it. So again, when he infuses into you the breath of life, and you live to God, what an unaccountable breath would this be, if having it and living by it, you should not know it? Did these dry bones know, when they were alive, and stood upon their feet? Most certainly they did. Do you know now, whether you breathe and live, or not? Just the same evidence has the soul of its being alive to God. "We know that we are passed, says an apostle, from death unto life.” We know the same, say all his disciples-We know that God hath given to us eternal life-We have his Spirit the witness, the earnest of it in our hearts, and the world may see the evidence of it in our lives and conversations.

66

But is not this, will some say, talking like enthusiasts? It is their very language. But then it is also the language of scripture. The Old Testament is full of this enthusiasm The New aboùnds with it. You can scarce open the bible any where, without finding some high flights of enthusiasm, something concerning being quickened by the Spirit, being born of the Spirit, and raised up by him, being instructed and led by the Spirit, having the love of God shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost, concerning his dwelling in believers, and their having the witness of the Spirit, and being sealed by him, and sanctified, and strengthened with might by him in the inner man. If these scripture expressions savor strongly of enthusiasm, so does the liturgy of our church. Every day we pray to God that he would not take his holy Spirit from us, but would cleanse our hearts by the inspiration of his holy Spirit, and would enable us by his holy inspiration, to think those things that be good, and by his merciful guiding to perform the same, would renew us daily by his holy Spirit, and grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things: We pray to him to comfort us, even that we may rejoice evermore in his holy comfort, and that he may exalt us unto the same place, whither our Saviour Christ is gone before.

No words can be stronger than the petitions, which we have been offering up this very day at the throne of grace—“ O God, forasmuch as without thee, we are "not able to please thee; mercifully grant that thy "holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our "hearts, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." Such is the language of scripture, and the language of our church. They both speak of the holy Spirit, as the vital principle of the Christian religion, so that if you take him out of it, you leave its professors like a body without breath: for the holy Spirit is to their souls what breath is to their bodies, insomuch that they cannot live one moment to God without his continual inspiration. And surely it is not enthusiasm to say, that our bodies cannot live without breath, and how then can it be enthusiasm to say, that our souls cannot live without the holy Spirit, who is the breath of our spiritual life?

66

Since then there lays no objection against the doctrine contained in the parable. Since all men are by nature dead in trespasses and sins. Since nothing can raise them from the death of sin to newness of life, but the inspiration of the Almighty, and since Christ has purchased life for the dead in sin, and the holy Spirit is to apply it and to quicken them, the discourse is now brought to a point. Only one question now remains, and that is, Has this parable been fulfilled in us? Can every one of us lay his hand upon his heart and declare in the presence of God, "I know this scripture to be "true by my own experience. The Spirit of God "shewed me my guilt and danger, at the sight of "which my unbelieving heart shook and trembled for “fear, but he gave me grace to resolve, that I would "seek Jesus, until I found him: On him I was kept waiting, enabled to reject all hopes in my own power "or works until he put his witnessing Spirit within 66 me, and I knew that I was one of the children of "God by faith in Christ Jesus." Can every one of you say, that God hath dealt thus with your souls? If he

66

hath, happy are ye. In you this scripture is fulfilled. But if he hath not, it was written for your instruction

-to teach you, how God would deal with you, if ever he brings you to himself. O that his good Spirit may deal with you in the manner here described. That he may now begin, and carry on the work of grace step by step, until all the dry bones, until every dead sinner be awakened, and hear the word of the Lord, until every awakened sinner be pardoned and justified, and sanctified, and at last glorified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. May he who is almighty to quicken the dry bones, exert his power in quickening all this congregation to a life of grace here, and to a life of eternal glory hereafter. Grant this blessed God and Father, through the merits of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, and by the influence of the holy Spirit upon all our hearts now and for ever. Amen and Amen.

A

METHOD FOR PREVENTING

THE FREQUENCY OF

ROBBERIES AND MURDERS:

FROPOSED IN A

DISCOURSE,

DELIVERED AT

ST. GEORGE'S, HANOVER-SQUARE,

AT

ST. DUNSTAN'S IN THE WEST,

AND

AT SEVERAL OTHER PLACES IN LONDON.

The Sin of Judah is written with a Pen of Iron, and with the Point of a Diamond; it is graven upon the Table of their heart, -JER. xvii. 1.

L 5