abundantly pardon him.-I create the fruit of the lips, peace, peace to him that is far off and to him that is near." I have put these scriptures in this form to render them, if possible, more striking; and they shew in the clearest manner this truth, that the Lord has no pleasure in the death of a sinner; and they all imply the necessity of conversion, since the promises here held forth cannot be fulfilled without it. To these I shall subjoin a few more to the same purpose: "Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do well.-Come now and let us reason together, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.-Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money: come ye, buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye 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.-Wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved: how long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee?-Stand ye in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people, and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.-Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye search for me with all your heart.-If the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live.-Arise ye and depart, for this is not your rest; because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with sore destruction.-Come unto me, all ye that la bour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.—I am the bread of life; he that cometh unto me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.He that

cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out.-If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.He that believeth on me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.-I am the light of the world; he that followeth me, shall not abide in darkness, but shall have the light of life.-I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and whosoever shall call upon my name, shall be saved.-Repent, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from my presence.-I am exalted a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins.-To me give all the prophets witness, that whosoever believeth in me shall receive remission of sins."

Such is the language of heaven to guilty men, and such the invitations of eternal love to us, wretched wanderers from rest and happiness. Many more promises, and what are equal to promises, might have been added; but I hope these are sufficient to shew what the purpose of God towards us in this respect is, and what must follow the obstinacy which says, "We will not walk in his ways, we will not hearken to the watchmen thou hast set over us." All that is within us cries out for help; and all around us says, "It is not in me." Every object seems to say, Look to him who "giveth songs in the night;" place your confidence in him in whom all fulness dwells; for there and there alone, your wants will meet with a supply as ample as his promises are free.

THE DIVINE THREATENINGS.

HERE we shall see more fully the necessity of conversion; for who knoweth the power of his anger? Alas, it will fall with intolerable weight upon the ungodly, and overwhelm them in remediless destruction. As I have represented the Lord as speaking in his own person the promises for our encouragement, so I think it will not be improper to bring forth the threatenings in the same way: for though they were spoken by him to divers persons on different occasions, yet they are his words, recorded for our warning and instruction, and throwing them together may have greater effect upon

those who, perhaps, would never be at the trouble of searching them out; and if only one soul should be stirred up hereby to seek after God, it will be, solemn as it is, a blessed selection to that individual. If it should be objected, how are such threatenings consistent with the many declarations made concerning the mercy and compassion of God toward the human race, it may be answered, perfectly so; because the threatenings are as much the effects of his love to prevent evil, as his promises are to promote good: and though it certainly is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, who is a consuming fire, there is no necessity for our doing it; only let us obey his voice, and all happiness awaits us. He is not willing that we should perish; yet he does not compel us to be saved, whether we will or not. He deals with us as reasonable and accountable creatures, as those whose actions shall be rewarded or punished, according to their nature, as the apostle expresses it. "He that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting;" for "the Judge of all the earth will do right:" he will neither punish the innocent, nor spare the guilty.

"O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy, to whom belongs the kingdom, the power, and the glory for ever; I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me: the ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know; my people do not consider. Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil doers; children that are corrupters, ye have forsaken the LORD, ye have provoked the HOLY ONE of Israel, ye are gone away backward! The shew of your countenances doth witness against you; ye declare your sin as Sodom, and hide it not. Woe unto your souls: for ye have rewarded evil unto yourselves. Woe unto the wicked; the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of man shall be made low; for a fre is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest

hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. I will heap mischiefs upon you, I will spend my arrows upon you. Ye shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat and bitter destruction. To me belongeth vengeance and recompence. Your foot shall slide in due time; the day of your calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon you make haste. See now that I, even I am he, and there is no god with me. I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand; for I lift up my hand to heaven, and say I live for ever. If I whet my glittering sword, and my hand take hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to mine enemies and will reward them that hate me. They that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine. The light shall be dark in his tabernacle, and his candle shall be put out with him; his own counsel shall cast him down; his confidence shall be rooted out-and it shall bring him to the king of terrors. I will distribute sorrows in mine anger. Ye shall be as the stubble before the wind; and as chaff which the storm carrieth away. Your triumphing shall be short, and your joy is but for a moment. Though your excellency mount up to the heavens, and your heads reach unto the clouds, yet ye shall perish for ever. Though wickedness be sweet in your mouths, and ye hide it under your tongue, though ye spare it, and forsake it not; but keep it still within your mouths, yet it is the gall of asps within you. The heavens shall reveal your iniquity, and the earth shall rise up against you. Beware lest I take you away with my stroke, and then a great ransom cannot deliver you. The ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, I will break them with a rod of iron, I will dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. I will make you a fiery oven in my anger, I will swallow you up in my wrath, and the fire shall devour you. Many shall be your sorrows, for

my face is against them that do evil. The workers of iniquity shall be soon cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb; I will laugh at them, for I see their day is coming; I will bring them down into the pit of destruction."

"How long, then, ye simple ones will ye love simplicity, and scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof; behold I will pour out my Spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Ye shall eat of the fruit of your own ways and be filled with your own devices. Because the sentence I have pronounced against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore your hearts are fully set in you to do evil; but know, that I will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil. I will ease me of my adversaries, and avenge me of my enemies, and they that forsake me shall be consumed. All hands shall faint, and every man's heart shall melt: they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed at one ano. ther; their faces shall be as flames; for the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light, the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine: And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity, and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. Woe to the rebellious children that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin. I will choose your delusions, and bring your fears upon, you, because ye do evil, and choose that in which I delight. not. I the Lord have rejected your confidences, and ye