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, spreading 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 towards thee, for all that thou hast done. I was angry with thee, but mine anger is turned away, my thoughts towards thec, 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 as 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 inelt 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 scest 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, or 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 thon 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? Are 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, or cold in a coffin, or already putrified 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 o

lying, cursing, and perjury; immediately after he had been apprised 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 shew 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 bis 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 commited to 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 hindrance to my loving-kindness: I break not the braised 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, Co forth; and to them that are in darkness, shew 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 recompence, 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 lands 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 1 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 passeth through the waters, I will be with thee, and when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee; for I a. the Lord, thy Saviour, and thy God. I have carried thee from the womb, and even to hoary hairs will 1 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 wrath; 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 shew 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 makes 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 meritoricus 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 reveal to thee the abundance of peace and truth: I bring thee a cure for thy wounded conscience, and saving health for thy siu-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 the 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 waters 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 recompence of reward, hold it fast; resist even unto blood, striving against the damning sin of unbelief-VOL. I.

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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. 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.

And

"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 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 any 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 hands 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 encou rage 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 towards 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 move? Is inine ear heavy that it cannot hear? Or have I no power to de