^-7 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Theological Seminary, 
 
 PRINCETON, N. J. 
 
 Case, .'*^..S^.:.^S?^r. Division 
 
 Shelf, C^^^.Q^.3.ecp on 
 
 Book, No 
 
( / 
 
 ^^ 
 
 Jl^Mr. 
 
THE 
 
 LIFE AND POWER 
 
 OF 
 
 TRUE GODLINESS; 
 
 DESCRIBED IN 
 
 A SERIES OF DISCOURSES 
 
 BY ALEXANDER M'LEOD, D.D. 
 
 lATK PASTOR OF THE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, NEW TORS. 
 
 FIFTH EDITION. 
 
 WITH AN INTRODUCTORY ESSAY 
 
 BY JOHN NIEL McLEOD, DJ). 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 ROBERT CARTER, 58 CANAL STREET; 
 
 AND PrrTSBURG, 56 MARKET STEEET. 
 
 1847. 
 

 <f " - -^ - o^r 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PREFACE vii 
 
 INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 THE DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS OF EVANGELICAL 
 RELIGION. 
 
 SERMON L 
 
 Luke ii. 10. — I bring you good tidings of great joy . . .21 
 
 The Gospel, 23 — Its peculiarities, 24 — 1, Communion with God 
 in a Mediator, 24 — 2, Satisfaction for sin, 26 — 3, Holiness by- 
 supernatural power, 29 — 4, Title to heaven, by the merits of 
 another, 33 — What it is to preach the gospel, 34 — 1, Announce 
 facts, 35—2, Declare doctrines, 37—3, Offer salvation, 38. 
 
 THE NATURE AND ORIGIN OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 
 SERMON IL 
 
 John iii. 7. — Marvel not that I said unto you, Ye must be born 
 again. ........... 40 
 
 The different methods of examining Christianity, 40 — The text ex- 
 plained, 41 — The nature of regeneration, 43 — 1, It is a change 
 of mind for the better, 44 — 2, It is by divine power, 45 — 3, It is 
 a spiritual change, 49 — 4, It is instantaneous, 52 — The use of 
 means explained, 54 — The necessity of regeneration, 58 — 1, To 
 Faith, 59 — 2, Repentance, 60 — 3, Acceptable obedience and 
 worship, 61 — 4, To our happiness, 62 — Address to sinners, 63. 
 
 THE SEVERAL DEGREES OF PERSONAL RELIGION. 
 SERMON m. 
 
 Rom. vi. 4. — As Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory 
 of the Father, even so toe also should walk in newness of life . 65 
 
 Explanation of the text, 65 — Six distinct degrees of progress in per- 
 sonal religion, 67 — 1, The period of Anxiety, 69 — 2, Of Admi- 
 
IV CONTENTS. 
 
 ration, 72—3, Of Thirst for Knowledge, 74 — 4, Of Public Spfrit, 
 76 — 4, Of heavenly-mindedness, 78 — 6, Of Patience and Mar- 
 tyrdom, 79 — Conclusion, 84. 
 
 THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 
 SERMON IV. 
 
 Rom. viii. 15. — Ye have received the spirit of Adoption, whereby 
 we cry, Abba, Father. ....... 85 
 
 Arrangement, the Gift received ; the Liberty from bondage ; and 
 the Address, 86 — The Gift bestowed on God's children ; 1, The 
 Spirit, a seal of our adoptiou, 87 — 2, Witness, 90 — 3, The Com- 
 forter, 93— Christian Liberty, 96—1, From Sin, 97—2, Satan, 
 99—3, Man's influence, 101— Abba I ather, 103— Its imnort ia 
 several particulars. 
 
 THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 
 SERMON V. 
 
 2 Pet. ni. 18. — Grow in grace 109 
 
 The fact of growth in grace, 109 — Explanation of the text, 110 — 
 The means. 111 — The ordinances, as, 1, Instruction, 112 — 2, 
 The sacraments, 115 — 3, Conversation, 118 — 4, Prayer, 121 — 
 Rational reflections, 122 — 1, Upon our sins, 122 — 2, Providence, 
 124—3, God's love, 127—4, Death, 129— Divine influence, 130 
 —1, Teaching, 132—2, Affecting, 133— and, 3, Strengthening, 
 136 — Concluding addresses, 138. 
 
 ASSURANCE OF A SAVING INTEREST IN CHRIST. 
 SERMON VL 
 
 1 John iii. 19. — Hereby we know that we are of the truth, and 
 shall assure our hearts before him. ...... 142 
 
 Unfounded Confidence, 142 — Assurance attainable, 14^1 — Principles 
 implied in self-examination, 148 — 1, Any gi-acieus exercise is evi- 
 dence of piety, 152 — 2, Variety of Christian attainments, 154 — 
 3, Conversion under different circumstances, 157 — Remarks on 
 ibs religion of infants, their death, and future state, 158 — 4, The 
 aid of the Spirit, 163 — Application in four particulars, 164 — Dis- 
 tinction between saving faith and the assurance of salvation, 169. 
 
 THE EVIDENCES OF TRUE RELIGION IN MAN. 
 SERMON VIL 
 
 1 John iv. 13. — Hereby knoio we that we dwell in him and he in 
 us, because he hath given us of his Spirit . . . 171 
 
 Explanation, 172 — Spiritual exercises, the evidence of spiritual life, 
 174—1, Self-abasement, 174—2, Dependence on Christ, 180— 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 3, Submission to the law of Christ, 184 — i, Joy in God, 189 — 
 Distinction between the special and common work of the Spirit, 
 191. 
 
 THE DUT^ OF THOSE WHO HAVE NOT ASSURANCE, 
 
 SERMON VIII. 
 
 isa. 1. 10. — Who is among you that fear eth the Lord, that oheyeth 
 the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no 
 light 7 let him trust in the name of the Lord^ and stuy upon his 
 God 195 
 
 Explanation, 196 — Duty of the desponding ; 1, Distinguish doubt- 
 ing from unbelief, 198 — 2, Ascertain causes of doubting, 200 — 
 3, Continue in practical obedience, 213 — 4, Believe in the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, 218— The eiid of faith is salvation, 221— Faith is 
 the duty of the simier, 222 — The inability of man by nature, 
 223 — Christ freely offered to sinners as such, 223 — Faith is an 
 exercise of the spiritual understanding and the spiritual affec- 
 tions, 224 — Appropriation, 224, and 169. 
 
 THE CONSOLATIONS OF TRUE RELIGION, 
 SERMON IX. 
 
 Psalm Ixlii. 3 — 7. — Because thy loving-kindness is better than 
 life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I 
 live : I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul shall be 
 ■satisfied as with marrow and fatness ; and my mouth shall praise 
 thee with joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed, and 
 meditate on thee in the night-watches. Because thou hast been 
 my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice . 228 
 
 Explanation of the text, 229 — Religion the best comfort, 236 — 1, 
 Destroys the principal causes of grief, 236 — 2, Supports under 
 remaining afflictions, 239 — 3, Brings to view the best objects, 
 241 — i. Produces the purest affections, 245 — Love seeks the 
 good, and the enjoyment of its object, and includes both benevo- 
 lence and desire of enjoyment, 246 — Good will to others, and 
 regard to personal happiness, both original principles of the hu- 
 man mind, 248 — Disinterestedness and selfishness described, 248, 
 249 — 5, Assurance of God's love, 251 — 6, Religion inspires with 
 the hope of eternal enjoyment, 253. 
 
 THE STABILITY AND PERFECTION OF TRUE 
 RELIGION IN MAN. 
 
 SERMON X. 
 
 Jude 24, 25. — Now unto him that is able to keep you from fallings 
 €md to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with 
 
VI CONTENTS. 
 
 exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, he glory and 
 majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. . 256 
 
 The Perseverance of the saints, 257 — Explained, 257 — ^Vindicated, 
 260— By, 1, Declarations, 260—2, Promises, 261—3, Descrip- 
 tions, 262 — Death of the saints, 263 — Use of religion at death, 
 264— The soul's immortality vindicated, 267 — The doctrine of 
 an intermediate place refuted, 271 — Paradise, aSns, 272 — Heav- 
 en, 276— Conclusion, 279 
 
■'^«^f;A-GE.*^ 
 
 Provision was made in the constitution of human nature 
 for the exercises of devotion : and, accordingly, men of every 
 age and kindred have some kind of reverence for an invisi- 
 ble Superior. It is upon this principle of the rational mind, 
 not improperly called by moral philosophers, the Sense of 
 Deity ^ that religion of all kinds is engrafted ; and the very 
 absurdities of Superstition and Fanaticism, as well as the en- 
 lightened piety of the sanctified soul, are evidences of its ex- 
 istence. A correct exposition of True Religion in Man, must 
 of course, correspond with the most important objects of 
 Moral Science, and be admitted itself as an interesting part 
 of sound Philosophy. " Behold, the fear of the Lord, that 
 is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding." A de- 
 lineation, moreover, of the power of godliness in the origin 
 and progress of the Christian's " new and better life," is cal- 
 culated to interest and to instruct the young believer, and to 
 assist the more advanced disciple, in those reflections which 
 are necessary to ascertain both the fact and the degree of his 
 personal religion. 
 
 The Author, during a general, and even an intimate inter- 
 course with Christians of almost all ranks and names, has 
 frequently found himself at a loss, for a work, at once both 
 doctrinal and experimental, to be recommended to the perusal 
 of those who are seeking the consolations of the gospel of 
 the grace of God, and adapted to the actual condition of so- 
 ciety in our cities and our country. These discourses, most 
 of which have been delivered in the course of his ministry 
 
VIU PREFACE. 
 
 in this city, have been selected for the press in order to sup- 
 ply to the best of his ability this deficiency. 
 
 For the purpose of introducing more argument and criti- 
 cism than can be properly admitted into a popular discourse, 
 notes have been appended to the text, wheresoever they ap- 
 peared to be necessary. If the volume should prove the 
 means of instruction or comfort, to any of those who have 
 been awakened in the midst of the gay and busy world, to 
 any timid, doubting, or tempted believer, the author will re- 
 joce that his labour hath not been in vain in the Lord, to 
 whose patronage and blessing it is humbly submitted. 
 
INTRODUCTORY ESSAY, 
 
 AUTHOR OF THE DISCOURSES, 
 
 The Sermon on Christian doctrine and practice is the highest kind of 
 literary composition. It is so as to its theme, its construction, and its 
 capabilities for influencing the human mind ; and it is therefore matter 
 of regret that it is so often employed as the vehicle of error, and made 
 the means of misleading men in the great matters that concern their 
 salvation. The professed theme of the sermon is God, his plan of sav- 
 ing sinners through the mediation of his Son, the heart in its unregen- 
 erate and sanctified states, human relations and duties, the future 
 world, and indeed every thing that is really interesting to man. The 
 subject in its comprehensive bearings grasps the universe, and the 
 ability to handle it with habitual propriety is no ordinary attainment. 
 It is presumed that in the composition of the sermon some definite ob- 
 ject will be in the mind's eye, and that in its construction and arrange- 
 ment, the aim will consequently be to elucidate the subject in the best 
 attainable mode, and make it acceptable to those by whom it is heard 
 or read. Thus an opportunity is furnished of drawing upon the mental 
 resources, and bringing to bear the knowledge, the taste, the reasoning 
 powers, and the practical experience of the preacher, for the production 
 of the highest possible effect. Compositions on subjects so momentous, 
 and constructed in such a way as to inform, alarm, persuade, and com- 
 fort, cannot fail to be powerfully influential on the lives of men. That 
 God has been pleased to employ the sermon from age to age, as a main 
 part of his instrumentality for bringing men to salvation, is an indispu- 
 table fact ; for says Paul, " it has pleased God by the foolishness of 
 preaching to save them that believe." And we have on record in the 
 scriptures sermons preached by our Divine Redeemer himself, while 
 on earth. 
 
 From the day of Pentecost to the close of the apostolic age, the 
 sermon was the chiff instrument ia bringing sinners to Jesus Christ. 
 
X INTRODUCTORY ESSAT. 
 
 On the rise of Antichrist when sermonizing ceased, and the dumh show 
 of imposing ceremonials, fostering ignorance and confounding by their 
 mystery, usurped its place, spiritual religion almost left the world. And 
 it was not until the Protestant Reformation brought back the free 
 preaching of a free Bible that it was revived in the hearts of men, and 
 in the professed church of Jesus Christ. 
 
 That the spoken sermon or discourse presents the most efficient mode 
 of teaching divine truth, we presume will be universally admitted. 
 Why then should not the same form be retained when the pen and the 
 press, instead of the tongue, are made the instruments of its publication? 
 Is there any thing necessarily connected with the form and execution 
 of the sermon, to prevent it from being read as well as. heard with 
 acceptance and profit ? We would not so regard it. But, on the other 
 hand, would rather believe, that its methodical arrangement, its analysis 
 of its subject, and the opportunity for varied and pointed illustration 
 which it affords, are admirably calculated to fix the truth upan the 
 memory, and impress it with power on the understanding and heart. 
 
 For the last quarter of a century, the communication of religious in- 
 struction by the printed sermon has fallen greatly into disuse ; and even 
 among ministers themselves the form of the treatise, essay, or letter has 
 been extensively adopted. The usual reason assigned for this is, that 
 the sermon requires too much thought to be acceptable to readers gen- 
 erally. We are well aware that the properly digested serman does re- 
 quire more exertion of mind to appreciate it, than less formal and more 
 familiar modes of presenting religious truth ; and also, that the form 
 which demands the least thought will be likely to be most popular. 
 Still in this age, when the meditative part of religion is so much ne- 
 glected, it is a question worthy of consideration whether it would not be 
 better calculated to advance the interests of God's truth, and contribute 
 to the promotion of a more considerate Christianity, if exertion were 
 made by the Christian ministry to correct, rather than foster the injuri- 
 ous habit to which we are referring. 
 
 We are happy to perceive evidence in various quarters, that the 
 taste of the religious public is improving in this particular. The occa- 
 sional sermon, and the volume embodying the series are now frequently 
 coming forth from the pens of modern divines ; and in reprints of their 
 invaluable sermons, Owen, Howe, Saurin, Erskine, and others of a kin- 
 dred character are preaching the gospel to the men of this generation. 
 
 The sermons of the Rev. Dr. Alexander M'Leod on *' The Life and 
 Power of True Godliness" were welcomed by many, in both this coun- 
 try and Great Britain, when they were first presented to the world, 
 some twenty-eight years ago. Their author was gratified by seeing 
 three editions disposed of during his own life, and he was proposing 
 another when he was called to his rest. The time would seem to have 
 
mXRODUCTORY ESSAY. XI 
 
 arrived when, though dead, he should again speak through them, of the 
 common salvation in the faith and comfort of which he lived and died. 
 The writer of this essay had occasion to know that Dr. M'Leod enter- 
 tained and acted upon the sentiments expressed in the foregoing obser- 
 vations, and the recollections of conversations with him upon the sub- 
 ject suggested the remarks in the present connexion. He frequently 
 employed the pen and press in giving to the world the narrative, the 
 catechism, the essay, and the review on theological and other subjects, 
 but his preferred mode of exhibiting his sentiments on moral and reli- 
 gious topics was the Lecture or Sermon. He had highly elevated views 
 of the character of the Christian Minister, and of the power of the pul- 
 pit in doing good to men. It was a matter of principle with him to 
 carry as much of the pulpit as possible into his written and printed in- 
 structions, and he desired to speak through them to saints and sinners, 
 not merely as a private man, but as a " Messenger of the Lord of 
 Hosts." 
 
 The public teachings of the Ministers of Jesus Christ should be an 
 announcement of their own faith, and their descriptions of the experience 
 and practice of vital godliness should be an exhibition of their own sanc- 
 tified mental exercises. " I have believed, therefore have I spoken," 
 should be their motto. Professing to teach to others the way of life, 
 they should afford good evidence of being themselves taught of God the 
 Holy Ghost ; and that individual tampers most fearfully with all his im- 
 mortal interests who assumes to speak to others on the subject of per- 
 sonal religion, while he is himself a stranger to its life and power. As 
 well might it be expected, that the man born blind should describe intel- 
 ligibly the nature and properties of the light which he never saw, and 
 whose glories he is unable to comprehend, as that the unsanctified 
 Christian minister should delineate aright the life of faith in the soul, or 
 commend with success to others the excellencies of a Saviour in whom 
 he has no interest for himself. There may indeed be such a thing as 
 repeating at second hand what may have been said or written by others, 
 and giving as our own the elaborations of other minds, but when this 
 is done in the name of religion, it is but a mockery of God, and is likely 
 to be of little benefit to saint or sinner. In the Psalms of David, seve- 
 ral of the Epistles of Paul, and other portions of the word of God, we 
 have an exhibition of the Christian experience of their respective writers. 
 They indeed " spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost," but ia 
 guiding their pens, that blessed Agent who was the author of their per- 
 sonal sanctification, enabled them to speak correctly of what they knew, 
 felt, and enjoyed themselves. Having in view these inspired models, 
 we would say, that the discourse on personal religion should be an exhibi- 
 tion of the gracious menial exercises of its author — a picture of his own 
 sanctified heart— the result of his observations and reasonings on the 
 
Xll rNTKODUCTORY ESSAY. 
 
 piety of others. The common sense of the hearer or reader tells hFm 
 that sucli should be its character ; and when the conviction that it is so 
 fills his mind, with how much stronger confidence does he trust in, and 
 employ it as a lielp to his own faith and consolation I 
 
 Who was its author ? How did he live? What were the influences 
 of his doctrine on himself? How did he die? are questions which are 
 naturally asked when reading a work claiming some importance as a 
 guide in the concerns of eternity ; and if we can answer them with 
 satisfaction, its influence upon us will be proportionably augmented. 
 
 If any are disposed to make such inquiries respecting the author of 
 the sermons on the " Life and Power of True Godliness" we are con- 
 vinced that they can be ansvi'ered in the most satisfactory manner. 
 Let his work be examined in the light of his own personal piety, of 
 which, now that he is gone, we may be permitted to spetik, and it may 
 be confidently said of it, that it is the production of a maturely sanctified 
 mind, which, as it was itself taught by the Holy Spirit, was well able to 
 teach others what it is " to live by faith upon the Son of God." That 
 such was really the case, it is our object to show in the glance which 
 we now proceed to take of his life and character. 
 
 It was the privilege of Dr. Alexander M'Leod to be descended from 
 an ancestry, who numbered among them many individuals distinguished 
 for godliness — the only distinction which is worth any thmg at the hour 
 of death. His father was a minister of the Established Church of 
 Scotland, who, though he was removed by death nearly seventy years 
 ago, is still remembered in the scene of his labours, as an eminent man 
 of God. His mother, the daughter of a clergyman of the same church, 
 was a suitable companion for such a man, and while the ornaments of 
 good education, polished manners, and extensive social influence were 
 not wanting, the marked characteristic of both parents was an intelli- 
 gent, earnest jncty. " The seed of the righteous is blessed." The 
 godly parents had devoted their son to the service of God, and although 
 they both left the world while he was still in early childhood, the influ- 
 ence of their holy instruction and example was powerfully felt on his 
 mind through life. The recollection of his pious parentage was always 
 recognised by Dr. M'Leod as a powerful restraint from vicious indul- 
 gence in youth, and a joyous stimulus to Christian duty. After the death 
 of his father, which occurred when he was little more than five years of 
 age, the direction of his education devolved more immediately on his 
 mother, who proved fully competent to the task. Her discipline was 
 Christian. She taught her son to pray, to fear the Being to whom he 
 prayed, and to prefer his service to all other things beside. Mrs. 
 M'Leod survived her husband but nine years. Alexander was absent 
 at school in a distant place when her death occurred, and as an evidence 
 of the love he bore her, and of the strength of his own sensibilities, the 
 
INTRODUCTOrwY ESSAY. XlU 
 
 fact may be stated, that when her death was announced to him he 
 fell to the floor overpowered by his emotions, and it was feared for some 
 time that he would be deprived of his reason. To the day of his death 
 the tear would come into his eye when he mentioned her name, and he 
 was accustomed to make it a standing item in his thanksgivings to God 
 that he had given him a Christian mother. How often does the mother 
 stamp her own character upon the child while its heart is warm towards 
 her — like the softened wax which receives whatever impression the seal 
 makes upon it ! There is evidence that from the age of five years, the 
 most prominent ruling principles of Alexander's mind were love of 
 prayer, and desire to become a minister of the gospel. The fact is left 
 on record by himself, that when the death of his father was announced 
 to him, he was on his knees at prayer. His earthly father was gone, 
 but the Spirit of adoption, whose character he describes with so much 
 unction in the fourth sermon of the series, was already teaching him to 
 cry, " My Father, thou art the guide of my youth. When father and 
 mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up." To the accomplishment 
 of his desire to be a minister of the gospel, all his energies were directed 
 until the object was secured. Love for prayer, and its consistent prac- 
 tice, are good preparatives for the service of God on the public theatre. 
 
 Up to the commencement of his eighteenth year, Dr. M'Leod re- 
 mained in his native country, and received the rudiments of an excellent 
 classical and general education from a private tutor, and at a competent 
 school. It then becoming necessary that he should enter upon some 
 occupation for his own support, a friend of influence procured for him a 
 mercantile situation, which required a voyage to the West India colonies. 
 He, however, had no heart for such pursuits, and when on his way to 
 Liverpool to join the fleet, he hngered at one of the islands in company 
 with his sisters, to whom he was fondly attached, until, on his arrival at 
 his destination, he found that the fleet had already sailed. No other 
 situation offered itself to him but one that would have brought him into 
 connection with the African slave trade, to which he seemed to have an 
 instinctive abhorrence, though it was then regarded in Britain as a suf- 
 ficiently legitimate traffic. He rejected it at once. The God of provi- 
 dence was his guide. Without communicating his intention to his. 
 friends, he promptly engaged his passage in an American vessel which h© 
 found at the wharves, and sailing in her, he at length found himself in 
 the city of New York. He was a friendless stranger, but God had 
 brought him to the scene of his future usefulness. Soon after, ascending 
 the Hudson river, the fall of the same year finds him a teacher of 
 Greek in the city of Schenectady. And on the establishment of Union 
 College, he entered it, and was a member of its second graduating class. 
 His college course was one of distinguished reputation ; and eis it was 
 proceeding, he enjoyed the friendship of many individuals who subse- 
 
 2 
 
XIV mTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 
 
 quently became eminent in various professions. Among these were 
 Rev. Dr. J. B. Romeyn, Dr. Linn of Philadelphia, the Hon. John Sav- 
 age late Chief Justice of the State of New York, and others with 
 whom he continued to be on terms of intimacy and confidence, while 
 life remained. 
 
 From the remains of a diary which he kept during the period of his 
 residence in Schenectady and its vicinity, it would seem that this was 
 to him a season of deep attention to personal religion. It was his habit 
 to spend a considerable portion of each day in retirement, which was 
 given to secret prayer, self-examination, and meditation on divine things 
 with the scriptures in the hand. The records which he has himself 
 made of his own exercises, and which were never intended to see the 
 light, exhibit great tenderness of conscience, a very pungent sense of 
 the evil of sin, high admiration of the Mediatorial excellencies, and 
 much enlargement of heart at the throne of grace. During this pe- 
 riod, when folly and vice so generally employ the time and waste the 
 sensibilities of youth, he was giving his best affections to God with char- 
 acteristic energy and devotion. Although we have nowhere found the 
 fact distinctly recorded, there is evidence to believe that Dr. M'Leod 
 had made a public profession of religion before he left his native land. 
 It is, however, matter of record that within the first nine months after 
 his landing in the United States, and while he was in his nineteenth 
 year, he entered into the communion of the Reformed Presbyterian 
 church. His choice in so doing was eminently one of principle. Strong 
 inducements were held out to him to prepare for the ministry in larger 
 and more influential communities, but his understanding had been per- 
 suaded, and his affections attracted by the commanding system of scrip- 
 tural principles which the Reformed Presbyterian church exhibits, and 
 he joined her fellowship with due deliberation. This stand taken in 
 early life he never regretted, and he maintained it with consistency for 
 more than forty years, and until the day of his death. It was the habit 
 of his life not to allow mere worldly considerations to control his move- 
 ments as to religious things. In the year 1799, ho was licensed to 
 preach the gospel, along with two esteemed and intimate friends, the 
 Rev. Drs. Wylie of Philadelphia, and Black of Pittsburgh, both of whom 
 survive him. 
 
 In the year 1801, when Dr. M'Leod was settled in his pastoral 
 enarge in New York, there was in the city a number of eminent men in 
 the ministry of various religious denominations. With these he cultivated 
 intercourse. He was firmly attached to his own department of the church 
 of Christ, but he found much common ground on which he could meet 
 with other Christian men and ministers, and he was always disposed to take 
 his stand upon it, and act with them for the glory of God and the extension 
 of the Saviour's kingdom in the world. Such men of might as Living- 
 
INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. XV 
 
 ston, Mason, Abeel, Romeyn, Miller, and others recognised him as iheir 
 compeer ; by the Christian community around he was regarded as 
 standing in the front rank with them, and his tongue and pen were 
 often employed in unison with theirs in defending the truth of the 
 gospel. 
 
 In the year 1802, Dr. M'Leod appeared before the world as an au- 
 thor in the publication of his sermon styled " Negro Slavery Unjustifi- 
 able." This was followed the next year by a discourse entitled " Mes- 
 siah Governor of the Nations of the Earth." And in 1806 to 1808, by 
 his " Ecclesiastical Catechism," and sermon on the " Gospel Ministry," 
 which formed his contribution to the controversy which was at that 
 period sustained so successfully by the Presbyterian divines, against the 
 exclusive claims of Prelacy. These and other productions of his pen 
 contributed largely to bring him into public notice, and they prepared 
 the way for a more extended authorship. The three years between the 
 close of 1813 and beginning of 1816, produced the " Lectures on the 
 Prophecies," the " Sermons on the War," and the discourses on the 
 " Life and Power of True Godliness," all elaborate productions, evincing 
 an intimate acquaintance with their respective subjects, extensive learn- 
 ing, great mental power, and considering that they were written by a 
 laborious pastor, displaying much industry and ease in the art of compo- 
 sition. They all attracted much attention at the time of their first ap- 
 pearance, and have kept their place before the public up to this period 
 in successive editions. We are informed of ten editions of the Ecclesi- 
 astical Catechism ; the third of the Lectures on the Prophecies has been 
 recently issued from the British press, and we are now introducing the 
 fourth of the discourses on True Godliness. An exposition of the proph- 
 ecies that has not become superannuated in thirty years is a rare book. 
 And it is deserving of notice as evincing the permanent value of Dr. 
 M'Leod's scheme of prophecy, that one of the main reasons assigned by 
 their very intelligent editor, the Rev. Dr. Bates, of Glasgow, for the re- 
 cent reprint of the Lectures is, " that having the rare merit of improv- 
 ing by age, they are more undeniably and exactly in accordance with 
 the aspects of the European Commonwealths at the present day than 
 when they v/ere first written." The main design of this volume is to 
 delineate the character and expose the enormities of the Antichristian 
 system, as the great foe of human liberty and spiritual religion. And 
 the touches of a master's pencil are every where manifest in the picture. 
 The " Sermons on the War" are in many respects a remarkable pro- 
 duction. They were written during the late war with Great Britain, 
 and in defence of the American cause in that contest. They discuss 
 the morals of politics, and in them the author substantiates the right of 
 the Christian Minister, to examine by the word of God, all questions of 
 social morality and order affecting the interests of immortal man, and to 
 
XVI INTRODUCTORY ESSA v 
 
 weigh in the balances of the sanctuary, the character, the policy, and 
 the movements of nations, as well as of individuals. Their pervading 
 principle is, that the morality of divine revelation should regulate the 
 conduct of men in their civil and political, as well as in all their other 
 relations. Dr. M'Leod was an ardent friend of his adopted country, and 
 her invaluable civil institutions, and while he was no apologist for her 
 evils, he brought the principles laid down in his sermons to bear with 
 great force against her haughty adversary, and in favour of the rights 
 and liberties for which she was contending. 
 
 One of the results of the publication of these discourses to the 
 author himself, was to attract to him a great degree of popular atten- 
 tion, which to men of less balanced minds might have proved a snare. 
 It brought him into the acquaintance of many distinguished civilians, 
 and thus opened a new field of usefulness which he did not fail to culti- 
 vate. He had no favours to ask of politicians for himself, but he was 
 prompt and sagacious in availing himself of the influence which his in- 
 tercourse with them afforded, to promote the glory of God and the wel- 
 fare of society. One of the modes of doing good through the medium 
 above referred to, which he was accustomed to employ, was to engage 
 in correspondence with influential men in the State, on the various ques- 
 tions affecting the public morals, and the interests of religion which 
 came up for consideration, from time to time. Thus when the morality 
 of privateering, of the multiplication of oaths in the transactions of 
 business, and of lotteries, was under consideration in the Federal or 
 State Legislatures, he corresponded with members of those bodies, offer- 
 ing his reasons against those criminal practices. His desire was to pro- 
 mote, as far as possible, respect for God and his law in public men and 
 measures. A single example is presented in illustration of that of which 
 we are now speaking. When the proposition was made in the year 
 1821, to call a convention for the purpose of forming a new constitution 
 for the State of New York, Dr. M'Leod exerted himself to secure in 
 that instrument a formal and specific recognition of the name, being, 
 and providence of God. For the accomplishment of this object, he 
 held intercourse and entered into correspondence with several of the 
 members of the Convention, among whom were the Hon, Daniel D. 
 Tompkins, Vice President of the United States, and President of the 
 Convention, and Peter H. Wendover, Esq., one of the delegates from 
 the city of New York. With the latter gentleman, when a member 
 of Congress, he was in the habits of intercourse by letter. Mr. W. 
 was himself a consistent professor of religion, and disposed to acknowl- 
 edge God in all his ways. In conformity with Dr. M'Leod's suggestion 
 he submitted to the Convention a preamble to the Constitution, contain- 
 ing a distinct recognition of the being, providence, and grace of Al- 
 mighty God, the great fountain of power. With some unimportant modi- 
 
INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. XVU 
 
 fications it was adopted without opposition, and now stands as a part of 
 the fundamental law of the land. " We the people of the State of 
 New York, acknowledging with gratitude the grace and beneficence of 
 God, in permitting us to make choice of our form of government, do 
 establish this Constitution," is the noble declaration. We do not say 
 that Mr. Wendover might not have been led by the operations of his 
 own mind to offer this dutiful proposition, nor that others might not have 
 done the same had he omitted it ; but in making the above statements, 
 we speak what we know. It is well known that Reformed Presby- 
 terians have always insisted that there should be a larger infusion of 
 Christianity into the arrangements of the State, than yet exists ; and 
 Dr. M'Leod, as a consistent minister of that church, was always dis- 
 posed to employ whatever influence he had with public men, in per- 
 suading them to do honour to the God of Grace, in bowing before the 
 claims of his Son, as " the Prince of the kings of the earth." Within 
 less than two years after the publication of the " Sermons on the War," 
 the discourses on " True Godliness" appeared, and they show that while 
 the public and social bearings of Christianity were receiving attention, 
 the main concern of personal religion was not neglected. During this 
 period of his life, and even after his health began to fail, Dr. M'Leod 
 was actively engaged in the execution of various plans for doing good. 
 He made large contributions to various periodicals of the day ; he took 
 an efficient share in the management of different literary and benevo- 
 lent institutions of the country ; he was much engaged in the prevailing 
 religious controversies ; and during the whole period his labours in his 
 own congregation were abundant and unremitting. He was in the 
 habits of preaching three times on the Sabbath, and of attending to all 
 the duties of a large pastoral charge. His evening lectures on the 
 Prophecies, and discourses on controversial subjects, were attended by 
 large audiences composed of Christians of various denominations, and 
 of clergymen and other literary characters, attracted by the substantial 
 material, and commanding eloquence of his exhibitions. And thus 
 he was endeavouring, without regard to what it cost himself, to serve 
 God in the gospel of his Son. 
 
 Brought in this way with much prominence before the public of New 
 York and other parts of the country, many efforts were made to with- 
 draw him from the Reformed Presbyterian Church, and induce him to 
 enter the fellowship of larger and more popular bodies. Within a few 
 years he was invited to take the pastoral charge of the Reformed Dutch 
 Church in Garden street, and the First Presbyterian Church, New 
 York, and less formally of other large and wealthy congregations in the 
 city and elsewhere. He was also elected to the Vice Presidency of the 
 College of New Jersey, and had offers of a similar character from other 
 literary institutions. All of these he promptly declined. His uniform 
 
 2* 
 
XVm mTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 
 
 language in regard to the former was, " I have taken my stand in that 
 department of the divided church of God which I believe to be most 
 agreeable to his word, and here will I abide," — and to the latter, 
 " Preaching the gospel is my beloved and appropriate business, and from 
 it nothing shall divert me." The facts above stated, however, are evi- 
 dence that he was deemed worthy by the community in which he lived, 
 of the highest places in the church, and seats of learning. 
 
 But as our great object in this sketch is to show that the author of the 
 following discourses was a man who himself felt the " life and power of 
 true godliness," concerning which he assumed to instruct others, we 
 again glance at his private religious life. It was characterized by atten- 
 tion to practical duty. Even while most engaged in public business, it 
 was his habit to renew his personal covenant with God, and strengthen 
 himself with good resolutions formally recorded. Thus on one occasion 
 we find him resolving before God, " that he will spend less time in the 
 society of mere worldly men, that he will give up companions who afford 
 no religious profit, that he will seek more intimacy with God, and that 
 he will spend more time in preparing for death." There was no osten- 
 tation about his personal religion. The ornament of humility adorned 
 his character, but the observing about him knew that even when most 
 employed with the labours of his public calling, he found much time to 
 spend in communion with his Maker. Dr. M'Leod, too, had a large 
 share of the afflictions which are the usual inheritance of the people of 
 God. His bodily health during his whole life experienced many and 
 severe interruptions. Relatives and friends whom he tenderly loved 
 were removed by death. Seven out of eleven of his own children pre- 
 ceded him to the grave, their removal wounding most severely his ex- 
 ceedingly delicate sensibilities ; and the untenderness and strife of pro- 
 fessing Christians with whom he was called to act were the occasion 
 of poignant grief. Upon the whole, his passage over the ocean of life 
 to the haven of immortality was a stormy one. But how would the 
 heart be able to appreciate the worth of the " Comforter," or be pre- 
 pared to realize the joyous contrasts of heaven, where there is no sor- 
 row, if it remained a stranger to the discipline of affliction ! It may aid 
 in the appreciation of the ninth sermon on *' The Consolations of True 
 Religion," and of the sixth, containing the note on the religion of infants, 
 to know that they were composed while the heart was sore from the 
 death of a beloved child. More than one has said of that note, as was 
 remarked by a distinguished living civilian who is not ashamed of the 
 gospel of Christ, when he was mourning the recent departure of a cher- 
 ished daughter — "the consideration of that note has afforded me un- 
 speakable consolation !" While, however. Dr. M'Leod was often called 
 to suffer affliction, he was abundantly sustained by the consolations 
 of the gospel. And one main source of his support under God, was the 
 
INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. XIX 
 
 judicious, gentle, and unremitting attentions of his Christian spouse, who 
 in understanding, in chastened affection, and in mature, devoted, noise- 
 less piety, was indeed a " help meet" to her husband. She has followed 
 him to the world of spirits. 
 
 Not long after the publication of the Sermons on " True Godliness," 
 the health of their author began to fail under the pressure of his multi- 
 plied labours, and although he had projected other works, he was unable 
 to complete them. He however continued to labour on. " I do not ex- 
 pect to live long," he would sometimes say to his intimate friends, " and 
 I must work while it is to-day." In the year 1824, he suffered from an 
 attack of inflammation of the lungs, from which he did not recover for 
 many months. This, as was supposed, set up a disease of the heart, 
 which continued to make gradual progress until it accomplished its work 
 of death. In 1829 and '30 he made a visit to Europe, from which he 
 returned with some mitigation of disease, though no permanent advan- 
 tage resulted. In Scotland, and Ireland, he was gratified by meeting 
 with several very dear relatives, and in receiving the attentions of many 
 distinguished individuals, and public bodies, and while there he continued 
 to labour in the public service of the Church, to the full extent of his 
 physical powers. On his return home, he resumed the discharge of his 
 oroinary parochial duties, though they were evidently beyond his strength. 
 And sometimes when his friends would remonstrate with him, on the 
 injury he was doing to his health, he would reply, " I wish to die with 
 the harness on." In the beginning of the year 1833, the congregation, 
 whose attachments to him had remained firm and unabated through the 
 revolutions of more than thirty years, called the writer of this sketch to 
 his assistance in the ministry. This event, to a very great degree, re- 
 moved his anxieties for the welfare of his flock, and soothed his heart, 
 as his last moments were approaching. After its consummation, he 
 seemed to withdraw himself almost entirely from the world, and to give 
 his energies to the work of immediate preparation for death. Within 
 three months of this event, he preached his last pulpit discourse from the 
 text " to die is gain." It was a picture of his own mental exercises, 
 and full of his ordinary power. Once only after this he addressed his 
 congregation in public. It was at the Communion, and within two 
 months of his death. Rising to serve a table, he took, as the theme of 
 his remarks, the " Tree of life," and while the audience was listening 
 with breathless attention to his words of faith and love, he concluded 
 abruptly, with the declaration — " But I feel that my labours in the sanc- 
 tuary below are about to close. I shall soon go away, to eat of the 
 fruit of the ' Tree of life,' which is in the midst of the Paradise above !" 
 
 After this period. Dr. M'Leod remained in retirement ; and though he 
 suffered much, he had intervals of calm enjoyment in his own medita- 
 tions, and in edifying discouises with others. His conversation was in 
 
XX INTRODUCTORY ESSAY, 
 
 heaven. He was literally delivered from the fear of death, and con- 
 templated its approach with joy. From his knowledge of the usual 
 operation of the disease under which he was labouring, he anticipated a 
 sudden departure. To him who now records the fact, he said, after a 
 lengthened conversation on the subject, " You need not be surprised at 
 any time when you leave me, to find me gone when you return." But 
 he added, with a look of heavenly serenity and joy never to be forgot- 
 ten, *' Be not unduly moved, by the grace of our God I am ready for the 
 change. They speak of the grave as the gate of death, but I call it 
 the gate of life — and I know that when the earthly house of this taber- 
 nacle is dissolved, I have a building of God, a house not made with 
 hands, eternal in the heavens !" 
 
 The closing scene at length arrived. It was the morning of the Sab- 
 bath. The writer was preparing for the pulpit in retirement. A request 
 came from the dying father, that the household should be collected, 
 and once more go to the throne of grace together. The writer led in 
 the exercises ; the twenty-third of the Psalms of inspiration was sung, 
 and the departing saint joined in it with an audible voice. When the 
 prayer was ended, he turned himself in the bed, fixed his eyes on each 
 individual in the room, and then lifting up his hands, with distinct utter- 
 ance, pronounced the apostolic benediction. The family having retired, 
 he said to his wi'e beside him, " It is the Sabbath, and I am at peace." 
 In less than two hours his spirit had calmly departed to the rest of 
 heaven. He had gone to realize what he describes in the last of his 
 sermons on " True Godliness." " Personal religion was perfect .'" 
 
 While the writer was in the pulpit conducting the devotions of the 
 sanctuary, as God was pleased to help him, the service was interrupted 
 by the mournful announcement that the father and pastor was gone. 
 The voice of weeping, not to be restrained, filled the house of prayer. 
 The people were soon dismissed to their homes, and the voice of the 
 dead, with far more power than that of the living pastor, continued to 
 preach to many sorrowing hearts that Sabbath day. 
 
 Dr. M'Leod died on the 17th of February, 1833, in the fifty-eighth 
 year of his age, and thirty-fourth of his ministry. 
 
 We had not intended, when we commenced this essay, to write a life 
 of Dr. M'Leod, nor have we done so. An old and intimate friend of 
 the deceased, entirely competent to the task, has already done that 
 work, and it will be submitted to the public eye in due season. Our 
 simple purpose has been to illustrate the principle of our introductory 
 observations — to show that Dr. Alexander M'Leod has stamped his own 
 character upon his " Discourses on the Life and Power of True Godli- 
 
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS 
 
 EYAI&ELICAL RELIGIOK 
 
 INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 SERMON I. 
 
 Luke ii. 10. — I bring you good tidings of great joy. 
 
 The pleasure which a great and good mind always takes 
 in the contemplation of what is extensively beneficial, will 
 account for the interest which the holy angels feel in the work 
 of redemption. Those mighty agents, guided by vast intel- 
 ligence in all their acts, are indeed commanded by the Lord 
 to serve him in his government; but, so far from feeling duty 
 a burden are they in ministering to elect men, that they take 
 care to demonstrate their own joy, in every step of the prog- 
 ress of the sinner's salvation. The loss of members, which 
 the celestial society snstained by the fall of rebel angels, is 
 made up by the introduction of redeemed men into their 
 high fellowship ; and in this they rejoice : But, the superior 
 developement, which is made in the covenant of grace, of the 
 Persons and the perfections of the Godhead ; and the supe- 
 rior felicity which is consequently diffused through the intel- 
 ligent creation, principally account for the angelic ecstasy 
 which accompanied the delivery of the evangelical message 
 announced in my text. 
 
 On the night of Christ's nativity, a messenger, probably 
 Gabriel, is sent from heaven to inform the shepherds of Beth- 
 lehem of the event which had just come to pass in the city 
 of David. These men had succeeded to the occupation of 
 the son of Jesse, and, after many ages had passed away, occu- 
 
22 THE DISTINGUISHING CHAnACTERS 
 
 pied the same fields of the wood, which oft had echoed the 
 tones of his harp, before he was called from private life to 
 superintend the concerns of an empire. If they partook of 
 his spirit, they thought, like him, of the promise made unto 
 the fathers. That promise is now accomplished ; and fear 
 came upon them when the ethereal messenger stands before 
 them. A circle of light of undescribable splendour sur- 
 rounded the humble pastors, while the Angel said unto them^ 
 Fear not : for behold^ I bring you good tidings of great joy. 
 
 He proceeded to deliver his message. He assured them, 
 that the Messiah of the prophets, the Saviour of sinners, the 
 Anointed of the Lord, was actually born of a woman in 
 Bethlehem- Judah ; and he minutely described the condition 
 in which the shepherds should find him. Upon communica- 
 ting these tidings, he was suddenly joined with a multitude 
 of the heavenly host ; and the astonished shepherds beheld 
 them, in the light of the glory of the Lord which shone 
 around them, and distinctly heard them singing, with inim- 
 itable melody. Glory to God in the highest^ and on earth peace^ 
 good will towards men. 
 
 Glory to God in heaven, and feacc to men on the earth, aro 
 two distinct objects of consideration. They did appear irrec- 
 oncileable ; but they are made to unite harmoniously in one 
 principle, now clearly exhibited in the incarnation of the Son 
 of God — Good toill towards men. In this union, every good 
 mind will rejoice. 
 
 May we, brethren, following the example of the shepherds, 
 after the angels were gone away from them into heaven, say 
 one to another, " Let us now go and see this thing which is 
 come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us." 
 We too shall find, that the gospel of Christ is, what the text 
 affirms it to be, glad tidings of great joy. 
 
 The mere fact, of the humble birth of the Son of man in 
 Bethlehem, irrespective of the design of his appearance, 
 would not, it is true, prove an occasion of such joy to all 
 people: it is the appearance of Messiah according to the pur- 
 pose and the promise of God, and the certainty of his accom- 
 plishing the work given to him to do, that laid the foundation 
 of the hope of man and the joy of angels. It is on this 
 account, the celestial minister called his message to men, 
 " good tidings ;" and it is on this account, that we still call 
 the Christian religion, by its familiar name, the Gospel. Ad- 
 mitting then as truth, without any additional proof, what the 
 angel said to the shepherds, That Christianity is indeed good 
 
OF EVANGELICAL RELIGION. 23 
 
 news, let us illustrate the assertion by a review of its pecu- 
 liar advantages. We who now preach this gospel have par- 
 ticular facilities for such illustration. Not only do we know 
 that Christ came into the world ; but, we also know, that he 
 lived to obey and magnify the law in our room ; that he suf- 
 fered unto death to satisfy divine justice for our sins ; that he 
 arose from the dead, and ascended to the right hand of God 
 to administer the blessings of redemption to his covenant 
 seed : and that he is able to save to the uttermost all that 
 come unto God by him. 
 
 I proceed, then, to lay before you, with all the distinctness 
 of which I am capable, 
 
 THE PECULIAR EXCELLENCES OF THE GOSPEL. 
 
 In announcing my design, I feel myself compelled, in 
 order to prevent undue expectation on the part of my audience, 
 to explain the sense in which I use the terms employed in 
 the proposition. 
 
 Gospel, from the German Got-spell, signifies a good word, 
 and corresponds precisely with the original expression in the 
 New Testament,* literally rendered, as in the text, good 
 tidings. It is the word of Christ in the revelation of his 
 grace: It is Christianity itself, very justly, as well as em- 
 phatically, called Evangelical Religion. 
 
 The peculiar excellences of evangelical religion are those 
 good things, which belong exclusively to Christianity ; and 
 which also are superior in value to any thing which apper- 
 tains to any other system of religion whatsoever. Every re- 
 ligion, however mischievous in its tendency, and false in its 
 principal doctrines, holds up to view some good things in 
 common with divine revelation. The Jew, the Pagan, the 
 Mahometan, the Deist, and the Heretic who bears the Chris- 
 tian name, may each consistently preach and write many 
 sound sentiments, recommend general morality, and urge the 
 necessity of preparation for a world to come. Any of these 
 may, consistently with his own religion, descant with fervour 
 and with eloquence, though not evangelically, yet in terms 
 resembling sermons from the Christian pulpit, upon the im- 
 portance of devotion, of penitence, of self-denial, and of 
 benevolence, and so display distinguished talents and erudi- 
 tion. True religion has, nevertheless, its own characteristics. 
 
 * 'Evayye\iov, in old English, Evangel, or Evangely. The verb 
 tvayycXi^ojxai employed by the angel to the shepherds, I evangelize, is 
 very correctly rendered, I bring you good tidings — I preach the gospel. 
 
24 THE DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS 
 
 It has properties which distinguish it from every other sys- 
 tem ; and these properties excel. 
 
 It is not the object of this discourse to explain the good 
 things which evangelical religion holds in common with any 
 other system ; nor shall I undertake to show how far other 
 systems may be indebted, either more immediately or re- 
 motely, to Christianity for every good thing which belongs 
 to them. It is my design to distinguish the gospel of the 
 grace of God from every other system, by specifying its own 
 peculiar excellences. 
 
 Christianity, alone, establishes friendship between God and 
 man in a Mediator — Provides perfect satisfaction to divine 
 justice for the sinner's transgression — Secures a change of 
 mind from sinfulness to holiness by supernatural power — and, 
 Communicates a full title to a place in heaven on account of 
 the merits of another. 
 
 These are its peculiarities. These are the excellences of 
 evangelical religion. Judge ye whether the message, that an- 
 nounces them to fallen man, be justlydenominated good tidings. 
 
 1. The Christian religion alone proposes to man friend- 
 ship and communion with God in a Mediator, and effects 
 reconciliation by providing a Mediator perfectly qualified for 
 the purpose. 
 
 The most general, and at the same time, the most correct 
 idea, which can be formed of religion, is a friendly connexion* 
 between the reasonable creature and the Supreme being: 
 and every system, ancient and modern, true or false, which 
 bears the name of religion, proposes such a connexion be- 
 tween God and man, as shall secure to the children of men 
 the favour and protection of the Deity. 
 
 Socrates, and I select his remarks in illustration, because 
 he was the wisest of the heathen, declared, just before he 
 swallowed the poison that produced his death, his conviction 
 of the immortality of the soul, and of the future happiness of 
 those who live in the practice of a divine life. 
 
 An idolatrous devotion constituted the religion of this dis- 
 tinguished man. " We may," said he, " say our prayers to 
 the Gods as it is our duty ; and implore them to make our 
 exit from this world and our last stage happy : for I have al- 
 
 * Religion, is fiom the Latin Religio, and that from Religare, to 
 bind ; because it is the bond of connexion with God. Lactantiiis ait 
 reUgionem dici a reUgando. Sunt dicti rehgiosi ex relegendo ; ut ele- 
 gantes ex eligendo, tamquam a deligendo diligentes, ex intelligendo 
 intelligeutes. — Cic. Nat. Deorum. 
 
OF EVANGELICAL RELIGION. 25 
 
 ways heard say, that we ought to die peaceably, and blessing 
 the Gods." His last words were an injunction upon his spe- 
 cial friend to sacrifice, on his account, a cock to Esculapius : 
 and yet, idolater as he was, with all his reputation for phi- 
 losophy, he g-ave utterance to sentiments which are not ex- 
 celled by many professed ambassadors of Jesus Christ. 
 "Athenians, I honour and love you; but I shall choose 
 rather to obey God than you — the divine providence will not 
 be wanting — upon departing out of this life, two ways are 
 open to us ; the one leads to the place of eternal misery, the 
 other conducts those to the happy mansions of the Gods who 
 have retained their purity upon earth, and have led in human 
 bodies a life almost divine." 
 
 A mediator, too, by whose aid God is rendered propitious, 
 is admitted by other systems of religion than that which is 
 evangelical. A McffCTrn, as the Greeks call a mediator, an 
 intercessor, or an umpire in case of controversy, was often 
 employed by the ancients in settling strife. The idea is also 
 familiar to men of our own age, both in public and in private 
 life, in putting an end to contention between individuals and 
 rival or belligerent commonwealths. 
 
 It is easy to transfer this idea to our relations with the 
 Deity. The inferior divinities of Pagan mythology, the 
 demons of Plato and Socrates, and other famous philosophers 
 of the heathen school, the interceding angels and saints of 
 the great Apostacy which, unhappily for the repose of the 
 world, and the purity of the church, bears the Christian name, 
 are so many mediators, employed by the disordered fancy of 
 sinful mortals to restore them to, and preserve thern in, the 
 favour and friendship of their gods. 
 
 The gospel is distinguished, from those systems of religion, 
 which admit not a mediator, and from those, which propose 
 to effect reconciliation with God by such means, not only by 
 revealing a Mediator of superior excellency, but also by 
 securing the favour and friendship of God vi him. There 
 is one Mediator between God and man. In him God is rec- 
 onciled to man. In him man is reconciled to God. In him 
 God and man unite, agree, and have fellowship one with 
 another. Both the parties are not merely influenced to friend- 
 ship by a proposed arrangement of the causes of variance, 
 but they arc both in foct in the Lord Jesus Christ, and i/i him 
 are inseparably united to one another. ^5 thou^ Father^ art 
 in we, and I in ihee, that they also may he one in us* This 
 * John xvii. 21. 
 3 
 
26 THE DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS 
 
 is the fact which alone essentially distinguishes the mediation 
 of the gospel from every other kind of mediation whatsoever. 
 It is a peculiar excellence of the evangelical faith. 
 
 Employ, my fellow-sinners, whatever other agents or in- 
 struments you please to procure the favour of Jehovah for 
 your souls and bodies ; multiply and exalt mediators indef- 
 initely ; and still you will find it labour in vain to propose a 
 parallel to the man Christ Jesus. Assign, also, to this same 
 personage, all the employment and dignity of which you can 
 conceive, to the exclusion of the idea of union with God in 
 him, and still you have denied the evangelical faith, and re- 
 jected an essential part of the good tidings of Christianity. 
 
 God, the only Lawgiver of the universe, is offended at the 
 intelligent creature who prostitutes his rational powers to 
 oppose his equitable government. God is holy, and cannot 
 behold moral evil without abhorrence. God is just, and w^ill 
 not clear the guilty : but he is also gracious, and has pro- 
 vided a Mediator — his own Son. God so loved the world that 
 he gave his only begotten So?i, that ichosoevcr helicveth in him 
 should not perish^ but have everlasting life. The Redeemer is 
 divine. Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. 
 Possessed of the divine nature, he assumed the nature of man. 
 Forasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh and blood, 
 he also himself took part of the same. God was manifest in 
 the flesh. Thus uniting in his own person the nature of both 
 the parties at enmity, he is a fit Mediator between them : and 
 both meet, willingly in fact, as well as by nature, in him. 
 In him it pleased the Father that all fulness should dwell. 
 God is in Christ reconciling the world unto himself We 
 too are brought to him, come to him, and are found in him. 
 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are 
 in Christ Jesus. 
 
 These, then, brethren, are good tidings communicated to 
 us from heaven : They alone reveal a Mediator, who is both 
 God and man, and in whom we have secured to us, by 
 covenant, the intimate and perpetual friendship of a recon- 
 ciled God. 
 
 2. Christianity is the only religion which provides perfect 
 satisfaction to divine justice for all the sins of them who are 
 reconciled to God. 
 
 Satisfaction for transgression is. in all cases, necessary to the 
 re-establishment of confidential friendship. It is indeed more 
 magnanimous in the intercourse of man with man to pardon 
 than to punish private injury. In this world of imperfection, 
 
OF EVANGELICAL RELIGION. 27 
 
 it is more grateful to behold, amidst scenes of sin and wretched- 
 ness, instances of grace and mercy, than indications of severity 
 and vengeance. Notwithstanding this benign feeling, which 
 is no doubt occasioned by the constitution of mercy which 
 heaven hath established, in subserviency to the covenant of 
 grace, for the government of the present world, it is still 
 remarkable that no confidence can be mutual between the 
 offender and the offended unless the former has given, and 
 the latter has received, satisfaction. The man who has com- 
 mitted an injury, and has not virtue enough to make repara- 
 tion, acting upon this principle, is always the enemy of the 
 once injured person, and he who has been aggrieved, although 
 he may forgive, will not confide in. the aggressor until, by 
 apology, by compensation, by penitence, or general character, 
 he becomes satisfied as to the friendship of his antagonist. 
 
 There are cases, too, occurring in the intercourse of man 
 with man, and of nation with nation, when an evil once com- 
 mitted, or an injury inflicted, cannot be undone or repaired. 
 The penitent may return property, and so repair the injury 
 committed by robbery ; but murder is without remedy, be- 
 cause life cannot be restored by created power. Punishment, 
 due in all cases to transgression, must be remitted where 
 satisfaction has taken place : but unexpiated guilt necessarily 
 excludes the criminal from favour under a righteous juris- 
 prudence. 
 
 Such ideas of moral order are always more or less famil- 
 iar to those who have moral faculties ; and they are applica- 
 ble also to our relations with Deity. Men, in every age, 
 feeling themselves transgressors of the law of God, have 
 sought out for some means of expiation ; and every species 
 of religion proposes something, either in the character of 
 man, or to be obtained without him, which shall serve as an 
 atonement for his iniquities. While the fanatic proposes his 
 own inward raptures as a covering for his imperfections, men 
 of colder temperament hold up the supposed excellences of 
 their character to shield them from the punishment invited 
 by their misconduct. By far the greater part of mankind, 
 however, look around them for some gift to present to their 
 deities, in order to conciliate their favour. Sacrifices and 
 offerings of this description constituted a great part of the 
 devotional exercises of the heathen world. Voluntary ab- 
 stinence, pilgrimages, prayers, and penance have also, as well 
 as the slain victim, been severally employed by superstition 
 in giving satisfaction for sin. 
 
28 THE DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS 
 
 A review of the several systems of religion which have 
 from time to time appeared among men, will sufficiently show 
 the universality of some sense of moral evil, and of the neces- 
 sity of having something to appease the divinity ; but it will 
 also show that the sentiments of men unenlightened by the 
 gospel, have, always upon these subjects, been partial and 
 inaccurate. All who do not embrace the evangelical doc- 
 trine, with the exception of those few friends of immorality 
 who esteem no crime worthy of punishment, unite in the dis- 
 tinction, which our Reformers exposed in the Catholic Apos- 
 tacy, of sins into venial and mortal. Christianity alone reveals 
 the necessity of perfect satisfaction to divine justice for every 
 act of transgression, and points out the sacrifice by which it 
 is actually made. If there be any one principle more clearly 
 revealed, more important, and more frequently inculcated than 
 another, it is this : Without shedding of blood there is ?io 
 remission. There is no venial sin: for every sin deserves the 
 wrath of God, both in this life and in that which is to come ; 
 and, the Redeemer of Israel, in bearing our punishment, satis- 
 fied the demands of justice for every transgression. No other 
 religion, but the gospel, provides such satisfaction. This is 
 of course one of its peculiar excellences. It is good news to 
 the poor awakened sinner, that the blood of the Covenant 
 cleanses from all sin. 
 
 I use, my brethren, in this connection, in preference to the 
 word atone^ the expression " satisfy divine justice" for our sins, 
 not merely out of deference to the excellent compilers of our 
 acknowledged ecclesiastical standards, but chiefly because this 
 phrase, although rarely used in modern pulpits, has not been 
 as yet rendered indefinite or unintelligible. It is scarcely pos- 
 sible to live in the habit of saying, that Christ satisfied divine 
 justice for our sins, and yet deny that they needed such satis- 
 faction. It is scarcely possible to live in the habit of saying, 
 that Christ satisfied divine justice for our sins, and yet affirm 
 that justice also admits of their punishment after it is satisfied. 
 It is not possible for the reasonable creature to believe, that the 
 Surety satisfied divine justice for the sins of those who are 
 suffering in the everlasting fire the punishment of those very 
 sins. I readily admit, that the two expressions, " Satisfaction 
 for sin," and "Atonement for sin," are, in their proper, if not 
 in their modern use, perfectly synonymous ; and that both 
 exclude any subsequent punishment ; that each implies the 
 reconciliation of the parties at variance : and yet, somehow 
 it has come to pass, that very discerning men have made 
 
OF EVANGELICAL RELIGION. 29 
 
 themselves familiar with ideas of an atonement, which they 
 revere as complete, although it neither satisfies justice nor 
 procures reconciliation. So powerful is the influence of 
 habit, that we use terms, without knowing their import, be- 
 cause we have been accustomed to them. But sure I am, 
 that no man will, in the common concerns of life, in the courts 
 of law, or in the public transactions of nations, consider that 
 atonement as complete, which is not satisfactory, nor that 
 satisfactory, which does not set future controversy aside, pro- 
 duce reconciliation, and exclude further punishment. 
 
 Atonement, of whatever kind, always implies a previous 
 understanding between the parties, that what is offered, as 
 such, by the one, shall be received, as satisfactory, by the 
 other. A Sacrifice may indeed be made and is often made, 
 without any antecedent agreement, and without any subse- 
 quent acknowledgment ; but Atonement cannot possibly be 
 considered irrespectively of a contract stipulating that the 
 sacrifice shall be accepted as compensation for the offence. 
 The offering, presented with intent to conciliate, may be in 
 itself of little value, or it may be of transcendent worth ; it 
 may be effectual or ineffectual to its purpose, if no previous 
 agreement exist: but atonement, being the satisfaction required 
 and given for the injury ; it is impossible to conceive of it as 
 either indefinite or ineffectual. This would be to deny the 
 doctrine of atonement altogether. It is probably the mistake 
 of not distinguishing between the sacrifice itself, and the effect 
 produced by it, that has occasioned so much diversity of opin- 
 ion among Christians relative to the extent of the satisfaction 
 given to divine justice by the death of the Son of God. The 
 Sacrifice is intrinsically of infinite Avorth ; but, the atonement 
 produced by it, is defined by previous compact — The eternal 
 Covenant of Redemption and of Grace. 
 
 It is then a peculiar excellency of evangelical religion, that 
 it secures reconciliation with God upon the footing of perfect 
 satisfaction made to divine justice for all the sins of Christ's 
 spiritual seed. The Son of God became the Son of man also. 
 He is himself the Priest, himself the Sacrifice, himself the 
 Altar which sanctifies the gift. He acted in the name and 
 in the room of his people. He said, It is finished : and God 
 is well pleased. He, through the eternal Spirit, offered him- 
 self without spot to God ; and by this one offering, he hath 
 perfected for ever them that are sanctified. 
 
 3. Evangelical religion, alone, secures to man a change 
 of mindj by supernatural power, from sinfulness to holiness. 
 
30 THE DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS 
 
 The benefits of pure morals are obvious to every one : and 
 every scheme of religion proposes some restraints upon vice. 
 The very idea of society, includes the use of means for the 
 preservation of order, the maintenance of justice, and for the 
 reformation or punishment of transgressors, in order to pro- 
 mote the public morality. Plans for instructing youth, in 
 useful knowledge, for restraining their eager passions, and 
 for establishing among all classes habits of regularity, have, 
 in every part of the civilized v^orld, been esteemed and recom- 
 mended. The sense of right and wrong, so universal among 
 mankind, refers, however, to a higher authority, than the 
 spontaneous regulations of social life. Conscience derives its 
 force from the consideration of some invisible superior, who 
 is at once the Lawgiver, the Witness, and the Judge of moral 
 conduct. Men's ideas of morality cannot, therefore, fail to 
 be greatly affected, by the opinions which they entertain re- 
 specting the attributes of the object of their adoration : and 
 the moral tendency of the doctrines, if it can be correctly esti- 
 mated, furnishes an excellent criterion, at all times, of its 
 truth and its worth. However numerous and powerful may 
 be the other causes which affect the condition of morals in 
 any community, we are able generally to learn from it the 
 character of their gods and their worship ; and for the same 
 reason we may also conjecture what is the state of morality 
 among a people from a knowledge of the attributes which 
 they ascribe to their Deities. The licentious votaries of 
 Comus, of Venus, and of Bacchus, as well as the ferocious 
 followers of Thor, of Woden, and of Freya, will bear upon 
 their hearts the image of their respective gods. 
 
 From the state of Society, from time to time, among the 
 descendants of Abraham, it is not difficult to ascertain, whether 
 they were most in the habits of worshipping the Lord God 
 of Israel, or of bowing the knee to Baal, and sacrificing to 
 Moloch. 
 
 While the moral tendency of the Christian religion evinces 
 its decided superiority to every other system, it is peculiarly 
 characterized by making effectual provision for the reforma- 
 tion of the heart and the life. This provision consists, not 
 merely in furnishing the best instruction and the most power- 
 ful motives to a life of righteousness, but, principally, in giving 
 absolute effect, to these means of improvement, by the power 
 of the Holy Ghost. Revelation makes present always, to our 
 immortal minds, one infinitely glorious God ; the Creator and 
 Governor of the universe, in whom we live, and move, and 
 
OF EVANGELICAL RELIGION. 31 
 
 have our being, and in whom all things consist. It makes 
 him present to us, in the midst of our wants and our enjoy- 
 ments, exclusively the object of our fears and our hopes, 
 Jehovah, possessed of all perfection, without one discordant 
 attribute, is himself wisdom, goodness, power, truth, love, im- 
 mense, unchangeable, and eternal. This, Christian, is your 
 God. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, one God: 
 He is the object of your adoration ; to him you are baptized ; 
 and from him you receive the blessing. 
 
 When God created man, he did not leave him to live at 
 random. He impressed a law upon his heart. He reiterated 
 his precepts with an Almighty voice from the flaming heights 
 of Sinai. He wrote them on Tables of Stone. He gave them 
 to us in the Bible : and he hath made an everlasting impres- 
 sion of them on the tables of our renovated hearts. Whereof 
 the Holy Ghost also is a icitncss to us : for after that he had 
 said before^ This is the Covenant that I loill make with them ; 
 after those days^ saith the Lord, I tvill put my laws into their 
 hearts, and in their minds ivill I lorite them. 
 
 Christianity provides directions for every relation and every 
 condition of life. It is a rule of conduct to the magistrate 
 and minister, to the father and the son, to the husband and 
 the wife, to the neighbour and the stranger ; and especially 
 to the whole household of faith. It is a lamp suspended over 
 the path of the poor, the industrious, and the opulent, which 
 gives light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. 
 It allays resentment. It cherishes contentment. It encourages 
 magnanimity, benevolence, and beneficence ; and sanctifies 
 the disposition to piety and truth, until the man of God be 
 perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 
 
 Evangelical religion describes holiness in the clearest terms; 
 requires it by the purest precepts ; illustrates it by the best 
 examples ; and urges it by the tenderest motives, and under 
 the most awful and solemn sanctions : But it is peculiarly 
 distinguished from every other kind of religion, of whatever 
 name, by certainly providing for the communication of holi- 
 ness to the mind of sinful man, by supernatural power. In 
 this, the gospel stands alone. In recommending morahty, 
 other systems may imitate, though they cannot equal it; 
 but, this alone provides the washing of regeneration, and re- 
 newing of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 Fallen man is, by nature, a sinner. He is dead in tres- 
 passes and in sins — " w^holly defiled in all the faculties and 
 parts of soul and body. By this original corruption," I use 
 
32 THE DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS 
 
 the words of our ecclesiastical standards, " wc are utterly in- 
 disposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good. Man, by 
 his fall, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual 
 good — He is not able, by his own strength, to convert him- 
 self, or to prepare himself thereunto." Man is indeed natu- 
 rally a moral agent. Intellect, he possesses ; Conscience, he 
 possesses ; Will, he possesses. He is, consequently, a subject 
 of moral law and government. He has the power of per- 
 ceiving what is before him ; the sense of right and wrong; 
 and liberty of choosing his own course of life. These are 
 moral faculties ; they constitute him a moral agent. They 
 are natural faculties ; they are a part of the constitution of 
 human nature: But no exertion of these faculties, unassisted 
 by supernatural power, can possibly produce holiness. En- 
 large them as you will; strengthen them, indefinitely, if you 
 please ; without divine grace, there is no ability to will or to 
 do what is spiritually good. However powerful the intellect, 
 it is still spiritually blind. However acute the moral sense, 
 it is still the guilty conscience. However efficient the will, 
 it is still but vigorous in evil. This is human nature cor- 
 rupted. Give it what degrees of power you will ; increase 
 it again ten thousand fold ; let it at once exert all its ability: 
 This augmented natural ability, in all its exertions, is evil 
 continually. It is impossible it were otherwise ; for it is 
 nature still. Whatsoever is born of the flesh, is flesh : and 
 the carnal mind is emnity against God ; for it is not subject 
 to the law of God, neither indeed can be. It is still corrupt 
 nature. So then they that are in the fleshy cannot please God. 
 There is no remedy, but a change of nature: and a change 
 of nature requires supernatural po\ver. 
 
 To be carnally minded, is death. Yes, brethren, it is 
 death ; and if there be natural ability in fallen man to effect 
 upon himself regeneration of nature, then is death no longer 
 the extinction^ but the creator of life. Then, too, shall bodies 
 form themselves from the dust : souls shall become their own 
 creators: the dead shall by their own ability burst forth from 
 their tombs: worlds shall call themselves into existence; and 
 we shall cease to insult your understandings with the delusive 
 evangelical message. 
 
 But, no ! brethren ; rather let every mouth be stopped, and 
 all the world become guilty before God. I bring you good 
 tidings. What is impossible with man, is possible with God. 
 Although by nature dead, your life is hid with Christ in 
 God. And you hath he quickened, who were dead in tres- 
 
OF EVANGELICAL RELIGION. 33 
 
 passes and sins : For we are his workmanship created in 
 Christ Jesus unto good works. It is the Spirit that quicken- 
 eth. Whatsoever is born of the Spirit is spirit. He that 
 began this good work shall carry it on to the day of Jesus 
 Christ. For whom he did predestinate, them he also called ; 
 whom he called, them he also justified ; and whom he justi- 
 fied, them he also glorified. We all with open face, behold- 
 ing as in a glass the glory of the Lord, shall be changed 
 into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of 
 the Lord. 
 
 4. Evangelical religion secures for believers a title to a 
 place in heaven, on account of the merits of another — the 
 merits of their Redeemer. 
 
 By grace are ye saved through faith ; and that not of your- 
 selves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should 
 boast. That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might 
 grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. 
 
 Every religion, I am aware, proposes to its devout followers, 
 exemption from endless punishment, and happiness in the 
 world to come. So far, these systems occupy common ground 
 with the gospel ; and alas ! many who profess the faith of 
 Jesus Christ, are contented to occupy no more, through life, 
 than common ground with them. They found their hopes 
 of future happiness, upon some inherent or acquired excel- 
 lency, distinguishing themselves from others of their fellow- 
 men. These qualities, of their personal character, upon 
 which their hopes repose, may, indeed, as custom, or educa- 
 tion, or convenience dictates, be represented as conferred upon 
 them by favour from on high ; and thus, while they speak 
 in terms of modesty, and cast the veil of affected humility, 
 over their pride; they still rest their hopes of admission into 
 heaven, upon some attribute of their own moral character, 
 whatever may be the manner in which it was communicated 
 or acquired. Ascribe, as you please, my hearers, the good 
 qualities of your heart and life, to your natural constitution, 
 to your improvement of opportunities, to your friends, to your 
 education, to your church or country, to the general providence 
 or the special grace of God ; refer your personal goodness 
 to whatever source, if you rest upon it your title to celestial 
 blessedness, and make it the foundation of your faith and 
 your hope, you subvert the gospel, and are not yet essentially 
 different from the heathen. The righteousness of Jesus 
 Christ, the Mediator, is alone the condition of the gracious 
 
34 THE DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS 
 
 covenant which provides for the salvation of human sinners. 
 Upon that only is the promised beatitude suspended by Jeho- 
 vah : that alone constitutes the title of believers to the ever- 
 lasting inheritance. Good qualities, supernaturally communi- 
 cated, do indeed belong to believers : good works, by the 
 grace of God and the influence of the Holy Spirit, are cer- 
 tainly performed by them : Without personal holiness, no 
 man shall see the Lord in heaven : Our sanctification, even 
 unto perfection, is our fitness for the company and the enjoy- 
 ments of the celestial mansions ; but the merits of Christ's 
 obedience and death, is alone our right to the possession of 
 eternal glory. Other foundation can no man lay, than that 
 which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 
 
 It is a peculiar part of the evangelical message, to offer, 
 upon the divine authority, this good title to miserable and 
 condemned sinners. The reception of Christ's righteousness, 
 is the reception of the title to happiness. Union with Jesus 
 Christ is alone the means of communion with him in his per 
 feet righteousness ; and this union is effected by faith in his 
 name. He that believeth shall be saved. There is, therefore, 
 noio no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. Had 
 our own superior improvement of means, been the ground of 
 our acceptance with God, or the cause which made us to 
 differ from our fellow-sinners, then indeed should we have 
 cause to boast of that superiority. Then should we reverse 
 the language of the saints, and say. Lord, unto us, Lord, unto 
 us, be at least a share in the glory. Were our title, to repose 
 among the blessed, founded upon our own intrinsic merit, in 
 obedience to the divine law, then too doth righteousness come 
 by that law, and Christ is dead in vain. We, however, have 
 not so learned Christ. God forbid that I should glory, save 
 in the cross of our Lord. He loved us, and w^ashed us from 
 our sins in his own blood ; he made us kings and priests unto 
 God ; and unto him be the glory for ever and ever. Amen ! 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 From this review, of the distinguishing excellences of 
 evangehcal religion, loe may derive an argument for preach- 
 ing the gospel of God with fidelity ; and you may learn how 
 to receive the glad tidings. Let us join these two together 
 in the concluding remarks. 
 
 Seeing the gospel of the grace of God is good news to all 
 people, it is an honourable office with which its preachers are 
 invested ; and it is worthy of all acceptatiori. 
 
OF EVANGELICAL RELIGION. 35 
 
 Angels are not unwilling to consecrate their time and their 
 talents to the publication of this gracious message ; and shall 
 not we, who hope for the salvation of our own souls, take 
 pleasure in delivering to you the truth as we have ourselves 
 received it from the Lord ? No time, no talents can be better 
 or more agreeably occupied than in this employment. 
 
 To preach, is to publish as a herald^ not merely an amnesty 
 for the rebel ; not that he may be introduced in oblivion of 
 the past into a new probation : it is to publish permanent 
 pardon and perfection of blessedness, procured for the chief 
 of sinners by the Son of God, and freely offered in his name 
 for ever and ever. In preaching the gospel we announce 
 facts certified to us by the testimony of God : we declare the 
 doctrine revealed for the instruction of men in righteousness ; 
 and we offer to sinners everlasting life. If these subjects are 
 not worthy of our best exertions, when we stand forth on the 
 Lord's day to address the assembled people, it is impossible 
 to conceive of any thing that should command attention or 
 inspire with persuasive zeal. 
 
 The FACTS, which it is our privilege to announce to our 
 brethren, are of the most interesting kind. They are sup- 
 ported by evidence not to be questioned — the divine testimony. 
 They respect God, and man, and the only Mediator between 
 God and man, together with all that Jehovah has done for 
 the salvation of his fallen, offending, and unworthy creatures. 
 Come., hear., all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he 
 hath done for my soul. The existence and perfections of God; 
 the existence, the fall, the guilt, the corruption, and the misery 
 of man, are facts presupposed in the revelation of grace ; but 
 they are distinctly asserted in the sacred volume, and repeat- 
 edly set forth as articles of our faith. The appointment of a 
 redeeming Head before the world began ; the appearance of 
 the Son of God in our nature ; his birth, life, death, and 
 resurrection ; the perfection of his atonement ; the efficacy 
 of his intercession ; the glory and power of his exaltation ; 
 his superintending providence ; his miracles ; his gracious 
 influence on the souls of his sons and his daughters, all are 
 facts, declared in his word, which we are employed to an- 
 nounce for your information, and which you are under obli- 
 gation to receive with full assurance of faith in the veracity 
 of God. 
 
 In announcing the peculiar facts, asserted in the revelation 
 of divine grace, we are neither to forget nor to conceal, that 
 many of them are mysterious and inexplicable by man. This 
 
36 THE DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS 
 
 inexplicability is, however, no reason why we should not pro- 
 claim the fact, or why you should not believe it when pro- 
 claimed in the name of the Lord. It is no apology for infi- 
 delity. When we make a demand upon your faith in a mat- 
 ter of fact, it is not in the explanation^ but in the reality of the 
 fact, that we require you to believe. We call your attention 
 only to the evidence that so it is ; and we do not pretend in 
 every case to understand or to explain how this comes to be 
 the case. You see the sun. This is the fact. I understand 
 the assertion. You, too, understand and believe it, on the 
 testimony of your own senses. But the unlettered man knows 
 nothing- of the laws of vision ; nor is the philosopher capable 
 of explaining the nature of the solar ray and of the body from 
 which it emanates : much less can he declare the manner in 
 which the soul holds communion with matter in the percep- 
 tion of outward objects. We are surrounded with mysteries. 
 Every phenomenon \\i the natural world, every event in the 
 moral world, leads immediately or ultimately to something 
 inexplicable. It must be so. We are finite creatures. How- 
 ever proud and aspiring, we have but limited capacities. 
 The ministers of the gospel may not pervert this principle 
 for the purpose of uttering absurdities, or demanding of their 
 hearers faith in contradictory assertions. 
 
 We are not to explain what we do not understand, nor to 
 utter any proposition which is not inteUigible. It is impossi- 
 ble to believe any assertion further than its meaning is com- 
 prehended. I'\acts inexplicable are nevertheless daily admit- 
 ted ; and the admission is reasonable. The evidence is one 
 thing, and the ex-planation another. 
 
 There are three great facts, to be announced by evangel- 
 ical ministers, against which, on account of their importance, 
 almost all heresy militates. The union of three persons in 
 the Godhead, the union of two distinct natures in the person 
 of Jesus Christ, the union of all believers with their Head 
 and Lord. They are great mysteries, inexplicable indeed in 
 many respects, but asserted in language perfectly intelligible. 
 The evidence of these facts, is the testimony of God that can- 
 not lie. 
 
 " There are three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the 
 Son, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one God." 
 " The Redeemer of God's elect, is both God and man in two 
 distinct natures and one person." "All believers are spirit- 
 ually and mystically, really and inseparably united to Christ.' 
 
 These are the great mysteries of our religion. There is 
 
OF EVANGELICAL RELIGION. 37 
 
 no error of importance in relation to personal piety, which 
 does not militate against some one of those scriptural facts. 
 They are, however, all asserted in the word of God. The 
 terms of the assertion, are as easily understood, as the follow- 
 ing familiar expressions : the grass grows, the tide flows, and 
 the wind blows. The assertion in all these cases meets with 
 full credit, although we should never be able to explain or 
 comprehend the whole doctrine of vegetation, or of the cur- 
 rents of the air and the ocean, in all its parts and principles. 
 And it is as reasonable to believe what God declares in his 
 holy word, as it is to credit what he reveals to our senses in 
 the constitution of the world. With confidence and with de- 
 light, we preach these facts in the congregation ; and w^ith 
 faith you embrace them. So did the apostles. We believe 
 and are sure that thou art that Christy the So?i of the living 
 God. 
 
 2. Preaching the gospel also includes a declaration of 
 THE DOCTRINES OF iNSFiRATioN for your instruction in right- 
 eousness. Every fact asserted, is itself a doctrine to be taught; 
 and all the facts upon record in the Bible are designed to 
 establish and illustrate principles to be expounded and ap- 
 plied. All scripture is profitable for doctrine. The lights of 
 revelation, kindled by the grace of God in the church which 
 he hath redeemed, are committed to the ministers of religion, 
 that, as lamp-bearers, they may hold them up constantly burn- 
 ing in the sanctuary. To us it is pleasant, brethren, and for 
 you it. is safe, that this light be kept pure, and constant ; that 
 it be made to shine on the heart and the path of every pil- 
 grim ; and that it be diffused over all lands. Vain is their 
 worship who teach or observe, for their doctrines, the com- 
 mandments of men : But the law of the Lord is perfect, con- 
 verting the soul ; the commandment of the Lord is pure, 
 enlightening the eyes. The manifestation, the defence, and 
 the application of truth ; of religious truth ; of revealed truth 
 — this is the great work to which the ministers of Christ con- 
 secrate their time and their talents, their studies and their 
 discourses. It is both their business and their joy. If the 
 truth should be obscured, or concealed, or perverted, although 
 the forms of religion should continue, religion itself would 
 become dark, and cold, and deadly. If the gospel be hid, it 
 is hid to them that are lost. It is in the light of the Sun of 
 Righteousness that believers grow up as the calves of the 
 stall. The doctrines of true religion, coming on the renewed 
 intellect in the Holy Ghost and with much assurance, the 
 
 4 
 
38 THE DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERS 
 
 saints advance in holiness and in comfort through faith unto 
 salvation. 
 
 3. Preaching the gospel of God with fidelity implies the 
 OFFER OF LIFE AND IMMORTALITY, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to 
 every sinner. 
 
 The assertion of matter of fact, and the exposition of doc- 
 trine, both lead to this application. Hereby, the door of faith 
 is set open to the Jew and the Gentile, the bond and the free. 
 Every gospel hearer is invited, commanded, entreated, to 
 come to the Lord our Redeemer for eternal life. Christ is 
 the gift of God. In him alone is salvation. He is the Cov- 
 enant, and in him are all the promises of God. He himself, 
 with all his grace and his blessings, is freely offered to sin- 
 ners of the human family. In making this offer — the gospel 
 offer, we require of you no previous qualification. We offer 
 him unconditionally to sinners. We preach the gospel to 
 every creature. We wait not for your previous reformation ; 
 for your previous conversion ; for your previous repentance 
 or conviction. In him alone are life, and righteousness, and 
 holiness. You are sinners. You have need of a Saviour, 
 whether you are sensible of it or not. The greater your in- 
 sensibility, the greater your need. " Christ came not to call 
 the righteous but sinners to repentance. Let the wicked for- 
 sake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and turn 
 unto the Lord. He that believeth shall be saved." We offer 
 Christ and salvation to you upon the authority of God, be- 
 cause you have need of him : for no other reason derived 
 from your own character, but that you are by nature in an 
 estate of sin and misery. Evangelical preaching, by making 
 such an offer, sets open the door of faith to the sinner, more 
 clearly, more freely, and to a greater extent, than any system 
 of heresy ever can consistently do. We make this uncon- 
 ditional offer upon solid grounds, and without coupling it with 
 false doctrines. We offer salvation in Jesus Christ to the 
 chief of sinners, as a matter entirely and exclusively of the 
 grace of God ; not upon the ground of God's ignorance of 
 those who shall accept and be saved : for the fou?idation of 
 God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoiveth them that 
 me his. Not upon the ground of man's innate ability to re- 
 ceive the offer : for no man can come except the Father draw 
 him. Not upon the ground of the undeterminateness of the 
 number that shall be saved : for as many as are ordained to 
 eternal life, shall believe. Not upon the ground of an indef- 
 inite, unsatisfactory, uncertain atonement irrespective of God's 
 
OF EVANGELICAL RELIGION. 39 
 
 covenant ; for Christ laid down his life by previous contract, 
 and the blood of atonement is the blood of the Covenant. No, 
 beloved brethren, we do not offer you the salvation of God 
 upon false principles ; but upon the authority of the divine 
 commandment requiring us to do so ; and in the full assu- 
 rance, that as to matter of fact, there never was a single 
 instance, and there never will be an instance, in the history 
 of the universe, of a sinner, embracing the offer by faith in 
 Christ Jesus, who shall not certainly inherit eternal life. The 
 mouth of the Lord hath spoken it, He that cometh shall in no 
 wise he cast out ; To as many as received him, to them gave he 
 foioer to become the sons of God. So we preached and so ye 
 believed, that the teacher and the taught may rejoice together 
 in " the glad tidings of great joy." Amen. 
 
40 THE NATURE AND ORIGIN 
 
 THE NATURE AND ORIGIN OF THE 
 CHRISTIAN LIFE. 
 
 SERMON II. 
 
 John iii. 7. — Marvel not that I said unto thee^ Ye must he horn 
 again. 
 
 The great importance of the Christian religion is univer- 
 sally admitted by all who have intelligence enough to form an 
 opinion for themselves upon the subject. Those who have, 
 for centuries, laboured in vain to disgrace and to destroy it, 
 confess their belief of its vast influence over human affairs ; 
 and they who, from whatever motive, have appeared, from 
 time to time, in its defence and propagation, acknowledge its 
 excellency and its usefulness. Those, who are happy enough 
 to feel its power, are not, of course, ignorant of its inestimable 
 worth. They know assuredly, that this is the one thing 
 needful ; that, compared with its enjoyments, all other things 
 are but loss. What inquiry can therefore be more worthy 
 of the reasonable creature, than that which has for its object 
 the principles of Christianity % 
 
 There are three ways, my dear brethren, of considering, 
 for our own improvement, that religion which we believe, 
 enjoy, and inculcate. In all these we have in the holy Scrip- 
 tures an infallible guide. We may consider it. As it was 
 laid down, before the world began, in the divine counsels — 
 As it was taught, secured, and exemplified in the life and 
 death of our Lord Jesus Christ — and, As incorporated in the 
 belief, and experience, and practice of renewed man. 
 
 The first of these modes is the most scientific, and is usually 
 pursued in teaching the students of theology a knowledge of 
 the sacred system : the second is most commonly followed, in 
 their pulpit exhibitions, by those preachers who are determined 
 not to know any thing among their hearers save Jesus Christ 
 and him crucified : and the third is occasionally employed, 
 both from the pulpit and the press, with design so to apply as 
 
OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 41 
 
 well as expound the Christian doctrine, as to discover to the 
 anxious inquirer his own actual condition in relation to per- 
 sonal religion. 
 
 It is the last of these modes which I have resolved to pur- 
 sue in the series of discourses which I now propose to deliver. 
 I begin with a description of that wonderful change which is 
 effected upon sinful man by divine power, when he first be- 
 comes a true Christian. To this object my text directs your at- 
 tention. Marvel not that I said unto thee^ Ye must be horn again. 
 
 You will find, by inspection of the passage of Scripture in 
 which these words occur, that they were originally addressed 
 by our Saviour to a man of Israel, of high distinction in Jeru- 
 salem, whose name is Nicodemus. The whole conversation 
 is interesting and instructive ; and the circumstances under 
 which it took place, give aid in its illustration. 
 
 Our Lord had now, for the first time in the course of his 
 public ministry, made his appearance in the capital of Judea, 
 the centre of ecclesiastical polity, and the place where God 
 recorded his name. Here stood the temple of the Lord ; and 
 here the males of Israel, assembled from all parts of the world, 
 met three times in the year to observe the prescribed solemni- 
 ties. It was on the feast of the Passover, the most remarkable 
 of their holy convocations, when the Son of God ascended 
 Zion Hill, and entered into his Father's house, in the presence 
 of the Sanhedrim, the officiating priests, and the worshipping 
 hosts of Israel. Humbled as he was, voluntarily appearing 
 in the form of a servant, he displayed to their astonishment, 
 in the Temple of Jehovah, the purity and zeal of his heart, 
 the dignity of his office, and the divinity of his mission. He 
 spake with authority ; he banished from the gate those who 
 by their merchandize polluted the sanctuary; and he per- 
 formed miracles which led many to believe in his name. 
 This took place on the day after the paschal supper, the first 
 and high day of the subsequent festivity. It is probable, that 
 before the rulers of the Jews had recovered from their aston- 
 ishment, or had time to concert plans of opposition to the 
 cause of Christ, that in their conversation about the events 
 of the day, they generally admitted the extraordinary mission 
 of Jesus, as a prophet of God, if not the Messiah : and it is 
 certain, that Nicodemus visited him at night, to obtain further 
 knowledge upon this important subject. He was himself a 
 member of the council ; of the sect of the Pharisees ; and, if 
 the Talmud be correct, also a priest, and at this solemnity the 
 officiating minister who presided over the waters that were 
 
 4* 
 
42 THE NATURE AND ORIGIN 
 
 employed for sacred purposes, and which, by figure, repre- 
 sented the purity of heart and life required of the worshippers 
 of God, and communicated by the Holy Spirit to all who be- 
 lievingly ascend the holy hill. Whether from timidity, or 
 from zeal to embrace the first opportunity, he approached, 
 under the shades of night, the lodgings of the Son of man, 
 and addressed him with great candour and respect. The 
 reasonings which he employed as the ground of his own con- 
 victions, and those of his associates, are certainly worthy of 
 a man of understanding and personal integrity. Rabhi^ ice 
 know that thou art a teacher come from God ; for no ma?i can 
 do these miracles that thou chest., except God be unth him. The 
 Redeemer immediately replied to this respectful address, by 
 urging the necessity of regeneration to a life of holiness and 
 happiness : Except a man be born again., he ca?mot see the 
 kingdom of God. The sudden manner in which this doctrine 
 is introduced by our Saviour, in reply to the salutation of the 
 counsellor, has puzzled the commentators to account for it to 
 their own satisfaction: But if Nicodemus was indeed, during 
 the day, the officer who presided over the dispensation of bap- 
 tismal water, in the numerous Jewish purifications, as it was 
 his business to explain the doctrine of inward hoHness in 
 expectation of the kingdomof God, the immediate introduction 
 of this subject will appear perfectly in character. This also 
 shows the aptness of the allusion to water in connexion with 
 the Spirit in verse fifth ; and resolves the difficulty under 
 which critics have laboured from finding the definite article* 
 used in connexion with '' Master of Israel, ^^ in the tenth verse. 
 He was, on that day, the teacher of Israel in this very doctrine 
 of holiness, of the nature and origin of which he was still 
 himself so completely ignorant. 
 
 Nicodemus Ben Gorion was rich, intelligent, and influen- 
 tial. He was a man of candour, of" diligence, and of irre- 
 proachable morals. He was eminent as a professor and a 
 teacher of revealed religion, and consistent in his conformity 
 to the established ritual. He was not only what passes in 
 the church for a good religious man ; but, moreover, a dis- 
 
 * 'O A(<5a(T/fa>of, The teacher of Israel, by way of eminence. As such, 
 our Saviour spoke to him ; and the application of the true doctrine, of 
 the nature and origin of the religious life, under such circumstances, to 
 Nicodemus personally, gave peculiar point to the whole conversation. 
 How many teachers still dispense baptism, and preach about conversion 
 and holiness, while ignorant of the nature of regeneration I 
 
OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 43 
 
 tinguished minister in the sanctuary ; and yet, he was an 
 entire stranger to the life and power of godliness. 
 
 No wonder, then, that he appeared confounded at the doc- 
 trine of the new and second birth : no wonder he would be 
 struck by the pointed application, which our Saviour made 
 to him^ of the principle which he previously laid down in 
 relation to every man. Ye must be born again. 
 
 The text leads me to describe the nature of regeneration 
 or the second birth — and the necessity of it to him who 
 would enjoy the benefits of religion. 
 
 I. The nature of the change, required in the text, is to be 
 explained from the scriptures. 
 
 Thoughtless men who have been brought up, from infancy, 
 in a Christian land, do not inquire into their own state ; but 
 are contented to live in the profession of Christianity without 
 anxiety for any thing more than the name or the outward 
 forms of religion. They may, it is true, have heard and 
 believed the superiority of the Christian faith to infidelity 
 and idolatry, and so be proud of its excellencies, while they 
 view with detestation or pity the Deist or the ignorant Hea- 
 then. They may, sometimes, have caught fire from the altar 
 of party, and have flamed with zeal for the propagation or 
 defence of their own system, and so become satisfied, that 
 they are earnest in the faith, and active in the duties of 
 Christianity, while they are utter strangers to true religion. 
 Generally, however, they bring down religion to the standard 
 of their own formality ; and discard entirely that holiness of 
 heart and of life which is essential to its existence. Those 
 who have come to mature age without the knowledge or 
 belief of the evangelical doctrine, are more apt, in making a 
 profession of religion, to attach importance to the terms, by 
 which conversion is represented ; but they, too, equally with 
 the former, are liable to deception ; and in danger of mista- 
 king any aheration in their views, their feelings, or their con- 
 duct, which may have a devotional tendency, for the change 
 of mind effected by the Spirit of God. It is. therefore, of the 
 greatest importance to all, to understand the true nature of 
 the Christian life in its origin and progress to perfection. 
 
 1 proceed, accordingly, to give you ample evidence of the 
 Fad^ that there is such a change — That it is produced by the 
 power of God's grace — That it is a spiritual change communi- 
 eating a neio life — That this life is instantaneous in its commu- 
 nication^ although progressive in its effects. 
 
 1. The Christian religion effects, upon all its actual sub- 
 
44 THE NATURE AND ORIGIN 
 
 jects, a change of mind for the better.* It is, indeed, uni- 
 versally admitted, by all who pay any respect to the doctrines 
 of the bible, that this is the case. However they may differ 
 as to the nature, the extent, and the importance of the change, 
 there is no disputing the fact. 
 
 A little attention, too, paid to the scriptural expressions by 
 which the change is designated, is sufficient to show, that it 
 does not consist in a miCre outward alteration of conduct or 
 connexions ; in exchanging one set of speculative opinions 
 for another ] in transient exercises of will upon novel objects ; 
 or in any evanescent emotions, whether of love, or of hate, 
 of grief, or of joy. Let me not be misunderstood. A change 
 of appearances there is: a change of feelings there is: a 
 change of acts and of exercises there is: but this is not all: 
 there is also a change of nature. f If any man be in Christy 
 he is a new creature : old things are passed aicay ; behold^ all 
 things are become neiv.\ It is not a new covering for the old 
 man, or a new lining for the old vessel. It is a new man, a 
 vessel of mercy for the master's use. 
 
 The names applied in the sacred oracles, to the change 
 which gives origin to the Christian life, prove that it does 
 not consist in appearances, or in mere exercises of intellectual 
 or active power. It is called, in language neither hyper- 
 bolical, nor designed to mislead our sober judgment, by such 
 names as indicate an entire renovation of the human mind 
 as to its religious character. 
 
 It is a Regeneration : Tit. iii. 5. According to his mercy 
 he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and the renew- 
 ing of the Holy Ghost. It is a Quickening into life : Eph. 
 ii. 5. Even when we were dead in sins, (God) hath quick- 
 ened us together with Christ. It is a Nev: -birth : John iii. 
 3. Verily, verily, I say unto thee. Except a man be born 
 again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. It is a Renova- 
 
 * Mcravoia. A change of mind for the better. — Camp. Diss. 
 
 i It is such a change of mind as renders it natural for man to feel, 
 and to will, and to act differently from what he did, or could possibly do, 
 before it came to pass. Hear the words of a man of sense and piety 
 speaking of this subject. " By a principle of nature in this place, I 
 mean that foundation which is laid in nature, either old or new, for any 
 particular manner or kind of exercise of the faculties of the soul ; or a 
 natural habit, or foundation for action, giving a person ability and dispo- 
 sition to exert the faculties in exercises of a certain kind ; so that to ex- 
 ert the faculties in that kind of exercises may be said to be his nature." 
 — Edwards on the Affections. 
 
 i 2 Cor. V. 17. 
 
OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 45 
 
 tio7i of the intellectual powers of man: Col. iii. 10. The new 
 man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him 
 that created him. It is a Renovation of the active poioers of 
 man : Ezek. xxxvi. 26. A new heart also will I give you, 
 and a new spirit will I put within you. It is, in fact, a new 
 creation: Eph. ii. 10. For we are his workmanship, created 
 in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before 
 ordained that we should walk in them. 
 
 2. The change designated by these expressions is effected 
 exclusively by the power of God. 
 
 The uniform testimony of scripture proves this to be the 
 case : The experience of the saints in every age is a constant 
 admission of the fact: and. indeed, from the nature of the 
 subject, it is impossible it were otherwise. 
 
 I begin, brethren, with the testimony of him who made 
 you, who cannot be deceived himself, and who practises de- 
 ception upon no man. He is best able to describe the cause 
 of that holiness in man, which prepares him for eternal feli- 
 city ; and to unfold the character of the regeneration, without 
 which we cannot see the kingdom of God. His word is the 
 only foundation of your faith. Upon it I rest for proof of 
 my position. Search the scriptures. Every where you 
 find, not only that the preparations of the heart in man are 
 from the Lord ; but also that all other agency is, in this case, 
 ineffectual without his grace and power : so then^ neither is he 
 that planteth any things 7ieither he that tcatereth^ but God that 
 giveth the increase. It is easy to multiply quotations ; but 
 the limits which I have set to myself in this discussion do 
 not permit that I should cite more than three witnesses to the 
 truth which I affirm. These, I hope, will by you be deemed 
 sufficient. The testimonies of a prophet, of an apostle, and 
 of Jesus Christ, the faithful and true Witness, are adequate 
 to the purpose. The Prophet exhibits the Author of regen- 
 eration, and describes the nature of the saving change. The 
 Apostle, describing the same work, not only ascribes it to 
 the power of Jehovah, but excludes the pretensions of other 
 causes. The Redeemer of men asserts the same doctrine, 
 and refers the effect to the Almighty, whom we all adore. 
 Hear and believe. 
 
 Ezek. xi. 19. " Thus saith the Lord God — / icill give 
 them one heart, and / ivill put a new spirit icithin you., and / 
 loill take the stony heart out of their flesh, and / icill give 
 them an heart of flesh ; that they may walk in my statutes." 
 
 John i. 13. " The sons of God — that believe in his namo 
 
46 THE NATURE AND ORIGIN 
 
 — lohich were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor 
 of the will of man^ but of God." 
 
 John V. 17, 21, 24. ''Jesus answered, My Father worketh 
 hitherto, and I work — So the Son quickeneth ivhom he will — 
 Verily, verily, he that heareth my word, and believeth on 
 him that sent me — is passed from death unto life." 
 
 Thus, we see very plainly, that the conversion of the sin- 
 ner — his translation from death into life, is by the working 
 of his mighty power, who raised our Saviour from the dead. 
 
 The experience of believers, in every age, admits and en- 
 forces this precious truth. Very few who make a profession 
 of Christianity have acquired the hardihood necessary to 
 declare, without hesitation or disguise, that they owe their 
 conversion and sanctification to their own exertions, or to 
 other created power. Indirectly, indeed, many discover their 
 pride and their folly, by ascribing much to their own talents 
 and sobriety ; but .1 have never met a man who affirmed as 
 a fact, that he was himself born again without supernatural 
 interference in the case. By far the greater part of those 
 who ever practise prayer to God, are in the habits of suppli- 
 cation for mercy, and confessing upon their knees, that the 
 glory of converting sinners belongs to the Supreme Being. 
 Assuredly, the man who feels the burden of guilt, and smarts 
 under a sense of his wo, will look, not unto the creature, but 
 the Creator, for renovation and peace. Create in me a clean 
 heart, O God ; and renew a right spirit within me. 
 
 It is astonishing, (if any inconsistency in matters of reli- 
 gion, however extravagant, can astonish us) that men, capa- 
 ble of so much reason as to distinguish the right hand from 
 the left, should, at the same time, admit as a fact, that their 
 own conversion is by the power of God, and yet maintain as 
 a doctrine, that the conversion of others must be by the power 
 of man. Collect the testimonies of all Christians; inquire 
 singly of each individual believer ; nay, of every man and 
 woman who professes to be born again : Ask the question 
 plainly, Is it God, or some other one, that has given you the 
 new heart ? and all will acknowledge, that as a matter of 
 fact, this change is of the operation of God. And yet, some- 
 how or other, many will presently set to work, torturing 
 their own ingenuity and the words of divine revelation, in 
 order to find some means of avoiding the consequences of 
 this admission, as if they were eager to explain away a con- 
 cession made with reluctance. The pride of life, the spirit 
 of partjrj the power of error, may effect this much; but there 
 
OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 47 
 
 IS no danger, that any child of God will refuse in heaven to 
 join in the celestial music of the ransomed, while accom- 
 panied with the triumphant harp, they sing. Not unto us^ 
 Lordj not unto us, but unto thy name he the glory of our regen- 
 eration. There, at least, we shall all see eye to eye ; there, 
 brethren, we shall lift up the voice together without discord. 
 
 While the Spirit of God testifies, both in the word of truth, 
 and in the hearts of the saints, that they are horn of God, we 
 are enabled to reason, from the nature of the case, the impos- 
 sibility of effecting otherwise a saving change upon the mind 
 of fallen man. Regeneration, if it ever take place, must be 
 by supernatural power. No other cause is adequate to the 
 effect. 
 
 Means of conversion and of growth in grace are appointed 
 of the Lord; and they are wisely and mercifully adapted to 
 the rational nature, and relative condition of fallen men ; but 
 outward ordinances have not, in themselves, any efficient 
 power over the mind, nor can they derive it from the will of 
 the man who doth administer them to others. They fail, 
 generally, in the effect of renewing the heart ; they have 
 failed, in every place, under all circumstances of age, infor- 
 mation, and interest ; and they always must fail, unless ac- 
 companied by the divine efficiency, in producing any other 
 improvement than what is competent to the old man. The 
 understanding may have ideas about religion communicated 
 and augmented : the conscience may be alarmed or soothed, 
 and rendered more acute : the affections may be moved even 
 to ecstacy about religious objects : and the will, powerfully 
 exercised, may set the whole man in motion ; but yet it is only 
 the improvement of the carnal mind, still retaining its blind- 
 ness and its enmity, That ichich is born of the flesh is flesh* 
 
 No other creature can act upon the mind of man in any 
 
 * From the very nature of the mind, it cannot be influenced by im- 
 pulse as matter is impelled by force. Volition does not admit of an effi- 
 cient but a moving cause. The mind is by nature active. Volition is its 
 own act. It is the mind itself that wills ; and the reason why it wills one 
 thing and not another, depends upon the motive. By the very principle 
 which excludes the possibility of any other efficient cause of human vo- 
 lition than the natural activity of mind itself, the necessity of a moving 
 cause for every volition is infallibly established. It is therefore manifest, 
 that whatever power ordinances exercise over the mind, it is only as mo- 
 tives, they act. Now, a motive acts only as it is perceived and felt. It 
 must both appear to the understanding, and appear affecting to the heart, 
 in order to move the will. It sanctifies neither the one nor the other. 
 It affects the natural mind, according to its nature : but it does not alter 
 that nature, or produce regeneration. Renovation is of the Holy Ghost. 
 
48 THE NATURE AND ORIGIN 
 
 Other manner, than addressing the intellectual and active 
 powers with ideas and motives of action. You may enlarge 
 the measure of my knowledge, and you may interest my feel- 
 ings in every degree of which they are capable, you may, by 
 the powers of moral suasion, incline me both to will and to 
 act according to nature: but still that very nature retains its 
 depravity until I am sanctified by the Spirit of God. 
 
 Do you ask, Is not the will of man free 1 Has it not power 
 over ail other faculties 1 Has it not a self-determining power ? 
 Is it not able to sanctify itself? I answer, Man is a free agent. 
 You have a will of your own. You exercise it freely. You 
 are under no compulsion. And yet you are a sinner. I an- 
 swer again, the will cannot act without motive. Make the 
 experiment. It is impossible. WiUing without a motive, is 
 willing nothing. Deceive not yourself Your will is cor- 
 rupt. It is set upon evil continually. The sinful will can- 
 not regenerate you, or make itself holy. You must be born 
 again. It is not of him that willeth, or of him that runneth, 
 but of God that showeth mercy. 
 
 Do you reply? Although I have not the tvill^ I have the 
 foiocr of sanctification. I have the natural ahil'Uy^ although I 
 have not the moral ability of self-regeneration. 
 
 Again, I say, deceive not yourself by words without mean- 
 ing. What ! You, an unregenerate man, have natural power 
 to regenerate your own heart? Make the experiment. If 
 you succeed, you will be alone in heaven. No other man ever 
 hath borne himself again. No other man hath quickened 
 himself No other new man hath created himself in Christ 
 Jesus. Have I mistaken your meaning % Perhaps you intend 
 to be understood merely as saying, that you have natural fac- 
 ulties, and are a subject of moral government. Be it so. If 
 that is your meaning, why not say so? In that case, there 
 would be no misunderstanding. Yes! you have natural fac- 
 ukies, and moral faculties also. You have understanding: 
 You have conscience: You have affections: You have a 
 will ; but not the power of either, or all of them together, 
 whether natural or moral, call them what you choose, is ade- 
 quate to your own regeneration. Boast not of an ability 
 which has no power in relation to the case in hand. With 
 all 3^our natural ability^ even if you had the «'i//, you could 
 not make yourself a new man. The will is either corrupt, 
 and it cannot produce holiness ; or it is holy, and regeneration 
 has already taken place. Upon either supposition, the truth 
 remains uncontrovertible. " It is not by works of righteous- 
 
OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 40 
 
 ness that we have done, but according to his mercy he hath 
 saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of 
 the Holy Ghost." 
 
 3. The regeneration of the sinner is a spiritual change, 
 communicating new life. 
 
 It is not easy, brethren, to speak or to write, upon subjects 
 of an abstract or intellectual character, without using expres- 
 sions which do not often occur in the ordinary intercourse of 
 man with man. We must not, howev'er, in treating of divine 
 things, always speak superficially under pretence of speaking 
 plainly. What is commonly called plain language from the 
 pulpit consists not in the simplicity of the words employed, 
 so much as in the absence of thoughts. Men ordinarily call 
 that perspicuous, which costs no trouble to understand ; and 
 the reason frequently is, that men are delivered from the 
 *• )uble of thinking, because there is nothing communicated 
 
 hich requires thought. I am aware of this difficulty when 
 . attempt to speak to you of a subject, which cannot possibly 
 be understood without reflection. To the superficial hearer, 
 every thing is abstruse which has any sense ; and nothing is 
 perfectly plain but that which has little or no meaning. I 
 am also aware, and I confess, with gratitude to God for his 
 goodness to the children of men, that many feel the power 
 of regeneration who are not competent to define with accuracy 
 the nature of the change which it effects. Many a strong man 
 cannot name a muscle of the body, or tell the origin and in- 
 sertion of a nerve or a sinew. The anatomy of the body is 
 not therefore, however, an unbecoming subject of study ; nor 
 is the nature of regeneration unworthy of our attention. We 
 have shown that it is the work of God ; and we now show 
 that it consists in a spiritual change. 
 
 Regeneration is often denominated, but not with precision, 
 a moral change. It indeed improves the moral sense and the 
 moral conduct ; but as it is not effected by the power of moral 
 suasion, to give it the exclusive designation of a moral change 
 conveys an inadequate idea of its peculiar character. It affects 
 the natural, or intellectual powers of man, as much as it does 
 the moral or the active. It communicates no new faculty of 
 either description, nor does its value consist in increasing the 
 capacity of the one or the energy of the other. It does not 
 convert the child into a man of science, nor the frigid into a 
 man of sensibility: but it directs both reason and love to the 
 things of God, and employs both intellect and inclination, as 
 they ought to be employed, upon the things that belong to 
 
50 THE NATURE AND ORIGIN 
 
 our peace. It is not a 'physical change^ produced by the force 
 of impulse, nor is it a mere moral change produced by the 
 influence of motive on the will ; but a spiritual change in- 
 fusing a new principle of life, which the mind did not pre- 
 viously, and could not, otherwise, possess : and this spiritual 
 life, supernaturally communicated, lays the foundation for 
 new exercises of perceiving-, of feeling, and of acting, of a 
 kind entirely distinct from any thing, of Avhich the unregen- 
 erate mind was capable. 
 
 The sinner is spiritually dead until his conversion. By 
 the fall of Adam, according to the penalty of the covenant of 
 works, all the human race, proceeding from the Head of that 
 covenant, are not only become subject to natural death, and 
 exposed to death eternal, but are in fact, all dead in trespasses 
 and in sins. Death has passed upon all men. The saints, on 
 the other hand, are spiritually alive. They are quickened, 
 and born again, according to the covenant of grace, in Jesus 
 Christ their living Head, who fulfilled the condition, and 
 restored what another, not he, had taken away.* The last 
 Adam w^as made a quickening spirit. If, then, unregenerate 
 men are spiritually dead, and regenerate men spiritually alive, 
 we cannot deny that regeneration communicates spiritual 
 life. 
 
 Other arguments also, lead to the same conclusion. The gift 
 of grace to man is something or other, which he did not possess 
 by natural constitution. It is not, however, a new animal 
 facuhy, or a new intellectual faculty, or a new moral faculty. 
 There is no augmentation of the number of the organs of the 
 body or of the powers of the intellectual and moral constitution 
 of man. It is not any new exercise of those organs or faculties; 
 for these exercises are man's own acts, and not the gift of the 
 grace of God. It is a fact, however, that something is graciously 
 communicated from heaven to the fallen sinner, which affects 
 every organ and every faculty, which directs and controls 
 every exercise, until the whole man, soul and body, be sanc- 
 tified to the service of the Lord.f And what is this new 
 principle of perception, of will, and of action, which makes 
 
 * Psalm Ixix. 4. 
 
 t And if there be in the soul a new sort of exercises, and which no 
 improvement, composition, or management of what it was before sensible 
 of could produce ; then it follows that the mind has an entirely new kind 
 of perception : and here is, as it were, a new spiritual sense that the 
 mind has. This neio spiritual sense, and the new dispositions that attend 
 it, are no new faculties j but are neiv principles of nature. — Edv:ards on 
 the Affections. 
 
OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 51 
 
 the new nature, and the new man ? What is this gift of 
 the grace of God 1 It is powerful in its action ; and we call 
 it life : it is spiritual in its origin, its influence, and its end ; 
 and we call it spiritual life. 
 
 The oracles of inspiration completely warrant the use of 
 the term "spiritual life" in designating that which is com- 
 municated in our regeneration, by the Spirit of God. Jesus 
 Christ calls it, John iv. 10. " the gift of God, living water" 
 and 14. "a well of water springing up into everlastijig life. 
 And this spake he of the Spirit which they should receive," 
 chap. vii. 39. It is, therefore, a spiritual life which he gives. 
 
 Christians are said to have been quickened even when they 
 were dead in sins, Eph. ii. 5. They had, of course, life 
 given to them ; and that life is of the Spirit : for it is the 
 Spirit that quickeneth, John vi. 63. Nay, this truth is un- 
 questionable : for the inspired writers make it one of the first 
 principles upon which they reason and exhort. If ice live in 
 the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit, Gal. v. 25. If any 
 should yet doubt the propriety or significancy of this mode 
 of speech, let him be satisfied Avith the apostle Paul's decla- 
 ration, Rom. viii. 6. " To be spiritually minded is life and 
 peace." See also, 2 Cor. iii. 6. " The Spirit giveth life." 
 
 This form of expression is, moreover, more accurate than 
 to call our regeneration merely a moral change. Every 
 instance of reformation of manners in an individual or com- 
 munity, is a moral change. Indeed, every alteration of the 
 moral character, whether for the worse or the better, may be 
 so denominated. So general a phrase cannot therefore une- 
 quivocally convey the ideas which we ever ought to connect 
 with the terms which designate the commencement of true 
 religion in man. We cannot think correctly of the new- 
 birth if we exclude the ideas of life and spirit ; and we do 
 not speak with precision, if we define the blessing conveyed, 
 without including in our definition, spiritual life. 
 
 Indeed, this expression is most conformable to the pre- 
 cision of metaphysical science. Life is a term very well 
 understood ; and as well understood by the vulgar as by the 
 philosopher. Men of erudition may continue to dispute 
 about that in which it consists ; but it is obvious to all that 
 life and death are distinct and opposite ; and that in what- 
 ever the principle of vitality consists, there are different 
 kinds of life in the universe. The gardener knows as well 
 as his master, the difference between a living and a dead 
 rose-bush : and without the aid of philosophy, the wandering 
 
52 THE KATUHE AND ORIGIN 
 
 savage will prefer his " living dog to a d«ad lion." There 
 is, moreover, a propriety in distinguishing one kind of vital 
 nature from another. Vegetable life is distinct from animal 
 life ; and the animal life is distinct from the rational : but 
 the spiritual life is as distinct from any of these, as any one 
 of them is from the other. Even philosophical accuracy, 
 therefore, justifies the plain Christian in retaining those dis- 
 tinctive terms, which Christianity recommends to his use, in 
 speaking of the origin of piety in the heart. 
 
 The religious life of man, as a neio life, requires a name 
 descriptive of its nature. It is derived from the Spirit of 
 God ; it is concerned about spiritual things ; it introduces a 
 man into a spiritual empire ; it makes him spiritually-minded ; 
 it makes him walk in the Spirit ; it endows him with spirit- 
 ual discernment ; it qualifies him for worshipping God in 
 spirit and in truth ; and it ultimately settles the believer 
 among " the spirits of just men made perfect."* Why, then, 
 not call it a spiritual life ? 
 
 4. Regeneration is instantaneously communicated by the 
 Holy Ghost. 
 
 Between life and death there is, in fact, no intermediate 
 state. He who is not regenerated or born again, is unre- 
 generated, and still in his sin. Where there is no spiritual 
 life, there is no holy perception, no holy emotion, no holy 
 act or exercise. This is the doctrine which we intend to 
 inculcate by affirming the change effected in regeneration to 
 be immediate. 
 
 There is no disposition to limit to a certain time, of more 
 or less duration, the operations of the Almighty. The con- 
 version of fallen man from sin to holiness, is his work. He 
 is sovereign, and worketh all things according to the counsel 
 of his own will. At once, if he wills such an effect, the sin- 
 ner may be translated from spiritual death, independently of 
 all created means, into the perfection of holiness and blessed- 
 ness. For ages, if God wills such treatment, he that is born 
 again may continue under the means of grace, before he 
 attain to perfection in glory. There is great variety, too, 
 in the apparent as well as in the real circumstances of the 
 case in question. The effects of the new life are alone obvi- 
 
 * " This neiv spiritual sense is not a new faculty of understanding ; but 
 a new foundation laid in the nature of the soul, for a new kind of exer- 
 cises of the same faculty : it is not a new faculty of will ; but a founda- 
 tion laid in the nature of the soul for a new kind of exercises of the same 
 faculty of will." — Edwards on the Affections. 
 
OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 53 
 
 ous to man. The principle itself is hidden. " Your life is 
 hid with Christ in God." It eludes the scrutiny of created 
 minds as much as the substance of the soul or the essence of 
 matter. They all become known to us only by their proper- 
 ties. Matter, mind, life, in all its kinds and grades, are all 
 brought to our knowledge by their attributes or operations j 
 and beyond these, there is impenetrable mystery. In every 
 pebble of the brook, in every flower of the field, in every 
 one of the insects that flutter in the summer sun, there is 
 something, examine them as you will, that must ultimately 
 surpass the apprehension of the human intellect. The exist- 
 ence of spiritual Kfe in man is known to his neighbour only 
 by its effects ; and perfect knowledge is exclusively from 
 God. He alone searcheth the heart of man, and claims 
 infallibility in judging. To us belong things which are 
 revealed. The power of his work in the heart, and the tes- 
 timony of his Spirit with the conscience, assure individuals 
 of their own personal regeneration ; and by divine revela- 
 tion, God may, if he see cause, assure an individual of the 
 conversion of another. Without this, there is no certainty, 
 however promising appearances may have been. There is 
 indeed a possibility of arriving at all the confidence respect- 
 ing the integrity of a religious profession, which is necessary 
 for the purposes of social life. So much is necessary for the 
 good order of the house of God on earth, and so much is 
 within the reach of church officers. 
 
 The apparent religion of good men, is subject to much 
 variety ; and that, of both the mistaken and the pretended 
 professor, often assumes a very equivocal character. It may 
 be long before an observer can form an estimate any way 
 satisfactory, of the attainments of certain individuals who are 
 asking the way to Zion ; and although every man on earth 
 is in fact either regenerated or unregenerated ; there are 
 some so afTected by the means of grace, as to give us reason 
 to hope their ultimate conversion, as well as to doubt, that 
 they are already born again. Such appearances have been 
 the occasion of introducing into practical discourses on per- 
 sonal religion, some expressions which convey the idea that 
 regeneration is a work of time ; and that it requires a prepar- 
 atory process of mental exercises which are neither holy 
 nor unholy, but of an intermediate nature. 
 
 The words 'preparatory to regeneration have been subject 
 to much discussion among writers on Theology. Two re- 
 marks will suffice to prevent my meaning from being mis- 
 
 5* 
 
54 THE NATURE AND ORIGIN 
 
 understood, in what I am about to say relative to this mode 
 of expression. 
 
 1. Nothing done either by the sinner himself, or even by 
 divine power upon the mind or body of man, previous to 
 regeneration, has any real, natural, or moral tendency to 
 produce that change, or to prepare the soul for becoming a 
 subject of the new birth. The carnal mind is always enmity 
 against God : and that which is born of the flesh is flesh. 
 Regeneration is of God. 
 
 2. There are, nevertheless, in the case of adult sinners, 
 converted under the dispensation of the gospel, several things 
 which usually precede regeneration ; and which prove ser- 
 viceable to sanctification, when, through divine grace, a man 
 is born again. 
 
 These'^things are of two kinds : and, although they are not 
 necessarily connected with the new life, it is a fact, that they 
 generally precede its existence in the case of adult converts 
 — Attention to his ordinances ; and the common operations of 
 his Spirit. 
 
 1. There are certain things required of man in consequence 
 of the revelation of the gospel. The divine law treats him 
 as a reasonable creature ; and whether in a regenerated state 
 or not, he becomes morally bound to the performance of what 
 is required in consequence of the very fact of his being a hearer 
 of the gospel.* What the law saith, it saith to them that are 
 
 * The famous question so often disputed in some parts of our country, 
 " Whether the unregenerate ought to perform prayer and attend the or- 
 dinances," appears to me of distinct and easy reply. Indeed, all men of 
 common sagacity, on whatever side of this question they may as partisans 
 have taken their stand, unite in a principle which necessarily leads to the 
 •solution : it is the principle of the apostolical commission — that the gos- 
 pel and the law are to be addressed to all mankind. Go ye, preach the 
 gospel to every creature, — teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I 
 have commanded you. 
 
 Every intelligent creature of the race of man, to whom divine revela- 
 tion comes, is required to make it the rule of his conduct. To attend 
 the ordinances, not only with outward conformity to the letter, but also 
 with inward affections corresponding to the true spirit and design of 
 every institution, is the duty of every man ; and of course, of unregen- 
 erate men ; but, yet any performance of man without grace is unprofitable 
 to the salvation of the soul, and unacceptable to a holy God. het us 
 have grace, wJiereby we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and 
 godly fear. Without faith it is impossible to please him. Unbelief and 
 corruption are, nevertheless, no excuse for negligence and transgression. 
 
 It is true that all acts of unrenewed men are unholy, and that unholi- 
 ness is required of no man : It is holiness in heart, speech, and behaviour, 
 that God requires of man ; but it is equally true that while the precept 
 demands an outward act, with a corresponding ajfection, it is less criminal 
 
OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 55 
 
 under the laio ; it saith to every man, because he is a reasona- 
 ble creature : and both the exhibition and the observance of 
 these prescriptions are a part of the means divinely appointed 
 for the conversion of sinners to God. 
 
 Every command of God is a part of the law. This asser- 
 tion, although frequently disputed, is a self-evident proposi- 
 tion, to every one who is at leisure to attend to the meaning 
 of words. To command is to give lav/ ; and the law is given 
 of God to the creature according to his whole condition, na- 
 ture, and circumstances. The principles, of course, upon 
 which the law, in some cases, is predicated, are evangelical. 
 The gospel and the law are nevertheless distinct ; the revela- 
 tion of grace is one thing, the requisition of duty is another. 
 The laio is a schoolmaster to lead us unto Christy and to en- 
 lighten our path^ while we ivalk in him. All men are under 
 the divine government : they are bound to obey what he 
 commands every where and throughout all time. Whenso- 
 ever, therefore, the law finds any man enjoying the light of 
 the gospel, it binds him to improve this new light under the 
 law's proper penalty — the curse. It binds to the improvement 
 of the means of grace. It is the sinner's duty to believe the 
 gospel, and so escape the curse of the law. 
 
 to yield the one without the other, than to resist the precept by withhold- 
 ing both. I readily admit that the overt act is not, in a moral point of 
 view, to be compared with the disposition. Bodily exercise profiteth 
 little ; but all will grant that open irreligion is more impious than decent, 
 although lifeless, attention to the forms of godliness. 
 
 The reasoning which excludes the unregenerate from using the means 
 of grace, and prohibits them from praying for a new heart and a right 
 spirit, is generally misunderstood and misrepresented. It is alleged to be 
 either purely evangelical, or, but excessively opposed to the legal spirit. 
 Nothing is more incorrect. This kind of reasoning is not only opposed 
 to the general tenor of scriptural representation, but is also entirely 
 opposite to evangelical principles. It is essentially legal^ and subversive 
 of the gospel. It supposes that God's favour cannot be conveyed in con- 
 nexion with an unworthy prayer, and that there is some intrinsic worth 
 in the prayers of the regenerate. It supposes that grace is not to be 
 given to the unworthy ; that grace is no more grace. The same kind of 
 reasoning, moreover, which would exclude the unregenerate from prayer 
 and praise, would also exclude the regenerate ; and thus, banish all the 
 ordinances of God from the earth. If the performances of unrenewed 
 men are unholy, the performances of the best believers on earth are im- 
 perfect. If unholy acts are forbidden by the law, so are also all human 
 imperfections : for the law requires not only holiness, but also perfection. 
 It is grace that saves the soul. Duty is enjoined on men whether saints 
 or sinners. In the case of both saints and sinners, no duty is performed 
 with perfect rectitude ; and therefore in no case doth righteousness come by 
 the law. To neglect the commandment, would, nevertheless, be the 
 greater evil. 
 
56 THE NATURE AND ORIGIN 
 
 The unholy manner in which unconverted men attend to 
 the means of grace, is their sin ; but an habitual avowed 
 neglect of divinely instituted ordinances is a much greater 
 sin. It has more tendency to harden the sinner's own heart; 
 it is more mischievous in its influence on society ; it is more 
 dishonouring to God's moral government ; and it argues more 
 malignity of spirit towards divine things. There are degrees 
 of criminality on earth. He that delivered me unto thee hath 
 the greater siri. 
 
 The most interesting light, however, because the most 
 evangelical, in which w^e can consider what God requires of 
 man in relation to outward ordinances, is their appointment 
 of God for convincino- and convertinq- sinners, as well as for 
 the edification of the saints. In the means, it is true, there is 
 no power. The administrator and the administration, the re- 
 cipient and the reception, are all alike inefficient to produce 
 regeneration or to facilitate the production of new life by the 
 Holy Spirit. Paul may plain., and Apollus water ; but it is 
 God that giveth the increase. God hath nevertheless appointed 
 some things to be done by us. We are on that account hound 
 in duty to perform the work. He is free to bless or withhold 
 his blessing. We have no claim upon him beyond his prom- 
 ise : and no promise is in fact improved without faith ; for all 
 the promises are in Christ yea, and Amen. Encouragement, 
 however, is held out to all gospel hearers, not excepting the 
 unregenerate. Christ himself, in whom is all encouragement, 
 in whom are all the promises of C4od, is freely offered in the 
 gospel to "the chief of sinners;" and we are assured that this 
 is "the high way" in which the King of grace and glory 
 travels to display his mercy and dispense his blessings. 
 
 By diligent and habitual attention to the outward forms of 
 prescribed worship, accompanied with intellectual and moral 
 improvement, that is, by increase of religious knowledge and 
 habits of morality, the unregenerate are profited in this life : 
 and, although such cultivation of fallen nature has no ten- 
 dency to convey spiritual life, it certainly prepares elect sin- 
 ners for more rapid progress in Christianity, after their con- 
 version ; it makes them more capable to discern for them- 
 selves, to exhibit to others the effects of supernatural power 
 in the conversion of the soul to God ; and in the ordinary 
 course of the work of God in gathering home his people, this 
 is the method both ordained and sanctified. "Of his own will 
 begat he us with the word of truth."* 
 * Jam. i. 18. 
 
OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 57 
 
 2. The common operations of the Spirit of God on the mind, 
 demand some attention, in our discussion of the doctrine of 
 regeneration. 
 
 The Spirit of God is the author of life, of all kinds, through- 
 out the universe. He moved upon the face of the waters, 
 when the earth was without form and void ;* and he still 
 continues to actuate nature, and to support vegetable and 
 animal life. Thou sendest forth thy Spirit : they are created ; 
 and thou renewest the face of the earth, f The same Spirit 
 is the author of corporeal vigour and of mental power, whether 
 intellectual or moral. There is a spirit in man ; and the 
 inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.^ 
 These are called the common operations of the Spirit ; be- 
 cause, they proceed upon principles common in the works 
 both of creation and providence. The special or gracious 
 operations of the Spirit arising from the plan of redemption, 
 and proceeding upon the principle of electing love in Jesus 
 Christ our Lord, are always connected with the salvation of 
 the soul. They are to be distinguished from the common 
 works of the same heavenly agent. Some of the common 
 operations of the Spirit, are, moreover, so intimately allied, 
 in their apparent effects, with his saving grace, and so fre- 
 quently rendered subservient to the origin and progress of 
 the spiritual life, as to be confounded by undiscerning men 
 with the actual effects of divine grace in our conversion 
 and sanctification. Of this description, are conviction, illumi- 
 nation, and reformation. All these are good in themselves ; 
 they are beneficial to society ; they proceed from the Spirit 
 of God ; true religion is never without them : But sometimes 
 they, one or all, exist, disconnected with that grace of God 
 which certainly bringeth salvation to man. To all believers, 
 indeed, illumination of mind, conviction of sin, and reforma- 
 tion of disposition and of manners, are new covenant blessings, 
 secured through the death of Christ, by the promise of the 
 Father.^ In this case, the effect is produced by the Holy 
 Ghost in connection with that new life which immediately 
 acts by faith on the Lord Jesus Christ, and is, in its nature, 
 as well as by name, everlasting life : But, the knowledge, 
 the convictions, and the morality of unrenewed men, have 
 no certain connexion with vital religion, and no actual tendency 
 to facilitate or effect the new and second birth. 
 
 High attainments in doctrine, deep and painful convictions, 
 an amiable disposition, and a decent outward deportment, 
 * Gen. 12. t Psa. civ. 30. X Job xxxii. 8. § Jer. xxxi. 31. 
 
58 THE NATURE AND ORIGIN 
 
 are all consistent with spiritual death. Balaam the son of 
 Beor had his eyes opened by the Spirit, to see the excellency 
 of Jacob, and to prophesy of the Redeemer of Israel* Judas 
 Iscariot was convinced of his transgression, and felt the an- 
 guish of despair ; and that fine young man, a ruler of the 
 Jews, who refused to follow the Redeemer, was amiable in 
 his temper, and very exemplary in his deportment.f 
 
 Should the natural intellect of man be raised up to the 
 extent of Lucifer's capacity ; should his convictions become 
 intense as those of Dives in tormciits ; should his unrenewed 
 heart become as a house ready swept and garnished ; all 
 this could not render, either more easy or more certain, the 
 regeneration of the soul. The new life is instantaneous in 
 its communication from on high. Nothing done previously 
 to our regeneration, either by us or upon us, has any natural 
 or certain tendency to produce the saving change, or to pre- 
 pare us for it. The carnal mind is enmity against God. 
 There are, however, some things which ordinarily precede 
 the work of renovation in the case of elect adults; and 
 which are highly subservient to the progress of sanctificatiorl, 
 when regeneration has actually taken place. These are 
 attention to the ordinances of God ; and the common opera- 
 tions of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 Let me now, my brethren, apply this doctrine by showing, 
 
 II. The necessity of regeneration to him who would enjoy 
 the benefits of religion. 
 
 In every part of the world, there is some attention paid, by 
 the children of men, to personal character, general morality, 
 and a future state ; and such attention is usually accompanied 
 with devotional feelings. 
 
 The age, too, of the world in which we live, is the witness 
 of a powerful and extensive excitement, in favour of that 
 divine revelation which we have, in the scriptures, for the 
 direction of our devotion. The great and the small, the rich 
 and the poor, the learned and the illiterate, the tyrant and 
 the slave, the saint and the sinner, throughout Christendom, 
 have, under an extraordinary popular influence employed in 
 the good providence of God, determined to co-operate in 
 sendino- the Bible in every language to men of all nations 
 and ranks. At such a time, and under such circumstances, 
 it is lamentable that so few attend to the doctrines, and con- 
 scientiously pursue the practice, inculcated in the sacred 
 book so generally respected and recommended. We car- 
 * Numb. xxiv. Matth. xxvii. 5. t Matt. xix. 22. 
 
OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 59 
 
 nestly desire, we confidently hope, and we humbly pray to 
 God, that the number of those who understand the scriptures 
 may be speedily and greatly increased. It is from that book, 
 we learn the necessity of regeneration to a religious life. 
 Marvel not that I said unto you^ Ye must be born again. 
 
 This necessity is asserted by the Saviour himself: and he 
 makes the assertion in connexion with the doctrines of reli- 
 gious worship. The connexion, of course, explains the 
 necessity intended by him. The second birth is not necessary 
 to the existence of man ; nor is it a fact that all men shall 
 certainly be renewed in the spirit of their minds. Regen- 
 eration is not essential to the bei7ig^ but to the well-being of 
 man. You may be born, and live, and die, and suffer eter- 
 nal punishment in the world to come, without being born 
 again ; and unless you are born again, you must necessarily 
 perish for ever. Regeneration is necessary to a religious 
 life. This is the necessity intended, by the Redeemer, in my 
 text. It is impossible in the nature of things, that an unre- 
 generate sinner, should be a truly religious man. It implies 
 a contradiction. Verily.^ verily.^ I say unto thee.^ Except a man 
 be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God* The 
 unregenerate man caiinot be a Christian. 
 
 Regeneration is necessary to faith in Christ ; to repent- 
 ance unto life ; to the acceptable worship of God ; to ever- 
 lasting happiness in heaven. 
 
 If this is the case, it is no wonder we should insist upon 
 your conversion. It is no wonder we should urge the im- 
 portance of it. It is no wonder we should labour to prevent 
 any mistakes respecting it. "Marvel not that I said unto 
 you. Ye must be born again." 
 
 1. Regeneration is necessary to faith. 
 
 The necessity of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, is every 
 where admitted by Christians. He that believeth shall be 
 
 * John iii. 3. He cannot see the kingdom of God — « ^warai thiv Trjy 
 Bao-iXfja;/. To see is to enjoy ; and, in the fifth verse, the phrase is, he can- 
 not enter into the kmgdom — He cannot become a member of the kingdom 
 of grace on earth, or of the kingdom of glory in heaven, except through 
 regeneration. There is, however, a peculiar felicity in the words cannot 
 see the kingdom, employed by our Redeemer in the present case. 
 
 Nicodemus had confessed his belief in Christ, as a teacher sent from 
 God ; but did not profess faith in him as the Messiah. Je.sns ansioered, 
 Unless a man be born again, he cannot see my kingdom. He has no spir- 
 itual discernment— He cannot discern my character, or that of my king- 
 dom ; he cannot enter into the spirit or the designs of my mission ; he 
 cannot perceive or enjoy my grace and my salvation. 
 
60 T?IE NATURE AND ORIGIN 
 
 saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned. Faith is 
 the act of a renewed heart, and the necessity of regeneration 
 is consequently manifest. " I give you to understand," said 
 the apostle to the Corinthians, "that no man can say that 
 Jesus is Lord but by the Holy Ghost."* I do not affirm, 
 because I do not believe, that any time elapses, in the case of 
 those who have come to years of understanding, between 
 their regeneration and the exercise of faith upon the Son of 
 God. Faith is the first act of the renewed heart, the first 
 exercise of spiritual life. The power and the act are in point 
 of time inseparable: yet power precedes, in the order of 
 nature and of grace, its own exercise. 
 
 Faith is the gift of God ; but it is an act of man. / believe, 
 you believe, are words which indicate that faith is acted both 
 by you and by me. It is not a passive perception of the 
 truth of any proposition ; but a persuasion of the truth for 
 actual exertion. With the heart man believeth unto righte- 
 ousness : with the renewed heart, with the quickened spirit, 
 man believeth. Faith is not of the flesh, but of the Spirit. 
 It is an act of obedience to God. By it, I see, I hear, I obey 
 my Redeemer. By faith I come to him on his own invita- 
 tion ; I embrace him as the gift of God for my salvation ; 
 and trust in him, for my protection in life and in death ; and 
 for my portion through eternity. 
 
 2. Regeneration is necessary to repentance, 
 I use repentance, in this case, according to the accurate 
 definition of our standards.! Repentance unto life, is what 
 
 * 1 Cor. xii. 3. 
 
 t Shorter Catechism. Quest. 87. 
 
 There is a conviction of sin, there is a sorrow even umto despair, 
 which exists independently of either faith or regeneration. This fact in- 
 duces many to suppose, that repentance unto life does not depend on 
 either. The sacred scriptures make a distinction between mere regret 
 and true repentance. It is very clearly marked in the original language 
 of the New Testament, although the English translation does not follow 
 the happy example. 
 
 Merat^ota designates that repentance which God requires, and which 
 the Spirit works in us. It is a change of mind for the better, and in re- 
 lation to religion, necessarily implies renovation of nature. Mvraju'Keoiiat, 
 and not Mcrai'ocw, is the scriptural term to designate mere sorrow or con- 
 cern for sin on account of its evil consequences. Such concern may ex- 
 ist without regeneration. Repent is the English translation of both these 
 verbs. It has, of course, two distinct significations. Simple concern or 
 sorrow for transgression ; and a change of mind from sin to holiness in 
 Jesus Christ our strength. Sensible men should distinguish the meaning. 
 Our Catechism and Confession of Faith has done so. The duty and the 
 grace of repentance is one thing, — ixcTuvoia ; mere regret and sorrow is 
 another thing, — /^eraptXcja. 
 
OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. Gl 
 
 God requires and accepts ; it is that which the Redeemer 
 himself dispenses to his people ; which the Holy Spirit 
 works in us as a principle of holiness; and which leads us 
 to the practice of new obedience. The impenitent, as well as 
 the unbelieving, are rejected from the number of the saints ; 
 and the necessity of the second birth to the Christian, is 
 obvious from its being essential to evangelical repentance. 
 
 Repentance towards God is the exercise of a holy prin- 
 ciple, and is a great part of our sanctification. As it is dis- 
 tinguished from mere distress on account of the dangerous 
 consequences of moral evil, by its nature and its fruits, it is 
 also distinct in its very origm. It is a godly sorrow for hav- 
 ing offended God, accompanied with hatred of sin and love 
 of holiness. It brings forth correspondent fruits, in good 
 works and a humble disposition. It is the exercise of the 
 new nature and the new life communicated by the Spirit of 
 the Lord. Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation. 
 " Therefore, brethren, we are debtors not to the flesh, to live 
 after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die : 
 but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, 
 ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, 
 they are the sons of God."* 
 
 3. Regeneration is necessary to the acceptable worship of 
 God. 
 
 Forms of religious worship are now so common, that all 
 men seem to confess the propriety of expressing reverence 
 for the Deity under some outward show. Were we to judge 
 from the commonly received opinion among that class of 
 people who are esteemed well informed, there is little im- 
 portance attached to the kind of religion, or the modes of 
 worship. There are, however, here and there, to be seen, a 
 few pious men, who are not yet become bigots to the spurious 
 charity, which substitutes looseness for liberality in principle 
 and in practice. There are some who hold the forms of god- 
 liness, according to divine appointment ; and who retain, with 
 the form, " the life and power." 
 
 The worship of God, being an expression of such affec- 
 tions as he invites, under forms which he prescribes, requires, 
 for the due performance of it, holy affections and a knowl- 
 edge of his revealed will. The exercises of Christian wor- 
 ship must be observed by all the saints. The word, the sab- 
 bath, the sacraments, prayer, and praise, must receive atten- 
 tion from him, who would walk in all the commandments 
 
 * 2 Cor. vii, 10. Rom. viii. 12, 14. 
 6 
 
62 THE NATURE AND ORIGIN 
 
 and ordinances of the Lord, " Bodily service profiteth not : 
 for the body without the spirit is dead." Mere sounds and 
 gestures may serve for the production of theatrical effect, or for 
 the amusement of the ignorant and the gay : but no rational 
 being, in the exercise of common sense, will attach the idea 
 of holiness or virtue, to services performed without any in- 
 tention to improve the creature, or to honour the Creator. 
 Divine revelation, your only rule, Christians, in faith and in 
 worship, requires the exercise of grace, in all that we under- 
 take to perform. Without faith it is impossible to please God. 
 " Let us, therefore, have grace, whereby we may serve God 
 acceptably, with reverence and godly fear." If works with- 
 out faith cannot please Jehovah ; if grace be necessary to 
 serve him acceptably ; then, certainly, the imregenerate sin- 
 ner cannot calculate upon offering any sacrifice which shall 
 be accepted by the Omniscient Being who detects hypocrisy; 
 who cannot be deceived by the pretensions of those whose 
 hearts are at enmity with the character which they profess- 
 edly adore. 
 
 4. Regeneration is necessary to our future happiness. 
 " Except a man be born of the Spirit, he cannot enter into 
 the kingdom of God. For without holiness, no man shall 
 see God." 
 
 Were it possible to admit into the celestial paradise an un- 
 regenerate man, however glorious the place, it would yield 
 no enjoyment to him. Opposite to good, in the temper of his 
 mind ; enmity against God, in his disposition ; opposed to 
 the Redeemer, in his whole soul ; what enjoyment could the 
 place or the company yield to him ? 
 
 The unsanctified sinner, would, in heaven, be out of his 
 element. A tenant of the deep, on the summit of a rock, or 
 a bird of the air, in the depth of the sea, would not be so far 
 removed, from the condition in which nature would find en- 
 joyment, as an unregenerate man within the gates of the 
 new Jerusalem. A sinner may find pleasure in the visible 
 church, although he has none in real religion. Society not 
 far removed from himself, and the distinguishing traits to 
 him imperceptible, may give play to his social affections, 
 and induce him to bear patiently with the doctrine and dis- 
 cipline which otherwise would prove an annoyance. The 
 habits of early life, the customs of moral order, in the circle 
 which includes his person and his family ; interest, pride, 
 ambition, and perhaps even the basest of passions, may help 
 him to deceive himself; or tempt him to deceive others, 
 
OP THE CHPaSTIAN LIFE. 63 
 
 by a profession of love and submission to the Lord. Such 
 considerations render the ordinances of Christianity tolerable, 
 in the church on earth, to many who would endure torture, 
 were they, with all their malignity of soul, set down in heaven 
 before the throne of the Lamb. Such a state of things is, 
 however, impossible. Justice will not permit the admission 
 of the guilty to the fellowship of the righteous. The divine 
 holiness prevents the introduction of a polluted sinner into 
 that place where no unclean thing can enter. Without holi- 
 ness no man shall see the Lord. Sooner shall Satan succeed 
 in scaling the high battlements of the celestial city, and in 
 casting down from his throne of glory the almighty God, 
 than Jehovah receive into the kingdom prepared from the 
 foundation of the world for the saints, any one who remains 
 unrenewed and under the dominion of the law of sin and 
 death. There is no cojnmunion betiveen light aud darkness ; 
 between Christ and Belial. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 Hear, then, ye unrenewed sinners^ the message which I am 
 bound to deliver from my God and my Redeemer. " Ye 
 must be born again," or perish for ever. The Saviour him- 
 self hath spoken it ; and even he cannot save without regen- 
 eration. It would be a contradiction. Such salvation is 
 death ; death in sin ; death eternal ; no salvation : But unto 
 them that do not obey the truth., indignatio7i and ivrathy tribu- 
 lation and anguish., ujpon every soul of man that doeth evil.* 
 
 Listen to the message which I bring. It is a message of 
 mercy. Come, now let us reason together. Of what avail 
 is your negligence ? Can that save you ? Making light of 
 important truth cannot alter its nature. You cannot possibly 
 consider disrespect for divine revelation as conducive to your 
 future happiness. Unbelief may deceive, but it cannot sanc- 
 tify. Of what avail is your honesty in social life ; your mo- 
 rality ? Will it atone for your impiety ? Is it more valuable 
 than that which you reject, the merits of Jesus Christ? Be 
 not deceived. God is not mocked with impunity. If you 
 allow yourselves one moment's consideration, you cannot 
 imagine that you shall be happy in heaven without holiness ; 
 or that you can be Christians without believing in the Lord 
 with a new heart. You are sinners. You come short of 
 your duty in every thing. You are guilty at the bar of 
 ♦ Rom. ii. 8, 9. 
 
G4 THE NATURE AND ORIGIN, ETC. 
 
 your own conscience. God is greater than conscience. He 
 also condemns you. You are condemned already. You 
 are dead in trespasses and in sins. Within you, there is no 
 spiritual life. You are graceless. God above will in no 
 wise clear the guilty. Already are you in chains, under the 
 bondage of the evil spirit. Death approaches. The grave 
 opens her mouth. Hell is moving towards her prey. Ilear^ 
 ye that are afar off ; the sinners in Zion are afraid ; fearful- 
 ness hath seized the hyj^ocriies : who among us shall dwell with 
 the devouring fire ? who among us shall dwell with everlasting 
 burnings ? 
 
 Mistake me not, my brethren, we are not to pronounce 
 your doom. Ours is the ministry of reconciliation. It is 
 God that justifieth. You are by nature condemned in your 
 sins. All Christians have been in your condition. We are 
 all by nature children of wrath. Thus the gospel finds you. 
 While we say to the sinner, Ye must be born again, we 
 point out the Saviour. Behold the Lamb of God. He came 
 to save his people from their sins. He is able to save to the 
 uttermost. Come unto him and be saved : He that cometh 
 shall in no wise be cast out. To as many as received him, 
 to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to 
 them that believe on his name : which were born not of blood, 
 nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of 
 God, May you, who know the nature and the origin of the 
 Christian life in your own souls, go on unto perfection. 
 Amen, 
 
THE SEVERAL DEGREES OF PERSONAL RELIGION. 65 
 
 THE SEVERAL DEGREES OF PERSONAL 
 RELIGION. 
 
 SERMON IIL 
 
 Rom. vi. 4. — As Christ was raised up from the dead by the 
 glory of the Father^ even so we also should walk in netvness 
 of life. 
 
 Progress in the new life, commenced at the time of the 
 second hirth^ is more important, and more desirable, than suc- 
 cess in business, or growth from infancy to manhood. It is, 
 in this text, urged as a duty, and proposed as a favour, in 
 consideration of the resurrection of our Redeemer from the 
 dead. The due consideration of that fact, which we always 
 commemorate in meeting together on the weekly Sabbath, 
 cannot fail to exercise a happy influence on the Christian's 
 life. We are both enlightened and invigorated for our jour- 
 ney, by a knowledge of "the power of his resurrection." 
 This, brethren, is the doctrine of my text : And I shall, 
 
 I. Make that appear by an exposition, and 
 
 II. Lay before you the several degrees of progress in the 
 religious life. 
 
 I. I explain the words of my text. 
 
 The apostle Paul, who experienced, in his own progressive 
 attainments, the influence of Christ's resurrection, holds it up, 
 to the view of the believing Romans, as the reason and the 
 means of their walking forward " in newness of life." Christ 
 was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father. The 
 power of God, glorious in its exercises and results, was re- 
 markably displayed when the Son of man arose from the 
 tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, to live for evermore. Three 
 nights, our Redeemer lay in the house of silence: the door 
 was sealed by Jewish and Roman authorities combined : and 
 sentinels, practised in the duties of a military life, were 
 posted, under arms, to guard the tomb. His enemies were 
 
 6* 
 
66 THE SEVERAL DEGREES 
 
 in fancied security, and his friends were in tears, on the 
 evening- which preceded the first day of the week. Before 
 the dawn of that ever-memorable day, the Lord of life awoke 
 from the death, to which he had submitted for our redemp- 
 tion. Then, the glory of the Father was clearly displayed. 
 The Son exerted his own power over the king of terrors ; 
 and the solid earth trembled, when his body was revived. 
 Angels, from on high, ministered to their acknowledged 
 Sovereign. The door of stone, which closed up the only 
 avenue to the chamber of death, was removed, by an invisible 
 and immortal hand, in an instant from its place ; and, with a 
 countenance like lightning, the ethereal messenger sat upon 
 the displaced rock. The keepers felt the shaking of the 
 ground, upon which they stood in arms ; they beheld the 
 unexpected and astonishing sight ; and overawed, by the 
 presence of an unembodied visitant, every fibre of their mor- 
 tal frame shook violently, until their strength was exhausted, 
 and they became as dead men. Roman courage, proved suf- 
 ficiently before many an equal foe, in previous combat, now 
 yielded implicitly: resistance was vain against him whom 
 even death can no longer bind. He rose again for our justi- 
 fication. 
 
 The same divine and glorious power, which produced the 
 resurrection of our Lord, is pledged by that very fact to raise 
 up us also, both from spiritual and from temporal death : " For 
 as the Father raiseth up the dead andquickeneth them ; even 
 so the Son quickeneth whom he will : And you hath he 
 quickened who were dead in trespasses and in sins. — Created 
 in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before 
 ordained that we should walk in them." 
 
 "Walking" indicates not only vital action; but also 
 progress from one place to another. That ivalking in new 
 ness of life^ which is urged in the text, in consideration of the 
 resurrection of our Lord, must of course signify both, the 
 exercise of the Christian life, in all its parts and relations, 
 and our progressive improvement in piety.* 
 
 * Some divines, I am aware, are of opinion, that the allusion to Christ's 
 resurrection requires us to understand this " w^alking in newness of life" 
 of the state of blessedness, after the resurrection of the body to life ever- 
 lasting in heaven : but the scope of the passage, in which the text is 
 found, excludes this application ; and there is nothing in the words them- 
 selves to render it necessary. The inquiry, in the first verse, shall loe 
 continue in sin that grace may abnund? is not applicable to the state of 
 glory. Neither is the reply, God forbid, How shall 7vc that are dead to 
 sin live any longer therein 7 
 
OF PERSONAL RELIGION. 67 
 
 The progressive improvement of believers, in gracious 
 attainments, is not only inculcated, as a doctrine^ in the sacred 
 oracles, but is also secured, as a blessing, to Christians, by 
 the death of Christ, and actually administered to them by 
 their arisen Lord. It is signified as well as the pardon of 
 sin, to the church of God, in the sacrament of baptism ; and 
 it is implied in our religious profession, that we esteem it our 
 duty to go forward, growing in grace and in knowledge. In 
 all our exertions to advance in godliness, we are animated 
 by the assurance, that "the glory of the Father" is inti- 
 mately connected with all our gracious attainments ; and, 
 that the power by which our Redeemer triumphed over 
 death, shall secure our progress, until sanctification be com- 
 plete — '• Being confident of this very thing, that he which 
 hath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the 
 day of Jesus Christ." 
 
 Admitting then, my dear hearers, the truth, that there are 
 different degrees in holiness of life ; and confessing it to be 
 the duty of every Christian to go on "from strength to 
 strength," unto the perfection of "the man of God," you will 
 patiently allow me your attention, while, 
 
 II. I describe, from the scriptures, the several distinct 
 
 DEGPcEES OF PERSONAL ATTAINMENT IN TRUE RELIGION, from 
 
 its commencement in regeneration or conversion, until its 
 perfection, in passing through the valley of the shadow of 
 death, from earth to heaven. 
 
 The several attainments I distinguish by names, indicative 
 of their characteristic features. 
 
 The first is distinguished by anxiety to escape f row evil — 
 the second, by admiration of Christ arid his salvation — the 
 third, by thirst for iviprovement in the knowledge of his laays — 
 the fourth, by public spirit in promoting good — the fifth, by 
 heavenly-viindedness — and the sixth, by ivillingness to suffer 
 for the cause of God. 
 
 " Baptism into the death of Christ," signifying the death and destruction 
 of the power of corruption in regeneration, asserted in the 3d and 4th 
 verses, refers not to the future state of believers; and the corresponding 
 resurrection must of course apply not to that state, but to the life of holi- 
 ness communicated in regeneration. The " planting of baptism" belongs 
 also to the same event, by which we are at once both dead to sin and 
 alive unto God. All the subsequent injunctions, down to the l4th verse, 
 respect the present life ; and it would be very absurd, under these circum- 
 stances, to apply the expression " walking in newness of life" to any 
 other period than that of the Christian life upon earth. The soul, quick- 
 ened by the Holy Ghost into new life, has its resurrection from sin and 
 death. 
 
68 THE SEVERAL DEGREES 
 
 The scale, by which we measure spiritual progress, is not 
 graduated by considerations of age, of literature, or of rank. 
 There are many aged sinners under the dispensation of the 
 gospel: many have experienced the dechne of life before 
 their conversion to vital religion ; and there may be some be- 
 lievers with hoary hairs, who are of small attainments in 
 holiness — mere babes in grace, far inferior, in point of Chris- 
 tian improvement, to their own children, perhaps to their 
 children's children. There are, also, men of learning and 
 of rank, in the outward profession of Christianity, who have 
 little or no real religion, while the labourer and the illiterate 
 are ripening rapidly for glory. " Hath not God chosen the 
 poor of this world rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom?" 
 We cannot measure the progress of Christians even by the 
 time which they have actually been in Christ. Some see 
 more clearly than others ; they walk more consistently and 
 firmly ; enjoy a more decided, and diversified, and extensive 
 experience ; and, they war, more successfully, against their 
 spiritual adversaries. Many a comparatively young man is 
 an old Christian, while there are many, trembling over the 
 grave with age and infirmities, who are yet either children 
 in understanding, or have their holiness and their comfort so 
 much impaired and obscured as to be scarcely felt or visible. 
 Professing Christians, themselves, are prone to estimate a 
 man's religious worth, by his rank or influence in society, 
 particularly in the church — a very inadequate criterion : but 
 it is still more pernicious to decide upon the degree of per- 
 sonal piety from the character of a congregation, or that of a 
 distinct denomination among the several sections of the 
 church of God. We are indeed bound, by the divine law, 
 to urge it as the duty of all men, to contend earnestly for the 
 faith once dcliTered unto the saints ; and here, happily, free 
 from compulsion, you may select for yourselves, the church 
 fellowship which you deem the most pure and profitable to 
 your souls : but you must not, on that account, imagine per- 
 sonal attainments in piety are to be measured by the general 
 character of any visible society whatsoever. We are not to 
 forget that Nicodemus and Joseph remained among the Jews, 
 while Judas Iscariot was associated with the apostles. When 
 any community, makes either a dereliction of truth, or an 
 avowal of error, a condition of their fellowship, the path of 
 duty is open before you : nevertheless, different degrees of 
 Christian progress will be found among them, who worship 
 
OF PERSONAL RELIGION. 69 
 
 in the same congregation, throughout all the churches of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 It is upon this principle, and without regard to ranks or 
 names of men, that I have formed that arrangement, already- 
 announced, and which I now proceed to illustrate. 
 
 1. The state of mind, which exists in the earliest stage of 
 true religion, is characterized by anxiety to escape from evil 
 and enjoy salvation. 
 
 The Christian, is always, in every part of his progress, 
 sincerely desirous to escape from sin and from punishment. 
 So long as he continues imperfect, he is solicitous to enjoy 
 such supplies of grace, as shall enable him to subdue his own 
 corruptions ; and even, in the exercise of the full assurance 
 of eternal life, he still labours to mortify the body of sin and 
 death : but anxiety to have such an interest in the merits of 
 Christ, as shall secure to him the pardon of sin and a title to 
 everlasting life, is the principal feature of the Christian char- 
 acter in its commencement. 
 
 This is also, the very lowest grade of Christianity : for a 
 man who has no anxiety to escape from sin and to enjoy salva- 
 tion, is not at all a Christian. He is still dead in trespasses 
 and in sins. He who lives at ease in sin, and is careless of 
 God and of eternity, whatever may be his doctrine, or his pro- 
 fession, or his general deportment in society, is certainly a 
 graceless unregenerate man. He is unbelieving and im- 
 penitent ; and the wrath of God abideth on him. The first 
 period of the new life is peculiarly the time of faith and 
 penitence ; and repentance towards God, with faith in our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, are the prominent exercises of that anxie- 
 ty of mind which constitutes its chcracteristic. It is evident 
 that they who have neither faith nor repentance, are not true 
 Christians. " O man ! despisest thou the riches of his good- 
 ness, and after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasures! 
 up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revela- 
 tion of the righteous judgment of God?" 
 
 It is not, moreover, every kind of anxiety which sinners 
 feel, for deliverance from evil and for the enjoyment of eter- 
 nal life, that is to be sustained as descriptive even of the first 
 stages of personal religion. Upon this subject, there is great 
 liability to mistakes. The saints themselves, although they 
 certainly exercise both faith and repentance, are not always 
 capable of accurately describing them. Of their own anx- 
 iety for an interest in the grace of God, they are indeed con- 
 scious ; but, in bringing the subject of their consciousness to 
 
70 THE SEVERAL DEGREES 
 
 the test of divine truth, they are apt to err. Aware of the 
 deceitfuhiess of sin, and fearful of presumption ; somewhat 
 disordered, moreover, by the pungency of tlieir soul-harrow- 
 ing convictions, they frequently despond, because they will 
 not pronounce decidedly upon the spirituality of their own 
 emotions. If misled by false opinions inculcated by others, 
 or rendered incapable, by want of sound knowledge, to per- 
 ceive distinctly the connexion of the several parts of the sys- 
 tem of grace, they should suppose that their own experience 
 of divine power on the soul, and not the free and full ojfter 
 of the gospel, is the foundation for trusting in Christ for sal- 
 vation ; then indeed they must be disconsolate, and be liable 
 to wavering all the days of their life. It is only through the 
 medium of knowledge that Christians enjoy spiritual liberty. 
 The truth shall make you free. 
 
 While regenerated men err, in judging unfavourably of 
 their first attainments, unrenewed sinners more fatally err, in 
 judging favourably of their convictions. There is a sorrow 
 sometimes of long continuance which issues in actual con- 
 version. The Holy Ghost convinces man of sm, of right- 
 eousnesSj and of judgment ; and such conviction is always an 
 essential part of our effectual calling. Sinners have often 
 heard this asserted ; and they are in danger of mistaking 
 every kind of sorrow for sin, as a gracious exercise. They 
 of course give themselves credit for the grace which they do 
 not possess ; and so cherish a false confidence which is ruinou.s 
 to the soul. Judas Iscariot repented of his treachery. He 
 was deeply sensible of his guih in betraying innocent blood. 
 He manifested the reality of his remorse by returning the 
 money which bribed him to the transgression : and such was 
 the pain of his soul that he loathed life and cast it away as a 
 burden which he could no longer bear. This man, never- 
 theless, went to his own place : of his condemnation we are 
 more certain than that of any other man whom we can point 
 out by name. " Better for him," said the Redeemer, " that 
 he had never been born." 
 
 The anxiety of the young believer, must therefore be dis- 
 tinguished from that of unconverted minds. This is easy in 
 theory ; but difficult in practice. When we act, it is with 
 imperfect instruments ; whh faculties corrupted by sin, and 
 disordered by our pains and our passions. It is the Spirit, 
 however, that helps our infirmities. Let us go on in the 
 light of his word, " Lord, lift thou up the light of thy coun- 
 tenance upon us." 
 
 4 
 
or PERSONAL RELIGION. 71 
 
 Let ns again examine the anxiety of the traitor. It was 
 on account of sin. It was no pretension. It was real, deep, 
 and effective. How sudden and how great the change of 
 feeling and of conduct which it produced. He who, a little 
 before, coolly calculated the price of blood with his employers, 
 and with a smile and a kiss betrayed the Son of man ; now 
 with horror in his soul and desperation in his countenance, 
 confesses the enormity of his crime, to these very employers. 
 The man of avarice can no longer bear the sight of his silver, 
 but casts his wages of unrighteousness at the feet of them 
 from whom it had been received. The cold-blooded hypo- 
 crite, now burns with a consuming flame, esteems the earth 
 no longer desirable, and anxious to escape the tortures of his 
 own conscience, rapidly plunges himself into the fire of 
 eternal burnings. No penitence can exceed this in its in- 
 tensity ; but that of the renewed man is of a very different 
 kind. 
 
 The Christian is anxious to be delivered from sin : the un- 
 renewed man cares only for its consequences. Both may 
 experience uneasiness and alarm ; but the renovated soul 
 seeks for an interest in the salvation of God, while the sinner 
 cries merely for comfort. The renewed mind looks directly 
 to the Saviour, and sees the Father only in him : the uncon- 
 verted mind, blinded by the evil one, looks to God immedi- 
 ately as the disturber of his repose, and solicits compassion 
 without respect to perfect satisfaction for transgression. The 
 anxiety of the believer is from the Holy Spirit ; is exercised 
 with a spiritual discernment of the covenant of grace ; and 
 is influenced by an ardent desire to enjoy the beloved Re- 
 deemer, together with righteousness, and holiness, and hap- 
 piness in him : the anxiety of the unconverted, is a blind un- 
 holy passion, pungent indeed, but indefinite, indistinct, and 
 equivocal in respect to all these objects. 
 
 I have already observed, that the first stage of the Chris- 
 tian's icalking in neumess of lifc^ is during the time in which 
 faith and repentance are in early exercise. These graces 
 are, then, peculiarly marked with an earnest desire to enjoy 
 God. It is therefore an anxious exercise. By increasing 
 experience the new man learns more of the subtlety and the 
 power of sin, more of the excellencies and the grace of the 
 Saviour, and more of his own duty and privilege ; but never 
 is love more intense, than at the period of his espousals, or 
 his desires more ardent for deliverance from evil, and for the 
 enjoyment of his Redeemer. 
 
72 THE SEVERAL DEGREES 
 
 Let my hearers try themselves in the light of this doctrine. 
 Do so, my beloved brethren, with sincerity. Whether actual 
 professors of religion in church fellowship or otherwise, you 
 all have an interest in this inquiry. Where do you stand in 
 relation to the path of life ? Have you no anxiety to escape 
 the guilt, tiie pollution, and the punishment of sin, through 
 the blood of Jesus ? Have you no desire to enjoy his grace, 
 his covenant, and his salvation? then you are not Christians. 
 Are you indeed in the anxious exercise of faith, and penitence, 
 and love, and prayer? And is this all your experience? 
 Boast not of your attainments: you are in the very lowest 
 ranks of piety. Be not slothful in this business. Let me not 
 find you slumbering at your post, Awake, arise, go forward: 
 and as ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so tvalk ye in him. 
 
 2. The state of mind, enjoyed by the Christian, in the 
 second grade of spiritual attainments, is characterized, by 
 Admiration of Jesus Christy and the salvation which he ad- 
 ministers. 
 
 God, who is both rich in mercy and abundant in power, 
 might have created all the children of men at once, as he did 
 the angels of heaven. He might have made all men alike, 
 in the dimensions of the body and the features of their coun- 
 tenance. He might have made his elect perfect, in the 
 moment of their regeneration ; and have given to all the 
 same measure of holiness and happiness, if such a plan had 
 corresponded with infinite wisdom and goodness. He hath 
 ordered it otherwise ; and, in the varieties of creation, we 
 perceive his wisdom, and enjoy his munificence. The varie- 
 ties, displayed in his spiritual empire, are no less interesting 
 and instructive. Though we cannot describe them all, or 
 even any one of them, with perfect accuracy, it is not unprof- 
 itable to take a rapid view of the company of pilgrims, and 
 fix their distinguishing features permanently before us. The 
 progress, which is made in the path of righteousness, is not 
 always discoverable at short intervals of time ; and to the 
 sovereignty of God, both in his general providence, and in 
 the communications of his special grace, we must refer the 
 question, why some improve so rapidly, while others are 
 either stationary or declining, under the same means, and 
 with similar natural dispositions. Without at all determining 
 whether it requires a certain number of days or of j'-ears to 
 gain a certain distance, in our Christian journey, let us sur- 
 vey the spot which we have marked out as the second stage 
 of travellers towards the heavenly Jerusalem. 
 
J)F PERSONAL RELIGION. 73 
 
 The anxiety with which the Christian commences the 
 walk of faiih, gives origin to examinations and reflections of 
 an important nature. These exercises improve our spiritual 
 strength, and open up new views of divine things to the souL 
 In proportioa as we are favoured with such discoveries, our 
 faith becomes stronger ; our penitence more habitual and 
 serene ; and the fulness of the covenant of promise is better 
 understood and appreciated. In proportion, too, as the be- 
 liever has been enabled to make his calling and his election 
 sure, his anxiety is diminished without a diminution of his 
 industry. He still labours to subdue his corruptions, and 
 obtain salvation ; but he works with less uneasiness and 
 alarm, and with more confidence and comfort. He surveys 
 his company and his inheritance with admiration and de- 
 light. This is the period, in the Christian life, of successful 
 self-examination ; and of judicious reflection upon his faith 
 in Christ Jesus, These exercises, instead of ministering to 
 his indolence or pride, contribute, under divine grace, to an 
 increasing conviction of his dependence upon the Saviour, 
 and to an increasing sense of that Saviour's worth. Hence 
 I conclude, that the most prominent feature of his character 
 m all his religious exercises and employments, is the delight- 
 ful admiration of the grace and glory of the Lord Jesus, and 
 the whole salvation which he hopes, through his mediation, 
 to obtain. 
 
 Great power, magnanimity, and condescension, are_ in 
 their own nature admirable : infinite perfection is an object 
 of the admiration of all intelligent creatures; and, in a cer- 
 tain sense, the divine excellency is admired by the unregen- 
 erate, even by those to whom it is an object of terror. Chris- 
 tians, too, from the very commencement of their new life, 
 and throughout every stage of their progress, feel an admi- 
 ration for God in Christ : nor does it cease in heaven ; but, 
 in this stage, after having ascertained their own interest in 
 the grace of God, it becomes the most prominent part of their 
 character. They admire the dignity of the mediatory Per- 
 son, God manifested in the flesh ; the attributes, and, espe- 
 cially, the love of God in him ; the wisdom of the plan de- 
 vised for our redemption through a covenant, ordered in all 
 things, and sure ; and his fitness in every thing to our con- 
 dition, in whom it pleased the Father that all fulness should 
 dwell. They admire the tenderness of his compassion ; the 
 fortitude displayed in his sufferings ; the graces of the Spirit, 
 which rest upon him, and which he liberally communicates, 
 
 7 
 
74 THE sevehal degrees 
 
 grace for grace, from his own fulness to our wants. They 
 admire the place on high, where he is enthroned in light, 
 and into which they have now, themselves, a sure hope of 
 admission. Oh, brethren, with what transports of admiration 
 do young believers, after their anxiety is allayed, by the de- 
 monstrations of the Holy Ghost, take their first view from 
 the top of Pisgah of the King in his beauty, and of the land 
 that is afar off That inheritance, however, is beyond the 
 Jordan ; and here the saints are not to rest : cheered with 
 the prospect before them, they must descend and march for- 
 ward to the possession — Walk in nenmess of life. 
 
 3. The third period of Christian progress is characterized 
 by a thirst for religious knouiedge. 
 
 The mind of man is formed for exertion, and the knowl- 
 edge of truth is, at all times, desirable for the direction of its 
 activity, and the increase of its enjoyments. Ignorance is, in 
 every situation of life, both a loss and a reproach. The 
 curiosity, which prompts the old and the young, to acquire 
 information about its several objects, indicates the benevolent 
 provision made in the constitution of our rational nature for 
 its progressive improvement and felicity, through the medium 
 of knowledge. He, who is ignorant of his own business, 
 •whatever may be his industry, cannot be con^sidered as likely 
 to be successful ; and without intelligence, even a partial 
 success affords no moral satisfaction. What is to me un- 
 known, is as if it had not been. 
 
 In the concerns of religion, knowledge is not only useful, 
 but indispensable. It is an essential part of the image of 
 God in which man was formed by the Creator, and into 
 which he is renewed by the Holy Ghost. " Ye are renewed 
 in knowledge after the image of him that created you." 
 Without the exercise of intellect upon divine things, there 
 can be no comfort or profit in Christianity, any more than in 
 the habits of idolatry. " Know thou," if thou wouldst enjoy 
 him, " the God of thy fathers." 
 
 In every art or science, the period most favourable to the 
 ardent pursuit of knowledge, is immediately after the habits 
 and the language peculiar to it, and at first strange, have 
 become familiar and easy; after a high admiration of the 
 objects of study is felt by the learner ; and before the actual 
 business of life demands his chief attention. There is a 
 similar period in the religious life of man. The knowledge 
 of divine things, always desirable and always useful, is pur- 
 sued with peculiar ardour, so soon as we have attained to 
 
OP PERSONAL RELIGION. 75 
 
 that patient admiration of its glorious objects which accompa- 
 nies the full assurance of hope. Then the speculative pow- 
 ers of the mind, enlightened and enlivened by the Holy- 
 Ghost, search for knowledge, and procure it on account of 
 its own intrinsic worth. We learn^ my brethren, not merely 
 because we are commanded, and because it is profitable ; but 
 also because we desire to know. " Truly the light is sweet, 
 and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun. The 
 commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes : 
 Therefore I love thy commandments above gold, yea, above 
 fine gold." 
 
 This is the period in the Christian life, when the desire of 
 knowledge for its own sake, is in its most vigorous exercise. 
 Have my hearers attained to it, in walking forward to per- 
 fection? Be not deceived. True religion gives no encourage- 
 ment to ignorance. It gives no toleration to negligence in 
 ignorance of any thing which God has made known to us 
 in the sacred oracles. There are, I confess, in the Scriptures, 
 some things hard to be understood. There are also plain 
 first principles. As there are precepts in the law of more 
 and of less weight, so there are declarations and promises of 
 greater and of less importance. All these, nevertheless, are 
 worthy of attention, otherwise God would not have revealed 
 them. Every truth is of use in its place : and every ray 
 from the Sun of Righteousness is cheering to the eyes of be- 
 lievers. It is impious to treat with contempt any thing spoken 
 by the Lord God our Saviour. Truth is the proper food of 
 the enlightened mind ; and every one that loveth is horn of 
 God and knoweth God. 
 
 Affections indeed are a necessary part of religion. Let 
 them be excited to the most lively and the most powerful 
 exercise. Let your impressions of divine things be deep and 
 permanent, and productive of practical results ; but let them 
 be intelligent. Walk as children of light : for ye are not of 
 the night ; but of the day. Be not children in understand- 
 ing ; but in understanding be men. A glorious light bursts 
 forth from on high. The windows of our earthly habitations 
 are set open by the hand of God for its admission. The cur- 
 tains are drawn, the eyes are opened, sloth is overcome ; and 
 " beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, we are 
 changed into the same image," while his voice vibrates on 
 the ear, and thrills through every fibre of the heart. Awake, 
 thou that sleepest, and Christ shall give thee light. Now it 
 is high time to awake out of sleep : for now is our salvation 
 
76 THE SEVERAL DEGREES 
 
 nearer than when we believed. Sweet is the fellowship which 
 the natural eye holds with the light of day. Still more de- 
 lightful is the communion of the enlightened spirit with the 
 glory of the Father shining forth between the cherubim above 
 the mercy-seat. In the person of our redeeming Head, God 
 manifested in the flesh, there are perfections which invite and 
 reward contemplation. Invited by his promise, and com- 
 manded by his precept ; drawn inwardly towards him by 
 the cords of his love ; and enraptured by the brightness of 
 his glory before us, we desire the knowledge of his ways. 
 Forgetting the things that are behind, we press forward ; and 
 instead of becoming babes who have need of milk, we thus 
 become men who have need of strong meat : therefore^ leav- 
 ing the principles of the doctrine of Christy let us go on unto 
 perfection. 
 
 4. The fourth period of Christian progress is characterized 
 by Public spirit in 'promoting the interests of the church. 
 
 The religion which we profess ; the relations, in which it 
 finds, and into which it introduces Christians ; and the dis- 
 position of mind which it communicates and cultivates, all 
 proclaim the duty of public spirit in the service of God, 
 Christianity is social as well as personal ; and the religion 
 of the renewed individual must of course influence his rela- 
 tion to society. It is not good for man to be alone. Entire 
 solitude is opposed to his improvement, his usefulness, and 
 his happiness : and the sanctification, " whereby we are re- 
 newed in the whole man after the image of God," produces 
 a disposition to promote in every sphere of life the greatest 
 good. The glory of God, the prosperity of the church, the 
 comfort of society, and the happiness of every individual with 
 whom we stand connected, as well as our own salvation, are 
 objects of solicitude to all believers. Religion would be an 
 imperfect system, unworthy of the Creator, and unfit for the 
 creature, did it not pay respect to our relative condition, in 
 this world, and in the world to come. With such deficiency, 
 it could not qualify the new man, either for present useful- 
 ness, or future happiness. Listen to its admonitions, and then 
 judge whether it be chargeable with any such defect. Ye 
 are not your own, for ye are bought with a price : therefore 
 glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God^s. 
 Let no man seek his oivn, but every ma?i another^ s. hook 7iot 
 every man on his own things, but every man also on the things 
 of others. As ive have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto 
 all menj especially unto them ivho are of the household of faith. 
 
OF PERSONAL RELIGION. 77 
 
 The moral and spiritual empire, of which the Redeemer is 
 the Head and Lawgiver, is the most important and interest- 
 ing association in the universe. Here the sinner is converted, 
 the saints are edified, and God is glorified. For the church's 
 sake the world is preserved and governed by the Prince of 
 the kings of the earth : Sin and Satan are restrained and 
 overruled : and the angels of heaven are employed as min- 
 istering spirits. Out of Zion the perfection of beauty^ God 
 hath shined ; and to this object the public spirit of the Chris- 
 tian is principally directed. For Zion's sake I will not hold 
 my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the 
 righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation 
 thereof as a lamp that burneth. A benevolent disposition 
 towards mankind, and a special regard for the godly, are 
 coeval with the Christian life ; and wheresoever these exist, 
 there will also be some exertions for promoting the good of 
 the house of the Lord : but it requires great progress in the 
 new life before any one is characterized, by self-denial, in the 
 church's service, similar to that of Moses, who chose affliction 
 with the people of God ; by an enlightened ardour in the 
 work of righteousness, like Elijah the prophet ; and by such 
 disinterestedness, as was practised by Paul the apostle. These 
 attainments are not to be expected, until after man has ob- 
 tained grace to quiet his personal anxieties, and has moreover 
 made so much progress in the knowledge of divine things, 
 as is necessary to an understanding of the times, that he may 
 know how to promote the w^elfare of Israel. This is not a 
 blind devotion to the interests of a party ; but a spirit of mag- 
 nanimity and liberality, fostered and directed by the word of 
 God. 
 
 It indeed requires no grace or goodness, in any man, to be 
 zealous in promoting the interests of the sect or family, in 
 political or ecclesiastical society, to which he has attached 
 himself Ignorance and prejudice, nay, ambition or avarice 
 may have led to such connexion : Shame and cowardice, as 
 well as mistaken interest, may be the means of continuing 
 the alliance: native contractedness of spirit may occasion bigot- 
 ed exertions in the cause : and the most hateful passions prove 
 productive of obstinate perseverance. These principles are, 
 how^ever, not only destitute of religion, but utterly opposed to 
 its power. The remains of corruption in the heart of the 
 regenerate, natural zeal and inflexibility, may also go far in 
 producing something like religious exertions for the prosperi- 
 ty of the church, in men who are of very small attainments 
 
 7* 
 
78 THE SEVERAL DEGREES 
 
 in holiness of life ; but the affections and exertions of grow- 
 ing- Christians, are easily distinguished from such appear- 
 ances. The unreflecting may be deceived, but the wise 
 shall understand. 
 
 Unsanctified exertions, for promoting the good of the 
 church, have for their ultimate end, some temporary object : 
 Spiritual enterprise always contemplates the prosperity of the 
 cause of God in Christ, and the highest happiness of man, 
 throughout eternity. Natural or unsanctified zeal is obtru- 
 sive hke that of Jehu, seeking praise to its possessor: Holy 
 zeal, like that of Paul, glories only in the cross of Christ. 
 The rule, to which unholy enterprise conforms, is the pros- 
 pect of success : The law of God directs the virtuous in the 
 use of means, as well as in the choice of ends to be prosecu- 
 ted. Success affords more pleasure to the ungodly than a 
 consciousness of divine approbation : The virtuous are sensi- 
 ble that ineffectual enterprise evangelically conducted shall 
 not lose its reward. The wicked are proud of their own 
 ardour, their skilful management, their sincerity and their 
 success : the righteous disapprove of zeal, which is not ac- 
 cording to knowledge ; they detest the idea of doing evil that 
 good may come of it ; they never offer the sincerity of their 
 own deceitful hearts as atonement to God for their disobedi- 
 ence ; and it is not the success of their own schemes, but the 
 triumphs of truth and holiness that constitute their joy and 
 their crown. Mindful of the relation in which they stand to 
 the great spiritual empire of Messiah, and embracing with 
 their affections the whole church of God, they labour with in- 
 dustry to promote the good of Jerusalem, in the particular 
 sphere, and with special regard to the society of believers, in 
 which it hath pleased God to place them for his own glory. 
 Their public spirit overcomes all disorderly or partial consid- 
 erations. Our mouth is open unto you^ our heart is enlarged. 
 Be ye also enlarged. 
 
 5. The fifth degree of progress in personal piety is charac- 
 terized by heavenly-mindedness. 
 
 " To be spiritually minded" is, in some degree, the proper- 
 ty of all the saints. Renewed by the Holy Ghost, they are 
 directed to the heavenly Jerusalem, as the ultimate end of 
 their pilgrimage. Persuaded of the truth, they declare 
 plainly that they seek that country. From the very begin- 
 ning of their journey, their desire for its enjoyment is both 
 sincere and ardent : but, as they approach the perfection of 
 the man of God, and the place of their final rest, the whole 
 
OF PERSONAL RELIGION. 79 
 
 soul is more and more assimilated to the sons of felicity who 
 dwell on high ; to the place itself which they so happily en- 
 joy ; and to him who is its light and its glory. 
 
 The Redeemer, in his conversation with Nicodemus, on the 
 nature and origin of spiritual life, distinguishes the concerns 
 of true religion into things that are earthly and things that 
 are heavenly. The plain principles which are more immedi- 
 ately adapted to our faith and obedience, as living piously in 
 this world, are distinguished from the more sublime doctrines, 
 which directly refer to the life on which we are about to en- 
 ter, and the company into which we are about to be intro- 
 duced, when the celestial gates are set open for our admission. 
 There is a corresponding change effected, from good to bet- 
 ter, upon the mind of the Christian, as he draws near the 
 holy habitation. The thoughts are more habitually directed 
 to those things which are above: the understanding is more 
 enlarged in beholding the counsels, and the attributes, and the 
 love of God to fallen man : the vanity of earthly things, is 
 more feelingly acknowledged : and the joy of heaven si^^ 
 more uniformly upon the countenance, while faith invigor- 
 ated, sees him that is invisible, and gives substance to the ob- 
 jects of hope. 
 
 Some believers are seized rapidly, like Philip on the road 
 to Gaza, and are found, a little before they breathe their last, 
 in this heavenly-minded state. Others are left for a long time 
 on earth in the habitual exercise of it, as an example to others 
 and as monuments of the power and sovereignty of the grace 
 of God. "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things 
 which are above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of 
 God. Set your affections on things above, and not on things 
 on the earth. When Christ, who is our life shall appear, 
 then shall ye also appear with him in glory." 
 
 6. The highest rank in personal godliness on earth is at- 
 tained by those who willingly suffer for Chrisfs sake. 
 
 Those who, under pretence of superior sagacity, reject the 
 revelation of Jesus Christ, have always undervalued the tes- 
 timony which Christianity derives from the self-denial, the 
 sufTerings, and the martyrdom of her sons and daughters. 
 The patience of the saints has been represented as a spirit of 
 bigotry, joyless, sullen, and obstinate. The calm fortitude of 
 the humble and zealous Christian, has been degraded by a 
 comparison with the gloomy endurance of the barbarian who 
 bears torture without complaint. But the intelligent and can- 
 did infidel himself will not deny, that voluntary martyrdom 
 
80 THE SEVERAL DEGREES 
 
 for any cause, is an evidence of personal resolution and sin- 
 cerity — the highest which man can give of his attachment to 
 the cause he has espoused. And it is easy to show that the 
 disciple who willingly carries the cross, for which he is mis- 
 represented and maligned by his cotemporaries, rises far su- 
 perior in heroism to the patriot soldier, who, encouraged by 
 the honours of a military life, and cheered by the voice of 
 applause loudly raised by his country, exposes himself to 
 danger and to death. 
 
 In this age of worldly wisdom ; in a state of society where 
 professors have the most of their religion on their lips ; and 
 where they are not in immediate danger of being put to the 
 trial of their faith by persecution, suffering for Christ is 
 esteemed an easy service, and willingness to die for the truth^ 
 an attainment of no great account in the religious life. In- 
 deed, the maxim is become in some degree proverbial, that 
 " it is easier to die the death of the martyr than to live the life 
 of the Christian." 
 
 Did this maxim only convey the idea, that it is easier for 
 a Christian to die for his religion, than uniformly to live in 
 a perfect conformity to its letter and its spirit, I should not 
 call its truth in question. The former, though a rare, is a 
 possible attainment, but the latter is impossible. No man 
 }iveth and sinneth not. Perfection in this life is neither 
 promised nor given to man. This, however, is not the 
 meaning of the assertion. It is intended to undervalue the 
 fortitude which endureth all things, and overcometh the 
 world by patience even unto death. It is far from being 
 true, that it is easier to die a natural death, like a Christian, 
 than to live like one : and it is still farther from truth, that it 
 is easier to endure persecution ; to sufler daily reproach and 
 loss ; and to meet death in the midst of one's health, and 
 comfort, and usefulness, than it is to live in the practice of 
 the ordinary duties of a religious life. Man is surely more 
 willing to live than to die. This is human nature. Ease 
 and enjoyment are preferable to trouble and sorrow. It 
 necessarily follows, that it requires less of divine grace to 
 live, in the ordinary practice and quiet enjoyment of the 
 Christian religion, than is necessary to incline one willingly 
 to suffer loss of property, of liberty, and of life for the sake 
 of the gospel. 
 
 Divine revelation describes the suflcrings of Christ for our 
 redemption, as the greatest evidence of his love for us, and as 
 the most difficult part of his mediatorv obedience 'o the law 
 
OF PERSONAL RELIGION. 81 
 
 of God. Hence we find, that his blood, his death, and such 
 other terms as indicate his last sufferings, are frequently used, 
 in the word of God, to designate his entire righteousness as 
 the Saviour from sin. It is also intimated, in the sacred vol- 
 ume, that as faith is the spring of our evangelical obedience, 
 so suffering for the cause of truth is the highest exercise of 
 holiness, while each is the gift of God in Jesus Christ our 
 Lord. For unto you it is given^ in the behalf of Christy not 
 only to believe on hi?n, but also to suffer fo?- his sake* 
 
 Pain of every kind, is an object of aversion by the crea- 
 ture ; and chastisement itself is, on that account, grievous. 
 The preservation of life, and participation in health and com- 
 fort, are always in themselves desirable. Regard to our 
 own happiness is a part of the constitution of our nature ; 
 and thus, by his works as well as by his word, the Creator 
 and Redeemer of men declares it to be his will, that man 
 should avoid suffering, and seek his own safety, and particu- 
 lar good. For no man ever yet hated his oicnjiesh ; but nour- 
 isheth and cherisheth it^ even as the Lord the church. This is 
 as much a part of human nature as the power of sensation or 
 reflection ; a part too which divine grace neither communi- 
 cates nor destroys. Exposed, nevertheless, as we are, in the 
 present state of imperfection, to suffer loss and pain, it is our 
 wisdom to bear with patience unavoidable evil ; and often to 
 choose an inferior degree of suffering as the means of esca- 
 ping the greater and more permanent. Reason, as well as 
 divine revelation, of course, justifies the Christian, in sacrifi- 
 
 * It is not denied, that under certain evils, whether real or imaginary, 
 life becomes a burden, and death desirable. Judas himself sought for 
 death, and he found the destroyer. But this is not magnanimity. It is 
 not martyrdom. 1 also admit, that some pious men, who are far from 
 eminence in piety, may fancy, and even assert with sincerity that they 
 are ready to die for the cause of religion. Peter, the apostle, was prob- 
 ably sincere, when he rashly said, If I should die v)ith Ihee, I vnll not 
 demi Ihee in any wise: but it was easier said than done. Soon did this 
 confident man lose his courage, and realize the words of his Master, 
 " Before the cock crow twice thou shalt deny me thrice." It is easy to 
 be brave where there is no apprehension of danger; but the spirit of mar- 
 tyrdom is no common Christian attainment. 
 
 The man, on the contrary, who, from a pure conscience, foregoes the 
 honour which awaited him in the midst of his cotemporaries ; forsakes 
 the ease which he might have enjoyed ; rejects the influence, the rank, 
 and the wealth which were obviously proposed to his acceptance; and in 
 despite of the solicitation of friends, perhaps the cries of a beloved family, 
 and the hope of enlarged usefulness in the church itself, sacrifices even 
 his life to the truth, is certainly superior, in true holiness, to the ordinary 
 classes of religious professors. 
 
82 THE SEVERAL DEGREES 
 
 cing cheerfully the honours and comforts of this life, and 
 even life itself, when they come in competition with the hon- 
 our which Cometh from God, and with the never-ending en- 
 joyments of the heavenly life. 
 
 The duty and the reward of such a sacrifice are sufficiently 
 obvious : Whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the 
 gospers, the same shall save it: but the disposition of mind to 
 perform the duty, in view of the high reward^ is a rare 
 attainment in grace. The Lord himself will, however, be- 
 stow it according to his good pleasure, in those extraordinary 
 times of trial which call for it, upon them whom the King 
 delighteth to honour. See, with what alacrity did the son of 
 Amram, refusing to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 
 choose to suffer affliction with the people of God, esteeming 
 the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in 
 Egypt : for he had respect unto the recompense of the 
 reward. Behold Stephen, before the high court of Palestine, 
 suffering magnanimously for his Master. He is an object 
 less of compassion than of admiration. While the scribes 
 are recording the testimony of perjured witnesses, all that sat 
 in the council, looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as it 
 had been the face of an angel. Cut to the heart by his re- 
 proofs, they gnashed on him with their teeth : but he being 
 full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, 
 and saw the glory of God. They stoned hwi, calling npon^ 
 and saying^ Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. ' 
 
 Of such men, brethren, the world is not worthy. They 
 rarely appear, and when they do, this is not their rest. We, 
 who profess the Christian religion, and who believe that we 
 have ourselves experienced the power of grace in our effectual 
 calling, are all, however, required to know the Redeemer in 
 the fellowship of his sufferings. Although we are not often 
 called to seal with our blood the testim.ony which we hold, it 
 is still an invariable part of the economy of grace, that ho 
 who lives godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer some persecution. 
 
 Natural life, too, we must, every one of us, one day yield 
 up to God. It is appointed unto all men once to die. Here 
 we have no continuing city. Let us be prepared to meet the 
 king of terrors without dismay, and with Christian confidence, 
 be loilling rather to be absent f-om the body, and be present ivith 
 the Lord* Many a timid believer, fearful of entering into 
 
 * Severe or long protracted sickness, or other distress, is a trial of pa- 
 tience ; and the power of religion is displayed in supporting the saints 
 under it with resignation and with piety. 
 
OF PERSONAL RELIGION. 83 
 
 the valley of the shadow of death, is, in a moment, before he 
 enters into it, filled with faith and with confidence, and at the 
 last hour, delivered from the fear of death by which, all his 
 life, he has been held in bondage. To know death, and yet 
 be fearless of its approach, is a desirable attainment ; and let 
 it ever be remembered, that the religion of years, which never 
 has taught us to dismiss our alarms, is at best but feeble. Let 
 us go on therefore from strength to strength to appear before 
 God in Zion. 
 
 It is not insensibility to dishonour, to pain, or to death, that 
 Christianity inculcates. It is not a false confidence, in rashly 
 rushing into danger, or passionately provoking trouble, that 
 it cherishes and recommends. Good men are, by the power 
 of corruption, made weary of life, like Job and Jeremiah : 
 profane men, like Judas Iscariot, may deem it an intolerable 
 burden. Presumption, petulance, and passion, may expose 
 to unnecessary and unprofitable opposition and sufferings. 
 Pride, malevolence, and obstinacy, as well as mere rigidity 
 of muscle and of nerve, may give the appearance of manly 
 fortitude under adversity. But it is not the insensibility of 
 the Stoic ; it is not the obstinacy of animal intrepidity ; it is 
 not the enthusiasm of despair, nor the delusion of a false hope, 
 that enters into the character of the Christian's voluntary suf- 
 ferings. It is the work of God's Spirit, convincing him of 
 the goodness of his cause ; showing him that God's glory 
 demands the sacrifice ; and assuring him of a great reward 
 in heaven. It is grace that makes the Christian hero. High 
 stands the throne, and brilliant is the crown of martyrdom. 
 
 Valour betokens magnanimitjr, and excites our admiration. 
 Candour indicates integrity, and commands our approbation. 
 Piety, modesty, and fidelity, interest our hearts and unite them 
 in love to him who possesses them. The good man, strug- 
 gling with adversity, and a conqueror over death itself, leaves 
 a monument of his worth more durable than marble. Such 
 is the martyr who sealed with his blood the testimony which 
 he held. Let me draw up the curtain, and reveal to the faith 
 of my hearers the multitude before the throne. Hear that 
 shout of victory. What are these that are arrayed ivith lohite 
 Yohes^ and 'palms in their hands ? and ivhencc came they ? 
 These are they ivhich came out of great tribulation^ and have 
 loashed their robes j and made them white in the blood of the 
 Lamb. 
 
84 THE SEVERAL DEGREES, ETC. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 It is not without embarrassment that I attempted this de- 
 lineation. I felt the difficulty and the delicacy of the under- 
 taking. Years of scrupulous attention to the subject, have 
 persuaded me, that however distinctly different characters are 
 marked in the sacred oracles, it is no easy task so to apply 
 the description to living Christians, as to determine with ac- 
 curacy, the grade, to which the individual professor in the 
 school of Christ is to be justly referred. Although it is 
 obvious to every one that there is a variety of countenance 
 and complexion in the human family dwelling upon earth, 
 scientific men find it difficult to mark the line, by country or 
 by climate, which in every case serves to distinguish one 
 variety from another. He who would attempt to classify the 
 inhabitants of a city or a township, into several distinct orders, 
 would find, on making the experiment, individual cases upon 
 which he could not satisfactorily determine. Differences, 
 however, there are ; and for all the purposes of general utility 
 they are sufficiently distinctly marked. In delineating the 
 different degrees of attainment in Christianity, I have made 
 no invidious application to individuals. I leave you to ascer- 
 tain, from the description and from the exercise of an en- 
 lightened conscience, and also to decide for yourselves, to 
 which class you in fact belong. The features of the Christian 
 character, like the colours of the rainbow, although obviously 
 distinct, run into one another; and it is difficult to put your 
 finger upon the spot, where the one begins or where another 
 absolutely terminates. This will readily account for the 
 diversity of opinions which exist upon this subject among 
 sensible men, although they acknowledge that all the parts 
 belong in general to the Christian character. Far be it from 
 me, to urge my own scheme upon your attention, as the best 
 possible description of the several degrees of piety. I give 
 it to you, however, as that which is most satisfactory to my- 
 self ; and let the claim to your approbation rest upon its own 
 evidence. 
 
 Should you, however, deem the arrangement, which I 
 have adopted, an arbitrary one ; still you will allow me to 
 urge, with my last words, the exhortation of the text. It is 
 entitled to perfect confidence and sincere obedience. " As 
 Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the 
 Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." 
 Amen. 
 
THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 85 
 
 THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 
 
 SERMON IV. 
 
 Rom. viii. 15. — Ye have received the Spirit of Adoption, 
 whereby we cry, Abba, Fattier, 
 
 All true Christians, whatever may be their several de- 
 grees of attainment in sanctification, are led by the Spirit of 
 God ; and are become the sons of God by faith in Christ 
 Jesus. They have obeyed from the heart the call, to " leave 
 their own people and their father's house ;" and have accept- 
 ed the gracious offer of adoption to the family of the living 
 God. Descended from him, by whose disobedience many 
 were made sinners, our connexion, by corrupt nature, is with a 
 family devoted to destruction, in consequence of the breach 
 of the first covenant. As hy one man sin entered into the 
 world, and death by sin ; so death passed upon all men, for 
 that all have sinned. This connexion is set aside by the 
 grace of God, calling us from the service of sin, and enabling 
 us to embrace the offer of salvation through a Redeemer. 
 Those who are born again, and have so entered upon a new 
 and better life, are no more strangers and foreigners, but fel- 
 low-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God. The 
 apparent change in their condition is not very captivating to 
 the senses of men of worldly prudence. The spiritual life 
 does not make them more wealthy, or more honourable in 
 the esteem of sinners. It docs 7iot yet appear what they shall 
 be. But when the earthly house of this tabernacle is dis- 
 solved, their dignity and happiness shall be made manifest. 
 Mortality shall then be swallowed up of life, and the state of 
 the believer shall appear more glorious than we can now 
 conceive or describe. Made perfect in holiness, he shall en- 
 ter the heavenly sanctuary, and with a beating heart, meet 
 his long looked for Father, and receive from his dear Re- 
 deemer an abundant welcome. 
 
 In the meantime, brethren, although you are "poor in 
 spirit," you have a certain pledge of an inheritance among 
 
 8 
 
86 THE SPIHIT OF ADOPTION. 
 
 them which are sanctified. You may therefore patiently 
 wait until the redemption of the purchased possession : For 
 ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear ; but 
 ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Ab- 
 ba, Father. Ye were once strangers and foreigners, fearful 
 and unbelieving, held in durance by the spirit of bondage; 
 not the Spirit of God and of Christ ; for this is a Spirit of 
 liberty. It is the spirit of the w^orld and of false religion 
 that reduces to servitude and servility. You have been de- 
 livered from that state of slavery and corruption, and are 
 now Christ's freemen, in the family of God. A very differ- 
 ent spirit is now communicated : and a different effect is 
 produced by him. He is the Comforter of your souls; and 
 by him you are led through Jesus Christ unto the Father. 
 
 Let us consider, with attention, the Gift tvhich the children 
 of God have received — the spirit of adoption ; their Christian 
 
 liberty the spirit of bondage was not again sent upon 
 
 them ; and the import of their address to God — they cry, Ab- 
 ba, Father. 
 
 I. We shall consider the gift which God confers on his 
 children, " Ye have received the spirit of adoption." 
 
 Adoption is an act, whereby one admits a stranger into his 
 family, in order to deal with him, in all respects, as if he was 
 really a child of his own. Pharaoh's daughter took Moses 
 in this manner into her family, and educated him as her son. 
 Israel, as a body politic, was adopted under the special care 
 of God. To them " pertained the adoption, and the glory, 
 and the covenants."* True Chrisitans shall, at the resur- 
 rection, in one glorious congregation, be publicly adopted 
 and put in possession of the heavenly inheritance. ''But 
 ourselves also, which have the first-fruits of the Spirit, groan 
 within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemp- 
 tion of our bodies."! There is a spiritual adoption into the 
 family of God, which he bestows upon all those who have 
 embraced the Saviour. •' But as many as received him, to 
 them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to 
 them that believe in his name."J They are, by an act of 
 God's free grace, received into the number, and have a right 
 to all the privileges of the sons of God. The Holy Spirit, is 
 the earnest of these privileges : He is the gift received. The 
 third Person of the Godhead is present with every creature ; 
 but he is in a peculiar manner present with every Christian. 
 The Redeemer, when about to suffer death for the redemp- 
 ♦ Rom. ix. 4. t Rom. viii. 23. \ John i. 12. 
 
THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 87 
 
 tion of our transgressions, promised to liis disciples, as the 
 sum of their blessings, and as a sufficient recompense for his 
 own removal from them, the Holy Ghost to bring all things 
 to their remembrance, and to guide them into all truth.* 
 This divine Person influences the minds of God's children, 
 by infusing into the soul gracious pi:inciples, bestowing upon 
 them a pious temper, and directing them to holy exercises. 
 The Spirit of God dwelleth in them, and this Spirit is life 
 because of righteousness. This is the Spirit of adoption, 
 which believers have received. It is a proposition of inspira- 
 tion, "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none 
 ofhis."t 
 
 The third Person in the Trinity, is called " the Spirit of 
 adoption," because he seals believers in their adopted state; 
 assures them of their adoption; and bestows upon them its vari- 
 ous comforts. 
 
 1. The Spirit of God seals the children of adoption. We 
 are indebted to the riches of divine grace for all the good 
 things we enjoy. To nothing can we claim a right, founded 
 upon our own merit. The Spirit places us among the chil- 
 dren, and then seals us in that state. " For ye are all the 
 children of God by faith in Christ Jesus."| " In whom also, 
 after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit 
 of promise." § This serves to mark the particular property 
 God has in believers ; to distinguish them from others of the 
 human family : and to preserve them for the end of their 
 election and faith, even the salvation of their souls. To my 
 legal transactions I annex my seal, to confirm it as my own 
 deed ; property which I wish to have distinguished from any 
 thing similar to it, I mark also with my seal ; and I seal up 
 my letter in order to preserve it for the use of the person to 
 whom it is directed. 
 
 God has a special property in believers. " For the Lord 
 hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel as his peculiar 
 treasure." II The saints are scattered over the earth ; mingled 
 in families and in civil society with the wicked of this world ; 
 some in the most honourable, and some in the meanest sta- 
 tions. Nevertheless, the eye of the Lord is upon them for 
 good : the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, 
 the Lord knoweth them that are his.^ They are no more 
 their own, they are bought with a price : and although they 
 may be despised by the world ; reproached and persecuted ; 
 
 * John xvi. 7, 15, 26. t Rom. viii. 9. t Gal. iii. 26. 
 
 § Eph. i. 13. II Psa. cxxxv. 4 IT 3 Tim. ii. 19. 
 
88 THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 
 
 though they be distracted with doubts, and sunk in despond- 
 ency, the great Shepherd and Bishop of souls recognizes them 
 as the sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty. He 
 sends his servants to collect, out of the various tribes of the 
 human race, the members of his body, " that we may grow 
 up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 
 from whom the whole body fitly joined together, and com- 
 pacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the 
 effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh in- 
 crease of the body to the edifying of itself in love."* 
 
 By the impression of God's seal they are also visibly dis- 
 tinguished from others. They are renewed in the image of 
 God ; they profess themselves his servants, and they act in 
 conformity to the vocation wherewith they are called. The 
 servants of the living God are sealed in their foreheads. 
 They bear the mark, which their Master puts upon them, in 
 a conspicuous place. 
 
 The prevalence of revealed religion distinguishes Christen- 
 dom from the heathen world : an assent to the truth of revela- 
 tion distinguishes the professor of Christianity from the infi- 
 del: acquiescence in the doctrines of grace discriminates the 
 orthodox from the heretic ; but there are marks more legible 
 than confessions. A conscientious Christian is another name 
 for the sober, the useful, the pious, and the upright character. 
 An openly profane and immoral man is never mistaken for 
 a true Christian. " What doth it profit, my brethren, though 
 a man say he hath faith, and have not works?"! "And 
 what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly, and to 
 love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" J 
 
 It must be confessed, however, that a particular examina- 
 tion of the state of the Christian world, in order to ascertain 
 who are God's sealed ones, as distinct from those who bear 
 only the name Christian, is accompanied with great difficulty. 
 Between the two opposite points, undoubted piety and abso- 
 lute irreligion, you can find all the intermediate steps occu- 
 pied : so various and complicated are the plans and preten- 
 sions of professed Christians. To draw with certainty the 
 line of distinction, is impossible for man. We must be con- 
 tent to let the tares grow with the wheat until the harvest. 
 
 But if we meet with some instances in which it is difficult 
 
 to discern the seal of the living God in the foreheads of his 
 
 servants ; there are many in whom the impression is distinct 
 
 and lasting. Their shining countenance show that they have 
 
 * Eph. iv. 12, 15, 16. t James ii. 14. X Micah vi. 8. 
 
THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 89 
 
 been in the mount with God. They abide in Christ, and 
 endeavour to walk even as he walked. They hate evil. 
 They shun the company of the scorner. They delight in 
 the excellent of the eavth, and if they have conscientiously 
 taken their stand in that part of the visible church, in which 
 they can most faithfully serve their divine Master, they em- 
 brace in their affections, all that love the Lord Jesus Christ ; 
 speaking the language of Canaan, and superior both to party 
 zeal and a time-serving spirit, they do good to all men, es- 
 pecially to those who are of the household of faith : Con- 
 tending earnestly for the faith once delivered unto the saints; 
 and speaking the truth in love, they grow up in all things 
 into him who is the head, even Christ. 
 
 Such persons are preserved in the possession of their in- 
 heritance for ever ; " For doing these things they shall never 
 fall."* The precepts of the law encourage them to the duty 
 of perseverance ; and the promise of the gospel, connected 
 with the precept, assures them of their perseverance as a 
 blessing from heaven. " Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God 
 whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."! This 
 divine seal secures them from all danger. There is no power 
 in the universe which can break up, what God has deter- 
 mined to keep sacred. " There is therefore now no con- 
 demnation to them which are in Christ Jesus."| 
 
 Christians are not indeed made perfect at their conversion, 
 nor is the time of their tribulation then over. Some are per- 
 mitted to wander far from the path of duty — To walk in 
 darkness — To stumble and fall, until overcome by their own 
 corruptions, and tormented by the advesary, horror inexpres- 
 sible tortures their consciences ; but not all their infirmities, 
 nor all their sins ; not all the power of temptation, nor all the 
 efforts of devils can separate one of them from the body of 
 Christ in which they are preserved by the Spirit of adoption. 
 My heart may faint, and my strength may fail ; my faith may 
 waver, and my love become languid : was there nothing to 
 preserve my union with the Saviour, but my own exertions, 
 the enemy might prevail : But the everlasting arms are un- 
 derneath 'me, how then shall I fall? My Father is greater 
 than all, none is able to pluck me out of his hands. " God 
 is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever. I am 
 continually with thee : Thou hast" holden me by my right 
 hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterwards 
 receive me to glory." ^ 
 * 2 Pet. i. 10. t Eph. iv. 30. 1 Rom. viii. 1. § Psa. Ixxiii. 26, 23, 24. 
 
90 THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 
 
 2. The Holy Spirit is to believers the witness of their 
 adoption. " The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit 
 that we are the children of God."* 
 
 It is of great importance for a Christian to be conscious of 
 his own gracious exercises. He is jealous of his deceitful 
 heart ; and he cannot well be happy while he is uncertain 
 of an interest in the common salvation : uncertainty of success 
 prevents cheerful exertion. 
 
 There are many who presume to appropriate the promise 
 of eternal life, while they reject the Saviour, in u^hom the 
 promise is made. " Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of 
 God ; having a form of godliness, but denying the power 
 thereof" It is reasonable, therefore, that professors of re- 
 ligion should be anxious to ascertain their own state in God's 
 sight. Assurance of salvation will not operate to their dis- 
 advantage. It neither encourages indolence nor disposes the 
 soul to sin. It, on the contrary, enables them to hold fast the 
 profession of their faith without wavering. You do not 
 paralyze the arm of industry by giving to the husbandman a 
 good title to the land which he cultivates. He has an addi- 
 tional incitement to improve the estate from the assurance 
 that he shall not be dispossessed. It is not an optional matter 
 whether Christians shall give themselves the trouble of self- 
 examination. An authority to which they must submit com- 
 mands them to commence the work with vigour. " Give 
 diligence to make your calling and election sure."t He 
 hath also provided them with a witness, w^hose testimony can 
 determine the truth in question. " Ye have received the 
 Spirit of adoption." Every Christian, without exception, 
 has access to this divine witness. " If any man have not the 
 Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."J Nor have we to go 
 far in order to look for him. He is near to our hearts. 
 " He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in 
 himself."i5> When I am in earnest, in my inquiry about my 
 state, I must close my eyes upon the world, and open them 
 upon my own soul. The testimony of my neighbour, the 
 testimony of the church and her most able ministers in my 
 favour, cannot decide the awful question. Am I an heir of 
 glory ? To the witness within me let me listen with atten- 
 tion. His testimony is truth. 
 
 The Holy Ghost assures the believer of his adoption, by 
 making him understand the marks of a gracious state laid 
 down in the Scriptures — by quickening the various graces m 
 
 * Rom. viii. 10. t 3 Pet, i. 10. X Rom. viii. 9. § 1 John v. 10. 
 
THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 91 
 
 his soul — and by powerfully applying the appropriate prom- 
 ises of Gocl^ to these very graces now excited to a hvely 
 exercise. 
 
 The assistance of the divine Spirit, in all these instances, 
 is necessary to the full assurance of salvation. I may be well 
 acquainted with the portrait of the Christian drawn in the 
 bible. But unless I recognize the very same likeness in my 
 own heart, what right have I to conclude it is mine ? And 
 if I should discover the propriety of the application of it to 
 myself, where would be my hope unless I was convinced of 
 the inseparable connexiou between grace and glory ? The 
 infallibility of the promise is the only ground of the full as- 
 surance of hope. And this hope is the anchor of the soul.* 
 
 Blessed Spirit ! send out thy light and thy truth : let them 
 lead me to thy tabernacles. 
 
 Brethren, we cannot make any progress in grace or in the 
 saving knowledge of Christ without the assistance of the 
 Spirit. The natural man knoweth not the things of God. 
 He is destitute of spiritual discernment. But the secret of 
 the Lord is with them that fear him. And in order to attain 
 a satisfactory knowledge of the Christian's portrait, we must 
 apply to the Holy Ghost. He knows how grace affects the hu- 
 man soul ; he hath described the manner in the scriptures; 
 and he enlightens the eyes of the understanding in order 
 that we may comprehend the description. 
 
 The Spirit of God cannot be ignorant of the nature or the 
 effects of divine grace. He is the messenger of peace from 
 Christ to the soul. He is the maker of the human mind, 
 and knows all its powers. The application of grace to these 
 powers, and the direction of all our faculties under the dis- 
 pensation of grace, are his own work. He alone can de- 
 scribe the effects of irresistible grace directing the voluntary 
 actions of a moral agent, amidst all the complex influences 
 of inherent corruption, external temptation, and Satanical ex- 
 ertions. He has, however, given us this description in the 
 holy scriptures. The penmen of the sacred volume wrote 
 as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. They have given 
 us a system of doctrines and of Christian experience drawn 
 with infallible accuracy. To attend to the practical influence 
 of religion, upon the saints eminent in scripture history, is of 
 great utility. But our own intellects, unassisted by the Spirit 
 of God, are incompetent to the task. 
 
 The human mind is capable of perceiving the force of a 
 ♦ Heb. vi. 17, 19. 
 
92 THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 
 
 syllogism, or the truth of a mathematical proposition ; but it 
 is devoid of spiritual discrimination. " For what man know- 
 eth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in 
 him ? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the 
 Spirit of God."* The hound which howls after its game, is 
 superior to its master in the delicacy of its scent ; and the 
 eagle that soars aloft, excels the philosopher in the organs of 
 vision. But these creatures are utterly incapable of scientific 
 exertions, or of profiting by the experience of former ages. 
 Even so, the natural man may excel the Christian in physical 
 science, and in the knowledge of the useful and ornamental 
 arts ; but the children of adoption are capable of knowledge, 
 compared with which this is dross and dung. Their Om- 
 niscient Instructer presents them with a view of the grace of 
 God in the face of Jesus Christ. And in order to assist them 
 in understanding its doctrines, examples are given them of 
 the lives of the faithful. This strikes out a meridian, through 
 the vast map of revelation, and serves for a line of reference 
 while we investigate the sublime mysteries of the Christian 
 religion. The soul, divinely qualified to improve the means 
 of knowledge thus provided, attains to certainty about the 
 characteristics of a gracious state. 
 
 He is also enabled to perceive in his own experience those 
 very graces, the nature of which he now understands. The 
 gracious affections perceived, and the consciousness of their 
 existence, are equally the gift of the Spirit of adoption. — 
 Without me ye can do nothing. 
 
 The carnal mind is unfruitful. It is a hard-beaten path, 
 which will not receive the seed cast into it, but leaves it ex- 
 posed to the fowls of the air. This barren waste is changed 
 by the power of divine grace into a fruitful field, like the 
 garden of the Lord. A true Christian, however, may suffer 
 spiritual decay. The verdure is faded, the fruit is blasted: 
 but the renovating influence of the Spirit of the Almighty is 
 the return of spring. The icy hardness of the heart melts 
 in the beams of the Sun of righteousness. The winter is 
 past, the storm is over ; the fruits of the vine flourish and the 
 pomegranates bud. Grace is quickened. A divine light 
 shines upon it, which renders it both vigorous and visible. 
 I see the image of God restored to my soul. I know it to be 
 from above. Whatever diflidence may suggest, whatever 
 fear may dictate, evidence so forcible bears down all opposi- 
 * 1 Cor. ii. 11. 
 
THE SPIRIT OP ADOPTION. 93 
 
 tion of unbelief. " God hath not given us the spirit of fear ; 
 but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."* 
 
 The promises of God, confirmed by his oath, are now un- 
 derstood and applied. In no part of practical religion do 
 Christians stand in more need of supernatural assistance, 
 than in applying those great and precious promises, whereby 
 we are made 'partakers of the divine nature. This work i? 
 accompanied with peculiar difficulty. We have a general 
 acquaintance with the promissory part of revelation, and have 
 no doubt of its truth. " For all the promises of God in him 
 are yea, and in him amen, unto the glory of God by us."t 
 But we find it hard to make the appropriation. The saints 
 are diffident of their own gracious qualities : they perceive 
 the blessings of the covenant directed in the promise to speci- 
 fied characters ; and they have witnessed the raptures of the 
 enthusiast, following the sparks of his own kindling, until 
 bewildered and disappointed, he lay down in sorrow. I hear 
 my Lord say, " Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall 
 see God."{ I have no doubt of the truth of this. But what 
 comfort is it to my soul 1 I dare not separate the blessing 
 from the character specified. Shall I assure myself that the 
 promise is to me, and still indulge in the impurities of im- 
 piety ? This would be presumption. Shall I break open a 
 letter addressed to another, and appropriate its contents, and 
 be guiltless ? No. The believer trembles at the very idea of 
 perverting scripture. He is perplexed with doubts : but even 
 in this situation he still cleaves to the promise of salvation. 
 He may be perplexed, but he does not absolutely despair. 
 " He may walk in darkness, but he idll trust in the name of 
 the Lord." Nor shall he trust in vain: for the Spirit is with 
 him ; and that Spirit beareth witness with our spirits that we 
 are the sons of God. Quickening and enlightening the soul 
 by his heat and by his light, we perceive the grace of God 
 within us ; the promise is directed to the heart. The blessing 
 which it brings is welcome. We wonder whj'' we have been 
 so slow of heart to believe. We recover our strength. We 
 are transported from the regions of doubt to those of full as- 
 surance. " The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. 
 For by thee have I run through a troop ; and by my God 
 have I leaped over a wall. He teacheth my hands to war 
 so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arm."'^ 
 
 3. The Holy Spirit communicates to believers the comfort 
 arising from their adoption into God's family. 
 * 2 Tim. i. 7. 1 2 Cor. i. 20. X Matt. 5. 8. § Psa. xvui. 28, 29, 34. 
 
94 THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 
 
 When tlie Redeemer was about to leave the world, he in- 
 formed his disciples that they had many dangers to encounter. 
 He was affected by their foreseen tribulations, and already 
 sympathized in their sorrow. He bade them, however, to be 
 of good cheer. He did not leave them comfortless. A di- 
 vine messenger, he engaged to send to them ; and it was ex- 
 pedient that he should himself depart in order that the Com- 
 forter might come, even the Spirit of truth. " He will guide 
 you into all truth ; for he shall take of mine, and show it 
 unto you." 
 
 The Holy Spirit, as the comforter, discovers to believers 
 the path of light ; qualifies them for their present rank; and 
 supports them during their pilgrimage. 
 
 One of the first lessons the disciple received from his Mas- 
 ter was, " deny thyself and follow me ;" and one of the first 
 considerations of the Christian is, '' Here I have no continu- 
 ing city." To be directed in the nev/ and the living way ; 
 — made wise in the knowledge of the scriptures, will there- 
 fore be a desirable object ; and the gratification of that desire 
 by the Spirit of adoption, will comfort the hearts of God's 
 children. 
 
 The bible is the rule, which God has given for our direc- 
 tion. It is intended for persons almost infinitely diversified. 
 in the circumstances of age, country, education, understand- 
 ing, temper, rank, pursuits, and connexions: it is there- 
 fore not to be expected that the capacity of an individual man 
 should be the measure of its doctrines. In the scriptures are 
 some things hard to be understood, although in matters of 
 universal concern we have line upon line, and precept upon 
 precept. We have food in abundance to satisfy us, in this 
 blessed store, and we have also sufficient incitements to 
 industry in searching for the hidden treasures which it con- 
 tains. 
 
 The ministers of the gospel, my Christian brethren, are 
 your servants for Jesus's sake ; and they dig in the mine in 
 order to discover the gold to your anxious view. The ac- 
 quisition of information is delightful to us and to you : But 
 we must both be sensible of our need of the Holy Spirit. 
 The learned and the industrious frequently stumble over 
 spiritual truth. When we search the sacred volume, with- 
 out a sense of our own vileness, and of the majesty and holi- 
 ness of God, whatever be our diligence and our penetration, 
 it is not surprising that we should make false reports. 
 
 If any man open the Bible, not to seek for the words of 
 
THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 95 
 
 eternal life, but to select materials wherewith he may display 
 his own powers to advantage, or serve the interests of party 
 spirit, shall not God be just in answering such a fool accord- 
 ing to his folly 1 And if the design be, to keep back any part 
 of the counsel of God, he may expect to have a veil over his 
 eyes, which will to him obscure the lustre of divine truth. 
 But where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. Oh, 
 how comfortable to have the company of the Holy Ghost in 
 searching his own Scriptures ; and to have "an unction from 
 this holy one whereby we shall know all things." It is his 
 office, to show to Christians the glories of their religion — to 
 fill their understandings with truth ; and their hearts with 
 gladness. Irresistible conviction accompanies them even into 
 the regions of divine mystery. Here they are delighted and 
 astonished. A thousand unanswered questions occur with 
 amazement, and teach them the imperfection of the present 
 state ; but cannot shake their faith in the answers which they 
 have received to others from God's word. "And we all with 
 open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are 
 changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the 
 Spirit of the Lord." 
 
 Christians are born again. To this fact the Spirit bears 
 witness. They are mindful of the dignity of their rank. Be- 
 loved, novv' are we the sons of God. But the thought humbles 
 them : for their character and conduct are not suitable to their 
 expectations. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, 
 they pant for the image of God. They feel the sinfulness 
 of their soul with pain. Much, therefore, of their joy con- 
 sists in the sanctification of the Spirit. To be delivered from 
 sin, to be approaching nearer to the standard of perfection ; 
 to have the understanding improved, the temper amended, the 
 manners accommodated to the house of God, will afford the 
 experienced Christian no small share of delight. 
 
 The comforts of his adoption do not rest here. Heaven, 
 that word which means an assemblage of all perfection and 
 happiness, is before them. They anticipate its joy. The 
 Spirit himself gives unto them a foretaste of it. He brings 
 them to Christ's banqueting house. Their souls are satisfied 
 with marrow and with fatness. Brethren, who can describe 
 joy, so as to convey an idea of it to one who has never been 
 glad ? and they who are glad in the Lord, know that it can- 
 not be described. I relinquish the theme. But I indulge a 
 hope that we shall resume it with more advantage in the 
 temple above. 
 
96 THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 
 
 II. The Christian enjoys true liberty. 
 
 The apostle is addressing those who have been led by the 
 Holy Spirit into the family of the living God. To such he 
 says, " Ye have not received the Spirit of bondage again to 
 fear." 
 
 Bondage and fear are words which call up very disagree- 
 able ideas. They are presented to us here that we mi^ht 
 rejoice in our deliverance. Let us endeavour to ascertain 
 the meaning of them ; and let us be thankful that we have 
 received another Spirit. 
 
 Subjection to the burdensome yoke of the ceremonial law 
 is represented in the New Testament as a state of bondage. 
 " How turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements 
 whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?"* "Be not 
 entangled again with the yoke of bondage."! The Old 
 Testament dispensation of grace was certainly more obscure 
 and burdensome than that which it is our happiness to enjoy: 
 and yet the design of that dispensation was not to fill the mind 
 with terror, nor was it in any sense inconsistent with possess- 
 ing the Spirit of adoption. Saints, under that Testament, 
 were adopted into God's family. They were emancipated 
 from the slavery of sin and the fear of death, and gave many 
 decisive evidences of their having attained to the full assurance 
 of faith. Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again 
 to fear, must therefore point out another deliverance, than the 
 change of dispensation. The apostle, in the verses both be- 
 fore and after my text, describes the effects of the Holy 
 Ghost's dealing with those who are Christ's ransomed ones. 
 Ye were once the servants of sin. Ye were then in a state 
 of bondage. " For of whom a man is overcome, of the same 
 is he brought in bondage."! ^^^ Y^ were elected of God, 
 and redeemed by Christ: God therefore sent forth the Spirit 
 of his Son in your hearts. You were convinced of your sins, 
 and you saw your danger : You felt your bondage, and with 
 consequent fear, like the keeper of the prison at Philippi, fell 
 down trembling, " Saying, what must I do to be saved ?-"^ 
 
 Believers in Jesus Christ, justified freely by his grace, and 
 admitted into God's family, never, however, receive the spirit 
 of bondage to fear. There may be some of them left to ex- 
 perience much distress of body and mind, and " by reason of 
 fear be for some time subject to bondage;"! but the Holy 
 Ghost will never be a spirit of bondage to them. They are 
 
 * Gal. iv. 9. t Chap. v. 1. t 2 Pet. u. 19. 
 
 § Acts xvi. 30. I) Heb. u. 15. 
 
THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 97 
 
 in a state of liberty, though they know it not: and Omnisci- 
 ence will not testily to a i'alsehood. 
 
 The words thus explained teach us that the Christian is in 
 a state of liberty. Other passages of Scripture confirm this. 
 "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 
 If the Son, therefore, shall make you free, ye shall be free 
 indeed."* 
 
 Christian liberty is equally opposed to slavery and licen- 
 tiousness. It is opposed to restraint and violence, but not to 
 subordination and cheerful obedience. When I can freely 
 direct my own conduct under equitable laws, I enjoy a state 
 of liberty. When I must make the will of another, in oppo- 
 sition to my own, the rule of my conduct, I am in a state of 
 servitude : and when I wilfully violate law and right, I enter 
 the regions of licentionsness. This is but another name for 
 slavery. It is bondage to my own passions and lusts. I am 
 then become a slave to those who ought to be my servants. 
 This is both more shameful and more dangerous than servi- 
 tude to foreign force. But this is the state of those who con- 
 sider it liberty to be irreligious. " Presumptuous, self-willed, 
 — they speak great swelling words of vanity — They allure 
 others — And while they promise them liberty, they them- 
 selves are the servants of corruption."! 
 
 Your liberty. Christians, consists in deliverance from the 
 dominion of sin— from the power of Satan— and frorn undue 
 human influence over your sentiments, your conscience, or 
 your conduct. 
 
 1. They who are adopted into God's family, are delivered 
 from the dominion of sin. 
 
 Sin may be considered as imputed and inherent. AH 
 mankind descending from Adam by ordinary generation 
 sinned in him, and fell with him in'his first transgression. 
 We are all by nature children of wrath. The curse of the 
 law rests upon the human family ; and they are bound as 
 victims to divine vengeance. Every mouth must be stopped ; 
 for the whole world is guilty in the sight of God, the righte- 
 ous Judge. We must also remember, that by the deeds of 
 the law^no flesh can be justified ; for the wages of sin is 
 death. But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. This is our deliverance. " The Lord sent 
 forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to re- 
 deem them that were under the law, that we might receive 
 the adoption of sons."t At the foot of the cross the burden 
 ♦ John viu. 32, 3G. 1 2 Pet. ii. 19. J Gal. iv. 5, 6. 
 
 9 
 
98 THE SriRIT OF ADOPTION, 
 
 of guilt tumbles from our shoulders. " There is no condem- 
 nation to them that are in Christ Jesus." The curse being 
 removed, there is now no barrier to the Spirit's restoring the 
 image of God to our souls. Sin shall hav^e no more domin- 
 ion over you. Ye are not under the law, but under grace. 
 
 Christians indeed are not always conscious that they pos- 
 sess such liberty. Many of them have their doubts and their 
 fears. They all have certainly believed ; but they are not 
 certain that they have : They have a sure faith ; but they 
 have not full assurance. 
 
 Delivered, in their justification, from the guilt of sin and 
 the curse of the law, corruption shall no longer hold its 
 throne in their hearts. But they are not yet made perfect. 
 " They have forgotten that they have been washed from their 
 old sins."* They grieve the Holy Spirit who sealed them ; 
 and spiritual consolation is therefore withheld from them. 
 They fall into deep pits, and horror seizes upon them. 
 They cry unto the Lord in their distress; their cry is heard ; 
 and they are delivered. " He brought me up also out of an 
 horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a 
 rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new 
 song in my m.outh, even praise unto our God."t Thej'- now 
 walk at liberty. They feel that they are free to serve God 
 without the fear of wrath. Their love for their heavenly 
 Father implies reverence and esteem. They delight in the 
 law of the Lord after the inward man. Their yoke is easy 
 and their burden light. 
 
 Any restriction upon Christian liberty, arising from the 
 power of sin, is painful to the Christian. He feels it more 
 forcibly, than he formerly did his absolute bondage. He 
 has tasted of the sweets of that liberty wherewith Christ has 
 made his people free, and he bears with uneasiness any fu- 
 ture servitude to the anger of heaven, or to his own vile 
 affections. He now listens to the voice which proposes deliv- 
 erance with double delight. It is the voice of my Beloved, 
 is his exclamation, while his heart leaps for joy. That voice 
 addresses him, "I am the Lord thy Redeemer, the Mighty 
 One of Jacob. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me ; be- 
 cause the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto 
 the meek: he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted, 
 to proclaim liberty to the captives ; and the opening of the 
 prisons to them, that are bound. "I These v/ords are effectual, 
 God hath spoken, and it is performed. No intervening 
 * 2 Pet. i. i Psa. xl, 2, 3. I Isa, Ixi. 1. 
 
THE SPmiT OF ADOPTION. 99 
 
 cloud now hides his Father's face from the believer's anxious 
 eye. " The Lord was my stay. He brought me forth also 
 into a large place. He delivered mo, because he delighted 
 in me."* 
 
 2. Christians are delivered from the power of Satan. 
 
 Man, in his first act of rebellion against heaven, sold him- 
 self to the prince of the fallen angels. He bartered the 
 blessing for the curse — the image and the favour of God for 
 the similitude and the servitude of the devil. 
 
 The carnal mind approves of the exchange ; and readily 
 confoiyns to the spirit that now works in the children of dis- 
 obedience. The prince of the power of the air consequently 
 has dominion over unregenerate man. This is a lamentable 
 fact asserted expressly in the volume of inspiration. The 
 history of our race corresponds to the testimony of scripture ; 
 and philosophy offers no objection to this part of our belief 
 Philosophists, who pretend to think freely, speak ignorantl}^, 
 when they deny the possibility of the fact. We are not 
 chargeable, brethren, with celebrating an imaginary deliver- 
 ance, when we rejoice in freedom from the power of Satan 
 as a part of our Christian liberty. 
 
 Mind converses v/ith mind through bodily organs ; and 
 most assuredl}^ the want of body cannot prove a hindrance to 
 the intercourse of spirits. An unembodied spirit may have 
 access to a mind connected with body, in a manner which 
 we cannot explain : for we cannot explain the manner even 
 of our own perceptions. We may trace the impression made 
 by external objects to the nerves, and from thence to the 
 brain ; but how matter can affect spirit, even then, is as great 
 a mystery as ever. How matter can affect mind is, certainly, 
 a secret as inexplicable as how spirit can converse with spirit 
 without the intervention of matter. It is not necessary, as 
 unbelievers affirm, to clothe Satan with the attributes of om- 
 nipresence or omniscience, in order to make him the enemy 
 of virtue and the leader of rebellion against the divine author- 
 ity. A man of ambition and intrigue may rule an empire, 
 and carry his own spirit into the councils of the remotest 
 provinces. The number moreover of fallen angels is great. 
 Their powers are superior to those of the human mind; 
 their experience is long, and their observation extensive. 
 Intent upon wickedness, and unwearied in industry, they 
 have for nearly six thousand years studied the course of 
 Providence ; and the laws of the physical and moral world. 
 * Psa. xviii. 18, 19. 
 
100 THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 
 
 Engaged in a conspiracy against virtue, what injury must 
 they not be capable of doing to the spiritual interests of nior- 
 tals "? They are able also to make repeated visits, of but 
 short intermissions, to the quarter in which their malicious 
 views may be promoted. Matter, though naturally inert, 
 travels, when impelled by sufficient force, with astonishing 
 velocity. A ray of light, or an electric spark, moves with a 
 rapidity which would soon make the circuit of the globe. 
 The activity of spirit is confessed. When, from an emi- 
 nence, we take a view of an extended plain several miles 
 before us, we give millions of different inclinationSK/-,to the 
 optic axis in the course of a moment of time ; and a distinct act 
 of the will is necessary to each inclination.* Neither con- 
 sciousness nor recollection, serve in contemplating these ac- 
 tions ; because such a minute exercise of those powers would 
 only embarrass and in no case answer the purposes of present 
 usefulness or comfort. These things are taught by philos- 
 ophy : and serve to defend against sophistry the Christian 
 doctrine, in admitting the possibility of the agency of evil 
 spirits on the human mind. 
 
 Devils numerous, malicious, and active, hold an empire 
 over ungodly men, who have willingly given themselves 
 over to slavery — who have been committed by the justice of 
 God, on account of their crimes, to the power of the roar- 
 ing lion, that constantly goeth about seeking whom he may 
 devour. 
 
 The grand adversary is the " god of this world, who hath 
 blinded the minds of them which believe not."t He is the 
 prince of this world, who, infuriated by the apprehended 
 destruction of his kingdom, attacked with all his might the 
 Redeemer of men. It was not in vain that Jesus suffered 
 from the power of darkness. The serpent bruised the heel 
 of the Seed of the woman ; but he bruised the serpent's head. 
 That same Jesus, who gave deliverance from the guilt of sin 
 and the curse of the law, "Blotting out the hand-writing of 
 ordinances that was against us, nailing it to his cross ;" did 
 also set his people at liberty from the dominion of Satan. 
 " Having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show 
 of them, openly triumphing over them. "J 
 
 The strong man armed can no longer keep the house. A 
 
 stronger than he dispossesses him ; and the Spirit of adoption 
 
 witnesses to the ransomed their liberty from this tyrant. To 
 
 him they shall never hereafter be subjected, although he may 
 
 * Stewart's Phil. t2 Cor. iv. 4. t Col. ii. 14, 15. 
 
THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 101 
 
 often much annoy them. They have obtained their liberty, 
 ahhough they have not as yet attained to a state of perfect 
 peace and glory. 
 
 Christians, in the present world, have many conflicts with 
 Satan. If he finds a believer in a decayed state, he marks 
 him for his prey. He diverts his attention from practical 
 religion : he provides other objects to occupy his mind ; he 
 enervates the whole soul ; and renders it as unfruitful as 
 possible. A barren wind destroys all remaining verdure ; 
 and blasts from hell threaten to pull the tree from its roots. 
 If he finds a professor of religion pursuing with too much 
 eagerness any of the tempting objects of worldly gratification, 
 he inflames the passions ; he throws a mist around the eyes, 
 which unduly magnifies the object ; he allures him from the 
 path of righteousness ; and embraces every opportunity of 
 throwing him agitated and disappointed, headlong into the 
 pit wdiich he had digged for him. To the mourning and 
 trembling Christian he also joins himself. He studies his 
 constitution, and the cause of his alarm. The wounded 
 conscience he makes to bleed afresh ; and brandishing the 
 threatening of the divine law over the terrified soul, he fills 
 the mind with horror. Happy for us the adversary can pro- 
 ceed no farther. Jesus commands the devils, and they must, 
 though unwillingly, obey. He has the keys of hell and death. 
 He suffers the enemy partially to prevail, that w^e might apply 
 to him who rebukes the devourer; but he shall prevail no 
 farther than shall turn out to our advantage. So much grace 
 is provided for the soul, as shall be sufficient to sustain it, 
 while the messenger of Satan continues to buffet us. And 
 the Redeemer shall constrain our worst enemy to be the oc- 
 casion of increasing our sanctification. Paul the apostle was 
 instructed in humility by the instrumentality of the Father of 
 pride. " There was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the 
 messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above 
 measure."* " Mine enemies w^ould daily swallow me up. 
 All their thoughts are against me for evil — They hide them- 
 selves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul. In 
 the Lord will I praise his word. For thou hast delivered 
 my soul from death ; wilt thou not deliver my feet from fall- 
 ing, that I may walk before God in the hght of the Hving?"t 
 
 3. Christian liberty implies deliverance from undue human 
 influence. " The fear of man bringeth a snare : But whoso 
 putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe."J " I will walk 
 
 * 2 Cor. xii. 7. t Psa. Ivi. 5, 6, 10, 13. J Prov. xxix. 25. 
 
 9* 
 
102 THE SPIPwIT OF ADOPTION. 
 
 at liberty, for I seek thy precepts."* Independence of mind, 
 and courage in Cliristian behaviour, are desirable objects. 
 He who attains to them, puts his trust in God, and does not 
 fear what man can do unto him. Our religion does not teach 
 us to act disorderly. It requires us " to preserve the honour, 
 and perform the duties belonging to every one in their several 
 places and relations, as superiors, inferiors, and equals :" but 
 it does not admit, that we should weigh names and numbers 
 against truth, or follow a multitude to do evil. It marks out 
 the happy medium between anarchy and slavery, between 
 servility and impudence ; and it teaches us to walk in the 
 path of virtue with modesty and magnanimity. God is ever 
 present with us. This inspires us with reverence for his 
 authority, and for all his institutions, whether civil or eccle- 
 siastic. It makes us bold to profess ourselves his servants, 
 although the whole world should wonder after the beast. In 
 matters of right and wrong, the Christian claims to himself, 
 and allows to others, the right of private judgment ; but he 
 neither claims to himself, nor guarantees to another, the hberty 
 of contravening in a single instance, the commandment of his 
 God. The rights of conscience cannot be understood, where 
 there is no conscientious disposition ; and where there is such 
 a disposition, it submits implicitly to the divine authority. 
 
 Christianity, brethren, is the only perfect law of liberty. 
 Its influence upon the heart is the only protection from bond- 
 age to human inventions. Those who are industrious to in- 
 validate the authority of scripture, are themselves in bondage, 
 and are endeavouring to reduce others to a similar condition ; 
 and the slavery of mind to error or to passion is more dan- 
 gerous than any other. Those who think it more honour- 
 able to invent fiction than discover truth ; under the pretence 
 of evidencing genius are slaves to a most dangerous passion, 
 a passion which, having once obtained the ascendancy, will 
 employ the understanding as a patient drudge to serve its 
 cause. It is by the authority of the names of such per- 
 sons, that infidelity is attempted to be promoted ; and while 
 its advocates offer you liberty, they are themselves subject to 
 bondage. 
 
 Of the same species, is that which is commonly called 
 liherality^ and which, under pretence of opposing bigotry, is 
 ofl^ered as a substitute for zeal in contending earnestly for 
 the faith once delivered to the saints. This is no more than 
 total indifference to the appointed order of the house of God, 
 =* Psa. cxix. 45. 
 
THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 103 
 
 and this indifference seems itself to have become a strong 
 passion which hurries its possessors into bondage. Strange 
 as the assertion may appear, this passion participates of ma- 
 levolence, for the bigot to liberality despises and hates me if I 
 am not as liberal as he. But wherever Christianity prevails, 
 in reality, as well as in name, there, in spite of opposition, 
 shall true'liberality prevail. " Where the Spirit of the Lord 
 is, there is liberty." 
 
 In the present life, we are made to taste the cup of our de- 
 liverance ; but our enjoyment of it is incom.plete until at death 
 we enter into glory. Christ delivers his people, at last, 
 both from the world and all its imperfections. They shall 
 triumph over death, and him who has the power of it. 
 They shall be presented faultless unto their God. They shall 
 enter into heaven, where they shall more fully understand 
 their liberty, from the wrath of God, the curse of the law, 
 the power of sin, the influence of Satan, the fear of man, the 
 imperfections of the present state, from death itself, and from 
 the pains of hell for ever. They shall be completely bless- 
 ed in the full enjoyment of God to all eternity. Let u^i, 
 therefore, serve our "'God, without fear, all the days of our 
 life. Standing fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has 
 made us free, let us use it not for a cloak to licentiousness, 
 but as a strong incitement to fear God, and to keep his com- 
 mandments, n 1 1 xL 
 
 . Ill Consider the expressions which we are enabled by the 
 Spirit of adoption to utter—" Whereby we cry, Abba Father." 
 Both these words signify the same thmg. Father is la- 
 miliar to you. Abha is a Syriac word, derived from the 
 Hebrew ab, a Father. It was commonly used by the Je\ys 
 in their addresses to God. Christ, during his sufferings in 
 Gethsemane, uses this form of expression m his prayer. 
 "And— he fell on the ground, and prayed,— and he said, 
 Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee."* Besides 
 the declaration of my text, the apostle Paul in another place 
 represents the Holy Spirit teaching believers the use of this 
 address. "Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the 
 Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father_ t 
 
 A solemn expression, thus used by our Head and bord, 
 and dictated repeatedly to the children of adoption by the 
 Holy Ghost, we must not consider as needless tautology. 
 The same thing, expressed in the language of the Jews, and 
 in that of the Greeks, teaches us the union of Jew and Gen- 
 * Mark xiv. 35, 3G. + Gal. iv. 6. 
 
104 THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 
 
 tile in the Christian church; and that it is the duty of Chris- 
 tians of different nations and languages, to unite cheerfully, 
 as brethren, in their prayers to God, and in submission to the 
 discipline of his family. 
 
 The repetition, Father, Father, also evidences the ear- 
 nestness, with which a Christian, feeling his deliverance from 
 bondage, recognizes his present delightful relation to God as 
 an adopted son. I therefore conclude, that this address of 
 inspiration implies the believer's Approbation of his new re- 
 lation to God — His delight in his Father^s compassion — His 
 acceptance of God as his sole instructer — Submission to 
 his corrections — Dependence upon him for protection — 
 and Confidence in him as the future answerer of all his 
 prayers. 
 
 1. The believer approves of his relation to God in Jesus 
 Christ. "For ye are all the children of God by faith in 
 Christ Jesus."* 
 
 This relation was planned in the counsel of peace before 
 the ages of time began to run. We had then no existence, 
 and therefore it was done without our consent. When w^e 
 come into the world, we are viciously disposed ; and care 
 nothing for heavenly privileges. And yet we are not forced 
 into God's family against our inclination, and without our 
 consent. An irresistible efficacy changes the heart, and 
 unites us to the second Adam : but we are united to him in 
 affection, as well as in law. The con.sequent admission into 
 God's family as joint-heirs with Jesus Christ, cannot remain 
 a matter of indifference. "Lord, 1 have loved the habitation 
 of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth. 
 Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody 
 men. 1 have hated the congregation of evil doers ; and will 
 not sit with the wicked."t My soul is defiled with sin. I 
 am exposed to God's curse. I have done evil continually. 
 I merit a place with the devil and his angels. O wretched man 
 that I am ! and yet on me God hath set his love. I am called, I 
 am justified, I am adopted. He hath made with me an everlast- 
 ing covenant, ordered in all things and sure. Astonishing 
 love: wise arrangement. I approve of the whole plan. I press 
 forward to the kingdom of heaven. I burst the bands of sin. 
 I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God, than 
 to dwell in the tents of wickedness. Lord, lift thou up the 
 light of thy countenance upon me. Ahha, Father. 
 
 2. The religious man is soothed in all his afflictions whftu 
 
 * Gal. iii. 26 t Psa. xxvi. 5, 9, 8. 
 
THE SPIEIT OF ADOPTION. 105 
 
 he contemplates the compassion of his Father who is in 
 heaven. " A Father of the fatherless — is God in his holy- 
 habitation."* 
 
 Piety renders the affections truly benevolent. The sensi- 
 bility of the heart is increased by religious education. There 
 is little in this world suited to that sensibility. The Christian 
 is not at home while he is on earth. The education which 
 he has received disqualifies him from entering- into the views, 
 delighting in the conversation, and furthering the plans of 
 the men of this world. He is despised, and shunned, and 
 feared, and hated ; he is frequently, of course, melancholy 
 and alone amidst the many. The righteous soul of Lot was 
 grieved at the wickedness of the men of Sodom. Christ 
 mentions mourning as a Christian characteristic. " Wo 
 is me that i sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of 
 Kedar. My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth 
 peace." 
 
 The children of adoption are not left comfortless in this 
 condition. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be 
 comforted. God commands their services in the world. Let 
 them be content to live in it while he leaves them here. He 
 remembers that we are dust. He knoweth our frame. Like 
 as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that 
 fear him. Grieved at the folly of men, distressed by the in- 
 juries I receive from them, and shocked by their wickedness, 
 I retire into my closet, I turn my mourning eye to heaven. 
 I know who is touched with the feelings of my infirmities. 
 He bade me be of good cheer, for he hath overcome the 
 world. 
 
 3. God's children consider him as their instructor. " O 
 God, thou hast taught me from my youth."! " And all thy 
 children shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the 
 peace of thy children. "| 
 
 They feel the necessity of a divine instructer. The fall 
 hath weakened their intellectual powers' and vitiated their 
 affections. The whole soul is depraved. In vain I am told 
 that the sinfulness of my state is no more than the perversion 
 of my active powers. The Scriptures tell me that my under- 
 standing is darkened^ as certainly as that my heart is enmity 
 against God. Man may say that regeneration is no more 
 than a change of inclination by supernatural energy : but the 
 Scriptures inform us that the eyes of our understanding must 
 be opened, and the whole soul renewed. We may be told 
 ♦ Psa, Ixviii. 5. t Psa. Ixxi. 17. X Isa. liv. 13. 
 
106 THE SPIRIT OF ADOrTlON. 
 
 that unregenerate men have as strong intellectual powers as 
 the regenerate ; and that they can explore the deepest re- 
 cesses of science : but we also observe the unregenerate 
 capable of as much sensibility to friendship, as sincere in 
 their affections, and as liberal of their goods as our Christian 
 acquaintances. Thanks be to God that it is so. Dark and 
 dismal, otherwise, would have been the abodes of men. 
 Without God's Spirit, however, we cannot be truly religious ; 
 we can neither love God, nor possess the power of spiritual 
 discrimination. He guides us to all truth, as well as to the 
 exercise of pious affections. He revealed to the prophets 
 what they never could otherwise have known ; and the in- 
 spiration of the Almighty giveth such understanding of what 
 the prophets have written, as, independently of his assistance, 
 we never could have otherwise possessed. There are some 
 who are ever learning, but never able to come to the knowl- 
 edge of the truth — There are some tossed about with every 
 wind of doctrine : the best see but as through a glass darkly. 
 Father ! I submit to thy direction. " Thou shak guide me 
 with thy counsel, and afterwards receive me to glory."* 
 
 4. God's children submit to such chastisement as he thinks 
 proper to administer. " My son, despise not the chastening 
 of the Lord ; neither be weary of his correction. For whom 
 the Lord loveth he correcteth, even as a father the son in 
 whom he delighteth."t 
 
 There is a rod laid np by the ark of the covenant, and 
 with it God visits the faults of his sons and daughters. They 
 stand in need of correction, and their God supplies all their 
 needs. Pain is never in itself desirable ; but it becomes de- 
 sirable as the mean of obtaining ease and pleasure. To 
 render believers sensible of their corruption, and to increase 
 their holiness, their God corrects them. The furnace of 
 affliction purifies them as the silver. To wean their affec- 
 tions from terrestrial objects, these objects are made the mes- 
 sengers of sorrow. The troubles, which the possession of 
 them occasions, and the pain we suffer from the loss of them, 
 admonish us, that both the treasure and the heart should be 
 elsewhere. To exercise my grace, and show forth the glory 
 of its divine Author, supporting me in the hour of trial, I 
 am often made to experience much tribulation. The enemy- 
 is suffered to attack me, that I may prove the impenetrability 
 of my armour, and the magnanimity of my Captain. I 
 therefore glory in tribulation. " Furthermore, we have had 
 * Psa. Ixxiii. 21. + Prov. iii. 11. 
 
THE SriRIT OF ADOPTION, 107 
 
 fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them 
 reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto 
 the Father of spirits and live ? For they verily for a few 
 days chastened us after their own pleasure ; but he for our 
 profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness."* 
 
 5. The children of adoption place themselves under the 
 protection of their heavenly Father. " Unto thine hand I 
 commit my spirit ; thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of 
 truth. Deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from 
 them that persecute me."t 
 
 No person is more conscious of his own weakness than a 
 real Christian. He has much experience of it in the course 
 of his pilgrimage. He cannot move a step to advantage 
 without leaning upon his Beloved. His devotion cools ; his 
 heart faints ; he cannot think, or act, or pray, without the 
 Spirit of his Master. The good that he vv'oukl, he cannot 
 do ; for evil is present with him. On the Lord he depends, 
 confident of this thing, that he who began the good work 
 will perform it. And if his enemies be numerous and vio- 
 lent, he knows that they cannot prevail against God. Against 
 man they easily might, had he no resources to fly to but his 
 own strength ; but amidst the common calamities of life, in 
 the midst of disappointments, poverty, persecution, and death, 
 he may possess his soul in patience. " Thou shalt not be 
 afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flieth by 
 day. Only with thine eye shalt thou behold and see the 
 reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord, 
 which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation. "J 
 
 6. By the Spirit of adoption, we are enabled to approach 
 whh boldness the throne of grace, in prayer to God. " Through 
 him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father."^ 
 
 Prayer is an employment delightful to the Christian, when 
 he can lift up to God holy hands without wrath and doubt- 
 ing. Assured that he shall have access to God with all his 
 petitions, he is encouraged to undertake any duty, however 
 difficult to perform. He can apply unto his God for direc- 
 tion when he is in doubt, and when he is faint and weary, 
 he can ask him for renewed strength. When he is in dis- 
 tress, he calls upon the Lord : and the Lord hears and saves. 
 
 Your petitions cannot alter the purpose of God ; but prayer 
 is an appointed mean, in the divine decree, for the comfort of 
 your souls. Pray always with all prayer and supplication 
 
 * Hcb. xii. 9, 10. t Psa. xxxi. 5, 15. 
 
 t Psa. xci. 5, 8, 9. § Eph. ii. 18. 
 
108 THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 
 
 of the Spirit. And, O Christians, be sincere in your pray- 
 ers. In yoqr address to God in private, put on no reserve. 
 Lay your souls open to him. Ask for nothing as a matter 
 of form. Petition him only for what you really desire to ob- 
 tain. Desire nothing but what is lawful and useful; and 
 hide none of those desires, from your heavenly Father. 
 
 The Lord speaks peace unto his people. He will give 
 them what is good. You have a friend now upon whom 
 you may depend in the hour of danger. Even in the swell- 
 ings of Jordan, your cry shall come before him. Enter 
 then, into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts 
 with praise. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage 
 again to fear ; hut ye have received the Spirit of adoption 
 whereby we cry^ Ahba^ Father. Amen. 
 
THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 109 
 
 THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 
 
 SERMON V. 
 
 2 Pet. iii. 18. — Groio in grace. 
 
 Life and growth, are exclusively from the Lord. An 
 angel cannot create an insect, or make, without divine co- 
 operation, a blade of grass to spring up from the earth. 
 The Spirit who, at the beginning, moved upon the face 
 of the deep, and converted the chaos into a w^orld, still con- 
 tinues to actuate the system which he hath arranged ; to 
 multiply the forms of matter ; and to give animation and 
 activity to the different classes of being which rise up before 
 us. Nothing in nature is permitted to remain perfectly idle 
 and useless. The decomposition of one body becomes sub- 
 servient to the organization of another. 
 
 Man, too, is formed for action ; and cannot find either 
 improvement or happiness in idleness. All the faculties of 
 his immortal mind, and all the organs of his earthly body 
 indicate that he is appointed for employment. The higher 
 powers of his soul, as well as the more tender sensibilities of 
 the heart, bear " a manifest reference to the career of activity 
 which he has to run ;"* and even his religion itself, is a 
 mere delusion when it teaches him to sink into apathy and 
 indolence. " Wo to them that lie at ease in Zion : but they 
 that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength ; they 
 shall mount up wath wings as eagles ; they shall run and 
 not be Aveary, they shall walk and not faint." 
 
 Whatever may come, at last, of the mere professor, it is 
 certain that every truly religious man shall grow up unto 
 perfection. They go from strength to strength ; every one of 
 them in Zion appeareth before God. It is the glory of Chris- 
 tianity, to be worthy of its divine Author, and perfectly 
 adapted to the condition of man. The purpose of God is the 
 ♦ Lojjan's Sermons. 
 10 
 
110 THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 
 
 display of his own glory in the salvation of his people from 
 sin and from misery. That purpose shall certainly be ac- 
 complished. / am God, and there is none like me ; declaring 
 the end from the beginning — My counsel shall stand, and I 
 tvill do all iny pleasure. This purposed salvation, secures the 
 sanctiiication, the improvement, and perfection of man, as 
 well as his redemption by Jesus Christ. It secures obedience 
 to the commandment, as well as trust in the promise of our 
 Lord. The perfection of the saints is predicted and predes- 
 tinated ; and this is neither more nor less, than to secure by 
 the favour of God the certain improvement of their whole 
 rational and moral character in the willing exercise of all 
 their own faculties, cleansing themselves from all fihhiness 
 of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 
 In the progress of the Christian life, the grace of God and 
 the duty of man appear together without discord and without 
 strife. The misapprehension of unenlightened men repre- 
 sents them at variance, but true religion exhibits them in per- 
 fect harmony. Progress in holiness comes to us from the 
 Holy Spirit ; and human boasting is excluded : it is the duty 
 of man ; and ignorance, indolence, and negligence, are ex- 
 cluded in it^ performance. In the love and obedience of be- 
 lievers, there is no collision between the divine influence and 
 the voluntary agency of man. Ye, therefore, beloved, seeing 
 ye know these things — " Grow in grace." 
 
 It is common in Scripture to express all the parts of piety 
 by some one part or principle of true religion ; because all 
 the parts are inseparably connected. The whole of personal 
 godliness, is sometimes included in the words u'isdom and 
 understanding ; at other times, faith, love, the fear of the 
 Lord, &c. denote, in a single expression, the whole economy 
 of the Christian life. 
 
 The word grace, in this text, is also employed to denote the 
 whole of personal religion. The cause, in every language, 
 is, by figure, frequently used to signify the cjfcci ; and as re- 
 ligion, in any man, is produced and continued by the favour 
 of God, grace is often employed to signify vital godliness. 
 Growth, is progress in religion. The latter part of the verse 
 decides the meaning of the word. To grow in knowledge, 
 is to increase the measure of our information ; and, of course, 
 to grow in grace, is to make progress in personal piety. How 
 to make such progress is the chief inquiry of him who would 
 conscientiously submit to the injunction of the inspired writer. 
 The different degrees of gracious attainment, we have endeav- 
 
THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. Ill 
 
 oured in the preceding discourse, to lay before you. The 
 duty of going forward, making increase in godliness, is 
 peremptory ; and needs no confirmation. The means of im- 
 provement, you behove to know ; and it is the object of this 
 discourse to show you wherein they consist. 
 
 THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE 
 
 are threefold. Divine ordinances — Rational refiedions — and 
 the Spirit^ s influence. 
 
 I shall treat of these in the order in which I have men- 
 tioned them, and afterwards offer some concluding remarks. 
 
 I. The ordinances of the New Testament are means of 
 improvement in religion. 
 
 Every creature of God is at the disposal of the Creator, as 
 the clay is in the hands of the potter. H" hath established his 
 throne in the heavens^ and his kingdom rulcth over all. Matter 
 and mind are both governed by him ; and have been placed 
 under laws fitted by infinite wisdom for that purpose. To all 
 his rational creatures God has given a law for the direction 
 of their active power in their respective spheres ; and fallen 
 man, providentially placed under the light of the gospel, is 
 bound by the divine law to embrace the ofier of salvation in 
 a Redeemer, and to observe the statutes predicated upon the 
 revelation of the covenant of grace. Every wise and just 
 legislator predicates his statutes upon the nature and actual 
 condition of the subject. The promulgation of the gospel, 
 places the sinner, to whom its benefits are offered, in a new 
 situation. There, the authority of the divine Lawgiver finds 
 him, and binds him to compliance under pain of aggravated 
 guilt, and corresponding punishment. The ordinances of 
 religion, moreover, like the evangelical message with which 
 they are connected, are appointed of God for the salvation of 
 sinners in Jesus Christ our Lord. They are instituted by 
 our Redeemer as means of applying the purchased blessings 
 to his covenant seed : and they are to be observed by us in 
 order to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord 
 and Saviour Jesus Christ 
 
 " The outward and ordinary means., whereby Christ com- 
 municateth to us the benefits of redemption, are his ordinances, 
 especially the word, sacraments, and prayer ; all which are 
 made effectual to the elect for salvation."* 
 
 * These are the words of the Westminister Assembly, in reply to the 
 88th Question of our Shorter Catechism. They compose a part of the 
 
112 THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 
 
 1. Divine revelation, by its influence on the understanding, 
 the heart, the will, and the conscience of man, in every con- 
 dition of life, promotes the Christian's growth in holiness, in 
 comfort, and in usefulness. 
 
 The communication of light from on high, is, in the hand 
 of the Holy Spirit, the principal source of our religious im- 
 provement. The rational soul cannot, from its very nature, 
 begin or go on, in a course of moral or spiritual reform, either 
 personal or social, without information! Light is necessary 
 in entering upon the path, and in travelling homeward to the 
 place of endless rest. The path of the just is as the shining light, 
 that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. In darkness 
 and in ignorance, there is no faith, no piety, no comfort, no 
 usefulness. Jehovah treats the creature in a way which cor- 
 responds with its nature and its destiny. To us, created 
 reasonable creatures, in order to glorify him and enjoy him, 
 he has graciously made a revelation of himself and of his 
 will, adapted to our capacity and our condition. By visions, 
 by dreams, by immediate suggestion from his Spirit ; by the 
 words, and the acts, and the writings of inspired men ; by 
 angels, and by a voice from heaven ; and by his Son Jesus 
 Christ, the image of the invisible God our heavenly Father 
 
 form of sound tcords, which it is our duty to hold fast. They teach us, 
 that there are means of grace divinely appointed ; and they show what 
 are these means. I know that many, who profess a belief in the doc- 
 trines of our ecclesiastical standards, deny the existence of any means of 
 grace. As this is done under pretence of greater accuracy of expression, 
 I feel it to be my duty to assign my reasons for continuing the use of 
 such phraseology. 
 
 Means of grace, are ordinances of God, whereby Christ communicates, 
 to his ransomed people, spiritual life, and growth unto perfection. We 
 say means of grace, not, because God cannot convey his blessing without 
 them; not because God must confer his blessing on man in the use of 
 them : for neither of these is true ; but we call them means, because 
 God has appointed them for the specified purpose ; he commands us to 
 use them for that purpose ; and in his sovereign grace, he makes them 
 answer the purposes intended. 
 
 The outward ordinances of religious worship, are appointed for some 
 end; they are therefore means; they are observed for some end ; they 
 are therefore, means : they are made effectual to the elect for salvation ; 
 they are therefore means of salvation. The salvation itself is of grace ; 
 the institution and the benediction of the means are also of divine grace. 
 We, therefore, say, and we say with great propriety, that the ordinances 
 of the New Testament, are means of grace. It corresponds with the 
 common usage to apply the terms in this manner. Mean, from the French 
 moyen, signifies any thing that either leads or is intended to lead to some- 
 thing else. So shall m?/ loord be ; it shall accomplish that which I please, 
 and it shall prosper in iJie thing whereto I sent it. Isa, Iv. 11. 
 
THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 113 
 
 hath given us such discoveries of his attributes and his pur- 
 poses ; of our condition, our duties, and our privileges ; and 
 of the heavenly inheritance upon which we are about to enter, 
 as may serve to promote our growth in holiness on earth. 
 God^ ivho at sundry times, and in divers manners, spake in time 
 fast unto the Fathers by the projjhets^ hath in these last days 
 spoken unto us by his Son. Search the Scriptures : For all 
 Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for 
 doctrine, for reproof for correction, and for instruction in 
 righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect. 
 
 You see, then, my brethren, that while you are commanded 
 to grow in grace, you are supplied with means well adapted 
 for that purpose. The Scriptures are profitable for that end ; 
 and they are given by inspiration of God in order to be 
 profitable. Helells you what you ought to know, that know- 
 ing, you may go forward. The reading and hearing of 
 the word of God ; the acquisition jof the knowledge of divine 
 truth, in whatever manner, is calculated to strengthen our 
 faith and our hope ; to increase our love and our zeal ; and, 
 indeed, to make all the children of God more humble and 
 patient ; more active and useful ; more holy and happy. To 
 this end, too, w^e have assurance from the testimony of God 
 that the appointed means shall be made effectual. " For as 
 the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and re- 
 turneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it 
 bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and 
 bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goeth out of my 
 mouth: it shall not return to me void." 
 
 The importance of religious knowledge, to the growing 
 Christian, is easily demonstrated. A God of infinite wisdom 
 and love has been pleased to reveal its objects to our under- 
 standing; and he has revealed them at great expense. He 
 has not only given information to the creature, in a super- 
 natural manner; but he also suspended and counteracted the 
 operation of the laws of nature, in order to make the neces- 
 sary communication, and to attest the divinity of the source 
 from whence the stream of truth hath issued. " Inspiration is 
 supernatural ; and miracles attest the doctrines delivered. 
 Angels have left their place before the Father's throne, and 
 have ministered in glad tidings to fallen men. The Redeemer 
 was humbled unto death to illustrate and e.xemplify the truths 
 which he testified: and, now that he is exalted above the 
 powers of death, he sends the Comforter into the world for 
 the instruction of his disciples. There is another witness to 
 
 10* 
 
114 THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 
 
 the value of truth, in" your own consciences. I speak to you 
 who have experienced its renewing power. The sons and 
 daughters of Zion, in the possession of precious faith, cannot 
 but appreciate the divine commandment, "Buy the truth, and 
 sell it not ; also wisdom, and instruction, and understand- 
 ing."* You have found the Avord of God the means of your 
 regeneration, and you will certainly find it the means of pro- 
 gressive sanctiPication. Come, hear, all ye that fear God ! To 
 you I have made the appeal : to you I have given the promise. 
 To the appeal, you will answer, " Of his own will begat he 
 us with the word of truth ;"t The promise, I will confirm by 
 infallible testimony, " Being confident of this very thing, that 
 he which hath begun a good work in you, will peiform it until 
 the day of Jesus Christ," who says in his intercession for you, 
 within the vail. Sanctify them through thy truth : thy word is 
 truth. Ami for their scikes I sanctify myself that they also 
 might be sanctified through the truth-X 
 
 The various ways of improvement in the knowledge of 
 scriptural truth, merit and receive the attention of Christians 
 walking in the fear of God. The light of heaven, shining 
 upon his ordinances, inspires with confidence and delight. 
 Sweet are the meditations, and refreshing the thoughts of 
 those who retire from the bustle of society, to converse with 
 the bible in the fellowship of the Holy Ghost. But it is in 
 the public social worship of God, under the faithful preach- 
 ing of the word of life, that believers most enjoy the benefits 
 of sacred instruction : the public assembly, the Sabbath, and 
 the ministry, are God's appointment. There, as on Mount 
 Zion, he meets his people. Thither, the tribes go up to re- 
 ceive the blessing. The solemnities of the sacred day, the 
 recollections of him whose resurection from the tomb it week- 
 ly commemorates, the social aptitudes of human nature call- 
 ed into exercise by meeting together before God our Maker, 
 to worship the author of our common salvation, the rest and 
 the activity, the order and the earnestness, so indicative of 
 the upper sanctuary, while the word of truth comes with 
 power, cause us with the blessing of God to greet the messen- 
 ger of peace, by gladly receiving sanctified instruction. Un- 
 der such preaching, our faith is confirmed in the doctrines 
 previously understood. Such as were before obscure, appear 
 in a new light ; principles hitherto unknown are perceived 
 and embraced ; our failings, our errors, our corruption, our 
 duties, and comforts become better under.itood ; conscience 
 * Prov. xxiii. 23. t James i. 18. : Julin xvii. 17, 19. 
 
THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 115 
 
 and inclination unite in joining- the company in order to 
 ascend the holy hill ; and with revived affections we press 
 forward to the prize held out before us. Verily, " wis- 
 dom's ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are 
 peace." 
 
 \ 2. The sacraments are means of improvement in re- 
 
 '^igion. 
 
 The positive institutions, which bear the name of sacra- 
 ments, have always obtained in the Christian church. The 
 fact, of their general observance in every age, since the time 
 to which they refer, a fact so well supported by historical tes- 
 timony, is itself ample evidence of the antiquity of our re- 
 ligion — of the appearance on earth, at a certain time, of the 
 remarkable Personage in whose name they are dispensed ; 
 and whose meditation and death, with its consequent bless- 
 ings, they are designed to set forth, commemorate, and apply. 
 They, it is true, properly belong to social religion. They are 
 the sacraments of individuals, not merely as Christians, but 
 as members of the Christian church — the sacraments of the 
 church of God, as a visible society of saints. It is the actual 
 connexion of the individual by covenant with this society pro- 
 fessing godliness, that entitles him to the solemn seals of the 
 covenant of promise ;* but social relations influence the in- 
 
 * There is scarcely any subject about which Christians are more 
 divided in opinion than the quahfications upon which men are admissible 
 to the sacraments of the church. The principle, however, is easily un- 
 derstood : It is the application of the principle to practice that causes us 
 to differ. Principle and practice, are nevertheless, intimately connected ; 
 and intellitrent practice always proceeds from correct principles. 
 
 Some Christian churches propose to admit, as members, all who pro- 
 fess that the Christian religion is the true religion, and that they embrace 
 it as such. Others propose to admit, to sealing ordinances in the church, 
 all who profess that they are themselves in fact Christians ; and give 
 evidence of their conversion. The former, is at present, in this country, 
 called the loose plan; the latter, is by some called the strict flan. Each 
 plon has some truth, and some error connected with it ; and both are of 
 injurious tendency in practice. Each of them is too loose. There is a 
 stricter and more correct plan than either. 
 
 They, and they only, ought to be admitted to sealing ordinances in the 
 church of God, who give satisfactory evidence that they know the doc- 
 trines of religion, that they experience the power of religion in the soul, 
 and that they habitually live according to the laws of the Christian re- 
 ligion in their outward deportment. Those who take the seal of the 
 covenant should know what it is ; should embrace it with all their hearts ; 
 should -conform to it in their conversation. By their fruits ye shall know 
 them. These tiirke things, intelligrncf, expkrience, and practice, 
 are necessary to admission in a well-ordered church. 
 
 This is THE STRICT PLAN, in realilty. That it is the correct plan can be 
 
116 THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 
 
 tellect, the feelings, and the conduct of believers ; and these 
 social ordinances, of course, aflect the personal attainments of 
 individual Christians in true godliness. It would be, there- 
 fore, unjust as well as ungenerous, to omit the enumeration 
 of the sacraments of the New Testament, among the out- 
 ward means of personal growth in grace. The nature 
 of the these ordinances, and the special design of each, as 
 well as the experience of the children of Zion, sufficiently 
 testify that baptism and the Lord's supper are means of im- 
 provement in piety. 
 
 A sacrament is an oath of allegiance to the Lord God our 
 Saviour, as the sovereign of the church ; and the whole 
 church, with every member actually belonging to it, is in 
 covenant with God. The recollection and the renovation of 
 the oath have a tendency to fortify individual resolution to 
 walk worthy of the high calling of God, and so to promote 
 personal religion. The sacraments are, moreover, distin- 
 guished from all other ordinances. It is their special prop- 
 erty to seal by sensible signs our covenant connexion with 
 Jehovah. What God said unto Abraham, Gen. xvii. 11. 
 concerning circumcision, is equally applicable to every sacra- 
 ment, it shall be a token of the covenant bctivixt me and 
 you. All other ordinances are of divine appointment and 
 profitable to believers ; but the sacraments alone set apart and 
 employ common elements as sensible symbols of spiritual 
 
 show^n very easily, by an example. Let one apply for baptism or the 
 sacrament of the supper. Amiable and orderly in his conversation and 
 life, he says, he hates sin, and hopes for salvation, and is a converted 
 man : but on examination you find him totally ignorant of the use of the 
 sacrament, and of the person and mediation of Jesus Christ, and of the 
 covenant of Grace ; or you find him decidedly opposed to the truth on 
 each of these topics. You cannot admit him. Knowledge is then ne- 
 cessary. Suppose, again, that this man is intelligent and moral; but he 
 tells you that he is impenitent, that he is careless of salvation, that he 
 will not embrace Christ and the covenant of grace; but deliberately, and 
 from his heart, rejects divine grace. You will not, you dare not give 
 him the seal of the covenant. Experience of the power of religion, is 
 of course required. Again, let him manifest knowledge of the truth, de- 
 clare his conversion, and satisfy you as to his pious aflections ; but you 
 find that he is habitually or frequently intemperate ; or that he lives in 
 adultery ; or that he is married to his niece, his sister-in-law, or his own 
 sister ; still you will not admit him. Practice, according to New Testa- 
 ment order, then, is also necessary. The three qualifications mentioned, 
 are of course, indispensable. 
 
 The principle of church membership is not mere profession ; is not 
 actual regeneration; but apparent Christianity described in the law 
 of Christ. Any scandal publicly persisted in, or avowed, disqualified 
 even a Christian for the communion of the v'-'V- -' 
 
THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 117 
 
 things, to be dii^pcnsed exclusively to the church as a visible 
 and sanctified society, separated from the icorld, and in covenant 
 ivith God. 
 
 These four ideas are of course essential to a sacrament, 
 besides its divine appointment as a permanent ordinance in 
 the house of God to be observed by all the saints ; and these 
 together with their happy tendency to union, co-operation, 
 and comfort in social religion, all have a benefical influence 
 upon the progressive improvement of individuals in holiness 
 and usefulness. 
 
 First. By a sensible symbol^ the consecrated element, the 
 sacrament sets forth the spiritual blessings of the covenant 
 of grace to the senses, the reason, and the faith of the people 
 of God. 
 
 Second. By the dispensation of the sign of the covenant to 
 the members of the church, and to them exclusively, the 
 sacrament becomes a badge of visible distinction to these 
 members ; and a line is consequently drawn between the 
 church and others in the world. 
 
 Third. By this ministerial administration, in the name and 
 by the appointment of the Lord, he publicly recognizes the 
 members of his church as his own people; and assures all 
 believers of his unalterable purpose to perform his promise, 
 and confer all covenant blessings upon them in time and 
 through eternity. 
 
 Fourth. By the reception of the sacred symbol upon our 
 part, there is given a public and explicit pledge, both of our 
 embracing the provisions of the covenant of grace for our 
 own salvation, and of our engagement, along with our 
 brethren in the sanctuary, to walk in all the statutes and all 
 the ordinances of the Lord. 
 
 Such is the distinctive character of the two great ordinan- 
 ces to which the church has given the name of sacraments.* 
 
 * It is by this rule the Protestant churches rejected the Jive spurious 
 soxraments of the church of Rome. These are penance, marriage, con- 
 firmation, ordination, and extreme unction. The Roman Catholics main- 
 tain that there are in all seven sacraments. Each of the five false ones 
 has some plea from the scriptures, in its behalf, as either temporarily or 
 permanently required or bestowed upon men. Penance, or rather, hit- 
 miliat ion, for sin, is a duty in its own place. Marriage is honourable in 
 all. The confirmation of our faith, though not an outward ordinance 
 to be dispensed by man, is a grace of the Holy Spirit. Ordination to 
 the ministry is a standing ordinance in the church. Anointing the sick 
 with oil was an ancient medical practice recommended in certain cases, 
 James v. 14, But not one of these combine the characters essential to a 
 sacrament. In none of them do we find, a sensible sign to be dispensed 
 
118 THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 
 
 Every part of that character bears powerfully upon the piety 
 of believers. Sense is the path through which the Redeemer 
 travels to the mind, to invigorate our reason, to confirm our 
 faith, to awaken our affections, to engage us in the practice 
 of devotion, to comfort our hearts, and inspire us with the full 
 assurance of hope. 
 
 When I witness the administration of Baptism, to a single 
 member of the body of Christ, I behold the token of my own 
 covenant with God : I see the near relation which the whole 
 church bears to my Redeemer, I accordingly approve, I re- 
 joice, and I take my resolution in the strength of promised 
 grace. 
 
 When I see the sacred symbols of the body and blood of 
 my once crucified and now glorified Saviour, dispensed to 
 the holy society who meet on Mount Zion ; and when I 
 handle with my own hands the bread of life, recollections, 
 enjoyments, and anticipations of no ordinary kind take pos- 
 session of my whole soul. In the great solemnity, the Chris- 
 tian perceives a commemoration of the death of Christ in all 
 its horrors to make atonement for transgression, and to pro- 
 cure for them that believe the heavenly inheritance given by 
 the Father in his own Son. By the display of religious 
 truth, made in the sacramental actions themselves, and in the 
 w^ords with which a regular administration is accompanied, 
 Christians are made to grow up in knowledge and in holi- 
 ness. They have, moreover, assurance of God's covenant 
 faithfulness in the seal applied agreeably to his direction : 
 receiving the benefits of divine grace, they renew their own 
 vows at the altar of God ; and with a heart overflowing with 
 love to the saints, whose communion we at the time enjoy, 
 and with high expectation of future beatitude, we give, with 
 delight in the presence of God, angels, and men, this distinct, 
 public, and social testimony of our lliith in the cross of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, and of our obedience to all that he 
 commands. 
 
 3. Conversation among private Christians is one of the 
 means of growth in knowledge, in holiness, and in useful- 
 ness. It is itself a part of our religious enjoyments ; and 
 the means of increasing both the desire and ttie capacity for 
 more enjoyment. 
 
 Whatever other advantages of improvement a man may 
 
 to the whole church and to none else, as a seal of tlic covenant, and a 
 mark of disthiction from the world. Therefore have they been rejected 
 by Protestants. 
 
THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. UQ 
 
 possess, if he is totally cut ofT from intimate intercourse with 
 pious friends, he will soon discover it in the coldness and the 
 formality of his profession. Whether he be prevented by his 
 situation in life, by his business, by his bashfulness, or by his 
 negligence, from intermingling frequently and familiarly with 
 those who make religion the subject of their discourse, his 
 own personal religion, will be deprived of the ease, the ar- 
 dour, the accuracy, and the openness, Avhich are so orna- 
 mental to the social character of Christ's disciples. Should 
 he read with attention the word of God, should he study the 
 works of the best commentators ; should he hear from the 
 pulpit the most able sermons : he may become a proficient in 
 the science of didactic theology ; but both his acquaintance 
 v/ith the power of religion in others, and his own experience 
 in piety, must, in such a case, be deficient in many very in- 
 teresting respects, compared with the attainments of one who 
 adds, to these advantages, frequent conversation about the 
 things of God. The Christian minister who is far advanced 
 in age and in godliness, finds in free religious conversation, 
 increasing instruction and comfort: the student of divinity, 
 who is preparing for usefulness in the church of God ; and 
 the younger ministers of the sanctuary, will profit exceed- 
 ingly by familiar society with the saints ; and unto the pastor 
 of- a congregation it is a source of more improvement than 
 the study of elegant literature. A man accustomed to judi- 
 cious reflections will find, in such intercourse with Chris- 
 tians, so many suggestions of a doctrinal and practical ten- 
 dency, as cannot fail to enlarge the sum of his ideas, and to 
 render his own maxims more correct and practical. 
 
 The Christian conversation v/hich I recommend, is either 
 occasional^ in our interviews with our fellow-pilgrim.s, or 
 stated^ in fellowship meetings, established expressly for this 
 purpose. 
 
 Private societies^ for 'prayer and corferencc^ have always 
 obtained more or less in the church ; and have always been 
 productive of remarkable advantage. In times of revival 
 and reform, thev multiply: they intermingle the counsels 
 and the experience of age, with the ardour and the rashness 
 of young believers ; and both characters derive profit from 
 an augm.entation of heat and of light. In times of danger 
 and declension, such assemblies, if they do not arrest cor- 
 ruption in its progress, may preserve a few^ from following 
 the multitude to do evil ; may strengthen the weak ; and di- 
 rect to useful exertions the more intelligent. They certainly 
 
120 THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 
 
 procure the approbation and the blessing of God ; and they 
 serve to distinguish from others the more faithful servants of 
 the Most High. " Then they that feared the Lord spake 
 often one to another ; and the Lord hearkened, and heard it: 
 and a book of remembrance was written before him for them 
 that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And 
 they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when 
 I make up my jewels; and I will spare them as a man 
 spareth his own son that serveth him."* 
 
 In these meetings for mutual improvement, Christians, 
 agreeing in the great concerns of religion, freely speak to 
 one another. They are different from those occasional or 
 stated assemblies, in which either ministers of the word or 
 other persons act as leaders to the company ; offer up the 
 prayers ; read a discourse or deliver an address. All such 
 are of the nature of assemblies, for public worship ; and, of 
 course, exclude conversation altogether. I now speak of so- 
 cieties, in which, whatever may be the diversity of attain- 
 ments, all the members have equal rights and privileges ; in 
 which every member is permitted to introduce for conversa- 
 tion any religious subject, doctrinal or practical; and each, 
 in order, speaks his mind on the subject under consideration 
 — Small select societies, for mutual instruction, exhorta- 
 tion, and encouragement. By such means, pious youth, and 
 those who have little religious information and experience, 
 judiciously associated with men of superior information, have 
 an admirable opportunity of being built up in their most 
 holy faith ; of knowing, and consequently guarding against 
 current error and delusion ; of becoming acquainted with the 
 sufferings, the trials, and encouragements of religious men ; 
 of understanding the former contendings, the present prog- 
 ress, and the future prospects of the church ; and mutual co- 
 operation and support, in contending for the faith once deliver- 
 ed unto the saints. 
 
 Societies for Christian conversation are adapted to our so- 
 cial nature and our Christian privileges and duties. The 
 scriptures authorize them. Experience has proved their 
 utility: and you, too, if you conscientiously aUend to this 
 ordinance, and prudently employ your time, will realize the 
 profit arising from 7iot forsaking the assembling of yourselves 
 together. By conversation, true religion was taught and 
 known, for ages, without a public official ministry. From 
 Adam to Moses, this was the principal means of religious 
 * Mai. iii. IG— 18. 
 
THE MEANS OP GROWTH IN GRACE. 121 
 
 instruction. From the time of Moses, until the return of the 
 Jews from the Chaldean captivity, this was one of the chief 
 instruments of promoting knowledge and piety: and even 
 after the erection of synagogues, the place of private fellow- 
 ship for prayer and conference was frequented by the pious 
 Israelites, from the time of Malachi the prophet, until Lydia, 
 at the river which ran without the walls of the city of Phil- 
 ippi, met at society the apostle Paul; and learned, from his 
 ministry, what had been done at Jerusalem for our redemp- 
 tion.* In such societies, the captive Hebrews converesed 
 together by the waters of Babylon, while their untuned harps 
 were suspended from the drooping willows. f 
 
 Daniel, carried away in early years from his native land, 
 followed in Babylon the good practice to which he had been 
 accustomed in Judea, of religious society with his compan- 
 ions in bondage. He, and his three pious friends, by such 
 means increased in wisdom, and became as remarkable for 
 their spiritual health, as they were for their outward appear- 
 ance, although fed on pulse, while they refused the delicacies 
 of the king's table. Our Saviour had much private fellow- 
 ship with his peculiar disciples ; and they after his death met 
 together for prayer, for praise, and for religious conference. 
 Happy, my brethren, is the man, who finds Christian friends 
 and associates : Iron sharpeneth iron ; so a man sharpeneth 
 the countenance, of hh friend ; hut ivo to him that is alone when 
 hefalleth ; for he hath not another to help him up.\ 
 
 4. I take for granted, that, with all these ordinances, you 
 will attend to the duty of prayer, to the God of heaven. Its 
 own importance, in the commencement and progress of the 
 Christian life, would entitle the ordinance of prayer to a dis- 
 tinct consideration among the means of religious improve- 
 ment. I could not however, speak, with any satisfaction, 
 upon the subject of instituted ordinances, without including 
 supplication for divine mercy along with every other. The 
 due observance of any other institution implies that prayer is 
 not neglected: for, this duty, continually inculcated in the 
 word of God ; accommodated to all times and to all circum- 
 stances, urged by our wants and our woes, by our fears and 
 our hopes, is the constant companion of every devotional ser- 
 vice in the church. In public and in private, in society and 
 in solitude ; at home and abroad, in grief and in joy, in 
 business, in trial, and on the bed of death, prayer is practi- 
 
 * Mai, iii, 16. and Acts xvi. 13. t Psa. cxxxvii, 
 
 jProv. xxvii. 17. Eccles. iv. 10. 
 11 
 
122 THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 
 
 cable and is practised by the growing Christian, It is the 
 breathing of the spiritual man ; and as necessary to our 
 Christianity, as respiration of the air to natural life. Hereby, 
 •\ve bless our habitations, convert the closet into a sanctuary, 
 and make our resting place in the wilderness, the very gate 
 of heaven ; because in this duty we are present with our 
 God, the hearer of prayer, and he is present with his people 
 to bless them. To you, Christians, who are in the habits of 
 religious conversation, with your pious brethren, there is 
 special encouragement to this important duty. While wait- 
 ing in the garden of God for an interview with the beloved 
 Redeemer, you hear in the midst of your companions his 
 invitation to the delightful exercise of communion with him- 
 self in prayer. O thou that dweUest in the gardens, the com- 
 panions hearken to thy voice ; cause me to hear it : Let me see 
 thy countenance, let me hear thy voice ; for street is thy voice, 
 and thy countc7iancc is comely. 
 
 II. Judicous reflections, upon our personal concerns in the 
 light of divine revelation, have a great influence upon our 
 religious improvement. 
 
 The ordinances of religion do not operate with mechanical 
 force in promoting our spiritual growth. Human nature is 
 rational ; and its reformation includes the exercise of its sev- 
 eral faculties. The entire intellect of man is influenced by 
 his piety. All the active powers of the mind are concerned. 
 The whole soul is the subject of sanctification. The whole 
 moral constitution must of course be put in action ; and the 
 vital principle, communicated in regeneration by the Spirit 
 of adoption, requires to be cherished by outward ordinances 
 and rational reflections, under the direction of the Holy 
 Ghost, until we come to the measure of perfect men in Jesus 
 Christ. The inconsiderate observance of outward rites 
 profiteth little. We are required to attend to our ways as 
 reasonable creatures ; and we have the promise of divine aid 
 in the work. Consider what I say, and the Lord give you 
 understanding in all things.'* 
 
 Rational reflections upon our sinful nature and actions — 
 upon the providence of God in determining our lot — upon 
 the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord, and upon death 
 and a future state — are very becoming the Christian charac- 
 ter ; are required of us by the Governor of the world ; and 
 arc conducive to our progress in personal religion. 
 * 2 Tim. ii. 7. 
 
THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 123 
 
 1 . Let US consider the sinfulness of our disposition and de- 
 portment. 
 
 The improvement of man depends, in a great degree, 
 upon the estimate he forms of his own character. No reason- 
 able creature will seek to alter that which is already perfect, 
 or strive to amend a course of conduct which is irreprehensi- 
 ble. Should he consider his nature as depraved only in part, 
 he will seek at most only for a partial remedy : and should 
 he be induced to believe that he has himself already reached 
 the full perfection of Christianity, it would be useless to pro- 
 pose or to use means of improvement. To men of either de- 
 scription, to those who are by nature free from total depravity, 
 or have, any how, attained to perfection of nature and of life, 
 our bibles have no reference ; our doctrine and our worship 
 are entirely inapplicable. The Christian revelation is sent to 
 those who are by nature children of wrath ; and the duties, 
 the promises, and the hopes of religion are addressed to those 
 who are not yet made perfect. Christ came not to call the 
 righteous, but sinners to repentance : for the whole have no 
 need of the physician. There is no man liveth and sinneth not. 
 This fact is not to be disputed ; and it is dangerous to pervert 
 the doctrine. 
 
 He who lives on earth, and does not acknowledge his own 
 imperfection, is ignorant of both the law and its holy Au- 
 thor, and cannot have attained to much knowledge of him- 
 self, or the course of conduct becoming a religious man. 
 Let us consider our ways, and beware of the deceitfulness of 
 sin. It is the man whose sins are known to himself, that 
 alone can be supposed to repent and to reform. It is he who 
 acknowledges his transgressions that asks pardon of the 
 Lord, that applies to the blood of the covenant, and rejoices 
 in its purifying power. Be not deceived, my brethren, God 
 is not mocked. Would you sincerely desire to be more holy 
 than you are % Remember that progress in Christian attain- 
 ments is the opposite of a life of transgression. Mark your 
 sins in the light of divine law, consider their opposition to 
 God, their unhapp}?- effects upon yourselves and others, and 
 apply for gospel energy to crucify the flesh with all its affec- 
 tions and lusts. Mark you^ passions and restrain them ; con- 
 sider your frailties and avoid them ; study your temper and 
 improve it ; and do all this, deliberately, resolutely, and con- 
 stantly. There is a propriety in such conduct. The Chris- 
 tian, in acting piously, acts under the influence of reason — • 
 the most enlightened rationality. 
 
124 THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 
 
 Why should I hide from myself, the imperfections of my 
 character ? Ignorance will not effect amendment. Why 
 should I strive to forget my corruptions, my errors, my crim- 
 inal thoughts, or words, or actions ? Can mere forgetfulness 
 produce amendment or procure salvation ? No ! Let me 
 rather search out my wickedness, and collect all my sins, 
 that I may approach with them the altar of God, and with 
 my hands upon the great victim,* offered up once for all, 
 rejoice in the satisfaction which is made to divine justice, and 
 in the consequent pardon granted to believers. Let me still 
 keep my transgressions before me ; pursue my sins as my 
 worst enemies ; and give them no quarter, grant them not 
 even a temporary indulgence. If you live after the fleshy ye 
 shall die, but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of 
 the body, you shall live. 
 
 2. A due consideration of God's providence respecting us, 
 tends to our personal progress in true religion. 
 
 The doctrine of divine providence is not revealed to em- 
 ploy unprofitable speculation. Much, both of the stability 
 and progress of experimental religion, rests upon the convic- 
 tion, that there is no unrighteousness with God. The com- 
 mon sense of mankind seems to say, that mere power, taken 
 apart from morality, never can lay claim to our conscientious 
 obedience, certainly not to our affection. It is the happiness 
 of both angels and men to have been brought into being, not 
 by an omnipotent tyrant, who has no other pleasure than to 
 sport with the afflictions of his creatures, but by him who is 
 the original source and the supreme standard of all righte- 
 ousness. Could we even conceive the idea of an eternal 
 principle of force disconnected from goodness, the thought 
 would abound with unsupportable horror. " But in such a 
 case no good creature could exist in the ranks of creation, to 
 cast its joyless eye over the dreary desert.''! AH good men. 
 on the contrary, live in the full and constant persuasion, that 
 the providence of God extends to the numeration of the hairs 
 of our heads : and that, amidst all his works, the Judge of all 
 the earth shall do right. With what confidence and comfort, 
 does the evangelical prophet approach the Governor of the 
 world, and say, by the inspiration of the Spirit which influ- 
 
 * The Jews under the law, brought their sin-offering to the priest, and 
 confessed, with their hands on the victim, the transgression for which 
 they made atonement. They thus transferred the guik, or legal liability 
 to punishvient, from the sinner to the substitute. This was done for a type. 
 
 t M'Kinny's Sermons. 
 
THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 125 
 
 ences all believers, O Lord, thou art my God ; I icill exalt 
 thee, I will praise thy name : for thou hast done wonderful 
 things ; thy counsels of old are faithfubiess and truth : for 
 thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in 
 his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, 
 when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the 
 wall* 
 
 To unbelievers, indeed, whatever may be their religious 
 profession, the doctrine of a particular providence affords no 
 great consolation ; and it ought, not to be a wonder that such 
 are unwilling to give this truth full credit. Man is naturally- 
 influenced by his affections. That which he dislikes he is 
 slow to believe : and even conviction of truth will not always 
 produce an acknowledgment. Evidence may force convic- 
 tion upon the reluctant mind ; but all are not sufficiently 
 honest to avow the truths of which they are persuaded. I 
 know it is a joyless consideration, to those whose hearts are 
 far from righteousness, that there is a holy and an equitable 
 Sovereign, omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent, who 
 worketh all things after the cou7isel of his oum ivill, although 
 the scriptures contain the assertion.! Why should you be 
 surprised at hearing a man, who is uneasy under the re- 
 straints of a most holy law, and cherishes in his unrenewed 
 heart enmity against God, deny the doctrine of sovereignty 
 both in purpose and in action ? Surely, it is no satisfaction 
 to the rebel to be told that Jehovah makes the wrath of man 
 to praise him ; and effectually restrains that wrath which 
 does not tend to produce such effect. I know it is unreason- 
 able and inconsistent upon the part of man, who extends his 
 influence as far as possible in order to secure his own de- 
 signs, and who forms the plan upon which he acts before he 
 commences his operations, to deny to the most high God the 
 right of extending his government over all his creatures and 
 all their actions, and the right of decreeing from eternity 
 whatsoever he causes in the revolutions of time to come to 
 pass : But yet I cannot see, why we should expect, that un- 
 sanctified men should derive dehght from the doctrine of un- 
 changeable counsels and effectual workings which are all 
 upon the side of holiness and truth. The wishes and the 
 views of fallen sinners are opposed to the rehgion of the 
 bible ; and it requires divine grace to open the understand- 
 ing for the reception of evangelical doctrine. 
 
 To you, however, who have entered on the Christian 
 * Isa. XXV. 1, 4. +Eph. i. II. 
 
 11* 
 
126 THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 
 
 journey, and are going forward unto perfection, rational 
 views of the Providence of God are exceedingly profitable. 
 The magnitude of the object contemplated occasions a corre- 
 sponding elevation of thought ; its benignity excites the most 
 agreeable emotions ; and the certainty we have that the ulti- 
 mate result is for God's glory and our own good, encourages 
 to patience and to action. We know, brethren, that the 
 divine mind is capable without toil or distraction to manage 
 with perfect precision the concerns of empires and of worlds ; 
 to arrange with minuteness all the incidents which enter into 
 the history of our own lives ; and so to weave the mysterious 
 Aveb of human affairs, as that without producing a dissolution 
 of the contingency of second causes, his purposes shall be 
 accomplished. His counsel shall stand. 
 
 God is almighty in his providence ; and you must submit. 
 He is omniscient ; and it is your wisdom to submit. His 
 arrangements are equitable ; and, should they even affect us 
 painfully, we have no right to employ the language of com- 
 plaint. He is our Father and our Friend ; and we have no 
 reason to be alarmed. He has given assurance that all 
 things shall work together for our good. We believe his 
 word, we observe the doings of his hand, we rejoice in the 
 prospect before us. Of our property, our health, our reputa- 
 tion, and our lives, let him dispose at his pleasure. Of our 
 parents, our children, our friends ; of the church, and of the 
 world, let him dispose at his pleasure. He has both the right 
 and the power ; for who can say unto him, what dost thou ? 
 He exercises the right, with perfect purity of design ; he em- 
 ploys the power with abundant benevolence. The Lord is 
 good to all ; and his tender mercies are over all his works. 
 
 The hand of God, in the arrangement of our own personal 
 affairs, is peculiarly worthy of our attention. The lot is 
 cast into the lap, and the whole disposal thereof is from the 
 Lord. Our heavenly Father determines the lot of our 
 inheritance, the bounds of our habitation, and all the inci- 
 dents of life. The due consideration of this truth assists the 
 believer in repressing the struggles of indwelling sin ; it 
 serves to relieve the mind from extravagant sorrow, and to 
 inspire with confidence in the face of danger; and it facili- 
 tates the performance of every duty with alacrity. He goes 
 up, accordingly, through the wilderness leaning upon his 
 beloved, and rejoicing in the strength of the everlasting 
 arms. By such considerations, Asaph was enabled to re- 
 cover his standing, dismiss at once both his envy and his 
 
THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 127 
 
 grief, and assert and exemplify the dignity of the Christian 
 protected by an overruling providence. / am continually 
 loith thee : thou hast holden me by my right haiul. Thou shall 
 guide me with thy counsel^ and afterwards receive me to glory* 
 
 3. Meditations on the love of God, are conducive to the 
 improvement of the Christian character. 
 
 It is an admirable and benevolent provision which the Most 
 High has made in the creation of the soul, that we have the 
 faculty of recalling transient ideas, and of holding them up to 
 our own view as subjects of patient examination. Without 
 the capacity of meditation, man must have been secluded from 
 a large portion of both his improvement and enjoyment. 
 However ready his powers of perception, however great his 
 discernment, however tender his sensibility, had he not the 
 power of recalling the past, of abstracting and selecting from 
 the mass of his thoughts, that idea to which a peculiar atten- 
 tion is to be directed, he never could become either wise or 
 virtuous : his days would pass away as a shadow, and all his 
 experience be as a dream forgotten before it is told. One of 
 the most happy, and, at the same time, most improving exer- 
 cises of the human mind is meditation upon divine things. 
 The writer of the 104th Psalm exemplifies this truth in a 
 \^ery striking manner. In this fine eucharistic hymn, the 
 Psalmist of Israel addressed Jehovah as the Creator and Gov- 
 ernor of the world — as the God of nature, of grace, and of 
 glory. Setting forth, in strains of becoming majesty and 
 sweetness, the wisdom, the goodness, and the power displayed 
 in the formation of the heavens and the earth, and in the various 
 and abundant provision made for the beasts and the birds, and 
 for man, the Lord of all things upon earth, he declares the 
 satisfaction which he himself enjoyed in the contemplation of 
 that Being, who directs with his finger the stars in their 
 courses, and causes the seasons to move in regular order 
 around each returning year. My meditation of him shall be 
 sweet; I ivill rejoice in the Lord.f 
 
 The theme of meditation, most interesting and most improv- 
 ing, both in an intellectual and moral point of view, to man, 
 is the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is the 
 source of our spiritual life and our spiritual health ; and with- 
 out respect to it, no progress in Christianity is ever made by 
 man whatever. It is usual for all who profess the Christian 
 religion to acknowledge their obligations to Jesus Christ the 
 Son of God; and this is frequently done without respect to the 
 * Psa. Ixxiii. 23, 24. t Psa. civ. 34. 
 
128 THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 
 
 Father that sent him. Some, indeed, are of opinion, that we 
 owe God's love to our belief of the Gospel. Upon the other 
 hand, many are of opinion that whatever is discriminating in 
 the system of grace belongs exclusively to the sovereign will 
 of the Father ; while they suppose that the atonement of Mes- 
 siah is either general or universal, and has no other object 
 than to render the Deity capable of saving whom he will. In 
 neither case is due respect paid to the love of God itself, or to 
 the fact, that his love to fallen man is in his Son Jesus Christ. 
 Rational reflections upon the scriptural doctrine of divine love, 
 will correct these dangerous and absurd opinions. This is 
 the love of God, not that ice loved him ; but that he first loved us : 
 we love him because he first loved us. It is evident, therefore, 
 to every reflecting mind, that if this scriptural representation 
 be correct, we owe the love of God, not to our own improve- 
 ment of opportunities, our innocency, or our affections ; but 
 that God's love is the cause of all our goodness and of our 
 love to him. His love precedes our love, and in fact, provides 
 the means of producing our love towards him. God com- 
 mendeth his love to us., in thai while we were yet sinners^ 
 Christ died for us. While loe were unihout strength., he died 
 for the ungodly. It is of course plainly perceived in the light 
 of this doctrine, that while the saints owe their goodness to 
 the death of Christ, they owe the gift of Christ to the love 
 of God. The Father gave his Son to dm for the ungodly; 
 we owe our godliness to this gift and its consequences: we 
 owe the gift, consequences, and all, to God's love: and instead 
 of being left to conjecture that a general redemption effected 
 by the Saviour brings about the love of God to man ; we are 
 expressly assured that God's love provided for us both the re- 
 demption and the Redeemer. God so loved the world^ that he 
 gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him 
 should not perish, but have everlasting life. 
 
 It is impossible, brethren, to have correct ideas of our obli- 
 gations to the Son of God, or to be duly grateful for the sal- 
 vation with which he blesses his people, unless we admit the 
 whole economy of his mission as Mediator to be the conse- 
 quence of the great love wherewith the Father himself loved 
 us; and unless we consider that love to be eternal and unal- 
 terable, as well as expressed exclusively in Jesus Christ: 
 Having chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, to 
 be holy and without blame before him in love. This, then, is 
 the source of all our hopes and enjoyments. Hence, as from 
 an overflowing fountain, proceed the rivers of living water, 
 
THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 129 
 
 which make glad the city of God. True Christians thirst 
 for this water more vehemently than did David for the waters 
 of the well of Bethlehem. Refreshed and invigorated by the 
 water of life, let us follow the stream clear as chrystal, until 
 arriving at the perfection of happiness before the throne of 
 God in the celestial Paradise, we are welcomed to our final 
 abode. 
 
 4. Judicious reflections, upon our own mortality, and the 
 future state which we are daily approaching, have a tendency 
 to prepare us for both. 
 
 He who forgets must neglect the business of life; and he 
 who neglects cannot suceed in his employment. The great 
 business of this life is to prepare for another ; and as we have 
 to pass from this to the invisible and eternal world, through 
 death, it is impossible to think seriously of our personal con- 
 cerns without including in our reflections, the idea of our 
 separation from the body in order to return to God. It is ap- 
 pointed unto men once to die^ but after this the judgment* The 
 law is universal ; and there is no living man that dare flatter 
 himself with an exception in his favour : for, Dmt thou art^ 
 and unto dust shalt thou return.^ 
 
 It was never intended that this world should be the per- 
 manent abode of all that once breathed its atmosphere. It is 
 only a place of preparation for another. As such it ought to 
 be used by mortal man, while his immortal mind looks for- 
 ward to the disembodied state, and to its unparalleled advan- 
 tages. Persuaded that here we have no continuing city, let 
 us live as strangers on the earth ; let us treat the world as the 
 nursery in which we are like children under tutelage : let us 
 travel as pilgrims to the city of God. The ordinary occupa- 
 tions and enjoyments of life are not inconsistent w^ith such 
 views of death and eternity. The Christian gratefully re- 
 ceives the comforts of his journey, and dutifully strives to be 
 useful to his fellow-travellers ; but his affections are set upon 
 things that are above — superior in relation both to place and 
 to worth, to the objects of the sinner's pursuit in this present 
 world. The petty details of the preservation of the body, or 
 the gradual acquisition of property, can never enter into com- 
 petition, in point of importance, with the glories of an ever- 
 lasting and undeviating enjoyment. Since life and immor- 
 tality are brought to light by the gospel^ who would be con- 
 tent to resign for the puerilities of earthly felicity, or the anxi- 
 eties and calculations of ambition and trade, the profounder 
 * Heb. ix. 27. t Gen. iii. 19. 
 
130 THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 
 
 mysteries, the imbounded riches of the life beyond the grave? 
 Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, is the substance of things hoped 
 for J and the evidence of things not seen : and the believer, pro- 
 ceeding in his Christian attainments, enjoys by anticipation 
 his victory over the world and the king of terrors, and over 
 all those diseases, and that anguish, which usually accom- 
 pany the warfare of the last enemy. 
 
 The present life is uncertain ; and its duties must be dis 
 charged without delay : it is, at all events, of short duration ; 
 and we must prepare for abandoning its pleasures, and for 
 bidding adieu to its passions, its trials, and its sorrows. Death 
 is unnatural — an inversion of the original constitution of man : 
 it is a stroke of violence which separates the soul from the 
 body ; in a moral point of view, it is the consequence and the 
 wages of sin : but in the light of revelation, it is converted by 
 divine grace into a messenger of escape from the prison, that 
 the saints may be introduced to the presence of their Father 
 in heaven. You can now, brethren, deliberately contemplate 
 this destroyer of natural life, and examine, without dismay, 
 every feature of his character. This is indeed the work of 
 the grace of God. Nature shudders at the touch of his cold 
 hand. Conscious guilt inflicts horror on the soul at the 
 prospect of intimate familiarity with him ; but he appears to 
 you with the badges of servitude to your almighty Saviour : 
 his strength is subdued ; his sting is extracted ; to the Christian, 
 there remains of the king of terrors no more than the shadow. 
 Thanks be to God lohich giveth us the victory/, through our 
 Lord Jesus Christ* " To die is gain."t Yes! O believers, 
 however great a loss to others, for you, to die is gain. Ex- 
 haustless wealth, invulnerability to disease, and eternal youth, 
 are the least valuable attributes of the future state which 
 awaits you. Intellect, clear and comprehensive; affections, 
 ardent and in perfect harmony ; society, various and exalted ; 
 sinless morality, and the presence of Jehovah, furnish a never- 
 ending enjoyment, exempt indeed from perplexing vicissi- 
 tudes ; but not too calm or motionless, to excite attention, or 
 support the ceaseless career of activity for which you shall be 
 glorified. 
 
 III. Divine influences are required and employed in the 
 progressive improvement of the saints. 
 
 The outward ordinances are all adapted by infinite wisdom 
 to their end : the exercises of our own rational powers are of 
 use in their proper place: and both are means of attaining to 
 * 1 Cor. XV. 57. t Phil. i. 2J 
 
THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 131 
 
 higher degrees of sanctification and usefulness in life ; but the 
 power of the Spirit is that which gives efficacy to other 
 means of improvement, and is itself the chief support and so- 
 lace of the Christian. It is to be understood, in all evangeli- 
 cal discussions, whether from the pulpit or the press, that the 
 Spirit of God blesses the institutions of religion ; and that 
 without this aid, the ordinances are dry breasts affording no 
 milk to new-born babes : that the professor of religion is as a 
 sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal, destitute of life and of 
 virtue. It is nevertheless meet, that in setting forth in order, 
 before my hearers, the means of growth in grace, I should 
 distinctly mention the influences of the Holy Gkost, as well 
 as take for granted their existence while describing the ad- 
 vantages of subordinate instrumentality. The Comforter is 
 distinctly promised to the saints both by the Father and the 
 Son ; all Christians enjoy distinct communion with him, in 
 the exercises of godliness ; and the principal design of the 
 gracious economy which provides felicity for sinners in a 
 Saviour, is to develope to the inteUigent part of the creation 
 of God, the glory of the Trinity. 
 
 The natural attributes of the Deity are sufficiently mani- 
 fest in the works of creation and providence. His goodness 
 and his long-suffering are discoverable in his treatment of 
 offenders in this world : but it is only in the gospel we see 
 clearly his compassion in harmony with his righteousness, 
 and his love to sinners directed by wisdom, and applied by 
 omnipotence,- in consistency with truth and holiness. 
 
 The unity of the Deity is set forth to the intellectual world 
 in all his works ; but it is only in the economy of the system 
 of grace, we are furnished with an exemplification of the dis- 
 tinction ofjjcrsons in the Godhead. It is true, a revelation of 
 this fact might have been made by a simple declaration from 
 heaven. Many such declarations are found in the bible, and 
 are believed, or rejected by men according to the degree of 
 respect they have for Jehovah, and the measure of their know- 
 ledge of the terms in which he has seen proper to express 
 himself unto them. Still, however, a pure declaration, that 
 there are three equal distinct persons in the unity of the God- 
 head, unaccompanied with some practical exemplification, 
 would make upon the minds of believers but a comparatively 
 indistinct impression ; while the unbelieving portion of the 
 sons of men, would, in rejecting the truth, have to contend 
 only with a bare speculative doctrine. God himself, in 
 mercy to man, and in goodness to the countless millions of 
 
132 THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 
 
 intelligent creatures in the universe, hath seen proper to 
 order that a practical exemplification of this truth should be 
 made in the presence of all, and so applied to the souls of 
 his peculiar people as to become familiar to their sanctified 
 understandings, and be interwoven with the very texture of 
 their piety. 
 
 In the counsel of peace, the language of which is, " Let 
 us deliver fallen man from his sin and misery, and bring 
 him into an estate of salvation by a Redeemer," the plan 
 was eternally settled, and the economy of grace established 
 as an everlasting covenant for the glory of the Father, the 
 Son, and the Holy Ghost, in the salvation of sinners. That 
 there are three persons in the Godhead, is not only affirmed 
 as a matter of fact ; but the personal properties of each are 
 declared ; each assumes a distinct agency in the work of sal- 
 vation : and such is the nature of the sanctification predes- 
 tinated and applied, that the renewed man has access through 
 the Redeemer by the Spirit to the Father in his public and 
 private devotion. Without, therefore, a distinct apprehension 
 and experience of the doctrine of three persons in one God- 
 head, there is no scriptural devotion either social or personal 
 He who rejects the Son and the Holy Ghost, from his affec- 
 tions and his worship, by denying to them divine attributes^ 
 whatever may be his name, is any thing but a Christian. It 
 is correspondent with the whole design of Christianity as a 
 revelation from God, and as a matter of experience to the 
 saints, to behold the eternal Father sending his own Son for 
 our redemption ; to behold the eternal Son coming from the 
 Father, finishing the work, and returning to the Father who 
 sent him ; to behold the eternal Spirit coming from the Fa- 
 ther and the Son, by the authority of the arisen Redeemer, 
 to quicken and to guide men in the path of life everlasting. 
 This Holy Spirit, of whom we have already spoken as 
 " the Spirit of adoption," is our support while walking in 
 newness of life. 
 
 His divine influence, in the several attainments of the 
 saints, is experienced in a threefold mode of operation. He 
 presents jproper objects to the mind — He directs the affections 
 of the heart to these objects — and he imparts strength for ac- 
 tion in a believing view of them. 
 
 1. The Spirit presents to the saints the proper objects of 
 pursuit. 
 
 In order to succeed, believers behove to walk according to 
 their Christian profession. Only let your conversation be as 
 
THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE, 133 
 
 hecometh the gospel^ is the constant admonition under which 
 they act. In the exercise of faith they must take every step ; 
 for tcithout jaith it is impossible to jjlease God. EvangeHcal 
 obedience and deportment consist in a correspondence with 
 the rules given by the Mediator. As ye have received Christ 
 Jesus the Lord, so loalk ye in him. The promised assistance 
 which we have on our journey includes the exhibition to the 
 enlightened mind of objects which ought to occupy our atten- 
 tion. " Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he 
 will guide you into all truth : for he shall not speak of him- 
 self: but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak : and 
 he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me ; for 
 he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you."* 
 
 The Holy Spirit, in the formation of the plan of redemp- 
 tion, took his part of the sacred economy, and agreed to 
 apply all the blessings which God the Father promised, and 
 the Redeemer purchased for our souls : therefore did the 
 Saviour say, he shall receive of mine., and show it unto you. 
 The exhibition made by the Spirit respects principally future 
 good — He shall show you things to come. These things are, 
 of course, the proper objects of Christian pursuit; and the 
 gracious discovery leads believers on to their enjoyment. 
 Spiritual blessings are all arranged in their proper order, are 
 all placed in a strong light: and the eyes of our understand- 
 ing being opened, are directed towards them, and are fixed 
 upon them with admiration and delight. Divine things, 
 seen and realized by that faith which is the substance of 
 things hoped for., and the evidence of things not seen., make a 
 lasting impression upon the mind. They communicate to 
 the beholder their own holy and sublime character. The 
 vail of prejudice and error is taken away; and "we all, 
 with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, 
 are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even 
 as by the Spirit of the Lord." 
 
 2. The Spirit directs the affections of the heart to spiritual 
 obj ects. 
 
 The Christian is a child of light, having an unction from 
 the Holy One. He is also a child of love : for his faith work- 
 eth by love, and purifies the heart. God requires, in his law, 
 that we should set our affections on things above, where 
 Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. He promises in his 
 gospel, that his people shall have a new heart ; and in the 
 dispensations of grace, the love of God is shed abroad in our 
 * John xvi. 13, 14. 
 12 
 
134 THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 
 
 hearts by his Spirit which is given to us. Without such af- 
 fections, there is no religion, no true godliness. Affectionis 
 are a part of our constitution ; and if the whole man is sanc- 
 tified, they must be rendered holy. Affections are necessary 
 to moral action as well as intellect itself; they are the great 
 springs of human activity ; and behove to be set in order and 
 in motion by the Spirit of holiness. The rehgion of the glo- 
 rified saints partakes of pure affections ; and the experience 
 of holy men in this life abundantly shows that the desires 
 and the enjoyments of the sons of Zion are guided by the 
 Spirit of Christ, 
 
 Although we speak of religious affections as distinct from 
 the exercises of the understanding, it is not with design to 
 convey the idea that they are separable, the one from the 
 other. In religion, as in the constitution of human nature, 
 the power of perceivivg^ and the capacity of being affected by 
 what is perceived, are faculties of the same soul. The soul 
 is the living being, that both understands and loves — the be- 
 ing that, when renewed and sanctified, understands and loves 
 divine things, in their proper nature and character. Religious 
 affections are distinguished from all other affections, by their 
 spirituality.* The Holy Ghost is the cause which produces 
 
 * "The spiritual man and the natural man are set in opposition, one- 
 to another, 1 Cor. ii. 14, 15. And as the saints are called spiritual in 
 scripture, so we also find that there are certain properties, that have the 
 same epithet given them. We read of a " spiritual mind," Rom. viii. 7. 
 of " spiritual wisdom," Col. i. 9. and of " spiritual blessings," Eph. i. 3. 
 Now, it may be observed, that the epithet spiritual is not used to signify 
 any relation of persons or things to the spirit or soul of man : for there 
 are some properties that the scripture calls carnal, which have their ex- 
 istence in the soul, Col. ii. 18. Nor, are things called spiritual, because 
 they are conversant about those things which are immaterial : for so was 
 the wisdom of this world, 1 Cor. chap, ii. But it is with relation to the 
 Holy Ghost that persons or things are termed spiriluat in the New 
 Testament. And it nmst be observed that they who have only the covi- 
 mon influences of the Spirit are not so called : but only those who have 
 the saving influences. 
 
 The Spirit of God is given to the true saints to dwell in them as their 
 proper and lasting abode; and to influence their hearts as a principle of 
 71C7V nature, or as a divine supernatural spring of life and action. They 
 are therefore properly denominated from it, and are called spiritual. 
 Another reason why the saints and their virtues are called spiritual, is 
 that the Spirit of God dwelling as a vital principle in their souls, there 
 produces those cflects wherein he communicates himself in his own 
 proper nature, true holiness — That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 
 So that not only the persons are called spiritual, as having the Spirit of 
 God dweUing in them; but vhose qualifications, aflectione, and experien- 
 ces that are wrought in them by the Spirit, are also spiritual ; and there- 
 in differ vastly in their nature and kuid from all that a natural man is or 
 
THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 135 
 
 them ; and he makes us to be affected in a holy manner. He * 
 gives us light to see the object as it is ; and he gives us the 
 disposition which becometh the object. He commits no mis- 
 take. He counteracts alike ignorance and heresy, apathy 
 and fanaticism. For this work he is sent from God to the 
 mind of man : he understands perfectly what he has to do ; 
 for he is omniscient : he is able to do what he has under- 
 taken ; for he is omnipotent. 
 
 The adversary^ who goeth about to mislead, to tempt, and 
 to destroy, is capable, when permitted of the Lord, to excite 
 emotions in the human heart ; and his devices are not de- 
 tected without spiritual discernment. Anxious to hold his 
 dominion over fallen men, he is satisfied while he can keep 
 them in ignorance, in negligence, or infidelity. If they 
 should be any how alarmed about their state, he will suit his 
 temptations to circumstances, in order that he may, by all 
 means, secure his prey. Delusions, artfull}'' adapted to the 
 temper and pursuits of the individual, to the opinions, the 
 practices, and the fashions of the society in which the indi- 
 vidual resides, are ready at hand. Whether it be idolatry, or 
 superstition, or formality, or enthusiasm ; whether it be char- 
 ity, or bigotry, or self-righteousness in any of its endlessly 
 diversified forms, whatever, in fact, may answer his purposes 
 of deceit, that he inculcates on the mind ; and with it he di- 
 verts, and feeds, and fattens his victims. Great and sudden 
 are the changes produced upon nations and individuals, by 
 the 'prince of the power of the ah\ the spirit that noio icorkcth 
 in the children of disobedience. Nations, under his enchant- 
 ments, break in pieces the shackles of a base superstition ; 
 and all at once amuse themselves with visionary speculations 
 of. infidel philosophy and reform: and again, wearied with 
 their own vanities, they sink back into a stupid and sullen re- 
 pose under the shadow of Antichrist, the son of perdition. 
 Individuals are suddenly alarmed, and from the cold and 
 carnal habitude of years, become, at once, in their own esti- 
 mation, with all their ignorance, saints of the first magnitude, 
 who think of notliing and speak of nothing but religion ; 
 and then again, the fire burns out, and they return cold and 
 comfortless to the state which they vainly imagined they had 
 for ever forsaken. Their goodness is like the morning cloud. 
 It passeth rapidly away. 
 
 The enemy gains much by this management. True 
 
 can be the subject of rcmfilning in a natural state." — President Edwards's 
 first Sign of Gracious Affections. 
 
136 THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 
 
 Christianity is serious, solemn, ardent, active, unyielding, and 
 constant. To the secure, Satan will represent it as trouble- 
 some, sullen, ignoble, useless, and unhappy. For the alarmed 
 sinner, he finds it necessary to provide a substitute for real 
 religion in something resembling it, but essentially distin- 
 guished from it : therefore, he employs error to produce con- 
 fusion of ideas, distraction of mind, or false peace, without 
 removing guilt. Any excitement of affection, which is not 
 of a spiritual nature, is peculiarly suited to his purposes. If 
 it pass, in the world and in the church, for what is called a 
 revival of religion, so much the better for him who readily 
 transforms himself into an angel of light. Satan takes plea- 
 sure in the fanatic as well as in the formalist. Hereby he 
 not only makes sure of his deluded victim, but also brings 
 religion itself into disgrace. A wild delusion is contemptible 
 to reflecting minds, and whensoever it is identified in general 
 estimation with vital religion, as, alas, it too frequently is, 
 then, of course, religion itself necessarily suffers. Ignorant 
 excitement is awfully dangerous. Strong passion, whether 
 from fear or from love of imaginary good, without the light 
 of truth to direct its exercise, puts the sinner under full sail, 
 and drives him to irremediable wo. 
 
 Actual godliness is equally averse from unenlightened ex- 
 citement and cold speculation. It is alike opposed to the 
 senseless professions of the deluded fanatic, and the callous 
 calculations of the hard-hearted worldling. It is a pure and 
 a holy flame, from the celestial fire, which enlightens with its 
 rays, and revives with its warmth. It affects powerfully the 
 finer feelings of the heart ; it imparts energy for action in all 
 the pious pursuits of believers ; it is intelligent and discreet,, 
 pure and peaceable, and yields the fruits of righteousness to 
 them icho are exercised thereby. Such is the work of the Holy 
 Ghost upon the affections of the saints. By communicating 
 himself as a living and abiding principle of holy action in 
 the soul of man, we are by a supernatural influence inclined 
 to virtuous pursuits ; and being inclined^ we, of course, wil- 
 lingly^ as well as certainly^ improve in the spiritual life, and 
 proceed in our preparation for glory. 
 
 3. Divine influence strengthens the saints for every duty. 
 
 In the intellectual world, as well as in the inferior ranks 
 of animated beings, there are different degrees of power. 
 However intimately our ideas of strength are associated with 
 physical force, all languages imply that there is intellectual 
 vigour as well as muscular or bodily energy. It is as easy 
 
THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 137 
 
 to conceive of the one as of the other, and to account for the 
 one as for the other. The effects are equally obvious in both 
 cases. A strong or a weak mind, are phrases as definite and 
 intelligible, as a strong or a weak arm. The scriptures too 
 assure us, that there are different degrees of spiritual 
 strength ; and experience shows that all the acts and exer- 
 cises of the new man admit of various degrees. Were it 
 not for this, improvement would be impossible. Spiritual 
 strength is as distinct from the vigour of the understanding, 
 from the natural force of any of our mental faculties, as these 
 are from mere muscular power; and that strength is called 
 spiritual, which is from the Spirit of God, acting according to 
 the economy of grace, as the author of holiness in man. 
 
 All power is indeed from the Lord: For there is no power 
 hut of God* The Spirit moved upon the face of the waters, 
 and established what are called the laws of nature over the 
 several elements. The Spirit gave animation and energy to 
 the nerves and the sinews of organized bodies : the flight of 
 the eagle, the swiftness of the roe, and the impulse of Sam- 
 son's arm, are all from this source of power. It is the same 
 Spirit of the Almighty that giveth us understanding: but 
 there is an essential difference between these communications 
 and what he does for his saints in making them to grow in 
 grace ; and it is by his strengthening them with might in the 
 inner man, they are made to go on unto perfection. 
 
 It is a mercy that the Spirit bringeth all things to our re- 
 membrance, and places the object of pursuit before us in his 
 own divine light: let us be grateful for the gracious affec- 
 tions he begets in the heart, directing the desire of our souls 
 to his holy name, — to those things which are above in the 
 paradise of God ; but let us remember that a sight of the 
 good, and a desire of enjoying it, would be unavailing, were 
 we not enabled to pursue it with success. Thanks be unto 
 God, who giveth us of his Holy Spirit. This is our ability: 
 this is our strength. It consists not in mere acuteness of 
 perception, in mere ardour of desire, or in the intensity of 
 my grief, my joy, or my love. I speak not of mere natural 
 ability^ or mere moral ability ; but of a power distinct from 
 both, and superior to both — The power of the ^oly Ghost, 
 sanctifying both my nature and my morals. It is in the 
 strength of grace promised and communicated that believers 
 travel to the celestial mansions. / will go in the strength of 
 
 * Rom. xiii. 1. 
 12* 
 
138 THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 
 
 the Lord God. It is God that girdeth me loith strength^ and 
 maketh my way perfect. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 It is for you, brethren, as well as for me, to make the ap- 
 plication of this discourse. Knowing- that it is the Spirit of 
 God who applies divine grace effectually to the soul, we be- 
 hove to depend upon him at all times, and to solicit him 
 when we meet together at the public ordinances for his bless- 
 ing on the teacher and the taught. We all have an interest 
 in this direction — " Grow in grace." 
 
 While it implies, that they who are still in their sins, are 
 incapable of growth, and that all who have grace have 
 ample room for improvement in religion, it evidently re- 
 quires of us all, to use with care and constancy those means 
 which are provided for our advancement to the perfection of 
 the saints. The means, which we have pointed out to 3'ou 
 in this discourse, are worthy of regard : the ordinances are 
 of God: the reasonings and reflections correspond with his 
 declarations, and your own character and condition : The 
 influences of the Spirit are promised, and procured, and com- 
 municated in the whole economy, grace reigns through 
 righteousness unto everlasting life by Jesus Christ our Lord. 
 My concluding remarks are predicated upon the Christian 
 experience of those whom I now address. I hope I am not 
 deceived in you, while I take for granted your gracious 
 state, and speak unto you as believers, the beloved of the 
 Lord. 
 
 1. I observe from my text, that there are difl^erent degrees 
 of gracious attainments, and I urge upon all ranks the duty 
 of further progress — " Grow in grace." Moses was in- 
 structed, when he cried unto the Lord for the descendants of 
 Abraham, to urge them to go on in their journey. Pressed 
 by the pursuing Egyptians, and opposed in their progress 
 by the waters of the Red Sea, the people were sore afraid : 
 and the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, " Speak unto the 
 children of Israel, that they go forward." So say I unto 
 you ; Awake, arise, this is not your rest. Before you is the 
 prize. It is God that calls upon you — your own, your fa- 
 thers' God. Lo ! He stands on high in light and in righ- 
 teousness, looking down in compassion on the company of 
 pilgrims ; and graciously inviting them to lay aside every 
 weight, that they may the better run the race that is set bforc 
 
THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 139 
 
 them. His presence is encouraging, and therefore are you 
 assembled that you may go on together to the place of your 
 final abode. 
 
 Take a view of the varieties of character and gracious at- 
 tainments that are found among you: not for the purposes 
 of discord, of pretension, or of pride of superiority ; but with 
 gratitude to the Sovereign disposer of every event, and with 
 design to be helpers of one another in your progress. The 
 least of you that believe, has more than he merited ; the best, 
 has nothing whereof to be vain ; all have reason to mourn 
 over imperfections, and to rejoice that your sufficiency is of 
 God. Hand in hand, the young and the old, the feeble and 
 the strong, the unlearned and the scholar, the new recruit 
 and the veteran, march to the place of conquest and triumph. 
 The trumpet blov/s, the people hear, " The Breaker is come 
 up before them : they have broken up, and have passed 
 through the gate, and the Lord on the head of them. 
 Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound : they shall 
 walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance."* 
 
 2. Be not discouraged, although your progress in religion 
 is neither as uniform nor as rapid as you first expected it 
 should actually prove. 
 
 Every Christian has many changes in his own spiritual 
 lot ; and those changes are not always agreeable to his feel- 
 ings or his expectations. " We know most assuredly, that all 
 things shall work together for our good ; but we do not pre- 
 viously know, what method our heavenly Father will take 
 in relation to our numerons concerns in order to produce 
 this effect. That religion itself is a source of happiness, we 
 will not cease to believe ; for wisdom's ways are pleasant- 
 ness, and all her paths are peace : but in consequence of our 
 personal imperfections and transgressions, and our relation to 
 a sinful world, our very piety may become the occasion of 
 trouble and sorrow. There are seasons in your life, in 
 which there is need that ye be in heaviness through ma?iifold 
 temftatians. 
 
 Among the numerous trials which afflict the saints, none 
 appear more alarming than those which indicate a decline 
 of their spirituality : and there is on this quarter great rea- 
 son of deep concern. In all cases of declension, there is 
 something to blame on our part ; and there is evident diminu- 
 tion of our usefulness to others : there is offence against God, 
 
 ♦ Micah ii. 13. Psa. Ixxxix. 15. 
 
140 THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE. 
 
 and consequent ground for our apprehension of his indigna- 
 tion. It is, moreover, the case, that many professors who were 
 once confident of their own reh'gion, and who were in 
 the estimation of others truly rehgious, have, hy gradual or 
 sudden declension, lost that which they appeared to have had, 
 and so made it manifest to all that they were not true Chris- 
 tians. Such considerations ought to humble us when it is 
 evident that we are not growing in grace ; they must 
 humble the saints when they are made sensible of personal 
 decay: but they often alarm the pious, perhaps to renewal 
 of strength, perhaps to despondence approaching despair. 
 
 This last, is the most painful condition in which pious men 
 can be placed. Against it I would have you guard with 
 caution. It is a bitter draught of itself; and it renders all 
 other troubles with which it may be your lot to be visited, 
 doubly painful. It induces melancholy, augments bodily in- 
 firmity, and renders its sleepless victim unfit for exertion. 
 Wipe away your tears, ye sons of sorrow, for the gospel has 
 provided a remedy. The cure is not in yourselves : ye have 
 sinned, and merit the indignation of the Lord. But there is 
 a remedy. Lo, the Mediator is your advocate. He is your 
 Lord and your Brother. He delights in employment : and 
 he calls to him the wearied and the heavy laden. Are you 
 guilty of sloth, of ingratitude, of negligence ? Are you idle 
 in his sanctuary, cold in your afiectious, slow in your prog- 
 ress, or rather retrograde in your motions? Then you 
 have the greater need of his aid who is able to save to the ut- 
 termost. Come to him at his invitation. The urgency of 
 your case should be with you an argument to come without 
 delay; the greatness of your criminality is no reason for his 
 den3''ing his salvation ; but on the contrary his glory is the 
 more conspicuous, because his mercy is the better displayed 
 in pardoning the iniquity w^hich is very great. He is rich 
 in mercy ; his blood cleanseth from all sin. I repeat it, 
 Christians, although you have lingered too long, although 
 you have been overcome by temptations, although you have 
 not hitherto made the expected progress in zeal, in useful- 
 ness, in patience, and in heavenly-mindedness ; although you 
 are faint and without the wished-for strength, he is at hand 
 to help you. He is a Father and a Friend, " God is our ref- 
 uge and our strength, a very present help m trouble ; there- 
 fore will we not fear though the earth be removed. He giv- 
 eth power to the faint ; and to them that have no might he 
 
THE MEANS OF GROWTH IN GRACE, 141 
 
 increaseth strength. Even the youth shall faint and be 
 weary, and the young men shall utterly fall ; but they that 
 wait on the Lord shall renew their strength ; they shall 
 mount up with wings as eagles ; they shall run and not be 
 weary, and they shall walk and not faint."* Amen. 
 
 * Psa. xlvi. 1, 2. Isa. xl. 29—31. 
 
142 ASSURANCE OF A SAVING 
 
 ASSURANCE OF A SAVING INTEREST IN 
 CHRIST. 
 
 SERMON VI. 
 
 1 John iii. 19. — And hereby we knoio thai we are of the truth, 
 and shall assure our hearts before him. 
 
 It may with truth be said of unfounded confidence in 
 matters of religion, as the daughters of Israel said of the son 
 of Jesse in their songs, " David has killed his tens of thous- 
 ands." Numerous beyond calculation are the victims of a 
 deceitful hope of future salvation. Very few of those who 
 think at all of the world to come, have gone down to the 
 grave in despair of happiness ; and but comparatively a small 
 number of those who hear the gospel, have really believed 
 to the saving of the soul : the remainder perish with delu- 
 sive expectations. Many are called, but few are chosen. 
 Strait is the gate, and narrow is the luay lohich Icadeth unto 
 life, and few there he that find it ; for wide is the gate, and 
 broad is the way that leadeth to destructioji, and many there be 
 which go in thereat. 
 
 It is lamentable, that there should prevail among men, both 
 within and without the pale of the Christian church, so much 
 unreasonable confidence, as it regards the future state of their 
 immortal souls. Strange as it may appear, when the fact is 
 at first presented to view, there are many people, in other 
 things intelligent and prudent, who are conscious that they 
 are not sufficiently religious to make a public profession of 
 Christianity ; who acknowledge that they are not fit to join 
 in a visible communion with men who are very far from per- 
 fection : and yet, with such consciousness and acknowledg- 
 ments, they flatter themselves that they are in quite a fair way 
 to enter at death into heaven ; to be admitted by a holy God 
 to the communion of angels ; and settled in the incorruptible 
 inheritance, in fellowship with the spirits of just men made 
 
INTEREST IN CHRIST. 143 
 
 perfect. It is remarkable that so many acute and inquiring 
 minds, should bestow so little consideration upon the most 
 important and interesting subjects, while they are alive, feel- 
 ingly and jealously alive to the concerns of country, of per- 
 sonal interest and reputation, yea, of party and of prejudice. 
 
 It is a pity, too, that among the few who live godly in 
 Christ Jesus, there should be found any who, from ignorance 
 of their own gracious state, or negligence of their high call- 
 ing, deprive themselves of the consolations of the Christian's 
 hope. To awaken, from their deceitful dreams, those who 
 are slumbering in false security ; to conduct to a sight of their 
 personal safety, those believers in Jesus Christ who are af- 
 flicted with doubts and fears, is a duty, at which the pastor 
 must aim, however difficult it may be to accomplish. After 
 having described the nature and progress of true religion 
 in the soul, I have thought it might be well to exhibit those 
 principles upon which my hearers should try their own 
 Christian character. With this view, the text is selected. 
 
 The venerable apostle furnishes in this epistle the professed 
 Christian with the proper criterion of his devotional exer- 
 cises. In his Gospel, he has exhibited the most sublime doc- 
 trines of the evangelical system ; in the Apocalypse he has 
 given us an outline of the prospective history of Christianity 
 as it affects the great concerns of society : and in his Epistles 
 he furnishes us with a fine and discriminating view of per- 
 sonal godliness. Pure friendship, upon Christian principles, 
 tender, enlightened, and constant, appears in the last two ad- 
 dressed to individuals. In this, a general epistle to the 
 churches of Christ, he happily interweaves, with the doc- 
 trines of grace, and the purest morality, a description of the 
 principal effects of experimental religion among all ranks. 
 John the Divine outlived the rest of the apostles of our Lord ; 
 and peculiarly felt a parental affection for all the scattered 
 churches and their several members. He had lived Ipng 
 enough to see many instances of apostacy and hypocrisy ; 
 and much decay of spirituality in some men of undoubted 
 piety. His furrowed brow and his silvered locks betokened 
 the many years which had passed over him in his ministry : 
 and before" he departs from the world, he strives to leave as a 
 legacy with his children, a practical work by which they 
 may ascertain their own religious state. Referring to some 
 distinguishing traits of Christian character which he had pre- 
 viously drawn, he adds, in my text, hereby ive know that we 
 are of the truth^ and shall assure our hearts before him. 
 
144 ASSURANCE OF A SAVING 
 
 True Christians have the means of assuring themselves 
 that they are in a state of grace, and shall obtain eternal life 
 — There are certain principles to be understood and admitted 
 in all accurate examinations of our own religious state — Some 
 practical directions are suggested by this subject. 
 
 In making these assertions, brethren, I lay the plan of this 
 discourse before you. I entreat your attention to every part 
 of the discussion ; and I hope, through divine aid, that I 
 shall be enabled to make this interesting subject plain to 
 every capacity. 
 
 I. True Christians have the means of assurance. The 
 truth of this assertion is sufficiently obvious from the text ; 
 for if the attainment were impossible, there could be no pro- 
 priety in pointing it out as within our reach : on the contrary, 
 the inspired writer refers to the means, and affirms that both 
 he and others have succeeded in the use of them — " Hereby 
 we know that we are of the truth." Other parts of scripture 
 also attest this doctrine ; reasoning from the nature of the case 
 makes the opposite opinion appear to be absurd ; and facts 
 are on record to show that many have been in possession of 
 the assurance of their personal salvation. 
 
 I. Let us examine the text, and explain its meaning. We 
 are of the truth. The " truth " spoken of is religious truth 
 — the true religion. There are, it is granted, many other 
 sorts of truth ; but this alone is the subject of consideration 
 in the case before us. Truth, in the abstract, signifies au 
 agreement between any object and our idea of it. " There 
 is a truth in every art and science. There is a truth in the 
 art of rising in the world ; a certain choice of means, a cer- 
 tain dexterous application of circumstances, a certain prompti- 
 tude at seizing an opportunity. In like manner, there is a 
 truth in the sciences. A mathematician racks his invention, 
 spends whole nights and days, suspends the most lawful pleas- 
 ures, and the most natural inclinations, to find the solution of 
 a problem in a relation of figures, in a combination of num- 
 bers."* This is not the truth of which the apostle John 
 writes to Christians. He treats of Christian truth. He re- 
 fers to that truth which is originally in the eternal God, which 
 is revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ, which is applied to the 
 mind of man by the Holy Ghost, and which is experienced 
 in the renewed hearts of the children of adoption. He treats 
 of that religion which is agreeable in doctrine, in ordinances, 
 in sentiment, and in conversation to the word of God. Of 
 * Saurin's Price of Truth. 
 
INTEREST IN CHRIST. 145 
 
 this he spake, when he said, / have no greater joy than to 
 hear that my children tcaUc in truth. ^To be^ of this truth, is 
 to be in fact believers in it, professors of it, and subjects of its 
 experimental power — to be truly religious. To know that ice 
 are of the truth — is to know that we are Christians. It is to 
 be assured that we are ourselves personally pious — that we 
 are regenerated, that we have faith, thatw^e are saints. Thus, 
 we shall assure our hearts before him. This additional asser- 
 tion corroborates our interpretation of the former. Chris- 
 tians, who know that they are true Christians, are persuaded of 
 the fact. Their hearts are confident upon the subject. Even 
 before God, that cannot be imposed upon by human preten- 
 sions, they are free from doubt, and assert without hesitation 
 what they absolutely know to be true. It is not a faint hope ; 
 it is not a mere conjecture: it is not even a strong probability. 
 It is consciousness, it is knowledge, it is assurance of heart 
 before the Lord. 
 
 This assurance of "being of the truth" is the same with 
 " the assurance of grace and salvation."* It is the certain 
 knowledge we have of the reality of our piety, of our having 
 an actual interest at the time in the grace of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ. It is a conviction by evidence — hereby we know that 
 we are of the truth. Whereby, will you ask, do we attain to 
 this knovidedge, to such assurance? The question is reason- 
 able. It has been anticipated ; and the reply is given, by in- 
 spiration of the Almighty, in the context. ^^Hereby we know," 
 by the exercise of gracious affections. Of our own mental 
 operations we are conscious. There are mental exercises, 
 truly and peculiarl}'- spiritual, gracious, holy. We are con- 
 scious of these exercises ; and hence our knowledge and as- 
 surance. We have the witness within us. Evangelical af- 
 fection is our evidence. Love of holiness, verses 7 and 10: 
 Love of the brethren, verse 14; the love of God, verse 17: 
 Hereby ive know that we are of the truth. This love is sin- 
 cere, ardent, and active in beneficence, het us not love in 
 word., neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. When we 
 know that we have true holiness, we know that we have a 
 saving interest in Christ. Sanctification is the only satisfac- 
 tory evidence of personal religion ; it is the only true evidence 
 of our assurance of heart before God, that we are in a state 
 of grace. Hereby., the Spirit himself beareth witness with 
 our spirits that we are the children of God. It is the work 
 oi the Holy Spirit bearing witness ; it is the work within us 
 * Westminster Confession of Faith, chap, xviii. 
 13 
 
146 ASSURANCE OF A SAVING 
 
 of which our own spirits are conscious : and both the spirit 
 of man and the Spirit of God bear testimony together to as- 
 sure our hearts before him. It is evident, therefore, from the 
 text, that assurance of salvation is attainable in this life. 
 
 The doctrine of assurance of personal salvation does not 
 depend entirely for its support upon this part of divine reve- 
 lation. Other portions of the sacred volume may readily be 
 cited in its support. Cold and comfortless is the creed which 
 excludes this principle, by casting the mantle of uncertainty 
 over all the religious exercises of the children of men. It is 
 a happy consideration for the benevolent mind, that however 
 prevalent this gloomy faith, which never warrants the full 
 assurance of the hope of salvation, it is not scriptural. We 
 therefore so ru7i, not as uncertainly ; so fight loe^ not as one 
 that beateth the air. 
 
 Let us accordingly proceed, 
 
 2. To prove from other parts of scripture, that assurance 
 of salvation is attainable in the present world. 
 
 Did the title to heavenly felicity depend upon our own 
 merit, it could never be infallibly secured ; because that merit 
 is confessedly incomplete, and demonstrably inadequate — 
 By the deeds of the laiv no flesh shall he justified. Did even 
 our belief in the perpetuity of grace in the soul, depend upon 
 our good opinion of human resolution and strength, we never 
 could "make our calling and election sure:" for human res- 
 olution and created strength are certainly liable to change 
 and decay ; and besides, an experiment has already been 
 made upon the stability of the creature in the case of man 
 and angels, in the case of Adam and of Lucifer, and, in both, 
 it has failed. We are not, therefore, surprised that those who 
 build their hope on their own personal virtue, however ac- 
 quired, should also hold the opinion that assurance is not at- 
 tainable, and that regenerate men may " fall away " into 
 eternal perdition. These ideas are not only consistent with 
 their other ideas; but are absolutely inseparable from the 
 legal scheme of justification, although utterly inconsistent 
 with evangelical doctrine. They, therefore, who depena 
 upon unchangeable goodness and almighty mercy for their 
 salvation, require only a declaration from God, that certain 
 qualities being once possessed shall always be possessed, and 
 that heavenly enjoyment shall at last be the portion of all who 
 in fact possess these qualities. 
 
 Declarations plain and positive to this amount are given 
 freely in the word of God : and those sanctified men, who 
 
INTEREST IN CHRIST. 147 
 
 are conscious that they possess themselves those spiritual quali- 
 ties which are specified in such declarations, must thereby as- 
 sure their hearts before the Lord. To this very end, the Re- 
 deemer opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, " Blessed 
 are the poor in spirit : for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 
 Blessed are the meek : for they shall inherit the earth. 
 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteous- 
 ness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful : for 
 they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for 
 they shall see God."* 
 
 These benedictions were pronounced, by the Lord of righ- 
 teousness, upon his disciples ; the beatitudes belong exclusive- 
 ly to actual saints. To them only could he say with truth, 
 " Rejoice and be exceeding glad ; for great is your reward 
 in heaven. Ye are the salt of the earth. Ye are the light 
 of the world."! To them, of course, he gives assurance of 
 happiness everlasting. And is not that attainable which. 
 Christ himself bestows % 
 
 The first ministers of the New Testament, directed by the 
 Holy Spirit, urge affectionately upon Christians the duty of 
 exercising the assurance of salvation, and so recommend it 
 as a gracious attainment in the church of God, The apostle 
 Peter may be introduced as speaking for all his associates. 
 " Brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election 
 sure ; for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall : for so an 
 entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the 
 everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Chris't." J 
 
 * It will not be denied, by any one, that the blessings pronounced in 
 the memorable sermon on the mount, all imply everlasting life. The 
 character described in each declaration certainly includes spiritual life, or 
 true religion ; and the promise as certainly includes happiness in heaven. 
 On this account the persons described are already called happy or 
 blessed. They have that life and that holiness, which shall be certainly 
 made perfect. The word employed so often and appropriately by our 
 Saviour, conveys this idea : It is f/aKapiot, " from pa or jur?, not, and Krjp, 
 fate or death ; intimating that such persons were endued with immor- 
 tality." — Clarke's Notes. 
 
 The different shades of Christian character are brought to view; 
 an appropriate promise is made to each ; and since every one of them 
 belongs to vital godliness, they are all pronounced blessed, naxapioi — ex- 
 empted from the second death. 
 
 t Matt. y. 12—14. 
 
 i 2 Pet. i. 10, 11. Give diligence to make sure, your calling and elec- 
 tion — Strive to obtain certain certain knowledge of the fact. You have 
 the means of verifying it, in your sanctification. The tree is known by 
 its fruit. This is undoubtedly the import of the words noisjOai 0t(iatav. 
 
148 ASSURANCE OF A SAYING 
 
 The exhortation is addressed to them that have obtained pre- 
 cious faith through the righteousness of God our Saviour. 
 They are directed to go on making higher attainments in all 
 things that pertain to life and godliness ; and they are in- 
 formed that by so doing they shall not fall, but have a certain 
 admission into the everlasting kingdom of God in heaven. 
 Progress in sanctification makes it not only apparent, but 
 sure, that they who give such diligence are called effectually 
 by divine grace, and of course confirms the fact of their pre- 
 destination or election to eternal happiness : for whom he did 
 fredestinatc^ them he also called; lohom he called,, them he 
 also justified ; %ohom he justified^ them he also glorified. This 
 direction is of the same nature with the exhortation of the 
 apostle Paul to the Hebrews, chap. vi. 11. And we desire 
 that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full 
 assurance of hope unto the end : And either of them renders 
 it sufficiently manifest that the Christian religion supplies be- 
 lievers with the means of assuring their own hearts of their 
 present piety and future safety. 
 
 3. The contrary opinion leads to absurdity. 
 
 There is no truth more frequently or more clearly revealed 
 m the book of God, than that believers shall certainly be 
 made perfect and happ}'- in heaven. On this subject, the 
 most positiv^e assertions are used by him who cannot lie — 
 He that bclieveth shall be saved : believe in the Lord Jesus 
 Christ a7id thou shalt be saved : I am the resurrection and the 
 life : he that believeth in 7ne, though he were dead., yet shall he 
 live ; And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. 
 It is manifestly the design of such express assertions, to con- 
 vey to the intelligent mind, a certain assurance that the be- 
 liever shall enjoy salvation; and, therefore, the doctrine 
 which denies the possibility of reaching to such assurance 
 must appear absurd. If it be not a fact that every true be- 
 liever shall be saved, why should it be so often, why should 
 it be once affirmed ? and if it be impossible, with and without 
 divine aid, to ascertain true faith, it is entirely useless to en- 
 gage in self-examination, or to invite us to draw near to God 
 with a true heart and in full assurance. The Christian re- 
 ligion contains in itself no absurdities ; and we are compelled 
 Make firm or certain — confirm it to your satisfaction. The fact of their 
 eflectual calling was already certain ; for they had precious faith : their 
 election was certain independently of any act of their own. Indeed, 
 both their callincr and election were of the grace of God, and not de- 
 pendent on their sanctification ; but their sanctification confirmed and 
 verified the fact to themselves. It gave them assurance of eternal life. 
 
INTEREST IN CHRIST. 140 
 
 to admit that it provides for the saints sufficient means of 
 knowing that they are " heirs of God." 
 
 4. We have many instances of such attainments, in the his- 
 tory of the personal experience of the pious. 
 
 Upon the experience of the godly I might rest the argu- 
 ment. This evidence is abundant ; it is perspicuous ; it is 
 adapted to our own feelings ; and it is always at hand while 
 we read the scriptures and reflect upon their contents. It is 
 not to the experience of men w^ho may possibly deceive you 
 by false representations, relating w^hat they never saw or felt: 
 it is not a romantic tale, composed ingeniously in order to 
 please or amuse ; a tale partial in its statements, exaggerated 
 in its assertions, or embellished by hyperbolical metaphor, 
 the suggestion of a morbid fancy : it is the experience of men 
 whose personal piety is attested by the omniscient God ; and 
 whose expressions, in declaring it, are all guided by inspira- 
 tion of the Holy Ghost. It is to the scriptural experience we 
 refer you for proof and for example. The saints described 
 in divine revelation, were in the habit of exercising " the as- 
 surance of salvation." Those expressions, which are de- 
 scriptive of the pious sentiments of believers on this interest- 
 ing subject, and not limited in their use to favoured or dis- 
 tinguished individuals, are enough to show, that the convie- 
 tion is common to a great many, and that it proceeds upon 
 the principle of the true religion, without being dependent upon 
 any special revelation to a single person under peculiar cir- 
 cumstances. Such is the case, in a very remarkable manner, 
 with the language of modest confidence and affectionate trust 
 ascribed to the church, in her collective character, by the 
 writer of that fine dramatic poem, called the song of songs. 
 " I sat down under his shadow Avith great delight, and his 
 fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banquet- 
 ing-house, and his banner over me was love. His left hand 
 is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me. 
 My beloved is mine, and I am his ; I am my beloved's, and 
 his desire is towards me. This is m}^ beloved, and this is 
 my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem." In the book of 
 Psalms too, the experience of the saints is represented in all 
 its changes; and the language of full assurance is frequently 
 put in the mouth of the children of Zion. " Thou art my 
 hope, O Lord God : thou art my trust from my youth. I 
 will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and 
 more. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the 
 shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me : 
 
 13* 
 
150 ASSURANCE OF A SAVING 
 
 thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me, Surely, goodness 
 and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life : and I 
 will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Thou shalt 
 guide me with thy counsel, and afterwards receive me to 
 glory." 
 
 If it be possible that any doubt should yet remain, I be- 
 seech you, my hearers, to attend to the words of Job. You 
 will admit that he spoke the language of assurance in the 
 midst of his afflictions. Yea, while he felt the terrors of the 
 Almighty, fencing up his ways, and setting darkness in his 
 paths ; when his kinsfolks failed, and his familiar friends had 
 forgotten him ; when the maids of his house counted him for a 
 stranger, and his servants answered not to his call ; when his 
 breath had become strange to his very wife, though he en- 
 treated her for the children's sake of his own body, even then, 
 he said, " I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall 
 stand at the latter day upon the earth : and though after my 
 skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see 
 God." Job was persuaded of his salvation : for the root of 
 the matter tvas found in him. 
 
 David, the son of Jesse, was long subjected to trouble and 
 sorrow. Hunted like a roe of the forest, and exposed with- 
 out shelter to the mountain storm, he lifted up his eyes 
 to the place on high where his Father and his God hath 
 established his throne ; and he felt and expressed a confi- 
 dent persuasion of being himself admitted to the celestial 
 city. "Arise, O Lord ; disappoint the wicked ; deliver my 
 soul. As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I 
 shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness." Indeed, 
 pious men whose names are mentioned in sacred history, 
 knew as did Isaiah the prophet, that assurance of salvation is 
 attainable in this life ; they knew that the ivork of righteous- 
 tiess is peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and as- 
 surance for ever. 
 
 Abraham, who by faith sojourned in the land of promise 
 as a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and 
 Jacob the heirs of the same promise, looked for a city which 
 hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God ; and per- 
 suaded of his interest in the heavenly country, confessed him- 
 self a pilgrim, although at the same time the heir of the land 
 of Canaan. Moses esteemed the reproach of Christ greater 
 riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto 
 the recompense of the reward, which he confidently expected 
 from the invisible God, at the end of his life. 
 
INTEREST IN CHRIST. 151 
 
 The experience of New Testament believers is still more 
 plainly expressed. The apostle Paul will serve as an exam- 
 ple. Behold him struggling- with temptations, striving to 
 keep under the body, contending with persecutors, and buf- 
 feted by a messenger of Satan. Confessing himself in bodily 
 presence weak, and in speech contemptible, no man better 
 understood than he the vanity of boasting in created strength. 
 You see him, however, a soldier of the cross, still under 
 arms, and surrounded by innumerable enemies. Fearless, he 
 predicts the result of the combat. Knowing the power of 
 him in wham he had believed ; and certain of his protection, 
 he speaks the language of assurance, and hurls defiance at 
 every creature in the universe. These are his triumphant 
 assertions in behalf of all the saints. " We are more than 
 conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, 
 that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor 
 powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, 
 nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us 
 from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."* 
 Upon another occasion, he declares his assurance of future 
 felicity, and his willingness, nay, his ardent desire in conse- 
 quence of his assurance, to be released from the body, that he 
 might immediately enter upon the heavenly enjoyment. " For 
 we hioio that, if our earthly house of this tabernacle were 
 dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made 
 with hands, eternal in the heavens: for in this we groan, ear- 
 nestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is 
 from heaven. t For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain 
 — I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, 
 and to be with Christ ; which is far better.J For I am now 
 ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at 
 hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, 
 I have kept the faith : henceforth, there is laid up for me a 
 crown of righteousness, ivhich the Lord, the righteous Judge, 
 shall give me at tho.t dayP^ 
 
 II. I shall now lay down some 'principles which must be 
 taken for granted, in all accurate examinations of our own. 
 religious state. 
 
 In the first part of this discourse, I have endeavoured, I 
 hope not unsuccessfully, to prove, from the scriptures, that as- 
 surance of salvation is attainable by Christians : it is of course 
 a duty incumbent upon you to ascertain for yourselves, what 
 
 * Rom. viii. 37—39. 1 2 Cor. v. 1, 2. 
 
 X Phil. i. 21, 23. 2 § Tim. iv. 6—8. 
 
152 ASSURANCE OF A SAVING 
 
 is your present state, as to personal godliness. I speak to 
 each of you as a friend speaketh to a friend, plainly and af- 
 fectionately : Are you a Christian ? Are you sure that your 
 sins are pardoned ? Are you sure that to die would be your 
 gain ? Come, brethren, let us reason together, on this inter- 
 esting subject. Some of you are, perhaps, too melancholy, 
 and afraid of assuring your hearts before the Lord. Some 
 of you, on the other hand, may have more confidence in your 
 state, than its attainments warrant: none of you can be in- 
 jured by taking a review of the evidence upon which you 
 have rested your present estimate of your own personal reli- 
 gion ; let us therefore, all consider attentively four plain prin- 
 ciples which ought to be taken for granted, and kept in remem- 
 brance in all seasons of self-examination. Such is true reli- 
 gion, that any one part of it is decisive evidence of character — 
 There is great variety in Christian attainments — God effectu- 
 ally calls his people under very diversified circumstances — 
 In self-examination, as in other cases, the aid of the divine 
 Spirit is necessary to a happy issue. 
 
 All these principles are not only capable of proof: but 
 they are also necessarily implied in that investigation which 
 the believer institutes in order to ascertain the spirituality 
 of his own character and conduct. This will appear from 
 a cursory survey of the ground which each of them actually 
 covers. 
 
 1. Such is the nature of true godliness, that any one gra- 
 cious exercise is conclusive evidence of piety. Whatsoever 
 is born of the Jiesh is Jlesh ; and iDliatsoevcr is born of the 
 Spirit is spirit. But to be spiritually minded is life and 
 peace. 
 
 The most pious and practical teachers of Christianity have 
 been in the habit of directing inquiring minds to try their 
 own state in regard to true religion upon this principle, as- 
 suring them that a few good evidences^ well understood, are 
 perfectly sufficient to determine the great question of a saving 
 interest in Christ. The advice is judicious and discreet ; and 
 has undoubtedly been suggested by correct views of the na- 
 ture of religion, and of the character of the human mind. 
 Those teachers, however, who labour either to bring into 
 disgrace the doctrine of personal assurance, or at least to give 
 it a foundation which is not evangelical, have with more zeal 
 than discretion denied this maxim, and have diligently incul- 
 cated an opposite opinion. They have reprobated the idea 
 of the sufficiency of a few evidences of Christian character : 
 
mXEREST IN CHRIST. 153 
 
 and yet, such is always the difficulty of being consistently- 
 erroneous without travelling very far from the regions of 
 truth, that of the numerous evidences recommended by them- 
 selves, each is represented as in itself decisive. The apostle 
 John evidently acted upon the principle which I have stated: 
 for he, in the chapter from which I have taken the text, spe- 
 cifies a certain part of Christian character, — complacency in 
 the pious ; and declares that it is a sufficient evidence of a 
 state of grace. 
 
 Philosophers, and what ought to be of equal weight in the 
 formation of our sentiments, all men of common sense in the 
 business of life, proceed upon this principle, in determining, 
 from certain well-known characters, the class to which a par- 
 ticular thing belongs. Without any knowledge of compara- 
 tive anatomy, as it is studed in the medical schools, a peasant 
 would decide, at sight of a human hand or foot, that the 
 member belonged to a fellow-creature of his own. Children 
 learn to classify at a very early age. 
 
 Those who have made any proficiency in the science of 
 mind, know how difficult it is to introduce demonstration 
 into metaphysical studies ; and if there be any thing obscure 
 or indistinct attached to the discussion and classification of 
 mental phenomena, when man is viewed merely as a reason- 
 able creature, it must be much more hazardous to pretend 
 to a complete comprehension of all his faculties and opera- 
 tions, when regarded in the light of Christian philosophy, 
 not merely as man, but as one who has fallen into total de- 
 pravity, and has been recovered to a new and spiritual nature 
 and life. It is of course necessary, if we decide at all upon 
 our own spiritual character, that we do it from a knowledge 
 of some of its attributes. We should never have assurance 
 of eternal life, were we to wait for a perfect acquaintance 
 with all the powers of our own soul, and with all their quali- 
 ties. It is easier to examine a few witnesses to satisfaction, 
 than to determine a case upon testimony, which is not only 
 muhiplied and complicated, but is even endless. 
 
 The very nature of the life of piety, however, effectually 
 precludes the necessity of such indefiniteness in determining 
 the question to which we refer. It is a spiritual life, distinct 
 in its nature and exercises from any thing appertaining to 
 the natural man : and whatsoever is evidence of such life 
 at all existing, is evidence of regeneration by the Spirit; and 
 of course, it is evidence of a justified state : for there is no con- 
 demnation to them that are i?i Christ Jesus, who loalk 7iot after 
 
154 ASSURANCE OF A SAVING 
 
 the fleshy hut after the Spirit. U grace should exist in the 
 soul, though only as the grain of mustard seed, or as the 
 handful of leaven, it will inevitably increase : being confident 
 of this, that he icho began the good ivork will carry it on to the 
 day of Jesus Christ. No one grace of the Spirit is ever alone 
 in the soul; for the change efTected in conversion by the 
 Holy Ghost is a change of nature, and extends to all iht facul- 
 ties of the moral constitution ; to all the exercises of the ra- 
 tional creature. 
 
 Indulgence in those habits and transgressions, which in- 
 dicate the total dominion of the corruption of nature, are evi- 
 dence that no saving change has taken place •, for whosoever 
 ahideth in him sinneth not. By the very same rule, he who 
 from spiritual motives relinquishes one evil course, relin- 
 quishes also all, so far as his spirituality prevails over innate 
 corruption ; for ivhosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; 
 for his seed remaineih in him : and he cannot sin., because he 
 is born of God. It is perfectly true, that he that sinneth in 
 one point against the law, is guilty of all ; because he resists 
 that authority from which the whole law derives its binding 
 power : but it is equally true, that he who exercises any 
 grace of the gospel, has the seed of all the graces planted in 
 him, and cultivated by the Spirit of God. By the law is the 
 kno\vledo-e of sin ; but life and immortality are brought to 
 light by the gospel. Such then is the nature of the Chris- 
 tian's new life, that any one gracious exercise, well ascertained, 
 warrants you in the conclusion, I am born of God. 
 
 2. There is great variety of Christian attainments ; and this 
 fact must be remembered by him, who would succeed in self- 
 examination. 
 
 In a congregation met for the public worship of God, ac- 
 cording to the laudable practice which obtains in Christian 
 countries, it is reasonable to expect that we shall find many 
 descriptions of character. Here, v/e meet together, the rich 
 and the poor, the young and the old, the man of leisure and 
 the man of business. Here, we meet those who have made 
 a public profession of religion, and many who have not as 
 yet approached under the oath of God, the table at which the 
 saints enjoy the communion. The bride, the Lamb's wife, 
 and the daughters of Jerusalem, enter together into the sanc- 
 tuary. Real Christians, too, whether they have or have not 
 made a public profession, exhibit great variety of religious 
 attainments: and the standard of one will not answer to as- 
 certain the measure of another. There is, it is true, one rule 
 
INTEREST IN CHRIST. 155 
 
 by which all cases must be tried and judged, the word of the 
 living God ; but this rule itself describes a variety of graces, 
 and of degrees in each of these graces, which it is necessary 
 to understand and to compare with our own experience. The 
 difficulty lies in judging impartially according to that rule. 
 It requires attention and discernment, to ascertain the facts 
 in our own case, to ascertain the law as it is laid down in the 
 scriptures, and to apply correctly the unerring standard to 
 that of which we are conscious in our own minds. 
 
 It is impossible not to be influenced, in some measure, by 
 the estimate which we form of the religious character of 
 others. Your opinion of one is too high ; and comparing 
 that opinion with your own attainments, you are discouraged. 
 Your opinion of another is too low ; and, upon comparison, 
 pride starts up in your own heart. One of your acquaint- 
 ances is intelligent, and of superior integrity and tenderness 
 in all the concerns of religion. You make this the criterion 
 of godliness, and again you despair of your own piety. Ano- 
 ther is childish, and frail, and disorderly ; again you become 
 too confident of your personal goodness. 
 
 " Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not 
 have you ignorant." One is distinguished by his humility, 
 another by his charity, a third by his patience, a fourth by 
 his joy. One is zealous, and another is deliberate and con- 
 stant, Let not these diversified gifts confound you, or render 
 your exertions, to understand your own character, abortive. 
 '' There are diversities of gifts, but the same spirit. And 
 there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 
 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God 
 which worketh all in all."* Beware that the variety of objects 
 does not occasion an indistinctness of perception and a con- 
 fusion of ideas that may prevent a discovery, in endeavouring 
 to find what is the religious state of your own souls. Great 
 attainments do not belong to babes in grace ; and you would 
 be only practising a deception upon yourselves, should you 
 expect to find in every true believer the meekness of Moses, 
 the wisdom of Solomon, the mild but stubborn and uniform 
 integrity of Samuel the prophet, and the triumphant assurance 
 of Paul the apostle. 
 
 The circumstances of the times have an effect upon Chris- 
 tian attainments. They have so, as moral causes influencing 
 temper and conduct ; and still more, as considered by the om- 
 niscient God in the distribution of his gifts of grace — He 
 * 1 Cor. xu, 1, 4—6. 
 
156 ASSURANCE OF A SAVING. 
 
 adopts the rule, as your day is, so shall your strength be. In 
 times of persecution, boldness, prudence, and fortitude, are 
 peculiarly required and provided. In times of abounding 
 error, there is need of discrimination and fidelity ; for heresy 
 comes that they ivho are approved^ as being of the truth, may 
 he made manifest* In times of general devotional excite- 
 ment, extraordinary emotion is no certain sign of piety. So- 
 cial sensibility is infectious ; but true religion is by the grace 
 of God. Crowds may ignorantly weep at hearing of the suf- 
 ferings of Jesus Christ, who under other circumstances would 
 cry o°ut for their idols. The condition of body has itself an 
 influence in producing the varieties of Christian exercises. 
 The same holy principles may operate upon the bedridden 
 female, and the vigorous and healthy missionary of the cross; 
 but the mild and silent endurance of the one, is distinguished 
 from the calculating and enterprising spirit, and the ceaseless 
 activity of the other. 
 
 You would require, in a special manner, to remember, 
 that there are different degrees of grace, when you compare 
 yourselves with the saints set before us in scripture as an ex- 
 ample. How vastly different the attainments of the apostles 
 before and after the day of Pentecost. Who would take for 
 the same person, that stood trembling at the door of the high 
 priest's palace, when the maid-servant of Caiaphas charged 
 him with being a Christian, that Peter, who, in the assembly 
 of Priests, and Rulers, and Elders, in the presence of Caia- 
 phas himself, said, " Be it known unto you all, that Jesus 
 Christ, whom ye crucified, God raised from the dead. This 
 is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which 
 is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation 
 in any other?"! 
 
 The saints under the Old Testament, it must also be con- 
 sidered, lived under a different dispensation. The measure of 
 their inward piety is in those cases which are extraordinary ^ 
 (and these are most conspicuous) too high for the ordinary 
 standard of common Christians ; but the measure of their 
 doctrinal information, and their outward character as mem- 
 bers of society, do not furnish a correct criterion of evangeli- 
 cal intelligence and morality. They had not so clear and 
 copious a revelation as we possess : nor were the laws of so- 
 cial religion so plain, so spiritual, or so well understood, as 
 they are since the promulgation of the New Testament. 
 Among them that are born of zvomen, there is not 07ie greater 
 * I Cor. xi. 19. t Acts iv, 6—12, 
 
INTEREST IN CHRIST. 157 
 
 than John the Baptist^ nevertheless^ he that is least hi the king- 
 dom of heaven^ is greater than he. The character of Abra- 
 ham, of David, and of Solomon, as it respects the several de- 
 grees of inward holiness and spiritual mindedness, is too high 
 a criterion for the state of our gracious affections ; but in out- 
 ward domestic deportment, these saints are in some instances 
 by far too low examples for our imitation. No decent religi- 
 ous society would now receive into the visible communion of 
 the church, the Father of the faithful, while keeping Hagar 
 as a concubine, David with his numerous wives, or Solomon 
 his son, notwithstanding their piety, their inspiration, their 
 eminence, their wisdom, and the certainty of their title to the 
 kingdom of God in heaven.* 
 
 3. God effectually calls his redeemed children, in different 
 periods of life, and under different circumstances. 
 
 Regeneration is in all instances the same holy change, and 
 religion itself is in all men the same ; yet it is necessary, in 
 surveying the ground upon which the saints build their as- 
 surance of salvation, to advert to the different circumstances 
 under which the grace of God was in the first instance com- 
 municated. Some saints have, in the very circumstances of 
 their conversion to God, certain means of ascertaining their 
 own state — peculiar means which are not common to others. 
 Some of the elect are regenerated in their infancy — Some, in 
 advanced years, are suddenly, and as if it were by miracle, 
 changed in their sentiments and affections — and some are so 
 gradually instructed in Christian doctrine and morals, that 
 the precise time of spiritual quickening is not to be discovered 
 by the most careful reflections. 
 
 Infants are not capable of understanding the doctrines of 
 divine revelation, or of exercising faith on the testimony of 
 God : they know not their own relation to the moral law, the 
 nature of sin, of holiness, of pardon, and of penitence. The 
 formation and execution of the covenant of grace are as far 
 from the reach of their intellectual faculties as are the rules 
 
 * The Church of God is a society formed by divine direction ; and 
 under the New Testament, the several members are to be governed by 
 the precepts and rules of the New Testament. Specified characters are 
 associated ecclesiastically upon specified principles and for specified pur- 
 poses. Next to the error, that the seals of the covenant are to be dis- 
 pensed to those who are apparently unholy, or confessedly unsanctified, 
 there is none more subversive of the good order of the church, than the 
 en'or so common, that grace in the heart, in any degree, is the criterion of 
 church membership. True believers often commit ojfences which require 
 censure, even to exclusion from sealing ordinances. 
 
 u 
 
158 ASSURANCE OF A SAVING 
 
 of civil society, or the arts of the husbandman and the manu- 
 facturer. The child is, however, man, in miniature ; and 
 has the capacity of being gradually instructed in language, 
 in science, and in arts, in proportion as time promotes the de- 
 velopement of innate genius. He has in like manner the 
 capacity of being renewed and sanctified, whensoever the 
 Holy Spirit chooses to produce this saving change upon him : 
 and, in proportion as the rationol faculties are exercised and 
 unfolded, the converted child will display the graces of re- 
 pentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 The same divine power, that causes the bones to grow in the 
 womb of her that is with child, and breathes into the infant 
 nostrils the breath of life, is perfectly competent to the spirit- 
 ual renovation of the living soul. Jeremiah the prophet was 
 sanctified before he came forth from the womb ;* and John, the 
 forerunner of Messiah, was filled with the Holy Ghost^ even 
 from his mother's womb.j The ordinances of the covenant of 
 promise, under its various dispensations, dispensed to children 
 in their earliest days, and as they grew up before the Lord, 
 appear to me also to be predicated upon this principle, that 
 children are capable of being born again ; and of course, pi- 
 ous parents have not only a right, in submission indeed to di- 
 vine sovereignty, to expect a blessing upon domestic instruc- 
 tion ; but also to exercise a hope that those of their offspring 
 who are called away to the world of spirits before they arrive 
 at years of maturity, have, in fact, been renewed in their 
 minds before they were snatched ofT from the evil to come.J 
 
 * Jer. i. 5. t Luke i. 15. 
 
 X By this hope alone we can satisfactorily explain the problem, 2 Sam. 
 xii. 15, 23. David seemed inconsolable while his beloved child lay under 
 the agonies of a mortal disease ; but so soon as he was informed of the 
 death of his infant, he arose from the earth, "washed and anointed him- 
 self, came into the house of the Lord, and worshipped : then he came 
 into his own house, and he did eat." His conduct appeared inexplicable 
 to his domestics : but he himself explains the principles upon which he 
 acted. " He said. While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for 
 I said, who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child 
 may live 1 But 7ioiv he is dead, wherefore should I fast ? can I bring him 
 back again "? 1 shat-l go to him, but he shall not return to me." 
 
 The prophet David knew that there is no knowledge in the grave. 
 He was one of those who by faith obtained the promise of the resurrec- 
 tion, and desired to see the heavenly country. To him it could be no 
 consolation to go down with his child to perpetual oblivion. To the 
 heavenly city he was himself going ; and where, he by faith expected to 
 be ; there he expected to meet his infant offspring. I shall go to him. 
 The pious parent had assurance of his own salvation, and he is confident 
 also of the safety of his departed child. How different from this was 
 his conduct, how vastly diflerent his expressions, at the death of another 
 
INTEREST IN CHRIST. 159 
 
 The words of our Redeemer seem also to convey this idea • 
 and considered in connection with his action at the time, give 
 
 son, the profane Absalom 1 2 Sam. xviii. 33. " And the king was muck 
 moved, and icept — thus he said, O my son Absalom ! my son, my son Ab- 
 salom ! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son !" 
 
 The salvation of his child was not revealed to David by any special 
 private revelation. All pious parents have reason to believe, that their chil- 
 dren, dying in infancy, shall be saved in Jesus Christ. That you may 
 have such confidence, discard, 1. prejudices. It is not any virtue in your 
 own desires; it is not any merit in your prayers; it is not the efficacy of 
 baptism, that gives a right to this confidence. 
 
 2, Reject false reasonings, that are employed to allay parental grief — 
 It is not their personal innocency that can save their souls : if this cannot 
 save the infant from perverseness, from pain, and from death, it cannot 
 save fi-om future misery. Besides, if they are not guilty before God, 
 there is no room for their having any part in the atonement made by 
 Jesus Christ. The whole have no need of the physician. 
 
 3. Reject inconclusive probabilities. They do not warrant our faith 
 and our hope. That all who die in infancy shall be happy in heaven is 
 nowhere declared in divine revelation. Granting that all are judged ac- 
 cording to their works— that children have done no injury in this world 
 —that the number of the saved would be greatly increased by including 
 all infants; still, this is only probability; and our knowledge is too 
 superficial to warrant any positive conclusion. Revelation is°our only 
 sure guide. 
 
 Christian hope rests only on Christ himself: and in the revelation of 
 the covenant of grace v/e have the only ground of faith and confidence. 
 This is, in the present case, the ground of the pious parent's confidence. 
 To the impious there is no hope. 
 
 The promise of God secures the salvation of the offspring of beUevers, 
 dying in infancy. My argument is this. A general promise covers all 
 cases, which are not excepted by him who promised : and where there is 
 no exception, there is ground of faith. But the promise of God is eter- 
 nal life in Jesus Christ ; and there is no exception, not one, in relation to 
 those children of believers who die in infancy. Heb. ix. 15. Christ suf- 
 fered, that they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inker- 
 itance. Tins very promise, Acts ii. 39. is unto you, and to your 
 CHILDREN. _ It is not to the Jew only ; but also to as viany as are called i 
 and these being called, it is of course to their children. To the operation 
 of the promise there is no possible exception, but an unbelieving rejection 
 of It. Those professors, who die in unbehef, are not interested in the 
 promise: but the children of believers, who do not live to reject by unbelief 
 this promise, are included in its blessings. I have, therefore, 'the same 
 ground, the self-same foundation, to believe in the salvation of my 
 children, who have not rejected the covenant of grace, as to believe in my 
 own salvation, who have embraced that covenant. I have the same 
 promise in both cases. It is first to me, and then to my children : and I 
 know, if any of my children are not, in fact, in the covenant of grace, 
 they will not leave this world until they have in their own souls rejected 
 the promise, and put themselves among those who are excepted by the 
 promiser from the blessing. The wisdom of God— the constitution of 
 the church— the hopes of the saints— the general scope of scripture, con- 
 firm this exposition of God's promise. 
 
160 ASSURANCE OF A SAVING 
 
 US reason to conclude, that, as our infant children are placed 
 by divine goodness along with ourselves in the visible church, 
 so, too, unless it shall actually appear that they have, by their 
 personal misconduct, cast themselves out, they shall enter into 
 the celestial enjoyments of that kingdom of the God of hea- 
 ven, which is visibly dispensed, under an outward economy, 
 to his people while yet on earth. Mark x. 13 — 16. "And 
 they brought young childroi to him ; and his disciples rebuked 
 those that brought them : but Jesus, when he saw it, was 
 much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children 
 to come unto me, and forbid them not : for of such is the king- 
 dom of God — Ami he took them iq) in his amis, put his hajids 
 upon them^ and blessed them.'''' 
 
 It seems, therefore, not to admit of a doubt, that their cir- 
 cumcision, their baptism, the prayers of their parents and 
 their pastors with the whole church, have in many instances 
 been blessed, as means of grace to httle children, before their 
 own rational faculties had attained to that maturity, which is 
 necessary for understanding and remembering the time or 
 manner of their conversion from a state of nature to a state 
 of grace. This mode of bringing home to the great Shepherd 
 the lambs of his fold, seems to be more congenial with the 
 order of his kingdom, than the sudden incursions which are 
 made into the territory of the god of this world, in order to 
 pluck the prey from the mighty, and bring a stranger into 
 the commonwealth of Israel. The mode of conversion, al- 
 luded to in the latter case, is indeed more remarkable ; but 
 this fact indicates, that it is somewhat extraordinary ; and 
 confirms the idea, that in well regulated churches, where 
 piety is cultivated by the pure preaching of evangelical truth, 
 the ordinary means of growth are the noiseless conversion 
 of the children of Zion to the image of him that created them. 
 Thus, the church herself furnishes, by the blessing of God, 
 from the families in her fellowship, the greater part of those 
 godly men, who maintain her interest and her strength. 
 The promise annexed to that commandment, which prohibits 
 unauthorized forms of religious worship, the second precept 
 of the moral law, furnishes a confirmation of my remark :* 
 and actual history gives ample testimony in its support. 
 
 * Exod. XX. 17. 19. " I the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting 
 the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth 
 generation of them that hate me ; and showing mercy unto thousands of 
 them that love me and keep my commandments." 
 
 It is evident, from this reason^ annexed to the prohibition of idolatry 
 
INTEREST IN CHRIST. 161 
 
 It IS obvious, from this view of the subject, that men who 
 inquire into the certainty of their own religious state, behove 
 to consider the peculiar kind of evidence adapted to each pe- 
 culiar case. 
 
 Men, who suddenly, like Zaccheus, Luke xix. 1. undergo 
 a change of sentiments and affections, in an extraordinary 
 manner, while in the fuU possession of their natural powers of 
 reasoning and reflection, cannot fail without an entire de- 
 rangement of these faculties to know their conversion. The 
 time, the place, the circumstances, are not to be forgotten. 
 It requires, upon their part, no more than a sound state of 
 intellect to maintain a constant assurance of their saving in- 
 terest in Christ. This man had been chief of the publicans^ 
 rich, powerful, avaricious, and detested by his countrymen.* 
 He had, however, a curiosity in common with the other inhabi- 
 tants of Jericho to see the personage, whose fame had spread so 
 far abroad, Jesus of Nazareth. From the branches of the 
 sycamore^ in which he stood in order to gratify that curiosity, 
 he heard and felt the voice of the Son of God effectually 
 calling him from death in sin to life and holiness. It is im- 
 possible, therefore, that he could afterwards doubt of his own 
 state, to whom the Redeemer said expressly, This clay is sal- 
 vation come to this house^ forasmuch as he also is a son of 
 Abraham. 
 
 Changes of a religious nature, produced under very sin- 
 gular circumstances, whether from Pagan idolatry, or mere 
 formality, or from zeal unenlightened and unsanctified, carry 
 
 and superstition, that God's purpose contemplates the preservation of the 
 church, through the medium of pious persons , and that ahhough piety- 
 is not hereditary, it will, nevertheless, in the providence of God, be made, 
 in fact, more conspicuous, in the families of pious men, calculating upon 
 the general scale, than in those whose parents are in the habit of walk- 
 ing after their own evil inclinations. The seed of the righteous are 
 usually, though not necessarily, the sons and daughters of Zion. A 
 branch from a good stock is always an object of regard, although in 
 some instances, strangers are brought into the family, and the children 
 actually thrust out. 
 
 * ApxiTe\(ovr\q. Zaccheus was the chief of the publicans, in that dis- 
 trict. It is certain that these principal farmers of the taxes, having col- 
 lectors under them, were Roman knights. It is equally certain that 
 they w^ere hated by the Jews. Tax-gatherers are rarely agreeable visit- 
 ers. These were, moreover, petty tyrants and extortioners. The ser- 
 vants of imperial Rome reminded the descendants of Abram of their vas- 
 salage. The spirit of civil and religious liberty was aggrieved at the 
 very sight of their oppressors : For if a few parasites flourished, while 
 supported by arbitrary and immoral power, the church and the nation 
 were in mournins:. 
 
162 ASSURANCE OF A SAVING. 
 
 also with them their own evidence. Such extraordinary 
 testimony, so long as it is not forgotten, must of cour^^^ main- 
 tain a conviction of one's own personal safety. There are 
 miracles in the kingdom of grace, when the ordinary forms 
 are omitted or suspended : and the very circumstance of an 
 extraordinary or miraculous call is enough to preserve the 
 event itself from falling into oblivion. I have heard of con- 
 versions in the midst of riot and licentiousness, and even 
 while indulging the spirit of persecution. God is, in his 
 mercy, found of them that sought him not. Such was the 
 case with one of the most distinguished and useful of the 
 ministers of the New Testament — Saul, afterwards called 
 Paul. " Breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the 
 disciples of the Lord," he journeyed to Damascus, with let- 
 ters of authority to bind either men or loomeii that he found 
 of this icay. On the road thither, while full of enmity and 
 of crime, mercy overtook him ; and the impression made at 
 his conversion cannot be supposed to have been ever for- 
 gotten. The light from heaven which suddenly shone 
 around him; the voice which spake to him; his fall to the 
 ground ; his own subsequent blindness ; the vision of 
 Ananias, and the consequent recovery of the use of his sight, 
 connected as they were, with his religion, were sufficient 
 to keep that day of his espousals in everlasting remem- 
 brance. 
 
 We are not to conclude from the fact, that extraordinary 
 facilities for obtaining assurance of salvation are furnished in 
 cases of singular conversion, that it is upon the whole more 
 desirable to be renewed by grace, in advanced years, than to 
 be sanctified in the ordinary way — the Spirit blessing the 
 means of grace to youth within the pale of the church. On 
 the contrary, early piety hath great and peculiar advantages : 
 for although uncommon attainments sometimes follow in the 
 case of those, who, like the apostle Paul, are born out of due 
 time^ in general, there is more intelligence, equanimity, and 
 steadiness of Christian character displayed by those who are 
 religious from their infancy. If there is less of wonder or 
 of show, there is in their godliness, more of the spiritual 
 ease, wisdom, and regularity that are necessary to the per- 
 fection of both personal and social religion. When piety 
 grows with our growth, and strengthens with our strength, 
 we are more at home with divine things ; the understanding 
 is more copiously filled with ideas of truth and order ; the 
 heart is more uniform in the exercise of its afiections • and 
 
INTEREST IN CHRIST. 163 
 
 we have not to struggle so much with the passions and the 
 habits of inordinate selfishness, which have gathered strength 
 in minds that have run the career of ambition, of avarice, 
 and of dissipation before they were made to know the Lord. 
 Traits of character, whether natural or acquired, when ren- 
 dered habitual by continued exercise, must, in ordinary cases, 
 exhibit themselves in some degree, even in the sincerely 
 pious; and of course, the hackneyed slave of sin and Satan, 
 although he has been renewed by grace, is not likely even 
 when he excites more admiration to have become, in the ex- 
 perience of a few years, so holy and spiritually-minded as the 
 man who has been a child of God from his youth. 
 
 I well know, brethren, that adult converts attract more no- 
 tice : for novices in any department of social life, whether 
 political or ecclesiastical, are more inclined to obtrusive 
 forwardness, and usually command more of the admiration, 
 and perhaps the attention and respect of the community; but 
 wisdom, and Christian prudence particularly, justify our 
 placing more confidence in him who has grown up, like 
 Samuel before the Lord, in all the various attainments of 
 real religion. Early and habitual respect for divine things ; 
 preservation from the criminal extravagancies into which 
 others fall; aversion from the sinful pleasures of the world; 
 chastened passions ; and a regard to God's truth, in all 
 things ; accompanied with tenderness of conscience, and a 
 disposition to prayer amidst the various changes of life, are 
 the genuine fruits of early godliness, and the certain evidence 
 of having been kept by the Holy Spirit. 
 
 4. In self-examination, as in all other religious exercises, 
 it must be remembered, that the aid of the Holy Spirit is 
 necessary to success. 
 
 I mention this principle, as one to be taken for granted in 
 our investigation of the state of our souls, because without 
 the Spirit of our Lord, we can do nothing. It is not my 
 design now to anticipate w^hat more properly belongs to my 
 next discourse. I shall then explain more at large the testi- 
 mony of the Holy Spirit in the soul of man : but here I must 
 be allowed to say that you should ask God for the aid of the 
 Comforter, whenever 3^ou strive to obtain assurance of salva- 
 tion. The doctrine, by which you are directed, is the revela- 
 tion which the Holy Ghost provides, and the principles of 
 grace, for which you are inquiring, are communicated only 
 by him. Looking, then, in your frail hearts for his own 
 work, and through the medium of his own light, it is not 
 
164 ASSURANCE OF A SAVING 
 
 reasonable that you should offer him, at the very time you 
 are so employed, such a degree of personal disrespect as to 
 omit calling for his aid. He is at hand for the purpose of 
 yielding assistance. He is the promise of the Father, the 
 gift of the Son, and the guide of the saints. Come, blessed 
 Spirit ! shine upon our souls, that we may know that we are 
 of the truth^ and may assure our hearts before thee. 
 
 APFLICATION. 
 
 As the assurance, which we obtain of our gracious state, 
 depends upon evidence, it is certainly incumbent upon every 
 man to use the means of determining how it stands with his 
 own soul. I call upon you to do so without delay — I call 
 upon you, my hearers, not with questionable or usurped 
 authority. I repeat the commandment of my God and your 
 God. Examine yourselves^ ichether ye be in the faith. It is 
 not an assumed superiority, founded upon pretensions of a 
 right to dictate your faith or deportment: it is that power, 
 which the actual preacher has, for the time, while delivering 
 the message of Jehovah, over all his hearers, that authorizes 
 me to call upon all to attend to the present duty. Examine 
 yourselves. In your self-examination let there be a definite 
 object of pursuit. Whatever is the result of your inquiry, 
 engage in the duties of your station and continue in them. 
 Commit yourselves, for life and salvation, to the Lord your 
 Redeemer: for, this is always the great business of true re 
 ligion. 
 
 These are my concluding directions. 
 
 1. Examine yourselves. It is your interest to do so. It 
 is highly reasonable that you should know in what state you 
 are. It is your duty to ascertain it : for God our Lawgiver 
 commands you, 2 Cor. xiii. 5. Examine yourselves^ whether ye 
 be in the faith ; prove your oicnselves : knoio ye not your oion- 
 selves, hoio that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates. 
 
 The Jews were directed to search their habitations, before 
 they celebrated their passover and the feast of unleavened 
 bread, in order to purge them of all leaven — the emblem of 
 corruption and deceit. It is still the practice of that people, 
 on the night of the fourteenth of the month Nisan, to examine 
 with a lighted lamp or candle every corner of the house for 
 that symbol of iniquity. They perform the ceremony ; but 
 they neglect the thing signified thereby. Do you, Christians, 
 neglecting the ceremony, attend to the substance. Institute a 
 
mTEREST IN CHRIST. 165 
 
 Strict inquiry into the state of the heart. The word of God is 
 your lamp. By its light we are to discover and to try our prin- 
 ciples, our disposition, our actions, and our motives. It is not 
 an idle curiosity we have to gratify by such an examination. 
 Let us detect our transgressions and corruptions, that we may 
 confess them before the Lord ; that we may apply for the 
 blood of sprinkling to remove the guilt and destroy the pol- 
 lution ; that we may ask for the aid of the Holy Spirit in the 
 exercise of repentance, and in our resolutions of reform. 
 " They who, in a crazy vessel, navigate a sea wherein are 
 shoals and currents innumerable, if they would keep their 
 course, or reach their port in safety, must carefully repair the 
 smallest injuries, and often throw out their line and take their 
 observations. In the voyage of life, also, the Christian who 
 would not make shipwreck of his faith, while he is habitually 
 watchful and provident, must make it his express business to 
 look into his state and ascertain his progress."* 
 
 Permit me, then, to urge the duty of self-examination upon 
 all Christians. Let it be performed deliberately, frequently, 
 and with impartiality. It is essential to your improvement 
 and your comfort. 
 
 2. In self-examination, for the purpose of judging of your 
 own state, it is necessary to success, that you have a definite 
 object immediately in view. 
 
 Those who desire to attain assurance that their faith is 
 " the faith of God's elect," whether they undertake for the 
 first time to ascertain the character of their religious emotions, 
 or endeavour to renew the satisfaction which they formerly 
 derived from the evidence before them, have one common 
 end to answer by their inquiries ; and that end is sufficiently 
 specific. But, if the end be, to assure their hearts of a saving 
 change, the means of assurance is the immediate object of self- 
 examination. The fact is to be ascertained by evidence; and 
 it is the evidence, in its truth and relevancy, that must be ex- 
 amined in the course of the trial. In this case, your own ex- 
 ercises decide what is the present state of your souls. The 
 qualities determine the nature of the subject under trial. It is 
 of the quality and character of your mental exercises you 
 have to judge. That lohich is born of the fiesh is fiesh ; and 
 that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. By the spirituality 
 of your disposition, your thoughts, and your actions, you 
 ascertain the spirituality of your nature — you know that you 
 are born again. When, therefore, you institute an examina- 
 * Wilberforce's Prac. View. 
 
166 ASSURANCE OF A SAVING 
 
 tion, you must have a definite object before you. Before you 
 examine your witness, you ought to know what amount of 
 testimony would suffice. Unless you are aware of the de- 
 gree of evidence sufficient to establish the fact, you know not 
 what inquiries to make, or what use to make of your discoveries ; 
 the business of examination is wearisome, endless, and unprof- 
 itable. Every thing is unskilfully performed, by him who has 
 no correct ideas of his work. The work of self-examination 
 is unpleasant, fatiguing, and useless to him, whose ideas are 
 confused and vague ; to him, who really does not know 
 what he wants in order to be satisfied. 
 
 Vague inquiries relative to yourselves, are always irksome 
 and dangerous to your peace. The work of self-examination 
 it behooves you, to perform wisely and discreetly. Many 
 have spent much of their time with uneasy hearts, in looking 
 for the comforts of assurance ; and wearied, with the uncer- 
 tainty in which they were involved, sat down at last satisfied 
 with what is no sure sign of a gracious state. They com- 
 menced their labours without a definite object; and they 
 rested at last upon an indefinite foundation, esteeming any 
 kind of confidence less vexatious than their doubts and fears. 
 Others, and this is remarkably the case with those young be- 
 lievers, who have had no regular doctrinal instruction in the 
 true principle of the Christian religion, have long perplexed 
 their own souls in seeking for the special comforts of a state 
 of assurance, without ever waiting to ask themselves the ques- 
 tion. Oh ! my soul, what evidence would satisfy thee? Allow 
 me, then, to urge it upon you, who are alive to a sense of 
 your wants ; who are alarmed at the danger of a graceless 
 life and unsanctified death : who are wearied with the toils of 
 disconsolate reflections ; who are anxious to discover your 
 actual state before the Lord ; allow me to urge upon you to 
 correct your vague ideas of religion, and to specify your ob- 
 ject before you again begin to examine. What will satisfy 
 you? What have you to ask the Witness before you? 
 What will suffice to decide the question in your favour, or, to 
 decide it, in opposition to the present vague hope which you 
 indulge? Answer this question ; and then set about the in- 
 vestigation of your own state in the light of truth. 
 
 3. Whatever may be the resuk of your examination, your 
 duty is obvious. Engage in a course of obedience to God, 
 and continue perseveringly in pressing forward to the prize. 
 Be ye therefore sober ^ and watch imto prayer. Be sober ^ be 
 vigilant ; because your adversary the devil^ as a roaring lioUj 
 
INTEREST IN CHRIST. 167 
 
 walketh about, seeking tuhom he may devour* By selt-exami- 
 nation, you have either attained to assurance of a saving in- 
 terest in Christ, or have reason to conclude that you are still 
 in your sins, unless you are left in your former uncertainty. 
 Be ye therefore sober and vigilant. Assurance ought not, 
 and certainly will 7wt, occasion a relaxation of your pious 
 exertions. If you seem to j'-ourself to be still in your sins, it 
 is high time to awake out of sleep, to be sober and vigilant. 
 If you are in doubts, sobriety, and prayer, and vigilance, are 
 obviously required as your duty. In all cases, study what 
 is God's will, promote his glory, obey his commandments, 
 attend his ordinances, serve him with love and with godly 
 fear. Press forward. Strive to enter in at the strait gate. 
 The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent 
 take it by force. 
 
 If you are sincerely desirous of huowing, whether your 
 religious experience be of a holy kind ; are you not equally 
 desirous, that you should be i7i fact holy? Be so then. 
 Wash you, make you clean ; put away the evil of your do- 
 ings. Cease to do evil. Learn to do well. What do you 
 wait for ? It is time to be earnest. Are you anxious to as- 
 certain, what is the nature of the exercises of your mind to- 
 day, during this discourse, when you were in the closet, or 
 under the fig-tree, last night or this morning? Are you anx- 
 ious to know whether your experience, a week ago, a month 
 ago, or years before to-day, has been of a spiritual and sav- 
 ing nature; and do you examine yourself for this purpose? 
 You do well. We approve of your anxiety, and of your 
 exertions : but wherefore this anxiety and these exertions ? 
 Do you seek for the comforts of assurance, in order to lie 
 down and sleep, in order to lie at ease in Zion, in order that 
 you may henceforward cease to lament your transgressions, 
 cease to exercise repentance towards God? Such assurance 
 would be presumption. It is your mercy that it has been de- 
 nied to you. 
 
 Again I ask, wherefore have you sought for assurance ? 
 Do you know yourself the motive? Is it in order to go on 
 your way rejoicing in a sense of your personal safety ? A 
 sense of personal safety does indeed ailbrd joy, rational joy 
 — such joy is recommended by the Lord, as an object worthy 
 of pursuit. Ld every man prove his oum work, and then shall 
 he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. ^ But 
 what, if you have been disappointed in your expectation of 
 * 2 Pet. iv. 7. and v. 8. t Gal. vi. 4. 
 
A 
 
 168 ASSURANCE OF A SAVING 
 
 joy ? May not your self-examination have, notwithstanding, 
 been of use ? Go on your way, mournfully, if not joyfully. 
 If you have not assured your heart of grace, you have as- 
 sured yourself that you stand in need of it. If you have not 
 discovered that you are safe already, you have discovered that 
 you have a stubborn enemy to combat. If you have not evi- 
 dence of personal holiness, you have ample evidence that you 
 have sinned. Having seen your sins, confess them before 
 the Lord. Having a sight of the enemy, prepare for the 
 battle. Put on the whole armour of God. Call upon the 
 Captain of your salvation. Push the victory. Weeping may 
 endure for a nighty but joy cometh in the mornirig* 
 
 4. I conclude this discourse, by directing all my hearers to 
 him in whom alone is salvation, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of 
 God, that taketh away the sins of the world. 
 
 Faith in him is the means of personal safety : for he that 
 believeth in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Let 
 believing be the concluding act, as well as the commencing 
 act of your hearts, on all times when you engage in the work 
 of self-examination, or any other religious exercise. The life 
 of the Christian is a life of faith upon the Son of God ; and 
 the employment of the Christian is a lualk of faith in him. 
 
 Whatever may have been the conduct or the condition of 
 my hearers, in the days that are past, which can never be re- 
 called ; whatever may now, at this very moment, be your re- 
 ligious state, it is the will of God, revealed in the scriptures — 
 the command of God, repeated from the pulpit, that ye believe 
 in his Son, whom he hath sent. It is a faithful saying, and 
 worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the 
 world for our redemption. He came to seek and to save that 
 which was lost. For sinners he descended to the earth ; for 
 sinners he obeyed and suffered. Behold him, mortal man, 
 in your nature, in your own nature, tasting death in our be- 
 half He was wounded for our transgressions, he was 
 bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was 
 upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. 
 
 You all have need of his salvation ; and he is able to save to 
 the uttermost all that come unto God by him. His salvation 
 is offired to every gospel hearer ; and to-day, you have the 
 assurance furnished directly, without any dependence on 
 your former piety, He that cometh shall not be cast out. He 
 that now cometh, may come with assurance of safety. 
 
 Ye, whose hearts are already assured of his grace, will 
 ♦ Psalm XXX. 5. 
 
INTEREST IN CHRIST. 169 
 
 again welcome the well-known offer ; again receive your 
 Saviour in your arms ; a«cl, again, commit your souls to him. 
 This action and reaction of the Redeemer and redeemed, are 
 always in character. It is the energy of the covenant, pro- 
 ceeding from the Head, and actuating the members. It is 
 our health and our work ; our duty and our joy. " My Be- 
 loved is mine and I am his. He shall say, it is my people, 
 and they shall say, the Lord is my Grod." Ye too, who long 
 for the assurance of salvation, and have not succeeded to your 
 satisfaction in examining your state, are now invited to come 
 directly to the Lord, in the full assurance of receiving salva- 
 tion.* Had you ascertained to the full, that you were pious 
 
 * There has been much controversy in the Christian church on the 
 subject of Assiinmce. I do not intend, in this note, to review that con- 
 troversy, or to refer to any particular sect or writer ; but I make two re- 
 marlis, that may satisfy the inquiring Christian of the propriety of this 
 invitation. 
 
 1. There is an evident distinction made in the common language of the 
 churches of the Reformation, bfjtween " Failh in Chrisi" and " Tke As- 
 S'tirance of Grace and S<ilvatio4i^ These expressions have become tech- 
 nical ; and it would be well to use them in tlicir received acceptation. 
 Faith denotes, the exercise of our minds in receiving and resting upon 
 Christ for salvation ; and Assurance denotes, the persuasion we have, 
 from inspecting the work of God upon our souls, that we are in a state 
 of grace, and shall certainly be saved. Saving faith is distinctly de- 
 scribed in the 14th chapter of the Confession of the Presbyterian Churches j 
 and AssuRANCK OF GRACK AND SALVATION is explained in the ISth. In 
 like manner, the Constitution of the Belgic Churches describes faith, 
 Con. Art. 2-2. as that "which embraces Jesus Christ with all his merits, 
 appropriates him, and seeks nothing besides him;" and Assurance is 
 described Canons, Head 1. Art. 12. as the result of '-observing in them- 
 selves the infallible fruits of election pointed out in the word of God." 
 If these phrases were always used in this technical sense, there would be 
 little danger of ever confounding the one with the other. The ideas are 
 obviously distinct, and the terms which have been employed to represent 
 them should be also kept equally distinct. 
 
 2. There is, nevertheless, some assurance in the faith of God's elect. 
 In every act of faith there is not only a reality and a certainty ; but, in 
 proportion to its strength, saving faith necessarily involves a persuasion, 
 or assurance of the truth of its object. We usually distinguish the de- 
 gree of conviction which we have of any truth proposed to the under- 
 standing by such phrases as these, I think, 1 believe, I am sure, it is so. 
 When I believe without doubt, then I am sure. So far then, as strong 
 faith is an exercise of intellect, there is an assurance of the truth of the 
 proposition believed. " We believe and are sure that thou art the Christ." 
 To give assurance of the truth is, in Scripture style, to give faith of the 
 truth, TTiiivTrapaaxM^, Acts xvii. 31. Here the very same word Tri^tv which 
 is rendered usually by fliith, is translated assvrancc. In all the other 
 passages in which the New Testament employs the term assurance, 
 whether it be assurance of understanding, Col. ii. 3, assurance of hope, 
 Heb. vi. 11. much assurance, 1 Thess. i, 5. full assurance of faith, Heb. 
 
 15 
 
170 ASSURANCE OF A SAVING INTEREST IN CHRIST. 
 
 months or years ago, still you would depend on unmerited 
 grace ; and if your sins have, upon examination, proved 
 more obvious than your piety, you are at this moment author- 
 ized to rest your hope upon perfect righteousness : for that 
 righteousness which satisfies God, is unto all sinners that be- 
 lieve. If you were ever, in earnest, seeking a sense of your 
 safety ; you will not now refuse that very safety, when freely 
 offered by God's own authority. Covie unto mc^ and I will 
 give you rest. 
 
 And ye, criminals, who have hitherto remained in unbe- 
 lief, slothful, voluptuous, obstinate, proud, blasphemers ; ye, 
 too, are invited by the God of mercy to cease from sin, and 
 accept the salvation of your souls. Let the wicked forsake 
 his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts ; hear, and 
 your souls shall live. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
 thou shalt be saved. Then shall ye, too, understand our 
 language, when we repeat the words of inspiration, " Let us 
 not love in word, neither in tongue ; but in deed and in truth. 
 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall as- 
 sure our hearts before him." Amen. 
 
 X. 22. the same Greek word n'Xrjpocpopia is used. And it signifies a high 
 degree of that act of mind with which it is connected. n\riprii (popco), fully 
 carry. Clnist is offered in the gospel for salvation. Faith receives him 
 for that purpose ; and in the act I may be certain of the object. In be- 
 lieving, I am sure that Christ is offered to me, and I receive the offer 
 with assurance that he will save me. 
 
THE EVIDENCES OF TRUE RELIGION IN MAN. 171 
 
 THE EVIDENCES OF TRUE RELIGION 
 
 IN MAN. 
 
 SERMON VIL 
 
 1 John iv. 12.— Hereby ive know that we dwtU in him, and 
 he in its, because ht hath given us of his Spirit. 
 
 The record of human feelings and actions, in the various 
 ages and conditions of life, is universally interesting to the 
 man of sensibility. Those histories, which in the narration 
 of facts, display the secret springs of individual enterprise, and 
 which, together with great public events, describe the various 
 dispositions and the real motives of the agents in bringing 
 them to pass, are the most instructive both to the philosopher 
 and the statesman. Indeed the accurate delineation of the 
 principles and the passions, which ordinarily govern men in 
 the several departments of social life, stamps some value upon 
 even fictitious composition ; and unquestionably constitutes the 
 principal charm of parable and poetry. Aware of this, they 
 who write for public amusement, take care to interweave with 
 their story, the strongest and tenderest passions of the heart. 
 It is by the vivid description of incidents which develope 
 character, that such authors succeed in producing the en- 
 chantment, which fixes the attention of the most giddy and 
 the most thoughtless to the wild and extravagant romance, in 
 which the present age unhappily abounds.* It cannot then 
 be deemed uninteresting to the "intelligent Christian, or un- 
 
 * However the judicious moralist may deprecate the tendency of the 
 frivolous and wanton productions of the press, the state of society, which 
 is indicated by a general taste for works of fancy, is less productive of 
 actual misery than that barbarous condition, which cultivates and excites 
 restless spirits in plotting schemes of iniquity, and executing deeds of 
 blood ; and which leaves the great mass of society to sink in the more 
 beastly indulgences of sensuality. The pleasures of the imagination, if not 
 more favourable to piety, are certainly more humane than the gratifica> 
 tion of vulgar passions and appetites. 
 
172 THE EVIDE^'CES OF TRUE 
 
 profitable to any sincere disciple of our Lord, to attend to the 
 peculiarities of a character formed by the " power of godli- 
 ness." When a man has been for some time influenced by 
 the precepts of religion, however others may choose to act, 
 "he will be happy to look back to the circumstances under 
 which piety commenced her operations, whether they were 
 mingled in early life almost insensibly with his thoughts and 
 his feelings, or came on him with mighty force, at some par- 
 ticular time," and in connexion with some memorable event, 
 which was the instrumental cause, or the providential occa- 
 sion of his return to the favour and friendship of God. He 
 will, of course, trace the steps of his progress, with grateful 
 acknowledgment, to that power which advanced him to the 
 decidedly religious habit that renders valuable his very im- 
 mortality. 
 
 High were the hopes, and yet serene the enjoyments of the 
 amiable apostle, who outlived all the companions of his early 
 ministry, when taking a retrospect of his Christian course he 
 said — " Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in 
 us, because he hath given us of his Spirit." 
 
 In these words, three distinct ideas are proposed : we have 
 a fact asserted of all sincere Christians ; " we dwell in him 
 and he in us" — we have it also asserted, that this fact is ca- 
 pable of being ascertained ; "we know that we dwell in him" 
 — and the evidence of the fact is declared ; " hereby know we, 
 because he hath given us of his Spirit." 
 
 " To dwell in Christ Jesus, and have him dwelling in us^^ 
 signifies, the union of Christians with their Redeemer as their 
 living Head. He chooses us as his habitation, to be the sub- 
 jects of his grace and power : and we choose him as our 
 dwellmg-place for perpetual safety and happiness. He takes 
 possession of his people, and abides with them for ever : they 
 commit themselves to him ; and with persevering constancy 
 dwell in him, and are one in him. The union of these 
 distinct agents, the Surety and the ransomed, is efiected by 
 their mutual act. He offers himself in his word, and we 
 by faith receive the offer : quickened moreover by his power, 
 we consent to his covenant, and offer our souls to him : he 
 accepts and saves. The union is real, is sustained in law, is 
 of a spiritual nature, and absolutely indissoluble. We dwell 
 in him and he in us. 
 
 Christians are capable of ascertaining the fact of their 
 mystical union to Christ Jesus their federal Head, and there- 
 by of assuring themselves of a saving interest in him. Par- 
 
RELIGION IN MAN. 173 
 
 ticular texts of scripture assert this assurance ; the general 
 scope of revealed religion supports the doctrine of personal 
 confidence ; there is an evident absurdity in the contrary- 
 supposition ; and facts numerous and conclusive, are re- 
 corded in the bible, to show that the saints did obtain evi- 
 dence of their own piety. We know that ice dwell in him 
 and he in us. 
 
 In the preceding discourse, I have showed that assurance 
 of a religious state is attainable, and have explained the prin- 
 ciples upon which self-examination should be conducted. It is 
 my intention, in this discourse, to exhibit 
 
 THE CERTAIN EVIDENCES OF TRUE RELIGION IN MAN. 
 
 " Hereby know we that we dwell in him and he in us, be- 
 cause he hath given us of his Spirit." This evidence is com- 
 mon to all the saints ; and it is, therefore, more desirable that 
 it be examined and understood than that which is either occa- 
 sional, or incidental. Extraordinary cases carry with them 
 their own proper convictions ; but that species of testimony, 
 without which even extraordinary instances of conversion 
 cannot be verified, and which apply to all possible instances, 
 is undoubtedly of more importance to be known, than that 
 which is more limited in its application, because peculiar to a 
 few of thy sons and daughters of Zion. The evidence^ to 
 which the apostle John points, in my text, is common to all 
 believers. They all dwell in Christ : He dwells in every 
 one of them : there is an intimate u?iio?i between him and 
 them : for two {saith he) shall be one jicsh. But he that is 
 joiiied unto the Lord shall be one Spirit. And hereby we know 
 it to be the case with ourselves personally, because he hatk 
 given us of his Spirit ;* for if any man have not the Spirit of 
 Christ., he is none of his. Every one that believeth hath the 
 witness in himself ; a7ul the Spirit himself beareth witness with 
 our spirits that we are the sons of God. 
 
 * " He hath given us of his Spirit" — eKrovnvtVfiaroi avry SciciKEv rjjtiv. 
 
 The phrase is elliptical. The meaning is, he hath conferred the gifts of 
 his Spirit. This is our evidence of personal piety, we have spiritual 
 ATTAINMENTS. Not common understanding: for this is no evidence, al- 
 though from the Spirit of God. Not animal \\?e or bodily vigour : for 
 this is no evidence of union to Christ, although from the Spirit. Not 
 miraculous power: for this too, as appears from 1 Cor. xiii. is no evidence 
 of piety, although also from the Spirit. The sanctifying operations of 
 the Holy Ghost are peculiar to redeemed men : they are the means of as- 
 surance. 
 
 14* 
 
174 THE EVIDENCES OT TRUE 
 
 The exercises of the mind, influenced by the Holy Spirit, 
 are the evidences of true religion in man. The state of the 
 mind is known on}y by its exercises ; and spiritual exercises 
 indicate the operations of the Spirit of Christ : " to be spirit' 
 ually mbuled is life." I describe, as the means of assurance, 
 those works of the Spirit which are most obvious; which are 
 common to all believers; which are always present with 
 every Christian who undertakes the duty of self-examination ; 
 and of which each one, being proof of spiritual mindedness, 
 is of course conclusive evidence of our union to the Saviour 
 in the covenant of grace. Self-abasement — Dependence on Je- 
 sus Christ — Submission to the Saviour^s will — Joy i7i his sal- 
 vation. 
 
 This is the most simple arrangement of the gracious exer- 
 cises of the heart ; for it exhibits evidence sufficient to war- 
 rant our assurance, and not peculiar to any one period of the 
 Christian's new life^ but accessible to every regenerate man 
 from the earliest days of his piety to the close of his career 
 on earth. Let us examine and apply each in order. 
 
 I. Self-abasement is a certain evidence of true religion. It 
 is a gracious exercise, the effect of a saving v/ork of the 
 Spirit in the soul. I shall describe it; exa^nnne what it im- 
 plies ; and prove my, assertion. 
 
 1. Abasement is depression ; and self-abasement is that 
 exercise of mind, by which, convinced of sin, we humble 
 ourselves for mercy before God our Saviour. It is not an 
 undervaluing ; but a proper estimate of one's self It is not 
 contempt poured upon a fictitious character which we imagine 
 to be our own ; but knowing what we really are, in a reli- 
 gious point of view, as distinct from every other being, we 
 humble ourselves before God. We humble ourselves, not 
 merely for the sins of yesterday ; not merely for what we 
 have been in time past; but as we are now, with all our 
 present attainments, we humble ourselves before our God. In 
 self-abasement, you do not compare yourselves with your- 
 selves, and feel depression for a part of your conduct com- 
 pared with another part. You do not compare yourselves 
 with other men ; and feel mortified at your inferiority. You 
 present yourselves before the Lord, sensible of your unwor- 
 thiness. It is before "^the Lord our God" we come in this 
 exercise ; not to the god of the heathen, or the god of the in- 
 fidel, which are no gods ; but to the God of Abraham, to the 
 God of the Scriptures, to God in Christ glorifying himself in 
 the redemption of sinners. In seif-abasement, the creature 
 
RELIGION IN MAN. 175 
 
 humbles himself before the Creator ; the subject gives rever- 
 ence to the sovereign ; a being, of little power, bows before 
 one who is omnipotent ; one of Jittle wisdom, does homage to 
 infinite intellect ; a creature of imperfect morals is ashamed 
 in the presence of him who is moral excellence itself, who is 
 glorious in holiness. But this is not all ; this is not, by any 
 means, the principle of self-abasement. It is, that man, under 
 the light of the gospel, humble himself for his sins before his 
 God — the God ^vhom the gospel reveals ; God in Christ rec- 
 onciling the world unto himself It is, that the Christian 
 humble himself before the Father, and the Son, and the Holy 
 Ghost, in whose name we are baptized. This is self-abase- 
 ment, the work of the Spirit, whereby we know that he dwell- 
 eth in us and we in him. 
 
 You have heard a man glory in his strength, in the form 
 of his body, in his w^ealth, in his talents, in his literature, in 
 his power of drinking wine, in his artfulness and success in 
 deception ; you have heard many glorying in their shame. 
 These were proud of their distinction, however obtained. 
 You have heard men boast of their religious knowledge, of 
 their religious delight, of their supposed attainments in piety, 
 nay of their humility, while they, in accommodation to the 
 prevailing modes of speech, ascribed their excellence to the 
 grace of God. These, too, were proud of their distinction. 
 Natural genius is a benefit, and it cometh from God. Litera- 
 ture is valuable, and it is obtained througb his providence. 
 Rank, and wealth, and power, have their advantages; and are 
 owing to the same goodness. They are the gifts of heaven. 
 It is lawful to esteem and to desire such benefits: and for the 
 possession of them, it is our duty to be grateful to the Giver 
 of all good. The evil of pride, does not lie in the esteem of 
 great and good qualities ; nor does humility consist in refer- 
 ring these qualities to their proper source. The sin of pride, 
 is an undue self-complacency^ on whatever account. Its exer- 
 cises may be occasioned by any quality which is supposed to 
 confer distinction ; but the cause of such exercises, the prin- 
 ciple of pride, lies in the corrupt nature of man. There was 
 a man who appeared to take great complacency in speaking 
 of God's distinguishing goodness, and greater still in setting 
 forth his own actual goodness, by comparing himself with 
 others ; he gloried in his own pious exercises, as he supposed 
 them to be, and he professed gratitude to God, as the one 
 who made him to differ. This is the description of a high 
 professor. It is the kind of character which passes with most 
 
176 THE EVIDENCES OF TRUE 
 
 respect, among those who acknowledge the importance of ex- 
 perimental religion without understanding the nature of true 
 godliness. It is an imposing character, believing himself a 
 saint and despising others. The Searcher of all hearts de- 
 scribes the man of self-complacency, in contrast with the man 
 who practises self-abasement. Luke xviii. 10 — 14. "Two 
 men went up into the temple to piay ; the one a Pharisee, 
 and the other a Publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed 
 thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other 
 men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this Pub- 
 lican, i fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I pos- 
 sess. And the Publican, standing afar off, would not lift up 
 so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, 
 saying, God be merciful to me a sinner." 
 
 The Pharisee was a high professor ; a professor of a high 
 degree of piety. 1. Exemplary in his attention to public or- 
 dinances, he went up to the iemjile. 2. He practised, as one 
 personally interested in the true religion, he prayed within 
 himself. S. He was of a good moral character, chaste, just, 
 conscientious, and punctual in all the forms of religion, and in 
 the support of it by his worldly substance. 4. He was quite 
 orthodox in his opinions, and no legalist in his own eye : He 
 acknowledged that his goodness was from God, and accord- 
 ingly, w^ith great devotion, he gave God thanks, as the God 
 of grace, by whom he was made to difier from other men 
 He prayed, God, I thank thee that I am not as other men. 
 What more would you have in a professor ? What more 
 than this is inculcated or expected by those ministers of re- 
 ligion who are themselves novices? What more than this, 
 is necessary to give celebrity and eclat to what usually passes 
 with superficial minds for the " work of God ?" What fault 
 would you find with the profession of the Pharisee? He 
 gave God thanks for the holiness of vvhich he boasted. Was 
 he not then evangelical? No, brethren, he was not of an 
 evangelical disposition. Behold, another standing afar off, 
 with modest mien and downcast eye, so full of reverence 
 and godly fear, that he thinks himself too unworthy to take 
 pleasure in his own exercises. He smites upon his breast, 
 sensible that it contains a deceitful heart. Listen to his 
 prayer, " God be merciful to me asinner.^^ He is the man of 
 an evangelical disposition. He, by the Spirit, practises self- 
 abasement. Publican as he is, and of course despised by the 
 high professor, " I tell you./' said the Judge of the world, 
 
RELIGION IN xMAN. 177 
 
 "this man went down to his house justified rather than the 
 other : for he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." 
 
 The religion of the Pharisee was essentially defective, be- 
 cause he rested upon his personal attainments. It did not 
 alter the case that he ascribed those attainments to supernatu- 
 ral influence.* The proud man will rarely deny, that the 
 qualities for which he esteems himself, are derived, either im- 
 mediately or ultimately, from the Creator of the world. The 
 body, and the mind, and the wealth, and the talents of all 
 men, are from the Lord ; and, whether the gifts, on account 
 of which we overrate our personal excellencies, be said to 
 have come down from the God of nature or from the God 
 of grace, the disposition of self-complacency in the sinner be- 
 fore his God is essentially the same. It is necessarily sinful. 
 True religion causes man to rejoice only in the Lord, always 
 in the Lord, and never in any exercise or disposition of his 
 own faculties towards the Lord. The reason is obvious. 
 Every exercise of the heart, yea, the whole disposition of the 
 soul, whatever may be his attainments in this life, comes 
 short of the perfection which the law of God demands. 
 Those very affections, which are certain signs of a state of 
 grace, are nevertheless so far from perfection, that we need 
 mercy and pardon even on their account ; and, consequently, 
 they can never warrant the complacency which is opposed to 
 self-abasement. O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord^ 
 Thou art my Lord : my goodness extendcth not to thee. For 
 all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.j 
 
 2. Having now, brethren, described self-abasement, as that 
 exercise of the regenerate heart, wherein, a man under a 
 sense of his own personal unworthiness before the Lord, pre- 
 sents himself for mercy, I proceed to specify distinctly what 
 is implied in this spiritual exercise. 
 
 It implies, first, conviction of sin: Father, I have sinned 
 against heaven, and before thee, and am no more icorthy to be 
 called thy son\ — Theii shall ye remember your own evil loays^ 
 and your doings that were not good, and shall loathe yourselves 
 in your oion sight for your iniquities.^ 
 
 * " The person who is apt to think that he is a very eminent saint, dis- 
 tinguished in Christian experience, is certainly mistaken : he is no emi- 
 nent saint ; but under the great prevailings of a self-righteous spirit. 
 And if this be habitual with the man, ke is ow saint at all : he has not 
 the least degree of any true Christian experience, so surely as the word 
 of God is true," — Edwards on the Affections. 
 
 t Psalm xvi. 2. Rom. iii. 23. X Luke xv. 18. &c. 
 
 § Ezek. xxxvi. 31. 
 
178 TIIE EVIDENCES OF TRUE 
 
 It implies, in the second place, self-abhorence in the sighj 
 of God on account of our iniquity. Lord, now mine eye 
 seeth thee; wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and 
 ashes* It implies, thirdly, a sentiment of dejection, as it re- 
 gards all our own personal qualities and attainments, both of 
 nature and of grace. This is described in Scripture^^ as being 
 poor in spirit, loioly in mind, having a broken heart, humble- 
 ness of mind, &-c. It implies, fourthly, fear of God's dis- 
 pleasure, and anxiety to escape his holy indignation. O 
 loretched man that I am I who shall deliver me from the body 
 of this death ?] It implies. ^/M-/?/, approbation of that consti- 
 tution of mercy, whereby all God's attributes are displayed. 
 Out of the depths have I cried unto thee : if thau, Lord, should- 
 est mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand ? But there is 
 forgiveness ivith thee, that thou mayest be feared. For with 
 the Lord there is mercy, and ivith him is plenteous redemption.'^. 
 It implies, hi the sixth place, an acceptance of the mercy 
 offered to us by the Lord, and application for it by prayer 
 unto him. The publican standing afar off, loould not so much 
 as lift up his eyes to heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, 
 God be merciful to 7m a sinner. And behold, a woman in the 
 city which loas a sinner j when she knew that Jesus sat at ?neat 
 in the Pharisee^s house, brought an alabaster box of oint- 
 ment, and stood at his feet behind him iveeping, and began. 
 to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hair of 
 her head. Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David. 
 The?i Jesus answered a7id said unto her, O woman, great is 
 thy faith ; be it unto thee even as thou wilt.^ 
 
 It is generally admitted by all, who have any idea of the 
 necessity of conversion to God, that in the origin of vital re- 
 ligion, there is such a thing as conviction for sin. The lan- 
 guage is indeed become technical, that such a one is under 
 conviction, when it would be represented that he is becoming 
 religious. I readily admit, that pungent conviction is neces- 
 sary to piety even in an incipient state ; but I am deeply con- 
 cerned, lest self-abasement should, in theory, be limited to that 
 state. I know that this cannot be the case in the practice or 
 experience of true godliness. Many imagine that conversion 
 consists, in a few fits of anguish, accompanied with visible 
 effects, such as tears, and sobs, and trembling, followed speedi- 
 ly with gladness : hence the use of the terms, " he is under 
 concern," " he has received comfort," as the certain descrip- 
 
 * Job xUi. 5. 6. t Rom. vii. 24. X Psalm cxxx. 
 
 § Luke xvui. 13. & vu. 37. Matth. xv. 22—28. 
 
RELIGION IN MAN. 179 
 
 tion of regeneration. Among deluded fanatics, the test of 
 progress in sanctification, is the confidence and the joy of men 
 in their own experience. Beware, brethren, beware of such 
 deceits. Measure rather your sanctification, by the degree 
 of self abasement which it produces; and let God only be 
 your joy. The more you think as angels do ; as the spirits 
 of the just in heaven; as God the Judge of all; the more 
 correctly do you think. In their sight, your attainments are 
 few and small ; your imperfection is obvious in every thing ; 
 and your transgressions numerous and aggravated. By the 
 inhabitants of heaven, the attainments of the saints on earth 
 appear no more than the power and the wisdom of mere 
 children. They judge correctly ; and the greater your holi- 
 ness, the more will you judge like them. They think you 
 are still low, compared with the standard of duty and perfec- 
 tion.* It behooves you to think lowly of yourselves by the 
 same rule. God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the 
 humble. Blessed are the poor in spirit ; for theirs is the king- 
 dom of heaven, f 
 
 3. I prove the assertion, self-abasement is a certain sign of 
 true religion. 
 
 The Holy Spirit is appointed, in the economy of the cove- 
 nant of grace, to bring all redeemed men into this state: 
 The God of all truth positively declares that every one, who 
 is in this state, is, in fact, blessed w^ith a saving; interest in 
 Christ; and consequently, every one who is conscious of 
 self-abasement, has a conclusive evidence of his title to the 
 kingdom of heaven. The scriptures support me in these as- 
 sertions ; " When the Comforter is come, iv/io7)i I ivill send 
 unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth which pro- 
 ceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me : And when 
 he is come, he ivill reprove the tcorld of sin.X And I will put 
 my Spirit within you — then shall ye remember your own 
 evil ways, and shall loathe yourselves in your own sight, for 
 your iniquities.*^ For thus saith the high and lofty One that 
 inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy, I dwell in the high 
 and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and hum- 
 
 * Truly, brethren, when I see the curse of God upon many Christians, 
 that are now grown full of their parts, gifts, peace, comforts, abilities, du- 
 ties, I stand adoring the riches of God's mercy to a liUle handful of poor 
 believers ; not only in making them empty, but in keeping them so (j)oor 
 in spirit) all their dgLjs.—Shepard's Sound Believer. 
 
 t James iv. 6. Matth. v. 3. I John xv. 26. & xvi. 8. 
 
 4 Ezek. XXX vi. 27, 3L 
 
180 THE EVIDENCES OF TRUE 
 
 hie spirit. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit ; a 
 broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. 
 Blessed are the poor in spirit ; for theirs is the kingdom of 
 heaven^* 
 
 No doubt can remain, that such Christian humility, as 
 arises from a sense of our personal unvvorthiness before the 
 God of our salvation, is the work of the Spirit of grace in 
 the soul. Let it appear in the form of reverence and godly 
 fear ; in the form of anxiety to be delivered from the power 
 of sin ; in the form of self-denial ; in the form of utter de- 
 spair of attaining to salvation on account of any goodness in 
 ourselves, whether natural or acquired, either by our own 
 exertions or by the favour of God ; or in the form of prayer 
 for mercy on account of the merits of the Lord Jesus our 
 covenant Surety ; in whatever form or degree it appears to 
 our own consciousness, it is certain evidence of the truth of 
 our piety : it does not make a title ; but it is proof of our title 
 to " the inherittince of the saints in light." The title itself is, 
 indeed, constituted by our union with the Head Christ ; but, 
 hereby, we know that he dwelleth in us and we in him, be- 
 cause he hath given us this work of his Spirit. 
 
 II. Entire dependence on the Lord Jesus Christ is certain 
 evidence of a state of grace. 
 
 No man can say that Jesus is the Loj'd, but by the Holy 
 Ghost. Any one, it is true, may read or repeat these words ; 
 but no man can say with truth, that Jesus, the only Saviour, 
 is in fact the Saviour of his choice, and that he depends upon 
 him, as the Lord of life, for eternal salvation, — ^no mian 
 can say this, at any time, but by the Spirit of God. It is an 
 exercise of saving faith, and a certain sign of spiritual life. 
 
 The Scriptures assure us that salvation is of grace, through 
 faith ; and that saving faith is not of ourselves, but is the gift 
 of God. Dependence on Christ for that salvation is, of 
 course, an essential part of " the faith of God's elect." The 
 exercises of faith arc indeed various, according to the various 
 occasions furnished by him that made us, for our improve- 
 ment in Christian experience and usefulness. Believers, 
 when they act appropriately, under all the circumstances of 
 their condition in the world, act piously, intelligently, and 
 discreetly. The exercises of fliith are of course exceedingly 
 diversified. The several parts of divine revelation, which is 
 always the light in which Christians walk, and the rule by 
 which they act, afford ground for several distinct exercises 
 * Isa. Ivii. 15. Ps. li. 17. Matth. v. 3. 
 
RELIGION IN MAN. 181 
 
 of our new nature upon evangelical principles. Faith as- 
 sents to the truth of the facts asserted in the Bible ; complies 
 with the precepts, and the invitations ; embraces the promise 
 and the offer ; and with an unwavering conviction of the 
 reality of divine things, seeks and expects the enjoyment of 
 them in heaven. It is the substance of things hofcd for^ and 
 the evidence of things not seen. 
 
 Faith has respect to the divine Being ; the persons of the 
 Godhead ; the attributes and the works of the Father, and of 
 the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ; to the person, the offices, 
 and the graces of the Mediator ; the love of God the Father, 
 and the fellowship of the Spirit of God and of Christ. It is 
 the soul's desire of enjoying God ; it is the acceptation of the 
 good things which are offered in the gospel ; it is the act of 
 the renewed understanding assenting to the doctrines of truth, 
 and of the renewed heart uniting itself in love to Jesus 
 Christ, the second Adam, as our new covenant head. Faith 
 is the seeing, the hearing, the receiving, the eating and drink- 
 ing, the walking, the resting, of our spiritual man. It is the 
 living energy of the new creature exercising itself in godli- 
 ness, in the strength of the Lord of life. The life ivhich I 
 now live in the flesh.^ I live hy the faith of the Son of Godj 
 who loved 7ne, and gave himself for me. This is the faith, 
 without which there is no salvation to any soul of man, and 
 with which there cannot possibly be final condemnation. 
 There is no proposition more positively asserted in the word 
 of God than this — He that believcth shall he saved^ arid he that 
 believeth not shall be damned. God hath spoken it ; and it 
 must be true. God hath promised ; and he is faithful that 
 promised, and able also to perform. Faith is the gift of God, 
 for the express purpose of uniting us to his Son, that we may 
 have everlasting life. It does, in fact, unite us to the Re- 
 deemer ; and the divine law sustains the union : he is the 
 Lord our righteousness. Being united to the Redeemer, the 
 law cannot condemn ; because it no more applies, for the pur- 
 pose of either justification or condemnation., to the sinner in 
 his own person. The believer must be treated according to 
 the newly constituted relation of his soul to the Saviour. 
 " We are dead to the laio by the body of Christ, being mar- 
 ried to another husband. God is just, and who is he that 
 condemneth ? There is therefore now no condemnation to 
 them that are in Christ Jesus." Faith is a gift and a bless- 
 ing of the covenant of grace, and that covenant is ordered in 
 all things and sure. It is the will of God that believers 
 
 16 
 
182 THE EVIDENCES OF TRUE 
 
 should be saved. From all eternity he determined it should 
 be the case. In order that it might be so, he sent his Son 
 into the world ; the Redeemer came, and obeyed, and suf- 
 fered, and died, and rose again, and ever liveth to make inter- 
 cession for us. For this purpose the gospel is published, 
 ministers are sent, a church is formed and preserved ; ordi- 
 nances are appointed and administered, and the Holy Ghost 
 is given. It must be so. " He that believeth shall be saved." 
 
 Will you, my hearers, admit this truth ? If you reject this 
 truth, I cannot reason with you upon the subject of personal 
 assurance of salvation. There is no ground upon which the 
 preacher and the hearer can meet for the discussion, if you 
 deny salvation to the believer ; if you can even doubt whether 
 the believer shall be saved ; if you doubt God's word, so 
 often, so unequivocally, so clearly and powerfully repeated 
 from heaven. Again, I ask my congregation, will you ad- 
 mit the truth, " The believer shall be saved ?" Grant me your 
 assent to this sentiment, and I now ask no more. You grant 
 it then. I know that you believe and are sure, that Christ is 
 able to save to the uttermost. I proceed to the demonstration 
 — cordial and entire dependence on Christ for salvation is 
 conclusive evidence of a state of grace. 
 
 Come, then, ye anxious children of my God, let us look 
 around for subjects in this congregation, to whom the text 
 may be applied. Look within you for the character speci- 
 fied, dependence on Christ for eternal life. 
 
 This character is simple ; the examination will not perplex 
 the most feeble disciple: it is obvious; and may be discov- 
 ered by every one : it is common to all Christians ; and 
 therefore whatever difference there be among the saints, each 
 has this witness within himself; this character is not tem 
 porary or occasional, but habitual and permanent; and there- 
 fore you have at all times this certain sign of true religion. 
 
 I show you ichat is implied in this character^ and that it is 
 proof of spiritual union to the Saviour. 
 
 1. Dependence on Christ for salvation implies, first.^ that 
 you really desire salvation. You certainly know, whether 
 this is the case with you or not. It implies, secondly^ that you 
 know who is the Saviour sent from God, and of whom the 
 Scriptures testify. It is upon him we must depend ; for this 
 is the true God and eternal life. I am not speaking of de- 
 pendence on a fictitious character ; but upon the very Christ 
 described in the Bible. The meaning of dependence you 
 know. It is the third idea implied in the character. It is 
 
RELIGION IN MAN. 183 
 
 the laying all your weight upon him — casting- a burden on 
 him, leaning yourselves upon him, resting your souls upon 
 him, trusting your interests to him. Fourthly^ it is a depend- 
 ence for a specified purpose — for eternal life. This includes 
 all your needs : Pardon, peace, holiness, comfort, life, hope 
 in death, and a glorious immortality — dependence for eternal 
 life, and nothing short of this, nothing but what is involved 
 in this. Fifthly^ the dependence is cordial — a matter of 
 choice, of intelligent choice : it is entire, without reserve, and 
 without doubt of his power to support you : it is exclusive ; 
 for there is none associated with him as in part a Saviour, nor 
 works, nor gifts, nor friends, nor saints, on earth or in heav- 
 en, nor angels, nor personal attainments of any kind : Christ 
 stands alone as the Rock. There he is before you, a sure 
 foundation, elect, precious ; he that believeth in him shall not 
 be confounded. All this is plain to the meanest capacity : 
 and it remains for me only to ask you, are you conscious of 
 such dependence? Then you stand upon the Rock, against 
 which the gates of hell shall not prevail. 
 
 2. This dependence is evidence of true religion in the 
 soul. 
 
 You will readily perceive, that, by the description we have 
 given of saving faith, dependence on Jesus Christ for eternal 
 life is an exercise of that distinguished grace, and is a work 
 of the Spirit which is given to us. The whole description of 
 faith may summarily comprehended in this short sentence, a 
 " receiving and resting upon Christ alone for eternal life." 
 This is saving faith ; and it follows, that dependence on him 
 for future happiness, being an exercise of faith, is certain evi- 
 dence of its existence. 
 
 The faith of the saints is made manifest by works, for 
 it luorks hy love and jpurifies the heart. The Apostle, who 
 said that faith loithout icorks is dead., taught us to show, both 
 to ourselves and to others, our faith by our icorks. This prin- 
 ciple is applicable to every power and faculty of man. The 
 effect indicates the presence of a cause ; the exercise proves 
 the existence of the faculty. Every man, and every body of 
 men, under the dictates of common sense, act upon this prin- 
 ciple. If you are a good reader, a good speaker, or a good 
 writer, give us a specimen of your powers. This is prefer- 
 able to the testimony of a hundred witnesses. Are you benev- 
 olent ? show it by your beneficence ; disinterested 1 seek not 
 an increase of ease, or pleasure, or emolument, show us 
 your mildness, your self-denial, your public spirit. When I 
 
184 THE EVIDENCES OF TRUE 
 
 Avas in Cyprus^ said the boaster, I leaped over a bar elevated 
 twenty feet above the ground ; do it now^ said his opponent, 
 and I will believe your assertion. This is the mode in which 
 self-examination should be conducted. Faith is its own best 
 evidence. Are you a believer? exercise that faith ; and de- 
 pend, at this present moment, upon the Redeemer, for eternal 
 life. True faith may be every where and always exercised. 
 It is never out of time or out of place. Dreams, and visions, 
 and voices, and suggestions, sudden alarms, and extraordi- 
 nary fears or joys ; tears and sobs, and cries, and songs, and 
 ecstacies are deceitful : bodily service profiteth little. Even 
 inspiration, the gift of tongues, prophecy, and other powers 
 of miracle, may be communicated without true holiness, but 
 the work of the Holy Ghost, is the infollible indication of his 
 presence with our spirits. The believer shall be saved ; and 
 he is a believer who trusts in the Redeemer, in fact and ex- 
 clusively, for that salvation. These things were written that 
 ye might believe^ and that helieving ye might have life in his 
 name. 
 
 III. Submission to the law of Christ is an evidence of true 
 godliness. 
 
 There is no system of religion, however otherwise absurd, 
 that does not recommend morality. All mankind, even the 
 most wicked and profane of our race, acknowledge that de- 
 cent moral conduct is essential to a virtuous life. The insti- 
 tutions of civil society, for the education of youth, the preser- 
 vation of good order, and the exercise of jurisprudence, all 
 proceed upon the principle, that sound morals should be cul- 
 tivated and observed, as conducive to personal happiness and 
 the public prosperity. The moral tendency, of the Christian 
 revelation, has been observed and inculcated by all who pro- 
 fess respect for the Bible ; and the several churches require, 
 as evidence of a good conscience, outward conformity to the 
 precepts and ordinances of religion. We cannot, therefore, 
 be mistaken in saying that Christian obedience is a sure sign 
 of a Christian disposition. It was the Saviour himself who 
 said, " If ye love me, keep my commandments : and if ye 
 keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love."* 
 
 That you may be enabled to apply this text to your own 
 experience, I will explain what 1 mean by the law of Christ 
 — show wherein submission to it consists — and prove, that 
 such submission is decisive evidence of union with him for 
 eternal salvation. 
 
 ♦ John xiv. 15. and xv. 10. 
 
RELIGION IN MAN. 185 
 
 1. The law of Christ is the entire rule of moral obligation 
 dispensed by Messiah to the sons of men. 
 
 God hath not left any of his creatures in a state of absolute 
 insubordination. No created being, animate or inanimate, 
 exists independently of his will. Inhere is not a particle of 
 matter, nor any combination of material atoms, from the dust 
 of the balance, to the sun in the firmament, which he does 
 not uphold, and govern by laws suited to their nature and 
 design. There is not a single mind, nor any community of 
 inteHigent beings, which he does not control, or over which 
 he has not legislated. He has not left us, on our creation, 
 without proposing and enacting statutes for the regulation of 
 our thoughts and our actions : and he hath sent his Son into 
 the world, not to destroy the law, and set us upon a footing 
 of disorder and independence, but to fulfil the law ; to set 
 aside its condemning power ; and to establish its obligation 
 upon our consciences. If there were no law, there could not 
 be any virtue or vice, any sin or holiness among dependent 
 creatures : for where there is no law, there is neither obedi- 
 ence nor transgression. Christians are of course still under 
 a rule of duty. They are indeed become dead to the Imo. as 
 a covenant of works — as a rule of probation, upon which de- 
 pends their acceptance and adjudication to the state of con- 
 firmed felicity in heaven. They are married to another 
 husband, in whom they have both righteousness and strength ; 
 and their right to the kingdom of God, is unalterably secured 
 by the merits of their Redeemer. They are delivered by the 
 New Testament from the legal ceremonies of "the law given 
 by Moses;" but they are still under a rule of righteousness. 
 Do ICC llien, said the Apostle, to those who attempted to turn 
 the grace of God into a system of licentiousness, do ice then 
 make void the laio through faith ? God forbid : yea^ we estab- 
 lish the law* Reasoning with the Corinthians, the same 
 Apostle urges upon their attention his own industry and self- 
 denial in promoting the objects of his ministry : he refers to 
 his accommodating disposition, conforming to all outward 
 
 * Rom. iii. 31. A confusion of ideas often takes place in relation to 
 this subject. The new dispensation sets aside the obligation of the Old 
 Testament ritual ; and the covenant of grace sets aside, from believers, 
 the penalty of the covenant of works. These are facts : they are Chris- 
 tian privileges; and the day we forget this, we forget the gospel of the 
 grace of God : for in both these cases, we are delivered from the law by 
 Jesus Christ. "We are dead to the law; we are without law; we are 
 not under the law, but under grace." But we are under the law as a 
 RULE OP LIFE. This distinction ought not to be at any time forgotten. 
 
 16* 
 
186 THE EVIDENCES OF TRUE 
 
 varieties of condition and manners, consistent with the purity 
 and fidelity of a public servant of God. Comparing Jews 
 and Gentiles, he had occasion to speak of the former as under 
 the latv, and of the latter as without laio ; and lest the Chris- 
 tians who lived without observing the Jewish laiv should be 
 suspected of opposition to the principles of all law^ he adds 
 in a parenthesis, as a description of their condition, being not 
 tvithout lata to God, but under the law to Christ. This, 
 then, is the situation of a truly religious man : he is under 
 the law of Christ. 
 
 God reveals himself to fallen sinners in the Mediator : and 
 the whole doctrine of the Bible is the word of Christ. The 
 light imparted in the sacred volume, and the precepts which 
 it contains ; the motives of action which it presents to the 
 mind ; all its contents ; the whole Christian revelation, is an 
 expression of the will of God in Christ. As such it is ap- 
 plied by the Holy Spirit ; for the whole of the work of the 
 Comforter consists in taking from Christ to his disciples. 
 Therefore, said /, that he shall take of vmie, and shall shotv it 
 unto you* Wielding the sceptre of universal dominion, 
 Messiah is head over all things to the church which is his 
 body : He is clothed with the whole authority of the Godhead 
 for the government of the world ; and his Spirit applies his 
 LAW to the saints. " He shall not speak of himself — he shall 
 glorify me ; for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it 
 unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine."t 
 
 The whole system of moral obligation is administered by 
 Jesus Christ ; and of course all real Christians submit to the 
 law as thus proclaimed from on high. Outward conformity 
 to the rule answers the purposes of visible order in society, 
 whatever may be the respect which the inner man pays to the 
 authority of the Lord our Redeemer ; but in order to try the 
 heart for the purposes of assurance before God, it is indis- 
 pensably necessary to recognize the authority of Christ. 
 Natural religion may be cultivated, by urging and observing 
 the authority of a Supreme Being over the rational creature ; 
 and that religion may be affected in its observances and en- 
 larged in its code, by coming in contact with the christian 
 revelation : there may be a nominal and apparent christian 
 obedience, that will pass even in the church, while respect is 
 had only to the authority of Jehovah absolutely considered as 
 the Lawgiver ; but there is no Christianity without viewing 
 the whole system of moral obligation as the law of Christ 
 * John xvi, 15. + John xvi. 13— l.'S. 
 
RELIGION IN MAN. 187 
 
 He is our Lord : " and the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our 
 lawgiver, the Lord is our King ; he will save us. For he is 
 thy Lord, and worship thou him."* There is one lawgiver 
 who is able to save and to destroy. However, brethren, you 
 may read books, and support churches, and hear sermons, 
 that have no respect to GocVs being in Christy when you try 
 yourselves, as to your religious state, it is indispensably ne- 
 cessary for you to ascertain that you have received the law 
 of Christ as your actual rule of life. 
 
 2. I shall show wherein submission to the Saviour's law 
 consists. 
 
 Submission, is the delivering one's self to the disposal of 
 another ; and applied to the will of God it denotes our cordial 
 obedience to him when his will is made known. It is con- 
 sonant to reason, that we submit ourselves to the King of 
 saints. The dignity of his person, who thought it not robbery 
 to be equal with God, who is God over all blessed for ever, 
 renders it becoming that all creatures that are on earth and 
 in heaven should obey him. The official relation in which 
 he stands to us, as the Mediator between God and man, is an 
 additional consideration for our doing homage to him. It is 
 the will of heaven too that all men should honour the Son 
 even as they honour the Father : for he is the image of the 
 invisible God, the express image of the Father's person. As 
 our Representative he stands on high making intercession ; 
 and as the Representative of God in upholding and govern- 
 ing the world, and in dispensing laws and blessings to be- 
 lievers, it is becoming the subjects of his peculiar kingdom to 
 maintain the principles of obedience as due to him from all 
 men in their several relations and capacities ; and to practise 
 themselves upon that principle in all their personal and social 
 concerns. 
 
 In Christian submission to the law of God in Jesus Christ, 
 is implied, conscientious abstinence from all sin — punctual 
 and solemn attention to all his ordinances of religious wor- 
 ship — the subjection of the temper of the heart, to all the 
 principles of holiness — and the active performance of the 
 several duties we owe to all our fellow-men. 
 
 This is the conversation which becometh the gospel. The 
 question is not indeed in the present discourse, about the per- 
 fection of this obedience ; but about its sincerity. We are not 
 speaking of the condition of our acceptance with God to fa- 
 vour — to pardon, peace, and glory. We are speaking of the 
 * Isa. xxxiii. 22. Psalm xlv. 11. 
 
188 THE EVIDENCES OF TRUE 
 
 means of assurance that we have already been accepted of 
 him for the sake of Christ's righteousness : And the evidence 
 is a sincere submission to his known precepts. We know 
 indeed that you are imperfect. We know that in every thing 
 you fall short of your obligations. We urge at all times per- 
 fection as a duty upon man. We exhibit perfection to your 
 hopes, as an object to be attained on the dissolution of this 
 tabernacle ; but we require sincerity as an evidence of piety, 
 as an evidence that the work is begun which shall be carried 
 on unto perfection. Of this you can judge : and you can 
 readily ascertain whether you sincerely submit yourselves to 
 the law of Christ. 
 
 3. Such submission is a certain sign of true religion : for 
 it is an essential part of godliness. No man, except a pious 
 man, renewed and enlightened by the Spirit of God, has a 
 spiritual discernment of the law: for the carnal mind is cn- 
 mity against the Lawgiver. Divine revelation affirms, that 
 obedience is the fruit and the evidence of the love of God 
 shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost. " Whosoever 
 believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God : and every 
 one that loveth him that begat, loveth him also that is begotten 
 of him. For this is the love of God, that ye keep his com- 
 mandments."* The same Apostle, in another place, expressly 
 teaches, that keeping the commandments is an evidence of 
 our vital union with the Saviour. " He that keepeth his 
 commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him : and hereby 
 know we that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath 
 given us."t 
 
 The personal experience, of inspired men, proves that 
 Christian obedience is evidence of piety. Therefore are they 
 said to " walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit : for the 
 laiu of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from 
 the law of sin and death.''^X ^ shall add for further confirma- 
 tion, two other texts of Scripture. One refers to the covenant 
 of grace, the source of all vital religion — that covenant, which 
 the Saviour himself dispenses ; and it shows that the princi- 
 ples of evangelical obedience are communicated by him ac- 
 cording to that covenant. This shall be the covenant that I 
 v.iill make with the house of Israel : after those dai/s, saith the 
 Lord, I will put my laio in their inward parts, and write it in 
 their hearts, and Itoill he their God, and they shall be my people.^ 
 The other informs us of the nature of the kingdom of God, 
 
 * 1 John V. 1—3. t Chap. iii. 24. 
 
 I Rom. viii. 2. . § Jer. xxxi. 33, 
 
RELIGION IN MAN. 189 
 
 of which all the saints are admitted members ; and points out 
 the consequence of serving the Lord Jesus Christ. For the 
 kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, and 
 peace, and joy, in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things 
 serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men* — he 
 is of course truly pious. 
 
 IV. Joy in God, the Saviour of the soul, is an evidence of 
 piety. 
 
 Joy is a high degree of gladness, and is naturally produced, 
 in a mind of sensibility, by whatsoever happens in conform- 
 ity to its inclination. Christian sensibility is duly affected 
 with spiritual things ; for the affections are set upon them. 
 The spiritually minded man is of course disposed to set a 
 high value upon all the blessings which the covenant of grace 
 reveals ; and as the Spirit of Christ takes the things of Christ 
 and shows them unto us, we cannot fail to have complacency 
 in them. The new nature is adapted to heavenly things, as 
 the eye to the light of the morning, and it must be joyfully 
 affected by the discoveries obtained through the grace of God. 
 How excellent is thy loving kindness, O God ! therefore the 
 children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy loings. 
 They shall be abundantly satisfied loith the fatness of thine 
 house: and thou shall make them drink of the river of thy 
 pleasures.^ 
 
 By natural constitution we are fitted for taking delight ia 
 the beauties and enjoyments of the world. It is an evidence 
 of the goodness of the Creator that so many avenues are 
 opened to the temple of felicity. He is himself, nevertheless, 
 he must be himself, the great and the principal object of de- 
 light to every good mind. Whom have I in heaven but thee? 
 and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee.X 
 
 Unregenerate men, in the society of their pious neighbours, 
 whom they esteem on some account or other, may from sym- 
 pathy, rejoice, as well as weep. Deluded men have joy in 
 
 * Rom. xiv. 17—18. t Psalm xxxviii. 7—8. X Psalm Ixxxiii. 25. 
 
 " There is a suitableness to our natural constiluiion, in the proper act- 
 ings of natural life for its own preservation: there is so also in our 
 spiritual cousiituiion. The graces in their due exercise compose and re- 
 fresh the mind : thence a blessed satisfaction and complacency befalls the 
 soul. Now, God is the fountain and centre of all spiritual refreshments; 
 and in access to him, there is a refreshing taste of them communicated to 
 the soul." — Otcen. 
 
 " Spiritual good is of a satisfying nature; and for that very reason, the 
 goul that tastes and knows its nature, will thirst after it, and a fulness of 
 it, that it may be satisfied." — Edwards. 
 
190 THE EVIDENCES OF TRUE 
 
 their own fancied attainments ; in imaginary views of the di- 
 vine character ; in their expectations of future good, however 
 groundless their hopes : and they, thus, sit down contented. 
 But good men rejoice in the Lord always ; and the greater 
 their joy, the more they press forward to perfection. They 
 joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we 
 have received the atonement. Intimate communion with the 
 Father and the Son, Jesus Christ; a peace of conscience, 
 through the application of the blood of sprinkling ; the sub- 
 stantial glories of the land of promise, unfolded by an al- 
 mighty Spirit, are the exciting causes to the joy of believers. 
 In the preaching of the word of God ; in the sacraments of 
 the church ; in the conversation of the saints ; in their own 
 meditations and prayers, they find occasions for high satis- 
 faction in him who is precious to their souls, who is alto- 
 gether lovely, the chief among ten thousand. The experi- 
 ence of this sanctified joy is ample means of the assurance 
 of salvation. It is, also, easy to ascertain whether you have 
 this witness. 
 
 You know whether you have any joy in or about religion ; 
 and you can speedily determine, whether it proceed from re- 
 ligious principles or not. Does a view of the covenant of 
 grace, as revealed in the scriptures, induce you to say, " this 
 is all my salvation, and all my desire?"' Do you experience 
 inward delight in the contemplation of him who is glorious 
 in holiness? Do your hearts welcome the distinguishing 
 excellencies of evangelical religion as congenial to your dis- 
 position ? Does the Lord Jesus appear in your estimation 
 altogether lovely? Are your spirits exhilarated by the 
 streams of the city of God, by the hope of eternal life in the 
 perfection of holiness, in the celestial paradise? then have 
 you the fellowship of the Spirit, and are qualified to say of 
 the Son of man, I sat down under his shadow with great de- 
 light, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. This is joy in the 
 Holy Ghost. It is a certain sign that you are truly religious. 
 Your faith stands not in the wisdom of man, but in the 
 power of God : for you, this is the power and demonstra- 
 tion of the Holy Ghost, that although we see him not, yet 
 believing in him, we should rejoice with joy unspeakable and 
 full of glory. 
 
 I do not pursue this subject further. In another dis- 
 course, I shall exhibit more at large the consolations of 
 the grace of God ; but shall now bring this discussion to 
 an end. 
 
RELIGION IN MAN. 191 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 It must have been observed, by all my nearers, that while 
 describing the means of assurance, I took for granted that 
 there is a work of the Spirit perfectly peculiar to redeemed 
 men : and that this work is in fact that testimony of the Spirit, 
 whereby he beareth witness with our own spirits that we are 
 the sons of God. You will allow me now to explain both 
 these principles. 
 
 1. There is, in the communication of grace to fallen sin- 
 ners, a S2)ecial icork of the Spirit of God, distinct from his 
 agency in the creation and sustentation of the universe. 
 
 The scriptures assure us that this is the fact, by describing 
 Christians as having the Spirit ; and representing others as 
 not having the Spirit. There must, therefore, be a peculiar 
 sense^ in w^hich the omnipresent Spirit of God influences the 
 saints. " What, know ye not that your body is the temple 
 of the Holy Ghost which is in you., which ye have of God V^* 
 " But, beloved, remember ye the w^ords that were spoken be- 
 fore of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ ; how that they 
 told you there should be mockers, who should walk after 
 their own ungodly lusts — sensual, ha.ving not the Spirit."! 
 It is sufficient for my purpose to ascertain the fact, although 
 I should be unable to explain it: and it is enough for you to 
 know the fact, whether or not you fully understand the 
 grounds of the distinction. " Ye are not in the flesh, but in 
 the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. 
 Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of 
 his." J He who knoweth all things, understands the differ- 
 ence between the common operations, and the sanctifying 
 influences of the Spirit: He maketh us to know that it 
 exists. 
 
 I do not say, brethren, that there is any difference as to the 
 ultimate source of power ; for there is no power but of God ; 
 and it is the same Spirit that reneweth the face of the earth in 
 the spring, and giveth to redeemed men the saving change, 
 denominated emphatically the reneumig of the Holy Ghost. 
 It is he, ivho commanded the light to shine out of darkness, 
 that hath shined in our hearts., to give the light of the know- 
 ledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.^ I do 
 not affirm, that this difference consists in the degree of energy, 
 
 * 1 Cor. vi. 19. + Jude 17, 19. 
 
 X Rom. viii. 9. § 2 Cor. iv. 6. 
 
192 THE EVIDENCES OF TRUE 
 
 employed by the omnipotent God, in producing the several 
 effects. It is not for creatures to measure the extent of 
 power put forth by the Ahnighty. We know that he is in- 
 capable of any expenditure of strength. He spoke, and it 
 was done : he commanded, and it stood fast. And who will 
 pretend to determine, whether more of power was employed 
 by the Spirit of God when "he moved upon the face of the 
 waters, w^hen the earth was without form, and void," or when 
 he " beareth witness with our spirits that we are the sons of 
 God?" I do not intend to convey the idea, that this differ- 
 ence depends on the diversities of effects produced according 
 to the nature and character of the subject on which it 
 operates. An indefinite variety of effects is apparent in the 
 fields and the forests of the vegetable kingdom ; among the 
 ranks of animated beings, rational and irrational ; and even 
 in the church itself, there are diversities of gifts, but the 
 same Sjnrit : and there arc diversities of operations, but it 
 is the same God ichich ivorketh all in all* 
 
 Thus far, however, the scriptures clearly point out a differ- 
 ^Tzcc between the common and saving operations of the Spirit 
 — They belong to entirely distinct economies^ or establishments. 
 The common belong to the establishment of nature ; the 
 special^ or saving, to the economy of the covenant of grace. 
 
 The system of grace was devised, in the counsel of peace, 
 before the world began. God foreknowing the fall of man, 
 as a particular member of the system of creation, willed the 
 RECOVERY OF SOME OF THE HUMAN RACE. In Order to effect 
 this, the Father represents and sustains the entire divine au- 
 thority and glory : the Son effectually redeems the elect seed 
 given to him ; and the Spirit quickens and prepares each of 
 them for eternal glory. Such is the economy of the cove- 
 nant of grace. You see how plain, how intelligible. This 
 is a distinct system: and to this must be referred the distinc- 
 tion between the special agency of the Spirit, and his com- 
 mon gifts. According to this gracious establishment, to pro- 
 mote the glory of the Trinity by the salvation of elect sinners, 
 the Spirit acts a special and appointed part. He is sent by 
 the Father and by Christ upon a distinct business: He 
 comes, as the Comforter, to a chosen people : He works in 
 them to will and to do of his good pleasure — He works 
 spiritual life and all its holy exercises. It does appear to me, 
 brethren, that this distinction is very easily perceived, if not 
 completely understood, in all its parts. If there is a differ- 
 * 1 Cor. xii. 4, 6. 
 
RELIGION IN MAN. 193 
 
 ence between the works of nature and the works of grace ; 
 if there is a difference between depravity and holiness; if 
 there is any thing more in true religion, than policy, and 
 fashion, and party, then, surely, there is a difference between 
 the system of nature and the economy of redemption ; and 
 there is of course a very obvious distinction between the com- 
 mon operations of the Spirit, and his work, as the Holy- 
 Ghost, communicating holiness according to the specifications 
 of the covenant of grace^ to elect and ransomed sin?iers. If this 
 distinction were generally admitted, and carried out in all its 
 applications to the several doctrines of religion, there would 
 be little dispute among intelligent and pious men relative to 
 evangelical principles : and yet if there be, indeed, no founda- 
 tion for making the distinction, it is in vain to speak of con- 
 version, of the new birth, of a state of grace, or of assurance 
 of grace and salvation. 
 
 2. It is this special work of the Holy Ghost on the soul, 
 that gives evidence of our personal safety. 
 
 Knowing, brethren, that the operations of the Spirit of 
 grace are confined completely within the bounds of the sys- 
 tem of salvation, every such operation is evidence that the 
 subject is included in the everlasting covenant. The work 
 of the Spirit is the teUimony which he gives, assuring be- 
 lievers of their adoption and consequent safety. 
 
 It has been falsely supposed by many, that some new in- 
 ward revelation, or extraordinary suggestion, that such a one 
 is pious, and shall be saved, constitutes \hQicitnessing ascribed 
 to the Holy Ghost. Such an idea is not only delusory, but 
 very degrading to the Spirit's actual testimony; for it really 
 contains nothing of the nature of holiness. The mere indica- 
 tion, by word or writing, or extraordinary means of any kind, 
 of a historical fact to any one, is not at all essentially con- 
 nected with true piety. There are, however, no new revela- 
 tions promised : and there are, of course, none to be expected 
 by the Christian. His bible is sufficient to him as a rule 
 and a light. Satan, moreover, can readily suggest delusory 
 ideas; and those who trust in extraordinary suggestions re- 
 specting their personal piety, are generally subject to his 
 temptations. It should not be forgotten, that weak minds, 
 agitated highly by any important concern, are easily affected 
 by the imagination. It is not wise, then, to trust to those no- 
 tions which may have been occasioned by nervous affections, 
 as if they could certify the salvation of the soul. 
 
 I repeat it, Christians, the work of the Spirit bears witness. 
 17 
 
194 THE EVIDENCES OF TRUE RELIGION IN MAN. 
 
 Facts frequently speak more distinctly and more truly than 
 words. The Spirit of God seals believers, and leaves his 
 own impression upon them. He is " the earnest of our in- 
 heritance ;" and the earnest in possession is preferable to a 
 voice from heaven. By presenting the things of Christ, as 
 explained in divine revelation to the mind of man ; by com- 
 municating and cultivating spiritual life in the soul ; by in- 
 fluencing the understanding and the affections to holiness of 
 thought and of action ; and by rendering the grace which 
 he has given vigorous in its exercises, the Comforter works 
 out proof more decisive, more excellent, and more to be de- 
 sired than words : and thus, conducted by him, we draw near 
 to the High Priest of our profession in the full assurance of 
 eternal life in him. O believers, j^ou have a hope which 
 shall not make ashamed. Established upon an immutable 
 foundation, it must stand out the storm. Raise up your eyes 
 to the place, in which your Redeemer dwells on high, and 
 there fix your affections. Be not discouraged at your pains 
 and your trials : Let not even the magnitude of your personal 
 criminality occasion a doubt of his power to save. Conscious 
 of your self-abasement — of your entire dependence on the 
 righteousness of God our Saviour — of the sincerity of your 
 obedience to his revealed will — and of your joy in the excel- 
 lency of the covenant which is ordered in all things and sure, 
 you have the means of assurance, that the good work is com- 
 menced. You may, therefore, confident of your connexion 
 with that ransomed society, of which Christ is the Head, and 
 the Holy Ghost the animating Spirit, ascend the hill of 
 Zion, with songs — "Goodness and mercy shall follow me all 
 the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord 
 for ever." "Joined to the Lord and one spirit" with him. 
 " He will guide us with his counsel, and afterwards receive 
 us to glory." " We know that he dwelleth in us, and we in_ 
 him, because he hath given us of his Spirit." Amen. 
 
THE DUTY OF THOSE WHO HAVE NOT ASSURANCE. 195 
 
 THE DUTY OF THOSE WHO HAVE 
 
 NOT ASSURANCE. 
 
 SERMON VIII. 
 
 'sA. 1. 10. — Who is among you that feareih the Lord, that obey- 
 eth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and 
 hath no light 7 let him tmist in the naviie of the Lord, and 
 stay upon his God. 
 
 This exhortation was addressed, by Isaiah the son of 
 Amos, to the commonwealth of Israel, in a dark and disso- 
 lute ag-e. It is at this day, also, applicable to the professors 
 of religion in the Christian church. There are so many calls 
 upon our attention to the concerns of this world, that the best 
 interests of our souls are frequently altogether neglected ; and 
 always but partially understood and followed. Perplexed 
 with the multiplicity of their cares and employments ; af- 
 flicted, too, more or less, in body and in mind ] and distracted 
 by disappointments in business and in friendship, many good 
 men are occasionally left to darkness and despondence. It is, 
 therefore, to be expected, that among- the few, who attend on 
 public ordinances, there will be a large proportion of persons, 
 who have sometim.es doubted, and have reason to doubt, the 
 correctness of their own religious temper and conduct ; and 
 so call in question, the reality of their piety. It must also be 
 acknowledged, that no rules, laid down and applied by man, 
 can be relied upon as sufficient, in all cases, to detect and ex- 
 pose hypocrisy, or lead to assurance indiscreet, feeble, or de- 
 caying saints. Nevertheless, we use the means, in hopes of 
 the divine blessing ; and urge trust in God, as, at all times, 
 the duty and the refuge of the timorous, the needy, and tho 
 dependent — " Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that 
 obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, 
 and hath no light ? let him trust in the name of the Lord.^ and 
 stay upon his God." 
 
19.6 THE DUTY OF THOSE 
 
 In explaining these words, our attention is required ^rs'/, to 
 the character addressed^ and secondly, to the duty recommended^ 
 in the exhortation. 
 
 The character addressed is distinctly drawn. It is " a 
 child of light walking in darkness."* One that fcareth the 
 Lord and obcycth the voice of his servajit^ is one, who from a 
 principle of reverence for Jehovah, conscientiously submits to 
 the direction of his revealed will. It is one, who is in prin- 
 ciple and in practice a Christian. Obedience to the voice of 
 God's servants, as such, is obedience to himself; and the fear 
 of the Lord, which is productive of such obedience, is per- 
 fectly consistent with the highest exercises of faith and love. 
 The Old Testament phraseology more generally employs this 
 term, as expressive of true piety, than the New Testament ; 
 but even in the writings of the New Testament, filial fear, 
 as distinguished from servility and terror, is represented as a 
 proper principle of action in the worship of God. Where- 
 fore we, receiving a kingdom which cannot he moved, let us have 
 grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably, with reverence 
 and godly fear.] 
 
 The pious person, who fears God and keeps his command- 
 ments, according to the measure of grace given to him, is 
 represented in this instance as tvalking in darkness, and hav- 
 ing no light. 
 
 The ideas, which we are to connect with the well-known 
 words, darkness and light, must be determined by the con- 
 nexion in which they occur, both as to the kind and degree 
 of either the one or the other. Darkness may be partial or 
 total, and may be understood, either as it respects the natural 
 or the spiritual world. The scriptural use of this word, in 
 relation to personal religion, is perfectly coincident with the 
 common use of it, in relation to the concerns of life. Any 
 privation of information or of comfort may be denoted by the 
 word darkness. It is indeed employed, in the bible, to signify 
 ignorance, unbelief, depravity of heart and of manners, sin 
 in general, the grave, and even hell itself | When applied 
 to a pious man, a state of darkness indicates, that he is, at the 
 time, under those afflictions which produce deep perplexity 
 and sorrow. 
 
 * Many of my hearers are acquainted with an excellent treatise under 
 this title, by Mr. Thomas Goodwin. It is a work on experimental and 
 practical religion, which all who are religiously exercised may peruse 
 with profit. 
 
 t Heb. xii. 28. 
 
 t John iii. 19. Eph. v. 8. Col. i, 13. Job x. 22. Matt. xxii. 13. 
 
WHO HAVE NOT ASSURANCE. \^7 
 
 God, who is rich in mercy, does often, in his holy sov- 
 ereignty, leave his own children, whom he still loveth with an 
 everlasting love, to walk in darkness, deprived of the light 
 of religious consolation. To teach them the necessity of his 
 constant presence with them ; to chastise them for their trans- 
 gressions ; to make trial of their faith and their patience ; to 
 fit them for the work of comforting others who are in their 
 turn in afflictions ; and to promote his own glory in display- 
 ing the wisdom of his plans, and the. fulness of his covenant, 
 God leaves his own people, at times, to a disconsolate state of 
 mind. Poverty, disease, litigation, oppression, perplexity, the 
 loss of intimate friends and relations, doubts, disappointments, 
 errors in religion, actual transgressions, and the temptations 
 of the adversary, working with the corruptions of the human 
 heart, are permitted in the providence of God, to affect 
 Christians in various degrees of perturbation and sorrow, 
 until they icalk in darkness and have no light. Some such 
 condition is supposed to exist, in the text which I am ex- 
 plaining ; and to persons, in such a state, is the duty recom- 
 mended. Let him trust in the 7iame of the Lord^ and stay 
 upon his God. 
 
 I had a particular design in selecting these words for dis- 
 cussion. The subject of spiritual declension and desertion is 
 indeed important; and the Christian has need of understand- 
 ing both the nature and the causes of decay in personal reli- 
 gion ; and, also, the end for w^hich such decay is permitted 
 in divine Providence, to take place. Upon that subject, how- 
 ever, it does not comport with my plan, to enlarge in this dis- 
 course. I would only observe, that decaying Christians, who 
 stand in need of revival ; fainting Christians, w'ho stand in 
 need of being strengthened ; wandering Christians, who 
 stand in need of being restored to the path of righteousness, 
 all, are either shaken in the assurance of salvatian w^hich 
 they had before, or have not yet attained to a comfortable per- 
 suasion of the truth of their personal piety — they walk in 
 darkness. It is my design to point out the means of comfort 
 to them who are in such a state as this ; to show to them the 
 path of life as a shining light : for it is the object of this dis- 
 course, to exhibit 
 
 THE DUTY OF SUCH AS HAVE NOT ASSURANCE. 
 
 The duty immediately pointed out in the text, is faith in 
 the Lord Jesus Christ — " Let him trust in the name of the 
 
 17* 
 
198 THE DUTY OF THOSE 
 
 Lord, and stay upon his God ;" but in order to act believingly 
 in any particular case, it is necessary to know the several ex- 
 ercises of faith indicated by that case : therefore, in directing 
 those persons, who are in doubts of their interest in the salva- 
 tion of God, to trust in his name^ I feel myself not only al- 
 lowed, but required, by the subject under examination, to de- 
 scribe the following- exercises of an evang-elical disposition as 
 proper for your relief from perplexity. 
 
 They, who would obtain assurance, must lear7i to distin- 
 guish douUing of their own state from the sin of unhelief — ^5- 
 certain what is, in their own case, the cause of doubting — con- 
 tinue still in practical obedience to God — and go to him in the 
 direct exercise of faith in Jesus Christ. 
 
 I. Distinguish doubts of your own piety, from the sin of 
 unbelief 
 
 The indefiniteness of words, in every language, is some im- 
 pediment to discrimination and distinctness of thought. With 
 all the imperfection of our phraseology, however, and proba- 
 bly while we are ourselves imperfect, this evil will not find a 
 remedy, the humble inquirer after divine things, will ulti- 
 mately succeed in knowing what is truth. In common use, 
 the words believe and doubt convey opposite ideas ; for so far 
 as you doubt my veracity, you do not believe m.y words : 
 hence, it is not surprising, that, when these words are em- 
 ployed in regard to personal religion, it should be laid down 
 as a maxim, that he who is in doubt, has no faith. The man- 
 ner, moreover, in which some have spoken and written of 
 the subject of assurance itself, is such as to confound the dis- 
 tinction between that confidence with which the mind acts in 
 believing in Christ, and the confidence which is subsequently 
 derived from self-examination. In common concerns, men 
 of the least discernment — plain men, unaccustomed to reflec- 
 tion, constantly make a distinction, and perfectly understand 
 it, between the confidence with which they perform an ac- 
 tion, and the certainty that they have performed it : you all 
 know the difference, between the confidence with which you 
 took your seats in this church, and the assurance you now 
 feel that you are actually seated. Before you sat down, you 
 did believe, that the seat was strong enough to bear your 
 weight ; in sitting down, you were confident that it would 
 in fact bear your weight ; and, now, you know that you 
 are sitting thereon, and that it does bear you. It is a pity 
 that men, anxious to distinguish in matters of religion, should 
 have been so often perplexed by their public teachers upon 
 
WHO HAVE NOT ASSURANCE. 199 
 
 the subject of confidence or trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 Without faith, and before its exercise, men may know that 
 Christ is able to save all believers ; in the very act of believ- 
 ing, you trust that he will save you ; and, after having- com- 
 mitted your souls to him, by reflecting upon your faith, you 
 attain to n certainty, that you are now in a state of grace. 
 These are three distinct exercises of the human mind. The 
 Jirst is mere knowledge : the second is the confidence of 
 faith : the third is assurance of grace and salvation. 
 
 You will permit me to specify, in several instances, plaia 
 to every capacity, the difference between doubting of one's 
 personal religion, and an unbelieving rejection of divine 
 mercy. 
 
 1. Doubting^ respects ourselves ; and calls in question our 
 having already become subjects of divine grace : but unbelief 
 respects the Lord, and calls in question, either the reality of 
 divine things, or Christ's willingness and power to save them 
 that believe. 
 
 2. Doubting of our safety does no more than reject the 
 evidence which is furnished by our own minds ; an evi- 
 dence which is often very imperfectly delivered and re- 
 ceived : but, unbelief always rejects the testimony which. 
 God has given us of his own Son, and so, by contradicting 
 God, make him a liar, so far as the sinner has it in his 
 power. 
 
 3. Doubting of one's piety, may be at times both reasona- 
 ble and profitable ; for when a man has but a small measure 
 of grace, it may lead him to seek for more : but unbelief al- 
 ways against the word and the attributes of the God of our 
 salvation, is unreasonable, uprofitable, and impious. 
 
 4. Doubting of one's personal piety, often includes, not 
 only anxiety to be saved by divine grace, but also a sincere 
 desire to attain to an assured interest in the everlasting 
 covenant : but unbelief excludes the idea of love to the true 
 God, rejects the covenant of grace, and distinctly relin- 
 quishes the mercy which is offered in the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 5. Doubts are consistent, not only with sincere piety, but 
 also with progress in sanctification : but unbelief is the exer- 
 cise of a carnal mind — of an unregenerate heart. 
 
 6. Doubting of one's holiness, humbles under a sense of 
 sin, and produces penitence and sorrow: but, w7i5eZz>/ hardens 
 the heart into negligence or despair ; or exasperates the sin- 
 ner more and more against divine things. 
 
 Be careful, then, my brethren, if it should be your lot to 
 
200 THE DUTY OF THOSE 
 
 weep through the night, or to walk without the light of gospel 
 consolation, to distinguish doubts and jealousies in relation 
 to subjective grace, fron^ doubts relative to what God has de- 
 clared in his word, and placed obj cd I i-ch/ he fore you as worthy 
 of all acceptation. Let no man be so iar a self-deceiver as to 
 call his hardness of heart ; his negligence of experimental re- 
 ligion ; his contempt for the free offer of salvation in our 
 Lord Jesus Christ ; his aversion to the doctrines of the grace 
 of God, and to holiness in life and conversation — let no man 
 deceive himself by calling this obdurate and malevolent dis- 
 position of the soul towards God and godliness, by the soft 
 and delusive name of doubting a man's own piety. There is 
 here no room for doubting. You are certainly an unrenewed 
 sinner. You may be certain of your unbelief: and I say 
 unlo you unhesitatingly. Except ye repent, ye shall perish. 
 On the other hand, let no child of God, while he loves his 
 Father, and trembles for fear of offending him ; while he as- 
 sents to the truths of the gospel ; approves of its evangelical 
 exhibitions ; and desires an interest in the covenant of grace, 
 deprive himself, foolishly or peevishly, of the high and holy 
 hopes, of the abundant consolations of the gospel, by confound- 
 ing his own want of assurance, with the unbelief of the sin- 
 ner, and the despair of the damned. 
 
 II. Ascertain, with all diligence, the Cause of your own 
 doubts and uneasiness : for it is by understanding your dis- 
 ease, you will be qualified to apply the remedy provided in 
 the gospel of God. 
 
 It is very difficult, my dear hearers, to speak upon this 
 subject, or, indeed, upon any subject belonging to experimen- 
 tal religion, without considering those whom we address as 
 having some concern in the matter. Unbelievers rarely at- 
 tend to such discussions with an}'- other interest than what 
 arises from their regard to decency, or their respect for the 
 person and talents of the minister. Should they attend to 
 self-examination at all, it would only tend to disquiet their 
 consciences. It is not usual for the ungodly to be long or 
 frequently uneasy about the question. Am I in a state of grace 
 or not ? ThcT/ are not in trouble as other men ; neither are they 
 'plagued like other men. Pride compasseth them about as a 
 chain. Their fears and pains respect rather the natural evil 
 of sin, and the danger of final punishment, than the loss of 
 communion with God in the present life, or the want of that 
 spiritual-mindedness which indicates the renovation of the 
 Holy Ghost. Such of them as profess to have become the 
 
WHO HAVE NOT ASSURANCE. 201 
 
 subjects of conversion to God, are too well satisfied with their 
 own exercises and attainments, to suffer much despondence 
 on account of their sins, or to have their false confidence 
 shaken or destroyed. For there arc no bands in their death • 
 but their strength is firm. It is true, that God may honour his 
 own doctrine and ordinances, by accompanyino- discourses on 
 experimental religion with his Holy Spirit, for the conversion 
 of sinners, as well as for the comfort of weak believers though 
 we have no ground to expect that his grace shall be conferred 
 m concurrence with unsanctified endeavours. It is to be- 
 lievers, therefore, that we more immediately address the re- 
 marks made under this head. They are the persons described 
 in the text. " Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that 
 obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and 
 hath no light?" Let him ascertain the cause of his doubts 
 To every one who is sinking into despondence, I address 
 the words of our Lord, to his servant Peter, when sinkino- in 
 the sea of Tiberias, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou 
 doubt ? 
 
 _ Pious minds are liable to be affected by the common afflic- 
 tions of life ; and such is their infirmity, notwithstandino- their 
 piety, that they call in question their own state of o-race ° How 
 feelingly does an inspired man, Asaph, in the "zTth Psalm 
 describe this case : " My soul refused to be comforted I re- 
 membered God, and was troubled : I complained, and my 
 spirit was overwhelmed. I commune with mine own heart • 
 and my spirit made diligent search. Will the Lord cast off 
 for ever ? Will he be favourable no more ? Hath God for- 
 gotten to be gracious 1 hath he in anger shut up his tender 
 mercies? And I said, This is my infirmity." In such a 
 ease as this, it is important for you to know the cause of your 
 own doubts ; because confidence in God alone can preserve 
 from despondence in the midst of afflictions. Error Indo- 
 lence, Passions, Satan,— these are the principal cau'ses of 
 the behever's doubts and fears. When you have discovered 
 the immediate cause of your own distress, the remedy is of 
 more easy application. 
 
 1. Error causes darkness and doubt. Clear views of 
 divine truth is the preventive and the cure. 
 
 The opinion, however prevalent, that articles of faith have 
 little influence over the religion of the heart, is very incorrect. 
 In a philosophical point of view, nothing is more absurd than 
 to suppose that good affections can be exercised to as good a 
 purpose under the influence of ignorance and prejudice, as 
 
202 TIIE DUTY OF THOSE 
 
 under the guidance of intelligence and discernment. In the 
 light of Christianity, it is not only unreasonable, but impious, 
 to undervalue the doctrinal truths, which the Lord our Re- 
 deemer declared with his own lips, exemplified in his own 
 life, and sealed with his own blood. It is no less than abso- 
 lute contempt of the very work of the Holy Ghost, who in- 
 spired the prophets, and still enlightens the minds of redeemed 
 men, to place error, the work of Satan, upon the same footing 
 with the truths of God. The scriptures are profitable for 
 doctrine ; and religious knowledge is necessary to our faith 
 and our hopes, to our duties and our joys. It has been lament- 
 ed by the most judicious observers of Christian character, in 
 the present day, that too little attention is paid to objective re- 
 ligion : and yet, subjective religion cannot be sound or comfort- 
 able, if the word of truth be neglected or misunderstood in its 
 cultivation. Many have been misled by a partiality for great 
 excitement in the worship of God, to make a righteousness 
 within them of their own religious feelings, instead of looking 
 out of themselves to the Lord, who is made of God unto us, 
 both righteousness and redemption. Perhaps sincere Chris- 
 tians, too, in consequence of indistinct views of the economy of 
 grace, are occasionally elevated with unscriptural, and of 
 course delusory, enjoyment, and then cast down into perplexity 
 and fear. Alas ! there is in our own city, as well as in other 
 parts of the world, a great expenditure of feeling and exer- 
 tion unprofitable, because unaccompanied with correct dis- 
 coveries of evangelical doctrine. Few seem to be aware of 
 this precious truth — "that the first scriptural consolation re- 
 ceived by the believer arises from the gospel, and not from 
 reflecting on the feelings of his own mind towards it." The 
 public instruction given by inspired men, and the conversa- 
 tion, in vv'hich the saints according to the scriptures indulged, 
 respected more the sacred objects which excited sensibility, 
 than the good qualities of the emotions themselves which 
 were thus excited : and while these saints felt powerfully the 
 influences of the Holy Spirit, and expressed those feelings, 
 the doctrines and ordinances of evangelical religion princi- 
 pally commanded their attention, and always formed the be- 
 loved subject of their discourse. 
 
 No mere man is, notwithstanding, in this life, arrived at 
 perfection of Christian knowledge. The inspired writers 
 themselves, saw but in part, and prophesied but in part: 
 we all see as through a glass darkly : and very eminent 
 saints fell at times into despondence. Asaph was remark- 
 
WHO HAVE NOT ASSURANCE. 203 
 
 able for that sensibility which renders some men susceptible 
 alike of high delight, ond of exquisite anguish. He fre- 
 quently doubted ; he ascertained the cause ; and from the 
 doctrines of divine revelation he derived the cure. Thus my 
 Jieart was grieved^ and I was pricked in my reins. So 
 foolish teas I and ignorant ; I teas as a beast before thee. 
 Nevertheless I am continually ivith thee ; thou hast holden me 
 by my right hand. Thou shall guide me with thy counsel^ and 
 afterward receive me to glory. 
 
 Heman, the Ezrahiie^ in his doubts and fears, had re- 
 course to the God of all consolation for light and direction. 
 " O Lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night 
 before thee — My soul is full of trouble — Thou hast laid me 
 in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps. Thy wrath 
 lieth hard upon me — Lord, why castest thou off my soul? 
 Why hidest thou thy face from me ?" 
 
 Whatever, therefore, Christians, may be the kind of de- 
 spondence that overwhelms your spirits, examine whether it 
 be a mistake respecting the principles of objective religion, 
 that subjects you to sorrow. There is one class of mistaken 
 ideas, which I shall take the liberty of specifying — The ten- 
 dency in the human mind, imperfectly enlightened, to con- 
 found the doctrines of justification and sanctification^ is the 
 source of many errors. It is obvious to every man that there 
 is a distinction between them ; but when that distinction is 
 not clearly perceived and applied, there is a confusion of 
 ideas, which, if it does not lead to an abandonment of sound 
 doctrine, must unhappily affect Christian experience. Justi- 
 fication is an act of grace., wherein God pardons our sins, 
 and accepts our persons, for Christ's sake ; but sanctification 
 is a work of God's Spirit on the whole man, restoring us to 
 the image of God. Should any awakened sinner be directed 
 for peace of conscience to his own feelings, instead of being 
 led directly to the finished righteousness of the Lord Jesus, 
 it is evident, that in such a case, he must either remain com- 
 fortless, or derive hope from an unscriptural source, which 
 cannot yield permanent support.* 
 
 I shall only add, in confirmation of these remarks, that the 
 
 * Justification differs from sanctification, as much as condemnation dif- 
 fers from the work of corruption. Justification is an adjudication of the 
 believer to eternal Hfe for the merits of another. Sanctification is a 
 change of temper and of conduct, preparing the believer for the enjoy- 
 ment of the heavenly inheritance. In the one, righteousness is imputed : 
 in the other, the sinner is rendered holy. 
 
204 THE DUTY OF THOSE 
 
 Scriptures always direct those who are in doubts to the lig-ht 
 of truth for relief Arise, said the Lord, to his disconsolate 
 Israel, Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the 
 Lord is risen upon ihce. For behold, the darkness shall cover 
 the earth, and gross darkness the people : but the Lord shall 
 arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee* _ O 
 send out thy light and thy truth, said the mourning Psahnist, 
 when afraid of being cast off from his God ; let them lead 
 me ; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles. 
 Then will I go to the altar of God, unto God my exceeding 
 joy.] We have the testimony of the Redeemer himself in 
 proof of the assertion, that correct information is essential to 
 Christian liberty. Then said Jesus to those Jeios which be- 
 lieved on him. If ye continue in my 'word, then are ye my disciples 
 indeed ; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall malic 
 you free-X 
 
 2. Indolence, and consequent inattention to the due im- 
 provement of our talents, often occasions spiritual decline and 
 despondence. The remedy is found in vigilance and Chris- 
 tian activity. He giveth power to the faint ; and to them that 
 have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall 
 faint and be weo.ry, and the young men shall utterly fall ; Bid 
 they that loait upon the Lord shall renew their strength ; they 
 shall mount up vjiih icings as eagles ; they shall run, and not 
 be weary, and th^y shall walk, and not faint. ^ 
 
 Wisdom and goodness are equally conspicuous in the 
 formation of man. Every organ of his wonderfully consti- 
 tuted body, and every faculty of his more wonderful mind, is 
 made capable of improvement by proper activity ; and regu- 
 lar exercise is essential to both his improvement and useful- 
 ness. Life is valuable only by the employment of its 
 powers : it is not even known but by the exertion of the vital 
 principle. Indolence not only disqualifies for usefulness in 
 society; but also effectually precludes from enjoyment. In 
 order to show his own power and benevolence, and to pre- 
 serve the mind of man from cares numerous and complicated, 
 and not immediately connected with morals, God our Creator 
 and constant benefactor carries on a system of perpetual ac- 
 tion in our bodies. The vital organs perform their functions 
 independently of our will, generally without our knowledge, 
 and in many instances entirely beyond the reach of examina- 
 tion. The stomach acts upon its contents without waiting for 
 
 * Isa. Ixi. 1,2. t Psalm xliii. S, 4. 
 
 t John viii. 31, 3-2. § Isa. xl. 29, 31, 
 
WHO HAVE NOT ASSURANCE. 205 
 
 your directions ; and its several auxiliaries move with an ac- 
 curacy and an energy altogether beyond any thing affected 
 by the will of man. The process of respiration, too, com- 
 mencing at the birth, and unintermitted until we retire from 
 the world, is left only partially at our option, and that itself, 
 for purposes connected with our moral improvement, and per- 
 fectly distinct from the mere maintenance of the animal 
 economy. That admirable organ, which all languages have 
 called the seat of life and energy, the heart, acting by a 
 power independently of our volitions, propels the living trea- 
 sure, which nourishes and warms every other organ, to the 
 remotest part of the body, and through the most minute fibre 
 of this mortal frame. Thus the Creator leaves to man little 
 other control over the tide of life in his own body, than he 
 has over the ebbing and the flowing of the sea. 
 
 All nature is in action within us and around us ; and shall 
 we then be idle ? Having so many organs unweariedly em- 
 ployed in our service, without requiring, from us, any more 
 than a very general superintendency, the intellect, the con- 
 science, the affections, and volitions of men, are left to attend to 
 those concerns, which respect more immediately the improve- 
 ment and happiness of our intellectual and moral constitution. 
 The Christian religion, moreover, in bringing life and im- 
 mortality to light, hath set before us, in the most clear and 
 convincing manner, the folly of selling the soul for any 
 worldly enjoyments. Christians, realizing in the death of 
 Christ, in the sanctification of the Spirit, in the everlasting 
 love of God, and in the excellency of the purchased inherit- 
 ance, as well as from a consciousness of its own energies, the 
 value of the living soul, cannot need to be told, that it is both 
 unwise and ungrateful to leave its energies unemployed and its 
 faculties without improvement. The Redeemer hath taught 
 us, by the parable of the talents, both the sin and the danger 
 of indolence, and even of inattention to the exercise of our 
 powers, in the service of the Lord God. Believers cannot, 
 therefore, expect to lie at ease in Zion^ without giving oflfence 
 to their heavenly Father, and provoking him to withdraw 
 from them some portion of that comfort, which, in a course 
 of greater exertion and usefulness, they might calculate upon 
 enjoying. 
 
 The graces, moreover, in which the Spirit abounds to be- 
 lievers, are made manifest principally by their exercises ; and 
 if they remain without employment, in a quiescent state, they 
 languish ; they cease to be objects of consciousness ; and 
 
206 THE DUTY OF THOSE 
 
 doubts of their existence come like a dark cloud over the 
 mind. Great activity about the forms of religion is undoubt- 
 edly consistent with an unrenewed state ; for the Spirit that 
 worketh in the children of disobedience has no objections to 
 keep his servants employed : but a state of entire negligence 
 respecting the things of God is utterly inconsistent with the 
 life and power of godliness. 
 
 It is not the policy of Satan, or even the tendency of cor- 
 rupt nature, to induce the saints to live in total idleness. This 
 is so palpably opposite to the precepts and principles of true 
 religion, that the temptation would instantly be perceived and 
 resisted : but if professors are kept engaged so much about 
 the worldly business of religion, as leaves them little oppor- 
 tunity of studying the principles of evangelical doctrine ; if 
 they are kept so much in action about outward forms, as to 
 neglect the spirit of personal piety ; if they are hurried about 
 among the ordinances so as to prevent the reflection necessary 
 to profiting by any of them ; in a word, if an excitement be 
 kept up about their own feelings, v/ithout improvement in 
 knowledge or growth in grace, a man may, in the midst of 
 such activity, be* no more than an indolent Christian, if in- 
 deed, at all a subject of the grace of God. Spiritual activity 
 is that which improves the soul in hohness ; and which is op- 
 posed to the negligence that occasions fear and despondency. 
 Men may be very busy in what passes for religion in the 
 world, and be at the same time negligent of experimental god- 
 liness. A man may be even useful in promoting the good of 
 others, and be very deficient in attention to personal sanctifi- 
 cation. When the sympathies of social life have, from the 
 influence of example, of self-interest, or of party spirit, re- 
 ceived an ecclesiastical excitement, great exertion for the ex- 
 ternal concerns of Christianity may be found where there is 
 criminal remissness in relation to the power of godliness in 
 the heart — they made me the keeper of the vineyards ; but mine 
 own vineyard I have not kept. 
 
 Whatever may be the cause of slothfulness in the spiritual 
 life, it is certain that sloth is one of the causes of decline and 
 consequent despondence. By much slothfulness the building 
 decayeth ; and through idleness of the hands, the house droppeth 
 through ;* I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard 
 of the man void of understanding ; and lo, it was all grown 
 over with thorns — / looked upon it, and received instruction.^ 
 These general declarations are intended to apply to the con- 
 * Eccles. X. 18. t Prov. xxiv. 30—33 
 
WHO HAVE NOT ASSDRA^X■E. 207 
 
 cerns of piety, as much as to those of property. They of 
 course confirm our remarks. The same writer, Solomon the 
 son of David, in that elegant collection of conversations rela- 
 tive to experimental religion, which is called the Song- of 
 Songs, describes in several instances the gloomy effects of in- 
 dolence, and the happy success of religious diligence, in re- 
 establishing communion with God in the fine enjoyments of 
 spiritual consolation. 
 
 The pious mind, under the influence of partial indolence, 
 but still retaining its characteristic knowledge of the Lord, is 
 described, Song v. 2. I sleep, but my heart waketh. Even in 
 this state, the voice of the Shepherd, the true evangelical doc- 
 trine is understood and appreciated — it is the voice of my be- 
 loved thai knocketh, saying^ open to me, my sister^ my love, my 
 dove J my unclefilecl : for my head is filled with dew, and my 
 locks ivith the drops of the night. In despite of the condescen- 
 sion and love expressed, upon the Redeemer's part, to the be- 
 lieving soul, in these tender, these touching words, spiritual 
 indolence rejects the offered enjoyment, and makes a plausi- 
 ble but insincere apology, verse 3. / have put off my coat ; 
 hoio shall I p)ut it on ? I have washed my feet ; how shall I 
 defile them ? The omnipotence and the necessity of super- 
 natural grace, to give the ability of willing and of acting 
 aright to man, are acknowledged ; and the consequent incli- 
 nation of the heart to God is described in the fourth verse. 
 Diligent attention to the means of grace, accompanied with 
 the exercise of grace itself, is represented in the fifth verse, 
 as the effect of the Redeemer's hand extended for the revival 
 of the slothful. But, still, after the removal of the cause, the 
 effect of criminal indolence remains for some time, in painful 
 doubts and disappointments. Verse 5. I opened to my belov- 
 ed, but my beloved had unthdraivn himself and was gone : my 
 soul failed when he spake : I sought him, but I could not find 
 him ; I called him, but he gave me no ansicer. The certain 
 success, however, of that pious diligence, which by divine 
 grace is communicated for the purpose of enabling us to over- 
 come habits of negligence, is described in the third chapter. 
 By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth ; this 
 was in vain ; it was an indolent misguided pursuit. There is a 
 call for more vigorous exertion. The deserted heart then seeks 
 the Lord in the several ordinances of the sanctuary, and con- 
 verses with the pastors of the churches for relief: these ex- 
 ertions failed also, for a time, but not ultimately. The long- 
 ing soul passed through ordinances, and beyond ministers, to 
 
208 THE DUTY OF THOSE 
 
 the throne of grace, and succeeded to communion with God 
 and assurance of salvation. It loas but a little that I passed 
 from them^ hut I found hiin whom my soul loveth ; I held him 
 and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my 
 mother^s house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me. 
 
 Awake, then, from your sleep, and arise from your beds, 
 ye children of light, who are in present darkness and doubt ; 
 seek the Lord while he is to be found : Call upon him while 
 he is near. It is not proper that the negligent should enjoy 
 the transporting joys of religion. These cordials are freely 
 but wisely given to those who live near to the Most High in 
 purity of spirit. Would you have your doubts removed, and 
 your confidence in God augmented 1 Go to his throne, with 
 renovated vigour and increasing industry ; at evening-time it 
 shall be light. " And, besides this, giving all diligence, add 
 to your faith virtue ; and to virtue, knowledge ; and to know- 
 ledge, temperance ; and to temperance, patience ; and to pa- 
 tience, godliness ; and to godliness, brotherly kindness ; and 
 to brotherly kindness, charity. He that lackcth these things, 
 is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he 
 was purged fro7n his old sins. Wherefore, the rather, breth- 
 ren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure : 
 for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall : for so an en- 
 trance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the ever- 
 lasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."* 
 
 3. The passions, through the remaining corruptions of the 
 heart, often cause transgressions, and consequent doubts and 
 despondence. 
 
 The professors of religion, notwithstanding their regenera- 
 tion, generally retain, through life, the leading traits of their 
 mental character, as well as the distinguishing features of 
 their countenance. Although the mind is, more immediately 
 than the body, the subject of sanctification, yet the body itself, 
 also, is the temple of the Holy Ghost, and is consecrated to 
 God : and as the Spirit's influence upon the outward man, 
 does not affect the length and strength of the sinews and the 
 bones, nor destroy the natural arrangement or contour of the 
 muscles, neither docs it affect directly the extent of intellectual 
 capacity, the acuteness of our feelings, or the strength of our 
 passions. Diversities of genius and of temper appear in the 
 church, as much as in the world. It is hard to say, how far 
 the powers of the soul depend for their peculiarities, upon the 
 character of the instruments, by which they are brought to 
 *2Pet, i. 5—11. 
 
WHO HAVE NOT ASSURANCE. 209 
 
 feel and to act — the nerves and the muscles of the body : but 
 it is certain that there is some such influence in the human 
 constitution ; and so far as it goes, the work of regeneration 
 seems not to be designed for altering those phenomena of 
 mind, which naturally depend upon our bodily organization, 
 any more than for altering that organization itself Religion 
 undoubtedly sanctifies the whole man ; and must, in its prog- 
 ress towards perfection, shed a benign influence over the 
 temper of the heart, as well as over the understanding and 
 the conscience : but as the good w^ork is not completed in 
 any until the day of the Lord, and as it is in many scarcely 
 perceptible, passions are frequently indulged, which prove 
 the means of plunging the soul into perplexity and sorrow. 
 
 It is a matter of common remark, that the passions have 
 great influence upon the opinions and the actions of men. 
 This influence extends equally to religious men. Agreeable 
 passions prepossess the mind in favour of their own objects j 
 and disagreeable passions produce a prejudice against them. 
 When it is considered, that there is, in every man, a tendency 
 to justify his own emotions, as well as his actions — that the 
 association of our ideas depends in a great measure upon the 
 disposition — that the importance attached to the notions, 
 which are at any time indulged, is in proportion to the im- 
 pression which is made on the heart more than to the force 
 of the argument — and that mere abstract opinions are fre- 
 quently the result of very complicated views, and therefore 
 slight and wavering, we shall not be surprised that our pas- 
 sions should have so great agency in the formation of our 
 opinions and sentiments. 
 
 The passions also influence our conduct. " The actions 
 of men are those exertions w-hich are consequent upon their 
 volitions. The primary sources of our activity, therefore, 
 are the circumstances that influence the will. Of these there 
 are some which make a part of our constitution, and which 
 on that account are called active principles.^^* It is to these 
 active powers, excited beyond the bounds of moderation, that 
 the term passions is usually applied ; and it is, in this gen- 
 eral acceptation of the term, including the passion of resent- 
 ment, that I now employ this word. " When passion of any 
 kind is excited, a sensible agitation or commotion of the body 
 is produced ; our reason is disturbed ; we lose, in some mea- 
 sure, the power of self-command, and are hurried to action 
 by an almost irresistible impulse."* A knowledge of the 
 * Outlines of Moral Philosophy, by Dugald Stewart. 
 18* 
 
210 THE DUTY OF THOSE 
 
 influence of the passions upon the belief and the behaviour 
 of men, is of use to those who reason with others in order to 
 carry conviction or produce persuasion : it is of use in the 
 study and the practice of the fine arts, as well as in the com- 
 mon and political concerns of social life ; and it is still more 
 useful to him who strives to live with a conscience void of of- 
 fence towards God and towards man. 
 
 When appetites, desires, or affections, under corrupt ex- 
 citement, usurp the control over the conduct of a Christian, 
 for however short a time, the passion is at war with pious 
 principle ; impels to criminal action : and at last, after pro- 
 ducing its mischievous effects, ends in remorse, often accom- 
 panied with great horror. Not only do sudden gusts of pas- 
 sion oppose the progress of the soul in sanctification ; but 
 also those lusts of the flesh,. which have acquired force by 
 habitual indulgence, and which, of course, give character to 
 man, prevent the progress of spirituality, and render many, 
 of naturally strong minds, mere children in understanding, 
 and in the practice of godliness. / beseech you., therefore^ 
 dearly beloved^ as strangers and pilgrims, abslain from flesh 
 LY LUSTS which war against the soul. .A?no?ig ichom we also 
 had our conversation in times jxist, in the lusts of our flesh., 
 fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. This 
 I say then.. Walk in the Spirit.^ and ye shall not fulfil the 
 LUST of the flesh : For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, 
 and the Spirit against the flesh : and these are cojitrary the 
 one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye 
 would.* 
 
 When a Christian is left so far to himself, and to the 
 temptations of the world, as to indulge frequentl}^ or habitu- 
 ally those fits of extravagant passion that agitate the body, 
 unsettle reason, stifle conscience, and impel to inconsiderate 
 
 . * 1 Pet. ii. U. Eph. ii. 3. Gal. v. IG, 17. The lust referred to in 
 these texts, is sironf^ desire. KmOvnia is any powerful emotion or passion 
 of the mind. 9r/;oj itself, from Ovw " to move impetuously," .signifies both the 
 mind in action, and any temporary or sudden appetite or desire rising into 
 passion. Strong desire may exist for a good, as well as for a bad object; 
 and is used in Scripture in both cases. IJohn ii. IG. Luke xxii. 15. 
 And yet, extravagant desire, or passion, simply considered, is represented 
 by the Apostle Paul, Rom. vii. 7. as sin discovered and condemned by 
 the law^ of God. Lust, appetite, or desire, become so powerful in impel- 
 ling to action, that man is unable to do what he would otherwise feel in- 
 clined to perform — Yc cannot do the tJdns^s that ye icovhl. The passion, 
 which governs the will, instead of leaving it to be directed by wisdom 
 and piety, in its exercise, is criminal. Of this kind are. Avarice, AmbV' 
 tion, Emulation, Anger, Grief Fear, Jealousy, and Love. 
 
WHO HAVE NOT ASSURANCE. 211 
 
 action, it cannot be expected that he will retain very distinct- 
 ly on his spirit, the holy impressions of divine truth. Nay, 
 if a man be habitually ambitious, avaricious, or vain of 
 worldly applause, his meditations of God cannot be frequent 
 or sweet, nor the graces of the Spirit much in exercise. The 
 soul cannot attend to more than one object at once. How 
 can you indulge in wrath against a neighbour, a master, or 
 a servant, at one moment, and rejoice in the mercy and the 
 grace of God, on the next ? How can you indulge in ex- 
 travagant grief for the losses incurred here, and look, at the 
 same time, by faith, to the riches of eternity? How can the 
 avaricious reconcile the love of the world with the love of 
 God? How can the vain, and the ambitious man, expect to 
 maintain communion with the Holy One of Israel? Be not 
 deceived, brethren, you cannot enjoy the unclouded pros- 
 pects of heavenly felicity, and indulge yourselves in the lusts 
 of the flesh, the lusts of"^the eye, and the pride of life. You 
 ire not to look for the comforts of assurance, among those 
 professors of religion, who have not grace sufficient to rule 
 heir own spirits, and triumph over their own corrupt incli- 
 nations and passions. 
 
 4. Satan is the principal cause of those doubts and fears, 
 into which the saints are sometimes reduced ; and resistance 
 to his exertion is the means of assurance. 
 
 This enemy of truth and righteousness, where he cannot 
 destroy, endeavours to disturb. We are 7iot ignorant of his 
 devices. He is intelligent, industrious, malicious, and power- 
 ful — " the god of this world, the prince of the power of the 
 air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobe- 
 dience." He is the accuser of the brethren, to God and to 
 their own consciences ; and he succeeds, in many instances, 
 if not to bring the saints into despair, at least to diminish 
 their comfort. God, in his providence, permits him to try 
 us, as in the case of Job ; to buffet some, as in the case of the 
 apostle Paul ; and to keep, through the fear of death, others 
 in a state of mental bondage, until the Lord our Redeemer 
 take the prey from his hands, and administer deliverance. 
 The excommunicated person was given over into his hand for 
 temporary torture.* Those who by transgression merit the 
 censures of the church, whether they be inflicted or not, are 
 often held by him for a time in durance. The self-confident 
 and the vain, are placed under his power, in order to learn 
 humility and modesty by a painful experience. He takes 
 * 1 Cor. V. 5. 
 
212 THE DUTY OF THOSE 
 
 advantage of the bodily diseases of the saints, making- the 
 weak and the hypochondriacal to doubt of their own safety. 
 He mingles his influence with the natural sorrow of the 
 mourner, from whatever cause : he assails the feeble in the 
 hour of death ; he pours out his fury through the fever that 
 occasions phrensy : ignorance, error, indolence, inexperience, 
 convictions for sin, a sense of personal demerit, shame, per- 
 secution, and passions, are all observed and improved by 
 this enemy, who goeth about as a roaring lion, seeking 
 whom he may devour. He will strive to harden your hearts, 
 so as to make light of sin ; and if he fail in the attempt, he 
 will transform himself into an angel of light, that he may ad- 
 minister opiates which shall lull the soul into repose, or lead 
 you to trust in something different from the grace of God : 
 and should he fail in all endeavours to blind your minds, 
 that you should not believe, he will cast your sins in your 
 teeth ; turn your own confessions against you ; magnify your 
 transgressions above the power of grace to save you ; and so 
 lead you to the dungeon in which dwell the furies, that you 
 may be tortured with the apprehensions of eternal burnings. 
 The subtlety of this fallen angel ; the untenderness of this 
 minister of cruelty ; the boldness of this impious rebel against 
 the government of God ; and the daring blasphemy which 
 he suggests to the troubled spirit against divine truth, are 
 the means of distinguishing his efforts in producing despair, 
 from the natural emotions of your own minds. He studies 
 your temper, he observes your condition, he watches your 
 pursuits, he understands your pleasures, he practises upon 
 your connexions, in business, in domestic retirement, in the 
 church, and in political society, if by any means he may 
 diminish your happiness and your usefulness, and augment 
 your misery. 
 
 Resist, O my brethren, this adversary. Yield not to his 
 assertions an attentive ear. He is the father of lies ; the 
 enemy of you and your God. Fear him not. His head is 
 bruised by the power of the Son of man. It remains for you 
 to call upon your God, and to push the victory. Behold the 
 cross upon which your sins are expiated. The blood of 
 the covenant, by which we are sanctified, flows from the Re- 
 deemer's side, to cleanse you from all iniquity. In that hour 
 of suffering, the King of saints destroyed the power of the 
 king of terrors — spoiling principalities and powers, he made 
 a show of them openly. Why then should the gospel hearer 
 despair? A light bursts forth from the bloody Calvary, that 
 
WHO HAVE NOT ASSURANCE. 213 
 
 shines upon the habitations of Zion ; and the children of 
 light need not continue to walk any longer in darkness. 
 Let them trust in the name of the Lord. Forasmuch as the 
 children are partakers of Jlesh and bloody he also himself like- 
 wise took part of the same ; that through death he might de- 
 stroy him that had the power of deaths that is, the devil ; and 
 deliver them toho through fear of death^ zvcre all their lifetime 
 subject to bondage. 
 
 III. In pointing out the duty of Christians, who have not 
 the assurance of salvation, I must not omit. Steadfast continu- 
 ance in practical obedience to all the commandments. 
 
 It is taken for granted in my text, that although it may be 
 the lot of a good man sometimes to walk in darkness, he will 
 still continue to fear and to obey his God. " Who is among 
 you that fearcth the Lord, that obeycth the voice of his servant .<"' 
 is an interrogation which includes this principle : and upon 
 this principle the direction which I now give is founded. 
 Continue, even in your disconsolate state, to fear and to obey, 
 and you will find in due time, light poured out upon youi 
 path. God hath assured us, that mito the upright.^ there ariseth 
 light in the darkness :* and unto them that fear him, he hath 
 promised illumination, and health, and growth unto perfec- 
 tion — Unto you that fear my ?ia7ne, shall the Son of righteous- 
 ness arise, with healing in his toings ; and ye shall go forth, 
 and groio up as calves of the stall.] — " Having, therefore, 
 these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from all pollution, 
 perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord." 
 
 I know that the desponding Christian has a mode of rea- 
 soning, which serves to exclude the consolation which such 
 promises bring. By the same argument which makes him 
 think that he is not a Christian, he persuades himself to dis- 
 trust the promise. Thus he reasons. There is no reward 
 promised to the doings of the unregenerate : I am not a sanc- 
 tified man ; therefore there is no blessing promised to me. 
 
 It is necessary to meet this objection ; and to show to you, 
 also, that whether I can satisfactorily obviate it or not, the 
 course of conduct, which I recommend, is your duty. 
 
 Perfect obedience to the divine law is the duty of every 
 man. What the law saith, it saith to them that are under the 
 law. And of course, every one, who is a subject of moral 
 obligation at all, is subject to it in all its extent. The law is 
 satisfied with nothing short of perfection, in disposition, in 
 thought, in word, and in deed, in every period of life and 
 ♦ Psalm cxii. 4, t Mai. iv. 2. 
 
214 THE DUTY OF THOSE 
 
 without intermission. It is commonly said by those, who 
 are averse from urging on the unregenerate, the use of the 
 means of grace, that there is no blessing promised in concur- 
 rence with the doings of the unregenerate : and they assign 
 as the reason, that God looketh at the heart : and that he is 
 displeased with its depravity — that God is lioly, and cannot 
 of course be pleased with what is unholy. Far be it from 
 me, to dispute this truth. God forbid that I should ever teach 
 any of my fellow-sinners to believe, for a moment, that God 
 is satisfied with outward obedience, while the heart is at en- 
 mity with himself, and with his law. Upon the contrary, I 
 not only embrace the proposition, that God does not bless the 
 deeds of unregenerate men with a reward expressive of such 
 satisfaction ; but I extend the general principle, that he is 
 displeased with every thing which falls short of perfection in 
 holiness. It is not of works, that we are saved or blessed, 
 otherwise grace would no more be grace. Neither the works 
 of the regenerate, nor the works of the unregenerate, give 
 satisfaction to the Lawgiver ; for neither the one nor the 
 other extends to the whole obligation, under which God hath 
 placed his creatures. By grace alone, free grace, we are 
 saved ; and every blessing of salvation is a gift of grace, and 
 in nowise promised or bestowed o?i account of any goodness in 
 our deeds, either before, or after the new and second birth. 
 All is of FREE GRACE to US, through our Lord Jesus Christ: 
 for grace reigns, not only in the origin, but also in the prog- 
 ress of the Christian life. Grace reigns through righteousness^ 
 unto eterna llife, by Jesus Christ our Lord. It is not a fact 
 that our obligation to perfection is diminished by regenera- 
 tion ; or that sincerity is admitted as a substitute for perfec- 
 tion. We do not make void the law through grace, " God 
 forbid ! we establish the law." 
 
 In vain you are told by those who convert the grace of 
 God into a system of licentiousness, that faith without works is 
 the living faith, through which we are justified and saved: 
 Faith without works is dead. It is equally in vain, you arc 
 told, that love without works, is the fulfilling of the law : 
 for this is the love of God, that ye keep his commandments. 
 It is not a bare good ivill to any being, or to all being, that 
 the scriptures recommend, or the Holy Ghost pours upon the 
 heart, as the love of God. Never was there a more happy 
 invention of the father of lies, than to reduce the love of God 
 to a speculative idea, of mere good will to general being. The 
 love of God is an active principle. It is a propensity of the 
 
WHO HAVE NOT ASSURANCE. 215 
 
 heart towards God and godliness — a principle which impels 
 to action : for it constrains us, by influencing tjje will, to act 
 agreeably to the light of divine revelation. It seeks the vision 
 of God, the enjoyment of God, and the glory of God, through 
 our Lord Jesus Christ. Neither faith nor love opposes the 
 principles of moral obligation ; neither the one, nor the other 
 can be admitted as a substitute for perfection in holiness. 
 They are both gifts of the grace of God, and both parts of the 
 duty required of man. Sincerity, and love, and hope, and 
 repentance, and indeed, every holy exercise of mind, or state 
 of mind, is approved of God, as his own work within us ; 
 and to each of them, as well as to faith, is the promise of, not 
 only some particular blessing, but of entire salvation with all 
 its blessings, graciously made on account of Christ's merits ; 
 not on account of our goodness. These graces are the evi- 
 dence of our union to Christ in the covenant of promise ; and 
 of course, of our title to what God hath promised in that cov- 
 enant. The promises of the covenant of grace are made from 
 all eternity to Christ our head, and in him to all the elect as 
 his seed.* For all the promises of God in him, are yea, and in 
 him, amen, unto the glory of God by us.-\ 
 
 Permit me now to place before you, in distinct propositions^ 
 the several principles involved in this discussion. You may 
 judge of their truth one by one. Examine for yourselves, 
 in the light of revealed truth. " I believed, therefore have I 
 spoken :" but let your faith rest not on the wisdom of man, 
 but on the power of God. Prove all things, hold fast that 
 Avhich is good. 
 
 1. Obedience to the revealed will of God, is the duty of 
 those who doubt their own personal piety, as much as it is the 
 duty of those who have obtained assurance. It is the duty 
 
 * So say the Scriptures. Tit. i. 2. Eternal life, which God, that cmv- 
 not lie, promised before the toorld began. This is the promise of the cove- 
 nant, and is coextensive with the covenant: therefore it is called the 
 covenant of promise. Gal. iii. 16. Now to Abraham and his seed were 
 the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many ; but as of 
 one. And to thy seed, which is Christ. 
 
 In this sense, ail the churches of the Reformation understand the doc- 
 trine of the evangelical promise. Take for example the Catechism of the 
 Presbyterian Churches. Larger Cat. Quest. 31. The covcnajit of 
 grace toas made icilh Christ, the second Adam, and in him, with all 
 THE ELECT as his Seed. 32. The grace of God is manifested in the sec- 
 ond covenant, in that he freely promiseth and giveth his Holy Spirit to 
 ALL HIS ELECT, to ico^'k in them that faith icith all other saving graces. 
 
 t2Cor. i. 20. 
 
216 THE DUTY OF THOSE 
 
 of all men to obey God, perfectly. Be ye therefore perfect^ 
 eve?i as your Father tohich is in heaven is perfect* 
 
 2. No human obedience whatsoever, can now deserve any 
 portion of happiness whatsoever, from the Lord. The great- 
 est perfection of man, cannot entitle to the least of God's 
 mercies : much less can the imperfect holiness of man make 
 our title to the greatest happiness — even eternal life. " Grace 
 stands in opposition to works : all works, whether they be 
 called works of the law, or works of the gospel ; exercises 
 of the heart, or actions of the life ; done while we remain 
 unregenerate, or when we become regenerate ; they are all 
 and equally set aside in this great affair ;t adjudication to eter- 
 nal life. " We shall be saved. But toe are all as an unclean 
 thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. Not by 
 works of righteousness which we have done., but according to 
 his mercy he saved us. So likewise ye, when ye shall have 
 done all those things which are commanded you., say, we are 
 unprofitable servants : we have done that which was our duty 
 to do."t 
 
 3. Promises of happiness are made to holiness ; and an 
 appropriate promise to every holy exercise. This is the fact. 
 The reason ivhy it is so, is not that God is put under obli- 
 gation by the work of man — not that he is bound by any com- 
 pact to reward human merit : for the covenant of works is 
 broken ; and its penalty or curse, alone remains in force, 
 since the condition is violated, and the promise forfeited. I 
 give you the reasons. First., It is a law of God's moral gov- 
 ernment, that the holy, and none but the holy, shall be happy. 
 The promise predicts this future fact. Secojidly, The exer- 
 cise of grace, is evidence of an interest in Christ ; and the 
 promise addressed to the sign of our union to Christ is in- 
 tended for the thing signified : for God has bound himself by 
 covenant to give grace in Jesus Christ, for his righteousness 
 sake, to all that are by Mih joined to him.^ 
 
 * Matth. V. 48. 
 
 t Hervky, quoted with approbation, both by Mr. Sandeman, and Mr. 
 Andrew Puller. In such an important truth, it is pleasing to see men, of 
 otherwise different opinions, agree. 
 
 i Isa. Ixiv. 5. 6. Tit. iii. 5. Luke xvii. 10. 
 
 § "The obedience of a Christian, so far as it is truly evangelical, has 
 all relation to Christ, the Mediator, and is but an expression of the soul's 
 believing union to Christ. All evangelical works are works of that faith, 
 that worketh by love; and every such act of obedience, is only a new ef- 
 fective act of reception of Christ and adherence to the glorious Saviour. 
 That proposition may be a truth, that he that obeys shall be saved ; be- 
 cause obedience and salvation are connected together in fact ; and yet an 
 
WHO HAVE NOT ASSURANCE. 217 
 
 " Blessed are they that do his commandments. And in 
 keeping of them, there is great reward. Holiness becometh 
 thine house, O Lord, for ever. But unto every one of us is 
 given grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 
 That ye put on the new man, which after God, is created in 
 righteousness and true holiness. Moreover, I will make a 
 covenant of peace with them : it shall be an everlasting cove- 
 nant : and the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanc- 
 tify Israel."* 
 
 4. Christians, although not ass2ired of their own salvation, 
 hav^e, notwithstanding, a certaiji interest in ther.e promises. 
 The promises are in Christ, yea and amen ; and if you are, 
 in fact, in Christ, whatever may be your doubts and fears, all 
 things are yours. The promises predict blessings to those 
 who have grace, and are not limited to the consciousness of 
 having it : — They shall all be accomplished because God is 
 true ; and therefore they that wait on the Lord shall renew 
 their strength. " For thus saith the high and the lofty One, 
 that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy ; I dwell in the 
 high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and 
 humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive 
 the heart of the contrite ones. For I will not contend for 
 ever, neither will I be always wroth : for the spirit should fail 
 before me, and the souls which I have made. I have seen 
 his ways, and will heal him ; I will lead hint also, and restore 
 comforts unto him. 1 create the fruit of the lips; Peace, 
 peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the 
 Lord ; and I will heal him. I will not leave you comfort- 
 less : I will come to you. At that day ye shall know that I 
 am in the Father, and ye in me, and I in you."t 
 
 5. The doctrine of Christ gives relief to the conscience 
 irrespective of any consciousiicss of a change by regeneration. 
 " The very first scriptural consolation, received by the be- 
 
 acccptance to a title to salvation, not be granted upon the account of our 
 obedience. What is a promise, but a declaration of a future truth, for 
 the comfort and encouragement of the person to whom it is declared % 
 Promises may rationally be made to signs and evidences of faith ; and 
 yet the thing promised not be upon the account of the sign, but the thing 
 signified. Promises of particular benefits implied in justification and sal- 
 vation, may especially be fully made to such expressions of faith as they 
 have a peculiar suitabfencss to : as forgiveness to a forgiving spirit, and 
 mercy to the merciful — and this not be at all to the prejudice of the doc- 
 trine we have maintained." — Edwards on Justification. 
 
 * Rev. xxii. 14. Psalm xix. 11. and xciii. 5. Eph. iv. 7 — 24. Ezek. 
 xxxvii. 23. 
 
 + Isa. Ivii. 15—19, and John xiv. 18, 20. 
 19 
 
218 THE DUTY OF THOSE 
 
 liever, arises from the gospel itself, and not from reflecting- on 
 the feelings of his own mind towards it ;" and the consolation 
 of desponding Christians is derived, not so much from an ex- 
 amination of their own faith, as from beholding by faith the 
 Lord their Redeemer, manifesting himself unto them. " Je- 
 sus answered and said unto him, If a m.an love me, he will 
 keep my words : and my Father will love him, and we will 
 come unto him, and make our abode with him. Peace I 
 leave with you, my peace I give unto you : Not as the world 
 giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, nei- 
 ther let it be afraid. Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, 
 neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labour of the olive shall 
 fail, and the fields shall yield no meat ; the flock shall be 
 cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: 
 yet I will rejoice in the Lord ; I will joy in the God of my 
 salvation."* 
 
 If these principles be correct, brethren, the mourner in 
 Zion is bound in duty to himself and to his God, to continue 
 in the practice of religion. God's statutes are obligatory 
 upon you, whatever you may think of your own un worthi- 
 ness. This is the method appointed by your Redeemer for 
 giving relief to the afllicted. In this way many have ob- 
 tained relief, and have been led to sing a new song, like Da- 
 vid in the fortieth Psalm. I waited patiently for the Lord, 
 and he inclined ujUo me, and heard my cry. He brought me 
 lip also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, a7id set my 
 feet upon a rock, and established my goings. Aiid he hath 
 put a neiu song in my 7nouth, even praise unto our God. 
 
 IV. Let him that now doubts of his own safety, believe in- 
 stantly in the Lord Jesus Christ, and be saved. 
 
 This is my last direction. It is the way to put an end to 
 doubting. Come now, whatever you have done before, to the 
 Lord our Redeemer, for pardon and for peace. This is the 
 precept of my text — Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and 
 stay upon his God. 
 
 iV(2?wc5 distinguish one thing from another. A man's name 
 is that by which he is known. The name of the Lord, of 
 course, denotes himself as revealed to us. The clearest revela- 
 tion is in Christ Jesus, the image of the invisible God : and 
 the Lord our Redeemer, is, therefore, the name, as well as the 
 WISDOM, and the word of God. Exod. xxiii. 21. My name 
 is in him. Jer. xxiii. 6. In his days Judah shall be saved, 
 
 * John xiv. 21, 27. Habak. iii. 17, 18. 
 
WHO HAVE NOT ASSURANCE. 219 
 
 and Israel shall dwell safely ; and this is his name whereby 
 he shall be called, The Lord our Righteousness. 
 
 In this name the afflicted and disconsolate are directed to 
 trust. " To trust" in any thing, is to depend upon it with a 
 confident persuasion that it will answer the purpose to which 
 it is applied. To " trust in the name of the Lord," is firmly 
 to expect that he will protect us in time and through eternity, 
 in correspondence with his own perfections, his relation to 
 us, and his holy w^ord. 
 
 To stay ujjoii^ signifies to lean upon one for support, with 
 confidence that it shall not be withheld. The desponding is 
 here directed to depend for support upon God as his God. 
 The personal pronoun Ai^, denotes a peculiar interest. My 
 God, your God, his God, like my people, his people, all refer, 
 in scriptural phraseology, to the covenant connexion between 
 God and Israel. It is the language of appropriation. The 
 tenor of the everlasting covenant is. They shall be my people^ 
 and I will be their God. To " stay upon his God " is, of 
 course, to depend upon God according to the covenant of 
 grace. The import, therefore, of this precept is, If any of 
 you should be in trouble, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 trusting in him for all the purposes to be accomplished by the 
 covenant of grace — Commit yourselves to him with confi- 
 dence that you in so doing shall be saved. 
 
 This is the last and the most important injunction to be 
 laid upon those who have not assurance. To exercise faith 
 in the Lord our Redeemer, is the first and the last duty of 
 man under the gospel. It is the duty of every one that hears 
 the gospel, at all times, and under all circumstances. This 
 is his commandment^ by way of eminence, that ye believe in 
 his Son whom he hath sent. In vain will you have examined 
 yourselves, unless self-examination issue in the exercise of 
 faith. The light of the recollection of former experience, 
 and of previous enjoyment, will, for the present, aflbrd no 
 profit, without grace be at the time in exercise, leading you 
 to a believing application of the promises of God to the soul : 
 and however sensible you are of former failures and of pres- 
 ent guilt, however you may doubt of the piety of your past 
 life, the present exercise of faith in God and in Christ is im- 
 mediate relief from trouble and anguish- Let not your hearts 
 be troubled., ye believe in God., believe also in me. 
 
 Approach then, ye " who walk in darkness, and have 
 no light:" for Christ is the light of the world. Behold 
 him in the glory of his own perfections and doctrines. Ha 
 
220 THE DUTY OF THOSE 
 
 is " the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the 
 world." Believe in the Lord Jesus Christy and thou shall be 
 saved. Do you labour to obtain assurance of salvation ? 
 Trust in him ; for these things were written expressly for 
 your use — that ye may know that ye have eternal life. Do 
 you apprehend that you have never yet believed to the saving 
 of the soul? Trust in him, who is at this moment inviting- 
 you to come unto him, that you may find rest. It is high 
 time that you should now commit your soul to him who alone 
 can save to the uttermost. Do you feel the assurance of your 
 personal title to the kingdom of God in Christ ? Trust in 
 him: Again believe, and continue in the exercise of faith; 
 for of you it is required — yea, it is expected that your very 
 assurance will lead to new and vigorous exercises of the 
 faith of God's elect. These things have I written unto you 
 THAT BELIEVE on the name of the Son of God, that ye may 
 
 KNOW THAT YE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE, and that YE MAY BELIEVE 
 
 on the name of the Son of God.* 
 
 The most ready way of attaining to that state of comfort- 
 able enjoyment, which is so desirable to all who are sensible 
 of their iniquities, is to approach, according to divine direction, 
 the source of all consolation, without hesitation and without de- 
 lay. " Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace.,\ 
 that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of 
 need." It is thus, that faith itself acts with full assurance ; 
 and independently of a retrospect of our own feelings, we 
 become free of all doubt at the time, and in the very act of 
 believing, have a full expectation of eternal life. " Having 
 therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the 
 blood of Jesus — Let us draw near with a true heart in full 
 
 ASSURANCE OF FAITH. "J 
 
 Nothing is more plainly and frequently declared in the 
 word of God than the duty, the importance, and the neces- 
 sity of faith in Jesus Christ. All professed Christians ac- 
 knowledge this ; and no one will deny, that true faith is ne- 
 cessary in our justification before God. However different 
 and opposite the opinions of men relative to the nature of 
 saving faith, all will acknowledge that it is necessary in some 
 sense or other to the salvation of the sinner. " He that be- 
 lieveth not shall be damned," is too unequivocal an expres- 
 sion to be flatly denied by any one, who receives the New 
 Testament as a divine revelation. 
 
 Seeing, however, that I urge as the last and greatest duty 
 ♦ John V. 13. t Heb. iv. 16. J Heb. x. 16—21. 
 
WHO HAVE NOT ASSURANCE. 221 
 
 of doubting Christians, to put their " trust in the name of the 
 Lord," I feel myself compelled lo explain, more particularly, 
 the nature of the faith recommended. I would have you to 
 knoAV what it is, that is required of you, when you are sum- 
 moned to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. I would have 
 you to know, what it is you do^ in believing in him. Unless 
 you know what is required, how can you perform it ? how 
 can you ascertain afterwards that you now believe, unless you 
 are capable of distinguishing this act of the renewed soul 
 from all other acts or exercises ?* 
 
 In order " to escape the wrath and curse of God due to us 
 for sin, God requireth of us faith in Jesus Christ." He re- 
 quireth of us, to " receive and rest upon him alone for salva- 
 tion, as he is offered to us in the gospel." With these words, 
 brethren, you are familiar from your infancy. You were 
 taught to repeat them by your parents ; and you teach them 
 to your children ; and long may the whole form of sound 
 Avords, of which they are a part, be had in remembrance by 
 the Churches. In the quotation I made from the Shorter 
 Catechism, are the following principles, explanatory of the 
 duty of believing to the saving of the soul. 
 
 1. It is in order to escape God's wrath and curse due 
 to us for sin, that faith is enjoined as a duty upon any in- 
 dividual. 
 
 There are, it is true, other ends to be answered by believ- 
 ing ; there are other consequences for the glory of God and 
 the good of men to resuk from it : there are other motives to be 
 
 * The doctrine of faith admits of very extensive discussion. The 
 place which it occupies in the economy of the covenant of grace, as the 
 gift of God, on the behalf of Christ, worked in fallen men by the Holy 
 Ghost, communicated by the exalted Lord of the covenant, and carried 
 on in all its exercises by the Author and Finisher of it; and the influence 
 which it has in uniling us to Christ for jusLificaiion, in living in Christ 
 for sanctification, and in repelling the fiery darts of the adversary, furnish 
 a subject of profitable contemplation. To distinguish " the faith of God's 
 elect" from counterfeits ; to distinguish saving faith from historical belief 
 — the temporary reception of the gospel— the vain confidence of the pre- 
 sumptuous — and the belief which receives or exercises miraculous power ] 
 thus to treat of the nature of faith, is edifying to the Christian. To ex- 
 plairi its inseparable connexion with the love of God, Father, Son, and 
 Spirit, with the law and government of God, and indeed with all divine 
 things — with the grace of repentance— with knowledge — and with Chris- 
 tian hope, would be both pleasant and profitable. To examine and detect 
 the errors uttered by ignorance or design, in order to mislead us upon this 
 important part of actual godliness, would also tend to our improvement 
 and confirmation : but such discussions would not comport with our 
 present design. I now consider faith merely as the duty of man ; but I 
 do not forget in the mean time, that it is the gift of God. 
 
222 THE DUTY OF THOSE 
 
 urged in recommending it ; but this is the great leading ob- 
 ject to be accomplished by faith — To escape the personal 
 danger of hell-fire. 
 
 There is therefore necessarily implied in faith, a sense of 
 sin, and merited wrath — pungent spiritual convictions. In 
 effectual callings which precedes faith, the Holy Ghost pro- 
 duces in the soul of the sinner these convictions ; he enlight- 
 ens the mind also in the knowledge of Christ ; and, renewing 
 the will, persuades and enables him to embrace Christ, that 
 is, to believe in him. This is the order. There is no faith, 
 no saving faith, without a sense of sin, and a desire to escape 
 from its danger and pollution. It is strange, that it ever en- 
 tered into the head or heart of any man on earth, to suppose 
 that faith could be exercised without a sense of sin and dan- 
 ger. " The whole have no need of the physician, but they 
 who are sick." The keeper of the prison came tremMing 
 before Paul and Silas, and said, " Sirs, what must I do to be 
 saved ? And they said. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 and thou shalt be saved." 
 
 2. God requireth of fallen sinners to believe in Christ. 
 This is his commandmerit^ that ye believe in his Son, whom he 
 hath sent. Faith is the duty of the sinner, notwithstanding 
 his inability to believe without divine illumination, and reno- 
 vation of will. So far from man's impotence being an ex- 
 cuse, it is a crime. It is itself the principal evil for which 
 the remedy of the gospel is provided. Sinners, can you ima- 
 gine that the corruption of your fallen nature — the wicked- 
 ness of your own evil hearts, shall either discharge your ob- 
 ligations to God, or justify you in continuing in rebellion ? 
 Learn to correct such absurdity. No, you dare not plead 
 your sin as its own apology. He who declares your impo- 
 tency, calls upon you to act. This may appear paradoxical : 
 but it is truth. No man can come unto me, except the Father 
 who hath sent me draw him. You therefore cannot come 
 without divine aid. Behold your impotency. But you are 
 commanded to come. Let the tvicJced forsake his way, and 
 the unrighteous man his thoughts, and turn unto the Lord. 
 Behold your duty. Both your impotency and your duty are 
 affirmed by him who cannot lie.* 
 
 * It is not necessary, in order to justify wisdom in this case, to have 
 recourse to words without meaning, or to false doctrine. We do not af- 
 firm, that sinners have ability of perfect obedience to God ; for thi? is not 
 true : An ability, which is acknowledged to be incapable of performing 
 the work, is too palpable a contradiction to be adopted for the purpose of 
 
WHO HAVE NOT ASSURANCE. 223 
 
 3. In the gospel, Christ Jesus is freely offered to sinners 
 for their salvation. Who of God is made unto us loisdom, 
 righteousness J sanciijlcation, and redemption. As many as re- 
 ceived him, to them gave he poiver to become the sons of Godj 
 even to them that believe on his name* 
 
 Faith receives him as he is offered : and if there were no 
 offer, there could be no faith. The gospel offer is the sum 
 of all evangelical preaching. For this purpose chiefly, we 
 explain the doctrines, we illustrate the precepts, and publish 
 the promises of divine revelation — that the gospel offer might 
 appear icorthy of all acceptation. This offer is freely made 
 to the chief of sinners. All the calls and the invitations, all 
 the commands and all the threatenings in the book of God, 
 are subservient to the evangelical message — That God teas 
 in Christ reconciling the world unto himself: We, as ambas- 
 sadors, therefore, pray you, in Christ's stead, be ye recon- 
 ciled to God. We offer to the sinner, without respect to pre- 
 vious subjective emotions of his own mind, we offer directly 
 to the chief of sinners, the Lord Jesus Christ, and salvation 
 jn him ; and in the name of God, we assure every one who 
 'accepts this offer, that he himself shall be saved: "for God 
 so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that 
 whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal 
 life."t 
 
 4, Faith is receiving Christ for salvation, and resting upon 
 him alone — These are loritten that ye might believe — and that 
 believing^ ye might have life through his 7iame.X 
 
 In saving faith there is, of course, an exercise of intellect; 
 for there is necessarily an assent to the truth, which God pro- 
 claims in making the offer. By the illumination of the 
 
 obviating a difficulty which is only imaginary. A self-determining power 
 is absurd. 
 
 The question is one of moral agency, and the only power concerned in 
 the case, is that of discharging a moral obligation. To a moral action it 
 is essential that it be voluntary. What comes to pass involuntarily is 
 neither virtuous nor vicious. Will is governed by motives ; and the cir- 
 cumstances which influence the will are the primary sources of our ac- 
 tivity. Of these there are some which make a part of our constitution, 
 and which, on that account, are called active principles. They are de- 
 praved by original sin : and. this corruption of the whole nature is itself 
 both our sinfulness and our impotency. This being the case, the will 
 cannot be influenced to good without a change of nature. It is not only 
 a fact, that the sinner is uini:illing to do good ; but it is also a fact, that 
 "the corruption of his whole nature" renders it ivipossible for him to be- 
 come icillivg. " Man by his fall has wholly lost all abUUy of will to any 
 spiritual good." — Can. Faith. 
 
 * 1 Cor. i. 30. and John i. 12. t John iii. 16. ; John xx. 34. 
 
224 THE DUTY OF THOSE 
 
 Spirit, the soul is enabled to perceive the excellency of the 
 Saviour, and to experience an assurance of what is revealed 
 concerning him : but although subjects of the Spirit's influ- 
 ence, previously to the exercise of faith, it is without any con- 
 sciousness of subjective piety we become certain of the truth 
 objectively revealed.* Faith, nevertheless, is more than 
 either a perception or judgment : more than even a spiritual 
 perception of Christ's excellency. It is a consent^ as well as 
 an asse.nt of the soul : for with the heart mail helieveth unto 
 righteousness. 
 
 In believing the mind is not passive. Faith is a duty re- 
 quired, and an act of obedience performed. To believe, is 
 an active verb. Action, however, is consequent upon voli- 
 tion ; and of course, saving faith is a voluntary exercise of 
 the soul — of the regenerated mind. 
 
 Mere perception cannot properly be called a voluntary ac- 
 tion : nor can mere affection of the heart, though it tends to 
 influence volition, be called a voluntary action. We are 
 constrained both to perceive and to feel, either pleasantly or 
 painfully, as the case may be, by the impressions made upon 
 the mind. If passivencss can at any time be predicated of the 
 human mind, it is in regeneration. Effectual calling found 
 me passive, and rendered me active. My soul is made to see 
 and to feel, in a spiritual manner, by the Holy Ghost: I am thus 
 quickened ; and being at the same time affected by a spiritual 
 sight of the Saviour, and a sense of his excellency, I become 
 willing to act — I voluntarily act upon the object before me in 
 the gospel offer. I embrace the Saviour oflered unto me, for 
 the express purpose for which he is oflered. j This, brethren, 
 is appropriation. It is the very essence of faith. Mistake 
 me not. By ajjpropriation, I mean nothing more or less than 
 
 * There is an objective assnrance in the nature of faith. I am sxire 
 Christ is offered to me a sinner. I may therefore say, without hesitation, 
 in the act of faith, the Lord Jesus Christ is mine, by the offer of Jehovah ; 
 and I take him to be mine, in possession. 
 
 t Faith, as the act whereby the soul becomes spiritually united to the 
 Redeemer, produces, of course, a new relation to God. By it wo have a 
 saving interest in Christ. He thai belicvcth shall be saved. Before faith, 
 the sinner was under condemnation. By faith he is introduced into a 
 state of justification: Faith, therefore, makes that to be, which otherwise 
 would not have been. The affirmation, "I shall be saved,' in unbelief, is 
 false: in believing, it becomes true. Faith brings about that relation to 
 God, according to the new covenant, which justifies the use of the asser- 
 tion, " Christ is mine, and I shall be saved by his merits." It makes that 
 assertion to be true, which otherwise would have been false. The be- 
 liever may, but the unbeliever may not say, "salvation is actually mine." 
 
WHO HAVE NOT ASSURANCE. 225 
 
 a cordial acceptation of Christ to be my Saviour, as he is of- 
 fered to me in the gospel. 1 entreat you not to misunderstand 
 or misrepresent my meaning. If any of you should dislike 
 the expression^ I pray you not to blame any one for the thing. 
 There is nothing blameworthy in accepting this gift of God. 
 In receiving, for my personal salvation, that which is freely 
 offered to all who hear the gospel, I do not see that I incur 
 the just displeasure of any one. Christ takes me to himself 
 by his holy Spirit ; and he offers himself to me as my Sa- 
 viour. I take him to myself for this purpose, and commit 
 myself to him. I appropriate to myself Christ and his 
 salvation, being warranted by the free offer of the gospel, 
 to embrace him for the saving of my soul. My beloved is 
 7nine, and I am his. I am my beloved's, and my beloved is 
 mine* 
 
 I will now show the applicability of this doctrine of faith to 
 you who " walk in darkness, and have no light." My text 
 directs you to "trust in the name of the Lord, and stay your- 
 selves upon your God." This, therefore, is your present 
 duty, and your constant duty. You are urged by the invita- 
 tion, and encouraged by the promise. Come unto me., all ye 
 that labour and are heavy laden, and I tcill give you rest. In- 
 cline your ear, and come unto me : hear, and your soul shall 
 live ; and I luill make an everlasting covenant with you. If 
 any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. And lohoso- 
 ever will, let him take the water of life freely — and him that 
 Cometh to me, I id ill in no tvise cast out.-\ 
 
 My dear hearers, if you have already believed in the gos- 
 pel of God, you will not be unwilling to exercise your faith 
 at this moment. You live by the faith of the Son of God. 
 If you have never yet embraced the offer of salvation, it is 
 time to embrace it now. I beseech you, by the mercies of 
 God, to draw near with a true heart, in the full assurance of 
 faith. Wherefore do you hesitate % Your warrant is com- 
 plete. Your need is manifest. Your duty is urgent. Your 
 welcome is indubitable. The invitation is given with sin- 
 cerity. Hear, and your souls shall live. Trust ye in the 
 Lord Jehovah for ever ; in him there is everlasting strength. 
 Trust in him, directly, unhesitatingly, and with assured con- 
 fidence. When wearied with the toils of the day, you lie 
 down for repose, you trust in the strength of your couch to 
 support its burden. When you walk on the streets, you trust 
 
 * SontT ii. 16. and vi. 3. 
 
 t Matth. xi. 28. Isa. Iv, 3, John vii. 37. Rev. xxii. 
 
226 THE DUTY OF THOSE 
 
 in the solid earth that it will bear your weight from sinking 
 down to the centre of the globe : And will you not commit 
 your souls to the everlasting arms of him who supports the 
 pillars of the universe, with equal confidence, that he will 
 bear you up, and save you with a great salvation ? Awake, 
 ye sons of indolence : arise, ye children of sorrow : wipe 
 away your tears, ye daughters of despondency, whatever may 
 be the view you take of your own subjective religion, ap- 
 proach the throne of grace with boldness, that you ma}^ ob- 
 tain mercy. Stretch out the withered arm, that you may lay 
 hold of his strength. It is God that calls you to his Son for 
 wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemp- 
 tion. The prize of the high calling is before you. Trust, 
 then, in the name of the Lord, and stay upon your God. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 I have now finished what I intended to say upon the duty 
 of those who have not the assurance of grace and salvation. 
 Before I close my discourse, I feel it my duty to administer 
 a caution respecting experimental religion. I am not appre- 
 hensive, indeed, that any one will ever, in fact, substitute his 
 own actual godliness for the merits of Christ in the matter of 
 pardon and acceptance with God : But alas ! many are in the 
 habit of substituting imaginary ficty^ for the righteousness of 
 Messiah. I am not afraid that any disciple of Christ, will, 
 in fact, urge his speculative orthodoxy, or his experience of 
 the power of religion, as an excuse for negligence in the 
 practical duties of the Christian life ; but it is too evident that 
 many zealots for particular doctrines, and for particular kinds 
 of religious experience, are grossly negligent of their duty to 
 God and to man, I warn you, solemnly, against this course 
 of conduct. However great the importance of inward piety, 
 it is not by any means the whole of religion. If you have 
 tasted that the Lord is gracious, if you cherish a comfortable 
 hope of happiness in heaven, is it possible that you can be 
 negligent of the glory of God, and the good of mankind? 
 Are you made for personal enjoyment alone, and not also for 
 usefulness to others % Are you made new creatures merely 
 to satiate your souls with personal joys, and not also to glorify 
 the Lord that bought you ? This would be ignoble, base, 
 and sordid selfishness. No, Christians, if this be the taste 
 and the disposition, the habitual disposition of anj^ man, what- 
 ever may be his profession, he is destitute of true godhness. 
 
WHO HAVE NOT ASSURANCE. 227 
 
 The disciple of Christ, is a man of disinterestedness and mag- 
 nanimity. He loves God, he loves the saints ; arid while he 
 works out his salvation with earnest desire to enjoy God in 
 heaven, he peculiarly delights to serve his Redeemer ; to 
 support the honour of Jehovah's government ; to defend the 
 truth ; to observe the positive statutes of the sanctuary. He 
 is honest, sincere, benevolent, and beneficent ; he is humble, 
 candid, and faithful to his own professions, and to his God, so 
 far as the power of religion extends its influence. Whether in 
 sickness or in health, in adversity or prosperity, whether 
 walking in darkness, or standing in triumph on his strong 
 mountain, he is still engaged in doing good ; in defending 
 the true doctrine of the grace of God ; in maintaining pure 
 and entire every ordinance ; and with a holy self-denial, 
 making his temporal honour and interest bend to the interests 
 of true religion. " Seek first the kingdom of Jieavcn^ and its 
 righteous-acss. Whosoever will come after me, let him deny 
 himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For ye are not 
 your own, ye are bought unth a price^ whether therefore ye eat, 
 or ye drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.''' 
 Let the sensualist take .pleasure in his wine ; let the 
 avaricious rejoice in his gods of gold ; let the daughters 
 of vanity walk after the sparks of their own kindling ; 
 let the bustle and the noise of ignorant fanaticism pass 
 away with the wind ; let the splendour and the pomp of 
 superstition, engage the attention of the crowd : let Pharisai- 
 cal sanctimony, practised in intrigue, deceive and rule the 
 populace : but let us hear the word of the Lord our God. 
 Behold^ all ye that kindle ajire^ that compass yourselves about 
 icith sparks ; walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks 
 that ye have ki7idled. This shall ye have of mine hand ; ye 
 shall lie down in sorroio. Whosoever, therefore, is among 
 you that feareth the Lord, and obeyeth the voice of his servant, 
 let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God. 
 Amen. 
 
228 THE CONSOLATIONS OF 
 
 THE CONSOLATIONS OF PERSONAL 
 RELIGION. 
 
 SERMON IX. 
 
 Psalm Ixiii. 3 — 7, — Because thy loving-kindness is better than 
 life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I 
 live: I will lift tip my hands in thy name. My sold shall be 
 satisfied as with marrow and fatness ; and my mouth shall 
 praise thee loith joijful lips ; when I remember thee upon my 
 bed, and meditate on thee in the night-watches. Because thou 
 hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will 
 I rejoice. 
 
 Few men ever experienced so great a variety of trials, or 
 were called to act in so many different conditions of life, as 
 the writer of this Psalm, David, the son of Jesse, of Bethle- 
 hem-Judah. Happy and virtuous, in the bosom of his fa- 
 ther's family, he spent his early years remote from scenes of 
 turbulence and ambition. With a fine mind, well cultivated, 
 and deeply imbued with sincere piety, he enjoyed a vigorous 
 and heahhy constitution of body, and led a life of innocence 
 and peace — the pastoral life, in more than Arcadian perfec- 
 tion. Sitting upon the side of his native hills, in the shade 
 of the palm-tree, he often played upon his beloved harp, and 
 knew nothing of the cares of empire. Thus, he might have 
 lived happy, and have died without renown, had he not been 
 destined to greater usefulness, though greater pains and toil, 
 by the Governor of the world. 
 
 At the age o^ fifteen^ this was announced to him by Samuel 
 the prophet, who anointed him king of Israel ; but David 
 had reached his twenty-third year before he left the peaceful 
 scenes of the shepherd's employment, when he was first in- 
 troduced to public life, and admitted into the family of Saul, 
 the reigning king. From this period, the history of his life 
 becomes exceedingly interesting, and strangely diversified, 
 
TRUE RELIGION. ^ffOd 
 
 until in the seventy-first year of his age, he died in Jeru- 
 salem, after a troublesome, though victorious reign oi forty 
 years. 
 
 For eight years before his coronation at Hebron, on the 
 defeat and death of Saul at Gilboa, his condition was pecu- 
 liarly trying. It Avas in this school of affliction, that he laid 
 the foundation of that exalted reputation which he acquired 
 and sustained as the ruler of Israel. In the midst of these 
 afflictions, when tiocnty-seven years old, and after he had been 
 declared an outlaw, David escaped from his persecutors into 
 the wilderness of Judah, the forest of Hareth. There, with 
 a scanty and precarious supply for the subsistence of himself 
 and his companions, having no other shelter from the storm 
 than the trees of the forest and the cliffs of the rocks, "the 
 sweet Psalmist of Israel" was at home with God ; and en- 
 joyed, for his support, amidst his daily perils, the consola- 
 tions of the grace of God. There he composed and set to 
 music the sixty-third psalm. It is a fine description of the 
 life and power of godliness, in its commanding influence 
 over the temper of the mind, and especially of the support 
 which personal piety affords in the deepest troubles. 
 
 I shall, with divine assistance, explain the words of my 
 text; and then, describe the consolations of true religion. 
 
 I. I explain my text. 
 
 In the sixty-third psalm, the inspired writer displays, in 
 the most expressive terms, the operations of true religion in a 
 heart enlightened by divine truth. It kindles a sacred fire 
 which makes itself sensible by its light and by its heat. It 
 produces sincere desires for the enjoyment of God — It gives 
 satisfaction to the soul in communion with God — and it im- 
 parts that confidence, in the power and protection of the 
 Most High, which both confirms pious resolution, and 
 strengthens the hope of ultimate triumph. 
 
 The desire of enjoyment is one of the most powerful of the 
 active principles of the human mind. By the sanctifying in- 
 fluence of religion it is directed to the only certain source of 
 happiness, to the infinitely glorious God. The recollection 
 of past joy is one of the means of exciting present desire : 
 and, thus, religious experience produces an aptitude of heart 
 for evangelical pursuits. In the first two verses, David dis- 
 plays the power of this habit in the midst of his trials. He 
 tarly.^ every morning, sought the Lord. His desires were 
 as the summer drought waiting for the rain, a thirst of the 
 soul, and a longing of the flesh. The object was to see the. 
 20 
 
230 THE CONSOLATIONS OF 
 
 power and the glory of God ; and the kind of enjoyment de- 
 sired, was the same as that formerly experienced, in the ordi- 
 nances of the sanctuary. He longed for the good things of 
 which he had already tasted. 
 
 When the love of God is shed abroad on our hearts by the 
 Holy Ghost, there is not only a propensity to approach the 
 Lord, and to enjoy the friendship of him who first loved us ; 
 but the longing soul is also satisfied ; and confidence in God 
 is restored. In the last three verses, David expresses this con- 
 fidence in a triumphant manner. His enemies disappear, 
 and he is persuaded that his joy shall be abundant. With 
 the delightful recollection of the past, and the certain prospect 
 of the future, the mind experiences present satisfaction. Hence 
 the expressions from the third to the eighth verse, which I 
 have chosen as my text, and which I am now to explain. 
 
 Verse 3. Because thy loving-kindness is better than life, 
 my lips shall praise thee. 
 
 In these words we have an expression of a good intention, 
 and the reason upon which it is founded.. The intention ex- 
 pressed is to praise God before the world — with the lips, so as 
 to be seen of men ; but not with the lips alone : for out of the 
 abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. It is not merely 
 in order to be seen of men ; for piety excludes this limited 
 construction. Praise is comely for the upright. It is thus 
 they express their own sense of the divine excellency ; and 
 they ought not to be ashamed to do so pubHcly. The man 
 ner of expressing the intention of praising God is worthy of 
 notice. David declared his resolution to God himself in this 
 act of devotion ; and, in singing his words, we should follow 
 his example, engaging, in a vow to the Searcher of hearts, 
 that we shall henceforward promote his glory. 
 
 The reason is as conclusive with respect to our duty, as it 
 was to the Psalmist. The loving-khuhiess of the Lord is bet- 
 ter than life. There is more in this expression than an allu- 
 sion to the general benevolence of God. Of that, life itself is 
 an effect ; and it is not the design of the Psalmist to compare 
 the cause with its eflect. He is speaking, not of the benig- 
 nity from which life emanates ; but of that, which renders life 
 valuable — of that, without which, life itself would become an 
 evil. Of Judas, it was said by the Saviour, " better for that 
 man he had not been born." Life without piety, is a burden, 
 and will become a curse. The mercy of God, communi- 
 cating its saving influence to man, is of course more valu 
 able than mere living existence ; for it is by the love of 
 
TRUE RELIGION. 231 
 
 God shed abroad upon the heart, that our life becomes a 
 blessing-. 
 
 Verse 4. Thus luill I bless thee while I live : I will lift up 
 my hands in thy name. 
 
 The writer, in correspondence with the pious purpose for- 
 merly expressed, now declares that a life, rendered more im- 
 portant by the grace of God, shall, while it continues to exist, 
 be devoted to the service of its author. To bless God, is to 
 declare him independently happy, and to speak of him as if 
 we delighted in contemplating his self-sufficiency. When he 
 blesseth his people, he communicates happiness and safety. 
 His declarations are operative. He giveth to man ; but he 
 receiveth nothing in return. We cannot profit the Almighty. 
 Lifting up the hands., is the sign of earnestness ; it is the 
 mode of making known our will ; it is an appeal to heaven. 
 When we " lift up our hands in God^s name^^^ we declare our 
 sincerity in Christ Jesus ; we affirm our allegiance to him : 
 and apply for more grace to carry the pious intention of our 
 souls into effect. It is the action of a believer under the in- 
 fluence of the gracious power of him that made our hands 
 and our hearts. 
 
 Verse 5. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and 
 fatness ; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips. 
 
 Remember, brethren, these are the words of a wanderer in 
 the wilderness, accused of treason, and proclaimed an outlaw. 
 A fugitive from misused power, David depended, both for 
 himself and those who were the partners of his perils, for 
 their daily bread, upon the private supplies of personal friend- 
 ship, or the use of their own bows and spears: For them, 
 while flying from persecution, the fertile fields of Canaan af- 
 forded no corn ; nor did the hills of Judah yield to them the 
 fruits of the fold or of the vintage. Behold the Chief, amidst 
 a group of exiles, with a spirit unsubdued by hunger and 
 toil, unruffled by the injuries inflicted on him, leading the de- 
 votion of those worshippers assembled at the mountain-side, 
 and smging, under the inspiration of the Almighty, with 
 joyful lips, " my soul shall be satisfied, as with marrow and 
 fatness." Say, were Saul the king, and his flattering cour- 
 tiers, more happy in their splendid halls, and at their plentiful 
 tables ? Ah ! how often does religion turn away in disgust 
 from the gilded palace, leaving the occupant troubled with an 
 evil spirit.) and take up her own abode in the humble resi- 
 dence of the poor and the oppressed, shedding contentment 
 and joy around in abundance. It is, in such a case, that the 
 
232 THE CONSOLATIONS OF 
 
 lips move with delight in the praises of redeeming love. The 
 consolations of religion are to the spirit as marrow to the 
 bones. The soul is satisfied. 
 
 Verse 6. Whe?i I remember thee on my hed^ and meditate 
 on thee in the night-watches : At such time, the soul, satis- 
 fied with the goodness of God, is prepared for prayer and 
 praise. 
 
 The active poivers of our minds are more influential, in mov- 
 ing the will, and in fixing our choice, than are outward objects. 
 Indeed, external motives cannot produce volition otherwise 
 than as they affect our moral constitution : their strength de- 
 pends upon the manner in which they are perceived by the 
 understanding, and impressed upon the heart. We are influ- 
 enced to act, in all cases, accordingly as we are affected by 
 the motives presented to us. By the grace of God, the soul 
 is affected in a holy manner ; for by the power of the Holy 
 Ghost, is communicated that wisdom or spiritual u?idersta7id- 
 ing* which is essential to the formation of a proper estimate 
 of divine things ; and the preparations of the heart in man 
 are also from the Lord.f When, of course, the intellectual 
 and the active powers are under this holy influence, the 
 thoughts and intents become religious. The association of 
 our ideas becomes piously affected, and, wheresoever we are, 
 God is continually present with us. The religious man, even 
 upon his bed, thinks of heaven ; and, during the silent 
 watches of the night, all within is light and activity, while 
 the soul, abstracted from the concerns of the body, and from 
 the bustle of social life, is left to enjoy undisturbed fellowship 
 with the invisible God. When wearied with the toils of the 
 day, the spiritually-minded man seeks rest and repose : when 
 he retires from those vexations which are so frequently occa- 
 sioned by the temptations of this present evil world, and looks 
 up to him who giveth sleep to his beloved : after pouring out 
 the complaints of his troubled spirit, in penitential prayers, 
 into the affectionate bosom of that friend, who, touched with 
 the feelings of our infirmities, sticketh closer than a brother : 
 then meditations of God are both sweet and abundant ; the 
 soul is nourished and invigorated ; and it is filled with se- 
 rene delight, in which no stranger to godliness can possibly 
 participate. 
 
 Verse 7. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the 
 shadorv of thy toings will I rejoice. 
 
 God is " the help" of his people — therefore they rejoice m 
 ♦ Col. i. 9. t Prov. xvi. 1. 
 
TRUE RELIGION, 233 
 
 him : and a sense of the divine assistance makes the believer's 
 joy to increase at all times, whether in his bed or at work, 
 by night or by day. 
 
 Christians are " aided'' by the Lord, in their tem'poral estate. 
 By his providence, they are upheld in being ; they are fur- 
 nished with the necessaries and the comforts of life ; they are 
 protected from danger ; supported under trials ; and rendered 
 useful members of society, until the purpose of life is accom- 
 plished, and death is directed to set the spirit free from its 
 prison and its chains, that it may enter upon the possession 
 of an everlasting inheritance. Christians are also aided of 
 the Lord in their spiritual estate. It is he who provided a 
 Redeemer ; who appointed the ordinances of the new cove- 
 nant ; and who communicates the Holy Spirit, in order to 
 apply the benefits of redemption by means of outward ordi- 
 nances. He administers assistance according to our need. 
 In youth and in old age, he is the support of our piety. In 
 times of peril and persecution ; in times of error and declen 
 sion ; in times of revival and exertion ; during conversation 
 w^ith private Christians ; when waiting upon him in the or 
 dinary exercises of devotion ; and at the holy table of the 
 communion of saints, in the celebration of the Lord's supper, 
 God is our help : therefore let us rejoice in the shadow of hi» 
 ivitigs. 
 
 Wings are those feathered members of the fowls, where- 
 with they fly through the air, and protect their young. The 
 Saviour compares with these the protection which he himself 
 yields to his peculiar people. O Jerusalem., Jerusalem., hmo 
 often would I have gathered thee., as a hen gather eth her chickens 
 under her wings* The fine idea suggested by this humble 
 object, is not lost upon the saints. When the Almighty is 
 pleased to compare the benefits of his love for men, to the 
 shelter which the tender dam affords her little fluttering 
 family, it is our business, from the same simple fact, to draw 
 an additional motive for rejoicing in him. He is the Sun of 
 righteousness arising ivith healing in his icings.] He shall 
 cover thee with his feathers., and under his xoings shalt thou 
 trust.X 
 
 Encouraged by the promise of protection, the saints pre- 
 sent their petitions to God, Hidx me under the shadow of thy 
 loings^ from the loicked that oppress me., from my deadly enemies^ 
 who compass me about. ^ They truly are safe who have fled to 
 
 *Matt. xxiii. 37, tMal. iv. 2. 
 
 } Psalm xci. 4. § Psalm xvii. 8, 9. 
 
 20* 
 
234 THE CONSOLATIONS OF 
 
 this refuge. If the Father of eternity, who stretcheth out the 
 heavens as a curtain, spread around us the wings of his own 
 almighty love, we shall have cause to rejoice, whatever may 
 have been the sacrifices of worldly ease, of comfort, of con- 
 nexions, and of property, that the interests of true religion re- 
 quired at our hands. The words of a virtuous Israelite, 
 Boaz the son of Salmon, to the pious Moabitess, furnish a 
 satisfactory evidence of this encouraging truth. " Thou hast 
 left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativit}^, 
 and art come unto a people which thou knewest not hereto- 
 fore. The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be 
 given thee of the Lord God of Isvael, under ivhose ivings thou 
 art come to trust P* 
 
 The meaning of the expression, " rejoice under the shadoio 
 of his umigs" is this. Enjoying the shelter and the refresh- 
 ment, provided for those over whom the divine perfections 
 are providentially exercised, there is cause of joy ; and as this 
 is the case with all Christians, they all have, with the life 
 and power of personal religion, both safety and comfort. 
 Having thus explained my text, I proceed to show, 
 
 II. 
 
 THE CONSOLATIONS OF TRUE RELIGION. 
 
 There is danger, in treating of the comforts of the gospel, 
 lest sinners should be encouraged to expect them without 
 having fled for safety under the wings of the Lord their Re- 
 deemer : and there is some reason to fear too, that the mere 
 love of pleasure may induce unsanctified sinners to seek re- 
 ligion for the sake of the comfort which it is supposed to 
 yield. When we perceive the ignorant and the immoral, the 
 superstitious and the fanatic, exhilarated by spurious devotion ; 
 and hear them boasting of their mental satisfaction, as proof 
 of their own goodness, and the goodness of their principles 
 and practice, we cannot but lament the deceitfulness of the 
 human heart, and feel the necessity of divine assistance in all 
 our ways. If any should value religion only for the sake of 
 its pleasures, that man's religion is vain. Those persons, 
 who designedly neglect any part of the divine law ; who 
 despise any of the statutes or positive institutions of religion ; 
 who hear the word, and read the' bible, only for the sake of 
 finding comfort, are certainly far from being actuated by the 
 spirit of faith and holiness. We absolutely protest against 
 that religious comfort which is of immoral tendency, or which 
 *Ruthii. 11,12. 
 
TRUE RELIGION. 235 
 
 is consistent with opposition to sound doctrine : We protest 
 against that miserable, and soul-ruining selfishness, which 
 makes immediate gratification of feeling the principal object 
 of pursuit in the Christian life. We must, in respect of men- 
 tal pleasure, as well as in respect of the supply of bodily- 
 wants, urge continually, the Christian rule, seek first the king- 
 dom of God, ajul his righteousness ; and all these things shall 
 be added unto you.'^ 
 
 The great business of life, is to glorify God, according to 
 his will revealed in the Christian scriptures. Thus we shall 
 receive from him, the measure of comfort which wisdom sees 
 meet to bestow. While, nevertheless, we disapprove of 
 making subjective enjoyment the ultimate end of your exer- 
 tions in Christianity ; while we require you to hear, to read, 
 to meditate, and to pray for your increase in holiness, and 
 usefulness ; while we exhort you to understand, that you may 
 defend, the doctrines and ordinances of the church of God ; 
 w^hile we consider these of more importance than any degree 
 of pleasurable feeling, of which your mind is susceptible, we 
 bless the Lord, who in wisdom and mercy, made the path 
 of Christian duty, to be the path of enjoyment. Wisdom's 
 ways oAt ways of pleasantness^ and all her paths are peace. 
 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her : and happy 
 is every one that retaineth her.\ 
 
 Far be it from me, my Christian brethren, to undervalue 
 the consolations of the Holy Ghost. The carnal, selfish plea- 
 sure of religionists, for which they sacrifice faithfulness to 
 God, and the best interests of their own souls, and the souls 
 of others, is not to be compared to that delight which 
 heaven imparts to those who suffer loss for Christ, and " en- 
 dure all things for the elect's sake, that they may also obtain 
 the salvation which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory." J 
 Novices, who have zeal without knowledge, may despise con- 
 solations which they never received ; and carnal minds, with- 
 out holiness, may rejoice in pleasures which are sensual or 
 fanciful : but the sanctified soul will never esteem as ignoble, 
 the fellowship of the Comforter ; nor become unfaithful and 
 indolent under the exhilarating influence of those spiced 
 wines which go down sweetly, causing the lips of those that 
 are asleep, to speak. ^ I am confident, that Jehovah, who 
 kindled, with celestial fire, a desire of happiness in every 
 renovated heart, hath consecrated religious consolation ; and 
 
 * Matt. vi. 33. t Prov. iii. 17, 18. 
 
 J 2 Tim. ii. 10. § Song vii. 9. 
 
236 THE CONSOLATIONS OF 
 
 that believers appreciate the blessing. It is our Lord that 
 said before he left the world, I unll not leave you comfortless* 
 Let us say unto him, who is now on high, in the multitude 
 of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight 7ny soul. " Be- 
 cause thou hast been my help, therefore, in the shadow of thy 
 wings will I rejoice.'''' \ 
 
 TRUE RELIGION IS THE BEST SOURCE OF COMFORT, 
 
 It removes from our minds the principal causes of grief 
 and pain — It supports us under those cares which neces- 
 sarily remain — It spreads out for our contemplation, the most 
 excellent objects — It affects the heart with the purest love — 
 It gives assurance that we are beloved by the best of beings 
 — And, finally, it inspires with the hope of future glory in 
 heaven without intermission, and without end. 
 
 When I shall have explained these six assertions, I shall 
 bring this discourse to a close. It will then have appeared to all 
 my hearers, that if religion be represented as gloomy and joy- 
 less, she is in fact of a very different character. " She is 
 more precious than rubies, and all the things thou canst de- 
 sire, are not to be compared unto her. Her ways are ways 
 of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace." 
 
 1. By true religion, we are delivered from the principal 
 causes of pain and grief. 
 
 Sin is the procuring cause of all the sorrows of life. So 
 long as man retained his primitive innocence, he retained the 
 possession of every enjoyment; and so soon as man is made 
 perfect in holiness, sorrow and sighing shall flee away. By 
 transgression, we have provoked our God ; we have forfeited 
 his communion ; we have incurred his anger ; and have be- 
 come liable to all the miseries of the present life, and to ruin, 
 without remedy, in the invisible world. Your iniquities have 
 separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid 
 his face from you. The guiU of sin must be punished by the 
 Judge. The pollution of sin prevents our communion with 
 him who is glorious in holiness: "for what communion hath 
 light with darkness? and Avhat concord hath Christ with 
 Belial ?" So long as the guilt of sin remains on the con- 
 science, and the power of sin reigns over the heart, man is 
 excluded from every reasonable enjoyment. He is under the 
 curse: and if he dreams of personal felicity, either in this 
 world or in the world to come, while continuing in the state 
 * John xiv. 18. t Psalm xciv. 19. 
 
TRDE RELIGION. 237 
 
 of sin, he shall find his disappointment wnen he awakes to 
 judgment and to endless punishment. The Judge of all the 
 earth shall do right; and he icill in no ivise clear the guilt?/. 
 
 Insensibility to this condition does not alter its nature, al- 
 though it suspends for a time the feelings of pain and sor- 
 row. Stupidity is no source of enjoyment to the intelligent 
 creature. The obduracy of the impenitent will not suffice to 
 protect them against the wrath of heaven ; nor will their ne- 
 glect of warnings deliver them from the danger of eternal 
 burnings. Go on, you thoughtless gospel-despiser ! go, and 
 prosper in your own evil ways, until that body shall become 
 infirm with age, or it rapidly sink, by sudden death, into 
 the dust from whence it came. Your thoughtlessness 
 does not arrest the flight of time, nor retard the approach of 
 old age. Your insensibility does not prevent the operations 
 of God's power, nor suspend the administrations of his justice. 
 Let your joyless days pass on to an end ; for that end is un- 
 mingled wrath. The flames of Tophet, shining high to the 
 glory of divine justice, will bring the most obdurate to a sense 
 of misery without remedy. '• There shall be weeping, and 
 wailing, and gnashing of teeth, where the worm dieth not, 
 and the fire is not quenched." 
 
 You, who pay attention to serious subjects, will understand 
 me when I repeat the assertion, by true religion we are de- 
 livered from the principal causes of grief, — delivered from the 
 guilt of sin, and the dominion of sin, from doubts, and fears, 
 and unsanctified passions. 
 
 Mental anguish is more distressing than bodily torture. 
 The tD0U7ided spirit ^c ho can bear ? A sense of guilt is, of 
 course, painful in the extreme ; and in proportion to the 
 pain, is the joy resulting from a sense of pardon. When we 
 realize our justification, then have we peace with God. Let 
 the guilt of sin be removed ; let the power of sin be de- 
 stroyed, and the effect of divine grace is health and joy to 
 the troubled spirit. Purge me with hi/ssop, and I shall be 
 clean ; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me 
 to hear joy and gladness ; that the bones which thou hast 
 broken may rejoice. Restore unto me the joy of thy salva- 
 tion.* 
 
 A state of doubt is uniformly a state of uneasiness ; and 
 
 in proportion to the sense which we have of the urgency and 
 
 the importance of the subject under deliberation, indecision 
 
 of mind respecting it, becomes painful to the heart. Halting 
 
 ♦ Psalm li. 7, 12. 
 
238 THE CONSOLATIONS OF 
 
 between two opinions^ is never a desirable condition ; it is still 
 more disagreeable to be- at a loss to know what to do ; but, 
 when eternal interests are at stake, and the anxious soul is 
 uncertain of the event, it must be unhappy. True religion 
 is the soul's relief from such perplexity. Thereby the truth 
 is brought home with power to the heart ; light is poured out 
 upon our path ; and our personal safety from punishment, 
 and our acceptance with God for celestial happiness, made 
 manifest. The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him : 
 and he will shoio them his covenant* Those religious men 
 who are, at any time, in heaviness through manifold tempta- 
 tions, receive deliverance from their Redeemer — luhoni hav- 
 ing not seen^ ye love ; in whom^ though now you see him not, 
 yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of 
 glory. \ 
 
 True religion does not secure, for the transgressor, exemp- 
 tion from future punishment, without, at the same time, com- 
 municating an influence which destroys the dominion of sin 
 over the soul ; and which will eventually prepare the whole 
 man for an introduction into the company of the pure in hea- 
 ven. The consolations of religion are in themselves pure, 
 and the whole tendency, as well as design of Christian com- 
 fort, is the promotion of holiness of life. Whatever mistakes 
 men of no religion commit upon this subject ; although they 
 are often successful, in separating, in their own fancy, devo- 
 tional pleasures from growth in grace, yet they shall never 
 have it in their power, in fact, to separate the joys of faith, 
 from the pursuits of holiness. These are connected in the 
 purpose of God, and in the administrations of the covenant: 
 they are connected in the word of God, and in the experience 
 of the saints. Though it sometimes comes to pass, in God's 
 good providence, that pious men are disconsolate ; it is never 
 the case, that consolation gives encouragement to continuance 
 in sin. On the contrary, one of the chief instances in which 
 Christian joy appears, is deliverance from temptation. " He 
 that ruleth his spirit, is better than he that taketh a city:" and 
 so, when a good man obtains a victory over his own passions, 
 he has, through grace, reason to rejoice. 
 
 The troubles of life are, in a great degree, dependent, for 
 the pain which accompanies them, upon the state of our own 
 minds. Morbid sensibility increases every real evil, and 
 imagines evils which never existed. Hasty passions lead to 
 rash opinions and actions : strong and lasting passions impel 
 * Ps. XXV. 14. 1 1 Pet. i. 8. 
 
TRUE RELIGION. 239 
 
 to improper conclusions in reasoning, and to persevering ob- 
 stinacy in error and vice. Both these are occasions of increas- 
 ing the torments of unavoidable afflictions, — of multiplying 
 greatly the toils and sorrows of adversity. But to whom shall 
 we go for a remedy ? What power can curb the human appe- 
 tites, or sanctify the passions ? God our Maker is oar Re- 
 deemer and our sanctifier. " Christ also hath loved us, and 
 hath given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God, 
 for a sweet-smelling savour — even as Christ also loved the 
 church, and gave himself for it ; that he might sanctify and 
 cleanse it with the washing of water by the word ; that he 
 might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, 
 or wrinkle, or any such thing ; but that it should be holy, 
 and without blemish."* 
 
 You will, therefore, brethren, perceive, that true religion 
 is a corrective of our doubts and our fears ; that it restrains 
 and sanctifies all our passions ; that, by it we are delivered 
 from the reigning power of sin, and from the condemnation 
 which our transgressions merit ; and you will perceive, of 
 course, that the Christian, in receiving and reviewing these 
 benefits, has cause of joy in the God of his salvation. 
 
 2. Religion is a source of consolation, because it affords 
 support to the Christian under all the afflictions which he 
 must suffer in life. 
 
 We have shown already, that it removes the principal 
 causes of grief — the guilt and dominion of sin ; and so far as 
 it prevails over our innate corruptions, that it also corrects 
 our doubts, fears, and unsanctified emotions and passions. 
 There are, notwithstanding, many troubles incident to the 
 saints, while they pass along, as pilgrims, through this vale 
 of tears. " Many," said the persecuted Psalmist of Israel, 
 when driven away by Abimelech, from the place in which 
 he sought protection, " many are the afflictions of the righ- 
 teous." " We must, through much tribulation, enter into 
 the kingdom of God," is the assertion of Paul and Barnabas 
 to the primitive Christians. Nay, our Saviour himself assured 
 his disciples, both of the unavoidable evil, and the only ade- 
 quate remedy. " In the world ye shall have tribulation : be 
 of good cheer, I have overcome the world."! 
 
 It is perfectly obvious, that no Christian has a right to ex- 
 pect entire exemption from the common calamities of the 
 present world, so long as he continues to live among its in- 
 * Eph. V. 2.— XXV. 27. 
 t Psalm XXXV. 19. Acts xiv, 23. John xvi. 33. 
 
240 THE CONSOLATIONS OF 
 
 habitants ; but we all have a right to expect divine support 
 under our several burdens. This sentiment is unequivocally- 
 uttered by the apostle Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthi- 
 ans. " There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is 
 common to man : but God is faithful, who will not suffer you 
 to be tempted above that ye are able ; but will, with the temp- 
 tation, also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear 
 it."* The writer had experience of this truth, in his own 
 personal trials. In answer to repeated prayers, for the re- 
 moval of the thorn in the jiesh which troubled him, the reply 
 of his God to this inspired man is remarkable. The prayer 
 is heard, the request is refused, support is promised, and 
 granted, and the apostle is satisfied : yea, he glories in the ad- 
 vantages of his religion. " For this thing, I besought the 
 Lord thrice^ that it might depart from me. And he said 
 unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee ; for my strength 
 is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, will I 
 rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may 
 rest upon me."t 
 
 Afflictions of any kind, spring not from the dust : neither 
 do they come by chance without the hand of Providence. 
 He who numbers the hairs of our heads, and without whose 
 permission, a sparrow cannot fall to the ground, distributes 
 affliction around, and apportions his own share to every one 
 of his disciples. To complain of their pains, they have of 
 course no right ; because, God hath inflicted the blow. He 
 is Sovereign, and he is just : who then can find fault ? 
 Christians certainly, have no reason to complain of his admin- 
 istrations ; for all things shall work together for their good, 
 who are called according to his purpose. Although 7?ia7i is 
 born unto trouble, as the sparks Jiy upwards, yet all these 
 troubles are under the direction of wisdom and goodness. 
 They are sent by the Governor of the world to communities 
 
 * 1 Cor. X. 13. + 2 Cor. xii. 7—9. 
 
 The " thorn in the flesh," (7Ko\o\p m aapKi, is a subject, upon which the 
 ingenuity of commentators has been sufficiently exercised. There is 
 scarcely a disease, or a crime, or a temptation, to which it has not been 
 appUed. Every one, anxious to have Paul for a companion in personal 
 infirmity, endeavours to show that his peculiar failing resembles the 
 Apostle's thorn in the flesh. It is sufficient, however, for us to know 
 what has been revealed. The affliction was great — It came in the provi- 
 dence of God — Satan gave it point — Paul repeatedly sought the removal 
 of it — His prayer was not granted ; for the affliction continued — It 
 taught him humiUty — It was the occasion of his receiving more Christian 
 strength and consolation — And in it, at last, the apostle rejoices, as the 
 means of glorifying God his Redeemer. 
 
TRUE RELIGION. 241 
 
 or individuals, sometimes to punish, and sometimes to prevent 
 transgressions. The man of piety enjoys Christian consola- 
 tion under afHictions ; because he is taught to see their use 
 and their end. They last but for a moment^ compared with, 
 the duration of the soul with God, and they work out for 
 us, by the blessing of heaven, a far more exceeding^ and 
 eternal weight of glory. 
 
 Your sorrows. Christians, are merited ; therefore, let no 
 complaint escape your lips : they are administered by your 
 heavenly Father • be therefore still, and know that he is God. 
 He does not afflict willingly ; be humbled on account of your 
 sins : He is both just and merciful in what he doeth ; be 
 therefore resigned to his dispensations. The chastisements 
 which he inflicts, are profitable for your correction, that you 
 may become partakers of his holiness: tkey serve to try your 
 graces, and so enable you to ascertain the measure of your 
 faith and your patience, of your benevolence and persev^er- 
 ance: they serve to produce evangelical contrition, the broken 
 spirit, which is to God a pleasing sacrifice : they teach us the 
 vanity of ail earthly enjoyments ; they wean the affections 
 from the things wdiich are seen, and direct our hopes to him 
 that is on high, where our true treasure is laid up in perfect 
 safety: they make us to feel our dependence upon the provi- 
 dence and the grace of God : and they serve to display, in a 
 remarkable manner, the glory of his power and goodness in 
 our support and comfort. His fellowship is our joy in the 
 midst of trouble. He strengthens the intellect for rational re- 
 flections upon our own condition. He directs the desires of 
 the soul to other objects less mournful, but full of improve- 
 ment and comfort. He increases faith to full assurance ; he 
 removes the vail, he reveals his countenance, he speaks peace, 
 and extends his hand for help. For which cause ice faint not ; 
 but though our outward mmi yerish^ yet the inicard man is re- 
 newed day by day. " I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction, 
 and the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble. And I 
 trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble ; 
 yet I wfll rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the Gt^d of my 
 salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make 
 me to walk upon mine high places. Most gladly, therefore, 
 will I glory in mine infirmities, that the power of Christ may 
 rest upon me."* 
 
 3. Christianity is a source of joy and consolation, inas- 
 
 ♦ 2 Cor. iv. 16. Habak. iii. 7, 19. 2 Cor. xii, 9. 
 21 
 
242 THE CONSOLATIONS OF 
 
 much as it furnishes the best view of the most agreeable and 
 glorious objects in the universe. 
 
 The exercise of our speculative powers is one of the 
 sources of our felicity. It serves to show the wisdom and 
 goodness of God in the constitution of human nature, that the 
 mere contemplation of his works, without any other property 
 in them, is capable of yielding delight. Every man, how- 
 ever uncultivated his taste, takes pleasure in beholding the 
 "beauty, the order, and the magnificence of the plains, and the 
 valleys, and the streams, and the mountains, with all their 
 several productions. Works of human art, also, furnish a 
 rich variety of interesting objects ; and our knowledge of 
 them is of course, one of the means of enjoyment in life. 
 The pursuits of elegant literature, the study of the fine arts, 
 and the more severe investigations of science, are known to 
 be sources of high delight to their respective votaries. They 
 afford exercise and improvement to the intellectual powers of 
 the mind. Natural scenery furnishes innocent pleasure and 
 healthful recreation for our senses ; and the resolution of a 
 mathematical problem, has been known to communicate a joy 
 bordering upon ecstacy. 
 
 These facts, supported by the observation and experience 
 of ages, justify the introduction of speculative enjoyments 
 among the ingredients of perfect felicity. It remains to show, 
 that religion improves and satisfies this part of the moral 
 constitution of man, and is, of course, the system of consola- 
 tion, which it is said to be. 
 
 The man of piety, stands, at least, upon equally high and 
 safe ground with others of similar natural or acquired en- 
 dowments ; and he has, moreover, peculiar advantages, for 
 deriving happiness from the contemplation of the works of 
 God. Moral beauty is confessedly more engaging, than the 
 qualities of lifeless objects. The orator and the poet, and the 
 very peasant, acting as the child of nature, are so sensible ot 
 this, that when they speak of rural scenery, they personify 
 every object, and clothe with imaginary life, the plants and 
 the hills which they describe ; or at least, connect them with 
 living beings, to enhance their value. The man of piety, 
 like the king of Israel, in the i04th psalm, contemplates these 
 objects as the works of God ; sees in them continually a 
 display of wisdom, of power, and of goodness supreme; 
 and finds Jehovah constantly present in every portion of the 
 universe. 
 
 He, besides, hath learned, in the Christian school of educa- 
 
TRUE RELIGIOxV. S43 
 
 tion, that all parts of creation are under a constant superin- 
 tending Providence ; and that the whole divine government 
 is put ?n the hands of the Son of man to be administered for 
 the welfare of his redeemed. He takes an interest in the 
 concerns of the universe, which prompts him to seek its wel- 
 fare, and to join as a worker in the service of his God, for 
 the promotion of the good order and the happiness of the 
 creation. He is assured that the whole is in a sense his 
 own, so far as is necessary for his welfare, both in time and 
 through eternity. It is not the poet's fancy, but the word of 
 God, that affirms, all things are yours. 
 
 He, moreover, contemplates more interesting objects than 
 the whole \vorld, even in this peculiar point of view. He is 
 " come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, 
 the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of 
 angels, to the general assembly and church of the first born, 
 whose names are written in heaven, and to God the Judge 
 of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to 
 Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of 
 sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel."* 
 With suc1i objects before him and around him, he feels him- 
 self in company, to which the world yields no parallel. ^ A 
 corresponding elevation of thought, and of sentiments, raises 
 up the mind itself to a sublimity of conception, and a suscep- 
 tibility of enjoyment, and to an extent of delight which far 
 surpasses the pleasures of the present evil world. His rea- 
 son is improved, his faith is invigorated, his hopes are con- 
 firmed, his consolations are abundant. It is enough. 
 
 Brethren, compare the objective delights of the sarictuary 
 with those of the men of the world under the best possible ad- 
 vantages, and you cannot fail, in making up the estimate, to ac- 
 knowledge the vast superiority of the joys of religion. With 
 you, who give all your attention to the things which are seen, 
 we can occasionally dwell, until we have discovered all that 
 is revealed to you. We pursue with you, the path of letters ; 
 we engage with you, with equal ardour, in the study of philo- 
 sophy^ we catch fire from the poet and the orator; we be- 
 hold with awe, the revolutions of those worlds which Omnip- 
 otence hath fixed in the boundless expanse over our heads ; 
 and we feelingly trace the changes of enapire on earth in all 
 their causes and consequences : we admire the historian of 
 ages which are gone, and listen to the story of more modern 
 date : at the present moment, we pursue the warrior with his 
 * Heb. xu. 22—24. 
 
244 THE CONSOLATIONS OF 
 
 shining steel, and hear the stroke of battle. The schemes of 
 the courtier, and the policy of the statesman, occupy, at times, 
 a part of our thoughts : but we chiefly look up to that hand 
 which directs the thunderbolt ; which tosses about the whirl- 
 wind ; which makes confusion and darkness minister to the 
 light and the order of the moral world ; which bears up the 
 pillars of the earth. 
 
 The Christian contemplates this world and all things that 
 are therein, as destined to declare the glory of God, and to 
 promote the interests of the church of Christ: by faith, he 
 contemplates objects which are not perceived by the senses, 
 nor explored by the reasoning faculty of man. Such is the 
 testimony of inspiration. Noiv faith is the substance of things 
 hoped for ^ and the evidence of things 7iot seen. The vision of 
 heaven, with all its never-ending joys — of God the Father, 
 Son, and Holy Ghost, is enjoyed by the Christian for his 
 comfort in this life, through faith in Jesus Christ. We be- 
 held his glory^i the glory as of the only begotten of the Father : 
 and he that hath seen me^ hath seen the Father. By faith, 
 Moses endured as seeing him who is invisible. These are ob- 
 jects which could not have been discovered, otherwise than 
 by revelation. It is no part of the wisdom of this world ; but 
 of the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world 
 unto our glory. " As it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear 
 heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things 
 which God hath prepared for them that love him : but God 
 hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit."* 
 
 It is moreover to be remembered, that a believing viev^r of 
 these glorious objects is set forth by the apostle, as our com- 
 fort in the midst of afflictions; and therefore ought to be so 
 described in a discourse on the consolations of the gospel. 
 For ivhich cause., we faint not : while ive look not at the things 
 which are seen., but at the things ichich are not seen : for the 
 things which are seen arc te?7iporal^ but the things ichich are 
 not seen are eternal. I say, brethren, a believing view of these 
 divine things, which are revealed to us by the Spirit, in 
 order to distinguish Christian perceptio?!., from the ideas 
 which unrenewed men are capable of forming upon the same 
 subject. The ungodly are competent to think and to reason 
 upon every fact and every doctrine brought to light by the 
 sacred Scriptures ; but they see no form nor comeliness nor 
 beauty in them which should render them desirable. They 
 are blind to the excellency of celestial objects. The natural 
 * 1 Cor. a. 6—10. 
 
TRUE RELIGION. 243 
 
 man receiveih not the things of the Spirit of God ; for they 
 are foolishness unto him ; neither can he knoiv them, because 
 they are spiritually discerned ; but he that is spiritual jiidgeth 
 all things* 
 
 In the Bible we have many striking examples of men who 
 exercised a spiritual understanding of divine things. One 
 instance may now suffice. Paul the apostle was a man of 
 mind, and a scholar. He was versed in the philosophy of 
 the celebrated schools of Greece, and familiar also with their 
 poetry. At the feet of Gamaliel he studied theology, and en- 
 tered into the most minute observances of pharisaical tradi- 
 tion, with characteristic ardour. But he became a Christian : 
 and gave this testimony — " Yea, doubtless, and I count all 
 things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ 
 Jesus my Lord."t 
 
 4. Religion affects the heart with sincere love. 
 The Christian law prescribes love as our duty both towards 
 God and towards man. The Spirit of Christ sheds abroad 
 in our hearts the love of God ; and we do, in fact, under the 
 influence of his grace, love him who first loved us. The ex- 
 perience of divine power on the soul, exciting benevolent affec- 
 tions, and regulating them in their exercise, is a source of 
 exquisite enjoyment ; and, therefore, I introduce the idea, in 
 treating of the comforts of godliness. It is not my purpose 
 to consider this tender passion in its general nature, or in its 
 particular relation to the precepts of revealed religion, except 
 so far as may be necessary to show, that, without the exercise 
 of it, a great part of our felicity must be cut off, and that, in 
 the very exercise of it, under evangelical influence, indepen- 
 dently of all calculations upon its subsequent effects, the mind 
 has great satisfaction. 
 
 Piety is, undoubtedly, much concerned with the social pro- 
 pensities of the human mind. An enlightened understanding 
 is, indeed, necessary to true godliness ; and, in the exercise 
 of a spiritual understanding upon divine objects, much of our 
 happiness consists. Christianity, nevertheless, is not a matter 
 purely of intellection, for it extends to the whole man ; and, 
 in the renovation of our mental faculties, it is inconceivable 
 that God the Holy Spirit should neglect entirely the finer 
 feelings of the soul. To every man who has a heart, it is 
 easy t^o prove, that love is a delightful emotion. Cold and 
 comfortless would be all our habitations did not this sun of 
 social life ray down its light and its joy. It is the solace of 
 ♦ 1 Cor. u. 15. t Phil. iu. 8. 
 
 21* 
 
246 THE CONSOLATIONS OF 
 
 the connubial state, and the cement of every happy family. 
 It warms the heart of the parent when he embraces the child, 
 and its pulsations are felt by the son when he exchanges the 
 salutation. It is the bond of pcrfcctivcss among the saints ; and 
 in the sound speech of a man of God, it is as cords which 
 draw out the soul towards heaven, and bind more firmly than 
 the bands of a man. 
 
 Like every other passion of the human heart, love is capa- 
 ble of being excited, in an improper degree, and upon unsuit- 
 able objects. When thus it becomes unruly and extravagant, 
 it is a source of pain and trouble : for it is strong as death, 
 and jealousy is cruel as the grave, the coals thereof are coals 
 of fire, which have a most vehement flame. This considera- 
 tion does not, however, militate against the principle of my 
 assertion. Still it is a fact, that the regular exercise of tender 
 affection is accompanied with pleasing emotions. It is stili 
 true, that piety tends to produce and to cherish such exercise 
 of the social affections of man. It was to have been expected, 
 in the present depraved state of the moral constitution, that 
 this, as well as other passions, should often prove the occasion 
 of uneasiness : and experience proves, that sometimes it pro- 
 duces vexation, and sickness, and death ; but these instances, 
 in which it becomes a tormentor, go themselves to show the 
 necessity of placing this ardent affection under the direction 
 of piety. Like the element of fire, when it surpasses its prop- 
 er limits, it becomes a raging enemy and a merciless de- 
 stroyer ; but, under due control, it not only ministers to our 
 use, but is also essential to our comfort. 
 
 It is easy to show that personal religion includes the exer- 
 cise of love to God and to man. He who made us to show 
 forth his praise, declares both the necessity of loving him. to 
 our own happiness, and the certainty that all the redeemed 
 shall sincerely love him. He displays the amiableness of his 
 own attributes to our hearts as the proper object of our affec- 
 tions, and his excellency to our intellects as the object of our 
 highest esteem : and he sends his Holy Spirit to teach us and 
 to change us, so that, destroying the aversion to his holy and 
 glorious perfections, which is inherent in our morally de- 
 praved constitution, the desire of our souls should be effectu- 
 ally and habitually directed to his own name. That same 
 moral temperament, including both a spiritual understanding 
 and a spiritual sensibility, which is in scripture style called 
 sjpiritucil-mindcdness^ secures, as by the instinct of a new na- 
 ture provided for this express purpose, the exercise of pure 
 
TRUE RELIGION, 247 
 
 regard for the Lord and for all his people. Beloved, let us 
 love one another : for love is of God ; and. every one that loveth 
 is born of God, and knoweth God. And every one that Loveth 
 him that begat, loveth him also that is begotten of him. 
 
 The love which the divine law prescribes, which the gospel 
 of the grace of God proposes and cherishes, which the Holy- 
 Ghost communicates, and which the spiritually-minded man 
 exercises, is a principle of action, pure, powerful, liberal, be- 
 nevolent indeed, but yet, deeply interested in all its objects. 
 
 It is yiire ; for it is both without guile, and unmingled with 
 sensuality. It is neither self-deception, nor deceit practised 
 upon others. It is a reality. It is not the result of an excite- 
 ment of mere animal nature, or of fancy, associating detached 
 fragments of religion with the love of pleasure, or the love of 
 party, or with the mere natural sympathies of the unsanctified 
 heart : for however common it may be to stir up a passion for 
 religious concerns, by having them artfully commingled with 
 the ordinary feelings of a volatile and ignorant mind, in or- 
 der to swell the list of ecclesiastical proselytes, the holy affec- 
 tions of a renewed soul are of a different character. The 
 man that loves divine things perceives, with his illuminated 
 intellect, their peculiar excellency, and is affected towards 
 them for their intrinsic worth. The spiritual affection of the 
 saints refuses association with envy, and pride, and vanity, 
 and malevolence, and falsehood — rejoicing not in iniquity^ 
 but rejoicing in the truth. 
 
 It is a powerful principle of action. It is by love the faith 
 of God's elect worketh to the purifying the heart. God's love 
 to his people is effectual in changing them to his own image ; 
 and our love to him Vv^hen produced, co-operates in assimila- 
 ting us to the object of our regard. It is not an insignificant 
 notion which exists in the mind only as a matter of cold spec- 
 ulation, or the creature of a phrenzied imagination, occasion- 
 ing zeal Avithout knowledge : but a moral sentiment instinct- 
 ively propelling the disciples of the Son of God to rejoice in 
 the true doctrine, to seek his own communion, and to do his 
 commandments. 
 
 Christian love is liberal : for wheresoever the Spirit of the 
 Lord is, there is liberty. It is a generous emotion which di- 
 lates the heart towards every object worthy of regard, and 
 which produces a communicative or charitable disposition. 
 It makes a man to think and to act towards all others in pro- 
 portion to their worth, with true liberality. O ye Corinthi- 
 
248 THU CONSOLATIOItS OF 
 
 ans ! our mouth is opc7i to you, our heart is eiilarged — he '§e 
 also enlarged. Charity suffer eth long, and is kind* 
 
 Love is deeply interested in its proper object. It is a pro- 
 pensity of the heart to that in which we take complacency ; 
 and it induces, of" course, a desire to enjoy it, as well as good- 
 will for its welfare. We seek the company of the friend W8 
 hold in high regard, while we wish him well wheresoever he 
 is. Of Jehovah the believer says, My soul followeth hard af- 
 ter thee. My heart said unto thee, thy face, Lord, will I seek. 
 This is a predominant feature of Christian character. "One 
 thing have I desired of the Lord, that will 1 seek after ; that 
 I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, 
 to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his tem- 
 ple." Psalm xxvii. 4. 
 
 Mere benevolence is indeed disinterested : for charity seek- 
 eth not her c-ivn.\ It is not in the nature of true religion to 
 
 *2 Cor. vi. 11^ 13. and 1 Cor. xiii. 4. Few words in any language 
 have been more egregiously misapplied than the words " charity and liber- 
 ality." In the scriptural use of the word Ayarrr/, charity, or more properly 
 love, it is opposed to all unkind/iess to friend or foe. Its expressions of 
 tenderness behove, of course, to corrgspond with prudence and with 
 equity. Liberality is opposed to aU contractcdness of spirit, particularly 
 meanness, avarice, and envy, and partiality. The man who, because he 
 belongs to a great empire, prides himself for his partiality, and abuses 
 another as ilUberal who is attached to a commonwealth of smaller dimer>- 
 sions, is himself uncharitable. It is not the man that pleases the multi- 
 tude for gain, but he who is kind to all according to his power, and 
 values others in proportion to their worth, that is truly liberal. It is not 
 he that flatters the profane, the ignorant, and the immoral, but he that un- 
 derstands and applies the word of God, without respect to rank, to num- 
 bers, or to names; and with a regard to the good of others, irrespectively 
 of his own immediate advantage, that practises Christian charity. 
 
 It is not charity to be indifferent to divine truth. To alter or relinquish 
 any ordinance of God, for the sake of ptcasing men, can never be dic- 
 tated by the love of God. Let u* be liberal with that which is our own ; 
 but failhjul, in what we have in trust from others, especially from the 
 Lord. We owe God obedience in all things. Christian enlargement of 
 heart prompts a man to relinquish his own ease and interest, for the sake 
 of doing good to others ; but never induces any one to promote his own 
 interest by accommodating himself to all systems of religion, as alike in 
 worth, because they may happen to be alike in popularity. I may desire 
 and promote the welfare of every one, without tolerating error or vice in 
 any one. " If any man love not tlie Lord Jesus Christ, let him he 
 Anathema Maranalha.'" 
 
 t In applying to social affection the term disinterested, I am anxious not 
 to be misunderstood. I do not affirm, that a regard to our own happiness, 
 is not a proper principle of action : for I know such an affirmation would 
 not be true. There is in fact no opposition between the principle of be- 
 nevolence to others, and a regard for our own best interests. In servirig 
 God, the saints ever have respect to the recompense of the reward. Total 
 
TRUE RELIGION. 249 
 
 produce a deterioration of moral character. Its object iis to 
 reform and perfect the original faculties of our constitution. 
 Seeing, therefore, that good-will is a social^ and not a splfish 
 affection, it cannot be doubted that Christian charity respects 
 the happiness of others rather than our own. I am ready to 
 admit, indeed, that much of our own felicity depends upon 
 the exercise of our kind affections towards others ; and even, 
 that the pleasures of benevolence are not confined to the vir- 
 tuous, but are often mingled with criminal indulgence : so 
 far, however, is this fact from implying that our kindness of 
 disposition originates in selfishness, that it proves the very re- 
 verse. The agreeable emotions connected with the exercise 
 of social affections, before they can be a motive to such exer- 
 cise, must necessarily imply the existence of the 'principle of 
 benevolence as an ultimate fact in the constitution of man. 
 None can take pleasure in doing a kindness to another if he 
 have not in some degree a benevolent disposition of his own. 
 The gratification resulting from the exercise is evidence that 
 the principle exercised exists. The gratification arising from 
 eating and drinking to satisfaction, is proof of the existence 
 of the appetites of hunger and thirst, as much as the pleasures 
 of music prove the existence of the sense of hearing, and of 
 a taste for that fine art. 
 
 Those philosophers have laboured under a mistake, who 
 have formed their system of ethics upon the notion of refer- 
 ring all moral action to a principle of self-love ; and they are 
 as far from the truth, who exclude from their morality alto- 
 indifference to one's own true interest, is both unnatural and impious. 
 Yet benevolence is a social affection : I am bound, it is true, to calculate, 
 as a rational creature, what is for my own interest ; but in good-will to 
 others, the object is not my own interest, but their good, even although 
 I, at the time, should both desire and expect their favour. God is worthy 
 of love, for what he is in himself, and for what he has done for my soul. 
 In loving him, 1 seek his glory, and the enjoyment of him for ever, 
 
 " The similarity between the words, self-love and selfishness, has intro- 
 duced much confusion into ethical disquisitions. The word selfishness is 
 always used in an unfavourable sense ; and hence, some authors have 
 been led to suppose, that vice consists in an excessive regard to our own 
 happiness. It is remarkable, however, that, although we apply the epi- 
 thet selfish, to avarice, and to low and private sensuality, we never apply 
 it to the desire of knowledge, or to the pursuits of virtue, which are cer- 
 tainly sources of more exquisite pleasure than riches or sensuality can 
 bestow. That the word selfiskness is by no means synonymous with a 
 regard to our own happiness, appears, farther, from this, that the blame 
 we bestow on those pursuits which are commonly called selfish, is founded, 
 partly, on the sacrifice they imply of our true interest to the inferior prin- 
 ciples of our nature.'' — Stewart's Outlines of Moral Philosophy. 
 
250 THE CONSOLATIONS OF 
 
 gether, the principle of regard for our own personal enjoy- 
 ment. Man is by the constitution of his rational nature, both 
 desirous of personal happiness, and disposed to take pleasure 
 in the happiness of others.* It is in the immoral or irregular 
 exercise of these distinct principles of action that the evil 
 consists ; and true religion corrects the evil. It neither com- 
 municates the social affection, nor destroys a regard for per- 
 sonal enjoyment : It finds both existing as active principles in 
 our nature, depraved indeed by sin ; and it cultivates and 
 sanctifies them together with all our other active powers, di- 
 recting their exercise for our own ultimate advantage, and 
 the glory of the Lord our God. Good-ioill to others, as w^ell 
 as desire of happiness^ is a natural principle of action in man ; 
 and when influenced by the power of godliness, it is directed, 
 in its exercise, to all the objects connected with the Christian 
 on earth or in heaven, according to the relation which, in the 
 scheme of providence, he bears to each of them. Love your 
 enemies^ bless them that curse you^ do good to them that hate 
 you^ and pray for them who despitefully use you. Thou shalt 
 love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, with all thy soul, 
 and ivith all thy strength ; and thou shalt love thy neighbour 
 as thyself 
 
 When any social affection, whether of love or hatred, pre- 
 dominates over self-regard, a man is said to be disinterested. 
 The passion of resentment is frequently indulged without re- 
 gard to one's own private good, and sometimes even when it is 
 obvious that the consequences must be injurious to self-interest. 
 There is in such cases an exercise of disinterested malevo- 
 lence. Malice is painful : but virtuous disinterestedness is a 
 source of great enjoyment. 
 
 The exercise of generous feeling is ever accompanied with 
 
 * " Our benevolent affections are various ; and it would not, perhaps, 
 be easy to enumerate them completely. The parental and the filial affec- 
 tions — the affections of kindred — love, or (the attachment of sexes) — 
 friendship — patriotism — universal benevolence — gratitude — pity — are 
 some of the most important.'"' 
 
 " Novv^, as men were plainly intended to live in society, and as the so- 
 cial union could not subsist, without a mutual interchange of good of- 
 fices ; would it not be reasonable to expect, agreeably to the analogy of 
 our nature, that so important an end would not be entrusted solely to the 
 slow deductions of reason, or to the metaphysical refinements of self- 
 love ; but that some provision would be made for it in a particular class 
 of active principles, which might operate like our appetites and desires 
 independently of our reflection 1 To say this of parental affection, or of 
 pity, is saying nothing more in their favour, than what was affirmed of 
 hunger and Uilrst ; that they prompt us to particular objects without any 
 reference to our own enjoyment.''^ — Stewart's Mor. Phil. 
 
TRUE RELIGION. 251 
 
 agreeable emotions. And in this constitution, divine wisdom 
 and goodness appear. Kindness to an enemy — pity for the 
 distressed — benevolence to all around you — supreme love to 
 God, for what he is in himself; for each of his attributes ; for 
 his works of goodness and of grace ; and especially for the 
 redemption of our souls by the blood of Jesus — and love to 
 all in whom the Lord delights — these affections, brethren, 
 greatly minister to christian consolation. Let me urge it 
 upon you, therefore, to love, with supreme regard, the Lord 
 your God. He is worthy of infinite love ; for every amiable 
 quality belongs to him in an infinite degree. He is the head 
 of the family into which you are adopted. The image of the 
 parent is seen, too, upon every son and daughter. Within 
 the gates of our house in heaven no unclean thing can enter. 
 Oh what delight is contained in the first impressions of a soul 
 upon his introduction into those mansions ! The ransomed 
 society to which you belong, dwell in that holy place in the 
 continual exercise of love and praise. If there be therefore 
 any consolation in Christy if any comfort of love., if any felloio- 
 ship of the Spirit^ if any boicels of mercies; fulfil ye my joy., 
 that ye he like minded., having the same love. 
 
 5. The assurance of God's love is to the pious mind a 
 source of great consolation. 
 
 The man of feeling cannot be happy without partaking of 
 the regard of him whom he supremely loves. But when 
 there is evidence sufficient, to show that love is reciprocal, 
 the heart is at ease. Jealousy is alwa^^-s cruel as the grave ; 
 and the coals thereof are coals of fire which have a most vehe- 
 ment fiame : for many waters cannot quench love., neither can 
 the fioods drown it. 
 
 Assurance of God's love is the highest Christian comfort. 
 It supports the mind under all our sufTerings, and it inspires 
 confidence under the most discouraging circumstances. The 
 truth of this remark will be felt by all who enjoy that assur- 
 ance. We have many fine expressions of such Christian joy 
 as arises from a sense of being interested in the love of God, 
 in the Song of Solomon. " The king hath brought me in to 
 his chambers : we will be glad and rejoice in thee ; we will 
 remember thy love more than wine : the upright love thee — 
 I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit 
 was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting 
 house, and his banner over me was love."* 
 
 By the Spirit of adoption we are enabled to enjoy the cer- 
 * Chap. i. 4. and 11. 3, 4. 
 
252 THE CONSOLATIONS OF 
 
 tainty of being beloved of the Lord ; and when we find ouf 
 love to him sincere, we are convinced of his love to us. 
 From the effect, we reason conclusively to the cause : and no 
 other cause can account for our attachment to divine things, 
 than God's eternal love in Jesus Christ our Lord. We pur- 
 sue with pleasure the stream to the fountain: and are satis- 
 fied with a view of him who first loved us. " That ye, bei?ig 
 rooted and grounded in loi^e, may be able to comprehend with 
 all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and 
 height ; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth know- 
 ledge, that ye may he filled with all the fulness of God.''''* 
 
 The love of God to man is from everlasting to everlasting; 
 sovereign and effectual for our redemption and salvation. It 
 is not the consequence, but the cause of our regard for him. 
 He loves his people even in their sins: he hates the sin and 
 redeems Israel. God commendeth his love to us, in that while 
 ice were yet sinners, Christ died for us. True, our Father in. 
 heaven takes complacency in the piety of his saints. His 
 own image in their hearts is not to be viewed with indiffer- 
 ence. This is the effect of his grace ; and the divine compla- 
 cency is in proportion to the extent of its object : he sees and 
 approves what is good according to its measure of goodness. 
 In this sense, indeed, God loves his children in proportion to 
 their attainments in holiness. His complacency is on ac- 
 count of our subjective piety ; but that very piety, is the gift 
 of his sanctifying Spirit, and the effect of his eternal and un- 
 changeable love. This, brethren, is the source of all our 
 joys. " He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of 
 the world, that we should be holy and without blame before 
 him in love :"t find no subsequent transgression can make 
 the elect of God more vile and unworthy than they were be- 
 fore their second birth. Moreover, all their transgressions 
 were foreknown w'hen he so loved them as to send his Son 
 for their redemption ; and therefore are we taught by an in- 
 spired instructor to reason for the perpetuity of his regard, 
 our corruptions notwithstanding. We are assured that his 
 love will effectually destroy at last all these corruptions. 
 "If he spared not his own Son, but delivered him up to the 
 death for us all, how shall he not with him freely give us 
 all things ?" And is not this a source of consolation ? Is not 
 he comforted of God, who sings, in the face of danger, though 
 I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear 
 no evil, for thou art with me ? Has he not abundant conso- 
 ♦ Eph. iii. 17— 19. tEph. i. 4. 
 
TRUE RELIGION. 253 
 
 lation who hurls defiance at every creature in the universe, 
 when personally assured of the Father's love : for i/j ivhen 
 we were enemies, ive were reconciled to God by the death of his 
 Son : 7nuch more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life. 
 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? — Neither death-^ 
 nor life, nor a?igels — nor any other creature, shall be able 
 TO separate us FROM THE LOVE OF GoD which IS in Christ 
 Jesus our Lord* 
 
 6. Finally, brethren, true religion is a source of consola- 
 tion, because it inspires us with the hope of salvation in 
 heaven. 
 
 If in this life only we have hope in Christy we are of all 
 men most miserable. It is not the expectation of temporary 
 good that supports the benevolent labours of the saints, or fills 
 their souls with abundant joy. The toils and the sorrows of 
 life would be sufficient to reduce them to the lowest state of 
 wretchedness, did they not look forward to the rest which re- 
 mains for the people of God. In the grave, it is true, the 
 wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest from 
 bodily suflJerings ; but religion sheds down her light upon 
 the tomb, and reveals her everlasting abodes, where we hope, 
 not only to be released from our troubles, but to be admitted 
 to pleasures pure, and abundant and perpetual. It is not for 
 the gloom of ceaseless oblivion — for the hope of having his 
 life utterly extinguished, that the Christian endures with pa- 
 tience the ills of life: it is the assurance of permanent exist- 
 ence in the possession of perpetual enjoyment, that satisfies 
 his anxious heart, and animates his pious exertions. Thus, 
 he foregoes the amusement of an hour for the purpose of 
 realizing the perfection of blessedness in heaven — looking for 
 that BLESSED HOPE, aud the glorious appearing of the great 
 God, even our Saviour Jesus Christ.^ • 
 
 * Rom. V. 10. and viii. 38, 39. 
 
 1 1 have rendered, in this quotation, the copulative Km, even instead of 
 and, as it is in the common version. It is evident, independently of criti- 
 cism upon Kot, that the glorious appearing, for which Christians hope, is 
 not that the Father should become visible to our eyes ; but that Jesus 
 Christ should come in his glory according to the promise of his reappear- 
 ance without sin unto salvation. He of course, is the Great God, spoken 
 of, in this case, as the object for whom we hope and look. 
 
 GranviUe Sharp in his excellent remarks on the use of the definitive 
 article, quotes this text in illustration of his first rule. That rule is, 
 " when the copulative xai connects two nouns of the same case, if the 
 article 6 precedes the first and is not repeated before the second, if nouns 
 of personal description, they both refer to the same person." Dr. Whitby, 
 as well as Beza, Broughtonj a,nd Hammond, render this text so as to un- 
 
254 THE CONSOLATIONS OF 
 
 I shall not now anticipate the subject of my last sermon in 
 this series, by describing the perfection of blessedness for 
 which we look to God. You know that hope is a pleasing 
 expectation of some future good in all cases ; and that this 
 expectation is exhilarating to your spirits. You know, that 
 in times of dejection and melancholy, from whatever cause, 
 in times of trial and suffering, of whatever kind or degree, 
 celestial hope soothes and comforts the soul. It preserves us 
 from sinking under adversity: It renders our Christian jour- 
 ney under ordinary circumstances, cheerful and rapid ; and, 
 when all the other graces are in proper exercise, hope trans- 
 ports us beyond the limits of time to the heavenly city which 
 we desire to see. 
 
 This, brethren, is not like the gay and playful fancy of a 
 frivolous and volatile mind. Our hope is a glorious reality — 
 a well-founded expectation of the greatest good — a full cer- 
 tainty of the heavenly inheritance. It is an anchor to the 
 soul — a hope that shall not make ashamed. Resting on the 
 promise of God, which he confirmed by an oath, sworn in 
 his everlasting covenant, by his own unchangeable name, we 
 have an infallible foundation for the full assurance of hope 
 unto the end. " God willing more abundantly to show unto 
 the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, con- 
 firmed it by an oath: that by two immutable things, in which 
 it was impossible for God to lie, we might have strong conso- 
 lation^ who have fled for refuge, to lay hold of the hope set 
 before us : which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both 
 sure and steadfast." Why then should we be cast down by 
 the sorrows of the present life? Let us wait patiently until 
 the time of deliverance arrive : or rather, let us pursue our 
 journey through the wilderness, undismayed by the frowns 
 and the threatenings of the enemy. The prize is before us, 
 the High-Priest of our profession is entered, once for all, into 
 the holy place. Thence he shall come once more without 
 sin unto salvation. In the mean time, he is Lord of the uni- 
 verse, he preserves and protects all that trust in him ; and we 
 
 derstand the same person by "the Great God" and the "Saviour." 
 Jesus Christ is here styled the great God. In the original the article is 
 prefixed only before M-eyaXa Qsy . God the Father is not properly said to 
 appear. The word E-TKpaveia never occurs in the New Testament but in 
 application to Christ. Christ is, moreover, emphatically the hope of 
 Israel, the hope of glory. Col. i. 27. and 1 Tim. i. 1. And if authority 
 have any weight in criticism, this is supported by almost all commenta- 
 
TRUE RELIGION. 255 
 
 can, by his grace, without becoming liable to the charge of 
 presumption, join in the soul-refreshing song, of the wan- 
 derer in the forest of Hareth, '• My soul shall be filled with 
 marrow and with fatness. Because thou hast been my help, 
 therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice." Amen. 
 
256 THE STABILITY AND PERFECTION 
 
 THE STABILITY AND PERFECTION OF 
 TRUE RELIGION. 
 
 SERMON X. 
 
 JuDE 24, 25. — Noui unto him that is able to keep you from fall- 
 ing, and to present you faultless before the presence of his 
 glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, 
 be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. 
 Amen. 
 
 Arise, ye children of Zion, for this is not your rest. On 
 earth you have no continuing city. It is in heaven, the Lord 
 whom ye seek and serve hath prepared his throne, and there 
 he sitteth on the right hand of God, until the time of the res- 
 titution of all things. From unbodied spirits he receives ce- 
 lestial homage, and upon them he confers undescribable 
 beatitude. Behold ! he is before you, entered upon the pos- 
 session of your inheritance. It is he, who said, before he 
 left the world, " I go to prepare a place for you — and I will 
 come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am 
 there ye may be also." Your fathers too, and your elder 
 brethren, are, agreeably to this promise, before the throne, 
 and serve him day and night in his temple — " They shall 
 hunger no more, neither thirst any more : for the Lamb, 
 which is in the midst of the throne, shall feed them, and 
 shall lead them unto living fountains of waters ; and God 
 shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." Clothed with 
 white robes, and palms in their hands, they raise their 
 voices in loud and harmonious strains, saying, "Salvation 
 to our God, which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the 
 Lamb." 
 
 He is worthy, too, of our regard. Let us imitate their ex- 
 ample, while we pursue our journey to the paradise in which 
 they dwell ; and looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ unto eternal life, let us unhesitatingly and joyfully 
 
OF TRUE RELIGION. 257 
 
 ascribe to him glory and majesty, dominion and power, both 
 now and for ever. The only wise God our Saviour is the 
 object of our adoration and the fountain of our happiness: 
 He alone is able to keep you from fallings and to present you 
 faultless before the presence of his glory ivith exceeding joy. 
 
 With these words I intend to conclude this series of dis- 
 courses on personal godliness. They convey, in one short 
 sentence, an idea of the perfection of the heavenly state — an 
 idea of the period of your transition from grace to glory — an 
 idea of the power by which your spiritual life is preserved 
 unto perfection. 
 
 1. All the saints are kept by the power of God through 
 faith unto salvation — He is able to keep you from falling. 
 2. All the saints, at their death, become absent from the body, 
 and present \vith the Lord — to present you before the presence 
 of his glory. 3. All the saints shall be introduced to their 
 God in heaven, in a glorious state, holy and without blemish 
 — To present you faultless before the presence of his glory icith 
 exceeding joy. 
 
 I shall illustrate each of these assertions ; and give you, 
 from the sacred scriptures, additional confirmation of their 
 truth. I have taken care, indeed, to state each proposition in 
 the sound speech of inspiration, which cannot be condemned; 
 and the words of the text itself, so clearly affirm their truth, 
 that you will not be disposed to deny it. With respect to 
 them all, I intend no more than a brief statement of the ar-. 
 gument in their support ; and I shall then close the discussion 
 with an address to both saints and sinners. 
 
 I. All the saints are " kept by the power of God, through 
 faith unto salvation." 1 Pet. i. 5. 
 
 The apostle Peter addressed his epistle to those pious peo- 
 ple who were scattered abroad over that part of Asia, which 
 lay to the north and west of Syria and Palestine, situated be- 
 tween the head of the Mediterranean and the Euxine seas. 
 In writing to them, that are in Christ Jesus., he assumed the 
 principle of their personal piety, and of course addressed 
 them as elected, regenerated, justified, and sanctified men. 
 Speaking of them and of himself, as saints, he made use of 
 the expression quoted above, in order to animate their already 
 "lively hope," assuring them of the nature and certainty of 
 their preservation in holiness. The words are well calcu- 
 lated to exclude as inapplicable all the usual objections urged 
 against the doctrine of the saints' perseverance. 
 
 It has never been asserted, by any one of the judicious 
 22* 
 
258 THE STABILITY AND PERFECTION 
 
 friends of evangelical doctrine-, that a man should enjoy sal- 
 vation in heaven, who was not a saint, at the very time of his 
 departure from the world : and it is likely that no man, what- 
 ever his religious creed, would assert, that any person should 
 be excluded from heaven, who was at the moment of his 
 death personally and sincerely pious. This consideration re- 
 duces within narrow limits the field of controversy, occupied 
 by the parties who appear in opposition, upon the doctrine 
 of the perseverance of the saints. If it is admitted by all, 
 that none but those who are pious at death shall enter into 
 life eternal, and that all who are pious at death shall enter 
 that state, then, the only question worthy of examination is, 
 " have we reason to believe, that those who are, at any time, 
 pious, will certainly be so when they leave the world'?" 
 There is no need of debate upon other questions. They 
 may divert attention, and produce confusion of thought ; and 
 they may lead to the regions of prejudice and passion, or to 
 implicit faith in the opinions of men ; but they cannot afford 
 aid to the candid inquirer for truth. It answers no purpose 
 whatever upon this subject, to say, if we are found doing 
 good and loving God, we shall be safe, and if we are found 
 negligent and in apostacy, we shall be lost. All this is true ; 
 but it is in this case irrelevant. The only question is. Have 
 we reason to believe, that they who once loved God, shall 
 always love him? — shall always be preserved from total 
 apostacy ? 
 
 In order to answer correctly this question, it is necessary 
 to settle certain truths in our minds: — God is the author of 
 piety in every heart — God is able to preserve our piety. If 
 it be at all admitted, that the scripture speaks truly when it 
 affirms that Jesus Christ is the aidhof and finisher of our faith., 
 and that he is able to save to the uttermost^ then there is no 
 longer any doubt, that God is the author of piety, and that he 
 is able to continue, even unto the time of death, the piety 
 which he himself, in his mercy, once produced. The field 
 of controversy now becomes narrower still. Indeed it is re- 
 duced to a point. Hath God said, that he will himself preserve 
 piety in every heart in which he hath produced it 1 If he hath 
 said it, will he not do it? If he promised, will he not per- 
 form? If God hath said, that every saint shall continue to 
 be a saint even unto death, the doctrine of perseverance is 
 true ; and it is an article of the Christian faith. All will ad- 
 mit, that apostacy is a man's own fault — that they who are 
 wearied of the service of God, are not meet for heaven — that 
 
OF TRUE RELIGION. 259 
 
 we are bound always to seek, and to ask, and to knock, and 
 to abstain from ail appearance of evil. But still the inquiry- 
 is, shall God preserve in a state of grace all whom he hath 
 brought into that state ? We know that he is able to keep us 
 from falling, if he choose to do so : and the apostle Peter as- 
 sures us that it is by him we are kept — that we are kept, not 
 in unbelief and negligence, but through faith — that we are 
 kept, through faith, unto salvation, not by our own power, 
 but by the power of God. 
 
 Allow me, then. Christians, to put the question to your- 
 selves. It is certainly worthy of your attention. It cannot 
 be the interest of any of you to remain in error with respect to 
 the doctrines of revealed religion. Do you doubt the power 
 of God either to bestow his grace upon the sinner, or to pre- 
 serve the saints from falling away 1 I know you do not. 
 It is not asserted by me, that let a man do what he will to op- 
 pose God and godliness — that a wicked man shall be saved. 
 I only contend for the salvation of believers : for the salvation 
 of those who live a life of faith and holiness : for the salvation 
 of those who die the death of the righteous. The impenitent 
 and the unbelieving shall certainly perish : but if God hath 
 indeed given us reason to believe that he shall employ his 
 own power in preserving our faith, our piety, our obedience, 
 and our love, against the power of temptation and personal 
 corruption, will you not then permit us to believe in the per- 
 severance of the saints 1 However diffident of our own 
 strength, will you not allow us to put our trust in the Lord % 
 Being confident of this very thing, that he tchich hath begun a 
 good work in you, ivill perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. 
 
 It is a fact, which I have no inclination to deny, that many 
 professors of religion, ivho for a while believed, fall away in 
 time of trial. This consideration may have induced many 
 to deny the certain stability of any professor ; but it is more 
 safe to speak of such persons in the style of John the apostle, 
 in perfect consistency with the doctrine of the perseverance 
 of the saints. 1 John ii. 19. They luent out from us, but they 
 were not of us ; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt 
 have co7itinued u'ith us : but they icent out, that they might be 
 made manifest that they ivere not all of us. Apostacy from a 
 profession of religion is not apostacy from the grace of God ; 
 but is rather a full manifestation of the absence of the grace 
 which was supposed to exist in such professor. The views, 
 moreover, which some men take of the nature of true reli- 
 gion, make it very consistent for themselves to fall away from 
 
260 THE STABILITY AND PERFECTION 
 
 It : but it is not the grace of God which bringeth salvation 
 that renders itself consistent with the damnation of its subjects. 
 Far be it from me to controvert the opinions of those, who 
 affirm the possibility of their oivn final failure. They, per- 
 haps, may fall and rise repeatedly ; and fall away finally, 
 from the imaginary grace, and the erroneous faith, and the 
 spurious devotion, in which they gloried. That kind of 
 grace, which depends upon the will of man, can preserve no 
 man. We contend not for perseverance in any thing except the 
 grace of God, concerning which the apostle Paul expressed 
 the truth, Rom. v. 2. We have access by faith into the grace 
 WHEREIN WE STAND, aucl rcjoice in hope of the glory of God. 
 
 Is it then a truth, that the God of heaven hath promised, 
 that all the saints shall persevere in holiness through faith 
 unto eternal life? It is a truth. He hath promised, and he 
 will perform. 
 
 EVERY TRUE CHRISTIAN SHALL BE ESTABLISHED IN FAITH AND 
 HOLINESS. 
 
 Those persons who are well acquainted with evangelical 
 doctrine, know the truth of this assertion from the other prin- 
 ciples of revealed religion. They have ample proof of the 
 doctrine of perseverance, in the doctrine of predestination — of 
 redemption by the blood of the everlasting covenant — of justi- 
 fication by faith in the Surety — and of the covenant of grace 
 itself, ordered in all things and sure. All these doctrines 
 assure us, that God loves his people, and that he will save 
 them from all their sins. But it is my design to give you, 
 from the Avord of God, more direct proof of my assertion, 
 that it is his will to save every believer. Scriptural declara- 
 tions — the precious promises — and the description, which the 
 bible gives of personal godliness, prove this doctrine. 
 
 1. Scriptural declarations. 
 
 John vi. 40. " This is the ivill of him that sent me, that 
 every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may 
 have everlasting life : and I will raise him up at the last day." 
 Thus spoke the Interpreter of the Father's will. Thus did 
 he declare his own purpose. It is the will of the Father and 
 the will of the Son to save every one that believeth. Yes. 
 This is asserted in positive terms. And will you avoid the 
 conclusion by saying, ' If one cease to be a believer, the faith 
 which he lost is unavailing T I admit the truth of your argu- 
 ment. The conclusion flows from the premises. Upon the 
 
OF TRUE RELIGION. 261 
 
 supposition, that faith should be extinguished for ever, and 
 the believer become an unbeliever, no doubt he must perish. 
 Your affirmation is hypothetical ; and it is true ; but it is in- 
 applicable to the case in hand : the hypothesis is false. Faith 
 is an abiding principle. It is given in the behalf of Christ. 
 It is of grace. It is not of ourselves. And will you allege, 
 that this gift of grace is bestowed upon us, by its Author, 
 without any design to save our souls — with a design to take 
 it away? Read the assertion, Rom. viii. 30. "Moreover, 
 whom he did predestinate, them he also called ; and whom he 
 called, them he also justified ; and whom he justified, them 
 he also glorified." Read these words, and then charge God 
 with unsteadiness, in giving us faith in Christ, with the pro- 
 mise of salvation, when we were sinners, and then depriving 
 us both of the gift and the promise after having become saints : 
 and when you have made this charge, compare your own ar- 
 gument with that of the apostle Paul ; Rom. v. 10. " For 
 if, when ive were enemies^ we were reconciled to God by the 
 death of his Son : much more^ being reconciled, we shall he 
 saved by his life :" having made the comparison, ask yourself 
 the question, '• Is it thus I express my confidence, that ho 
 which began the good work will carry it on ?" 
 
 2. Scripture promises. 
 
 Psalm xxxvii. 28. The Lord loveth judgment^ and for- 
 saketh not his saints. These words are plain and positive. 
 They teach the doctrine of perseverance. They promise that 
 God will preserve the piety which he has communicated. 
 You will not question his veracity. You will not deny his 
 power to fulfil. You must admit the truth ; or, for the sake 
 of maintaining your own consistency, have recourse to your 
 former expedient — and call this a conditional promise. You 
 would expound it thus, " the Lord will not forsake his saints 
 unless they forsake him: They are preserved for ever by 
 him, unless they turn away from him." This is another 
 hypothetical affirmation : He will not forsake them.^ if they do 
 not forsake him. This is true ; but it is not the whole truth: 
 It is not the doctrine of this text : and it is not relevant against 
 the doctrine of perseverance ; for although the affirmation is 
 true, the hypothesis.^ upon which it is founded, is false. God 
 promises not only to abide with his people while they abide 
 with him ; but he moreover promises to preserve them icith 
 him for ever. Read another promise, Isa. liv. 10. "For the 
 mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed ; but ray 
 kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the cove- 
 
262 THE STABILITY AND PERFECTION 
 
 nant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord, that hath mercy 
 on thee." 
 
 I am utterly at a loss to know what words can satisfy any 
 one who inquires after proof of this doctrine, if such words 
 are not esteemed sufficient to indicate the truth for which 
 they are quoted. They clearly promise unchangeable cove- 
 nant protection to the children of God. I would ask any un- 
 prejudiced man, I would ask every man, who knows the use 
 of language, to point out such a mode of expression as would 
 satisfy him. Tell me what is that promise, which, if it were 
 used in the bible, would convince you that God intended to 
 convey thereby the idea of certain protection to the saints : 
 and I engage to find such promises in the book of God. Tell 
 me what would convince you that God hath promised to pre- 
 serve the piety of the saints even unto death? What words 
 could be used sufficient to persuade you of his grace and 
 goodness in preserving his people for ever? He hath fur- 
 nished various forms of expression in order to convey this in- 
 teresting idea to them who depend upon him. Heb. xiii. 5. 
 For he hath sairl^ I will 7iever leave tkee^ nor forsake thee. Un- 
 less you think it impossible even for God to preserve our 
 piety, listen to the following 
 
 3. Descriptions of Christian stability. 
 
 Prov. X. 25. The righteous is an everlasting foundation. 
 Mai. iii. 17. They shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in 
 that day when I make up my jewels. Jer. xvii. 7, 8. Blessed 
 is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the 
 Lord is : for he shall be as a- tree planted by the waters, and 
 that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see 
 when heat cometh ; but her leaf shall be green ; and shall 
 not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from 
 yielding fruit. 
 
 Upon such declarations, Christians, you may rest in con- 
 fidence. The saints shall be safe, and we are bound to pro- 
 claim it in their hearing, for the glory of him who is able to 
 keep them from falling. It is not, however, to be denied, 
 that imperfections abound in the church, and that all the 
 saints are liable to fall into temptations and transgressions and 
 sorrows. This was foreseen by the Lord, and the case was 
 provided for in his covenant. To express displeasure at sin 
 by suitable chastisement, and, at the same time, to effect the 
 reformation of the sinner, while the love of God remains un- 
 altered and his covenant sure, is the course of treatment de- 
 termined upon in relation to the transgressions of men of 
 
OF TRUE RELIGION. 263 
 
 piety. Psalm Ixxxix. 30 — 34. " If his children forsake my 
 law, and walk not in my judgments ; if they break my stat- 
 utes, and keep not my commandments : then will I visit their 
 transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. 
 Nevertheless, my loving-kindness will I not utterly take from 
 him, nor sufler my faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I 
 not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips." 
 I take my leave of this subject with stating, that our cove- 
 nant-head knoweth them that are his. The Lord that 
 bought the church, will not permit the gates of hell to pre- 
 vail : and the Shepherd of Israel will give an account of all 
 that have been committed to his care. And I give unto them 
 eternal life ; aiul they shall never "perish^ neither shall any 
 pluck them out of my hand. My Father^ ivhich gave them me, 
 is greater than all ; and none is able to pluck them out of my 
 Father's hand. 
 
 II. The saints are, at death, presented before the Lord in 
 never-ending glory. 
 
 Accustomed to disappointment, in our best-laid plans, and 
 vexed, both at our own weakness and at the vanity of our 
 schemes, w^e are apt to conclude that uncertainty everywhere 
 reigns with her dark and malignant sceptre. Too confident 
 in the day of prosperity, Avhile flattered by success, man, 
 frail, changing man, the child of circumstances, becomes 
 gloomy, fearful, peevish, and desponding in the day of ad- 
 versity. The painful apprehensions of despairing minds fre- 
 quently intermingle with the secret exercises of the religious 
 heart ; and we are tempted to invest revealed truths with the 
 mantle of uncertainty. When, moreover, we see instances 
 of instability, among those who once made a respectable pro- 
 fession of godliness, we are prone to think that there is no 
 safety for ourselves ; our strength decays, and we, for the 
 time, relinquish exertion. Such, however, is the time to try 
 the faith of God's elect. 'Let God he true., and every man a 
 liar. Promises, and resolutions, and exertions of man may fail : 
 Nevertheless, " the foundation of God standeth sure, having 
 this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his.^^ The divine 
 omniscience marks every believer ; and, like the seal of the 
 ancient architect applied to the foundation of an edifice, de- 
 signates its object to the use to which it is predestinated. 
 " The only wise God is able to keep from falling, and to pre- 
 sent us faultless before the presence of his glory." 
 
 Death, it is true, stands in our way to the city of rest. He 
 is an eroemy to fallen men. He is " the king of terrors," who 
 
264 THE STABILITY AND PERFECTION 
 
 sends before him diseases of endless variety to subdue the 
 body, and pains and forebodings full of horror to subdue the 
 mind ; who is followed with the winding-sheet and the coffin, 
 with the mattock and the spade, and with the dark and lone- 
 some grave ; who rudely seizes upon his victim, shakes the 
 animated frame until every organ of life is destroyed, and 
 every chord is ruptured, tramples the ghastly corpse in the 
 dust, and expels the spirit from the abodes of men. And whi- 
 ther, O whither is that spirit gone 1 It is gone to the righte- 
 ous judgment of God. li is apj^ointcd unto men once to die; 
 hut after this the judgment. 
 
 Death is, however, the last enemy with which the saints 
 contend : and, even he is already a vanquished foe. He shall 
 not only be certainly overcome by every believer, but he is 
 already overcome by the believer's Lord, who hath abolished 
 death^ and hath brought life and immortality to light through 
 the gospel. The righteous, therefore, hath hope in his death: 
 forasmuch as Christ by death destroyed him that had the power 
 of death.) that is., the devil., and delivered them loho through 
 fear of death tvere subject to bondage. Having already de- 
 scribed the importance and stability of religion in the living, 
 let us now consider its advantages to the dying. He, who 
 supported the pilgrim in the wilderness, will also carry him 
 safely through the swellings of Jordan. 
 
 The use of religion to the saints at their death, consists 
 in the support which it yields under mortal disease — the 
 comfort which it affords in the agonies of dissolution — and 
 the hope which it inspires of enjoyments beyond the grave. 
 
 The power of godliness is called into action, in an emi- 
 nent degree, when disease assumes a deadly character. We 
 are, it is true, always sure that death will some day overtake 
 us: but this general conviction does not immediately affect 
 us with apprehensions that the event is at hand. Disorders, 
 in some part of the body, are also so various and frequent, 
 that the hope of recovery is not easily extinguished ; and the 
 saints, while labouring under those diseases which are of 
 doubtful character, are not uncommonly agitated with alter- 
 nate hopes and fears, increased or diminished as they may 
 be affected by the business, and connexions, the duties and 
 expectations of the present life. When, however, the charac- 
 ter of their malady has become unequivocal.^ and their speedy 
 departure from the world certain, the anxieties of dubiety are 
 at an end ; and the soul usually attains to more composure. 
 Whether by a sudden certain stroke, or by the total debility 
 
OF TRUE RELIGION. 265 
 
 incident to long protracted and incurable malady, the believer 
 is admonished of his approach to the great rendezvous of the 
 sons of men, he is made familiar with the sentence, " Dust 
 thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return." I have seen a 
 Christian, who, in the first apprehension of danger from tho 
 disease under which he laboured, was gloomy and despond- 
 ent, become, so soon as his doom appeared inevitable, serene 
 and happy ; and giving up his dearest and dependent rela- 
 tives to the protection of that God in whom he had himself 
 trusted, and whom he now longed to see in the upper sanctu- 
 ary ; his remaining days were devoted to holy meditations 
 and a cheerful hope. Religion had triumphed over the 
 two principal causes of uneasiness under bodily sickness — 
 attachment to the things of this world, and impatience under 
 sufferings. 
 
 Piety never appears more affecting or attractive than it 
 does in the dying man, who is supported with the hope of 
 heaven, if God in his providence so orders the case as to 
 leave his judgment uninjured to the last.* Frequently when 
 bodily strength is rapidly declining, there is a display of ex- 
 traordinary mental vivacity. There is more patience and re- 
 signation, there is more serenity and solemnity, than during 
 the active employments of healthful years. Nor is it only in 
 the quiet and placid endowments of religion, that an improve- 
 ment has taken place. We often find in the hour of death, 
 a discovery of more intellect, and more ardour than at any- 
 former period. Then the light of heaven shines on the soul 
 with greater splendour, and the dying saint reasons more dis- 
 tinctly from the principles of revealed rehgion — enjoys a 
 more unclouded assurance of faith in the blood of the ever- 
 lasting covenant — and a more eager desire to enjoy God with- 
 out intermission. May we not also conclude, from the man- 
 ner in which some believers undergo a dissolution of the 
 earthly tabernacle, that celestial enjoyment commences before 
 the attendants have pronounced the change from life to death 
 completed? Behold that smile of heavenly resignation and 
 of heavenly hope, blended together on the pallid cheek. 
 
 * God is a Sovereign. He inflicts and controls diseases at pleasure. 
 By sudden death, by disorders which impair the powers of intellect or of 
 speech, and by those alarming epidemics which expel visitants from the 
 bed-side, he may call his redeemed to glory without permitting them to 
 leave behind any peculiar dying testimony to the value of religion, for 
 the instruction and comfort of them who survive. This is an expression 
 of displeasue more against the living than the dead. It indicates unfa- 
 fourably to those that remain. 
 
 23 
 
266 THE STABILITY AND PERFECTION 
 
 The impression remains aftor the spirit has taken its flight to 
 distant abodes. Perhaps while the bands of life are untying, 
 and the soul is drawing back her energies from organs which 
 she is no longer to employ as instruments of feeling or of ac 
 tion, the Holy Ghost is perfecting the work of sanctification, 
 the Redeemer is revealed from afar, and the angels are in 
 waiting to accompany into his presence within the city of 
 God, the disembodied spirit. Now the soul is gone, having left 
 the earthly house^ with the vital fire scarcely yet extinguished. 
 Perhaps, too, that shriek, uttered in the midst of dying agony, 
 by another disciple, whose struggle with the destroyer has 
 been more violent, is the last effort of the body, feeling itself 
 forsaken by its immortal occupant, gone to return no more 
 until the morning of the general resurrection. Gone from 
 earth with him who is able to present us faultless before the 
 presence of his glory. 
 
 Brethren, it is the hope of happiness and glory at death, 
 that animates our exertions on this side the gloomy valley 
 which we are hourly approaching. Let us inquire whether 
 there is a prospect of enjoying the heavenly felicity imme- 
 diately after our departure from the world, or whether we are, 
 according to the opinion of some professed Christians, either 
 to sleep in a state of total insensibility, or to spend ages suc- 
 ceeding ages, in some intermediate place, after having been 
 removed from this w^orld, before we shall be admitted to the 
 presence of his glory, in whom we have believed. I am 
 aware of what is already your hope, what has been at all 
 times the hope of the saints in respect to this inquiry. I 
 know you expect, so soon as you are absent from the body, 
 to be present with the Lord ; but it wall be no injury to your 
 peace to examine the foundation of that hope, and to assure 
 yourselves, from the revelation of God, that you have a war- 
 rant for your holy expectation. Some men, as if they were 
 themselves anxious to remain as long a time as possible at a 
 distance from heaven, and 'as if they were fearful, that the 
 saints should be too eager in their desire to be with Christ 
 in his glory, have laboured to unsettle our faith in the doc- 
 trine of an immediate admission into the faultless condition 
 of glorified spirits before the throne of the Lamb. Their 
 objections, indeed, cannot be of great weight in the Christian 
 balance, opposed as they are by the word of the living God : 
 but it may be useful, notwithstanding, to lay before you, in a 
 few succinct remarks, the reason of the hopes that we in- 
 dulge, both as it regards the soul's immortality, and its im- 
 
OF TRUE RELIGION. . 267 
 
 mediate admission, at the death of the body, into the presence 
 of God. 
 
 1. The human soul does not die. It is immortal, and re- 
 mains in a state of separation from the body, during the 
 whole intermediate time between death and the general res- 
 urrection. 
 
 I give the proof in six distinct references to the testimony 
 of divine revelation. 
 
 First. There is an essential difference between mind and 
 matter : and the Scriptures assert, positively, the immortalitp 
 of the one, and the mortality/ of the other. Matt. x. 28. 
 A?id fear not them tohich kill the body., but are not able to 
 kill the soul. These are the words of him who made us, and 
 who redeemed us, and sanctifies and saves us. He knowa 
 perfectly the constituent parts which he himself created. 
 He cannot be suspected of a design to mislead our sentiments : 
 and he affirms, not only that the soul is distinct from the 
 body, not only that it does not, in fact, die with the body; 
 but that it is impossible to kill the soul by any created power. 
 So surely, therefore, as the body is capable of death, the soul 
 is immortal. 
 
 Second. The Scriptures declare that a separation between 
 soul and body takes place at death ; and that the body de- 
 scends lifeless to the tomb, while the spirit ascends to a dif- 
 ferent place to meet its God. Eccles. xii. 7. Then shall thb 
 dust return to earth as it was ; and the spirit shall return t6 
 God ivho gave it. Compare this text. Chap. iii. 21. Wh(> 
 knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward ?' The time to 
 which both these expressions refer, is one ; the time when 
 " one dieth ;" " when man goeth to his long home, and the 
 mourners go about the streets." At that time, the body, 
 made of the dust of the earth, returns to its kindred element^ 
 and the spirit, distinct in its origin, returns to him from whom 
 it immediately proceeded to animate its body. The soul, of 
 course, goeth upivard, and appears in the consciousness of ita 
 existence in the presence of Jehovah, to give an account foi 
 the deeds done in the bod.y. 
 
 Third. The Redeemer, by parable, conveys instruction 
 concerning the relation which our conduct in life bears to 
 our condition immediately after death, and so declares the 
 immortality of the soul. 
 
 Luke xvi. 22, 23. And it came to pass., that the beggar died., 
 arid was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich 
 man also died^ and was buried ; and in hell he lifted up his 
 
268 THE STABILITY AND PERFECTION 
 
 eyes^ being in torments. The only use which I will now 
 make of this part of the word of God, (for afterwards it must 
 be considered for another purpose) is as a witness against 
 those who maintain that soul and body die together, and that 
 there is no consciousness upon the part of man from the time 
 of death until the general resurrection. The parable con- 
 veys very different sentiments. Lazarus the beggar, is car- 
 ried immediately after death to the place of happiness, Abra- 
 havi^s bosom. Whatever may have been done with his body 
 by survivors, angels conducted his spirit to their own happy 
 residence. The body of the rich man was buried in due 
 style ; but into hell his spirit was instantly dismissed from 
 the body ; and there, he was " in torments." Both the beg- 
 gar and the man of wealth died : both left their bodies in the 
 dust : both retained their existence, their consciousness, their 
 feelings, and their recollections after their departure from the 
 world : and all this was the case, immediately, while the rich 
 man could say with truth, that his father's house still stood, 
 and that his five brethren were yet on the earth, from which 
 he had been removed. 
 
 Fourth. The specimen of reasoning which our Saviour 
 gives for the imitation of his followers, settles the question of 
 the soul's immortality. 
 
 Matt. xxii. 32. / avi the God of Abraham.^ and the God of 
 Isaac, and the God of Jacob — God is not the God of the dead, 
 but of the living. This argument was employed by infalli- 
 ble wisdom in opposition to the doctrine of the Sadducces, and 
 in support of the doctrine of a future state, and the resurrec- 
 tion, which that sect denied. Indeed, the fundamental prin- 
 ciple of the Sadducees was, that there is no spirit distinct 
 from matter, and that, of course, the death of the body is the 
 destruction of the living principle in man. The declaration 
 of our Lord is aimed directly at this heresy, and can apply 
 only consequentially to the doctrine of a reunion of the soul 
 and body. " God is not the God of the dead, but of the liv- 
 ing:" therefore as God is the God of all the patriarchs, and 
 all the departed saints, although as to us they are dead, and 
 we have no fellowship with them, they are all still living 
 in the enjoyment of God, and their souls are of course im- 
 mortal* 
 
 * It is notorious, not only from Josephus, and other Jewish writers, 
 but from what is said, Acts xxiii. 8. that the Sadducees denied the ex- 
 istence of angels and all separate spirits. The words in Luke xx. 38. 
 For all live unto him, make it still more evident, that our Lord considered 
 
OF TRUE RELIGION. 269 
 
 Fifth. The promise of our Redeemer to the penitent crim- 
 inal, who was crucified at his side, is evidence of the soul's 
 immortality. Luke xxii. 43. And Jesus said unto hi?n, To- 
 day shall thou be with me in Paradise. This promise secured 
 the salvation of him to whom it was addressed. No time 
 intervened from his death until he entered upon the scene of 
 his enjoyment. To-day, said the Saviour, thou shalt be with 
 me. Was he then annihilated ? was the principle of life ex- 
 tinct with his bodily vitality ? or did he not rather retain his 
 life and his consciousness while he accompanied the Son of 
 man to the Paradise of God ? 
 
 Sixth. The hopes of inspired men are an infallible guide 
 to our hopes. They rested not upon a peradventure, like tha 
 visions of false philosophy, but upon the word of the living 
 God. These hopes did not contemplate the destruction of 
 their spirits by death, or their descent to the grave, to arise 
 no more until ages after ages had rolled over their inanimata 
 souls. They looked at death only as a valley through which 
 they were to pass to immediate glory and immortality. The 
 Apostle Paul will serve as an example. 2 Cor. v. 1. Foi 
 we kn^w that., if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dis' 
 solved, we have a building of God^ an house not made ivith hands j 
 eternal in the heavens. 
 
 Thus have we ample evidence, that the dissolution of oui 
 earthly tabernacle does not terminate our existence. We shal\ 
 outlive the body ; for we pass through the gates of death to 
 the celestial edifice where we shall abide for ever. 
 
 You perceive, brethren, that, in this argument, I have con- 
 fined myself to the Scriptures for proof satisfactory to the en- 
 lightened mind. If I have avoided the controversial ground, 
 which vain philosophy prefers, it is not because I feared to 
 meet a host too powerful in combat. If I do not rest the 
 proof of my doctrine upon the decisions of human reason, I 
 am not unwilling to meet and to expose, when it is requisite, 
 
 this as all that was incumbent on one, who would confute the Sadduces, 
 to prove, namely, that the soul continued to live after the person's natural 
 death. If we should overhear one man say to another, " I wish to have 
 you in my service, and to be your master, as I am your father's master," 
 should we not conclude that the person spoken of is alive, and his ser- 
 vant at this moment 1 What seems to have occasioned the many unna- 
 tural turns that have been given to this argument, by later commentators, 
 is solely the misunderstanding of the word avas-aats, through not attend- 
 ing to the latitude of signification wherein it was often used in the days 
 of the Apostles. 
 
 I have selected these remarks from an excellent and learned note upon 
 this text, in Campbell on the Gospels. 
 23* 
 
270 THE STABILITY AND PERFECTION 
 
 the objections of the Materialist, who treads in the steps of the 
 Sadducees, in denying the existence of spirits. But we must, 
 at present, leave the disciples of that school to go on in their 
 attempts to make matter conscious of its own existence ; to 
 render it an intelligent and sensible being, capable of feeling, 
 of reasoning, and of voluntary action : we must leave them 
 to confound the distinction between body and mind, in their 
 own visionary schemes of reform, and turn your attention to 
 another doctrine, equally unscriptural, and alike opposed to 
 the hope of the saints — that which represents the soul as ex- 
 cluded from heavenly felicity until the resurrection. We 
 must illustrate and defend the sacred truth, that, 
 
 2. " At their death, the souls of believers are made perfect 
 in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory." There is 
 no doubt that God is able to present his saints faultless before the 
 presence of his glory ^ immediately on their departure from the 
 world ; and, of course, our only inquiry is, has he said that 
 it shall be done % The following passages of Scripture will 
 show that our faith rests upon sufficient testimony. 
 
 First. Phil. i. 21. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 
 This inspired writer cannot be charged with miscalculation 
 with respect to futurity. His religion was sincere, and of 
 his salvation he was long assured. He lived by the faith of 
 the Son of God ; and enjoyed in the knowledge of Christ, a 
 degree of felicity, compared with which, he esteemed all 
 other enjoyments as loss ; but he affirms that death would be 
 to him a gain. He declares, verse 23. He had a desire to 
 depart. Most assuredly, therefore, the place into which he 
 expected to go, must be a place of great happiness. What 
 that place is, he leaves the pious to find out, from the com- 
 pany which is to be enjoyed, and from its superior excellency 
 — having a desire to depo.rt, and to be with Christ, lohich is 
 far better. Now it is obvious, that the advantage of death 
 consists in the soul's immediate admission to the place in 
 which the Lord our Redeemer dwells, and of which, he says 
 himself in his intercession. Father., I loill that they also ichom 
 thou hast given me, be with me where 1 am ; that they may 
 behold my glory. Of it he said, too, / go to prepare a place 
 for you ; and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come 
 again and receive you unto myself ; that where I am there 
 YE MAY be also. Is it necessary to tell to any Christian that 
 this place is heaven ? Or may we not apply to all the saints 
 the words of our Saviour, " Whither I go, ye know, and tho 
 way ye know :" whatever ignorance of that place may have 
 
OF TRUE RELIGION. 271 
 
 been plead by Thomas, before Christ's departure, none can 
 be ascribed to the Apostle Paul after his own descent from 
 that very place where he saw his glorified Lord. Is it con- 
 ceivable then, that, after having said, " for to me to live is 
 Christ," he would have added " to die is gain," had he not 
 expected to pass through death forthwith into the presence of 
 his Redeemer in glory? If you have any doubt of the Apos- 
 tle's meaning, read another of his declarations in the name 
 of the saints. 
 
 Second. 2 Cor. v. 8. We are confident.^ I say^ and willing 
 rather to be absent from the body^ and to be present tcith the 
 Lord. These are the words of a man of sense, and a man 
 of piety. He had no idea of an intermediate place, neither 
 earth nor heaven, where, after having lost his body, he should 
 also, for thousands of years, lose the company of his Lord. 
 He was willing for no such exchange : but he was willing 
 to be absent from the body in order to be present with the 
 Lord. For this inclination he had given, in the first verse, a 
 very satisfactory reason : loe know.^ said he, whatever others 
 may dream oi different places, that if our earthly house of this 
 tabernacle were dissolved^ we have a building of God., an house 
 not made loith hands^ eternal in the heavens. Yes, in the 
 heavens. There, he desired, and he hoped to enter. 
 
 Third. The promise of our Saviour to the thief on the 
 cross, already quoted for another purpose ; and, indeed, all 
 the passages, referred to in support of the soul's immortality, 
 furnish an evidence of the immediate admission of the de- 
 parted spirits of believers into those mansions in their Father's 
 house which the Redeemer hath prepared for them. Luke 
 xxiii. 43. To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise. This 
 promise indicates mercy to the penitent. It is an answer to 
 the prayer, " Lord, remember me when thou cornest into thy 
 kingdom." Whither the Redeemer of course was himself 
 to go, thither this convert was to accompany him, and that 
 instantly upon leaving the body. Many learned critics, well 
 skilled in heathen mythology, better, perhaps, than in the 
 Christian theology, might still use with great propriety the 
 words of Thomas, " we knov/ not. Lord, whither thou 
 goesf." for they deny that the soul of Jesus departed into 
 heaven, although he so frequently informed his disciples that 
 he was going to their Father's house. In vain an attempt 
 has been made, by referring to the opinions of the heathen, 
 and to the popular errors of ignorant Jews, to identify the 
 doctrine of Christ, relative to a future state, with the Elysian 
 
272 THE STABILITY AND PERFECTION 
 
 Fields of the ancient poets. The Scriptures teach us where 
 to look for the Paradise of God. There the Apostle Paul 
 had visions and revelations of the Lord, when he was caught 
 up to the third heaven ;, for he gives to the same place the 
 name also of Paradise. 2 Cor. xii. 4. Our Lord himself 
 clearly explains, what he intended by Paradise, in the Reve- 
 lation given to John the Divine. Rev. ii. 7. To him that 
 over Cometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, lohich is in the 
 midst of the Paradise of God. Heaven is the reward of the 
 Christian conqueror. It is the promise which the Redeemer 
 proposes and fulfils. It is that place of purity, of rest, and of 
 enjoyment, of which the garden of Eden was a remarkable 
 type. And there stands, on either side of " the river of the 
 water of life, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the 
 Lamb," the true tree of life, yielding its fruit, and bearing 
 leaves for the healing of the nations. Into this Paradise* the 
 Redeemer admits his redeemed sons and daughters : there he 
 now dwells, and ever shall continue to dwell : thither he en- 
 tered, on the day of his death, taking the penitent thief along 
 with him into his kingdom. 
 
 Fourth. The parable of Lazarus and the rich man excludes 
 the doctrine of an intermediate place for departed spirits, be- 
 tween earth and heaven, or hell. The rich man, immedi- 
 
 ately after death, Luke xvi. 23. in hell lifted up his eyes, 
 in torments, and said, 24. I am tormented in this flame. Here 
 was punishment, and of course, a previous judgment : the 
 soul must, therefore, after death, according to the Scriptures, 
 have appeared before the judgment-seat of Christ to receive 
 according to the deeds done in the body.f 
 
 * Tldp.iJeiao?, Paradise, is from the Hebrew oniD, and signifies a "garden 
 enclosed." It is used in the Scplungint for the garden of Eden. Con- 
 sidering the evident allusion to this garden, wherever the word occurs in 
 Scripture, it is astonishing that Christian commentators should prefer 
 taking their ideas respecting it, rather from the Pagan Elysium^ than 
 from that distinguished type of the heavenly beatitude. 
 
 t 'A^rK, or Ai<h<, as the word is spelt in Homer and Hesiod, signifies 
 invisill/^, from a neg. i^^ii' to see. It is a general term for the place of de- 
 parted spirits: as if we should say, such a one is gone to the invisible 
 world : he is dead : he is gone to the world of spirits. This expression 
 leaves it undecided whether the soul is gone to heaven or hell : but, if 
 this indefinite term be connected with other terms, which limit the sense 
 to the place of future punishment, then hell is of course pointed out. 
 Dives was sent to of^fjf, certifies, that he is gone to the world of spirits — 
 the hwisihle world: but, when it is added being in torments, we know that 
 he is in fhe place of misery beyond the grave ; and is punished for his 
 sins in hell fire. The Greek word, Vtiwa, immediately denotes this place; 
 ^A6ni denotes it only in certain connexions. This is all the difference 
 
OF TRUE RELIGION. 273 
 
 The Beggar^ also, immediately after death, is carried by- 
 angels to Abraham^ s bosom : And of course, if the Father of 
 the faithful be in heaven, all his children enter the same place 
 upon their departure from the earth. But if Abraham be 
 not yet admitted to the place of happiness, he has been ex- 
 ceedingly mistaken, for he looked for a city which hath foun- 
 dations, whose builder and maker is God : His faith has not 
 been, " the vSubstance of things hoped for, and the evidence of 
 things not seen." The Apostle Paul, too, must have misun- 
 derstood the nature of the case, for he describes the patriarchs 
 as expecting and receiving heaven. Heb. xi. 16. They desire 
 a better country^ that is, an heavenly : wherefore God is not 
 ashamed to be called their God ; for he hath prepared for 
 them a city. Surely, the city which he hath prepared, is the 
 one they desired to see — the heavenly Jerusalem. This is 
 the promise of the covenant, even the heavenly inheritance ; 
 and although Abraham and the other patriarchs did not live 
 on earth to receive the promise of Christ'' s advent in the flesh, 
 they were persuaded of its truth, and died in the faith of its 
 accomplishment. They are, therefore, members of the gen- 
 eral assembly, whose names are written in heaven. It was 
 in the faith of such enjoyment after death, that the Old 
 Testament saints served their heavenly Father, and sano- 
 his praises. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel., a?id after- 
 wards receive me to glory. It was in the hope of admission, 
 immediately into heaven, they breathed their last, and surren- 
 dered their spirits to God. Psalm xxxi. 5. LUo thine hand I 
 commit my spirit : thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth. 
 Fifth. I conclude my argument with facts. When the 
 Scriptures assure us that certain persons are departed from 
 this life to suffer punishment in the world to come, they of 
 course assure us, that immediately after death, the soul is 
 judged, and sentenced for the sins committed in the body, to 
 the place of perdition, which we call hell : We are accord- 
 ingly certain, that there is no receptacle for the departed sin- 
 ner, different from that pit of perdition. When, too, the 
 Scriptures represent any who have departed from this world 
 as admitted into everlasting happiness, we know that they are 
 in heaven ; because heaven is nothing else than the place in 
 
 HeU is the place, in which damned spirits suffer punishment for their sins, 
 according to the righteous judgment of God. It is no purgatory ; and 
 there is no escape from its burning torments. The rich man in the para- 
 ble, found himself in that place after death. He was judged: he was 
 punished for his sins : he was in torments : he was without remedy. 
 
274 THE STABILITY AND PERFECTION 
 
 which Goa and Christ dwell in glory ; and in which the 
 saints are rewarded according to their works, through the 
 grace of God. Now it is a fact, that certain persons do en- 
 joy that happiness : and we know, certainly, that some suffer 
 punishment in hell. 
 
 Judas Iscariot is '•'' gone to his otcn place^^ to suffer for his 
 transgression ; and that place was specified hy the spirit of 
 prophecy. Whe7i he is judged, lei him be condemned — a.s he 
 loved cursing, so let it come unto him ; as he delighted not in 
 Messing, so let it be far from him. Pour out thine indig- 
 nation upon them, and let thy wrathful anger take hold of 
 them. Let their habitation be desolate. Let death seize upon 
 them, and let them go down quick into hell.* Judas is gone 
 to HIS OWN place: he is dead, judged, condemned, and 
 cursed, with wrath to the uttermost : and what is that place ? 
 if this description suits any other place than the place of fu- 
 ture punishment, then words have no meaning. Observe, 
 that it is not upon the meaning of any one word, that I rest 
 the argument ; it is upon the description of the place from 
 several Scripture passages : it is from the account given of 
 the condition of the traitor, that I assert the fact, the soul of 
 that man is now in hell. All the ivicked shall be turned into 
 hell. Psalm ix. 17. 
 
 Contrast his case with that of Stephen, one of the first 
 deacons, and you will be ready to say, " Blessed are the dead 
 who die in the Lord." We may assert as a fact, what Ste- 
 phen expressed as a prayer under immediate inspiration. 
 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked steadfastly into 
 heaven, and. saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the 
 right hand of God, and said, I see the heavens opened, and the 
 Son of man standing on the right hand of God — a7id they 
 stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and. saying, Lord Jesus, re- 
 ceive my spirit.] This prayer is the same with that employed 
 by the saints of old. Psalm xxxi. 5. Into thine hand I com- 
 mit my spirit : for thou hast redeemed, me. Indeed, the same 
 words were used by our Lord himself on the cross, when he 
 dismissed his own soul to the Paradise of God. These several 
 cases mutually illustrate each other. 
 
 Behold then, my brethren, the first martyr to the resurrec- 
 tion of the Son of man, suffering a cruel death for the testi- 
 mony which he held. His eyes are directed, not to a prison 
 in the bowels of the earth, where some men, as if reluctant 
 
 ♦ Acts i. 20. Psalm cix. 6—17. and Ixix. 21. and Iv. 15. 
 t Acts vii. 59. 
 
OF TRUE RELIGION. 275 
 
 to think of heaven, expect to go at their own death : not to 
 Purgatory, or an earthly or a sensual paradise ; not to the 
 Elysium of heathen romance ; not to some probationary in- 
 termediate place, in which he was to dwell in separation from 
 his God through revolving ages : no, Stephen " looked up 
 steadfastly into heaven," expecting to be present with the 
 Lord instantly when absent from the body ; and in the full 
 assurance of hope, he said, " Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" 
 — and he fell asleep. His body is long since mouldered into 
 dust ; but there, his immortal spirit dwells on high in the 
 company of the Son of man in heaven. 
 
 The Revelation, made by the Apostle John, while he 
 spent his solitary days upon a desert island, introduced him 
 to a more familiar acquaintance with the celestial regions 
 than falls to the lot of other men on the ei.rth. Heaven did 
 not appear to him as an empty place, in which the glorified Re- 
 deemer displayed his majesty and beauty, without any of his 
 redeemed sons and daughters being present with him to be- 
 hold his glory. It did not occur to that venerable divine, 
 neither was it shown to him by the visions of God, that the 
 spirits of just men separated from the body, from sin, and 
 from all infirmity, purchased as they are by the precious 
 blood of Christ, in order to enjoy the kingdom of heaven, 
 should have been limited to privileges inferior to those of the 
 angels, and be excluded from a sight of heaven where their 
 covenant-head rules with boundless power. Upon the very 
 contrary, he repeatedly beholds the souls of departed saints 
 in heaven ; in the high fellowship of angels ; in the im- 
 mediate presence of God, in the fruition of undescribable 
 ■felicity ; and very near to their Lord, who combines the 
 sensibilities of an immortal man, wath the ofiicial dignity 
 to which he is exalted — who is at once their God and their 
 brother. Repeatedly he sees them before the throne : re- 
 peatedly he hears their song ; repeatedly he v/itnesses their 
 happiness. He is given to understand, that they feel an in- 
 terest in the condition of their brethren in this world ; that 
 they pray for vengeance upon the enemies of righteousness ; 
 that while they are themselves clothed with white robes, and 
 palms in their hands, they rejoice in the progress of religion 
 among the inhabitants of this world, under the administration 
 of Messiah their Prince. 
 
 Not only are Enoch, and Elijah who ascended up into hea- 
 ven in a whirlwind, and those saints which arose from the 
 grave, at the same time with Christ himself, soul and body 
 
276 THE STABILITY AND PERFECTION 
 
 already in the New Jerusalem, the holy city ; but lo ! a great 
 multitude, which no man rould number, of all nations, and kin- 
 dreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne and before 
 the Lamb. And he that sitteth on tJie throne, shall dwell among 
 them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more^ 
 neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the 
 Lamb, lohich is in the midst of the throne, shall feed them, and 
 shall lead them unto living fountains of ivaters ; and God shall 
 wipe away all tears from their eyes. But I must stop. 
 
 Here, brethren, I rest the cause for which I have been 
 pleading : and I trust that your hope of heaven, immedi- 
 ately upon the dissolution of your tents of clay, shall stand 
 secure upon the foundation of God. Already I have been, 
 imperceptibly led by the discussion to ground which more 
 properly belongs to the last head of my discourse. I lay it 
 now before you. 
 
 III. All the saints shall be introduced to their God in hea- 
 ven, in a glorious state, holy and without blemish. They 
 shall be presented " faultless before the presence of his glory 
 with exceeding joy." 
 
 Arranging our ideas of the heavenly felicity under the ex- 
 pressions of the text, it is necessary for us to turn your atten- 
 tion to the place, the character, and the enjoyment of the saints 
 through eternity. 
 
 1. The place, in which the saints find final repose, is 
 
 HEAVEN. 
 
 It is very evident that the earth never was intended by 
 the Creator for the permanent residence of man. Under 
 no conceivable economy could it afford a place of ever- 
 lasting habitation, much less could it yield adequate sup- 
 port to all the generations of the sons of Adam. If all 
 who had ever lived in the world were alive at the present 
 moment, seeking rest and nourishment, they would seek in 
 vain : And upon the supposition that the first man had stood 
 his probation, and had obtained his reward — confirmation in 
 innocence, both for himself and all his posterity, neither the 
 bovvers of Eden,* nor the boundaries of the world, would 
 have been sufficient to furnish for them either food or dwell- 
 ing-place. It must therefore have been intended in the crea- 
 tion of man, that whether mortal or immortal, he must change 
 
 * The Garden of Eden, or the Paradise, as it is rendered in the Greek, 
 by the Seventy, Gen. ii. 8. was itself a symbol of Heaven— a seal of the 
 first covenant— the covenant of works. 
 
OF TRUE RELIGION. 277 
 
 his residence. Creative power, exerted in boundless space, is 
 sufficient to assure to us, that a suitable abode would not in 
 any case be wanting. 
 
 We are not left, however, to inference upon a subject of so 
 much importance. He who brought to hght life and immor- 
 tality, has revealed to the faith of redeemed men an ample 
 inheritance, incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away. 
 Unprofitable speculation, about the ^art of space which is 
 named heaven^ is neither cherished nor gratified ; but we have 
 abundant information to cherish our hopes, and encourage 
 our exertions. The wisdom and the might displayed in the 
 arrangements of the terraqueous globe, as to its own several 
 parts, and its relation to other parts of the visible system, give 
 reason to believe that the place of final rest will abundantly 
 accommodate its numerous occupants. The beauty and the 
 grandeur appertaining to the works of nature, and which are 
 already exhibited to observation in a world constructed for 
 subordinate and temporary use, leave no ground to doubt, of 
 the transcendent glory of those holy regions which are 
 brought into existence for the highest possible purpose, and 
 for duration without end. Whatever may be the distance of 
 the heavens from the earth, whatever may be the direction in 
 which these mansions of God lie from the present abode of 
 mortals, we know there is a place in the universe more ex- 
 cellent than all others, in which Jehovah hath prepared his 
 throne ; where the Son of God now dwells with his glorified 
 humanity ; where the angels of light, and the spirits of just men 
 made perfect, already reside ; and to which, brethren, your 
 hopes piously and warrantably aspire. That place is heaven. 
 A thousand holy ideas rush upon the mind at the sound of 
 its name ; ten thousand unanswered questions suggest them- 
 selves respecting it ; for ive know hut in part, and we prophesy 
 in part : but when that lohich is perfect is come, then that which 
 is in part shall be clone aivay. 
 
 2. The character of the saints in heaven is faultless. We 
 shall never fully understand the extent of the evil consequent 
 upon the transgression of the first covenant, until we are com- 
 pletely delivered from its effects. When we enter the build- 
 ing of God eternal in the heavens, sin and sorrow are for 
 ever done away. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, 
 being burdened : We walk by faith, not by sight. _When, 
 however, we become absent from the body, all the pains and 
 the perplexities, all the labour and the toil of this state are 
 
 24 
 
278 THE STABILITY AND PERFECTION 
 
 at an end. Time, too, shall be redeemed from sleep, from 
 vain amusement, from the industry necessary to the preser- 
 vation of the body, and from sickness, and indolence ; and 
 that time devoted to the intellectual and moral employments, 
 suited to a glorified state. All error of judgment, all uncer- 
 tainty of recollection, all immorality of inclination, all im- 
 purity of thought, and misapplication of affection, shall be at 
 an end. We shall see as we are seen, we shall know as we 
 are known ; the image of God on the soul is complete. 
 Personal religion is perfect, A7id there shall be no more 
 death^ neither sorroio^ nor crying^ neitlter shall there he any 
 more pain : for the former things are passed aioay. 
 
 3, The enjoyment of the saints in heaven, is complete. 
 They enter into the presence of his glory with exceeding 
 joy. 
 
 Here is the rest which they expected, the haven which 
 they desired to see. It is the termination of every evil ; the 
 consummation of all their hopes; the end of their faith, even 
 " the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory," 
 The place furnishes ample enjoyment. Their own state pre- 
 pares them for enjoyment. The constant communications 
 made to them personally by their God, through Jesus Christ 
 the head of heavenly influence, in knowledge, in love, and 
 in glory, are a never-failing supply of every thing which is 
 desirable. The company into which they are introduced, 
 gives to their social nature its proper enjoyment; and in 
 every conceivable point of view, and in many respects at pres- 
 ent inconceivable, their bliss is perfect. The recollection of 
 their earthly journey, now that they are at rest, is a source of 
 high satisfaction. Their very transgressions, now, that they 
 are blotted out, compared with their sealed pardon in eternal 
 friendship with God in their own nature, appear at once as 
 the occasion of brighter discoveries of the perfections of God, 
 and of a nearer approximation, upon their part, to him who 
 loved them, and still loveth them with an everlasting love. 
 To meet, in heaven, their fellows-pilgrims; to recognize the 
 friends, the fellow-worshippers, the fathers or the children 
 for whose loss they mourned, and who mourned for their 
 loss, when separated by death on the earth, is an idea replete 
 with tender delight. Yes ! brethren, there shall your Pastor 
 have you as a never-fading crown: there shall you rejoice 
 in us, who aided you in your journey towards your home. 
 " Ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the 
 
OF TRUE RELIGION. 279 
 
 living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable 
 company of angels, to the general assembly, and church of 
 the first-born, which are written in heaven, and to God the 
 Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and 
 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood 
 of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel." 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 Allow me then, brethren, whether saints or sinners, to ad- 
 dress you as men of understanding, and of feeling. I shall 
 make no remarks, the truth of which you will not immedi- 
 ately acknowledge : and I shall leave you to draw from 
 these remarks your own inferences. To yourselves, to each 
 of you, the course of conduct which shall be pursued, is infi- 
 nitely important. The mind is distinct from body. The 
 soul outlives the outward man. It shall live for ever. Capa- 
 ble of progressive improvement, and of enduring enjoyment, 
 it is reasonable to be concerned for its future destiny. The 
 expansion of its faculties, the invigo ration of its powers, the 
 augmentation of its felicity, are objects worthy of regard. 
 The happiness of a day is more important than the pleasure 
 of an hour — the felicity which is without end, is more to be 
 desired than transitory delight. What shall it profit a man 
 if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ? or what 
 shall a man either give or take in exchange for his soul '? 
 there is no admissible comparison. He is less to be detested, 
 himself and his condition is less to be deplored, who stakes 
 in the desperate game, his whole inheritance upon a throw, 
 than he who foregoes the perfection and the enjoyment of 
 everlasting life for the delusory pleasures of a transitory 
 world. 
 
 The fashion of this world passeth away. See the index 
 which marks the passing time ; it is never at rest. Eternity 
 is approaching. Grey hairs indicate decline ; wrinkles be- 
 token debility : even youthful life is suspended over the 
 tomb by cords of slender texture. Beneath that tomb there is 
 a deeper abyss, a bottomless pit : and what prevents your fall- 
 into irremediable wo ? I hear the voice of Mercy, that voice 
 which said, " let there be light." It speaks of the soul that 
 sinned, and deserves to suffer, " Dehver him from going 
 down to the pit, for I have found a ransom." It calls upon 
 the wanderer to return, upon the labourer to repose, upon 
 
280 THE STABILITY AND PERFECTION OF TRUE RELIGION. 
 
 the dying- to live. It is the voice of my beloved. Even so, 
 Lord Jesus, come quickly ! " Now, unto him that is able to 
 keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the 
 presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise 
 God our Saviour, be glory, and majesty, dominion, and 
 power, both now and ever. Amen." 
 
 THE END. 
 
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 ELIJAH THE TISMHBITE. 
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 LIGHTS 86 SHADONA/S OF SCOTTISH LIFE. 
 
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 MEMOIR OF MARY LUNDIE DUNCAN. 
 
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 PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. 
 
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 DEV/ OF ISRAEL, 
 
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 CHRISTIAN FRAGMENTS; 
 
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 CHRISTIAN FATHER AT HOME; 
 
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 INFANT PIETY. 
 
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 HELEN OF THE GLEN. 
 
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 THE PERSECUTED FAMILY. 
 
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 RALPH GEMMELL. 
 
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 JESSY ALLAN, 
 
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 SHORTER CATECHISM. 
 
 Anecdotes Illustrative of the Shorter Catechism. By John Whitecross. 
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