accurately, and to dispute more acutely about any given subject, where speculation, not experience, is concerned, than most of the real children of God; who are destitute of such abilities, and have not time, or opportunity for such information, or application.

According to St. Paul, if a man have the knowledge of all mysteries, and the gifts of prophecy and miracles, and have not love, he is nothing. And Christ declares that many of those, who have actually prophesied and cast out devils in his name, will be ordered to depart from him as workers of iniquity, whom he never knew. And, in fact, every age has produced persons, whose knowledge and gifts have not only rivalled, but eclipsed, those of the most illustrious servants of God; and even imposed upon them; and whose detected wickedness, and awful catastrophes, have shewn whose children they were. Thus Ahithophel imposed on David; Judas on the apostles; and Demas on St. Paul. And the false teachers at Corinth, and other places, so dazzled the minds of the primitive christians, that they even undermined the authority of the apostles themselves, and alienated the minds of the people from them, which they never could have done, without much real, as well as much pretended knowledge. Nay, it is undeniable, however mysterious, that, besides that knowledge attainable by ordinary means, the Spirit of God hath often communicated superna

tural knowledge, and other gifts to unregenerate men; and how far he may do so still, it is not for us to determine. But without taking this into the account, it will, I suppose, be allowed that Satan possesses as large a share of doctrinal knowledge as any believer upon earth, and could, if permitted and inclined, discourse as eloquently and acutely on religious subjects.

There is evidently mentioned in scripture a two-fold knowledge: The one is spoken of in degrading language. Knowledge puffeth up;" the latter in the highest terms: "This is eternal "life to know thee, the only true God, and Jesus "Christ whom thou hast sent." The former is attainable, in any degree, by a natural man; the latter, in the least degree, is the effect of regeneration, and inseparably connected with eternal life. Suffice it now to say that the difference is not so much in the things known, as in the manner of knowing them, and the effects produced thereby.

An unregenerate man may understand speculatively the strictness and extent of the law of God, as requiring perfect love, and taking cognizance of the thoughts and intents of the heart. By arguments, which he cannot answer or evade, he may be constrained to allow the reasonableness and equity of the precept, and the justice of its awful sanction: as this confession was extorted from Pharaoh, "The LORD is righteous, and I and

my people are wicked." Whether this be pro

perly what is meant by the word spirituality, I will not positively decide: But this is enough for my present purpose; and leads me to another question.

II. May not an unregenerate man be led to strive against sins of the heart, in consequence of this knowledge?'

When a man seriously apprehends that he must either part with his sins, or endure everlasting, misery for them; as long as this conviction continues, the fear of such a punishment, joined to some hope of escaping it, and obtaining eternal: happiness, must influence him both to abstain. from the sin he loves, and practise the duty he hates. And if he understand that delighting his fancy with speculative indulgence may provoke God to cast him into hell, he will for a time put a, force upon himself, and strive to repress sinful desires, and to abstain from even ideal pleasure. If he also has a notional acquaintance with those dispositions, and affections, which the law of God forbids or requires; he will, under the present impression, disallow the one, and endeavour to excite the other. But this state of mind is too unnatural to be durable. The whole current of his inclinations vehemently sets one way; the whole vigour of his exertions is pressing the other. way: And Horace said truly, and doubtless experimentally, Naturam expellas furcâ, tamen usque.

recurret. 'Though you would thrust nature out of doors with a fork, she will nevertheless recoil upon you.' Unless a new nature be communicated a man must at length grow weary of such a forced, painful, and unsuccessful exertion; and will seek and find relief from some or other of the numerous Recipes, which every where offer themselves, for the quieting of awakened consciences. Thus, some relapse into their former careless course, and rush into still greater excess of riot; stunning reflection by dissipation and indulgence. Others find relief from their fears in the hurry of business, the prospects of wealth, or the pursuits of ambition. Numbers in false religion, "a form "of godliness," or a "form of knowledge," and find the very ordinances, or truths of God, when abused by man's depravity, an anodyne for a disquieted conscience. Hence the superstitious, pharisaical, antinomian, and enthusiastical corruptions of the gospel, which in all ages have prevailed. Men under awakenings, but never "new "created in Christ Jesus unto good works," having found in these abuses, ease from the torment of an accusing conscience, recommend the remedy to others, with a probatum est; and having mistaken this relief, "for the peace of God, which "passeth all understanding;" they would persuade others, that this is the only true evangelical comfort; because they know no other. Thus the enemy sows his tares; and "evil men, and se

"ducers wax worse and worse, deceiving and be-
ing deceived." Here a wide field
Here a wide field opens before
us, but we may not expatiate in it: it suffices for
our present purpose to observe, that the numerous
generation of those," who are pure in their own

eyes, and yet are not washed from their filthiness,"
consists mainly of such persons, who after some
superficial alarms of conscience, have sought, and
found, and rested in a false
either in ex-
peace;
ternal religion without making Christ their whole
confidence; or in professed faith in Christ alone
without "Sanctification by the Spirit unto obedi-
ence:" either neglecting or abusing the blessed
gospel.

III. Proceed we then finally to enquire; wherein the precise difference lies, between the views such persons have of the law of God with their effects; and those of the most ignorant regenerate person.

This difference both in their views, and the effects of those views, arises wholly from that new nature before mentioned, and consists, in great measure, in the manner wherein the things are known.

The unregenerate man has nothing but those fears of future punishment, and hopes of future reward, which are both ignorant and unstable, (resulting only from notion, not a realizing faith,) to oppose to all his vehement inclinations, and vigorous hopes and fears of a worldly nature.