12. JOSHUA's INVITATION, IN A GOSPEL SENSE. Come hither, and hear the words of the Lord your ---Joshua iji. 9. 01. COME hither, ye by sin distress'd, And hear the Saviour's faithful word, Soon ye shall enter into rest, God. And know that he's your conqu'ring Lord. 2. Come hither, ye whose rising fears Forbid you to exult and sing; Whose moments pass in sighs and tears, j Feeling your guilt a dreadful sting! 3. Does Satan tempt you to give up, And call no more on Jesu's name? Cast not away thy little hope, Come hither, and behold the Lamb! 4. Come hither, to the Saviour come, 5. Power and love in Christ combineAn able, willing Saviour too: Is he a Sun? on thee he'll shine; 6. Great is his name! rich is his grace! Gospel invitations are rich displays of unmerited love: God might justly say, "go from my presence," to every sinner; whereas he saith, "come unto me." Every needy, sensible sinner hath a fourfold encouragement. First, the voice of the Father: Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the water, &c. Second, the voice of Jesus: Come unto me, ye that are weary, &c. Third, the voice of the Holy Ghost: The Spirit saith, come. Fourth, the voice of the Church: And the Bride saith, come.-Coming sinner, it is the will of thy Heavenly Father that thou shalt not be cast out, cast off, nor perish: It is the purpose and promise of Jesus to receive thee; to which the Holy Ghost bears witness. Zion, in all her established members and faithful servants, travels in birth for thy spiritual enlargement and true peace: saying, "Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the Lord bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad." (Psalm XIV. 7.) 1 13. THE STORM. The troubles of my heart are enlarged: Oh bring thou me out of my distresses.---Ps. xxv. 17. 1. COME Saviour, quickly come, I'm a poor wand'rer far from home, ...2. The troubles which I meet, The evils which I feel, The miry-clay that clogs my feet lite Entangles, and I reel. 3. Thy hand alone can guide -And in this stormy sea provide d. 4. Oh shut me safely in, 1 Then at the storm I'll smile; 49 Nor fear the pow'r of hell and sin, What David says of the mariners, in that most sublime Psalm the hundred and seventh, is justly applicable to the Church of God; but to some of the Church more than to others, I think few will deny.-The swelling waves-the ruffling winds-the tremendous gales-the dreadful noise -and, sometimes, the more-to-be-dreaded deadcalm; are things with which the believer, who has been any time in the service of King Jesus, is well acquainted. 14. THE REWARD OF GRACE. Much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. ---Rom. v. 15. 1. THE Gospel how cheering! its accents how sweet! "Tis the feast heav'nly wisdom prepar'd; With ev'ry rich blessing the Gospel's replete, Come, sinner, receive this reward. 2. Jehovah declares in the word of his grace, 3. Does Satan molest thee, and blind unbelief Thy pace to the kingdom retard;' The blood of the Lamb shall assuage all thy grief, O what a delightful reward! 4. Thy covenant God, whose love is the same, Thy mournings and groanings hath heard; His word is address'd to the blind and the 5. His promise is absolute, certain, and sure, No sinner e'er trusted in vain ; His covenant mercy shall ever endure, 6. To feast with the Lamb in the regions of bliss, And, all tears wip'd away from their eyes; O what a delightful assurance is this! The doctrines of free-will and creature-merit have no place in the word of God, nor in the creed of those who are taught of him, the truth as it is in Jesus. Some imagine, if the creature's passiveness be contended for, it throws a gloom of discouragement over the mind of sinners, and naturally deters them from striving to enter in at the straight gate; but such modes of reasoning |