But it is time for me to attend to the REASONINGS AND OBJECTIONS OF P. upon this subject. Are there not passages of scripture, it may be asked, which represent the Spirit as being given to us after we believe? Yes, there are; and to some of them P. refers us.* (22.) To which it is replied, The Holy Spirit is said to be given in other respects, as well as for the purpose of regeneration. The Spirit was given for the endowing of the primitive christians with extraordinary gifts, and grace. See Acts xix. 2. And this is evidently the meaning of John vii. 39. The Spirit which they that believed on him were to receive, was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. But surely the eleven apostles were not till then, in every sense, destitute of the Spirit of God! Farther, The Holy Spirit was given as the enlightener, comforter, and sanctifier of the true christians. Thus Christ promised to send them the comforter to guide them into all truth; and this it is apprehended is the meaning of Eph. i. 13, 14. After ye believed, ye were sealed, &c. The apostle prayed for these Ephesians (v. 17.) that God would give them the Spirit of wisdom, &c. We might as well infer from this, that cannot alter; the question then with us, is who deserves the praise of the difference between one man and another? If God has made no difference, we must have made it ourselves, and to us must belong the glory of that difference to eternal ages. * The passages he has referred us to are John vii. 38, 39. Eph. it 13, 14. Gal. iii. 2, 14. they were at that time destitute of the Spirit of God, as from the other that they were so in every sense till after they believed. Much the same might be said of the other passages produced. That men are the children of God by faith in Jesus. Christ, is true; but I apprehend the godly sustain that character on two accounts. One is from their bearing the image of their heavenly Father, which is communicated in regeneration; the other is from their sharing the rights; privileges, and inheritance of the sons of God, which follow upon believing. The one is a work of grace upon us, the other an act of grace towards us. Both are mentioned by the evangelist John, (ch. i. 12, 13.) and the former, I apprehend, is there represented as being prior to the latter. As to the consequence which P. observes must follow-as that a man must be "regenerated and condemned at the same time;" (22.) I answer, this proceeds upon the supposition of a period of time taking place between regeneration and coming to Christ. When we speak of one being prior to the other, we mean no more than as a cause is prior to an effect which immediately follows. A blind man must have his eyes opened before he can see; and yet there is no period of time between the one and the other. As soon as his eyes are opened, he sees. And thus it is supposed a man must be born again in order to see the kingdom of God.* A man of a * John iii. 3. wicked temper of mind must be turned to be of another spirit before he can love or choose that which is lovely; but yet there is no supposeable period of time between them; for no sooner is he turned than he is of another spirit, and does love and choose different objects to what he did before. If, however, P. should not be satisfied with this answer, let him reflect, that if an absurdity remains, it is such an one as attends his own principles equally with our's. He supposes we receive the Spirit after believing, and refers us for proof to Eph. i. 13. After ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. (22) Now the scripture is express, He that hath not the Spirit of Christ, is none of his.* We might therefore retort, and ask, in what condition is a man when he has believed, and before he has received the Spirit of Christ? He is supposed to be a believer, and therefore shall not come into condemnation; but yet having not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. To what master then does he belong? and to what world must he go if he should happen to die in that condition?-But this is mere triflingbe it so, it is such trifling as when used against us, occupies the place of reasoning. But "if men are regenerated before they come to Christ,then believing in Christ is not the mean of a sinner's recovery, but only a consequence of that recove *Rom. viii. 9. ry." (23) Coming to Christ is the mean of a sinner's enjoying the forgiveness of sins with various other blessings, all included in the term life; John v. 40.but that is no proof that it is the mean of his regeneration; which it cannot be, unless, contrary to every law of nature to which regeneration alludes,spiritual motion can precede, and be the means of spiritual life. Perseverance is the mean of our enjoyment of eternal glory; but it does not thence follow but that perseverance is a consequence of the grace of the Holy Spirit. But if regeneration precede our coming to Christ, then, "men are excusable, it is supposed, in not coming; and it must be absurd to exhort them to it while they are unregenerate." (22) If I understand this reasoning, the amount of it is this-If men are so bad that none but God can turn their hearts, then their badness becomes excusable; and if in our exhorting them, no hope is to be placed in them, then neither is there any to be placed in God! Were I to enter the company of a malicious rebel, with a view to persuade him to go and cast himself at the feet of his abused sovereign; I should have no hope of succeeding, or of bringing him to a compliance, while he remained under the dominion of such a spirit. Why then, it may be asked, do you exhort him to it till you see his spirit changed? Why, what if I go in hope of being instrumental in the changing of his spirit? Suppose I urge upon him the goodness of the law he has broken-his wicked and unreasonable revolt his great and imminent danger-and above all the clemency of the prince towards returning rebels; suppose I conjure him therefore to go and submit to mercy; may not all this be done without imagining that going and submitting to merey is a matter so easy that it may be done by a person possessing a mind still under the dominion of wickedness? May it not rather be done in hope that such means may be succeeded to the reducing him to a right spirit.* * But might we not, upon these principles, as well let them alone? Some, I am sensible, of very different sentiments from P. would say, we might; and that such a mode of exhorting is only a setting them to work, which tends to fill them with an idea of their own righteousness. It is granted, if the works to which they are directed, are mere external things, such as are « within the compass of a carnal heart;" and such as they may go on in with ease; then it may tend to lift them up with pride and self-sufficiency. But if things which are spiritually good are pressed upon them, and they go about a compliance, it is so far from having a tendency to promote self-righteousness, that it is the most likely mean to destroy it. People who never try to repent, pray, &c. generally think they can do those things at any time. Putting a person to the experiment, is the most likely way to convince him of his insufficiency, or in other words, of his dreadful depravity; and if this is but effected, he will then cry in earnest to the strong for strength. I believe it is God's usual way thus to convince people of their insufficiency. While Saul went on in external services, he was at ease, alive, and in high spirits, not doubting but that all was right, and that he was doing God service; but a view of his great obligations to things spiritually good, discovered to him a world of iniquity of which he had never thought. It was from this period that his self-righteousness received its fatal wound; yes, then it was that sin revived, |