360 RUIN AND RECOVERY, &C. blind and dead in sin, because God knows the final event will be the same as if they were under a natural impossibility, or utter natural impotence. And for this reason the conversion of a sin- ner is called, a new creation ; being born again ; giving sight to the blind ; or, a resurrection from the dead: And thenecessity of divine power to effect this change, is held forth in many places of scripture. Yet we must say still, that sinners are not under such a real natural impossibilityof repenting and believing, as though they were naturally blind or dead. It is true, the blind and the dead have lost their natural powers of seeing and moving ; but when scripture represents the inability of shiners to repent, or believe in Christ, by such figures and metaphors as death or blindness, it must be remembered these are but metaphors and figures, such as the holy writers, and all the eastern nationsfre- quently use ; and they must not be understood in their literal powers or faculties of understanding, will, and affections, which are the only natural powers necessary to believe and repent. Now itis plain that these natural faculties, powers, or capa- cities, are not lost by the fall ; for if they were, there would be no manner of need or use of any moral means or motives, such as commands, threatenings, promises, exhortations ; these would all be impertinent and absurd', for they couldhave no more influence on sinners, than if we command or exhort a blind person to see, or a dead body to rise or move ;, which commands and exhortations would appear ridiculous and useless. And since the blessed God, in his word, uses these moral means and motives to cali sinners to repentance and faith, it is certain that they have natural powers and faculties sufficient to understand and practise these duties and therefore they are not under a necessity of sinning, and of 'being destroyed, since there is nothing more wanted in a way of sufficient natural powers facut- ties, or abilities, than what theyhavé. ' All the other impotence and inability therefore to sinners to repent or believe, properly speaking, is but moral, or seated chiefly in their wills. It is a great disinclinatio:: or aversion in these natural faculties, to attend to, learn, or practise the things òf God and religion*; find this holds them fast in their sinful state in a similar way, as if they were'blind and dead, and I said the final event will be the same, that is, they will never repent with- * I grant this inability to repent has been sometimes called by our divines a natural impotence,because it arises from the original corruption of our' nature aince the fall of Adam ; and in this sense I fully believe it. But this spring of it is much better signified and expressed by the name of natjve impotence, to abets that it comes from our birth ; and the quality of this impotence is best cul. led moral, being seated chiefly in thewill and affections, and not in any want of natural powers or faculties to perform what God requires: And the reason is plain, viz. that no newnatural powers are given by converting grace, but only a change of the moral bent or inclination of the soul, a happier turn given to oar natural faculties by the sovereign grace of God and his Spirit.
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