of the atonement, says, "All its true friends will join in affirming, that Christ came to render impenitent sinners accepted unto everlasting life, by the works which he himself wrought, and thus, by the discovery of preventing goodness, to lead them to repentance." Thus they are regenerated by light, according to Mr. Sandeman. But from what has been said, nothing can be plainer, than that both the Old Testament and the New do give directions to sinners to do something. Thus, when those who were pricked at the heart on the day of Pentecost, asked Peter, and the rest of the apostles, saying, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Peter did not say, "Be perfect; " nor did he say, "Do nothing; " but he said, "Repent, and be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus for the remission of sins." So again, a few days after, "Repent, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out." And when the trembling jailer put the question to the apostle Paul, “What shall I do to be saved?" his answer was, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." To say, therefore, that there is nothing to be done in order to salvation, and so no directions to be given to sinners, is directly contrary to the Holy Scriptures.

Mr. Sandeman's scheme, in a few words, is this: that we are to give instruction to the unregenerate, but no exhortation at all. We are to hold up the truth to their view, with its evidence, that it may strike their minds, give them hope, and beget love; for regeneration is wrought by light, and is the effect and fruit of faith. But no call, no invitation, no direction, no exhortation is to be given; because no volition is to take place before justification; for the single belief of the simple truth, in which simple belief no volition is implied, is the only thing implied in that faith by which we are justified. But no means can be proper to be used for the production of this faith, but merely holding up the simple truth, with its evidence, to view. This, therefore, is the whole the preacher has to do; and the truth, as soon as known, gives hope, and so begets love to itself, just as the news of a large importation of corn in an island perishing with famine, as it spreads through the island, gains credit, gives hope of relief, and begets love to that which is to relieve them. And all godliness consists in love to that which relieves us. This is Mr. Sandeman's scheme. Notice, (1.) He has the same notion of total depravity and regeneration with Mr. M., namely, that the carnal heart is at enmity only against that character of God which is exhibited in the law; but as to that character which is revealed in the gospel, the carnal, unregenerate heart is disposed

to love it, as soon as known; just as the news of the importation of corn, in such a famished island, will be agreeable to every inhabitant who hears it and understands it. (2.) In both Mr. Sandeman's and Mr. Mather's scheme, we need no new principle of grace in order to love God, any more than the famished inhabitants of the island needed new stomachs, in order to love bread; and therefore, (3.) The regenerating, sarictifying influences of the Holy Spirit, on both schemes, are absolutely needless. For, (4.) As we are not to be reconciled to that character of God against which we are at enmity, but only to a character which is so agreeable to our hearts in our natural state, that it will beget love to itself, as soon as known, on which account we need no new principle of grace, in order to love it, so, for the same reason, the regenerating, sanctifying influences of the Spirit are needless; even as it was with Jacob when he went to Padan-aram to get a wife: the state of his mind being such by nature, that he would love Rachel as soon as seen, he therefore needed no supernatural influence to dispose his heart to love her. (5.) On both schemes the sinner is pardoned before repentance; for he believes first; then he is justified; and then he hopes; and then he is regenerated and loves; and then he repents. But to return:—

2. From what has been said, we may also see, that Mr. Mather is equally mistaken in insinuating that sinners may comply with the exhortations and directions of God to sinners, and yet be entitled to no promise; for God has, as we have seen, in the most plain and express manner, annexed promises to his exhortations and directions. Our author says, "The absolute authority of God is not such a limited thing, that he can lay no commands upon his creatures, without adding a promise to the performance." But the creed of even all the ancient patriarchs, short as it was, had this for one article that God was a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. (Heb. xi. 5, 6.) And under the Jewish dispensation, God affirms that he never said to the house of Jacob, Seek ye my face in vain. (Is. xlv. 19.) And when the Son of God appears in flesh, he speaks plainer still: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened." And to fix and settle us forever in the belief of this point, he goes on to reason thus: "Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father, who is in heaven, give good things to them that ask him?". to them that ask him, be they who

they will, of all the human race; for the gospel is, by divine order, to be preached to every creature, and "whosoever will, let him come; " and "he that cometh shall in no wise be cast out." The warrant to come to the throne of grace, is founded in the blood of the Son of God; for he has opened a way into the holiest of all, by his own blood. And the invitations of the gospel are given to all, without exception. "Go ye into the highways, and as many as ye find, bid to the marriage." Any sinner, therefore, on this side hell, has a good warrant to come to the throne of grace, to confess his sins to God, and to ask forgiveness in the name of Christ; and no sinner, who hath done so, in the manner in which God has directed, ever went away from the throne of grace unpardoned; but it has always happened to him, as it did to the prodigal son: when he was yet afar off, his father saw him, and had compassion on him, and ran, and fell on his neck and kissed him. Of the truth of this we have the same evidence as we have that Jesus is the Messiah. For he hath said, that "every one that asketh receiveth."

3. From what has been said on this subject, we may learn, that these words of Mr. Stoddard, before quoted, are strictly true. Speaking of the unregenerate sinner, he says, "They do not the thing that God commands; there is no obedience to God in what they do; they do not attend the will of God." * For if they did attend God's directions, and obey the divine exhortations, and ask, and seek, and knock, as they are commanded, they would obtain. The only reason their prayers are not answered, the only reason they ask, and receive not, is, because they ask amiss; that is, because they ask not as God directs them, but in a manner contrary to his directions. So again, the only reason they seek and do not find, is because they seek amiss; that is, as Mr. M. expresses it, "aim at what

Men, in their natural condition, are guilty of a world of sin. Their very religion is iniquity. (Isai. i. 5.) They pray for holiness, but oppose it. (John v. 52.) They have not the love of God in them. They praise God because of his excellency, but they do not believe him to be such a one; it is a burden to them that they suspect it, and they wish he were not such a one. They wish God did not see their hearts, and had not power to avenge himself. There is nothing but hypocrisy in all they do. They confess their sins, and bewail their iniquities, but they have no godly sorrow. They put up earnest requests for holiness, but do not sincerely desire it. They strive against sin, and all the while are cherishing of it. They have pangs of affection, but no love. They have some affection to saints, but hate real holiness. They are zealous against some sins, but hate none. They are striving for salvation, but refuse the offers of it. Sometimes God tries them, by convincing them of the great danger of their damnation, and they show a dreadful, wicked, rebellious spirit, that they are scared to see themselves. There is a great deal of the spirit of the devil in them." Stoddard's Nature of Conversion.

can never be accomplished, even to establish their own right eousness," and will not submit themselves to the righteousness of God. For he that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them, shall have mercy.* And, therefore,

4. The true reason, and the only reason, that the doings, of the unregenerate do not entitle them to the blessings promised in the gospel, is, because, in all they do, there is no one act of compliance with God's directions. For if it is true, that "whoso confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall find mercy," then it is equally true, that he who hath not found mercy never did confess and forsake his sins, according to the divine direction. If it be true, that every one that asketh receiveth, then it is equally true, that the unpardoned sinner never did ask pardon at the hands of God, in the sense of the text. For to say, that I have confessed and forsaken my sins, I have asked pardon in the name of Christ, according to the divine direction, yet I have found no mercy, God hath not forgiven me, is, if we may use the language of inspiration, to "make God a liar." Therefore to say, that the unregenerate, in their endeavors, do the things that God commands them to do, and that yet there is no promise to their doings, is expressly to contradict the word of God, for he never said to the house of Jacob, Seek ye my face in vain. And, therefore, the question between Mr. M. and us is not, whether God has required the unregenerate to ask, and seek, and knock, and strive, and labor. It is granted that he has. And it is affirmed, that God has promised the blessings of the gospel to a compliance with these directions, in God's sense of them. But it is also proved, from Mr. M.'s own words, that the unregenerate, "as such," to use Mr. Stoddard's words, "do not attend the will of God; do not the thing that he commands; " because, as Mr. M. says, "there is no promise of salvation to their endeavors; whereas God promises salvation to those who comply with his directions.

Great pains have been taken to misrepresent and blacken this point. It hath been said, that we affirm that the unregenerate are not required to seek, or strive, or pray; whereas in truth we affirm, that the unregenerate are required to seek, and strive, and pray. But then we add, that "they do not the thing that God commands." The question, therefore, is, not whether God requires the unregenerate to seek, and strive, and pray; but the only question is, whether they "do the thing that God commands." This is the point in dispute. St. Paul has declared for our side of the question, in as strong terms as ever we used, (in Rom. viii. 7, 8:) "The carnal mind is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." And dare any Christian allow himself to hate and to blacken a doctrine taught by an inspired apostle? Or is the doctrine so odious to any, that they will not believe, that he did not teach it, however strongly his words express it?

Now, therefore, let Mr. M. either take sides with the Arminians, and say, that there are promises to the doings of the unregenerate; or let him join with Mr. Stoddard, and say, that "they do not the thing that God commands; there is no obedience to God in what they do; they do not attend the will of God;" or let him openly and plainly declare, "that God has directed sinners what to do that they may be saved; but it is not best that sinners should be urged to follow those directions which God has given them, which if they do follow, they surely will be saved; and that, therefore, he is determined to direct them to do as they do, although there is no promise to their doings; yea, although it is certain beforehand, that they never will accomplish the thing they aim at."

A minister of Christ is sent to preach the gospel to the Indians; and,

Question 1. Is it not the duty of the Indians to assemble, and hear him?

Answer. Yes, it is their duty to assemble, to hear the gospel preached. If the God of nature speaks to men, men ought to hear.

Ques. 2. Is it not their duty to come to hear with good and honest hearts, the first time they come?

Ans. Yes, it is as really their duty to come and hear with good and honest hearts the first time, as it is at any succeeding time; for it is as really the duty of pagans to be well disposed toward the true God who made them, and ready to hearken to his voice, as it is the duty of any of the human kind. (Rom. i. 20, 21, 28.)

Ques. 3. But if they have all of them pagan hearts, shall they come and hear with their pagan hearts, in a pagan manner, rather than not come and hear at all?

Ans. If they come with pagan hearts, in a pagan manner, they sin greatly. If they refuse to come, their sin is greater. If they come with pagan hearts, in a pagan manner, they are in greater danger of turning a deaf ear to the gospel, to their own destruction; but if they refuse to come at all, their perdition is certain. So, then, it is for their interest to come with pagan hearts, in a pagan manner, rather than not to come at all. (Rom. x. 14.)

Ques. 4. Is the missionary authorized by the commission of Christ to baptize these pagans, as well as preach the gospel to them?

Ans. The commission of Christ authorizes him to preach to them while pagans; but not to baptize them until they become believers. (Mark xvi. 15, 16.)