And now does not the admitting such a total moral depravity suppose room and necessity enough for the grace of the Holy Ghost in the salvation of men, without supposing any deficiency in their natural faculties? But let us compare the two hypotheses, that of a natural inability, and the contrary one which I have now been endeavouring to prove, and we may easily see which gives the highest conception of the grace of God. Those who conceive sinners labour under a natural incapacity to come to Christ, place the defect in the understanding. They suppose that ignorance and mis-apprehension is the primary cause of all our enmity and opposition to God. And consequently, that as soon as the understanding comes to be rectified and rightly informed, we of course become reconciled in heart to the ways of God, and pleased with the character and mediation of Christ. This seems to suppose we always had been conformed to God's real

the eyes of one that was born blind. And by calling with a loud voice, that Lazarus was made to hear, and come out of his grave, after he had been dead four days.

Now to suppose that regeneration is effected by means as much as these things were, is not inconsistent with its being properly a supernatural work. But that it is effected by the power of means, is what the scriptures are far from leading us to conceive. It would be thought very remarkable, if any one should undertake to explain the connection betwixt the means used, and the effects wrought, in those instances now mentioned, in as natural and intelligible a manner as some have attempted to do, betwixt light in the understanding, and the production of grace in the heart of a totally depraved sinner. But yet I apprehend, any of those things may be as rationally accounted for, from the known laws of nature, as regeneration can; and that the plain account of scripture as much obliges us to think the former were effected by the power, or natural tendency, or proper causality of means, as that the latter is.

character, in the temper of our minds; and that all we had been quarrelling with, and enemies to, was only a false idea of God; or such a character as no one ought to love. As if a very righteous man should be prejudiced against, and greatly engaged in opposing another, that was really as righteous and good a man as himself. But he had been mis-informed about him, and conceived him to be quite a different man from what he really was. Now as soon as his understanding comes to be truly enlightened, or his mistakes are removed, and he gets a thorough acquaintance, the good man loves the good man of course, without any change of character in either. But shall we view the enmity of the carnal mind against God in this light, in order to have the most exalted idea of divine grace, in the salvation of such a carnal person? Shall we suppose that the reason, and the only reason why he is not, neither indeed can be subject to the law of God, is because he does not, neither indeed can understand it? Or because, through the weakness of his natural powers, he understands it so, as it would be wicked to obey it, and no truly virtuous and upright mind could be subject to it, or suited with it in his sense of it? In that case all that is necessary to be done by the divine Spirit is, to inform us rightly concerning the holy nature and ways of God; and let us know that all our hatred of him is owing to a mere mis-understanding; and that he is really just such a being as we all naturally love; even altogether such an one as ourselves. Can there be a necessity of any thing supernatural, in bringing a sinner "out of darkness into God's marvellous light," if this is all that is implied in it? Yes, it will be said, a supernatural work upon the understanding is still necessary. Though light alone will produce all the change of heart that is wanted; yet not objective light ̧

merely, but what may perhaps be called subjective light. That is, the understanding itself must be strengthened, or enlarged, or brightened, or somehow made better; otherwise the external light, however clear, will shine in darkness, and cannot be comprehended.

Now if this is the supernatural work of the Spirit which persons are the subjects of when they are born again, it is of the same nature as if a natural fool should, by a miracle, have reason given him.* But is this the way to advance the grace of God most in our salvation? Is it the most wonderful instance of rich grace, to give an intelligent mind to one whose heart was so good, that he only wanted to have reason enough to understand the gospel, and he would embrace it most cor. dially as soon as ever it was proposed to him? Does the grace appear so great in this, as in changing the heart of one who was an enemy to the true God? One that might have had light enough, only he hated the light and would not come to it? Or one that had had the light of conviction forced upon him, and had both seen and hated, both the Father and the Son, both the law and the gospel?

* It is apprehended this representation of the matter will be thought unfair, if not quite ridiculous. Men do not mean to be made natural fools of neither. The weakness, and blindness, and want of abilities so much complained of, is nothing of this kind. They would be thought to have as much wit, as much reason and good sense, as the best, notwithstanding all their darkness of understanding. Nay, they may exceed even a Locke, or a Sir Isaac Newton, in clearness and strength of mind, and yet have such weak in. tellects as to be incapable of understanding truly, the plainest principles of the oracles of God. Thus the reputation of the head and the heart are equally taken care of; while the poor defect, which must bear the blame of all the sin in the world is crowded into a corner of the soul, which no soul has, and therefore, which no one cares how much is said against.

Let any one think how he would address himself to God, with a view to magnify the riches of his grace in saving him. Would he think, that lessening his former natural abilities as much as possible, was the way to do this most effectually? Would he acknowledge that man by the fall had lost his rational powers, and was become no wiser than the beasts of the field, and of no more understanding than the fowls of heaven; and therefore that he had been utterly incapable of knowing what a kind of being God was, or what his law required, or getting any just notions concerning Christ and the way of salvation? That no one, whose mental powers were so weak, or so much disordered as his had been, could ever possibly get a true under. standing of any of these things? And if God had not been graciously pleased to give him a better head, he must inevitably have been lost for ever? Is this, I say, the acknowledgment one would make with a view to glorify sovereign grace, in bringing him out of darkness into marvellous light?-Or would he not rather acknowledge the goodness of God, in giving him rational powers in his first formation, and so rendering him capable of acting a higher and happier part than the · mere sensitive creation; capable of serving and enjoying God as a rational creature? Would he not acknowFedge that, though God might justly have deprived him of all the peculiar dignities and advantages of the rational nature, for his own, and not merely for Adam's abuse of them, yet he had not done it? That he had not been denied the use of reason, or the opportunity and means of knowing God as many had been? that under all these advantages to know God, he had not glorified him as God, nor been thankful. That he had shut his eyes against the clearest light, turned a deaf ear to the most gracious calls, and hated the best

But

of Beings; hated him, not for what he is not, but for what he is; for his righteousness, for his holiness; for those very things for which angels and saints, so much admire and love him. And that the more he knew of God and Christ, the more he hated them; and should for ever have done so, had not divine grace most astonishingly interposed in favour of so vile a wretch, and changed his nature, given him quite another spirit.

It is strange if any should seriously think, that displaying abroad their natural weaknesses and infirmities, and alledging these as the only causes why they have not known, or done better than they have, is the way to humble themselves most before God, and to do the most honour to his grace in their salvation.

Those who hold to natural inability, and suppose all that sinners want, is to have their understandings rectified, thereby virtually and really, though I suppose not designedly. deny moral depravity altogether. Should we however suppose sinners are depraved, and even totally depraved, in the temper of their minds; but that they are so impaired in their natural powers too, as to be incapable of understanding and complying with the gospel, if their hearts were good: this natural inability in addition to the moral, would not lay a foundation for a larger and fuller display of divine grace in their salvation, but the contrary. Suppose mankind, when they lost the moral image of God, had lost their reason too, and become fools in the natural sense; and that when their understandings were restored, they were renewed in the temper of their minds also; then it is easy to see, they would never have had opportunity to discover their moral depravity, as when they had understandings good enough, and have known God, but in works have denied him, being abominable, and disobedient, and to every good work reprobate. It would