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are not at all touched with regenerat ing grace. Where there is no grace, there may, notwithstanding, he a flood • of tears, as in Esau, “ who found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears” (Heb. 12:17). There may be great flashes of joy; as in the hearers of the Word, represent ed in the parable by the stony ground, who “ anon with joy receive it” (Matt. 13:20). There may also be great de sires after good things, and great de light in them too; as in those hypo crites described in Isa. 58:2: “ Yet they seek Me daily, and delight to know My ways: they take delight in approaching to God.” See how high they may some times stand, who yet fall away (Heb. 6:4-6 ). They may be “ enlightened, taste of the heavenly gift,” be “ par takers of the Holy Ghost, taste the good Word of God, and the powers of the world to come,” Common operations of the Divine Spirit, like a land flood, make a strange turning of things upside down: but when they are over, all runs again in the ordinary channel. All these things may be where the- sanctifying Spirit of Christ never rests upon the soul, but the stony heart still remains; and in that case these affections cannot but wither, because they have no root. But regeneration is a real thorough change, whereby the man is made a new creature. (2 Cor. 5:17.) The Lord God makes the creature a new creature, as the goldsmith melts down the vessel of dishonor, and makes it a vessel of honor. Man is, in respect of his spirit ual state, altogether disjointed by the fall; every faculty of the soul is, as it were, dislocated: in regeneration the Lord loosens every joint, and sets it right again. Now this change made in regeneration, is: 1. A change of qualities or disposi tions: it is not a change of the sub stance, but of the qualities of the soul. Vicious qualities are removed, and the contrary dispositions are brought in, in their room. “ The old man is put off”
throes of conscience« which turn to nothing at last. Pharaoh and Simon Magus had such convictions as made them desire the prayers of others for them. Judas repented himself; and under terrors of conscience, gave hack his ill-gotten pieces of silver. All is not gold that glitters. Treès may blos som fairly in the spring, on which no fruit is to be found in the harvest; and some have sharp soul exercises, which are nothing but foretastes of hell. The new birth, however in appear ance hopefully begun, may he marred two ways: First,- Some, like Zarah (Gen. 38:28, 29), are brought to the birth, but go back again. They have sharp convictions for a while; but these go off, and they become as careless about their salvation, and as profane as ever and usually worse than ever; “ their last state is worse than their first” (Matt. 12:45). They get awakening grace, but not converting grace and that goes off by degrees as the light of the de clining day, till it issue in midnight darkness. Secondly, Some, like Ishmael, come forth too soon; they are born before the time of the promise. (Gen. 16:2; compare Gal. 4:22, etc.) They take up with a mere law-work, and stay not till the time of the promise of the Gos pel. They snatch at consolation, not waiting till it be given them; and fool ishly draw their comfort from the law that wounded them. They apply the healing plaster to themselves, before their wound is sufficiently searched. The law, that rigorous husband, severely beats them, and throws in curses and vengeance upon their souls; then they fall to reforming, praying, mourning, promising, and vowing, till this ghost be laid; which done, they fall asleep again in the arms of the law: but they are never shaken out of themselves and their own righteousness, nor brought forward to Jesus Christ. Lastly, There may be a wonderful moving of the affections, in souls that
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