you are previously difpofed by a fuitable ftate of mind, you could not be happy even in heaven itfelf For what is grace but glory militant? What is glory but grace triumphant ? This confideration made a pious author fay, that "holiness, happiness, and heaven, were only three different words for one * and the self-fame thing." And this made the great Preston, when he was about to die, turn to his friends, faying, "I am

changing my place, but not my company." He had converfed with Gop and good men on earth; he was going to keep up the fame, and infinitely more refined communion with GOD, his holy angels, and the spirits of juft men made perfect, in heaven.

To make us meet to be blissful partakers of fuch heavenly company, this marred clay," I mean, these depraved natures of ours, muft neceffarily undergo an univerfal moral change our understandings must be enlightened; our wills, reafon, and confciences, must be renewed; our affections must be drawn toward, and fixed upon things above; and because flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven, this corruptible must put on incorruption, this mortal must put on immortality. And thus old things muft literally pass away, and behold all things, even the body as well as the faculties of the foul, muft become new.!

This moral change is what fome call, repentance, some, converfion, fome, regeneration; choose what name you please, I only pray GoD, that we all may have the thing. The fcriptures call it bolinefs, fanctification, the new creature, and our LORD calls it a "New birth, or being born again, or born from above." Thefe are not barely figurative expreffions, or the flights of eastern language, nor do they barely denote a relative change of state conferred on all those who are admitted into CHRIST's church by baptifm; but they denote a real, moral change of heart and life, a real participation of the divine life in the foul of man. Some indeed content themselves with a figurative interpretation; but unless they are made to experience the power and efficacy thereof, by a folid living experience in their own fouls, all their learning, all their laboured criticisms, will not exempt them from a real damnation. CHRIST hath faid it, and CHRIST will stand, "Unless a man," learned or unlearned, high or low, though

he

he be a mafter of Ifrael as Nicodemus was, unless he "be born again, he cannot fee, he cannot enter into the kingdom of GOD."

If it be enquired, who is to be the potter? and by whofe ageney this marred clay is to be formed into another veffel? Or in other words, if it be asked, how this great and mighty change is to be effected? I anfwer, not by the mere dint and force of moral fuafion. This is good in its place. And I am so far from thinking, that christian preachers fhould not make use of rational arguments and motives in their fermons, that I cannot think they are fit to preach at all, who either cannot, or will not ufe them. We have the example of the great God himself for such a practice; "Come (fays he) and let us reafon together." And St. Paul, that prince of preachers," reasoned of temperance, and righteousness, and a judgment to come." And it is remarkable, that whilft he was reasoning of these things, Felix trembled." Nor are the most persuasive strains of holy rhetoric lefs needful for a fcribe ready inftructed to the kingdom of GOD. The fcriptures both of the Old and New Teftament, every where abound with them. And when can they be more properly employed, and brought forth, than when we are acting as ambaffadors of heaven, and befeeching poor finners, as in CHRIST's ftead, to be reconciled unto God. All this we readily grant. But at the fame time, I would as foon go to yonder church-yard, and attempt to raise the dead carcafes, with a "come forth," as to preach to dead fouls, did I not hope for fome fuperior power to make the word effectual to the defigned end. I fhould only be like a founding brafs for any saving purposes, or as a tinkling cymbal. Neither is this change to be wrought by the power of our own free-will. This is an idol every where set up, but we dare not fall down and worthip it." No man (fays CHRIST) can come to me, unless the Father draw him." Our own free-will, if improved, may reftrain us from the commiffion of many evils, and put us in the way of converfion; but, after exerting our utmost efforts (and we are bound in duty to exert them) we shall find the words of our own church article to be true, that "man fince "the fall hath no power to turn to God." No, we might as foon attempt to stop the ebbing and flowing of the tide, Q 2 and

and calm the most tempestuous fea, as to imagine that we can fubdue, or bring under proper regulations, our own unruly wills and affections by any strength inherent in our

felves.

And therefore, that I may keep you no longer in fufpence, I inform you, that this heavenly potter, this bleffed agent, is the Almighty Spirit of Gop, the Holy Ghost, the third perfon in the most adorable Trinity, coeflential with the Father and the Son. This is that Spirit, which at the beginning of time moved on the face of the waters, when nature lay in one universal chaos. This was the Spirit that overfhadowed the Holy Virgin, before that holy thing was born of her and this fame Spirit must come, and move upon the chaos of our fouls, before we can properly be called the fons of GOD. This is what John the baptift calls "being baptized with the Holy Ghoft," without which, his and all other baptifms, whether infant or adult, avail nothing. This is that fire, which our LORD came to fend into our earthly hearts, and which I pray the LORD of all lords to kindle in every unrenewed one this day.

As for the extraordinary operations of the Holy Ghost, such as working of miracles, or speaking with divers kinds of tongues, they are long fince ceafed. But as for this miracle of miracles, turning the foul to GoD by the more ordinary ope rations of the Holy Ghoft, this abides yet, and will abide till time itself fhall be no more. For it is he that fanctifieth us, and all the elect people of GoD. On this account, true believers are faid to be "born from above, to be born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of GOD." Their fecond, as well as their firft_creation, is truly and purely divine. It is, therefore, called "a creation;" but put ye on (fays the apostle) the new man which is created"And how? Even as the first man was," after GOD in righteousness and true holiness."

Thefe, these are the precious truths, which a scoffing world would fain rally or ridicule us out of. To produce this glorious change, this new creation, the glorious JESUS left his Father's bofom. For this he led a perfecuted life; for this he died an ignominious and accurfed death; for this he rofe again; and for this he now fitteth at the right hand

of

of his Father. All the precepts of his gospel, all his ordinances, all his providences, whether of an afflictive or profperous nature, all divine revelation from the beginning to the end, all center in these two points, to fhew us how we are fallen, and to begin, carry on, and compleat a glorious and bleffed change in our fouls. This is an end worthy of the coming of fo divine a perfonage. To deliver a multitude of fouls of every nation, language and tongue, from fo many moral evils, and to reinstate them in an incomparably more excellent condition than that from whence they are fallen, is an end worthy the shedding of fuch precious blood. What fyftem of religion is there now, or was there ever exhibited to the world, any way to be compared to this? Can the deiftical fcheme pretend in any degree to come up to it? Is it not noble, rational, and truly divine? And why then will not all that hitherto are ftrangers to this bleffed restoration of their fallen natures, (for my heart is too full to abstain any longer from an application) why will you any longer dispute or ftand out against it? Why will you not rather bring your clay to this heavenly Potter, and fay from your inmost fouls, "Turn us, O good LORD, and fo fhall we be turned ?" This, you may and can do and if you go thus far, who knows but that this very day, yea this very hour, the heavenly Potter may take you in hand, and make you veffels of honour fit for the Redeemer's ufe? Others that were once as far from the kingdom of GoD as you are, have been partakers of this bleffed nefs. What a wretched creature was Mary Magdalene? And yet out of her JESUS CHRIST caft feven devils. Nay, he appeared to her first, after he rose from the dead, and she became as it were an apoftle to the very apoftles. What a covetous creature was Zaccheus? He was a griping cheating publican; and yet, perhaps, in one quarter of an hour's time, his heart is enlarged, and he made quite willing to give half of his goods to feed the poor. And to mention no more, what a cruel perfon was Paul. He was a perfecutor, a blafphemer, injurious; one that breathed out threatnings against the disciples of the LORD, and made havoc of the church of CHRIST. And yet what a wonderful turn did he meet with, as he was journeying to Damafcus? from a perfecutor, he became a preacher; was afterwards made a fpiritual father to thoufands, and now pro

bably

bably fits nearest the LORD JESUS CHRIST in glory. And why all this? That he might be made an example to them. that should hereafter believe. O then believe, repent; I befeech you, believe the gofpel. Indeed, it is glad tidings, even tidings of great joy. You will then no longer have any thing to say against the doctrine of Original Sin; or charge the Almighty foolishly, for fuffering our first parents to be prevailed on to eat fuch four grapes, and permitting thereby their children's teeth to be fet on edge. You will then no longer cry out against the doctrine of the New Birth, as enthusiasm, or brand the affertors of fuch bleffed truths with the opprobrious names of fools and madmen. Having felt, you will then believe; having believed, you will therefore speak; and instead of being veffels of wrath, and growing harder and harder in hell fire, like vessels in a potter's oven, you will be made veffels of honour, and be prefented at the great day by JESUS, to his heavenly Father, and be tranflated to live with him as monuments of rich, free, diftinguishing and fovereign grace, for ever and ever.

You, that have in fome degree experienced the quickening influence (for 1 muft not conclude without dropping a word or two to God's children) you know how to pity, and therefore, I beseech you alfo to pray for those, to whofe circumftances this difcourfe is peculiarly adapted. But will you be content in praying for them? Will you not fee reason to pray for yourselves alfo? Yes, doubtless, for yourfelves alfo. For you, and you only know, how much there is yet lacking in your faith, and how far you are from being partakers in that degree, which you defire to be, of the whole mind that was in CHRIST JESUS. You know what a body of fin and death you carry about with you, and that you must neceffarily expect many turns of God's providence and grace, before you will be wholly delivered from it. But thanks be to GOD, we are in fafe hands. He that has been the author, will also be the finisher of our faith. Yet a little while, and we like him fhall fay "It is finished;" we fhall bow down our heads and give up the ghoft. Till then, (for to thee, O LORD, will we now direct our prayer) help us, O Almighty Father, in patience to poffefs our fouls. Behold, we are the clay, and thou art the Potter, Let not the thing formed fay to him that formed