hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies ?— O my God, my soul is cast down within me-all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. Yet the Lord will command his loving kindness in the day time, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life-Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance and my God.'

Now, unless it can be proved that divine grace is not free for you, and as competent to supply your wants as those of the royal supplicant; your doubts must remain as they really are, vain and groundless. The Psalmist had no moral worth to encourage his approach to God for mercy, and on which to place his dependence for pardon and acceptance. He saw nothing in himself, as Du Bosc expresses it, but ground for despair-the seduction of Bathsheba, the blood of Uriah, and the numbering of his people. He knew, if the Lord were to mark iniquity, that in his sight no man living could be justified. As to the depth of his contrition before conversion, we need say nothing it is in this case quite sufficient for your encouragement, that, though now a saint in glory, he was once a stranger to himself, and his carnal mind enmity to God: and in this awful situation are all the progeny of Adam without exception. The great God beholds from the height of his glory, all of them wandering far from him in the paths of iniquity and of death. Some, wallowing in sensual pleasures; others, delighted with gilded baubles exhibited by the world to catch the eye and fascinate the heart. Some, grasping after riches as the whole of human happiness; others, climbing the steep ascent of honour and of applause: some busied about

one thing, and some another; but none that "seeketh after God: he is not in all their thoughts.' Every thing else is viewed as desirable and pursued with avidity; but the one thing needful is neglected or forgotten.

But while the objects of discriminating grace are, with others, thus wandering far from their heavenly Father in pursuit of sublunary bliss, he views them with unspeakable compassion; he stops them in their mad career, and says, by his word, or his providence, Hitherto shall ye go, but no farther. He shews them that they are walking in a path that is not good: he turns them back greatly ashamed, and mercifully brings them to the knowledge of himself by a way which they knew not. But who, I ask, are the men whom the Lord thus turns from the error of their ways, and to whom he graciously makes known the benignity of his heart? Are such only, or principally, the objects of attention who are comparatively moral and devout? who, because they are less vile than others, are more proud, and think that, in consequence of this negative goodness, they have a right to monopolize the felicities of glory? No; quite the reverse. Persons of this description are, in conformity to the estimate which they make of themselves, denominated in Scripture, whole-just persons, that need no repentance; and before whom, publicans and harlots enter into the kingdom of heaven. I came not to call the righteous,' said the compassionate Redeemer, but sinners to repentance.'

To the same purpose speaks the great apostle of the Gentiles. It is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom,' he immediately adds, 'I am chief.' Return, therefore,

saith the Lord; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity; thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thy help found. To whom should you carry your complaints-to whom unbosom yourself, but to the Father of mercies? There is none else to deliver, and besides him there is no Saviour. Let not the number nor the greatness of your sins excite discouragement. When a profligate woman came to Christ in the days of his humiliation, no mention was made either of the multitude, or the magnitude of her crimes; but the answer given to the Pharisee, who brought them as an objection against her, is ;- Her sins, which are many, are forgiven.'

As no comparative worthiness in the sinner can induce God to bestow mercy; so no demerit can frustrate the benevolent intentions of divine goodness. Salvation is of the Lord: it is the effect of his own sovereign pleasure. To say, 'I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and, I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion,' is the prerogative of Jehovah : and why the inestimable blessing should be conferred on any of the sons of Adam, no reason can be given but this; that salvation, in its origin, completion, and bestowment, may redound to the praise of the glory of his grace.

Could you exhibit a catalogue of the blackest crimes that ever stained the records of history, or disgraced the character of man; these crimes could not be urged as too great, or too complicated for the blood of Christ to expiate. To a truth so animating, and so honourable to the riches of grace, the great apostle of the Gentiles repeatedly bears unequivocal testimony. Of this, we have a striking instance in his first admirable Epistle to the Corinthian church. After having reproved the brethren for going to law with each

other before the unjust, he reminds them of their former situation by reciting enormities, the commission of which had made them deservedly the reproach of men, and justly the objects of divine abhorrence. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.' Now had the faithful remembrancer stopped here, we might, perhaps, have considered these Corinthian profligates as without the verge of divine forgiveness. But the sequel proves that among these abominable wretches there were many vessels of mercy and therefore he immediately addsSuch were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.'

་

How wonderful the love, the grace, and the mercy of God! In this list of detestable criminals, we perceive sinners of every class: sinners of enormous magnitude; who, consequently, could have no moral worth to plead as a ground of forgiveness; and yet their filthy souls were washed in the blood of Christ-were justified by his righteousness, sanctified by his Spirit, and made meet for the enjoyment of heaven. Surely such incontestable instances of the aboundings of grace over the aboundings of sin, must constrain us to cry with astonishment and gratitude; O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!'

Having therefore such incontrovertible evidence of the riches of grace in the salvation of such atrocious sinners, attempt not to limit its fulness or its freeness respecting yourself. Would you accept of pardon as revealed in the gospel

for the relief of the guilty and the wretched? approach the mercy-seat just as you are. Carry

with you all your sins-all your guilt, and frankly

confess both before him that searcheth the reins and the heart. Adopt the supplicatory language of David:-'Lord, pardon my iniquity, for it is great; or, rather, plead nothing, in hope of forgiveness, but the blood of him in whose name you are exhorted to come with boldness. Stretch forth the hand of faith: lay it on the head of Christ, who is a sin-bearing Saviour, and he will carry all your transgressions into a land of everlasting forgetfulness.

Should you imagine, for a moment, that this merciful High-Priest will not receive you as a perishing sinner; attend to his own compassionate words: Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out.'-Were you chargeable with the adultery of David, the murder of Manasseh, the apostacy of Peter, and the blasphemy of Saul; the accumulated guilt of these atrocities could not be urged as an exception to the infinitely gracious declaration. Nay, were it possible to produce an individual, the turpitude of whose actions would exclude from coming to Christ for mercy; or one that did come, and was afterwards rejected, the wonderfully encouraging assertion would not be true; nor could it be consistently affirmed, that he is able to save to the uttermost. But the Lord is the God of truth. 'He is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?-He never said to the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain. The works of nature may dissolve; nay, they shall certainly perish; but the word of God remaineth sure, and his truth to all generations. The Lord