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impreffions as you may now be under, and labour to fix them in your minds.

2. Abstain from every thing by which these impreffions may be weakened or effaced.

If you are really awakened, fin will appear to be the difeafe and ruin of your fouls; and therefore, if ever you hope for recovery, you must immediately and refolutely depart from it; nor muft you give up this or that particular vice, with which perhaps you will not find it very difficult to part; but every fin without exception. In a word, if you would have the Spirit of grace to carry on a good work in your fouls, you must give no encouragement to any finful inclination; and particularly, guard againft deliberate and prefumptuous fins; for thefe are plain obftructions to his gracious influences, and eminently provoke him to withdraw.

3. Believe in the Lord Jefus Chrift, and you fhall be faved. This is the advice which the apoftles gave to the awakened jailor, when he folicitoufly inquired what he must do to be faved: And, indeed, it is an advice of the highest importance to every convinced and humbled finner. You are guilty, difeafed, and helpless. To whom then should you apply for relief, but to the Great Redeemer and Sovereign Phyfician, who is able to fave you to the uttermoft; and exprefsly declares, that if you come to him he will in nowife caft you out? Be perfuaded, therefore, whoever you are, though perhaps the chief of finners, immediately to fly to Chrift as your only refuge; and to lay hold of his perfect righteoufnefs as the foundation of your hopes. And know, for your encouragement, that if you thus accept of him, and fubject yourselves. to his government, you have the highest affurance poffible, that you fhall not perish, but have everlasting life. "For this is the will of Him that fent me,' fays our Saviour himself," that every one that feeth "the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life; and I will raife him up at the last day."

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Lafiky,

Lafly, Lay it down as a moft certain principle, that no attempt in religion is to be made in your own ftrength. If you know your own hearts, you must be sensible of this. For whether we confider the frailty and degeneracy of our nature, the power of evil habits, the inconftancy of our best refolutions, or the malice and activity of our fpiritual enemies, nothing is more evident, than that of ourselves we can do nothing. Beware, therefore, of undertaking any thing in your own strength; but go in the ftrength of the Lord God, and in his name fet up your banners. And if you thus wait upon him, you shall renew your ftrength; his grace will ever be fufficient for you; and he that hath begun a good work in you, will carry it on, till at last he perfect it in glory.

SER

SERMON XXVI.

THE CONVERSION OF SINNERS, A JUST CAUSE

OF JOY.

LUKE XV. 23, 24.

Let us eat and be merry: for this my fon was dead, and is alive again; he was loft, and is found.

TH

fo

HESE words are part of our Saviour's parable. of the prodigal fon, a parable so instructive and affecting, that it well deferves your ferious confideration. It was delivered by way of reproof to thofe selfrighteous Pharifees, who murmured at our Saviour, because he freely admitted publicans and finners to be his hearers, and fometimes converfed with them, in order to reclaim them. With this view, he represents to them in the most lively manner the extravagant folly, and the miserable confequences, of a vicious and licentious life. He unfolds the genuine feelings of a finner's foul, when once brought to himself, and rendered fenfible of his danger and guilt. But efpecially, he discovers, in the moft furprising manner, the compaffion of an offended God to the chief of finners, and how highly he is pleafed with their converfion. Thus, when the prodigal came to himfelf; when he

conceived

conceived the intention of returning to his father, and was putting his refolution in practice: while he is yet afar off, the father is reprefented as fecing him, as running to meet him, and embracing him with as much kindness as if he had never offended; nay, as restoring him to the higheft marks of paternal affec tion." He faid to his fervants, bring forth the bet "robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his « hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring hither the "fatted calf and kill it; and let us eat and be mer "ry (a)." And then, in the text, he juftifies their mirth and joy on this occafion, by affigning the rea fon of it: "For this my fon," fays he," was dead, "and is alive again; he was loft, and is found."

In these words, three things offer themselves to our confideration: Firft, The defcription of a finner be fore his converfion: Secondly, The happy change produced in his state and practice upon that event: Lafy, This change mentioned as a juftifiable ground of the highest joy.

Thefe three particulars, we propofe through Divine affiftance briefly to illuftrate; and then conclude with fome practical improvement.

I. Let us confider the defèription here given us, of a finner before converfion.

You fee it confifts of two parts, and each of them very fignificant. He is reprefented as dead and loft: both which expreffions prefent to us, in a lively manner, mifery and wretchedness of his condition.

the

A finner, before his converfion, is reprefented as dead. This is a very common figure or emblem in holy fcripture. Thus in Tim. v. 6. he that liv eth in pleasure is said to be dead while he liveth; in Eph. ii. 1. unconverted finners are faid to be dead in trefpaffes and fins; and in chapter v. 14. they are called upon not only to awake out of sleep, but to a

rife from the dead.

(6) Luke xv, 22g. ÚZv

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It is almost unneceffary to observe, that when finners are reprefented as dead, it is not meant that they are deftitute of natural or animal life: nor does it import, that they are devoid of all capacity of being restored to spiritual life, any more than the prodigal was incapable of being made alive, in the fenfe and account of his father. No: finners, before their converfion, are naturally alive as well as others; and though their reasonable powers are indeed wofully perverted, yet they are not extinguished. Their understandings render them capable of thought and confideration, of reflecting on the miferable condition to which their fins have reduced them, and the gracious offers of divine mercy for their recovery. And though their wills are indeed enflaved by fenfual lufts, yet they still retain that power of choice and felf-deter'mination which is effential to man.

But the expreffion in the text imports in it two things-that an unconverted finner is deftitute of fpiritual or divine life; and that he is virtually under a fentence of eternal death.

i. An unconverted finner is deftitute of fpiritual or divine life. As the prodigal was dead to his father when he was gone from him, and spending his subftance in riotous living, fo an unconverted finner is dead to God his Creator and Sovereign. He is engaged in a voluntary rebellion against him; and not at all difpofed to live to his glory. He has no prevailing fear of God, or affection to him. On the contrary, he has a strong averfion to him in his heart; or, in the expreffive language of the apoftle, the heart is enmity itself against him. It is true, indeed, unconverted finners are alive in a natural fenfe. They eat, drink, and fleep; they move and walk as well as others; they rejoice in the work of their hands; and many of them spend their days in pleasure, and then go down to the grave. But this deferves not the name of life; it is rather ftyled death in fcripture; because, though they live,

their

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