reflect on what our blessed Lord has so solemnly and so re- peatedly affirmed ; " Verily, verily, I say unto you, that except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God'." If you ask, What shall I do to attain this experience ? I would say. Search out your sins, in order that you may knov/ your need of Christ ; and then go to him as the friend of sinners, who casts out none who come unto him. In a word, I would refer you to the words of our text, as contained in the 34th Psalm, from whence they are taken ; " O taste and see that the Lord is good ! Blessed is the man that trusteth in him^"]
1. In a way of affectionate exhortation —
[You have reason, I will suppose, to believe that you have been born again ; and that, though of no great stature in the Divine life, you are new-born babes.- If this be so, you have more reason to be thankful than if you were made pos- sessors of the whole world : and I therefore call upon you to bless and magnify the Lord with your whole souls. But be not contented to continue in a state of infantine weakness, but seek to grow up into the stature of " young men, and fathers '." Some imagine that, as children, they may stand excused for the smallness of their attainments; but this is a grievous error. See with what severity St. Paul reproved the Corinthian con- verts for their want of progress in the Divine life. Their con- tinuing babes in their attainments proved them to be yet carnal, instead of spiritual ; and prevented his feeding them with stronger meat, that would have nourished and strengthened their souls'". See also how he condemned the same in the Hebrew converts, who by their infantine weakness were in- capacitated for the reception of those sublime truths, which he would gladly have imparted to them ^. Be afraid then of standing still in religion : for if you make not progress in it, you will speedily go backward ; and if you decline from God's ways, O, how terrible will your state become ! The Apostle tells us, that " if, after having tasted of the heavenly gift, and tasted of the good word of God and the powers of the world to come, you fall away, it is impossible for you ever to be re- newed unto repentance, seeing that you will have crucified the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame"." Seek then to " grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ ; and, by a constant attention to the sug- gestions in my text, so increase with the increase of God, that you may grow up into Christ in all things as your living Head, and finally attain the full measure of the stature of Christ."]
' John iii. 3, 5. '' Ps. xxxiv. 8. ' 1 John ii. 12, 13.
■» 1 Cor. iii. I — 1. ° Heb. v. 12, 14. ° Heb. vi. 4 — 6.
\\6 ] PKTEii, II. 7 — 10. [1150.