God, and every one that loveth, is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love," chap. iv.7,8. "If we love one another, God dwelleth in us.-Hereby we know that we dwell in him and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. God is love, and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him.--If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother, whom he hath seen, how can he love God, whom he hath not seen ?" verses 12, 13, 16, 20.

Hence it is abundantly evident from scripture, that those who are truly gracious, are under the government of the meek and benevolent spirit of Jesus Christ; and that this disposition is essential to the nature of saving grace, and is the proper spirit of true Christianity. We may therefore conclude, without hesitation, that all truly Christion affections are attended by such a spirit; and that this is the natural tendency of the fear and the hope, the sorrow and the joy, the confidence and the zeal of every true Christian.

Let no one conclude, however, that true Christians have no remains of a contrary spirit, and that they never, in any instance, act contrary to such a disposition. But 1 do affirm, that every thing belonging to true religion, is of this tendency; and that there is no true Christian but who is so under the prevailing power of such a spirit, that he is properly denominated from it, and that it really forms his character. Ministers and others, have therefore no warrant to encourage persons of a contrary character and behaviour, to think that they are converted, because they tell a plausible story about illuminations and discoveries. Some place religion so much in illuminations, and certain transient impressions, and so little in the prevailin spirit and

temper, that they greatly misrepresent it, and exhibit Christianity as if it were quite different from what it is, as delineated in the sacred writings.-The scriptures know nothing of selfish, ill tempered and contentious Christians. A greater absurdity cannot be thought of than a morose, hardhearted, covetous, proud, malicious Christian. We should endeavour to bring men to the rules of the word of God, and not so to stretch those rules, in order to include ourselves, and our friends, as to make them of no effect.

It is true that allowances must be made for nat. ural temper, but not such allowances as admit that those who were wolves and serpents, are now converted, while there is no remarkable change in their spirit and dispositions. The change made by conversion, is in general most remarkable, with respect to that sin to which the person was most addicted. Grace has as great a tendency to restrain and mortify those sins which are contrary to the spirit mentioned above, as it has to mortify drunkenness or lasciviousness. The scriptures represent the change wrought by the gospel, as appearing more particularly in a change of spirit and temper: The wolf--shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf, and the young lion, and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall feed, their young ones shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put bis hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea," Isa xi 6--9. See also Isa. Ixv. 25. Accordingly we find, that in the primi

tive church, converts were remarkably changed in this respect: "For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost," Tit. iii. 4, 5. "In-which ye also walked ;-but now you also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth," Col iii. 7, 8.

IX. Gracious affections soften the heart, and are accompanied by a Christian tenderness of spirit.

False affections, however they may seem at first to improve the disposition, have, in the end, a tendency to harden the heart; and the consequence is, the persons thus deluded, become less affected by their sins, and less circumspect in their conduct; less moved by the warnings and cautions of the word of God, and less susceptible of benefit from the chastisements of his providence than they were while under legal awakenings, and the fear of hell. They have felt certain impressions and affections, have a high opinion of themselves, and consider their state as being quite safe; and therefore they are now much more easy than they were before, in the neglect of such duties as are troublesome and inconvenient. They are not so alarmed at their own defects and transgressions, and are more liable to yield to temptation. They are now less attentive to their behaviour in the holy presence of God, in the time of public or pri vate worship.-Formerly, perhaps under legal

convictions, they took much pains in religion, and denied themselves many gratifications; but now, thinking themselves out of the danger of hell, they are more disposed to avoid the cross, and save themselves the trouble of performing difficult duties.

Such persons as these, instead of embracing Christ as the Saviour from their sins, trust him as the Saviour of their sins; instead of fleeing to him as the refuge FROM their spiritual enemies, they make use of him as a defence or those enemies. They make Christ the minister of sin, and trust in him to preserve them in the quiet enjoyment of their unholy gratifications. Thus they take the place of the children of God, even his bosom, and fight against him with weapons hid under his skirts. The Apostle Jude speaks of some who crept in among the saints, professing to trust in Christ, but who were in reality ungodly men, turning the grace of God into lasciviousness, Jude, 4.

Gracious affections possess a quite different tendency; they gradually turn a heart of stone into a heart of flesh. They flow from a contrite spirit. The tenderness of heart essential to a true Christian, is well represented by our Saviour when he compares such a one to a little child. The affections of a child are easily moved. It is fearful and diffident, pliant and compassionate.

Hence gracious affections do not tend to make persons forward and noisy, but rather the contrary.

Real Christians are disposed to clothe with a kind of holy fear, all their behaviour towards God and towards man. Psa. ii. 11. 1 Pet. iii. 15. 2 Cor. vii. 15. Eph. vi. 5. 1 Pet. iii. 2. Rom. xi 20.

But some may ask, is there no such thing then as holy confidence in prayer, and in the other duties of divine worship? I answer there undoubtedly is, and it is chiefly to be found in eminent

saints, possessing a high degree of faith and love. But this holy confidence is not at all opposed to reverence, It removes or lessens that distance which arises from moral causes, or alienation of heart; it also removes the distance of relation, so that slaves now become children; but it does not at all lessen that reverential distance, which, in the nature of things, necessarily exists between the Creator and the creature Confidence in the sinner, possessing a proper view of God, and of himself, will not induce him to approach his Maker with less fear and reverence than the angels in heaven do, who cover their faces before his throne, Isa. vi. 2. Elijah, that great prophet, who enjoyed so much holy familiarity with God, when conversing with him on the mount, wrapped his face in his mantle. It was not from servile dread, occasioned by the terrible wind, and earthquake, and fire, that he thus acted; for these had ceased, and God then spoke to him as a friend," in a still small voice," 1 Kings, xix, 12, 13. And Moses, with whom God spake face to face, as a man speaks with his friend, and who was distinguished above all the other prophets by the familiarity to which he was admitted, at a time when he enjoyed the greatest nearness to God, "made haste," it is said, and bowed his head towards the earth, and worshipped." Exod. xxxiv. 8.

There is a most improper, and impudent boldness, in the addresses of some persons to the great JEHOVAH; from the very idea of which they would shrink with confusion and horror, were they sensible of the natural and moral distance subsisting between God and themselves. They are like the Pharisee, who drew near boldly, in confidence of his own eminence in holiness; whereas, if they were sensible of their vileness, they would act