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beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart.” The Prophet also says, "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards him."

Now, if all good men have some holy exercises, which are entirely pure and free from sin; there is a strict propriety in calling them perfect, notwithstand ing all their remaining impurity and imperfection. Their perfectly holy affections render it as proper to call them perfect as their totally sinful affections render it proper to call them imperfect. Since they have some entirely right affections, they may be truly called blameless, harmless, sincere, undefiled, and pure in heart. But if their holy affections were always too low and languid, or were always mixed with moral impurity, then no moral perfection could belong to their character. And if this were true, there could be no propriety in calling them perfect, or in using any expressions, which convey this idea. But if all their moral exercises are perfectly holy, except those which are totally sinful, then it is altogether proper, that they should be characterized by their best affections, which constitute their moral beauty and real perfection.

INFERENCE 4.If the imperfection of saints consists in the inconstancy of their holy exercises, then it is easy to account for their spiritual declensions. It is no uncommon thing for good men to go backward, instead of going forward in religion. This is generally ascribed to the languor and weakness of their gra cious exercises, or to the want of strength and vigor in their gracious principle. But it is extremely difficult to account for such coldness and barrenness in christians, if all their moral exercises are pure and ho

ly, or if they have always a principle of grace, upon which divine objects must always make some good impression. It is, therefore, much more reasonable to suppose, that their spiritual declension is owing to the increase of positively sinful exercises. For, as these increase, gracious exercises must necessarily decrease. They cannot love God, while they are loving the world; they cannot serve God while they are serving mammon; and they cannot mind spiritual, while they are minding earthly things. Spiritual declension ought, in all cases, to be ascribed entirely to the fewness of gracious exercises. As natural coldness in winter is not owing to the distance of the sun from the earth, but to the ferness and oblique direction of its rays which fall upon it; so spiritual coldness, formality, and deadness in religion is not owing to the languor of holy exercises, but to the feroness and interruption of right affections. Saints know by experience, that while their attention is fixed on divine objects and not diverted, and while their holy affections continue uniform and uninterrupted, they find the greatest satisfaction and enjoyment in the duties of devotion. But while they mind earthly things, and eagerly pursue worldly objects and enjoyments, they find their graces languish, and they grow cold and dead to every thing of a spiritual and divine nature. As they generally grow warm and lively in religion, as fast as their holy exercises increase; so they generally grow cold and dull as fast as their love to God is interrupted by their love to the world. They never stand still, but always go either forward or backward in their religious course. When they go forward, they go forward of choice; and when they go backward, they go backward of choice. Their declension is altogether voluntary, and entirely owing to their positively sinful exercises. It

is true, indeed, spiritual light and comfort do not always keep pace with their growth in grace; nor do spiritual darkness and distress always follow their declension in religion. The reason is, light and darkness, comfort and distress, do not immediately depend upon their will, but upon the nature of those manifestations, which God is pleased to make to their minds. Though they commonly enjoy more light and comfort, while they are making progress in holiness; yet they sometimes grow in grace very fast, while they are denied the peculiar manifestations of the divine favor. And though they are commonly involved in greater darkness, while they are declining in grace; yet their declension is sometimes attended with more stu pidity, than darkness and distress of mind. Hence they ought to measure their growth in grace, by the increase of holy affections, and not by the increase of spiritual light and comfort. And, on the other hand, they ought to measure their declension in religion, by the increase of sinful affections, and not by the increase of spiritual darkness and distress. For, however things may appear to themselves, they actually decline more and more in religion, the more and more they live in the exercise of sinful affections.

INFERENCE 5.-If saints, in their present imperfect state, are constantly liable to positively sinful exercises; then they are constantly dependent upon God, to carry on a work of sanctification in their hearts. Their gracious exercises are not necessarily and inseparably connected with each other; and of consequence, may at any time be interrupted by totally sinful affections. They have no permanent source or fountain of holiness within themselves, from which a constant stream of holy affections will naturally and necessarily flow. As one holy affection will not produce another, so

they are immediately dependent upon God for every holy affection. The moment he withdraws his gracious influence, their gracious exercises cease, and sinful exercises instantly succeed. And in this case, they are no more able to renew the train of holy affections, than they were to begin it at first. Their sanctification, therefore, is precisely the same as continued regeneration. Accordingly the Apostle Paul represents himself and all other christians, as constantly dependent upon a divine influence for the continuation and growth of grace. He says, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God." He says, "Now he which establisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God, who hath also sealed us, and given us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." He says, "After ye believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise." He says, "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." He says, "As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." But though God has promised to give saints the influences of his Spirit to produce holy affections in their hearts, and prepare them for future and eternal blessedness; yet he has not promised, that such divine influences shall be constant, but has reserved the power of withdrawing them, whenever he pleases. This shows, that christians are constantly and immediately dependent upon God, to keep up a train of holy exercises in their hearts; and when it is broken by the intervention of sinful affections, to renew it again. The preparation of their heart, as well as the answer of their tongue, is from the Lord. It depends upon God, who has begun a good work in their hearts; to carry it on until the day of Jesus Christ. He only can make them perfect in

every good work to do his will, working in them that which is well pleasing in his sight.

INFERENCE 6. If saints, in their present state of imperfection, are subjects of both holy and unholy affections; then it is evident, there is a foundation in their minds for what is commonly called the christian warfare. This is peculiar to all real christians. It never takes place in the unregenerate, but always takes place in those who are born again. It is a warfare, not between the heart and conscience, but between holy and unholy affections. Sinners often feel a

conflict between the motions of the heart and the dictates of conscience. For when their conscience is awake, it always condemns all their sinful desires and pursuits. There is, however, no real virtue in such a conflict between the selfish desires of the heart and the remonstrances of conscience, though it rise ever so high, or continue ever so long. But the christian warfare always implies something truly holy and acceptable to God. Hence the Apostle speaks of it as an evidence of his having some right desires and affections of heart. "For to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good, I find not."

Now, if saints have some perfectly holy and some totally sinful exercises, then it is easy to discover the ground of the christian warfare. For sin and holiness are diametrically opposite in their nature, and perfectly hate and oppose each other. While saints are in the exercise of holiness, they hate all sinful affections with a perfect hatred. So long, therefore, as two such opposite kinds of affection alternately exist in their ninds, they must be subject to a most sensible and painful conflict. But did their imperfection consist in the mere languor of their holy affections, or in their holy affections being partly unholy, without any dis

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