"The

like them grow worse continually. External reformation, proceeding from no gracious principle within, will be totally unavailing. kingdom of God is in you."

In every age, but, perhaps, especially in this age, are men in danger of acquiring the belief that acts of pecuniary donation will of themselves, and without very strict regard to the motive of the giver, secure salvation. Actuated by such a belief, how many have been led to found hospitals, and lazarettos, and monasteries, and asylums, and churches. Who but God can tell how far such a belief operates on many, who are the largest contributors to our missionary, Bible, tract, Sabbath school, and similar institutions? Many a dollar does this principle procure for the poor and needy. Now it is right to support good institutions and relieve the poor, but if done with a self-righteous heart, God will not be pleased. The most costly sacrifices, thousands of rams and ten thousands of rivers of oil might be given to charitable purposes, and God would say, "the earth is mine and the cattle upon a thousand hills." Paul held that a man might give all his goods to feed the poor, and yet fail of divine acceptance.

Neither will gifts avail. Gifts are not graces-nor do they always accompany graces-nor are they the least evidence of graces. Some of the most fraudulent, impious, and licentious men, now upon earth, once sang, and prayed, and spake, with a propriety, a tenderness, and a fervor, almost passing description. They had an ease and earnestness of manner, a force and copiousness of expression, which won the favorable judgment of the most judicious Christians. But time and further trial brought to light their true characters, and showed that they were the enemies of all righteousness, and the workers of iniquity. Beware of any belief of so dangerous a nature, as that gifts are graces, or even signs of graces.

Neither are those wise who rely for salvation upon convictions for sin, awful apprehensions of the wrath to come, tears, and groans, and sighs, and spiritual illuminations, which beget security and ease, or end not in holiness. The lost spirits, who are reserved in everlasting chains under darkness until the judgment of the great day, believe that there is a God, and they tremble. The devils have far more of religious terror, than any soul of man on earth. They feel the gnawings of the undying worm-they have fearful apprehensions of the judg ment to come-they utter not only groans but howlings; yet they are continually getting further and further from God. And it cannot be shown that the same may not be experienced by men. Indeed the Scriptures do furnish us with cases of this very kind. Felix trembled under the influence of his convictions. Judas, under conviction of the sin of selling Christ, was so oppressed that he was driven to selfmurder. "Fearful looking for of judgment" is one sign of final rejection from God. Fears of this kind, and sorrow, and remorse, and such like feelings, never make the heart better, and of course fit no one for heaven.

Nor will a removal from one church to another, or a change of religious opinions, secure heaven. Some fickle people will join a church,

and remain in it for a while, and then leave that and join another, and so on. Or they obtain some sort of system of religious belief and soon become dissatisfied with that, and change again and again, vainly imagining that they are making great discoveries in religious matters. Beza says of Bolezius, that he changed his religion every time the moon changed. Such are "ever learning, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." Besides, what good can it do a man to change his religion, if his religion do not change him? If he remain the same, it matters not what church he joins, or what system of doctrine he professes; for "without holiness no man shall see the Lord." Many suppose themselves in a fair way for glory, because they find themselves completely disgusted at the deceit, and emptiness, and vanity, and folly, and honors, and riches, and pleasures of the world. Such have sipped at the fountain of earthly enjoyment, until through restlessness, or satiety, or love of change, they take up the subject of religion, merely for its novelty, or the pungency of its truths. But this disgust is no better than that which suicides have. Let us take the case of Ahithophel.* He was a counsellor at the court of David, and esteemed very wise. His counsels were generally, if not invariably, followed. When Absalom raised the rebellion against his father, Ahithophel was among the conspirators. Soon after the rebellion broke out, a council was called, in which the advice of Ahithophel was overruled. "When he saw his counsel was not followed, he went home and hanged himself." Here is disgust with the world and the perfec tion of it; but there is no holiness. Disgust with the world is not a Christian virtue. A full conviction that this world is unsatisfying in its nature, and a correct judgment of its proper use and just value, belong to souls enlightened from above; but disgust is a different thing.

Mere zeal, however ardent and durable, is not decisive proof of piety. There may be a zeal for Christianity of precisely the same character with the zeal of a Mohammedan for the imposture of his prophet. There is a vast amount of this sort of zeal now in the world. Men are compassing sea and land to make proselytes to Popery, and other systems of destructive error. "I bare you record," says Paul, "that ye have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge." Zeal is often nothing more than constitutional ardor directed towards religion. Or perhaps it may be a mixture of pride and vanity, of malice and turbulence, of severity and sanctimoniousness. Zeal often degenerates into impatience and restlessness. True zeal is not heat without light, but has a due proportion of heavenly light and holy love.

Again: An increase of speculative notions on religious subjects is not religion, even though these notions be correct. A man may be sound in faith, but rotten in heart. Many men's minds become so overloaded with queries, and theories and thoughts about religion, that there is room for nothing else. And they show the state of their minds by their conversation; and when they have talked much on the subject, appear well pleased with themselves. But "the kingdom of

* 2 Sam. 17:23.

1

God is not in word, but in power" .99* Nor is there any value in that religion which occupies the head, but warms not the heart.

It ought not to be necessary to say that religion consists not in strange sights, and sounds, and dreams, and presentiments, and unaccountable impressions. The whole of many religious experiences consists in some such imaginations and delusions. Many, who thus obtain religion when asleep, will when they awake in eternity not awake in God's likeness. Many tell about what voices said to them, who do not obey the voice of God in his word. Indeed, such people generally have an utter contempt for all religion obtained through the instrumentality of the word, yet God has no where in the Bible mentioned even the possibility of obtaining true religion in any other manner. One apostle declares expressly that God's people are "born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." Another apostle says, " Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth." A contempt for Bible truth is one of the worst evidences respecting piety. It is of the very essence of fanaticism; than which nothing is more contrary to God and genuine religion.

It is proper to add, that religion is not obtained by birth or inheritance. Believers are expressly declared to be born "not of blood." The Jews gloried in it, that they had Abraham to their father, but showed by their rejection of Christ, that they were not fit for the society of Abraham in heaven; for when he was on earth and by the visions of prophecy saw Christ's day, he rejoiced in it; but they who lived in that day were sore displeased at Christ, at his doctrines, and at his miracles. Let not us then deceive ourselves with idle reflections on the piety of our ancestors, supposing that their relation to us will secure us from righteous judgment. Every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Even the piety of Eli and of David could not screen their ungodly children from the just punishment of their sins. No more can the piety of our parents be transferred to us in any possible manner, so as to save us from an everlasting overthrow, if we continue unregenerate and unholy.

• 1 Cor. 4:20.

+ 1 Pet. 1:23.

t James 1:18

SERMON LX.

BY WILLIAM S. PLUMER,

OF RICHMOND, VA.

WHAT WILL AVAIL IN A SINNER'S SALVATION.

GAL. 6:15.-For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

II. WE ARE TO SHOW WHAT THIS NEW CREATION IS.

THERE are several modes of expression found in the sacred Scriptures, all of which will throw light on this subject: such as-circumcision of the heart-a renewal of the Holy Ghost-being born againborn of the Spirit-putting on the new man-a resurrection from the dead—a quickening of those who are dead in trespasses and sins-and a creation in Christ Jesus unto good works.

There are also passages of Scripture which speak of the subject at length, as the following: "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh, and I will put my Spirit within you."* From these and other passages of Scripture we learn, that this new creation is a real and thorough change, in which the soul, being enlightened by saving knowledge and spiritual perceptions, receives a living principle and a gracious habit; and has the law of God and a holy nature implanted in the heart; and that all this is done by the powerful working of the Holy Ghost.

It is proper to state, that in this great change no new faculty is imparted to the soul. Man has, by creation, all the physical powers ne cessary for serving God perfectly. This change rectifies, regulates, and renders holy the native powers of the mind and heart. Neither is this change confined to any one power of the soul. As all its powers are disordered, so all of them must be subjected to divine operation. In fact, the soul is a simple, indivisible being-a unit, and if the understanding, or will, or affections be wrong, the effect will be manifest on the whole moral man.

The Scriptures represent unregenerate men as having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart."+ This passage is introduced, not for the purpose of entering into any subtle questions on the nature of the mind, but for the purpose of show. ing the state of unregenerate men, and the extent of the work to be wrought by the Holy Ghost. The first thing we shall notice then in

this change is the removal of this darkness by spiritual illumination. When God would make a world, he said, "let there be light;" so also does he begin the new creation by diffusing divine light through the soul. "If the things of religion are rightly understood they will affect the heart. The reason why men are not affected by such infinitely great, important, and glorious things as they often hear and read of in the word of God is undoubtedly because they are spiritually blind."* A blind man may be able to speak correctly of light and colors, of their different effects and powers, and of the laws by which they are governed; yet no one imagines he has a real perception of their true nature. One of the best books ever written on the subject of light was written by a man blind from very early infancy; yet any child ten years of age, who is blessed with vision, has a better and more correct perception of the true nature of light, than had that great man. So unrenewed men may be able to discourse intelligently about spiritual matters, but until the Holy Ghost enlightens the mind, there is no correct perception of spiritual things; for "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned:” The image of God consists in knowledge, righteousness and true holiness; but that whole image is lost. Of course, when restored, knowledge is restored also. Unrenewed men continually misapprehend and misapply truth, and they will continue to do so until born from above. These views correspond precisely with the experience of every soul that has passed from death unto life. Every such soul did find, when first drawn towards God, how foolish, and ignorant, and erroneous, were all its conceptions of divine things, previous to the entrance of light from God's Spirit. This enlightening operation extends to the whole of revealed truth. New views are imparted respecting God-respecting his holiness, justice, goodness, love, majesty, power, and indeed the whole of his nature. New views are entertained respecting the person and offices of Jesus Christ. Once he was regarded as a root out of a dry ground-without form or comeliness-having no beauty why we should desire him. But when the understanding is illuminated, the fixed and deliberate judgment of the mind is, that He is the chief among ten thousand and altogether lovely-possessed of unparalleled charms and excellencies. The unrenewed soul sees no necessity for a mediator, or if it sees the necessity of one, it sees no suitableness in the character of Christ as Mediator, but no sooner is divine knowledge communicated by God's Spirit, than the necessity of a Mediator, and the suitableness of Jesus as a Mediator, are both fully admitted. The law, too, is adjudged to be holy, just, and good, and receives the most full assent of the understanding. Sin is looked upon as deformed and loathsome, ruinous and abominable, involving in it a turpitude, a baseness not to be described. In this enlightening operation, the views of the comparative importance of time and eternity -of this life and the next-of present and future happiness and mise

* Edwards.