vils-and, I must needs fay, the state of man, when his will is turned from his GOD.

And hence we are furnished with an infallible criterion, by which we may distinguish true from false religion; or, in other words, by which we may know, whether we are or are not receiving Spiritual Nourishment from the SHEPHERD OF SOULS. For it evidently follows, from what hath been faid, that we have a two-fold ftandard of Eternal Truth, viz. the Will of God revealed by a Birth of his Son in our hearts; and the fame Bleffed Will revealed in outward Scripture, as a perpetual uniform teftimony to these inward Dictates of Heaven. Here we stand upon firm ground, unfhaken by infidelity on the one hand, or the vain pretences of false enthusiasm on the other: we are confcious of a fuperior nature, and of our connections with a

fuperior

fuperior world. We are of the Flock of JESUS-he is our true and only Shepherd. He feeds us-with what ?-with himself with his own "Flesh and "Blood," his own Heavenly Nature; and we can diftinguish our growth in him, by our growth in Grace, and by a living conformity to his holy tempers and difpofitions.

Deceive not yourfelves, ye proud and high-minded vifionaries, by refting your hope of falvation upon a few tranfient animal fervours, or a vain affurance that ye belong to CHRIST, and are born again, because ye have an outward faith in him as an outward Saviour, and have felt fome little momentary joy, from a vain opinion, that your fins were inftantaneously forgiven. The forgiveness of your fins, is and can be nothing lefs than the Change your Nature: Meeknefs, Humility,

of

and Love, are the firft and the laft, the fure and infallible marks of this change.

Deceive not yourselves, ye boasting infidels! by glorying in the fufficiency of reafon, and what you call the dignity of nature. Reason, with all its efforts, can no more bring one fpark of Goodness into your hearts, than it can bring one ray of light into your eyes, or one breath of air into your lungs. It may contemplate them, when there, but they must be born from another fource. As to your boasted dignity of nature, Goodness alone is real dignity; and All Goodnefs is derived from him, who is the only Effential Good. Without this, Satan himself is more dignified than ye are. Your rejection of Divine Revelation is not to be wondered at. Till you have difcovered your own natural weakness and infufficiency, and been brought to feel, that this can only be fupplied from Heaven,

Heaven, ye will never be fincerely difposed to make an impartial enquiry, to "fearch the Scriptures," and being convinced of their authority, to fatiffy yourselves from them, that the JEsus there revealed, is indeed the Shepherd, by whom alone all your wants can be fupplied, who alone can "lead you into green pastures, and feed by the waters of comfort!"

you

Let the meek and humble-minded Christian "lift up his head and look up." He need not, he does not, as the Pfalmift expreffes it, "run here and there "for food; and grudge, because he is

not fatisfied:" the wants he feels, reason, he well knows, cannot supply; the comforts he afpires after, are fuch as the world cannot give. Wherever his Shepherd leads, he is content to follow he is fenfible of his prefence, in darkness as well as in light. evils by which he is oppreffed, he is

The

fatisfied

fatisfied to bear, because his deliverer is ever at his fide. He leaves it to him, to continue or remove them, when, and in what manner he pleases; being well affured, that, when " pa"tience hath done its perfect work," the time of rest and uninterrupted joy will fucceed. O how sweet to walk the wilds of nature, with fuch a Companion and Guide! The thorny paths of adverfity, the ftorms of temptation, the doubts and fears of trembling nature, yea, the rudeft affaults of the Prince of Darkness, inftead of weakening, do but ftrengthen his Faith, enliven his Hope, and increase the ardour of his Love. He is nothing, he has nothing, he wants nothing, but CHRIST. His Shepherd is his Love; his life is from him; he dies unto himself, that he may live wholly to him.

DISCOURSE