It should be recollected, however, while urging motives for this end, that all the truths and motives of the gospel are not directly motives to conversion. There are many truths which a minister must preach, which are calculated to awaken rather than convert, and which should be relied on chiefly for this purpose. For instance, it is proper to preach the terrors of the law, and the promises of the gospel; to hold up to view the glories of heaven, and the pains of hell. But these considerations seem rather calculated to awaken, arouse, excite the sinner, than to convert him; and if he should seem changed under the mere influence of such motives, and indulge the hope that he was changed; would there not be reason to fear that his hopes were unfounded?

I would by no means be understood to say, that the considerations to which I have adverted should not be presented in the ministrations of the pulpit. They are often urged in the Bible, and should be urged, both in private conversation, and from the sacred desk. They are just what stupid slumbering sinners need, to arouse them to effort for the salvation of their souls. But when laboring with a sinner, or with a congregation of sinners, with a view directly to their conversion, a different class of motives, I have thought, should be chiefly relied upon. We should use motives, in view of which if a sinner should turn, his conversion would not be suspected ;under the influence of which if he should repent, his repentance would not need to be repented of. For instance, the right, the duty of loving God, and submitting to him—the duty of repenting and turning from sinthe duty of an immediate trust in Christ-the perfect reasonableness of these requirements-the inherent propriety and excellency of them-the binding authority of God in the case-our obligations of gratitude to

God-the love of Christ-the sufferings of Christ for ushis infinite sufficiency, and our helplessness-his full atonement, and our guilt ;-these are some of the considerations which should chiefly influence the sinner, in the act of turning from his evil ways. Indeed, these are the considerations which must chiefly influence him, or the goodness of his hope will be suspected. These, then, are the motives on which ministers ought chiefly to rely, in laboring directly for the conversion of souls.

When we find the heart of an individual torpid and listless, or comparatively so; or when we have reason to think that this is the case with a company of professed inquirers; other motives are to be resorted to, for the purpose of awakening and conviction-for the purpose of deepening impression, and arousing them to effort; but when we aim directly at conversion, and expect conversion to follow our labors, we should urge motives which will be likely to produce conversion-motives under the influence of which the sinner can be converted, and his conversion be genuine.

I only add further on this subject now, that in our preaching and personal efforts to promote revivals of religion to prepare the church for spiritual labors and blessings, and to bring impenitent sinners to Christ, there should be as much of system as possible. The pastor should understand, in the first place, what needs to be done. Then he should know, as accurately as possible, what is done, and what remains to be done. By careful observation and much personal inquiry, he should feel his way— know where he stands-know what to do next, and how to do it. He will have occasion often, it may be, to go back, and repeat efforts which have once been made. For instance a church may need to be labored with directly and repeatedly, in the progress of a revival, that

they may be kept awake and humble, united and engaged. Repeated efforts may be necessary to awaken and convince sinners, after such efforts have once been faithfully made, and numbers, who were first awakened, have been converted.

In regard to all these movements, I have only to say, what I said before; let a minister know where he stands, what is the situation of things around him, and what is incumbent on him to do. Let him give to all his movements as much of system and plan as possible. Let him not venture (if it can be avoided) to strike one stroke in the dark. It may be a fatal stroke to some poor, sinful, perishing soul.

For the want of wisdom and understanding, system and plan, much labor is lost in revivals of religion; and it may be worse than lost. Discourses are preached, which do more hurt than good. Things are done, which require to be undone. Efforts are made, and with the best intentions, to promote the work, which serve rather to retard the chariot of salvation, and to clog its wheels.

14*

LECTURE XII.

Revivals of Religion, continued. Extremes to be avoided, as to the amount of means employed. In the progress of the revival, the subjects of it are to be awakened and convicted-drawn out from their hiding places-brought to submission and repentance-tried and proved-and gathered into the church. Importance of a reasonable probation. Probationer's Class.

In the two previous Lectures, I have spoken of the means to be employed, in promoting revivals of religion. As to the extent to which meetings should be multiplied and means used, two extremes are to be avoided. The first is, the extreme of caution; or a scrupulous, needless fear of overdoing-of stepping aside from the usual course of means. In the indulgence of this fear, religious impressions will languish and die, for the want of culture. The revival will wane and come to nothing, for the want of a vigorous co-operation and support.

The other extreme is that of overdoing ;-of pushing the revival too fast, and thereby injuring its character, and bringing it to a speedy close. Good ministers are sometimes in danger of doing this; and of doing it with the purest intentions.

The feelings of the vigilant, faithful pastor, during a season of declension in his church, are well expressed by the Psalmist. "My soul waiteth for the Lord, more than they that watch for the morning; I say, more than they that watch for the morning." The figure is that of the literal watchman, who has been patroling through the streets the live long night, and whose eyes are turned eastward, with impatient longings, to catch the first gleam of breaking day.

It is in this state of mind that the eye of the anxious, waiting pastor catches the first indication of spiritual good. With intense desire, he watches over it, cherishes it, and does all in his power to promote and diffuse it. As it spreads and becomes more and more decisive, his hopes, his confidence, his diligence increase. He suffers no inquiring mind to be neglected, and no opportunity of promoting the good work to pass unimproved. He increases the number of his extra meetings to any amount that his strength will admit, and that the exigencies of the case require.

Now all this is very well. No faithful, conscientious pastor could think of doing less. But it is just here that the danger of that second extreme to which I adverted, overtakes us. The good pastor rejoices in the begun revival; he feels his own responsibility in regard to it; his soul is quickened and excited under its influence; and he rushes into it, under the impression that he cannot labor too fast, or do too much in a given time for the promotion of so good a cause. The consequence is, that he goes beyond his strength, and soon finds himself in a situation in which he can do nothing. Or, in his heated, excited state of mind, he is chargeable with indiscretions, which impair his influence, and hinder, rather than promote, the work. He changes, it may be, the whole character of the revival, and turns it into a scene of excitement and extravagance. Or if none of these consequences follow, he hastens what may be termed the crisis of the revival, and brings it to a speedy end.

There is a degree of awakened activity, beyond which the human faculties, in their present state, cannot go, and in which they cannot be long sustained. They will soon begin to droop, and their energy will be relaxed. On this account, there is a season, in every general revival of