effect, but to the virtue of those who exercise these benevolent affections. It is as truly a virtue in my neighbour to rejoice in a benefit which I confer on a fellow creature, as it is, in me, to confer it; and his virtue, in that cafe, as truly merits präife. Nor can any reason be given why the value and worth of his virtuous exerCifes fhould be fet to the fcore of my merit.

The merit or worth of a virtuous action is to be eftimated by the quantify of good it produceth as its own 'genuine effect, according to a common courfe of nature, without the aids of the virtue of others; and the demerit of vice, by the mifery which, in like manner, it produceth, without the concurrence of the crimes and wickednefs of others. But, according to the before-mentioned inftance, the good or happiness arifing from the prefent, without the aids and concurrence of the virtue of others, cannot be diffufed very far, or be very extenfive. And yet, the evil or mifery of the theft will, in a common courfe of nature, diffuse itself through the whole community; and that too without any concurrence of others in the vice and wickedness. It is the virtue of men that caufes them to rejoice in the good of their neighbours, and gives them to enjoy it. But it furely is not their vice that gives them to feel pain in a view of the injuries done to others, and under a conviction of danger to their own perfonal intereft and fafety.

From there confiderations it appears, that it is in the power of a creature to do much more hurt than good; and that the vice of a wicked man is much more hurtful to fociety than the virtue of a good man is beneficial: yea, that the difproportion between them is immenfely great. It is hence obvious, that although the demerit of fin fhould be confidered as infinite, it will by no means from thence follow, that the merit of a creature's virtue muft alfo be infinite: the difproportion between the mifchief naturally, yea, and in a courfe of nature necefJarily affected by the former, and the good or benefit by the latter, being fo inconceivably great.

VOL. II. No. 4.

(To be continued.)

F

PA

PATIENCE POURTRAYED.

[An Extract from HORNE's Discourses.]

ATIENCE is the guardian of faith, the preferver of peace, the cherisher of love, the teacher of humility: Patience governs the flesh, ftrengthens the fpirit, Tweetens the temper, ftifles anger, extinguishes envy, fubdues pride; the bridles the tongue, refrains the hand, tramples upon temptations, endures perfecutions, confummates martyrdom: Patience produces unity in the church, loyalty in the ftate, harmony in families and focieties; the comforts the poor, and moderates the rich; The makes us humble in profperity, cheerful in adverfity, unmoved by calumny and reproach: the teaches us to forgive those who have injured us, and to be the first in afking forgiveness of those whom we have injured; the delights the faithful, and invites the unbelieving; the adorns the woman, and approves the man; is loved in a child, praised in a young man, admired in an old man; The is beautiful in either fex, and every age. Behold her appearance and her attire. Her countenance is calm and ferene, as the face of heaven unfpotted by the fhadow of a cloud, and no wrinkle of grief or anger is feen in her forehead. Her eyes are as the eyes of doves for meeknefs, and on her eye-brows fit cheerfulness and joy. Her mouth is lovely in filence; her complexion and colour that of innocence and fecurity; while, like the virgin, the daughter of Zion, the fhakes her head at the adverfary, defpifing and laughing him to fcorn. She is clothed in the robes of the martyrs, and in her hand fhe holds a fceptre in the form of a crofs. She rides not in the whirlwind and ftormy tempeft of paffion, but her throne is the humble and contrite heart, and her kingdom is the kingdom of peace.

QUERY

To the Author of the Gospel its own Witness.'

[From the Biblical Magazine.]

REV. SIR,

W book,

ITH confiderable pleasure I have perused your 66 THE GOSPEL ITS OWN WITNESS." There is one thing, however, in p. 200, fecond edition,* on which I take the liberty to requeft a little information; namely, Whether any perfon, by nature, poffeffes that honeft heart" which conftitutes the ability to comply with the invitations of the gofpel to everlafting life? If not, Whether, if I be not what you call an elect finner, there are any means provided of God, and which I can ufe, that fhall iffue in that "honefty of heart" which will enable me to believe unto falvation? And if not, be fo good as to inform me, How the gofpel can, with any propriety, be called, Ableffing bestowed upon me; feeing it is inadequate to make me happy, and contains no good thing which I can poffibly obtain or enjoy: for though I am a finner, yet it is im poffible for me to be a believing finner.

Yours, &c.

C. G.

Portfea.

Reply to the foregoing Query.

DEAR SIR,

YOU inquire-(1.) "Whether any perfon, by nature, poffeffes that honeft heart' which conftitutes the ability to comply with the invitations of the gofpel?" I believe the heart of man to be by nature the direct oppofite of honeft. I am not aware, however, that I have

Page 224 first, and 180 second New-York edition.

any where reprefented an honeft heart as conftituting our ability to comply with gofpel invitations, unlefs as the term is fometimes ufed, in a figurative fenfe, formoral ability. I have faid, "There is no ability wanting for this purpose in any man who poffeffes an honeft heart."" If a perfon owed you one hundred pounds, and could find plenty of money for his own purposes, though none for you; and fhould he, at the fame time, plead Inability, you would anfwer, There was no ability wanting but an honest heart: yet it would be an unjuft conftruction of your words, if an advocate for this difhoneft man were to allege, that you had reprefented an honeft heart as that which conftituted the ability to pay the debt. No, you would reply, his ability, ftrictly speaking, confifts in its being in the power of his hand, and this he, has. That which is wanting is an honeft principle; and it is the former, not the latter, which renders him accountable. It is fimilar with regard to God. Men have the fame natural powers to love Chrift as to hate him; to believe, as to difbelieve; and this it is which conftitutes their accountablenefs. Take away reafon and confcience, and man would ceafe to be accountable: but if he were as wicked as Satan himself, in that cafe no fuch effect would follow. (2.) If no man by nature poffefs an honeft heart, you inquire," Whether, if I be not what you call an elect finner, there are any means provided of God, and which I can use, that fhall iffue in that honefty of heart' which will enable . me to believe unto falvation?" Your being an elect, or a non-elect finner, makes no difference as to this queftion. The idea of a perfon deftitute of honefty using means to obtain it, is, in all cafes, a contradiction. The ufe of means fuppofes the exiflence of an honeft defire after the end; the fcriptures direct to the fincere ufe of means for obtaining eternal life; and thefe means are, Repent and believe the gofpei; but they no where direct to fuch a ufe of means as may be complied with, without any honefty of heart, and in order to obtain it. Nothing appears to me with greater evidence, than that God di

rectly requires uprightness of heart, not only in the moral law, but in all the exhortations of the Bible, and not the dishonest use of means in order to obtain it. Probably, you yourself would not plead for fuch a ufe of means; but would allow, that even in ufing means to obtain an honeft heart, we ought to be fincere: but, if fo, you must maintain what I affirm, that nothing short of honesty of heart itself is required in any of the exhortations of fcripture; for a fincere ufe of means is honefty of heart. If you fay No, man is depraved: it is not his duty to poffefs an honeft heart, but merely to ufe means that he may poffefs it: I anfwer, (as perfonating the finner) I have no defire after an honeft heart. If you reply, You fhould pray for fuch a defire,' you must mean, if you mean any thing, that I fhould exprefs my defire to God, that I may have a defire; and I tell you that I have none to express! You would then, Sir, be driven to tell me, I was fo wicked, that I neither was of an upright heart, nor would be perfuaded to use any means for becoming fo; and that I must take the confequences.' That is, I vmust be exposed to punishment, because, though I had

a price in my hand to get wifdom, I had no heart to it" Thus, all you do is to remove the obftruction farther out of fight: the thing is the fame.

I apprehend it is owing to your confidering human depravity as the misfortune, rather than the fault of human nature, that you and others fpeak of it as you do. You would not write in this manner in an affair that affected yourself. If the debtor above fuppofed whom you knew to have plenty of wealth about him, were to allege his want of an honeft heart, you might poffibly think of using means with him; but you would not think of directing him to use means to become what at present he has no defire to be-an honeft man!

(3.) You inquire, If there be no means provided of God, which I can ufe, that fhall iffue in that honefty of heart which will enable me to believe unto falvation, "How can the gofpel be a bleffing beftowed upon me; feeing it is inadequate to make me happy, and contains