pleasure in unrighteoufnefs."* But the nature of regeneration will ferve, in a peculiar manner, to fhew the danger of error. If men form wrong notions of God, if they love and worship, and resemble a falfe god, they cannot be renewed, they are not like, and therefore unfit for the prefence of, the true. Be not deceived, he cannot deny himself, and therefore "there is no fellowship of righte"ousness with unrighteousness, no communion of light "with darkness, no concord of Chrift with Belial."+

I must here, to prevent mistakes, obferve that this ought, by no means, to be extended to differences of smaller moment, under which I rank all those which regard only the externals of religion. I am fully convinced, that many of very different parties and denominations are building upon the one "foundation laid in Zion" for a finner's hope, and that their distance and alienation from one another in affection, is very much to be regretted. Many will not meet together on earth for the worship of God, who fhall have one temple above, where all the faithful," from the east, and from the weft, from the north, "and from the fouth, fhall fit down with Abraham, and "Ifaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of their" eternal" Fa"ther." But after all, I muft needs alfo believe, that it is poffible to make fhipwreck of the faith. This appears plainly from the following, as well as many other paffages of fcripture: "But there were falfe prophets also among "the people, even as there fhall be falfe teachers among you, who privily fhall bring in damnable herefies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon "themselves swift deftruction." If any take up false notions of God, or expect fanctification and eternal life in any other way than he hath pointed out in his word, though they may now build their hope on a fond imagination that he is fuch an one as themselves, they fhall at last meet with a dreadful disappointment in this awful fentence," Depart from me, I know ye not, ye workers of * iniquity."

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2 Theff. ii. 10, 11, 12. † 2 Cor. vi. 14, 15. 2 Pet. ii. 1.

SECT. H.

There must be a discovery of the infinite glory of God.

N the fecond place, As there must be a difcovery of the real nature, fo alfo of the infinite glory of God. He must not only be feen to be just such a being as he really is, but there must be a fenfe of the infinite worth, beauty, and perfection of his character. Thefe two things, though intiniately connected, are yet fo diftinct from one another, as to deferve to be feparately confidered. The firft is neceflary, but it is not fufficient alone, or by itfelf. There can be no true religion, unless there be a difcovery of the real nature of God. But though there be a knowledge of what God is, unless there be alfo a difcovery of the excellence and glory of this nature, he can never be the object of esteem and love. It is one thing to know, and another to approve and, whilft this laft is not the cafe, whatever we may know or affirm, or be perfuaded of, with relation to the Supreme Being, we do not know him to be God, nor can poffibly glorify him as God. This momentous truth we may furely comprehend, by what is analogous to it in our experience, between created natures. Speculative knowledge and love are by no means infeparable. Men may truly know many things which they fincerely hate; they may hate them even because they know them: and when this is the cafe, the more they know them they will hate them with the greater virulence and rancor. This not only may, but always muft take place, when natures are oppofite one to another, the one finful, for example, and the other holy. The more they are known, the more is their mutual hatred stirred up, and their perfect opposition to each other becomes, if not more violent, at least more fenfible.

We have little reafon to doubt, that the fallen angels, thofe apoftate fpirits, have a great degree of fpeculative knowledge. I would not, indeed, take upon me to affirm that they are free from error and miftake of every kind, yet it feems highly probable that they have a clear, though, at the fame time, a terrible apprehenfion of "what God

is; for they have not the fame opportunities, or the fame means of deceiving themselves, that we have in the prefent ftate. But do they love him, or fee his excellence and glory? Very far from it. They believe and tremble; they know God, and blafpheme. The more they know of him, the more they hate him; that is to fay, their inward!, native, habitual hatred is the more ftrongly excited, and the more fenfibly felt.

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The cafe is much the fame with fome finners, when firft awakened, and it continues to be the fame fo long as they are kept in bondage and terror. They have an awful view of the holinefs of God's nature, of the ftrictnefs of his law, and the greatnefs of his power. This is directly levelled against their own corrupt inclinations, and carries nothing with it but a fentence of condemnation against them: "Curfed is every one that continueth not "in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them."* This brings forth their enmity, which before perhaps lay hid. It is remarkable that fome perfons of loofe and diforderly lives, will fometimes maintain, at ftated seasons, a profeffion of piety. So long as they can keep their confciences ftill and quiet by general indiftinct notions of God, as very eafy and gentle, no way inclined to punith, they think of him without averfion, nay, will go through fome outward forms with apparent fatisfaction and delight. Their notion of divine mercy is not a readiness to pardon the greateft finner on repentance, but a difpofition to indulge the finner, and wink at his continuance in tranfgreffion. No fooner are fuch perfons brought to a difcovery of the real character of a holy God, than their thoughts of him are entirely changed. They have gloomy views of his nature, and harfh thoughts of his providence; they fret at the strictnefs of his law, and, as far as they dare, complain of the tyranny of his government. Their fentiments are the fame with thofe expreffed by the men of Bethfhemesh: "Who is able to ftand before this holy Lord God, and to "whom fhall he go up from us."†

I cannot help obferving, that here we are, if I may fpeak fo, at the very fountain-head of error. What is it elfe that makes many frame to themselves new and flattering schemes of religion, that makes them imagine a God fo extremely different from that holy Being he is reprefented in his own word? When men will not conform their practice to the principles of pure and undefiled religion, they scarce ever fail to endeavor to accommodate religion to their own practice. Are there not many who cannot endure the representation of God as holy and jealous, which is given us in fcripture? With what violence do they oppose themselves to it by carnal reasonings, and give it the most odious and abominable names? The reafon is plain. Such a view of God sets the opposition of their own hearts to him in the strongest light. Two things oppofite in their nature cannot be approved at once, and, therefore, the confequence is, God or themfelves must be held in abhorrence. But we have reafon to blefs God, that their refiftance to the truth is only a new evidence and illustration of it, fhewing that "the carnal mind "is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law "of God, neither indeed can be."* And as this enmity to God difcovers itfelf in oppofition to his truth on earth, it will become much more violent, when further resistance is impoffible. When an unregenerate finner enters upon a world of fpirits, where he has a much clearer fight and greater fenfe of what God is, his inherent enmity works to perfection, and he blafphemes like thofe devils with whom he muft forever dwell.

From all this it will evidently appear, that there muft be a discovery of the glory and beauty of the divine nature, an entire approbation of every thing in God, as perfectly right and abfolutely faultlefs. It is felf-evident, that without this, there cannot be a fupreme love to God, in which true religion properly confifts; no man can love that which doth not appear to be lovely. But I further add, that this is abfolutely neceffary to the very beginning of the change, or the foundation on which it is built. It

*Rom. viii. 7.

is neceflary, in order to any genuine, falutary convictions of fin. What is it elfe but a difcovery of the fpotlefs holinefs, the perfect excellence, and infinite amiableness of the divine nature, that humbles a finner under a fenfe of his breaches of the divine law? Without this, there may be a fenfe of weaknefs and fubjection, but never a fenfe of duty and obligation. Without this there may be a fear of wrath, but there cannot be a hatred of fin.

This feems directly to lead to the next great ftep in a faving change, viz. a conviction of fin and mifery. But before we proceed to point out the progrefs of conviction, it will not be improper to take notice of a few truths which refult from what hath been already faid. This is the more neceffary, that erroneous or defective views of religion are commonly occafioned by fome mistake in the foundation.

1. The neceffity of regeneration itself appears with peculiar force, from what hath been faid on this part of the fubject. There must be a real inward change of heart, before there can be any true religion. If the moral excellence of the divine nature must be difcovered, if God must be seen as glorious in his holiness, the heart and temper must be changed as well as the life. Nothing is more plain from the holy fcriptures, than that "the natu"ral man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God;" and it is equally plain from experience and the nature of the thing. While men continue in the love of fin, it is impoffible that they should see the beauty of infinite holiness. So long as they love fin, they must hate holiness, which is its oppofite, and not lefs contrary to it than light is to darkness. Therefore, all restraint upon our outward converfation, all zeal and diligence in expenfive rites and ceremonies; all duties of whatever kind that arife froin fear, or other external motives, are of no confequence, till the temper and inclination of the heart is entirely renewed.

2. From what hath been faid, we may plainly perceive, that regeneration from first to laft must be afcribed to the agency of the Holy Ghoft. It must be the effect of divine grace, and the work of fovereign power. Let not