faid to be incapable of actions, which are their averfion, or which they have not an inclination to, as well as of things which they could not do if they were fo difpofed. As likewife, that there is a real occafion for using this and the like expreffions, in fuch a manner. There being, indeed, an abfolute impoffibility of a man's acting other, ways than agreeably to his own heart, as well as there is of his doing things which exceed his natural ftrength.

Secondly, I endeavoured to fhew, that finners while they actually neglect the great falvation, are certainly unable, in one or the other of thefe fenfes, not to neglect it. That fo long as they do not come to Chrift, it must be true that they want, either fuch natural ability, or else fuch a heart, as is neceffary in order to their coming to him.

Thirdly; I confidered the moral depravity of finners, fhewing that they have fuch an evil heart to depart from the living God, that until their ratures are changed, it is impoffible they fhould come to Chrit,or chufe him & his falvation. We are come now, to the

IV. AND laft head propofed; viz. To prove that finners labour under no other impoffibility of complying with the gospel, but only what arifes from their difinclination to it; or from the badness of their hearts.

I Do not mean, however, nor will any understand me, to affert this, with respect to every individual of the human race. For as the apostle obferves," how fhall men believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher ?”

THERE are, undoubtedly, a great, many in the world, who, in their prefent circumftances, could not get the knowledge of the gofpel way of life, if their hearts were good. There are fome that have not the means of grace; there are others that have not the use of reason; and there are others who have not, and never had, the fenfe of hearing. It is not afferted concerning any of thefe, that they are not under a natural incapacity to come to Chrift.

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But what I undertake to evince, is only, that perfons who have ordinary intellectual powers, and bodily fenfes, and are arrived to years of difcretion, and live under the light of the gospel, labour under no natural inability to obtain falvation: But that if they cannot comply with the revealed way of life, it must be owing intirely to their dif inclination to it, or to the badnefs of their hearts.

THERE are multitudes that evidently do not view the matter in this light. It is needful therefore, that this point fhould be laboured a little particularly. The

I. ARG. I fhall make ufe of for the confirmation of it is, that it is not God's ufual way, to require natural impoffibilities of any of his creatures; and to condemn them for not doing, what they could not, if they would. .

God commands none of us to fly above the clouds, or to overturn the mountains by the roots; or to do any fuck kind of impoffibilities. Yea, we are particularly told in his word, that if there be firft a willing mind, it is accepted "according to that a man hath, and not according to that "he hath not." If a man has but little eftate, it is not expected or required that he should give away a great deal to pious or charitable ufes. If a poor widow cafts in two mites, when it is all the has, it is as well accepted as if it were two millions. If a man has never fo little strength, of body or of mind, a willing exertion and good improve ment of that little, is all that is required of him. This is exceeding evident from thofe fummaries of the whole law, which we have both in the old teftament, and in the new. Moles fays, Dieut. 10, 12." And now Ifrael, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to "fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and fo to love him, and to ferve the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy foul ?" And our Saviour, in anfwer to the queftion of the fcribe," which is the great commandment in the law?" fays, Mat. 22 37-40, and Mark 12, 30. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God "with ali thy heart, and with all thy foul, and with all

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"Thy mind, and with all thy ftrength. This is the firft and great commandment. And the fecond is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyfelf. On thefe two commandments hang all the law and the "prophets."

It is evident from these paffages, that the whole law, in the highest perfection of it, is level to fome kind of capacity which men ftill have, in the prefent fallen ftate. We are not to fuppofe, indeed, it is their moral capacity; or that all the Lord our God requires of us, is only to love and fear and ferve him, as much as we are difpofed

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This would be no law at all. It would be a difpenfation from all law; a liberty for every one to walk in the way of his own heart, and treat the Deity juft as his inclination leads him. We are not to fuppofe a perfect law, can come down any lower, than to require a perfect heart, and a perfectly good improvement of all the talents and ftrength we have. And it is evident, neither Mofes, nor our Saviour, understood the divine law as requiring more than this. To love and ferve God, with all the heart, foul, mind and ftrength,cannot mean more than to the utmost extent of our natural abilities, be they greater or less. Some men are not capable of fo high a degree of love to God as others, though they are equally upright and well-difpofed; because their mental powers are not fo great ; or their advantages to get the knowledge of God have not been fo good. In like manner fome cannot do fo much for God, for want of opportunity, &c. Now all proper allowences are made in the divine law, for things of this nature. The more any one has of intellectual or bodily ftrength, or outward advantages; the more is required of him; and the lefs any one has of thefe, the less is required. As to loving our neighbour as ourselves this is undoubtedly equally in the power of the weak and of the ftrong, of him that is capable of higher and lower degrees of affection, provided he is equally upright difinrefted and impartial.

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On the whole, I think it is exceeding plain and evident, that God in his holy and righteous law, requires no impoffibilities of any of us, but what become fo by reason of our prefent evil temper of mind, and unwillingness to exert the natural strength we have in the manner we ought. And now, if we have natural powers fufficient for under- : ftanding and doing our whole duty; and nothing hinders any of us from coming up to all that finlefs perfection, which is required in God's perfect law, but only our own wicked hearts; I conclude few will think any thing elfe hinders finners of ordinary capacity, who enjoy the outward means of grace, from repenting and complying with the gospel.

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II. ARG, that finners who enjoy the external light of the gospel, are not under a natural impoffibility of complying with and obeying it, may be drawn from what the fcriptures plainly teach, and what is generally believed, concerning the great difference that will be made betwixt fuch finners, and those who never heard of aSaviour, as to their final condemnation and punishment.

GUR Saviour let thofe cities where he had chiefly preached and wrought his miracles, know, that their final doom would be much the heavier for it; and that it would be more tolerable for even Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgement, than for them. But this, and what is commonly faid, about the great guilt of gospel finners above others, furely fuppofes that there is fome difference between them and the heathen, as to a poffibility of their understanding the way of life, and attaining falvation. It fuppofes the former have a real price in their hands, which the latter have not. But if the gospel finner is under a natural inability to repent and believe in Christ, an inability arifing from any thing else besides his own heart, this could not furely be the cafe. Why should one who is,& always has been,fo weak or difordered in his intellect, as to be incapable of understanding the gospel, be thought a greater finner for living in a chriftian land?

We do not think this is the cafe as to idiots,or quite deli rious perfons. We do not think they will have more to anfwer for than the heathen will. But if we believe a natural impoffibility is required of men in this cafe, because their natural capacity was impaired or loft by the fall: then for the fame reason we might expect, that the heathen who never heard of the gospel, and natural fools who can understand nothing about it, would be punished for not embracing it, as much as any. For they would not have been under thofe difadvantages had it not been for the apoftacy.

ARG. III. IT is exprefly attributed in fcripture, to the evil hearts of men, as the fole caufe of impenitence and unbelief under the gospel.

AND it ought to be particularly obferyed, that this is done with profeis'd defign to fet afide the plea of ignorance, which finners are fo exceeding apt to harp upon; and to let them fee that they are without excufe. This is the " condemnation," our Saviour fays, "that light is come "into the world; and men have loved darkness rather

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than light, because their deeds are evil." In another place he fays, " "if ye were blind, ye had not had fin; bus now ye fay we fee, therefore your fin remaineth." And again, if I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had fin: but now have they both feen, and hated both me and my father, "Now they have no cloke for their fin." That is, if they had not had thofe powers of mind, or thole means of conviction that were neceffary, it is true, they would not have been to blame, it would have been no fin in them, not to have believed in and received me as their Meffiah. But now when their understandings are good enough; and when means, powerful and fufficient external means have been used with them; their unbelief and rejection of me, can be owing to nothing but the defperate wickedness of their hearts. It is knowledge and not ignorance of my character, that is the fpring of their hatred, Or if any of them are ignorant, it is their own fault.

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