another to be his friend and fa vorite, why is he to be impeached with the crime of unequal deal- may. 4. For God to choose any to. MASSACHUSETTENSIS. AN anfwer to the following queftion would be gratifying to, at leaft, one of the readers of the Magazine, viz. calls to finners, with which the fcriptures abound; and the folemn declarations that God hath no pleasure in the death of finners, but that they would turn and live; reconcilable with their being left of God to go on in fin, and perifh? Or, in other words, if God be as defirous of the re turn and falvation of finners, as thofe ftrong expreffions, particularly in Ezekiel, intimate, what reafons are there affignable, why he, (in whofe hand all hearts are, and for whom nothing is too hard, with whom nothing is impoffible) doth not convert them to himself, provided the atonement be infinitely full? How are the invitations and TO THE EDITORS OF THE CON-- AZINE. GENTLEMEN, Should you deem the following obfervations calculated to do good, and admissible into your magazine, you may infert them. refent, that all mankind, HE fcriptures of truth repboth faints and finners, are dead, and yet alive. However paradoxical this may appear to fome, yet I truft, the truth of the pofition may be made clearly to appear. In the first place, I would attend to the moral character of the finner, as depicted in facred writ; and attempt to point out, in what fense he may be faid to be dead. The apoftle fays, "we thus judge, if one died for all, then were all dead." In another place, " you in trefpaffes and fins." Again, hath he quickened who were dead "awake thou that fleepeft, arife from the dead." Sinners maypertinently be faid to be dead in a moral view: They are fpiritually dead, being void of grace and Spiritual life. Divine and faving grace is a living principle, of which they are totally deftitute. They are dead in fin,-lying under the power of it. They are dead in trefpaffes and fins; as the apoftle witnesses-which may intend all forts of fins, habitual and actual, of heart and life. Sin is the death of the foul ; in whatever heart that reigns, there is a privation of fpiritual life. Unrenewed finners are dead, not only in their moral state, as they are deftitute of the principles and powers of spiritual life, and cut off from God the fountain of life; but they are dead in law; as a condemned malefactor is faid to be a dead man. They are under a fentence of death; are condemned already; which fentence will affuredly be executed, they remaining impenitent and unpar⚫doned. There are fome things predicable of a dead man, which may represent and elucidate the ftate and condition of those, who are fpiritually dead. The dead know not any thing: Death locks up the fenfes, feals up all the powers and faculties; and fo does a ftate of fin, as to any thing fpiritually good. If a mountain were laid on a dead man, he would have no fenfe of it; fo, blind, stupid, hardened finners have no proper fenfe of the evil of fin, which, were their eyes duly opened, and the exercifes of their hearts regulated, would be an intolerable burden to them. But this thought may again be brought into view in the fequel. Again, a dead body is unable to quicken and give life to itfelf; fo finners are utterly unable to exercife fpiritual life, or do any thing fpiritually good-as fays the apoftle, in me, i. e. in my flesh, there dwelleth no good thing. It is true, they do not lie under any natural inability, as dead bodies do: Their impotence is altogether of a moral nature;; which confifts in wickedness, perverfeness and oppofition of heart to all that is good; all that is holy. They have the fame natural powers previous as fubequent to regeneration; but they have fuch a strong and total averfion to God, and the methods of his grace, and bias of heart to that which is evil, that they may be faid to be as morally unable to put forth gracious actions, as a dead man is naturally unable to raise himself; fo that their difinclination of heart and prejudice to the gofpel plan of falvation, (while that temper of heart remains unchanged by fovereign grace) will prevent the existence of any exercifes in them which will be acceptable to God, and prove as fatal to them, as though they were under all the natural inabili ty, which fome fuppofe; or as is conceivable. Further-A dead body is infenfible to beauty or deformity. So they who are fpiritually dead, are quite infenfible, and blind to moral beauty and deformity. Never did one of this character dif cover any real beauty in the moral character of Deity; inftead of approving of it they are totally oppofed to it. They are carnally minded; and fays infpiration, "the carnal mind is enmity a. gainft God, is not fubject to his law, nor indeed can be." They are far from being pleased with the divine character as holy; for they fee no beauty, no lovelinefs in holinefs. It is impoffible that fuch a character fhould meet the approbation of their hearts, it be * regenerate, fo long as they are deftitute ofthe fpecial, fupernatural influences of the Spirit of God, are alive, in the fenfe in which I fhall confider this particular; but I conceive, there is that exhibited, which is tantamount.St. Paul, fpeaking of himself in in his natural, unrenewed ftate, fays, I was alive without the law once, i. e. he thought himfelf in a good condition; was alive in his own opinion and apprehen fion; was very fecure and confi dent of the goodness of his ftate, and depended on his own rightcoufnefs. Though all men under the gofpel, while in their natural, unhumbled ftate, may not place that dependence on their own righteoufnefs that this apoftle did on his ; yet what he fays of himfelf, I think, will apply to all, in a higher or lower degree; all are naturally of the fame legal temper; and whenever any feek fal ing diametrically contrary to their own. That God hates fin and is determined to punish it, instead of rendering his character beautiful in their fight, as it is to all holy beings, gives them difguft. And they are dead, totally blind to the glory of the way of falvation by Jefus Chrift. Like the unbelieving Jews, they discover no beauty or form in him, wherefore they fhould defire him-and they are dead, in that they are quite infenfible of moral deformity. They difcern not the evil, odious and detestable nature of fin. Inftead of having an averfion to fin, for its own fake, as the godly have, they love it, and drink it in like water; and roll it as a fweet morfel under their tongue. And they have no realizing fenfe naturally of their own vilenefs; and how hateful they have rendered themselves to God; but they are wont, through the pride of their hearts, to think well of them-vation, they do it by the deeds of felves; to be fure, much more highly of themfelves than they ought to think. And then, as dead carcafes keep their place and are void of motion; fo they, if left to act themselves, and being governed by their natural principles, will keep their ground in fin, and never move a ftep towards God, Chrift and preparation for heaven. Inftead of ever grow-be reconciled to fuch humiliation, ing any better of themselves, they will wax worfe and worfe; treafure up to themfelyes wrath against the day of wrath, and ripen for an aggravated deftruction. Thus we fee the propriety of fcripture declarations, that all unregenerate men are dead. the law. Although they are not friendly to the law, yet to that they are wont to fly for fhelter. All men naturally are whole, having no feeling fense of their need of the only phyfician of fouls.— They are very loath to be behol den to Chrift for their falvation in the way pointed out in the gofpel. Their proud hearts cannot as to caft themselves at Chrift's feet for mercy, as helplefs and perifhing creatures, and depend folely on him for their falvation. They are of fuch an unhumbled, legal fpirit, that they choose to establish their own righteousness. How many, being unacquainted with their own hearts, and the fpirituality of the divine law, are I would now, in few words, fhew, in what fenfe they may be faid to be alive. I do not recol-fo puffed up with their own fuplect, that it is faid in fcripture, in pofed goodnefs, that they are reafo many words, that all the un- dy to found the challenge, with that proud, self-fufficient young Pharifee," what lack I yet?" And to bless themselves, like another of the same temper, faying (in their hearts at leaft) God I thank thee, I am not as other men.' "How many content themselves with negatives? Perhaps they fay, I am no liar, no drunkard, no profane fwearer, no thief, or unjust perfon, &c. And in these and fuch like negative virtues they place their confidence. Or, perhaps, they perform many external duties to God and man; and hence they feel rich and have need of nothing further to recom'mend them to God. And how ma"ny depend on their external privileges, as well as performances-like the Jews, we have Abraham to our father; and flatter and deceive themselves in one way or another in the concerns of their fouls? For fuch reasons how many feel alive? Such confidences may be termed the frong holds of Satan; for fo long as fuch perfons continue under the influence of their present self-righteous temper, they are his faithful fervants. And indeed, thefe may be called the finners' frong bold-that in which they intrench themselves, and feel fecure; from which all the thunders of Mount Sinai, and fhafts of the divine law will not dislodge them. Nothing short of the irrefiftible, almighty power and fovereign grace of God will beat them off from their vain confidences. Poffibly perfons may be awakened by the fpirit, fo that their attention to their danger may be greatly called up; but this will not materially alter the cafe with them; they will be of the fame legal fpirit ftill; they will naturally betake themfelves to fome external duties for fhelter, but not to Chrift; none will ever bow and submit to him, till it is a day of his mighty power on their hearts. Poffibly fome may imagine, that they are willing to accept of Chrift on his own terms, and that he fhould have all the honor of their falvation; but this is their great mistake, if they do not in very deed embrace him by faith. To yield to fovereign grace, is fo exceedingly contrary to the pride of the human heart, that if prayers, alms, penances, and corporal punishments might take away guilt, and remove the curfe, we should fee none proftrate at the foot of Chrift. If the fruit of the body would atone for the fin of the foul, it is thought, men would rather give their first born for their tranfgreffions than lie empty at the foot of mercy, and receive grace as grace. Hence is there not propriety in saying, that carnal unrenewed finners are alive? (To be continued.) of which the prefent is thought to be one. It was the holy Jefus, who was moved with compaffion. At what was his compaffion moved? It was moved at feeing a multitude of fouls, unprovided with fuitable fpiritual guides. The pitiable ftate of fuch he holds up to our view in this paffage, under two fimilitudes: 1. He likens them to a flock of fheep, ftarving and fcattered for want of a fhepherd to feed, guide and protect them. 2. He compares fouls in this deftitute condition to a large and promifing harvest, which is going back into the ground, and is likely to be loft for want of reapers to gather it in. With this laft fimilitude in view, he calls upon his difciples to pray the Lord of the harvest to fend forth laborers into his harvest. This was as much as to call upon them to cry mightily unto God, that he would, in his wisdom and mercy, raife up, qualify and fend forth holy minifters of the gospel, who should, through his bleffing, turn finners from Satan to God, and build up the faints in faith and holinefs. With this command of Chrift before us, we propofe to make feveral remarks upon the duty of praying to God to raise up good and faithful minifters of the gofpel. 1. It is important that we fhould have it fixed in our minds, that the gofpel ministry is divinely appointed; and that it is an appointment of the highest confequence to the interefts of Chrift's kingdom. There were always teachers of religion from the beginning of the world. Noah was a preacher of righteoufnefs before the flood. The priest's lips, under the Mofaic difpenfation, were to keep knowledge, and the people were to feek the law at his mouth. It was the work of all that fucceffion of prophets, whom God raised up in If. rael, to teach the things of the kingdom of Chrift. Chrift himfelf, in the day of his flesh, preached righteoufnefs in the great congre. gation. And when he afcended up on high, he gave gifts unto men, even to the rebellious: And a mong his afcenfion gifts, these are mentioned as fome of the most precious, apoftles, prophets, evan gelifts, paftors and teachers, "for the perfecting of the faints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." It is very evident, that Chrift viewed a good ministry as one of the greateft bleffings enjoyed by his people on earth. He requir ed Peter to teftify his love to him, by feeding his sheep, and lambs. Sheep need a fhepherd to lead them from one feeding place to another; to protect them from beafts of prey, and to go in and out before them. We know that Chrift is the great Shepherd and Bifhop of fouls; and that if he does not feed and keep the sheep, they will faint and be fcattered, notwithstanding all that men can do. But as Chrift works by means and inftruments in other things, fo he does in his kingdom of grace. Peter, as an inftrument in the hand of the glorious Redeemer, did, on the memorable Pentecoft, turn three thousand of the mur derers of Chrift into his difciples. Paul was fent of Chrift to open blind eyes and turn men from Satan to God. In this good work he profpered exceedingly. Apol los, tho' a man, helped them much, which had believed through grace: he mightily convinced the Jews, that Jefus was Chrift." There are witneffes enough among the readers of the Magas |