es persons of all ages and all countries; the wrath which he denounced against the offspring of Abraham for their apostacy, was designed for our admonition and alarm; the promises of forgiveness and life, which he graciously tendered them, were designed for our consolation and hope.

On the last Lord's day your attention was directed to the parable of "the barren figtree." I endeavored to improve that portion of scripture for alarming the sinner in Zion; for exhibiting that destruction which, without repentence on his part, must unavoidably overtake him; I attempted, also, to shew to the congregation, in a social ca pacity, the danger of misimproving their privileges; it was noticed that the Lord God, in his righteous displeasure, sometimes unchurches a congregation at once, removes the candlestick" out of his place, and leaves them without "vision, without sacrifice, and without teraphim." Such were his judgments upon the Jews; such, afterwards, were his judgments upon Sardis, upon Laodecea, and the other churches in lesser Asia. My design in selecting these verses is to aim at displaying the abundant riches of divine mercy, and, if possible, to encourage you as individuals and as a congregation to yield yourselves up to the Lord by entering into his covenant.

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"I will heal their backslidings." backslide, in the literal sense of the word, is to slip or glide from some point to which

we have attained; as used in scripture, it generally signifies to come short of some resolution which we have solemnly made, or some obligation which we are reasonably bound to fulfil, and is only chargeable upon a professing person or people. The heathen, or those who have been uniformly op posed to the Saviour's cross, cannot be guilty of backsliding, because they have nothing to lose; having never attained to any thing in the church of the living God, there is nothing either in principle or profession from which they can depart. But they are chargeable with backsliding who were early surrendered to God in baptism, who were thus brought into the communion of his church, or who join themselves to the Lord by an open profession of his name, and afterwards walk unworthy of this profession; who renounce any thing either in doctrine or practice to which they had attained.Such was the condition of the Jews to whom this prophecy was delivered, and such is the condition of thousands who once possessed a name in the visible church. "The cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, the temptations of " the evil one," all combining with their own corruptions, lead them "aside from the holy commandment: With these they become more and more entang led to the loss of their peace in time, and of their souls for ever. "Demas hath forsaken me," says the apostle, "having loved this present world:"They that will be rich

fall into temptation and a snare, and inte many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition."

Brethren, are there any such in this congregation? Any, who by an increasing attachment to the profits or pleasures or preferments of this world, are gradually departing from God; are becoming more remiss in the duties of the closet, or family, or sanctuary? Let such be entreated to embrace, without delay, the gracious promise," I will heal your backslidings." The original word which we translate heal, literally signifies to cure as a physician; to remove some bodily disease, and restore to health and vigor a broken constitution. "Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy Father," to king Hezekiah, “I have heard thy prayers, I have seen thy tears; behold I will heal thee; on the third day thou shalt go up to the house of the Lord." In the present and many other instances this word is applied to the diseases of the soul, and signifies their complete removal. David celebrates the praises of Jehovah "who forgave all his iniquities; who healed all his diseases; who crowned" him "with loving kindness and tender mercies." The promise here made to the church is most comprehensive in its nature; "I will heal their backslidings, I will graciously pardon the guilt which they have contracted in departing from me; I will be merciful to this their unrighteousness, this sin and iniquity I will remember no more." VOL. 4.

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The remission of sin through the blood of the cross is a leading blessing of the everlasting covenant, and is introductory to all other blessings. The happy subject then enjoys a complete acquittal from his past and present transgressions, a perfect discharge from that curse of the law under which he formerly groaned, an eternal redemption from that wrath of which he was justly an heir, and a title, a legal, unalienable title to future glory and happiness.Being justified by his grace, we are made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." But the promise comprehends more than merely the pardon of their former offences; it also includes their sanctification, or the mortification of those lusts by which they might be exposed to future apostacies. "I will heal their backslidings, I will not only forgive those crimes with which they have been formerly chargeable, but will powerfully subdue those corruptions by which they might hereafter be estranged from me; I will put my Spirit within them, and cause them to walk in my statutes, and they shall keep my judgments and do them. Then shall they remember their own evil ways and their doings that were not good, and shall loathe themselves in their own sight, for their iniquities and for their abominations." Whom Jehovah pardons he also purifies; ke convinces them by his word and Spirit, that it is an evil and a bitter thing that they have departed from him; he ex

cites in them an abhorrence of all sin, and particularly an abhorrence of those sins with which in times past they have "been most easily beset." Ephraim," who was formerly "joined to his idols," shall afterwards exclaim with a holy indignation, "what have I to do any more with idols?" And David, after he was brought to a consciousness of his guilt in the murder of Uriah, fervently expostulates, "deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation;" although he was solicitous to be restrained from all sin, he appeared peculiarly solicitous to be restrained from a repetition of that crime by which he lately dishonored God, gave occasion to the enemies of his cause to blaspheme, and disturb ed his own spiritual peace.

The person making this promise is God the Father; although in the remission of human guilt there is a distant act of the EVER BLESSED THREE: The Son "brings in everlasting righteousness," and renders our restoration to the divine favor consistent with each divine perfection: The Holy Spirit works faith in the sinner's heart, enabling him to improve this righteousness, cordially to embrace it as freely presented in the gospel; yet the formal act of our justification at first, and of the remission of our daily imperfections, belongs peculiarly to the Father. He vindicated the honors of justice, declaring that "without shedding of blood there" should be "no remission;" demand