damned in hell have, true faith and eternal salvation will be the certain consequence. This we may certainly determine, that, if the apostle's argument in the text be good, not any thing whatsoever, that the devils have, is certainly connected with such a consequence. Seeing sinners, while such, are capable of the most perfect convictions, and will have them at the day of judgment, and in hell; who shall say, that God nev er shall cause reprobates to anticipate the future judgment and damnation in that respect? And if he does so, who shall say to him, what doest thou? or call him to account concerning his ends in so doing. Not but that many possible wise ends might be thought of, and mentioned, if it were needful, or I had now room for it.-The Spirit of God is often quenched by the exercise of the wickedness of men's hearts, after he has gone far in a work of conviction; so that their convictions never have a good issue. And who can say that sinners, by the exercise of their opposition and enmity against God, (which is not at all mortified by the greatest legal convictions, neither in the damned in hell, nor sinners on earth) may not provoke God to take his Spirit from them, even after he has proceeded the greatest length in a work of conviction? Who can say, that God never is provoked to destroy some, after he has brought them, as it were, through the wilderness, even to the edge of the land of rest? As he slew some of the Israelites, even in the plains of Moab.

And let it be considered, where is our warrant in scripture, to make use of any legal convictions, or any method or order of successive events in a work of the law, and consequent comforts, as a sure sign of regeneration. The scripture is abun dant, in expressly mentioning evidences of grace, and of a state of favor with God, as characteristics of the true saints: But where do we ever find such things as these amongst those evidences? Or where do we find any other signs insisted on, besides grace itself, its nature, exercises, and fruits? These were the evidences that Job relied upon These were the things that the Psalmist every where insists upon, as evidenees of his sincerity, and particularly in the cxixth psalm, from

the beginning to the end: These were the signs that Hezeki ah trusted to in his sickness.

These were the characteristics given of those that are truly happy, by our Saviour, in the beginning of his sermon in the mount: These are the things that Christ mentions, as the true evidences of being his real disciples, in his last and dying. discourse to his disciples, in the xivth, xvth, and xvith chapters of John, and in his intercessory prayer, chap. xvii....These are the things which the Apostle Paul often speaks of as evidences of his sincerity, and sure title to a crown of glory: And these are the things he often mentions to others, in his epistles, as the proper evidences of real Christianity, a justified state, and a title to glory. He insists on the fruits of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperence, as the proper evidences of being Christ's, and living in the Spirit: Gal. v. 22....25. It is that charity, or divine love, which is pure, peaceable, gentle, easy to be intreated, full of mercy, &c. that he insists on, as the most essential evidence of true godliness; without which, all other things are nothing. Such are the signs which the apostle James insists on, as the proper evidence of a truly wise and good man: James iii. 17. "The wisdom that is from Above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." And such are the signs of true Christianity, which the Apostle John insists on throughout his epistles. And we never have any where in the Bible, from the beginning to the end of it, any other signs of godliness given than such as these. If persons have such things as these apparently in them, it ought to be determined that they are truly converted, without its being insisted that it be first known what steps or method the Spirit of God took to introduce these things into the soul, which oftentimes is altogether untraceable. All the works of God are, in some respects, unsearchable but the scripture often represents the works of the Spirit of God as peculiarly so. Isa. xl. 13....." Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor, hath taught bim?" Eccl. xi. v. "As thou knowest not what is the way of

the Spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child; so thou knowest not the works of God, who maketh all."....John iii. 8. “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit."

VI. It follows from my text and doctrine, That it is no cer tain sign of grace, that persons have earnest desires and longings after salvation.

The devils, doubtless, long for deliverance from the misery they suffer, and from that greater misery which they expect. If they tremble through fear of it, they must, necessarily, earnestly desire to be delivered from it, Wicked men are, in scripture, represented as longing for the privileges of the righteous, when the door is shut, and they are shut out from among them; they come to the door, and cry, Lord, Lord, open to us. Therefore we are not to look on all desires, or all desires that are very earnest and vehement, as certain evidences of a pious heart. There are earnest desires of a relig ious nature, which the saints have, that are the proper breath. ings of a new nature, and distinguishing qualities of true saints. But there are also longings which unregenerate men may have, which are often mistaken for marks of godliness. They think they hunger and thirst after righteousness, and have earnest desires after God and Christ, and long for heaven; when indeed, all is to be resolved into desires of salvation from selflove; and so is a longing which arises from no higher principles than the earnest desires of devils.

VII. It may be inferred from what has been observed, That persons who have no grace may have a great apprehension of an external glory in things heavenly and divine, and of whatso ever is external pertaining to things of religion.

If persons have impressed strongly on their minds ideas of that sort which are obtained by the external senses, whether they are of that kind that enter by the ear, as any kind of sound; whether it be the most pleasant music, or words spoken of excellent signification; words of scripture, or any other, imme diately suggested, as though they were spoken, though they

seem to be never so suitable to their case, or adapted to the subject of their meditations. Or whether they are of that kind that are obtained by the eye, as ideas of a visible beauty and glory, a shining light, and external glory of heaven, golden streets,walls and gates of precious stones, splendid palaces, glorious inhabitants shining forth as the sun, a most magnificent throne surrounded by angels and saints in shining ranks; or any thing external, belonging to Jesus Christ, either in his humbled state, as of Jesus hanging on the cross, with his crown of thorns, his wounds open, and blood trickling down; or in his glorified state, with awful majesty, or ravishing beauty and sweetness in his countenance, his face shining above the brightness of the sun, and the like: These things are no certain signs of grace.

Multitudes that are now in hell, will have ideas of the external glory that pertains to things heavenly, far beyond what ever any have in this world. They will see all that external glory and beauty, in which Christ will appear at the day of Judgment, when the sun shall be turned into darkness before him; which, doubtless, will be ten thousand times greater than ever was impressed on the imagination of either saints or simers in this present state, or ever was conceived by any mortal man.

VIII. It may be inferred from the doctrine, that persons who have no grace may have a very great and affecting sense of many divine things on their hearts.

The devil has not only great speculative knowledge, but he has a sense of many divine things, which deeply affects him, and is most strongly impressed on his heart. As,

1. The devils and damned souls have a great sense of the vast importance of the things of another world. They are in the invisible world, and they see and know how great the things of that world are: Their experience teaches them in the most affecting manner. They have a great sense of the worth of salvation, and the worth of immortal souls, and the vast importance of those things that concern men's eternal welfare. The parable in the latter end of the 16th chapter of Luke, teaches this, in representing the rich man in hell, as inVOL. VII. 2 H

treating that Lazarus might be sent to his five brothers, to tes tify unto them, lest they should come to that place of torment. They who endure the torments of hell have doubtless a most lively and affecting sense of the vastness of an endless eternity, and of the comparative momentariness of this life,and the vanity of the concerns and enjoyments of time. They are con vinced effectually, that all the things of this world, even those that appear greatest and most important to the inhabitants of the earth, are despicable trifles, in comparison of the things of the eternal world. They have a great sense of the preciousness of time, and of the means of grace, and the inestimable value of the privileges which they enjoy who live under the gospel. They are fully sensible of the folly of those that go on in sin; neglect their opportunities; make light of the counsels and warnings of God; and bitterly lament their exceeding folly in their own sins, by which they have brought on themselves so great and remediless misery. When sinners, by woful experience, know the dreadful issue of their evil way, they will mourn at the last, saying, how have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof, and have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!....Prov, iv. 11....13.

Therefore, however true godliness is now attended with a great sense of the importance of divine things, and it is rare that men that have no grace do maintain such a sense in any steady and persevering manner; yet it is manifest those things are no certain evidences of grace. Unregenerate men may have a sense of the importance of the things of eternity, and the vanity of the things of time; the worth of immortal souls ; the preciousness of time and means of grace, and the folly of the way of allowed sin: And may have such a sense of those things, as may deeply affect them, and cause them to mourn for their own sins, and be much concerned for others; though it be true, they have not these things in the same manner, and in all respects from the same principles and views as godly men have them.

2. Devils and damned men have a strong and most affecting sense of the awful greatness and majesty of God. The awful