inserted with respect to some other particular scope, where the truths are not presently assaulted, where they are not immediately called to hazard much upon them, or in other the like cases, they are indeed less affected; but one way or other, from one thing or other, as much of God shines in them as is sufficient to engage to a present adherence, and some becoming reverence as to the oracles of God, which may in their season manifest their usefulness to us, and do at present manifest it to others. And where truths are of a different nature and importance, and suit present necessities, and require more distinct actings of faith or obedience, and we are called to lay more stress on them—in that case the evidence of God shines more brightly. And scarce ever will a discerning and attentive Christian, who is not grievously indisposed by some casual disorder, read the Scriptures, or any considerable part of them, but some where or other in the scope or particular words, and propositions, or their contexture, some light will shine in upon the soul, enforcing a conviction that God is in it of a truth.

XIV. When the faith of the Lord's people is assaulted as to the truth of the word; when in difficult cases and duties they are called to lay much stress upon the word, and hazard as it were their all; when they are distressed with particular and violent temptations, and need comfort; when under spiritual decays, and God designs to restore them; when newly brought in, and need to be confirmed; when they are humble and diligent, and the Lord designs to reward them graciously, and encourage them to go on; when difficulted to find duty, and waiting on the Lord for light in cases of more than usual importance; when the Lord has a mind to carry any one to peculiar degrees of holiness and grace, and employ them in special services; and, in a word, wherever any extraordinary exigence requires-then the Lord opens his people's ears, removes what intercepts the discoveries of his mind, fixes their ear to hear, and speaks the word distinctly, powerfully, and sweetly, to the soul, and gives them, in and by it, such a taste of his goodness, wisdom, and power, and experiences of his authority in the word-gracious design and hand in its application at present-as fills the soul with the riches and full assurance of faith, peace, joy, and stedfastness in believing.

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PROP. XII.

"Whereas there are different readings of particular places in ancient copies, and places wrong translated in our versions, it may be pretended that we are, or may be imposed upon, and assent to truths, or rather to propositions, not of a divine original, casually crept into our copies of the original or translation. In answer hereto, the foregoing ground of faith lays a sufficient bottom for the satisfaction of Christians, in so far as their case and particular temptations require."

To clear this a little, I shall offer the ensuing remarks.

I. Where the authority of God evidences itself in the way above explained, and confirmed to the mind, believers have a stable and sure foundation for their faith, whether they use translations or the originals; though, it must be allowed, where persons are capable of it, the originals are most satisfying. And this is plainly the case, as all rea! Christians from certain experience know, as to all the truths of the greatest importance, and whereon our faith or obedience are more immediately or directly concerned: so that as to these there is no room left for this objection.

II. The wisdom of God has so carefully provided for the security and stability of our faith, as to particular truths of any considerable importance, against pretences of this, or of a like nature, that our faith rests not upon the evidence of one single testimony, but such truths upon a variety of occasions are often repeated, and our faith leans upon them, not only as thus frequently repeated, but cleared and confirmed by their connection with other truths, which infer them, and the whole analogy of faith, or current of the Scriptures, with respect to that which is the principal design of God;-so that we are in no hazard of being deprived of any one truth, of any considerable influence in faith and practice, by pretended corruptions, or wrong translations. The famous Dr Owen, who had considered the whole various readings, and well knew the failures of particular translations, observes, that were all the various readings added to the worst and most faulty translation, the church of God would not sustain by it the loss of one important truth.

III. Where any person is particularly concerned to be satisfied which is the right reading of any particular passage, and how it ought to be translated, they may, by the help of the ministers of the gospel, such of them as are particularly fitted

the obvious discoveries of what concerns them, in their own particular circumstances, and is required to be believed and obeyed more particularly in a way of duty, of them, though they cannot see so clearly what belongs, to others in different circumstances. 5. God has not systematically and separately discoursed all particular cases under distinct heads; but to leave room for the conduct of the Spirit for exciting the diligence of Christians to study the whole Scriptures, and for other reasons obvious to infinite wisdom, he has digested them in a method more congruous to these wise ends. 6. The Lord designing the exercise of the faith of his own, and to humble them, and to drive them to a dependence on him, and to punish the wicked, and give them who will stumble at the ways of God somewhat to break their neck on, he has digested them so as that there may be occasions, though always without fault on God's part, for all those ends: "Wisdom will be justified of her children;" and to some he speaks in parables, "that seeing they may not see."

NOTES.

A, p. 399.-On the questions relative to its being the necessary duty of sinners to believe the gospel-to the origin of saving faith-and to the consistency betwixt our obligations to this faith and the doctrine of our inability, of ourselves, to believe the venerable author states his views, not only here, but in a subsequent division of this Essay, (Chap. iii. Propos. 1.)

That it is the duty of all to whom the gospel comes, to receive it as the word of God, and to believe in that Saviour whom it exhibits, is a manifest truth, of which no Christian could well have been expected for a moment to entertain a doubt. A strange confusion of ideas, however, is incident, even to wise and good men; and a zealous attachment to one branch of scriptural doctrine has often led them to overlook, to question, and to deny another, which they unguardedly considered incompatible with their favourite article. The celebrated ANDREW FULLER, in his treatise entitled "The Gospel worthy of all acceptation," has discussed at great length the topic now referred to. In the second part of that work, he adduces a series of " Arguments to prove that faith in Christ is the duty of all men who hear, or have opportunity to hear, the gospel." These arguments, which he illustrates in a scriptural and satisfactory manner, are as follows:

"1. Unconverted sinners are commanded, exhorted, and invited to believe in Christ for salvation." “2. Every man is bound cordially to receive and approve whatever God reveals."-" 3. Though the gospel, strictly speaking, is not a law but a message of pure grace, yet it virtually requires obedience, and such an obedience as includes saving faith."—“ 4. The want of faith in Christ is ascribed in the Scriptures to man's depravity, and is itself represented as a heinous sin.”—“5. God has threatened and inflicted most awful punishments on sinners for their not believing in the Lord Jesus Christ."" 6. Other spiritual exercises, which sustain an inseparable connexion with faith in Christ, are represented as the duty of men in general."-(Fuller's Works, vol. i. pp. 46-112.)

The illustration of these arguments is succeeded by a masterly reply to various objections, that have been urged by those who hold the contrary

tenet.

Whilst saving faith is indisputably the duty of all who are favoured with the sacred oracles or a dispensation of the gospel, it is equally certain that faith is the gift of God, and the effect of the Holy Spirit's gracious and special influence. The texts quoted by Halyburton, and many parallel passages of Scripture, abundantly establish this important truth. Every one, indeed, who duly considers the self-abasing and purifying ten

dency of the glorious gospel, and at the same time reflects on the native pride and depravity of fallen man, must be convinced, that without the light and influence-without the special agency of the Holy Ghost, no man can rightly believe the Scriptures, or embrace the gospel as "worthy of all acceptation." Where is the genuine believer, who does not heartily adopt the grateful acknowledgment of Paul, " By the grace of God I am what I am?"

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"How it can be our duty thus to believe the Scriptures, since we are not of ourselves able to do so?" is a question proposed by our author-a very important question, to which theologians, without doubt, should be careful to return a correct and convincing answer. The considerations advanced by Mr Halyburton in reply to this inquiry, are entitled to serious attention. They are materially the same as those that were usually employed by evangelical writers of that age. They coincide, for example, with the following extract from the writings of the worthy Mr BOSTON :— Objection. If we be under an utter inability to do any thing good, how can God require us to do it? Answer. God making man upright (Eccles. vii. 29.), gave him a power to do every thing that he should require of him: this power man lost by his own fault. We were bound to serve God, and do whatever he commanded us, as being his creatures; and also, we were under the superadded tie of a covenant for that purpose. Now, we having, by our own fault, disabled ourselves, shall God lose his right of requiring our task, because we have thrown away the strength he gave us whereby to perform it? Has the creditor no right to require payment of his money, because the debtor has squandered it away, and is not able to pay him? Truly, if God can require no more of us than we are able to do, we need no more to save us from wrath, but to make ourselves unable for every duty, and to incapacitate ourselves for serving God any manner of way, as profane men frequently do: and so the deeper a man is plunged in sin, he will be the more secure from wrath; for where God can require no duty of us, we do not sin in omitting it; and where there is no sin, there can be no wrath," &c.. (Human Nature in its Fourfold State, State ii. Head 3, pp. 161, 162. Lond. edit. 1824.)

Mr Boston, however, a little after, adds the following sentiments :— "Though unregenerate men have no gracious abilities, yet they want not natural abilities, which, nevertheless, they will not improve. There are many things they can do, which they do not; they will not do them, and therefore their damnation will be just. Nay, all their inability to do good is voluntary; they will not come to Christ, John v. 40. They will not repent, they will die, Ezek. xviii. 31. So they will be justly condemned, because they will neither turn to God, nor come to Christ; but love their chains better than their liberty, and darkness rather than light, John iii. 19." (Ibid, p. 162.)

This last quotation, the intelligent reader must perceive, is to the same effect with the solution of the difficulty in question, which later divines have more formally and explicitly exhibited, in their learned observations on the difference betwixt natural and moral inability. The inability of unrenewed sinners savingly to believe the word of God arises, not from the want of rational faculties or external advantages; but from voluntary ignorance, a determined aversion to truth and holiness, and a rooted love of sin. It is, consequently, not a natural or physical impotence, to which no blame can be attached, like the inability of a lame man to walk; but a moral inability, which is highly criminal and deserving of punishment,