every man, who wears out his life in seeking the regard or the honour which comes from men, walketh in a vain fhew; furely they are difquieted in vain but now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.

:

Who would be content to live for one hour in a state of uncertainty, with regard to the favour of his Maker and fupreme Judge? It is ftrange that men can pursue the business and relish the pleasures of life, without the least solicitude about the matter under confideration. They regard not him who hath directed us to embrace his Son Jefus Christ, by believing in his name, as our only deliverer from the wrath to come. "Kifs the Son left he be angry, and ye perifh from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Bleffed are all they that put their trust in him." If you are in a ftate of impenitence and unbelief, how do you know but this day, this night, or this hour, you may be cut off in your fins, and fent to the place of punishment? "Because there is wrath, beware, left he take you away with a ftroke; and then a great ransom cannot deliver you." Do not fay, I hope it will be otherwife. What reafon have you for this hope, fo long as you are totally regardless of the only way of fafety? You are by nature a child of wrath even as others. He that believeth

not,

》༑ཁྱར་ར་

not, the wrath of God abideth on him. If you have no fpiritual acquaintance with Jefus, if you have never come to him, as a loft and ruined finner, believing in his name for the remiffion of your fins, this is your very cafe. Your hope therefore is all delufion.

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He that believeth is born of God, and fhall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. The change is great. It is a reality, and not the wild fancy of an euthufiaftic mind. Do not deceive your felf. He who will be your Judge at last, who has the key of David, who openeth and no man shutteth, and fhutteth and no man openeth, even he hath faid, Except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven." To hope for an admittance into the kingdom without this change, is to hope for that which, in the very nature of things, cannot be. It is to hope that the teftimony of the King of glory is not However myfterious that change is in itself, which is fignified by the new birth, it is made manifeft by its effects. Repentance of fin, faith in Chrift, love to God, affection to his children, and new obedience to his will, are its certain confequences. If to thefe you are an utter ftranger, deceive not yourself by a blind and delufive hope you are in the favour of God.

true.

that

But

But while I would warn you against that deceitful hope which only ferves to lull you to security in a state of fin, I would caution you against drawing the fatal conclufion, that there is no hope for you. You are yet alive, yet on the ground of mercy. The glad tidings of falvation by Jefus Chrift are published in your ears. It is to you

that wisdom calls; her voice is to the fons of men. To you is the declaration made, "Whosoever will, let him come, and take of the water of life freely." The door of mercy is not yet fhut. The golden fceptre is ftill held forth. "Behold now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of falvation. To-day, if you will hear his voice, harden not your heart." When once life is gone, in vain will finners cry for mercy, and feek for favour. In vain will they then fay, Lord, Lord, open to us. When once the Mafter of the house hath rifen up, and fhut the door, it will never be opened again. The disease will then be abfolutely incurable, the state of the finner entirely hopeless, and the foul undone to all eternity. All opportunity will then be past. The thought of this is awful beyond all that language can express.

But, my dear fellow-finner, this is not your cafe. Mercy's sparing hand hath yet upheld you, and the divine proclamation is ftill made to you,

"Let

སྦྱོར་ར་

"Let the wicked forfake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." But the cafe admits not of one moment's delay. How ftands your heart affected? If in fincerity you now begin to cry for mercy, there is not barely a possi. bility of your obtaining it, but an abfolute certainty. “Afk, and it shall be given you; seek, and shall find; knock, and it fhall be opened to you. Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out." The Lord of life and glory hath faid it, and his word is the truth itself. He will never falfify it.

ye

Beware then of faying with those hardened in despair, "There is no hope, no; for I have loved ftrangers, and after them will I go." Let the proclamations of divine mercy melt you to penitence, encourage you to believe, and excite you to pray. There is mercy for the chief of finners. Of this Manaffeh is an instance, Paul is a pattern, and Magdalene an example. Let God's forbearance and long-fuffering lead you to repentance. Approach to a forgiving God, through the death of his Son, and make trial whether he will not be as good as his word. Think on the refolution of the fervants of Benhadad; "We have heard that the king of Ifrael is a merciful king: let us put fack

cloth

b..:-→ར་ར་·

king of Ifrael is a merciful king: let us put fackcloth upon our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Ifrael; peradventure he will fave our lives." You have better ground of encouragement than they had. For the Lord our God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if you return unto

him."

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Perhaps fome one of my readers may be difposed to say, I look upon the favour of God as a most desirable privilege, and am using my best endeavours to obtain it.' In reply to this I would beg leave to tell you, that I am afraid you do not confider the subject in a proper light. Do you imagine that the privilege you mention is to be procured by your endeavours? That it is to be purchafed by any efforts or exertions of your own? Whoever does, by his own righteousness, seek to recommend himself to the favour of his Maker, betrays great ignorance of the gospel system, and attempts that which the fcriptures declare to be impoffible to man in his degenerate ftate. For" by the deeds of the law no flesh can be juftified in his fight." *

* He who promises himself he fhall obtain acceptance with his Maker, by keeping the law, a&ts

No. XVI. 1.

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