quired, they reject the terms, they lose their transporting views, and return to their fins. There are many examples of this, not only in fcripture, but in the hiftory of the church in every age. Many of those difciples who feemed gladly to embrace the doctrine, and highly to honor the person of Chrift, when they heard fome of the moft mortifying precepts, "went "back and walked no more with him." The character is little different, which we find defcribed under the image of the ftony ground hearers, who "having not root in "themselves, when perfecution or tribulation arose be“cause of the word, by and by were offended." I hope this, with the explication above given of its caufe, may be of use to account for fome appearances in a time of the revival of religion. Perfons who feem to have the fame exercises with real converts, yet afterwards fall away, and "return with the dog to his vomit again, and with the fow "that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire." This gives occafion to adverfaries to speak reproachfully, and is greatly diftreffing to thofe who truly fear God. But would men carefully attend to what the holy fcriptures teach us to expect, their furprise in all fuch cafes would ceafe. "For it muft needs be that offences muft comet. And though there are many counterfeits, there will still be fufficient means to diftinguifh the gold from the drofs. There must be a conviction of sin and danger. THE HE next great ftep in a faving change, is a deep humiliation of mind, and conviction of fin and danger. The abfolute neceffity of this is very evident, and indeed generally confeffed. It is equally evident, whe ther we confider the nature of the change itfelf, the means of its production, or the motives to all future duty. If an entire change is neceffary, there must be an entire and thorough diffatisfaction with, and difapprobation of, our Matt. xviii. 7. ⚫ John vi. 60. paft charater and ftate. Whoever is pleafed with his prefent character, will neither defire, endeavor, nor even accept of a change. If we confider the means of our recovery, by Jefus Chrift fuffering in the room of finners, the fame thing will appear with increafing evidence. Those who are not humbled under a fenfe of guilt and corruption, will treat with great contempt a purchafed pardon and a crucified Saviour. This our Lord himfelf often tells us in the plaineft terms. "They that are “whole need not a physician, but they that are fick. I "came not to call the righteous, but finners to repent"ance." To thefe indeed his invitation and call is particularly addreffed: "Come unto me, all' ye that labor, "and are heavy laden, and I will give you reft."t To the fame purpose, we fhall find many other paffages, both of the prophetic and apoftolic writings. The glad tidings of falvation are always directed to the humble, miferable, broken-hearted, thirty, perishing foul. Thus in the prophet Ifaiah," Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk, "without money and without price." When Chrift entered on his perfonal miniftry, he opened his commiffion in the following terms. "The fpirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gofpel to the poor; he hath fent me to heal the broken"hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and re"covering of fight to the blind; to fet at liberty them that "are bruifed, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord."|| I fhall only mention one other paffage: "And I will give "to him that is athirft of the fountain of the water of life"freely."* From thefe paffages, and many others in the same strain, it is evident beyond contradiction, that there must be a deep humiliation of mind, and fenfe of guilt and wretchednefs, before a finner can be brought unto God. This Luke iv. 18. * Luke. v. 31, 32. ↑ Matt. xi. 29. † 16. lv. 1. indeed hath ordinarily been confidered as the firft ftep towards converfion. In order to treat of it in the most clear, and at the fame time the moft ufeful manner, I fhall divide it into two branches, and firft, 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 fource of conviction and forrow for fin. true and genuine 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 diftinguifhes 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, notwithstanding, lived and died ftrangers to true religion, or any faving change. We fee that even Judas the traitor to his Lord repented, confessed his fin, nay, did what he could to repair the wrong, throwing back the price of innocent blood; and yet hanged himself 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 promises 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 fenfe 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 tranfgreffor. Here, O, Chriftian, is the cardinal point on which true repentance turns, and the reader may plainly perceive the reafon and neceffity of what was formerly obferved, that there must be a difcovery 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 speak under an experimental fenfe of its truth! The finner then perceives how infinitely worthy his Maker is of the higheft efteem, the moft 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 defpifed mortal orm, 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 tion and misplaced 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 manifeft wrong and injuftice in refusing 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." At once to confirm and illuftrate this truth, I must make two obfervations, which will be found univerfally to hold, on the character and conduct of true penitents. Ift. That they obtain a new fenfe 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 confcience, 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 speak 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 enthusiasm and folly. But now the language of adoration is in fome measure underflood, which had been wholly infipid and without meaning before. They join with the pfalmift in faying, "Honor and majefty are before him, ftrength and beauty "are in his fanctuary. Give unto the Lord, O ye kind. "reds 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 worthip the Lord "in the beauty of holinefs; fear before him all the earth."* See alfo thefe elevated ftrains of praife, 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, holy, ho"ly, 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 throne, who liveth for ever "and ever; the four and twenty elders fall down before "him that fat on the throne, and worfhip 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 "thoufand times ten thoufand, and thoufands of thou"fands; faying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb "that was flain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, "and ftrength, and honor, and glory, and blefling. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, "and under the earth, and fuch as are in the fea, and all "that are in them, heard I, faying, Bleffing, and honor, "and glory, and power be unto him that fitteth upon the "throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." a true penitent begins to fee the beauty even of the divine fovereignty, that all things belong to God, and therefore it is most fit that all things fhould be fubject to him, ac Pfal. xcvi. 6, 7, 8, 9. + Rev. iv. 8, 9, 10, 11. Rev. v. 11, 12, 13. Nay, |