that he may depend upon the fame grace in his laft hours, if he fhall continue to harden himfelf under a courfe of means, to bring him to repentance; or that one of the miracles of Chrift's death fhall be repeated for him in the ordinary ftate of things; or that he fhall certainly share in like mercy, when he knows not but death may furprife him without any notice, and without giving him opportunity to fhew fuch an illuftrious inftance of faith as the dying thief expreffed.

4. There is an alteration in a man's governing aim, or chief end. This is like the centre to which all inferior aims and particular purfuits tend. The original end of a reasonable creature must be to enjoy the favour of God as his fupreme happiness, to be acceptable and pleafing to him. By the difpofition of depraved nature we are gone off from this centre, and have changed our biafs, from God to created good, to the pleasing of the flesh, to the grațification of our own humour, or to the obtaining of fome prefent fatisfaction, according to the prevailing dictate of fancy or appetite. This makes the greatest turn that can be in the fpirit of the mind: all must be out of course till this is fet right. Now it is the most effential

part of the new nature, to bring a finner in this refpect to himself, that is, to bring him back to God. All the light he receives, all the rectification of his judgment, is in order to this; and when this is well fettled, every thing elfe, which was out of courfe before, will return to its right channel. A man is not a true Chriftian, till it is become his highest ambi

tion to be acceptable to his Lord, 2 Còr. v. 9. Then his foul will give fuffrage to the Pfalmift's choice, Pfalm lxxiii. 25. “Whom have I' in heaven but thee ? and there is noneupon earth that I defire befide thee." Others are wearying themselves in queft of happiness, from one thing to another, as uncertain whereto fix for finding it repeated difappointments lead them often to change their course and their aim; when one thing anfwers not expectation, they hope to make amends by a new purfuit; but ftill they continue within. the inchanted circle of worldly good. A trueChristian, on the contrary, writes vanity upon all things below; they will not fatisfy him :R and therefore he is come to a point where to fix his happiness: "The Lord is the portion: of his inheritance." Here he rests, and is determined to pursue his favour as his fupreme good, and laft en d.

5. There is he reupon a new determination to fuch a courfe of acting as will most effectually fecure this en d. As long as this world is the chief good which a man has in view, he contrives the best ways he can think of to promote his particular ends in it. But when the favour of God comes to have the principal' fhare in his esteem, he carefully examines, and heartily confents, to the prefcribed terms of making that füre. Now he is defirous to be· found in Chrift upon any terms. He arifes and returns to his Father, "with full purpose · of heart to cleave unto the Lord," A&ts xi. 23. He engages in wi fdom's ways in earneft. with a refolution like that of the Pfalmift, Pfal.

exix. 106. "I have fworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judg ments." There is no known duty, but he determines to be found in the practise of it; even the most difficult and hazardous, the most felf-denying and ungrateful to flesh and blood. Spiritual and holy exercifes, for which he had no guft before, are chofen for his delightful employment, as moft fubfervient to his new end. The language of his heart is, "I will dwell in the houfe of the Lord for ever, I will call upon him as long as I live." And his refolutions are equally firm and impartial again't fin, every known fin. "I am purpofed, that

even my mouth fhall not tranfgrefs," Pfal. xvii. 3. This is a new temper of foul; either the reverse of his former refolutions, or very different from them in firmness and stability, being made in earneft and with his whole heart whereas before goodnefs was as the morning cloud, or as the early dew, which paffes away. away. And And yet his purposes are not made in his own ftrength, which it may be was one grand defect in those that he formerly made under fome ineffectual convictions, but in dependence upon the grace of Chrift.

6 The exercife of the affections becomes very different. A change will appear in this refpect, through the different turns of his condition, as well as in the prevailing tenor of his practice. While a man is a stranger to God, and blind to the interefts of his foul, he is little concerned how matters lie between God and him but a finner "come to himself," is most tenderly concerned at any thing that ren

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ders his inrereft in God doubtful, or brings his covenant-relation into question; and nothing fets the fprings of godly forrow flowing fo much, as the confcioufnefs of guilt, or of any. unworthy behaviour to God. And on the other hand, though he is not got above all re- lifh for the comforts of a prefent life; yet he has the most lively and lafting tafte of fpiritual bleffings. He rejoices moft in a folid hope of God's fpecial favour thro' Chrift, in any conqueft he can discern over fin and temptation in the progrefs of the divine life, and in: the foretaftes of glory. He reflects with fatis-faction only upon thofe religious exercises. wherein he has found pious and devout affec-tions in his own breast, and fome teftimonies that God has accepted his offering. good laid up for him in the promises of God,, yields more refreshment to his foul than all the worldly good he has in poffeffion. And when his outward circumftances can minifter: least to his fatisfaction, yet he can find rest tohis foul in his God. Habak. iii. 17, 18. "Although the fig-tree fhall not blossom, neither fhall fruit be in the vines, the labour of the olive fhall fail, and the fields fhall yield no meat, the flock fhall be cut off from the fold, and there fhall be no herd in the ftalls; yet I: will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my falvation."

The

Those who have learned Chrift to faving. purpose, are not, as I apprehend, ftrangers to fome fuch change in the fpirit of their mind, as has been defcribed. It will be our wifdom then to bring all home by proper reflections.

1. Let us seriously examine our own minds, whether we can difcern such an alteration made in our fpirit. I am far from faying that it is neceffary to the well-grounded hope of all,. that they fhould be able to difcern the time when this change began to be made; or that they can remember the time when the contrary to this renewed temper acted in its full force in them. There is a great difference in this matter, between thofe who,like Samuel “grew up before the Lord," under the advantageous and fuccefsful influence of a pious education, and thofe converted from grofs ignorance and a vicious courfe. The apoftle in the text fpeaks to perfons converted from heathenism, and from all the licentioufnefs which reigned with little controul in the pagan world; fuch could not but be fenfible of the difference between their former ftate and their prefent, if they were now become true chriftians; what a new thing the chriftian temper was in them. And the fame can hardly fail to be the cafe with thofe ftill, who are recovered from a very profligate and irreligious courfe. But though the chriftian fpirit is to all, who share in it, a new and a different spirit from the temper of depraved nature; yet in fome who have escaped the pollutions that are in the world, and been from their infancy under the means of grace, the change may have begun fo early, and proceeded fo gradually, that they are not able to trace the steps of their renova-tion, or to remember the time when the frame of their fouls was entirely the reverse of what it is at present. The grand inquiry therefore