being willing thus to die for us, that he might redeem us! Such a dear-bought deliverance, calls for our eternal thanksgivings and praifes.

When therefore we come to the table of the Lord (the next Lord's day,) let us fee to it, that our hearts be enlarged in praises to God, and Chrift, for this ineftimable price of our redemption. In that ordinance, we have Chrift reprefented to us, as dying the accurfed death of the cross, that he might redeem us from the curfe. And when we take a view thereof, let us admire, adore, and praife his love and grace therein appearing to us. If any thing will excite our highest praises, this furely will do it. Let us then join with the redeemed of the Lord in their afcription of praises to him, Rev. i. 5, 6. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our fins in his own blood; and bath made us kings and priests to God and his Father: to him be glory and deminion for ever and ever. Amen.

The wonderful Change wrought in true Converts; and the eternal Glory they bring to God.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

DISCOURSE XIII.

Infead of the Thorn fhall come up the FirTree, and inftead of the Brier fall come up the Myrtle-Tree: And it fhall be to the Lord for a Name, for an everlafting Sign, that fall not be cut off.

T

HIS verfe, according to the fpiritual meaning thereof, contains in it the laft encouragement unto true repentance, mentioned in this chapter: and the encouragement is double. 1. One encouragement is taken from the great change, that is wrought in the repenting finner. Instead of the thorn fhall come up the fir tree; and instead of the brier fhall come up the myrtle tree.-Sinners in their impenitent and unconverted ftate, are here compared to thorns and briers. So in Ifai. xxvii. 4. And finners are most aptly resembled thereunto. For briers and thorns are ufelefs and hurtful things, the effects of God's curfe upon the ground

ground. Gen. iii. 17, 18. Curfed is the ground for thy fake, Thorns fhall it bring forth to thee. Thus alfo finners, in the flate of nature, are unprofitable creatures. Rom. iii. 12. They are together become unprofitable. They are alfo hurtful creatures, wounding and rending the glory of God (as well as wronging their own fouls) by their ungodly lives, and oftentimes mifchievous to their fellow-creatures. Such are finners, before their converfion. But when they repent and turn to God, they become quite other creatures. Of briers and thorns, they become fir trees and myrtle trees, which are odoriferous and ufeful. Fir trees were used in the building of the temple, for the floor, 1 Ki. vi. 15, and for the cieling. 2 Chron. iii. 5. And as for the myrtle tree, naturalifts tell us, that it bears a moft fragrant and pleafant fruit. And it is joined with fruitful, ufeful trees, Ifai. xli. 19. Thus finners, when converted, do become profitable; as it was faid of Onefimus after his converfion. Philem. y. 11. And they bring forth the Sweet and pleafant fruits of holiness: fo wonderful à change is wrought in them.

2. Another encouragement is taken from the glory of God, which is advanced by the finner's converfion. It fhall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting fign, that fhall not be cut off. Thefe converts fhall be fo many fignals of his honour, fo many means and monuments of his praife; which fhall endure for ever, in fpight of all oppofition made against them, to destroy them. From the words obferve two doctrines.

DOCT. I. Truly repenting finners have a great change wrought in them. They are the fubjects of a wonderful change for as much as the fir-tree and myrtle tree differ from the brier and thorn, fo much does a converted perfon differ from himself, when he was in an unconverted eftate. He is quite another perfon, than he was before. Particularly,

1. Repenting finners have wrought in them a change of nature. Indeed the principles or faculties of the

cré

created nature, do remain the fame in the convert, which they were formerly. There is the fame foul, the fame underftanding, will and affections: there is alfo the fame body, and bodily parts. Thefe are not annihilated, or destroyed as to their being; but are the fame that they ever were, as to their fubftance. Yet in converfion, they do pass under a marvellous change, and vaft alteration from what they once were. Converfion therefore is called a renovation. Tit. iii. 5. The renewing of the Holy Ghoft. 'Tis not a meer repairing the old nature, but, as it were, the forming it anew. It is alfo called a new creation. Eph. ii. 10. We are bis workmanship, created in Chrift Jefus unto good works. chap. iv. 24. That ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true boliness. 'Tis a kind of creation, wherein fomething is made out of nothing, or at least is made to be what it had no difpofition to. So that a great change is made, in the nature of one that is converted. Though his natural powers remain, yet they are exceedingly altered. Particularly here, in a few words,

1. His judgment is changed. Once he judged fin a pleasant, lovely, profitable thing: but now he judges it a bitter, hateful, and hurtful thing. Once he judged this world better than heaven: but now he judges heaven worth ten thousand worlds.-Once he judged boliness an undefirable, useless thing but now he judges it most excellent and beneficial.-Once he made a low account of the righteousness which is of God by faith but now, Chrift is precious to him, and he counts all things but dung, that be may win Chrift, and be found in him, having his righteousness, and not his own. A real convert, has his mind fpiritually enlightned, fo that he fees things after. another manner than he was wont to do. And hence he paffes another judgment upon them than formerly.

2. His will is changed. Once he made choice of fin, and refufed holinefs. His heart clofed with the world, and rejected Chrift and heaven. His will was fet againft God and every thing fpiritually good, and was fet upon

li

that

that which is evil but now, when converted, his will is renewed and altered. It is now fet for God, Chrift, holiness, heaven. The bent and difpofition of his will, is turned another way. It chooses that which is good, and refufes that which is evil. In a word, the heart of a convert, is a new beart. Ezek. xxxvi. 26. The will is renewed, having new qualities and inclinations put into it.

3. His affections are changed. There is a strange alteration of them. Formerly his defires went out after the world and fin: but now they go out after rightequfnefs, Chrift, and the things that are above, where Jefus Chrift is. Formerly his love was fet upon fin, and the creature but now it is fet upon Chrift, and holiness.Formerly his joys were carnal and fenfual, taking pleafure in fin and earthly enjoyments: but now they are, fpiritual and holy, delighting in God and the things of God.-Formerly his griefs were worldly, on the account of outward difappointments, loffes and afflictions: but now they are godly, on the account of indwelling fin, and actual fins, which he does principally mourn over and grieve for.-Formerly. his fears were, left he fhould be exercifed with bodily fufferings, or outward wants and ftraits but now his fears are, left he fhould be left to fin, to difpleafe God, and expofe himself to his anger, and mifs of the enjoyment of God.-So that his affections do all now run in another channel, and are converfant about quite different objects. Thus is there wrought in a true penitent an inward change of nature. Which is the first thing.

--

2. Repenting finners have wrought in them a change of life. They live other manner of lives, than they. formerly did.

1. They ceafe to live a life of fin. In their ftate of unregeneracy, they walked and lived in fin, Col. iii. 7. But now they are dead to fin, and live no longer therein. Rom. vi. 2. They are redeemed from their former vain and finful converfation. 1 Pet. i. 18. They do now de

pare