we have no reason to doubt of proper encouragement; but when we ftep out of the road of our duty, and form to ourselves defigns not authorized by the word of God, what ground have we to look for the aid of God's Spirit? which aid is no where promised to enable us to effect whatever our own hearts prompt us to undertake, but only to encourage our obedience to the laws and precepts of the Gospel. When God warns us to flee from temptations, it is fufficient evidence to us that we are not able to encounter them, and a clear intimation of his will that he intends to affift us by his grace, not to meet them, but to avoid them; which of itself is a task difficult enough to exercise the courage and conftancy of a Chriftian. When you endeavour to avoid what God has commanded to be avoided, you act under the affurance and protection of his grace; but, if you face about and dare the temptation, your courage grows to be contumacy and difobedience, and you have no title to the promifes of the Gofpel. An imagination that we are above all temptations, and may safely venture into their company, is always a dangerous fymptom, and fhews that spiritual pride and prefumption have got the upper hand of Chriftian courage and humility. Men are apt to think that caution and fear are only neceffary for young beginners; but that established virtue is licensed to take a nearer view of fin, and may enter its quarters without any danger from the infection but whence arifes this confidence? If from themselves, it is vain; if from a dependence upon the experienced ftrength of God's grace, the conclufion is no where warranted by Scripture, and

VOL. II.

is a direct contradiction to St. Paul's inference drawn from the fame principles, who thus admonishes all Chriftians; Work out your falvation with fear and trembling, for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do. Our whole ability depending upon the aid of God's Spirit is, in the Apostle's way of reasoning, an argument for fear and trembling: and, if he had the Spirit of God, what spirit must they have, who, in contempt of this apostolical rebuke to presumption, thus exhort themselves: and others; Be bold and fear not, for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do? St. Paul. did not speak to babes in Chrift Jefus only, but to those also who had attained to the fulness of stature in Chrift. The beft thing the moft confirmed Chriftian can fay for himself, is, that God worketh in him both to will and to do; and if even this. be a reafon for fear and trembling, if this, which is your ftrength, is likewise your admonition to be: cautious and wary, whence can prefumption grow? For, if the fenfe of your ftrength in Chrift Jefus must teach you to be modeft and humble, and. always upon your guard, what elfe is there that can encourage you to be bold and confident? Let no man therefore think that his trial is over, or that he is got beyond the power of fin and temptation: the enemy will watch all your unguarded moments, and your fecurity and prefumption will be his encouragement to attempt your ruin: Watch therefore and pray, that ye enter not into temptation. And if the will of God be that your virtue fhould be brought to the trial, if he calls you to the combat, look up to him for aid, imploring of his goodness,

that he would with the temptation alfo make a way for you to efcape.

Thirdly, From the example of St. Peter we may learn how great the advantages of regular and habitual holiness are. Good Chriftians though they may fall like other men through paffion, or presumption, or other infirmities, yet the way to their repentance is more open and eafy; their minds, not being hardened by fin, are awakened by the gentleft calls, and the sense of virtue revives upon the first motion and fuggeftions of confcience. St. Peter fell, and his fall was very fhameful; but his repentance was as furprifing and remarkable as his fall. Whilft he was in the height of his rage for being fufpected to be a difciple of Chrift, whilft he was abjuring him with oaths and imprecations, one look of his Lord laid all the ftorm, and melted him into the tears and forrows of repentance. The fame minute faw him the most audacious finner and the moft humble penitent; he committed the fault, and begged pardon for it, almoft in the fame breath. There was no need of terrifying judgments to awaken his mind to a fenfe of his iniquity: the eye of his Lord, though full of compaffion, was a fufficient rebuke; it ftruck him with a forrow not to be diffembled, and therefore he went out, and wept bitterly. St. Peter's cafe is the case of every good man under the fame unhappy circumftances. The hardened finner goes on from fin to fin, despises the calls of confcience, refuses to hearken to the judgments of God, and obftinately perishes in the error of his way: but, where there is a sense of virtue and religion, fin can never keep poffeffion long;

no fooner does the paffion cool, and confcience begin to speak, but the heart travails with repentance, and feels the pangs of godly forrow. How different were the calls to repentance which the rulers of the Jews had upon the death of Chrift, and yet how different the fuccefs of thofe calls! When he hung upon the crofs, they faw all nature thrown into convulfions; the earth trembled, the fun was darkened, and the vail of the temple was rent in two: yet ftill they pursue their malice, and fet a guard upon his fepulchre, hoping at leaft that the grave, fo affifted, would hold him fast: but when this failed them, and their own trufty watch declared to them the wonder of his refurrection, they relented not; but, throwing off all shame, they fuborned the guards to witness a lie, giving out that his dif ciples had stolen him away by night. One compaffionate look recovered St. Peter; but the Jews were not convinced, though one arofe from the dead. A good man may be mistaken, surprised, mifled; but the firft return of thought, the firft interval he has of cool reflection, fhews him his error, and haftens his return to the obedience of holiness. This is a great fecurity: for every man may fin; but those only will repent, who fincerely endeavour after righteoufnefs. The wicked, as they advance in iniquity, do more and more fubdue their confcience, till even repentance itself becomes impoffible.

Fourthly, You may obferve that the fins of the beft men are expiated with the greatest sense of forrow and affliction. It is eafy for men, who have been long ftrangers to a fenfe of religion, to argue

themselves into an unconcernedness for their past iniquities; and to imagine that, if they do but purfue their refolutions of living virtuously for the time to come, it is of little moment to trouble themfelves with the remembrance of what is paft and gone; fince God requires nothing but their amendment, and even forrow and repentance are no farther valuable, than as they tend to reformation. I fhall not enter into speculations upon this fubject; let men enjoy their reafonings: but this I fay, it is impoffible to have a sense of religion, to think of God and ourselves as we ought to do, without being affected with the deepeft forrow for our offences. When men are truly concerned, they do not confider what they are to get by their tears, or what profit their forrow will yield: the foul muft vent its grief; and godly forrow is as truly the natural expreffion of an inward pain as worldly forrow, however they differ in their causes and objects. St. Peter, when he went out and wept bitterly, did not ftay to confider whether he ought to weep or no; or to reflect what ufe his tears would be to him: his heart was too full for fuch reflections; he faw the goodness of his Lord, and his own baseness, and his grief came as naturally into his eyes, as when a man bemoans the lofs of a father or a mother. Some indeed have learnt how to make a trade of repentance, and can balance fin and forrow as exactly as a merchant does his accounts: and repentance is indeed their richeft merchandise. But the Gospel has taught us no fuch art: there only we learn how gracious our God is, how much it is our duty and intereft to obey; and from thence we learn how