thing formed depended on, and was fubject to the Creator that made it. It cannot be abfurd furely to fay, that fo weak and helpless a being as a man, depends intirely on God. Where in the nature of things can we fix a ftandard of certainty in understanding, and ftability in practice, but in the fountain of truth, and all perfection?

But to our better comprehending this matter, let us take a view of primitive Chriftian religion.-Chriftianity is a divine institution, by which God declares himself reconciled to mankind for the fake of his beloved son, the Lord Jefus Chrift, on condition of repentance, amendment of life, and perfeverance in a state of bolinefs; and that we might be able to perform the things required of us, he offers the affiftance of his good fpirit. This last offer, in a proper fenfe, is falvation; for according to his mercy, he faved us, by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghoft. By grace are ye faved thro faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. We find, then, that there are two parts in the Chriftian religion: one, external and hiftorical; the other, internal and experimental. The first comprehends what is no more to be repeated, tho' the effects are lafting and permanent, to wit, the life and good works of Jefus, his miracles, death, and refurrection; which declare him fpotless virtue,

perfect

,

power:

perfect obedience, and the Son of God with -And in the fecond part, we have that standing experience of a divine help, which converts and fupports a fpiritual life: It is true, both the parts have a near relation, and in conjunction produce the good ends of religion. The second is the effect of the first. Redemption from the power of fin, fanctification, and justification, are bleffings wrought in us by the good Spirit of him, who without us did many glorious things, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works: And, that they who live, fhould not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him that died for them and rofe again. But, it is in the fecond part, that the excellence of our holy religion confifts. We have no ability of ourselves to take off our minds from the things that are evil, and engage them in the work of religion and godlinefs. This is the gift of God. It is a continued miracle that cleanses that polJuted fountain the heart, and therefore I call this experience the principal evidence of the Chriftian religion. It is the glory of christianity, and renders it the perfection of all religions.

That chriftianity (I replyed) is the perfection of all religions, is granted, but that we have no ability to fave our fouls without & fupernatural operation on them, this is what I ftill have fome doubt of. A careful exami

nation of the fubject, produces fome hard objections, and therefore, madam, I will lay my difficulties before

you,

that

your

fine na

tural understanding may remove them, if it be poffible. I will be fhort on the article, many words would only darken it.

for

In the first place, then, as to man's inability to live a religious life, and practice the precepts of the gospel, it must be the effect of the human compofition, or the effect of the agency of the ferpent. If the former, it is chargeable upon the author of the compofition;if the latter, upon the agent which acts upon it. Man could not be culpable, I think, for a bad life, in either cafe.

-If my nature be weakness itself-or the ferpent is fuperior to me what good can be required of me? can the fupreme reason call for brick, where there are no materials to make it with? will you fay, yes; because he gives fupernatural ability to perform. But then, can this be called man's action? It is the action of the author by his miferable creature, man: and in fuch case, may we not fay, that tho' commands are given to man to obey revealed laws, yet the obedience is performed by God?

In the next place, as man in his natural capacity, and all his natural powers, are the work of God, and as truly derived from him as any fupernatural powers can be, it follows,

I

I imagine, that a voluntary agent's making a right ufe of the powers of his nature, is as valuable as his being compelled to act well and wifely by a fupernatural power. To affert, then, fuch experiences or operations, to me feems to misrepresent the nature of a being excellently conftituted to answer the good purposes he was created for. I am likewife, at prefent, of opinion, that depretiating our natural abilities, does not give fo much glory to God as you imagine.

To this Mrs. Price replyed, that by the operation of the fpirit, fhe did not mean that man was purely paffive, and had no part in the working out his falvation, but that God co-operates with man, and without destroying the faculty of reason, improves it by convincing and enlightning the understanding, and by moving and inclining the will towards fuch objects as are acceptable to himself, and from those that are contrary to his golpel. The mind in this manner enlightned and affected, begins to act, and as the spirit moves upon the foul, the quickened man, under the divine direction, does all the good the fcripture commands him to do, and efchews the evil he is ordered to avoid. By God thro' Chrift, he practices the excellent virtues recommended in the holy books, and for this reafon, the righteoufnefs which christians bring forth, is called in fcripture, the right

eouf

coufnefs of Chrift, the righteoufnefs of God, and the righteousness of faith. Chrift is the efficient. We thro' him are made able to act. Notwithstanding the weakness and incapacity of our nature, yet thro' faith in the power of God, which is given to all who believe in him, we are enabled to flee immorality and vice, and by a life of virtue and piety, to enjoy the pleasure of a fweet reflexion, and the praises of unpolluted reafon.

power

That this is the cafe of man, the facred writings declare in a thousand places, and fet forth the exceeding greatness of God's in this refpect. The miniftry of the gospel appears to have been ordained for this end, and the perfection of the chriftian religion, to reft on this particular thing. The Lord died for our fins, and rofe again for our justification, that we through power received from bim, (the power of his refurrection) might be made righteous. And the apoftle adds, I am not afhamed of the gospel of Chrift, for it is the power of God unto falvation, to every one that believeth, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek, for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. And that the promife of the Holy Ghost had reference not only to the great effufion of the Spirit at Pentecoft, which was a folemn confirmation of the new and fpiritual difpenfation of the

gofpel;