take the words of our text in a restricted sense. Did not John know that Peter denied his Master? If we look at the intemperance of Noah, the sins of David, Solomon, Jonah, and Moses-it is ridiculous of speakers to paint perfection in creatures, which never has existed,perfection is beyond the grave. It is a high attainment to become nothing.

Some say that the people of God do not sin wilfully; but can you act without your will? He may be reluctant at first; but at last will comes in, and he yields. Was not Peter willing to deny his Master? Solomon willing to form evil connections? Was not Jonah willingly angry? &c. Again, they say that new thing which is formed in the heart cannot sin? Do I do nothing amiss, because I have this in me? Is there not a law working in my members? If I commit sin, I must be a willing agent. We must not so explain Scripture, as to suppose that what is within me is, or is not the agent, and I withall escape. No! no!

Again, I find some say that men who are born of God, do not sin as the unregenerate do; but can you distinguish the sin of Solomon from that of Absalom, or David's from that of Judas, &c. I think that the sins of good men acquire a greater blackness, because they sin against light and knowledge. There is a difference, I admit, in the continuance-in the perpetuity of it. That man who wrote the fifty-first Psalm, certainly differed from the unregenerate. There is a difference, certainly, between weeping Peter, and Judas who hanged himself. When the good man sins, and is in the mire, he is unhappy until he is brought out. I am inclined to think that John here means the sin unto death. Take it in this sense, and all the difficulty vanishes. If Christ is forsaken, there is not another Christ to flee to.

This text holds out the doctrine of perseverance. Do you expect to see at the last day universality? Will there be none on the left hand? But you say they ought to have been on the right. But, Christian friend, some of these had never heard of Christ; but "He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will, he hardeneth." "He doeth as it pleaseth him,

in the armies of heaven, and amongst
the inhabitants of the earth." John,
then, we may say, is here encouraging
weak believers,-he that is a servant,
will never be cast off,-there is no poor
sinner that is seeking, who will be cast
out. The seed of Christ can alone be
distinguished from that of the wicked
one, by true holiness. We want a sanc-
tification, and a heart to praise the God
of all grace. Whatever there may be
in your case, if this be wanting, all is
wanting-if this be there, all is there;
you will arrive safe at last; you are set
apart for his service. The Lord will
snatch the brand from the burning,
and bring the culprit back. The word
is not written to perplex you; take
courage; for God has promised that
whatever may appear difficult, shall be
made plain at last. Be assured that
this truth remains the same, The blood
of Christ cleanseth from all sin." "
"Cast
all your care upon him, for he careth
for you."

ARE SINNERS TO BE EXHORTED TO
REPENT, AND BELIEVE THE GOSPEL?

THE religion of Jesus is the religion of sinners. The Bible is a revelation of mercy adapted to man, as he now is, beneath the ruins of the fall, and not as he originally was in his primeval state. It is the most perfect manifestation that God himself could give of his being, nature, and design, to the sons of men. In it he has commended his love towards us in the gift of his Son : Rom. v. 8. He has made his love conspicuous, enhanced, and raised it up on high, above all the displays of the love of man, so as to be exhibited in the most gracious manner. The gospel is worthy of all acceptation: 1 Tim. i. 15.

Here are promises for believers, as believers, which are the inheritance of all the sons and daughters of God. Here are doctrines addressed to all men, as men, which are binding on all those who hear them proclaimed. Man is a reasonable creature, and can examine evidence, understand principles, reflect, remember, and, before conversion, exercise the powers of an intellectual mind. Sometimes light enters the mind, the conscience consents, and the understanding yields, as in the case of Felix

it is.

xxvi. 20. John says "This is his commandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ:" 1 John iii. 23. If these passages do not prove that sinners are under an obligation to repent and believe, I confess I do not understand their meaning. If it should be said that this last passage was given to believers only, surely it would be a very peculiar command, if no one were commanded to believe but those who had already done so.

and Agrippa, even while the heart revolts and continues to rebel. Men may have an orthodox judgment and unsanctified hearts. Here are invitations proclaimed to sinners, as sinners, whereby they are freely invited to come to Jesus. Those who reject the gospel have just the same warrant to come to Jesus, the same encouragement to believe, and are under same obligation to repent as those who obey. It is because men are sinners that they are invited to Jesus, and are under an obligation to repent and believe. 4. The sinner's duty, in this respect, 1. "Then, is obedience to God's re-will appear more clearly if we consider vealed will the sinner's duty?" Surely the wickedness of unbelief. We do not "And now, Israel, what doth the sufficiently comprehend the sinner's Lord thy God require of thee, but to guilt in refusing to believe in Christ. fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul:" Deut. x. 12; Matt. xxii. 37. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter, "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man:" Ecc. xii. 13. The fearing, walking, loving and serving that are here required, is to be "with all the heart," so as to be acceptable to God. 2. Jesus exhorted sinners to repent, and believe the gospel. He commenced his ministry by saying, "Repent ye, and believe the gospel" Mark i. 15. "I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance:" Matt. ix. 13. "Repent," said the Son of God, and, "Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish" Luke xiii. 3. The object of our Saviour's mission was not merely the salvation of men, but the salvation of sinners; therefore, when he calls to repentance it must be the duty of sinners to obey, and he calls for that "repentance to salvation not to be repented of:" 2 Cor. vii. 10.

3. The apostles urged repentance and faith as the sinner's duty. The twelve "went out and preached that men should repent:" Mark vi. 12. Peter said to Simon Magus, "Repent therefore of this thy wickedness:" Acts viii. 22. Paul not only told the Athenians that God hath "commanded all men everywhere to repent," "but showed first unto them of Damascus and Jerusalem, and through all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance:" Acts xvii. 30;

He that believeth not God hath made him a liar;" why so? "Because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son :" 1 John v. 10. Why is the sinner condemned? "because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God :" Jno. iii. 18. Unbelief, then, is the special ground of the sinner's condemnation. Unbelief makes God a liar, contemns the wisdom, tramples upon his mercy, hates Jesus without a cause, and rejects the gospel as unworthy of his acceptation.

The question is not what man can do, or what he is inclined to do, but what God requires of him. Because men love darkness rather than light, will this justify their rebellion? Does a sinner's hatred of a good law release him from its commands? Some say that it is the sinner's duty to believe with a "human faith;" others, with an "historical faith," or a temporary faith," or a "natural faith." The gospel, however, rejects all those scholastic distinctions of learned men, and requires the sinner to "believe to the saving of the soul:" Heb. x. 39. God certainly requires something of sinners as a matter of duty, otherwise they are under no obligation to obey, and therefore cannot sin. Where there is no duty there is no law, and where there is no law there is no transgression. If sinners ought not to repent and believe, an aversion to these duties is not sinful, but praiseworthy; for surely persons ought to be commended for being averse to those duties which they are not required to perform.

J. BATES.

ON THE SAME SUBJECT.

THE Editors of this Magazine having invited further remarks on this subject, it will not be considered that I am taking an unwarrantable liberty in attempting to reply to the observations of Mr. Stock.

That the point is an important one there can be no doubt; and as Mr. S. appears to have satisfied himself that the portion of God's word to which he alludes sets the matter at rest, it becomes those who regard these calls as not only unscriptural, but God-dishonoring, to show that at all events the arguments founded upon it are answerable. To

follow Mr. S.

sensible man of the authority of Jesus; but all this would have been insufficient to beget a living faith in, and a vital union to him, which is alone the work of the Holy Ghost in a sinner's conscience.

wards they were visited. But is this belief to the saving of the soul? No! for though "no man can say that Jesus is Lord but by the Holy Ghost," that is, believe with the heart unto righteousness, and from that belief make confession with the mouth unto salvation, as it is written, we have believed and therefore speak;" yet "not every one that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven." It is true that every "child of God" is a child of light, and is called to walk as a child of light; but it is one thing for light to shine into the head, convincing a man from external evidence that Jesus is Christ, and another, for "God who commanded the light to shine out of 1. The question arises, Were the cha- darkness, so to shine into the heart as racters addressed exhorted to a saving to give the light of the knowledge of faith? on the proposition that they were, God in the face of Jesus Christ." The is laid the foundation on which the whole fact is, there was sufficient light there superstructure rests. It is peremptorily with them, had not their eyes been stated that such was the case, the term supernaturally blinded, and their heart "Children of light," being deemed equi-judicially hardened, to convince any valent to "Children of God," but the proof is wanting. There are some who are enlightened, taste of the heavenly gift, and the powers of the world to come, and consequently children of light, but who so fall away that they cannot again be renewed to repentance, Heb. vi. 4--6; whereas the righteous, (the true child of God,) shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall wax stronger and stronger. Light must be considered in contrast with its opposite; thus one who believes in the existence of God is a child of light compared with an infidel, he who gives credence to the Word of God, is a child of light, when compared with an heathen, and he that acknowledges Christ as the promised Messiah, is certainly a child of light, if compared with those who taunt him as an impostor, and accuse him as a blasphemer. This last appears to me to be the call made in the words under consideration. Christ had done many mighty works, and performed many miracles; the voice had been heard from heaven saying, "I have glorified it, [thy name] and will glorify it again," so that those who refused to believe that the Lord Jesus was the true Christ, were left without excuse, and ripened themselves as a nation for that temporal destruction with which after

2. We readily admit that these persons were unrenewed, and therefore take up no time upon the point.

3. It is said that this call was vain, but man affirms this,-the testimony declares, that though the people believed not (that is, the great bulk) "nevertheless among the chief rulers many believed on him," John xii. 42; from which it appears that these were among the number who heard Jesus speak, and we may certainly affirm that the great searcher of hearts was aware that there were such in his audience who would believe, so that it was not ineffectual.

Returning however for a moment to the first proposition, in reference to this fact, we would observe that this faith does not appear to have been saving, for "they did not confess him lest they should be put out of the synagogue, loving the praise of men more than the praise of God; whereas he that believeth with the heart unto righteousness, makes confession with the mouth unto salvation: Rom. x. 10.

4. We conclude that the non-absur

dity of calling upon the non-elect to believe unto salvation is by no means proved, for though Christ addressed the congregation at large, consisting of unrenewed characters, it is not evident that he called them to a saving faith; nor is it true that the call was ineffectual, nor could it be, for where the word of a king is there is power. My word shall not return unto me void, but shall surely prosper, and accomplish the thing whereunto I sent it. But supposing all advanced were proved, and that undeniably, we have no warrant from this portion to such exhortations now, seeing the ground on which it was made does not exist, they are called to believe during the short time the light is with them. In a word, while you have these plain proofs that I am he, while I am still with you doing these wonderful works, and performing these mighty acts, beware of rejecting me. "Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you, for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth," as is at the present time the case of the Jews, who are still looking for the Messiah. The exhortation, then, was made on the ground of external proof arising from those deeds, which their eyes had seen; but as we have not now the same ground upon which to stand, this portion will by no means suffice to establish a precedent.

ON THE SAME SUBJECT.

DEAR SIR,-I am happy to see the attention of your readers directed to this very important subject, for two reasons; first, because it is highly important that the gospel should be exhibited in all its freeness, as tidings of great joy to every one that hears it; and, secondly, because any limitation of the invitations of the gospel, tends to prejudice many against the scriptural doctrine of the absolute sovereignty of God in the bestowment of salvation.

Before entering on the subject of the invitations, permit me to make a few observations on the latter subject. If we be guided by the Scriptures, we shall not view the manifestation of the Son of God in the light of a remedy for an untoward occurrence. The world was made, not only by, but for Christ: Col. i. 16; as a theatre, on which his glory might be displayed. It was God's eternal purpose that his manifold wisdom should be known by the church, unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places: Eph. iii. 10, 11.

"Known unto God are all his works, from the beginning of the world:" Acts xv. 18. The redeemed were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the earth, that they should be holy and without blame before him in love. He predestinated them unto the adoption of Lastly, be it remembered that this children, by Jesus Christ, unto himself, call was made, evidently, "by virtue of according to the good pleasure of his the extraordinary position," by God will: Eph. i. 4, 5. Christ hath received himself, whose work it still is to call "power over all flesh, that he might give sinners out of darkness into his mar-eternal life to as many as God hath vellous light.

given him:" John xvii. 2. To them To sum all up, then, it appears that alone he manifests the name (or chathe exhortation was not to saving faith, racter) of God: John xvii. 6. He prays -that it was not ineffectual,-that it for them, not for the world; but for was made by virtue of the extraordinary those whom the Father hath given him: position which the speaker occupied; John xvii. 9. "God saith to Moses, I but were not such the case, still the por-will have mercy, on whom I will have tion gives us no authority to make the mercy, and I will have compassion on same appeal, as the motives by which it whom I will have compassion. So was urged no longer exist. It will be then it is not of him that willeth, or of seen, that I have attempted nothing him that runneth, but of God that more than a reply to the paper in the showeth mercy:" Rom. ix. 15, 16. November Magazine. If permitted I This language is sufficiently clear and purpose, next month, to send a few re-explicit, and to prevent the possibility marks upon the difference between natural faith and saving faith, and on invitations to unrenewed sinners.

C. H. MARSTON.

of mistake, the apostle states the only objection which ever was, or can be made, against the absolute sovereignty of God in saving sinners. "Thou wilt