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but foon forgot his works." And | mind a conviction of the excellence

fuch is the cafe of the ftony ground hearers in the parable of the fow

er.

and perfection of the divine law, and thus fhows the great evil of fin, which is "a tranfgreffion of the law." This view of perfonal fin, produces in the renewed foul, that self-disapprobation for it, that gen uine fubmiffion to the condemning fentence of the law, and that cordial defire to return to God, which conftitute the effence of true repen.

That we may not be deceived in this important article, we should enquire, whether our love to God is excited by a view of his law, its precepts, prohibitions and fanctions, by the mediatorial character and work of Chrift, as fupporting it, in all those views, and even mag-tance and diftinguish it from those nifying it and making it honorable? legal forrows for fin which may exWhether we love God when he ift in the unfanctified heart, and vifits us with afflictions and croffes which are excited by a conviction for our fins, and whether we love of expofedness to the wrath of God. him when we have the leaft comfortable hope of faving mercy, or only when we believe he loves us and will fave us?

True love to God and repentance for fin, are attended with a con viction of our ruined ftate as finners, of the righteoufnefs of God in our condemnation, and of our perishing need of fovereign mercy; of courfe the mediatorial charac

6. We must examine, whether our love to God be attended with correfponding exercifes of other gracious affections, fuch as repenter and work of Chrift appear in tance for fin, felf-abafement, cordial compliance with the gofpel way of falvation by Chrift, the meek and gentle fpirit of the gofpel, love to the word, ordinances, and people of God, mercy and kindness to all, fubmiffion under divine chastisement, fenfible dependence on God for all things, thankfulness for his mercies, weanednefs from the world and longing after conformity to God and enjoyment of him, with the other branches of Christian experience.

The renewed foul is poffeffed of all the graces of the fpirit, or the branches of Chriftian holiness, and there is an agreement and proportion of all the parts. This is evident from many fcripture paffages, and from the nature of the cafe. Thus true love to God is attended with genuine repentance for fin.

their glory, and the way of falvation for finners through his atonement deeply impreffes the mind, with its unrivalled perfection, as being in all refpects worthy of God, fuitable to the condition of man, and altogether divine. By this, efpecially, the mind is fully established in the truth and divinity of the gofpel, embraces the falvation which it offers, and the way in which it is procured and bestowed. The believing finner clearly fees the righteoufnefs of God difplayed and fupported, in the mediatorial work of Chrift, as God manifeft in flesh; the law magnified and made honorable, fin condemned, and "grace reigning through righteoufnefs to eternal life, by Jefus Chrift our Lord." In this way of falvation his heart rests, and he has joy and peace in believing, and we are fure that he who thus believeth fhall be faved.

The primary fource of repentance is a view of the moral excellence or lovelinefs of the divine As repentance towards God character, as this produces in the and faith towards our Lord Jefus

Chrift are effentially connected with genuine love to God; even fo are all the graces of the Spirit, fuch as Christian humility, brotherly love, good will to all men, kindnefs to the poor and afflicted, forgiveness to the injurious, weanednefs from the world, felf-denial, heavenly mindedness; with all other branches of the Christian temper.

Hence if we find in ourfelves an habitual and perfevering love to God, from views of his moral excellence, we must enquire whether this love is attended with the correfponding graces, which have been named; for if this be not the cafe we have no juft ground to conclude that we are the children of God, because there is an infeparable communion in the nature of all holy affections, and the holy fcriptures abundantly teach, that all true Christians receive from Chrift, grace for grace, and have the fame mind which was alfo in him.

7. We must examine, whether our love to God, and to spiritual and divine objects be fupreme. Our bleffed Saviour has abundantly taught us that except we love him, more than all created objects, fo as to part, willingly, from them all for his fake, when they are in competition with him; we cannot be his difciples, and that except we deny ourselves and take up our crofs daily, and follow him, we have no part in him.*

If our love to God be fupreme, it will be attended with the correfponding views and affections which have been named, and we shall abide the test of those difcriminating declarations of the divine Saviour. But if not, we fhall, when "weighed in the balance, be found wanting."

*Mat. x. 37, 38. and xvi. 24. Mark viii. 34. Luke ix. 23. & xiv. 26, et poffim.

That felf-denial which Jefus affures us is effential to difcipleship, confifts not, as many misguided zealots have fuppofed, in tormenting the body, or excluding ourselves from thofe innocent enjoyments of life which God gracioufly gives us, and which are "to be received with thanksgiving, of those who believe and know the truth." But it confifts in that experimental and practical religion, in which a fupreme, governing love to God and divine things bears us on through all oppofition from within and without," in the fervice of God, with a steady aim at his glory and the good of his kingdom, in contradiction to all the felfish and narrow pursuits of the carnal mind, which are ever di rected to fome private, perfonal advantage, without any refpect to public good and which are not fubordinate but ultimately opposed to it.

8. We must enquire, whether our internal views and exercifes in religion, are attended and followed with the correfponding fruits of obedience, in a practical regard to all divine inftitutions and commands.-This is the laft and crowning evidence of our difciplefhip, and title to eternal life, for "this is the love of God that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not griev

ous."*

This fubject of enquiry might be confidered in relation to our whole life, fince we have profeffed to know the truth: As it is connected with all our relations to God, as a being of infinite perfection, our creator and preferver, our law giver, and judge,---as our Redeemer and fanctifier, our provi. dential governor, and the object of our worship; as it relates to

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all the relative duties which we owe to our fellow creatures, and to our present and future lives.—If our religion be genuine, it causeth us to have refpect to all God's commandments, and produceth univerfal obedience, attended indeed, with finful imperfection, for in every thing we come short, but still we aim at perfection, and are longing, praying and ftriving after it. Our finful imperfection in every duty is a fource of humiliation before God, and we watch and pray left we enter into temptation.

That spirit of Christian obediThat fpirit of Chriftian obedience which animates the true Christian, is not lefs fincerely engaged in the discharge of the common duties of life, in our domef tic and other relations, than in those which are the most public and fplendid; for it efteems the divine commands concerning all things to be right, and hates every falfe way. To perfons of this defcription, the word of God is precious as a daily companion, and guide. The Lord's day, and other divine inftitutions are highly regarded, and practically improved, they ftrive to advance in Chriftian knowledge and grace themfelves, and as far as may be to be useful to the best interests of others. This renders them faithful in all relations, and teaches them to "Do to others in all things, as they would that others fhould do to them." They live mindful of death and the future ftate, and unite in the prayer of the pfalmift," Lord teach us fo to numberour days that we may apply our hearts to wifdom."

PHILANDER.

FOR THE CONNECTICUT EVAN

GELICAL MAGAZINE. Queft. Why is the regenerated man Subject to any remainder of fir?

When God wrought the work of fandification in his heart, and had the power, why did he not render him perfectly holy?

dels, who often make enqui UCH is the language of Infi ries like thefe, with an expectation that they are unanfwerable, and that they fhall enjoy a certain triumph

over the Chriftian, whofe belief involves in it fuch fuppofed unanfwerable abfurdities. More reflec tion is neceffary to answer the fubt le queftions of an Infidel, than is commonly bestowed on the fubject of Christianity, even by profeffing Christians. The Infidel hardly appears as an interrogating cham pion, 'till he has, with fome fubt le inconfiftency, fettled his plan through which its fallacy would not immediately appear. Having this forth to puzzle believers; and the prepared himself, the Infidel comes fubject of the foregoing enquiry is one often reforted to, and one, will, therefore, endeavor to furn on which he plumes himself. I ifh the reafons to those who have

not time to fearch them out.

fider as implying the fame thing; The two queftious I fhall conbecause the work of Regeneration and Sanctification, involving each other, and being folely the work of God, who certainly has the power to perform it in a differthat the enquiry implies this; why ent manner, if he will; it is plain from the hearts of those whom he has not God taken away all fin has chofen, and completed them in holiness? In anfwering this I would obferve the following things:

ift. I take it for granted that all, who allow of the existence of God, alfo allow him to be perfect. If he is not perfect, he is not God. If he is perfect, then he must be perfectly wife, elfe he is perfect,

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¡ifes, confidently affert that it is the beft poffible way which God could have chofen refpecting it, fo far as it relates to the attainment of his laft end viz. the glorification of himself.

3d. As fome, perhaps, may not be fatisfied with this anfwer, and will enquire why it is more for God's glory, than fome other way would have been-that is, than to have rendered man perfectly holy at once? I will proceed, and attempt to fhew, in feveral particu lars, the advantages which this has over the way propofed.

and imperfect; which is a contra-
diction. I prefume that all who
admit of God's existence and per-
fections, alfo admit that he created
the world. This I affume as a
granted propofition, because I nev-
er heard of a man who admitted
the one, that denied the other.
If God is an infinitely perfect be-
ing, and if he created the world,
he certainly had fome defign in
it; otherwife it must be charged
upon him as folly, or ftupidity.
Either would undeify him. For
our knowledge of God's defign,
(I mean his ultimate defign) in
the creation, we are wholly in- Ift. It is neceffary that fanctifi-
debted to his Revelation, In that ed, and finfnl men, should live to-
we learn that his defign is the glo-gether in the world, or that God
rification of himself; or the dif-hould remove the fanctified out of
play, to all intelligent beings in the
univerfe, of his own perfections.
As means, leading to this end,
the work of creation was begun and
finished, in the manner in which
it was.
The fall of man, and all
things revealed in the word of
God, as tending to the work of re-
demption; and the work of re-
demption itself, with all its attending
circumstances, were effected, with
a view to the ultimate defign-the
glory of God.

2d. If God is a perfect being,
and has his own glory in view, as
the last end of all his works, it
must be that he has chosen the best

poffible means for the accomplish-
ment of this end. To fuppofe
him infinitely wife, and not to
have chofen the wifeft means, for
the attainment of an end, is to
fuppofe an impoffibility in his char-
acter; because it is fuppofing him
infinitely wife, and not infinitely
wife at the fame time. If, then,
God has chofen that the work of
fanctification, though begun in the
hearts of the elect here on earth,
fhould not be perfected in this life, we
may, on the forementioned prem-

it, as foon as fanctification takes place. If God were to remove them from the world, as foon as they were fanctified, there could be no advantage in immediate perfect fanctification over that more gradual method, of accomplishing the work, which has taken place. Because the elect are made perfect in holinefs at death, and they would be no more on the other fuppofition. But it is conceived there is an important advantage derived to fociety, made up, as it is, of holy and wicked men, from the imperfect ftate of the fanctified, in this life.

The wicked cannot love holi

nefs; that is, the unregenerate man cannot love the holiness of God. If he could, he would love God.The more holy a man is, the more heis opposed by the wicked. Thus God, being perfectly holy, appears to them, fo far as he is feen, perfectly hateful. If men were rendered perfectly holy in this life, they would be perfectly hateful to the unholy; and it would be impracticable for them to negociate, or tranfact any bufinefs together. All the kind offices which they

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ftand in need of from cach other,
would ceafe to be performed, be-
aufe they could not live together
in fociety, without a perpetual ftate
of warfare. The wicked man, if
he had the power, would destroy
all holy men, wherever he found
them; thus, peace, even the little
there is in the world, would be
driven out of it, and the carth
would, at once, become a hell.
The wicked hate holinefs, in pro-
portion as they fee it; and the on-
ly reason they do not now rife up
in hoftile oppofition to the fubjects
of it, in the world, is, they are
laid under restraint. They are
kept from it by the power of God,
and not by any goodnefs of their
own. The restraint, which God
lays the wicked under in this world,
is all that keeps them from becom-linefs during this life, to fhew them
ing devils at once. They have, by
nature, the fame paffions; but God,
in mercy to his friends, has kept them
thus in fubjection, and will continue
to keep them under his controul,
fo far as is for the beft general good
of his kingdom, until the final
feparation. Then reftraint will
be taken off; and they will hate,
curfe, torment, and blafpheme, like
their fellow devils, forever and ever.

bout him, and about his house, and
about all that he hath on every
fide!
Thou haft bleffed the work of his
hands and his fubftance is increafed'
in the land: But put forth thine
hand now, and touch all that he
hath, and he will curfe thee to thy
face." This is the natural language
of the unfanctified mah.
therefore, neceffary, in order to
convince him of his error, that the
fanctified man should be in a state
of trial and temptation; that, by
his cleaving to God, and to the
faith that is true and holy, he may
convince the wicked that there is
fuch a thing as holinefs; and that
he loves it for its own fake; that
is, because it is lovely in itself.

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2d. It is neceffary that faints fhould not be perfectly holy in this life, that they might give evidence to others that holincfs is their choice, and that they love it. If men were perfectly holy, though they would be perfectly obedient to all God's commandments, yet wicked men would fay it was because they had no trials. "And the Lord faidunto fatan, haft thou confidered my fervant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect man, and one that feareth God, and efcheweth evil? Then fatan anfwered the Lord and faid, Doth Job fear God for nought? Haft not thou made an hedge a

3d. It feems to be neceffary that faints fhould not be perfected in ho

their true character. They could not know that holiness was their voluntary choice, were they not placed in a ftate of probation, after the principle of holiness was begun in their hearts. For, though they will love holiness when they are perfected in it, ftill they could not determine that they should love it, were temptations, not to love it, let before them.

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4th. A ftate of imperfection in the faints in this life, is important to teach them their entire, and conftant dependence upon God. nature they are conftantly prone to fall into fin; and, as the power of Chrift was neceffary to implant the principle of holiness in their hearts, fo it is equally neceffary that it fhould be conftantly exer ted, to keep that principle in existence. This the faints fhould know, because it is an important ground of gratitude and love. They could not fo well know it in any other way, as in a way of probation; and imperfection in man, as was before obferved, is effential

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