but that eating and drinking in moderation appear to be natural actions, and contain neither moral good nor moral evil." When I affirm all the actions of unregenerate men to be sinful, I would be understood by actions to mean all voluntary exercises, and which are capable of being performed to a good end. Whatever is capable of being so performed is not a mere natural, but a moral action. That eating, and drinking, and every other voluntary exercise, are moral actions, is evident; for that we are exhorted, whether we eat or drink, or whatsoever we do, to do all to the glory of God. In an irrational being, it is true, these would be mere natural actions; but in a moral agent they are not so; and the manner in which they are attended to, renders them either good or evil. Every rational creature performs these actions either to the glory of God, that is, that he may be strengthened to serve the Lord, and do good in his generation, or he does not. If he do, they are virtuous; if not, there is a criminal defect in the end of them: and as the end or intent of an action is that which determines its nature, that which otherwise would have been lawful and laudable becomes sinful. To plow the soil is as much a natural action as eating and drinking; yet as all such actions are performed by wicked men for mere selfish purposes, without any regard to God and the general good, they become sinful in the sight of God; and hence we read that the plowing of the wicked is sin. Lastly: You allege, "that if these principles be true, there can be no ground for a ministerial address, no motive by which to exhort unregenerate men to cease from evil, and do good, nor any encouragement for them to comply with any thing short of what is spiritually good." If you mean to say that ministers, on this account, can entertain no well-founded hope of success from the pliability of men's hearts, I fully grant it. Our expectations must rest upon the power and promise of God, and these alone, or we shall be disappointed. But if you mean to suggest that therefore all addresses to unregenerate sinners, exhorting them to do good, are unreasonable, this is more than can be admitted. If a total depravity would take away all ground for a rational address, a partial one would take it away in part; and then in proportion as we see men disinclined to goodness, we are to cease warning and expostulating with them! But this is self-evident absurdity. The truth is, while men are rational beings, they are accountable for all they do, whatever be the inclination of their hearts; and so long as they are not consigned to hopeless perdition, they are the subjects of a gospel address. Nor can it be affirmed with truth that there are no motives for them on which they can be exhorted to cease to do evil, or learn to do well: the motives to these things exist in all their native force, independent of the inclination or disinclination of their hearts to comply with them. Nor is the use of them in the christian ministry thereby rendered improper: on the contrary, it is highly necessary; as much so as it is for the sun to keep his course, and go on to shine, notwithstanding it may prove the occasion of a filthy dunghill emitting a greater stench. If any means be adapted to do good to wicked men, they are such as tend to fasten conviction upon them; but there is no mean more adapted to this end than putting them upon trial. A sinner is exhorted to repent and believe in Christ he feels hardened in insensibility-he cannot repent he has no desire after Christ. A consciousness of this kind, if it operate according to its native tendency, will lead him to reflect, What a state must I be in! Invited to repent and believe in Christ for the salvation of my soul, and cannot comply! Mine, surely, is the very heart of an infernal!' Let a sinner be brought to such a state of mind, and there is some hope concerning him. You seem to feel sorry that there should be no encouragement held out to sinners to comply with any thing but what is spiritually good; and many who have sustained the character of christian ministers have felt the same; and considering that poor sinners cannot comply with duties of this kind, have contented themselves with exhorting them to such things as they can comply with, and still retain their enmity against God. But what authority have they for such a conduct? When did Christ or his apostles deal in such compromising doctrine? Repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ, were the grand articles on which they insisted. So far from hesitating to exhort their carnal auditors to what was spiritually good, it may be safely affirmed, that THEY NEVER EXHORTED THEM TO ANY THING ELSE. It would have been unworthy of God, and of his servants, to require any thing short of the heart, or its genuine expressions. To conclude: The following supposition may serve to illustrate the foregoing subject. A ship's company rise against their officers, put them in chains, and take the command of the ship upon themselves. They agree to set the officers ashore on some uninhabited island, to sail to some distant port, dispose of the cargo, and divide the amount. After parting with their officers, they find it necessary, for the sake of self-preservation, to establish some kind of laws and order. To these they adhere with punctuality, act upon honour with respect to each other, and propose to be very impartial in the distribution of their plunder. But while they are on their voyage, one of the company repents, and becomes very unhappy. They inquire the reason. He answers, We are engaged in a wicked cause!' They plead their justice, honour, and generosity to each other. He denies that there is any virtue in it: nay, all our equity, while it is exercised in pursuit of a scheme which violates the great law of justice, is itself a species of iniquity!'-' You talk extravagantly; surely we might be worse than we are, if we were to destroy each other as well as our officers.' 'Yes, wickedness admits of degrees; but there is no virtue or goodness in all our doings; all has arisen from selfish motives. The same principles which led us to discard our officers would lead us, if it were not for our own sake, to destroy each other. But you speak so very discouraging, you destroy all motives to good order in the ship; what would you have us do?" REPENT, RETURN TO OUR INJURED OFFICERS AND OWNERS, AND SUBMIT TO MERCY! O, but this we cannot do; advise us to any thing which concerns the good order of the ship, and we will hearken to you!'' I cannot bear to advise in these matters! RETURN, RETURN, AND SUBMIT TO MERCY!' Such would be the language of a true penitent in this case; and such should be the language of a christian minister to sinners who have cast off the government of God. I am affectionately your's, GAIUS. LETTER THE FOURTH. CONSEQUENCES resulting from the doctrine of Human Depravity. [From CRISPUS to GAIUS.] My dear Friend, Y C-n, March 9, 1795. OUR two last letters have occupied much of my attention. I confess I feel the force of the argument; and though there are difficulties in my mind which I scarcely know how to state in form, yet I must ingenuously confess that the grand objections which I advanced are answered. The subject is more interesting to me than ever: It affects all the great doctrines of the gospel. My thoughts, have already been at work upon its consequences. I could wish, after having discussed the subject, we could examine its bearings on the different systems which are embraced in the religious world. With your leave, I will mention a few of those consequences which have struck my mind, as resulting from it; and shall be obliged to you for your opinion of their propriety, and the addition of any thing wherein you may perceive me defective. First: If your views be just, I perceive that all mankind, without any distinction of sober and profligate, are UTTERLY LOST, AND ABSOLUTELY IN A PERISH ING CONDITION.--All men will acknowledge that they are sinners; that they have broken God's commandments, most or all of them, in thought or in deed, at one time or other; and that the best of their works have their imperfections. Such acknowledgments are seldom expressive of any deep concern. On the contrary, it is common for men, while they speak_thus, |