highest intelligence, men who have had the clearest speculative knowledge of divine truth, without the renewing of the Spirit, have made no approximation to a holy character; but on the contrary by the habit of contemplating the truth, without yielding to its claims, have grown more and more hardened against its salutary influence. These are the men that our Saviour calls "the wise and prudent," who yet have no saving knowledge. Their hard and selfish hearts, resist the light. This deplorable fact is strikingly set forth in the words of Christ to the unbelieving Jews: "Ye have both seen and hated both me and my Father." Jesus had lived among them. They had heard his instructions and witnessed his miracles. They had seen him—and in seeing him they had seen the Father also. But their hearts were not won. And the unrenewed carnal heart never was and never will be won to love and obedience by the most correct and powerful actings of the faculty of reason.

But may not the sinner be effectually turned from his wicked ways by the power of self-love? May not a desire of happiness, together with a conviction that happiness is to be obtained only in the service of God, induce a rational being, such as man is, to engage in the service of God? This principle of self-love, is indeed a very powerful principle; and it would verily appear, at first view, that one, in whom a supreme desire of happiness is excited, and who knows that real permanent happiness can be obtained in no other way than by turning from sin and obeying the gospel, must at once turn and obey, for the sake of obtaining that happiness which he supremely desires. Now why is not this a just conclusion? Why may not the sinner put away this and that sin, and all sin, for the sake of obtaining that happiness which he supremely loves?

My first answer is, that the inefficacy of self-love has been clearly and thoroughly proved, as a matter of fact. In all sinners, self-love is known to be the ruling principle. Now thousands of sinners have been seriously convinced that the way, and the only way to secure their own eternal happiness, is to repent and believe in Christ- who yet have not repented and believed.

Self-love however strongly excited, has never in fact had an influence to induce men to turn from sin. It has not prevailed to their conversion. It is very common for sinners to imagine, that this motive is sufficient; that a serious regard to their own happi ness is all that will be necessary to bring about their conversion. But experience teaches otherwise. Clear evidence of this inefficacy of self-love arises from the case of sinners generally, who have enjoyed religious instruction. I ask such a person - do you not desire your own happiness? And are you not convinced, that the way and the only way, to obtain real happiness, is to repent and follow Christ? Why then do you not repent and follow Christ? It is clear that the motive, which seems so powerful, does not produce the desired effect. Whatever may be the reason of this, it is a plain fact, that self-love, as it exists in unrenewed men, has no efficacy to produce a saving conversion. This is my first answer.

I answer again, that self-love, as it exists in the depraved mind, is not suited to produce an effectual turning from sin. It is not adapted to this end. That self-love which exists in holy beings, is a holy principle. They love themselves truly and impartially. And they love one another as they love themselves. But in corrupt minds, self-love is corrupt. It is not a pure fountain. And the stream flowing from a fountain cannot be purer than the fountain and it cannot rise higher than the fountain. An impure fountain or spring is not adapted to send forth pure water. Selflove in unregenerate man, has no tendency, no leaning to holiness. It is not of such a nature, that holiness can flow from it. The sinner, in the exercise of self-love, does indeed desire happiness. But what kind of happiness does he desire? Does he desire a holy happiness-consisting in the enjoyment of God? Can he desire a happiness, which he does not love? And can he love a happiness which consists in being near to God, without loving God? The happiness which any one desires is always conformed to his governing disposition or taste. The covetous, the sensual, the ambitious, all desire happiness-that is, they desire gratifi cation. But it is a happiness suited to their inclinations; it is

the gratification of such passions as exist within them. No one ever truly loves and desires any happiness, except that which agrees with his inclinations. The happiness which the impenitent desire and seek, and that which holy persons desire and seek, are as different as their inclinations. The unrenewed are just as far from truly desiring the enjoyment of God, which is the only true happiness, as they are from loving God.

It is evidently absurd to suppose that self-love, as it is in fallen man, will ever turn the heart to the love of God. For self-love in the unrenewed is supreme self-love. And to suppose that supreme love of self will lead to the supreme love of God, is to suppose that self-love will, by its own act, dethrone itself, and give the supremacy to another affection which is opposite, and to which the heart is a stranger.

And if the sinner's desire of happiness has no power to turn the heart to God, certainly fear of punishment cannot do it. Fear also is a powerful principle, and when excited has a wonderful influence over the conduct of men. When united with holy love,

it is an effectual motive to obedience. But fear in the heart of a sinner, is as different from fear in the heart of a Christian, as any other affection is. And when it exists without love, it has no power to beget love. A wicked man may fear punishment from a ruler and a law that he hates, and that selfish fear may hold him back from various crimes which would endanger his life; but it can never turn his heart from hatred to love.

Some suppose that free-will is sufficient to turn a man from sin to holiness. But you will see in a moment that this is a groundless supposition. For man's will is as much perverted as any other faculty. It is indeed free from everything like compulsion or force. But it is not free from corruption. It is not free from a wrong bias. It is altogether prone to evil. So that you can never expect anything spiritually good to result from man's will, unless it is itself first renewed, and thus delivered from its evil bias, and from the dominion of corrupt passions.

But there is no need of further argument. The word of God decides this once for all, declaring expressly, that the requisite change in sinners is "not of the will of man, but of God."

But cannot a saving conversion result from the combined action of all these natural powers? I answer no; - because they are all, as truly as any one of them, under the dominion of sin, they all lead the wrong way, and so far as they are of a moral nature, they are all hostile to holiness. And what efficacy can the combined action of hostile powers have to subdue enmity and produce love? The active principles of the mind are indeed possessed of a mighty power, and if under right direction, would accomplish wonders of good. But under the direction of a wicked heart their efficacy turns only to evil. And so it would be if their power was increased to omnipotence, being still under the direction of a selfish, wicked heart.

But principles of the human mind, corrupt as they are, may produce and do produce astonishing effects. The conscience of the sinner may be so awakened, his understanding so illuminated, his desire of happiness and fear of misery so excited, that he will abandon many beloved vices, submit to many sacrifices, and assume the appearance and make the profession of a converted sinner. The powers and passions of men may be so wrought upon and their habits so moulded by a religious education and other favorable influences, that they will exhibit to their own eye and the eye of others all the characteristics of a fervent piety, and will go through all the external duties of a Christian life, and still remain under the dominion of sin. What transformations of outward character and what changes of feeling are often produced by impressive and inflammatory preaching, or by affecting events of providence! And how great is the power of the machinery, or the religious manoeuvres which have often been used in our country, to wake up the passions and to kindle what appears to be feelings of devotion, without any change of heart. Multitudes have been strangely affected in this way. Their minds, and sometimes their bodies too, have been mightily agitated. And hundreds have been converted in a day, - converted in man's way, and by man's power, and soon converted back again to open ungodliness. And not less wonderful is the effect which may be

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produced upon the minds of unregenerate men by the awe-inspiring grandeur of a magnificent cathedral-by its dim light, its burning candles, its affecting pictures, its solemn music, and its various imposing rights. In such circumstances, the feelings of a whole congregation of ungodly men may be so excited, that they will at once kneel or fall prostrate in worship, and will to all appearance at the time be as devout as apostles and martyrs and still retain their carnal mind, and go away and sin the

more.

You see how it is with all that ever has been or ever can be done by the powers and efforts of unrenewed man. Sinners may indeed be converted, as thousands are, by their own power, or the power of others. They may turn from this or that particular way of sinning, and yet not turn from sin; as a covetous man may give up dishonest means of getting money, and make use of honest means, and still be as covetous as before. The kingdom of Satan extends over a very large territory;, and those who belong to that kingdom may often change their place, and may change their dress, and their modes of living; they may go to a great distance from where they once were, and their whole appearance may be altered, and they may put on the costume of the saints; and yet after all continue in the empire of sin. They may even have "another heart," as king Saul had, and yet not have a new heart. All this and more may come from your natural powers and inclinations, impelled to action by natural causes, while the principle of sin still reigns within you. You may have the best conversion, the fairest form of godliness which can result from what is in man without supernatural grace, and yet be without holiness. Let conscience, let reason, let self-love, let hope and fear, let the passions, let enthusiasm and superstition, let birth and blood and education, let means and measures, rites and ceremonies, let the will of the flesh and the will of man-let any or all of these do what they can, without the grace of God, to turn the sinner from the error of his ways to the wisdom of the just, and though the sinner thus wrought upon, may be called a convert, and may have a name to live and may shine in the world's

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