the principles of his actions, there are times and seasons when he will feel himself constrained to consider both his past and present actions; and though some degenerate characters odiously "glory in their shame," yet many, on reviewing their conduct, feel sensibly pained at some of their ways, whatever pleasure they may derive from the contemplation of others. And what are the actions which pain them? Are they not those immoral ones which their consciences condemn? And what are they which afford them pleasure? Are they not such as they conceive are virtuous and commendable? This arises from the conviction, that he who has declared that he will bring every work into judgment, has beheld all, and that he cannot but condemn the evil, and commend the good. And is not this of itself a sufficient inducement to lead us to an immediate conversion? It certainly is, if we value the peace of our own minds. Conscience, when a foe to man, is a most formidable one indeed; and when its keen upbraidings are felt, all the joys and comforts of life are proportionally marred. Conversion, it is true, cannot so obliterate the remembrance of past offences, as that we shall totally forget them indeed the Lord declares, that when he is pacified towards us, we shall remember our sins, and be ashamed for them; which shews, that even a consciousness of sins that are pardoned may create a degree of uneasiness in the mind. What then must it be to reflect upon those which are not pardoned, and for the commission of which we dread the displeasure of God? It is therefore of the ut most necessity, if we would possess a peaceful conscience, to give up our souls to him without putting it off any longer, lest, ultimately, our numerous iniquities should ink us into despair. From the time you turn to God, you will have many tokens of his favour, which will comfort your minds against all your fears; but the longer you deday, the more guilt you will contract, and the more painful will be your feelings, when you are constrained to review your lives and conversation. Oh how much better it is for

those who can look back upon a life spent in the service of God-who, amidst all their failings and infirmities, are enabled to appeal to him, and say, "thou that knowest all things, knowest that I have loved thee," and sought my happiness from thee, the fountain of living waters! This will yield abundant consolation, even in the shadow of death; and we have sufficient foresight to know that the pains and agonies of the dying, need no additional anguish from the bitter reflections of a mispent life; they rather require to be diminished, if possible, by a perfectly mild and calm conscience; and what is so likely to produce this as now yielding up ourselves unto God? O that you might this moment surrender yourselves to him!

Man is a creature of habit.-This is one of the obvious characteristics of human beings. This made the wise man long ago say, "Train up a child in the way in which he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it;" that is, it affords the highest probability, that the habits which are early formed, will discover themselves during the man's whole life. The prejudices of education, as they are called, are very strong, and the effects of habit and custom are truly astonishing. What one would consider as the greatest calamity, not having been habituated to it, another embraces and follows with pleasure. Since this is strikingly the case in a thousand instances in common life, it is not less so where religion is concerned, and that not only when bigotry and superstition are mixed with it, but where it is pure and has its seat in the heart. If it has its due influence on the heart, it moulds and fashions it after the image of the Lord Jesus; and though, in some instances, there may be many struggles ere it gains a complete ascendency over its old habits, yet it finally triumphs; and "grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life." Then the world's vanitiesbecome as neglected and broken idols, the desire after them ceases, and the love of the most excellent things greatly and constantly prevails. On the other hand, the longer any man continues in sin, the deeper it strikes its roots into the

soul; and consequently it becomes more difficult to pluck it up, Look at the avaricious man who has been in long habits of accumulating wealth: he never seems to grow tired: the longer he lives, though he needs it not, the more he labours to increase his stores. Look at him who has given a loose to his tongue in ribaldry and oaths: how light and trifling he continues: he turns all subjects into ridicule; and if reproved for his profaneness, seems scarcely to know that he curses or swears at all, although they mingle themselves perhaps in almost every sentence. Or at that poor sot who adds drunkenness to thirst: he cannot refrain from his intoxicating cups: he has brought such unnatural thirst upon himself, that, though threatened with poverty, disease, and death, he must have his favourite liquor, whatever consequences ensue. Hence we see the necessity and advantages of an early conversion, that the soul may be brought into such habits as may continually promote its true interests: and the danger of delay, since the longer we continue in sin, the heart becomes more and more corrupt, and the less probability remains of our hearty concurrence in the designs of God in our conversion. We ought, therefore, immediately to obey his voice, and separate ourselves from those that do evil, that we may be adopted into his family, and made heirs of eternal life.

CHAP. II.

PRELIMINARIES OF CONVERSION.

Divine Illumination-Deliberate choice of Piety.

DIVINE ILLUMINATION.

We are now come to that important part of our subject which speaks of the manner graciously appointed of God for the conversion of our souls to himself, which must be considered as peculiarly interesting to such as begin sincerely

to desire his salvation.

I say sincerely desire; that is,

when any of the means made use of by the eternal Spirit, to awaken the conscience succeed, and the mind becomes illuminated to discern between good and evil; then, it desires to prove the one, and to be delivered from the other. Till our minds are thus enlightened, we sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death; and nothing but the sending forth of "light and truth" from above can dispel these heavy clouds, this gloomy night from such as are ignorant and out of the way. Neither men nor books can ever be a substitute for that light which shineth in human darkness, the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world, John i. 9. They have their use, and ought not therefore to be despised; they ought, however, to be regarded only as instruments in the hand of God, or mediums by which he communicates wisdom to his creatures. The praise of our salvation, first and last, must be ascribed to him; for his glory he will not give to another, neither his praise to men nor books. When the eye of the mind is opened to discover spiritual objects, or, in other words, when that faith or persuasion is wrought in the mind, which is an evidence or conviction of things not seen by the eye of sense, or mere natural reason, there is a surprizing change in our views, both of earthly and heavenly things. Without this, the most learned men on spiritual subjects, will be ready to say with Nichodemus, "How can these things be?" The sensual, or natural man, not having this supernatural light, receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned, 1 Cor. ii. 14. And hence it was, that the preaching of Christ crucified was to the Jews a stumblingblock, and to the Greeks foolishness; and so it will ever be to those who proudly set up learning, philosophy, or the vain conceits of mere human reason, against the wisdom and proceedings of God in our redemption. The effects produced by this light are, a deep sense of our spiritual poverty, clearer views of God, of his law, of the Mediator, and of sin,

1. We obtain a deep sense of our spiritual poverty.-The opinion which men form of themselves in their natural state is exceedingly erroneous. They imagine, like the Laodiceans, that they are rich, increased in goods, and have need of nothing; when, if they saw themselves in the light of God, they would know that they were wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. If any man had cause to boast, it was St. Paul: born of religious parents, by profession a zealous Pharisee, opposing all innovations, strictly conscientious, and endeavouring to pay the closest attention to every part of the ceremonial law; and yet, when enlightened by the Spirit, he said, "I know that in me dwelleth no good thing :" and all that would be converted must, more or less, have the same discovery, and be willing to make the same confession. We shall feel that we are poor insolvent debtors, who have nothing to pay, and are entirely at the mercy of our great and almighty Creditor. Have we given alms? We shall see that if applause from others was not our motive, we intended perhaps to purchase heaven by these benevolent acts, which is vain and unscriptural, since eternal life is beyond all price. Have we attended ordinances? Education, example, or custom, was probably the cause, and not a desire to please God, to learn his will, or to offer him the spiritual worship he requires: and whatever we might think, speak, or do, we see and feel that no dependence can be placed on one or all these things taken together. The infidelity, hardness, ignorance, prejudices, and evils of our hearts, begin to appear without disguise; and we are conscious that we are greatly indebted to the preventing grace of God; or, with such evils within, we might have gone great lengths in wickedness. In short, we now plainly discover, that a corrupt tree can only bring forth corrupt fruit, and that the tree must first be made good, by the skill of the Great Husbandman, or no good fruit will ever be found thereon: and thus the soul finds it has nothing to plead, nothing to boast of; its best righteousnesses are as useless and insufficient before God to cover and adorn the soul, as a co