eration, immediate power is exerted. It is the work of God and peculiarly his own. It is an impartation of the divine nature to the soul, effected by an almighty fiat-by an immediate touch of the finger of Jehovah, by which the soul is transformed into the divine image. It is compared by the apostle to that immediate display of the divine power in the creation of the natural world, when God said "let there be light and there was light"-" for God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." Regeneration is frequently described as a new creation, and as a spiritual res~urrection--these are works of God effected by the direct act of omnipotence, and necessarily exclude the efficacy of means and instruments. By what means did God create the world? "He commanded and it stood fast"--he said, "let there be light and there was light."-By what instrumentality was Christ raised from the dead? It is ascribed by the apostle to the mighty. power of God; and he tells the Ephesian Christians, that they were quickened to spiritual life, when they were dead in trespasses and sins by the same power. "And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead." Ephe. sians i. 19, 20. By what cause, were the dead raised in Ezekiel's vision of the valley of dry bones? Was the effect produced by his prophesying or something else? Means here, though appointed and used had no efficacy; the power of God alone effected the end.

Against this view of the immediate power of God in regeneration, that passage in James i. 18, is brought and by some much relied on as proof that regeneration is effected by means-" Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth" but this must be construed according to the analogy of faith, and in accordance with other passages, and not set in opposition to the whole stream of scripture instruction on the subject. It cannot respect the particular creative act of regeneration, which is an act of physical, almighty power-

but refers to the whole process of sanctification, which is ascribed to the instrumentality of the word, because that is appointed of God, as the grand means of salvation. The change of the heart is indeed a moral effect, but it can be produced only by a physical cause. "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power." Psalms cx. 3. "We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us." 2 Cor. iv. 7. The scriptures in innumerable instances, describe this change of heart in terms peculiarly expressive of the appropriate effects of divine power. If, therefore, it be an operation of divine power, communicating a participation of the divine nature, and without the efficacy of means, as I think, both scripture and reason teach, it must be an immediate effect.

If the former be

2. This change is instantaneous. true, this will follow of course; for whatever is effected without means must be instantaneous. "God said let there be light, and there was light." It was an instantaneous effect.

Furthermore, it is impossible in the nature of things, that regeneration should not be instantaneous. Every one must be agreed in this, that there is no middle character among moral agents, or one that is neither sinful nor holy-and that moral exercises constitute moral character. Christ saith, "he that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad." Of necessity a man is either holy or unholy-penitent or impenitent; and there must be a certain time when the penitent sinner ceased to be impenitent ;-is it not then certain, that the moment he ceases to be impenitent he becomes a penitent; and the last impenitent exercise is instantly followed by the first exercise of repentance? Otherwise, there must be a space of time, longer or shorter, in which the man is neither holy nor unholy, penitent nor impenitent, dead nor alive ;--this is impossible unless he should cease to be a moral agent. Therefore the change of regeneration is and must be instan

taneous.

3. It is effected by an irresistible operation of the

Spirit of God. If the change be immediate and instantaneous, it must be by an irresistible energy--for until the sinner is conquered, he does nothing but resist. Said Stephen to the persecuting Jews, "Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost, as your fathers did, so do ye." Every exercise of the impenitent heart is in opposition to God, and the strivings of his Spirit; and he is fully bent upon resistance. "The carnal mind is enmity against God, and is not subject to his law, nor indeed can be❞—he is therefore as obstinately opposed to the strivings of the Spirit, and as long as he retains that temper, he can and will resist. Unless, therefore, a power is exerted sufficient to overcome that resistance, or, in other words, which is irresistible, the sinner never will submit. No self determining power of the will, no means, motives or persuasion, will effect a change of nature, or produce from the carnal heart, the fruits of righteousness :-the bramble will never yield grapes, nor the thistle, figs.

This irresistible power, however, does not militate in the least with the freedom of the will--for the submission of the creature, is a free voluntary exercise of the will. A forced submission against his will, is an inconsistency--would be no submission. The power of God does not conquer the sinner against his will, but in the very article of making him willing ;--does not by force wrest the sword out of his hand, as in the case of a captured and disarmed enemy, but by changing the temper of his heart, dispose him freely to surrender it, and cheerfully submit. All this is taught in that memorable passage of scripture-"Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power." Psalms

ex. 3.

From the foregoing it is further inferred, that the grace of regeneration is sovereign and unsought grace. The sinner when brought from the state of nature into the state of grace, will need but his own experience and feelings to convince him, that he has now found what he never before sought after or desired; and that he never prayed for it, before he had it. "I am found

of them, saith God, that sought me not." Isaiah lxv. 1.

The contrary supposition would involve a contradiction; for until a man is born again, he is destitute of any love to God, or desires after him. The constant language of his heart towards God is-" depart from me for I desire not the knowledge of thy ways." Job xxi. 14. The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him." 1 Cor. ii. 14. There is not one duty done by the unregenerate. They do nothing with a view to God's glory-but every thought of their heart is in opposition to him. For this very reason, they that are in the flesh cannot please God;-they do nothing but provoke him. This could not be, did they exercise any love, or render any obedience. God is not displeased with his creatures, for doing what he commands them. Nothing but disobedience excites the

divine anger.

Now the question being put, whether the natural man, antecedent to regeneration, has any true desires after holiness, or a change of heart,-it comes simply to this-whether the same heart will not have the same kind of moral exercises ?-Our Saviour has answered the question,-A corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit." Matthew vii. 18. It comes to this, I say, because desires after grace, are exercises of grace-desires after holiness are holy exercises-therefore, it follows that regeneration is an unsought grace; the natural man has no desires after it ;-it is the object of his aversion and not of his choice; and what a man hath, he will not seek to obtain, and cannot be said to desire.

There may indeed be an indirect desire after grace, which at the same time implies a direct aversion to it. As a sick man may take down the most nauseous portion for the restoration of health-or a man with a gangreened limb may desire to have it amputated, in order to save his life-this is the direct object of his desire the loss of his limb, he views with aversion. In this manner sinners may wish for holiness, when convinced that it is the only means of their escaping

eternal misery, And so might the devils. They as earnestly desire happiness, or exemption from punishment as impenitent men.

From the whole subject then we may draw this important general inference, that human dependence and free agency-the accountability of the sinner, and the renewing and efficacious power of the grace of God, are gospel truths and perfectly consistent with each other. They form the only consistent plan of gospel doctrine-the only true system of moral philosophy. By the instruction and authority of holy scripture these points are as clear to the understanding of the rational mind, and as certain to the spiritual discernment of the experienced Christian, as any of the visible objects of nature. All our darkness and doubts on this subject, arise from our own proud reasonings upon the deep things of God-an unwillingness to subject our faith to the wisdom and authority of God's word.

Man is a dependent and yet an accountable creature --a free agent, and yet God a holy Sovereign, who changes the heart of the sinner by his own immediate and almighty power. But how can these things be! the unbelieving heart replies-how can God work in us both to will and to do of his own good pleasure, and yet we be perfectly free? How can we be accountable, if we are wholly dependent? I cannot see their consistency? Aye truly-how can it be ?-how strange that the pitcher cannot contain all the waters of the ocean or the creature of a day comprehend the inhabitant of eternity. Is it then a reasonable objection because the limited powers of a finite mind are unable to fathom, what is incomprehensible to all creatures, the mode of the divine operation, or how God works in us to will and to do, and changes the sinner's heart by his own almighty power, and yet the sinner act his own free choice and voluntarily turns to God in conversion? Thence shall we dare, in the pride of our own vain philosophy, to limit the Holy One, and say, that God cannot prevent or destroy sin without destroying our moral agency? Is this honorary to God-of whom, and through whom and to whom are all things? Is it giving him those high prerogatives of