you are friends of the world, in such a sense as none can be, but he must be an enemy of God (1). If indeed you were dead to the world, and your life hid with Christ in God, you would set your affections on things above, on those things which are there, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God (2): but the want of this temper shews, that you are carnally minded, which it is death to be (3); and that the redeeming love of Christ has never exerted its infiuence upon your souls, nor his cross had any due efficacy upon you; for if it had, the world would have been crucified to you, and you to the world (4). 7. The soul" that does not long for greater improvements in the divine life," is still a stranger to the first principles of it. You know, that we are called, as Christians, with an high and holy calling (5); and as he that is the author of this calling, is holy, so are we to be holy in all manner of conversation (6), and to be perfect, even as our Father which is in heaven is perfect (7). Here will therefore be room for improvement, not only during our continuance in the present life, but through all the ages of a glorious eternity; and it is the ardent desire of every good man, that in this sense above all others, his path may be like the shining light, that shineth more and more, until the perfect day (8). And this is the one thing that he does, or that in which all his labors centre; being con (1) Jam. iv. 4. (4) Gal. vi. 14. (6) Pet. i. 15. (2) Col. iii. 1, 2, 3. (3) Rom. viii. G. (8) Prov. iv. 1& scious to himself how far he is from having already attained, or being already perfect, forgetting the things that are behind, he reacheth forth unto those things that are before, and presses toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (1). In this view he seriously considers the circumstances of life in which Providence has placed him; that he may observe the advantages, which these circumstances give him for religious improvements; and it is delightful to him to discover such advantages. Now if there be any of you, who know nothing of this temper, you are certainly in an unregenerate state; for none can be born of God, that do not love him; and none can truly love him, that do not ear. nestly desire, more and more to resemble him. So that if your hearts can indulge such a thought as this, “I wish I knew how much religion would be just sufficient to save me, and I would go so far, and stop there" your conscience must tell you, that you secretly hate religion, and are unwillingly dragged towards the wards the form of it, by an unnatural and external violence, the fear of misery and ruin in neglecting it; and that you are not acted by the free and liberal principle of a nature savingly renewed. 3. The soul" that does n not know what it is, to live by faith in Christ, and in dependence on his Spirit," is still in an unregenerate state. 205799 We are all the children of God, by faith in Christ oligany eldlo bair (1), Phil. iii. 12—14. Jesus (1), if indeed we are so at all; and he that is joined to the Lord, in this sense, is one spirit with him (2). But if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his (3), for as God has predestinated us to the adoption of children, by Jesus Christ, to himself (4), so of his fulness it is, that all believers do receive, even grace for grace (5), or an abundance and variety of grace, by virtue of their union with him, who is the head: from whom the whole body, being filly joined together, and strengthened by what every joint supplies, by an energy proportionable to every part, increases to the edifying of itself in love (6). These things, as you see, are not only hinted in Scripture, but are copiously insisted upon, as very material points; and though I readly ac-knowledge, good men may apprehend and consider them very differently, and may express those apprehensions in different phrases; yet as experience makes it plain, that those souls generally flourish most, who have the most distinct conceptions of them, and the most habitual regard to them; so I think it is plain from these Scriptures, that there can. be no religion at all, where there is a total insensibility of them. If, therefore, there are any of you, that apprehend it is enthusiasm to talk of the assistances of the Spirit; nay, I will add, if there are any of you, that do not earnestly desire these assistances, and do not seek them daily from the hand of Christ, as the great covenant-head of his people; you are, (1) Gal. iii. 26. (4) Ephes. i: 5. I fear, strangers to some of the first principles of the oracles of God (1), and are sensual, not having the Spirit (2). And though you may now and thenform a hasty, and perhaps a warm resolution in religion, you will quickly, with the proud youth that are conceited of their own sufficiency, faint and be weary, and with the young men you will utterly fail ;. while they only that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength, shall mount up as on eagles' wings, and, pressing on with an unwearied pace, according to the different degress of vigor which the different parts of their course may require, shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint (3). In short, if you do not thirst after the water of life, that is, (as the Evangelist himselfexplains it) the spir it, which they that believe on Christ shall receive (4), however bountiful he is, he makes no promise to impart it to you; and if you n never receive it, all your other sources of comfort will soon be dried up, and the miserable e condition of the creature, that asked in vain for one drop of water to cool his tormented tongue (5), will certainly be yours. Here I apprehend multitudes will miscarry, who have made a fair shew in the eyes of men; and if you are condemned by this mark, I am sure you not be acquitted by any of the preceding.. For all the branches of an holy temper have such a connexion with this, and such a dependence upon VON BOHUSAL JIGIONE DIE BOY 199 3 Heb. v. 12 (2) Jude, verse 9. (3) Isa. xl, 30, 31. (5) Luke Ivi. 24, it, that a man, who is destitute of this, can have only the semblance of the rest. And thus, Sirs, I have with all plainness and faithfulness, as in the sight of God, and sensible of my account to him, laid before you a variety of hints, by which I think you may safely and truly judge, whether you be, or be not, in an unregenerate state and I shall now beg leave to conclude this Discourse with one plain inference from the whole, viz. That baptism is not regeneration, in the scriptural and most important sense of the word. 1 ་༄།ན་{ To prove this as a corollary from the preceding Discourse, I shall only assume this most reasonable concession, with which you may remember I at first set out; "that regeneration, and being born of God, signify the same thing." "Now I have shewn you from a variety of scriptures, under the former heads, riptures, und that every one whom the Sacred Oracles represent as born of God, receiveth Christ, overcometh the world, and sinneth not. But it is too plain, that these characters do not agree to every one that is baptized: and consequently it evidently follows, that every one who is baptized is not of course born of God, or regenerate; and therefore, that baptism is not scripture regeneration. ་ ་ I think no mathematical demonstration plainer, and more certain than this conclusion; and t therefore, whatever great and ancient names may be urged on the other side of the question, I shall rest the matter here, without leading you into the nicoties |