fact, that thousands and millions
have turned from their transgres-
sions and embraced the gospel.
Sinners have turned, and exer-
cised repentance and faith, and
all the other Christian graces, in
every age since God has had a
church. Now if some sinners, in
every age since God has had a

of

one sinner, as well as of another, to embrace the gospel.-God commands every individual to turn and live. He says, Turn ye, turn ye; for why will ye die. Every sinner ought immediately to obey this command. God never trifles He is in with his creatures. earnest, and sincere, in all his commands, entreaties and expos-church, have exercised holy affectulations. And sinners incur his anger, and his displeasure, when they treat them with neglect. Those, who reject the invitations of the gospel, destroy their own souls. They go down to the depths of hell. But this is an aggravating breach of moral obligation. No one has a right to neglect the salvation of the soul. No one has a right to despise that crown, which is of infinite value; or to neglect securing that pearl, which is of great price. It must be the immediate duty of one sinner, as well as of another, to embrace the gospel. For, we may observe,

7. That one sinner is as able to embrace the gospel as another. Those, who embrace the gospel, must exercise supreme love to God, repent of their sins, and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. These exercises God requires of every sinner under the light of the gospel. This is what he deelares in his word, and what we must believe is perfectly reasonable. For God has never given a command to sinners which they And the afare unable to obey. fections of heart, which are necessary in order to embrace the gospel, are just as easy for sinners to exercise, as those sinful affections, of which they are constantly the subjects. No reason can be given, then, why one sinner should be any more able to exercise holy affections of heart, and embrace the gospel, than another. But we know that some sinners are able to exercise holy affections. It is a demonstrable 63

tions of heart and embraced the
gospel; why may not every sin-
ner exercise holy affections
heart and embrace the gospel? If
sinners are unable to obey the
commands of God, and embrace
the gospel; God is unjust, and
his commands are arbitrary. But
who will charge the infinite and
eternal Jehovah with injustice?
God is just, and his commands
are reasonable; and it is true to
a demonstration, that sinners are
able to turn, and embrace the
gospel. And, since this is the
case, it is no less evident, that
one sinner is as able to embrace
the gospel as another.

It appears abundantly evident,
then, from the truths to which we
have attended, that one sinner
has no more reason for rejecting
For,
the gospel than another.
we have seen, that the gospel as
deeply and equally concerns one
sinner as another; that it of-
fers salvation to one sinner as
well as another; that provision
is made in the gospel for one sin-
ner as well as another; that the
consequence of embracing the
gospel is the same to one sinner
as to another; that the conse-
quence of rejecting the gospel is
the same to one sinner as to
another; that it is the immediate
duty of one sinner to embrace the
gospel as well as of another; and
that one sinner is as able to em-
another.
brace the gospel as
Hence, it must appear evident,
to a demonstration, that one sin-
ner has no more reason for reject-
ing the gospel than another.
[To be concluded.]

MATHETES.

From the Utica Christian Repository. PRIMARY TRUTHS OF THE GOSPEL,

EVIDENT FROM REASON

FACTS.

AND

hends all his natural and moral perfections, was clearly to be seen from his works. But to be particular, it may be observed,

ing, and constantly upholds every mutable substance and being in existence.

The omniscience of Deity is another divine perfection which appears from his works. Every part of creation indicates some wise design. The beauty, harmony, and variety of nature's works, the changing seasons, and what are called the laws of nature, all bear incontestible evidence to the divine omniscience.

It is worthy of observation, That the divine omnipotence is that under different circumstances one of the first perfections which the apostle Paul sometimes reas- appears from the works of God. oned from the book of nature, and The mutability of the things that at others, from the book of reve- are made, shows that they must lation. When his hearers ack- have had a first cause, which pronowledged the divine authority of duced them out of nothing. And the scriptures, he generally ap- it is a plain dictate of reason, pealed to the "law and to the tes- that nothing short of almighty timony," and confounded and power could have created every convinced gainsayers, by refer-thing, or any thing, out of nothring to express declarations of scripture. But to the heathen nations, and those who did not acknowledge the inspiration of the Bible, he commonly reasoned from the works of God. To the learned Greeks and Romans, he commonly reasoned from the plain and obvious principles of natural theology, or appealed to their poets and philosophers, who taught many important truths. To the Romans he said, "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse." But why did the apostle Paul so often make his The goodness of God is another appeals to the works of God, and divine perfection which is equally convince and confound the subtle apparent from his works. He has opposers of the gospel, by argu- made an innumerable multitude ments drawn from this source? of beings, both rational and irraThe plain and obvious reason is, tional, and given them the means because the primary and funda- of being happy. To his rational mental truths of the gospel are creatures he has given the means demonstrable and apparent from of intellectual and social happireason and facts. It is proposed ness. He sends rain on the just in this essay to mention some of and on the unjust, and his tender the primary truths of the gospel, mercies are over all the work of that are apparent from reason, his hands. Another evidence of and show why the apostle Paul, his goodness consists in his having under certain circumstances, genmade his rational creatures with a erally appealed to the things that conscience, which enables them are made. The apostle asserted to see the difference between mathat the eternal power and God-levolence and goodness. It is unhead of the Deity, which compre-reasonable to suppose that God

The omnipresence of God is also apparent from reason. Every object and being that begins to exist, must be constantly upheld in existence. But no being can operate where he is not present.

plishment of any important un

would have given his creatures the faculty, and the means of know-dertaking; and it is owing to some

ing him, if he is not good. It is painful to any being to have others justly despise and abhor him. It is no objection against the goodness of God, that he causes many and sore evils to visit mankind in this life, and that he will punish some forever, according to their works. Pure goodness is in its own nature impartial, and will lead any being to sacrifice a less good, if it is necessary, to secure a greater. But it is a dictate of reason, that the existence of both natural and moral evil is necessary to promote the general good, Creatures can enjoy God no farther than they have a knowledge of his perfections. It is a dictate of both reason and experience, that the more saints know of the divine character, the greater will be their felicity in heaven. But the existence of both natural and moral evil is necessary, to furnish an occasion for the full and complete display of the divine perfections. The greatest good of the universe therefore absolutely requires, and will forever require, the existence of both natural and moral evil, to be the constant occasion of the perfect and increasing display of the divine glory.

natural imperfection that wise men do not form a perfect plan. But God was capable of forming a perfect plan, and his goodness would necessarily bind him to form the best possible plan. The same goodness would also lead him to execute it in the best possible manner.

The absolute and universal soyereignty of God is no less apparent from reason. Before the existence of creatures, there was no other being for whom God could have created all things. He must therefore have made all things for himself. And since the creation of innumerable creatures, God must still make and cause all things for himself, if he regards the greatest, wisest, and best ob| ject, which it is possible for him to regard. His absolute sovereignty must necessarily result from his perfect supremacy and goodness. And these perfections not only give him a right to make as many creatures as he pleases, and to form their characters as he pleases, but they bind him to do both according to the good pleasure of his will.

The perfect and entire depen dence of creatures on God, is also

The universal decrees and agen-apparent from reason. Every thing cy of God, are also apparent and that begins to exist, must necesdemonstrable from reason. The sarily have a cause for its existomniscience and perfect goodness ence. But every successive voof God must necessarily have in-lition of the mind begins to exist, duced him from eternity to form the best possible plan to promote the greatest possible good in the universe. And a perfectly wise plan must necessarily include every object, every creature, and every event which was necessary to the greatest perfection of the universe, and which was possible for God to foresee and determine. Every wise man forms a plan before he proceeds to the accom

and therefore must have a cause of its existence which is adequate to its production. This is true of every breath and of every motion. The invention and application of second causes to any events, in order to account for their existence, independently of the first cause, is perfectly idle and vain. Second causes are necessarily dependent, and have no efficiency in themselves. They are only par

ticular modes of the divine operation. Independence is necessarily an incommunicable attribute of the Deity.

The duty of the unconditional submission of creatures to God, necessarily results from the relation in which we stand to him, as dependent creatures. The supremacy of God gives him a right to the throne, and lays every creature under indispensible obligations to submit to his will in all things.

to their Creator and each other, bind all creatures to love God supremely and their neighbour as themselves. It is a dictate of every man's conscience, that we ought to value every object in proportion to its worth in the general scale of being, which includes every object and every interest in the universe, and choose to give up a less good, if it is necessary, to secure a great

er.

This truth is so apparent from reason, that mankind have always acknowledged it to be right, and have invariably justified those who have acted according to it, when the public weal was in danger. But if a greater good ought always to be chosen in preference to a less good, in temporal things, why not in eternal things? Who can set any bounds to benevolence short of pure disinterested affection, and show that thus far ought creatures to go, and beyond that point, selfishness is right?

The essential and immutable difference between right and wrong, is also clearly manifest. from the things that are made. This distinction does not depend upon the will of the Deity, but is founded in the nature of things. No precept, either human or divine, can ever make selfishness right, or benevolent affections wrong. In spite of their sophistry and unwearied exertions to destroy this distinction, infidels have never been able so effectually to blind their own consciences, or the consciences of others, as to pre-ishment of the wicked is another vent them from asserting this distinction. It is a distinction to which mankind universally consent, in spite of their hearts. No one can help despising and blaming those who act from malice prepense, or from supreme selfishness, while every person esteems them who act from benevolent intentions.

The justice of the eternal pun

plain dictate of reason. It is the unanimous voice of mankind, that guilt deserves some punishment. When the viper fastened on Paul's hand, the barbarians instantly supposed that it was a manifestation of divine justice for some previous sin. Those who believe in the final salvation of all mankind, acknowledge that the evils which The duty of pure disinterested are inflicted by Divine Providence benevolence is another truth which in this life, are a just punishment does not depend on revelation of sin. But who can fix on a time for its support. It is as really when sinners will deserve no more the duty of the heathen nations punishment? Neither punishment, to love God with supreme affec- nor time, nor repentance, can tion and their neighbour as them- have any tendency to remove guilt. selves, as it is the duty of Christ-Though a finite crime should not ian nations who enjoy the light deserve an infinite punishment, of revelation. The essential per- yet it will always deserve some fections of God which are mani- punishment. But if guilt can nevfest from his works, and the re- er be removed, it will always be pation in which creatures stand agreeable to justice that sinners

should be punished according to | their works. I proceed to show some of the reasons why the apostle Paul, under certain circumstances, generally reasoned from the book of nature. Paul was the chief apostle to the Gentiles, and was probably instrumental in turning more souls from sin to holiness, than any other man who has ever preached the gospel. We must therefore suppose that he had some good reasons for his general practice.

One reason why he generally appealed to the book of nature under certain circumstances, probably was, because the evidence in favour of the peculiar truths of the gospel, which arises from this source, is less subject to evasion than any other. Mere declarations can be explained away, or But evaded many other ways. there is no reasoning against facts. It is an infallible maxim that actions speak louder than words, and certainly they are more unequivocal. Mankind may reason away the divine declarations, but they can never reason away the works of God. These bear incontestible evidence of his supremacy and goodness, which bind him to do what is wisest and best with every creature in the universe. They may turn all the divine requirements into a selfish channel, but they can never destroy the essential and immutable difference between right and wrong, and make selfishness right, or benevolent affections wrong. They can never destroy the relation in which we stand to God and each other, nor the obligations to be holy which grow out of that relation.

How

Skeptic, or Infidel. The unlearn-
ed as well as the learned, the high
as well as the low, are alike under
the necessity of seeing this evi-
dence, in a greater or less degree,
and of feeling its force.
many who have had no regard for
the Bible, have been compelled
to see and feel the force of the
essential and fundamental truths
of the gospel, which are clearly
seen from the objects around them,
and which are according to the
dictates of their own reason and
conscience. This accounts for the
fact that the apostle Paul and oth-
ers who have reasoned of right-
eousness, temperance and judg-
ment to come, by appealing to
facts and self-evident truths, have
so often made the most stupid and
hardened sinners tremble in view
of their guilt, and the certainty of
an approaching destruction.

REMARKS.

1. In view of this subject we may see the reason why mankind are more disposed to complain of those preachers who reason from the things that are made, than of those who appeal only to scripture, and leave them at liberty, to explain it as they please. Few people are disposed to complain of those preachers who appeal only to scripture in support of their positions, and leave them at liberty to construe the passages in their own way. But let a man explain the scriptures according to the fundamental and self-evident principles of natural theology, and reason in support of those principles, from the book of nature, and he is instantly opposed, and censured as a bold, metaphysical, and speculating preacher. Some say they cannot understand The evidence which arises from him, and others that he carries truth and duty farther than the facts is more convincing. It comBible does. And this is undoubtmends itself to every man's conscience in the sight of God, whe-edly true, according to their explather he is a Deist, Universalist, nation of the scriptures. But why

Hence,