all his labours, the child of this beneficent Parent will not be unmindful of the fountain of all his blessings; but, with a heart overflowing with grateful acknowledgments, will go to him for all the wisdom which he needs. Has guilt found its way into the human heart, in consequence of some disallowed sin in an unguarded hour, tears of grief in silent supplication to him who seeth in secret will bespeak that sorrow which worketh repentance: the wounded spirit unbosoms itself in penitential cries to God for mercy; which fervent prayers (if in sincerity) never fail to be answered in those pious resolutions which are here formed for the observance of a future life; which resolutions, being kept, seldom fail to produce the desired effect. But what can be said of those who are conscious to themselves that they have been guilty of aggravated sins which have produced unparalleled guilt? The case, surely, is shocking and trying. Yet, on this system, the very chief of sinners need not be, neither is he, driven into despair. But, like the prodigal, he recollects his father's house, where there is still bread enough and to spare; and returning to it with shame, though without hesitation, he finds the same reception as the prodigal did. But, suppose he dies, and has no chance to return; what then? Answer: If he die in his sins, he receives the wages of sin, which is death; but it does not necessarily follow that he has no chance to return. We should take care we do not set bounds to the grace of God, or limit the Holy One of Israel. But this objection will be more fully answered in its proper place.

I admit that death would have been eternal in its consequences, had it not been for the eternal life which God has given us in Jesus Christ our Lord. But, “as the Father hath life in himself, so he hath given to the Son to have life in himself, and hath given him power of all flesh that he should give eternal life to as many as he hath given him." (John, v. 26. xvii. 2.) And, as has been already shown, he hath given him all things: for Christ himself says, "All that the Father hath are mine." But although the consequences of death would have been eternal, had it not been for eternal life, yet the conse

quences would not have been eternal misery; but an eternal extinction of being; for death is an extinction of life.* Hence, natural death puts an end as much to moral death, as it does to natural life, because a man cannot be even carnally minded in a state of natural death. "He

that is dead is freed from sin." (Rom. vi. 7.) And the apostle argues that the believers in Christ, having been planted into the likeness of his death, being buried with him in baptism, &c. ought to be as dead to sin as though they were actually dead; for he that is dead is freed (Gr. justified) from sin. Now, if that death, which is the wages of sin, be endless misery, then nothing short of endless misery would free or justify any one from sin! But if it be simply death, then death frees or justifies any one, and every one, from sin, having fully received its wages. Yet, by this alone, no one would have eternal life. Thus it will be seen that eternal life is the free gift of God, and purely by grace, i. e. favour; for this is the meaning of the Greek word xapis, rendered grace.

Thus we have laid the foundation or ground-work of our future discussion. And if the premises which we have laid are false, the whole superstructure will be a mere delusion. I mean, if our ideas are erroneous in regard to the nature and character of God, (for these are the only data which are essential to our final conclusions,) all our conclusions will be false. We may be erroneous, perhaps, in some other points, and yet our general system be correct; but if our ideas of the nature and character of God be erroneous, then our whole system of faith, being built on those ideas, must also be erroneous. And these remarks will apply to all other sys

* It will be perceived here that the author does not believe in an intermediate state of conscious existence between death and the resurrection; and of course death, to him, is an extinction of being; and all his ideas of a future state of existence is predicated on the glorious doctrine of the resurrection. This point will not be laboured in these lectures; but if any one thinks otherwise, he is requested to read attentively Dr. Priestley's Disquisition on Matter and Spirit; and unless he is thereby convinced of its truth, nothing which the author of these lectures could say on that subject would be likely to convince him.

tems in divinity, as well as to ours; and with the same or equal force. Now it will be obvious, even to the smallest capacity, who shall be capable of reading these lectures, that the character of God, as here stated, is essentially different from that which is found in all those creeds, which limit his grace to a part of the human race. Therefore, if any of those creeds be true, in this particular, our's must be false; and, vice versa, if our's be true, those must be false. And, furthermore, it appears to me, that no honest man, if he be fully convinced and persuaded in his own mind, can conscientiously do any thing either to support or propagate an error so important as the one alluded to above.

It is right, however, for all men to "prove all things, and hold fast that which is good." The noble Bereans, of old, searched the scriptures daily to see whether these things were so; and in this they were more noble than those at Thessalonica. There is no harm, therefore, in imitating their example. But after any one shall be fully convinced, beyond all reasonable doubt, that the doctrine contained in these lectures is, generally speaking, false, I cannot ask him to support it, or do any thing to encourage it. The only favour I can ask of such ones is, not to persecute, either by word or action, those who sincerely believe the doctrine true. And,

To conclude this lecture, let us take care that we ever give the same privilege to all, which we ask of others. We may take the liberty, and no doubt ought, to make use of every argument in our power to expose what we believe to be error, and to propagate what we believe to be truth. But our weapons must not be carnal. Let us, therefore, use only the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, which is mighty, through God, to the pulling down of strong holds.

Let us imitate our divine Lord and master, who had compassion on the ignorant, and those out of the way; meeting our brethren at all times in the spirit of meekness and brotherly love.

We have altogether the advantage of our religious opponents: for, according to the doctrine we preach, and

in which we firmly believe, we must look upon them, however erroneous, and however sinful now, as being heirs of the same eternal inheritance, subjects of the same grace, and objects of the same divine love, with ourselves. Whereas, on the other hand, and according to the doctrine which they preach, and which charity authorizes us to suppose they believe, we may be heirs of a kingdom diametrically opposite to the kingdom of Christ, in which they hope to gain admittance; for according to them, we may be subjects of endless wo, and objects of eternal hatred! Hence, if they do not manifest all that love, all that cordiality and friendship towards us, which we feel towards them, we must impute it to the malevolence of their doctrine, rather than to the want of a good disposition.

But it shall be our aim to break down, if possible, these separating partition walls. To teach our opponents that we have all one common Parent, and all we are brethren. And the same God over all, is rich unto all, to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

45

LECTURE III.

For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope. Rom. viii. 20.

IT is proper to observe here, that the words in hope, in the text, not only in the Greek, but also in the Latin version, are placed in the next verse, and after the colon: and that the particle ő, rendered because, in the beginning of the 21st verse, is generally rendered that, and is so rendered in the 16th, 18th, and 22d verses of this very chapter. Taking the words in hope, therefore, into the latter member of the sentence, as they stand in the original, a full and justifiable reason is given for the fact here stated, viz. the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, &c. in hope that the creature itself also, (or that even the creature itself,) shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

This glorious deliverance is not the subject of the present lecture; but will be taken up hereafter.

What is proposed this evening is, to consider the creation of man; his original state and standing; his natural and moral faculties; together with his sin and disobedience.

It must be obvious to all, even of the smallest capacity, that the original organization, or constitution of man, whatever it might have been, was just such as God was pleased to have it.

Nonentity, certainly, could not offend. Unconscious matter, before it was organized into a conscious being, could not be displeasing to the Deity. Even so, man could not disobey, until he was not only conscious of his existence as a moral being, but also was made sensible of the law that was given him, and which it was his duty