To this let me add, that confidering the matter, even with regard to a renewing and fanctifying work of the Spirit upon your hearts, your complaints are often excef five and unreasonable, You would have evidence, not that the work is begun, but that it is finifhed. You defire comfort, not such as is fufficient to firengthen you against temptation, and bear you up under fuffering; but fuch as would make temptation to be no temptation, and suffering to be no fuffering. But if you are sensible that you ftill adhere to God as your portion, that you cannot find peace or reft in any thing elfe; and that a whole world would not induce you to give up even your doubtful title to his favor and love, furely you ought to endeavor after compofure of mind: you may be frequently in the flate of the apoftle Paul, who fays of himfelf," Our flefh had no rest, "but we were troubled on every fide, without were fight"ings, within were fears."* And yet fay with the fame apostle, "We are troubled on every fide, yet not diftref "fed; we are perplexed, but not in defpair; perfecuted, "but not forfaken; caft down, but not deftroyed." It is not meant by this to condemn an earneft defire to abound in hope, or a frequent and ftrict examination of our ftate and temper, but to warn Chriftians against impatience, and against an unthankful, fretful difpofition, which indeed difappoints itself, and prevents the attainment of that peace, for the want of which it complains.

This leads naturally to the mention of another fault incident to ferious perfons, which will lay a foundation for a very important leffon upon this fubject. The fault here intended is, falling into a flothful, defpondent neglect of duty. The devices of fatan, our great enemy, are very various, and unspeakably artful. When he cannot keep men in fecurity, and drive them blindly along the broad path which leadeth to deftruction, he endeavors to make their duty as painful and burdenfome to them as poffible. When fome perfons give themselves to serious self-examination, he embarraffes them with fcruples, he involves them in doubts, he diftreffes them with fears. This often

brings on a relaxation, or fufpenfion of their diligence in duty; they give themfelves up to anxious, complaining thoughts; they ftand ftill, and will go no farther in religion, till they are fatisfied whether they have as yet gone any length at all. But whatever good ground any perfon may have to be diffatisfied with himfelf, fo foon as he perceives that this is its effect, he ought to refift it as a temptation. I cannot better illuftrate this, than by a fimilitude borrowed from the fcripture language on the fame fubject. Whether do you think that child moft dutiful, under a fenfe of his father's difpleasure, who patiently and filently applies himfelf to his work, or he who faunters about in idlenefs, and with peevifh and fullen complaints, is conftantly calling in queftion his father's love?

This lays the foundation for a very neceffary and ufeful direction, which indeed flows naturally from all that has been faid on the evidence of regeneration. Endeavor, Christians, to preferve and increase your hope in God, by further degrees of fanctification, by zeal and diligence in doing his will. The more the image of God in you is perfected, it will be the more easily discerned. If you are at any time ready to doubt whether fuch or fuch corruptions are confiftent with real religion; if you find this a hard queftion to refolve, go another way to work, and ftrive by vigilance and prayer to mortify these corruptions, and then the difficulty is removed. If in a time of affliction and diftrefs, you find it hard to determine whether it ought to be confidered as the correction of a father, or the feverity of a judge, endeavor through divine grace to bear it with the patience of a child, and you will foon fee its merciful original by its falutary effect. What should be the daily fludy of a Christian, but to mortify fin in heart and converfation? and his comfort fhould arife from his apparent fuccefs in this important ftrife. When grain of different kinds is but fpringing from the ground, it is not eafy to diftinguish between one and another; but their growth afcertains their quality, which is ftill more fully difcerned as they approah nearer to maturity. Imitate in this the great apofile of the Gentiles, "Not as though I had already attained, either were already per

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"fect; but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for "which alfo I am apprehended of Chrift Jefus. Brethren, "I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one "thing I do, forgetting thofe things which are behind, "and reaching forth unto thofe things which are be"fore, I prefs toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Chrift Jefus !"*

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Before closing this fection, I must observe that though the account I have given of the great mark of real religion, may ftill leave fome in the dark, yet furely it carries in it the clearest and plaineft condemnation of many hearers of the gofpel. Oh, that it were poffible to faften a conviction of it upon their minds! Are there not many who appear from fabbath to fabbath in the house of God, who dare not affirm seriously to their own hearts, that God and his fervice has more of their habitual fettled affection than the world, or any of its enjoyments? I do not here understand grofs finners, whofe crimes are open going "before unto judgment;" but I mean the more fober and regular profeffors of religion, who may have " a form "of godlinefs, and deny the power thereof." I am perfuaded this is a more proper trial of their flate, than any particular rule of duty. Many fuch perfons know fo little of the extent and fpirituality of the law of God, that it is not impoffible they may be ready to affirm they do not allow themselves in any known fin, as the young man in gofpel feems to have anfwered fincerely, when he faid to our Saviour," Mafter, all thefe have I obferved from my "youth."

But I would farther afk them, Whether hath God or the world most of your love, most of your thoughts, and most of your care? Can fuch of you pretend this, whofe eager, ardent, nightly thought and daily pleasure, is only to increase your fubftance? who would not go to market without re-examining your tranfactions, and computing your gain; but can daily go to the houfe of God, without obferving, enquiring after, or defiring to fee its proper fruits? Can fuch of you pretend this, to whom all ferious

* Phil. iii. 12, 13, 14. † Mark x. 20.

conversation is tedious and difguftful, and the fociety of good men a painful restraint? to whom the fabbath is a duli, melancholy, and burdensome feafon? Oh, my brethren, let me befeech you to be faithful to your own fouls. Your precious time is daily haftening on; the day of your merciful vifitation is wearing fan away. Hear while there is yet peace, and intreat that God, for Chrift's fake, would freely pardon all your fins; would renew you in the fpirit of your minds; would fit you for his fervice on earth, and for his prefence and enjoyment in heaven.

Thus I have explained at confiderable length, and with all the care and accuracy in my power, the great and ge neral evidence of regeneration, viz. the fuperiority of the intereft of God and the Redeemer in the heart, above the intereft of inferior good. This, I hope, will be of ufe in itself, to diftinguifh the precious from the vile, to preferve you from fin, and excite you to diligence in every part of your duty, that it may be more and more manifeft. At the fame time, it will be of the greateft fervice, in the use and application of other figns of real religion, by fhewing when they are conclusive, and when they are not.

С НА Р. III.

Of the steps by which this change is accomplished.

WE

E proceed now to confider by what fteps, and by what means, this change is brought about. I am deeply fenfible how difficult a part of the fubject this is, and how hard it will be to treat of it in a diftinct and precife, and at the fame time, in a cautious and guarded manner. It is often complained of in those who write on this fubject, that they confine and limit the HOLY ONE, and that they give unneceffary alarms to those who have not had experience of every particular which they think proper to mention. There is no doubt but God acts in an *abfolute and fovereign manner in the dispensation of his grace, as in every other part of his will. As he cannot be limited as to perfons, so neither as to the time and nianner of their reformation. To this purpose, and in this precife meaning, our Saviour fays, "The wind bloweth " where it lifteth, and thou heareft the found thereof, but "canft not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: "fo is every one that is born of the Spirit."+

Sometimes it pleaseth God to fnatch finners from the very brink of the pit, to raife up fome of the moft abandoned profligates, as trophies of his victorious grace and mercy; while he fuffers others, far more moderate and decent, who are "not far from the kingdom of God,"

It will be proper to inform the reader, that the word "abfolute" ufed here, and in fome other places of this discourse, is by no means to be understood as fignifying the fame thing with "arbitrary." He who acts arbitrarily, acts without any reafon at all. To fay this of the divine procedure, would be little lefs than blafphemy. When we fay that God acts "in "an abfolute and fovereign manner," the meaning is, that he acts upon the best and strongest reafons, and for the noblest and most excellent ends; but which are many or most of them beyond our reach and comprehenfion; and particularly, that there is not the leaft foundation for supposing that the reasons of preference are taken from comparative human merit.