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made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor? What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory?" Here is a passage of scripture mighty to confound the carnal reasonings; and pointed enough to pierce the seared conscience of any sinner, who has been fortifying himself upon the sandy ground of the doctrine of divine decrees.

5. The gospel affords ministers spiritual weapons, to pull down the strong hold, which they build upon the doctrine of divine agency in regeneration. This doctrine our Saviour plainly taught he said, "He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." And again he said, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh, is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit, is spirit." The same doctrine of special grace is everywhere taught both in the Old and New Testaments. But sinners both secretly and openly build one of their strongest fortifications upon this doctrine. They say, that they cannot regenerate themselves, but it belongs to God to regenerate them; and that they cannot love nor serve God acceptably, until he pleases to shed abroad his love in their hearts; and this completely justifies them in continuing enemies and rebels against God. It is easy for ministers to find spiritual weapons, which are mighty enough to pull down this strong hold that any sinner has built. The great and general command requires him to love the Lord his God with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his strength. His particular command requires him to make him a new heart and a new spirit. And every command in the Bible implicitly requires him to change his own heart. God knows, and the sinner will know, when his conscience does its office, that he must relinquish his strong hold, or perish in it.

6. The gospel supplies ministers with spiritual weapons, which are mighty enough to pull down the last strong hold which sinners build upon the terms of salvation. They say, that the terms of reconciliation which God proposes to them, are unreasonable and impracticable, whether he renews their hearts or not. They say, that he requires them to love him,

before they know that he loves them; and to submit to him, before they know that he will save them. These terms, they allege, are too hard and humiliating for any rational creatures to comply with; and therefore they must be excused and justified in refusing to perform them. This strong hold they are confident they can defend against any attacks or attempts to dislodge them from it. But there are spiritual weapons, which may be successfully employed to destroy their vain confidence, and compel them to surrender at discretion. God commands them to lay down their arms, renounce their hostility, and accept the punishment of their iniquity. He authoritatively declares, "Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them: and all the people shall say, Amen." And he appeals to their consciences, "whether his ways are not equal; and whether their ways are not unequal." To these precepts and appeal they can give no satisfactory answer; but the authority of their consciences, when duly awakened and enlightened, will join with the authority of God, in requiring them to approve and accept the terms of salvation; and in condemning them for ever thinking hard and complaining of the gracious and condescending offers of the gospel. Thus the gos pel supplies ministers with the most proper and powerful spiritual weapons, to pull down all the strong holds or fortifications that sinners ever have made, or can make, to justify and defend themselves in their unreasonable opposition and rebellion against God. But,

III. It is only through God that they succeed in attacking and pulling down the strong holds of sinners by their spiritual weapons. This appears to be true,

In the first place, from the acknowledgment of the best preachers of the gospel. Though Paul, speaking in the name of the apostles, seems to exult in the victories they had gained over the enemies of God; yet he at the same time, humbly ascribes their success to the blessing of God upon their exertions. For, says he, "the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty, through God, to the pulling down of strong holds." Though the apostles were armed with the best spiritual weapons, and used them in the wisest and best manner; yet they could not terrify or disarm a single sinner, or drive him from his strong hold, without the special assistance and concurrence of God. This the apostle freely acknowledges; for he says, "We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness." then," says he again to the Corinthians, "is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord

"Who

gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then, neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase." And the ministers of Christ since the apostles' days, have generally, and to a great degree, labored in vain, and spent their strength for naught. They have preached the gospel to thousands and thousands, who despised and rejected it. And they have found, by painful experience, that it is only through God that they can succeed, in any cases, to pull down the strong holds of sinners. In regard to their success, they are ready to adopt the language of God to the prophet, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." And this will further appear, if we consider,

In the second place, that nothing short of divine power can change the hearts of sinners. God claims it as his prerogative, to take away the stony heart, and give a heart of flesh; and to make men willing in the day of his power, to submit to the terms of reconciliation, which he has proposed in the gospel. Until God does exert his irresistible power in changing and subduing the hearts of sinners, neither men nor means can allure or drive them from their strong holds. Ministers may invite them, and even command them, in the name of the Lord, to renounce their hostility, and become reconciled to God. But they had rather die in opposing him, than to submit to his terms of reconciliation. Ministers have no sufficiency of themselves; but all their sufficiency is of God, who sometimes makes them able ministers of the New Testament, and crowns their labors with signal success. He can make their spiritual weapons, not only mighty, but effectual to pull down the strong holds of sinners, and cause the most stout-hearted to renounce their opposition and rebellion, and cordially return to God, from whom they had unreasonably revolted.

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I now proceed to the improvement of the subject.

1. If all sinners build such strong holds, as have been mentioned; then they are all in a state of hostility against God. All their fortifications are so many evidences, that they are enemies and rebels against God, and mean to defend themselves against all whom he commissions, and arms, and sends, to reduce them to submission. Men never build castles, only in self-defence against those, whom they view as disposed to attack them. If sinners were the cordial friends of God, and the dutiful subjects of his government, they would have no apprehension of being attacked as rebels, nor any disposition to fortify themselves against an attack. It is true, they generally deny, that they are in a state of hostility against God. Some

seriously and deliberately affirm, that they never felt the least enmity or disaffection to God, but have always loved him, as their Creator, Preserver, and Benefactor. Some say, that though they are not friends, yet they are not enemies to God. They mean to be neutrals between God, and those who presume to despise his authority and disobey his commands. But who are the most engaged to build and strengthen their fortifications, and most obstinately determined to defend their strong holds, against all attacks? The open and avowed enemies of God build the fewest and weakest fortifications, and oftener yield and submit to the terms of reconciliation than those, who deny that they are enemies to God, or those who pretend to be neutrals. But the conduct of all sinners speaks louder than their pretensions, and proclaims them complete rebels against God. For, if they had no enmity to God, or the least love to him, they would gladly embrace the gospel, and accept the first offer of pardoning mercy. They would rejoice to hear, that "God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life." Those who deny, that sinners are totally depraved, and have a carnal mind, which is enmity against God, and not subject to his law, neither indeed can be, cannot possibly account for the impenitence and unbelief of any sinners under the gospel. For it is absolutely certain, that if they had the least degree of holiness, or moral goodness, they would instantly and joyfully accept the terms of salvation, and never risk their eternal interests, upon any future and uncertain period. The delays of sinners, and their fortifications in defence of their delays, are instead of a thousand arguments, to prove to themselves and to the world, that they are in a state of irreconcilable hostility to God, and choose to perish in their strong holds, rather than submit to the gracious, and condescending terms of the gospel.

2. If sinners do build such strong holds as have been mentioned, for the very purpose of defending themselves in their rebellion against God; then we may be assured, that they never will submit to the terms of the gospel, until their castles are destroyed, and they are morally obliged to yield cordial and unconditional submission to God. How many hear the invitations, the commands, and the threatenings of the gospel, from Sabbath to Sabbath, from year to year, and for many years together, without the least apprehension of danger, and without the least thought of returning to God, and embracing his offers of mercy? How many, who are actually pierced and wounded by the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, use every

method to heal their wounded spirits, and fortify themselves more and more against all the solemn and weighty truths pointed at their hearts and consciences, till they become of all men the most hardened in rebellion, impenitence, and unbelief? And though some sinners may find a sense of danger and guilt increasing from day to day, and depriving them of all inward peace and comfort, or even throwing them into the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity; yet their stout hearts rise higher and higher in enmity to God and to all good, the more clearly and powerfully divine truths are poured into their minds, till they settle down in sullen and obstinate despair, and inwardly choose to die, rather than submit. The conduct of all these three classes of sinners, speaks the same language, that they resolve to defend themselves in their strong holds, as long as possible, or as long as they are not absolutely obliged, by moral necessity, to renounce their hostility and become reconciled to God. Some or all of these three classes of sinners are to be found in every religious society, and they always have been found in every religious society, where the gospel has been preached. So that the conduct of sinners under the gospel has demonstrated, that they all build their strong holds, and all determine to defend them, until God, by his special grace, changes their hearts, and makes them willing in the day of his power to exercise unconditional submission. It is a prevailing, but groundless opinion, that sinners grow better under the light and means of the gospel, and gradually become more and more disposed to embrace it. Or at least, it is generally supposed, that some sinners do, and especially those who are deeply impressed by the common influences of the divine Spirit. But if these sinners, as well as others, do always build their strong holds, and the more powerfully they are attacked, the more resolutely they defend them; then it is beyond a doubt, that they never will yield to the terms of the gospel, unless they are absolutely obliged to do it, by the irresistible power and grace of God.

3. If sinners do, as has been represented, build strong holds, to defend themselves in their rebellion against God; then they have no ground or right to plead, that they are so weak and impotent, that they cannot throw down their arms, and accept the offers of pardoning mercy. Whenever they are invited and commanded in the name of the Lord, to throw down their arms and renounce their hostility, and immediately become reconciled to their rightful and gracious Sovereign, upon pain of his everlasting displeasure; they immediately reply, that they have not sufficient power and ability to throw down their arms and

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