and will, which they voluntarily neglect: and this alone is sufficient to bear the charge of their eternal ruin."

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Thus, to stop the mouth of the unbeliever,-to justify God in his sayings," when he pronounces the unbeliever condemned,-and to rouse this unbeliever from his supine indifference, and dangerous security,we have entered somewhat minutely into this part of our subject, and trust that its importance will form a satisfactory apology for its length. We now pass on to another branch of our subject, somewhat indeed connected with, and confirmatory of this, while it further exposes to view the deceitfulness of the human heart, and its many devices to counteract the salutary effects of the gospel ministry.

CHAPTER VI.

A GUARD SET AGAINST EVASIONS ALSO, BY A DISTINCT STATEMENT OF WHAT ARE NOT, AND WHAT ARE THE REASONS OF MAN'S UNPERSUADABLENESS AND CONSEQUENT UNBELIEF.

MAN, under the influence of his own froward and deceitful heart, and the blinding power of " the God of this world," will not only form excuses, but will have recourse to evasions; it is, therefore, of great importance to God's honour and man's salvation, that these evasions should be exposed. For this purpose, we will endeavour to point out distinctly and explicitly, first, what are not the reasons of that unper

suadableness which prevents belief; and then, secondly, what are the reasons of such unpersuadableness or disobedience. We propose then

SECTION I.

1. To show what are NOT the Reasons.

1. It is not on account of any decree of reprobation. The Scripture speaks of no reprobation, but of such as "have eyes to see," and wont see, and "have ears to hear," and wont hear; or of such as have been "endured with much long-suffering;" as will be seen, when we treat of that subject. Nor is it, 2dly, to be imputed to Adam, or to "man's evil imagination, which he has from his youth;" because men are not under a necessity to walk after that evil imagination, or, though they have an inclination to evil deeds, to indulge such inclination; since God presents to the mind so many considerations from the light and law of nature, from his written word, from parents and teachers, as, connected with the power of consideration and reasoning, would subserve the purpose of counteraction.* Nor, 3dly, is it because Satan, “the god of this world," hath blinded their minds in the first instance; for Satan blinds only those who yield to be blinded, or have first blinded themselves. 4thly, it is not for want of sufficient help being laid on Christ by God the Father for them; for who will set limits to the value of the blood of the Son of God for atonement, or to the merit of his righteousness for " justi

* The "imagination"—the inclination or " lust," is from Adam ; to walk after the one, and to indulge the other, is our own.

*

fication of life ?" or, who will limit the power of God's Almighty Spirit for man's salvation? Moreover, after Christ has declared that "God so loved the world as to give his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life;" after an apostle has told us of the Divine philanthropy, or "love of God our Saviour toward man;" after indeed, God has sworn by himself that he "desires not the death of the sinner, but that he turn from his wickedness and live;" who will set bounds to the Divine mercy, so as to say, that there is no help for him in God, if he seek it aright? No; as God said to Israel, " O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself, but in me is thy help;" so he seems to say to mankind at large. And hence he has commissioned his apostles and ministers to "preach the gospel," not merely before every creature, but " to every creature ;" which obviously implies, that there is a gospel for every creature. Why else too is it said, that "God sent his Son Jesus to bless us in turning away every one of us from our iniquities ?" Nor, 5thly, is it because of a want of willingness in Jesus himself to bless the sinner thus; for he expressly cried, "If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink ;" and indeed he complains of the sinners of his time, that they "would not come to him that they might have life;” nay, more, he laments over them: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen gathereth her brood under her wings, but ye would not!" Nor, 6thly, is it for want of the means of information, or of sufficient * Φιλανθρωπία.

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evidence for believing in this Saviour; for the information given concerning him, and the witness borne to its truth, is amply sufficient to satisfy any sincere and honest inquirer. Nor, 7thly, is it for want of 66 eyes to see and ears to hear" this evidence, or of a power of consideration whether it be for our happiness to receive such Saviour, or for our misery to reject him. Nor again, 8thly, is it for want of sufficient encouragement to ask for understanding, or for any thing else that might be deemed requisite to believing unto salvation. Nor, 9thly, is there a want of motives, such as commands and exhortations, promises and threatenings, or even of expostulations; for all these we have in abundance: and as Moses and the Prophets, Christ and the Apostles did, so do God's ministers urge them. Nor, 10thly, and lastly, is it that man has not the physical liberty of his own will, to choose what he likes best without foreign compulsion; nor, from want of ability to use the helps, or to avoid the hindrances to his faith and salvation. Although, indeed, man is destitute of will to spiritual good, yet if there were not in him this physical, or, as "the Westminster Confession of Faith" terms it, "natural liberty of the will," we can see no use of all the addresses of God to man. Why should he, for instance, by his servant Moses to Israel, after setting before them the "good" and the "evil," urge them to "choose life, that they and their seed might live?" Why should he again say by his servant Joshua on another occasion, "Choose ye whom ye will serve." Indeed, there are a thousand things in common life of a moral nature, wherein we show a "

power over

our own will" of inclination by the considerations that suggest themselves to us, as has been before shown and, with regard to soul concerns, though spiritual considerations will not move us freely to will spiritual things, yet, self-interested and earthly considerations may move us to seek to avoid selfdestruction.

SECTION II.

To show what ARE the Reasons of Men's Unpersuadableness, or Disobedience to the Gospel.

Having stated what are not the reasons why men believe not, we proceed to state what are the reasons of this unpersuadableness and unbelief; and, by the light of Scripture, as well as from observation and experience, we find that they are these. 1. The practice of evil deeds. Men, by their own positive acts of will indulge in evil deeds, and walk after their evil imagination, which, as before observed, they are by no sort of necessity obliged to do; at least, until they have hardened themselves through the deceitfulness of sin; for, although, from a corrupted nature, they are inclined to these evil deeds, yet, such are the considerations brought to their mind from their own

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spirit," which Solomon calls "the candle of the Lord," from the word of God, and from the Spirit's striving by their conscience and thoughts,-from parents and teachers, and from the manifest consequences of sin around them, that it must be a positive wicked act of their own mind that must prompt them, instead of refusing the evil or misery, and choosing the good or happiness, as men from the very con