indeed hath ordinarily been confidered as the firft ftep towards converfion. In order to treat of it in the moft clear, and at the fame time the most useful manner, I fhall divide it into two branches, and first, confider what is the true and genuine fource of conviction or forrow for fin; and fecondly, to what degree it must be, in order to a faving change.

First then, let us confider what is the true and genuine fource of conviction and forrow for fin. And here we may obferve in general, that properly speaking, there can be but two fources of forrow or humiliation of mind at all, viz. fear of fuffering, and fenfe of the evil and defert of fin. Both these are found in true penitents; and it is their union and mutual influence that diftinguishes repentance unto life from every counterfeit. Many have trembled through fear of punishment from God, and been difmayed at the tokens of his prefence, who, notwithflanding, lived and died ftrangers to true religion, or any faving change. We fee that even Judas the traitor to his Lord repented, confeffed his fin, nay, did what he could to repair the wrong, throwing back the price of innocent blood; and yet hanged himfelf in defpair. The fcripture only further fays, he went into his own place; but there have been few, if any, interpreters of fcripture, who entertained any doubt that it was the place of torment. We every day fee that occafional danger, or the apprehenfion of immediate death, throws fome into fits of terror, extorts from them confeffions of guilt, or promifes of amendment; and yet, in a little time they return to their former practices, and fin with the fame fecurity, and perhaps with greater avidity than before.

What is the effential defect of fuch feeming penitents? It is that they have no juft sense of the evil of fin in itself; they have no inward cordial approbation of the holiness of God's nature and law, or of the juftice of that fentence of condemnation which ftands written againft every tranf greffor. Here, O Chriftian, is the cardinal point on which true repentance turns, and the reader may plainly perceive the reason and neceffity of what was formerly observed, that there must be a discovery of the infinite glory and

amiableness of the divine nature. Without this there may be a flavish terror, but no true humiliation. It is only when a finner fees the unspeakable majefty, the tranfcendent glory, and infinite amiablenefs of the divine nature, that he is truly, effectually, and unfeignedly humbled.

Oh! that I could deliver this with proper force! that I could write and fpeak under an experimental sense of its truth! The finner then perceives how infinitely worthy his Maker is of the highest efteem, the most ardent love, and the most unremitted obedience. He then fees, that every intelligent creature, from the moft fhining feraph in the heavenly hoft, to the meanest and most defpised mortal worm, is under an infinite, eternal, unchangeable obligation to love God with all his heart, and strength, and mind. On this account he is convinced, that alienated affection and mifplaced allegiance is infinitely finful. He fees this obligation to be founded not merely nor chiefly on the greatnefs of divine power, but on the intrinfic inherent excellence of the divine nature. Therefore he is perfuaded, that there is not only danger in rebelling against, or difhonoring God, but a great and manifest wrong and injuftice in refufing to honor him. This ftrikes him with a fenfe of his own guilt, and the guilt of all thofe who live without God in the world."

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At once to confirm and illuftrate this truth, I muft make two observations, which will be found univerfally to hold, on the character and conduct of true penitents. ift. That they obtain a new sense of the excellence and obligation of the duties of divine worship, both public and private. Before, they were apt to confider the duties of worship as little more than the means of religion; that the fear of an invifible Judge might be a bond upon the conscience, and keep men from fraud and difhonefty, or from riot and fenfuality. They were cold and formal therefore in their own attendance, and never heard any fpeak of joy or fenfible communion with God in his fanctuary, but they were ready to exprefs their deteftation of it as hypocrify, or their contempt of it as enthufiafm and folly.

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But now the language of adoration is in fome measure understood, which had been wholly infipid and without meaning before. They join with the pfalmift in saying, "Honor and majefty are before him, ftrength and beauty "are in his fanctuary. Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds "of the people, give unto the Lord glory and ftrength. "Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; bring an offering, come into his courts. O worship the "Lord in the beauty of holinefs; fear before him all the "earth."* See alfo thefe elevated trains of praise, which, whether they are meant as the exercife of the church militant on earth, or the church triumphant in heaven, are equally proper here." And the four beafts had each of "them fix wings about him, and they were full of eyes "within; and they reft not day and night, faying, Holy,

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holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and "is to come. And when thofe beafts give glory, and "honor, and thanks to him that fat on the throne, who "liveth for ever and ever; the four and twenty elders "fall down before him that fat on the throne, and worship "him that liveth for ever and ever, and caft their crowns "before the throne, faying, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, "to receive glory, and honor, and power; for thou haft "created all things, and for thy pleasure they are, and "were created." And to the fame purpose, " And I "beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round "about the throne, and the beafts, and the elders and the "number of them was ten thousand times ten thoufand, "and thoufands of thoufands; faying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was flain, to receive power, and "riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, "and bleffing. And everycreature which is in heaven, and "on the earth, and under the earth, and fuch as are in the

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fea, and all that are in them, heard I, faying, Bleffing, and "honor, and glory, and power be unto him that fitteth up"on the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." Nay, a true penitent begins to fee the beauty even of the

Pfal. xcvi. 6, 7, 8, 9. † Rev. iv. 8, 9, 10, 11.

Rev. v. 11, 12, 13.

divine fovereignty, that all things belong to God, and therefore it is moft fit that all things fhould be fubject tohim, according to that strong and beautiful paffage: "And "the four and twenty elders which fat before God on "their feats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, faying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God almighty, "which art, and waft, and art to come, because thou haft "taken to thee thy great power, and haft reigned."*

The other obfervation I am to make is, that a true penitent always acquires the deepest abhorrence of that atrocious, though prevailing fin, of profaning the name of God in common difcourfe. There are many perfons, not otherwise the most abandoned, who have no juft fense of the heinoufnefs of this fin: and as it is not directly levelled against the temporal intereft of our neighbors, it is far from being generally fo fcandalous and difhonorable as it ought to be. Such religion or virtue as is founded on worldly principles and views, may easily confift with its continuance; but he who is convinced of the evil of all fin, as rebellion against, and difobedience to God, will fee the horrible guilt and impiety that attends this abominable practice. That religion which is the work of God's holy Spirit, and confifts in the recovery of his loft image, will never be able to bear fo direct a violation of his facred authority, fo unprovoked an infult upon his honor and glory.

A fear of punishment then we have seen, without a sense of the evil of fin in itself, is not fufficient. Let me now add, that this discovery of the evil of fin in itself, must increafe our fear of punishment, by fhewing it to be juft. A fear of punishment while alone, always tempts the finner to fearch about on all hands for arguments against that fuffering, the juftice of which he cannot perceive. Hence infidelity of heart and fecret fuggeftions, that furely it cannot be that God will punish as he hath faid. Hence blafphemous impatience. Hence rifing thoughts and rebellion against God, even while under his rod; fuch as are defcribed by the prophet Hofea : " And they have not cried

"unto me with their heart when they howled upon their "beds."* Nay, hence fometimes the bitterest professed infidels among thofe who have been brought up in the knowledge of the truths of the gofpel, while they have never feen their beauty, or felt their power.

But fo foon as there is a difcovery of the glory of God and the univerfal and perfect obedience due from all to him, this throws a new light on the tokens of a divine difpleasure against fin, in the works of creation and providence. This carries home, with irrefiftible force, all the threatenings of the wrath of God against finners in his word. Their juftice is then deeply and inwardly felt, and the finner begins to wonder at the patience of a longfuffering God, that has not long ere now made him a monument of vengeance.

The fame view it is that not only begins, but carries on and compleats genuine convictions of fin, that filences all objections, and refutes the reafonings of the carnal mind. Every fincere convert will have, in a greater or leffer degree, the evidence in himself, that his change is of fovereign grace. He will probably be able to recollect in how many inftances his mind fet itself to oppofe, and was at pains as it were to collect and mufter up every objection against the obligation and fanction of the law of God. The objections are raised, firit, againft the neceffity or benefit of obedience, and then againft fuffering for obedience, tillall are borne down by the fame almighty power which fpake and it was done, and which can " lead captivity cap"tive." I cannot propofe to enumerate all the objecti ons, or rather, all the forms in which objections may arise in the finner's mind, when ftruggling againft conviction; but I fhall mention a few of them, and fhow what it is that uft put them to filence.

1. Perhaps the finner will fay, alas! why fhould the law be fo extremely rigorous, as to infift upon abfolute and finlefs obedience? Hard indeed, that it will admit not of any tranfgreffion, any omiffion, the leaft flip, or failing or frailty, but pronounceth fo fevere a fentence, "Curfed is

Hofea vii. 14.