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SPRUCE STREET LECTURES. 
 
 LECTURE III. 
 
 Delivered on the Evening of the 25th December, 1831, by the 
 Rev. Samuel B. Howe, D. D. of Carlisle. 
 
 THE USE OF THE MEANS OF GRACE. 
 
 " Strive to enter in at tiie strait gate." — Luke xiii. 24. 
 
 The importance of genuine piety, and the difficulty of 
 its attainment and cultivation, are frequently pressed on our 
 attention in the sacred pages. — The salvation of our souls de- 
 pends on our possessing it, and yet, in our efforts to obtain 
 it, innumerable foes oppose us, and innumerable obstacles 
 must be surmounted. To encourage us, however, to meet 
 every foe, and to bear every evil with unshrinking con- 
 stancy, we are addressed with most urgent exhortations and 
 alluring promises; assistance from on high is offered us in 
 the conflict, and to him who overcometh it <^ shall be given 
 to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the para- 
 disc of God." 
 
 In the passage before us, and in a similar passage in the 
 
 gospel of Matthew, the design of our Lord is to show the 
 
 necessity of directing our attention to secure the salvation 
 
 of our souls, from a consideration of the difficulties which we 
 
 10 
 
70 SPRUCE STREET LECTURES. 
 
 must encounter in so doing, and from the ease with which 
 we may mistake and perish. He represents us as travel- 
 lers, journeying to unchanging abodes of bliss or wo, and 
 assures us that our final destiny will depend on our present 
 conduct. "Wide is the gate, and broad is the way that 
 leadeth to destruction, and many there be who go in there- 
 at." — While "strait is the gate, and narrow is the way 
 which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." 
 It becomes us, therefore, carefully to seek to enter in, 
 since, if we mistake and fail, the consequences will be 
 tremendously fearful. The exposition of the passage is 
 easy. A gate usually stands at the head of a way, and 
 through it we are admitted into the way, — the term way, 
 when applied to the actions and condition of men, means 
 their habitual temper and conduct; and the narrow way, of 
 which our Lord speaks, means that temper and conduct 
 which are necessary for our admittance into heaven. We 
 enter on this way only by a thorough conversion from sin 
 to holiness, evidenced by unfeigned repentance and faith j 
 and, until we have experienced this conversion, we have not 
 taken one step in the pathway to bliss. This gate is called 
 strait, because of the anguish of mind which usually ac- 
 companies the commencement of a religious life. Into 
 this gate our Lord commands us to strive to enter. In the 
 original, the word which is translated strive, is very forcible. 
 It signifies, to make a violent effort; to contend as in com- 
 bat; to labour against opposition with the utmost endeav- 
 our, both of body and of mind. This command is evidently 
 addressed to the unconverted; to those who have not enter- 
 ed the narrow way, who are outside of the gate, who are 
 living impenitent in sin. Such are commanded "to strive 
 to enter in at the strait gate" — that is, to seek for the con- 
 
THE USE OF THE MEANS OF GRACR 71 
 
 version of their souls, that in the exercise of repentance and 
 faith, they may enter on and lead a new life of holy obedi- 
 ence. We need not fear to imitate our Lord Jesus; and 
 here is a direct exhortation to the unregcnerate to seek for 
 repentance and faith. But how are they to be sought, since 
 they are the fruits of the Spirit, the gift of God, and with- 
 out his grace we never shall attain te: them? We reply, 
 they must be sought in the diligent use of those means of 
 grace which God has appointed, and which are usually ac- 
 companied with the influences of the Holy Spirit. To illus- 
 trate, confirm, and enforce tliis truth, is the object of the en- 
 suing Discourse; and may the Holy Spirit bless to our edifi- 
 cation what shall be spoken. 
 
 Two propositions invite our attention. 
 
 I. There are means of grace; and in the use of these 
 means divine influences are usually received, both for the 
 conversion of sinners and the edification of believers. 
 
 n. It is the duty of all men diligently to use these means. 
 Having discussed these two propositions we shall, 
 
 HI. Notice some objections which have been urged against 
 the doctrine which we advocate, and then, 
 
 IV. Conclude with the practical improvement of our 
 subject. 
 
 I. There are means of grace. 
 
 By a mean, is intended that which, as an instrument, con- 
 duces to the attainment of an end; and by means of grace, 
 are meant all those institutions of God in the use of which 
 man seeks and usually obtains divine grace. All these 
 means are adapted to the rational nature of man, and are 
 fitted to inform his mind, to touch his conscience, and to 
 awaken his affections. 
 
 It pleases God for the illustration of his wisdom, his 
 
72 SPRUCE STREET LECTURES. 
 
 goodness, and his power, to administer his government by 
 the intervention of means. Were it his pleasure to do so, 
 he could, by a direct and immediate act of his own, bestow on 
 us all that we need, preserve our existence, give health to our 
 bodies, and knowledge to our minds; or he could rain down 
 manna from heaven; or, without the toil of the husbandman, 
 he could cause the harvest to spring up in rich abundance 
 from the earth. Such, however, is not the method which 
 his infinite wisdom has seen fit to adopt. His blessings 
 flow to us through the intervention of means; we can obtain 
 them only when we seek them by the use of proper means. 
 
 If we would preserve life, we must use food; if we would 
 enjoy health, we must practice temperance and prudence; 
 if the scholar would acquire rich stores of various know- 
 ledge, he must give his days and his nights to unremitted 
 study; and if the husbandmen would rejoice in the abun- 
 dance of his crops, he must submit to the toil of breaking up 
 the ground, and of casting into it the precious seed. The 
 success of these efforts depends on the blessing of God, and 
 without that, they will be wholly ineffectual. We are com- 
 manded, therefore, to put them forth in humble dependence 
 on his assistance and blessing, and thus we are taught tore- 
 cognise him as the author of all good, and carefully to no- 
 tice and admire his perfections as exhibited in his works. 
 
 The same system is established in the kingdom of Grace 
 as that which prevails in the kingdom of Providence. They 
 who ask, receive; they who seek, find. He who "watches 
 daily at Wisdom's gates, waiting at the posts of her doors, 
 shall find her," and, along with her, life and blessedness. 
 
 The means of grace become such only in consequence of 
 the appointment of God. It is of the utmost importance to 
 keep this truth steadily in view, for there is a sinful pro- 
 
THE USE OF THE MEANS OF GRACE. 73 
 
 pensity in men to substitute tlieir own inventions in place of 
 the divine appointments. This propensity God frowns upon 
 and rebukes. "In vain do ye worship me teaching for doc- 
 trines the commandments of men." Our warrant for using 
 any ordinance, is derived from his appointment of it, while 
 our encouragement to observe it, arises from his promise of 
 accepting and blessing us in so doing. Whatever appear- 
 ances of zeal, or of devotion, or of success, may be exhibited, 
 awful delusion must attend the pursuit of any measures 
 which God has not ordained. 
 
 Among the means which are designed for the conversion 
 of sinners, and the edification of believers, the three princi- 
 pal are, the preaching of the Gospel; the written Word of 
 God; and fervent prayer. 
 
 One of the chief means of grace, both for the conversion 
 of sinners, and the edification of believers, is the preaching 
 of the Gospel. " It hath pleased God by the foolishness of 
 preaching to save them who believe." "How," asks the 
 apostle, "shall they call on him in whom they have not be- 
 lieved? and how shall they believe on him of whom they 
 have not heard? and how shall they hear without a 
 preacher?" 
 
 The ministry of reconciliation was appointed by the Re- 
 deemer, just before his ascension to glory, when he com- 
 manded his disciples to "go into all the world and preach 
 the Gospel to every creature." After Paul had been called 
 by his grace, he was sent as a messenger of mercy " to the 
 Gentiles, to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness 
 to light, and from the power of Satan unto God." The di- 
 vine blessing has accompanied the ministers of the word 
 from the days of the apostles to the present time. On the 
 day of Pentecost, thousands were converted by the preaching 
 
74 SPRUCE STREET LECTURES. 
 
 of Peter; the Lord opened Lydia's heart to attend to the 
 things which were spoken by Paul; and in every succeed- 
 ing age the preaching of the Gospel has been to thousands 
 " the power of God unto salvation." 
 
 And the principal instrument employed by the Holy 
 Spirit in the work of regeneration and sanctification of our 
 souls, is the wtntten Word. The apostle Peter reminds his 
 other brethren that " they were born again, not of cor- 
 ruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God 
 which liveth and abideth forever." "The law of the 
 Lord," says the Psalmist "is perfect, converting the soul." 
 
 The special design of God in giving to us his Word, is 
 to lead us into the knowledge of himself, and in the paths 
 of life. "All scripture," says the apostle, "is given by 
 inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for re- 
 proof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that 
 the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto 
 all good works." It has guided through life, up to the 
 third heavens, myriads of the redeemed who are now walk- 
 ing in the presence of God, and we shall do well to take 
 heed to it "as to a light that shineth in a dark place, until 
 the day dawn, and the day star arise in our hearts." Any 
 attempt to sink the value of the living ministry, or of the 
 written Word, is injurious to the highest interests of man- 
 kind. The Word without the ministry would be neglected, 
 and the ministry without the Word, would run into error, 
 and introduce woful delusion. The word and the ministry 
 united, are the great bulwarks of religion, and the instru- 
 ments which God designs for the conversion, not merely of 
 individuals, but of the world. 
 
 To the ministry and the Word, we add fervent prayer. 
 "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; 
 
THE USE OF THE MEANS OF GRACE. 75 
 
 knock, and it shall be opened unto you." Prayer is the 
 great medium of the intercourse which man holds with 
 God, in which he opens the most secret desires of his soul, 
 and confesses and deplores his sins, and makes known his 
 wants. '< The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man 
 availelh much." "If ye, being evil, know how to give 
 good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your 
 heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask 
 Him." 
 
 Besides the means of grace already mentioned, there are 
 others which are highly important in themselves, and in 
 the use of which, God has promised to bestow on us his 
 grace. Among the chief of these we place the religious 
 education of children. "Train up a child in the way he 
 should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." 
 The neglect of this duty is a principal reason of the awful 
 amount of irreligion which every where prevails; for the 
 surest method to banish religion from the world, is to banish 
 it from families. The pious Baxter has given it as his 
 opinion, that if every parent would faithfully discharge his 
 duty in bringing up his children in the nurture and admo- 
 nition of the Lord, it would almost render unnecessary the 
 living ministry. Certain it is, that the neglect of it brings 
 deep guilt on the parent, and shows an awful unconcern in 
 relation to the highest interests of his child, by leaving him 
 exposed to the pernicious influence of false sentiment and vi- 
 cious example, without any fixed principles to save him from 
 their contagion. The consequences on the part of the child 
 are, generally, such as might be expected — an irreligious 
 life, and an unhappy death. From the lips of pious and 
 faithful parents, especially from the lips of a pious mother, 
 the child generally receives his earliest, his best, and his 
 
76 SPRUCE STREET LECTURES. 
 
 most lasting impressions. To her it belongs to direct his 
 first thoughts, to mould his temper; to give an impulse to 
 all his feelings and desires; and her instructions, and warn- 
 ings, and prayers, and tears, are the things which, amid all 
 the waywardness and folly of mankind, are last forgotten by 
 her child; which exert over his heart a most salutary in- 
 fluence, and are often recalled with fond remembrance and 
 gratitude. Should he be so unhappy as to be enticed by 
 ungodly companions, and to fall into dissolute habits, the re- 
 membrance of his mother's instructions and prayers will 
 haunt his gayest hours, and check his mad career; and 
 though he may have run deep in sinful excesses, will pro- 
 bably bring him back a humble penitent to God — blessed 
 reward for the anxieties, and sorrows, and instruction, and 
 prayers, of maternal love, thus to have trained a child for 
 holiness, and heaven, and God! Precious is the memory 
 of such a parent to her offspring, for "her children rise up 
 after her and call her blessed.''* 
 
 * A striking instance of the correctness of the above remarks occurred to 
 the author immediately after he had preached this discourse. On his return 
 home from Philadelphia, there was in the stage with him, as a fellow-passen- 
 ger, a respected brother in the ministry, who resides in one of the western 
 States. In the course of conversation, he gave to the author a short account 
 of his religious history. He is the son of pious parents, who had devoted liim 
 in early life to God, and carefully instructed him in the principles of religion. 
 When he had attained a sufficient age, he studied medicine, and, if I mistake 
 not, attended the medical lectures at Philadelphia. Unfortunately, by perusing 
 the works of some infidel writers, and by the influence of ungodly companions, 
 his mind was corrupted, and he became a sceptic. He remarked, however, 
 that he never could entirely embrace the sentiments of sceptical writers, 
 owing to his having read so extensively in ancient history, which enabled 
 him to detect the falsehood of many of their statements. He afterwards com- 
 menced the practice of physic, and his irreligion and scepticism were fre- 
 
THE USE OF THE MEANS OF GRACE. 77 
 
 Without enlarging on the other means of grace, we shall 
 content ourselves with simply mentioning them. They 
 are the following: — 
 
 Serious meditation. ** I thought on my way," says the 
 Psalmist, "and turned my feet unto thy testimonies." 
 
 Self-examination. ''Examine yourselves whether ye 
 be in the faith; prove your own selves; know ye not your 
 own selves, except ye be reprobates." 
 
 The company of pious men. "He that walketh with 
 wise men shall be wise; but a companion of fools shall be 
 destroyed." 
 
 The sacraments, which are especially designed to edify 
 believers. 
 
 It is by the diligent and conscientious use of these means, 
 that men are commanded to seek for spiritual blessings, and 
 
 quently noticed by others, and caused great grief to his pious parents. One day 
 an infidel neiglibour began conversing of liis irreligious conduct before a com- 
 pany, one of which was his mother, and with a view, it was thouglit, of wound- 
 ing her feelings. He scoffingly said that there is no truth in the old saying, 
 " train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not de- 
 part from it;" that those children who were brougiit up religiously always 
 turned out more wicked than others, and noticed him as an instance. His 
 mother, a pious Scotch lady, was indignant at the impiety of the declaration, 
 and afterwards said, that, at the time, she felt more anxious that God would 
 vindicate the trutli of his declarations tlian even for the salvation of her son. 
 She had been anxiously praying for his conversion, but now she prayed that 
 God would exhibit his glory by proving the truth of his word. About this 
 time her son was led to read the Scriptures with Scott's notes; deep impres- 
 sions 'were produced on his mind; he was led to a salutary concern for the 
 salvation of his soul, and became, we trust, a sincere believer in the Lord 
 Jesus Christ. He is now a minister of the Gospel, and nobly exerting him- 
 self to bestow on others those blessings which the Gospel alone conveys. He 
 considered his conversion as an answer to tlic prayers of his parents, and 
 said to me, " I was saved because I am a child of the covenant." 
 11 
 
78 SPRUCE STREET LECTURES. 
 
 when they thus use them, these blessings are usually re- 
 ceived. God will have his own appointments honoured, 
 nor have we any right to expect his blessing while we ne- 
 glect his institutions, or violate his commandments. The 
 most diligent use of these means, however, does not lay 
 him under any obligation to bestow on us his grace; for if 
 so, God would be our debtor, and bound in justice to save 
 us. But, in the same individual, grace and merit cannot 
 co-exist; nor can any unregenerate man perform good 
 works acceptable to God. ''Not by works of righteous- 
 ness which we have done, but according to his mercy he 
 saved us." 
 
 Considered simply in themselves, these means have no 
 efficacy to convert the soul; but all their efficacy is derived 
 from the accompanying influences of the Holy Spirit. They 
 are, indeed, adapted to our rational nature, and suited alike 
 to inform the mind and to affect the heart. In effecting the 
 work of regeneration, God deals with man as a rational 
 creature, by placing before him motives; by addressing to 
 him commands, promises, warnings, threatenings, and invi- 
 tations; and by appealing to every passion and desire of the 
 soul — to the affections, the reason, and the conscience. In 
 the preaching and reading of the Word, truth comes to us 
 clothed with the authority and majesty of God; our atten- 
 tion is called to subjects the most sublime, interesting, so- 
 lemn, and affecting. The worth of the soul, the solemni- 
 ties of death, the terrors of the judgment, and the glories 
 and horrors of eternity, are placed before us to rouse us 
 from the slumbers of sin. The indignation of the Lord is 
 denounced against the hardened transgressor, and he is 
 warned of that awful perdition which awaits him; while 
 the sweet message of mercy is addressed to the humbled 
 
THE USE OF THE MEANS OF GRACE. 79 
 
 penitent, and he is pointed to the cross of the Redeemer, 
 and assured that there is forgiveness for the chief of sinners. 
 In prayer we approach into the immediate presence of the 
 eternal God; we contemplate his infinite majesty, his spot- 
 less purity, his boundless power, and his amazing compas- 
 sion; we confess our depravity, our un worthiness, our guilt, 
 and our dependence on his grace; we offer our thanksgivings 
 for mercies, and we humbly ask his pardoning and sancti- 
 fying grace. Every thing in prayer is calculated to pro- 
 duce deep impressions on the heart, and to awaken its best 
 affections. Still, without the influences of the Holy Spirit 
 all will be in vain. The new heart is the gift of God. 
 Even the eloquence of an Apostle will be of no avail for the 
 conversion of the soul, without the accompany influences of 
 the Holy Spirit. "Who then is Paul, and who is ApoUos, 
 but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave 
 to every man." "I have planted, Apollos watered, but 
 God gave the increase." Any success that may attend our 
 efforts should be ascribed to the power and goodness of 
 God. "The weapons of our warfare," says the apostle, 
 "are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling 
 down of strong holds; casting down imaginations and every 
 high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, 
 and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience 
 of Christ. 
 
 Having thus exhibited the nature and design of the means 
 of grace, we proceed to consider, 
 
 11. Our second head of discourse, which is to show, 
 That it is the duty of all men to use with diligence these 
 means. 
 
 We are not aware that any have denied that it is the duty 
 
80 SPRUCE STREET LECTURES. 
 
 of sincere believers in Christ to use them, but it has been 
 questioned whether the unregenerate should be exhorted to 
 the use of them. Much of the difficulty on this point will, 
 we think, be removed by a clear apprehension of their na- 
 ture and design. They may be considered under three 
 aspects: as duties, arising out of the relation which exists 
 between man and God; as means, in the use of which sin- 
 ners usually receive divine grace; and as means of edifica- 
 tion to believers. 
 
 1. The means which we have specified may be considered 
 as duties arising from the command of God, and the relation 
 which exists between him and man. The Gospel message 
 and the written Word are addressed to every creature, and 
 every man is bound to listen when God speaks. Prayer is 
 an humble acknowledgment of God as our Creator, Ruler, 
 Preserver, and Judge. No man on earth has authority to 
 say to another, that it is not his duty to listen to the preach- 
 ing of the Gospel, or to read the Scriptures, or to offer 
 prayer. These are solemn acts of worship, in which we 
 acknowledge God as our God, and therefore no man is at 
 liberty to neglect them. 
 
 It is in vain to reply, that since unregenerate men do not 
 perform these duties from holy principles, they will not be 
 pleasing to God, and therefore the observance of them ought 
 not to be enjoined; for the same objection will apply to 
 every act of the unregenerate, and, if pushed to its utmost, 
 will reduce them to a state of complete inactivity. We 
 are commanded "whether, therefore, ye eat or drink, or 
 whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." But must 
 we forbid sinners to eat or drink, because they are not in- 
 fluenced by holy principles? Our obligation to obey God 
 arises not from the possession of holy principles of action. 
 
THE USE OF THE MEANS OF GRACE. Qi 
 
 but from the relation which we bear to him as his rational 
 creatures, endowed with faculties which render us capable of 
 knowing, loving, and obeying him. As the most glorious 
 Being in the universe, and infinitely perfect, he is worthy of 
 our supreme affection; and, as he is our Creator, Pre- 
 server, Ruler, and Judge, we arc under the strongest pos- 
 sible obligations to love and obey him. We are bound to 
 believe all that he says, to perform all that he commands, 
 to submit to all that he appoints, and to consecrate to his 
 service and glory all the powers which we possess. It is 
 therefore, the duty of every man to hear, and believe, and 
 receive the message which God addresses to him in his holy 
 Word; and by humble prayer, and supplication, and thanks- 
 giving, to acknowledge and worship him as God over all; 
 and nothing can release him from these duties. 
 
 Moreover, since our Lord Jesus Christ has commanded 
 his ministers to preach the Gospel to every creature, it is 
 the duty of every creature to hear; and not merely to hear, 
 but to remember, to meditate upon, to lay to heart, and to 
 pray over, what he hears; to examine it by the light of the 
 Scriptures, and to compare with it his own temper and con- 
 duct. It will not, we imagine, be asserted that all they of 
 Berea, who are spoken of. Acts xvii. 11, were truly con- 
 verted, and 3^et, they arc commended, because they re- 
 ceived the Word with all readiness of mind, and searched 
 the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so; there- 
 fore, it is added, "many of them believed." 
 
 The numerous, and strong commands which ai e given to 
 the unregenerate, to seek for the divine favour, in our opin- 
 ion, decisively settles the question. "Strive to enter in at 
 the strait gate." "Seek ye the Lord while he may be 
 found, call ye upon him while he is near." "Stand ye in 
 
82 SPRUCE STREET LECTURES. 
 
 honour on his own institutions; that the Gospel has most 
 success among those who, from infancy, are instructed in 
 souls." "Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. 
 Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching at my gates, 
 waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoso findeth me, 
 findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord." These, 
 and a multitude of similar commands, are addressed to all 
 men alike, urging them to the use of the means through 
 which divine mercy is obtained. 
 
 2. Another consideration which establishes our doctrine 
 is, that, on the use of these means, sinners usually receive 
 the renewing influences of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 When we look back on the history of the Church, and of 
 the world, we find, that true religion has prevailed among 
 those nations whp enjoyed these means, and, generally, in 
 the same degree as they were enjoyed in purity and abun- 
 dance. The condition of the heathen nations who were 
 destitute of them was truly gloomy. It was among 
 the descendants of Abraham, who were blessed with the 
 priesthood, the Word, and the ordinances of the House of 
 God, that the great body of the pious who lived before the 
 coming of Christ were found. Since that event, true piety 
 has prevailed, almost exclusively, in the Christian Church. 
 It has been preserved by means of the various institutions 
 which God has appointed: and if these institutions were 
 once abolished, or neglected, 'impiety would universally 
 prevail. 
 
 When we turn from nations and communities, to con- 
 template individuals, we still find the divine blessing ac- 
 companying the use of these means. We pretend not to 
 limit the Holy One of Israel ; nor, do we deny extraordinary 
 instances of conversion; but we find, in fact, that God puts 
 
THE USE OF THE MEANS OF GRACE. 83 
 
 the ways, and sec, and ask for Ihc old paths, where is the 
 good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest to your 
 its truths, and in the strict observance of its ordinances. 
 Thousands have been brought to saving faith in Christ, 
 through the divine blessing accompanying the preaching 
 and reading of the Word, when attended on with devout 
 meditation and prayer. In one of the most admirable un- 
 inspired representations of the rise and progress of reli- 
 gion in the soul, with Avhich the world has ever been 
 blessed, the awakened sinner, oppressed with the burden of 
 his sins, is represented as seeking for retirement, there to 
 read, and pray, and meditate, till Evangelist meets him, 
 and directs him to the narrow gate, and to Christ, for salva 
 tion. The excellent Dr. Scott, in his "Force of Truth," 
 has given us the history of his own conversion, and it 
 clearly shows, that they have reason to expect the divine 
 blessing, who seek it by a devout perusal of the Scriptures, 
 with meditation and prayer. In one word, divine grace 
 has flowed forth in this way, to the myriads of the re- 
 deemed. ^V'hile they were seeking God in the use of the 
 means, his Spirit came upon them with his renewing in- 
 fluences, and wrought in them unfeigned repentance and 
 faith. 
 
 3. A third argument in favour of the sentiment which 
 we arc advocating, is, that those who live in the wilful and 
 habitual neglect of these means, have no right to expect the 
 salvation of their souls. If the divine blessing usually ac- 
 companies them, then, to neglect them, is to guard against 
 the reception of this blessing, is to put ourselves as far as 
 we can out of the reach of mercy, and deliberately to choose 
 the paths of death. Whoever acts thus, will, hereafter, in 
 the bitterness of his soul, repent of his folly. By so doing 
 
84 SPRUCE STREET LECTURES. 
 
 he incurs the displeasure of God. An awful denunciation 
 is pronounced by the Redeemer himself, on those cities 
 which rejected his preaching. "Wo unto thee, Chorazin! 
 wo unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works which 
 were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they 
 would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes." Im- 
 penitent sinner, it is no speculation, it is solemn truth, that 
 if the Gospel message is rejected by thee, if it does not lead 
 thee to offer fervent supplication for the renewing influences 
 of the Spirit of God, and if it is not cordially received with 
 penitence and faith, thy condemnation is certain and terri- 
 ble; more terrible than that of Sodom and Gomorrha. To 
 thee, the Gospel message is now addressed; to thee, pardon, 
 purchased by a Saviour's blood, is freely offered; to thee, 
 the hour of mercy is announced, and thou art pointed to the 
 throne of grace, and a compassionate Saviour, that thou 
 mayest obtain salvation. Reject not the message, refuse 
 not the mercy, lest, peradventure, throughout eternity 
 thou mayest curse thy folly and thy sin. 
 
 4. But finally, the question of the propriety and impor- 
 tance of a diligent use of the means of grace, is settled, in 
 fact, by the conduct of every awakened sinner and every 
 pious parent. When the arrows of conviction have pierc- 
 ed the sinner's breast, you cannot prevent him from pray- 
 ing, from reading, from hearing the Gospel preached. He 
 sees that he is a guilty and ruined man; he feels himself to 
 be sinking amid the billows of wrath; and fear* lest the 
 shadows of everlasting death are coming over his soul. Oh, 
 how vain is every effort now to deter him from asking for 
 mercy from his God! His cries pierce the heavens — 
 "What shall I do to be saved?" — "God be merciful to me 
 a sinner." How precious to him now, is his once slighted 
 
THE USE OF THE MEANS OF GRACE. 85 
 
 Bible, and with what intense anxiety does he listen to the 
 minister of Jesus, hoping for some message of mercy, some 
 glad tidings of peace, some promise of salvation, that may 
 soothe the anguish of his wounded spirit. Helpless and 
 ruined, he casts himself at the feet of the Redeemer, resolved 
 that if he perishes, he will perish with the cry for mercy, 
 as the last sound that is uttered by his lips. 
 
 Again: Does the pious parent, because he fears that his 
 child is unconverted, hesitate to place him under the preach- 
 ing of the Gospel; or to teach him to read the Scriptures; 
 or to offer his prayers to God? How strange, how utterly 
 absurd would it sound, to hear a pious parent plead, as an 
 excuse for the neglect of these things, that he has no reason 
 to believe that his child is regenerate. No! he knows that 
 the most important duty which he owes to his child is to 
 "bring him up in the. iiuiluit; and ndmnnitiun of the Liord." 
 He therefore devotes him, as Samuel was devoted, to the 
 Lord; he teaches him, as Timothy was taught, "from a child 
 to know the Holy Scriptures;" he accustoms him to the use 
 of the means of grace, because he knows that in this way 
 divine grace is usually received, and he asks, with fervent 
 supplication, that the divine blessing may accompany his 
 efforts. 
 
 Such, then, are our reasons for asserting, that a diligent 
 use of the means of grace is the duty of every man. There 
 is not a sinner on earth to whom we dare say, ' you must 
 not attend the preaching of the Gospel; you must not read 
 the word of God ; you must not pray, or attend to any 
 religious duty.' It would be as absurd to do this, as it would 
 ' be to forbid a beggar, who is dying with hunger, to ask for 
 food; or to debar a sick man from the use of medicine for 
 the recovery of health. It would be to exclude men from 
 12 
 
86 SPRUCE STREET LECTURES. 
 
 the remedy which God has provided for their healing; from 
 the very means which he has instituted for their recovery 
 from sin and death, and in the use of which only, we can 
 hope to receive those influences of the Holy Spirit which 
 prepare us for heaven. But, 
 
 III. Objections have been raised against the doctrine 
 which we are advocating, and it is proper that they should 
 be considered. We shall notice but two, since they are the 
 most common and important. 
 
 1. The first is, the decree of God renders the use of 
 means unavailing? that, if God has predestinated us to sal- 
 vation, we shall be saved whether we use or neglect these 
 means. To this objection our reply shall be short. It pro- 
 ceeds on a misrepresentation and mistake of the nature of 
 the divine decrees. The Bible speaks of no absolute, un- 
 conditional decree, but always represents the means as de- 
 creed in connexion with the end. The divine decree ex- 
 tends to every event and to all concerns; but they who 
 raise this objection apply it exclusively to our religious con- 
 cerns; whereas, to be consistent, they should carry it through- 
 out all their affairs, and use no means for the attainment of 
 any end; if sick, they should take no medicine; if poor, they 
 should use no efforts to obtain wealth; for, on their own 
 principles, if God has decreed that they shall recover health, 
 or obtain riches, these events will happen as certainly with- 
 out as with effort. Every one sees the absurdity of this 
 sentiment when applied to the common affairs of life, and it 
 is just as absurd when applied to religious subjects. 
 
 2. A second objection, which has been very strongly urg- ' 
 ed against the truth we are advocating is, that it is unscrip- 
 tural and dangerous to exhort sinners to use the means of 
 
THE USE OF THE MEANS OF GRACE. 37 
 
 grace, since, to do so, lias a tendency to lead them to rest 
 in the means, without exercising saving repentance and faith. 
 It is contended, that sinners should be exhorted to imme- 
 diate submission to God; to immediate repentance and faith; 
 and that it is at our peril, if we exhort them to any thing 
 short of these, or which does not include them. To render 
 this objection plainer, we state the following case: A sin- 
 ner, awakened to a sense of his guilt and danger, anxiously 
 inquires "what shall I do to be saved?" He is told ''be- 
 lieve on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." He 
 replies, my mind is so blind, my affections are so depraved, 
 there is so much hardness and corruption in my heart, that 
 I cannot believe, 1 cannot repent. I am as helpless as I am 
 guilty; all my resolutions and efforts are ineffectual, and, 
 unless I receive mercy from God, I am forever lost. What 
 shall we say to him in reply? Shall we direct him to ask, 
 by importunate prayer, for the influences of the Holy Spirit 
 to enable him to repent and believe ? Shall we exhort him 
 to break off from every sinful practice; to read, meditate 
 upon, and pray over the word of God; to attend on the 
 preaching of the Gospel, and seek the company and conver- 
 sation of the pious, that thus he may obtain the blessing of 
 God? No, say some, this would be to give dangerous, 
 soul-destroying advice, and to be accessary to the sinner's 
 perdition. Immediate submission to God must be enjoined 
 on him, and he must be warned, that if he does not imme- 
 diately repent and believe, his damnation may be sudden 
 and awful. 
 
 There are two classes of theologians who maintain this 
 last sentiment. One class holds it in connexion with the 
 belief of the moral inability of the sinner to change his 
 heart, and that repentance and faith arc the gift of God: — 
 
88 SPRUCE STREET LECTURES. 
 
 the other maintain, that it is as easy to repent and believe as 
 it is to perform any bodily action; that there is no other 
 divine influence necessary or bestowed in our religious con- 
 cerns than is exerted in the preservation of our lives, and 
 the performance of our common daily actions; and that 
 man is universally, necessarily, and absolutely active in 
 regeneration. 
 
 We are constrained to observe in relation to this last senti- 
 ment, namely, that man is active in regeneration, that we con- 
 sider it a fearful departure from fundamental Gospel truth. 
 The most eminent and successful divines of former days con- 
 sidered it a matter of the first importance, that a sinner should 
 be convinced of his entire inability to perform good works 
 acceptable to God, or to recover himself from a state of sin 
 and misery; that being thus convinced, he might be brought, 
 as a depraved, guilty, and helpless creature, to renounce all 
 dependence on his own strength, and cast himself entirely 
 on the mercy of God through Christ. Even within our 
 own recollection, a remarkable difference has taken place in 
 the theology and mode of preaching, of a large class of di- 
 vine:; in our Church. The distinction between a natural 
 and a moral inability was formerly much insisted on, and it 
 was considered of great importance to represent the ina- 
 bility of the sinner as of a moral kind. This was then 
 represented as a new and important improvement in the- 
 ology, though the distinction had been made long before, 
 in the writings of some of the soundest Calvinistic divines, 
 and when properly explained, is wholly unobjectionable. 
 Now, however, the ability of the sinner to repent and be- 
 lieve, and his activity in regeneration, are earnestly incul- 
 cated as most important improvements in theology, and 
 intimately connected with the prevalence of revivals of 
 
THE USE OF THE MEANS OF GRACE. 89 
 
 religion. The sinner is called on to repent and believe in- 
 stantaneously, and is assured, that it is as easy for him to 
 do so as to raise an arm, or to perform any bodily motion; 
 and they who exhort him to use the means of grace are 
 frowned on, as though they would delude, or mislead him. 
 In relation to this sentiment, several remarks present 
 themselves to our minds. 
 
 1. If sinners have power to believe and repent instanta- 
 neously, then, they must, necessarily, have ability to use 
 the means of grace aright. Surely it will not be asserted, 
 that a sinner has power to regenerate himself, — to believe, 
 and repent — and yet, that he has not power to hear, or read 
 the Word of God, and pray aright. There can, therefore, 
 be no possible reason for discouraging him, any more than 
 for discouraging the truly pious from the use of these 
 means. Tjie objection carries along with it its own refuta- 
 tion, and we think, that we might rest the subject here, 
 were it not too serious to be thus dismissed. 
 
 2. To discourage a sinner from using the means of grace, 
 under the pretence that he has ability, in himself, to be- 
 lieve and repent, is alike delusive and dangerous. We 
 retort the charge, and say, that it is at our peril, if we do 
 not exhort men to hear, and read the Word of God with 
 prayer. The opinion, that they are able at any time to re- 
 pent and believe, is precisely the grand delusion which 
 keeps impenitent men careless in sin. Every unrenewed 
 man, whatever may be his speculative opinion, trusts, in 
 fact, in himself, in confidence of his power to perform all 
 duty. Here, all impenitent sinners are agreed with that 
 class of divines who maintain human ability, and it is no 
 wonder that the doctrine has many advocates, for it entirely 
 accords with the feelings of the unrenewed heart. But it 
 
90 SPRUCE STREET LECTURES. 
 
 is somewhat remarkable, that the grand blunder of which 
 man has been guilty in every age, since the apostacy of 
 Adam — the error to which he clings with the fondest at- 
 tachment, and the last which he relinquishes in accepting of 
 Christ, — that this error is now represented as a great improve- 
 ment in theology; as evidencing the march of mind, and the 
 possession of superior light; and that they who do not assent 
 to it are often assailed as unfriendly to revivals, as behind 
 the improvements of the day, and as lukewarm formalists. 
 Gospel truth is, however, too precious to be lightly aban- 
 doned, and it is our duty at every cost to defend it. We 
 do not hesitate, therefore, to declare, that we consider the 
 representations which are frequently made in relation to 
 human ability, as directly at variance with the Word of God, 
 and the experience of every real believer in Christ. Do 
 the Scriptures speak of the condition of men while unre- 
 generate? They are then represented as dead in trespasses 
 and sins; as without strength; as alienated from God; and 
 the carnal mind is declared to be enmity against God, so 
 that they who are in the flesh cannot please God. Is the 
 deliverance of men from this state of spiritual bondage and 
 death described ? Then God is uniformly declared to be 
 the author of this deliverance, and the strongest terms which 
 language can supply are used, to express the greatness of 
 the work, and the power which is exerted in its accom- 
 plishment. It is a resurrection from the dead — a new crea- 
 tion — a victory gained over enmity and opposition. Let 
 it not be objected, that these representations are figurative. 
 True, they are; but the figures are strong and expressive. 
 What is a resurrection but the infusion of new life into a 
 dead body, into an inactive and inert corpse? Yet, the 
 apostle asserts, that such is the change which is effected in 
 
THE USE OF THE MEANS OF GRACE. 91 
 
 regeneration. <'You hath he quickened, who were dead 
 in trespasses and sins." What is the work of creation but 
 bringing into being that which did not previously exist? 
 Yet, to denote the absence of all holy principles and quali- 
 ties in men, previous to regeneration, and their first produc- 
 tion in the soul by the Holy Spirit, when he efiects this 
 work, the apostle calls it a new creation. " If any man be 
 in Christ he is a new creature;" and again, "We are his 
 workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works." Nay 
 more, to show that men neither concur in, nor favour the 
 work of regeneration, that it is in no respect theirs, it is de- 
 clared, to be the overcoming of enmity and opposition. 
 <'You that were sometimes alienated, and enemies in your 
 mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled." Let 
 it be remembered, that such arc the representations of this 
 work which the Holy Ghost has made in the volume of 
 Inspiration, and though the argument derived from them, 
 may be dismissed with a cavil, and a subterfuge, we are sa- 
 tisfied, that it cannot be fairly refuted. To represent the 
 sinner as having full ability to repent and believe, in oppo- 
 sition to such plain, and strong declarations of Scripture, is 
 equally erroneous and dangerous. It encourages him to 
 trust in himself; it prevents a suitable conviction of his sin- 
 fulness, and weakness, and danger, and thereby interposes 
 a serious obstacle in the way of an immediate application to 
 Christ, and an entire dependence on him. 
 
 3. We remark, still further, that the manner in which 
 sinners are exhorted to immediate submission to a sovereign 
 God, has excited both surprise and alarm. No truths are 
 more clearly, strongly, and repeatedly taught in Scripture 
 than these two: that wc are reconciled to God through 
 Christ; and that we are renewed and prepared for heaven. 
 
03 SPRUCE STREET LECTURES. 
 
 only by the operation of the Holy Spirit. Christ is the cen- 
 tre in which all the lines of ?he Gospel Buwt meet; the only 
 medium of access to the Father; the only source of forgive- 
 ness and peace to the sinner; and yet, we sometimes hear 
 addresses to unregenerate men, exhorting them to imme- 
 diate submission to a sovereign God, to be disposed of ac- 
 cording to his will, irrespective of Christ, and losing sight 
 of him as the only source of salvation. We believe that 
 this mode of address arises from peculiar views of the nature 
 of the atonement, as a mere exhibition of divine displeasure at 
 sin, and from not considering Christ, in his mediatorial cha- 
 racters, as the Covenant Head, Substitute, Surety, and High 
 Priest of his people. But, from whatever source it may 
 arise, we cannot but think that it derogates from the honour 
 of the Redeemer, and that it jeopardizes the salvation of 
 the sinner, by not calling his attention with sufficient clear- 
 ness to Christ, as the only source of eternal life. 
 
 The work of the Holy Spirit in regenerating men, is an- 
 other fundamental part of the Gospel scheme. " We are 
 saved by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the 
 Holy Ghost." He sheds celestial light into the darkened 
 mind; he elevates, and purifies the debased affections; and 
 revealing to the sinner his guilt, and helplessness, and 
 misery, enables him by his grace to receive, and rest on 
 Christ for salvation. What then are we to think of those 
 exhortations, which lose sight of these important Gospel 
 truths; which would persuade the sinner of his ability to 
 repent and believe, and which do not direct him to the Holy 
 Spirit, who alone can renew and purify his heart? 
 
 They may be boastingly proclaimed as improvements in 
 theology, and as evidencing the march of mind, and the in- 
 crease of light; but they really divest the Gospel of its most 
 
THE USE OF THE MEANS OF GRACE. 98 
 
 peculiar and lovely features. Those exhortations, which, 
 instead of directing the sinner to Christ that he may glorify 
 the Father, by believing in the Son, through the assistance 
 of the Holy Spirit, direct him to submit to God, to be 
 saved or damned according to his sovereign will, by with- 
 drawing his attention from Christ as the only Saviour, do 
 practically, though we hope unintentionally, withhold from 
 both the Redeemer and Holy Spirit that honour which 
 the Scriptures ascribe to them, in the deliverance of our 
 souls from spiritual death. 
 
 4. Our last remark under this head is, that usually a 
 work of conviction precedes a work of true conversion. 
 Sudden or instantaneous conversions, such as happened on 
 the day^of Pentecost, sometimes occur; but they should be 
 considered as remarkable occurrences; and special care is 
 necessary, to be satisfied that they are true conversions. 
 The events of the duy of Pentecost were for the special 
 purpose of attesting the divine commission of the apos- 
 tles, at the commencement of their ministry; and though the 
 same divine influences are now exerted in the conversion 
 of sinners, it yet appears to us to be an erroneous procedure, 
 to hold up the immediate conversions of that day, as a model 
 of what we are now to expect to be of frequent occurrence. 
 I am aware that I am touching a delicate point, and that I 
 shall, probably, be denounced by some, as an enemy to re- 
 vivals of religion. The accusation I indignantly repel as a 
 slander. A real revival of religion is the greatest blessing 
 which God bestows on apostate man. But the danger of 
 self-deception in religion is great; and it is an awful thing 
 to be accessary to leading men into spiritual delusion. 
 Hence we find the most skilful practical writers, carefully 
 distinguishing between mere conviction of sin and real 
 13 
 
94 SPRUCE STREET LECTURES. 
 
 conversion; laynig down marks from the Scriptures by 
 which we may judge whether we have, indeed, experienced 
 a change of heart; guarding against a too hasty conclusion 
 in our own favour, and exhorting us to make sure work for 
 eternity. Now, frequently, we hear of sudden and almost 
 instantaneous conversions — and these conversions are spo- 
 ken of with the utmost confidence, as though it were crimi- 
 nal to doubt their reality, and the number of converts is 
 isometimes, we fear, ostentatiously proclaimed to the world. 
 Caution and reverence are never more necessary than when 
 we speak of the work of the Spirit of God; and wo to the 
 man who reviles or opposes that work! But there are some 
 points on which we may speak without fear. The present 
 age is remarkable for a fondness for innovation and novelty, 
 and for contempt for what belongs to other times. But 
 the old precious truths of the Gospel, which were preached 
 by apostles, and martyrs, and reformers, are those only 
 which the Holy Spirit will make effectual for the conversion 
 of sinners. It is the old Gospel which Paul, and Augus- 
 tine, and Luther, and Owen, and Whitefield, and Davies, 
 and Edwards, and Witherspoon preached, that the Holy 
 Spirit always has, and always will bless, arid we dare preach 
 no other Gospel, we dare embrace no mere modern refine- 
 ments or innovations, lest, haply, the apostolic malediction 
 should fall upon us "if any man preach any other Gospel 
 unto you than that which you have received, let him be ac- 
 cursed." Magnifying the ability of the sinner; diminish- 
 ing a sense of our indebtedness to the grace of the Re- 
 deemer and the Holy Spirit; confidently pronouncing on 
 the reality of what are represented as immediate conver- 
 sions; undervaluing the attainments and graces of aged 
 Christians, and determined denunciation of those who do 
 
THE USE OF THE MEANS OF GRACE. 95 
 
 assent to these things, as though they must be cold hearted 
 formalists, and enemies to revivals of religion — these, we 
 are confident, are not the fruits of the Spirit of God. In- 
 deed, there is reason to fear, that dark days in relation 
 to real religion are before us. While we bless God for the 
 revivals with which different parts of our land are favoured, 
 there are yet many things to awaken serious apprehensions, 
 that the benefits which would otherwise be derived from 
 them, will be greatly diminished. A fondness for new 
 measures in action, and for new metaphysical speculations 
 in theology, as though that which is old must therefore be 
 wrong, — the assumption of arbitrary principles in philoso- 
 phy, and bringing these principles to the explanation of 
 Scripture, instead of implicit submission to its plain declara- 
 tions — opposition to creeds and confessions, and denuncia- 
 tions of them, as though they were hostile to freedom of in- 
 quiry, and the various attempts which are made to force 
 innovations on the Church, with the distractions which 
 these attempts cause — will, we greatly fear, produce in the 
 minds of many a heartless indifference to religion, or open 
 infidelity. The advocates of error have always laid claim 
 to superior sanctity, zeal, and benevolence; they have al- 
 ways been loud in proclaiming their own superior wisdom, 
 and piety, and success; but they have also always been dis- 
 tinguished for undervaluing the importance of sound doc- 
 trine, for a bitter and crafty disingenuousness, which, under 
 the pretence of liberality, denounces, as bigottcd and narrow 
 minded, all those who contend for the importance of the 
 truth which is according to godliness, and who oppose with 
 firmness the inroads of error; and if ever that time comes, 
 when mere conviction of sin shall be generally mistaken 
 for a thorough conversion to God, and when multitudes, 
 
196 SPRUCE STREET LECTURES. 
 
 under a transient excitement, shall be hurried, in an uncon- 
 verted state, into the communion of the Church, and when 
 in addition to these things, Gospel truth shall be under- 
 valued, and error on fundamental points shall be exten- 
 sively preached, then will the glory have departed from our 
 Church, and the paralysing chills of spiritual death pierce its 
 vitals. 
 
 The plainness of these remarks, will, no doubt, be cen- 
 sured by many, who are for treating with gentleness the in- 
 roads of error, and would cast the mantle of charity over 
 the defects of those who are its advovates. To such we 
 would reply, that the most effectual aid which they can lend 
 to the cause of error, is to palliate, excuse, or defend the 
 conduct of its advocates, and represent them as holy, de- 
 voted, and zealous above others, while they censure those 
 who oppose their errors as exhibiting a rash and mistaken 
 zeal. Truth is not thus to be sacrificed, nor is its cause to 
 be thus defended; and we remember who has condemned 
 the prophet and the priest of ancient Israel, for having 
 '< healed the hurt of the daughter of his people slightly, 
 saying peace, peace, when there is no peace." 
 
 We remarked, that there is a second class of divines 
 who, while they assert the inability of the sinner to change 
 his own heart, yet maintain, that it is perilous to exhort 
 him to any thing short of immediate repentance and faith. 
 One of the most distinguished advocates of this sentiment 
 is the late excellent Andrew Fuller, who contends not only 
 that a sinner is unable to change his heart, but that a 
 conviction of our being utterly lost must precede an appli- 
 cation to the Saviour. " So long " says he, "as a sinner 
 can find any hope, or any help in himself, he will never fall 
 at the feet of Christ as utterly undone." 
 
THE USE OF THE MEANS OF GRACE. 97 
 
 To this class of divines we reply, 
 
 1. Their objections would be valid, if we exhorted sin- 
 ners to rest in the mere use of the means; for it is at our 
 peril, if we exhort them to rest any where but in Christ. 
 This however is not the question before us. The only 
 point of inquiry is, whether there are not means, in the dili- 
 gent use of which, a sinner may hope to receive those in- 
 fluences of the Holy Spirit, which are necessary to enable 
 him to rest on Christ by faith. If any exhort sinners, as it 
 has been asserted that some do, to lay at the pool of ordi- 
 nance waiting, and satisfied with their waiting, till God 
 shall bestow on them his grace, they greatly err. Such, 
 however, was not the" practice of sound Calvinistic divines 
 of former days, neither is it the practice of their admirers 
 in the present day. From the multitude of passages which 
 can be selected with ease, from the writings of the old di- 
 vines, we take but one, which however is a fair exhibition 
 of their sentiments as a body. The quotation is from Al- 
 liene's Alarm, and is as follows: '< Settle it," says he, ad- 
 dressing the unconverted sinner, "Settle it upon thy heart, 
 that thou art under everlasting inability ever to recover 
 thyself. Never think thy praying, reading, hearing, con- 
 fessing, amending, will work the cure; these must be attended 
 to, but thou art undone if thou rcstest in them. Jiom. x. 3. 
 Thou art a lost man, if thou hopest to escape drowning on 
 any other plank but Jesus Christ, t^cts iv. 12. Thou 
 must unlearn thyself, and renounce thy own wisdom, thy 
 own righteousness, thy own strength, and throw thyself 
 wholly upon Christ, as a man that swims casts himself upon 
 the water, or else thou canst not escape. Wiiile men trust 
 in themselves, and establish their own riglitcousness, and 
 have confidence in the flesh, they will not come savingly to 
 
98 SPRUCE STREET LECTURES. 
 
 Christ. Luke xviii. 9. Phil. iii. 3. Thou must know 
 thyself to be but loss and dung, thy strength but weakness^ 
 thy righteousness rags and rottenness, before there will be 
 an effectual closure between Christ and thee. Phil. iii. 7, 
 8, 9. 2 Cor. iii. 5. Jsa. Ixiv. 6. Can the lifeless carcase 
 shake off its graves clothes, and loose the bands of death? 
 Then mayest thou recover thyself, who art dead in tres- 
 passes and sins. Therefore, when thou goest to pray, or 
 meditate, or do any of the duties to which thou art here 
 directed, go out of thyself, and call in the help of the 
 Spirit, as despairing to do any thing pleasing to God in 
 thy own strength. Yet neglect not thy duty, but be at 
 the pool, and wait in the way of the Spirit. While 
 the eunuch was reading, then the Holy Ghost did send 
 Philip to him. %^cts viii. 28, 29. When the disciples 
 were praying, when Cornelius and his friends were hear- 
 ing, then the Holy Ghost fell upon them and filled them 
 all. Strive to give up thyself to Christ; strive to pray; 
 strive to meditate; strive an hundred and an hundred times; 
 strive to do as well as thou canst, and while thou art en- 
 deavouring in the way of thy duty, the Spirit of the Lord 
 will come upon thee, and help thee to do what of thyself 
 thou art utterly unable to perform." 
 
 2. We reply again, that the objection would be valid if 
 sinners were exhorted to use the means from sinful motives, 
 or in a sinful way. It is agreed that the works of unre- 
 generate men are all sinful — but some actions are vastly 
 more sinful than others. It is absurd, and dangerous to 
 maintain that all the actions of the unregenerate are equally 
 sinful; that they are equally guilty, whether they pray or 
 whether they swear; whether they speak truth or utter 
 falsehood; since, if this is true, there can be no reason for 
 
THE USE OF THE MEANS OF GRACE. 99 
 
 choosing a virtuous, rather than a vicious life, and they 
 would be emboldened to commit every crime. It is better 
 that they should attend on, than that they should neglect 
 the means; and they should be warned of the sinfulness of 
 formality and lukewarmness in religion; that thereby a 
 conviction of the deceitfulncss and wickedness of their 
 hearts may be fastened on their consciences. 
 
 There is, moreover, a great difference in the religious 
 performances of unregenerate men. Some aim only to pro- 
 mote their reputation, or interest, or wealth, and thus make 
 these performances subservient to their worldly interest. 
 Of such, it is said, that ''the sacrifice of the wicked is an 
 abomination." Others are sincere in their desires and ef- 
 forts to be saved, and though these desires and efforts arise 
 not from faith and love, but from the fear of deserved wrath, 
 yet they are more acceptable to God, than the heartless per- 
 formances of the former. These desires and efforts which 
 arise from conviction of sin, and fear of perishing, are often 
 preparatory to saving repentance and faith; and hence it 
 has been said, that "religion begins in fear, is carried on by 
 hope, and ends in love. " How far the cry of nature, apart 
 from grace, avails for the procuring of blessings, we pretend 
 not to decide. God hears the young ravens when they cry; 
 because Ahab humbled himself before the Lord, the evil 
 which had been threatened to him and his posterity, was 
 averted during his days; and Nineveh was spared from des- 
 truction, because its king and people fasted, and prayed, 
 and forsook their evil ways; and how far the cries for 
 mercy of an awakened sinner avail with God, we shall not 
 pretend to determine. Besides, no one can tell when the 
 renewing influences of the Holy Spirit are first communi- 
 
100 SPRUCE STREET LECTURES. 
 
 cated, or what actions of an awakened sinner proceed 
 from nature, or from grace. 
 
 3. We observe still further, that, when men seriously at- 
 tempt to use the means of grace, that they become acquaint- 
 ed with their real character and condition ; with their de- 
 pravity and helplessness; and thus their self-confidence is 
 destroyed. The chief reason that is offered against exhort- 
 ing the unregenerate to use the means of grace is, lest they 
 should rest in them; and that by urging them to immediate 
 repentance and faith, they will he kept from trusting in any 
 thing which they can perform. But to address a sinner, 
 who is distressed with the perplexity and anguish of an 
 awakened conscience, in the language only of denunciation, 
 and tell him he must instantly believe or perish, and that you 
 have nothing further to say to him, appears to us to be a 
 treatment, as unskilful as it is unkind. We are told of the 
 blessed Redeemer, that "the bruised reed he did not break, 
 and the smoking flax he did not quench," and that "he spake 
 a parable to this end, that men ought always to pray and not 
 to faint." The preacher of the Gospel is commissioned to 
 proclaim a message of mercy, and should sympathize with 
 those who are alarmed at their guilt and danger, in all their 
 doubts, and discouragements, and temptations, and should 
 cheerfully afford them the instruction and encouragement 
 which they need. 
 
 Besides, as it has been already observed, it is only when 
 sinners are awakened to a sense of their danger of perishing, 
 and make an effort to save themselves, that they feel their 
 utter inability to repent, or believe, or do any thing which 
 is spiritually good. Then first, when they attempt to put 
 forth strength, do they learn their weakness. When first 
 they seriously attempt, in sincerity, to use the means; to 
 
THE USE OF THE MEANS OF GRACE. 101 
 
 hear the preached word tliat they may learn and live; to 
 read, and meditate, and pray, it is then that they become 
 sensible of the impenitence and depravity of their hearts, of 
 the blindness of their minds, and of their alienation from 
 all good. They are often filled with surprise and dismay, 
 when they contemplate the sin that attaches to all their re- 
 ligious performances; the coldness and formality of their 
 prayers; their weakness, and failure in the fulfdment of 
 their resolutions, their many omissions of duty, and their 
 backwardness to hold communion with God. It is after sad 
 experience has taught them their weakness, and they are 
 compelled to cry ''help, Lord! we perish without thine aid," 
 that grace is bestowed, and the Holy Spirit enables them to 
 believe in Christ, that they may be saved. Thus, while 
 they are striving to enter in at the strait gate by the use 
 of means, God meets them in mercy, and places them in the 
 way to life. 
 
 IV. A few remarks designed for the practical improve- 
 ment of our subject, shall close our discourse. 
 
 1. Let those who are anxious for the salvation of their 
 souls, be encouraged fervently and perscvcringly to seek 
 the mercy of the Lord. ''The kingdom of heaven suffereth 
 violence, and the violent take it by force." Let no obsta- 
 cles discourage, no djlTiculties aflright, or weary you. "What 
 shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and lose 
 his own .soul?" The present is the season of conflict, hea- 
 ven is the abode of perfect bliss. "Strive to enter in at the 
 strait gate." Prize the Sabbath, and the ordinances of the 
 House of God, and take his Word for your counsellor and 
 guide. " Search the Scriptures. " Read them frequently, 
 devoutly, and with deep meditation. By daily and impor- 
 14 
 
102 SPRUCE STREET LECTURES. 
 
 tunate prayer, ask that your sins may be forgiven, and your 
 hearts be renewed. Repair to the merciful Redeemer, and 
 commit your souls to him; live in dependence on his grace, 
 and he will keep you from falling, and present you faultless 
 before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. 
 
 2. While we exhort impenitent sinners to use the means, 
 we also solemnly remind them, that repentance and faith are 
 their immediate duty; that impenitence and unbelief are hate- 
 ful to God, and will ruin their souls. Unbelief in Christ is, 
 emphatically, the great soul destroying sin. It will be of 
 no avail to plead in excuse your inability to repent and 
 believe, for that inability arises from, and is a proof of the 
 corruption of your natures. The carnal mind is enmity 
 against God; and are you content to live at enmity with 
 God, and under his displeasure. Will you say, " Lord, 
 such is my aversion to thee, that I cannot mourn over 
 my offences against thee — such is my delight in sin, 
 "that I prefer it, even before thy approbation?" "As ambas- 
 sadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, we 
 pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." Is 
 the enmity of your hearts against the divine government 
 and laws so strong that you cannot subdue it; do you find 
 that no efforts, no promises, no resolutions, no vows can 
 avail to deliver you from the debasing influence, that sin 
 sheds over your souls? — go, then, to the mercy seat, and con- 
 fess before God your depravity and weakness, and ask that 
 he would give his Spirit to renew your souls. Suffer me, 
 however, to remind you that you are now in an awful state 
 of sin and spiritual death; that you are neglecting your 
 most important concerns, and becoming more hardened in 
 irreligion under the very means which are designed to pro- 
 mote your salvation. Remember the many privileges which 
 
THE USE OF THE MEANS OF GRACE. iQS 
 
 you have abused; the many sabbaths which you have pro- 
 faned; the many prayerless days which you have spent; 
 the many admonitions which you have slighted; how much 
 your Bible has been neglected, and how often the voice of 
 conscience has been stifled, instruction despised, and re- 
 proof hated. Think you that it will be a light thing to 
 stand convicted of all these sins, before the throne of your 
 awful and incensed Judge. You may now jest with these 
 things, and in scenes of riot and mirth with your sinful 
 companions, you may scoff at the sacred institutions of reli- 
 gion, but you will stand confounded in the presence of Al- 
 mighty God. When the heavens shall pass away with a 
 great noise, and the earth be burnt up, and the elements 
 melt with fervent heat, and assembled worlds stand before 
 Christ to be judged by him, jesting and scoffs will cease. 
 Can your heart endure, or your hands be strong before the 
 consuming fire of the Almighty's wrath? Be entreated 
 then to become wise in time. As yet you have lived in 
 vain. Immersed in worldly pursuits, you have forgotten 
 the heavenly inheritance, and have been posting with rapid 
 strides to ruin. But there is yet hope concerning you. 
 To you the voice of mercy calls, inviting you to return to 
 your God that you may live. " Seek ye the Lord while 
 he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the 
 wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his 
 thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will 
 have mercy upon him, and to our God for he will abun- 
 dantly pardon." 
 
 3. Finally. In the use of the means of grace we should 
 endeavour to hold communion with God, and to make ad- 
 vances in knowledge and holiness. Through these means 
 we hold intercourse with God, we express our reverence 
 
104 SPRUCE STREET LECTURES. 
 
 and love, and implore his grace; and through them he be- 
 stows on us heavenly blessings. Let us guard against rest- 
 ing in the mere lifeless formal use of them, or imagining 
 that by such a use we have fulfilled our duty. In all our 
 attempts to worship, we should remember the declaration of 
 the Redeemer, " God is a Spirit, and they who worship him 
 must worship him in spirit and in truth." Whenever we 
 have attended on the means, we should press on our con- 
 sciences the inquiry, "what spiritual benefits have I re- 
 ceived? what good resolutions have I formed? what ad- 
 vances have I made in wisdom and purity?" Thus shall 
 we become more meet to be partakers of the inheritance 
 of the saints in light; and when death shall remove us from 
 this region of shadows, of conflict, and of sin, we shall be 
 admitted into the immediate presence of God, and unite 
 with the whole company of the redeemed in the exalted 
 worship of heaven. 
 
m- 
 
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