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could easily bring in doubt, if not the reality, at least the eminence of his piety, and others of the fame kind though often taken for granted, without much examination; but I fhall only obferve what an oppofite account is given of the divine conduct toward Eli and toward Abraham, the father of the faithful. He revealed his will, and employed in his meffage the child Samuel, to the neglect of Eli, grown old in his courts, and denounced the most severe and terrible judgments against him and his house: “Be"hold, I will do a thing in Ifrael, at which both the ears "of every one that heareth it fhall tingle; in that day I "will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his houfe: when I begin I will alfo make an "end. For I have told him that I will judge his houfe "for ever, for the iniquity which he knoweth."* On the contrary, fee the honorable diftinction put upon Abraham : "And the Lord faid, Shall I hide from Abraham that "thing which I do, seeing that Abraham fhall furely be"come a great nation, and all the nations of the earth "fhall be bleffed in him. For I know him, that he will "command his children and his houfhold after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that "which he hath spoken of him."†

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Nothing indeed can be more plain from reafon itself, than that, in proportion to the impreffion which parents have upon their own minds of the importance of falvation, will be their concern and care that their children alfo may be the heirs of everlasting life. Suffer me to afk every parent who reads this difcourfe, or rather to befeech all fuch, to afk themfelves ferioufly, what are their own ftrongest defires and hopes concerning their children? In thofe moments when your affections are fondeft, and your partial flattering expectations moft diftin&tly formed, are you obliged to confefs that your minds run much more upon the profpect of your childrens living in affluence and fplendor, or being promoted to places of honor and truft, than their being brought to a faving acquaintance with Gen. xviii. 17, 18, 19.

* 1 Sam. iii. 11, 12, 13.

Chrift and him crucified, that whether they live or die they may be the Lord's? If this is the cafe, you have just ground to fear that you are of that unhappy number who "favor not the things that be of God, but the things that "be of man."

3. Another excellent evidence of regeneration is, the moderation of our attachment to worldly enjoyments in general, and habitual fubmiffion to the will of God. So foon as this change takes place, it will immediately and certainly abate the measure of our attachment to all earthly things. Formerly they were the all of the foul, its portion and its reft; but now a clear difcovery being made of greater and better bleffings, they muft fall back into the second place. There is a wonderful difference between the rate and value of prefent poffeflions of any kind, in the eye of him who lives under the impreffions of eternity, and of him who believes it but uncertainly, who understands it very imperfectly, and who thinks of it as feldom as confcience will give him leave. It must be confeffed we are all apt to be immoderate in our attachment to outward bleffings; this is the effect and evidence of the weakness of our faith: but, fo far as faith is in exercife, it muft mortify carnal affection. There is no way in which an object appears fo little, as when it is contrafted with one infinitely greater, which is plainly the cafe here. The truth is, time and eternity, things temporal and things fpiritual, are the oppofite and rival objects of human attention and efleem. It is impoffible that one of them can be exalted, or obtain influence in any heart, without a proportional depreffion of the other. They are, alfo, as they feverally prevail, the marks to distinguish those who are, and those who are not, brought again from the dead. For as the apoftle fays, "To be carnally mind"ed is death, but to be fpiritually minded is life and "peace."*

Further, it is not only in abating the measure of our attachment to worldly things that religion fhews itself, and the change is difcovered, but in the ufe and applica

* Rom. viii. 6.

tion of them. The real Chriftian's powers and faculties, poffeffions and influence, are confecrated to God. His abilities are laid out for the glory of God. He no more confiders them as a mean of excelling others, and getting to himself a name, but of doing good. He finds it his highest pleasure to ferve God with his talents; he thinks it his duty to plead for him in his conversation, to honor him with his fubftance, to enforce and ratify the divine laws by his authority and example.

The fame thing fhews plainly why a Chriftian must manifeft his new nature by fubmiffion to the divine will. Does he receive his mercies from God? Does he love them lefs than God? Does he efteem it his duty to use them in his fervice? And can he poffibly refufe to refign them to his pleafure? I am fenfible that refignation to the will of God, abfolute and unconditional, is a very dif ficult duty, but it is what every believer habitually ftudies to attain. He chides his remaining impatience and complaints, grieves at the continuing ftruggles of his imperfectly renewed will, and is fenfible that in this the fuperiority of his affection to God above the creature ought to appear. Unrenewed perfons, when their earthly hopes are difappointed, immediately renew the purfuit; they only change the object to one more within their reach, or they alter their measures, and endeavor to amend the scheme; but real Chriftians, receiving a conviction of the vanity of all created things, feek their refuge and confolation in the fulnefs and all-fufficiency of God.

SECT. IV.

A more particular enquiry into what properly constitutes the sincerity of the change.

T

HUS I have given a fuccinct view of the most remarkable effects and visible evidences of regeneration. I cannot, however, fatisfy myfelf with this, because I am perfuaded the great queftion is, how far they ought to go, ad to what measure of ftrength and uniformiay they ought to arrive. There are not a few who may,

in a certain degree, fincerely think themselves poffeffed of moft or all the difpofitions mentioned above, whose state is nevertheless very much to be fufpected. On the other hand, perhaps, fome of the humbleft, that is to say, the very best, may be in much fear concerning themselves, because they do not perceive either that vigor or fleadiness in their holy difpofitions which they greatly defire and are fenfible they ought to attain. Befides, what hath been hitherto faid is only general, viz. that those who are born again will have new apprehenfions of things, will be humble, mortified to the world, and fubmiffive to the will of God. In this way it will be most applicable to, or at least most sensible in thofe, who had once gone great lengths in profanity, and were, by the almighty and fovereign grace of God, fnatched as " brands from the burning." The oppofition between their new and old characters is ordinarily fo great, that it will not admit of any doubt. To fome others it may be necessary to make a more strict and particular enquiry into the nature of fincerity, and what is the full and proper evidence of the reality of the change.

That the reader may form as clear and diftin&t conceptions on this fubject as poffible, he may be pleased to recollect what was observed above, That perfect holiness confifts in having the heart wholly poffeft by the love of God, without the mixture of any inferior or bafer paffion; and that regeneration confifts in a fupreme defire to glorify God, and a preference of his favor to every other enjoyment. Now what chiefly occafions difficulty in dif cerning the reality of this change is, that there is much unfubdued fin remaining in the children of God, and that there are many counterfeit graces, or appearances of religion, in those who are, notwithstanding, in the "gall of "bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity."

That there is a great degree of unmortified corruption ftill remaining in the faints of God, and that not fo much as one is wholly free from it, is apparent from too many melancholy proofs. It appears from the pathetic complaint of the apostle Paul, formerly referred to, of the law in his members warring against the law of God in his

mind. It appears, alfo, from the grofs fins into which fome eminently holy perfons have been fufferéd occafionally to fall, through the ftrength of temptation, as David's adultery and murder, Solomon's idolatry, the apofile Peter's denial of his mafter, and feveral others recorded in fcripture,

On the other hand, there are alfo counterfeit graces, common or imperfect operations of the Spirit, which do not iffue in a real converfion and faving change. This it will be proper to keep in mind, and perhaps, alfo, to attend a little to the proofs of it both from fcripture and experience. That the word of God has fome effect even upon those who continue unrenewed, is plain from many examples recorded in the facred volume. We read of a Felix trembling at the thoughts of a judgment to come: "And as he reafoned of righteoufnefs, temperance and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and anfwered, Go thy way for this time, when I have a convenient feafon "I will call for thee."* But we are not informed that he ever found that convenient feafon, or defired to hear any more of fush words.

In the parable of the fower we have a character defcribed of thofe who not only "heard" the word, but "received it with joy," and on whom it had an immediate and visible, though only a temporary effect. "Some fell upon

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ftony places, where they had not much earth, and forth"with they fprung up, because they had no deepness of "earth; and when the fun was up they were fcorched, "and, because they had no root, they withered away.t"He that received the feed into fony places, the fame is "he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth "it; yet hath he no root in hirfelf, but dureth for a "while: for when tribulation or perfecution arifeth be"caufe of the word, by and by he is offended."‡ We read alfo of a Herod, who not only heard the word gladly, but did many things." For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man, and an holy, and obferved him, and when he heard him he did many things, and Ibid. ver. 20, 21,

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As xxiv. 25. † Matth. xiii. 5, 6,
Y

VOL. I.

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