"of the actions to which such dispositions lead? Have we always been sober, chaste, self-denying, meek, 'charitable, never violating truth, never indulging selfishness, never preferring the world and the things of the world to God and conscience? Where is the man who will lay his hand on his heart, and, appealing to that God who searches it and knows the ground of it, will say, I have fully performed all these duties, I have never been guilty of one or other of these sins?

But how greatly aggravated will our guilt appear, when we consider against whom it is that we have thus sinned. It is the God who 'created and who preserves us continually the kind Father who supplies all our wants, and whose mercies are renewed to us every morning. It is the God wao, notwithstanding our sins, still regards us with an eye of pity, and even now prays us to turn to him: nay more, who has sent his Son to suffer in our stead, to die to redeem us, to atone for our sins, and to make our peace. And have we not also increase our guilt, by setting at a ught his invitations, despising is warnings, reject ing his offers of mercy disregarding his calls to repentance, and endeavour ing to quench the motions of his Spirit? And yet, notwithstanding all this, God still spares us, prolong our days, and causes loving kindness and mercy still to follow us. Have we not, then, added base ingratitude to all our other sins?

3. But let us consider the cause why all have thus sinned. And here we observe,that the cause is that corrupt nature which we have inherited from Adam, and which, descending from him, our common parent, hath infected the whole human race. On this point the Scriptures are very express. God created man in his own image, in knowledge, righ teousness and noliness: but, through the subtilty of the old serpent, the devil, his mind was drawn aside from the simplicity of dependence on God. Through unbelief he fell,

through his not believing the promises and the threatenings of God; the same cause which turns us also aside from his righteous ways. Thus did sin enter into the world. Man, by sinning, necessarily lost his Maker's image, and of course bis favour and friendship. He became unholy and unclean. And who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Therefore did Adam beget sons in his own sinful likeness, and therefore, till the present hour, have men come into the world with hearts prone to evil and averse from good; with hearts which are enmity against God, and with dispositions which are contrary to his pure and holy na

ture.

Are further proofs wanting? Scripture is full of them. "In Adam all die." "The carnal mind," or the mind of man by nature, “is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." Among whom" (the children of disobedience) "we also had our conversation in times past, and were by nature children of wrath, even as others," or, as it might be translated, as the rest of mankind; as much as to say, that all by nature are children of wrath; and how can that be, unless by nature all are corrupt and sinful? Other proofs might be produced, but I conceive these to be fully sufficient. Indeed, when we look around us, and see that we cannot ourselves name a man who sinneth not; and when we look inward, and consider what passes in our own minds; there appears little room to object to this doctrine, but abundant cause to believe it true. How hard are our hearts, how obstinate is our resistance to the grace of God, whe ther he call us by his word and ministers, soften our hearts by the continual succession of mercies, or alarm us by afflictive or awful visitations! How do we fortify ourselves by pride and unbelief, against the whispers of conscience, the motions of God's Spirit, and the awful declarations and threatenings

of his word! And even when we begin to be convinced that we must repent, how do we put off the day of repentance! How backward are we to part with our sins! How do we flatter ourselves they are but small, and that there is no danger! And when we at length give up outward sins, how do we continue to indulge the lusts of the flesh! And what struggles have those with their car nal hearts, whose desires in the main are towards God, and who are in the main following Christ their Redeemer! Consider, in one word, the means God has used to recover us out of the snare of the devil: the pains he has taken in sending prophets into the world; the miracles, sufferings, and death of Christ; the blood which has been shed as a seal of the truth; the strivings of God's Spirit; the threatenings of God's Law; the gracious promises of the Gospel; the alarming sermons we have heard; the good books we have read; and all the instructions, warnings, and admonitions we have received; consider, I say, all this; and at the same time reflect uot only on what is passing in the world around us, but on what passes every day in our own hearts, and shall we not be constrained to allow that we have all sinned, because there is no spiritual health in us, and because we are by nature children of disobedience and children of wrath?

It may be asked, however, how can men now be answerable for Adam's sin? But the point we have been proving is, not that men are answerable for Adam's sin, but that they have inherited Adam's corruption. And what signify cavils against facts? It is plain that we have inherited Adam's corruption. And when we find that diseases often run in the blood, and taint whole families, why should it be so inconceivable, that sin, which so corrupts and vitiates the whole man, should extend its ruinous influence to man's offspring?

But if sin be natural to man, how can God blame him, or punish him

for it?" I must answer to this, that sin naturally brings a punishment with it; and that, even supposing no direct curse to be pronounced on it, yet it cannot but produce misery as well in another world, as in this, to the soul in which it dwells. But, whatever there might be in this objection in other circumstances, and I do not allow there would be any, there can be no weight given to it in our case. For the same Bible which makes us acquainted with our disease, points out to us also the remedy. We are called upon to repent and turn to God, to believe in Christ, to forsake sin, and follow holiness, that we may escape the punishment of sin. Nay, lest any man should still object, and say that this was beyond his power, God himself has promised, if we will but ask him, to give us repentance, faith, the pardon of our sins, his Spirit to renew and sanctify us, and his grace to fit us for glory. The objection then can have no weight; for if any of us are punished for our sins, it will be, not because our natures were originally depraved and corrupted, but because we would not have them renewed; but because we loved sin so well, as to refuse to exchange it for Christ and all the blessings of his purchase.

4. And now I come to consider the awful effects of our having thus sinned. On this point, suffice it to say, that God hath in express terms assured us, that the wages of sin is death; "that the soul which sinneth shall die;" "that his wrath is revealed from Heaven against all unrighteousness of men;" that "indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish await every soul of man that doeth evil;" that "the wicked shall be punished with everlasting destruc. tion from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power."

Nor is it only those who have been guilty of shocking and atrocious crimes, that in Scripture are classed with sinners, with the wicked and the unrighteous; for it is written, "Cursed is every one that con

unless we know ourselves ruined and undone without him? No: without the knowledge and the convic

If, then, this be indeed man's state by nature; if we are all thus the slaves of sin, enemies to God by wicked works, and the heirs of deserved and endless wrath; how incumbent is it upon us to cry aloud for mercy! How eagerly should we inquire, What must we do to be saved! And, blessed be God, there is a way of escape, which those who seek shall find. Help is laid for sinners, on Him who, though bone of our bone, is also the mighty God, the everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace. In him is God now reconciling sinners to himself. Of his mere mercy does he save us, through faith, through a faith too not of ourselves, it is the gift of God. "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ" is the command to sinners," and thou shalt be saved." Nor is it by our works of righteousness, but according to his mercy, he saves us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he sheds abundantly on his children, through Jesus Christ our Saviour, that being justified by his grace, they may be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

To conclude; let no man imagine that the knowledge of our lost estate is a point of no moment. "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." But how can we repent, unless we know and feel ourselves sinners? Unless we are made to feel our need of salvation, how shall we regard Christ as our Saviour? " Unless ye believe that I am he," that is, the Christ, the Saviour, "ye shall die in your sins." But how can we believe in him as our Saviour, CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 147.

nitency and unbelief, we shall continue in a state of carnal security, dreaming that we are safe, until death wake us from our dream, and convince us, though too late, of our guilt and misery.

But see, on the other hand, the blessings which flow from an affecting knowledge of our sinful and lost estate. We shall be disposed to seek for salvation; and those who seek as they ought shall assuredly find it. The knowledge of our disease will naturally lead us to the Physician. Christ, the Physician of souls, waits to be gracious to us. He will blot out the sins of the penitent. He will bind up the broken-hearted. He will free those who desire deliverance from the yoke of sin. Justified by his blood and righteousness, we shall be sanctified by his Spirit: made children of God by faith in Christ, we shall be freed from the curse, and sin shall have. no more dominion over us; we shall have peace and joy in believing, and at length receive the end of our faith, even the salvation of our souls.

Now to Him who hath loved us, and washed us from our sins in his blood, and who will make all that truly believe in him kings and priests unto God and his Father, may we, with all the redeemed, ascribe the dominion and glory both now and eyer. Amen.

To the Editor of the Christian Observer. I MUCH incline to think, that if PAROCHUS (with whose paper your Number for January begins) could meet with a publication of 1654, entitled, A Rejoinder to Mr. Drake: by John Humfrey, A. M. Minister of Frome, Somersetshire; it might very much relieve his mind on one part of the subject on which X