word of God is not to be taken as our standard in these respects; then we should consider ourselves at liberty, to omit in part, or altogether, the perfect obligation of man to obey the divine law, his depravity and ruin, the necessity of divine influence, the sovereignty of God's grace, justification by faith, the duty of obedience, self-denial, forgiveness of injuries, and any other doctrine or duty inculcated in the Scriptures; or if we should not wholly omit them, we should feel ourselves at liberty to receive them, and exhibit them to others, in a very different light from that in which the Bible exhibits them. And where should we stop? What limits could be set to our deviation from the principles contained in the word of God?

LETTER III.

BRETHREN AND FRIENDS,

Is has for years been a subject of inquiry with me, whether my own mode of preaching, and that which is common among evan-gelical ministers, is sufficiently Scriptural; whether, as to matter and manner, it is conformed, as much as it should be, to that inspired book which we profess to receive as our perfect and infallible rule; whether we have not adopted a manner of thinking and of preaching, which more or less sets aside the inspired volume; and whether in this way we do not dishonor the benevolent Author of revelation, deprive our hearers of the sincere milk of the word, and spend time and labor upon that which profiteth not. The result of my inquiries is a serious apprehension, that the literature of modern times, the endless variety of books which have been written on moral and religious subjects, and which contain a greater or less mixture of error with truth, the numberless controversies which prevail among Christians, and the want of a more diligent study of the Scriptures and of a larger measure

of piety, expose us to the danger of being turned aside from the simplicity that is in Christ." This apprehension has respected my own case as really as that of any of my brethren in the ministry. Now if there is the least danger on this subject, it is important that we should be aware of it. For a small mistake among those who are set for the defence of the gospel, may be the occasion of great mischief to the church of Christ.

The remarkable success of the gospel, as preached by its ministers at different times, is no reason why we should suppress our fears, and abstain from such an inquiry as I propose. Any one who has been a careful observer of human nature, and who is at all acquainted with the history of the church, knows full well that a time of prosperity is a time of special danger. The same rain and sunshine which produce a plentiful harvest of wheat, may contribute also to an uncommon growth of tares. What season of unusual prosperity has the church ever enjoyed, which has not, through the corruption of man's heart, proved a season of danger, and an occasion of lamentable evils? In proportion then as God has been pleased to pour out his Spirit and revive his work, and to give enlargement to his people; just in that proportion have we cause to be awake, and to guard against the designs of our enemy, who is always plotting against the church, and is never better pleased than when he sees us lulled to sleep by prosperity. If any man shall look abroad upon the wonderful work of God which has been accomplished in our country by means of the word preached, and shall hence be led to say, there is no longer any danger to the church, and any fears respecting the cause of Christ, are all out of place; that man has to learn a most important lesson; and the sooner he applies for instruction to the word and providence of God the better. The inspired writers teach us to rejoice with trembling, to be vigilant, and to exercise a godly jealousy.

Allow me then to proceed with my design, and to remark particularly on the subject of man's moral obligation;-a subject very plain and simple in itself, but easily perplexed and obscured. My general inquiry is, whether this subject is not often treated in a manner which ill accords with our infallible standard.

What then is the doctrine of moral obligation? Expressed in the simplest, easiest manner, it is this: We are in duty bound to obey the divine commands. In other words, we ought in all respects to conform to the moral law. Or thus, it is just and right that we should be what God requires us to be; and we are altogether inexcusable if we fail of this.

I next inquire, what proof there is of this high obligation? And my answer is, that it is so evident and certain that, properly speaking, it does not need proof. There is nothing more evident. Let a man's heart be pure from sin, his conscience awake and active, and his affections holy; and let him, in this state of mind, look up, and see the glorious character of God, as exhibited in the works of creation, providence, and redemption; and then let him hear God announce the first and great command: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength." Would that man need any argument to prove his obligation to love such a Being? Do the angels need to have it proved to them, that they ought to love the God of heaven? And when a sinner is renewed, and has a clear spiritual discernment and purity of heart, does he need to have it proved, that he is under obligation to love and obey God?

These remarks disclose an important principle, namely; that the feeling of obligation is founded in the very constitution of the human mind; that it is an ultimate fact in our moral nature. And this is only saying, that God has made us moral and accountable creatures; that he has so formed us, that we are the proper subjects of law, and have an inward consciousness that obedience is our duty, and that disobedience is totally wrong and worthy of punishment. Were it not for this constitution of our mind, no argument could ever convince us that we are under any obligation to love God; no increase of knowledge, no improvement of our faculties, no persuasion, could ever give us a feeling of such obligation.

As to the reality and extent of our moral obligation, and the vast importance of acknowledging and feeling it, I scarcely havo

words to express myself so strongly as I wish. That we are moral and accountable beings is, in my view, just as certain as our existence. And our eternal interests require, that we should have a deep impression of it. Our moral agency and moral obligation is not only certain, but perfect. Of course, it does not depend upon our character. Our being holy does not originate our obligation; nor does our being sinful destroy it. We are equally under law, and equally bound to obey it, whether our character is good or bad. The propriety of our being placed under law, and our obligation to obey it, depends upon those intellectual and moral faculties with which our Creator has endued us, and which we always continue to possess, whatever may be our character, or our external circumstances. Those who are to the last degree depraved, have still a perfect moral agency. It is indestructible. We can no more be rid of it, than of our existence. To whom did God give the law at Sinai? Of whom did he require obedience? Of perfectly holy beings? No; but of those who the most part, of those who were entirely sinful. who spoke in the name of God, ever intimate that there was to be any abatement of the high demands of the law on account of the sinfulness of man? Did the prophets, or Christ, or the apostles ever intimate such a thing? The fact is, no messenger of God, either under the former or the latter dispensation, ever gave a single divine command to any persons who were without sin. There was no opportunity for this. All whom the prophets, and Christ, and the apostles addressed, were sinners. And yet they required them to love God with all the heart, and to be perfectly and unceasingly holy. It was certainly just and right that men should comply with these requisitions. In other words, they were under obligation to love God and obey his commands.

were sinful; for

And did Moses,

This is always made evident by that influence of the Spirit which frees the minds of sinners from darkness and delusion, and causes them to know divine truth. They who are taught of the Spirit, are convinced of sin. They are sensible that they are and always have been under perfect obligation to love and obey God, and that they have no excuse for transgression. They acknowl

edge from the heart that the law is good, and that they ought to have kept it constantly and perfectly; that in disobeying the law, they have acted a most unreasonable and wicked part, and that they really deserve the punishment which the law denounces against those who transgress. All this sinners feel and acknowledge, when they are thoroughly convinced of sin, and judge of things according to truth. One who is only in part convinced of sin, feels and acknowledges this in part. His conscience is disturbed, but not fully awakened. He is so blinded by his selfish feelings, that he regards the very depravity which renders him illdeserving in the sight of God, as an alleviation of his guilt. But thorough conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit sweeps away all these refuges, and brings the sinner, ashamed and trembling, to smite upon his breast, and say, God be merciful to me a sinner. Those who are thoughtless and quiet in sin have many false conceptions, which can never be removed, except by that Holy Spirit which Christ promised to convince the world of sin. On our part, if we would do that which is best adapted to convince men of sin, we must clearly explain to them the commands of the law and the gospel, and must urge them to immediate and constant obedience, as their reasonable service, and that which God absolutely requires. We must endeavor to persuade them to this by all the motives suggested by the word of God. And we must make it as evident to them as possible, that the delay of obedience is continued rebellion. If they excuse themselves because they are depraved, and say, you require too much; tell them that you only convey God's message to them; that you require only what he requires; that their complaints are against him; that their controversy is with their Maker. Show them the absurdity and presumption of supposing that God can abate anything of his demands upon them, because they are sinners. And never leave them to think that the long continuance and high degree of their sinfulness, or its early date, can have any other effect than to increase their guilt, and render them the more inexcusable.

Address the commands of God to Show them that you consider these commands perfectly just; that you are in earnest when you incul

them with great seriousness.