very of the spotlefsholiness, the perfect excellence, and infinite amiablenefs of the divine nature, that humbles a finner under a fense of his breaches of the divine law? Without this, there may be a sense of weakness and subjection, but never a sense of duty and obligation. Without this, there may be a fear of wrath, but there cannot be a hatred of fin.

This feems directly to lead to the next great ftep in a faving change, viz. a conviction of fin and mifery. But before we proceed to point out the progrefs of conviction, it will not be improper to take notice of a few truths which refult from what hath been already faid. This is the more neceffary, that erroneous or defective views of religion are commonly occafioned by fome mistake in the foundation.

1. The neceffity of regeneration itself appears with peculiar force, from what hath been faid on this part of the fubject. There must be a real inward change of heart, before there can be any true religion. If the moral excellence of the divine nature must be difcovered, if God must be seen as glorious in his holiness, the heart and temper muft be changed as well as the life. Nothing is more plain from the holy fcriptures, than that the natural man re"ceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God;" and it is equally plain from experience and the

nature

nature of the thing. While men continue in the love of fin, it is impoffible that they fhould fee the beauty of infinite holiness. So long as they love fin, they must hate holiness, which is its oppofite, and not lefs contrary to it than light is to darkness. Therefore, all reftraint upon our outward converfation, all zeal and diligence in expenfive rites and ceremonies; all duties of whatever kind that arife from fear, or other external motives, are of no confequence, till the temper and inclination of the heart is entirely renewed.

2. From what hath been faid, we may plainly perceive, that regeneration from first to laft muft be ascribed to the agency of the Holy Ghost. It must be the effect of divine grace, and the work of fovereign power. Let not any creature be unwilling to ftand indebted for his new creation to the Author of his first being; "for of him, "and through him, and to him, are all things *." While man is in his natural ftate, he is an enemy to God in his mind by wicked works. The discoveries that are made to him of the real na ture of God in his works and in his word, while he continues in this difpofition, are not amiable but hateful. Nay, he is fo far from loving him as his father, that he fears him as his enemy. This fear will difcover itself one * Rom, xi. 36.

of

of these two ways. Sometimes it will make the finner fly from God, caft inftruction behind his back, and increase unto more ungodliness, till natural confcience is feared and infenfible. How many there are of this kind, whom one crime only precipitates into another, experience is a melancholy proof. It is worth while at the fame time to obferve what intimations are given us in fcripture, that this is the firft and natural effect of fin upon all, to drive them at a further diftance from God. Two inftances of this have been given above. Our firft parents no fooner finned, than they fled and hid themselves when they heard God's voice in the garden, as impatient of his approach. A fimilar reflection we fee in the apoftle Peter, on being witness to an extraordinary effect of his Saviour's divine power: "And when Simon Peter faw it, he fell down

at Jefus' knees, faying, Depart from me, for "I am a finful man, O Lord *.” See another inftance of the fame kind. "And the whole "multitude of the country of the Gadarenes

round about, befought him to depart from "them, for they were taken with great fear +."

Another common effect of this natural fear, in fome refpects contrary to the former, is to dif pofe men to perform fome conftrained and hypocritical services, in order to avoid punishment. # Luke v. 8. † Luke viii. 37.

This

This is defcribed in the temper and conduct of the children of Ifrael, as represented by the Pfalmift: When he flew them, then they "fought him; they returned, and enquired early

66 covenant

after God. And they remembred that God <6 was their rock, and the high God their re"deemer. Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, they lied unto him with their tongues; for their heart was not right "with him, neither were they ftedfaft in his Hence it appears, that to a difcovery of the glory and excellence that is in God, it is neceffary that we be in fome measure changed into the fame image. To fay that this is the effect of our own attempts and endeavours in the way of duty, without the conftraining power of divine grace, is, when thoroughly examined, a manifeft contradiction. If perfons endeavour to force or oblige themselves to love any one, it is a fure fign that he is very unlovely in their eyes. Love cannot be forced, or rather to fpeak more properly, forced love is not love at all. In a word, it is our indifpenfible duty to attend to every dictate of confcience, and to follow it fo far as it goes; but I cannot help thinking, that for a finner truly and fincerely to defire a change of nature, would be an evidence of a change begun. Therefore, • Pf. lxxviii. 34, 35, 36, 37.

till a finner get a fupernatural illumination, Ke can never fee the glory and beauty of the divine character. Before this, he may feek to propitiate God's favour, he may wish to avoid his wrath; he may defire a change in God for his own fafety, but he cannot be fatisfied with him as he really is. It must be the fame almighty power, which brought the world out of nothing into being, that must bring back the finner from his rebellion and apoftacy, according to that promife, evidently applicable to the Saviour; Thy people fhall be willing in the day "of thy power, in the beauties of holinefs.” Neither is the fame thing lefs clearly afferted in the new teftament; "For it is God which "worketh in you, both to will and to do of "his good pleasure +."

3. Hence we may fee wherein lies the fundamental effential difference between common or imperfect convictions, and the effectual fanctifying and faving influences of the Holy Ghoft. The firft arife from a view of the natural perfections of God, from a belief of his power and feverity, without any discovery of his righteoufnefs and glory. Therefore, however great a length they may proceed, however different or oppofite their effects may be, they never produce † Phil. ii. 13.

# Pf. cx. 3.

any