of the soul, and its natural faculties, are in a strict and proper sense changed; a man might as reasonably assert from such a Scripture, that the former body was annihilated, and a new one produced: and common sense and decency will not allow us to imagine, that the Apostle meant any thing of this nature, by the general terms he uses here. But the plain meaning is, that when a man becomes a real Christian, the whole temper and character of his mind is so changed, as to become different from that of the generality of mankind, and different from what it formerly was, while in an unenlightened and unrenewed state. It is not merely a little circumstantial alteration; it is not assuming a new name, professing new speculative opinions, or practising some new rites and forms: but it is becoming, as we frequently say, in our usual forms of speech, a different creature, or a new man. And thus the saered writers express themselves in many other pas sages, which very happily serve to illustrate this. They, in particular, represent God as promising, with relation to this work (1); a new heart will 1 give them, and a new spirit will I put within them; and I will take away the heart of stone, the stubborn, obstinate, impenetrable disposition they once had, and will give them an heart of flesh, a tender, compli ant temper, which shall incline them to submit to will with humility, and to obey it with delight. And thus, when the apostle had exhorted the Ephe

my

(1) Ezek. xxxvi. 25.

sians (1) to put off, with respect to their former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt according to its deceitful lusts; he adds, And be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man, which after God, or in conformity to his image, is created in righteousness and true holiness; which is further illustrated by his important exhortation to the Romans (2), Be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.

the same principles, what in one place he calls the new creature (3), in another parallel place he expresses, by faith that works by love (4), and by keep ing the commandments of God (5); for all these, as equivalent characters, he opposes to circumcision and uncircumcision, or the mere externals of a religious profession; declaring the utter insufficiency of the latter, and the absolute necessity of the former.

But

The general nature of this change may then bé understood by an attentive consideration of such Scriptures as those mentioned above; which indeed contain what is most essential on this subject. for the more complete illustration of the matter, I shall particularly shew you, that where there is rea son to speak of a man, as one of those who are in Christ Jesus, or who are truly regenerate, there will be "New apprehensions, new affections, new resolutions, new labors, new enjoyments, and new hopes;" and perhaps there are few important branches of the Christian character, which may not be in

(1) Ephes. iv. 22-24. (4) Gal. v. 6.

(2) Rom. xii. 2. (3) Gal. vi. 15. (4) I Cor. vii. 19.

troduced, as illustrating one or other of these remarks.

The former of them is indeed the foundation of the rest; because, as religion is a reasonable service, all the change which is made in the affections and resolutions, in the pursuits, enjoyments, and hopes of a good man, arises from that different view, in which he is now taught to look on those objects, the na ture of which is to direct his choice, to determine his conduct, and regulate his passions; it will there fore be the business of this evening's Discourse to shew you,

I. That wherever there is a real principle of regeneration, there will be new apprehensions of things.

When God created the natural world, he said, in the very beginning of his work, Let there be light, and there was light (1): and thus he deals in this new creation, which raises the soul from a chaos, to such a beautiful, well-ordered, and well-furnished frame. God, says the Apostle, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined into our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ (2); whereas before, the understanding was darkened, being alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that was in them, because of the blindness or perverseness of their hearts (3).

Now this illumination, of which I am speaking, does not so much refer to a speculative, as to a prae(1) Gen. i. 3. (2) 2 Cor. iv. 6. (3) Ephes. iv. 18.

tical and heart-impressing knowledge. It is true, that when a man once comes to be in good earnest in religion, he generally arrives at a clearer and fuller knowledge, even of the doctrines of Christianity, than he had before: for he then sets himself to inquire with greater diligence, and to seek light of the great Father of Lights with greater earnestness; he gets clear of many evil affections, that put a corrupt bias upon his judgment; and he comes within the reach of those promises, Then shall we khow, if we follow on to know the Lord (1); and if any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God (2). Yet, I think, I may very properly say, that at various times, when our judgment of any object is the same, our apprehensions of it are very different. It is one thing, for instance, to believe that God is the omnipotent, all-wise, and all-gracións governor of the world; and another, and very different thing, to have the heart powerfully impressed with an apprehension of his ability and readiness to help us. I will, therefore, a little more particularly illustrate those respects, in which the apprehensions of such as are really regenerate, differ from those which they formerly had: and I hope you will do yourselves the justice to reflect, as we go along, how far you have ever felt these apprehensions which you hear me describe; and I have a pleasing persuasion, that many of you have felt them, in a much livelier manner than they can

(1) Hos. vi. 3.

(2) Jolin vii. 17.

be described. I would observe then to you, that a regenerate soul has new apprehensions" of God, of itself, of Christ,-of eternity,-and of the way and method that God has marked out for its being happy there."

1. A regenerate soul has "new apprehensions of the blessed God."

There are very few who pretend so much as to doubt of the being of a God; and fewer yet, that will venture to deny it: and even among those, who have denied it, and disputed against it, some, by their own confession, have felt their hearts give them the lie, and upbraid them for using the powers of reason and speech against the Giver and Preserver of both. I persuade myself at least, there are none that hear me this day, who would not look upon a professed Atheist as a monster, unworthy to be a member of human society, and little to be trusted in any of its relations. Yet after all, while the being of the blessed God is warmly asserted, his nature is so little understood and considered, that there are thousands who may still properly be said to be without God in the world (1), or in practice and temper, though not in notion, to be Atheists in it. Wicked men therefore, in general, are described as those that know not God (2): but where God has determined to glorify his mercy in the salvation of a sinner, he shines into the heart, for this blessed purpose, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of (2) 2 Thess. i. 8.

(1) Eph. ii. 12.