hateth me, hateth my Father also." 
 Nor is it to be thought that those who hated the 
 Saviour of the world with such mortal hatred, were 
 worse by neiture than other men. They thought as 
 well of themselves as we do of ourselves, and as ill 
 of their persecuting ancestors as we do of them. 
 They built the tombs of the prophets, and garnished 
 the sepulchres of the righteous ; and said, " If we 
 had been in the days of our fathers, VvC would not 
 
Ser. XIII.] Man'>s nathe Enmity to God. 221 
 
 have been partakers with them in the blood of the 
 prophets." The populace who cried out to Pilate, 
 with such clamorous importunity, concerning Jesus, 
 Crucify h'wi, crucify bim ; and their rulers, by whose 
 wicked hands he was put to death, no more tliought 
 that they should have stoned such godly men as 
 Isaiah and Jeremiah, than the men of this generation 
 now think that they should have joined in the cry 
 against Christ, and in his crucifixion. This was 
 but a specimen of the general temper of mankind 
 toward God, and toward every one that is god-like. 
 And indeed, the same temper was then acted out, 
 for a long time, with unrelenting violence. The 
 apostles, we know, were brought before rulers, im- 
 prisoned, and beaten with rods, for no other crime 
 than propagating the gospel : and all of them, it is 
 said, at last suffered martyrdom, in their Master's 
 cause. And within the first three hundred years 
 after Christ, we are told in history of no less than 
 ten general persecutions of the christians, through- 
 out the whole Roman empire, designed to extirpate 
 their -very name from off the face of the earth. 
 Thus " did the heathen rage, and the people imagine 
 a vain thing. The kings of the earth sat them- 
 selves, and the rulers took counsel together, against 
 the Lord, and against his Anointed, saying, Let us 
 break their bands asunder, and cast away their 
 cords from us." 
 
 4. That the carnal mind is still enmity against 
 God, appears evident from the strange delight in 
 profaneness, so natural to mankind. 
 
 The psalmist, complaining to God of the profligate 
 workers of iniquity, says, " They speak against 
 thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in 
 vain." And well may those be called the enemies 
 of God,\vho do this ; or who take pleasure in them 
 that do it. When our neighbors sj^eak lightly of us 
 — when they use our name as a proverb and a by- 
 
222 Marias natke Enmity to God. [Ser. XIII. 
 
 Avord — when they make a mock of our serious in- 
 structions, counsels and admonitions, how do ive 
 take it ? Certainly, not as a mark of their esteem 
 and friendship, but of their hatred and contempt. 
 But how common a thing is it among mankind, 
 to treat the name, and word, and ways of God, in 
 this contemptuous manner ? How natural is it for 
 the sons of men to be profane ? to turn the sacred 
 scriptures into ridicule — to curse and swear, and 
 take the name of God in vain ? It is so natural to 
 them that nothing is more difficult than to keep little 
 children from learning such language, when they are 
 in the way of it, or than to break them of it when 
 once they have learnt it. And how much pleasure 
 do many appear to take in such discourse ! how 
 heartily will they laugh, without the least wit, only 
 at uttering or hearing horrid oaths and imprecations ! 
 This often seems no less unaccountable, than shock- 
 ing, to serious people. What pleasure there can 
 be in this way of sinning, or what temptation there 
 can be to it, many have been exceedingly at a loss 
 to conceive. Perhaps the pride of being thought 
 bold and fearless, may have some influence ; though 
 very little, one would think, when it is well known 
 that the most despicable of all human beings, very 
 commonly distinguish themselves by this sort of 
 courage, as much as the great and noble, or any men 
 whatever. Of this mysteiy, the doctrine in our textj 
 1 conceive, gives the only true and full solution. 
 
 Whence is it that men are so much disposed to 
 revile and slander one another, and have generally 
 such a relish for defamation ? It is owing to general 
 ill-nature, undoubtedly ; and very often to a particu- 
 lar, personal enmity. The pleasure taken in profane 
 discourse, it is very certain must proceed from a 
 similar cause. It gratifies the enmity of the carnal 
 mind against God and religion. Were it not for 
 this enmity, such horrid profanation of sacred things, 
 could afford no delight or entertainment to any mor- 
 
Ser. XIII.] Man's name Enmity to God, 223 
 
 tal* Were men friendly to the Deity, it would, 
 certainly, be most offensive and disgusting to them. 
 
 5. From the general love of sin, and hatred of the 
 law of righteousness, this enmity plainly appears. 
 " Ye that love the Lord," says the psalmist, " hate 
 evil." Nor can any thing be more natural or 
 necessary than that they should. Those who love 
 God with complancency, will hate sin, for what it is 
 in itself : and those who love him with any friendly 
 affectioUj will hate sin for his sake ; or because of 
 its being an offence and a dishonor to him. The 
 observation of the apostle John is an obvious truth ; 
 *' This is the love of God, that we keep his com- 
 mandments ; and his commandments are not griev- 
 ous." On the contrary, therefore, men's not keep- 
 ing the divine commandments, or their being griev- 
 ous to them, is an evidence of hatred of God. 
 
 This is the proof made use of by the apostle of the 
 truth of his assertion in our text. " The carnal 
 mind is enmity against God ; for it is not subject to 
 the law of God, neither indeed can be." A natural 
 man may do the external things which the divine 
 law enjoins, in some instances ; but it is by con- 
 straint, and not of a willing mind. His heart is 
 never in it, nor subject to it ; nor can it be until 
 renewed by divine grace. 
 
 6. The enmity of thenatural mind of man, against 
 the very being of God, is evident from the aversion 
 discovered to his absolute purposes and decrees, and 
 to the gospel doctrines of grace. It is well known 
 that these doctrines, like the sect of the Nazai-ines, 
 are every where spoken against. " Being predesti- 
 nated according to the purpose of him who worketh 
 all things after the counsel of his own ^^'ill : therefore 
 hath he mercy on whom he Avill have mercy, and 
 whom he will he hardeneth : Hath not the potter 
 power over the clay, of the same lump to make one 
 
221 Man's native Enmity to God. [Ser. XIII, 
 
 vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor ?" are 
 hard sayings : who can hear them ? These texts, 
 and others like them, give disgust to many in most 
 congregations, as soon as they are named as subjects 
 of discourse. Nor will this disgust be removed, un- 
 less the true sense of the texts be wholly explained 
 away, or flatly contradicted. To show the reasona- 
 bleness of them, and to guard against false inferences 
 from them, of a dangerous tendency, does no good. 
 The difficulties are not removed ; the objections still 
 remain. And remain they for ever will, as long as 
 the carnal mind remains, unless the Most High a^ ill 
 resign his throne. The reins must be given up to 
 every one's own self-determining power, or the mind 
 of man will not be satisfied. God must have no de- 
 crees — no sovereignty — no government of the moral 
 world, or the haughtiness of man will be offended. 
 
 Some may be really afraid, perhaps, that the 
 preaching of such doctrines, v/ill make men think 
 they are not free agents, or will encourage them in 
 carelessness and sin. These doctrines may be per- 
 verted and abused to bad purposes, it is true ; and 
 so may every other doctrine of the gospel, and every 
 thing else that is good. But, in general, the danger 
 of this is not the bottom of the business. If it were, 
 why is not as much opposition made to other divine 
 truths, which are not more clearly revealed, or less 
 frequently misimproved ? Whatever may be the os- 
 tensible reason, the real objection is, men do not 
 like that God should govern the world. They are 
 not willing that Ins counsel should stand, or that his 
 pleasure should be done. They would have Him 
 have no purpose, which cannot be frustrated ; or 
 which is not perpetually liable to be altered, by every 
 caprice of his giddy creatures. They would have 
 Him determine nothing, without consulting themj 
 and knowing first what is their will and pleasure. In 
 short ; man Avould be God, or he would have no 
 God. For a God without decrees — without a plan. 
 
Ser. XIII.] Man's nathe Enmity to God. 2^5 
 
 that he is able to prosecute, and will infallibly carry 
 into execution : a God dependant on the self- deter- 
 mining power of every lawless creature, is a perfect 
 cipher in the universe — a mere insignificant name. 
 
 We must be willing that there should be a Su- 
 preme Ruler over all — an Absolute Sovereign — 
 One who hath bound not only the ocean in his chain; 
 but men, and angels, and devils, by his immutable 
 decrees, over which they cannot pass, or we are not 
 willing to have any God. But such a God, certain- 
 ly is not chosen by the unanimous vote, if by a ma- 
 jority of mankind. Such a God, is by no means 
 consistent with that liberty, which has ever been 
 claimed, and strenuously contended for, in this re- 
 volted, rebellious, fallen world. 
 
 7. This enmity against God, in the native heart 
 of man, is manifest, from the extreme reluctance 
 Avhich we see in mankind of every age, to all seri- 
 ous discourses and meditations on divine things, and 
 to all the external duties of religion. It is said, 
 ** The wicked v.dll not seek after God : God is not 
 in all his thoughts. His ways are always grievous." 
 It is said of the heathen Gentiles, " They did not 
 like to retain God in their knowleds-e." And these 
 
 o 
 
 sayings are true, respecting all natural men. 
 
 Why do not the children of men remember their 
 Creator in the days of their youth ? They have every 
 thing to remind them of the God that m.ade them ; 
 and to excite them to love and serve him. Why do 
 they not, according to the good counsel of their Sav- 
 iour, " seek first the kingdom of God, and his right- 
 eousness?" They are urged to an early attention to 
 religion, by the raost interesting and weighty con- 
 siderations. By the preciousness of the soul, and the 
 irreparableness of its loss. By the shortness and un- 
 certainty of this life, and the never ending duration 
 of that which is to come. By the hope of eternal 
 happiness, and the awful danger of everlasting mise- 
 rv. Bv mercies and aiHictions ; by sicknesses often. 
 
 E e 
 
226 Man'^s nathe Enmity to God. [Ser. XlII, 
 
 cind by the frequent deaths of those around them, 
 and near to them. Yet they put it off, and put it 
 off ; waiting for a more liesure and convenient sea- 
 son, often till they are ready to drop into the grave 
 with old age. And even when they come to lie up- 
 on a dying bed, how common is it for sinners still 
 to delay attending in earnest to the concerns of their 
 souls, as long as they can possibly hope to live ? 
 
 Whence is it that attendance on the worship of 
 God in his house, only a few hours one day in seven, 
 is so great a weariness ; and on every frivolous ex- 
 cuse, is so readily neglected ? Whence is it so hard 
 a matter for many persons to maintain secret devo- 
 tion ; or even to attend morning and evening prayers 
 in their families ? Did they delight themselves in 
 the Almighty, certainly it would not be such a bur- 
 den to them always to call upon God. Were they 
 disposed to promote his glory, they would not be so 
 backward to worsliip him. 
 
 8. That the carnal mind is altogether enmity 
 against God, may be learnt from what is seen and 
 felt, 'when the Holy Ghost is striving Avith persons 
 in order to their conversion. Not the least love to 
 him is excited in the unregenerate, by the most clear 
 and genuine convictions of their duty and obligation. 
 On the contrary, under a powerful law- work, the 
 heart of a sinner is most of all apt to rise against God, 
 and to feel the strongest exercise of opposition to 
 him. For this we have the testimony of an apostle, 
 respecting himself. " Sin," says he, "taking occa- 
 sion by the commandment, wrought in me all man- 
 ner of concupiscence. For without the law sin \\ as 
 dead." 
 
 Thus numerous and incontestible are the evi- 
 dences, from scripture, observation, and experience, 
 that fallen men are by nature " enemies to God in 
 their minds ; and at heart, enmity itself against him. 
 It vv'as proposed. 
 
Ser. XIII.] Man's name Enmity to God. 227 
 
 IV. To inquire what can be the cause of this, or 
 how it is to be accounted for. 
 
 On tliis it will be proper to observe one or two 
 things negatively. 
 
 1. It is very certain that the enmity of the carnal 
 mind against God, does not arise from ignorance of 
 him, or from an erroneous belief concerning his 
 perfections and ways. 
 
 Some have supposed, that there is no enmity, in 
 any man against the Supreme Being, but only what 
 is owing to misapprehensions respecting his chai*- 
 acter, absolutely or relatively understood. In sup- 
 port of this opinion, one argument is taken from 
 what we are told in scripture, of the natural blind- 
 ness and ignorance of men, in regard to God 
 and the things of God. The Gentiles arc rep- 
 resented, in their state of paganism, as " having the 
 understanding darkened, and being alienated irora 
 the life of God, tlirough the ignorance that was in 
 them." And it is said, " The natural man recei\'- 
 eth not the things of the Spirit of God ; for they are 
 foolishness unto him, neither can he know them." 
 Whence it is argued, that the enmity of the un- 
 converted cannot be against God's real character, 
 rightly understood ; but must be against him only 
 according to their conception of him, vrhich is erro- 
 neous and wrong. 
 
 In ans^ver to this I would observe, tlipt a distinc- 
 tion is to be made between the knowledge of the true 
 God, and the true knowledge of God : or, between 
 a right speculative idea of what a Being he is, and 
 a perception of his amiablencss and glory. The 
 former requires only rational powers, and proper doc- 
 trinal information : the latter requires, in addition to 
 these, a holy disposition, or temper of mind. This 
 last kind of knowledge the natural man cannot liave : 
 and the only reason is, because be has no taste to 
 
228 Man's iiathe Enmity to God. [Ser. XIII^ 
 
 discern the beauty of holiness — no heart to relish 
 moral excellency. But as natural men are rational 
 creatures ; and as God has clearly manifested and re- 
 vealed himself, in his works and in his word ; so they 
 may understand what a J5eing he is, or what his at- 
 tributes are : which is knowledge enough to lay a. 
 foundation for the exercise of enmity against him as 
 being what he really is, and not merely as thinking 
 him to be what he is not. 
 
 But, it has been further said, All men naturally 
 approve a good moral character, and condemn a bad 
 one, V. henever they are fairly understood, stripped 
 of all false colorings and disguises : and hence it has 
 been concluded that God, who is perfectly and infi- 
 nitely good, cannot be hated by any, cannot but be 
 loved by all, unless through some misapprehension 
 concernine him. 
 
 To this, howcA er, it need only to be replied, that 
 there is a distinction to be made, between approving 
 or condemning a character in our conscience, and 
 loving or hating it in our heart. All men, and un- 
 doubtedly ail rational creatures, in their consciences, 
 approve that which is good, and condemn that which 
 is evil, in characters and actions, as far as they under- 
 stand them. But this is a very different thing from 
 loving holiness, and hating sin. Notwithstanding 
 this universal moral sense, of good and evil, oppo- 
 site characters cannot accord and feel a mutual com- 
 placency, or friendship, any more than there can be 
 communion betv»^een light and darkness, or Christ 
 and Belial. Though all men approve and disapprove 
 alike, yet, as an unjust man is an abomination to the 
 just ; so he that is upright in his ways, is abomina- 
 tion to the wicked. Nothing: is more common than 
 for men to see and approve what is good, while yet 
 they love, and pursue with eagerness, 'that which is 
 evil. Sinners cannot but feel a sort of veneration 
 for those A\'hom they are convmced are truly virtu- 
 ous and religious ; yet they ^.vill shun their company^ 
 
Ser. XIII.] Man''s iiadw Enmity to God. 229 
 
 and often persecute or revile them. And while 
 they associate with the vicious and profane, as their 
 most agreeable companions, they cannot but condemn 
 them in their consciences. In like manner, the Di- 
 vine character, rightly understood, must meet the 
 approbation of every man's conscience ; while, nev- 
 ertheless, no wicked man's heart can be pleased 
 with it, or feel any friendliness to a Being so glori- 
 ous in holiness. 1^ 
 
 But that the enmity of the carnal mind is against 
 the real character of God, and not merely against a 
 mistaken idea of him, is evident from almost every 
 argument by which this enmity has been now proved. 
 It is evident from tlie sinner's saying in his heart, or 
 "wishing to believe, there is no such God. It is evi- 
 dent from the idolatry of the heathen, and the strange 
 gods \\hich they made or "worshipped — gods which, 
 instead of being Almighty, had no might ; instead of 
 being omniscient, had no knowledge ; or instead of 
 being holy, just and good, were envious, unright- 
 eous, and abominably wicked. It is evident from 
 the delight which sinners take in the profanation of 
 things believed to be good, and most sacred. It is 
 evident from their hatred of the known laws of right- 
 eousness, and not being able to bear subjection to 
 them. It is evident from their opposing the doc- 
 trines of grace, of divine sovereignty, and divine 
 decrees. • It is evident from their reluctance to hear 
 or think of things eternal ; and from their putting off 
 all serious attention to religious subjects, contrary to 
 the dictates and painful remonstrances of conscience. 
 It is evident from the unfriendly and cruel treatment 
 which the faithful servants and prophets of God, and 
 his only begotten Son, have met with in the v. orld. 
 
 Indeed, were not the enmity of the carnal mind 
 against the real Supreme Being, there would be no 
 propriety in calling it enmity against God. Most 
 certainly, it could not be justly represented as im- 
 plying any moral depravity. Opposition to "wrong 
 
23a Man's natke Enmity to God. [Ser. Xllt 
 
 notions, of the Most High, is right. This is so far 
 from being peculiar to the carnal mind, that the 
 more spiritually minded any are, the -more will they 
 be opposed to erroneous representations of the 
 Deity, and with the warmer zeal will they contend 
 as:ainst them. 
 
 o 
 
 Nothing can be more evident, than that the enmity 
 of wicked men, against a holy and righteous God, 
 docs not aj^se from a mere misunderstanding. 
 
 2. It cannot well be supposed to be altogether 
 owing, to fears of divine wrath and punishment. 
 When sinners are under awakenings, and destruction 
 from God is a terror to them, their enmity against 
 him may be increased ; to be sure it will be more 
 sensibly felt : but it was in the bottom of their heart 
 before, however unperceived. Those most secure 
 in sin, practically say unto God, " Depart from us ; 
 we desire not the knowledge of thy ways." By 
 speaking against him, by taking his name in vain^ 
 and by Avicked works, it is plainly seen that they are 
 enemies to him in their minds. And it is hence 
 evident that their enmity against the Almighty doth 
 not wholly originate from an apprehension that he is 
 angry with them, and will cast them into hell. 
 
 On the other hand, I do not think that it proceeds 
 from disinterested malevolence ; or from a disposi- 
 tion to hate a good being when considered as stand- 
 ing in no relation to one's self ; or so as not to hurt 
 one's pride, or any of the feelings of personal respect. 
 There is no necessity of supposing a principle of 
 disinterested malice in any creature : nor can such a 
 principle be supposed to exist, without its having 
 been produced immediately by the same power that 
 created the world. But such an hypothesis appears 
 anti-scriptural, and absurd. I conclude, therefore, 
 that there is not, in the most " depraved creature, 
 disinterested unfriendliness to any being ; or hatred 
 of holiness for its own sake. 
 
Ser. Xlli.] Marl's natke Enmity to God. 23 1 
 
 The M'^ay is now prepared to say, affirmatively, 
 whence the enmity of the carnal mind against God 
 does arise ; and how it is to be accounted for. 
 
 I suppose it proceeds, from mere selfishness. 
 That is, from self-love, without the counterpoise of 
 any disinterested benevolence to other beings. 
 There are several ways in M^hich such perfect self- 
 ishness will naturally be productive of enmity against 
 others ; and the more so in proportion as they are 
 above us, and have power over us : most of all, 
 therefore, against the Supreme Being. Self-love, 
 without benevolence to others, is directly opposed to 
 all subordination — to all subjection — to all control. 
 It aspires after absolute independence, and unbound- 
 ed liberty. It also loveth to have the pre-eminence, 
 in all things. It hates to be out shone ; or to have 
 any superior, in greatness, or fame, or felicit}^ Self- 
 ishness, when total and entire, makes the individual 
 in whom it reigns, however low and little, the centre 
 and end of every thought and wish, of every word 
 and action. Now, it is easy to see, that one whose 
 heart is thus totally selfish, will thence become an 
 enemy to all around him ; especially to all above him ; 
 and more especially to the Most High, who is infi- 
 nite in greatness and glor}'^, and absolute in domin- 
 ion over all. 
 
 A few inferences will now close this long dis- 
 course. 
 
 I. Hence we may learn, that the common love of 
 liberty, though natural to men, is no infallible argu- 
 ment in favor of human nature. 
 
 The love of one kind of liberty, indeed, and of 
 several kinds in a due degree, is a good thing. A 
 desire of liberty from the bondage of corruption, is 
 certainly laudable. This is the liberty meant, u hen 
 it is said, John viii. 36, " If the Son shall make you 
 free, ye shall be free indeed," A desire of liberty 
 
^32 Man^s native Enmity to God. [Ser. XIIL 
 
 froii^ menial servitude, if it be not an impatient de- 
 sire, is what the gospel allows and approves. *' Art 
 thou called, being a servant?" says the apostle to 
 the Corinthians, '' caie not for it ; but if thou may- 
 est be made free, use it rather." A desire of liberty 
 to do our duty, ip. every station of life; and liberty 
 to speak the truth, when it ought to be spoken, is 
 undoubtedly reasoiiable and right. 
 
 But that ardent love of political liberty, which is 
 common among men, and which has made so much 
 noise in the world, may possibly not be a virtue, 
 acceptable to God. If it were, mankind must cer- 
 tainly be a very virtuous race of beings, without the 
 grace of God that bringeth salvation : for, in natural 
 men — in Pagans, and infidels, this flaming love of 
 liberty is ever most conspicuous. But, possibly, in 
 many instances, it may be nothing else, at bottom, 
 than narrow self-love, 
 
 " Or close ambition, varnish'd o'er with zeal." 
 
 It may proceed from the ver}^ same principle, and 
 want of principle, whence the carnal mind is not 
 subject to the law of God, nor can be. That such 
 notions of liberty as have often prevailed, and those 
 violent commotions which the ardent love of such 
 liberty has often occasioned, should be so generally 
 Sipproved and celebrated, is rather a proof of the 
 deceitfulness of sin, and of the readiness of mankind 
 to call evil good ; than any indisputable evidence of 
 the goodness of human nature. 
 
 2. Hence \\e need not wonder, that, in such a 
 world as this, there should be much opposition made 
 to good government, as well as to pure and undefiled 
 religion : that artful attempts should be made totally 
 to separate them, and prevent their being any sup- 
 port to each other ; and by all manner of sophistry and 
 slander, as much as possible, to weaken the restrain- 
 ing influence of both. 
 
Ser. XIII.] Mafi'^s nathe Enmity to God. 233 
 
 It lias been said, The worst of men \\ ill w ish to 
 have good government ; because they must know it 
 is necessary for their own safetj- and peace. 
 
 But there is a mistake in this argument. The 
 hearts of men govern their heads. Their passions, 
 and con'upt inclinations, blind their eyes, in a thou- 
 sand instances, to their own plainest interest. 
 Though wicked men may be convinced of its being 
 necessary for their own safety, that others should be 
 restrained from iniquity ; and though, from this 
 conviction, they may sometimes vote for wise and 
 just rulers ; yet, from their hatred of being under 
 subjection and restraint themselves, they may easily 
 be led to struggle for licentious liberty, to clamor 
 against good rulers, and to advance men who profess 
 to be their humble servants ; or who, being of loose 
 mamiers themselves, they hope will not much inter- 
 rupt them in their ungodly and unrighteous freedoms. 
 They may easily be induced to form factions and 
 cabals, and to combine together against the best 
 government, as well as the best religion. They may 
 wisli to have them totally disconnected, whereiji 
 God hath joined them together for mutual support ; 
 and thus, as well as by otlier means, to have both 
 weakened, that their galling bands may be broken 
 with less difficulty, and their restraining cords cast 
 a^vay from them. 
 
 Until, more generally, mankind are vvilling there 
 should be a God in heaven, who is good and just; 
 certainly, we are not to expect that they will be 
 unanimous in choosing just and good rulers on earth ; 
 or that they will be long easy and peaceable under 
 the administration of such. 
 
 3. Hence good men, in every station and calling, 
 should learn to be?ir with patience, the enmity and 
 revilings of mankind. " Marvel not, my brethren," 
 says the apostle John, " if the world hiite vou." 
 When it is considered how men treated the Son of 
 
 F f 
 
234 Man's native Enmity to God. [Ser. XlII. 
 
 God, and how they treat the name of God ; no 
 good man should think much of it, if they treat his 
 name and person, with no great respect or tenderness. 
 *' If the world hate you," said our Saviour to his 
 disciples, " ye know that it hated me before it hated 
 you." And again; " It is enough for the disciple 
 that he be as his Master, and the servant as his 
 Lord." 
 
 Christ hath also pronounced a beatitude on his 
 followers, who should expose themselves to the en- 
 mity of the world, by their steadfast opposition to its 
 evil ways, and by their faithful adherence to him. 
 " Blessed are they that are persecuted for righteous- 
 ness' sake ; for their's is the kingdom of heaven. 
 Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and perse- 
 cute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you 
 falsely for my sake," 
 
 4. From what has been said it may be seen, and 
 should be laid to heart, how sinful and dangerous it 
 is, to continue in a state of native depravity, and op- 
 position to God and goodness. Can any thing be 
 more criminal than to be at enmity with your Crea- 
 tor ? or any thing more awful than to have the Al- 
 mighty for your adversary ? What can you do when 
 He riseth up ? and when He shall visit in anger, 
 what can you answer ? Lay down then the weapons 
 of rebellion, your wicked works ; and seek paixlon 
 and reconciliation. He hath said, " Fury is not in 
 me : "who would set the briers and thorns against mc 
 ill battle ? I would go through them, I would burn 
 them together. Or let him take hold of my strength, 
 that he may make peace with me ; and he shall make 
 peace with me." 
 
 5. The apostle's inference from our text, is obvi- 
 ously true and just. " So then,, they that are in the 
 iiesh cannot please God." The externally moral, 
 the reformed, and such as are in the diligent use of 
 
Ser. XIII.] Marl's natke Enmity to God. 2JJ5 
 
 the means of grace, are apt to trust in these good 
 things, as what will recommend them to the divine 
 favor. But if the mind be still enmity against God, 
 can he be pleased with such appearances of respect 
 and duty ? All such righteousnesses are as filthy rags 
 — are dead works. Such self-righteousness is often 
 fatal to souls, as well as open unrighteousness. Isa. 
 1. 11, " Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that com- 
 pass yourselves about with sparks ; walk in the light 
 of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. 
 This shall ye have of mine liand, ye shall lie down iii 
 sorrow.." 
 
*«e 
 
 SERMON XIV. 
 
 6N THE SOVEREIGNTY OE GOD, IN THE EFFECT- 
 UAL CALLING OF SINNERS. 
 
 ROMANS IX. 18. 
 
 Therefore hath he mercy on ivhom he itiill have mercy., arid 
 nvhom he tviU he hardeneth, 
 
 X HIS is a doctrine of the gospel, against 
 which many have ever been ready to object. It is 
 a doctrine which needs explanation. Rightly un- 
 derstood, as taught in tlie New- Testament, it ^vill 
 commend itself to every man's conscience, I appre- 
 hend, as unexceptionable ; however displeasing it 
 may always be, to tlie unhumbled and unsanctified 
 heart of man 
 
 God's leaving his ancient people the Jews, gener- 
 ally, to reject the gospel ; and sending it to the Gen- 
 tiles, accompanied with the efficacious operation of 
 his Holy Spirit, was what led tlie apostle to insist 
 upon this doctrine in our text and context. To si- 
 lence the murmurings of the former, he observes to 
 them that the Holy One of Israel had always claimed, 
 and often exercised a like sovereignty, in making 
 the.first last, and the last first. To this puq)Ose, 
 after cursorily noticing the preference given to Isaac 
 before Ishmael, in the familv of Abraham ; he men- 
 
238 Dh'ine Soiiereignty, [Ser. XI W 
 
 tions more at large, the instance of Esau and Jacob,, 
 and what was revealed to their mother Rebecca con- 
 cerning them, before their birth: Ver. 11 — 13, 
 *' For the children being not yet born, neitlier hav- 
 ing done any good or evil, (that the purpose of God 
 according to election might stand, not of works, but 
 of him thatcalleth,) it was said unto her. The elder 
 shall serve the younger : as it is written, Jacob have 
 I loved, but Esau have I hated." To this purpose 
 he recites a saying of God to their venerated law- 
 giver; ver. 15, " For he saithto Moses, I will have 
 mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have 
 compassion on whom I will have compassion." To 
 this end also, he refers them to what was recorded 
 of the great oppressor of their ancestors in Egj^pt ; 
 ver. 17, " For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, 
 even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, 
 that I might shew my power in thee, and that my 
 name might be declared throughout all the earth." 
 From these examples and declarations, the apostle 
 then draws the conclusion in our text : " Therefore 
 hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and 
 whom he will he hardeneth." 
 
 For the illustration and defence of this conclusion, 
 it is no\v proposed, 
 
 I. To inquire what is meant by God's hardening 
 men, and what by his having mercy on them. 
 
 II. To explain his sovereignty in thus making 
 men to differ : and, 
 
 III. To answer objections against the doctrine of 
 such divine sovereignty. 
 
 What is here meant by God's hardening men,, 
 and what by his having mercy on them, we will first 
 briefly inquire. 
 
Sen XIV. i in Effectual Calling. 239 
 
 Sinners are said to be hardened, when they remain 
 in impenitence and unbelief; and especially, when 
 they grow more and more secure in sin. When they 
 go on in the broad way to destruction, unapprehen- 
 sive of guilt or danger. When neither counsels nor 
 reproofs, mercies nor judgments, are regarded by 
 them, or make any suitable impression on their 
 minds. When, in addition to the stony heart, com- 
 mon to all natural men, which renders them incapable 
 of all truly virtuous or religious affections ; they 
 have lost, in a great measure, the feelings of con- 
 science, of shame, and of fear. The case of such is 
 often described in scripture. See Job xv. 25, 26, 
 " For he stretcheth out his hand against God, and 
 strengtheneth himself against the Almighty. He 
 runneth upon him, even on his neck, upon the thick 
 bosses of his bucklers." Jer. vi. 15, " Were they 
 ashamed when they had committed abomination ? 
 nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could 
 they blush." Eph. iv. 19, " Who, being past 
 feeling, have given themselves over unto lacivious- 
 ness, to work all uncleanness with greediness." 
 And 1 Tim. iv. 2, " Speaking lies in hypocrisy ; 
 having their conscience seared with a hot iron." 
 
 But, how are we to understand that God thus 
 hardens men ? 
 
 It must be understood, at least, that he leaves 
 them to continue in impenitence, and to grow secure 
 in evil courses. It must be understood, also, that 
 God orders all those outward circumstances and 
 events, which prove the means of making sinners 
 more and more hardened in iniquity. But any thing 
 more, I apprehend, it need not be supposed he ever 
 does, in this matter. Certainly, there is nothing in 
 his word, or in his Providences, which would thus 
 harden any, were it not for their perverse misim- 
 provement of things good in themselves, and well 
 adapted to do them good, had they an ear to hear, 
 aPid a heart to understand. Nor need we imagine 
 
240 l)mne Sovereignty, [Ser. XlV. 
 
 that God ever infuses hardness of heart, or insensibiL 
 ity of conscience, into any man, by the immediate 
 influence of his Holy Spirit. We are told, indeed, 
 of his making the heait of a people fat, and tlieir 
 ears dull of heai-ing : but by this nothing more may be 
 meant, than what is expressed in other places, by his 
 leaving people to their own heait-lust ; and giving 
 men over to a reprobate mind. The proper idea of 
 hardness of heart, and also of a seared conscience, is 
 only the want of feeling, or of an aptness to feel. 
 To the taking place of either of these, therefore, a 
 mere witiidrawment, on God's part, is sufficient. 
 The giving a new sense, must be a work of creation ; 
 but in order to tlie weakening, or the total loss, of 
 any of our senses, no such positive divine operation 
 is required. Accordingly, men are most commonly 
 said, in scripture, to harden themselves. As every 
 man is tempted to sin, when he is drawn away of his 
 own lust and enticed ; so, when any one is hardened 
 in sin, it is by his own blinding passions and evil 
 practices. 
 
 The history of Pharaoh, alluded to in our text, 
 may help us to understand how far the divine agency 
 is concerned in hardening sinners. God says, in- 
 deed, " I will harden Pharaoh's heart." But how 
 was this done ? In the first place by permitting the 
 miracles of Moses and Aaron to be counterfeited 
 by magic art. " The magicians did so widi their 
 enchantments, and Pharaoh's heart was hardened," 
 His obduracy was further increased, by the repeated 
 removal of the plagues sent upon him. Thus, as 
 soon as the frogs died, it is said, "■ When Pharaoh 
 saw there was respit, he hardened his heait." And 
 when the swarms of flies were taken away at one 
 time, and the thunder and hail ceased at another, 
 " Pharaoh hardened his heart," we ai'e told, " and 
 sinned yet the more." This is a common case with 
 sinners. '' Because sentence against an evil work 
 
Ser. XIV.] /■;/ Effectual Calling. 24 i 
 
 is not executed speedily ; therefore the heart of the 
 sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." 
 
 The scriptures do not teach us, I think, nor does 
 reason oblige us to believe, that God ever hardens 
 the impenitent workers of iniquity, except in some 
 such ways as these. By withholding the influences 
 of his Spirit, to a^-aken their fears, quicken their 
 consciences, and soften their hearts : by permitting 
 Satan or his instruments to deceive and stupify them ; 
 and by exercising such goodness, and forbearance, 
 and long-suffering, as ought in all reason to lead 
 them to repentance ; but from which, (through an 
 evil heart of unbelief and ingratitude) they are led to 
 greater boldness and security in sin. 
 
 By God's having mercy on men, as it here stands 
 opposed to his hardening tliem, Ave are naturally to 
 understand his a^vakening, convincing, and concert- 
 ing sinners. More especially, as it is expressed in 
 Ezekiel, his " taking the stony heart out of their 
 flesh, and giving them a heart of flesh." Says the 
 apostle to Titus, " according to his mercy he saved 
 lis, by the vrashing of regeneration, and renewing of 
 the Holy Ghost." And that this is the mercy spok- 
 en of in our text, appears plainly from its connection. 
 See particularly, ver. 21 — 24, of the context. 
 *' Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the 
 same lump to ma^e one vessel unto honor, and an- 
 other unto dishonor ? What if God, willing to shew 
 his wrath, and to make his power known, endured 
 with much long-suffering the vessels of wTath fitted 
 to destruction ; and that he might make kno^^Ti the 
 riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which 
 he had afore prepared unto glory ; even us, whom 
 he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the 
 Gentiles." The apostle is evidently speaking, not 
 merely of an election and reprobation of nations, in 
 regard to externd privileges ; but also of God's 
 calling some individuals to the belief and obedience 
 of the gospel, and to the blessings of his kingdom of 
 
 G g 
 
242 Dhine SoDCireignty, [Ser. XIV. 
 
 glory ; "while he left others to impenitence and final 
 perdition. 
 
 II. Let us now consider how it is to be understood, 
 that God, acts the absolute sovereign, in making 
 men thus to differ. 
 
 By divine sovereignty we are never to understand, 
 such groundless arbitrariness, as is often acted by the 
 potentates of the earth. God never acts without 
 reason. He never does things, as men often do, 
 merely because he can, or because he will. To cre- 
 ated intelligences, " his way is in the sea," many 
 times, " and his path in the deep waters ;" but to 
 himself, " his footsteps," are always well known. 
 If "he giveth not account of any of his matters," 
 it is not because he is unable to give a good account 
 of them all. " Being predestinated," says the apos- 
 tle, " according to the purpose of him who worketh 
 all things after the counsel of his own will." Which 
 implies, not onh/ that God asks no advice, and needs 
 none ; but also that he always acts with counsel 
 — with consummate wisdom. Our Saviour, in his 
 prayer on a certain occasion said, " I thank thee, O 
 Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, tliat thou hast 
 hid these things from the wise and prudent, and 
 hast revealed them unto babes : even so, Father ; 
 for so it seemed good in thy sight." In this case, 
 and in all other cases, it seemeth good in the sight of 
 God to do as he does : and, undoubtedly, there is 
 always some good reason^ why it so seemeth. 
 
 But the following things are supposed or implied, 
 in God's soverei£!:nt\% relatiiiLC to die conversion of 
 sinners : 
 
 1. That, in point of justice, he Is under no obli- 
 gation, one way or the other. ' And this is an un- 
 questionable truth. He can be just, and yet have 
 mercy ; and he can be just, and not have mercy, on 
 any unregenerate sinner. 
 
Ser. XIV. 3 in Effectual Calling. 243 
 
 Indeed, had it not been for the mediation and 
 atonement of Christ, saving mercy could not have 
 been exercised towai-ds any of the fallen race of man, 
 consistently with justice. Sin must not go unpun- 
 ished : the guilty must by no means be cleared, witli- 
 out adequate satisfaction. God's righteousness, as 
 governor of die world, would have obliged him to 
 execute deserved indignation and Avrath on every 
 soul of man that doth evil, had diere been no other 
 possible way than by personal punishment, to mani- 
 fest his holy displeasure, to support his rightful au- 
 thority, and to make his rational creatures stand in 
 awe, and not sin. But now, since he hath foimd a 
 ransom — since he hath set forth his own Son to be 
 a propitiation ; he can be just and the justifier of eve- 
 ry believer in Jesus ; and just in giving repentance 
 and faith to whomsoever he sees fit. Still, however, 
 he is at full liberty to choose tlie subjects of his re- 
 newing mercy, as he thinks proper. Even the obe- 
 dience and sufferings of Christ, do not lay God the 
 Father under any obligation, which is inconsistent 
 ^v•ith his most sovereign grace. And certainly no 
 sinner, by his own personal merit, can lay the Most 
 High under such obligation. In this regard, " there 
 is no difference : for all have simied, and come short 
 of the glory of God." No one, therefore, has any 
 just claim upon him, on the ground of merit. Eve- 
 ry one hath merited to be for ever cast off, and made 
 an eternal vessel of ^^rath. 
 
 But the honor of God's law and justice, since 
 Christ has died, doth not require that mankind 
 should be dealt with according to the respective 
 merit of each individual. Nor is this now the iuA a- 
 riablq rule of his procedure with the fallen children 
 of men. He doth not have mercy only on those w ho 
 deserve mercy, and harden all who deser^'e to be 
 hardened. If he did, he w^ould harden all : he would 
 ha\^e mercy on none. In making the chosen people 
 of Clirist, his willing people, in the day of his power, 
 
244 Divine Sovereignty^ [Scr. XIV, 
 
 hedeals with them far better than they justly deserve, 
 though not inconsistently with justice. There is no 
 inerit which obliges him to save, nor any demerit 
 which obliges him not to save, any impenitent sin- 
 ner. In point of justice, he is at perfect liberty to 
 regenerate, or to leave in unregeneracy, any child of 
 Adam. His having mercy on \^'hom he will have 
 mercy, most evidently supposes this. 
 
 2. It supposes that he is at liberty also, in point 
 of truth : being bound by no conditional promises^ 
 or conditional threatenings. 
 
 In some cases the truth of God obliges him. In 
 all cases wherein he has given his w ord. This is 
 the case respecting the pardon of penitent believ- 
 ers, and their final salvation ; and respecting the 
 eternal perdition of those who die in impenitence and 
 unbelief. It is written, " He that belie veth, and is 
 baptized shall be saved ; but he that believeth not 
 shall be damned." It is written, " He that believ- 
 eth on the Son hath everlasting life : and he that 
 believeth not the Son shall not see life ; but the 
 wrath of God abideth on him." Hence, though 
 justification is of God's free grace, as well as effect- 
 ual calling ; yet it is never said, Whom he will he 
 justifieth, and whom he will he condemncth. The 
 reason is, in this he proceeds with men according to 
 an established constitution." A constitution of which 
 not one tittle shall ever fail, any more than of the 
 moral la"\v. The promises and threatenings of the 
 gospel, will be as inviolably observed by the Judge 
 of all tlie earth, as the original rule of eternal right. 
 But, with rcsj^ect to eifectual calling, there are no 
 such divine cleclaratjons, God hath left himself at 
 liberty in his word, to regenerate, or to leave in un- 
 regeneracy, any impenitent sinner whom he pleases. 
 As long as persons are unrenewed in the spirit of 
 dieir minds, and have not the love of God in them, 
 whatever external duties they may perforin, from 
 
Ser. XIV.] in Effectual Calling. ^45 
 
 selfish motives, they are entitled to no promises of 
 converting gi'ace. Nor does any sin, (unless we must 
 except the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost,) ex- 
 clude a person fi'om the possibility of obtaining this 
 mercy. God may grant repentance unto life, to the 
 greatest sinner ; or he may not grant it to one who 
 has committed the fewest and least aggravated sins, 
 notwithstanding any thing in his word. This, I think, 
 is implied in the doctrine of his having mercy on whom 
 he will ha^^e mercy, and hardening whom he will. 
 
 3. It may imply, that he is free from all those 
 feelings towards sinners, which might bias his mind, 
 or render him incapable of dealing v, ith them accord- 
 ing to the most perfect counsel of his own wisdom. 
 That he is never so influenced by love or hatred, 
 tenderness or anger, as to be unable to save, or to 
 destroy, any sinner, when he judges it will be for 
 the best. 
 
 Divine mercy is infinite ; but it is always guided by 
 divine wisdom. It can pass over the highest provo- 
 cations ; but it will never lead to such lenity, in par- 
 ticular instances, as would do hurt upon the whole. 
 *' God is angry with the wicked every day ;" and 
 in proportion, no doubt, to the greatness of their 
 wickedness ; but he is never so angry as to be im- 
 placable and unmerciful. His anger will never burn 
 to the lowest hell, only when it is absolutely neces- 
 sary, for important ends. The goodness of God is 
 an infinite inclination to promote the highest possible 
 good of the universe ; and, as fiu* as is consistent 
 with this, the best good of every individual, how- 
 ever despicable, however ill-deserving. A^id as to 
 that wrath which is cruel, such fury is not in him. 
 God is not subject to any thing like those ungovern- 
 able emotions of weak mortals, which often obstruct 
 the. proper exercises of pity ; and which often ren- 
 der the operations of it indiscreet. Neither his com- 
 placency nor displeasure — neither his anger nor com- 
 
246 Dmne Sovereigiity, [Ser. XIV. 
 
 passion, should be conceived of as resembling our 
 iiTCguIar passions. He is therefore calmly free, to 
 exercise unerring wisdom, in softening or hardei\ing, 
 the rebellious childien of men. Hence, 
 
 4. Such is the sovereignt\^ of God, that it cannot 
 be foreknown, by any rules of human probability, 
 who will be the subjects of his renewing grace 
 This I take to be one thing implied in our Saviour's 
 saying to Nicodemus ; " The wind bloweth where 
 it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but 
 canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it go- 
 eth ; so is ever}^ one that is born of the Spirit." 
 
 The parentage or education of persons, is nothing 
 whereby it can be certainly determined, whether 
 they will be truly ^ irtuous or not. Sometimes those 
 descended from the most pious ancestors, are profli- 
 gate, hardened wretches ; and sometimes those born 
 of most ungodly parents, are the regenerate children 
 of God. Abraham had a wild and mocking Ishmael; 
 Isaac, a profime Esau ; and Eli, and David, had very 
 wicked sons. On the other hand, Abijah, in whom 
 there was found some good thing toward the Lord, 
 descended immediately from Jeroboam the son of 
 Nebat, who made Israel to sin. The good king Hez- 
 ekiah, was son to an idolatrous Ahaz ; and Josiah, 
 whose heart was tender, and Avhose piety and virtue 
 were so eminent, was the son of Ammon, who did 
 evil in the sight of the Lord, as his father Manasseh 
 had done. 
 
 The outward condition of persons, ^vhether high 
 or low, affluent or indigent, is not any thing Avhcnce 
 it can be known, what their state will be relative to 
 another world. Our Saviour indeed says, "It is 
 easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, 
 than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of 
 heaven ;" but he adds, " With God all things are 
 possible." In the days of the apostles, we are told, 
 " Not many wise men after the flesh, not many 
 
Ser. XIV.] i7i Effectual Calling, 247 
 
 mighty, not many noble were called :" sojne never- 
 theless, of the gi-eat, and powerful, and learned, then 
 were, and have been in every succeeding age, good 
 christians. And certainly, all the poor of this world, 
 are not rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom of 
 heaven. 
 
 No external morality or immorality of persons, 
 makes it certain whether they will be saved, or 
 left to perish in sin and self-righteousness. The 
 young ruler who came running to our Saviour, ad- 
 dressed him so respectfully, and inquired of him with 
 so much earnestness what he should do that he might 
 have eternal life, it seems, had been very exact in 
 keeping the commandments from his youth up ; yet 
 he lacked one thing, and after all had not a heart to 
 relinquish his eaithly possessions, and take up his 
 cross, and become a follower of Christ. But Mary 
 Magdalene, and one of the thieves crucified with 
 our Saviour, were made true penitents, and had their 
 sins forgiven them. 
 
 ^ Lastly ; Neither the greatest present security in 
 sin renders the case of a person hopeless, in regard 
 to obtaining mercy ; nor do the greatest awakenings 
 or convictions of natural men, remove all grounds of 
 fear, that they may still fail of the special grace of 
 God. Those who have been most stout-hearted, 
 as well as farthest from righteousness, are sometimes 
 suddenly smitten to the ground, and brought to be of 
 a humble and contrite spirit. And on the other 
 hand, there is no stage of convictions, perhaps, from 
 which some have not relapsed into insensibility of 
 conscience, and final hardness of heart. After regen- 
 eration, we may be confident that he who hath begun 
 a good work will perform it, until it is perfected ; 
 but previously to this, all is uncertainty. An unbe- 
 liever, having not complied with the covenant of 
 grace, is unentitled to any of its promises. x\ll 
 these promises of God, are Yea and Amen, only in 
 Christ; and they belong to none but those who be- 
 
248 JDhine Soniereignty, [Ser. XIV; 
 
 Jong to him. When a sinner's convictions are most 
 deep and genuine, still he may be left, and be lost. : 
 as in the case of the most obstinate opposers of all 
 religion, there is a peradventure that they may be 
 brought to repentance. God is sometimes found of 
 them that sought him not ; and many shall seek to 
 enter in at the strait gate, and shall not be able, 
 
 We proceed now, as was proposed, 
 
 III. To consider the objections which have been 
 made, and which are apt to arise in the minds of 
 persons, against this doctrine. 
 
 One of the most common objections, and the first 
 which I shall mention, is, that such divine sovereign- 
 ty is unjust. 
 
 This objection is introduced in our context, after 
 the instance of Esau and Jacob : " What shall we 
 say then? Is there unrighteousness with God?" 
 
 The apostle answers, " God forbid ;" or, far be it. 
 Be it far from any man, thus to reply against his 
 Maker ; or to harbor in his heart such a bold and 
 injurious suggestion. 
 
 And after what has been said, for explaining how 
 God acts as a sovereign, in having mercy on sinners, 
 and in hardening them, it may easily be seen, that 
 his justice herein is unimpeachable : and that any 
 objection against it, thence arising, is unfounded^ 
 and without the least color of reason. 
 
 This divine sovereignty respects, only the bestow- 
 ment or withholding of undeserved favors. There is 
 no claim, on the part of man, in point of equity. In 
 matters of free gift, even 7ne7i are not wont to be 
 accused of injustice, though they single out some, 
 in preference to others, as the objects of their be^ 
 neficence : And shall man be thought to have a juster 
 right than God, to act the sovereign in such cases ! 
 The answer of the householder to one of- his mur- 
 
Ser. XIV.] in Effectual Calling. 249 
 
 muring laborers, in our Saviour's pai-ible of the 
 vine}'ai"cl, is enough, in all reason, for e^er to silence 
 tliis objection. " Friend, I do thee no wrong :-^ 
 Take that thine is, and go thy way : — Is it not lawful 
 for me to do what I will with mine own ? is thine 
 eye evil because I am good ?" We may as reason- 
 ably dispute the right of the Supreme Being to make 
 any differences among men, in the gifts of nature or 
 Providence, as his right to afford the influences of his 
 special grace, with sovereign diversity. Yea, we 
 may as well dispute the justice of his making any 
 creatures inferior to men ; or men not equal to the 
 highest angels. In matters of unmerited favor, sove- 
 reign discriminations may surely be made, v»dthout 
 any interference v."ith the claims of justice. Lpt 
 sinners only be convinced that they deserve nothing 
 from God but everlasting destruction, and their 
 mouths A\ ill be stopped. They will see that they lie 
 at sovereign mercy. And what else can those de- 
 serve at the hand of God, who have been guilty of 
 numberless transgressions of his holv law, and who 
 are still of that carnal mind' which is enmity against 
 him ? But, 
 
 2. It is objected, that if the doctrine of divine 
 sovereignty, in making these infinite differences, 
 does not suppose that there is unrighteousness with 
 God ; yet it supposes, at least, thtit he is partial, and 
 a respecter of persons. We read, " There is no 
 resi>ect of persons with God :" but if it be true, 
 that he leaves some sinners to final impenitence, and 
 changes the hearts of othere, who Vv'^ere equally un- 
 worthy, or more ill-deserving, must he not be the 
 greatest respecter of persons in the universe ? 
 
 To this I answer ; That respect of persons which 
 the Bible condemns, and any thing of which is de- 
 nied to be in God, has reference only to matters of 
 judgment and retribution. It means that favor or 
 disaffection which may bias a judge, and cause him 
 
 H h 
 
250 Dhine Soiicrei^ity, [Ser, XIV. 
 
 to pass an unrighteous sentence. So that, according 
 to the scripture sense of respecting persons, this 
 objection comes to the same as the former, and hath 
 been already answered. 
 
 But in any sense of the phrase, tliere is no respect 
 of persons in God's having mercy on whom he will 
 have mercy, and hardening whom he will. It is not 
 any thing which God respects in one, more than in 
 another, that is the cause of his giving him a better 
 disposition. The reverse of this, is the very doc- 
 trine itself. The subjects of God's special grace, 
 are those w^ho were most hateful in his holy eyes, as 
 well as those who were least so. It cannot therefore 
 be from a partial love of complacency, certainl}^ that 
 he is induced to make these differences. Nor need 
 it be supposed to proceed from a partial love of be- 
 nevolence. A rich man may help one needy person 
 more than another, and yet feel alike benevolent to 
 both : he may think that giving to one of them v ill 
 some way answer better purposes, than giving to 
 the other. A parent, in the disposal of his estate, 
 may settle a larger inheritance on one child than on 
 some of the rest, and yet have an equal affection for 
 them all. He may have a view to the honorable 
 support of his own name, or to the good of his fam- 
 ily taken collectively, or to the public good. And 
 may not the supreme Parent and Benefactor, have 
 equally wise inducements for the various differences 
 he makes among his creatures, in creation, provi- 
 dence and grace ? 
 
 His having mercy on some, and hardening som.e, 
 of e\ery description among natural men, is so far 
 from indicating any respect of persons, that it clearly 
 evinces the very reverse. It plainly proves that the 
 election of the subjects of his special grace, is " not 
 for then- sakes, but for his own name's sake:" or 
 thiit, not a partial kindness for individuals, but a 
 \ iew to the greater general good, is the ground of all 
 this variety of distribution. But, 
 
Ser. XIV.] in Effectual Calling. 251 
 
 3. Perhaps it will be said, we can conceive no 
 adequate reasons why there should be such diiFeren- 
 ces ; or why it v/ould not be better — more for the 
 glory of God and the universal good, if all men were 
 saved, and made equally happy. To this, however, 
 the answer is at hand. What if we, who " are of 
 yesterday, and kno^v nothing," cannot comprehend 
 the reasons of the ways of the only wise God ? does 
 it thence follow that they must be arbitrary and with- 
 out reason ? Let us not be so vain as to imagine 
 that we can find out the Almighty unto perfection. 
 Shall a worm of the dust, assume the seat of univer- 
 sal judgment, and condemn the eternal counsels of 
 heaven as unwise, because the wisdom of them is 
 beyond his shallow comprehension ! Had God re- 
 vealed no reasons why he does not save all men, or 
 why he makes one man to differ from another, and 
 could we conceive of none ; yet a very small degree 
 of modesty would lead us to conclude, that He may 
 see sufficient reasons. 
 
 The reasons why he hath mercy on this person 
 rather than on that, in particular instances, it may 
 well be supposed, are secret things which belong to 
 Him, and of which it does not concern us to be 
 informed : but some of the general reasons of his 
 singling out the objects of his mercy in such a sove- 
 reign manner, are revealed ; and are such as we may 
 in some good measure understand. 
 
 One reason is, that he may hide pride from man, 
 and that the freeness of his grace may be dul}^ man- 
 ifested. Isa. ii. 17, " The loftiness of man shall be 
 bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be 
 made low, and the Lord alone shall be exalted." 
 And Rom. ix. 11, " That the purpose of God ac- 
 cording to election might stand, not of works, but 
 of him that calleth." 
 
 Another reason is, that his glory may be more 
 conspicuous, in the punishment of all sorts of sin- 
 ners, according to their respective deeds and desert. 
 
252 Dmnc So'uereig?iiy, [Ser. XIV. 
 
 See ill the context, ver. 22, " What if God, willing 
 to shew his wrath and to make his power known, en- 
 dured with much long-siifFering the vessels of wrath 
 fitted to destruction." In the future misery of the 
 finally impenitent, the holiness and justice, as well 
 as the power and wrath of Gotl, will be conspicuous. 
 And by his leaving some to perish v.hose sins have 
 been attended with all the diiTerent circumstances 
 and degrees of aggravation, and alleviation, oppor- 
 tunity will be given for a miore full display of exact 
 remunerating righteousness. 
 
 Hereby also,, it will be made more fully manifest, 
 that the atonement and righteousness of Christ, are 
 the alone meritorious ground of any man's being- 
 saved from wrath, and inheriting the kingdom of 
 heaven. When it shall be seen that all who have an 
 interest in Christ by faith, are justified ; and all who 
 lia^'C not, are condemned ; and that both the one and 
 the other, consist of young and old, "vvise and unwise, 
 those who have sinned without law, and under the 
 law ; of the circumcision and uncircumcision. Bar- 
 barians, Cythians, bond and free ; it will then most 
 fuiiy appear, that " Christ is all in all." That his 
 merit is all-sufficient ; and the only foundation of a ti- 
 tle to eternal life, or of deliverance fi^om eternal death. 
 
 Again ; by a part of m.ankind's being saved, and 
 a part left to perish, and by its being seen what they 
 both once M^ere ; namely, of all characters, from the 
 greatest to the least cf sinners, the most moral and the 
 most profligate, tlie most thoughtful and the most 
 careless and hardened ; the work and grace of the 
 Koly Ghost, will be most illustriously evident. If 
 only the better sort were saved, or if all were made 
 holy and happy, it might be thought that they became 
 good of their own mere motion ; or vrcre made so 
 by riere moral suasion, and the rene^\ ing work of 
 the Divine Spirit would hot be so manifest to all. 
 But ^T'hen, as the apostle says, *' Such -v^ere seme 
 of you ;" infidels, fornicators, drunkards, thieves, 
 
Ser. XIV.] i?i Effectual Calling. 253 
 
 murderers ; " but ye are washed, but ye arc sanc- 
 tified ;" all must acknowledge, " This is the finger 
 of God." Accordingly, the design of God in quick- 
 ening those who had notoriously walked according to 
 the prince of the power of the air, is said to be, that, 
 in the ages to come, he might sheiv the exceeding 
 riches of his grace, as well as the working of his 
 mighty power. 
 
 These reasons are revealed ;- and many others 
 there may be, why only a part of mankind are saved, 
 and why it seemeth good in the sight of God, to 
 choose the subjects of his mercy with such sove- 
 reign variety. Still, 
 
 4. It is objected, that this doctrine of divine sove- 
 reignty, will have a tendency to discourage from du- 
 ty, and from being in the use of the means of grace ;. 
 and to embolden the unconverted in the ways of sin. 
 That if, as the apostle says in the context, "It is 
 not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but 
 of God that sheweth mercy :" and if it be true, that 
 " he hath mercy on whom he will have mercy," not 
 respecting any antecedent qualifications or doings of 
 sinners, then it is all one what the unregenerate do, 
 or whether any means are used w'lih them, as to the' 
 probability of their obtaining mercy, or the danger of 
 their being hardened unto perdition. 
 
 But, I answer ; It is not necessarily implied in 
 this doctrine, nor do I believe it is true, that the 
 externally moral, and those Avho are in the diligent 
 use of the outward and ordinary means of grace, are 
 no more likely to be saved, than the immoral, the 
 careless and inattentive. It has been said, that God 
 is under no obiigtition in justice, or by his word, 
 to have mercy on awakened, reformed, convicted 
 sinners ; or not to have mercy on those of the most 
 opposite characters. That he is not so angry with. 
 any impenitent sinner, but that he can haAC mercy 
 on him ; nor so well pleased with any, but that he 
 
254 Dhifie So'vereigiity, [Ser. XIV. 
 
 may leave them to final hardness and destruction : 
 And that there is nothing in the antecedent charac- 
 ters of persons, whereby it can be kiioivn, by us, that 
 they will be converted and saved, or that they \\ ill 
 not. But none of these things imply, that there is 
 as great a human probability of the salvation of one 
 imregenerate sinner as of another. 
 
 All these things are true with respect to the ac- 
 quisition of earthly good things. In regard even to 
 these, " The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole 
 disposing thereof is of the Lord. The race is not to 
 the swift, nor the battle to the strong ; neither yet- 
 bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understand- 
 ing, nor favor to men of skill ; but time and chance 
 happenethto them all." No man is certain that he 
 shall have a crop, however carefully he cultivates and 
 sows his ground. " One piece is rained upon, and 
 the piece whereupon it raineth not withereth." No- 
 thing is merited, nothing is promised, nothing is 
 certain, as to success in our worldly pursuits. Nev- 
 ertheless, those who apply themselves with prudent 
 diligence, commonly succeed best. Though the 
 plowing of the wicked is sin, yet, in general, " he 
 that tilleth his land is satisfied with bread;" and 
 *' the sluggard, who will not plow, begs in harvest, 
 and has nothing." And in regard to diligence or 
 slothfulness in seeking eternal salvation, the probable 
 consequences may be much the same, consistently 
 with the doctrine of divine sovereignty, as now ex- 
 plained. Between any seeking of the unregenerate, 
 and obtaining mercy, the connection may not be so 
 constant, indeed, iis between sowing and reaping ; 
 but in both cases there is a hopeful, though not an 
 infallible connection. When the outward and ordi- 
 nary means of instruction and conversion are used 
 with persons, or by them, as well as in the case of 
 laboring for the comforts of the bodily life, there is 
 more reason to hope for a blessing, than when those 
 means are neglected. 
 
Ser. XIV.] in Effectual Calling. 255 
 
 Ministers of the gospel ai'C directed, " in meek- 
 ness to instruct them that oppose themselves ; if 
 God, peradventure, will give them repentance :" 
 which implies, that though it is not certain what will 
 be the event, yet it is more likely that unbelievers 
 will be saved by converting grace, if they are prop- 
 erly instructed, than if they are not. It is said, 
 *' Train up a child in the way he should go, and 
 when he is old he will not depart from it :" which, 
 though it be not a promise, is yet a maxim, import- 
 ing, at least, that there is more reason to hope a child 
 will make a good man if he has a good education, 
 than if left to himself. Whence it follows, that in 
 the way of external regularity, there is more reason 
 to expect sanctifying grace, than in ways of licen- 
 tiousness and vice. 
 
 Some passages of scripture, however, may be 
 thought to have a contrary appearance. Particularly, 
 that saying which is several times repeated by our 
 Saviour ; " The first shall be last, and the last first." 
 But this implies no more than that such is sometimes 
 the case ; not that it is always or generally so. 
 Christ's words to the chief priests and elders of the 
 Jews, Matt. xxi. 31, " Verily I say unto you, that 
 publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of God 
 before you ;" may likewise be thought to teach us, 
 that the externally moral are less likely to be the 
 subjects of special grace, than the openly vicious 
 and immoral. But neither is this to be so under- 
 stood, as a general maxim. The case was very 
 particular. These chief priests and elders were 
 established in a system of principles, most opposite 
 to the fundamental doctrines of Christianity. A sys- 
 tem which led them to look upon themselves so 
 righteous, as to have no need of repentance — so 
 ^vhole, as to have no need of the great Physician of 
 souls. There was less human probability, that men 
 thus self-righteous — thus bigotted to the pharisaical 
 system, Avould embrace the gospel, than even lewd 
 persons, and unrighteous oppressors ; who wtvt less 
 
256 Dimne Sovereignty y [Ser. XI V^ 
 
 under the influence of religious prejudices, and who 
 had no cloak for their sins. But very different from 
 that of those pharisees, is the case of moral per- 
 sons, ^vell indoctrinated in the christian religion, who 
 know themselves to be in a state of nature, and who 
 are anxiously attentive to the means of giace. No 
 conclusion can be drawn from the one to the other j 
 that these last are less likely to repent and believe 
 the gospel, than careless, uninstructecl, and openly 
 profane sinners. The situation of either, indeed, is 
 truly hazardous ; and no one can tell which of them 
 will be saved, or which will be lost. But I cannot 
 think ^^'e are v/arranted by these, or any other texts, 
 to conclude, that prostitutes, and those who give 
 themselves up to the most iniquitous practices ; or 
 those who cast off fear, and live in the neglect of all 
 the appointed means of conversion, are in the most 
 hopeful way, of any among the unregenerate, to ob- 
 tain the righteousness of the kingdom of God. 
 
 And if we attend to the question in the light 
 which experience reflects upon it, I believe it will 
 appear that the probability of salvation, other things 
 being equal, is much in favor of the moral and atten- 
 tive. More commonly, the most abandoned are not 
 the persons effectually called. " Such were some of 
 you," sa3^s the apostle ; but he does not say that 
 the election of grace was chiefly of such. Some- 
 times a Manasseh, or a Mary Magdalene is called ; 
 but they are mentioned in scripture as rare instances 
 — as singular examples of sovereign mercy, that 
 none might despair. And similar, I apprehend, is 
 stili seen to be the case, as far as w^e are able to judge. 
 
 When there is a revival of religion in any place, 
 (except where enthusiasm prevails, and ignorance is 
 the mother of devotion,) the greater number thought 
 to be converted, generally, I believe, is of such as 
 had been religiously educated, and had less hardened 
 tliemselves by vicious courses. Instances of open 
 infidels, and notorious profligates, brought to repent- 
 anc;e, indeed, are more ta|>.en notice of iu narratives 
 
Ser. XIV.] i?t Effectual Calling, 257 
 
 and conversation : but it is because tliey are more 
 uncommon, and more marvellous. 
 
 Thus notwithstanding the evident sovereignty of 
 God, in the eftectual calling of sinners ; both scrip- 
 ture and experience afford sufficient inducements to 
 be in the use of the means of grace, and powerful 
 dissuasives from the ways of sin, to all who have any 
 serious concern about the salvation of their souls. 
 In regard to the wicked man's forsaking his exter- 
 nal wickedness, as well as in regard to his returning 
 unto the Lord in sincerity, the great — the only dis- 
 couragement, is the want of a willing mind. Men 
 will labor hard for the meat that perisheth, notwith- 
 standing the sovereignty of God is so often seen 
 blessing or in blasting the fruits of their labors : 
 but, for that meat which endureth unto everlasting 
 life, if there be any uncertainty of success, they will 
 do nothing ! They immediately say, " There is no 
 hope" — there is no encouragement ! 
 
 By way of inference and application ; 
 
 1. Hence hardened sinners have no reason to tliink 
 they are not to blame, because it is God that hardens 
 them. Hardness of heart is blameable, let it come 
 how it will : but sinners, according to what has now 
 been said, are often, if not always, exceedingly cul- 
 pable in hardening themselves. 
 
 2. Hence, on the other hand, no impenitent sinner 
 has any reason to m;ike himself eas}' ; either from an 
 imagination that it must be in his own pov/er to be- 
 come good at any time, or from an apprehension that 
 he is now in a hopeful way, and not far from the 
 kingdom of heaven. 
 
 Some, no doubt, on the belief of a self- determin- 
 ing power to will and do right, wliether they please or 
 not ; or because they think themseh'es not so deprav- 
 ed, but that they have a moral po'ver to reform and re- 
 pent, stupidly cast oft' fear, neglect prayer, and go on 
 i^known sin : trusting in themselves, that they can 
 
 I i 
 
258 Dhme Sovereignty, yc. [Ser. XlV* 
 
 pray whenever there shall be evident occasion for it ; 
 and in God, that he will then certainly pardon and 
 save them. I haxe heard of one of this character, 
 who said, he was not concerned, if he could only 
 have warning enough of his death, to say, " Lord 
 have mercy on me." But who was cut oft" at last by 
 a violent stroke, with very different words in his 
 mouth; namely, " The devil take all." It is true, 
 " Every one that asketh receiveth ; and he that 
 seeketh, findeth ;" if he ask and seek aright, in ever 
 so few words, or ever so late. But to have a heart 
 so to ask and seek, is " of God that sheweth mercy." 
 Others are unconcerned, because of their morality, 
 and regular attendance on religious duties : and 
 some grow easy, perhaps, because of their supposed 
 awakenings and convictions. It is true ; there is 
 more hope of the salvation of the externally moral 
 and religious than of such as are of a contrary char- 
 acter : Yet, if they make a righteousness of these 
 mere externals, or think they please God, their fan- 
 cied religion, may be their ruin. It is true, when 
 persons are under j'eal awakenings, there is more 
 hope of them still : Yet, if their concern makes 
 them unconcerned, the last state with them may be 
 worse than the first. In everv case, there is still aw- 
 ful danger, while persons are out of Christ, the only 
 ark of safety. 
 
 3. Hence let no sinner, however dead he finds 
 himself in sin, despair of mercy. When Ezekrel 
 was asked, " Can these dry bones live ?" he an- 
 s^vercd, " O Lord, thou knowest." 
 
 . 4. Hence let those who have reason to hope that 
 they have been effectually called, ever ascribe it to 
 the sovereign grace of God ; and make it their great 
 concern to live to his glory. 
 
 Remember the v.ords of the apostle James ; " Of 
 his own will begat he us with the word of truth, tliat 
 '.ve should be a kind of first fruits of his creaturesi " 
 
SERMON XV. 
 
 ON THE DOCTRINE OF PERSONAL ELECTION. 
 
 ROMANS XL 5. 
 
 Kven so then, at this firesent time also, there is a remnant 
 according to the election of grace. 
 
 An the two chapters next preceding this, the 
 apostle had spoken of God's caUing the Gentiles, and 
 rejection of the Jews ; and had expressed, in strong- 
 terms, the extreme anxiety he felt for the latter, vA\o 
 were his kinsmen according to the flesh. But in 
 this chapter he consoles himself m ith the assurance, 
 that the reprobation of Israel was far from being 
 universal. That a happy number of this once cho- 
 sen nation, were still the objects of God's electing 
 love, and the subjects^ of his special grace : ver. 
 1 — 4, " I say then. Hath God cast away his people ? 
 God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed 
 of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath 
 not cast away his people whom he foreknew. Wot 
 ye not what the scripture saith of Elias ? how he 
 maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, 
 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down 
 tlilne altars ; and I am left alone, and they seek my 
 life. But what saith the answer of God unto him ? 
 I have reserv^ed to myself seven thousand men, ^vho 
 
260 On Personal Election. [Ser. XV. 
 
 have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal." 
 The apostle adds, E'ucn so then^ at this present time 
 also^ there is a remnant according to the election of 
 grace. 
 
 My intended subject of discourse, is the doctrine 
 of personal election to eternail life : a doctrine wliich 
 is often spoken against, and not always well under- 
 stood ; ^vhich is a stumbling-block to many, and 
 from which false inferences of a very dangerous ten- 
 dency are frequently dra'wn. It is now proposed, 
 
 I. Briefly to state and prove this doctrine : 
 
 II. To guard against misconceptions of it ; and, 
 
 III. To ansYvCr objections against it. 
 
 The scripture doctrine of election I understand to 
 be this : That a certain number of mankind, includ- 
 ing all who will actually be saved, 'were chosen of 
 God to salvation from all eternity ; in such an abso- 
 kite manner, that it is impossible any one of them 
 should finally be lost. 
 
 I mean not to enter largely into the proof of this 
 point, at present ; but only to give a concise view 
 of the texts and arguments, on ^^iuch my belief of it 
 mainly rests. 
 
 We often read of an elect number of the fallen 
 race of man, who ^\ere gi^^en to Christ in the cov- 
 enant of redemption ; and v* horn, in that coa enant, 
 he engaged effectually to save. These are promis- 
 ed him as the reward of his voluntary sufferings, 
 Isa. liii. 10, 11, 12, " When thou shalt make his 
 soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall 
 prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shaJl 
 prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of 
 his soul, and shall be satisfied": by his knowledge 
 shall my righteous servant justify many ; for he shall 
 bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him 
 
Ser. XV.] On Personal Election. 261 
 
 a portion witk the great, and he shall divide tlie spoil 
 with tlie strong ; because he hath poured out liis 
 80ul unto death." Of this chosen number our Sav- 
 ioui^ himself speaks ; John xvii. 2, " Fatlier, the 
 hour is come : giorif}'^ thy Son, that thy Son also 
 may glorify tliee ; us thou hast gi\en him power 
 over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as 
 many ns thou hast ghen him.'''' And ver. 6, *' I 
 have manifested thy name unto the men ivhcm thou 
 gavest me oat of the 'vjorld.'''' And ver. 9, *' I pray 
 for them ; I pray not for the world, but for them 
 ivhoni thou hast ginjen ?ne ; for they are thine. ' ' 
 
 That the election of these a\ as from eternity ; out 
 of many other proofs, see Eph. i. 3, 4, " Blessed 
 be God, who hath blessed us witli all spiritual bles- 
 sings in Christ, according as l>e hath chosen us in 
 him before the foundation of the world.'''' AikI 2 Tim. 
 i. 9, " Who hatli saved us, and called us with an 
 holy calling, not according to our ^\ orks, but ac- 
 cording to his own purpose and grace which was 
 giA^en us in Christ Jesus before the ivorld began.'''' 
 
 That none of those thus chosen, shall in anywise 
 fail of salvation, is fully implied in the words of our 
 Saviour, Matt. xxiv. 22, " Except those days 
 should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved ; 
 but for the elect'' s sake those days shall be shorten- 
 ed." And ver. 24, " For there shall be false Christs, 
 and false prophets, who shall shew great signs and 
 wonders, insomuch that, (if it were possible) they 
 should deceive thei^ery elect.'''' 
 
 And as this doctrine of the eternal election, to in- 
 fallible salvation, of all such as will eventually be 
 saved, is very expressly taught in the holy scrip- 
 tures ; so it may be infered, widi great certainty, 
 from the perfections of God. A being who is infin- 
 ite, eternal and unchangeable, in wisdom and power, 
 must be supposed to have designed from eternity, 
 whatever he brings to pass in time. This is laid 
 down as an undoubted maxim, Acts xv. 28th ; 
 
262 On Personal Election. [Ser. XV. 
 
 " Known unto God are all his works, from the be- 
 ginning of the world." If, therefore, the salvation 
 of men be a Avork of God, he must have known 
 from the beginning whom he would save ; and this 
 implies his determining to save them. For to say 
 he knew that he should do what he had not deter- 
 mined to do, is a plain contradiction. And we 
 have the application of this argument, to the eternal 
 election of all who Mall be saved, in Rom. viii. 29, 
 30, " For whom he did foreknow, he also did pre- 
 destinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, 
 that he might be the first-born among many brethren. 
 Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also 
 called ; and whom he called, them he also justified ; 
 and whom he justified, them he also glorified." And 
 in Eph. 1. 11, " Being predestinated according to 
 the purpose of him who worketh all things after the 
 counsel of his own will." In these passages, the 
 apostle concludes the salvation of all the saved, to 
 have been predestinated and infallible, from the fore- 
 knowledge of God, and from his uncontrolable gov- 
 ernment of all events. 
 
 Thus the doctrine of election, however much dis- 
 puted, stands upon the strong ground of the eternal 
 covenant of redemption, the immutable perfections 
 of God, and the express declai'ations of scripture. 
 
 II. We proceed to take notice of some miscon- 
 ceptions of this doctrine. And here, 
 
 1. It is certainly a wrong notion of it, to imagine 
 that persons were chosen to salvation as the end ; 
 without being chosen to faith and holiness, as the 
 necessary way and means. That *' without holiness 
 no man shall see the Lord ;" and that " he that 
 believeth not shall be damned," are the re'vealed de- 
 crees of heaven ; and to suppose God hath any se- 
 cret decrees, directly contrary to those which he has 
 declared to us, is manifestly absurd. Accordingly, 
 
Ser. XV.] On Personal Election. ^^^ 
 
 the connection in which God always executes his 
 decrees respecting the salvation of men, to prevent 
 illusive hopes from this doctrine, is carefully ascer- 
 tained to us in the holy scriptures. See Acts xiii. 
 48, " As many as were ordained to eternal life, be- 
 lieved." Rom. viii. 30, " Whom he did predes- 
 tinate, them he also called." And 2 Thes. ii. 13, 
 " God hath from the beginning chosen you to salva- 
 tion, through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief 
 of the truth." In vain do any expect to find here- 
 after their names written in heaven, unless they are 
 created unto good works while here on earth. 
 ' Christwill be the author of eternal salvation to them 
 that obey him,' and to none else. Yet, 
 
 2. It is a wrong idea of this doctrine, to understand 
 by it only a conditional election- We are not to 
 think that God's electing persons to salvation, is 
 nothing more than merely his determining that all 
 those shall be saved who believe in Christ, and do 
 the things which he says. If this were all, then, be- 
 fore saving faith, one sinner would be no more a chos- 
 en vessel of mercy than another. If this were all, 
 it would, at best, have been left at utter uncer- 
 tainty, whether a single soul of man would actually 
 be saved. Christ might have no seed to serve him, 
 and to reap the benefits of his obedience and death, 
 notwithstanding such a mere conditional election. 
 In that case, it is true, all to whom the gospel should 
 come, would, in a sense, have been put into a salva- 
 ble state : that is, under circumstances that tliey 
 might be saved, unless it were their own fault. But, 
 to what purpose is there a price in the hand of a fool, 
 who hath no heart to improve it ? The reprobate 
 have such a price. If they were willing to be saved 
 from their sins ; and, in point of merit, to be wholly 
 indebted to Christ, they might have life. To Jeru- 
 salem, when given over to destruction, our SaA iour 
 said, " How often would I have gathered thy chil- 
 
^64 On Personal Elecuon. [Ser. XV, 
 
 dren together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens 
 under her wings, and ye would not !" It is not enough 
 that sinners be placed under circumstances that they 
 midit be saved, were it not tiieir own fault : to se- 
 cure their salvation, that must be done for them 
 which will prevent their failing of it, through their 
 own fault. This, therefore, God determined to do 
 for a certain number. lie determined to remove 
 out of the way every possible, fatal obstacle to their 
 salvation, moral, as well as natural. He determined 
 to put a disposition into their hearts, as well as a 
 price into their hands, to get wisdom, glory, honor, 
 and immortality. He determined so to drav/ them, 
 that they should come to Christ ; and then to keep 
 them by his power, from drawing back unto perdi- 
 tion. Many are the texts which are express to this 
 purpose. Two such I will here recite : Psal. ex. 3, 
 * ' Thy people shall be willing in the day o^ thy pow- 
 er." And John vi. 37, " All that the Father giveth 
 me shall come to m€ : and him that cometh to me I 
 will in no v/ise cast out." The first of these texts 
 speaks of a people of Christ who v^-ere not yet his 
 willing people ; and it promises that they shall be 
 willing. The last speaks of those given to Christ 
 who had not as yet come to him ; and it declai-es 
 that they all shall come, and none of them be rejected. 
 Surely, then, the election of these was not merely 
 conditional : that if they were willing ; if they would 
 come to Christ, and abide in him, they should be 
 saved. It was absolute ; implying also that they 
 should be willino: ; that thev should come ; that 
 tliey should abide. 
 
 3. Ithlakitisa wTong notion of the doctrine of 
 election, to suppose that God's choice of persons as 
 th€ heirs of grace and glory, was grounded on his 
 foreknowledge of their faith and works. This, in- 
 deed, has been the opinion of many. They admit 
 that God foreknew, from all eternity, which of 
 
Ser. XV.] On Personal Election. 265 
 
 mankind would believe his ^vord and obey his will : 
 and that, in consequence of this his foreknowledge, 
 he determined to give eternal life to these, and to no 
 others. 
 
 But the inconsistency of this, and that it is not the 
 scripture doctrine of election, may, I think, very 
 easily be made evident. 
 
 (1.) Itappcai-s rational and necessary to believe, 
 that God's forekno\\ ledge of future events must 
 be grounded on his decrees concerning them ; and 
 not his decreeing that things shall be, on his knowl- 
 edge that they \vill be. To suppose otherwise, is 
 to make the divine \\ ill dependant on creatures and 
 events ; and creatures and events independent on the 
 - divine will. It is also to suppose what is impossible, 
 as implying a contradiction. God foreknoAvs the 
 voluntaiy actions of all creatures, because their 
 hearts are in his hand, as much as the rivers of water, 
 and he turneth them whithersoever he will. Were 
 not this the case, it would be utterly inconceivable, 
 if not evidently impossible, that God himself should 
 foreknow how they \\'ould act. If there were not 
 an antecedent, eternal certainty, what the actions of 
 men would be, their actions could not be eternally 
 foreknoAvn : for to say that is foreknoAvn, of vA\\q\\ 
 there is no certainty, must be a plain contradiction. 
 An event must be certain, or it cannot certainly be 
 knoAvii that it will ever be : but if there were an eter- 
 nal certainty whaf the actions of creatures would be, 
 that certainty must have had a cause ; and that cause 
 could be no other than the decree or purpose of Him 
 who inhabits eternity ; for other eternal cause, there 
 could have been none. 
 
 Respecting the point in hand—the future faith and 
 good works of those sinners that will be saved ; there 
 is no hypothesis on which they could possibly have 
 been foreknovvu, without a divine predestination. 
 On the supposition that men have a self-determinine 
 
 K k 
 
266 On Personal Election. [Ser. XVi. 
 
 power, to believe or not to believe ; to obey or 
 not to obey, as some hold ; then, how they will 
 be determined, and what they will do, must be pre- 
 viously uncertain ; and therefore, not knowable. 
 But going on the calvinistic supposition, that crea- 
 tures have no such contingent, independent, self- 
 determining power ; and that unregenerate sinners 
 have no moral power to believe to the saving of the 
 soul, or to do any works truly good, by reason of the 
 total depravity of their heaits ; then, God must be 
 supposed to foreknow that they will never any of 
 them do these things, until he shall give them a new 
 disposition. If he foresaw, therefore, that any num- 
 ber of them ^^ ould cordially believe and obey the 
 gospel, it must be because he determined to put such 
 an heart in them. Consequently, his electing them 
 to eternal life could not be grounded on his fore- 
 knowledge of their doing the things required in order 
 to their salvation ; but his foreknowledge that they 
 would do these things, must have been grounded on 
 his purpose to gi\'e them effectual grace ; working 
 in them to will and to do, of his good pleasure. 
 
 (2.) We are thus expressly taught in the holy 
 scriptures ; not that God elected some to everlasting 
 life, because he foresaw they would become good, of 
 their own mere motion ; but that he chose the vessels 
 of his mercy out of the common mass of fallen men, 
 determining to make them good, by his own internal 
 operation. See forecited Rom. viii. 29, " Whom 
 he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be con- 
 formed to the image of his Son." Their conformity 
 to Clii-ist w^as an essential part of their predestina- 
 tion ; and not the moving cause of their being 
 predestinated. See also Epli. i. 4, " According as 
 he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of 
 the world, that we should be holy and without blame 
 before him in love." Not because he foreknew we 
 ^\ ould, of ourselves, be thus holy and blameless. 
 
Ser. XV.] On Personal Election. 267 
 
 (3.) To suppose that God's foreknowledge of the 
 faith and hoUness of the elect, was the ground of their 
 election, is to explain away all the grace, designed to 
 be glorified by this doctrine. The apostle in our 
 text, j^ou observe, speaks of a remnant according to 
 the election of grace. And concerning Esau and 
 Jacob, he takes notice of a declared preference given 
 to the younger, before their birth ; that the purpose 
 of God according to election might stand, not of 
 viorks. But if the foreknowledge of m.en's good 
 works had been the ground of it, why should it be 
 called an election of grace ? or why should care be 
 taken to inform us of its being before the persons 
 w^ere born ? There is no more grace in choosing men 
 to salvation because of works certainly foreseen, 
 than because of works ab-eady done. According 
 to this conception of the matter, God never designed 
 any distinction between the elect and the non-elect, 
 only in consequence of their first making themselves 
 to differ. But if it be thus of works, surely, it is 
 no more grace. 
 
 The scripture doctrine of election, I think, is 
 very evidently this : That God, of his mere goodness, 
 and not out of respect to any works of their's, done 
 or foreseen, elected a certain number of lost men as 
 the subjects of his saving mercy ; determining to 
 give to them, and them only, first effectual grace, 
 and finally immortal glory. 
 
 We will now, as was proposed, 
 
 III. Attend to the objections which ar^ apt to 
 arise in the minds of many, and which have often 
 been made, against this doctrine. 
 
 1. Some may perhaps be ready to think, that for 
 God to elect one and reprobate another, without 
 reference to any difference between them in point of 
 merit, is hardly consistent with his being impartially 
 just. 
 
:26S On Personal Election. [Ser. XV. 
 
 To this, Iiowe\er, the answer is obvious. The 
 salvation oi" sinners is not a matter of justice ; that 
 is, of debt. Fallen men, whose damnation is just, 
 might all of them justly have been left to perish with- 
 out hope. And if God saw fit to recover a part of 
 them to holiness and happiness, and to leave the re- 
 mainder to impenitence and perdition, these List 
 have no injustice done them, any more th,an if all had 
 been so left. Yet, 
 
 2. It may be thought that this doctrine of a lim^ 
 ited election, and of such an infinite difference made 
 between objects alike miserable, and alike unwortliy, 
 is irreconcilable, at least, with the equal goodness 
 of God. 
 
 But this objection, as well as the foregoing, was 
 particularly considered in my last discourse, as made 
 against the doctrine of divine sovereignty in effect- 
 ual calling ; and it is needless now to repeat the 
 answer then given. The substance of it was, that 
 God may have good reasons for making these dif- 
 ferences ; and for making them exactly as he does. 
 That a mail often does more for one child, or one 
 poor neighbor than another, without being influenc- 
 ed by partiality of kindness. That God hath as 
 good a right, and it may as well consist with his 
 equal benevolence, to bestow the blessings of saving 
 grace, as the bounties of creation and Providence, 
 with vast diversity, Avhen the greater beauty and 
 happiness of the collective whole, will thereby be 
 promoted. That we cannot find out the Almighty 
 unto pelfection ; but, from our limited view of the 
 wisdom of his works and counsels, we have no rea- 
 son to conclude, that in his most sovereign discrimi- 
 nations, there is not perfect impartiality of goodness, 
 as well as of justice. But, 
 
 3. The grand objection against the doctrine now 
 ijisisted on is, that it makes the doings of men of no 
 
Ser. XV.] On Personal Election. 269 
 
 consequence, relative to their being saved or not ; 
 and has a direct tendency, therefore, to encourage 
 them in carelessness and sin. Some seem to think, 
 that if this doctrine be true a man may well say, 
 Whether I read and hear the word, and ever so ear- 
 nestly implore divine mercy, or cast off fear and 
 restrain prayer, and live in the total neglect of all the 
 means of grace and duties of religion : whether I 
 be honest and just, chaste and temperate, or lie and 
 steal, and indulge myself in all the pleasures of li- 
 centiousness and debauchery," it will make no altera- 
 tion. If I am elected, I shall certainly be saved, do 
 what I will : if I am of the non-elect, I shall inevita- 
 bly be damned, do ^vhat I can. I Avill therefore get 
 what I am able of this world's goods, lawfully or 
 unlawfull}^ taking no thought for the world to come. 
 This looks self-evident and unansu'crable : in re- 
 ply to it, however, it may be observed, 
 
 (1.) Few draw a similar inference from the gener- 
 al doctrine of divine decrees, and venture to act upon 
 it, in things pertaining to the present life. Men will 
 labor hai'd for the meat which perisheth, and give 
 themselves no rest that they may join house to house, 
 and lay field to field ; they will be careful to keep 
 out of danger, and to use means for the recoA^ery or 
 preservation of their health ; though they are told 
 and believe, that the bounds of their habitations and 
 the number of their days are determined, over which 
 they cannot pass. Why then should the doctrine 
 of election make men careless respecting the salva- 
 tion of their souls ? If it has such an effect upon 
 any, it must be because they have little faith res- 
 pecting a future state ; or because religion is a busi- 
 ness from anv serious attention to which thev desire 
 to be excused. It may be answered, 
 
 (2.) If men believe the Bible, whether they be- 
 lieve the doctrine of election or not, they must be 
 
270 On Personal Election. [Ser. XV. 
 
 persuaded that it is not all one, do what they will or 
 can, in regard to their being saved or lost for ever. 
 Nothing is more plainly revealed in the word of God, 
 than that life and death are now set before us ; and 
 that, as we choose and conduct here, so it will fare 
 with us hereafter. Out of a multitude of texts ex- 
 press to this purpose, See Gal. vi. 7, 8, " Be not 
 deceived ; God is not mocked : for whatsoever a man 
 soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth 
 to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption ; but 
 he that soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap 
 life everlasting." And 2 Cor. v. 10, *' For we must 
 all appear before the judgment- seat of Christ, that 
 every one may receive the things done in his body, 
 according to that he hath done, whether it be good 
 or bad." I answer, 
 
 (3.) It no more follows from the doctrine of elec- 
 tion, than from the doctrine of God's universal fore- 
 knowledge, that whatever men do can make no alter- 
 ation in regard to their being saved. What is fore- 
 known, will as inevitably come to pass, as what is 
 decreed. A divine decree cannot make an event 
 more certain, than it must be if infallibly foreknown. 
 What was objected in the former case, may just as 
 truly be said in this : If God knows I shall be saved, 
 I certainly shall. If he knows I shall not be saved, 
 certainly I shall not. We answer, therefore, 
 
 y 
 
 (4.) It doth not follow from either of these doc- 
 trines, that a man will be saved, let him do ever so 
 ill, all his days ; or that any one will be damned, 
 let him do ever so well. It follows indeed from the 
 doctrine of election, and equally from that of divine 
 foreknowledge, that there is an absolute certainty 
 who will be saved, and who will not : but from nei- 
 ther of these doctrines doth it follow, that it is all 
 one whether men properly attend to, or wholly neg- 
 lect the means of their salvation. An event may 
 
4 
 Ser. XV.] On Personal Election, 271 
 
 be certain, and yet the use of proper means in order 
 to it, be not at all the less necessary. An event may 
 be certain, and yet it may be certain that it will nev- 
 er come to pass, except in one particular way. And 
 this, vi^e are expressly told, is the case respecting the 
 elect's being saved. They are chosen to salvation, 
 through sanct'ifi cation of the Spirit^ and belief of the 
 truth. Certainly, therefore, it is not all one M'hether 
 they believe the truth, and are sanctified ; or believe 
 a lie, and are hardened in sin. Nor is it a matter of 
 no consequence, whether they use or neglect, the 
 appointed means of faith and sanctification. Let it 
 only be well remembered that the end is not decreed, 
 unconnectedly with the way and means; and any 
 one may easily see, that there is no just encourage- 
 ment from the doctrine of election, to iniquit}^ or 
 negligence ; nor any discouragement from seeking 
 the kingdom of God, and striving to enter in at the 
 strait gate. 
 
 It only remains that we consider how this doctrine 
 should be treated, and to what good purposes it may 
 be improved. 
 
 Certainly, we ought not to treat it with silent con- 
 tempt, or total neglect. " The secret things belong 
 unto the Lord our God : but those things which ai^e 
 revealed belong to us, and to our children for ever." 
 Whose names were written in the Lamb's book of 
 life from the foundation of the world, is one of the 
 former things. Who are of the election of grace, 
 until their effectual calling make it sure, is a secret 
 which we cannot by searching find out ; and con- 
 cerning which we have no business to form any judg- 
 ment or conjecture. For persons to frighten and 
 discourage themsehes with gloomy apprehensions 
 th^t they are not of the elect ; or, on the other hand, 
 for any to make themselves easy with the fond im- 
 agination of their being of that happy number, is to 
 
^i^ OtiPersohal Election. [^er. x¥; 
 
 exercise themselves in matters too high for them : 
 and will be likely to do them hurt, rather than any 
 good. But the general doctrine, that God hath 
 elected some to everlasting life, and not others^ is at 
 thing plainly revealed. This therefore, it belongs to 
 us to understand and believe. 
 
 Some, who acknowledge that this is a scripture 
 doctrine, seem yet to be of opinion that it should not 
 be preached ; because many are apt to be stumbled 
 and offended at it, and many others may be in dangef 
 of wresting it, to their destruction. It may possibly 
 be insisted upon too often, I admit, to the neglect of 
 other subjects equally important. It may doubtless 
 be thrown out in too unguarded a maimer ; in a man- 
 ner tending only to disgust, without instructing them 
 that oppose themselves ; or in a manner that will 
 be likely to lead the belie^'ers of it into misconcep-i 
 tions, or wrong inferences. It may, perhaps, be 
 sometimes discoursed upon without being thorough- 
 ly understood, or sufficiently studied . But that any 
 who believe it a doctrine of the Bible, and a true 
 doctrine, should think it ought iieijer to be preached, 
 hov/ever convincingly, however guardedly, appears 
 strans'c ! How such can reconcile the total omission 
 of it, with the duty of an able minister of the New- 
 Testament, I do not readily conceive. Paul saySj 
 " Necessity is laid upon me ; yea, woe is unto me if I 
 preach not the gospel." He m.eans, undoubtedly, 
 the whole gospel, as well as nothing but the gospel : 
 for he said to the elders of Ephesus, " I take yoii 
 to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of 
 all men ; for I have not shunned to declare all the 
 counsel of God." Why then should ministers nov/- 
 adays be thought at liberty to insist only on such doc- 
 trines of scripture as they judge to be of good 
 tendency ; omitting wholly those hard sayings which 
 the carnal mind may be ready tO dispute, or likely 
 to pervert and misimprove ! 
 
Ser. XV.] On Personal Election. StT3 
 
 , It hath now been fully shoM-n, I apprehend, that 
 the election of grace is a part, and, from the frequent 
 repetition of it, we have reason to suppose it an es- 
 sential part, of the revealed counsel of God. It may 
 also be, observed, that there is the more need of its be- 
 ing. insisted upon, for the very reason why some would 
 not have it ever handled ; viz. because it is so apt 
 to stumble and offend people, or to be wrested by 
 them to bad purposes. The admonition of God to 
 his prophets of old, applies with particular force to 
 this difficult point ; Isa. Ivii. 14, " Cast ye up, cast 
 ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumbling-block 
 out of the way of my people." Those who search 
 the scriptures, will find this doctrine there, whether 
 it be ever preached to them or not ; and may be in dan- 
 ger of wresting it, or rejecting revelation on account 
 of it. The unstable and unlearned, may not know- 
 how to get over the difficulties atterfding it, and to 
 guard against the supposed consequences of it, which 
 have really a fatal tendency, except some man 
 should guide them. 
 
 But it is not a doctrine which needs to be preach- 
 ed upon, merely to prevent its doing hurt. It 
 was doubtless revealed for doing some good : and, 
 according to what has now been said, there are sev- 
 eral useful purposes to Avhich it is capable of being 
 improved. Particularly, 
 
 1. Christians may hence be taught humility and 
 self-abasement. The natural tendency of it is to hide 
 pride from man, and to ad^^ance the glory of divine 
 grace. God reminded his ancient covenant people, 
 that he did not choose them for their sakes ; that is, 
 because of any thing inviting in them, or because 
 they Avere great and honorable ; for they were the 
 least and most despised of all nations. And in like 
 manner it should ever be remembered by christians, 
 that when God elected them to be his redeemed ones, 
 thcv were absolutely nothing ; and that ^vhen he bc- 
 
 L I 
 
-74 Gn Personal Election, [Sen XV,* 
 
 gun a good work in them, they were infinitely worse 
 than nothing. 
 
 2. This doctrine affords an animating encourage- 
 ment to exertions for the salvation of sinners ; even 
 in the darkest times, and when there is the least hu- 
 man prospect of any success. When the gospel is 
 openly rejected by many ; and when its peculiar 
 doctrines are opposed by many more, and seem to be 
 falling into general disregard and contempt. When 
 iniquity abounds, and the professed love of religion 
 waxes cold. When forsaking religious assemblies 
 is the manner of some, and very little attention in 
 them is the manner of almost all. When such is 
 the case in paiticular societies, or generally in a land, 
 the consolation in our text still remains.^ As it 
 was in the days of Elijah, and as it was among the 
 Jews in the days of Paul, "Even so at this time, 
 tliere is a remnant according to the election of grace. '^ 
 And this is sufficient encouragement for taithful 
 ministers, patiently to labor and suffer. Says the 
 apostle to Timothy ; *' I endure all things for the 
 elect's sakes, that they may obtain the salvation which 
 is in Christ Jesus vvith eternal glory." 
 
 3. Hence no siniier hr\3 reason to look upon his 
 own case as altogether hopeless,^ as long as this life 
 lasts. Were it not for the doctrines of election, and 
 of divine sovereignty in effectual calling — the doc- 
 trine that an unknown number will infallibly be sav- 
 ed, and that God hath mercy on whom he will have 
 mercy, a sinner fully sensible of his total depravity, 
 might well sink in utter despair. But in this valley 
 of Achor — in the depth of legal humiliation, there is 
 tlience a door of hope. 
 
 4. Hence those who entertain a more comfortable 
 hope, from an apprehension that a v.ork of special 
 grace is actually begun in them, slioukl still give dil~ 
 
Ser. XV.] On Personal Election, 275 
 
 igence to make their calling and election sure. It 
 is a great thing to be certain of one's election to 
 eternal life. The only \\ ay to put this out of doubt 
 and uncertainty, is to be sure of one's effectual call- 
 ing ; and to be sure of this, so as not to be deceived, 
 is a difficult thing. Subtil is the grand deceiver. 
 Deceitful is the human heart. Many are the ways of 
 fatal self-deception. The apostle to the Hebrews, 
 having given an awful v/arning of the terrible conse- 
 quence of apostacy, after hopeful good beginnings, 
 says, '* But, beloved, we are persuaded better things 
 of you, and things that accompany solvation, though 
 'we thus speak." This charitable persuasion was 
 grounded on the good fruits which had been seen in 
 many of them. Nevertheless he adds, " And we 
 desire that every one of you do shew the same dili- 
 gence, to the full assurance of hope unto the end." 
 Frequent are such exhortations to the most hopeful 
 professors. I shall conclude with one of these ; 
 2 Cor. xiii. 5, " Examine yourselves whether ye be 
 in the faith ; prove your own selves : know ye not 
 your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, 
 except ye be reprobates V 
 
■«:^ 
 
SERMON XVI. 
 
 ON REGENERATION. 
 
 EPHESIANS II. 10. 
 
 i*br ive are his nvorkmajishifi, created, in Christ Jesus untc 
 gcod luorks. 
 
 \1l is of importance that good men should 
 know, and be ever ready to acknowledge, that all their 
 goodness is from God ; and that for this, as M'ell as 
 for pardon and justification, they aie indebted to free 
 grace. This is the doctrine here inculcated upon 
 the Ehpesian christians. Having spoken of the 
 resurrection of Christ by the mighty power of God, 
 the apostle begins this chapter with sying, " And 
 you hath he quickened, who were dead in tiespasses 
 and sins." And he goes on to remind them of the 
 extreme vilcness and wretchedness of their former 
 condition and character ; when, according to the 
 general course of this fallen world, they had walked 
 in all manner of evil ways, under the guidance of the 
 first grand apostate, who was the assumed and chosen 
 God of rebel men. This was said to those who 
 had lately been converted from the laciviousness, de- 
 baucheries, and abominable idolatries of Paganism : 
 but the apostle freely confesses that even the Jews, of 
 \ylipm he himself Avas one, 'A\ere no better by na- 
 
278 On Regeneration. [Ser. XVL 
 
 ture than the heathen, nor less the heirs of divine 
 wrath. That the recovery of either of them to a 
 state of hohness, and to the hope of heavenly happi- 
 ness, was of the rich mercy and wonderful love of 
 God. To impress more deeply upon them, a prop- 
 er sense that their whole salvation was of free grace, 
 he observes that the only thing in them whereby they 
 became entitled to it, was believing in Christ ; and 
 that a heart thus to believe had been given them, and 
 Vv'as not of their Own acquirement ; that this gift was 
 before they could have done any thing to the glory 
 of God, inasmuch as they were at that very time 
 first made capable of any works truly good ; and 
 that to all the works of righteousness which they 
 would ever be able to do, they had been freely pre- 
 destinated long before. See ver. 8, 9, and the whole 
 of ver. 10, " For by grace are ye saved through 
 faith ; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God : 
 Not of works, lest any man should boast : For we 
 are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto 
 good works, which God hath before ordained that 
 we should walk in them." 
 
 The doctrine in our text, intended for present 
 discussion, is only this, 
 
 That fallen men must be new-created, before they 
 can do any works truly good. 
 
 It is proposed, in the ensuing discourse, 
 
 I. To explain this doctrine : 
 
 II. To prove it ; and, 
 
 III. To answer objections. 
 
 In the first place, I shall endeavor to explain the 
 doctrine by showing wherein this new creation con- 
 sists ; or what prerequisite to good words is so totally 
 
Ser. XVI.] On Regeneration. 279 
 
 wanting in man by nature, as to need being created 
 anew. 
 
 It is common to speak of the original depravit}- of 
 human nature as being unhersal ; and of regeneration 
 as a unhersal change : and so much do some love to 
 deal in generals only, that nothing particular can be 
 ieaiTit from them, on either of these subjects. It is 
 indeed true, that both native depravity, and re- 
 newing grace, have an extensive influence ; even 
 over the whole man, soul and body. But yet, cer- 
 tain it is, that man was not universally annihilated by 
 the fall ; and that the renewing of the Holy Ohost is 
 not a proper, universal, new creation. Here then, in 
 order to a cleaier understanding-^f the matter, it may 
 be useful briefly to notice a few negative particulars. 
 
 1. It is very certain that no faculties, members or 
 senses of body, necessary for the performance of good 
 works, are the things totally wanting in all men by 
 nature, or the things created anew in regeneration. 
 Probably our bodies are ^veaker now, and their 
 senses less perfect, than they might have been if sin 
 had not entered into the world, and death by sin : 
 but most men have still bodies good enough to be 
 capable of many good external actions, if nothing 
 else were wanting : nor have men other or better 
 bodily eyes, or ears, or tongues, or hands, or feet, 
 wlien they are made ne\v creatures by being bom 
 again, than those they had before : though they use 
 them in another and better manner. 
 
 2. The same may be said of the mental capacity 
 of understanding. This faculty may be much im- 
 paired by vicious courses, and is alway darkened in 
 wicked men because of the blindness of their heart. 
 It is certain, however, that no natural men, except 
 idiots, or such as are quite delirious, are totally inca- 
 pable of good works for v.ant of understanding. 
 And it is probable that even natural fools and distract- 
 
^80 On Regeneration. [S^r. XVL 
 
 <5d persons,' are rarely if ever so radically destitute of 
 reason, but that they might be made rational without 
 a new creation. Nor are the mere intellectual pow- 
 ers of men new-made, or mended, by regeneration, 
 any more than their bodily senses and members. 
 There is only a new turn and direction given them. 
 As the same feet which were before swift to mischief, 
 are now turned unto God's testimonies, and run in 
 the way of his commandments : as the same hands 
 which perhaps stole before, are now employed in 
 honest labor, and in giving to him that needeth : as 
 the same eyes and ears which were attentive only to 
 vanities, ure now turned with delightful engagedness, 
 day and night, to tire words of eternal life : as the 
 same tongue that used deceit, and mouth that was 
 full of cursing and bitterness, are now exercised in 
 prayer and praise, and in edifying communications ; 
 so the same understanding faculty which before made 
 one wise to do evil, now enables him to know and do 
 those things that are good. 
 
 3. The power of will, requisite for moral agency^ 
 is not the capacity which is procreated in regenera- 
 tion. 
 
 By this we mean, the power of being pleased 
 with some things, and displeased with others ; of 
 inclining to the former, and turning with aversion 
 from the latter : of choosing one way or the other, ac- 
 cording to one's ov/n mind. Should a creature be of 
 such an unfeeling make as not to be capable of liking, 
 or disliking at all, or of being inclined or disinclined 
 to any thing ; such a creature would be unfinished, 
 as a free agent ; and must be further created, before 
 he could act at all. And if this power of will should be 
 wholly lost in one once endowed with it, there would 
 be a necessity of its being created in him again, before 
 he would be capable of any actions, good or evil. 
 
 But this is not the deticiency in natural men. 
 They have will enough. They can love and hate i 
 
$er. XVL] dn Regeneratioiu 281 
 
 they can choose and refuse, just as they are dispos- 
 ed : and, therefore, might do good, very easily, if it 
 were only agreeable to them. 
 
 4. Tliere is a mental sense, called in scripture 
 conscience, which is common to all men ; and is no 
 part of the creation unto good works, spoken of in 
 our text. 
 
 This is a sense, whicK has reference to moral sub- 
 jects only : that is, to things right or ^VTong in 
 moral agents ; true or false in doctrines ; just or 
 unjust in laws, and their sanctions. It is something 
 different, I conceive, from a mere habit of thinking, 
 contracted by education or custom : and something 
 different from the bare capacity of forming a true 
 judgment. It helps us much in judging of our- 
 selves what is right ; but it is not a man's judgment 
 itself, or the mere capacity of forming a rational 
 and right opinion. That faculty resides in the head ; 
 this appears to have its seat in the breast. That 
 only sees ; this feels. Conscience has always feeling, 
 more or less : it is therefore properly a mental sense ; 
 and as it respects matters of morality only, it may 
 with propriety be called, the moral sense. 
 
 But this, whatever it be called, and whether abso- 
 lutely necessary to moral agency or not, is certainlv 
 common to men. It is what we mean by common 
 sense, to which an appeal is so often made ; supposing 
 that its decision will be, the same in all, and always 
 agreeable to truth, when things are fairly stated and 
 fully understood. Habits of vice, or of inattention, 
 may weaken this sense for a time ; it is yet alive, 
 however, and, on some occasions, will bite like a 
 serpent, and sting like an adder, in the most hardened 
 sinners. We read of some who were past feeling, 
 and whose conscience was seared ; but we are never 
 told of any who had no conscience at all. On the 
 contrary, of himself and other preachers of the gos- 
 pel, the apostle says, 2 Cor. iv. 1, 2, " Seeing we 
 
 M m 
 
282 On RegeneratwiK [Ser. XVI. 
 
 have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we 
 faint not ; but have renounced the hidden things of 
 dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling 
 the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation 
 of the truth, commending ourselves to e'Dcry mail's 
 conscience^ in the sight of God." He plainly sup- 
 poses that no man was wholly destitute of con- 
 science ; the most stupid heathen not excepted. 
 
 Thus far then, human nature, in its deepest de- 
 pravity, is not so sunk — so perfectly annihilated, in 
 any respect, as to need new- creating. But, besides 
 all the powers and senses required to constitute man 
 a rational, voluntary, and conscious agent ; some- 
 thing further is necessary to his actually performing 
 good works : namely, a good disposition. This, we 
 suppose to be wholly wanting in mankind, as born 
 of the flesh ; and to be the thing created radically 
 anew, when any are born of the Spirit. A man will 
 not, and cannot act right, as long as he is not so 
 disposed ; however capable he may be of willing 
 and acting agreeably to his own mind. " The vile 
 person 'will speak villany, and his heart inill work 
 iniquity." " A corrupt tree cannot bring forth good 
 fruit." A man's ways, and words, and thoughts, 
 will naturally be vicious, as long as his heart is total- 
 ly destitute of virtue. But should one perform some 
 painful duties, from merely selfish motives, these 
 would not be good works. " For he is not a Jew 
 which is one outwardly," says the apostle, " nei-, 
 ther is that circumcision which is outward in the 
 fiesh. But he is a Jew which is one inwardly : and 
 circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and 
 not in the letter ; ^vhose praise is not of men but of 
 God." And again, " Though 1 bestow all my 
 goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body 
 to be burned, and have not charity, it proiiteth mc 
 nothing." Nor can any doctrine be more evidently 
 agreeable to reason and common sense, than these 
 declarations of scripture. A wicked man, from sin- 
 
Ser. XVI.] On Regeneration. 283 
 
 ister views, may do things which are useful to otli- 
 ers, and by which God is glorified in the eyes of the 
 godly ; but, not having the glory of God at heart, 
 nor the good of others, these things cannot, in him, 
 be acts of true piety, or real virtue. There must be 
 a disposition to love God and our neighbor as the 
 divine law requires — there must be a principle of 
 righteousness and true holiness — of impartial, disin- 
 terested, universal benevolence, or the most spe- 
 cious deeds are no other than dead works. And this 
 principle — this disposition, we suppose, is the thing, 
 the only thing, which is properly created^ in regenera- 
 tion. But, the mind being the standard of the man, 
 when one is thus renewed in the spirit of his mind, it 
 may be truly said, *' He is a new creature ; old 
 things are passed away, behold, all things are be- 
 come new." 
 
 Having explained, I hope sufficiently, the doctrine 
 of our text, we will now, 
 
 n. Attend to the evidences of its being a true 
 doctrine. 
 
 That regeneration is such an essential change of 
 nature, as supposes something created, in a proper 
 and strict sense, we have reason to believe, 
 
 1. From the phrases by which this great change 
 is commonly denoted, in the holy scriptures. 
 
 It is expressly spoken of under the name and no- 
 tion of a creation, in a number of places. Besides 
 the text now insisted on, see Eph. iv. 24, " The 
 new man, which after God is created in righteous- 
 ness and true holiness." Col. iii. 10, " The new 
 man, which is renewed in knowledge, after the im- 
 age of him that created him." And 2 Cor. v. 17, 
 "If any man be in Clirist, he is a new creature." 
 
 We may also observe, that most if not all the 
 other phrases, by which this change is expressed, 
 
284 On Regeneration. [Ser. XVI. 
 
 plainly convey the same idea of it, and of the man- 
 ner in which it is effected. God speaks of it in the 
 Old Testament under the notion of his giving a new 
 heart to his impenitent people in Babylon : a heart 
 to repent and turn to him, with the tender feelings, 
 of godly sorrow. Ezek. xxxvi, 26, *' A new heart 
 also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put 
 within you ; and I ^\'ill take away the stony heart 
 out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of 
 flesh." In our context it is represented as a resur- 
 rection from spiritual death : ver. 4, 5, " But God, 
 who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith 
 he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath 
 quickened us together with Christ." Now, to be 
 thus quickened, or to have such a new heart given, 
 evidently supposes the proper creating of a vital 
 principle of religion — a godly disposition. But the 
 most common phrases used to express this change 
 of heart, are regeneration, and a second birth. See 
 John iii, 3, " Jesus answered and said unto him. 
 Verily, yeril}'^ I say unto thee, Except a man be 
 born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." 
 And ver, 6, 7, *' That which is born of the flesh is 
 flesh ; and and that which is born of the Spirit is 
 spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must 
 be born again." And Tit. iii. 5, " Not by works 
 of righteousness which we have done, but according 
 to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regen- 
 eration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost." These 
 last phrases evidently allude to the beginning of our 
 existence, by ordinary generation and natural birth. 
 They evidently imply that a new creature, or cre- 
 ated thing, is brought into being ; and that the mor- 
 al image of God is thus immediately given us ; as, 
 in the first generation and birth, w^e derived the 
 natural likeness of our eaithly parents immediately 
 from them. Nor is it possible to have any idea of 
 being thus spiritually begotten and born, without 
 jsupposing a proper work of creation. God is a 
 
3er. XVI.] On Regeneration, 285 
 
 Spirit ; and how shall we conceive of a new crea- 
 ture's proceeding from Him, otherwise than as being 
 created ? To be begotten or born of God, and to be 
 created of God, are phrases which necessarily con- 
 vey the vety same idea, if any at all. Accordingly, 
 we are said to be the offspring of God, because we 
 proceeded from him in our original creation. 
 
 I am sensible that all the forementioned phrases 
 and expressions, are supposed by some to be used 
 on this subject, in so very figurative a sense, as to 
 have scarce any proper meaning. They are figura- 
 tive, it is true : that is, they allude to natural things, 
 by Avhich the spiritual change designed is meant to 
 •fee illustrated.. But if they are figures of speech per- 
 tinently used, there must be some analogy between 
 the metaphorical and literal sense of the expressions; 
 and so much of an analogy, certainly, as will imply, 
 that a new creature is really produced, in the moral 
 likeness of God ; which can be no other than a prop- 
 er spiritual creation, 
 
 2. What is said of the wonderful display of di- 
 vine power in effecting this change, necessarily leads 
 us to conclude that it must be properly a supernat- 
 ural work. See Eph. i. 19, 20, " And what is 
 the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward 
 who believe, according to the working of his migh- 
 ty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he rais- 
 ed him from the dead." The work in believers 
 here refered to, is plainly regeneration ; because it 
 is directly after said, " And you hath he quickened, 
 who were dead in trespasses and sins." And that the 
 apostle would have us conceive of this as being a 
 supernatural work, is evident, both from his com- 
 paring it to God's raising to life the dead body of 
 Christ ; and from the strong expressions thrown to- 
 gether to set forth the extraordinary energy of God 
 herein conspicuous. The exceeding greatriess of his 
 power ; and the working of his mighty power." The 
 
286 On Regeneration. [Ser. XVI. 
 
 omnipotence of the Deity is exercised, indeed, in 
 bringing to pass the most ordinary events. What- 
 ever diversities of operations there are, " it is the 
 same God that worketh all in all." But in super- 
 natural works, the divine power, whether more ex- 
 erted or not, is more illustriously manifested. In 
 the language of scripture, in the latter kind of events, 
 " the arm of the Lord is made bare." 
 
 To be universally understood, it may here be 
 needful, perhaps, to explain the difference between 
 a natural and a supernatural work. In order to 
 this it must be observed, that there are certain es- 
 tablished laws of nature, according to which natural 
 effects are brought to pass : and there are certain 
 powers of created agents, by the exertion of which 
 these effects may be produced. Attraction, for in- 
 stance, is a general law in the material system. 
 Hence it is that bodies heavier than the air, natural- 
 ly fall in it to the earth. It was God that establish- 
 ed this law at first, and it is he that keeps it still in 
 force ; so that a stone falls not to the ground without 
 his agency. But we are not at all surprized at it : 
 the stone falls, we say, of itself, or by its own weight. 
 Heavy bodies may also be thrown upward naturally, 
 by the strength or art of man. But should we see 
 rocks, oi- pieces of led fly up into the air without 
 any visible cause, it would be thought something 
 supernatural ; and would be marvellous in our 
 eyes. Thus, when Moses and Aaron did what 
 the magicians could not do with their enchant- 
 ments, the latter were constrained to say, " This is 
 the finger of God." So the dividing the Red 
 Sea by the rod of Moses, and the river Jordan by the 
 mantle of Elijah : Elisha's causing iron to swim, 
 Ezekiel's raising dry bones into a living army, and 
 our Saviour's calling Lazarus out of his grave, af- 
 ter he had been dead four days- : these, and things 
 like these, which are not according to the laws of 
 nature, and not to be effected by the power of .crea- 
 
Ser. XVI.] On Regeneration. 287 
 
 tures, are called supernatural works of God. And 
 this distinction of natural and supernatural, is as ap- 
 plicable to effects in the intellectual, as in the ma- 
 terial world. There are certain tendencies in minds, 
 to be actuated by certain motives set before them ; 
 and when a man's mind is influenced, or altered, 
 by arguments and inducements suited to work such 
 an effect, on one of such a disposition, the effect is 
 natural. But should a man.be made to act contrary 
 to every previous propensity of his nature, or should 
 a principle of action radically new, at any time be 
 given him, such an effect must be altogether super- 
 natural. Such an eft'ect must be as immediately from 
 the power of God, as the reanimation of a body 
 which had been ever so long lifeless, or as the ori- 
 ginal creation of all things. 
 
 Now in this view of the change in an unregene- 
 rate sinner, when he is first transformed by the re- 
 newing of his mind, and in no other, can I see a 
 propriety in what the apostle says, of the exceeding 
 greatne^ of God's power to us-ward who believe, 
 according to the working of his mighty power in 
 Christ when he raised him from the dead. On this 
 supposition, and this alone, both these effects, though 
 the subjects of them were different, must be alike by 
 the immediate operation of Omnipotence. 
 
 3. If it be true that man is by nature totally de- 
 praved in the spirit of his mind, it is a plain case 
 that the beginning of holiness in him, can be no 
 otherwise than by a new creation. When spiritual 
 life is once begun in the soul, in ho^vever low a de- 
 gree, it may be preserved and increased by moral 
 means ; as well as any plant or animal can be kept 
 alive, and made to grow by natural means. But the 
 first production of the radical principle of this life, 
 can no more be the effect of any second cause ; than 
 the first root or seed of any plant or tree, could have 
 been produced by rain, sun-shine, and cultivation 
 
58^ On JRegmeratiah. [Ser. XVL 
 
 Those who hold that regeneration is effected by 
 the moral power of light and truth, either lea^e true 
 holiness wholly out of the account from first to last ; 
 or suppose mankind not totally destitute of it by 
 nature : or else talk In a manner altogether incon- 
 sistent. 
 
 Some suppose that the enmity of the carnal mind 
 against God is owing only to misapprehensions con- 
 cerning him ; and, consequentlyj that carnal men 
 are immediately reconciled to him, as soon as they 
 have right information respecting his character and 
 ways* But this supposes that their hearts were 
 never totally depraved, if depraved at all. It sup- 
 poses no more depravity in them before conversion 
 than after. They now love God because they are 
 convinced that he is holy, just, and good ; and all 
 that ever occasioned their disaffection to him, was 
 their conceiving him to be of an opposite chai'acter, 
 and such a being as no one ought to love* 
 
 Others imagine that the only thing which excites 
 enmity against God in natural men, is their think- 
 ing him their enemy, or one that is angry with 
 them, and will terribly punish them : accordingly, 
 when once they are made to believe he loves 
 them, has pardoned them, and that it is his good 
 pleasure to give them glory, honor, and immor- 
 tality in his heavenly kingdom ; all their enmity 
 is slain, and they are full of gratitude and love to 
 him. But this supposes, either that their hearts 
 were good before, or that they are not so still. 
 If they thought he was angry with them with- 
 out a cause, and would punish them unjustly, or 
 with cruel severity ; if their hearts rose against him 
 in these views only, and if these wrong apprehen- 
 sions did not proceed from something previously 
 wrong in themselves, there was no moral depravity 
 in the case. Their hearts might always have been 
 good. But if a belief of God's just anger, and a 
 fear of his righteous vengeance, excited their enmi- 
 
Scr. XVL] On Regeneration. 289 
 
 ty against him ; and if a confident persuasion that 
 he hath pardoned them, and designs their eternal 
 liappiness, is all that now reconciles them to him, 
 they may remain totally depraved still, notwithstand- 
 ing such reconciliation. • 
 
 Others speak of a mysterious spiritual light, let 
 into the carnal mind, v.'hich changes the heart of a 
 sinner, and makes him holy. But an apostle hath 
 said, " The natural man rceeiveth not the things 
 of the Spirit of God, — neither can he know them, 
 because they are spiritually discerned." And noth- 
 ing can be more irrational, or more evidently absurd, 
 than supposing that a totally depraved sinner should 
 see the holy nature and ways of God, with any 
 cordial complacency. Seeing divine things as they 
 are spiritually discerned, supposes a .previous con- 
 formity to them in the spirit of one's mind. Indeed, 
 the perfections, and laws, and works of God, may 
 be manifested in such a light to the wickedest man in 
 the world, as to force the feeling approbation of his 
 conscience : but this is a very different thing from 
 that delightful perception of them which is peculiar 
 to holy beings. This constrained approbation of 
 conscience, can never mako a creature good, who 
 had no goodness before. The devils thus feel, as 
 well as believe, that God is holy in all his ways and 
 righteous in all this works ; but this can only make 
 them tremble and hate : it "will never, to all eternity, 
 excite in them any loveto him, or transform them 
 at all into his moral likeness. 
 
 It is easy to conceive that whatever propensities of 
 nature one previously has, may be brought into ex- 
 ercise by arguments and motives, adapted to operate 
 upon such propensities. It is easy to conceive 
 that a sinner's selfish fears may be awakened by the 
 terrors of the law ; and that his selfish hopes and 
 gratitude may be highly raised by the grace of the 
 gospel. Self-love may be wTOught upon by the pow- 
 er of light and truth, or of delusion and falsehood, 
 
 N n 
 
290 On Regeneration. [Ser. XVL 
 
 in a thousand different forms : but how to bring 
 into existence a propensity of nature, or principle of 
 action radically new, and essentially different from 
 every thing in the native mind of man, is the great 
 difficulty. If it be true, as an opposer of the pres- 
 ent doctrine has once admitted, " that a principle of 
 heavenly virtue is dead, and the root of it perished, 
 in the heart of fallen men ;" it is a plain case, I 
 think, that it can never be brought to life, otherwise 
 than, by being, in a proper and strict sense, created 
 in them again. 
 
 We will now attend, as v/as proposed, 
 
 III. To objections against this doctrine. 
 
 1. If any one should object, that a work truly 
 supernatural, is a real miracle • but to call regenera- 
 tion a miracle, is not common, nor proper : 
 
 To such an objector my reply would be ; that by 
 miracles are commonly meant, not all supernatural 
 works, but such only as are designed for the proof 
 of inspiration, or of an immediate divine mission. 
 And in order to their being adapted to this end, it 
 is necessary that they should be evident to the senses 
 of men : whereas regeneration is invisible ; being 
 a work in the hidden man of the heart. Hence, 
 should one who says he has an immediate call to the 
 gospel ministry, aliedge, as an evidence of it, that 
 many souls have been converted by his preaching, 
 and call this working miracles ; it ^vould be imper- 
 tinent : it vv'ould give no conviction, except to very 
 weak enthusiasts ; since the real regeneration of 
 his supposed converts, is a thing as invisible, as un- 
 certain, and unknovvable, as his inward heavenly 
 call itself. For this reason it is improper to give 
 the name of a miracle to regeneration: not because 
 it is a less supernatural work than raising the dead, 
 or tailing any thing- that was not, into existence. 
 
Ser. XVI.] On Regeneration. 5291 
 
 But there are objections to be considered, much 
 more serious than this. 
 
 2. I have seen it objected, that to suppose n 
 change effected in the heart of man, otherwise than 
 by the power of moral means, is palpably absurd ; 
 as implying an evident impossibility in the nature 
 of things. It has been said, by a divine of advanced 
 age, and good sense ; " The moral change of the 
 miixl in regeneration, is of an essentially different 
 kind from the mechanical change of the bod}', 
 when that is raised from the dead ; and must be 
 effected by the exertion of a different kind of poA^er. 
 Each effect requires a power suited to its nature : 
 and the power proper for one can never produce the 
 other. To argue from one to the other of these 
 effects, as the apostle has been misunderstood to do, 
 in Eph. i. 20, is therefore idle and impertinent. — 
 The Spirit of God is possessed of these tv.o kinds 
 of poAver, and exerts the one or the other, accord- 
 ingly as he wills to produce a change of the moral 
 or physical kind, in moral beings or inanimate 
 matter." 
 
 But to this philosophical objection, hov. ever plau- 
 sible and unanswerable it may appear, I think the 
 reply of our Saviour to the diffici^ty started by .the 
 Sadducees, respecting the resurrection and a future 
 state, is neither idle nor impertinent: " Ye do err, 
 not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of Gw/. " 
 The Almighty is not limited, as men are, to these 
 two modes of operation, by moral and mechanical 
 means. The Spirit of God is possessed of a pow- 
 er of working in a manner different from either 
 of these ; that is, supernatu rally. The means by 
 which effects are brought to pass in a natural wa\ , 
 must indeed be different ; according to the nature 
 of those effects, and of the subjects on which the; 
 operations are performed : but -when once we admit 
 the idea of a work properly supernatural — an effect 
 
292 On Regeneration. [Ser. XVI. 
 
 produced not by the power of any means at all, wc 
 instantly lose sight of all distinctions in the kind of 
 power, or manner of working-, adapted to things of 
 different natures. When God, by his omnipotent 
 word alone, called all nature into being at first," 
 are we to suppose that he exerted different powers, 
 according to the natures of the things designed to be 
 created ; and that the power proper to create inani- 
 mate matter, could never create a thinking mind ! 
 Are we to conceive that angels and the souls of men 
 ■were persuaded into being, by arguments and mo- 
 tives ; and that the material W'orld was forced out of 
 nothing, by the power of attraction ! So, in regard 
 to quickening the dead, ai'e w-e to imagine that God 
 can give new Hfe to a soul dead in sin, only by mor- 
 al suasion ; and that, if he will reanimate bodies 
 which have slept thousands of years in the dust of 
 the earth, he has no other w a}^ to do it than by a 
 physical operation ! The body of Clii'ist was raised 
 to life, I. should suppose, not by any mechanical 
 power, but supernaturally. In this manner God al- 
 ways works, when he cjuickeneth the dead, and calleth 
 things that are not as though the)'- were. And what 
 absurdity can there be in supposing Him able to 
 give a new principle of action, as well as to give ex- 
 istence to any thij^g else, in this immediate manner ? 
 Some sound and sensible divines, it must be 
 granted, in order to guard against the notion of 
 regeneration's being effected by moral suasion, have 
 called it a physical work, and a physical change; 
 but very needlessl} , I apprehend, and w ith very evi- 
 dent impropriety. The change is moral : the work 
 producing it, is neither moral nor physical ; but 
 supernatural. 
 
 o. The next objection to which we will attend, is 
 grounded v.w scripture. It may JDC said. Admitting 
 that God is able to change the hearts of men by 
 his own power alone ; yet we are plainly taught 
 that the fact is otherwise ; and that regeneration is 
 
Scr. XVI.] On Regeneration. 293 
 
 actually by the ponder of means. The apostle Paul 
 says to the Corinthians, '' In Christ Jesus I have 
 begotten you through the gospel.'''' The apostle 
 James, having said, " Every good gift is from 
 above, and cometli down from the Father of lights," 
 adds, " Of his OAvn will begat he us imth the word 
 of truth.'''' And the apostle Peter tells christians of 
 their " Being born again, not of corruptible seed, 
 but of incorruptible, by the word of God.'*'' 
 
 To this objection, the common answer is, that 
 these texts may be understood as refering to the 
 whole change from sin to holiness ; including that 
 part of it in which the soul is active, as well as 
 that wherein it is passive : and it is admitted on all 
 hands, that active conversion is by the moral power 
 of truth. 
 
 But, if any should not be satisfied with this, an- 
 other answer may be given, \;hich appears to me 
 quite sufficient and unexceptionable. We maj^ un- 
 derstand the apostles in these passages to mean orily, 
 that regeneration is by the Avord, as other supernat- 
 ural works are represented to have been wrought by 
 men and means. That God is wont to change the 
 hearts of men, under the dispensation of the word 
 of truth, we readily grant : but that a new heart is 
 given them by the power of the word, these texts, 
 we apprehend, do not determine. Ezekiel was di- 
 rected to prophesy over a valley of dry bones, and 
 to say unto them, " O ye dry bones, hear the word 
 of the Lord." And as he prophsied, " there was 
 a noise, and a shaking, and the bones came together, 
 bone to his bone : and, lo, the sinews and the flesh 
 came up upon them, and the skin covered them 
 above." Again, he was commanded to prophesy 
 unto the wind, and to say, " Come from the 
 four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain 
 that they may live." And while he was prophesy- 
 ing, " the breath came into them, and they lived and 
 stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army." 
 
294 On Regeneration. [Ser. XVI. 
 
 But Avill any one undertake to explain philosophically, 
 how all this was effected by the sound of the proph- 
 et's voice, or by the force of what he said ; how- 
 ever divinely impressed upon these bones, and upon 
 the wind ? No one will imagine but that such an 
 event as was represented in this vision, must have 
 been as perfectly supernatural, as if there had been 
 no prophesying, nor any prophet in the case. And 
 no more need we suppose that it is in the power 
 of preaching, to give spiritual life to souls dead in 
 sin, because we read of men's being begotten 
 through the gospel, and born again by the word. 
 Most of the supernatural works recorded in the 
 scriptures both of the Old and New- Testament, 
 are represented to have been wrought in consequence 
 of certain words and actions of men : and if any 
 insist upon the very particles of speech, instances are 
 not ^v anting in which the most undisputed miracles 
 are expressly said to be done by men, and through 
 the instrumentality of means. See Acts v. 12, 
 *' By the hands of the apostles were many signs and 
 wonders wrought among the i^eople." Acts viii. 18, 
 *' Through the laying on of the apostle's hands, the 
 Holy Ghost was given." And Acts xix. 11, "God 
 wrought special miracles by the hand of Paul." In 
 such a sense as this, it is not denied that sinners are 
 regenerated by the means of grace, and through the 
 ministry of the word. In this sense Paul might 
 truly say, he had begotten the believing Corinthians 
 througb the gospel ; though the operation of God in 
 giving them a right spirit, were ever so properly su- 
 pernatural. This, I think, is a fair and full answer 
 to the objection grounded on any such texts as the 
 foregoing : and it may prepare the way for answering 
 the next objection to be noticed. 
 
 4. It is objected, that if supernatural grace be ne- 
 cessary, before sinners can be brought to love God, 
 and obey the gospel, to preach to them, or use any 
 
Ser. XVI.] On Regeneration, 295 
 
 mieans with them for their salvation, must be utter- 
 ly in vain, and can answer no valuable end. I have 
 seen this objection insisted upon in the following 
 strong terms. " The necessary consequence of 
 this doctrine is, that it is to no more pui-pose to 
 urge gospel truths and motives on unconverted men, 
 to persuade them to be reconciled to God, than it 
 is to reason with a madman with a view to cure him 
 of his distraction ; and that the gospel ministry, as 
 it respects the unconverted, is the vainest, foolishest, 
 and absurdest thing in the whole world." 
 
 But to tliis, though strongly urged, the answer is 
 easy. For, 
 
 ( 1. ) The means appointed to be used with sinners, 
 have a proper tendency to do some things which are 
 necessary in order to their salvation ; though they 
 cannot refiew them in the spirit of their minds, nor 
 reconcile them to God before they are renewed. 
 Sinners must have some knowledge and convictions 
 of certain truths, or they cannot be saved in the 
 gospel way : and the word of truth, if rightly divid- 
 ed, is well adapted to give them this knowledge, 
 and these convictions. " By the law is the knowl- 
 edge of sin:" by the gospel is the knowledge of 
 salvation for sinners. The law is necessary to kill 
 the self-righteous hopes of natural men ; the gospel, 
 to keep them from sinking in utter despair. Both 
 are very useful for discovering to sinners their utter 
 inexcusableness, and at the same time their total 
 helplessness in themselves ; and thus to make them 
 sensible of their perishing need of a Saviour, and 
 of a Sanctifier. In this view it is of importance 
 that the wrath of God against all ungodliness and 
 unrighteousness of men, should be revealed from 
 heaven, and be cleai'ly set before their eyes ; as this 
 will have a tendency to put some check upon them 
 in their careless, sinful courses, and to awaken their 
 attention to the things which belong to their peace. 
 
Sd6 Oh J^egenercitioru [Ser. XVI 
 
 In this view it is of importance that duty should be 
 urged upon them, in all its various branches, exter- 
 nal and internal : that the commandment, in all its 
 breadth and length, should be clearly illustrated to 
 them as holy, just, and good. In this view it is of 
 importance that the gospel of peace should be truly 
 explained ; that the reasonableness of its terms, and 
 the riches of its grace, should be fully evinced, and 
 that sinners should be earnestly exhorted and en- 
 treated, in this way, to be reconciled to God. The 
 natural tendency of all this, under only the im- 
 pressive influence of the Holy Spirit, is to bring the 
 unconverted to a conviction of their sin and danger ; 
 of their duty and impotency ; and so to prepare 
 them for the grace of God which bringeth salvation. 
 By these means the sinner's refuges of lies and hid- 
 ing places of falsehood ai'e swept a^»^ ay. By these 
 means the vain imaginations of the unregenerate, 
 respecting their own goodness or their ability to be- 
 come good, are cast down ; which is one thing 
 needful in order to their building upon the sure 
 foundation laid in Zion. By means of the moral 
 power of gospel truth, sinners are also actually re- 
 conciled to God, through repentance and faith in 
 Christ, when their recovery to a right spirit, by the 
 renewing of the Holy Ghost, is once begun. 
 
 Now, since the awakening, the conviction, and 
 the actual conversion of men, is thus effected by the 
 proper influence of light and truth ; we can see good 
 reason w^hy the forementioned means were appoint- 
 ed, and ought to be used. But, 
 
 (2.) If %ve could see no tendency in the instituted 
 means of grace, to do any thing relative to the sal- 
 vation of the unconverted ; yet God who is wonder- 
 ful in counsel and incomprehensible in working, 
 might well be supposed to have sufficient reasons for 
 their institution and use. He had reasons, undoubt- 
 edly, for employing men and prescribing means. 
 
$er. XVI. 3 On Regeneration. 29; a 
 
 when he would work those wonders of old whicli all 
 christians allow to have been entirely supernatural. 
 If changing the dispositions of men were all that 
 was necessary for their salvation, still, consistently 
 Math the doctrine now rtiaintained, we could under- 
 stand why God would ha^e the law and gospel 
 preached to them, as well as we can why he order- 
 ed that the priests, bearing the ark, and blowing with 
 trumpets, should go round the city of Jericho seven 
 days, when he would break down the walls of that 
 strong fortification. And as well as we can why the 
 Syrian nobleman was directed to wash seven times 
 in the river Jordan, for the miraculous cure of his 
 leprosy. Naaman objected, indeed, and thought 
 this prescription of the p-ophet, no doubt, one of the 
 foolishest, vainest, and absurdest things in the world. 
 lie said, " Are Abanaand Paiphar, rivers of Damas- 
 cus, better than ail the v/aters of Israel ? may I not 
 v/ash in them and be clean ? So he turned and w ent 
 away in a rage." Nevertheless, upon being better 
 advised, he tried the experiment, and found a cure. 
 The propriety of our using means divinely or- 
 dained, depends not upon their having in them any 
 power or virtue adequate to the end proposed. 
 Whether the expected effect be natural, or super- 
 natural, alters nothing ; in either case, a divine ef- 
 ficiency is required ; and our encouragement, is the 
 intimation of His good pleasure who worketh all 
 things after the counsel of his own will. If v,e have 
 a commission and charge from Him, to urge gospel 
 truths and duties on unconverted men, as the means 
 of their salvation, although we consider them, in re- 
 gard to spiritual life, as fitly represented by a valley 
 of cliT bones, it is not irrational for us to do as we 
 are commanded ; to tell them what must be believed 
 and done by them, and to call upon them to hear the 
 word of the Lord : because He who quickeneth 
 the dead, can give them a hearing ear, and an under- 
 standing heart ; and because we have more reason 
 
 O o 
 
^9Q On Regeneraiwn. [Ser. XVl, 
 
 to hope that he will do this, when these means arc 
 used with them, than when they are neglected. 
 
 5. There is one more objection, which, though 
 it often occurs, and has often been answered, ought 
 not perhaps to be wholly passed over in this place. 
 It may be objected that God's treatment of the un- 
 regenerate in his word, is not consistent with the 
 doctrine of their being incapable of good works, 
 until, by his supernatural power and sovereign 
 grace, they are created anew. He not only calls up- 
 on them to awake out of sleep, and arise from the 
 dead, as our Saviour called to Lazarus to come forth 
 out of his grave ; but he seriously exhorts, and 
 authoritatively commands all men to repent and be- 
 lieve ; yea, to be perfect ; and threatens to punish 
 them eternally for every failure of obedience to the 
 law of sinless perfection, as m ell as for non-compli- 
 ance with the terms of the gospel. But how can 
 such exhortations, commands, and threatenings, be 
 reasonable or just, provided the unregenerate are 
 under a real inability to do any good works ? 
 
 This some have attempted to answer one way and 
 some another ; and some have frankly confest that 
 there is a mystery in it which they know not how to 
 solve. The most common ansv/er has formerly 
 been, that we were disabled for holy obedience by 
 the fail, which was our own fault ; and that God has 
 not lost his right to command, because naan hath 
 thus lost his ability to obey. A late writer of no 
 inconsiderable genius or learning, whose books aie 
 circulating among us, seems still rather inclined to 
 adopt this old solution ; tiiough lie is not altogether 
 satisfied Avith it, excepting as applied to the first 
 man, ^vho was created perfect originally unto all 
 good works, and lost this power by his own person- 
 al fault. He says, " It is because man has disabled 
 himself from doing his duty, that we argue the in- 
 excusableness, and sinfulness of his moral inability,'-' 
 
Ser. XVI.] On Regeneration. 299 
 
 And he quotes a v/orthy ancient divine as saying ; 
 " If any way could have been supposed, how Adam 
 could have been lx>reft of that holiness he was crea- 
 ted in, without a precedaneous act of sinning as the 
 cause, then indeed we might have said that privation 
 of holiness should not have been reckoned sin either 
 to himself or his posterity in that case." That is, if 
 Adam had not sinned before he was unholy, his being 
 unholy would have been no sin ! But, after this quota- 
 tion, our modern author adds ; " That Adam should 
 be subject to an habitual inability with respect to his 
 duty, and yet be held bound to the performance of it, 
 is not so hard to conceive. But that this inability 
 and corruption should be propagated to his posterity, 
 and have the same eifects and consequences in them, 
 is a point of vast difficulty ; and is perhaps the Gor- 
 dian-knot in revealed religion. And yet the experi- 
 ence of the world in all ages has extorted a general 
 ackno^vledgment of the depravity of human nature : 
 and the scriptures plainly assert and constantly sup- 
 pose it. They represent man in his natural state as 
 destitute of both a will and power for such acts as 
 are spiritually good : that he is unable to will and 
 do duties in a holy manner, until by supernatural 
 and special grace he is enabled and persuaded 
 thereto ; and yet charge him with sin and guilt for 
 every deviation from that perfection which the 
 divine law requires. Upon the testimony of God in 
 his word, my faith rests satisfied, without pretending 
 to see through those difficulties, which the sacred 
 writers have not, that I remember, once attempted 
 to solve." 
 
 Such modesty undoubtedly becomes us, in regaix] 
 to those mysteries of revealed religion which we can- 
 not comprehend. We had much better suspect the 
 inadequateness of our shallow reason, than disbelieve 
 plain revelation, because we cannot see its consisteu- 
 cy. Were all hearers of the gospel as modest as 
 this, they would not censure and ridicule preachers, 
 
300 On Regeneration. [Ser. XVI. 
 
 as ttey frequently do, for exhorting the iinregenerate 
 to duties, which they have just before told them are 
 not in their power : since in both the one and the 
 other they have the warrant of the express word of 
 God, and do no more than our Saviour and his apos- 
 tles plainly did. 
 
 It is, however, a great unhappiness, not to be able 
 to instruct them that oppose themselves to the Bible 
 itself, as well as to the preachers of it, on so im-r 
 portant a point as this. It is a great unhappiness, 
 when we would convince men of sin because they 
 believe not, or because they do not repent, to be 
 obliged to tell them, that though our faith rests satis- 
 fied they are to blame for not repenting and not believ- 
 ing, yet we cannot see why or wherefore. It would 
 certainly be much better, in these practical matters, 
 and matters respecting which, self-condemnation is 
 so essentially necessary in order to the salvation of 
 sinners, if we could, by miuiifestation of the truth, 
 commend the plain law and gospel to every man's 
 consciejice. And why we cannot, I must confess my- 
 self umible to conceive. My faith rests satisfied, 
 that this Gordian-knot in revealed religion is fairly 
 untied, by the simple distinction of natural and mor- 
 al inability. By pointing out the plain difference 
 between being unable to do good works, through the 
 want of rational or animal powers ; and merely 
 through the want of a willing mind, or of an honest 
 and good heart. And l^y making it evident that the 
 latter, is the only inability, in even the unregenerate, 
 to do the whole duty ^vhich God requires of man. 
 
 But the learned author last quoted thinks, " this 
 does not touch the core of the matter." And he 
 tells us of ^'^r^^ kinds of inability in man with respect 
 to supposed actions : natural ; consisting in the 
 want of rational pov,'ers or bodily strength : morale 
 consisting in a present unwillingness, M'hen one is 
 neither destitute of natural capacity, nor of an ha- 
 bitual inclination ; and may be made v/illing by 
 
Ser. XVI.] On Regeneration, 301 
 
 moral suasion. The other is called, Etbieo-physical ; 
 consisting in such a permanent total want of a dis- 
 position, that one cannot be made -willing without 
 having a new principle of action created in him. 
 The first, all are agreed is a full excuse for not doing : 
 the second, this author agrees, is no excuse ; but 
 T^'hy the last, (which is the inability of the um-egen- 
 erate, respecting spiritual duties,) does not render 
 men excusable, he cannot see. But why it should be 
 any better an excuse to be totally wicked, than only 
 partially so, I am as unable to conceive. The man 
 who has only a present un^^illingness, which moral 
 suasion might remove, can no more be willing to do 
 a good action until a proper motive is set before him, 
 than an unregenerate sinner can before a ne\v heart 
 is eiven him. And why, between that unwilling^ 
 ncss to do well which arises only from not seeing 
 any good reason, in a particular case ; and that -which 
 is owing to the total ^vant of every good principle, 
 there should be thought such a mighty dift'erence in 
 favor of the latter sinner, appears to me not less dif- 
 ficult to solve or unravel, than any Gordian-knot in 
 revealed religion. 
 
 Were men destitute of understanding to know 
 what is right ; or destitute of power to choose, ac- 
 cording to their own disposition ; or destitute of 
 members to act, according to their own choice ; they 
 v/ould so far not be proper subjects of commands, 
 and no blame could lie upon them for not obeying. 
 But no such powers of moral agency, are the things 
 wanting in natural men. They have hands and 
 heads suflicientl}^ good ; and a sufficient power to 
 Will, whatever is agreeable to them. All they want 
 is a good heart. Their inability is therefore their 
 sin, and not their excuse. If any one doth not do 
 well, when all that hinders him is not being -^^ell dis- 
 posed, sin lieth at his ov/n door. The want of a 
 good disposition is in itself sinful. It is the essence, 
 the root, the fountain of all sin. While a man's 
 
302 On Regeneration. [Ser. XVL, 
 
 disposition is perfectly good, however ignorant he 
 may be, or whatever mistakes he may commit, it is 
 impossible he should be blameworthy. Whenever 
 a man's disposition is not good, however invincibly 
 indisposed he may be to alter it, it is impossible he 
 should not be to blame. Nor is a man the less 
 sinful, the more depraved his heart is ; and the more 
 impracticable it is, for that reason, to persuade him 
 to any thing that is good. On the contrary, every 
 degree of this depravity is sin ; and being thus total- 
 ly depraved — destitute of every principle of good- 
 ness, is to be perfectly wicked. 
 
 These are plain, self-evident propositions. Prop- 
 ositions acknowledged by all mankind, except when 
 in the dust of this dispute ; or except when they are 
 engaged to get away from the light, which would 
 condemn them. Then they will suppose that sm, 
 is not at all sinful ; and that the more a man has of 
 it, the less he is to blame. Then they will assert 
 that moral depraivity, in a depraved creature^ is no 
 moral evil. Then they can find no blameable sin, in 
 any man but Adam ; nor in him, any longer than 
 he was perfect in holiness. Then they will distin- 
 guish, with such refinement of metaphysical subtilty, 
 as to make out, that though a man may be inexcusa- 
 ble for a little accidental unwillingness to do good, 
 when he might easily be persuaded to do it ; yet 
 when one has once such a very depraved heart, that 
 no arguments — no motives — no entreaties, can per- 
 suade him to a single good action, he ceases to have 
 any wickedness, and has a sufficient excuse for the 
 neglect of all duty. Such is the turning of things 
 upside down, among fallen men. " Having the 
 imderstanding darkened, being alienated from the life 
 of God through the ignorance that is in them because 
 of the blindness of their heart ;" is a description of 
 mankind, applicable more extensively than to the 
 heathen Gentiles. 
 
Ser. XVI.] On Regeneration. 303 
 
 A brief application will end the present discourse, 
 both because it has been very long, and because the 
 useful inferences naturaly ai-ising from this subject, 
 are much the same as from many others. 
 
 1 . Let tliose who have been brought out of mar- 
 vellous darkness, into the glorious light of the law 
 and gospel ; and recovered from their native deprav- 
 ity, to rigiitcousness and true holiness, be hence led 
 to consider the wonderful things which God hath 
 done for tliem, and to adore the riches of his sove- 
 reign grace. You have certainly nothing of your 
 own works, nor superior wisdom, to boast of, as what 
 made you to differ, from those who are yet in the 
 dai'k regions of spiritual death. It must be wholly 
 .ascribed to God, who is rich in mercy ; to his great 
 love wherewith he loved you, when dead in sin ; 
 and to the exceeding greatness of his power, accord- 
 ing to the working of his mighty power in Christ, 
 when he raised him from the dead. In such a Avorld 
 as this — so full of erroneous reasonings and strong 
 delusions ; and with such minds as all have by nature 
 — so exceedingly liable to be blinded by the deceitful- 
 ness of sin, it must be a great thing for any one to 
 be made to knov/ the plague of his own heart, in the 
 light of legal, genuine conviction : but a greater thing 
 still, to have the light of the knowledge of the glory 
 of God in the face of Jesus Christ, caused to shine 
 in one's heart, by the renewing of the Holy Ghost. 
 Remember the grateful acknowledgment of the 
 Saviour of such miserable sinners ; Matt. xi. 25, 26, 
 *' I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, 
 because thou hast hid these things from the wise and 
 prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even 
 .so, Father ; for so it seemed good in thy sight." 
 
 2. Let those who entertain a hope of having been 
 converted, be hence cautioned not hastily to conclude, 
 Avith confident assurance, that they ha\e really been 
 
504 On Regeneration. [Ser. XVI, 
 
 born again. Great changes may be made in the 
 minds of persons, and possibly lasting changes in 
 their lives ; while yet, at heart, they are not new 
 creatures. To know that a principle radically new, 
 essentially distinct from self-love has been created in 
 the soul — a principle of disinterested, universal good- 
 ness, is a difficult thing, and must ordinarily require 
 close attention for a considerable time. 
 
 3. Let none entertain this hope at all, if they still 
 live in any way of known transgression, or in the 
 careless neglect of any religious or social duty. 
 " Many walk," says the apostle to the Philippians, 
 " of whom I have told you before, and now tell 3^ou 
 even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross 
 of Christ : Whose end is destruction, whose god is 
 their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who 
 mind earthly things." All who are in Christ, have 
 been created unto good works, which God hath 
 eternally ordained that they should walk in them. 
 Let those then, who hope they have believed in God 
 and Christ, remember that they must be careful to 
 maintain good works ; and, by patient continuance 
 in \\€\ doing, must seek for glory, and honor, and 
 immortality, as ever they would expect to obtain 
 eternal life. 
 
SERMON XVII. 
 
 ON" REPENTAXCE, C0\"V£RSI0N, AND PARDON. 
 
 ACTS III. 19. 
 
 Hefient ye^ therefore., and be converted., that your sins may be 
 blotted out., when the times of refreshing shall come from the 
 Jiresnice of the Lord. 
 
 Wi 
 
 E have in these words, the sum and 
 substance of all the dlvhie calls and counsels given 
 to sinners, in the Old Testament and the Nev/ ; and 
 one of the principal motives to a compliance with 
 such merciful counsels and calls. They are the 
 words of the apostle Peter to those Jews who had 
 been concerned in the crucifixion of our Saviour. 
 The occasion of this exhortation to them, of which 
 my text is a pait, was the astonishment excited by 
 the miraculous cure of one who had been a cripple 
 from his birth. See the preceding context from 
 verse first. 
 
 " Now Peter and John went up together into the 
 temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. 
 And a certain man, lame from his mother's womb, 
 was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the 
 tenlple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of 
 tlicm that entered into the temple, who seeing Peter 
 and John about to go into the temple, asked an alms. 
 
 pp 
 
306 Repentance^ Cou'Dersion, [Ser. XVII. 
 
 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him, with John, 
 said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, 
 expecting to receive something of them. Then Pe- 
 ter said, Silver and gold have I none ; but such as I 
 have Gfive I unto thee : In the name of Jesus Christ 
 of Nazareth, rise up and walk. And he took him 
 by the right hand, and lifted him up ; and immedi- 
 ately his feet and ancle-bones received strength. And 
 he, leaping up, stood, and walked, and entered wdth 
 thena into the temple, walking, and leaping, and prais- 
 ing God : And they knew that it was he which sat 
 for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple : and 
 they were filled with wonder and amazement at that 
 which had happened unto him. And as the lame 
 man which was healed held Peter and John, all the 
 people ran together unto them in the porch that is 
 called ' Solomon's, greatly wondering. And when 
 Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men 
 of Israel, why marvel ye at this ? or why look 3'e so 
 earnestly on us, as though by our own power or 
 holiness wo, had made this m^an to walk ? The God 
 of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of 
 our fadicrs, kith glorified his Son Jesus ; whom yc 
 delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pi- 
 late, when he w as determined to let him go. But 
 ye denied the Holy One, and the Just, and desired 
 a murderer to be granted unto you ; and killed the 
 Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead ; 
 whereof vve ai'e witnesses. And his name, tlii'ough 
 iiiith in his name, hath made this man strong, ^vhom 
 ye see and know : yea, the faith which is by him, 
 iiath given him this perfect soundness in the pres- 
 ence of you all. And now, brethren, I wot that 
 tI«rough ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. 
 But those tilings which God before had shewed by 
 ihe niouili of iJi liis prophets, tliat Clii-ist should suf- 
 fer, he hath so fulfilled. Repent ye^ therefore ^ and 
 be c&nDerted, that your sins may be blotted out, when 
 the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of 
 the Lordy 
 
Ser. XVII.] and Pardon. 
 
 oKJi 
 
 III discoursing upon this text, it is proposed to 
 explain ; 
 
 I. What it is to repent : 
 
 II. What it is to be converted : 
 
 III. How the sins of men may and will be blotted 
 out, in consequence of their repenting and being 
 converted : and, 
 
 IV. What is the duty of sinners, respecting their 
 repentance and conversion. 
 
 I. I shall consider what it is to repent ; or what 
 is implied in true repentance. 
 
 This I shall endeavor to explain, by taking into 
 consideration the object of it ; the exercises of heart 
 implied in it ; and the principle from which these 
 exercises proceed. As to the object of true repent- 
 ance, or the thing repented of; 
 
 1. This is ^irz. Persons may repent of their con- 
 duct when it has not been sinful ; or when it is not 
 considered by them in that light. A man may re- 
 pent of a generous action — an instance of kindness 
 toward his neighbor, when it meets Vv ith an ungrate- 
 ful reception, or an unsuitable return. Thus David 
 seems to have repented of his kindness to Nabal, 
 when he said, " Surely in vain have I kept all that 
 this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing 
 was missing of all that pertained to him ; and he 
 hath requited me evil for good." Or, one may re- 
 pent of an undertaking or piece of labor, when it 
 appears not likely to answer the end proposed. 
 Thus, speaking after the manner of men, God is 
 said to have repented that he had made man upon 
 the earth. Men often repent of whsX they ha^'e been 
 
508 Repentance, Conversion, [Ser. XVII. 
 
 doing, merely because it has proved unsuccessful ; 
 or because the profit has not been equal to the labor 
 and expense. But the repentance of a sinner, 
 spoken of in scripture as connected with salvation, 
 always means repentance of sin. 
 
 2. It is to he observed that in true repentance, 
 sin is repented of on account of its sinfulness. A 
 man may repent of that M'hich he sees and knows to 
 be wrong ; while yet he repents merely because of 
 the imprudence of it, and not because of its iniquity. 
 His regret and remorse may be only on account of 
 the hurt he may have done himself, and not at all on 
 account of the moral evil of his conduct. But in 
 true repentance sin is repented of as sin. 
 
 3. It is necessary that the evil of sin should be 
 seen, and that it should be repented of, particularly 
 as it is against God. An action may be w rong, and 
 may be seen to be so, and be repented of as such, in 
 other respects besides this, of its being a violation of 
 the divine la^v, and a disregard of the divine authori- 
 ty. Persons may repent of having treated their 
 neighbors and friends injuriously, when a sense of 
 the ^vil they have done extends no further ; and they 
 have no apprehension of having dishonored or offend- 
 ed their Creator. If tlie Most High should say to 
 them, as he said to his people of old, " Ye have 
 robbed me ;" they w^ould readily reply, as that peo- 
 ple did, " Wherein have we robbed thee ?" They 
 do not imagine that they ha-v^e done God any injury, 
 or ever meant to do him any. But the great evil of 
 all the unrighteousness, as well as ungodliness of 
 
 .men, consists in the disrespect shown to the supreme 
 Governor cf the world, and the reproach cast upon 
 his great and holy name. And a conviction of this, 
 is A'i.hat principally aHectsthe heart of a true penitent, 
 and fills it v ith biiter remorse. " Against tbee, thee 
 OKLY have I sinned;" was the confession of David 
 
Ser. XVII.] and Pardon. 309 
 
 in his penitential Psalm. Nor is any repentance gen- 
 uine and saving, but what implies this apprehen- 
 sion and sense of the great evil of sin. Hence the 
 apostle Paul describes that repentance which he tes- 
 tified and urged wherever he preached, as being re- 
 pentance to^vard God. 
 
 4. It ought further to be observed, respecting the 
 object of repentance, that it is not some one sin only, 
 but all sin. I mean all one's own sins. Not that 
 whenever a sinner truly repents, he repents of e\'ery 
 sinful acli, and omission, which he has ever been 
 guilty of in the whole course of his life, particularly 
 considered. This is impossible. Not half of these 
 is any one able to recollect. But what I mean is, 
 that a true penitent repents of all his sins in general ; 
 and of every instance of iniquity in paiticular, as 
 far as he can remember it, and is conscious of its 
 being such. If in any one thing a person remem- 
 bers to have done wrong, and does not repent of it, 
 this is a certain evidence that no part of his repent- 
 ance is genuine. It is the doctrine of the apostle 
 James, " Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and 
 yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all :" because 
 the same divine authority that forbids one sin, equal- 
 ly forbids another also. And for the same reason it 
 holds true, that if a man should seem to repent of all 
 his known sins but one, while of that he hath no re- 
 pentance, he doth not truly repent of an)'-. 
 
 5. In explaining the object of repentance, it ought 
 to be particularly observed, that original sin must be 
 repeated of, as well as actual sins. 
 
 By original sin, I do not mean the act of Adam in 
 eating the forbidden fruit ; but the sinfulness of our 
 nature, which we brought into the world with us. 
 A man, though he may feel humiliation and shame 
 on account of the wicked conduct of another, wlio 
 is nearly related to him, or from whom he proceeded ; 
 
310 Repentance y Conversion, [Ser. XVII. 
 
 yet it seems naturally impossible that one should 
 have all the feelings, which are implied in the proper 
 idea of repentance, on account of any besides his own 
 personal sins. But I see no difficulty in supposing 
 that a person may as truly repent of heart-sins, as 
 sins of life ; and of a depraved nature, as well- as of 
 evil thoughts, volitions, and desires. And that Da- 
 vid's repentance was thus deep, we are plainly led to 
 believe by his confession, Psal. li. 5, " Behold, I 
 was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother 
 conceive me." It is also evident that Solomon con- 
 sidered a conviction and sense of depravity of nature, 
 as being essential to that repentance, without which 
 a sinner can have no reasonable hope of pardoning 
 mercy. This appears evident from his prayer at the 
 dedication of the temple, recorded in the eighth 
 chapter of the first book of Kings. " What sup- 
 plication," says he, " shall be made by any man, 
 or by all thy people Israel, who shall know every 
 man the plague of his ow?i heart, and shall spread 
 forth his hands toward this house ; then hear thou 
 in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive." And 
 indeed, it seems plainly impossible that a person 
 should have that self-abasement and self-condemna- 
 tion which true repentance implies, merely from see- 
 ing the evil of particulaj- actions, or transient ex- 
 ercises, without having a sense of that depravity of 
 his nature, Avhich alone can constitute a permanently 
 wicked character. 
 
 Having considered what sinners must repent of, 
 we will next make some inquiry concerning those 
 exercises and affections of heart, which are implied 
 in true repentance. These are, sorrow, shame, self- 
 condemnation, hatred of sin, and sincere purposes 
 to forsake it, and desires to be delivered from it. 
 
 1. True repentance implies grief and sorrow^ for 
 one's sins. David says, Psal. xxxviii. 3 — 6, " There 
 is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger, 
 
Ser. XVIl] and Pardon, 311 
 
 neither is there any rest in my bones because of my 
 sin. For mine iniquities are gone over mine head ; 
 as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. — I am 
 troubled ; I am bowed down greatly ; I go mourning 
 all the day long." And ver. 18, "I will declare 
 mine iniquity ; I will be sorry for my sin." 
 
 2. Shame, is essential to true repentance. Psal. 
 xliv. 15, ** My confusion is continually before 
 me, and the shame of my face hath covered me." 
 Jer. xxxi. 19, " Surely after that I was turned, I re- 
 pented, and after that I Avas instructed, I smote upon 
 my thigh : I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, 
 because I did bear the reproach of my youth." 
 And chap. iii. 25, " We lie down in our shame, and 
 our confusion covereth us ; for Ave have sinned 
 against the Lord our God." 
 
 3. Self-condemnation is implied in true repent- 
 ance. See Lev. xxvi. 41, "If then their uncir- 
 cumcised heart be humbled, and they then accept the 
 punishment of their iniquity ; tlien will I remember 
 my covenant," &c. See also 1 Cor. xi. 31, " If we 
 would judge ourselves, we should not be judged." 
 Thus the penitent thief upon the cross condemn- 
 ed himself, saying to his fellow, who scoffed at Christ, 
 *' Dost thou not fear God, seeing thou art in the 
 same condemnation ? and we indeed justly ; for we 
 receive the due reward of our evil deeds." Every 
 sinner who truly repents, is brought to see the justice 
 of God in condemning him, and heartily to approve 
 of the sentence of condemnation passed upon him. 
 
 4. True repentance implies hatj-ed of sin, and 
 turning from it in heart, Avith a sincere desire and 
 fixed pui-pose to keep the divine law for the time to 
 come. This seems to be what the apostle means 
 by it, when he says, " Godly sorrow worketh repent- 
 ance to salvation, not to be rei>ented of. " He is 
 
512 Repentance, Cojivcrsion, [Ser. XVIL 
 
 there telling the Corinthians what he had heard of the 
 good effects his former epistle had had upon them. 
 In the following verse he says, " For behold, this 
 self same thing, that ye sorrowed 'after a godly sort, 
 what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what cleai'- 
 ing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what 
 fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal." In 
 vain is that repentance which does not imply a sin- 
 cere desire and fixed purpose of amendment ; or 
 which is not followed with a lasting reformation. 
 
 As to the motives and principles of true repent- 
 ance, I obsei-ve, 
 
 1. That it doth not proceed merely from a slavish 
 fear of punishment. A disobedient servant will 
 profess to be sorry for his faults, and will readily 
 promise to do better, when under the rod, or when 
 threatened with severe correction : and in like man- 
 ner a sinner, when destruction from God is a terror 
 to him, will confess and promise, and feel a kind of 
 sorrow for what he has done or neglected to do, and 
 may ha^e some serious thoughts of doing better. 
 Tliis hath been commonly called legal repentance, 
 because it is owing altogether to the terror of the di^ 
 vine law, and the fearful apprehension of the \vTatll 
 to come thence arising:. 
 
 2. It ought to be observed, that true repentance', 
 doth not originate from mercenary hopes of heaven ;:, 
 or from a belief of God's electing love and pardon- 
 ing grace. Something like repentance, in all the 
 forementioned parts and exercises of it, may arise 
 entirely from a persuasion that one is an object of 
 God's peculiar favor, and a subject of his distin- 
 guishing mercy. There is hardly any one so totally 
 destitute of natural gratitude, as not to feel some 
 grief and sorrow, shame and self-condemnation, for 
 ati'ocious offences committed against a kind friend 
 and great benefactor, Avhen a remembrance of his 
 
Scr. XVII.] and Pardun. 313 
 
 generous benefits is fresh ^n mind. Thus, Mhen 
 David had spared the life of Saul, having had a fair 
 opportunity to have slain him while he and all his 
 life-guard were soundly sleeping in the cave ; Saul, 
 on being certified of it, said, " I have sinned : re- 
 turn, my son David ; for I will no more do thee 
 harm, because my soul v/as precious in thy sight 
 this day. Behold, I have played the fool, and ha^'e 
 erred exceedingl). " So, an unregenerate sinner 
 will naturally feel a kind of repentance towai'd God, 
 \v\\G\\ he is made to entertain a strong belief of his 
 special love and mere}' towards him. There is no 
 VLtQiX of a new heart in order to this ; nor w ill anoth.er 
 spirit be produced in the carnal mind, by any re- 
 morse arising from such interested motives. 
 
 Indeed, a sense of God's goodness toward them, 
 increases godly sorrow in true penitents, and makes 
 them appear more vile in their own eyes. This is 
 agreeable to vvhat is said in Ezek. xvi. &o, " That 
 thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and nev- 
 .er open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, 
 when I am pacified toward thee for all that thoii hast 
 done, saith the Lord God." An apprehension of 
 pardoning mercy is not necessary, however, in order 
 to the first feelings of true repentance. Nor is that 
 a repentance unto salvation, which is the fruit of no- 
 thing more than a belief that one's sins already are, 
 or ever will be forgiven. But, 
 
 3. Trup repentance arises from disinterested io\'e 
 to God : a foundation for which is laid in the soul 
 by the renewing of the Holy Ghost. When the 
 stony heart is taken out of one's flesh, and a heart of 
 flesh is given, he will repent, not merely as Ahab did at 
 the threatening of Elijah ; nor merely as Saul repent- 
 ed because of the kindness of David : he will feel 
 an ultimate concern for the honor of God, and an 
 ingenuous sorrow and grief for all that he has done 
 to his offence and displeasure ; whether he believes 
 
 Qq 
 
314 Repentance^ Con'oersion, [Ser. XVII. 
 
 that God is pacified toward him or not. When one 
 is created after God in righteousness and true holi- 
 ness, he will hate sin, and resolve to forsake the 
 ways of it, from that principle, and not merely from 
 a principle of self-love. 
 
 IT. We now proceed to consider what it is to be 
 converted. 
 
 Conversion is often spoken of in such a general 
 sense as to comprehend repentance. Most common- 
 ly, by being converted is meant, the whole change 
 in a sinner when he is turned from sin to holiness 
 in heart and life : and the word repentance is also 
 sometimes to be understood in the same extensive 
 signification. But ^vhen both these expressions are 
 used together, in the m.anner which the apostle uses 
 them in our text, it secm.s necessary to limit the 
 meaning of both of them, so far as that they may 
 communicate ideas somewhat different and distinct. 
 
 By being converted, I suppose Peter here means 
 the same, as being persuaded to embrace the gospel. 
 He was addressing himself to some of those who had 
 been concerned in the crucifixion of Christ : who, 
 by their clamorous importunity had constrained the 
 Roman governor, contrary to his ovni opinion and 
 desire, to pass the sentence of death upon Jesus; 
 and ^vho, when Pilate washed his hands before them, 
 siiying, " I am innocent of the blood of this just 
 person, see ye to it ;" answered boldly, " His blood 
 be on us, and on our children." The apostle, there- 
 ffjre, taking advantage of the consternation excited in 
 these men by a notable miracle wrought in the name 
 oF Jesus of Nazareth, counsels them to repent of this, 
 and all their other sins, and to be converted. That 
 is, to give up their prejudices against Christ, and 
 become his disciples : to receive him as their prom- 
 ised Messiah, and return to the Holy One of Israel, 
 through him looking for pardon and salvation on ac 
 
Ser. XVII.] a7id Pardon, 315 
 
 count of his atonement and righteousness alone. 
 And a conversion essentially similar to this, is ne- 
 cessary in the case of every sinner, in order to for- 
 giveness and justification before God. Here then, 
 more particularly, 
 
 1. When persons are converted, they return to 
 God, as their rightful supreme Lord. 
 
 The carnal mind of man, as born of the flesh, we 
 are told, " is enmity against God ; for it is not sub- 
 ject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." But 
 in conversion, implying regeneration, the minds of 
 persons are altered in this respect. They become 
 friendly to God — to his sovereignty, law, and govern- 
 ment : are made \villing to be under his command, 
 and at the disposal of his Providence in all things ; 
 to be dependant upon his free grace, and to give un- 
 to him the glory due to his great and holy name. 
 Col. i. 21, " And you, that were sometime aliena- 
 ted, and enemies in your mind by wicked works, 
 yet now hath he reconciled." 
 
 2. When persons are converted, they return to 
 God as their chief good : the centre and source of all 
 their happiness. 
 
 The Holy One of Israel says, Jer. ii. 13, "My 
 people have committed two evils : they have forsak- 
 en me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them 
 out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no 
 water." And that such is the folly of sinners gen- 
 erally, our Saviour has strikingly represented in his 
 parable of the prodigal; Luke xv. 11 — 16, "A 
 certain man had two sons : and the younger of them 
 said to his father, Father, give me the portion of 
 goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto thcni 
 his living. And not many days after, the younger 
 son" gathered all together, and took his journey into 
 a far country, and there wasted his substance \;ith 
 riotous living. And when he had spent all, there 
 
316 Repentafjve, Conversion, [Ser. XVII, 
 
 arose a mighty famine in that land ; and he began to 
 be in want. And he Avent and joined himself to a 
 citizen of that country ; and he sent him into his 
 fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled 
 his belly with the husks that the swine did eat : and 
 no man gave unto him." This is a fit illustration of 
 the conduct and condition, not only of the Gentile 
 world, but of every unregenerate sinner. Man is 
 naturally disposed to set up a divided and separate 
 interest of his own, as his ultimate object of pursuit ; 
 and to seek happiness independently of God, and at 
 a distance from him. 
 
 Now, the conversion of a sinner, is his being 
 brought to see that in the service and enjoyment of 
 God, is the only real freedom, and soul- satisfying 
 happiness ; and his returning to him, with these 
 views and expectations. Thus, wlien the prodigal 
 came to himself, he said ; " How many hired ser- 
 vants of my father's have bread enough, and to spare, 
 and I perish v.ith hunger ! I will arise, and go to my 
 flither." 
 
 3. When persons are converted, they receive 
 Christ as their Saviour, and put their trust in him as 
 an all-sufficient Mediator between God and them. 
 In John xiv. 6, we are told Jesus said to his disci- 
 ples, " I am the way, and the truth and the life ; 
 no man cometh unto the Father but by me." And 
 it is spoken of as the sum of the gospel report, 2 
 Cor. V. 19, "• To M'it, that God was in Christ re- 
 conciiing the world unto himself, not imputing their 
 trespasses unto them." It is also said of Christ, 
 Heb. vii. 25, " He is able to save them to the utter- 
 most that corne unto God by him." Tliere is no 
 such thing as a sinner's finding rest for his soul, on 
 good grounds, but by coming to Christ, and through 
 him to the Father. If M-e would not have our hearts 
 troubled, respecting pardon and peace, it is not 
 enough to believe in God ; we must believe also in 
 
Ser. XVII. ] and Pardon. 5l7 
 
 Christ. A saving conversion implies the latter, as 
 well as the former. 
 
 4. It ought ever to be remembered, that when 
 persons are converted, the change of heart, will be 
 followed by a lasting change of life, from sin to ho- 
 liness. 
 
 " I thought on my ways," says David, appealing 
 to God, " and turned my feet unto thy testimonies ; 
 I made haste and delayed not to keep thy command- 
 ments." It is said, Isa. Iv. 7, " Let the wicked 
 forsake his ivay^ and the unrighteous man his 
 thoughts : and let him return unto the Lord, and he 
 will have mercy upon him." And Ezek. xxxiii. 11, 
 *' Turn ye, turn ye from your evil %vays ; for why 
 will ye die ?" 
 
 As a mere external reformation, w ithout a change 
 of heart, is not that conversion wiiich will save men ; 
 so no supposed change of heart, which is not pro- 
 ductive of a religious and virtuous course of life, is 
 a true conversion. 
 
 III. I am next to speak of the manner in wliich 
 th^ sins of sincere penitents and true converts, are 
 or will be blotted out. 
 
 The blotting out of sins, is a figurative mode of 
 expression ; alluding to the erasement or crossing of 
 book accounts when they are balanced. It supposes, 
 speaking after the manner of men, that God keeps a 
 book, in which he sets down aii the sins of every 
 person ; and that when any one repents, and turns 
 from the way of transgressors, this book account 
 against him is crossed, so that it can never more be 
 read. And it is certain that God keeps as exact a 
 remembrance of the actions of men as if they were all 
 literally written down in a book : but Ave are not 
 to suppose that the iniquities of persons, when they 
 repent, are so blotted out that God cannot read them, 
 
318 Repentance y Conijersion, [Ser. XVII. 
 
 or no longer has them in remembrance. This is 
 impossible. An omniscient being must be suppos- 
 ed to know all things past, as perfectly as the pres- 
 ent. All that can be meant by God's blotting out 
 sins, is his granting a gracious pardon of them. He 
 may forgive, but never can forget, what has been 
 amiss in us. We often read of his pardoning sins ; 
 by which we are to understand, his remitting the 
 punishment of them, in whole or in part : and this, 
 as far as he does it, is as effectual a security from 
 his wrath on account of them, as if they were actu- 
 ally blotted out of his remembrance. Those iniqui- 
 ties of men which God hath fully forgiven, will nev- 
 er be brought into judgment against them, as matter 
 of condemnation, any more than if they were en- 
 tirely forgotten ; or than if they had never been. 
 Hence he says, Isa. xliv. 22, " I have blotted out, 
 as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, 
 thy sins." And Jer. 1. 20, " In those days, and in 
 that time, the iniquity of Jacob shall be sought for, 
 and there shall be none ; and the sins of Judah, and 
 they shall not be found : for I will pardon them 
 whom I reserve." And hence it is said, Micah, vii. 
 18, 19, " Who is a God like unto thee, that pardon- 
 eth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the 
 remnant of his heritage ? he retaineth not his anger 
 for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will 
 turn again, he 'will have compassion upon us ; he 
 will subdue our iniquities : and thou wilt cast all 
 our sins into the depths of the sea." When sins 
 are entirely forf,>i\ en of God, it is, with respect to 
 their ever rising up to the hurt of the sinner, as if 
 they were buried in everlasting oblivion. 
 
 Let us now consider ivben, the sins of those who 
 repent and are converted, will be thus blotted out. 
 In some places the pardon of men is promised them, 
 immediately on their repentance and conversion. 
 Respecting the seed of Jacob as a nation, God says, 
 2 Chron. vii. 14, " If my people, which is called by 
 
Ser. XVII.] and Pardon. 319 
 
 my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and 
 seek my face, and turn from their kicked ways ; then 
 will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, 
 and will heal their land." The pardon of individu- 
 als is also sometimes spoken of as what had already 
 been granted. See Matt. ix. 2, " Son be of good 
 cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee." Luke vii. 47, 
 " Her si^s which are many are forgiven." And 
 Eph. iv. 32, *' Forgiving one another, even as God 
 for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." It is likewise 
 said, " He that believeth, hath everlasting life, and 
 shall not come into condemnation." And, ''There 
 is now no condemnation to them who are in Christ 
 Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the 
 Spirit." 
 
 By a sinful nation's being forgiven, on repentance 
 and a reformation, we are to understand the remission 
 of certain public judgments, with which it had been 
 threatened. By the forgiveness of particular sinners, 
 immediately on their conversion, by repentance and 
 faith in Christ, is to be understood, their being de- 
 livered from the wrath to come, or secured, by the 
 promises of the gospel, from eternal punishment. 
 Not that they are so fully forgiven, but that they may 
 be punished in the life which now is, both for their 
 past and their future sins. Job says to God, " Thou 
 Avritest bitter things against me, and makest me to 
 possess the iniquities of my youth." And this is 
 the case, undoubtedly, with many good men. When 
 David was brought to repentance, and said, " I 
 have sinned against the Lord;" Nathan said unto 
 him, " The Lord hath put aAAay thy sin ; thou shalt 
 not die. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast 
 given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to 
 pkispheme, the child that is born unto thee shall 
 surely die." A\'^hich punishment, and the others be- 
 fore denounced, were inflicted upon him with unabat- 
 ed severity, notwithstanding his sin was put away, 
 as to the }:)enalty which was its capital and full desert. 
 
^20 JRepentance, Conversion^ [Scr. XVlL 
 
 Hezekiah likewise, because his heart was lifted up, 
 and he rendered not again according to the benefits 
 done him, was sorely visited and terribly threatened, 
 though he had long been eminently pious. And 
 the apostle Paul, when reproving the Corinthians 
 for their scandalous attendance on the Lord's sup- 
 per, says to them ; " For this cause many are weak 
 and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we 
 would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 
 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the 
 Lord, that we should not be condemned with the 
 world." 
 
 True penitents and believers are not under the 
 curse of the law, but under a covenant of grace : a 
 covenant according to which they are out of danger 
 of the condemnation of the \vicked, and their final 
 salvation is secured. Nevertheless, they are not so 
 forgiven as that their transgressions may not be yet 
 visited with the rod, in this world, and their iniquity 
 with stripes. 
 
 But in our text it is said, '■'■ Repent and be con- 
 verted tliat your sins may be blotted out, ivhen the 
 times of refreshing shall come from the presence of 
 the LorcL''^ What are \ve to understand by those 
 times 1 
 
 Some understand by them, the times of the more 
 full pouring out of the Divine Spirit under the gos- 
 pel dispensation : and some, the times of Avrath and 
 destruction which would soon come upon Jerusalem, 
 and upon the persecuting Jews in general ; which 
 v.ould be times of a short relief and rofreshing to 
 the persecuted christians. 
 
 But, though these might, with some propriety, be 
 spoken of as refreshing times to the suffering disciples 
 of Christ, it appears from what follows, that the 
 apostle had an ultimate reference to a more distant 
 day; even the day of final retribution. "When 
 the times of refreshing shall come from the presence 
 cf the Lord ; And he shall send Jesus Christ, who 
 
Ser. XVil.] and Pardon. 321 
 
 before was preached unto you, whom the heavens 
 must receive until the times of restitution," (or ful- 
 filment) " of all things, which God hath spoken by 
 the mouth of all his prophets, since the world 
 began." 
 
 At the day of judgment, the sins of those who 
 shall then appear to have truly repented, and been 
 converted to the obedience of the gospel, will be 
 blotted out, more fully than they e^ er ai-e in this 
 world. All such will then be openly acquitted from 
 the whole curse of the law ; and will have an everlast- 
 ing deliverance from all the penal and unhappy conse- 
 quences of original and actual sin. 
 
 It was proposed, in the last placcj to consider, 
 what is the duty of sinners, relative to their repent- 
 ance and conversion ; since these are made matters 
 of exhortation and command to them. And here, 
 
 1. We are to understand, undoubtedly, that it is 
 the duty of all to whom the overtures of salvation 
 are made, immediately to repent of their sins, and 
 turn from them to God, in the way that he offers 
 pardoning mercy. 
 
 Many are ready to argue that since repentance and 
 faith are the gifts of God, and not in the power of 
 sinners so long as they are in a state of unregeneracy ; 
 the only duty at pesent incumbent on them respect- 
 ing these matters, is to be in the use of those outwai'd 
 means, whereby saving grace is ordinarily communi- 
 cated to the souls of men. That such exercises of 
 heart as imply real holiness, cannot reasonably be 
 required of them while unrenewed. But, that the 
 inspired preachers of Christianity thought otherwise, 
 is very obvious. Their first exhortation to sinners 
 was, " Repent, and believe the gospel." " Repent, 
 and be converted. " And if any at all delayed repent- 
 ing sincerely, and becoming true christians, those 
 preachers evidently considered them as being alto- 
 
 R r 
 
$22 Repentance, Conversion, [Ser. XVII. 
 
 gether criminal and without excuse. Our Saviour 
 himself severely upbraided those who had heard his 
 doctrines and seen his miracles, because they repent- 
 ed not : plainly telhng them that it would be more 
 tolerable in the day of judgment, for Tyre and Sidon, 
 and even for Sodom and Gomorrah, than for them. 
 
 As to the common objection, that to command or 
 exhort men to repent with godly sorrow, and believe 
 to the saving of the soul, while they are unregene- 
 rate, is unreasonable ; and that to condemn them for 
 not doing so is unjust, because a compliance with 
 such requisitions is not in their power : to this the 
 answer is, that all the reason they cannot do these 
 things, is their not being so disposed ; or their not 
 ha\ung an honest and good heart : and that what men 
 could do if they woulcl, or if it were not for the wick- 
 edness of their hearts, they may reasonably be re- 
 quired to do, and may justly be condemned for not 
 doing. This was the way which our Saviour took, 
 to stop the mouths of such objectors. He said to 
 the unbelieving Jews, " Ye %vill not come unto me 
 that ye might have life." And to the city of Jeru- 
 salem, when abandoned to destruction ; " How often 
 would I have gathered thy children together, even as 
 a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye 
 Toould not.^'' And again ; " He that believeth not is 
 condemned already, because he hath not believed in 
 the name of the only begotten Son of God. And 
 this is the condemnation, that light is come into the 
 world, and men loved darkness rather than light, 
 because their deeds were evil." 
 
 But it may be said, To call upon sinners to re- 
 pent and believe, or to be converted, when it is im- 
 possible they should do these things, let this impos- 
 sibility be owing to what it will, is in vain, and can 
 do no good. Is it not better to tell the unconverted 
 of things which the}- can do ; and to give them di- 
 rections and exhortations with \\'hich they may pos- 
 sibly be persuaded to comply .^ 
 
Ser. XVII.] md Pardon. 323 
 
 To this it is answered : Though no preaching will 
 be of any avail for the conversion of sinners, without 
 the special grace of God ; yet, under that preaching 
 which has a tendency to convince them of their 
 duty and their sin, we have more reason to expect 
 this divine grace, than under that which rather tends 
 to strengthen their self-deception, and to shut out 
 more entirely the light of genuine conviction. To 
 urge on the unregenerate only the externals of reli- 
 gion, is the direct way to make them think that all 
 their duty consists in the performance of these : and, 
 consequently, to build them up upon the rotten foun- 
 dation of self-righteousness and dead works. On 
 the contrary, the method taken by our Saviour and 
 his apostles, of urging sincere repentance and saving 
 faith, as the immediate duty of unbelieving and im- 
 penitent sinners ; and insisting upon their utter inex- 
 cusableness in the neglect of these, has a natural 
 tendency to cast down self-righteous imaginations, 
 and to make men sensible of the necessity of renew- 
 ing grace, and of an interest in tlie righteousness of 
 Christ. Yet, 
 
 2. It is nevertheless the duty of the unconverted 
 to be in the diligent use of the outward and ordinary 
 means of conversion ; and to this they should be 
 exhorted. 
 
 As, on the one hand, some imagine that nothing 
 more than external duties can reasonably be urged 
 upon the unregenerate ; so, on the contrary, others 
 seem to suppose that no directions are to be given 
 them, except to be perfect, or to repent and believe 
 the gospel. But this last opinion, as well as the 
 first, appears to me unfounded, either in reason or 
 scripture. If it be the duty of sinners to repent, it 
 is their duty to endeavor to know what they have to 
 repent of. If it be their duty to believe the gospel, 
 it must be their duty to be in the use of proper 
 means to understand the import of the gospel, and 
 
324 Repentance y Conversion, [Ser. XVII, • 
 
 the evidences of its truth. Accordingly, in the Old 
 Testament, impenitent sinners ^re exhorted to con- 
 sider their ivays : and in the New, unbelievers are 
 directed to search the scriptures. 
 
 We will now conclude with some application of 
 our subject. 
 
 1. From the explanation now given of repentance 
 and conversion, false converts may be undeceived ; 
 and all should be cautioned not to lay hold on a hope, 
 upon slender and insufficient evidence. 
 
 There are many ways in which persons may vainly 
 flatter themselves that they have experienced a sav- 
 ing change. Some may rest in a mere external 
 reformation. They have forsaken former gi^oss ways 
 of sin, and are become constant in those religious 
 duties which they once carelessly neglected ; and 
 this they may take to be conversion. Others have 
 been under fearful apprehensions of devouring fire 
 and everlasting burnings ; but, in the midst of their 
 greatest terrors, perhaps some comfortable text of 
 scripture came suddenly into their mind, such as, 
 " Son, be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee ; " 
 or, " Fear not, — it is your Father's good pleasure 
 to give you the kingdom ;" or by some other means 
 a confident persuasion \\2& given them of God's 
 electing love and pardoning mercy, which filled them 
 with joy and comfort ; and, of course, with repent- 
 ance, and purposes of new obedience ; but all from 
 the old native principle of self-love. In such w^ays, 
 thousands and ten thousands have probably been 
 deceived, and have gone down to the grave with a 
 lie in their right hand. 
 
 Think not tiiat you have experienced repentance 
 unto salvation, unless you have had that sorrow for 
 sin and hatred of it, which did not begin with loving 
 God because of an apprehension of his being pacified 
 toward you ; or of 3'our being chosen of him as a 
 
Ser. XVIL] and Pardon. 325 
 
 vessel of mercy, and an heir of gloiy. Think not 
 that you aie converted, unless you have had a change 
 of heart, as well as of life. Unless you have cordially 
 turned to God as your rightful Lord ; being recon- 
 ciled to his law and government, and to the absolute 
 sovereignty of his Providence and grace. Unless 
 you love God for what he is in himself, and have re- 
 turned to him as your chief good ; being able truly 
 to say to him with the psalmist, " Whom have I in 
 heaven but thee ? and none upon earth do I desire 
 besides thee." Nor unless you have trusted in Christ, 
 as the only way to the Father ; relying upon him 
 alone, as the meritorious ground of hope toward God. 
 Nor unless you live by faith on the Son of God, 
 have learnt of him, and bring forth fruits meet for 
 repentance. 
 
 2. It may be seen from our subject, that the in- 
 ducement set before sinners in the gospel, to repent 
 and be converted, is infinitely weighty and powerful. 
 How great, how necessary, how iijfinitely important 
 a thing must it be, to have your sins so blotted out, 
 that they M'ill not be brought in against you, to your 
 everlasting condemnation, when the books shall be 
 opened in the day of judgment ! 
 
 3. The greatest of sinners may hence see that there 
 is hope in their case. The crucifiers of their Saviour 
 were taught to entertain a hope that their sins might 
 be blotted out ; and thousands of them were pricked 
 in their heart, converted and saved. Christ is exalt- 
 ed to give repentance, and remission of sins. " He 
 that covereth his sins shall not prosper : but whoso 
 confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." 
 
SERMON XVIII. 
 
 ON SAVING FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST, 
 
 JOHN VI. 29. 
 
 This is the iv6rk of God, that ye believe on him nvhom he hath 
 sent. 
 
 OOME would have ministers preach only 
 on plain practical subjects, and not trouble their 
 unlearned hearers with controverted points of doc- 
 trine. And undoubtedly it is true, that things which 
 " come home to men's business and bosoms," are 
 more suitable for the pulpit, than matters of mere 
 speculation. But practical subjects, are not all of 
 equal importance. People should be instructed in 
 every duty required of them in God's perfect law ; 
 but it most of all concerns them to be rightly inform- 
 ed respecting that duty which is made absolutely ne- 
 cessary to their salvation, in the gospel of his grace. 
 *' What must I do to be saved ?" is the all-import- 
 ant question for a sinner. And to this question, the 
 all-comprehensive answer is given, by our great 
 Teacher, in the words now to be insisted on. 
 
 The preceding part of the chapter contains an ac- 
 count of Christ's feeding about five thousand men, 
 with only five loaves of bread and two small fishes. 
 By this miracle, these men were impressed with a 
 
328 Saving Faith in Christ. [Ser. XVIlt 
 
 strong persuasion of his being that great temporal 
 dehverer of the Jews, of whom they were then in 
 impatient expectation ; probably, as it convinced 
 them of his power easily to support numerous armies, 
 and to conquer the world. Accordingly, they were 
 about to take him, in a violent and tumultuous man- 
 ner, and proclaim him their king. Which, when 
 Jesus perceived, he withdrew secretly from them to 
 a mountain himself alone : and at night, his disciples 
 having attempted to cross the sea of Galilee, and be- 
 ing in imminent danger by reason of a tempestuous 
 wind, he went to them walking on the waves ; and 
 having stilled the storm, they soon landed together 
 on the opposite shore. The next day, when the 
 multitude, who saw the disciples depart without him, 
 and knew of no vessel in which he could have fol- 
 lowed them, had searched long for him on the other 
 side, they took shipping and crossed likewise to Ca- 
 pernaum : where, une:K.pectedly finding him with 
 his disciples, they said unto him, " Rabbi, when 
 earnest thou hither ?" But instead of gi'atifying their 
 curiosity in regard to the time or manner of his com- 
 ing, our Saviour rather reproved them for their un- 
 worthy and carnal motives, in pursuing him with so 
 much anxiety. " Jesus answered them and said^ 
 Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye seek me, not be- 
 cause ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of 
 the loaves and were filled. Labor nOt for the meat 
 which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth 
 unto everlasting life." Hereupon, willing perhaps 
 to justify themselves, they said unto him, " What 
 shall we do, that we might work the works of God ?" 
 To which question, v/ith whatever views it might be 
 asked, our Lord gave a serious and direct reply. 
 *' Jesus answered and said unto them. This is the work 
 of God ^ that ye beliei^e on him inhotn he hath sent. ''^ 
 
 By him whom God hath sent, it is plain, our Sa- 
 viour means himself. The only things which need 
 explanation in the words, are therefore these two ; 
 
Ser. XVIII.] Saving Faith in Christ. 3^9 
 
 \Vliat is implied in Ixjlieving tnily on Jesus 
 Christ. And, 
 
 How we are to understand that this is the work 
 of God. 
 
 These, accordingly, will be the heads of the 
 ensuing discourse. 
 
 I. What it is truly to believe on the Lord Je^us 
 Christ, I shall endeavor particularly to explain. 
 
 There are several things necessary to be believed 
 concerning Christ ; and there is a peculiar manner 
 of believing these things, Avhich is essential to saving- 
 faith. ^Vith respect to the former — the things to 
 be believed concerning our Saviour ; 
 
 1. It is necessaiy that we should have a right 
 belief respecting his glorious and wonderful person. 
 More particularly, that he is truly a Divine person, 
 must be believed. The proper Divinity of Christ, 
 is many ways, very expressly taught in the holy 
 scriptures. He is often spoken of as the Son of 
 God, in a manner peculiar to himself, and inapplica- 
 ble to any created being. He is called God's only 
 begotten Son. He is said to be the brightness of the 
 Father's glory ; and the express im-age of his person. 
 Yea, we are told that " He was in the beginning 
 with God, and was God." That "In him dwell- 
 ethallthe fulness of the God-head." That " He is 
 over all, God blessed for ever more." The incom- 
 municable perfections, and the most peculiar -works 
 of God, are also ascribed to him, and claimed by 
 him. He is acknowledged to be omniscient by the 
 apostle Peter ; Johnxxi. 17, " Lord, thou knowest 
 all things ; thou knowest that I love thee." He 
 speaks of himself as omnipresent. Matt, xviii. 20, 
 " Where two or three are gathered together in my 
 name, there am I in the midst of them." And Matt, 
 xxviii. 19, 20, " Go ye and teach all nations, bap- 
 
 S s 
 
o30 Sauhig Faith in Christ, [Ser. XVIIL 
 
 tizing them in the name of the Father, and of the 
 Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe 
 all things whatsoever I have commanded you ; and, 
 lo, I am with you ahvay, even to the end of the 
 world." He is spoken of as being eternal and im- 
 mutable ; Heb. vii. 3, " Having neither beginning 
 of days, nor end of life." And chap. xiii. 8, " Je- 
 sus Clirist, the same yesterday, and to-day, and for 
 ever." He says, " What things soever the Father 
 doeth, these also doeth the Son ;" John v. 19. And 
 ver. 21, 22, 23, " For as the Father raiseth up the 
 dead, and quickeneth them ; even so the Son quick - 
 eneth whom he will. For the Father judgeth no 
 man ; but luith committed all judgment unto the 
 Son ; that all men should honor the Son, even as they 
 honor the Father." And it is said, Col. i. 16, 17, 
 " By him were all things created, that are in heaven, 
 and that are in the earth, visible and invisible ; wheth- 
 er they be thrones, or dominions or principalities, 
 or powers ; ail things were created by him, and for 
 him ; and he is before all things, and by him all 
 things consist." And as the peculiar perfections 
 and ^vo^ks of God are ascribed to Christ, so that 
 adoration which is due to God alone, is command- 
 ed to be rendered to him ; Heb. i. 6, " When he 
 bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he 
 saith, And let all the angels of God worship him." 
 
 Thus evident is it, that if we have a true belief 
 concerning Christ, according to the scriptures, we 
 must believe him truly a Divine person ; the second 
 person in the eternal Trinit} % 
 
 Some are so liberal, that they allow us to have as 
 low, or as high an opinion as we please of the Sav- 
 iour of the world, without at all endangering our 
 salvation. An English divine, a volume of whose 
 sermons has lately passed through several American 
 editions, says, " Give me but the fact that Christ is 
 the resurrection and the life, and explain it how you 
 will. Give me but this single truth, that eternal 
 
Ser. XVIII.] Saising Faith in Christ. 531 
 
 LIFE is the gift of God through Jesus Christ our 
 Lord and Saviour, and I shall be perfectly easy with 
 respect to the contrary opinions which are entertained 
 about the dignity of Christ ; about his nature, person 
 and offices. — Call him, if you please, simply a ma?i, 
 endowed with extraordinary powers ; or call him a 
 super-angelic being, who appeared in human nature 
 for accomphshing our salvation ; or say, (if you can 
 admit a tliought so shockingly absurd) that it was the 
 second of three co-equal persons in the God-head, 
 forming one person, with a human soul, that came 
 down from heaven, and suffered and died upon the 
 cross. — I shall think such differences of little mo- 
 ment, provided the fact be allowed, that Clirist did 
 rise from the dead, and will raise us from the dead ; 
 and that all righteous penitents will, through God's 
 grace in him, be accepted and made happy for ever."^- 
 But I do not find that this ailicle of our faith is 
 represented in the New-Testament, as a matter of so 
 much indifference. Paul counted all things but loss 
 for tlie true knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord. 
 Peter foretels that there shall be false teachers among 
 christians, " who privily shall bring in damnable 
 heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, 
 and bring upon themselves swift destruction." And 
 John says, in his first epistle, " He that believeth 
 not God hath made him a liar, because he believeth 
 not the record that God gave of his Son." And 
 near the conclusion of his gospel he says, " Many 
 other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his 
 disciples, which are not written in this book ; but 
 these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is 
 the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye 
 might have life tlirough his name." " What think 
 ye of Christ ?" ^vas l"us own question to the Phar- 
 isees. And to his disciples he said, " ^Vhom do 
 meii say that I, the Son of man, am ? On their an- 
 
 * Dr. Price.- 
 
332 Sa'Ding Faith in Christ. [Ser. XVIII. 
 
 swering, Some say that thou art John the baptist ; 
 some say Elias ; and others, Jeremias, or one of the 
 prophets;" he puts the question to themselves, 
 *' But whom say ye that I am ?" Simon Peter an- 
 swered, " Thou ait Christ, the Son of the living 
 God. And Jesus said unto him, Blessed art thou 
 Simon Borjona ; for fiesh and blood hath not reveal- 
 ed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 
 And I say unto thee. Thou art Peter ; and upon this 
 rock will I build my church, and the gates of hell 
 shall not prevail against it. " The name, Peter, sig- 
 nifies a rock or stone : but it cannot be supposed, 
 consistently m ith reason, or scripture, that the person 
 of Peter \\ as the rock intended. He, surely, could 
 not bear the ^veight of the whole church of Christ in 
 ail ages, and be able to defend it against all the pow- 
 ers of darkness from the gates of hell. According- 
 ly, a more firm rock tlian the apostle Peter, or his 
 infallible successor, is often spoken of as the basis of 
 the christian church, and of tlie ctei^ual hopes of 
 fallen men. See Isa. xxviii. 16 , " Thus saith the 
 Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a 
 stone, a ti'ied stone, a precious coner. stone, a sure 
 foundation." See also the words of Peter himself 
 before the Jewish council, Actsiv. 10, 11, 12, " Be 
 it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, 
 that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, w^hom 
 ye crucified, vvhom God raised from the dead, even 
 by him doth this man stand before you whole. This 
 is the stone v.^iich was set at nought of you builders, 
 which is become the head of the corner. Neither is 
 there salvation in any other : for there is none other 
 name under heaven given among men Vv hereby we 
 must be saved." And Eph. ii. 19, 20, " Ye are 
 no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens 
 of the sairits, and of the household of God ; and are 
 built upon tl:e foundation of the apostles and proph- 
 ets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner 
 stone." When, therefore, Christ says, " Upon this 
 
Ser. XVIII.] Samng Fahb in Chrht. 333 
 
 rock will I build my church," he must be understood 
 to mean, upon this article of faith which Peter had 
 then confessed, and not upon Peter himself. 
 
 Nor can it reasonably be supposed that our Sav- 
 iour would have said things, as he often did, which 
 were generally and naturally understood to be making 
 himself equal with God, had he not considered the 
 belief of his being really so, very necessaiy to be 
 inculcated. ^Vould he of whom the Father testified, 
 " My servant shall deal /?;7/^t7///y," have prejudiced 
 so many of his hearers, and prevented their conver- 
 sion, by insisting upon, or once insinuating, what he 
 Avell knew they accounted blasphemy, unless he had 
 viewed it as a point of fundamental importance ? 
 Some preachers may be fond of tlirowing out strange 
 things, \vhich, if true, are of little or no consequence ; 
 but this certainly ^vas not the manner of the Author 
 and Finisher of our faith. From his discourses 
 relative to this doctrine, therefore, we are led to con- 
 clude, not- only that it is a real truth, but a trutli 
 very essential to be known and believed in order to 
 the salvation of men. 
 
 But it is equally a plain doctrine of the gospel, 
 and equally an essential article of our faith, that 
 Christ was a real and proper man. 1 Cor. xv. 21, 
 22, " For since by man came death, by man came 
 also the resurrection of the dead. For, as in Adam 
 all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive." And ver. 
 47, " The first man is of the earth, earthy ; the sec- 
 ond man is the Lord from heaven." Phil. ii. 6, 7, 8, 
 " Who, being in the form of God, thought it not 
 robbery to be equal with God ; but made himself 
 of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a 
 servant, and was made in the likeness of men ; and 
 being found in fashion as a man^ he humbled him- 
 self and became obedient unto death, even the death 
 of the cross." 1 Tim. ii. 5, " There is one God, 
 and one Mediator between God and men, the man 
 Christ Jesus." And Heb. ii. 16, 17, ''For verily 
 
334 Saiiing Faith in Christ. [Ser. XVIII. 
 
 he took not on him the nature of angels ; but he took 
 on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore, it behov- 
 ed him in all things to be made like unto his breth- 
 ren.^'' 
 
 Some, who would not be thought Arians, and who 
 acknowledge the proper Divinity of our Saviour, be- 
 lieve, nevertheless, that be existed, as a creature, 
 long before his incarnation : that he was the first of 
 all created beings, and far superior to the highest 
 angels. But how they can reconcile this idea of 
 him, with a belief of his proper humanity^ I do not 
 readily see. Surely, one who has nothing more of 
 manhood, than a mere animal body, is not a man, in 
 all things like his brethren : and it is not supposed, 
 
 1 presume, that Christ had a human soul, besides 
 his Divine, and super-angelic natures. In that case, 
 there must have been three distinct natures, in one 
 person. 
 
 That Christ was, and continues to be, a perfect 
 man, however, is the evident doctrine of the New- 
 Testament. And the belief of this, as wxU as of his 
 being truly God, is undoubtedly necessary in order 
 to our trusting in him as a suitable, or capable Re- 
 deemer of the souls of men. 
 
 2. To believe truly on him whom God hath sent, 
 we must have a right understanding and belief res- 
 pecting the design of his mission. 
 
 What that was he himself hath declared in general, 
 John iii. 17, " For God sent not his Son into the 
 world to condemn the world ; but that the world 
 throuf2:h him misht be saved." And with what sal- 
 vation, Ave are particularly informed m many other 
 places. See Matt. i. 21 — "He shall save his peo- 
 ple /ro»2 their sins. '^ 1 Thes. i. 10, " Even Jesus, 
 which delivered us from the Torath to come.''^ And 
 
 2 Tim. ii. 10, " That they may .obtain the salvation 
 which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.'''' 
 
Ser. XVIII.] Savhig Faith in Christ. 335 
 
 The five thousand whom our Saviour miraculous- 
 ly fed, as related in the context, had difterent ideas 
 of this matter. They considered him only as a tem- 
 poral deliverer: and therefore, though they said, 
 " This is of a truth that prophet that should come 
 into the world," yet they were far from being true 
 believers in him. 
 
 To have saving faith in Christ, we must believe 
 that he was sent to obtain for lost men, a spiritual 
 and an eternal salvation : deliverance from sin and 
 hell, and the enjoyment of immortal happiness in the 
 kingdom of heaven. 
 
 3. It is necessary that we should have aright be- 
 lief concerning the way and manner, in which Christ 
 hath procured this salvation for us. 
 
 He hath done this, we are told, by obeying and 
 dying in our nature and stead. It is v^^ritten, " By 
 the obedience of one, shall many be made righteous." 
 It is written, " He was wounded for our transgres- 
 sions ; he was bruised for our iniquities ; the chas- 
 tisement of our peace was upon him, and with his 
 stripes we are healed." It is written, " Christ 
 hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being 
 made a curse for us." It is written, "Now once, 
 in the end of the world, hath he appeared to put away 
 sin by the sacrifice of himself." 
 
 Here again, " The liberal man dcviseth liberal 
 things ;" and must do so to be consistent. The 
 learned divine before quoted, supposes it equally 
 immaterial ^vhat "sve believe concerning the w'ay of 
 our salvation, as concerning the person of our 
 Saviour. " Say," says he, " that Christ saves us 
 merely by being a messenger from God to reveal to 
 us eternal life, and to confer it upon us ; or say, on 
 the contrary, that he not only re'ueals to us eternal life, 
 and confers it upon us, but has obtained it for us by 
 oflering himself a propitiatory sacrifice on the cross, 
 and making satisfaction to the justice of the Deity 
 
336 Sa'Ding Faith in €hrisu ,£Ser. XV III, 
 
 for our sins : — Is it not obvious, with respect to these 
 differences, that they affect not the doctrine itself of 
 our salvation by Christ ; and that however they are 
 determined, the foundation of our hopes remains 
 the same ?" 
 
 And indeed, if the glory of God were nothing to 
 be accounted of; if the honor of Christ were a 
 matter of no consequence, and if we might be happy 
 without seeing the glory of God in the face of Jesus 
 Christ, as well as with, this might be obvious. If 
 our escaping punishment, and obtaining a heaven 
 agreeable to the native wish of our hearts, were the 
 only things in the universe of any importance, it 
 would be very immaterial by whom we ^vere saved, 
 or how. In that case wt might well enough believe 
 and preach another gospel ; not much offensive to a 
 Jew, or Mahometan, or Pagan. In that case, " even 
 denying the Lord that bought us," would be no 
 damnable heresy. The foundation of our hopes 
 would still remain the same. 
 
 But God, though his name is love, is not so libei"- 
 al. "He cannot deny himself" Those whom he 
 would have to be saved, he would have come to the 
 knowledge of the truth, that his name may be glori- 
 fied. And all other beings in the universe would not 
 be perfectly satisfied, to see the guilty cleared, and 
 the rewards of the righteous given them, without 
 understanding upon v. hat grounds. The sufferings 
 of Christ, and the glory that should follow, are things, 
 vv'e are told, into ^vhich the angels desire to look. 
 We are also told, that when the Saviour of this ruin- 
 ed world was born, a multitude of the heavenly host 
 sang together, " Glory to God in the highest," as 
 well as, " on earth peace, good will towards men." 
 But that there may be the highest glory to God, or 
 any glory at all, in the salvation of sinners, it must 
 be seen that his grace is not exalted to the eternal 
 dishonor of his justice. "A just God, and a Sav- 
 iour," is the united name, in ^vhich he glories : and 
 
Ser. XVIII.] Sailing Faith in Christ. 337 
 
 he would be known to all, in the former as well as m 
 the latter of these characters. Hence it was that he 
 set forth Christ to be a propitiation, through faith in 
 his blood for the remission of sins. This was done, 
 that he might be just, and be kno^vn to be so, while 
 he justifies transgressors, on their believing in Jesus. 
 *' For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness 
 to every one that believeth." But not so to unbe- 
 lievers. To any one who remains in total ignorance 
 or error concerning Christ, or concerning his atone- 
 ment, he is no end of the law at all. It is said, " If 
 righteousness came by the law, then Christ is dead in 
 vain;" but equally in vain would be his death, in 
 regard to the glory of God in the eyes of men, 
 if they were to be saved without seeing the ne- 
 cessity, or without understanding the nature, of that 
 satisfaction which was made to divine justice, by his 
 painful and ignominioiis sufferings. 
 
 For these reasons, undoubtedly it v/as, that the 
 apostles so strenuously insisted, in all their preaching, 
 on Christ crucified ; not>vithstanding they knew it 
 was "to the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the 
 Greeks foolishness." On non-essential points, they 
 fed those with milk who were unable to bear strong- 
 meat, and were very careful not to give Jew, or 
 Greek, or the church of God, any offence ; but, upon 
 this great article of salvation by the propitiatory sac- 
 rifice of God's only begotten Son, they determined 
 always to insist, let who would be offended. 
 
 4. I will only just observe further, that it is ne- 
 cessary to have a firm and full belief of the power 
 and willingness of Christ to save, all who are willing 
 to be saved by him, in every respect in which they 
 need salvatioH. 
 
 As to the all-sufficiency of his power ; see 1 Cor. 
 i. 30, " But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of 
 God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, 
 and sanctification, and redemption." Col. i. 19, 
 
 T t 
 
338 Sailing Faith in Christ. [Ser. XVIII. 
 
 *' For it pleased the Father, that in him should all 
 fulness dwell." And Heb. vii. 25, " Wherefore he 
 is able also to save them to the uttermost that come 
 unto God by him." 
 
 As to his vv illingness to save any sinner who thus 
 comes ; see Matt. xi. 28, " Com.e unto me, all ye 
 that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you 
 rest." And John vi. 37, " All that the Father giv- 
 eth me shall come to me ; and him that cometh to 
 me I will in no wise cast out." 
 
 And the truth, both of Christ's being able and 
 willing thus to save, is seen and relied upon by all 
 true believers. 1 Tim. i. 15, " This is a faithful 
 saying, and worthy of ail acceptation, that Christ Je- 
 sus came into the W'orld to save sinners ; of whom 
 I am chief." And 2 Tim. i. 12, " I know whom 
 I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able 
 to keep that which I have committed unto him 
 against that day." 
 
 These are the things concerning Christ, necessa- 
 ry to be believed. But it must not be forgotten that 
 there is a peculiar manner of believing these things, 
 which is essential to saving faith. 
 
 It has been confidently asserted, indeed, by one 
 author, at least, that the faith by which we are jus- 
 tified, is a simple belief of the simple truth. He says, 
 *' Let us lay aside all questions about /^ow a man be- 
 lieves ; and let the only question be, What does he 
 believe ? Every one who believes the same truth 
 which the apostles believed, has equally precious faith 
 with them. He has unfeigned faith and shall assur- 
 edly be saved."* 
 
 But if we believe simply as the apostles did, or as 
 their I^ord taught them, I am persuaded we shall 
 not believe this doctrine. John says of Christ, " As 
 many as receiijed him, to them gave he power to be- 
 come the sons of God, even to them that believe on 
 
 * Mr. Sandeman. 
 
Ser. XVIII.] Samng Faith in Christ. 339 
 
 his name." Paul tells us of the pious patriarchs, 
 " These all died in faith ; not having received the 
 promises, but having seen them afar off, were per- 
 suaded of them, and embraced them. He also speaks 
 of such as perished, " because they received not the 
 Io=ve of the truth, that they might be saved." Peter, 
 having spoken of coming to Christ, and being built 
 upon him as the elect and precious corner stone in 
 Zion, says, *' unto you, therefore, which believe, 
 he is precious.'''' And James spends a whole chapter 
 in showing that a simple belief of the truth will not 
 save men ; observing, among other things, that the 
 devils have this faith. 
 
 Thus the apostles taught ; and thus they had learn- 
 ed of their Divine Lord. Many are the sayings of 
 our Saviour which evidently teach us that the consent 
 of men to be saved by him, as well as their assent to 
 the truth delivered by him, and revealed concerning 
 him, is necessary in order to an interest in his salva- 
 tion. He said to unbelievers, "Ye will not co7ne 
 unto me that ye might have life." He said, " If any 
 mian thirst, let him come unto me and drink." He 
 said, " Whosoever he be that forsaketh not all that 
 he hath, he cannot be my disciple : and whosoever 
 doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot 
 be my disciple." But he hath sufficiently decided 
 this point in our text itself, that saving faith imj-Jies 
 activity, or something done ; and is not a mere pas- 
 sive conviction of any truth whatever : " This is the 
 wor/^ of God, that ye believe." 
 
 True believers receive the truth in loi}e. They 
 embrace the doctrines, and promises, and terms of the 
 gospel with cordial complacency. They love the 
 Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. They come unto 
 him, and to God by him. They trust in him, and 
 are made his willing people in the day of his power 
 — willing to be taught, saved, and governed by 
 him, as their prophet, priest and king. These exer- 
 cises of heart, as well as right ideas and convictions 
 
S40 Saving Faith in Christ. [Ser. XVIII. 
 
 of every necessaiy truth, are evidently, according to 
 tlic scriptures, of the essence of saving faith. 
 
 II. It remains to be considered, how we are to 
 understand, that believing thus on him whom he hath 
 ,scnt, is the work of God. 
 
 From the question to vvhich these w ords are an 
 answer, it is ob\ ious that our Saviour here speaks of 
 the Avork which God requires us to do, and not of 
 that v» hich he does in us and for us. Faith is the 
 gift of God, as a foundation for it is laid by the 
 renewing of the Holy Ghost : nevertheless, it is the 
 act, and the duty of man. 1 John iii. 23, " This is 
 his commandment, that we should believe on the 
 name of his Son Jesus Christ." And John iii. 18, 
 " He that belie veth not is condemned already; be- 
 cause he hath not believed in the name of the only 
 begotten Son of God." 
 
 But, believing in Christ, is not the only duty re- 
 quired of man, under the gospel. " God nowcom- 
 mandeth all men every where to repent.''"^ Yea, re- 
 pentance seems to be spoken of as prior to saving 
 faith : P4ark \. 15, " Repent ye, and believe the 
 gospel." Acts XX. 21, " Testifying both to the Jews, 
 and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, 
 and faith tovrard our Lord Jesus Christ." And as 
 a man must repent sincerely, before he can believe 
 to the saving of tlie soul ; so, those who thus be- 
 lieve, must bring forth fruits meet for repentance. 
 They must maintian good w orks, and be holy in all 
 manner of coriversation, or their faith will not save 
 them. " The grace of God that bringeth salvation 
 — teachethus, that, denying ungodliness and worldly 
 lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and gcdl}', 
 in this present world." And we read that God, " in 
 the day of tlie revelation of his righteous judgment, 
 will renckr to every nian accordirig to his deeds ; to 
 ihcni ^vho, by patient continuance, in neil doing, 
 
Ser. XVIII.] Sa'uing Faith in Chnsi. 341 
 
 seek for glory, and honor, and immortality, eternal 
 life." Why then should it be said of believing 
 on him whom he hath sent, this is the work, and not 
 rather a w ork of God ? 
 
 I answer ; Though believing in Christ is not the 
 only duty \\ hich God requires of man, nor the only 
 one which is made necessaiy to his salvation ; yet, 
 to believe with the heart on the Saviour of sinners, 
 is required in a peculiar manner, and for singular 
 purposes. More particularly, 
 
 1. Believing on him whom he hath sent, is the 
 work of God, as tliis is the only thing in a sinner, 
 by which he can attain unto justification of life. By 
 this alone can we have admission iijto the covenant 
 favor of God, or become entitled to the promises of 
 his everlasting love. This alone determines the 
 matter respecting a man's eternal happiness. John 
 iii. ^6^ " He that believeth on the Son hath ever- 
 lasting life : and he that believeth not the Son shall 
 not see life ; but the wrath of God abideth on him." 
 Rom. iii. 20 — 23, " By the deeds of the law there 
 shall no flesh be justified in his sight. — But now the 
 righteousness of God without the law is manifested, 
 being witnessed by the law and the prophets ; even 
 the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus 
 Christ unto all, and upon all them that believe ; for 
 there is no difference ; for all have sinned, and come 
 short of the glory of God." And ver. 27, 28, 
 *' Where is boasting then ? It is excluded. By what 
 law?* of works? Nay; but by the law of faith. 
 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by 
 faith without the deeds of the law." 
 
 Thus faith stands alone, in the affair of gospel 
 justification. By this alone Vvc obtain remission of 
 sins, and an unfailing title to the kingdom of heaven. 
 " To him that Morketh not, but believeth on him 
 thatjustifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for 
 righteousness." Not tliat there is any thing so sin- 
 
342 Samng Faith in Christ. [Ser. XVII L 
 
 gularly excellent in faith itself. If it entitled a sin- 
 ner to justification by reason of its own merit, boast- 
 ing would not be excluded by the law of faith, any 
 more than b)^ the law of works. All that gives faith 
 the only place, or any preference, in this all- impor- 
 tant matter, is its laying hold of, resting upon, and so 
 obtaining an interest in, " The Lord our righteoiis- 
 Qiess ;" in whom there is a full sufficiency of merit 
 for the most unworthy. We are justified by faith, 
 in distinction from every thing else, done by us, or 
 found in us, only because, in believing, we receive 
 Christ, and become his disciples and subjects : and 
 this places us in such a relation to him, that, with 
 propriety, we can be received into the covenant fa- 
 vor of God wholly on his account. In families, and 
 in kingdoms, it is a common thing for all the mem- 
 bers to partake of the honors and advantages pro- 
 cured by the merit or la,bors of the head. And 
 whatever makes one a member of a particular family 
 or nation, gives him a title to the privileges and dis- 
 tinctions of that community. Now faith in Christ 
 being that alone by which we become members of 
 his body— of his household and kingdom ; it is by 
 this alone that w^e are entitled to the benefits of 
 his merit and labors — of his obedience, sufferings, 
 and intercession. 
 
 For this reason, when our Saviour was asked, 
 " What shall we do that we might work the v/orks 
 of God ?" he might M^ell answer, " This is the work 
 of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." 
 As if he had said ; You will find yourselves altogeth- 
 er mistaken if you think of obtaining the favor of 
 God, and his spiritual and eternal blessings, by any 
 good works of your own. The only thing you can 
 do in order to this, and the only thing which he re- 
 quires of you for this end, is to receive his Son, 
 whom he hath sent to fulfil all righteousness for you, 
 relying upon him entirely for all the merit you need, 
 to recommend you to the divine mercy. 
 
Ser. XVIII.] Saving Faith in Christ. 343 
 
 2. To believe in Christ is the work of God — the 
 first and great thing \\ hich he insists upon, as all 
 our vv orks must be performed in the exercise of this 
 faith, in order to their being acceptable in his sight, 
 and rewardable in the world to come. 
 
 Col. iii. 17, " Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, 
 do all in the name of the Lord Jesus." 1 Pet. ii. 5, 
 " Ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual 
 house, an holy priesthood, to ofter up spiritual sacri- 
 fices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." And 
 1 Cor. iii. 11 — 14, " For other foundation can no 
 man lay than that is laid which is Jesus Christ. 
 Now, if any man build upon this foundation^ gold, 
 silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble : Every 
 man's work shall be made manifest ; for the day that 
 Cometh shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by- 
 fire ; and the fire shall try every man's work of what 
 sort it is. If any man's work abide, which he hath 
 built thereupon^ he shall receive a reward." Imper- 
 fect good Avorks deserve a curse, because of their de- 
 ficiency ; and can never entitle the doer of them to 
 a blessing, on the ground of strict law and justice. 
 But when they are done in the name of Christ, and 
 by one who belongs to him, their imperfections being 
 pardoned through his atonement, as far as there is 
 any real goodness in them, they will be graciously 
 accepted, and gloriously recompensed at the resurrec- 
 tion of the just. The acceptance of our services, as 
 well as the justification of our persons, is only 
 through faith in Christ. 
 
 3. To believe on him whom he hath sent, may be 
 said to be the work of God, because all our spiritual 
 ability for the performance of good works, besure 
 with that perseverance ^\hich our final salvation re- 
 quires, is from union to Christ by faith. John xv. 5, 
 " I am the vine, ye are the branches ; he that abid- 
 eth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth 
 much fi-uit; for without me ye can do nothing." 
 
344 Samiig Faith in Christ. [Scr. XVIII. 
 
 Gal. ii. 20, " lam crucified with Christ : neverthe- 
 less I live ; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me : 
 and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by 
 the faith of the Son of God.'» And Pliil. iv. 
 13, '' I can do all things through Christ which 
 strengthened! me." Now, since the best of men 
 are thus dependant on Christ for a life of holiness — 
 since all spiritual strength for such a life is derived, 
 by faith, from him ; the answer is natural to those 
 who inquired, " What shall we do that we might 
 work the works of God?" " This is the work of 
 God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." 
 
 Our subject may be applied and improved to the 
 following purposes : 
 
 1. To make us cautious not to entertain Avrong 
 ideas of saving faith. Such definitions have been 
 eiven of it bv manv, as render their doctrine of ius- 
 tification by faith alone, liable to just and ^veighty 
 objections. If vve explain that faith by Avhich alone 
 men become infallibly entitled to eternal salvation, 
 as being only a bare conviction that the gospel re- 
 port is true ; or to be only a confident belief that 
 they themselves are elected and shall be saved, we 
 thus make void the law ; and likewise the great de- 
 sign of the gospel. Such a faith as either of these, 
 pre- supposes no holiness of heart ; and will not ne- 
 cessarily, or naturally, be productive of any real ho- 
 liness of life. If, on the contrary, conformably to 
 the evangelist John, we suppose that as many as 
 recei've Christ, become the sons of God ; having 
 been previously born, '* not of blood, nor of the 
 will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God : " 
 if we suppose regeneration prior to saving faith, and 
 that faith implies a cordial reception of Christ in all 
 his mediatorial offices, W'ith a hearty determination 
 to be his obedient subjects ; then, though " we 
 conclude that a man is justified by faith ^vithout the 
 
Ser. XVIII.] Samng Faith in Cbrht. 345 
 
 deeds of the law," good works v/ill be effectually 
 secured, and the Iav»' most honorably established. 
 
 2. We may hence judge what is truth, in regard 
 to the importaiice of maintaining or denying, tliat 
 our justification before God, is by faith alone in the 
 righteousness of Christ. 
 
 The smooth Doctor, several times refered to in 
 the preceding discourse, gliding over the capital 
 points of contention among christians, and pronounc- 
 ing them all of contemptible insignificance, says; 
 " I will further instance in the disputes about justifi- 
 cation. There are no disputes which have disturb- 
 ed the christian church much more ; nor are tliere 
 any which can appear, to a considerate man, more 
 unmeaning and trifling. The principal subject of 
 these disputes has been the question, v.hether v.e 
 are justified by faith alone, or by faith in conjunction 
 with good works. You should consider, with res- 
 pect to this question, that those who hold notions 
 the most rigid, make justifying faith to be the seed 
 and principle of personal holiness ; and that there is 
 no sect of christians (howe\ er extravagant their doc- 
 trines may be) which have not some expedient or 
 saho for maintaining the necessity of good v/orks. 
 If they say that personal holiness is not a condition of 
 justification, they say w^iat amounts to the same, that 
 it is ^i qualification which raiist be found in all justifi- 
 ed persons, and that without it we cannot be accept- 
 ed. If they say that we are justified by faith alone, 
 they add, that ^ve cannot be justified by that faith 
 Avhich is alone (tiiat is, by a faith not accompanied 
 with good w'orks) and that it is only on the virtuous 
 belie\ er, or the man who proves the truth of his faith 
 by his works, that the grace of God in Christ wi\I 
 confer future happiness. Hov/ trilling then have 
 beeii the controversies on this subject ? As long as 
 all hold that the practice of righteousness is necessary 
 to bring us to heaven, ^vhat does it signify whether it 
 
 U u 
 
346 Sai}ing Faith in Christ. [Ser. XVIII. 
 
 is necessar/ as the condition of heaven, or as an indis- 
 pensible qualification for it ?" 
 
 Thus suddenly, and with the utmost ease, we have 
 i\ final settlement of this troublesome controversy ! 
 But, by this hasty decision, l^oth parties will not be 
 satisfied. The dispute may not be so very trifling 
 on one side, however needless it should appear to 
 have been on the other. If all who hold the doctrine 
 of justification by faith alone, had so explained them- 
 selves that the most jealous advocates for good works 
 could have no great occasion to dispute against it ; 
 still there may be reason enough to contend earnestly 
 for it, as one of the most essential articles of the faith 
 once delivered to the saints. Notwithstanding all 
 acknowledge, that a recovery to personal holiness is 
 an essential part of our salvation, and that the un- 
 righteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God, 
 upon the gospel plan ; yet, between holding that we 
 vj-e just ificd by faith alone, and by faith in conjunction 
 with good works ; there is as wide a difference as 
 betw^een trusting entirely in the righteousness of 
 Christ, and pailly in our own righteousness, as 
 the meritorious ground of acceptance with God. 
 Andif any man does the latter, an apostle will tell 
 liinl, he is fallen from grace, and Christ shall profit 
 him nothing. It may easily be taken for granted, 
 that the doctrine of justification by faith is an error ; 
 and it may be shown, without much difficulty, that it 
 is not a ^ery dangerous error. But those who are 
 convinced it is a gospel truth, and who rightly un- 
 dcrstarid the reasons of it, will not so easily give it up, 
 or cease to insist upon it, if they have any concern 
 for tlic glory of God, or the salvaticMi of men. 
 
 3. It may hence be seen that ministers of the 
 gospel may wtU direct even unregenerate sinners to 
 belict e in Christ to the saving of their souls ; and 
 represent this as their indispensible duty, and the 
 on!}- \vay of peace and safety. We have the highest 
 
Ser. XVIII.] Sanjing Faith in Christ. 347 
 
 authorities for such directions and representations. 
 When the jailor said to Paul and Silas, " Sirs, what 
 must I do to be saved ?" they answered him imme- 
 diately, " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." And 
 you see what was the answer of our divine Lord 
 and Teacher, to those whose hearts were carnal, 
 when they inquired what they should do that they 
 mii^ht work the works of God. Nor can sinners 
 have any thing to object against the reasonableness 
 of such directions, or against their obligation to a 
 compliance with them, except what must arise from 
 the blindness, the hardness, the total wickedness of 
 their hearts, 
 
 4. Hence let those who are following directions 
 short of this, be cautioned not to make a righteous- 
 ness of their external duties, or to think they arc 
 working the works of God, while they do not truly 
 believe on him W'hom he hath sent. 
 
 Awakened sinners, if they reform their lives, and 
 become constant in attending upon the outward and 
 ordinary means of grace, often grow easier in their 
 minds, thinking that they are now doing their duty, 
 and are in a hopeful way to obtain mercy : thinking 
 God's anger will now be turned away from them, since 
 they are doing the best they can. Such self-righteous 
 imaginations are undoubtedly the ruin of many souls. 
 You ought not, indeed, to be careless about the ex- 
 ternals of morality, nor to neglect a constant attend- 
 ance on the instituted means of instruction and con- 
 version. Nor are vou to think there is no hope 
 from the use of these means, v» hile you zsq not true 
 believers. There is encouragement to search the 
 'scriptures, since these testify of Christ, and a careful 
 perusal of them is the way to see for yourselves, 
 what you are to believe concerning him. There is 
 encouragement to attend upon the ^^^ord prcnched, 
 and to be attentive to it, since faith cometh by hear- 
 ing. There is encouragement to pray, since faith is 
 
348 Samng Faith in Christ. [Ser. XVIII. 
 
 the gift of God ; and since attempting to praj, in 
 your present unhappy condition, has a tendency to 
 convince you of the depravity of your hearts, and of 
 your total want of the spirit of grace and suppHca- 
 tion. But 3 on ought to be told, and must Idc made 
 to know, that however your lives ma}' be reformed, 
 and however much you may read, and hear, and 
 pray ; as long as your heaiis reject the only Saviour, 
 and you do nothing in the exercise of faith in him, 
 you cannot please God, or be at all acceptable in 
 his sight : nor can VvC assure you that he will ever 
 give you renewing grace. You are condemned still, 
 as much as ever ; and the wrath of God, as much as 
 ever, abideth on you ; and is this a state in which 
 you ought to make yourselves easy ! Certainly, in a 
 case of so much danger, and in a miatter of such 
 e-\'erlastiu?; consequence, you ought to .9'ive your- 
 selves no rest, till you have fled for refuge and laid 
 hold on the hope set before you. Till you have re- 
 ceived Christ, and are found in hira ; not having 
 your own righteousness which is of the law, but that 
 Yvhich is throup^h the faith of Christ, the rij^hteous- 
 nessvhlch is of God by faith. Very pertinent to 
 the case of an awakened sinner, out of Christ, is the 
 angel's admonition to Lot, v.'henledby the hand out 
 of Sodom : " Escape for thy life ; look not behind 
 thee, neither stay thou in all the j^lain : escape to 
 the mountain, lest thou be consumed." 
 
 5. Let those vvho think themselves beiic^Trs, be 
 cautioned not to rest in faith, as if this were tl^ only 
 work required of them, or the only thing that will 
 ha\'e any influence on their condition in the world to 
 come. They who liave beliei'cd in God, and also' 
 in Christ, must be careful to nraintain good v;orks. 
 In point of duty, the gospel enjoins sinless perfec- 
 tioJi, as much as the law : nor are any under so great 
 obligation as true belie\'ers, to abound in the fruits of 
 righteousness, vvhich are by Jesus Christ, unto the 
 
Ser. XVIII. ] Saving Faith in Christ. 349 
 
 glory and praise of God. Let it also be remembered, 
 that there is no other way to make your calling and 
 election sure. That faith which docs not imply a 
 good heart, or is not followed by a good life, is not 
 the faith of God's elect. It is dead, like the body 
 widiout the soul. It is no better than the faith of 
 devils. The only faith in Christ whereby we can be 
 saved, is one which works by love, and leads to holi- 
 ness in all manner of conversation. And in point of 
 interest, how powerful are the motives set before 
 christians, to works of faith and labors of love ? For 
 every good work, done from love to God and men, 
 and in the exercise of faith in Christ, we are assured 
 of receiving an eternal reward — an additional weight 
 of glory. " Having, therefore, these promises, 
 dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all 
 filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness 
 in the fear of God." 
 
SERMON XIX. 
 
 ON THE PRESERVATION AND PERSEVERANCE OF 
 TRUE BELIEVERS IN CHRIST. 
 
 I PETER I. 5. 
 
 Who are kefit by the iwiver of God, through faith, unto salva- 
 tion. 
 
 Jl ETER was called to the apostleship of 
 the circumcision, as is observed by Paul ; and his 
 two epistles seem to have been chiefly designed for 
 the converted Jews. James expressly inscribes his, 
 " To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad." 
 And this first of Peter is superscribed in a very simi- 
 lar manner : ver. i, " Peter, an apostle to the stran- 
 gers scattered thoughout Pontus, Galatia, Capado- 
 cia, Asia, and Bethynia."^ They were thus disper- 
 sed, it is probable, by the persecution which began 
 at Jerusalem soon after the ascension of Christ. 
 The apostle begins his letter to them witli a descrip- 
 tion of their character and state, and with the apostol- 
 ic benediction : ver. 2, " Elect according to the 
 foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctifi- 
 cation of the Spirit unto obedience, and sprinkling 
 of the blood of Jesus Christ : Grace unto you, and 
 peace, be multiplied." Then, to console them under 
 present sufferings, and in their exile from the earthly 
 
35^ On the Presevaation^ [Ser. XIX. 
 
 land of promise, he reminds them of die better 
 country, even an heavenly, which they had in certain 
 reversion : ver. 3, 4, " Blessed be the God and 
 Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according 
 to his abundant mercy, halh begotten us again unto 
 a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ 
 from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and 
 undefiled, and that fadeth not a^vay, reserved in 
 heaven for you." In our text, he then assures 
 them, that as this glorious inheritance w as reserved 
 for them, so they Avere effectually secured from falling 
 short of its final possession. Who are kept by the 
 poijoer of God, through faith, unto sahation. 
 
 The doctrine of the saints' perseverance, like the 
 other capital doctrines of the gospel, is tauglit, at 
 sundry times, in divers manners of expression, that 
 it might be more fully understood : and to this end, 
 as well as for the sake of greater variety of method, 
 it may be most useful, many times, to follow the 
 particular phraseology of scripture. Accordingly, 
 on this text, it is proposed. 
 
 To consider the state and character of those here 
 said to be kept — From what, all such are kept — 
 How they are kept — The certainty that they shall be 
 thus kept ; and the objections which have been sup- 
 posed to lie against this doctrine, that any are so in- 
 fallibly secured by divine power and grace. 
 
 I. It is proposed to consider, very briefly, the 
 state and character of those who are here said to be 
 kept unto salvation. And, 
 
 1. They are such, and such only, as have been 
 renewed in the spirit of their minds. 
 
 The persons spoken of in our text, had been be- 
 fore described as being, " Elect according to the 
 foreknowledge of God, through sanctification of the 
 Spirit unto obedience." It is supposed by the apos- 
 tle that they had been effectually called to holiness and 
 
Ser. XIX.] and Perseverance of Saints. 353 
 
 virtue ; or, as another apostle expresses it, that they 
 had been created unto good ^^•orks. The election of 
 particular persons to eternal life, is made evident to 
 themselves and others, only by their begun sanctifi- 
 catlon, in effectual calling. Phil. i. 6, " Being 
 confident of this very thing, that he who hath begun 
 a good work in you, will perform it until the day of 
 Jesus Christ." Before regeneration there is no 
 ground for confidence, concerning any, that they will 
 ever be saved. " Perachentiire^ God will give tliem 
 repentance;" but, very possibly he may not. In 
 this matter, " he hath mercy on whom he will have 
 mercy." 
 
 2. Those only of whom we have any certainty 
 that they will be kept unto salvation, are true believ- 
 ers in Clii'ist. 
 
 Heb. X. 39, " We are not of them who draw 
 back unto perdition ; but of them that believe to the 
 saving of the soul." None but those who thus 
 believe, are entitled to the promises of persevering 
 grace. 2 Cor. i. 20, 21, 22, " For all the promises 
 of God in him are yea, and in him amen, unto the 
 glory of God. No^v he ^vhich stablisheth us with 
 you in Christ, is God : Who hath also sealed us, and 
 given us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." And 
 Eph. i. 13, " In whom ye also trusted, after that ye 
 heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation : 
 in whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed 
 with that holy Spirit of promise." Persons may 
 make a profession of the christian faith, and may have 
 a strong conviction for a time that the gospel is true, 
 and yet afterwards wholly apostatize, and become 
 infidels. To believe to the saving of the soul, is to 
 see the glory, as well as truth of the gospel, and cor- 
 dially to embrace it : to embrace it, not only as true, 
 but -also as good. " With the heart man believeth 
 imto righteousness." A hearty willingness to be 
 saved from sin, and to be saved from wrath, and 
 
554 On the Presewatwi, [Ser. XlX. 
 
 entitled to the rewards of the righteous, in the gospel 
 way, is essential to that faith by which alone a man is 
 justified. And those only who are thus in a state of 
 justification, have any promise of being kept from 
 final perdition. Rom. v. 1, 2, " Being justified by 
 faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord 
 Jesus Christ : By whom also we have access by faith 
 into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope 
 of the glory of God." 
 
 II. Let us consider from ^vhat, and how far, all 
 regenerate believers are kept. Certainly, not from 
 all evil. 
 
 To the natural evils of this life, they are liable, 
 in common v/iia others. Yea, they have many times 
 a double portion of temporal afflictions. The apos- 
 tle, after having in our text, told his cliristian breth- 
 ren of their perfect safety in regard to another world ; 
 " wherein," says he, " ye greatly rejoice ;" im- 
 mediately adds, " Though now for a season (if need 
 be) ye are in heaviness, through manifold tempta- 
 tions ;" that is, trials. It is only when they have 
 need of it, as well as deserve it, that those v/ho are in 
 the covenant of grace, meet with grievous troubles. 
 But it is often needful, for the mortification of re- 
 maining corruptions, and for their furtherance in faith 
 and holiness, that they should be visited with sore 
 afflictions in this world. As God led his chosen 
 people of old, forty years, wandering, by crooked 
 marches, in a barren, howling wilderness, to humble 
 them, and prove them, and to discover what was in 
 their heaits ; so, and for the same reasons, it is often 
 through much tribulation that christians enter into 
 the kingdom of heaven. And, as was said in that 
 case, " He led them by the right way;" notwith- 
 standing the tediousness, and tiresomeness of it ; so 
 it is in regard to the hard race set before the follow- 
 ers of Christ. It is the right way to make them 
 
Ser. XIX.] aJid Persc'uerance of Saints. 355 
 
 sensible of their sins, and to keep them humble. It 
 is the right way to mortify their earthly and carnal 
 affections, and to further their sanctification. It is 
 the right way to give them an experimental knowl- 
 edge that the grace of Christ is sufficient for them ; 
 as his strength is made mofe perfectly manifest, by 
 their weakness. It is the right way to discover to 
 them the reality of holiness, as well as the remainder 
 of depravity in their hearts. See the next verse but 
 one after our text: "That the trial of your faith, 
 being much more precious than of gold, though it be 
 tried in the fire, might be found unto praise, and 
 honor, and glory, at the appearing of Jesus Christ." 
 Tlie apostle Paul also says, " Tribulation worketh 
 patience, and patience experience, and experience 
 hope." For these reasons the godly are not pre- 
 served from natural evils in this life, any more than 
 other men. 
 
 Nor are true christians kept from all moral evil, 
 while here below. In many things the best offend ; 
 and in all things they come far short of sinless per- 
 fection. Nor are they always kept from falling into 
 very gross sins. 
 
 But the doctrine of the saints' safety and persever- 
 ance is, that they shall infallibly be preserved from 
 Jiiialj and from total apostacy. They are kept from 
 the power of Satan, so that he cannot destroj' them ; 
 when, as a roai'ing lion, he goeth about seeking 
 whom he may devour. I John v. 18, " He that is 
 begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked 
 one touchetli him not." They are kept f-om the 
 reigning power of sin : Rom. vi. 14, " Sin shall 
 not have dominion over you ; for ye are not under 
 the law, but under grace." They are kept from the 
 fatal influence of the world. 1 John v. 4, "What- 
 soever," or whosoever, " is born of God, ovcrcometli 
 the world : and this is the victory tliat overcometH 
 the world, even our faith." 
 
S56 On the P reservation, [Ser. XIX. 
 
 lil. It was proposed lo consider how, or by M'hat 
 influence and in what manner, beheAcrs are thus kept. 
 
 1. They are kept by the poijjcr of God. Their 
 own exertions are necessary indeed ; but to these 
 they are divinely excited. They must work out 
 their own salvation ; but it is God that worketh in 
 them to will and to do. " Not that we are sufficient 
 of ourselves," says the apostle Paul, " to think any 
 thing as of ourselves ; but our sufficiency is of God." 
 As it is by the working of God's mighty power 
 that a principle of holiness is created in the heart of 
 man at first ; so it is by his continual operation, 
 though not in the same supernatural manner, that 
 this principle is kept alive in good men, and that they 
 bring forth the fruits of righteousness. There is the 
 same difference between regeneration, and progres- 
 sive sanctification, as between the production of the 
 original seeds or roots of all kinds, and their being 
 preserved, and caused to increase and multiply. It 
 was by the immediate power of God that the first 
 man, the first animal, the first plant and tree of every 
 species, was brought into existence : but it is by his 
 power co-operating with means, that all these kinds 
 of creatures and things are kept in being, are prop- 
 agated, and made to grow. And thus it is with res- 
 pect to every radical faculty, or instinct, or law of 
 nature. Thus it is in the spiritual, as v* ell as in the 
 natural Avorkl. Believers have been created unto 
 good V. orks, that they should walk in them. In or- 
 der to this they need being created but once. They 
 do not go on in good works, however, without assist- 
 ance ; nor does the implanted good principle in them 
 increase in strength, or even continue wliat it was, 
 without constant ii.fiuence from abo^'e. 
 
 It is by the power of God, that the graces of good 
 men are enlivened from time to- time. Psai. cxix. 
 25, " My soul cleaveth unto the dust : quicken 
 thou me according to thy word. " It is by the power 
 
Ser. XIX.] and Persenserance of Saints. 357 
 
 of God, that christians are kept from being quite 
 overcome by the temptations and conflicts which they 
 meet with in the spiritual warfare. 1 Cor. x. 12, 13, 
 " Let him thatthinketh he standeth take heed lest he 
 fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such 
 as is common to man : but God is faithful, who will 
 not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able ; 
 but will with the temptation also make a way to es- 
 cape, that ye may be able to bear it." And 2 Cor. 
 xii. 7, 8, 9, "There was given me a thorn in the 
 flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I 
 should be exalted above measure. For this thing I 
 besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from 
 me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufiicient 
 for thee : for my strength is made perfect in weak- 
 ness." It is by the power God, that his people are 
 supported under the heavy afilictions which they of- 
 ten meet with in the world. Isa. xliii. 2, " When 
 thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; 
 and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee : 
 when thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be 
 burnt ; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." 
 Thus are the godly supported and preserved by the 
 power of God'. 
 
 2 It is through faith, that cliristians are kept unto 
 salvation. 
 
 To this purpose we have many other texts. 
 " Thou standest by faith," says the apostle to the 
 Gentile believer ; "be not high-minded but fear." 
 And, "The just shall live by faith," isa scripture 
 saying often repeated. 
 
 It is through faith in God., that good men are sup- 
 ported, and kept from despondency and impatience, 
 amidst all the dark scenes exhibited on the present 
 stage, of confusion and disorder, of sin and misery. 
 Isa; xxvi. 3, " Thou wilt keep hini in perfect 
 peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he 
 trusteth in thee." And chap. 1. 10, " "W'ho is 
 
S5S On the Preser'oation, [Ser. XIX. 
 
 among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the 
 voice of his servant, that w^alketh in darkness, and 
 hath no Hght ? let him trust in the name of the 
 Lord, 9^d stay upon his God." It is through faith 
 in Christ, that the hoHest of men are kept in a state 
 of justification. They stand by faith, as w^ell as 
 have access by faith into a state of grace wherein 
 they stand. If any man abide not in Christ, he is 
 broken off as a branch, and will be burned. It is 
 through faith in the promises of future happiness, 
 that christians arc supported under present trials, 
 and animated to patient continuance in well-doing. 
 Heb. xi. 1, " Now faith is the substance of things 
 hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." 
 
 IV. We proceed to a consideration of the cer- 
 tainty there is, that all who are once true believers 
 in Christ, shall be so kept, that none of them shall 
 be lost, or fall totally from a state of grace. 
 
 The proof of this doctrine must be derived wholly 
 from revelation : nothing can be concluded concern- 
 ing it from reason, or the nature of things. 
 
 Holiness in creatures, however perfect, is not of 
 such a nature, that it will necessarily be permanent, 
 and can never be lost. The fall of angels and of our 
 first parents, is a full proof of the mutability of per- 
 fect created beings ; and of their liableness to lose 
 all their virtue, if left to themselves. And certainlv, 
 such imperfect creatures as fiillen men, when first 
 regenerated, or as the most eminent saints are in 
 this life, have no reason to trust in their own hearts, 
 that they shall never fall away, and become *igain 
 totally depraved ; when the highest creatures, from 
 a state of sinless perfection, have thus fallen. 
 
 Nor could it have been concluded from the per- 
 fections of God, without a revelation of his eternal 
 purpose, that he would so love his regenerated 
 children unto the end, that they should never again 
 
Ser. XIX.] and Perscoerance of Suhits. 359 
 
 lose his image and favor. God is immutable in his 
 goodness : but this is no ground of certainty that 
 the same individuals \vho were once dear to liim, 
 may not forfeit his love, and become the vessels of 
 his \vrath. This hath in fact been the case, in re- 
 gard to the angels w ho kept not their first estate ; 
 and whom he hath reserved in chains, under dark- 
 ness, unto the judgment of the great day. 
 
 But, although tliis doctrine of the infallible per- 
 severance and final happiness of all true believers in 
 Christ, rests entirely on divine revelation ; yet, let 
 us not be apprehensive that it wants proof. The 
 testimony of the scriptures in support of it, it ap- 
 pears to me, is very express and abundantly full. 
 
 1. From the general descriptions which are given 
 of the covenant of grace, it is evident that the salva- 
 tion of all who have once an interest in tliis cove- 
 nant, is effectually secured. 
 
 This is the covenant ultimately intended, no doubt, 
 in those last words of David, 2 Sam. xxiii. 5, " Al- 
 though my house be not so with God ; yet lie hath 
 made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in 
 all things and sure, for all my salvation, and all my 
 desire.'* This co^^enant is described, and set in 
 contrast w^ith the covenant of works, Jer. xxxi. 31, 
 22, 33, " Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, 
 diat I will make a ne^v co\'enant with the house of 
 Israel and w ith the hoiise^ of Judah ; not according 
 to the covenant that I made with their fathers, in the 
 day that I took them by the hand, to bring them out 
 of the land of Egypt ; (which my covenant they 
 brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith 
 the Lord ; ) But this shall be the co\'enant that I will 
 make with the house of Israel ; After those days, 
 saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward 
 parts, and write it in their hearts ; and will be their 
 God, and they shall be my people." And again, 
 chapter xxxi i. 40, "I will make an everlasting^ 
 
360 On the Preseroatwn^ [Ser. XIX. 
 
 covenant with them, that I will not turn away from 
 them to do them good ; but I will put my fear in 
 their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.'''' 
 
 The apostle to the Hebrews speaks of Christ as 
 being the Mediator of a better covenant, established 
 upon better promises : for the illustration and proof 
 of which he quotes the foregoing ^vords of Jeremiah. 
 In another place he ^ays ; " Wherein God, willing 
 more abundantly to shew unto tlie heirs of promise, 
 the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an 
 oath : That by two immutable things, in which 
 it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a 
 strong consolation, who have fled for refuge, to lay 
 hold upon the hope set before us." If that divine 
 influence which will infallii)ly secure the persever- 
 ance of believers, be absolutely promised in the 
 covenant of grace, it may easily be seen that this 
 new covenant is ordered in all things and sure ; and 
 that those who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon 
 this hope, have firm ground for strong consolation. 
 But, on supposition that glory is only conditionally 
 promised, to those who are in Christ by faith, and 
 grace to fulfil the condition is not divinely engaged, 
 it will be difficult to see how tlie new covenant 
 is any more sure, or any better established, than 
 former co^^enants were. It was always certain that 
 God would give the blessings promised, provided 
 his people were steadfast in the covenant on their 
 j)art. This was certain in the covenant with Adam, 
 and in the Sinai covenant. All the fault — all the 
 weakness — all the possibility of failure -vvas, the ful- 
 filment on the part of men was left to them : grace 
 to keep them steadfast was not promised. And were 
 the gospel covenant left, in the same manner, with- 
 out the promise of persevering grace, this would be 
 as liable to fail as former co^'enants. Were that 
 the case, christians might trust, in God, that if they 
 endured unto the end, they should be saved ; but 
 that they should thus endure, they could only depend 
 
Ser. XfX.] tvid Persmeruncc of Sainis, 361 
 
 upon themselves. After having fled for refuge to' 
 lay hold on the hope set before us, whatever assuv- 
 ance they mij^ht have of this, their strong- consolation 
 must still be grounded on the strcngdi and stability 
 of their present good purposes and resolutions. 
 Conditionally, their faith and hope might be in God ; 
 but for the performance of the condition on which all 
 was still suspended, they could only \i?(SQ self- confi- 
 dence. The hope tjiat they should not be so weak as 
 to fall away, amidst all possible temptations w ithout 
 any certain expectation of eftectual divine aid, would 
 be all the hope they could have. And could such an 
 hope as this, be an anchor of the soul, sure and stead- 
 fast ? ''He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool." 
 
 We must conclude that the better covenant, es- 
 tablished upon better promises — the covenant of 
 ivhich Christ is the mediator and surety, all the 
 promises of which in him are yea, and in him amen, 
 is not thus left to stand, one foot of it entirely upon 
 the mutable goodness of man. E^'cry part of it 
 must rest on the promised grace of the immutable 
 God, or it could not deserve the name of " an ever- 
 lasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure ; 
 ascertaining to the saint," all his salvation, and all 
 his desire. 
 
 2. Besides these general descriptions of the cove- 
 nant of grace, there are niany particular passages of 
 scripture in which this doctrine, of the infallible 
 perseverance and salvation of the truly pious, is most 
 strongly expressed. Among a multitude of others, 
 w-hich are full to this purpose, sec the following texts. 
 Job xvii. 9, " The righteous shall hold on his way." 
 Psal. xxxvii. 23, 24, " The steps of a good man 
 are ordered by the Lord : — though he fall, he shall 
 not be utterly cast down : for the Lord upholdeth 
 him with his hand." Prov. iv. 18, " The path of 
 the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and 
 more unto the perfect day. " Isa, liv. 10, "The 
 
 X X 
 
362 On the Prcsercatidn, bV. [Ser. XIX. 
 
 mountains shall depait, and the hills be removed ; 
 but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither 
 shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the 
 Lord that hath mercy on thee." John v. 24, " Veri- 
 ly, verily, I say unto }' ou, He that hcareth my words, 
 and belie veth on him that sent me, hath everlasting 
 life, and shall not come into condemnation." John 
 X. 27, 28, 29, " My sheep hear my voice, and I 
 know them, and they follow me : and I give unto 
 them eternal life ; and they shall never perish, 
 neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. M}' 
 Father, which ga\'e them me, is greater than all ; and 
 no, one is able to pluck them out of my Father's 
 liand." Rom. viii. 28, 29, 30, '' And we know 
 that all things ^v•ork together for good to them that. 
 love God, to them who are the called according to 
 his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did 
 predestinate to be conformed to the image of his 
 Son, that he might be the lirst-born among many 
 brethren. Moreover, ^vhom he did predestinate, 
 them he also called ; and whom he called, them he 
 also justified ; and whom he justified, them he also 
 glorified." And vcr. 35—39, " Who shall sepa- 
 rate us from the love of Christ ? shall tribulation, or 
 distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or 
 |7eril, or sword r — Nay, in all these things we are 
 more than conquerors, through him that loved us. 
 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, 
 nor angels, nor principalities, uor powers, nor 
 tlungs present, nor things to come, nor height, 
 nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to 
 separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ 
 Jesus our Lord." 
 
 Such are the plain and indisputable scripture 
 proofs, of this important doctrine of the saints' per- 
 severance. There are objections against it, how- 
 ever, which deserve a verj^ particular attention. But 
 the due consideration of these w ill require so much 
 lime, that it ^vill be left for aiiother opportunity. 
 
SERMON XX. 
 
 ON THE PRESERVATION AND PERSEVERANCE OF 
 TRUE BELIEVERS IN CHRIST. 
 
 1 PETER I. 5. 
 
 TVho are kept by the poiver of God, through faith, unto salva- 
 
 tion. 
 
 JLN a former discourse on these words, we 
 considered the character and state of those who ai-e 
 thus kept — How far they are kept — In what way 
 tliey are kept — And the certainty of their being so 
 kept. It only remains, according to the method 
 proposed, 
 
 That we consider, in the last place, what Is object- 
 ed against believing that all Vv'ho are once in a state 
 of grace, are so kept by the power of God, that it is 
 impossible they should finally, or totally, fall away. 
 
 The objections which have been made to this doc- 
 trine, are many and of various kinds. They are 
 taken from scripture ; from the nature of things ; 
 and from the supposed bad tendency of teaching any 
 men, that they are thus out of all danger in this life. 
 I shall begin witli the objections from scripture. 
 Here, 
 
564 On the Preservation^ [Ser. XX. 
 
 1. Instances are produced of some v/ho were un- 
 questionably good men, that are thought to have fallen 
 totally from a state of holiness for a time ; though 
 they were afterwards recovered by repentance. 
 
 The apostle Peter himself, the v/riter of our text, is 
 commonly mentioned as one evident instance of this. 
 He was a firm believer in Christ, and one of his 
 most zealous followers, during the greater part of his 
 public ministry. When many were offended at our 
 Saviour's hard sayings, so as to follow him no more, 
 and he said to tlie twelve, " Will ye also go away ? 
 Peter was the first to answer : " Lord," says he, 
 *' to whom shall we go? Thou hast the v/ords of 
 eternal life ; and \ve believe and are sure That thou 
 art the Christ, the Son of the living God." At an- 
 other time, when Jesus asked his disciples, " Whom 
 do men say that I, the Son of man, am ?" and 
 again, " Whom &ay ye that I am V Peter answBj'- 
 ed, " Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God :" 
 whereupon Jesus said unto him, " Blessed art thou, 
 Simon Borjona ; for fiesh and blood hath not reveal- 
 ed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." 
 Yet, at the time of our Saviour's arraignment be- 
 fore the chief priests, this same Peter thrice denied 
 that he knew him. Must not this be a total aposta- 
 cy ? Was it not relinquishing the ground on which 
 alone any can expect to be owned of Christ ? He hath 
 declared, " If any man come to me, and hate not his 
 father, and mother, and wife, and children, and breth- 
 ren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot 
 be my disciple." And again, " He that denieth me 
 before men, shall be denied before the angels of 
 God." 
 
 To this it is answered ; We do not dispute Pe- 
 ter's having been in a state of grace before ; but we 
 deny that his fall, though a ■\^ery great one, was a 
 total apostacy. The hating and giving up all, even 
 life itself, for Christ, 'which is made necessary to be- 
 ing one of his disciples, and the denying him which 
 
Ser. XX.] and Perseverance of Saints. 365 
 
 is inconsistent with this, we understand to respect 
 one's stated, habitual disposition and choice ; and 
 not merely a transient act, or A\ord, under extraor- 
 dinary circumstances. Peter's situation was pecul- 
 iarly trying. All his fellow disciples had before 
 fied. He had followed his Lord, it seems, further 
 than any of them dared to do. He was friendless, 
 amidst triumphant enemies, determined, as he prob- 
 ably supposed, on the utter extirpation of the whole 
 sect. He saw nothing but immediate death before 
 him, if he confessed any connection Avith Christ. 
 His faith was staggered ; and his fears so fai' prevail- 
 ed as to force from his lips a language foreign from 
 the fixed habits and sentiments of his heart. As 
 soon as Jesus looked upon him, he went out and 
 wept bitterly. Being thus suddenly overcome, in 
 such an hour of extreme temptation, may well con- 
 sist, I conceive, with the character of a good man, 
 retaining still the principles of virtue and goodness. 
 
 Another capital instance alledged, of a true saint's 
 failing totally, though not finally from a state of 
 grace, and the only other one which I shall now take 
 notice of, is that of David. He was said to be a 
 man after God's heart, even from his youth. He had 
 long been truly pious and virtuous, in an eminent 
 degree : yet he was guilty afterwards of the great- 
 est crimes. If a righteous man may do such things 
 as he did, retaining all the while his righteousness, 
 what is there in all the abomination that the wicked 
 man doeth, of which he ma}-^ not be guilty ? 
 
 To this it is replied ; good men have sins which 
 easily beset them. Grace does not eradicate at once, 
 nor wholly in this -^vorld, constitutional passions and 
 inclinations ; though it generally in a good measure 
 restrains them, when they would lead to transgress 
 the .rules of righteousness, or any of the known laws 
 of God, The circumstances of David, in those days 
 of his prosperity, exposed him in a peculiar manner, 
 to presumptuous sins. His elevated station, no 
 
366 On the Pi'eser'oation, - [Ser. XX. 
 
 doubt, made the things he did appear very differently 
 to him, from what they ^vould otherwise have done. 
 The custom of kings, who considered the persons 
 and hves of their subjects as being absohitely in their 
 power, it may ^vell be supposed, exceedingly bhnd- 
 ed his eyes. And though his crimes were very 
 atrocious indeed, yet, all circumstances considered, 
 and especially considering his very deep repentance, 
 we have no reason to conclude that he ever wholly 
 lost the principle of true holiness. The steps of a 
 good man are not so ordered by the Lord, but diat 
 he may often slip : his absolute safety is no more 
 than this ; though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast 
 down, for the Lord upholdeth him. The sanctifica- 
 tion of saints is very imperfect in this life. They 
 may be left to fall into particular sins, even beyond 
 what are commonly committed by the unregenerate ; 
 yet the general tenor of their lives is materially dif- 
 ferent. It is a man's general course, and not one 
 single act, or a few singular instances of either good 
 or evil conduct, that gives a character. And this 
 being kept in mind, we shall not consider all the 
 sins recorded in scripture, of those who are acknowl- 
 edged to have been godiy persons, as any certain 
 proof that the goodness of the regenerate may, for 
 a season, be totally lost. 
 
 Respecting the instance now under consideration, 
 it has been said that David was a murderer ; and 
 the apostle John expressly says, " No murderer 
 hath eternal life abiding in himy 
 
 To this I answer ; It is far from being certain that 
 David was a murderer, in the sense intended by 
 John. The apostle was speaking of the Ioac of our 
 fellow- christians, as an evidence of our being the 
 adopted children of God ; and of our hating them as 
 an evidence of the contrary. " We know that we 
 have passed from death unto life," says he, " be- 
 cause we love the brethren ; he that loveth not his 
 brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his 
 
Ser. XX.] and Perseverance of Saints. 567 
 
 brother is a murderer : and ye know that no murder- 
 er hath eternal life abiding in him." Now, it does 
 not appear evident, nor probable, that David hated 
 Uriah ; or that he was actuated at all by malice 
 against him, when he ordered him to be exposed in 
 the battle, with a view that he might be slain. His 
 motive was to conceal his own crime and Bathsheba's 
 infamy ; which he had much rather have effected in 
 a more generous way : and his order to .Toab can 
 hardly, in strict propriet}', be denominated murder, 
 as it proceeded not from malice prepense. Much less 
 is it hereby proved that he had that general hatred of 
 good men, which constitutes the apostle John's mur- 
 derer. He had occasion enough, indeed, to pray, as 
 he did in his penitential Psalm on this occasion ; 
 " Deliver me from blood guiltiness^ O God, thou 
 God of my salvation." 
 
 It may be thought unaccountable, if David was a 
 good man all this while, that he should discover no 
 repentance till Nathan the prophet came to him, 
 which was almost a year after the commission of 
 these abominable crimes. But the answer to this is, 
 that he probably supposed his sins were not known, 
 except to two or three ; and that he might have 
 repented deeply of them in secret lohg before ; 
 though he did not think it his duty to confess tliem 
 publicly. 
 
 There is no reason to conclude that either David 
 or Peter, or any other saint that we read of, ever 
 fell totally from grace, or became wholly destitute of 
 holiness of heart. But, 
 
 2. Instances are brought of the final apostacy of 
 some, whom the objectors suppose to have been 
 once in a state of grace. 
 
 King Saul has been mentioned as an instance of 
 this. That Saul died a wicked man, I admit, is 
 highly probable : but it is far from being evident 
 that he Avas ever a true saint. It is said, indeed, on 
 
568 Oil the Preservation, [Ser. XX. 
 
 his being anointed king, that the Lord gave him an- 
 other heart. It is said that he was among the proph- 
 ets, and that he prophesied. It is said, in the latter 
 part of his life, that the Spirit of the Lord departed 
 from him. But all these amount to no proof that he 
 was ever a subject of renewing and sanctifying grace. 
 By the other heart said to be gi\'en him, may be 
 meant no more than a spirit suited to the dignified 
 station to u hich he was advanced. There is no ne- 
 cessity of understanding by it a truly pious and 
 benevolent heart. His prophesying was no more 
 than Balaam, and many other wicked men have done. 
 The Spirit of the Lord departing from him, may 
 mean only the withdrawment of those divine influ- 
 ences which are frequently given, for a time, to the 
 unregenerate. From the whole scripture history of 
 Saul, the probability is, that he was never a truly 
 righteous man. 
 
 But Judas is the great instance insisted on, of 
 falling finally from a state of grace. 
 
 That Judas fell from a high profession, and from 
 an eminent visible relation to Christ, cannot be deni- 
 ed. That he fell finally, there is no reason to doubt. 
 He is said, indeed, to have repented ; when he 
 brought again the thirty pieces of silver, " saying I 
 have sinned, in that I have betrayed the innocent 
 blood." But it is added, that when he had done this, 
 " he departed, and hanged himself." And Christ 
 calls him the son of perdition, and says expressly 
 that he was lost. His, however, cannot be made out 
 as an instance of falling from grace. He was doubt- 
 less never any thing more than a specious hypocrite. 
 Our Saviour says to his professed disciples, John vi. 
 64, " There ai'e some of you that believe not." 
 The evangelist adds, " For Jesus knew from the 
 l)eginning who they were that believed not, and who 
 should betray him." We never read that Judas fell 
 from grace. From the ministry and apostleship it is 
 said he fell : and it is added, '' that he might go to 
 
Ser. XX.] atid Perse'ueraiice df Saints. 36^ 
 
 his own place." Whereby is intimated, that he 
 always belonged to the kingdom of darkness, and 
 was a child of hell. 
 
 There is indeed one text respecting Judas, which, 
 at first view, may appear favorable to the present 
 objection. It is John xvii. 12, where Christ, in 
 his last prayer with his disciples, says to the Father ; 
 *' Those that thou gavestme I have kept, and none 
 of them is lost, but the son of perdition." Whence 
 it may be thought that Judas was given to Christ in 
 the covenant of redemption, and by effectual calling, 
 though he was lost. Some who hold the doctrine of 
 the saints' perseverance, to obviate the objection 
 from this text, understand the particle but, to be here 
 used in way of opposition, and not of exception. 
 As opposing Judas to those given, and not as except- 
 ing him, as one of them that had not been kept. 
 Thus : Those whom thou gavest me I have kept, 
 and none of them is lost ; but the son of perdition 
 is ; he not being one of them. But there is anoth- 
 er way of explaining the words, which appears to 
 me more easy and natural : namely, by supposing 
 our Saviour is there speaking of those given to him. 
 as his apostles. In some paits of his prayer he evi- 
 dently speaks of the whole number given to him to 
 save ; but from the 11 — 20 ver. of the chapter, I 
 apprehend he is to be understood as speaking of his 
 disciples who were then present. " And now I am 
 no more in the world, but these are in the world, 
 and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through 
 thine own name those whom thou hast given me* 
 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in 
 thy name : those that thou gavest me I have kept, 
 and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition j 
 that the scriptures might be fulfilled." It seems nat- 
 ural to understand him here as speaking of his apos- 
 tles — his visible church — his immediate attendants, 
 whom he had been with so long, and was now about 
 to leave. One of these was lost. 
 
 Yy 
 
3 70 On the Preservation , [ Scr . X X . 
 
 Not a single instance can be produced, I pre- 
 sume, of an evidently true saint, who has, that we 
 have any certain evidence, finally, or totally, aposta- 
 tized. And that such apostacy proves persons to 
 ha\'e been only in the visible church, and not real 
 christians, appears from 1 John ii. 19, " They went 
 out from us, but they Avere not of us ; for if they 
 had been of us, they Avould no doubt have continued 
 with us." 
 
 i). There are several passages of scripture whicli 
 h:ne been thought to imply a possibility of the total 
 falling away, and final perdition, of those who were 
 once in a state of grace. 
 
 One of these texts, is Ezek. xviii. 24, " When 
 the righteous man turneth away from his righteous- 
 ness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according 
 to all the abomination that the wicked man doeth, 
 shall he li\ e ^ All his righteousness that he hath 
 done shall not be mentioned : in his trespass that he 
 hath tresj?assed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, 
 in them shall he die." 
 
 The common answer to the objection grounded 
 on these Vv^ords, against the certain perseverance and 
 salvation of saints, has been, that by the righteous 
 man is here meant, only one who had that external 
 righteousness which entitled to outward prosper- 
 ity, according to the peculiar covenant which God 
 made with tlie nation of Israel. And the whole 
 chapter plainly shows, that it was respecting God's 
 tem.poral dispensations towards that people, that he 
 was there arguing and expostulating witn them. 
 
 Another text supposed to imply that true believ- 
 ers may fall finally, is Heb. vi. 4, 5, 6, " For it is 
 impossible for those who \\ ere once enlightened, and 
 have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made par- 
 taker's of tlie Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good 
 word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 
 if they shall f.ill away, to renew them again imto 
 repentance." 
 
Ser. XX.] and Perscoerance of Saints. 371 
 
 Expositors who hold the doctrine now insisted on, 
 have generally supposed that the persons here de- 
 scribed, were only such as the stony ground hear- 
 ers in our Sa^ iour's parable of the sower, who had 
 never tlie root of true holiness in their hearts ; 
 though they might have had the miraculous gifts of 
 the Holy Ghost, as well as great convictions, and 
 much subsequent comfort and joy, from a false hope. 
 And what the apostle says a few verses after seems 
 favorable, I think, to this supposition : for he tells 
 the Hebrew cluistians that he was persuaded better 
 things of them, and things that accompany salvation. 
 
 But there is no need of insisting upon this con- 
 structic'Ti, nor upon that of the passage in Ezekiel 
 already mentioned, with a view to obviate the pres- 
 ent objection ; since there is another answer, and 
 since there are some texts to which this answer will 
 not apply. Our Saviour says, John xv. 6, " If a 
 man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, 
 and is withered ; and men cast them into the fire, 
 and they are burned." And the apostle, Heb. x. 38, 
 speaks of God as saying, " If any man draw back, 
 my soul shall have no pleasure in him." 
 
 To show that such texts as any of these are not 
 inconsistent with the infallible salvation of all ti\ie 
 believers, it is sufficient to observe that there is an 
 if'm them. That the assertion they contain is mere- 
 ly hypothetical, or conditional. That they only state 
 ^ certain connection between apostacy and perdition ; 
 and do not say that either the one or the other \A'ili 
 ever actually come to pass, in the case of true chris- 
 tians. Now, it is not the true doctrine of the saints' 
 perseverance, that they will be saved whether they 
 persevere or not. Nor doth its being said, If any do 
 not persevere, they will fail of salvation, at all imply 
 that good men may be left not to persevere. We 
 readily grant. If a righteous man should wholly 
 turn from his rigliteousness ; If a holy man should 
 lose all his holiness ; If the best christians should 
 
372 On the Preser'vation, [Ser. XX, 
 
 fall totally fiom the faith and obedience of the gos- 
 pel, they would have no more part or lot in the cove- 
 nant of grace, than any othec wicked men and un- 
 believers : and their condition might be of all men 
 the most hopeless. But that any true child of God, 
 by regeneration, and adoption through Christ, ever 
 was or will be left thus to fall away, we utterly deny. 
 Accordingly the apostle, after the last quoted text, 
 *' If any man draw back my soul shall have no 
 pleasure in him," immediately adds, " But we are 
 not of them who draw back unto perdition ; but of 
 them who believe to the saving of the soul." True 
 believers are kept unto salvation by the pow er of 
 God ; yet it is through perseverance in faith and 
 holiness, that they are so kept. An event may be 
 certain ; and yet it may be certain that it will not 
 be bix>ught to pass except in one pcirticular way. 
 Of this we have a plain instance in the case of the 
 shipwreck, related in the twenty- seventh chapter of 
 Acts. Paul had said to those with him, " Be of good 
 cheer ; for there shall be no loss of any man's life. 
 For there stood by me this night the angel of God, 
 whose I am, and whom I serve, saying. Fear not, 
 Paul ; for thou must be brought before Cesar : and, 
 lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee." 
 Yet afterwards, when the mariners were about se- 
 cretly to make their escape in the boat, " Paul said 
 to the centurion and to the soldiers. Except these 
 abide in the ^ship ye cannot be saved." In like 
 manner, though all true believers have the absolute 
 promise of God, that not a soul of them shall perish ; 
 yet they cannot be saved except they abide in Christ. 
 And there is the same need of their being warned 
 of this, as the means of their safety ; as in that case 
 there was of the warnino- e:iven to the centurion and 
 the soldiers. 
 
 All the objections from scriptitre, against the doc- 
 trine of the saints' perseverance, are reducible, I 
 think, to the foregoing heads ; and are sufficiently 
 obviated by the foregoing answers. 
 
Ser. XX.] and Perseverance of Saints. 573 
 
 From reason, and the nature of things, it is ob- 
 jected, 
 
 1. That for men to be so kept by the power of 
 God, that it is impossible they should fall away, is 
 inconsistent with their being left to act as free agents. 
 A creature left to the freedom of his own will, it is 
 said, may choose the way which leadeth to destruc- 
 tion : nor can he be kept from this by the power of 
 another, without being deprived of all power of his 
 own, of acting freely. To this I answer, 
 
 1. If to keep men so that they cannot destroy 
 themselves, be an infringement of the privilege of 
 free agency ; then, to be kept in any measure from 
 sin and folly, must be an infringement of the same 
 kind, though not in the same degree. According to 
 the principle of this objection, God cannot restrain 
 or influence men at all, by his Holy Spirit, without 
 so far depriving them of freedom. I answer, 
 
 2. If being secured from apostacy and perdition 
 by divine power, be inconsistent with human free- 
 dom in this world, it must be equally so in the world 
 to come. Consequently, according to this objection, 
 there can never be any such thing as the confirma- 
 tion of rational creatures in holiness and happiness, 
 without depriving them of all power of will, and 
 making them mere machines. On supposition it 
 will ever be possible for moral agents to be secured 
 from destruction, why should it not, in the nature of 
 things, be as possible in this world as in any other ? 
 But if God Almighty can never keep a free agent 
 from sinning unto death, the moral creation is cer- 
 tainly in a very evil case. I answer, therefore, 
 
 o. The present objection is doubtless gi'ounded 
 on some wrong idea, either of moral agency, or of 
 the manner of divine operation in keeping rational 
 creatures from sin, and exciting them to duty. 
 When good men are kept unto salvation by the pow- 
 
374 On the Preser'aationf [Ser. XX. 
 
 er of God, it is not by any forcible restraint, or con- 
 straint, contrar}^ to their own dispositions. God 
 doth not work in them to do, whether they will or 
 not ; but first he works in them to will : and when 
 once they are made vrilling, they act with freedom. 
 As far as any one acts his own choice, he is a free 
 agent. Or, will it be said, an agent is not free, un- 
 less he could will contrary to what he wills, as well 
 as do contrary to what he does, if he would ? Will 
 any one insist upon it, that the essence of freedom, 
 is to be able at any time, to will right, or to will 
 wrong : to choose to do evil, or to choose to do well ? 
 But let us see to what this will lead. If this be es- 
 sential to freedom, certainly God himself is not free. 
 He can do whatever seemeth good in his sight — 
 whatever he will : but he cannot will contrary to his 
 will — contrary to his nature — contrary to his moral 
 perfections. He cannot do, because he cannot will, 
 any thing but what is wise, just, and good. Were 
 not this the case, his infinite wisdom, justice and 
 goodness, would be no ground of certainty, that he 
 might not act in the weakest, most unrighteous, 
 and worst manner, of any being in the universe. 
 Let this notion of freedom, as essential to moral 
 agency be true ; that it must imply a power to will 
 and do this way or the other, contrary to one's own 
 mind, as well as according to it ; and there is an end, 
 not only of ail possible confirmation of creatures, 
 but of all immutability in the Supreme Being, fur- 
 ther than free agency is overthrown. God is free, 
 because he ever does v/hat seemeth him good : not 
 because it might seem good to him to do the reverse 
 of what he does, in all instances, or in any instance. 
 So likewise men are free, whenever they act their 
 own choice : or whenever the}^ choose to act accord- 
 ing to tlieir ov\ n disposition. This they may do, 
 and yet be kept from ruining themselves, by having 
 a good disposition given them, and kept alive in 
 them ; and by being habitually influenced to love the 
 
Sen XX.] and Peneiicrance of Saints, 375 
 
 ways of holiness, and to hate every evil and false 
 way. But, 
 
 2. It is still objected, that for men to be so kept 
 as to render it impossible they should fail of eternal 
 life, is inconsistent with their being in a state of 
 probation : for what probation can there be of those 
 who are so upheld that they cannot fall — so justified 
 that they can never come into condemnation ? 
 
 I answer : to be able to judge \vhethcr there be 
 any weight in this, what is meant by a state of pro- ' 
 bation must be understood. I understand by it, a 
 state of trial, in order* to a righteous retribution. 
 Now, if men may be kept unto salvation, and yet 
 be free agents, why may they not be so kept, con- 
 sistently with all the ends of a proper state of proba- 
 tion ? In order to a fair trial of men, it is only ne- 
 cassary that they should be able to act themselves, 
 and to discover what is in their hearts. It is not 
 needful by any means, that there should be no divine 
 influence to incline them to good, or to keep diem 
 so inclined. Nor is it requisite that they should 
 ha^e a power of a\ ill, to give themseh es a contraiy 
 inclination. It may be known a\ hat they are, with- 
 out their being able to make themselves otherwise. 
 That God is good, he discovers by doing good ; not- 
 withstanding his goodness is necessar}- and unalter- 
 able : and in like manner, men may discover the 
 goodness of their dispositions, though they cannot 
 will, or wish, to have opposite dispositions. That 
 they ba'oe faith, may be manifest by their works, 
 though both the beginning and continuance of their 
 faith be from God, and not of themselves. Creatures 
 need not be independent of their Creator, in order 
 to its being known what they are, or what they de- 
 serve. They maybe made upright, and kept up- 
 right, by divine power ; and yet their uprightness 
 be as real, as discoverable, and as justly rewardable, 
 xi if it had been self-created, and self-kept. 
 
376 Oil the Ptesermudh, [Ser. ^%i 
 
 Such a self-determining power of will as some 
 contend for, is so far from being necessary to discov- 
 er what is in a man's heart, that it would render a 
 discovery of it altogether impossible. Hjtd God a 
 power of willing and acting contrary to his perfec- 
 tions ; what his perfections are, could never be at all 
 known from his works. And had men the power 
 of producing volitions in themselves, and of con- 
 ducting contrary to their dispositions, what their 
 dispositions are, could not be at all ascertained by 
 their actions. Our Saviour says, *' By their fruits 
 yc shall know them." And he gives the reason — the 
 only possible reason : "A good tree cahnot bring 
 forth evil fruit ; neither can a corrupt tree bring forth 
 good fruit." If a good man, out of the good treas- 
 ure of his heart, might bring forth evil things ; and 
 an evil man, out of the evil treasure, might bring 
 forth good things; how could one ever be known 
 from the other, by their fruits ? The design of a 
 state of probation is to discover what is in men's 
 hearts : but had men such a self-determining power 
 of will, that the sinner might act like a saint, and the 
 saint like a sinner, in spite of their hearts, how 
 could this end ever be obtained by any probation ? 
 Were men made to act contrary to their own hearts, 
 by divine power, the end of a state of probation 
 would indeed be frustrated. But this is not the way 
 that God keeps good men. He works in them to 
 will, agreeably to the new heart which he has given 
 them. The doctrine of the saints' perseverance, is 
 therefore no way inconsistent either with their free 
 agency, or with their being proper subjects of a state 
 of probation. 
 
 Yet, after all : the bad tendency of this doctrine, 
 is alledged against it, as a serious and weighty ob- 
 jection. We are told, the natural and necessary 
 tendency of it is, to encourage those who think 
 themselves saints, in carelessness and sin : for what 
 occasion have persons to give themselves any con- 
 
S(dr. XX.] and Perscjerance of Saints. 377 
 
 cern about what they believe, or how they live, 
 when there is no possibility of their being lost, or 
 failing of eternal life ? 
 
 To Avhich we answer : A misunderstanding of 
 the doctrine of the saints' perseverance, has a tenden- 
 cy to encourage self-deceived hypocrites in inatten- 
 tion and licentiousness, and may often have tliis 
 effect ; but not the doctrine itself, rightly understood. 
 Did we teach that true believers may become unbe- 
 lievers, or that those who have been born of God 
 may live in sin, hke the world that lieth in wick- 
 edness, and yet, that they will infallibly be saved, the 
 objection would be just. But it is not so, when our 
 doctrine is, that all real saints are kept unto salva- 
 tion, " through sanctification of the Spirit, and 
 belief of the truth." What encouragement can this 
 give, to cast off fear, to neglect prayer, to be inatten- 
 tive to the word, or to live in allowed transgression 
 and disobedience ? The grace of God which bring- 
 eth salvation, effectually keeps true believers from all 
 these. Those, therefore, who are not thus kept, 
 have no part nor lot in the comfort of this doctrine ; 
 for they have abundant reason to conclude, that they 
 were never in a state of grace. 
 
 It only remains that we apply the subject, in two 
 or three serious practical inferences. 
 
 1. Hence we should hold fast, and contend ear- 
 nestly for, this doctrine. 
 
 It appears very evidently, I apprehend, that the 
 infallible safety of all true believers in Christ, is a 
 plain article of the faith once delivered to the saints ; 
 and that the most specious objections against it liave 
 no solid foundation, in scripture or reason : and we 
 may easily see that it is a very important doctrine. 
 In regard to the comfort and edification of saints, it 
 is certainly of great importance. Without it, the 
 heirs of promise could not have that strong consola- 
 tion which God is willing to give them. They could 
 
 Z z' 
 
378 On the Preservation, [Ser. XX» 
 
 liave no anchor of their soul sure and steadfast. It is 
 exceedingly necessaiy, likewise, to inspire them with 
 courage in all the arduous conflicts of their spiritual 
 warfare, and to fortify them with patience in run- 
 ning the race set before them. And it is also of 
 great importance in regard to the conversion of sin- 
 ners ; as hereby the ministers of the gospel are fur- 
 nished with a most powerful motive for winning 
 souls. To induce the unconverted to make it their 
 immediate concern to be reconciled to God, if this 
 doctrine be believed, they may be told, that by so 
 doing they will choose the good part, which shall 
 not be taken from them. But> on the contrary, if the 
 doctrine of falling from grace were true, this induce- 
 ment to flee for refuge and lay hold upon the hope 
 set before us, Avould be taken away. Saints would 
 then be no more in a safe condition, than unconvert- 
 ed sinners. Both have conditional promises of sal- 
 vation, and neither, on that supposition, would have 
 any other. The former are assured that they shall 
 be saved, on condition they endure unto the end ; 
 the latter, if at the end, they repent and believe the 
 gospel. Feeble would be the argument to persuade 
 men to seek an interest in Christ, that they may get 
 into a state of grace, if in that state, we must tell 
 them, there would be no safety. They might think 
 it ncLU'ly or quite as prudent, to put oft' the matter 
 until the closing scene ; when there will not be time 
 for their repentance to be repented of. 
 
 Thus important is this doctrine of the infallibl6 
 salvation of true believers. Thus pernicious is the 
 denial of it, in rejrard both to the edification of saints, 
 and the conversion of sinners. Those by Mhom it 
 is denied, with the other capital doctrines of grace, 
 ought surely not to be followed, or any way encoura- 
 ged ; whatever they may say of their ow^n goodness, 
 however indefatigable they may be in making prose- 
 lytes, or whatever higli professions they may make 
 of an ardent concern for the salvation of souls. In 
 
Sfer. XX.] and Perseverance of Saints. 579 
 
 reference to all such, the following apostolic warn- 
 ings seem plainly applicable : Rom. xvi. 17, 18, 
 " Now, I beseech you, brethren, mark them A\hich 
 cause divisions and offences, contrary to the doctrine 
 which ye ha\'e learned, and avoid them. For they 
 that are such, serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but 
 their own belly ; and by good ^vords and fair 
 speeches deceive the hearts of the simple." And 
 2 John 10, 11, *' If there come any unto you, and 
 bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your 
 house, neither bid him God speed : for he that bid- 
 deth him God speed is a partaker of his evil deeds." 
 
 2. We may hence see the importance of not mu- 
 tilating this doctrine, and should be very careful to 
 maintain it pure and entire. 
 
 On no point, perhaps, is there greater need of cau- 
 tion not to put asunder what God hath joined togeth- 
 er : the 11^ ay and end of the righteous. It must not 
 be thought that a righteous man may turn altogether 
 from his righteousness ; that those who ^vere once 
 savingly enlightened, may entirely fall away ; that 
 true believers, may become unbelievers ; that good 
 men may lose all their goodness and still retain 
 their standing in the covenant of grace. If any man, 
 or an angel from heaven, should teach such another 
 gospel than that we have been taught, I vv ill not say, 
 " Let him be accursed ;" but I must say, Let him 
 not be believed. 
 
 From thinking that there is no sin in the weak- 
 ness or want of foith, or love, or any otlier grace — 
 that such mere deficiencies are no imperfections — 
 that there are no good principles of action in an\^ 
 man — that all holiness, and all imholiness, consists 
 in exercises only ; some may be led to conclude, diat 
 the imperfection of saints can be no otlier than the 
 inconstancy of their good exercises ; aiul, therefore, 
 tliat cJiristians are sometimes perfectly holy, and 
 sometimes totally sinful; though they never Io^c 
 
380 On the Prescwation, ^c. [Ser. XX. 
 
 their infallible title to eternal life. But if anv one 
 should hold thus, and teach men so, however much 
 we may admire his talents, his courage, or his con- 
 sistency ; I think we ought rather to call in question 
 the soundness of his premises, than to admit the 
 truth of his consequence. Certainly, the scripture 
 doctrine of the perseverance of saints, is not, that 
 they shall be saved without persevering : or, that 
 they are kept in the grace of God, without being 
 kept by his power, from frequent, total apostacfes. 
 
 3. Let believers be hence exhorted to improve 
 the doctrine now insisted on, according to its evident 
 design andtendenc}' : to strengthen them in striving 
 ngainst all the enemies of their souls, with the ani- 
 mating hope of certain conquest ; and not as any 
 encouragement to remissness in their watch and 
 Avarfare. That it had the former of these effects 
 upon the apostle Paul, and not the latter, he tells the 
 Corinthians. " I therefore so run," says he, " not 
 at uncertainty ; so fight I, not as one that beateth the 
 air : but I keep under my body, and bring it into 
 subjection ; lest that by any means, when I havQ 
 preached to others, I myself should be a cast aA^ay." 
 Though he was certain of being thus saved, yet he 
 well knew there was no other way for him to obtain 
 everlasting life, or to escape eternal perdition, than 
 by running with patience the race still before him, 
 and fighting as one in earnest, the good fight of faith. 
 And what effect he thought the certainty of effica- 
 cious divine influence would naturally have upon the 
 faithful followers of Christ, appears from his exhort- 
 ation to tlie Philippians : an exhortation Avhich ought 
 ever to be kept in rememlDrancc, and with Vvhich I 
 shall now conclude. *' \^''hercfore, my ]3eloved, as 
 ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, 
 but no'»v much more in m'y al:>scnce, work out your 
 own salvation with fear arid tremblino: : For it is 
 God which worketh in you, to will apd to do, of his 
 good pka5ure." 
 
SERMON XXI. 
 
 ©N OBTAINING ASSURANCE OF ETERNAL SALVA- 
 TION. 
 
 HEBREWS VI. 11. 
 
 s.4nd nve dciire that every one of you do shew the same diligence^ 
 to the full assurance of hope unto the end. 
 
 w. 
 
 HEN once persons are convert?ed, some 
 seem to imagine that they have no further occasion 
 for striving to enter in at the strait gate, or for work- 
 ing out their salvation. Hence, preaching terror to 
 sinners, and comfort to saints, is supposed to be the 
 whole business of gospel ministers : and, conse- 
 quently, almost all their preaching, it is thought, 
 should be to tlie unregenerate. If christians have 
 not just at present all that consolation which might 
 be wished, it is no sucli great matter, since very soon 
 their joy will be full. Believers are absolutely safe ; 
 whereas unbelievers are in hourly danger of everlast- 
 ing destruction : shall their case then be unattended 
 to, while the time is spent in building up believers 
 on their most holy faith ? Thoughts like these are 
 sometimes suggested, and perhaps oftener secretly 
 entertained. Tiiey are specious ; and at first view, 
 appear rational. But, my brethren, these things 
 ought not altogether so to be considered. As in 
 
582 On Assurance of Hope. [Ser. XXI. 
 
 many other instances of superficial attention to sub- 
 jects, there is a mixture in them of truth and error. 
 Sinners are in awful danger, it is true ; and saints 
 are in a happy and safe condition. But that these 
 last are in such a state of safety, that nothing further 
 is necessary to be done by them, or for them, is a 
 false inference. Christians must abide in Christ, or 
 they will wither, become dead branches, and be 
 burned. Believers must still, by patient continuance 
 in well-doing, seek fm- glory, and honor, and immor- 
 tality, as ever they would hope to obtain eternal life. 
 The inquiry, " What must I do to be saved ?" is 
 Hot one which concerns the unconverted only. Those 
 who ask the way to Zion with their faces thither- 
 ward, need directions ; and not merely they whose 
 backs are turned upon it, and who will follow no 
 right directions, in a proper manner. Believers are 
 not so kept by divine power, as renders their own 
 vigilance and exertion to keep themselves in the love 
 of God, unnecessary. As well may it be said, if per- 
 sons are elected they will be saved, do what they 
 will, as that the converted are in no danger, let them 
 be ever so inattentive and slothful. The salvation 
 of believers is indeed certain : but so is the salvation 
 of the elect, who are yet unbelievers ; and so is eve- 
 ry event divinely decreed, or foreknown. Yet, in 
 all cashes, things are brought to pass in the way ap- 
 pointed. The means are decreed, as well as the 
 end. Men must enter in at the strait gate, though 
 elected ; and they must go on in the narrow way, 
 though effectually called, or they will not receive in 
 the end, the salvation of their souls. 
 
 Accordingly, the inspired writers and preachers of 
 the gospel addressed a great part of their discourses 
 and writings, to those whom they considered as being 
 already in, a state of grace. And they addressed 
 themselves to these, not in the language of consola- 
 tion ahvays, l3Ut often in that of doctrine, reproof, 
 correction, and instrnction in righteousness. Nor 
 
Ser. XXL] Oti Assurance of Hope, 383 
 
 did they exhort, warn, and admonish them, merely 
 lest they should be a dishonor to the church, and 
 lay stumbling-blocks in the way of those without ; 
 but also lest they should receive the giace of God 
 in vain, and be lost themselves. It is plain they did 
 not think that ^^ hen they had won and wedded souls 
 to Christ, they might then safely leave them ; or 
 that nothing more need be said to them except to 
 banish their fears, and to confirm their comfort, by 
 assuring them they were out of all danger. Among 
 other proofs of this, of which the Bible is full, ^ve 
 have a very convincing instance in my text and 
 context. 
 
 The apostle, in the foregoing verses of this chap- 
 ter, is exhorting christians to steadfastness and per- 
 severance in religion, and to vigorous endeavors after 
 higher attainments in holiness, and in divine knowl- 
 edge. See ver. 1, 2, '^ Therefore, leaving the prin- 
 ciples of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto 
 perfection ; not laying again the foundation of re- 
 pentance from dead works, and of faith toward God : 
 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of 
 hands, and of the resurrection of the dead." He 
 adds, ver. 3, " And this will we do if God permit.'* 
 That is, he would assist them in making this pro- 
 ficiency, if opportunity should be given him to visit 
 them again ; and if they should be able to receive 
 further instruction. He then warns them of the 
 extreme danger they would be in of remediless de- 
 sti'uction, if, after all that had been done for them, 
 they should lose their religion, and prove apostates. 
 Ver. 4 — 8, " For it is impossible for those who 
 were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heav- 
 enly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy 
 Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and 
 the powers of the v/orld to come ; if they shall fall 
 away, to renew them again unto repentance : seeing 
 they crucify to themsehes the Son of God afresh, 
 and put him to an open shame. For the earth, which 
 
384 On Assurance of Hope. [Ser. XXL 
 
 di'inketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and 
 bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is 
 dressed, receiveth blessing from God : But that 
 which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is 
 nigh unto cursing ; whose end is to be burned." 
 
 The apostle expresses, however, his charitable 
 hope and belief concerning them, that they were not 
 such as would be left thus to fall away : ver. 9, 
 " But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of 
 you, and things that accompany salvation, though we 
 thus speak." And the particular ground of his 
 entertaining this persuasion in their favor, he lets 
 them know, was the good fruit which they had 
 hitherto brought forth. Ver. 10, " For God is not 
 unrighteous to forget your work, and labor of love, 
 which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye 
 have ministered to the saints, and do minister." 
 Then he exhorts them to go on as they had begun ; 
 that they, as well as he, might have reason to be 
 more and more satisfied to the last, that they w ere not 
 christians in name only, but in deed and in truth. 
 This exJiortation follows in our text : " And we 
 desire that ctsery one of yon do shew the same diligence y 
 to the full assurance of hope unto the end,'''' 
 
 It is proposed for the illustration of these w^ordsy 
 
 I. To explain what we are to understand by the 
 full assurance of hope. 
 
 II. To consider the motives there are to give dili- 
 gence to obtain such an assurance, and to keep it 
 unto the end : and, 
 
 III. To show wherein, or in what ways the dili- 
 gence of believers should be exercised, in order to 
 
 this. 
 
 For explaining die assurance here spoken of, little 
 need be said. In brief, to have the full assurance 
 
Sen XXL] On Assurance of Hope. ^85 
 
 of hope, is, for a person, on good grounds, to feel 
 fully certain that he shall be saved. 
 
 This is what some call, (though Improperly) the 
 faith of assm-ance. It is never so called in scripture. 
 The apostle speaks of the assurance of faith, not the 
 faith of assurance, Heb. x. 22, " Having an high- 
 priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a 
 true heart, in full assurance of faith." He means, in 
 a firm belief of what the gospel reveals concerning 
 the high-priesthood of Christ ; his full atonement and 
 prevalent intercession, in behalf of all his true disci- 
 ples. But a man may have this ; he may entertain 
 no doubt of Christ's being able to save them who 
 come unto God by him, and yet not be at all certain 
 that he himself is one of this happy number. A man 
 vvho is fully satisfied that the scriptures are the word 
 of God, and that all the doctrines taught in them are 
 infallibly true, has the full assurance of faith, respect- 
 ing revealed religion ; but yet, he may not be fully 
 satisfied, at the same time, that he is a true believer. 
 A man mscy be fully persuaded that every one who is 
 created after God, and endures unto the end, in right- 
 eousness and true holiness, shall be saved ; and yet 
 may not be. fully persuaded that he himself has been 
 so created, and shall so endure. Faith is the sub- 
 stance of things hoped for ; but it is not hope itself. 
 The hope of salvation, if well grounded, is built ; 
 first, on the word of God ; secondly, on faith in his 
 word ; and thirdly, on good evidence that we ha\'e 
 saving faith. Had there been no revelation that 
 there is forgiveness with God, or that he will give to 
 any sinner eternal life ; our hope of pardon and sal- 
 vation, if we had any, would have been built upon 
 no solid ground. Now there is such a revelation, 
 if we do not believe it, we are still as much as ever 
 without hope. If we do believe this revelation of 
 grace and truth, but do not know that we believe to 
 the saving of the soul ; though we may have a hope, 
 yet not the full assurance of hope. 
 
 A a a 
 
386 On Assuraticc of Hope. [Ser. XXI* 
 
 A man may have some well-grounded hope of ob- 
 taining salvation, before he is a true believer. He 
 may believe, or be rationally convinced, on scripture 
 evidence, that God is in Christ reconciling the world 
 unto himself, and that he hath mercy on whom he 
 will ha've mercy ; and therefore, that he may have 
 mercy on him. When he is reconciled to God, 
 submits to his sovereignty, and cordially acquiesces 
 in the gospel way of peace, his hope is much increas- 
 ed. He now sees the substance of things hoped 
 for ; is persuaded of the promises, and embraces 
 them. He flees for refuge to lay hold on the hope set 
 before him. Still, however, he may not think that 
 what he experiences is saving faith ; or if he thinks 
 it is, he may not feel certain of it. He has new 
 comfort and support ; his mind is stayed on God, 
 through Christ. He sees a glorious object of hope, 
 and a glorious ground of hope. He may have full 
 assurance of faith ; while yet, that his heart is right 
 with God, he is far from being fully assured : and, 
 consequently, whether he has any part or lot in the 
 ]>romises of grace and glory, he cannot be certain. 
 Besides being persuaded of the promises as true, and 
 embracing them as good, one must have certain evi- 
 dence of being a christian indeed, before he can have 
 a well-grounded, .full assurance of hope, respecting 
 his ov/n salvation. 
 
 Persons may be very confident that they are in a 
 state of grace, and shall infallibly be saved, when they 
 have no good evidence of their being new creatures ; 
 but their confidence is not well-grounded. Yea, some 
 may have such an assured hope, as not to be troubled 
 with any doubts concerning their future happiness ; 
 while, nevertheless, they live in vicious courses, and 
 are far from being holy in any manner of conversa- 
 tion : but tlieir hope is no other than that of the hyp- 
 ocrite, which will prove at last to be as a spider's 
 web. A well-grounded, full assurance of hope, can- 
 not be obtained \vithout good evidence of a gospel 
 
Ser. XXL] On Assurance of Hope. 387 
 
 temper — a temper conformable to that of Christ — a 
 heart to IcAe God, and keep his commandments. 
 
 11. We \\ill now consider tlie motives there are, 
 to give diligence in this matter. The 
 
 1. Motive I shall mention is, that the full assur- 
 ance of hope is a possible attainment. 
 
 Were it impossible ; urging cliristiahs to take 
 pains after it, would be of no avail. Despair of suc- 
 cess, in any pursuit, cuts the sinews of all exertion. 
 And with many professors, it is probably thus, in the 
 present case. They do not think that by any dili- 
 gence which they could give, it would be possible 
 for them ever, in this world, to make their calling 
 and election sure : and therefore they rest, and en- 
 deavor to make themselves easy, in a doubtful hope. 
 But that there is no reason thus to yield to a]?solute 
 discouragement in this case, provided persons are 
 real christians, may appear from a due attention to 
 the following things : 
 
 (1.) That there are absolute divine promises of 
 the final salvation of all who are once true believers in 
 Christ. If this were not the case, it would indeed 
 be a vain thing for any to think of obtaining the full 
 assurance of hope, respecting their eternal happiness. 
 If men might be in a state of grace to-day, and in a 
 state of wrath to-morrow ; if true believers were 
 sometimes left to fall away and be lost, and if the best 
 of them might be thus left, the true believer, notwith- 
 standing any certain evidence he might find of his 
 past or present faith and holiness, must remain in 
 utter uncertainty respecting his final salvation. But 
 the infallible perseverance of all real saints is a plain 
 doctrine of scripture. Our Saviour hath assured us, 
 that every one who heareth his word, and believeth on 
 him that sent him, "hath everlasting life, and shall 
 not come into condemnation." That to those v/ho 
 
388 On Assurance of Hope. [Ser. XXf, 
 
 hear his voice and follow him, he will give eternal 
 life ; and they shall never perish, neither shall any 
 pluck them oiit of his hand. And in the writings of 
 his apostles a never failing connection is asserted be- 
 tween effectual calling, justification, and glorification; 
 Between the beginning of a v/ork of special grace in 
 any, and its being performed until the day of Jesus 
 Christ ; between being begotten again unto a lively 
 hope, and being kept by the power of God unto 
 salvation. If, therefore, any can be certain of their 
 being true christians, they may be equally certain that 
 they shall so endure unto the end as to be finally 
 saved, 
 
 (2.) Froni the essential difference which we are 
 taught there is between the sanctifying fruits of the 
 Holy Spirit, and any thing ever experienced by the 
 unregenerate, that good men may attain to the full as- 
 surance of hope, by giving proper diligence, is rea-. 
 sonably to be supposed. 
 
 Things different in their nature, it is probable, may 
 be certainly distinguished, by those who have their 
 senses exercised to discern good aiid evil, if they Vt/ill 
 take due pains in attending to them. Were there no 
 difference only in degree of goodness, between the 
 regenerate and the unregenerate, it might be imposr 
 sible for those of the former character to know that 
 they were not of the latter : more especially since 
 that height of holiness, from the lowest degrees of it, 
 which is necessary to denominate one a true saint, 
 is no where ascertained in scripture. But that those 
 who are in a state of grace, differ only in degree of 
 goodness from those w ho ai.e in a state of nature, is 
 not the case, according to the word of God. The 
 unregenerate are there said to be dead in sin. They 
 are described as being of that carnal mind which is 
 enmity against God ; which is liot subject to the law 
 of God, neither indeed can be. Our Saviour says, 
 ^^' That which is born of the fiesh is fiesh :" and the 
 
Ser. XXL] On Assurance of Hope. 385 
 
 apostle Paul tells us he knew that in him, that is in 
 his flesh, dwelt no gDod thing. Now, whether one 
 be wholly sinful, or has some real virtue and reli- 
 gion, it is reasonable to suppose may be known, on 
 thorough examination, by one who has eyes to see 
 and a heart to understand. 
 
 (3.) There are many infallible marks of grace 
 given in the holy scriptures, whereby the heirs of 
 glory are to be known. Several of these are laid 
 down by our Saviour in the beginning of his sermon 
 on the mount : as humility ; godly sorrow ; a sin- 
 cere desire of personal holiness ; meekness, merci- 
 fulness, and purity of heart. The aposde John 
 mentions brotherly kindness as a certain evidence of 
 saving grace. " We know that we have passed from 
 death unto life," says he, " because we love the 
 brethren." And the love of God and of Christ, are 
 much insisted on in this view. " We know that all 
 things work together for good to them that love 
 God." — " Blessed is the man that endureth tempta- 
 tion : for Avhen he is tried he shall receive the crown 
 of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that 
 love him." And, " Grace be with all them that love 
 our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity." 
 
 (4.) Christians commonly pass through various 
 changes, ^vhich are designed for their trial, that they 
 may better understand their true character. They 
 are tried frequently by prosperity and adversity : by 
 honor and dishonor, by e\ il report and good report, 
 to prove them, and to let them know v/hat is in their 
 hearts. Now, under all these trials of their grati- 
 tude and moderation, of their meekness, humility, 
 patience and submission, it is reasonable to believe 
 that, in due time, with proper attention, it may be 
 known what manner of spirit they are of. But, 
 
 (5.) That the full assurance of hope is a possible 
 attainment in this life, we have unquestionable evi- 
 
390 0?i Assurafice of Hope. [Ser. XXI. 
 
 dence from instances recorded in scripture of those 
 by whom it was actually attained. David speaks the 
 language of assurance respecting his future happi- 
 ness, Psal. xvii. 15, " As forme, I will behold thy 
 face in righteousness ; I shall be satisfied, when I 
 awake, with thy likeness." Peter said to his risen 
 Saviour, *' Lord, thou knowest all things ; thou 
 knowest that I love thee." And Paul says, *' We 
 know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle 
 were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house 
 not made with hands eternal in the heavens. — There- 
 fore we are always confident, knowing that whilst 
 we are at home in the body, we are absent from the 
 Lord : We are confident, I say, and willing rather 
 to be absent from the body, and to be present with 
 the Lord." 
 
 2. To induce christians to diligence in seeking 
 this assurance, it ought to be considered that it is a 
 difficult attainment ; and one not to be expected 
 without laborious application. 
 
 The ^vant of a conviction and belief of this, is 
 probably the occasion of remissness in professors, 
 and of their neglecting the diligent use of those 
 means v/hich such an attainment requires, as often 
 as their discouragement from an apprehension of its 
 impossibility. As long as people are looking for 
 miracles, or for something of the nature of immedi- 
 ate revelations to assure them of their salvation, and 
 imagine that little or nothing done by them is neces- 
 sary, they will naturally be slothful in this business, 
 God may, in some instances, have given the assur- 
 ance of hope to particular persons, by suddenly 
 lifting upon them the light of his countenance, when 
 they ^1 ere taking no great pains in religion ; but 
 I am persuaded that this is not his ordinary way ; 
 tmd that generally, it is only by much diligence that 
 christians aiTive to a well-grounded assurance of their 
 being in a state of grace. Of this we may be con- 
 vinced, 
 
-Scr. XXI.] On Assurance of Hope. 391 
 
 (1.) By the many pressing calls to self-examina- 
 tion, which we find in the holy scriptures. To this 
 purpose, besides our text, see 2 Cor. xiii. 5, " Ex- 
 amine yourselves whether ye be in the faith, prove 
 your own selves." And Gal. vi. 4, " But let every 
 man prove his own work, and then shall he have 
 confidence in himself alone, and not in another." 
 That is, in the evidence of his good estate which he 
 himself perceives ; and not merely, or mainly in the 
 charitable opinion of others concerning him. See 
 also, 2 Pet. i. 10, " Wherefore the rather, brethren, 
 give diligence to make your calling and election 
 sure." 
 
 It is evident from such exhortations as these, 
 that the ordinary, if not the only way for christians 
 to obtain the confidence of a well-grounded hope, is 
 by painful diligence. If assurance of one's own 
 salvation were of the essence of saving faith, as 
 some have taught ; or if it were God's ordinary 
 way to give this assurance by impulses, or immedi- 
 ate suggestions ; or by bringing comfortable texts 
 of scripture, unsought for, into the minds of persons^ 
 as others seem to have supposed ; or if the full assur- 
 ance of hope were a common and easy attainment, 
 what occasion could there be for these earnest ad- 
 monitions ? 
 
 (2.) There is reason to believe that giving dili- 
 gence is necessary in christians, to make their calling 
 and election sure, because of the many specious 
 appearances of virtue and religion, which are often 
 found in false professors. 
 
 Some are ready to say, A man is at no loss to 
 know when he loves his children, or v/hen he loves 
 the Avorld and the things of the world, or when his 
 appetite is pleased with certain kinds of meats and 
 drinks : why then should one who loves God and 
 Christ in sincerity, or who has a true relish for heav- 
 enly things, be at any loss about it ; or be obliged 
 to take much pains before he can be certain of it ? 
 
S92 Oft Assurance of Hope. [Ser. XXL 
 
 But to this it is replied, There are many counter^ 
 feits of the love of God, and Christ, and things 
 Jbeavenly ; which, at first sight, or on a cursory ex- 
 amination, have a very plausible and fair appearance. 
 It is to be observed that the objects of religious 
 affections are things invisible ; and things concern- 
 ing which men are very liable to entertain errone- 
 ous conceptions. As the heathen had gods many, 
 and lords many ; so there may be as many different 
 ideas of God and Christ, among the professors of 
 cliristianity. And such gods and christs as exist 
 only in the iinaginations of men, may be very pleas- 
 ing to the carnal mind. It may be thought impossi- 
 ble that so great a change as being brought out of 
 darkness into God's marvellous light, should not be 
 perceived and known by a person at the time : but 
 every great change in the views and feelings of a 
 man, is not a saving conversion. When it is con- 
 sidered hoAV many sorts of religion there are in the 
 world, and even in the christian world ; how many 
 kinds of conversion, and in how many different ways 
 men imagine that they are going to heaven : it may 
 well be believed to be no easy matter for one to 
 know that bis religion is pure and undefiled, or not 
 essentially false ; that bis conversion has been sound 
 and genuine, and that be is certainly in the narrow 
 way to eternal life, which few there are w^ho find. 
 
 (3.) The great imperfection of good men, renders 
 it much more difficult for them to be well assured 
 that they have any real goodness. 
 
 The beginning of true holiness in the regenerate 
 may be compared to a little leaven hid in three meas- 
 ures of meal ; or to a grain of mustard seed sown 
 in the earth. And even after more than common 
 growth in grace, for a considerable length of time, 
 there is still a la^v of sin — a remaining body of spir- 
 itual death, w^hich may well occasion many doubts, 
 as well as much grief and trouble. " Perfect love 
 
Sen XXL] On Assurance of Hope. 395 
 
 casteth out fear :" but who, in this life, is made 
 perfect in the love of God, or in any other grace ? 
 
 (4.) That the full assurance of hope is an attain- 
 ment which requires much diligence, may well be 
 believed, because of the many subtile windings of 
 self-love, and the extreme difficulty of knowing what 
 is the bottom principle of action in men. 
 
 It is said, Psal. Ixiv. 6, " The inward thought of 
 every one of them, and the heart is deep." It is 
 said, Jer. xvii. 9, " The heart is deceitful above all 
 things, and desperately wicked ; who can know it ?" 
 There may be much seeming zeal for God, much 
 apparent brotherly kindness and charity, and much 
 external righteousness, as well as religion, when all 
 springs, at bottom, from selfish principles, or merely 
 interested motives. I may add, 
 
 (5.) That the difficulty of certainly knowing one's 
 own true character and state, is much increased by 
 the great proneness in men, and even in good men, 
 to err in judgment, more especially respecting them- 
 selves. From pride, and the partiality of self-love, 
 we are very apt to think more highly of ourselves 
 than we ought to think ; and can more readily per- 
 ceive the least mote in our brother's eye, than a 
 beam in our own. This makes it easy for one to 
 get a hope in regard to his own goodness ; and diffi- 
 cult to know that one is not deceived. 
 
 3. The vast importance of this attainment, is the 
 last motive which I shall mention, to give diligence 
 to get and maintain a well-grounded, full assurance 
 of hope. 
 
 Unless persons are convinced of this, they will not 
 be persuaded to be at the necessary trouble and pains, 
 however they may be made to believe there is a -pos- 
 sibility of attaining to such an assurance. But it is 
 obviously so great a happiness to feel certain, on 
 B b b 
 
394 On Assurance of Hope. [Ser. XXI. 
 
 good grounds, of the pardoning mercy of God, and 
 of an infallible title to immortal glory, that it seems 
 needless to say much concerning the importance of 
 it ; and it is difficult to say any thing on so common 
 a subject, -which has not often been said. 1 shall, 
 however, suggest a few thoughts, of which it is 
 necessary that professors should be frequently re- 
 minded. 
 
 (1.) Consider the great danger there is of resting 
 in a false hope. Many do so, undoubtedly. We 
 read much, in the holy scriptures, not only of 
 hypocrites, but of their hope and confidence. In 
 the parable of the ten virgins, the five foolish, it 
 seems, expected to go in v\ ith the wise when the 
 bridegroom should come ; and did not know that 
 their lamps were gone out, until it was too late to 
 replenish them with oil. In another parable, our 
 Saviour represents the hope of many false professors 
 as being so strong, that they would not easily give 
 it up, even at the last day. Matt. vii. 28, " Many 
 will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we 
 not prophesied in thy name ? and in thy name 
 have cast out devils ? and in thy name done many 
 vv'onderful works ?" But he adds, " And thea 
 will I profess unto them, I never knew you." So 
 again, Luke xiii. 25, 26, 27, " When once the 
 Master or tlie house be risen up, and hath shut to 
 the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to 
 knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us ; 
 and he shall answer and say unto you, I know not 
 whence ye are. Then shall ye begin to say. We 
 have eaten and drank in thy presence, and thou hast 
 taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I 
 knovv^ you not Vv hence ye are : depart from me, all 
 ye workers of iniquity." We are not indeed to un- 
 derstand this so literally, as to suppose that hypo- 
 crites will not know what their state is before they 
 Gome to judgment, and receive their final sentence, 
 
Ser. XXL] On Assurance of Hope. 395 
 
 after the resurrection. But we are to understand 
 these sayings of our Saviour and Judge, as being 
 designed to teach us, that many self-deceivers are 
 exceedingly confident of their good estate ; aiid hold 
 fast this confidence to their dying hour. 
 
 (2.) Let it be considered how terrible a thing it 
 must be to entertain a false hope, till it is too late 
 to rectify mistakes ; and to go away into everlasting 
 punishment, when one was in full expectation of 
 going to life eternal. Li the next verse after the 
 last quoted passage, it is said, " There shall be 
 weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see 
 Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, 
 in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust 
 out." Job says, " What is the hope of the hypo- 
 crite, though he hatli gained, when God taketh away 
 his soul ?" 
 
 (3.) To show the importance of having the full 
 assurance of hope, I may observe, that it must needs 
 give much uneasiness to pious persons, when they 
 seriously think of it, to feel any considerable uncer- 
 tainty in their own minds, whether they shall be hap- 
 py or miserable to all eternity. The apostle to the 
 Hebrews, speaks of them who, " through fear of 
 death, were all their life-time subject to bondage." 
 And this must be the case Avith true believers, if all 
 their life-time, they have only a doubtful hope of es- 
 caping everlasting destruction. The thoughts of 
 dying, while this is their condition, must be exceed- 
 ingly terrifying to them. 
 
 (4.) Consider, on the other hand, how happy and 
 safe at all times, those may well feel who have such 
 good evidence of being in a state of grace, as puts 
 the matter beyond all reasonable apprehension of 
 being deceived. 
 
 Provision is made in the covenant of grace, for 
 this full comfort of the assured believer. " God, 
 
396 On Assurance of Hope. [Ser. XXL 
 
 willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of 
 promise the immutability of his counsel," it is said, 
 " confirmed it by an oath : That by two immutable 
 things, in Avhich it was impossible for God to lie, we 
 might have a strong consolation, who have fled for 
 refuge, to lay hold upon the hope set before us." 
 The apostle adds, " Which hope we have as an 
 anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and 
 which entereth into that within the vail." Every 
 true believer in Christ experiences something of the 
 comforts of this hope, which is set before all : but 
 the christian's comfort must be far more strong and 
 perfect, -when he is sure of his title to the promises 
 of grace and glory, than it can possibly be m hile he 
 has doubts and fears that his heart may deceive him, 
 and that he hath no part nor lot in that everlasting 
 co-v'enant M'hich is ordered in all things, and sure. 
 
 A well-grounded, full assurance of hope, will not 
 only bear one above the fears of death, but will 
 make the thoughts of it a po^verful support under all 
 the ills of life. Well may those take joyfully the 
 spoiling of their earthl}'^ goods, who know in them- 
 selves that they have in heaven a better and an endur- 
 ing substance. When wicked men revile and perse^ 
 cute them, and say all manner of e\'il against them 
 falsely for Christ's sake, \\q\\ may they rejoice and 
 be exceeding glad, if diey can be certain that they 
 are christians indeed : for then their reward will be 
 great, and so much the greater, in the kingdom of 
 heaven. Well might we consider the heaviest be- 
 reavements, and the most lasting temporal pains and 
 afflictions, light, and for a moment, were we fully 
 assured that they will work for us a far more exceed- 
 ing and eternal weight of glon% Well may those 
 who have this assurance, persevere with patience in 
 well-doing, however hard and difficult the duties to 
 which they are called, and whatever discourage- 
 ments they may have to encounter. Well may they 
 *' be steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in 
 
Ser. XXL] Oti Assurance of Hope. 397 
 
 the work of the Lord," when they " kriow that their 
 labor is not in vain in the Lord." 
 
 But it is time we proceed, as was proposed, 
 
 IIL To consider wherein, or in what ways, chris- 
 tians must show dihgence, that they may get this full 
 assurance of hope, and retain it firm unto the end. 
 
 1. It will readily occur to every oncj that they 
 must be diligent, thorough and careful, in the busi- 
 ness of self-examination. 
 
 If the time be known when they thought them- 
 selves first converted, they should examine this con- 
 version with carefulness, again and again, to be 
 satisfied that it could not be the effect of fear and 
 hope only, operating upon the natural principle of 
 self-love ; but that a new heart must have been giv- 
 en them, and a new spirit put within them. A heart 
 to love God, not merely for his apprehended singu- 
 lar goodness to them ; but for his own sake, and for 
 what he is in himself. A heart to repent of all their 
 sins against him, "with godly sorrow ; to submit to, 
 and rejoice in, his supreme dominion and absolute 
 sovereignty ; to choose him as the portion of their 
 soul, and to make the advancement of his interest 
 and declarative glory their ultimate and chief end. 
 A heart to love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, 
 and to receive him cordially, as their prophet, priest 
 and king. And a heart to love good men with com- 
 placency, and all mankind with a pure and fervent 
 charity. Whether they had then such a temper of 
 mind given them, as Christ exhibited, and as the 
 gospel requires. 
 
 But whether you can date the time of your sup- 
 pos.ed conversion or not ; you should examine the 
 past and present exercises of your heart, and your 
 general course of life ; and see if in these you can 
 find clear evidences of having been created in Christ 
 
SOB On Assura7ice of Hope. [Ser. XXI. 
 
 Jesus unto good works. Particular attention should 
 here be paid to what have been your feelings, and 
 thoughts, and actions, under the various trials and 
 changes through which you have been called to pass : 
 under the merciful and afflictive dispensations of Pro- 
 vidence, and the kindnesses and ill treatment received 
 from your fellow-men. 
 
 But self-examination alone, however frequent and 
 particular, will not be enough to give all true believ- 
 ers full assurance of their godly sincerity. Many- 
 such may examine themselves, and pore upon their 
 experiences, for months and years ; and yet, after 
 all, be fts full of perplexity and doubts as ever. I 
 add, therefore, 
 
 2. Giving diligence to get a more accurate and 
 thorough understanding of the various doctrines and 
 precepts of the gospel, is altogether necessary. Per- 
 sons may have that degree of knowledge in divine 
 things which is absolutely required in order to saving 
 faith ; and yet not know enough to be able to obtain 
 a full assurance, upon rational grounds, that they are 
 true believers. They may not have those determi- 
 nate and correct ideas of the perfections of God, of 
 the character of Jesus Christ, of the essence of ho- 
 liness, and of the nature of heavenly happiness, that 
 will render it possible, without an immediate revela- 
 tion, to be quite certain that their good feelings toward 
 these objects of religious desire and love, may not 
 proceed from some misapprehensions concerning 
 them. The only ordinary way, or at least one neces- 
 sary way, to have this put beyond all reasonable 
 doubt, is to give attention to reading, to meditation, 
 to doctrine. This is a way divinely prescribed and 
 encouraged. It is written ; " Then shall we know, 
 if we follow on to know the Lord." It is written ; 
 *' If thou Malt receive my Mords, and hide my com- 
 mandments with thee ; so tiiat thou incline thine ear 
 unto V, isdom, and apply thine heart to understanding ; 
 
Ser. XXL] On Assurance of Hope. 399 
 
 yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy 
 voice for understanding ; if thou seekest her as sil- 
 ver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures ; then 
 shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find 
 ihe knowledge of God.'* But, 
 
 3. In connection with this, there must be growth 
 in grace. It is said, 2 Pet. i. 5, 6, 7, " Giving all 
 diligence, add to your faith, virtue ; and to virtue, 
 knowledge ; and to knowledge, temperance ; and to 
 temperance, godliness ; and to godliness, brotherly 
 kindness; andtobrotherly kindness, charity." And 
 to see that these things be in you, and abound^ is 
 the diligence Avhich christians are there exhorted to 
 give, that they may make their calling and election 
 sure. " For he that lacketh these things," says the 
 apostle, meaning he who has but a low degree of 
 them, " is blind and cannot see far off, and hath for- 
 gotten that he was purged from his old sins ;" that 
 is, he must be uncertain of his pardon and begun 
 sanctification. 
 
 It is hardly supposable that christians, when they 
 have but little grace, can have good reason to be 
 confident of their having any. Nor is it desirable 
 that they should have this confidence, under these 
 circumstances. When love is very low, fear is not 
 likely to be cast out, except by delusion : and fear is 
 then very necassary, as a stimulus to christians to 
 work out their salvation with due earnestness and 
 diligence. 
 
 4. In order to the full assurance of hope unto 
 the end, there must be patient continuance in well- 
 doing. Those who have believed in God, and in 
 Christ, must be careful to maintain good ^v orks. To 
 this, the apostle has particular reference in our text. 
 Having spoken of his being persuaded better things 
 of the Hebrew christians, and things which accom- 
 pany salvation, because of their work and labor of 
 
400 ' On Assurance of Hope, [Ser. XXI. 
 
 love, ill ministering to the saints, he desires them 
 universally to go on in hke works of Hberality, that 
 they might have, and retain to the last, the full com- 
 fort of the gospel hope. 
 
 Though external good works alone, are not an in- 
 fallible evidence of internal holiness ; yet tiiey are a 
 necessary evidence. If the tree be good, the fruit 
 will certainly be so, in some good measure. It is 
 indeed hard to say how much of unchristian conduct 
 may possibly be found in one who has been made 
 partaker of a christian temper, and has received the 
 grace of God in truth. But it is easy to see, that 
 while christians are not eminently holy in their con- 
 versation, they are not likely to have a well-grounded 
 hope that they have any holiness of heart at all. Our 
 Saviour insisted often on this evidence. See Matt, 
 vii. 24, " Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, 
 and ^oeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, that 
 built his house upon a rock." John viii. 31, 32, " If 
 ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples 
 indeed : and ye shall know the truth, and the truth 
 shall make you free." And John xv. 8, " Herein 
 is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit ; so 
 shall ye be my disciples." 
 
 The present discourse will now be concluded witli 
 an application, in a few brief inferences. 
 
 1. It may be seen from what has been said, that if 
 real christians walk in darkness, and have little com- 
 fort respecting their future state, the fault must be 
 in themselves. Their want of even the full assur- 
 ance of hope, is not because of any want of gospel 
 promises sufficient to give them full consolation; 
 nor because of any want of marks of grace, in the 
 holy scriptures, sufficiently plain, and easy to be un- 
 derstood. It can be only because they have not 
 those marks legible enough, in their own hearts and 
 lives ; or because they are bUnd, and camiot discern 
 
Ser. XXL] On Assurance of Hope. 40i 
 
 things spiritual, with necessary clearness and dis- 
 crimination. And their want of more manifest evi- 
 dences in themselves, or better discernment, is be- 
 cause they have not given due diligence to gro\F in 
 gi'ace, and in religious knowledge. 
 
 2. Hence, have not many supposed converts, too 
 much reason to call in question the truth of their 
 conversion ? Is not the subsequent course of many 
 who have made a hopeful beginning, very different 
 from that desired of christians by the apostle in our 
 text ? While under awakenings and legal convic- 
 tions, how eagerly engaged were they to hear the 
 word and attend the worship of God, in season and 
 out of season ! but since they have obtained a hope, 
 do they continue to show the same diligence ? There 
 are many, undoubtedly, who rest in what they orxe 
 experienced, to whom the description gixen of 
 Ephraim, and of the stony ground hearers, is too ap* 
 plicable. Their goodness was as a morning cloud, 
 and the early dew : they received the word with joy ; 
 but their religion having no root, soon withered. 
 
 3. According to our subject, what shall we think 
 of those who never found any occasion for diligence 
 in this matter ? who, since they first got a hope, have 
 had no doubt concerning their salvation ? 
 
 We should think, perhaps, that they may be real 
 christians : but their being always so certain of it, 
 cannot rationally be thought any thing in their favor. 
 Whatever may be their actual condition, -we have 
 great reason to suspect that their assurance of hope 
 is not well founded : more especially, if they appear 
 to be children in understanding ; as is commonly 
 the case, with such confident professors. 
 
 4. From what has been said we may infer, on the 
 other hand, that for persons to be doubtful of their 
 good estate, who once had a coinfortable assurance 
 
 C c c 
 
402 On Assurance of Hope. [Ser. XXL 
 
 of it, is no such dark symptom, as hath sometimes 
 been supposed. 
 
 Some have considered the assurance of hope, as 
 being essential to saving faith ; and some, perhaps 
 without fully imbibing that opinion, have been ex- 
 ceedingly troubled with the words of the apostle, 
 Heb. iii. 14, " For we are made partakers of Christ, 
 if we hold the beginning of our confidence, steadfast 
 unto the end." But I take the meaning of these 
 words to be ; if we retain our confidence in the truth 
 of the gospel, and the steadfastness of our adherence 
 to Christ and his ways ; not the confidence of our 
 being true christians*, It is evident, however, I ap- 
 prehend, from the preceding discourse, and even 
 from our text itself, that the assurance of hope is not 
 of the essence of saving faith ; and, consequently, 
 that all doubting of one's own title to eternal life, is 
 not the damning sin of unbelief ; nor any ^certain 
 evidence that one may not be a true believer. Yet, 
 
 5. Let doubting christians, and christians in gen- 
 eral, be hence exhorted to diligence, in all proper 
 ways, that tliey may have the full assurance of hope 
 unto the end. 
 
 For this purpose, be frequent in serious self-exam- 
 ination. For this purpose, be very attentive to im- 
 prove the divinely instituted means of instruction in 
 religion and growth in grace. For this purpose, be 
 careful to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to 
 live soberly, righteously and godly, as the grace of 
 God tb.at bringeth salvation teacheth. For this pur- 
 pose, be fervent in supplication for the sanctifying and 
 enlightening influence of the Holy Spirit. It was the 
 prayer of David, and it should be the prayer of every 
 saint : " Uphold me according to thy word, that I 
 may live ; and let me not be ashamed of my liope. — 
 Search me, O God, and know mj' heart ; try me and 
 know my thoughts ; and see if there be any wicked 
 way in mc, and lead me in the way everlasting." 
 
SERMON XXII. 
 
 ON THE NECESSITY OF HOLINESS HERE, IN ORDER 
 TO HAPPINESS HEREAETER. 
 
 ROMANS II. 6, 7. 
 
 Who ivill render to every man according to his deeds ; To them 
 nvhoj by patient continuance in ivell-doing.^ seek for glonjy 
 and honor, and immortality, eternal life. 
 
 G. 
 
 'OD's people of old were admonished, 
 Jer. vi. 16, " Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the 
 ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, ^vhere is the 
 good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest 
 for your souls." Nor is this a needless admonition 
 still, notwithstanding tlie much clear light, on moral 
 and religious subjects, which hath since that time 
 come into the world. Still, on almost every article 
 of faith, and branch of duty, very different opinions 
 are entertained, among the learned, as well as the 
 illiterate. And indeed, at first view, the ^vay which 
 leadeth unto life seems to be differently marl^ed out 
 to us, even in the holy scriptures themselves. Some- 
 times one is told, " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 and thou shalt be saved. A man is justified by faith, 
 -without the deeds of the law. To him that worketh 
 not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, 
 his faith is counted for righteousness." In other 
 
404 The necessity of Holiness here ^ [Ser. XXII. 
 
 places it is said, " If thou wilt enter into life, keep 
 the commandments. Let the wicked forsake his 
 way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts ; and let 
 him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy 
 upon him ; and to our God, for he will abundantly 
 pardon. Blessed are they that do his commandments, 
 that they may have right to the tree of life, and may 
 enter in through the gates into the city." But how 
 are these different representations to be reconciled ? 
 We are not surely to understand that there are two 
 ways of salvation, for fallen men, revealed from hea- 
 ven. We are not to imagine that those who believe 
 the gospel shall be saved, though they neglect good 
 works, and live in sin : and that those who turn 
 from their transgressions, and do that which is lawful 
 and right, shall be justified by the deeds of the law. 
 So tiiat every one may have his choice, either to be 
 saved by Christ Avithout personal holiness ; or to 
 work out his own salvation, without being indebted 
 to Clirist, and to free grace. There is but one gate, 
 and one way, to life eternal : and, " strait is the 
 gate, and narroAv is the way." Neither the unright- 
 eous, nor the self-righteous, shall inherit the king- 
 dom of God, Personal holiness, and relying alone, 
 for justification, on the imputed righteousness of 
 Christ, are both made necessary, in the grace of God 
 which bringeth salvation. That there must be some 
 faith, and some wor4cs, in order to a man's being- 
 saved, all denominations of christians will admit. 
 But, rightly to divide the word of truth on these sub- 
 jects, so as to give to faith, the things that are faith's, 
 and to works, what belongs to works, requires some 
 study and care. 
 
 By the words now before us, we are led to con- 
 sider the province and necessity of good works, rel- 
 ative to the salvation of Jifien. The apostle is here 
 speaking of the righteous retributions which will be 
 made to every man, in the judgment of the great day. 
 He is addressini^ himself to the Jew, who excluded 
 
Ser. XXII.] in order to Happiness hereafter. 405 
 
 the Gentile from salvation because of his unright- 
 eousness ; and yet expected to be saved himself, 
 though equally unrighteous, because of his co^'enant 
 relation to God. See the context, ver. 1 — 9, " There- 
 fore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou 
 art that judgcst : for wherein thou judgest another 
 thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest 
 the same things. But we are siu^e that the judgment 
 of God is according to truth against them who com- 
 mit such tilings. And thinkest thou this, O man, 
 that judgest them who do such things, and doest the 
 same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God ? 
 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and 
 forbearance, and long-suffering ; not knowing that 
 the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance ? 
 But after thy^iardness and impenitent heart, treasur- 
 est up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath, 
 and revelation of the righteous judgment of God : 
 Who will render to e\ ery man according to his 
 deeds ; To them who, by patient continuance in 
 \\'ell-doing, seek for glory, and honor, and immortal- 
 ity, eternal life : But unto them that are contentious, 
 and obey not the truth, but obe}'' unrighteousness, 
 indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon 
 every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, 
 and also of die Gentile." 
 
 In attending to the xvords chosen to be particularly- 
 insisted upon, it is proposed to consider ; 
 
 I. How we are to understand that God, in the day 
 of judgment, will render to every man according to 
 his deeds. 
 
 II. What is implied in the character here given, 
 of them to whom he will render eternal life. 
 
 III. Hovv- universally, and how far, this character 
 is necessaiy, in order to the rewards of heaven, up- 
 on the gosj>el plan. And; 
 
406 The necessity of Hol'mess here y [Ser. XXIL 
 
 IV. Why it is necessary. 
 
 I. We will briefly consider how it is meant, that 
 God, in the day of judgment, will render to every 
 man according to his deeds. 
 
 By the deeds of men we are to understand, not 
 merely the works of their hands, but also their 
 words, and thoughts, and dispositions ; or whatever 
 constitutes their personal characters. It is not to be 
 supposed, however, that God will render to every 
 one just what he has personally merited, and no 
 more. Certainly he will not render to the righteous 
 all the evil they have deserved ; and he will render 
 good to them undoubtedly, far beyond their person- 
 al desert. But it is to be understood, 
 
 1. That every good man will receive the rewards 
 of heaven ; and that every wicked man ■will be con- 
 demned to the pains of hell. 
 
 This is agreeable to the frequent representations of 
 scripture. See John v. 28, 29, " The hour is com- 
 ing in the which all tliat are in their graves shall hear 
 his voice, and shall come forth ; they that have done 
 good, unto the resurrection of life ; and they that 
 have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.'* 
 
 2. We are to understand diat God will render to 
 all the impenitent ^vorkers of iniquity, according to 
 strict justice. That he will condemn them respect- 
 ively, to Chose several degrees of punishment which 
 they have merited ; all circumstances being fully 
 considered. 
 
 To this purpose it is said, a few verses after our 
 text; " For there is no respect of persons with 
 God : For as many as have sinned without law, shall 
 also perish without law ; and as many as have sin- 
 ned in the law, shall be judged by the law ; in the 
 day that God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus 
 Christ." And to this purpose our Saviour told the 
 
Ser. XXII.] in order to Happiness hereafter. 407 
 
 impenitent sinners of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Ca- 
 pernaum, that it would be more tolerable for the 
 land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for 
 them. 
 
 3. It is to be understood that there will be differ- 
 ences made among the righteous, in proportion to 
 their works of faith, and labors of love ; in propor- 
 tion to the trials and difficulties through which they 
 have passed ; in proportion to their different personal 
 characters upon the whole. 
 
 When they that sleep in the dust of the earth shall 
 awake ; among them that shall be raised to everlast- 
 ing life, there will be a difference in the lustre with 
 which they shall shine ; as between the firmament 
 and the stars, and as one star differeth from another 
 star in glory. We proceed to consider, 
 
 II. The character given in our text, of those to 
 whom God will render eternal life. 
 
 They are described, you observe, by the objects 
 of their pursuit, and by their manner of seeking. 
 In both these, the children of God are manifest ; as 
 differing from the unregenerate. 
 
 We v>A\\ begin with attending to the objects of 
 their pursuit : or the things which they seek. In all 
 the works of rational beings, some end is sought : 
 and this, accordingly as it is important or unimport- 
 ant, worthy or unworthy, very much stamps the 
 characters of persons and of actions. Whatever 
 pains a man may take, whatever sagacity he may 
 discover in the prosecution of his designs, or what- 
 ever good he may accidentally do ; yet, if his mo- 
 tives are evil, or mean and low, he is not much to be 
 commended. Men may be very industrious in their 
 lawful callings ; and may be very useful members of 
 society by their labors ; but if the only inducement 
 they have is to get the \vorld, that they may consume 
 
408 . The necessity of Holiness here, [Ser. XXII* 
 
 it upon their lusts ; or that they may hoard it up, 
 to gratify their pride and avarice, no great applause 
 is due to them. Yea, men may abound in fast- 
 ing and prayer, and in giving alms, merely that 
 their piety and charity may be admired ; and they 
 may have their reward ; but not at the resurrection 
 of the just. 
 
 Those to Avhom God will render eternal life, are 
 here characterized as aiming at noble and worthy 
 ends: "Glory, honor, and immortality." These 
 expressions, though they seem nearly synonymous, 
 may admit of an explanation somewhat distinct. 
 
 1. The persons described by the apostle, seek for 
 glory. 
 
 Not the glory of this world, or of the princes of 
 this world, which cometh to nought. As most of 
 the phrases used on spiritual and divine subjects, are 
 taken from the names of earthly things ; so the word 
 glory, according to its primary root, and original use, 
 is said to signify the gravity, or weightiness of ma^ 
 terial substances ; as grain, silver, gold. Sec. by 
 which tlieir value is estimated. As applied to ra- 
 tional beings, and things of a spiritual nature, it is 
 meant to express, either their intrinsic and real ex- 
 cellence, or its display and manifestation. 
 
 Intrinsic excellence, of tlie moral kind, is called 
 glory, in a sense very suitable to the fore mentioned 
 derivation of that word : as excellent men, are men 
 of ^veight and Vvorth ; whereas those destitute of 
 virtue, are light and worthless, like dross or chaff. 
 Thus it is said, " Abimilech hired vain and light ^ 
 persons, whicii followed him." And of Belshazzar 
 it was Vv'ritten, " Tekel ; Thou artL weighed in the 
 balances, and found v/anting. ' ' So in the first Psalm, 
 after the character and happiness of a good man, it is 
 added, " The ungodly are not so : but are like the 
 chaff which the vrinddriveth away." And in an- 
 other Psalm, to set forth the vyant of virtue in man- 
 
Ser. XXII.] in order to Happiness hereafter. 409 
 
 kind of all orders and degrees, it is said, *' Surely 
 men of low degree are vanity, and men of high de- 
 gree are a lie : to be laid in the balance, they are 
 altogether lighter than vanity." In opposition to 
 this, the lowest, v, eakest, poorest good man, is a man 
 of weight ; that is, of solid worth. To seek for glo- 
 ry, in this sense of the ^vord, is to seek for moral 
 excellence, or personal holiness. And so the word 
 seems to be used, 2 Pet. i. 3, " According as his 
 divine power hath given unto us all things that per- 
 tain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge 
 of liim who hath called us to glory and virtue." The 
 apostle adds, " Whereby are given unto us exceed- 
 ing great and precious promises ; that by these ye 
 might be partakers of the divine nature." 
 
 The word glory, also signifies happiness ; especial- 
 ly spiritual and heavenly happiness, consisting in, or 
 resulting from, the vision and fruition of God and 
 Christ. See Rom. v. 2, " By whom also we have 
 access by faith, into this grace therein we stand, 
 and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." And 
 1 Pet. i. 8, " Whom, having not seen, ye love ; in 
 whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, 
 ye rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory." 
 In what the happiness of heaven will most essentially 
 consist, we are taught. Rev. xxii. 1, '' And he 
 shewed me a pure river of water of life, cleai' as crys- 
 tal, proceeding out of the throne of God, and of the 
 Lamb." Seeking glory implies, then, seeking per- 
 sonal holiness, and that happiness which arises from 
 seeing the glory of God, our Creator, and of Christ, 
 our Redeemer, most highly advanced. 
 
 2. Those to whom God will render eternal life, 
 are such as seek for honor. 
 
 Not honor from men, certainly : to seek this in 
 the manner many do, is inconsistent with the seeking 
 here spoken of. John v. 44, " How can ye be- 
 lieve, who receive honor one of another, and seek 
 D d d 
 
410 The necessity of Holiness here, [Ser. XXll. 
 
 not the honor which cometh from God only ?" It is 
 this last, the honor which cometh from God only, that 
 is intended in our text. This is one great object of 
 that hope by which christians are saved, and of that 
 taith whereby they overcome the world. And this is 
 promised them by their Saviour and Judge ; Rev. 
 iii. 5, " He that overcometh, the same shall be cloth- 
 ed in white raiment ; and I will not blot out his name 
 out of the book of life, but will confess his name be- 
 fore my Father, and before his angels." It is said, 
 1 Cor. iv. 5, " Judge nothing before the time, until 
 the Lord come, who both v. ill bring to light the hid- 
 den things of darkness, and will make manifest the 
 counsels of the hearts ; and then shall every man 
 have praise of God." That is, every man who has 
 done well, or meant well ; however his good deeds 
 may haxc been concealed, or misrepresented ; or 
 however he may have wanted the means of doing the 
 ■good for which he had a willing mind. He -who im- 
 proves his talents with fidelity, whether many or few, 
 will be openly honored with that transporting appro- 
 bation, Matt. XXV. 21, " Well done, thou good and 
 faithful servant." This honor is for all his saints, 
 and for this they seek. 
 
 3. They seek for immortality : or incorruption, 
 us the original might be rendered. 
 
 The apostle has reference, probably to the resur- 
 rection. He elsewhere tells us, " Christ hath abol- 
 ished death, and brought life and immortality to 
 light:" meaning no doubt, the immortality of the 
 body, as viell as of the soul : when " this corrupti- 
 ble shall })ut on i.icorruption, and this mortal shall 
 put on immortality." These are the grand objects 
 of those who are risen with Christ, and seek those 
 thin<a:s which are above. 
 
 o 
 
 The manner of their seeking these things, is next 
 to be considered.' It is said in our text to be, hy 
 
 patient continuance in %-oell-doing. More particularly, 
 
Sen XXII.] in order to Happiness hereafter. 411 
 
 1. It is by well-doing. This implies a sincere 
 and universal obedience to the will of God, as re- 
 vealed in his word. It implies that denying ungod- 
 liness and worldly lusts, and that living soberly, 
 righteously, and godly, in this present Avorld, which 
 the grace of God that bringeth salvation teacheth. 
 " Then shall I not be ashamed," says the psalmist, 
 " when I have respect unto all thy commandments." 
 Well-doing, with respect to ourselves, implies pru- 
 dence, sobriety, self-denial, and temperance in all 
 things. Well-doing, with respect to our neighbor, 
 implies a careful discharge of all the duties of right- 
 eousness and charity, of truth, honesty, and kind- 
 ness, towards all with whom we have any connec- 
 tion or intercourse. Well-doing, with respect to 
 God our Maker, implies a constant attendance upon 
 all his ordinances ; walking humbly before hini, be- 
 ing resigned to his will, and worshipping him in 
 spirit and in truth. 
 
 2. There must be co7itinuance in well-doing. It 
 is said, 2 Pet. ii. 20, 21, 22, " If after they have es- 
 caped the pollutions of the world, through the knowl- 
 edge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they 
 are again entangled therein, and overcome ; the lat- 
 ter end is worse with them than the beginning. For 
 it had been better for them not to have known tlrc 
 way of righteousness, tlian after they have knov/n it, 
 to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto 
 them. But it is happened unto them according to 
 the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vom- 
 it again ; and. The sow that was washed to her wal- 
 lowing in the mire." And many such there have 
 been in all ages of the church. But those who so 
 run as to obtain, persevere in well-doing to the end 
 of their mortal race. Matt. x. 22, "He that en- 
 dureth to the end shall be saved." And Rev. ii. 10, 
 *' Be thou faithful unto death, and I Vvill give thee 
 a crown of life." 
 
412 The Tiecesstty of Holiness here y [Ser. XXII. 
 
 3. Patient contiiuiance in well-doing is mentioned 
 in our text. And to hold on tlieir way, in such a 
 world as this, christians have need of patience. Of- 
 ten they are rewarded evil for their good, and hatred 
 for their love. Often they are persecuted for right- 
 eousness' sake, and bitterly reviled and slandered 
 for their steadfast adherence to truth and duty. Ma- 
 ny are the temptations they meet with to recom- 
 pense evil for evil, or to cease from doing good. But 
 amidst all discouragements, the righteous, through 
 divine grace, hold on their wa}^, and bring forth fruit 
 ^vith patience. 
 
 III. We proceed to consider how far, and how 
 universally, well-doing, in this manner, and from 
 these motives, is riecessary in order to eternal life, 
 upon the gospel plan. And here, 
 
 1. It is certcun that no more than imperfect well- 
 doing, is now made necessary, for this end. 
 
 Not that the gospel, as a rule of life, is any lower 
 in its requisitions, than the original law of works. In 
 this sense Christ came not to destroy the Xdw or the 
 prophets. He came not to abrogate the original 
 law of tlie Lord, which was perfect, and to set up 
 a new law, conformable to the moral capacity, or 
 disposition, of fallen, imperfect creatures. Heaven 
 and earth might be easier overturned, or destroyed, 
 than one jot or tittle of the moral hiw be abated. 
 Perfect conformity to the etenial rule of right, in 
 heart and life, must always be incumbent on every 
 rational creature, under ail dispensations, and in all 
 v/orlds. In point of duty, sinless perfection is as 
 much required of us as it w^ould have l)een if Christ 
 had not undertaken our redemption ; and as much 
 required of fallen men as it was of our first parents 
 while upright in Paradise ; or aft it is of the angels 
 in heaven. But in point of di\ine acceptance it is net 
 required. From even the moral lav*', as a covenant of 
 
Sen XXII.] in order to Happiness hereafter. 415 
 
 works, believers in Christ are released. The apos- 
 tle illustrates this by the similitude of the marriage 
 covenant, in tlie beginning of the seventh chapter 
 of Romans. Having observed that a woman is 
 bound by the law to her husband as long as he liv- 
 eth ; but if her husband be dead, she is loosed from 
 that law, he says, ver. 4, 5, 6, " Wherefore, my 
 brethren, ye also are become dead to the law — For 
 when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which 
 were by the law, did work in our members to bring 
 forth fruit unto death. But now we are delivered 
 from the law, that being dead wherein ■we were held ; 
 that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in 
 the oldness of the letter." Again he says, Gal. iii. 
 10, *' As many as are of the works of the law are 
 under the curse ; for it is written. Cursed is every 
 one that continueth not in all things which are writ- 
 ten in the book of the law to do them." But he 
 adds, ver. 13, *' Christ hath redeemed us from the 
 curse of the law, being made a curse for us." By 
 his obedience and death, a foundation is laid, that the 
 bins of believers in him may be pardoned ; and that 
 their imperfect obedience, when only sincere, may 
 be graciously accepted. Such is the obedience of 
 the best saint on earth ; and such is all that is now 
 required, as an evidence of a title to the kingdom 
 of heaven. 
 
 2. No well-doing all our days^ is made necessary 
 by the gospel, for this end. It is not required that, 
 from the beginning of our existence, we should have 
 rendered even sincere obedience to the command- 
 ments of God, as that without which we cannot have 
 admission into his kingdom of glory. All men by 
 nature are dead in trespasses and sins ; destitute en- 
 tirely of that good disposition which is the root of 
 all righteousness and true holiness. Let our exter- 
 nal actions, therefore, have been ever so blameless, 
 or ever so excellent, in the e}"es of men, they can 
 
414 The necessity of Holiness here, [Ser. XXIL 
 
 have no moral goodness in the sight of God, until a 
 new heart is given. Could any of us say, that we 
 have outwardly kept all the commandments from our 
 youth up, unless we have been created through 
 Christ Jesus unto good works, we never have kept 
 one of them in sincerity and truth. But not\^dth- 
 standing this, and notwithstanding we may have lived 
 jnany years in total unholiness ; if then, being re- 
 newed in the spirit of our minds, we truly turn our 
 feet unto the testimonies of the Lord and walk in 
 them, our end will be everlasting life. Yea, though 
 we have lived in the grossest transgressions and ini- 
 f^uities ; though our sins have been of a scarlet and 
 crimson dye ; if we cease to do evil, and learn to do 
 %vell, through faith in the atoning blood of our Divine 
 Redeemer, we shall no less certainly be received into 
 the holy society of saints and angels in heaven, than 
 if our characters had always been white as snow. 
 Paul tells Timothy, " This is a faithful saying, and 
 worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came 
 into the world to save sinners ; of whom I am chief. 
 Howbeit, for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me 
 first Jesus Clirist might shew forth all long-suffering, 
 for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe 
 on him to life everlasting." And he says to the 
 Corinthians, " Know ye not that the unrighteous 
 shall not inherit the kingdom of God ? be not de- 
 ceived : neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adul- 
 terers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves 
 with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunk- 
 ards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the 
 kingdom of God. And such were some of you : 
 but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are 
 justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the 
 Spirit of our God." 
 
 3. Continuance in -'.veil-doing tit ail, in this world, 
 is not made so universally necessary, in order to hap- 
 piness in the world to come, as to admit of no ex- 
 ception. 
 
Ser. XXII.] in order to Happiness hereafter. 415 
 
 We must believe this, if we believe that any are 
 saved, who die in the earliest part of infancy. M^e 
 must believe this, if we believe that any adults are 
 regenerated, and brought into a state of grace, 
 through repentance and faith in Christ, in the very 
 last moments of their lives. What time had the 
 thief upon the cross, for patient continuance in well- 
 doing, previously to his going to heaven ; when our 
 Saviour said to him, *' This day shalt thou be with 
 me in Paradise ?" Every one who heartily repents 
 and embraces the gospel — Every One who is created 
 anew in Christ Jesus, hath everlasting life : and, 
 whether he instantly dies, or lives a hundred years 
 afterwards in this world, shall not come into condem- 
 nation. 
 
 The sum of what the scriptures teach, concerning 
 the necessity of personal holiness here, in order to 
 heavenly happiness hereafter, appears to be this. 
 All who are born of the flesh, must be born of the 
 Spirit, before they die, or they can never enter into 
 the kingdom of God. All sinners must repent, in 
 this space of repentance, or their sins will never be 
 blotted out. And all penitents, as long as they live, 
 must bring forth fruits meet for repentance : they 
 must endure unto the end, in sincere obedience of 
 the law and gospel, or they will not be saved. 
 
 IV. It was proposed to inquire and explain, why 
 so much as this, in us, or even any personal holiness 
 at all, is now necessary ; since, " by grace we are 
 saved, through faith, and that not of ourselves;" 
 and since, "Christ is the end of the law for right- 
 eousness, to every one that believeth." 
 
 But on this head a few hints must suffice, and may 
 be sufficient. 
 
 1. Regeneration, and rejx^ntance, must precede 
 a gospel title to eternal life, because they are pre-re- 
 quisite to that faith by which alone a man is justified. 
 
416 The necessity of Holiness here, [Ser. XXII.' 
 
 To believe to the saving of the soul, is not mere- 
 ly to be persuaded of the truth of the gospel ; it 
 implies, moreover, that we cordially embrace its 
 promises : that we desire the salvation it ofiers, and 
 receive Christ as our Saviour ajid Lord. But thus 
 to believe, is evidently incompatible with the dispo- 
 sition of an unregenerate, or an impenitent sinner. 
 It is impossible that one who is unrenev/ed in the 
 spirit of his mind, and totally destitute of true holi- 
 ness of heart ; or one who has no godly sorro^v for 
 sin, or sincere desire to turn from it, should be 
 willing to be saved by Christ, as he oilers to save 
 men ; or should receive him in all his mediator!^ 
 oSices, and consent to be his disciple and subject. 
 
 2. Believers must maintain good works, because 
 these ai'e the natural and necessary fruits of a right 
 spirit, and of union to Christ by faith. The apostle 
 Paul says, " Shall we continue in sia that grace 
 may abound ? God forbid. How shall we that ai-e 
 dead to sin live any longer therein ?" And our Sav- 
 i«OHr hath said to his disciples, " I am the vine, ye 
 aie the branches ; he that abideth in me, and I in 
 him, the same bringeth forth much fruit." There 
 is no such thing as being saved, upon the gospel 
 plan, without abiding in Christ, any more than with- 
 out becoming united to him at first : and the ne- 
 cessary consequence of abiding in Christ, is a par 
 tient continuance in well-doing. " He that saith, I 
 knov/ him," says the apostle John, *' and keepeth 
 not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is 
 not in him. He that saith he abicjeth in him, ought 
 himself also so to walk, even as he walked. Hereby 
 we knovv^ that we are in him." 
 
 3. Well-doing, from an honest and good heart, is 
 necessary in those who belong to Christ, notwith- 
 standing they are not under the law, as a covenant of 
 works, but under a covenant of grace, because a 
 
Ser. XXII. j in order to Happiness hereafter. 4lt 
 
 recovery to holiness is an essential part of his salva- 
 tion ; and a part which he stands engaged to see 
 accomplished, in all whom the Father hath given 
 him, from the time of their coming to him. 
 
 See Matt. i. 21, — " Thou shalt call his name 
 Jesus ; for he shall save his people from their sins." 
 Eph. V. 25, 26, 27, " Christ also loved the church, 
 and gave himself for it ; that he might sanctify and. 
 cleanse it with the washing of water by the word ; 
 that he might present it to himself a glorious churchy 
 not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing ; but 
 that it should be holy, and without blemish." And 
 Tit. ii. 13, 14, " Looking for that blessed hope, and 
 the glorious appearing of the great God and our Sav- 
 iour Jesus Christ ; who gave himself for us, that he 
 might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto 
 himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." 
 
 The improvement of what has been said^ may 
 be in the following particulars. 
 
 1. From this subject it may be easily seen, that 
 the good Vv^orks of men are no part of the condition^ 
 of their title to eternal life. 
 
 Believers have the promise of salvation — a prom- 
 ise which can never fail, before they have done any 
 good v/orks ; and their title to it, in point of merit, 
 is grounded wholly on what Christ has done and 
 suffered ; and not at all on their \a ell-doing. Were 
 not this the case, none could be saved, except those 
 to ^'/hom time is given for doing the will of God, 
 after they have been crerj:ed unto good works. 
 
 2. We may hence also infer, that it is not accurate 
 to consider good works on earth, as being a necessary 
 qualification for hea^"en. 
 
 Holiness of heart, is indeed absolutely necessary, 
 to qualify any one for the joys above. But infants, 
 and even adults, may be made perfect in holiness at 
 E e e 
 
418 T'hc ncccsrvity of Holiness here^ j]Ser. XXII. 
 
 death, ^ind be happy in the kingdom of heaven, with- 
 out the qualification of a course of weli-doing, while 
 here on earth. 
 
 3. We may hence see 'why it is that no doings of 
 the unconverted, can entitle them to any promise 
 of saving grace. There are two reasons. 
 
 One is, they do nothing from right motives. 
 They never truly seek for glory, honor, and immor- 
 ttility. Neither holiness, nor heavenly happiness, is 
 ever the direct object cf their pursuit or wish. To 
 glorify God, or to enjoy him, is not the chief end with 
 them ; nor any ultimate end at all. They have not, 
 in the lowest degree, that love which is the fuliilimg 
 of the law : that charity, without which, though one 
 should bestow ail his goods to feed the poor, or give 
 his body to be burned, it would profit him nothing. 
 
 The other reason is, they do nothing in the exer- 
 cise of faith in Chrint, and have no interest in his 
 atonement and righteousness. They rest upon no- 
 thing, they have nothing to rest upon, in their pres- 
 ent condition, except the intrinsic merit of their 
 Own well-doing. But of a rational hope of accept- 
 ance with God, " Other foundation can no man lay 
 than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." If any 
 man build not upon this foundation, though his 
 superstructure were all of silver, gold, and precious 
 stones, tl>e purest in this world, ^vhen judgment is 
 laid to the line, and righteousness to the plummet, 
 all must be swept aMay, and burnt up. Though 
 one were as godly and righteous as Noah, Daniel, 
 and Job, his v.orks, taken by themselves, with all 
 their imperfections, would bring Upon him a curse 
 and not a blessing. All the promises are in Christ ; 
 and to those v/ho are his in covenant relation, and rely 
 upon him ; so only can they be unto the glory of 
 God. 
 
 4. Hence also we may see, why so infinite a dificr- 
 ence will be made between men, in the day of judg- 
 ment. 
 
Ser. XXII. 3 in order to Happincsz hereafter. 419 
 
 Though it is said, God will render to every man 
 accordiiig to his deeds ; yet to some, it is said, he 
 will render eternal life, and to others, " indignation 
 and wrath, tribulation and anguish." And our Sav- 
 iour hath told us, " These shall go away into ever- 
 lasting punishment ; but the righteous into life 
 eternal." This is the plain doctrine of scripture, 
 abundantly inculcated : That all Vvho are good men 
 in this world, shall be happy for ever ; and that all 
 who die wicked men, shall be for ever miserable : 
 and that both the happiness of the one, and the mis- 
 ery of the other, w'Al be great in degree, beyond 
 all our present conception. 
 
 Such retributions, hov/ever, are so evidently dis- 
 proportioned to the different personal characters, and 
 merits of the righteous and the wicked, that they 
 hcwe often been disbelieved, or objected against, as 
 being altogether unequal, and unjust. 
 
 But those who malie this objection, and some "who 
 have attempted to answer it, seem not to tliink, or not 
 to remember, that the righteous are saved by grace, 
 through faith. It is true, there is an essential differ- 
 ence, in personal character, between saints and 
 sinners, however great the imperfection of saints 
 may be, or in whatever that imperfection may be 
 supposed to consist : whether in the 'voeakness of 
 their graces, or merely in the inconstancy of their 
 good exercises. But on no supposition, is this 
 personal difference so infinite, as between the eter- 
 nal rewards of heaven, and the endless pains of hell. 
 On the contrary, some who are finally good men, 
 have been greater sinners, and d.eserve a more intole- 
 rable punishment, their whole lives taken together, 
 than some v/ho die in their sins. The only founda- 
 tion of ail the rewards of the ric?-hteous, is the ri^-ht- 
 eousness of Christ ; in which an interest is obtained, 
 and kept, by faith alone. This is a full solution, and 
 the only one, I apprehend, of the ibreiTiCntioncd 
 specious difficulty. 
 
420 The necessity of Holiness^ 'i^c. [Sen XXII. 
 
 5. Hence let cliristians, while they renounce 
 self-righteousness, and live by faith on the Son of 
 God, as the only primary ground of expecting the 
 divine approbation, be careful to maintain good 
 works. These \vill be profitable to the doers of 
 them, as well as to those for whose benefit they are 
 done. Upon the foundation laid, which is Jesus 
 Christ, all works of real piety or charity, will be 
 graciously recompensed at the resurrection of the 
 just. Giving a cup of cold water, in the name of a 
 disciple, shall in no wise fail of an eternal reward. 
 
 " But," let it be remembered, " He that endureth 
 to the end," and he onl}^, " shall be saved." In 
 order to perseverance in well-doing, there is need of 
 patience. But to animate us to lay aside every 
 weight, and to run ^vith patience the race set before 
 iis, we have the example of a great cloud of witnes- 
 ses ; and the hope set before us is great : " Glory, 
 honor, immortality, eternal life." And the race, 
 though for the present it may seem long and tedious, 
 will soon come to an end, " Be patient, therefore, 
 brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, 
 the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the 
 earth, and hath much patience for it, until he receive 
 the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient ; stab- 
 lish your hearts : for the comins: of the Lord draweth 
 mgh." 
 
SERMON XXIII.* 
 
 ON THE PERFECTION OF SEPARATE SOULS Ilf 
 HEAVEN. 
 
 HEBREWS XII. 23. 
 
 — And to the spirits of just mai inacle perfect. 
 
 IVIeLANCHOLY is the present condi- 
 tion of fallen man. At his best state, he is subject 
 to many imperfections, and experiences much vanity 
 and vexation of spirit. But, if life be prolonged, 
 soon do the evil days come, and the years when there 
 is no pleasure. Soon, the strong men bow them- 
 selves, and the keepers of the house tremble. Soon, 
 the silver cord is loosed, and the golden bowl broken. 
 Soon, the dust returns to the earth as it was, and 
 man goeth to his long home. 
 
 Melancholy are the visible appearances of death, 
 in its approaches, and in its consequences. All the 
 passages out of this world are dark and dreary. 
 Dark also is the grave, whither we are going ; and 
 dark, by the light of nature alone, is the everlasting 
 residence of the dead : 
 
 . " The undiscovered country, from whose bouiii 
 No traveller returns." 
 
 * Preached at the funeral of Col. Isaac Lee ; who died 
 pecember 13, 1802, in the close of the 86th year of his age. 
 
422 The perfection of separate [Scr. XX'III. 
 
 Even holy Job calls it, " A land of darkness, as 
 darkness itself." And again he says, " Man dieth, 
 and ^7asteth away ; yea, man givelh up the ghost, 
 and wiiere is he ?" What becomes, at present, of 
 the lifeless body, is plainly seen : but where, or what, 
 the unbodied spirit is, "we see not ; nor can reason, 
 with all its boasted discoveries, help us to other 
 than very uncertain information. How thankful, 
 then, ought we to be for the light of reiielatio?i — a 
 revelation of the world of spirits, and of the happy 
 state of our pious friends deceased ? These myste- 
 ries, hid from former ages and generations, are now 
 made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus 
 Clirist, " Who," as is said, 2 Tim. i. 10, " hath 
 abolished death, and brought life and immortality to 
 light." 
 
 The apostle is upon the same subject in our text 
 and context. To guard his Hebrew brethren against 
 leaning too much to Judaism, he is here represent- 
 ing to them the great superiority of the gospel, to 
 their former dispensation ; both in regard to the 
 clearness of the light it communicates, and the 
 gentle manner of its communicating that light. The 
 law given by Moses, w^as promulgated with awful 
 tokens of divine wrath : and even the tenor of 
 it afforded little comfort for sinners, compared with 
 the grace and truth which came by Jesus Christ. 
 See ver. 18 — ^24, " For ye are not come unto the 
 mount that might be touched, ajid that burned with 
 fire, nor unto blackness and darkness, and tempest,, 
 and the sound of the trumpet, and the voice of words ; 
 which voice they that heard entreated that the word 
 should not be spoken to them any more : (for they 
 could' not endure that which was commanded. And 
 if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall b© 
 stoned, or thrust tlirouo-h with a dart. And so ter- 
 ribie was that sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly 
 fear and quake :) But ye are come unto mount Sion, 
 and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly 
 
Ser. XXIII.] Souls i?i Heai^en. 423 
 
 Jerusalem ; and to an innumerable company of an- 
 gels, to the general assembly and church of the first 
 born, ^vhich are written in heaven, and to God the 
 Judge of all and to the spirits of just men made per- 
 fect ; and to Jesus the mediator of the new cove- 
 nant, and to the blood of sprinkling which speaketh 
 better things tlian the blood of Abel." 
 
 The evident design of this v. hole passage is to 
 shc-v, that christians are brought by the gospel, to 
 the knowledge of heaven, and to a participation with 
 saints and angels there, in the vision and fruition of 
 God, fai- beyond what good men were under the 
 law. But from the short part of a sentence taken for 
 our present subject, which mentions the spirits of 
 just men made perfect, we arc led to inquire, 
 
 I. Whose spirits these are : and, 
 
 II. Wherein their perfection consists. 
 
 As one of the elders asked John, in the Revelation, 
 " W'liat are these which are arrayed in white robes ? 
 and whence came they ?" so we may naturally in- 
 quire, in the first place. Whose spirits are these 
 spoken of in the text ? and what was their former 
 condition ? 
 
 They are said to be the spirits of just men : that 
 is, the spirits in heaven, of men who were just 
 while here on earth. But ^vho in this world, since 
 the fall of Adam, ever deserved the name of just 
 men ? Is it not written, " There is none righteous ; 
 no, not one ?" 
 
 I ansv.er ; It is written, " Noah was a just man, 
 and perfect In his generation." And we often read 
 of the just^ where reference is plainly had to men in 
 the life that now is. Solomon says, indeed, " There 
 is not a just man upon earth :" but he explains 
 himself by adding, " that dceth good and sinncth 
 not." It is undoubtedly true, that all have sinned ; 
 
424 The perfection of separate [Ser. XXIIL 
 
 and that the best of men daily sin, as long as they 
 continue here below. Nevertheless, there have been 
 many who are called of God himself, just men : men 
 whom he justified while hving, and glorified when 
 dead. Who these are, or what is necessary to con- 
 stitute any of mankind such, is a question, therefore, 
 of the last importance. Until this is well answered 
 and understood, it cannot be known when we have 
 reason to entertain a comfortable hope respecting 
 our own future state, or concerning the present state 
 of our departed friends. 
 
 It is easy to show, in general, that by just men, 
 we are to understand no other than men of true pie- 
 ty and virtue. Thus this phrase is constantly used in 
 the holy scriptures^ See Psal. vii. 9, " Let the wick- 
 ness of the wicked come to an end ; but establish 
 the just." Prov. iii. 33, " The curse of the Lord 
 is in the house of the wicked : but he blesseth the 
 habitation of the just." And Matt* xiii. 49, " So 
 shall it be in the end of the world ; the angels shall 
 come forth and sever the wicked from among the 
 just." In both the Old Testament and the New, all 
 men are thus divided into two classes ; the just and 
 the wicked : whence it is obvious that by the for- 
 mer are meant, none but good men^ or real saints : 
 none but such as are approved, or justified, in the 
 sight of God. 
 
 To prevent mistakes, however, it may be needful 
 to give the character of these, in a few particulars. 
 Here then, 
 
 1. Let is be osberved, that those whom the Bible 
 means by just fnen, are certainly men of justice in 
 their social intercourse ; or in their treatment of 
 their fellow men, in Vvord and deed. To this pur- 
 pose are the words of David, in the fifteenth Psalm : 
 " Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle ? who 
 shall dwell in thy holy hill ? He that walketh upright- 
 Xf, and \\4orketh righteousness. He that backbiteth 
 
Ser. XXIII.] Souls hi Hecven. 425 
 
 not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor." 
 And the following words of the apostle James ; 
 " If any man among 3^011 seem to be religious, and 
 bridleth not his tongue, — that man's rehgion is vain." 
 A just man is no slanderer or reviler ; nor one that 
 vrill go bejond or defraud another, in any matter. 
 He is a man of truth and punctuality in his dealings, 
 and of integrity and faithfulness in whatever busi- 
 ness he undertakes, or station he sustains. He is 
 one that makes conscience of observing the rule of 
 our Saviour, " Whatsoever ye would that men should 
 do unto you, do ye even so to them." And that of 
 the apostle, " Render to all their dues : tribute, to 
 whom tribute is clue ; custom, to A\hom custom ; 
 fear, to w^hom fear; honor, to Vv horn honor. " 
 
 2. A just man will be as careful to render to God, 
 his due, as to men the things which are their's. He 
 will no more neglect the duties of religion, than 
 be negligent in the discharge of social duties. How- 
 ever honest men may be in their dealings ; ho^vever 
 punctual in paying their debts, and equitable in all 
 respects in the treatment of their neighbors ; yet, if 
 they never inquire,' nor concern themselves, w^hat 
 they shall render to the Lord for all His benefits ; if 
 they restrain prayer, pay no attention to the word of 
 God, and are men of no religion, they are not just 
 men in the sense of scripture ; nor can they with any 
 propriet}', be so called. To rob God, is certainly as 
 unjust, as to wrong our fellow-men. 
 
 3. A just man Is upright in heart, as well as one 
 that walks uprightl}-. " He is not a Jew," says the 
 apostle, '* W'ho is one outv.ardly ; neither is circum- 
 cision that which is outward in the flesh : but he is 
 a Jew that is one inwardly ; and circumcision is that 
 of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter ; 
 whose praise is not of men, but of God." A man. 
 may be very virtuous, and very religious, external- 
 
 F f f 
 
426 The perfection of separate [Ser. XXIIL 
 
 ly, from sinister views, or merely from selfish mo- 
 tives. But should we bestow all our goods to feed 
 the poor, and give our body to be burned, without 
 any ultimate regard to the glory of God, or the good 
 of our neighbor, in the day of final retribution, it 
 ^\ ould profit us nothing. 
 
 In a ^vord, as to their personal character, just men 
 have the root, and all the branches, of moral recti- 
 tude. The tree is good, and the fruit good. " If 
 any man be in Christ, he is a new creature : old 
 things are passed away ; behold, all things are be- 
 come new." 
 
 In this sense, Noah and Job were perfect ; and so 
 is every good man. As an infant may be a perfect 
 m^an in miniature, though extremely imperfect in 
 stature and strength ; so those called the just in scrip- 
 ture, are perfect, as having all the parts of the new 
 man, which is created after God in righteousness and 
 true holiness. 
 
 4. Yet just men are not so called, so accepted of 
 God, or so looked upon by themselves, merely be- 
 cause of their personal goodness. It is said in Ha- 
 bakkuk, and it is several times repeated in the New- 
 Testament, " The just shall live by faith." And 
 the apostle says, Rom. iv. 5, " To him that work- 
 eth not, but believeth on him that justilieth the un- 
 godl)^, his faith is counted for righteousness." 
 
 That an}^ of mankind are self-righteous, is because 
 they are, at heart, altogether unrighteous. That any 
 hope, or wish, to be accepted of God as righteous 
 persons, on the ground of their o\vn goodness, is be- 
 cause they are totally selfish, and have no impartiali- 
 ty. The moment one becomes upright, in the low- 
 est degree, he condemns himself ; and flees for refuge 
 to free grace, reigning through the righteousness of 
 Chvist, as his only support from utter despair. Nor 
 does he ever after build his hope of being justified, 
 on any other foundation. 
 
Ser. XXIII.] Souls in Hemen. ^Tl 
 
 Having seen what are the essential characteristics 
 of just men on earth ; 
 
 II. We are to consider the perfection of the spirits 
 of such, when translated to heaven. Here, 
 
 1. They are made perfect in holiness. 
 
 He who is entered into that rest, hath ceased from 
 sin. Ho longer is he subject to carnal appetites, un- 
 ruly passions, or any moral imperfections. From 
 these, the best of men in this world are far from being 
 wholly free. Paul found a law in his members, war- 
 ring against the law of his mind : and to his christian 
 brethren, the Galatians, he says, " The flesh lusteth 
 against the spirit, — so that ye cannot do the things 
 that ye would." But from the flesh — from the law 
 of sin — from the remainder of depraved nature, be- 
 lievers are perfecdy delivered vvhen the body dies. 
 
 Nor is this all the moral perfection of pious souls 
 departed. Holiness is not a mere negative ; con- 
 sisting in freedom from sin only. This is one thing 
 implied in it ; but it implies, moreover, all good 
 principles, and all the fruits of active righteousness. 
 These are all comprehended radically, in universal 
 benevolence of disposition. " The end of the com- 
 mandment is charity." In this the spirits of just 
 men in heaven, are perfect. They are perfectly dis- 
 posed to render honor to whom it is due ; to take 
 complacency in the holiness, and to rejoice in the 
 happiness of all around them, and above them, wheth- 
 er the Creator of all, or their fellow-creatures. 
 
 2. Compared with us, and with themselves while 
 here below, they are perfect in knoiAledge. 1 Cor. 
 xiii. 12, " For now we see through a glass darkly; 
 but then face to face : now I know in part ; but 
 then shall I know even as also I am known." 
 
 3. The. saints above are made perfect in happi- 
 ness. 
 
428 The perfection of separate [Ser. XXIII. 
 
 That their negative happiness is perfectly com- 
 plete, we are abundantly assured. See Rev. xiv. 13, 
 " I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto me, 
 Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord 
 from henceforth : yea, saith the Spirit, that they may 
 rest from their labors." Rev. vii. 16, " They shall 
 hunger no more, neither thirst any more ; neither 
 shall the sun light on them nor any heat." And chap, 
 xxi. 4, " God shall vvipe away all tears from their 
 eyes ; and there shall be no more death, neither 
 sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more 
 pain : for the former things are passed away." 
 
 And that they enjoy positive good, of the purest 
 kind, and in the highest degree, we- are plainly giv- 
 en to understand, Psalm xvi. 11, " In thy pres- 
 ence is fulness of joy ; at thy right hand are pleas- 
 ures for ever more." 1 Cor. ii. 9, " Eye hath not 
 seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the 
 heart of man, tlie things which God hath prepared 
 for them that love him." And Rev. vii. 17, " The 
 Lamb, which is in the midst of the throne, shall feed 
 them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of 
 waters." 
 
 We are not to suppose, indeed, that the separate 
 spirits of saints above, are iiow so happy, as they 
 will be after the resurrection ; nor are we to sup- 
 pose that all of them are equally happy : Yet it may 
 well be believed, that, to the utmost extent of their 
 present capacities, whether sfrcaier or less, their joy 
 is full. 
 
 But, that Vvc have a more suitable impression and 
 belief of the greatness of their felicity, it may be use- 
 ful to consider, more distinctly, v/herein it consists. 
 But in attempting this, we have time now to attend 
 only to a few of the most essential particulars. Here 
 then , 
 
 (1.) The spirits of just men, on their leaving the 
 body and this world, are admitted isito a very num- 
 
Ser. XXIII.] Souls i?i Heaven. 429 
 
 eroiis society of their fellow-creatures, all of whom 
 are perfectly holy, and perfectly happy. 
 
 In this Avretched corner of the universe where we 
 now live, a good man can find few objects to excite 
 in him much complacency or joy ; nor can he avoid 
 seeing many Vvhich must give him quite contrary 
 sensations. The most happy have their calamities, 
 and the best, their imperfections : And how many 
 ai-e there in whom there is hardly any thing but sin 
 and misery to be seen ? Were it not for the faith of 
 future and invisible things, it might admit of a ques- 
 tion, perhaps, whether the purest benevolence, in 
 guch a world as this, would not be a source of more 
 pain than pleasure — of more disgust, than satisfac- 
 tion. 
 
 But heaven is a state of society perfectly pleasing 
 to a benevolent mind. There the soul of a good 
 man, made perfectly good, finds every one of a dis- 
 position, and in a situation, exactly agreeable to its 
 highest wish. There are seen thousands of thousands, 
 and ten thousand times ten thousand, of holy angels, 
 which kept their first estate, and have been improv- 
 ing in knowledge, and in every glorious excellence, 
 and rising higher and higher in happiness, ever since 
 their creation. There are seen, " a multitude 
 which no man can number," of the redeemed from 
 among iallen men ; " of all nations, and kindreds, and 
 tongues, standing before the throne, and before the 
 Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their 
 hand." There are all the excellent of the earth, of 
 former ages ; and all the pious dead, of our own 
 relations, connections, and acquaintance. And 
 these, how altered ! how astonishingly altered, from 
 what the best and happiest of them ever were, while 
 here below ! They are made perfect. Now, in the 
 kingdom of their Father, they shine forth like the 
 sun, in. the beauty of hoHness, and in the perfection 
 of happiness. To a benevolent mind, and much 
 
430 7he perfection of separate [Ser. XXIII, 
 
 more to one made perfect in benevolence, must not 
 this be a sight worth dying to see ? But, 
 
 (2.) The still far greater happiness of a good man 
 gone to heaven, consists in seeing, adoring, and 
 serving God, the uncreated source of good ; and in 
 the full manifestation of his everlasting favor and 
 love. 
 
 To glorify and enjoy God, is the chief end, and 
 the supreme felicity of man. Even in our world of 
 coldness, darkness, and distance, some have longed 
 for this, and exulted in it, as the object of their high- 
 est hope and joy. Hear the words of David, Psal. 
 Ixiii. 1, 2, " O God, thou art my God ; early will 
 I seek thee : my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh 
 longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where 
 no water is ; to see thy power and thy glory, so as I 
 have seen thee ia the sanctuary." And ver. 5, 
 " My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and 
 fatness : and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful 
 lips." And the words of Asaph, Psal. Ixxiii. 25, 
 26, " Whom have I in heaven but thee ? and there 
 is none upon earth that I desire besides thee. My 
 flesh and my heart faileth : but God is the strength 
 of my heart, and my portion for ever." Such have 
 been the longings of imperfect saints on earth, to 
 see the glory of God ; and such the delight they 
 have found in drawing near to him. What then 
 must be the ecstasy of perfected saints above, when 
 they see his face without a vail, and worship him in 
 the holy of holies, without intermission, and with- 
 out weariness? "Blessed are the pure in heart: 
 for they shall see God." 
 
 (3.) Redeemed souls in heaven, must find trans- 
 porting happiness in seeing their Divine Redeemer : 
 in beholding him exalted at God's own right hand ; 
 in enjoying his immediate presence, and in celebrating 
 
Ser. XXIII.] Souls in Heaiieii. 431 
 
 the breadth, and length, and depth, and height of 
 his love, which passeth knowledge. 
 
 It was his promise to his mourning followers, 
 when he was about to be taken from them, John 
 xiv. 2, 3, " I go to prepare a place for you ; and 
 if I go and prepare a place for you, I ^vill come again, 
 and receive you to myself; that where I am, there 
 ye maybe also." And it was his prayer for them, 
 John xvii. 24, " Father, I will that they also whom 
 thou hast given me be w ith me where I am, that 
 they may behold my glor}^." Now, when this pray- 
 er is answ^ered, and this promise is fulfilled, how un- 
 speakable must be their felicity ? Then they join, 
 with rapture unutterable, in singing, as it is "written 
 in the Revelation, " Unto him that loved us, and 
 w^ashed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath 
 made us kings and priests unto God and his Father ; 
 to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. 
 Amen." 
 
 Let us now consider, what application and uses 
 should be made of this subject. 
 
 1. We may hence learn what manner of persons 
 we must be, and what faith we must have, if we 
 would hope to be partakers of the blessedness spok- 
 en of; and should be excited to seek earnestly the 
 kingdom of God, and his, righteousness. 
 
 In the iv. chap, of this epistle, having reminded 
 the Hebrews of their unhappy ancestors, who could 
 not enter into the land of promise because of unbe- 
 lief, the apostle says ; " Let us therefore fear, lest, 
 a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any 
 of you should seem to come short of it." 
 
 To hope for an entrance into the heavenly Canaan, 
 we must have faith in God, and also in Christ. It 
 may seem hard to believe that creatures so vile, can 
 ever be partakers of such glory and biessedjiess. 
 
452 The perfection of separate [Ser. XXIIl. 
 
 Solomon, when he had built his magnificent temple, 
 said, " But will God in very deed dwell with men on 
 the earth ?" and may we not rather say, Will God in 
 very deed admit men, such as A\e are, to dwell with 
 him in heaven ? But his thous^hts are not as our 
 thoughts. As the heavens are higher than the earth, 
 so are his ways higher than our ways, and his 
 thoughts than our thoughts. Where sin hath 
 abounded, his grace can much more abound. And 
 it should be remembered, that though we are unwor- 
 thy, there is a Surety, and an Advocate for us, who 
 is most worthy. One who is the propitiation for the 
 sins of the whole world. The great wonder of all 
 is, that such a glorious person should be given, and 
 give himself, to suffer and die for our redemption. 
 Let us only believe this, and, however much we 
 may be astonished, there 'will be no occasion for 
 being staggered, at the promises of grace or glory. 
 *' He that spared not his own Son, but delivered 
 him up for us all, how shall he not with him also 
 freely give us all things ?" 
 
 It ought, however, to be remembered, that still, 
 without personal holiness, no man shall see the Lord. 
 Christ must be followed and obeyed, or we have no 
 warrant to expect eternal life on account of his obe- 
 dience, or to be saved from wrath through him. Luke 
 vi. 46, " Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not 
 the things which I say ?" And John xii. 36, "If 
 any man serve me, let him follow me ; and where I 
 am, there shall my servant be : if any man serve me, 
 him will my Father honor." 
 
 The door of heaven is now open to the most wick- 
 ed man on earth, if he will forsake his evil ways, 
 and turn to the Lord, by sincere repentance and faith 
 in Jesus Christ. But the unbelieving, and the un- 
 righteous, remaining such, instejid of inheriting 
 eternal life, shall go away into everlasting punish- 
 m.ent. 
 
Ser. XXIII. ] Souls iti Heaiicn. 435 
 
 Let us then see that we be holy, as he who hath 
 called us is holy ; and that the lives we live in the 
 flesh, Ave live by feith in the Son of God ; as ever 
 we would hope to die the death of the righteous, 
 and that our last end may be like his. 
 
 2. Our subject, and the hope herein set before 
 as, may well support believers under the heaviest 
 temporal bereavements, and other tribulations. The 
 end of all things, and certainly the end of all the 
 afflictions of the righteous, is at hand. " Weeping 
 may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morn- 
 ing." The life of man, however full of trouble, is 
 of fcAv days. If, by reason of strength, it be more 
 than four-score years, jet it is soon cut off. The 
 apostle reckoned " that the sufferings of this present 
 time, were not worthy to be compared with the glo- 
 ry which shall be revealed in us. And we know," 
 says he, *' that all things work together for good, to 
 them that love God." Again he says, " Our light 
 affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for 
 us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glo- 
 ry ; while Ave look not at the things which are seen, 
 but at the things Avhich are not seen : for the things 
 which are seen are temporal, but the things which 
 are not seen are eternal." 
 
 o. We may hence learn how the present mourn- 
 ful solemnity ought to be improA^ed. 
 
 The decease of a neighbor and friend, in some 
 vicAvs, ought ever to be considered as an event, for 
 the present, not joyous, but grievous. Attending a 
 funeral is called, going to the house of mourning. 
 And if Ave consider hoAv death entered into the A\orld, 
 why it passes upon all men, and Avhat are often its 
 terrible consequences, sober sadness evidently be- 
 comes us Avhenever Ave see a felloAv-mortal thus turn- 
 ed to destruction. Nor can Ave Avell refuse the 
 
434. The perfection of separate [Ser. XXIII, 
 
 tribute of a tear to the memory of those who have 
 labored for our good, or who have done worthily in 
 their day ; A\'heii they can labor for us no longer, and 
 w hen they have no more a portion for ever in any 
 thing under the sun. At the grave of his kind and 
 beloved friend Lazarus, " Jesus wept." And when 
 Peter was brought into the chamber where Dorcas 
 lay dead, a woman full of good works and alms- 
 deeds, we are told, " all the \^idows stood weeping ; 
 and showing the coats and garments which had been 
 made by her while she was with them." 
 
 And should not Ave, my hearers, be affected in a 
 similar manner, on the present occasion of mourning ? 
 The venerable man whose cold remains are inclosed 
 in that coffin, now to be laid low in the dust, has 
 performed many laborious and important services, 
 for a long time, of a public as well as private nature : 
 and, to many of us, he has been one of the kind- 
 est, firmest, and most able friends, we have ever 
 had in this world. Not only in the relations of a 
 husband, parent, neighbor, and parishioner, have his 
 kind attentions and faithful exertions been singular ; 
 but of this society he has been very much the father, 
 from the beginning. In its first formation, he had 
 a principal hand ; and for more than forty years, he 
 has been more active, and had more influence, than 
 almost any other man, in building it up, and promot- 
 ing its prosperity. In the church also, and in the 
 town and state, he has sustained, and well executed 
 important offices. And as, in life, he has been much 
 honored and beloved, it cannot reasonably be other- 
 wise than that, in death, he should be respectfully 
 lamented. 
 
 There are considerations, however, which may 
 w ell moderate our grief He goes to the grave full 
 of days, as a shock of corn that cometh in, in its 
 season. He had little more of comfort to expect in 
 this life. He may be taken away from great public 
 
feer. XXIII. ] Souis in Heaven. 43-5 
 
 evils to come, of Avhich he was anxiously apprehen- 
 sive. And, we hiive reason to hope and trust, he is 
 entered into peace, where the wicked cease from 
 troubling. He early made a profession of religion ; 
 and has given good evidence ever since, of the sin- 
 cerity of his profession. For constancy in attend- 
 ing upon the public worship of God, and a very 
 close attention to the ministry of his word, he has 
 liad few equals. Even to old age, he was rarely ever 
 absent from the solemn assembly. No inclemency 
 of weather, or slight indisposition of body, would 
 detain him from the sanctu .ry, on appointed seasons. 
 Equally constant was he likewise, in the more private 
 duties of devotion. Nor was he one of those who 
 seem to be religious, while very deficient in morality, 
 and the social virtues. In his public, civil capacity, 
 he exerted himself with more than common zeal, 
 for the suppression of vice, the support of justice, 
 and the preservation of peace. And in his private 
 intercourse and dealings with mankind, his character 
 was unimpeachable. It is true, he escaped the woo 
 of our Sa\iour, unto them whom all men speak vreli 
 of. In him Avas verified the proverb of Solomon, 
 *' He that is upright in the way, is abomination to 
 the wicked." There were not wanting those M'ho 
 reviled him, and said evil of him. Nor can it be deni- 
 ed that he was subject to like passions as others ; 
 but I know of nothing ever plausibly alledged against 
 him, which ought to shake our charity for him as 
 an honest and good man. 
 
 Yet, before God, he abhorred himself as a vile 
 sinner, and often repented, as in dust and ashes. 
 Neai' the closing scene, he expressed a deep sense of 
 his utter unworthiness of divine mercy : and of the 
 impossibility of his being sa\ ed from \\Tath, other- 
 wise than of free grace, through the infinite atone- 
 ment of Jesus Christ. 
 
 Upon the ^^hole, his mourning friends have the 
 comfort of a confident hope, that he \\ as one of the 
 
436 The perfection of, ^c. [Ser. XXIII. 
 
 just, who live by faith : that he died in the Lord ; 
 that his soul is with the spirits of just men made per- 
 fect ; and that his decayed body, which we must 
 now leave to sleep in the grave, will awake to ever- 
 lasting life. I shall conclude with the consolation to 
 mourners, 1 Thes. iv. 13, 14, 18, " But I would 
 not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning 
 them that are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as 
 others who have no hope. For if we believe that 
 Jesus died, and rose again, even so them also who 
 sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. — Wherefore* 
 comfort one another with these words." 
 
 FINIS. 
 
DATE DUE 
 
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