much affected and alarmed at the prospect of eternity. In a little while they recover, and all their concern about religion is gone. They resemble sailors who pray in a tempest, when they are expecting the next billow to bury them in the sea; but all their devotion ceases when the storm is over, and they return again to their drinking and swearing with redoubled eagerness. When the unclean spirit is cast out by divine grace, he cannot regain possession; but when he goes out of his own accord, he is sure to return to his old house and his old haunts, and the last end of that man is worse than the first.

Some persons are frequently filled with gloomy and melancholy thoughts. At such times they leave their gay companions, and sigh and weep alone. But this kind of sorrow may rise from worldly losses and disappointments, or from weakness and disorder of body, rather than from any serious concern about God, or the salvation of the soul. Sometimes we see melancholy thoughts and terrors of conscience in the same person. Alas, how many in this unhappy state have rashly seized the murdering knife, and cut the thread of life with their own hands. King Saul was once among the prophets, and often among the gloomy penitents; he went for counsel to the witch of Endor, and after trying many bad ways

to get rid of his burden, he chose the worst at last, and fell upon his own sword. The wretched Judas repented that he had betrayed innocent blood, and then went and hanged himself, that he might go to his own place. While he held the office of an apostle, he was quite out of his own place. What right has the wolf in the sheepfold, or a devil to take his seat among the disciples of Jesus. But Satan, when occasion requires, can put on Samuel's mantle, or even transform himself into an angel of light.

4. Lively joys, and confident hopes, are no proofs of true repentance.

There is something peculiarly grand and important in the doctrines of the gospel. Now it sometimes happens, that those who are brought under the sound of the gospel, are at first struck with admiration. They profess that their views and sentiments are changed, and that they are become new creatures, They tell us in strong language how wonderfully they are delighted with gospel promises, and seem as sure of heaven as those who dwell there. Yet all this is merely a flash in the imagination, not a steady light in the understanding, or a flame of holy love in the heart. It is the dream of fancy, not the joy of faith. Such were the stony ground hearers mentioned by our Lord. Matt. xiii. 20, 21. They

quickly received the word with joy, but having no root soon withered away.

Herod heard John the Baptist gladly, and did many things which were commendable. He could not, however, bear to be reproved for the sake of Herodias. He soon proved, that though he had been pleased with the preacher, he had not been profited by his doctrine. When his birthday came, instead of beginning a new year of his life with penitence for the past, and prayer for the future, he began it with mirth and murder. He ordered the baptist's head to be cut off to gratify an infamous woman.

If you have lively joys and confident hopes, examine whence they spring, and what is their tendency. Bring your feelings as well as your faith to the touchstone of God's word. Many begin to rejoice before they have any just ground. When they are dealt with plainly and faithfully, they are offended. The wounds of the conscience cannot be healed without probing, nor probed without pain. If then, like Herod, you have some particular sin for which you cannot bear reproof, you are deceiving yourself by supposing your joys are a proof of your conversion.

II. I shall now point out what are the evidences of real repentance.

A true penitent will forsake his sin, renounce the world, resist the devil, love Christ, and long to be fully conformed to him,

1. A true penitent will forsake his sin.

If a man had often reproached and wronged you, and professed to be sorry for it, could you believe him sincere unless he altered his conduct. ? Solomon says, He that covereth his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy, Prov. xxviii. 13. A thousand flimsy disguises are woven, and a thousand vain excuses contrived to conceal sin. To hide the accursed thing, Achan took his Babylonish garment and his wedge of gold, and buried them in his tent. The true penitent is willing to lay aside every plea for sin, and give up the practice of it. He who hates sin for its own sake, will pray to be delivered from its power, as well as from its punishment. "There are some persons," says an old writer, " notoriously wicked, who swallow sin down, actually and openly committing it. Others hide their sin under their tongues, spare it, and forsake it not, but keep it still within their mouths. Job xx. 12. But penitents spit it out as the worst poison, loathing it in their judgment, and leaving it in their practice." For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of, but the sorrow of the world worketh

death. For behold this self-same thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort. What carefulness it wrought in you; yea, what clearing of yourselves; yea, what indignation; yea, what fear; yea, what vehement desire; yea, what zeal; yea, what revenge! In all things ye have proved yourselves to be clear in this matter! 2 Cor. vii. 10, 11. Some profess to be converted by the gospel, but if they did not tell us so, we should never know it. There is no appearance of a change in the heart, from any change of life. They remain as lightminded, as ill tempered, as full of the world, as frothy in their conversation, and as loose in their walk as ever. Be not deceived. Bring forth fruits meet for repentance, for by such fruits only can it be known. The convictions which are not strong enough to subdue the dominion of sin, and deep enough to penetrate to the bottom of the heart, are of no real use. Has the fornicator become chaste, and the drunkard sober? Has the swearer learned to fear an oath, and the sabbath-breaker to honour the sacred day ? Has the careless become thoughtful, the proud humble, the passionate meek? Is the vulture turned into a dove, and the lion into a lamb?

Nor is it enough to forsake crimes of the blackest or grossest sort, and yet live in the practice of other sins. If you determine to indulge one lust,