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wrought upon by the spirit of God; and the fcriptures, I find, confirm this conclufion." Except a man be born again, he can not fee the kingdom of God. By grace are ye faved through faith; and that not of yourfelves; it is the gift of God.-Not by works of righteoufnefs which we have done, but according to his mercy he faved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghoft.-Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth." Thefe and numerous other paffages plainly teach me to view all the goodness or holiness ever found in men, as being originally not of themselves, but of God.

F. Why then do you hope that you fhall yet repent and turn to God? Do you think that he is under any obligation to grant the fpecial influences of his fpirit to all mankind? or that he actually doth fo? or that he hath promifed this infinite favor to any thing that you fhall do, whilft out of Chrift, altogether felfish, and dead in fin? or that you can lay him under any obligation to do it for you?

T. I must confefs I do not find any evidence that this is the cafe. On the contrary, I find that fo long as I am out of Chrift -fo long as I do not believe on him, in the manner required to intitle to falvation, I am fo far from having either a prefent title to life, or a gracious promife of the fpecial, efficacious influences of his fpirit" to change my heart, that I am under the curfe, condemned already, and the wrath of God abideth on me. Indeed, I find there is a promife, that he who asks fhall receive, and that

he who feeks fhall find; but alas, I have asked and fought again and again; and yet do not receive or find. I therefore conclude the afking and feeking, to which the promife is made, is a different thing from any to which I have attained; or implies another kind of defire, and acting from other principles and motives, or for other ends, than I have ever yet done. I likewife find, that God claims it as his right and prerogative, to do as he pleases, with refpect to the bestowment of his favor and grace. His language is, "I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will fhew mercy on whom I will fhew mercy."

F. Is it not then a fact, a real truth, that if you are ever converted and faved, it will be by the free grace of God, to which you have no claim, and which he may grant or withhold as he fees fit; fo that it may be truly faid, if God fees fit or is pleafed to beftow his grace upon you,-to give you an heart to know him, to repent and turn and receive the love of the truth, you will be converted and faved; but otherwife will certainly perifh?

you

T. This doth indeed appear to be the true ftate of the cafe.

F. What then is the ground of your hope? or what reafon have you to hope, that you may yet be converted and faved?

T. So far as I can learn from the fcriptures, and from the preaching and inftructions which appear to me to correfpond with them, all the reafon I have to hope that I may yet be converted & faved, may be fummarily expreffed in these following particulars, viz.

1. Jefus Chrift, by the one of fering of himfelf for fin and becoming obedient unto death, hath made an atonement for fin and

wro't out a righteousness perfect,ly acceptable and well-pleafing to God, every way fufficient to render it confiftent with his juftice and the best good of this kingdom, to juftify and fave every one who believeth in Jefus ; and alfo to grant the fpecial influences of his Spirit to whomfoever he pleafes, for their conviction, quickening and far&tification. Hence, God not only declares that he will be gracious to whom he will be gracious, but hath alfo exprefsly promifed falvation to every one who believeth.

2. God is infinitely gracious and merciful.

3. He hath in fact had mercy on many, and even on fome of the chief of finners. Therefore, it may be that he will have mercy

on me.

4. It is plain from the fcriptures, that he intends to fave a number of mankind. Therefore, it may be that I fhall yet be faved. 5. His fending the gofpel, the word of falvation, into a place, feems to carry an intimation, that he hath a defign to convert and fave at least fome in that place.

The gofpel is called the word of faith, and the word of falvation; and Paul fays, "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." If I rightly apprehend the fcriptures upon this head, the word of God is the divinely appointed mean of faith and falvation, and neceffary to it, at leaft, according to God's ordinary method of operation.

Although an heart to believe, or to receive the love of the truth, is an effect of the fpecial operation of the fpirit of God; yet in order to the actual exercife of faith in Chrift, it is neceflary that he fhould be revealed or inade known. For men, tho' ever fe

well difpofed, cannot believe in him of whom they have not heard,: or of whom they have no knowledge; and the word appears to be the divinely appointed mean of the knowledge neceflary in or der to actual believing on the Lord Jefus Chrift. Nor can I difcover, that God doth often, if ever, change the hearts of finners who have come to years of difcretion, without fome knowledge of the object of faith derived from the word. It does not appear, that in the days of the apoftles falvation was fent to any except where the gofpel, the word of falvation, was fent; and wherever this word was fent, there appears to be evidence, that it was made effectual to the faith and falvation of fome. Hence there appears to be more reafon to hope for the falvation of fome among thofe who have opportunity to hear the word or derive inftruction from it, than among those who have not; and I accordingly entertain more hope of my own falvation, than I fee prefent reafon to have of that of any individual among thofe where the gofpel is, and appears likely to continue, totally unknown: And efpecially, if the word hath taken effect upon me fo far, that my attention is greatly engaged to it, and I am exci ted to liften to and search it, with ferious and deep concern about my fpiritual ftate and eternal welfare, there feems to be proportionably greater reafon to hope God intends to make it effectual to my falvation. But after all, fo long as I am impenitent and deftitute of all real holinefs, unbelieving and out of Chrift, and do not receive the love of the truth, I am far from having any promife or fure evidence that I fhall be faved. And if I have long fat under the

word, and heard the gofpel preach-
ed, year after year, without any
faving effect, and efpecially, if I
am now as careless and ftupid and
hard-hearted
as ever, or even
more fo, it is evident, that I have
very great reafon to fear, that I
fhall die in my fins, and lie down in
forrow. There is a may be, a pof-
fibility, that I fhall be faved; but
to all appearance, far greater rea-
fon to fear that I fhall perish.

ever find mercy; and nothing appears to keep me from finking into defpair, but a persuasion of the important truths which I have already mentioned, and that God is an infinitely wife, holy and gracious Sovereign, who can and will have mercy on whom he pleafes, and even on fome of the chief of finners.

If any reader of the preceding difcourfe fhould be ready to fay, that, according to the statement contained in it, the cafe of finners is very awful and alarming; it will be readily admitted, that it is indeed fo. Yet if this is in truth the cafe, is it not beft that it fhould be known? Is it not evidently of importance, that finners fhould be convinced of the truth with refpect to their real character and fituation?

Sir, I have now ftated the fum and fubftance of what I can fay refpecting the grounds or reafon of my hope; from which you will readily perceive, that when I faid, I had fome hope that I fhould be faved, I did not mean to intimate that I thought I had any prefent title to falvation, or any meafure of that kind of hope which the real Chriftian experiences; but only, that I confidered my conIf it fhould be inquired, whethdition as being not altogether er this reprefentation of the cafe hopeless or totally defperate-that of finners will not tend rather to I believed there was a poffibility, difcourage them, and to drive and, at leaft, fome degree of them into defpair, than to be of probability, that I fhould be fa- any real fervice to them; it may ved; fuch, however, as may ad- be replied, that it is calculated mit a greater probability that I and defigned to make them despair fhall finally perish. And I freely of obtaining falvation by their acknowledge, that I often appear own righteoufnefs, or of bringto myfelf to be upon the point of ing God under any obligation to concluding my cafe is quite hope- convert and fave them, or of atlefs. Notwithstanding all the taining to true happiness in any awakening and inftructive means way except that of meer free which I enjoy, and all the infi- grace through the redemption nitely folemn and weighty argu- which is in Chrift. And till they ments and motives which are pla- are brought to this kind of defced before me, I find myself fo pair, it is conceived, they will nevextremely blind, ftupid and un-er rightly apprehend and cordially feeling, and my heart fo entirely embrace the gofpel. Great numeftranged from God, fo perfectly bers, it is probable, are ruined by dead in fin, fo deceitful and def- prefumption, to one that is loft perately wicked, and apparently by defpair. And if the preceding growing worfe and worfe, that I exhibition fhonld prove a means am, at times, almoft driven to the of bringing any unrenewed finners conclufion, that God will certain- to a realizing conviction that their ly caft me off forever-that there condition is quite as awfully danis no room left to hope that I fhall gerous and alarming as the exhi

muft imply those who were nearly connected, by natural relation, friendship, or in fome other way. As the expreffion is rarely used, except in the cafe of those who

bition fuggefts--and if, as the natural confequence of this, it fhould prove inftrumental of exciting in them the most earnest enquiry how they may efcape impending deftruction, and the deep-were reputed the people of God, eft concern about the event; which it may be defigned to exprefs the again would naturally excite them relation which is peculiar to them. to cry earnestly to God for mer- The following obfervations are cy, whilft every other fource of submitted. hope was wholly removed; it is believed, there would be a hopeful profpect of their deriving fpecial benefit from it. God grant that this may be the cafe; and that finners may be not only convinced, but also converted and faved, of his infinite mercy, thro' Jefus Chrift!

ASTHENES.

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1. The expreffion, "They were gathered to their fathers,' points out an event which is connected with dying and takes place at that time.

This is evident from the use of the words, in the paffages already quoted, and in most places where they occur, and in fome places this only is mentioned, when it is evident that death alfo is in.

The re-union of faints in the world cluded.* of fpirits..

Judges ii. 10. "All that generation were gathered to their fathers."

A

SIMILAR form of expreffion, occurs in various paffages in the holy fcriptures.Thus it is faid of Abraham, that he died and was gathered to his people of Ishmael, he died and was gathered to his people-Ifaac died and was gathered to his people

2. The fathers to whom they are faid to be gathered, are thofe who died before them, and existed in the world of fpirits. This is evidently true, becaufe, at death, they were feparated from their friends and connexions in the prefent world, fo that they could not be faid to be gathered to them. And, if their departed

friends had not an existence in the

invifible world, it would be abfurd to speak of being gathered to them. The expreflion fuggefts the idea of an affembly, or fociety, collected from different places and ages of the world and united in a happy exiftence, beyond the grave.

and thus God faid to Mofes, die, and be gathered to thy people, as Aaron thy brother died, and was gathered to his people. In thefe and a few other paffages, we find this form of expreffion, differing 3. This gathering to their fathfrom our text only in this way, ers is diftinguifhed from death, that the word people is ufed inftead though connected with it. Death of fathers, meaning no doubt as it refpects the diffolution of this much the fame. If any differ- bodily life; and a feparation of ence be fuppofed, it is only that the foul and body, is mentioned, people is the most entenfive inits fig-in moft places, referred to above nification. Their people or fathers, as diftinct from this gathering.

Numbers xx. 24. xxvii. 13. and

Gen. xxv. 8. Gen. xxv. 17.
Gen. xxxv. 29. § Deut. xxxii. 50. chap. xxxi. 2.

of Abraham, Ishmael, Ifaac, Mofes and Aaron. Each of thefe died and were gathered to their people. Were nothing further defigned by this than the diffolution of this mortal life, the impropriety must forcibly ftrike the mind of the reader.-In that cafe as has been hinted already, they would not have been faid to be gathered to their people, but feparated from them. We add,

*

Thus we have seen in the history | buried him in a valley, in the land of Moab, and no man knoweth of his fepulchre, unto this day. From thefe paffages it is evident that, the burial of the body, and the gathering to their fathers, are by no means the fame, but widely different.-One, the gathering to their people or fathers, is uniformly mentioned as an event immediately connected with dying, though diftinct from it, and in no degree dependent on the will or conduct of their furviving friends on earth. The other, (the burial of the body) as dependent on their will and performed by them.

We obferve fecondly. That thefe two are diftinct from each other, 'appears from this, viz.

The bodies of thefe ancient faints were not in all inftances, gathered to the bodies of their people and fathers by burial. Thus, in the cafe of Abraham, the bodies of his people and pro

4. This expreffion cannot be defigned to imply the burial of the dead, or that their bodies were gathered to the bodies of their friends and progenitors; and that for two obvious reafons, firft, their burial is mentioned in diftinction from this gathering, and as fomething quite different from it. This appears from paffages of holy fcripture already recited. Thus Abraham died, and was gathered to his people, "and his fons Ifaac and Ifhmael buried him in the field of Machpelah.' ."*genitors were hundreds of miles "Ifaac died, and was gathered to diftant from the place of his buhis people, and his fons Efau and rial. The body of Mofes was Jacob buried him." Jacob be- not gathered to the bodies of his fore his death, informed his fons people in his burial, for it was that he was about to be gathered placed alone, and the bodies of to his people, and charged them the generation mentioned in the to bury him, in the burying place paffage under confideration, were of his fathers, and when he had not gathered to their fathers in made an end of commanding his this fenfe-their immediate profons, he gathered up his feet into genitors were buried in the wilderthe bed, and yielded up the ghoft, nefs, and the more remote, in the and was gathered to his people.‡ land of Egypt. After which we have an account of the tranfportation of his body by his fons from Egypt to Canaan, and that it was depofited in the burying place of his fathers according to his direction. Mofes alfo died and was gathered to his people. But, he, i. c. the Lord,

Gen. xxv. 8, 9. † Gen. xxxv. 29. Gen. xlix. 29-33.

Thus it appears that when the infpired writer informs us that all that generation, were gathered to their fathers, it is not defigned merely to let us know that they ceafed to live on earth, or that their dead bodies were put in graves: Much lefs, that the spir it, or the foul, ceafed to exift and

* Deut. xxxiv. 6.

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