this be the cafe, thou art to this day unregenerate, and must be changed or condemned.

Secondly, Satan. Converfion binds the strong man, fpoils his armour, cafts out his goods, turns men from the power of Satan unto God. The real convert ferves now another mafter: he goes and comes at Chrift's beck: he watches against the fnares and baits of Satan, and ftudies to be acquainted with his devices: he is fufpicious of his plots, and is very jealous in what comes athwart him, left Satan fhould have fome design upon him; he wrefles against principalities and powers, Eph.. vi. 12. He entertains the meffenger of Satan as men do the meffenger of death: he keeps his eye. upon his enemy, and watches in his duties; left Satan fhould put in his foot.

Thirdly, The World. Before a found Faith, a man is overcome of the world; either he bows down to Mammon, or idolizes his reputation, or; is a lover of pleasure more than a lover of God, 2 Tim. iii. 4. Here is the root of man's mifery by the fall, he is turned afide to the creature inftead of God, and gives that great efteem, confidence, and affection to the creature that is due to him alone. O miferable man! What a deformed monster hath fin made thee! God made thee little lowerthan the Angels fin, little better than the devils; a monfter that hath his head and heart where his feet should be, and his feet kicking against heaven. The world that was formed to ferve thee, is come to rule thee, and the deceitful harlot hath bewitched thee with her inchantments, and made thee bow down and serve her.

But converting grace fets all in order again, and puts God on the throne, and the world at his foot-, tool: Chrift in the heart, and the world under the feet. So St. Paul, I am crucified to the world, and the world to me. Before this change all the cry was, Who will fhew us any worldly good? But now he fings another tune, Lord, lift up the light

of

of thy countenance upon me, and take the corn and wine whofoever will. Before, his heart's delight was in the world; then the fong was, Soul, take thy cafe, eat, drink, and be merry, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; but now all this is withered, and there is no comeliness that he fhould define it: and he tunes up with the fweet Pfalmift of Ifrael, the Lord is the portion of my inheritance, the lines are fallen to me in a fair place, and I have a goodly heritage. He boafteth himfelf in God. Nothing elfe can give him content. He hath written Vanity and Vexation upon all his worldly enjoyments, and lofs and dung upon all human excellencies. He hath life, and immortality now in chafe. He trades for grace and glory, and hath a crown incorruptible in purfuit. He first feeks the kingdom of heaven, and the righteousness thereof, and religion is no longer a matter by the bya with him, but the main of his care. Once he would do more for gain than godliness, more to pleafure his friend or his flesh, than to please the God that made him; and God muft ftand by till the world.were first served; but now all must ftand by: he hates father and mother, and life, and all, in comparifon of Chrift. Well then, pause a little, and look within; doth not this nearly concern thee? Thou pretendeft for Chrift, but doth not the world fway thee? Doft not thou take more real delight in the world than in him ? Doft thou not find thyfelf better at eafe when the world goes to thy mind, than when retired to prayer and meditation, or attending upon God's word and worship? No furer evidence of an unconverted ftate, than to have the things of the world uppermost in our aim, love, and estimation. With the found convert, Chrift hath the fupreHow dear is his name to him? How macy. cious is his favour? The name of Jefus is engraven upon his heart. Here is the pearl of great price, here is his treasure, here is his hope. This is his glory," my Beloved is mine, and I am his." O'tis

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O'tis sweeter to him to be able to fay, Chrift is mine, than if he could fay, the kingdom is mine,

the Indies are mine.

Fourthly, Your own Righteoufnefs. Before Converfion, Man feeks to cover himself with his own fig-leaves, and to lick himself whole with his own duties, Mich. vi. 6, 7. He is apt to fet up his own righteousness, and not to submit to the righteoufness of God. Now he cafts away his filthy rags. Now he is brought to poverty of fpirit; all his inventory is, poor, and miferable, and wretched, and blind, and naked. He fees a world of iniquity in his holy things, and calls his once idolized righteoufness but filth and lofs, and would not for a thoufand worlds be found in himfelf. Now he begins to fet a high price upon Chrift's righteoufnefs he fees the need of Chrift in every duty : he cannot live without him; or cannot pray without him Chrift must go with him; or else he cannot come into the prefence of God; he fets himself down for a loft undone man without him ; he is fixed in Chrift, as the root of a tree spreads in the earth for stability and nutriment. Before,

the news of Chrift was a fale and faplefs thing; but now how fweet is. Chrift. In a word, the voice of the convert is with the Martyr, None but Chrift.

The terms are either Ultimate or Subordinate.

The Ultimate is, God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, whom the new Convert takes as his All-fufficient and eternal bleffednefs. A man is never truly fan&tified till his very heart be fet upon God above all things, as his portion. These are the natural breathings of a believer's heart, Thou art my portion. My foul fhall make her boaft in the Lord. My expectation is from him, he only is my Rock, and my Salvation, he is my Defence; in God is my Salvation and Glory, the Rock of my Strength, and my refuge is in God. Would

Would you put it to an iffue, whether you be
Now let thy foul and all that

converted or not!

is within thee attend.

If

Haft thou taken God for thy happiness? Where doth the content of thy heart lie? Whence doth thy choiceft comfort come in? Come, and with Abraham lift up thine eyes eastward, and look about thee. What is it that thou wouldst have in heaven, or on earth to make thee happy? God fhould give thee thy choice, as he did to Solomon, or fhould fay to thee as Ahasuerus to Efther, What is thy petition, and what is thy request, and it fhall be granted thee? What wouldst thou afk? Go into the gardens of pleafure, and gather all the fragrant flowers from thence. Would these content thee? Go to the treafures of Mammon; fuppofe thou mighteft lade thyfelf from hence. Go to the trophies of honour; what thinkest thou of being a man of renown, and having a name like the name of the great men of the earth? Would any of this, all this, fuffice thee and make thee a happy man? If so, then certainly thou art unconverted. If not; go farther; wade into the divine excellencies, the ftore of his mercies, the depths unfathomable of his All-fufficiency; doth this fuit thee bet, and please thee most? thou fay, 'Tis good to be here ?. Matt. xvii. 4. Here will I pitch, here will I live and die? Wilt thou let all the world go rather than this? Then it is well between God and thee: happy art thou, O man! happy art thou, that thou ever waft born: if God can make thee happy: thou must needs be happy for thou haft vouched the Lord to be thy God. Doft thou fay to Chrift, Thy Father fhall be my Father, and thy God my God. Here is the turning point. An unfound profeffor never takes up his reft in God; but converting grace cures the fatal mifery of the fall, by turning the heart from its idol to the living God: Now fays the foul, Lord, whither fhall I go? Thou haft the words of

Doft

eternal

eternal life, John vi. 68. Here he centers; 'tis the entrance of heaven to him, to fee his intereft in God. When he discovers this, he faith, Return unto thy reft, O my foul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. And it is even ready to breathe out Simeon's fong, Lord now letteft thou thy fervant depart in peace.

The mediate term of Converfion is either principal or lefs principal.

The Principal is Chrift, the only mediator be*tween God and man. His work is to bring us to God. He is the way to the Father, the only door by which we may enter. Conversion brings over the foul to Chrift, as the only means to life, as the only way, the only name given under heaven. He looks not for falvation in any other but him, nor in any other with him; but throws himself on Chrift alone, as one that cafts himself with outspread arms upon the fea.

Thus the poor foul doth venture on Chrift, and refolvedly adheres to him. Before Conversion the man made light of Chrift, minded the farm, friends, merchandise more than Chrift. Now Chrift is to him as his neceffary food, his daily bread, the life of his heart, the staff of his life. His great defign is, that Chrift may be magnified in him. His heart once faid as they to the Spouse, What is thy beloved more than another ? He found more sweetness in his merry company, wicked games, earthly delights, than in Chrift. He took religion for a faney, and the talk of great enjoy. ments for an idle dream, but now to him to live is Chrift. He fets light by all that is accounted cious, for the excellency of the knowledge of Chrift.

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All of Chrift is accepted by the fincere Convert: he loves not only the wages, but the work of Chrift. He is willing not only to tread out the corn, but to draw under the yoke: he takes up the commands of Christ, yea, and the cross of Christ.

The