fully restrain the remainder of wrath. This fills them with hope and faith.

The omnifcience of God is the comfort and joy of good men. All their diftreffes and dangers are known to him; the softest whisper, the most fecret wish, must instantly reach his throne. This encourages them, not only to play the man for their God, knowing that his eye is conftantly upon them; but to open their hearts before him in all their wants. The mercy, the grace, and forbearance of God, opprefs pious hearts with a fenfe of obligation. Often with strong cries, having no adequate words, they make known their fenfe of divine goodness, of fparing mercy. The mercy of God, as expreffed in the gofpel, fills their hearts with fentiments too tender and fublime for utterance. In filent wonder and gladnefs they contemplate the merits of that blood, which cleanseth from all fin; they love God; they delight in God with all their hearts.

Instead of rolling fin as a fweet morfel under their tongues; inftead of faying to others, "stand by, I am holier than thou;" instead of thanking God, that they are not as other men, they loathe and abhor themselves; they feel themselves, the chief of finners; they judge and condemn themfelves; they repent in duft and afhes. Oh wretched men that we are, they cry, "who shall deliver us from the body of this death? When we would do good, evil is present with us. We are more brutish than any men; we have not the underftanding of men. We will accept the punishment of our fins; we will bear the indignation of the Lord. Wherefore fhould living men complain for the punishment of their fins."

Thofe, born again, instead of defiring Jefus Christ to depart out of their coaft, view him as altogether lovely, choose him as their city of refuge, their ark of fafety, their hiding place from the storm. To them Jefus Chrift is precious. They give up all other hopes; they facrifice all other dependen ces. Jefus Chrift is the Lord, their righteousness. Their expreffive language is, "Lord we believe, help thou our unbelief."

Their motives are changed. Before they had put off the old man, they were themselves the object of all their defires, their love, their purfuits. They had no affection, more generous; no defign, more elevated; no wish, more noble, than to promote their own interest. Natural men love their owns felves; they look every one on his own things. But men renewed by the Holy Ghost have the charity, which feeketh not her own. When the honor of God feemeth expofed, like the captain of Ifrael, they folicitoufly enquire of God," What wilt thou do unto thy great name?" "I am concerned for the honor of thy name; wilt thou.not protect thine own glory?" On the trembling mount of Sinai their lawgiver had expreffed the fame dignified fentiments. When God was threat ening to" confume" his people, Mofes enquires, "Wherefore fhould the Egyptians fpeak and fay, for mischief did he bring them out to flay them in the mountains, and to confume them from the face of the earth?" "Why fhould the ruin of Ifrael cause thy rectitude to be decried and reproached among the heathen ?"

Men, born again, buried with Chrift; have alfo a concern for the good of others, for the happiness and falvation of their enemies. The importunate,

impaffioned interceffions of Abram in behalf of Sodom, express the fympathetic, benevolent folicitude of pious fouls. He prays, that the people may be fpared, that they may be fpared for the fake of fif ty righteous; he then prays they may be fpared for the fake of forty and five; that they may be fpared for the fake of forty, for the fake of thirty, for twenty, for ten. Abram was fafe himself, his dwellings, his flocks and herds, were fecure from danger; yet was he concerned, and afflicted, and diftreffed for his neighbors, expofed to the anger of God. Such is the fpirit of renewed men. They have the spirit of Chrift. He loved us and died for us, while we were enemies; fo do his people love their enemies, bless thofe, who curse them, and do good to them, who defpitefully use them, and perfecute them. They pity their wicked enemies; they are concerned for their welfare; they are alarmed at their dangers. Often when they fee their enemies indulging refentment, or other malignant paffions, they long to cry out, like Paul to the jailor, " Do thyfelf no harm." Such are the feelings of pious parents, neighbors, and minifters; with bleeding hearts are they often ready to exclaim to thofe, who unreasonably oppofe themfelves, "Do thyfelf no harm;"" do not deftroy thy precious foul."

The great object of thofe, born again, is to anfwer the purposes of their existence. They defire to honor God, to build up his caufe, to promote his religion, to extend the triumphs of his gofpel, to comfort and establish his people, to convince and perfuade his enemies, to fanctify and fave their own fouls. United to God, and the caufe of God, they are one with Chrift; they are one themfelves; they have one motive, one fpirit, one faith, one character. N

2. The conduct of thofe, buried with Christ, or

born again, is changed. Such are new creatures. Their internal baptism, wrought" by the operation of God," produces a vifible reformation.

How different is the vifible appearance of St. Paul, a meffenger of the gofpel, from Saul the Pharifee. Then was he furioufly haling men and women to prison; then could he affift in the execution, and exult in the dying agonies of a holy martyr. Now is he ready to spend and be spent in the cause of Jefus; now all things are lofs and drofs, compared with the knowledge of Jefus Chrift; now he could with himself accused, that his brethren might receive this divine redeemer.

See Zacheus, while a collector of the revenue, abufing, and defrauding, and falfely accufing his fellow citizens. See this fame Zacheus, exercifing the faith of the gofpel, fitting at the feet of Jefus, making ample reftitution for all his frauds, and doing to others, as he would wish others to do to him.

See the Jailor, while a man of the world, "thrusting the difciples into the inner prifon, making their feet doubly fast in the stocks," exercifing the utmost rigor of the law. See the fame Jailor, experiencing the change mentioned in the text, he washes the ftripes of the difciples; like the good Samaritan, he pours in wine and oil, to heal their wounds; like his divine Lord he binds up the broken hearted, he opens the prifon to them that were bound; he gives liberty to his captives. He fpreads his table; he fets meat before them. He does them good, because they are the difciples of Jefus.

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Nor does he confult "with flesh and blood; he waits not to confult his nearest friends; he waits not to go abroad to Enon or Jordan; but the fame bour of the night, before he fpreads his generous table, he and his family are baptized.

Thofe, who are buried and rifen with Chrift, are prepared to worship God in the beauty of holinefs, to do good to all men, efpecially to the houfhold of faith.

At one

Obferve the man of prayer. Alone he converfes with his heavenly father; in public he increases the folemnity of the congregation. time he whispers a feeble with at the throne of mercy. At another time his defires kindle, his religious affections glow; his prayer is ardent, importunate, impaffioned, and refiftlefs; he cries, "I will not let thee go, unless thou blefs me,” Such are the falt of the earth; the light of the world.

We are fecondly to fhow the reasonableness of this character, or of this change.

1. This change of character is reasonable, becaufe God requires it.

He is a God of wisdom, and by him actions are weighed. In wisdom hath he made and directed all things, and in his wifdom, he hath required this change. He commands men to make them new hearts, to repent, and believe in Jefus Chrift. He hath commanded men to turn their feet into the paths of his testimonies, to love the Lord God with all their hearts, to be crucified to the world, and dead to fin. He hath commanded all men to be holy in all manner of converfation, to be perfect as he is perfect. Here is fufficient evidence that the change of our hearts is a reasonable duty.