present condemnation. John iii. 18-36. Rom. i. 18. Gal.. iii. 10. But the real ground of their opinion is, their ignorance of the sinner's sinful, guilty circumstances, and their fond conceit that there is some real goodness in what the sinner does: both which are owing to their ignorance of the law,* and of the nature of true holiness. Rom. vii. 8, 9. Rom. x. 3. All will own, that if sinners' duties are such as I have represented, it is absurd, and even inconsistent with the divine perfections, that promises of special grace should be made to them.

It is true they refer to Mat. xxv. 29. To him that hath, shall be given. But that text evidently speaks of the final rewards which shall be given to the godly at the day of judgment; when all the unregenerate shall, with the slothful servant, be cast into outer darkness. They quote also Mat. vii. 7. Ask and you shall receive, &c. But the condition of this promise was never yet performed by an unregenerate sinner. For this asking is meant right asking; for those who ask amiss, receive nothing. Jumes iv. 3. Right asking of grace, supposes right desires of it; but the unregenerate are, in the habitual temper of their hearts, directly contrary to grace and all spiritual good, and entirely so, as has been proved. But to have genuine desires after a thing, and a perfect contrariety to it, in the whole heart, at the same time, is an express contradiction. The reason that sinners many times think that they love holiness, and desire heartily and sincerely to be made holy, is, that they, being ignorant of the nature of true holiness, have framed a false image of it in their own fancies. Did they but distinctly know the very thing itself, their native contrariety to it could no longer be hid. Rom. vii. 8, 9. So the Pharisees thought they loved God, and loved his law;

* It is manifest that this notion of the promises, of which Pelagius was the uthor, and which was condemned for heresy above 1300 years ago, did with him, and does, with his followers, take its rise, originally, from their ignorance of the nature and meaning of the moral law. But yet some good men may have been inadvertently led into this error by the force of education. I believe men's hearts may be sometimes better than their heads: but when a false scheme of religion does perfectly suit a man's heart, and express the temper of his mind, then no doubt, he is graceless. 2 John ix. John viii. 47. The above notion of the premises perfectly suits a self-righteous heart.

although, at the same time, they perfectly hated the Son of God, who was the express image of his Father, and came into the world to do honour to his Farther's law. They had wrong notions of God, and of his law.

OBJ. But this tends to drive sinners to despair.

ANS. Only to despair of being saved by their own righteousness, which they must be driven to, or they will never submit to be saved by free grace through Jesus Christ. Rom. vii. 8, 9. x. 3.

OBJ. But if these things be true, there is not any motive to excite a poor sinner to reform, or pray, or read, or do any thing.

ANS. By which it is plain, that a sinner cares not a jot for God, and will not go one step in religion, only for what he can get : and if such a sinner had ever so many motives, he would only serve himself, but not serve God at all. And what encouragement can God, consistent with his honour, give to such an one, since he merits hell every moment, even by his best duties, but only that which St. Peter Simon Magus? Acts viii. 22. Repent and pray to God if PERADVENTURE the wickedness of thy heart may be forgiven

thee.

gave to

OBJ. But this way of reasoning will make sinners leave off seeking and striving, and sit down discouraged.

ANS. Not if sinners are but effectually awakened to see how dreadful damnation is; for a bare who can tell? will make such resolve to run, and fight, and strive, and beg, and pray, till they die; and if they perish, to perish at God's foot: and as for others, all their courage arises from their not seeing what wretched, miserable, sinful, guilty creatures they are; and so must be dashed to pieces, sooner or later, in this world or the next, whenever their eyes come to be opened. And if God ever, in this world, shows them what they are, they will thereby perceive what danger they are in and now a mere who can tell? will make them also resolve to run for eternal salvation, till their very last breath. It is best that false confidence should be killed; and this way of reasoning does not, in the least, tend to hurt any other. It is best that sinners should know the worst of their case; and this way of reasoning does not tend to make it appear a jot worse than it is

:

OBJ. But what good does it do for sinners to be in such earnest to reform, read, watch, pray, run, fight, strive, as for their lives, since all they do is sin, and God will have mercy only on whom he will have mercy?

ANS. (1.) It is less sin to do these things, than not to do them.

(2.) Sinners never will be in such earnest, only when God comes to awaken and convince, and so to make them effectually sensible of the dreadful state they are in ; and it is not any discouragements that can keep them from being in such earnest then, so long as the least hope appears in their case. Other people care but little about eternal things, and do but very little in religion, but what education, custom, the fashion, and their worldly interest, excite them unto. Most people think it so easy a thing to be saved, as that they look upon such great concern and earnestness as perfect frenzy.

(3) This great earnestness of awakened sinners makes them try their strength to purpose; whereby they come to be experimentally convinced that it is not in their hearts to love God, be sorry for sin, or do any thing that is good; whereby the high conceit they used to have of their ability and good nature is brought down, and they feel and find that they are enemies to God, and dead in sin: and hereby a foundation is laid for them to see the justice of God in their damnation, and so the reasonableness of God's having mercy only on whom he will have mercy. And thus, the law, though it cannot give life, yet is a school-master to bring men to Christ: and thus the main good the awakened sinner gets, by going to this schoolmaster, is effectually to learn his need of Christ, and of the free grace of God through him. Rom. vii. 8, 9. Gal. iii. 21–24. This is the great end God has in view, and this end all the sinner's earnest strivings are well calculated to obtain.

5. From what has been said, we may learn the nature of a saving conversion, and the manner wherein it is wrought. Conversion consists in our being recovered, from our present sinfulness, to the moral image of God; or which is the same thing, to a real conformity to the moral law: but a conformity to the moral law consists in a disposition to love God supremely, live to him ultimately, and delight in him superla

tively; and to love our neighbour as ourselves; and a practice agreeable thereto. And therefore conversion consists in our being recovered from what we are by nature, to such a disposition and practice.

And now, in order to such a glorious renovation and recovery, God by his spirit sets home the law upon the sinner's heart, causing him to see and feel, to purpose, just how he has lived, and what he is, and what he deserves, and how he is in the hands of a sovereign God, and at his disposal; whereby the hinderances which were in the way of his conversion, are, in a sort, removed. Rom. vii. 8, 9. For without the law, sin was dead: For I was alive without the law once; but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And then God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, shines in the heart, and gives the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Cor. iv. 6. And now a sense of the glory of God and divine things being thus imparted to the soul by the spirit of God, and the sinner being raised up from spiritual death to spiritual life, does return home to God through Jesus Christ, venturing his soul and immortal concerns upon the free grace of God, and through him gives up himself to God, to be his for ever, to love him supremely, live to him entirely, and delight in him superlatively, and for ever to walk in all his ways: and hereby, at the same time, the man's heart begins to be habitually framed to love his neighbour as himself, with a disinterested impartiality; and thus an effectual foundation is laid for universal external obedience, and that from genuine principles.

And as the divine life is thus begun, so it is carried on in the soul much after the same manner. The spirit of God shows the believer, more and more, what a poor, sinful, helldeserving wretch he is in himself, and so makes him more and more sensible of his absolute need of free grace, through Jesus Christ, to pardon and to sanctify him. He grows in a sense of these things all his days; whereby his heart is kept humble, and Christ and free grace made more precious. The spirit of God shows the believer more and more of the infinite glory and excellency of God, whereby he is more and more influenced to love him, live to him, and delight in him with

all his heart; and, by the whole, his heart is framed more and more to love his neighbour as himself: and thus the path of the just is like a shining light, that shines more and more, to the perfect day; (Prov. iv. 18.) only it must be observed, that the spirit's operations, after conversion, are attended with two differences, arising from two causes: (1.) From the different state of the subject wrought upon. The believer not being under the law as a covenant, is not, by the spirit, filled with those legal terrors arising from the fears of hell, as heretofore he was, (Rom. viii. 15.) but only is made sensible of his remaining sinfulness, and the sinfulness and desert of sin, and of God's fatherly displeasure; and hereby his heart is humbled and broken. Indeed, hereby he is many times filled with unspeakable anguish and bitterness of soul. His sins are ever before his eyes, and his bones wax old through his roaring all the day long. Psalm xxiii. 3. li. 3. He is troubled; he is bowed down greatly; he goes mourning all the day long. Psalm xxxviii. 1-6. But these awakening, convincing, humbling, mourning, purifying times, always end in peace and joy, and rest in God; attended with a greater degree of tenderness of conscience and holy watchfulness, and followed with bringing forth more fruit. Psalm xcvii. 11. cxxvi. 5, 6. Psalm xxxii. 5. lxxiii. 25 28. John xv. 2. 2 Cor. vii. 10, 11. Heb. xii. 11. Hos. ii. 6, 7. 14, 15. (2.) From the different nature of the subject wrought upon. The believer not being under the full power of sin, and at perfect enmity against God, as once he was, hence does not resist the spirit with the whole heart, while he takes down the power of sin, as heretofore he did; but has a genuine disposition to join in on God's side, and say, "Let me be effectually weaned from the world, and humbled, and made holy and heavenly, and be brought into an entire subjection to God in all things, though by means and methods ever so cross to flesh and blood: let me be stripped naked of all worldly comforts, and let Shimei curse, and all outward evils and inward anguish of heart come upon me, if nothing else will do Here, Lord, I am in thy hands; chasten, correct, do what thou wilt with me, only let sin die; sin, thine enemy, the worst evil, and the greatest burden of my soul." Rom. vii. 24. 2 Cor. iv. 8, 9. 16. James.