man, condemned as he is fhortly to die, but puerile amusement, a house of cards, a bubble blown up into the air, and displaying bright but evanefcent colours in a momentary sunshine. SECTION XVII. Dr. Doddridge on the Doctrine of Divine Influence. T has been fuggefted, rather illiberally, that it IT was wrong to infert the teftimonies of diffenting minifters, like thofe of Watts and Doddridge. I leave the world to judge; only taking the liberty to obferve that these two eminent divines have ever been held in the highest esteem by the most refpectable clergy of the church, and that either of them would have done honour to an archiepifcopal mitre. Dr. Doddridge's Lectures are, in my opinion, the very beft introductory book which can be put into the hands of a young student (a real ftudent) in divinity. Watts and Doddridge were a par nobile who did honour to human nature, and whom any denomination of Christians might have been proud to acknowledge. "Any degree of divine influence," fays Doddridge," on the mind, inclining it to believe in "Chrift and to practise virtue, is called GRACE. "All those who do indeed believe in Christ, and " in the main practise virtue, are to ascribe it not "merely or chiefly to their own wisdom and "goodness, but to the special operation of divine "grace upon their fouls, as the original cause of "it. None can deny, that God has fuch an ac "cefs cefs to the minds of men that he can work upon "them in what manner he pleafes: and there is "great reafon to believe, that his fecret influence on the mind gives a turn to many of the most. important events relating to particular perfons " and societies*, as it is evident many of the "public revolutions, mentioned in the Old Tefta«ment, are ascribed to this caufe +. Though the "mind of man be not invincibly determined by "motives, yet in matters of great importance it is "not determined without them: and it is reason"able to believe, that where a perfon goes through "thofe difficulties which attend faith and obedi"ence, he must have a very lively view of the "great engagements to them, and probably, upon "the whole, a more lively view than another, "who, in the fame circumftances, in all other "respects acts in a different manner. Whatever "inftruments are made ufe of as the means of "making fuch powerful impreffions on the mind, "the efficacy of them is to be ascribed to the con"tinual agency of the FIRST CAUSE. The prevalence "of virtue and piety in the church is to be ascribed "to God, as the great original Author, even upon "the principles of natural religion. Good men "in fcripture, who appear beft to have understood "the nature of God, and his conduct towards "men, and who wrote under the influence and "infpiration of his Spirit, frequently offer up fuch "petitions to God, as fhew that they believed the "reality and importance of his gracious agency "upon the heart to promote piety and virtue f. * Prov. xxi. 1. Ezra, i. 1. Religion of Nature delineated, p. 105-107. Pfal. li. 10-12. xxxix. 4. xc. 12. cxix. 12. 18.27.33-37. 1 Chron. xxix. 18, 19. Eph. i. 16, &c. 73.80. 133. 9-11, &c. fim. Col. i. "God "God promifes to produce fuch a change in the hearts of those to whom the other valuable "bleffings of his word are promised, as plainly implies that the alteration made in their temper "and character is to be looked upon as his "work *. "The fcripture exprefsly declares, in many "places, that the work of faith in the foul is to "be ascribed to God, and describes the change "made in a man's heart, when it becomes truly "religious, in fuch language as must lead the "mind to fome ftrength fuperior to our own by "which it is effected +. The increafe of Chriftians "in faith and piety, is fpoken of as the work of "God; which muft more ftrongly imply that the "first beginnings of it are to be afcribed to him ‡. "The fcripture does exprefsly affert the abfolute "neceflity of such divine influences on the mind, "in order to faith and holinefs, and fpeaks of "God's giving them to one, while he withholds "them from another, as the great reason of the "difference to be found in the characters of dif"ferent men in this important respect §. Jer. xxxi. 33. xxxii. 39, 40. * Deut. xxx. 6. Pfal. cx. 3. Ezek. xi. 19, 20. xxxvi. 26, 27. † John, i. 13. iii. 3. 5, 6. A&s, xi. 18. xvi. 14. 2 Cor. iii. 3. -Eph. i. 19, 20. ii. 1. 1c. iv. 24. Phil. i. 29. Col. i. 11, 12. ii. 12, 13. Vid. James, i. 18. 2 Tim. ii. 25. To this catalogue we fcruple not to add Eph. ii. 8. though fome have objected that Telo cannot refer to it; fince the like change of genders is often to be found in the New Teftament; compare Acts, xxiv. 16. xxvi. 17. Phil. i. 28. 1 John, ii. 8. Gal. iii. 16. iv. 19. Matth. vi ult. xxvii. 19. Rom. ii. 14. Elfner's Obferv. vol. i. p. 128. Raphel. Obferv. ex Herod. in Matth. xxviii. 19. Glaffii Op. I. iii. Tract ii. de pr. Can. xvi. p. 524-526. Pfal. cxix. 32. Phil. i. 6. ii. 13. 1 Cor. vii. 25. iii. 7. iv. 7. xv. 10. 2 Cor. v. 5. Heb, xiii. 20, 21. Jude, ver. 24, 25. Deut. xxix. 4. Matth. xi. 2, 26. xii. 39, 40. 1 Pet. v. 10. John, vi. 44, 45, 46. "It appears probable from the light of nature, "and certain from the word of God, that FAITH "and repentance are ultimately to be afcribed to "the work of special grace upon the hearts of men *. As to the manner in which divine grace operates upon the mind, confidering how "little it is we know of the nature and conftitu❝tion of our own fouls, and of the frame of na"ture around us, it is no wonder that it should "be unaccountable to ust. Perhaps it may often be, by impelling the animal fpirits or nerves, in "fuch a manner as is proper to excite certain ideas in the mind with a degree of vivacity, "which they would not otherwife have had by "this means various paffions are excited; but the "great motives addreffed to gratitude and love feem generally, if not always, to operate upon "the will more powerfully than any other, which many divines have therefore chofen to exprefs by the phrafe of delectatio victrix ." Brandt's *Lime-treet Lect. vol. ii. p. 242-245. Tillotson's Works, vol. ii. p. So, 81. Limb. Theol. 1. iv. c. 14. § 4. 21. Hift. of the Ref. vol. ii. p. 75. Doddridge on Regen. Serm. vii. P. 221-233. Jortin's Six Differtations, No. 1. Warburton's Doctrine of Grace. Foft. Sermons, vol. ii. No. 5. præf. p. 104, 105. † John, iii. 8. This delectatio victrix is the pleafant fentiment which good men have ever felt when acting in obedience to God, and with a good confcience. JANSENIUS eam Chrifti gratiam..... non aliud effe vult, quam cœleftem quandam atque ineffabilem fuavitatem, feu fpiritualem delectationem, quâ voluntas prævenitur et flectitur ad volendum faciendumque quicquid Deus eam velle et facere conftituerit. LE BLANC Thefes. 20. 32. 47, 48. 97. 1 John, iv. 18, 19. Burn. Life of Roch. Burnet on Art, p. 120. Compare Deut. xxx. 6. Pfal. cxix. 16. 103. Pfal. xix. 10, II. Rom. vii. 22. Rom. v. 5. Le Blanc's Thef. p. 527, § 53. P. 43-51. Barclay's Apol. p. 148. Whitby Comment. vol. ii. p. 289, 290. p. 6-10. Seed's Serm. vol. i. p. 291. p. 210. King's Origin of Evil, p. 71. 376—380, fourth edition. Scougal's Works, Ridley on the Spirit, SECTION XVIII. The Opinions of Mr. Locke and Mr. Addifon. T will be difficult to prove that any of the mo dern worshippers of their own reafon poffefs understandings better illuminated than those of the great ornaments of our country, Locke and Addifon; and they have left on record their opinion on the reality and neceflity of fupernatural assistance. It is evident, I think, that Mr. Locke's underftanding and temper were very little inclined to admit any thing fanatical. He appears to have weighed well, in the balance of reafon, whatever he advanced; and therefore his teftimony may be fuppofed to have authority on the minds of thofe who, in forming their religious principles, lay claim to pre-eminent RATIONALITY. Mr. Addison is univerfally allowed to have united in himself the fcholar, the philofopher, and the gentleman. His liberal and polifhed mind always appeared to me peculiarly formed for theological fubjects, and he treats them in a moft pleafing and persuasive manner. Let us hear both these great men on our present subject. · "To thefe I muft," fays Mr. Locke, "add one "advantage more we have by Jefus Chrift, and "that is, the promife of ASSISTANCE. If we do "what we can, he will give us his SPIRIT to help "us to do what, and how we fhould. It will be idle for us, who know not how our own fpirits 66 move and act us, to afk in what manner the Spirit of God fhall work upon us. The wif "dom that accompanies that fpirit knows better "than we how we are made, and how to work |