sorry for his sins; and especially that he heartily repented of the cruel usage, which the prisoners had received from him, as he made them all the amends of which the circumstances would then admit. This done, "he cried out, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" and they answered, "believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt "be saved." And when they had further instructed him and his family in the nature of Christianity, he embraced that despised and persecuted religion, professed his faith by receiving baptism, ventured all consequences in thus joining himself to the hated sect of the christians, shewed every kindness to Paul and Silas, and was filled with "peace and joy in believing."―This is a fair specimen of the nature and tendency of those convictions, by which sinners are brought to believe in Christ. The jailor's faith was evidently connected with repentance, of which he shewed some tokens and produced some fruits, before he understood the plan of salvation revealed in the gospel, and when he had merely a general belief that he might be forgiven and saved. The further and more explicit exercise of faith, when it was fixed on Christ the Saviour; worked by love of him and his servants; overcame the love of the world and the fear of the cross; and purified his heart from the pride, enmity, and selfishness, which before had reigned there without controul. But let us contrast this example, with that of Felix, a sinner of high rank, before whom Paul, again a prisoner," reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come." For he also trembled: but the love of sin caused him to hate the light; and he sent the ambassador of heaven, to the authority of whose message his conscience. bore painful testimony, back to the dungeon, saying, "Go thy way at this time, when I have a "convenient season, I will call, for thee. "He "hoped also that money should have been given him of Paul, that he might loose him: "wherefore he sent for him the oftener, and com"muned with him.-But after two years, Portius "Festus came in Felix' room, and Felix, willing "to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound."It does not appear, that before the memorable night of his conversion, the jailor was at all better disposed to christianity than Felix: they both were convinced and trembled: but the former was made partaker of an honest and good heart by new-creating grace, and the good seed of the word took root, sprang up, and brought forth fruit; while the latter continued carnal, covetous, sensual, and at enmity with God, notwithstanding his transient alarm, when the word of truth was sounding in his ears.1 This may be further illustrated by the case of king Agrippa, who listened to the apostle Paul's in VOL. IV. Acts xvi. 23-34. xxiv. 24-27· P imitable defence, and was "almost persuaded to be a christian" his understanding assented to the truth, and his conscience was on the part of the christian Teacher: but his heart remained under the power of worldly principles; and he still neglected Christ and his salvation. But we are told the "Lord opened the heart of Lydia, that she at"tended to the things which were spoken of "Paul." Now who can doubt, but that there was an essential difference between the heart which the Lord opened, and that which sin and Satan closed?' Thus the apostle informs us that the "veil still "remaineth on the heart" of the unbelieving Jews;' and for almost eighteen hundred years they have despised, abhorred, and blasphemed the Messiah, to whom their Scriptures so fully bear testimony, and whom their fathers crucified. Yet the Lord hath declared, "I will pour upon them the Spirit of grace and supplication, and they shall "look to me, whom they have pierced, and "mourn.3" Then the veil will be taken from their hearts, and they will become penitent believers in the crucified Emmanuel: and who can suppose that this change wrought by the Spirit of grace, by which they are brought to believe in Christ, is any other than regeneration? Again the apostle, having shewn the nature of his ministry, and his manner of fulfilling it, adds 1 Acts xvi. 14. xxvi. 28. 22 Cor. ii. 15. Zech. xii. 10. 66 199 these remarkable words, "If our gospel be hid, it "is hid unto them that are lost; in whom the "God of this world hath blinded the minds of "them that believe not; lest the light of the gos'pel of the glory of Christ,-should shine into "them." And on the other hand, he states that where the gospel is truly believed, "God who "commanded the light to shine out of darkness, "hath shined into the heart, to give the light of "the knowledge of the glory of God in the face "of Jesus Christ.' Hence it is most manifest that the illumination, which is the immediate cause of saving faith in Christ, particularly respects the heart, and prepares it for welcoming. those discoveries of the divine glory in the person and salvation of Christ, which the proud and carnal heart despises and hates; and which Satan especially hides from those who continue in unbelief. And surely this difference implies, that the one is an holy and the other an unholy state of the affections; the one being regenerate, the other not. The same is manifestly implied in our Lord's words, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a be born again; he cannot see the kingdom "of God."" Except he be born of water and of "the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of "God.""That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit 1 2 Cor. iv. "is Spirit." Can any man savingly believe in Christ, before he is able in the least degree to perceive the nature of the kingdom of God? And is it not by faith in Christ that the sinner enters into that kingdom?* St. Paul affirms that "The natural man re"ceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, neither can he know "them; because they are spiritually discerned."" The contrast between the natural man and the spiritual man, and indeed the whole context, fully proves, that he spoke of an unregenerate person, one in a state of nature, born of the flesh, and not of the Spirit and would we know what "things "of the Spirit of God are foolishness" to such persons; another text from the same epistle informs us; "The preaching of the cross is to them "that perish foolishness.4" Now can he, to whom the doctrine of a crucified Saviour is foolishness, and who cannot receive or know this doctrine and other truths connected with it, for want of spiritual discernment, be at the same time a true believer in Christ? or does the apostle mean that this is the case with only some of the unregenerate? The language of St. John is equally decisive on this subject. "As many as received him, to them "" gave he power to become the sons of God, even 1 John iii. 1-8. 2 Col. i. 13, 14. 3 1 Cor. ii, 14. |