cravings of your soul. He will clothe you, and so clothe you that you will not envy ar angel. He will cleanse you and make you perfectly clean. He will give you rest, sweet, soothing, refreshing rest, such as the weary weeping babe enjoys as it slumbers on the soft bosom of its loving mother. To Jesus then, to Jesus hasten, all ye hungry, naked, filthy, weary souls. To Jesus and he will-will what? Will, in one word, bless you with every blessing, and save you with an everlasting salvation.

Ye sin-sick souls draw near,
And banquet with your King,
His royal bounty share,

And loud hosannas sing;

Here merey reigns, here peace abounds,
Here's blood to heal your dreadful wounds.

Here's clothing for the poor,
Here's comfort for the weak,
Here's strength for tempted souls,
And cordials for the sick;

Here's all a soul can want or need,
Laid up in Christ, the living head.

But may a soul like mine,
All stained with guilt and blood.
Approach the throne of graee,
And converse hold with God?

"Yes!" Jesus calls, "Come, sinners, come,
"In mercy's arms there yet is room."

SIN AND ITS SENTENCE.

THE law of God is the standard of duty. What it requires must be rendered, or what it threatens must be endured. That law requires that we should be holy in heart and life, and that our holiness should be manifested by love. Love to God. That is, that we should esteem him more highly, than all his creatures. Reverence him profoundly and solemnly. Prefer him to every thing beside. Obey his commands with pleasure. Present ourselves before him as a sacrifice, surrender ourselves to him to be his servants, and consecrate ourselves entirely to his service and praise. It requires that God be first in our thoughts, in our affections, and in our desires and pronounces every thing short of this, sin. But it requires, also, love to our fellow men. Every man is to be respected, honoured, esteemed. Every one is to be treated with courtesy, kindness, and affection. Our love to every one of God's intelligent creatures, is to be as great as the love we have for ourselves: and every thing short of this, is sin. Love to others, is to shine forth in our conduct towards them, as

:

our Saviour said, "Whatsoever ye would, that men should do unto you, do ye also so to them, for this is the law." Who then has not sinned? Who does not sin every day? And what is the desert of sin?

66

The soul that sinneth it shall die." God is the fountain of life, and we only really live, as we are living in union and communion with him. Now sin separates from God, and cuts off all fellowship with him; every sinner therefore, is said to be dead, because he is in a state of separation from God. Being separated from God, the sinner's doom is to be banished from God for ever. In a state of separation from God, the immortal soul, which proceeded from God, must be unhappy; and the degree of its unhappiness will be just in proportion to its realization of separation, and the impossibility of a re-union. At present, the sinner has no vivid realization of his separation from God, and re-union with God is possible, therefore he feels little or nothing about it; but in hell, where reunion is impossible, that realization will be dreadful. Which leads me to observe, that death as the penalty of sin, is not merely a separation from God, and the breaking off of all communion with God, but it includes direct and positive punishment, inflicted by God. This is represented by "devouring fire, and everlasting burnings;" by being cast into a "lake of fire and brimstone;" by the gnawing of an immortal worm, by utter darkness,

and being tormented by the devil and his angels. Every sinner is in danger of hell fire, of being eternally tormented in its flames, of suffering all the consequences of an eternal separation from God, and association with all the lowest, most degraded, and wicked of God's creatures.

But must every sinner thus die? He must, if the law is allowed to take its course. Fer God as a lawgiver, only requires, promises to reward obedience, and threatens to punish disobedience with death. To command, convince, and condemn, is all the law can do. But what the law could not do, God as a sovereign, has made provision for; in that he sent his only begotten Son into the world, that he might render that obedience, which the law required; and offer such a sacrifice for sin, as would avail for the pardon, justification, and salvation, of all who believe on his name. Thus, while according to the law, the sinner must die; according to the gospel, there is no necessity that the sinner should die. Dying under the law, the sentence of the law must be executed; but if by faith in Jesus, we are delivered from the law, and come under grace, then according to the gospel, we cannot die; for Jesus has said, "He that believeth on me hath everlasting life." By believing, we accept of the Son of God as our substitute, and then all the merit of his life and death is placed to our account. obedience unto death becomes ours:

His

and

so, as by one man's disobedience, many were made sinners; so, by the obedience of one, many are made righteous. The Son of God was made sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. O the mystery of grace! The Son of God taking the sinners' place and responsibilities, that the sinner by faith in him, may be justified, and glorified.

Reader, you are a sinner, there can be no question about that; and as a sinner you deserve, and are doomed by the law, to suffer death. If you live and die under the law, you must perish-for the sentence of the law must be carried out, either in your own person, or in the person of another. There is no one that can be a substitute for you, but the Lord Jesus; and his substitution only avails for those who put their cause into his hands, commit their souls to his keeping, or which is the same thing, who believe on his name. How important then the question becomes, "Dost thou believe on the Son of God?" To you it is of infinite moment. Let me therefore beseech you to examine yourself, whether you be in the faith-whether Christ be in you-whether you are identified with Christ. If you believe on him, he is precious to you-you build on him alone for salvation -and expect acceptance in the sight of God, alone on the ground of what he hath done and suffered. In one word, if you are a believer, you take the perfect work of Christ