out sin, and in that sense not to stand in need of conversion; still less, that any sin is to be allowed, and not, on the contrary, strenuously and sincerely resisted and forsaken. I only main › tain, that there may be christians, who are, and have been in such a religious state, that no such thorough and radical change, as is usually meant by conversion, is or was necessary for them; and that they need not be made miserable by the want of consciousness of such a change.

I do not, in the smallest degree, mean to undervalue, or speak lightly of such changes, whenever or in whomsoever they take place; nor to deny, that they may be sudden, yet lasting; (nay, I am rather inclined to think that it is in this manner that they frequently do take place) nor to dispute what is upon good testimony alledged concerning conversion brought about by affecting incidents of life; by striking passages of scripture; by impressive discourses from the pulpit; by what we meet with in books, or even by single touching sentences or expressions in such discourses or

books. I am not disposed to question these relations unnecessarily, but rather to bless God for such instances, when I hear of them, and to regard them as merciful ordinations of his providence.

But it will be said, that conversion implies a revolution of opinion. Admitting this to be so, such a change or revolution cannot be necessary to all, because there is no system of religious opinions, in which some have not been brought up from the beginning. To change from error to truth, in any great and important article of religious belief, deserves, I allow, the name of conversion: but all cannot be educated in error, on whatever side truth be supposed to lie.

To me, then, it appears, that, although it cannot be stated with safety, or without leading to consequences which may confound and alarm many good men, that conversion is necessary to all, and under all circumstances; yet I think, that there are two topics of exhortation, which together comprise the whole christian

christian life, and one or other of which belongs to every man living, and these two topics are conversion and improvement; when conversion is not wanted, improvement is.

Now this respective preaching of conversion or improvement, according to the respective spiritual condition of those, who hear us, or read what we write, is authorized by the example of scripture preaching, as set forth in the New Testament. It is remarkable, that, in the four gospels and the acts of the apostles, we read incessantly of the preaching of repentance, which I admit to mean conversion.St. John the Baptist's preaching set out with it. Our Lord's own preaching set out with it. It was the subject, which he charged upon his twelve Apostles to preach. It was the subject, which he sent forth his seventy disciples to preach. It was the subject, which the first missionaries of christianity pronounced and preached in every place, which they came to, in the course of their progress through different countries. Whereas, in the epistles, written by the same persons, we hear proportionably

much

much less of repentance, and much more of advance, proficiency, progress and improvement in holiness of life; and of rules and maxims for the leading of a holy and godly life. These exhortations to continual improvement, to sincere, strenuous, and continual endeavours after improvement, are delivered under a variety of expressions, but with a strength and earnestness sufficient to shew what the Apostles thought of the importance of what they were teaching.

Now the reason of the difference is, that the preaching of Christ and his apostles, as recorded in the gospels and in the acts of the apostles, was addressed to Jews and Gentiles, whom they called upon to become disciples of the new religion. This call evidently implied repentance and conversion. But the epistles, which the Apostles, and some of which the same Apostles, wrote afterwards, were addressed to persons already become christians, and to some, who, like Timothy, had been such from their earliest youth. Speaking to these, you find they dwell upon improvement, pro-.

ficiency,

ficiency, continued endeavours after higher and greater degrees of holiness and purity, instead of saying so much about repentance and conversion. This conduct was highly rational, and was an adaptation of their instruction to the circumstances of the persons, whom they addressed, and may be an example to us, in modelling our exhortations to the different spiritual conditions of our hearers.

Seeing, then, that two great topics of our preaching must always be conversion and improvement, it remains to be considered, who they are, to whom we must preach conversion, and who they are, to whom we must preach. improvement.

First, Now of the persons in our congregations, to whom we not only may, but must preach the doctrine of conversion plainly and directly, are those, who, with the name indeed of christians, have hitherto passed their lives without any internal religion whatever; who have not at all thought upon the subject; who, a few easy and customary forms excepted, (and which with them are mere forms,) cannot

truly