ease thereby. And their condition is somewhat dangerous, who, upon the sense of the guilt of any sin, betake themselves, for relief, to their prayers; which having discharged, they are much at ease in their minds and consciences, although they have obtained no real sense of the pardon of sin, nor any strength against it.

It will be said, Do not all men, the best of men, perform all spiritual duties out of a conviction of their necessity? Do they not know it would be their sin to omit them, and so find satisfaction in their minds upon their performance ? I say they do; but it is one thing to perform a duty out of conviction of a necessity, as it is God's ordinance, which conviction respects only the duty itself; another thing to perform it, to give satisfaction to convictions of other sins, or to quiet conscience under its trouble about them; of which latter we speak. This begins and ends in self; self-satisfaction is the sole design of it. By it, men aim at some rest and quietness in their own minds, which otherwise they cannot attain. But in the performance of duties in faith, from a conviction of their necessity, as God's ordinance, and their use in the way of his grace, the soul begins and ends in God. It seeks no satisfaction in them, nor finds it from them, but in and from God alone by them.

Third, The principal reason why men, whose affections are only changed, not spiritually renewed, delight in holy duties of divine worship, is, because they place their righteousness before God in them, on which they hope to be accepted with him. They know not, they seek not after any other righteousness, but what is of their own working out. Whatever notions they may have of the righteousness of faith, of the righteousness of Christ, that which they practically trust to, is their own; and it discovers itself so to be in their own consciences, on every trial that befals them. Yea, when they cry unto the Lord, and pretend to faith in Christ, they quickly make it evident, that their principal trust is resolved

into themselves. Now, in all that they can plead in a way of duties or obedience, nothing carries a fairer pretence to a righteousness, than what they do in the worship of God, and the exercise of religion towards him. This is that which he expects at their hands; what is due to him, in the light of their consciences; the best that they can do to please him; which, therefore, they must put their trust in, or nothing. They secretly suppose, not only that there is a righteousness in these things which will answer for itself, but such also as will make compensation in some measure for their sins; and, therefore, whereas they cannot but frequently fall into sin, they relieve themselves from the reflection of their consciences, by a multiplication of duties, and renewed diligence in them.

It is inconceivable what delight and satisfaction men will take in any thing that seems to contribute so much to a righteousness of their own. For it is suitable to, and pleaseth all the principles of nature as corrupt, after it is brought under the power of a conviction concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment.

This made the Jews of old so pertinaciously adhere to the ceremonies and sacrifices of the law, and prefer them above the gospel, the kingdom of God, and the righteousness thereof. They looked and sought for righteousness by them, Those who for many generations were kept up with great difficulty to any tolerable observance of them, when they had learned to place all their hopes of a righteousness in them, would, and did adhere to them, to their temporal and eternal ruin. And when men were persuaded that righteousness was to be attained by works of munificence and supposed charity, in the dedication of their substance to the use of the church; they who otherwise were covetous, and greedy, and oppressing, would lavish gold out of the bag, and give up their whole patrimony, with all their ill-gotten goods to attain it, so powerful an influence hath the desire of self-righteousness upon the minds of men. It is the best fortification of the soul against Christ and the gospel, the last reserve

whereby it maintains the interest of self against the grace of God.

Hence, I say, those that place their righteousness, or that which is the principal part of it, in the duties of religious worship, will not only be diligent in them, but ofttimes abound in a multiplication of them. Especially will they do so, if they may be performed in such a manner as pleaseth their affections with a show of humility and devotion, requiring nothing of the exercise of faith, or sincere divine love therein. So is it with many in all kinds of religion, whether the way of their worship be true or false, whether it be appointed by God or rejected by him. And the declaration hereof is the subject of the discourse of the prophet, Isaiah i. 11-19. Also Micah vi. 7, 8.

Fourth, The reputation of devotion in religious duties, may insensibly affect the unrenewed minds of men with great diligence and delight in their performance. However men are divided in their apprehensions and practice about religion; however different from, and contrary to each other, their ways of divine worship are; yet it is, amongst all sorts of men, yea, in the secret thoughts of those who outwardly contemn these things, a matter of reputation, to be devout, to be diligent, to be strict in those duties of religion, which, according to their own light and persuasion, they judge incumbent on them. This greatly affects the minds of men, whilst pride is secretly predominant in them, and they love the "praise of men more than the praise of God."

Especially will this consideration prevail on them, when they suppose that the credit and honour of the way which they profess, in competition with others, depends much on their reputation as to their strictness in duties of devotion. For then will they not only be diligent in themselves, but zealous in drawing others to the same observances. These two principles, their own reputation, and that of their sect, constituted the life and soul of Pharisaism of old. cording as the minds of men are influenced with these apprehensions, so will a love to, and a delight in these

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duties, whereby their reputation is attained, thrive and grow with them.

I am far from apprehending that any men are (at least, I speak not of those who are) such vile hypocrites, as to do all that they do in religion, to be seen and praised of men, being influenced in all public duties thereby, which some among the Pharisees were given up to. But I speak of those who, being under the convictions and motives before-mentioned, also give admittance to this corrupt end of desire of repu tation, or the praise of men. For every such end being admitted and prevalent in the mind, will universally influence the affections to a delight in those duties, whereby that end may be attained, until the person with whom it is so, be habituated to them with great satisfaction.

Fifth, I should, in the last place, insist on superstition. As this is an undue fear of the divine nature, will, and operations, built on false notions and apprehensions of them, it may befal the minds of men in all religions, true and false. It is an internal vice of the mind. As it respects the outward way and means of religious service, and consists in the devout performance of such duties, as God indeed accepts not, but forbids; so it belongs only to religion, as it is false and corrupt. How, in both respects, it will engage the minds of men to the performance of religious duties, and for the most part, with the most scrupulous diligence, and sometimes with prodigious attempts to exceed the measures of human nature in what they design, is too long a work here to be declared. It may

suffice to have mentioned it among the causes and reasons why men, whose affections are not spiritually renewed, may yet greatly delight in the diligent performance of the outward duties of religion. Our design in these things is the discovery of the true nature of this grace and duty of being spiritually minded. Hereto, we have declared, that it is necessary that our affections be spiritually and supernaturally renewed. And because there may be a great change wrought on the affections of men, with respest to spiritual things,

where there is nothing of this supernatural renovation; our present inquiry is, What are the differences that are between the affections of the one sort and of the other, whether spiritually renewed, or occasionally changed? and, Wherein the great exercise of them consists in the duties of religious worship? I have declared what are the grounds and reasons, whence men of unrenewed minds do delight ofttimes in the duties of divine worship, and are diligent in the performance of them.

From these, and the like considerations, it may be made manifest, that the greatest part of the devotion that is in the world, does not spring from the spiritual renovation of the minds of men, without which, it is not accepted with God. That which remains to give, in farther evidence to the discovery we are in the pursuit of, is, What are the grounds and reasons whereon those whose minds and affections are spiritually renewed, do delight in the institutions of divine worship, and attend to their observance with great heed and diligence? And because this is an inquiry of great importance, and is of great use to be stated in other cases, as well as that before us, I shall treat of it by itself in the ensuing chapter, that the reader may the more distinctly comprehend it, both in the nature of the doctrine concerning it, and in the place it holds in our present discourse.

CHAPTER XV.

Delight of believers in the holy institutions of divine worship. The grounds and reasons thereof. The evidence of being spiritually minded thereby, &c.

THAT all true believers, whose minds are spiritually renewed, have a singular delight in all the institutions and ordinances of divine worship, is fully evident, both in the examples of the saints in the Scripture, and their own experience, which they will never forego.