PRAYER. my faith. I am My Lord and my God! the sense of my infirmities and imperfections alarms me. I see a great number, both in my heart and in my mind. They are all shameful and criminal. They produce a thousand baneful effects, and interpose fearful obstacles to my salvation. But, LORD, that which most alarms me is the imperfection of Whatever efforts I make, I cannot entirely subject either my mind or my heart to the supreme authority of thy word. I cannot persuade myself as powerfully and as absolutely as I would, and as I ought, of the eternal truths which it has pleased thee to reveal to me. filled with grief and confusion on account of it, O my God. This grief itself, and this confusion, would overwhelm and cast me into despair, if I did not know on one hand, that thy mercy is infinite and inexhaustible; and on the other, that nothing is impossible to thee, and that thou doest always all that it pleaseth thee. This miserable mind, this depraved heart, of which I cannot relieve myself, are in thy hands. Thou canst not. only bend them and turn them as thou wilt, but change them, reform them, renew them, and make them what they ought to be. Thou canst enlighten and rectify this mind; thou canst sanctify this heart: from a heart of stone, such as it is naturally, thou canst make it a heart of flesh. Thy grace wants not the power to work this miracle. Refuse me not this, O my God: lead, lead my captive thoughts to thine obedience: persuade me powerfully of thy truth : triumph over all the resistance of my rebellious heart: dissipate the darkness of my mind. O thou who didst command at the beginning that the light should shine out of the darkness, shine thyself in my heart, to "give me the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus CHRIST." Thou who hast so often given sight to the blind, enlighten now my mind with a knowledge of thy truth, and grant that this truth may in such a manner govern my mind, that it may be the only rule of my conduct, and the prevailing motive of my actions. CHAPTER VIII. TWO TRUTHS IN PARTICULAR WHICH SHOULD NOT BE DOUBTED BY THE SINNER WHO LABORS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF AN EVIL CONSCIENCE. What has been considered in the preceding chapter is doubtless necessary, but it is certain also that it is not sufficient. It is not sufficient to have a vague and general persuasion of revealed truth; we must make to ourselves a particular application of it, and consider with attention the part we may have in it. If we do this, we shall not doubt concerning two things which are of the last importance. The first is, that we are lost without recovery if we are not converted; the second, that being converted, we may hope to be received into favor. We know that we are sinners. Do we, in fact, need any other testimony than that of our own conscience, to convince us of it? We know that the sins with which we reproach ourselves, merit hell. This, even conscience, enlightened by the truths of revelation, permits us not to doubt. We know that God grants not his grace to the impenitent, to the obstinate, to unbelievers, who live and die in sin. This is a truth which Scripture frequently asserts. We know that conversion, faith and repentance are the only means which place us under shelter from those eternal calamities which we deserve. May we not conclude that we are lost without remedy if we are not truly and sincerely converted, if we repent not of our sins, if we believe not in Jesus Christ, and if we embrace not his Gospel. There is here also a truth which cannot be doubted by those who have this general persuasion of the revealed verities of which I have spoken in the preceding chapter. It is not so with the second, which must be necessarily added thereunto. This is, that the means which I have pointed out are not only necessary, they are also certain and infallible; and that as none shall ever be saved who puts them not into practice, not one also of those who employ them shall perish. This truth, though unquestionable in my opinion, has not failed being contested. Some maintain that this rule has its exceptions. They say, that truly all those who are sincerely converted during their health, and who justify the sincerity of their conversion by a long succession of good works, and by a constant course of sanctification and of piety, are infallibly saved. They add, that it is not impossible that the same thing may happen to those who are only converted at their death, as it appears by the example of the thief, who implored not the grace of Jesus Christ until the last moments of his life; but they maintain that this is an extraordinary grace, and that no conclusion can be drawn from it. They say that God sometimes receives such repentance, but that sometimes also he rejects it, as it pleases him. Whence, they conclude, that they who, not having been converted during their life, and who delay to do it till the bed of death, should not, indeed, fall into despair, but also, may not assure themselves that their repentance, however lively and however sincere it may be, can be well received ; that it is very possible God may reject it, and that this is what they have reason to fear. I am far from this opinion; I am persuaded that conversion is never useless, provided only that it is sincere. I admit that it is rare, that it is difficult to return sincerely to God upon the bed of death; but am persuaded that if we do so, we then do so effectually, and that we obtain every thing from the mercy of God. What principally convinces me of this is the universality of the promises of grace which God makes to us in his Gospel: “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved: Verily I say unto you, he that heareth |