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quently that, without proper opportunity, and especially without proper time for those means to produce their effect, no change is to be expected.

Ministers, therefore, may learn that, under God, who is the author of nature, and by whofe agency all caufes produce their proper effects, every thing depends upon their labours with their people, and that they can do nothing without labour; and the people may be apprized that, without their own earnest endeavours, concurring with the inftruction and admonitions of their minifters, and other means of virtue and religion, they cannot receive any real benefit.

But ministers may likewife learn for their comfort, that, fince all the laws of nature, and among them thofe to which the humanmind is subject, are uniform, and confequently all causes never fail to produce an adequate effect, according to the circumstances in which they operate; if their admonitions be proper in themselves, and feafonably

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sonably applied, their labour can never be wholly in vain. They will always have more or less effect, and therefore they may go through with their pious labours with chearfulness and good hope.

And the people, likewife, impreffed with the fame perfuafion, will attend upon the word of exhortation, and diligently apply themselves to all the means of religion; affuring themselves that, whether the effect of their application be visible or not, it is not loft. Their characters are really improving; and by a steady perfeverance in receiving proper nourishment, they cannot fail (tho' infenfibly, if the state of their minds be compared at short intervals) to grow in grace, till they come to the full measure of the ftature of Chrift Jefus our Lord.

Whereas, without this perfuafion concerning the uniformity of the laws of nature refpecting our minds and their affections, ministers and people will both be subject to great occafional defpondence, whenever pre

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fent appearances happen not to be favourable; and fome, in confequence of not always feeling (and it is impoffible they should at all times feel) a lively sense of religious impressions, will abandon themselves to despair.

We shall learn to refpect the laws of nature the more, if we confider the extraordinary provifion that the author of nature has made to preserve their uniformity, and to fuperfede the neceffity of the frequent violation of them; which he has done by means of occafional and feasonable miraculous interpofitions. In fact, the proper ufe of miracles has been to make more miracles unneceffary. Alfo, miracles have generally respected the external world, and have had their effect on the minds of men in a natural and regular manner; and, therefore, they have produced very different effects according to the previous different ftates of men's minds. And indeed, all external miracles, all that appear to have ever been provided in the hiftory of the various difpenfations of God to man, have been infignificant, and the whole plan of them

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was idle and abfurd, if it was neceffary that internal miracles should be wrought also.

If moral impreffions were made upon men's minds by an immediate divine agency, to what end has been the whole apparatus of revealed religion. For what rational purpose were all the miracles wrought by Mofes, by Chrift, and by the apostles (the only object of which was to imprefs the minds of men with a conviction of the divine miffion of certain teachers of religion, and, thereby, of the credit that was due to their inftructions, in order, finally, that such instructions might the more easily produce that excellence of moral character which, in the epiftle of St. Peter, is called a divine nature) if the Divine Being had, after all this, ftill found it necessary to produce this excellent difpofition and character by his own immediate agency.

Has not God, at all times, the most intimate access to the minds of men; and cannot he who made us at firft, new-make us, and

and new-mould us, as he pleases. Is it not in his power, by a word, a volition, that word and energy by which he spake and it was done, by which he commanded, and the whole creation ftood faft, to change the hearts of the worst of men in an inftant, and make them breathe the spirit of the pureft angels; and cannot he preserve them in this state of finless purity and excellence to all eternity? Certainly this, and every thing else that is poffible in itself, is within the compass of his almighty power.

But, notwithstanding this, it is evident from fact (whether we shall be able fully to comprehend the reason of it or not) that he has not thought proper to work in this manner. And though it is his wish that all men should be faved, and he wishes not the death of any finner, but had rather that they should repent and live, he does not think proper to work miracles on the minds of men for this purpose; but only provides authoritative inftruction, and proper motives; which, being addreffed to the mind, operate upon it in an uniform and regular manner,

Thus,

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