be sufficient to our purpose, at present to mention such only as appear to have the principal weight in the matter.

The first that presents itself, and which seems to be the foundation of all the rest, is-1. Ignorance of the true state of human nature, as it is now depraved. Whatever ability man might have possessed in his innocency, for keeping the divine law, or whatever reasons there might have been, at that time, for claiming some merit to his obedience-it is plain these have all ceased from the time of his fall. But, this is a truth he is not suf ficiently acquainted with. He is still disposed to estimate of his powers, as though they had suffered no abatement by the loss of innocence, but were still competent to all his obligations. He fancies to himself, that he knows all branches of his duty, can devise all necessary expedients for discharging it, and is furnished with a sufficient stock of integrity and resolution, to adhere to it through all discouragements and opposition. As for the law of God, he entirely mistakes the true nature and design of it; not considering that it is a spiritual law, reaching to the thoughts and intents of the heart, requiring the purest principles of action from all its subjects, denouncing the severest condemnation against every transgression, as well of the thoughts as of the life-a law by which there is no possibility of being saved after it has been

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once violated. To comply with the letter and expression of this law seems to be the utmost that men aim at, when they are endeavoring to obey it -If they find themselves to be tolerably exact in this point; they think the whole of their duty is complied with "All these things," said the young lawyer to our Lord, speaking of the commandments, "all these things have I kept from youth up." But after all their hopes and pretensions, when the matter is examined into by the judge and maker of the law, it will be found with all men on this footing, as it was with that sanguine but mistaken youth, "One thing yet lacketh." There is still some lurking principle in the soul, which like a worm in the heart of an apple that is fair and blushing on the outside, eats away the best part of its substance, and gradually destroys the whole. The best system of good works that any man ever framed, has some essential defect that renders it unworthy of God's acceptance, and quite too weak to be trusted to for safety in the day of wrath. Paul himself, who had as good pretensions on this head as any man since the fall, was so far from estimating his righteousness at a high rate, that he considered it as a garment not only too ragged and tattered to cover the body; but, too loathsome and offensive to be worn on it. Mankind are also exceedingly mistaken as to the divine character.

They are very apt to conceive

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God to be like themselves, as having no fixed and unalterable principle of action, founded on propriety and truth; or they frame to themselves such a notion of him as is best suited to compose their fears, and reconcile them to their sins. They would wish him to be a God without any fixed detestation of sin, or determination to punish it: and this wish gradually leads them to believe him to be such. On this principle, they persuade themselves that there is no great danger in sin—that God will make great allowances for their imperfections, and accept their penitence and partial disjointed services in the room of perfect obedience, and as an atonement for all their offences. consequence of these misapprehensions is, that they see no necessity of, and therefore no importance in the atonement of Christ, nor any form or comeliness in him, why they should desire him.

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Inquiring into the frame and constitution of the Gospel, we find that it tends to mortify the pride, and displace the self-confidence of man. And this is

2. Another reason why men will not come to Christ for life.

There is no principle more deeply rooted in the human constitution, nor any one to which mankind more steadily adhere, than a fondness of raising their own importance above all reasonable measure, and of arrogating more merit and honor than can, in any sense, belong to them. And this

discovers itself, not only in their transactions with one-another, but with God himself. Thus in all ages men have been opposed to God's revelation, as interfering with the rights and prerogatives of human reason. They have counted it hard and dishonorable to be obliged to take any thing as true, barely on his word and authority; and have refused to credit some of the most important discoveries that have been made to the world, because they have not been able to penetrate to the bottom of them, and solve all the difficulties that have apparently attended them. Some of the fundamental truths of the Christian religion are such as are not comprehensible by human reason; and objections, cavils, and oppositions, have been made against that religion, because God hath seen fit to make a reserve in this respect, as a mark of his sovereignty, and a test of the humility and faith of mankind. This consideration, if properly attended to, is a most conclusive proof that a religion which proposeth doctrines that never could have entered into the human heart, independent of revelation, must certainly be of God the Father and Fountain of Truth. This is a proof both of his~ wisdom and goodness, as he has in this very instance, given the highest possible evidence that the Scriptures are derived from him, who alone could reveal incomprehensible things.

But, this perverse humour in man of wanting to bring every thing to his own standard, turns the highest expression of the divine goodness into arguments to prove his want of it. The incarnation, the atonement, the resurrection, and the operations of the divine spirit, have all of them, at one time or another, been cavilled at, if not even ridiculed, as inconsistent with sound reason, and involved in too many difficulties or absurdities to be received by men of knowledge and improvement.

On this head there is another difficulty with mankind, which seems to take its rise from the same principle as the former objection, and that is, that the Gospel ascribes all the honor and praise of man's redemption to the grace of God. In this case, as in all others, "it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy." The scriptures are express,

that

we are saved by grace through faith," &c. so that "he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." Now these are hard sayings for the pride of man: they strike directly at the root of all self-confidence and boasting. Grace begins, grace carries on, and grace perfects the work of redemption in every soul that is saved. Notwithstanding this, man would fondly claim some part of the honor of his salvation to himself. He would be willing to go on the shares with God in this matter; but is not, by any means willing to give up the whole.