er the degree of oppofition of will there is to that which: is right and good, and the ftronger the propensity and inclination is to the contrary, the more blameable and guilty fuch perfons appear to be to all who exercife reafon or common fenfe. And the more fixed in the ftrong and conftant oppofition of their hearts, they are to that which is wife and good, and propensity to do evil, so that they are perfectly deaf to all warnings and counfels and motives which can be fet before them to: choose and do that which is right, and would make them happy, and they cannot be reclaimed by any means whatfoever that can be used with them; the more odious and blameworthy they are, according to the feelings, judgment and confent of all.

If a child be difobedient to his parents, and wholly refuses to pay any respect to them and regard their: dictates, the more obftinate he appears to be, and fixed. in his rebellion, under all possible means used with him to reclaim him, this is fo far from being any excufe, or extenuation of his blame or guilt, that it is confidered. by all, unless it be thofe who are joined with him in the fame difobedience, as an aggravation of his guilt.. Who ever thought of excufing a murderer or thief, and could think him blameless or the lefs guilty, becaufe he had long perfifted in his evil practices, and could not be reclaimed by all the perfuafions, threats and fevere corrections which could be administered or devised? Can any one avoid thinking him the worse, and more odious and blameable, the more his inclination to murder or fteal is proved to be fixed and incurable? It is poffible the person himself might plead this as an excufe; and his companions in the fame wickedness might join with him in exculpating him and themfelves, because they had fuch a firong inclination to perfift in their practices, and were fo utterly averfe from a reformation, and fo far from having the leaft difpofition to any thing of the kind, that they could not be willing to hearken to advice, and reform. But all who are not murderers nor thieves would confider their at

tempting

tempting to make fuch an excufe as an aggravation of their crimes, and an increase of their blameworthiness.

This is applicable to the cafe before us, and may ferve to illuftrate it. Mankind are all rebels against God, and are funk into total moral depravity, in which they have a ftrong, fixed and incurable propenfity to rebellion, and a proportionable averfion from God and holinefs, and will not come to Chrift that they might be faved. This depravity and obftinacy is incurable, that is, by any thing in themfelves; for their whole inclination, and all their exertions, are an oppofition to turn. ing to God, or a willingness to embrace the gofpel; it is incurable by any means that can be ufed with them, or by any thing that can be done for them by any creature. The removal of this rebellious difpofition is infinitely out of the reach of the power of men or an gels. He only can do it who created all things, and is able to take away the hard, obftinate heart, and give an obedient one, and work in men to will and to do that to which they are naturally totally averfe. Nothing is or can be in the way to prevent any perfons being wil ling to embrace the gofpel, but a contrary will and choice, and averfion of heart from Jefus Chrift and the gofpel. And if this be not in the nature of it criminal, and blameable in every degree of it, then there can be no fuch thing as blame or crime in nature. And if the ftrong degree of oppofition to that which is right and wife, and inclination to the contrary fo as to render it incurable, in the fenfe explained, does render the perfon innocent; then every the leaft degree of fuch inclination is not criminal, fo there can be no fuch thing as fin; unlefs men can fin without any inclination to fin, and inay incur blame when they exercife no choice..

All this is fuppofed and really afferted in our text: That mankind are wholly and obftinately oppofed in their will and affections to that which is right and wife, and neceffary to be chofen, in order to their falvation; that this is the only and all the difficulty in the way of their falvation, and is the only thing which renders it

neceffary

neceffary that God fhould powerfully work in them to make them willing to embrace the way of falvation. The objection is therefore contrary to the paffage objected to, which when confidered contains a full anfwer to it, and the objection appears not to have the leaft foundation, if all blame confifts wholly in having no inclination to that which is right and wife, and in an inclination and choice which is directly contrary: and nothing can be blameable but this: and the stronger this inclination is, and the more there is of it, the more and greater is the guilt; which no man can deny without contradicting the plaineft dictates of reafon and common fenfe.

When it is faid in the objection, that if men cannot embrace the gofpel unless God work in them to will and do it, this muft render them blamelefs, if by this any difficulty is defigned to be expreffed which does not wholly confift in their unwillingness to this, and is not the fame with their will not, it is not true that they cannot; for, as has been obferved, there can be no other bar in the way of their embracing the gospel, but a fixed oppofition of will to it; and this is supposed and even afferted in the text, as nothing else or more is neceffary to work out their falvation but a will to do it. And when it is faid they cannot be willing, the meaning is, that they are wholly deftitute of the least inclination or real defire to comply, and have such a strong, fixed oppofition of will to it, that they cannot be willing to embrace the gofpel, fuch oppofition of will being entirely inconfiftent with it, so long as it continues; and they being without the leaft inclination or defire to remove this oppofition, but acquiefce in it with all their hearts, it cannot be removed by any thing short of the power of God working in them to will and to do. But if this be all that the objector means by his cannot; this is fo far from being any excufe for not being willing to embrace the gofpel, that it is the very thing in which all blame confifts; and the more there is of this will not,ˆ and the ftronger the inclination is to oppofe and reject the gofpel

gofpel, the greater is the guilt and blameworthinefs, as has been before obferved, and cannot be denied by any who will allow that there is any fuch thing as guilt and blame in nature. In this fenfe the words of Chrift are to be understood, when he fays, "No man can come to me, except the Father who hath fent me draw him:" [John vi. 44.] The Saviour of the world does not say this to excufe men as blameless in not coming to him, but rather to express their total depravity and the greatnefs of their guilt, afferting that there is fuch oppofition of the will or heart of all men naturally to him, that they are difpofed to reject the gofpel, and, while this is the cafe, no man can with fuch an heart come to Chrift, as this implies a contradiction. And this depravity and oppofition of heart is fo great and fixed, that no man will come to him, unless it be removed by the power of God working in him to will and do that which he would otherwife continue utterly to refufe. That these words are thus to be understood is certain from what Chrift faith elsewhere on this fubject. He faid to the Jews, "Fe will not come to me, that ye might have life. How can ye believe, who receive honour one of another, and feek not the honour that cometh from God only ?? In which words he afferts, that the only thing in the way of their coming to him was, that it was contrary to their inclination or will; and that their inabili ty to believe on him, which is the fame with coming to him, or the only reason why they could not believe, was nothing but an oppofite inclination to defire and feek that which was contrary to believing on him and coming to him. We are certain that Jefus Chrift did confi der this inability to come to him, though fo fixed and great that it could not be removed by any power fhort of that Divine Energy which can give a new heart, as any excuse for not coming to him; for he afferts their not believing on him and refufing to come to him to be the greatest crime, for which they might juftly be condemn. ed to perish forever. Hear his words. "He that believeth not, is condemned already, because he hath not be

lieved on the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. And when he (the Spi

rit) is come, he will reprove the world of fin, because they believe not on me."

If they who make the objection under confideration would attend to all this, and confider it well, they would know that they were as really objecting againft Jefus Chrift himfelf, as againft our text, as it has been explained; for he faith the fame things in the words which have been cited. And they would at the fame time be convinced that the objection is contrary to all reafon and the common fente of mankind, and implics the greatest 'abfurdity, and contradiction to all moral

truth.

་

Many bewilder themfelves, and put a ftumbling block before their faces, and make great and hurtful mistakes, by using the words cannot and inability in a fenfe which is inconfiftent with blame, and wholly excufes for not doing what a perfon cannot do. That which a perfon cannot do, though ever fo much inclined to do it, and however willing he is to do it, were it in his power, he cannot be blamed for not doing. And this is the fense in which mankind commonly use the words cannot and inability. But when thefe words are used in a moral fenfe, fo as to imply no difficulty in complying with what is required, but want of an inclination and defire to do it, or an actual oppofition of will to it, which is quite a different and oppofite fenfe from the other; fuch a want of ability or power to comply with that which is reasonable and right, does not excufe a refufal to comply, but necellarily implies blame, and the perfon is criminal in proportion to the degree of his inability to comply, or the ftrength and fixedness of the oppofition of his heart to that which is required, in which all the difficulty of this compliance confifts.

A

This may be illuftrated by the following inftance: A poor man, a real object of charity, fuffering for want of

the