would have ferved the turn, the foolish virgins had never been shut out Mat. xxv. 17. We find not only profeffors, but preachers of CHRIST, and wonder-workers, turned off because evil-workers. Mat. vii. 22. 23 2. "It is not the being washed in the laver of regeneration, or putting on the badge of CHRIST in baptifm." Many take the prefs-money, and wear the livery of CHRIST, that yet never ftand to their colours, nor follow their leader. Annanias, and Sapphira and Magus, were baptifed as well as the reft.

Friends and brethren, "Be not deceived, God is not mocked," Gal. vi. 7. Whether it be your baptifm, or whatever else that you pretend, I tell you from the living God, that if any of you be prayerless perfons, or unclean, or malicious, or covetous or riotous, or a fcoffer, or a lover of evil company, Prov. xiii. 20. in a word, if you are not holy, ftrict and felf-denying Chriftians, Heb. xii. 14. Mat. xvi. 24. you cannot be faved, except you be transformed by a further work upon you, and renewed again by repentance.

3. "It lies not in a moral righteoufnefs." This exceeds not the righteoufnefs of the Scribes and Pharifees, and therefore cannot bring us to the kingdom of God, Mat. v. 20. Paul while unconverted, "touching the righteousness which is in the law was blamelefs." Phil. iii. 6. None could fay, "black is thine eye." ." The self-jufticiary could fay, "I am no extortioner, adulterer, unjuft, &c. Luke xviii. 11. Thou must have something more than all this to fhew, or else however thou mayeft juftify thyself GOD will condemn thee. I condemn not moraltiy, but warn you not to rest here; piety includes morality, as chriftianity doth humanity, and grace reafon; but we muft not divide the tables.

4. "It confifts not in an external conformity to the rules of piety." It is too manifeft men may have a form of godlinefs without the power, 2 Tim. iii. 5. Men may pray long, Mat. xxiii 14. and faft often, Luke xviii. 12, and hear gladly, Mark vi 2 and be very forward in the fervice of GOD, though coftly and expenfive, Ifaiah i. 11. and yet be ftrangers to Con

verfion. They must have more to plead for themfelves, than that they keep their church, give alms, and make use of prayer, to prove themselves found converts. No outward fervice but a hypocrite may do it, even to the "giving all his goods to feed the poor, and his members to the fire." I Cor. xiii. 3.

5." It lies not in the chaining up of corruption by education, human laws, or the force of incumbent affliction." It is too common and easy to mistake education for grace; but if this were enough, who a better man than Jehoash? While Jehoiadah his uncle lived, he was very forward in GoD's fervice, and calls upon him to repair the house of the Lord, 2 Kings xii. 2, 7. but here was nothing more than good education all this while: for when his good tutor was taken out of the way, he appears to have been but a wolf chained up, and falls to idolatry.

6 In fhort," It confifts not in illumination or conviction, not in a fuperficial change or partial reformation." Felix may tremble under conviction, Acts xxiv, 25. and a Herod amend many things, Mark vi. 20. It is one thing to have fin alarmed only by convictions, and another to be captivated and crucified by converting grace. Many, because they have been troubled in confcience for their fins, think well of their case, miferably mistaking CONVICTION for conVERSION: With these Cain might have paffed for a convert, who ran up and down the world like a man diftracted, under the rage of a guilty confcience, till with building and bufinefs he had worn it away, Gen. iv. 13, 14? Others think, that because they have given over their riotous courfes, and are broken off from evil company, or fome particular luft, and reduced to fobriety and civility, they are now no other than real converts: forgetting that there is a vaft difference between being fanctified and civilized: and that many seek to enter into the kingdom of heaven, Luke xiii 24, and are not far from it," Mark xii 34. and arrive to the almost of chriftanity, Acts xxvi. 28. and yet fall fhort at laft. Whilft confcience holds the whip over them, many will pray, hear, read, and forbear their delightful

fins; but no fooner is the lion afleep, than they are at their vomit again.-Who more religious than the Jews, when God's hand was upon them; Pfalm lxxviii. 34, 35yet no fooner was the affliction over, but they forgot GOD, and fhewed their religion to be a fit, ver: 36, 37. Thou mayeft have difgorged a troublesome fin, that will not fit eafy on thy stomach, and yet not have changed thy fwinifh nature all the while.

You may caft the lead out of the rude mafs into the more comely proportion of a plant, and then into the fhape of a beaft, and thence into the form and features of a man, yet all the while it is but lead ftill: fo a man may pafs through diverse transmutations, from ignorance to knowledge, from profanenefs to civility, thence to a form of religion; and all this while he is but carnal and unregenerate, whilft his nature remains unchanged.

APPLICATION. "Hear then, Q finners, hear as you would live, fo come and hear," Ifa lv 3. Why would you fo willingly deceive yourselves, or build your hopes upon the fand? I know he fhall find hard work of it that goes to pluck away your hopes; it cannot but be ungrateful to you, and truly it is not pleafing to me. I fet about it as a furgeon when to cut off a putrified member from his well beloved friend, which of force he must do, though with an aching heart, a pitiful eye, and a trembling hand But understand me, brethren, I am only taking down the ruinous houfe (which will otherwife speedily fall of itself, and bury you in the rubbish) that I may build it fair, firm and strong for ever "The hope of the hypocrite fhall perish," Prov. xi. 7. if God be true to his word. And hadft not thou better, O finner, to let the word convince thee now in time, and let go thy falfe and felf-deluding hopes, than have death too late to open thine eyes, and find thyself in hell before thou art aware? I should be a falfe and faithlefs fhepherd, if I could not tell you, that you, who have built your hopes upon no better grounds than thefe before mentioned, are yet in your fins. Let your confcience fpeak; what is it that you have to plead for yourfelves? Is it that you wear CHRIST's livery? that you bear his name? that you are of the visible church? that you have knowledge in

B

the points of religion, are civilized, perform religious du. ties, are juft in your dealings, have been troubled in confcience for your fins? I tell you from the LORD, these pleas will never be accepted at God's bar: all this, though good in itself, will not prove you converted and fo will not fuffice to our falvation. O! Look about you, and bethink yourselves of returning fpeedily and foundly. Set to praying, and to reading, and ftudying your own hearts: reft not till God hath made thorough work with you; for ye must be other men, or elfe are loft men.

But if these be short of converfion, what fhall I say of the prophane finner? It may be, he will scarce cast his eye or lend his ear to this discourse; but if there be any fuch reading, or within hearing, he muft know from the LORD that made him, that he is far from the kingdom of GOD. May a man be civilized and not converted; where then fhall the drunkard and glutton appear? May a man keep company with the wife virgins, and yet be shut out; fhall not a companion of fools much more be deftroyed? Prov. xiii 20. May a man be true and just in his dealings, and yet not be justified of God? what then will become of thee, O wretched man, whose conscience tells thee thou art falfe in thy trade, and falfe to thy word, and makeft thy advantage by a lying tongue? If men may be enlightened and brought to the performance of holy duties, and yet go down to perdition for refting in them, and fitting down on this fide of converfion; what will become of you, O miferable families, that live without GOD in the world? and of you, Ọ wretched finners, with whom God is fcarce in all your thoughts; that are fo ignorant that you cannot, or fo careless that you will not pray? O repent and be converted; "break off your fins by righteousnefs," away to CHRIST for pardoning and renewing grace; give up yourselves to him, to walk with him in holiness; or else you fhall never fee God. O that you would take the warnings of God! In his name I once more admonish you: Turn you at my reproof,” Prov. i 23. Forfake the foolish, and live," Prav. ix. 6. "Be fober, righteous, godly," Tit. ii. 12. "Wash your hands, ye finners; purify your hearts, ye double-minded," James iv. 8. "Ceafe to do evil, learn

to do well," Ifa. i. 16. 17. "But if you will go on, you muft die," Ezek. xxxiii. 11.

CHA P. II.

Shewing pofitively what CONVERSION is.

MAY not leave you with your eyes half open,

I that that faw men as trees walking

as he

"Mark viii.

24. The word is, "profitable for doctrine as well as reproof," 2 Tim. iii. 16 And therefore, having thus far conducted you by the shelves and rocks of fo many dangerous mistakes, I would guide you at length into the harbour of truth.

Converfion then, in fhort, lies in the thorough change both of the heart and life: I shall briefly defcribe it in its nature and caufes.

1. "The author is the Spirit of God:" and therefore it is called the fanctification of the Spirit," 2 Thess, ii. 13, and "the renewing of the Holy Ghoft," Tit. iii. 5. yet not excluding the other perfons in the Trinity; for, the Apostle teacheth us to blefs "the Father of our Lord JESUS CHRIST, for that he hath begotten us again," 1. Pet i. 3. and CHRIST is faid to give "repentance unto Ifrael," Aus. v. 31. and is called "the Everlafting Father," Ifa ix: 6 and we his feed, and "the children which God hath given him," Heb. ii 13. Ifa. liii. 10. O bleffed birth, the whole Trinity fathers the new creature: yet this work is principally afcribed to the Holy Ghoft, and fo we are faid to be "born of the Spirit," John iii. 8. "We are

So then it is a work above man's power: born, not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God," John i. 13. Never think thou canft eonvert thyfelf; if ever thou wouldst be favingly converted, thou must despair of doing it in thy own ftrength. It is a refurrection from the dead, Rev. xx 5. Ephesi 1. a new creation, Gal. vi. 15 Ephes, ii. 10. a work of abfolute omnipotence, Ephes. i. 19. Are thefe out of the reach of human power? If thou haft no more than thou had by the first birth, a good nature, a meek and chaste