foreign to their design. Because it is a well-known truth in husbandry, that if the soil is not good, either by nature or culture, before the seed is sown into it, it will not be productive; therefore it is imagined that it must also be a truth in theology, that the heart of man must be honest and good previous to his hearing the word, otherwise it can have no proper effect upon him. But this is far from being

the design of that parable, which is, to set forth the different reception and effects of the word among those who actually hear it. Some consider this parable as respecting the first publication of the gospel to Jews and proselytes, by our Lord and his apostles, when it found many previously possessed of honest and good hearts, who looked for redemption, and waited for the consolation of Israel; such as Nathanael, Joseph of Arimathea, Cornelius, and many others, but this honest and good heart was not begotten in them without the word, but by means of the Old Testament revelation, which they believed, and by the ministry of John the Baptist, whose office it was "to make ready a people prepared for the Lord," Luke i. 16, 17.

But, though this affords a good answer, there is no occasion to confine the parable to the first publication of the gospel; for we may easily trace the order of things, by comparing the three Evangelists, and harmonizing them into one compound text. The first thing in order is, the sowing of the seed, or publishing the word of the kingdom: A sower went forth to sow; for how should men hear without a preacher? Those to whom the word was published heard it. This was common to all the classes; they were all hearers. But then the good effects of hearing the word was confined to one class of them; and these effects are threefold, and in the following order-1. Having heard the word, they understood it, Matt. xiii. 23. and received it, Mark iv. 20. The word of God, accompanied by the influence of the Holy Spirit, enlightened their minds, removed

their prejudices, and made them perceive the import, evidence, and excellency of what was declared; so that they understood and received it as the word of God, 1 Thess. ii. 13. as a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, 1 Tim. i. 15. Thus they are born again of the incorruptible seed of the word, 1 Pet. i. 23. and thus God, of his own sovereign will, begets them to the faith with the word of truth, Jam. i. 18. for faith cometh by hearing the word of God, Rom. x. 17. and now, and not till now, are they possessed of a principle of grace in their hearts.-2. Having heard, understood, and received the word, they, in an honest and good heart, keep it, Luke viii. 15. i. e. they retain and hold it fast, in opposition to their letting it slip, like the other classes of hearers: The seed of God remaineth in them, 1 John iii. 9. even that which they have heard, chap. ii. 24. They continue in Christ's word, and his words abide in them, John viii. 31. ch. xv. 7. which is to continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel which they have heard, Col. i. 23. But that honest and good heart in which they keep (katεxyσ1) or retain the word, did not exist prior to their hearing and understanding it, but was evidently produced by that means, as was shown on the first particular. Paul traces the origin of love, a pure heart, and a good conscience (which constitute the honest and good heart) only back to faith unfeigned, which respects the word, 1 Tim. i. 5. for it is by faith that God purifies the heart, Acts xv. 9.-3. The last thing in order is, they bring forth fruit with patience, and in various degrees, Luke viii. 15. Matt. xiii. 23. The word of God which they have heard, understood, and received, effectually worketh in them, 1 Thess. ii. 13, amd bringeth forth fruit in them, since the day they heard and knew the grace of God in truth, Col. i. 6. This, therefore, is the order of things set forth in the explanation of the parable. It is by means of the word that the heart is made honest and good,

though the nature of the similitude, which is taken from agriculture, does not permit it to illustrate that particular.

Mr. Fuller says, "A spiritual perception of the "glory of divine things appears to be the first sensation of which the mind is conscious; but it is not the first operation of God upon it."* If not, then this first operation of God makes no impression upon the rational mind of man. It communicates no light to the judgment, no spiritual perception of divine things, nor any sensation respecting them of which a thinking mind is conscious. In his opinion the understanding cannot be spiritually enlightened, but in consequence of some holy disposition previously implanted in the heart by this first operation; and then he admits that spiritual perception will follow as the first sensation of which the mind, already regenerated, is conscious. So that what he says of Mr. Brine's previous principle, I think will with equal justice apply to his own; it is "something different from what God requires of every intelligent creature;" for it is plain that the human intellect has no concern in it, and it is certain that God does not require blind dispositions of his intelligent creatures. He affirms, that the introduction of light into the mind in the first instance, is a thing altogether impossible even with God himself, until, by some other operation, he has regenerated the soul, altered its moral state and disposition, given it a spiritual relish for divine things, and produced a change of heart, whereby it is effectually influenced towards him; and all this previous to, and without any illumination of the mind, or instrumentality of the word of God.‡

* Page 212.

† Page 127.

Mr. Fuller's sentiments on this subject seem to be formed upon the scheme of Messrs. Bellamy and Hopkins, two American divines, who, though they have written many good things, have overstrained others beyond the sober Scripture medium, in their opposition to Arminian and Antinomian speculations. Mr. Hopkins, in a sermon on John i.

Though man is a fallen depraved creature, yet he is still possessed of intellectual and moral powers, however much impaired, otherwise he would not be a rational moral agent, susceptible of instruction, the subject of law, or the object

13. after having asserted, That regeneration consists wholly in a change of the will or heart, and not in the intellect or faculty of understanding; and that in this operation the Spirit of God is the only agent; he proceeds to show, "That this change is wrought by the Spirit of God immediately. That is, it is not effected by any medium or means whatever. I would (says he) particularly observe here, that light and truth, or the word of God, is not in any degree a mean by which this change is effected. It is not wrought by light-Men are first regene rated in order to introduce light into the mind: therefore they are not regenerated by light, or the "truths of God's word." He affirms, That natural men may see every thing in matters of religion but the moral beauty and excellence of divine things: That this moral beauty is not discerned by the understanding, nor can it possibly be made the object of it by any operation on the mind, or any supposed illumination whatever, any more than it is possible by any operation on a stone to bring it to the understanding and discerning of a man without giving it the faculty of understanding and reason. That, therefore, men are not regenerated by the word; but the heart (i. e. the will) must first be renewed by the immediate operation of the Spirit of God, giving it a good taste, in order to prepare it to understand and receive the word. See Hopkins's Sermon on John i. 13. with the Appendix. See also Bellamy's True Religion Delineated, and his Essay on the Nature and Glory of the Gospel of Christ.

To show that men are born of God, there is certainly no occasion to reason against, or rather flatly to contradict express Scripture, by denying that God begets them with the word of truth, or that they are born again of the incorruptible seed of the word, for both are perfectly consistent. And though it is true that the natural man may speculate on the truths of the gospel without discerning either their true evidence, or their moral beauty and excellence, so as to have a taste or relish for them; yet this will never prove it impossible that a good taste should be formed by a proper view of divine things in a spiritually enlightened judgment. To affirm that no enlightening influence of the Spirit of God upon the understanding can have any more effect in forming a spiritual taste, than if it were exerted upon a stone, is the language of unhallowed reasoning, which serves to exclude the under

of praise or blame. In regeneration the Spirit of God does not create new powers or faculties, but rectifies those already in existence; gives the lead to the legitimate directing powers, which were blinded and enslaved by corrupt dispositions, affections, and passions; and restores the soul to order and harmony. The leading faculties of the human mind by which, when it acts regularly, all the rest are directed and governed, are the understanding or judgment, reason and conscience. These constitute his mental capacity to receive instruction, to perceive and distinguish truth from its opposite, to discern the fitness or unfitness of things, and the moral qualities of actions and objects. But, notwithstanding these natural powers, such is the blindness and depravity of the human heart, that the natural or animal man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God revealed in the gospel; for, judging of them by the preconceiv ed principles, wisdom and reasoning of a carnal mind, they appear foolishness to him; neither can he know them till he is spiritually enlightened, because they are spiritually discerned. Therefore I conceive that the first operation of the Spirit of God in regeneration is the introduction of spiritual light into the understanding or judgment, which is the same with his opening the understanding to discern the things of the Spirit as revealed in the gospel in their true light; for there is no medium between the introduction of spiritual light into the mind and the mind's spiritual perception of it. This spiritual perception of divine things is attended with a persuasion of their truth and reality, and an impression of their supreme excellence and importance, which gains them immediate access to the will and affec

standing from being the subject of regeneration, as well as the word of God from being the means of it. In my opinion Mr. Fuller would have been more profitably employed in consulting the Scriptures upon this subject, than in adopting the sentiments and reasonings of these authors.