denounces moral light, and moral virtue, as spiritual darkness, and nakedness, and poverty; and thus we can only account for the too general neglect of the word of God, even amongst professing Christians. Buoyed up upon the pride of their own merit, and deservings, they overlook the conditions of their religion, and the nature of that grace, by which those conditions are to be made effective. "For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast." * Whence it is evident, that there is a spiritual operation to take place upon the heart, independent of the works of man. The first state or stage of that operation in which man is perfectly passive, is in baptism: but in every succeeding state, as he moves through life, there is an union of spiritual influence with the desires and affections of the heart. The moving cause of religion is, therefore, that " grace" which is the gift of God t;" and the reason why we require this grace is from the natural corruption of the heart, which can neither know, nor understand, nor obey God, without He first regenerate it with His Holy Spirit. The succeeding states of the heart must be the subject of a subsequent letter. The doctrine, which I have thus attempted * Eph. ii. 8, 9. Vide 2 Tim. i. 9., and Tit. iii. 4-7. to show as both agreeable to, and fitted upon, the wants of our nature, has been the theme of many an able and learned pen. But among these some have contended, that we are only partially fallen; whilst others have expressed their notions of that fall in language highly figurative of a state of pollution and guilt. Such are unprofitable questions. Those who admit moral capability into their notions of a spiritual fall, seem not to comprehend the question; and those who speak of the utter corruption of the heart seem to forget, that such a state is only applicable to unconverted heathens, and is not the state of men in a Christian community, with whom the Spirit of Truth" is striving to work. That state of ignorance of the word of God, and depravity of mind and conduct, into which so many are plunged, and to which, alas! so many are hastening, arises from a contempt and rejection of the grace of God, as it would renew and sanctify their hearts: and the doctrine of grace, by being sometimes signified, in all its varied forms of teaching, under the term regeneration, has led to an unsettled notion of the doctrine of original sin. Let us, for the sake of perspicuity, distinguish between the guilt, and the power of that sin. The guilt of it is washed * 66 * 1 Cor. vi. 11. Rev. i 5., and vii. 14. Heb. x. 22. Eph. v. 26. Tit. iii. 5. away in the laver of regeneration *," where we are entirely passive; the power of it is overcome through faith in Christ, in which we shall be completely active. In my next letter I will proceed to consider the means whereby we are redeemed from our corrupted nature, through the vicarious sacrifice of the Apostle and High-priest of our profession, Jesus Christ." § I am, &c. * Vide Mant's two tracts, which I am persuaded are not understood in the sense the right reverend author wished them to be. +1 Cor. xv. 57. Eph. ii. 8. § Heb. iii. 1. 1 John v. 4. Rom. vii. 24, 25. Gal. v. 6. Rom. iii. 22. Gal. iii. 26. |