fatal errors they embrace, notwithstanding all the means of light they enjoy. But whenever it pleases God to sweep away their refuges of lies, and make them know the truth, he can open their understanding, remove their prejudices, and cause them to see the truths, of which, for years and years, they have been willingly ignorant. Multitudes of ignorant and erroneous sinners have been brought to the knowledge of the truth. Heathens, Jews and infi- dels, have often been constrained to renounce their errors, and acknowledge the truth, under the preaching of the gospel. God is always able to set the truth before the minds of men in a clear light, and to open the eyes of their understanding to perceive it. And this is one thing implied in making men hear the gospel. We often say, a man does not hear what is said to him, if he does not understand it. Those who do not understand the gospel, do not 15 properly hear it. But God is able to make whom he pleases, hear the gospel understandingly.

4. God is able to make men hear the gospel feelingly, as well as understandingly. The gospel approves itself to the consciences, as well as to the understandings of men. It is quick and powerful, and sharper than a two-edged sword. It is like a fire and a hammer, which will break the stoutest minds. There is something amazingly alarming and convincing in the gospel, when it is let into the understanding and conscience, by a divine influence. This has been demonstrated in ten thousand instances. Those, who had attended and despised the preaching and miracles of Christ, and embrued their hands in his blood, could not withstand the power of the gospel under the preaching of Peter. They were alarmed, convinced and confounded, and constrained to cry out, in the deepest anguish and distress," What shall we do?" Though Paul had stood stupid and unmoved under the preaching of Stephen, who sealed the truths he preached with his blood; yet when it pleased God to arrest his attention, and awaken his conscience, he was constrained to fall under the weight and power of the gospel. In relating his feelings at that time, he says, "I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and died. And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death." God has all the natural powers of the mind under his controul, and can awaken and convince whom he pleases, in the view of divine truth. Though secure sinners often think themselves out of the reach of conviction, and imagine they can hear the gospel as long as they please, without falling under its awakening and convincing influence; yet they have often found themselves in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity, before they had the least apprehension of danger. God is stronger than the strong man armed. He is able to impress divine truth

upon the hearts and consciences of men, with irresistible power. How often has he held sinners in his sovereign hand, for days, and weeks, and months, in clear view of his wrath, of their guilt, and of their constant danger of sinking in the pit of des truction? He can fasten the arrows of conviction in the conscience of one poor, solitary sinner, whilst all around him are rejoicing in iniquity, and putting far away the evil day. Or he can arrest multitudes at once, in the career of sin, and throw them prostrate at the foot of his sovereignty. He can work upon the minds of sinners, and none can let it. And when God thus awakens the consciences of sinners, they will hear for their lives, and feel the infinite weight and importance of the gospel, though they hate and oppose it with all their hearts. I must add,

5. God can make whom he pleases love the gospel. The hearts as well as the consciences of sinners are completely in the hands of God. He can turn the king's heart, and the heart of every other man, as the rivers of water are turned. The preparation of the heart in man is from the Lord.' He can take away the stony heart, and give the heart of flesh. He can shed abroad his love, when, and in whose heart, he pleases. The renovation of the heart is universally ascribed to God in scripture. Christ told Nicodemus, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again." Christ also said, "No man can come to me, except the Father who sent me draw him." Again, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me." The apostle John, speaking of believers, says, "They were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." And Paul says, "God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." We read, "It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God who sheweth mercy"-that "God hath mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth." And God says to Christ,

Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power." Now, if God has the hearts of all men in his hand, and can soften and sanctify them, with infinite ease; then it is certain, that he can make whom he pleases love the gospel. Though they naturally hate it, yet he can remove their hatred, and cause them to be perfectly pleased with it. He can give them joy and peace in believing. He made the three thousand on the day of Pentecost receive the word gladly. He opened the heart of Lydia to receive the truth in love. And he is able to do this at any time, in any place, and for as many as he pleases. And this is, in the most strict and proper sense, making them hear the gospel. Hearing is often put for loving and

obeying the gospel. Isaiah uses this mode of expression, "Hear and your souls shall live." "The Spirit and the bride say come; let him that heareth say come; let him that is athirst come; and who soever will, let him take of the water of life freely." Hearing, in this passage, means loving, embracing, or obeying the gospel. Whenever, therefore, God makes men love the gospel, he makes them truly and properly hear it. And since he is able to open the hearts of sinners, he is able, in the most important and emphatical sense, to make them hear it. And upon this ground it was, that the apostle told the Jews, that the gospel of salvation should be takEren from them, and sent unto the Gentiles, and that they should hear it; that is, cordially embrace it. This promise God has fulfilled, from age to age, is now fulfilling, and will fulfil to the end of time. We may rest satisfied, that God will make every one whom he pleases, hear and love the gospel.

HEADS OF THE IMPROVEMENT.

1. If it is God who makes men hear and embrace the gospel, by a special and irresistible influence; it hence appears, that they are by nature totally depraved. If they had the least degree of true holiness, or love to God, they would cheerfully hear and embrace the gospel, without being morally compelled to accept of salvation. The gospel is called, in our text, the salvation of God; which means, that it offers salvation to sinners. And were they not totally depraved, they would immediately accept of a salvation which contains all the good in the universe.

There is no other way, in which sinners so clearly discover their total depravity, as by their treatment of the gospel, by not coming to it not attending to it-not understanding it-not feeling its influence-and not embracing its gracious offers.

2. If God can make whom he pleases hear the gospel; then it is extremely absurd and criminal for any to resolve that they will not 3 hear the gospel and accept of salvation. There are many, in a gos

pel land, who make this resolution. Some resolve, that they will L not hear the gospel; some, that they will not attend to it; some, that they will not understand it; some, that they will not feel it; and others, that they will not submit to it, and obey it.

But these resolves of sinners are absurd, because God can, whenever he pleases, bring them within the hearing of the gospel, and cause them, by his Spirit, to understand its truths, and receive them in love.

Such resolves are criminal; because they defy the power of God, and proceed from a hatred of the light.

9. If God can make men hear the gospel; then it is absurd, as well as criminal, for sinners to resolve, that they will hear it. Such a resolve is often made by secure sinners, and moral sinners, and still more frequently by awakened sinners :—

but it is ever absurd and crimina!. It is real rebellion against God, who has the minds and hearts of all sinners in his hand, and has a right to do with them as the potter does with the clay. He can call them away from the gospel-call off their attentive from it or change their resolution, as he pleases And besides, no resolution which sinners form, while they continue to bate and reject the gospel, can ever make them willing to embrace it. 4. If God makes men hear the gospel, in the manner represented; then he uses the same means to save some, which he uses to destroy others. He brings some to the gospel; makes them attend it, understand, feel, and love it; and thus saves them through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. But, he brings others to the gospel, makes them attend to it, understand it, and feel the weight of its motives; but instead of causing them to love and obey it, he hardens their hearts. This he did at Jerusalem-at Antioch-at Rome-and this he does wherever the gospel is preached.

5. If it is God who makes men hear the gospel; we may hence see a reason why he leaves some so long in impenitence and unbelief, whom he intends finally to bring in and save. He left Paul, a long time, in his self-righteousness. He left the three thousand in their blindness and unbelief, till after Christ, whom it is presumed, they had often heard and rejected, had closed his ministry and his life. And he still leaves some, even to old age, whom he finally calls hy his grace.

By thus delaying the effectual calling of some, whom he intends to save, God manifests his sovereignty, shows the impotency of all means, without the special influence of his Spirit, and makes it appear that the excellency of the power is his.

6. If it is God alone who makes men hear the gospel savingly; then there is nothing so directly calculated to alarm sinners, as this truth. This truth sets the sovereignty of God in the mos striking and awful light. He displays this attribute in creationin common providence-in election-and in reprobation; but he displays it most clearly in the application of the gospel, in making it a savour of life unto life, to some, and of death unto death, to others. The last word, and the most solemn, that Paul could say to sinners, was, that they should be left, and others taken!

7. If it is God who makes men hear the gospel; then there is encouragement for ministers to preach, and for saints to pray for success to their labours.

Finally, If it is God who makes men hear the gospel; then it is death to sinners to contend with this doctrine. If you go away reasoning and complaining against it; such reasoning and complaining will fit you faster, than any thing else, for sudden and aggravated destruction.

SENEX.

FOR THE HOPKINSIAN MAGAZINE.

ON DIVINE AGENCY.

Rev. and Dear Sir-I will endeavour to be as brief in my present communication, as the nature of the case will permit.

"Thou shalt persuade him, and shalt prevail also." This does not necessarily signify more than an assurance to the lying spirit that he would prevail, &c.

"Behold the Lord hath put a lying spirit," &c. The word put should not here be understood absolutely, because all the circumstances in connexion, shew, that the Lord barely permitted that spirit to be there.

"Move, turn, fashion and create." None of these terms express positive, absolute action more strongly, or are less susceptible of an accommodated meaning, than is the term put. If it is proper in one instance to call God's permitting a thing to be done, his doing it; why may not it be proper, in any other instance? God, as appears from all the circumstances of the case, merely permitted Satan to afflict Job; but Job speaks of God's afflicting him. And so do men in general terms, speak of the events of life; whatever happens, they attribute to God, inasmuch as he, being the Supreme Ruler of the universe, permits it so to be. The different circumstances of the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the creation of that in which man has a free agency, are sufficient to free us from the necessity of understanding both in the same sense. The heavens and the earth had no agency at all in their creation, and must, therefore, have been absolutely created by God; but man has an agency in the creation of his evil volitions. The cases are not. therefore, parallel; and as well migh the Universalist say, if everlasting, &c. may mean anything short of endless, then there is no evidence in the bible that endless misery is taught by it; as for a Hopkinsian to say, that because create may mean God's permitting man to create, there is no evidence in the bible that God did more than permit the world to be created.

God has a moral right to confer gratuitous good-favour which the recipient never merited. "He is good to all;" "He is kind unto the unthankful and the evil;" "He maketh his sun rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth his rain on the just and the unjust." But he has no moral right to inflict gratuitous punishment. We are no where taught that he punishes men more than they deserve, as we are that he confers undeserved good. And the reason is obvious: God can, without involving injustice, bestow unmerited good, but not unmerited punishment. This, then, is a good reason why he may not, by his agency, cause that in sinners which is evil in its nature, towards which he may manifest his disapprobation by punishing them; although he may with propriety. cause good in saints, and manifest his approbation of the same.

Men are justly subjected to the consequences, be they what they may, in which their sins involve them. The Devil and the damned are in a state in which they necessarily remain sinful and miserable. So of Pharaoh and others. If God actually hardened their hearts, and hurried them on to destruction, their former sins rendered it necessary for him thus to do with them, for example's sake, and hence the justice of doing it, though it involved them in additional sin, for which they were punishable. As to the moral agency of such, I regard them in this respect as do devils and the damned. But this is by no means admitting the justice of thus hardening and punishing men under different circumstances.