gospel is to exclude all glorying, not only before God, but also before men. Rom. iv. 1, 2. Some persons make great pretensions to humility, who are very haughty and assuming in their behaviour: they ought to consider the following passages of scripture: "These six things doth the Lord hate; yea, seven are an abomination to him; a proud look," &c. Prov. vi. 16, 17. "Him that bath" a

"high look, and a proud heart, will not I suffer," Psa. ci. 5. The scriptures speak of a kind of amiable modesty, arising from humility, which adorns the Christian character: "Be ready to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear," 1 Pet. iii. 15. "With fear and trembling you received him," 2 Cor. vii. 15. In this respect a Christian is like a little child, diffident and modest.

The same spirit will dispose a Christian to honour all men. A humble believer is not only disposed to show respect to the saints, but to others also, as far as he can, without giving countenance to their sins. Thus Abraham, the great pattern of believers, honoured the children of Heth: "And Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land," Gen. xxiii. 12. This was a remarkable instance of humble behaviour towards those whom Abraham knew to be accursed, and from among whom, therefore, he would by no means suffer his servant to take a wife for his son.* So Paul honoured Festus: "I am not mad, most noble Festus," Acts, xxvi. 25. Christian humility will not only dispose us to honour those wicked men who are out of the visible church, but also false brethren and persecutors. Jacob, having been wrestling all night with God, and having re

Esau's wives, being of these children of Heth, were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.

ceived the blessing of Jehovah, honoured Esau, his false and persecuting brother: Jacob "bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother Esau," Gen. xxxiii. 3. He called him lord, and commanded all his family to honour him in the same manner.

Thus have I endeavoured to describe, according to scripture, the disposition and behaviour of one who is governed by a truly gracious humility. Now it is from such a disposition as this, that all truly holy affections flow. True Christian love, both to God and to men, is a humble love; the desires of the saints, however earnest, are humble desires; their hope is a humble hope; and their joy, even when it is unspeakable, and full of glory, is a humble joy. The real Christian, under the influence of a spirit of humility, becomes more and more like a little child; and more and more disposed to universal lowliness of behaviour.

VII. Gracious affections are attended by a change of nature or disposition.

According to what has been already shown, all gracious affections arise from the understanding being spiritually enlightened, as to the excellency and glory of divine things. But all spiritual discoveries are transforming, and not only produce a change in its present sensations and exercises, but in the moral state of the soul: "But we all, with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord," 2 Cor. iii. 18. This power is peculiar to "the Spirit of the Lord." Through the influence of other agents, our present feelings may be altered, but it is only by the gracious operations of the Creator that dispositions can be really changed. No dis

ries or illuminations, but those which are supernatural and divine, will produce this effect.

The scriptures, speaking of conversion, use terms which strongly imply, or very clearly express a change of nature or disposition: they speak of our being born again; becoming new creatures; being renewed in the spirit of the mind; dying to sin, and living to righteousness; putting off the old man, and putting on the new man; of being grafted into a new stock; of being made partakers of the divine nature, &c.

If, therefore, there is no great and abiding change in persons who profess to have experienced the work of conversion, they are certainly deceived. Conversion, if we ought to give any credit to scripture, is a universal change of disposition, a real turning of the soul from sin unto God. A man may be restrained from sin, before he is converted; but, having experienced that gracious change, he is not only restrained from sin, but made to hate it. If, therefore, the high affections of the supposed convert have so declined, that there is now no remarkable alteration in him, and he is in general under the prevailing influence of the same dispositions as before; if he appears as selfish and carnal, as lukewarm and anti christian as ever; these circumstances afford such powerful evidence against him, that the finest story about experience that could possibly be told, would be regarded by the judicious Christian as possessing no value. For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision, nor uncircumcision; neither a forward profession, nor a diffident one; neither a fine story about experience, nor a poor one, avails any thing; but only a new creature.

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If, for a time, there seems to be a great change any particular person, but that change after

wards disappears, it is evident that there has been no change of nature or disposition. A swine may be washed, but its swinish nature will still remain.

Allowance must be made for natural temper; conversion does not completely eradicate constitutional peculiarities; those sins to which a man was naturally most inclined before his conversion, will be most likely to ensnare him afterwards. Yet conversion effects a great change, even with respect to constitutional propensities; and though grace, whilst we are in this world, does not entirely destroy, yet, in a great measure, it corrects or subdues, bad natural tempers. The change wrought in conversion is universal, having respect to whatever is sinful; the old man is put off, the new man is put on. The subject of this change is sanctified throughout; he is made a new creature, old things are passed away, and all things are become new; all sin is mortified, constitutional sins as well as others. If a man, before his conversion, was, by his natural constitution, strongly inclined to any particular sin, converting grace will make a great change in him with respect to that propensity, so that, though he may be still most in danger from that particular sin, it will no longer have dominion over him; nor will it in future be that from which he properly takes his character. True repentance, in some respects, turns a man more particularly against those sins by which he has most dishonoured God. He who discards other sins, but retains that to which he is constitutionally inclined, is like Saul when sent against the enemies of God, the Amalekites, with a strict charge to save none of them alive, but utterly to destroy them, small and great. destroyed the people, but saved the king. Some persons foolishly argue that their re

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affections are gracious, because when they subside, no spiritual life is experienced. They think it is evident that what they experience is wholly of God, "because," say they," when God is departed, we see and feel nothing spiritually, and are no better than we used to be." It is true that all the grace possessed by the saints, is derived entirely and immediately from God; but those persons are mistaken, as to the manner in which he communicates his Holy Spirit, and imparts saving grace to the soul. He gives his Spirit to be united to the faculties of the soul, and to dwell there as a principle of spiritual life and activity; so that the mind, thus endued with grace, is possessed of a new nature, or holy disposition. The saints do not only drink of the water that flows from the fountain of life; but this water becomes in them a fountain springing up there, and flowing from thence, John iv. 14. vii. 38, 39. Grace is compared to a seed not only sown in the ground, but as having root and growing there.

As it is with spiritual discoveries and affections at conversion, so it is with all illuminations and affections afterwards they are all transforming. They continue to possess the same energy as at the first; and they penetrate, and affect, and alter the very disposition of the soul, in proportion to the degree in which they are communicated. A transformation of disposition, is carried on by divine grace to the end of life, until it is made perfect in everlasting glory. Hence the progress of this work, is represented in scripture, as a continued conversion, or renovation of nature. The Apostle Paul exhorts the saints at Rome, to be transformed by the renewing of their minds, Rom. xii. 1, 2. And in writing to the faithful in Christ Jesus at Ephesus, he tells them, that he ceased