A Concluding Address to the Serious Reader Who Inquires, "What Must I Do to Be Saved?"

A CONCLUDING ADDRESS TO THE SERIOUS

READER WHO INQUIRES,

“WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?”

Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?— JEREMIAH

CONTENTS OF THE CONCLUDING ADDRESS.

I. REFLECTIONS on the nature and depth of penitential sorrow. II. DIRECTIONS proper for a half-awakened sinner, who desires to be truly convinced of his guilt and danger.

III. CAUTIONS against many false ways of healing a conscience wounded by sin.

IV. The evangelical method of a sound cure.

V. A Scriptural testimony of God’s children concerning the excellency of this method.

VI. Scriptural invitations and exhortations, to encourage a desponding penitent to try this never-failing method. And,

VII. The happy effects of such a trial.

AN ADDRESS TO THE SERIOUS READER.

HAVING taken my leave of the thoughtless and gay, who regard an appeal to their reason, as little as they do the warnings of their conscience, I return to thee,f69 serious and well-disposed reader. I am too much concerned for thy soul’s welfare, to lay down my pen, without showing thee more perfectly the way to the kingdom of heaven, by testifying to thee “repentance toward God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Thou art happily weary of feeding upon the husks of earthly vanities. I have a right, therefore, as a steward of the mysteries of God, to bring out of the Divine treasury the pearls of evangelical truth; and I gladly cast them before thee, persuaded, that far from awakening thy anger, they will excite thy desires, and animate thy languid hopes.

Instead of ridiculing, or dreading a heart-felt conviction of thy lost estate, thou now seest it is a desirable privilege, an invaluable blessing. Ready to mourn because thou canst not mourn, thou complainest that thou hast only a confused view of thy total depravity. Thou wantest the feelings of the royal penitent when he said, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity,” &c; “I acknowledge my transgressions,” and “my sin is ever before me;” but conscious thou canst not raise them in thy heart by natural powers, thou desirest some Scriptural directions suitable to thy case. Give me leave to introduce them by a few

PRELIMINARY REFLECTIONS

On the nature and depth of penitential sorrow.

1. Thou knowest that “except thou” truly “repentest, thou shalt” surely “perish,” and that there is no true repentance, where there is no true sorrow for sin. “I rejoice,” says St. Paul to the Corinthians, “that ye were made sorry after a godly manner: for godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of; but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” Hence it appears that there are two sorts of sorrow springing from opposite sources, God and the world; the one a “godly sorrow,” and the other “the sorrow of the world.” Learn to distinguish them by their various causes and effects, so shalt thou avoid the danger of mistaking the one for the other.

The sorrow of the world, which many cover with the cloak of religion, arises from fear of contempt, dread of poverty, secret jealousy, revenge dissatisfied, love disappointed, baffled schemes, losses in business, unkindness of friends, provocation of enemies, or the death of some idolized relative. Nay, this sorrow may sometimes spring from a mixture of self-righteous pride and slavish fear. Some cannot bear to be robbed of their fond hopes of meriting heaven by their imaginary good works. They lose all patience when they see their best righteousness brought to light, and exposed as “filthy rags;” they are cut to the heart, when they hear their apparent good deeds deserve punishment as well as their black enormities: or, like condemned malefactors, they dread the consequences of their crimes, while they feel little or no horror for the crimes themselves. Exceedingly fatal are the effects of this sorrow in the persons whom it overcomes: their indignant hearts, unable to bear either disappointment, contradiction, or condemnation, rise against second causes, or against the decrees of Providence; fret at the strictness of the law, or holiness of the Lawgiver; and pine away with uninterrupted discontent. Hence, spurning at advice, direction, and consolation, they wring their hands, or “gnaw their tongues with anguish;” impatience works them up into stupid sullenness, or noisy murmuring; they complain that their “punishment is greater than they can bear;” and, imagining they are more severely dealt with than others, they hastily conclude, “Behold this evil is from the Lord, why should I wait for him any longer?” Thus black despair seizes upon their spirits: and if grace does not interpose, they either live on to fill up the measure of their iniquities, as Cain, Pharaoh, and Haman; or madly lay violent hands upon themselves, as Ahithophel and Judas.

This sorrow cannot be too much guarded against, as it not only destroys many persons, but does immense hurt to religion. For those who are glad of any pretence to pour contempt upon godliness, taking occasion from the instances of this sorrow, harden their own hearts, and prejudice all around them against the blessed “godly sorrow,” which every minister of the Gospel endeavours to excite; maliciously representing it as one and the same with the mischievous “sorrow of the world.”

Their mistake will be evident, if we trace godly sorrow back to its source. It does not spring merely from fear of punishment; but chiefly from humbling views of God’s holiness, the impurity of the human nature, the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and the transcendent excellency of the law which condemns the sinner.

And this happy sorrow differs not less from the other in its effects, than it does in its cause. The persons who are blessed with it, far from murmuring or fretting at the Divine commandment, see it to be “holy, just, and good,” both in its preceptive and penal part. They so absolutely acquiesce in it that they would not alter it if they could. They clear God, accuse themselves, subscribe their own sentence, and acknowledge, “it is of the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed.” Each of them can say, “Wherefore should a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? It is good that he should both hope, and quietly wait, for God’s salvation: I will therefore watch to see what he will say unto me, for he will speak peace unto his people.” Thus in a constant use of all the ordinances of God, they meekly wait, wrestling with their unbelieving fears, till victorious “faith comes by hearing” of the matchless love of Jesus Christ; and then, “fearing the Lord and his goodness,” they “sing the song of the Lamb,” and run upon his delightful errands.

As thou seest, serious reader, the nature, necessity, and excellence of “godly sorrow,” thou art probably desirous of being informed how deep thine must be, to constitute thee a true penitent. Know then, that it must be deep enough to embitter thy most pleasing, profitable, and habitual sins, and to prevent thy resting without a clear sense of thy peculiar interest in Christ. It must be profound enough to make him and his Gospel infinitely precious to thee, and to produce, under God, the blessed effects mentioned in the fifth part of the preceding treatise.

To be more particular: a true penitent may certainly, without despair or madness, go as far in godly sorrow, as David does in his penitential Psalms, or our Church in the first part of the Homily on Fasting. “When good men,” says she, “feel in themselves the heavy burthen of sin, see damnation to be the reward of it, and behold with the eye of their mind the horror of hell, they tremble, they quake, they are inwardly touched with sorrowfulness of heart for their offences, and cannot but accuse themselves, and open their grief unto almighty God, and call on him for mercy. This being done seriously, their mind is so occupied, partly with sorrow and heaviness, partly with an earnest desire to be delivered from this danger of hell and damnation, that all desire of meat and drink is laid aside, and loathing of all worldly things and pleasures comes in place, so that they like nothing better than to weep, to lament, to mourn, and, both with words and behaviour of body, to show themselves weary of this life.” Nevertheless, it must be observed that godly sorrow needs not be equal, either in degree or duration, in all penitents. Those whose hearts, through Divine grace, open as readily and gently as that of Lydia, happily avoid many of David’s pangs and Job’s terrors. The powerful and instantaneous, or the gentle and gradual manner, in which souls are awakened; the difference of constitutions; the peculiar services that a few are called to, and for which they are prepared by peculiar exercises; the horrid aggravations that have attended the sins of some; and the severe correction which the Lord is obliged to give others, for their stout resistance against his grace; all this may help us to account for the various depths of distress, through which different penitents pass in their way to Christ and salvation. The Lord does not needlessly afflict the children of men, any more than a tender father unnecessarily corrects his disobedient children; he only wants us to forsake our sins, renounce our own imaginary righteousness, and come to Christ to be partakers of his merits, holiness, and felicity. The sorrow which answers these ends is quite sufficient, though it should be ever so light, and of ever so short a duration. On the contrary, a distress as heavy as that of Judas is unavailable, if, instead of driving us from sin to Jesus Christ, it only drives us from profaneness to hypocrisy, or from presumption to despair.

If, still perplexed, thou askest what thou must do to get a sense of thy depravity productive of true repentance; I answer, that an affecting discovery of the guilt, nature, and danger of sin, is only attained by the assistance of God’s Spirit, “who alone effectually convinces the world of sin.” John 16:8. But the Lord has graciously appointed means, in the right use of which he never denies a sinner the convincing and converting power of his blessed Spirit; and what they are, thou art informed in the following

DIRECTIONS

Proper for a half-awakened sinner, desirous of being duly convinced of his corrupt and lost estate.

II. Beware of “fools,” that “make a mock at” sorrow for sin, and at “sin” itself. Beware of those “blind leaders of the blind,” who, “having a form of godliness, deny the power thereof:” instead of pointing thee to the throne of grace, and bidding thee “behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world,” they will only direct thee to the church walls and communion table: and, perhaps, if they see thee under dejection of spirit for thy sins, they will recommend the play house, the card table, or what they call a “cheerful glass.” “From such turn away,” or they will persuade thee that repentance is melancholy; conviction of sin despair; and the love of God enthusiasm, 2 Timothy 3:5.

That they may not be able to laugh or frown thee out of the way of salvation, dwell in thy thoughts on God’s awful perfections. “Justice and judgment are the habitation of his throne.” The unspotted, resplendent holiness beaming forth from him, as from an immensely glorious Sun of righteousness, will show thee thy sins as innumerable as the flying motes discovered in a dusty room, where the natural sun can penetrate. Consider that they are committed by a worm of earth, against the Majesty of heaven; and they will all appear to thee infinitely great: especially if thou measurest them and thyself by the true rule, the oracles of God; casting away the three false standards which self-deceivers measure themselves by, namely, the good opinion of their worldly minded neighbours, the defective examples of their fellow sinners, and the flattering suggestions of their own blind self love.

Follow the example of “the noble Bereans: search the Scriptures daily, whether these things are so,” Acts 17:11. View, in that faithful mirror, the picture both of the natural and of the regenerate man, and ask thy conscience which thou resemblest most. If imitating the godly man described in the first Psalm, thou “meditatest in the law of the Lord day and night,” the straitness of the heavenly rule will soon show thee how very far gone thy thoughts, words, actions, tempers, and nature are from original righteousness.

To this meditation add a frequent survey of the follies of thy childhood, the vanity of thy youth, the worldly mindedness of thy riper years, the capital transgressions which conscience accuses thee of, and the “hardness of heart,” and “alienation from the life of God,” that the Scriptures charge thee with. Confess all to the Lord as thou art able, remembering that “the wages of sin is death,” who flies fast upon thee with the wings of time— death, who often gives no warning, and ushers in judgment, with all the horrors of hell, or the joys of heaven; and pray that these awful realities may affect thee now, as they will in thy last moments.

Frequently reflect how total must be our loss of spiritual life, which cannot be repaired but by a “resurrection,” a “new birth,” or a “new creation,” Colossians 3:1; John 3:7; Galatians 6:5. And how desperate the disease of our fallen nature, which cannot be healed but with the blood of a Divine Physician. Consider attentively, consider Him, whose piercing look softened the obdurate heart of cursing Peter, whose amazing sufferings brought a hardened thief under the deepest concern for his salvation, and whose dying groans “rent the rocks, shook the earth, and opened the graves.” The tender flower of evangelical sorrow grows best in the shade of his cross; a believing view of him, as suffering for thee, will melt thee into penitential tears, and seal upon thy relenting heart the gracious promise, “They shall look upon him whom they have pierced, and mourn,” Zechariah 12:10.

In the meantime improve the daily opportunities which thou hast of studying human corruption in the life and tempers of all around thee, but chiefly in thy own careless and deceitful heart: take notice of its pride and self seeking, of its risings, and secret workings, especially when unexpected temptations trouble thy imaginary peace of mind: for at such a time thy corruption, like the sediment in the bottom of a vial that is shaken, will show its loathsomeness and strength.

Converse, frequently if thou canst, with persons deeply convinced of sin. Attend a plain, heart-searching ministry as often as possible; and when the sword of the Spirit, the word of God, pierces thy soul, beware of fretful impatience. Instead of rising with indignation against the preacher, and saying as proud Ahab did to the man of God, “Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?” account him thy best friend that wounds thee deepest, provided he brings thee to Christ for a cure: and when the arrows of the word fly abroad, drop the shield of unbelief, make bare thy breast, welcome the blessed shaft, and remember that the only way of conquering sin is to fall wounded and helpless at the Redeemer’s feet.

Nevertheless, the impressions of the word will soon wear off if thou dost not importunately entreat the Searcher of hearts to light the candle of his grace in thy soul, that thou mayest clearly see whether “thy inward parts” are “holiness to the Lord,” as thou fondly supposedst; or “very wickedness,” as the Scripture testifies. It is only in God’s light that we can clearly discover our blindness.

This “light,” it is true, “shineth in darkness,” but frequently “the darkness comprehendeth it not.” That this be not thy dreadful case, do not grieve and quench the convincing Spirit, by persisting in the wilful omission of any duty, or deliberate commission of any sin: nothing but obstinate unbelief darkens the mind, and hardens the heart, more than this. Therefore, instead of burying thy “one talent” with the “slothful servant,” earnestly pray the Lord to make thee faithful in thy convictions, and to deepen them daily till they end in a sound conversion.

In order to this, do not slightly heal the wound in thy conscience: it is better to keep it open than to skin it over by improper means: many, through a natural forwardness and impatience, have recourse to them, and ruin is the consequence of their mistake. That thou mayest avoid it, serious reader, I entreat thee to pay a due regard to the following CAUTIONS,

Proper for a penitent who desires to make his calling and election SURE. III. When thou hast affecting views of thy lost estate, beware of resting, like Felix, in some pangs of fear, fits of trembling, and resolutions of turning to God by and by, “when” thou “shalt have a convenient season.” Neither give place to desponding thoughts, as if there was no appeal from the tribunal of justice to the throne of grace.

Run not for ease to vain company, bodily indulgence, entangling affections, immoderate sleep, excessive drinking, or hurry of business. “Cain built a city” to divert his trouble of mind; and multitudes like him, by “the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, or the desire of other things,” daily choke the good seed, the precious word of conviction, Mark 4:19. Be not satisfied with faint desires of living the life of the righteous, or idle wishes of dying their death. Remember that “the desire of the slothful kills him:” and if thou hast experienced some drawings of grace, meltings of heart, or breathings after God, sit not down at last, as the Laodiceans, in a careless state, “neither hot nor cold.” It is far better to go on thy way weeping, and seeking “the pearl of great price” till thou really find it, than to rest contented with a hasty conceit that thou art possessed of it, when thou art not.

Stop not in an outward reformation, and a form of godliness, like many who mistake the means or doctrines of grace for grace itself; and because they say their heartless prayers both in public and private, or go far and often to hear the Gospel preached in its purity, fondly hope that they are the favourites of God and in the high way to heaven.

Under pretence of increasing thy convictions, do not bury them in heaps of religious books. Some read till their heads are confused, or their hearts past feeling. Thus, though “ever learning, they are never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Hear, then, as well as read, the word of life; but think not thyself converted when thou hast “received it with joy.” The stony ground hearers went as far as this: “Herod himself heard John gladly, honoured him, did many things,” but left the most important undone: for he never dismissed the incestuous woman he lived with; and at last sacrificed to her revenge the honest preacher he once admired.

Do not confound the covenant of works made with innocent Adam before the fall, and the covenant of grace made with sinful Adam after the fall, Genesis 2:17, and 3:15, and Romans 5:11-21. They are excellent in their place, but when they are mixed together they destroy each other’s efficacy. The dreadful thunders heard in Paradise Lost, and the melodious songs uttered in Paradise Regained, do not strike at once the same spiritual ear. The galling yoke of the law of works, and the heavy load of its condemnation, are dropped when we take upon us Christ’s easy yoke, and submit to his light burden. In a word, the first Adam gives place to the second when we “find rest unto our souls.” Let then the curse of the law of innocence be swallowed up by the blessing of the Gospel; or rather let it make way for the grace of Christ in thy soul, as an emetic makes way for a cordial in a disordered stomach. If thou takest them together their respective use is prevented. The first covenant loses its humbling efficacy, and the second its restorative power. Therefore, if thou hast really “received the sentence of death in thyself,” leave the curse of the first covenant in the grave of Christ, “crucified for thy sins;” and welcome the pardoning, renovating grace of Christ, “risen again for thy justification.” On the other hand, rest not contented with speculative knowledge, and unaffecting, though clear, ideas of the Gospel way of salvation. Light in an unrenewed understanding, mistaken for “the mystery of faith in a pure heart,” like an ignis fatuus, or false light, leads thousands through the bogs of sin into the pit of destruction, Acts 8:13.

Pacify not thy conscience by activity in outward services, and a warmth in God’s cause: party spirit or natural steadiness in carrying on a favourite scheme, yea, or seeking thy own glory, may be the springs that set thee on the work. Jehu faithfully destroyed Baal and Jezebel, but his zeal for the Lord covered the secret desire of a crown. Take care also not to mistake gifts for graces; fluency of speech for converting power; the warmth of natural affection for Divine love; or an impulse of God’s Spirit, on some particular occasion, for an evidence of spiritual regeneration. Balaam spoke and prophesied like a child of God, and “many will one day say” to Christ, “Lord, have we not prophesied, spoke all mysteries, cast out devils, and done many wonderful works in thy name?” To whom he will answer, “Depart from me, I know you not.”

Avoid the self conceit of many who feed on the corrupted manna of their past experiences, and confidently appeal to the wasted streams of those consolations which once refreshed their hearts; when, alas! it is evident “they have” now “forsaken the fountain of living water,” and “hewn to themselves broken cisterns that hold no water;” unless the mire of evil tempers, selfish views, and heartless professions of faith, may pass for “the streams which gladden the city of God.”

Neither do thou heal thyself by touches of sorrow, by tears, good desires, or outward marks of humiliation for sin, as King Ahab. Nor by excessive fasting, retiring from business, or hard usage of the body, as many Roman Catholics; nor yet by misapplying the doctrine of predestination, and setting down notions of election for evidences of salvation, as many Protestants. No, nor by “doting about questions, strifes of words, and perverse disputings, which eat as a canker,” as some in St. Paul’s days, and too many in ours, 1 Timothy 6:4.

To conclude: Think not thou art absolutely made whole when the power of outward sin is weakened or suspended, when thou hast learned the language of Canaan, canst speak or write well on spiritual subjects, art intimately acquainted with the best ministers of Christ, and hast cast thy lot among the despised children of God, taken their part, shared in their reproach, and secured their esteem and prayers. Judas did so for years: “Saul was” once “also among the prophets.” Ananias and Sapphira were supposed to be good believers for a time; the foolish virgins joined in society with the wise, and were perhaps unsuspected to the last; and Peter himself stood in need of conversion, long after he had outwardly “left all to follow Christ,” Luke 22:32. So important is that charge of our Lord, “Strive to enter in at the strait gate, for many will seek to enter in and shall not be able.”

To these cautions against the various ways by which the generality of penitents skin over the wound of sin in their conscience, permit me to add an

EVANGELICAL EXHORTATION,

Pointing out the Divine method of a sound cure, which, though least regarded, and last tried, by most sinners, is not only effectual in some, but infallible in ALL cases.

IV. Wouldst thou, serious reader, be made whole in an evangelical manner? To thy convictions of original and actual sin must be added a conviction of unbelief. Feel, then, that thou hast neglected Christ’s great salvation: own thou didst never ask, or never persevere in asking, the unfeigned, saving, powerful faith, by which “the atonement is received” and enjoyed, Romans 5:11. Acknowledge that the faith thou hast hitherto rested in was not “the gift of God,” that grace “of his own operation, wrought in thee according to the working of his mighty power,” and mentioned Ephesians 2:8; Colossians 2:12; Ephesians 1:9. And confess it was not the right Christian faith, because it chiefly grew from the seed of prejudice and education, as the faith of Jews and Turks, and not from the seed of Divine grace and power, as the faith of St. Paul, Galatians 1:14; and because it never yielded the heavenly fruits which Gospel faith infallibly produces: such as, “a vital union with Christ,” Galatians 2:20; “the pardon of sins,” Colossians 1:14; Acts 13:39; “peace with God,” Romans 5:1; “dominion over sin,” Romans 6:14; “victory over the world,” 1 John 5:4; “the crucifixion of the flesh,” Galatians 5; “power to quench the fiery darts of the wicked,” Ephesians 6:16; “joy unspeakable,” 1 Peter 1:8; “and the salvation of the soul,” 1 Peter 1:9; Hebrews 10:39. Be not afraid of this conviction of unbelief; for it generally goes before Divine faith, as the fermentation of a grain of corn in the earth is previous to its shooting its stalk toward heaven. “God concludes,” shuts us up “in unbelief,” says St. Paul, “that he may have mercy upon us,” Romans 11:32. “When the Comforter is come, says our Lord,” “he will convince the world of sin, because they believe not in me.” This is the transgression which peculiarly deserves the name of sin, as being the damning sin according to the Gospel, Mark 16:16, the sin that binds upon us the guilt of all our other iniquities, and keeps up the power of all our corruptions. Its immediate effect is to “harden the heart,” Mark 16:14; and “make it depart from the living God,” Hebrews 3:12; and this hardness and departure are the genuine parents of all our actual sins, the number and blackness of which increase or decrease, as the strength of unbelief grows or decays.

A conviction of this sin is of the utmost importance, as nothing but an affecting sense of its heinousness and power can make us entirely weary of ourselves: nothing but a sight of its destructive nature can prevent our resting without a complete cure.

But when thou art once convinced of unbelief, do not increase the difficulty of believing by imagining true faith at an immense distance. Consider it as very near thy heart. That which convinces thee of sin and unbelief can, in a moment, and with the greatest ease, convince thee of righteousness, and “reveal in thee Christ the hope of glory.” How quickly can the Spirit take of the things that belong to him, and show them unto thee! “Say not” then “in thy heart, Who shall ascend into heaven, or descend into the deep” to get me the seed of faith? But let St. Paul show thee “the new and living way.” “The word is nigh thee,” says he, “even in thy mouth and in thy heart, that is, the word of faith which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved:” for “we are saved by faith; faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” “Hear” then “the word of the Lord.”

Are thy sins really grievous to thee? Is the burden of them intolerable? Wouldst thou part with it at any rate? Dost thou fully renounce thy speculative and barren faith? Hast thou received the sentence of eternal death in thy conscience, acknowledging thy case (for any thing thou canst do without Christ) helpless, hopeless, desperate? And art thou truly brought to the grand inquiry, “What must I do to be saved?” See, feel, confess, that thou standest in absolute need of a Divine Physician, an almighty Redeemer; and that the God-man, Jesus Christ, joins both those extraordinary characters in his wonderful person. Submit to be “saved by grace,” by free grace, through his infinite merits, and not thy wretched deserts; and instead of opposing, continually study God’s wonderful method of saving sinners, the worst of sinners, by faith in his blood. “There is no name but his under heaven whereby we must be saved;” neither is there cure, or “salvation, in any other,” Acts 4:12. As “by him all things were created,” so “by him they subsist,” and by him they must be restored. The power of his word and breath made man a living soul; and now that we are dead to God, the same power, applying his blood and righteousness, must “create in us clean hearts,” and “renew right spirits within us.” This, and this only, heals wounded consciences, washes polluted souls, and raises the dead in trespasses and sins. Wouldst thou then be made whole? “Determine,” as St. Paul, “to know nothing but Christ, and him crucified.” Aim at believing, realizing, applicatory views of what he is, and what he has done and suffered for thee. Through all the clouds of thy guilt and unbelief, which will vanish before our “Sun of righteousness,” as mists before the material sun, “behold him as the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world,” and thine. See the immense dignity of his person; “he is God over all, blessed for ever;” and yet he condescends to be “Immanuel, God with us, flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bone.” Consider the inexpressible value and inconceivable efficacy of his precious, all atoning blood. It is the blood of the sacred body assumed by the eternal Logos, when he “appeared in the likeness of sinful flesh,” both as a victim and a priest, to suffer the penalty of his own righteous law for us, and “to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself;”—the blood “of the Lamb of God, slain to sprinkle many nations,”—the blood of that mysterious Being, who fills “the bosom of the Father,” and the everlasting throne, at whose feet all the heavenly powers “cast their crowns;” and to whom, in the midst of the acclamations and adorations of “an innumerable company of angels,” in the midst of “sounding trumpets, thunderings, lightnings, and voices, the spirits of just men made perfect ascribe salvation,” free, full, immensely dear-bought salvation. And, to say all in one word, it is “the blood of God made manifest in the flesh,” Acts 20:28; 1 Timothy 3:16. For “JEHOVAH our righteousness” is “the seed of the woman, and the son of man.” The Godhead and the manhood are wonderfully joined in him; and in consequence of this mysterious union, he is not only a proper “Mediator between God and man,” but the sole medium of reconciliation and union between the offended Majesty of heaven and the rebellious sons of Adam. As the brazen serpent lifted up in the wilderness, when viewed by the wounded Israelites, was the only means by which the poison of the fiery serpents could be expelled, and health restored to their tortured, dying bodies: so Jesus lifted up on the cross, when beheld by the eye of faith as bleeding and dying in our stead, is the only way by which sin, the sting of death, can be extracted out of our guilty, perishing souls; the only antidote that can restore us to saving health and eternal life, John 3:14. Apply whatever we will, beside this sovereign remedy, we may poison, but can never heal, the envenomed and mortal wound.

But remember, sinner, that faith alone can make the blessed application. Adam fell by rejecting in unbelief the word of threatening, and thou canst never rise, but by receiving in faith “the word of reconciliation,” Genesis 2:17; 2 Corinthians 5:19. Instead then of confusing thy thoughts and scattering thy desires by the pursuit of a variety of objects, remember that “one thing is needful” for thee,—Christ and his salvation, received by faith: “for, to as many as receive him, he gives power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. Beseech him, therefore, to manifest himself to thee by his word and Spirit. “He is the Author and Finisher of faith,” the “Giver of every good and perfect gift;” ask of him a heart-felt confidence that “God so loved” thee, “as to give his only begotten Son, that thou shouldest not perish, but have everlasting life;” a firm confidence that, as the first Adam wilfully ruined thee, so he, “the second Adam,” freely “loved thee,” and “gave himself for thee;” and that thou “hast redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,” not “according to” thy merits, but “the riches of his grace.” The least degree of this Divinely wrought confidence will begin to attract and unite thy soul to Him, who “is our life” and “peace,” our “strength and righteousness.” The everlasting Gospel will then be music in thine ears, and power in thy heart. Its cheerful solemn sound will raise thy drooping spirits, and make thee fix the eye of thy mind on the “sign of the Son of man,” the uplifted banner of the cross. And O, while the self righteous see nothing there but the “despised, rejected Man of sorrows,” what wilt thou discover? “God in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself!” “God manifest in the flesh to destroy the works of the devil!” Jehovah “Jesus, the Captain of our salvation, treading the wine press of the fierceness of the wrath of the Almighty! Of the people there was none with him, therefore his own arm brought salvation unto him.”

While the Gospel “trumpet is blown in Sion,” and the self-hardened scoffing infidel, hears it with disdain and ridicule, what joy will the awful declarations convey to thy penitent and listening soul! With what rapturous delight wilt thou hang upon the lips of the messengers of peace, the sons of consolation, who preach free salvation by the blood of Jesus! While he himself, “confirming the word of his servants,” says to the melting heart, with his “still, small,” and yet powerful, renovating “voice,” “Behold, I sit upon my throne making all things new:” “The words that I speak are spirit and life:” “I do not condemn thee, thy sins are forgiven:” “Be thou clean:” “Thy faith hath saved thee:” “Go in peace, and sin no more,” Revelation 21:5; John 6:63; Luke 7:48, 50; Matthew 8:3; John 8:11.

And O! what will thy believing, enlarged heart experience “in that day of God’s power,” and thy spiritual birth! Christ, “the true light of the world, the eternal life of men, coming suddenly to his temple,” and filling it with the light of his countenance, and the power of his resurrection! Christ “shedding abroad in thy” ravished “soul, the love of thy heavenly Father,” thy bitterest enemies, and all mankind! In a word, “the Holy Ghost given unto thee!” Or, “Christ dwelling in thy heart by faith,” John 1:4; 1 John 5:12; Romans 8:15; 5:5; Galatians 1:16; Ephesians 1:13; 3:17.

Being thus “made partaker of Christ,” and “of the Holy Ghost,” Hebrews 3:14, and 6:4, thy loving heart, thy praising lips, thy blameless life, will agree to testify, that “the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins,” and that “if any man is in Christ he is a new creature; old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new,” Matthew 9:6; 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Till this is thy happy experience, pray, (as the drawings of the Father and convictions of the Spirit will enable thee,) earnestly pray for living faith, for a “faith” that may be to thee “the substance of” the pardon thou “hopest for,” and “the evidence” of the great sacrifice thou “dost not see,” but which our Divine Surety really offered upon the cross for thee. Consider how deplorable a thing it is that thou shouldest be prevented from claiming, receiving, enjoying the delightful knowledge of thy interest in the Redeemer’s death, when his pardoning love, and “the word of his grace,” offer it thee “without money and without price,” and absolutely nothing but infatuating unbelief, or spiritual sloth, keeps thee from the invaluable blessing. Be not satisfied idly to wait in the Divine ordinances, till thou “seest the kingdom of God come with power;” but, as the “violent” do, “take it by force.”

Prisoner of hope, be strong, be bold,

Cast off thy doubts, disdain to fear:

Dare to believe, on Christ lay hold;

Wrestle with Christ in mighty prayer:

Tell him, “I will not let thee go,

Till I thy name, thy nature know.”

Be attentive to the calls of the Spirit, and follow the drawings of the Father, till they bring thee to the Son; and keep thine eye upon the dawning light of the Gospel, till “the morning star arise in thy heart.” Venture, confidently venture upon the boundless mercy of God in Jesus Christ. If a spirit of infirmity bows thee down, yield not to it; “seventy times seven times” try to arise and look up, calling aloud for help against it. Say, if possible “with tears,” as the distressed father in the Gospel, “Lord, I believe,” or, Lord, I would believe, “help thou my unbelief” or with tempted Job, “Though thou slay me, yet will I trust in thee.” In this manner knock, with the earnestness of the importunate widow, till the door of faith open, and thou begin to “see the salvation of God.” But stop not here at the threshold of Christianity. “Have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.” Go on “from faith to faith,” till thy “day of pentecost is fully come,” till thou art” endued with power from on high, baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire,” and “sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,” which Christ “received of the Father,” and “abundantly shed on his servants and handmaids,” when he was “glorified:” compare Matthew 3:11; Ephesians 1:13; John 7:39; Acts 1:5, 8, and 2:33, 39, and 8:15, and 19:2; John 7:39; Titus 3:6. In the meantime use all the means of grace with an eye to their end; “stir up the gift” of hope “that is in thee;” and, to raise thy drooping expectation, receive the encouraging testimony of God’s redeemed, praising people, whose hearts and tongues are ready to testify to thy ears what the following lines declare to thine eyes.

V. “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father, and is manifested unto us.” Yes, “we have found him, of whom Moses and the prophets did write.” From blessed experience we declare that the Messiah is come, and his essence is love incarnate, his name Free Salvation, and his delight the eternal happiness of the children of men. “He is the chief among ten thousand” prophets, priests, kings, and saviours; “he is altogether lovely. We staked our souls upon his eternal truth, and it was done to us both according to his word and our faith. Therefore, with humble joy we declare, that he answers the prayers, and delivers the souls of perishing sinners, as graciously as he did in the days of his flesh.

Upon trials, a thousand times successfully relocated, we proclaim him the help of the helpless, the hope of the hopeless, the health of the sick, the strength of the weak, the riches of the poor, the peace of the disquieted, the comfort of the afflicted, the light of those that sit in darkness, the companion of the desolate, the friend of the friendless, the way of the bewildered, the wisdom of the foolish, the righteousness of the ungodly, the sanctification of the unholy, the redemption of captives, the joy of mourners, the glory of the infamous, and, in a word, the salvation of the lost.

Though he was the Creator of men and angels, he vouchsafed to be born of a woman, that we, the wretched offspring of degenerate Adam, might be born again, born of God. Though he had stretched forth the heavens like a curtain, and bespangled them with stars innumerable, he wrapped himself in the scanty, fading garment of our flesh, and put on the veil of our miserable humanity, that we might be invested with the glory and communicable perfections of the Divine nature. Though he was the King of kings and Lord of lords, he did not disdain to take upon him the form and office of a servant, that we might be delivered from the slavery of Satan, and that angels might be sent forth to minister for us, who are the heirs of salvation. Though he was the “fulness of him who fills all in all,” he worked that we might not want; toiled, that we might rest; and endured hunger and thirst, that we might taste the hidden manna, eat the bread of life, and drink with him the mystic wine of his Father’s kingdom. His omnipotent word covers a thousand hills with verdure, and clothes millions of creatures with rich furs, glittering scales, and shining plumage; but, O infinite condescension! he submitted to be stripped of his plain raiment, that our shame might not appear; he became naked, that we might be adorned with robes of righteousness and garments of salvation. Though his riches were immense and unsearchable like himself, though heaven was his throne and earth his footstool, he became poor, and was destitute of a place where to lay his head, that we might be rich in faith here, and heirs of the kingdom hereafter. Though he was, is now, and ever shall be the joy of the heavenly powers, and the object of their deepest adoration; he was voluntarily despised of men, that we might be honoured of God: he was acquainted too with griefs, that we might rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Though supreme Lawgiver and Judge of all, matchless love made him yield to be judged, and unjustly condemned at Pilate’s bar, that we might be honourably acquitted, and gloriously rewarded before his awful tribunal. Though archangels laid their crowns at his feet, and seraphim veiled their faces before him, unable to stand the dazzling effulgence of his glory, he suffered himself to be derided, scoffed, spit upon, scourged, and crowned with thorns; that we might be acknowledged, applauded, embraced, and presented with never-fading crowns of righteousness and glory. “The Lord of Hosts” is his name; he is deservedly called, “Wonderful, Counsellor, the everlasting Father, the mighty God, the Prince of Peace;” cherubic legions fly at his nod; and yet, astonishing humiliation! “his shoulders, on which is laid the government” of the world, felt the infamous load of a malefactor’s cross; and barbarous soldiers, followed by an enraged mob, led him as a lamb to the slaughter, that we might be delivered from the heavy curse of the law, and gently conveyed by the celestial powers into Abraham’s bosom. “Let all the angels of God worship him,” is the great decree to which the heavenly hierarchy submits with incessant transports of the most ardent devotion: and yet he was crucified as an execrable wretch, guilty of treason and blasphemy, that we, daring rebels and abominable sinners, might be “made kings and priests unto God,” partaking of his highest glory, as he partook of our deepest shame: and, to crown his loving kindness, he expired in the midst of rending rocks and a supernatural darkness; that we might feel his tender mercies, and be indulged with the light of heaven, when we go through the dreary valley of the shadow of death, to reap the joys of eternal life.

————Survey this wondrous cure;

And at each step let higher wonders rise

Pardon for infinite offence; and pardon

Through means that speak its value infinite!

A pardon bought with blood! with blood Divine.

With blood divine of Him we made our foe!

Persisted, to provoke! though woo’d and awed,

Bless’d and chastised! bold, flagrant rebels still,

Bold rebels ‘midst the thunders of his throne!

Nor we alone! a rebel universe!

Yet for the foulest of the foul he dies.

But this is not all: having “through the grace of God tasted death for every man,” and perfumed the grave for believers,

He rose! He rose! He broke the bars of death!

O the burst gates, crush’d sting, demolish’d throne,

Last gasp of vanquish’d death! Shout, earth and heaven,

This sum of good to man; whose nature then

Took wing, and mounted with him from the tomb!

Then, then, we rose; then first humanity

Triumphant, pass’d the crystal gates of light.

——YOUNG.

O the depth of the mystery of faith! O the breadth, the length, the height of the love of Christ! All his stupendous humiliation from his Father’s bosom, through the virgin’s womb, to the accursed tree; all his astonishing exaltation, from the dust to the grave, and the sorrows of hell to the joys of heaven, and the highest throne of glory; all this immense progress of incarnate love,—all, all is ours! His mysterious incarnation re-unites and endears us to God; his natural birth procures our spiritual regeneration; his unspotted life restores us to a blissful immortality; his bitter agony gives us calm repose; his bloody sweat washes away our manifold pollutions; his deep wounds distil the balm that heals our envenomed sores; his perfect obedience is our first title to endless felicity; his full atonement purchases our free justification; his cruel death is the spring of immortal life; his grave the gate of heaven; his resurrection the pledge of glory; his ascension the triumphs of our souls; his sitting at the right hand of the Majesty on high the earnest of our future coronation and exalted felicity; and his prevailing intercession the inexhaustible fountain of all our blessings. Come then, conscious sinner, come to the feast of pardoning love; taste with us that the Lord is gracious. Let not a false humility detain thee, under pretence that “thou art not yet humbled and broken enough for sin.” Alas! who can humble thee but Jesus, that says, “Without me ye can do nothing?” And how canst thou be broken, but by falling upon this chief corner Stone? If humiliation and contrition are parts of the salvation which he merited for thee, is it not the quintessence of self righteousness to attempt to attain them without him? Away then, for ever away, with such a dangerous excuse!

Nor let the remembrance of thy sins keep thee from the speediest application to Jesus for grace and pardon. What! though thy crimes are of the deepest dye and most enormous magnitude; though they are innumerable as the sand on the sea shore, and aggravated by the most uncommon and horrid circumstances; yet thou needest not despair: he has “opened a fountain for sin” of every kind, “and uncleanness” of every degree: “his blood cleanses from all sin.”

He is a Redeemer most eminently fitted, a Saviour most completely qualified to restore corrupt, guilty, apostate, undone mankind; the vilest of the vile, the foulest of the foul, not excepted. He is Almighty, and therefore perfectly able to restore lapsed powers, root up inveterate habits, and implant heavenly tempers. He is love itself; compassionate, merciful, pardoning love, become incarnate for thee. And shall he that spared not his own life but delivered himself up for us all,—shall he not with his own blood also freely give us all things!

Behold, O behold him with the eye of thy faith! cruelly torn with various instruments of torture, he hangs aloft on the accursed tree, between two of the most execrable malefactors; and there, insulted more than they, he bears our infamous load of guilt. “He knows no sin,” and yet “he is made sin for us:” he “becomes a curse to redeem us from the curse of the law; his own self bears our sins in his own body on the tree; he is wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace is upon him. God hath laid on him the iniquity of us all, and with his stripes we are healed.”

See, PARDON FOR LOST SINNERS is written with pointed steel and streaming blood on his pierced hands and feet; the double flood issuing from his wounded side more than seals the dear-bought blessing: the hand writing against us is nailed to his cross and blotted out with his precious blood; his open arms invite, draw, and welcome returning prodigals; and there encircled, the worst of sinners may find a safe and delightful retreat, a real and present heaven.

O sinner, let thy heart fly thither on the wings of eager expectation and impetuous desire. By all that is near, dear, and sacred to thee,—fly from eternal death,—fly for eternal life. The law, violated by ten thousand transgressions, pursues thee with ten thousand curses: the sword of Divine vengeance flames over thy devoted head: sin, the sting of death, has been a thousand times shot into thy wretched breast; its subtle and dire poison continually works in thy hardened or distressed heart: guilt, the sting of sin, the never-dying worm, perpetually benumbs thy stupid soul or gnaws thy restless conscience: raging lusts, those sparks of the fire of hell, which nothing but the blood of the cross can quench; or fierce passions, those flashes of infernal lightning, that portend an impending storm, frequently break out in thy benighted soul; a heart-felt pledge of tormenting flames: Satan, whom thou hast perhaps invoked by horrid imprecations, goes about as a roaring lion, seeking to ensnare his careless votary, or devour his desperate worshipper: death levels his pointed spear at thy thoughtless or throbbing heart: hell itself is moved from beneath to meet thee at thy coming; and the grave gapes at thy feet, ready to close her hideous mouth upon her accursed prey.

Fly then, miserable sinner, if thy flesh is not brass, and thou canst not dwell with everlasting burnings, fly for shelter to the bloody cross of Jesus. There thou wilt meet “Him who was, and is, and is to come:” “Immanuel, God with us,” who appeared as the Son of man, to “make his soul an offering for sin,” for thy sin; and saved thy life from destruction by losing his own in pangs, which made the sun turn pale, shook the earth, and caused the shattered graves to give up their dead.

He is even now near to thy heart; he stands at the door and gently knocks by the word of his grace. If thou hearest his voice, and openest by believing, he will come in; the word of reconciliation shall be powerfully ingrafted in thy heart; thou shalt know, experimentally know the truth, and the truth shall make thee free. Assured that he hath by himself purged thy sins, abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel, thou shalt sup with him and he with thee; thou shalt eat the bread of God which came down from heaven to give life to a perishing world. Evangelical truth, received by faith, will heal, nourish, comfort, and sanctify thy soul.

But perhaps thy guilty heart receives no consolation from these lines. Thou still considerest Christ only as a severe lawgiver, or as an inflexible judge; and not as the “propitiation for thy sins,” and thy gracious all-prevailing advocate with the Father. O, how dost thou wrong both him and thyself by such false conceptions! And how soon would thy gloomy fears give place to triumphant joy, if thy thoughts of him corresponded with his gracious designs concerning thee!

Wouldest thou know him better, behold him through the glass of his word, and not through the mist of thy fears; and thou wilt see that, far from watching over thee for evil, he fixes upon thee the piercing eye of his redeeming love; waits that he may be gracious to thy soul, and calls, continually calls for thee. O! if thou hast an ear, listen; and as thou listenest, wonder at the kind, reviving words which proceed out of his mouth.

VI. f70

“Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,” says the Lord; “speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, and her iniquity is pardoned; for in me she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins: he is well pleased for my righteousness’ sake; I have magnified the law, and made it honourable; I have been lifted up, and now I draw all men unto me. My delights are with the sons of men, and therefore am I exalted, that I may have mercy upon them. Behold, I come with a strong hand, my reward is with me, and my work before me. Every valley shall be exalted, every mountain and hill shall be made low; the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain; my glory shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. “Hearken unto me, ye stout hearted, that are far from righteousness; I bring near my righteousness, it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry. Seek ye me while I may be found, call upon me while I am near: return unto me, and I will have mercy upon you; and though ye have only done evil before me from your youth, I will abundantly pardon: for my thoughts are not revengeful as your thoughts, nor my ways unloving as your ways: in me you shall be saved with an everlasting salvation.

“Come, therefore, unto me, all ye that travail and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest: my yoke is easy, my burden light, and my rest glorious. Ho! every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat all that can revive, strengthen, and delight your souls; yea, come, buy wine and milk, without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, eat that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me; hear, and your soul shall live: I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David, and you shall all know me from the least to the greatest; for I will forgive your iniquity, and remember your sin no more.

“O, if thou knewest the gift of God, wretched sinner, and who it is that saith unto thee, If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink, thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water; a well, a fountain of it would have sprung up in thee unto everlasting life; yea, out of thy belly, thy inmost soul, rivers of living water, the greatest abundance of the purest joy, would have flowed for ever. I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for my own sake, and will not remember thy sins: I will guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought; and thou shalt be like a watered garden, or like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

“O how often would I have gathered thee, in years past, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings! How often would I have led thee as an eagle fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, and beareth them! but thou wouldest not. Nevertheless, this is still the day of my power, mercy, and love: I pardon those whom I reserve, and I will yet be pacified toward thee, for all that thou hast done. I was angry with thee, but mine anger is turned away; my thoughts toward thee are thoughts of peace, and I am become thy salvation. Come, then, let us now reason together, and though thy sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

Why does not thy drooping heart, O sinner, leap for joy, or melt with gratitude at these tender invitations of thy Saviour? Thinkest thou they do not belong to thee? Dost thou suppose that Jesus, who is all purity and holiness, must turn away with abhorrence from such a guilty, polluted, and abominable creature as thou art? One so void of all good, so full of all evil, so completely lost and undone as thou seest thyself? Art thou afraid that thy relapses into sin have been so frequent, and thy backslidings so multiplied, that hope, which comes to all, can no more come to thee? Or does the enemy of thy soul suggest, thou art careless, hardened, and sunk in stupid unbelief? Does he insinuate thou hast so long trifled with Divine grace, art gone such lengths in horrid wickedness, or hast contracted such unconquerable habits of indulging thy carnal mind, or following thy vain imaginations, that infinite mercy can no longer pardon thy sins, or infinite power change thy nature? Art thou even tempted to believe thou hast committed the sin against the Holy Ghost, and art almost, if not altogether, given up to a reprobate mind? O! check those gloomy, despairing thoughts; resist the devil, and give place to more true and honourable sentiments of Jesus.

Wherefore dost thou doubt, O thou of little faith? Is any thing too hard for the Lord? Are not all things possible with God? Can the Almighty, who became incarnate to die as man in thy place, want either ability or willingness to help thee, be thy case ever so deplorable and desperate? Is not darkness or light, sickness or death, all one to Him, who is “the Light of the world, and the Prince of life;” and who, with a word or a touch, raised the dead, whether they were yet warm on a bed, cold in a coffin, or already putrefied in a grave?

Confine not then, poor dejected sinner, thy Saviour’s boundless mercy within the narrow limits of thy unbelieving thoughts. Get Scriptural views of his pardoning love, and true discoveries of his redeeming power. To guess aright at the prodigious extent of his mercy, lift up the dim eyes of thy struggling faith, and behold a great multitude, which no man can number, standing before the throne, with their robes washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb.

Among those countless monuments of Divine mercy, those illustrious trophies of free grace, see David, who, after having been admitted to close communion with God, plunged for ten months in the horrible guilt of adultery, treachery, hypocrisy, and murder. See Paul, once so fierce an enemy to the truth, so fiery a blasphemer of Jesus, so raging a persecutor of the saints, that his very breath was “threatenings and slaughter against them!” See Peter, who, after a great profession of faithfulness, and upon an apparently slight temptation, denied three times his Master, his Saviour, and his God, in his very presence. Peter, guilty of lying, cursing, and perjury, immediately after he had been apprized of the imminent temptation, and armed against it, both by receiving the holy sacrament at our Lord’s own hand, and being admitted to see his wonderful agony, and glorious miracles. These, and thousands more, agree to tell thee “for this cause we obtained mercy, that in us first Jesus Christ might show forth all long suffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.”

If all these witnesses do not silence thy doubts, and encourage thy hopes, Jesus himself, the faithful and true witness, will yet plead the cause of his dying love against thy unbelieving fears: thy gracious Advocate with God will yet be God’s condescending Advocate with thee. O! let thy clamorous conscience keep silence while he preaches to thee the everlasting Gospel of his grace. And if to-day thou hearest his voice, harden not thy heart, come out of the cave of unbelief, wrap thyself in the mantle of Divine mercy, and worship the pardoning God, the God of never-failing truth and everlasting love.

Gracious Saviour! make thine own words spirit and life to the soul thou hast formed by thy breath, and purchased with thy blood. Blessed Comforter! while thy precious sayings strike the eyes of this hopeless reader, let the love which thou sheddest abroad, soften, melt, and revive his poor, oppressed heart, and let salvation come this day to the house of a son or daughter of Abraham! A touch, a breath from thee will break the bars of iron, burst the gates of brass, and make the everlasting doors lift up their heads, that the King of glory may come in.

“Who is this King of glory? Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? This that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength?

“I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. I have trodden the wine press alone; mine own arm hath brought salvation unto me, salvation for the lost: it is gone forth: my righteousness is near; the isles shall wait on me, and on my arm shall they trust. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me: he hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek: he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to comfort all that mourn, and, by the blood of the covenant, to send forth the prisoners out of the pit where there is no water.

“Fear not, therefore, thou worm Jacob; I am the first and the last, he that liveth and was dead, and, behold, I am alive for evermore. Yes, I ever live to make intercession for thee; and because I live, thou shalt live also. All power is given, all judgment is committed unto me in heaven and earth: I have the keys of death and hell: a Jonah, who cries to me out of the very belly of hell, is not out of the reach of my gracious and omnipotent arm.

“Who art thou that hast feared continually every day, because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? I, even I, am He that comforteth thee. I bring glad tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. I have triumphed over all thine enemies on the cross. I have led captivity captive, and received gifts for men, even the promise of the Father, that the Lord God the Spirit may dwell in them. At my command the great, the evangelical trumpet is blown; and they that are ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, do come, and are welcome to Mount Sion. Hasten with them, thou captive exile, hasten to me that thou mayest be loosed, and that thou shouldest not die in the horrible pit of thy natural state.

“Thy helplessness is no hinderance to my loving kindness: I break not the bruised reed, I quench not the smoking flax: I uphold all that fall, I raise up all those that are bowed down: I say to the prisoners, Go forth; and to them that are in darkness, Show yourselves: I strengthen the weak hands and confirm the feeble knees: I say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not; behold, I will come with vengeance and a recompense; I will come and save you.

“My tender mercies are over all my works. When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places; I will make the wilderness a pool, and the dry land springs of water.

“It is true thou hast sinned with a high hand, both against thy light and against my love; but how shall I give thee up, Ephraim? How shall I deliver thee, sinner? How shall I make thee as Admah, and set thee as Zeboim, those rebellious cities on which I poured my flaming vengeance? My heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together. I will not destroy thee; for I am God and not man. I have seen thy ways, and will heal and lead thee, and restore comfort to thee; for I create the fruit of the lips. Peace! peace to him that is afar off, and to him that is near; I will heal him. “Thou hast not chosen me, but I have chosen thee; thou art my servant; fear not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God. My strength is sufficient for thee; I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. They that war against thee shall be as nothing; for I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, and make my strength perfect in thy weakness. I will bring thee by a way thou hast not known. I will make darkness light before thee, and crooked paths straight. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee; for I am the Lord, thy Saviour, and thy God. I have carried thee from the womb, and even to hoary hairs will I bear and deliver thee.

“Therefore, hear now this, thou afflicted and drunken, but not with wine; I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth; lest the spirit should fail before me, and the soul which I have made. I turn the water of affliction into the wine of consolation. Behold, I take out of thy hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again: I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thy soul: and in the room of it I give thee the cup of the New Testament in my blood, shed for the remission of sins: it is now ready, draw near, drink thou of it, and taste that I am gracious.

“Come near, that I may speak a word in season to thy weary spirit. Why standest thou afar off? Come near, I say, that my soul may bless thee. Let me show thee my glory, and proclaim my soul-reviving name: The Lord! the Lord God! merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, and forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin! Let me wash thy heart from iniquity, guilty sinner; for unless I wash thee, thou hast no part with me. Unless thou art born again of water and of the Spirit, thou canst not see the kingdom of God: but this is the covenant of promise which I make with thee: I will sprinkle clean water upon thee, and thou shalt be clean; a new heart will I give thee, and a new spirit, even my own Spirit, will I put within thee, and thou shalt be completely born of God; and at that day thou shalt know that I am in the Father, and thou in me, and I in thee. “Who is he that condemneth? It is I who died for thy sins, yea, rather, who rose again for thy justification, who am even at the right hand of God, who also make intercession for thee. The same compassionate love that made me weep over ungrateful Jerusalem, and groan over dead Lazarus, made me bleed and die for thee. O that, in this thy day, thou mayest know the things that belong unto thy peace, and the efficacy of that sacrifice by which I have for ever perfected them that are sanctified! O that unbelief, so injurious to me, and so pernicious to thee, may no longer hide my love from thine eyes!

“What! afraid of my purity, art thou ready to cry out as my apostle, Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man? And dost thou tremble at my words as a criminal at the sentence of his judge? O be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid. Am not I thy light and strength, thy shield and buckler, thy tower and resting place, thy strong hold, whereunto thou mayest always resort, thy castle and fortress, the horn also of thy salvation, and thy refuge? As for thy sins, if thou desirest to part with them, they will no more hinder me from visiting thee, than the sickness of a patient prevents a physician from giving him his attendance.

“I know thou art a sinner—a great sinner: for this cause came I down from heaven to Bethlehem,—to Gethsemane,—to Calvary. I know thine iniquities are more in number than the hairs of thy head; like a sore burden, they are too heavy for thee to bear: and therefore have I borne them for thee in my own body on the tree. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance: I am the man that receiveth sinners, and eateth with them: I am the friend of returning publicans and harlots; all manner of sins and blasphemies shall be forgiven them through faith in my blood: God was in me, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and now, I beseech thee, be thou (for one) reconciled to God; for in me God is reconciled to thee, thy sin is covered, and thine iniquity forgiven.

“Great as thy crimes are, poor mourner in Zion, I upbraid thee not with them; my infinitely meritorious sacrifice hath long ago atoned for their heinousness, and now I cast the mantle of my pardoning love over their multitude; thou art ashamed of them, and shall I be ashamed of thee? Far be the thought from thee; I glory in extending my boundless mercy to such miserable objects as thou art. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all men to be received, that I came into the world to save sinners: and if, with my servant Paul, thou seest thyself the chief of them, let me do the chief part of the errand on which I came; look unto me,—partake with him of my richest salvation,—lose thy cares in the bosom of my mercy,—and receive the atonement I made for thee; but receive it now: for I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation, the day in which I bind up the breach of my people, and heal the stroke of their wound.

“Whence arise, O poor sinner, thy backwardness and misgivings? I have ransomed thee from the power of the grave, and thou art mine: I come to heal thee, and to reveal to thee the abundance of peace and truth: I bring thee a cure for thy wounded conscience, and saving health for thy sin-distempered soul!

“In a little wrath, and for a small moment, I have hid my face from thee; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee; for I am the Lord thy Redeemer. Believe it, and faith will work by love, and love will cast out fear: thus shalt thou take hold of my strength, that thou mayest make peace with me; and thou shalt make peace with me, for I am strength to the needy in his distress, a hiding place from the wind, a covert from the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, and as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. “Come, then, be not of them that draw back from me to perdition, but of them who believe to the saving of the soul. Far from casting away thy little confidence, which hath great recompense of reward, hold it fast; resist even unto blood, striving against the damning sin of unbelief; trust in me for ever, for in me, Jehovah thy righteousness, is everlasting strength; and let me no longer complain that thou (one of my oppressed people in spiritual Egypt) wilt have none of me, and wilt not even come to me, that thou mightest have life more abundantly.

“Not by works of righteousness which thou hast done, but according to my mercy I saved thee. I am the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. What my gracious purpose planned before time, I have executed in time. My life and death have completed the wonderful bridge by which thou canst go over the great deep fixed between a holy God and thy sinful soul. Concerning a main arch of this mighty work, with one of my last breaths I said It is finished; and I now confirm the glad tidings with regard to the whole. With my right hand, and with my holy arm, I have gotten myself the victory, and parted for thee, not the waves of the Red Sea, but the dreadful billows of the fiery gulf. And now I return to see thee safe over. Leave only the world and sin behind; and, walking by faith, follow me through the regeneration to a throne of glory. “Whence arises, sinner, this backwardness to trust in my promise, and venture after me? Dost thou suspect the sincerity of my tenders of grace? And by thinking that I secretly except thee from my mercy, when I offer it to thee openly, dost thou still make me a dissembler, a liar? O wrong me not so far; I am the Truth itself; I abhor dissimulation in my creatures: and I, that say a man should not use deceit, shall I use deceit? Shall I have concord with Belial? Shall there be an agreement between the faithful Witness, and the father of lies? Shall I sentence him that loveth a lie to the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone, and be guilty of making one myself? Horrible to suppose! Reject the blasphemous thought, sinner: it wounds me in the tenderest part.

“No, no, I do not put on a mask of pretended love, to hide a rancorous, unforgiving temper; the general invitation that formerly passed my lips, is still the very language of my heart. Whosoever will, let him come and take of the water of life freely; and the promise which I formerly made, is still firmer than the pillars of heaven, Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out. Let these words, like incorruptible seed, beget thee again to a lively hope, and help thee to stir thyself up to lay hold on me and my great salvation.

“I grant, that no man cometh unto me except the Father draw him; but does he not say, I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore, with loving kindness, with the cords of a man, with the bands of love, have I drawn thee? Does he not draw thee even now? Who stirs thee up to repentance? Who raises in thee a desire of coming unto me by prayer? Who indulges thee at times with sweet hopes and alluring joys, to encourage thee to come? Is it not my Father and thine, thou poor starving prodigal? And that nothing may be wanting on his part to make thee come, to drawing does he not add driving? Does he not obstruct all thy prospects of creature happiness, and blast all thy worldly, yea, and all thy self-righteous schemes? And while he touches thy heart with the rod of distress, does he not lay the scourge of affliction on thy back, and put this gracious invitation in thy hand? Away, then, with thy hard thoughts of my Father; he and I are the flame of eternal love: I and the Father are one.

“Neither say thou in thy heart, This is a day of trouble, rebuke, and blasphemy; the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth. Shall I bring to the birth, and not give strength according to the day? Dost thou fear that my zeal, my strength, and the sounding of my bowels toward thee are restrained? Am not I Jesus still? Is my love waxed cold, that it cannot pity? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot save? Is mine ear heavy, that it cannot hear? Or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea; I clothe the heavens with blackness; and if in the greatest storm I say to the raging billows. Be still! there is a great calm: fear not then: the zeal of the Lord of Hosts,—my zeal, will do this, and more, for thy soul; yea, I will do for thee exceeding abundantly above all that thou canst ask or think.

“I see what passes in thy heart, O thou unwise and slow of heart to believe all that I and my prophets have spoken: I read thy new excuses. Thou sayest thou dost not suspect me, my faithfulness, and my power; but thyself, thy helplessness, and the treachery of thy own desperately wicked heart. What, shall this sore evil hinder thee from coming to me, who alone can remedy it? Wilt thou pray to be excused from believing on such an account as this? O drop this last, this most absurd plea, and walk in the steps of the faith of thy father Abraham, Romans 4:16. Consider not the deadness and hardness of thy heart, but the reviving, softening love of mine; not thy want of power, but my omnipotence; not the suggestion of Satan, but the declarations of my Gospel. Wrestle not only against flesh and blood, but against the powers of internal darkness, and the spiritual wickedness of an unbelieving thought. Strive to enter in at the strait gate of faith. Against hope believe in hope, that I quicken the dead, and call the things which are not as though they were. Stagger no more at my promises through unbelief, but be strong in faith, and give glory to God, by being fully persuaded that what I promise, I am able and willing to perform.

“In me thou mayest find the richest and readiest supply of all thy wants: I am both the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the living: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and he that liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believe then, and thou shalt not come into condemnation. Believe, and thou shalt receive power; thou shalt see the glory of God; thou shalt be established; yea, and sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Believe, and thou hast everlasting life, and shalt not come into condemnation. Believe, and a grain of faith will remove mountains of guilt and unbelief. Believe with all thy heart: all things are possible to him that believeth, and he shall inherit all promises; for to him that overcometh, (and faith is the victory,) will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and to sit with me on my throne; as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father on his throne. Only believe, then, and through faith thou shalt subdue the kingdom of darkness, work righteousness, obtain promises, stop the mouth of the roaring lion, quench the violence of temptation’s fire, escape the flaming point of Satan’s darts, out of weakness be made strong, wax valiant in fight, turn to flight the armies of thy spiritual adversaries, and receive thy dead soul raised to life again. “Thou hast played with the fiery serpents; they have bitten thy heart, but I have already sucked the worst of the mortal poison. In the perilous attempt my soul was seized with sorrow even unto death; and an unheard-of agony, attended with a bloody sweat, came upon my body. A racking cross was the bed I was stretched upon: sharp thorns proved the pillow on which I rested my fainting head. The bitterest sarcasms were my consolations; vinegar and gall my cordials; a band of bloody soldiers the cruel wretches appointed to tear open my veins; whips, nails, hammers, and a spear, the instruments allowed them to do the dreadful operation. For hours I bled under their merciless hands; and thy fearful curse, O sinner, flowed together with my blood. In the meantime noonday light was turned into the gloom of night, a dire emblem of the darkness that overspread my agonizing soul; and at last, while earthquakes rocked me into the sleep of death, I gave up the ghost with cries that astonished my bitterest enemies, and made them smite their breasts in pangs of involuntary sympathy. Thus, to make thee partaker of my saving health, I took the shameful and painful consequences of thy mortal distemper upon me. And now, sinner, despise no more such amazing love, requite it with a believing look. Consider my wounds till thy conscience feels their wonderful effect. Behold my atoning blood till thou canst witness it heals all thy infirmities.

“Knowing the terrors of the Lord, I persuade men. Come, thou poor prisoner of hope, turn by faith to the strong hold of my protection. Up! for God will destroy this Sodom, the wicked world where thou lingerest. Up! for the great and terrible day of the Lord approaches. As I live, there is but one step between thee and death, and another between death and hell.

“Let my love even constrain thee to arise, and to follow me, that I may receive thee unto myself, and complain no longer that, with respect to thee, I have laboured in vain, and spent my strength for nought. Surely, sinner, I deserve thy grateful love, for I have fought thy fiercest enemies. Dreadful was the battle! My flesh was torn, my blood spilt, my life lost in the obstinate combat: but I have slain the lion and the bear. I have vanquished death and the grave, and rescued thy poor, helpless soul; and now let thy good Shepherd rejoice over his lost sheep; let gratitude compel thee to come into the fold of my Church, and join the little flock of my faithful followers. And if thou canst not come, do but look wishfully at me, and I will lay thee on my shoulders rejoicing, and carry thee in triumph into the richest pastures of my grace.

“Once more I turn suppliant; once more I stand at the door and knock. Saul! Saul! it is hard for thee to kick against the sharp goads of my love. Martha! Martha! one thing is needful, choose the good part, choose me. O Absalom, my son! my son! give me thy heart; I have died for thee; do not crucify me afresh: lay down the spear of unbelief, and thine is my grace, my glory, my kingdom, the kingdom of heaven.

“Be not afraid to surrender; rebellious as thou art, I love thee still: can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, she may forget, yet I will not forget thee. If thou wilt not take my word, believe my oath: because I can swear by no greater, I swear by myself: As I live, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, then, turn unto me, for I have redeemed thee: I have cast all thy sins into the depths of the sea, and will subdue all thy iniquities.

“And if thou canst not believe my oath, credit these scars. See, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands. Long, too long have I waited for thy return, thou poor, wandering, weary prodigal. Let me see in thee the travail of my soul, and be satisfied. By the mystery of my holy incarnation and dreadful temptation, by my agony and bloody sweat, by my infamous death and glorious resurrection, I beseech thee, come to the pardoning God by me. If thou hast nothing to pay, I forgive thee all the debt: whether it be fifty or five hundred pence, or ten thousand talents, I frankly forgive thee all. Only let me heal thy backslidings, and love thee freely; let my left hand be under thy head, and let my right hand embrace thee. See the wounds which I have received for thee in the house of my friends! Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless, but believing. Cleave to me with full purpose of heart, follow me through the regeneration, and thou shalt not only be one of my jewels, but a crown of glory, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God: yea, as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so will I rejoice over thee, and give thee a name better than that of son and daughter:—I, the Holy One of Israel, will be thy life and glory:—I, thy Maker, will be thy husband and thy all.”

And are these, O sinner, the gracious sayings of God to thee? The compassionate expostulations of God become incarnate for thee? Did God so love thee as to set forth his only begotten Son, as a propitiation through faith in his blood, thus to declare his righteousness, for the remission of sins that are past? May the Almighty now be just, and yet the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus? Is there no difference, no respect of persons with him? And is the same Lord over all, rich unto all that call upon him? Then shout, ye heavens! triumph, thou earth! and thou, happy sinner, know the day of thy visitation: be wise, ponder these things, and thou shalt understand the loving, kindness of the Lord.

Be no longer afraid that it will be presumption in thee to believe, and that God will be offended with thee if thou makest so free with Jesus, as to wash instantly in the fountain of his atoning blood. He not only gives thee LEAVE to believe, but he INVITES thee to “do it freely.” Nay, he COMMANDS thee to believe, for “this is his COMMANDMENT, that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ.” He even enforces the precept by a double PROMISE, that if thou believest, thou “shalt not perish, but have everlasting life.” And that nothing may be wanting to stir thee up to this important business, he is gracious enough to threaten the neglect of it with the most dreadful punishment; for “he that believeth not shall not enter into his rest,” and “shall be damned;” and he that to the end remains “fearful and unbelieving, shall be cast into the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” How canst thou doubt, then, whether thou art welcome to receive “the Son given,” by believing on his name?

Come to him just as thou art, and he will make thee what thou shouldst be. When he counsels thee to buy of him the gold of faith, and the garment of salvation, take him at his Gospel word: come, without regarding thy stuff; the poorer thou art the better: the oil of his grace flows most abundantly into empty vessels: his charity is most glorified in the relief of the most miserable objects: his royal bounty scorns the vile compensation of thy wretched merits: he sells like a king, like the King of kings, without money and without price. “Ask and have,” and “take freely,” are the encouraging mottoes written upon all the unsearchable treasures of his grace. Be of good comfort, then! Arise, he calleth thee! Stretch out thy withered hand, and he will restore it: open thy mouth wide, and he will fill it: bring an empty vessel, a poor hungry heart, and he will give into thy bosom good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. And now, what meanest thou, sleeper? Why tarriest thou? Arise, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. Lose not time in conferring with flesh and blood; much less in parleying with Satan, or consulting thy unbelieving heart: here delays lead to ruin: the Philistines are upon thee, instantly shake thyself. If thou art not altogether blinded by the god of this world, and led captive by him at his will, this moment, in the powerful name of JESUS, burst the bonds of spiritual sloth: break, like a desperate soul, out of the prison of unbelief: escape for thy life: look not behind thee: stay not in all the plain. This one thing do; leaving the things that are behind, Sodom and her ways, press forward toward Zoar, and escape to the mount of God, lest thou be consumed. By the new and living way consecrated for us, in full assurance of faith, fly to the Father of mercies, pass through the crowd of Laodicean professors, press through the opening door of hope, take the kingdom of heaven by violence. With halting, yet wrestling Jacob, say to the Friend of sinners, “I will not let thee go, unless thou bless me.” If he makes as if he would go farther; with the two mournful disciples, “constrain him to stay;” or rather, with the distressed woman of Canaan, follow “him whithersoever he goeth;” take no denial: through the veil, that is to say, his flesh, torn from the crown of his head to the sole of his feet; through this mysterious veil, rent from the top to the bottom, rush into the blood-besprinkled sanctuary; embrace the horns of the golden altar; lay all thy guilt on the head of the sin-atoning victim; read thy name on the breast of thy merciful High Priest; claim the safety, demand the blessings, receive the consolations, bestowed on all that flee to him for refuge; and begin a new, delightful life, under the healing and peaceful shadow of his wings.

But perhaps thou art now devoid of active power, and broken in spirit. The hurry of thy self-righteous nature subsides. Wounded and half dead, thou liest in the way of misery, waiting for the passing by of thy heavenly Deliverer. Thou hadst set thy heart upon being blessed in one particular manner, and God in his wisdom thinks it best to bless thee in another. Thou wouldest scale the New Jerusalem and storm heaven; but he chooses it should come down into thy soul as a fruitful shower descends into a fleece of wool. Be still, then, and know that he is God. Let him break thy self will, which hides itself under godly appearances; and let him practically teach thee that salvation is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God who showeth mercy.

Meekly dive into the amazing depths of these words, “In quietness and rest shall be your strength. Stand still, and see the salvation of God.” The fire, the earthquake, and the rending of the rocks are over; silence takes place, the still small voice will soon follow. Thou art for a time taken from the foaming billows of self agitation, and led by the still waters: a calm succeeds the impetuous storm, and a passive waiting thy restless, fruitless endeavours. Thou art in the case of one fallen into the sea, who, having struggled long and hard to escape drowning, is obliged to yield at last. Yield then, weary sinner, yield to thy happy fate. Fully surrender to the God of thy life. Entirely abandon thyself to Jesus. Freely trust him with thy present and eternal salvation. Whether thou swim or sink, let thyself go into the ocean of mercy. Catch at no broken reed by the way, but calmly venture into the unfathomable depths of redeeming love. Lose thus thy life, and thou shalt find it. The power of God will soon be “made perfect in thy weakness,” and when thy strength is renewed, earnestly wrestle again. Thus go on, alternately striving and waiting, according to the leadings of the Holy Spirit, till, having passed through all the inferior dispensations of Divine grace, thou enter by faith into the rest that remains for the people of God, and take possession of that kingdom of God, which consists in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

VII. In that kingdom, happy believer, the times of refreshing fully come from the presence of the Lord; mercy and love embrace thee on every side, and thy sprinkled conscience enjoys the peace of a sin-pardoning God. Then smiling justice, more than satisfied by the meritorious death of Christ, sheathes her flaming sword, and declares, “There is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus: they are justified from all things, and freely forgiven all trespasses.” And now thou art more than conqueror through Him that loved thee. Standing by humble faith in his omnipotence, thou canst do all things, through his grace strengthening thee. Sin has no dominion over thee. The cruel and bloody tyrant that reigned unto death is dethroned; and grace, rich grace, sweetly reigns through righteousness unto eternal life. Triumphing in Christ over thy fiercest enemies, and putting thy victorious foot upon the neck of the last, thou challengest his utmost rage, and shoutest, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ!”

Now thou seest and feelest that God is LOVE. Thou dwellest in him, and he in thee. Love, the fulfilling of the law, diffusing itself through all thy heart, influences thy looks, words, and actions, and makes thee spring after Jesus into the chariot of cheerful obedience. Thy heart is as his heart; and while active grace draws thy willing soul along, God’s free Spirit pours the oil of gladness upon the fervid wheels of thy affections. Supported and animated by thy Lord’s presence, thou swiftly movest, thou delightfully fliest in all the ways of duty; mountains of difficulties sink into plains before thee; wisdom’s roughest ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.

Now thou rejoicest to be thought worthy to suffer shame for Christ’s name, and countest it all joy when thou fallest into divers trials. With him the cross loses its dreadful aspect, and enormous weight. When thou findest it in the high way of holiness, instead of consulting with flesh and blood how thou shalt go aside to avoid it, thou immediately takest it up, and it proves a comforting staff, a never-failing prop.

Christ crucified works this miracle of grace; for him thou receivest with every cross; and the moment thou dost so in the power of his Spirit, God, even thy own God, gives thee his choicest blessing; he crowns thee with loving kindness and tender mercies; and with the inexpressible complacence of a Father who receives a lost son, with the triumphant joy of a Saviour who embraces a raised Lazarus, he says to the myriads that surround his throne, “One more sinner repenteth unto life! Hallelujah! He hath escaped the avenger of blood;—he hath passed the gate of the city of refuge! Hallelujah! Shout, ye sons of the morning! My angels, strike your golden harps! Dance every heart for joy, through the realms of heaven! Let bursts of triumphant mirth, let peals of ravishing praise, roll along the transporting news;—let all your exulting breasts reverberate, let all your harmonious tongues echo back our glorious joy! For this my son was dead, and is alive again! This your brother was lost, and is found!” And, irradiating thy soul with the light of his reconciled countenance, he says to thee, from a throne blazing with grace and glory, “Penitent believer, receive the adoption of a son. Because thou receivest my Son, my only begotten Son, into thy heart, I admit thee into the family of the first born. Be thou blameless and harmless, a son of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom I allow thee to shine as a burning light in a benighted world. Son, all that I have is thine; be ever with me, and thou shalt inherit all things. Yes, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas; whether my first apostles, or my choice ministers; or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all is thine, for thou art Christ’s, and Christ is mine. As thou hast received him, so abide and walk in him, worthy, of me, unto all pleasing; being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in his knowledge, till thy faith is turned to sight, and I am all in all.”

Start not, believing reader, at these sayings, as if they were too glorious to be credited. They are the true sayings of God. The Lord himself spoke them for thy comfort. They are the precious pearls which I promised thee out of the unsearchable treasures of Christ. If swine trample them under their feet, wear thou them on thy breast. Instead of being offended at their transcendent excellence, magnify the God of all consolation, who, having “delivered up his own Son for us all, with him also freely gives us all things:” consequently, the richest mines of Gospel grace. And, giving vent to the just transports of thy grateful heart, cry out with the beloved disciple, “Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God! Unto him who” thus “loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests to God and his Father to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.” Amen.