From his mother's womb, he was full of the Holy Ghost. The abandoned Herod stood in awe of him; Emmanuel himself attested, "he was a burning and a shining light." If any person then might have alleged, "I am innocent, therefore I need no fountain to cleanse me from my sin:" If any person could have reason to think, he did not deserve eternal death for his guilt, this was the man. But what does John think of himself? Behold it, O ye innocent world, and blush for shame. Behold it, and cease to utter error against the Lord to your own destruction. When Jesus comes to be baptized of him, with what humble amazement does he first decline the sacred service, and then cry out from a deep sense of his own defilement, "I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me ?" But he could have no need to be baptized, or washed in the blood. of the Lamb, if the best obedience, even from childhood, could have made him innocent; if repentance be the only condition of acceptance with God, or if the consequence of sin be not eternal death, without the atonement.

Does such a one as the Baptist cry out, "I need to be baptised of thee;" what ought we to think of our own character? How little, how poor is our supposed goodness, and fair

reputation, when compared with his bright example. Let us keep better company than the world. Let us observe the saints of God, and weigh well the import of their expressions, when they speak of themselves before him. This will soon convince us that every man in his best estate deserves the curse of the law, from which nothing can save him but infinite grace through the atonement; the benefit of which belongs to those only, who confess from the heart, that their sin can no other way be cancelled.

CHAP. XVII.

THE INSUFFICIENCY OF EXTERNAL RELIGION
EXPOSED.

THIS doctrine, that we are all born after the flesh, and have naturally a fountain of evil within, proves the mistake of trusting in the mere performance of religious duties.

Many very devout people ask, with an air of confidence, "What more can we do? We constantly say our prayers, go to church, receive the sacrament, do no harm, and give alms. Are not we good Christians?" I reply, the grand point is, from what motive, and with what end are these things done? Prayers, which are merely the effect of good educa

tion, not from a sense of guilt and want. Prayers said to pacify the conscience, or earn heaven, not offered up from hatred of iniquity, or love of righteousness....religious duties performed as a task, not with alacrity, and delight to hold communion with God....and alms given, in order to think well of ourselves, and cover the multitude of sins, make up the religion of a hypocrite in grain. Will you ask then, whether any thing more than this is necessary to make a good Christian?

I would also entreat you to examine what advantage you have received from your religion. Has it subdued your passions? or rectified those gross mistakes we naturally fall into, respecting the character of God, ourselves, and the way of salvation? Has it enriched your mind with a treasure of divine knowledge, to which you were once an entire stranger? A knowledge of efficacy to produce all the fruits of righteousness. If you grow angry at such close questions, unable to answer them in the affirmative. If you know nothing more of God, or yourself: nor have any proof that you are accepted of him, more than you had ten or twenty years ago, into what a fatal mistake are you fallen? Utterly destitute of the benefits which constitute the excellency of religion, yet obsti

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nately positive you are a very good Christian, and need no divine change.

Let me add, if your external religion be sufficient, as you confidently suppose, then what passes in your breast, must resemble what the scripture saints experienced: for allowing they might exceed us in degrees of holiness, yet every Christian's experience, supposing it genuine, must be of the same kind as theirs. Compare your own with this standard. Watchfulness, labour, contention against the flesh, was the constant employment of their minds. Sometimes they could pray with delight and fervency, often they could not. We see them one while weary, faint, and ready to give up all for lost. In due time their cry was heard, and they sung a song of triumph. Darkness and light, distresses and deliverances, joy and grief, succeeded each other. At some seasons, prayer, the word of the Lord, his day, and house, proved to them a rich repast. At other times, they sat like a sick man at table, and could relish nothing. Now we see all within is peace and glowing admiration of the truth, ways, and works of God. By and by, trying providences move them to doubt of his love or faithfulness, and to behave themselves unseemly; till recovering, each

accuses himself in that humbling confession, "So foolish and ignorant was I, even as a beast before thee." Many parts of the bible prove what is here affirmed, and the 119th Psalm at large.

I appeal now to your conscience, who build your hope of going to heaven on your external religion and virtues; Are you acquainted with such changes in your mind? or do you not rather hate and reproach this experimental proof of innate depravity as enthusiasm? Do nót you say your prayers at one time as well as at another? Do not you do your duty in going to church one Sunday just as well as at another? And at all times think, without giving yourself the least uneasiness about the matter, you do as well as can be expected from such frail creatures as we all are; do you not live a perfect stranger to a change from darkness to light, from fear to lively hope, from grief to joy, on account of spiritual deliverances? Should this be your case, you still want every thing essential to a good Christian, if to be one, is to resemble those who stand in the bible as patterns for our imitation. Because the religion and goodness in which you confide, is no more like theirs, than an image made to speak by mechanism, is like a living man.