ly." "Thus saith the Lord, In returning and rest shall ye be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength, and ye would not." "Ye will not come to me that ye might have life." "How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not." "Those my enemies which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me." “ This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light lest his deeds should be reproved." The moral Governour every where disclaims the principle of requiring men to go beyond their pow

er:

"If there be first a willing mind it is accepted, according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not."*

But is it not said, "No man can come to me except the Father-draw him"? I answer, the Scriptures often use the word cannot to express nothing more than a strong disinclination. "Haste thee, escape thither," said the angel to Lot, "for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither." Joseph's brethren " hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him." "The tabernacle of the Lord-and the altar of the burnt offering wereat Gibeon; but David could not go before it to in

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quire of God, for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of the Lord." "Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt?" "My iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up." "I am so troubled that I cannot speak." "Then said the Lord unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be towards this people." "Can two walk together except they be agreed? -The Lord hath spoken, who can but prophesy?" "How can ye being evil speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." "Ye can discern the face of the sky, but can ye not discern the signs of the times?" "Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin." "Can the children of the bride-chamber fast while the bridegroom is with them?" "This is a hard saying, who can hear it?" In none of these passages does the word denote any thing more than a strong disinclination. So when it is said, "No man can come to me except the Father-draw him," the meaning is, (as explained by the same lips,) "Ye will not come to me that ye might have life."*

The denial of the sinner's power leads directly to the grossest scheme of fatality. This will appear from the three following remarks :

[1.] Sinners have as much power to change their hearts as they have to alter at once any of their worldly or social dispositions. That earthly objects can offer motives more congenial than the truths of religion to their general tempers, alters not the case; for it has been proved that no disposition is changed by motives.

[2.] Sinners have as much power to love God as they have to exercise feelings opposite to any of their worldly or social dispositions. The numberless changes which take place in their worldly and social feelings while their dispositions remain the same, furnish no proof that their feelings and dispositions ever disagree; for under different views and motives different feelings will grow out of the same disposition, and equally accord with it. For example, new views of your neighbour's character may remove prejudice, and excite kinder affections towards him; or your regards may be changed by conduct in him more gratifying to your self-love; but both your antipathy and love grow out of the same disposition, under the influence of different motives.

[3.] Sinners have the same power to obey God as they have to yield, in the common affairs of life, to any motive which at present, through the badness of their disposition, does not controul them. It has been proved that the strongest motive, (that is, the motive which has most influence with the existing disposition,) absolutely controuls the affections, the will, and the conduct. By reflection a man may bring new motives before him, which may occasion alterations in all these; but in every stage

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his feelings, decisions, and actions will be shaped by the motives which have most influence with the disposition.

Now combine these three ideas in a single case. A man, under the influence of a bad disposition, and wicked feelings thence arising, finds stronger motives to desert his family than to stay at home. Of course he will desert them. On his way he is overtaken by a friend who has come after him to persuade him back. But it happens that all the motives which are urged have less influence than those which hurry the wretch away. I ask now whether that man has power to return? Can he yield to the motives presented? He will not yield while his feelings remain the same. Can he alter his feelings? He will not alter them while his disposition remains the same, and the same motives, with the same degree of clearness, are before him. Can he change his disposition? In a word, can the man, while assailed by no other motives, alter his purpose and return? If you say he has not power, you decide that no man can feel or act in any case differently from what he does: and what is this but establishing a system of the grossest fatality? If you say he has power, precisely in the same sense are sinners able to love and obey God. Accordingly the Bible from first to last treats

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them as beings possessed of ample power. invites them : "Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth." "The Spirit and the bride say, Come; and let him that heareth say, Come; and let him that is athirst come; and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." It expostulates with them: "As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live : turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" It laments over them : "O that they were wise! that they understood this! that they would consider their latter end!" "He beheld the city and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong to thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes."* And after all have men no more power to turn to God than to make a world? Do these heavenly entreaties only mock their miseries? Do they only tantalize unhappy prisoners bound with fetters of iron ?

But this is not the worst. God absolutely commands sinners to love and submit to Him, to repent and believe the Gospel. The law, which was " not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient," which "was added because of transgressions," says to every sinner, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." And what says the Gospel? God "now commandeth all men every where to repent." "Repent ye and believe.” Sinners are even commanded to change their own