which he has given us of his faithfulness to his covenant, by confirming it with an oath; for the evidence that this is his covenant, is the foundation on which all those assurances stand. We may therefore conclude with confidence that God has given some evidence that this covenant is his, which does not depend upon mere probability; that there are some grounds of assurance which, if we are not blind to them, tend to produce a firmer persuasion than any arguments from history. It is natural to suppose that God would give the clearest evidence of those things which are of the greatest importance to us, and of the truth of which, if we act rationally, we shall feel the greatest desire to possess the fullest assurance. But it is certain, that, by the greater part of those who live under the Gos pel, such an assurance is not to be obtained by arguments derived from ancient history.

And if we come to experience and fact, we shall be induced to conclude, that not one in a hundred of those who have been sincere Christians, were convinced of the truth of the Gospel in this way. If we read the history of the thousands who, at the time of the reformation, were martyrs for Christ, and cheerfully suffered extreme tortures, in confidence of the truth of the Gospel; and if we consider their circumstances and want of advantages, we shall be convinced that few of them obtained their confidence from historic evidence. Many of them were women and children, and the greater part of them illiterate persons; most of them had lived in Popish ignorance, and were but newly brought to the knowledge of the truth. At that time also the arguments for the truth of Christianity from antiquity and history, had been but very imperfectly studied.

The Gospel of the blessed God has its strongest and most appropriate evidence in itself. Great use, however, may be made of arguments deduced from history, and certainly they ought not to be neglected, but rather highly valued. They may be serviceable in confirming the faith of the saints, and in removing the unbelief of infidels. It is still true that there is no spiritual and gracious conviction of the judgment but what arises from a view of the beauty and glory of divine things; and that this view has a tendency to convince the mind of the truth of the Gospel both directly and indirectly. Having already shown how it does this directly, I proceed now,

(2.) To observe, how a view of this divine glory convinces the human mind of the truth of Christianity indirectly.

The prejudices of the human heart against divine things are thereby removed. The mind of man is naturally full of enmity against the doctrines of the Gospel, and this produces a powerful disadvantage as to those arguments which prove their truth. But when a person has the transcendent excellency of divine things manifested to him, his enmity is destroyed, his prejudices removed, and his reason sanctified. Hence arises a vast difference as to the force of arguments in convincing the mind. Hence arose the very different success which attended the miracles of Christ in convincing his disciples, from what they had in convincing the Scribes and Pharisees. The minds of his disciples were not more cultivated, but they were sanctified; and those blinding prejudices by which the Scribes and Pharisees were influenced, were removed by the view they had of the excellency of Christ and of his doc trines.

This view of the divine glory not only removes obstructions from our minds, but positively assists them. It engages our serious attention to divine things, whereby we obtain a clearer view of them, and are enabled more distinctly to perceive their mutual relations. Our ideas of religious objects, which otherwise are faint and obscure, by this means have a light cast upon them, so that the mind can form a more accurate judgment respecting them; as he who beholds objects when the light of the sun shines upon them, is under greater advantage in discerning their true forms and mutual relations, than he who only sees them by star-light.

What has been said will serve, in some measure, to show the nature of spiritual convictions as they relate to the truth and importance of divine things; and so will enable us to distinguish truly gracious affections from others; for gracious affections are invariably attended by such a conviction of the judgment.

VI. Gracious affections are attended by evangelical humiliation.

Humiliation is of two kinds, legal and evangelical. The former may be exercised while we are in a state of nature; the latter is peculiar to the saints, and consista in the sense they have of their own utter insufficiency, despicableness and odiousness, with an answerable frame of heart. In legal humiliation men may be made sensible of their worthlessness and guilt in the sight of God; but they have not a correspondent frame of heart, which leads them to see their own odiousness on account of sin, to abase themselves before God, and to exalt him alone. This frame of mind is given in evangelical

humiliation only, in which the inclination is changed by a discovery of the holy beauty of God. In legal humiliation the conscience is convinced; but the will is not bowed, nor is the inclination altered. In legal humiliation men are brought to despair of helping themselves; in evangelical they are brought voluntarily to deny and renounce themselves: in the former they are subdued and forced to the ground; in the latter they are brought sweetly to yield, and with delight to prostrate themselves at the feet of God.

Legal humiliation has nothing in it spiritually good; whereas evangelical humiliation is that wherein the excellency of Christian grace very much consists. Legal humiliation is useful as a means in order to evangelical; as a common knowledge of religion is a means requisite in order to spiritual knowledge. We may be legally humbled while we have no humility; as the wicked, at the day of judgment, will be fully convinced that they have no righteousness, but are exceedingly guilty, and justly exposed to eternal damnation, without the least mortification of their pride. The essence of evangelical humility consists in such a self-renunciation, or abasement, as becomes a creature, in himself exceedingly sinful, under a dispensation of grace.

This frame of mind is a most essential circumstance in true religion. The whole constitution of the Gospel, every thing belonging to the new covenant, and all the dispensations of God toward fallen man, are calculated to produce this effect on the human heart. Those who are destitute of this have no true religion, whatever professions they make, or whatever their religious affections are. It is abundantly manifest in the

word of God, that humility is that state of mind in his people to which he has a particular respect, and without which nothing is acceptable to him. "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as" are "of a contrite spirit." Psalm 34: 18. "Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly." Psalm 138: 6. "He giveth grace unto the lowly." Prov. 3: 34. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God." Matt. 5:3. "Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, shall not enter therein." Mark, 10: 15. See also Psalm 51: 17; Isaiah, 57: 15; 66: 1, 2; Micah, 6:8; Matt. 18:31. The centurion of whom we have an account in Luke, 7, acknowledged that he was not worthy that Christ should enter under his roof, or that he himself should come to him. Observe the inanner in which the woman who was a notorious sinner came to Christ. She did not think the hair of her head, which is the natural crown and glory of a woman, too good to wipe the feet of her Redeemer. Jesus most graciously received her, and said to her, "Thy faith hath saved thee, go in peace." The woman of Canaan, when Christ said to her, "It is not meet to take the children's bread, and cast it to dogs," admitted that she deserved to be so denominated; upon which Christ said to her, "O woman, great is thy faith, be it unto thee even as thou wilt." Matt. 15: 26-28. "And he spake this parable unto certain" persons who “trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others," &c. "The publican standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful unto me a sinner." Luke, 7: 37, &c.; 1 Cor. 11: 15. "I tell you,