invincible, that triumphant goodness, which, while the iron pierced his flesh, engaged him to cry out, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke xxiii. 34.) I beseech you, by that unutterable anguish which he bore, when lifted up upon the cross, and extended there as on a rack, for six painful hours, that you open your heart to those attractive influences which have drawn to him thousands and ten thousands. (John xii. 32.) I beseech you, by all that insult and derision which the "Lord of glory bore there;" (Matt. xxvii. 39-44.) by that parching thirst, which could hardly obtain the relief of vinegar;" (John xix. 28, 29.) by that doleful cry, so astonishing in the mouth of the only begotten of the Father, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me!" (Matt. xxvii. 46.) I beseech you, by that grace that subdued and pardoned a dying malefactor;" (Luke xxiii. 42, 43.) by that compassion for sinners, by that compassion for you, which wrought in his heart, long as its vital motion continued, and which ended not when he bowed his head, saying, "It is finished, and gave up the ghost." (John xix. 30.) I beseech you, by the triumphs of that resurrection, by which he was "declared to be the Son of God with power, by the Spirit of holiness," which wrought to accomplish it; (Rom. i. 4.) by that gracious tenderness which attempered all those triumphs, when he said to her out of whom he had cast seven devils, concerning his disciples who had treated him so basely, "Go, tell my brethren, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, unto my God and your God." (John xx. 17.) I beseech you, by that condescension, with which he said to Thomas, when his unbelief had made such an unreasonable demand, "Reach hither thy finger, and behold mine hands, and reach hither thine hand, and put it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing." (John xx. 27.) I beseech you, by that generous and faithful care of his people, which he carried up with him to the regions of glory and which engaged him to send down his Spirit, in that rich profusion of miraculous gifts, to spread the progress of his saving word. (Acts ii. 33.) I beseech you, by

that voice of sympathy and power, with which he said to Saul, while injuring his church, "Saul, Saul, why per secutest thou me?" (Acts ix. 4.) by that generous goodness, which spared that prostrate enemy, when he lay trembling at his feet, and raised him to so high a dignity, as to be "not inferior to the very chiefest apostles." 2 Cor. xii. 11.) I beseech you, by the memory of all that Christ has already done, by the expectation of all he will farther do for his people. I beseech you at once, by the sceptre of his grace, and by the sword of his justice, with which all his incorrigible "enemies shall be slain before him," (Luke xix. 27.) that you do not trifle away these precious moments, while his Spirit is thus breathing upon you; that you do not lose an opportunity which may never return, and on the improvement of which your eternity depends.

I beseech you, by all the bowels of compassion which you owe to the faithful ministers of Christ, who are studying and labouring, preaching and praying, wearing out their time, exhausting their strength, and very probably shortening their lives, for the salvation of your soul, and of souls like yours. I beseech you, by the affection with which all that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, long to see you brought back to him. I beseech you, by the friendship of the living, and by the memory of the dead; by the ruin of those who have trifled away their days, and are perished in their sins, and by the happiness of those who have embraced the gospel, and are saved by it. I beseech you, by the great expectation of that important day "when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven;" (2 Thess. i. 7.) by "the terrors of a dissolving world;" (2 Pet. iii. 10, 11.) by "the sound of the archangel's trumpet;" (1 Thess. iv. 16.) and of that infinitely more awful sentence, "Come, ye blessed; and, depart, ye cursed;" with which the grand solemnity shall close. (Matt. xxv. 34-41.)

I beseech you finally, by your own precious and immortal soul; by the sure prospect of a dying bed, or of a sudden surprise into the invisible state; and as you would feel one spark of comfort in your departing

spirit, when your flesh and your heart are failing. I be seech you, by your own personal appearance before the tribunal of Christ, (for a personal appearance it must be, even to them who now sit on thrones of their own;) by all the transports of the blessed, and by all the agonies of the damned, the one or the other of which must be your everlasting portion. I affectionately entreat and beseech you, in the strength of all these united considerations, as you will answer it to me, who may in that day be summoned to testify against you; and, which is unspeakably more, as you will answer it to your own conscience, as you will answer it to the eternal Judge, that you dismiss not these thoughts, these meditations, and these cares, till you have brought matters to a happy issue; till you have made a resolute choice of Christ, and his appointed way of salvation, and till you have solemnly devoted yourself to God in the bonds of an everlasting covenant.

And thus I leave the matter before you, and before the Lord. I have told you my errand; I have discharged my embassy. Stronger arguments I cannot use ; more endearing and more awful considerations I cannot suggest. Choose, therefore, whether you will go (as it were) clothed in sackcloth, to cast yourself at the feet of him who now sends you these equitable and gracious terms of peace and pardon; or whether you will hold it out, till he appears, sword in hand, to reckon with you for your treasons and your crimes, and for this neglected embassy among the rest of them. Fain would I hope the best; nor can I believe, that this labour of love shall be so entirely unsuccessful, that not one soul shall be brought to the foot of Christ in cordial submission and humble faith. "Take with you therefore words, and turn unto the Lord;" (Hosea xiv. 2.) and O that those which follow might, in effect at least, be the genuine language of every one that reads them!

The Sinner yielding to these Intreaties, and declaring his Acceptance of Salvation by Christ.

"BLESSED Lord, it is enough! It is too much!

Surely there needs not this variety of arguments, this importunity of persuasion, to court me to be happy, to prevail upon me to accept of pardon, of life, of eternal glory. Compassionate Saviour! my soul is subdued; so that I trust the language of thy grief is become that of my penitence, and I may say, "My heart is melted like wax in the midst of my bowels." (Psalm xxii. 14.)

O gracious Redeemer! I have already neglected thee too long. I have too often injured thee; have crucified thee afresh by my guilt and impenitence, as if I had taken pleasure in "putting thee to an open shame." (Heb. vi. 6.) But my heart now bows itself before thee, in humble unfeigned submission. I desire to make no terms with thee but these, that I may be entirely thine. I cheerfully present thee with a blank, entreating thee, that thou wilt do me the honour to signify upon it what is thy pleasure. Teach me, O Lord, what thou wouldst have me to do; for I desire to learn the lesson, and to learn it that I may practise it. If it be more than my feeble powers can answer, thou wilt, I hope, give me more strength; and in that strength I will serve thee. O receive a soul, which thou hast made willing to be thine.

"No more, O blessed Jesus, no more is it necessary to beseech and entreat me. Permit me rather to address myself to thee, with all the importunity of a perishing sinner, that, at length, sees and knows "there is salvation in no other." (Acts iv. 12.) Permit me now, Lord, to come, and throw myself at thy feet, like a helpless outcast, that has no shelter but in thy generous compassion like one pursued by the avenger of blood, and seeking earnestly an admittance "into the city of refuge." (Josh. xx. 2, 3.)

"I wait for the Lord; my soul doth wait; and in thy word do I hope," (Psalm cxxx. 5.) that thou wilt "receive me graciously." (Hosea xiv. 2.) My soul confides in thy goodness, and adores it. I adore the patience, which has borne with me so long, and the grace that now makes me heartily willing to be thine;

I

to be thine on thine own terms, thine on any terms. O secure this treacherous heart to thyself. O unite me to thee in such inseparable bonds, that none of the allurements of flesh and blood, none of the vanities of an insnaring world, none of the solicitations of sinful companions, may draw me back from thee, and plunge me into new guilt and ruin. "Be surety, O Lord, for thy servant for good;" (Psalm cxix. 122.) that I may still keep my hold on thee, and so on eternal life; till at length I know more fully, by joyful and everlasting experience, how complete a Saviour thou art: Amen."

· SOLEMN

CHAPTER XI.

ADDRESS TO THOSE, WHO WILL NOT BE PERSUADED ΤΟ FALL IN WITH THE DESIGN OF

THE GOSPEL.

I WOULD humbly hope, that the preceding chapters will be the means of awakening some stupid and insensible sinners; the means of convincing them of their need of gospel-salvation, and of engaging some cordially to accept it. Yet, I cannot flatter myself so far, as to hope this will be the case with regard to all, into whose hands this book shall come. What am I, alas! "better than my fathers," (1 Kings xix. 4.) or better than my brethren, who have in all ages been repeating their coinplaint, with regard to multitudes, that they "have stretched out their hand all day long to disobedient and gainsaying people?" (Rom. x. 21.) Many such may, perhaps, be found, in the number of my readers: many, on whom neither considerations of terror, nor of love, will make any deep and lasting impressions; many who, as our Lord learnt by experience to express it, "when we pipe to them, will not dance; and when we mourn unto them, will not lament." (Matt. xi. 17.) I can say no more to persuade them, if they make light of what I have already said. Here therefore we must part; in this chapter I must take my leave of them; and, O that I could do it in such a manner, as to fix, al