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carry our regard to a mere natural course of things very far indeed.

That God has this power, and claims this right, is abundantly evident from Scripture. In the Old Testament, he speaks of • circumcising the heart to love him; of giving a heart to perceive, eyes to see, and ears to hear; of taking away the heart of stone, and giving an heart of flesh; of writing his law on the heart,' &c. All which phrases cannot reasonably be interpreted of merely using means, or exhibiting motives, which may be totally disregarded. His taking away the heart of stone, implies taking away the disposition to resist his will; his giving a heart of flesh, implies his imparting the disposition to obey, or giving a tender, docile, feeling mind.

In the New Testament, Christ is said to give repentance,' faith is the gift of God.' The exceeding greatness of his power is said to be displayed towards us who believe,' according to the energy of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, raising him up from the dead, and (raising up) you, who were dead in trespasses and sins *.' True converts are said to be born from above, born of the Spirit, created anew in Christ Jesus.' God is said to have begun a good work in them: they are his workmanship;' and he worketh in them both to will and to do, of his good pleasure.'

Some would insinuate, that the most holy disposition would not be commendable, if it were produced by omnipotent in fluence; but, surely, such an objection is irrational, unscriptural, and impious. Who would undervalue any relative or friend who was full of the kindest affection, and was always seeking his welfare, merely because he believed God had infused this friendly disposition, and impelled him so strongly to the exercise of it, that he could not do otherwise than act so kindly? And can real piety or love to God be of no worth, if God be its imme diate Author? If invincible grace in the regeneration of sinners, would render their virtue of no value, then original righteousness in unfallen creatures (as Adam or the holy angels) must be of no worth, because God was its immediate Author; and, if necessity of every kind is incompatible with holiness, what shall be affirmed of saints in glory, of the man Jesus, or of God himself?

The Efficacy of Grace might be illustrated by many scriptural examples. As a touch from God excited a select band to follow the first king of Israel, so did the call of Jesus reach the hearts of Levi and Zacchens: his secret influence turned the thief on the cross; he changed Saul, the furious persecutor, into Paul, the zealous apostle; and he opened the hearts of thousands, be sides Lydia, to attend to his testimony; and still, in every age,

Eph. i. 20. and ii. 1. ayeípad ditòv in vengv (all between is a parenthesis concerning. Christ) καὶ ὑμας οκτας νέκρους τους παραπτώμασι και ταις αμαρτίαις.

it has obtained similar conquests. Many can now witness for God, that none are so vile, but he can reclaim them; none so proud, but he can abase them; none so enslaved, but he can set them free from the bondage of corruption.

Fourthly, That the exertion of Almighty Influence to bring souls to Christ, well deserves the appellation of Grace, By grace is meant undeserved favour, which might have been righteously withheld. It is the exercise of goodness to the unworthy, manifested in the bestowment of good on them that deserved evil. Now nothing can be more evidently an act of grace than for God to give repentance to the impenitent, who would not so much as acknowledge their offence till he humbled them. It is grace indeed for God to draw those to Christ who once despised him, and scorned to be indebted to him for salvation. All that were averse to his method of salvation, objected to him for his excellencies: indeed, there was nothing but excellence in him, or in his redemption, for them to object to. They were averse to have him for their Mediator, because he was so fully on God's side; because he condemned sin so decidedly by the import of his atonement; because he saves so freely, excluding all boasting; because he saves so fully, not in sin, but from sin; because he saves so many poor, mean, unworthy creatures; because he will not leave his followers to enjoy a fool's paradise, but will fit them for the true paradise of God. These are their perverse objections; and do they deserve that God should turn them to the wisdom of the just?

It is the very worst species of depravity that makes this draw ing necessary; even the excess of pride, folly, and ingratitude. It is our dislike to the brightest, sweetest, most alluring and endearing display of God's harmonious perfections, which ever was made to creatures.

Nothing, then, can be more sovereign and discriminating. God must have an evident right in this case to act agreeably to what he said to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy; and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

God, who had a right to send the gospel to Macedonia, before he would permit it to be published in Bithynia, had also a right when it came thither, not only to open the heart of Lydia, a stranger from Thyatira, but also to draw the savage jailor to Christ, and the very felons in prison, in preference to many of the more decent inhabitants of Philippi. It was at his option to draw the furious Saul to Jesus, and leave his candid and moderate tutor Gamaliel, and the half-persuaded Agrippa.

Thus also, in the present day, under the same ministry, yea, under the same sermon, how often is one taken and another left! Salvation is proclaimed alike to all. All are charged, commanded, entreated, to flee for refuge; but one is stumbled at the mysteries of the gospel, another is affronted, at its hum

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another accounts it foolishness to leave all for

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bling import, Christ. One puts it off to a more convenient season, another is hurried away by youthful appetites, and another immersed in worldly cares. I pray thee have me excused,' says one; We will not have him to rule over us,' is the language of others; while the chief objection with some is, that his followers are not polite and genteel enough to be their associates.

And now what must God do? shall he let them all have their own way, and go to Hell together?must the blood of Christ be shed in vain? - and the ministry of reconciliation be promulgated in vain? or, must God let them go to Heaven in their own way, since they do not relish His ? save them with out a Mediator, as they do not choose to own the need of one? and grant them forgiveness, though they will not allow that they have done any thing for which they need to be forgiven? Must he let sinners sing of merit, because they refuse to sing of mercy and judgment meeting on Calvary? Must he save them in their sins, because they do not like to be saved from their sins? and let them be filthy still, and make Heaven itself a filthy place? or, since they do not like His Heaven, must he make them a heaven after their own minds, and there leave them to enjoy themselves, since they do not want to enjoy him?

Or, if God have power and liberty to change their hearts, and draw them to Christ, who shall obtain the blessing of a trew heart and a right spirit? They that say they need it least; who are very near good enough, who suppose they have a considerable share of virtue already, who have good hearts, according to their own account at least, though they have some defects in their lives? Must God carefully examine all the apparent goodness of sinners, and grant special grace to those only who are least unworthy? Or what rule will men lay down for him? Shall he always begin with the rich, the ingenious, the wise, the learned, the eloquent? or must he select those that excel in bodily form, or any other external qualification? If he take one of this family, and another of that, must he always regard seniority, and be sure not to prefer Jacob to Esau, nor David to Eliab? What are the qualities, in unregenerate sinners, by which God shall be induced to bestow regenerating grace?

When all are not only very guilty, and most justly condemned, but also deeply depraved, and unwilling to apply to the Saviour; when one is proud, another thoughtless, another stupid, another mad upon his idols, may not God use his discretion in imparting his gracious influence? May he not sometimes take the most unlikely, unpromising, and unworthy, to shew the freeness and efficacy of his grace, and so secure all the glory to himself?

Therefore, let no one murmur. If divine drawing be indeed needless in your case, come without it. Christ will be true to his word, in the latter part of verse 37, Him that cometh unto

me, I will in nowise cast out.' But, if you are unwilling to be saved by Christ, governed by him, and devoted to him, do not murmur at him for saving others, and leaving you to your own choice. Nor should you presume to blame him for laying down a certain plan beforchand, to prevent human obstancy from totally defeating divine benignity.

Our present subject is, The Ellicacy of Divine Grace, and not the Doctrine of Election. But if the former be admitted, no reasonable objection can be made to the latter. If God can draw whom he pleases to Christ, and has now a right to choose on whom he will confer so great a benefit, he always had that right, and could not use it too soon. If we might, without blasphemy, suppose the choice had been delegated to you, would you not have laid your plan as soon as you could? And will you find fault with God for doing what you would expect every wise man to do? Or will you say that, though he had a right to determine on the day they were converted, whom he would draw unto the Saviour, yet, he had no right to do this beforehand; or at least not from eternity? Will any person, who can prove by his obeying the call of the gospel, that God drew him in consequence of his having chosen him in Christ Jesus before the world began, find fault with God for loving him so early, or for determining so soon to save him?

But the limits of my paper require a conclusion. I only add, That without admitting the Doctrine of Efficacious Grace, there could be no foundation for prayer to God, either for effectual aid in duty, or for certain preservation from sin; since, if the beginning of holiness took its rise from man, much more must he look to himself for perseverance. Nor could we have any encouragement to pray to God for the conversion of sinners, or the certain prevalence of the gospel; we could only request the continuance of the means of grace, and look to human pliability alone for their success. Nor could we assign any satisfactory reason for the different reception the gospel meets with in the present age. Nor could we account for the positive predictions of the future conversion of the Jews, or of the universal extent of the Messiah's kingdom in the latter days. I should expect the most faithful ministers must be overwhelmed with discouragement; and as to the general prevalence of true religion, I should despair of its being effected in myriads of centuries.

On no other plan can all boasting be excluded; nor can we be brought to unite in scriptural acknowledgements and praises. Some have supposed, indeed, that this doctrine must tend to encourage negligence; but, if it be scripturally stated, the suspicion is groundless. Let it be observed, that we do not plead for divine influence to render means unnecessary, but to render them successful. We do not consider the work of the Spirit as either the source or the measure of obligation, but as the only

certain cause of the sinner's compliance with the most just and indispensable obligations, We consider the call of the word as the only warrant which authorizes the sinner to apply to Christ; but we consider the drawing of the Father, by the special influence of the Spirit, as that which inclines the sinner to obey that call. None can be found sufficiently well disposed to comply with the invitations of the word, unless the gospel come not in word only, but be applied by the power of the Holy Spirit. Remember that we would use this doctrine not to blunt the edge of scriptural exhortations, whether addressed to sinners or to saints, but to cut the sinews of human pride; not to lessen the criminality of them that reject Christ, but to heighten the obligations of them that receive Christ. Sinners act as freely and as inexcusably in rejecting the counsel of God, as if there were no such thing as divine drawing; and believers, on the other hand, are not the less voluntary in embracing the Saviour, because it is God who worketh in them both to will and to do; and their choice is as wise a choice, and its effects are as happy, as if it originated in any self-determining power of their own wills,

THE EVIL OF SUNDAY NEWSPAPERS, (Extracted from the Christian Monitor, by the Rev. John Owen, M. Â, Curate of Fulham. Second Edition.)

Of all the evils against which we should provide, and to which the most conscientious and resolute discouragement should be given, I know not any which will demand a greater portion of our zealous opposition than the baneful but increasing enor mity of Sunday Newspapers. Whether the immorality of ancient or of modern times be greater, I presume not to decide; but of this I am convinced, that no period of our Religious History since the Reformation, can shew an instrument so palpably insulting to the commandment of God, so diametrically hostile to the laws of the land, and so injurious to the interests of Piety and Religion, as the Sunday Newspaper. This is an inventton, the whole praise of which is due to this age of innovation! and I feel a conviction, which it is my duty to avow, that it will produce, if not speedily and effectually checked, effects more mischievous to the great cause of devotion and godliness, than many of those changes which we have already beheld with such astonishment and regret.

That the careless and the corrupt, the Deist and the libertine, should seek to repose, in the lassitude and irksomeness of their Sunday hours, upon this expedient, so suited to the vacuity of their minds, or the depravity of their hearts, is no matter of