tainly has natural powers of mind sufficient, under the light of the Gospel, to understand the attributes of Jehovah, and the excellency of His character, as displayed in the works of nature, providence and redemption. He has powers of mind to discern the purity of the divine law; the strictness of its requirements; the justice of its penalty, and the unreasonableness and criminality of disobedience. He has powers of mind to discover the necessity and suitableness of the atonement. He has powers of mind to discover the necessity of repentance and faith in Christ. He has powers of mind to distinguish, in some good degree, between the beauties of holiness and the odious nature of sin. He has all the natural powers of mind, aside from a moral disposition of heart, which are necessary to qualify him to refuse sin and choose holiness;-to forsake the world and follow Christ; for he, certainly, is capable in other cases, of discerning, of choosing, and of loving. He has all these natural powers of mind to love the world; and, in addition to this, he has a disposition, a will to love the world; and he does love it. Without this disposition, however, he would be able, in a certain sense, to love it. An angel has all the natural powers of mind to render him capable of loving the world; but he is at an infinite remove from loving it, because he has no disposition. A sinner has all the natural powers of mind to love those of his fellow men, who are his enemics, that he has to love those who are his friends; but he has no moral ability or disposition of heart; therefore he does not love them. Just so he has the same natural powers of mind to love God; and he has all the natural powers of body and mind to obey His commands and follow the examples of Christ; but he has no moral powers-no disposition of heart to love God. Hence our Saviour says to sinners; "Ye WILL not come to Me, that ye might have life." The reason is, they have no will or disposition. So, when He wept over Jerusalem, He said; "How often would I have gathered thy children, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and" (does He say, they could not? No) "Ye would not.”

Now, in view of this moral inability, this want of a disposition, it is perfectly correct to say, moral agents cannot do this and that; when, at the same time, they possess all the natural powers of acting. Such language is applicable to men, to angels, and to God. Nothing is more common than for men to say, they can and they cannot, in reference to the same thing. Let us adduce a very common instance to support this truth. A neighbour invites you to pay him a set visit. You say to him, "I cannot come." At the same

time you are in health; have the use of your limbs; have means of conveyance; and the road is open. In all these respects, you are naturally able to go. But you do not wish to go;-you have no inclination to visit your neighbour at this time; you choose to spend your time in some other way; or you do not mean to be on terms of intimacy with that neighbour. In reference, therefore, to your want of a disposition to go, you readily say; "I cannot come.' Yet, at the same moment, perhaps you say to a third person; I can go, if I am a mind to; but I don't wish to go.' Thus men, in their common and familiar conversation, do make a plain distinction between natural and moral ABILITY and INABILITY. They say, they can and they cannot, in reference to the same subject. The Scriptures of divine truth say no more. The language of the Holy Ghost and of the "way-faring man" is the same. There is no more contradiction in the one, than in the other. Let him, who readeth understand!

In the same sense it is perfectly correct to say, angels cannot love the world; because they have no disposition for this; although they have all the natural powers of mind of loving it that they have of loving any other object. So it is perfectly correct, with reverence, to say, God cannot hate saints and punish them; because he has no disposition of heart, no moral power to do it; although He has every natural power of mind to hate them, that He has to hate sinners. Equally correct is it to say, sinners cannot love God and embrace Christ; because they have no disposition of heart to do this, although they have the same powers of mind to love God, that they

have to love any other object. Hence, it is perfectly correct for our Saviour to say, sinners cannot come to Him, except they are drawn by God:-unless their hearts are changed;unless they have given to them new hearts; new dispositions; new wills; new feelings towards God, towards their Re deemer and all holy beings. While they possess their present hearts; while their affections are diverted from God and placed supremely on the world, they cannot come to Christ. Just as an angel cannot love the world, while his affections are placed supremely on heaven and holy things. Still, because sinners possess natural powers of mind and body to praise and serve God;-because they are, naturally, otherwise able to deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Him in the obedience of His commands, and in the observance of His ordinances-because they have as much natural power to do this, as to obey their fellow men;~~ it is on this ground, that our Savior invites and commands them to come. Their having no disposition, no will to comply with the terms of the Gospel, by no means affords any excuse for their neglect of this duty; any more than the unwillingness of a child to obey his parent is an excuse for his disobedience. It is equally as reasonable and just for God to invite and command sinners to comply with the terms of the Gospel and embrace Christ, notwithstanding they have no will to comply; as it is reasonable and just, for a parent to invite and command his child to obey him, when he knows that child is obstinately opposed to obedience. The want of inclination; the want of a "willing heart," in neither case affords any excuse. On the contrary, it is this want of a "willing heart" that constitutes the criminality of disobedience. It is unwillingness in each case, which makes commands necessary; for the disposition of heart is the object of command.

But, it may be said, 'a parent does not know that his child will persist in disobedience, he does not know but he will obey; and when he does obey, the parent does nothing more than simply command him. But God perfectly knows, pre

viously to the command, that sinners will persist in disobedience; and with those, who do obey, He does something more than command;--He removes their unwillingness and makes them "willing in the day of His power;" so that the comparison fails.' True, the comparison does fail; and happy would it be for us, my friends, if we knew where our weak reason fails, in examining the government of God and in attempting to scan His mysterious ways. Happy would it be for us, if we had faith to believe and practice, agreeably to those truths, which, while they affect our duty, are above the comprehension of our weak reason.

Still, the manner in which God deals with us, so far as we can comprehend it, is similar to the manner in which a parent deals with his child. But there is a manner in which God deals with us, far above our comprehension; probably above the comprehension of the highest order of angels. The manner, in which God operates on the hearts of sinners, so as to bring them to repentance and into willing obedience, and that too, while sinners work out their own, salvation, is utterly beyond our power to comprehend. "The wind bloweth where it listeth; we hear the sound thereof, but cannot tell whence it cometh or whither it goeth. So is every one that is born of the Spirit." This truth we must believe, that the hearts of sinners are changed by the Spirit of God; and that sinners become willing to comply with the terms of salvation in no other way. But the way and manner in which this is done, we know not. In the act of repentance, God works in the heart of the sinner "to will and to do;” in such a manner too, that the sinner himself acts and is perfectly conscious of acting freely. Yet in what manner God does this, we know not. Could we know the particular manner of this operation of the Spirit of God, we undoubtedly should see, that God acts as consistently in commanding sinners to obey, notwithstanding they never will, (or in other words, never can, unless he change their hearts; as a parent acts, in commanding his disobedient child; and that it is equally as reasonable, that impenitent sinuers should be blamed and

punished for not complying with the requirements of the Gospel, as that a child should be blamed and punished for not obeying his parent. When the child obeys his parent, he does it, because the nature and reasonableness of the command presents a motive sufficient to remove all unwillingness to obey, and melts his heart into obedience. But the natural unwillingness of a child to obey his parent is inconceivably small, compared with the unwillingness of impenitent sinners to love and obey God with all their hearts. Hence, although the authority of God is infinitely greater, than the authority of a parent; and his commands perfectly reasonable and accompanied with the strongest possible arguments in favor of their obedience; yet, so great is the unwillingness of sinners to obey; so contrary to their depraved dispositions is the holy service of God, that, the commands of the Eternal Jehovah, although the reasonableness of them is sufficient to strike conviction on the mind of the lowest intelligent, and although they are accompanied with the most persuasive arguments, which the three worlds can afford, do not present motives to the minds of sinners sufficient to remove their unwillingness to obey.

This is the reason why our Saviour says; "No man can come to me, except the Father draw him." He cannot, because he will not. So, because it is the duty of impenitent sinners to come to Christ, by repentance, and faith, and love; and because there are the most powerful reasons, why they should come; reasons inconceivably more weighty than those which influence a child to obey his parent; on this account, Christ invites, urges and commands them to come to Him.

Now, since it is perfectly reasonable that sinners should come to Christ, notwithstanding they have no disposition to come; it is perfectly reasonable, for Him to invite and command them, notwithstanding it is certain they will not come to Him, without the special influences of the Holy Ghost on their hearts. And, since Christ and His apostles plainly taught that sinners cannot come to Him, without the influences. of the Holy Spirit, without the sovereign elective purposes of