facts demonstrate that living faith may exist, in certain circumstances, where this dependence is not exercised.

Cornelius was doubtless regenerate and partaker of spiritual life, when " he feared God with all his house, gave much alms to the people, and prayed "to God alway:" and when the angel said, " Thy

prayers and thine alms are come up for a me"morial before God." Yet Peter was sent to "tell "him words, whereby he and his house might be "saved.". Perhaps there is no entire system, for which men pertinaciously contend, that will in all respects coincide with this example.*

Should it be enquired, what would become of such a man, if he should die before he actually believed in Christ? not to insist on the absurdity of the supposition, which implies, that God in special love had begun a good work in a sinner's heart, and had been prevented by his death from accomplishing that gracious purpose! I cannot hesitate in answering directly to the point, that he would certainly go to heaven. I apprehend, that whatever comes from the regenerating Spirit of Christ is accepted through the merits and mediation of Christ.-Infants, "being by nature the children "of wrath even as others," cannot be meet for heaven without regeneration; yet, even when regenerate, they are incapable of explicit faith: though that state of heart is produced, whence faith, as well as every other grace, will spring, if they live beyond the state of infancy: and, as they fell in the first Adam without their own sin, they

* Acts x. 2-4. 31. xi. 14.

may

doubtless be saved in the second Adam without actually believing in him.

No reflecting and candid person will maintain, that this doctrine represents the sinner as bringing something of his own to Christ, instead of receiving all from him: for He is not only the WAY, but the TRUTH and the LIFE also. The rays that precede the rising of the sun, come as certainly from it as those which follow. Christ is exalted, not only to pardon and justify the penitent and believing, but likewise " to give" both repentance and faith. We have naturally no more a moral or spiritual ability to believe in Christ, than we have to fulfil the whole law: and the life communicated by his Spirit, which disposes and enables us to welcome Him, as " made of God unto us, wisdom,

righteousness, sanctification, and redemption," is itself the purchase of his blood, and the fruit of his intercession. "The salvation of the righteous "is of the Lord:" but he works in a certain order, and makes some of his gifts a preparation for the rest and regeneration in particular prepares the soul for receiving all other blessings.

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"Of his own will begat he us with the word of "truth." Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, "which liveth and abideth for ever. And this is "the word, which by the gospel is preached unto

you." They who have endeavoured to explain away these texts, which plainly teach that the word of the gospel is as the seed of regeneration, have deviated from scriptural simplicity: and, should we

* James i. 18. 1 Peter i. 23-25.

attempt to shew the manner in which the Holy Spirit uses this word of truth in regenerating the soul, we should fall into a similar fault. We know not what life is, or how it is communicated. We cannot explain the manner in which animals or vegetables are produced according to the course of nature how then can we comprehend the operation of God in the new creation? Where the truths of the scripture are preached, or in any way attended to, there sinners are regenerated: where these truths are wholly unknown or disregarded, such effects do not follow. This suffices to direct our conduct: but if we depend on the means, or ascribe the effect to them, we shall be disappointed.

Man is capable of understanding, remembering, reflecting, hoping, fearing, and all other exercises of an intelligent mind, even while destitute of spiritual perception. The word of God is addressed to his understanding, heart, and conscience: and in general, even when it obtains the assent of the understanding, and the conscience is disquieted, the heart revolts, and in one way or other, manifests its aversion. But in some instances this aversion is overcome, nay, a state of the affections diametrically opposite takes place; and it is evidently scriptural to ascribe this change to regenerating grace; though we cannot explain the manner in which the Holy Spirit uses divine truth to effect it; or determine how far that faith, of which natural men are capable, may in some cases be rendered subservient to it. It is, however, necessary to observe, that the scriptures no where give the least intimation of our being regenerated

by faith, though it will be shewn in the sequel that we are sanctified by faith.

Adam, created after the image of God in holiness, was capable of changing, and becoming unholy, without any positive divine interposition. Satan's insinuations, therefore, might, when believed, produce by their own efficacy his image in the soul: yet surely man had begun to fall at the moment when he favourably listened to the temptation; and his belief of Satan's lies was wicked in itself, as well as the principle of his subsequent wickedness. But fallen man has no natural disposition to believe the holy truth of God: the progress therefore of sanctification may be ascribed to the energy of faith, by which the Spirit carries on his work of renovation; but the disposition so to believe, as to be influenced by faith to holy obedience, must itself be the effect of special grace, and the beginning of the sinner's recovery from his fallen state. So that the argument, taken from the way in which Adam fell, to prove that faith precedes regeneration, is grounded on an evident misapprehension.

Under the notion that faith precedes and is the subordinate cause of regeneration, schemes are formed concerning the best manner of preaching, and the subjects principally to be insisted on, in order to produce this active principle in the hearts of unregenerate men! And those parts of scripture are commonly preferred, which speak most fully of evangelical subjects; under the persuasion that a favourable opinion of the divine character, and an encouraging hope of mercy, have a tendency to produce a right temper

of mind, and to reconcile the heart to God! But surely this arises from inattention to the testimony of the apostle, that "the carnal mind is enmity "against God." For this most certainly means, that the heart of unregenerate men is averse to the real character of God; and not to a mistaken notion concerning him, as these devices seem to suppose. The unholy heart irreconcilably hates the holy perfections of the Lord, and whatever bears the stamp of his holiness; and cannot possibly be pleased with a holy gospel: and nothing short of a total perversion of the truth can satisfy it. Hence unscriptural systems are devised and propagated: for, if the infinite justice and holiness of God, and his determination to take vengeance on all the workers of iniquity, be kept out of sight: if his holy law be either misrepresented as to its demands and sanction, or spoken of as unreasonably strict and severe; and if the gospel be considered as a kind of compensation for the rigour of the law, that it might be dispensed with and set aside, instead of being honoured and established; then unregenerate sinners may be persuaded to embrace the system, and brought to presume on God's mercy, and to experience a variety of high, selfish, and transient affections. They will however continue unregenerate, and as much at enmity against the holy character, law, gospel, and service of the one, living, and true God, as ever : and more scriptural views of these subjects will most certainly and effectually destroy all their apparently good frames, and call forth all the latent enmity and rebellion of the heart, which were merely soothed and humoured, instead of being dethroned and cruci