times, were taught to confider themselves as strangers and pilgrims on earth, in their passage to their eternal mansions.

But now frail man was utterly unable to contend with such scenes of temptation as the world offered. The next step, therefore, that God took to animate his new world was to promise heavenly aid to those who paffed confcientiously through their trial. Here come in the gracious" terms of the gofpel. The gospel stamps its authority on all that went before. It gives the world rules to live by; and, through the atonement of a bleffed Saviour, promifes forgiveness to all fuch as confcientiously endeavour to live under their duty.-It, laftly, opens that glorious scene of reft, which every pious passenger through this world confiders as the ultimate end of all his trials.

XXIII

Except ye be born of water and spirit, ye cannot enter into the kingdom of God.-John, iii.5.

THIS is

HIS is the introduction to the kingdom of heaven, which our Saviour tells us he expects. We are to be baptized into his gospel, and to qualify ourselves for his difciples by our obedience to it. This is what is commonly called regeneration. We must put off the old man, and put on the new. But though regeneration is a fcriptural term, yet it is so often explained, that eafier language might be obtained than fuch terms as lead us more into scholaftic ideas. I do not fee what you can make more of regeneration, than repentance, and amendment of heart and life. Yes, you fay, the regenerated man must be under the direction of the spirit of God. 'No doubt of it; and To muft the penitent man, or his repentance will come to nothing.-If we go deeper, and talk of regeneration with a myste rious air, I should only fay, that all we know of

19

it

it is that we should amend our hearts and lives; and endeavour to obtain the aid of the Holy Spirit by fervent prayer. But as to any enquiries further, I think our Saviour's anfwer is very applicable:-The wind bloweth where it lifteth, and thou heareft the found thereof; but canft not tell whence it cometh or whither it goeth. So is every one who is born of the Spirit.

་

END OF THE HINTS FOR SER MONS.

ANALYSIS

OF

ST. PAUL's EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS.

Two great errors, fo far as I am able to judge of fcripture, have taken their rife from St. Paul's Epiftle to the Romans: the doctrine of juftification by faith alone; and the Calvinistic doctrine of predeftination. Both of them appear to me entirely loft, in a close attention to the fcope of the Epistle.

I have therefore drawn up the following concife analysis of it, which is intended to bring within a narrow compass the principal intention of the whole, and the connection of its several parts.

It is one of the peculiarities of St. Paul's writing, to branch out frequently from his immediate fubject, and, after difcuffing some point which

thus