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fed with doubts and fears, and made to walk in darkness. Once more, fome finners are brought in by deep and long humiliation, and are almost diftracted with legal terrors, while others are powerfully, though fweetly, conftrained by the cords of divine love. All these "worketh the "felf fame fpirit, who divideth to every man se

verally as he will." I defire, that what has now been faid, may be ftill kept in mind; fo that if the evidences of a faving change can be produced, there need be little folicitude about the time or manner of its being wrought.

What I propofe to offer on this part of the fubject, is not to be confidered as in the leaft degree contrary to, or inconfiftent with, thefe truths. Nay, I am not to lay down a plan and fay, this is the ordinary way in which finners are brought to the faving knowledge of God, leaving it to him, in fome few, uncommon, and extraordinary cafes, to take fovereign fteps, and admit exceptions from the ordinary rules. This is a way of speaking common enough; but tho' it may be very well meant, I apprehend it hath not in it much, either of truth or utility. The falvation of every child of Adam is of free, ab. folute, fovereign grace: and the actual change may be wrought at any time, in any manner, by any means, and will produce its effects in any measure, that to infinite wifdom fhall feem pro

per.

per. Neither ought we to pretend to account for the diversity in any other manner than our Saviour does: "Even fo, Father, for fo it feem"ed good in thy fight." Therefore what I have in view, is to speak of such steps in the change as are, in fubftance at least, common to all true converts. It will be a fort of analyfis, or more full explication of the change itself, and serve, among other uses, further to diftinguish the real from the counterfeit. Too much can hardly be faid on this fubject: "For "what is the chaff to the wheat? faith the "Lord." It will alfo illuftrate the divine wifdom, as well as fovereignty, by showing how that diversity of operation, fo remarkable in different fubjects, produces in all at laft the fame bleffed effect.

SECT. I.

There must be a discovery of the real nature of God.

I'

N the first place, one important and neceffary step in bringing about a faving change, is that the finner get a difcovery of the real nature, the infinite majefty, and tranfcendent glory of the living God! Perhaps fome will be surprised, that, as ufual, a conviction of fin is not mentioned firft, as the preliminary step. I enter in

Luke x, 21.

to

to no quarrel or debate with those who do fo; but I have first mentioned the other, which is but feldom taken notice of, from a firm perfuafion, that a discovery of the nature and glory of the true God lies at the foundation of all. This alone can produce falutary convictions of fin; for how can we know what fin is, till we know him against whom we have finned. The same thing only will point out the difference between real conviction, and fuch occafional fears as never go farther than a spirit of bondage.

In fupport of this, you may obferve, that in fcripture, those who are in a natural or unconverted ftate, are often described as lying in a state of ignorance or darkness. They are faid to be fuch as know not God: "Howbeit then when

ye knew not God, ye did fervice unto them "which by nature are no gods *." See also the following description: "Having the under"ftanding darkened, being alienated from the "life of God, through the ignorance that is in "them, because of the blindness of their hearts +.” Agreeably to this, the change produced in them is reprefented as giving them light or understanding, in oppofition to their former ignorance; "to open their eyes, and to turn them from "darkness to light, and from the power of Sa"tan unto God ‡. But if our gospel be hid, it * Gal. iv. 8. † Eph. iv. 18. Acts xxvi, 18.

"is

is hid to them that are loft, in whom the god "of this world hath blinded the minds of them "which believe not, left the light of the glo"rious gospel of Chrift, who is the image of "God, should shine unto them.-For God, who "commanded the light to fhine out of darkness, "hath fhined in our hearts, to give the light of "the knowledge of the glory of God in the face "of Jesus Christ *.” In this way is the matter represented in scripture, much more frequently than is commonly obferved; and, as the underftanding is the leading faculty in our nature, it is but reasonable to fuppofe that the change fhould begin there, by a discovery of the nature and glory of God, as the foundation of all that is afterwards to follow.

This will be further evident, if we reflect upon the account formerly given, and fufficiently fupported from the holy fcriptures, of the nature of this change, That it confifts in a fupreme regard to the glory of God, and an habitual prevailing defire of his favour. To this it is abfolutely neceffary, as a preliminary, that there be a difcovery of the real nature and tranfcendent glory of God. How can any man have that as the chief and leading motive of action, which he doth not understand? How can any man have that as the fupreme object of defire, which he #2 Cor. iv. 4,3 6.

doth

doth not know? Neither of thefe is poffible; there muft, therefore, be fome fuch discovery as I have mentioned above. It is true, this is but imperfect at first; there will be in the truly regenerate a growing discovery of the glory of God, as well as a growing delight in him, as its confequence: yet there must be some view of his nature, as the beginning of the change, and the ground-work of every holy difpofition.

This discovery of God implies two things, which, as they are both neceffary, fo they defeive our particular attention; and it is not improper to distinguish carefully the one from the other. 1. It must be a discovery of his real nature. 2. A discovery of the worth and excellence of his nature, which is, properly speaking, the glory of God.

1. It must be a difcovery of the real nature of God. He must be feen to be juft fuch a Being as he really is, and no falfe or adulterated image must be placed in his room, or adored in his stead. He must be feen in his fpiritual nature, as almighty in his power, unfearchable in his wifdom, inviolable in his truth; but, above all, he must be seen as infinite in his holiness and hatred of fin, as impartial in his juftice, and determined to punifh it. Such is the fcripture reprefentation of God, as "glorious in his holinefs.-Evil can

not dwell with him, and finners cannot ftand

" in

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