This, I take to be, true religion;' our Saviour's, 'well of water, springing up into everlasting life;' saint Paul's, new creature,' and 'spiritual mind;' and saint John's, fellowship with the Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ.'

These points, therefore, I take to be the great features of christian preaching:..

1. The danger and misery of an unrenewed, unregenerate state; whether it be of the more gross, or of the more decent kind.

2. The absolute necessity of an inward change: a moral transformation of mind and spirit.

3. The important and happy effects which take place, when this change is really produced.

But, how little justice have I done the subject! what a meagre outline have I given you! But, if it sets you on thinking for yourself, and leads you, like the Bereans, to search the scriptures, whether these things be so,' it is the utmost I can look for.

I know not any place, in which, the view of practical christianity I have been giving, is, either so clearly, or so compendiously set forth, as, in that collect of the afternoon service, O God, from whom all holy desires, &c.' It seems, as if that prayer were peculiarly fitted for those, who feel in themselves the marks of sincere repentance; but whose change, from the influence of the carnal mind, to that of the spiritual mind, is not yet completed. It, therefore, begins with a scriptural enumeration, of the component parts, and effects, of true repentance; and an ascription of these to

6

the God of grace, as their only source. Holy desires,' answer to saint Paul's opening of the eyes;' 'good counsels,' or resolutions, to the turning from darkness, unto light;' and 'just works,' are the certain consequences, of being brought from the power of Satan, unto God.' St. Paul was directed, to inculcate this perάvoia, in order to the receiving of remission of sins, and an inheritance among them that are sanctified': and, on exactly the same principle, this admirable collect directs the penitent to ask from God, that peace, which the world cannot give.' This is what the true penitent looks for; and it embraces, in the largest sense of the word, both the blessings, which the apostle speaks of: remission of sins,' that is, well-grounded peace in the conscience; and an inheritance among them that are sanctified,' that is, the blessed peace of a pure, holy, benevolent, pious, mind; living by faith, above the world; and, having its conversation (its ToíTEUμa, citizenship, Phil. iii. 20.) in heaven. Both these, are contained in the nature of that peace of God, which passeth all understanding;' and its effects are beautifully expanded, in the words which immediately follow: ¿ that, both our hearts may be set to obey thy commandments, and also, that, by thee, we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may pass our time in rest and quietness, through the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour.' This determinateness of heart, as, by a second nature, more fixed, even, than the first,.. to keep God's commandments, and

b

the consequent freedom from all fear, external and internal, being the perfection of christianity. And see, how scriptural all this is:.. The work of righteousness, shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness,' (its less immediate, but not less certain, consequence,) quietness and assurance for ever.' Zacharias, in his hymn, states it to be, the very matter, and substance of the mercy promised to the fathers, That we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.' And saint John expressly says, • Perfect love casteth out fear; for he that feareth, is not made perfect in love.' Now, only compare this collect, with my statement above, and say, whether they do not suggest the identical same view of christianity.

Let me observe, however, that the change I speak of, must, from variety of circumstances, vary in conspicuousness. Some, have pleased God from their youth; have never lost a sense of duty: in these, of course, there cannot, in the nature of things, be that deep compunction, which penitents feel, who have been rescued from a lower depth. Nay, some even, are gently and gradually, reclaimed from a course of vice, and folly; so that, their final safety, may be the result of an almost imperceptible advance, through many years. But, the change itself, from the dominion of the carnal mind, to that of the spiritual mind, must be wrought because, If ye live after the flesh, ye

shall die; but, if ye, through the spirit, mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.' To insist, therefore, on the change itself: to lead men into their own bosoms, to inquire, what most prevails with them; this world, or the next: to ascertain, what spirit they are of; of the self-denying spirit of Christ, or the self-indulging spirit of the world : to ask, whether, like David, they love God's law; or whether their obedience is the result of servile fear to examine, whether they have any sense, of • God's inestimable love, in the redemption of the world, by his Son'; or whether they are conscious, that they would have been just as happy, if such a thing never had taken place: to seek, finally, whether they feel the need of the aid and consolations of God's Spirit; and, therefore, find prayer as necessary to their mental comfort, as food is, to their bodily strength: .. to urge such inquiries, I take to be CHRISTIAN PREACHING: to insist on circumstances, . . such as, a moment of conversion, known, and remembered; certain depths of distress; strongly marked, instantaneous consolations, .. as if these had been necessary, I humbly conceive to be ENTHUSIASM.

I have, now, said enough, of the first error in preaching that of making christianity to consist, rather in outward performances, than in an inward change.

II. The second error, according to my apprehension, is, that preachers exhort men to do, with out impressing on them a sense of their natural

inability, to do any thing that is right; and their consequent need of divine grace: first, to create them anew unto good works; and, then, to strengthen them, by daily and hourly assistance.

Our blessed Saviour begins his sermon on the mount, by pronouncing, not certain actions, but certain dispositions happy; to shew, that, right dispositions are the only source, whence right actions can proceed. And, in order to the attainment of those right tempers, he directs to earnest prayer, for God's holy Spirit; with this encouragement, . . ' If ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more, will your Father, who is in heaven, give his holy Spirit, to them that ask him.'

But, the second error, is, in fact, the natural consequence of the first. For, where an inward, spiritual principle, is not insisted on, as primarily, and essentially, requisite in religion, there, the whole system must be vague, extrinsic, and superficial.

It is remarkable, but, I believe, it will be found a fact, that the meditations of Marcus Antoninus contain a much stricter plan of moral self-government, than is set forth, by most modern christian preachers. He seems to have looked, much more to the state of his mind and temper, than the generality of pulpit instruction insists upon. And certainly, Cicero's beautiful picture of a virtuous man, (de legib. lib. i. ad fin.) comes nearer the new testament, than the view taken, by the far greater