"unconverted finner cannot pray, and befides, God "hears not finners." This is undoubtedly the fact; God does not hear finners when they pray, and are in full purpofe of heart to abide in fin; but do they cry unto him to be converted, and to experience a fpiritual change? With fuch petitions "he is well pleased;" therefore" Peter "faid to Simon the Sorcerer, pray God, perhaps the "thoughts of thine heart may be forgiven thee," A&s 8, 22. Caft yourselves then again and again at the feet of the Lord Jefus, as creatures who are plunged into the utmost depths of mifery, and who have no ftrength to extricate themselves from a fituation fo wretched. And whilft you deplore your unhappy ftate, intreat him to look upon you with the eye of pity, and beftow the bleffings of his covenant. 2. But are these the means which fhould be employed that you may become partakers of faith? Suffer us alfo to obferve that you must be on your guard, and continually watch against those things which may prove an impediment in the way of obtaining a benefit, without which the falvation which the gospel proposes can never be enjoyed. And, A. When God by the preaching of his word, by reading or by any other means, addreffes himself in fuch a manner to your confciences, that convictions are wrought on your minds, and diftrefs overwhelm your fouls, Be careful not to extinguish that light, not to ftifle those convictions; for you know not whether they be the common convictions of conscience, or whether in this way the Eternal is commencing a work of grace in your hearts; at any rate every attempt to quench them is dangerous. It may produce this dreadful effect :-That God ftrive with you ne longer, and give you over to a total infenfibility. B. When you feel your hearts in any respect awakened, to cleave to that which is good, and warned to flee from impious and finful ways; CHERISH those emotions, and beware of making the least refiftance; it is poffible they may have proceeded from the Holy Spirit. There is caufe of fearing that many an inftance occurs, of perfons having been convicted of fin, who, contrary to the admonitions of their consciences, have devoted themselves again to the pleafures of the world, and fought with avidity the company of those whose minds are altogether abforbed by the things of time and fenfe. The effect of fuch a course is truly alarming; all thofe ferious impreffions may thereby be removed, and the foul be in the greatest danger of becoming hardened in iniquity. Befides, what conduct can be more finful? They do despite to the fpirit of grace, and treat his kind and gracious intimations with contempt. Hence he is frequently induced at laft to withdraw himself, and leave them to perish in their fins. be the reflections of fuch in hell! collect that at fuch a time, under such a fermon, or by fuch a providence, God knocked at the doors of their hearts, but that they opened not, but launched out into all the pleasures of the world; and that now it is too late to repent, the day of mercy being passed for ever. How dreadful will If, finners, you would avoid these bitter reflections; be perfuaded, when you experience inward excitations to religion, and admonitions to leave the purfuits of vice, to go directly to God in prayer; and when in his prefence earnestly plead-" That both may end in the faving converfion of your immortal "fouls." C. Watch against, and by no means give way to D those thoughts and impreffions which tend to difcourage, and lead the mind to defpondency, and may incline you to reafon on this wife :-" My convic"tions have endured fo long, and I have experien"ced nothing more than convictions; my fins are too great to be forgiven." To embrace fentiments fo defponding, Satan would perfuade you, with a view of making you altogether difcouraged, and of producing an indifferency with refpect to the great interefts of your fouls. But, finners, fuffer not such fuggeftions to find a place in your hearts, for whilft there is life there is hope in your end. The fick man had lain at the pool of Bethesda thirty-eight years, and at the expiration of that period Jefus healed him. And, although your fins be of a scarlet colour and of a crimson dye, nay, though you had made yourselves like Satan himself, abominable in finning, the mercy and compaffion of God far furpass your iniquities; fo that he both will and can forgive them. Never, then, indulge the thought, that now you are loft for ever; but persevere in feeking God in Chrift until he receive you in mercy, and you hear his voice utter the delightful declaration—I, even I, am he that blotteth out all your fins for my name's fake. But let us now proceed to the third thing which we proposed for confideration; which more properly respects the children of God who have already experienced grace in their hearts, and in whom faith, as to its first principles, has been wrought. They muft be encouraged and excited to perseverance in that Faith of which they are partakers. Come then, Believer! who haft gone to Jefus with all thy burdens, but who art ftill filled with fore dif tress, because thou art in doubt whether thou haft in reality taken refuge beneath the fhadow of his wings-thou art poor and needy in thine own eyes; but ftill thou art rich in Chrift. In the prefent lecture we shall not enlarge much on the fources from which thine encouragement may be drawn; as thefe in a fucceeding lecture will be difcuffed at confiderable length. At present we can only urge thee calmly and seriously to make the interefting enquiry-" What "has been thy former, and what is thy prefent ex"perience?" I demand of thee, 1. Whether thou darest deny that the light which is enkindled in thy foul, be not effentially different from that, which perfons yet in a state of nature, yea, which even thofe experience, who have a temporary faith? Are not thine exercises and affections unlike what they were, when yet thou livedft in fin? Doft thou not fee the truths of the gospel in a manner quite the reverse from that in which thou beheldest them at that period? Wouldst thou not express thy gratitude to God, if thou wert to fee in any of thy friends or acquaintance, what thou difcerneft in thyfelf? 2. Wilt thou presume to deny that the discovery which thou haft made of thy loft and deplorable ftate by nature, has filled thee with diftrefs and anguish? 3. Haft thou never had some views of thy need of Chrift, and of his loveliness and preciousness? Has he never been precious to thy foul? 4. Wilt thou dare affert, that thou haft never gone out of thyself and fled to Jefus, as thy only refuge ?Yea, and that thou wouldst not even now fly to him if thou wert able, and mightest presume so much? Is not thy heart difpofed, and in every respect willing to surrender thyself altogether to him? 5. Wilt thou deny, that thine affections are placed on different objects from what they once were ? Have not fin, the world, and felf-love, become thine enemies? Is not God Is not Christ-Are not all who are born of God, the objects of thy love and efteem? Now who hath wrought all these things in thee? Are they not the beginnings of faith? Give then, God, the glory, and be no more faithlefs but believing. But it is not enough to have the first principles only, but as much as in thee lies it behoves thee to feek to preferve in lively exercife, and to increase in this divine and faving grace. To evince this, we propofe in this place 1. To fhew how neceffary it is for the people of God to feek to keep alive the faith they once have received. 2. That it is their duty to endeavour to grow and increase in faith. 3. We fhall then point out fome means by the use of which they may fucceed in a matter of fuch magnitude and importance. In refpect to the firft particular, it must be previously remarked, that when we affert " That the peo"ple of God muft feek to preferve faith in lively ex"ercise," we would be rightly understood.-It is not our intention to infinuate, that it is poffible for them to fall totally and finally from a state of grace; for a fentiment of this nature militates in every point of view against the word of God, which maintains and inculcates that, The gifts and calling of God are with out repentance. The love wherewith God loves his people is an EVERLASTING LOVE. Jer. 31, 3In that heart wherein God hath implanted the feed of faith, it will abide forever; no enemy can root it out: This appears from those examples which fcripture records of faints who had fallen into fin. |