Christ, and that he died to expiate sin, is, in the first instance, struck with a conviction that sin must be exceeding sinful; and that as a sinner, he is exposed to extreme danger. The former, by comparing his spirit and deportment with the law, becomes sensible of guilt; and the latter, by pondering on the death of the Son of God, for the purpose of making atonement, and of magnifying and making honourable the divine law, becomes persuaded that there is in sin all that is base and malignant. The former may struggle against his convictions, and endeavour to escape from the light of the precepts and threatenings of scripture; but, if he be under divine teaching, he will find this to be impossible: The latter will naturally turn to the law, and on viewing it in itself, and in connection with the cross, and on comparing himself with the delineation of its spirit in the character of Christ, he will be deeply impressed with a sense of his contrariety to it, and will humble himself in the dust. The former individual, should his convictions and alarm be blessed as the means of leading him to inquire after the gospel, and should the truth be perceived by him, will also be led to the cross; and there, however deeply he may have been convinced of sin before, he will become much more so, and the latter will feel that the attractive power of the love and the compassion of the Saviour increases in proportion as his sense of guilt and of his natural wretchedness comes to be deepened, though it was an affecting display of the Divine love which, in the first instance, influenced his heart. It follows that, though every believer of the Gospel sees his need of it, or, in other words, is convinced that he is a sinner, and that he can be saved only through Christ; yet it is not necessary that a person should, for a certain period, experience a particular agonizing process of conviction and alarm, before he can derive comfort from the atone

ment. Some have been the subjects of such a process; but others, who have been as deeply sensible of sin, have been kept from feeling this horror of mind, by receiving clearer and more immediate views of the riches of redeeming grace.

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The message of mercy sets before men a finished atonement, the benefit of which is to be obtained, not in the way of striving to make ourselves better, but in that of believing or receiving the testimony of God as true. To this method of acceptance none are more opposed than those who deem themselves qualified for the divine mercy. Their fancied qualifications blind their minds to the true glory of the gospel. What a mercy, when such are enabled from the heart to say, "What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ!" Phil. iii. 7. When, on looking back, they are made to see that all their endeavours, and even their religious services, have been designed to establish what God has determined to put down, and are led, from a conviction that there is nothing between them and everlasting perdition but the work of the Saviour, to cast themselves on him as their whole hope and confidence.

I would remind you, my dear friend, that some again are plunged into affliction, and are made to feel that all below is vanity; and feeling a want which nothing here can supply, they are led to inquire into their state. Object after object has been followed-here, there, and elsewhere, happiness has been sought, but all in vain. In the day of prosperity, the mind, though not satisfied, was diverted; but adversity has come, and all is involved in gloom. A man in such a day of distress comes to himself, as did the prodigal son, Luke xv., and Manasseh, 2 Chron. xxiii. 12, 13. Finding nothing substantial in the world on which to rest, he asks if there is any way of relief, and, if there be, what it is? In such circumstances, the gospel, when stated to him

and blessed of God for the enlightening of his mind, is found to be all that he needs. There is a conscience in man which often alarms the stoutest heart; but unhappily its voice is frequently stifled: yet when his forlorn and unprovided state is disclosed, the inability of the world to meet his necessities is discovered; and when in the gospel firm footing and the hand of a friend are presented to him who had neither, the voice of conscience is readily heard. To the blessed gospel of peace the heart bows with delight. The mind of the unhappy sufferer is softened, and he hears with pleasure of the blessedness of the servants of God, and of his unbounded goodness to all who return to him through Christ. Luke xv. 17, 18, 19. Here the law, the gospel, and the afflictions of life all concur to produce the effect.

Every opportunity should be embraced of pressing upon the mind, that the Scriptures address us as already guilty and condemned-as under the power of sinful principles-as wretched and helpless-and as altogether unworthy of the least of the divine mercies. This is to be done, not merely by stating the general doctrine of human depravity, but by fully depicting the character of man. We should employ the actions of the life to prove the state of the heart; for the fruit shows the nature of the tree, and the stream the nature of the fountain. If we confine our attention to the outward evils of the life, we act in relation to the soul as a man should do in regard to the body, who was all attention to some external eruption, and unmindful of the internal state of the system.

On the other hand, there is a vague general way of descanting on the depravity of the heart, which makes no impression, because there is no delineation given of the workings of sin. Accordingly, it sometimes happens that persons who are loud and constant in their com

plaints of the corruptions of their hearts, are exceedingly offended if charged, however gently, with any particular transgression. The fact is, that such characters, in some way or other, consider the corruption of their hearts as an excuse for the sins of the life; or else they are the subjects of some vague and indefinite feelings, which they mistake for a conviction of depravity and of helplessness.

Let us then bring the truth home to the heart. We shall be assisted in doing this by the many appeals of Scripture to the conscience, as to what we are and what we have done-what we suffer and what we dread-what we desire and what we need. In a great part of the first three chapters of the epistle to the Romans, the apostle dwells on the natural character of man; as also in the second chapter of the epistle to the Ephesians, and in parallel passages. Much of human nature is seen in the gospel histories, and particularly in that of John. In the writings of the prophets we often meet with the most pointed descriptions of the human heart, and the ways of the world : In their writings there are also given the most striking representations of the present scene, and corresponding with the inward convictions that are generally felt regarding it. In Scripture history there is much both of the ways of God, and those of man, exhibited; and particularly in that part of it which is biographical. These all furnish matter for instruction, and serve to produce and to cherish serious impressions in the mind; and particularly when that consistent and full view which the gospel gives of the divine character is stated along with them. In this way ought we to take the favourable opportunity which affliction presents, of leading the inquirer to the law of God, with its awful sanctions; and also to the gospel of peace, with its precious blessings. Thus will be mingled the law of heaven, the

message of mercy, and the providence of God; which all serve to illustrate each other. The first serves to awaken the conscience, the second to engage the affections, and the third by means of the ills and sorrows of life, to excite and influence the principle of self-preservation, and the desire of happiness. Some are, in the first instance, more accessible in one of these ways, and some in another, and hence that variety which marks the leadings of God in bringing sinners to himself. Now the great thing, surely, is to be indeed brought to him, and not the order in which the work commences.

We ought never, my dear friend, to forget that the great design of the Scriptures is to testify of Christ. John v. 39, 46. Rev. xix. 10. It is of the first importance to press upon inquirers the necessity of receiving this testimony, and the guilt of neglecting it. It will be found to be no easy thing to convince them of the sin of unbelief. They may be convinced, by the operation of the law upon the conscience, that they have neglected many good works, and have done many positive evil deeds,-in a word, that they have in one way or other broken all the commandments; while they have no real conviction of the sin of unbelief. They may indeed in words allow that they are guilty of it; but what they mean by unbelief is, not the rejection of the testimony of the gospel, but the want of certain devotional feelings and holy dispositions; or perhaps the difficulty they have to persuade themselves that they are Christians. That any particular individual is a child of God, is no part of that testimony which God hath given in his word: This a man comes to know only when he has believed that message, which is true whether he believes it or not, and the rejection of which is the sin of unbelief. The Saviour has told us, that the great work of the Spirit is to convince the hearers of the gospel, of sin; because they believe not in Him.