ever, to be suspected, until it shall be shown to be certainly, and necessarily, derived from such declarations. The authority of a certain conclusion, fairly derived from the Scriptures, I admit. But in order to this admission, I must be satisfied, that it is certain, and fairly derived from the Scriptures. Let us now examine this inference.

1. The Objection is founded on this general doctrine; that, whenever an individual will commit sin in any conduct, he cannot lawfully adopt, nor be lawfully advised to adopt, that conduct.

But from this doctrine it will follow, that sinners cannot lawfully do any thing, while in a state of sin, nor be lawfully advised to do any thing. There is as much certainty, that a sinner will sin in all other conduct, which he adopts while he is a sinner, as in pray ing. The ploughing of the wicked is expressly declared to be sin. Prov. xxi. 4. The way of the wicked, that is, his universal course of life, is declared to be an abomination to the Lord. Prov. xv. 9. The thoughts of the wicked are declared to be an abomination to the Lord. Prov. xv. 26. Of course, the wicked cannot lawfully plough, think, nor live in the ordinary course of life, that is, converse, labour, buy, sell, and provide for their families; nor be lawfully advised to do these, or any of these, things.

It will be remembered that all these declarations, and all those quoted in a preceding paragraph, were written by an Israelite under the Mosaic dispensation; and written for men, living, also, under the same dispensation. Yet, in that very dispensation, God required Moses to command all sinners, of that nation, to labour; to cultivate their own ground; to circumcise their children; to celebrate the passover; to offer sacrifices; to be present at the public worship of God; to hear and learn his word from the mouth of their priests; and to teach all these things to their children. It will not, I presume, be questioned, that Moses in enjoining these things upon the sinful Israelites, as well as upon the virtuous ones, acted lawfully; or, in other words, was guilty of no sin. But what was lawful for Moses, in this case, is in itself lawful. Accordingly, it was lawfully done by all the Ministers, who followed him in the Jewish Church. It cannot therefore fail to be lawful to Christian Ministers, unless it has been plainly forbidden.

It will here be said that Moses, in requiring this conduct of the sinful Israelites, neither commanded nor authorized them to con tinue sinners in performing it. This is unquestionably true. So far from allowing them to continue in sin, he required them to perform these various duties from supreme love to God. Equally true is this of the Christian Minister, in directing sinners to use the Means of grace, or to perform any of the other duties of life. Instead of directing or allowing them to remain impenitent, he directs them to perform every duty with a virtuous disposition.

From this doctrine it will also follow, that it is unlawful to advise Christians themselves to use the Means of grace, or indeed to

adopt any course of conduct whatever. Both the Scriptures and observation teach us, that Christians continually sin; that they sin in their repentance, in their faith, in reading the Bible, in prayer, in the observance of the Sabbath, in their attendance on public worship, in the education of their children, and in the ordinary business of life. Whatever conduct they adopt, we know that they will sin in performing it. On this principle, therefore, they cannot lawfully adopt, nor be lawfully advised to adopt, that conduct. Of course, as our Lord, when he directed the Apostles to go and preach the Gospel to every creature, knew that they would commit sin in obeying it; the direction itself, according to the scheme which I oppose, was unlawful.

It will here probably be asked, What then shall be done? Shall we advise men to commit sin? To this question I answer, that, according to the spirit of the objection, you must either advise them to nothing, not even to repent and believe; or you must advise them to commit sin: for according to the objection, advising them to any thing, even to repent and believe, is advising them to com mit sin.

But I apprehend that this account of the subject is as unfound ed, as the scheme enforced by it is impracticable. God, as it appears to me, deals with mankind, and, if he deals with them at all according to the System of Providence which he has established, must deal with them, as rational beings. As they are all originally sinners; every thing addressed to them, either by God or man, must be addressed to sinners. He has commanded and exhorted, sinners in his own person; and has required men also to teach, and exhort, them in his name. In these commands and exhortations, two things are included: the Act to be done, and the Disposition with which it is to be done. The command or counsel sometimes

includes both expressly; and sometimes but one. Such commands and counsels, as direct to the performance of the act, direct to that act, which, in the case stated, is proper to be done; and imply the disposition with which it should be done. Such, as direct the disposition, require that, and that only, which is virtuous. Those, which require the act, regulate both the heart, and the external conduct. Those, which require the disposition, regulate merely the affections of the heart.

Commands of both these kinds, God has evidently given to men as rational beings merely; and often without discriminating at all their moral character. They are given to all men. The duties which these commands enjoin are numberless. They occur every day, and are as obligatory on the sinner as on the Christian. They bind with their whole force every man by whom they are known. Among these, are prayer, attending public worship, reading the Scriptures, and industry in our lawful business. God requires every man to perform these various duties of life as they occur. He does not leave him at liberty to defer the performance, until he VOL. IV.

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has discovered whether he is the subject of Evangelical repentance. He requires the performance at the time; and, if the individual refuse, God will not hold him guiltless. But, it will beasked, Is not every action to be performed from supreme love to God? An answer to this question has already been given. This disposition is implied in every action which God requires us to perform; and God will accept of no performance which does not flow from this source. To such a performance only, is an impenitent sinner directed, when he is directed to pray, to read the Scriptures, to worship God in the sanctuary, or to use any of the Means of grace.

It will be further asked, Whether the man, who performs the act merely, can be said to obey the command of God? What is here actually done is easily understood; so easily as to admit of neither debate nor doubt. The person in question performs the act which God requires. But if he does not perform it cordially, he is not obedient in the cordial or virtuous sense.

I shall perhaps be asked still further, Whether the man, who performs the act merely, is any better for performing it, than if he had neglected or refused to perform it? I answer, that, supposing the man's disposition substantially the same in both cases, he is less sinful when he performs the act, than when he neglects or refuses to perform it. This I say with confidence, because God has said it repeatedly, and in the most unambiguous manner. Of several kings of Judah, who were plainly sinners, particularly of Joash and Amaziah, it is directly said, that they did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. Of Joash it is said, that he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the Priest. Of Amaziah it is said, that he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart: that is, not with a good or virtuous heart. In other words, these princes performed those external actions, which God had required. The same thing, in substance, is declared concerning several other Kings of Judah. But who can doubt, that to do that, which is right in the sight of the Lord, whatever it may be which is thus right, is less sinful, than to do that, which is wrong in the sight of the Lord? Who can doubt, that these declarations are intentionally commendatory; and that they exhibit these princes as thus far less sinful, than those, of whom it is said, that they did evil in the sight of the Lord?

The same sentence of God concerning the same subject is given us, in another form, in the cases of Ahab and Jehu. Ŏf Ahab it is said, that, when he heard the words of Elijah, announcing to him the destruction of his family, he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth and went softly. It is immediately subjoined, And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? Because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days. In his son's days I will bring the evil upon his

house. Jehu was commissioned to destroy the family of Ahab. This commission he punctually executed. When he had finished this work, God said to him, Because thou hast done well in executing that, which was right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart; thy children, of the fourth generation, shall sit on the throne of Israel. Immediately it is subjoined, But Jehu took no heed to walk in the Law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart; for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, who made Israel to sin. Here we see both these princes rewarded, and expressly declared by God himself to be rewarded, for external actions merely. For both, in a manner equally express, are pronounced, still, to be gross sinners. But that, which is declared by God to be rewarded by himself, is not so sinful conduct, as that, which is either not thus rewarded, or is punished. Of Jehu, God says further, Thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes. He, who has done well in executing that, which is right in the eyes of his Maker, has not done so ill, as he, who has perpetrated that, which is wrong in his eyes.

What is thus taught in the Scriptures, may be advantageously illustrated by the common experience of ourselves. The person, who does those actions, which God requires, dishonours his Maker by his life far less, and contributes to the well-being of mankind far more, than he, who does them not, or who does the contrary actions. To the eye of mankind the actions themselves are, often, exactly the same; and have exactly the same influence, when performed by an unrenewed, as when performed by a renewed, man. The actions of an unrenewed man, therefore, may have a very beneficent influence on the interests of mankind, when performed agreeably to those Commands of God, which regulate the external conduct of men. According to the scheme here exhibited, the Israelites, as has been observed, were required to be present at the various religious services, enjoined by the Mosaic Law. Yet God perfectly knew, and all the succeeding Prophets and Teachers also knew, that the greater part, by far, of those, to whom these requisitions were addressed, were sinners. Still, they not only required them to repent and believe, but advised, exhorted, and commanded, them, also, to do all these things. Nor would it have been any vindication to them for omitting the action, that their disposition was not sanctified; nor of the Prophet, or the Priest, for not exhorting them to the action, that they could not conscientiously advise sinners to any thing, beside Faith and Repentance.

The same scheme is pursued throughout the New Testament. Christ, adopting the very language of the Law, directed the ten lepers to go, and show themselves to the Priests, in order to their cleansing. Luke xvii. 12. Nine of these lepers appear to have been sinners. This Christ knew as well, before, as after

Yet he did not think this a difficulty in his way towards giving them this direction.

He directed a collection of Jews, of whom he testifies, that they did not believe, to search the Scriptures for the purpose of discovering his true character; and this, plainly, in order to their faith. John v. 39, 44.

He directed the young Ruler, who plainly was not a believer, to go, and sell all that he had, and give to the poor, and come, and follow him.

He directed the Herodians to render to Cæsar the things that are Casar's. They were sinners. But paying tribute was neither repenting nor believing.

He directed the Scribe, in the parable of the good Samaritan, to go and shew kindness to his enemies. Yet this scribe appears to

have been an unbeliever.

He directed Paul, also, after he had fallen to the earth, and enquired what he would have him to do, to arise, and go into Damascus, where it should be told him what he would have him to do.

Peter, also, directed Simon Magus to repent, and pray that the thoughts of his heart might be forgiven. It has been thought, that Peter directed him to repent first, and then to pray for forgiveness. This certainly is an unnatural construction of the passage. The obvious meaning is, that St. Peter directed both of these things to be done immediately; and without indicating any intention that Simon should wait until after he repented, before he began to pray. Many more examples of a similar nature might be added.

It will not be supposed, that in any one of these directions, the objects of them were commanded or advised to commit sin. As rational beings they were directed to do such things, as, in the character of actions, were proper to be done in their circumstances while a general indication of their duty as to the disposition with which they were to be done, is unquestionably implied in all these passages.

These passages, however, show that, in his preaching and advice, a minister is not to confine himself to the mere enjoining of Faith and Repentance; but is to extend them to any other conduct in itself proper to be pursued; while he universally teaches these great Christian duties, as the immediate end of all his preaching.

Antecedently to every effort, which the sinner makes, he is wholly ignorant whether God will not enable him to obey with the heart. It is also his indispensable duty thus to obey. Whenever advice or exhortation is given to sinners, by any minister, he is equally ignorant whether they will, or will not, obey with the heart, as well as with the outward conduct. He knows, also, that it is their duty to obey in this manner. The effort therefore ought to be made; and the advice given.