which proves, that they have it in their power to wish and strive to obey this sacred call; and on their striving to obey it, their salvation essentially depends. At other times they are taught, that no efforts of their own can be effectual, if attempted with a presumptuous spirit of independence on the aid of their God, to whom they must look to strengthen their weakness, to remove every difficulty, and secure their final success; and thus pride is humbled, timidity encouraged, devotion animated, and piety advanced. We must not, therefore, with the predestinarian, depress man into a passive machine; nor with the Pelagian, exalt him to a proud independence of his God.. No; we must admit all the principles promulgated in revelation, and attend to the whole counsel of God; and he will purify and soften our heart, until it shall become a fit offering for his altar. "Seek a new spirit, and he will put his Holy Spirit within you. Thus, will you become his people, and he will prove your God." The great apostle of the Gentiles, also declares sanctification to be the work of God. "Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water, by the word."* While in another passage, he thus exhorts men to sanctify themselves as a duty to which they were bound. Having therefore these promises (dearly beloved) let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."† 66 The apostle Peter also declares of the converted Gentiles, "God put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith ;" and St. Paul tells us that "Christ gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."§ While another apostle represents it to be the duty of the individual to purify himself; "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you: cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts ye double-minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." It is thus undeniable, that the Holy Spirit does not act upon Ephes. v. 26. +2 Cor. vii. 1. § Tit. ii. 14. + Acts xv. 9. James iv. 8-10. rence. the soul altogether independently of human choice and concurHis operation, however powerful, is not compulsory. We must, according to the text, "work out our own salvation;" though it is "God who worketh in us to will and to do of his good pleasure." It is equally plain, that we must not only be occasionally active in working out our salvation, but that we must persevere in working it out with constant vigilance and anxiety,—or as the apostle expresses it, "with fear and trembling." For while we continue in this mortal state, this scene of trial and probation, we can never pronounce ourselves perfect in holiness, exempt from temptation, secure from fall. He, only, "who perseveres to the end will be saved;"* and experience unites with Scripture in assuring us, that many who have continued long, and advanced far in the path of righteousness, have yet before the close of life been seduced to return into the ways of vice, and sink into perdition." Scripture declares, that "some have had faith and a good conscience, which having put away, concerning faith they have made shipwreck ;"t that "they who have escaped the pollutions of the world, through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, if they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning."‡ Who, indeed, can entertain an undoubting assurance of his own special acceptance and final salvation, before his earthly trial approaches its close, or justify this self-satisfied estimate of his having attained a state of religious perfection and indefectible obedience, so as to be fearless of temptation and sin, when the great apostle of the Gentiles (who is so erroneously considered as the promulgator of these very tenets) inculcates caution and self-distrust as necessary to all from the whole series of sacred history, which exhibits so many awful examples, amongst the chosen people, of men who had enjoyed the highest religious advantages, and yet abused them so as to incur the displeasure of God by their crimes and apostacies. Hence the apostle argues, "Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom * Matt. x. 22; xxiv. 13.—Mark xiii. 13.—Heb. iii. 6, 14, compared with 1 Cor. i. 8; Heb. vi. 11-15. + 2 Peter ii. 20, + Tim. i. 19. the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall."* When of himself, he further declares, that though if any could boast of external advantages he might much more, yet says he, “I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though (he adds,) I had already attained, either were already perfect; but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press towards the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."t For, however insufficient of ourselves to encounter temptation, or persevere in obedience, "we can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth us;" however unable while unassisted, to "work out our salvation," yet if we endeavour to do so "with fear and trembling," with a consciousness of our guilt and our weakness, with a dependence, not on our own strength but on the Holy Spirit, such humble fear, such trembling anxiety for pardon and help, will never fail to receive that aid, we so indispensably require, and so earnestly implore. This humble reliance on the divine aid will receive powerful confirmation when, in addition to these repeated calls encouragements and commands to pray, thus universally addressed to all, to whom the Scriptures are made known, we consider the equally clear declarations of the indispensable necessity of divine influence to ENABLE US TO PRAY ACCEPTABLY to God. "Lord," says the inspired psalmist, "thou hast heard the desire of the humble; thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear." And again, "quicken us, and we * 1 Cor. x. 11, 12. + Phil. iii. compare 8, 11-14. + Psalm, x. 17. will call upon thy name.' And Zechariah declares, that the same divine influence alone, could prepare for acknowledging and adoring the crucified Redeemer, for thus speaks the prophet, in the name of that God who inspired him, "I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications, and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son."† In fair reasoning we should unite these declarations, that God will hear all who sincerely pray unto him, these calls and commands to all, be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God," with the promise, "that thus the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus," and the equally gracious promise of our divine Lord, "when two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them;"|| with that “when thou prayest in secret, thy Father which seeth in secret will reward thee openly." We should combine all these with the representations, which it has been proved Scripture gives us, "of the tender mercy of God, over all his works," of his impartial justice, which is "no respecter of persons," but which requireth of every man according to what he hath, and not 66 according to what he hath not." And having thus considered them, surely we cannot believe, that these calls are addressed to those who, from an eternal decree, are fore-ordained not to hear; that these commands are imposed on agents who have no power to obey them; that these encouragements are held out where it is impossible they can produce any effect. It follows, therefore, THAT SUCH PREVENTING AND ASSISTING GRACE AS WOULD ENABLE MEN IN ALL THESE IN 66 STANCES, "TO WILL AND TO DO After God's GOOD PLEASURE," ALWAYS ACCOMPANIES THE DECLARATIONS OF THAT PLEASURE SO FAR, THAT THE MORAL AGENTS TO WHOM IT IS DECLARED, MAY BE ENABLED SO TO WILL AND DO, IF IT BE NOT THEIR OWN FAULT. But the gracious influence of this Holy Spirit is * Psalm, lxxx. 18. † Zech. xii. 10. + Phil. iv. 6. Matt. vi. 6. not irresistible. It may be obstinately rejected; it may be contumaciously despised; it may be quenched and grieved, forfeited ́and withdrawn, and thus we may irretrievably perish. Such seems to me the clear language and tenor of Scripture as to the divine conduct towards every repenting sinner; equally contrary to Predestinarian exclusion, and Pelagian presumption. This system appears not to attribute to God any thing repugnant to his attributes, or inconsistent with his character as moral Governor of the world. It requires not any thing from man impossible for him to achieve. It rouses the exertions, calms the terrors, assists the weakness, checks the presumption, and encourages the perseverance of the sincere though imperfect Christian. It does not, indeed, attempt to define the exact limits between the effects of human exertion, and of divine influence. It does not attempt to state, "so much is the work of man, so much is the gift of God." It represents the efforts of the penitent soul, as sincerely turning to God, imploring his aid, and acknowledging its own unworthiness in the humble supplication, "God be merciful to me a sinner," appealing to the mediation of Christ, looking up to his example, relying on his propitiation -its repentance accepted and its offences pardoned by virtue of this propitiation; and finally, its faith and obedience crowned with an eternal weight of glory. But, as well at the commencement as at every step of this progress from sin and misery to righteousness and happiness, the divine aid sustains, the divine wisdom guides, the divine mercy encourages, and accepts the returning sinner. Thus humility and exertion, vigilance and self-distrust and a constant looking up to our Redeemer and our God for his merciful aid, are perpetually cherished in the Christian's soul, which, thus daily imploring and receiving additional assistance from the ever-present Spirit of truth and holiness, is daily enlightened, strengthened, purified; until it becomes rooted in faith, joyful in hope, fruitful in charity, and prepared for heaven; where He, who is at once its Redeemer and its Judge, receives it with mercy and acceptance, ranking it among his faithful followers to whom he shall address the happy call “Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the |