would plainly be only a change of life, and no change of heart. At the fame time, as it did not arife from any inward principle, it would neither be uniform nor lafling. It is beyond all queftion, indeed, that our true interest is infeparable from our duty, fo that felf-seeking is felf-lofing; but still a sense of duty must have the precedency, otherwife it changes its nature, and is, properly speaking, no duty at all. To honor God in the heart, then, and to serve him in the life, is the first and highest defire of him that is born again. This is not, and cannot be the cafe, with any in a natural state. But, before we proceed to the other particular implied in this change, it will not be improper to make an obfervation, which I hope will have the greater weight, when the foundation of it is fresh in the reader's mind. Hence may be plainly feen the reason why prophane and worldly men have fuch a tendency to self-rightecufnefs, while the truly pious are filled with an abhorrence that foul-destroying falfhood. This, I dare fay, appears ftrange to many, as I confefs it hath often done to me, before I had thought fully upon the fubject: that those who evidently are none of the ftricteft in point of morals, and have least of that kind to boaft of, fhould yet be the most profeffed admirers and defenders of the doctrine of juftification by works, and despisers of the doctrine of the grace of God. But the folution is easy and natural. Worldly men have no just sense of their natural and unalienable obligation to glorify God in their thoughts, words, and actions, and therefore all that they do in religion, they look upon as a meritorious fervice, and think that certainly fomething is due to them on that account. They think it ftrange if they have walked foberly, regularly, and decently, especially if they have been firict and punctual in the forms of divine worship, that God fhould not be obliged (pardon the expreffion) to reward them according to their works. It is a hard fervice to them, they do it only that they may be rewarded, or at leaft may not fuffer for the neglect of it, and therefore cannot but infilt upon the merit of it. On the other hand, thofe who are born of God, are fenfible that it is the duty of every rational creature to love God with all his heart, and to confecrate all his powers and faculties to his Maker's fervice. They are convinced that, whoever should do fo without fin, would do only what is juft and equal, and have no plea of merit to advance. But when they confider how many fins ftill cleave to them, how far fhort they come of their duty in every inftance, they ask for mercy, and not for reward, and are ready to fay with the Pfalmift David, "If thou, Lord, "fhould mark iniquities, O Lord, who fhall ftand: but "there is forgivenefs with thee, that thou mayeft be fear"ed."* To fum up this reasoning in a few words. The reluctant obedience which fome pay to the divine law, is confidered as a debt charged upon God; whereas real obedience is confidered as a debt due to God. And therefore it must always hold, that the very imperfection of an obedience itself increases our difpofition to overvalue and reft our dependance upon it. T SECT. II. The second part of this change. HE next thing implied in a faving change is, that the foul refts in God as its chief happiness, and habitually prefers his favor to every other enjoyment. On this branch of the fubject I would beg the reader to obferve, not only the meaning and fubftance of the propofition, but the order in which it is placed. There must be firft a devotednefs of mind to God, and a fupreme leading concern for his honor and glory. He muft be, if I may so speak, again restored to his original right, his dominion and throne, while the creature is reduced to its obedience and subjection. In confequence of this, there is an unfeigned acquiefcence in God, as the fource of comfort, and a high efteem of his favor as better than life.. This does not go before, nay, is hardly diftinct or feparated *Pfal. cxx. 3, 4• from, a fenfe of duty, but is founded upon it, and grows out of it. When a holy foul has feen the infinite excellence and glory of the true God, loves him fupremely, and is devoted to him entirely, he alfo delights in him fuperlatively. Such a perfon is fully convinced that thofe, and those alone are happy, whofe God is the Lord, and that those whoare afar off from him fhall certainly perish. In a natural ftate, as the fure confequence of fin, the tranfgreffor flies from God, with a dread and horror of his prefence. But the renewed foul returns to him with defire, and feels an uneafinefs and want that cannot be fupplied but by the intimation of pardon, and fenfe of divine love. The warmth and fervor of devout affection is expreffed in the strongest terms in fcripture: "As the hart panteth after the water"brooks, fo panteth my foul after thee, O God. My faul "thirfteth for God, for the living God, when fhall I come "and appear before God.* Because thy loving-kindness "is better than life, my lips fhall praife thee. Thus will "I bless thee while I live, I will lift up my hands in thy "name, my foul fhall be fatisfied as with marrow and "fatnefs, and my mouth fhall praife thee with joyful lips."t It is neceffary that ferving and delighting in God fhould be joined together on a double account. Their influence on one another is reciprocal. It is not eafy to diftinguish a confcientious ftudy to ferve and glorify God, from a flavifh obedience through fear of divine power, but by its being infeparably connected with a delight in God, as the choice of the heart, and centre of the affections. On the other hand, it is hard to distinguifh cleaving to God as our portion and happiness, from an interested mercenary bargain in religion, but by its being preceded by, founded upon, nay, even refolved into, a fenfe of the fupreme honor due to God for his infinite excellence. This reafonable fervice will then be attended with an unspeakable fweetnefs and complacency, and the all-fufficiency of God will be an unfhaken fecurity for the happiness and peace of those who put their trust in him. ture. We may often obferve thefe two difpofitions jointly exerting themselves, and mutually ftrengthening one another, in the langnage and exercifes of the faints in fcripWith what fervor of spirit, and with what inimitable force and beauty of ftyle, do we find the Pfalmift David expreffing himself in both views. Sometimes he makes a full furrender of himself and his all to the divine fervice and difpofal; at other times his foul" makes her "boaft in God," and he exults in his happinefs and fe urity under the divine protection: "O my foul, thou haft "faid unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord*.-The Lord is "the portion of mine inheritance, and of my cup, thou "maintaineft my lot: the lines are fallen to me in pleafant places, yea, I have a goodly heritaget." These two things are, indeed, often fo intimately united that we are at a lofs to know whether we fhould interpret the language of the facred writers as a profeffion of duty, or an expreffion of delight, as in the following words; "I will fing unto the Lord as long as I live, I will fing "praife unto my God while I have my being.-My mc"ditation of him fhall be fweet, I will be glad in the Lord." How deeply the Pfalmift was penetrated with a fenfe of the honor and fervice due to God, may be particularly feen in fome of thofe animated paffages in which his enlarged heart calls upon every creature to join in the work of praife: "Blefs the Lord ye his angels, that excel in "ftrength, that do his commandments, hearkening to the voice of his word. Blefs ye the Lord all ye his hofts, ye "ministers of his that do his pleasure. Blefs the Lord all "his works, in all places of his dominion. Blefs the "Lord, O my foul."|| It is eafy to fee how this diftinguishes the natural from the new-born foul; nay, it is eafy to fee how this diftinguifhes the man who is renewed in the fpirit of his mind, from all others, however various their characters, however different or oppofite their purfuits. The defign of man's creationi is expreffed in the Affembly's Shorter Catechifin, in a way Pfal. xvi. 2. + Pal. xvi. 5, 6. Pfal. civ. 33, 31. that can scarce be altered for the better; it was, that he might glorify God, and enjoy him for ever." As he departed from his duty by fin, fo alfo, at the fame time, from his happiness. As he refufed to do the will of God, fo he no more fought his favor, but placed his happiness and comfort in the creature" more than the Creator, who is "God bleffed for ever." All unrenewed perfons, in one shape or another, place their fupreme happiness in fomething that is not God. In this one circumftance they all agree, though the different forms which the world puts on 'to folicit their affection, the different degrees in which they profecute it, and the different ways in which they apply or abuse it, are so very many, that it is impoffible to enumerate or defcribe them. Though there is but one God. the idols of the nations are innumerable. There is but one way to peace, and if that is neglected, the unfatisfactory nature of all created enjoyments makes men fly from one earthly comfort to another, till they feel, by late experience, the vanity of them all. Their ftate is juftly defcribed by the wife man, when he fays, "Lo this only have "I found, that God made man upright, but they have fought out many inventions."* It may not be improper here, juft to hint at a few of the principal pursuits by which the characters of men are diversified, their hearts and cares divided, and the one thing needful forgotten and difregarded. Some there are who yield themfelves up to the unreftrained indulgence of pleafure. Senfual appetite and paffion carry them on with unbridled fury. The luft of the flesh, the luft of the eye, and the pride of life, poffefs their affections, and their prevailing defire is to gratify these appetites, as far as their fituation and circumftances enable them, or the rival purfuits of others will permit them. This, which is ufually the first attempt of unfanctified and ungoverned youth, is well defcribed by the wife man, in the following strong caution against it: "Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thine heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart, and in the Ecclef. vii. 29. |