visible Church? That these terms, like all others descriptive of a holy character, are applied to visible churches, is not denied; but it is on the presumption that they are what they profess. Is it not the strangest fancy that ever was conceived, that because such terms are applied to visible churches, they express no more than an outward character and condition? Because you call members of the visible Church Christians, is it to be inferred that men are real Christians without a good heart? Thus it appears that the new creation or new birth implies real holiness of heart, or spiritual life. If then the terms have any significancy, they import the beginning of that life. If so, there was no holiness before. Argument III. The Scriptures in a variety of forms plainly assert the doctrine of Total Depravity. (1.) The manner in which they speak of man, the sons of men, the world, &c. is as if these terms stood for nothing but sinners,-as if nothing but sin was inherent in the human nature. "The way of man is froward and strange.' "How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water." "Do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men? yea, in heart you work wickedness; you weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.” "My soul is among lions, and I lie even among them that are set on fire, EVEN THE SONS Of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword." A direct opposition is every 1 where set up between God and man, God and the world, Christ and the world: "Get thee behind me, Satan; for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of man." "We have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God." "We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness." "I have given them thy word, and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." "If the world hate you ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." Accordingly the epithets worldly and earthly are used to express qualities altogether wicked: "Ungodliness and worldly lusts." "This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, natural, devilish."* (2.) The promises of the Gospel are made to the least degree of holiness, and the threatenings of death are denounced against nothing but an utter want of holiness. Such is the tenour of the promises. "Whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones, a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward." "All things work together for good to Job xv. 16. Ps. lvii. 4. and Iviii. 1, 2. Prov. xxi. 8. Mark viii. 33. John xv. 18, 19. and xvii. 14, 16. 1 Cor. ii. 12. Tit. ii. 12. James iii. 15. 1 John v. 19. them that love God,"-in the least degree. "He that loveth me [at all,] shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him." "Repent and be baptised every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and [however feeble your repentance,] ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." "He that believeth, [however faintly,] shall be saved." Such also is the tenour of the threatenings. "Follow-holiness, without which, [without some degree of which,] no man shall see the Lord." "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ [at all,] let him be anathema maranatha." "Except ye repent, [in some degree,] ye shall all likewise perish." "He that believeth not [at all,] shall be damned."* None therefore but those who are freed from the threatenings of death, and have a title to the promises of life, possess a particle of holiness. Before I proceed further, allow me to remind you of one fact with which you cannot be unacquainted. The Scriptures divide. mankind into two classes; the good and the bad, the righteous and the wicked, natural men and spiritual men, believers and unbelievers, those who are in Christ and those who are out, the justified and the condemned, the heirs of heaven and the heirs of hell. There is not a third class. With this fact before us I remark, * Mat. x. 42. 38. Rom. viii. 28. Mark xvi. 16. Luke xiii. 3. John xiv. 21. Acts ii. (3.) A number of the most simple and essential properties of a holy nature are particularly specified, and declared not to belong to the class denominated wicked. This class possess no love to God or Christ. The proof of this I shall reserve for the next Lecture. This class have no desire after God: "The wicked-say unto God, Depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways." They have no desire after Christ: He is to them "as a root out of a dry ground; He hath no form nor comeliness, and when [they]-see Him there is no beauty that [they] should desire Him." They do not seek God: "The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God." If there is any doubt who are meant by the wicked that do not seek God, the Psalmist will resolve it at once: "The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did-seek God. They are all gone aside," "there is none that seeketh after God." This class do not fear God, though "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom:" "The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before their eyes." And to show infallibly that by the wicked, in this and other similar passages, are meant the whole race of natural men, the apostle, in the 3d chapter of Romans, quotes these very words, and other things alleged against the wicked in the Old Testament, as asserted of all natural men, and intended to prove that both Jews and Gentiles-are all under sin," 66 (that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God,") and that "by the deeds of the law-no flesh [can] be justified." This class do not know God: "O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee." "These things will they [the world] do unto you for my name's sake because they know not Him that sent me." This class are wholly unacquainted with the way of life: "The way of peace have they not known:" Hence in allusion to the conversion of sinners it is said, "I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known." This class have no spiritual discernment, or understanding, or right knowledge of divine things: "We speak,-not the wisdom of this world,-but-the wisdom of God in a mystery,-which none of the princes of this world knew ;-as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him; but God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit.-For what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God.-But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." "My people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, they have none understanding." "The Lord looked down |