self, or even his neighbor, for volitions and actions which were thus free? Were it possible for God to act contrary to the infinite holiness of his nature; or were it possible for him to change his nature, and become disposed to cruelty, falsehood and unrighteousness; would he be a more free agent, a more glorious Being, or more worthy of our confidence, adoration and praise ?

That liberty to act either way, in all cases, contrary to the inclination of the agent, as well as according to it, for which some contend, is a kind of liberty inconsistent with all moral agency. Such necessity as implies an impossibility of acting, or willing to act, otherwise than agreeably to one's own disposition, is essential to that freedom of a moral agent, which alone can render him deserving of praise or blame, for any actions. And this is all the necessity which need be supposed, in the spontaneous actions of men. I answer,

(3.) To say that we have no sin, because we have no freedom of will, is most plainly contrary to scripture, and to all common sense.

The whole Bible evidently goes upon the supposition that man is a free agent; and so do all mankind, in their treatment of one another. If we imagine that men have not that freedom which is necessary to constitute them moral agents, and to render them capable of moral evil, what must we think of all laws, exhortations, counsels and reproofs, human and divine, which are given to mankind; and of all punishments inflicted upon or threatened them. If men were mere machines-if, like the heathen gods of wood and stone, they could not do evil, neither were it in them to do good, to give them any commands would be palpably absurd; to counsel or admonish them would be perfect nonsense; to reprehend or punish them, would be most unreasonable and unjust. And on this supposition what must

we think of the plainest dictates and feelings of our own minds? Do we not resent the injuries done us by our fellow-men, in a very different manner from what we do any hurts received from inanimate things? Are we not angry with the instruments of our suffering pain or damage, in the one case, as we are not in the other? Do we not all of us feel that law written on our hearts, of which the apostle speaks the law of conscience, accusing, or else excusing one another? We must disbelieve the whole word of God; we must contradict the most evident belief of all mankind, and we must give up, as illusory and false, the plainest feelings of our own minds, before we can suppose ourselves such necessary agents, as to be incapable of blameworthiness. But,

3. Some may say, that they are chargcable with no sin, because they have never done that which will eventually be any damage. They have never hurt God, nor the creation of God. All will end well; therefore, "Whatever is, is right." Right, not only in Him who eternally planned it, and providentially orders it; but right in the actors of it. God will not appear less glorious in the end, nor will there be less happiness in the universe, for us, or for any of our actions. On the contrary, whatever we have been, or whatever we have done, was designed and ordered by infinite wisdom, as necessary for the greatest universal good. Why then should we be sorry for it, or condemn ourselves, or be condemned?

This imagination, like the forementioned ones, at first appearance, exalteth itself as an impregnable fortress for the defence of sinners: but when judg ment is laid to the line and righteousness to the plummet, it must be swept away, with other refuges of lies and hiding places of falsehood. Reason and conscience, if only attended to, will tell every

man, that when he has acted wickedly, and with a wicked mind, he is not at all the less to blame, because the intended mischief is prevented by another; or because the evil action is made the occasion of good. And the holy scriptures abundantly inform us, that God views the matter in this light. He used Nebuchadnezzar as his battle-axe, to cut down his enemies; and as his rod for the chastisement of his revolted chosen people. Howbeit, since he meant not so, neither did his heart think so; but it was in his heart only to enrich and aggrandize himself, by destroying nations not a few; God says, "When I shall have performed my whole work upon mount Zion, and on Jerusalem, I will punish the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks."

How is it that the actual damage arising from the iniquities of men is prevented, and that they are made the means of good? It is generally and principally by the punishment of them. Thus God made the oppressions and obstinacy of Pharaoh and the Eyptians, the occasion of his name's being declared throughout all the earth, by overthrowing and drowning them in the Red Sea. And thus will he get glory to himself, and, in displaying his holiness, will exceedingly increase the happiness of the good part of the intellectual creation, from the sins of all finally impenitent workers of iniquity, by the terrible punishment of them in that lake of fire, whence the smoke of their torment shall ascend up for ever and ever.

Who can say that God would not actually be hurt, in his glory and happiness; or that eternal damage would not be done to the universe, by every sin, were it not that he can thus ease himself of his adversaries, and be avenged on his enemies? Were it not that he will shew his wrath, and make his power known, in their exemplary punishment; except they make their peace with him, in the wonderful way provided? Were it not that those who walk in pride, he is able to abase,

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and will abase? And shall we think that sin is no sin, and deserves no punishment, because God Almighty, by punishing it in such glorious justice, can vindicate his own injured honor, and secure the greatest general good! If any can seriously imagine this, I know not to what strong delusions they may not be left, or what strange lies they may not believe.

But there are some others who only say that they have now no sin, though once they were great sinners. Either they think themselves perfectly sanctified; or that perfect holiness is not required of them; or else that their sins are done away, in every sense, by the atonement of Christ, and the pardoning mercy of God. We will consider each of these claims to innocence, separately and distinctly.

also the

such as

1. Some say they have no sin, from an imagination of their being perfectly sanctified. God is able, indeed; did it seem good in his sight, to sanctify nien wholly in this life: but that he never sees fit to do it, we have abundant reason to conclude from his word. There are left upon sacred record, not only great sins of some of the holiest men, but humble confessions of most eminent saints; Job, David, Isaiah, and Paul, that they were far from having attained to sinless perfection. It is also demanded, "Who can say,-I am pure from my sin?" And it is expressly said, "There is not a just man upon earth, that doth good, and sinneth not." From all which it may be concluded, with great certainty, that if any say their sanctification is perfect, it is but a vain boast, or a foolish self-deception. But,

2. Some may say that they have no sin, from an imagination that perfection is not now required of them. They may suppose that the old law, demanding a perfect life, and a perfect heart, is disannulled; and a new one substituted, making sincere obedience only, the whole duty of a christian. This notion

they ground, I suppose, on such texts as Rom. vi. 14, "Ye are not under the law, but under grace." But if that, text, and others like it, have reference to the moral law, they must be understood of it, only as a covenant of works. Believers are delivered from even the moral law in this view: that is, they are not under its condemning sentence to eternal death, however numerous and aggravated their sins may have been ; and they have the promise of eternal life, though their obedience is still imperfect. This is implied in their being justified freely by the grace of God, through the redemption of Jesus Christ. And this is all the sense in which they are not still under the moral law. Certainly they are not delivered from the law of perfection, as the rule to which they are bound in duty to be conformed. To suppose any man delivered from this law in that sense, is to suppose it right, for him to do that which is in some measure wrong. It is to suppose that, without sinless perfection, one can be perfectly free from sin: than which nothing can be a more express contradiction. If on this ground, any imagine they have no sin, they are certainly deceived.

3. There is one ground more, on which some say this; namely, because it is supposed that their sins, past, present, and to come, are all blotted out and done away by the blood of Christ, and by the pardoning mercy of God. And indeed, the expressions of scripture are very strong in some places, respecting the deliverance of believers, by these means, from all sin. As to the imputed atonement of our Redeemer, it is said, Rom. viii. 1, "There is now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus." And ver. 33, 34,"Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect. It is God that justifieth: who is he that commendeth? it is Christ that died." As to the pardoning mercy of God, we read, Psal. xxxii. 1, 2, "Blessed is he whose iniquity is forgiven,