lem: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee: how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not."* Why perished these "murderers of the prophets"? Because they refused to receive the Messiah; and in rejecting him they rejected pardon, peace, and life. And why do sinners now perish under the sound of the gospel? Because they also reject Christ, and refuse to be gathered into his fold, to enjoy the security and bliss of his protection and smile for ever. Still it is true that Christ invites the sinner to come to him; and makes it binding on his conscience to look to him and be saved; and the most desperate ingredient in his rebellion is his criminal rejection of the overtures of pardon. While the unbelieving sinner passes along to the gates of death, the compassionate “would I" of the Lord Jesus Christ ceases not to follow him to the very verge of time; and he enters into eternity to take his place among the unbelieving and undone associates of his choice, still opposing his desperate and ruinous "would not" to the long-suffering and gracious "would I" of our Divine Emmanuel!†

The people gathered together in the "Earl Grey," from all parts of the kingdom, are not only, in common with all men, urged to flee at once to the Lord Jesus Christ as the only refuge for the guilty and the

* Matt. xxii. 7.

+ See the effect of this text on the mind of a Socialist, chap. 3.

lost, but, being now placed in circumstances peculiarly favourable to their instruction and reformation, they are the more emphatically called upon to avail themselves, without delay, of their inestimable privileges; at once to yield a believing obedience to the gracious calls of Divine mercy, and turn their feet into the path of holiness and life. In placing themselves in the position of convicts, they have voluntarily degraded themselves to an extent which defies all language to express, and the moral influence of their degradation, and of the circumstances by which they will be encompassed in the colony to which they are hastening, and where the elements of spiritual death abound, will tempt them to give themselves up to the power of sin and Satan, and thus to seal their eternal destruction. There is, therefore, no time to be lost. They are, moreover, like all other men, on their way to death and eternity,--must sustain for ever the character in which they die,-experience all the misery or the bliss involved in that character, whether as unrenewed rejecters of Christ, or regenerated and sanctified believers in His name; according as it is written, "He that is unjust, shall be unjust still; and he who is filthy, shall be filthy still; and he that is righteous, shall be righteous still; and he that is holy, shall be holy still."* For impurity and guilt must be ever linked with wretchedness, and pardon and holiness with peace. Not only are these men on their way to death and judgment,—but I, too, hasten

* Rev. xxii. 11; Eccles. ix. 10.

on with them, to answer for the fidelity with which I watch for their souls, and my own, and improve the opportunity afforded me of winning my fellow-sinners to Jesus, and to a participation in his great redemption.

The eyes of men and of angels are upon them-the all-seeing eye of God is upon them! They are the subjects of a mighty contest. Satan desires and labours to retain and hold them fast in his bondage, that they may share with him in the pains of eternal fire. The Lord Jesus, who created and redeemed them, and whose property they are, seeks their confidence and their hearts; desires to rejoice over them as his ransomed, liberated, and sanctified children, the trophies of his victory over sin and Satan, and to present them to the Father with exceeding joy. And the contest of which these men are the subjects cannot terminate without the exercise of the will of each one of them. If they continue the slaves of Satan, they choose so to continue; they prefer his slavery before the Redeemer's liberty. If they renounce Satan, and become the faithful followers of Christ, they give themselves to him with a willing mind. His love constrains them; they see the glory of Jesus, and believe on him; they willingly and gladly choose him for their Lord and Saviour, and rejoice in giving themselves to him to be "formed for himself, for shewing forth his praise.'

From the commencement of the voyage to its ter

* Isa. xliii. 21; Ps. cx. 3.

mination, the prisoners breathe a moral and a spiritual atmosphere. They are in constant contact with Divine truth; God, as revealed in the gospel of his Son, is continually set before them, together with the great realities of time and eternity. ChristianityBible Christianity, is kept perpetually in their view. Every hour carries its report to heaven! every hour records there the decision of every mind! The people are taught that God sends to each one of them a message—a message to which they cannot possibly fail every moment to reply, and the reply of each is either in accordance with, or in opposition to, the Divine will! From the question they cannot escape for a day or an hour, "What answer do you purpose to give to the message of God?" "What answer are you giving, and giving every instant?" The Holy Ghost is striving with each of them,-convincing them of truth, testifying to them of Christ and his great and finished salvation, and persuading them to choose,and to choose now, the things which belong to their peace, lest they should be for ever hidden from their eyes; and to his gracious influences they willingly yield, or they wickedly resist them—and, persevering in their wilful resistance, they must ultimately quench the Spirit, and so destroy themselves under an accumulated load of aggravated guilt.

With the true nature of the salvation of Christ they become more and more familiarised; they are taught that it is a salvation not merely from hell, but a present salvation from guilt and impurity—from the love

and practice of all sin: a salvation to holiness of heart and life, a salvation unto God! They are taught to maintain a watchful and spiritual discipline over their feelings and affections, their tempers and dispositions, their looks and manners, their words and conduct. All unholy selfishness and contention, all unjustifiable noisiness and unhallowed strife, are now to be banished from amongst them. They are to become meek and lowly followers of the Lamb.

In seeking to win souls to Christ, it is absolutely necessary that our minds be deeply impressed with the scriptural truth of man's spiritual deadness and dislike to God and his truth, as well as of our own utter inability to convey to the mind of a fellow-sinner a single spiritual thought.

The grand instrument which God hath been pleased to ordain for effecting man's conversion to himself is the truth concerning Jesus, as set forth in the holy Scriptures. The Lord hath, both by precept and approved example, required† all his believing people to make known the gospel of his grace to perishing sinners, as opportunity is afforded; and has graciously promised concerning his word, "It shall not return unto me void; but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I * 1 Pet.i. 23; James i. 18; Eph. i. 13; 1 Thess. ii. 13, 14; John vi. 63; Jer. xxiii. 29; Acts viii. 1-4; Rom. x. 17; 1 Cor. i. 24. + Prov. xi. 30; Isa. lii. 7; Dan. xii. 3; v. 19, 20; Rev. xxii. 17; Ps. xcvi. 2, 3, 29; 2 Kings v. 3, &c.; John i. 35–51, iv. 4-42; Matt. xiii. 31-33; Mark v. 1-20; James v. 19, 20;

v. 16.

1 Tim. ii. 24-26; James cv. 1, cxlv.; Numb. x.

Acts viii. 4;

Matt. vii. 12;