cure and careless; and that some converted persons, on the other hand, may be unreasonably disquieted, and filled with groundless and fruitless fears. However, a prudent minister, who has experienced a work of grace upon his own heart, will have no great difficulty so to describe it to others, as sufficiently to guard against the mistakes on both sides; and to lead both the one and the other, by the unerring light of scripture, into the knowledge of the true state of their own souls.

§ 3. For this purpose also let a minister carefully and clearly distinguish, in his preaching, betwixt mere mot rality and true religion; betwixt the morally honest man and the sound believer, who, from a deep convic-' tion of the depravity of his nature and the errors of his life, has learned to hate sin from his heart, and lives by the faith of the Son of God. For it is hardly credible what multitudes of persons there are, even in christian countries, where the gospel is publicly and faithfully preached, who, though they are wise enough in other matters, yet in this they are grossly ignorant, and thereby miserably deceive their own souls.

4. And, because this kind of self-deceit is so very common, it is highly necessary for a minister to instruct his hearers, with all possible plainness in the duty of self-examination; and very often to exhort them to it: as more especially to inquire, if ever they were awakened from their natural sleep of sin? If they have escaped out of the snare of the Devil? If ever they have had a lively and affecting sense of the corruption of their own hearts, and of the misery of their natural state? And, in short, whether they have good and solid reasons to conclude that they are regenerate persons? Whether they can find in themselves the genuine marks of a true conversion to God, and a living faith in Christ? &c. Or whether, on the other hand, they do not conclude that they are true christians, and in a state of salvation, merely from their being moral, honest men, and their not living in any gross and scandalous sin? And, perhaps too, from their saying prayers, hearing sermons, and frequenting the places of public worship, and from their

practising such like outward duties of religion? Or, again, whether they do not flatter themselves that their eternal state is safe, merely because their lives are not altogether so bad as the lives of some others?

§ 5. It would also be of very considerable use for a minister often to explain, and to shew the difference betwixt a legal and an evangelical frame and principle of religion; or betwixt that slavish fear, by which alone it is that some persons, even of a serious turn of mind, are forced and dragged, as it were, to their duty,-and that evangelical newness of spirit, that filial love to God; and delight in his service, which usually grows and flourishes in the soul where it is once planted, and which produces a free, unconstrained, and acceptable religion. This would be an excellent means, not only of awakening sinners out of their carnal security; but of turning them fully to God, to a holy walk, and to a pleasurable converse with him, even such as becomes his children.

6. And for this end it is of very great moment, that a minister not only instruct his hearers what they must do, and how they ought to act, but that he also labour fully to apprize and to convince them by the evidence of scripture, of their own native weakness and impotence for all that is spiritually good; and that he further shew them, by the same word of truth, from whence they must look for, and from whom they may hope to receive all grace and strength, not only to renew their souls in their first conversion, but also afterwards to enable them to perform every duty, as well of outward as of inward religion. They must be told that they can do nothing without Christ, according as he has assured us; "Without me ye can do nothing."* And, again, that by the help of his grace they may do all things; according as St. Paul writes, "I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.' Thus should gospel ministers constantly make it the aim and drift of their preaching, to lead their hearers to Christ and

to his grace; to him by whose stripes we are healed, and whose blood takes away all the sins of all that truly repent and believe in the Lord Jesus; and to him, "by whose divine power all things are given to us that pertain both to life and godliness."*

§ 7. Thus the holy apostles preached; these were the topics which they insisted much upon; and if their example is not followed in this matter, it will be no wonder if our modern preaching comes vastly short of the success of theirs. And by this means some of our hearers will be in danger of sinking into a mere legal frame and spirit of bondage, while they are pressed to duty and working, but not encouraged by the grace of Christ, nor directed where to look for strength to perform it; and others of them will take up with a false peace, a carnal security, for want of being directed to Christ, who is the only foundation of the sinner's reasonable hope and solid comfort. But, on the other hand, when both these points are well explained, and are duly in sisted on, no other means are so powerful to awaken secure sinners, to bring them to Christ, and to settle their souls in solid peace and comfort. Hereby, under the influence of the Spirit of Christ, they find themselves transported, as it were, into a new life; and now they go on with vigour and pleasure in the practice of universal piety.

§ 8. It would further be useful, and it is highly necessary that ministers should not only preach up the necessity of conversion, and instruct their hearers to depend on the grace of Christ for it, but also that they should, very frequently, in their sermons, explain the nature and the whole progress of conversion; sometimes more largely and distinctly, and at other times more briefly, endeavouring thereby to lead their hearers into a true knowledge of the state of their souls; and shewing them how they must repent of their sins, what they must do to be saved from their natural misery and ruin; and, in short, how they may obtain the full salvation of

* 2 Pet. i. 3.

the gospel, so that every one may be able to give an answer to that most important question, What must I do that I may be a child of God, and inherit eternal life? For, let a minister entertain his hearers with the sublimest doctrines of christianity, let him also declaim against sin, and exhort them to their various duties, in the most earnest and pathetic manner, and let all be adorned with the finest beauties of wit and eloquence; yet, after all, if his sermons are not so contrived and framed as, at the same time, to inform the ignorant how they may obtain an interest in the gospel-salvation for themselves, and what means and methods God has appointed for that purpose; what will it profit them? No more than a parcel of shreds of cloth, of various dyes, though they were of the finest thread and liveliest colours, would serve the purpose of a man who wants a handsome garment. Whereas, a sermon that informs the ignorant sinner, not only of the necessity of conver▾ sion, but also how that happy change may certainly be effected in his own soul, may not unfitly be compared, in respect to its usefulness, to a complete garment, made all of a piece, well fitted to the shape of him that wants it, and which he may therefore put on and wear with honour and with pleasure.

9. But now, in order to all this, a minister must take pains with his own heart; as well as in composing his sermons; he must have a true zeal for CHRIST, and aim at nothing so much as to bring sinners to him. This should be, in some measure, the design and drift of every sermon that he preaches, that so, if a person should happen to hear him but, once in all his life, he might, even by means of that one sermon, get some notion of the one thing needful, and be just entered, at least, into the way of salvation. For this should every minister study and strive, and for this should he continually pray that God would fill his heart with pious zeal and holy wisdom, that he may divide the word of truth aright, and minister grace unto his hearers..

10. It might probably make some good impressions on the minds of the people, were a minister pretty often

to inculcate, with great plainness and seriousness, the necessity of prayer; and more particularly, what need they have to pray very earnestly to the God of grace, that he would set home his word upon their hearts, that he would bring the good seed to perfection, in their full and blessed conformity to himself. And further; so great is the ignorance of many persons concerning the duty of prayer, that they seem to have no other notion of it than merely of reading some forms out of a prayer book. This makes it to be as necessary, as it would probably be a useful thing, for a minister to lead them, as it were, by the hand, into this path of their duty; that is, to explain it to them in a most easy and familiar manner, to shew them that it requires no great art and skill to pray acceptably unto God; for they are to speak to him as children to a loving father; they are to spread before him their sorrows and complaints; they are to tell him of the state and condition of their souls, just as they find and feel it; and they need not be at all solicitous about exactness of expression and elegant phrases in their secret prayers, for God regards the sense of the heart, rather than the language of thelips. The scriptures themselves furnish us with several examples of such artless and yet acceptable prayers. Let a minister then diligently instruct his hearers how they are, in the first place, to get their hearts disposed for prayer; and it may be of use also to assist and furnish the more ignorant with appropriate expressions) but, at the same time, let him inform them, that they need not tie themselves to use those very words, nor any form whatever; but that they should learn to pour out their hearts unto God, in those words by which they can best express the real sentiments and affections of their own souls, according to the Psalmist, "Ye people pour out your hearts before him."*

$11. It is further extremely necessary that ministers should very often take occasion to explain, in their sermons, that renewing or change of the mind, which is so essential to all true religion, and which yet, alas!

Ps. Ixii. 8.