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239

FAITH

IN ITS LOWEST DEGREES.

LDISC.

VIII.

have

been calling sinners

afar

off from

God

and

his church

to

receive

Jesus

Christ and

his

salvation,

is

there

any

dispensation for

you to neglect it,

who dwell

in

the

midst

of

the

visible

church

?

You

were

born

of

holy parents,

who have

lived

in religious families

and

are

by

this means

brought near

to

the kingdom of heaven

?

Are

you ready to

flatter

yourselves

that

you

are out

of

dancer

of

perishing

?

Have a

care

of

vain

presumption,

and

foolish feeble hopes.

The

wounded Israelites,

who

lay

just

under the

brazen

serpent

of

old,

might

die

and

perish there

in

their

own

folly,

if

they

refused

to

look

up

to the

appointed remedy;

while some from

the dis-

tant

borders

of

the camp looked

and

were saved

:

Bút

such obstinate wretches

must

be

unpitied

in

death.

Attend

then, ye sinners in

Zion, and

hearken

to

the

voice of

God

the

Saviour.

Christ

has been

brought

near

to

you in his gospel, his

promises,

and

his holy

ordi-

nances

;

you have

read

of

him in his word,

you

have

heard

him

speak

by his

ministers,

and

you have

learned

much

of

him from the

instructions of your

pious parents

:

Ye

have

begun to

see

something

of

him in his glory

and

grace;

and

will

you now

turn your

eyes away from him

?

will

you look

upon

the

vanities

of

the

present

evil

world,

and

fix

the

eye

of your

souls,

yoúr

desires, hopes, ,apd

wishes,

upon

trifles,

and

impertinences, and neglect

the

offer

of

heavenly treasures

?

Have

you seen

and heard

so much

of

Christ

already,

that

you have grown weary

of

him

?

Are the

Lord

and

his

salvation grown cheap

and

common things

to

you,

of

little

value,

not

worth

a

look

?

Will you

who

are near

to the kingdom

of

heaven,

refuse to enter

in,

and

let

those

that

come from the ends

of

the

earth

obtain the inheritance,

and

seize

the

happi-

ness

before

you

?

O

how

aggravated

will

your

condem-

nation

be

!

How

dreadful

the

agonies

of

your

torment,

to

see

perishing sinners

come from

distant

regions, from

the

east and

the

west,

from

poor

wicked

families,

and

houses

of

iniquity,

and

receive the salvation

of Christ

:

while you

are

"

cast

out into, outer

darkness

!

There

shall

be

weeping

and

wailing

and gnashing

of

teeth."

Mat.

viii.

11,

12.

4th

Reflection.

The last

use

I

shall make

of

this

discourse,

is

to

take

a

short

survey of

that

salvation,

of

the happiness and the

holiness thereof,

that

is

derived to

soul

by

a

sincere look of

faith

to

Jesus

the Saviour.