things, and so go away from God to them. Job xxi. 12, 14.... They take the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ: Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us, for we des sire not the knowledge of thy ways.-Mal. iii. 14, 15....It is in vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts? We call the proud happy. Meditation and prayer are a burden to men; they had rather be almost any where than in their closets, because they secretly loathe the Lord; but in other things they find comfort....one in his farm, and another in his merchandize....the young man in his frolics, and with his merry companions....the old man in his wife, and children, and cattle, and swine, and house, and lands....the rich man in his riches ....the ambitious man in his honors....the scholar in his books.... the man of contemplation in his nice speculations; and, in any thing, men can take more comfort than in God himself. That which angels and saints in heaven, and believers on earth, prize above all things, men haye naturally the least account of: Psal. lxxiii. 25....Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is nothing on earth I desire besides thee.—Jer. ii. 5, 11, 12, 13.... Thus saith the Lord, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and become vain? Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit: Be astonished, Oye heavens, at this. They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

And, from the whole, we may see there is the greatest contrariety between the nature of God and the nature of the sinner: and hence God hates sinners (Hab. i. 13.)—and sinners hate him (Rom. viii. 7.)—and when sinners come to die, and go into the eternal world, they will feel then that they hate him, though their nature then will be just the same as it is now; and they will then know that the great reason they did not feel their ha tred of him in this world, was because they did not think nor would believe that he was such an one.

And hence we may see whence it is that we are so averse to right apprehensions of God, and whence it is that our insensibility of his glory, in being what he is, is so invincible, viz, because he is, in his very nature, in such perfect contrariety to us, and we to him; for to account that infinitely glorious in being what it is, which is of a nature perfectly contrary to us, is as un-natural as to account ourselves infinitely hateful in being what we are; for that necessarily implies this: So far, therefore, as sinners love themselves for being what they are, so far do they hate God for being what he is; and so far as they hate God for being what he is, so far their insensibility of his infinite glory, in-being just such an one, is invincible: And now, since men, naturally, perfectly love themselves for being what they are, and, consequently, perfectly hate God for being what he is-hence, their minds are, naturally, perfectly prejudiced against the true knowledge of God, and perfectly averse from, and insusceptible of a sense of his infinite glory in being just what he is: And hence it is, that neither God's word nor works, nor any thing but his almighty spirit, can make men, in their hearts, both really give into it that God is just such an one as he is, and infinitely glorious in being such. The heavens may declare the glory of the Lord, and make the invisible things of God clear, ly to be seen; and the scriptures and ministers may proclaim his greatness and glory, and the honor of his majesty; out sin ners, in seeing, will not see, and, in hearing, will not hear and understand, for they do not like to have God in their knowl edge: They hate the light, and love darkness; they hate to think that God should be such an one....can see no glory in him in being such....secretly wish he was another kind of a being.... dread to think that he is what he is, and will not, if they can help it.... John iii. 19, 20-Rom. i. 28-John viii. 43, 47. That God should love himself more than he does his sinful creatures, and value his own honor and interest more than he does our happiness, and look upon it as an infinite affront that we are not exactly of the same mind, and judge us worthy of eternal damnation therefor, and, as high Governor of the world, make such

Y

a law, and bind us to it, to do so-how can this suit a proud rebel, that only loves himself and his own interest, and cares not for God at all? How can a carnal, selfish heart delight in such a God, and account him infinitely glorious in being such? How can he rejoice to hear that he sits King forever, and does all things according to the counsel of his own will, aiming ultimately at his own glory? Or how can he imagine that such a conduct, so directly cross to his temper, is infinitely right and becoming, glorious and excellent? The temper, the bad temper of sinners' hearts, is that which renders their insensibility of God's glory, in being what he is, so invincible. He does not suit them-he does not look upon things as they do he is not disposed, nor does he act as they would have him, but all directly contrary....as contrary as light and darkness-as sin and holiness as heaven and hell: Therefore, the carnal mind is enmity against God. But, to return,

From this same root-this disposition to love ourselves supremely, live to ourselves ultimately, and delight in that which is not God wholly, proceeds all our evil carriage towards our neighbor. Pride, selfishness, and worldliness, lay the foundation for all that cheating, lying, backbiting, quarrelling, there is among neighbors-and for all the feuds and bloody wars there ever have been among all the nations of the earth, from the beginning of the world: And pride, selfishness, and worldliness, together with that enmity against God and true religion, which is naturally concomitant, lay the foundation for all those bloody persecutions which have been, in the several ages of the world, against the church and people of God. If men were not proud nor selfish, they would have no inclination to injure their neighbors, in name or estate: If they took their supreme delight in God, as the portion of their souls, they would not have any of their little petty idols to quarrel and contend about: If they loved their neighbors as themselves, there would never more be any thing like persecution; and all injuries and abuses would cease from the earth: So that, to conclude, as a disposition to love God with all our hearts, and our neighbors as ourselves,

is an habitual conformity to the whole law, and lays a solid foundation for a right carriage towards God and our neighbor, in all things—so a disposition to love ourselves supremely, live to ourselves ultimately, and delight in that which is not God wholly, is an habitual contrariety to the whole law, and lays a sad foundation for all evil carriage towards God and our fellowmen. And, as I said, this disposition is natural to us, and we are naturally entirely under the government of it and so the seed and root of all sin is in us, even in the native our hearts: That which is born of the flesh, is flesh.

temper of

OBJ. But if mankind neither love God nor their neighbors with a genuine love, such as the law requires, but naturally have, and are entirely under the government of, a spirit of contrariety to the whole law, whence is it that all men do not blaspheme God, and do all the mischief they can, and, in practice, as well as in nature, be as bad as devils?

ANS. Because of the restraints, which God, for wise ends and purposes, is pleased to lay upon them, whereby their nature is, indeed, not at all altered, but only, in a measure, kept from breaking out, as otherwise it would do. And these restraints, in ordinary, are such as arise from these things :-(1.) From their animal constitution; whereby many are inclined to be tender-hearted, compassionate, and kind, without any regard to God or duty, from a sort of natural instinct, much of the same nature, to all appearance, as is to be found in many in the brutal world. (2.) From natural affection; whereby, partly from animal nature, and partly from self-love, and from being brought up together, relatives have a certain fondness for one another, and so are disposed to be kind to one another, and that without any regard to God or duty; much as it is with many in the brutal world. (3.) From a good education; whereby many are influenced to be civil in their behavior, honest in their dealings, kind to the poor, and to pray in their families, and join with the church, &c. though destitute of grace in their hearts. (4.) From worldly considerations; whereby, from self-love, in order to avoid punishment from men, or from fear of disgrace and

reproach, or to get the good-will of others, or promote some worldly interest, men are influenced, sometimes, to carry themselves, externally, very well. (5.) From religious considerations; whereby, from self-love, the fear of hell, and the hope of heaven, many are influenced to do much in religion. (6.) Want of speculative knowledge of GOD....ignorance of his resolution to punish sin, and of his anger against them, is also an occasion of their not blaspheming his name; as they will do, as soon as ever they come into eternity, and see how things really are; though then their nature will be exactly the same that it is now. God gives rain and fruitful seasons, and fills the hearts of all with food and gladness; he makes his sun rise, and rain fall upon the evil and unthankful, and offers salvation in case they repent and believe; whence men are ready to think that God loves them, and this restrains them. These, and suchlike things, restrain men's corruptions; but for which, they would be as bad in this world as they will be in the next, when these restraints come to be taken off.

To what has been said, may also be added, that God, by these three methods, does much to restrain many :-(1.) By his providence; whereby he many times brings remarkable judgments upon men for their sins; and remarkably prospers men, as to the things of this world, who are true to their word, and honest in their dealings and hereby men are afraid to be and do as bad as otherwise they would, lest some judgment should come upon them; and others are influenced to be honest, and to carry themselves, externally, well, in hopes of a worldly blessing. (2.) By his word his written word, and his word preached; whereby men are made more sensible that there is a heaven and a hell; and so are the more restrained and kept in awe. (3.) By his spirit; whereby he does much to make many a man sensible of the evil of sin, the dreadfulness of damnation, and the glory of heaven, whom he never sanctifies: whereby they are not only restrained from vicious practices, but their corruptions also are greatly stunned, and they made zealous promoters of religion....(Heb. vi. 4.) And