He did not fcruple to declare, even to his own difciples, that, Whosoever should fay to his brother, thou fool, fhould be in danger of hell fire-That if they forgave not men their trefpaffes, neither would God forgive theirs -and if a right hand, or a right eye, caufed them to offend, it must be cut off, or plucked out, and that left the whole body should be caft into hell.*

The object at which fin aims, whether in believers or unbelievers, is death, eternal death; and to this it hath a natural and direct tendency. The apostle James in a very affecting manner defcribes its process. Let no man fay when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: but every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own luft and enticed. Then when luft hath conceived, it bringeth forth fin, and fin when it is finished bringeth forth death.† If it does not in all cafes conie to this iffue, it is not becaufe of its being different as to its nature or tendency in fome perfons to what it is in others, but because a timely

* Matt. v. vi.

James i. 13—15.

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ftop is put to its operations. Only let it go on without repentance till it has finished its work, and eternal death will be the iffue.

Whatever we are, fo long as fin lies unlamented upon the confcience, we can have no fcriptural foundation to conclude that we are chriftians. No real chriftian, it is true, will prove an apoftate; yet while we are under the influence of fin, we are moving in the direction which leads to apoftafy. If we are contented with a relapsed state of mind, What grounds can we have to conclude that it is not our element, or that we have ever been the fubjects of true religion? If the waters continue to be naught, it is a sign that the spring has not been healed. There is no reafon to think that Judas himfelf laid his accounts with fuch an iffue as things actually came to. During the miniftry of our Lord, while he kept the bag, and fometimes made free with its contents, it is probable he neverthelefs reckoned himfelf a good man. He faw many failings in his fellow-difciples,

and in all other good men; and he might think this to be his. When he had covenanted with the chief priests, it does not appear that he expected his mafter would be eventually taken and crucified. When they were about to lay hands on him, he had often paffed through the midst of them,, and went his way; and he might fuppofe that it would be fo again. When therefore he faw that he was condemned, he was thrown into a ftate of terrible amazement, and in the iffue went and hanged himself. Such was the process of an apoftate; and fuch. his end. Surely it behoves us to take heed how we trifle with thofe things, the end of which is death!

ON THE MEANS OF RECOVERY.

Were it not for the hopes of being inftrumental in faving fome from the error of their way, and of inducing others to a greater degree of watchfulness, I fhould not have written the preceding pages. It can afford no fatisfaction to expofe the evil conduct of a fellow-finner, or to trace its dangerous effects, unlefs it be with a view. to his falvation or prefervation.

It is natural for thofe who have fallen into fin, unless they be given up to a rejection of all religion, to with, on fome confideration to be reftored. A backfliding ftate is far from being agreeable. Hence it is that many have prematurely grafped at the promise of forgiveness, and said to their fouls, Peace, peace, when there was no peace. It is defirable that we be recovered from our backflidings; but it is not defirable that we fhould think ourfelves recovered when we are not fo.

As there are many ways by which a convinced finner feeks peace to his foul without being able to find it, fo it is with a backflider. Self-righteous attempts to mortify fin, and gain peace with God, are not confined to the first period of religious concern. Having through the power of alarm defifted from the open practice of fin, many have laboured to derive comfort from this confideration, without confeffing their fin on the head, as it were, of the gofpel facrifice. Their fins may be faid rather to have been worn away from their

remembrance by length of time, than washed away by the blood of the cross. But this is not recovery: the hurt, if bealed, is healed flightly; and may be expected to break out again. The fame way in which, if we be true chriftians, we first found reft to our fouls must be purfued in order to recover it; namely, by repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jefus Chrift. This is the way to which the feriptures uniformly direct us. My little children, these things I write unto you, that ye fin not. And if any man fin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jefus Chrift the righteous-If we confefs our fins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our fins, and to cleanfe us from all unrighteousness. This was the way in which David was recovered. He confeffed his fin with deep contrition, pleading to be purged with hyffop, that he might be clean, and washed that he might be whiter than fnow. By this language he could not mean that his fin should be purged away by any thing pertaining to the ceremonial law, for that law made no provision

* Psal. li. 9.