of a carnal, a holy heart: making the foul all glorious within, according to the measure of the manifestation of his glory. Something of God's image remains en graven; but because this is very little difcerned, there is a twofold more abiding frame and impreffion that still remains upon the fpirit of believers, almoft at the lowest. 1. The first is a poor and needy frame, mentioned, Mat. v. 3. "Bleffed are the poor in fpirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God." They are poor, with respect to themselves, empty of themselves; poor with respect to their own righteoufnefs; poor with refpect to their own ftrength; and therefore are ready to fay, "In the Lord only have I righteousness and ftrength;" for I have none of myself; no grace, no good in myself. They have ftill impreffions of their own poverty and want; far from thinking they are rich, and increased with goods, and ftand in need of nothing. This impreffion and frame is fo pleafing to God, that he fays of fuch, " To this man will I look; even to him that is poor, and of a contrite fpirit, and trembleth at my word," Ifa. lxvi. 2.

2. The next is a hungry and thirsty frame, fpoken of, Mat. v. 6. "Bleffed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they fhall be filled." This also, for ordinary, remains with the believer at the loweft, and at the worst; and it follows upon the former: because he is poor and deftitute of all things in himself, therefore he defires to have fupply out of Chrift's fulness. And there is still some longing in his foul, "O to be brought "near to God! O for another vifit! O to fee his pow"er and glory in the fanctuary! How long! long!" This alfo is fuch a pleafing frame in God's fight, that he hath promised fatisfaction to fuch; that "He will fatisfy the longing foul, and fill the hungry with good things," " Pfalm cvii. 9.-The needy fhall not always be forgotten; the expectation of the poor fhall not perish for ever," Pfalm ix. 18.

These two particulars fuppofe and import an impreffion they have of their own want and weakness; and an impreffion of the fulness and fufficiency of the Lord Jefus Chrift. But because these that are hypocrites and unregenerate, may have many good impreffions, at

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certain times, and very flrange impreffions, yea, even joyful impreffions, like the ftony-ground hearers, who received the word with joy. I will lay before you the difference between the pleafant fpiritual impreffions that take place in Wifdom's way, and the impreffions that hypocrites and reprobates may have.

(1.) True and faving impreffions are fociable; they accompany one-another, and go hand in hand together: For example, holy fear doth not caft out love, nor love call out fear: holy triumph in the Lord does not take away trembling at his prefence; nor holy trembling take away triumph: joy does not deftroy godly forrow for fin; nor godly forrow remove fpiritual joy: faith doth not deftroy repentance; nor repentance deftroy faith the man's humility does not deftroy his boldnefs before God; nor his boldness of accefs deftroy humility: his low thoughts of himfelf doth not deftroy his high thoughts of Chrift: nor his high thoughts of Chrift deftroy his low thoughts of himfelf: his felf diffidence does not deftroy his holy confidence; nor his holy confidence deftroy felf-diffidence. Nay, inflead of deftroying one-another, they advance and harmonioufly help and forward one-another. Whereas the hypocrite's joy deftroys his forrow; his faith and falle confidence deftroys and excludes his repentance; his fear deftroys his love; and his pretended love to God deftroys his fear of him: one good impreffion he hath, dellroys another; they cannot keep company together. Whereas fpiritual impreffions in believers excite and quicken one-another.

(2.) True and faving impreffions are unlimited and unflinted; and the good frames of hypocrites ftinted and limited; infomuch that they reft fatisfied without their attainments: fo far they go, and reckon they need. go no farther, if they think they have fo much as will keep them out of hell, or bring them to heaven. But true believers have no ftinted measures of grace: whatever holy impreffions are made upon them, they fill defire more, and more, and more; preffing after confummate perfection: "I count not myself to have apprehended; but this one thing I do, forgetting these things that are VOL. IX. + Z

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behind, and reaching forth unto thofe things that are before, I prefs toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Chrift Jefus," Phil. iii. 13.

(3.) The true and faving impreffions are habitual impreffions; they are like the believer's daily bread: tho' a man be not always eating or drinking, yet the taking of food for the nourishment of the body, is a man's daily habitual work: fo, though the believer be not always under a divine impreffion, or in a fpiritual frame, but hath his changes, yet he is habitually thus exercifed; and if any days pafs wherein he is deflitute of thefe meals, they are to him as days of famine, and fpiritual fcarcity; his foul pines and languishes, and is uneafy for want of what it would be at in duty. Whereas hypocrites can be quite eafy in the want of these things, without ever giving a longing look towards the Lord for his returning to them. But the believer dies of penury and want: thefe are his melancholy days, his fighing days, till he recover all again, by the Spirit of the Lord returning, and reviving his heart, and reftoring his foul. It is true, the eftablifhed believer learns, in the want of fenfible enjoyments, to live by faith on the Son of God: yea, but ftill that faith gives many a long lock for the Lord's rerurning to its sweet and fenfible embraces.

4. Thefe impreffions, in believers, are not only habitual, but natural. If the hypocrite can have any fuch impreffions, they are not natural to him, they are not his element; he hath no new nature correfponding thereto and therefore he cannot endure to be long under any good and fpiritual impreffions; his carnal unrenewed nature fets it off; and his carnal mind, being enmity againft God, he is content that the impreffions be gone. But, to a child of God, these impref fions are natural; they are his new nature, his element; they are like the very breath of his new nature; natural to his fan&tified part, as breath is to his body: yea, fo natural to him, that they are like a part of his life, and the removal of them is like death to him: and hence, when under thefe fweet and heavenly impreffions, he is difpofed to give as it were, a charge to all

the

the world, to beware of disturbing and bereaving him of his joy: "I charge you, O daughters of Jerufalem, by the roes and by the hinds of the field, that ye ftir not up nor awake my Love till he please," Song ii. 7.

In a word, the hypocrite and the godly differ as much ia their motions and affections, as the motion of a clock differs from the fun; the one moves by art, the other by nature the hypocrite's motions and impreffions are like artificial clock-work, under the influence of the common operations of the Spirit, working upon him by fome outward means and providences; but the impreffions of believers are natural, under the influence: of the Spirit dwelling in them: and whatever fubferviency outward providences and ordinances may have for advancing them, yet they are the fruits of the fpecial: operation of the Spirit that is in him, as a well of water fpringing up to eternal life. So that their impreffions differ as much as a land-flood, that quickly dries up, being only maintained with rain from the clouds, dif.fers from a living fpring, which is never altogether dried, even when the flood is abated.

4thly, There is a pleafant bent and propenfity of foul towards fpiritual things, and fpiritual pleafures. If a man know what it is that pleases and delights him most, he may know whether he be acquainted with Wisdom's pleafant way, or not; and whether he hath the Spiritof Chrift, or not for fuch as have the Spirit of Christ, do favour the things of the Spirit. This is a durable and infallible evidence, which the weakeft Chriftians can scarce well tell how to deny in themselves, namely, what they would be at, and what they are most pleased and difpleafed with. Could they be more holy, it would please them better than to be more rich. Could they have more of God, it would please them better than to have more of the world; yea, than ye give them all the pleafares and honours of the world. They are never fo well pleafed with themselves, and their own heart, as when they find them nearest heaven, and have moft of the knowledge of God, and an imprefs of his attributes, and fenfe of his prefence. They are never more pleased with their own life than when it is most holy,

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and fruitful, and moft like a walking with God. They are never, fo much difpleafed with their hearts as when they find leaft of God upon them, and when they are mast dead, and dark, and dull, and indifpofed for communion with him. They are never fo much displeased with their life, and weary of it, as when it is molt car. nal, and fruitlefs, and unholy, and uncircumfpect. This is a certain evidence of their fincerity and uprightness; it fhews what they love, and what it is that hath their hearts and wills; and looks upon a man to be what he fincerely would be. His complacency and displeasance are the immediate fure difcoveries of his bent and inclination: and poor doubting fouls fhould often have recourfe to this evidence. It is quite otherwife to the wicked: and it is a fure evidence of their mifery, that they would be better pleafed to be great, than to be good; better pleafed to be rich, than to be righteous and religious; better pleased to ferve their lufts, than to serve the Lord: they are more taken up with the applause of men, than with the approbation of God; and would rather be far from God, than near him. They take the world and fin for their recreation and delight, and account Wifdom's way but a melancholy way, wearifome, and unpleasant courfe. This fhews they have yet the old corrupted nature and ferpentine enmity against the Spirit and life of Chrift; and therefore can no more please God, than his holy ways are pleafing to them: "For, to be carnally minded is death; but to be fpiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, and is not fubject to the law of God, neither indeed can be: fo then, they that are in the flesh cannot pleafe God," Rom. viii. 6, 7.

In a word, it is the pleafant exercife of believers to delight in the law of the Lord after the inward man; to rejoice in his word.

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Object. May not hypocrites and unbelievers have joy and delight in the word, like thefe, Ifaiah lviii. 2. "and like Herod, that heard the word gladly; and the ftony-ground hearers, that received the word with "joy "

Anfw.