tinguished from the fpirit, and fet in oppofition to it, as it is here. But in thefe places it is plain it means human nature in its natural, corrupt ftate. St. Paul often uses the word in this fenfe. To be "in the flesh," and to "walk after the flesh;" to have a fleshly or carnal mind, is to be in that ftate in which all men are, who are not true chriftians, and have not the fpirit of Christ, so are not born of the fpirit. [See Rom. viii. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.] And the flesh, or the mind of the flesh, or the "carnal mind," which is the fame, is here reprefented as oppofite to the fpirit, and enmity against God: but the fpirit, is a fpirit of holinefs. Therefore, the fpirit that is naturally in man, the fpirit or mind of the flesh, is a fpirit of fin and oppofition to God. This is again exprefsly afferted by the fame apofile, [Gal. v. 17.] "The flesh lufteth against the fpirit, and the fpirit against the flesh and thefe two are contrary the one to the other." And he then goes on to fhew what are the works of the flesh, and what the fruit of the fpirit, and fets them in direct oppofition one to the other: the former are nothing but fin; the latter holinefs: [Ver. 19,-23.] Now, if the flesh is in dire&t oppofition to the fpirit, and the works of the flesh nothing but fin; and if all who are not born of the fpirit, and become true chriftians, and do not walk in the fpirit, and "crucify the flesh with the affections and lufts:" If all these are in the flesh, walk after the flesh, and do the works of the flesh; then all fuch are wholly corrupt, and their whole hearts are in oppofition to holiness. But this is really the cafe according to St. Paul. And in this view. we may fee the force of the words of our divine teacher. He fays, in order to confirm what he faid to Nicodemus, "That which is born of the flesh, is flesh; and that which is born of the fpirit, is fpirit." Q. D. The works of the flesh, and all that it produces are like itself, even corrupt and finful. What

is.

is produced by the fpirit of God in men, is fpiritual and holy therefore man muft be born again of the fpirit, in order to be faved. He must have new difpofitions and principles which are from the fpirit of God, and directly oppofite to all that is naturally in in man. In one word, if by the fpirit in thefe paffages is meant the fpirit of God, influencing and dwelling in the hearts of the faints, as a fpirit of life and holiness; and being in the fpirit, and living af ter the fpirit, &c. means the exercife of holiness; (and it is impoffible to find any other confiftent meaning) then, their hearts, who have not the fpirit of God, are wholly corrupt, and oppofite to God's law; yea, enmity against him.

AND is not the total corruption of man's heart in his natural flate, plainly afferted by St. Paul, when he fays, [Tit. i. 15, 16.]" Unto the pure all things are pure but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving, is nothing pure; but even their mind and confcience is defiled. They profefs that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and unto every good work reprobate. By the pure here are meant, the pure in heart, the true believers in Chrift, which are born of God. All others are here reprefented as wholly defiled, without any good thing, altogether finful and abominable.

THIS fame total corruption of man is expressly declared in those paffages of fcripture, where all men are reprefented as dead in fin antecedent to their be ing made alive by the fpirit of God in regeneration. [Eph. ii. 1, 5. Col. ii. 13.] "Even when we were dead in fins, hath he quickened us. And you, being dead in your fins, and the uncircumcifion of your Aefh, hath he quickened." Here they are faid to be dead in their natural ftate, in diftinction from the life of holiness to which they were brought by God's quickening power, and in oppofition to it. If holinefs is life, then death is fin without any degree of holiness;

holiness; for there is no life in death. To put the matter beyond all difpute, it is here faid, what this death confifts in, viz. fin. Hence it appears, I think, as evident as any thing can be made by the most exprefs declaration, that when the fpirit of God regenerates the mind of man, he finds it perfectly deftitute of all moral goodness, and wholly corrupt and that regeneration confift in implanting principles of fpiritual life and act on in the heart, in which there was no degree of that kind before. In this work, the fpirit of God finds the heart dead, or an heart of ftone; wholly deftitute of fpiritual life and holiness, and as oppofite to it, as is a ftone to living flesh; yea, as death is to life,

No. II.

APPENDIX No.

IT feems needful, briefly to confider feveral

objections which have been made against what has been advanced, p. 58,- 71.

OBJ. I. There are feveral places of fcripture, in which it is exprefsly afferted that men are begotten, or born again by the word, or the truth. [fee Pet. i. 23. Jam. i. 18. 2 Cor. iii. 18. How is this confiftent with what has been now advanced?

ANS. I. They who make this objection, and from fuch fcriptures as thefe, conclude that it is by means of the word, that the heart is renewed, do fuppofe, or muft grant, that the word is introduced into the mind, in order to its having this effect, by the spirit of God: and that this is done by fome operation on

the

the understanding, in order fo to change, or open it, as that it may receive the word, or that the light may fhine into it. And they must grant that this opera tion, or work of the fpirit of God on the mind, whatever it be, is antecedent to light, or before it comes into the mind, as it is in order to it. There fore, this effect, or work wrought, by which the mind is prepared to receive the light, is not wrought by the word; but is an effect, or work of the fpirit of God: for by the fuppofition, it precedes the illu mination of the mind, and is antecedent to any influence the word can have, as a mean of any thing. So that they must hold to an immediate work of the fpirit of God, which is wrought without the word, and in order to light being introduced into the mind, as really as any one does, or can. So that, fo far as the operation of the fpirit of God is concerned in the matter, by which men are born of the fpirit, this is immediate and antecedent to any influence by the word. Therefore, according to them, when we speak of that change which is wrought by the spirit of God, and is antecedent to converfion, we muft say it is not wrought by the medium of light, or by the word of God. Therefore, thefe texts fpeak of fome confequent change, which follows that which is wrought in the mind or understanding by the fpirit of God, in order to prepare the mind to receive the light. They must allow that all the change that the word is a mean of producing, is an active change; which confifts in the exercifes of the will, in the view of light and truth exhibited in the word, or in active converfion and whatever is done before this, is not effected by the word.

BUT if this is fo; then these scriptures are not in the least contrary to what has been afferted above, viz. That the work of the fpirit of God, in which men are paffive, and which is antecedent to all exereife of heart, is not by means of the word. And it

is as confiftent with thefe fcriptures to fuppofe that this previous work of the fpirit of God fhould be on the will or heart, to change and renew that, and prepare it to receive the word, as it is to fuppofe that the understanding, or intellect only, is wrought upon. The objection therefore appears to be quite groundless, and is as much against the objector himfelf, as any one elfe. However, fince another anfwer is at hand, which is fuggefted in what has been faid, I will just mention it.

ANS. II. It is plain that thefe fcriptures, and thofe of the like kind, have a direct and fpecial respect to what is fenfible in this change, which is active converfion. This change taken in the whole of it, and fo as including converfion, is not wrought without the word; but all that in which man is active, all that which is vifible and fenfible, in which active converfion confifts, is by the word. It is in the view of the truth in God's word, that the rege. nerate mind turns from fin to God; and if there was no truth to be feen there could not poffibly be any fuch change therefore with propriety is the matter expreffed thus, and it is faid to be done by, or, with the word as a mean. But we cannot hence in. fer that nothing in the whole affair is done immediately, and without the word: for we know, and the objector must own, that whatsoever is done antecedent to the exercises of the mind, is done wholly without the word. Let it therefore be remembered, that the objector himself is obliged to underftand thefe fcriptures in the fenfe now given; which has been par. ticularly fhewn in the first answer: therefore in vain does he allege them in oppofition to what has been advanced.

As to 2 Cor. iii. 18. "But we all with open face beholding as in a glafs the glory of the Lord, are changed into the fame image;' any one who will look into the context may fee that the apostle supposes