But he says, "We are under a mild dispensation of grace, making allowance for our infirmities."* By our infirmities, we may upon good grounds suppose he means that infirmity of human nature which he gives as the reason why the law cannot give life. But what grace is there in making that allowance for our infirmities, which justice itself (according to his doctrine) most absolutely requires, as he supposes divine justice exactly proportions our duty to our ability?

Again, If it be said, that although Christ's redemption was not necessary to preserve men from beginning to sin, and getting into a course of sin, because they have sufficient power in themselves to avoid it; yet it may be necessary to deliver men, after they have by their own folly brought themselves under the dominion of evil appetites and passions. I answer, if it be so, that men need deliverance from those habits and passions, which are become too strong for them, yet that deliverance, on our author's principles, would be no salvation from sin. For, the exercise of passions which are too strong for us, and which we cannot overcome, is necessary, and he strongly urges that a necessary evil can be no moral evil. It is true, it is the effect of evil, as it is the effect of a bad practice, while the man remained at liberty, and had pow er to have avoided it. But then, according to Dr. Taylor, that evil cause alone is sin; and not so, the necessary effect; For he says expressly, "The cause of every effect is alone chargeable with the effect it produceth, or which proceedeth from it." And as to that sin which was the cause, the man needed no Saviour from that, having had sufficient power in himself to have avoided it. So that it follows, by our author's scheme, that none of mankind, neither infants nor adult persons, neither the more nor less vicious, neither Jews nor Gentiles, neither Heathens nor Christians, ever did or ever could stand in any need of a Saviour; and that, with respect to all, the truth is, Christ is dead in vain.

Page 92, S.

+ See p. 228, and also what he says of the helpless state of the Heathen, in Par. and Notes on Rom. vii. and beginning of Chap. viii. P. 128.

If any should say, Although all mankind in all ages have sufficient ability to do their whole duty, and so may by their own power enjoy perfect freedom from sin, yet God foresaw that they would sin, and that after they had sinned, they would need Christ's death; I answer, it is plain by what the apostle says in those places which were just now mentioned, Gal. ii. 21, and iii. 21, that God would have esteemed it needless to give his Son to die for men, unless there had been a prior impossibility of their having righteousness by law; and that, if there had been a law which could have given life, this other way by the death of Christ would not have been provided. And this appears to be agreeable to our author's own sense of things, by his words which have been cited, wherein he says, "It would have frustrated or rendered useless the grace of God, if Christ died to accomplish what was or might have been effected by law itself, without his death."

V. It will follow on Dr. Taylor's scheme, not only that Christ's redemption is needless for the saving from sin, or its consequences, but also that it does no good that way, has no tendency to any diminution of sin in the world. For as to any infusion of virtue or holiness into the heart, by divine power through Christ or his redemption, it is altogether inconsistent with this author's notions. With him, inwrought virtue, if there were any such thing, would be no virtue; not being the effect of our own will, choice and design, but only of a sovereign act of God's power.* And therefore, all that Christ dees to increase virtue, is only increasing our talents, our light, advantages, means and motives, as he often explains the matter. But sin is not at all diminished. For he says, Our duty must be measured by our talents; as, a child that has less talents, has less duty, and therefore must be no more exposed to commit sin, than he that has greater talents, because he that has greater talents, has more duty required, in exact proportion. If so, he that has but one talent, has as much

* See pages 180, 245, 250. + In p. 44, 50, and innumerable othe places. See p. 234, 61, 64....70, S.

advantage to perform that one degree of duty which is requir ed of him, as he that has five talents, to perform his five de grees of duty, and is no more exposed to fail of it. And that man's guilt, who sins against greater advantages, means and motives, is greater in proportion to his talents. † And therefore it will follow, on Dr. Taylor's principles, that men stand no better chance, have no more eligible or valuable probability of freedom from sin and punishment, or of contracting but little guilt, or of performing required duty, with the great advantages and talents implied in Christ's redemption, than without them; when all things are computed, and put into the balances together, the numbers, degrees and aggravations of sin exposed to, degrees of duty required, &c. So that men have no redemption from sin, and no new means of performing duty, that are valuable or worth any thing at all. And thus the great redemption by Christ in every respect comes to nothing, with regard both to infants and adult persons.

CHAPTER II.

The Evidence of the Doctrine of ORIGINAL SIN from what the Scripture teaches of the Application of Redemption.

THE truth of the doctrine of Original Sin is very clearly manifest from what the scripture says of that change of state which it represents as necessary to an actual interest in the spiritual and eternal blessings of the Redeemer's kingdom.

In order to this, it speaks of it as absolutely necessary for every one, that he be regenerated, or born again. John iii. 3. * See Paraph, on Rom. ii, 9, also on verse 12; 3 D

VOL. VI.

"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man yn arw Ser be begotten again, or born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Dr. Taylor, though he will not allow that this signifies any change from a state of natural propensity to sin, yet supposes that the new birth here spoken of means a man's being brought to a divine life, in a right use and application of the natural powers, in a life of truc holiness; and that it is the attainment of those habits of virtue and religion, which gives us the real character of true Christians, and the children of God ;+ and that it is putting on the new nature of right action.‡

But in order to proceed in the most sure and safe manner, in our understanding what is meant in scripture by being born again, and so in the inferences we draw from what is said of the necessity of it, let us compare scripture with scripture, and consider what other terms or phrases are used in other places, where respect is evidently had to the same change.

And here I would observe the following things:

I. If we compare one scripture with another, it will be sufficiently manifest, that by regeneration, or being begotten, or born again, the same change in the state of the mind is signified with that which the scripture speaks of as effected in true repentance and conversion. I put repentance and conversion together, because the scripture puts them together, Acts iii. 19, and because they plainly signify much the same thing. The word, μsravosa, (repentance) signifies a change of the mind; as the word conversion means a change or turning from sin to God. And that this is the same change with that which is called regeneration, (excepting that this latter termi especially signifies the change, as the mind is passive in it) the following things do shew.

19.

In the change which the mind passes under in repentance and conversion, is attained that character of true Christians, which is necessary to the eternal privileges of such, Acts iii. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." And so it is with regenera + Page 251.

*Page 144. + Page 246, 248.

tion; as is evident from what Christ says to Nicodemus, and as is allowed by Dr. Taylor.

The change the mind passes under in repentance and conversion, is that in which saving faith is attained. Mark i. 15. "The kingdom of God is at hand: Repent ye, and believe the gospel." And so it is with a being born again, or born of God; as appears by John i. 12, 13. "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, which were born, not of blood, &c. but of God."

Just as Christ says concerning conversion, Matth. xviii. 3. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven;" so does he say concerning being born again, in what he spake to Nicodemus.

By the change men pass under in conversion, they become as little children, which appears in the place last cited; and so they do by regeneration, 1 Pet, i. at the end, and chap. ii. at the beginning. Being born again.... Wherefore, as newborn babes, desire, &c. It is no objection that the disciples, whom Christ spake to in Matth. xviii. 3, were converted already: This makes it not less proper for Christ to declare the necessity of conversión to them, leaving it with them to try themselves, and to make sure their conversion; in like manner as he declared to them the necessity of repentance, in Luke xiii. 3, 5. "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."

The change that men pass under at their repentance, is expressed and exhibited by baptism. Hence it is called the baptism of repentance, from time to time, Matth. iii. 11, Luke jii. 3, Acts xiii. 24, and xix. 4. And so is regeneration, or being born again, expressed by baptism; as is evident by such rep resentations of regeneration as those, John iii. 5. "Except a man be born of water, and of the Spirit"....Titus iii. 5. "He saved us by the washing of regeneration." Many other things might be observed, to shew that the change men pass under in their repentance and conversion, is the same with that which they are the subjects of in regeneration. But these observations may be sufficient.