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not forfake them." The inquiring finner should remember for his encouragement, that it is the office of the Saviour of men, to give light to them. that fit in darkness, and in the fhadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

The convinced finner fees the neceffity of God's favour being manifested in turning his heart from fin to holiness. He fees the neceffity of repentance, and is conscious of his own inability to produce it in himself. "Alas!" fays he, "I can no more convert myself, than I could have given myself existence when I had none. I have no power to make my heart new, to make it pure and holy. I feel in myself nothing but diforder, perverfenefs, and rebellion. What fhall I do? Merciful God! do thou thoroughly change and renew my foul. Turn thou me, and I fhall be turned. Do all that for me, of thy abundant grace, which is neceffary to my everlasting falvation. I am encouraged to afk this, becaufe thou haft, of thy free favour, promised all that I want."

The poor finner, in this cafe, is led to remember, for his relief, fuch declarations as the following. "The Lord thy God will circumcife thine heart to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy foul, that thou mayeft live. I will give them an heart to know me, and they shall be

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my people, and I will be their God: for they fhall return unto me with their whole heart. I will put a new spirit within you, and will take the ftony heart out of your flesh, and will give you an heart of flesh." Here God of his free favour, has gracioufly promised what the awakened foul fees to be abfolutely neceffary to its final fafety.

Such a finner wants a sense of intereft in the divine Redeemer, and in all his faving benefits. He is fully convinced that there is no falvation for him but in Jefus. "How have I deceived myself,” fays he, " "in placing my confidence in my own righteousness, which indeed is but as filthy rags! It is impoffible that that should justify me which is fo imperfect and impure as to deserve the abhorrence of my Maker and Sovereign. I now at last fee my own nakedness and wretchedness. Behold, I am vile; I abhor myself, all I am, and all I have; nay, Ljuftly deferve the abhorrence of that holy and righteous Being with whom I have to do. If I have not a righteoufnefs better than my own, a righteousness anfwerable to the requifitions of the divine law, I am well affured, I cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. When I review my past life, and look into my depraved heart, I am confounded. God is holy, his law is pure, his juftice is like a flaming fire against polluted finners, fuch

as

as I am. In myself I have nothing to shelter or protect me, and fhould fink into despair, were it not for the glad tidings of gofpel grace, in which a Saviour is revealed, who is become a furety for finners, an advocate, a propitiatory facrifice. O for a sense of intereft in this precious, this Almighty Redeemer! What would I give, rather, what would I not give for this! Lord, fhew me this favour, and what can I ask more!

"I see that finners are made partakers of the falvation of Jefus only by believing in him. But faith is the gift of God. How fhall I believe in this divine Saviour? Alas! my unbelieving heart debars me from the confolation of the gofpel. I fometimes think I will embrace Chrift, but I feem to want arms to do it. I think I will come to him, but I feem to want feet, and cannot move towards him. I am convinced of my unbelief, and of the want of that faith which is of the operation of God. I fee that without fuch a faith there can be no participation of pardon of fin, no enjoyment of peace with God, no hope of heaven. O that God would graciously work. this faith in me, by his own almighty power! Lord, conquer and fubdue my unbelieving heart, by the light and power of thy word, and the attractive beams of thy favour!"

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In this cafe, the trembling finner may find some encouragement from fuch declarations of the divine word as the following. I will put my law in

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their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and I will be their God, and they fhall be my people. A new heart will I give you, and a right spirit will I put within you. Him that cometh to me, I will in no wife caft out. It is written in the prophets, They fhall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. He that fpared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how fhall he not with him alfo freely give us all things ?"

In a word, the returning finner wants a difcovery of his being received into the favour and friendship of God, through Jefus Chrift. This would be worth more to him than all the world. He is confcious of his crimes, he is oppreffed with loads of guilt, and almoft overwhelmed with fearful and defponding apprehenfions. He trembles to approach the awful Majefty of heaven, but ftanding afar off, he fmites upon his breaft, and like the Publican in the temple cries, "God be merciful to me a finner. Satan, and my own mifgiving heart would drive me from thee; but the fenfe of my neceflity urges me on to seek that relief at thy hand which can be found no where else.

Yet

how

how can fuch a wretch as I am, expect any token of mercy from thy offended Majesty! I have finned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy fon; yet make me as one of thy hired fervants; let me but be taken into thy family, and I fhall be happy, though I fhould оссиру the meaneft place, and ftand in the lowest order. Lord, what fhall I fay unto thee? Is there yet any mercy for my poor helplefs and polluted foul? Shall I ever obtain favour in thine eyes? O look upon me, and be gracious unto me, for the fake of him who died the loft to fave.

I will not defpair, but endeavour to hope even against hope. Thou, O God, who art infinitely great, art also infinitely good and kind. Thy mercy is above the heavens. Thou haft had longpatience with me, and kept me alive from going down to the pit of destruction, I would hope, with the compaffionate design of bringing me to the knowledge of thy great falvation. For whom did. Jefus, thy beloved Son, fhed his blood; for whom did he agonize and die, but for finners? Lord, I am a sinner, and though my crimes far exceed the crimes of many others, yet I find, in the day's of his fojourning here below, he fhewed mercy on great finners; they obtained forgiveness, as patterns of future grace to others. O Lord, look

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