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hands in our lap, but faithfully, and as far as we are able, co-operate with the grace, which prevents us, and seek to carry into effect the divine requirements. He that will not commence doing good, until he is perfectly fit and competent for it, will never attain to it. We must, first of all, learn our letters, before we can read. In the same manner, we must first of all act as children, in the school of the Holy Ghost, before we can attain to the age of maturity, and show ourselves in the capacity of fathers. Let us, therefore, in filial confidence upon the divine assistance, simply do, as weak children what we are able; at the same time earnestly entreating God, that he would perform, in and through us, what we are unable to do; if we cannot repeat our lesson perfectly, let us at least stammer it out: and as often as like weak children, we fall and stumble, let us again strengthen our feeble knees, and commence our course anew and the Lord will most assuredly offer us his aiding hand, and bring us to the object we have in view.

Now if we thus truly co-operate with him, and are, at the same time, conscious of our utter inability in every point of view, so that even though we do our best, we are still unable to make any considerable progress: yet even this is a praiseworthy favour, inasmuch as our great infirmity is thus openly manifested to us, and by the lively feeling of our insufficiency, we are so much the more impressively incited heartily and anxiously to sigh, Lord, help my weakness, my infirmity, and my

total inability to that which is good!' O let us, therefore, by divine grace, faithfully, and in childlike simplicity, work together with God, and not doubt that he will assist us, as far as he finds us sincere, and place us in a situation to be acceptable to him in all things.

II. The second highly necessary preparative for receiving the Holy Spirit is, that we do not stop short at the first motions of the Holy Spirit, inciting us to repentance, and rest satisfied with them; but continually advance further.

As necessary as it is to incline our ear to the first motions and operations of the Holy Spirit with reference to repentance and the amendment of our lives; so it is also equally necessary, that without resting there and being satisfied with them, we should continually go forward, and seek gradually to ascend to perfection. Here many otherwise well-meaning souls fall into the error of regarding the commencement of their conversion, as the whole of conversion, and because they have learnt to repeat their letters, imagine they are already able to read, although they are still very weak children, who scarcely understand the first elements of the divine plan of salvation. This is a deception as disgraceful as it is pernicious. The Saviour's disciples, who were mutually assembled together on the day of pentecost, and waited for the promised power from on high, had already received many gracious testimonies, and, in their strength, had faithfully co

operated with them; they had so long heard the best of preachers, and had associated so intimately with him; that one might suppose they must neces sarily be perfectly fitted to teach and convert others in return; yet notwithstanding this, their Lord and Master expressly forbad it, and on the contrary, enjoined upon them, more than once, not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, through the fulfilment of which, that would be imparted to them, in which they were still deficient.

This has likewise reference to all, who are called in the present day. We may, indeed, have made the commencement of repentance and conversion, and most carefully avoid the gross outbreakings of sin; we may have already sought to manifest some fidelity in denying ourselves on some particular occasions; nay, we may have even tasted and experienced something of the graciousness and loving kindness of our God; yet we must not, on that account, think, that we have already attained our aim, and have already apprehended that, to which the Lord has called us; but let us rather follow after it, that we may attain to it! Let us not regard ourselves as Christians on account of some good work we may have performed, or some good feelings we may have experienced, or for the sake of some penitential conflict we may have endured! Something far more is most assuredly requisite. For unless a man be born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Great things are certainly promised us by God, namely, that by the imparta

tion of his Spirit, we should become partakers of the divine nature; but then, on the other hand, he also requires something great from us. It is his will, that as far as this precious promise shall be fulfilled in us, we must flee from such things, as are probably the dearest to us, namely the transitory pleasures of the world. It is his will, that we be planted together with Christ in the likeness of his death; that we tread under foot, the world and all that is in the world; that we esteem all things as loss, and devote our love to him alone, in order that he may have entire possession of our hearts, and fill them, the more copiously, with the treasures of his grace, and bless them the more abundantly. This implies something more than the performance of some particular good work, the experience of some emotions, or the striving against some particular sin.

Many

souls, after enduring something in the first penitential conflict, and afterwards experiencing some gracious moments, or even receiving the assurance of the forgiveness of their sins, imagine they have really broken through every thing, and that the work of their conversion is ended, and therefore betake themselves to rest. This is a great temptation, by which Satan seeks to lull the soul to sleep, and to restrain her from prosecuting the work of her conversion.

Now if such characters would remain near their hearts, and pay strict attention to what passes within them, they would never err from the right path in this manner. The very same Spirit, that bestowed the first grace upon them; that made them ac

quainted with their depraved state, and thus reproved sin in them; this same Spirit, I say, would prosecute his reproving office, and give them clearly to know, how backward they still are in the work of conversion, and that a still greater progress is requisite. But as such like characters are seldom sufficiently upon their guard, they suffer themselves to be too much involved in earthly and sensible things; consequently they go astray from their hearts, and are ignorant of themselves. They imagine they are something, whilst they are nothing. They are really still poor, and miserable, and blind, and naked, and yet suppose they are rich and have need of nothing. And the grace of the Holy Spirit which they receive at first, may be really so weak, that all that which had once been verdant, may fade away again.

Now, when such souls still frequently feel a disturbance of conscience, which secretly tells them that all is not yet right with them, that they have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin, and that they must therefore begin their penitential conflict anew; they rely, through the deception of the adversary, upon that which they suppose they have once really experienced, and say to themselves, 'thou wast on such an occasion grieved and troubled about thy sins, didst feel them so heavily, didst lament them so heartily; and at such and such a time, thou didst enjoy the refreshments of grace, and experience the power of faith, and didst receive the assurance of the forgiveness of sins.'

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