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ed; and is it not more likely that they will continue fo in time to come? O! that they would take the alarm, and lay their danger to heart in time, that they may use proper means for their deliverance!

Nothing can turn the full evidence against them in their favour, and nothing can render the doubtful cafe of the former clafs clear and fatisfactory, but the formation of Chrift within them. This alone can put it beyond all doubt that they are chriftians indeed, and prove their fure title to everlasting happiness. This fhall be the fubject of the remainder of this difcourfe. Here you would ask me, I fuppofe, what it is to have Chrift formed within us?

I have already told you briefly, that it fignifies our being made conformable to him in heart and life, or having his holy image ftamped upon, our hearts. This is effential to the character of every true chriftian. Christ dwells in the heart of fuch by faith, Eph. iii. 17. and if any man have not the spirit of Chrift, he is none of bis. Rom. viii. 9. He that faith he abideth in him, ought himself alfo fo to walk even as he walked, faith St. John, 1 John, ii. 6. Let the fame mind be in you, faith St. Paul, which was also in Christ Jesus. Phil. ii. 5. Whom he foreknew, he alfo did predeftinate to be conformed to the image of his Son. Rom. viii. 29. The temper of a chriftian has fuch a refemblance to Chrift's, that it may be called Chrift in embryo, fpiritually formed within us. It is indeed infinitely fhort of the all-perfect Original, but yet it is a prevailing temper, and habitually the governing principle of the foul. That filial temper towards God, that humble veneration and fubmiffion, that ardent devotion, that ftrict regard to all the duties of religion, that felf-denial, humility, meeknefs and patience, that heavenly-mindedness and noble fuperiority to the world, that generous charity, benevolence and mercy to mankind, that ardent zeal and diligence to do good, that temperance and fobriety which fhone in the bleffed Jefus with a divine incomparable fplendor; thefe and the like graces and vir

tues

tues fhine, though with feebler rays, in all his followers. They have their infirmities indeed, many and great infirmities; but not fuch as are inconfiftent with the habitual prevalency of this Christ-like difpofition. You may make what excufes you please, but this is an eternal truth, that unless you have a real resemblance to the holy Jefus, you are not his genuine difciples. Pray examine critically into this point. Have you a right to take your name Chriftian from Chrift, by reafon of your conformity to him?

Again, if Christ be formed in your hearts, he lives there. The heavenly embryo is not yet complete, not yet ripe for birth into the heavenly world, but it is quickened. I mean, thofe virtues and graces above mentioned are not dead, inactive principles within you, but they operate, they fhew themselves alive by action, they are the governing principles of your practice. You are not like him in heart, unless you are like him in life too; and if your life be conformed to his, it will plainly diftinguish you from the world, while it continues fo wicked. If you are like to him, you will certainly be very unlike to the generality of mankind; and they will acknowledge the difference, and point you out, and hate you, as not belonging to them. They will ftare at you as an odd unfashionable stranger, and wonder you do not copy their example.

If we were of the world, fays Chrift, the world would, love its own: but becaufe ye are not of the world, but I have chofen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. John xv. 19.

I hope you now know what it is to have Chrift formed within you. And in what heart among you is this holy thing conceived and growing? Where are the followers of Jefus? Surely they are not fo like the men of the world, the followers of fin and Satan, as to be undistinguishable. O! how many impoftors does this inquiry discover, falfe pretenders to chriftianity, who are the very reverse of its great Founder! And as many of you as continue unlike to Him now in ho

linefs,

linefs, muft continue unlike to him for ever in happinefs. All Chrift's heavenly companions are Chrift-like; they bear his image and fuperfcription.

Before I difmifs this head I muft obferve, that the production of this divine infant, if I may fo call it, in the heart, is entirely the work of the holy Spirit. It. is not the growth of nature, but a creation by divine power. It is the hand of God that draws the lineaments of this image upon the heart, though he makes ufe of the gospel and a variety of means as his pencil.

But you would inquire farther, "In what manner does this divine agent work; or how is Chrift formed in the hearts of his people?"

I answer, The heart of man has a quick fenfation. Nothing can be done there without its perceiving it, much less can Chrift be formed there, while it is wholly infenfible of the operation. There is indeed a great variety in the circumstances, but the fubftance of the work is the fame in all adults. Therefore, if ever you have been the fubjects of it, you have been sensible of the following particulars.

1. You have been made deeply sensible of your being intirely deftitute of this divine image. Your hearts have appeared to you as a huge, fhapeless mass of corruption, without one ingredient of true goodness, amidst all the flattering appearances of it. In confidence of this discovery your high conceit of yourselves was mortified, your airs of pride and felf-confequence lowered, and you faw yourselves utterly unfit for heaven, that region of purity, and ready to fall, as it were, by your own weight into hell; that fink of all the pollutions of the moral world. This is the first step towards the formation of Chrift in the foul. And have you ever gone thus far?. If not, you may be sure you have never gone farther.

2. You have hereupon fet yourselves in earnest to the use of the means appointed for the renovation of your nature. Prayer, hearing the gofpel, and other divine ordinances, were no more lifelefs, customary

formalities

formalities to you; but you exerted all the vigour of your fouls in them. You alfo guarded against every thing that tended to cherish your depraved difpofition, and hinder the formation of Chrift within you. Then you durft not play with temptation, nor venture within its reach. This is the fecond step in the process. And have you ever gone thus far? If not, you have never gone farther; and if you have never gone farther, you can never reach the kingdom of God in your prefent condition.

3. You have been made fenfible of your own weaknefs, and the inefficacy of all the means you could use to produce the divine image upon your hearts; and that nothing but the divine hand could draw it there. When you first begun your endeavours you had high hopes you would do great things; but, after hard ftrivings and strugglings, after many prayers and tears, after much reading, hearing and meditation, you found no great effect followed; nay, the corruption of your heart appeared more and more, and hence you concluded you were growing worse and worse. Thus the bleffed Spirit convinced you of your own weakness, and the neceffity of his influence to work this divine change. He cleared away the rubbish of pride and selfrighteousness from your hearts, in order to prepare them, as a clean canvafs, to receive the image of Chrift. And have you ever been thus humbled and mortifi ed? Have you ever been reduced into this medicinal felf-defpair? It is the humble heart alone that is fuf ceptive of the image of the meek and lowly Jefus. Pride can never receive its lineaments, nor can it be carved on an infenfible ftone.

4. Hereupon the Holy Spirit enlightened your minds to view the glory of God in the face of Jefus Chrift, and of the method of falvation revealed in the gospel. The bright beams of the divine perfections fhining in that way of falvation, the attractive beauties of holinefs, and all the wonders of the gospel, ftruck your minds with delightful aftonishment; and you viewed

them

them in a light unknown before. Hereupon you were enabled to caft your guilty, corrupt, helpless fouls upon Jefus Chrift, whom you faw to be a glorious, all-fufficient Saviour; and with all your hearts you embraced the way of falvation through his mediation. The view of his glory proved transformative: while you were contemplating the object, you received its likenefs; the rays of glory beaming upon you, as it were, rendered your hearts tranfparent, and the beauties of holinefs were stamped upon them. Thus St. Paul represents the matter, We all with open face beholding, as in a glass, the glory of the Lord in the gospel, are transformed into the fame image from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Cor. iii. 18. Thus your hearts retained the image of his glory, like the face of Mofes after he had been converfing with God in the Mount. You contracted the temper of Jefus Christ, and imbibed his fpirit: he was formed in your hearts, and began to live and act there. The life you lived in the flesh, you lived by the faith of the Son of God. Now your minds took a new turn, and your life a new caft; and the difference began to appear even to the world. Not knowing the divine original, they knew not whose image you bore. Therefore the world knoweth us not, faith St. John, because it knew him not. 1 John iii. 1. This, however, they knew, that you did not resemble them; therefore they looked upon you as odd fort of creatures, whose tempers and manners were as different from theirs as if you were foreigners: you foon became as fpeckled birds among them, and they were weary of your fociety, and you of theirs. Brethren, have you ever been the subjects of this divine operation? Has Chrift ever been thus formed in your hearts? I ftand in doubt of fome of you, though, bleffed be God there are others who give good grounds for a charitable hope concerning them, by their apparent likeness to Chrift,

5. If Christ has ever been formed in you, it is your perfevering endeavour to improve and perfect this diVOL. III,

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