completely happy. But now, he can never feparate the idea of riches from temptation, and often confiders the dreadful change of ftate in thofe who are carried about in pomp and grandeur on earth; who are clothed in purple and fine linen, and fare fumptuoufly every day; but are, in a little time, tormented in hell fire. Formerly, he valued perfons by their station, by their wealth, by their spirit and genius, or other natural qualifications. But now, a chriftian in a cottage appears more honorable and more amiable than a blafphemer in a palace. Now, his heart is joined to every fervant of Chrift, though defpifed in the world, though emaciated by fickness, though deformed with old age; nay, though loathfome and fordid through penury and want. He fees the beauty of these excellent ones of the earth, under all their prefent disadvantages, and in them is all his delight. With regard to perlons of an oppofite character, the penitent often recollects, with a bleeding heart, his fondnefs for, and attachment to finful companions; and his kindness to them is converted into a yearning tenderness and compaffion for their miferable ftate.

Further, the regenerate perfon has new apprehenfions of eternity. Formerly, the fhadows and vanities of time fo engroffed his thoughts, fo filled and occupied his fight, that eternity was feldom at all, and never fully in view. But now, it is frequently and ftrongly upon his mind. Now it, as it were, joins itself with, and points out its own relation to every subject, and its concern in every pursuit. Now, it is prefent as the object of faith, to correct the falfe reprefentations of fenfe, and to oppose the unjust claim of earthly and momentary gratifications. Formerly, things unfeen were counted in a manner precarious and fabulous, of fmall moment in any determination: but now, there is fuch a difcovery of the great realities of another world, as weighs down all created things, and makes them feel as a feather in the balance.

Let us here ftand ftill, and paufe a little. Let me be. feech every reader to ponder this reflection, which I cannot pafs. Oh! what concern have we all in an everlasting endless eternity! O fubject without bounds! Who is

able to do it juftice in words? Who is able to reach it even in thought? Happiness that fhall continue through everlafting ages. Mifery, anguifh, torment, that fhall never have an end. Are we all, without exception, to be fo divided at laft? Yes; the great Judge fhall feparate the righteous from the wicked, and fhall fet the one on his right-hand, and the other on his left. Shall then companions on earth; fhall fellow-citizens, and fellow-foldiers; the dearest friends and the neareft relations, be parted afunder, and take a long, long eternal farewel? O the ftrong deceit and illufion of fin, that is able to hide eternity from dying men! O the inconceivable blindness of thofe who are unmindful of a future ftate, while they inhabit these tabernacles of clay, which are fo often tottering; which are daily wafting, and fhall fo foon fall in pieces and crumble into duft! How is it poffible we should forget, that in a little time "we muft all appear before the judgment-feat of Chrift."

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The regenerate perfon has alfo new views of Jefus Chrift, the great and only Saviour of finners. Before, he > was" without form or comelinefs, or any beauty, that he "fhould defire him." Before, (as is, alas! the cafe with very many) all the truths, relating to the perfon, character, and office of a Mediator were hated as abfurdities, or defpifed as enthusiasm. They were nick-named nonfenfe, cant, and unintelligible ftuff. Or if decency forbad this, they were altogether cold and without relifh. But now, the name of a Saviour is "precious-even as ointment. "poured forth."* The ftrongeft language is too weak to exprefs his gratitude, or breathe out his love.

"He is

"white and ruddy, the chief among ten thoufand :—yea, "he is altogether lovely."+ How great is the difference between the felf-righteous formalist and the humble penitent? The one, trufting in himself that he is righteous, knows little of the value of a Saviour; the other, deeply, penetrated with a fenfe of guilt, and ftrongly confcious of abfolute weakness, "counts all things but lofs, for the excellency of the knowledge of Chrift Jefus his Lord; and

"defires to be found in him, not having his own righte "oufnefs, which is of the law, but that which is through "the faith of Chrift, the righteoufnefs that is of God by "faith."*

Again, the regenerate perfon has new views of the ordinances of Chrift's appointment. They were formerly his burden, now they are his delight. Before, the fabbath wore, as it were, a fable garb, and an offenfive gloom. It was looked upon as a piece of confinement and restraint. He was ready to fay, " What a wearinefs is it; when will "the Sabbath be over, and the new moon, that we may "fet forth corn, and fell wheat?" But now, he calls it a delight, the "holy of the Lord, and honorable." Now, he thirfts after the water of life, efteems, loves, and defires the word of God. He now readily joins the holy Pfalmift in all thofe fervent expreflions to be found in his writings, of affection to the truths and ordinances of God. "O how "love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. The "law of thy mouth is better to me than thousands of gold "and filver. My foul thirfteth for thee; my flesh long"eth for thee, in a dry and thirsty land, where no water "is. To fee thy power and thy glory, fo as I have seen it "in the fanctuary. I was glad when they faid unto me, "let us go into the houfe of the Lord; our feet shall stand "within thy gates, O Jerufalem!"**

Suffer me now to conclude this general account of the fpirit and temper of the regenerate, with a few particular characters, by which they will commonly be distinguifhed.

1. The new nature will discover itfelf by great humility. There is no difpofition more the object of divine abhorrence and deteftation, than pride; nor confequently, any more amiable and neceffary than humility. We are told, that God refifteth the proud, but giveth grace "to the humble."+t To the fame purpose the prophet Ifaiah, For thus faith the high and lofty One, that inha"biteth eternity, whofe name is holy, I dwell in the high

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"and holy place; with him alfo that is of a contrite and "humble fpirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to "revive the heart of the contrite ones.' Pride was the

ter.

fin by which the angels fell from their glory and happiness. It appears to have been the chief ingredient in the first fin of man; and in general, the leading part of a finful characBefore there can be any faving change; before there can be any esteem or relifh of the gospel of the grace of God, there must be a deep humility of mind, and thorough conviction of guilt and wretchednefs. This muft ftill continue, and have a, conftant and vifible effect upon the believer's temper and carriage. The truth is, the way in which a finner's peace is made with God, the ground on which his hope and comfort is founded, and the means of his improvement in the fpiritual life, all confpire in making him humble. "Where is boafling? It "is excluded. No flesh is permitted to glory" in the divine prefence. Every fincere penitent, every real believer, every profiting difciple of Chrift, learns the emptinefs of the creature, the fulness, fovereignty, power, wif dom, and grace of the Creator and Redeemer, from all that he hears, and from all that he feels.

In his former ftate, either his ignorance of God, or his wrong views of God and of himfelf, made him fet a high. value upon his own intereft, and think he had a high claim to happiness, and fuccefs of every kind. This made him repine at the course of Providence, and very hardly allow that juftice was done him when his attempts were defeated, or his defires difappointed. What fullen impatience do many fhew under the hand of God? What corroding envy poffeffes their minds when they take a view of the (perhaps mistaken) happiness of others? But he that is born again is deeply fenfible, that he deserves nothing at the hand of God. His habitual fentiments and language, are the fame with what we find in fcripture fo frequent with the faints: "I am not worthy of the leaft "of all the mercies, and of all the truth which thou haft "fhewed unto thy fervant.t-It is of the Lord's mercies "that we are not confumed, because his compaffions fail * If. lvii. 15. + Gen. xxxii. 10.

"not.*-Unto me, who am lefs than the leaft of all faints, "is this grace given." Whereas formerly he was apt to view his own character with much complacence, and to have high thoughts of the dignity of human virtue, now he hath changed the ftern pride of philofophy, for the felfdenial and meeknefs of the gofpel. He has fuch views of the glory and majefty of God, of the purity of his law, and of the holinefs of his nature, that he finks, as it were, into nothing in his own fight, and knows not how to throw himself into a low enough polture in the divine presence. Agreeably to this we have a ftriking picture drawn by our Saviour in the parable of the Pharifee and publican, of true penitence, particularly as ftanding in oppofition to felf-fufficiency and pride: "The Pharifee flood and pray. “ed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as "other men are, extortioners, unjuft, adulterers, or even "as this publican. I faft twice in the week, I give tithes "of all that I poffefs. And the publican ftanding afar off, "would not lift up fo much as his eyes unto heaven, but "fmote upon his breaft, faying, God be merciful to me a "finner."

Further, true religion makes a man humble toward his fellow creatures, as well as toward God. The one, indeed, is the certain and neceffary effect of the other. Every thing which one man can enjoy in preference to another, and which ordinarily becomes the fuel of pride, is the gift of God, and therefore there is no room left to glory. What diftinétion can any man enjoy above another, but it must be of one of these two kinds, worldly advantages, or fpiritual gifts? Now worldly advantages are of no fuch value, in the eye of a real Chriftian, as to be matter of boafting. All fwelling on this account is effectually reftrained by true religion: that which brings eternity in view, makes all temporal things of wonderfully little value, to have or to lofe. And even ftill lefs will a good man glory in his advantages over others of a fpiritual kind. Pride can never be fo greatly mifplaced, as when it fhows itfelf here. The Chriftian will fay to himself, in the words of the apostle Paul," For who maketh thee to differ * Lam. iii. 2. † Ephef. iii 8. Luke xviii. 11, 12, 13,