First, They have no feeling, or sense of misery and danger. I mean no such sense as thoroughly awakens them to apply Christ their remedy. That spiritual judgment lies upon them, Isa. vL 9, 10. " And he said, Go and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but " understand not ; and see ye indeed, but perceive not ; make the
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" heart of this people fat, and their ears heavy, and shut their " eyes."
Secondly, They have no spiritual motions towards Christ, or after tilings that are spiritual ; all the arguments in the world cannot persuade their wills to move one step towards Christ in the way of faith, John v. 30. Ye will not come unto me : Were there a prin- ciple of spiritual life in their souls, they would move Christ-ward and heaven- ward, John iv. 14. It would be in them a well of water springing up into eternal life. The natural tendency of the spiritual life is upward.
Thirdly, The unregenerate have no appetite unto spiritual food ; they savour not things that are spiritual ; they can go from week to week, and from year to year, all their life-time, without any communion betwixt God and their souls, and feel no need of it, nor any hungerings or thirstings after it ; which could never be, if a principle of spiritual life were in them ; for then they would " esteem the words of God's mouth more than their necessary " food," Job xxx. 12.
Fourthly, They have no heat or spiritual warmth in their affec- tions to God, and things above ; their hearts are as cold as a stone to spiritual objects. They are heated, indeed, by their lusts and affections to the world, and the things of the world : but O how cold and dead are they towards Jesus Christ, and spiritual excel- lencies.
Frfthly, They breathe not spiritually, therefore they live not spiritually : were there a spiritual principle of life in them, their souls would breathe after God in spiritual prayer, Acts ix. 11. " Behold he prayeth." The lips of the unregenerate may move in prayer, but their hearts and desires do not breathe and pant after God.
Sixthly, They have no cares or fears for self-preservation, which is always the effect of life ; the poorest fly, or silliest worm will shun danger. The wrath of God hangs over them in the threatenings, but they tremble not at it : hell is but a little before them ; they are upon the very precipice of eternal ruin, yet will use no means to avoid it. How plain, therefore, is this sad case which I have un- dertaken here to demonstrate, viz. that christless and unregenerate souls are dead souls ? The uses follow.
Inf. 1. If all Christless and unregenerate souls be dead souls, then how little pleasure can Christians take in the society of the unrege- nerate ?
Certainly, it is no pleasure for the living to converse among the dead. It was a cruel torment invented by Mezentius the tyrant, to tie a dead and living man together. The pleasure of society arises from the harmony of spirits, and the hopes of mutual en-
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joyment in the world to come ; neither of which can sweeten the society of the godly with the wicked in this world *. It is true, there is a necessary civil converse which we must have with the ungodly here ; or else, (as the apostle speaks) we must go out of the world. There are also duties of relation which must be faith- fully and tenderly paid, even to the unregenerate : but certainly, where we have our free election, we shall be much wanting both to our duty and comfort, if we make not the people of God our chosen companions. Excellently to this purpose speaks a modern author -f-, " Art thou a godly master ? when thou takest a servant " into thine house, chuse for God as well as thyself. — A godly ser- " vant is a greater blessing than we think on : he can work, and u set God on work also for his master's good, Gen. xxiv. 12. " O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee send me good " speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master.'" And surely " he did his master as much service by his prayer, as by his pru- " dence in that journey. — Holy David observed, while he was at " Saul's court, the mischief of having wicked and ungodly ser- " vants, (for with such was that unhappy king so compassed, that " David compares his court to the profane and barbarous Hea- " thens, among whom there was scarce more wickedness to be " found, Psal. cxx. 6. " Wo is me, that I sojourn in Meshech, " that I dwell in the tents of Kedar ;" i. e. among those who " were as prodigiously wicked as any there) ; and no doubt, but " this made this gracious man, in his banishment, before he came u to the crown, (having seen the evil of a disordered house) to " resolve what he would do when God should make him the head " of such a royal family, Psal. ci. 7. " He that worketh deceit, " shall not dwell within my house ; he that telleth lies shall not " tarry in my sight.""
"Art thou godly ? shew thyself so in the choice of husband or " wife. I am sure, if some, (and those godly ones) could bring " no other testimonials for their godliness than the care they have " taken in this particular, it might justly be called into question " both by themselves and others. There is no one thing that " gracious persons, (even those recorded in scripture as well as " others, have shewn their weakness, yea, given offence and " scandal more in, than in this particular, " The sons of God saw " that the daughters of men were fair," Gen. vi. 2. One would " have thought that the sons of God should have looked for grace " in the heart, rather than beauty in the face ; but we see, even
* As diseases bred in one part of the body use to spread their pernicious influence to the other members which are near to that part ; so the vices of the wicked use to infect those that have intercourse with them. Tertullian against Valentine.
f Gurnal's Christian Armour, part 2. p. 256, 257.
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" they sometimes turn in at the fairest sign, without much enquir- " ing what grace is to be found dwelling within.'" Look to the rule, O Christian, if thou wilt keep the power of holiness, that is clear as the sun-beam written in the scripture, " Be not unequally " yoked together with unbelievers," 2 Cor. vi. 14.
Inf. 2. How great and wholly supernatural, marvellous, and won- derful is that change which regeneration makes upon the soul of 'men ! It is a change from death to life, Luke xv. 24. " This my son was " dead and is alive again.*" Regeneration is life from the dead ; the most excellent life from the most terrible death : it is the life of God re-inspired into a soul alienated from it by the power of sin, Eph. iv. 11. There are two stupendous changes made upon the souls of men, which justly challenge the highest admiration, viz.
1. That from sin to grace.
2. From grace to glory.