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"Wash me in this, and I fhall be clean; 61 purge thou me, and I fhall be whiter "than Snow. Have Mercy upon me, O "Lord, have Mercy upon me for thy "Names fake; for thy Goodness fake; "for thy Son's fake, who died for the "chief and greatest of Offenders. I could

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never think of coming to thee in my

"own filthy Garments; but if I may be "cloathed with the Righteousness of thy "Son, then I will hope for thy Favour. "Olet that precious Blood which he shed "to atone for, and take away Sin, plead "for my Pardon. Pardon. Thou haft command"ed us to come unto thee; and hast "promised, that they who do fo, thou " wilt in no wife caft out: I now come "with greatest Humility to Plead thine own Promife; and wilt thou caft off a poor returning Penitent?

"SENSIBLE of my great Folly and "Wickedness, I acknowledge I have "been a Prodigal, and a Run-away from "thee my Father; have forfaken thee "the Fountain of Living Water, and

have been hewing out unto my self "broken Cifterns, that can hold no Wa66 ter. I have turn'd away from thee my

"best

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"heft Benefactor; have been abufing thy "Parience, Goodnefs, and Long-fuffer"ing, which fhould have led me to Re

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pentance. And now, when I come to cry to thee, thou mighteft juftly banish (6 me out of thy Sight and Prefence. I am not worthy to breath in thy Air, "much lefs ro feck for thy Favour: What " I now call Hell, and whatever I am capable "of thinking of that place in this World, and "under my present Convictions, I may fay "is too good for me; fo deep is the Senfe "that I have of my Sins, and the defert of

" 'em.

"BUT yet moft Gracious God! Is "there not Mercy with thee, and plen "tious Redemption, to Encourage my "fincere Repentance? Is there not infi"nite Merit in the Blood of thy Son? O "do thou magnify the Riches of thy "Grace in Chrift Jefus; in healing, par"doning, faving my wounded, condemn"ed, diftreffed Soul! Spare me, O God! "And try me a little longer; and I here "folemnly promife to abandon every "Evil courfe and way. I will love thee "above every thing here on Earth: I "will ferve thee with all my Soul,Strength

" and

"and Might. I will take thee for my Lord "and Sovereign; fubmit to thee as my "Governor, Ruler and Guide. If I had

ten thousand Worlds I'd leave 'em all "for thee; or Sacrifice all to thee.

"O BLESSED Lord! Pardon, Pardon my miferable Sinful Soul. Deny me not "an Intereft in Chrift, whatever thou "denieft me; turn me not away in an "unreconcil'd ftate out of thy Prefence; "but in, and thro' a Mediator have Com"paffion on me. Here I am upon the "bended Knees of my Soul, humbly, and "forrowfully pouring out my Complaint "before thee: Shall not thy Ear be open "6 to my Cry? Wilt thou send me away empty, O thou that haft all Fulness in "thy felf? I do not beg in a careless and "indifferent manner, as for a thing of no "value; but as for my Life, and the Life "of my Precious Immortal Soul. Deny me not my Requeft; deny me not, Ŏ

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my God! I moft heartily, and earnestly entreat thee.

THUS did I continue confeffing my Sins, and mourning over 'em: Tears

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flowing from mine Eyes, as faft as Words from my Mouth: and my trembling, panting Heart ready to burst with Sighs and Groans; imploring a Pardon; pleading every promife I could lay hold on; and heartily refolving Amendment of my Life for the future: till at last it pleased God to compofe, and fettle my Thoughts; to speak comfortably to my Soul; and to afford me fome ground of hope that he would accept of me: tho' I had not fo full, and clear a fatisfaction in this Cafe as I defired. For feveral days together, at times, would I be upon my Knees, begging for Mercy and Salvation; Weeping and Sorrowing all the while. Now Reading my Bible, or other Religious Books; then Praying and fpreading my Cafe before God.

NEVER fure fhall I forget how I used to run up into a Garret ; and value any place where I might be fecret and retired; to fall down before God, and to beg that direction which was neceffary to the perfecting the Work begun in me, and the establishing my Hope and Comfort: I open'd my Bible with Eyes lift up to Heaven, praying I might meet with fome

fome Paffage in Scripture that might give ease and peace to my Mind. I had no fooner open'd it, but the first place I turn'd to, was the LIII, Ch. of Ifaiah. I read it throughout, very much affected, and pouring out a fresh Flood of Tears, when I looked upon it as the account of what my Saviour underwent for my fake; fake; believing all that was Prophefied, and spoken of him.

WHO hath believed our Report? And to whom is the Arm of the Lord Revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender Plant, and as a Root out of a dry Ground: He hath no form nor Comeliness; and when we shall fee him, there is no Beauty that we fbould defire him. He is defpifed and rejected of Men, a Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with Grief: and we hid as it were our Faces from him; he was defpifed, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath born our Griefs, and carried our Sorrows: yet we did efteem him ftricken, fmitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our Tranfgreffions; He was bruifed for our Iniquities: The Chaftifement of our Peace was upon him, and with his Stripes we are healed, &c.

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