him for rest: come and fear not; for he bids thee come. (Matt. xi. 27, 28.) Dost thou know that " thou hast sinned against heaven and before God, and art not worthy to be called a son?" Do but cast thyself then at his feet, and tell him so, and ask forgiveness, and try whether he will not welcome and embrace thee, pardon and entertain thee, clothe thee and feast thee, and rejoice over thee as one that was lost and is found, was dead and is alive." (Luke xv.) For "he came to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke xix. 10.) While thou saidst, "I am rich and increased in goods, and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked ;” thou wouldst not " buy the tried gold that thou mightest be rich, nor his white raiment that thou mightest be clothed, that the shame of thy nakedness might not appear; nor Christ's eyesalve that thou mightest see.” (Rev. iii. 17, 18.) But now thou art poor in spirit, and findest that thou art nothing, and hast nothing, and of thyself canst do nothing that is acceptably good, (John xv. 5,) and that of thyself thou art insufficient to think any thing that is good; (2 Cor. iii. 5;) now thou art readier for the help of Christ, and a patient fit for the tender healing hand of the physician. Whilst thou saidst, God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, nor as this publican, thou wast farther from Christ and justification, than now thou standest as afar off, and darest scarcely look up to heaven, but smitest on thy breast and sayest, Lord be merciful to me a sinner." (Luke xviii. 11-14.) Not that extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or any that are ungodly, are justified or can be saved, while they are such: not that a smiting on the breast, with a Lord be merciful to me a sinner," will serve their turn while they continue in their wicked lives: but when thou art brought to accuse and condemn thyself, thou art prepared for his grace that must renew and justify thee. None sped better with Christ than the woman that confessed herself a dog, and begged but for the children's crumbs: and the centurion that sent friends to Christ to mediate for him, as being unworthy to come himself, and unworthy that Christ should enter under his roof: For of the first Christ said, "O woman, great is thy faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt;" (Matt. xv. 27, 28;)

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And of the second he saith with admiration, "I have not found so great faith, no not in Israel." (Luke vii. 6-9.) Though thou art ready to deny the title of a child, and to number thyself with the dogs, yet go to him and beg his crumbs of mercy. Though thou think that Christ will not come to such a one as thou, and though thou beg prayers of others, as thinking he will not hear thy own, thou little thinkest how this self-abasement and self-denial prepareth thee for his tenderest mercies, and his esteem. When thou art contrite (as the dust that is trodden under feet), and poor, and tremblest at the word, then will he look at thee with compassion and respect. (Isaiah lxvi. 2.) "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place: with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones: for I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth; for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made." (Isaiah lvii. 15.) When thou art using the self-condemning words of Paul, (Rom. vii. 14—25,) “ I am carnal, sold under sin: what I would, that do I not; and what I hate, that do I. For I know that that in me, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing-- I find a law, that when I would do good, evil is present with me. A law in my members warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin" when thou criest out with him" O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me, from the body of this death;" thou art then fitter to look to thy Redeemer, and use the following words, thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord." When thou didst exalt thyself, thou wast obnoxious to the storms of justice, which was engaged to bring thee low: but now thou humblest thyself, thou liest in the way of mercy, that is engaged to exalt thee. (Luke xiv. 11; xviii. 14.) Mercy looketh downward, and can quickly spy a sinner in the dust; but cannot leave him there, nor deny him compassion and relief. Art thou cast out as helpless, wounded by thy sin, and neglected by all others that pass by? Thou art the fittest object for the skill and mercy of Him that washeth sinners in his blood, and tenderly bindeth up their wounds, and undertakes the perfecting of the cure, though yet thou must bear the surgeon's hand, till his time of perfect cure be

that is,

I

come. (Luke x. 33-35.) Now thou perceivest the greatness of thy sin and misery, thou art fit to study the greatness of his mercy; and with all saints (to strive)" to comprehend what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge." (Ephes. iii. 18, 19.) Now thou hast "smitten upon the thigh," and said, "What have I done?" (Jer. xxxi. 19; viii. 6,) thou art fitter to look unto him that was wounded and smitten for thy transgressions, and to consider what he hath done, and suffered: how he "hath borne thy grief and carried thy sorrows, and was bruised for thy iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was laid upon him, and we are healed by his stripes: all we like sheep have gone astray : we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah liii. 4—6, &c.) Art thou in doubt whether there be any forgiveness for thy sins; and whether there be any place for repentance? Remember that Christ is "exalted by God's right hand to be a prince and a Saviour, to give repentance unto Israel, and forgiveness of sins. (Acts v. 31.) And that he himself hath spoken it, that "all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men, except the blasphemy against the Spirit. (Matt. xii. 32.) And this forgiveness of sins thou art bound to believe as an article of thy creed: that it is purchased by Christ, and freely offered in the Gospel. Mercy did but wait all this while, till thou wast brought to understand the want and worth of it, that it might be thine. When a Peter that denieth Christ with oaths and cursing, goeth out and weepeth, he speedily finds mercy from him without, that he but now denied within. When so bloody a persecuter as Paul findeth mercy, upon his prostration and confession; and when so great an offender as Manasseh is forgiven upon his penitence, in bonds; when all his witchcraft, idolatry and cruelties are pardoned, upon a repentance that might seem to have been forced by a grievous scourge; what sinner that perceives his sin and misery, can question his entertainment if he come to Christ. Come to him sinner, with thy load and burden; come to him with all thy acknowleged unworthiness: and try whether he will refuse thee. He hath professed that "him that cometh to him he will in no wise cast out." (John vi. 37.) He refused not his very murderers, when they were pricked at the heart and inquired

after a remedy; (Acts ii. 37;) and will he refuse thee? Hath our Physician poured out his blood to make a medicine for distracted sinners; and now is he willing to work the cure? Fusus est sanguis medici, et factum est medicamentum frenetici,' saith Augustine. O sinner! now thou art brought to know thyself, know Christ also and the cure is done. Let thy thoughts of the remedy be deeper, and larger, and longer, than all thy thoughts of thy misery: it is thy sin and shame if it be not so. Why wilt thou have twenty thoughts of sin and misery, for one that thou hast of Christ and mercy? when mercy is so large, and great, and wonderful as to triumph over misery: and grace aboundeth much more where sin hath abounded. (Rom. 5. 20.) Inspice vulnera pendentis; sanguinem morientis; pretium redimentis; cicatrices resurgentis. Caput habet inclinatum ad osculandum; cor apertum ad diligendum; brachia extensa ad amplexandum, totum corpus expositum ad redimendum,' saith Augustin. Behold the wounds of Christ as he is hanging; the blood of him dying, the price of him redeeming, the scars of him rising. His head is bowed to kiss thee: his heart open to love thee; his arms open to embrace thee; his whole body exposed to redeem thee.

• Homo factus est hominis factor, ut sugeret ubera regens sydera; ut esuriret panis; ut siteret fons; dormiret lux, ab itinere via fatigaretur; falsis testibus veritas occultaretur; Judex vivorum et mortuorum à judice mortali judicaretur; ab injustis justitia damnaretur; flagellis disciplina cæderetur spinis botrus coronaretur; in ligno fundamentum suspenderetur; virtus infirmaretur; salus vulneraretur; vita moreretur,' saith Augustin: that is, The Maker of man was made man; that he might suck the breasts that rules the stars; that bread might hunger; the spring (or fountain) might thirst; the light might sleep; the way might be weary in his journey; that the truth might be hidden by false witnesses: that the Judge of quick and dead might be judged by a mortal judge: justice might be condemned by the unjust; discipline might be scourged; the cluster of grapes might be crowned with thorns; the foundation might be hanged on a tree; that strength might be weakened; that health might be wounded; and that life itself might die. This is the wonderful mystery of love, which will entertain the soul that comes to Christ, and which thou must study

to know when thou knowest thyself. But till then all these will be riddles to thee, or little relished: and Christ will seem to thy neglecting heart to have died and done all this

in vain.

And hence it is, that as proud, ungodly, sensual men, were never sound believers, so they ofttimes fall from that opinionative common faith which they had, and of all men do most easily turn apostates: it being just with God that they should be so far forsaken as to vilify the remedy, that would not know their sin and misery, but love it, and pertinaciously hold it, as their felicity!

4. If you know not yourselves, you will not know what to do with yourselves, nor to what end, and for what work you are to live. This makes the holy work neglected, and most men live to little purpose, wasting their days in matters that themselves will call impertinent when they come to die; as if they were good for nothing else: whereas if they knew themselves, they would know that they are made and fitted for more noble works. O man, if thou were acquainted well with thy faculties and frame, thou wouldst perceive the name of God thy Maker, to be so deeply engraven in thy nature, even in all thy parts and powers, as should convince thee that thou wast made for him; that all thou art and all thou hast, is nothing worth, but for his service: as all the parts and motions of a clock or watch are but to tell the hour of the day. Thou wouldst know then the meaning of sanctification and holiness; that it signifieth but the giving God his own, and is the first part of justice, without which no rendering men their due can prove thee just. Thou wouldst then know the unreasonableness and injustice of ungodliness and all sin: and that to serve thy fleshly lusts and pleasures with those noble faculties that were purposely formed to love and serve the Eternal God, is more absurd and villainous, than to employ the highest officers of the king in the sweeping of your chimnies, or the serving of your swine. Remember it, unreasonable, brutish man, the next time thou art going to thy lusts and sensual delights. It is no wiser a course thou takest: it is no more honourable or just but as much worse, as God is to be preferred to a king; and as thy sin is worse than the serving of thy swine. O man, didst thou but know thyself, and for what employment thy faculties are made, thou wouldst lift up thy