Secondly, Do I feel that, having committed many actual sins, I am liable to the condemnation of God? I have to charge myself with sins both of omission and commission. I have a Bible, but will conscience permit me to say that I have studied it as fully and as prayerfully as I ought to have done; Sabbaths, but do I always hallow them as days marked by the seal of Heaven, and most holy in God's sight; ordinances and means of spiritual improvement, but have I been careful and conscientious in seeking to profit by them; opportunities manifold in God's providence to glorify His name, and shew kindness to my fellow-men, but have I studied to avail myself of them? How dreadfully, then, ought these words to sound in my ears, "Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness!" And in addition to such sins of omission, there are faults innumerable-thoughts, words, and actions, which have laid on my conscience an intolerable load of guilt. How dreadful to read the book of conscience! What follies-what wickednesswhat uncleanness of heart and life-what vanity —what pride-what falsehood-what sloth-what intemperance in meat, drink, and other bodily comforts what harsh judgments-what uncharitable suspicions-what malignant insinuations-what dishonesty-what violence-what profane and blasphemous imaginations and words-could conscience testify to, were God to call upon it to speak! The briefest exercise of memory reminds me of many faults; and though I have now forgotten them, I know that there are many more besides, which God, if He pleased, could bring home to my soul in all their deformity and damnatory power. Well nay I exclaim, Woe is me for I am undone unclean, unclean, God be merciful to me a sinner!

PRAYER.

O eternal God, thou Father of lights, and from whom cometh down every good and perfect blessing, thou searchest my heart, and knowest all that is in me. Thou hast been the constant spectator of my walk and conversation in the world, and thou readest the very thoughts of my heart. Thou knowest what I am and what I need, and hast at thy disposal all that my soul requires, a quickening Spirit to vivify my dead and sluggish heart, a pardon to bestow for all my sins, grace to help me in the hour of temptation and difficulty, and the sweet communications of thy loving-kindness and favour to refresh and exhilarate me when heart and flesh are ready to faint and fail. Lord, I would come before thee at this time with deep humiliation. Enable me to search my own heart, to ponder my ways and my doings, and attain to that genuine repentance which needeth not to be repented of. Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. O Lord, hear; O Lord, answer; O Lord, forgive and do; for all this I ask of thee in the name, and depending on the merits and intercession, of Christ Jesus, my Lord. Amen.

SCRIPTURE.

"And God saw that the wickedness of men was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." -Gen. vi. 5.

"It is written, There is none righteous, no, not There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone

one.

B

out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one." -Rom. iii. 10-12.

"For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man."-Matth. xv. 20.

"The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men."-Rom. i. 18.

"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."Gal. v. 19-21.

"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you : but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."-1 Cor. vi. 9-11.

"For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost."-Matth. xviii. 11.

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."-Isa. i. 18.

"Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the

house of Israel, Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live? Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?"-Ezek. xxxiii. 10-11.

"God now commandeth all men everywhere to repent."-Acts xvii. 30.

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."-John iii. 14-15.

"Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”—Matth. xi. 28-30.

INFERENCES.

1. I learn from these Scriptures, in the first place, that sin is a great evil in God's sight, and exposes to the tokens of His wrath and heavy displeasure. It is in vain, therefore, for me to think of peace and eternal happiness if any known sin is cherished or wilfully practised by me.

2. But, secondly, I learn that sin will not eternally condemn if it is repented of and forsaken. All mankind are guilty; many souls now in glory were once, perhaps, as guilty and polluted as I am; the offers of pardon are made in the most universal terms; and with such expressions of urgency as if the repentance and return of the sinner augmented the very happiness of the hosts of heaven. I need

not, therefore, dread eternal ruin, if only I am willing to be saved in God's way.

3. Thirdly, I learn from these Scriptures, that true repentance is earnest and sincere. There is hope of forgiveness to the chief of sinners, but only when they feel deeply their guilt, and mourn over it with all their heart-truly desirous of abandoning all evil courses, and practising the opposite virtues. Let me remember, therefore, that if my repentance is sincere, it will lead me not only to sorrow over past iniquities, but diligently to seek amendment of life.

4. Fourthly, The sinner is pardoned and accepted through faith in Christ. The end of Christ's mission was to die for sinners. However necessary repentance may be, it is not the satisfaction or atonement for sin-that satisfaction or atonement being the work of the Redeemer alone. The penitent sinner believes this-looks to Jesus, and finds peace and salvation there.

SELECT PASSAGES.

"The proper use of this subject is, to encourage sinners, whose consciences are burdened with a sense of guilt, immediately to go to God through Christ for mercy. If you go in the manner we have described, the arms of mercy are open to embrace you. You need not be at all the more fearful of coming, because of your sins, let them be ever so black. If you had as much guilt lying on each of your souls as all the wicked men in the world, and all the damned souls in hell, yet if you come to God for mercy, sensible of your own vileness, and seeking pardon only through the free mercy of God in Christ, you would not need to be afraid; the greatness of your sins would be no