and useful; and all we are required to do respecting them is, to subject them to the law of love, and not indulge them in a forbidden manner. If whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, we do all to the glory of God, we may gratify our animal senses and appetites and thus enjoy the good things of divine providence without transgression. It is no more sinful in us to possess these animal properties than it is to be born with bodies of flesh, to which these properties belong. They are a part of the nature with which our first parents were created, and they have been hereditary in all their posterity.

CHAP. IX.

Views of the Christian Spectator and Dr. Woods.

In a review in the Christian Spectator for June, 1832, we have the following remarks on the necessity of the divine influence in regeneration:

"At the same time we maintain that man has, in the fullest sense of the terms, power in himself, without this influence-without any other intervention on the part of God than that of barely sustaining him in being and affording him the light of the gospel, immediately to become evangelically obedient." p. 240.

Did the writer mean to say, that "man has, in the fullest sense of the terms, power in himself, immediately to become evangelically obedient" independently of God? If not, why did he say, "with

out this influence?"

By

"this influence

" he

probably meant supernatural influence of the spirit. But is it not a truth that all the "power in himself" which any man has to obey the gospel, consists in a capacity for that purpose, produced by the spirit of God? I conceive that man is wholly dependent on God, on the operations of his spirit, for all the capacity he possesses, for all that "power in himself" of which the Reviewer speaks; and that "without this influence" he would have no capacity or power to obey, and of course nothing would be required of him. There seems to me a want, either of perspicuity or correctness, in what the Reviewer has said on the subject. If by the common influences of the spirit man has “ power in himself" to obey the gospel, this of course, supersedes the necessity of supernatural influence; but it does not in any degree diminish his dependence, or his obligation. The power of a dependent being cannot be independent power.

In the fourth Letter of Dr. Woods to young ministers, I think he alluded to the very passage in the Spectator on which I have been remarking, or to one of similar import from the same theological school. He thus remarks

"If you tell the sinner in strong unqualified language that, without the influence of the spirit, he is fully able to repent and obey the gospel; he can ask, and if he believes you will be likely to ask, Why should I then pray for that influence? Why ask such a favor of God when I am perfectly competent to work out my own salvation without it?"

In another paragraph of the same letter Dr. Woods observes

"Consider now the unqualified assertion, that the sinner has complete ability, unaided by divine grace, to work out his own salvation. - Is such an assertion as this suited to humble the sinner's pride, or to take away the fond conceit he has of his own sufficiency and independence?”

Though I have questioned the correctness of the passage in the review, I cannot think that the writer meant to express the idea that the sinner has complete ability, unaided by divine grace, to work out his own salvation." In my opinion such an idea would be as untrue as the Calvinistic idea of "utter helplessness" and "natural inability." A man may have "power in himself" or "complete ability" to obey the gospel, and yet be perfectly dependent for this ability. Such I believe to be the fact. Had the passage on which Dr. Woods remarked been designed to express the belief that God so fully manifests his favor in the ordinary distributions of his spirit as to render supernatural influence unnecessary, I should have acquiesced in the opinion, though I might still have objected to the form of stating it. But such I think was not the Reviewer's purpose. While he held to the doctrine, that the sinner "has, in the fullest sensè of the terms, power in himself” to obey the gospel, he also maintains that special or supernatural influence is necessary to regeneration.

Many worthy men besides Dr. Woods have entertained the opinion, that the sinner has a "fond conceit of his own sufficiency and independence." But in our country I think it has been much more common for the sinner to imagine that he is so

helpless as to have a good excuse for remaining impenitent. Besides, I do not see that telling him that he cannot repent without a supernatural influence of the divine spirit, has any tendency to humble his pride. It may indeed excite the idea that his state is very calamitous; but he will still think that he has some excuse for delay, so long as his capacity to repent remains incomplete, or so long as God withholds the aid which is indispensable to obedience.

As I have advanced the hypothesis that a capacity to obey implies all the aids of the spirit which are essential to obedience, it will probably be said that the questions proposed by Dr. Woods may naturally occur in this case,- and that the sinner may ask. Why should I then pray for that influence? Why ask such a favor of God when I am perfectly competent to work out my own salvation?"

To these queries I may answer. The sinner has no ability of any kind, natural or moral, which he has not received from God, and which he does not possess in a state of absolute dependence on the divine will. No man is sufficient of himself to think any thing as of himself—all his sufficiency is of God. This is true of every item which pertains to a capacity for obedience. As we are constantly dependent for the whole, the whole or any part of what we now possess may be withdrawn at any succeeding moment. It hence seems to me proper and important, that we should daily feel this dependence, and daily pray for this influence, to aid us in working out our own salvation-just as we

pray "Give us this day our daily bread"—while a present supply of food is now in our hands or within our reach. What we have this hour may be taken from us the next; and we are not only dependent daily for our food, but for strength and appetite to eat it to advantage. This sense of constant dependence on God for every good and perfect gift, may well be expressed in daily petitions for the things we need-or need to have continued to us for our use or benefit.

I think it should be the aim of ministers to convince the sinner that he is dependent for his capacity to obey; and to excite him to call on the Lord for aid with this sense of dependence. Should he do this, the act of prayer, or the volition to pray, may be the first act of that repentance which shall be unto life; such a volition may be the commencement of a series of humble and penitent volitions which shall be interminable, securing the pardon of his sins, and the salvation of his soul.

The more an impenitent sinner is made to see and to feel that God has given him capacity and aid commensurate with his present duty in ceasing to do evil and learning to do well, the more he will see that delay is inexcusable; and the more deeply he is made to feel that for every thing which pertains to a capacity to repent he is constantly and entirely dependent on God, the more he must feel that to delay is dangerous.