......4.4.. down upon me with an eye of pity; I am greatly perplexed between hopes and fears, and know not what to do. If I look at myself, I fee nothing but grounds of discouragement, and of despair. * To me belongeth confufion of face; but to thee belong mercies and forgivenesses, through the death of thy dear Son. This is all my hope, the only ground of my expectation of pardon, of peace, and of reconciliation with thee. "And *"So numerous are our offences, and fo violent our provocations, that, were not the bleffed God equally fuperior to us in goodness, as he is in power; and in pardoning mercy, as he is in wisdom; we could not have the leaft ground of hope. Among men, when a breach of private friendship has taken place, the aggreffor, being conscious of the injury he has done, is commonly very backward to admit, that the aggrieved party has any benevolence for him. Thus it is with finners, when their confciences are awakened, in regard to God. Extremely backward they are to admit, that there is forgivenefs with God, for fuch aggravated crimes as theirs. To relieve the diftreffed foul, by obviating this very common and prefsing difficulty, the Great Sovereign condescends tacitly to admit, that were he like us, neither pardoning nor fparing mercy would ever be exercised towards any of Adam's offspring. But, he is GOD and not MAN. His thoughts, relative to pardoning mercy, are not our thoughts; nor his ways, refpecting that "And is there indeed any hope for a wretch fo miferable and forlorn as I am? The very poffibility of obtaining favour with thee, alleviates my forrows, and half removes the heavy load which oppreffes my foul. Wilt thou be pacified towards me! Let me not deceive myself! Is not this too good news to be true! Have I any warrant from thee, O merciful God, for the hope I am cherishing? Yes! I this moment recollect what is written in the scriptures of truth; "Let the wicked forfake his Offences, compa important affair, like our ways. rable to a debt of only fifty pence, are often with dif ficulty forgiven by us: while he, through the blood of atonement, freely obliterates a debt of ten thoufand talents. Among mortals, it is an inftance of love extremely rare, that any one should lay down his life, even for a good man, or a public benefactor; but God recommends his love towards us, in that, while we were yet finners, and his enemies, he fent his own Son to die for us. Far from regulating the manifeftations of his compaffion according to the puny inftances of human kindness; he not only bleffes, but astonishes, by the displays of his matchlefs favour to finners. Yes, God is LOVE; and, therefore, he delighteth in mercy. What, then, could be more encouraging; or what, by neceffary confequence, could more strongly authorise, a guilty, perifhing wretch, to rely on the Lord Jefus, in whom this boundlefs mercy is manifested ?" BooTH's Glad Tidings, pag. 26. 27. .....4..4.. 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. I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their fins no more. I even I am he that blotteth out thy tranfgreffion for mine own fake, and will not remember thy fins. Whofoever believeth in Jefus fhall receive remiffion of fins. "Lord, on the declarations of thy own mouth I venture my foul's everlasting concerns. O help; me fo to believe what thou haft fpoken, as that my fears and anxieties may be removed, and my foul be fatisfied of its intereft in thy favour which is life." Guilty and felf-condemn'd I lie, I know I have deferv'd to die, In his dear name may I partake And, for thy fov'reign mercy's fake, Thy healing grace, O God, impart ; O let thy favour cheer my heart, And all my fears controul. CHAP. .....4..4.. CHAP. IV. The Favour of God is Life to converted Perfons in various Circumftances. HAVING confidered the text as applicable to the cafe of finners at their firft converfion, I now proceed to observe, 2. That the favour of God is life to returning backfliders. God's dear children are fometimes permitted to turn aside from the path of duty, to fall into open acts of fin, or into a course of secret re-. miffnefs, negligence, and unwatchfulness. When that is the cafe, divine comforts are fufpended, or, in the language of inspiration, the Lord hides his face, and leaves the foul in darknefs, gloominefs, and defpondency. Through the power of indwelling fin, through the violence of Satan's temptations, or through the fnares of the present evil world, they forfake the Fountain of living waters, leave their firft love, and turn afide after lying vanities, till their hearts being hardened through the deceitfulness of fin, they at length, perhaps, are overtaken with faults inconfiftent with their chriftian character, or fall into difhonourable and fcandalous practices. This is greatly to be lamented. But the good Shepherd reftores his wandering fheep. He He brings them to a juft fenfe of the evil of their doings, and opens afresh the springs of godly forrow. He fays to them, "Thine own wickedness fhall correct thee, and thy backflidings fhall reprove thee; know therefore and fee, that it is an evil thing and bitter that thou haft forfaken the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, faith the Lord God of hofts." That peace, which arifeth from a view of interest in Jesus, is loft. The grieved Spirit fufpends his gracious influences, and the foul is filled with difquietude, distress and anguish. When this is the cafe, the man is brought, in deep humiliation, to lament after an abfent God, and to cry to him, with the Pfalmift, "Restore unto me the joys of thy falvation." To the confolations of God I am now, alas! a ftranger. Behold, for peace I have great bitterness! My cafe is fad and deplorable. When I first gave myself to the Lord, I promised conftancy; but I have now forgotten and forfaken him and am quickly turned afide after vain things which cannot profit.. Woe is me, ungrateful wretch that I am! My unkind dealing with God is unparalleled! Who ever turned afide unto folly as I have done? My guilty conscience now accufeth me, God frowns upon me, all my former fins are fet in array against me, they |