this is to be done, not by repeating in a tame and ordinary manner the name of Cbrist; nor by indulging in certain current, but not very intelligible, modes of expression, much less by descending to low and really exceptionable phrases; but by endeavouring to inculcate high conceptions of the Saviour, ardent love to his name, simple faith in his sacrifice, sacred impressions of his presence, comprehensive views of the testimony of the Scripture with regard to him, and inextinguishable desires after his blessings. I need not say, that the world will not readily endure this full and adequate display of the truth of Christ Jesus: nor is it necessary for me to point out the obvious temptation to which in these days we are exposed, of concealing or limiting some branches of this offensive but astonishing theme. I will only observe, that in proportion to our wise and scriptural discharge of this first duty of our ministry, will be the measure of that blessing of the Holy Spirit on which alone the suc. cess of our efforts depends.

5. The doctrine which relates to the person and influences of the Holy Spirit is allied with the preceding, and is one in which we are equally in danger of failing -There is no truth of Revelation which is more exposed than this, to the impiety of a proud philosophical scepticism. All claim to the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, however sober and scriptural, is at once consigned to unmeasured con. tempt. The consequence is, that many amiable persons, especially if they are young and inexperienced in the ministry, are too naturally led to keep back in some degree the full declarations of the sacred Scriptures on this subject. Thus they "grieve the Holy Spirit of God." Instead of largely and expressly insisting on His personality, Deity, and grace, too many rest contented with low and disproportionate statements.

many cases where the relate to the influences Spirit have by no me place. And yet is Ghost the author and Is he not the source every thing spiritually there be one good thou desire, one right action Who is it that renews the sinner? Who con his lost estate as a t Who leads him to true Who separates him fro Who gives him the gr Who reveals to him th mercy of Christ Jesus, his cross, and gives hi which flows from just acceptance through his maintains and carries o life which he first besto imparts holiness and st tory over the world, love sincerity in our dedica selves to his service? Eternal Spirit the sole a these blessings? Does mise of his grace stand i same relation to us, whi mise of the Messiah did to Is not the New Testamer pensation of the Spirit ?" our instructions an ine use the expression of a g except as they are qui life by the Holy Ghost? gle benefit flow from ou either as to the conver ungodly or the edificati cere Christians without agency? How highly th we honour him in all our Let the world who know esteem our zeal to be them charge us with un or enthusiastic flights of let them endeavour to our scriptural and temp clarations with the misch veries of the impostor; misinterpret and misrep

they have ever done, a doctrine which they do not love and cannot appreciate: it is enough for us to know, that "the wisdom of the world is foolishness with God." We must not be content with occasional references merely; we must take care that such a doctrine do not lie hid in obscurity through our fault. We must guard, indeed, against rash and unwarranted positions on this as well as on any other subject: we must carefully trace out the truth into its proper fruits and evidences, but we must never hesitate to speak openly and fully on the person and opera tions of the Spirit. We must magnify his influences. We must expect his presence. We must our selves depend, and direct our hearers to depend, upon his inspiration. We must give Him the praise of all the good which he is pleased to produce. There are few points where we need more caution than on this. The doctrine slides, insensibly from our recollection. We pray, we preach, we visit, we labour-little effect follows: we are surprised; but surely our astonishment would cease if we called to mind our neglect of that blessed Spirit of life, from whom alone all real efficiency proceeds. If we truly desire a revival amongst our parishioners, we must look for it by returning to the old scriptural truths of the Holy Ghost, by honour ing his operations, and imploring more fervently and simply his mercy

and power.

6. I have been carried to a greater length than I intended in the above remarks; but may I be permitted to add here, that in the view which I take of the low and deficient tone of religious sentiment which is now under consideration, I have frequently thought there is a want of a distinct acknowledgment of the doctrine of the special grace of God, in the strict sense of that term, as the origin of salvation to ruined sinners, the only source of every blessing, the spring of repentance, faith, obe Christ. Obsery. No. 161.

dience, and everlasting life. The accountableness, indeed, of man; his obligation to the Divine law; the necessity of addressing him as a reasonable creature, and calling him to repent and believe the Gospel; the duty of repentance and faith; the inexcusableness of those who go on in impenitence and unbelief, and the final condemnation of the ungodly arising solely from their own sin and guilt, are truths of the very first magnitude. I need not here repeat the sense I entertain of the danger of any such representations of the impotency of man, or of the grace of God, as appear to weaken their force. But our explication of these primary truths, as well as of all the other parts of religion, must be connected with the clear and full exhibition of the doctrine of the grace of God, This must on no pretext be obscur ed or concealed. If we are not called on to reconcile all the various truths which are commonly suppos. ed to be necessarily involved in this great point, we certainly are called on to teach them, so far as they are explicitly revealed in the holy Scriptures,

"By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast; for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." "He hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.” “It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy." "Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace; and if by grace, then is it no more of works; otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace; otherwise work is no more work." "Blessed, be

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with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love; having predestinated us unto the adoption of chil. dren by Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will." "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience, and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ." "Give diligence to make your calling and election sure."

Such is the language of the unerring oracles of God, and such, in its proportion, should be the language of our discourses. I am fully ready to admit that expositions of some of the deeply mysterious truths connected with the above and similar passages are not essential to the Christian life and experience. That I do more than admit that they ought not to be rashly and excessively inculcated; that I consider such crude and unscriptural effusions as in the last degree pernicious; I have, I trust, sufficiently shewn in my former paper. But I do not stop here; I am ready further to allow that on many occasions-in the conduct, for instance, of a religious periodical miscellany like your own -there may be a propriety in not taking any decided part as to the particular explication of them, from a just consideration of the mischiefs of theological controversy, and from a recollection of the distinguished piety and learning which are ranged on each side of the question. All, therefore, that I would here contend for, is, that the above and similar passages as they stand in Holy Writ, ought to have their due place in our course of pastoral instruction; for this plain reason, that they are found to have a place in the inspired

an uninformed congregati discourses of the Apost Acts of the Apostles, be But, on the same princip considerable number of verted persons are to be carried forward to the ful of Divine truth, let the the same Apostles, in th Epistles, be the object of imitation. Whatever passages as I have quoted the Epistles to the Rom thians, Ephesians, &c. an ever ends they are there a similar place should th for similar ends, so far as firmity will allow, in our trations. The reason of to be listened to, when it ceal any part of the re God. No one word of Spirit can ever be safely d All Divine declarations a true, but right; the very ble of all statements, the eternal wisdom, mercy and ness.

To be silent W speaks, is as culpable as where God is silent. T tion, which I fear is com the class of ministers w ments I am considering, t very mention of terms wh in the holy Scriptures, more than suspicious. stop. The whole of what for on this branch of the s simple adherence to the inspiration, and to that a pendently of all human For with regard to the min tion of some of these partic (1 speak of those which r Divine will), it is not alway it is seldom necessary-I is not even desirable, to Even as to the more gener tion of them, to which we times be called, the utm is necessary, the utmo

temerity as to ourselves, the most entire exercise of Christian charity towards others; for dogmatism and conceit are dangerous beyond conception here. We can scarcely go beyond the language of the Holy Ghost on such topics with any secu rity.

But surely there is another part of the truths contained in the above and similar passages which stands on a widely different ground. The doctrine of the special favour and grace of God, as the only source of conversion and salvation, is quite exempt froin all fair controversy. On this point it is our duty to speak out. We must not, we cannot, I think, conscientiously be indifferent. Whatever our particular views of the texts relating to the secret will of God may be, this fundamental truth, which lies on the very surface of the Scriptures, is to be openly and fully explained to our people. We may suspend our judgment on topics of abstruse and awful contemplation, but we must not suspend it on the great and commanding truth of the distinguishing grace of God.* This can no more be considered by a truly pious minister as a matter of debate, than the doctrine of the fall of man, or of the work of the Holy Ghost, with which it is inseparably connected. I need not say how much it is obscured in our day. I need not say how nearly many seem at times to approach the Semipelagian heresy. I think it very important for young divines to understand the bearings of the different parts of

*

It is of little consequence for me to repeat here, what I professed in my former paper, my own firm belief in the doctrines of election and predestination to life. My wish is to separate the grand leading truth of Divine grace from the particular sentiments of different individuals on topics which, however conjoined with it in their own view of the subject, I would never represent as placed on the same footing with that essential doctrine of the grace of God which is admitted in common by every truly Christian divine.

this subject. I am sure we never can expect the blessing of God on our ministry, if the doctrine of his free favour and mercy is weakened or concealed. This great princi. ple, thus separated from disputable tenets, has far more to do with every other part of evangelical truth than might at first sight be imagin ed. It gives the right tone to the whole. It stamps the real character of our ministry. It tends immediately and necessarily, when scripturally taught, to abase man as a sinner; to glorify God; to excite to penitence and prayer; to display the grace, and enlarge our views of the work and intercession, of our adorable Lord; to promote gratitude, humility, and obedience; to increase our sense of dependence on the Holy Ghost; to awaken hope, and joy, and love in our Christian walk; and to teach us in what strength we are to follow and obey our Saviour. The omission of it, on the contrary, tends, both in itself and in the disposition of mind to which it almost infallibly leads, to a covert but dangerous measure of pride and self-righteousness; to a dislike of strictly scriptural language on various important topics; to a misapprehension of the nature of the Gospel; to a reliance in some degree on Our own power and strength; to an undervaluing of the influence of the Holy Spirit, and a general coldness in our love, gratitude, and obedience to God-not to mention that it gives too reasonable an occasion to excessive statements on the part of those who hold, as we conceive, high and disproportionate views of doctrinal truth. But I hasten from a subject on which I need not say I speak with great apprehension, from a knowledge of the misconception to which, from the truths with which it stands connected, I fear it will ever be peculiarly liable, in order to mention,

7. The defect which is, I conceive, commonly attached to those I have

duties of obedience. The standard of religious practice is closely connected with the standard of doctrine. The opposite errors of excessively high statements of religious truth, and excessively low, unite, as extremes are frequently found to do, in this respect. They both tend to relax the obligations of duty, and lower the tone of genuine feeling. They both introduce, from opposite quarters, so many allowances and concessions into their code of morals, as to weaken, in many important respects, the force of the Divine law as the rule of conduct, and the efficacy of evangelical principle as the source of obedience. We must ever recollect that the Gospel is a remedy for man; and this remedy loses all its effect except as it is made to bear on his disease. The Christian life is a course of holy faith, spiritual communion with God, tender circumspection, and unreserved devotedness. It delivers from the world; it unites to Christ; it begins in a new and heavenly birth, and leads on to increasing degrees of conformity to God. We are brought back to God by the gift of justifying grace, in order that we may receive the "spirit of adoption, crying, Abba, Father." We are delivered from the hands of our enemies, that we may serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life." Sanctification, in all the amplitude of the term, is the invariable concomitant, the necessary effect, and the only satisfactory evidence of justification through the obedience unto death of the Son of God. We cannot, indeed, be too considerate and encouraging in addressing the young or oppressed penitent, and we must always have compassion on those who are overtaken in a fault, and restore them in the spirit of meekness. But we

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culty with such corrup as we are. We soon highest duties; those o and spirit, and temper with God, and our love to forget that religion is no tion, a sentiment, a pro a new life, the inhabita through the Spirit. Thi ennobling principle is no tered away by distinctions ments; it is not to be br to the worldly estimate feebled Christianity; it compromised or enerva tame dictates of a spuriou It teaches us now, if v Christians, as it did the days of the Apostles, to godliness and worldly lu live soberly, righteously, in this present world." to "put on, as the elect o and beloved, bowels of kindness, humbleness meekness, long-suffering. us to "come out from and be separate, and tou unclean thing." It plain) that "the friendship of th enmity with God: whosoe fore, will be a friend of is the enemy of God." T ministers to whom we are n ing our attention, have ne utmost vigilance on this p the efficiency of their in must vanish, if they allow ple to make a mistake here permit them to imagine t of self-indulgence and ind worldly company and amu of ostentation and vanity, and sensuality on the on or of evil tempers and pa slander and malice, of pa and caprice, of conceit a nacy on the other are c with a state of scriptural profession. On the cont maintenance of a high sta