*cafe near of kin to this; Who art thou, "O man, who repliest against God? "The strength of the answer lies in the "queftion, Who art thou, O man? and

one may fay, with great affurance, "that no man, that knows himfelf, will "ever talk in that manner. He will "feel in himself, his confcience will tell "him, that he has treated the astonish"ing grace of God, manifefted in his "fon Jefus Chrift, in fuch an unworthy "manner, that it is perfectly confiftent "with the most boundlefs riches of

grace to shut him out for ever from any "part or fhare in it, and that nothing but fovereign grace can prevent his eter"nal deftruction. And, this conviction

will be yet ftronger, if he knows indeed "the state and temper of his own "heart, what it is that moves him to "make fuch an objection, as it argues a "heart not at all reconciled to the grace of God, and his way of bestow"ing life in the new creation. He E 2

cannot

"cannot think of living by grace, but "will be at doing fomething to make "the purchase. He will not receive it "on God's terms, and fo ftand altogether "indebted to Chrift; which is as much as

66

to fay, that he will not have it at all. "The man that is content to be nothing, "to deny himfelf, and follow Chrift, will "find the way open to a throne of grace, "where he can never be at a lofs for

"either mercy or grace. And he, that "will not go there to have it, complains

injuriously, and without any cause, if "he goes without it."

§ 29. Further; the dead are alfo commanded to live and to do certain acts of life; as in the instance of the dry bones in Ezekiel, of the widow's fon at Nain, and of Lazarus; but, if a divine and effective power had not internally attended the divine external command; the voice of the prophet in the one cafe, and of Chrift himself in the others,

* RICCALTOUN's Diff. on Gal. ii. 20.

would

would have been only air or found. energetic faculty was imparted to the objects, at the moment of giving forth the authoritative direction; and an inftant obedience by the creature was the immediate refult. Men, in like manner, are to be exhorted every where to believe and repent; and it is the office of minifters, in season and out of season, to inculcate, and, as much as in them lies, to imprefs their exhortations; but Paul, Apollos, Cephas, and all the ministers upon earth, or all the angels in heaven, could no more impart fpiritual life by their own act to any one foul, than by their united efforts they could do that inferior thing-create or give life to a fly. The new creation, as well as the old, is altogether the workmanship of God. When he speaks through his inftruments, it is done. things are obedient to the voice of his word; that is, to his Spirit speaking in and by the word. The minifters might therefore

E 3

All

gave

therefore preach, and exhort, and teftify, as their office requires, or, in the other words of Scripture, plant and water; but the whole would be in vain, unless God, according to his promised bleffing, the increase. So then neither is he that planteth, nor he that watereth, any thing (and how much less the object planted and watered!); but God, who giveth the increafe, and who worketh all in all, according to the counsel of his own will. "It is true (fays the excellent Archbishop LEIGHTON) God requires faith: falvation is through faith; but he that requires that, gives it too. It is wonderful grace to fave upon believing. Believe in Jefus for falvation, and live accordingly; and 'tis done. There is no more required to thy pardon, but that thou receive it by faith. But truly Nature cannot do this. Tis as impoffible for us, of ourselves, to believe, as to do. This then is that, which makes it all Grace from beginning to end, that

God

God not only faves upon believing, but gives believing itfelf." Com. on 1 Peter, c. i. v. 10. He further obferves; "To give a right affent to the Gospel of Chrift is impoffible, without divine and faving faith infufed in the foul." And it may here be obferved by the way, that, when a worldly man, knowing nothing truly of this faith, fets himself to correct the fin or unbelief, which he perceives in the conduct of others, he is in the cafe of the perfon, whom our Lord cenfures with having the beam in his own eye, while inveighing against the mote in the eye of another. The mote is indeed a mote, and gives injury to the fight; but that beam, that great mafs, which is within himself, of corrupted faithless nature, unpardoned and unmortified, he doth not feel nor underftand. He can only fee the external defects of others. He knows not how to appreciate the plague of his own heart, nor the deep fountain of fin within.