But now, from the account given above of the nature of regeneration, and what hath been further added in illuftration of it, we may fee how this distinction is to be made, as far as it can be made by any, excepting the great Searcher of hearts. I apprehend, that the great and diftinguifhing mark of the truth and fincerity of religion in general, and of every gracious difpofition in particular, arifes from comparing it with its oppofite. It is "the pre"vailing intereft of God and the Redeemer in the heart, "above the intereft of inferior good; the habitual compa"rative preference we give to his fervice and enjoyment, "before every other object of defire." This must be proved by its effects daily. And agreeably to this, our blessed Lord fays, " He that loveth father or mother more "than me, is not worthy of me; and he that loveth fon "or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me; and he "that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me."* And again, in yet ftronger terms, "If any man come to me, and hate not his father and mo"ther, and wife and children, and brethren and fifters; "yea, and his own life alfo, he cannot be my difciple."+ Would you therefore know whether you are born again? Are you in doubt, when you find the fpirit lufting against the flesh, and the flesh against the fpirit? Try, by diligent and univerfal examination, which of them is, upon the whole, the ftrongeft; which of them habitually yields to the other, when they come in competition. Into this all other marks and figns of religion refolve themselves at last; and from the evidence they give of the prevalence of the love of God in the heart, they derive all their worth and value. Every holy difpofition must be examined, not by its abfolute, but its comparative ftrength; and the true knowledge of our ftate arifes from the conclufion and refult of the whole. There were, in the laft age, many and great debates among men of piety and learning, whether special and common grace differ effentially in their nature, or if they differ only in degree. What I have just now faid may, * Matth. x. 37, 38. † Luke xiv. 26. perhaps, be thought by the intelligent reader, to imply my embracing the last of these opinions. My judgment of this queftion is the fame I have formed of many others, that it is unneceflary, or even hurtful. It has perhaps, if examined to the bottom, no diftinct meaning at all; but if it has any meaning, I am afraid it is a question which it is impoffible for us to refolve. That it may be made plain to perfons of common understanding, the question is, whether it is moft proper to fay, that a wicked man, or an unrenewed perfon, let his behavior be ever so unexceptionable, or his experiences ever fo comfortable, can have no true love to God; no, not in the leaft degree or whether we ought not rather to fay, his love to God is lefs than his love to the creature. I confefs, I think it is beft to fay, in the words of the Holy Ghoft, that "he loveth the "creature more than the Creator"—that "he loveth the praise of man more than the praife of God;" and for this reafon, he hath no "true" love, either to God or man. In the preceding part of this treatise, I have affirmed, with fufficient clearness, that there must be an effential change in order to falvation; and that, till this be wrought, the perfon is in fin, and can do nothing but fin. The reafon of this is very plain; that the fupreme and governing motive of all his actions is wrong, and therefore every one of them must be fo, upon the whole. I fuppofe, if they were to explain themselves fully, this is chiefly meant by thofe who infift that there is an effential difference between fpecial and common grace. And in this view, no doubt, it is not only certainly true, but a truth of very great importance. It appears, however, on the other hand, equally certain and undeniable, that when we obferve good difpofitions and good actions in one character, and fee the fame appearances in another, we have no way by which we can difcover the difference, but by their perfeverance, and their comparative effects. Neither, indeed, has the perfon himself any other rule by which they can be judged. For which reafon, I would be very willing to affirm both fides of the above question; to say that an unregenerate person has no true love to God or his neighbor, and at the fame time, that this is only becaufe no love but that which is fupreme and prevalent is true, or will be accepted as fincere. Unless we take up the matter in this light, we are in danger of doing great hurt on both hands. On the one hand, it is ready to alarm the pious, humble, and timorous foul, if we say, that special grace differs effentially from common grace, and that there muft be fomething quite different in its kind, as to every gracious difpofition, than what ever refided in hypocrites. Alas! will the fearful perfon fay, I have feen fome who have gone great lengths, who have been well efteemed, and well received among all ferious people; and yet have made fhipwreck of the faith, difhonored their profeffion, and opened the mouths of adverfaries to blafpheme. They had all the appearance of as much love to God, as much delight in his fervice, as much zeal for his glory, as much strictnefs, and as much usefulness of converfation; nay, more than I can pretend to. What then am I to think of this? Muft all my gracious difpofitions be effentially different from theirs? And how is this difference to be made appear? To all fuch I would fay, thofe unhappy perfons, by their conduct, and that alone, plainly difcover, that they have either been wholly impoftors and deceivers of the world, or that they have loved fome object of carnal affection; fome luft, of one kind or another, more than they loved God. The ftrength of their affections in one way, has been over-balanced by the dominion of corruption in another. And that corruption which has been long difguifed or restrained, at laft breaks out with so much. the greater violence, and the greater noise. Again, on the other hand, by affirming that there is a difference in kind between fpecial and common grace; and that a hypocrite or unrenewed person cannot have the least measure of the fame fort of love to God or man with a child of God, we are apt to make fome flaves to fin, upon examining themfelves, judge amifs in their own favor. They cannot help thinking that they have a real unfeigned affection for that which is good in many refpects; as indeed they have, when it doth not stand in competition with their reigning or darling luft. To give an example of this; it is frequently made a mark of true religion, to love the people of God; and indeed, it is one of the beft, and when taken in the fenfe I have mentioned above, as a fupreme and prevalent love, it is an infallible fign. It hath no lefs warrant than the word of God: "We know that we have paffed from death unto life, "because we love the brethren; he that loveth not his "brother, abideth in death."* But I dare fay, there are many who live in fin, and are ftrangers to the power of godliness, who, upon the most impartial examination of themselves, would conclude, that they did love the people of God. But Perhaps fome will fay, they may love good men, but they love them for other qualities, and cannot love them because of their piety. Experience tells us the contrary. They may efleem them, love them, fpeak well of them, and do them fervice becaufe of their piety. Nay, I have known (though that is more rare) fome very loofe livers, who feemed to have nothing good about them, but an ef teem of pious perfons, and a defire to efpoufe their cause, which they continued to do in all ordinary cafes. fhould thefe fervants of God prefume to reprove them fharply, or hinder them in the enjoyment of their darling luft, their love would foon turn to hatred. Who would not have faid that Herod fincerely loved John the Baptist, when the very reafon affigned for his refpect and attendance is, that "he was a juft man and an holy." Yet the fame Herod, when he was reproved by John for his fcandalous adultery and inceft, fhut him up in prifon. And afterwards, fo little was his conftancy, that when the daughter of Herodias had gained upon his affection by her dancing, and involved him in a rath promife, he gratified her mother's favage cruelty with the Baptifi's head. The defcription of his fituation of mind is remarkable, but far from being fingular; we are told, "the king was exceeding forry; yet for his oath's fake, and for their "fakes that fat with him, he would not reject her."+ Here was love in one fenfe, or in a certain degree; but he loved the damfel and her mother, and the good opini on of his courtly companions, ftill more than the faithful preacher. We have innumerable examples of the fame thing every day before our eyes. Voluptuous men love the people of God, but will not obey their falutary counsel, becaufe they love their lufts more. Covetous men will love the people of God, and praise them, and defend them, but will not open their purfes to provide for them, because they love their filver and gold more. What I have faid of this difpofition, might be eafily fhewn to hold with regard to every other. In fhort, whatever unfeen or inward difference there may be; whatever diverfity of operation of the holy and fovereign Spirit, the great trial to us is the fame which Chrift made of Peter: "Simon, fon "of Jonas, loveft thou me more than thefe ?" It is good that we fhould often repeat the queftion as he did, and bleffed is that man who is able in fincerity to fay with Peter, "Lord thou knoweft all things, thou knoweft that I "love thee."* I am fenfible, there will be many ready to challenge this, or at leaft to be inwardly diffatisfied with it, as too general and undetermined. They will be ready to think, that this leaves the matter ftill at a great uncertainty; and that it must be very difficult to decide in many cafes, whether the love of God or of the world hath the greatest habitual influence in the heart. The truth is, I am far from denying or diffembling that it is a matter of great difficulty in many inftances; nay, as I have hinted in fome of the former pages of this discourse, there are cases in which it is altogether impoffible to come to any certain determination. In fome, grace and corruption are fo equally matched, as it were; have fuch violent firuggles, and take their turns fo often, in reftraining and governing one another, that it will be hard to tell, till the last day, which of them was ftrongest upon the whole. But this is no juft objection to what I have delivered above. It was * John xxi. 17. |