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commission of enormous and reproachful sins, the sense of guilt may be exceedingly pungent. But all this is, too often, transient in its duration, and imperfect in its nature. It is quite another matter when the Holy Spirit performs this work, as a part of effectual calling. Then a conviction of guilt is bound on the conscience, and an abiding sense of misery is felt, under the apprehension of the divine displeasure. In some, and especially in those who have been great and flagitious offenders, the pain arising from this conviction of sin, and consequent apprehension of the divine wrath, is awful indeed. The knowledge of this, and the apprehension of it in their own case, sometimes makes unsanctified sinners stifle the conviction of sin, when it begins to take place. A fear of the pain which may attend on true repentance, is, Í persuaded, often the reason why serious impressions are banished and dissipated. But this is unspeakably foolish, in every view. Suppose it the most painful that is ever realized, and it is still infinitely rather to be chosen than the eternal pains of hell. But the apprehension is, in most cases, imaginary altogether. Even in great prodigals, true repentance is often a gentle work, although it is ever a deep one. The account which the eminent John Newton has published of himself, furnishes a remarkable instance of this: and the narrative which Bishop Burnet has given of the repentance of the profligate Earl of Rochester, is not much different. Oftentimes, indeed, pious people have wished that their convictions of sin had been far more keen and painful than they have ever felt. The Holy Spirit deals with each individual, in this respect, in a wise and sovereign manner. Some are convinced suddenly, and others gradually-Some more, others less painfully. In some the whole process seems like the natural effect of reflection and conside

and

ration, and a degree of hope is mingled with conviction from the very first.

But in whatever way genuine conviction of sin takes place, the essence of it is this-The sinner is made thoroughly sensible that he is, by nature and by practice, a guilty, polluted, inexcusable offender, before his God; and that he is in a truly miserable state, from having lost the friendship of his Maker, and being exposed to his just and endless displeasure. These perceptions, resting and abiding with weight on the mind, constitute the essence of this part of the work: And these are necessary, not because there is any merit in them, for there is none; nor because by themselves they constitute true religion, for they do not.-If any rest here, they rest short of the kingdom of heaven. But a sense of guilt and misery is necessary to make the sinner loath himself and abhor his sin; and to render him earnest in seeking a Saviour, and ready to accept him as he is offered.

Accordingly the next step in effectual calling, as stated in the answer before us, is-"enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ." "What must I do to be saved" will be the importunate demand of every sinner, convinced of his guilt in the manner just described. This inquiry, indeed, may not be always uttered to others, but it will always be felt by the individual concerned in all its force. You will now see him reading the word of God, if he be able to read it, with a care and an attention to which he had before been unaccustomed; and seeking for instruction from the pulpit, from books, or from conversation, with the deepest interest.

Making use of these means, the Holy Spirit, either more suddenly or more gradually (for there is as much diversity here as in the former particular) enlightens the mind. into the knowledge of Christ. The

understanding is opened to understand the Scriptures; to discern with some clearness the gospel plan of salvation by Christ; to perceive the practical use of his of fices; to receive the knowledge of his atonement, righteousness and fulness-To see, in a word, that he is a Saviour of matchless excellence, inexhaustible sufficiency, and unspeakable suitableness. Much may have heretofore been heard about Christ by the anxious sinner; but now, feeling as he does a deep interest in his inquiries, and being enlightened by the Spirit of unerring truth, he sees with an impression never known before, that Christ Jesus is indeed a Saviour exactly fitted to his state and necessities; able to save to the very uttermost all that come unto God by him; and willing to save, without money and without price. He sees too, that Christ is freely tendered-sincerely offered, with all his benefits, to every one who is willing to accept him.

Some have much clearer and fuller views of the kind here described than others. But it is essential to all, that they come to understand and be persuaded, that there is really "no salvation in any other" but in Christ alone; and that he is able and willing to save all those who truly commit their souls into his hands. Such an understanding and persuasion of this great and glorious truth there must be, as shall produce a real, engaged, and pressing desire, to obtain a personal interest in, and union with Christ.

The renewing of the will is the next step in effectual calling. In this the very essence of regeneration consists. The will is the seat, so to speak, of the moral action of the soul. Here lies our depravity in our natural state-The will and affections have taken a wrong bias-they are obstinately set on sin, and opposed to holiness. You cannot force them to change that

bias. It is the bias of natureof corrupt nature-and it requires the interposition of the God of nature-of him who can give us a new nature-to change this bias. You may reason as you will, you may be fully convinced yourself that the course of sin is wrong and ruinous; but still there is that wretched, prevalent, unchanged, sinful propensity, remaining in all its force. Persons under those exercises which are included in effectual calling, sometimes get to see this truth in a very clear and strong light. I once conversed with a sensible female, in this state of mind, who told me that she was satisfied of all that I have stated in the preceding part of this discussion; satisfied that it must be a supernatural agent that had engaged her attention to the state of her soul; satisfied that she was a guilty and perishing sinner; satisfied too that Christ was both able and willing to save her soul. But, ah! (said she) I have no will to choose and commit my soul to him for salvation, in the way he requires; I have no affection for him at all-and without this I certainly perish. What shall I do!" The answer was-the same God who has brought you thus far, can carry you through-can powerfully and sweetly dispose you to embrace the Saviour. Then I saw exemplified what I before well knew to be a fact, that the doctrine of our dependance on God for his grace (against which some quarrel so bitterly) is the most encouraging doctrine in the world, to a mind truly enlightened, and rightly exercised-The thought that God might, and perhaps would, do for her, what she clearly saw she would never do for herself, saved this woman from despair-And very shortly afterwards, what she looked for was realized. Her will and affections did, in the most full and delightful manner, choose and centre in Christ, as all her salvation and all her desire. This however was,

I know, a case in which the party concerned had uncommonly clear views of the state of her own soul. In hundreds and thousands of instances, where the change is as real and as genuine as that I have mentioned, the progress of the mind is not observed or seen, with any such distinctness-The will and affections are found to be changed, but, for a time at least, it is not known by the party how, or when it was done. President Edwards states this to have been the case with himself. He was always a close thinker-He was anxious about the state of his soul, and was praying and examining divine truth. He had quarrelled, long and ardently, with the doctrines of divine grace and sovereignty. At length, he says, he seemed to understand and see a glory in them, that made him love them. But he thought, at the time, that he only happened to get the true view of them, which he had not been able to take before. A true view indeed it was; but he afterwards discovered that the change was in his heart -in his will and affections-and not in any new intellectual percep tions of the subject itself.

This change of the will and affections is the peculiar work of the Holy Spirit. It is done, in the view of divine truth, but the Spirit is the agent. How he does it, we know not. It is expressly likened, in Scripture, to the influence of the wind-a powerful but an invisible agent. We know, however, that no violence or compulsive influence is used. The creature acts, all the time, with the most perfect freedom. All we can say is-"He is made willing in a day of God's power."

After the renovation of the will, the soul, under the same sacred influence by which the renewal was effected, is "persuaded and enabled to embrace Jesus Christ, freely of fered to us in the gospel"-This has been so much anticipated, that

it will not be necessary to detain you long with it. The embracing of Christ as he is freely offered in the gospel, or the exercise of saving faith, is the act of a new nature. The old man is corrupt, and never puts forth a holy exercise; and it is evident that the new nature must exist before it can act. But it always acts faith in Christ, when it does exist. The same blessed Spirit who changes the heart, assuredly, and in all instances, leads it to Jesus Christ, and in the language of the answer, "persuades and enables it to embrace him." This is most happily expressed. The soul sees such an excellence, amiableness, and suitableness in Christ, under the Spirit's influence, that it is ready to say-"How can I possibly refuse to obey, trust and love, such a Saviour-He is altogether lovely, he is the chief among ten thousands." Thus, it is persuaded: And aided by the same blessed agent, it is also enabled, in the truest and most unreserved manner, to embrace Christ-To receive him with open arms, and to lay hold of him as emphatically the Saviour of the soul-placing all its dependance, truly and delightfully, on him alone, for a complete salvation; for pardon, justification, sanctification, preservation, and eternal life.

Here, again, it is to be noted, that the clearness and sensibility with which different true believers close with Christ, is very various. With some it is done with rapture and ecstasy. By others it is done with great calmness. And by many, I doubt not, who do it truly, it is done so feebly and faintly, or rather, with such indistinct perceptions of their own real acts, that they long doubt and fear whether they have done it at all. But what is essential is, really, practically, and heartily to approve of the way of salvation by Christ, and rest and trust in him, as the "all in all" of the soul-Those who do this em

brace him in a saving manner-The Lord grant that you and I, my dear youth, may thus embrace him to our eternal benefit. Amen.

PASTORAL LETTER.

(Continued from page 254.)

15. Allowing any body and every body to speak and pray in promiscuous meetings, as they feel disposed. This may be done with an idea that it has a bad effect, in a time of revival, to call upon an individual, and have him decline, or perform the part assigned him in a cold and formal manner; and that none will volunteer unless their feelings are warm. And it may be done by one who presides at a meeting, to avoid the responsibility of naming some individuals and not naming others, which might sometimes create unpleasant feelings. And it may be done, also, under the idea that the opportunity should be given to those who are specially moved by the Spirit, to speak or pray, of which special movements of the Spirit, the person presiding is not supposed to be capable of judging, unless he has the gift of discerning spirits. We think the practice, however, is an unsafe one to adopt. Those who are the most forward to speak or pray, are not always the best qualified to do it in a suitable manner. There are some persons, who are hopefully pious, but whose weakness and ignorance is such, that they are apt to say and do things which are adapted to connect in the minds of others the most solemn things in religion with ideas of a ludicrous and disgusting nature; and yet that very weakness and ignorance, which is so obvious to others, is unknown to themselves, and is the occasion of their forwardness. Those who have the most of the true spirit of prayer, which is a meek, modest, humble, retiring spirit, will not be likely to put themselves forward; while those who have the most spiritual pride, the highest conceit of

their own piety and engagedness, and will therefore be the most likely to put themselves forward, are not the most suitable persons to lead the devotions of others, or to speak to their profit. And if the practice is once introduced, it will be likely to produce difficulties, in the end, of a very serious nature. When it is once established, if the settled pastor should feel it to be ever so necessary to impose restraints, and check disorders, he will be in danger of raising prejudices against himself by attempting to interpose. We think it safest, that the pastor, or in his absence, some one of the older members of the church, who may be present, should take the direction of every meeting, and name such persons to speak and pray, as he shall think most to edification. "Let all things be done decently and in order."

16. Wrong means of exciting fear. We think there is enough in the Bible that is alarming in its nature, to which the attention of sinners may be properly directed, without resorting to any artificial means of our own contrivance. Yet, we apprehend that some, not content with presenting scriptural topics in a scriptural manner, are in danger of resorting to other means, in order to clothe them with artificial terrors, for the purpose of trying to give them greater effect. To tell one who acknowledges himself to be in an unconverted state, that he is in the way to destruction, and that unless he repents he will speedily perish, cannot be objected to; but, to tell such a one that "he will be in hell before twelve o'clock;" to say to a child, "watch the sun, for you will be in hell before it goes down;" to say to another, "if you do not repent to-day, you will be in hell to-morrow;" to say to an awakened sinner, in ordinary circumstances," your case is the most hopeless of any that I have ever seen," or, "I have no doubt you are a reprobate, for you have every mark of a reprobate," or, "you are going right to hell, and there is no help for you;" such things, we think, are al

together unjustifiable. Such predictions and declarations we know not how to reconcile with truth; and if we saw nothing objectionable in them, in that respect, we think they are adapted to do injury. They may, indeed, create a momentary terror, in some minds; but the ultimate influence of them, we think, will be, to harden those who have been thus addressed, and lead them not only to despise such artificial terrors, but to be less accessible to the sober warnings contained in the Bible.

17. Trying to make people angry. When truth and duty are clearly presented to sinners, and they have feeling enough to make an application of them to their own case, it is to be expected they will feel displeased: Not always, perhaps, with him who presents these unpleasant subjects; for they may be convinced that it is done in kindness, and with the best wishes for their good; and, in that case, their displeasure may be with themselves. And this we think is the great point to be aimed at, in presenting unpleasant subjects, and urging them upon the consciences of men, that they may see their own folly and guilt, and condemn themselves for it. But some are so unreasonable as to be displeased with the preacher or the friend who urges these subjects upon them, though it is done with the kindest intentions. We think it is wrong to soften down, or conceal the truth, for the sake of pleasing men; and if any preacher does please all sorts of hearers, we think that circumstance ought to lead him seriously to inquire whether he has not failed in declaring the whole counsel of God. Yet we ought not rashly to conclude that the absence of open and violent opposition is a proof of unfaithfulness. We think it quite possible for the consciences of men to be so thoroughly convinced of the truth, as to silence all open opposition, even though their hearts are not brought to submission. But, while it is to be expected that the faithful declaration of the truth will offend some, we think it would be a

great mistake to make it an object to give offence, and try to provoke the angry passions of men. Το study harshness and abruptness of manner, in the pulpit or in private conversation, for the purpose of giv ing offence, appears to be entirely contrary to the inspired direction in meekness to give instruction to opposers. And after having given of fence by such a manner, to conclude that the opposition which is made is an evidence of our superior faithfulness, we think would be quite unwarrantable.

18. Talking much about opposition. It is to be expected that the enemies of truth and righteousness should be grieved to witness a revival of true religion. And it can scarcely be expected that such a revival can take place, to any considerable extent, without being opposed, secretly or openly. But as we think it a fault in Christians to try to provoke and stir up opposition, so we think it extremely injudicious in them when such opposition is made, to try to drown it by raising as great a noise on their part. It will be more likely to exhaust its rage, and die of itself, if let alone, than if fresh aliment is administered by raising the cry of persecution. We think it is the best policy, as well as most agreeable to the spirit of the gospel. to bear injurious treatment of every kind, with meekness, and forbearance, and silence. It was when the enemies of the Lord Jesus were most enraged against him, that he was the most silent and submissive under their injurious treatment, an example which his disciples would do well to imitate.

19. The affectation of familiarity with God in prayer. The pure spirits above are represented as veiling their faces before the Majesty of heaven and earth. Holy men of old, when favoured with the clearest views of God, abased themselves before him, with the deepest reverence. Penitent sinners are, indeed, encouraged to come boldly to the throne of grace, through faith in the blood