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men religious, we should hardly find fo many wicked and sensual persons as we do. The generality of men acknowledge the principles of religion, and the truths of the gospel. If you afk them whether they believe that there is a God, and that he knows the secrets of the heart, and will one day call men to an account for their actions; if you ask them whether they believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, that he died for our fins, and rose again for our justification; that he is ascended into heaven, and will come from thence at the last day to judge the quick and the dead: I say, if you ask them whether they believe these things; they will answer in the affirmative, and perhaps be not a little angry with you for feeming to call their faith in question. But here lies their unhappiness; that tho they do in some fort believe these things, and cannot withold afsent from them wheneyer they confider them; yet it very rarely happens that they do confider them. A croud of other thoughts presses into their minds, and excludes those of a religious kind. Their hearts are set upon the riches, the honours, and the pleasures of this life: worldly thoughts always always remain with them, and are constant inhabitants in their fouls; but holy and devout meditations visit them but feldom, and are like strangers and sojourners, who tarry a little while in a place, and after that perhaps are no more feen or heard of.

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This is the deplorable case of men whose hearts God hath not enlarged. But when he enlargeth the heart, he brings divine truths to our remembrance, and causes them to make a deep impression upon the foul: he fets before us the evil of fin, and the beauty of holiness: he raises in our minds the ideas of his own attributes and perfections: he convinces us of the reafonableness and goodness of all his laws : he represents to us the worth and value of our immortal fouls: he transplants our thoughts from earth to heaven, and extends our views beyond time to eternity. This is the first thing which God doth when he enlargeth the heart: he impresses divine truths upon our minds. But then,

2. To complete this enlargement, he

stirs up holy resolutions within us.

The

understanding may be well informed,

and be very converfant about divine

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things, and yet the will may have a vitious biass: for it doth not always happen that the affections are influenced by the understanding: and what the affections do not embrace, 'tis impoffible the will should chuse. How many are there to whom that of the poet is applicable:

--

Video meliora proboque ;

Deteriora fequor.

Their reason is on the side of virtue, but their passions are on the fide of vice. Therefore when God enlargeth the heart, he changeth the course of the paffions, and diverts them into a different channel. What Solomon faith of the heart of kings, is equally true of the hearts of all men: they are in the band of the Lord; as the rivers of water, be turneth them whitherfoever he will. Men are very often unsuccessful in their addresses to the passions: tho they speak with all the reason and eloquence that it is possible for men to do, yet they frequently fail of exciting the paffions, and overcoming the will; for there are many persons who are like the deaf adder, that stoppeth her ear, which will

not

not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming ever fo wisely, Pfalm LVIII. 4, 5. But the things which are impossible with men, are possible with God : he hath an absolute dominion over the hearts of men, and can with the greatest ease stir up devout affections in them, and incline them to make holy and virtuous resolutions. And when he is pleased to do so, then I think he may very properly be said to enlarge the heart. I proceed now,

III. To shew you, that it is impofsible for us to run the way of God's commandments, except God doth enlarge our hearts.

For this purpose it will be proper to confider the difficulties of a religious life. And let none be surprized that I speak of difficulties in religion : for, if there were none, our Saviour would never have represented it unto us under the metaphor of a strait gate, and a narrow or a craggy way; nor would he have told us, that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Now

Now the difficulty of religion arises from these three causes: the corruption of our nature; the temptations which affault us from without; and the evil habits which we ourselves contract. On these therefore I will now discourse; and thence argue the neceffity of a supernatural aid, or a divine enlargement, in order to the chearful difcharge of our duty.

1. I begin with the first; namely, the corruption of our nature.

As I am not for debasing human nature, to that degree to which fome would debase it; so neither am I for exalting it to that pitch to which some would exalt it. That there is in mankind a propenfity to vice, and that this propenfity discovers itself very early, are truths founded upon observation and experience *; and feem also to be countenanced by the word of God.

* Here the following lines were inserted; but afterwards ftruck out again, with this reason assigned, that the author took for granted, fcripture teftimonies would be more acceptable to a chriftian auditory.

"Several of the heathens were fenfible of the depra"vity of human nature, and deeply lamented it. Cebes "the Theban, hath reprefented it under the figure of " a woman, whose name is Imposture, who holds a cup

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