calls upon us to do; if he fhould with-hold his grace, help and affiftance. For this God knows, that he is the firft caufe, and that the fecond can do nothing without the first, and that the first must begin. For this is repugnant in itself, that a fecond cause should have the place of the first cause; or be felf-fufficient; this is contrary to the order of the 'creation. Now if any man fhould arrogate to himTelf a self-sufficiency to do any thing, he would make himself the firft caufe: whereas, he neither is, nor can be the first cause, nor original. There"fore all good muft begin at God; and nothing that is good, can be done without him and therefore he muft not only countenance, but enable; and when we are enabled, we may do that for which he doth enable us. We may hear the voice of God, if God fpeaks to us; and we may obey and comply with his motion. I will give you fome instances in fcripture for this, Ifa. xli. 2. God there is faid, to call the righteous man to his foot. The righteous man here spoken of was Abraham, whom God called to follow him, step by step. And the apoftle, Heb. xi. gives us an account of this in practice, who obeyed God's call, and went at his bidding not knowing whither.

Another inftance you have of the difciples of our Saviour, of whom we read that when our Saviour called them, there was the virtue, power, and fuffciency in the voice of our Saviour, that they left their relations, and employments, and followed our Saviour, without making any question how they fhould be maintained, Matt. iv. 18. The inferior VOL. I.

creatures

creatures they have obeyed God contrary to the ve ry impreffions upon their natures. The fun hath left his courfe and stood still, at God's bidding, Job. x. 12, 13. Fire hath not burnt, and the fea hath rifen up in heaps, and the feveral creatures, though never fo oppofite in their natures, one unto another, came into the ark; and though before, they would have deftroyed one another, yet being called by God to go into the ark, they became tame and harmless. So that not only intelligent, but inferior agents know how to obey God, if God appear. Much rather should intelligent agents, who are adapted to hear God's voice, and to be guided by reason, answer the call of God, when he speaks to them.

DISCOURSE XIII.

The Converfion of a SINNER.

EZE K. xviii. 27.

When the wicked man turneth away from his wickednefs that he hath committed, and doth that which is lawful and right, he fhall fave his foul alive.

ΤΗ

Hefe are words not in vain; therefore they
do fuppofe two things.

I. That the wicked ought to reform. And,
II. That they may.

I. They

1. They that have committed wickedness ought to disclaim it, repent, leave off to fin, and return to their duty. And,

II. That they may; else it might be replied to these words; God fuppofeth that which cannot be done, and this every where paffeth for an undeniable anfwer. And to fuppofe this, is a defect in any wife agent: much more in the all-wife God, who never makes a vain shew. It is not only below him, but unworthy of him, to deride men in mifery; when he calls upon them to repent and turn to him. True indeed, if men will not hear his voice, then he will laugh at their deftruction, and mock when their fear cometh upon them. As therefore we may not make a mock of fin, neither doth God mock at finners. But to make this out, that the wicked may turn from their wickedness.

In every nature, there are two things as the provifion of God's creation, and its fecurity, viz. 1. A principle of felf-prefervation.

2. A motion of reftitution and recovery.

Ift. A principle of felf-prefervation in its true proper and natural ftate: from which of itself it doth never depart; but by the violence of other agents, which it cannot refift; and therefore is fometimes driven from itfelf. This is the account that fome give of ftorms, tempests earthquakes, and the like. But nature's motion is orderly and leifurely; as the feveral feasons of the year, that follow one another : where the former give place unto the latter. This is the first principle in nature: and the

2d Is a power of recovery, and felf-reftoration,

when that which did difturb is taken off.

Thence

it is, that we expect fair weather after foul; ferent after ftormy; and clear, after clouds. This is an obfervation from the ftate of the creation, things without us or about us.

:

Now, is there any perfection in the lower nature, that is not in the higher? Therefore we are to fuppofe that this is eminently in fuperior nature. Now to "bring this obfervation home to our purpose. To a moral agent, fuch as man is; he being endowed with reafon and understanding, and invested with liberty and freedom: nothing is more unnatural than fin and wickedness. For it is against the reason of our mind, and against the reason of the thing. It is a contradiction to the reafon of our mind, which is our governor; that which guides the actions of our will and to the reafon of things, which gives law, and is the rule of action; and wickedness is a great contradiction to both. Wickedness in man is as monftrous and unnatural, as darkness in the fun, which is the luminary of the world: wickedness is fuch a thing as filth in the water"; as infection in the air: wickedness is fuch a thing as a difeafe in the conftitution of nature, and we fay nature is every man's best phyfician. What are agues and fevers, but nature charged with an enemy that tends to its diffolution, and therefore labours to fhake it off? And therefore phyficians endeavour to help and affift nature, and put her into motion; by which fhe will discharge herself of all malignant and offenfive matter. Now, I say, fhall nature recover, and fhall not grace fuperadded to nature, do the like?

We

We use to say of all habits joined to natural powers that they do facilitate; and we easily do that, which we do by the help of acquired habits. Now the first. thing in rational nature is not at all to vary from the rule of right: and this would be to answer the constitution of God's creation, in man. But in case he fails here, in the second place, is the motion of repentance; and herein lies our double fecurity, fafety and perfection. It is therefore highly necefsary, that we be always in a disposition towards repentance, and free to the exercife of faith in God, by Jefus Chrift: that fo the guilt of no fin may lie upon our confciences: for this is the motion of recovery, in human nature.

So that now put the cafe of us men as we find it. Our confciences will tell us, that we have done amifs, by departing from the rule of right; and by confenting to iniquity: for guilt is burdensome to the mind, and will be a wound in our fpirits. Now if the first, which is best, fail, viz. our innocence, and integrity, wherewith we were invested in the moment of our creation : let us betake ourselves to the fecond, the motion of repentance; which is for our recovery, and is the grace of the gospel : and in fo doing, there will be hope, as we read Ezra x. 2. And let us not lose ourselves, by adding iniquity to our fin, or by despair after guilt contracted. For a fecond fin, is not only another of the fame kind but the confummation of the former infomuch that he is reputed to do the fame evil once again, that he hath once done and doth not repent of it. Let us not live in a lie, flatter ourselves with that. which

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