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cious defign of God that we fhould be bleffed with a clear manifeftation of his love, and that we fhould be affured that he hath blotted out our tranfgreffions as a cloud and our ini quities as a thick cloud: then with Nicodemus, we ftrangely ask, "how can these things be?" But how vain a queftion is this, where God is concerned! can we suppose that infinite wifdom will be at a loss to find out a way to discover himself to his creatures, as reconciled to them through Christ Jefus ! furely no; we may then with fafety conclude, that as he in all ages of the world, hath caused the light of his countenance to thine upon his fervants, so that they have been enabled to rejoice in him as the God of their salvation, we shall be as highly favoured by him as all those worthies who have gone before us have been; and we also fhall see the salvation of God, and fhall experience the riches of his mercy and grace brought into our own fouls.

And as fin hath blinded the understanding and brought guilt upon the confcience, fo it hath alfo defiled the whole foul, it hath spread its poisonous nature throughout all the powers and faculties of the mind, and the words of the prophet may be juftly applied to every child of man. "The whole head is fick and the whole heart is faint, from the fole of the foot to the crown of the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying fares," and as the apoftle observes, the mind as well as the conscience is defiled. How deeply fenfible of this truth was the holy Pfalmift when he said, "Behold I was shapen in iniquity, and in fin did my mother conceive me," and he must be an entire ftranger to the fate of his own mind, who does not feel the truth of the apostle's words, "The law of God is spiritual, but I am carnal, fold under fin," and in how clear a manner does he in that chapter explain the nature of original depravity, and fhew how ftrangely it captivates the man and leads him aftray from God. "When we were in the flesh (saith the apoftle) that is, while we were in our fallen ftate of mind, the motions of fin which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. In these words we may see our own picture, if we can fee at all, for have we not found in our own mind, thole motions of fin, as he justly calls them! a ftrange propenfity of those evils which are hateful in the fight of God, which he hath expressly forbidden, and which would bring ruin and deftruction upon us. Solomon with great propriety calls this, the plague, of our own heart, and when we are -made to feel the force of his words, we fhall be as defirous 10

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be delivered from it, as Paul was when he said, "O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death." But the blessed God hath provided a remedy for this disease also. "I thank God (adds the apoftle through Jesus Christ our Lord, as if he had faid, wretched and miserable as I am, by reason of my native depravity, yet I bless God I am not left without hope, for he hath sent his well beloved fon to redeem me, out of this bondage of sin and corruption, into the glorious liberty of his children: and in the very next chapter he triumphs in this glorious deliverance, first by declaring that there is no condemnation to them who are in Chrift Jesus, and fecondly, by describing the nature of that liberty into which the chriftian is brought, faying," the law of the spirit of life in Chrift Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. He fhews us that as he was set free from the guilt of sin, being justified freely through faith in Christ Jesus, so he was delivered from the power and dominion of sin, by the sanctifying influences of his holy Spirit.

This faithful fervant of God informs us, that he did not receive the gospel from man, nor was he taught it by man, but by the revelation of Jesus Chrift; as this was the case, we may conclude, that he had as full an acquaintance with the gospel, and as clear views of the gracious designs of God in sending Chrift into the world, as any one man ever had, or can have: but he had alfo experienced this same gofpel to be, the power of God unto salvation to his own soul, so that he was not only a faithful minister, but a witness of the truth, which he publifhed in the name of the Lord: accordingly he fhews us, that the design of our Lord in finishing the work of our redemption was, "that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify us as a peculiar people zealous of good works: and he adds in the same Epiffle these very remarkable words. "After that the kindness and love of God our Saviour towards mankind appeared. Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he faved us, by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghoft, which he fhed on us abundantly, through Jesus Chrift our Saviour." Here the apoftle fhews us, not only the nature of gospel salvation, but in what particular way God designs to save us, which is according to his mercy: now his mercy was never so wonderfully displayed towards loft mankind, as when he gave his well beloved son to die for our redemption We then must be saved by experiencing the blessed effects of his mercy, so wonderfully displayed in the gift

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of Chrift; that is, we muft enjoy the benefit of that atónément which he made for sin in our own sculs, we must be freely and fully juftified through faith in his name; but this is not obtained by works of righteousnefs which we have done, for the apostle well knew that we have no works of righteousnefs to be saved by, but that we are guilty, polluted sinners, who never were in a capacity to do any good work, and therefore must be saved by grace, and by grace alone: and then he informs us, that as we are unholy as well as guilty, we are saved by the washing of regeneration and by the renewing of the Holy Ghoft; that is, the God of love purifies our pollut ed hearts, by the fanctifying influences of his Holy Spirit; that being delivered from the bondage of sin and original corruption, we may serve God without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.

It would be endlefs to quote all the passages from the writings of this apoftle which speak of the same thing. Of our being created anew in Chrift Jesus, of our being dead to sin and alive unto God, of our having put off the old man with his deeds, and our having put on the new man which after God is created anew, in righteousness and true holiness, so that whoever reads the Epiffles of this apoftle with any degree of attention, must shut his eyes exceeding close, if the light does not break in upon him.

But left any one fhould think we mistake the apoftle's meaning, we will again appeal to the Prayer-book: and have we not heard the following remarkable and scriptural exhortation? Therefore let us befeech him to grant us true repentance, and his Holy Spirit, that those things may please him which we do at this present and that the reft of our life hereafter may be pure and holy, so that at the last we may come to his eternal joy, through Jesus Christ our Lord." It would be easy to prove that every part of this exhortation is exactly scriptural, as for inftance, let us beseech God to grant us true repentance. "God hath exalted his son Jesus to his own right hand to be a prince and a Saviour to give repentance and remission of sins unto Israel." It is added, and his Holy Spirit, Jesus said unto the people, "If ye being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children how much more shall my heavenly father give his Holy Spirit to them who ask him." But why muft the Holy Spirit be given to us? That those things may please him that we do at this present, that is, that we may worship God acceptably so saith our Redeemer, "God is a Spirit, and they who worship him muft worship

him

him in spirit and in truth," and an apoftle exhorts us to pray in the Holy Ghost. It would be easy to fhew, were it necessary that the remaining part of the exhortation is equally scriptural. Have we not also offered up this prayer to God? "Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the infpiration of thy holy fpirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord," and in offering this prayer to God, we only do that which our Lord himself hath taught us, when in obedience to him we fay, "Thy kingdom come, "for if we understand the proper meaning of our own prayers, then we pray that that kingdom may come, which our Lord saith muft be within us, and which an apostle hath faid, "is righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Ghoft." Whether therefore we search the scriptures, or read the Common-prayer book, we fhall be obliged to acknowledge that we must be born of the Spirit, in order to our entering into the kingdom of God, and that we may be enabled to serve God acceptably, we must experience his sanctifying grace.

Were we to read the writings of all the wise and holy men who ever wrote upon the nature of true religion, we should find they agreed, respecting the absolute necessity of regene rating grace or the sanctifying influences of the Spirit of God, in order to our serving him according to his will, they may, and they do differ one from another respecting a variety of lesser matters, and hold very different religious opinions, but in this they all agree, except a man be converted, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

What then is the religion of Jesus Christ? It is the king. dom of God set up in the mind: It is the grace of our Lord Jefus Christ and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghoft, experienced by us; it is, the Peace of God which passeth all understanding, keeping our hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his son Jesus Christ our Lord. In other words, it is the light of God fhining in our understanding, so that we are made wise unto salvation; wife enough to know our own dearest, and best interests, and to have a proper regard for them, so that we may live as candidates for heaven, and make it the grand businefs of life to prepare for the eternal world: it is the peace of God in our conscience, arising from a sense of his love towards us in Chrift Jefus, difcovered to us in the word, and fealed to us by the fpirit of God, so that we are made truly happy and it is the love of God fhed abroad in our

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hearts by the holy Ghoft given unto us, or the divine nature communicated to us, fo that we are made inwardly and outwardly holy.

This is the Religion which the Lord himself hath called us to experience, in his holy word, and without which, we are dead while we live, having only a form of Godliness, but are destitute of the power.

As the faithful minifters of Chrift are authorized to say to the daughter of Zion behold thy Saviour cometh to sanctify and save thee, as above described, fo alfo to declare that his reward is with him. There is doubtless a reward of grace as well as a reward of glory; that religion is attended with a present reward, will be acknowledged by all who believe the account already given. The whole Book of God bears witness to the same thing, and all that ever tafted that the Lord is gracious, will joyfully confess that the Lord is the rewarder of all them who diligently seek him.

"Blessed are the people saith (holy David) who know th joyful sound, they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance, in thy name shall they rejoice all the day, and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted," and speaking of his own happiness, he says, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever," here so large a field opens to our view, that our time will not permit us to travel far into it, but we must conclude this head with the words of an apostle. "Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

If the above be a just account of the experience of the children of God, then religion is its own reward, "wisdom's ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace; and the church of England also speaks nothing but the truth when she declares, that the service of God is perfect freedom, must it not be so: if the followers of God, are received into his favour, and are blest with an assurance of his love: if they live under his guardian care and protection, and know that nothing can happen to them by chance, and that all things shall work together for their good: if they are adopted into the family of God, enjoy a peace which passeth all understanding, walk in the light of God's countenance, partake of his grace and holy spirit, and are made heirs of an eternal kingdom : then they must needs be a happy people indeed. In a word, if the Lord hath pleasure in the prosperity of his people, if

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