their minds in willing. My construction, I think, accords with reason, and I find nothing in the Scriptures against it In this way I would interpret all the decrees relating to events where human agency has been concerned; the decree never interferes with the freedom, or liberty of the mind in willing.

But some very honest people have supposed, that God produces all virtuous volitions. Paul in writing to the saints at Philippi, says, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling: For it is God, which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (See Philip. ii. 12, 13.) These words have been taken by some as proving the fact, that God does produce all virtuous volitions in the minds of regenerated persons. But by the Apostle's exhorting the saints to work, I think he did not mean to be so understood; for certainly it would be a vain thing for him to exhort them to work out their salvation when they had no power to work; and this was truly the case, if God produced all their volitious. But Paul considered they had power to work; therefore he exhorted them to work; and for their great encouragement, that they might know it was not the "Spirit that work. eth in the children of disobedience," that worked in them, Paul told them, that it was God that worked in them both to will and to do of his good please But how did God work in them? I answer,

that God worked in them by his Spirit, by his Word, and by his Works. By these God daily made impressions on their minds, and thereby furnished them with the materials for knowledge of spiritual objects. Without these materials, they could not work, for they would have nothing to work with ; they could not acquire knowledge of spiritual things, nor grow in grace; but as God worked in them by furnishing them with suitable materials, they were enabled to work, to will, and to do. I consider, that this is what we are to understand, by God's working in the saints to will and to do: He makes impressions on their minds, which impressions are the materials for them to work with to obtain knowledge, and to grow in grace; but God does not produce their volitions. We may view this subject in another light, and the conclusion will be the same.

The Holy Spirit imparts to the mind of every saint a relish for spiritual good. Where virtue and vice are clearly presented to his mind for a choice, and he understands the nature of both, he cannot help choosing virtue. This choice, as it exists in the understanding, was there produced by the influences of the Holy Spirit working in him; and the choice lays him under a moral necessity of conforming his volitions to his choice. In this way he is assisted both to will, and to do the things, that

make for his peace; not that he is compelled to will, and do them; for he wills and does them freely according to his choice, and his choice, willing, and doing exactly coincide with the good pleasure of God concerning him. Saints may be greatly as sisted in willing and doing by the influences of the Holy Spirit; but I see no necessity of supposing that their volitions are effects.

V. Election. If we have no command over our immortal spirit at death, and cannot separate the soul from the body, nor open the gate of heaven to have it enter there; then if the soul be saved, it must be taken to God by himself. If the soul be taken to God by himself, then God wills its salvation, unless God saves the soul against his will, which cannot be. If God wills the salvation of the soul, he decrees it, for whatever God wills, and produces, he decrees. If the number of souls to be saved be not infinite, then God wills and decrees a particular number to be saved. If this number be only a part of mankind, then God wills, and decrees this part to be saved, and each individual of it. And what God wills and decrees at the death of each individual, whom he saves, he willed and decreed from eternity; not that God exercised his power from eternity in taking the soul to himself; but from eternity it was agreeable to the Divine Mind, and he knew he should

thus exercise his power. As one soul is saved, and another lost, we may with propriety call this election, or God's eternal elective decree to save the soul he takes to himself. When we speak of God's elective decrees, we should consider they have regard to the whole human family; not only the living, but the dead, and unborn. If we could shew one soul lost, and all the rest gone and going to heaven, it would prove the existence of these decrees: that is, all but one were eternally elected. Is it unreasonable to suppose one soul lost, when so many monsters in human shape have appeared in the world? How many, or who are elected is not for us to know; but sure I am, all must be saved, or all must be lost, or we must hold to election as far as I have described it. Reason teaches us, that no soul can be saved without it. But then, no soul ever has been, or will be saved without first being prepared for the society of holy beings; therefore the Scripture says, "For whom he (God) did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the first born among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called them he also justified and whom he justified them he also glorified. Romans viii. 28, 29, 30.

In remarking upon this Scripture it may be well

to notice its phraseology; it begins by saying, "For whom he did foreknow”—Forknow what ? The future existence of the soul to be conformed to the image of his son, and all the moral acts of such soul before its conformity. What influenced God in his election, beside his own glory, is not for us to know. But some will exclaim, if God had no regard to the actions of the soul in predestinating it, then there can be no profit in obeying the Divine precepts, such as doing unto others as we would have them do unto us in like circumstances. But such an exclamtion must be extremely rash; for,

1st. We do not know but God in his election had regard to the earnest endeavours of the soul to obey the moral law, though the soul did not merit God's favour on that account-Such endeavours must be more pleasing to the Divine Mind, than a contrary course of conduct.

2dly. By such endeavours to obey the law, as it respects ourselves, we may avoid committing much moral evil, and escape all that future punishment, which would be its consequence, if the evil were committed by us-Moreover, our obedience greatly increases the sum total of human happiness. These nsiderations without others are sufficient to re

us for all our exertions to obey the Divine preThe scriptures however assure us, that, let