Lines, Eph. iv. 23, 24. Here you may fee, is reprefented a very remarkable and diftinguishing change of ftate; a change which may be known by thofe who have had the bleffed experience; and a change, that has been felt by all those, and none bat. thofe, who are Chriftians indeed. Could you then find this bleffed effect of your committing your foul and your eternal interefts into the hands of our Lord Jefus Chrift, that all the pow:ers, paffions, and appetites of your foul are renewed, you could not doubt the author of the wonderful change. You must own it to be from him, that you are brought to hate what you before loved; and to love what you (before hated. Can you help but acknowledge this, -when you find that the thoughts and difpofitions of your -mind are new; and the chief fubject of your care and meditation are the things unfeen and eternal: that the defires and affections of your foul are new and placed upon the things that are above, where Chrift Jefus fits at the right handitfi Godthat your views and appre.henfions of yourfelf are newgand your haughty and felfish imaginations are changed to an humbleland-constrite fpirit, that trembles at God's word: That your confidence and dependance is new; and instead of depending upon your good attainments, purpofes, promifes, reformations, or duties, you are endeavouring to be found .in Chrift Fefus, met 'having on your own righteousness -which is of the daaw,ibut that zohich is through the faith of Christ, the right eaufnefs which is of God by faith. That your joys and fatisfactions are new; and instead of rejoicing in your temporal and fenfual acquifitions, you Frejoice in Chrift Jefus, and have no confidence in the flesh. That the objects of your love and complacency are new; and instead of loving the world and your idols, you efteem God's favour to be life, and his daving *kindness to be better than life; and inftead of loving the company of worldly and fenfual perfons, you have your only delight and complacency in men of ferious vital piety; and have this evidence, that you are paffed from death to life, that you love the brethren. That your ap petites and paffions are new; and inftead of thofe boundlefs defires you were before vacted by, you are brought

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into an humble subjection to the will of God; and inftead of those turbulent paffions which before had the afcendant, you experience the bleffed fruits of the fpirit, which are love, joy, peace, long-fuffering, gentleness, goodnefs, faith, meekness, temperance. And to fum up all, that your converfation is new; and that you live a life of holiness towards God; and of righteousness, charity, and beneficence towards men; endeavouring to fill up every station, relation, and capacity of life with duty; and ftriving to have your whole converfation as becomes the Gafpel of Chrift.

This, Sir, is a brief fummary of the true Chrif tian character. This is the falvation (in its moral view) which our Lord Jefus Chrift bestows in this world, upon all his fincere followers. No man ever fail'd of obtaining this, who by faith unfeigned brought his foul to Chrift, and depended upon him, for his sanctifying renewing influences..

Now fecondly, Another thing which all true Chriftians experience, and none but they, is the spiritual warfare. They have a warfare with their remaining corruptions. The flesh lufteth against the spirit; and the fpirit against the flefb, Gal. v. 17. And they see another law in their members, warring against the law of their minds, in order to bring them into captivity, to the law of fin and death, Rom. vii. 23. They have ftill fo many imperfections remaining in their hearts, in their duties, and in their conversations, as make them groan, being burthened and cry out, O wretchedman that I am, who fball deliver me from the body of this death! When therefore you are heartily engag'd in this war, and feel in yourself that you are continually led on to victory, can you doubt, who it is that approves himself the captain of your falvation? Can you doubt this, when you fenfibly feel in yourself a hatred to all fin, without any referve, even to thofe fins which by conftitution, or . cuftom, are fo nearly and intimately united to your affections, as to become your members, even a right hand, a right foot, or a right eye? Can you doubt this, when you feel that you even hate vain thoughts; and that the irregularities of your heart and affections, as

well as of your outward conduct, are matter of your continual grief and burden; what you continually watch, and pray, and strive againft? Can you doubt this, when it is your conftant experience, that there is nothing more grievous to you, nothing more contrary to the governing defires of your foul, than the prevalence of these corruptions, and the deadness, formality, and distractions, which accompany your holy duties; and when you experience that it is your most ardent and impatient purfuit, to gain further victory over the imperfections of your heart and life; and to obtain more uninterrupted communion with God, in your religious approaches to him? Or, to fum up all in a word, can this be doubted, when, (under the sharpeft conflict, you can meet with from this quarter) you are able fincerely to say, that tho' when you would do good evil is prefent with you; yet you delight in the law of the Lord, after the inward man?

You must befide this inteftine war, have the trial of another campaign. You will find the enemies from without, as well as within, to maintain a continual conflict with. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood only, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual wickedneffes in high places, Eph. vi. 12. This is what you have probably had no experience of. A prifoner in the hands of his enemies, led captive by them at their pleafure, has no acquintance with the progrefs of wars and conflicts, battles and fieges; makes no attempt for victory and triumph; but fubmits to the injunctions of his conquerors; and the more chearful his fubmiffion, the more ease and comfort he will find. This you muft acknowledge to be eminently true of fuch who without oppofition refign themselves voluntary prisoners into their enemies hands; as all careless and secure finners do into the hands offin and Satan. But when once perfons come to be, in good earnest, engaged in the cause of Chrift, what violent opposition do they meet with ? What dreadful temptations do they often encounter, which carry their own evidence with them, from what quarter they come? This I warn you of before hand that when you come to the experience, you may not

be discouraged; but established in the faith of that reve lation, which you find experimentally true.

How frequently are Chriftians indeed called into this field of battle? How frequently are they affaulted with molt violent and impetuous temptations which will fol-low and hurry them, and fometimes foil them, not withftanding all their good defires, godly refolutions, and T most active endeavours after holinefs? What horrid blafphemous thoughts are often injected into the minds of fuch, which though the greateft burthen and abhor rence of their diftreffed fouls, yet follow and haunt : them wherever they go, and whatever they do, and ef- pecially at the feafons of their nearest approaches to God? What doubting apprehenfions, what fubtil fürprifing reasonings, will be darted into the minds of fome, even the most established Chriftians, against the very being of God; and the truth of Chriftianity, notwith ftanding their higheft rational conviction, and fulleft fatisfaction of the truth of these great fundamentals of religion? What horrible and amazing dispositions and affections will seem to arise in the minds of fome of the most devout and heavenly perfons in the world; who, in the dreadful conflict, are fometimes made to roar by reafon of the difquietnefs of their hearts? What diftref fing darkness, dejections, and defpondings will fome Christians be exercifed with, after clear and fatisfying evidences of God's favour, against all the comforting confiderations which can be propofed; and notwithstanding all the former manifestations of the love of God to their fouls? And do not thefe, and fuch-like fiery darts of the wicked one, as clearly difcover the agency of Satan, as if we saw him make his attacks in a visible appearance ?

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I am fenfible, that many of these temptations are ordinarily imputed to bodily difeafe; becaufe Satan frequent ly makes the fierceft attacks upon the weakeft walls, where there is the greatest profpect of fuccefs. But...i though basily diforder may expofeus to darknefs of every kind, yet what blafphemy can there be in the spleen? How came infidelity by a lodging in the humours of the body? Or how can any difordered temperature of the body produce in the mind (contrary to the habitualsi

bent and bias of the renewed foul) fuch fierce, impetuous and irresistible blafphemies against the glorious God, and the bleffed Redeemer of the world; if this be only from bodily disease, how comes it to pass, that many perfons of vigorous health of body, have met with the fame diltreffing trials? Herein then the truth of Chrif tianity is confirmed by experience, when the Chriftian meets with the very fame trials, which the fcriptures forewarn him of: and then the fierceness of the combat may not only establish him in the faith, but ftrengthen his hopes of victory. He fees the divine original of the Chriftian inftitution, by the enmity and oppoñi tion of the infernal powers against it. He feels the warfare juft such as the fcriptures defcribe; and may therefore conclude, that he has no temptation but what is common to men; and may confide in the captain of his falvation, that he is leading him on to victory.

Thirdly, Another inftance, wherein the truth of Christianity is brought to be a matter of fenfible experience, is the comfort, peace, and joy of a religious life. Our bleffed Lord has told us, that his yoke is eafy, and bis burthen light, Matth. xi. 30. Peace he leaves with his difciples; his peace he gives unto them, and this in a manner which the world cannot give, John xiv. 27. And the apostle reprefents Chriftians, as rejoicing in Chrift Jefus, without confidence in the fiefb, Phil. iii. 3. and as having the love of God fhed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Ghost, who is given unto them. Now what doubt can remain in the heart of a Chriftian, of the truth and faithfulness of these promifes, when he feels them actually fulfilled unto him; when he fenfibly feels, that Chrift does not leave him comfortlefs, but manifefts himself to him, fo as he doth not unto the world; and when he joyfully feels the Spirit of God witneffing with his fpirit, that he is a child of God?

You may perhaps efteem this to be all cant and delufion, enthusiasm, or heated imagination: but is it reafonable in a man that was born blind, to conclude, that because he himself has no idea of light and colours, therefore no man ever faw the fun; but all pretences of delight from the beautiful appearances of the creation, are mere chicanery and deceit"?

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