As they are undoubtedly in a bad state, who say with those in the twelfth Psalm, With our tongue will we prevail, our lips are our own, who is Lord over us? So, on the contrary, we are sure of the good state of all them, that are concerned to govern their lips, and to order their words aright.

According to St James, If any man offend not in Chap. iii. 2. word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

Renewing grace will teach a man to take

heed that he sin not with his tongue; but rather Ps. xxxix. 1. to lay absolute restraints upon himself, and keep

his mouth as with a bridle, when he is in company that might provoke him to offend. And even at times when he allows himself the greatest freedom and liberty of conversation, he is yet strictly observant of the rules of decency, sobriety, and religion.

He is careful not to blaspheme, or trifle with the name of God; or to make a jest of any thing that is sacred. He will not talk lightly and unconcernedly of any immorality, or make a mock at sin. He is careful not to injure his absent neighbour; nor to provoke the passions and resentments of him that's present. His conversation is guarded against every thing that is immodest, unjust, lying, or discontented: And,,

whatever may come under the notice of that foolish Eph. v. 4. talking and jesting, which are not convenient, he

is studious to avoid.

Farther; the conversation of a good man is not only harmless and inoffensive, but it is serious and religious too. Upon all proper occasions, he loves to be talking of the best things, and telling what God has done for him: Come and

hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare Psal. lxvi. 16. (says the Psalmist) what he hath done for my

soul. He loves to be conversing with his fellow-travellers, of the place they are going to, and the way that lies before them: and, if at any time he forbears such discourse when in good company, it is either, because he finds the thoughts of those he

is with turned another way; or, because he suspects his own ability; or, because he thinks some other season may give greater force to what he would suggest: but still, in the frame and temper of his mind, he is always set towards heaven, and heavenly things; and it is as easy and familiar to him that is born from above, to converse of what is spiritual, as for those that are born only of the flesh, to talk of what they shall eat, and drink, and put on, and of what occurs daily to their senses.

4. He that is born again, will manage every common action, and worldly affair, so as to serve a religious end and purpose.

Saving grace will cure, that otherwise incurable evil, a worldly selfishness; and will teach us to prefer the good of our souls, before the ease or gratification of our bodies; and the interest of Jesus Christ, before our own concerns and interest; and so, to bring every affair and business in this world, into an entire subserviency to our hopes and expectations in the world

to come.

He, that has been brought up to any honest employment, is not required, upon his becoming a new creature, to quit his calling; and retire from his station, into a monastery, or a desert: 'Tis sufficient that he acts upon new principles, and with new ends and designs, in his pursuit of such an employment. He is diligent in business, not from a covetous or ambitious aim of enriching himself; but from a conscientious regard to the command and appointment of God; who has made it every man's duty to labour, and to employ himself one way or other, so as to be useful in the world. Nor is it so much the fear of want, that excites the industry of a good man, as a desire to have something that may enable him to be friendly and charitable, to those about him; to have something to give to him that needeth, Eph, iv. 28.

He, that is possessed of a large estate, is not obliged to give it up when he becomes a true convert; but only to manage it so, as to render both his substance and his interest, and his

time, and his abilities, as far as he can, serviceable to the promoting of religion, and the welfare of others in the world: And wherever a principle of divine life has been infused into the soul, it will teach a man to consecrate all he can to such purposes.

If a man that is renewed, give up himself to any acts of friendship and hospitality, entertaining others and conversing with them, it is not to gratify a brutish sensuality; but to shew a kind disposition, to settle a good acquaintance, by mutual services to advance each other's welfare, and to join their thoughts and endeavours upon every occasion wherein they are equally concerned.

Once more; he that is inwardly and prevailingly religious, will manage all recreations and exercises for the health of his body, and all his necessary refreshments, so as to render him more fit for the duties of his station, and the service of his GOD. In the apostle's language, Whether he eats or drinks, or whatever he does, he does all to the glory of God, 1 Cor. x. 31.

5. The last evidence I shall mention of a person's being born again, as it appears in the behaviour and outward actions, is, an abounding in all proper instances of love and charity toward his brother.

St John tells us expressly, That he who loveth

not his brother, is not of God. And this is argued 1 John iii. 10. in a following chapter, from its being the command

ment of God, to love our brethren, as well as to love himself; and no man can have a due regard to the one, but he must also observe the other. This love, we are elsewhere told, must not be in word or in tongue only, but in deed and in truth: that is, our actions must be such as may truly contribute to the advantage and benefit of our brother.

That, which in a natural state is the cause of men's acting injuriously toward their neighbours, (I mean self-love ;) renewing grace will make the rule and motive of doing good to them. This will explain and enforce that command, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Self-love, we see generally, provokes men to strife and contention; defaming others, to increase their own, reputation; defrauding others, to increase their own gains; and, in almost every case, not regarding what hurt is done to others, so that it make for their own advantage. Whereas if you look to one that is under the influence of divine grace, the love that he has to himself, puts him upon all proper ways of shewing a concern for the peace, good name, and prosperity of his neighbour : and the more he finds in himself a desire of this or the other comfortable enjoyment, the more will he do, in such respects, for the help and relief of others.

As to that grand branch of charity, almsgiving, it is observable in the account of Zaccheus's conversion, that

salvation was no sooner come to his house, but Luke xix. 8. he presently says, Behold, Lord, the half of my

goods I give to the poor, &c. The contributions then, indeed, were extraordinary; and the case of Zaccheus might make it especially requisite, that his should be so; but every man that is brought into a state of grace, will think it his duty to consecrate some proportion of what he has to pious and charitable uses. For, let men pretend to what they will, you always find that their expences follow their prevailing affections: What they have the greatest love and liking to, they are most ready to spend upon. So that if a man be savingly changed and renewed in his temper and affictions, it will appear from his religious expences, as well as from the other actions of his life.

And now, I think, nothing more needs to be added for the enabling us to judge of ourselves, whether we are born again,

or not.

But I am sensible these evidences of a man's being in a good state, are like to meet with a very different reception from different persons.

Some have found out ways to keep themselves easy, and to hope well as to their future condition, where their lives and tempers are quite contrary to what I have been describing. Others will only fick out, here and there, an evidence that best

pleases them; and whilst they drop many things that are requisite to their being thoroughly changed and renewed, are yet presumptuous enough to rely upon some few instances which they may produce, in their own spirits or behaviour. A third sort of people there are, who imagine they shall never come up to such a state as has been described; and therefore cannot obtain any composed satisfying thoughts of their own condition. Whilst some few may possibly discover in themselves, all the marks and evidences of the new birth, that are here set before them.

I shall therefore conclude the whole, in APPLYING myself, briefly, to each of these.

1. I would speak a little to them that are at ease, and willing to think their state good, although their temper and their lives are quite contrary to what I have been describing.

I heartily wish such persons would take time to consider, ...........what their ease and good opinion of themselves, is owing to. If you keep yourselves easy by declining and neglecting all serious enquiries about your state, 'tis certainly bad; and the less you are concerned about it, and acquainted with it, the worse it is. You may read the doom of such as have no understanding, nor serious attention to things of this nature, in Isa. xxvii. 11. For it is a people of no understanding; therefore he that made them, will not have mercy on them; and he that formed them, will shew them no favour. No man in his wits can think, that the case of a condemned malefactor is good, because he does not attend to his sentence of condemnation; or that a person, who is languishing under a mortal distemper, is well, because he will not be persuaded that he is in a dangerous condition.

But farther; though you may not have been altogether thoughtless, yet if you have considered matters only so far as to take up some general notions of the goodness and mercy of God, that, may serve to make you easy in your sins, without engaging you to forsake and repent of them; you will then fall