for the fake of the precious blood of Chrift, who was a Lamb without blemish and without fpot. The words being thus fhortly explained, the argument contained in them feems to be this.

That God, of his free and fovereign grace, is, by his Hicly Spirit, the fole agent who inclines us to that which is good, and enables us to perform it.

In difcourfing from this obfervation, we propofe, by Divine afliftance, Fir, Toeflablish the truth of the doctrine, or fhow you the abfolute neceffity of divine influence, in order to the production of any good thing in the foul. We fhall, Secondly, Endeavour to give fome account of the Spirit's operation, or fhow in what manner He works in true Chriftians, to will aud to do. We fhall, Thirdly, Offer fome reflections for illuftrating the reafon in the text, "Of his own "good pleasure:" And, Lafly, Conclude with a few

inferences.

I. We propose, first, to eftablish the truth of the doctrine, or fhow you the absolute neceffity of Divine influence, in order to the production of any good thing in the foul. Now this will appear if we confider,

1. The weaknefs and degeneracy of human nature. To this degeneracy fcripture gives ample teftimony: and indeed, to be convinced of it, we need only turn our attention to what paffes in our minds, and confider the motions of our own hearts, or look abroad through the world, and obferve the conduct of mankind. Have we not all of us experienced from our earliest years, from the very firft openings of reafon, a violent averfion to every thing fpiritually good, and a propenfity equally violent to what confcience itfelf informs us is wrong? Have we not daily proofs of this corrup tion, from the impiety and wickednefs which prevail around us? Our understandings are full of darkness; we know not the road to happiness, nor can we find

it

it out without fome fuperior guide. And if at any time we come to the knowledge of our duty, by reafon, or by revelation, yet how ftrangely are our hearts. perverted! We are not only difaffected to God and goodness, but ftrongly biaffed to folly and vice. What an affecting fenfe had the apoftie Paul of this! "I find," fays he, " a law in my members, warring a-"gainst the law of my mind, and bringing me into cap"tivity to the law of fin (a)" Which made him utter that lively and pathetic complaint, in the following verfe; "O, wretched man that I am, who fhall "deliver me from the body of this death?" But if, in addition to this natural inability, we have wilfully contracted vicious habits, if we have brought ourselves under the tyranny of thofe imperious mafters, and are led captive by them at their pleafure; we are effectually in fubjection and fetters, enslaved to our lufts, and fold under fin: like the centurion's fervant in the gofpel, when they fay, Go, we muft go; when they fay,. Come, we must come; when they fay, Do this, we must. obey and do it. Now, can we poffibly imagine, that, in thofe unhappy circumftances, we can deliver ourfelves from the bondage of corruption, and reftore our fouls to a ftate of light and liberty? Can we, by the feeble remains of our natural powers, change our own hearts, fubdue our lufts and paffions, and. make ourselves new creatures? Surely no: it is as impoffible for men in this deplorable fituation to per. form any thing fpiritually good, as it is to restore youth to age, or give life to the dead: for, in the ftrong language of the prophet, the Ethiopian cannot. change his fkin, nor the leopard his fpots.

2. The neceflity of Divine influence, in order to the production of true religion in the foul, will farther appear, if we confider the greatnefs and excellency. of the work itself.

It is a work indeed every way worthy of God, a. glorious effect of his Divine power and grace, which

2 C3

(a) Rom. vii. 23.

none

none but God himfelf can accomplish. To form religion in the heart, is to raise a dead finner to life, to make light arife in the midft of darknefs, and to reduce the greatest confufion to harmony and order: and what can be fuflicient for this, but the finger of God? God alone is the author of nature; he at firft commanded the light to fhine out of darkness, and formed every part of this vifible world. His goodnefs and mercy are the fource and fountain of every bleffing. All the faculties of our minds, and every improvement we make in knowledge and wifdom, are folely derived from him. Now, is his influence neceffary in these less important matters, and do we not much more depend upon him for things of greater confe quence? Is all that knowledge we have acquired in the concerns of this life, to be afcribed to his teaching and influence; and ought not the enlightening of our darkened minds, and infpiring us with heavenly wifdom, much more be afcribed to him? Did it require Almighty power to create a world; nay, to produce the meanest infect on the face of the earth? And must it not require an equal degree of power to transform the human mind, and to quicken it when dead in trefpaffes and fins? No lefs power than that which is Divine, can produce this effect: none can bring a clean thing out of an unclean, but God himself; his grace alone can turn men from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God.

3. This will ftill farther appear, if we confider what powerful oppofition is raised against this work, by our fpiritual enemies. No fooner does the foul begin to be awakened, than it is attacked by a hoft of adverfaries. Satan, the prince of darknefs, whose power is ftill very great, exerts himself with the utmoft vigour, to prevent the falvation of finners. He is a malicious and an active enemy; who employs every art, and watches every opportunity, to render us, like himself, completely wicked.. A prefent degenerate

generate world around us, is another fource of the 'keeneft oppofition. Its glittering pleafures are apt to enfnare the mind, and to draw off the affections to the purfuit of vanity; while, on the other hand, religion is the object of fcorn and contempt; it is reviled by fome, infulted by others, and too frequently betrayed in the house of its friends. But, beiides all thefe, there is a treacherous party within, even the lufts of our own hearts, concerning which, it may juftly be faid, that a man's enemies are those of his own household; these are our worft and most dangerous enemies, which ly in our bofom, and betray us into mifery and ruin. So that we are not only weak and helplefs in ourselves, but we are ftrongly affaulted by powerful enemies; we wrestle not with flesh and blood, but with principalities and powers, with the rulers of the darkness of this world, with fpiritual wickedneffes in high places. Now, to produce religion in the foul, in the midst of fuch violent oppofition, muft evidently, require a divine agency. And furely the Chriftian, when thus recovered by the grace of God, has reafon to fay with Ifrael of old, "If it had not been the Lord who "" was on our fide, when our enemies rofe up against 66 us, then they had fwallowed us up quick; the "waters had overwhelmed us, the ftream had "" over our foul."

gone

Thus, then, it plainly appears, that Divine grace is abfolutely neceffary in order to our converfion, and progrefs in holiness. But, to put this matter beyond all queftion, let us,

4. Attend to the many exprefs declarations in fcripture, and we will find, that this gracious change in the foul, and every degree of fanctification, is conftantly afcribed to the Holy Spirit. To this effect is that general declaration of the apoftle James; "E"very good and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights (a):"

(a) James i. 17.

not

not only every temporal bleffing, but likewife every pious difpofition, every motion in the divine life. God himfelf exprefsly promifes to give the first principles of religious obedience by means of the Holy Spirit. "A new heart," fays he, "will I give you, and a new fpirit will I put within you: I will take away the ftony heart out of your flefh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my "Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my ftatutes; and ye fhall keep my judgments, and do "them (b)." Agreeable to which, this gracious change, when it is accomplished, is exprefsly afcribed to the Holy Spirit: "Not by works of righteouf. "nefs," fays Paul," which we have done, but ac"cording to his mercy, he faved us, by the wathing "of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghoft, "which he fhed on us abundantly through Jefus "Chrift our Saviour (c)." In a word, there is no thing more plainly taught in the facred writings, than the neceffity of Divine influence, in order to the rife and progrefs of religion in the foul. Attend only to that folemn declaration of our bleffed Lord; "Verily, verily, I Tay unto you, Except a man be "born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter "into the kingdom of God (e)." And, in another place, "No man," fays he, "C can come unto me, except the Father which hath fent me draw "him (b)." From thefe obfervations it is evident, that, if we attend to the language of fcripture, and in our hearts believe the word of God, we must acknowledge that the Holy Spirit is the fole agent who works in true Chriftians both to will and to do.—We propofed,

66

II. To give fome account of the Spirit's operation, or, endeavour to fhow in what manner he works in Christians to will and to do.

(6) Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27.
(e) John iii. 5.

(c) Tit. iii. 5, 6.

(b) John vi. 44

I. The