to be saved by the second Adam. So soon as this determination takes place, he is justified-entitled to heaven adopted into the heavenly family-and sealed to the day of redemption. On the other hand, the sinner that determines to reject Christ, after having had a fair opportunity of embracing the benefits of his death, is also sealed to exerlasting misery.

ON THE OPERATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT,

All that I will now say on this subject, may be resolved into three parts.

1st. The necessity of divine agency.

2ndly. On what divine influence is founded.

3rdly. The extent of this influence.

There is a necessity for divine agency in the world, not only to reveal the plan of salvation, and establish by prophecy and miracles, that plan, but to quicken the soul, by giving the true spiritual meaning of the system of salvation. Paul was alive without the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived, and he died. He had been instructed in the letter of the commandment, but did not understand the spiritual meaning thereof. It was this spiritual meaning that he refers to, which came by the agency of the Holy Spirit, who dictated the commandment, and has not only a right to dictate, but also, to explain his own doctrine.

If man were only guilty, a simple declaration of the fact would be sufficient; but he is depraved also, by which I understand, the head sick and heart faint. His heart is not only opposed to the plan by which he is to be saved, but his understanding is dark, and he is ignorant of that plan. Hc, therefore, not only needs instruction, but quickening; for, no man can say, that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost:—without holiness no man shall see the Lord: and it belongs to his office to make men holy. There is, therefore, a necessity for divine influence on our hearts, in order to salvation—and what is necessary for the world, is necessary for every individual.

But, 2ndly. On what is divine influence founded? Some say on the revealed will, or word of God; and the reason why the spirit operates, is because men have that revelation; and his influence is only felt by those who have the Bible-and beyond the extent of the letter, there is no Spirit. But, I think, the only reason why the Spirit operates on the world, is because an atonement has been made for the world by the death of Christ. And, so far are his operations from being founded on the revelation, that, the revelation is founded on his operation. There was a Spirit before there was a Bible, or a Preacher, or a Church; and the Bible, the Preacher, and the Church, are the effects of his operation. He inspired the men who wrote the Bible -he calls the men who preach-convinces the sinnerand seals the believer to the day of complete redemption.

3rdly. As to the extent of divine operation, some who maintain the agency of the Spirit, seem to limit his operations to those, and those only, who have the Bible and other means of grace. They measure the extent of divine influence by the extent of the circulation of the written word. But, I think, we ought only to limit the Spirit's operation by the atonement. If, then, Christ tasted death for every man, and the atonement is made for the world, the world is the field of divine operation. I regard the written word, and all the means of grace, as excellant facilities of spiritual and moral instruction; yet, they only answer a similar purpose to that of a useful apparatus in an institution of learning, in which, the teachers presence is still necessary and his agency important-and, although his books may answer a valuable purpose, yet, he can learn a student without them.

How many hearts were converted before there was a Bible? It will not do to say that men only had the spirit of prophecy-they, also, must have had the spirit of conviction, to lead them to a knowledge of salvation. But, suppose we limit the spirit to the written word, or a knowledge of the written word, then, all infants, dying in infaney, as well as all idiots, are cut off from salvation.

There is a beauty in the trinity, and the most perfect unison of office, in our salvation.-The Father loved the world-the Son died for the world-and, the Spirit convin ces the world. The office of the Spirit, is founded on the office of the Son; and the office of the Son, is founded on the

office of the Father. The Father loved all, the Son atoncil for all, and the Spirit strives with all; and to facilitate his work, he dictated the Bible-and now calls men to preach the gospel-convinces the sinner-and sanctifies the believer. O may the spirit be poured out from on high, and the wilderness become a fruitful field, and the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ!

ON THE WILL OF MAN.

That man is accountable for his actions-that an accountable being must be free-and that a free agent must possess determining power some where-are ideas generally believed by christians; but they differ very widely with regard to the origin of this power. Some think that man, though rational, is entirely incapable of volition or action, without the immediate agency of God, notwithstanding motives from Heaven, Earth and Hell may be present. Others believe that he forms all his volitions in view of motives, without immediate agency, and that the mind is preponderated by an over-balance of motive. Others again think that the will is not determined by the immediate agency of God, nor yet by an over-balance of motive, but that man, though fallen, has power to determine right and wrong, without divine influence.-They also deny the doctrine of the Trinity and operations of the Holy Spirit; while others, although they admit the doctrine of the Trinity, the operations of the Spirit, and the influence of motive to a certain extent, yet they contend, that the will is not determined by the immediate agency of God, nor by an over-balance of motive, and that man, in his fallen state, has no depraved self-determining power to de good-that without something to counteract his depraved nature, it would constantly determine his will to evil; and although he would choose sin freely, yet he would choose it necessarily for he could choose nothing else. But they hold, that by the enlightening influence of the Holy Ghost, man's will is untrammelled, and restored to the privilege

of choosing heaven as well as hell. Hence, they think that he can do under the gospel what he could not have done without it, and what he cannot do, when the influence of the spirit shall be withdrawn from him. This last view of the will I think is correct, and it gives God all the glory of man's salvation and lays the guilt of damnation at every sinner's door.

But if it be said that man, by being placed under a dispensation of mercy and receiving the light and influence of the spirit of God, cannot determ ne either good or evil, without the sovereign and immediate agency of God, then, Divine agency must lie at the bottom of every volition and action of man, whether good or bad. This doctrine would present man as a mere instrument, and God the principal agent in all his actions, and must receive the praise or blame of all that is done. Indeed, upon this plan, I cannot see how sin could exist at all; for if it be by the agency of God that man sins, he must decree all the actions of man, and if he both decree and bring to pass all that man docs, by his own immediate agency, all that is done, must be right; for God can neither decree nor execute that which is wrong. Is not this the foundation of Universalism and many other isms so destructive in the world?

To hang every volition on the power of motive, alone. may conceal, but can never remove the difficulty just noticed. True, this scheme presents the will as choosing freely, but it also chooses necessarily; for in whatever end of the scale you place the greatest weight, that end of course will fall; and it may fall freely too; yet, if it cannot turn the other way, it falls necessarily. One pennyweight in the other end of the scale would cause it to fall, and the first one to rise. So you see, that to govern the will of man by an over balance of motive, as effectually destroy's his accountability as to govern it by immediate agency.

The doctrine that fallen man, unaided by divine influence, can choose salvation is also absurd. It robs God of all the glory of man's redemption, and is entirely inconsis tent with the Bible.

The truth, then, scems to be this; fallen man can, upon the gospel plan, choose life or death, blessing or cursing. This is abundantly evident from the word of God "Choose you this day whom you will serve."-Josh. xxiv. 15. "Y

will not come unto me that ye might have life."—John v. 40. Whosoever will let him take the water of life freely.→→→ Rev. xxii. 17.

ON MAN'S AUTHORITY TO BELIEVE IN CHRIST.

Faith in Christ is composed of two parts-assent and consent to be saved on gospel terms. But is every sinner authorised to do this? I answer yes: every sinner to whom the gospel is preached, has sufficient authority to believe that Christ died for him, and therefore, is at liberty to believe in him.

1. Every sinner has negative testimony to believe that Christ died for him. "Say unto them, as I live saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked.” Ezek. xxxiii. 11. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some men count slackness, but is long suffering to us ward, not willing that any should perish."-2 Pet. iii. 9. But negative testimony is not sufficient to induce a sinner to believe that God is willing to save him. Had God sent the whole human family to hell, without providing salvation for any, it would have been no more than the inffliction of a just punishment; yet he would have had no pleasure in their death; therefore, a sinner must have positive, as well as negative testimony, before he can believe in Christ. This kind of testimony is also to be found in the Bible. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life"-John iii. 16. "Who will have all men to be saved and to come unto a knowledge of the truth."-1 Tim. ii. 4.

Before a minister of the gospel can assure any sinner that Christ died for him, and call on him to believe, he must have authority to say, that he died for every sinner. Without such authority he cannot urge one sinner to believe in Christ, without acting presumptuously. Nor has any sinner right, without this knowledge, to believe in Christ: in so doing he would also act presumptuously.