and that, when this spirit is given, there is a new birth, a regeneration; but I say, that it is no where determined, at what time of life or under what circumstances, this gift is impartéd; nay, the contrary is intimated by comparing it to the blowing of the wind, which, in its mode of action, is out of the reach of our rules and calculations: "the wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth; so is every one that is born of the spirit." The effect of this uncertainty is, that we are left at liberty to pray for spiritual assistance, and we do pray for it, in all stages, and under all circumstances of our existence. We pray for it in baptism for those, who are baptized; we teach those, who are catechised, to pray for it in their catechism; parents pray for its aid and efficacy to give effect to their parental instructions; to preserve the objects of their love and care from sin and wickedness, and from every spiritual enemy. We pray for it, particularly in the office of confirmation, for young persons just entering

into the temptations of life. Therefore spiritual assistance may be imparted at any time, from the earliest to the latest period of our existence; and, whenever it is imparted, there is that being born of the spirit to which our Saviour's words refer. And, considering the subject as a matter of experience, if we cannot ordinarily distinguish the operations of the spirit from those of our own minds, it seems to follow, that neither can we distinguish when they commence: so that spiritual assistance may be imparted, and the thing, designated by our Lords discourse, satisfied, without such a sensible conversion, that a person can fix his memory upon some great and general change, wrought in him at an assignable time. This consciousness of a great and general change may be the fact with many. It may be essentially necessary to many. I only alledge, that it is not so to all, so that every person, who is not conscious of such a change, must set himself down as devoted to perdition.

This, I repeat, is all I contend for, for I by no means intend to say, that any one is with

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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 maintain, 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.

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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

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