reduce its chaos into harmony and order?-Was it worthy of God, to form the first principles even of the vegetative life, in the lowest plant or herb, and to visit with the refreshing influences of the rain and sun, the earth wherein these seeds are sown? And is it not much more worthy of him, to implant the seed of the divine life, and to nourish it from time to time by the influence of his Spirit ?-Did it suit the divine wisdom and mercy, to provide for sustaining our mortal lives, for healing our wounds, and recovering us from our diseases? And shall it not much more suit him, to act as the great physician of souls, in restoring them to ease, to health and vigour ?

They must be dead indeed to all sense of spiritual excellency, who do not see how much more illustriously God appears, when considered as the author of grace, than merely as the author of nature. For indeed all the works of nature, and all the instances of divine interposition to maintain its order and harmony, will chiefly appear valuable and important, when considered in subserviency to the gracious design of recovering apostate man from the ruin of that degenerate state, without which it had been far better for him never to have known being, and never to have inhabited a world so liberally furnished with a variety of good. And therefore I would appeal to every christian, whether he does not find a much more ardent gratitude glowing in his heart, when he considers God as the author of the religious and divine, than merely of the animal or the rational life.

And permit me here to remark, that agreeably to these reasonings, some of the pagan philosophers have said very serious and remarkable things, concerning the reality, and the need, of divine influences on the mind, for the production of virtue and piety there. Thus Seneca, when he is speaking of a resemblance to the Deity in character, ascribes it to the influence of God upon the minds: "Are you surprised," says he, "that man should approach to the Gods? It is God that comes to men; nay, which is yet more, be enters into them: For no mind becomes virtuous, but by his assistance*." Simplicius also was so sensible of the necessity of such an influence, that he prays to God, as the Father and guide of reason, so to co-operate with us, as to purge us from all carnal and brutish affections, that we may be enabled to act according to the dictates of reason, and to attain to the true knowledge of

*Miraris Hominem ad Deos ire? Deus ad Homines veuit, imò (quod proprius est) in Homines venit: Nulla sine Deo Mens bona est. He had said but, just before, Ascendentibus manum porrigunt. Senec. Epistol. Ixxiii.

Lord with an unerring propriety and wisdom represents it*: And indeed it seems, as if through the violence of his malignity, and the righteous judgment of God, who, whenever he pleases, can Take the wise in his own craftiness+, that Satan sometimes overshoots his mark, and raises so sensible an opposition, against the cause of God in the soul, that an argument might be drawn, even from that very opposition, to prove the truth and excellency of what he sets himself so directly against.-And you have now perhaps experienced too, more than you ever did before, the inveterate opposition of the seed of the serpent, to that of the woman: You have found, that since you began to think of religion in good earnest, some have derided you, others it may be have reviled you, and enemies have sprung up out of your Own house; though the impressions you have felt tend to make you more amiable, more kind, and more useful, and therefore one would think should conciliate their friendship: But this is a memorable instance in which self-love seems to make, as it were, a sacrifice of itself to the hatred of God.-Now therefore to accomplish such a mighty change in the midst of such opposition, must evidently speak a divine interposition. And surely the christian, when thus recovered and restored, has reason to declare, as Israel did, If it had not been the Lord, who was on our side when these confederate enemies rose up against us; then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us; then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul; then the proud waters had gone over our soul, and would have quenched and buried every spark that looked like divine life, and have borne away every purpose of reformation and holiness. The remark will be further illustrated, if we consider,

[4.] "By what feeble means this change is accomplished."

The apostle observes, that in his day They had the treasure of the gospel lodged in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power, which rendered it successful, might appear to be of God, and not of man. And it is still in a great measure apparent, that the same method is made use of from the same principle. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal; and if at any time. they are mighty and effectual, it must be only through God ¶、 It is Not by secular might or power**, that this great work is accomplished: No, nor by the refinements of learning, or the

*Luke xi. 21, 22.

+1 Cor. iii. 19.

Mat. x. 36.

Pual. cxxiv. 1—

charms of eloquence. These things indeed have their use; the understanding may sometimes be convinced by the one, and the affections moved by the other: Yet where both these have been done, the work often drops short; and it may be the plainest addresses, from a weak and almost trembling tongue, shall perform that which the far superior talents of many have not been able to affect. A multitude of such instances have been found, and perhaps seldom in these latter ages more observable, than in the compass of our own observation.

Now whenever this work is accomplished by the preaching of the gospel in a christian country, there is generally some circumstance that shews it is a divine, and not an human work. It is not the novelty of the doctrine which strikes; for all the main truths, on which the conviction and impression turns, have been known even from early infancy. No miracles awaken the attention, no new discoveries astonish the mind: But what has a thousand times been heard, and as often neglected, breaks in upon the mind with an almost irresistible energy, and strikes it as if it never had been heard of before. They seem, as it were, When the Lord turneth again their captivity, to awaken out of a dream*, and wonder at the accident that has awakened them. The ministry of the word may seem but feeble when compared to such an event: and yet sometimes even less solemn methods than that shall be effectual. One single text of scripture accidentally occurring to the sight or thought, one serious hint dropped in conversation, shall strike the mind, and pierce it through with an energy that plainly shews that from whatever feeble hand it might seem to come, it was shot out of the quiver of God, and intended by him that made the heart to reach it: Since there is almost as much disproportion between the cause and the effect, as between Moses lifting up his rod, and the dividing of the water of the sea before Israel+. In many instances, remarkable providences, which one would have thought should have struck the soul as it were to the centre, have produced no effect; and yet a word, or a thought, has accomplished it: And after the whirlwind, the earthquake, and the fire, have made their successive efforts in vain, it has appeared that the Lord has been in the still small voice. On the whole, a variety of circumstances may illustrate the matter in different degrees; but taking it in a general view, the remark appears to be well founded, "that the weakness of the means by which the saving change is wrought, argues plainly that the hand of God is in it;" as when + Exod. xiv. 16. 1 Kings xix. 11, 12.

Psal. cxxvi. 1.

Lord with an unerring propriety and wisdom represents it *: And indeed it seems, as if through the violence of his malignity, and the righteous judgment of God, who, whenever he pleases, can Take the wise in his own craftiness, that Satan sometimes overshoots his mark, and raises so sensible an opposition, against the cause of God in the soul, that an argument might be drawn, even from that very opposition, to prove the truth and excellency of what he sets himself so directly against.-And you have now perhaps experienced too, more than you ever did before, the inveterate opposition of the seed of the serpent, to that of the woman: You have found, that since you began to think of religion in good carnest, some have derided you, others it may be have reviled you, and enemies have sprung up out of your Own house; though the impressions you have felt tend to make you more amiable, more kind, and more useful, and therefore one would think should conciliate their friendship: But this is a memorable instance in which self-love seems to make, as it were, a sacrifice of itself to the hatred of God.-Now therefore to accomplish such a mighty change in the midst of such opposition, must evidently speak a divine interposition. And surely the christian, when thus recovered and restored, has reason to declare, as Israel did, If it had not been the Lord, who was on our side when these confederate enemies rose up against us; then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us; then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul; then the proud waters had gone over our soul §, and would have quenched and buried every spark that looked like divine life, and have borne away every purpose of reformation and holiness. The remark will be further illustrated, if we consider,

[4.]"By what feeble means this change is accomplished."

The apostle observes, that in his day They had the treasure of the gospel lodged in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power, which rendered it successful, might appear to be of God, and not of man. And it is still in a great measure apparent, that the same method is made use of from the same principle. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal; and if at any time they are mighty and effectual, it must be only through God ¶ It is Not by secular might or power**, that this great work is accomplished: No, nor by the refinements of learning, or the

*Luke xi. 21, 22.

+1 Cor. iii. 19.

Mat. x. 36.

Psal. cxxiv. 1–

charms of eloquence. These things indeed have their use; the understanding may sometimes be convinced by the one, and the affections moved by the other: Yet where both these have been done, the work often drops short; and it may be the plainest addresses, from a weak and almost trembling tongue, shall perform that which the far superior talents of many have not been able to affect. A multitude of such instances have been found, and perhaps seldom in these latter ages more observable, than in the compass of our own observation.

Now whenever this work is accomplished by the preaching of the gospel in a christian country, there is generally some circumstance that shews it is a divine, and not an human work. It is not the novelty of the doctrine which strikes; for all the main truths, on which the conviction and impression turns, have been known even from early infancy. No miracles awaken the attention, no new discoveries astonish the mind: But what has a thousand times been heard, and as often neglected, breaks in upon the mind with an almost irresistible energy, and strikes it as if it never had been heard of before. They seem, as it were, When the Lord turneth again their captivity, to awaken out of a dream*, and wonder at the accident that has awakened them. The ministry of the word may seem but feeble when compared to such an event: and yet sometimes even less solemn methods than that shall be effectual. One single text of scripture accidentally occurring to the sight or thought, one serious hint dropped in conversation, shall strike the mind, and pierce it through with an energy that plainly shews that from whatever feeble hand it might seem to come, it was shot out of the quiver of God, and intended by him that made the beart to reach it: Since there is almost as much disproportion between the cause and the effect, as between Moses lifting up his rod, and the dividing of the water of the sea before Israelt. In many instances, remarkable providences, which one would have thought should have struck the soul as it were to the centre, have produced no effect; and yet a word, or a thought, has accomplished it: And after the whirlwind, the earthquake, and the fire, have made their successive efforts in vain, it has appeared that the Lord has been in the still small voice. On the whole, a variety of circumstances may illustrate the matter in different degrees; but taking it in a general view, the remark appears to be well founded,

that the weakness of the means by which the saving change is wrought, argues plainly that the hand of God is in it," as when + Exod. xiv. 16. Kings xix. 11, 12.

Psal. cxxvi. 1.