not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles? The purpose of God muft ftand according to the election of grace, as the apoftle witneffes; and there is no unrighteousness with God in this me, faying, this is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, faying, not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, faith the Lord of bofts. Who art thou O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou fbalt become a plain: and he fhall bring forth the head-matter-but there is wisdom in flone thereof with fhoutings, crying, all his ways and dealings; Grace, grace, unto it. well in the kingdom of grace, as of nature and providence, and particularly in his choosing this perfon, and not that, to be a veffel of mercy. This choice was prior to the creature's existence, and hence must be sovereign. God had no refpect to the acts of the creature; as in the choice of Jacob and not of Efau. See Rom. ix. 11, &c. Hence muft we not fay, that this choice is a fovereign act of God? "Even fo Father, for fo it feemeth good in thy fight." 3. This choice is a fovereign act of God's own will-he hath a fovereignty over his works-he hath an uncontrolable power to difpofe of his creatures according to his will; but yet there is fuch a rectitude in the divine nature as effectually to prevent his doing wrong. Shall not, fays Abraham, interceding for Sodom, the judge of all the earth do right? In matters of judgment he will attend to the ftricteft rules of right; but he is fovereign in his grace, and difplays it according to his will and purpose; not to the damage of any, but the infinite advantage of the chofen.Should any reply against this, we fhall turn them over to the anfwer of an infpired apoftle. Rom. ix. 18-24. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will be hardeneth. Thou wilt fay then unto me, why doth he yet find fault? for who hath refifted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that replieft against God? Shall the thing formed fay to him that formed it, why haft thou made me thus? Hath not the potter pow er over the clay, of the fame lump to make one veffel unto honor, and another unto difhonor? What if God, willing to fhew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much long fuffering the veffels of wrath fitted to deftruction: and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the veffels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto lory, even us, whom he hath called, 4. There is no refpect of perfons with God in this choice. One is taken, and another left, and yet the throne of God's holinefs is pure and fpotlefs. Some may be ready to think, that the doctrine of election, as held by Calvinifts, is inconfiftent with what is faid of God in the facred oracles; as in Acts x. 34, 35. Then Peter opened his mouth, and faid, of a truth I perceive that God is no refpelerof perfons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and workebrighteousness, is accepted with him. But let it be obferved here, that the refpect of persons which is claimed amongst men, and denied to be with God, is when one who fits as judge, prefers the caufe of one to that of another on fome finifter account; or because one is poor and another rich as in Levit. xix. 15. Te shall do no unrighteoufacfs in judgment; theu fbalt not refpect the perfon of the pours nor honor the perfon of the mighty: but in righteoufnefs fhalt thou judge thy neighbor. But there is no fuch thing with God: In all his conduct he confults his own glory and the best good of his kinddom. Yet notwithstanding the above observations, I would juft remark- 5. That who the perfons chofen are, and the divine reafons for the choice are fecret and myfterious. They are things which belong to the hidden counsels of God; and are among thofe deep things of God, which will not be fully laid open, till the myfteries of God fhall be finifhed in the falvation of faints, and condemnation and final ruin of finners. When we see a generation rifing up they appear without diftinction, till God makes a distinction by his powerful, efficacious grace. And indeed, there is no certain diftinction of the elect from the nonelect here on earth; and fhould any pretend to root up the tares, they would be in danger of miftaking, and rooting up the wheattherefore they must grow together till the harvest. We can tell whether this or that perfon belongs to God's vifible kingdom; but whether he is a fubject of God's eternal choice is beyond our knowledge. Yet let it be just remarked, that how fecret foever this choice may be, as it refpects others, it may be evidenced to the fubject of it. It is difcovered by the happy confequences, viz. by the foul's fubmitting to the grace of God in the gofpel. Therefore the exhortation is, give all diligence to make your calling and election fure. 2. Pet. i. 10. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election fure; for if ye do thefe things ye fhall never fail. But after all that has been ob ferved, perhaps fome will object, and fay, how can these things be? For, if God hath chofen a certain number in Chrift, to be holy and happy, while others are left out of this eternal choice, and are fuffered to go on in fin to their final ruin, will they not have. grounds to find fault with God the judge of all at the last day, for laying a bar in the way of their falvation, by not choofing them to be heirs of his kingdom?— But God forbid, that any should fpeak or think on this wife; thus to reflect on the infinitely glorious Majesty !!! Let us attempt, in few words, to obviate this objection. 1. Let us confider man as a corrupted, totally depraved creature, who has forfeited every favor at the hand of God-who is not only undeferving, but ill-deferving, and hell-deferving. Then, and of confequence, 2. We must conclude, that all the bleflings which he receives, come to him in the channel of: undeferved mercy-whether the gifts of nature, providence or grace, the fource is the unmerited goodnefs of God. It is of the Lord's mercy that we are not confumed: Look upon all your blef fings, whether for time or eterni ty, they are all undeferved mercies. 3. In difpenfing undeferved bleffings, God is indebted to none; but hath a right to have mercy on whom he will have mercy.— Is it ever confidered as a crime among men, to give to fome, and not to all? In human adoption, is it to be looked upon as a crime for a man to adopt this or that perfon to his name and estate, and leave others? By no means : So in the cafe before us; if God fees fit to choose one and not another to be his friend and favorite, why is he to be impeached with the crime of unequal dealing, any more than men in difpenfing their favors, to which they are not at all obligated? These things fhew that no injuftice is done to thofe who are left; and God's glory and the highest good of his kingdom are the grounds of the diftinction. Our Saviour reasons to the fame purpofe "Friend I do thee no wrong; didft thou not agree with me for a penny? Take that is thine, and go thy way; I will give unto this laft, even as unto thee-Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil because I am good. Here were fome who fuppofed they were unequally dealt with ; but Chrift would teach them, and all, that in the difpenfation of mere favors, he might act the fovereign. But, H WOW are the invitations and calls to finners, with which the fcriptures abound; and the folemn declarations that God hath no pleasure in the death of finners, but that they would turn and live; reconcilable with their being left of God to go on in fin, and perifh? Or, in other words, if God be as defirous of the return and falvation of finners, as thofe ftrong expreffions, particularly in Ezekiel, intimate, what reafons are there affignable, why he, (in whofe hand all hearts are, and for whom nothing is too hard, with whom nothing is impoffible) doth not convert them to himself, provided the atonement be infinitely full? TO THE EDITORS OF THE CON- AZINE. GENTLEMEN, Should you deem the following obfervations calculated to do good, and admiffible into your magazine, you may infert them. both faints and finners, are dead, and yet alive. 4. For God to choose any to falvation is an act of mere mercy and grace; therefore he may fhew his fovereignty in choofing whom he will. Are you chofen,refent, that all mankind, HE fcriptures of truth repare you called, are you justified, and fanctified? It is all by the mercy of the Father, the mediation of the Son, and the power of divine grace in the hand of the Spirit. And when the top-ftone of the Saints happiness fhall be laid in heaven, the inhabitants of that bleffed world will unite their voices in fhouting the honor of the Redeemer, and the glory of electing love. MASSACHUSETTENSIS. Queflion. AN anfwer to the following queftion would be gratifying to, at leaft, one of the readers of the Magazine, viz. However paradoxical this may appear to fome, yet I truft, the truth of the pofition may be made clearly to appear. In the first place, I would attend to the moral character of the finner, as depicted in facred writ; and attempt to point out, in what fenfe he may be faid to be dead. The apoftle fays, "we thus judge, if one died for all, then were all dead." In another place, "you in trefpaffes and fins." Again, hath he quickened who were dead "awake thou that flecpeft, arife from the dead." Sinners may pertinently be faid to be dead in a moral view: They are fpiritually dead, being void of grace and fpiritual life. Divine and faving grace is a living principle, of which they are totally deftitute. They are dead in fin, lying under the power of it. They are dead in trefpaffes and fins; as the apoftle witneffes-which may intend all forts of fins, habitual and actual, of heart and life. Sin is the death of the foul; in whatever heart that reigns, there is a privation of fpiritual life. Unrenewed finners are dead, not only in their moral state, as they are deftitute of the principles and powers of fpiritual life, and cut off from God the fountain of life; but they are dead in law; as a condemned malefactor is faid to be a dead man. They are under a fentence of death; are condemned already; which fentence will affuredly be executed, they remaining impenitent and unpardoned. fays the apoftle, in me, i. e. in my flesh, there dwelleth no good thing. It is true, they do not lie under any natural inability, as dead bodies do: Their impotence is altogether of a moral nature; which confifts in wickednefs, perverfenefs and oppofition of heart to all that is good; all that is holy. They have the fame natural powers previous as 'fubequent to regeneration; but they have fuch a strong and total averfion to God, and the methods of his grace, and bias of heart to that which is evil, that they may be faid to be as morally unable to put forth gracious actions, as a dead man is naturally unable to raise himfelf; fo that their difinclination of heart and prejudice to the gospel plan of falvation, (while that temper of heart remains unchanged by fovereign grace) will prevent the existence of any exercifes in them which will be acceptable to God, and prove as fatal to them, as though they were under all the natural inability, which fome fuppofe; or as is conceivable. Further-A dead body is infenfible to beauty or deformity. So they who are fpiritually dead, are quite infenfible, and blind to moral beauty and deformity. Never did one of this character difcover any real beauty in the moral character of Deity; inftead of approving of it they are totally oppofed to it. They are carnally minded; and fays infpiration, There are fome things predicable of a dead man, which may reprefent and elucidate the ftate and condition of thofe, who are ipiritually dead. The dead know not any thing: Death locks up the fenfes, feals up all the powers and faculties; and so does a state of fin, as to any thing fpiritually good. If a mountain were laid on a dead man, he would have no fenfe of it; fo, blind, ftupid, hardened finners have no proper fenfe of the evil of fin, which, were their eyes duly opened, and the exercifes of their hearts regulated," would be an intolerable burden to them. But this thought may again be brought into view in the fequel. Again, a dead body is unable to quicken and give life to itfelf; fo finners are utterly una. ble to exercife fpiritual life, or do any thing fpiritually good-as the carnal mind is enmity a. gainst God, is not fubject to his law, nor indeed can be." They are far from being pleafed with the divine character as holy; for they fee no beauty, no loveliness in holinefs. It is impoffible that fuch a character fhould meet the approbation of their hearts, it be own. regenerate, fo long ing diametrically contrary to their That God hates fin and is determined to punish it, inftead of rendering his character beautiful in their fight, as it is to all holy beings, gives them difguft. And they are dead, totally blind to the glory of the way of falvation by Jefus Chrift. Like the unbelieving Jews, they discover no beauty or form in him, wherefore they fhould defire him-and they are dead, in that they are quite infenfible of moral deformity. They difcern not the evil, odious and deteftable nature of fin. Inftead of having an averfion to fin, for its own fake, as the godly have, they love it, and drink it in like water; and roll it as a fweet morfel under their tongue. And they have no realizing fenfe naturally of their own vilenefs; and how hateful they have rendered themselves to God; but they are wont, through the pride of their hearts, to think well of them-vation, they do it by the deeds of felves; to be fure, much more highly of themfelves than they ought to think. And then, as dead carcafes keep their place and are void of motion; fo they, if left to act themselves, and being governed by their natural principles, will keep their ground in fin, and never move a ftep towards God, Chrift and preparation for heaven. Inftead of ever grow-be reconciled to fuch humiliation, ing any better of themselves, they will wax worse and worfe; treafure up to themselves wrath against the day of wrath, and ripen for an aggravated deftruction. Thus we fee the propriety of fcripture declarations, that all unregenerate men are dead. I would now, in few words, fhew, in what fenfe they may be faid to be alive. I do not recollet, that it is faid in fcripture, in fo many words, that all the un the law. Although they are not friendly to the law, yet to that they are wont to fly for fhelter. All men naturally are whole, having no feeling fense of their need of the only phyfician of fouls.They are very loath to be beholden to Chrift for their falvation in the way pointed out in the gofpel. Their proud hearts cannot as to caft themselves at Chrift's feet for mercy, as helpless and perifhing creatures, and depend folely on him for their falvation. They are of fuch an unhumbled, legal fpirit, that they choose to ellablish their own righteoufnefs. How many, being unacquainted with their own hearts, and the fpirituality of the divine law, are fo puffed up with their own fuppofed goodnefs, that they are rea dy to found the challenge, with |