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his own heart, and discovering with pain the fecret workings of evil, gains increafing conviction of the importance of perfevering oppofition in patience, vigilance, faith, and prayer. His applications to the Throne of Grace are daily renewed, and thus, ftrengthened with with power and might from above, he is enabled to maintain the good fight, not prefuming to lay down his arms till the days of his warfare (Job xiv. 14.) are ended.

3. The ordinary struggle in an unrenewed mind originates chiefly in fear, and is stronger in proportion as the apprehenfion of danger is excited. It is, in fact, a struggle between the judgment and the inclination, the one pointing out the confequences; while the other covets the pleasures, of fin; the one preffing the importance and neceffity, while the other fhrinks from the performance of acknowledged duties. There is nothing in this ftruggle, which fhews either hatred of fin, or love of the divine law. The truth is, the heart is not divorced from evil habits and attachments, and is therefore fecretly offended at the ftrictness, fpirituality, and extent of that law, which condemns them: there is a latent displeasure in the foul, becaufe fin and happiness are not made compatible. Now the conflict in a spiritual mind is ever attended with a hatred of fin, as a thing evil in its nature, as well as pernicious in its confequences. Not only the judgment condemns, but the will oppofes, and the affections are withdrawn from it. The law of God, which in the other cafe is matter of offence, is here not only acknowledged as holy and juft, but approved as good: it is the delight of the inward man:

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and the grief of a fincere christian is to find in himself so many wayward tempers and difpofitions not duly fubjected to its righteous and falutary control. Against these he maintains an habitual and ferious conflict, and not merely to avoid the condemnation, but also the pollution of fin; not fimply wishing to fecure future happiness, but labouring to perfect holiness in the fear of God. In the ordinary ftruggle, when the better principle feems for the moment to prevail, and the duty preffed upon the confcience is performed, the obedience is only like that of Saul, when he forced himself to offer a burnt offering. When the folicitation to fin is denied, it is but like the refufal of Balaam to go with the meffengers of Balak, when he gladly would have accompanied them had he dared to do it. In fhort, to borrow a comparifon, which I have fomewhere feen, whatever ftruggles an unrenewed man may have, fin is to him like precious wares in the fhip, which are only thrown over board (and that as fparingly as poffible) in a storm: but to one of a fpiritual mind it is as the ftagnant and offenfive water in the veffel, which the good mariner is affiduous to pump out and clear away daily.

4. Where the struggle between right and wrong arifes only from the checks of natural confcience, it is conducted, or carried on, by the mere exertion of natural power the fubject of it oppofes folicitations to evil, with purposes and refolutions formed entirely in his own ftrength: whereas, in the conflict between the flesh and the spirit, in a renewed mind, the combatant is ftrong in the grace that is in Chrift Jefus. By the acting of faith, from time to time renewed, on the Saviour to whom he is by that vital

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Laftly. From the struggles occafioned by the mere checks of natural confcience no extenfive or permanent good effects enfue. However temptation may occafionally be refifted with effect, the power of the enemy is not broken or fubdued; nor is there produced in the mind any habitual vigilance, circumfpection, godly jealoufy, fear, or abhorrence of evil. Sin, in fome form or other, ftill reigns in the mortal body, and is obeyed in the lufts thereof. But in the conflict, which arifes from a principle of grace in the foul, fubftantial advantage is gained over the tial advantage is gained over the adverfary: the malignity and deceitfulness of fin are, in an increafing degree, difcovered, its fecret motions are more clearly traced, and its fubtle workings more effect ually fruftrated. The foul learns more fully the importance of faith and prayer, of the continual ufe of the christian armour, and of "looking unto Jefus." By thefe means they that are Chrift's are enabled to crucify the flesh with its affections and lufts, fo that all things belonging to the old man do gradually die in them, while all things belonging to the new man live and grow in them. This statement is not to be confidered as invalidated by the complaints of eminent chriftians concerning the power of fin within them, by reafon whereof they yet groan being burdened.

It is to be confidered that, in proportion to a man's real growth in grace and holiness, fin not only will be more clearly feen, but more cor

dially hated, and its oppofition to the new man more acutely and painfully felt. It is not therefore a fair inference from the complaints alluded to, that sin is not mortified or weakened. The believer may expect the oppofition of the enemy, and count upon the continuance of the conflict, till the happy period fhall arrive when he will receive the end of his faith, even the falvation of his foul. M. T. H.

From the Religious Monitor.* tian world, who confine their reTHERE are many in the chrifflections on religion almost entirely to its moral precepts; while its doctrines are difregarded, as comparatively of little confequence. looked, as if they had been intendBy fome, thefe are entirely overed only for the ftudy of the profeffed Theologian; and as if the belief of them had no connection with the happiness of a future ftate. By others, difcuffions concerning the real import of particular paffages of fcripture, and the nature of the doctrines deducible from them, are little attended to; these being confidered as points, in the decifion of which, the private christian is not materially interefted. Accordingly, if thefe men form for themcerning the meaning of the docfelves any fyftem of opinions contrines of fcripture, they profess to have no defire to convert others to the belief of their peculiar fentiments. They leave every man to

be guided by the conviction of his ots of a party, thofe who maintain own mind; and defpife, as the bigonly true doctrines, one clafs of the neceffity of believing, as the religious tenets.

It is hardly neceffary to say any * A Periodical Work published at Edinburgh.

thing in refutation of the firft of thefe opinions. He, who can deny man's obligation to believe the doctrines of the gofpel; who can reject, as ufelefs, thofe truths, which conftitute the very effence of chriftianity; and who can deprive its morals of their only pure and efficient motives, deferves not the name of chriftian. He defpifes the authority of God, and refufes, with daring ingratitude, the beft bleffings of revelation; the comforts and hopes, which its doctrines infpire.

The fecond opinion however, in which it is maintained, that every man may fafely adopt his own views of the doctrines of fcripture, whether they actually accord with its real intention or not, deferves our more ferious confideration. This is an opinion, common to many profeffors of chriftianity. It has the appearance of much liberality and candour ; and will certainly be approved of by every one, who takes only a fuperficial view of the fubject; when attentively examined, however, it will appear to be founded on the following fuppofition alfo. That the language of fcripture on many of the effential doctrines of christianity is ambiguous, that its import cannot be pofitively afcertained by the candid inquirer, and that no interpretation of it, and no explanation of the meaning of its doctrines can be regarded, as exclufively true. 1f, therefore, we can fhew that this fuppofition is unfupported, the opinion, built upon it, must fall to the ground.

By denying fuch affertions, however, we must not be understood to affirm, that the meaning of every part of fcripture is plain and obvious. Many paffages are neceffarily obfcure, from our imperfect knowledge of the language and manners of the period, in which the facred books were written; and

there are fome things, which God hath feen fit to reveal to us only in part. But we shall endeavour to prove that all, who allow christianity to be a divine revelation, must acknowledge that the grand characteristick doctrines of the gospel, original fin, the divinity and atonement of Chrift, juftification through faith, and the other effential points, connected with thefe, in as far as they are neceffary for enabling us to apprehend them, are promulgated in clear and unequivocal terms.

Before the gospel was preached, mankind were involved in the most deplorable darkness and uncertainty with regard to every particular, which concerned their prefent hopes and future happiness. Every thing was obfcure, and much was entirely concealed. The placability of God, the efficacy of repentance, and the exiftence of a future ftate, were all doubted, even by the wif eft and most enlightenedheathens. Compaffionating men in this wretched condition, God was pleafed to bring life and immortality to light by the gospel; to fhew them in a manner which could not be misunderstood, the fources of confolation, and the rule of duty; to point out the way of accefs to him, and to direct their views to an eternal inheritance beyond the grave. If, however, thefe effential truths were not plainly difcovered; if the language, in which they are expreffed, even after all the investigations of the learned, be full of ambiguity; where are the advantages of revelation? What light hath it shed on a benighted world? What fure confolation, what good hope hath it given to the fearful mind of guilty man? It hath declared to us indeed God's willingness to pardon; but hath left us, as before, in total uncertainty about

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the method of obtaining forgivenefs. Two oppofite opinions on this important fubject cannot be equally acceptable to God; cannot afford the fame firm fatisfaction and confolation to man. If, therefore, christianity be a divine revelation, its doctrines must have been expreffed in fuch a manner, that they may be easily understood by every fincere, unprejudiced inquirThe goodness of God would lead him to adapt his instructions to the circumstances of his creatures; and, though fome of the doctrines are, from their own nature, incomprehenfible by our limited faculties; yet our obligation to believe them can be clearly perceived. Chriftianity is a divine revelation, in which God has given a plain and unequivocal declaration of his commands, and we cannot fuppofe that it is a matter of indifference, in what fense we receive them; or that he will be fully fatisfied with our obedience, though we pervert his precepts and mifinterpret his laws. In human governments no fuch perverfion would pafs unpunished. The lawgiver may relax his severity in favour of fuch, as are unacquainted with the particular terms of the law or of fuch, as are unable, from the want of intellectual faculties, to exercife their judgment concerning it. Every other fubject is fuppofed capable of undertanding, in what fenfe he fhould obey the laws of his fovereign; and, if he do not observe them, he is punished accordingly. In like manner the divine threatenings must be fulfilled against thofe, who, from corrupt pallion, willingly misinterpret the facred oracles. To this it is objected, as matter of fact, that men of fincerity and candour, differ widely with regard to the effential doctrines of the gof

pel; and therefore that the only period, in which the meaning of thefe doctrines could be infallibly known, was during the lives of the apostles, and their immediate followers. Have then the advantages of that revelation, which profeffed to be of universal and perpetual ufe, been confined to the period of its firft propagation? or has the certainty, which it was intended to give to the fondeft hopes of man, been enjoyed only by thofe favoured few, who were blessed with the extraordinary illuminations of the fpirit of God? It is much more reasonable to fuppofe that the will of God is intelligible by every one, whofe mind is not biaffed by finful prejudice, and who forms his opinions of the doctrines of fcripture from a view of the united force and beautiful analogy of all its declarations. Nor do we hesitate to affirm that it is poffible to trace every corruption of the facred doctrine to fome depraved principle in the human heart. This principle indeed is fometimes fo concealed from view, that a man, acting under its influence, imagines that he is searching for truth with the utmost fairness and impartiality. Vanity, skepticism, depraved inclinations, and love of novelty have been the parents of innumerable errours. Thefe, nourished by party fpirit, and fupported, in many cafes, by the firm conviction of those, who adhere to them, have maintained their ftrength. When men are influenced by fuch motives, they cannot examine with impartiality. Detached portions of fcripture are made the foundation of a new fyftem of doctrines, and other paffages are explained with the previous determination of making them accord with it, or perhaps with the firm affurance, that they would do fo. If this be the way,

in which men are led, by falfe principles, to form erroneous opinions in religion, their errours will be laid to their own charge; they have not been occafioned by any unneceffary obscurity in the divine revelation. But here the question recurs, who are in the right? What is the interpretation of feripture which may be regarded, as exclufively true? Are they not dogmatical and conceited, who maintain that they alone, of all christians, have examined without prejudice, and difcovered, with infallible certainty, the true meaning of the oracles of God? To this we reply, that there are systems of doctrine demonftrated to be pure by evidence, which our opponents cannot reasonably refift. These are the articles and confeffions of faith of this and a neighbouring church. Whatever may be the errours of either in the form of difcipline or worship, or in other matters not effential; their fyftems of doctrine are perhaps the pureft, which could have been expected in any works of human compofition. Nor is this merely a prefumption, drawn from the manners of the times, when they are compofed, or from the great piety and integrity of the compilers; but it is an afsertion, the truth of which may be proved by an appeal to the coincidence of thefe doctrines with the fentiments of the immediate followers of the apoftles. If this coincidence can be fhown, it completely demonftrates the purity of our religious doctrines to every one, who admits the conclufiveness of historical evidence. For, whatever may have been the early corruptions of the chriftian church, it is not credible, that the contemporaries and immediate fucceffors of the apostles could have ignorantly, or willingly perverted the facred doctrines. This was fo far from

being the cafe, that they manifefted on all occafions the greatest zeal in preferving them inviolate. The rife of every new herefy was obferved by them with a mixture of aftonishment, indignation, and forrow, which manifefted that, till that time, they had been united and firm in the belief of one fyftem of doctrines. Now, it has often been fhown (and no one has ever been able to prove the contrary,) that the doctrine of our church corres ponds exactly with the faith of the primitive chriftians; or, in other words, with the faith of the infpired writer. The doctrines, which we hold, are not the inventions of men, nor the perverfions of fcripture truth; they are coeval with the firft promulgation of the gofpel; for it cannot be shown, that they were introduced at a later period. In the darkness of Popish ignorance fome of them were almost extinguifhed; but whenever learning and reverence for the fcriptures began to revive, the pure doctrines of Chrift fhone forth with renewed luftre. They were received by our venerable reformers, as the greateft bleffings of Heaven, and worthy of being kept and defended with a fortitude, which tortures and death could not overcome. Shall then their defcendants permit themselves to be deprived of fuch bleffings, from the unmanly fear, that their firm, though modeft defence of them, would be illiberally ftiled the effect of a dogmatick and conceited fpirit? [To be continued.]

The Church of Scotland.

THE following anecdote of Cal, vin, while it does much honour to his moral and religious character, is a curious hiftorical fact, which deferves to be generally known, It was related at Geneva, by Deodati, one of Calvin's succeffors, te

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