join their righteousness to his. The Mediator has done all; he has reconciled God to them; he has presented his blood to his heavenly Father, who is fully satisfied with it. Sinners then have only to flee to Jesus, and cleave to him by faith: but you must well observe, that they have no access to him but when they approach him as poor sinners; that is, when they acknowledge their sins and feel their misery. With such dispositions they dare draw nigh to him, hope to find grace in his sight.

believe, pray, and

The Son of man,

who has paid our debts, has a right to remit them to us; for he has "blotted out the hand-writing that was against us, nailing it to his cross;" and he has replaced that obligation by millions of pardons, sealed with his blood, to be distributed to every poor repentant sinner who supplicates his mercy. From thence it arises, that God neither will nor can condemn a sinner who is in Christ Jesus. His justice, no more than his mercy, can refuse pardon to a sinner who asks it in the name of Jesus. The heritage we have lost in Adam we recover by Jesus Christ, even with a glory infinitely greater than that of our first Father; for we can say, in a sense far superior of the Saviour, what the sacred history did of David, "David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken away: the Israelites found that nothing was wanting of all that had

been taken from them; David recovered all," 1 Sam. xxx. 18, 19. Herein is the whole of the Gospel.

Disciple-If the Son of God has obtained grace and salvation for mankind, why are there so great a number that perish?

Pastor Because they will not believe the Gospel of Christ.* It is assuredly sad that so many souls reject the counsel of God; for his will is, that no one should perish, but that all should be saved. Among those who deprive themselves of the salvation of God, there are several kinds. Some are impenitent sinners, hardened in vice, and insensible to their spiritual miseries, who love sin, and pass their lives in security: others are unbelievers-heathens, or what are called infidels, who, seduced by a false philosophy, and pretending to submit the revelation of Jehovah to the judgment of their blind and carnal reason, reject or despise the mystery of godliness, which they regard as a scandal and a folly. Again, there are hypocritical pharisees, ancient and modern, selfrighteous persons, who, founding their hope of salvation upon their false virtues, natural or acquired, or upon their pretended good works, disown Jesus Christ and his righteousness, alone available and perfect. Persons of this description * John v. 40. † 2 Pet. iii. 9.

being unwilling to be convinced, by the Spirit of God, of their total state off corruption and impotency, as to any goodness, feel not their need of being saved freely, through the merits of Jesus Christ, and being purified by his blood. Pretending to be able to convert and sanctify themselves, they refuse to go, as poor miserable and naked sinners, to draw out of the fulness of the merits of Jesus, the grace he has acquired and designed for sinners. But I do not rank among these unbelievers, those timid souls, who, however much they may sigh after the Saviour, are weak and wavering, though still desirous of believing firmly. The germ of faith is in them, but opposed by doubts and mistrust; nevertheless the Lord 'will not quench the smoking flax, nor destroy the spark of faith he has kindled in them.

Disciple. You tell me many things of which I have hitherto been quite ignorant; and had I heard them before, I should have been unable to comprehend them.

Pastor. It is because (as Isaiah says, xxix. 11) the Gospel is a sealed book. To comprehend and truly receive it, and the mysteries of God contained it, the Holy Spirit must illuminate the understandings and touch the hearts of men. When the Gospel is proclaimed, and either by preaching, reading, or meditating upon it, the

grace of God in Jesus Christ is offered to us, his Spirit accompanies it with his divine virtue, in order to our feeling the efficacy of it. Those who do not resist* his operations are enlightened and quickened; they are conducted into the knowledge of sin, a sense of their misery, and the need they have of divine grace; and in this way they are drawn to Christ Jesus. If like St. John (Rev. v.) you weep because the seals of the book are not yet opened to you; the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Lamb that is seated on the throne," will loose the seals and open the book, so that you may read the act of your reconciliation and pardon, and see your name written in the Book of Life.

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Learn, secondly, how grace in Jesus Christ is offered by the word of the Gospel. All our hopes of salvation should be founded upon the grace of God in Jesus Christ, which is offered us in the Gospel, according to the exhortation of St. Peter," Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober and hope to the end, for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ," 1 Pet. i. 13. The work of man's consists in his being

salvation, properly speaking,

reconciled to God. Now salvation has been ob

* No doubt the spirit of God is omnipotent, yet the sacred Scriptures bear witness that men are sometimes permitted to resist his influences, Acts vii. 51; Matt. xiii. 7 and 22.

2;

tained by the blood of Jesus, God is the first to present to man the hand of reconciliation; and, not content with offering us pardon, assures us that it is already granted, and that no one can bring any accusation against a sinner whom God justifies. This compassionate God knows that, like our father Adam, we cannot appear before him without shame and fear, nevertheless is willing to encourage us to approach unto him with confidence, and has made us the most solemn and comforting promises. That you may be convinced of it, read the following passages in the Holy Scriptures: Isaiah xxx. 18, 19; xxxv. 4; xl. 1, xli. 14, 17; xliv. 2, 3, 4; xlv. 1, 2, 3, 4; Ixi. 1, 2; Luke i. 33; Psalms xxii. 26, 27; lxviii. 18, 19; cxlix. 4; Zech. ix. 11. "All the promises of God are yea and amen in Christ Jesus," 2 Cor. i. 20. His own declaration is, "according to your faith be it unto you," Matt. ix. 29; 1 John v. 10, 11. What do I say? the witness of the Holy Trinity is herein unanimous. The Father, speaking of the Son, declares that it is in him that we must seek for and find eternal life; and the operations of the Holy Ghost chiefly consist in bearing testimony to us of the Saviour, and revealing him in The Lord himself comes by water and blood," 1 John v. 6; that is to say, he offers himself to us in person, in baptism and the sacra.

us.

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