and to walk in love, and to be merciful as he is merci. ful. As a reason why we should love one another, the Apostle says, "Love is of God; and every one that lov. eth, is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is love; and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him.”

The new man is created after God in holiness. God is of purer eyes than to behold evil. He cannot look on iniquity, nor so much as be tempted of evil. The new man, in this respect bears the image of God. He has a prevailing hatred of sin, and love of moral rectitude. He cannot bear that which is evil. When he is tempted to any known sin, the holy principle within him, if it be in its proper exercise, will exclaim, "How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God;"-"How shall one who is dead to sin, live any longer therein ?" Hence he is said to be a par taker of God's holiness-to be holy as God is holy.

"The Lord is a God of truth," and "it is impossible for him to lie." In conformity to this character, his people are called "children who will not lie." The Apostle says to the Ephesian converts, "Ye have been taught, that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in true holiness or holiness of truth, therefore put away lying, and speak ye every man truth to his neighbor." And to the Colossians he says, "Lie not one to another, seeing ye have put off the old man with his deeds." He who shall enter into God's holy hill, is one that "speaketh the truth in his heart, and, though he swears to his own hurt, yet he changes not." In these respects, the true Christian is renewed after the image of God.

We see what is the main substance of religion. It is not meat and drink, rites and forms; but righteousness and truth, goodness and mercy, peace and love. If religion consists in a conformity to God, these must be its leading characters, for these are his moral perfections.

We see also that there is an essential connexion between piety to God, and the duties which we owe to men; for it is in these that we imitate God, and express our love to him. To love God is to love his moral perfections, justice, goodness, truth and faithfulness? and these are in us the social virtues. To make light of these is to treat the divine character with contempt. "If therefore a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother, whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God, love his brother also." I proceed to observe,

V. That this great change in the man is effected by means of the gospel. The Apostle says, Te have heard Christ, and been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, that ye put off the old man, and put on the new. This change was the consequence of their having learned Christ.

Renovation is indeed here supposed to be the work. of God. The new man is said to be "created after God in true holiness; and to be renewed after the image of him who created him." And elsewhere it is more expressly ascribed to the divine agency. "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works."-"We are saved by the renewing of the Holy Ghost."-" We are born of the Spirit." All the virtues of the Christian temper are "the fruits of the Spirit."

To define the manner in which the Spirit of God works on the human mind in effecting this change, is beyond our sphere. "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and we hear the sound thereof, but cannot tell, whence it cometh, nor whether it goeth; so is every one that is born of the Spirit." But whatever be the manner of his operation, it does not exclude the use and influence of means.

Christians are renewed in knowledge. They escape the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of Christ. They are chosen to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth. They are begotten by the word of truth, and born of incorruptible seed, even of the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. God hath given us all things, which pertain to a godly life through the knowledge of him, who hath called us to glory and virtue. Paul preached to the Gentiles, that he might open their eyes, and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God.

Whether the Spirit of God, in the renovation of the soul, works immediately on the will, and, by a creative power, gives a new taste, and thus prepares the way for the word to have its sanctifying effect; or whether it first opens the understanding to discern the importance of divine truths, and thus gives them a transforming influence on the will and affections; or whether the heart and the intellect conjunctly are subjects of divine operation, are questions which may amuse a metaphysician, or philosopher, but they little concern the solicitous sinner, inquiring, what he must do to be saved, or the serious Christian examining the state of his own soul. What the great change is, which prepares us for heaven, the gospel has plainly stated; that the first production, and future improvement of this change is, in some way or other, the work of divine grace, we are expressly taught; that the Spirit of God, both in the conversion of sinners, and in the sanctification of believers, works on the soul by means of the word, and that by an attendance on the word, we are to seek and obtain the grace necessary for these purposes, we are fully assured. And what more need we to know? However those questions may be determined, our duty, and our encouragement remain the same. "Work out then your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who work.

eth in you, both to will and to do, of his own good pleasure.'

The promise of God, A new heart will I give you, and a new Spirit will I put within you, does not make void the commandment. Cast away from you all your transgressions, and make you a new heart, and a new Spirit; for why will ye die?

To distinguish between renovation and conversion, and to call the former the creative work of God, in which the subject is wholly passive; and the latter, altogether the work of man, in which he is wholly active, is a refinement in divinity, which the gospel has not taught, and by which, I am afraid, Christians are little edified. The scripture uses the terms, regeneration, repentance and conversion, to express the whole change requisite to eternal life; for with each of them eternal life stands connected. To this change, taken in its complete sense, the use of means, and the grace of God, are both necessary. The former is our duty -for the latter we must look to him. "Let us do all things without murmurings and disputings, that we may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke."

There is one observation more, which I will make on our text;

VI. That the change here spoken of is exceedingly great.

This, the terms used by our Apostle plainly import. It is putting off the old man, which is corrupt, and putting on the new man, which is created after the image of God.

The observable and sensible alteration in those converted from the ignorance, superstitions and vices of heathenism, was much greater, than that which takes place in such as have grown up in the knowledge of the gospel, and under the restraining influence of a virtuous education. But in the latter the change is great, though not attended with all the same remarkable cir

cumstances.

The real nature and essence of conversion, is the same in all. It is a change of temper from the love of sin, to the love of God; and a correspondent change of life by forsaking the ways of sin, and turning the feet into God's testimonies.

Let none then imagine that they are the subjects of this change, merely because they entertain some new sentiments, feel transient emotions of the affections in their devotions, or have renounced some of their former guilty practices. "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away, and all things are become new :" It is a heart habitually con formed to God, and directed to keep all his commands, which proves that we have passed from death to life.

Some will, perhaps, here inquire, "If the change is so great as has been represented, must not every one who has been the subject of it, certainly know the reality, and even the very time of it?

This will not follow. The scripture supposes, that true Christians may want the full assurance of hope, and therefore directs them to seek it with diligence to the end; to examine themselves whether they are in the faith; and to fear, lest, a promise being left them, of entering into God's rest, they should seem to come short of it.

There is reason to believe, that some are renewed in their early childhood, before they have capacity dis tinctly to mark, or strength to retain the things which pass in their minds.

There are some, who, under the advantage of good instructions and examples, are, in a great measure, secured from the corruptions of the world, and the hardening influence of sin. These may be so gradually prepared for the change, and carried through it by such easy and gentle steps, that they can fix on no particular time, when it began, or when it was completed. New converts are but babes in Christ. There is much corruption still remaining; and the principles of