any pretenfions to it, if only his fins were pardoned. 2. Pardon of fin doth not make man meet for the inheritance of the faints in light, for converfe and intercourfe with God. A convinced finner will fee, that there is no poffibility of accefs for him to the enjoyment of God, unless there be an entire change wrought upon his nature; for how can two of fo very different natures have any mutual complacency in one another? God can have none in the finful nature of man; nor can the finful nature of man have any in the holy nature of God and it is what none can fay, that pardon changes the nature of the perfon that is pardoned.

Now to fum up what we have faid under this head, when an awakened finner puts the question, What must I do to be faved? he just means, How fhall I obtain happiness? And this has thefe three in it. I. How fhall I get my fins pardoned? 2. How fhall I get a title to eternal life? 3. How fhall I be made meet to be a fharer of the inheritance of the faints in light? Unless the mind be fully fatisfied as to thefe three enquiries, it can never think itself secure or happy. That which comes in the

III. Place to be enquired into, is the nature of this (concern) which is the genuine iffue and neceffary refult of found conviction. The nature and effects of this, we fhall unfold to you in the following particulars. And,

1. To lay falvation to heart, or to be concern ed about it seriously, imports diffatisfaction with all other enjoyments, fo long as the foul is in the dark about this. The man may poffibly be poffeffed of great things in the world, he may have all going there with him according to wish; but

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if once he begin to take falvation to heart, he will find content of mind in none of these things. If fuch a one caft his eye upon his enjoyments, his riches, his honours, his pleasures, he will be fure to conclude as Haman did upon another account, Efther v. 13. Yet all this availeth me nothing, fo long as Iam at an uncertainty about falvation. Thefe things cannot fatisfy. What are they to a dying man? One that apprehends himself just ready to be swallowed up of the wrath of God, can relish no sweetness in any of these things, till once he be rid of the fears of that. Thus we fee it is with the jaylor: He, who but a little before was fo anxious about the prifoners, that he was ready to have made himfelf away for fear of their escape, turns now unconcerned about these things; and we hear not, that, while all the doors were open, he made any provifion for their fecurity, nor did he receive any fatisfaction from understanding that they were all fafe. This diffatisfaction is not fuch a difcontent as fome fall into who are noways awakened, which leads them to fret, grudge and repine, because their lot in a prefent world is not fuch as they would have it; no, but it is fuch a diffatisfaEtion as flows from a folid perfuafion that thefe things cannot afford happiness, or avert impending and threatened mifery, which is fo terrible in the eyes of the alarmed finner.

2. This concern about. falvation, imports thoughtfulness about the threatened evils, and the means of preventing them. When the foul has once got a view of fin and mifery in their native colours, and fees mifery threatening it, then this arrefts the thoughts; the mind can ply itself to not other thing with pleafure, but only to the ways and means of efcape. If other thoughts intrude,

they

they are presently rejected with contempt, as impertinent. The man indeed doth not deny it to be his duty to be concerned about other things; but he thinks it not present duty, nay, he thinks it impertinent for him in his prefent condition. He is like one that lives in a befieged city: the enemy has made a breach in the walls, and threatens a fudden irruption. In which cafe the man knows very well he is obliged to attend to the duties of his ordinary calling and station; yet in the prefent exigence, he doth not judge it pertinent to look that way; for if the enemy once enter at the breach, and fack the city, then he for ever lofes the advantage of any thing that he gains by his other endeavours; therefore he rather turns his thoughts and contrivances to the reparation of the breach, or the pacifying of the enemy, if he find the place not tenable against him. Juft fo is it in the cafe of an awakened finner: he knows, that if the wrath of God overtake him, he is for ever ruined; therefore his thoughts are wholly bent upon this, how he may be delivered from the wrath to come. Thus we fee the Pfalmift employed under fears of impending hazard, Pfal. xiii. 2. How long, fays he, fball I take counfel in my foul, having forrow in my heart daily? How long fhall mine enemy be exalted over me? The apprehenfions he was under of danger, put him upon many contrivances how he might rid himself of it. This is always the nature of concern; it arrefts the thoughts, and keeps men fixed upon that about which the foul is concerned

3. This concern has in it always earnestness of defire after falvation. Defire is ever implied in concern of mind; if a man be concerned how to

Part II. avert a threatned evil, he defires freedom from it; if he be concerned how to obtain any good he wants, or retain what already he is poffeft of, the foul ever immixes its concern with defire. This flows from the very nature of man's foul; for defire is nothing else, but the cleaving of the rational foul to that which appears congruous, ufeful, and necessary to its happiness: fo one that is awak ened, and fees his hazard, will certainly defire falvation. Hence it is that we find Chrift the Saviour, among the other titles which are given to him in fcripture, obtain that famous one, The defire of all nations, Hag. ii. 6, 7. For thus faith the Lord of bofts, Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens and the earth, and the fea, and the dry land: and I will shake all nations, and the defire of all nations shall come; and I will fill this houfe with glory, faith the Lord of hafts. A faviour will be defired by fuch of all nations as are awakened to see their need of him.

4. This concern about falvation imports a commotion in the affections. A foul full of thoughts about wrath threatened or felt, will have its affections employed about it, according to the account the judgment gives of it. If wrath be in any meafure felt, it will fill the foul with grief and forrow; if it be looked upon as approaching, it will make the man shake with fear; if it be reprefented as ruining and deftructive to the foul, it will raise the highest hatred and averfion; if there be any apparent poffibility of efcape, it will excite hope in the foul. In one word, in a foul that lays falvation seriously to heart, every one of these paffi ons will take their turn, according as occafion calls for them, or the prefent exercife of the mind requires and excites them. Were we difcourfing

of

of this concern about falvation only, as it rests in the mind, we should hold here; but here we are confidering it not only as it is in its own nature, but as it doth manifest itself in its effects; and therefore,

5. We fay, where the foul is thus uneafy for want of falvation, thoughtful about it, and going forth in defires after it; this inward temper and frame of the mind will difcover itself in the words and language. Words are the indications of the thoughts of the mind; and where the mind is fwallowed up of concern about any thing, fo as to have all its thoughts ingroft by it, then of neceffity the words must intimate fo much. A man indeed may be concerned about fomething of less importance, and this not hold; but when falvation is laid to heart, then the tongue will be employ ed as well as the mind. It is ftoried, That the father's hazard made the tongue-tacked child fpeak; much more would its own hazard have done fo. Our Lord fays, Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth Speaketh, Matth. xii. 34. and indeed where there is very much concern this way, it will not easily be retained; it will be like a fire that cannot endure to be pent up close in a room, but must have a vent. Thus we fee it was with the jaylor. That which lay nearest the heart, takes the start in difcourfe; Sirs, says he, what must I do to be faved?

6. This inward frame of foul, this concern of mind leads to the use of means. As the tongue will be employed in enquiring, and the mind in contriving; fo the reft of the man will be employed in following after, and ufing the means that are fuited to give relief. Thus we fee it was with the jaylor; he prefently comes to the apostles, and L 4

feeks