is well-pleafing in his fight, through Jefus Chrift! Heb. xiii. 21. And indeed all the prayers of the faints for the aids of divine grace imply the neceffity of them; for they would not pray for fuperfluities, or for what they already have in a fufficient meafure. It is the Spirit that helps our infirmities in prayer, and other exercifes of devotion, Rom. viii. 24. and all our preparation for the heavenly state and afpirations after it, are of God. He that hath wrought us for the selffame thing is God. 2 Cor. v. 5. In a word, it is God that worketh all our works in us, Ifa. xxvi. 12. it is he that worketh in us both to will and to do, of his own good pleafure. Phil. ii. 13. Now the actual communication of divine influences, implies their necessity. Accordingly, we find

The neceffity of divine influences is afferted in the plaineft terms in fcripture. No man, fays Chrift, can come unto me, except the Father draw him. John vi. 44. He that bath heard and learned of the Father, and he only, will come to him, ver. 45. and this influence is not purchafed by our endeavours, but it is the free gift of grace. Hence Chrift varies his former declarations into this form; no man can come unto me, except it be given unto him of my Father; ver. 65. and the agency of divine grace is neceffary, not only to draw finners to Chrift at first, but also to make them fruitful afterwards. Hence Chrift reprefents even the apoftles as dependant upon him as the branch upon the vine; and tells them plainly, that "without him they can do nothing." John xv. 4, 5. Through all the ftages of the Chriftian life, we depend entirely upon him; and without his influences, we fhould wither and die like a blafted flower, however blooming and fruitful we were before. Hence, fays God to his people, in me is thy fruit found. Hofea xiv. 8. Since then this is the cafe, it will follow, that when God is pleased to withhold his influences, all the means of grace will be unfuccefsful. Accordingly we find,

The

The unsuccessfulness of the gospel is often refolved into the withholding or withdrawing of the influences of grace, as one caufe of it. Thus Mofes refolves the obftinacy of the Ifraelites under all the profufion of wonders that had attended them, into this, as one cause of it: The Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to fee, and ears to hear, unto this day. Deut. xxix. 2, 3, 4. If none believe the report of the gofpel, it is because the arm of the Lord is not revealed. Ifa. liii. 1. "If the myfteries of the kingdom of heaven are hidden from the wife and prudent, while they are revealed to babes; it is because God in his righteous judgment and fovereign pleasure, hides them from the one, and reveals them to the other." Matt. xi. 25, 26. Nay, the evangelift fpeaks in yet more forcible terms, when speaking of the unbelief of the Jews, who were witnesses of Chrift's convictive miracles and difcourfes; therefore they could not believe, because that Efaias faid, he bath blinded their eyes, and hardened their hearts, John xii. 39, 40. and in the fame ftrain St. Paul speaks: he hath mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will be hardeneth. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. Rom. ix. 18, &c. These paffages are fo oppofite to the prevailing divinity of the age, that they are dangerous weapons to meddle with; and it is well they are the very words of fcripture, otherwife we should be charged with blafphemy for mentioning the truth contained in them. We muft indeed be cautious that we do not infer from these scriptures any fuch horrid doctrine as this, that men are compelled to fin, and pushed on to ruin, by a neceffitating decree, or the refiftlefs impulse of providence; or that, though they were difpofed to turn to God, they are judicially kept back and hindered by the divine hand. This would be contrary to the whole current of scripture, which charges the fin and ruin of finners upon themselves; but these paffages mean, that God denies to obftinate VOL. III. finners

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finners thofe influences of his grace which are neceffary to convert them, and which, if communicated, would have fubdued their utmoft obftinacy; and that in confequence of this denial, they will rufh on in fin and irreclaimable impenitence, and perifh; but yet that God, in denying them his grace, does not act merely as an arbitrary fovereign, but as a juft judge, punishing them for their fin in abusing the bleffings he has bestowed upon them, by judicially withdrawing the aids of his grace, and withholding farther influences. And fure he may punish obftinate finners with privative as well as pofitive punishment! he may as juftly withhold or withdraw forfeited bleffings, as inflict pofitive mifery. This we all own he may do with refpect to temporal bleffings; he may juftly deny them to fuch as have forfeited them; and why he may not exercise the fame fovereignty and juftice with regard to fpiritual bleffings, is hard to fay. His hardening the heart, blinding the eyes, &c. of finners, fignify his withdrawing the influences of grace which they have abufed, his withholding thofe additional influences which might irresistibly fubdue their obftinacy, and his fuffering them to fall into circumftances of temptation. Thefe paffages do but ftrongly and emphatically exprefs thus much: thus much they may mean, without cafting any injurious reflections upon God; and less than this they cannot mean, unlefs we would explain away their meaning.

From the whole then, we find that the doctrine of the reality and neceffity of divine influences to render the adminiftrations of the gofpel effectual for faving purposes, is a doctrine familiar to the facred oracles. This will receive additional confirmation, if we find it agreeable to matter of fact: Which leads me to obferve,

III. That the different fuccefs of the fame means of grace in different periods of the church, fufficiently fhews the neceffity of gracious affiftances to render them cfficacious. The various ftates of the church

in various ages are but comments upon the facred pages, and accomplishments of fcripture.

Now we find that religion has flourished or declined, not fo much according to external means, as according to the degree of divine influence. Alas! what could Noah, that zealous preacher of righteoufnefs do, during the 120 years of his miniftry? He might warn, he might perfuade, he might weep over a fecure world, in vain: they would rufh upon deftruction before his eyes; and he could only perfuade his own family; and even among them there was a curfed Ham. How little could Mofes, the favourite meffenger and intimate of God, prevail to make his people dutiful! Alas! after all the astonishing wonders he wrought before their eyes, they continued obftinate and rebellious; for the Lord had not given them an heart to understand, &c. Deut. xxix. 4. This Mofes mentions as what was beyond his power, and could be effected by omnipotence only. What inconfiderable fuccefs had that zealous prophet Elijah, the eloquent Ifaiah, or that tender-hearted, mourning, weeping prophet Jeremiah! Surely, many feeble fervants of Chrift, in all respects inferior to them, have been crowned with more extenfive fuccefs! Nay, when the Son of God defcended from heaven a teacher to the world, who fpake as never man fpake, who carried omnipotence along with him to atteft his doctrine by the most astonishing miracles, how few, during his life, were brought seriously to regard his doctrine! He was pleafed to defer the remarkable effufion of his fpirit till his return to his native heaven. And when it was poured out, what a glorious alteration followed! then Peter, a poor fisherman, is the happy inftrument of converting three thoufand with one fhort fermon; which is more perhaps than his divine Master had done by a hundred. Then, in fpite of the united oppofition of earth and hell, the humble doctrines of the cross triumphed over the nations, and fubdued millions to the obedience of faith.

Then

Then the doctrines of Jefus, who was crucified at Jerufalem like an infamous malefactor, between two thieves, became the mighty, all-conquering weapons, through God, to demolish the ftrong-holds of Satan. 2 Cor. ii. 4. And whence this ftrange alteration? It was from the more abundant effufion of the Spirit upon the minds of men; upon their minds, I fay; for as to the external evidences from miracles, prophecies, &c. they were fufficiently clear before this happy feason. But there was not the fame degree of internal illumination by the Spirit. It is often intimated by Chrift, in his last difcourfes with his disciples, that the holy Spirit was not yet given; and hence it was that he and they laboured fo much in vain. But upon his afcenfion he performed the promife he had fo often repeated, and fent the Spirit both upon them and their hearers; and then the afpect of affairs was happily altered: then the word had free course, and was glorified. Then the world, was convinced of fin, of righteousness, and of judgment.

This point might be illuftrated farther by a history of the various periods of the church from the apoftolic age to the present time; but it would be too tedious; and what has been offered is fufficient to convince us that it is not by power, nor by might, but by the Spirit of the Lord of Hofts, that the interests. of religion are carried on, Zech. iv. 6. especially if we add,

IV. Our own experience and obfervation, which furnish us with many inftances in which this great truth has been exemplified.

Our obfervation furnishes us with fuch inftances as thefe -Sometimes a minifter who is an univerfal fcholar, a masterly reafoner, and an accomplished orator, and withal fincerely engaged for the converfion of finners, labours in vain, and all his excellent difcourfes feem to have no effect; while another of much inferior accomplishments is the fuccessful inftrument of turning many to righteousness. This cannot be accounted