us; that is, not merely till we believe that "there is forgiveness with him," and that he is ready to be reconciled to us, but till we know that he now regards us, individually, with that special "favour which he beareth to his chosen people."-But here the question naturally arises, How are we to attain this knowledge? It is no where revealed in scripture, that we individually are thus restored to the favour of God. How is it possible to know it previously to any such change being wrought in us, as may amount to a scriptural evidence of the fact? Or can any thing amount to a scriptural evidence, which does not imply and involve the existence of love to God? Are we to be thus, not only pardoned, but assured of our pardon, while yet impenitent, and destitute of faith in Christ? Or can true repentance, (which necessarily includes hatred of sin, and consequent love of holiness,) and can true faith in Christ exist, without implying love to God?-In short, is there any scriptural way of attaining the knowledge that God loves us individually, with a special and saving love, except by our being brought to love him? or, in other words, by that "new heart and that right spirit being created within us," which are the source of repentance, faith, love, and every grace? Can any thing but sanctification, incipient sanctification at least, be the solid and satisfactory proof of our justification, or restoration to the divine favour?

It is this error, of supposing that no love to God can exist in our hearts till we first know that God loves us in particular, and with the special love above described, that forms the basis of what I must consider as another delusive and very mis

chievous notion, that of a direct witness of the Spirit, assuring us by an impression from on high, independent,' at the time, of all fruits,' because antecedent to them, that our sins are forgiven; which assurance is to precede and produce the love of God, and every thing spiritually good in the soul!-Those who hold such a notion, of a new and distinct revelation communicating the fact to us, (for it amounts to nothing short of this,) are furnished, indeed, with an answer to the questions above proposed, concerning any other method of attaining the knowledge of our acceptance, than that which arises from the comparison of what is wrought in us, with what is written in the scriptures: but persons of more sober sentiments must, I conceive, be utterly at a loss for any answer compatible with the sentiment against which the questions are directed.

The text, "We love him because he first loved us," is often quoted in support of some of the sentiments here opposed: but, even admitting that it speaks of the love of gratitude-of one reason of our love to God, rather than of the original source of our love to him,'-it countenances those sentiments in sound only, and not in reality.

REPENTANCE.

On this subject an important passage has already been given in the course of these extracts ;2

1 See Scott's Life, p. 338. (347.)

2 Above, p. 351.

but that which follows is so far distinct from it, extending or illustrating the views which it presented, that I have thought it also worthy to be preserved in its place.

"The very essence of true repentance is a heartfelt, humbling consciousness of having done wrong; wilfully, totally, inexcusably wrong. If a man be ever so much terrified at the prospect of punishment, or ever so sorry for his conduct merely because it exposes him to suffering, there is nothing of repentance in it; even though he shed abundance of tears, and appear inconsolable, and exclaim ever so vehemently against his own conduct, and make ever so many confessions, or ever so much restitution, or appear ever so much reformed, or cry ever so earnestly for mercy. These things may consist, and have consisted, with an unhumbled impenitent heart; as in the instances of Pharaoh, Ahab, Judas, and others: and then they spring only from self-love.-Suppose a man breaks into my house, and is ransacking my bureaus for my property, and I oppose him, am overpowered by him, and brought into danger of immediate death: in this extremity I may be greatly terrified, sorry that I meddled to my own hurt, curse my rashness and imprudence, and may beg my life with many cries and tears; may promise not to repeat the offence, but to permit him to take what he will without further opposition; yea to tell him where my choicest treasures are, that he may take them: and all this only out of self-love, and to save my life. This may well consist with the bitterest hatred of the ruffian with entire detestation of his injustice,

and determination to revenge my quarrel when I can do it with safety; and with complete approbation also of my own conduct in resisting him, in every point of view but this, that it was imprudent. Thus may a man feel and act towards God, and yet hate his character, hate his law, hate his conduct in the punishment of sinners, and regard it as tyrannical and cruel; approve of his own conduct, or at best extenuate his fault, cast blame upon God, and applaud and boast of his own virtue.-But true repentance springs from such an apprehension of the justice, holiness, and goodness of the divine character, as shows a man the contrariety of his own: and such a sense of the loveliness of God, in being what he is, as shows him his own unloveliness, yea loathsomeness in being contrary to him: and, in proportion as he approves of, loves, admires, and delights in the divine character, he must needs be disposed to disapprove of and abhor his own.-It springs like wise from that consequent apprehension of the strictness, equity, and reasonableness of the holy law of God, (the copy of the divine excellency,) which makes him sensible of the wrongness of his own conduct; both of the number of his transgressions, and of the malignity and utter odiousness of every sin. In proportion as the law appears good, sin appears bad. In proportion as a man loves the law, he hates sin: as he sees the beauty of the law, he sees the deformity of sin : as he sees the reasonableness of the law, he sees the unreasonableness of sin: and, when he counts all God's commandments in all things to be right, he counts his own conduct in all things, of every

sort, in every part of his life, temper, and conduct, as far as it comes short of the perfection of the law, to be wrong. By the law is the knowledge of sin: therefore he who is ignorant of the law is proportionably ignorant of sin; and he who sees nothing of the goodness of the law sees nothing of the evil of sin: the consistent antinomian therefore sees nothing of the real evil of sin, and cannot possibly truly repent of it: and hence he is driven to maintain that forgiveness precedes repentance -in direct contradiction to God's word.-But, as the strictness and excellency of the law are most gloriously displayed in the death of the Son of God, therefore looking unto Christ is the most effectual method of exciting abhorrence of sin, and loathing of ourselves for it. And, as the excellency of the law appears the more clearly, the more we consider the divine perfections, and the obligations which God has conferred upon us; therefore the very same view of things, which assures a believer of his acceptance through Christ, makes him in exact proportion abhor sin and himself for his sins: and, the more sure he is that God loves him, and that Christ died for him, the more poor in spirit, broken in heart, and full of self-abhorrence he is, especially when reviewing former sins, examining his present returns for redeeming love, or confessing any present sin that he has committed."