lands, and His sound into the end of the world, yet he heareth no more thereof than of the fabled music of the spheres. He tastes nothing of the goodness of God, or the powers of the world to come. He does not feel (as our church speaks) the working of the Holy Spirit in his heart. In a word, he has no more intercourse with, or knowledge of, the spiritual world, than this poor creature had of the natural, while shut up in its dark enclosure.

9. But the moment the Spirit of the Almighty strikes the heart of him that was till then without God in the world, it breaks the hardness of his heart, and creates all things anew. The Sun of Righteousness appears, and shines upon his soul, showing him the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. He is in a new world. All things around him are become new, such as

it never before entered into his heart to conceive. He sees, so far as his newly-opened eyes can bear the sight,

"The opening heavens around him shine,
With beams of sacred bliss."

He sees that he has "an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;" and that he has "redemption in his blood, the remission of sins." He sees a "new way that is opened into the holiest by the blood of Jesus ;" and his light "shineth more and more unto the perfect day.'

10. By the same gracious stroke, he that before had ears, but heard not, is now made capable of hearing. He hears the voice that raiseth the dead, the voice of Him that is the "resurrection and the life." He is no longer deaf to his invitations or commands, to his promises or threatenings; but gladly hears every word that proceeds out of his mouth, and governs thereby all his thoughts, words, and actions.

11. At the same time, he receives other spiritual senses, capable of discerning spiritual good and evil. He is enabled to taste, as well as to see, how gracious the Lord is. He enters into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, and tastes of the powers of the world to come. He finds Jesus's love far better than wine; yea sweeter

than honey or the honey-comb. He knows what that meaneth: "All thy garments smell of myrrh, aloes, and cassia.' He feels the love of God shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost which is given unto him; or, as our church expresses it, "feels the working of the Spirit of God in his heart." Meantime, it niay easily be observed, that the substance of all these figurative expressions is comprised in that one word, faith, taken in its widest sense; being enjoyed, more or less, by every one that believes in the name of the Son of God. This change, from spiritual death to spiritual life, is properly the new birth; all the particulars whereof are admirably well expressed by Dr. Watts, in one verse:

"Renew my eyes, open my ears,

And form my soul afresh;

Give me new passions, joys, and fears,
And turn the stone to flesh!"

12. But before this universal change, there may be many partial changes in a natural man, which are frequently mistaken for it; whereby many say, "Peace, peace " to their souls, when there is no peace. There may be not only a considerable change in the life, so as to refrain from open sin, yea, the easily besetting sin; but also a considerable change of tempers, conviction of sin, strong desires, and good resolutions. And here we

have need to take great care not, on the one hand, to despise the day of small things; nor, on the other, to mistake any of these partial changes, for that entire, general change, the new birth; that total change, from the image of the earthly Adam into the image of the heavenly; from an earthly, sensual, devilish mind, into the mind that was in Christ.

13. Settle it therefore in your hearts, that however you may be changed in many other respects, yet in Christ Jesus, that is, according to the Christian institutión, nothing will avail without the whole mind that was in Christ, enabling you to walk as Christ walked. Nothing is more sure than this: "If any man be in Christ," a true believer in him, "he is a new creature: old

things," in him, "are passed away; all things are become

new.

14. From hence we may clearly perceive the wide difference there is between Christianity and morality. Indeed, nothing can be more sure, than that true Christianity cannot exist without both the inward experience and outward practice of justice, mercy, and truth; and this alone is genuine morality. But it is equally certain, that all morality, all the justice, mercy, and truth which can possibly exist without Christianity, profiteth nothing at all; is of no value, in the sight of God, to those that are under the Christian dispensation. Let it be observed, I purposely add, to those that are under the Christian dispensation; because I have no authority from the word of God "to judge those that are without;" nor do I conceive that any man living has a right to sentence all the heathen and Mohammedan world to damnation. It is far better to leave them to Him that made them, and who is "the Father of the spirits of all flesh;" who is the God of the heathens as well as the Christians, and who hateth nothing that he hath made. But, meantime, this is nothing to those that name the name of Christ;all those, being under the law, the Christian law, shall undoubtedly be judged thereby; and, of consequence, unless those be so changed as was the animal above mentioned, unless they have new senses, ideas, passions, tempers, they are no Christians. However just, true, or merciful they may be, they are but atheists still!

15. Perhaps there may be some well-meaning persons who carry this further still; who aver, whatever change is wrought in men, whether in their hearts or lives, yet if they have not clear views of those capital doctrines, the fall of man, justification by faith, and of the atonement made by the death of Christ, and of his righteousness transferred to them, they can have no benefit from his death. I dare in no wise affirm this. Indeed, I do not believe it. I believe the merciful God regards the lives and tempers of men more than their ideas. I believe he respects the goodness of the heart, rather than

IV.-2 F

7

the clearness of the head; and that if the heart of a man be filled (by the grace of God, and the power of his Spirit) with the humble, gentle, patient love of God and man, God will not cast him into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels, because his ideas are not clear, or because his conceptions are confused. "Without holiness," I own, "no man shall see the Lord;" but I dare not add, "or clear ideas."

16. But to return to the text. Let me entreat all of you who are still "without God in the world," to consider, that, with all your humanity, benevolence, and virtue, you are still

Inclusi tenebris, et carcere cæco;

"Inclosed in darkness and infernal shade."

My dear friends! you do not see God. You do not see the Sun of Righteousness. You have no fellowship with the Father, or with his Son Jesus Christ. You never heard the voice that raiseth the dead. Ye know not the voice of your Shepherd. Ye have not received the Holy Ghost. Ye have no spiritual senses. You have your old, natural ideas, passions, joys, and fears; you are not new creatures. O cry to God, that he may rend the veil which is still upon your hearts! and which gives you occasion to complain,

is

"O dark, dark, dark, I still must say,
Amidst the blaze of gospel day!"

O that thou may this day hear His voice, who speaketh as never man spake, saying, "Arise, shine; for thy light come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee!" Is it not his voice that crieth aloud, "Look unto me, and be thou saved?" He saith, "Lo, I come!" "Even so, Lord Jesus; come quickly!"

ROTHERHAM, July 6, 1790.

8

SERMON CXXIII.

ON THE DANGER OF INCREASING RICHES.

"If riches increase, set not your heart upon them."
Ps. lxii. 10.

1. FROM that express declaration of our Lord, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven," we may easily learn, that none can have riches without being greatly endangered by them. But if the danger of barely having them is so great, how much greater is the danger of increasing them! This danger is great even to those who receive what is transmitted to them by their forefathers; but it is abundantly greater to those who acquire them by their skill and industry. Therefore, nothing can be more prudent than this caution: "If riches increase, set not thine heart upon them."

2. It is true, riches and the increase of them are the gift of God. Yet great care is to be taken, that what is intended for a blessing do not turn into a curse. To prevent which, it is highly expedient to consider seriously,

I. What is meant by riches; and when they may be said to increase.

II. What is implied in setting our hearts upon them; and how we may avoid it.

I. Consider, first, what is here meant by "riches." Indeed, some may imagine that it is hardly possible to mistake the meaning of this common word. Yet, in truth, there are thousands in this mistake; and many of them quite innocently. A person of note, hearing a sermon preached upon this subject several years since.