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desire to do that which is pleasing in His sight, to whom we owe every thing,—our life, our preservation, and each hour's undeserved blessing vouchsafed to us, with the crowning blessing of all, an Eternal Sabbath of peace and rest, and bliss, when the six days' labor of our earthly pilgrimage, our forty years' sojourn in the wilderness, is accomplished, and the bright dawn of Eternity arises from amid the shadows of death, disclosing to our view the Promised Land.

Every living soul therefore being thus explicitly invited, tempted if I may so say, to believe in God, must have power given him to believe, or the condition, and the encouragement of the most lofty inducements, were but inconceivable cruelty and delusion. And this holy assistance must be adapted to every man's need of it, or we doubt Divine wisdom and justice.

Nevertheless, though I conceive that Holy Scripture does not sanction the expectation in any human mind of any supernatural call, any greater degree of favor or assistance, than is given to all men liberally, to enable them to determine whom they will serve, The Lord, or Baal;-although while man is halting between two opinions," he is unwarranted in looking for more than a sufficiency of Divine grace, to counteract, not over rule, evil influence in his nature; yet, it is no impeachment of immutable justice to trust, as I believe we may most

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scripturally trust, that when man has "chosen the better part," (Luke 10, 42,)-when he "considereth and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed," -when he has said, "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord," (Josh. 24, 15,) Lord I believe, help Thou mine unbelief,” (Mark 9, 24,) then the heart, purified by repentance, does become more holily, happily, and habitually influenced and strengthened, as "the temple of the Holy Ghost." (See 1. Cor. 6, 19.) And I believe in this sense it may be understood of the Holy Spirit, Whoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance." (Matt. 13, 12.) God giveth not the spirit by measure," (John 3, His servants.

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That varied measures of grace may in such manner be granted to all sorts and conditions of men, being christians indeed, is very different in principle, it will be perceived, from the idea of partiality or favor predestined from eternity to men, before they have acknowledged that "the Lord He is God," and by becoming Christians, have, as may be said, the title of subjects to the protection and bounty of their King. To one man ten talents may be committed (perhaps for special purpose); to the stewardship of another, five; to another, one. One, therefore, all have. No instance is held out to our conception, of man left without one talent, proportioned to his capacity for its due use and employment. And these ten talents, or five, may mean greater portions or measures

of God's Holy Spirit, such as we observe in men of preeminent piety and constancy under trial, as truly as they may signify power, wealth, intellect, or other means of benefitting our fellow men; responsibility alike attaching to every gift of God. But when the end cometh, whatever may have been the measure of grace, the measure of justice to every living soul, will be such as a Divine knowledge even of our very thoughts, will render perfect. It is written, "To whom much is given, from them will much be required." (Luke 12, 48.) And again, "If there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not." (2. Cor. 8, 12.) It is a fearful consideration, in what manner the soul, when summoned from its earthly trial, will be able to answer, as it must answer, for the deeds done in the body, before the judgment-seat of Him, from whom no secrets are hid! That Judge knoweth His own; those who in this world have acknowledged Him before men-have sought to acquaint themselves with His Word and Will-and who, in contemplating His purity and perfection, have learnt to know their own sinful imperfections, and so to trust solely, and with their whole soul, in His truth and love for justification. Equally sure is it, that He knoweth those also, who have not known Him, nor sought to know Him, though they have had the means, who have "thought scorn of that pleasant land, and given no credence to His word." What power

of imagination can picture in its real and terrible truth, the self condemnation, unavailing remorse, and endless despair,

of the self convicted unbeliever in the presence of Christ ? Into that presence, nevertheless, ALL must come, unbelievers or believers !

It is no impeachment of God's mercy or foreknowledge, that " some did not believe." For What if some did not believe," writes St. Paul, “shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? God forbid, for then how shall God judge the world?" (Rom. 3, 3.) How, indeed! It would not have been equal justice had it pleased God to suspend creation, because He foreknew that part of His creation would live in vain, and die, self condemned, in wilful unbelief. The glorious inheritance predestined, through God's grace, for Christian believers, would in such case have been forfeited to them, not by their own rejection of that grace offered, but through the refusal of others. They who love the world, and live for the world, verily "have their reward" in the world they have preferred. Shall this their free choice debar the Christian from the fruition of his faith? He is bidden to "love not the world," but to lay up his treasures, and set his affections, upon a world to come. In this faith he resigns things seen, if forbidden things, for that which is unseen; things temporal for things eternal. He believes in God and in His word, holy and true, and shall this man's faith be vain because some there are, some there have been, and may be again, who equally having eyes to see, see not-ears to hear, and hear not? Surely not! We

may suffer temporally, for others' wickedness. It is impossible but that offences must come," man being a responsible, and therefore a free agent. Tares must grow with the wheat, but at length cometh the time of harvest, and the humblest Christian is secure in his trust, even though a world, as in the days of Noah, were bent on self destruction. His is "a joy with which a stranger intermeddleth not, which no man taketh, nor can take away." It is because God is just, as well as merciful, that those who believe in Him "shall not perish but have everlasting life.” "Shall mortal man be more just than God?" (Job 4, 17.) What an answer to Calvinistic Election is contained in that single question! It deserves to be well weighed. And can we forget the abounding pity and love, conveyed in the Divine assurance, that "There is joy in Heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine that need no repentance," (Luke 15, 7,)-if, indeed, such could be found. How utterly contradictory, again, is this sentence from our Saviour's lips, to the absolute and personal predestination of Calvinism. For who does not see, that if a certain few were predestined as the Elect, through the irresistible operation of a divine and eternal decree, there could be no joy in Heaven-no benign solicitude and interest as to lost man, or the rescue of one immortal soul from everlasting misery; because those fore appointed or elected to happiness, from the foundation of the world,would fulfil their destiny, just as the Sun rises and sets, or any other elemental process of nature obeys God's command.

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