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ther on our hopes or our fears, is fet before us in the moft ftriking light. The veil is removed from the invifible world; the joys of glorified faints, and the torments of despairing sinners, are made the subject of a clear revelation. How affectionately doth he invite men to turn unto him and live?" Come now, and let us reafon toge❝ther, faith the Lord: though your fins be

as fcarlet, they fhall be as white as fnow; "though they be red like crimson, they "fhall be white as wool." "Wherefore do ус "spend money for that which is not bread? << and your labour for that which fatisfieth "not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat 66 ye that which is good, and let your foul "delight itself in fatnefs. Incline your ear, "and come unto me; hear, and your foul "fhall live." Even the threatenings of God are not fo much the thunderings of his juftice, as the loud rhetoric of his mercy. He shakes the rod over us, that, by a timely fubmiffion, we may avert the stroke. And when all the methods ufed to reclaim a finner have proved ineffectual, with what reluctance doth he at last execute his threaten

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ed vengeance?" How fhall I give thee up,

Fphraim? how fhall I deliver thee, If"rael? how fhall I make thee as Admah ? "how fhall I fet thee as Zeboim? Mine ❝ heart is turned within me, my repentings "are kindled together." Nay, after the fierceness of his anger hath confumed the tranfgreffors, what regret doth he exprefs, that they should have extorted from him their own punishment? "O that my people had hearkened unto me, and Ifrael "had walked in my ways!'

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He utters thefe word, as it were with as figh, lamenting the folly and perverfenefs which had compelled him to fuch measures of severity against them: Not that God is influenced by any human paffions; but because he could not otherwife communicate, in a manner intelligible to us, the deep concern which he takes in our welfare.

Nor are these mere expreffions of kindnets, which are unaccompanied with deeds to prove their fincerity, and to render them effectual: he hath inftituted an order of men to carry the glad tidings of falvation to every corner of the earth; to befeech fin

ners,

mers, in his name, to lay afide their enmity to him, which can only hurt themselves, and to return to that Almighty Being, who, though he stands in no need of them, is moft fincerely willing to receive them into his favour, and to beftow on them everlasting happiness. "We are ambaffadors for "Chrift, as though God did befeech you by

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us; we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye "reconciled to God." We are commanded to" preach the word, -to be inftant in fea"fon and out of feafon,-in meekness inftructing those that oppose themselves, if "God peradventure will give them repent

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ance to the acknowledging of the truth." And to excite us to be diligent and faithful in the exercife of this office, he hath af fured us, “that when the chief Shepherd "fhall appear, we fhall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away."

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Is not this then an unanfwerable proof that God hath no pleasure in the death of finners? What stronger evidence of it could he give, than to fend to them fo many meffengers, to befeech them in his name to turn and live? to employ on this kind errand,

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errand, creatures of the fame nature with
themselves, fubject to the fame paffions,
exposed to the fame temptation's, who have
the advantage of familiar intercourse with
them, and who are always at hand, to help,
to comfort, and to quicken them? Nay,
he hath made it the duty of every man, in
his place, to do all that he can for the con-
verfion of others. "Exhort one another
"daily," faith an Apoftle, "while it is call-
"ed to-day, left any of you be hardened
66 through the deceitfulness of fin."
"Bre-
"thren," faith the Apostle James,
"of you do err from the truth, and one

"if any

convert him; let him know, that he which "converteth a finner from the error of his CC way, fhall fave a foul from death, and "fhall hide a multitude of fins." Nor fhall this labour of love pass without a reward; for they that be wife shall shine as the bright"nefs of the firmament, and they that turn

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many to righteousness as the stars for << ever and ever." But that nothing may be wanting to beget in us the firmeft perfuafion of the goodness of God, and of his tender

tender concern for the welfare of his creatures, let it be obferved, in the

4th and last place on this head, That he hath felected fome of the most notorious offenders in the different ages of the world, to be monuments of the riches of his grace; that the chief of finners might be encouraged to apply to him for pardon and eternal life; who, without fuch examples, might have been ready to look on their cafe as defperate. How many, who were were once funk into the lowest degeneracy, are now in heaven, finging that grateful triumphant fong, "Unto him that loved us, and washed "us from our fins in his own blood, and “hath made us kings and priests unto God “ ́and his Father; to him be glory and do"minion for ever and ever. Amen." There is Manaffeh, one who ufed enchantment and divination, and who deluged the streets of Jerufalem with innocent blood. There is Saul, once a blafphemer and a perfecutor, who thus teftifies of himself, "For this "cause I obtained mercy, that in me first

Jefus Chrift might fhew forth all long"fuffering, for a pattern to them which

"fhould

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