On the other hand, those who are born of God, are fenfible that it is the duty of every rational creature to love God with all his heart, and to confecrate all his powers and faculties to his Maker's fervice. They are convinced that, whoever should do fo without fin, would do only what is juft and equal, and have no plea of merit to advance. But when they confider how many fins ftill cleave to them, how far fhort they come of their duty in every inftance, they afk for mercy, and not for reward, and are ready to fay with the Pfalmift David, "If thou, Lord, "fhouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who fhall ftand? but "there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared."* To fum up this reafoning in a few words. The reluctant obedience which fome pay to the divine law, is confidered as a debt charged upon God; whereas real obedience is confidered as a debt due to God. And therefore it must always hold, that the very imperfection of an obedience itself increases our difpofition to overvalue and reft our dependance upon it.

TH

SECT. II.

The second part of this change,

HE next thing implied in a faving change is, that the foul refts in God as its chief happiness, and habitually prefers his favor to every other enjoyment. On this branch of the fubject I would beg the reader to obferve, not only the meaning and fubftance of the propofition, but the order in which it is placed. There must be firft a devotednefs of mind to God, and a fupreme leading concern for his honor and glory. He must be, if I may fo fpeak, again restored to his original right, his dominion and throne, while the creature is reduced to its obedience and fubjection. In confequence of this, there is an unfeigned acquiefcence in God, as the fource of comfort, and a high esteem of his favor as better than life. This does not go before, nay, is hardly diftinct or feparated

from, a fenfe of duty, but is founded upon it, and grows out of it. When a holy foul has seen the infinite excellence and glory of the true God, loves him fupremely, and is devoted to him entirely, he also delights in him fu. perlatively.

Such a person is fully convinced that thofe, and those alone are happy, whofe God is the Lord, and that thofe who are afar off from him fhall certainly perifh. In a natural state, as the fure confequence of fin, the tranfgreffor flies from God, with a dread and horror of his presence. But the renewed foul returns to him with defire, and feels an uneasiness and want that cannot be fupplied but by the intimation of pardon, and sense of divine love. The warmth and fervor of devout affection is expreffed in the strongest terms in fcripture: "As the hart panteth after "the water-brooks, fo panteth my foul after thee, O God. My foul thirfteth for God, for the living God, when "fhall I come and appear before God. Because thy lo"ving-kindness is better than life, my lips fhall praise "thee. Thus will I blefs thee while I live, I will lift up my hands in thy name, my foul fhall be fatisfied as with marrow and fatnefs, and my mouth fhall praise thee "with joyful lips."t

66

*

It is neceflary that ferving and delighting in God fhould be joined together on a double account. Their influence on one another is reciprocal. It is not easy to distinguish a confcientious fludy to ferve and glorify God, from a flavish obedience through fear of divine power, but by its being infeparably connected with a delight in God, as the choice of the heart, and centre of the affections. On the other hand, it is hard to diftinguifh cleaving to God as our portion and happiness, from an interefted mercenary bargain in religion, but by its being preceded by, founded upon, nay, even refolved into, a fenfe of the fupreme honor due to God for his infinite excellence. This reafonable fervice will then be attended with an unspeakable sweetness and complacency, and the all-fufficiency of God will be an unfhaken fecurity for the happiness and peace of those who put their trust in him.

* Pfal. xlii. 1, 2. † Pfal. Ixiii. 3, 4, 5,

ture.

We may often obferve these two difpofitions jointly exerting themselves, and mutually firengthening one another, in the language and exercises of the faints in fcripWith what fervor of fpirit, and with what inimitable force and beauty of ftyle, do we find the Pfalmift David expreffing himself in both views. Sometimes he makes a full furrender of himself and his all to the divine fervice and difpofal; at other times his foul" makes her "boaft in God," and he exults in his happiness and fecurity under the divine protection: "O my foul, thou haft "faid unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord.*-The Lord "is the portion of mine inheritance, and of my cup, thou "maintaineft my lot: the lines are fallen to me in plea "fant places, yea, I have a goodly heritage."+

These two things are, indeed, often fo intimately united that we are at a lofs to know whether we fhould interpret the language of the facred writers as a profeffion of duty, or an expreffion of delight, as in the following words: "I will fing unto the Lord as long as I live, I will fing "praise unto my God while I have my being.-My me. "ditation of him fhall be fweet, I will be glad in the "Lord." How deeply the Pfalmift was penetrated with a fenfe of the honor and fervice due to God, may be particularly seen in fome of those animated paffages in which his enlarged heart calls upon every creature to join in the work of praise: "Blefs the Lord ye his angels, that ex"cel in ftrength, that do his commandments, hearkening "to the voice of his word. Bless ye the Lord all ye his "hosts, ye ministers of his that do his pleasure. Bless the "Lord all his works, in all places of his dominion. Blefs "the Lord, O my foul."||

It is eafy to fee how this diftinguishes the natural from the new-born foul; nay, it is easy to fee how this diftinguishes the man who is renewed in the fpirit of his mind, from all others, however various their characters, however different or oppofite their pursuits. The defign. of man's creation is expreffed in the Affembly's Shorter Catechifm,

* Pfal. xvi. 2.

† Pfal. xvi. 5, 6.

Pfal. ciii. 20, 21, 22.

Pfal. civ. 33, 34.

in a way that can scarce be altered for the better; it was that he might "glorify God, and enjoy him for ever." As he departed from his duty by fin, fo alfo, at the fame time, from his happiness. As he refufed to do the will of God, fo he no more fought his favor, but placed his happinefs and comfort in the creature "more than the Crea"tor, who is God bleffed for ever." All unrenewed perfons, in one shape or another, place their fupreme happinefs in fomething that is not God. In this one circumftance they all agree, though the different forms which the world puts on to folicit their affection, the different degrees in which they profecute it, and the different ways in which they apply or abuse it, are fo very many, that it is impoffible to enumerate or defcribe them. Though there is but one God the idols of the nations are innumerable. There is but one way to peace, and if that is neglected, the unfatisfactory nature of all created enjoyments makes men fly from one earthly comfort to another, till they feel, by late experience, the vanity of them all. Their ftate is juftly described by the wife man, when he fays, "Lo this only "have I found, that God made man upright, but they "have fought out many inventions."*

It may not be improper here, juft to hint at a few of the principal pursuits by which the characters of men are di verfified, their hearts and cares divided, and the one thing needful forgotten and difregarded. Some there are who yield themfelves up to the unreftrained indulgence of pleafure. Senfual appetite and paffion carry them on with unbridled fury. The luft of the flesh, the luft of the eye, and the pride of life, poffefs their affections, and their prevailing defire is to gratify thefe appetites, as far as their fituation and circumftances enable them, or the rival pur fuits of others will permit them. This, which is ufually the first attempt of unfanctified and ungoverned youth, is well defcribed by the wife man, in the following strong caution against it: "Rejoice, O young man, in thy "youth, and let thine heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart, and in the

Ecclef. vii. 29.

fight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all thefe " things, God will bring thee into judgment."* This is the path of the abandoned and heaven-daring profligate, who cafts off all fear of God, who burfts afunder every bond, "who draws iniquity with cords of vanity, and fins "as it were with a cart rope."

Again, There are fome whofe hearts are fet upon prefent gain. Inflead of making that fober and moderate ufe of this world and its enjoyments, which becometh mortal creatures, they look upon it as their home. Inftead of confidering it only as a mean to a higher end, they have it as their chief or principal view, to fecure or enlarge their poffeffion of it. Thefe "fay to the gold, Thou. "art my refuge, and to the fine gold, Thou art my con"fidence."-They think their "houfes will endure for "ever, and their dwelling-places to all generations." This is often the fin of riper years: and, that the brutish folly of finners may more eminently fhow itself, it is often the reproach and fcandal of old age, when its abfurdity is most sensible and apparent. What doth it fignify how much men of this character defpife the levity of youth, or hate the filthy receptacles of fenfuality and luft, while their affections are fupremely fet upon the prefent world, while "they blefs the covetous, whom the Lord "abhorreth ?"

It is often fufficient to raise in every ferious perfon a mixture of compaffion and indignation, to hear thofe with whom poverty is the only crime, openly pleading før, and boafting of their attachment to the world, or treating with a fmile of contempt those who tell them, from the word of God, that it is vain. Though nothing is more frequently confirmed by experience, it is ufual to confider this as only pulpit declamation, a part of our business and profeffion, but containing a maxim that cannot be applied to common life. Let all fuch be informed, whether they will hear it or not, that, however regular and abftemious they may be as to all fenfual indulgence, however diligent, eager, and fuccefsful in trade, "except they be born

Eccles. xi. 9.