THE TRUE PENITENT. 495 Emanuel, God with us, who appeared as the son of man, to make his soul an offering for sin, for thy sin; and saved thy life from destruction, by losing his own in pangs, which made the sun turn pale, shook the earth and caused the shattered graves to give up their dead. He is even now near to thy heart; he stands at the door, and gently knocks by the word of his grace. If thou hearest his voice, and openest by believing, he will come in ; the word of reconciliation shall be powerfully engrafted in thy heart : thou shalt know, experimentally know, the truth, and the truth shall make thee free. Assured that he hath by himself purged thy sins, abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through they gospel, thou shalt sup with him and he with thee ; thou shalt eat the bread of God, which came,down from heaven, to give life to a perishing world. Evangelical truth, re- ceived by faith, will heal, nourish, comfort, and sanc- tify the soul. But perhaps thy guilty heart receives no conso- lation from these lines. Thou still considerest Christ only,as a severe Lawgiver, or as an inflexible Judge; and notas the Propitiation for thy sins, and thy gra- cious all- prevailing Advocate with the Father. 0! how dost thou wrong both him and thyself, by such false conceptions! And how soon would thy gloomy fears give place to triumphant joy, if thy thoughts of him corresponded with his gracious designs concern- ing thee! Wouldst thou know him better? behold him through the glass of his word, and not through the mist of thy fears; and thou wilt see that, far from watching over thee for evil, he fixes upon thee the piercing eye of his redeeming love; waits that he may be gracious to thy soul, and calls, continually calls, for thee. O ! if thou hast an ear, listen ; and as thou listenest, wonder at the kind reviving words, which proceed out of his mouth. VI. "Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, says they
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