and this is the baneful source of all that evil which is in the world. But,

2. Although unbelief has such á governing influence over the unregenerate, how completely is it hid from their observation! They can indulge in the greatest excess of riot, and at the same time be so far from feeling any rebuke, as to think it strange of others, that they run not to the same lengths in sin; speaking evil of them on this account: 1 Pet. iv. 4. little suspecting, that their quiet and false peace arise, not out of their pursuits as harmless, but from a total disregard to the will of God; or from that principle of unbelief, which leads them to cast off all concern as to the divine commands, or threatenings. Gallio like, they care for none of these things, nor account that unbelief, to which they owe their present freedom from remorse, as one of their greatest sins.

3. Whilst the sinner remains in total ignorance of unbelief, he is completely under its power. But, regenerated by the Spirit of God, he is immediately convinced of this sin, feels its evil, and ever after cries out bitterly against it. He then sees, that however he may have professed a belief in some of the doctrines of scripture, it was at the best with only a speculative faith; a faith not arising from any conviction, that he felt, of the truth of these doctrines,

but which was founded on lessons early learned, or built on the opinions of others. On examining the state of his heart now, he can perceive, that while with his lips he professed a regard to divine truth, his heart was not subject to the law of God, neither indeed could be. Rom. viii. and that he was an unbeliever, as to any importance or efficacy which he ever felt in these doctrines. Enlightened by the Spirit of God, he sees himself full of unbelief, and wonders that he should ever have made the least pretensions to the character of a believer in Jesus; conscious that no real believer could ever have accredited him as one, and that he could have been thought so by those only, whose faith was no better than his own. There is not any discovery which the Spirit enables him to make, whether it respects the character of God, as revealed in his word, or whether it respects his own heart, his state before God, death, judgment, heaven, hell, the vanity of the world, the evil of sin, the pleasures of religion, or the encouragements of the gospel; but he now sees his unbelief respecting them all. Thus enlightened, he sees the sin of unbelief to be a great sin: and that truths, which now appear so interesting, should have been so long unknown; that truths so advantageous, should have been so long neglected; that truths so powerful, should not have been felt; that

truths so precious, should not have been realized ;excite at once his astonishment and regret: especially considering the honour of which it has robbed God, and the injury it has done his own soul, by keeping it shut out from all divine enjoyments, and from the happiness attendant on a life of faith. These humiliating considerations produce powerful convictions of the evil of unbelief in the soul. The evil of this sin is moreover manifest to, and bewailed by the believer, with whom it is still present. He feels its influence daily; sees the evils with which it is fraught; the spiritual enjoyments of which it deprives him; and while he thus unwillingly carries about with him an evil heart of unbelief, he is constrained to cry out, in particular reference to its painful exercise, Oh wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me? Rom. vii. 24. As, however, it is designed to dwell more in detail upon the evils attendant on this sin, we pass on to observe, 4. That unbelief has a peculiar subtilty in evading detection.

In many points of christian experience, it is easy to trace the connection between cause and effect. But whilst the believer is daily suffering the sad effects of the remaining power of unbelief, it is but seldom that he clearly discerns their cause. And hence arises much of that perplexity common to the saints, and which results from

their present experience. For instance, among others, if God answer not their prayers, as they expected, they readily conclude, they are not in the covenant of his love. Whereas, answer to prayer is to be expected only in the way of faith. See Matt. xxi. 22. Thus they draw conclusions destructive to their own comfort, through the remainder of unbelief within them. For who that is acquainted with his own heart but must acknowledge, there is unbelief enough there, to cause God to hide his face that he will not hear. Isa. lix. 2. Its secret workings are referred to by the Apostle, when he cautions us to take heed, lest there be in any of us an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. Thus intimating, that unless we pay the closest attention to what is passing within, this principle will so insinuate itself into all our thoughts and pursuits, that, ignorant of its deceivings, we shall be led astray before we are

aware.

5. A distressing sense of unbelief is not an evidence of our being unbelievers. So far from it, wherever distress is caused by a sight of our unbelieving hearts, we may readily conclude, that this is the work of God; for this can only be felt by those, who are taught by his Spirit to see the real state of their hearts in the light of his

own word. It is of great moment, that, under the first discovery of this sin, we should be guarded against a frequent device of Satan, which consists is tempting us to relinquish those means, which may have contributed to our distress; particularly to cease from an attendance upon the preaching of the gospel, under which we may have been for a time almost constantly convicted of our sins. For, however deep may be our distress, we should never shun the means, because by them God conveys his grace to remove that distress; and though painful indeed, (while not only the sin of unbelief, but all other sins by which we have dishonoured God, are made, as it were, many times to pass before us,) yet may the soul say, "Surely God would not have "shewed me this sin in the light in which I see "it, had he meant to have destroyed me. No, "indeed; let me rather conclude, that it is to pre66 pare me for the sweeter enjoyment of that word, "which God has appointed as a joyful sound to "sin-distressed souls."

From what has been already said, it is supposed, that none but believers can have this distressing view of unbelief; because none but they can see it to be sin; and what we do not see to be sin, can excite no particular grief between God and our souls. But it is plain that believers