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to discover a spirit of indifference, supported by a kind of hope, that God will pardon a few sins, and make up for a few imperfections; otherwise, they say, he must keep heaven to himself. But, if your views be just, their whole life has been one uninterrupted course of foul revolt, and abominable apostasy; and the irregularities of their lives bear no more proportion to the whole of their depravity, than the particles of water which are occasionally emitted from the surface of the ocean, to the tide that rolls beneath. Nor is there any propriety in men of this description acknowledging their imperfections: imperfections relate to a standard, and imply an habitual aim to conform to it. Such language is properly applied to the righteous, the best of whom fall short of the mark; but the life of wicked men is, in one shape or other, an uninterrupted course of evil.

Secondly: If your views be just, they seem to afford a presumptive, if not more than presumptive proof, of OUR NEED OF A SAVIOUR; and not of a Saviour only, but of A GREAT ONE! - I do not know whether I can exactly trace the operation of these principles, or their opposites, in the human mind; but this I know, it is a fact sufficiently notorious, that those professors of christianity, who reject the proper deity and atonement of Christ, at the same time entertain very diminutive notions of their own depravity. I have known many persons, who, as soon as they have begun to lean towards the Socinian, Arian, or Arminian systems, have discovered an inclination to treat this doctrine with contempt. Those people, on the other hand, who have sat under such preaching as hath led them to entertain low thoughts of Christ, and the grace of the gospel, if, at some period of their life, they have been convinced of their guilty and perishing state as sinners

against God, they have soon given up their other notions, and embraced the deity and atonement of Christ with all their hearts, and that with but little if any persuasion on the part of their friends. Nor does this appear very difficult to be accounted for: As the whole need no physician, but those that are sick; so it is natural to suppose that in proportion as a person feels the depth and danger of his malady, he will estimate the necessity, the value, and the efficacy of the remedy.

Thirdly: If your views be just, I perceive that the work of turning a sinner's heart must be altogether of God, and of free grace. If a sinner could return to God of his own accord, or even by divine influence helping or assisting him, it must be upon the supposition of his having some will, wish, or desire to set about it. But if men are totally alienated from God, all desire after him must be extinct; and all the warnings, invitations, or expostulations of the word, will be ineffectual: yea, divine influence itself will be insufficient, if it falls short of renewing the heart. We have heard much of late concerning political regeneration. It has been warmly contended by many in behalf of the change which has taken place in a neighbouring nation, that things were too bad for a mere reformation; and that therefore regeneration was necessary. However that be, is it not on these principles that we are told, Ye must be born again-Oldthings must pass away, and all things must become new? If men be so depraved as you suppose, the necessity of a divine and entire change must be indubitably evident.

Fourthly: If your views be just, the doctrine of free or unconditional election may be clearly demonstrated, and proved to be a dictate of right reason. If men be utterly depraved, they lie entirely at the discretion of God, either to save or not to save them: If any are

saved, it must be by an act of free grace: If some are brought to believe in Christ, while others continue in unbelief, (which accords with continued fact,) the difference between them must be altogether of grace. But if God make a difference in time, he must have determined to do so from eternity: for to suppose God to act without a purpose is depriving him of wisdom; and to suppose any new purpose to arise in his mind, would be to accuse him of mutability. Here, therefore, we are landed upon election, sovereign unconditional election. And does not this accord with the holy scriptures? - You hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins: Wherein, in time past, ye walked, according to the course of this world, according to the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. Among whom, also, we all had our conversation in times past, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace are ye saved! I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy; and will have compassion on whom I will have compassion!-He hath saved us and called us with an holy calling; not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began*.

Fifthly: If your views be just, the justification of sinners by the work of their hands utterly falls to the ground. The foundation on which sinners in general build their hopes is something like this: They have more virtue than vice, more good works than evil ones: that, as none are without fault, (and which they

* Ephes. ii. 1-5. Rom. ix. 15. 2 Tim, i. 9.

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conceive affords a good excuse for them,) God will not be strict to mark iniquity; but will weigh the good against the evil, and so balance the account! But if all the works of unregenerate sinners be of the nature of sin, there is an end to all hope of being accepted of God on their own account. When ministers have endeavoured to dissuade sinners from a reliance on their own righteousness, I have heard them reason to this effect: Your good deeds are all mixed with evil, and therefore cannot be acceptable to God.' This I acknowledge is just, and that the least mixture of sin is an eternal bar to our being justified by our own righteousness: but methinks, if they could have alleged that all their works were essentially and entirely evil, their arguments must have been more effectual, as to the cutting up of self-righteous hopes. And such a doctrine would leave no room for the supposition of Christ dying, to render our imperfect but sincere obedience acceptable to God, instead of that which is perfect: for, in this case, the idea of imperfect sincere endeavours in unregenerate men, is inadmissible-there are no such endeavours in existence.

These things I have been used to believe in time past; but if the principle in question be admitted, I find such solid grounds on which to rest them as I never felt before. I shall leave you to conclude the subject, and iremain,

Affectionately your's,

CRISPUS.

LETTER THE FIFTH.

CONSEQUENCES resulting from the doctrine of Human

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Depravity.

[From GAIUS to CRISPUS.]

My dear Friend,

K, April 9, 1795.

F any thing I have advanced in the course of our correspondence has been of use to you, I am satisfied. The inferences which you have drawn from the doctrine of total depravity, as far as they go, appear to me to be just. I shall offer a few others in addition to them: and as I have some other necessary employments, which require my attention, you will excuse me, if I propose, with these, for the present, to close our correspondence.

Your inferences go to an examination of the bearings of the doctrine of total depravity on the Socinian and Arminian Schemes; mine shall concern what I should call the Pseudo-Calvinistic scheme, or that view of the doctrines, commonly called Calvinistical, which induces many, in the present day, to disapprove of all exhortations to sinners, except to merely external obedience, or things which contain in them nothing truly or spiritually good. If the foregoing principles be just, three things at least will follow; namely-that the distinction between moral virtue and true religion ⚫ has less foundation in truth than is commonly supposed-that men in general are either obliged to perform spiritual actions, or allowed to live in sin, and perform sinful actions and that we ought not, as ministers, so to compromise matters with God's enemies, as to exhort them to merely external services.-Let us parti

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