tion to his knowledge, and to the preventing grace inciting him to the choice. Such has been the fact with respect to every fin which ever was committed. Such will be the fact with respect to every fin which ever shall be committed. God is not the author of evil. He tempts no man to fin. He places no man under the neceffity of tranfgreffing His universal law. He leaves no man, in any inftance, deftitute of the power of obtaining that grace which would have preserved him from tranfgreffion, or deftitute of the preventing influence of grace on his will in a measure fufficient to incite him to exert the power. He mocks no man; however, fome, who have fingularly mifinterpreted his word, have virtually represented him as mocking the great mafs of the human race; he mocks no man by groundless hopes, by calls which cannot be heard, by commands which cannot be obeyed, by offers which cannot be accepted. He fubjects no man, he permits no man to be fubject, to a natural or to a moral impoffibility; distinctions, if tried by fair reasoning, in this cafe completely without a difference, of accepting the mercy which he proposes to all. God, the God of mercy, is faithful and just and true in all his dealings. Could he be faithful and just and true in all his dealings, if, while describing himself in terms the most comprehensive VOL. I. F as as holding forth a bleffing to all, he held it forth only to fome: if, while in language the moft impreffive he urged every man to accept his mercy, he knew that numbers were by his predetermined purpose ordained to remain for ever deftitute of the moral power of accepting" it? God is love love to every being which he has made. Could he be love to a being, who might have grounds for replying to him at the day of judgement; "Thou fenteft me "into the world incapable of ferving thee. "Thou calledft me; but thou continuedft me "under an impoffibility of turning unto thee "when thou calledft. And now thou con figneft me to everlasting perdition, for not "doing that which by nature I could not "do; that which by grace thou wouldeft not "enable me to perform." God will be clear when he is judged. The judge of the whole earth fhall do right. He is love, univerfal love. On St. Paul he freely beftowed the grace, which under the apoftle's infirmity was requifite. To every man the grace neceffary to counteract and purify human corruption is freely offered. To every man is the power given through Christ, of accepting it, of improving under it, of profiting by it unto falvation. The grace of God, which bringeth falvation, bath appeared unto all men; teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lufts, we fbould live foberly, righteously, aud godly in this prefent world (n): enabling, every man to difcern and to will that which is right, to live acceptably to his Maker in godlinefs and true holiness; and thus ftopping every mouth before God, thus cutting off all excufes from those who complain of ftrictnefs and difficulties in religion, and allege their natural weaknefs and depravity as a plea for difobeying the commandments of their Lord. III. The means, by which the grace of God is to be obtained, are diftinctly revealed to us. What are those means? The firft is prayer. Afk, and it fhall be given unto you: Seek, and ye fball find: knock, and it shall be opened unto you (o). But do thefe promifes relate to the gift of the Holy Spirit? Our Saviour proceeds to fhew by a familiar and most encouraging illuftration, that the Holy Ghoft is their immediate object. If a fon fhall afk bread of any of you that is a father; will be give him a ftone? Or, if he ask a fish; will be for a fifh give him a ferpent? Or, if he fhall ask an egg; will be offer him a fcorpion ? (n) Tit. ii. 11, 12. (0) Luke, xi. 9, &c. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that afk him! But is it not poffible that we may pray for the Holy Spirit; and yet fail of receiving the full bleffing which we defire? Undoubtedly it is poffible. You may afk and receive not, because you ask amifs (p). Can prayer then fail to obtain that bleffing, which God has promised to bestow on those who feek it by prayer? Genuine prayer will never be disappointed. Let your prayers be real prayers, and they fhall fucceed. But if your prayers for fanctification through the Spirit of God are deftitute of the qualifications, which are neceffary to render any prayer acceptable; if while you draw nigh unto your Lord with your mouth, and honour him with your lips, your heart is far from him; affuredly you will worship him in vain.` What then are the qualifications effential to the fuccefs of our prayers for the Holy Spi rit? In the first place, faith; a ftedfaft conviction that God will perform his promife of beflowing the gift of the Holy Ghost on every man who feeks it aright. If any of you lack wifdom, faith St. James; let him afk of God, that giveth to all men liberally and (p) James, iv. 3.. upbraid upbraideth not, and it fhall be given him. But let him afk in faith, nothing wavering: for he that wavereth is like a wave of the fea driven with the wind and toffed: for let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord (q). Wisdom is to be derived only through the Holy Ghoft, who is denominated the Spirit of wisdom (r). The faith, which is indifpenfable to the fuccefs of petitions for this gift of the Holy Ghoft, is equally neceffary when you pray for any other of the Chriftian graces. In the next place, your fupplications must be accompanied with an humble confcioufnefs of your helplefs ftate by nature, and of the value of the bleffings which you request. For otherwise, they will be devoid of that earneftness and fervency which St. Paul connects with genuine fervice of the Lord; which another apoftle defcribes as characteristic of the prayer that availeth much (s). And farther, your petitions for the aid of the. Holy Spirit must be perfevering. Your heavenly Father may wifely determine to prove you by delaying to comply with them. Will you lose that renewal of heart without which you cannot enter into the kingdom of God, by difcontinuing 8 (r) Ifaiah, xi. 2. Eph. i. 17. (9) James, i. 5-7- your |