filment, as there certainly has been, of what was uttered by Noah on that occasion. Nothing, I cannot forbear to observe, in the whole book of God, is marked with more fearful denunciations, than gross indignities offered by children to their parents. "The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley. shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it." And "disobedience to parents" is ranked by the apostle Paul, (Rom. i. 30,) among the most shocking and detestable vices, which depraved man has ever exhibited, even in the heathen world. When parents are noto riously and habitually vicious, the part which pious or prudent children are called to act, is truly difficult. Silence in regard to their vices, as far as practicable, and much and earnest prayer for their reformation and conversion, are the duties then to be performed. On the other hand, when children are blessed with worthy parents, their characters are to be promptly and earnestly defended by their off spring, against every slander and unjust reproach.

4. There are many external to kens of respect and of affectionate regard, which it is the duty of children to show to their parents. "Thus Solomon, though his character as a king rendered him superior. to all his subjects, yet he expressed a great deal of honour by outward gestures to his mother, when she went to speak in the behalf of Adonijah. 'Tis said that the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the king's mother, and she sat on his right hand." Nothing is more lovely than to observe the sedulous and kind attentions, which dutiful children are sometimes seen to show to their parents-in watching all their wants, waiting upon them when

• Ridgley.

ever they can afford any aid, and showing, by a thousand nameless little services, that it is among their greatest gratifications, to add something to their parents' comfort and convenience. A watchful and unremitted endeavour to relieve and mitigate the sufferings of a sick parent, is among the obvious duties of children: and, in a word, they are on all occasions bound to render to their parents every act of service that is lawful in itself, and within their power to perform.

5. Patient submission to just correction, in their early years, and to just reproof at a more advanced age, is an important duty which children owe to their parents. An obstinately "stubborn and rebellious son" was commanded to be judicially put to death, under the Mosaick dispensation.-(Deut. xvi. 18-21.) This, doubtless, was intended to be peculiar to that dispensation; but it serves to show, that the offence is, in the eye of God, of a very aggravated kind. It may be difficult to convince children, at the time they receive even the most necessary chastisement, that it is solely intended for their good; yet, in after life, if they are not lost to all reason, they seldom fail to be thankful to their parents that it was administered; and this ought to induce them to take the reproof which they may receive in riper age, with thankfulness also, and improve it for their farther amendment and benefit.

6. If reproof, seasonably given, ought to be well received by chil dren, they surely ought to listen to advice, and to obey it carefully and cheerfully. There is scarcely a more unpromising indication in a child, than a disregard to parental advice. Often, very often, it is followed by the most serious mischiefs, and the most bitter regrets-frequently as unavailing as they are bitter. On the contrary, the child to whom the advice of a kind and judicious parent is an inviolable rule of duty and action, is—I had

nearly said always-sure of prosperity and happiness.

7. "Children are to express their duty to their parents, by a thankful acknowledgment of past favours; and accordingly ought to relieve them, if they are able, when their indigent circumstances call for it; and endeavour to be a staff, comfort, and support to them in their old age." This is a duty taught in the sacred scriptures, both in the Old Testament and the New; and it is one which it will always be gratifying for every dutiful child to perform.

8. It is the duty of children, in all ordinary circumstances, to consult, and endeavour to please their parents, when they are about to make a marriage engagement. In every view that can be taken of the subject, this appears to be a reasonable duty. It is due to the deference that should be shown to parents; it is important to the child, as a matter of prudence; and it is right that when a new family connexion is to be formed, the heads of that family should be consulted, and, if practicable, gratified. Still, it must be admitted that parents may be sometimes so blinded by prejudice, or as utterly unreasonable in their demands and expectations, or so incapable by dotage, or natural defect of judgment, to form a just opinion, that children, when of age to act for themselves, will not be bound to follow, or even to ask their advice Their lasting happiness is certainly not to be sacrificed to parental prejudice, caprice, or folly. Children must, in such cases, ask counsel of God, of their judicious friends, and of their own consciences and hearts, and act as duty, thus ascertained, shall appear to di

detail than I had anticipated. But the subject is worthy of detail, and of all your attention; for to family instruction, family religion, and family government, we must be more indebted than to all other causes, for whatever is excellent, either in the church or in the state. When parental and filial duties are disregarded, and in consequence of this the families of a community become generally corrupt, society is poisoned in its very fountain, and every stream it sends forth will unavoidably partake of the deadly contamination.

I have hitherto, by general remarks, endeavoured to caution the reader against taking up with erroneous and defective views of the nature of religion. We now proceed a step farther: and I would willingly point out, in as distinct a manner as I am able, what is the change which is wrought in all, without exception, who are the real children of God, by whatever means it is brought about; what it is in the temper and disposition, in the life and practice, which constitutes the difference between one who "is," and one who is "not born again." The different steps by which this change may be effected in the sovereign providence of God, and the different degrees of perfection at which it may arrive, I purposely omit here, and reserve as the subject of a distinct head of discourse.

That we may enter on the subject with the greater perspicuity and simplicity, it will be proper to begin with observing, that the design and purpose of this change is to repair the loss which man sustained by the fall. Man, at his first creation, was made after the image Ꮓ

of God, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, and enjoyed uninterrupted fellowship and communion with him. He was not only subservient to the divine glory, by a natural and necessary subjection to the divine dominion, which all creatures are, have been, and ever will be, but by choice and inclination, his duty and delight being invariably the same. By the fall, he became not only obnoxious to the divine displeasure, by a single act of transgression, but disobedient to the divine will, in his habitual and prevailing inclination. This is the character given not of one man only, but of the human race. "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."*

He became, at the same time, not only unworthy of, but wholly disinclined to communion with God, and habitually disposed to prefer the creature before the Creator, who is "God blessed for evermore." In regeneration, therefore, the sinner must be restored to the image of God, which, in a created nature, is but another expression for obedience to his will. He must also be restored to the exercise of love to him, and find his happiness and comfort in him. His habitual tem per, his prevailing disposition, or that which hath the ascendency, must be the same that was perfect and without mixture, before the fall, and shall be made equally, or perhaps more perfect, in heaven, after death.

As the change must be entire and universal, corresponding to the corruption of the whole man, it is not unusual to say it may be fully comprehended in the three following things-giving a new direction to the understanding, the will, and the affections. And no doubt, with respect to every one of these, there is

Gen. vi. 5.

a remarkable and sensible change. But as the understanding is a natural faculty, which becomes good or evil, just as it is applied or employed, it would be scarce possible to illustrate the change in it without introducing, at the same time, a view of the disposition and tendency of the heart and affections." As, therefore, the change is properly of a moral or spiritual nature, it seems to me properly and directly to consist in these two things. I. That our supreme and chief end be, to serve and glorify God; and that every other aim be subordinate to this. 2. That the soul rest in God as its chief happiness, and habitually prefer his favour to every other enjoyment. These two particulars I shall now endeavour to illustrate a little, in the order in which I have named them.

1. Our supreme and chief end must be, to serve and glorify God, and every other aim must be subordinate to this.

All things were originally made, and are daily preserved for, nay, they shall certainly in the issue tend to, the glory of God; that is, the exercise and illustration of divine perfection. With this great end of creation the inclination and will of every intelligent creature ought to coincide. It is, according to scripture and reason, the first duty of man to "give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name." This, I know, the world that lieth in wick edness can neither understand nor approve. "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." The truth is, we ought not to be surprised to find it so, for in this the sin of man originally consisted, and in this the nature of all sin, as such, doth still consist, viz. withdrawing the allegiance due to God, and refusing subjection to his

* 1 Cor. ii. 14.

will. The language of every unrenewed heart, and the language of every sinner's practice is, "Our lips are our own, who is lord over us?" But he that is renewed and born again, hath seen his own entire dependance upon God, hath seen his Maker's right of dominion, and the obligation upon all his creatures to be, in every respect, subservient to his glory, and without reserve submissive to his will. He hath seen this to be most "fit" and "reasonable," because of the absolute perfection and infinite excellence of the divine nature. He is convinced that all preferring of our will to that of God, is a criminal usurpation by the creature of the unalienable rights of the great Creator and sovereign proprietor of all.

Regeneration, then, is communicating this new principle, and giving it such force as that it may obtain and preserve the ascendancy, and habitually govern the will. Every one may easily see the different operation and effects of this principle and its opposite, by the different carriage and behaviour of men in the world. The unrenewed man seeks his own happiness immediate ly and ultimately: it is to please himself that he constantly aims. This is the cause, the uniform cause, of his preferring one action to another. This determines his choice of employment, enjoyments, companions. His religious actions are not chosen, but submitted to, through fear of worse. He considers religion as a restraint, and the divine law as hard and severe. that a short and summary description may be given of man in his natural state-That he hath forgotten his subjection, that God is dethroned, and self-honoured, loved, and served in his room.

So

This account will appear to be just, from every view given us in scripture of our state and character, before or after conversion. It appears very clearly, from the first

condition required by our Saviour of his disciples, viz. self-denial. "Then said Jesus to his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."* All those who are brought back to a sense of their duty and obligation as creatures, are ready to say, not with their tongues only, but with their hearts, "Thou art worthy to receive glory, and honour, and power, for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." It ought to be attended to, what is the import of this, when spoken from conviction. They not only consider God as being most great, and therefore to be feared; but as infinitely holy, as absolutely perfect, and therefore to be loved and served. They esteem all his commands concerning all things to be right. Their own remaining corruption is known, felt, and confessed to be wrong. This law in their members, warring against the law of God in their minds, is often deeply lamented, and, by the grace of God, strenuously and habitually resisted.

Perhaps the attentive reader may have observed, that I have still kept out of view our own great interest in the service of God. The reason is, there is certainly, in every renewed heart, a sense of duty, independent of interest. Were this not the case, even supposing a desire of reward, or fear of punishment, should dispose to obedience, it would plainly be only a change of life, and no change of heart. At the same time, as it did not arise from any inward principle, it would neither be uniform nor lasting. It is beyond all question, indeed, that our true interest is inseparable from our duty, so that self-seeking is self-losing; but still a sense of duty must have the precedency, otherwise it changes its nature, and is, properly speaking, no duty at all.

To honour God in the heart, then, and to serve him in the life, is the first and highest desire of him that is born again. This is not, and cannot be the case, with any in a natural state. But, before we proceed to the other particular implied in this change, it will not be improper to make an observation, which I hope will have the greater weight, when the foundation of it is fresh in the reader's mind. Hence may be plainly seen the reason why profane and worldly men have such a tendency to self-righteousness, while the truly pious are filled with an abhorrence of that_soul-destroying falsehood. This, I dare say, appears strange to many; as I confess it hath often done to me, before I had thought fully upon the subject: that those who are evidently none of the strictest in point of morals, and have least of that kind to boast of, should yet be the most professed admirers and defenders of the doctrine of justification by works, and despisers of the doctrine of the grace of God. But the solution is easy and natural. Worldly men have no just sense of their natural and unalienable obligation to glorify God in their thoughts, words, and actions, and therefore all that they do in religion, they look upon as a meritorious service, and think that certainly something is due to them on that account. They think it strange if they have walked soberly, regularly, and decently, especially if they have been strict and punc

tual in the forms of divine worship, that God should not be obliged (pardon the expression) to reward them according to their works. It is a hard service to them, they do it only that they may be rewarded, or at least may not suffer for the neglect of it, and therefore cannot but insist upon the merit of it.

On the other hand, those who are born of God, are sensible that it is the duty of every rational creature to love God with all his heart, and to consecrate all his powers and faculties to his Maker's service. They are convinced that, whoever should do so without sin, would do only what is just and equal, and have no plea of merit to advance. But when they consider how many sins still cleave to them, how far short they come of their duty in every instance, they ask for mercy, and not for reward, and are ready to say with the Psalmist David, "If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? but there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared."* To sum up this reasoning in a few words. The reluctant obedience which some pay to the divine law, is considered as a debt charged upon God; whereas real obedience is considered as a debt due to God. And therefore it must always hold, that the very imperfection of an obedience itself increases our disposition to overvalue and rest our dependence upon it. (To be continued.)

* Psal. cxxx. 3, 4.