ly on this ground, that fuch claufes | The gofpel ftates the incarnation

of the Son of God-it brings out to view his atoning blood, and opens a door for loft creatures, as we all are, to view ourselves prifoners of hope.

Far more of the great and holy God is feen in the gospel, than could ever have been feen in the law; tho' it is as pure as a law poffibly could be. The gospel brings out the great doctrine of the Trinity, in a clear light; and

as these were introduced into the law, as it was there given. The divine law had exifted before, even in the days of Adam. A fummary of it was given by the Saviour in the following words :"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy foul, with all thy mind, and with all thy frength, and thy neighbor as thyself." The love, here required, is perfect love; and the law can give life, on no other condition. Strictly fpeak-in the accomplishment of the work ing, the law knows no mercy, nor the leaft indulgence. But, the gofpel is good news to tranfgreffors, to thofe who deferve all that the law threatens. It is good news, becaufe it makes the offer of pardon to the guilty, through the blood of Jefus Chrift. In the light of the gofpel, we can fee how God can be juft, and yet justify as many as believe on the Son of God. Tho' the gofpel is not in oppofition to the law; yet it exhibits what the law cannot, viz. a dying Saviour. The invitations of the gofpel do not, in the leaft, interfere with the honor and dignity of the broken law. Wonderful mercy is here revealed, fuch as never could have been known, if mankind had not become finners, and the eternal Son of God had not appeared as their Saviour. How plainly it appears, therefore, that the gofpel has brought out to view an important attribute of the divine nature-a glorious perfection, which must have been forever concealed from the view of creatures, if it had not been for the gospel. Is not the work of redemption fared on as many as fhould repent of fuperior to that of creation? The their fins and forfake them. How world was created, that there greatly are mankind indebted to might, as it were, be a theatre, on God for the gofpel! How are which the glorious work of re- their views of the divine character demption might be carried or. enlarged, by the light of the gof-.

of redemption, the neceffity of this doctrine is made to appear. We are taught the neceffity of a Saviour to atone, and of the Holy Spirit to fanctify. The light of the gospel, as it reveals mercy, excites the aftonishment of angels; for they are reprefented in the word of God, as defiring to look into these things. We have reafon to think, that the work of redemption is their chief study, the great and delightful theme of their contemplations. When we thus compare the law with the gofpel, particularly as mercy and the forgivenefs of fin are refpected, we may fay: Wherein the former is darkness the latter is light. For the law does not fhew one fin forgiven; but the gospel presents forgivenefs to all who are willing to accept it, and to forfake their fins. Chrift did not come into the world to be the minister of fin; nor did he die on the crofs, that mankind might be faved in their fins, or as impenitent. He died that mercy might be offered to all; and that pardon might be beftow

pel, especially as they fee God
glorifying himself, in forgiving
the chief of finners!

ner in which finners treat the divine Saviour, who condefcended

to come into the world and die for them, brings out more of the depravity and stupidity of the human heart, than their oppofition to the law. In this way, we learn more than we could in any other way, how deplorable is their fituation, and how completely loft and undone. The law was glorious, in that it brought out the odious nature of fin; but the gospel, in this refpect, was more glorious. That, which was made glorious, had no glory, by reafon of that which excelleth. And as the gofpel gives us enlarged views of depravity, it muft of course be the means of making a very bright. difplay of that juftice, which will finally punish the depifers of the Saviour, while, at the fame time, it establishes the doctrine, that the falvation of the redeemed is wholly of God.

H.

4. The nature of fin and the character of the finner could never have been known, as they now are, had it not been for the gof pel. But to the idea now advanced are not fome ready to urge | as an objection-that, by the law is the knowledge of fin? Truly the fcriptures declare this, and it is no doubt a juft fentiment. But while it is admitted, that by the law is the knowledge of fin, it is confidered as being a folemn truth, that finners, under the light and inftructions of the gofpel, are chargeable with far greater fins, 'than they could be with no other light than the law affords. Since the gofpel has been preached, the depravity of men has been made to appear, in a light, of which men, perhaps, would never have conceived.Would it not have been fuppofed, if the contrary had not been made to appear by fact, that finners, when affured of their condemnation by the law, and that they never could be faved by it, would gladly have received the gospel? Would it not have been fuppofed, that they would be thankful for a fpace for repentance and for the offer of pardon; and that, when their im mortal fouls were at ftake, they would eagerly embrace the opportunity of being faved by Chrift? But, alas the publishing of the gospel, and the preffing manner in which it has been recommended to finners, have made the contra- | These words afford abundant matry fully appear. By this, it has ter for exhortation, and, to the been clearly proved, that finners impenitent, abundant cause of have wickednefs and obftinacy alarm. The obvious declaration enough in their hearts to neglect of the paffage is, that the present and defpife a day of grace, when moment is the moft proper time procured for them, and procured to repent of fin, and be reconciled too ataninfinite price. The man- to God. It fhall be my endeaVOL. IV. No. 9. U u

TO THE REV. EDITORS OF THE
CONNECTICUT EVANGELICAL
MAGAZINE.

On the reafonableness of an imme-
diate Repentance.

I SEND the following obfervations for infertion in ufeful your

Magazine, fhould it be thought

proper.

N the fecond Epifle to the

IN

Corinthians, at the 6th chapter and 2d verfe, it is written: "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of falvation."

vor to fhow that this doctrine is reasonable, and that it is the dictate of true wifdom to yield an immediate compliance with what it enjoins.

It may be proper to mention, that I am particularly addreffing thofe who admit the Scriptures to be the word of God, and who believe them to teach the neceffity of a total change of heart, before we can have any hope from the gofpel. There are, doubtlefs, perfons of this defcription, who are not experimentally acquainted with the power of godlinefs; there are perfons who have a fpeculative conviction of the interefling truths of revelation, who yet continue to halt between two opinions, and put themselves off with the delufive expectation that they fhall repent at fome future time, and become renewed in the fpirit and temper of their minds before they die. Such perfons are requefted to attend to fome difpaffionate reafoning on the fubject.

art, and unto duft fhalt thou return, is an affertion which it feems impoffible even for wicked men to difbelieve. Not a perfon who will read thefe lines can make himfelf believe, or even hope, that he fhall not, in a few years at the moft, be laid under the cold clods of the valley. Now let us take this fact and compare it with another equally true, which is, that if we are ever reconciled to God, this work must be accomplished before death. One would think that thefe two facts afford an argument for immediate repentance which muft find its way to every confiderate mind. Yet how numerous are the inftances of perfons who acknowledge its force, and ftill remain altogether unmoved with refpect to the things which it brings into view. Thofe things pertaining to this world which are deemed more important, are not treated in this negligent manner. When a perfon has in contemplation an object, by the atIf each of the following argu-tainment of which he may aggranments is not poffeffed of intrinfic dize himfelf, or bring comfort to weight, let it fall to the ground. his family, he fets about it immeI claim no merit in bringing them diately, and purfues it with affiforward; but rather efteem it a duity and perfeverance, rifing aglorious privilege, that most of bove obftacles feemingly infurthe readers of this Magazine have mountable, till he obtains the acheard them infifted on from the complishment of his defires. This pulpit with very great ability and conduct with refpect to the deforce. Experience and obferva- ceitful, unfatisfying, perishable tion, however, as well as the ora- things of time, is called wifdom cles of truth, affure us, that it is by the world. How great, then, not improper to inculcate line is the folly of neglecting all endeaupon line, and precept upon precept.vors to procure an intereft in God'a There is fome fmall hope, then, favor, which is life, and in his lovthat perfons may receive benefiting kindness, which is better than from perufing reflections on the | life! fame topics, which they have heretofore heard and feen difcuffed in a manner much more ample and convincing. 1. It is obvious to fon that he muft die.

every per-
Dust thou

2. The force of the foregoing argument is inconceivably increafed by the confideration, that the life of man is totally uncertain. We cannot help knowing, however unpleafant the knowledge

have arrived to threefcore and ten, whether their lives have not been fhort. Afk them whether it is wife to purfue the things of time and fenfe, as tho' they constituted the fupreme good, even were men fure they fhould live to fee their feventieth year. Will they not tell you, that life is as deceitful in its length, as in the enjoyments

you,

ever prefumes on either, will most certainly be difappointed? Will they not tell that their years appear fhorter and shorter as the number of them increafes, and that their days pafs as a tale that is told? Indeed, cannot all who have arrived to years of discretion, if they will confult their own minds with refpect to the time which is past, come to a complete affurance, that the life of man is not of fo great duration as they may be tempted to imagine? The man of thirty five cannot fuppofe, that, fhould be double his years, his life will appear of very great extent. If perfons would yield to the evidence which their own experience affords them, they could never doubt that the time of our temporal exiftence is, in all inftances, exceedingly fhort and fleeting.

may be, that the young and the old, the healthy and the difeafed, the beautiful and the deformed, are continually and indifcriminately going down to the grave. We cannot but know, that many of our companions, or perhaps our parents, brethren and fifters, have paffed from time into eternity. We cannot but know, that the length of our lives depends entire-which it promifes; and that wholy upon the will of God, and that he has not given us fecurity for a fingle future moment. He is under no obligation to uphold us in life, and he will not do it any longer than is neceffary to bring about his wife and holy defigns, which are to us infcrutable. He has declared, that man also know eth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the fnare; fo are the fons of men fnared in an evil time, when it falleth fuddenly upon them. We can give no reafon why we are now continued on the earth, while others younger and better than ourfelves have been carried to the filent tomb, except that it is the will of him, who is wonderful in counfel, and excellent in working. In this view of the fubject, how foolish is it, how extremely hazardous, to delay a preparation for death a fingle day. How dreadful is the tho't, that while men improve every advantage to obtain the good things of this life, and take every precaution to fecure them, they are en-years of my pilgrimage are an huntirely unmoved and heedlefs while dred and thirty years: few and evil their eternal well-being may de- have the days of the years of my life pend upon the wife improvement been. The afflicted Job exclaimed: of the prefent opportunity. My days are fwister than a weavater's futile. And again: My days are fawifter than a poft. For what is your life? inquires the infpired Apoftle: It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanifbeth away. It is impoffible

3. Human life is very fhort the longeft. Although this affer tion may feem ftrange to inconfiderate youth, yet they may obtain complete fatisfaction that it is

true.

Afk the aged, thofe who

But the language of the Bible is wonderfully ftriking and explicit. When the Patriarch was inquired of by the king of Egypt, with refpect to his age, he gave this affecting anfwer: The days of the