2. The change we have confidered must be reafonable, because it tends to the general good.

True religion breathes glory to God, peace on earth, and good will to men. True religion is

in union with all the attributes and works of God. She cordially approves the plan, formed in eternity; fhe labors to carry it into execution. All things were created by God and for him, to promote the honor of his majefty. Religion approves, admires, and adores the wifdom of God, and her devout prayer is,"glorify thyfelf, roll on thine unchangeable purpofes, and do all thy pleasure." She joins in the fongs of angels; fhe unites in the labors of God.

This change of heart is a reafonable duty, because it saves the foul from ruin; it gives peace and falvation. The wicked and all, who forget God, fhall be turned into hell. The impenitent and unbelieving muft have their portion in the lake, which burneth with fire and brimftone. In the day of judgment they muft depart accurfed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Faith, which is the operation of God, delivers the foul from this deftruction, the thought of which is fo diftrefling and overwhelming. This faith works by love, and purifies the heart; it is connected with the wifdom, which cometh down from above. The ways of wifdom are pleafant. The godly have great peace of mind. The forrow of the world worketh death, but bleffed are they who mourn with pious forrow. Blaffed are the pure in heart; they fhall fee God. He that believeth fhall be faved.

4. The change of heart, contemplated, is reafonable, becaufe God has furnished us with all the natural powers, needful for fuch a change,

God has given us a mind to know, a confcience to feel what is right and wrong, a judgment to weigh confequences, a heart to will according to our pleasure. We have all the powers and faculties, neceffary to produce this new character and life. God gives us a power of choofing and refufing. He commands us to make us a new heart. We may choose the good and refuse the evil. It is, therefore, reasonable in God to fay, " choofe ye this day whom ye will ferve; if the Lord be God, follow him." It is reafonable for him to command all men every where to repent.

REFLECTIONS.

1. We fee how great a bleffing is a new heart. A new heart, or that internal baptifm, which is the operation of God, " is more precious than rubies." Such favored persons, like Chrift, have been crucified; they are dead and "buried" to fin. They are rifen with Chrift to a new life. They are children of God, and heirs of his promifes; they are joint heirs with Jefus Chrift. Their names are in the book of life. They are called, justified, fanctified, and will be faved. They poffefs that pearl, which is of great price; they have chofen the good part, which fhall never be taken from them..

Had they been admitted to fail on the tide of pleasure, that tide would have fallen, or they would have been wrecked on fome frightful coaft, tortured with the pangs of felf reproach, remorfe, and defpair.

Had they rioted in wealth, this might have taken wing in a moment, or their hearts might have fick. ened at their own luxuries, and their fplendors,

ceafed to charm. Had reputation and honor been their portion, this, like a cloud of the morning, might have fuddenly vanished from fight; but a new heart is an inheritance more permanent than the everlasting hills, a portion, more fatisfying, than all the kingdoms of this world.

2. We may fee the importance of literature to found theology.

Not to mention more important reafons, the figurative expreffions of fcripture render philological ftudies neceffary to every divine. Authors of all countries and ages ufe figures, but none are more bold than those of the facred fcriptures. The writers of these holy pages difplay a boldness of conception, a loftinefs of fancy, unrivalled by the bards and orators of other countries. Homer, a fun among earthly luminaries, "his eye with the fine phrenzy rolling," fuppofes the vengeance of Jupiter will make a mountain tremble; but in the cool, difpaffionate narratives of the prophets," by the prefence of the Lord," or by the diftant "voice of the Lord," "the everlafting mountains are fcattered, the perpetual hills bow." "Lebanon and Sirion skip like unicorns." "The islands and mountains are not found."

Illiterate men are peculiarly liable to make abfurd explanations of figures; the more frequent and the more bold the figures, the more danger from illiterate teachers.

Figurative expreffions often agree with the object to be illuftrated only in one point. Chrift is reprefented as a "lion," as coming like a "thief." Is he, therefore, cruel, or does he take what is not his own? Such bold figures may be perverted in a fhocking and impious manner. It is, therefore,

of infinite importance to the Church of Chrift, to the christian religion, to the caufe of God, to the fouls of men, that thofe, who publicly explain fcripture, fhould be men of literature, men acquainted with language and the principles of good writing. It is hazardous; it is prefumptuous for the man, imperfectly acquainted with his mother tongue, to explain volumes, written in other languages, in other countries, in other ages, and in a different ftate of fociety, often referring to cuftoms and manners, unknown to thofe illiterate teachers. Those circumftances, unavoidably, give a peculiar complexion to thefe writings, and call for correfponding information in thofe, who explain them. What then are the profpects of that denomination whofe religious teachers, with few exceptions, are illiterate men, unacquainted with the structure of languages, and the rules of good writing.*

*Not the least poffible unkindness is entertained against our worthy Baptist brethren. When they preach evangelical truth we are pleafed : but when they criticife languages; when they torture fcripture figures; when they violently extort meanings, unknown to the ancient church, the truth must be told.

If any are jealous our reprefentation is not juft, we refer them to Mofhiem, vol. 4. He fays "The anabaptifts, however divided on other fubjects, were agreed in their notions of learning and philofophy, which in former times they unanimoufly confidered, as the pefts of the christian church, and as highly detrimental to the progrefs of true religion and virtue." In another place he says, " The general Baptists, or as they are called by fome, the antipedobaptifts, are for the most part perfons of mean conditions, and almost totally deftitute of learning and knowledge. They profess a contempt for erudition and fcience." We are happy in supposing the people here described are confiderably improved, that their prejudices against a learned ministry are giving way to jufter views. The gradual improvement of our country, the establifhment of a college under their direction, the laudable emulation of fome of their minifters to acquire useful fcience, we hope are harbingers of a brighter day, when the walls, which feparate christian brethren, will be broken down. Probably the denomination have received fome advantage in the courfe of a century or two from a few folitary congrega

Would a prudent man 10 far trifle with his life as to entrust it with phyficians of fuch character? Will he be more indifferent respecting his spiritual health, and apply to fuch teachers to explain to him the word of eternal life?

In the fourth century Audeus taught, that God had the shape of a man. His proof was, "Let us make man in our image." St. John fays, "He [Chrift] fhall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." The Selucians and Hermians underftood this literally, and maintained that material fire was neceffary in the adminiftration of baptifm. Valentinus, like our Baptifts, rebaptized thofe, who had received baptifm out of his fect, and drew them through the fire. Heraclian, cited by Clemens Alexandrinus, fays that fome applied a red hot iron to the ears of the baptized. St. Paul fays we are buried with Chrift in baptifm. This alfo has been understood literally; but fuch perfons forget that to be confiftent, on their plan, they fhould continue" buried" three days and three nights, the time Christ lay in the earth. Should any object that this would drown them, the baptift, in his way of treating figures, would have an eafy anfwer, and readily prove that drowning was the very defign of baptism. Rom. vi. 4. "We are buried with him by baptifm into his death." We are not merely buried, for this is only a part, any more than sprinkling, but we are buried to death, "buried into his death." Thus he has fcripture for drowning all

tional preachers joining them, who had received diplomas from fome college. This muft, however, be one of their minor advantages, for when was it known that the distinguished members of a party deserted? Men conscious of inferiority to their brethren, in literature and talents, have a powerful temptation to apoftatize, and join a party, where their relative greatnefs will be advanced.