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grace, is, according to this explication, to continue in impenitence and alienation from the life of God. Now the effect of converting and sanctifying grace, is, to take away these evils. To resist the call of the gospel, is, according to scripture, to have a heart of stone. The scripture teaches us, that the grace of God takes away the heart of stone, and gives a heart of flesh. This proves that there are operations of the divine Spirit, which take away the resistance of the heart to the will of God.

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They who oppose the doctrine of effectual grace, own, as was observed before, divine operations giv. ing the soul power and ability to turn to God. Their main objections are against operations, determining the will or governing principles and inclinations of the soul. But the prevalent inclinations and dispositions of the soul, are the very things which the scripture calls the heart and the scriptures above adduced shew, that the heart is the main thing on which the efficacy of grace is exerted. To give a new heart, is to give prevalent holy inclinations and dispositions to comply with the will of God. Accordingly, we are told that God Almighty works to will and to do, and that his people are a willing people in the day of his power. These, and the like expressions, plainly denote the removal of unwillingness or resistance; and a sufficiency of power and intrinsic efficacy in the operations of divine grace for that effect.

It may give farther light to this subject, to consider the nature of that holiness, which, according to scripture, is the effect of the grace of the Holy Ghost. It does not consist merely in a power to obey God, without real prevalent inclination to it. According to scripture and reason, holiness consists chiefly in the rooted prevalent inclinations and affections of the heart.Love is the fulfilling of the law, and the end of the commandment. The scriptures do not ascribe to the grace of God merely a power to believe, to repent, to love and obey God they ascribe to it, these excellent effects themselves. They do not leave room for sinners to boast, that they are only beholden to God for good

abilities, and that they are beholden for their good inclinations to themselves. The operations of God's grace are represented in scripture, as inclining mens' hearts to God's testimonies, and causing them to walk in his statutes. Such expressions plainly denote, that the divine operations, to which men are beholden for conversion and spiritual life, are of such efficacy as to have an infallible connexion with the effects ascribed to them. This may be farther confirmed from the scripture account of the greatness of the power exerted in them. The observations formerly made on this subject, shew that the energy of grace is sufficient to overpower the obstinate resistance the sinner's heart made formerly to the divine call; and that it must triumph over all opposition.

Whereas, the view that has been taken hitherto of the scripture doctrine of grace, is somewhat general; there are some special branches of it which require more particular consideration, because of the particular prejudices entertained against them. Of this num ber, is the doctrine concerning an ordinary work of the Spirit of God enlightening mens' minds. Some of the scriptures which contain that doctrine have been already mentioned. But various objections are advanced against deducing such a doctrine from these scriptures, or any others that are brought for the proof of it. Sometimes it is pretended, that these scriptures are only meant of the external revelation of the gospel, common to the body of Christians; sometimes that they are meant of extraordinary operations of the Spirit of God, in which the body, even of real Christians is not concerned. It is on such grounds that the doctrine of an ordinary inward work of enlightening grace is opposed. What force there is in such objections against that doctrine, will appear by a few remarks on some of the chief scripture testimonies on which it is founded.

When our Saviour says, that all who should come to him would be taught of God: it is evident that he speaks of a divine teaching, that is ordinary and common to all real Christians. The teaching he speal

of, can be no more extraordinary than coming to him, or believing on him. It is no less evident, that the teaching he speaks of, must be something else than the external teaching of God's word: for he adds, that all who should be thus taught, would come to him. It is manifest, therefore, that he speaks of a teaching, which has a certain connexion with true faith, which cannot be said of outward instruction; and he speaks of a teaching that is necessary in order to faith, which cannot be said of any of these extraordinary privileges or gifts, which are peculiar to a few, and in which the body of Christians is not concerned.

When Christ exhorts the Laodiceans to accept of eye-salve to anoint their eyes, that they might see, Rev. iii. 18. he speaks to a people who enjoyed the outward light of the gospel already; and therefore, he does not mean merely outward instruction: and seeing he makes this kind offer to all that people, this proves that the blessing he offers, is not to be reckoned among the extraordinary gifts of the divine Spirit.The like observations are evidently applicable to various other scriptures which treat of the same subject. Thus, Paul prays in behalf of the Ephesians, notwithstanding of their enjoying the outward revelation of the gospel already; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ would give them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; the eyes of their understanding being enlightened, that they might know what is the hope of his calling, and the riches of his inheritance in the saints, and the exceeding greatness of his power towards them that believe, Eph. i. 19. and. iii. 16, 18. as also that God would strengthen them with might, by his Spirit in the inner man that they might comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and the depth and heighth, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge. To the same: purpose are the scriptures, which speak of God's shining into the heart to give the light of the knowledge of his glory, in the face of Jesus Christ, 2 Cor. iv. 6. of his opening mens' eyes, to behold wonderful things out of his law, Psal. cxix. and of an anointing. from above, which teacheth all things, 1 John ii. 27.

When our Saviour promises to all who love him ad keep his commandments, that he will come unto them and manifest himself to them, John xiv. 21. it is plain that it is not merely the external manifestation of himself in the gospel that is meant. It is evident, that he speaks of a privilege that is peculiar to them who love and obey him; and the context shews he manifests himself otherwise to those than to the rest of the world. It is no less evident that the privilege he speaks of, cannot be reckoned among the extraordinary gifts peculiar to a few, and which the body of sincere Christians are not concerned in. His words import that inward manifestations of the Redeemer, can no more be restricted to a few extraordinary persons, than love and obedience to him: though no doubt all these things admit of very different degrees..

SECTION II..

Of the differences between the work of the Holy Ghost, and false appearances of it.

THE consideration of the differences between true and false pretences to the Spirit of God, is of manifold use, both for vindicating the doctrine of grace, and for directing us to a just improvement of it. Because, so many people in all ages have so grossly imposed on themselves and others, in their pretences to divine communications; this is a main thing which some people make a handle of for justifying their prejudices. against all such pretences in general. A due consideration of the differences between the work of the divine Spirit, and the things falsely ascribed to him, will make it evident that these prejudices are without just foundation. To argue that there are no real operations of the Holy Ghost on the hearts of sinners, because many people deceive themselves, in pretending to such things; is as unreasonable, as to affirm that there is no true and sincere holiness in the world, because there are so many hypocrites.

In treating of false pretences to the Spirit of God,

it is needful first, and chiefly, to consider false pretences to his sanctifying grace. Pretences to his extraordinary gifts such as prophecy, miracles, and immediate inspiration, are more rare and uncommon. It is proper to observe that without pretending, either to the extraordinary gifts o God's Spirit, or to his sanctifying grace, a man may pretend to these things which are very fitly called common operations; that is, to such good motions and impressions from the Spirit of God, as may be found in the hearts of bad men, and which are of an excellent tendency, but are not duly complied with. As for those who own internal, but not insuperable and effectual grace, they are, of all people in the world, most obliged to allow, that men void of true holiness, may truly pretend to inward operations of the Holy Ghost. According to them, there are no ordinary operations of the Spirit of God, but what men may resist and defeat: that is, there are none but a man may be favoured with, and yet continue in his impenitence and impiety.

If a man carry his pretences no higher than these common operations, it is evident that supposing him to be in a mistake, it is not of the most dangerous kind. A man who justly accuses himself of resisting good motions, which he has felt in his heart and conscience, may be supposed to be mistaken in ascribing these motions to divine operation. But his error is far from being so dangerous, as that of a man, who, without pretending to the Holy Ghost, falsely pretends to holiness itself; and imagines he has attained to the image of God, without his grace. There is the more need "of considering this, because of the manner in which some people treat of the delusions of self-love in religion. They speak on that subject, as if the only most dangerous self-deceit, was false pretence to the Holy Ghost; whereas, indeed, the most dangerous delusion is false pretence to holiness itself, whether people ascribe their attainments to the Holy Ghost or not.If a man falsely pretend to the image of God, his error cannot be the less sinful, or less hurtful, because he does not ascribe his having the divine image, to the

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